They really are not that similar beyond both involving games where kids kill each other, and Hunger Games is very much focused on parodying 2000s reality show and celebrity culture, which have nothing to do with Battle Royale.

The problem with the Hunger Games movies boils down to their fidelity to the books, IMO. The three books are basically all the same plot with details adjusted to fit the passage of time, kind of like Star Wars and The Force Awakens, only with less lens flare and upside-down camera work. But because the books rely so…

Yeah, to me the whole set of the Hunger Games movies (I’ve never read the books) are fascinating because what the movies are really about is using propaganda, marketing, and messaging.

“... the premise is that horrific people are entertained by watching cruelties among children. Which is rather close to what the readers and viewers are doing”

I liked Catching Fire best because I thought the first half of the movie, all the politics, and the tour, was some of the richest storytelling in the series.

For all that Lawrence is great as Katniss, these movies gathered an absolutely stellar cast, as noted in the article. My personal favorites probably being Lenny Kravitz as Cinna and Woody Harrelson as Haymitch. The latter brings just the right kind of world-weary realism, while the former is so quietly, remarkably…

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a vegan must be in want of someone to talk about veganism with.

I searched for a punchline for a while, but the jokes about vegans telling everyone they’re vegan write themselves don’t they? Just imagine one of them for me.

Always a strong presence in the shows she’s part of. I’ve always liked that she plays characters that hit you hard with a first impression, but are upon further inspection, far more layered. She does a good job of making you feel that before the script does. I also like that she tends to play tough women, that are…

Little innocent kids are absolutely the payoff for being a parent. They are so endearing and precious that it’s almost painful to experience. It’s a gift and a blessing to be privy too.

Wait, you mean the caterpillar doesn’t die and get magically replaced by a butterfly? Maybe there was a reason Savage Nobody had to repeat kindergarten twelve times...

I’m not sure how to explain that it isn’t still 1995 and people can change over time.

I read it as “Yeah, people can come out at their own pace, but being shitty to someone who is out kind of overrides that.”

“...and even an old white guy who was the first Black president’s loyal wingman.”

Elizabeth Warren isn’t someone I would describe as an ‘establishment stooge’.  Someone who changed their beliefs because they did research and crunched numbers has more of my attention than someone who has stayed consistent throughout the decades.

On the one hand, Rogan’s output is goofy bro shit. It’s the “reasoned debate” equivalent of watching a bunch of 50-y-os with degenerative arthritis take over an NBA game and try to play four quarters.

The best description I ever heard of Joe Rogan is that he’s like a time-traveling 18th century European emperor. He’s incredibly demanding of his guests and asks a bazillion entitled questions, but he’s also massively gullible and immediately believes literally anything they tell him.

Dan calls LW#3's boyfriend abusive, which is correct, but it’s worth noting that LW#1's boyfriend is perhaps just this side of outright abuse and LW#2's boyfriend is verbally abusive. The big issue with LW#1 is control. Making someone dump their friends is controlling and often a precursor to violence. And while I can…

I think that’s what I was thinking of, yeah. Looking into that specifically, this was it, and what I was confusing there was a lot of MRA types approvingly and enthusiastically talking about how shitty women in general were because of this example.  

As far as I'm aware, she was never sexually assaulted, but there were stories about how he practically blacklisted her because she wouldn't play ball. When it came out in the public, Paul Sorvino went all Goodfellas and said if he knew, he would've whacked Harvey but good.