"The Hunger Games - Catching Fire" Movie Review

It’s bigger, better, bolder and grander than its predecessor. Catching Fire the second in line of The Hunger Games series digs deep into the richness of its literature bringing to life some of the most gripping combat scenes in the race for survival. 

The girl on fire Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and her co-victor Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) are manipulated and thrown back in the pit to play another round of the Hunger Games marking the anniversary called The Quarter Quell where only victors from all districts compete against each other.

While the heart of the film lies in the action, where the contestants kill each other to move on in the competition, Catching Fire spends a lot of time on the periphery gauging the mood of the citizens heralding an inevitable revolution and also gives us a glimpse of Katniss’s vulnerability.

Lawrence takes everything that worked in the first film and amplifies it on a multiplied level to present the story lavishly.

Set decoration, costumes, special effects, background music and the cinematography is top notch.  Unlike other blockbusters that cut to the chase early on, Catching Fire stays true to its material and gradually builds up the tempo.

Early on we watch Katniss devastated and heartbroken as she’s taken away from family and love one more time. Similarly Peeta struggles to keep his emotions in line as he gets to share another round of life and death battle with his accomplice.

The ensemble is superb, particularly the face of the series – Jennifer Lawrence who takes to the role like a duck to the water. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Woody Harrelson make the adventure exciting with their varied performances one the mastermind of the games while the other a tutor.

Among the jungle scenes, those that stand out are the one with the poisonous gas the deadly fight with the baboons.

Those expecting the fireworks to begin early on will be a tad disappointed. Unlike the first, Katniss has to be subdued and mask her emotions for most of the proceeding. 

Along the way there is a sense that Lawrence is trying too hard to capture a bit of every chapter in the book and spreading himself too thin in the effort.

The odds are definitely in favour of Catching Fire as it emerges as a strong successor for  one of the most gripping action-adventure tales of our time.

Trailer:

Jennifer Lawrence Cut Hair Short Because It Was "Fried," "Couldn't Get Any Uglier"

No one—not even Jennifer Lawrence—can endlessly dry, dye, highlight, straighten and curl their hair without repercussions.

The inevitable damage resulting from over-processing one's hair is part of why the Hunger Games: Catching Fire star got her hair cut into a short pixie 'do. The other reason? "My hair couldn't get any uglier," she quipped during a Yahoo "Fireside Chat" on Thursday, Nov. 7.

"I don't know, I cut it earlier, and it was just kind of like [shoulder-length] and it grew to that awkward, gross length," said the actress, who wore a chic black and white ensemble paired with a spike lariat necklace by Sydney Evan for the occasion. "I just kept putting it back in a bun, and I said, 'Well I don't want to do this,' so I just cut it off."

In a Google+ hangout, the 23-year-old actress admitted part of the reason she chopped off her locks was because they were "fried from being dyed too much." She then added jokingly that her drastic 'do was "just to annoy" Catching Fire director Francis Lawrence. But, in case any Mockingjays were concerned, J.Law didn't just up and decide to give District 12's darling an impromptu makeover!

"This isn't how Katniss is going to look in the next movies, don't worry," she said. "I'm wearing a wig."

Effie Trinket will surely be pleased.

Chris and Liam Hemsworth in 2006

“Thor: The Dark World” starring Chris Hemsworth hits theatres today – but he’s not the only Hemsworth with a major film coming out this month. His little brother, 23-year-old heartthrob Liam, stars alongside Jennifer Lawrence in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” which will be in theatres in just two weeks.

And while the dreamy brothers have hit superstar status now – they haven’t always been so famous – or so dapper.

Behold: these super cute photos from 2006, when Chris was just starting to make a name for himself, and before Liam even made his acting debut.

In one of the photos, taken at a Dancing With The Stars after party, the Hemsworth brothers pose with their mom and dad for a family snap.

Twenty-three-year-old Chris gets a kiss from mom while 16-year-old Liam stands by wearing a slightly-embarrassing printed button-down shirt (but we’re pretty sure every teenage guy had a shirt like this in the mid-2000s, so it’s OK. It was a difficult time for fashion.)

Jennifer Lawrence stuns in Dior spread

The black-and-white images, which were photographed by Mikael Jansson, are included in the fall-winter issue of Dior Magazine, the French fashion house's biannual publication. 

Jennifer Lawrence, shown here in a new picture for Dior, is also the face of the fashion brand’s Miss Dior line of bags

The recently-revealed spread, which is featured in the fall-winter issue of Dior Magazine, shows Lawrence posing in tailored suits and menswear-inspired pieces. She appears comfortable and effortlessly classy with tousled hair and minimal makeup in the black-and-white pictures.

The Oscar-winner, who is the face of the label's Miss Dior line, also appears in a color photo on the cover of the French fashion house's biannual magazine.

Miley Cyrus joins long list of young Hollywood brides

This is going to be Miley's biggest Party in the U.S.A. yet. Despite being just 19, Miley Cyrus had a big engagement announcement this week, and an even bigger 3.5-karat Neil Lane diamond sparkler from Liam Hemsworth, 22. Young love and big commitments in Hollywood are hardly new, but are they everlasting?

Britney Spears

Married young: Spears married back-up dancer Kevin Federline at just 22. He was 26.

Status: This wasn't Spears' first go at marriage. Six months prior, she married childhood friend Jason Alexander in Las Vegas and 55 hours later had it annulled. Spears and Federline had two boys, Sean Preston and Jayden, before filing for divorce in 2006. Spears boasts a happy update — in December she became engaged to longtime boyfriend Jason Trawick.

LeAnn Rimes

Married young: Rimes wed dancer Dean Sheremet at 19. He was 21.

Status: The two were married for eight years until Rimes began stepping out with actor Eddie Cibrian. She and Sheremet divorced in 2009, and Rimes married Cibrian in 2011.

Taylor Hanson

Married young: The MMMBop singer said "I do" to girlfriend Natalie Bryant at age 19.

Status: The two teens wed while Bryant was four months pregnant in 2010, and 10 years later, they're still going strong. The couple now have four children, and are expecting Baby No. 5 this year.

Olivia Wilde

Married young: The People Like Us star married Tao Ruspoli, the son of an Italian prince, on a bus when she was 19.

Status: After eight years of marriage, Wilde filed for divorce in 2011. These days, she is quietly dating SNL's Jason Sudeikis.

Hilary Duff

Married young: The former teen queen married ice hockey player Mike Comrie in 2010 when she was 22. He was 29.

Status: The happy couple are together and recently welcomed a baby boy, Luca.

Drew Barrymore

Married young: Barrymore married Welsh bar owner Jeremy Thomas when she was 19. He was 32.

Status: They two married abruptly in a Los Angeles bar and the union lasted one month. But there's a happy update for the Big Miracle star — pregnant and beaming, she married art dealer Will Kopelman just days ago in an intimate wedding at her home in Montecito, Calif.

Avril Lavigne

Married young: It was a punk wedding for Lavigne, who wed Sum 41 singer Deryck Whibley in 2006 at age 21.

Status: Lavigne filed for divorce in late 2009.

Kate Hudson

Married young: Hudson married Chris Robinson in 2000 at 21. He was 35.

Status: The couple was married for almost six years and had a son, Ryder, before splitting in 2006. Hudson is currently engaged to Muse rocker Matthew Bellamy and they had a baby boy, Bingham, together in July of 2011.

Macaulay Culkin

Married young: Culkin married girlfriend Rachel Miner in 1998 when they were both just 17.

Status: The two separated in 2000, and Culkin later dated Mila Kunis.

Jesssica Simpson

Married young: Simpson married fellow pop star Nick Lachey in 2002 at 22. He was 29.

Status: Their marriage, viewed nationwide on MTV reality show Newlyweds, went sour as her career 

heated up and his stalled. Simpson filed for divorce in 2005. Both stars have moved on: Simpson recently had a baby girl, Maxwell, with fiancéEric Johnson. In 2011, Lachey married TV personality Vanessa Minnillo; the two are expecting a baby this year.

Ashlee Simpson

Married young: Simpson tied the knot with fellow musician Pete Wentz in May 2008. She was 23, he was 28.

Status: The couple had a son, Bronx, in December 2008, but by early 2011, Simpson filed for divorce.

Reese Witherspoon

Married young: Two years after meeting at Witherspoon's 21st birthday party, she and Ryan Phillippe married in1999.

Status: This pair were married for seven years and had a daughter, Ava, in 1999 and a son, Deacon, in 2003. They split up in 2006. Today, Witherspoon is remarried to CAA agent Jim Toth, and the couple are expecting a baby this year.