Here is this week's video.
Have you read The Hunger Games? Have you seen the movie The Hunger Games? If you have not, The Hunger Games take place in a post-apocalypse world where 24 kids are taken from their homes each year and forced to kill each other. What is the moral of the story in The Hunger Games? Is it disturbing to you that The Hunger Games is so popular when it is about children killing each other? Why is The Hunger Games so popular now? Would this series of books have been as popular during our parents generation? Would it even have been allowed in our parents generation? Regarding the video, name a few specific ways that the video pokes fun at the hunger games. Do you think Saturday night live is trying to use humor to say that the premise of The Hunger Games is strange and cruel? Is satire a good way of communicating an opinion to an audience?
21 comments:
Here's the link http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/hunger-games-reporter/1395336
I'm gonna be honest, I am a person who watches a lot of movies, and I read a lot of popular culture material. The Hunger Games is terrible. When I first saw the movie, I was creeped out a little bit, by the strange way the people would dress, not to mention the weird story of the movie. Excuse my language, but I'm trying to be as real as possible, this movie was absolute popular culture shit. Saturday Night Live is smart, and is actually making fun of it because it deserves to be made fun of. It seems like in todays world, Studios are so desperate to make movies, they will do just about anything, as they proved with Hunger Games. If you think I am biased towards fantasy movies in general, this is coming from a person who is a fan of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars. All three of the former movie series I just mentioned were phenomenal, because of the fact that they were more genuine, and not creepy in their presentation. I hate Hunger Games.
Well, I have not watch the movie but I can absolutely feel its impact. News and articles related to The Hunger Games (a lot of them are sarcastic though) are everywhere on the internet and I even saw someone reading the book on bus! By comparing the video and the plot summary of the movie, it is quite obvious that the extremely humorous video exaggerates some unrealistic elements in the movie (having fun killing each others, gunfire right after deaths, eat berries given by someone who probably want to kill you etc) and made fun of it. There are certain parts in the video, such as the name of the hosts, the reporter's laugh after each deaths and the guy that pop up in the beginning, that probably have some implicit meanings behind them; however, having not watched the movie, I was left confused.
Overall, I think one of the main reasons "The Hunger Games" is a hit is because of the storyline which focuses on teenagers, who happened to be the movie's target audiences as well. By revolving the plot around young-age teenagers, the movie easily makes the audiences (teenagers) feel like they are in the "game"; which then makes "The Hunger Games" goes viral.
I have read all three books in The Hunger Games series multiple times and I have seen the movie. I have been obsessed with the series since I read the very first page of the book many years ago. Even though Saturday Night Live mocks the entire series, I thought it was hilarious because everything they say is true. It pokes fun at the use of a canon as a sign of a death, the scene with the poisonous berries, and the sheer fact that people are finding enjoyment out of children killing each other for no reason. While they make fun of the plot, everything is opinion. Some people may find it disturbing, I find it entertaining because it's so far from our reality. Everything in the book is bizarre and the reader is free to use his/her imagination. I think this series became so popular because it's so different and allows a lot of room for imagination. Also, it became so popular because of timing. Popular series, such as Harry Potter and Twilight, are winding down. Therefore, people are looking for a new series to gain an interest in. Suzanne Collins had this book published at the perfect time and that is part of the reason it became so popular. Had she published it a few years ago, the book may have gone unnoticed.
I have not yet seen the Hunger Games, although I would like to, and I haven't read any of the books. However, that doesn't mean I haven't heard about how popular it is. After reading your summary of the Hunger Games though, it makes me feel like I shouldn't go see it in theaters anymore. I am not a big fan of violence, especially not when it involves children. It's slightly disturbing to me that people want to watch children be forced to kill each other.
I think that the timing of the Hunger Games series has a lot to do with it's popularity. Number one, other popular series have come, or are coming, to an end (Harry Potter and The Twilight Saga). Also, which I think most people will agree, the generation we are growing up in is becoming desensitized to blatant violence, sexuality, and more. Television shows are hardly censoring foul language anymore. So, I honestly don't think that this series could have been successful or even allowed in past generations. I feel that way simply because I believe past generations tended to be more conservative about certain issues.
The video pokes fun of the Hunger Games by making the violence that happens in the movie humerous. For example, the poison berries, the moss man, and more. Even though SNL is making fun of this movie, I feel like it's not because they want to show how cruel it is. In fact, I feel like SNL is desensitizing our generation to violence even more by making fun of it.
I have read all three books in the Hunger Games series. I thought they were all really good and they kept me interested always wanting to know what will happen next. I also think that it is a really weird plot line where these people truly enjoy watching children kill each other on national television. Even though it's such a strange plot I still found it interesting to read. Saturday night live was completely right when they were making fun of it because it is so bizarre.I thought they were really funny when they were making fun of it too. But I still think The Hunger Games is a really good series because it is different from everything else I have read before.
I have watched The Hunger Game last week, and it is one of the best movies I have ever seen. I think The Hunger Game is not only a game for the society that is in the movie, but also something symbolic; it shows how the government controls its people, and make sure the people doesn’t rebel against them. It was disturbing to watch when the kids were killing each other, but I am sure if I was born in that society I will be cheering for the game too. The Hunger Game is just like the super bowl in our society, we would never get upset when a player got injured in the super bowl; it is the same for The Hunger Game it is normal for somebody to die in the game. I can definitely tell the video was making fun of the movie; such as the advertisement in the video, and people were getting killed in fount of the reporter. They clearly showed how the movie disregarding life.
I haven't watched The Hunger Games yet, but still I can watch that video and laugh at it. I honestly don't really see the analytic value in it, though; it's just SNL making money by being funny, like always. I don't think that the video is a satirical way of stating that the story was cruel; I think that the video was just meant to strip the plot down to its very basics and make us laugh at it.
This is what a lot of comedy shows do, such as The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, MadTV, and of course SNL. They take the most basic idea of the plot and state it in such a way that it seems dumb. Jon Stewart does this extremely well with what politicians say in interviews and conferences: he will take one little quote that is said, completely disregard the context that it was said in, and show it to the audience because it sounds funny. This is basically what SNL is doing here. It makes us sit back, think about and laugh at the things that we listen to and enjoy on a daily basis.
I have not seen or read The Hunger Games but it does look like it is an interesting movie. Although it seems to be brutal and disturbing, that’s what sells in in the box office in today’s world. I guarantee that a story like this would not have been allowed in my parents’ generation because they lived in a more sheltered society. Today, blood, gore, and sex sell more than movies with a more classic feel. That’s just a reality. The video pokes fun at the movie in the fact that they seem to celebrate when a child dies on the battlefield and it effectively shows how inhumane that particular society is. I don’t believe that SNL was trying to make it look strange and cruel. Instead, I would say that the are making fun at how ridiculous the plot actually was. Satire is a very effective way of communicating an opinion to an audience if one goes the right way about presenting their piece.
SNL never fails to disappoint in making fun of whatever is popular. That is what makes SNL so successful. I am a fan of the Hunger Games but couldn't help and laugh during their parody because the skit really was so accurate in the storyline of the Hunger Games. Obviously, SNL was making fun of the storyline and made light of the fact that kids were killing other kids. The actors were extra obnoxious to make their point more obvious. They made fun of the characters as the reporter looked like Effie Trinket from The Capitol. Popular culture today has become so much of a craze where young people become obsessed with things like Twilight, Harry Potter, and now Hunger Games. There are those few dissenters who are independent and don't follow the crowd, and they tend to make fun of the latest craze.
Our parents' generation would not be watching movies like The Hunger Games. The plot is somewhat taboo and would not have been as accepted in society 30 years ago. But today the more eccentric and unique, the more successful. Sexuality and extreme violence are some of the most popular things in pop culture that were not appropriate years ago. Even today, my 7 year old cousins are watching PG13 and even R rated movies. I know when I was 7 my friends and I weren't watching those kinds of movies...
I have not read The Hunger Games but I watched the movie about two weeks ago. This story is so popular. I was impressed by the fashion style of those future people; Lady Gaga definitely has made a great effort into fashion development history. To me, the hunger game is simply putting people from gutter into an advanced Colosseum to please those people who sit in front of television. This activity does not seem moral to me based my personal values and the codes of current social mores. Since social norms change rapidly, the story may not be published in our parents’ generation, it’s likely to come true in the future. I’ not sure why the story is so popular; I guess it’s because of the exciting material?
I have never read or seen the Hunger Games but I've heard it's very good. I don't find this story exactly disturbing. The reason why is because it's in a post apocalyptic setting with limited resources. There are many people trying to live and survive. People in this environment are almost expected to fight and kill for food, water, medicine, shelter and other necessities. I believe naturally humans are entertained with violence and that's why the Hunger Games is so popular. Think about it. In school, when there was a fight people would gather around and watch without stopping it. Currently, football, UFC, and boxing are the most popular sports because of the violence. In addition, there are many people who watch nascar just for the crashes and hockey just for the fights. So naturally people love violence. This video would have been seen by my parents if it had been filmed in there time as well and would have been just as popular. The movie series Rambo was filmed during my parent's generation and that was very violent. The video pokes fun of the Hunger Games by mentioning tylenol and other ways. I think SNL makes fun of the Hunger Games just because it's a popular book and movie that many people can relate to not because the movie may be cruel. Satire can be a good tool of communication and has been used many times before.
I have also seen the Hunger Games. while I really enjoyed the movie I do think that the concept is a bit strange and I feel like it is something that should not be so widely popular. The movie was very well done and I can see why so many people found enjoyment in it but when you really think about the concept it is about children killing each other. I think that the movie does have some good messages and morals to give to the younger audience. I think it speaks about selflessness, sacrifice, as well as the fact that you can win with smarts and it is not always about brute strength. I thought that SNL was fine in making fun of the movies because lets be honest, with such a strange topic it is an easy target. Overall I enjoyed the movie but I can understand certain people not feeling the same way.
When I read the Hunger Games, I really enjoyed them. I couldn't get through them fast enough. While I knew they were about children killing each other, I knew that nothing about the books were real. Saturday Night Live did a really good job at mocking the series. Everything they said was absolutely true which is why it was so hilarious to even people who read the books and saw the movie. People may think that the movie is disturbing but everyone knows that this is far from the truth. This is a new series that has the spotlight so people can love or hate the movies and books just like every other piece of entertainment in the world.
I have seen the Hunger Games movie and read the book. It does not disturb me that children are killing each other. Due to the fact that it is a futuristic world, I think it is easier for people to watch it without getting the wrong message, or thinking it will influence our society. I think the books would have been just as popular in our parent’s generation. They may have been banned in our grandparents’ time due to the revolting or violent aspect to it. The video makes a mockery of the Hunger Games. It does this by having a reporter in the middle of the games making commotion. The reporter makes it sound like a dumb plot to a book by poking fun of the story line. The characters are also comical making fun of the movie, because the movie is meant to be serious. The reporter points out that a boy is disguised as a rock, a girl is running around with berries, and people are right next to each other and don’t even notice. The video makes the Hunger Games sound like it has a lame plot to it. I think the satire relates to part of the crowd. I believe the majority of the crowd enjoyed the movie and book, and the satire may rub them the wrong way.
To be honest, I read the book, and liked it a bit, but I really didn't like the movie at all. It started way too slow and took too long to get into the action. I think it's popular because it's an adventure story and about kids on a mission. It is also popular with most girls since there's somewhat of a love story going on as well. The video makes fun of the movie by using exaggeration. The kids did not have fun killing each other, they did it to survive. Although I could see why they make fun of it, since everyone else has fun watching it and betting on it. I think they used satire to show the cruelty of it, but I also think they went a bit over board. I think satire is an okay way of communicating when death is not involved, but when it is, I think it just takes it a bit over board.
These books are fantastic. I read about the author who got the idea for the Hunger Games from her father who educated the young Collins on war and peace. The author used an extreme case, the world of Panem, to describe how war and peace and tyranny can bring out the worst attributes of the human race.
Regarding the video, it is hilarious, we can all agree on that, but it is also true that there is something disturbing regarding the video. Saturday night live always has an opinion on something, that is what makes it so popular; SNL does not just make fun of stuff it makes statements about things. The statement here is that a world in which kids are warriors is terrible and we cannot tolerate it in today's society. Things like the abduction of children into African militias need to be stopped.
This is not just a funny video, it is a call for awareness.
I have not read the book or seen the movie so I feel I do not know enough to comment on the premise of the story. I do believe that satire is a great way of communication because it finds a way to take a more serious topic and make it humorous. Sometimes it is easier to watch or read a satire about a serious topic than it is a serious video or article. I do believe that Saturday Night Live is trying to poke fun at the premise of the book. I’m not sure if SNL is actually trying to say the book is strange and cruel. I think they are just trying to get a good laugh out of the audience.
I have not actually seen or read the Hunger Games so I do feel as though it is a little disturbing that a book about children killing each other is so popular. I understand that this may be a little more of a love story from what I’ve heard about some of the characters, but the point still remains that there is the undertone of it being about children killing each other. I feel like SNL is, and succeeds at using humor to say the premise is strange and relatively cruel. Satire is a good way of communicating an opinion because it can take a harsh reality, and make it seem light-hearted and funny. I think SNL did a really good job of conveying their point, that the books may be good, but in reality they have a very cruel undertone to them.
I have not read the books, but I have seen the movie, and I believe that the violence was brutal. I have also heard that the books were quite graphic compared to the movie; however, I know that the main characters in the story do not condone the violence, for it is a way of life for them. They must go with it in order to stay alive because they all have so much to live for. One important thing to take into consideration is who could more easily appreciate the satirical view the SNL provided: people who have read it, or people who have not. I think that the skit was directed more at the audience of those who have only seen the movie. But I do think that having read the book would allow someone to appreciate the satire more.
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