the origin of the pin doesn't become apparent until book two. so after re-reading it, i am a little perturbed at that change even though i still get why they didn't introduce another character. they could've had Prim give it to her when they were saying goodbye and tell her who it was from. *shrug*

Hey you guys, sorry if this was already brought up (I do most of my reading of teh interwebs on iPhone and so miss a lot of whitefont. But I just read on another site (that compiled the diffs between movie and book) something about Peeta losing his leg in the book? Does that happen? Yikes! It has been too long since I read the books and can barely remember. But certainly that is a huge difference than a healthy Peeta at the end?

We need a bigger hint to this brutality or the full weight of the other books will be lost IMO

I don't know if the movies need the full weight of the books to be really really heavy, honestly. It's not like the first movie painted the Capitol in any remotely positive light if you haven't read the books. They're already horribly exploitative monsters. At some point it risks becoming an enumeration of nasty ideas, and not events with distinct impact.

Just to be clear, we are allowed to have our own opinions here, right?

I'm assuming I get to have one too, right?

they could've had Prim give it to her when they were saying goodbye and tell her who it was from. *shrug*

That would have worked beautifully, because it wouldn't have been any additional screen time and would set up the meaning for the next movies very well.

Re. genetic mutations: You wouldn't need to use the physical body of the dead tributes to create the mutts. All you need is their genes, which probably could be extracted from blood sample and modified and used to create the hybrids. I assume they'd have banked samples of blood / tissue from the tributes pre-game.

In the movie, my guess is that they did not go with the mutts wearing the faces of the dead tributes because it would have been v. hard to get a good enough CGI that would make that look suitably horrific, instead of super-cheesy.

I agree with you, Vonnie. I can't imagine any way that wouldn't have looked distractingly absurd. It strikes me as one of those visuals it's better to let your imagination loose on, than to explicitly create with FX. And if that means avoiding it entirely in the movie version, that might very well be the safer option--because instead of indicating ultimate horror, they might have ended up with people laughing at an inappropriate moment.

Just watched The Dilemma. Not a movie I'd have paid cinema prices for, but it's a perfect at-home movie. Kevin James and Vince Vaughn were pretty satisfying--neither of them were stupid, which was refreshing.

I think, for the origin of the pin, that it would have mistranslated in a movie setting. In the books, it's clear that Madge is Katniss' only female friend. I think that in a movie, that would have been shorthand to mean that Katniss is capable of making many friends.

I think more importantly that what was forgotten with the origin of the pin is the history of the mockingjay and how that was a symbol of something surviving that the Capitol didn't want to survive. But maybe they'll get to that when the rebellions in the districts start in the future movies.

I posted this on Facebook, but it's so awesome I had to post it here too:

Titanic in Super 3D

Titanic just keeps getting improved! Now with more effects, more directors, more monsters, and more explosions!

We get (book spoilers) Haymitch's backstory in the next one, right? I really, really hope they don't cut or downplay that, as I think it's as telling about how fucked up and not-okay everything and everyone is as Finnick's deposition.

I enjoy those guys, ita. But you're right...nice to see them on the "ordinary guy" end of the spectrum instead of "So dumb could only happen on a sitcom"