Warning: this review, like all reviews, contains spoilers. Don't ever read a review of anything before you watch it, or if you intend to watch one day in the future. The end.
And let's continue. So I started reading The Hunger Games book but I couldn't really get into it, so I did what all sane people do and watched the film instead. I'd heard mixed reviews about the film, (it's for girls - oh how could they? - and it's for kids) so wasn't expecting much, but actually really enjoyed it.
I think my favourite thing about it as I've obviously been pining for Big Brother since CBB finished (although BBUS is still on for now!). The Hunger Games is basically just Big Brother in the woods, with murders. And what Big Brother wouldn't be improved by a few murders? There was a lot of dreary backstory in the book that I couldn't really get into; I felt like the film was just more straight in there, although they could have trimmed about 20 minutes off one side or the other (but where was the girl with the tongue cut out?)
In the book it seems like the main character Katniss is really into Gale, and I was pretty sure Peeta was her brother, but I obviously got that wrong. I didn't really get the sense of all the wackiness in the book, like the futuristic world with all the colours, but that could be my imagination at fault. It was like Whoville in there when you finally saw it.
In my head Prim was a lot more cute and innocent and Gale was more attractive; he looked like some dumb jock in the film. I wasn't very impressed with Peeta's casting either, he's described as 'very handsome' at one point, but he did nothing for me. Katniss was cast well, though.
Woody Harrelson turned up, and then I joked that the guy 'styling' Katniss was Lenny Kravitz; turned out it WAS Lenny Kravitz. Worse; I kind of fancied him. I went to my boyfriend, 'Who knew he could act when he's only got that one song, I wish that I could fly, so very high, like a dragon fly?' Turns out he has one more song, too. It does sounds very similar though, it will fuck me right up on SongPop.
Anyway, I digress. Lenny Kravitz was wearing Danica's gold eyeliner, and Woody Harrelson was in a bad wig, and there was another woman who was clearly crying out to be played by Tilda Swinton.
So the premise, as you probably know, is 24 young people fight to the death - yes, just like in The Running Man and Battle Royale and so on. I thought there wasn't going to be much gore as it was a 12, but there was a reasonable amount. They didn't really let you get to know many of the others, so you weren't to sad to see them 'get it'.
There were so many comparisons to real life reality shows. The host was like a cross between Brian Dowling and Lionel Blair and quite realistically fake. I liked the fact they were all wearing outfits like in the Glass House. About ten of them were killed immediately, which was quite good.
Katniss's strategy was basically to sit in a tree and hide, or as my boyfriend put it, 'she's going from tree to tree, mixing.' Obviously, this doesn't last forever, and an alliance was formed against her, which contained her District mate and potential love interest Peeta. Luckily they didn't overdo the love story or this could have turned into Twilight; and nobody wants that, not even Kristen and R-Pattz anymore. There was a bit more of it towards the end, but it was just about stomachable (I think I made that word up).
The film reminded me of Cabin in the Woods in parts, and just like in the real Big Brother, I didn't like it when the producers tried to meddle with the show; shooting fireballs at the poor girl was hardly far was it? Leave it for the housemates to play it out. And then later those stupid lion things. What if it had killed all three of those left?
I did like the way when someone died it was announced on a screen and by a cannon going off; handy.
Katniss gets a bit of unexpected help from Rue, the cutest tribute on the block. I love it when the guy from Rue's district repays Katniss for looking after Rue later, during her trying to fight off a rather sadistic Sophie Webster lookalike.
There was even a hilarious 'twist' which allowed two people to potentially survive the game, which I could see Scott Hudson of the Big Brother Gossip show getting all narked with, I could almost hear him shouting at the 'producers' to keep the game 'pure'!
Even I couldn't tell if the 'showmance' was 4 realz. When Katniss got the note to make the kiss more genuine, it was like Dan in BBUS getting his directions from the producers (come on, don't tell me he isn't - but don't tell me anything else either as I'm two behind). I think her heart is really with Gale, especially when she did that fake smile at the end. I sense trouble ahead with that one.
As for Donald Sutherland (not a fan of the underdog), I think he's going to do a Chenbot on them and make them go back 'into the house' next year, as they were such popular contestants. And not just as coaches. They think it's annoying when Jessie keeps turning up in BB US; they aint seen nothing yet. Either that or they'll send in Gale and Prim or a combination of all four.
So yeah, basically, I liked this film because it reminded me of Big Brother UK and US. And the main character was a feisty butt-kicking girl, not a drippy dead-eyed thing like in Twilight.
I shant be reading the other books but I will watch the films. Shockingly: even my boyfriend liked it! Now, just don't tell anyone I fancy Lenny Kravitz, for fuck's sake.
Showing posts with label Big Brother US. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Big Brother US. Show all posts
Wednesday, 12 September 2012
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Big Brother USA: The best programme on TV. Ever.
My boyfriend and I have spent the last year watching seasons 3-12 of Big Brother US. I've already seen four or five of those seasons before, but had forgotten enough to still make them interesting. The only reason we haven't watched season 2 is because I know who won (but I suspect we'll still watch it now out of desperation) and 1 because they probably hadn't honed the game properly then. I think it was more like the UK version then.
Big Brother USA is almost completely different to the UK version. The only similarities really are the cameras, the eviction, and the diary room. BBUSA is a billed as a three month long power struggle, and it is HARDCORE. The public doesn't vote, the housemates do, and people you like get evicted the first week, while evil scumbags walk off with the half a million dollars. They mention the money every five minutes, they lie, betray best friends, scream at each other, are freely racist/ offensive without getting thrown out, smash shit up without getting thrown out, and generally just behave like animals. It's brilliant! I don't know how they hold their heads up when they get out of the house, they are mental cases.
Each week there is a fight for Head of Household (HOH) and the tasks are epic, like scenes from Hollywood films (well, some of them). I HATE the tasks in UK Big Brother but in Big Brother USA the contestants life in the house depends on the tasks, so they really matter. It's about as close to enjoying sport as I'll ever get. They have endurance tasks where they hang people off a hook/ spin them round/ put them in a box/ soak them with water all night and just see who lasts the longest. That sort of thing really sorts the people who want it from the people who don't (unless someone tries to 'cut a deal' with you to guarantee your safety and then goes back on their word! I've seen that shit happened enough times).
The HOH nominates two people each week, but and then 6 of the housemates play another competition 'Power of Veto'. If someone on the block (ie. up for eviction) wins the veto, the HOH has to nominate another person. Now you might just think the most annoying/ hated person goes each week like in ours, but quite the opposite. The friendlier, funnier and fitter you are, the more likely you are to get the boot as no one wants to compete against you at the end. So they vote out everyone strong, fit and, well, good, and at the end the seven housemates who got evicted last sit in a jury house, and decide who should win out of the final two. It's normally two people they can't fucking stand because they've all been stabbed in the back by them. And then they have to award them 500,000 dollars (and the runner up gets 50,000). Haha!
You also don't really get to vote with your own free will, there's always a 'sheep vote' where the HOH basically decides who should be evicted and bullies everyone else into voting the same way. Occasionally some serious scheming goes on behind backs, and the HOH gets a nasty surprise. Always good. However once you have a big enough 'alliance' ie. people on your side, you can basically control the votes each week, so some series' a really crappy bunch of people will evict everyone decent, or anyone who stands out or doesn't fall into line, so sometimes it's really frustrating as some really rubbish characters outstay their welcome just because they've got the numbers. But then other years, everything falls into place, and you actually get a fairytale ending.
There have been so many amazing moments over the series, Marcellas's fatal error, Janelle's run as the best female player ever, Kaysar's handsome uselessness, Howie's childish boorishness, Evil Dick and Danielle (a father and daughter who hadn't spoken in three years reuinited in the house- literally explosive viewing), the amazing dastardliness of Dan, the reign of the Nerd Herd, Brendan and Rachel's hilarious romance, Enzo's meow meow, and so many more I can't even remember. So many characters and arguments and genuine twists, not the bullshit you get on our BB (which is still magical viewing in its own way). People sell their own mother to win that show, and it's brilliant to watch. They also only have 3 episodes a week, and they cut it to fuck, so it runs like an amazing soap or drama, with no boring bits. Another really clever thing they do is they hold the HOH competition right after the eviction, so you're always set up for another week, and things can go completely from one side to another from week to week. Everything hinges on the tasks. It literally can turn on a dime, as they are fond of saying.
The host, Julie Chen (Chenbot), is like a stiff newreader type, which is completely at odds with the rest of the show, but you grow to love her a bit. She's there, year after year in an array of 'interesting' outfits.
We have happily watched four episodes in a day, and now we've run out (well, until S13 starts in July) I don't know what we'll do with ourselves.
If you've never watched any and you fancy it, start from season 2 or 3 so you don't ruin who the later winners are, and you've got a year's worth of entertainment ahead. You can even watch 'em all on Youtube. If you like reality, this is the ultimate reality show, there's no question.
Who goes? We don't decide. They do!
Big Brother USA is almost completely different to the UK version. The only similarities really are the cameras, the eviction, and the diary room. BBUSA is a billed as a three month long power struggle, and it is HARDCORE. The public doesn't vote, the housemates do, and people you like get evicted the first week, while evil scumbags walk off with the half a million dollars. They mention the money every five minutes, they lie, betray best friends, scream at each other, are freely racist/ offensive without getting thrown out, smash shit up without getting thrown out, and generally just behave like animals. It's brilliant! I don't know how they hold their heads up when they get out of the house, they are mental cases.
Each week there is a fight for Head of Household (HOH) and the tasks are epic, like scenes from Hollywood films (well, some of them). I HATE the tasks in UK Big Brother but in Big Brother USA the contestants life in the house depends on the tasks, so they really matter. It's about as close to enjoying sport as I'll ever get. They have endurance tasks where they hang people off a hook/ spin them round/ put them in a box/ soak them with water all night and just see who lasts the longest. That sort of thing really sorts the people who want it from the people who don't (unless someone tries to 'cut a deal' with you to guarantee your safety and then goes back on their word! I've seen that shit happened enough times).
The HOH nominates two people each week, but and then 6 of the housemates play another competition 'Power of Veto'. If someone on the block (ie. up for eviction) wins the veto, the HOH has to nominate another person. Now you might just think the most annoying/ hated person goes each week like in ours, but quite the opposite. The friendlier, funnier and fitter you are, the more likely you are to get the boot as no one wants to compete against you at the end. So they vote out everyone strong, fit and, well, good, and at the end the seven housemates who got evicted last sit in a jury house, and decide who should win out of the final two. It's normally two people they can't fucking stand because they've all been stabbed in the back by them. And then they have to award them 500,000 dollars (and the runner up gets 50,000). Haha!
You also don't really get to vote with your own free will, there's always a 'sheep vote' where the HOH basically decides who should be evicted and bullies everyone else into voting the same way. Occasionally some serious scheming goes on behind backs, and the HOH gets a nasty surprise. Always good. However once you have a big enough 'alliance' ie. people on your side, you can basically control the votes each week, so some series' a really crappy bunch of people will evict everyone decent, or anyone who stands out or doesn't fall into line, so sometimes it's really frustrating as some really rubbish characters outstay their welcome just because they've got the numbers. But then other years, everything falls into place, and you actually get a fairytale ending.
There have been so many amazing moments over the series, Marcellas's fatal error, Janelle's run as the best female player ever, Kaysar's handsome uselessness, Howie's childish boorishness, Evil Dick and Danielle (a father and daughter who hadn't spoken in three years reuinited in the house- literally explosive viewing), the amazing dastardliness of Dan, the reign of the Nerd Herd, Brendan and Rachel's hilarious romance, Enzo's meow meow, and so many more I can't even remember. So many characters and arguments and genuine twists, not the bullshit you get on our BB (which is still magical viewing in its own way). People sell their own mother to win that show, and it's brilliant to watch. They also only have 3 episodes a week, and they cut it to fuck, so it runs like an amazing soap or drama, with no boring bits. Another really clever thing they do is they hold the HOH competition right after the eviction, so you're always set up for another week, and things can go completely from one side to another from week to week. Everything hinges on the tasks. It literally can turn on a dime, as they are fond of saying.
The host, Julie Chen (Chenbot), is like a stiff newreader type, which is completely at odds with the rest of the show, but you grow to love her a bit. She's there, year after year in an array of 'interesting' outfits.
We have happily watched four episodes in a day, and now we've run out (well, until S13 starts in July) I don't know what we'll do with ourselves.
If you've never watched any and you fancy it, start from season 2 or 3 so you don't ruin who the later winners are, and you've got a year's worth of entertainment ahead. You can even watch 'em all on Youtube. If you like reality, this is the ultimate reality show, there's no question.
Who goes? We don't decide. They do!
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