Thursday, May 30, 2013

Capitol Couture Relaunches: Spring Issue!


CAPITOL COUTURE was founded prior to the release of THE HUNGER GAMES in January 2012 and has been established as the preeminent source for Capitol Fashion and Culture.In March CAPITOL COUTURE released the Special Edition: Capitol Portraits, an exclusive first look at Effie Trinket. And today’s launch of Issue One: Chroma Nouveau marks the first of many seasonal issues to come. Exciting to note that the featured designers showcased on the site are actual designers from the film including the costumer Trish Summerville too! Be sure to peruse the Spring Issue for exclusive new looks at CATCHING FIRE, Cover Stories, Capitol ‘Inspired’ Looks, Designer and Character Profiles, Guides, and more. We hope you agree that Capitol Couture Issue One: Chroma Nouveau is #OhSoCapitol!

It seems no Hunger Games marketing campaign is complete without a new relaunch of Capitol Couture!

Visit CapitolCouture.pn

Campaigning For Coin: Glenn Close


Welcome to the very FIRST EDITION of "Campaigning for Coin"! Over a year ago, Hunger Games fan sites came together to take a look at Finnick hopefuls in a series known as "Finding Finnick Odair".  Today we bring you the very same, but this time we are taking a look at Alma Coin hopefuls for the Mockingjay films. In the upcoming weeks the fan sites will be examining choices that may be suitable for the role of Alma Coin. As you read these posts, please comment on who your fan cast for Coin is! Of course we don't need to remind you....

*SPOILER ALERT!*

Today fan sites take a look at Glenn Close. Here's what we had to say:

Welcome To District 12
Courtney/Tiffany: Glenn Close for Alma Coin is something we never knew we wanted until it was first suggested. She quite often plays a woman in power, like the Vice President in Air Force One, and can play a great villain, like Cruella De Vil in the live action 101 Dalmations movies. Some may argue that Glenn Close is too old, but we think that's silly since the casting in The Hunger Games has not limited actors for their age. For example, Lenny Kravitz and Donald Sutherland are WAY older than the characters they play, yet they are fabulous additions to the franchise. We're more concerned with the actor themselves than the age, provided that they are not on the extremes of the age scale. More than anything, it would be nice to round out the Hunger Games cast with yet another critically acclaimed actor. While never having won an Oscar, she has been nominated several times and has won everything else under the sun. We think Glenn Close has the look as well as the range to play good, evil, and a woman in power: All necessary traits to play Alma Coin.

Down with the Capitol 
Arianna: Honestly I’m all in for Glenn Close as Coin. I never thought of her until her name was brought up for this project. She could most definitely play the part as Coin aka an evil woman in power, especially after playing parts in movies such as Cruella De Vil in 101 Dalmatians and her role as VP in Air Force One. She also has the perfect Coin look which is a bonus. Glenn would only add amazingness to the already stellar cast we have.

HG Fireside Chat 
Savanna: I adore Glenn Close and think she's immensely talented, though I haven't seen much of her recent work. I loved her as Queen Gertrude in the 1990 film adaption of Hamlet, and her performance as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard is just...magnificent. To say the least. But for some reason, I'm not too into the idea of Close as Coin. Maybe it's because she's too big of a name and too recognizable. Honestly, I'd rather see a lesser-known actress have a chance to take on the character and have it become a career-defining role. That being said, Glenn Close can do absolutely anything, and if she were to be cast as Coin, there's no doubt in my mind that she would be phenomenal. She does the cold, hard, calculating thing very well and would certainly be a believable leader. The best thing she has going for her, in my opinion, is her powerful, almost magnetic presence; whether she's onscreen or onstage, it's impossible to not be drawn to her.

HG Girl on Fire
Amanda: This is actually a hard call for me. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind what so ever that Glenn Close could pull this role off. I think she could, and she would extremely well. I think she has proven her acting chops time and again especially with this type of role. One of the things I think is very important for the role of President Coin is that the actress not be too likeable, and be able to pull off being the “bad guy.” I want to be happy when we get to the end, and (spoiler alert) Katniss murders Coin, which in this scenario I don’t think would be a problem, especially when I picture that scene in Fatal Attractions where she’s boiling the pet rabbit. My one and only problem is that Glenn Close does not fit the mental picture I have of Coin. I pictured her as being younger with darker hair, but with that being said I think with hair and makeup that would be and easy fix, and I’d rather see someone who could play the role very well, and not concentrate on looks so much.

Mockingjay.net
Crystal: I'm not the biggest fan of Glenn Close. I know, I know, she's got a stack of Oscar nominations, but that doesn't mean I think she's consistently a great actress. I've already seen her play an executive office role in Air Force One and for those of you that haven't seen it, she was pretty awful while I thought Harrison Ford, Halle Berry, and Gary Oldman carried off their silly cliche action roles off rather well. I need someone who makes me feel like withering into the floor and an actress who has been in Mars Attacks! is just hard for me to take seriously. She's got the hard look, but for some reason I'm just not confident she'd pull it off with the right amount of cold Coin swagger.

My Hunger Games
Kristen: Obviously, Glenn Close has had quite a bit of commercial success in family movies, including her hysterical take on Cruella De Vil in Disney’s live-action version of 101 Dalmatians—but let’s not forget the role that really made her a star: Alex Forrest in the 1987 thriller Fatal Attraction. If you haven’t seen this movie (and if you're old enough to watch R-rated films) stop reading right now and go watch it. I guarantee you will never see a creepier interpretation of the sociopathic “woman scorned” character on film. In the interest of keeping spoilers to a minimum, let’s just say that Glenn Close plays a manipulative nut-job so well, she’ll make your skin crawl. That being said, I would absolutely LOVE to see Glen Close as the ruthless, power-hungry Alma Coin. I think she has amazing range, and is beyond capable of convincingly portraying the cunning, unscrupulous leader of District 13.

The Hob
Angie: When I think of actresses that could portray our infamous President Coin, Glenn Close does seem to fit the generic Coin mold. Glenn is a little older than President Coin, but I still think she could pull off the character. She possesses the "look" that President Coin should have: shoulder length gray hair, eyes that could bore into any soul, and a serious stature. What sets Glenn apart from the rest in my opinion is her previous role as Cruella de Vil in the 101 & 102 Dalmations movies. Glenn shows that she can play the role of a ruthless, selfish villian that truly only has one main objective. The characters are alike considering in both films they are willing to do or kill whatever or whomever they need to get their way - whether its puppies or medics or children.

Victor's Village
Rebekah: I'll be blunt, Glenn Close is far from my favorite choice for Alma Coin, but is she the worst choice out there? Far from it. Glenn brings everything to the table that would be required of an actress in a role like Alma Coin, but to me it would be flat out type casting. See, Glenn is known for playing tough ladies (Damages), scary ladies (Cruella DeVille), and oh yeah-- creepy and/or weird/crazy ladies (The World According to Garp, Fatal Attraction, Stepford Wives). I'd even say she's made a career of it. Personally I think taking on a role like Alma Coin wouldn't be challenging for her at all, and if I was Glenn-- I'd want to play a character that's not something I've technically done before. Aside from that, logistics get in the way as well, as she's just signed on for another franchise just this week, Guardians of the Galaxy. So, I'd go so far as to say that adding The Hunger Games franchise on top of that would be incredibly taxing on a lady who's over 15 years older than Alma Coin is supposed to be, and if you're a regular reader of my work on Victor's Village, you would know I'm not a proponent of casting an older actress in this role. Glenn Close? I'll say it loud, and clear, I don't think it's going to happen. Next!

Stay tuned for more Coin fan casting. Sound off in the comments who you hope to see as Coin!

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Capitol Couture Spring Issue Coming Soon



According to the Capitol Couture Instagram, the Spring Issue will be coming soon! Keep an eye out on CapitolCouture.PN, their Instagram and the #OhSoCapitol hashtag.






Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Video: Cannes Catching Fire Red Carpet Interviews

In case you missed it, Catching Fire was promoted heavily at Cannes film festival this past weekend. Check out the interviews on the red carpet with Jennifer Lawrence, Sam Claflin, and Francis Lawrence:


Many of the things said are things we've heard before, but it is still cool to see what Francis Lawrence has been saying about his experience directing Catching Fire. He mentions that "There is very little that is taken out. There are some additional scenes with some of the characters like Plutarch and Snow". We also know that at least one Gale scene has been added, but still it is comforting to hear the closeness of the adaptation.

When asked about the difference between the first film and Catching Fire, Jennifer Lawrence says "Katniss is trying to get her life back together after the games and suffering from post traumatic stress". I have to admit this made my heart a little warm. One of the main issues of The Hunger Games trilogy is PTSD and hearing Jennifer talk about it, even just mentioning it, makes me really excited about Catching Fire.

But don't miss out on this last doozy. Hunger Games fans have joked for years about the CPR scene between Finnick and Peeta, and now we have proof that IT EXISTS. When asked about his favorite set moment, Sam Claflin said "giving Josh Hutcherson CPR, my mouth touching his was a beautiful moment, it will live with me for the rest of my life. We're meant to be together." What a bromance.


Photos from Capitol Catching Fire Party and Red Carpet

Photos from Cannes Catching Fire Photocall

Source: Yahoo!

Saturday, May 18, 2013

A Glimpse Into the Cannes Capitol Catching Fire Party

Right now in Cannes, France, a big Capitol-esque blowout is lighting up the beach in honor of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The event is believed to include a presentation of footage from the movie, hopefully to sell Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2 to international distributors.

Check out some pictures we've found of the exclusive event so far. We'll be updating this post if more show up since this is an on-going event.










Click below for high-res photos of the party and the red carpet.


Cannes 2013 Catching Fire PHOTO ROUNDUP!




It appears the Catching Fire presentation was at Cannes Film Festival this morning and we've got a whole photo roundup from the photo call for you guys! Those who were present include "Producer Jon Kilik, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-Chairman Patrick Wachsberger, cast Liam Hemsworth, Jennifer Lawrence and Sam Claflin, Director Francis Lawrence, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-Chairman Robert Friedman and Producer Nina Jacobson."

#CannesCatchingFire

Click below to see all 32 HIGH RESOLUTION photos!


Friday, May 17, 2013

Cover Girl: Catching Fire



You can expect CoverGirl Catching Fire products to hit shelves because Lionsgate has just launched a partnership with CoverGirl. Yes, we acknowledge the irony here but for the first movie they did release a line of Hunger Games China Glaze nail polish so we are really not surprised. But don't get us wrong, we still sought out as many THG nail polishes as we could get our hands on and odds are we'll do the same with CoverGirl.

Check out the press release below:


COVERGIRL ANNOUNCES EXCLUSIVE NEW BEAUTY PARTNERSHIP WITH    LIONSGATE’S “THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE”

COVERGIRL creates striking new CAPITOL COLLECTION beauty campaign inspired by the film 
HUNT VALLEY, MD, May 17, 2013 -- Today, COVERGIRL announced its first-ever major movie sponsorship of Lionsgate’s highly anticipated The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, scheduled for release in North American theaters on November 22, 2013. COVERGIRL will launch a first-of-its-kind creative advertising campaign inspired by the film, featuring new products from the brand’s upcoming Capitol Collection from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, to be announced at a later date.   
Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, and Josh Hutcherson lead an all-star cast in the second installment of The Hunger Games franchise, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The trailer, which debuted last month, has been viewed over 25 million times on YouTube. The film promises to illustrate the exquisite splendor in the world of the Capitol in rich detail, and the film’s makeup department used COVERGIRL products on set to create the film’s luxurious, high couture looks. 
"With The Hunger Games: Catching Fire partnership, we wanted to redefine cosmetics’ relationship to film with a fantasy-meets-reality beauty experience," said Esi Eggleston Bracey, VP and General Manager, Global P&G Cosmetics. "The film inspired COVERGIRL campaign coming out this fall truly will bring beauty transformation to life in an aspirational, dramatic fashion.  All of us at COVERGIRL were captivated by Suzanne Collins’ novels and the first film, so we’re thrilled to collaborate with Lionsgate on such a bold beauty partnership with the release of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.”
“We are excited to announce COVERGIRL as the exclusive makeup partner for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” said Paula Kupfer, Lionsgate’s Vice President of Promotions and Consumer Products. “The exquisite beauty and style in the world of the Capitol is a focal point of this film. Partnering with an innovative brand like COVERGIRL to create an additional layer of beauty storytelling and inspiration for the fans is new territory that we’re delighted to explore.” 

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

All The Colors of the Wind

I will admit that at first I was generally pleased with the poster Lionsgate released today, but I was not *WOWED*. There Katniss stands: strong, hunter, soon-to-be symbol of the rebellion. Though unsure if this poster would be able to catch someones eye as they are walking past it, I cannot deny it is beautiful and representative about Katniss' character and what she is about to become.

 I love that they have continued the theme of giving Katniss Mockingjay wings, and I'm even willing to forgive the non-Appalachia-looking rocks because HEY it's just a movie poster. You could even argue that the poster is more representative of Katniss' character and where she is headed rather than a specific location in Panem.

Peeta, can you paint with all the colors of the wind?

Many fans threw around lot of amusing Pocahontas jokes today in reaction to the new poster, which actually made me start thinking and analyzing what Lionsgate was going for with this new look.

My very first reaction to the poster was that the way Katniss is posing, the added texture, and the colors immediately made me think this was something Peeta painted. I'm not saying we should expect to see something like this in the movie, but maybe they wanted to infer that it looked like something he would paint. At this point, it was as far as I could analyze.


A few hours later the super high resolution version of the poster came to us and that's what truly sold me.

Upon examining it further, the poster began to have a completely new meaning for me. I began to analyze what kind of tone they were trying to infer with this new poster release. I guess all the "Colors of the Wind" jokes should have been a clue for me, but the fandom was spot on. I have no doubts at all now that Lionsgate was trying to establish a Native American theme for this poster. Interesting really, to suddenly go in that direction, or perhaps we've been looking at so many Capitol themed posters this came as a surprise to us?

source
The zoomed in high res poster (seen above) is what made me appreciate this poster. It's a shame Katniss isn't bigger in it because she looks so beautiful. Not in a glamorous way, but natural beauty and a symbol of strength. It's not a stretch to say she looks like a Native American here with her longbow, arrows, braid, and even the hand woven scarf she wears. I would even venture to say Katniss is reminiscent of this painting of Sacagawea made around the 1800s. The coloring of the poster also stirred something in my memory concerning Native Americans. Yosemite National Park is a fixture of my past and have seen many paintings of the valley during the time Native Americans lived there. Many of these paintings (such as the one below, also made around 1800) have the same sort of color scheme, the same one the new Catching Fire poster shares. It was almost as if they had combined the two styles. We also know that this is not the first time that Catching Fire has integrated something from our world into Panem.
source (PSA: Visit Yosemite!)









Due to these discoveries, I have gone from feeling okay about the poster to being really impressed. Native American culture is as North American as you can possibly get, which just so happens to be the backdrop for The Hunger Games trilogy. Talk about going back to your roots.


The Unassuming Quote

Lastly, I couldn't have been the only one completely perplexed by the quote The Hunger Games Instagram had been leading up to. "The sun persists in rising, so I make myself stand". Such a normal unassuming quote in the context of the book. It's a tiny sentence in a book of great moments and quotes, so why would they focus on that one enough to put it on a Catching Fire poster? Well, when you put this quote next to the poster it seems to give it new meaning. Katniss must begin her long and difficult journey through even more hardship starting when that sun rises. The first day of the Victory Tour. Although she is unsure how to handle her situation at first, she soon takes a stand. Doing this begins the chain of events that will lead the country into much needed rebellion and sets her on the path to become The Mockingjay. One poster says so much.


Wingapo...

Buy Limited Edition NEW Catching Fire Poster


Hurry now -- quantities are limited! Buy this theatrical grade poster from NECA!

Be the envy of your friends with our exclusive version of the newly-unveiled theatrical poster for THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE! NECA is the sole distributor of this theater-quality, double-sided poster — and only 2,500 are available.
Printed on heavyweight, glossy stock, it’s an amazing decoration and a great way to get ready for the upcoming movie! Measuring 27×40″, it ships rolled in a heavy cardboard tube.
Don’t wait – these posters will go fast!

BUY THEM HERE

Francis Lawrence Says Catching Fire is "Very Faithful"


In an interview with SciFiNow, Francis Lawrence talks about the spinning cornucopia (nice!) and assures us that Catching Fire is a faithful adaptation:


“It’s a really faithful adaptation. We definitely made some cuts, but we did it with Suzanne [Collins, author], and I would say that it’s very, very faithful.”
One of the page-to-screen moments that Lawrence can’t wait for fans to see is the spinning cornucopia, which houses weapons that tributes can steal for themselves.
“There is a moment we have in the arena when the gamemaker starts to spin the cornucopia, and I’m very proud of that,” he tells us.
“We designed a very cool sequence and created a spinning island, and that’s going to be very, very cool. So that’s kind of fun and very unique. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Glad to know that Suzanne was there for what cuts they made, and this article is just making us more excited to see it! Read the whole article HERE.

SciFiNow via Mockingjay.net

Illustrate Your Spark!



Illustrate your spark! The new Catching Fire poster Lionsgate revealed today was inspired directly from chapter 1 of Catching Fire. Now, they have launched a contest that encourages fans to "Illustrate Your Spark". 

Design and illustrate the first chapter of ‘Catching Fire’ for the chance to see your work featured on The Hunger Games’ official Facebook page! Incorporate photos from the film & trailer, drawings, and GIFs to create an eye-popping multimedia experience inspired by the words on the page…

We know The Hunger Games fandom is chock full of talented artists and graphic makers so we can't wait to see what people can create. The platform for this contest is a new site called Glossi, which seems to be a multimedia layout format you can customize. Good luck Hunger Games fans!

ENTER THE CATCHING FIRE CONTEST

New Catching Fire Poster - SUPER High Res!



CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Enjoy the high res goodness!!

Hunger Games Instagram Reveals Poster!



We've been waiting all week to find out what Lionsgate was going to reveal on The Hunger Games Instagram, and now we know!

 "The sun persists on rising, so I make myself stand."

 Thoughts on the new poster?

Monday, May 13, 2013

Catching Fire at Cannes!


Looks like it's true! Last month it was rumored Catching Fire would be part of Cannes, and now we have proof. Check out that motion poster they got going there! We're so excited because this means we might get some NEW information during and after the film festival. Stay tuned!

Source: Vine via THG Twitter

Hunger Games Instagram Latest Clue

If you've been following the official Hunger Games Instagram, they have been posting clues this past weekend. They posted another today, going with the theme of the very beginning of the Catching Fire book. Here is today's posted clue:

"Determined to carry on..." Tomorrow.
We will find out tomorrow what they've been hinting at, any suggestions on what they might be revealing?

Hunger Games Instagram

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Jennifer Lawrence in Total Film's Future 100


In the latest issue of Total Film, Jennifer Lawrence landed on their Future 100 list. Total Film posted an excerpt where Jennifer talks of her preparation (or lack thereof) for Catching Fire.
“If possible, there was even less preparation because I was like, ‘I’ve done this before’,” she said. “We had a lot of the same crew. Josh [Hutcherson] and Liam [Hemsworth] were there. Normally, when I do a movie, I’m meeting people for the first time, so it was amazing to be able to have the same group of people. It was so fun."
For the full story, check out Total Film magazine.

Source

Friday, May 10, 2013

5 More Days to Submit for Catching Fire Book Trailer!

Hey guys, we are reminding you that you have 5 DAYS LEFT (ends on May 15th) to submit a video for a chance to be in the new Catching Fire Book Trailer!


Watch the video above to find out what to do and how to submit your video! We'd love to see as many fans as possible submit videos to make the best Catching Fire Book Trailer it can possibly be. We're so jazzed we even sent one in ourselves!!

May the odds be ever in your favor, people!

The Hunger Games Instagram!



The Hunger Games has an Instagram now! Also, what will happen May 14th?

Friday, May 3, 2013

Watch Catching Fire Trailer in Theatres Now!


Iron Man 3 is in theaters now, and we recommend you go see it if only for the Catching Fire Trailer that is attached to it! Sure, you've seen it a thousand times, but why not go see it on the big screen? Also Iron Man 3 seems to be getting decent reviews so you might as well see it, right?

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Catching Fire Costume Illustrations!



Really cool article from FrockTalk about Phillip Boutte, a costume illustrator who just so happens to have been doing the illustrations for Catching Fire costumes! If any of you Hunger Games fans out there have a passion for costume concept art, read the in-depth article about Boutte: what he does, how he does it, and how exactly he got to where he is.

Another sketch in this article that was revealed was this President Snow "Victor's Village visit" look:



Now, we have seen this look in stills and know that he wears this at his mansion quite possibly for the Quarter Quell announcement scene. But in this sketch it is labeled as "Victor's Village visit". Either Snow wears this outfit during the big scene in Katniss' house or they changed it to his appearance at his mansion. Quite possibly both? I guess we'll have to wait until November 22nd to find out.