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Campaigning for Coin: Alex Kingston
Welcome back to another edition of Campaigning for Coin! Today, we’re discussing an actress best known for her roles on ER and Doctor Who, two very different but very popular television shows. Everyone gather around to hear the fansites’ thoughts on Alex Kingston!
Alex Kingston
Rebekah (Them There Eyes): I’ll be honest, I’m a long time fan of Alex Kingston, starting with her work on the long running, critically acclaimed, award winning, and fan loved NBC series ER. She’ll always be the fish out of water Doctor Elizabeth Corday to me, which I think is a good way to think of Alex. Elizabeth allowed Alex as an actress to explore a multitude of feelings, and experiences to act out over the course of that characters 12 year run. Aside from her work on ER though, Alex has played a gamut of other characters, most famously she’s Doctor River Song on Doctor Who, where she’s really kind of a source of comic relief seemingly majority of the time. And then there’s her work on series’ like Upstairs Downstairs, and the CW’s Arrow. She’s definitely proven her self capable of embodying different kinds of women, therefore I say I wouldn’t kick up a fuss if she was cast as Coin. Her being cast might even bring in a whole slew of different kinds of audience members, because Alex is known from such a diverse collection of projects. She’d bring in the ER crowd, and the younger crowd from the Doctor Who side of things, and the PBS/BBC loving lot from being known for Upstairs Downstairs. Alex Kingston, I simply can’t find fault with this idea. Who’s next?
Savanna from Hunger Games Fireside Chat: I am a Doctor Who fanatic. And as such, I’d hate for my view of River Song to become tainted by seeing Alex Kingston play Alma Coin. However, setting my selfishness aside for a moment, I actually think that Kingston could potentially be a great choice. While her identity as a person is — unfortunately — closely linked to River for me and many others, Kingston is quite adept at slipping into her roles so well that you lose yourself in the character and the story. So with a different hairstyle and an American accent, I doubt Whovians would have trouble seeing Kingston as Coin and not River. I haven’t seen ER, so I can’t speak for her performance there, but Kingston was an absolutely phenomenal Mrs. Bennet in the miniseries Lost in Austen. While having nothing in common with Coin on the surface, if you’re familiar with Pride and Prejudice, then you know just how manipulative and scheming Mrs. Bennet can be. True, she’s simply a small-town meddler and not a political schemer, but after seeing Kingston so brilliantly portray this “ball-breaking” matriarch hell-bent on securing good marriages for her daughters, I would love to see her interpretation of Coin.
Doctor Who
Colleen from HG Girl on Fire: In my mind, Alma Coin is cold & manipulative, but she had to have some quality to make everyone trust her. I can easily see Alex Kingston taking on that role. She’s just so versatile. Most people probably know her as a doctor on ER or as the charming (yet not completely trustworthy at times) River Song on Doctor Who. When I saw Kingston’s name on the list of possibilities for Coin, I thought of her role as Boudica in Warrior Queen. She rallies her people to rebel against the Roman Empire and goes down fighting. She’s believable as a leader, and it’s this role I first thought of that made me think she would be a good choice for Coin. But it’s her Doctor Who role that clinched it for me. She plays River Song with an air of authority, but with her own secrets & agenda. She’s all but mastered the ‘I can be your best friend or you worst enemy’ look, and, to me, that is the essence of Alma Coin. And I think the British accent would totally work for Coin.
ER
Kelsey from My Hunger Games: Being a massive “Whovian”, I will forever and always see Alex Kingston as the lovable, sassy and adventurous Professor River Song. So upon first seeing her name among the list of actresses “Campaigning for Coin”, my initial reaction was to object. However, since I am a huge fan of Alex’s, she was worth looking into a bit more. That’s when I realized how amazing of an actress Kingston really is. Looking at her as Dr. Corday in ER, Mrs. Bennet in Lost in Austen all the way to Boudica in Warrior Queen and Dinah in Arrow. Every one of her characters is so different, yet Alex is able to bring them to life so vividly. That alone it is a huge testament to her ability. At this point, Kingston isn’t a household name – and that could definitely work in her favor. The fact that she isn’t incredibly well known could make her an easier choice for Lionsgate, considering their budget. But the fact that she is a very well rounded actress bodes well for the fans. I think she can easily bring Coin to life like she has with so many others!
Courtney & Tiffany from Welcome to District 12: We LOVE Alex Kingston! We are both crazy huge Doctor Who fans, and if there’s a character we love almost as much as The Doctor, it’s River Song. Of course this isn’t the only reason that we are in love with the idea of Kingston as Coin. We’ve seen the duality of her acting solely through the show, and her resume speaks for itself as well. We aren’t worried about her capabilities as an actor to handle Coin in the slightest. She would also be a perfect Coin candidate for the “lesser known actor” option.
The Hunger Games “Celebrities”
What does it take to be a Hunger Games celebrity? Well, we get it depends on where you’re from… and your definition of “celebrity”!
For instance, when you see an article out of Georgia about a “Local Hunger Games celeb”, who do you assume it is? A tribute? E. Roger Mitchell, aka Chaff, lives in Georgia, and our female morphling, Megan Hayes, is a native. Dayo Okeniyi has lived there and is currently filming in the state. Or a major behind the scenes player, perhaps? It’s got to be something like that!
Nope. This guy.
BFFLs with Captain Crunch and Captain Planet
He goes by *cough* Captain Chris. He is a firebreather. According to the local newspaper, he is a Hunger Games celebrity because he is the only firebreather featured in the Catching Fire trailer. We mean, it lasts almost a full second and you can’t see any defining features of the person behind it, but IT’S HIM!
We’re not saying that what el capitan doesn’t have some respectably dangerous flair to it, despite his ridiculous stage name. Firebreathing is awe-inspiring, especially considering that I’m still trying to overcome a fear of lit candles in my mid-twenties. But let’s not jump straight to “celebrity”! The shot made it into the trailer, but as fans who pay close attention to trailers often realize, not everything in the trailer makes it into the movie. If it does, it’ll likely be that same shot– two seconds from a distance.
Pretty much the only extra we noticed. Still not a celebrity!
It’s not that he isn’t great and we don’t appreciate his rare talent! He’s just nawt exactly someone that Hunger Games fans stand in the rain for three days for a chance to meet. They might might grab his autograph at a fair, if they’re already planning on attending for other reasons, the autograph is free, and they’re waiting for friends to finish up on that ride that always gets them sick.
We understand your pride in realizing that one of your own is in The Hunger Games, Douglasville Patch– I practically flipped when I realized my buddy made it into the first movie as an extra (that you can only really see when you pause the movie juuuuust right)– but slow your roll with the “celebrity” jargon!
Everyone involved in The Hunger Games is a talent. Some of them are daredevils, prodigies, artists, or gurus. They all deserve recognition, though most of their work goes unnoticed, sadly. But let’s not confuse talent with celebrity, especially in a world where most celebrities would much rather be recognized for their talent!
Now This Is Stuck In My Head! Damn You, Douglasville Patch!
The Girl With The Pearl
The Power of Prim
We’ve all had some time to shimmer down and think about it, yet the opinions on the Catching Fire trailer are STILL largely positive! Let’s face it– We probably would have squealed and cheered for a trailer filled with LEGO characters when it was first released, so long as it was a trailer. But the fandom gets whiny and cynical after a while, most times. This trailer seems to have passed with flying colors, because whining is at a minimum!
Prim and her plait get tough!
Things have changed between the Catching Fire book and the movie trailer, for sure, but there’s one change that has got us totally psyched. It goes a little something like this:
“You saved my life. You give me a chance.”
“Yes. To live.”
“No. To do something.”
And our reaction was essentially “WAIT… WAIT… IS PRIM A PROACTIVE CHARACTER NOW?! WHAAAAATTTTT? TEN POINTS, Y’ALL!” *various loserface dance moves*
Way back when, we admitted that one of the very few problems we had with the series was the characterization of Prim… or lack thereof. Katniss loves her little sister more than anything and constantly talks about how lovable and special and determined to make a difference she is, but we never really see her being any of that firsthand until she dies, which does take away some of the power from that moment. She’s more of a sidelined victim of circumstance, who keeps her distance and tries to make the best of the whole freaking country going to hell.
Annnnnd then we cuddle!
It looks like Francis Lawrence and/or Michael Arndt might have seen it too. (It’s not just meeeeee!) In a few short lines of the 2 minute trailer, Prim gets something you never really see her display in the books: Guts and determination. She won’t be a meek child who is simply thrown into these troubled waters. She’s choosing to dive in, against the advice of her own sister, at that! While they’re still in District 12!
To be clear, Prim probably would’ve become a Healer/ Doctor either way and that is a very proactive, conscious move that her character takes. But it’s nice to see her choosing the path instead of simply falling into it. It fleshes out her character. As an audience, we get to see that she really cares and is pretty fantastic… and not just because her older sister tells us so. And when she cares, we care!
Atta girl, Prim!
Sharing Is Caring!
The Girl With The Pearl
Going Oh So Capitol
Batten down the hatches, fashion lovers! The capitol has got some new color for you!
So fresh and so clean, clean!
Last year, Capitol Couture launched… and almost immediately went *phhhhhwumph* as it fizzled into the abyss. We got a couple new Effie stills, a press release about nail polish, and periodic photos of really cute designer shoes and accessories. Something very similar happened with The Capitol.pn currently under construction!) So yeah, that ridiculous sound effect I just made up is LEGIT.
With Catching Fire on the horizon, Capitol Couture has returned WITH A VENGEANCE! There are actual issues this time around, the first of which has a so-foreign-it’s-fancy name, Chroma Nouveau! More than that, there are multiple sections to the issue that you can actually browse through! With input and looks from tons of different fashion experts and designers! We knew something was coming, with the big Capitol Couture style launch party and all the fashion being released, but this added EVEN MORE to the visual fiesta!
We get it if you’re not a fashionista. I can barely dress myself most days! In fact, I wore tan pants and striped socks to work today (while training a new person, no less!) But if the stuff in here can lasso my interests, you might just love it. If not, click on to the entry page just to make flowers float across your screen when you move your mouse across the title. Hours of entertainment, right thurrr!
This rancher’s booty is more than that amount of cow will allow!
The Capitol Looks are super haute couture and impractical, but that’s what makes them such a spectacle. Because if we mere human beings tried to wear them, it would probably end in a death… or at least a fiery car crash. Trish Summerville, the costume designer for Catching Fire, is even on hand to explain why one of Effie’s outfits hit that level of outrageous. We’ve also got Victory Tour District Looks, aka the Capitol designers interpretation of each district, for 8, 9, and 10. TheCapitol.PN says I belong in District 10 so… ‘CUSE ME, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO SQUEEZE MY ASS INTO THIS?! I’ll wear leather, but dear lord, THERE ARE LIMITS! I wouldn’t cut it for a day in The Capitol!
Character-wise, Effie Trinket is the focal point of Capitol Couture once again. All’s well and good with that, as Elizabeth Banks is all about the insane Effie fashion, but can a reader get some variety?! Cinna, Portia, the damn prep teams?! They’re all fashionistas, so let’s get them some “kinda-silly-fake-interview” Internet fame too!
Overall, we’re taking Chroma Nouveau as a sign of good faith for Lionsgate. They could do very little in the viral marketing department and skate by on the massive success of the first movie, but we’re seeing even more effort here. Color us impressed! (Chroma refers to color. Get it? Get it?!) The ultimate test? If it stays that way!
YOU KNOW YOU MISSED ME!
The Girl With The Pearl
O Peeta, Where Art Thou?
In my absence, Peeta has become the topic of the week! Not that we blame our brilliant guest writers, of course! There’s just so damn much to say about the future Mr. Katniss Everdeen!
Today, Hunger Games Bookclub is taking the reins to take about the Peeta we know from the books and the first movie vs. the Peeta we’re going to get in Catching Fire and beyond!
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I hate to break it to you, but there are multiple Peetas running around out there. It all started when The Hunger Games was first published. This version affectionately has been termed Book!Peeta. As soon as you read THG, another alternate version came into existence… the Peeta that lives inside of your mind. Let us call that Imagination!Peeta. Once the movie of The Hunger Games was released in 2012, we had a third version alive and kicking: Movie!Peeta
Sometimes there was conflicts between these three versions of Peeta. People couldn’t understand why Movie!Peeta didn’t have the blue eyes of Book!Peeta. Folks were heartbroken that their Imagination!Peeta had a real life name of (the guy from Weeds, the guy from Vampire whatever, the guy from you fill in the blank) but that person wasn’t hired as Movie!Peeta. And Josh Hutcherson had brown eyes and movie magic blonded hair instead what Book!Peeta described. If you have been around THG fansites at all, Victor’s Village included, you will know that fans get quite passionate about who they believe Peeta should or should not be.
Just look at that babyface!
Here’s the rub: Coming November 2013, there will be another Peeta to add to the mix. I know, I know, Josh Hutcherson is playing the role of Peeta in both movies. However, there are some other significant differences between the two films. The CFMovie!Peeta, as I shall now dub him, comes from a script that is written by a completely different team than THGMovie!Peeta. Although Suzanne Collins and Gary Ross both expressed their pleasure at working together to write The Hunger Games screenplay, they also expressed how difficult it was to take a book and adapt it into the visual format and time constraints of a movie. This go-around, we have a script written by Michael Arndt, who has won an Oscar for adapting books into screenplays. The Catching Fire movie will also have a new director: Francis Lawrence. Fans have already seen the upgrade in costumes and some of the other visual aspects in the teaser trailer that was released recently. We’ve also heard from interviews with cast and F-Law that there were some parts of the first movie that he wanted to maintain and others to which he adjusted to his own personal vision for the series. He has already been hired to direct Mockingjay Part 1 and 2 as well, so we can expect continuity in his vision across the films. Francis Lawrence brings more to the table than the visual. For example, Woody Harrelson commented that Lawrence encouraged him to research Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for his character. Most fans agree that the signs are pointing toward Catching Fire having more depth in some of the themes of poverty and war.
The innocence is gone.
So what does this mean for Peeta’s character? Will the Peeta in Catching Fire have more depth to his character as well? Obviously, we won’t know until November. But I can tell you from reading countless comments on popular fansites about THGMovie!Peeta, that he did not come across to some viewers (especially those who had never read the books) with the emotional strength and verbal savvy that we attribute to Book!Peeta. In the books, Peeta is not known for his physicality as much as Gale (although Peeta can lift heavy sacks of flour and hold his own in hand to hand combat) but is a person who is known for his quick brain and smooth tongue.
When I first saw pictures of Peeta from the Catching Fire teaser trailer, I immediately noticed the determined set of his jaw, the simmering anger, and the grimness. Perhaps CFMovie!Peeta will be different. Stronger. A bit jaded.
Maybe If The Odds Are In Our Favor, We’ll Catch A Glimpse Of That Peeta In Our Imagination,
Hunger Games Bookclub
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)
Write For Victor’s Village!
No, you didn’t stumble upon an extra post for this week! This is just a quick messy post asking for longer, less messy posts from YOU.
The Girl With The Pearl is heading to the land of no Internet access for her sister’s wedding next week and we need your help! With new posters, the Instagram, and the fandom going as crazy as ever, do you have an opinion to share about The Hunger Games books, movies, or fandom?
We’ve got your opportunity right here! We’re seeking out some stellar guest posts because, believe it or not, we know that our opinions aren’t the only ones that matter!
If you’ve got ANYTHING to say about The Hunger Games books, movies, merchandise, fandom, etc. that you’d like to share with tons of members of the fandom, write it up and send it to thevictorsvillage@gmail.com! Wit preferred, but not required. As long as your writing isn’t a hot mess (we have faith in you!), we’ll post it up to be share with other fans!
Oh, and if possible.. send them our way soon!
Any questions? Send us an e-mail or sound off in the comments!
With posters like this, how could you NOT want to get your discussion on?
A Little Hunger Games Movie Love, For Once
As a fandom, there’s a lot of complaining about The Hunger Games. We don’t like actors or hair color or certain lines in the movie. We especially don’t like the people who don’t like the things that we DO like. We’re an uppity crowd, more so than many of us would like to admit. We’ve learned that this is true of EVERY fandom, not just The Hunger Games fandom.
What we sometimes don’t realize is this: We are so freaking lucky to have a successful film adaptation of the series happening right now, even if it can’t please every person under the sun.
Just look at the cover!
Believe it or not, the admins are Victor’s Village also have our OTHER fandom addictions. Perhaps an unhealthy number of them, but we don’t mind one bit! One of mine is Delirium by Lauren Oliver, which has gained a lot of steam over the past couple years but tends to be a love/hate kid of fandom (Lauren doesn’t deal in happy endings or neatly tied bows at the end of her books, ever!) Delirium was set to be made into a television show and then… it wasn’t.
The rights were optioned and the script was written. The actors were cast and the great debate began. The hair naysayers went NUTS because Hana was a brunette instead of a blonde. The pilot was shot and the tide began to turn. Pictures found their way online. Actors openly expressed their excitement for the project. Delirium trended worldwide on Twitter TWICE. Admittedly, we felt a little invincible.
… And then Fox decided to pick up an iRobot rip-off, a House-plays-lawyer drama, a show that sounds suspiciously like Southland, and a Sleepy Hollow remake (to compete against Once Upon a Time, we assume) over Delirium.
Do I sound bitter? I am. I ain’t even gonna hide it. ARRRRRGHHHHHH!
All of our fandom glory came to a screeching halt for a day as we realized nothing may come of the story we love. That doesn’t mean that all hopes have been dashed (Shameless plug for the Don’t Stop the Deliria campaign!), but we’ve become a little jaded and deflated. We know we’re not the only fandom who has suffered when amazing books are sold and placed neatly on the shelves, possibly to never be seen on a screen ever. Lionsgate is currently doing that with John Green’s Looking For Alaska, which is freaking criminal.
Now, imagine if that was The Hunger Games. Imagine if Lionsgate bought the rights to The Hunger Games and decided NOT to make the movie. At the time, the dystopian genre hadn’t been tested onscreen and teen movies often left a bad taste in peoples’ mouths, so they did take a risk there. What if they gave the movie a much smaller budget and ended up halting production? What if the first movie didn’t impress execs and they decided not to release it?
As a fandom, we may not love every single detail of The Hunger Games movies, but we should feel damn lucky that we have them.
I Need to Incorporate More Charlie Brown Screams,
The Girl With The Pearl
The Cutting Room Floor
After seeing the first trailer for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, we’re all really excited at the confirmation that certain scenes made it into the movie: The District 11 man’s salute! The Katniss/Gale kiss! The whipping!
Potentially a 7 hour movie! ..We’d watch it.
Even though it’s just the tip of the Catching Fire iceberg (…Fire iceberg?! Whaaaaat?), the trailer also helped us come to terms with some things that were cut. When you see the man from District 11 being murdered, are Bonnie and Twill’s open-ended deaths in the woods still a huge deal? Is the brutality against Darius necessary to portray when you see the Peacekeepers being equally brutal with Gale or the rioters?
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: IT’S A MOVIE. Things will change… or more likely, they’ll be cut. We don’t always love it, but we accept it.
In that spirit, we’ve been thinking of some other things that can be cut from the movie without really hurting our feelings.
- The Storm of the Century - No, not the Stephen King book (though that has no place in Catching Fire, obviously). Remember in the beginning of Catching Fire when there’s a massive storm that snows in all the residents of District 12 for about two weeks, thus giving Katniss precious time to try (and fail) to glean some information about The Rebellion? Since nothing really comes of it, we could probably go without it.
- Broken Foot - WE KNOW. This is the “Always” moment! Of course we need that line. If that line doesn’t make it in there, we will hit a bitch. Perhaps only figuratively… we’ll see. But the line doesn’t have to come in the context of Katniss breaking her foot after the fences in District 12 are electrified. On screen, the scene in which Katniss returns home and tries to hide her injury while the Peacekeepers give her information she and the audiences already know followed by her recovery wouldn’t seem as dramatic and would take up precious time from more deserving scenes. Peeta and Katniss have ample opportunity to be adorable elsewhere!
- The Second Quarter Quell - We were once desperately hoping for this video or flashback, but now we’ve pretty much accepted that there won’t be a full-on breakaway to Haymitch’s brilliant bit of betrayal. New actors and new locations are probably way too much work for one scene not even featuring the main actors. Hopefully, we’ll get a quick, gritty recap for older Haymitch in there!
- “The Baby” - Some people love this moment, but we’re in love/hate with it. It’s complicated! What Peeta did was a brilliant move if Capitol audiences are stupid enough to really believe it. For some readers, it’s an eye-roll worthy first step off the Hunger Games bandwagon. A moment when you stop and go “REALLY? The majority of this society actually feel for that? C’MON.“ The alleged marriage should be enough to get Capitol interests in the film without running the risk of Peeta’s good intentions being too far out there.
Yup, those training outfits…
- Victors Training - We know there will be some of this, based on the still of Katniss and Finnick, but we could live without it being too involved. The politics of the Victors’ alliances don’t become clear until the arena, so it shouldn’t take too long to show that Katniss isn’t sure how to interact with these people when she still doesn’t know who to trust when the training session ends. The varying strengths and skill sets also become most apparent in the Arena, like Beetee introducing the crew to his specially designed wire, so we’re not missing much.
- The Spile - How many Victors does it take to get water from a tree? Four. Plus some serious thinking over the course of several hours. Or how about Mags already knows how to use a spile and we don’t watch giant tropical beaver-rats chew down the trees to drink as our protagonists dehydrate? Pretty please?!
Of course, this is an open floor! What Catching Fire book moments that weren’t already included in the trailer could you do without?
We’re Not Picky (Except We Totally Are),
The Girl With The Pearl
