#tbosbas review

[mostofthingsmostofthetime]

My thoughts on The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie

I don’t know if I liked it as much as the original films (maybe Mockingjay 1 & 2 as they are pretty emotionally draining), but I still enjoyed it.

I think where it fell a little flat for me is 1. The beginning was a bit slow (tbh I only really started getting interested when Lucy Gray stuck that snake down that girl’s dress & even then I enjoyed the story more when the setting changed from the Capitol to the district) 2. I knew Snow would survive 3. I’d already been spoiled online for a lot of stuff that happens & 4. while I know the director did his best to make Snow as “likeable” as he could for as long as possible, even before he started getting “a little too comfortable” with killing & snitching I didn’t find him as sympathetic as Katniss or Peeta (but that is probably again down to the fact that I know what he goes onto do & there’s no real way around that), this made engaging with him difficult for me.

The world is fascinating. Getting to see all the new locations we never had access to before as well as old locations now in a totally different light (for example district 12 which, while still clearly suffering, seemed like such a bustling industrial town compared to how it is in Katniss’s time). It might have a much more retro aesthetic but there's also just a more vibrant, natural, wild & lawless atmosphere to this movie compared to the others in the franchise. The whole scope of the film just felt more cinematic then I remember the others being yet also weirdly intimate. Maybe because it was one contained story & we knew the main character’s fate from the start. I also loved the title cards signifying the start of each section of the story like from the books & wished they'd done something similar for the other films. It just added a certain flair to the whole thing. Almost gave it the vibe of a tragic play.

The costuming was great. The bright red of the academy uniforms.  Flickerman’s snazzy suits. Snow’s dapper black & white outfit. Both peace keeper uniforms (despite one of them giving very ‘1930’s Germany’ vibes) looked great. Grandma might have been a bigot, but at least she was well dressed. Everything Dr Gaul wore (except the top that looked like a used tampon, lol) was exquisite. The main ladies of fashion, Tigris & Lucy Gray slayed. Our Future Capitol stylist looked like some regal yet exotic bird & Miss Survivor was giving Bohemian, country girl realness the entire time she was on screen. Even the extras were serving (like that random couple Snow walked past on his way to the reaping ceremony).

The music was amazing. Every song that played was fantastic (shout out to Olivia for her end credit contribution). The lyrics & instrumentation were beautiful & my god does Rachel Zegler have pipes! Anyone who says the singing scenes are cringy is just stupid like I’m sorry you can’t appreciate art. Also, the words ‘ballad’ & ‘songbirds’ are literally in the title. Plus, Lucy Gray is from the poorest district, so what exactly do those people want her to do in her free time? She can’t exactly hop on an X-box for a few hours. Not too mention that (as the offspring of someone who’s musically inclined) I can tell you, it’s completely realistic for a musician to use their craft to help them deal with trauma & Lucy Gray clearly had more than her fair share of that.

The Grandma'am helped to paint a sadly very realistic background for Snow. As who among us hasn’t met at least one delusional old person who thinks that their/their group’s suffering (regardless of the severity of it or the reason behind their former/newer status in society) means that no one else are deserving of even the tiniest shred of humanity & there are some people who are unlucky enough to not only be related to these people but be raised by them.

Hunter schafer as Tigris is clearly the superior Snow when it comes to things like empathy & overall mental stability but I do kind of wish they’d been more for her to do. Credit where credit is due though her & Tom did actually look like they could be related & I did buy their familial bond (which makes her appearance in Mockingjay so much sadder in hindsight).

Peter Dinklage as Casca Highbottom was a bit of a mix for me just due to his purpose as a character & the limit of film as a form of media. Like sure the audience know that Snow’s going to become an irredeemable monster in the end but without a window into his mind it really does just seem like the Dean is just out to get him & even when we find out why it seems kind of unfair. Like sure his dad sucked but haven’t the Games shown that blaming children for violence caused by others is unjust (& like ok he hates Coriolanus & probably the grandma but Tigris hadn’t done anything to deserve living in poverty, as she can’t control who she’s related to)? Plus, it felt like he could have at least tried taking Snow under his wing at some point to try to hinder Dr Gual’s influence. Saying all of that, though, Peter Dinklage is great at playing an addict with depression & the idea that some drunken rambling could lead to such long-lasting suffering is terrifying. Also its pretty realistic that living with that kind of guilt & in such a cruel environment for that long would make most people jaded & bitter, even if they did have good intentions.

Omg we finally get a Mayor family on screen & they’re assholes! Madge would be so disappointed 😭. It was interesting to see how harsh & overall “boot licky” the mayor & his family seemed compared to decades later, which makes sense as the war wasn’t that long ago for them so the dad probably felt more incentive to align himself with the Capitol as well as not feeling very connected to the district people as 12’s decline probably didn’t fully set in until they really started running low on coal & Snow became president (oh I just know he wanted to blow that district off the map 😆). I also wouldn’t put it past Billy to come up with some sob story of how he really does love Mayfair but wicked Lucy Gray is somehow preventing them from being together. Still no excuse to try to send her to her death twice in one week, though. Definitely not a girl’s girl.

Ok, so a liar. Cheat. Drunk & someone who hits women. Is there anything good about Billy Taupe? Also, trying to get your ex back, while your current girlfriend is literally standing right next to you? Dude, have some god damn back bone! You made a choice, now stick to it. Also, fumbling Lucy Gray, for a girl like that? What’s it like having no brains or taste? Well, too bad, coz you’re stuck with her forever now, lol.

Viola Davies, the actress that you are. What else is there to say? Dr Gaul is almost comic book levels of insane. Like she is how the Right see women in STEM, on crack! I don’t know what she did to get into character, but whatever it was, it worked.

Jason Schwartzman as Lucretius Flickerman is a very interesting addition to the story despite playing such a small & seemingly insignificant role. He is strange in how unthreatening he is while also extremely blasé about the abhorrent violence he witnesses that it’s as funny as it is disturbing. Making him come across as  more human yet harsher than his son, who at least pretends to care about the tributes (in a very Capitol way, obviously but still). There’s also a polish & confidence to Tucci’s performance that I think Schwartzman did a great job of avoiding copying (despite knowing what audiences were probably expecting) because not only are their characters in entirely different stages of their careers but the whole ethos of the Hunger Games is different in Snow’s youth than it is in Katniss’s. Caesar is a well established presenter & during his time, the games have always been a success (minus the year with the tundra) that the entire Capitol is invested in & seemingly in support of. On the other hand Lucretius had the unique task of not only coming into a job like this with zero experience (I mean imagine going from announcing the weather to presenting the fucking hunger games) but also there were no vibes to try to emulate let alone guidelines to follow because he truly was the first person to do this. On top of that, the "event" his presenting has been panned for years as both boring & unethical. Schwartzman brought a slightly awkward, experimental, yet try hard vibe (like a comedian who's desperate to get a laugh) that I think worked wonderfully for the character.

Tom Blyth's performance was great & he was visually perfect for a young Snow (the power of a good wig! Who knew lol). Even having the cool, analytical stare of Donald Sutherland, down pat. While his appearance was very Eminem during his peacekeeping days, his realisation in the cabin and subsequent breakdown in the woods were crazy. There was so much tension between him & Rachel in that scene that for a second, it literally felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. I could almost hear the record scratch for both of them, & all that building paranoia finally coming to a sudden crescendo in the way that it did? Pure cinema!

Josh Rivera, as Sejanus, was honestly a mix for me. Obviously, I agree with his morals, but his way of going about it did seem a little dumb. However I do think it’s pretty realistic that a teenager, especially a rich one, would be rather naive. Also I’ve heard that he’s smarter in the book & I think at times my frustration with him is more just down to the fact that I’m seeing him from Snow’s point of view. Meaning scenes that would be portrayed as noble in any other film instead come across as almost painfully inconvenient because the focus is always on how they affect Snow rather than the actual victims of the situation. Lastly, sorry, Snowjanus shippers, I just don’t see it (especially on Snow’s end), but whatever floats your boat.

Rachel Zegler played Lucy Gray with the perfect mix of natural charm & emotional vulnerability with clear pride in her culture & a refusal to let the world around her change who she is. Yet there was also an air of mystery & a subtle resilience to her that makes her potentially surviving out in the woods for years without being detected actually believable (though I don’t buy the theory that she went on to become president Coin). Definitely the highlight of the movie for me.

PS. I'd love to know what you think of my review in the comments/tags & am open to criticism (as long as it's respectful) just remember that I'm only talking about the movie so please don't reference anything spersific to the book.

#some other things i wanted to mention but didn’t seem significant to put in the review (+ it was getting rather long) are: #Clemensia you were so pretty & did not desserve to die #like who hasn't cheated on their homework a little #may my hair look as good as your's if i ever get bit by a snake #dill & wovey rest in peace my darlings #Lysistrata it wasn't your fault #Arachane you got what you deserved tbh #reaper you have my respect forever king #lumina really said kill um with kindness #no but sersiously i love you girl & your 1950's farm girl aesthetic #marcus you did not desserve that & sejanus is sorry & in my heart you guys meet up & become boyfriends in the afterlife #treech you didn't leave much of an impression but at least your hat was cool #bobbin my little germin looking boy #at least you gave Snow a good scare before your demise #coral looks gay like that's a lesbian right there #thg #the hunger games #the hunger games the ballad of songbirds and snakes #the ballad of songbirds and snakes review #thg tbosas #thg tbosbas #tbosas #tbosbas #tbosas review #tbosbas review #thg tbosas review #thg tbosbas review #the hunger games the ballad of songbirds and snakes review #southern gothic is my new fravriote genre #review

[cxanthos]

Snowjanus has burrowed a little hole in me that I can’t get rid of.

Full disclosure I did not ship them when I read the book despite Sejanus being my favorite character. They just never came off as anything more than platonic in my opinion during the times I read the book.

But the movie put them in a whole new perspective for me. Sejanus definitely wanted to kiss Coryo. I stand by this. And Coriolanus after Sejanus was *spoiler* hung??

Fucking shoot me, I love my angsty ass ships. I’m going to have to reread the book with Sejanus being in love with Coriolanus in mind and see if I pick up on it as well in the book or if it’s just Sejanus’s actor.

#I’ve seen the movie twice btw #eventually I’ll get around to writing my late review and comparison of it to the book #🙃🙃 life just can’t stop being busy #snowjanus #coriolanus snow #sejanus plinth #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #tbosbas #tbosas

[cardinalbats]

the ballad of songbirds and snakes (2023) letterboxd review headers! ✨

i made both black and white versions, please like or reblog if you use!

#tbosas #tbosbas #twitter headers #tom blyth #the hunger games #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #sejanus plinth #coriolanus snow #lucy gray baird #rachel zegler #thg series #tbosas letterboxd review headers #district 12 #the capitol #president snow #katniss everdeen #peeta mellark

[lex-blogs]

#bloggingcommunity #blogger #book blog #book blogging #bookworm #booklr #blog #books and reading #review #tbosbas #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #hunger games #dystopian #young adult

[angel-tears1004]

So I just finished tbosbas (late to the party as always, ik) and it was enjoyable and intriguing although not at the same level of thg where I couldn't put it down and when I wasn't reading it I literally couldn't stop thinking about it.

[SPOILERS]

What annoys me is that it doesn't answer the questions I had about Snow, instead it answers things that weren't a question until now. Sure it's cool to see the origins of the songs Katniss sings but I also don't feel they're important enough to warrant an origin story. I'm not saying they're irrelevant either, just not THAT important; as opposed to learning why Snow hates mockingjays so much, they were so important in the trilogy and this origin story was so incredible it literally gave me chills. It also made me happy to get more info on what the hell Haymitch has been drinking all this time.

What kept me going while reading was waiting to see when Coriolanus was going to turn full on president Snow (aka unapologetically evil and cruel), and ofc we kinda see it when he ultimately betrays Sejanus and goes all crazy/paranoid with Lucy at the lake, I say kinda cuz even though it was super shitty what he did, he still feels guilty with Sejanus and ultimately he didn't get the opportunity to kill or even harm Lucy, so not as intentionally evil as I expected/hoped.

What shocked me the most is that the book never touches on the moment where Tigris and Coriolanus' relationship gets so bad to the point where she's not only living in squalor(? but willing to help Katniss and friends hide, and there's no way she didn't suspect they weren't going to kill him or similar. And OMG the fact that we don't see him drinking the poison like Finnick described in the video where he was exposing everyone at the Capitol! I liked that the roses were addressed though. But yeah, I was waiting to get to those bits but it never did. I can only assume there HAS TO be another book on the way, right?

Also, ik I'm one of those fans ppl complain about cuz obviously the main thing of the books is not romance but fuuuuck I enjoy that aspect of the books way to much and I hated how much I loved Snow and Lucy's relationship and their kisses 😚 it was cute while it lasted, although ofc his toxicity with the jealousy and the possessiveness are not okay.

I want to know how do you guys pronounce "Sejanus", I'm hispanic so I read it as it's written (seh-ha-noose) but I have no clue on the English pronunciation 🤷🏽

#tbosbas #thg #the hunger games #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #coriolanus snow #tigris #rant #spoilers #review #opinion #lucy gray baird #Sejanus plinth

[fictionadventurer]

I’m sure you’re going to talk about it sooner or later but I was wondering if you had thoughts on tbosbas yet? I read it fairly quickly and I’m not sure how I feel about it yet. I was really engaged up until part 3 and found the climax a bit lackluster.

I haven’t finished it yet. I’ve read most of the way through Part 3, and I’ve read several reviews so I know what happens to most of the major characters. What I’ve read, I read very quickly, so I don’t have fully formed ideas. But I have thoughts and I don’t feel like waiting to talk about them. Throwing some very spoilery bullet points under the cut (apologies if the cut doesn’t show up on mobile).

The moment I saw that this book had FIVE epigraphs, I knew that Collins was using this book to tackle Very Big Ideas. And she certainly has. Questions about the nature of humanity, warfare, how we balance ideals with reality, all through the lens of developing the Hunger Games. As someone who takes an analytical, message-focused approach to these stories, I was eating it up.

Snow is a fascinating protagonist. He’s got his sympathetic points while still clearly being a piece of garbage. I’ve seen people say that Collins is trying to make us empathize with him, when clearly she’s not. She’s explaining some of his motivations, but the text is very clear about how we’re supposed to disapprove of his actions and motivations.

Lucy Gray Baird is an absolute delight. Her Reaping Day song was kind of embarrassing at first, but in context it’s absolutely amazing. Your cheating ex’s new squeeze gets you sent to your death and you respond by putting a snake down her dress and singing a sassy country song? Absolute power move. I want Dolly Parton writing a song about that moment.

The music! My strongest emotion through this book was wondering why it doesn’t include a CD with all the songs. I want to hear these! The songs seem to flow much better than the ones in the Hunger Games series--they read like songs that someone can sing. If you’d asked me what the District 12 tribute would be like, I’d never have guessed she’d be a country music singer. It adds so much life to the book and I absolutely adore it.

Interesting that there was life outside the districts. I want to know more.

I don’t quite believe in the romance. I can believe in the connection--they have some strong moments together at the beginning, and given the heightened emotions of the Hunger Games, I can see why it would spark some strong feelings. I just don’t see what Lucy sees in Snow afterward. But it doesn’t have to be a believable romance, since the whole point is to show Snow’s possessiveness rather than his love.

At first, Tigris being Snow’s cousin seemed like an unnecessary connection, but actually, it makes that moment in Mockingjay make so much more sense. It always seemed odd that Collins introduced such a detailed character so late in the story without telling us anything about her, but now that we know her connection to Snow, everything falls into place.

Sejanus is my sweet idealistic baby. I have adopted him. I will always love the characters who recklessly do what’s right. The strongest moral voice in the entire series, someone who voices the objections that no one else dares to speak.

Collins isn’t even trying to be subtle about the Catholic symbolism anymore. Crucified prisoners are brought into a very Roman-style arena. Sejanus basically gives someone the viaticum! (If I really want to stretch it, I could point out that the most Christ-like figure in the story has all the letters of ‘Jesus’ in his name, but even I can’t argue too seriously that this was intentional). 

The names in this book are a delight. Just when I thought they couldn’t get more ridiculous, we’d meet another Capitol character, and they’d have an even more ridiculous name. How does she do it? I want to know her secrets.

The 10th Hunger Games make the 74th Hunger Games look downright humane. It’s terrible when Katniss is dressed up for slaughter in the Remake Center, but even worse when Lucy and company are dumped into cages with rabid animals. And the ruined arena makes for a very different feel to this Games.

Gaul is creepy. And insane. And not a nuanced enough villain for what this story needs, I think. But she does her part of bringing Snow into ethical debates. (I appreciate all the debates, but sometimes they feel a little too on the nose when they’re discussing all these issues as homework assignments). 

Too many characters to keep track of, between the contestants and the mentors. But I was impressed by the plotting of the Games themselves, making everyone’s actions believable and providing varied fates for the characters.

I was shocked when the Games ended before the end of Part 2. I like that we follow Snow into his Peacekeeper life, where Collins gets to make more direct comments on military life.

I was so caught up in the message and the details of the world that I can’t really comment on how it works as a story. But I was certainly engaged.

I could go on, but I think that’s enough bullet points for one post.

#the ballad of songbirds and snakes #the hunger games #suzanne collins #reading #books #answered asks

[cxanthos]

Who do we think Coryo's drunken kiss was with?

I spend more time thinking about this then I should. He doesn't even remember but I think it has to be one of the girls in his circle.

In my opinion it was either Clemensia or Livia, that's what context and my gut tells me.

#i have more analysis and character posts in my drafts but im too tired to review them rn #so im asking this question instead #coriolanus snow #coryo snow #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #tbosas #tbosbas #the hunger games #thg