The Hunger Games (2012)

[May]

The Hunger Games IMDB here.

I'm doing this for Sally and Jen because they really like the series. Me? I actually just refunded my purchase of the trilogy. Yeah, sorry, guys. I tried to get into this series and just read instead of constantly judging and getting annoyed but alas, I can only fight so hard.

This book and movie have been hyped to the max. I understand why - it's a great idea and concept. The writing? Well, I've ranted to Sally enough about how I feel. In short, just not my thing. For me this might be something I'll enjoy more as a movie than a book.

By the way, Liam Hemsworth as Gale doesn't bother me.

What does bother me is that even after all the times Collins talked about how starving everyone is, no one in the movie looks like they've gone even just a few hours without food.

The chariot ride with costumes made me cringe in the book. I wonder how it will play out on screen.

...I may not like this movie either. Who knows. I'll still see it for LIAM HEMSWORTH.

[Sally]

Seeing the movie for LIAM? JUDGING SO HARD RIGHT NOW. :')

I will be seeing for the Katniss/Rue scenes and Lenny as Cinna. And JHutch.

It's been almost 2 years since I read book 1, so I'm a bit fuzzy on how "bad" the writing supposedly is. I honestly did not have a major problem with it until the third book. Once you read enough young adult novels, you just get used to it, I guess.

Ah well, different strokes for different folks.

[May]

I was trolling you about Liam Hemsworth.

I am interested to see how everything plays of visually. For me, the world building was really weak. I told you how I was making a lot of assumptions which is different from using my imagination. For one, to use your imagination, the author feeds you ideas and you make them come to life in your head. Collins gave me bits and pieces and I was forced to fill in the rest. It's probably why I thought the costume scene was really silly.

And you bring up a good point. I haven't read many young adult books (the writing is probably the reason). Harry Potter is the only one I've read recently (which was like 4 years ago). The majority of the books that I've read in the last 4 years have been either adult fantasy/sci-fi or non-fiction.

[Sally]

I agree that the world building wasn't spectacular, but after reading another YA dystopia (Divergent) I can officially say I've seen way worse and therefore don't really mind. lmao Huger Games world made sense intuitively. Previous rebellion that did not end well, check. Rebellion of people leading to creation of games to enforce their ~rule~ over this world, check. I don't think there's much imagination required there. At least their world's division into districts based on exports and class difference made sense, unlike some other YA novel...*side eye* It wasn't counter-intuitive, so I was fine with it.

I don't really see the difference between assumptions and imagination. Don't you need to assume something before you imagine, if you're imagining the world based on given facts from the book?

If anything, those costume scenes and how the pre-games are conducted should be considered part of the world building: she's showing you what the world is like instead of telling you.

I still think it's a shame you stopped reading before getting to the best parts of the book. :( Oh well, hope you'll enjoy it in the movies! Should be a fun surprise, hehe.

Reputation of YA novels have been completely tarnished by the recent influx of paranormal romance shit. It's sad. Not all YA = bad writing/inferior to adult novels. So not true. It's entirely frustrating when people judge books just from genre. :'(

[Lily]

I can't really contribute to The Hunger Games discussion as I haven't read it, but I do have a few comments:
I agree with Sally's last comment about the genre of Young Adult Fiction. I think I can safely say that I have read more than several extremely well-written YA novels, some of which I have read again in my post-angsty years (post? who am I kidding). If there's anything that an English professor will keep hammering into your head, it's that (literary) genres (and the division of periods) are arbitrary and mutable. They're inescapable though...I still always find myself setting expectations according to the shelf from which the book was found. The genre, among other things, contextualizes the artwork (ONE OF MY NOVELS IS ABOUT THIS SO I'M SUPER EXCITED). Okay, I should go to bed now before I start preaching in my pseudo-pretentious voice...

[May]

Hrm, I didn't mean to imply that all YA = bad. The ones that I have read have not been very good or too simple. I've got a bunch of YA in my to-read shelf so it's not like I'm not giving it a shot.

I think world building in a first person prespective is difficult because it has to come from the character and not just some 3rd voice randomly telling you about the deep history. The only way we can find out about our world is if Katniss tells us and right now, she's more concerned about throwing cookies out the window (yes, I'm still mad about that).

I suppose what I mean by assumption vs. imgaintion is that I feel like when an author doesn't present enough detail then the image is...unstable almost. It's not concrete in my head. When an author can describe something well, and that doesn't have to be every detail down to the nitty gritty, then the image feels whole.

I'm also upset that there doesn't seem to be more on the history of Panem and how the world even got to that stage. I want to know more about the other districts and the Captiol. The Hunger Games are interesting but there's a whole world that she's not really giving us.

Hey, this is supposed to be about the movie.

I will say that the district seals are really cool.

[Sally]

I had to read over Lily's post a couple times to make sure I really got what you're talking about. You and your lit mind! I think the best way to get past judging books from genres is probably reading children's novels as an adult. There are so many children's novels that contain themes relatable to all ages, and adults are able to find ~deeper meanings~ in between the lines. Such brilliance. My lab friend was telling me about this book (I can't for the life of me remember the title) about this world where everyone was busy and never resting and just going through life really FAST. The protagonist is a little girl who was slow. And somehow with that "ability" she managed to "save time" or something, and the big climax of the novel was this turtle walking trotting along.... IT SOUNDS AMAZING. I need to remember the title of this cause I want to read it so badly.

---

My friend Eva who's a total pro at YA novels recommended me Melina Marchetta's "Saving Francesca". It really is one of the best YA's I've ever read. A really nice coming-of-age story. So if you want to check out good writing in YA, start with that! :)

TOTALLY AGREED on the first person POV doing world building thing. Katniss is completely in the dark on so many things (not sure if I should give more detail to this since they're spoilers), and it just gets worse in that respect in each book. I still think Mockingjay is one of the worst conclusions to a series ever. I only wish that you could read it and rant with me. Hahahaha.

[May]

You know, this book was hyped to the max that I think I was expecting it to be so awesome and epic that when I started reading I became disappointed very quickly. If I had no expectations like KJ said she did when she started I might have been able to like it. I really wasn't expecting it to be like this. D:

I will add that to my to-read list! I'm almost done Game of Thrones but I should start the next one so that I can watch the second season. TOO MANY THINGS I WANT TO READ.

[Sally]

Noooo, never let other people's stellar reviews influence your judgment! /useless advice

Hype ruins everything. Just like how Lily wouldn't watch Inception because of the hype. lol

I wish I could speed read. :( Reading books takes so long compared to watching movies/tv. I'm so lazy.

[May]

But I'm the opposite of Lily. I WILL go see things that are hyped cause I wanna see what the hype is about.

[Yumi]

Mary Anne wrote: "You know, this book was hyped to the max that I think I was expecting it to be so awesome and epic that when I started reading I became disappointed very quickly. If I had no expectations like KJ ..."

I agree that I don't think I liked this book as much because the person who told me about it LOVED IT to the max. My expectations were too high, I guess. That being said, I did finish the first book but in the end, it became too much like high school drama for me to be interested in continuing on with the second. It helps you get through the book if you remember that in the end, it is a teen novel and it is therefore written like one. (A little odd to me, however, because Harry Potter is technically a teen series but I thought it was more written like an adult series).

[May]

I don't think that because her audience was young adult that she meant to write like that - I think she just writes like that. HP is young adult but Rowling is a much better writer. That's just that. Bad writing is bad writing regardless of what genre you are technically in.

[Yumi]

That's true. But I don't think she's that bad of a writer. I mean, there's gotta be a reason why I finished this book but couldn't finish 1984. Sad, but true story.

[Sally]

Too much like a high school drama? How?

[Lily]

Mary Anne wrote: "Bad writing is bad writing regardless of what genre you are technically in. "

I totally agree with you. And I think that goes for hype too. If a book/ film cannot live up to its hype, while others can or, even more impressively, surpass it, then maybe it's just not so great of a book/ film. There is so much hype around HP, but the books themselves, given their success (vulgar image: I'm picturing JKR wiping her bum with money), definitely live up to the hype. If The Hunger Games is popular enough to be sold at Costco and adapted for the screen, then it must not be soooo bad. We know Collins' publisher(s) must love the book. And of course, there is the occasional odd child who dislikes HP (WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?). So it must be a matter of taste...Yumi prefers the writing style of Collins to Orwell's while May prefers Card's to Collins'. No one can say whose taste is more accurate (can taste be accurate?) or which books are "objectively" bad/ good. We can only determine whether our tastes coincide or diverge, I think.
It always comes down to this, for me: subjectivity. What determines a good book/ film? Is it different for each individual, according to his/ her subjective tastes, and so it's worthless to compare, or is it based on consensus? Is a book/ film good only when a majority of people like it? This is usually where the conversation enters into abstraction and philosophy (what is good? What is bad?), and people don't want to talk to me anymore...:(
One more note: I think hype is contextualization again. See? IT'S INEVITABLE. If I had approached Inception in a different way, in an uninhabited tower within seconds of its conception, let's say (it came in from the lone window delivered by a bird, if anyone were wondering), then maybe I would've appreciated it a lot more. As it stands, I still like it a lot...just not obsessed with it, like I am with The Matrix...
The context of an artwork is inseparable from the artwork itself and has a part in how the viewer appreciates, judges, and feels about the artwork. Case in point: I encountered Megamind (yes, that animated movie) with half a bottle of red wine, drunk by myself in the comfort of my own home, and gradually found myself really attracted to him, blue-faced and all. Weird? Yeah, a little. Was the film good because I was intoxicated? Psh, no, it was awesome.

[Lily]

And Sally...you MUST find out the title of that book with the turtle (haha yes, that is how I will call it), because it sounds really interesting! Let me know.

I also agree with you that adults are able to find deeper meaning in YA novels that children might miss. I, for one, really enjoyed To Kill a Mockingbird when I was in grade 10, but reading it four years later? WOW. SO MANY THEMES. SO MANY CONNECTIONS. DEEP.

[Gwynneth]

im so exiteed for the movie

[Gwynneth]

Lily wrote: "Mary Anne wrote: "Bad writing is bad writing regardless of what genre you are technically in. "

I totally agree with you. And I think that goes for hype too. If a book/ film cannot live up to its ..."

i think it will be awesome... but i respect your disicion

[May]

Don't get me wrong. I'm pretty excited for the movie. Like I said, the idea and concept is reeeeally cool and interesting so I'm excited to see it in the form of a movie.

[Gwynneth]

hm... I think I see what you're getting at but...

[Gwynneth]

k I have a question..... why did they have to make it a movie?

[Sally]

To...bring the characters to life? To be able to visually see the arena violence?

To make money off of the fandom?

[May]

Film is its own kind of art so I guess it's always interesting to see how a piece transfers into another media.

It'll be out in a couple of weeks. Who's seeing it the day of?

[Sally]

You're not seeing it on the first day with me and Jen? D:

[May]

No, I'll go see it. I'm just wondering in general who is.

[Sally]

Oh for some reason I read your previous comment as "I'll be out" so I was D: Haha.

[May]

If she throws the cookies out the window in the movie, I might throw a fit in the theatre. Just so you know.

[Sally]

I should bake a batch of cookies and then throw them away right in front of you while we line up for the movie, just to troll you. :D

[May]

Throw them out the window as we drive to the theatre. "I am suspicious of your kindness to drive us!" Ha!

[Sally]

HAHAHA. That would be perfect.

[May]

LOL although it makes no sense since you baked them yourself.

[Gwynneth]

omg i so wanna go

[May]

Well! Did everyone go to see it? What did you guys think?

My thoughts:

I enjoyed it better than I did the books. My problem: it's not epic like everyone was saying and I was disappointed.

I didn't feel like the movie did any justice to the tragedy of forcing children to fight to the death for a year's supply of food. There just wasn't enough time spent on the emotional and psychological trauma that a society and an individual would experience living in a world like that. I didn't feel a real connection with any of the characters, and while (view spoiler)[Rue's death certainly brought me to tears, I always cry when likeable people die so it wasn't out of any real connection to Rue. I didn't feel connected to anyone really (hide spoiler)].

It just felt kind of...empty.

Also, what the hell was up with the shaky cam in scenes that did not require shaky cam? I almost barfed.

Other than that, the games were fun, it was pretty to look at, and I giggled every time Liam Hemsworth appeared on screen since Sally hates him so much,

[Sally]

I really really have to recommend Battle Royale for some good psychological trauma! Really good read! Just imagine that us and The Group were thrown onto an island to fight to the death. WHAT WOULD YOU DO???

I guess my point is that the movie didn't have enough action in the Games. It didn't feel like kids were killing each other, except for the first few minutes. And that all happened too fast for any emotional impact. Like, who were they? Oh they died. Eh, okay then. And then it was mostly Katniss sleeping in trees. Oh.

I realllly liked pre-games (the first hour). I actually cried when Prim was called. And JLaw's "I VOLUNTEER!!" nearly had me sobbing, despite seeing it millions of times in the trailers.

I really didn't like the sudden Katniss/Peeta development near the end. It was hard to follow the thought process of Katniss without reading the books. And the suspense of Peeta's true feelings weren't even there like they were in the book. (view spoiler)[It was like, "oh what he's working with the Careers? Oh what he's telling her to run? Oh yay we can both win, lemme go find him cause I trust him!"

Not enough Katniss/Rue scenes. :( Not enough build-up.

Not enough reaction from Peeta for causing Foxface's death.

No ending scene with Peeta realizing Katniss was just pretending. Wtfffff. (hide spoiler)]

[May]

Yeah, like I said, it was very empty. There wasn't enough build up to the games and the seriousness of it. It was, almost, just a game.

And you said that the books get worse...well...I wonder what will happen with this trilogy.

[Gwynneth]

all right all yalls dont ruin it for me plz

[May]

I'm surprised you haven't gone to see it yet!

[Mitch]

I finally saw this in late August. Haven't read the books and not sure if I'll get around to it as I'm generally behind the boat on contemporary fiction.

I really dug the story and it was visually very sexy but wished they went grittier with the subject material and had some more socio-political commentary.

Also, damn Lenny Kravitz looked fine with that gold eyeliner.