The Movie Was Amazeballs: Catching Fire

Omigod, you guys. Catching Fire was amazing. 

Going into it, I was a little nervous, because Catching Fire is my favourite book in the series and I hoped the movie would be great, too.

But I loved the first movie, so more than anything I was really, really, excited.

The opening with Katniss and Gale, connecting back with the first movie, was great.

Then the Victor's Village was perfect.

President Snow was so deliciously creepy.

The tension between Peeta and Katniss was great.

Peeta my bby.

The Victor's tour was heart-wrenching.

There were some sweet and funny moments though.

And then, OMG...

Poor Gale.

Poor Katniss.

Poor Peeta.

Poor Effie.

But then there was Finnick.

And Johanna.

And Mags and Nuts and Bolts.

Katniss was totally impressive.

But Peeta stole the show.

Then there was some sweetness.

Followed by a big whammy of heartbreak.

It was Quarter Quell time.

And I was all...

And then...

Then it was like...

And...

With a bit of...

And some more...

Finally it was like...

With some of this...

Then it was like...

With a bit more...

Then at the end I was like...

 

And it was over and I was all...

And now I'm ready to watch it again.

Reading Icons: Jennifer Lawrence

I could only find one photo of Jennifer Lawrence reading, but I love it so much I had to post it anyway.

"I have a huge responsibility to the fans of this incredible book and I don't take it lightly. I will give everything I have to these movies and to this role to make it worthy of Suzanne Collins' masterpiece." - Jennifer Lawrence, on playing Katniss.

The Movie Was Awesomesauce: The Hunger Games

Warning: This post contains a lot of fangirling and CAPS and not a lot of coherence because ALL THE EMOTIONS.
 

You guys. YOU GUYS. The Hunger Games movie is HERE! And it is AMAZING. It's everything you expect it to be. I think I love it as much as the book. Well, almost.

The cast is perfect. Jennifer Lawrence is brilliant, as expected. As soon as you see her pull back that arrow for the first time, it's like, "Oh hey there, Katniss." Liam is fine as Gale - he doesn't get a massive amount of screen time, to be honest - but Josh Hutcherson, oh my goodness, JOSH HUTCHERSON! He blew me away as Peeta. I'm not gonna lie, I had my doubts about him - mostly superficial, it's true - but he nailed it. His Peeta is full of depth, emotion, humour and charm - gah he's just so great.

The supporting cast are also fantastic. Elizabeth Banks is hilarious as Effie, Lenny Kravitz is fah-bulous as Cinna, Stanley Tucci is PERFECTION as Caesar, Wes Bentley is chilling yet surprisingly sympathetic as Seneca, Woody Harrelson IS Haymitch (and the wig isn't even distracting), Donald Sutherland is eviltastic as Snow, Willow Shields is adorably helpless as Prim and Amandla Stenberg is completely heartbreaking as Rue.

The sets are wonderful and really bring to life the world of the book, and the costumes are truly spectacular. There was clearly so much attention to detail, and the Capitol costumes in particular are standouts. As for Cinna's creations, let's just say that those who were disappointed by Katniss' fire dress in the trailer will be pleasantly surprised in the movie. The filmmakers definitely kept some secrets hidden. The one thing I didn't really like was the shaky camera movements, especially at the start, but it wasn't a major problem.

As for the story, it was remarkably faithful to the book. Some things are cut, of course, but for the most part I didn't miss anything. There were also a few changes or additions that I thought were really effective. I'll outline them below - beware, there'll be some spoilers.

Changes that worked

• I really liked the "behind the scenes" aspect of the movie, with the frequent cuts to the gamemaker's room, as well as Caesar's commentary. It definitely strengthened the realism of the world. I particularly enjoyed the fleshing out of Seneca's story, and I actually felt really sorry for him by the end. The insight into Snow's motivations was also great.
• Even though it was kinda sad - but understandable - to have no Madge, I thought the way the Mockingjay pin was exchanged between Katniss and Prim made the whole thing more meaningful than it was in the book.
• The cut away to District 11's reaction to Rue's death was powerful and gave a hint at things to come.
• Rue's death was slightly different and not quite as gruesome as in the book - it was kind of a relief not to have to see that on screen. As it is, it's still quite brutal.
• The muttations didn't have the Tribute's features (I didn't really get that in the book, TBH).

Changes that didn't work (for me)

• I wish the importance of the bakery scene was made a little clearer, as well as Katniss' feelings for Peeta. I wanted MORE KISSING in the cave scene, especially the kiss where Katniss realises she does feel something for him. I also missed Peeta's realisation at the end that Katniss was playing the game. A friend of mine who hasn't read the books was totally confused about the fact that one second Katniss is angry at him, and the next she's all affectionate. They do develop the idea that if they're a couple, people will like them, but perhaps the reasoning behind Katniss' actions wasn't as obvious if you haven't read the books.
• There were a few cuts to Gale in key parts, but I wish they'd bulked his part up a little more, and shown him looking after Katniss' family and/or being interviewed by the TV crew. Again, my friend who hasn't read the books was like, "Gale is barely a character! Why is he made to look like one of the main three?!" And I kinda agree.

Changes that had no major impact

• The Avox story was missing.
• Peeta injures his leg, but doesn't lose it.
• Jennifer Lawrence's singing voice isn't amazing, like Katniss' is supposed to be, but it's really only a superficial difference.

Rating: 4/5

Have you seen the movie yet? What did you think? 

My Book Boyfriend: Finnick Odair

 

My Book Boyfriend is hosted by the lovely Missie at The Unread Reader. I've featured both Peeta and Gale from Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games trilogy in the past, but Finnick is actually one of my favourite characters from the series. I love his sense of humour and cocky bravado - especially because, deep down, he's actually really sensitive, caring and good. His tragic devotion to Annie, the woman he loves, is heartbreaking. He's supposed to be ridiculously good looking, and I pictured him as Robert Pattinson (I read the series at the tail end of my Robsession, OK?).

Swoon-Worthy Quotes

“Finnick?” I say, “Maybe some pants?” 
He looks down at his legs as if noticing his outfit for the first time. Then he whips off his hospital gown, leaving him in just his underwear. “Why? Do you find this” — he strikes a ridiculously provocative pose — “distracting?”

“Finnick!" Something between a shriek and a cry of joy. A lovely if somewhat bedraggled young woman--dark tangled hair, sea green eyes--runs toward us in nothing but a sheet. "Finnick!" And suddenly, it's as if there's no one in the world but these two, crashing through space to reach each other. They collide, enfold, lose their balance, and slam against a wall, where they stay. Clinging into one being. Indivisible.

So that’s who Finnick loves, I think. Not his string of fancy lovers in the Capitol. But a poor, mad girl back home.

"Want a sugar cube?"

Top 5: Gateway Books (Plus Follow Friday)

This week for TGIF, Ginger asks "Gateway books: Which particular books opened you up to a new genre?" Here are my top five...

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. My gran gave me a copy of this book when I was little, because I was so obsessed with the musical Oliver! Obviously it went way over my head, but it was the first classic I remember attempting to read. Later, my grandad bought me a whole heap of abridged classics that gave me an even greater taste, and as I got older I returned to them and Oliver Twist and quickly fell in love. By the time I was 17, I was a fully-fledged classic lover, going on to study English Literature at uni.
 
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I've read dystopian novels before - such as George Orwell's 1984, Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and P. D. James' Children of Men - and while I did appreciate them, I still wasn't a massive fan of the genre as a whole. Which is why I was resistant to The Hunger Games for a very long time, until finally the hype became too much and I caved. Thank goodness I did, because I freaking loved the series - so much that I decided to give dystopian books more of a chance. 

Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares. When I was at uni, I had a friend who was really into YA. Not gonna lie, I judged her on it. I thought she was too old to be reading silly teen trash, and saw it as, well, really dorky (clearly I was going through a pretentious stage or something). Then, for my birthday, she gave me Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, one of her favourites. I'd seen the movie and enjoyed it (for some reason, I didn't turn my nose up at trashy teen movies as much as books), so one summer day I decided to give the book a go. I LOVED it, and devoured the whole series within a week. Needless to say, it caused me to do a complete 180 in my views of YA , not to mention made me feel pretty damn guilty - and silly - for being so judgey.

Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding. This was the first adult chick lit I read, and what a book to start the genre with! It made me laugh out loud more than any other book I could remember reading, and it still makes me giggle every time I read it. It's such a fun read, and Bridget's inner monologue is so easy to identify with. The experience of reading BJD has made me pick up many a chick lit book, with mixed results.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. Ah, Twilight. I have a feeling I'll see this on many lists in answer to this question. It seems that Twilight introduced a lot of people to a lot of things, whether it be reading in general or a particular genre. For me, it was the first paranormal romance I really read. I picked it up not long after I started working at Girlfriend, curious to see what was sending so many teen girls (and, for that matter, adult women) ker-razy. Like so many others, I got completely sucked in, and went on a binge of vampire/paranormal romances for the next few months. Too much of a good thing meant I went off the genre completely for a while after that, but now I like to mix the odd PNR with contemporary, literary and other types of fiction.

P.S. This weeks Follow Friday question from Alison Can Read and Parajunkee's View is: "We want to see what you look like! Take a pic with you and your current read! Too shy? Boo! Just post a fun pic you want to share." Because it's 11.15pm here and I'm not exactly ready for my close-up, here are some pics of me with my favourite author, Charles Dickens, instead. Or the closest I'll ever come to him, anyway.

At Madame Tussauds

At Dickens' house in London

Happy Friday everyone!

Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

My reviews don't normally contain spoilers, but I've got so much on my mind that just this once, this review will. So if you haven't read Mockingjay yet, I'll just say that it's a must for anybody who's read the first two books - and turn away now. Unless you like spoilers.

Mockingjay is a great end to an amazing series. But I have to admit I was a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong - it was a gripping page-turner, just as the previous two Hunger Games books were, but unfortunately I wasn't left with the feeling of being completely blown away, as I expected. I think what made it worse was that, for the first three-quarters of the book, that's exactly how I was feeling, but as I got nearer to the end my enthusiasm waned big time. While I think it's great Collins once again threw in totally unexpected twists that I, for one, definitely didn't see coming, I hated how grim it was. I know the characters have been through A LOT, but still, I was hoping after all that there would be more of a triumphant feeling in the end. Frankly, the anti-human message was rammed a little too hard down my throat. It was so incredibly, unexpectedly bleak.

It was horrible to see all the fight go out of Katniss. She started out as such a strong character, and while it's realistic that, after all she's been through, she's seriously damaged, I missed the fiery Mockingjay. Although the final pages and the epilogue hinted at her putting herself back together and leading a reasonably full life, the last paragraph about her inner turmoil kind of undermines that with its focus on the negatives. I guess I would have just liked a few extra pages, just one or two full scenes - full conversations, at least - of her and Peeta together, happy.

Which brings me to Peeta. Oh, Peeta. What happened to him was just heartbreaking. After spending two books firmly on the fence between him and Gale - and wanting to see more of the latter - I sped through Mockingjay, yearning for Peeta, impatient to see him - the REAL him - reappear. But once again, while he obviously gets better in the end, I would have liked a little bit more time with him. One or two scenes - instead of just a brief mention and vague references - would have been so much more satisfying. Just to see the real Peeta one last time.

As for Gale, after finally getting to spend more time with him, I was so disappointed. He was surprisingly hard, brutal and uncaring. I couldn't believe how he basically deserted Katniss in the hospital, and later in District 12. Of course, he's been through a lot himself, but still - Peeta has arguably been through even more and he fought his way back to Katniss. For Katniss. She made the right choice.

I probably sound like I hated this book, but I didn't. I liked it. Loved it even, for the most part. It was just the ending, really, that left me unsatisfied. Which is not a good feeling to be left with after such a brilliant series.

Rating: 3.5/5

Related Reviews
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

It doesn't happen too often, but I think this sequel was even better than the first book.

Picking up months after the events of The Hunger Games, the characters are still dealing with the aftermath of their actions. I have to say, I thought I knew roughly where the story was going - but boy, was I wrong. I discovered this when I was about a quarter of the way through and came across a review of Catching Fire on a blog with a massive spoiler in the first paragraph.* It was definitely not something I was expecting to happen, and I felt a bit frustrated - but also curious to see exactly how it would work, if it did at all.

Of course, work it did. Without giving anything away (ahem), I'll just say it was one helluva twist, organically woven into the tale and making for some awesome action. I was once again so impressed with Collins' writing - she definitely knows how to keep readers on their toes! The story just got more and more interesting, without expanding too much and over-complicating matters, as some series tend to do (I'm looking at you, Sookie Stackhouse). As for the characters, I fell in love with them in the first book, but found them even more amazing in this one. They just got stronger, and I found myself identifying even more with Katniss' actions this time round. To top it all off, there were a number of intensely powerful scenes that were so beautifully written, I immediately reread them just to try and absorb their awesomeness.  I'm officially a Hunger Games addict - Mockingjay, here I come!

*Spoilers without warning are one of my pet peeves. So unnecessary and unfair!

Rating: 5/5

Spoilery Talking Points

• I'm still firmly on the fence between Peeta and Gale, though I have to say Peeta really grabbed me towards the end. That kiss, those speeches, phwoar! But I once again wished for more Gale. It's easy to lean towards Peeta when you get to see so much more of him. Maybe that's Collins' intention...
• I can't quite get my head around the whole rebel conspiracy and the part everyone played in it - especially Haymitch - and why Peeta and Katniss weren't told at all. Hopefully it's explained more fully in the next novel.

Eye Candy
I stuck with my original picture of the main trio, but Jennifer Lawrence popped up for me in this book. Funnily enough, it was not as Katniss, who she's playing in the film, but as Johanna:

When it came to Finnick, a guy who could make thousands of girls swoon with the mere toss of his hair, who else could I picture but...

Just kidding! I did picture Robert Pattinson, though.