Winter's Bone, directed by Debra Granik

Rating: 6/10 (29 September 2012)

I thought this was an entertaining movie on the first viewing. It got me interested enough to read the books, which were pretty addictive on their own. I don't think either this movie or the books have much repeat watch/read value for me. I thought Jennifer Lawrence was a good choice, but she was more effective in Winter's Bone. In that movie, she played a similar character with similar motivations--a girl from a poor family struggling for her survival. But after I read the third book, it negated much of the admiration I had for the character, whereas in Winter's Bone, when the movie ended, I really felt like the character had accomplished something. So skip this movie and the whole Hunger Games trilogy and just go see Winter's Bone.