The Hunger Games posters: cause for optimism

We are just about 5 months away from The Hunger Games movie in March. So far it’s been one step forward, one step back, particularly as it relates to casting.

Lionsgate has released 8 character posters to start building momentum. There’s a lot of photoshopping and skin doctoring happening here. And still, I don’t hate it. In fact, I think it’s a very, very encouraging leap forward. Jennifer Lawrence looks young as Katniss. And when I see her profile, I am not thinking of the girl in the Baywatch dress at the Oscars. Good job.

Lenny Kravitz as Cinna - YES. The blue shirt, the gold chain, and the gold eyelid that looks, upon closer inspection, that it has been cut and lifted and Nicole Kidman-ed ...if this is the kind of attention to detail that we can expect in the film, I’m now a lot more excited.

Gale might have something to do with that too. As previously mentioned, I have always been down with Liam Hemsworth as Gale. Look at his expression. That works for me as a Gale expression. And it’s only a picture. Or maybe I just can’t see past my erection for this kid. He’s hot, ok?

So of the 8 images available, I feel solidly enthusiastic about 6 of them. The 2 that are medium, for me anyway, are Peeta and Effie. Why is Effie (Elizabeth Banks) so... weirdly glamourous instead of straight up tacky? Was I reading that wrong? Why does she look like Rachel McAdams in Sherlock Holmes?

As for Josh Hutcherson’s Peeta - well, ever since I started telling myself he’s a Pity F-ck, I guess this is what the Pity F-ck should look like. Which...could explain why I’m not that hard about it?

Click here to see all the other posters including Woody Harrelson as Haymitch.