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I first heard about The Hunger Games from my hairdresser. She was raving about a book that she read in just three days, literally not putting it down. Thankfully I heard her early endorsement because with all the hullabaloo about this film being “the next Twilight”, I may not have been super eager to get to the theater.

The book was written a few years ago by Suzanne Collins and falls under the young adult category, but the plotline couldn’t be farther from the popular vampire trilogy. First of all, the story is mostly believable. It takes place in the future, in the post-apocalyptic land previously known as North America , which has been divided into 12 destitute districts. The wealthy government, now known as 'The Capitol' holds an annual masochistic competition where one teenage boy and girl from each district are chosen to compete in the wilderness against each other until there is only one left alive. To add insult to injury, it’s all broadcast live on large screens across the nation. Isn’t it a comfort to know that reality TV survives the end of life as we know it?

There’s plenty of action and suspense, and director Gary Ross kept it between the lines for the PG-13 rating. The movie stars Jennifer Lawrence, who got an Oscar nod for her performance in 2010’s “Winter’s Bone” as Katness Everdeen, who comes from District 12, which is somewhere near what is now Appalachia. Her Kentucky roots seem to help her easily portray the strong willed and starving lead. In the beginning of the film she is clearly smitten with the character played by Liam Hemsworth, but once in the wilderness, she develops a bond with the boy (Josh Hutcherson) chosen from her district. Of course they are both trying desperately to survive as the lone winner, which can sometimes be a buzzkill in the game of courtship.

Donald Sutherland plays the president who is both punishing the nation while trying to put a positive spin on killing its youth. Elizabeth Banks is the pitch woman for the Game, and Stanley Tucci delivers (as usual) playing the Ryan Seacrest-esque host for the televised death march. We also get to enjoy Lenny Kravitz as the contestant stylist, and Woody Harrleson as a previous winner turned boozy mentor for District 12 named “Haymitch Abernathy”, which might be the greatest charactor name since Dustin Hoffman's "Ratso Rizzo". The biggest villain, portrayed by Wes Bentley is the producer of the live Hunger Games show, and is easily identified by his I-just-tied-a-lady-to-the-railroad-tracks facial hair.

I would rate this four out of five kernels on a popcorn scale, and worth turning off your cell phone for a couple hours. The Hunger Games is in theaters now, and if you can catch it on an IMAX screen, even better. Enjoy!