Theatrical Review: Mockingjay- Part 2

Date: Saturday November 21, 2014
Time: 12pm
Location: Pocono Movieplex
Party: 2 (my mom and I)

Director: Francis Lawrence
Type: young adult, drama, book-to-movie adaptation, action, sci-fi

Cast:
Katniss Everdeen- Jennifer Lawrence
Peeta Mellark- Josh Hutcherson
Gale- Liam Hemsworth
Plutarach- Philip Seymour HoffmanFinnick Odair (District 4)- Sam Claflin
Beetee (aka "Volts") (District 3)- Jeffrey Wright
Haymitch- Woody Harrelson
Effie Trinket- Elizabeth Banks
Prim Everdeen- Willow Shields
Caesar Flickerman- Stanley Tucci
President Snow- Donald SutherlandJohanna Mason (District 7)- Jena Malone
District 13 President Coin- Julianne Moore
Katniss's bodyguard Boggs- Mahershala Ali
Propaganda director Cressida- Natalie Dormer
Propaganda crew member Messalla-Evan Ross
Propaganda crew member Castor- Wes Chatham
Propaganda crew member Pollux- Elden Henson

Duration: 137 minutes (+ trailers)

Opening Remarks and Trailers:

We were the only ones in the theater when we arrived. 2-3 people came in after the trailers, but they slipped in through the back so we only heard them come in.

I'm not sure if I've asked this yet, but are we going to have to suffer through that Superman/Batman trailer EVERY SINGLE TIME we go to the movies? The god-awful excessive promotion of this is actually talking me OUT of seeing this movie.
That was my last thought before the movie itself started.

Before that, we had some pretty awesome looking trailers for "Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass" (although I have to ask if there was any conceivable reason to make the Mad Hatter a lead character if he wasn't being played by Johnny Depp), "Allegiant" (why the hell are they making this into two movies, again? It looks fairly complete to me...), "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (we got to see Leia this time! I'm also theorizing whether the female lead and Oscar Isaac's characters are Han & Leia's twins... I'm pretty sure she's one of them, with him, it's just wishful thinking, lol).

Then there was a brand new movie called "God of Egypt" which looked SUPER AMAZING. The effects especially. Gerard Butler appears to be playing the villain God, Set. And Robert Sheehan (who played Simon in "City of Bones") might be one of the main characters. I just hope it really is as amazing as it looks and it doesn't wind up being that waste-of-time "Clash of the Titans" remake.

Write-up:

The End of Another Franchise

For my previous "Hunger Games" reviews, follow the links below... if that kind of thing strikes your fancy:http://moviegoerconfessions.blogspot.com/2013/07/71-hunger-games-2012.html
http://moviegoerconfessions.blogspot.com/2013/11/theatrical-review-hunger-games-catching.html
http://moviegoerconfessions.blogspot.com/2014/11/theatrical-review-mockingjay-part-1.html
Now onto business...

I was just thinking the other day how, once this movie is done, the only YA franchise we have left is Veronica Roth's series... and that's going to be agonizingly carried out over the next couple years. Those who've read "Allegiant" know why- I'm not going to dispense with any spoilers until that time comes (in 2018).
Beyond that, we'll have a bunch of "Star Wars" movies, the rest of "50 shades" (2017 cannot come fast enough... assuming "50 Shades Darker" follows in the same footsteps of the first movie, which I enjoyed far more than the book. Although the 2nd book is my favorite in the series by far), and a bunch of John Green adaptations ("Paper Towns" got horrible reviews, but I loved the book so I still want to see it).

What'll we do without any serieses of book-to-adaptations? Who knows?
But what's for sure is that the ending of every franchise is a celebration with some bittersweet aspects. Most of them are in the realm of "crying cuz it's over, but happy that it happened"... Harry Potter and Twilight were that for me, easily.

With "Mockingjay" and the Hunger Games, even before going into the movie, I know for a fact it will be bittersweet because the impending victory (this is not a SPOILER, by the way. Find me one franchise where the rebels/good guys don't win, then we'll talk) comes after some very drastic and heartwrenching sacrifices.
Far worse than losing Fred Weasley, Tonks and Lupin in "Harry Potter"- but to be fair, those deaths were shown so quickly that we barely had time to grieve. Of all people, Snape was probably the one person we were allowed time to mourn. [And I proceeded through the series all over again, books & movies, so I could truly appreciate him and his actions].

And much to my continued annoyance while reading the book, one of those casualties/deaths DID NOT INCLUDE PEETA.
I can be pretty rabid about wanting someone killed off in a series (film, TV, book, etc.). Especially villains. But also when something appears to be a dead end with no hope of redemption. This was not assisted by the fact I shipped Katniss and Gale for the series and something happens that blows up (figuratively AND literally) any possibility of that. After Bella married Edward and become a vampire, I didn't think there was a more final way to put an end to a YA novel coupling. Any member of Team Jacob reading this would probably laugh and point "NOW YOU KNOW HOW WE FEEL."

More on Shipping YA book/movie couples

Excluding "Twilight" (Team Edward for life!), it really does suck when the girl always ends up with the guy she just met opposed to the one she knew her whole life. Clary & Simon had that same issue in the "Mortal Instruments" series, but then again, that whole cockblock [not a typo!] that was Clary & Jace being fooled into believing they were brother and sister... I'm sorry, that was incredibly stupid. I enjoyed the series, but it had so many annoying roadblocks keeping Clary & Jace apart that I almost gave up on a number of times.
The only example of friends winding up together was "Some Kind of Wonderful"- it STILL does not make up for Andy & Ducky not happening in "Pretty in Pink."

Anyway, the movies made me like Peeta more than I did in the books- where I think I was more indifferent towards him. The credit, without a doubt, goes to Josh Hutcherson for just being so good at being likeable. So going in, I could only hope that his performance would save me again. That I wouldn't spend most of the movie wishing him dead because the grip that tracker-jacker torture had on him could not be broken.

Onto The Movie itself...

After all that build up, I hope that I at least have enough to talk about to fill up the rest of the post.
We re-enter the movie maybe a couple weeks after the previous part ended. Katniss is just getting her voice back after Peeta nearly choked her to death. And I spend a great deal of the movie white-knuckled, shell-shocked and in that old "Mockingjay-death-to-Peeta" state of mind.
Being with him in those scenes was so difficult. I don't have a lot of memory of the book at this point, but I didn't remember Katniss actually taking my side and really wanting nothing to do with him. Heck, there's a scene where President Coin, Plutarch and Haymitch make her talk to him when she really doesn't to. The madness comes out when they first send Prim to talk to him, which I don't remember from the book, but if it was made for the movie, it made sense. First because he knows and trusts her and second because we need more Prim screen time to make up for later on.
Spoilers from this point forward...
And just prepare for me to go into length about the characters... it's always best to read the books first.
In previous book-to-movie adaptations (although most of this was "Twilight"), I loathed when they spent time away from the protagonists and spent time with the villains or side characters. But in this case, I enjoyed President Snow's additional screen time to see more of what was going on.
There was an intriguing "dinner party" scene where he offs somebody in a way much more subtle than Darth Vadar choking out the creator of the Death Star. Snow being the ruthless ruler he is, it's not surprising that he's dealt with a fair number of assassination attempts. But I enjoyed the fact (not sadistically, but for storytelling purposes) that this was starting to take a toll on him. And he could very well die soon of his own fruition.

I don't know if I would have found as much comfort in Plutarch's presence in the story had Philip Seymour Hoffman not died. But whatever presence he had was grounding and comforting, especially when a lot of it was bleak and tense. The CGI renderings of him to fill in the blanks he left behind after his death were so live-like, I'm welling to bet they were bittersweet for greater fans of his .
And his absence also gave Woody Harrelson a chance at having a great additional scene that made me grateful for both their characters. Haymitch had the least screen time in this film than any other before it, but he made each one really count for something.

Jena Malone appears a small number of times as Johanna, being somewhat of the antithesis/voice of reason within District 13's rebel stronghold. Although her most memorable moments were stealing Katniss's morphine (anyone who knows Johanna from "Catching Fire" or reading the books, this was one of those "well-of-course") moments and slowly forming a Joker grin while listening to Katniss's plan at the wedding.

To me, having Finnick and Annie's wedding in the middle of this movie felt a little contrived and pointless. I didn't know whether or not he was going to die in an upcoming scene and if he had, what was the point of all this? Just to take us away from the bleak nature of this movie? To give Katniss and Prim one final nice scene together?
It wasn't nearly as gratifying, heartwarming or exciting as Bill and Fleur's wedding in part 1 of the "Deathly Hallows."

One review I remember mentioned something about Stanley Tucci having one last scene as Caesar Flickman that was memorable... when I saw it, I figured I misread it as being something more than it was. But somehow I missed the line "he manages to end his brief appearance with the single most insincere smile his toady of a character has ever smiled." Actually, until that moment, I always liked his character. Then I freaking HATED him or wished he was joking about Katniss being horrible.

After the wedding, a few scenes of Katniss fighting to storm the Capitol, and Peeta continuing to deteriorate my opinion of him, we have Katniss going with Boggs, Gale, Finnick and her propaganda team to infiltrate the Capitol.
Which obviously is tricky business because there are booby traps everywhere, even those not marked on their portable electronic map.
Plus the fact Peeta was shipped to them. I don't remember that in the book either, him joining their squad in this way, but either way, it felt like foul play was at work. That coupled with Boggs telling Katniss that Coin wanted to save Peeta from the arena instead of her because she wants to be in control of everything. Losing him was a little bit of a game-changer, but I also hated it because I had started to like him at this point.

Peeta lashes out only one other time, killing one person whose name escapes me, which made me feel a bit better. After a while, I started to ignore the ticking bomb in the room and focus on the other dangers ahead. I screamed once and it was at something that wasn't even deadly. The only way for them to go day to day was to keep asking/answering whether something was real or not. Apparently, the tracker-jacker torture involved using images that were real and some that weren't. And that same Peeta I liked in the first couple movies was back.
I still don't regret feeling any of that negativity, though.

Gale and Peeta actually got to have a scene together, which was interesting, but much shorter than the whole Edward/Jacob conversation in the tent in "Eclipse." They ultimately agree that Katniss will choose whomever when the war is all over.
But being on Team Gale, I still feel letdown about how he and Katniss parted ways. The scene was barely a blimp in the radar of the movie. He didn't know whether the final assault on the Capitol was his issue (in the book, I think he knew he was behind it) and she simply said goodbye to him. They never saw each other after that. At least Jacob, however annoying he was at times, contributed to the plot and was around after the main story ended.

All the boobytrap scene had really great CGI and special effects. But they were also terrifying, more than anything in either arena from the first two movies. In the sewers, there were all these monsters looked like the demons in the cave from the "Half-Blood Prince." The action happened so fast you almost didn't know who was who. But the fact Peeta got involved and actually attacked them (rather than his fellow humans) was great to see from his character. It let me know things would be okay from that point forward.
But losing one character here was particularly difficult. It almost felt unnecessary, but considering how they were surrounded, there really was no way out.
Besides the Peeta-turn-around, the one good thing that came out of going underground was giving Pollux a time to shine. I fouind him very endearing in Part 1 and having him lead the squad through the tunnels he knew like the back of his hand- that was great, and he did it without saying a word. (He's an Avox- had his tongue cut out by the Capitol as punishment).

There's a scene where everyone left ducks into a fashion boutique where they hid for the night. I believe this was supposed to the one scene Effie had in the entire "Mockingjay" novel. Instead, this went to Tigress, a former "Hunger Games" beautifier that Snow had tired because she wasn't pretty anymore. The only thing left at this point is for the squad to split up with Katniss and Gale going undercover.

Snow makes an announcement that all the Capitol denizens need to hide in his mansion. So I'm rolling my eyes thinking this is a human-shield tactic. Then at the front, they're ordered to hand all their children over. More eye rolling. Parachutes (like those with sponsor gifts in the Hunger Games) come down and I figure out very quickly that they are not a good thing.  Everything turns around very quickly. So much that you almost have no time to react. Barely even have time to notice Prim and scream when she's killed in one of the bombings.

In this part of the book, Katniss is rendered mute from the shock of it all. She figures out very quickly what happened and who was responsible. But I suppose they needed one final scene with her and President Snow to really establish her future mindset and explain why she takes the actions she does.
I remember reading the end of a chapter where she has an arrow notched for Snow. But turn the page and she kills President Coin and he dies choking on his own tongue and blood from laughing so hard at the sheer madness of it all. I honestly don't remember my reaction: whether it was a surprise or I had expected it.
It was frustrating that she never got to explain herself to anyone when everyone in the crowd was in a frenzy over what she did. But I like the scene with Haymitch, reading Plutarch's letter about sneaking her out of the city and also understanding her actions.

But I started to wonder/worry that they were going to gloss over Prim's death... until Katniss returns home (in the Victor's part of District 12) and sees Prim's cat. Her reaction still came off better in the book, but J-Law makes this hard to watch for good reasons. We all feel the way she does (at least I should hope so at this point).

I liked the ending where she, Peeta and Haymitch are living together. And she also comes to his room and falls asleep in Peeta's arms.
But then we went into the re-written epilogue section... which I felt was a little overkill with the sticky-sweet factor. I knew she and Peeta would end up together, but did we really have to see them have a couple kids? And she tells one of them about having nightmares and playing "games"... I'm sorry, guys, but give me a freaking break here.
I realize that there would be no Hunger Games (President Coin's push for them with the Capitol's children ended with her death) and there's no reason left to not want kids. But it felt a little too cliché to me.
[Just re-read the last couple pages- the only differences are which of the two child is older and the narrative was converted to dialogue... either way, I rolled my eyes when I read it because I honestly didn't care to know any of that. But that's just me...]

Final Comment:

I really enjoyed the first two movies. The second even more than the first one. But splitting this movie in two might have done it less favors. There were moments with certain character I really enjoyed, but after a while, I just wanted to it all to be over. It wasn't thoroughly enjoyable, but then again, war rarely is.
My mom was saying afterwards that she felt numb after all that's happened through the series. And I tend to agree.

Grade: B+

Theatrical Review: Mockingjay-Part 1

Date: Sunday November 23, 2014

Time: 12:15pm
Location: Pocono Movieplex
Party: 3 (my mom, book-to-movie loving aunt and myself)
Duration: 123 minutes (+3 trailers)

Director: Francis Lawrence
Type: young adult, drama, book-to-movie adaptation, action, sci-fi

Cast:
Returning Players
Katniss Everdeen- Jennifer Lawrence
Peeta Mellark- Josh Hutcherson
Gale- Liam Hemsworth
Plutarach- Philip Seymour Hoffman
Finnick Odair (District 4)- Sam Claflin

Beetee (aka "Volts") (District 3)- Jeffrey Wright
Haymitch- Woody Harrelson
Effie Trinket- Elizabeth Banks
Prim Everdeen- Willow Shields
Caesar Flickerman- Stanley Tucci
President Snow- Donald SutherlandJohanna Mason (District 7)- Jena Malone

Newcomers
District 13 President Coin- Julianne Moore
Katniss's bodyguard Boggs- Mahershala Ali
Propaganda director Cressida- Natalie Dormer
Propaganda crew member Messalla-Evan Ross
Propaganda crew member Castor- Wes Chatham
Propaganda crew member Pollux- Elden Henson
Opening Remarks and Trailers:

We were 3 of 9 people in the entire theater. A group of two sat several seats in front of us and a family of 4 sat across from us. The interaction was few and far between, but there was one point (I'll mention when) when they clapped.
Going in, I guessed we'd have three trailers. One for the last "Hobbit" movie (our next theatrical venture), one for "Insurgence" (book two of Veronica Roth's series) and one for the newest "Avengers" movie...
I had the number right, but the "Hobbit" trailer was replaced by something else. Most likely, because Lionsgate wanted to promote their movies and didn't want to risk the competition.
Seeing as the closest movie in box office numbers this week was "Big Hero 6" at $20M (compared to  $123 million), such a thing does not currently exist.
"The Age of Adaline" was yet another attempt at the cliché: a person is mysteriously granted with the gift of Eternal Youth and they need to navigate their lives accordingly.
The only big difference here is that the hero is a heroine. Blake Likely to be exact. And the focus is on how she spent her eternity not allowing herself to get involved with people because it only leads to heartbreak over the whole "not aging" thing.
So between a tired plot and Blake Likely (do not get the hype around her at all... but that's mostly because she was the only "Sister of the Pants" had nothing in common with... plus her whole storyline where she flirts with a soccer coach and after sleeping with him, she feels bad about herself... as far as I'm concerned, she ASKED for that heartache by pursing a forbidden relationship)

"Insurgence" was nothing but a teaser trailer... that never happened in the book. To me, it looked a dream sequence or another "simulation". Plus I'm still recovering from the last time I saw it-- Tris crying over her mom dying left me an emotional mess 10 minutes after that death scene... the trailer was her chasing after her mom (who I know to be DEAD) in a floating burning building.

Considering my Downey fangirl status, it might sound crazy, me saying this, but this was my first glimpse of the new "Avengers" trailer. While I found it odd that he committed to the next "Captain America" movie [he's just procrastinating more for "Sherlock 3"], it's really reassuring.
No more of me worrying about the reunion of the "Less than Zero" cast mates [since James Spader will be Ultron's voice] giving way to the "nightmare scenario" of deja vu.
Seriously, though, the trailer looks impressive. We get our first glimpses of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. Lots of great action sure to come, the characters being pushed to their limits... my knuckles will be white the entire time :P
Write-up:

Other Opening Remarks
For my previous "Hunger Games" reviews, follow the links below... if that kind of thing strikes your fancy:
http://moviegoerconfessions.blogspot.com/2013/07/71-hunger-games-2012.html
http://moviegoerconfessions.blogspot.com/2013/11/theatrical-review-hunger-games-catching.html
Now onto business...

Excluding the people who hate on YA novel film adaptations, there are two kinds of critics of this movie:
1) those who believe "Mockingjay" shouldn't have been split into two movies
2) those who believe "nothing happened"

One movie or two?
I will concede the first point.

I expressed my annoyance with "The Deathly Hallows" (in the first half of the book, nothing really did happen, I couldn't wait for it to be over) being split in half... an opinion I later reversed since part 1 was really well done.

The same thing with "Breaking Dawn"... I felt they were copying the Harry Potter thing by doing two movies... I felt like they could have done it in one, but then we'd have to rush through all the new vampires. I also appreciated the "good-bye" treatment in the beginning (set to "Bella's Lullaby") and end (set to Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years").
...hey, I'm a Twi-hard, I love these characters... the very least Harry Potter could have done was erupt into cheers and celebration when Voldermort was finally defeated [you know, like at the end of "Return of the Jedi"]

"Mockingjay", I had the same reservations about... and don't even get me started on the latest announcement about "Allegiant"... why prolong the inevitably painful ending by splitting into two movies? The studio hears money while I hear my insides screaming.

I read "Mockingjay" over two years ago, so I don't remember much about it... other than the beginning, middle (where this movie ended) and the end/epilogue.
So as far as rating it as a book-to-movie adaptation, I'm a little out of my depth :P
but as with the above mentioned links, I strongly recommend reading the books beforehand... otherwise, you're at a disadvantage.
Not just being in the dark about what happens, but forging a relationship with these characters.
You can get caught up in the disbelief that anything happens in this movie, but if you don't know the characters or allow yourselves to get to know them, you might as well be wasting your time.

Story
SPOILERS AHEAD
When President Coin (Julianne Moore) says "the games destroyed her" in the trailers, she really wasn't kidding. Katniss is a mess when we first see her. Refusing to sleep because all of the nightmares. Also still very incensed that Haymitch went back on his word to save Peeta over her.
In fact, she goes on about that for the first half hour of the movie until the President agrees to her "demands"-- rescuing the hostages (Peeta, Johanna and Finnick's girlfriend Annie) at the early opportunity and giving them a full pardon.

Much of the movie is spent making propaganda videos. The trick is visiting some of the districts and capturing Katniss's reactions as they happen. [Haymitch hatches this plan since reading from a script clearly wasn't cutting it] Meanwhile, we see members of District 7 (Johnna's lumber yard district) and 5 (hydroelectric) fight back against the Peacekeepers in response.
We meet four new characters, all refugees from The Capitol. Castor and Pollux (as Greek mythology would suggest) are brothers, but one is an Avox (he had his tongue cut out as punishment). Pollux still manages to charm Katniss with only his smile.
Cressida is tough-as-nails (half her head is shaved and tattooed... that's pretty bad-ass) and very business-like. Up until the final video (where Katniss refused to go on), I found her very accommodating to her.

Outside of Peeta's captivity, the biggest conflict in the film comes from The Capitol. They're presenting Peeta as a "voice of reason," trying to convince the people to stop their revolution. So District 13 isn't exactly a fan of him (or Katniss's condition to give him a full pardon).
And The Capitol is the only place in Panem not broadcasting District 13's videos. So it's up to Beetee (District 3's survivor of the Quarter Quell Hunger Games) to find a way to break past the security system that--ironically--he invented himself.

Team Peeta vs. Team Gale- Part 1

As a member of Team Gale, there were a lot of great moments I enjoyed this movie. Gale getting more screentime than he had in the previous two movies COMBINED. He and Katniss appear to be getting closer, but all the while, she's fixated on saving Peeta.
I love their combined screen time, but in the back of my mind, I knew this wasn't fair to Gale.

As for Peeta... I didn't quite see the transformation he went through during this movie. My mom and aunt talked about him losing weight-- something I didn't see until he was finally rescued. But his face looked increasingly gaunt, as if they were beating him up in addition to using him as a puppet for the Capitol.
Then at one given moment, once the propaganda clips finally reach the Capitol and he sees the destruction of District 12, he comes out of his trance long enough to warn District 13 on an oncoming military assault.

However, come the final three minutes of the movie... after the "big rescue"... Peeta almost kills Katniss in a really traumatic choking scene. Her eyes were visibly bloodshot and after her bodyguard knocks him out, making the screen go completely black, I was terrified the movie would end that way.
Luckily, there was one scene afterwards to help cushion the blow, which it barely does. The final visual we have is Katniss (complete with a neck brace) watches Peeta through the glass having a psychotic episode tied to a bed.

As much as the movies so far have made me more of a fan of Peeta than I was reading the books, I can already feel that old habit coming back-- me spending "Mockingjay"  wishing they just let Peeta die because I felt like he was beyond saving.
Especially going into the climax where they're storming the Capitol and Peeta has another episode that almost gets everyone killed.

I hope the next movie is good enough to spare my feelings and make it easier to accept the inevitable ending. Katniss choosing Peeta and turning her back on Gale because she blamed him for what happened to Prim.

Characters and Other Highlights
Effie Trinket had a tiny role in the book, but I'm really glad they made that adjustment in the movie by giving her a bigger role. The transformation from her being superfluous with her makeup and clothes to trying to bring fashionable accessories to her District 13 jumpsuit... that's worth every minute.
Plus, other than Gale, she's the one friend Katniss feels she has in the wake of this new conflict. Love the scene where she shows Katniss the last sketches Cinna left behind before the Capitol killed him over the Mockingjay dress. Doesn't fully make up for the fact he's gone, but it helped fill that void a bit.

Woody Harrelson as Haymitch, once again, steals the show for me. He tells it like it is whether you want it or not and usually, he's very on point.

Philip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch is a bittersweet venture in the event of his recent death. But his presence felt like it gave the movie an enhanced sense of professionalism and credibility.
Julianne Moore does well on her first outing in this franchise and by the end, we start to see she may not be as clean cut as we were originally led to believe. Despite Peeta's psychological state, she makes an elaborate speech to the masses to call the rescue mission a success... omitting the negatives for appearances.

Jennifer Lawrence, again, embodies Katniss and all her emotions.

Donald Sutherland has little screentime, but his presence is so poignant that the air goes out of the room. Particularly where he leaves a bed of white roses for Katniss, leaving her unwilling to do a final video.

The previous two were really well done.
Her promo that ends with "Fire is catching. If we burn, you burn with us!" and the fiery mockingjay symbol was so inspiring that we clapped.
Then the scene where she's singing "The Hanging Tree" with the mockingjays whistling in the background... powerful. The song was almost stuck in my head by the time it was all over. (We even hear it in the credits after Lorde's haunting "Yellow Flicker Beat").

A Quick Comment on Politics
I thought this subject matter was poignant when I read it a couple years ago :P
It's a little unnerving when you look beyond the film, beyond the escapism and being absorbed by this fictional world, and find similarities in real life.
Speaking as someone surrounded by people who fear we're approaching socialism...

Final Comments
It's not as if NOTHING happens in this movie. Plenty does happen. My attention didn't falter once the entire 2 hours (and change). But that's because I know and care about the characters.
There were a couple scenes where I was on the edge of my seat or holding my breath. One was the assault on District 13 where Katniss and Prim almost don't get past the closing doors because Prim went back for her cat.
Then of course the scene towards the end where my heart was pounding about the inevitable confrontation between Katniss and Peeta. The moment I let myself relax, seeing his face and how battered he looked, I jumped when he attacked and freaked about the cliff-hanger sure to come.

At the same time, it does suck that the movie had no justified resolution.
The Deathly Hallows had Voldermort stealing the Elder Wand from Dumbledore's grave
Breaking Dawn had Bella opening her eyes after she became a vampire.

Katniss and Peeta didn't get their reconciliation yet, so that is a bit of a letdown.
And speaking as someone not a fan of psychological thrillers or possession, how they depicted Peeta's state of mind freaked me out a bit.
If I were Team Peeta, I think I'd be an emotional wreck :P

Grade: A-/B+
It's a tough call.
On the one hand, the movie held my attention the entire time and I enjoyed all but 3 minutes of it.
But on the other hand, the cliff-hanger ending was unsatisfying.
Right now, I'm thinking I might wait on getting the DVD until after Part 2 comes out next year

2014 Golden Golden Awards

My first Golden Globes was in 2010. I'm not sure what made me did it. I'd seen the Oscars a couple of times, but wasn't serious about movies and actors back then. But something unexpected happened that night and is the very reason why I come back year after year.

It's not every day that Robert Downey Jr. wins something at these things, yet the first time I ever tuned in, he won Best Actor in a comedy/musical for "Sherlock Holmes."
Mind you, this was before I became the huge fangirl I am now. I'd seen "Tropic Thunder" a few years before and just recently, I saw him in "Sherlock Holmes." I gotta say, the dude knows how to give a speech :-P
and I love revisiting that moment on YouTube every year as well as the press conference afterwards and a hilarious "victory lap" he did with his wife, Susan, on ET.

Everyone jokes about this awards show being a relaxed Oscars where everyone is drunk and such. I enjoy the show because there's a lot of room for unpredictability. You never know who's going to win sometimes.
I like to partake of the moments where people not used to winning get that chance, either because the Hollywood Foreign Press is composed of a looser group of people or because the split between drama and comedy/musical give some less prestigious actors to shine.

This year's examples of that were Matthew McConaughey winning best actor for "Dallas Buyer's Club" and the cop comedy-spoof "Brooklyn 99" coming away with two wins, one for the show and the other for Andy Samberg as best actor.
Granted, it's not the greatest show in the world. I didn't think it'd last more than a couple shows, but I took a chance on it and I can't get enough of it. The characters are a unique bunch and I always have a good time watching.

One thing I noticed this year was how much I really wanted to go out to see some of these movies. Like I'm itching more than ever to see "American Hustle" because it won best comedy/musical and two of its actresses were honored.
Jennifer Lawrence won the first award of the night for supporting actress. If anything, her speech made her more relatable and human because she confessed the nerves were playing a big role. I also liked how she said in her speech how she looked up the director of "I heart Huckabees" cuz she loved the movie and how she wanted to work with David O. Russell for that very reason. :-P that's my process with some of my movies. I look out for certain actors and directors when I learn they did something I really enjoyed.

Then I was super happy for Amy Adams because I knew she'd been nominated several times in recent years and this time, she actually won. Good for her!
Robert was the one giving out the award for best actress in a comedy/musical. His shtick was running through the nominees and saying what he'd get out of it depending on the winner. His consolation with Amy Adams would be that if they take a racy selfie backstage, he gets to keep that sharp Gucci tuxedo. :-P

"Dallas Buyer's Club" ran the dramatic actor categories. Jared Leto, who Ellen DeGeneres has been championing since she saw the movie, won for playing a transgender male. As for McConaughey, the props were deserved of course, but I liked how informal his speech. Being true to himself the only way McConaughey knows how.

Then for the comedy/musical category, Leonardo DiCaprio won for "Wolf of Wolf Street"... firstly, how the hell is that not in the drama category? I just don't get that. Secondly, omg, Leo actually won an award! That's something I never thought I'd get to see.
Yeah, he and Martin Scoreses will be one of the most memorable actor/director combinations in Hollywood history. They've done so many movies together that they understand how one another works. Apparently, Leo was the one lobbying for this movie to get mad.
After reading stuff about it, I'm not sure if I want to go to see in theaters. It's supposed to be hard-core R-rated, setting a new cinematic f-bomb record, with all kinds of nastiness in between. I don't know if I could stand that for three hours straight, certainly not in a big closed-off room.

I'd like to get around to "American Hustle" in theaters and "Dallas Buyer's Club" some other time... I get the feeling I'll have a hard time finding someone to see that with me.
"Her" also intrigues me quite a bit. It won for best original screenplay by Spike Jonze.

With all the talk about Sandra Bullock's performance in "Gravity," I thought she'd be a lock for Best Actress in a drama... yet it went to Cate Blanchett in "Blue Jasmine"... I guess it goes in line with the fact Woody Allen received the Cecil B. DeMille award this year.
But even then when he actually gets something, Woody Allen didn't bother to show up. I'm guessing it's a neurosis type of thing. So after the montage of his filmography (which made me feel bad I'd only seen two so far, both were great), Diane Keaton gave the acceptance speech and proved she was the perfect person to do it.

I've noticed that "Inside Llewyn Davis" has also been showing on Showtime as well as in theaters. Something about that movie intrigues me too, although I think it's just Oscar Isaac. After seeing him (well, being introduced to him) in "Sucker Punch," seeing him makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, yet there's this lure to him in that new movie that's hard to explain.

The only award "Gravity" won (something I don't imagine myself seeing, maybe ever) was Alfonso Cuaron as best Director. To think, it was only 10 years ago where he directed a Harry Potter movie :-P never mind one of my favorites.

Frozen did win for best animated film, which was great, but I was a little miffed that amazing song of theirs didn't win.
Instead it went to freaking Bono and U2 who wrote a song for a Nelson Mandela film... then they had to turn around and give such a compelling backstory that I had to stop being mad at them... it just doesn't seem fair to me that it had to go to a humanitarian effect that's guaranteed to win on that alone.

Let's see... other film stuff...
Alex Ebert, who is a new name to me (and looks like a guy Tim Burton could get along with, lol) won for best original score for that Redford film "All is Lost" He beat out John Williams ("The Book Thief") and Hans Zimmer ("12 years a slave"), my two favorite composers.

Best foreign film went to this Italian film I never heard of called "The Great Beauty"...
I'd heard of "Blue is the Warmest Color" and after seeing a clip, I recognized "The Wind Rises" as Miyazaki's last film... it shoulda gone to either of them :-P that's my bias talking.

The biggest award of the night went to 12 years a slave... considering its company, it deserved it the most of any of them... still isn't something I'd consider seeing because I don't go to theaters to see big dramatic movies. Certainly not one where I don't recognize any of the people working on it. Very much deserved, though, considering they'd been nominated a couple times and it was the only award they won all night.

As for the TV and made-for-TV perspective, "Behind the Candelabra" was a huge winner for best mini-series or made-for-TV movie and Michael Douglas winning best actor. That was a really well done movie and I thought it was a very compelling portrayal of Liberace (who I saw a biography of YEARS ago that had an impact on me)... I just hated how the last hour ran... so slow and so depressing that took away a little from what made it good to begin with... Steven Soderbergh did that to me in "Magic Mike" too, which I saw just before that.

The winning actress in that category was Elizabeth Moss for a Sundance channel film "Top of the Lake"... never heard of it before tonight, same with "Dancing on the edge" (it's on Starz, apparently, not all of us are lucky to have that channel). According to my mom and dad, the actress Jacqueline Bissist who won for best supporting actress had been around for a LONG time and it was her first ever win.
It took a long time for her to get going with her speech (as was the case with a lot of winners who didn't expect to win), but once she did, she was kinda funny to listen to, especially with that accent.

Supporting actor went to Jon Voight for his work on "Ray Donovan"... the way he was dressed reminded me of his cameo in "Tropic Thunder" where he was expecting to win an Oscar and instead was annoyed that it went to Tugg Speedman (seriously, who gets nominated AND wins for playing a part in a documentary... I always found that kinda odd, no matter how much I love that movie).

One win proved that times really are a changin'... Robin Wright won for best actress in a drama... and that drama was the Netflix series, "House of Cards."
Yet part of me kept thinking how annoyed a lot of "Scandal" fans probably are that, once again, Kerry Washington got passed over. A couple of my friends on Facebook love her in that show... I've yet to see it.

After the first two awards, (J-Law and Bissett), they made a quick shift to TV.
The category was best actor in a drama... I half-expected it to be Bryan Cranston and was beyond ecstatic that he did get the honor... considering how much people have been raving about "Breaking Bad" and how much they already miss it (again, I have yet to see it, but after this, I'm starting to consider reruns).
But then, part of that enthusiasm was that James Spader DIDN'T win for "The Blacklist"... I'm guessing he's too busy filming that or the next "Avengers" movie to even show up, but I've got my own personal bone to pick with him that needs its own entry to fully go into.

Then the awesomeness continued when "Breaking Bad," which had been nominated every year since its inception, finally won for best TV drama.
I just felt this itch coming from all the fans of the series (they're everywhere, supposedly) and how much they'd explode if the show got that last bit of respect after it was over.
I remember them bringing up the category and thinking that Bryan Cranston should wait a moment cuz he might be going back up. And the cherry on top, I'm sure for a lot of people, was that Aaron Paul had the last word: "yeah, bitch!"... that's gotta be his catch phrase on the show or something.

There was maybe one other award that I felt didn't go to the right person...
just doesn't seem fair that Amy Poehler is co-hosting this thing and she won best actress in a comedy... not just cuz she and Tina Fey were giving Julia-Louis Dreyfus grief all night for going back and forth between the movie and TV tables, but also cuz my girl Zooey Deschanel got passed over again.
C'mon, now!

That little bit aside, and possibly the awkward "Mr. Golden Globe" bit, Tina and Amy were true-to-form great hosts. Their monologue poked fun in a playful way, just inches away from crossing any lines. The most memorable had to be the Matt Damon comment (which he continued on with when he took the stage to present later on, lol) and the George Clooney comment about him not wanting to date someone the same age.

I don't remember seeing him or Brad Pitt or even Angelina Jolie (who I was kinda pleased not to see, don't care for her much) there at all. Yet at the end of the night, the "12 years a slave" crew gave props to Brad Pitt for helping them get their picture made...
Clooney supposedly had a lot of influence on "Argo" the year before, so that has to be the latest big thing in Hollywood.
Get A-list toppers Clooney and Brad Pitt involved in your picture and it's bound to go far.

So ends that awards show... phew... I'm debating about whether to do an entry on the Oscar nominees later this week, but there's really no hurry with that one. The show doesn't come until March.

...one last night.
Lea Thompson was my other favorite moment of the night. She was presenting with her heels in one hand and a martini in the other. When it came to opening the envelope, she decided to toss the shoes behind her and trade the martini glass for the envelope :-P
still think she shoulda won for "Saving Mr. Banks"... another movie I'd like to see as well.

Like I said, there'll be plenty of time to see everything before the big night.

Theatrical Review: The Hunger Games- Catching Fire

Date: November 23, 2013
Time: 1:15pm
Location: Pocono Movieplex
Party: 3 (my mom & fellow movie-going/book-reading aunt)
Duration: 146 minutes (+2 trailers)

Director: Francis Lawrence
Type: young adult, drama, book-to-movie adaptation, action, sci-fi

Cast:

Returning Players
Katniss Everdeen- Jennifer Lawrence
Peeta Mellark- Josh Hutcherson
Gale- Liam Hemsworth
Haymitch- Woody Harrelson
Effie Trinket- Elizabeth Banks
Cinna- Lenny Kravitz
Prim Everdeen- Willow Shields
Caesar Flickerman- Stanley Tucci
President Snow- Donald Sutherland

Newcomers
Head Gamemaker Plutarach- Philip Seymour Hoffman
Finnick Odair (District 4)- Sam Claflin
Johanna Mason (District 7)- Jena Malone
Beetee (aka "Volts") (District 3)- Jeffrey Wright
Wirress (aka "Nuts") (District 3)- Amanda Plummer
Mags (District 4)- Lynn Cohen

Trailers:

There were two.

First was for yet another YA book series getting adapted to film.
"Divergent" by Veronica Roth is coming to theaters next March.
The book's down to $8 at Wal-Mart, but I have yet to pick up a copy. (But in my defense, I have five other books yet to read... and yeah, after seeing this trailer, now I gotta read it).

So far, I just know it takes place in the future where kids are classified as one of four personality types that go on to define their futures... but I didn't realize our heroine (played by Shailene Woodley) couldn't be classified by the system.

Then there was "I, Frankenstein," which looks like a modern take on the Mary Shelley story with a hint of "Underworld" folklore (seeing as it's done by the same people behind that franchise).

It was a decent crowd, roughly a dozen or so other people in addition to the three of us.

Write-up:

Just to save myself a little bit of typing, for those unfamiliar with the franchise, I'll provide the link to my "Hunger Games" review to recap.
http://moviegoerconfessions.blogspot.com/2013/07/71-hunger-games-2012.html
Skip down to the "discussion" sub-heading for the basic premise

Spoilers from this point out... but again, I urge newbies to read the book or at least see the first movie before preceding with the second. Otherwise, it might be difficult to follow.

Aside from the addition of more characters and upping the dramatics with the plot, the biggest change is a brand new director.

Francis Lawrence only has a few movie credits to his name from the director's chair, getting his start with music videos for Green Day and Britney Spears. Gary Ross's directing for the previous installment drew a lot of criticism, particularly regarding the shaky camera angles. Based on the fact Lawrence has been signed for the rest of the series, the franchise has themselves a winner.
Kinda like David Yates with the Harry Potter franchise, but books five through seven had a similar feel, so that made sense.

Plot
(I'll try to keep up with the main points without giving away too much)

The story picks up from where the previous movie left off and could be broken into three parts.

The Aftermath & Victory Tour

Settings: District 12, Districts 1-11, The Capitol

Katniss and Peeta are back in District 12 after being crowned co-champions of the 74th Hunger Games. Katniss receives a not-so-cordial visit from President Snow. In a passive-aggressive manner, he gives Katniss a "task" to fulfill when she and Peeta are on the Victory Tour: Convince him that their plan of ingesting the poisonous berries in the Games wasn't to defy the Capitol, but because they'd rather die than be without each other. Along with their mentor, Haymitch and their PR person, Effie, Katniss and Peeta set off to visit the other districts with The Capitol as their last stop.

Their first stop: District 11, home to fallen Tributes, Rue and Thresh.
Because Rue was her ally and closest friend in the arena, Katniss decides to give a tearful speech about her. This pledge of good faith earns her the respect of District 11 and, unfortunately, leads to bloodshed. While not at the same magnitude, similar incidents happen throughout the districts, no matter how much Katniss and Peeta "stick to the script." They attempt to remedy the situation by getting engaged. 
Naturally, The Capitol was the most extravagant of the affairs. While there, Katniss makes the acquaintance of the new gamemaker, Plutarch.

Once back in District 12, things only seem to go from bad to worse when a new Head Peacekeeper is appointed. Meanwhile, Plutarch and Snow are scheming for a way to "eliminate" Katniss before uprsings start to happen again... and arrive at a brilliant, albeit horrifying solution.

Every 25 years, a special version of the Hunger Games known as the "Quarter Quell" is held. Notably, they come with their own set of rules and/or changes in protocol. This is to keep things interesting while serving as education for the newest "crop" of tributes.
For the 75th Hunger Games, the "crop" is made up of previous victors... seeing as District 12 has only produced three champions with Katniss being the only female, she has to return.

Preparing for the Quarter Quell

Setting: The Capitol

Regarding the male tribute, Haymitch was drawn out of the bowl, but Peeta volunteered to take his place...

Unlike the previous time around, Katniss and Peeta decide to train as if they were from District 1 or 2, i.e. "Careers." Throughout the trials, they size up the other victors to determine who the best allies would be.
Katniss is put off by the womanizing Finnick and overtly sexual Johanna, but finds kinship with the older, but intelligent, Beetee and Wiress from District 3. She also likes the older woman, Mags, who volunteered to come from District 4 alongside Finnick.

During the interview segment, Katniss shows off Cinna's latest creation: the wedding dress she would have wore to her wedding with Peeta. But when she does the "girl on fire" twirl, it reveals a mockingjay.
Unfortunately, this doesn't end well for Cinna and his demise is the last thing Katniss witnesses before re-entering the arena

Re-entering the Arena

Setting: Somewhere in the tropics

The tributes arrive, finding themselves surrounded by water, which is surrounded by jungle. Bloodshed ensues, Katniss grabs her favored weapon and finds herself with Finnick as an ally, along with Mags.

They quickly found there are multiple horrors waiting for them, both natural and man-made (or man-"taught"). Later on, they meet with Johanna who "retrieved" Wiress and Beetee (who she calls "Nuts" and "Volts") for Katniss. Wiress constantly repeats "tick, tock," something Johanna chalked up to PTSD, but Katniss realized it refers to a set pattern of "horrors" in the arena based on a clock.   

When the tributes come down to a small enough number (only a handful of Careers remaining in addition to Katniss's group), they concoct a plan to off them while sparing themselves direct confrontation.

But not all goes according to plan... and by the end of the movie (which is a cliff-hanger, by the way), Katniss comes to realize there was another plan in place and it puts her at the helm of it.
That plan being... REVOLUTION.

Book-to-Movie and Sequel Chatter

Now that the structured part of this review is over, I can work on the editorial portion.

For starters, the movie was AWESOME. Probably will go on to be in my top 3 theatrical outings this year (or maybe top 5, so I can make room for "Iron-Man 3" and "Now you see me" along with "Thor: The Dark World" and "Star Trek Into Darkness").

Like the "Hunger Games" before it, the adaptation from book to film was on-point. Although I read the book just once over a year ago, I felt like it hit on all the major points and didn't leave too much out. (At this length, they would have been in a lot of trouble if they left out anything huge because there'd simply be no excuse for it).

It's said so often in Hollywood that it's practically cliché by this point... to say that sequels are tricky because they rarely surpass the original. That's especially difficult in franchises like this one that's either adapted from a book series or derives from the sci-fi/fantasy genre.
Having said that, "Catching Fire" is yet another successful sequel. In comparison to some of the other sequels I saw this year, most of which were done particularly well, it's probably the best.

The biggest issue I can draw is that the subject matter of the storyline might be so intense that it lessens the "re-watchability" factor,  just speaking as someone who loves to revisit movies several times :-P
If I were to chart the intensity level, "The Hunger Games" has an oscillating curve that has distinct peaks & troughs (highs and lows). With "Catching Fire," it'd be compare to something you'd find on a Richter scale on the west coast. As soon as the tension dies down, it comes back up within 5 minutes, opposed to having break periods lasting 10-15-20 minutes in its predecessor. Not to mention the violence is more graphic and "personal" this time around. The various dangers in the arena were well done, which made them borderline terrifying at times (I wasn't a fan of the poisonous smoke or the jabberjays that plays into the psychological side of things).

But in other aspects, I think it had a better storyline and the characterization was handled especially well.

Characters and Actors, Old & New

Katniss maintains the "reluctant heroine" archetype throughout the series, but does so in varying capacities.
She was very guarded going into the first movie, unwilling to trust and rely on other people. While trying to convince Snow she isn't out to defy The Capitol, she's become a better actor. This is especially noticeable when she's being interviewed by Caesar Flickerman, more at ease with being herself and playing to the audience the way Peeta had done so easily the last time around.
Even with an Oscar under her belt, Jennifer Lawrence continues to be on her game, living and breathing this role as if she is this character when the cameras aren't on.

Gale reminded me why I preferred him to Peeta going into this phenomenon. But then again, Liam Hemsworth looks so much cuter with dark hair (I don't care for him as a blonde). He continues to struggle with his feelings for Katniss, getting a few kisses in to make his feelings known, but it can't be easy for him sitting on the sidelines while she's forced to keep people believing she and Peeta are an item.

At the same time, though, I'm grown more fond of Peeta this time around.
Right now I'm recollecting how unhappy I was with him while reading the book. He spent the first few chapters in a mood after what Katniss said at the end of the previous book... how she thought this whole thing, including how he felt about her, was an act. The truth was that he meant everything he said and it hurt his feelings that she didn't reciprocate that, let alone believe him.
Not only did they downplay that drama to the point where it was non-existent, but I especially loved whatever relationship the two of them had here. There were a few scenes where Katniss had nightmares and Peeta was there to support her, being there as if he was the only friend she had in the world. Although it does help that they shared a lot of the same experiences.

Woody Harrelson continues to be one of my favorite supporting actors with this second outing as Haymitch, always on hand to provide much needed advice (and tough love) to our favorite District 12 denizens... but not nearly as present and impactful as I found him in the previous film.
Perhaps this was meant to make more room for Effie to shine. Die-hard Panem fans (and IMDB disciples like myself) would notice her character wasn't even referred to by name in "The Hunger Games". She not only ushers Katniss and Peeta throughout the districts for the Victory Tour, but she treats the audience to a myriad of amazing yet confounding outfits. And the fact she gets so close to them and loathes the fact they have to go back into the arena was something that grabbed me about her character this time around (yet I forgot to include it in this entry until a couple hours after I wrote it :-P )

On that particular note, I gotta give my props to the costume department... especially to the people behind the Mockingjay dress. They were careful to only show it from behind in the trailers, but it was spectacular enough to warrant an audible gasp... it doesn't make Cinna's demise any less painful, though :( that was one of the saddest moments in the series for me, up there with when Rue got killed.

Before getting to the other tributes (two in particular), I want to draw attention to Katniss's sister, Prim and how much she's matured. Fans of the series will note the significance, but since the latest Games, she rose to the role of being an assistant healer to her mom... especially notable in the scene where they need to take care of Gale after he receives corporal punishment from the new Head Peacekeeper. She's become a much stronger individual, something Katniss finds admirable, but at the same time, she loathes how the state of things has "hardened" her and taken away her child-like innocence.

One of my favorite aspects of this movie was how they spent more time getting to know the other tributes... how Katniss develops friendships with some of them and how she's uneasy about others. While other tributes kinda dismissed Beetee and Wiress as weirdos, Katniss gravitated towards them, perhaps feeling that their unconventional talents have equal warrant to combat.

I knew Sam Claflin previously as Snow White's Prince William in "Snow White & the Huntsman"... even though he was up against Chris Hemsworth, I thought he was the better looking man of the two.
My mom thought he looked exactly like Jake Abel of "Percy Jackson" fan... and I saw quite a bit of that as well... Finnick's character is very chauvinistic and a little self-absorbed so Katniss didn't care much for him at first, but he proved to be an excellent ally in the field.

Johanna was one character I really disliked in the book on the ground she seemed like a bitch and through Katniss's narration, you felt that she felt sexually threatened by her, in that Johanna was more at ease with showing off her figure in front of Peeta. To that effect, there's a scene in the movie where she strips off her "chariot" outfit in the elevator for Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch to see. (If any men saw this movie, I'll bet they were disappointed it was PG13 and didn't warrant any on-screen nudity here).
My attitude towards her changed in the latter chapters of the book when she became an ally and the announcement of Jena Malone playing her made her one to watch.

Actually, when Johanna wasn't being a flirt, she reminded me a lot of your typical "Real World" housemate, foul-mouthed and copping an attitude about sticking it to the man, which I thought was a cool "modern" twist they threw in. (I had actually never seen any of MTV's reality series, but I've heard things).

And to foreshadow a bit more, I am a week away from covering one of her movies (the one that made me fall in love with her as an actress).

Final Comments

I stayed through the credits to hear some of the songs that were playing. I guessed right that the first was Coldplay and loved the track by Of Monsters and Men... although I doubt that'll be enough to make me want to run out and get it :-P

On paper and on screen, as I previously stated, "Catching Fire" probably will go on to be in my top 5 theatrical features this year. It stays faithful to what made the original great and made it progressively better in all aspects (plot, characterization, conflict, etc.).

Grade: A

71. The Hunger Games (2012)

Code-name: Mockingjay



Director: Gary Ross
Type: book-to-movie adaptation, sci-fi, drama, young adult

Cast:
Katniss Everdeen- Jennifer Lawrence
Peeta Mallark- Josh Hutcherson
Gale- Liam Hemsworth
Haymitch- Woody Harrelson
Effie Trinket- Elizabeth Banks
Cinna- Lenny Kravitz
President Snow- Donald Sutherland
Gamemaker Seneca Crane- Wes Bentley
Host/Interviewer Casear Flickerman- Stanley Tucci

[cannot stress this enough... READ THE BOOK FIRST]

I listened to the Sci-Fi Super Friends cover this in a Podcast a couple months ago. I have to agree with some points and would recommend it to fans of the film just for another perspective.
http://www.scifisuperfriends.com/episode-18-the-hunger-games/

All that aside, though, I vastly disagree with two key points: 
Firstly, they constantly referenced "Battle Royale" (supposedly a 1999 novel taking on a similar idea) and directly compared the movie to it, even saying it was a rip-off or not as a great a version. I cannot say enough how that type of disregard annoys me, especially when I'm only hearing of previously released material for the first time. (Luckily, Suzanne Collins had addressed this and said she never heard of the book until her manuscript was published).

Secondly, except for maybe one or two people, none of the participants read the book before seeing the movie. Therefore they were left to judge the movie via its genre and how it's presented and that's as far as It can go.

Whether it's Harry Potter, Twilight, etc, etc, movie critics tend to shy away from reviewing or they flat-out destroy adaptations of YA sci-fi/fantasy book series.
They make their opinions strictly based on previous movie-going experiences... and that's the one area where the greatest disparity occurs between my thoughts and theirs.

Personally, I make it a priority (whenever possible) to read the source material before seeing its movie adaptation. That way, I know what I'm getting into beforehand and the material's all the more easy to follow. 
The lone exception, as I'd mentioned previously, is the Tolkien serieses. Never read the books, but I didn't need to to enjoy the movies. 

[Background]

I'd seen the book series by Suzanne Collins on the shelves for a number of years. I knew they were popular, but I couldn't bring to consider reading them.
As was the case with Percy Jackson, my interest wasn't captured until I heard they were being adapted into films. So technically, you could say I do tend to jump on the band-wagon when it comes to these things. (But at least I make a point to READ the book FIRST so I'm not going in blind).

But unlike Percy Jackson (which had me at "Greek mythology"), I needed a little more persuasion before I picked up a copy of The Hunger Games for myself. It took the increasing amount of trailers on TV and the behind-the-scenes special on Reelz Channel to pull my leg. 
I think I got through it within 3-4 days, maybe a week at most. It took a little while, I forget which page it happened at (Harry Potter, it was page 12-13), but I just got hooked at one point. Suzanne Collins knows how to write a good page-turner. I literally found myself at the end of a number of chapters and was literally unable to put the book down. 
Plus, I'd always been kind of a fan of the utopia/dystopia model in sci-fi (ala Lois Lowry, Ray Bradbury, etc.). This was probably the first take of this genre that hit it big with such a vast audience.

Supposedly Suzanne Collins came up with the idea through a combination of being an army brat and channel surfing between a reality show and footage of the Iraq war.
When it comes to reality TV, I'm not a huge fan of the "Survivor" series (you'd think they'd run out of deserted islands at some point) and the idea of kids killing kids in this annual event doesn't sound like the most enticing idea from a moral standpoint. But I swear, by the end of it, I could not get enough of it.

Our private community has a book club that meets once a month, but the only time my mom and I had gone was when they were covering this book. It was quite the interesting discussion.

I was worried going into "Catching Fire" that it wouldn't be nearly as excited without there being another "Games"... and Katniss wouldn't be a part of the next one if there was one... but as it turns out, that's exactly what happened. Needless to say, I look forward to seeing the next movie in November. The trailer looks AMAZING.

[Discussion]

Spoilers ahead... 

...but seriously, read the book before seeing the movie. 

Trust me on that.

With the actors playing the younger roles, most of them are relative unknowns. I'd only seen Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique in the X-Men prequel, but heard of her accolades in "Winter's Bone" where she received her first Oscar nomination. 

I have yet to see her Oscar winning performance in "Silver Linings Playbook," but when the price comes down, I am there. (I read the book because nobody wanted to see it with me and thoroughly enjoyed it).

Of course it goes without saying that after this, I'm game to follow her career just about anywhere. She IS Katniss: incredibly strong, self-reliant, but all the while relatable to all kinds of girls and women reading the books. I relate to her in that I'm not good with outwardly expressing emotion, which proves to be a problem in the beginning when it comes to getting sponsors for the Games. 

Josh Hutcherson, I'd only seen as the younger brother in "The Kids are All Right" and Liam Hemsworth... well, I'd only seen his brother Chris as Thor, so he was a first.

On the basis that he was the better looking of the actors, I was on Team Gale rather than Team Peeta. I won't give anything away about Mockingjay, the final book in the series, but it was really hard for me to like Peeta in the final book. Not that his lack of likability was entirely his fault.

As for the rest of the cast, it's a mixed bag of responses.

Elizabeth Banks disappeared into the role of Effie Trinket so deeply that I didn't recognize her at all. Lenny Kravitz and Woody Harrelson weren't who I pictured to play Cinna and Haymitch, but they were the biggest surprises in the best possible way.

Reading the books, oddly enough, I thought Haymitch had the physique of a Sumo wrestler. He read to me like an overweight middle-aged Japanese man, beginning with his first appearance where he's so drunk that he misses his seat and falls off the stage at The Reaping.

But I cannot say enough how pleasant a surprise Woody Harrelson was. Granted, I'd seen him around a couple times recently in movies like "Zombieland" and "A Scanner Darkly," but after this film, I'm always eager to check into his previous work whenever I can.

The basic premise runs as follows:

The setting is a dystopian post-apocalyptic version of North America known as Panem. It's broken down into 12 districts and ruled by the wealthy Capitol. In penance of a failed uprising of the districts in the past, each has to send one boy and one girl, age 12-18, to compete in The Hunger Games where they must fight to the death until a winner is declared. This winner gets enough riches to be set for life and moves to a wealthier part of their district.

Katniss and Peeta are from District 12, one of the poorer districts, known for coal-mining. Gale is a friend of hers whom she goes hunting with to find game either to eat or sell for money. After her father died in a coal mining accident, her mother emotionally shut down so Katniss had to rise to the occasion to provide for her family. This also includes her younger sister Prim, who is 12. This happens to be the first year she's eligible for the Games.

Although the odds of being chosen are more in favor of the older children, Prim is chosen at random to compete. Katniss automatically volunteers to take her place, something that has happened in previous Games, but never in District 12... with the exception of Haymitch, it has never won.

Under the guidance of Effie and Haymitch, they are whisked away to the Capitol where they are prepped for the Games.

On this note, I gotta say that the contrast between District 12 and the Capitol was done so jaw-droppingly well. The Capitol is so vast and beautiful visually, you'd think it couldn't truly exist in reality (I'm sure a lot of it was CGI, though). The fashion of the people in the Capitol is pretty outrageous, ranging from extremely gorgeous to extremely overdone.

Before going into the arena, all of the tributes train in everything from weapons, fighting to making fires, camouflage and so on. They are beautified for the interview portions to order to gain sponsors, people from the Capitol and within the districts who pay to have supplies sent to you in times of need.

Thanks to stylist Cinna, Katniss becomes "the girl on fire". Over the years, District 12 tributes have been dressed in black to resemble the coal their district is known for. Cinna kicked up a notch by designing outfits that produce very real looking fake fire.

(by the way, would it be overkill if they played the song by Alicia Keys in the sequel film? lol)

One big twist that brought me further into the book was what Peeta said in his interview, ultimately painting the pair of them as star-crossed lovers. But in truth, Katniss was his school-boy crush and until now, he didn't believe she noticed him.

Any girl would be flattered, but Katniss took the opposite approach. She was FURIOUS at Peeta's admission, believing it made her look weak. Even more impressive was Haymitch's response: "he made you look desirable," which will help gain sponsors.

We're only introduced to a couple tributes by name within the film. There is a book about all of the tributes, but I never bothered to pick it up. 

Predominantly, the ones that stand out the most are from Districts 1 and 2, kids that actually train for the competition and often come out as the winners... as if the politics of high class vs. low class didn't suck enough as it was, that was an aspect I loathed the moment I heard of it.

Cato and Clove were from District 2 and both served as villains in the arena towards the end of the Games.

Glimmer, the girl from District 1, was the only other actress I'd heard of. Leven Rambin played the autistic Lily Montgomery on "All My Children" and next month, she's playing Clarisse, daughter of Ares in "Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters."

One girl, Katniss dubs "Fox-face", because she's a red-head and she moves really fast and agilely when she sees her around.

Then there's Rue and Thresh from District 11, which is known for their bread and bakeries.

In addition to the training and interview portions, there's one final preliminaries where the tributes each demonstrate their greatest skill to the gamemakers, who assign points accordingly... again helping gain sponsers and setting the odds.

Another great scene is what Katniss does with her bad-ass archery skills. The gamemakers aren't paying much attention at this point, too busy with their conversations, feast and so on. So Katniss uses her last arrow to shoot the apple out of the pig's mouth.

The one negative I heard about the movie before seeing it was the way it was shot. 

This lead to Gary Ross not being invited back to direct the sequels and I can't agree more with the decision.

Even when we weren't in the arena, the camera shook around A LOT. Think "The Blair Witch Project" and "Cloverfield." It takes a little getting used to and I did eventually get used to it, but it was a tad overkill.

About as common as it is for tributes from District 1 and 2 to win the Games, the first day is always a bloodbath, resulting in the most causalities. Everyone is released into the arena where various supplies are scattered around a cornucopia. The advice Haymitch gives to Katniss and Peeta is to forget the supplies and find water asap.

Katniss, of course, ignores this, picking up a backpack first, but is forced to abandon the notion of her beloved bow and arrows.

(And by the way, I was interested in archery before 2012 when "The Hunger Games" and "Brave" made it cool... it's the weapon of choice of Kikyo and her reincarnation Kagome in the animé series InuYasha. I still have yet to get to a range to try it out, though).

For the first part of the Games, she uses the rope in her bag to stay in the high branches of trees in the forest. 

Peeta, meanwhile, is traveling with the Careers of Districts 1 and 2 in what appears (to Katniss, anyway) to be an alliance.

Throughout the games, cannons are fired when tributes are killed and we'll break away from the action when Caesar gives more background information on something.

For example, when the Careers make camp below Katniss, she spots Rue in another tree who points her towards the wasp nest above her.

Not just any wasps, though... tracker-jackers are NASTY... not only are they vicious and persistent, but multiple stings cause LSD-like hallucinations and even lead to death (as was the case with Glimmer, the only person killed in this fury of tracker-jackers).

After this event, Katniss and Rue form their own alliance. This takes a large portion of the book than it does in the movie and it's one of the best parts of it too. Rue reminds her a lot of Prim, so Katniss feels close to her. 

Unfortunately, with the nature of the Games and the story, she doesn't last long. It's probably the saddest part of the book. Although it's not likely to be rebroadcast, she picks flowers to lay over Rue and holds up three fingers as a sign of respect to the cameras.

In the book, this leads to District 11 coming together to send her a loaf of bread as thanks.

But in the movie, this leads to an uprising in the district... to me, it seemed a little out of place, but then again, judging by where the books go next, it's good for foreshadowing purposes.

Later on, an announcement is made by Seneca Crane that if the remaining tributes are from the same district, they both will be crowned as winners. 

Katniss and Peeta find each other again and the rest of the tributes start to kill each other one by one. By the end of it, it's down to the two of them and Cato, and they drawn back to the cornucopia by another "obstacle" placed into the system. This time, instead of a fire or a fallen tree, it's a group of beasts.

Add in the fact that this part of the movie is shot at night and this was borderline terrifying. I'd categorize their debut appearance on screen as a "jump scare"... where something comes out of nowhere and scares you to a point where you jump out of your seat...

The way they wrote it in the book, it sounded even worse than it looked. When Katniss got a good look at one, she described it having flowing blonde hair, green eyes and number #1 being on its collar. She also described one to have similarities to Fox-Face and Rue... so either these "muttations" as she called them, were designed to look like the tributes or they were chimeras formed OF the dead tributes.

They didn't take that leap in the movie, but I'm not sure if the disclosure of information would have made it any more comforting.

By the end of the assault, Katniss and Peeta are left alive, but Seneca announces the rules have been changed again, so only one will be declared as a winner.

This leads to something even more drastic. Katniss and Peeta consider aloud the notion of eating poisonous nightlock berries that they found so there'll be NO winner, but the game is called before they do so. 

This does not sit well with Haymitch, who STRONGLY advises Katniss to play up the star-crossed lovers angle to cover up the fact it was possibly an act of rebellion.

Unfortunately, President Snow is not fooled... and that is where the story leaves off.

[Final Thoughts]

It's kinda demented to say so, but if the Hunger Games really existed, I'd be game for watching it every year. But when you consider that kids and teenagers are the ones competing, it's nothing to really be celebrated. It's just so unlike anything I'd seen before.

As for Katniss as a protagonist, I know she'll go down as one of the most beloved and admired throughout the genre. I'm sure a lot of the people signing on for this were Twi-haters who categorized Bella Swan as one of the weakest characters in the history of literature.

At the end of the day, though, my alliances are solid as a Twi-Hard and part of the appeal is that I personally find Bella a relatable character. 

The reasons for that, that's an entry all on its own, but I'll come out and say none of the Twilight films are on my countdown.

...not because I'm one of those people who nominate them for Razzies every year (and I still haven't gotten over the fact that the final film swept the awards... it was clearly the best film out of all of them and Bella was never stronger)... 

it's because I don't entirely agree with how the books (especially the first one) were adapted to film... I'd be nit-picking so much that one would wonder why I enjoy them in the first place :-P

And finally, I don't necessarily jump on board with ALL YA sci-fi/fantasy book series when they get adapted into movies. 

"Beautiful Creatures" doesn't really pique my interest and unless it's on cable, I have no plans on seeing the movie anytime soon.

Coming up soon is the adaptation of "Mortal Instruments: City of Bones"... I'll read the book jacket a couple times when I come by it, and I just don't think it's something I'd be interested in. The trailers haven't convinced me either.

After the rest of the Hunger Games films come out, I can only hope that the next Percy Jackson film will be a success and the rest of the books will be picked up for film adaptations... because after part 2 of Mockingjay comes out, I don't see anything else ready to fill the void.

A possible glimmer of hope is "Divergent" by Veronica Roth. I'd read the book jacket a couple times and the idea intrigues me a lot. I'm just not ready to fork over $8 to read it. But when the movie comes out (I believe it's within the year or so), that'll at least give me some incentive.