Divergent Review

     In 2008, the best selling teen novel "Twilight" was turned into a feature length film; while the reception from critics and a number of people was lack-luster a best, the movie was a box office smash and pleased most fans of the book. They proceeded to turn the other two novels into three more movies that made a combined few billion dollars; and ever since people have been looking for the next teen novel series to turn into hit movies like "Twilight" or the grand daddy of this little movement "Harry Potter." We've seen books like "The Hunger Games" make a very successful transition, and others like "Mortal Instruments" crash and burn. Next up on the chopping block is the first installment in the bestselling book series "Divergent." Personally, I have not read any of the books so I can't make a comparison to the source material; but I have heard good things about the first installment in the series. After a lot of hype and build up the first in the expected trilogy has arrived, and after watching it I wish I had seen "Muppets Most Wanted" instead. 

     "Divergent" takes place quite a ways in the future, where a catastrophic war has seemed to wipe out most of the civilized world. The only standing civilization is referred to as the city, and is surrounded by a giant fence made to protect its people. In the city, people are placed into one of five factions based on their personalities; your faction determines your place in society: layer, intellect, warrior, farmer, or bureaucrat. If you fit into none of them, you are referred to as factionless and are labeled as an outcast. Our story follows Beatrice, a young woman born into the bureaucratic life but is eager to escape. The day comes where she is to take the test that will tell her what she is to be, but something goes wrong. The test was inconclusive, and the only explanation is that she is what they call divergent; a state of mind characterized by free thinking that doesn't fit into a faction. The problem is that the government hates divergents because they threaten the system, so they usually end up in a shallow grave somewhere. Beatrice's only option is to hide it, but this means that she can pick any faction and really be at home. During the choosing ceremony, to the dismay of her parents who are bureaucrats, she chooses the warrior faction. She is scared, and is worried that one wrong step will result in her death; her only option is to believe in herself and overcome her fear. So she accepts her new life, and is excited to find her place in society. 

     I'm not going to sugarcoat is, "Divergent" isn't a very good movie in any aspect; and to a certain extent, it was almost painful to watch. Like a said earlier, I haven't read the book; but if the writing in the book is the same as the movie, I'll make sure to stay away. The writing and dialog is mediocre at best, and feels like generic sci-fi/futuristic stuff that you'll see in a number of movies. The movie is also filled with several uninteresting and generic characters, no one stands out. And the only good performance in the whole bunch is from lead actress Shailene Woodley, unfortunately even her character is a rather cookie-cutter heroin and is bogged down by a love story you don't care about. This movie was marketed as an action movie, but it is filled with some of the most unimpressive and uninspired action sequences in recent memory. While there are ton of things wrong with this movie, there is one that stands out above the rest; it's boring. I remember looking at my watch after thirty minutes and saying "crap, this movie is over two hours long." I don't think I've ever looked at my watch so many times in a movie, hoping it was almost over. The build up to the meat of the story is so slow, and the movie is also much longer than it needed to be; they could have cut 25-30 minutes, easy. There's nothing worse a movie can do than be boring, and unfortunately this is the most bored I've been in a movie for quite some time. It really is a shame, the concept of the movie is interesting and there were a few entertaining sequences throughout. Unfortunately, I don't think anything could have saved this movie. For all I know, the books could be good and just don't translate well to the silver screen; but even so, at the end of the day "Divergent" is just another bland movie meant to get teenagers in the seats. 

Pros: Good performance by Shailene Woodley, interesting concept, a few entertaining sequences.

Cons: Mediocre writing, much longer than necessary, slow and tedious build up, unimpressive action sequences, uninteresting characters, it's just plain boring.

1.5/5 Stars

The Grand Budapest Hotel Review

   Wes Anderson is one of the most unique, creative, stylish, and celebrated directors to emerge in the film industry over the past twenty years. While many of his films have not been huge commercial successes, his movies such as "Rushmore," "The Royal Tenenbaums," "Fantastic Mr. Fox," and "Moonrise Kingdom" have received wide critical acclaim and earned him three Oscar nominations; on top of all that, he's one of my personal favorite directors. His style is unique to him; the way he shoots his movie is like no other director I've ever seen. If you’re familiar with even one or two of his films, you can recognize one of his movies instantly even if you don't know ahead of time it's by him. A lot of people say that if you like Wes Anderson, you're a hipster and kind of an asshole; but as far as I'm concerned, he's one of the most talented directors in the game right now. And "The Grand Budapest Hotel" is one of his finest films. 

     The movie takes place in about four different time periods, but the majority of the story takes place in the 1930s. The film revolves around the head concierge of a hotel, M. Gustav H., and the hotel's lobby boy, Zero. Gustav is a rather eccentric man who takes great pride in his hotel, and is himself the driving force behind the hotel's success. One day, he learns that an elderly woman that he had a relationship with for many years is found dead. Along with Zero, he travels to her home to pay his respects. While there he learns that the woman's lawyer is reading her will; the bulk of her estate goes to her children, but it is discovered that right before she died she made an update to her will. Her most prized possession, a priceless painting known as Boy with Apple, has been left to Gustav. Upset, the woman's on protests and says that the new amendment to the will is invalid. Believing it to be his, Gustav and Zero decide to take the painting and run. Once they arrive back at the hotel, they stash the painting and nobody is the wiser; but shortly after the police arrive to arrest Gustav for the murder of the woman. Once in prison, Gustav formulates a plan to escape along with Zero's help. So it's up to our young lobby boy to free a wrongfully accused man, and for our duo to solve the mystery of who killed the woman. 

     As of writing this review, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" is the best movie I've seen so far this year; it’s also one of the best films of Wes Anderson's career. Anderson is one of a few directors, who are great at both writing and directing, and this is easily one of his best screenplays; I wouldn't be surprised if we see it nominated for an Oscar. The writing is very smart but at the same time manages to be very funny. Jokes come flying at you every minute, and almost every one of them hits the mark. One thing Anderson is known for is his sense of humor, which you either love or hate; it's a dry sense of humor that I find charming, but it will turn a lot of people off. Anderson is one of those directors that are known for recycling his actors; many actors in this movie have been in several of his previous ones. Every performer in this movie does a great job, but the real stand out has to be Ralph Fiennes who plays Gustav. Every other line out of his mouth is pure gold and his timing and delivery is always perfect; it's one of the best comedic performances I've seen in years. Probably the most striking aspect of any Wes Anderson film, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" included, would be the cinematography; every single shot is beautiful with the camera in the perfect position. Anderson will even use the camera to add to the humor of the scene in a way you don't see very often. If I had to point out a problem that Wes Anderson's movies have suffered from since his first movie, they come off as rather pretentious. It's hard to describe, but if you watch any of his movie you'll understand exactly what I'm saying. From start to finish, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" was an absolute treat to watch. This was a movie I was excited for ever since I saw the first trailer and it did not disappoint. While it is an artsy movie that not everyone will be able to enjoy, this is a movie I would recommend to anyone who calls themselves movie fans. Currently it's not in a lot of theaters, even after its wide release; but if it is playing near you, this is a must see.  

Pros: Unique and stylish directing from Wes Anderson, fantastic screenplay with smart writing, great performances by the entire cast, extremely funny, beautiful and well planned cinematography.

Cons: Can get a little pretentious, sense of humor not for everybody.

4.5/5 Stars

Veronica Mars Review

     There are few things in this world sadder than a great show getting canceled before their time (except maybe genocide and dead puppies). If you have ever talked television with me before, there is a good chance that you know that the CW series "Veronica Mars" is my favorite show of all time; not "Firefly," or "Game of Thrones," or even "Breaking Bad." A show about a sassy female teenage detective blows every other show out of the water. Unfortunately due to poor ratings, the show was canceled in 2007 after its third season. Even though the show was a critical success with a very passionate and loyal fan base, the CW decided to pull the plug; and the future of this little universe was unknown, but after six years something finally came up. A Kickstarter campaign was started to raise money for a movie taking place after the events of the show, it was to serve as the conclusion the show never had. In case you don't know, Kickstarter is a website where you can donate money to projects that wouldn't be funded otherwise. The movie required two million in donations by the end of thirty days or the project would be dead, it reached its goal in less than ten hours. The movie went into production shortly after, and to my own personal joy it has finally arrived.

     Nine years after the events of season three, former private investigator Veronica Mars has worked hard to get as far away from her former life in Neptune as possible. She graduated from college and is seeking a career as a lawyer living in New York City with her long time boyfriend Stosh "Piz" Piznarski. Everything is just the way it should be, but one day she gets a call from her former high school sweet heart Logan Echolls. Logan has been accused of murdering his celebrity girlfriend, and is looking at a very long prison sentence. As a last act of desperation, he decides to call Veronica in the hopes she will temporarily return to her former life and find out the truth. Reluctantly, Veronica decides to return to her home town of Neptune to help Logan as well as see some old friends. But what she thought was going to be some simple investigative work, leads her right into a web of lies and deceit. And for one last time, we get to see Veronica Mars do her thing. 

     Before I really get to the meat of it, let me start by saying two things. First being that as a fan of the series, there may some unintentional bias. Second, this is really only meant for those who were fans of the show. Those unfamiliar with the source material could still have a good time, but it's not for them; this movie is meant to act as the ultimate fan service. That being said as a fan, I f*cking loved this movie. The show ended in a way that was obviously meant to continue on with the story, but with the cancellation the fans have spent years unsatisfied. If this movie was meant to accomplish one thing, it was to provide closure to the fans who were robbed of the ending the deserved years ago. This movie brought up so many happy memories, it is filled with that trademark whit and drama I remember so fondly from the series; but like in the series, there are a few corny lines here and there. Probably my favorite thing about this movie was getting to see all of these characters again. The main characters from the series obviously get the most screen time, but even some of the minor ones got to make an appearance at some point; a couple of them were shoehorned in and often only play a part in a single scene, but it's still nice to see them. Going into this movie, I was expecting them to play it safe; have everything be happiness and sunshine with our main characters riding off into the sunset. To my surprise, that wasn't really the case. Writer and director Rob Thomas took some risks with the plot, and not everyone gets a happy ending. Now before you think I'm nothing more than a fanboy, I'll admit the movie isn't perfect. There are a few things that they could have fixed here and there, but the biggest problem I have would be that it feels rushed towards the end. The first half of the movie is stronger than the second, mostly because it feels like they were on some sort of time restraint and they needed to hurry up. I would have liked the movie to be 10-15 minutes longer so they could have wrapped things up a little better. "Veronica Mars" the movie was a project I've been on board with since day one. When the Kickstarter launched, I went and made an account with them just so I could donate. After about a year of waiting we finally get the results, and I am satisfied. The people behind the movie realize that this isn't going to be a movie that makes hundreds of millions. This movie was made by people who cared about this franchise, and wanted to give the fans satisfaction; and in that aspect, it succeeded. 

Pros: The ultimate fan service, great to see these characters again, provides closure to fans of the series, has the "Veronica Mars" trademark whit and drama, obvious that a lot of care and passion went into this project, takes some risks with the story and doesn't just play it safe.  

Cons: Really only meant for fans, a couple corny lines, a few characters shoehorned in, feels a little rushed towards the end. 

4/5 Stars

True Detective Review

     The crime drama may be the single most played out genre on television; there are more shows in this genre than I can count. From all the "Law and Orders" and the "CSI's" and all the misc shows, the genre has been so over saturated it no longer interests me. The last really great crime show would be "The Wire" which ended back in 2008. Back in late 2012, I heard that HBO was making another crime show; at first I rolled my eyes, but then I really started looking into the show. It's a new mini-series that stars two “A” list actors, Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson; plus an interesting plot and the fact it is an HBO series, it peaked my interest.
     "True Detective" is an anthology crime series taking place in multiple time frames (both during the mid 90's and in present day). Set in south Louisiana, the show follows homicide detectives Rustin "Rust" Cohle and Martin "Marty" Hart. During the 90's, a young woman is found murdered in a ritualistic fashion. Everyone starts pointing the fingers at the occult, so the guys in charge put all their resources into solving this murder. They decide to put Rust and Martin on the case in hopes of calming the public; but what they thought should have been an open and shut case unravels into the most twisted game they would ever have the misfortune to play.
     "True Detective" may be the best new show of 2014, and possibly the best crime drama we've seen on TV since HBO's previous crime drama "The Wire." First off the most noticeably great aspect of the show would be Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson's performances; I see Emmy nominations in their future. Both of their characters are complex and intense, and are complemented perfectly by the actors. McConaughey's character Rust is easily one of the best characters on TV. Rust was a family man who's marriage was broken up after his two year old daughter was killed in a car accident, to cope he turned to drugs and lost himself in his work. He's one of the people who has been the smartest guy in the room since he was young, he's an atheist who is stationed in the backwoods of one of the most religious states in the country and constantly buts heads with the higher ups. Martin (played by Harrelson) is a straight edge cop with a wife and two children. He's by the book and is good at his job, but at the same time he has a vice for seeing younger women on the side. McConaughey and Harrelson are fantastic actors, and it’s not often we get to see such well renowned actors on a TV series. One thing you can always rely on when it comes to HBO programming, it’s always going to have some of the highest production values on TV. The cinematography is beautiful and the set pieces are top notch. Probably my favorite element of this show would be the writing; in short, it's great. Each episode's plot is well written and has some of the smartest dialog out there. Of all the complaints I've heard about the show, the most mentioned is that it's a slow burn. While it's always interesting, it takes a while to hit the real meat of the story; but each episode just adds a piece to a puzzle you can't wait to see completed. One thing that I need to mention is that this is a very dark and depressing show, and that alone may turn some people. "True Detective" is an amazing new program and one of the best shows I've seen in years. I'm not sure if this is going to be a long running series or a one time mini-series, either way it's amazing and worth every second of your time. This is one of those shows that manages to bridge the gap between TV and movies, a new generation of programming along the lines of "Sherlock" and "Game of Thrones." If you are looking for a great drama to watch, "True Detective" has my highest recommendations. 

Pros: Amazing performances from Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, beautiful cinematography, extremely good writing with smart dialog, great characters, topnotch production value, grabs your attention and never lets go.

Cons: A slow burn, may be too dark and depressing for some viewers.

10 Greatest Best Picture Oscar-Winning Movies

Honorable Mentions: Argo, The King's Speech, Forrest Gump, The Silence of the Lambs
Note: There are dozens of best picture winners I have not seen (including many classics), so they could not be included.

Runner-Up: American Beauty
"American Beauty" is simply one of the greatest satires ever put on the big screen. The story follows a man going through a mid life crisis while being surrounded by his dysfunctional family. The movie plays off the so called perfect American family; an upper middle class family in a nice house in a safe neighborhood, both parents have white collar jobs, and the daughter is a cheerleader at a good school. Everything is supposed to be perfect, and yet each one of them is miserable. Sporting several great performances and one of the best screenplays of the past twenty years, "American Beauty" has already cemented itself as an American classic; and will be remembered as one of the best films of the 1990's.

10. The Hurt Locker
Back in early 2009, a friend invited me to a small film festival outside of Dallas. The one movie that every said we had to see was a new war thriller called "The Hurt Locker;" when we arrived at the screening, the room was completely full and had to add seats to fit everyone. The second the movie started, we knew it was something special; and at the end it got a standing ovation. "The Hurt Locker" was the little movie that could; it was a small time film, that going into award season, no one had seen or new anything about. Everyone was saying that just about every award would go to "Up in the Air," "Avatar," or "Precious." But when the Oscar's rolled around, there was a clear winner. "The Hurt Locker" is one of the best movies of the past decade, and one of my all time favorite films.

9. The Departed
Martin Scorsese is one of the greatest directors of all time and was the man behind several of the best movies ever made, there aren't many people who would argue against that; but it took him most of his career to finally get the best picture and director Oscar he rightfully deserved. Based off of a Hong Kong movie called "Internal Affairs;" "The Departed" is the story of a mob boss, his inside man, and an undercover cop trying to put them behind bars. Often cited as one of the best films of the decade, this crime thriller is a blast from start to finish. Filled with brutality and a whole lot of swearing, this is one of Scorsese's best. While he should have won for "Raging Bull" and "Goodfellas" many years before, I'm just glad he got an Oscar eventually.

8. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The entire trilogy is absolutely amazing, it's one of my all time favorite film series; "Fellowship of the Ring" is even in my top five favorite movies. But of the three films "The Return of the King" is the best, it was so good it won best picture to many people's surprise. Based off the book series of the same name by J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Return of the King" is the epic conclusion to TLOTR movies. In case you've never seen any of the movies (which means you must be insane), let me catch you up. A young hobbit named Frodo Baggins is tasked with throwing a ring that belonged to an evil force thousands of years ago into the volcano that forged the ring, otherwise Middle Earth is doomed. "The Return of the King made history when it won best picture; it was nominated for 11 Oscars and won them all, meaning it's tied with "Titanic" and "Ben-Hur" for the most Oscar wins. Everything about this movie is epic, from the scope of the film to the jaw dropping war scenes; it really is a film not to be missed.

7. Annie Hall
Personally, I think it should actually be illegal to dislike "Annie Hall." Released in 1977 and written and directed by Woody Allen; this is easily one of the best romantic comedies of all time, and the best film of Allen's amazing career. The story follows the ups and downs of a relationship between two rather dysfunctional people, a squeamish Jewish writer named Alvy and a younger woman who's to smart for her own good named Annie. Most of the film takes place as a flash back chronicling their relationship before a break up, with the conclusion being the two finally come to terms with each other after the relationship. This is just about everyone's favorite Woody Allen movie, and for good reason; it is just a joy to watch.

6. No Country for Old Men
The Coen brothers are the most celebrated directing duo in the history of cinema; they are the minds behind movies like "Fargo," "Raising Arizona," "True Grit," "The Big Lebowski," and "Inside Lllewyn Davis." Yet of all the amazing movies they've made, there 2007 best picture winner "No Country for Old Men" is their undisputed masterpiece. The movie is based off of Cormac McCarthy's novel by the same name, which is one of my personal favorite books. Upon its release, the movie was met with universal critical acclaim. At the end of the year, it was on more top ten lists and named the best movie of the year more than any other film from 2007. "No Country for Old Men" is an amazing film and one of the best films of the 2000's, and certainly deserves a place on this list.

5. Schindler's List
"Schindler's List" is one of the most powerful and emotional films a person could ever sit through, it's also one of the greatest films of all time. The movie is based off the true life events following Oskar Schindler, a German factory owner who saved the lives of 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust. Directed by Steven Spielberg, just about everyone knew "Schindler's List" was an instant classic from the second it premiered back in 1992. This is a movie that rips your heart out of your chest and then slowly eats it in front of you for the entire one hundred and ninety seven minute run time; but at the end, you realize it was worth it. Oskar Schindler was a great man that many people didn't know about; if this movie accomplished one thing, it was that it helped people realize the hero he was.

4. Amadeus
There's just something special about "Amadeus," I don't know what it is but it's there. The film chronicles the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and a man that was his self proclaimed rival. When you think of Mozart, you probably think of a musical genius that was in a league of his own; if so you would be right, but the movie also shows that he was an arrogant young man whose pride ended up being his downfall. I'm not exactly sure how to classify this movie, it works as a drama, musical, comedy, and period piece all at the same time. In my opinion, this is an extremely underrated movie. When people talk about the greats, "Amadeus" is always missing from those lists. Personally, it's in my top 15 of all time. This movie just works on every level: acting, directing, screenplay, set pieces, and music come together perfectly. "Amadeus" is a masterpiece, and I'd call it the single best movie from the 1980's.

3. Lawrence of Arabia
Lawrence of Arabia is the most daring and ambitious epic of all time, it truly was a stroke of mad genius. At the time of its creation it was one of the most expensive movies ever made. Years after the film's release one of the stars said on the films ambition "If you are the man with the money and somebody comes to you, and says he wants to make a film that's four hours long, with no stars, and no women, and no love story, and not much action either, and he wants to spend a huge amount of money to go film it in the desert--what would you say?" But in the end it all paid off by winning seven Oscars as well as becoming the highest grossing movie of all time (not accounting for inflation). Everything about this film is perfect, but the most notable aspect is the star Peter O' Toole. In my opinion, he put on the finest performance in the history of cinema. Lawrence of Arabia is a movie that truly defines its genre, and will go down in history as one of the greatest.

2. The Godfather Part 2
On any other day of the week, this could have made the top spot. "The Godfather Part 2" is the sequel to the equally amazing film "The Godfather," and continues where that story left off. There are actually a lot of people who would say Part 2 is even better than the original, calling it a more entertaining and better paced film. And what they are saying is completely valid. That is one thing that this movie improved over the original, it has a faster pace and cuts back on the slow scenes. Another thing this movie did right was including Robert De Niro to play a young Vito Corleone, who absolutely killed it in the part and is to this day one of his best performances. "The Godfather Part 2" is an amazing movie and arguably the best movie to win best picture, but there is one that is better.

1. The Godfather

It's almost a cliché at this point, but "The Godfather" is the greatest movie of all time; it's the closest thing we've ever gotten to a truly perfect film. I'd say that Part 2 is every bit as good as the original, but Part 2 doesn't have Marlon Brando. In the original, Marlon Brando Vito "Don" Corleone and is easily one of the greatest performances ever captured on film. I've watched this movie several times, and with each viewing my respect for this movie grows; it's perfect, there isn't a single thing I can think of that director Francis Ford Coppola could have done better. From start to finish, it is a marvel of cinema. If you were to go up to a thousand random people on the street and ask them “what is the greatest movie ever made?” Most would say the "The Godfather." It's the greatest film ever, and certainly the best Oscar winner.