Category Archives: Fandom
The Road to Victory Tour
Hold on to your hats, kiddos! This upcoming weekend is when lovers of The Hunger Games and YA other favorites come together to take it to a new level!
It’s Victory Tour 2013, June 22 – 23!
Yup, Victory Tour was originally a Hunger Games only convention, but it had to be shifted for legal purposes. Thus it became an awesome YA book convention! (Sadly, some people can’t read between the lines on the for legal purposes bit, as if the people behind Victory Tour randomly chose to switch up the theme and upset a bunch of fans just for the hell of it, so they’re still sourpusses. Really?!) To us, this makes the convention EVEN BETTER, as we’re fans of books in general.
Salute your fandom!
We know what you usually think of with conventions: Location, location, location! This is different! Victory Tour is an online convention, so you can participate no matter where you live, assuming you can stream stuff on your computer without it exploding!
For instance, both V. Arrow, author of the research-based book The Panem Companion will be there, juxtaposed by the hilarity of Mark Oshiro from Mark Reads The Hunger Games. And if that doesn’t fill your appetite for dystopia, how about some interviews with Lauren Oliver, author of the Delirium trilogy, and Ally Condie, author of the Matched trilogy? There’s also programming based around all of these books, as well as Divergent, soon to be a major motion picture featuring this guy. *swoon* All are very popular dystopians and if fans of The Hunger Games have branched out in the genre, they’re likely to know and love these books too!
Victory Tour will also be talking to fans who participate in their love for The Hunger Games a little differently, like “Rockingjays” Alex Boyd, Alex Carpenter, Sam Cushion, Steph Anderson, and Hello the Future! Of course, each of them will be playing their original songs based on the books!
If that isn’t musical enough for you, check out From Nightmares to Nightlock, a hilarious musical parody which will premiere during the convention. That’s right, you can find funny things about The Hunger Games SOMEWHERE ELSE too! We ain’t even mad!
Oh, and did we mention that THE COOLEST CATS IN TOWN will be there?! That’s right: FANSITE REPS (INCLUDING ME!) will be on hand to discuss how to be badass via Internet and other such things on Sunday at 4pm!
It’s Not Too Late To Register Here!
The Girl With The Pearl
The Hunger Games Fans Speak!
The new book trailer for Catching Fire launched earlier this week. It is– dare I steal a word learned from Lydia on The Lizzie Bennet Diaries?– ADORBS!
In addition to Kimmy from Mockingjay.net and Aldrin from Down With The Capitol, who were part of the original fan trailer video, this one features Courtney, aka Twiffidy’s partner-in-crime over at Welcome to District 12! Along with many other totally worthy fans who submitted great videos!
Observe.
What we love about this is that it’s NOT some professional thesis on why we should love the books. With a few exceptions (here’s lookin’ at you, Katniss cosplayer and hi-def camera green screen gal!), it’s quick and blurry and shaky. It’s geekily over-excited, despite the guy who says “It’s the perfect blend of everything you want in a novel” as if he’s reciting a meatloaf recipe.
Why do we enjoy the chaos of it so much? When we tell people about the books, IT’S LIKE THAT. We’re throwing our arms around and squeaking. A special “all over the place” version of the plot is described in ten seconds flat and we’re pretty positive that the person we’re speaking to didn’t understand a thing. And then we let out a little cough and say something like “Really, though. You should check it out. It’s great.”
By spotlighting fans for giving their simple, honest opinions on the series, you allow the book to sell itself much better than an expensive campaign quoting authors and critics. There’s a critic out there who LOVED the worst book ever written, we’re sure. The books are already pretty high on the credibility scale, so just let the existing audience tell it like it is!
The video is only oart of PHASE ONE of a great summer-long promotion from Scholastic! Get the details on all the fun UNDER THE CUT!
Read the rest of this entry
Guest Postapalooza Contest!
Every once in a while, we take this glorious thing called “vacation”. Sometimes one right after the other, sometimes overlapping! On the site, chaos ensues!
We accept guest posts any time of year and LOVE posting them. Half the time, we sit there reading them and saying “Why didn’t I ever think to write about this?! It’s great!” There are also some occasions in which we straight up need guest posts to keep the site from being a barren wasteland of nothingness. This is one of those times!
WIN IT!
So to encourage you lovely readers to share your insightful, hilarious, original perspectives on ANYTHING Hunger Games related– movies, books, characters, actors, merchandise, advertising, the crew… the sky is the limit!– we’re running a little contest!
Send a guest post to thevictorsvillage@gmail.com no later than June 17th (though the sooner, the better!) and you’ll be entered for a chance to win One [1] of two [2] mini theatrical posters from The Hunger Games!**
Rules and Guidelines:
- All posts must be submitted by 11:59pm PST on June 17, 2013.
- Multiple guest posts are allowed.
- The post must be at least 3-4 paragraphs, not just a few sentences, and it must make sense. It’s not that we don’t trust you… You just wouldn’t believe some “guest posts” we’ve received in the past!
- After the final guest post submitted within the allotted time frame has been posted, readers will vote on their favorite guest post via online poll.
- ** If you submitted a guest post in May to help cover The Girl With The Pearl’s vacation, you are automatically entered into this competition!
Though not mandatory, we encourage you to BRING THE FUNNY as much as possible!
May the odds be ever in your favor! …More importantly, we will love you LIKE WHOA!
Liam and His Team
Ladies and gentlemen of Twitter, HEMSY IS IN THE HOUSE! …Sort of.
Nobody sees the fine print, anyway!
We briefly mentioned in another post that Liam Hemsworth has joined the 21st century as far as young celebrity staples go by getting himself a Twitter account, @LiamHemsworth. The man himself has tweeted twice since opening the account, once to introduce himself to this new-fangled form of communication and the other to thank everyone for rabidly following his account while simultaneously attacking him with tweets.
But there’s another player in this game. A team of them, even! They call themselves “Team Liam”, aka the gaggle of PR reps that are actually responsible for running the account. We’re sure Hemsy will get his tweet on every now and then, but it’s going to be simple and career-based and pretty lame. No talks of favorite foods or pictures of pets or corny jokes. Right now, half of his four tweets reveal what the account is actually going for: Advertisement, advertisement, advertisement.
We actually have to tip our hats to Team Liam for their honesty. Many celebrities have their account run by PR reps posing as the celebrity, giving false impressions that the celebrity is totally absorbed in their carefully mapped out career with ZERO personality. There are cases where that is the actual celebrity and they’re just that sad, but usually it’s a PR team. Kudos to Team Liam for having the courtesy NOT to pose as the man himself.
A Gift to the Teens from the PR gods!
The PR-Celebrity Twitter collab does have its perks: For one, Hemsy gets to “connect” with fans on Twitter without actually having to give a damn about Twitter. ICYMI, he’s made it pretty clear that he doesn’t want to share his personal life. He can tweet about loving his job or being thankful for this or that and be done. He doesn’t have to feel compelled to read all his @replies and retweet to prove that he loves whatever country said “Superfan” is from. And though we DO NOT see him as this type, having a monitor hold his Twitter hand keeps him from going on the Internet and doing something really fucking stupid. Think Alexander Ludwig joking about having sex with pre-teen fans… and that’s only scratching the surface compared to some celebrity shenanigans.
Liam’s upcoming film, Paranoia, is getting the attention it needs from his young, possibly action-oriented fanbase via magical Internet portal, as will his future projects! He’ll occasionally acknowledge that he’s proud of his work and thankful for his fans that way too! He’ll get more love all around and more people may go see his films! Truly, it’s a sweet setup. Some fans think the deserve this semi-personal online relationship with celebrities, as if a retweet or reply means they’re OMG LYKE TOTALLY BIFFLES! But in reality, they’re not either way, so keeping it simple sure can’t hurt.
We Have Yet To Tweet Him Saying “HEMMMMMSSSSSSYYYY” Like A Loony! …It Will Happen.
The Girl With The Pearl
P.S. I secretly hope someone else was silly enough to stick the non-existent extra syllable in the title like I did: Li-am and his Te-am! *cough* To make amends for that, here’s the Paranoia trailer:
Campaigning for Coin: Tilda Swinton
It’s that time again, the time in which we examine yet another actress potentially in the role of the multidimensional President Alma Coin. This week the lady in question is none other than a Victor’s Village favorite, Miss Tilda Swinton of London, England!
Them There Eyes aka Rebekah: When I read Mockingjay the first time it was in the throws of needing to know what happens next above anything else, sometimes that included water, so when I was picturing the characters, like Alma Coin—all I saw was a woman with sharp features, cutting eyes, silver bobbed hair, a slender build, and a presence that screamed intelligence, cunning, and fortitude. It wasn’t until the second time I read that book that I realized I was picturing Tilda Swinton, or a version of her, the whole time. So, now I can say it without any qualms, I think Tilda Swinton is ideal for the role of President Alma Coin. She’s a fine actress who’s made a name for herself as a character actress above the need for fame, in fact most of her work has been supporting roles, like her work in The Beach, The Deep End, Vanilla Sky, Adaptation, Young Adam (one of my favorites), Constantine, Broken Flowers, Michael Clayton, Burn After Reading, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the impacting independent film We Need to Talk About Kevin, and most recently the critically acclaimed Wes Anderson film, Moonrise Kingdom. She’s of course most famous for her work in the blockbuster Narnia series as the White Witch, so obviously she knows how to play a quietly menacing character, but she’s not the kind of actress that people will go see a film just to see her, she’s an ensemble actress, the kind who thrives off the work, and the people she’s collaborating with. And to me she’s pleasant surprise to see when she shows up in films, even if sometimes her characters are not the most warm and fuzzy types. That’s another thing about Tilda, she never picks boring parts, and she never adhere’s to one genre, she’s open, and she always, and I mean always delivers. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that she’s already worked with Francis Lawrence on Constantine, and her schedule, according to her IMDb page, is wide open. Debra Zane, casting director extraordinaire, please hear my shouts, call Tilda’s people ASAP!
Courtney/Tiffany from Welcome to District 12: Tilda Swinton is a top choice. Again, she often plays a position of power and her physical structure (specifically in her face) are straight edges. This goes very well with Coin’s description of her hair which is very precise. Those straight lines in her face says cold and calculating, making her a great choice for Coin. Let’s also not forget that she would go well with the other adult actors being an Oscar winner. We have no doubts about her acting ability, and her physical looks seals the deal. The only possible downer we could see in Tilda is that you’re not supposed to suspect what kind of person Coin REALLY is. What will newcomer’s opinion be of Tilda Swinton in this role? Will the audience assume she is not what she seems because Tilda Swinton is playing her? Much like the book, Coin’s “”alignment”" should be ambiguous to the audience.
Emily from Down With the Capitol: Tilda Swinton would be a brilliant casting choice for our President Coin. I am a huge Narnia fan and she wowed me with her performance as the White Witch in the franchise. It’s obvious to me that she would be able to pull off cold hearted and power hungry Coin. I have also seen her in Constantine (which Francis Lawrence directed) and thought she was great. She really has a knack for 
twisted, calculating characters—which Coin definitely is. In my mind, she looks the part. She’s the right age, has very unique, fierce looking features and definitely has those “eyes that could burn straight through you”. One of my biggest issues with this casting is that I want a seasoned actor, but not someone who would be too recognizable or would not be detachable from their previous roles. To me, Tilda Swinton fits the bill perfectly. My only concern is that she’s done the mega-hit book to movie franchise before and I don’t know if she’d want or need to do it again, but my fingers are crossed that Francis Lawrence is able to give her a call.
Adam from HG Fireside Chat: Tilda Swinton has always walked that tight rope between benevolent and menacing, whether it be in The Beach or — in what was a masterful performance — Michael Clayton. Coin embodies both of those characteristics, at first seeming to be the savior of Panem, but later, a ruthless commander with great ambition and chipped-away morals. Swinton possesses the acting chops, the look, and the complexity to deliver. She would be a mighty fine choice, capable of bringing a potent element to the Mockingjay films and, more specifically, to the ascetic stylizing of District 13.
Amie from HG Girl On Fire: If you’ve seen The Chronicles of Narnia then you know that Tilda Swinton has the rare and perfect ability to be insatiably evil while you can’t take your eyes off her every move. She was oddly comforting to Lucy Pevensie as she welcomed her into her cold arms, while have plans that would only benefit herself while being the end of Lucy and her brothers. She was the driving force of the Narnia film, bringing the white witch to life like never before on screen. This is an important quality the actress who plays Coin must have, while she is not considered evil, she has
Tilda as the White Witch
lost the ability to have human compassion like many other victims of the Capitol Dictatorship, which causes her to have little boundaries to how she chooses to he run her regime in District 13. Tilda had a calm yet unsettling demeanor, no matter how honest she is or how much she has your back, you know there is much more where it comes from and you are a afraid of what you must do to earn such loyalty from her. I can see her every move as Coin already, and that makes me nervous, because Coin is eerily predictable, a replica of a certain Capitol leader Katniss thinks is her real enemy, and soon realizes she has been mistaken. As far as Tilda Swinton’s look, her interestingly plain face and minor facial expressions remind me perfectly of Katniss’s description of her as “slush that you wish would melt away”. Tilda is beyond talented as an actress, and very simple like Coin. She can hide her true intentions behind her cold eyes with perfect grace, and Tilda Swinton would be my pick for our Coin for Mockingjay P1 and P2.
Carla from Mockingjay.net: I don’t think there’s any doubt as to why Tilda Swinton is part of this list; most people would recognize her from playing characters that are in positions of power and demand attention– from Archangel Gabriel to the White Witch– and out of her impressive repertoire, her antagonist roles particularly stand out to me. Even her real life traits, her appearance, facial features and tone of voice inspire one to think of a serious, highly intelligent and sofisticated mind. I have no doubt she can pull off a great President Coin if she’s cast. My only doubt is: would it be too much of a good thing? Coin would do anything for power, certainly; she was a
Tilda Swinton as Karen Crowder in Michael Clayton
woman without scruples and we’ve seen Swinton play roles like that memorably. But I don’t want her to seem TOO calculating, TOO manipulative. To me, Coin has to have a certain appeal to the people as well; she wasn’t a good person, but she was a competent president, as far as the people of Thirteen were concerned. So in my head, Coin has to straddle the line between shady antagonist and straight-out villain, much like Donald Sutherland does as President Snow. And I think Tilda Swinton might come across as too unapproachable for that. I wouldn’t mind if she’s chosen, personally, because I do think she’s amazingly talented, but I think there are actresses out there who would portray this duality in a much more natural manner.
Jacqui from My Hunger Games: Tilda Swinton is mesmerizing. She’s fascinating. She’s avante garde and I love her. I love her for her work on David Bowie’s video for The Stars (are out tonight) and I love her because she slept in a box at the MoMa as part of an art installation. Tilda is a gender bender and she plays luminious, ambiguous characters to perfection. In her career she has played the archangel Gabriel in the oddball comic book movie Constantine, the White Witch of Narnia, an Italian housewife, a woman who watches men age backward in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button while sipping tea with them, the mother of a teenage boy who commits a high school massacre and a Virginia Woolf character. She’s also the new face of Chanel, is about to star in the sci-fi thriller Snowpiercer, then follow up with a vampire romance called Only Lovers Left Alive. There’s nothinig this woman can’t do and she could certainly pull off a President Coin that looks like a legitimate face of the revolution, while harboring cruel intent. She would be perfect and a huge coup for the franchise.
Lee from The Hob: Tilda Swinton would make a very interesting President Coin. Her acting range is vast – playing an Archangel in Constantine, to the White Witch in the Chronicles of Narnia films, and contemporary fare such as her work in Michael Clayton – giving viewers confidence that any role she takes will be striking. Ms. Swinton becomes totally subsumed by the role she is portraying; cold, remote, and powerful. She always leverages the actors’ tools of physical and vocal attributes. Her President Coin would be frightening and riveting to watch.
Campaigning for Coin
We’re starting a new series, and it’s called Campaigning for Coin! Over the next several weeks fan-site reps from all The Hunger Games fan-sites will weigh in on different actresses in the role of President Alma Coin of District 13. Starting off the series we have the silver haired Miss Glenn Close, a fan-favorite to some. Read on and see what everyone thinks of the idea of Glenn Close as Alma Coin.
Them There Eyes aka Rebekah: I’ll be blunt, Glenn Close is far from my favorite choice for Alma Coin, but is she the worst choice out there? Far from it. Glenn brings everything to the table that would be required of an actress in a role like Alma Coin, but to me it would be flat out type casting. See, Glenn is known for playing tough ladies (Damages), scary ladies (Cruella de Vil), and oh yeah– creepy and/or weird/crazy ladies (The World According to Garp, Fatal Attraction, Stepford Wives). I’d even say she’s made a career of it. Personally I think taking on a role like Alma Coin wouldn’t be challenging for her at all, and if I was Glenn– I’d want to play a character that’s not something I’ve technically done before. Aside from that, logistics get in the way as well, as she’s just signed on for another franchise just this week, Guardians of the Galaxy. So, I’d go so far as to say that adding The Hunger Games franchise on top of that would be incredibly taxing on a lady who’s over 15 years older than Alma Coin is supposed to be, and if you’re a regular reader of my work on Victor’s Village, you would know I’m not a proponent of casting an older actress in this role. Glenn Close? I’ll say it loud, and clear, I don’t think it’s going to happen. Next!
Arianna from Down With the Capitol: Honestly I’m all in for Glenn Close as Coin. I never thought of her until her name was brought up for this project. She could most definitely play the part as Coin aka an evil woman in power, especially after playing parts in movies 
such as Cruella De Vil in 101 Dalmatians and her role as VP in Air Force One. She also has the perfect Coin look which is a bonus. Glenn would only add amazingness to the already stellar cast we have.
Amanda from HG Girl On Fire: This is actually a hard call for me. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind what so ever that Glenn Close could pull this role off. I think she could, and she would extremely well. I think she has proven her acting chops time and again especially with this type of role. One of the things I think is very important for the role of President Coin is that the actress not be too likeable, and be able to pull off being the “bad guy.” I want to be happy when we get to the end, and (spoiler alert) Katniss murders Coin, which in this scenario I don’t think would be a problem, especially when I picture that scene in Fatal Attractions where she’s boiling the pet rabbit. My one and only problem is that Glenn Close does not fit the mental picture I have of Coin. I pictured her as being younger with darker hair, but with that being said I think with hair and makeup that would be and easy fix, and I’d rather see someone who could play the role very well, and not concentrate on looks so much.
Savanna from The HG Fireside Chat: I adore Glenn Close and think she’s immensely talented, though I haven’t seen much of her recent work. I loved her as Queen Gertrude in the 1990 film adaption of Hamlet, and her performance as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard is just…magnificent. To say the least. But for some reason, I’m not too into the idea of Close as Coin. Maybe it’s because she’s too big of a name and too recognizable. Honestly, I’d rather see a lesser-known actress have a chance to take on the character and have it become a career-defining role. That being said, Glenn Close can do absolutely anything, and if she were to be cast as Coin, there’s no doubt in my mind that she would be phenomenal. She does the cold, hard, calculating thing very well and would certainly be a believable leader. The best thing she has going for her, in my opinion, is her powerful, almost magnetic presence; whether she’s onscreen or onstage, it’s impossible to not be drawn to her.
Crystal from Mockingjay.net: I’m not the biggest fan of Glenn Close. I know, I know, she’s got a stack of Oscar nominations, but that doesn’t mean I think she’s consistently a great actress. I’ve already seen her play an executive office role in Air Force One and for those of you that haven’t seen it, she was pretty awful while I thought Harrison Ford, Halle Berry, and Gary Oldman carried off their silly cliche action roles off rather well. I need someone who makes me feel like withering into the floor and an actress who has been in Mars Attacks! is just hard for me to take seriously. She’s got the hard look, but for some reason I’m just not confident she’d pull it off with the right amount of cold Coin swagger.
Kristen from MyHungerGames.com: Obviously, Glenn Close has had quite a bit of commercial success in family movies, including her hysterical take on Cruella De Vil in Disney’s live-action version of 101 Dalmatians—but let’s not forget the role that really made her a star: Alex Forrest in the 1987 thriller Fatal Attraction. If you haven’t seen this movie (and if you’re old enough to watch R-rated films) stop reading right now and go watch it. I guarantee you will never see a creepier interpretation of the sociopathic “woman scorned” character on film. In the interest of keeping spoilers to a minimum, let’s just say that Glenn Close plays a manipulative nut-job so well, she’ll make your skin crawl. That being said, I would absolutely LOVE to see Glenn Close as the ruthless, power-hungry Alma Coin. I think she has amazing range, and is beyond capable of convincingly portraying the cunning, unscrupulous leader of District 13.
Angie from TheHob.org: When I think of actresses that could portray our infamous
Air Force One
President Coin, Glenn Close does seem to fit the generic Coin mold. Glenn is a little older than President Coin, but I still think she could pull off the character. She possesses the “look” that President Coin should have: shoulder length gray hair, eyes that could bore into any soul, and a serious stature. What sets Glenn apart from the rest in my opinion is her previous role as Cruella de Vil in the 101 & 102 Dalmations movies. Glenn shows that she can play the role of a ruthless, selfish villain that truly only has one main objective. The characters are alike considering in both films they are willing to do or kill whatever or whomever they need to get their way – whether its puppies or medics or children.
Courtney/Tiffany from Welcome to District 12 : Glenn Close for Alma Coin is something we never knew we wanted until it was first suggested. She quite often plays a woman in power, like the Vice President in Air Force One, and can play a great villain, like Cruella De Vil in the live action 101 Dalmations movies. Some may argue that Glenn Close is too old, but we think that’s silly since the casting in The Hunger Games has not limited actors for their age. For example, Lenny Kravitz and Donald Sutherland are WAY older than the characters they play, yet they are fabulous additions to the franchise. We’re more concerned with the actor themselves than the age, provided that they are not on the extremes of the age scale. More than anything, it would be nice to round out The Hunger Games cast with yet another critically acclaimed actor. While never having won an Oscar, she has been nominated several times and has won everything else under the sun. We think Glenn Close has the look as well as the range to play good, evil, and a woman in power: All necessary traits to play Alma Coin.
Betcha can’t wait to see who’s up next!
It’s Happening, Deal With It
If you follow my other project, Welcome to District 12, you are probably aware of how much we support the idea of splitting Mockingjay into two parts. It was disheartening to both Courtney and I that fans were so highly against it at first. It did not make sense to us since at the same time fans would complain and worry about all their favorite scenes from the series being cut from the films. It seemed to make sense that a split Mockingjay equaled 2-3 hours of footage that we wouldn’t have gotten otherwise, making the likelihood that all of our favorite minor scenes wouldn’t make it. “Not enough material for two movies,” they’d say, and I’d do a re-read of Mockingjay and think, “ARE YOU CRAZY?! This happens and this happens and what about this?!” Mockingjay may be relatively short in pages, but in actual events translated into cinematic moments, there is a lot to cover.
So Courtney came to me with a mission to map out what Mockingjay would look like split into two movies as opposed to one, and over several meetings we had the outlines for what has become Mockingjay Mockup, an ongoing series of posts created to make the argument that splitting Mockingjay is not just a great idea, but completely necessary to preserve the integrity of the book. It’s gotten a very positive response so far, and as time has gone on, with the news that Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2 will be filmed back-to-back and that they will retain the same director (Francis Lawrence) and writer (Danny Strong) being a huge reassurance to fans in general, we’ve been able to breathe a little easier since it seems fandom is coming to terms with the fact that Mockingjay is being split.
When I came across an article this week with the argument,”Why the decision to split Mockingjay into two films may ruin The Hunger Games”, it infuriated me. Not just a questioning of “Is this necessary?”, but straight up ruin the franchise? One thing that we here at Victor’s Village can’t stand in general is re-hashing complaints of ideas that fandom has already more or less come to terms with. While I don’t think it was the intent, it feels like shit-stirring. Mockingjay is being split into two movies. It’s happening. Saying that it would ruin the franchise is not putting enough faith in the filmmakers, which sucks when they haven’t even started filming yet, not to mention we don’t even know what Catching Fire will and will not touch upon. Do we really want to be a fandom that is waiting for our franchise to fail?
Don’t get us wrong, it hasn’t worked with some franchises, like Twilight. Trust me, Breaking Dawn did not need to be split in two. But the idea that it is straight-across-the-board a bad idea for all book-to-movie franchises is a little unfair. It’s still a fairly new idea, and filmmakers and studios can learn from the movies that came before.
Please, let’s not beat the proverbial dead horse. I’m a little tired of defending something that is already going to happen.
Sorry I’m not sorry for the shameless plug
Twiffidy
Leaving It Until Mockingjay
There are a several things I both look forward to and dread where it comes to the up coming adaptations of Mockingjay. Some of them are completely innocuous things, like are they going to get Katniss’ ill fitting shoes right? And then there’s big things like, are they going to adhere to the first person narrative that the novel was told in, and therefore show us Katniss’ trauma addled mind, with its swirls, and utterly terrifying imagery. Personally, I hope they do, like– I really really hope they do. And then there’s my most favorite thing in the world, okay not most, but pretty high up there– the casting of the remaining cast. I’m most nervous, of course, about the casting of three particular characters though, and they are unsurprisingly President Alma Coin, Captain (No First Name) Boggs, and finally Annie Cresta. People have certain performers in mind, I know they do– and I have to be honest, many of the names that are thrown out by your average book reader, and movie fan– are not who I would want to be cast in those roles at all.
Let’s start with Boggs, shall we? I’ve written probably around ten fan-casting articles about Boggs over the last almost two years, and I think they went over pretty well. Several of the actors who I wrote about even approved and thanked me, yep– behold the power of Twitter. Others have sadly retired, I’m talking about Wentworth Miller, who I wrote about a long long time ago. He’s transitioned to being a full-time screenwriter, sort of like our dear Danny Strong. If you’re at all sad about Went leaving acting behind, don’t be– he’s got a BA from Princeton in English literature, therefore he’s finally using his degree, and I’ll bet you money that his academically minded parents are very proud he’s using it after all of these years. Enough about Went!
Here’s my real deal: I’ve tried very hard to be open-minded where it comes to casting of this franchise over all, and Boggs is likely to be a casting decision that the casting director will take artistic license with. Meaning, they’re likely to scrap any or all racial, or ethnic indicators that Collins wrote about him, i.e. his blue eyes. The thought of this kind of bothers me, because I fear that they will cast a stereotype that I keep seeing repeatedly in film, television, and in people’s fan-casting ideas for this role, and also for others. Okay, so what is it? It’s the racial/ ethnic stereotype that a career military person, like Boggs, should be portrayed by a black actor, or a Latino actor. I don’t know where this stereotype came from, but it’s here, and it’s not going anywhere thanks to wonderfully inept films like Avatar, and shows like The Unit. What’s puzzling to me is this though, statistically speaking the military in the US is over 70% white, and only 18% black or Other. So, who do I point fingers at? Hollywood? Ignorance? Do people just want to cast this role ethnic to change things up, what? Or are people okay with Boggs being “token cast”? Call me racist, I dare you, I’ll just laugh at you.
Annie Cresta: We have heard nothing about this role being cast. We only know that Sam Claflin is playing Finnick with Annie Cresta as part of his back-story in mind, as indicated by several interviews Sam has done since he was cast, and since he wrapped on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. That is literally all we know about Annie Cresta. So, I think I can safely say that because there’s been little to no acknowledgement of this character so far, the fan-casting of this role has stagnated, or is in a really weird ass funk. After Sam was cast as Finnick the name I saw the most, disturbingly, was Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey. I know why this happened on an intellectual level, but on an emotional one– I just sat back and went “say what?” And I said what, because Bergès-Frisbey has one of the thickest Spanish accents I have ever heard, and I have friends who are from Spain. So, to those who are in love with this idea, because Sam and her shared screen time in another franchise– please start thinking outside the box. I’m even thinking outside the box for this one, because oddly enough out of the three characters I’m writing about today, Annie Cresta is the only one I’m 100% on board with them casting with an ethnic actress! And yep, I think some people would put Bergès-Frisbey on an ethnic actress list, but– don’t make me point out that I can’t understand what she’s saying! Too late. I have no ideal for Annie, I just want someone who’s got off the charts chemistry with Sam, and who warms the cockles of my cold dark heart.
President Alma Coin: Oh dear god, are you all still here? I know how fickle, and fleeting people’s attention is on the Internet, so if you’re still reading this, kudos. Alma Coin is a little bit of a hot button topic for me, much like Boggs, but in her case I’m a stickler for a multitude of things about her casting. In my head, or my head canon, which is backed up by Mockingjay I might add, I’ve always thought of Coin as a woman who physically is not how many people have been seeming to imagine her. Let’s go over a few things about District Thirteen: It’s population for over 70 years has been living under ground, this means little to no sun damage has befallen them, and to me this means a lot of them do not look their age. Sun damage increases the aging process for many people, and if you’ve lived your life in an underground complex for 50 years, your skin is probably that of someone 15 years younger who actually sees the sun on a regular basis. Thirteen is a very regimented society, people are scheduled to within an inch of their lives, all the way down to when they eat, what they eat, when they sleep, and where they’re allowed to go. I’d even posit that part of the regimentation for the population is strict exercise regimes for everyone. If you 
can also recall, District Thirteen experienced a devastating health epidemic several years before Katniss and co. showed up, it rendered some people scarred both inside and out, i.e. many people have pock scars on their faces, and are infertile because of the disease. In my head District Thirteen is like District Two without the blood lust. So with all of that in mind when I imagine Alma Coin, a woman in her early 50s, I picture a woman who’s in pique condition physically, she’s un-scarred by the epidemic, although she may have been laid barren because of it, and also because she never had children, she probably looks younger than she actually is. Then there’s the unfounded idea that she’s unattractive. I don’t see that, in fact I see the exact opposite, I see Alma Coin as someone who District Thirteen rallied behind because she’s a symbol of their ideal. Strong, intelligent, and yes– beautiful. Beauty and brains, basically Coin is the Evil Queen from Snow White, or Cinderella‘s step mother, beautiful, cunning– totally fucked in the head.
And nope, I don’t mean the Disney versions, I mean the Grimm’s.
Them There Eyes
Oh, That Catching Fire Poster…
We’ve got a special guest post from a fansite friend today! Specifically, Arowana Flounder from Panem Propaganda is hear to talk about the new Catching Fire poster and the references we all REALLY thought of when we saw it! Not everyone knows their art like Them There Eyes, but dammit, we know our Disney movies!
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Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon?
From the looks of the new Catching Fire Movie Poster, Katniss has. Look at her, she’s probably wondering why the grinning bobcat grinned too.
District 12… Is near a canyon?
I can’t say I wasn’t a little disappointed when the Catching Fire poster was revealed. I know a lot of people had been expecting stills or a second trailer or some sort of footage, but I was pretty excited to hear it was a movie poster. Great! Maybe we’ll see a bit of the arena, or some of the new characters!
Many of my friends see my obsession with the Hunger Games series as amusing (and, I think, a little psychotic) so I was looking forward to being able to show them a kickass poster. Instead I see Pocahontas pondering plunging into the waterfall…wait…those clouds…they kind of look like wings or something…It’s a Mockingjay! Katniss is the Mockingjay! I get it!
No one else will! Not if they haven’t read the book! It isn’t kickass like I wanted it to be so that I could show off to people who don’t know the series. It’s mellow and picturesque, and I’m afraid people are going to think it’s a Homeward Bound story where Katniss traverses Panem on foot to find her mother and Prim, who’ve gone on a vacation to San Francisco.
I saw a fan made poster that was absolutely amazing, and it’s probably the reason I’m so disappointed with the official one:
It’s just so atmospheric, and there are new characters holding weapons! That’s pretty exciting right? And two of the characters have their shirts off, something for the ladies *wink wink nudge nudge*. I mean the arena scenes are obviously the best bits of the second book, aren’t they?
Why would Lionsgate make a poster NOT using the most exciting bit of the story, but, instead, featuring the main character looking like Chief Powahatan’s daughter? It’s not like she’s a well-respected member of her society fighting against the oppression of a more technologically advanced (and rather dandy) culture… no, wait…
Ok, it’s not like she’s been trapped in an organised relationship with a guy that it seems to make so much sense for her to be with, but she has confusing feelings for another…oh no wait.
And she doesn’t have a best friend that seems to always get forgotten about in retellings of the st—wait… (Poor Madge).
I’ll admit that last one was pretty tenuous, (this is my first ever blog post and you should be nice!) but the first two strike a chord right? At least they did with me. Suddenly I DID get it. She’s the girl watching her home change. The trailer showed us the changes, all the excitement, now the poster shows us the girl that we saw go through some pretty tough stuff in the last movie, finally home like she wanted to be.
Now here she is, her arrow nocked in place, ready to struggle again, a new day dawning, a new fight ahead of her.
Actually, ok, it might be a little exciting! Who cares if she’ll never know how high the sycamore grows?!
I Bet Peeta Paints With The Colours Of The Wind,
Arowana Flounder
Catching Fire in Cannes
Greetings for the land of no Internet (and pre-scheduled posts!) It’s time for our super exciting round of guest posts to begin!
We kick things off with Aeris, aka The Girl With The Flowers, a French Tribute with a special perspective on the promotion of Catching Fire in Cannes! Take it away, Aeris!
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It’s that time of the year again. Spring? First of all, rain, wind and me hugging my hot water-bottle because the heating’s been officially turned off in my flat does not constitute spring to me. But the point is, I’m actually talking about the Cannes Festival! You know, the stuffy red carpet event which takes place near The Croisette each year in France.
Pretty, isn’t it? *sigh*
Now, I used to take an interest, because I like independent, artsy movies and the Cannes selection usually does a good job of pinpointing which ones are going to be great. Until last year that is, when Amour received the Palme d’Or. And I unsuspectingly, even anxiously went to see it. And thus lost 2 hours of my life and promised myself I would never listen to the festival’s opinion again.
I had to eat my words though, because rumors have been swirling since early April that our very own The Hunger Games: Catching Fire possibly, maybe, might be Cannes bound. Oh, not in the official competition, because Catching Fire is not the type of movie to be selected for that. I mean, even Lord Of the Rings didn’t make it so, you get what I mean. Franchise movies aren’t big in Cannes, sadly. Awful, boring, cringe-worthy, badly acted Movies like Amour are, though. Anyway, where was I? Right. Catching Fire! *channels her inner Jen and shakes like a Chihuahua in anticipation*
Imagine that in your backyard!
So we very recently got confirmation that some kind of promotion for CF was being made in Cannes, at the Majestic Barrière hotel, and let me tell you, it looks good.
Actually, no, it looks FANTASTIC. Can I have one of those for my garden please? And maybe the fiery posters too? No? Even if I say pretty please?
They are going all out on this, and then we hear that Jennifer Lawrence was in attendance at the Catching Fire party on Saturday! Why do I not live in Cannes? (Well, because I live in Paris and other than the fact that the weather is better in Cannes and yes, this year, Catching Fire is actually there, there wouldn’t be much of a point of me living in Cannes. Also the Catching Fire Premiere will take place in Paris, so I’d rather stay there).
Rumor has it they are using this to promoting Mockingjay Parts 1&2 to “international buyers”. Eh. I have to say, I’m not quite convinced about this rumor. Are there really any “buyers” left who are not convinced by the power of The Hunger Games franchise? Who still wonder if they should distribute the movie in their countries?
Europe seems pretty involved with it already. (That being said, I’m a little disappointed in my own country’s “fan attitude”. Or maybe I’m just an über-fan, as in a Tribute, and they are just normal people whose lives do not revolve around The Hunger Games. I can’t quite remember how that feels, so I’ll let it go).
Aeris + Jen = BFFL
Well, whatever the reason, being in Cannes is giving Catching Fire some cred, even though it isn’t in the running for the Palme d’Or. It also might give us news, as they’re most likely going to do some sort of presentation, or even show some footage. And of course, any Jennifer-at-an-event-where-she-will-be-interviewed-and-NAIL-it possibility is something to be thankful for. Also, she and I will be in the same country for a few days, and although I won’t see her, it’ll make the possibility of us becoming BFFs slightly (very slightly) more possible for a few days.
Who said telepathy didn’t exist?
Aeris (The Girl with the Flowers)
