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  1. #1
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    Hunger Games movie comment thread

    I imagine that many of you who are huge fans of the book, like I am, are really excited about this movie. I am seeing it at a screening on Monday and will post something afterwards.

    But, in the meantime, I wanted to share a review that has my expectations sky high!

    Boxoffice.com says --
    After decades of science fiction epics that are either tired father-quests shoved down our throats with a lightsaber in the wake of Star Wars, or weary New Testament-inspired stories of "the Chosen One," it's amazingly refreshing to see a film where the hero's journey is one of ethics and choice—what does it take to be good in a evil world?—a struggle real people can sympathize with, not just gawk at. As action, as allegory, as cinema, The Hunger Games is the best American science-fiction film since The Matrix, and if Ross and his crew stay with the series for the next two books, we may get that rarest of things: a blockbuster franchise that earns our money through craft, emotion and execution, not merely marketing and effects.
    I bolded that last part. WOW, now that is praise!!

    Variety also reviewed it and said it is good, but that it does little to improve upon the book or strike its own territory. To me, that says it is largely a copy of the book... which is fine with me seeing as I loved the book.

    I'll check back in after I see it Monday night.

    -Jason "it is good to be a critic " Evans
    Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by JasonEvans View Post
    it does little to improve upon the book or strike its own territory
    But of course, the book didn't exactly strike its own territory either:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Royale

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by El_Diablo View Post
    But of course, the book didn't exactly strike its own territory either:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Royale
    That's what I think of every time as well. I mean, isn't Hunger Games a pretty big ripoff of Battle Royale?

    That said, the movie intrigues me enough to potentially try it and the books out -- although there is an affiliation with Twilight movies, whether deserved or not, that worries me. The Twilight movies have been uniformly awful, imho, and I watched them simply to maintain domestic tranquility. Although, I'll admit that several beers at the alamo drafthouse turned that last one into a comedy of sorts. So it's go that going for it.

  4. #4
    alteran is offline All-American, Honorable Mention
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    Quote Originally Posted by El_Diablo View Post
    But of course, the book didn't exactly strike its own territory either:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Royale
    Battle Royale didn't exactly strike its own territory either:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_the_Flies

    Seriously though, having only read the BR wikipedia synopsis, there seems to be only one strong parallel between the BR and HG. Don't want to get into too much spoiler-age, but HG has a lot of stuff going on besides The Arena that seems to differentiate it.
    Last edited by alteran; 03-21-2012 at 04:06 PM. Reason: to <> too, maybe one day I'll learn

  5. #5
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    Boxoffice

    $19.7 million from midnight showings... not bad!

    Online ticket seller Fandango reported 3,500 sellouts for “The Hunger Games.” Fandango said more than 97% of its current ticket sales are to people who are going to see movie and says it is selling 12 “Hunger Games” tickets per second. Many theaters showed “The Hunger Games” on every screen in the house to accommodate the demand for the film.
    Biggest non-sequel in Hollywood history. Folks I am talking to are predicting a weekend of about $125-$135 million, which would be one of the 5 biggest opening weekends ever.

    -Jason "this is gonna be bigger than Potter and Twilight" Evans
    Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?

  6. #6
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    And, as I continue to pimp myself out, here is the audio of my radio gig this morning with Star94 in Atlanta.

    -Jason "thanks for tolerating me " Evans
    Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?

  7. #7
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    My $.02 - SPOILERS

    Overall, I really thought they did a great job. It is unfortunate that they had to tone down the violence for the PG-13 rating. Not because I loved the violence, but b/c it took away from the atmosphere of terror that the kids were feeling. I never got the sense that she was all that frightened, and not b/c of her acting, but because that part of the movie was so short and so edited. I also never got the impression that either Katniss or Peeta had the hots for each other. If I had not read the book, I would have thought he WAS faking the whole love thing. And it never seemed that Katniss was ever confused about her feelings.

    Even though I read the book, I was still totally caught up in the buildup to the Games. The little girl who plays Prim was amazing. When Effie was reaching into the bowl, even though I knew the outcome (and maybe especially b/c I knew the outcome) I felt physically ill. And the scene b/tw Katniss and Cinna just before she was sent up the tube was fantastic. I was actually shaking during that scene - plus the theater was FREEZING!

    I wish they had done the ending as in the book - with Peeta being whisked away in the hovercraft and Katniss screaming like the lunatic they had turned her into. When she sees her reflection and thinks she's looking at a madperson, THAT was an important part of the story. Showing what the Hunger Games really did to them.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by JasonEvans View Post
    $19.7 million from midnight showings... not bad!



    Biggest non-sequel in Hollywood history. Folks I am talking to are predicting a weekend of about $125-$135 million, which would be one of the 5 biggest opening weekends ever.

    -Jason "this is gonna be bigger than Potter and Twilight" Evans
    Your box office predicting folks blew it, Evans. $152.5 million. 3rd biggest opening of all time. That's amazing.

    It would be hard to imagine this movie ending up as the top box office of the year. There are some ridiculous heavyweights coming in the summer. But...but but but. Between a lack of obvious upcoming competition, strong reviews, strong exit scores (an A on cinemascore), and an evenly mixed audience, the movie could have better legs than it's lead actress (hey, she's 21, I can look).

    Note: I forgot about Wrath of the Titans this upcoming weekend. I suppose that may siphon a little business away from Hunger Games, but the audience is looking to be a little different, with 60% of the Hunger Games audience female, and the audience skewing a little older than Wrath is likely to have...
    Last edited by davekay1971; 03-26-2012 at 11:44 PM.

  9. #9
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    I saw the movie on Friday with my sister (we both read the books and are huge fans of them) but I was kind of disappointed.... No stones thrown yet? Now I did like the movie but I just did not like certain things which make it disappointing in my eyes.

    Negatives to me:

    - The fight scenes had to be very mild to keep the pg 13 rating.
    - You couldn't tell how badly the citizens struggled to live. They all looked healthy and fit for the most part and you didn't hear about the struggle Katniss had to go through after her father died.
    - In the actual games you never saw her struggle to get water or the struggle she went through to keep Peta alive.
    - You never knew she had to fake loving Peta and how he thought it was real the whole time.
    - Her relationship with Rue in the movie was not very special where as in the book she loved her almost like a sister.
    - Horrible choice for Gale as an actor.

  10. #10

    SPOILER (Book and Movie)

    Quote Originally Posted by JNort View Post
    I saw the movie on Friday with my sister (we both read the books and are huge fans of them) but I was kind of disappointed.... No stones thrown yet? Now I did like the movie but I just did not like certain things which make it disappointing in my eyes.

    Negatives to me:

    - The fight scenes had to be very mild to keep the pg 13 rating.
    - You couldn't tell how badly the citizens struggled to live. They all looked healthy and fit for the most part and you didn't hear about the struggle Katniss had to go through after her father died.
    - In the actual games you never saw her struggle to get water or the struggle she went through to keep Peta alive.
    - You never knew she had to fake loving Peta and how he thought it was real the whole time.
    - Her relationship with Rue in the movie was not very special where as in the book she loved her almost like a sister.
    - Horrible choice for Gale as an actor.
    As others have mentioned, the movie was a little too precise to the book, which is what I expected, given the Harry Potter and Twilight screenwriting. That said, I believe there was a major move made by the producers wrt Katniss' character. They essentially removed all "grey areas" around Kat. The movie shows the compassionate, conniving hunter. But the book explored an area of ruthlessness that was evident from the start. ("Why Peeta? He took care of me once, and now I'll have to kill him." "His parents are being kind to me so their son will have an advantage. I must ignore them.")

    For example, in the book, she was instantly ready to fight Peeta to the death - while the movie merely had the discussion. Ultimately, I think this will pay off in the end, but it removes a major aspect of the character within the first book.

    To date, the best book re-write into a screenplay is still Jurassic Park. Both the book and movie are thrilling, and contain a goof amount of both fringe and legitimate science. BUT the "thriller / horror" pieces of the plot line are mostly different from the book to the movie.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by cf-62 View Post
    To date, the best book re-write into a screenplay is still Jurassic Park. Both the book and movie are thrilling, and contain a goof amount of both fringe and legitimate science. BUT the "thriller / horror" pieces of the plot line are mostly different from the book to the movie.
    You are joking right?

    Look, I liked Jurassic Park, liked it a lot. I found the book an absolute page-turner and the movie was a ton of fun. But, in terms of "best book re-write into screenplay" it ain't even in the top ten.

    The Princess Bride
    The Godfather I & II
    The Shawshank Redemption
    Jaws
    Lord of the Rings I, II, and III
    Silence of the Lambs
    Apocalypse Now
    The Shining
    The Green Mile
    The Bourne movies
    All The President's Men

    -Jason "and that is just off the top of my head, a real quick list" Evans
    Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?

  12. #12
    I was late to see the movie, but - is there any chance at all that they won't keep with the PG-13 rating all the way? Even though I remember something similar happening with Star Wars, I guess I already know the answer to this. Going to R will lose a lot of the target audience. But I'm afraid the last movie is going to lose a ton of its impact if they're forced to keep Rue's death scene as the height of violence they're allowed to show.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Wander View Post
    I was late to see the movie, but - is there any chance at all that they won't keep with the PG-13 rating all the way? Even though I remember something similar happening with Star Wars, I guess I already know the answer to this. Going to R will lose a lot of the target audience. But I'm afraid the last movie is going to lose a ton of its impact if they're forced to keep Rue's death scene as the height of violence they're allowed to show.
    Of course, by the time the last movie comes out, a lot of the target audience will be old enough. Tongue firmly in cheek, of course.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Wander View Post
    I was late to see the movie, but - is there any chance at all that they won't keep with the PG-13 rating all the way? Even though I remember something similar happening with Star Wars, I guess I already know the answer to this. Going to R will lose a lot of the target audience. But I'm afraid the last movie is going to lose a ton of its impact if they're forced to keep Rue's death scene as the height of violence they're allowed to show.
    I think if well directed the violence can be compelling and heartwrenching, without being so graphic as to casue an R rating. A scene doesn't have to be graphic to have a real impact.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by allenmurray View Post
    I think if well directed the violence can be compelling and heartwrenching, without being so graphic as to casue an R rating. A scene doesn't have to be graphic to have a real impact.
    While this is true in a way, I think it does not fit in the case of The Hunger Games. The lack of graphic visual in the deaths of these characters was highly disappointing to me. I read the books and visualized a more gruesome scene in every death/fight.

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by JasonEvans View Post
    You are joking right?

    Look, I liked Jurassic Park, liked it a lot. I found the book an absolute page-turner and the movie was a ton of fun. But, in terms of "best book re-write into screenplay" it ain't even in the top ten.

    The Princess Bride
    The Godfather I & II
    The Shawshank Redemption
    Jaws
    Lord of the Rings I, II, and III
    Silence of the Lambs
    Apocalypse Now
    The Shining
    The Green Mile
    The Bourne movies
    All The President's Men

    -Jason "and that is just off the top of my head, a real quick list" Evans
    You're right. Those are all great adaptations of phenomenal books. But they all stayed true to the original story and plot. The changes were for style - or a producer / director wanting to emphasize something different than the book.

    Let me be clearer. I'm referring to the fact that the JP screenplay had little to do with JP the Movie other than there were dinosaurs on an island cloned from blood in mosquitos trapped in amber.

    The raptors are the superstars of the movie thrills, while T-Rex, other than the escape, is just a big T%^%$ dinosaur.

    Like you said J, the book is enthralling. I can still get that heart pounding sensation remembering what it was like to turn the next page and read the next T-Rex escapade.

    The movie barely followed any of the plot from the book, but in its own right was still a good movie about cloning dinosaurs. That's what I was alluding to - the ability to completely trash the book plot line - and still come up with something decent.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by JasonEvans View Post
    ... I wanted to share a review that has my expectations sky high!

    Boxoffice.com says --

    The Hunger Games is the best American science-fiction film since The Matrix
    I bolded that last part. WOW, now that is praise!! ...

    -Jason "it is good to be a critic " Evans
    If only they found actors as good as Keeanu Reeves!

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by BD80 View Post
    If only they found actors as good as Keeanu Reeves!


    Just read a few more reviews... my expectations are now off the charts. Todd Gilchrist, a well-know critic, says -- "The first film in a long time that deserves Hollywood's instant-franchise ambitions because it appeals to genre fans regardless of gender by crafting a story that's both epic and intimate, spectacular and subtle."

    -Jason "currently at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes with 15 reviews in" Evans
    Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?

  19. #19
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    I still can't get over that this BOOK was listed as a book for young people. I'm in my 70's and really liked it. Maybe I'm starting over.

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Zeke View Post
    I still can't get over that this BOOK was listed as a book for young people. I'm in my 70's and really liked it. Maybe I'm starting over.
    My now 13 year old son is an avid reader. But he simply ate up The Hunger Games books. So, being curious about what he found so compelling at 11 & 12 I decided to read them. I really enjoyed them as well, though certainly can't place the quality of the writing along side another dystopian novel I cared deeply about - The Road.

    Quote Originally Posted by A-Tex Devil View Post
    I mean, isn't Hunger Games a pretty big ripoff of Battle Royale?
    As for it beng a ripoff of Battle Royale - sometimes it is simply hard to account for why one story makes it and connects with the audience and another similar one doesn't.

    I've said here before in movie threads, there is a real dearth of movies that my whole family can enjoy. Two 50 something paretns, a 25 year old college graduate, a 17 year old high school senior, and a 13 year old eighth grader are all going to see this together, and are all excited to be going.

    Jason, I'm looking forward to your review.

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