so help me out (because I'm too lazy to do any research)

is this an action flick, a chick flick, a combination?

Have you read the books? That is the cause for a lot of the hype, similar to the Twilight and Harry Potter series--although these books are NOT supernatural/paranormal love stories. They are young adult though, which may be why they aren't on your radar?

It's kind of a teenage version of "The Running Man".

Definitely young adult, futuristic (post-apocolyptic) sci-fi is how I would classify it.

As I understand it, they filmed many more scenes of graphic violence but had to cut them out in order to get a young teen friendly rating in the UK.

Two future Governors and Richard Dawson?

I bet they include those scenes in the DVD which will sell a TON.

was it just me or did Richard Dawson seem too overly enthusiastic when it came to kissing young women?

He did marry a contestant on Family feud.

Saw the movie Friday night. Absolutely, positively loved it! Now I'm going to read the books. After I buy a Kindle with my tax returns.

I arrived 20 minutes before movie start time of 11:40 AM. There was no line. Parking lot didn't even seem that packed. Went to the concession stand and waited behind one person. Grabbed my popcorn and drink and headed to the theater room and what is there to greet me? A packed crowd! Was not expecting that AFTER the ticket lady told me that it wouldn't be packed. For a few seconds there while I was standing hugging my tub of popcorn, holding my drink, and looking up at the packed crowd, and contemplated leaving (to see it at a later time). I refuse to watch a movie sitting up in the front section having to stare up at the screen and look from side to side. Fortunately, the usher said follow me and walked up, rather than down. Ended up with pretty good seats too .

Great description of the books. Teenage angst, love and the running man!

I think of it as Survivor meets "The Lottery".

I don't know much of anything about it, but from the preview I saw on TV, I agree with EGB, it looks like "The Lottery" was ripped off a little.

per Wiki: "Collins says that the inspiration to write The Hunger Games came from channel surfing on television. On one channel she observed people competing on a reality show and on another she saw footage of the invasion of Iraq. The two "began to blur in this very unsettling way" and the idea for the book was formed. The Greek myth of Theseus served as basis for the story, with Collins describing Katniss as a futuristic Theseus, and that Roman gladiatorial games formed the framework. The sense of loss that Collins developed through her father's service in the Vietnam War also affected the story, whose heroine lost her father at age eleven, five years before the story begins. Collins stated that the deaths of the young characters and other "dark passages" were the hardest parts of the book to write, but she had accepted she would be writing such scenes. She considered the moments where Katniss reflects on happier moments in her past to be the more enjoyable passages to write."

Just thought it was interesting.

She left out the part where her husband came in and turned the channel to "The Running Man", wherin she decided that would be an awesome idea for a book.

lolz

I'm about halfway through the book now. DEf hooked....can't wait to finish it and then go see the movie

I would pefer to read the Running Man

Well, it was written by Stephen King.

Talk about a good weeks work.

Insert hipster comment about "Battle Royale" here.

OMG Insomnia has to be one of the longest Stephen King books EVER!!!

That book was brutal....

It was one of his early works and I must say that I enjoyed those more than some of his recent books.