The Hunger Games

[Roxbrough]

If you have not seen the film yet, don't read this:
For one reason I am going to discuss the storyline, another being you will do better commencing it without any comments from me.
It is like a cross between Enter the Dragon and Logan's Run. More specifically those who have and those who have not. Those who have not are the combatants, for the viewing pleasure of those who have.
Firstly the soundtrack, in 5.1 the sound is way too plummy. The engineer seems to think that each pertinent story point should be acompanied by a crash from the sub-woofer. This was okay five years ago, but the technique has been done to death ever since.
Secondly the director of photography intends that the action scenes should be shot by hand held cameras, rather than on dollies. This possibly done to hide the relatively poor choreography of the combat scenes, but when it's commenced from the off it makes the picture difficult to focus on and becomes just plain annoying.
Now the leads. The heroine is not pretty particularly and she is decidedly too heavy for the part she is playing, a big disappointment. The male lead on the other hand is superbly cast, the actor manages to pull of a great performance and he becomes the reason to keep watching, for the simple reason that it is not obvious that his character will survive.
Woody Harrelson and Donald Sutherland are the stalwart performers who both do a reasonable job of character acting. Harrelson in particualr manages to be sympathetic rather than pathetic, despite the most ridiculous wig any actor has ever worn in any film.
Ultimately a teen movie rather than adult, but it saved me from exploring the novel.
Some decent sets, some decent performances, but ultimately if one ignores the shortcomings of the sound and the camera work, the female lead is just not good enough, the viewer will not care if she wins or not.
Poor.
6.125

 

[Sparhawk]

You are a lot braver than I am!

 

[DATo]

Mea culpa. Mea culpa. Mea MAAAAAAAAAXIMA culpa. Yes friends, it was I who led Roxbrough to this cinematic land of perdition and I must confess it here. Confession is good for the soul, though terrible for one's reputation as a cinema critic.

I must also confess that I thoroughly enjoyed The Hunger Games. I am perhaps a less discriminating critic than Roxy for I had no problem whatsoever with the sound or the hand-held cameras but I do agree that Jennifer Lawrence looked a bit too well fed for someone who was starving, though we must remember that she was supplementing her caloric intake with food she had been illegally hunting. Though she was not presented as the type of beautiful leading lady we are accustomed to seeing in films I personally think that Jennifer Lawrence is one of the most lovely new actresses to appear in movies. I also agree with Roxbrough that Josh Hutcherson's performance as Peeta was excellent, as was Woody Harrelson's characterization of Haymitch Abernathy.

Though this sort of story/movie is not my usual fare, and though I resisted it at first, I am glad that I relented and took the plunge. I have since read the other two books of the series and enjoyed them as well.

 

[Peder]

Roxbrough, why not tell us what you really think?

 

[pontalba]

When I first read that Roxbrough thought the female lead was "decidedly too heavy", the hair on my neck went straight up. However 'pon reading the rest of the sentence, it made sense. And, no, she is not conventionally "pretty". I consider that a plus though. I'm sick to death of anorexic and generic types that one can hardly tell apart when standing next to each other.

Funnily enough, the male lead was, for me, the most irritating of everyone in the film. I thought his performance stilted and heavy.

I love Donald Sutherland in anything.

I have to agree with DATo, in that I certainly enjoyed the films. I think there is a lot of "suspension of disbelief" involved, but that's not necessarily a bad thing in that sort of film. It is escapism, after all.

Oh, one thing I'd like to add.....Roxbrough, you speak of Lawrence's weight being an irritant (perhaps I'm overstating), but I'd rather something like that than, for example, Matthew McConaughey's extreme weight loss for his latest film. There was another actor recently that did the same thing. Losing weight to appear that ill is terrible for one's health, and I can't think of it as a great thing to do for a role.
Just my personal opinion. I understand why they do it, just think it's awful.

 

[Roxbrough]

In another thread I have told one and all that I have ordered a Hudl. So now intend to read the book and see if an authoress has the abilty to succesfully describe the conflict scenes. Being ex-military I usually find women cannot do so convincingly.
In response to Peder's reply, I did , this is the function of a forum.
With regard to the weight and attractiveness issues that Pont has, my reply is simply that thin pretty girls are what the viewing public want to see on the screen, that is why it is prevalent.
I can see fat ugly women every day by simply walking around outside, but fantasy and organised entertainment provide me personally with what I consider to be the male ideal.
I also found the male lead irritating in the film, which was exactly the point of his character and something I felt the actor carried off with just the right measure of control.

 

[pontalba]

Now the leads. The heroine is not pretty particularly and she is decidedly too heavy for the part she is playing, a big disappointment. The male lead on the other hand is superbly cast, the actor manages to pull of a great performance and he becomes the reason to keep watching, for the simple reason that it is not obvious that his character will survive.

With regard to the weight and attractiveness issues that Pont has, my reply is simply that thin pretty girls are what the viewing public want to see on the screen, that is why it is prevalent.
I can see fat ugly women every day by simply walking around outside, but fantasy and organised entertainment provide me personally with what I consider to be the male ideal.
I also found the male lead irritating in the film, which was exactly the point of his character and something I felt the actor carried off with just the right measure of control.

It seems there is a contradiction, in that your first post says that the female lead is too heavy for the part she is playing. I can agree with this, as a person living in those (film) conditions would certainly be thinner and I would think more sinewy from the labor involved in their life.

Your second post simply claims preference for thinner, prettier girls. To each his own kettle of fish, I say.

Regarding the male lead, I wasn't aware he was supposed to be irritating. If it is as you say....he was bloody marvelous.

 

[Roxbrough]

It seems there is a contradiction, in that your first post says that the female lead is too heavy for the part she is playing. I can agree with this, as a person living in those (film) conditions would certainly be thinner and I would think more sinewy from the labor involved in their life.

Your second post simply claims preference for thinner, prettier girls. To each his own kettle of fish, I say.

Regarding the male lead, I wasn't aware he was supposed to be irritating. If it is as you say....he was bloody marvelous.

The two claims are not contradictory. In the first instance I said the actress was too fat for the part, that of female lead. I then went on to add that the female lead of a film should be glamourous and slim because it is what people want to see. I cannot see how you understand the two staements to be conflictual.
With regard to the male lead, I would not personally stoop to profanity, [it tends to fudge the argument] to make my point, but his acting performance was nicely judged. As he was initially seen as a competitor against the lead, then he was certainly meant to be an irritation.

 

[pontalba]

The two claims are not contradictory. In the first instance I said the actress was too fat for the part, that of female lead. I then went on to add that the female lead of a film should be glamourous and slim because it is what people want to see. I cannot see how you understand the two staements to be conflictual.
With regard to the male lead, I would not personally stoop to profanity, [it tends to fudge the argument] to make my point, but his acting performance was nicely judged. As he was initially seen as a competitor against the lead, then he was certainly meant to be an irritation.

I suppose it's all perspective.

And.......

 

[Răspunsul]

I personally think that Jennifer Lawrence is one of the most lovely new actresses to appear in movies.

I've not seen the film nor read the book Dato, but I may do.
I brought some images of Lawrence up on my PC though and she is braod faced and overweight.
It's hard to be subjective about another woman being one myself, but I don't think she is pretty at all.
On the other hand, with that hood on, you are devilishly handsome!!!

 

[Karen C]

I hardly think you can call Jennifer Lawrence overweight.

The character she plays in the movie may not have been as skinny as you would expect her to be based on how the character is in the book, but does it really matter?

 

[Răspunsul]

Look at the size of her neck, I call it as I see it, her BMI will be too high.

 

[DATo]

@ Răspunsul - "Devilishly handsome"? In my entire life I have never been accused of being devilishly handsome ... a lot of other things ... but never that. *LOL* *BTW* You made my day!

In point of fact I believe Lawrence was asked to lose weight for the movie but she steadfastly refused. She has since been an outspoken critic of the way society tends to create the standards of how women should look and has attempted to advise girls to not feel bad about themselves if they do not have the figures of runway models. I applaud her for that.

If you watch the early portions of the movie where she is in the forest with Gale she seems to look the part of the character described by Suzanne Collins in her book. Also, Peeta and Gale did not look like they were starving either. Prim and Katniss' mother certainly looked the part though.

Edit : I originally said "... has attempted to advise girls to feel bad abut themselves"

I meant to say "...has attempted to advise girls to (((NOT))) feel bad about themselves"

What do you want? I'm getting stupid in my old age *Shrugs*

 

[pontalba]

Fat? If she is fat, I'd like to be fat...
Another picture from Hunger Games.....

 

[DATo]

@ pontalba - I agree, she isn't fat at all. Plus, as I mentioned before, she and her family were eating better than the average members of her community because she was hunting and finding edible plants in the forest. Also, the other tributes, especially Cato and Thresh, weren't exactly skin and bone either. She does look heavier than one would expect but that is a detail I didn't even notice while watching the movie. It only occurred to me after I heard others talk about it.

 

[Karen C]

Look at the size of her neck, I call it as I see it, her BMI will be too high.

The size of her neck?! Seriously?! That's what you are basing this on!

And as for the whole BMI thing, personally I think that is old and outdated. The vast majority of the population would be classed as overweight if you use that method.

 

[Polly Parrot]

BMI is a bit silly, really. Mine used to be around 15-16 when I was about 18 or so. I was super duper skinny then but far from emaciated which is what the BMI suggests.

 

[Karen C]

^ exactly. It's a clinical thing and may be relevant in certain situations, but in this day and age more emphasis should be put on people eating healthily and participating in physical exercise. Not on a number calculated using a method/system from years and years ago.

 

[Peder]

Well, truth to tell, I am vastly overweight and BMI accurately calls it like it is -- also the target weight I once was and would be glad to be again. It is the first height-weight table I have seen that does that, so I am not about to dismiss it.
PS I think it is exceedingly rude to call any woman fat. Least of all one as trim as Katniss in any of her pictures. I thought we men were beyond that.

 

[Karen C]

It is the first height-weight table I have seen that does that, so I am not about to dismiss it.

I'm not dismissing it, but I do think other factors need to be taken into account. There has to be a bit of give and take with it.

PS I think it is exceedingly rude to call any woman fat. Least of all one as trim as Katniss in any of her pictures.

My thoughts exactly.