Mockingjay Part 1 Trailer!

Appropriate for this to come out just days before I dress as Katniss for Halloween!



Ok, I admit, J-Law rocks the look better than I do, but my bow was a broken hanger with a rubber band for the string, so, you know, work with what you've got!

Comic Con: Hunger Games Mockingjay Trailer Released!

My favorite part of Comic Con? The trailers! In addition to the new Hobbit trailer, we also got a proper trailer for the new Hunger Games Mockingjay, Part 1 (that's a mouthful of a title) movie, coming out later this year:



That's a smaller, more ragged District 13 than I imagined, but maybe they're saving their money for crazier things down the line? I know I'll be watching.

[via /Film]

Solid "Game of Thrones" Mix set to Lorde

Oh man, this is super good.



I was actually just listening to Lorde's rendition of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" from the (I'm not ashamed to admit) Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack (which is a really good soundtrack), and it fits SO well here. The cutting is interesting - Uproxx calls it a recap, but it's more a thematic montage or exploration, pairing certain moments together that make you wonder what the overall game is (get it!? Game?!). I am entertained.

[via Uproxx]

'Catching Fire' and 'Frozen' Kick Box Office Ass + Thoughts on 'Frozen'

'Hunger Games: Catching Fire' and Disney's new 'Frozen' have proven (for the billionth time) that having well-rounded female protagonists in big studio movies pays off. Both are on track to break all kinds of records - Catching Fire is the third movie ever to break $250 million on or under eight days (the other two: The Dark Knight Rises and The Avengers - so basically, Katniss is equal to the entire Avengers team) and Frozen may pull in $100 million in its first five days, shattering Thanksgiving weekend records.

What makes me even more happy about this is that both films are really good! I've already commented on Catching Fire (though I could go into further detail: I haven't even mentioned Jena Malone's perfect depiction of Johanna!). I just saw Frozen this afternoon, and I really loved the strong story of sisterhood, the delightful takedown of traditional Disney princess romances, and the way the hero, Anna, completely leads the film. She is not a passive protagonist: She constantly makes bold choices and gets herself into and out of trouble. Without spoiling anything, the ending proves this point to the nth degree. An extra perk? The movie passes the Bechdel Test within the first five minutes.

Bonus! Jennifer Lee, the screenwriter/animator behind Wreck-It Ralph wrote and co-directed Frozen. She's the first female director of a Disney animated movie, and I think the influence is both clear and welcome. I say this not to take away from Ms. Lee's individuality as a writer/director (I'm sure Kathryn Bigelow would HATE it if someone said that her directing clearly had a "female influence"), but simply as a woman who has experienced a lot of the same emotions, relationships, and thought-processes that I saw onscreen today that have not been present in any previous Disney features, which makes me think (logically) that Ms. Lee may have had something to do with that.

Sidenote to anyone else who saw Frozen: how much did you love the "You fell in love in one day!?" takedown (yes, I realize Anna and Kristoff kiss at the end of the film, but they have a very different "one day" than Anna and Hans, plus they only kiss and aren't getting married or anything rash like that)? And Anna telling Kristoff, most assuredly, that the way to end the eternal winter was simply to talk to her sister (and work things out like two normal human beings, instead of blowing the whole thing out of proportion like they'd do in another movie)? Loved it.

Oh! And I'm SO HAPPY that Kristen Bell is finally in a good movie. That lady deserves it!! Way to go, Woman Formerly Known as V-Mars!

Slate's The Hunger Names

In case you were curious as to the meaning behind all the wacky names in The Hunger Games. One Slate writer attempts to decipher them. Plus, a little textual analysis. Because why not?

NPR's Take on Gender Roles in The Hunger Games

I appreciate NPR's short article on gender roles in Catching Fire. It is an exploration of the "traditionally feminine" aspects of Peeta's character, especially in relation to his relationship with Katniss. Peeta reveals a different side of masculinity that is not often shown in teen films. I think the film is successful in many ways, despite its hindrance of being a funhouse mirror of the first (blame the book), and this is one of them.  Others are the emphasis on Katniss' PTSD, the varying and realistic reactions of the other former victors to the situation they're tossed into, and the way that emotionally raw scene between Katniss and Cinna was handled.

Final 'Catching Fire' Trailer is Out!

Below is the latest/last trailer for the new Hunger Games film, Catching Fire



Spoiler alert: I was not a huge fan of the second book, because it had the exact same plot as the first. I thought it would have been far more interesting in terms of character arcs and growth (seriously, I'm alerting you to the spoils here) to have Katniss and Peeta coach other innocent victims instead of having to dive back in themselves, but what can you do? Seriously, I'm wondering what the writers did to make it more interesting. I'm sure they tried very hard, and I hope they succeeded. We will see on Nov. 22nd!

New 'Catching Fire' IMAX Poster

Love this poster for Catching Fire out in a couple of weeks. It reminds me of the old '80s movies posters, like for The Neverending Story or The Labyrinth. Very cool!

[via /Film]

Natalie Dormer in "Mockingjay"!

Natalie Dormer can do no wrong (or at least has not yet done wrong) in my eyes. She's been so amazing as Maergery Tyrell on Game of Thrones and as Irene Adler on Sherlock and also lots of other things. She's going to totally rock as Cressida in Mockingjay. Mockingjay was by far the craziest of the Hunger Games books, but I'm sure she can pull it off. Go Natalie!

Hunger Games 'Catching Fire' Trailer!

The trailer for the new Hunger Games flick, Catching Fire:



I think I finally realized the issue I had with this book (the 2nd in the trilogy) is that, in addition to it kind of being a rehashed version of the first book (which you can tell by the end of the trailer), it also is kind of a huge cop-out, risk-wise. I mean, in the first book you have this horrible-but-gripping dystopian world where kids are forced to kill kids in order to appease a super f'd up leadership (overcompensation to the extreme much?). However, in the second book, like they say here in the trailer, killers are killing killers now. It's not nearly as disturbing. Of course, it's sick to throw the Victors back in the ring, like throwing a soldier (especially one with PTSD) back into a war, but in some way the emotional complexity of the games is not as intense as it was in the first book.

Of course, there are also much more interesting things happening outside of the games than in the first book, so perhaps that's why Collin's chose to make these games less keenly felt. Who knows!

Anywho, the trailer looks good, right?

Hunger Games!!

Speaking of Catching Fire from three posts ago... Lionsgate debuted a few new posters for the upcoming movie, like this super Capitol-ized one:

Victory Tour indeed...

Of course, all that did was make me realize how long it would be until the next movie! November, are you kidding me? I mean, not really because it takes a long time to make a movie and especially to make a good one and they had to find a new director and they're already on a super tight timeline, but still!!

See all the posters over at /Film!

Oscars Round-Up!

OMG this dress!

NY Mag does a pretty good "What you missed when you remembered that watching the Oscars and especially Seth MacFarlane is lame." Seriously, though, Jennifer Lawrence's fall is the most graceful thing I've seen in years, and her subsequent press conference responses were amazing.



Even her "sorry I forgot to thank you" statement was both charming ("brain farm") and eloquent ("your passion and unyielding support gave this film the opportunity to thrive and touch so many people").

Seriously, can I just wear this dress around the house all the time please?

Just saying, I can't wait for Catching Fire!

Not to mention the excitement over the Paperman producer kerfuffle - love that in a story about paper airplanes as an act of rebellion, rebelling with paper airplanes got producer Kristina Reed temporarily thrown out. Hilarious!

Also, gotta love Brenda Chapman and Mark Andrews' epic "OMG WE DID IT!" photo after winning for Brave:

[via Big Screen Animation]

The Real Hunger Games

ThinkProgress posted this video earlier today as a call for action against Paul Ryan's plan to cut back the SNAP program and other programs that help keep Americans out of poverty and give them and their children enough meals to live on while they get on their feet in these hard times.



You can read more about the issues and how to get involved at ThinkProgress.

Francis Lawrence to Direct "Hunger Games" Sequel

It was definitely a letdown finding out that Gary Ross wouldn't be directing "Catching Fire" after he did such a great job with "The Hunger Games." While some top-tier names were bandied about as possibilities for his replacement, the job's gone to Francis Lawrence, of "Constantine," "I Am Legend," and "Water for Elephants."

I've only seen "I Am Legend" and "Water for Elephants" and he did a fine job with both. Unfortunately, considering all the second book's flaws, I am concerned that this more conventional pick, plus the short shooting schedule, may make for a disappointing second feature in the trilogy.

I was also disappointed that they didn't even put any female directors in their top contenders, "dream picks" list. Why not at least include Patty Jenkins, since we know she can handle the material? Oh, well, maybe they'll shape up for "Mockingjay." That one's the weirdest of them all, so whoever is in charge of it will really need to have their stuff together.

That being said, the first book in the "Hunger Games" series was my favorite, and they got that one right, so that's enough for me as a fan. Plus, they've got the writer of "Slumdog Millionaire" (Simon Beaufoy) writing with Suzanne Collins, so that's solid.

Before Katniss, There Was Clarissa

Suzanne Collins used to write for "Clarissa Explains It All" - isn't that nuts?

Teen angst (and great female characters) come in all forms of media.

[via Mental Floss]

New Hunger Games Trailer

Love it.

Yup.

Taylor Swift Song for 'Hunger Games' Soundtrack

The latest 'Hunger Games' news is that Taylor Swift and the Civil Wars recorded a song for the soundtrack called "Safe and Sound." You can listen to it here.

The chorus:
"Just close your eyes
The sun is going down
You'll be alright
No one can hurt you now
Come morning light
You and I'll be safe and sound."

The full lyrics are here.

It's a pretty good song for the movie - slow, simple, and sad. The lyrics reflect the mood and tone of several different scenes in the movie (i.e. inside the cave, with Rue, with Prim, the end of the games)... I wonder when it will play. What do you think?

Hunger Games Sequel News!

I don't know about you guys, but I'm super pumped for the 'Hunger Games' movie. It's going to be (or it better be!) awesome, especially since the first book is the best in the series.

However, just because the first book is the best does not mean the movies can't get progressively better. That's why I'm stoked that the '127 Hours' and 'Slumdog Millionaire' writer Simon Beaufoy may write the sequel 'Catching Fire.' That's some major cred right there. Although it's annoying that a guy's directing and a guy's writing, that doesn't mean they won't preserve the great female lead that Susan Collins wrote in Katniss Everdeen. Collins will likely have approval on the script, so that should help, as well.

Also, this is just another excuse to repost the trailer. Remember how awesome it is? No? Then watch it again below!



[via /Film]

'Hunger Games' Trailer!

Woah, I just realized I didn't post the "Hunger Games" trailer that was released on Monday. Silly me!

Here it is, in all of its glory:



What do you think? I love the music, and the overall feel. I'm somewhat concerned about the costumes. For some reason I was expecting even more outrageous outfits in the Capitol. I also expected more color in the Capitol, and less color in District 12, but those are minor notes. It looks like Josh Hutcherson just might be able to pull of Peeta (which I was not expecting), but I'm really not expecting much from the guy playing Gale. Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss is, of course, totally awesome, but we all knew that going in.

Overall, I'd say I'm still super excited about it, with only mild concerns. May the odds be ever in your favor!

Hunger Games Posters (!) (?)

Ok, it's really hard for me to get excited about posters (unless they're Harry Potter related), so as much as I want to be psyched about these Hunger Games posters, I'm really just happy that there is some Hunger Games related news. It's been forever!

Also, I'm totally with /Film on this one - Cato and Peeta look exactly the same! What's the deal? Are they making some literary commentary I hadn't thought about before? Or are they just now regretting casting all white guys? Heyo! (Also, you know that's totally true)

Below are Cato and Peeta. Seriously. It's freaky.

[Via /Film]