Divergent

Divergent - Dir. Neil Burger (2014)

"You're different. You don't fit into a category. They can't control you. They call it Divergent."

Summit Entertainment has the magic touch when it comes to turning young adult novels into blockbuster movies. While other studios have struggled to launch one franchise, Summit has been raking in the dough with Twilight and The Hunger Games. Now, the sparkly vampires have been put to pasture and the adventures of Katniss Everdeen are drawing to a close. Don't shed any tears; Summit already has their next money making machine with Divergent, based on the best-selling book series by Veronica Roth.

In the future, war ravaged mankind, but society settled into harmony by dividing its people into five different factions. Survivors have settled into the city of Chicago, now surrounded by a great wall that shields them from the untamed world. Candor is devoted to truth, Erudite to intellectual pursuits, and Amity to joy. Dauntless are the brave thrill seekers who serve as the city's security force. Abnegation is selfless. They live modestly and serve as the city's civic leaders. When the time comes, the city's children must choose their faction. Whatever their choice, they must remain in that faction, even if it means never seeing their families again. As they say, faction before blood. Those who don't fit in or wash out become factionless, the equivalent of being

Like most teenagers, Beatrice "Tris" Prior (Shailene Woodley) isn't sure where she belongs. She was born in Abnegation and her father (Tony Goldwyn) is a member of the faction's ruling council. During an Inception-style aptitude test, Tris discovers that she doesn't fit into one category, but all of them. She is Divergent and they are considered a danger to this utopian society.

At the Choosing Ceremony, Tris selects Dauntless and undergoes the rigorous training in hand-to-hand combat and knife throwing under the supervision of the sadistic Eric (Jai Courtney). Tris grows closer to another trainer, the handsome, but initially distant Four (Theo James). Together, they uncover a conspiracy by Jeanine Matthews (Kate Winslet), leader of Erudite, who plots to use members of Dauntless to stage a coup and overthrow Abnegation.

Divergent will immediately draw comparisons to other YA adaptations as it shares many familiar concepts. The idea of factions and a choosing ceremony will recall the houses and sorting hat sequences of Harry Potter. Psychological tests involving virtual reality simulations are reminiscent of Ender's Game. At the center of it all is a special young girl who must save the entire world just like The Hunger Games and The Mortal Instruments. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's nice to see Hollywood so willing to produce big blockbusters with a strong female protagonist. Without a doubt, women and teenagers are the core audience for Divergent, but other demographics might be drawn to the story.

Yes, there is a romance between Tris and Four, but it is not the central thread. More importantly, Tris is not utterly defined by her love life. She's not constantly pining for the brooding bad boy. There's enough action here to capture the attention of the males in the audience. As they did with The Hunger Games, Summit and Lionsgate hired a director known more for drama than action or sci-fi. In this case, Neil Burger, who also helmed The Illusionist and Limitless, was tapped to steer the first entry in the franchise. Burger's set pieces aren't spectacular or stylish, but he doesn't chop them into incoherence the way Gary Ross did in Hunger Games.

Divergent falters by building a foundation on top of a shaky concept. The idea of factions works as a heavy-handed metaphor for bullying, conformity, and teens struggling to find their place in the world. Yet, the notion makes less sense upon further inspection. Someone can be intelligent, but not selfless or brave? If you're happy, does that mean you can't be truthful or smart as well? Candor is the least fleshed out faction in Divergent. At least, Amity is shown to farm the fields. Maybe this is because telling everyone they DO look fat in that outfit isn't very cinematic. The pacing of Divergent takes a dip in the middle section as the film devotes a lot of time to exposition and training exercises.

On the other hand, Summit has rounded up a fine collection of young actors to elevate the staid material. Shailene Woodley is a natural in the lead role and there's good chemistry on-screen between her and Theo James. Miles Teller and Ansel Elgort, Woodley's love interests from The Spectacular Now and The Fault in Our Stars, co-star with Teller as a mean-spirited rival and Elgort as Tris's brother Caleb. There's also Zoe Kravitz as fellow Dauntless member Christina and Jai Courtney makes a great impression as the cocky and cruel Eric. Not faring as well is an assortment of established thespians who are clearly set up for larger roles in the sequels. That means Ray Stevenson, Maggie Q, Mekhi Phifer, Ashley Judd, and Tony Goldwyn aren't given a lot to do in their handful of scenes. At least, Kate Winslet gets to sink her teeth into a rare villainous role as the icy Jeanine.

At a runtime of 140 minutes, Divergent could have used a tighter pace and judicious editing as too much time is spent on building the perplexing world and its myriad of rules. Then again, I'm not the target audience. Devotees of the books will no doubt be thrilled to see all their favorite characters breathed into life.

Rating: ** (*****)

Priest

Priest - Dir. Scott Stewart (2011)

Priest is supposed to be based on a Korean comic book series. Upon viewing the final product, it seems as if the filmmakers didn't even bother to read the books and chose to rip off better and more successful pictures. It's a sci-fi, action Western that's heavy on the religious imagery and light on plot and intelligence. Paul Bettany once again steps into the role of post-apocalyptic avenger with his Legion director Scott Stewart. Just as Legion was essentially Assault on Precinct 13 with angels and demons, Priest is The Searchers with vampires instead of Indians.

Priest begins promisingly enough with an animated prologue done by Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter's Lab, Samurai Jack). This opening details how the world was ravaged by a centuries-long war between humans and vampires, re-envisioned as feral, eye-less creatures. Eventually the Church employed priests, skilled warriors bred to hunt and kill vampires. The priests cut down the blood-sucking hordes and forced the remaining survivors onto closely guarded reservations. With the battle now over, the priests found it difficult to re-integrate into normal life. They are forced to work menial labor and considered pariahs to a frightened society ruled over by the Church.

Bettany, as the nameless Priest, lives in a walled off city filled with neo-Gothic skyscrapers adorned with video billboards that may remind sci-fi fans of Blade Runner. Orwellian speak placards (FAITH WORK SECURITY) are plastered throughout the theocratic metropolis. He receives word that the vampire menace has returned and attacked the family of his brother, Owen (Stephen Moyer), and kidnapped daughter Lucy (Lily Collins). The Church council headed by Monsignor Orelas (Christopher Plummer) refuses to acknowledge the growing danger lest it tarnish their image of infallibility. Priest defies their commands, teaming with Lucy's boyfriend, a young sheriff named Hicks (Cam Gigandet) to rescue her and defeat Black Hat (Karl Urban), a former Priest transformed into a human/vampire hybrid. The Church sends the lovely Maggie Q and a trio of other priests to apprehend their errant brother.

Leaving the dystopian city, the setting shifts to a post-apocalyptic wasteland that's equal parts Judge Dredd, Mad Max, and Star Wars. The characters zoom across the desolate horizons on high-tech motorcycles. Priest doesn't bother with trifling things like logic and character development, jumping into one action sequence to another. Not counting the end credits, the film runs a little over eighty minutes so, at least, it knows not to overstay its welcome. The action is completely silly with more slow motion shots than all of Zack Snyder's movies combined. Priest doesn't use guns to fight vampires because he's armed with crucifix-shaped throwing stars. When Priest visits his brother on his deathbed, you can't help but think Stephen Moyer looks in good shape despite being mauled by demonic creatures.

The acting is as wooden as the stakes you usually see being plunged into the heart of a vampire with Cam Gigandet faring the worst as the dull gunfighter. Christopher Plummer (perhaps his most embarrassing pic since Starcarsh) and Karl Urban are wasted in one-note roles as is the great Brad Dourif in a throwaway part as a snake oil salesman.

Following the 3D trend, Priest was converted in post-production, but I viewed it in old fashioned 2D. The majority of the film occurs at night or in dark underground settings. I had enough of a hard time trying to see what's happening and I can't imagine how much darker it was in 3D.

Priest is the kind of mindless action movie that may satisfy those craving for junk food cinema. Anyone else will see it as a boring, derivative mess that will soon find its way into the Wal-Mart discount dump bin underneath unsold copies of Ultraviolet and Jonah Hex.

Rating: * (*****)

New York, I Love You

New York, I Love You - Dirs. Various (2009)


Anthology films are always a mixed bag filled with hits and misses. New York, I Love You is the follow-up to Paris, je t’aime and the second in the “Cities of Love” franchise. Films set in Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro, and Jerusalem are coming.

Paris featured a series of short films set in the City of Lights and directed by a talented assortment of filmmakers such as Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men), Olivier Assayas (Irma Vep), Gus Van Sant, Wes Craven, and the Coen Brothers. Its successor is comprised of several shorts about romance in the Big Apple. Though the directors aren’t of the same pedigree as Paris, New York has assembled an A-list ensemble of actors. Unlike Paris, New York attempts to connect each story with interstitials of the various characters bumping into each other.

The film begins with a segment by actor/director Jiang Wen (Devils on the Doorstep) with Hayden Christensen as a pickpocket who runs into Rachel Bilson and a more experienced thief in Andy Garcia. Mira Nair directs the next short starring Natalie Portman as a Hasidic Jew negotiating a sale of jewelry with a Hindu man. They bond over their respective relationships and religions. Portman also makes her directorial debut with a later vignette involving a male nanny (Carlos Acosta) and his young charge.

Scarlett Johansson also made her directorial debut with a black & white segment starring Kevin Bacon. Titled “These Vagabond Shoes,” it was cut from the theatrical release, but is available on the DVD.

It says a lot about New York, I Love You when the strongest episode is the one directed by freakin’ Brett Ratner. His segment features Anton Yelchin taking a blind date to the prom. The date (Olivia Thirlby) arrives at the door in a wheelchair. It’s a cute short that doesn’t end quite as you’d expect. Joshua Marston (Maria Full of Grace) helms the second best segment with Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman as an elderly couple bickering along the streets of NY.

The movie makes its audience feel like a passive viewer floating through the lives of the city’s inhabitants. Unfortunately, these lives are just plain dull. Everything is so innocuous. None of the directors have anything interesting to say about love, relationships, or the city. Except for a scene in Central Park, there’s nothing distinctly New York about the film. It could have been called Toronto, I Love You without much difference.

All the shorts look exactly the same with the sequence by Shekhar Kepur who took over from the late Anthony Minghella. Kepur gives his piece an ethereal quality grounded by the wonderful presence of Julie Christie as a blind opera singer. However, everything is so confoundingly pretentious (or pretentiously confounding, if you prefer) coupled with Shia LaBeouf laughingly playing a crippled bellhop with some indiscernible accent. Mutt Williams as Igor.

New York, I Love You may be a slick and polished affair, but it has all the substance of a bad student film festival.

Rating: *