This is something I haven't done before. I plan to write a series of 5 posts on The Hunger Games. One now, having seen the film once. One after seeing it for a second time. And one after reading each of the three books. We'll see what happens.
I really liked the film. It has gone straight to the top of my 'Films of the year' list. I loved the concept and thought it was really well done. I was absorbed. The film fed my excitement for new young actors. It's the second thing I've seen Josh Hutcherson in and, while he wasn't as mindblowing as he is in Bridge to Terabithia, he was still good. I didn't get to see Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone, but this alone has convinced me that she's good.
I was left a bit disappointed by the length of the film - I thought it could have been longer. Yes, I know it is already 140 minutes, but since when have I been bothered by long films? I wanted more backstory about District 12 and Katniss' home and family life. And I wanted more detail on the buildup to the Games and how all the sponsorship worked. But in spite of this, I enjoyed the film and immediately ordered the books when I got home.
Possibly the most significant indication of how much I liked the film is that I want to see it again. This only happens with films I really like.
Over the last couple of weeks, this video has been very popular online, and has been posted countless times on Facebook and Twitter. I posted it myself.
The idea behind the video is to make Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in Africa, famous. He has abducted thousands of children and turned them into soldiers and sex slaves, and is the number 1 most wanted person in the world for crimes against humanity. Western countries are reluctant to try to stop him because he is not a financial or military threat to Western countries.
The charity behind the video, Invisible Children, believe that part of the problem is that Kony isn't a household name like Saddam Hussein or Col. Gadaffi, and therefore wants to make Kony famous so that Western populations will pressurize governments to stop him.
The video has been received variably. Some have got behind the idea and have joined the plan to publicise Kony 2012 on a large scale in April. Others have been suspicious and critical of various things. Some have criticised the misrepresentation of the scale and the location of the LRA. Some have asked about the lack of coverage of the corruption in the Ugandan government. Some have pointed out that US advisers have already been sent to help. Some have tried to discuss the very nature of 'justice' and 'evil'. These people miss the point.
The point is that Invisible Children have noticed that what the LRA are doing is wrong and they should be stopped. Because Western governments are reluctant to get involved, Invisible Children have decided to go to the public to try to raise awareness that way. They are using social media to spread the message, which makes quite a lot of sense. Regardless of the details of Kony's crimes or who else is involved, he is still top of the International Criminal Court's most wanted list. He is someone who should be brought to justice and someone who people should know about. Simple as that.
If, and that's a big if, Invisible Children's plan works, and nations pressurise governments into acting before the end of 2012, that would be a massive deal. It would mean that because of public and social media pressure, governments acted. Forget votes and referendums and petitions for a minute. If this works for Kony, it could work for other situations too. I'm not saying I think it will work, but I love that it's a fresh idea, a new way of doing things.
It doesn't really matter about the details. The point is that Kony should be stopped, and people should know about him. That's why I've shared the video.
Dennis are the best new band I have discovered. Based in Northeast England, their style is somewhere near the indie/folk/ska intersection. They are an 8-piece band, with the standard 5-piece set up, plus trombone, trumpet and euphonium (and including a total of seven vocalists). Then they occasionally crack out a banjo, tenor horn, and a myriad of percussion instruments (cowbells, triangles, a clapper, a gong(!), egg shakers, a hooter).
Their songs are very well written, all eight of them are excellent musicians, and they are great live performers. I highly commend them. Have a look at the Facebook page - the Music tab has two songs. 'Like' the page to get details of gigs, recordings etc.
