I'm probably going to see the movie again sometime soon.
And its really popular around campus right now. Lots of people are reading it. I've never had so many of my friends excited about a book before!

Totally random, but here is a totally awesome Catching Fire joke that I found on the interwebs and had to share.

Say, has anyone seen Finnick anywhere?
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ODAIR HE IS!!!
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*RIMSHOT*

You're welcome.

Ok, so it's clearly been over twenty-four hours since I last posted. I'm guessing everyone who reads this thread has fallen into such a fit of laughter as to rend them incapacitated due to my brilliant wit, hence the lack of replies.

Anyway, moving on! Sorta. So I chowed through Catching Fire in one day, and I am so amped up for the movie it's crazy. I cannot WAIT, which is bad since it's not going to come out till next November at the earliest!

In no particular order, here's a list of things that I am looking forward to the most in CF The Movie.

WARNING! SPOILERS BELOW!

- An expanded Gale. Sure, the love triangle is probably going to make me vomit in my mouth a little since I'm firmly on Team Peeta, but having Gale in the equation is actually a factor in Katniss's relationship with both boys. Katniss is conflicted, we're conflicted, and it makes for some memorable moments.

- PEETA. Considering that HG The Movie didn't really show Peeta's heartbreak at finding out that Katniss was acting, we are going to see a tremendous shift in Peeta's behavior in Catching Fire and it's going to be rough to watch the Boy With The Bread be so constant and yet see Katniss's attention turn to Gale time after time. Remember, in the HG book, Peeta fully believes (or allows himself to believe) that everything that happened in the arena was real, and when when he finds out that Katniss played him like a fiddle, he's pretty devastated. Poor Peeta.

- And expanded Panem. I'm really looking forward to seeing all the different districts, a more colorful and grand Capitol and more time spent in District 12. HG The Movie seemed to lack a bit of the scale that the HG book universe has, so now that they've made like, a bazillion bucks, they can afford to be a bit more lavish and just astound us with some brilliant landscapes.

Ok, there is more, WAY more, but I have to go to work! I'll be back later and post some more or edit this post. In the mean time, what are YOU looking forward to in CF?

And don't worry, a certain FINNICK ODAIR is pretty high on my list.

It took me a few days to recover from that joke, Gymmie

Truth be told the character I'm most looking forward to seeing in Catching Fire is Beetee, the old guy from District 3. Sort of an absent-minded professor Tribute. And I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more character development, especially for poor Peeta (I agree with all of Gymmie's statements on this aspect of the story thus far) .

Collecting my thoughts can be like herding cats sometimes.

I'll post more after i get in touch with my cat wrangler.

And Gymfan? That joke was really bad.

Y'know who would make a good Beetee? Jeff Goldblum. All you had to say was "absent-minded professer" and I'm SO there, y'all.

Oh yeah, back to my list of things I can't wait to see in Catching Fire:

- Another Reaping, another train ride, another week of training. Even though the circumstances are wildly different, I cannot wait to see the build-up to the Hunger Games again. The Chariot costumes in the Quarter Quell sound particularly stunning; battery-powered embers? Yes please. And who can forget Katniss's wedding dress turning into Mockingjay plumage? It should all be very, very cool to see.

- Johanna Mason. She's like Katniss, but with a vicious undertone and with even more cutting remarks. Seeing those two alpha females together will be like watching cats fight, and it.will.be.awesome.

- One Mister Finnick Odair. I admit, I'm turning into kind of a Finnick fangurl. I think he's funny, very easy on the eyes and has a good heart to boot. If you think about it, in the Games he's more of Katniss's equal than even Peeta is. They both take charge and call the shots; both protecting Peeta from everything and everyone else. I can't even begin to describe how much I am looking forward to seeing his character portrayed in the movie.

And finally...

BIG SPOILERS AHEAD:

So yeah, those are the things off the top of my head that I want to see most in Catching Fire. Of course, it's not the thing that is top of my mind right now because after I finished CF, I dove right into Mockingjay and I'm already half-way through. So now I'm compiling a whole new list, haha!

Side note, if they do end up splitting Mockingjay into two movies as I think they will, I stand by my original theory that the most logical place to split it is

ETA: I beg your pardon? That joke was AWESOME. Totes putting it on a t-shirt.

I can't let Gymmie have all the fun.

Gymmie, I love the Finnick Odair joke. It's one of my favorites.

That is awesome, SL, albeit slightly disturbing.

So, the plan is to go see THG tonight, barring an extreme disaster or some other thing that would prevent us from going. I'm looking forward to FINALLY seeing it. I'll be sure to share my thoughts here when I've seen the film.

Edit: I saw it. I loved it. I'm going to bed now. Further thoughts will be forthcoming.

That's quite the sign, Shadowlander! Gymfan, you should be ashamed of yourself for sharing such an atrocious pun.

Regarding Gary Ross leaving the franchise - he did such a nice job with this first movie that it's sad to see him go. But it's unlikely he would have stayed around for all four, so it's probably better he leaves before his work starts to truly define the series and it becomes more difficult to switch to another director! As long as Ms. Collins stays involved I think everything should go well.

I am definitely looking forward sooo much to Catching Fire. I'm interested to see how the events before the Quell - in District 12 and on the Victors' Tour - get adapted to film. And I hope we'll get to see the reapings in other districts

Spoiler

- seeing the younger career victors' reactions to going back in, and Mags volunteering, and of course Finnick in his native district.

Gary Ross is leaving the franchise? How did I not know this?

Okay, all over-dramaticness aside, I'll miss him. He did a splendid job on THG in my opinion and I was looking forward to seeing him do Catching Fire. I agree with you, Adeona, though -- as long as Suzanne Collins stays involved, I'm hoping they won't butcher the books too much.

I saw The Hunger Games last night. I'm still trying to form my opinion on the movie. However, I can say with all confidence that I really, really liked it. There were so many details that made me extremely happy -- such as the orange backpack, the nightlock, the Capitol. The fact that she slept in the tree like she did in the book was so cool. In fact, I was incredibly amazed at how close to the book it stuck. Yes, it took out things, and yes, it had its flaws, but compared to some adaptations I've seen, it was so good.

Other things I loved:

Katniss. Jennifer Lawrence was amazing. She just personified Katniss and brought the entire character to life. I was afraid of how they'd get Katniss' thoughts across on screen, since you can't exactly do a first-person narrative through film. That wasn't a problem at all. I felt like I could tell what Katniss was thinking in much of the film because of her fantastic acting.

The tributes. Especially Thresh and Rue. Cato was good, though I wish they'd developed his character a bit more so we could find out what drives him as a villain. Clove was perfect and very menacing. Glimmer was okay, she wasn't particularly memorable in my opinion but she did a pretty good job. Foxface was pretty good, though my dad commented later that she didn't really resemble a fox.

Gale. Yes. He was great. I was worried about whether I'd like Liam Hemsworth's performance, but I wasn't disappointed. I loved the opening scenes with he and Katniss, showing their friendship and camaraderie. It made me smile and it was just so perfect.

Seneca Crane. I know President Snow is technically the main villain, but Seneca stood out at the most evil to me in this particular movie. (However, I'm looking forward to seeing how Donald Sutherland plays President Snow in the remaining films.) In the book I had pity on Seneca for some reason. I held out hope that the people creating this barbaric event weren't barbaric themselves. The movie version of Seneca Crane completely blew that notion away. He was incredibly evil... and I loved it.

The details that made it from the book into the movie. I'm just going to spout them off in no particular order, with minor spoilers:

Caesar Flickerman. I loved his scenes with Peeta. Caesar's appearance was spot-on, especially his blue hair. (I caught myself looking at his smile/teeth for much of the film as well, just because they looked so white and fake.) He both intrigued me and repulsed me. Part of me laughed at how energetic and hilarious he was, and part of me thought it was sick that he was so chipper about an event such as the Hunger Games. I want to believe though that at least some people in the Capitol, like Caesar, had the decency to at least realize how barbaric the whole thing was. I particularly wondered if people like Effie and Caesar hated their jobs but had to fake enthusiasm for the audience. As for whether they do realize the horror of the entire thing, I have no idea.

In addition to Caesar and Effie, the Capitol was done well. At first I didn't like the exterior view of the Capitol when they first approached it in the train, but it's not too bad. The makeup and the costumes and the ridiculousness of the Capitol citizens came across very well.

Katniss' outfits, particularly the orange one she wears to the interview on the last night. It was so gorgeous.

The minor characters that are so endearing to me, particularly Haymitch and Cinna. While Lenny Kravitz's and Woody Harrelson's portayals were not exactly the way I pictured their characters, they still captured the spirit of the character, and made me love them just as much. That's what counts.

Things I didn't like as much

Ehhh... I'm probably going to get a lot of rotten tomatoes thrown at me here, but I didn't like Peeta as much as I expected to. He was great, don't get me wrong. I think he'll just have to grow on me. I think the main thing was that his character was lacking a bit on character development. I know there's only so much that can be portrayed in a 2 hour movie, but Peeta's character just seemed a bit flat to me. (I'm hoping this will change on my second and third viewings.)

The mutts. I jumped when they came out, but after that it seemed a bit cliche. I know that having the original twist (

The cave scene. Don't know why, I just didn't like it. I didn't feel like I could take it seriously.

The Cornucopia. The scene itself was fine, but the structure was not what I pictured at all. It was a bit more futuristic and angular than I thought it would be. It didn't seem very impressive in my opinion. However, I do see why they made it so angular due to the fight scene at the end. I had such a hard time picturing the scene in the book... how does one have a physical fight on top of a slippery Cornucopia?

Other thoughts

The violence wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I don't think this falls under "things I liked" or "things I didn't like", because it simply just is. I knew there would be violence. The very premise of the story demands violence. However, the way it was done was very tasteful and I definitely appreciated the fact that it was implied rather than shown. Honestly, I thought the intense previews in front of the movie were more disturbing.

Conclusion
To sum this all up (and if you read it all, I commend you), I'd just like to say that overall, I loved the movie. Yes, there were things I didn't like, but honestly, it blew me away far beyond what I was expecting. I was expecting to be disappointed, and coincidentally, I wasn't. It was a well-made film, a well-made adaptation. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd rate it an 8.

That's all for now. I'll most likely think of more later.

Yes, here is a link to back up the Gary Ross story - pitiful oversight in my previous post. I should also add that this is not confirmed by Lionsgate yet, but is being reported by IndieWire.

Regarding your thoughts on the movie, Mountie, I agree with you on some things and disagree on others. I love how close it stayed to the book (why oh why can't all adaptions be equal!) on so many details. The costume design was stellar, though what did you think of the addition of

*throws moldy produce* I think Josh Hutcherson is the perfect Peeta. Well, because I'm not a raving fangurl, I'll say he's as close to perfect as anyone can get, anyways.

I can't make this longer right now, but I'll post more thoughts later.

Nah, I'm saving my raving fangurl squees for Finnick, provided that the actor cast is suitably adorables.

Regarding Gary Ross: I don't really have an opinion at the moment. I thought the HG film was just ok film-wise...I really hated all the shaky camera work, even though I know it was a clever ploy to cut down on the rating. The things that impressed me most about the movie really had to do with the acting and script changes, not necessarily with how the film was directed. Now, I don't know how big of a role Gary was personally responsible for in those cases, but if it turns out this news is true, I'm not going to be immediately heart-broken. I think another director, provided that it's anyone but Michael Bay, would be welcome.

Now, granted, I don't really think we're in a position to talk considering what happened to OUR main franchise. Remember how much crud Andrew Adamson got when he was director and how happy we were to see Michael Apted take over? Apted is a good director, but he didn't get the Narnia franchise at all and he sent us running back to Andrew Adamson on bended knees, begging for forgiveness. I only hope the director of Catching Fire is a bit more in tune to the series than Apted was to Narnia.

All in all, I think the most important thing is that the director, regardless of whether it's Gary Ross or not, needs to be 100% committed to the series and has a real passion for the books. It sounds like Gary was really just interested in the first Hunger Games book and didn't sound too keen on devoting another few years of his life to the Tales of Katniss and Co., so if that is how he feels, then it is better that he bow out now and let someone who IS interested step in.

I loved Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss. She's an incredible actress. While I hadn't read the book before seeing the movie (first time!) I thought she pulled off the subtleties of emotion required, as well as the more kick-butt aspects of her character. Movie Katniss was more likeable but book Katniss was more interesting and realistic. I would've liked movie Katniss to look more feral as the Games went on, but what can you do?

I've only read the first book so far but I've ordered the second book and the third is right next to me.
Since I'm not far into the trilogy, I haven't seen enough of Gale to make this decision. Peeta is a good man and Gale seems good too. Gale seems more of a man's man type. Katniss is the only properly developed character, since the book is written from her P.O.V.

Finished the first in the series. I love a good dystopian novel. The book was well-written, as was the protagonist, Katniss. The violent details of the Games were restrained. The message of anti-violence came through clearly without being preachy. Overall, the book was better than the movie (that's usually the case) but I thought the Games parade, the beginning of the Games and the scene with the explosive supplies played out much better in the movie. The ending of the book, while still a cliffhanger, was more interesting and further developed than the movie's ending.
8/10

Ok, so apparently Gary Ross has officially stepped out of directing any more Hunger Games films.

Thoughts?

I already said what my feelings were on him in the post above, so I won't comment on that. Regardless of whether you were a fan of his direction or not, you have to admit that changing directors with so little turn-around time is going to be difficult. Lionsgate only has a few months before production has to begin in earnest if they want to keep that November opening next year, and now they have to go director shopping as well.

I just hope that whoever they get, it's someone who is a decent director AND passionate about the books. If they are just interested in the fame and attention that comes with directing a big franchise like this, it's not going to end well. Even *if* Lionsgate isn't shelling out obscene amounts of money to the director as reported, I know a lot of "fringe" directors would still jump at the chance.

Completely random, but if he were available and interested, I totally would not mind seeing Andrew Adamson direct Catching Fire, honestly. He understands adaptions (some will hate me, but I think PC is one of my favorite movies of all time regardless of the fact that it's Narnia), has a direction style that would probably suit the film well AND he understands special affects. Something that will come in VERY handy as HG's special affects were somewhat lacking.

So yeah, until anyone else comes along, I'm hoping for Andrew, lol!

I thought the firestorm effects were exceptional. But yes, the muttations were sorely lacking (in every department). Yawn.