Why did they add the supernational elements? Ratings ploy? Or did it fit into an already weird show?

I'm gonna hafta see this.

Has anyone seen the mistakes tapes? All bloopers that were actually aired--so many shots of crew members walking by on the set, forgotten lines, boom microphones....

Why did they add the supernational elements? Ratings ploy?

Probably. The creator, Dan Curtis, was probably the most important horror producer in television history between Rod Serling and...I don't know, Chris Carter or Joss (depending on how horrific you categorize them).

Curtis also created The Night Stalker and Trilogy of Terror (with Karen Black and the Zuni fetish doll), and Burnt Offerings and did tv movie versions of Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde, Dorian Gray, Dracula, Turn of the Screw.

Night Stalker . . . damn, such a good show.

Night Stalker

My brain makes this, alternately, Horshack the Night Stalker, or Rorschach the Night Stalker.

Or occasionally Kolache the Night Stalker.

He has no dignity in my eyes.

Philistine.

I went to see This Means War after work yesterday, and am left wondering if it was meant as a parody or if the screenwriters are 23-year-old frat brothers who fantasized about being James Bond growing up and don't consciously realize they're in love with each other.

You do know they say they filmed three resolutions to the movie, right? I don't think there's anything unconscious there.

However, if you write this movie where so can even vaguely reasonably put three endings on it, that might just mean there's no overwhelming evidence leading up to any of the endings. And that's exactly how I felt at the resolution of this one. Like, oh! We were leading up to this? I forgot!

However, up until then, I found it harmless eye candy fun.

You do know they say they filmed three resolutions to the movie, right? I don't think there's anything unconscious there.

I was not aware of that. Was the third ending a happy threesome, or did Reese end up going back to sushi for one while the boys rode off into the sunset together?

Aside: I go out by myself to eat all the time, and if anyone gleefully announced something like "SUSHI FOR ONE!!!" to the room they would lose a customer and gain a bunch of negative reviews at Urbanspoon, Yelp, and any other review website I could find.

Sushi.

My fingers are crossed for the DVD, but it does make for a pretty weak structure to the movie.

So, I saw The Hunger Games last night.

I'm embargoed from blogging a review until Friday, but the social media embargo lifted today. And Buffistas can sometimes be social, right?

Anyhow, I'm spoiler fonting most of the rest: I liked it, but didn't love it. It's inevitable, but a lot was left out and I thought there were other places they could have trimmed: hunting in the beginning, the training stuff.

That said, I didn't think the actual changes they made were too egregious and often were very good decisions. The first image was an odd choice; I thought the words alone would have been much more powerful.

A couple of things I really liked were the story of the pin (much better here than in the book) and that the tech is much more prevalent (I have a huge problem with the disconnect b/w the first and third books and thought that will help the movies.)

Aside from Peeta and Gale (both of whom seemed awkward to me), the cast and acting were spot on. Jennifer Lawrence was excellent, but I expected her to be. I liked this Prim way more than the book. Rue was adorable. I particularly liked Stanley Tucci and Woody Harrelson, and I didn't think I would. But if they make the rest, I can't wait to see Haymitch in action. And Cinna, there needs to be more Cinna.

I was with a critic who hadn't read the books so it was interesting to compare our reactions. He felt it dragged in places and that they seemed to be playing to the fans by leaving every plot point and superfluous character in. He would have liked more of the actual games. He thought they didn't really deliver on how much they emphasized the sponsors and I have to agree. You see Katniss get a few things, but they cut the bread, stew, and the sleeping medicine. When I told him some key layers to the story that were left out, for example, that the dog-beasts were "muttations" (!), I may have inspired him to read the books.