the hunger games: movie review

I said it was probably coming. After all, how could I *not* review this movie...:)

So, here it goes...

THE HUNGER GAMES

based on the book "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

The movie stays pretty close to the book, so I'm not gonna summarize it (you can read my other review summary). With a couple minor differences, and a couple deleted characters, and a couple tweaked situations, they still managed to satisfy fans of "The Hunger Games", which is pretty amazing, if you think about it.

There are a couple actors/actresses that really *really* amazed me in their portrayal of their characters, and a couple that fell flat for me. Let me show you...

I was totally impressed with...

GALE. I've always been a big Gale fan, so I was thrilled to have some one play him who actually does an awesome job. Gale doesn't really have that much of a part in book 1 of the trilogy...but when he did act, he did awesome. He's not exactly what I imagined Gale like...he's even better. :D 'Cause for some reason, characters that I imagine never completely take form until I can see an actual picture.

HAYMITCH. Kind of surprisingly, actually. When I first saw a picture of this character, you could say I was shocked. That was *not* what I imagined Haymitch to look like. I guess I thought he'd be huge, old, and bald. But now that I've gotten used to it, I can see that Woody Harrelson is actually *perfect*. And, in the movie he provides some comic relief (which is nice), along with another awesome character...

EFFIE! (you almost have to exclaim her name) She was awesome. The clips that I had seen with her were a little strange, so I was skeptical. I guess she just seemed a little young, a little too tame, and just...weird. But, her prissy Capitol notions are hilarious in the movie. And once pass the reaping, she little comments in different situations are just so cute. Like after Katniss pushes Peeta down she looks at her and just say "Manners!". :) Elizabeth Banks is a lot better than I thought she'd be as little Effie Trinket...

SENECA. So he's not in the first book. But I think it was smart to put him in, 'cause it gives people someone else to look forward too, plus he's supposed to be the Head Gamemaker anyway. The beard was *awesome*. And the character was too. I mean, he was a total Capitol guy...but then near the end you could tell that for him, the games weren't completely about killing off kids. And y'all know where that got him...

CATO. Big, strong, awful, vicious Cato. Wow. He was absolutely perfect. First of all, he's huge...like seriously, he's gotta be the biggest guy in the film. And his facial expressions are just totally perfect for someone as blood-thirsty as Cato. With blood all over his face, he's even creepier. Alexander Ludwig, who would not have been a perfect Peeta (he did audition for that part), is absolutely horrifyingly perfect as Cato...

So those are some of the characters I was most impressed with. Along with them came Rue, Clove, and Prim. They were pretty awesome too...

But then there were those who I didn't care for too much...unfortunately, including Peeta. Maybe it's just that I've always preferred Gale, but not only does Josh Hutcherson not do Peeta justice, he also doesn't look him. That'll probably forever bother me. :D

But...as for content. It was pretty impressive. The Capitol was amazing, and the Seam was great too. The Games were awfully short...and the tributes weren't developed well because of that. Of course, in the book they weren't either...but I guess when Katniss is narrating everything, you get a little more thinking about the tributes...

For stuff to watch out for:

Since it's a sorta violent book, there definitely is some violence here too. Blood splattering, ugly wounds, and that gruesome tracker jacker scene. If you remember the book, you'll know Glimmer got distorted. But the movie will give 'distorted' a whole new meaning...pretty gross.

There's only 1 true kiss. But it's a pretty long one. But then, the book has way more...(betcha some people are disappointed)...

And then, this is sorta a con, the cinematographer was...kinda crazy. The weird angles sometimes made it hard to know what was going on. Or they just made your eyes go weird.

So it wasn't an exact replica of the book, definitely. Everything was kinda compacted together (what else to do you do in a movie??) to take as little time as possible. And you can't really see someone getting dehydrated. But they did an awesome job with what they had.

Definitely a movie I would recommend you go see...but ONLY IF YOU'VE READ THE BOOK. :D

I give it ***** out of ***** stars. :)

P. S. If you *haven't* read the book, and you go see the movie anyway, just FYI, don't start Catching Fire when you get home. Read The Hunger Games first...or you won't know what's going on in the next book.)

that awesome travel meet...

And so here it is: the swim meet in South Carolina aka YMCA Regional Meet.

Sorry for so few and such blurry pictures, but it's all Dad got since he wasn't there very long. (I don't know if I told y'all, but Mom and Dad actually drove all the way down to SC on Saturday to get us to Mass on Sunday morning...'cause no matter how you put it, Jesus always comes before swimming...)

The awesome thing was, we were ready to miss our first events on Sunday morning to get to Mass, but we didn't have to! We got there; we changed; and I got behind the blocks pretty much just as the heat in front of me was going. God rocks, doesn't he? :D

(you can't really see it, but I think I'm in a far lane swimming breast stroke...)

(Gab and one of our coaches talking...)

(Me and other people cheering...)

But...we left on Thursday, had a very long and loud bus trip, got to the hotel around 9, and went pretty much straight to bed.

The next few days were (1) wake up, (2) eat breakfast, (3) go to prelims, (4) eat lunch, (5) take a nap, (6) social time :P, (7) go back to the pool for finals, (8) eat dinner, (9) go to bed.

And then do it all over again.

Our team won out of 40-something teams! So that was awesome.

My best place was probably like 16th. But I improved in 6 out of my 7 events. (200 IM, 400 IM, 100 breast stroke, 200 breast stroke, 100 free, 200 free, 500 free...the 500 being the only thing I didn't improve in)

And, though the bus trips were long, it was still fun to travel as a team. :D

Overall, I had an awesome time that weekend. I would totally want to do it again...:D

because they're awesome...

...and because I'm such a huge Cimorelli fan...

...and because this is such a cute video...

...and because this song is now in my head...

...and because I feel colorful right now...

Hope you have an awesome weekend!

P. S. I went to The Hunger Games last night! It was a totally last minute thing...as in, Mom told me that morning that my parents had decided it was fine for us to go (thank you, plugged-in). And then we got tickets. And we went last night at 9:30. And it was awesome. Thank you, wonderful parents!

(oh, and watch for a review. don't worry, I'll warn you if I give spoilers...:D)

in honor of the movie coming out this friday...

I thought I'd post a book review. Not a rave. A book *review*.

So that if you decide you want to go see the movie, but want to read the book first, you know what you're up against.

(P. S. DO NOT SEE THE MOVIE WITHOUT READING THE BOOK. I can't stand it when people do that...Plus, as much as I know I'll love the movie, the book will *always* be better than the movie.)

So. "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. Let's start, shall we?

Here's the basic plot summary, in my own words (and without giving too much away):

It all takes place in a post-acopalytic world called Panem. There are 12 districts, and 1 Capitol that rules them. The President rules the districts from a mansion in the Capitol. And, as the consequences of a rebellion that happened 74 years ago, the districts are forced to participate in an annual 'Hunger Games', where 1 girl and 1 boy between 12 and 18 from each of the 12 districts will be chosen to fight to the death in an arena, while all the citizens of Panem are forced to watch and pretend it's all a game for their entertainment.

The heroine's name is Katniss Everdeen. She lives in District 12 with her Mom and sister (who she loves more than anyone else in the world). And when her sister, Prim, gets chosen in 'The Reaping' to go fight in the games, Katniss volunteers to go instead.

So the first book in the trilogy, "The Hunger Games", follows Katniss and the 74th annual Games.

I can't give that much more without giving a lot away. But those are the basics that you'll get in the first 1 or 2 chapters.

Now...first the pros:

Katniss is an awesome sister.

In a world where going to the games means almost-certain-death, volunteering to fight for her sister is something only an awesome sister would do. In the words of the book, "Family devotion only goes so far for most people on reaping day. What I did was the radical thing". (yes, it's in 1st person. :)

It's all portrayed as 'this is so wrong'.

Since Katniss is not a citizen of the Capitol, she knows better than to treat the games like entertainment. Only the foolish Capitol people think like that. Almost everyone in the districts hate the Games. So the ruthless killing of teenagers is portrayed just like that--wrong. It's an awful scenario, really. And that's how it's shown...

There are some really sweet characters

Though Katniss isn't all warm and nice, there are some awesome great people in this book. Including Prim. And others. That I won't mention so I won't give anyway. :) (read it!!)

Now for the cons...:(

It is kinda violent

So this book doesn't go into that much graphic detail and stuff, but then...if you're talking about teenagers killing each other there's gonna be plenty of violence. And the people in charge of the Games, the 'Gamemakers', like awful or 'exciting' deaths. And it's a morbid thought...that they'd have it all for entertainment...

So there is some nudity...

In the book, yes, there is. When Katniss has to get ready for interviews, entrances, etc. she doesn't normally have clothes on. And other characters don't normally mind naked people...but actually, Katniss does some. So that's nice. :)

Nothing Christian at all

You know how in Harry Potter there's kind of a trace of Christianity?? Well this book has even less. You could say that religion is no part of this book whatsoever. When something good happens, no one gets thanked for it. When something bad happens, you don't pray for something better. So no, I don't think this is a very faith-based book...

And, of course, it's obsessive. :P

It's probably a con, right? If you're reading this book, you can't expect to get much done. Or at least, you can expect to have some very late nights reading in bed. But you usually finish it so fast that you don't have time to get *too* behind on school...:D

So. Fascinating book, overall. Very impressive. But...

I'd say, everything considered, this book is probably appropriate for 14+. (I know that sounds weird coming from a 14-year-old, but...) 'Cause, though it may be really interesting, I just don't know that it's really great for a 10-year-old to be reading that sorta stuff...and it kind of bothers me when there are those crazy-obsessed 11-year-olds dancing around saying how they can't *wait* for the movie to come out.

Definitely run it by your parents first, especially if you're under 14...'cause it's a great book, but it's just not an 'everyone-can-read-it-and-will-love-it' book. Plus if it'll bother you to read about teenagers killing each other, probably a good idea to stay away from it too...

So, there we go!

I give it overall...

*****(***********...) out of ***** stars. :)

Happy Wednesday!

Love,

~Vivi~

i think i'm obsessed...

Comes out Friday! Are you excited??

happy birthday, josie!

(...and yes! I'm back! I'll do a post later on the meet, probably, but for now...we have another birthday...)

Happy Birthday, Josie!

Hope you have an awesome day. :) Can't believe you're already 10...

Jazzy (hahaha...)

One-of-a-kind

Silly (often without realizing it)

Interesting

Entertaining

Love ya, girl!

~Vivi~

i have the coolest mom ever...

Happy Birthday, Mom!

I'm really sorry I can't be here for it...but know I'll be thinking and praying for you today. You're the best mom ever. I, for one, will never forget you. ;)

It's been great these past 14 years. This is to thank you for them...

Lots of love,

~Vivi~

...and off we go!

Gab and I are headed to South Carolina this afternoon for a team travel meet!

I'm swimming:

100 free

200 free

100 breaststroke

200 breaststroke

200 IM

400 IM

and 500 free

Please, please, PLEASE pray that it'll all go well!

Love you guys!

~Vivi~

P. S. I have a special post scheduled for tomorrow, while I'm gone, so watch for that. :D

game on! :)

I don't really want to get into a political debate...

But I found this song the other day, and it was just too cute to not post. :D

We've had it in our heads for days. :)

springing forward...and what i missed...

Of course, on Daylight Savings, you always wonder about those poor people who *forget* to spring forward/fall back...you think "wouldn't it be awful to realize that you're an hour off?".

And you'll be glad to hear that now I can confirm your theory. From experience. :D

Today, for the first time I can remember, we forgot to reset our clocks last night.

The main reason, probably, being that Mom's on a retreat and couldn't come in our rooms last night to say, "Set your clocks an hour forward!" (I will never undervalue it again).

But, thanks to the satellite clock in our car and a couple minutes of major freak-out, Gab, Dad, and I made it to church on time. Only because we were supposed to get there an hour early for choir practice (which we completely missed :P).

But...it's all good, right? :D No major damage done. Just a couple extra trips to church for the others that weren't so lucky.

But just FYI...

...forgetting about Daylight Savings is *not fun*. ;)

Love,

~Vivi~

...and here comes march...

Where has 2012 gone so far? I feel like I was just in Atlanta visiting my cousins back in November. And now we're already 9 days into march, Lent is almost halfway done, and there are 2 Coulter birthdays coming up.

Wow.

And my schedule's completely packed.

Research papers,

HHS mandates,

Regional swim meets in SC,

UVA losing their basketball games,

Being anemic and vitamin D deficient,

Debating every couple weeks,

Having a surplus of Lit. reading,

Crazy family life...

*sigh*

So I'm just trying to survive right now...

I gotta...

...and...

:D

Love you guys!

Happy Friday!

(It's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday...everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend, weekend. Friday, Friday gettin' down on Friday...everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend...Partyin', partyin'...YEAH! Partyin', partyin'...YEAH! Fun, fun, fun, fun lookin' forward to the weekend. :P)

~Vivi~

i have this thing for girly papers...

Maybe it's just me. But this year in particular, I realized that most of my papers have all been incredibly...girly. :D For example...starting with my technical research paper...(about hair)...

Here's my intro:

---

What Rapunzel Didn’t Know

“‘Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair to me.’ Rapunzel had magnificent long hair, fine as spun gold, and when she heard the voice of the enchantress, she unfastened her braided tresses, wound them round one of the hooks of the window above, and then the hair fell twenty ells down, and the enchantress climbed up by it” (Brothers Grimm 2). I’m sure we’ve all wondered if it could be true; I know I have. Could Rapunzel really have grown hair that long? According to the dictionary, an ell is equal to 45 inches (“Ell” 1). So if Rapunzel had hair that was 20 ells long, that would make her hair 75 feet. And we wonder; is that technically possible? Then we realize that, though most of the world has hair, few people actually take the time to figure it out. Because though it is a very common practice to perm, straighten, color hair—or even watch it grow, the process and the results are much more complicated, yet so much more organized, than most people realize

...and later...(my conclusion)...

So could Rapunzel have grown a 75-foot mane? Is it humanly possible? Well, judging from the fact that hair grows an inch per year, and grows for maximum 6 years and a couple months before it falls out, it’s not looking too good for Rapunzel. It would be quite a miracle if she could achieve this. But miracles happen, so never say never. And if you got stuck in a very tall tower, and your last chance of escape was your hair, then you’d probably do the same thing. Because it never hurts to try. And who knows? You might end up with 75 feet of hair too.

So that was my *technical* research paper. Somehow I incorporated fairytales with...umm...technical stuff. :D Then here's my demon paper (like Screwtape Letters)...here's just a section...

---

...The unfortunate human species often takes one thing to be another. For example, they understand ‘good’ to mean prettiness, perfection, and an abundance of white. We all know that good, in fact, is not wholly any of these. Beauty is similar. It is a kind of goodness. True beauty (though the human race ignorantly misinterprets this) is not in the outside appearance. It is something that every human and every creation possesses, particularly women. And though humankind likes to think that beauty and attractiveness mean one and the same thing, we know for certain that they are, in fact, quite different. For, I will remind you, beauty is a type of goodness. Nothing that is truly beautiful is truly (what they might call) ‘evil’. But when humankind uses the word ‘attractive’, they mean outward appearance. And, though outward appearance and beauty are often confused, they can have different meanings. Something outwardly ‘attractive’ could very well be ugly inside. But something inwardly beautiful could also be attractive. Beauty is quite complicated. But it also very powerful, and that is why beauty is so problematic in female patients.

...

Your patient has one of the more serious versions of this problem, consequently making the whole situation simpler for us. Humans sometimes call it insecurity, and to them it may be. But we know better. In the past, the beauty of humankind was treasured. They knew and appreciated the true value of it. But these days rarely anyone, particularly females, will know the truth. They think of beauty as something to be attained—something they can become. And it is this that brings many to our side.

In case you didn't get that, it's about Beauty. I was using fancy English. It was awesome. :P But now for my historical research paper...about Bloody Mary...here's part of my conclusion...

---

...And here we are again at the inevitable question: Could Mary Tudor have been a real-life version of Snow White’s evil step-mom? Was she wicked, vindictive, and cruel? Did she poison apples to get rid of her competition, be it for beauty or the crown? Reality says no. It doesn’t quite seem likely that poison was a popular drink back them. And magic mirrors would be hard to come by. But if you want to look at life as a fairy tale, be my guest. Maybe you will realize that Queen Mary of England fits the role of a princess more than a witch. Snow White, Cinderella, or Sleeping Beauty—maybe not. But a princess all the same. After all, with life as a fairy tale, anything can happen. And there’s only one thing left to do—dream on.

I think I'm really stuck on the whole fairy tale thing. I guess I should just be glad that Mrs. G. is a girl. Otherwise I'd be in trouble. :P

Anyway. Don't know if you read all that. Just thought it was weird. Like me, of course. ;)

Happy Monday!

~Vivi~

P. S. We got like 6 inches of snow today. Made my morning interesting. Fascinating, actually. We got to walk partway home, because our car got stuck on a huge hill leading up to our neighborhood. And we got to wait for 45 minutes in 0-mile-per-hour traffic, when we were only a couple miles away from home. It was...as I said, interesting.

P. P. S. I finished my 2nd research paper today!!! I'm trying not to look to closely at it. I'm afraid that I'll find a mistake and need to reprint it. :D Anyway, that's why I posted the conclusion.

what made my day today...

I'm so sick of my research paper. It's only been...umm...3 or 4 weeks, maybe? But I am so ready to be done.

So I got a friend to edit my rough draft for me. And one of the comments just totally made my day...

That's my paper...it's driving me nuts. And, in case you couldn't see that, it said (I probably had a brain lapse)...

And the response was...:P

Thank you for keeping me from taking school too seriously! :D

~Vivi~