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32: Catching Fire Part One
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In this episode of BookWatch, the tributes of the district return to Panem for the second installment of Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games Trilogy, Catching Fire. This episode covers the cast of the 2013 film adaptation directed by Francis Lawrence, as well as all of the events leading up to the 75th Hunger Games and how the Quarter Quell came to life from page to screen. Special guest J Scotty St. Clair rejoins the tributes for this discussion as we follow Katniss’ journey back into the arena.
Join hosts Chris, Jordyn, and Sarah-Daye and specieal guest J Scott St Clair as they break down what worked, what didn’t, and whether this adaptation does the book justice.
Tell us your thoughts! Did you love or hate this adaptation? Let’s discuss in The Book Watch Lounge on Facebook
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Transcript
00:00:02
Speaker
Hello,
Introduction to 'Catching Fire' and Podcast Theme
00:00:03
Speaker
book watchers. Welcome back to another episode of book watch on this episode. We are watching the hunger games catching fire by Suzanne Collins published in 2009 and it's 2013 adaptation the hunger games catching fire directed by Francis Lawrence who will move on to direct the other films as well marking J part one and two. This film is adapted by Simon Bufoy and Michael Arndt. And the audiobook was originally narrated by Carolyn McCormick and now has an updated edition narrated by Tatiana Maslany.
00:00:38
Speaker
I'm Sarah Day. and I'm Chris. And I'm Jordan. And we do have another special guest this episode returning and we will introduce him after these messages.
00:00:57
Speaker
Welcome to Book Watch, the podcast where pages meet screens. Each week, we dive into the world of adaptations, comparing beloved books with their cinematic counterparts. From faithful retellings to bold reimaginings, we'll break down what worked, what didn't, and what made each adaptation unforgettable. Whether you're a bookworm, a movie buff, or both, grab your bookmark, grab your popcorn, and let's watch some books.
00:01:22
Speaker
Welcome back.
Guest Introduction and Plot Discussion
00:01:23
Speaker
Jay Scottie, welcome back to you as well. Thank you for coming back on for another Hunger Games book. Thank you so much for having me back. If you feel like it, feel free to refer to me for the purposes of this podcast. You can refer to me as the Mockingjay Scottie Sinclair if you'd like to.
00:01:40
Speaker
Sure. That's a mouthful. It's Mr. Mockingjay. It is little bit. Maybe Jabberjay is more appropriate. Mr. Mockingjay.
00:01:50
Speaker
Catching Fire is the second installment of Suzanne Collins' popular dystopian trilogy, The Hunger Games, which follows Katniss Everdeen as she navigates the act aftermath of her victory in the 74th Hunger Games. After unintentionally defying the capital by threatening a double suicide with fellow Victor Peeta Millarck, Katniss finds herself at the center of a growing rebellion across the 12 districts of Pan Am.
00:02:14
Speaker
President Snow, sensing the threat she poses, forces her back into the arena for the special 75th Hunger Games, known as the Quarter Quell, where past victors are forced to compete once again.
00:02:29
Speaker
The 2013 film adaptation was a massive critical and commercial success. As we all know, we're still getting films. It grossed over 865 million worldwide.
00:02:42
Speaker
And it is widely considered to be one of the strongest entries in the fer in the franchise. What are our initial thoughts of this second installment?
Book vs. Film: Character Exploration and Adaptation Choices
00:02:52
Speaker
Are we talking about just the book or collectively the book and the film together at this point?
00:02:57
Speaker
Collectively. Collectively? Okay, well, I'll start with just the book a little bit because just to refresh and and for you know the the co-host that I'm podcasting with for the first time here, when we did the first couple of episodes on the original Hunger Games, when I read this book for the first time, it was basically I watched the first movie and then in a span of like a week, two weeks tops, I went to my local library, got all the books and just tore through them.
00:03:22
Speaker
So I kind of appreciated this opportunity to go back and visit the book with some like time in between and appreciate it on its own. And ah for those reasons, I think I actually kind of appreciate the title Catching Fire because I do think this book is a slow burn a little bit more so than the first one. And we'll see with Mockingjay there. ah But to that end, it was it was kind of a challenge, right? When you have a concept like The Hunger Games that is cyclical, happens every year. Like you have it with the Harry Potter books a little bit too. Like they go back to school. So you want to hit similar beats, but you also have to change it up so it doesn't feel like a complete rehash. And I thought the slow burn worked in this instance. Like we get to spend a lot more time in District 11 as well as the other districts, learn a little bit more about the culture and the history and just the sentiment.
00:04:07
Speaker
of Pan Am. I do think there's a little bit more of the melodrama when it comes to the love triangle that we have between Peta, Gale and Katniss. But I thought particularly with the character of Peta, it just made me appreciate him that much more. So I think it's definitely a solid entry. I think this is another case where I like the book a little bit better than the movie, just because you get to spend so much more time in characters' heads and have more interactions and conversations and just get all that extra added context.
00:04:37
Speaker
I totally agree. The world feels a lot more lived in, in this book. It, you kind of start to feel the, um the, the, most the way that the Hunger Games have affected each of these districts and the way the Capitol feels compared to each district and the way they um live way above their means. Whereas everybody in the each district is just kind of slaves being taken advantage of in, in their specific way and barely making it by, I think that,
00:05:03
Speaker
that really was a lot more established than knew about it in the last one. You really ah get to experience it in this one. I agree that it made the book really, really interesting.
00:05:14
Speaker
Yeah. This has been, still is, and should be one of the best book to screen adaptations. You know, it's, There's so much that they hit and even if they have to like shrink moments down a little bit or like make some alterations, there's a lot of lines that are said word for word in the film that come directly out of the book. There's only like one major omission that I can think of, but ah when you when we
Pacing and Rebellion Themes in 'Catching Fire'
00:05:43
Speaker
get more into you know that part of the book once we get there,
00:05:46
Speaker
It kind of makes sense why it was cut for movie purposes, because there's it's kind of hard to make that make sense in the flow of a film. um and but But everything else is just like beat for beat. It's exactly how it happens. It makes sense. And the book...
00:06:03
Speaker
you know talking about the plot and how much more of a glimpse we get at the wider you know scale of Panem, two-thirds of the book are from the end of the last Hunger Games until the start of the 75th Hunger Games. Two-thirds of the book is going through District 12 and then 11 and then all of that, dealing with the capital, getting ready for the quarter quell. And then the last third of the book, the last nine chapters, is the games itself. And so I think that's really important, like,
00:06:32
Speaker
Like you said, it's a slow burn setting up the stage where every the rebellion is catching fire for that final installment to be able to make that all make sense. You have to lay the groundwork. And so the first this whole book is laying that groundwork. And I think it's done really, really well. I blew through the whole thing today. Again, i have a tendency to procrastinate. But it was so... The pacing is so good. like there's There's no time where I'm like, oh my gosh, this is boring or this doesn't matter. like Everything you can see is very intentional from the very beginning to the very end. Everything has a meaning and a purpose and it's just like putting it all together once you see the whole story.
00:07:13
Speaker
Yeah, like as my intro said this was one of the strongest entries in the trilogy, both the book and the film. and I started this podcast, Jay Scottie was on my very first episode with the Hunger Games because it's one of my favorite adaptations because I think they do so well with the source material. They really honor it. And this particular book is my favorite of the trilogy. So I was very excited to get to this episode. And this film is my favorite of the trilogy. I have yet to see songbirds and snakes. As you know, I'm going wait for us to cover it on the podcast. Cool. And I am I'm thinking Sunrise on the Reaping may knock Catching Fire out of my first place position, but time will tell. We will see come November. But yes, I agree with everything you guys have said so far. This is a great adaptation. Everything. And this goes across the board for this trilogy.
00:08:10
Speaker
Everything that they cut or changed made sense for the film and it still works. And I don't hold anything against the filmmakers because it's still such a solid adaptation and they still respect the source material so well.
Character Focus and Symbolism in Adaptation
00:08:25
Speaker
Yeah, while we're on the subject of what a faithful adaptation it is, and I agree, there are are certain sequences and lines that are beat for beat, like straight out of the book and just so, so well adapted. But I know for the purposes of the podcast, we're going to kind of separate the first part of the story from the second part. And I found most of the changes to be in that first part.
00:08:44
Speaker
part of the part of the the the movie and the book there and i i think it was you jordan that referred to the pacing and i agree the pacing in the book is so great but that is what i found to be one of the big differences between the book and the movie like um you spend so much like i said you spend so much time in the districts on the victory tour like you get the sense that the victory tour really is taking like weeks and like the better parts of months there where it feels like you really I kind of felt in the film like they really wanted to breeze through that stuff. I mean, there's there's stuff there like you have the whipping scene with Gail, which is really heartbreaking and hard to watch. But I kind of felt like they really wanted to get through that part to get back to the Capitol and back to the thing that like casual viewers would kind of glom onto and be like, oh, these are the hallmarks.
00:09:28
Speaker
of Hunger Games that we recognize. And I thought the film really picked up at that part. But in the book, I was, you know, riveted the whole way through because the conflict that you have with the characters is so rich and explored.
00:09:41
Speaker
So, yeah I know, Jordan, I think you mentioned one big difference, but I know we have, like, the character of Darius is completely omitted. And then the big thing that i recognized was missing was, like, Katniss's visits to the lake house.
00:09:54
Speaker
and the injury that kind of happens around that and the two characters she meets, Bonnie and Twill, who kind of plant the seeds like the Mockingjay is a symbol. And there are rumors about District 13 still you know being alive and and being the seed of this rebellion.
00:10:11
Speaker
Yeah, that is what I was referring to. And then the whole kind of crux of why the plot of this book works is because Katniss doesn't know anything. and secrets are being kept from her. And so to remove that scene of her like hearing about District 13 and like her starting to question things from Bonnie and Twill, it does kind of play into that aspect of her character a little bit more where like she's very single minded. She's very focused on save Peta.
00:10:41
Speaker
The first hunger game, she's very focused on stay alive so I can get home to my sister. And then this hunger games it's I O Peta my life. Peta is, you know, but her and Haymitch are in agreement. Peta is the best of us. Peta must be saved. And so it makes sense for her to not know or care about anything else that's happening around her because her only focus is taking care of Peta. And so like, I think that scene, those scenes are really important in the book, like we said, for setting the groundwork of like, there are rumblings of a rebellion happening and there, The 13 does exist and it has been rebelling. And so she starts thinking about these things and she says, like, I want to leave a revolution. And Hamish is like, that's stupid. Like, we can't do that here in 12. We don't have the numbers, all these things.
00:11:26
Speaker
But it makes sense to take it take that out of the film because it just plays into her.
Character Motivations and Systemic Changes
00:11:33
Speaker
focusing solely on Peta and she's not thinking about leading a rebellion. She's not thinking about resisting the capital. She just wants to take care of the people she loves. That's all she cares about. And so that, you know, while that change is a big change, I think, because it removes that little bit of exposition for the future, it is a valid change because it of what it does for her character.
00:11:55
Speaker
And that focus on PETA really leads to leads into the next film with where PETA's story goes. it kind of She has her fatal flaw of loving all of her family and PETA included and Hamish enough that by the time they get into the next film and book and what happens there with PETA, it really hurts her more and everybody around her is able to be used against her more so. But she needed to establish that.
00:12:19
Speaker
And I know the book mentions... book mentions her confusion over her feelings for Gale and Peta. But I do think the movie makes it more evident that she's falling more in love with Peta during these games. um Just like their acting and their chemistry is so good together. um And now you had mentioned Darius and those two characters in the woods. I do agree that it would have been nice to see Darius and to see the contrast between Darius and Thread oh sure
00:12:56
Speaker
Not that Darius was a good guy. I mean, he was known for, you know, being prostitution. That was Clay. That was Cray. Who's Darius?
00:13:08
Speaker
Darius is the younger. Yeah, he gets turned into a Avox. He's the one that like okay butts in during Gale's whipping and he gets knocked out. So when Katniss arrives, he was a peacemaker or no?
00:13:19
Speaker
He was a peacemaker, but generally he was well liked by the the residents of 12 and the Hobbes. Okay. I confuse those characters too, I think. i thought They often get mentioned in the same breath. Yeah, it's it's an easy use. Well, both of them. Both of them. And even in the original book, they cut out an AVOX. um Didn't she see somebody running away in the woods in the first one?
00:13:45
Speaker
Yes. Yeah, there was two. Yeah. So, I mean, there's only so much you can fit into a movie. um But again, seeing the contrast between those peacemakers and kind of the system and the hub and the black market and all of that, and then thread comes in and just, you know, changes and shakes things up would have been nice to see.
00:14:07
Speaker
It would have been nice to see, but like we're all saying, I really don't fault them for not including those things. I think they were able to effectively convey those ideas. And yeah, when you're working with the economy of screen time, like, I recall in the movie on the in the train when they're on the way to 11, she sees in the sub like the tunnel the little flash of the Mockingjay symbol. And that kind of replaces things like her ah the bread being baked in that pattern and and things like that. and the Her slow realization that it's becoming a symbol. But that does bring to mind, I think, one of the other big differences. and it does
00:14:39
Speaker
bleed a little bit into the later part of the story so I'll save some of my thoughts but Plutarch Plutarch heavens be like there's a whole sequence and and cut me off if I'm getting too far ahead of myself here because I think it's relegated to the first part of the book when she's she has the dance with him and he flashes the watch and you see the the mockingjay symbol and it's kind of setting up so many things and I think when you read the book I mean I read I was reading the book for the second time so I recalled where his character goes and was very quickly able to call that hint out for what it was but i'm trying to think back to the first time i read the book i don't think it i think if you're very a very astute and keen-eyed reader you might hone in on that but i don't think it's spelled out for the average um reader so it makes sense to have that change where that's not spelled out for the viewer and you can kind of tease you know the reveals that happen later but also when you cast somebody like uh uh
00:15:31
Speaker
Philip Seymour Hoffman, as well as Donald Sutherland, like that's the thing. so Snow definitely appears a lot in the book, but he's used in a different way. Like the conversations between Plutarch and Heavensby do a good job of conveying the growing sentiment in the Capitol and how Katniss's attempts to, you know, kowtow to the this President Snow's demands to save her people, how that's not really working. Those are really well conveyed in those sequences, I think.
00:16:00
Speaker
It gives us a bit a bit more of the inner head conversation. What we would have be seen from Katniss thinking is kind of portrayed through those moments of the them talking, I think. Yeah, that's the beauty of of the film is you can get multiple points of view yeah versus the book. It's you're in Katniss's head. And if she doesn't know something, we don't know something. So she doesn't know that Plutarch is you know the man on the inside. So even though he tries to give her the hint, like I said before, she's so focused on like, I hate all of these people. I just want to take care of PETA. I just want to make sure PETA is alive. So she's not even looking for hints or signals or anything like that. So, you know, yeah, if you're just reading as Katniss, it makes sense where, you know, you're not going to pick up on those things. And then upon the reread, you're like, oh, my God, she's a Suzanne Collins is a genius. She laid the groundwork all the way back here. it' so it's really cool that way upon you know rereads and multiple rereads. You always find something new that is amazing.
00:17:01
Speaker
And I did miss that in the movie, him showing her the watch and have he has the symbol. But they took out all of that, like you said, J. Scottie, that um the Capitol was starting to embrace that symbol of the Mockingjay and that because she was the Capitol's darling. um And we don't have that in the film, but we do have Snow's granddaughter in the film who starts wearing her hair in the braid. And she's like, everybody at school is wearing their hair like this now. So you do see that she's having influence on the Capitol. And I do like that they made that change because it's his granddaughter, which I don't believe is in the book as a character.
00:17:40
Speaker
And he has a connection to her. And so he's seeing that this woman that he hates is influencing like his family member and somebody that he loves if he can love. Yeah, that's a great call out. Yeah, I kind of forgot about his granddaughter, but she effectively serves that purpose as well. And it's it's really well done. So yeah, thanks for bringing that up for sure.
00:18:00
Speaker
Yeah.
Cast Performances and Character Backstories
00:18:01
Speaker
All right, let's hop into the cast. I'm going to run through the cast really quickly. This is just for part one of the film. And then we can kind of talk about general thoughts on the cast before hopping into our plot points of the victory tour and part one.
00:18:20
Speaker
Katniss Everdeen, of course, is played by Jennifer Lawrence. Peta Millarck by Josh Hutcherson. Gail Hawthorne by Liam Hemsworth. Hamish Abernathy by Woody Harrelson.
00:18:31
Speaker
Effie Trinkett by Elizabeth Banks. President Snow by Donald Sutherland. Sina is played by Lenny Kravitz. And then we do have Octavia Flavius and Venia in this book, played by Brooke Bundy, Nelson Asensio, and Meta Golding, respectively.
00:18:49
Speaker
Caesar Flickerman, Stanley Tucci, Plutarch Heavensey, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, and then Commander Thread, played by Patrick Sait Esprit.
00:19:01
Speaker
Well, since since he came up the most recently recently there, um I will hone in on Commander Thread for just a second because I think I've only seen Patrick Saint Esprit, excuse me, and one other thing. And if if memory serves, he was in a couple of seasons of Sons of Anarchy. And I thought this was just, I mean, there's a lot of perfect casting across these adaptations, but this was just one, like I read the book so recently and then watched the movie. I thought it was, they just nailed his casting and his ability to convey that. like authority figure with the itchy tra trigger finger that's just unhinged and you're just waiting for him to have some excuse like really really well done and I kind of looked up his his IMDB and I'm surprised he hasn't been given more opportunities because he's just great for that kind of corrupted authority figure Agreed that's good call I'm not familiar with him but everything you said about his acting in this film was spot on There's so many like
00:20:00
Speaker
for lack of a better phrase, like iconic castings in here, like Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket is inspired. Donald Sutherland, like he brings that, like, looks like he just looks like somebody's grandpa. Like he is a grandfather, but like, he's so evil. And he really like nails that like, because, you know, we, we know that eventually the book is called Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and he's the snake. And like, he's, Again, like the groundwork being laid all the way back here where he's described as a snake and he's a viper and a serpent and all these things. Like he really conveys that like I'm going to smile at your face and then I'm sinking my fangs into your neck like I'm going to kill your family or you, you know, all all at the same time somehow. And then I always...
00:20:45
Speaker
know Stanley Tucci as Cesar Flickerman, like it's it's iconic. Like it's he's one of the most memorable characters, just his appearance alone, the blue hair and the sparkles and all of that is something. And then like that could have been a throwaway character, throwaway casting that's like not that important. It's very minimal screen time.
00:21:05
Speaker
But he put his whole soul into being Cesar Flickerman and it paid off so well because you can look at any still from any of the movies and be like Stanley Tucci nailed that in that scene and it's just incredible there's a lot of great acting on display in all of these films but especially this one is really really good And that relationship between Caesar and everybody else is a big part of what establishes who we like in these characters or what we like about these characters. So, and then Sina is a ah done so well too. In the book and the film, he's one of my favorite characters, just the way he carries the rebellious side of her so well, helps her push forward with that and show who she wants to be, not just who the capital wants her to be.
00:21:54
Speaker
and we love that. and chris and jordan you guys weren't here for the first episode where we covered the hunger games um but what are your thoughts on jennifer josh liam woody elizabeth you well jordan you mentioned elizabeth already but like the main in the court cast i i mean at this point i don't think i can see them any other way that part woody harrelson's haymitch is like perfect perfect like And especially like and we just got Sunrise on the Reaping. So now we know his backstory. We get a little bit of his backstory in this book where they watch his games and then he provides some commentary. But like living through his games with him and from his brain and knowing the relationships he had with people and everything he had to go through. I'm like, yeah, I'd probably be an alcoholic too. I'd probably be drowning myself in moonshine as well. having to deal with all of that. And then, you know, District 12, there's no other victors. There's nobody else there who understands what you've been through. So you're just alone. like every So it's really an inspired performance. To be honest, I'm curious. like
00:22:57
Speaker
I know in Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling told Alan Rickman, Snape's End. So he had that insight of how to play that character. I wonder if Suzanne Collins was ever on set and like explained Woody Harrelson's or Hamish's backstory to Woody Harrelson to give him that ability to give that depth in his performance. Because it's so, every so time I see him on screen, I'm just sobbing. It's so heartbreaking, like knowing what kind of trauma he, even before we got Sunrise on the Reaping, the book, just knowing what he could have gone through.
00:23:31
Speaker
And imagining all the horrible details that don't get put on screen for the rewatches of the Hunger Games is just heartbreaking. And he really delivers that. J-Law is great. Josh Hutcherson's great.
00:23:44
Speaker
i Liam Hemsworth is like, whatever, but he's, you know, there's a reason. There's a reason he's not the most famous Hensworth brother. So, you know, all due respect, like he, me, there's, and there's also a reason that pretty much every single Hunger Games is, Team PETA. Team PETA. I'll put that. I'll leave that alone. How could you Well, think even like Book Gale is pretty, you know, despised as well at the end. Yes. Before we get into much like Sunrise on the Reaping references, have everybody read Sunrise on the Reaping?
00:24:21
Speaker
Not yet. I have the book on my bookshelf, but I haven't read it yet. Okay. I wasn't sure because i know I don't think you spoiled anything, but I was going to if I continued. But yes, we do...
00:24:32
Speaker
I'm sorry to make you talk around it, but yeah, I'm sure going to lead. Well, I'm sure you're going to lead into what I was going to kind of say too. we We get kind of the story told when Peta and Katniss are watching it, but I'm really excited to see that recontextualize and expand it because they are pretty thorough about some of the beats that Hamish goes through, especially towards the end. But I think it was really smart in the film not to include that because they don't lock themselves in to any actors or appearances or or anything like that. So i think that was a really smart decision. I'm super excited to read Sunrise on the Reaping.
00:25:07
Speaker
Don't spoil No, I won't. But the rereading it again recently um and then having the context of reading Sunrise on the Reaping, she did such a good job. And that is curious to see what she knew when they were filming this.
00:25:24
Speaker
versus what she based Sunrise on the Reaping on Woody's performance and like how much of that impacted each other and how much she knew going into both properties. Because obviously we have all the beats from the footage they get in this book.
00:25:42
Speaker
And then all the additional context we get in Sunrise on the Reaping about his story and how, like what happened to him before, during and after and why he's made those decisions. Chase got it. can't wait for you to read it.
00:25:56
Speaker
Yeah, I'm excited. i think it's I'm excited. I think it's becoming my new favorite of the, it has become my new favorite of the whole ah whole nice series. And I'm hoping the movie holds up to that. It's one that made me cry the most. So there's that part. yeah I was just about to say that rewatching the movie today. i'm like, I was crying so much. I was in and rereading it too. Like when they're watching his games, I'm crying. Cause I know what's happening in the book. And I was crying during the roof stuff. And I'm like, if I'm crying this much during catching a fire, I am not going to leave the movie theater in November. Dry eyed. Like I'm going to be a wreck in November.
00:26:36
Speaker
Sarah, you day you haven't seen the Songbird one either yet, yet right? i haven't watched it yet. But I wasn't too big a fan of the book. Okay. I think the book was fine. I know we're not here to talk about Songbirds and Snakes, but I'll just say real quickly, like I've said it on other podcasts, but that was the first one that I got the opportunity to watch in a theater, and I didn't read the book beforehand, and I loved it. Like I was just like so pleasantly surprised. I don't want to give any story beats away, but what they're able to do, it's and it's a long movie too. I think it's like two hour and 45 minutes, but what they're able to do as far as character work
00:27:13
Speaker
across that movie i I thought was very well done and very impressive. And that's all I'll say. Have you read the book too? now no i've got that on my bookshelf as well got it okay yeah i i read the book so i know what happens and i know the arc of everything i just have it i just we didn't see the movie and then i started the podcast i'm like well this might as well just wait so i just have i've yet to see the movie um but i just i don't care about president snow like it was interesting to see how he and tigris became who they became but um
00:27:47
Speaker
i he's not the character like i He's just not a character I was interested in learning more about. Hey Mitch, yes, fascinated. The rumor is Finnick is going to be next. Okay, fascinated. I think there's some other characters we could get that would be better.
00:28:02
Speaker
um But that's a conversation for another day. I've heard rumor that it'll be Plutarch. i I like that one. i think that will be interesting after um things that happened in Sunrise, seeing how Plutarch became a part of the rebellion and and what's happening on the capital side of things between Sunrise on the Reaping and the Hunger Games trilogy.
00:28:27
Speaker
Right. I was starting to say i think we might have to do that one as a live watch before in November, just fit that in right before there so we can discuss it and then move into the podcast and the new movie.
00:28:39
Speaker
but yeah That one will be a fun live watch. You're talking about song, but right? Yes. Yeah. So most of us haven't watched it. We'll have to. Yeah, we'll have to make it a part of the the process here.
00:28:50
Speaker
um One quick final note on Songbirds and Snakes before we move along back to Catching Fire. I thought it was really impressive and also important how Suzanne Collins was able to provide backstory for President Snow and explain why he is the way he is without redeeming him. Because he isn't...
00:29:11
Speaker
evil son of a biscuit. He does not deserve redemption. He does not deserve ah you know a hero's turn. or like He's morally great. No, he's just evil. And there's no excuse for what he's done. And he deserved every ounce of pain and suffering that he went through at the end of Mockingjay. And i really respect her ability as a writer to because a lot we see that it's a very popular thing in pop culture right now where it's like let's give the villain a backstory and now it's like oh no like they were just misunderstood it's like no you can't misunderstand forcing children to go into an arena and kill each other there's no misunderstanding that it's just evil and so much of you find out in that book just super minor spoilers i'm sorry so much of what the modern or the current Hunger Games looks like were his ideas. And it's like he he's the worst. And so to write a whole book about him and still have him come out being the worst is very impressive.
00:30:11
Speaker
Well, now that you've said that, I feel a little safer about saying, and with everybody providing the caveat that they've read the book, or as I've only seen the movie, what the comparison that I've often made is I think what they were able, and it's all to your point there, Jordan, about like he's, um but there there are some differences in terms of like, are they ultimately redeemable at the end? But what I think that movie was able to do, and I'll be curious to see if the book does it as well, it sounds like ah ah arguably, but Star Wars with the prequel trilogy, they had three movies to like take us from having Anakin be like this beloved kid to basically space Hitler.
00:30:46
Speaker
and i like I love Star Wars and I love the prequels. I'm an apologist when it comes to the prequels, but I i would argue that The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes does that more effectively, like takes a character that you have some... like you know He could have been a good person, but all of this happens to make him utterly evil, like we're saying. So um I feel like this is a natural segue on the subject of snow to turn it back to catching fire.
00:31:11
Speaker
In the book, Suzanne Collins talks so much about like the intoxicating smell of roses mixed with blood and the revelation that the the smell of blood is actually coming from his breath. And i I really love that sequence in the movie where he takes the sip from the champagne yeah flute and...
00:31:26
Speaker
and blood like falls back into the cup. It's disgusting. And it's so subtle. But like if you like you missed it on the first watch, I would think at least I know I did. ah My mom did not. She noticed it. And I think we both had read the book. um But it's they don't he makes a slight little facial expression, but they don't linger on it. So like if you know, you know what's going on in that scene.
00:31:51
Speaker
um But if you don't know, like you might not even catch it and like pay attention to that moment.
00:31:58
Speaker
There's another scene, I forget which movie it's in, but he like coughs up blood into a handkerchief or something too. so again I think that might be the next one. Is it the next one? Okay, yeah. But again, like leading like throwing these little breadcrumbs from the book into the films without like taking up a ton of screen time to explain it. is just These filmmakers deserve a lot, a lot, a lot of credit for putting as much stuff straight from the book as they did into these films.
00:32:26
Speaker
So the the next sequel after this one will be like somehow President Snow returns, right? Star Wars sequels. Better not be.
00:32:38
Speaker
Got to kill him again harder. So this book starts out with um kind of where we left off Hunger Games and Katniss and Peta are about to venture on their victory tour, which goes through all the districts and they give a little speech.
Victory Tour Themes and Political Stakes
00:32:56
Speaker
This year, they usually start in 12 and they like work backwards. But since they are 12, they're starting in 11, which was Rue's district. So Katniss...
00:33:09
Speaker
kani um Actually, before we do that, um we get the visit from President Snow. My apologies. Let's start there because she comes back from hunting with Gail.
00:33:24
Speaker
And they have surprised her and her sister and mother kind of cover up for her. And um she has this meeting with Snow. He says, you know, uprisings are beginning. You need to really make the um districts believe that you are head over heels in love with Pina. And then he reveals that he does know about the kiss between her and Gail. in the book it happened like days weeks ago in the movie it happened like moments ago um but yeah so how how do we feel about how the movie has intered introduced these characters in this situation and gone from book one to book two it gives us the menace of snow at this moment it shows us that she isn't out of the woods and as ever she's
00:34:08
Speaker
still in the Hunger Games, even if she's not in the arena right now. She's ah got to make ah the world believe this, because now she's a public figure and in danger constantly. So it gives us that menace.
00:34:20
Speaker
Yeah, I don't want to bag on it too much because I do think it's pretty faithfully adapted and does what it needs to do in terms of, of like you're saying there, Chris, setting up snow as this threat. But this was part of the movie that I was kind to kind of referring to at the top of the episode where it felt like they just kind of didn needed to like get through it. And I felt like they were kind of checking boxes, like we have to have this scene, we have to have this scene to to get to the capitol. So I know in the book, like there's just, again, and that's the benefit of the book, like you get to spend so much more time in Katniss's head so she's able to provide the context about her strained
00:34:51
Speaker
relationship with not just Gale, but also Peta and the the limitations of their ability to see each other and how she is, you know, the only reason she goes hunting these days is to provide ah for his family.
00:35:02
Speaker
So just missing those things.
Surveillance and Katniss's Struggles
00:35:04
Speaker
Again, I think that that's the part of the movie that suffers the most District 12 and the establishment there and particularly Gale, just like he just feels like the other guy by and large. So yeah, it it all works, but not the strongest part of the movie for me.
00:35:19
Speaker
And I most recently read the book and watched the movie like a couple, like probably a month or so ago last. So my, the book is fresh in my mind. So my, everything I'm saying is kind of more from that perspective at this point. So sure. Sure.
00:35:33
Speaker
It sucks that we don't get as much information about like what life is like in 12 at this moment in time. Cause they're in the book and they explain how like, because Katniss and PETA the whole district gets extra food rations. And like, that's a, that's a big deal. That's something important, you know, to know in and the book and it gets cut from the movie, which is not that important for movie purposes. So it makes sense. But like you do,
00:35:59
Speaker
just the nature of it being a film, you lose some of that extra background information and that does kind of suck and it does feel a little bit rushed. Like you said, Jay Scottie, like they want to get back to the glitz and glamour of the Capitol and, you know, the important story beats of Katniss and Peeta and all the things that the extra trauma that they experience now outside of the arena. But I do appreciate how it sets up the like surveillance state that they live under and how presidents know, like you think you're past the fence, you think you're safe. I've got eyes everywhere. Like you're, there's nowhere that safe. All of your conversations can, it will be recorded. All of your actions can, it will be seen like, and it sets that like,
00:36:45
Speaker
Sets the stakes of like you have to convince the districts and me and it also sets that pressure of like I can't even think straight because I never know who's watching me or who's listening to me and that constant like pressure and stress of living in that kind of environment, you know, so I appreciate them establishing that that part of it early Another thing I want to point out and again, I'm really like trying not to bag on this part of the movie because I do like it but I i had to notice that uh Katniss's mom, they the the films give no love to her whatsoever. In the books, Katniss has this begrudging, and well, not begrudging at this point, but growing respect and acceptance for her and admiration for her mother. And there's a lot of time spent on like,
00:37:28
Speaker
She accepts the fact that like her mother went through a traumatic thing. Um, that's not unlike what she went through in in the hunger games and how your response to that trauma is not always within your control. So there's a lot of empathy and compassion for her mom, but there's also a celebration for her abilities as a healer. And they take that from her. It's like, she's shaking with the syringe and and and it's a great moment for prim to take over and show her capabilities, but it's like mom can't do anything in the in the movies.
00:37:55
Speaker
Well, and like we've said, like they they do have to cut some stuff and it's very important to show prims. Um, gift with healing because of what's going to happen in the next book. Like she's one of the youngest um like nurses and doctors in district 13, which is going to play a huge part of, you know, the finale of mocking Jay. So I do, cause we, like you said, we don't get those internal thoughts of Katniss. So they have to show that prim excels at this. But I do agree. Like she, they do take that away from her and I'll be interested to see,
00:38:33
Speaker
um You know what the sunrise because she will be a character in sunrise on the reaping so we'll see how Much we get of her in that movie the mom to clarify not prim Well, not just her. um Another character is that's excluded from the the movies, and I'm not bringing this up to complain, it's just noting a difference, is Madge. And I think we talked about it in yeah and the
Emotional Impact of District 11 and Rebellion Seeds
00:38:56
Speaker
first adaptation. She wasn't a part of that either, which it makes sense. You've got limited screen time. You can only have so many characters. But that really did set up like the significance of the Mockingjay pin that she was given originally. We find out that...
00:39:07
Speaker
um The mayor's, Madge's mom, her aunt, you know, how to her mom had a twin sister that was her aunt that was a tribute during Hamish's games and and died during those games. So again, when not to, you know, go all the way back to Sunrise on the Reaping, but I wonder, like, will they go back and fill in those those details given the fact that people, I mean, arguably more people have seen the movie than read than read the books. So just, it'll be I'll be curious to see.
00:39:37
Speaker
I am wondering because they are actually twins. Madge's mother and Misa Lee. Yeah, I think so. maybe Sisters at least, maybe twins. Yeah, I think they're twins. Yeah, that sounds right. So there's been some discourse on will the actress play twins or will they just combine them into, i guess, because they cut, yes, will they just combine them into one character because Madge isn't in the films, they don't need the twin in the films.
00:40:05
Speaker
Okay, that's fair. Yeah. Um, so now we can get to victory tour and going off script in district 11, PETA donating, um, what is it like one month,
00:40:22
Speaker
of rations to district 11. Um, and then, you know, Katniss gives a little speech and I'm going to start getting emotional again. i started crying in the movie, but you know, the the one gentleman sings Rue's tune and they all do the three, uh, finger salute, which is, I don't think they mentioned it in the films as much as they do in the book, but it is a District 12 sign of respect. um So it's it's a very emotional moment in the book and it kind of, I think, kicks off Katniss's willingness and readiness to start wanting to be a part of the rebellion because of everything that happens here. And she sees them ah persecute this man.
00:41:12
Speaker
yeah It also goes to, to that we don't get the backstory of how like nice the peacekeepers in 12 in the films. But like, that's one of the thoughts she has in the book is like the peacekeepers in 11 are very aggressive. Their district is surrounded by like this hundred foot high concrete wall. There's guards everywhere. Everybody's armed. Like it's not, as It's not nearly as you know casual as things are in 12. And so even that, like because of the the lack of information that can be traded between districts, nobody really knows how anybody else is living or what it's like. And so like getting to experience that from her
00:41:57
Speaker
point of view in the book is it's very shocking because she's never seen anything like it before and then it makes it all the more emotional when the people of 11 sing rue's song and do the salute because like they know they do live in that environment they do know that there will be consequences for their actions and they do it anyways to show you that and that's like the first time that we as the audience both in the book and the movie get to see any sort of unity between the districts because they're always pitted against each other in the games that's the only time they interact with each other is when they're literally forced to kill each other
00:42:35
Speaker
So the fact that there is any interaction and it's peaceful and supportive and you know borderline loving and not murderous, is that in and of itself is dangerous for the Capitol. And so that's why we see the reaction that we do of the man getting put down in front of the whole crowd and Katniss and PETA getting shoved back onto the train and get out of here as soon as you can. like it There's a lot being done in that.
00:42:59
Speaker
scene where you like that's one of those ones where like you can't just kind of watch the movie in order to really grasp what's happening you kind of need that background information of the book I think well do think that Elizabeth Banks did a good job when they first step onto the train platform her reaction and just one line about well I never and you get that this is not normal for the victory tour
00:43:28
Speaker
Not that she's been through a lot of them. Right. That sequence also provides the opportunity for, in the book I recall,
00:43:39
Speaker
Katniss was kind of confiding in Hamish as a confidant initially, like telling him about the threat from Snow. And in the movie, she tells Hamish and Peta at the same time. And Peta still gets to kind of have a similar reaction where he's rightfully upset that information has been withheld from him because the only reason he gave that gift to the the families in Eleven is because he didn't know the consequences of that. And I recall and in the book specifically, like he fears that he sentenced them to death.
00:44:07
Speaker
So, um yeah, i just I just appreciated the the differences there and ah thought it was adapted well as and in both in both versions, but definitely a good opportunity for PETA to stand up for himself because he is often so often catering to Katniss and being so selfless and and like they say, like,
00:44:30
Speaker
there's There's virtually no scenario where you deserve him. He's he you know he's just too good for you. So I thought that was a ah good showcasing for his ability to stand up for himself a little bit.
Capitol vs. Districts: Inequality and Conflict
00:44:43
Speaker
i Just to piggyback off that, I do think that they did a good job because they took two scenes from the book and combined them, like you said, into this one scene. And it's Peeta's reaction. And then it's also Hamish telling her, this is never going to end. Like, this is your life now. yeah um And so like all we're having all of these realizations in this moment. Everybody's acting their butts off. Very, very good. It ends with her you know, there's a hole in the glass. So she's seeing him, them carry off the the body of the man that whistled. And it's just a very powerful scene.
00:45:17
Speaker
It is. So as they're on their tour, they are, um, getting, they're hearing more. Well, Katniss is seeing, um, scenes on the train of the uprising and, um, the prep team is talking about how, um,
00:45:35
Speaker
they're not getting certain things. I think it was like shrimp or something or some sort. I don't remember what it was. think it was shrimp. Yeah. Yeah. Because she's able to say, oh, that means four might be in open rebellion. Yeah.
00:45:48
Speaker
Right. And then, um you know, there's the moment... with the drink that makes get sick so that you can keep on eating and like the, the contrast between that and people starving in 12. This is where we get the dance with, um, Plutarch. Um, we, you know, we've gone through all the districts in the book and get a little montage of that in the movie. And then we're ending with this gala, this present, this presidential gala.
00:46:15
Speaker
What did we think of the montage of the other districts and this, this ball, this grand ball at the end? i I enjoyed it. I thought, yeah, this is, um again, not that the first few minutes of the movie were bad by any means, but I felt like this is where a momentum was starting to pick up a little bit. We're back in the Capitol.
00:46:36
Speaker
And I do think that's a byproduct of the filmmaking as well. Like they really wanted to do it up this time in terms of not, we'll talk about the arena, but just even like the sequences that we have, the establishing shots of the Capitol, like much more expansive, a lot more use of CGI to like sell the architecture. And like, there's one sequence where it looks like a parade. I can't remember the exact context, but it's like,
00:47:00
Speaker
They really do do a great job of visualizing how I know Suzanne Collins took a lot of inspiration from like the Roman Empire and and you know Pan Am is supposed to be kind of a reimagining of the of the Roman Empire and the the Hunger Games are basically gladiatorial battles right so i really I really enjoyed that aspect of the sequence.
00:47:23
Speaker
give them bread and circus and they will never resist you. That's right. And that's, and that's what, what we see when they go to the Capitol is the circus and the pomp and circumstance and all of, all of these things just,
00:47:39
Speaker
and how sheltered the people who live in the Capitol are. And i I really appreciate the book explaining how Katniss is like, you know, I could be just like them if I had been born in the Capitol and I had been fed all of the lies and the propaganda directly from the president. Like it's, you know, just because you live in the Capitol doesn't mean you're evil necessarily. Like you are part of the system, but they, you know, like her, her, um her entourage, like her prep team, They genuinely have no idea what's happening in the world around them. They're so like stuck in the Capitol and what the Capitol says that they can't even comprehend that things could be different elsewhere until they go out to 12 and work with her and see. And they're like, oh, my God, you guys live like this. Like, this is crazy. But then they go back and they forget. And there's all the food and the drinks and the parties and they they don't care anymore. And.
00:48:34
Speaker
like I think these these scenes in the film do a really great job of like demonstrating that and showing like well yeah you can just drink this and then you'll throw up until you can just keep eating and isn't it fabulous and wonderful it's like and like PETA says like there's people that are starving back home in 12 not to mention all the rest of the districts what ah was it like for them um and so this these scenes like like you and like you said Jay Scott he's like getting like the scale of the city and the capital and the grandeur that these people live in.
00:49:06
Speaker
and then you flash back to 12 and people are starving and and it's freezing and, you know, note and people are dying of the of the elements of the cold because you know and it's just like that contrast is really really stark in these films especially because also like you said they they really do it up like with the cgi and the costuming and the makeup and like all of that too oh shout out to costume and makeup like these films are phenomenal truly Yeah, and I think they really do a good job in this stuff with making it feel, you know, 1984, a little bit of the, you know, media controlling everything and you see only what they want you to see. So I like some of the other references you see and, you know, modern times in some ways, you know, you get on TikTok and you see only what they want you to see on your algorithm. So then you jump on Red Note and you see what China's like. So TikTok, that doesn't come until later.
00:50:03
Speaker
yeah well we'llll'll well We'll get back to that. yeah But Plutarch showed her some TikTok here. that's So after everything in the capital, they go back to District 12. She immediately wants to talk to Gail because I guess the key moment at this ball is Snow indicates that he does not believe she's in love with PETA. So she, all hope is gone.
00:50:30
Speaker
um So she tells Gail, we've got to run away. we got to get our families and get out of Dodge. He's upset because she wants to bring Hamish and PETA. And she hints at an uprising.
00:50:44
Speaker
He questions her and she reveals that yes, some of the districts are uprising. He's like, it's happening. I can't run away. We've got to join the rebellion. So, um,
00:50:56
Speaker
I believe this is when I might be confusing the movie in the book, but at some point he returns in the book. He tries to sell the Turkey to the Cray.
00:51:09
Speaker
But in the, movie I don't even remember how, oh, he's saving, he's, he protects another villager. And that's how he starts getting the whipping in the movie. um And that's where we meet thread. um So what are we thinking about these changes? They kind of the movie obviously cut kind of combines a couple of things here and makes it go a little bit faster for pacing.
00:51:38
Speaker
I think they kind of had to change the nature of this scene because they never had Cray or Darius as a character as characters and they never explored the like you know generally kind dynamic between the twelve the peacekeepers in 12 and the citizens of 12. They never explored that in movie one or so far in movie two. So it makes sense for Gale's like active rebellion to be something that's like actually an active rebellion versus just like hunting. Because, you know, he normally like in the book, it explains like anytime there's a wild turkey, you always take it to the head peacekeeper because he'll buy it from you. And they're cool with people breaking the law as long as they benefit from it. Um, and so when you don't provide that backstory and that explanation in the film, you have to do something else. And I think this was as good of a thing as any to kind of show, you know, who Gail is like Gail is willing to, you know, put his money where his mouth is and yeah, we should join the rebellion and I'm going to do a rebellious act to save somebody else right here, right now, even though I, there's going to be consequences with this new person. um
00:52:49
Speaker
And like you said earlier, J. Scottie, like this actor is just so scary and so intimidating. and He does a really great job of like setting the tone of like, this is not somebody to be messed with. This is not somebody that you can, you know, get along with. Like this is a new breed of peacekeeper for lack of a better phrase. um And so then it makes Haymitch's rescue of Katniss, like, and and of Gale, like all the more significant because he now he's putting his life on the line too. And he's putting all of them at risk. And this is another instance of Katniss resisting the Capitol and resisting the peacekeepers and not just putting her head down and obeying and doing what they want. And so it just
00:53:34
Speaker
even when she's not trying to be rebellious, just like with the berries in the first hunger game, she's not trying to be rebellious, but she has a moral code and Haymitch will protect her. And these other people will protect her.
Quarter Quell Announcement and Reactions
00:53:45
Speaker
And she's trying to to save the people she loves always. And that's going to put her in conflict with the Capitol because she won't just bow down and let them harm the people that she loves. Right. yeah Yeah. I take no issue with these changes for all the reasons you brought up there.
00:54:00
Speaker
Jordan, particularly just kind of the lack of backstory and context, like it doesn't have the same impact if you haven't set up all the stakes and the rules and the culture around it. So I thought truncating things in the sequence made a lot of sense.
00:54:14
Speaker
um Do I wish that I felt it a little bit more when they're burning down the hob and stuff like that? I mean, I feel it because I know the context from the books, but I do wish I felt it a little bit more. in the movie. But um like you said, I think it's ah really effectively done for the film's purposes. But I also have to bring up um the added benefit to the film here is that really plants the scenes like the seeds rather. We were talking about the sequences between Snow and Plutarch.
00:54:40
Speaker
That stand of Katniss, then Hamish, then Peta kind of directly influences ah Plutarch and Snow's decision to do the Quarter Quell as a pool of victors. Because it's like, this is the problem. We have to kill all of these victors. They present basically defiance of the capital.
00:55:01
Speaker
They stand together as these leaders, even if they're just our celebrities, they are the leaders of this situation. Yeah. They can cause something to a bigger I like that as a change too because in the book it's not really like Katniss suspects that because of her acts of rebellion um President Snow like made this the quarter quell because he pulls it there's like a box of cards and he like randomly pulls one out supposedly and it just happened to be that it forces her back into the arena this year which like no there's no way like it was totally rigged he totally did that on purpose like
00:55:39
Speaker
knowing the context of the wider universe and President Snow like he absolutely did that on purpose and so I think like making that a for sure like canon event in the film and saying like no Plutarch and again giving him some credibility as a rebellion leader that like he set this up to save Katniss and to save these other um victors. Like that gives everything a lot more credence and makes everything make a lot more sense. And again, in the the beauty of the film is you can have that conversation happen. You can get those characters point of view. and why they make the decisions they make versus in the book. Katniss is like, well, they could have done it on purpose. i don't know. I just know I got to get back in there. And now I'm you know screaming, crying, throwing up because I've got PTSD. And like my life is ending all over again.
00:56:31
Speaker
That wasn't about the wedding? Well, probably both. ah That part, we did get the engagement in this as well, which was her last attempt. And so at this point now she's, you know, the detox to um the yeah public, it's, you know, the wedding's not going to happen now, know, that. So um it adds to their, their struggle with this too, is that they were going to get married. Now they're not because of this. And then they do it in the, in private to put on that show for the public and make them stay the beloved. yeah.
00:57:06
Speaker
I liked liked this secret events. I think that it all. Yeah, I think it all really gave us what we needed out of the film to get us where we needed to be, because really, I think the filmmakers goals were to get us back in the ring. This whole thing of setting up the backstory, it had it had to be there for certain parts. But once we get to full on rebellion after the this book, it didn't really matter what was happening districts at that point.
00:57:34
Speaker
You're going to see it then. So. Now we mentioned that the quarter quell announcement was most likely rigged. We do, we'll end our conversation in this episode with with that announcement. They're sitting, um she's watching it with her mom and her sister. and in the book,
00:57:54
Speaker
It takes her a minute to kind of realize what's happening in the movie. She realizes it right away. But Prim is the one that is like, what happened? Whereas Prim, like in her mother in the book, both started crying right away. I mean, she is the only female tribute in District 12. She's going back in She kind of runs away.
00:58:14
Speaker
to process this information and then realizes she needs to go talk to Hamich. um And that's that all happens, you know, before we go back to the district as um tributes. um at Well, of course, we do have the scene, and we could talk about that too. We do have the scene of the actual raping where Effie pulls the names and it is very emotional because Effie, J. Scottie, when you and I were on the last episode, I believe we talked about how she really does care for Peeta and Katniss and even he Mitch. So, you know, she isn't even emotional. and Like the whole capital is emotional that the the tributes they've come to care about and love have to go back into the arena. 100%.
00:59:00
Speaker
one hundred percent Cause like Hamish says, like, you know, you never get off this train. Like every year the victors have to go back out and talk about it or they have to be mentors and they're brought back on TV and they do interviews. Like, you know, so there really is that attachment between the fans in the Capitol and these victors. And so it it is really heartbreaking. um And I really love this, like the scene of Hamish and PETA and PETA volunteering for him like that.
00:59:31
Speaker
like is so well acted and you can see like the agony in Haymitch's face. Cause if PETA volunteers, there's nothing he can do about that. Like the, the volunteering overrides the pole and he just has to sit here and watch these two kids have to go back into the arena. Effie like is crying cause she has Katniss is the only name in there. It's so, so brutal and heartbreaking. It's so sad. And so i just want to,
00:59:58
Speaker
again, give credit to all the actors. Like they really, really make you feel in that moment like this is you know like I said before, like their lives are ending all over again.
01:00:10
Speaker
and want to piggyback off that real quick because her acting in particular was so good in this scene. When she pulls Haymitch's name, your initial focus is Katniss's reaction. But on my rewatch this morning, I caught her reaction and she also flinches because she knows – I think Effie knows Peeta will volunteer to go beat with Katniss. And you can see that like cross her face too. And she kind of gives an emotional reaction to Hamish's name being called.
01:00:42
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, i I have to wonder if the capital knew that he was going to do that as well. Like, I wonder, like, were both names in that bucket, Hamish, just because they always want to play into what they know their people are going to do.
01:00:57
Speaker
And I think you see that in the other reaping sequences we get, like, I don't want to get too far ahead of myself with the character of Finnick, but we see what happens in District Four and Mags volunteer to take the place of a younger, the book describes her as hysterical, so I'll i'll use it in in this instance, even though, you know, say what you will about that use of a ah word to describe a woman.
01:01:21
Speaker
But I also did, we're you know, we're celebrating so much of the acting there and you did bring up Jennifer Lawrence and her reaction there, but I think this is also one of the, like, like it it happened in the first movie, her reaction to Prim being, her name being called in the reaping and then what she does to volunteer.
01:01:39
Speaker
But I thought they were able to, like, pick up the mantle, pass the torch in this sequence and just have it be another super strong showcasing for Jennifer Lawrence, particularly when she realizes she can't say goodbye because in the book you get to spend a lot of time exploring that like mental torment and it's, you don't have as much time in the movie, but it's really well, um, it's the way they, they, uh, portrayed is just very, very well done and heartbreaking.
01:02:05
Speaker
I'm going to rewind and go back to when they're at District 11 and her reaction to them pulling the man up onto the steps and her seeing what's going to happen, her seeing the shot, and then that reaction. Her acting is just, whew.
01:02:22
Speaker
Agreed. Okay. I think and when I first watched all of these, I was thinking she overdid some of it. I didn't like it as much. But as I've watched them over, I've felt more and more like she nailed every bit of it. And that it's kind of a perfect performance of of emotion and how someone reacts when they've been through so much. It's hard to remember, too, when you're watching the film. But Katniss is 16 years old.
01:02:47
Speaker
She's a child. Like I was a sophomore in high school when I was 16 years old. Like, and I think of like how like young and innocent I was. And then like having to kill other kids and go through everything that she has to go through. And like, even just the like getting ready process where she has all these strangers stripping her naked and like waxing her and pulling her and doing all these things to her and telling her that she's not good enough. Like,
01:03:14
Speaker
I'm a 16 year old girl. Like, what what are you talking about? Like, leave me alone. And so. it's Another portion of the dehumanization. Exactly. And so like to keep armss like, cause the book you're able to like remember more and the book will like remind you, like she's 16, she's 17 now. Like she is a child and all of these other tributes are children. Like it's from what, 12 to 18. Like,
01:03:39
Speaker
you're talking about sixth graders to seniors in high school. These are children. And so like, so to your point about like, you know, kind of overacting in the movie that never bothered me because I did frequently, i was trying to remind myself like she's 16 years old.
01:03:55
Speaker
And when this movie came out, I was 15. And so I was like, yeah, how the heck would I be be reacting if I was in her shoes? She's my age. Like, yeah, going be freaking out and my voice is going to crack and I'm going to, you know, I'm going all of everything that she does acting wise. I'm like, yeah, I would be doing the same thing if I'm a 16 year old girl, like experiencing these horrors day in and day out. um So yeah, it can, it can be a bit much, but when,
01:04:24
Speaker
when I reframe it that way in my head of like, this is a child having to deal with all of this. It doesn't, it doesn't bother me at all. That's good point. And then that leads into in this, ah in the, this quarter quell, it's no longer two children fighting each other. It's going to be old people and, and grown adults that have ah been dealing with the PTSD and the drinking or, you know drugs all this time. And, So they talk about how it's no longer cute to see these people on stage. It's, you know, these people are worn down it's not no longer good TV really. Yes. And we will get into that in our next episode. Do we have any final thoughts on part one of catching fire?
01:05:06
Speaker
one last thing. I just love, i love how was Effie's idea to have the little trinkets to show that they're a team. um Because again, like we talked, I kind of talked about like how the people in the Capitol, like they don't really care about the people in the districts. And then you guys brought up that Effie really does care about Katniss and Peta. So I think that was really important in the book and in the movie for her to be the one to be like, we should have something that matches that we're a team and I care about you guys and I recognize the hardship that you guys have been through and and I and I support you so uh Effie's a district ally and we love her for that yeah we really do and I think the movies really did Effie's character justice yeah for sure yeah agreed agreed all right well that will conclude episode one J Scottie do you want to tell our listeners where they can find you
01:05:55
Speaker
Yeah, you you can usually find me over on Multiverse News. It's the podcast that breaks down the latest and greatest in not just movie news, but TV news. Sometimes we talk about video games and stuff like that. So please check us out over at Multiverse News, wherever you get your podcasts. And we will see everybody next week.
01:06:11
Speaker
May the odds be in your favor. Ever in your favor. yeah Ever. That's a wrap for this week's episode of Book Watch. We hope you enjoyed diving into the world of page to screen adaptations with us.
01:06:24
Speaker
If you love this episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave a rating and review wherever you listen and share it with a fellow book and movie lover. If you prefer to watch along, you can check out the show on YouTube, youtube.com slash at book, watch podcast.
01:06:39
Speaker
You can follow the show on Instagram at book, watch podcast, and you can follow me Sarah day on Instagram at captain.mcd. That's M-C-D-E-E.
01:06:50
Speaker
And you can follow me, Jordan, on Instagram at JJ Corrito. That's C-A-R-R-I-D-O. And you can follow me, Chris, at CyborgNight404. That's night with a K. You can also join the conversation in the Bookwatch Lounge on Facebook at facebook.com slash groups slash Bookwatch Lounge.
01:07:10
Speaker
If you'd like to support the podcast, you can join the Patreon at patreon.com slash bookwatchpodcast. Tiers start at only $4 a month, and we would love to have you over there. Have a favorite adaptation you'd like us to cover, or a book you think deserves a screen adaptation, or just want to let us know of any feedback, send us an email at bookwatchpodcast at gmail.com.
01:07:32
Speaker
Until next time, keep reading, keep watching, and we will see you next week.