Tag Archives: The Hunger Games

Hunger Games Star Jennifer Lawrence Talks New Director

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Catching Fire, the sequel to the phenomenal movie The Hunger Games switched directors at the last minute, with Gary Ross leaving the sequel and Francis Lawrence picking it up. Many fans are worried what this change in vision can do to the much anticipated sequel. To quell fears, actress and star of the first movie, Jennifer Lawrence, has said quite a few nice things about the director and what he has in store.

Jennifer had this to say:

I really like his take, which is a lot of what I liked in [The Hunger Gamesdirector] Gary Ross. It’s the realistic grasp of the story instead of all the details of the imaginary things… The new movie will be very real, which is what I’m excited about.”

Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth will reprise their lead roles as Katniss, Peeta and Gale, with Lenny Kravitz, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Toby Jones, and Woody Harrelson also returning to their respective roles.

The coveted roles of Finnick Odair and Johanna Mason have not yet been cast despite several rumors of who is in the running.

The film is set to be released in theaters November 22, 2013.

Catching Fire To Film In Hawaii

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Fans have been eagerly awaiting any news regarding the film adaptation of Catching Fire. It was recently announced that the highly anticipated sequel to the The Hunger Games will be shooting a portion of the film in Hawaii.

The set for the 75th Annual Hunger Games will be shooting in Kauai, a small Hawaiian island. In the novel, the 75th Annual Hunger Games is known as the Third Quarter Quell takes place on an island arena thats works as a clock.

While the casting for the major roles of the sequel have not been settled, just yet, we can expect the announcement to be soon due to the fact the film must finish filming by December. The two incredibly anticipated roles of Johanna Mason and Finnick Odair have not been cast and fans have been rampantly debating who should play the roles.

“Catching Fire,” Finnick Odair and the Third Quarter Quell will strike theaters late November 2013.

3 Great Book Couples Who Faltered On Screen

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I can’t help but love a good love story. Even if it is in the middle of a bad-ass sci-fi thriller or violent horror film I can’t help but root for love to win out. It may not be my main focus for watching something, but if it is there, I support it. I do this especially when it comes to novels. I don’t know if it is because it takes so long for a resolution when reading (say a few days to finish the book rather than 2 hours to finish a movie) but when reading, I become incredibly emotionally invested in the lives and loves of the characters.

That is why I hate when a character I have loved and invested in is ruined when brought to the big screen. Lovers, couples, burgeoning crushes, and heartfelt lifetimes together mean nothing if the actors playing those characters suck (or even the writing sucks in some cases.)

So here are three book couples that were ruined when brought to the silver screen.

Emma and Dexter – One Day

“Do you want to awkward almost kiss for this whole movie?” “Yes!”

I’ve written on here before about how much I hated the movie adaptation of the novel One Day by David Nicholls. In my mind it was terrible, losing all of the charm and wit on the novel. However, one of the big reasons I disliked it were the lead actors. Normally I love Anna Hathaway, she is incredibly talented and gorgeous. Same with Jim Sturgess, I mean he was FANTASTIC in Across the Universe. But the two of them together? NO CHEMISTRY.

The lives of Emma and Dexter were twisty and complicated with missed opportunities and sexual tension that was interlaced with comedic moments/ heartbreak and clever conversation. The Emma and Dexter of the film were awkward, clunky, and full of uncomfortable moments where I wished it would hurry to the conclusion.

“No one is ever going to believe we are a couple…”

I blame part of this unfortunate casting choice on the director who was easily bribed into hiring Hathaway who is not british and who’s accent was unwieldy and cumbersome. The director initially wanted a british actress to play the british character but Hathaway insisted on the part despite his reservations going so far as sending him a mix tape on why she should get it. Clearly she wouldn’t give up and he gave in. It seems this forced casting might have been a mistake.

Overall, the lack of chemistry between these actors have pushed this fictional couple from cute to unpleasant.

If only Dexter and Emma’s robotic love was as cute as this.

Clare and Henry – The Time Traveler’s Wife

“What year is this? Are you old enough to bone yet?”

I want to get this straight right off the bat. This is one of my favorite books ever written. I have probably read it 12 times. But the movie version? AWFUL. I have seen it once and probably never will again.

Honestly, this book is long, with ever changing point of views, years, and settings. I never thought it would become a movie because of its complex nature, and when it did, I wasn’t surprised by how many people felt it was convoluted and illogical. It really does not translate well to the big screen and because of that neither does the romantic nature of Clare and Henry.

This one has nothing to do with the actors, unlike the top entry. This has to do with the nature of the storyline. Clare knows Henry since she is 6 years old, but he only meets her when he is 28 and she is 20 – that alone would be difficult to transfer to a visual medium but also take note that the book is several hundred pages long, and constantly switches between her point of view at various ages, and his at various ages. To get depth and inherently loveliness and heartache of their relationship, nothing should be glossed over. Unfortunately not everything could be added into the movie, and to compensate several scenes were added into the film making it even worse.

As a fan I felt like the characters I loved and rooted for were nonexistent in the film and replaced with standard characters in an a standard romantic drama. And maybe I actually hated Eric Bana as Henry.

“I’m so torn on marrying you because I just saw you as a 6 year old and I naked… awkward.”

Katniss and Peeta – The Hunger Games Trilogy

“Ugh is he still staring at me?”

Everyone who has seen the film adaptation of The Hunger Games after reading the novel knows they left A LOT out. They also could probably tell that Katniss went from a resourceful smart heroin to merely a lucky survivor with emotionally cold tendencies.

The whole time I read the trilogy I was all about some Peeta and Katniss. I loved them together and I wanted so badly for them to be happy together. Through out the first book, we know Katniss is confused about her feelings, we know she feels something for Peeta that she can’t define or refuses to define yet (which honestly does continue till the end of the series). Yet the film made her seem cold and manipulative. We don’t see her struggling over Peeta and Gale internally but we do see her playing up her feelings for the camera.

I mean yes, in the book she also plays up her feelings for sponsors and help, but there are several instances where she acts because she wants to and because she cares, not just because the cameras are watching. And much of it has to do with the writing. I know that it is difficult to adapt a first person narrative in to a third person film. However, much of the underlying psychological issues of Katniss are lost in the film version making her seems superficial and selfish when book Katniss is not.

“Do you think he bought it?”

It is hard to be “Team Peeta” based on the movie when the film lacks any allusion to her having even the tiniest bit of real feelings toward him. However, we have two/three more movies to go, lets hope for the best. And lets face it I’ll always be Team Peeta… who’s arms smell of bread…

The Hunger Games… Minecraft Edition

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Even if you haven’t seen the movie or read the massively popular trilogy, The Hunger Games, you at least know its central premise. Children, thrown into an arena, fight to the death for one victor. While that is definitely not something most would like to be apart of in real life, the idea of the strategic survival in a game with a multiplayer capacity seems …. well fun.

So when Minecraft, a giant vital sandbox of a game, merged with one of the most violent and popular stories, we get possibly one of the coolest custom experiences ever. Since there isn’t (yet) an officially licensed Hunger Games title out there, this one of best ways to get a piece of action and chaos that is the Games.

The servers that host the Games within Minecraft are called “Survival Games” with the players called “Tributes.” Even the opening of each session mimics the opening scene of the Arena from the books and movie. Tributes stand in a large circle around a cache of supplies and when a time hits zero, you better run.

Very similar to the original story, most run for the supplies in the center, being killed quickly, fighting over the best supplies and weapons. Then tributes can run into the woods to begin the strategic battle of survival as they begin hunting each other down throughout the map. The session ends when only one player/tribute is alive.

Even alliances form during the sessions to help hunt down those left by themselves or unprepared. Just beware, because betrayal is always an option as it gets to the last few players.

If you want to take part, a dedicated Minecraft Survival Games website has been established that includes links to servers hosting the games as well as leader boards to track the progress of the best tributes playing the games.

You can watch a player taking place in one of the Survival Games matches below:

Marvel’s The Avengers Has Massively Successful Opening Weekend

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Probably no surprise to anyone, Marvel’s The Avengers took the top spot in the U.S. box office ratings this weekend, earning roughly $200,300,000 in 4,300 U.S. theaters. The film, directed by Joss Whedon, broke the record for highest grossing debut of all time, previously held by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2, according to a report by Walt Disney Pictures.

The Avengers averaged $46,063 per theater in North America.

The film has received positive reviews from fans and critics alike, scoring 93 percent from Rotten Tomatoes and 96 percent from fans on the movie rating site.

Christopher Orr reviewed the film for The Atlantic.

But ultimately it all comes back to Whedon: his clear vision for each character and how they might be profitably intermingled; his unexpected knack for action choreography; his funny, tender, immaculately constructed script (from a story he co-wrote with Zak Penn). I don’t think I’m giving anything away by revealing that the picture ends with Loki locked up for years. If Marvel has a lick of sense, they’ll do the same with Whedon.”

Think Like a Man was knocked out of the top spot by The Avengers and is now at number two, in its third week since release. It earned $8,000,000 over the weekend and $73,029,000 since its release. Think Like a Man cost $12 million to make.

When looking at figures provided by ComingSoon, it seems that Marvel’s The Avengers have not only been a definite commercial success but the film has broken several other records as well.

The global box office for The Avengers has already surpassed the global box office totals of Captain America: The First Avenger ($364 million), Thor ($449 million), Iron Man ($585 million) and Iron Man 2 ($624 million). The film had the biggest opening weekend of all time in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Central America, Peru, Bolivia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines. In Russia, the film earned $17.9 million. The movie has become the fastest to reach the $200 million mark domestically in three days. It earned $80.5 million on Friday, which is the second-highest single day take of all time and Saturday’s take of $69.7 million is the highest Saturday of all time.”

Before The Avengers was released, The Hunger Games was the biggest box office moneymaker, earning $155 million domestically in its first weekend. The Hunger Games is now at spot number three, making $5.7 million during the weekend. It has made $380.7 million in seven weeks domestically and cost $78 million to make.

Figures provided by ComingSoon.net.

Most Highlighted Book Passages Come From The Hunger Games

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The Hunger Games seemingly reigns over everything these days. Besides being the number one movie in the box office for four straight weeks, it also is sitting comfortably on bestseller lists everywhere. Along side those triumphs it can now add most highlighted passage, e-book style to its list of achievements.

Currently, according to the Kindle, a line from the second book of the trilogy is the most highlighted passage of all time.

“Because sometimes things happen to people and they’re not equipped to deal with them.”

The quote, which comes from Catching Fire, has been Highlighted by 17784 Kindle users as of today.

This line is nearly two times more popular than the second most highlighted passage, which is also from The Hunger Games trilogy. Surprisingly or not, most of the quotes on this list are from the mega-popular trilogy. In fact, 20 our of 25 passages on the list are from the series.

The list, courtesy of Amazon contain quotes such as:

“It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart.” Mockingjay
– The number 4 most highlighted passage and has been Highlighted by 8833 Kindle users.
We also have number 10 with:
“I am not pretty. I am not beautiful. I am as radiant as the sun.” The Hunger Games
– Highlighted by 7519 Kindle users
While the list includes some heavy moments from the novels, there are also some oddballs thrown in, that are surprisingly on the list.
“Maybe I’d think that, too, Caesar,” says Peeta bitterly, “if it weren’t for the baby.” Catching Fire
– Number 21 on the list and highlighted by 4928 Kindle users
I am not surprised these dominate another list. This trilogy has taken the world by storm and it isn’t finished yet with three more movies on the way.
You can see the full list from Amazon here to find out what other quotes from The Hunger Games made the list.

The Hunger Games Loses Box Office Throne To Fellow Book Adaptations

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The box office has been kind to optioned projects in recent weeks. After the immense success of The Hunger Games, based on the first novel of Suzanne Collins’ post-apocalyptic trilogy. The film spent the last four weeks at number one but was replaced during their fifth week last weekend by a fellow book-to-film project.

The film, Think Like a Man has taken the top spot on the chart, earning $33 million in its opening weekend edging out The Hunger Games.  Think Like a Man, is a comedy directed by Tim Story who previously worked on The Fantastic Four. It was adapted for the big screen from a novel written by comedian and television show host, Steve Harvey. The adaptation was done by Keith Merryman and David Newman.

The official plot synopsis follows:

Four friends conspire to turn the tables on their women when they discover the ladies have been using Steve Harvey’s relationship advice against them,”

So far, the film has received mixed reviews, including a 49% rating from Rotten Tomatoes and an 86% from audience reviewers. While it seems that audience have enjoyed the film, critics have not.

Drastically overlong, burdened by too many stories about too many couples who are too one-dimensional to be relatable,” Eric Snider, a film.com critic said.

This sentiment was mirrored by numerous other critics, though audience reviewers seemed to think differently.

“Don’t listen to the negative reviews,” Nichole W., a Rotten Tomatoes audience reviewer said. “I haven’t been to a movie this funny in a very long time! The audience had a good time. Yeah, some of the scenarios were a little unrealistic, but what movie isn’t? The point is that it was entertaining. The men were very easy on the eyes, I must say! I would say it’s a must-see!”

The other film that premiered this weekend, The Lucky One, rose to spot number two, earning $22.8 million during its opening weekend. It is an adaptation of the 2008 novel of the same name, by Nicholas Sparks, the mind behind such love stories as The Notebook and Dear John. The film stars Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling, and Blythe Danner.

The Hunger Games is now number three, earning $13.5 million in its fifth weekend. IMDB states that the film has earned $357 million in the US and over $500 million worldwide.

Will Francis Lawrence Be Good For Catching Fire?

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It was announced last week that Lionsgate had officially offered director Francis Lawrence the job of directing Catching Fire. As of now, fans are still unsure of the decision as many felt that the departure of Gary Ross was the first step into disappointment for the mega popular trilogy written by Suzanne Collins.

However,  Lawrence may just surprise fans. He is qualified for the position and his previous experience may lend itself to the expansive setting of Catching Fire.

Lawrence definitely has more experience when it comes to large-scale action scenes and settings. After his previous work on I Am Legend, he has proven himself to be adept at creating worlds where CG and live action merge harmoniously for the audience. Considering the large-scale world of Arena, Lawrence may be more at home than Gary Ross was during the first installment.

Another reason we may be able to trust Lawrence with the beloved second installment is his previous film experience is just as apocalyptic as The Hunger Games. He definitely knows the genre and has a love for it. He has proven through his past films that he can create a post-apocalyptic world that is not only familiar but also far removed from the society we know. Creating the tone of Catching Fire should be easy for him.

Also, the second book and upcoming movie will have a ton of new elements including characters, settings, and most importantly the Arena. Lawrence won’t be boxed into being influenced by Ross’ directing style. He can strike out with his own style while creating a world fans already love.

On the professional side of things, however, Lawrence is basically guaranteed that he will have a hit film. With the large fan base already in place, the movie is going to take off. Thankfully, Lawrence is willing to compromise with the studio to make the film happen, and to further the creation that Ross began. Catching Fire HAS to begin very soon if it expects to stay on track and based on Lionsgate offering Lawrence the job, they must have faith that he can get the ball moving on the project.

It seems that Catching Fire might just be a fantastic blend of the Lawrence’s directing strengths.

Catching Fire has a release date of November 22, 2013 with the major stars all confirmed for the sequel.

Francis Lawrence Offered Catching Fire Directing Gig

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The Internet has been swirling with rumors over the past week of which director was going to land the coveted gig of directing the sequel to The Hunger Games, called Catching Fire. It was revealed to be between two directors, Francis Lawrence and Bennett Miller. The scramble to find a new director began after director Gary Ross opted out of returning to direct its sequel.

Now, EW has confirmed that Francis Lawrence has been offered the job.

Lawrence (no relation to Jennifer Lawrence, star of the franchise) previously helmed I Am Legend. They have reported that Lawrence won the job after a Miller’s commitment to shoot the biopic Foxcatcher ultimately proved he would not be able to do the film.

It was no secret that Lionsgate needed a new director fast after Ross bowed out. The film was scheduled to begin production this fall in order to stay on course for their already planned release date of November 22, 2013. In order to stay on track, the film must finish shooting by December for production to begin and for Jennifer Lawrence to begin production of her other film, the sequel to X-Men: First Class.

Considering that Catching Fire is on a considerably larger scale with several locations as well as a tropical-type Arena, Lionsgate is putting their trust in Lawrence’s ability to handle this bigger and more exotic canvas of the setting and story. Lawrence already has extensive experience with incorporating visual effects-drive action scenes and large scale worlds from his first two films, 2005′s supernatural thriller Constantine and 2007′s post-apocalyptic thriller I Am Legend. However, despite his ability, one reservation occurs and that is the romantic angle of Catching Fire. Lawrence previously director the drama Water for Elephants, which fizzled at the box office with many critics giving bad reviews for the romance between between Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon. However, the romance between Katniss, played by Jennifer Lawrence, and Peeta, played by Josh Hutcherson, is a huge part of the sequel. Some worry he will stick with the less romance more action angle that the first film put in place, much to the dismay of diehard fans everywhere.

Lawrence will have to prove himself to fans and critics alike for this highly anticipated sequel.

As the sequel to The Hunger Games, Catching Fire continues the story of Katniss and Peeta. Following the events of the previous novel, a rebellion against the oppressive Capitol has begun, and Katniss and fellow tribute Peeta Mellark are forced to return to the arena in a special edition of the Hunger Games in the 75th Hunger Games Quarter Quell.

The sequel will see the return of stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, and Woody Harrelson.

The Hunger Games Wins Box Office For A Fourth Week

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It seems that after four weeks in theaters, The Hunger Games will continue to dominate. Even though it has slipped since opening weekend, it has successfully fended off several films in the box office, and accumulating over $300,000 domestically.

The Hunger Games adaptation based on the novel series by Suzanne Collins was adapted for the big screen by Gary Ross. Despite three new films hitting theaters over the weekend, The Hunger Games earned $21.5 million while in its fourth week. It should be noted that a film remaining at #1 for several weeks back in 2000, wasn’t that surprising. However, with the downturn of the economy, much has changed in the movie industry in the last 12 years. Now it is pretty amazing for a film to grab audiences like it has.

The only other films to achieve this honor has been The Dark Knight and Lord of the Rings: The Return of The King, while James Cameron’s Avatar remained at #1 for seven weeks.

Globally, The Hunger Games has crossed the $500 million mark with its success this weekend gaining its spot in the Top 100 Highest Grossing Films of all time after just one month in theaters.

This past weekend, The Hunger Games was up against new releases of Battleship, The Three Stooges, and The Cabin in the Woods.

The film is expected to gross even more by the time the weekend is over.

The director of the smash-hit film, Ross, has decided agaisnt directing its sequel, Catching Fire which is scheduled for release on November 22, 2013.