So, just got back from CATCHING FIRE...
...and holy shit. I just...amazing movie, but goddamn is it a hard-hitting one as well.
Trailers that I got:
-Divergent. Looks awesome thus far. I read the book quite a while ago, and loved it. I mean, great characters, great idea (some have compared it to The Hunger Games but it's really not the case. It shares some elements -- dystopian government, the fears are kind of like the stuff that the players face in the arena what with the muttations and all, etc. -- but the execution is very, very different. Think sort of more 1984 than anything else) and overall, just a very well-written story. And as far as I know, the trailer looks really good this far. The girl they got to play Tris is very much how I pictured Tris in my head, they kept great moments such as from the book when Four says that he wants to be smart, kind, brave, honest, etc. all at the same time. All in all, it looks great, definitely will see in theaters when it comes out.
-The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: It looks great. Just...fantastic. And it looks to be slightly sort of more upping the ante. That's the thing about the middle of a trilogy; they kind of have to up the ante. Like the trilogy's a whole big story and the second part is Act II when things get really bad before they get better. But yeah, it looks fantastic, and I can't wait to see it.
-The Secret Life of Walter Mitty: Looks really neat.
-American Hustle: Very intriguing. From the same guy who did SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK and THE FIGHTER, so I have some high hopes for this one.
-Eternal Love (I think that's the name? Correct me if I'm wrong): Looks really interesting. Not sure whether or not I want to see it, but even so...
The theater experience:
It went well. Honestly, other than my mom apparently having to deal with an obnoxious family at the popcorn counter (or so she's told me) and a really weird moment when I thought that the projector had gone out. Let's say it was during the ads and for some reason, the screen was off. Like the sound was playing but there was no visual. Luckily, it got sorted out for the previews, but yeah, it was pretty weird. Also, I swear that there was this one person that kept giggling throughout the movie even at the parts that weren't intended to be funny (such as Katniss sort of submerging herself in the water to get rid of the poison that the fog infected her with *) and I was so absorbed in the movie that it was like "Dear person probably in the back; please stop giggling during the fucking movie!" I didn't say it out loud, but I was definitely thinking it (although there were people who laughed in places I didn't mind it in, such as with Snow's "Look at them holding hands. I want them dead" regarding the tributes. Donald Sutherland's deadpan delivery just made it funnier, although also chilling considering what he planned to do to them next no doubt). As far as the theater went, it wasn't super-packed, but there were a good number of people. I'll admit that having a good number of people was kind of scary, really. But I guess it does say volumes for how much hype Catching Fire stirred up.
The film itself:
It was really good. Really honestly depressing, though. One of the things that The Hunger Games really got right was the whole matter of showing just how hellish Panem really is; I know just reading the book and seeing the descriptions of stuff like the effects of the games, what happens in the games, what's happening in the Districts, etc. And Catching Fire -- I definitely know that it didn't pull any punches in regards to the bad stuff that's happening out there, like the riots, the floggings, the suppression of anything resembling disobedience such as the arrests (I know stuff like the Peacekeepers -- as the Capitol soldiers are called -- storming the crowd during Katniss and Peeta's speech, as well as Cinna getting arrested was definitely emotionally hard-hitting. Not helped by Katniss screaming and slamming on the glass of the elevator as Cinna's dragged off and killed; seriously, Jennifer Lawrence is just amazing as Katniss, and that's just one of many examples), the behind the scenes with President Snow (I know him and Plutarch -- though Plutarch is working against Snow -- discussing the matter of what to do with Katniss was definitely terrifying. **), etc. And Snow himself -- Donald Sutherland is just perfectly cast as Snow, he really is. I know that stuff like his conversation with Katniss at the beginning -- also known as one of the scariest parts of Catching Fire, in my opinion. Seriously, Snow's not this over-the-top cackling madman or something; he's this generally polite, amiable person who also happens to be threatening Katniss' loved ones if she doesn't comply with what he wants -- was genuinely chilling (Jennifer Lawrence and Donald Sutherland did wonderfully in that sequence), as well as the added scenes (honestly, I think the added scenes with President Snow were really some of the only deviations from Catching Fire -- it's been a long while since I read Catching Fire, so I could be wrong -- and they're deviations that really enhance the story. I think in adaptations, there are things that hurt the story and things that enhance it, and Snow's scenes were definitely an enhancement) with his granddaughter. I think something that's really honestly sort of chilling (if also oddly sweet at the same time) is how Snow interacts with his granddaughter when they're watching the Games; it's sort of this contrast between the granddaughter's innocent nature (seriously, she's just so naive and nice and honestly adorable that I really just didn't want anything bad to happen to her. And then you remember what Coin plans to do with her in Mockingjay and...yeah. ***) and her saying these things like her wanting to love someone like Katniss and Peeta loved one another with what's happening on the screen, and yeah...it's really effective. And I think it's just really impressive how Snow can still be almost suspenseful even when he's, say, just spending time with his granddaughter. I think that's really a component of what makes good villains: understatement. I definitely have my fondness for over-the-top villains (e.g. Palpatine) but there's something about Snow just talking with Katniss and sort of laying out his terms, him talking with Plutarch, or him spending time with his granddaughter that's very much understated, and therefore all the more chilling.
As far as the emotional moments go, they're really well-done. I know one scene that got me choked up early on in the film was when Katniss and Peeta were giving their eulogies for Rue and Thresh -- the tributes who died in the last film -- and they pretty much throw their notes away (let's say that Effie gave them some notes to read for the speech so they don't get in trouble) and make their own speeches about Thresh and Rue. I know Katniss' speech about Rue, and her saying that she can see Rue in things like the flowers as well as Prim, her sister, as well as, earlier, that break in her voice when she says that she couldn't save Rue -- just the guilt and grief in Katniss' face and voice just broke my heart. Also, her calling Rue her friend. It doesn't help that Rue was one of my favorites in the first book (and the film -- seriously, whoever played Rue did a fantastic job of just portraying her gentle, innocent, empathetic nature) and I think she'd definitely fall on the list of "characters I would personally save". I mean, even reading the first book, even though I knew what would happen, I really wanted Rue to live. But yeah, that scene in the film when Katniss is mourning Rue, and the crowd sort of does the salute and whistle to pay tribute to Rue -- it really makes what follows, with the soldiers arresting the people in the crowd all the more wrenching. Also, Effie. Just...Effie. Just the little details like her reaction when Katniss and Peeta are once again drawn into the Reaping as well as insisting that Haymitch and Peeta get something gold to match Katniss' mockingjay pin, and her saying to Katniss and Peeta that they're a team (Team Katniss indeed. Because they're in this together, no matter what happens) and "you deserve so much better than this"...yeah, it was definitely one of those "something in my eye" moments. Not to mention the matter of Katniss' wedding dress/mockingjay gown and what Effie says to her before Katniss goes onstage -- "you would have made a beautiful bride". And much earlier, on the train, when Katniss and Peeta are getting to know one another -- it's just one of those moments that's just really honestly sweet and almost normal-seeming, and just lovely. And the matter of the jabberjays and everything, what with them being able to imitate Prim's voice as well as the voice of Annie, Finnick's girlfriend -- just both Katniss and Finnick panicking is both terrifying and heartbreaking (I know that I actually yelled at Katniss "Don't follow that voice!" when the jabberjays started imitating Prim). Also, Peeta comforting the Morphling as she's dying and just telling her to focus on the sunrise. I know that I nearly lost it at that point. Also, Katniss' relief after Finnick manages to restart Peeta's heart after he's been electrocuted, leading to President Snow and his granddaughter's reactions when they see it. Also, the little girl who tells Katniss that she wants to be a volunteer, just like Katniss; I know it was one instance that just really broke my heart. I think it doesn't help that...well, none of it's really glamorous. It's horrible, it's terrifying, it's an experience that no one should have to go through, really. Also, Finnick's reaction after Mags is taken by the fog. And on the beach, when Peeta gives Katniss the locket with pictures of her family just to remind her that they're counting on her to stay alive. And much earlier, Katniss taking the flogging for Gale as well as, later, spending some time with Prim (I just love Prim and Katniss' relationship. It's one of my favorites). And after she's rescued, Katniss just freaking out regarding Peeta being taken by the Capitol, as well as the ending scene of the film where Katniss learns about District Twelve being bombed. I know that by the end of the film...well, I kind of felt like my emotions had just taken a pounding.
Not to mention some of the more nightmarish scenes, such as the muttations (seriously, I think I was gripping my mom's hand really really tight in that moment), Katniss hallucinating that a turkey that she killed was one of the tributes from the previous film, the effects of the fog (seriously, gah! D:), Katniss nearly getting sucked underwater after the Capitol decides to speed up the wheel, the jabberjays, etc. Also, Katniss' nightmare, although it was followed by the matter of Peeta comforting her, which was also a really effective emotional scene. And the matter of Katniss learning that the contestants who are saying certain things (such as the brother and sister team) are just doing that if only to stall death a little while longer -- it really got to me because even though she was mostly calling bullshit on them, I had a feeling that...well, how would you react, really, if you were not just about to die, but you were about to die in probably several of the most horrific ways possible in a tournament set up just because of something that your parents did? I think that if most people were about to die, they'd already be frightened. Add in the matter of the circumstances that they're going to die, and it really gets worse. It was really more of those sort of subtle horror sort of moments, really. Hell, come to think of it, forget the muttations and whatnot (and they were already terrifying as all shit), I think Snow was definitely one of the most terrifying characters in the films thus far, with stuff like him urging Katniss to kill Finnick while he's watching the Games, as well as him getting Katniss and Finnick into the Quarter Quell -- Katniss' reaction as well as Haymitch's also makes it honestly heartrending.
But even amidst the really heartwrenching/nightmarish moments, I know that there were some funny moments, such as the callback to Effie's mahogany line from the first movie (let's say the line's become quite the Internet meme, really), Johanna stripping in the elevator, Katniss splashing water on Haymitch to wake him up, Katniss sort of taking a jab at the TV host (honestly, the TV host just stole the show in every scene he was in), Finnick and Katniss meeting, some of Effie and Haymitch's more snarky lines, Johanna yelling about setting Snow's backyard on fire, etc. And some really awesome moments, like Peeta's portrait of Rue (also really touching), Peeta announcing that he'll send donations to Rue's family (also very touching), Katniss shooting the power source keeping the arena together (and nearly dying in the process thanks to electrocution), and Johanna basically telling the Capitol to go fuck themselves on live TV. Also, the tributes holding hands (also touching), Finnick helping Katniss out, Katniss taking the flogging for Gale as well as Haymitch pulling a Go Through Me. Also, just seeing how far Katniss has come -- the little touches like the girls at Snow's granddaughter's school wearing their hair like Katniss, Cinna's mockingjay dress for Katniss (seriously, how awesome does that dress look?), and more. Honestly, it was a fantastic movie. Heartbreaking, but fantastic.
* I was so tempted to make a "there's something in the fog" joke. Really, I was.
** Although considering that Plutarch is working for the Rebellion, it might have been to just keep Katniss alive as long as possible before he got her out of there.
*** Seriously, fuck Coin. Snow's an evil bastard, but at least he has his standards (e.g. keeping his word). Coin...as far as I know, she's just a complete sociopath who doesn't care what happens as long as she gets what she wants.
So yeah. Go see it. Seriously. It's amazing.
Trailers that I got:
-Divergent. Looks awesome thus far. I read the book quite a while ago, and loved it. I mean, great characters, great idea (some have compared it to The Hunger Games but it's really not the case. It shares some elements -- dystopian government, the fears are kind of like the stuff that the players face in the arena what with the muttations and all, etc. -- but the execution is very, very different. Think sort of more 1984 than anything else) and overall, just a very well-written story. And as far as I know, the trailer looks really good this far. The girl they got to play Tris is very much how I pictured Tris in my head, they kept great moments such as from the book when Four says that he wants to be smart, kind, brave, honest, etc. all at the same time. All in all, it looks great, definitely will see in theaters when it comes out.
-The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: It looks great. Just...fantastic. And it looks to be slightly sort of more upping the ante. That's the thing about the middle of a trilogy; they kind of have to up the ante. Like the trilogy's a whole big story and the second part is Act II when things get really bad before they get better. But yeah, it looks fantastic, and I can't wait to see it.
-The Secret Life of Walter Mitty: Looks really neat.
-American Hustle: Very intriguing. From the same guy who did SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK and THE FIGHTER, so I have some high hopes for this one.
-Eternal Love (I think that's the name? Correct me if I'm wrong): Looks really interesting. Not sure whether or not I want to see it, but even so...
The theater experience:
It went well. Honestly, other than my mom apparently having to deal with an obnoxious family at the popcorn counter (or so she's told me) and a really weird moment when I thought that the projector had gone out. Let's say it was during the ads and for some reason, the screen was off. Like the sound was playing but there was no visual. Luckily, it got sorted out for the previews, but yeah, it was pretty weird. Also, I swear that there was this one person that kept giggling throughout the movie even at the parts that weren't intended to be funny (such as Katniss sort of submerging herself in the water to get rid of the poison that the fog infected her with *) and I was so absorbed in the movie that it was like "Dear person probably in the back; please stop giggling during the fucking movie!" I didn't say it out loud, but I was definitely thinking it (although there were people who laughed in places I didn't mind it in, such as with Snow's "Look at them holding hands. I want them dead" regarding the tributes. Donald Sutherland's deadpan delivery just made it funnier, although also chilling considering what he planned to do to them next no doubt). As far as the theater went, it wasn't super-packed, but there were a good number of people. I'll admit that having a good number of people was kind of scary, really. But I guess it does say volumes for how much hype Catching Fire stirred up.
The film itself:
It was really good. Really honestly depressing, though. One of the things that The Hunger Games really got right was the whole matter of showing just how hellish Panem really is; I know just reading the book and seeing the descriptions of stuff like the effects of the games, what happens in the games, what's happening in the Districts, etc. And Catching Fire -- I definitely know that it didn't pull any punches in regards to the bad stuff that's happening out there, like the riots, the floggings, the suppression of anything resembling disobedience such as the arrests (I know stuff like the Peacekeepers -- as the Capitol soldiers are called -- storming the crowd during Katniss and Peeta's speech, as well as Cinna getting arrested was definitely emotionally hard-hitting. Not helped by Katniss screaming and slamming on the glass of the elevator as Cinna's dragged off and killed; seriously, Jennifer Lawrence is just amazing as Katniss, and that's just one of many examples), the behind the scenes with President Snow (I know him and Plutarch -- though Plutarch is working against Snow -- discussing the matter of what to do with Katniss was definitely terrifying. **), etc. And Snow himself -- Donald Sutherland is just perfectly cast as Snow, he really is. I know that stuff like his conversation with Katniss at the beginning -- also known as one of the scariest parts of Catching Fire, in my opinion. Seriously, Snow's not this over-the-top cackling madman or something; he's this generally polite, amiable person who also happens to be threatening Katniss' loved ones if she doesn't comply with what he wants -- was genuinely chilling (Jennifer Lawrence and Donald Sutherland did wonderfully in that sequence), as well as the added scenes (honestly, I think the added scenes with President Snow were really some of the only deviations from Catching Fire -- it's been a long while since I read Catching Fire, so I could be wrong -- and they're deviations that really enhance the story. I think in adaptations, there are things that hurt the story and things that enhance it, and Snow's scenes were definitely an enhancement) with his granddaughter. I think something that's really honestly sort of chilling (if also oddly sweet at the same time) is how Snow interacts with his granddaughter when they're watching the Games; it's sort of this contrast between the granddaughter's innocent nature (seriously, she's just so naive and nice and honestly adorable that I really just didn't want anything bad to happen to her. And then you remember what Coin plans to do with her in Mockingjay and...yeah. ***) and her saying these things like her wanting to love someone like Katniss and Peeta loved one another with what's happening on the screen, and yeah...it's really effective. And I think it's just really impressive how Snow can still be almost suspenseful even when he's, say, just spending time with his granddaughter. I think that's really a component of what makes good villains: understatement. I definitely have my fondness for over-the-top villains (e.g. Palpatine) but there's something about Snow just talking with Katniss and sort of laying out his terms, him talking with Plutarch, or him spending time with his granddaughter that's very much understated, and therefore all the more chilling.
As far as the emotional moments go, they're really well-done. I know one scene that got me choked up early on in the film was when Katniss and Peeta were giving their eulogies for Rue and Thresh -- the tributes who died in the last film -- and they pretty much throw their notes away (let's say that Effie gave them some notes to read for the speech so they don't get in trouble) and make their own speeches about Thresh and Rue. I know Katniss' speech about Rue, and her saying that she can see Rue in things like the flowers as well as Prim, her sister, as well as, earlier, that break in her voice when she says that she couldn't save Rue -- just the guilt and grief in Katniss' face and voice just broke my heart. Also, her calling Rue her friend. It doesn't help that Rue was one of my favorites in the first book (and the film -- seriously, whoever played Rue did a fantastic job of just portraying her gentle, innocent, empathetic nature) and I think she'd definitely fall on the list of "characters I would personally save". I mean, even reading the first book, even though I knew what would happen, I really wanted Rue to live. But yeah, that scene in the film when Katniss is mourning Rue, and the crowd sort of does the salute and whistle to pay tribute to Rue -- it really makes what follows, with the soldiers arresting the people in the crowd all the more wrenching. Also, Effie. Just...Effie. Just the little details like her reaction when Katniss and Peeta are once again drawn into the Reaping as well as insisting that Haymitch and Peeta get something gold to match Katniss' mockingjay pin, and her saying to Katniss and Peeta that they're a team (Team Katniss indeed. Because they're in this together, no matter what happens) and "you deserve so much better than this"...yeah, it was definitely one of those "something in my eye" moments. Not to mention the matter of Katniss' wedding dress/mockingjay gown and what Effie says to her before Katniss goes onstage -- "you would have made a beautiful bride". And much earlier, on the train, when Katniss and Peeta are getting to know one another -- it's just one of those moments that's just really honestly sweet and almost normal-seeming, and just lovely. And the matter of the jabberjays and everything, what with them being able to imitate Prim's voice as well as the voice of Annie, Finnick's girlfriend -- just both Katniss and Finnick panicking is both terrifying and heartbreaking (I know that I actually yelled at Katniss "Don't follow that voice!" when the jabberjays started imitating Prim). Also, Peeta comforting the Morphling as she's dying and just telling her to focus on the sunrise. I know that I nearly lost it at that point. Also, Katniss' relief after Finnick manages to restart Peeta's heart after he's been electrocuted, leading to President Snow and his granddaughter's reactions when they see it. Also, the little girl who tells Katniss that she wants to be a volunteer, just like Katniss; I know it was one instance that just really broke my heart. I think it doesn't help that...well, none of it's really glamorous. It's horrible, it's terrifying, it's an experience that no one should have to go through, really. Also, Finnick's reaction after Mags is taken by the fog. And on the beach, when Peeta gives Katniss the locket with pictures of her family just to remind her that they're counting on her to stay alive. And much earlier, Katniss taking the flogging for Gale as well as, later, spending some time with Prim (I just love Prim and Katniss' relationship. It's one of my favorites). And after she's rescued, Katniss just freaking out regarding Peeta being taken by the Capitol, as well as the ending scene of the film where Katniss learns about District Twelve being bombed. I know that by the end of the film...well, I kind of felt like my emotions had just taken a pounding.
Not to mention some of the more nightmarish scenes, such as the muttations (seriously, I think I was gripping my mom's hand really really tight in that moment), Katniss hallucinating that a turkey that she killed was one of the tributes from the previous film, the effects of the fog (seriously, gah! D:), Katniss nearly getting sucked underwater after the Capitol decides to speed up the wheel, the jabberjays, etc. Also, Katniss' nightmare, although it was followed by the matter of Peeta comforting her, which was also a really effective emotional scene. And the matter of Katniss learning that the contestants who are saying certain things (such as the brother and sister team) are just doing that if only to stall death a little while longer -- it really got to me because even though she was mostly calling bullshit on them, I had a feeling that...well, how would you react, really, if you were not just about to die, but you were about to die in probably several of the most horrific ways possible in a tournament set up just because of something that your parents did? I think that if most people were about to die, they'd already be frightened. Add in the matter of the circumstances that they're going to die, and it really gets worse. It was really more of those sort of subtle horror sort of moments, really. Hell, come to think of it, forget the muttations and whatnot (and they were already terrifying as all shit), I think Snow was definitely one of the most terrifying characters in the films thus far, with stuff like him urging Katniss to kill Finnick while he's watching the Games, as well as him getting Katniss and Finnick into the Quarter Quell -- Katniss' reaction as well as Haymitch's also makes it honestly heartrending.
But even amidst the really heartwrenching/nightmarish moments, I know that there were some funny moments, such as the callback to Effie's mahogany line from the first movie (let's say the line's become quite the Internet meme, really), Johanna stripping in the elevator, Katniss splashing water on Haymitch to wake him up, Katniss sort of taking a jab at the TV host (honestly, the TV host just stole the show in every scene he was in), Finnick and Katniss meeting, some of Effie and Haymitch's more snarky lines, Johanna yelling about setting Snow's backyard on fire, etc. And some really awesome moments, like Peeta's portrait of Rue (also really touching), Peeta announcing that he'll send donations to Rue's family (also very touching), Katniss shooting the power source keeping the arena together (and nearly dying in the process thanks to electrocution), and Johanna basically telling the Capitol to go fuck themselves on live TV. Also, the tributes holding hands (also touching), Finnick helping Katniss out, Katniss taking the flogging for Gale as well as Haymitch pulling a Go Through Me. Also, just seeing how far Katniss has come -- the little touches like the girls at Snow's granddaughter's school wearing their hair like Katniss, Cinna's mockingjay dress for Katniss (seriously, how awesome does that dress look?), and more. Honestly, it was a fantastic movie. Heartbreaking, but fantastic.
* I was so tempted to make a "there's something in the fog" joke. Really, I was.
** Although considering that Plutarch is working for the Rebellion, it might have been to just keep Katniss alive as long as possible before he got her out of there.
*** Seriously, fuck Coin. Snow's an evil bastard, but at least he has his standards (e.g. keeping his word). Coin...as far as I know, she's just a complete sociopath who doesn't care what happens as long as she gets what she wants.
So yeah. Go see it. Seriously. It's amazing.