Elizabeth Banks in “Catching Fire” in McQueen

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jessica-TallGirl-Freeman/1043623567 Jessica TallGirl Freeman

Hell yes.

Annabelle Archer

You took the exclamation right out of my mouth!
- jmorino08
  
  Mine too!
http://www.facebook.com/samuel.j.donovan Samuel Joesph Donovan

There’s no better articulation of my reaction than this.

Donna Schmidt

Perfect

http://www.facebook.com/seelebrennt Christina Diaz

effie is my spirit animal.

Sobaika

Mine is Cinna.
http://twitter.com/lisledanielle Danielle Lisle

THAT IS MAHOGANY!

Allyson Wells

Love it! I saw Katniss’s Capitol Portrait too, and wonder who made the dress she’s wearing. I can’t wait to see all the Capitol fashion, makeup and overall gaudiness in the upcoming movie!

LondonMarriott

Katniss’ seems very McQueen-esque too, I think. LOVE the Capitol fashion! I thought the first film held back so this all makes me very excited!!
- fursa_saida
  
  I agree, the first movie could have gone SO MUCH FURTHER with the Capitol–not just the look, everything about it. It wasn’t weird enough.

tereliz

speechless

Jessi03

Those gloves are fabulous. Werq it, Effie Trinket!

kimmeister

Are they one piece? Or are they red lace gloves with doodads placed on top of them all over the place?

RocknLox

Effie we all got pain - but that dress? To die.

http://twitter.com/ima_seal Imogen

FINALLY! I thought they needed to turn to high fashion and couture for their costumes because the ones in the first movie were a massive let down.

AgingWell

Yes! And not just the costumes–everything about the Capitol was a visual let down.
- MilaXX
  
  Agreed, I’ve seen better sets on Star Trek old and new than we saw at the Capital. The new director got his start in music videos, so I hope he does a better job of making the Capitol seem as opulent and out there as the books describe.
- LondonMarriott
  
  Same here! The first film didn’t do justice to the flamboyance and decadence of the Capitol as described in the books at all. These portraits are getting me so fangirly!
sweetestsith

I was heartbroken when I saw her red “flame dress”. I could deal with a lot of shit, but the sad sad flame gown was a waste of fabric. Not because it was ugly, but because it was so very wrong.
- Alyssa
  
  That was the most dissappointing for me. I just hope they will do better with her *SPOILER* wedding dress.
  - http://twitter.com/Sugarbeetle Sugarbeetle
    
    Isn’t there supposed to be something like four?
    - fursa_saida
      
      There’s definitely a whole bunch, don’t remember how many. As the promotion has started I’m realizing I need to reread Catching Fire, because I don’t remember it clearly enough to judge the movie as harshly as I want to. I need to have backup for my despairing exclamations of “IT’S NOT GRITTY ENOUGH!” “HAYMITCH IS TOO FUNCTIONAL!!!!”
    - Alyssa
      
      Haymitch was way too functional! I have plans to reread Catching Fire as well, mostly so I can catch all the discrepancies that will annoy me. I know there are changes that need made to turn a book into a movie, but there were a few major changes I didn’t care for in the first movie.
    - Alyssa
      
      Yeah, they’ve jumped onto the “split the final book into two movies” train. I’m still not sure how that will work, unless they expand the world way beyond Katniss’ perspective. Otherwise, those last two movies will move way too slow.
- http://twitter.com/HeckYeahHeckNo KC
  
  I thought it was just me. I was seriously underwhelmed. But I wonder if that’s just the nature of translating something from book to film. The visuals in your mind will always be better than the real thing
  - fursa_saida
    
    Nah, I was disappointed in almost everything about the movie, basically. Not so disappointed that I hated it or anything; it was just that everything was, like…80%. (And I thought Haymitch was butchered–not by Woody Harrelson, but by the writers.) It’s definitely possible to do better than that in a book-to-film adaptation; look at the last two Harry Potter movies, which had not only a lot of fantastical imagery but WAY more plot points to get through than The Hunger Games. I just think the first director didn’t have enough oomph in his vision–which is odd, since he was apparently incredibly passionate about the project and begged to direct it. Alas! Hopefully this next one will be better.
    - http://twitter.com/HeckYeahHeckNo KC
      
      I actually really enjoyed the movie BUT I really attribute that to some of the actors. I had some issues with Katniss likability at times in the book and JLaw really made her the *same* but much more empathetic. I loved her performance. I wasn’t too happy with the scene where Peeta throws Katniss the bread….I wish they had gone into what it meant to her. I thought that scene in the book was beautiful. But I can totally agree with you about how it didn’t seem passionate enough. The Capitol was only okay, and I really really think we needed to see more of Katniss + Rue. I love Rue in the book and the girl in the movie was ADORABLE but I wish we would’ve been able to get to know her so when she died we could actually feel a loss. You know? I also loved, in the book, when Rue’s district sent that little piece of bread. I know that would be hard to translate on film, but the fact that these people probably spent thousands to send Katniss a token of gratitude really made me tear up a bit. It was sweet. There’s more, but in general I enjoyed watching the movie, but yeah…some of the costumes were a serious disappointment. Though I will say I LOVED Katniss & Peeta’s black fire costumes. JLaw looked amazeballs in that outfit.

BrooklynBomber

I had to look up “Effie Trinket.” Somebody, please, tell me I’m not alone.

Vlasta Bubinka

I didn’t bother yet because I’m so blown away by the drama. But as fab as the dress is, I can’t help it, but I see a crocheted dress toilet paper cover– the kind you stick a Barbie in.
- BrooklynBomber
  
  I think the Elizabeth Banks picture is pretty arresting. The runway version not so much.
Alyssa

She’s a character in the Hunger Games series. Catching Fire is the second book in the series, and the movie comes out this November.
- BrooklynBomber
  
  Thanks.
  - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=571205045 Kent Roby
    
    Effie is the character that uttered the line “May the odds be ever in your favor”, which Chad Michaels repeated every 5 minutes on Drag Race All-stars.
    - BrooklynBomber
      
      Oh, that’s helpful. (Never heard of anything you mention!!!)
    - lastminutelucy
      
      I throughly enjoyed dressing up as Effie for Halloween, but the only person who knew who I was is a Children’s Librarian. Her gasp was well worth the effort!
    - Shoelover1512
      
      Oh that sounds like a great costume!!
oldbobbydraper

i don’t know anything about hunger games either. i plan to keep it that way.
- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=677547537 John Hodgins
  
  Why? The books are amazingly good. Even for young adult fiction.
  - SassieCassy
    
    i guess i was the only one who hated them
    - Sobaika
      
      Hahaha you most definitely are. I really liked them.
      
      I will say that maybe perhaps just a little they’re overhyped? They raise a large nest of issues (classism, warfare, rebellion, racism, government manipulation, media, PTSD, etc.) and it’s a whole lot for a young adult series to take on and do so adequately.
      
      I think everyone’s just really happy there is young adult series with a strong female lead.
    - CozyCat
      
      I’m really interested to see how they handle some of these issues as the films progress. The first book is pretty basic: the bad government does bad things and everyone’s afraid of dying. But in the later books things get REALLY dark and sometimes it’s hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys. And I’ll be interested to see how the psychological deterioration of some of the characters is handled.
    - fursa_saida
      
      Me too. The psychological deterioration is probably the highest-impact thing about the books, to me–I was going through a very rough time when I read them and some of the detailed descriptions of Katniss’s coping mechanisms really resonated. I also know at least one person who actually has PTSD and to whom these books are very, very important. I really, really hope they do that arc some sort of justice (the whole “real/not real” thing especially, since it’s such a narrative hinge.)
    - fursa_saida
      
      Eh, there are several of those, but a lot of those SFLs have less-well-rounded characters and/or seem to exist as wish fulfillment for teens who really want the AGONY of a love triangle and also inexplicable superpowers. (Yes, yes, Katniss has a love triangle, but at least it actually plays out in a way that makes some sense for the character and adds something to the story.)
      
      If you want another quality dystopian YA story with a similarly great female lead (and no love triangle! Just a plain old love interest!), check out Divergent–which is also going to be a movie soon, oooof course.
    - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=571205045 Kent Roby
      
      A series about teens murdering each other; what’s not to love? Actually, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the books and the movie (I think that Jennifer Lawrence’s performance elevated the movie considerably), and am really looking foward to the rest of the movies (I heard the 3rd book will be split into 2 movies, ala Breaking Wind, I mean, Breaking Dawn).
    - Sobaika
      
      Agree 10000% about Jennifer Lawrence. The movie itself was pretty average but she was really great. I didn’t even like her that much in X-Men or SLP, but she made something out of nothing in the first HG movie. Unlike the Peeta actor whose mere presence dragged down every single scene.
    - Mistie Holler
      
      To me, the strongest point of the movie was the casting. Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss is perfect. Same with Peeta and Haymitch, Cinna and Effie. I can’t think of anyone who didn’t represent their character nearly perfectly. Sam Caflin as Finnick is perfect casting for Catching Fire, too.
    - Melissa Brogan
      
      I didn’t hate them (I’ve only read the first one so far), but I definitely don’t understand the big hype. I thought the first book was just ok.
    - Mistie Holler
      
      To me it’s the third one, Mockingjay, that is the best (also seems to be the most divisive; you either love or hate it).
  - oldbobbydraper
    
    i already read lord of the flies. and battle royale. and young adult fiction is rarely amazingly good.
    - fursa_saida
      
      I never understand why people think that every single story has to have a 100% original premise. Hardly any of them (books, movies, television, folklore, ANY form of stories) ever do, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t take different perspectives on those basic ideas, or create different and compelling characters within them.
    - oldbobbydraper
      
      i am not one of those people, but i highly doubt there is anything new to be explored within that premise and done well — and certainly not within the young adult genre. i have also become extremely weary of adults who constantly consume childrens’ books and who talk about them as if they, themselves, were teenagers while expecting other adults to follow their lead of consistently reading so far below their ability/maturity levels.
    - Mistie Holler
      
      I don’t read young adult literature at all. I’ve never read Harry Potter and wouldn’t really want to. I thought Twilight was (as we Brits say) Twi-Shite. I read Wuthering Heights as a teenager and never forgot how it made me feel.
      
      However, someone lent me The Hunger Games and they were great. A big chunk of the young adult readers of The Hunger Games were very disappointed with the finale of the story because nothing about it is cliched, happily-ever-after, face-down-the-bad-guy stuff. There are genuinely heavy themes like PTSD, bereavement, power and corruption and war and they are explored well. No one is ‘expecting’ you to follow their lead, they are recommending that you do. There’s a difference.
    - Mistie Holler
      
      There’s a great book called ‘The Seven Basic Plots’. It talks about how every story follows one of seven ancient plotlines that serve to satisfy the primal needs that are met through stories (pretentious? Moi?) – for example, hero goes on journey and fights monster, girl grows up poor, ends up rich, etc. And it talks about how some modern stories – Waiting for Godot, A Clockwork Orange – don’t serve these functions. It’s a weighty tome but really interesting.
- formerlyAnon
  
  *Everyone* I know loves the books, (caveat: I number a disproportionate number of librarians among my acquaintance, including childrens’/youth librarians), so I’m saving them for a long weekend off when the weather is bad. I may never see the movies, there are dozens of movies I’d like to see someday but have never gotten to.

http://twitter.com/PhDKnitter marlie

ONLY Effie Trinket could wear that dress AND matching shoes.

mjude

fab. cant wait

Indigo54

AMAZING! AMAZING! AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!

DominoEstella

How perfect!

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_RDEDI3ONWSVDQS5GXKKBIML3H4 Chase

The wig and makeup combined with the neon dress are giving me Clockwork Orange vibes. Poor Stanley: Everybody steals from him.

MilaXX

I’m loving all these portraits. If you follow the Hunger Games pinterest account you can also see Katniss, Cinna, Haymitch and Caesar Flickerman

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1208138556 Sara Munoz Munoz

Ooh! I was wondering about Caesar…
Alyssa

Totally going to start following! Thanks!

julnyes

She jokingly posted on twitter that the chair was mahogany.

rahrahbowbow

McQueen is totally a perfect fit for Effie… And most of the people in the Capitol… Makes perfect sense. Love it.

decormaven

Now that is an outfit befitting Ms. Trinket.

http://twitter.com/algaechick algaechick

OMGICANTWAITFORTHENEWMOVIE

Annabelle Archer

Damn straight.

Alyssa

Cannot wait for this movie!!!

urbanamish

dear T&LO and PUF,
i just heard something awful. valerie harper is on the cover of people magazine announcing her terminal cancer and imminent demise. i love her and can’t imagine the 70′s, fashion…life without her and rhoda morgenstern.

BuffaloBarbara

I love that they’re using actual high fashion. Very cool. (Of course, do the fashion houses realize that the Capitol fashion is supposed to look ridiculous to outsiders?)

This look is perfect for Effie Trinket. I am not sure how it translates outside of an SF dystopia.

Melissa Brogan

I think the House of McQueen is okay with the idea that their couture looks ridiculous to outsiders.

marilyn

AMcQ is a phsycho, and it shows in his designs. This bizarre costume would be fine for a remake of Alice in Wonderland.

sue avila

Lee McQueen is also dead. This design is by Sarah Burton, who was put in charge of the brand when he passed.

MaryanneGirl

Listen, I’ve never read these books, but I’ll say she looks fan-freaking-tastic.

BuffaloBarbara

Worth reading. Revolution via the power of FASHION! ;p (Okay, plus weapons and TV commercials.)
- MaryanneGirl
  
  No desire to read it whatsoever.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=639062430 Sara Padilla

I mean this in the best possible way: she looks like a parrot tulip.

Chantry Banks

Giving “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” realness.

StillGary

Hope Alexander can see this!

MissFern

there are NO words. i love this so much. feature all of the “capitol” portraits!

H2olovngrl

Working it.

http://twitter.com/#!/Space_Kitty Space Kitty

God, how perfect is McQueen for this.

FloridaLlamaLover

I saw the photo without the title…thought it was the RuPaul Drag Race recap!

quiltrx

That dress is magic.

ChaquitaPhilly

WOW!

LuxuryLime

McQueen suits the Capitol style to a T! This looks fabulous on good ol’ Effie.

Mistie Holler

I have nothing to say here except: AAAAAARRRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!! The next Hunger Games! I’M SO BLOODY EXCITED!!!!!

http://twitter.com/lisledanielle Danielle Lisle

Really, is there any other designer more perfect for Effie?

http://phreddd.livejournal.com/ Fred V

D-I… V-A.

Share This

Elizabeth Banks in “Catching Fire” in McQueen

Archives

Follow us

Archives