Shailene Woodley shines in Divergent

Shailene Woodley is a force to be reckoned with in Divergent, a movie based on the book trilogy written by Veronica Roth.


Woodley plays the role of Tris, a girl living in a world divided into five factions: Abnegation, meant for the selfless; Amity, meant for the peaceful; Candor, meant for the honest and Dauntless, meant for the brave.


Tris grew up as part of the Abnegation faction but on the day of her aptitude test, she finds out that she is what is referred to as divergent, meaning she shows an equal aptitude for each faction, which makes it all the more difficult for her to select one on Choosing Day. But she decides to choose Dauntless, the faction she has always longed to be a part of.

Throughout the movie, Tris is constantly working to prove herself to the leaders of Dauntless, who perceive her as being weak but she shows them she is nothing of the sort. In fact there were parts of this movie that actually caused audience members to applaud for Tris in their seats.
But with every movie, comes a conflict, which Tris must work hard to put an end to. She is a non-stop fighter who had me rooting for her from the very beginning.


There is also a great love story between Tris and Four, one of the leaders of Dauntless, played by Theo James. Four is one of those characters with a rough exterior but who has a big heart. As the movie progresses, we get a glimpse into his past and see his relationship with Tris
 blossom.


Woodley did a fantastic job in this role and has truly grown as an actress from her days on The Secret Life of the American Teenager. I look forward to seeing what she has in store for us next.

About Last Night is wildly funny

Kevin Hart has yet again proved himself to be the comedian to beat in the hilariously fun romantic comedy About Last Night, starring Hart, Michael Ealy, Joy Bryant and Regina Hall.


Hart and Ealy play the roles of best friends Bernie and Danny, two complete opposites when it comes to matters of the heart. This becomes evident when they develop relationships with roommates Joan (Hall) and Debbie (Bryant)


Bernie's relationship with Joan is completely dysfunctional and entertaining to watch. We witness the fun, the tears and the squabbles experienced in their relationship.

photo credit: google images
Bernie and Joan

But Danny's relationship with Debbie is more of a love story that people strive to have. Throughout the movie, I was rooting for them to come out on top.

photo credit: google images
Danny and Debbie

This movie was the perfect combination of funny and dramatic. Though it reached points of seriousness, it never ceased to leave viewers falling out of their seats with laughter.


If you are looking for a fun date night movie, I highly recommend going to see this film, it is completely worth the money you pay.

Endless Love is Endlessly Entrancing

Gabriella Wilde and Alex Pettyfer are absolute perfection in this tale of undying adoration.


Endless Love tells the story of Jade Butterfield, a girl who's spent most of her teenage years hidden behind her books until she meets handsome valet David Elliot, the complete opposite of what Jade's wealthy and over protective father imagined for her.

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But despite her father's disapproval, Jade allows herself to fall in love with David, which does not bode well with Mr. Butterfield. He does everything in his power to prove that David is not good enough for his only daughter.


Throughout the movie, I was angered by her father's heartless actions and found myself rooting for Jade and David's love to concur all obstacles.


This movie had it all: love, drama, lies and deception and the ending was just as great as the movie's opening. It's films like these that restore your faith in the idea of love.


For all you hopeless romantics out there, this is a can't miss film!

A Unique Perception of Love: The Past

I have never been one for foreign movies but last night I unknowingly watched a French film, The Past, starring Bérénice Bejo, Tahar Rahim and Ali Mosaffa and to my surprise I did find some enjoyment.


The story is about a young mother, Marie, who is seeking a divorce from her husband Ahmad to venture on a new journey with her current fiancé, Samir.


During the movie we learn how Marie's relationship with Samir developed and we see the problems they share with the Marie's oldest daughter, Lucie who disapproves of her mother's lover.


photo credit: google images
Marie and Samir

The concept of this movie was well thought out and like every good film there was a lot of drama and some interesting twists. I was also happy because my lack of understanding the French language was accommodated with English subtitles.

 However, the movie was dragged out and a bit sad. I also felt it could have had a better ending. But for those who enjoy French films with a unique and dramatic plot this is the movie to see.



photo credit: google images
Marie and Ahmad

 





standing ovation for Ride Along

Ride Along will have you falling off your seat with laughter from beginning to end. Kevin Hart's humor, paired with Ice Cube's rough exterior make this movie an absolute must see.

Hart plays Ben, an aspiring police officer, desperate for the approval of his girlfriend's brother, who he hopes will become his brother-in-law. As an attempt to prove that he is the right man to marry James' (Ice Cube) sister Angela, he agrees to a ride along with his future cop brother-in-law.

But what starts out as harmless fun to keep Ben from marrying Angela turns into trouble for Ben and James. They are forced to set aside their differences in order to stay alive.



photo credit: google images

Hart and Ice Cube make an incredibly funny team that will have viewers entertained from start to finish. It's the non-stop friction between them that brings out the humor in the story.

Like any good action movie, there was also a surprising twist that shakes the movie up and changes the viewer's opinion of the supporting characters.

I personally would pay money to see this movie again! It was absolutely fantastic. Action movie goers should definitely make a trip to the movies asap to see this movie!


 



two thumbs down for American Hustle

While this movie was filled with talented actors and actresses, including Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams and Christian Bale, it was not a film I would reccommend to audiences.

The story was based on a couple of con-artists (Adams and Bale) who were caught trying to scam an undercover cop. As part of a deal to keep them out of prison, they were asked to aid the cops in baiting a politician who was taking bribes. Of course, when taking on the help of cons, the line of trust is thin.

Throughout this movie, I kept wondering when it would end, as it dragged on for two and a half hours. Usually I would be able to sit through a long dragged film, if I felt some connection with the characters but the character development in this film was terrible. No one was likeable.

The only good part of this movie was the fact that Robert De Niro was in it but his part was short lived. If he had more scenes, I could have been persuaded into liking this film.

If you really have the desire to watch this movie, I would suggest waiting for it to come out on dvd because I personally did not feel it was worth the money to see in theaters.

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Zone into The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

When I first saw the trailers for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, starring Ben Stiller, I thought it seemed odd and not worth the money to see in theaters. However after some convincing on my cousin's part, I decided to give the movie a chance and was pleasantly surprised.

Stiller plays Walter Mitty, a man who often escapes reality by conjuring up scenarios in which he accomplishes what he's too afraid to try in his everyday life. The focus of his daydreams usually centers around Cheryl Melhoff, a fellow co-worker.

But Walter is forced to set aside his fantasies for the sake of his job, which entails developing negatives for Life Magazine. Throughout the movie, Walter searches Heaven and Earth to find a missing photograph and the photographer who shot it. The success of this task could make or break Walter's career.

Like any good film, this movie had action, comedy, romance and confilict, mostly initiated by Walter's boss Ted Hendricks, played by Adam Scott, an actor that is no stranger to playing the unlikeable.

 I enjoyed the scenes between Scott and Stiller because when Stiller's character zoned out he would stand up and actually fight his boss. I found myself constantly rooting for Walter and throughout the movie kept hoping the fight would become reality.

I must say, I have never been much of a Ben Stiller fan because I found his movies (with the exception of the Meet the Parents films) to be farfetched. But this movie changed my perception of Stiller's acting.

For those who enjoy a good action packed movie, this one is the film to see.

photo credit: google images