I'm Going To Watch Catching Fire

[Basilisa Marie]

I haven't read the books in awhile but I remember liking each successive book less than the previous one.  As far as I'm concerned, it became too focused on the love triangle and I'm not interested in the twilight-style drama...that being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the first movie and am excited to see this one too   :proud:

 

I know her editor had her put more romance-y drama in it to make things more "palatable" for readers or some nonsense.  So it originally wasn't meant to be quite as important as it was.

But I also think the love-triangely-drama isn't just about which boy she thinks is best. They each represent a different set of priorities, and really a whole different life for Katniss. Gale represents a life thoroughly based in her culture from District 12, being a revolutionary and fighting for the freedom of her fellow citizens. Peeta, on the other hand, represents a life after her experiences in the Arena, really coming to terms with all the horrors she's experienced, healing from it, and beginning a new life. So really it's not just about a choice between two boys, but two whole different directions for her future. 

 

For that matter, Prim represents who Katniss may have or could have been if her father hadn't died, and also the remnants of Katniss' childlike innocence. Her mom represents who Katniss could have turned into (and did, for a bit, especially toward the end of Mockingjay) if she decided to stop fighting for the things she holds dear. Haymitch is who Katniss would have turned into had she decided to live her life complacent with the Capitol's agenda. 

Looking at it from this angle, I think it makes Katniss's decisions make more sense, and means certain events really had to happen the way they did, if you know what I mean (trying to not be super duper spoilerly here). 

[Basilisa Marie]

I've read the books. Basically, they have really strange fashion because it shows how strange and detached they are from the real world, or in other words, the other Districts.

 

That, and the people from the Capitol are obsessed with materialism and consumerism and all that gaudy ridiculousness. In the books, you see that the districts that are geographically closer to the Capitol (which fans generally think is either located around Denver or Salt Lake City) produce higher-quality luxury goods or valuable commodities (and thus are wealthier), and adopt more of the Capitol's attitudes when it comes to materialism and perception of the Hunger Games. Like, their teens will attend special training academies for the games and many of them volunteer themselves in pursuit of "glory" and have to use all kinds of rules to figure out which volunteer gets to go and such.  Other districts that are farther away from the Capitol produce less expensive products (food, lumber, coal), live in poverty, and see the games for what they are - horrific televised murders.  District 12, where Katniss comes from, is thought to be located in Appalachia (possibly West Virginia), is the poorest and one of the farthest district from the Capitol. 

[Ice_nine]

I know her editor had her put more romance-y drama in it to make things more "palatable" for readers or some nonsense.  So it originally wasn't meant to be quite as important as it was.

But I also think the love-triangely-drama isn't just about which boy she thinks is best. They each represent a different set of priorities, and really a whole different life for Katniss. Gale represents a life thoroughly based in her culture from District 12, being a revolutionary and fighting for the freedom of her fellow citizens. Peeta, on the other hand, represents a life after her experiences in the Arena, really coming to terms with all the horrors she's experienced, healing from it, and beginning a new life. So really it's not just about a choice between two boys, but two whole different directions for her future. 

 

For that matter, Prim represents who Katniss may have or could have been if her father hadn't died, and also the remnants of Katniss' childlike innocence. Her mom represents who Katniss could have turned into (and did, for a bit, especially toward the end of Mockingjay) if she decided to stop fighting for the things she holds dear. Haymitch is who Katniss would have turned into had she decided to live her life complacent with the Capitol's agenda. 

Looking at it from this angle, I think it makes Katniss's decisions make more sense, and means certain events really had to happen the way they did, if you know what I mean (trying to not be super duper spoilerly here). 

 

let's be friends

[Basilisa Marie]

let's be friends

 

Hahaha if you liked that then you'll really like the idea that...

 

[spoiler]Peeta is basically Katniss' action movie girlfriend. Peeta is good at baking cakes and painting (two stereotypically female things),  communicating his feelings, and for most of the series nurtures an unrequited romance for Katniss. Katniss is basically the stereotypical male action hero - she hunts, is bad at "feelings," saves Peeta's life multiple times in the Arena and has people go on a big fat rescue mission to get him from the Capitol (and would have gone herself had she not been full of PTSD). Flip their genders and you'd have one massive action movie stereotype. :) [/spoiler]

[Ice_nine]

lollerskates

[Kateri89]

I know her editor had her put more romance-y drama in it to make things more "palatable" for readers or some nonsense.  So it originally wasn't meant to be quite as important as it was.

But I also think the love-triangely-drama isn't just about which boy she thinks is best. They each represent a different set of priorities, and really a whole different life for Katniss. Gale represents a life thoroughly based in her culture from District 12, being a revolutionary and fighting for the freedom of her fellow citizens. Peeta, on the other hand, represents a life after her experiences in the Arena, really coming to terms with all the horrors she's experienced, healing from it, and beginning a new life. So really it's not just about a choice between two boys, but two whole different directions for her future. 

 

For that matter, Prim represents who Katniss may have or could have been if her father hadn't died, and also the remnants of Katniss' childlike innocence. Her mom represents who Katniss could have turned into (and did, for a bit, especially toward the end of Mockingjay) if she decided to stop fighting for the things she holds dear. Haymitch is who Katniss would have turned into had she decided to live her life complacent with the Capitol's agenda. 

Looking at it from this angle, I think it makes Katniss's decisions make more sense, and means certain events really had to happen the way they did, if you know what I mean (trying to not be super duper spoilerly here). 

 

I like your analysis and I agree with it but it seems Collins could've shown all of that without trying to appeal to the teenybopper fan girls out there.  The books are obviously very focused on the corrupt politics of the Capitol and that is enough in itself to keep most people interested.  It's one of the reasons I think the Harry Potter books were so widely popular - they were all about the ultimate battle between good and evil and you saw that from the perspective of the older generation (i.e. Dumbledore) all the way down through the younger generation (i.e. Harry).  I sometimes think writers underestimate teenagers, assuming that they would only like a book if there was some sort of romance or love triangle in it.

 

On a separate note, one thing I really liked about the HG series is that Katniss could see that not all of the people in the Capitol were bad people.  Many were pretty ignorant of the suffering of the people in the districts because the government lied to them, too.  So I think that is primarily what differentiated Katniss and Gale.  He wasn't willing to admit that there were some decent people living in the Capitol.  He was angry and prideful at the same time whereas Peeta knew the same people Katniss knew and could see the good in them as well.

[PhuturePriest]

I know her editor had her put more romance-y drama in it to make things more "palatable" for readers or some nonsense.  So it originally wasn't meant to be quite as important as it was.

But I also think the love-triangely-drama isn't just about which boy she thinks is best. They each represent a different set of priorities, and really a whole different life for Katniss. Gale represents a life thoroughly based in her culture from District 12, being a revolutionary and fighting for the freedom of her fellow citizens. Peeta, on the other hand, represents a life after her experiences in the Arena, really coming to terms with all the horrors she's experienced, healing from it, and beginning a new life. So really it's not just about a choice between two boys, but two whole different directions for her future. 

 

For that matter, Prim represents who Katniss may have or could have been if her father hadn't died, and also the remnants of Katniss' childlike innocence. Her mom represents who Katniss could have turned into (and did, for a bit, especially toward the end of Mockingjay) if she decided to stop fighting for the things she holds dear. Haymitch is who Katniss would have turned into had she decided to live her life complacent with the Capitol's agenda. 

Looking at it from this angle, I think it makes Katniss's decisions make more sense, and means certain events really had to happen the way they did, if you know what I mean (trying to not be super duper spoilerly here). 

 

 

That, and the people from the Capitol are obsessed with materialism and consumerism and all that gaudy ridiculousness. In the books, you see that the districts that are geographically closer to the Capitol (which fans generally think is either located around Denver or Salt Lake City) produce higher-quality luxury goods or valuable commodities (and thus are wealthier), and adopt more of the Capitol's attitudes when it comes to materialism and perception of the Hunger Games. Like, their teens will attend special training academies for the games and many of them volunteer themselves in pursuit of "glory" and have to use all kinds of rules to figure out which volunteer gets to go and such.  Other districts that are farther away from the Capitol produce less expensive products (food, lumber, coal), live in poverty, and see the games for what they are - horrific televised murders.  District 12, where Katniss comes from, is thought to be located in Appalachia (possibly West Virginia), is the poorest and one of the farthest district from the Capitol. 

 

Hahaha if you liked that then you'll really like the idea that...

 

[spoiler]Peeta is basically Katniss' action movie girlfriend. Peeta is good at baking cakes and painting (two stereotypically female things),  communicating his feelings, and for most of the series nurtures an unrequited romance for Katniss. Katniss is basically the stereotypical male action hero - she hunts, is bad at "feelings," saves Peeta's life multiple times in the Arena and has people go on a big fat rescue mission to get him from the Capitol (and would have gone herself had she not been full of PTSD). Flip their genders and you'd have one massive action movie stereotype. :) [/spoiler]

 

We should talk a lot more often than we already do.

[Ice_nine]

We should talk a lot more often than we already do.

 young adult book book club . . . club

[PhuturePriest]

 young adult plus 1 fetus book book club . . . club

 

Fixed.

[Basilisa Marie]

I like your analysis and I agree with it but it seems Collins could've shown all of that without trying to appeal to the teenybopper fan girls out there.  The books are obviously very focused on the corrupt politics of the Capitol and that is enough in itself to keep most people interested.  It's one of the reasons I think the Harry Potter books were so widely popular - they were all about the ultimate battle between good and evil and you saw that from the perspective of the older generation (i.e. Dumbledore) all the way down through the younger generation (i.e. Harry).  I sometimes think writers underestimate teenagers, assuming that they would only like a book if there was some sort of romance or love triangle in it.

 

On a separate note, one thing I really liked about the HG series is that Katniss could see that not all of the people in the Capitol were bad people.  Many were pretty ignorant of the suffering of the people in the districts because the government lied to them, too.  So I think that is primarily what differentiated Katniss and Gale.  He wasn't willing to admit that there were some decent people living in the Capitol.  He was angry and prideful at the same time whereas Peeta knew the same people Katniss knew and could see the good in them as well.

 

I totally agree with you, especially about Katniss and Gale. I really think that her experiences in the Capitol, especially with Effie and her prep team, really showed her how ignorant and oblivious most of the Capitol citizens were. It's like she saw that they had mitigated culpability for their actions; they truly didn't know any better.  Gale, on the other hand, had never actually met any real Capitol citizens - his only real encounter with people representing the Capitol are with Peacekeepers, and we all know how well that went.  :pinch:  

 

I really liked how in Catching Fire there's a noticeable difference in Effie's clothing. In the first movie, she looks like a weird robot doll, with a very metallic, unnatural color combinations and makeup. But in the second movie, you see that she's choosing a more natural aesthetic. It's still wildly over the top (it's the Capitol, after all), but she significantly tones down the amount of face paint she wears, and chooses outfits inspired by nature (the butterfly dress, stuff that looks like feathers or flowers) and when she does go for something more metallic again, it's wearing gold to try and foster a sense of unity in the "team." Watching Katniss shows Effie a whole new side of the Capitol and the games, and in response Effie makes some baby steps to change the way she does things. And it means a lot - Effie's whole career is about fashion and society and impressing others. Before she met Katniss, her dream was to work her way up to a position working with the tributes from District 1 or 2. Now, not so much. 

[Basilisa Marie]

Fixed.

 

Psh, don't sell yourself short. I pulled a 5 on the AP Lit exam when I was about your age.  :hehe2:

 

We totally should have a Phatmass Book Club.  

[PhuturePriest]

Psh, don't sell yourself short. I pulled a 5 on the AP Lit exam when I was about your age.  :hehe2:

 

We totally should have a Phatmass Book Club.  

 

You pulled a 5 on the what?

 

And yes we should.

[Basilisa Marie]

You pulled a 5 on the what?

 

And yes we should.

 

Oh, the Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition exam, one of the exams run by College Board that you can take to potentially get college credit, mostly to get out of intro classes.  Basically what I meant was that people of fetus age are totally capable of contributing to analyzing a good book. :) 

 

[PhuturePriest]

Oh, the Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition exam, one of the exams run by College Board that you can take to potentially get college credit, mostly to get out of intro classes.  Basically what I meant was that people of fetus age are totally capable of contributing to analyzing a good book. :) 

 

 

Oh, I wasn't saying I didn't have the capabilities of analyzing a book -- I'm far too opinionated to think that. :P I was just making a joke because some people here call me a fetus.

Edited December 3, 2013 by FuturePriest387