Oats + A Hunger Game Review

on March 24, 2012
in All Posts

Step 1:

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Step 2:

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Change is in the air!

 

My goal this weekend, like last weekend, is to be as active as possible.  Hopefully this includes two long walks or gym sessions.  This might be a challenge, however, because we also want to do as much moving as possible (which I’m thinking will double as cardio!).  Oh, and by the way, I really loved to read your advice on homeownership – especially the tips to decorate slowly so you can get used to spaces first, as well as the tip to create an ‘Oh Crap’ fund in case your air conditioner blows or roof leaks. 

 

Fuel:

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Just regular oats:

 

3/4 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup soy milk

1/2 cup water

1 banana

Toppings: brown sugar and pumpkin seeds

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Time to get a move on.  But first…

 

My review of The Hunger Games movie:  It. Was. Incredible.  A truly, truly great movie, regardless of whether you have read the books or not.  The cinematography was terrifying.  Without spoiling anything, here are some of the specific things I noted:  I cried during the Reaping scene because I was so nervous and could so easily empathize with the children.  The Capitol citizens looked garish and dramatic but not cheesy (I was very concerned about this).  Tracker Jackers were so much smaller than I imagined them; I thought they would be the size of baseballs and mechanical-looking.  The Katniss/Peeta dynamic was spot-on.  Also, the actress that plays Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) is a really amazing performer.  No awkward Bella-from-Twilight moments (I love me some Twilight, but Kristen Stewart does not play a great Bella, in my opinion).  When Katniss was being transported into the arena, she was trembling so violently that I really believe it was happening to her – the perfect mix of vulnerability and strength.  

 

The Husband even liked the movie; he hasn’t read the books.  He remarked afterwards that now he wants to read the second and third books, which is a HUGE compliment to the movie because Kristien doesn’t really have time to read non-work related books. 

 

And – talk about random… The show was sold out, so we arrived about 45 minutes early.  We made friends with the woman sitting next to us, and she’s a doula (a doula is a labor coach that accompanies you to the hospital).  We’ve been thinking about hiring a doula for numerous reasons, and I think we may have found our lady.  How’s that for serendipitous?!

{ 57 comments }

 

  • Katie @ Peace Love & Oats March 24, 2012, 9:52 am

    AHHHHHH I have to see this movie!!! I was going to wait until my sister in law and cousin were back in town to go with them, but I don’t know if I can. I have a completely free weekend and I think this needs to happen.

  • jen March 24, 2012, 9:57 am

    i know i said this in a comment yesterday, but how was the end of the movie cato (after being attacked by the mutant dog people things) look visually??

    • Caitlin March 24, 2012, 10:10 am

      Not meaty at all 🙂

      • jen March 24, 2012, 10:52 am

        oh good! that one paragraph from the book is what held me back from wanting to see it haha.. thanks!

  • Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat March 24, 2012, 9:59 am

    I’m glad to hear that the Husband liked The Hunger Games because I haven’t read the books either! Now I’m thinking I need to go and see it. Very cool that you happened to meet a doula while you were there – talk about coincidence!

  • Penny March 24, 2012, 9:59 am

    I’m really dying to see this, without having read the books! We’ve just decided to hire a doula, there were few options in DC for midwives, and I want to go as natural as possible, even in a hospital setting. It seems cool to have her there specifically for me, too. http://www.doulamatch.net is a great site if you decide! We’re hoping to start interviewing soon (I’m 17 wks).

  • Caroline @ After Dinner Dance March 24, 2012, 10:00 am

    I’m going to see it today! I haven’t read the book in a while so hopefully I’ll be able to enjoy it more 🙂

  • Khushboo March 24, 2012, 10:02 am

    I haven’t read the books either but I too loved the film- fab all round!

  • allpointswhole March 24, 2012, 10:03 am

    I totally agree and loved the movie…went to the midnight premiere…so good

  • Alex @ Raw Recovery March 24, 2012, 10:09 am

    Cool you found a doula! That’s awesome! I’ve heard the books are amazing and an easy read but haven’t read them. I am looking for a good movie to go see so perhaps that will be the one. Have a great Saturday!

  • Shari March 24, 2012, 10:18 am

    I’m seeing the movie in an hour … SO EXCITED!!

  • liz March 24, 2012, 10:34 am

    do you think the doula purposely sat down next to you in the theater?

  • Whitney March 24, 2012, 11:09 am

    They did such an awesome job showing Rue’s death in the movie.. it may sound gruesome but that was my favorite part from the book and movie. It’s just such a touching moment in the midst of so much chaos.. it was the perfect depiction of Katniss’ true character. She is such a badass!

  • peach March 24, 2012, 11:20 am

    Yay, you found a doula, how perfect!!
    I can’t wait to see the Hunger Games….and then probably read the books again 😉

  • Stephanie @ Legally Blinde March 24, 2012, 11:20 am

    Ooh, love the first two pictures! Every spring, I’m amazed once again by how amazing nature is. So glad to hear you liked the movie – I can’t wait to see it! And I totally agree, I’m not a fan of Kristen Stewart; she is so awkward. Very glad that Jennifer Lawrence did such a great job. And that’s so funny about sitting next to a doula – I love stories like that!

  • Hillary March 24, 2012, 11:53 am

    You are the thousandth person who has given the movie a good review; I’m not seeing it until tomorrow, but I am SO EXCITED.

  • Jessica @ The Process of Healing March 24, 2012, 12:01 pm

    Eeeee I seriously can’t wait to see it now!

  • Laura March 24, 2012, 12:15 pm

    I highly recommend hiring a doula. I had one for the birth of my daughter and it was an incredible experience. During the many hours of hard labor, she was able to get me into different positions to alleviate some of the pain and would talk me through the contractions. Hubby was there to help too but I credit her with the fact that I was able to have an all-natural birth. Best of luck in your search!

  • Laura March 24, 2012, 12:15 pm

    I went to the midnight premier and I could not believe all of the super young kids there! I loved the movie, but I was concerned that my husband was confused since he hadn’t read the books and was missing all of the back story. He really liked it too. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one that cried during the beginning. I thought Elizabeth Banks and Stanley Tucci were awesome.

  • Annette @ EnjoyYourHealthyLife March 24, 2012, 12:26 pm

    I loved the movie too! GREAT review of it!

    I cried like 3 times during it–I don’t think I was the only one….a very moving movie! SO good. I want the 2nd one out NOW 😉

    P.s. totally agree with your comment about Bella –she is a horrible actress for that part. It drives me BONKERS.

  • Jolene (Homespun Heritage) March 24, 2012, 12:31 pm

    Won’t be seeing the movie but meeting the doula is pretty exciting! We’re hiring a Midwife as our doula. We’re trying for a VBAC (after 2 c/sections) so we’re hoping that between a Certified Midwife as a doula and our OBGYN we’ll have the best shot possible for a VBAC. Its my best shot.

    Hope the doula works out that would be great for you both!

  • Mari March 24, 2012, 12:33 pm

    Love your movie review! I can’t handle opening night crowds, but your review makes me eager to see it!

    And FYI, in case you haven’t caught it — I think you have a minor typo in the Hunger Games paragraph. You said that you could “emphasize” with the children, but I think you meant “empathize.” 🙂

    • Tricia March 24, 2012, 5:58 pm

      I caught it too! It was funny. I laughed a bit. I hope you find it humorous, and not that we are picking on you. It was cute.

  • Mari March 24, 2012, 12:37 pm

    P.S. We just hired a doula for our August birth and are excited for the decision. Our main need for a doula is to help center my husband or me and provide emotional support, since none of our close friends or family lives within 3,000 miles of us (we’re recent Cali transplants). If you’re delivering at an unmedicated birth-friendly hospital (as opposed to delivering at a hospital with a high c-section rate) and/or plan to have family in the birthing room with you, a doula might not be worth it. But it probably wouldn’t hurt, either.

  • Kristin March 24, 2012, 12:40 pm

    that’s so awesome about the doula thing!!!! that is fate!! haha! and yes the move was soooooooo amazing and i haven’t read the books but I just borrowed the first one to start today! 🙂 I totally agree with you on the part where she was shaking! that go me so bad and I totally cried with the little girl died :…..(. Also, (sorry I’m rambling) but the part where she was tripping from the tracker jackers made me feel like i was!!!!! Great movie!

  • Jen March 24, 2012, 12:42 pm

    I’m so excited for Hunger Games! My husband read the first book after seeing just how addicted I was too them, which is saying alot because he really don’t have time for book readding either. He just finished Thursday, and began book two last night….such a good read!

  • Clare @ Fitting It All In March 24, 2012, 12:48 pm

    I agree about the movie! Easily my favorite book turned movie ever. And Jennifer Lawrence is so great – I saw her first in Winters Bone last year which is a creepy movie.

    How crazy about the Doula! I ran into a yoga instructor at the studio I want to try getting my massage last week:) Love it when things like that happen

  • J March 24, 2012, 1:14 pm

    Loved the books. Read them long before any movie buzz was in the air. Trying to avoid the Hollywood buzz – I just can’t picture the actors/actresses conveying the characters I really loved. I think way down the road I’ll be able to separate the book and the movie and look forward to seeing the movie then.

  • Laura @ She Eats Well March 24, 2012, 1:24 pm

    I can hardly wait goshdarnit. I’m seeing it at 5:40 tonight and I am SO excited. Everyone has said that they really liked it thus far.

    I think it’s awesome you may have met your doula. I believe in serendipity…and man, when stuff like that happens, I think it’s definitely a sign.

  • Amber K March 24, 2012, 1:35 pm

    Wow, to meet your (possible) doula at a movie theater? That is so cool! It’s amazing how random life can be.

  • Gina @ Running to the Kitchen March 24, 2012, 2:00 pm

    This makes me SO excited to see the movie tomorrow. I’m hoping my husband will like it so much he wants to read the books too b/c he doesn’t read “fun” books like that ever and no amount of me trying to convince him these are different has worked so far!

  • Molly @ RDexposed March 24, 2012, 2:10 pm

    I heard the movie moved too fast, making the audience unable to understand the impact of everything. Good to hear otherwise!

  • Devonshire March 24, 2012, 2:53 pm

    i went to see Hunger Games last night too! Loved it! They let us sit in the theater an hour before which was aided in finding the best seats! My favorite part was when Peeta and Katniss get to the capital and their ‘makeovers’. The chariot scene was amazing.

  • Jaime March 24, 2012, 2:56 pm

    I agree with you that the actress playing Katniss is a fabulous performer. The Peeta/Katniss “chemistry” is spot-on. I do wish they had explained some things a bit better. The significance of the mockingjay, for one. I wish they had also allowed Katniss to narrate some of the film- I feel like people who haven’t read the books will miss out on some of the underlying emotions and reasons for those emotions without Katniss’ voice. I realize it is difficult to strike the balance between significant narration and cheesy Bella-narration, but I wish they had tried. All in all, I did enjoy the movie very much. I think they spent a bit too much time with the Gamemaker, although I did enjoy the “behind-the-scenes” view of how the Games were controlled.

    • Katie @ Katie Without Restrictions March 24, 2012, 3:34 pm

      I also really enjoyed seeing the view of the games being controlled ~ it definitely gave me a better visual than I had while reading!

  • Katie @ Katie Without Restrictions March 24, 2012, 3:33 pm

    I agree with all of the points that you made about the movie! I missed two things, and they were tiny ~ I missed her friend Madge, as the giver of the pin, and I missed the parachute that Rue’s district sent to Katniss in the book after Rue died. During the Reaping, I turned to one of the friends that I was with and whispered, “I already know what’s going to happen and I still feel so stressed!” The entire movie was just spot-on for me.

  • kwithme March 24, 2012, 4:22 pm

    I saw it yesterday too. I was pleased with it. I read the books because my 10 year old was reading it and I had heard alot about them. I really liked them and recommend them to people. I will be taking my 10 year old to see it as she has read the first book. I feel that they handled the violence quite well. Not too gory.

  • Tori March 24, 2012, 4:32 pm

    Pretty sure you mean EMPATHIZE not emphasize…

  • Tracy @ Commit to Fit March 24, 2012, 5:01 pm

    I think I am the only one left who has not read the Hunger Games. Wondering if I should wait to see the movie?

  • chelsey @ clean eating chelsey March 24, 2012, 6:17 pm

    I absolutely agree with everything you said about the movie. It was absolutely an incredible film!

  • Luv What You Do March 24, 2012, 6:51 pm

    I have heard and read nothing but good reviews on the movie. We have a seat reserved for the 8:00 show tonight (because I wasn’t taking any chances). I’m happy to hear that your husband liked it because I am taking my boyfriend along.

  • Katie March 24, 2012, 7:12 pm

    Saw the midnight showing of this movie with my best friends, and we went to the theater 2 hours early! lol, it was all worth it, because that movie was amazing! I LOVE Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss– she’s perfect! 🙂

  • Sara March 24, 2012, 7:33 pm

    Hire a doula, one that you both feel comfortable with. It was the best money we spent concerning the births of our children, especially the first. 🙂

  • Joanne March 24, 2012, 7:55 pm

    Now I AM curious about the movie. I should read the book first though …well, maybe not. When I read the book, most of the time, the movie disappoints.

  • Cate March 24, 2012, 8:25 pm

    I’m going to see it tomorrow! I can’t wait!

  • Kath March 24, 2012, 8:26 pm

    Agree with all of your HG comments!!

  • Chelsea March 24, 2012, 8:41 pm

    “I thought they would be the size of baseballs and mechanical-looking” AGREED! That’s how I imagined them as well haha!

  • AmandaRunsNY March 24, 2012, 9:28 pm

    I loved the movie too. (just got back from it!). I agree with a lot of your insights, including that I thought the tracker jackers were much bigger too. I also cried during the Reaping scene too. It was so emotional.

    The only thing that disappointed me was the fancy costumes that Cinna designed. In my mind, they were much more fantastical. But still, I loved it.

  • Jamie @ Don't Forget the Cinnamon March 24, 2012, 9:59 pm

    I also saw and loved the movie last night!
    I had no idea who they had cast for each part when I walked into the theater (I avoid previews for movies I want to see like the plague!)! I was very surprised by Haymitch. I pictured him older and chubbier. But, after the initial surprise, I really liked him in the role! And I agree that the actress cast as Katniss did an incredible job.

  • Michele Albert March 25, 2012, 12:32 pm

    Awesome that you found a doula!! I went to see the movie last night and loved it. We even had people dressed up and all of our servers (we saw it at the Movie Tavern – they serve you dinner while you watch the movie)had either a katniss braid or a team Gale/Peeta shirt!

  • Leatitia @ The Sweetest Year March 25, 2012, 4:48 pm

    I saw Hunger Games this weekend and loved it as much as you did. It was incredible!!!! The actress playing Katniss is excellent . I loved every minute of it!

  • Megan March 25, 2012, 5:54 pm

    I loved the hunger games! But I totally agree on the tracker-jacker part, I pictured them much much larger. The movie also gave me a completely different perspective on Cato, I extremely disliked him in the books, however, I really empathized with him in the movie, like I actually felt bad for him at certain points.

  • Dana March 25, 2012, 7:37 pm

    I might be the only one who didn’t love the movie…. I was impressed with the first 3/4 of the movie or so, but I didn’t like how they focused so much on the ‘romance’ in the end – it almost became cheesy. It was good, but it didn’t really live up to the hype in my opinion. Jennifer Lawrence was fantastic, though.

  • Nicole March 26, 2012, 12:28 am

    I just returned from the Hunger Games, and it was definitely one of the best book to screen translations that I’ve seen in a long time! I agree the possibility of the capitol people looking cheesy, but they did a great job, I feel like lady gaga/tim burton movies were great inspirations. Also loved Lenny Kravitz as Cinna, oh and Woody Harrelson, the casting was just all in all great!

  • Mary March 26, 2012, 8:28 am

    I’m a huge fan of the books, and I saw the movie on Friday and loved it! My younger sister, also a big fan, saw it the same night in another city. She left me a voicemail after she saw it and said (practically in tears) that the movie made her really miss me because she knows that I would have volunteered if her name was called in the reaping. She said I am her Katniss. It was so sweet…and so true! 🙂

  • Lee March 26, 2012, 9:20 am

    I saw this movie last night and I think it really helped that I’d read the book. There were a lot of things that my husband didn’t get or understand because he hadn’t.

    I wish they conveyed the fact that this was a live TV event better though and that Katniss was acting in a certain way because of it.

  • Kathryn April 4, 2012, 4:27 pm

    I highly recommend the audio books for your man! I love audio books when I work out or drive. The person reading them is excellent!

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