Geek of Oz

I came out of Divergent looking at a nearby bridge thinking I might just be able to scale it. That speaks a little about the levels of adrenalin I reached watching the film. Divergent is a thoroughly enjoyable and thrilling addition to the adventure/sci-fi teen-targeted films, which along with entries like The Hunger Games, the genre is providing quality entertainment for teens and us older folk alike. The film is based on the first in an enormously popular series of books written by first-time author Veronica Roth, in which Divergent is followed by Insurgent and Allegiant. The world of Divergent is a compelling one, which is established quickly in the first few minutes. Set in a slightly ravaged-looking near future Chicago, with barren-looking fields surrounding the edges of the city, a giant fence closing it all in and wildness beyond. Society is split into 5 virtue-based factions designed to build harmony and balance after human nature is felt to have failed and ultimately ...

Now, I want to tell you about this little film i saw the other day, but you’ve got to promise me that you’re not going to get too excited about it. Just play it cool, like I’m telling you some innocuous story about my aunt or something. The thing is, the world of cinema can seem like a river of light brown sludge; snaking its way through lands of predictability and sameness. Every now then small gems wash up on the banks of this river, which wait patiently for cinephiles to discover them. Spectacular Now is a beautiful little film which i hope finds its way in the big bad cynical world. Let me reiterate, this is really small film with plenty of heart, i only stress this because i fear that this film may suffer the backlash as experienced by films like Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty and Little Miss Sunshine . I appreciate that these films were critically acclaimed and achieved box office success, but it’s when people come to these films after all the hype that you hear response...