I've seen too much!
I spent Saturday mostly just watching stuff. It was 100% intentional, but it yielded interesting results.
First, I took my brother to see The Hunger Games. BEWARE! HERE THAR BE SPOILERS!!!
I read the first book last month, and I generally liked the world that it created, but Suzanne Collins' actual prose was pretty weak. I liked Katniss as a character (and identified with her quite a bit), but I hated how she kept making guesses about other people's feelings. I guess a 16-year-old girl would do that, but it did not need to show up in the actual narration as much as it did. This probably sounds horrible, but if I'd written it, I would have told it in third person, focusing on, say, three Tributes from different Districts to give Panem and the various Districts' culture a broader scope, and so that the audience might not be able to guess who the winner would be. Oh, well.
Anyway, I enjoyed the movie adaptation. I thought the filmmakers did the best they could without making the fanbase riot. It felt less limited than the book, mainly because we got to see the coverage of the Games and some of the behind the scenes stuff that weren't in the book.
Things I loved:
1. Katniss! Jennifer Lawrence was an uber-awesome Katniss. She just freaking was. It's something that must be seen, not told.
2. RUE! Rue was my favorite character in the book, and the girl playing her was pitch-perfect. [SPOILERS] I burst into tears at her death, specifically when Katniss laid the flowers on top of her. I also loved the riot because it showed beloved Rue was in District 11. They don't mention this in the movie, but the book says that she lets everyone know when it's quitting time in the orchards, so she'd probably be a routine part of everyone day...and then she's gone. I also loved that Thresh knew who she was and didn't just call her "that girl" when he killed Clove.
3. Haymitch, Effie, and Cinna. They were exactly as I imagined them, except that Haymitch was a more sedate drunk than I expected (I envisioned a variation on Tallahassee from Zombieland when I read the book).
4. The red carpet commentary from hell. The casual, E!-like coverage of the Games showed the gigantic disconnect between how the Capitol's citizens view the games and how they actually play out, and it makes it that more disturbing.
5. Cato's death. He actually realizes how utterly futile his existence up to this point has been, and I didn't get that in the book. It was a nice touch, even if the dialogue was a little overly familiar.
6. President Snow and the Head Gamemaker. They were creepy and interesting, and they added to the Games' political side. Their interactions also showed how strictly controlled the Games are, which is easy to forget about when you're reading the books (except for the mentions of the cameras).
I could list things I didn't like (too much shaky-cam), but instead, let's talk about triggers. I'd never experienced a trigger before seeing this film, but it gave me more than one.
Triggers (all work-safe)
1. The Reaping. The moment Katniss offered herself up while Prim screamed, I knew I would do the exact same thing for my younger sister. No questions, I would just do it. Their interaction in the book and the movie already remind me of myself and JoJo, but that part alarmed me.
2. The Trackjackers. They reminded me of the time something (I never found out what) stung or bit me and the skin around it swelled to the size of a small doughnut. I had not thought about that in years.
3. The Career Tribute. Marvel, Glimmer, Cato, and Clove acted like every bully I faced in high school, and I was so glad to see them get what they deserve.
All in all, I would recommend this film. It's not perfect, but it's interesting and entertaining. Reading the book helps (and it's a quick read).
After that, Peter and I went to Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (The Rep). The plot's pretty shallow since it's a very early Shakespeare plays, but it's hilarious, with lots of wordplay, mistaken identities (and twins with the same name), and physical comedy. This production set the play in New Orleans in 1936, and my favorite part was a chase scene in the second half that degenerated into a giant Big Lipped Alligator Moment involving Blanche DuBois and the "STELLA!" guy from A Streetcar Named Desire, Janis Joplin, Johnny Cash and June Carter, Elvis, Forrest Gump, Scout and Jem Finch, and Louis and Lestat from Interview with a Vampire. And this version added MUSICAL NUMBERS!!! A lot of the music was Dixieland-ish and there was a fantastic, semi-plot-related version of "House of the Rising Sun" (one of my favorite songs ever).
Then I came home, ate pizza, and watched the second half of O, Brother, Where Art Thou?. I love that The Odyssey can make sense even when set in the Great Depression. The wackiest thing about that movie is George Clooney---he's great, but it's really OOC for him. Anyway, it's damn hilarious.
And that was my Saturday. I have no idea why white trash and the South were the running themes.
First, I took my brother to see The Hunger Games. BEWARE! HERE THAR BE SPOILERS!!!
I read the first book last month, and I generally liked the world that it created, but Suzanne Collins' actual prose was pretty weak. I liked Katniss as a character (and identified with her quite a bit), but I hated how she kept making guesses about other people's feelings. I guess a 16-year-old girl would do that, but it did not need to show up in the actual narration as much as it did. This probably sounds horrible, but if I'd written it, I would have told it in third person, focusing on, say, three Tributes from different Districts to give Panem and the various Districts' culture a broader scope, and so that the audience might not be able to guess who the winner would be. Oh, well.
Anyway, I enjoyed the movie adaptation. I thought the filmmakers did the best they could without making the fanbase riot. It felt less limited than the book, mainly because we got to see the coverage of the Games and some of the behind the scenes stuff that weren't in the book.
Things I loved:
1. Katniss! Jennifer Lawrence was an uber-awesome Katniss. She just freaking was. It's something that must be seen, not told.
2. RUE! Rue was my favorite character in the book, and the girl playing her was pitch-perfect. [SPOILERS] I burst into tears at her death, specifically when Katniss laid the flowers on top of her. I also loved the riot because it showed beloved Rue was in District 11. They don't mention this in the movie, but the book says that she lets everyone know when it's quitting time in the orchards, so she'd probably be a routine part of everyone day...and then she's gone. I also loved that Thresh knew who she was and didn't just call her "that girl" when he killed Clove.
3. Haymitch, Effie, and Cinna. They were exactly as I imagined them, except that Haymitch was a more sedate drunk than I expected (I envisioned a variation on Tallahassee from Zombieland when I read the book).
4. The red carpet commentary from hell. The casual, E!-like coverage of the Games showed the gigantic disconnect between how the Capitol's citizens view the games and how they actually play out, and it makes it that more disturbing.
5. Cato's death. He actually realizes how utterly futile his existence up to this point has been, and I didn't get that in the book. It was a nice touch, even if the dialogue was a little overly familiar.
6. President Snow and the Head Gamemaker. They were creepy and interesting, and they added to the Games' political side. Their interactions also showed how strictly controlled the Games are, which is easy to forget about when you're reading the books (except for the mentions of the cameras).
I could list things I didn't like (too much shaky-cam), but instead, let's talk about triggers. I'd never experienced a trigger before seeing this film, but it gave me more than one.
Triggers (all work-safe)
1. The Reaping. The moment Katniss offered herself up while Prim screamed, I knew I would do the exact same thing for my younger sister. No questions, I would just do it. Their interaction in the book and the movie already remind me of myself and JoJo, but that part alarmed me.
2. The Trackjackers. They reminded me of the time something (I never found out what) stung or bit me and the skin around it swelled to the size of a small doughnut. I had not thought about that in years.
3. The Career Tribute. Marvel, Glimmer, Cato, and Clove acted like every bully I faced in high school, and I was so glad to see them get what they deserve.
All in all, I would recommend this film. It's not perfect, but it's interesting and entertaining. Reading the book helps (and it's a quick read).
After that, Peter and I went to Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (The Rep). The plot's pretty shallow since it's a very early Shakespeare plays, but it's hilarious, with lots of wordplay, mistaken identities (and twins with the same name), and physical comedy. This production set the play in New Orleans in 1936, and my favorite part was a chase scene in the second half that degenerated into a giant Big Lipped Alligator Moment involving Blanche DuBois and the "STELLA!" guy from A Streetcar Named Desire, Janis Joplin, Johnny Cash and June Carter, Elvis, Forrest Gump, Scout and Jem Finch, and Louis and Lestat from Interview with a Vampire. And this version added MUSICAL NUMBERS!!! A lot of the music was Dixieland-ish and there was a fantastic, semi-plot-related version of "House of the Rising Sun" (one of my favorite songs ever).
Then I came home, ate pizza, and watched the second half of O, Brother, Where Art Thou?. I love that The Odyssey can make sense even when set in the Great Depression. The wackiest thing about that movie is George Clooney---he's great, but it's really OOC for him. Anyway, it's damn hilarious.
And that was my Saturday. I have no idea why white trash and the South were the running themes.