Mockingjay Poster Revealed: "Nothing Can Prepare You For The End"

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Dang, dude! Look at this epicness right here! The Mockingjay Part 2 poster has finally come out, and there is just something so satisfying about seeing Katniss in the red Mockingjay outfit in flight. Now.... where can I get a recurve bow like that one?

ALSO: Don't forget that Advanced tickets go on sale TOMORROW! As always, check out the fandango link in our sidebar ---------->

Source: Jennifer Lawrence Facebook

Press Release: Samsung and Lionsgate Team Up For Exclusive Content and Experiences

Today, Lionsgate and Samsung released a press release regarding their partnership to promote The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, and it had lots of bits of information so let's break it down:

• From October 2-4, visit select Best Buy locations to watch the final trailer and try out the Hunger Games virtual reality experience and Mockingjay app. Click here for our earlier post.
• If you purchase the Galaxy Tab S2, you will get a digital download of the first 3 Hunger Games films through Samsung+
• Visit www.Samsung.com/mockingjay for participating stores.
• From October 9-11, the full 6 minute virtual reality experience will debut at an event in New York City (the details of this event seem TBA).
• The Hunger Games Tribute Awards and Global Fan Event on October 31. Click here for our earlier post for more info.
• For the Mockingjay Part 2 premiere, Samsung will have an exclusive fan bleacher section for certain Galaxy owners and Hunger Games fans.

Are you planning your trip to Best Buy this weekend?

View the full press release under the cut!

Hunger Games Funko Pop! Figures Coming Soon

They're finally here! Well, almost.  I was beginning to think that Funko had forgotten all about the country of Panem. Nerdist recently announced that a batch of Hunger Games figures are due to come out in a couple weeks,  and we cannot contain our excitement! Collect ALL the figures!

I hope they come out with more cause, well...

source: Nerdist

Mockingjay Part 2 Final Trailer + Hunger Games Virtual Reality Experience and New Mockingjay App @ Best Buy

The final Mockingjay Part 2 Trailer is debuting exclusively at Best Buy stores in the US on October 2nd and will continue until October 4th. Thanks again to our Quarter Quell, we know that after that, the trailer will be available online at midnight ET on October 5!

You can check the Samsung Website to find the participating Best Buy store closest to you. While you're there you can be one of the first people to try out the Hunger Games Virtual Reality Experience and also a new Mockingjay app. There hasn't been any info on either, what do you think it'll be like?

Now would probably be the best time to start rearranging your schedule. See you at Best Buy!

Samsung

New Mockingjay Part 2 Stills

We have new Mockingjay Part 2 stills featuring Katniss, Peeta, Cressida, and more!  Click on the pictures to see them in HQ (thanks to our friends at Quarter Quell).

Tim Palen: Photographs from the Hunger Games Ultimate Edition

The Ultimate edition of Tim Palen: Photographs from the Hunger Games, with 11 new photos, is now available for pre-order on Amazon.

Here's some info:

The publication of Tim Palen: Photographs from the Hunger Games was so well received, that publisher Assouline decided to make an Ultimate Edition of the book to meet the demands of their high-end collectors. Only 350 copies have been made of this oversized hand-bound leather book that includes 11 never-before seen images and an archival print of the cover image signed by Tim Palen.

Dimensions: 14 x 17 inches, 144 pages, 108 total images.

Lionsgate’s proceeds from the books will go to the World Food Program and Feeding America. They will also be giving an Ultimate Edition of the book away to 5 lucky fans (those proceeds will also benefit World Food Program and Feeding America).

If you do not have an extra $800 or so lying around, the original version of the book, which has gone into second printing, is still available on Amazon at a discounted price!

Check out more pictures of the book after the cut:

VOTE NOW! The Hunger Games Tribute / Global Fan Appreciation Event

Today Lionsgate revealed The Hunger Games Tribute, a celebration of fan creations over the past few years. Just a few weeks ago Rebel Leaders voted on the shortlist for these fan awards, and now voting is open to the public. Another interesting development is the announcement of a "Global Fan Appreciation Event" to be taking place in L.A. on October 31st (subject to change). By voting and submitting fan art, you can enter to be an "honored guest" at these fan awards. Check out the video of Jennifer, Josh, and Liam announcing The Hunger Games Tribute:

From now until October 25, vote for your favorite Film Moments and Fan Art. We’ll honor the winners at The Hunger Games Tribute Global Fan Appreciation Event at the Samsung Studio in Los Angeles. The cast of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 will be on-hand to reminisce on the series as it comes to an end. 

The best part? You can be part of the festivities! We’re giving away three trips to Los Angeles where you can attend the Global Fan Appreciation Event as an honored guest!
THREE WAYS TO WIN:

1) VOTE for any of the finalists listed on this site and SHARE your vote with the#TheHungerGamesTribute
2) CREATE your own original artwork inspired by The Hunger Games
3) DESIGN a custom piece of artwork using your Samsung GALAXY Tab S2

Head on over to tribute.thehungergames.movie to vote and submit fan art!

Mockingjay Pt2 Countdown - Chapter 21

Chapter 21

And we're back counting down to the release of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. This week we pick up right where Chapter 20 left off.

To recap, Peeta had pushed Mitchell off him and into a trap that killed him, and he declared that the next step for them was to kill him. Chapter 21 continues right after he says that, and the entire Star Squad refuses. The  conversation reminds Katniss of a verse of The Hanging Tree, which further emphasizes the symbolism in the song. While it's unlikely this connection will be made so explicitly in the movie, it would be great hear a couple of notes from The Hanging Tree somewhere in this scene.

The squad finds some canned goods, and when they're rifling through them, Peeta hands Katniss a can of lamb stew. Cue: feels overload.

Not that we have to remind you, but lamb stew is Katniss's favorite Capitol food throughout the books, and this triggers in Katniss a realization that Peeta must remember that. Because lamb stew isn't really a thing in the movies, it's highly unlikely this will be in the movie, but it's such an emotional moment of the books that I must mention it.

You can make your own lamb stew with this recipe from FictionalFood.net
Doesn't it look delicious?

As they eat, Snow comes on the viewing screen to announce that Katniss and her squad are dead. The rebels interrupt the broadcast and Coin comes on to eulogize Katniss and rally the rebellion around her supposed death. It would be great to see this in the movie, since it would keep Coin and Snow in the story.

After the broadcast, they decide to move through the city underground. Peeta again wishes to be left behind or killed, insisting that it would be dangerous for him to be with them. When he eventually resigns himself to going with them, he refuses to have them uncuff him, and Katniss asks for the key. In the trailers, it appears that Peeta is still handcuffed when they go through the sewers, so it's very likely this will make it some form or another into the movie.

Castor explains that his brother Pollux worked underground for five years, and Peeta makes a comment about Pollux being their most valuable asset. Aside from him being completely right, Katniss also reflects on how she's seeing bits of the old Peeta in that comment. The movie will need to keep and maybe add in more moments like this to show Peeta's recovery, especially since Katniss won't be vocalizing these thoughts.

With Pollux's help, he leads them through the underground tunnels, and eventually they choose to rest. When Katniss is on watch, she notices Peeta is awake. After giving him a can of food to eat, she talks to him about him being able to tell which memories are real. She tells him to go to sleep, and she comfortingly touches Peeta's forehead. It's the first time she's touched him since his hijacking. This prompts Peeta to ask a "real or not real":

“You’re still trying to protect me. Real or not real,” he whispers. “Real,” I answer. It seems to require more explanation. “Because that’s what you and I do. Protect each other.”

Cue a million tears. Also, I'll be very surprised if this moment doesn't make it in the movie. It's a huge fan favorite.

Finally, the chapter ends with the scariest, most ominous moment possibly of the entire book. As she wakes the rest of the squad so they can get moving, she hears her name being hissed in the tunnels. It isn't clear from the trailers whether or not the lizard mutts will hiss Katniss's name, but it would make for a really creepy movie moment.

Join us again next week for Chapter 22!

Mockingjay Pt2 Countdown - Chapter 20

Chapter 20

If you read Chapter 19 of our countdown, you would know that that chapter ends with Boggs losing his legs. This chapter (obviously) starts immediately after that. Boggs knows this is it for him, so he transfers control of his Holo to Katniss so she can continue her own mission. "Don't trust them. Don't go back. Kill Peeta. Do what you came to do." We're gonna miss Boggs.

Boggs stepping on a pod started a chain reaction of, well, more pods. Horrifying, of course, but it's probably going to look really cool on-screen. What appears to be black tar spews out from the street and threatens to engulf everything, the barbed wires that kill Mitchell (RIP Mitchell) after Peeta throws him off for trying to restrain him after he attempts to kill Katniss in the midst of all the chaos, fumes and a bunch of other things. There's just so much going on and it'skind of hard to keep track of everyone (personally, I almost missed Mitchell. Sorry Mitchell!) so it'll definitely be a high-action sequence that'll keep everyone at the edge of their seats, maybe similar to the scene in the previous movie when they rescued the tributes from the Capitol while Katniss was talking to Snow.

The group reconvenes in an abandoned house and Peeta is cuffed and locked in a closet for now. Jackson tries to assume her (rightful) place as squad leader, but Katniss has access of the holo now, and she tries to convince Jackson that Boggs left her in charge because Coin gave her a special mission. Jackson doesn't really believe Katniss until Cressida backs her up. Cressida is obviously a better on-the-fly liar than Katniss, because Jackson acquiesces and then they're off. They walk through the destruction left by the pods that tried to kill them, and also other pods that have been triggered by the black tar, and they go into another house where they find out from an emergency broadcast that they're presumed dead. The initial explosion of course caught the Capitol's attention, and Peacekeepers were sent to gun their old hideout down. Katniss, Finnick, Boggs, Peeta, Cressida and Gale were specifically identified.

This is great for their mission, but not only does the Capitol think they're dead, but also the people back in District 13. We will probably get to see their families react to the heartbreaking news. Maybe even Plutarch and Coin discussing new strategies now that the Mockingjay and the other tributes are dead. Or Coin addressing the rebels and using Katniss' death to motivate them to push harder. Or maybe she's just in her office smirking because her plan to kill Katniss has worked as far as she knows.

While Katniss and her team are discussing what to do next, Peeta, who seems to be back in his right mind suggests that they kill him.

Spoiler alert: they don't kill Peeta BUT there is another painful death next chapter. See you next week!

New Mockingjay Part 2 poster and "For Prim" trailer

Today, Lionsgate released a new poster of Katniss in her red Mockingjay outfit with a mockingjay perched on her shoulder. After two movies where the bird wasn't seen, only heard and talked about, we're glad to see it as part of the promotional materials for the last movie! The tagline, also related to the mockingjay, seems new.

Click to enlarge

Alongside the poster release, Lionsgate also posted a new trailer to their Youtube channel and premiered it on Good Morning America, called "For Prim". It is mainly a montage of footage mostly from previous movies, though we're certain a couple shots, one of Peeta in particular, is new, set to lines Katniss has said throughout the movies. It's nice to have a reminder of the journey Katniss has taken with her sister Prim, especially considering what's to come in Mockingjay Part 2. Check out the trailer below:

Thoughts on the new poster and trailer?

Mockingjay Pt2 Countdown - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

So in this chapter we finally get to see President Coin's real plan for Katniss (thanks to Boggs): She does not 100% support Coin who wants to make sure she keeps her position after the war, so the only thing left for Katniss to do is die in the war because it'll look good and motivate the rebels. Which is where Peeta comes in. It's a great sort of evil mastermind plan, actually. Showing Peeta fighting with the rebels after being captured and tortured by the Capitol does make for great propos, so no one can really question Coin's decision to send him to the Capitol as the newest member of Squad 451. More importantly, Peeta has been hijacked by Snow to, essentially, kill Katniss. He was doing well enough to do Finnick and Annie's wedding cake, and to go through basic training with the rest of the soldiers, but he's still unstable. Thankfully, the Squad actually cares about Katniss, so they take shifts watching Peeta.

Katniss is not the only one they care about, either. They care about Peeta, whether it's because they knew him from before or because he helped save District 13 from the Capitol's attacks. Peeta is having trouble distinguishing between his real memories and those that were hijacked and corrupted. So Jackson starts the game that brings us all the feels:

You guessed it, it's Real or Not Real. Peeta tells them about a memory, whether or not it's him getting District 12 set on fire (Not Real) or watching an Avox getting tortured to punish him (Real). They all take shifts watching Peeta and helping him figure out who he really was before he was taken.

The chapter ends with the them filming Propos which gets cut off when a blast literally takes out Bogg's legs. Ouch. Josh Hutcherson did a great job portraying hijacked Peeta at the end of the last movie (and by great I mean terrifying) and I'm sure he'll do this version of Peeta justice as well. Part of me is looking forward to it while another part is already crying at the thought of seeing Katniss and Peeta's stunted but super emotional discussions over what seem to be mundane things like their favorite colors. I honestly don't think I can ever be emotionally prepared enough for these scenes, but I'm excited for them nonetheless!

Mockingjay Pt2 Countdown - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"Squad Four-Five-One, you have been selected for a special mission..."
Patch design by WtoD12's Tiffany

It's another week for our Mockingjay Part 2 Countdown, and we dive right into Chapter 18. 

The beginning of the chapter starts continues Katniss's training, and she notices that Peeta is also training. Plutarch explains that it's for the cameras. It's possible some glimpse of this may make it in the movie so that Peeta's joining the squad later on does not come completely out of left field.

Eventually, Katniss and Johanna are recommended for the exam to see if they are ready to be deployed, and Katniss is told that the exam is designed to test each person's weaknesses. While in the test, Katniss realizes her perceived weakness is an inability to follow orders, and she passes when she goes against her instinct to ignore her squadron leader's order to hit the ground. This whole sequence would be great to see in the movie since seeing Katniss in the test would be entertaining for the movie, however I'm not sure how her internalized realization of her weakness would translate to the screen. Also, later in the chapter, Haymitch explains that Johanna didn't pass her exam. They flooded the street, triggering traumatic flashbacks from when Johanna was tortured in the Capitol. This conversation happens a few scenes later, but if the exam is in the movie then they will most likely just show what happened to Johanna prior to Katniss's exam.

Katniss finds herself in Squad 451 with Finnick, Gale, and several others under Boggs's command. In the chapter, Squad 451 is being briefed by Plutarch in Command about pods of unpredictable dangers set as weapons through out the Capitol. However, from what we've seen in trailers for the movie, it appears that it will be Commander Paylor who briefs the soldiers on a larger scale than what is described in the book. Finnick and Katniss together figure out that it's another Hunger Games, and also shown in the trailers, it seems fairly true to the book, though Finnick says the complete line.

Haymitch suggests to Finnick and Katniss to visit Johanna in the hospital. Katniss notes that Johanna doesn't have anything personal with her so she goes to the woods and gathers a bundle of pine tree needles. She gives it to Johanna as something to remind her of her home in District 7. Johanna makes Katniss promise to kill Snow. I hope this does make it into the movie as it is an important moment between the two characters. Also afterwards Johanna is fairly absent from the rest of the story so keeping most of her scenes is essential.

Katniss introduces the remaining members of Squad 451: Jackson, Leeg 1, Leeg 2, Mitchell, and Homes. All these characters have been cast in the movie so we know Katniss will have a full squad. Plutarch explains to them that they are the Star Squad, and their main objective is to be filmed for propaganda purposes. Katniss says goodbye to her family, and while this takes up about two paragraphs in the book, it's more likely that this will be a bigger scene in the movie considering it's the last time Katniss and Prim speak to each other (I'm sorry, is this a spoiler? Read the book).

Squad 451 is finally deployed, taken to the Capitol via hovercraft. Katniss explains how bored everyone is and how little they actually get to do. While I see this part of the movie being slightly more exciting than in the book for visual reasons (sweeping shots of a battle-torn Capitol, for example) I do hope they keep this moment in, if only for the humor:

Once in a while it seems a real sharpshooter’s services are needed. Eight hands go up, but Gale, Finnick, and I are never chosen. “It’s your own fault for being so camera-ready,” I tell Gale. If looks could kill.

The Holo makes its first appearance, and we've seen it briefly in trailers. Katniss plans to steal the squad's Holo before she leaves. I'm not entirely sure if Katniss will need to have a plan to go off on her own in the movie since it all becomes somewhat irrelevant anyway and just ends up happening. It's quite possible that they will skip Katniss's secret plan to leave for easier storytelling purposes.

Finally, Leeg 2 dies after stepping on a pod that shoots metal darts, and Peeta is sent to Squad 451 to take her place. He explains it was Coin's decision, and Katniss realizes that she is of more use to the rebellion dead than alive. I'm not entirely sure how this will be articulated in the movie, but it is essential that this point comes across to show Coin's duplicity and to fill the audience with doubts about Coin's motives.

Well that's it for Chapter 18. See you again next week!