Hunger Games Fireside Chat Podcast

What are we going to talk about? The movie OF COURSE! We’ll share our thoughts on how true to the text it was, on the acting, on the directing, on the cinematography, and on anything else we can possibly discuss. We’ll also talk about the box office performance, which has been below the first two films but still nothing to be ashamed of. WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE MOVIE?? Share it all in the comments on our website!

Has fan reaction been so unified against the song, “This is Not a Game,” the conglomeration of The Chemical Brothers, Miguel, and Lorde? We will also talk about the majestic new TV spot, “Most Anticipated Event,” that has dazzled many HD screens and the District Voices campaign. Do you like “This is Not a Game?” What did you think of the TV spot? Don’t hold back — speak your mind in the comments section! on our website!

The Hunger Games franchise has been synonymous with many colors. President Snow’s white roses. District 12’s black coal mines. Katniss’s orange backpack, which we have popularized on this show in the past. Now, we add Lorde’s “Yellow Flicker Beat” to the spectrum and discuss the quality of its hue. We are chomping at the bit to know what YOU think about Lorde's song, so please leave a comment on our website!

Our love for the Hunger Games franchise may have withstood the test of time, but we have all gone through several transformations, both as participants and as spectators. The same can be said for certain characters in the story, such as Effie, and in this episode, we juxtapose our own changes with those of the characters. We are eager to know what YOU think about the changes within the fandom, so please leave a comment on our website! In addition, we will continue our discussion of Luly's piece on whether there's a lack of critical discussion in the fandom today.

In a bombastic return to the airwaves, we do one of our "famous" second-by-second, obsessive breakdowns of the new 'Mockingjay Part I' trailer. We are dying to know what YOU think about the new trailer, so please leave a comment on our website, and don't hold back! In addition, we discuss Luly's piece on whether there's a lack of critical discussion in the fandom today.

After over a year of waiting, Catching Fire is out for the world to see! We spend Episode 130 discussing the film in-depth: What did we like? What didn't we like? What book-to-movie changes did we especially enjoy? Etc. Spoilers abound, of course, so if you have not yet seen Catching Fire, you may want to wait to listen to this one. If you have any specific talking points that you think we should address, just leave a comment over on our site. We also look at the sequel's box office performance thus far.

Catching Fire Week is finally here! Can you believe it? We certainly can't! We'll be seeing Catching Fire on Monday, November 18, which is why this episode has been scheduled for the following night (Tuesday the 19th). We'll spend the entirety of Episode 129 offering up as spoiler-free a review as possible, sharing our initial impressions and reactions and letting you know what to expect! If you have any specific questions about the film that you'd like us to answer during Episode 129, just leave a comment over on our website. Please keep in mind that we do want to keep this review spoiler-free, so don't ask anything too detailed! 

In Episode 128 of Fireside Chat, we reflect on the night's events at the world premiere of Catching Fire in London and take a look at some early reviews. We also chat about the latest Catching Fire clips to have been released and weigh in on a particularly sticky subject: the [very real] possibility of a Hunger Games theme park. Please leave a comment over on our website and let us know what you think about this idea.

Since our last unscripted episode wasn't quite as unscripted as we'd hoped given the new Catching Fire TV spot and TheCapitol.PN relaunch, we figured we might as well have a little fun before the premiere next week! We'll spend the whole night pulling all sorts of thought-provoking and crazy topics out of our trusty grab bag/topic cornucopia. We'll also briefly chat about our experience interviewing Sam Claflin and Jena Malone on Sunday. Update: Did we jinx ourselves or something? Subway just unveiled another new Catching Fire TV spot set to "We Remain" by Christina Aguilera and...oh, the feels! As we write this, we're still teary-eyed. Mags! Johanna! So, yes, we will absolutely be discussing this new TV spot. Update #2: Below you'll find a list of all the topics we pulled from our grab bag! - From Marce: Do you think if Peeta hadn't been hijacked that he and Katniss would have been together from that point forward? - From Satsuma: If Peeta hadn't been reaped for the Games, would he have volunteered?  - From Anonymous: Where is Cinna from? The Capitol? District 8? District 12? - From 4LoveIsStronger: If you could spend a whole day with a tribute from the 75th Hunger Games (excluding Katniss and Peeta), who would it be?

In a special Tuesday night episode, we do one of our "famous" second-by-second, obsessive breakdowns of the new (and final) Catching Fire trailer. The arena! The locket! The fog! Monkey mutts! Jabberjays! We discuss it all. Obviously, we want to know what YOU think about the new trailer, so please leave a comment on our website and let all your thoughts and emotions out! We also chat briefly about the latest stills released in Us Weekly and People.

In Episode 125 of Fireside Chat, we compare the first film in the Hunger Games franchise with what we've seen of Catching Fire thus far. With its bigger budget, improved CGI (Weta, anyone?), and reassuring quotes/decisions from director Francis Lawrence, it seems as though we're in store for something truly grand come November 22. Some even believe that Catching Fire has the power to surpass $1 billion in worldwide ticket sales. But is bigger necessarily better? In recent weeks, many fans have been quick to praise Lawrence while being very vocally negative about Gary Ross and The Hunger Games. Is this fair? How have our own opinions of the first movie changed since March of 2012? We discuss. (Of course, we also want to know what you think. So leave a comment on our website with your thoughts on the topic and let us know if/how your perceptions of The Hunger Games and Gary Ross have changed now that you've gotten a good taste of what to expect from Francis Lawrence.)

We haven't done an unscripted show since July, so we figured it was time for another one! In Episode 124 of Fireside Chat, we spend the first few minutes chatting about the newly relaunched TheCapitol.PN and how it compares to last year's version. We also talk about THE NEW CATCHING FIRE TV SPOT which debuted online tonight on Walmart's Facebook page. And then, in lieu of a planned agenda, we spend the rest of the evening pulling all sorts of thought-provoking and crazy topics out of our trusty grab bag/topic cornucopia. If you'd like to submit a topic or share your thoughts on TheCapitol.PN and the new TV spot, just leave a comment on our website.   Update! Topics we pulled out tonight: - What would the characters from the trilogy dress up as for Halloween (if they celebrated)? - If you could swap two members of the cast (and have them switch roles), who would they be? - If any place on Earth could be used for a filming location, what would have been the best place to shoot? - Buttercup is now orange (like he should be)!  

In Episode 123 of Fireside Chat, we share our thoughts on the latest additions to the cast of the Mockingjay films: Wes Chatham as Castor, Elden Henson as Pollux, Omid Abtahi as Homes, and Misty and Kim Ormiston as Leeg 1 and Leeg 2. We also discuss the full track list for the Catching Fire soundtrack (revealed on September 26) and weigh in on Christina Aguilera's "We Remain," Sia's "Elastic Heart," and The Lumineers' "Gale Song." Time permitting, we spend the remainder of the show offering up opinions on the final Catching Fire poster, the new Entertainment Weekly covers, and all of the new stills released over the past couple of weeks. We'd love to know your thoughts on any or all of these topics, so if you'd like to share, please leave a comment over on our website!

In Episode 122 of Fireside Chat, we welcome not one, not two, but THREE new Mockingjay cast members to the Hunger Games family! We share our thoughts on Lily Rabe as Commander Lyme, Patina Miller as Commander Paylor, and Mahershala Ali as Boggs. Let us know what YOU think about these casting decisions by leaving a comment over on our website.   (Reminder: We're one of 75 official Lionsgate partners giving away tickets to the U.S. premiere of Catching Fire! Our contest closes on 9/23/13 at 11:59pm ET. Click here for more details and to find out how to enter.)

**Due to technical difficulties, we have had to pull the audio for this episode. If we are able to restore it, we will let you know on our social media channels and website.** (Click here to read our transcribed interview with The Hungry Hungry Games.) In Episode 121 of Fireside Chat, we speak with the creators of The Hungry Hungry Games, a new [unofficial] live parody of The Hunger Games that's currently touring the country. We then go on to celebrate the news that Julianne Moore will be playing President Alma Coin in both installments of Mockingjay. Let us know your thoughts on this casting decision by leaving a comment on our website! *FYI: We're giving away tickets to the U.S. premiere of Catching Fire! For more details and to find out how to enter, click here.*