Hunger Games Review–by Karl

I got the chance this past Monday to see "The Hunger Games" in the theater. Having never read any of the books and only knowing a little bit about the premise I thought this would be an interesting experiment for me to watch a movie based on a popular book series and see how well the adaptation works on its own without being encumbered with "background" information. Watching something like Harry Potter, or the Lord of the Rings is difficult because I have a hard time separating my knowledge of the source material with what I'm seeing on screen. That's probably why "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" is still one of my favorite Harry Potter movies. I loved the book so much that it's easy for me to overlook some of the obvious flaws it has. But in this case I would be able to walk into the theater having no preconceived ideas of what would happen and just enjoy it as a cinematic experience.

First off, I really liked this movie. The story was exciting and I thought that it was pleasantly dramatic and appropriately suspenseful. Where the main story revolves around the experiences of one young woman I thought that the focus was kept nice and tight. The audience was given enough information about the world to know what was going on without boring us with exposition. I thought the dialogue was generally well written and I like that fact that some things were shown to us or left for us to infer rather than being spoon fed.

That being said, I thought there were a few things that would have been better with a little more clarification. Some things took me a while to figure out like the nature of the arena and how things come to exist within it. Even just one exterior establishing shot would have help me understand it better from the outset. But then again maybe that was the point; we're left as in the dark as Katniss. I also thought the mechanics and some of the rules of the game were a little unclear. At first I thought some of the things in the arena were holograms until people started being injured by them. Then I started to wonder by what physical means were the game operators able to create the obstacles. Some of them seemed to appear out of thin air. I liked being able to see control room but I would have liked seeing a bit of the "backstage" just for clarification. This and other missing details of the general world created don't really detract from Katniss's story but they did distract me while I was trying to understand them.

It also took me quite a while to find out what the big deal with the sponsors was. They kept talking about them like they would be the difference between life and death but then two things happened. One: we never actually got to meet any sponsors or watch our main characters interact with them and two: a long time passes in the game before we see the effect the sponsors can have. And frankly when it did happen I couldn't help think "That's it?" A tiny little tub of cream or soup is the best you can do? I thought they'd be sending weapons and big packs of food and fresh water and other supplies. It just seemed like a big deal was made out of something that for as much as I cared could have been left out of the movie altogether without materially affecting Katniss's story. But now that I think about it maybe I'm saying it the wrong way. I think the idea is a good one because it encourages Katniss to go against her nature to try to impress people she doesn't care about which was important to her character development. The problem lies in the fact that it ultimately felt like it didn't really matter.

Overall I thought everything that was important to understanding and enjoying Katniss's story was present and accounted for. The ending felt resolved enough that I didn't have many lingering questions but open ended enough that it's obvious the story isn't over yet. To be very honest when I walked out of the theater I felt satisfied to the point that reading the book would be unnecessary. I'm sure there are things that are missing that would be cool and add another dimension to the story but I didn't FEEL like they were missing. The story felt complete.

With one glaring exception. Now I think my wife and I were watching pretty closely and neither of us noticed an explanation for something that seemed fairly important. There's a question of loyalty that comes into play just after the game begins. I won't give any more details than that for the sake of those who haven't read the book or seen the movie but the motivation behind the traitorous(?)/loyal(?) behavior is not explained. Or maybe it was and I just missed it but like I said, I was paying pretty close attention to the film. While most character actions throughout the story seemed pretty clear this one just didn't make any sense to me. It's all the more frustrating because I've been informed (without details seeing as I still haven't read the book) that it's something that could easily have been explained with just a shot or two or a quick line of dialogue. Now it may not be that big a deal and I may just be nitpicking but this was kind of the point of trying out this experiment: to find out if this movie stands alone as a movie or if knowledge of the book is required to fully appreciate it.

So my answer is, it comes awfully dang close. Where we are understanding things basically from Katniss's point of view and maybe she doesn't have all the answers and we learn them as she does, the movie does a fine job of alternatively enlightening us and keeping us in the dark. But when a is a character running around doing things that don't make sense I would think she, as a character, would take the time to ask and find out what's going on. Again, this is not a huge deal but it seems all the more confusing in a movie that does so many things right.

Since I'm not writing this as a review of the film but rather as an observation of its effectiveness I'll stay most of my other comments about it. I'll just add these two things: shaky cam = slow, sad head shake; and Jennifer Lawrence = yes please and can we have some more?

Confused Fate

I generally work to music of the Hymn and EFY variety, but I’m flexible.  My playlist includes all types, so when something else pops up, I’ll gauge my mood and see if it gets played or skipped over.  Some of the generally lucky ones include Christmas music and classical (I don’t even notice the existence of music when classical is on), but lately I’ve noticed a trend.  Whenever a Chinese song creeps in, I find myself quite upset with how it could possibly be so presumptuous as to even exist on my playlist.  Maybe I need to fix that, or maybe there’s a deeper meaning here.

I want this time to be enriching and wonderful for the whole family, but I also want this time to be over.  I’m conflicted, though, because there are still opportunities for growth.  These soul-chipping opportunities may be necessary.

Hey… there’s another Chinese song!  Stop it!

Ramen

Jared loves Ramen.  He’s always loved Ramen.  Actually, all noodles of the Chinese type.  All Chinese food, even… except for the real thing.
As many people would expect, the Americanized Chinese food is adapted to our conditioned taste buds yearning for the sugary and salty etc. Coming here, he expected a plethora of Panda restaurants, and we were all very wrong about the entire cuisine.
After over a year-and-a-half of trial and horribly revolting errors, we finally found the Ramen worthy of space in our miniature pantry.



The label says something about a chicken and an egg… and everything else is written in those darn Chinese characters.

Ella’s modeling job

My dear little 6-year old made more money than me!!!  She was hired today to grace the newest Halloween costumes with her oh-so-Caucasian self.  I think she’s gorgeous!

They started off sweet…

Then they did a little good vs. evil.

Evil didn’t always win.

This one reminded me of a singer.  The light sort of looks like a microphone, and she’s ready for her music video, too!

Rawr :)

Sometimes we got attitude.

Sometimes we got big production.

I think part of her had some fun today.

Here’s her new family.

Here’s another display of the mood-swings we all enjoyed.

Happy Halloween again, everybody!

Old AZ pics

Grand Canyon

Dead animal love

Journey of a Spitball

So it's that season again.  I know... I know... you think I mean Christmas season.  Well it's that, too, but what I'm talking about today, is the season where warm turns to cold, and all the little virus bugs are happy and nestling snug in our lungs.  The season of sickness may well determine the timing of your or my experience with these bugs, but somehow, everywhere, there are evidences of residences in the strangers around us.  What are these evidences, you don't ask?  Well, I'll tell you.  All around, like little snowflakes on the ground - since the snow would never dare come to the land of the sauna, we must think on what nature has provided as a substitute - we can find freshly hocked loogies, ready to redirect even the most resolute of pedestrians.

This little story is about a particular spitball close to home: mine.  Now I know you don't want to hear this, but if you'll keep reading, I'll tell you anyway.  I was walking ever so innocently on the walkway to my office, hand clutching the token Coke Zero as the afternoon sleepies require, and all of a sudden, from somewhere inside me, I feel the betrayal of nature.  Despite my attempt at maintaining decorum, by finding a nice bathroom to do the deed, I'm unable to contain that particular spitball, and the frantic search for a slightly acceptable resting place commenced.  Oddly enough, the trash can is frowned upon, since many of the local population prefers to line their pockets with the proceeds of slightly recyclable discarded items in these cans, so posted signs and fines intending to protect this form of commercialism discourage option number one.  I continue, unfulfilled, until I see the beautiful large foliage ahead. I know from my studies, that the bacteria from human spit aids in plant germination, so I started to quicken my step, almost excited to find such a perfect, harmonious solution.  After waiting for the passersby to pass by, I grab the railing, and, rather than hurling myself over - which another posted sign informs us is not a good choice - I release my prisoner.  I watch proudly, as I know in my heart, I've done the right thing.

As I watch my life-giving gift's journey on it's way down from the 3rd floor of my office's outdoor walkway, something horrible happens.  Nature has betrayed itself!  Why dost thou protest this offering?!  A small, ever-so-innocent gust of wind has come to carry my little spitball but 6 inches away from the intended and warmly welcoming plant, and I watch in horror as my little spitball lands ironically on the ground below, thus sealing my fate with karma.  I have become one of those hocking strangers.  A horrible guilty feeling comes over me, and I know, for the benefit of society, I must share my story.  Why, you ask incredulously?  Because I think some of you, secretly, wanted to know.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving

I’ve collected all of the Grateful List items, and sadly I didn’t make it all the way to Thanksgiving Day, since, as you might notice, I was sick...  but here’s the bit that made it:
1 - Grateful for a husband to take care of me when I'm sick
2 - Grateful for a stable job
3 - Thankful that my children are generally happy
4 - Thankful that we can order a turkey instead of carrying it for an hour to get it home from Shekou.
‎‎5 - Thankful to be born.
‎6: So grateful for ovaltine that makes me not feel guilty (I later read about how much sugar is in this stuff, and no longer feel grateful for any lack of guilt that my naivety may have allowed)
7: Grateful for my sweet birds that are like babies
8: Grateful for a friend who visited from America
9: Grateful that friend brought us things we can't get here
10: Grateful for the Book of Mormon
11: Grateful for the funny "single's day"
12: Grateful for warm leggings
13: Grateful for loving my job
14 - Grateful for really warm water that soothes my sore throat.
‎15 - Grateful for Primary songs that remind my kids to be good
16 - Grateful for kids that remind me to be good