Kingsman: The Secret Service – ****

Kingsman: The Secret Service, based upon a comic book and directed by Matthew Vaughn, is a thrilling, campy ride through the dark and mysterious world of espionage. It is a fun look at how would-be James & Jane Bonds would be recruited into the spy game. ‘Eggsy’ (Taron Eggerton) is a typical, London hooligan, from the working class and who’s had a rough life as a teenager. His stepfather’s a jerk, mother’s an alcoholic, and is constantly harassed by the local gangster’s kid. Nothing seems to be going right until he gets into a bar fight with said punk lands him into lockup.

Then his savior swoops in to bail him out, in the form of Harry Heart (Colin Firth), codename “Galahad”, tailor extraordinaire. Of course, nothing is ever as it seems, and the tailor is more than just a tailor. This instantly reminds one of “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”, although I’m not sure if that’s a deliberate reference or not. Regardless, young Eggsy is about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime after he agrees to meet with Harry at his tailor shop. Not before long, Eggsy realizes that Harry does not just specialize in impeccable suits, but is actually an agent for an independent espionage service that has existed for decades, and is not beholden to the bureaucracy that state-funded agencies are subject to, known as Kingsman.

And as they follow the model set down by King Arthur, all agents are given codenames based on members of the Knights of the Round Table. When one knight falls, a replacement knight (agent) is selected through a recruitment process, hence giving Eggsy the opportunity to apply to be a Kingsman, after a legendary agent is slain in the opening scene. Harry explains a bit about them before revealing what’s really behind the racks of suits in the shop.

Still not convinced, though, Eggsy doesn’t finally commit until Harry demonstrates his skill set on the gangster’s clan in the pub. And boy, does Colin Firth get it done, and armed only with an umbrella and bar glass! He gives Liam Neeson a run for his money. The fight scenes are nothing short of impressive, with over-the-top violence. Now, many may complain that it’s too cheesy or whatnot, but they probably fail to understand that it is in fact based on a comic, as mentioned initially.

Once the training gets underway, however, is where the real fun begins. Eggsy meets his rival candidates in the racks, and commence with a series of training exercises that test their mettle and creativity under pressure. The most exhilirating scenes are, of course, the aerial sequences, just as with a certain Bond franchise. Speaking of which, there are a plethora of tongue-in-cheek references to 007 and other famous agents, and makes a startling comparison between them.

Harry is dangerously attacked, however, and Eggsy must save him before the megalomaniac, Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson in a hilarious role), can take over the world with his devious plans. Helping him along the way is his colleague, Roxy (Sophie Cookson), and Harry’s handler, Merlin (Mark Strong). With time always against them, Eggsy and Roxy must work together to save the world! Kingsman is an enjoyable film once you get past the corniness and just enjoy it for what it is: a better than average, winter popcorn flick.

Begin Again – ****

John Carney has done it Once more with Begin Again. The writer/director has crafted yet another beautiful, moving ode to music via the medium of film. As with Once, Carney deftly weaves a powerful tale of connection and healing through the shared creation of music, this time between Greta (Keira Knightley) & Dan (Mark Ruffalo).

And just as Dublin plays a character in its own right in the former, so does New York City in the latter. But that is just about as far as the similarities between both films goes. Whereas Once focuses more upon the romantic relationship between the main characters, Begin Again is more about how their work has helped each to carry on with their lives.

The film opens with an open mic night at a dingy dive bar being MC’d by Steve (James Corden), who is a close friend of Greta’s and fellow UK ex-pat. Steve basically peer pressures Greta to perform an original song on stage, with some skeptical coaxing from the audience. She finally caves in and nervously tunes her guitar. Moments later, she sheepishly croons. Before finishing to smattering applause, in walks drunken Dan who is completely mesmerized by her singing, a sentiment not equally shared with the rest of the crowd.

This is where the flashbacks of Greta & Dan’s backstory play back, leading to the moment at the bar, beginning with Dan. Dan’s flashback starts just earlier that day as he is woken up in bed by an employee of the record label he co-founded, who informs him that he has a meeting.  When he arrives, however, it is not the type of conference he was expecting. He makes a dramatic exit, with his estranged teenage daughter, Violet (Hailee Steinfeld), in tow.

Later on that evening, Dan has finally hit rock bottom and all hope seems lost, when he wanders from the subway into the said bar, right as Greta reluctantly takes the stage.  As she plays, the various, unattended instruments around her began playing by themselves in Dan’s musical producer mind, to accompany Greta’s beautiful singing. It’s an interesting point to note that, yes that is, in fact, actually Keira Knightley singing. Her vocal talents are quite impressive, and would be at home amongst contemporary indie-folk singer/songwriters.

This cues up Greta’s backstory, beginning with Greta settling into the Big Apple with her soon-to-be-rockstar-cliche boyfriend, Dave (Adam Levine). His label has just put him up in a massive loft apartment, loaded out with a ping-pong table, basketball rim, and fully-stocked fridge, just to name a few of the perks. They share intimate moments enjoying their new success. Yet, their seemingly perfect lifestyle doesn’t last long, predictably. She then ends up crashing with her friend Steve, who consequently invites her to the open mic night that sets everything in motion.

Now, we are back to the ‘present’ time, as Dan stumbles over to Greta after her song and throws out his card in her face, and blurts out that he wants to record and produce for her. Incredulous, she declines his offer. After some beers, she changes her mind, however, and agrees to go with him to his record label. She meets Saul, but he isn’t extremely impressed, who is more interested in “commercially viable” artists (aka mainstream). The irony, of course, being that Dan & Saul started Distressed Records to be an independent-friendly record label. As the Great Dylan states, “the times they are a-changing.”

Since she auditioned for him live, he suggests to Dan that they produce a demo before he’ll seriously consider signing Greta. With this stipulation, Dan comes up with an incredibly ingenious idea, one that excites and motivates the both of them. During the course of their collaboration, they share their mutual love of music. And ultimately, they are able to heal both themselves and each other. Dan also discovers that Violet is quite the budding electric guitarist herself.

Apart from singing, Keira Knightley was charmingly effervescent as the lost ex-pat in a strange land, who learns to stand on her own two feet. Mark Ruffalo also gives a stirring performance as an alcoholic wreck who’s struggling to get his life back on track.

Adam Levine doesn’t have to stretch too far in his feature film acting debut, portraying a rising rockstar, with a bit of an ego complex. However, the facial hair he sports throughout the film is extremely distracting and just seems out of place, from the 70’s era mustache, to the Amish-looking beard. There was a line about it that seemed to be a deliberate dig at Inside Lleweyen Davis. But, other than that, the beard just seemed pointless.

Levine’s fellow coach from The Voice, CeeLo Green was far more entertaining and endearing as hip hop star, Troublegum. Catherine Keener was wonderful, as usual, as Dan’s wife, Miriam.

Begin Again is a beautiful film, with an equally beautiful soundtrack, featuring much of the cast. For lovers of Once, Begin Again should not be missed.

The Fault In Our Stars – *****

Well, that time is fast upon us. Perhaps the biggest movie of the summer will be released on Friday, and we haven’t even hit the summer solstice yet. For the uninitiated, The Fault In Our Stars is a beautifully poignant, yet ultimately heart-wrenching, adaptation of John Green’s bestselling novel. The overwhelmingly massive fanbase of the novel will be more than pleased with the fact that it is near verbatim from the book, besides some minor alterations in the third act. Otherwise, it is completely faithful to the source material, including a majority of its key dialogue.

TFIOS, as its affectionately called among the fan community, is a modern-day take on Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Romeo & Juliet. However, in this tale, the star-crossed lovers are embattled by each of their own forms of cancer, as opposed to feuding Montagues and Capulets. Hazel Grace Lancaster (Shailene Woodley) is a typical, bookish teenager, except for the fact that she suffers from both thyroid, and subsequently, lung cancer. The latter of which has caused her to carry a portable oxygen tank around with her wherever she goes. As part of her prescribed treatment and with persistent nagging from her mother (played wonderfully by Laura Dern), she attends a weekly Cancer Support Group, which meets at a church that is in the Literal Heart of Jesus.

During one such meeting, she is introduced to the charismatic Agustus Waters (Ansel Elgort), or Gus for short. She is instantly attracted to him, especially once he proclaims that his greatest fear is “oblivion”, meaning that he wants to pass on knowing that he has left some kind of significant legacy upon the world, which is something most of us aspire to. It is quite rare to see someone as young as Gus who is so eloquent and witty. He is certainly not the typical teen heartthrob.

And while Gus is only there for his friend, Isaac (Nat Wolff), he once had osteosarcoma but has since been in remission. After Hazel’s surprising rebuttal, Gus is equally infatuated with Hazel as well. As they strike up a conversation while waiting outside for their rides, Gus unabashedly calls Hazel “beautiful”, and from there we’re off to the races.

Their intense romance moves along at an impressive clip, as seen through cute, floating text messages and phone calls, or even just how Gus always calls her “Hazel Grace” instead of just “Hazel”. But what creates the strongest bond between them is when they each share their personal favorite books (both fictional). For Hazel, it’s An Imperial Affliction, a book about, ironically enough, a child with cancer. And Gus gives Hazel his copy of CounterInsurgency 2: The Prince of Dawn, which is a sci-fi war story based on a video game he and Isaac enjoy playing daily.

As Gus is totally enamored with everything about Hazel, he gladly reads through AIA, and empathizes with Hazel when he reaches the end and has all the same questions she does. She then confides in him that she has written the author, Peter Van Houten (William Dafoe), numerous times, but has never received a response.

Secretly, Gus takes the initiative to track down the author himself. After a while, he does in fact receive a brief email back from Van Houten via his personal assistant, Lidewij (Lotte Verbeek). He says that he will not discuss what happens beyond the ending, except in person, for fear it may be distributed publicly. Gus then shares it with Hazel, who is ecstatic, and they both interpret it as an open invitation to Amsterdam.

As a child with cancer, they are allowed a Genie Wish (a la the Make-A-Wish Foundation). However, Hazel had already spent her wish when she was younger on a trip to Disney World. Gus jokingly chastises her for foolishly wasting her wish on something so cliche. But as Gus has wisely saved his Wish, he sets up an elaborate date with Hazel and informs her that he is taking her to Amsterdam so that she can meet her idol in person, and receive the answers she was desperately waiting to know ever since she first read AIA.

Although some complications arise, eventually the young couple are set to go to the Netherlands. They explore the beautiful and historic canals of the city on a romantic evening. The next day, they head out to meet Van Houten. Unfortunately, the visit is not what they were hoping for. Hazel and Gus will not let that spoil their literal trip of a lifetime.

Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort absolutely illuminate throughout. Director Josh Boone does an incredible job adapting the novel. Warning: Remember to bring some tissues! TFIOS is the epitome of “tearjerker”. It is doubtful that there will be one dry eye in the theaters by the time the end credits roll. But as they say, there is catharsis in letting it out. Watching this, the audience will definitely do just that. Fans of the novel will definitely not be disappointed!

Million Dollar Arm – ****

Beyond its dominance in animation, Disney has also had quite the pedigree with regards to its live-action, sports films as well, from The Mighty Ducks, to Remember The Titans. Its latest entry, Million Dollar Arm, seeks to uphold, if not surpass, such a storied catalog of both fictional and actual sports tales. In Million Dollar Arm, Jon Hamm (of Mad Men fame) plays JB, a sports agent on the brink of losing his independent firm’s entire business with his partner, Aash (Aasif Mandvi).

His one and only potential client, an NFL player, is hustling between JB’s firm and one of the mega-agencies, seeing where he can get the largest payout.  Hmm, doesn’t this remind you of a certain other film about a sports agent, you know, Jerry something or other? He is desperate to maintain the extremely comfortable lifestyle he’s grown accustomed to, with his LA mansion, sexy blue Porsche, and even sexier model(s) he’s dating. When his NFL star reneges on signing, JB collapses into full panic mode.

While discussing their options over beers one rough night with Aash, he stumbles upon a stroke of genius, at least that’s what he hopes at first. Aash is watching his native homeland’s beloved game of cricket, courtesy of the colonizing British Empire way back when. Now, as a red-blooded American, JB has zero interest in cricket whatsoever, while Aash proclaims, “it is the greatest sport in the world!”.

Sorry, Aash, but hundreds of millions of soccer (or football to the rest of the world) fans would have to disagree with you there. He does, however, notice that there are some fast pitchers (bowlers) in the few minutes of the game he’s observed, even though they throw in a completely different style from American baseball pitchers.

He believes he can discover a young cricket player and turn him into a serious Major League Baseball prospect. But before he can embark upon a scouting mission to India, he must secure capital from a deep-pocketed investor, Chang (Tzi Ma). Due the new funding source, JB is able to turn his search into a full-out talent search he dubs “The Million Dollar Arm”. The only stipulation is that he has one year total to find and train a player to get an official MLB tryout.

When he lands in India, he discovers it’s going to be much more difficult to execute than he had imagined. The snail’s pace of ‘business’, and the constant need to ‘grease the wheels’ to keep things running as smoothly as he wishes are just a few of the roadblocks he has to deal with. Aash & the firm’s adorable administrative assistant, Theresa (Allyn Rachel) stay back at home to hold down the fort. So, JB is left alone with his Indian team, Vivek (Darshan Jariwala) and Amit (Pitobash) and American talent scout, Ray (Alan Arkin) to find the next great MLB pitcher. Ray and Amit provide plenty of laughs during their whirlwind tour of India.

Also back at home is the gorgeous medical student who rents out his guest house, Brenda (portrayed by the wonderful Lake Bell). For a future doctor, however, she does not have very good luck with washing machines. They keep in contact during his lengthy trip over Skype calls. It’s obvious he has feelings for her, even if he tells Ash, “she’s not my type,” to which Ash astutely responds, “why not? because she’s not a model?”. JB is certainly not winning any personality points so far for rejecting someone as cute as Brenda. But through their odd-hour, long-distance Skype sessions, JB realizes his true feelings for her after all.

In the course of the competition, he has the fortune of finding two pitchers who throw fast enough for the big leagues. One, Dinesh (Madhur Mittal) throws extremely fast but wild and inconsistent. The other, Rinku (Suraj Sharma) has a very unorthodox pitching style but is pinpoint precise, hitting the strike zone time after time. They both make it to the finals, and eventually earn a trip to the United States to train at USC under the legendary Coach Tom House (Bill Paxton), in preparation for their Major League tryout.

Once back in his element at home, though, JB loses sight of his plans for the boys, causing their training suffer. When everything starts going sideways, JB must reevaluate his priorities in order to preserve what he truly wants from his life. Million Dollar Arm is a truly inspiring film, in the great spirit of all of those past Disney films we’ve all come to know and love. It is more than just a perfect blend of Moneyball and Slumdog Millionaire, it warms the heart and reminds us that no matter where we come from, dreams do come true, something Disney knows very well.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier [IMAX 3D] – ****

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the direct sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), however, it is also the spiritual sequel to The Avengers (2012).  It is quite impressive how everything released within the so-called “Marvel Cinematic Universe“, or MCU for short, is incredibly consistent and continuous from film to film, since Iron Man (2008). Of course, the masterminds at Marvel Studios probably have had plenty of practice keeping stories aligned within the Marvel Universe of the comics. To a lesser extent, there are slight tie-ins to the television series, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., as well, with Agent Jasper Sitwell (Maximiliano Hernández). 

The film opens with the plucky Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) continuing to adjust to the new millennium, after being woken up in the present day at the conclusion of The First Avenger, and being instrumental in the epic Battle of New York that occurred in The Avengers. He is now stationed in Washington, DC at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, known as Triskelion, which carves out a formidable, albeit entirely fictional, island base directly on the Potomac River, with its entry gate along what appears to be the DC side of the 14th Street Bridge.

This film is an incredible homage to the city of Washington, DC, and is featured prominently throughout the film, as much as New York is in much of Marvel’s back catalog of films. As a Washingtonian, I am proud to say that the film remained true to all that is uniquely DC. The wide shots of the city’s vistas from the Triskelion and Helicarriers are simply breathtaking. And the scenes in and around landmarks such as the Lincoln & Jefferson Memorials, Reflecting Pool, and the Smithsonian National Air & Space Musuem made it even more authentic. I always feel offended somewhat when films and shows substitute sets or props for DC, such as the Metro system, or police cruisers.

Although nearly seventy years have passed since being cryogenically frozen after saving the world, Captain America has been able to reunite with his one true love from back when he was just Steve Rogers, Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell). Of course, Rogers has not aged at all, not only from the cryostasis, but also his constantly regenerating and self-healing cells.  These cells have also helped to make Cap even more agile and deadly than ever before, as evidenced from his S.H.I.E.L.D. hostage rescue mission. He fights at a breakneck clip, much faster than in The First Avenger. Agent Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) is equally deadly in her own right, too, as seen across previous Avengers films. During the operation, however, both agents get caught up in their own personal battle, but that will have to be sorted out later.

Back in DC, Cap meets with S.H.I.E.L.D. director, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) himself, and he reminds him who’s in charge. Everything’s compartmentalized, even side operations with ulterior motives. Things start getting hairy, however, when Fury is engaged in a vehicular battle on Washington streets and the Whitehurst Freeway, involving false Metropolitan Police Department officers. Eventually, Fury is aggressively met by The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), a deadly villain from Russia. This scene is extremely reminiscent of the ‘electric whip vs. car’ scene in Iron Man 2 (2010). Fury barely makes it out alive, and he goes to hide out in the only safe location he knows: Rogers’ apartment. He then tells him not to trust anyone.

Before this exchange, however, Rogers runs into his neighbor, Kate (Emily VanCamp, Revenge) in the hall. I was incredibly surprised to see another avenger (so to speak) (and fellow ABC Network alum, home of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) She did a wonderful job. I only wish they gave her more screen time. Hopefully she will in the next Avengers series installment.

Despite Fury’s last command, the Captain cautiously trusts Agent Romanoff to partner with him in solving the mystery of what’s really happening deep within the ranks of S.H.I.E.L.D. Along the way, they recruit Rogers’ jogging acquaintance, Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie), who is a war veteran with secrets of his own. They soon discover a terrible plan to assassinate millions upon millions of people, using S.H.I.E.L.D.’s latest top-secret weapons platform, Insight. The only glaring issue is that although the film is subtitled The Winter Soldier, he actually only gets very few scenes. The second and third acts are mostly devoted to destroying the Insight Project.

It’s quite unusual to see 3 names in the credits for Director, but Anthony & Joe Russo and Joss Whedon did an incredible job working together to pull off an amazing film. The Winter Soldier is arguably going to be considered Marvel’s best film in the MCU to date. The debate has just been ignited on social media. It truly is an incredible movie, and one that deserves to be seen at the cineplex. If this is an indication of the level of quality of 2014’s Summer Blockbuster Season, it’s going to be one hot summer!

 

 

 

 

Nymphomaniac: Vol. I – ***

Nymphomaniac: Vol. I is an energetically charged, erotic film, which centers around the sexual exploits of a self-proclaimed nymphomaniac, Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg). The film opens with a wide shot of Joe, on the ground in a dark alley as snow falls. She has been severely beaten, the reason for which is not immediately explained. As the camera pulls back further, a figure is seen walking past but not noticing her.

After shopping at the nearby market, he passes by again, but this time sees Joe. The good Samaritan, Seligman (Stellan Skarsgård) offers to call the police, but she refuses. Instead, she agrees to tea and milk in his home. This is obviously odd behavior for anyone who has just been assaulted, but apparently, this will be explained further in Volume II, along with the circumstances surrounding the attack.

Back in his apartment, Seligman prepares the tea for Joe. They arrange some sort of deal where Joe will recount a tale from her prurient past, while Seligman responds with his vast knowledge of fly fishing and Fibonacci numbers. Yes, it’s an awkward and odd combination, but perhaps the writer/director, Lars von Trier (Melancholia), needed a device to break from the elevated, sensual tension. This elaborate setup is most prominent during the train encounter.

First, however, Joe begins with her earliest ‘sexual’ experience playing with her best friend, B (Sophie Kennedy Clark), as young girls in the bathroom. She then jumps ahead to her teenage years, where Young Joe, portrayed brilliantly by Stacy Martin in her feature debut, clumsily loses her virginity to wannabe bad boy, Jerome (Shia LaBeouf) (he drives a Vespa, I mean, seriously?!). Yet that moment sets off an insatiable wildfire within Joe, one that cannot be easily tamed.

This brings us back to the provocative train sequence. Young Joe and B stowaway on a train. B challenges Joe to a friendly wager: whoever can obtain the most sexual partners before the train reaches the end of the line wins a bag of candy. As they both carefully hunt their prey by cruising through each railcar, Seligman analogizes them to the brightly colored flies used in fly fishing. They are the bait used to reel in their catches. Joe’s catch of the day is the gentleman in first class that offers to purchase the girls’ tickets and save them from being removed from the train. The contest is close, but ultimately Joe is able to best B and relishes in her prize of chocolates.

Fast forward a few years and Young Joe (now in her 20’s), is now in search of a job. She looks for secretarial work, despite having no experience or office skills whatsoever. But, lo and behold, her interviewer is none other than Jerome himself, cleaned up in a fancy suit and managing the family business while his uncle is recovering from an illness. Jerome recognizes her as the girl who he so unceremoniously took her virginity from all those years ago. He promptly offers her the job, obviously thinking he could easily have an office fling with Joe.

Later on, she goes into detail about her daily visits from multiple partners. She sees so many men that she has trouble keeping track of them without making a list, and then deciding which do not make the cut. One of them is Mr. H, a married man who rashly chooses to leave his wife (Uma Thurman) and kids. This leads to perhaps one of the most awkwardly uncomfortable scenes in cinema, as Mrs. H attempts to guilt Mr. H and his mistress for their indiscretions. They even end up having dinner together. Mrs. H has no qualms about continuing to point out to their children how much of a degenerate scumbag their father is.

Nymphomaniac: Vol. I is certainly a wild, overtly carnal ride, but it is also a thorough examination of female sexuality that makes no excuses for its expression. Joe is immensely brave for openly embracing who she is. And Stacy Martin is equally fearless for taking on such a provocative role, especially as her first major film. Charlotte Gainsbourg  and Stellan Skarsgård have an interesting interaction during the ‘present-day’ scenes as well. Christian Slater cameos as Joe’s father, who teaches her about ash trees. She also sneaks into his office as a child to teach herself about her own anatomy. Lars von Trier is an unorthodox director, but can push the boundaries while stimulating discussion. It will be quite interesting to see how the story concludes in Nymphomaniac: Vol. II.

Divergent – ****

Divergent is an exciting introduction to the worldwide, best-selling, young adult series of the same name. It draws immediate comparisons to The Hunger Games. And although there are quite a few similarities, there are also equally as many differences that separate them apart.

Certainly, many will claim that it is just capitalizing on the groundbreaking successes of The Hunger Games, but the same can be said of the so-called “Twilight clones”. Of course, it is always best (in this reviewer’s humble opinion, anyway) to judge each piece of work (whether film, music, tv show, or even video game) on its own particular merits.

In Divergent’s universe, citizens are divided into five different factions based on human traits upon turning of age, 16: Erudite – intelligent (the thinkers), Dauntless – brave (military & security), Candor – honest (lawyers & judges), Amity – peaceful (farmers), Abnegation – selfless (politicians). To determine which faction each person will ultimately join, they each must undergo what amounts to a sadistic version of the SATs, involving psychological drug use that induces hallucinations and severe mental trauma.

After successfully passing the ‘assessment’, one must decide to either stay with their family’s faction, or select another faction to join. In this case, it differs from The Hunger Games, since candidates have choice over where they go. In contrast, in The Hunger Games, Katniss and her competitors have no choice whatsoever, and are subject to fate alone.

Beatrice Prior’s (Shailene Woodley) family is in Abnegation, so have dedicated their lives to serving others, while her father is a member of the council. She, however, has different plans for herself, and decides to join the Dauntless faction during the Choosing Ceremony instead, seeking a more adventurous life.

The initiates are still not through, though. They must first prove themselves through further trials and psychological examinations before they can be accepted as full-fledged members of their new factions. If they fail, they will become ‘factionless’, which is essentially ‘homeless’, and will be exiled from all of the factions. After the first heart-stopping test, they are allowed to choose their own names. Beatrice chooses “Tris”. It’s interesting to note how close this sounds to “Katniss” of The Hunger Games trilogy.

Tris continues her rigorous training with the rambunctious Dauntless, doing her best to keep from washing out, and becoming a lost faction-less. During the preparation for her final exam, yet another round of dangerous psychotropic drugging, she discovers from Tori (Maggie Q), who administers the drugs, that she is actually in fact a Divergent, meaning that she is endowed with traits from all of the factions. She does not fit neatly into any of the society’s prescribed categories.

This is especially dangerous, because the Erudite faction, lead by the ruthless Jeanine (Kate Winslet), are planning a massive coup d’etat to overtake governmental control from the Abnegation. Jeanine believes that as the most intelligent faction, they should also hold all of the power. Tris and her allies must prevent Jeanine from succeeding. 

Shailene Woodley, quickly becoming Hollywood’s darling, gives a powerful performance as Tris/Beatrice. She is remarkable in softly quiet scenes, as well as full-blown action sequences. Her mentor and love interest, Four (Theo James) does well, too, and gives her the room to fly (quite literally) on her own two wings. The supporting cast is wonderful as well, especially her mother, Natalie, (Ashley Judd) and Tori. It is also somewhat amusing that one of her biggest bullies, Peter (Miles Teller) is her lover from last year’s indie hit, The Spectacular Now.

Divergent is a fun, springtime popcorn film that is significantly lighter fare than the last of the Oscar season entries. And the ending nicely sets up the next chapter in the series.

Need For Speed [3D] – ***

Need For Speed is a thrilling new entry into the racing genre, filled with high-octane racing sequences, but also with a great deal of heart. It is also hot on the heels (pun intended, from the film) of The Fast And The Furious franchise. And while this film bears some similarities with The Fast & Furious, Need For Speed also borrows from the intense rivalry of last year’s F1 biopic, Rush. Yet the film itself is, for all intents and purposes, an extended illegal street race / police chase that seems to pulled right out of the synonymous video game series for which it is adapted from.

As the film opens, the protagonist, Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul) is a mechanic who is dealing with the passing of his father by participating in underground street races in his sleepy town of Mt. Kisco, NY to keep the banks from repossessing the automobile shop his father built, Marshall Motors. After his latest victory, his former rival, Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper), returns to town, albeit with his ex-girlfriend, Anita (Dakota Johnson) in tow.

To add further insult to injury, Dino is a recently retired professional racer turned exotic car dealer himself, after winning the last iteration of the covert DeLeon, a high-profile underground race reminiscent of the classic Cannonball Run, with the jackpot of this one being all of the cars of the competitors. The mastermind and MC behind the DeLeon is DJ Monarch, portrayed with all the passion and humor of an AM shock jockey by none other than Michael “Batman” Keaton. He is a former racer who set out to create the most exclusive and elaborate underground race ever devised. He monitors all of the action from the comfort of his home radio studio, with cameras and GPS trackers covering all of the action on the course.

After the street race, Dino approaches Tobey at his shop with a proposition: finish building an exclusive edition of a Ford Mustang that the legendary Carroll Shelby was last working on, so that he can then sell it to one of his clients for $2 million. After they’ve finished, they debut the car at an auction. The crew is amusingly introduced to the beautiful Julia Maddon (Imogen Poots), who they all mistake for a random model who doesn’t know the first thing about cars. She quickly dispels any doubts by rapid-firing all of the car’s stats. Julia also bets Tobey that if he can get the car over 200 mph, she will buy the car for her employer for $3 million.

Dino is reluctant, but orders Tobey not to drive it. However, Tobey disobeys Dino and takes it out on the test track himself before Dino even arrives. Tobey and his team are able to push the car to 234 mph. The buyer is impressed and agrees to buy it for $2.7 million. With a successful deal, Dino and Tobey’s crew celebrate. Dino invites Tobey and Little Pete (Harrison Gilbertson) over to his uncle’s opulent estate to show off his exotic car collection, replete with 3 identical Koenigsegg Agera’s, European racers which are not even street legal in the US.

Dino makes a new proposal: Race for 100% of the $2.7 million. This could set Tobey up for life, or utterly destroy him and his father’s legacy. Little Pete, who also happens to be Anita’s kid brother, is anxious to get behind the wheel and wants in, too. Tobey, who looked out for Little Pete while Anita was off living the high life with Dino in NYC, is reluctant to let him race, but finally agrees. The three proceed to duke it out, but trouble occurs before the finish line. After the debris is settled, Tobey is arrested and sent to prison for illegal racing, among other charges.

Fast forward 2 years later and Tobey is released on parole. He’s out for vengeance towards Dino. But first, he requires a vehicle so that he may enter into DeLeon and also prove his innocence. He finds the British buyer of the Shelby Mustang and promises to return it, along with $4 million. He agrees, on the condition that his buyer, Julia, accompanies him. At first, he is hesitant to allow anyone to escort him, let alone a woman. With Benny’s (Scott Mescudi aka Kid Cudi) assistance, he tries and fails to shake her.

However, after more run-ins with Dino’s henchmen and law enforcement (taking cues from the Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit game series), Julia and Tobey’s relationship continues to grow, despite Dino placing a bounty on their heads. With some thrilling chases through deserts and forests, the heroes finally make their way to California, with the sixth and final bid in DeLeon. Another incident with thugs puts the crew’s lives in danger, but they are undeterred. Tobey has made the registration check-in and will take his place at the starting line.

The final race is a wonder to behold, with fast-panning zoom-in shots, police choppers from above, and beautiful super cars racing typically tranquil Northern California streets below. Some of the cinematography is simply breathtaking. The best use of the 3D imagery is during ‘in-cockpit’ shots, which make it feel like the viewer is actually behind the driver’s seat. There is also another scene where a car seemingly jumps out into the audience. Otherwise, it is mostly pointless. (Read my views on 3D effects here) However, it’s good to see the technology continue to advance, with ‘full-size’ subjects.

Tobey is finally able to clear his name, while Dino gets what’s coming to him. Overall, Need For Speed is an entertaining racer that will keep audiences sated till the next installment of The Fast and the Furious franchise.

300: Rise of an Empire [3D] – ****

300: Rise of an Empire is not a true sequel in the traditional sense of the term. It is more of an augmented, parallel story line, with bits of back story in the lengthy introduction, and then swiftly picking up after the events of the original 300 (2006) nearly midway through. In this arc, Athenian commander, Thermistocles (Sullivan Stapleton) slays Xerxes’ (Rodrigro Santoro) father, King Darius (Igal Naor), ten years prior to the Battle of Thermopylae which claimed King Leonidas’ (Gerard Butler) life. This sets in motion the events of both films, at least according to the tortured soul of Thermistocles, who blames himself for incurring Xerxes’ wrath.

In another flashback montage, the audience is introduced to this film’s villain, Artemisia, wickedly portrayed by the intimidating Eva Green, as she rises from abused slave to powerful admiral of the entire Persian fleet, under King Darius’ tutelage and protection. This obviously causes quite a bit of jealousy within Xerxes, which causes tension far beyond typical ‘sibling’ rivalry once they are engaged in the heat of battle.

The audience’s heart almost breaks for her, once it understands the intentions behind her extreme ruthlessness. However, she quickly loses its trust upon committing her next wave of violent acts. Yet it is her aggression that makes her even more formidable than the self-proclaimed ‘god-king’, Xerxes’ himself. Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey), David Wenham (Dilios) and Andrew Tiernan (Ephialtes) also reprise their roles, bringing a welcome continuity to the franchise.

The bulk of the film is consumed by lethal, yet almost balletic, slow-motion combat, much like its predecessor. This time around, though, it is shot in full 3D. This is the first live-action film since Avatar to truly implement true-to-life, non-gimmicky 3D effects, and throughout the entire film. Most other movies tend to throw on 3D imagery as an afterthought as a means to artificially bump up ticket sales. They also typically make subjects onscreen appear miniaturized and out of scale, and is incredibly distracting.

In 300: Rise of an Empire, all of the characters appear proportional to the frame, especially in extreme close-up shots. This makes for a more realistic and captivating experience. Arrows and spears seem to thrust out towards the viewer, and rain, fog, and fire effects build compelling atmosphere. Every 3D element is meticulously crafted to optimize the depth of field.

The true stars of the show, however, are the intensely epic naval warfare sequences. It is thrilling to see these giant wooden beasts engage in combat upon crashing waves. The sight of thousands upon thousands of ships battling it out is awe-inspiring, to say the least, no matter if they’re CGI. This is the first “must-see” popcorn film of 2014.