Divergent

Well I feel like I should say welcome to the decade of the young adult series turned into a movie franchise, but really I should have said that before the first hunger games… wait I forgot about the dreadfully awful twilight movies, so I guess we are nearing the end of that decade then, unless any of you know of a series that is being converted that I’m not aware of.

Welcome to the dystopic future of Chicago, where we think we might be the only living humans left on earth, unlikely, just like the fact you can’t rebuild basic com systems to check, but you can make all this crazy new tech… I will let this one slide, this time. Society has been divided into 5 different groups that manage govern and protect the people of the city, and when their children reach the age of mid-teens they are tested and have to decide where they want to proceed to their future.

Our story follows that of Beatrice Prior, a young woman going for her pre-selection test, but when her test comes back inconclusive, more commonly known as Divergent, she doesn’t know what to do. Normally those raised in their faction tend to continue on in their faction, but the point of the selection is to give you the ability to choose where you want to continue, posed with this problem Beatrice wants to make a difference in her life and thinks the best way of doing that is by joining Dauntless, the warrior faction. In choosing Dauntless she has to leave her family and friends back in Abnegation.

Beatrice, now going by Tris, has to work harder than ever to meet the expectations of Dauntless, and to keep her secret hidden from everyone, because as Tris finds out, one of the main things that Dauntless does to protect the city is to hunt down and remove Divergents with the help of the Erudites, the intelligence seekers and lawmakers.

In comparison to Hunger Games I thought this was a better story, and movie. I definitely want to read the books now that I have a taste for it. I have stated before, I think in a Nothing Presents podcast, that dystopic is one of my two favorite movie genres, the other being time travel. I really didn’t have too many problems with this movie, other than small things like the not knowing if they were the only humans left.

It is a great movie to see in theaters, but it isn’t a have to see, unless you go IMAX, then definitely go see it in theaters.

I give it a 4 out of 5

Written by Jeff Potts

Need for Speed

I have always thought that video game movies should be easier to make than comic book movies, but they fail at recreating the experience all the time. Look at the main selection of video game movies out; first there’s Resident Evil, a movie where all they did was take a concept and messed it up severely by adding a whole team of people instead of keeping it a single player experience. Then there is Hitman , a game about a lone assassin, but a movie about an assassin that becomes a knight in shining armor. I could go on about Max Payne and Doom but you get the idea, I will say that Doom had that one sequence that was very game like, when they went into first person shooter mode, that was fun but very unnecessary. I am not even going to touch on the atrocities of Uwe Boll.

These types of games (racing) should be the easiest to make into a movie, and let me tell you it was. Now I haven’t played the newest Need for Speed games, but this was very reminiscent of Hot Pursuit, one of my favorite versions of the Need for Speed series. From the cars they used, to the locations they picked, even down to the police radio talk to the checkpoints in the race, the last half hour of this movie was Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit.


Toby Marshall, son of a late great racing legend, makes a deal with a very old rival, Dino, to build a car for him to sell, so that Toby can save his father’s garage. But where egos and cars are involved there is always a race. Dino challenges Toby to either win Dino's share of the profit or lose his, Toby accepts, but his friend also talks his way into the race, against Toby’s warnings. A heart pounding race ensues where Dino is in the lead until they almost cause a huge accident on the freeway where Toby takes the lead, in the last stretch of the race in fear of losing going over 200mph, Dino taps Pete’s bumper and causes Pete’s car to flip and turn in to a big ball of flame hurtling down the highway and off a bridge. Stopping to go back and try to save his friend from a fully engulfed car Toby gets arrested and accused of Pete’s death, while Dino runs and creates an alibi.

2 years later Toby gets out of jail, looking for vengeance only the way a racer can, calls in a favor and starts a cross country sprint to get from New York to California in less than 48 hours, to make it to the De Leon, a special race where its winner takes all. Upon learning of this development Dino places a bounty on Toby to keep him from the race, but you can’t stop vengeance.


Now on the other side, comparing this movie to the Fast and Furious series. FF has a more developed story, not just because they’ve had 6 movies to do it, but each movie has more story to it than this did, but I am not saying that is a bad thing. For being a video game movie this movie did exactly what was necessary, it came up with the plot of a game and had you watch it instead of play it, it would be so easy to go into the game and recreate every scene, minus the cut scene character development segments. This movie has also delivered in a way that the FF series hasn’t, this movie married the racing aspect to the acting segment almost flawlessly. The other thing that was great about this movie was you learned all about the back story in about the first 5 minutes so it could spend most of the movie moving forward instead of dragging its feet in the past.

I highly recommend that you see this in theaters, the only downside I have with the movie is that it wasn’t presented in IMAX. I would also like to thank the script writer and director for not going heavy handed on the little love story that was going on in the movie, they gave it as much as was needed and didn’t make it the center point of the story when it started.




I give this a 4 out of 5

Written by Jeff Potts

300: Rise of an Empire

So at the beginning of this movie when they said the protagonists name, I was like he sounds like the name of a street drug, Themistokles. If that street drug made you a bad ass warrior then you get to keep the name.

Set as a companion piece to the original movie, Rise covers the naval battle that happened in the north of Greece to protect Athens from the Persians. It also covers the story of why Xerxes hates the Greeks and how he became the God King. I will say in a not too spoilerish way that the end of this movie teased an awesome battle just like at the end of 300, that we also didn’t get to see, but it also takes place 6 months before the end battle in the first movie, which happened a year after the fall of Leonidas.


10 years before the events of 300, King Darius and his Persian army tried to invade Greece, but the Athenians, led by Themistokles, attacked before they had completely disembarked from their ships. In the heat of battle Themistokles witnessed Darius on a boat and took his chance to end the battle, by loosing an arrow upon him. Seeing the fate about to befall his father Xerxes tried to save him, but it was too late Themistokles’ arrow found its mark and the Persians retreated.

Darius warned Xerxes not to take revenge on the Greeks, but his hate blinded him as well as the counsel of the Kings greatest general, Artemisia, who convinced Xerxes that he could become a God and wipe the Greeks from existence.

Artemisia, is said to be unrivaled at naval combat, but Themistokles puts that to the test.


I did the best thing ever which was to watch 300 right before seeing this movie, and let me tell you, that was a great experience. There were a few things that happened at the end of this that made me want to see how they happen so I could see how they tied into the army vs. army battle at the end of the first movie. There were some fun cameos in the movie, but with the fact that the only way we saw Leonidas in the movie was the way we saw him, I doubt Gerard came back, I think they CG overlaid characters interacting with him from the original movie. The thing that bothered me in the movie was that they replayed the second in command father son story from 300, the only difference was the father didn’t want the son there in this movie, the son snuck in to the war camp.

The movie was a little bit better than the original, but it also didn’t feel like the same movie (I know it was different directors), maybe because they used a blue tint, to mirror the sea, whereas the first used a brown tint, for the land. There was a bigger story at play in this one as well, where I felt the first movie could have used some of it. My hope is that someone will do a master cut and make one movie in chronological order, I think that would be amazing.

In conclusion, if you are in to these kinds of movies see it in theaters, the 3D IMAX made the naval battle really interesting, but it isn’t necessary for enjoying the movie.



I give it a 4 out of 5

Written by Jeff Potts

Non-Stop

Being as specific of a movie as this was, there isn’t much to synopsis without giving major spoilers, so that will be quick this week and then we will get to the good stuff.


An air marshal, Bill, on a transatlantic flight receives a series of text messages that threaten the lives of everyone on board, every 20 minutes, unless the airline transfers 150 million dollars into an account. In an attempt to save everyone Bill uses some unorthodox methods to find the killer, while the killer drags his reputation through the mud shifting all suspicion on to Bill.


 Like I said short and simple. Looking at the movies that Liam Neeson has done in the past few years is very surprising, they have been some amazing films, but it is interesting that the industry took a bit of a leap to make an older actor the new action star of the decade. To me, other than playing historical figures his roles have mostly been supportive father or villains lackey. So it was a surprise to see him in Batman Begins at the end with a sweet fight scene, and then to follow that performance up with Taken, a masterpiece of action that was expertly executed by Liam. But I will say even though he is amazing, he runs the risk of overdoing it, he has had a movie out almost every year and they all follow the same basic plot, of a man who is either an officer/agent or an ex officer/agent that is in a situation where he needs to kick ass and solve the problem. I have not been let down yet by one of his movies, but Taken 2 was not as successful as the first and they are in the works of making a third instalment, so we have to watch out for that. Out of all the older male action stars, the only 2 that I respect the films they make to this day are Liam Neeson and Bruce Willis, all the others are just beating the dead horse of their action careers and need to move on to other genres of movies.

That being said Taken on a Plane, I mean Non-Stop, was a decent movie. It wasn’t a great movie, but it was an interesting study in dangerous situations in a confined space. If you are looking for something to watch it is a good choice, but you don’t have to see it in theaters, just in a dark quiet room so you can achieve maximum movie mode out of it.


I give it a 2.5 out of 5

Written by Jeff Potts

Pompeii

I find it interesting when a story is told, about an actual historical event. We know the ending of the story, we just have to sit through a cheesy half assed love story to get to the bit we all came to see, or at least most of us… the history bit. Whether it be the sinking of a ship, the fall of a city, or the devastating volcano, there is one story that must be partially told in front of all these events… the tragic love story that can't and won't see the light of day pass the event in question.


Milo a young Celtic boy is awoke by a sound, the slaughter of his entire family and tribe, by Senator Corvus and his Roman troops, but he survives the massacre. Taken by slavers Milo is sold to the Gladiators. On his way to Pompeii he helps a woman, Cassia, with her wounded horse, by snapping it's neck with his bare hands… his bare hands.

In Pompeii Cassias father is preparing a ceremony for a delegate of the new Emperor, to try to procure funds to rebuild and renew the city. That night the Volcano starts to become active. To Cassias surprise Senator Corvus is the delegate sent by the Emperor, because it was unwanted attention from him that made her come home when she did.

The gladiators prepare for the games, but the night before they happen, a handful of gladiators are chosen to be taken to the manor of the cities patron, to be pleasure slaves for the evening. During the party a series of earthquakes happen causing the animals to be roused. Cassia sees Milo and requests his help to calm the horses. After he calms the horses Milo and Cassia ride out of the manor forcefully and are chased by guards. When caught Milo is punished, before his whipping Milo sees Corvus and gets in a rage remembering what he did to his family. During the whipping senator Corvus says to the gamesman that he wants him to be killed first in the games.

During the games the next day Milo is set in a recreation to the massacre of his people, driven by rage Milo and the gladiators overcome and defeat the romans… and then the eruptions begin.



Watching this movie was like watching Gladiator, Troy, 300, Dantes Peak, and Titanic all at the same time, darting your head around at the screens seeing different bits of each. I'm not saying it’s a bad movie just that it isn't an original story, the only thing that is different about it is that the story of Pompeii and Vesuvius hasn’t been overdone yet. I understand that making it an action love story is the best way to get a larger audience, but it’s a predictable story done hundreds of times, it’s a bad story to be put on a movie with this type of ending. It shouldn’t be boy meets girl, falls in love, tragedy, then death, they should try a story about 2 married people that fall into this shit, not new love, it’s a tired story.

That being said, no you don’t have to go see this in theaters, wait for dvd or netflix, or even better, watch Gladiator and after the reenactment put in Troy and jump to the Trojan horse scene then before Orlando shoots Brad put in Dante's Peak and watch the volcano blow and just stop the movie right there. It’s the same experience.


I give it a 2 out of 5

Written by Jeff Potts

RoboCop (2014)

One thing that always bothered me about movies that were set in the future, but made in
the 80’s and early 90’s, was that they really thought the world was going to end in the 2000’s. Playing off everyone’s fears, so the movies set in the future then looked like crap, as if our growth and technology would never get better. A movie that flaunted this was RoboCop, only said to be set in the near dystopic future, the only thing that looked like it advanced any was the sniper rifles with explosive rounds.

Now we jump ahead to the new movie, set in 2028, where we’ve gotten past the end of the world fear that was pushed heavily on us, and given a chance to see what the movie should have looked like back then. The biggest disappointment with this new version is that it was almost the same movie, they didn’t write a new story, they just modernized the script. 


Police officer, Alex Murphy and his partner try to bust an illegal arms dealer, but are found out and get in a shootout, where his partner is wounded. Alex finds out that the guns being sold are from the police evidence lockup, and he has a pretty good idea who the dirty cops are, he just needs to find the evidence to prove it. The dirty cops approach the arms dealer and tell him to take out Murphy, and give him Alex’s schedule. When Alex goes to visit his partner, a bomb is placed under his car.

Later that night when Alex is home with his wife and son, his car alarm goes off and when he goes out to check on it, the car explodes, critically injuring Alex. The only way to save Alex is to put him in the OmniCorp cybernetic program, where they remove all the damaged tissue and replace it with cybernetics. After 3 months of surgery and upgrading, Alex is woken up to a terrifying sight, that he is now mostly machine.

After refining his software and operations, and going through rehab, Alex is allowed to come home and go back to work, unknowingly as a media stunt to help out OmniCorp get a foothold in the American market, with their robot police force. When Alex is set to be unleashed upon the city of Detroit, they upload the entire police database into his databanks, and he immediately has a panic attack when he accesses the files on his case, forcing the doctors to shut him down and basically make him run on autopilot. Being denied access to see her husband Alex’s wife confronts him on the street in front of the police station, causing a reaction to start in his head that slowly brings him back to normal.

Now that he is back, Alex finds his partner and they go about returning to the case, that they were both almost killed on.



I already said my biggest disappointment, and to be honest that was really all I had against this movie. The things they added to the movie were huge improvements to the holes in the original. The biggest flack this movies is getting is from the people that hold the original so dear to them, but let’s be honest, it was a movie that just wanted to be as gory as it possibly could be. I mean did it need to be that bloody and violent… no and this new version is proof, exact same story better delivery.

That being said, no you don’t have to run out and see it, but it is definitely worth a watch.



I give it a 3 out of 5


Written by Jeff Potts

the Lego Movie

A children’s story like all the others, but it stands far from the rest. I’m not knocking the formula that the movie follows by any means, even though it is the basis for all kids movies.

1.A terrible thing happens that only one person can stop, and that person doesn’t know they are special.

2.A supporting hero finds this person to tell them they are special, but they don’t see that about them self, but they follow this other hero, and find other people willing to fight for the cause.

3.Then in the end they see that they were a hero all along.

I’m saying that this movie took that and ran with it across the finish line.


Emmet, a young construction worker who lives completely by the book, does everything according to the instructions. Until one day he notices something out of the ordinary and falls down a hole when he goes to investigate. At the bottom of this hole he finds something called “a piece of destiny” and when he touches it he passes out and gets a vision. when he awakens he is in custody and being interrogated about the piece of destiny that is now attached to his back.

During the interrogation Emmet is rescued by a MasterBuilder, named Wyldstyle, they escape the city in search of the other MasterBuilders, to use the piece of destiny to stop president Business from unleashing his ultimate weapon, the Kragle, that he will use to keep anything from changing, ever again.

Wyldstyle discovers that there is nothing special about Emmet and that he just accidentally happened across the piece of destiny. They meet up with Vitruvius, a great MasterBuilder, who leads them to the other MasterBuilders, but when they learn the truth about Emmet they all lose hope that they will ever succeed, and this is quickly reinforced by a sudden raid by the robot police force, where most of the MasterBuilders are captured, and Emmet and his group now have a bigger challenge on their hands, of freeing the others and stopping president Business.



I seriously love, love, loved this movie. probably because I love Legos so much, but it was a really good story too, even if it sounds like I think it’s not original. The story point that comes up toward the end of the movie is a large reason why I loved the movie, story wise, but just the fact that everything was made out of Legos, not a single thing in this movie wasn’t made out of Legos, except for the certain special items. I wish I could have shown this to a younger me, I would have lost my shit, and things might have gone differently for me, but I’m glad I can just look at it in retrospect.

I would say definitely go see this in theaters, take your friends, take your family, and above all, take the kids.


I give it a 4 out of 5

Written by Jeff Potts