Why the Hunger Games is FREAKING AWESOME

The nation has been taken captive by a series of books, written by Suzanne Collins, that take place in an apocalyptic North America, called Panem. A new government called the Capitol rules over twelve districts. After the thirteenth district had tried to fight back and was annihilated by the Capitol, every year each district contributes a girl and boy drawn from a lottery to fight to the death in the "Hunger Games." So why is it so awesome? Glad you asked.

1) The cast is freaking legit. Jennifer Lawrence is cast as the main character Katniss. After seeing X-Men Origins, I kinda have a crush on her. If she came out tomorrow and I had a chance, I'd probably switch sides for her. Anyway, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth are supporting characters and are yummy. Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Woody Harrelson, and so many more amazing actors are in it. And I can't wait to finally see it on the big screen.

2) The books are amazing. Written for young adults, the thematic elements are easily identifiable to adults. Suzanne is brilliant as a writer and I want her to do more. The characters can be easily related to and you so quickly get sucked into these books, wondering what's next for each of them. The main female character is a good role model for young girls.

3) It solidly competes with other series that are popular right now. Harry Potter and Twilight obvious have huge fan bases. Hunger Games holds its own against these other books and, at least in the case of Twilight, has a MUCH better message. Harry Potter is about sacrificing your life for the greater good of humanity. Hunger Games has a similar message. Twilight is about sacrificing your life for a guy. Yeah, exactly.

So anyway, I could keep going on about why it's great. Instead, I would love to comment on my own nerdy fan-dom. It was late one night and I was hanging out with one of my bffs. When suddenly we started talking about the new movie and the books and what the map of Panem would look like. Thus began the multiple hour project of creating a map.



That is my map. The districts are all the same for my map and the ones my two bffs did. But we got to fill in our own interpretations of flooding and wilds.

Another thing I've done that shows I'm nerdy to the extreme is that I've entered contests to try and get tickets for the premiere. And I continue to do so. Anyway, for the contest E! was doing you had to create your own look to fit either the luxury of the Capitol or the district look in the actual games. I chose to do Capitol Couture.



So that's the end of my nerdiness. But as I said before, the nation has been taken captive by these books. Which includes the creation of a nail polish line by China Glaze for the series. Which I want. Really badly. If you haven't read the books, I wholeheartedly suggest them. They're quick reads and insanely interesting. So seriously, go read them. NOW.

12, 13, 14 of My Movie Lovin'

This post is a bit more Rachel McAdams centric because two of the three movies include her. But it's ok because she's f-ing adorable.

#12: The Time Traveler's Wife
Eric Bana stars as Henry, an attractive librarian with a rare genetic condition that allows him to travel through time. In his travels, he meets a girl named Clare, played by Rachel McAdams, and the two create a very deep bond. As he ages he continues to travel and meet Clare at various ages, having a moment with her in her late twenties one minute and suddenly he shifts and is seeing her as a little girl. I will give the movie a 7.5 out of 10. On the one hand, it's a very bland love story. On the other hand, Eric Bana is naked A LOT. And that to me is no downside. The movie also made me want to read the book which is next in line for my reading schedule. There are just quite a few questions I have about time travel now that can't really be answered, which is a bummer.

#13: The Vow
Based on a true story, this film tells the story of a couple who deal with what happens when one partner suddenly can't remember anything about their life together. Channing Tatum stars as Leo and Rachel McAdams as Paige, a couple who have been together for four years. After a tragic accident, Paige has had the past four years completely erased from her memory and reverts back to her life before then. The couple try and recreate their life together, but it proves harder than they imagined. I give it a 7 out of 10. I would love to learn more about the real couple behind the film. The trailer was misleading because I expected more romance and it ended up being more serious. The supporting cast was great, and the two leads were phenomenal. But I wanted more romance and was disappointed in that regard.

#14: The Adjustment Bureau
Based on a Philip K. Dick story, Matt Damon plays David Norris, a politician running for office. He meets Elise, played by Emily Blunt, a beautiful dancer who alters David. But just after meeting her, David sees "behind the curtain" and is told there are people in charge of making sure everyone goes down "the right path." And that Elise is not meant to be on David's path. They have moments in and out of each others lives. And now have to fight for each other against "the Adjustment Bureau." I give the movie a 9.5 out of 10. The two main characters are brilliantly portrayed. The dialogue is witty and catches you off guard. And it is wonderfully done as a thriller. The only mark off was that it could get slightly predictable at moments. But other than that, great film.