The Hunger Games

[michiruwater]

From the beginning I have always pictured Charlie White whenever I thought of Finnick I don't know why, because while Charlie may have curly hair he's lacking other parts of the description, but it's always been Charlie I've pictured to the point where I know I will be disappointed when Charlie is (understandably) not cast for the part

[PrincessLeppard]

I find it hard to believe that anyone who actually read the books would be on Team Gale.

I just thought he was more interesting than Peeta. And I don't buy the drastic character change in the third novel.

Then again, I find it hard to believe that anyone who read the books would really care. Katniss choosing between the two barely mattered, and she certainly had more important things on her mind.

I agree. In my world , she would have wound up with neither of them.

[MacMadame]

I just thought he was more interesting than Peeta. And I don't buy the drastic character change in the third novel.

I didn't see a drastic character change. We didn't really see much of his character up until then for one thing. Plus, in the 3rd book, Katniss talks about how he would always go into these angry rants about The Capitol when they were younger and we did see some of that talk in the earlier books so it's believable.

What I think happened is that she ignored a lot of those aspects of his character when they were younger and there was no way to put his ideas into action, but once he was designing traps for real soldiers, it was a lot harder to ignore.

I also think being in love with Katniss and not having it return as well as being at war changed him. He said something in Book One about how different would hunting people be from hunting animals? ... implying it wouldn't be that different. It's Katniss who basically says that it would be too easy to think of the people as wild animals but that was something to fight.

One of the interesting things about having the book be ENTIRELY from her POV is that you get the whole "unreliable narrator" phenomena and I think this is one instance of it.

What I found completely out of character was for Katniss to vote to have one last Hunger Games. She says something about "she thought of Prim" as justification but (a) Prim would have been (rightly) horrified so thinking of her would have her voting No IMO and (b) at this point she has suspicion that Coin was responsible for Prim's death, not Snow.

[michiruwater]

I can't imagine why anyone who experienced one Hunger Games (let alone two!) would actually vote to have another.

[Skittl1321]

I can't imagine why anyone who experienced one Hunger Games (let alone two!) would actually vote to have another.

Revenge.

It seemed to be in character for everyone who voted except Katniss.

[Spareoom]

Revenge.

It seemed to be in character for everyone who voted except Katniss.

I read a blog somewhere that seemed to think that one is meant to read between the lines regarding Katniss's choice. Their view was that once Katniss realized that Coin was really no different than Snow, something snapped and she voted for the Games in order to confirm Coin's choice with the subconscious understanding that Coin would need to be taken out before the Games became a reality. They gathered this based on how Haymitch responded and how he was reacting to Katniss; note that he doesn't vote either way but says that he's with the Mockingjay while coming to some sort of understanding with Katniss. Because you're right, it would never, ever be in Katniss's character to vote for the very thing that was ultimately responsible for destroying Prim; if there were no Hunger Games, Prim wouldn't have been reaped and Katniss wouldn't have volunteered and started the whole rebellion.

Anyway, I'm reading the books through again so I am definitely going to looking at that scene closely.

[genevieve]

I have defended book 3, but I have to confess I barely remember it. Perhaps I was in a coma...

[MarieM]

IT's a major rip off Battle Royal, but I like it nonetheless !

[Buzz]

Just wanted to mention that there have been some nasty little tweets regarding Jennifer Lawrence's weight as well as the race of the actors playing Rue and Cinna. Come on now, I wish fans would just enjoy the movie and stop with the nasty comments.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...=feeds-newsxml

[Buzz]

Sorry double post...

[sodapop]

Just wanted to mention that there have been some nasty little tweets regarding Jennifer Lawrence's weight as well as the race of the actors playing Rue and Cinna. Come on now, I wish fans would just enjoy the movie and stop with the nasty comments.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...=feeds-newsxml

Both so ridiculous. I mentioned in another post that the little girl who played Rue was perfect. Pretty much the exact look, body frame, and expressions I imagined while reading the book. Who cares what race she is?

And I'd lose a limb to have Jennifer Lawrence's body. I don't see a lot of people complaining that maybe Josh Hutcherson is too short to play Peeta, which is something I don't believe, but yet we just always focus on the girl's size and weight.

[oleada]

That is ridiculous. Rue and Thresh are EXPLICITLY said to be black in the books.

Jennifer Lawrence has an amazing body. She is muscular and tone while still looking soft, feminine and totally healthy. People are ****ing insane.

[Skittl1321]

Jennifer Lawrence has an amazing body. She is muscular and tone while still looking soft, feminine and totally healthy. People are ****ing insane.

I think totally healthy is actually the problem.

The character was NOT totally healthy. She had to sign up for extra spots in the reaping to get enough food for the family. It was described that there was never enough. While she would be better fed than most in District 12 due to the hunting, she sold most of what she caught. The family would be somewhat gaunt. Peeta might be too, although as a baker's kid, he would have more access to food- but as he pointed out, they only got to eat old, stale bread, not the good stuff.


That said- I think she is perfect for the character. But the make up artists could have done a better job of making her look unhealthy, rather than buff warrior type

[kwanatic]

And I'd lose a limb to have Jennifer Lawrence's body. I don't see a lot of people complaining that maybe Josh Hutcherson is too short to play Peeta, which is something I don't believe, but yet we just always focus on the girl's size and weight.

Count me in on that complaint!

I'm sorry but Josh looks far too short IMO. I haven't seen the movie or any other movie he's ever been in so I can't comment on his acting, but physically he looks nothing like I'd expect Peeta to look. In the books, as part of the whole tribute marketing thing, they were supposed to focus on each tribute's talent. Katniss had her archery and hunting skills and Peeta's was supposed to be his strength. Josh has muscles so he looks strong but somehow I imagined Peeta to be bigger and taller; easy to overlook at first but someone to watch out for once you get another look. I mean, Peeta joins the Career tributes once they get in the arena. I imagined the Careers to be pretty big and imposing and I just have a hard time imagining him (Josh) with the Career tributes. He's so tiny looking!

I think they list his height somewhere between 5'6" and 5'7"...I imagined Peeta to be closer to about 6'...or at least a couple of inches taller than Katniss. It doesn't matter too much to me but that is my only gripe over the casting.

Both so ridiculous. I mentioned in another post that the little girl who played Rue was perfect. Pretty much the exact look, body frame, and expressions I imagined while reading the book. Who cares what race she is?

I really wish those few ignorant people who made the complaints about Rue, Thresh and Cinna being cast as black hadn't been given the time of day. Calling attention to their ugly comments only gives the issue more of a spotlight than it deserves.

[off topic semi-rant] As much as people like to think that everything is a-okay when it comes to race in this country, it's not true. Diversity in terms of Hollywood is still a rare thing when it comes to big blockbusters like this. It's very rare that non-white leading actors will draw the audience necessary to make a movie a blockbuster hit. Supporting roles? Yes. A non-white leading actor with a white supporting actor? Sometimes. But all major leading roles with non-white actors? Hardly ever. They may get acknowledged by critics (ex. Slumdog Millionaire) but in terms of audience attendance and box office draw? Nope.

There may be exceptions (I can't think of any right now), but they are very few and far between. Those kind of movies don't get the marketing and media attention that other movies get. It made me think a bit: Let's say the story was the exact same, but Katniss and the other main characters were black or Asian or hispanic...non-white. Would the movie have drawn as much media attention? Would the books even have been as successful? I want to say yes, that the strength of the story would make it just as successful...but somehow I doubt it. I feel like the perception of the story would change if the main characters weren't white. As a whole, the entertainment industry is less accepting of stories that feature non-white characters/actors. [/off topic semi-rant]

[genevieve]

[off topic semi-rant] As much as people like to think that everything is a-okay when it comes to race in this country, it's not true. Diversity in terms of Hollywood is still a rare thing when it comes to big blockbusters like this. It's very rare that non-white leading actors will draw the audience necessary to make a movie a blockbuster hit. Supporting roles? Yes. A non-white leading actor with a white supporting actor? Sometimes. But all major leading roles with non-white actors? Hardly ever. They may get acknowledged by critics (ex. Slumdog Millionaire) but in terms of audience attendance and box office draw? Nope.

Tyler Perry may disagree.

But I get your point.

[agalisgv]

There may be exceptions (I can't think of any right now), but they are very few and far between. Those kind of movies don't get the marketing and media attention that other movies get.

I agree that there are diversity issues in Hollywood. But there are few stars bigger than Will Smith. In I Am Legend, the two leading characters were black and Latina.

I think Hollywood will take any major box office draw, regardless of the race of that star (eg. Denzel Washington). I think it's the next tier down where it's not the name per se, but the story which is supposed to be the big draw (eg. Star Wars, Harry Potter) where you see less actors of color featured in the main roles.

I do agree that stories that reflect primarily upon a the experience of particular communities of color tend to not do as well (eg. Tuskegee Airman, My Family, Smoke Signals, etc)

[moojja]

I think totally healthy is actually the problem.

The character was NOT totally healthy. She had to sign up for extra spots in the reaping to get enough food for the family. It was described that there was never enough. While she would be better fed than most in District 12 due to the hunting, she sold most of what she caught. The family would be somewhat gaunt. Peeta might be too, although as a baker's kid, he would have more access to food- but as he pointed out, they only got to eat old, stale bread, not the good stuff.


That said- I think she is perfect for the character. But the make up artists could have done a better job of making her look unhealthy, rather than buff warrior type

But didn't she have some time to fatten up and be more fit during the training before the games. At least in the book, she did. I also got the feeling in the start of the book, they had enough to eat. Besides the hunting, her mother had the side business as herbalist/doctor. They had survive the worst times, and are doing fairly well in comparison. She did mentioned buying a goat for her sister to raise.
Although this reminds of something I read in book about N. Korea. The author notes that one of the subject had pretty moon-shaped face that looked chubby even when she was starving.
Katniss could have that kind of body.

[MacMadame]

That is ridiculous. Rue and Thresh are EXPLICITLY said to be black in the books.

Actually it just says they have dark skin. This surprised me as I read the books after seeing the movie so I expected them to be described as AA or Black.

But the description of District 11 with its verandas and big houses in the middle of fields invokes an image of plantation life in the South to me and I think we are supposed to get that image and think of the residents of that district as the descendants of the original slaves who worked those plantations.

But it's not said explicitly.

I mean, Peeta joins the Career tributes once they get in the arena. I imagined the Careers to be pretty big and imposing and I just have a hard time imagining him (Josh) with the Career tributes. He's so tiny looking!

He fit right in visually. So either he's bigger than reported or they cast shorter actors for the Careers.

[kwanatic]

There may be exceptions (I can't think of any right now), but they are very few and far between.

I was curious, so I decided to check this out. What Hollywood movies featuring non-white actors in lead roles were actually successes?

- "Avatar" is #1 ($760 million): Zoe Saldana (black/latina; father is Dominican, mother is Puerto Rican) co-stars in this movie with Sam Worthington (white), who is the top billed actor. It should be noted that Saldana's face is never seen in the movie; her performance was captured and re-imaged as a blue CG alien...

- "Shrek 2" is #6 ($441 million): Eddie Murphy (black) co-stars with Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz (both white); Myers is the top billed actor...b/c it's a CG film, Murphy's face is never seen.

- "Shrek the Third" is #25 ($322 million): Eddie Murphy as Donkey again. Again, just his voice...

- "Independence Day" is #35 ($306 million): Will Smith (black) stars in this movie and is the top billed actor. His co-stars are Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum (both white).

- "Up" is #42 ($293 million): "Up" marks the first time an Asian character is featured in a Pixar film. Jordan Nagai (Asian; Japanese-American) voices Russell, the main supporting role behind the lead character Carl Frederickson, voiced by Edward Asner (white).

- "Shrek" is #53 ($267 million): Eddie Murphy as Donkey...

- "I Am Legend" is #59 ($256 million): Will Smith stars in this movie. A large majority of the film features only him with no other actors...

- "Men in Black" is #66 ($250 million): Will Smith co-stars and is billed behind Tommy Lee Jones (white).

- "Shrek Forever After" is #75 ($238 million): Eddie Murphy co-stars as Donkey...

- "Beverly Hills Cop" is #77 ($234 million): Eddie Murphy stars in this film as the top billed actor.

- "Hancock" is #84 ($227 million): Will Smith stars in this film (top billed) with Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman (both white).

- "Rush Hour 2" is #86 ($226 million): This is the only film on the list where both main stars and most supporting roles are non-white. The movie stars Jackie Chan (Asian; Chinese) and Chris Tucker (black); other supporting actors in the film are Zhang Ziyi (Asian; Chinese), Roselyn Sanchez (latina; Puerto Rican) and John Lone (bi-racial; Chinese and European).



So judging by that list, there are very few non-white actors who receive top billing on blockbuster movies. Only Will Smith seems capable of pushing a movie into blockbuster status based on his name alone; Eddie Murphy is top billed in only 1 of the 5 movies listed; the other 4 feature him in the same role (Donkey).

There are many successful movies with main supporting roles filled by non-white actors; only a handful where the lead actor is non-white.

[kwanatic]

Tyler Perry may disagree.

But I get your point.

Tyler Perry is an exception. His movies do well within a certain demographic...however, I was speaking more in terms of marketing, media attention, etc. Rarely if ever will you see a segment on Access Hollywood, or E! or see a magazine cover like People or Entertainment Weekly featuring something about one of his movies or its actors.