Did we "Catch Fire"? I'm not sure--

   One of the things I love the most about the ages that my boys are now is having the opportunity to share movies with them. I mean, of course, movies that don't feature animated characters--or in which animated characters are considered special effects.   Don't get me wrong, I love well-done animation.  But these days I get far more excited seeing my kids react to different kinds of films.   "Les Miserables" was an eye-opener for them, I think.  Then there was "Rear Window," which caught their attention one night and held them enraptured til the final scene.  So when we saw a trailer for "Catching Fire" and my 10-year-old turned to me with a big smile on his face, I knew we had to go.
   The movie was an engaging enactment of the book, subject as always to the necessary shortcuts and loss of detail that accompanies any film adaptation, but with visual flair and strong performances.  Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss in particular is a stand-out, and fascinating to watch.  She has a face that shifts with the light, going from pretty girl to almost plain and then suddenly breathtakingly beautiful.  Perhaps the best thing about this particular story, though, is that I can share with my boys the image of a heroine who is strong and resourceful, someone who refuses to be bent to any particular role that others wish her to play.  Katniss becomes a role model inside the story not so much because of external manipulation—though the book and movie both delve into how images and archetypes are created and subverted in pop culture—but because of her spontaneous decisions and expressions of emotion.  In a story ostensibly about brutality, she shines through, and I love Suzanne Collins and Jennifer Lawrence for giving us this clever woman.
   Of course, you may be wondering—what did my 10-year-old think?  Well—there were some kissing scenes—but then there were the howling gibbons and the holographic bowfighting.  So he was good with it