Confessions of a Divergent

I had no idea what to expect when I purchased Divergent by Veronica Roth. I knew it was a dystopian YA novel, but that’s about it. I only bought it because I saw that everyone was reading it, and I had to know why. I already knew Roth was probably trying to recreate The Hunger Games trilogy in one way or another, but I didn’t know it was possible to do so so quickly after the triology just concluded (and the movie more or less just came out).

Was it a well written book? Not necessarily. Was it a fun book that I was sucked into? Most definitely.

Like Collins novels, the story takes place in a believable America of the future, more specifically Chicago. The city has been broken up into five factions, each dedicated to one character trait that they believe is the most beneficial to humans. There are Abnegation, the selfless; Erudite, the intelligent in pursuit of knowledge; Amity, the peaceful; Candor, the honest who can never tell a lie; and Dauntless, the brave. Each faction is in charge of one aspect of society, in harmony.

Beatrice, our novel’s protagonist, is a sixteen year old girl who, like the rest of her peers, needs to choose which faction to belong to. The aptitude test the teenagers take just before choosing their faction demonstrates that Tris doesn’t suit one faction, like most of her peers, but she is divergent… and that she can’t tell anyone that information, for her safety. Should she continue is Abnegation like the rest of her family, or does she suit Candor or Dauntless better, meaning she could never return to her family again?

I won’t give it away, but let me just say that this society — shocker — just doesn’t work, and there’s a faction looking to take over (three guesses as to which…). Tris, being divergent, can’t be controlled by her faction as easily as her peers, and knows something’s up. It’s her job to try and save the rest of her family and friends.

I have yet to read the second novel in the series, Insurgent, mostly because I’m waiting for it to come out in paperback, but I can’t wait for it. Roth has got me asking for more, and wanting to know what happens to this unique society (which is scary because I can actually see the world coming to this).

If you like dystopian fiction aimed for young adults, you’ll enjoy Divergent, even if you’re a die-hard Hunger Games fan.

 

Confessions of a Girl with Skin as White as Snow

I had heard various things from my peers about Snow White and the Huntsman, so I went into the theatre not really sure what to expect. I wasn’t expecting greatness, but I wasn’t expecting a complete flop. And that’s more or less my opinion having seen it myself.

The story, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the non-Disney version of Snow White, in a nutshell, is that the evil Queen basically banishes Snow White (in one way or another) and sends a Huntsman to find her. The Huntsman, of course, cannot bring himself to betray the princess and ends up helping her (again, in one way or another). This version, by Rupert Sanders and co., is a little strange, but manages to turn a rather quick fairy tale into a couple of hours without completely boring me.

Charlize Theron is a goddess. She stole the show for me, hands down, and shows why she’s an Academy Award winning actress. Everyone else in that cast paled in comparison to her, and I truly think she was the star, despite the title of the movie. At times I loved her, at times I felt sorry for her, and at times I hated her, which I think was the point. She was asked to portray a messed up woman, and boy, did she ever deliver.

I dislike Kristen Stewart. As a reader of the Twilight books before the movie craze, I was a little attached to Bella and think that Stewart massacred her. That being said, it’s also the only other thing I’ve seen her in, so that could be why I don’t see what Hollywood sees when it comes to this actress. I do admit, however, that the character of Snow White was practically perfect for her… because she barely had any lines. The ones that she did deliver (minus that unmotivating speech near the end) were done in an accent that I actually believed, which surprised me. The one thing that did bother me in terms of casting for this role, however, is that there is no way K-Stew is fairer than Charlize. In what world?!

I don’t know who Sam Claflin (William) is, but he did an okay job, I guess.

Chris Hemsworth, my demi-god, is still as dreamy as ever, even with a silly Scottish accent. I’m not really sure why they had all the actors put on a silly accent when most of them were American (and Hemsworth, as an outsider, could’ve stayed Australian and it would have been okay with me). He was as fierce as I know him to be, and although not quite as handy with an axe as Thor is with his hammer, I was sad there wasn’t more of him on the screen.

Now, the cinematography was breathtaking. When the dwarfs brought Snow and the Huntsman into whatever fairyland they were in, I was actually shocked. It was such a beautiful place and the animals were a perfect cross between realistic and magical. The fairies were unexpected but adorable (I wanted to take one home with me) and the thing with the antlers was surreal. That whole scene was probably my favourite.

I don’t know if it was Sanders lack of directing experience or the writers lacking the ability to stretch the story as long as a the movie needed to be, but I found the scenes a little unbalanced. I felt like the characters were walking for such a long time, and then an “action” scene would happen and it would be done really quickly. There was way too much walking for my liking, and I felt like I had no sense of life-like timing, which confused me. Did the seasons change, or were they just walking really, really far?

The ending actually bothered me. As much as I’m glad she got her throne and all seems well in the world, I was pissed that Snow and the Huntsman didn’t smooch at the end. Are you kidding me?! Clearly you two were destined to be together — I mean c’mon, he was the one that woke you from your coma-poison-spell-thing. But that’s all I’m going to write on that.

All of that being said, I did enjoy Snow White and the Huntsman and would recommend it. Charlize and Chris Hemsworth can do no wrong in my eyes and I didn’t hate Stewart, even though I don’t understand her. I’ve heard rumours that a sequel is being thought out, though, and although I thought this was a semi success, I beg the writers to just let this one be. Please.

 

Confessions of a Gleek

I’m not going to lie, I’ve been wavering between liking Glee and thinking it was the cheesiest thing on TV. The finale, however, got me. I cried more than once… and I’m kind of ashamed to admit it.

I hated the idea of there being a spinoff, and I was really happy when I found out that wasn’t going to happen. I was surprised when Ryan Murphy announced that all the characters were going to still be part of the show (in some aspect), and even after watching the finale, I have no idea how that’s actually going to happen and keep the voice that the show has portrayed for three years.

I’m going to break it down per class senior, and explain my thoughts on their current storylines (spoiler alert).

Brittany: She flunks. And she kind of mentioned it in passing, which is strange but very in character. I actually didn’t really put together that she was a senior (even though she was president) until this episode, because she never mentioned what she was going to do when she graduated. I’m really happy that she’s staying in Glee club, because she’s my favourite character, hands down, and because Mike Chang is leaving, the group really needs dancers (although Finn’s leaving, so it might be a wash)

Mike: He got a full dance scholarship. I’m glad his parents are accepting of that and that he’s getting to do what he loves, but beyond that, I don’t think he’ll be making much of an appearance in the upcoming season because there never really was much to Mike. He’s a stellar dancer though, so I’ll miss that.

Santana: I’m a little confused about her. She got a cheerleading scholarship to Kentucky and doesn’t take it (which I understand — it’s Kentucky), then makes this grand statement about staying in Lima with Brittany, and then finally decides to move to NYC with no plan. I guess there will be a lot of Rachel crossover time. She has one of my favourite voices though, so I hope to see a lot of her.

Puck: He finally graduated, which was nice, he needed that, and I’m assuming he’s going to continue his pool cleaning business in California, but they never actually mention it. California’s a long way away from Ohio, so maybe it won’t work out and he’ll have to go back home.

Mercedes: Out of nowhere, this girl gets a contract with an indy record label? Yeah, okay. Maybe that didn’t happen, I don’t really pay attention when she talks. She said something about some classes at UCLA, but I’m not counting that as real college, because I think it was music related. I guess she’ll be in Cali too, so maybe her and Puck will see more of each other, but I never really ever saw them getting along, so I don’t see that working. Quite frankly, I find her character annoying, and hope we see much less of her next season.

Quinn: She’s going to Yale, which is nice, because she’s one of like only three people of the graduating class that are actually going to college. I’m surprised that a show aimed at young people has such a small number of people continuing into post-secondary (which is really important, in my opinion). New Haven is really close to NYC though, so we can include her in the Santana-Rachel reunions.

Kurt: I can’t believe he didn’t get into NYADA. He’s had such a rough couple of years, and I finally wanted something good for him, so I was kind of peeved when he didn’t get in, and Rachel — who screwed up her audition — did. As much as I find his voice irritating because it’s even too high-pitched for this 1st soprano to handle, I think he was born to go off to NYC, or fashion-design… something. At least he’ll maybe be staying in town for a bit, and there can be more of him and Blaine (my fave!). I seriously don’t think they could stay together long-distance.

Finn: I lost respect for him a little in this episode. What he did to Rachel was just mean. And the more I see him in a high school setting, the more I realize that he is in his 30s and really should stop playing someone so young. He’s an average singer and a terrible dancer (and not a great actor either), so it made sense that he didn’t get into the Actor’s studio or whatever, but I really don’t know how the show’s going to be able to follow him into the army. Maybe he’ll get killed off.

Rachel: I left her for last because I probably have the most to say about her. At the beginning of the show I thought she was one of the most annoying characters on TV and couldn’t stand her. The more she developed though, the more I liked her, and actually started rooting for her. As much as I think Kurt should have got into NYADA before her, I do still think she deserved it. She’ll be great in NYC. For some reason, her song in the train station had me in tears, and I truly felt her pain when Finn broke up with her (in the car, on the way to their wedding — what a jerk). I do think they were too young to get married, but he needed to tell her what was going on. On a side note, who wears white knee-high socks to their wedding? I really hope Rachel learns how to dress in the upcoming season.

Those are my thoughts, for what their worth. To be honest, I’m giving season 4 a trial run, and if it isn’t the show I love to hate, I’m going to call it quits. I really think they should have ended it here, wrapping every character up, and calling it a day.

I’m not sure how it’s going to work, but, Ryan Murphy, know that you have to impress me if you want to keep my interest.

Confessions of a Lucky One

Zac Efron grew up good.

You’ll have to excuse my poor grammar, but that’s really all I have to say after seeing The Lucky One. I’m not going to lie, I usually really like Nicholas Sparks’ stories (especially A Walk to Remember and, after watching it a few times, eventually The Notebook too). Usually, however, I’ve read the book before I go see the movie. This is mostly due to the fact that I went through a use Nick Sparks faze in high school, where I read most of his stuff, so I had an appreciation for what was developing on screen.

The plot, however, failed for me. I felt like Beth’s character, played by Taylor Schilling, didn’t have realistic reactions to what was going on. She was angry at Zac — I mean Logan — at times that I didn’t quite understand, but I’ve luckily never suffered the loss of someone so dear to me, so maybe it’s just not an emotional journey I understand. I wasn’t as connected to this movie as I am other of his works… I didn’t even remotely feel like crying once.

I couldn’t get over how much I disliked Taylor Schilling. I felt like she looked way too old in comparison to Zac Efron, and I was shocked when I looked it up, and she’s only a few years older than him. She looked over 30 to me, even though she was meant to play someone actually close to her age. Speaking of age, I also didn’t think it would be remotely possible for Blythe Danner to have a great-grandson, but that’s just me. That being said, the little boy Ben, played by Riley Thomas Stewart, was really cute and definitely tugged on my heartstrings a few times. But back to this Beth character, although I was pulling for her to be with Logan, I ultimately just wanted her to stay in the picture so that we got to see Zac without his shirt on more often. I didn’t feel any chemistry between them, whatsoever.

Hands down, the best of that movie is when Zac is standing in his black boxer-briefs. If I could freeze any moment in that movie forever, that would probably be it. In fact, that might be the only part of the movie I’ll remember in a few weeks.

All-in-all it wasn’t a great movie, but I wasn’t expecting it to be. It made for a great night out with my girlfriends, and gave us some good stuff to gawk at, but it left no emotional impact on me like A Walk to Remember. Maybe this just wasn’t one of Nick’s best. I’ll have to let you know after I read the book, if I ever get around to it…

Confessions of One Who Will Never Let Go

This post is going to be short and sweet, mostly because I’m too emotionally drained to be deep, but I’m too touched to not say anything.

I remember watching Titanic in theatres in 1997, when it originally came out. I was 8 years old, and I remember there was something wrong with the audio because it would get unbearably loud. I think people complained. I remember the movie being insanely long, but I sat through it anyway. I remember liking it. But that’s about it.

Fifteen years later — yup that’s right (cue feeling old) — I see the movie again in the movie theatre, but this time in IMAX 3D. My friends and I did not go to this specific show because it was IMAX (0r 3D for that matter… I’m pretty indifferent towards it) but because the time worked the best for everyone.

I was not disappointed.

Of course, I’ve seen the movie a couple of times between 1997 and now, but there’s something about seeing it on the big (and in this case extra big) screen. I noticed details that I wouldn’t otherwise, and was captivated by the set and the costumes more than I ever have in a movie before. I was surprised by how well the 3D technology was done, considering it wasn’t filmed in 3D and was created a decade and a half ago, and was astounded, yet again, by the score.

The movie hasn’t changed a bit (well other than the stars that Cameron CGI’d in to be the exact replica of the stars on that night), and yet I appreciate it so much more. I’ve seen it countless times, and I found myself tearing up at various points throughout the film, and practically bawling like a baby at the end, when she returns to the Titanic. The script is hilarious, in my opinion, and the movie isn’t particularly well-acted by Kate and Leo, but somehow, it still manages to touch my heart in a way very few movies can.

James Cameron, my hat’s off to you. And thank you for bringing Jack and Rose back into my life. I will never let go of their story.

Confessions of a Tribute Volunteer

Unlike many of my book crazy friends, I actually waited until Monday to see the Hunger Games  movie. I felt like I was already behind with the times, and had heard only great things about it… but I still couldn’t believe that I would love it as much as the book.

Did I absolutely love it? Yes! Did I think it was as good as the book? Absolutely not, but it also didn’t disappoint me in any way: I know it would be impossible for a director to capture every single detail in the book, and I think they made the right choices.

When I originally heard about the casting, I was worried about Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, mostly because he’s so young, and so little, and Peeta’s supposed to be this big, strong guy. I was really surprised by how much I was convinced by Josh, and am definitely on Team Peeta. I thought he was so convincing in his emotion and his humility, like the Peeta character in the books.

Although I absolutely loved Jennifer Lawrence and thought she pulled off Katniss like no other, there was once scene where I (and a couple of my friends that I went to the movie with) was completely disappointed with Katniss’ passion. She finds Peeta after thinking that he was killed, and all she says is “Damn you.” I’m not even using an exclamation point because there wasn’t really much to it; I felt like she was just reading a line in the script. For me, this moment was supposed to be where the audience learns that Katniss really does care for Peeta more than she thinks she does, and it did absolutely nothing for me. Katniss is this strong woman, and there was nothing strong in the delivery of that line, at all. I feel like the girl would’ve swore in real life: c’mon!

Part of me also wished that the movie was a little less PG-rated, because it contributed to the lack of passion. I was a little disappointed by the cave scene — and that’s all I’m going to say on that. I do understand that the book is YA, so it was meant to appeal to a YA audience, but it left me wanting more.

All that being said, I was captivated throughout the entirety of the movie. I thought Stanley Tucci and Lenny Kravitz were so convincing and I wanted much more Cinna. In fact, maybe he should have a spin-off. No, but seriously, everyone was so well-casted. The only person I didn’t feel a connection to (yet) was Prim, and I really hope that changes throughout the rest of the trilogy…

Oh and, for the record, the score/soundtrack were absolutely amazing!

I can’t wait until Catching Fire comes out. I’m so excited!

Confessions of a Circus Goer

Between all the emails I get from Indigo, Amazon, and E-Bay, I felt like Erin Morgenstern’s Night Circus was being thrown at me in a million directions. I also thought that because it was being pushed so hard that maybe they had bought too many and were trying really hard to get rid of them. Regardless, I’m fascinated by the early 20th century, and with the old circus tradition, so I decided I’d give it a try.

What I read was magical. I was brought into Morgenstern’s world and couldn’t get out. I felt as connected to Le Cirque des Rêves as Celia and Marco were, and was concerned about their fate, right from the beginning. Although I felt the “love story” was predictable in the sense that there was never any doubt in my mind that they were going to end up together and overthrow their challenge somehow, I had no idea how it was going to happen, and that’s what kept me reading until the very last page.

Every single character was interesting, and had a reason for being in the novel, which I appreciated. Although I do wish we learned a little more about Alexander, I was satisfied by the outcome of the book and felt that everything was well-explained, which is something that I feel lacks in some books these days: authors try so hard to make the ending of the books exciting, that they forget to tie up some loose ends and leave some of my favourite characters hanging.

I was a little confused with the fact that the book jumped through time a lot, and wasn’t always chronological, but as I kept reading on, I realized that it made sense, since nothing about these characters was chronological or orderly. I was even quickly intrigued with Bailey’s character, and related to him the most, as he saw the circus from the outside, and desperately wanted in. Readers were exposed to both the details of the circus, as well as its intrigue to outsiders, and even to the rêveurs. That, coupled with the fact that this circus was unlike any other I’ve ever read about, made the reading experience unique and unforgettable.

I’m looking forward to Morgenstern’s next book, whatever it may be.