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Reppin’ The Fandom, Catching Fire Style
If there’s anything we love about being a part of The Hunger Games fandom, it’s the interactivity. Sure, you can love pretty much anything and thus be part of its fandom, but actually being given the ability to get involved is kinda glorious.
A lot of book and/or movie franchises got into the interactivity pretty late in the game, but The Hunger Games team has been introducing interactive components since the release of TheCapitol.PN and while they don’t always go over as spectacularly as we’d hoped, we give them ten points for trying!
Now they’ve got a new campaign to help spread the Catching Fire book love:
First off… AHHHHHH! THAT’S KIMMY FROM MOCKINGJAY.NET AND ALDRIN FROM DOWN WITH THE CAPITOL! They’re so good in front of the camera, they even make hanging sentences look cool! We’re kind of, sort of super jealous.
“So why not send in a video and try to be part of the new Catching Fire book trailer?” You ask. Because we are decidedly less cool in front of the camera and in front of the world in general! We’d be replying with a low quality iMovie video in which I have too much product in my hair as I try to quell the static electricity that is still all over the place, gesturing wildly and never quite looking into the camera.
Not the mention our “answers”…
THE HUNGER GAMES: WE ALL HAVE OUR REASONS. MINE IS… I have an addictive personality when it comes to books! Especially Young Adult dystopian and fantasy novels. Stop judging me, okay? It’s not like I’m doing crack! GAWD!
I LOVE THE HUNGER GAMES BECAUSE… The world has gone apeshit and there’s all these conspiracies and everyone is dropping like flies in these freaking arenas! My anxiety level goes through the roof but I’m also really excited, so I guess I’m some sort of twisted masochist!
THE BEST PART ABOUT CATCHING FIRE IS… The huge plot twist in the end when Plutarch and Haymitch and all the cool tributes are part of the rebellion and they actually set up the games to help Katniss escape to District 13 WHICH IS REAL. Also, that Katniss/ Peeta moment on the beach where you think “If this weren’t a fairly innocent series when it comes to teen sexuality, they would totally get it on right now, cameras and all.” What do you mean, I’m not supposed to give away the plot?
EVERYONE SHOULD READ CATCHING FIRE BECAUSE… HELLO! It’s only my favorite book in the trilogy! It’s our Empire Strikes Back and if you can’t appreciate that, well, you know where you can shove it!
Hopefully, some of you people can express your book feels a little more eloquently!
Reppin’ The Fandom RIGHT Since 2011,
The Girl With The Pearl
The Hunger Games Don’ts of Etsy, Part 2
People think fans of The Hunger Games will buy ANYTHING. No, seriously! It’s not just the book publishers or film studios trying to do it these days! If you thought some of the products they’ve put out for production were a little over the mark, just spend a little time on Etsy and you’ll be running back to the comfort of NECA’s lanyards and pencil sharpeners.
We highlighted some of the outrageous things Etsy sellers have the cojones to sell to Hunger Games fans in an earlier post, but there’s just so much more out there that we had to write up Part 2!
The Hunger Games Movie Scene Print Art, Drawn Left Handed
Once upon a time, some dude took 5 minutes to draw and color the chariot scene with his non-dominant hand and the result was… somewhere between Beavis & Butthead and The Muppets. Put that on high quality paper and it’s totally worth $15, right? …Or just have some 8-year-old recreate the scene for you sometime.
BOOBS Real or Not Real Embroidery
The *cough* artist behind these babies claims it’s a Hunger Games item because it uses the book quote in a way that mocks the series by using the “real” meaning of the question “Real or Not Real?” Also, NOT REAL given how hideously uneven they are, even from a side view!
Sexy Hot Team Peeta Flame Sparkle Totebag
Step 1: Take a promotional still, photoshop on fake cuts and make Josh Hutcherson’s eyes look demonic. Add text that is EXTRA PIXELY.
Step 2: Print image, iron on to bag.
Step 3: Add rhinestones and MOAR FLAME, this time in a bow.
Step 4: List product under every word that might excite an 8-year-old girl!
Hunger Games Crazy Lady Novelty Pin
You mean you’ve NEVER wanted to show your fandom love with a pin in which some deranged looking character with coils for hair and beads for limbs is wearing a cut up Hunger Games poster as a dress?! That’s got a lot of charm and sentimental value, right there!
Katniss and Peeta Couple Earrings
For those of us who have decided it’s not enough to dangle Katniss and Peeta on either side of their face! We must frame them against bright red bows, like a tacky old Christmas portrait! That will show the world how much we love the series!
Jennifer Lawrence Devotional Candle
MOTHER OF GOD! Most of us like Jennifer Lawrence, but not this much! You can now praise her (or one of many other celebs photoshopped into a biblical scene) with this image on an 8-inch candle. We’re not sure if we should laugh or cry.
We’re Laughing and Probably Going To Hell,
The Girl With The Pearl
Many thanks to Savanna from Hunger Games Fireside Chat for finding a couple of these, including that last kicker!
They’ve Been Facebooked!
There’s a lot to be said about social media, “it’s a fad,” “it’s totally necessary,” “it’s a waste of time,” “no one cares what you had for breakfast, stop tweeting!” Yep, all of that and a few other choice phrases have probably been thrown out where it comes to that big bad thing called social media. Me though, I think it’s great, but today is not about me, nope not at all, today is about several people who just happen to be part of The Hunger Games family, who have either just joined a new aspect of the social media phenomena, or have stepped up and reaffirmed their apparent affection for it. First up, I cannot believe she finally caved, but it is our own Mockingjay her self, Jennifer Lawrence! That’s right, around the same time that HungerGamesExplorer officially launched, Jennifer launched an official Facebook page, and according to the page the lady’s been on Facebook since 2008. Not even kidding, scroll down on her page, and you’ll see it plain as the nose on my face, she’s
Oh yeah, she also made this little tiny list!
had a Facebook since 2008, just like the rest of us! I find this telling, especially since she’s said in interviews that she finds social media to be kind of ridiculous, which I can agree with on some level, and disagree with on an entirely different one. social media is simply something that cannot be ignored in this day and age, connectedness is just something we do now, and those who are in the public sphere who embrace this, let’s face it, not new development tend to be liked more by the public. Okay, unless you’re Chris Brown, or Kanye West. In Jennifer’s case though, she’s barely dipped her toes into the water, because her Facebook is kind of empty at this point, and in desperate need of some TLC where it comes to Inter-web-y interaction. Perhaps her team will pick up on this need in a few weeks, until this imagined revelation though expect it to remain pretty sparse.
Now, Ms. Lawrence isn’t the only top billing cast member who has embraced the social media draw, and succumbed to its power, because Josh Hutcherson even has a Facebook dedicated specifically to all things a fan of his needs to know! Or wants to know? I’m not exactly sure on this, but I think Josh might be the person in charge of this page, because all posts seems to be written from his P.O.V, which I think is awesome– because it gives it a more personal touch. Josh is clearly no stranger to the need for using social media, and he seems to have picked a favorite tool, which is Facebook. True, he has a Twitter, but he uses it sparingly, which I can respect, but still not so secretly wish he used it a tiny bit more– ’cause honing your Twitter skills is almost becoming an art form in and of its self.
Not surprising in the least, many other members of The Hunger Games family have Twitter accounts, and Facebook pages, most recently however two members of the Catching Fire cast launched official Facebook pages. Bruno Gunn launched his in the last 
week or so, and he’s planning to use it much like Josh Hutcherson uses his Facebook, in other words to post on current and up coming career projects, I’d also wholly expect some Catching Fire behind the scenes photos to pop up once the film is released. Bruno previously had an other Facebook page, and if you followed that one, you know he’s pretty deft with the social media interaction, sadly that account has been put to bed, and the new one will in time take its place in a more actively professional capacity. However, If you’re hankering for more social media Inter-web-y action from Bruno, he also launched a WhoSay account recently, and he’s been using it frequently lately, so go follow him there if you so will, and as always he’s an active Twitter and Instagram user. Last but not least Stephanie Leigh Schlund, AKA our volatile, and sexy Cashmere launched an official Facebook just this week as well.
Have at it y’all, it’s a veritable feast of social media goodness out there! And also, if you didn’t know it already, Victor’s Village has a Facebook page, a Twitter, a Pinterest, and of course a Tumblr.
Them There Eyes
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
Behind the Scenes Dudes
As you all know by now, I’m kind of really into the behind the scenes stuff where it comes to film making. I know for a lot of people they are kind of forgotten elements, or not even forgotten more like oblivious elements. However after taking basically 5 years worth of continuous film studies courses, yeah– the people who make the films we love and adore so much are not to be ignored, not even a little bit. Okay, you can ignore them, but I reserve the right to judge you for not knowing that one person didn’t just stick a camera somewhere, and asked a bunch of people to memorize some lines, and say them into said camera. Which brings us to now, and the obsessive nature in which we examine nearly every aspect of the making of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire by going with the scraps of information we have access to. In my case, IMDb.com is my new best friend, and it probably owes me cash at this point in our relationship, or something, perhaps it owes me sex, who knows! Anyway behind the scenes people I am currently fascinated with though, ’cause that is the point of this article, are the men whose names have taken up residency under the production titles of Production Design, and Art Direction, basically the areas of film production that house some of my most favoritist things– set design! Yep, set design being the aspect of film production that involves all that fancy stuff called furniture, and set dressings, i.e, the fun stuff! Okay, fun for me.
All right, so these are the dudes who are in charge of everything that we see in the background, or– these are the people who are in charge of the over all look of the film where it comes to set design. Do not be confused, these people do not decide how the film will be shot, that aspect of the production is in the hands of the cinematographer, the lighting department, the editors, and the director. Okay, so here they are! Philip Messina is back as the head of production design, he was at the helm for The Hunger Games, so anyone who was worried about continuity where it comes to that aspect of the series, rest easy– same guy’s in charge, it’s not going to be like watching The Wizard of Oz, and then Return to Oz, which look nothing alike, because they were made almost 50 years apart
One of these dudes worked on Crystal Skull. I don’t judge.
from each other, have an entirely different look, feel, oh– and cast. What I think is comforting, or intriguing about Mr. Messina though, is his body of work outside of The Hunger Games, I’ll name some projects off, and if you haven’t seen them, watch them ASAP. He worked on the pilot episode of Freaks and Geeks, which was a short-lived, critically acclaimed, and over all cult hit series on NBC, look it up and be amazed by the roster of people who worked on this sadly short-lived project. Next we’ve got Erin Brokovich, then we’ve got Traffic, and then Ocean’s Eleven, and 8 Mile, then Solaris (no, I have not seen the original), ooh, then Ocean’s Twelve, which I did not see, so just like you I’m going to have to go watch it ASAP, what else? The Good German, Che: Part Two, The Last Airbender, and then Machine Gun Preacher. There are a couple of lemons on this list, like Airbender, but I’m going to say this– Airbender looked amazing, and that was his job, and he did it well.
Who’s next!? Ah yes, John Collins is back as supervising art director, um– personally his dossier makes me nervous for our children, so I’m just going to skip to the men whose names are underneath his! Adam Davis’ dossier doesn’t make me nervous, it kind of piques my interest a little, ’cause hey– looky there he worked on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and ooh, he was the assistant art director on Super 8. But, ew, he worked on a Jessica Simpson filmed concert, oh well– we can’t all be perfect, besides Francis Lawrence our director extraordinaire is practically the music video king. What’s, I mean who’s next, why it’s Robert Fechtman, who no one has likely heard of, which is sad, because this man has had a diverse career. I’m serious, this man has worked on films that span genres, and 
budget limits, and just, here are a few just so you get a taste– on Star Trek: Into Darkness he was a set designer, Pineapple Express he was assistant art director, Mirror Mirror he was a set designer, he worked on Memoirs of a Geasha, The Aviator, The Holiday, both Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, and At World’s End, Constantine (ah ha, where he met Francis Lawrence!), Three Kings, and my favorite worst bad action movie of the 90s, Starship Troopers. Safely I believe I can say, the man’s ability to design a myriad of different kinds of sets, is probably up there with some of the greatest artists whose work now adorns postcards, and dorm rooms.
Last name! We’re at the last name, and he’s got a whole title and category reserved just for him. He must feel really special. His name is, Larry Dias, and he is the head set decorator, meaning he’s in charge of the small details the I like to stare at for hours, and contemplate their over all meaning, because just like him– I am special too. Back to Larry, who just like Mr. Fechtman, has had a diverse career. Larry unlike Fechtman is a one of the returnees from the original Hunger Games camp, but that won’t stop me from re-examining and marveling over the fact that he worked on Serenity, The Village, and Inception. Nope, not at all.
I’m just going to say it guys, no wonder the Snow-val Office was so impeccably designed, and– our beloved Catching Fire I think is in very safe hands.
Them There Eyes
Cinema Conned
Guys, it was a big deal! Didn’t you hear? Didn’t you know?! The Hunger Games: Catching Fire came to Cinema Con and it was like FLASH! BANG! SURPRISING AWESOMENESS!
The Gate to Fandom Heaven
Let’s recap, shall we?
- Lionsgate’s new space-themed logo is pretty boombastic! Out of this world, perhaps? *symbol crash* At least we know our new cue to start hyperventilating when we get to see the movie in November, right?!
- Elizabeth Banks made an appearance with Grizzly Adams, who filmed the movie back when we knew him as Liam Hemsworth (Just kidding, of course! We <3 beards). Either way, they were both pretty as they introduced the teaser trailer!
- The teaser trailer that debuted during the MTV Movie Awards got played on a big screen!
- FLaw says filming has finally wrapped, something we thought had happened like two months ago. Guess those rumors about the movie taking too long and being over budget held some weight. Ouch.
Okay, so fans were slightly underwhelmed. But believe it or not, that was probably MEANT to be the case. This convention is one geared toward industry insiders, so frills weren’t quite necessary. The audience was filled with cinema owners and operators. They don’t need to be convinced as to why they should be playing Catching Fire, but just in case– HEY CINEMA OWNERS! PLAY CATCHING FIRE OR YOU ARE GOING TO MISS OUT ON AN AVALANCHE OF PROFITS, IDIOTS! (Unless you own an art house theatre, in which case we dig it and forgive you!)
Liz and The Grizz!
There’s really no one to impress at CinemaCon. Every person in that room could hate the premise of the movie, yet they would still play it because it will not fail them on the business end of things. And sadly, no all conventions are created for the flashy panels that us broke-ass fans can watch on YouTube later, because life is unfair.
Good news, though! This is probably the first of many conventions, because the con circuit NEVER ENDS (Some people started going there not knowing what it was, and they’ll continue going there forever just because…)
Don’t worry! There are Catching Fire promos that will blow our socks off, we’re sure! But patience is a virtue pain in the ass that we’ll have to put up with for a while!
That Song Is In Your Head. Sorry We’re Not Sorry,
The Girl With The Pearl
The Demographics
The title of this article sounds like a girl group circa 1965, they sway a lot, and they wear color coordinated outfits, they also say “shoop” a lot, and “na, na, na“. Okay, maybe they don’t, but they might say this– I think the demographic for The Hunger Games franchise has finally reached beyond what the studio originally thought it was, i.e. teenage girls, and their boyfriends being reluctantly dragged to the movie theatre, also possibly parents being dragged to the movies as well.
It’s no big reveal when I say that none of the writers who work for Victor’s Village fall into any of those categories, yep– we’re all women, childless, and all over the age of 25, unless of course we’re lying, and we’re really all 12, 14, and 17, in love with Justin Bieber, and have no idea who Anne Frank is. It’s also no big reveal when I state, at least for me, it’s been difficult being a fan of this series when according to society, I’m not supposed to like it. I’ve personally never thought of The Hunger Games trilogy as a series that’s a cookie cutter young adult novel 
series, it’s just very well– adult to me. True, there’s no sex, there’s no swearing, which also according to society teenagers don’t ever do, therefore it’s left out of a large chunk of the literature that’s geared towards that age bracket. But, yeah– if young adults aren’t having sex, and not swearing, than someone better get me a TARDIS, so I can go back in time and tell probably 80% of the people I knew in high school and college, to well– stop having of the sex, and swearing like sailors.
How, or why do I think the demographic has changed though? Three words, Iron Man 3. Yep, yesterday at Cinemacon in Las Vegas it was announced by Francis Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, and Elizabeth Banks, that The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’s first teaser trailer will be attached to Iron Man 3 when it’s released in the next several weeks. Iron Man 3‘s demographic is not teenager girls, it’s just not– Iron Man 3‘s demographic is actually young adult males ages 12 and up, and dominantly this audience has also read the source material that Iron Man 3 will be based on. Kind of a sharp pivot to the left, don’t ya’ think? Especially considering that The Hunger Games‘ first teaser trailer, and first full length trailer were both attached to the teenage girls Mecca of a film franchise, The Twilight Saga.
Times are a-changin’, and they come with comic books.
Them There Eyes
The Aftermath of Pods in The Capitol
“Pull it together, Four-Five-One,” he says firmly. But you can see him suppressing a smile as he’s double-checking the next pod. Positioning the Holo to find the best light in the smoky air. Still facing us as his left foot steps back onto the orange paving stone. Triggering the bomb that blows off his legs.”
In case you’re a little rusty, that right there was the death of Boggs on page 276 of Mockingjay.
We love you too.
We love to talk about how lucky we are, how good we have to compared to the dark worlds like Panem creeping in the depths of our imaginations. To a point, we’re right. We are lucky that we have basic civil liberties and no one’s sacrificing children’s lives for entertainment. But let’s get this out of the way now: Our world is still pretty fucked up.
There’s a reason why the Internet has so many articles citing ways that the world is slowly devolving into Panem or some other awful dystopia / fantasy universe. Mainly, those articles revolve around the fact that humanity is not particularly good to one another. We’re not all evil. There’s far more good than evil out there, but the evil is prevalent enough that you just can’t ignore it.
For me, what happened on Patriots Day in Boston is a scary example.
Let me just say really quickly that a lot of people in The Hunger Games community checked in with me after hearing about the bombs, remembering that I was from the Boston area. THANK YOU. I don’t actually live in the city itself and was nowhere near it when everything happened, but I’m really touched by the outreach.
I feel kind of callous connecting the death of a fictional character to the death of actual people, but I think I’m trying to make sense of things, because I’d like to think they don’t happen here. But they did. On a fairly unique day for Massachusetts residents, during an international, charitable event. I remember reading Mockingjay for the first time and totally freaking out over the above paragraph. Reading it, re-reading it with my mouth agape, then one more time for good measure, thinking “WHHHHHAAAAAAATT?! NO WAY did that just happen!” When it actually DID happen, I did nothing. I stared at a television in the back room at work and quietly assured my friend that her sister who was at the marathon, not far from from the explosions (and saw more than any person should ever have to) was fine, cell towers were just down. It’s not so rousing when it’s real.
As we think would be the case with any city affected like this, Boston banded together. We helped each other. We rose above the hate. We wish that solved all of humanity’s problems but– as evidenced by the mass shootout that killed one police officer near MIT followed by the massive manhunt going on right now– it doesn’t. All we can do is try to be better than the chaos around us. I know this city is filled with some amazing, unique, beautiful people, which is why it kills me when the worst of the world rears its ugly head here.
It seems silly considering all that’s going on, but we do hope that the Mockingjay films still shoot here. Besides having some prime locations, the city isn’t going to stop moving for anything short of good news. We geek out over movie productions here, but we’re also not crazy set stalker types. In a way, I think the city needs it. Something special, something to smile about. Plus, if you’re here, you’re one of us. And we protect our own.
The Funny Will Be Back This Weekend,
The Girl With The Pearl
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Trailer Breakdown!
Time for another reaction post, this time for the NEW CATCHING FIRE TRAILER! As you can tell, we’re still flailing!
If you’ve never seen our group reaction posts before, they can get pretty damn long. Therefore, we’ve contained most of it under a cut! So refresh yourself by watching the trailer once more, read on, and don’t forget to hit READ MORE for the full effect!
HELLO THERE, TENSION DRIVEN ANXIETY!
TGWTP: Okay! Let’s start with Katniss and Peeta and the Victory Tour. Was it what you were expecting?
Twiffidy: This seems like a much darker version of what I imagined the Victory Tour to be, but I like it!
Them There Eyes: Yes and no. I was expecting more glamour, but I honestly like the grittier side of it that they’ve shown in this.
Twiffidy: Yes exactly, a lot grittier.
Them There Eyes: I like it a lot. I wanted more darkness in the 1st film, so… this is actually living up to my expectations more than that, and I’ve only seen snippets.
TGWTP: Yes! I loved the first film, but I didn’t feel the tension like I wanted to, This time around. It’s there. You definitely see how the experience changed the characters too. The settings aren’t just dark, they are too.
Twiffidy: Totally, even Peeta who was smiling and waving on the train in the first movie
Them There Eyes: Yes! The 1st time I watched this trailer I didn’t take it all in. The second time, it took my breath away, it was so intense.
Twiffidy: He pretty much doesn’t smile.
Them There Eyes: Peeta’s lost his innocence, I think that’s what this trailer is telling the world.
TGWTP: I love that he’s unhappy but still gentle. They cut out his outburst in the attic from the trailer, but I hope it’s in the movie. It’s so powerful because he usually IS so sensitive.
Them There Eyes: I just remember how non-fans of the series watched the 1st film, and said they thought Peeta was weak. I don’t think they can call him weak anymore, he looks kind of pissed actually.
Twiffidy: Totally.
These guys?
PEACEKEEPERS LOVE DOCTOR WHO
Them There Eyes: Can we please talk about the symbolism, of those Peacekeepers costumes!
Twiffidy: I’m really believing that “riot gear” theory from a while back
Them There Eyes: It’s seriously disturbing how their backs resemble a reptile, and then they go crawling, or slithering into that crowd of earth tones like they’re evil ice reptiles.
Twiffidy: Oh man, if that’s any foreshadowing to the reptile mutts…!
Them There Eyes: I never thought of that! But… yes please!
TGWTP: They’re definitely meant to look like a insect or reptilian sort of SWAT team
Them There Eyes: Oh, their helmets remind me of a monster from Doctor Who as well. I can’t recall, but it was a motor cycle geared up soulless cyborg type thing. I think it was from the Tennant era?
THE WHITE ROSE OF BROMANTIC DESIRE
TGWTP: Snow and Plutarch, anyone?
Twiffidy: I swear it reminds of Varys and Littlefinger talking at the counsel table on Game of Thrones
Them There Eyes: I am digging this whole new kind of canon, where the Gamemaker, and the president have little chats.
Twiffidy: Plotting the Games together.
Them There Eyes: And yes, it’s very Game of Thrones-y. I wish Tyrion would walk in and drag a chair to the other side of the room, and just… be amazing
TGWTP: Guys… I think I ship Snow/Plutarch now. Is that wrong?
Them There Eyes: Plutarch/Snow will be braiding each others hair soon… it’s bound to happen.
TGWTP: They bonded over their love of antique furniture and death and now they’ll live happily ever after, right?
Them There Eyes: Yes, happily ever after watching Finnick Odair do what he does best…
TGWTP: Until Plutarch totes turns out to be the best spy ever, that is. He’ll reluctant sneak out at that point, never to be heard from again!
Reaching to hold hands, obvs!
Twiffidy: Snow seems to have way more respect for Plutarch than he did for Seneca.
Them There Eyes: Oh, yeah. He absolutely has more respect for him, he probably thinks he’s less of a threat ’cause he’s older, and a little bit fat, and more old fashioned.
Twiffidy: I think it’ll make the twist of Plutarch’s character that much more surprising. Also, Plutarch seems way less comical than he does in the books.
Them There Eyes: Yeah… maybe that’s just a persona he puts on for Katniss, and this is Closed Doors Plutarch?
TGWTP: Yes! They’ve made him sinister with Snow, which I think works better for film. Maybe in Mockingjay, we see that other side more?
Twiffidy: It’ll be interesting to seem how he acts in the open. The first movie implied that the Head Gamemaker is kind of a public figure.
Them There Eyes: Seneca was more than a figure, I think he was a celebrity in his own right, and then he got a big head because of it.
Them There Eyes: Also, gotta say it… I think it’s telling that Hoffman kept his New York accent. I also think it’s a “tell” to those who are paying attention that he’s a rebel.
Twiffidy: And yes, he could’ve done so many different kinds of voices for Plutarch, it seems like an interesting choice.
TGWTP: Yes, especially where Donald Sutherland’s voice is some much more structured and rigid.
TGWTP: I love how PSH says “They’ll hate her so much, they might just kill her for ya”. Honestly, that is my favorite line in the whole trailer. I DON’T KNOW WHY.
Them There Eyes: Because it’s so delicously evil?
TGWTP: YES, because it is so deliciously evil and so how I picture Plutarch!
Them There Eyes: Yes, a slimy pig in a great suit?
TGWTP: Exactly.
The Hunger Games, Explored
We know. WE KNOW! You want to talk about the trailer, because oh my goodness… that trailer! But we’re holding off one more night, because such an event requires a thoughtful, collective FREAK OUT. You know we love to break things down, so marinate for a while and we’ll get back to you with that goodness later on!
We did, however, get another reveal yesterday! As the MTV Movie Awards started, the Hunger Games Explorer opened its virtual door to fans! We came, we saw… we said “That’s it?”
For all intents and purposes, Hunger Games Explorer is a fancy Tumblr or Pinterest board that gathers up fan reactions to the Catching Fire teaser trailer, along with a link to the teaser and a smattering of stills and gifs and fan art.
We enjoy all those things, of course. We just have multiple sources for this information already. We guess it technically is a way to explore The Hunger Games, but we had high hopes for a chance to explorer the world behind The Hunger Games, aka the districts introduced in Catching Fire and more of The Capitol, in an interactive format.
One idea gives us hope: Soft Launch! Maybe? Possibly? (Probably not.) The time between the teaser trailer announcement and release was not long enough for Lionsgate to create an advanced, detailed advertising experience. We’re hoping that there will be bells and whistles later on, closer to the release date. Think of Lionsgate as a classy lady who’s not going to give it all up on the first date! …We hope.
Capitol Tour v2.0… GO!
The Girl With The Pearl
