Catching fire down, Mockingjay in progress

Finished the second book of the hunger games...fast-paced...unexpected. I still have the feeling that some characters are sketchy and that there's some depth missing. Started the 3rd book and beginning to see a sort of end in sight.

It is definitely a very well written story and the idea is nicely developed, but apart from a few exceptions (Peeta&Catnip, Haymitch&Peeta&Catnip, Catnip&Cinna) there isn't much depth in the characters relationships... hoping for a better developed book3, will come back with details.

The hunger games - the first book

Ok, so back with a bang: how else am I gonna describe posting two days in a row after such a long silence :-)...

I've just finished reading the book: definitely the movie is creepier and a lot better in creating the required atmosphere... will get back to commenting books 2&3 in the series...but for now, clearly, the director and screen writers get a lot of the credit...even though S. Collins is among them, so probably had a thing - or two to say...

The hunger games - brief considerations

This is a film about a dystopian society in which most of the viewers see a teenagers murder spree (actual comments of the people around when the movie ended).

I did not read the book(s) previously, but plan to do so in the near future. The movie kept me to the edge of my seat for the whole time. Not so many emotionally charged moments, except [spoiler alert] Rue's death...but the movie did something else. It creeped me out. I just saw too much of a totalitarian society in it not to feel disturbed. The glamor of the higher society, living in luxury. The fact that they were feeling entitled. It's a world of 1984 meets big brother meets any totalitarian society from past and present. The leader cult. The prison reeducation: totalitarian societies, namely communists, having prisoners torturing other prisoners. Romanian Pitesti phenomenon or Soljenitin's Gulag's Archipelago...The best way of controlling people is by empowering lowlifes to order around and torture elites and opinion leaders... The fearless leader controlling puppets who in turn are controlling the people able to give hope and lead others out of a totalitarian regime...

This movie gave me the goose bumps, because underneath all the futuristic exaggerated dystopian society, it reminds me too much of the grim reality we've been through...and it enrages me to think other people still endure.

I am greatly curious about the books and I am looking forward to see if the movie is the work of a genius or this is a mere dial down of the book genius... so I will shortly come back with a more detailed book review...