Divergent…Book vs. Movie…Which One is the Better Version?

I read a lot of books and I watch a lot of movies.  As I’m sure you know there are a lot of movies that are based on books.  In those cases I typically read the book before seeing the movie….or if I haven’t had the chance to see the movie before reading the book I usually skip reading it.  I do this because usually the movie doesn’t hold a candle to the book (at least with how my brain works).  Divergent has proved to be an exception to this rule for me.  I saw the movie before reading the book…and then knew I HAD to read the book (the trilogy actually).  So I quickly downloaded the trilogy on to my Kindle and started my journey into Veronica Roth’s world of dystopia and divergence.

Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised with how closely the movie adaptation followed the book.  Don’t get me wrong…there were plenty of changes – some things added and some things excluded – but overall I was pleased.

Out of curiosity I did some reading (surprise, surprise) to see what changes I may have missed.  In case you are interested I’m including some (but not all) of the changes here.

***Warning***Spoilers Below***If you have not read the book or seen the movie and plan to do so you might want to stop reading now.

Divergent is the story of Beatrice (Tris) Prior (played by Shailene Woodley), a 16 year old girl living in dystopian Chicago.  Society is divided into five factions based on the particular virtues: Abnegation (the selfless), the faction she grew up in; Dauntless (the brave); Candor (the honest); Amity (the peaceful); and Erudite (the intelligent).  While the children grow up in one particular faction when they are 16 years old they must select their faction of choice at the Choosing Ceremony.  Most tend to stay with their original faction with very few changes.  Beatrice’s choice surprises even her when she chooses Dauntless.  What follows is the story of her transformation into the world of the Dauntless as she undergoes rigorous physical and psychological tests and figures out to handle a secret she is trying to keep from everyone.  And then there is Four (played by Theo James) – the Dauntless leader she meets and develops a romance with. 

The movie has quite a bit of other talent staring in as well:  Ashley Judd plays Beatrice’s mom Natalie, Tony Goldwyn plays her father Andrew, Ansel Elgort plays her brother Caleb, Jai Courtney plays the Dauntless leader Eric, Ray Stevensen plays Four’s father Marcus, Maggie Q plays the Dauntless tattoo artist Tori, Miles Teller plays the despicable Peter, Zoe Kravitz plays Beatrice’s friend Christina, Mekhi Phifer plays Max, Ben Lloyd-Hughes plays Will, Christian Madsen plays Al, Amy Newbold plays Molly, and the extremely talented Kate Winslet plays Jeanine.  

• ·        Book: Four is only 18 years old in the book. / Movie: Four is 24 years old.  Theo James (who plays Four) was 28 at the time of filming but is believable as 24.  His age of 24 works for the movie except for the romance with Tris.  Tris is only 16 (in both the book and movie), which makes their romance a little bit of an issue.  For many this will probably be frowned upon.  Theo James looks young enough that you might not even think too much about it.  I understand that they reason they made this change was because it made it more believable that Four advanced as he did in Dauntless at the age of 24 rather than 18.  While I understand this I don’t think was a necessary change. 
• ·        Book: The Dauntless only wear black. / Movie: They also wear red.  I have no idea why they made this change.  I think the fact that they wore black in the book was more symbolic of what they stood far.
• ·       The character Uriah is not included in the movie version.  I read that the studio said he would be in the sequels and would be a “great actor”.
• ·        Book: Edward loses an eye (by way of a butter knife!). / Movie: Edward doesn’t lose his eye.  This is a significant change in my opinion because the violent act towards him plays heavily into his frame of mind in future stories.
• ·        Several differences relating to the assault on Tris by Drew, Peter, and Al.
• ·        Peter is much more threatening and violent in the book.   On that note…Peter is played by Miles Teller in the movie.  He did fine in that role but I’m not so sure if he would have been up to task if Peter was as volatile as he was in the book.  I read that Miles Teller originally wanted to play Four.  I am so glad that wasn’t what happened because he does not suit that role at all for me.
• ·        Several differences relating to Tris’ fear landscape (much better in the book).
• ·        Book: Tris is caught by the other initiates when she’s done zip lining. / Movie: Tris has to pull on a brake and stop herself when she’s done.
• ·        Book: Tris beats Molly. / Movie: Molly beats Tris.  (Really…what is the point of this change?)
• ·        Book: Tris also gets a tattoo of the Dauntless symbol and Abnegation symbol. / Movie: The only tattoo shown are the birds.
• ·        Book: Visiting Day / Movie: What visiting day????  In the book Tris’ mom comes to visit her and they have a very important conversation.  In the movie this conversation is had a completely different location never mentioned in the book.
• ·        Several differences with the “capture the flag” game.
• ·        There is a lot more of Jeanine Matthews in the movie than in the book.  I suspect that this is because Kate Winslet played Jeanine Matthews and anytime you have an actress of that caliber in your movie you use her as much as possible.
• ·        The ending is slightly different in the movie – again I think this is due to Kate Winslet.

Since seeing the movie not only did I read the book, but I also followed it with the rest in the series.  I have now completed Insurgent, and Allegiant, Free Four (a short story), as well as Four: The transfer (told from his point of view).  There are other Four stories coming out in July and I will be reading those as well (reviews on them later).

If you enjoy reading I encourage you to read this series.  It is considered young adult however adults will enjoy it as well.  The movie was excellent too.  I am looking forward to seeing how “Hollywood” manages to bring the rest of the story to the big screen. 

You can find Divergent, and the other books written by Veronica Roth here:

http://www.amazon.com/Veronica-Roth/e/B004FX672S/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1401804422&sr=8-1

You can follow Veronica Roth on her page here:

http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/

And you can follow her on Goodreads here:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4039811.Veronica_Roth?from_search=true

And finally, here is the link to the movie’s website:

http://divergentthemovie.com/

***

Divergent (2014) (PG-13)…my rating: A- (Go see it!)

Divergent (by Veronica Roth)…my rating: 4 ½ / 5 stars (Go read it!)

Lessons Learned from The Other Woman

The Other Woman (2014)

(PG-13)

Imagine that you have met what you think just might be the perfect man.  He’s handsome.  He’s a successful businessman.  He loves to wine and dine you.  And let’s not forget the physicality of the relationship, if you know what I mean. Oh…and he’s married…to someone else!  Oh snap!  Now what…..  This is where the story of the other woman comes in.

I don’t typically go see comedies but thought I would give this one a chance.  I admit that I was skeptical before seeing it.  Most of the comedies seem to be more on the stupid humor side than the funny humor side in my opinion.  And frequently the trailer for the movie includes EVERY funny scene so I’m disappointed when I see the movie and there’s nothing else funny in it.  This movie however, did NOT disappoint!  I can’t remember the last time I laughed this hard at a movie.  At least twice I was laughing so hard I was crying and I probably missed at least two minutes of the movie in the middle because I was laughing so hard I couldn’t open my eyes.

The movie stars Cameron Diaz as Carly Whitten who is a successful attorney with a very handsome boyfriend, Mark King (played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau).   While trying to surprise him she discovers that he is actually married.  Leslie Mann plays the devoted, stay-at-home wife, Kate King.  The two form an unlikely sisterhood (after several hilarious missteps) and soon learn that Mark is involved in yet another relationship with the blonde bombshell Amber (played by Kate Upton).  The three join forces to plot revenge on the three-timing Mark and the shenanigans that transpire are absolutely hilarious.

Don Johnson is also in the movie playing Frank, the dad to Cameron Diaz’ Carly, while Nicki Minaj plays her (somewhat annoying) secretary Lydia.  Taylor Kinney plays Phil, the brother to Leslie Mann’s Kate…a mighty fine looking brother I might add.  As for the dog Thunder, I could go on and on about him!  He is a beautiful black & white spotted Great Dane who is uncontrollable but you can't help but to find him lovable AND laughable!  

While the movie has received some negative reviews from “real” movie critics I have to give it a 2-thumbs up review myself!  I’m VERY hard to please when it comes to comedies and I found this one hilarious. 

And as an added bonus you can learn some great lessons on what to do if you are ever in this situation. I’m thinking these tips could also apply to some other situations also. 

·         Identify the problem and join forces.

·         Do your research.

·         Formulate a plan and stay organized.

·         Get the gadgets the pros use.

·         Survey your target.

·         Disguise yourself.

·         Always lend support where needed.

The Other Woman (2014) – my rating: A+

Check out the movie’s official page here: http://theotherwomanmovie.com/

Check out the trailer here: http://youtu.be/BlHMHLuJWbo

Dallas Buyers Club ~ Dare to Live

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
(Rated R)

Finally…I have watched Dallas Buyers Club!  I typically watch movies with this kind of hype when they are initially released but for one reason or the other I wasn’t able to watch this one until now.  Sometimes when a movie has received as much attention as this one I find myself disappointed because it doesn’t live up to the hype.  Not this time.  I could just simply say WOW…but this film deserves so much more.

The film was inspired by a true story.  Yeah, yeah, I know a lot of films say that…but this one really was.  In 1992 journalist Bill Minutaglio wrote an article entitled “Buying Time” that appeared in Dallas Life Magazine.  The article discusses how Dallas became a center of the black market in unapproved AIDS drugs and the role that Ron Woodroof played in that.  You can read the article here: http://buyersclubdallas.com/

Hollywood became interested in the story and after several failed attempts finally made this film that took the movie industry by storm.  The movie is set in the late ‘80s and focuses on the story of Ron Woodroof (played by the fabulous Matthew McConaughey).  Woodroof is an electrician, a bull rider, a hustler, a heavy smoker, a drug user (particularly cocaine), and a lover of casual sex.  He’s also a racist and homophobic.  His world changes dramatically when he is diagnosed as HIV-positive and given an estimated 30 days to live.  Woodroof is initially in denial of his impending demise because he doesn’t think there is any way he could have a disease that seems to be targeting homosexuals. 

HIV and AIDS were new to many in this time period and the medical industry certainly didn’t have all the answers (or were keeping them to themselves).  After his health deteriorates more while taking high doses of AZT Woodroof began researching other treatment options.  In an effort to extend his life he ended up obtaining drugs from Mexico from a doctor who had previously had his license revoked in the US.  His health improves on the new drug regimen of ddC and peptite T and he soon realizes that he can make money by importing the drugs and selling them to other HIV-positive patients.  This led him to starting the Dallas Buyers Club – a membership only club where members were provided drugs and treatment free of charge in return for their membership dues – along with the help of Rayon (played by Jared Leto), a HIV-positive transsexual who he had met while previously in the hospital.  The movie continues to explore the relationship between these unlikely friends, the effects of HIV on their lives and those around them, as well as the effects of government regulations and pharmaceutical companies on the medical industry.

The cast of this movie is phenomenal!  Unless you have been living under a rock you have probably at least heard of some of the numerous well deserved awards bestowed on the cast and crew in recent months.  During awards season there wasn’t much said about Denis O’Hare who played Dr. Sevard with only slightly more attention to Jennifer Garner who played Dr. Eve Saks, however both of their performances were excellent – especially Garner’s.  The performances of Jared Leto as Rayon and Matthew McConaughey as Ron Woodroof were absolutely awesome!  I had seen many clips before watching the entire movie so I had an idea of how great they were in the movie, but was just blown away at their transitions.  They were so effective in portraying these characters that it was easy to forget who they really were. 

I frequently disagree with who the acting awards are given too…but not in this instance.  The awards earned by Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey were well deserved.  And the speeches given by them were fantastic.  If you did not watch the Oscars and missed their acceptance speeches (or just want to see them again) I urge you to check them out.

Jared Leto’s acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actor can be seen here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCtch3DzLRs&feature=share&list=PLJ8RjvesnvDNF36HHQ0mRqDgEnLvTXnzO&index=1

Matthew McConaughey’s acceptance speech for Best Actor can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD2cVhC-63I&feature=share&list=PLJ8RjvesnvDNF36HHQ0mRqDgEnLvTXnzO&index=25

Also check out the official site for Dallas Buyers Club here: http://www.focusfeatures.com/dallas_buyers_club/overview

While this movie may not seem like the most uplifting film at first glance I challenge you to look deeper at it and deeper at yourself.  Where do your thoughts lie concerning the AIDS epidemic?  How would you feel if you or someone close to you tested HIV-positive?  What measures would you take to save or extend your life or that of someone close to you?   In the words of Matthew McConaughey…This film was never about dying.  It was always about living.  So just keep living…   

Dallas Buyers Club (2013) - my rating: A+

(Matthew McConaughey’s Just Keep Livin foundation can be found here: http://www.jklivinfoundation.org/)

Spidey Sense

The Amazing Spider-man 2 (2014)
(PG-13)

Spidey Sense

This past weekend was the release of the Amazing Spider Man 2 and it certainly had a good opening weekend with an estimated $92 million earned.  As I’m sure you would suspect I contributed to that $92 million.  My husband and I, along with our friend Holly, saw this second chapter in the reboot at our favorite local theater, The Grand - Pier Park, and we were not disappointed. 

I love movies (and TV shows) based on comic books and typically see them during the opening weekends, frequently on opening night.  This particular genre offers exactly what I look for in any film: entertainment and escapism.  With Marvel and DC alike I can always expect lots of fun scenes sprinkled with just the right amount of “real life” to make it engaging and entertaining as well just the right amount of cheesy humor thrown in.

The newest version of Spider Man stars Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker.  Prior to seeing him in the first one I was curious on how he would do in this role.  Now I know that he is the perfect choice and look forward to seeing him don the red and blue tights at least one more time.  Emma Stone is the perfect Gwen Stacy and has excellent chemistry with Garfield.  I’m sure part of this is the fact that they are a “real life” couple; however I suspect they would work well together regardless.  And I absolutely love Sally Field as Aunt May.  Is there anything that Field can’t do?

This particular film had several villians, in particular Electro, Rhino, and the Green Goblin.  Electro was played by the always electrifying Jamie Foxx.  Foxx did a great job with his transition from the nerdy version of Max Dillion to the confused but dangerous villain Electro.  Paul Giamatti played The Rhino.  While The Rhino is from the comic books it really wasn’t of any particular interest to me.  I do think that Paul Giamatti did a fine job in his portrayal though.  I was however very intrigued with Dane DeHaan’s portrayal of Peter Parker’s childhood friend Harry Osborne and the Green Goblin.  I have seen DeHaan in a few other things before and definitely consider him a rising star.  He sort of reminds me of a young Leo DiCaprio crossed with a young Brad Pitt and his eyes are amazing!  He had great chemistry with Garfield also.  It was easy to think of them as childhood friends.

I watched the movie in 3D and was pleased with the effects.  I’m not a huge 3D fan as most often I am disappointed in how the effects turn out and feel it is usually not worth the extra cost for the ticket.  From Spidey swinging through the air on his webs to cars overturning to a dramatic story changing fall the effects in this movie were perfect for 3D.

I will have to say that I think the first Spiderman in this series was better, however this one was definitely worth watching.  And it definitely makes me excited to see the next one.  I recommend this movie to anyone that loves the comic book genre – and don’t forget to stay for the scene during the credits.

You can find the official trailer here: http://youtu.be/DlM2CWNTQ84

The Amazing Spider Man 2 (2014) – my rating: B+

Pinterest Obsession

Are you familiar with Pinterest?  If not you should be!  I was told about Pinterest by my youngest daughter.  My first question to her…What does that name even mean?  It’s actually really simple – it’s a place where you “pin” your “interest”. Get it?  Pin + interest = Pinterest.  Genius!

The pins are visual bookmarks for things you find on Pinterest or elsewhere on the Internet.  Each user creates boards to collect their pins by theme or topic.  Boards can be “followed” by other users and continually added to.  You can even make a private board that other users can’t see unless you allow them to.  I haven’t tried the private board yet but think I might soon as this could be a great place to pin some research ideas for a project I’m working on.

I initially created boards for recipes I found that looked like something I might want to try or for recipes I wanted to share with others.  My board quickly filled up to the point where I needed several different recipe boards.  The awesome thing about having my recipe boards is they create a virtual cookbook that is awesome when I am drawing a blank on something to make for dinner or needing a tasty party treat.  Each pin links back to the site where the actual recipe is located making it a snap to get the information.  And the fact that my pin is a visual image of the recipe makes it even easier to make a decision.

Seeing how much I loved to pin recipes I expanded to holidays (I have about 10 different Halloween boards), crafts, TV and Movie interests, and we can’t forget about the Eye Candy board.  I even made a board while planning for our recent trip to Washington, DC to include some of the things I wanted to see or sites to return to while actually on the trip.  And it is an awesome place for “virtual hoarding”.  I can pin all the things I want to and they aren’t taking up any room in my real world – that is until I actually buy or make the item.  As of this post I have 130 different boards containing 7,589 pins.  I think maybe I have a Pinterest obsession.  J

While I am only pinning things that interest me it’s always a thrill when someone starts following one (or all) of my boards and especially when they re-pin something I have pinned.  It’s nice to know that someone else is interested in the same things I am – especially particular fandoms (hello Supernatural, Sherlock and The Walking Dead!).  And there is always a good joke to be found or a good motivational quote to pick me up.

Earlier this week I received a message from Pinterest letting me know that one my boards had been picked to be one of the recommended boards for new Pinners to follow when they first sign up.  I don’t know which board it was but I think it’s awesome that Pinterest chose any of them to showcase at all.  It was almost like getting a reward for doing something I already enjoyed doing.

If you haven’t tried Pinterest yet check it out: www.pinterest.com.

You can find my boards at: www.pinterest.com/melaniemalone.

Happy Pinning!

20 Years of Memories

20 years can feel like an eternity. It can also feel like a split second. Today marks 20 years since my Mama passed away. Sometimes it feels as if it was just yesterday that I was sharing my deepest thoughts with her.

One of the things I miss the most is our talks. We talked to each other every day – even if it was just for a few minutes. Sometimes our conversations were deep and thought provoking. Sometimes they were full of gossip and jokes. Sometimes there were even harsh words spoken. But there was also conversation.

Our last conversations together are the most precious to me. When she was diagnosed with lung cancer her doctor called me and told me she had at the most 2 weeks to live and suggested I get to her. I lived in Bonifay, FL at the time – she lived in Hanover, PA. I left immediately and spent the remainder of her life right by her side (which was closer to 1 week than 2).

As many know my Mama had a motorcycle accident when I was 8 years old (she was 27). This accident caused her numerous health issues but it opened up the topic of death between us. We talked about it often and I knew her wishes should she ever be in that position again. Little did we know that she would only be 43 years old when death would take her.

When I first arrived to her bedside she was awake and seemed fully coherent. We talked about everything – including her impending death. It’s amazing how many topics can be covered when you know you will probably never be able to talk about them again. She wanted to make sure that I was okay. She wanted to make sure that I stayed strong when I needed to be but remembered it was okay to still lean on others. She wanted to make sure that my babies knew how much she loved them – Ashlee was the only grandchild she knew and she loved her more than anything; Kristin was not born for 6 more months but she talked about her as if she already knew her and I know she would have loved her just like Ashlee.

Our last conversation was only me talking as she had slipped into her final sleep. Somehow I knew she could still hear me. I assured her that I would make sure that my babies knew as much about her as possible. I assured her that I would finish college. I assured her that I would do what I could to find a good job and help provide for my family. I assured her that I would only be angry for a little while for her leaving me so soon and would then try to move on with only happy memories. I assured her that I would be happy and try to always look at the positive side of things. I assured her that I would be okay.

I still talk with her. I think I always will. She was the one person I could tell everything to and was assured that she would still love me no matter what. I am convinced that she is still there listening to me. I am convinced that she is still watching over me. And I know that she has been assured that I have tried to keep my promises to her. It may have been a struggle to get through losing her. It may have been difficult to get through some of the things life threw at me without her here to help guide me. But just as I promised her…I am okay. Sure there are times when I have to convince myself…but I know that I am okay….and I will continue to be.

I love you Mama….always.