Posted on 11/30/2013 6:20:26 PM PST by lee martell
I rarely go to the theatre to see movies anymore, but I'm considering going to see Catching Fire. My curiosity got the best of me some years back with Avatar, you remember, the land of the Jolly Blue Giants who were more entitled to live on earth than earthlings. I think I lasted about 20 minutes, when I suddenly realized I didn't give a hoot who did what to whom. I felt that I could have predicted the rest of the film very easily. I left, walking upstream to the darkened back rows, passing by bug-eyed movie watchers, most refusing to take those 3-d paper glasses off. The movie was preachy and way overdone. Of course a few hundred million people would disagree with me on that, which is fine.
A few weeks later, a visiting friend had a nephew, who insisted on seeing the new film THOR. I was truly surprised how much I enjoyed it. I grew up reading Thor comics along with Superman, Archie and others. Even though I knew the basic characters, this movie showed aspects I had not before examined. The movie was fun, in turns ominous and jubilant, as Thor fought his way around monsters, meteor showers and deceitful family members. I found the recurrent special effects of explosions, quakes, quick-wars and noxious mists entertaining, and was not overwhelmed.
I'm thinking about seeing Catching Fire. I've heard some good things about it. I did not see the first one, but hopefully one can enter the theme without knowing the entire story as written. I've heard the movie shows the dangerous aspects of Government overreach. I've seen some speak of this and the Ayn Rand stories as being related or similar in some tertiary way. There is something about that young actress Jennifer Lawrence that I find intriquing. Of course it doesn't hurt that she's attractive and lively. We need some new stars, I think. Is she somebody's daughter, somebody famous? Where did she come from? I just hope the movie is not overly bloody or extreme in it's violence. If I encounter big violence bordering on the bizarre, I'd prefer to read all about it before I see it. I do like a good horror novel once in a while. I used to read a whole lot of Dean Koontz books, until he spent too many chapters writing his characters cracking corny one-liners and worn out knee slappers. I very rarely enjoyed Steven King books, because most of them are written as a 'stream of consciousness' style exercise in loose linked imagery clotted with interior prose.
Don’t have an answer to that, in this realm.
Don’t see Catching Fire without seeing Hunger Games first. It would be like reading just the middle third of a book and hoping it will be sufficiently self-contained. Hunger Games _could_ stand on its own, but reports are Catching Fire just starts right where that left off, and proceeds to end very abruptly expecting you to see Mockingjay (the final third) next.
And I do recommend reading all three books first. They’re easy reading, very engaging, and complement the movies well, one providing the stream-of-consciousness thoughts of the protagonist, and the other providing all the external visuals well. Author of the books was deeply involved in creating the movies.
It’s a violent & serious series, but at a level suitable (if tense) for teens. Hunger Games was excellent, and word is Catching Fire will be hailed as one of the great sequels (a la The Empire Strikes back, Terminator 2, Aliens, etc). No reason to not see Hunger Games first.
8 and 11 are not young adult readers (in terms of theme) and 8 and 11 are too young to read these books or see this movie, imo
The Hunger Games is now used by some schools for fifth grade- also too young imo. Adult administrators with enthusiasm for the story getting in the way of their judgment about the choices they offer elementary school kids, imo
My DD read Hunger Games n 7th grade. Just about right
I have now written and presented 2 immerions weekend for GS with the Hunger Games theme, teaching Outdoor Survival skills, for girls age 13 and above, and it is wildly popular with teen girls. I do believe many people, even teens, who would not call themselves preppers are highly interested in being prepared for surival in a crisis
I can’t wait to plan Part 2 Catching Fire camp in the spring, where we will teach more First Aid skills and naturalist medicine, plus challenges requiring players to improvise and make changes to the game.
A movie about children killing other children?
I’ll pass.
You need to see the 1st one before seeing the sequel.
It will make absolutely no sense otherwise.
(I was a bit lost in the story because I didn’t re-see the first one again - but I didn’t want to watch it again - lol)
Pacific Rim, The Conjuring, and Pacific Rim are the only must see’s this year.
( I shut off the 1st Hunger Games)
I saw the first one. Didn’t do a thing for me and to me it was obvious it was written for older kids. Watched the 2nd one online the other day just cause I was bored. Blah........
And no I didn’t/wouldn’t read the books either.
Catching Fire is a great movie and way better than the first, in much the same way Empire Strikes Back was better than A New Hope. But you’ll want to rent Hunger Games and watch it first. Catching Fire won’t make much sense without the background you get from the first. Both have some violent scenes, but no blood or gore.
For a really fun, very well done movie that you and the entire family can really enjoy, watch Disney’s Frozen. Great movie!
Thor 2: The Dark World was better than Thor, IMHO.
"Cowboys and Indians" fare.
:-/
I hated “Avatar” too.
I have friends who loved it, but when i watched it i saw all the liberal savage worshiping nature is always good PC bullcrap that the movie is and noticed how much it tried to manipulate your emotions.
The most insidious and dangerous propaganda is that which is packaged in an artistic and well-designed disguise! :-)
Thank you for your affirmation. :-)
Hubby and I listened to these stories on audio books and they were very good, but I was disappointed in the first movie. I felt that if I hadn’t read (heard) the story I wouldn’t have known what was going on. My sis-in-law said she felt the same way.
It just seemed like they did a very perfunctory job although some of the details were well conveyed.
I really think they need to bring back the mini-series, it was a great way to treat longer stories. The Hunger Games would have been perfect for that.
“If I read a book and then see the movie it ruins the movie experience...”
I had that experience with “Silver Linings Playbook”. I read it, it was OK; but they changed so, so much in the movie.
Hubby and I rented it on pay-per-view and I just gave up on it. All I was doing was saying over and over “that’s not how it was in the book!”
“...even Woody Harrelson...”
Yes, hubby and I were pleasantly surprised by him, we really thought he was too old to play that part.
The only one I did not like (and it wasn’t really his fault)was lenny kravitz as the designer.
I saw the movie last night. I did not see the first one, but I still was able to vaguely get a handle on what was transpiring. The first word that comes to mind when I think of the movie Catching Fire is THOUGHTFUL. That was one of the most thoughtful movies I’ve even seen, at least for American movies.
I immediately recognized the depictions of what the director thought Government Overreach would look like. I thought of worst case scenarios should our own military officers turn on the people, and work aggressively to keep us subjugated, oppressed and depersonalized. The masses on both sides did not have an individual face. The guards faces were hidden in their Star War type helmet covers. The proletariat, or erstwhile wage earners were not permitted the dignity of a clean and healthy face. The poor workers were dressed in identically filthy rags, and lived in identically filthy hovels. Any perceived wisp of courage or insubordanance was swifty and publicly punished.
I thought of the inner mindset of myth acceptance that occurs now in the upper eschelons of politics and symbolism. I thought of the importance of maintaining the myths of perfection, without regard to the true feeling of the selected actors. The movie was thoughtful without being morose, pensive without remaining lugubrious. The imagery reminded me of the clown characters in Fellini’s La Strada. This is the sort of movie I could see Johnny Depp acting in, with all it’s vivid archetypes similar to some sort of European burlesque or pageant. I had forgotten Liam (”Thor’s” younger brother) is in this as the object of her true affections. Liam’s character was punished for interfering with somebody’s arrest. His character was bullwhipped in the public square in broad daylight, reminiscent of Jesus being beaten by the Romans, that was my thought.
Woody H. did well in a part that would have gone to Nick Nolte about thirty years ago. I did not go expecting to understand it all. I enjoyed the film for the most part, though it could be trimmed for about the last 20 minutes with no harm.
It sounds like you got a lot out of this movie, I think the makers of it would be very pleased to hear what you say.
I heard elsewhere that some are saying this is one of the great sequels, better than the first movie.
So, I was disinclined to see it based on how I felt about the first movie, but what you say here and other comments have made my change my mind.
Have you seen this?
Incite Your Passion with the Instigator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC8PqBKHrXA
I like that ad!. Let the kids learn and have fun while they master essential techniques. That’s called Healthy and Playful Danger. (HPD) we all need a little playful danger and suspense once in while.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.