I. Love. Them. I actully squealed when she gave it to me, and then threw it on over my jeans and run around the house yelling “Oh my gosh! So fun!”
See? You’re judging. Stop that.
I then got more judgment when I decided to reward myself for an hour and a half zumba session by making a vegan carrot cupcake from this lovely lady’s website:
http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/02/07/carrot-cake-for-one/
Something about tofu cream cheese frosting makes my family turn up their noses.
So now that we have established this as a safe zone of no judgment, and I have my bellydance skirt on, let’s get down to The Hunger Games!!!!
I declared this safe zone because I have a confession to make, and it is a dark one. This English major did NOT read the books before going to see the movie, BUT I did try! It is not my fault that my library was unprepared for the clamoring masses of young adults who absolutely needed to read these books. I honestly don’t expect my library to be stocked again until North America is destroyed by hunger, war, and drought, and we are all forced to kill each other on reality shows….
Because I did not read the books, I had no expectations, other than it was probably going to be better than Twilight. (That’s not a judgment, it is an observation, and the aforementioned rules require me to play nice. So, if you want my real feelings on Twilight leave a comment and I will write you a post where there are no dumb rules about being fair and judgment-free.)
I went Friday night, and managed to drag my dear brother along with me, because I was NOT going to sit in a theater alone with 100+ screaming junior high kids and their moms. We bought our tickets online, and arrived an hour early. Being clueless, I offered my ticket to the employee at the gate, even throwing in a big smile just ‘cause. Definitely not feeling friendly, he gave me this look, and pointed over my shoulder.
“Holding line starts over there.”
“Haha! Very funny!” I thought to myself. Then I turned and saw this river of people that snaked around for fifty-plus feet. Oh. My. Word. What was this madness? Like the rest of the sheeples, we were herded into the line, and just kind of looked at each other. Was this really going to be that good?
“I heard that if you are expecting a good movie, that’s what you’ll get,” my brother said.
“Well,” I shrugged. “Gotta be better than Twilight.” That got me some dirty looks from some pre-teens and their menopausal moms…they were judging.
At long last, the movie-man who did not like smiles came and announced that we would soon be herded into the theater, and we were not to shove or run, but walk in an orderly fashion to our seats.
“Should we hold hands?” I asked my brother, perfectly serious. Well, I didn’t want to lose him if I was going to be trampled to death by teenagers! The no-smiling man then went to the front of the line and started waving his arms and walking backwards like he was directing a plane onto the runway. It was like preschool field trips!!! Only there were no interesting facts, and snacks were not provided by a responsible adult. We sat in the theater for another forty-five minutes, completely surrounded by highschoolers and their mothers. Time for some fun.
As usually occurs when John and I are left to our own devices in a movie theater, we started talking about stuff that makes no sense to the people eavesdropping. It’s something of a game we play. You have to convince the eavesdroppers that you are two very smart people, and then spew a bunch of information that makes no sense. Watch their faces….but don’t judge.
“If you remove the mitochondria from the streptococcus bacterium, then the need for antibiotics diminishes as the bacterium loses its ability to adapt and reproduce!”
“Really? I did a report when I was fourteen about mitochondria removed from the femur of a Bronze Age warrior who was buried in France, and her DNA was traced back to a blond, freckled girl living in Mongolia!”
“Well, ipso facto columbo oreo!”
We're dumb. I know. Don't judge.
Finally, the movie started, we all shut up, and I’m pretty sure no one spoke again until we stood blinking in the movie theater lobby two hours later.
My final thoughts? I was amazed. Really. I was. For a movie labeled as “young adult” I thought it was heartbreakingly deep. The humanity of the piece was unbelievable, the violence was not exaggerated, and the character development was…sublime. Finally! A young adult female protagonist I can believe in! Props to the young cast for being amazing, and to the cinematographer for using a shaky handheld camera so I didn’t have to get a clear view of the violence. The actual games themselves are disturbing, but they are supposed to be. This is some sick stuff, but it is an ever so delicate hint at what could be our future. Rome had gladiators, this nation of districts has children killing each other for fun, and we are somewhere floating right below that surface with our reality show obsession (think Jersey Shore….we have NO excuse for that). It gives you something to think about.
And while I’m thinking about such light topics, I will be eating my cupcake! Hey! I survived almost being trampled to death by teenagers; I don’t have to starve too! Remember, I didn’t read the books, so I don’t have that level of fan commitment.
Oh gosh! How could you hate on something as cute as that? Happy Hunger Games! Om nom nom.
No comments:
Post a Comment