Escape to the Movies: The Hunger Games

Akio91

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Dec 21, 2011
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Bob, while I usually agree with you on everything, you like Tim and Eric, so your opinion on movies is pretty invalid.


BR was still better though.
 

SwimmingRock

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Nov 11, 2009
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So had no idea what this movie was even supposed to be about (well done, marketing campaign) and now that I know, I really don't care. Also, having a main character called Katniss is just begging people to call her Catpiss. Seriously, I couldn't stop thinking that throughout the video.

Just checked Cabin in the Woods trailer and it looks awful, but I'll keep an eye on it since you insist it's worth it. I hope you're right. I see the potential for it not sucking, but I'm a bit cynical about... umm... everything nowadays.
 

Canadamus Prime

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Jun 17, 2009
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PunkRex said:
canadamus_prime said:
Oh boy, it's going to be Eragorn all over again.
Oh christ! I hated that film, my sister enjoyed the books and the slowly deteriorating look on her face as that bloody movie went on depressed the hell out of me. I mean the guy had a two week long swordsmanship course and gained the skill to leap off a swooping dragon, land on a firey bat demon and slay the warlock guy riding it... I mean bloody hell I just about learn't how to use photoshop in three weeks!

I actually watched the Nostalgia Chick reveiw for this last night and she seemed to enjoy it although I suppose shes more in its target demographic. Its good to have variety.

Catfish Jellybean, I wee'd a little Bob! Expect my cleaning bill.
I actually liked the Eragorn film, granted I have never read the books. No, it's the backlash from the fans that annoyed the living fuck out of me.
artanis_neravar said:
canadamus_prime said:
Oh boy, it's going to be Eragorn all over again.
Not true, the movie followed the books extremely well.
O Rly?
 

Hitchmeister

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Nov 24, 2009
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wooty said:
Im off to see this in about....an hour.

Maybe I shouldnt of watched this review, I'll be going into it with an expectation of crapiness now :(
Sometimes pessimism can be a good thing. If you go in expecting crappiness and enjoy it, it'll seem that much better. If you go in expecting brilliance and it doesn't live up to it, you're bound to be disappointed.
 

varmintx

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Oct 6, 2011
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For everyone bringing out the RT score as if that somehow refutes Bob's opinion, that's an aggregate of how many critics were favorable to the film, not an indication of how much the critics liked it. The average rating is 7.2 there and Metacritic's score is 68. Probably still better than what I think Bob would give it numerically, but not by much.
 

artanis_neravar

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Apr 18, 2011
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canadamus_prime said:
PunkRex said:
canadamus_prime said:
Oh boy, it's going to be Eragorn all over again.
Oh christ! I hated that film, my sister enjoyed the books and the slowly deteriorating look on her face as that bloody movie went on depressed the hell out of me. I mean the guy had a two week long swordsmanship course and gained the skill to leap off a swooping dragon, land on a firey bat demon and slay the warlock guy riding it... I mean bloody hell I just about learn't how to use photoshop in three weeks!

I actually watched the Nostalgia Chick reveiw for this last night and she seemed to enjoy it although I suppose shes more in its target demographic. Its good to have variety.

Catfish Jellybean, I wee'd a little Bob! Expect my cleaning bill.
I actually liked the Eragorn film, granted I have never read the books. No, it's the backlash from the fans that annoyed the living fuck out of me.
artanis_neravar said:
canadamus_prime said:
Oh boy, it's going to be Eragorn all over again.
Not true, the movie followed the books extremely well.
O Rly?
Hunger Games not Eragon. And yes Hunger Games followed the book better than any other movie adaption I can think of
 

Pipotchi

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Jan 17, 2008
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I saw a screening of this last week and was not impressed in the slightest. Some of the adult acting talent is having fun with the premise and costumes, Tucci and Harrelson in particular. The lead female has the acting chops to pull this kind of stuff off (see her performance in Winters Bone)

However all the rest of the moppets out to kill each other are not even caricitures of anything, their just fodder in every sense of the word. The reason Battle Royale was so impactful was because when the kids got killed the film had allowed you to see enough of their former lives that you could fill in the blanks yourself. The kids that formed a mini familty in the lighthouse, the ones that saw it as a Zero Sum game regardless of their high school cliques.

In summary, some fun performances and some interesting costume design (very Vivienne Westwood) but coupled with crap graphics, one dimensional characters and lame ass story telling.

Its also less fun than the Running man and a vastly inferior film to Battle Royale, however it will make millions and thats that
 

Aptspire

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Mar 13, 2008
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1:33 Time to put on my troll top hat! :D (seriously, it's the same setup)
Might still see it for archery :p
 

Xanadu84

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Apr 9, 2008
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Maybe this is blind optimism, but I can't help but think that that having read the books, I can fill in the missing bits and end up with a complete movie. I loved the books, so I suspect that I don't need it to stand up on its own.

Also, have you heard kids names these days? Have you seen how rapidly culture is evolving? Id be surprised if in 40 years, Katniss doesn't like a extremely normal name. At least it is close to, "Kat".
 

Erana

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Feb 28, 2008
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No one other than the raving fans is saying that the movie or the books is groundbreaking, huge or a superior example of their mediums.

They're entertaining. Entertaining and is competent enough to not make you worry for the younger generation when they see or read it. You really have to have to dig for something to actively flame it for; even if you didn't personally enjoy it, it is at the very least average.

The movie is thing that exists. Its not groundbreaking, its not absolutely horrible, it is faithful to the book, all the problems with the movie you should have already been expecting, and its not hurting anyone.
 

Revnak_v1legacy

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Mar 28, 2010
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varmintx said:
For everyone bringing out the RT score as if that somehow refutes Bob's opinion, that's an aggregate of how many critics were favorable to the film, not an indication of how much the critics liked it. The average rating is 7.2 there and Metacritic's score is 68. Probably still better than what I think Bob would give it numerically, but not by much.
I prefer that to an average. Having an idea of how many critics would recommend it is far more useful than an average of their assigned scores.
 

Yeager942

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Oct 31, 2008
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Fortunately, I've read the book before I saw the movie so I knew what I was in for. The book is alright. Not great, but a pretty good read. It's the very definition of a page turner and Stephen King's review where he likens it to an arcade coin-op machine (you can't help popping those quarters) is accurate. It's pretty lacking in substance, but the author succeeded in creating a convincing world, and the action scenes which made up the vast majority of the book was so well done that I couldn't help but speed read the entire book in a day.

The movie was just alright. Some of the important characters like Rue felt rushed as if the director didn't have time and interesting facets of the book like Katniss pretending to be in love with Peeta to win sponsors goes woefully unexplained. It's difficult when most of the book is told from her thoughts as this gets awkwardly translated on film. She just gives the audiences weird looks now and then, and my brother who had not read the book told me afterwards how confusing her actions were.

I enjoyed the film, but it wasn't that great. I felt like it could have been improved if they took another 30 minutes, but hey, I like my movies long.


Here's to one some hollywood mogul finally makes the Abhorsen trilogy or Monster Blood Tattoo into a movie. Need a new, original fantasy to hold Harry Potter's place? LOOK NO FURTHER!
 

ran88dom99

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Feb 3, 2011
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Shaky cam, stupid evil. Good points, good lists of movies borrowed from.
Funny reviews are usually more entertaining than unfunny reviews.
I would like to say I like this review.
 

Canadamus Prime

Robot in Disguise
Jun 17, 2009
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artanis_neravar said:
canadamus_prime said:
PunkRex said:
canadamus_prime said:
Oh boy, it's going to be Eragorn all over again.
Oh christ! I hated that film, my sister enjoyed the books and the slowly deteriorating look on her face as that bloody movie went on depressed the hell out of me. I mean the guy had a two week long swordsmanship course and gained the skill to leap off a swooping dragon, land on a firey bat demon and slay the warlock guy riding it... I mean bloody hell I just about learn't how to use photoshop in three weeks!

I actually watched the Nostalgia Chick reveiw for this last night and she seemed to enjoy it although I suppose shes more in its target demographic. Its good to have variety.

Catfish Jellybean, I wee'd a little Bob! Expect my cleaning bill.
I actually liked the Eragorn film, granted I have never read the books. No, it's the backlash from the fans that annoyed the living fuck out of me.
artanis_neravar said:
canadamus_prime said:
Oh boy, it's going to be Eragorn all over again.
Not true, the movie followed the books extremely well.
O Rly?
Hunger Games not Eragon. And yes Hunger Games followed the book better than any other movie adaption I can think of
I know which one you meant. Do you really think that matters? I still foresee torrents of outraged fans decrying it because it didn't live up to their personal (and extremely outrageous) expectations.