So. The Hunger Games Movie.

I FINALLY saw The Hunger Games movie after much much anticipation and excitement. Like, no, you guys don't get just HOW excited I was for this movie. When the Lionsgate gates opened, I started pawing my friend's shoulder and going "OH MY GOD IT'S STARTING. OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD. HERE IT COMES. I AM GOING TO DIE. DIIIIIIIIEE. I CANNOT HANDLE IT," and I was all slouched in my seat and panicking and my legs felt jittery. Then I sat still for 2 and a half hours analyzing every aspect of the film.

Am I the only one that didn't find it to be amazing?

Look, I get that they cannot include everything from the book. They made a valiant effort though. I mean, I did say two and a half hours, didn't I? There were just some major flaws that kept me from loving it.

I'll start with the good (you're about to arrive on spoiler island, so be prepared):

• Jennifer Lawrence was the PERFECT Katniss.
• Cinna, Effie, Caesar, Thresh, Rue, Peeta, Gale, and everyone else was also fantastic.
• The scenery! It was gorgeous and totally brought the setting to life in a way I didn't know possible.
• District 12 and the entire reaping scene!
• The District 11 scene!
• The game-maker scenes!
• The President Snow scenes!
• THE BEARD.
• Gale getting extra screen time! (This may confuse some people, as I publicly HATE Gale. But nearly every time they showed Gale, he was watching the games and was in pain. I LOVE WATCHING GALE IN PAIN. ((Also the actor was hot so.)
• "THAT IS MAHOGANY."

Now, for the bad:

• There was NO DEVELOPMENT. No character development, and all of the relationships save for Katniss and Prim's seemed rushed and fake. (Peeta and Katniss, and Katniss and Rue, mostly. Like, I did not even tear up at Rue's death, guys.)
• Katniss never seemed to open up to Peeta in the cave scene. It was all Peeta.
• The train scene? WHERE WAS MY HEART-BREAKING MOMENT? WTF?
• The muttations were not nearly as scary as I'd imagined them to be. (Nor did they have the other tribute's eyes)
• Thresh's scene was super important to me, as you get to see his wall come down and get to know him much better--even if it is only a second. This was not done right at all.
• There was no couch in the final interview,
• That scene where Katniss was playing with her wall in the room? 45 seconds of screen time that could've been used for development. When she was hunting the deer? Another 45 seconds. Haymitch trying to get Katniss sponsors? MORE SECONDS. You get the idea.
• I felt like if you'd never read the book (which you should, by the way), the movie left far many too questions.
• Katniss and Peeta's first costumes just seemed kinda lame to me.

So for me the movie was not bad, and I REALLY enjoyed parts of it, but because of a lack of development I was never nearly as invested in the movie as I should've been. I'm definitely in the minority here, though. Anyways, I'm dying to know: what were YOUR thoughts on the movie?

DISCUSS AND FANGIRL WITH ME.

Yep, that is The Hunger Games trailer.

My thoughts: It is so so so wonderful and oh my crap and oooooooh. I cried. And I never cried. I cannot tell if they were tears of happiness or if it was because Prim was picked or what. I am still hesitant about Peeta though. And Lionsgate purposefully only put out scenes from the first half of the book but I WANT TO SEE MOOOORE.

MarchMarchMarchMarch

I am freaking out.

My tumblr is nothing but Hunger Games this morning.

Anyways I've decided to drop what I'm reading and re-read the books now. Partially so I can take notes and see what they did wrong but mostly 'cause I MUST.

What do you guys think?

Hunger Games Movie Update

It's been forever since I've ranted posted about casting for The Hunger Games. It's just been coming too fast! But I figured we could play catch up real quick.

Elizabeth Banks is playing Effie.

I haven't seen her in much, but I think she's got the look down well enough. So...we'll see.

Willow Shields will play Katniss's sister, Prim.

OH GOD THE UNI-BROW. I noticed it once, and now when I look at her it's all I see. Please tell me that's being taken care of? Other than that, though, I like her. (But seriously. The brow needs to go.)

Woody Harrelson is playing Haymitch.

OH HEY THERE TALLAHASSEE. Yes, that's the only role I've seen him in. I hadn't thought of him to play Haymitch until he was announced, but now looking back on it, I definitely see flecks of Haymitch. I think he'll do the role justice!

Wes Bentley will be playing the Seneca Crane.

He looks good. His beard looks very evil. I approve.

Stanley Tucci will play Caesar, the host of The Hunger Games.

Awesome choice! Again, haven't seen him in much, but Caesar's role shouldn't be too difficult...

Paula Malcomson will play Mrs. Everdeen.

(Did you guys ever catch that Katniss's mom doesn't have a first name? Well, she probably does, but it's never shared with us.) Looks good. As long as she can look depressed easily, she should do fine.

And check it--all of the tributes have been announced! Cato would've been a better looking Peeta than Hutcherson, am I right?

Also, have you guys seen pictures of where The Hunger Games is being filmed, Asheville, North Carolina, USA? It looks exactly how I pictures District 12--very woodsy and low-key.

Hey Look They Did Something Right This Time!

The actors that are going to play Rue and Thresh were announced today!

Amandla Stenberg and Dayo Okeniyi

 

 

 

 

 

 

I LOVE THEM!! Amanda has that perfect sweet-yet-strong look that I always imagined Rue with, and Thresh looks super tough.

But--as always--I wanna hear your opinion on the new casting!

Maybe If We Ignore It, It Will Go Away...

So Peeta's been cast for The Hunger Games movie, and it's Josh Hutcherson.

I'm trying to stay positive about this, but this guy is NOT anywhere near how I pictured Peeta. Not in the face, or in the body. He's just NOT. I'm very disappointed.

Oh, and the part of Gale was taken by Liam Hensworth.

I thought I wouldn't really care who they cast as Gale, but I don't even like him for Gale. He's OK, but definitely not who'd I would've picked.

Anyways, I'm not telling you guys this cause I think you haven't heard. I know you probably have. I'm telling you because I just wanted to shout about Hutcherson some more without my mom yelling back at me, "YOU'RE ALREADY HATIN' ON THE MOVIE AND YOU HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN IT."

Now I'm starting to get worried about the movie. I'm definitely not dying to see it anymore. I think who they cast as Haymitch will be a huge deciding factor for me. (Yeah, I realize I'm being a bit over-dramatic but it's PEETA. PEETA. One of my best boyfriends favorite characters.)

But I can't be the only one, right? What do you guys think about the boys who were cast? Do you hate the new additions to the cast as much as I do?
 

HUGE HUNGER GAMES MOVIE NEWS!

You may or may not have seen this already, but the role of Katniss has finally been given to someone: 20 year old Jennifer Lawrence of Winter's Bone.

My first reaction:

And then, when I saw Jennifer Lawrence:

I freaked out. If THAT'S KATNISS, THEN I'M FREAKING SANTA CLAUS.

Then I saw this:

And was relieved. That's MUCH better. As long as they dye her hair then I think she looks the part well enough. Now we just have to see if she can pull off the acting.

Now it sounds like the casting department is focusing on Peeta, and right now people are saying that Josh Hutcherson, Alex Pettyfer, and Hunter Parrish--my personal favorite--are all contenders for the role.


So, thoughts?

My Birthday+The Epic Extravaganza Contest #1

So, as I know I've mentioned, today is my birthday. I'm turning 15. Woot. Yesterday I had my party, and my aunt made an AMAZING Hunger Games cake. Check it:

It's got the cornucopia in the arena, the cave from book 1, some alcohol for Haymitch, break and cake for Peeta, and roses for President Snow. (And yep, no Gale. She didn't know what would best represent him, but I found it appropriate since I hate Gale.)

And today, I'm just gonna sit around and read. It's pretty awesome.

You know what else is awesome? 900 followers. Which I have now. In fact, as of right now, I've got 922 followers.

And contests are pretty cool too, so I'm gonna have a couple of 'em. I have deemed this series of contests The Epic Extravaganza, and this is the first contest in it so far.

So, for this contest, one winner will win one of these books from The Book Depository:

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Wither by Lauren Destefano

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Dohn and David Levithan

Note: If the book isn't released by the time the contest is over, it will be a pre-order of the book.

Since The Book Depository ships free to most countries, (check the list to see if they ship to you for free) this contest is open internationally. It'll end at midnight on March 19. Fill out THIS FORM to enter.

And if--by some miracle--I get 1000 followers before this contest ends, I'll add another winner.

Good luck!!

Hunger Games Move News!

Guys, DID YOU SEE THIS? Not only did The Hunger Games move recently get a casting director, but they ALSO have a release date! March 23, 2012. Check out that article here. I'm not usually one to fangirl over book-to-movie adaptions, but with Suzanne Collins herself writing the screenplay, I can't help but be excited and set high expectations.What about you guys? Are you planning to see the movie or boycotting it?