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"

Having just finished listening, it doesn't seem at all unclear what the muttations are. They have the numbered collars, they have the physical characteristics of the tributes (hair and eye color, size, etc.) and Peeta confirms Katniss's realization.

Unlike the pin, which could certainly be given more weight and backstory in later films when it comes up again, I feel they lost an easy opportunity with the mutts. Given that the CGI wasn't great to begin with, I feel they could have conveyed at least slightly more menace by just the numbered collars and size.

ETA: Also, one reason Peeta is so resigned at the end is he doesn't want the mutts to come back and "die like Cato" .

I just saw Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, and ha! What a great idea for a movie. Very fun, very well done.

I also watched Drones, the office comedy with aliens directed by Amber Benson and Adam Busch. It's pretty good, but it's got snap and crackle without the pop, for some reason.

I went to see The Hunger Games last night.

However I cannot say that I saw all of the movie, because the film-makers' commitment to shaky-cam gave me such violent nausea that I was forced to leave the theater when Katniss teamed up with Rue. I came back long enough to see her find and save Peeta, and then I had to leave again when they got attacked in the forest.

Argh. If this trend towards hand-held/shaky-cam keeps up, I'm going to be reduced to watching all movies on my television, where moving the camera rapidly doesn't make me want to vomit.