They Rock

Last night, we got to see  

Alison Krauss and Union Station! 

My blurry phone pic doesn't do it justice.

Maybe it's because I was born and raised in the South, but I can dig some bluegrass.  The singing and playing were superb; it was all dust bowls and Steinbeck's America, and shucking corn and jilted lovers and broken lives.  Love, love, love.  Alison (because we're like on a first-name basis) and the band seem so down to earth.  She hobbled onto the stage on crutches - turns out she broke her foot on Easter weekend getting up off the couch to turn off the TV.  See?  Who can't relate to that?  I was all, "Alison!  It's me!  Remember?  I sing along with you in my car!"

And today we saw this!

Source

Finally!  I have to say, it was worth the wait.

No spoilers - here's a quick review.  If you've read the books, I think this is about 75% as good.  It misses some of the nuances of the book, of course, but it does it justice for sure.  The acting is superb and for the most part, the film captures the essence of the characters.  It sometimes misses the boat though:  I thought Haymitch was completely unlikeable in the first book, and let's face it, it's just hard not to like Woody Harrelson.  Also, G thought President Snow's character was much more sinister in the book - somehow in the movie Donald Sutherland just comes across as mean and old.  In the book he's much more evil and mysterious.

Also, in general, I thought the book was much more PG-13ish than the movie; in my opinion the movie was a bit too mild.  It alluded to some of the violence, but then shied back.  I don't want to get all Quentin Tarantino but I think a stronger taste of the brutality of the Hunger Games would have made the viewer appreciate Katniss's predicament and would have added more...fear...into the experience.

Overall, though, I highly recommend seeing it in theater.  Better yet, read the books!