Trash, Art, And The Movies Podcast #7: Katniss For the Prosecution

Comparing The Hunger Games and Battle Royale seemed like a natural idea for the Trash, Art, and the Movies podcast—but which film is trash and which one is art? Battle Royale seemed like the arty choice at first, if for no other reason than it's in a foreign language and is much more of an obscure cult item (at least compared to The Hunger Games), but tonally, it feels much more like an exploitation film. Meanwhile, The Hunger Games—being a big-budget, aggressively marketed Hollywood adaptation of a hugely popular teen novel—looks in its broad outlines like the one with the trashier impulses, but in practice, it has arguably greater ambitions towards psychological depth and sociopolitical commentary.

Either way, Erin and I had a fun time discussing the two films, analyzing their messages, and marveling at Wes Bentley's magnificent beard. You can download the episode directly by clicking here, or you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes or the Stitcher app.