StarsKay

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-fi-0412-ct-hunger-games-20120412,0,5926809.story 'Catching Fire' should still do well despite any sequel following the original movie often falling short of the expectation of many, i.e. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I guess we shall wait and see!

A fellow coworker brought the book in today after hearing me ramble on about it a few weeks ago. She started reading it yesterday and already is halfway through the book, and is already planning on getting the trilogy as she already finds it quite addictive. I guess that's a long way if saying that once you've gotten around to reading it, don't make any other plans for the rest of the day! ;-)

That's wonderful to hear! In the past week, 3 others I know have started reading the trilogy and they are constantly raving about it. Just what I want to hear :-) That was arguably my favourite part of the first book: Peeta revealing his love for Katniss. Love it! Too bad Rue had to die; I would've loved her character to persist a little longer though I'm being selfish as her sad and sudden death was pivotal in the rising revolts. I got to say, Suzanne Collins has a great imagination!

Oh that's fantastic! Now you should see the movie and now I can say it won't disappoint (and also doesn't overlap in anyway whatsoever with the second book). I can already see you buying the final book right after you've finished the second one as that part in the story leaves you not only shocked but unbelievably hungry for more (pun intended, haha:D). When Rue is killed, wow, I knew it was coming but still fairly intense moment. Totally could hear a pin drop in the cinema theatre.

I agree; Jennifer Lawrence was perfect for the lead. I'm eager to see who they expect to play the other characters mentioned in the following books. News is Zack Efron may be casted as Finnick (something which conflicts with how I've imagine him to be as based on the character's description in the book, i.e. older than Katniss but younger than Haymitch). It's speculation but either way I'm excited for the second installment! Haha you sound like I was when reading the first book - completely hooked and totally unwilling to rest till it was over. Just wait till you get stuck into the 2nd book ;-)

Fanbloodytastic! That just made my night, thanks.

I second many of these, especially 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' trilogy. Also my favorite classic, 'Wuthering Heights'. Further, the 'A Song of Fire and Ice' series of which the 'Game of Thrones' tv series is based.

At least you didn't leave empty-haned! You'll find, after reading the book, all the little things that the movie did differently to the book but maybe find that it didn't really matter in the end as they seemed to have covered all the relevant bits well! Anyway hope you enjoy the book. I've been reading around about a director's cut of the film. I'd love to see that, especially the killing scenes as it plays the centrol theme in the story (I know it's morbid but I would really prefer the gruesome killing scenes, for instance at the cornicopia). Also, had anyone else heard they talk of making 'Mockingjay' in 2 parts? I'd like to think this is not another money-making ploy that's been adopted by some recent movies, given that there is so much content in the final book to cover in one movie (even if it is 2 hours long, which I don't mind either - I'm very biased btw :D).

Absolutely get it. You won't regret it! If the trilogy is there, probably get that instead as you'll be done with the first book in no time ;-) The part of the story where she feeds Peeta in the cave, well without having given him sleeping syrup and instead leaving when he was asleep in the movie, I don't think the viewers have lost anything as the important part (i.e. her feeding and staying with him in the cave) will be recalled in the final installment fairly easily without the minor detail of how she left him to get his medicine. I do agree that it wasn't absolutely necessary to include how the mutts looked like the tributes. The moviemakers would've had to explain why and for myself even reading the book, I was wondering why for a while too. But at such a crucial point in the movie, the climax, it's probably good they didn't throw that in. I would've loved to have seen a scene where they separate Peeta and Katniss at the end of the games when the hovercraft arrives. It would've shown so much emotion and reinforced Katniss truly cares about Peeta.

True, but I'm sure that won't stop the vast majority from purchasing an electronic copy as well. For myself, however, I am part of the few people walking this Earth who has yet to read the entire series, and would prefer to do so with the ease and convenience of the Kindle version.

The Harry Potter series is now available from Amazon via the Pottermore website as of today! So for those with Kindles, get clicking. Finally, they took forever to make the electronic version available. But either way, I'm happy :-)

Thank goodness someone recommended Sigur Ros! They are heaven in music form!

I just came this and really, it is just ridiculous. They may delete their accounts but their stupidity (or ignorance rather, I'll give some the benefit of doubt) will live forever in cyberspace. I think the casting of Rue was spot on. She played the role perfectly! @rainplay, I would've really liked the moviemakers to have included a lot of what you revealed in the spoiler, specifically about her impairment as it would've shown how powerful and capable the Captiol is. Wow, I'm way to into this :rolleyes:

Amazing. I cannot wait for the release of this album. It reflects a lot of their work prior to Takk which is simply beautiful.

For those who have read the book or the entire trilogy, I hope the first movie lived up to your expectations. It certainly did for me :D Cannot wait now for 'Catching Fire', which it is clear now, is spreading :D

Am loving how the Back to the Future trilogy has had frequent mentions. Best movie of all time has to be Forrest Gump. I enjoy Tom Hanks movies and this one takes the cake by a long shot.

The Artist 9/10 Toy Story 3 9.5/10

The movie is already predicted to break box office records! Speaking of which, less than a month to go!

Can't wait for the men's single final of Nadal vs Djokovic. Ah it is going to be so good and we are going to witness some amazing tennis. I am torn between the two as I'd like Djokovic to win but I secretly am rooting for a Nadal victory. Either way it'll be a fantastic game of what I hope is a long tennis match.

You'll love it! I only just started to get use to his work and I'm already feeling like a little kid who once again has discovered how good chocolate tastes.

Haha, the same stands for me. I recall hearing some of his stuff but it was in the midst of me diving deep into the works of Coldplay and subsequently got pushed aside. I'm happy to see Gotye has stuck with it and continued to produce some great sounds. I can now (finally) take time to appreciate it. For Australian fans, Gotye topped this years Triple J's Hottest 100 countdown. He's no stranger to the Hottest 100, having landed songs in the 2010 and 2006 lists, as well as snagging spots in 2009's Hottest 100 of All Time and last year's Hottest 100 Australian Albums of All Time. Still, 2011 was the biggest year yet for Gotye - who we're now calling Our Wally - and the year in which the world finally woke up to his talents. And the track that made it all happen was 'Somebody That I Used To Know' - a behemoth of a tune that came close to not happening at all. "This song took a long time to come together," Wally De Backer told Richard Kingsmill. "I'm no stranger to taking long times to finish some songs; I mean, 'Hearts A Mess' seemed to sit around for, off and on, two years. But it didn't feel as laborious, somehow, or as much of a challenge as this. 'Somebody That I Used To Know' felt much, much closer to the too hard basket a lot of the time and felt very close to me going, 'No, I can't actually listen to this song any more.'" It's no stretch to say that a huge reason why 'Somebody That I Used To Know' has resonated with so many people around the world is its achingly personal insights into the end of a relationship. You could be forgiven for thinking it's non-fiction, but as Wally explained triple j, that's a common misconception. "People ask me whether it's based upon an actual relationship, an actual break-up and it's not really. It's kind of an amalgam of lots of relationships and experiences I've had in my life, and certain elements of fiction all kind of edited and rolled into one." Since blowing up internationally, the tune's been a popular subject of cover versions: from Eskimo Joe, to The Big Pink, to these Canadians who played the whole thing on a single guitar. Also, Tom and Alex dressed up like the video at the ARIAs. 'Somebody That I Used To Know' isn't the first song Gotye's landed in this Hottest 100 - his superb Making Mirrors albums has given us our #87 song ('In Your Light') and #34 ('I Feel Better'), but it is the last. At #1 - YOUR hottest track of 2011 - the international phenomenon, 'Somebody That I Used To Know'.

Murray vs Djokovic. Absolutely going for Djokovic. Murray is great but just not ready. He is also terrible at speeches and comes across as a sore loser, which doesn't play a large part in the actual game of tennis but goes a long way on an international playing level and if improved could seriously up his mental game.

I think the comparisons are inevitable mainly because of the whole concept of one girl choosing between two boys, but that's basically where the similarities end (and that concept isn't even that strong unlike in Twilight). The story, regardless of how improbable, is extremely intriguing. I find it more like the HP series given I sometimes feel I'm reading within a world with a whole new language. My only recommendation would be to definitely give it a go. If you aren't hooked after the first book then you don't need to go onto the second. What've you got to lose? :D

Over the past few weeks I completed The Twilight Saga (Stephanie Meyer) and The Hunger Games trilogy (Suzanne Collins). Just finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Stieg Larsson), about to start the second of the trilogy.

I stumbled upon this trilogy quite by accident. I saw the trailer for the film a couple months before I considered reading the books and well-before I found myself up late at night, refusing to put the books down. It is great, to say the least. But to say little is never my style, especially about something I like. Back to the series. It is fantastic, gruesome, adventurous, and the author, Suzanne Collins, has the reader hanging on till the very last sentence of the trilogy. I thoroughly enjoyed this fascinating and original story, and I have a feeling most others will, though this is based on nothing much other than the fact I was completely enthralled with this tale; a rare occurrence. I'm sure by around April there will be an exponential amount of buzz surrounding THG and topics such as 'Mockingjay', 'The Capitol', 'District 12' and 'Tributes'. The main character by which the story is told, Katniss Everdeen, is sure to draw much discussions comparing her to the likes of Bella from Twilight despite there being no comparison. Make no mistake, I am not knocking other series to put this one up, I'm just trying to emphasis this is completely different and thus, difficult to relate to something already out there. So to sum this all up: read the books and get ready for the start of something big, at least for a few years to come. If you enjoyed HP then this is right up your ally. It is violent but not too violent. It contains the classic love triangle story, but is shallow enough for a child to read. Keep in mind this is a young adult trilogy so areas of violence and love only go so far. But that does not matter much as it is the background story to the real show which is the Games itself. The founding concept of survival at the expense of others is incredible. I was resisting putting 'survival of the fittest' as you'll soon realise, at least in the books - another reason to read it! - that there are many other factors leading to survival. I'm deliberately being vague because I got the most out of the series knowing completely nothing about it, so perhaps you'll find it is best too. You must read this book and you must do so before the films are released early 2012. This last bit is just a personal preference: book first, movie later, as the alternative (for me once again) is: movie first, book... maybe. Furthermore, greater detail and deeper complexity lies in the books than can ever be captured on film and I feel one would be missing out if they disregarded the books once the movies come out, feeling as though they've gotten the whole story. Mistake. If there exists a Hunger Games thread, may the moderators please feel obliged to add this to the mix.