Divergent is based on the best-selling book by American author Veronica Roth and is a high-energy action/drama set in a post apocalyptic world in which every human being must be placed into a particular clan and conform to the rules and morals of that clan to avoid any conflict that may stir another World War. Despite the rigid rules of this new society and the brutal control of its rulers including the sinister Jeanine Matthews (Kate Winslet from Titanic), there are few whose personality tests which place them in clans, prove divergent - their characters do not conform to any of the existing clans. Unfortunately for lead character Trice (Shailene Woodley from the Descendents) being a divergent means she will most likely be killed for her unique personality as the villainous Winslet goes to extremes, including mass murder, to rid society of anyone that is different. What we get is a powerful film with an amazing performance by new star Woodley. Here are 6 reasons to see the film now!
1. Shailene! Shailene! Shailene! Most remember Shailene Woodley for her role as George Clooney's daughter in 'The Descendants' but in Divergent she transforms into a stunning lead actress who is surprisingly capable of handling the large scale fight sequences and physical demands of the lead role of Trice. Take my word you will fall in love with her from the first scene.
2. Fans of the Hunger Games and other young adult adventure/drama films will be fully satiated with the high-energy action sequences and all the political intrigue of the post-apocalyptic world.
3. A break from zombies, werewolves and other assorted popular horror characters. Learning from the giant flop that was 'The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones', Divergent stays true to its source material and portrays a compelling story of a young woman who can't conform to a rigid society. Added enjoyment includes the love story between Shailene and new British heart-throb Theo James which will satisfy fans of romantic/action pieces including Twilight Fans since despite not being vampires, Shailene and Theo are convincing as a couple that finds love despite the horrific world they share.
4. Amazing guest appearances. Herds of your favourite popular character actors make appearances including Fitz himself, Tony Goldwyn, from 'Scandal' as Trice's father, cult hit phenomenon Maggie Q from Nikita and Mekhi Phifer. Ashley Judd also plays a significant role as Trice's mother and does some pretty good action sequences reminiscent of her popular action movies; Oscar winner Kate Winslet from 'Titanic' brings a bizarre, sinister poise to the villain.
5. Amazing plot. What I particularly liked about this film is the story at the heart of all the adrenaline driven action sequences. The film is really a metaphor for those of us who have never felt 100% normal or fitted in with society's rules of what should and should not be done. It's every religious persecution, sexual identity and feminist rights struggle wrapped up into a tour-de-force film. It's amazing how Trice's character is portrayed as she is able to think differently and resolve trials in a way that no one else in the society can. It's your childhood rebel fantasy come true!
6. Kate Winslet gets the butt-whooping she deserved since 1998. For those of us who ever wanted revenge on Kate Winslet for not giving Jack any space on that piece of debris in 'Titanic', there is a brutal 'cat fight' between Shailene and Winslet. Yes, Kate finally gets her nether regions kicked for her bad decisions in 'Titanic'.
12 Reasons to watch 300 Rise of the Empire now (I mean NOW)
List by T. Austin
12.
SUPERIOR PLOT. It's not your usual sequel. I would describe it as more
of a parallel story as the new plot takes place during the same period
as the Battle of Thermopylae featured in the first film. This makes for
a more heightened plot and adds more insight into the tragic death of
King Leonidas and the 300 Spartans in the original film.
11.
ARTEMISIA! This should probably be reason number one but I can't wait
to get into how amazing Eva Green is as the 'bad-ass' villain
Artemisia. This is a performance you have to see to believe as
Artemisia weeds down anything with testicles. Eva Green is best known
as the Bond Girl in Casino Royale but in 300 her performance is so good
her character is best described as an 'epic bitch'.
10.
Fans of the current popular 'sword and scandal' shows including Game of
Thrones and Spartacus will find much enjoyment here as 300 ups the
large-scale epic fighting with improved CGI battle sequences.
9.
Speaking of Spartacus, fans of that show will be elated at the special
appearance by the Doctore himself (Peter Mensah) who finds a young
Artemisia, trains her to become a killer and is more or less responsible
for her becoming an 'epic bitch'.
8.
Fans of the gritty violence in the original 300 will salivate at the
heightened blood bath and down-right gruesome action sequences. I'm not
a fan of this but it presents realistic imagery of the brutality of
war.
7.
Ladies will rejoice at the return of the 'brief' clad Spartans with
their digital abdominal muscles as the writers have continued to ignore
historical facts to make the heroes seem more like 'He-Man' than actual
historic figures. Xerxes as well seems to be allergic to wearing
clothes.
6.
The sequel gives us more insight into probably the most intimidating
movie villain in years; Xerxes' entire back story including his
ascension to the throne as the 'God-King' is a pivotal part of the new
plot.
5.
Fans of the fantasy genre will find much enjoyment as the series
continues to mix actual history with fantasy elements including Xerxes
deliciously over-the-top transformation from man to 'God King', his
strange beast-like pets and even sea monsters which provide an added
threat during the climatic battles.
(No Medusa is not in the film; but doesn't Rihanna look awesome in this image? I digress)
4.
While the original film is best known for its violence than its
writing, the sequel improves with hilarious one liners mostly delivered
by Artemisia during her 'power tantrums'. The best line comes at the
end when she coos to the hero 'you fight HARDER than you ....' (You get
the idea).
3.
Which brings me to one of the most entertaining scenes; the
'love-making' scene between Artemisia and new hero Themosticles (played
by Sullivan Stapleton) is one of the most bizarre, yet entertaining, sex
scenes I've ever seen. I can't describe it but the comedy involved
will have viewers rolling in the aisles.
2.
For ladies who are not fans of violent films you can't afford to miss
this as Artemisia provides enough 'female empowerment' to make you
forget she's slaughtering every man in her sight. And for those who have
ever questioned how a woman can be dominant in a submissive role during
a 'love making' scene you have to see this for yourself.
1.
And the number one reason to see the new 300 is for its broad, epic,
large scale computer generated special effects which significantly
improves on the awesome war set pieces of the original. The action
sequences are 'jaw dropping', the CGI locations are grandiose and recall
the gigantic scale of old Hollywood. The battle has moved from the
fields in the original to the foreboding seas as the Persians and Greeks
engage in open combat on devilish-looking barges and ships. This makes
for a truly compelling special effects extravaganza which is all
complemented by a tour-de-force performance by Eva Green as Artemisia.
SEE IT NOW.
10. Tony Goldwyn was much more convincing as the voice of Tarzan in the Disney movie than the President of the United States.
9. Kerry Washington's amazing wardrobe just makes you think of how cheap your Mother's Day present was.
8. Everyone is always yelling at each other.
7. Olivia's dad is kinda creepy and reminds you of the dude that played Candy Man (plus he spits when he's really angry).
6. Tony Goldwyn killed Patrick Swayze in Ghost and we
haven't quite forgiven him for that. (Yes that was Fitz in Ghost trying
to get into Demi Moore's unmentionables)
5. Tony Goldwyn tried to kill Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost and we haven't quite forgiven him for that either. Love you Whoopi!
4. No one in the show is a vampire or werewolf. That's just weird. (Imagine Mellie as an enraged werewolf - EPIC!)
3. There are little or no explosions in most episodes. Like zero.
2. Kerry Washington is sooo good you'd rather see her talent be used in a reboot of Wonder Woman.
1. And the number 1 reason to hate Scandal is...there is
little chance you'll see a zombie in any episode. Yeah even Mellie is
supposed to be alive. Now that's just wrong.
With the Winter Olympics over, our television viewing
attention now turns to another race for gold, the 2014 Oscars.Surprisingly, this year offers nominees that
are Box-office hits and not the usual obscure December films that no one really
saw but earned the admiration of the Academy.
Nominees like ‘Gravity’, ‘American Hustle’ and the epic
slavery saga ‘12 Years a Slave’ have dedicated fans hoping that their favourite
film wins Best Picture on Sunday.So
what’s your best bet for Oscar gold?
Here are predictions for the major categories:
Actor in a Supporting
Role
This is the easiest category to predict. The Academy often
rewards actors who drastically change their appearance for a role, most times
favouring the mostdrastic alteration.Remember Charlize Theron’s unrecognizable role in ‘Monster’ and Hilary
Swank’s ‘masculine’ performance in ‘Boys Don’t Cry’? Yep, they both won Best
Actress Oscars for their unrecognizable performances; so will Jared Leto for
his startling change into a drag queen dying of AIDS in ‘Dallas Buyers
Club’.Leto is remarkable losing
significant pounds to appear as if he is dying of AIDS; the actor is completely
unrecognizable and seems entirely immersed in his role to the point you
completely forget you are watching a man in female attire.Leto’s biggest competition comes from Barkhad
Abdi as a brutal pirate in ‘Captain Phillips’, however even Abdi’s terrifying
performance and the now famous line ‘I am the captain now’ cannot extinguish
the ground breaking work of Leto in a performance people will be talking about
for years.
Who will win: Jared
Leto
Who should win: Jared
Leto
Actress in a
Supporting Role
Unlike supporting actor, this Oscar category is tough to
predict as there is no clear favourite to win. My favourite is new comer Lupita
Nyong’o who has certainly racked up the most press coverage for her stunning fashion
sense.Her role in the masterful ’12
Years a Slave’ is startling to watch as she endures tremendous cruelty
throughout the film.Her appearance is
also striking as she seems emaciated and careworn in contrast to her regal red
carpet appearances. No doubt the Academy
has noticed her incredible ability to transform and this may more than likely
bring her Oscar gold.However,she faces tremendous competition from last
year’s Best Actress winner Jennifer Lawrence for her sultry role in ‘American
Hustle’ as well as Julia Roberts who delivered a powerful performance opposite
Meryl Streep in ‘August: Osage County’.
Who will win:
Jennifer Lawrence
Who should win:
Lupita Nyong’o
Music Original Score
This category focuses on what the average movie goer would
call the ‘soundtrack’ or ‘background music’.Most viewers simply gloss over this category but make no mistake some of
the greatest films ever made were successful because of their film
score/soundtrack.What would Jaws be
without John William’s memorable theme or would ‘Titanic’ still be memorable
without James Horner’s sweeping music for the famous ‘bow scene’?This year offers less than memorable movie
music including ‘Gravity’, ‘Her’, ‘Philomena’, ‘Saving Mr. Banks’ and ‘The Book
Thief’.The most memorable nominee for
moviegoers is ‘Gravity’ with the film ending with powerful drum-heavy
orchestral music; however the other nominees have failed to establish any real
popularity with the average moviegoer and one has to question the failure of
the Academy to nominate the chart topping music from Disney’s animated film
‘Frozen’.While the title song ‘Let it
Go’ easily earned a nomination, some in part to its humongous popularity, the
orchestral music by veteran film composer Christophe Beck failed to be
nominated.Even Hans Zimmer’s music from
Best Picture nominee and favourite to win ’12 Years a Slave’ failed to receive
a nomination despite high sales of the soundtrack.Without a clear popular nominee my money is
on five-time Oscar winner John Williams for his moving score for the little
known film ‘The Book Thief’.Beyond
this, your guess is as good as mine.
Who will win: John
Williams
Who should win:
Christophe Beck (Although he was snubbed for a nomination)
Best Actress in a
Leading Role
A few months ago I would have definitely predicted Meryl
Streep as the clear winner for Leading Actress for her tour de force
performance in ‘August: Osage County’ as Julia Roberts’ monstrous mother.Then I saw ‘Blue Jasmine’ featuring leading
actress Cate Blanchett and it was a revelation.I have been a fan of Blanchett for her role in the popular ‘Lord of the
Rings’ films; however I never expected such an exemplary performance as the one
I saw in ‘Blue Jasmine’.Blanchett is
mesmerizing as a middle aged woman having a nervous breakdown as her world
falls apart following her husband’s arrest for embezzlement.No one should miss this performance as it
exemplifies the highest achievement of an actress; Blanchett is completely
absorbed in her role and there are moments when you watch her in awe thinking
that in the hands of a lesser actress the role would not have been as
effective.Indeed no true movie fan
should miss Blanchett’stransforming performance.Make no mistake, despite stiff competition
from Streep, Blanchett will win another Oscar.
Who will win: Cate
Blanchett
Who should win: Cate
Blanchett
Original Song
Surprisingly, the Song category is the most controversial
this year.A nominee, who just happens
to sit on the Academy’s music branch, was accused of illegally promoting his
song ‘Alone yet not Alone’ to Oscar judges via an email.Following the revelation, the Academy dropped
the song as a nominee leaving only four nominated songs.Many see this as a scandal as the song comes
from a movie that few would have seen much less listened to the title
song.Blatant exclusions include ‘Young
and Beautiful’ from ‘The Great Gatsby’ which undoubtedly was one of the most
popular movie songs from 2013.Scandal
aside, fans of Disney’s blockbuster ‘Frozen’ are hoping that ‘Let it Go’
performed by Broadway veteran Idina Menzel wins the coveted prize.Type covers of ‘Let it Go’ in Google and you
will receive over 1 billion results as the song has become a cultural
phenomenon.Not since Celine Dion’s
Titanic ballad has a movie song captured the attention of the world as the
soundtrack has topped the Billboard 200 chart and the song continues to climb
the iTunes charts.However, ‘Let it go’
faces significant competition from Pharrel Williams’ ‘Happy’ from ‘Despicable
Me’ which is close to becoming as popular as the National Anthem.‘Ordinary Love’ by U2 for Mandela: Long walk
to Freedom’ also benefits from sentiment and has won the Golden Globe for ‘Best
Song’.Oscar voters almost always get
this category wrong and the most popular song hardly wins, hence the favourite
‘Let it Go’ may lose to the sentimental U2 ballad.
Who will win:
Ordinary Love by U2 from ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’
Who should win: Let
it Go from ‘Frozen’
Best Actor
This is the tightest race of 2014 with two outstanding
nominees with equally brilliant performances going head to head.Leornado DiCaprio is a favourite to win for
his scandalous turn as a Wall Street tycoon who indulges in extreme spending,
drugs and women in ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’.DiCaprio is notorious for being locked out by the Academy despite the
diverse amount of roles he has played since his star turning moment in
‘Titanic’, so most fans are hoping for a long awaited Oscar win.However, like co-star Jared Leto in ‘Dallas
Buyer’s Club’ Matthew McConaughey transformed himself through severe dieting to
play a man dying of AIDS who goes in search of medication for the terminal
disease.McConaughey’s startling
emaciated appearance received significant press coverage even before the film
premiered and the Academy never fails to award actors who drastically change
their appearance for a role.DiCaprio is
out of luck again.
Who will win: Matthew
McConaughey
Who should win:
Leornado DiCaprio
Best Picture
Despite 9 nominees there is no real competition for Best
Picture as ’12 Years a Slave’ has won every other major award including the
Golden Globe.This is the sort of
sweeping, epic, historic drama that the Academy enjoys and has rewarded in the
past.The new take on the traditional
slave story has won over many critics and the film has the large ensemble cast
including a bearded and aged Brad Pitt that the Academy admires.Lead actor Chiwetel Ejiofor,
despite not being a front runner for Lead Actor, provided an astonishing
performance well supported by Lupita Nyong’o; the film provides an ideal
package that the Academy cannot ignore.
We are at the home stretch for the 85th Academy Awards and the studios are in an all out race to campaign for as many of the coveted trophies as possible. Moviegoers seemed overall pleased with this year's list of Best Picture nominees as the Academy strives to improve its image as an organization connected to regular movie fans. So who will bring home gold on Sunday night? The Best Actor, Actress and Picture nominees are an eclectic bunch and for the first time in years there is no clear cut winner for Best Picture. Here are my predictions for the 2013 Academy Award winners:
Best Supporting Actor
This is certainly the most difficult category to predict since all the performances, which include Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln), Robert De Niro (Silver Linings Playbook), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Master), Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained) and Alan Arkin (Argo), have been critically lauded and all the competing actors have enjoyed equal acclaim at other award events. While Tommy Lee Jone's wig in Lincoln did distract me quite a bit, bordering on comedy, his performance was tour de force, especially in key dramatic scenes with Daniel Day Lewis. Jones has been nominated three times, but despite his veteran actor status, has only won once for "The Fugitive". This could be the year that the Academy once again honors an actor most of us respect as one of Hollywood's best. However, there is no denying the unique presence that Christoph Waltz brings to the unnerving scenes in "Djando Unchained". Waltz was a winner for 2009's "Inglorious Bastards" and has already won a Golden Globe for "Djando". Watlz performance is undoubtedly the best supporting work of 2012 and it is most likely that he will become a two time Oscar winner on Sunday.
Who should win: Tommy Lee Jones
Who will win: Christoph Waltz
Best Supporting Actress
Unlike the Best Supporting Actor category, there is little doubt who will be honored here. 2012 was the year of Anne Hathaway. Her performance as the prostitute, Fantine in the musical "Les Miserables" was the most incredible thing seen on the silver screen in years! Not only did Hathaway lose an enormous amount of weight to play the abused and torn prostitute, she also sang the torch ballad "I Dreamed A Dream" live during filming rather than lip-sync to a previously recorded track which was the established standard. The key scene in which she sings after coins are tossed at her for her "services" is awe-inspiring. Hathaway's raw vocals resulted in not a dry eye at most showings of Les Miserables and the fact that she was singing live, while crying and hitting those sky-scraper notes is an Olympic sized feat! Despite powerhouse competitor Sally Field for Lincoln, and Oscar nominee darling Amy Adams (Master), there is little doubt Anne Hathaway will not win her first Oscar on Sunday night.
Who should win: Anne Hathaway
Who will win: Anne Hathaway
Best Actor
Like the Best Supporting Actress race, the Best Actor category has a clear cut winner. The competition is intense with fan favorite Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook), Daniel Day Lewis (Lincoln), Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables), Joaquin Phoenix (Master) and Denzil Washington (Flight). Indeed, no one expects Daniel Day Lewis to walk home empty handed on Sunday night; his complete and total transformation into the Abraham Lincoln we have collectedly imagined is without a doubt one of the best portrayals of a historical figure in the history of cinema. While I was thoroughly impressed by Day Lewis, I could not help but be in awe of Hugh Jackman's demanding role in Les Miserables. Jackman is dynamic as he transforms from hardened criminal to doting father while performing some of the most powerful ballads from the famed Broadway musical. Jackman's vocal performance alone deserves an Oscar, as he was required to sing all of his lines from the libretto. Especially in the final half hour, Jackman's singing voice reigns supreme with genuine emotion and amazing range. However, despite his amazing vocal stamina and powerful performance, Oscar judges have never allowed a poignant historical portrayal like Daniel Day Lewis to go unrewarded.
Who will win: Daniel Day Lewis
Who should win: Hugh Jackman
Best Actress
This category provides the widest range of performances of the year including 9-year old Quvenzhané Wallis for " The Beast of the Southern Wilds" and 85-year old Emmanuelle Riva for "Amour". It is fantastic to see such variety in the Best Actress Category but despite receiving almost unanimous praise for their performances, very few will attempt to predict this year's winner since no performance truly captured notoriety the way Meryl Streep's "Iron Lady" did last year. In fact, critics were predicting her the winner since the Iron Lady Trailer premiered. With no Streep as competition, it's really a show down between the reigning Queen of Hollywood, Jessica Chastain and Naiomi Watts' stunning dramatic turn in the disaster film "The Impossible". My money is definitely on Chastain for her gritty performance as a CIA Agent on a decade long hunt for Osama Bin Laden in the military thriller, "Zero Dark Thirty". Is it just me or is Chastain in every other movie these days. She has certainly become the Cate Blanchett of the current era, appearing as a clueless housewife in "The Help" (for which she was nominated), Brad Pitt's devoted wife in "The Tree of Life" and a victim of a haunting in the Box office hit horror, "Mama"; now Chastain has even taken her already prolific career to Broadway, starring in "The Heiress". The Academy loves to reward actresses as dynamic as Chastain, who many are already calling the next Meryl Streep. However, can they ignore how audiences have reacted to the tear-inducing performance of Naomi Watts in "The Impossible". This is Watts best performance in years since her stunning debut in "Mulholland Drive", and few can deny the power of her performance as a mother struggling desperately to save her family after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. Can Watts' heartbreaking desperation beat Chastain's domineering CIA agent? Unlikely.
Who should win: Naomi Watts
Who will win: Jessica Chastain
Best Music (Song and Score)
In the 90's it was easy to predict the Oscar winner for Best Song since Disney consistently collected gold for classic animated films like "The Lion King" and "Aladdin". In later years, powerhouse love ballads like "My Heart will go on" dominated the category. However, recently the winners have been quite a varied bunch as the Academy has awarded everyone from Eminem to The Muppets. The front runner is clearly the masterful "Skyfall" from the newest James Bond film, written and performed by British phenomenon Adele. The Academy will find it hard to ignore the fast popularity of the ballad which has a sound that is obviously written in homage to previous James Bond anthems like "Gold Finger" by Shirley Bassey. Despite previous modern James Bond themes receiving the cold shoulder from the Academy, including Madonna's "Die Another Day", judges adore nostalgia and will certainly not miss the opportunity to give Adele her first Oscar.
Who should win: Adele
Who will win: Adele
The score category has always been one of controversy as previous winners have revealed the gap between the Academy and regular moviegoers. Recent winners have been minimalistic soundtracks as opposed to popular scores such as "The Dark Knight". This year, veteran composer John Williams (Star Wars, E.T., Jurassic Park) has received his 48th nomination and this could be the year that Williams takes home his sixth Academy Award for his breathtaking score for "Lincoln"; however a new trend in this category has been awarding scores with an exotic sound including A.R Raman's "Slum Dog Millionaire". In fact the Academy has fallen so in love with Raman that he received a second nomination for his "127 Hours" soundtrack. Previous foreign sounding scores that have dominated include "Frida". If this trend continues, Michael Danna's "The Life of Pi" will definitely win Best Score with its lush, melodic Indian-flavored music. However, one cannot deny that John Williams, despite being 81, has been on a winning streak critically with last year's "War Horse" and now "Lincoln" being given full masterpiece status by critics and soundtrack fans. Indeed, Williams' poignant, Wagnerian score deserves recognition but can it defeat the sitar and orchestral combinations in "Life of Pi"?
Who should win: John Williams
Who will win: Michael Danna
Best Picture
This coveted prize continues to be the most sought after accolade for any film maker and this year both critics and fans were pleased with the Academy's selections for the best of 2012. The range is huge and includes the relevant, politically themed films such as "Zero, Dark, Thirty" and "Argo", historical dramas "Lincoln" and "Django Unchained", emotional tearjerkers "Les Miserables", "Amour" and "Silver Linings Playbook", as well as visually stunning masterpieces "Beasts of the Southern Wild" and "The Life of Pi". Indeed the Academy has proven that it is still relevant in today's modern world of cinema as most of the nominees, especially Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty, are Boxoffice hits and popular crowd pleasers. The winner should be certainly clear to any avid Oscar fan by now; "Argo", the tale of a hostage rescue mission built on a fake film created to smuggle the hostages to safety disguised as actors is a tour de force film, directed by Ben Affleck and the Acamedy has never failed to award real-life historical drama such as "Argo". The fact that the Academy was universally panned for failing to nominate Affleck for Best Director puts further pressure on the judges to grant the film the main prize, especially since the Actor/Director has picked up every other Best Director prize for his work on "Argo" including a Golden Globe and BAFTA (the British version of the Oscars). Hence, there is little doubt that "Argo" will be crowned the winner on Sunday. It's only other formidable competition is Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln", which despite being one of the best acted films in years, does not have the tense, thrilling impact of "Argo". I would have preferred "Les Miserables" being honored, perhaps because I am partial to musicals or the idea that having to act and sing live is one of the most awesome accomplishments any actor can undertake. Despite not having the gripping storyline of Argo, Les Miserables is a true cinematic wonder with its jaw-dropping cinematography, masterful music direction and fantastic costume design and sets, all supporting awe-inspiring performances by Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway. Indeed, if not for the huge competition from "Argo", Oscar judges would have little choice but to name Les Miserables Best Picture. However, make no mistake, "Argo" is the Meryl Streep of this year's Best Picture Oscar race!
.jpg)
