The Hunger Game: Movie Review

Let me start off by saying that I could not have been more excited for the Hunger  Games movie. I blogged over the summer about how much I loved the story of the girl on fire. I bought my tickets for the midnight show when they first went on sale, we got to the movie theater at 9:30 (with dinner and cupcakes in hand) and I totally rocked a Katniss-inspired braid. All in all, my expectations were pretty high. And I am sad to report my expectations were not met.


Do not continue on if you have not seen the movie.

The movie started as expected. The book itself is half the back story/journey to the games and the other half in the games itself so I was ready for a slow start, but was excited to see how they would include all the little details of the book I loved. How DID they do it? Well, they didn't. In the book, I feel like I really got to know and understand all the characters and got a look into every moment of what Katniss's thoughts were. The movie did a horrible job at displaying any of this. I didn't get to see Katniss and Peeta enjoy the train, the food, the lavish furniture...they didn't scarf down meals or dip their bread into cocoa or anything. They didn't even have a scene of Katniss crying on the ride into the Capitol. These things may be small, but honestly they were the things I loved most about the book and I wish it could have been displayed better on screen.

The scenes leading up to the games were great - Katniss and Cinna, everyone on their spokes ready to run..all good. The cornucopia should have been gold and I pictured it WAY bigger. I also wanted more blood! I know it was PG-13, but it's a fight to the deal - gimme some gore!! Katniss escaping the fire balls was great, cutting down the hive and the hallucinations from the jackers were great - especially the scene showing how her dad died in the mine accident. That was probably my favorite part in the whole film.

What else didn't I like? The end was super rushed! All of a sudden Peeta's leg is magically healed in a day?! They spent DAYS in that cave. That is where their relationship grows..and we didn't see nearly enough of that either. Also didn't get the sense that Katniss really is unsure of her feelings for Peeta, or Gale. None of that was clear. Then, when it's down to the final 3 and the mutant dogs come out ... I just wanted them to be bigger, I wanted to be able to see the fall tribute's features in them, and I wanted to feel sad when Cato dies. It was all too quick.. In the book they spend the night shaking, waiting for those cannons to go off.. in the movie it was a 30 second wait. No build up.

Speaking of no build up - the scene where Katniss and Peeta almost eat the berries, I wanted to be on the edge of my seat seeing if they'd do it. Rushed.

Did I cry when Rue died? Yes. Would I if I had NOT read the book? No. There was no real scene showing Katniss's connection to her, as if Rue were Prim. But putting the flowers on her, the singing, the kiss on the forehead...very very well done.

There's so much more I could write, so many little tiny details that were changed or were missing. There was a lot of stuff added too - like the scenes in President Snow's rose garden, and the behind the scenes game-making of how they put the obstacles in...so fantastic! Really added to the story.

IN SUMMARY, if you haven't read the book - I think there are some parts you will be confused by because they are not explained well enough (like why Peeta was with the Career pack, it was never explained what Peeta and Haymitch's plan was all along). If you have read the book, you will likely enjoy it overall but will be annoyed by the little things you expected or wanted to see.

OVERALL rating: 3/5


Did you like the movie? What do you think was missing? What was your favorite scene? What can we expect from films 2 and 3? Comment below

Can You Hear Me?

Lately, I've spent a lot of time listening to the sounds around me. One of our clients, New York Eye and Ear, is running a Favorite Sounds campaign that has allowed me to appreciate my hearing. I spend parts of my work day listening to clips of birds chirping and the waves crashing on a fake beach..and even found myself closing my eyes listening to the taps against the hardwood floor at last week's dance class.

But then there are some sounds that really irk me. The sounds that keep me up at night and haunt my dreams. So while I am thankful that my hearing is top notch, here are my top 5 list of sounds that make me shake in annoyance.

1. The subway: STAND CLEAR OF THE CLOSING DOORS PLEASE. BING BONG. or even better the conductor yelling "THERE IS A TRAIN DIRECTLY BEHIND US. IF YOU DO NOT FIT, PLEASE DO NOT COME ON. STEP ALL THE WAY IN PEOPLE." Hellish.

2. My alarm: There's a reason I snooze for an hour every morning. The sound of my alarm means my peaceful hours of rest are over and I must leave the comfort of my warm, cozy bed.


3. The house phone ring tone: Who still calls this thing? Why is it ringing? Why must it ring at the most random of times? Cell phones, grandma. We all have them.

4. Airplanes: Even before 9/11, I hated the sound of airplanes flying over my house. They always seem to be a tid bit too close by and I've literally have had nightmares about this sound.


5. Spotify Ads: We listen to Spotify for the entire 8 hours of the work day and every 15 minutes the ads come on. It's at least 50% louder than the actual music and urges you to try premium service free for 30 days. We can pretty much recite the ads by heart and have all considered chipping in a few bucks a month just to make the guy's voice disappear. I vow to one day find the Spotify ads guy/girl and make them pay for interrupting our jam.

What sounds interrupt your day and make you mad? What do you do to stop them? Comment below!

Goodbye My Lover

Breaking up is hard to do.

I remember the days when I used to break up with my junior high school boyfriends via notes in class. Then it evolved to text messages and voice mails (yes I've done that, don't judge). Now, breaking up with someone can be even more fun! With a ton of social networking sites, there are endless possibilities to tell your lover "we are no longer dating".

Facebook. The easiest of the relationship ender - a click of a button and Shari has gone from "in a relationship" to "single" without having to say a word to the poor guy. And now with FB integration, you can declare singledom in multiple ways. You can "read" an article about how to find Mr. Right. You can mupload a picture of GIRLS NIGHT OUT where you and some rando you found at the bar are making out. AND you can tell everyone: Shari listened to the spotify playlist "Ridin Solo" (yes I have this playlist IRL, it's genius.)

Twitter. Oh so many tweeting opportunities... some examples below.

• hey @boyorgirlimdating - it's not you, it's me #sorryimnotsorry
• HMU me and @mynewex are over. #movingon #callme
• newly singly and nowhere to go tonight #singlegirlproblems
• @lyingdouchebag i found out you cheated on me and i can't believe you thought you'd never get caught. i thought you were different. i thought what we had was real. you're an asshole and i hate your guts and i want the whole twitterverse to know #getoutofmylife

ok well that last one is over the 140 limit but you get my drift..

Google+. Abraham Manichevitz is now in your circle "exes". Allowed access to view only your pictures. Done.

Pinterest. This would be great if you and your significant other allowed each other access to post on each other's boards. For example, Shari & Josh's Love Board - full of pictures of puppies, home decor, cute love sayings, and a complete vom fest. Wanna end it? Start pinning things like "Keep Calm and Break Up" with caption "sorry babe, not working for me anymore". Or maybe pin a picture of the diamond bracelet he bought you with caption "come pick this up later with a box of all your other shit". OR if you're a guy, pin a picture of yourself with a huge grin saying "finally happy because I realized I no longer want your nagging ass in my life. later bitch". Pinning possibilities are endless.

Foursquare. Check into a bar. Declare you've met your soul mate on the dance floor. When your sig. other comments on your check-in telling you to stop drinking and come home you respond with "hell no. and never call me again". Clearly, the classiest route to a break-up.

Youtube. Make one of those "Shit Single Girls Say" Videos but with a personalized twist. Pretty much use it as a way to vent about all the things you hated about your soon-to-be-ex. Make it go viral by sharing it with all 800 of your facebook friends, post it on your blog, and tweet it to the world. You better believe him and all his friends and family will see your video and you will be single and ready to mingle. Be prepared for lots of controversial comments in that comment box.

What social networks did I miss? How would you use social media to break up with your significant other? Comment below!