The Hunger Games DVD Release Day Celebration & Give-away

Happy Hunger Games DVD Release Day!

If you're as excited as the WinterHaven Blog Team for this day, then you'll be even happier to hear we have a celebration going on. See all of us are HUGE Hunger Games fans and a few of us have even seen the movie more than once, twice, three times... ahem .. ahem.. that would be me ~whispers~ Arlene. =]

I've been a fan of this series since book one hit the shelves in October 2008, and I remember trying furiously to get my family and friends to read the book, so it was with great excitement that a couple years later this series finally started to get mad attention and die hard fans.

Sooo, my roomies here let me have some fun with this event. Yes, I actually asked them if I could interview them and like always, they graciously humored me. Well, I put together some questions and here's what they had to say:

Arlene: Amber, what was your favorite scene in The Hunger Games Movie?
Amber: My favorite scene in the Hunger Games Movie??? Gosh, there are so many scenes that I loved. I'm going to give two scenes because they both stand out vividly in my mind. First, where Katniss steps up and says "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!” Her body language really captured the seriousness of the moment. I got chills from it. Second is when Katniss covered Rue in flowers. I balled my eyes out! I was a snotbubbling sobbing mess. It was such a touching moment in all the action, and it showed a sensitive side to the fierce warrior, Katniss.

Arlene: Oh wow Amber, you picked the exact same scenes I would have chosen. That volunteer moment really rocked my emotional compass and when Rue died, I almost came undone! Great choices! If I had to add one more to the list I’d have to say... one moment while I put my Team Peeta flag away… when Gale came to say goodbye to Katniss, and she asked him to take care of her sister and mom. I loved that scene in the book and I feel it translated perfectly to film.

Arlene: Tina, what scene in the book would you have liked to see in the movie?
Tina: Funny enough this is actually a hard question since I don't think they left out very much. But I think I would have liked to see what the mutated-mutts of the fallen tributes would have looked like instead of the computer generated dogs. I understand why they changed it, but it was one of the most disturbing and yet fascinating scenes in the book. It would have been cool to see what they would have come up with.

Also, I wish that Peeta and Katniss actual put the berries in their mouths and then ran to the lake to wash them out like they did in the book. It made that moment and that decision powerfully dire and emotionally intense, which took away from the scene in the movie. 

Arlene: I felt the same way about the mutated-mutts. My imagination was all over the place when I was reading that in the book. The CGI was great, but it doesn't match Collins brilliance. I think I would have liked to see when District 11 sent Katniss the bread into the arena. That was such an emotional moment.

Arlene: Crystal, how do you feel about the casting for Katniss, Peeta and Gale?
Crystal: Honestly at first I wasn't too excited about any of them except for Katniss. The actors that were picked for Gale and Peeta did not fit the characters in my head, but after watching the movie I had to eat my words. They were both perfect! I think they all did a terrific job and I can't see anyone else being a better fit now. 

Arlene: I felt the same way when I saw the ET spread on the casting. I was a bit surprised. I’ll tell you the exact moment, though, when the casting for Peeta clicked for me… during his interview with Caesar Flickerman and the whole “Do I smell like roses to you?” I thought YUP! That’s my bread man! =} Speaking of, got to give props to the casting of Caesar and Haymitch. Awesome choices!

Arlene: Amber, what surprised you most about the movie? Pleasant or otherwise?
Amber: What surprised me most is how well they created scenes from the book. I wondered how they were going to pull off the outfit with the fire. They did and it was wonderful! I enjoy movies that are based off books when the scenes and the emotion is captured how I would envision it. I think they did a fantastic job capturing emotions and portraying that onto the screen.

Arlene: I completely agree! I think the best scenes were those from the Capitol of Panem and how they captured the people, their wild and frivolous style. That was exactly how I pictured it!

Arlene: Tina, most often books translated to film can be a disappointment. Was this movie everything you expected or not?
Tina: You're right, usually movie adaptations don't quite do the book justice and it's hard since I'm a book lover first, but I have to admit, The Hunger Games movie was probably the best book-to-movie adaptation I've ever seen. They didn't leave very much out. All the key points were expressed and the emotional journey was portrayed beautifully. Excellent film!

Arlene: I agree 100000% Tina. Well said! =]

Arlene: Crystal, on a scale of 1 - 5 (five being the highest) how would you rate this movie and why?
Crystal: I would give it a 4. There were a couple of scenes that were left out that I wanted to see and a few scenes that felt a little rushed that I would have liked to have seen slowed down. I have to take a point away for that because those were big moments in my eyes. I think that the movie did a great job at capturing the overall feel for the book and I mean come on who didn't get chills when Katniss screamed "I volunteer!" Best moment ever! I really loved this movie and I am very excited to see Catching Fire!!

Arlene: Fair point Crystal (no pun intended :P) I can see why you say that. As I mentioned to Tina, it would have been great to see the mutated mutts and District 11’s bread offering to Katniss, but overall I have to admit after seeing the movie three times… it’s a 5 star for me. Can’t wait for the next release either. Are you coming to my town or am I flying out your way? XD

Thank you ladies. It was fun chatting about the movie with you!!

Exciting news on future movie release dates!!

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has a scheduled release date of November 22, 2013 and will be directed by Francis Lawrence.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 is expected to hit theaters on November 21, 2014.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 is scheduled to make its way to the U.S. box office the following year, November 20, 2015.

Hunger Games Power Pack Give-away!

To make this a full on celebration, we're giving away a gift pack that includes The Hunger Games DVD, The Hunger Games Movie Tie-in Edition Book, The Hunger Games Tribute Guide, and The Hunger Games Four Magnetic Bookmarks  to one lucky follower. All you have to do is fill out the rafflecopter thingy and answer any of the questions my roomies commented on above.

 And may the odds be EVAH in your favor!

a Rafflecopter giveaway