Finally a breath of fresh air.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Last Resort (Season 1/Final Season)
Show: Last Resort
Season: 1
Episodes: 13
Created By: Karl Gajdusek and Shawn Ryan
Released: 2012-2013
Rating: 3/5
-----------------------------------------------
Strong Beginning and Strong End
The beginning and ending of this season were the strongest parts. The pilot episode drew you in and made you care for the characters. The ending was good closure and one of the better episodes of this season. While you can debate whether what happened between them is good or bad, I have to say the pilot and ending episodes were a strong point.
Some Subplots Were Noticeably Shortened
By the finale you could tell some things were meant to go on longer. The biggest one for me, at least, was what happened to Sam Kendal's wife. We were left on a cliffhanger in one episode and suddenly it's quickly resolved in the finale. Trust me, I loved seeing it resolved in time but it happened way too quickly. I won't say what happened, but its resolution was much too simple for my liking.
Robert Patrick
Many know I am a big Terminator fan. So when I saw the T-1000 himself (my favorite Terminator model) I got very happy. Luckily enough Joseph Prosser (the character Patrick plays) was a joy to follow too. While Patrick is much older than he was in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, he still looks a lot like his younger self. So he isn't that hard to spot. I am going to miss tuning in every week to Last Resort to check up on how the T-1000 is doing.
Final Thoughts
This show was good in its one season run. However, I have to agree with others in that it doesn't seem like the concept was made for the long term. So it is both good and bad that the show got cancelled after its first season. While it was a joy tuning in each week I had started to grow bored with it, and it wasn't until the last episode that I got really excited for next week's episode...which is never going to come. Before I end this I must thank Michael L. Keller for getting me into this wonderful but short lived series.
Season: 1
Episodes: 13
Created By: Karl Gajdusek and Shawn Ryan
Released: 2012-2013
Rating: 3/5
-----------------------------------------------
Strong Beginning and Strong End
The beginning and ending of this season were the strongest parts. The pilot episode drew you in and made you care for the characters. The ending was good closure and one of the better episodes of this season. While you can debate whether what happened between them is good or bad, I have to say the pilot and ending episodes were a strong point.
Some Subplots Were Noticeably Shortened
By the finale you could tell some things were meant to go on longer. The biggest one for me, at least, was what happened to Sam Kendal's wife. We were left on a cliffhanger in one episode and suddenly it's quickly resolved in the finale. Trust me, I loved seeing it resolved in time but it happened way too quickly. I won't say what happened, but its resolution was much too simple for my liking.
Robert Patrick
Many know I am a big Terminator fan. So when I saw the T-1000 himself (my favorite Terminator model) I got very happy. Luckily enough Joseph Prosser (the character Patrick plays) was a joy to follow too. While Patrick is much older than he was in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, he still looks a lot like his younger self. So he isn't that hard to spot. I am going to miss tuning in every week to Last Resort to check up on how the T-1000 is doing.
Final Thoughts
This show was good in its one season run. However, I have to agree with others in that it doesn't seem like the concept was made for the long term. So it is both good and bad that the show got cancelled after its first season. While it was a joy tuning in each week I had started to grow bored with it, and it wasn't until the last episode that I got really excited for next week's episode...which is never going to come. Before I end this I must thank Michael L. Keller for getting me into this wonderful but short lived series.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Pretty Little Liars "Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Inferno" Review
What was Toby thinking wearing something like that?
Ice (2012)
I go with revrezner and some other friends to ICE.
Update: blip.tv Problems
As you know, I use the site blip.tv to upload my videos. And I haven't had too much trouble with it in the past. I enjoyed using the service and have liked it better than YouTube for uploading. However, I am extremely pissed off at the site today.
Yesterday I found out I now have a daily limit with uploading to the site due to me not producing high enough content. It turns out now I can only upload three videos to the site a day. It was annoying finding that out but I quickly got over it.
So I waited until after midnight to upload a video. So today when I woke up I planned to also upload my ICE! vlog. However, I got the error message that said I had already uploaded my maximum three videos of today.
Hey, no biggie. Just contact the blip.tv help services and things would be okay? Nope. Instead they say my limit is three because of the reasons I already knew. They didn't address the fact that I was only able to upload one video today.
So I am extremely pissed off at the site. The 'help' I received from the site is the only reason I am still angry
UPDATE
After posting this I checked and I'm able to upload a new video. Keep up on my TWITTER to see any other updates.
Yesterday I found out I now have a daily limit with uploading to the site due to me not producing high enough content. It turns out now I can only upload three videos to the site a day. It was annoying finding that out but I quickly got over it.
So I waited until after midnight to upload a video. So today when I woke up I planned to also upload my ICE! vlog. However, I got the error message that said I had already uploaded my maximum three videos of today.
Hey, no biggie. Just contact the blip.tv help services and things would be okay? Nope. Instead they say my limit is three because of the reasons I already knew. They didn't address the fact that I was only able to upload one video today.
So I am extremely pissed off at the site. The 'help' I received from the site is the only reason I am still angry
UPDATE
After posting this I checked and I'm able to upload a new video. Keep up on my TWITTER to see any other updates.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Last Resort "Controlled Flight into Terrain" Review
The last episode of Last Resort to air.
RIP, short lived show.
RIP, short lived show.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Men in Black 3 (2012)
Title: Men in Black 3
Series: Men in Black
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, and Josh Brolin
Rated: PG-13
Released: 2012
Personal Rating: 5/5
Oscars: N/A
Plot: Agent J travels in time to M.I.B.'s early days in 1969 to stop an alien from assassinating his friend Agent K and changing history.
-------------------------------------
A Very Hilarious Movie
I watched this movie with my Dad. What does that mean? It simply means that I tend to control my reactions to movies. I don't clap my hands, talk back to the movie, and laugh among other things. At the beginning of this movie I was able to control myself but once the movie really started, I couldn't stop laughing. I tried to control my laughing but I just couldn't. With that fact alone, Men in Black 3 deserves its 5/5 I gave it.
A Step Up from Men in Black 2
I am probably one of the few that actually enjoyed the second movie. However, this movie is much better. If I were to compare the two, which I am doing now, I'd say there is just something about the third movie that makes it a much more enjoyable film. Maybe it has something to do with time travel, which I am a big sucker for. The only real big problem with MIB3 is the beginning.
Agent K's History
Throughout the Men in Black series, Agent K's past is kept very much in the dark. In this movie we find out that something happened at Cape Canaveral in 1969. While I won't spoil what happens there, as that ruins the whole point of the movie. But I will say you get a clearer image of Agent K and why he is the way he is. I think one of my favorite lines that K says (and, mind you, there are a lot of great lines that everyone in this movie says) to J is, "I'm startin' to understand why we don't talk."
Final Thoughts
This is a great movie. You might be wondering why I didn't talk about Josh Brolin's performance. The main reason is that everyone has already praised him and you've probably had that point drilled into your head way before you got to this review. While I highly enjoyed this film the character of Griffin got too annoying. He's one of those characters you hope will only be in one scene but know you're doomed to spend the rest of the movie with him. Besides Griffin and the beginning, this is a spotless film. Oh, you going to bring up the time paradox? I agree there are problems but at least the movie followed its own rules.
Series: Men in Black
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, and Josh Brolin
Rated: PG-13
Released: 2012
Personal Rating: 5/5
Oscars: N/A
Plot: Agent J travels in time to M.I.B.'s early days in 1969 to stop an alien from assassinating his friend Agent K and changing history.
-------------------------------------
A Very Hilarious Movie
I watched this movie with my Dad. What does that mean? It simply means that I tend to control my reactions to movies. I don't clap my hands, talk back to the movie, and laugh among other things. At the beginning of this movie I was able to control myself but once the movie really started, I couldn't stop laughing. I tried to control my laughing but I just couldn't. With that fact alone, Men in Black 3 deserves its 5/5 I gave it.
A Step Up from Men in Black 2
I am probably one of the few that actually enjoyed the second movie. However, this movie is much better. If I were to compare the two, which I am doing now, I'd say there is just something about the third movie that makes it a much more enjoyable film. Maybe it has something to do with time travel, which I am a big sucker for. The only real big problem with MIB3 is the beginning.
Agent K's History
Throughout the Men in Black series, Agent K's past is kept very much in the dark. In this movie we find out that something happened at Cape Canaveral in 1969. While I won't spoil what happens there, as that ruins the whole point of the movie. But I will say you get a clearer image of Agent K and why he is the way he is. I think one of my favorite lines that K says (and, mind you, there are a lot of great lines that everyone in this movie says) to J is, "I'm startin' to understand why we don't talk."
Final Thoughts
This is a great movie. You might be wondering why I didn't talk about Josh Brolin's performance. The main reason is that everyone has already praised him and you've probably had that point drilled into your head way before you got to this review. While I highly enjoyed this film the character of Griffin got too annoying. He's one of those characters you hope will only be in one scene but know you're doomed to spend the rest of the movie with him. Besides Griffin and the beginning, this is a spotless film. Oh, you going to bring up the time paradox? I agree there are problems but at least the movie followed its own rules.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
American Horror Story (Season 2)
Show: American Horror Story
Nickname/Common Name For Season: American Horror Story: Asylum
Season: 2
Episodes: 13
Created By: Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk
Released: 2012-2013
Rating: 3.5/5
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The Alien Subplot
By the end of this season I had a love/hate relationship for this particular subplot. At the beginning, though, I was firmly against it. American Horror Story should be about the supernatural horrors. Mind you, at the start of the season, I was still getting used to the fact that Season 1 has a completely different story and set of rules from Season 2. By the end I didn't hate the alien subplot, but I did find it unneeded. As someone pointed out: one of its purposes seemed to be bringing back dead characters. At the end of the season we aren't any closer to knowing who they are or what they want. Yes, the alien children are 'special' and do good things. But it still doesn't show the aliens' end game.
Lana Winters Goes Through Extreme Character Changes
Let me start off by saying I'm not against character development. It's good to see characters going through changes and being different at the end than they were at the beginning. HOWEVER, this doesn't mean all changes done to a character will be a good thing. Especially when there seems to be no reason to do so and the changes make no sense. I am referring to the change Lana goes through after she leaves Briarcliff. Sorry for the slight spoiler.
The Last Three Episodes
This season had its up and downs. But it did have a nice conclusion to all of it major plot lines and then there were two more episodes. To me the conflicts in the last two episodes were there to fill out two more episodes. Mind you I liked the outcome of what happened to the Son of Bloodyface, but some of the characters seemed to act out of character for the sake of conflict.
Final Thoughts
I think this season was much better put together than the first one. I especially like the fact that the finale actually felt like a finale. Not like that there were going to be more episodes. The highlight during this season was Lily Rabe's character of the possessed Sister Mary Eunice. I also like that a character I liked at the end I didn't see any way of liking during the beginning. The second season continued in the tradition of messed up stuff happening. So it is with that I warn those easily offended to not watch this. Oh, yeah, and I liked "The Name Game" music number which I can't see how people can't like it.
Nickname/Common Name For Season: American Horror Story: Asylum
Season: 2
Episodes: 13
Created By: Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk
Released: 2012-2013
Rating: 3.5/5
--------------------------------------------------
The Alien Subplot
By the end of this season I had a love/hate relationship for this particular subplot. At the beginning, though, I was firmly against it. American Horror Story should be about the supernatural horrors. Mind you, at the start of the season, I was still getting used to the fact that Season 1 has a completely different story and set of rules from Season 2. By the end I didn't hate the alien subplot, but I did find it unneeded. As someone pointed out: one of its purposes seemed to be bringing back dead characters. At the end of the season we aren't any closer to knowing who they are or what they want. Yes, the alien children are 'special' and do good things. But it still doesn't show the aliens' end game.
Lana Winters Goes Through Extreme Character Changes
Let me start off by saying I'm not against character development. It's good to see characters going through changes and being different at the end than they were at the beginning. HOWEVER, this doesn't mean all changes done to a character will be a good thing. Especially when there seems to be no reason to do so and the changes make no sense. I am referring to the change Lana goes through after she leaves Briarcliff. Sorry for the slight spoiler.
The Last Three Episodes
This season had its up and downs. But it did have a nice conclusion to all of it major plot lines and then there were two more episodes. To me the conflicts in the last two episodes were there to fill out two more episodes. Mind you I liked the outcome of what happened to the Son of Bloodyface, but some of the characters seemed to act out of character for the sake of conflict.
Final Thoughts
I think this season was much better put together than the first one. I especially like the fact that the finale actually felt like a finale. Not like that there were going to be more episodes. The highlight during this season was Lily Rabe's character of the possessed Sister Mary Eunice. I also like that a character I liked at the end I didn't see any way of liking during the beginning. The second season continued in the tradition of messed up stuff happening. So it is with that I warn those easily offended to not watch this. Oh, yeah, and I liked "The Name Game" music number which I can't see how people can't like it.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Fringe (Season 5/The Final Season)
Show: Fringe
Season: 5
Episodes: 13
Created By: J.J. Abrams
Released: 2012-2013
Rating: 4.5/5
-----------------------------------------
The Device They Spend All Season Building
Turns out to be unused by the end. Why am I not saying what the device does here? I like to keep my written reviews mostly spoiler free. MOSTLY being the key word. So in the beginning of the season Walter has forgotten his plan (due to Windmark torturing him at the start) and so must find the tapes hidden randomly in his old lab. So in nearly every episode Walter, Peter, Olivia, and Astrid find a tape and do what it says. For the majority of the season you are left in the dark as to what this device will end up doing. Luckily, during the last few episodes, you find out what it does. However, one part doesn't work so they have to go to Plan B.
It Ends Where It Begins
One of the best things about this season is that it starts and ends at the same point. While I would've wished to see where other characters (like Astrid and Broyles) ended up, I thought it was nice and sweet that it ended at the beginning. If you took the epilogue without the feelings of what happened previously, it was a happy ending which the two love birds (Peter and Olivia) more than deserved.
All the Information About the Observers
Throughout the first four seasons of Fringe the Observers are shown to be mysterious alien beings from the future! Here and there we were given bits and pieces of who (and what) they really were. By the end of this season the majority of questions about these beings were answered. Some of them (like why there are no women Observers and why the Observers wear the old time clothing) aren't answered. But enough are to leave you satisfied. And it's the Observers' past/future that becomes the whole basis of Walter's Plan.
Final Thoughts
This being the end of the Fringe saga (unless they continue it in other media forms, which I hope they do), made me sad as the Season went on. By the time the final few moments of Fringe came and went, I felt LOST. I felt completely heartbroken. Don't worry, it wrapped all the major plot lines up nicely. The season played out well, though there were a few slow moments. Like the psychic/anomaly that Olivia encounters when she goes to pick up the magnet. One character's death was very sad but I felt the character was killed off a little too quickly. However, there were some great moments such as the Monty Python Tribute (in the episode "Black Umbrella") or when Walter gets his redemption (in the episode "Enemy of Fate"). This was a fun season and I am going to miss not tuning into Fringe every Friday (well, I usually had to DVR it so actually every Saturday at the earliest). Thank you JJ Abrams for a great ride for 2 years (yes, Fringe was on the air 5 years but I've only kept up with the show for 2 of them).
Season: 5
Episodes: 13
Created By: J.J. Abrams
Released: 2012-2013
Rating: 4.5/5
-----------------------------------------
The Device They Spend All Season Building
Turns out to be unused by the end. Why am I not saying what the device does here? I like to keep my written reviews mostly spoiler free. MOSTLY being the key word. So in the beginning of the season Walter has forgotten his plan (due to Windmark torturing him at the start) and so must find the tapes hidden randomly in his old lab. So in nearly every episode Walter, Peter, Olivia, and Astrid find a tape and do what it says. For the majority of the season you are left in the dark as to what this device will end up doing. Luckily, during the last few episodes, you find out what it does. However, one part doesn't work so they have to go to Plan B.
It Ends Where It Begins
One of the best things about this season is that it starts and ends at the same point. While I would've wished to see where other characters (like Astrid and Broyles) ended up, I thought it was nice and sweet that it ended at the beginning. If you took the epilogue without the feelings of what happened previously, it was a happy ending which the two love birds (Peter and Olivia) more than deserved.
All the Information About the Observers
Throughout the first four seasons of Fringe the Observers are shown to be mysterious alien beings from the future! Here and there we were given bits and pieces of who (and what) they really were. By the end of this season the majority of questions about these beings were answered. Some of them (like why there are no women Observers and why the Observers wear the old time clothing) aren't answered. But enough are to leave you satisfied. And it's the Observers' past/future that becomes the whole basis of Walter's Plan.
Final Thoughts
This being the end of the Fringe saga (unless they continue it in other media forms, which I hope they do), made me sad as the Season went on. By the time the final few moments of Fringe came and went, I felt LOST. I felt completely heartbroken. Don't worry, it wrapped all the major plot lines up nicely. The season played out well, though there were a few slow moments. Like the psychic/anomaly that Olivia encounters when she goes to pick up the magnet. One character's death was very sad but I felt the character was killed off a little too quickly. However, there were some great moments such as the Monty Python Tribute (in the episode "Black Umbrella") or when Walter gets his redemption (in the episode "Enemy of Fate"). This was a fun season and I am going to miss not tuning into Fringe every Friday (well, I usually had to DVR it so actually every Saturday at the earliest). Thank you JJ Abrams for a great ride for 2 years (yes, Fringe was on the air 5 years but I've only kept up with the show for 2 of them).
Friday, January 25, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
The Following "Pilot" Review
Is this show worth watching or should you pass it up? And where was Liam Neeson when you needed him?
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
The Eternal Heart: New Recruit 1
"Skynet did manage to put some intelligence into their foot soldiers." My Resistance trainer for the day said. Unlike Barnes, he was white. But, like Barnes, he had the same loathing for me.
"Terminators would be useless if they couldn't think," I replied while trying to not think of myself as one of them. "If they couldn't think then they couldn't fight."
My trainer's face assumed a blank expression to not give me the pleasure of seeing him angry. It didn't matter to me what his expression was because I knew what he was feeling. Or at least I had a very good guess of what his emotions were at the moment.
"That will be all for today, Jash." He said. The only motion he made for me to go away was to turn his face from mine.
"I'll see you tomorrow then." I said as I walked away. I wasn't expecting a reply and was rewarded with silence.
My footsteps brought me closer to my new destination. Faster than a human's would. No, I was doing what was called speed walking. I just had an easier time at it than a pure human would. That way of realization wouldn't lead me anywhere useful and might cause problems in the future.
But I didn't care at the moment.
I opened a door into a very small room. Like the rest of the base, it seemed to be about to collapse at any given moment. However, there wasn't a high likelihood that it would. The base reflected the very human spirit of those living here. A spirit that I didn't really have. But that I wished I did.
The only furniture in the room was a chair. Its front faced the door and I went over to it. As I went to sit down a woman entered the room. Once I was comfortable, she had shut the door. The look on her face showed that she had been in a few battles, but nothing that had torn her apart yet.
The Resistance woman stood in front of me and remained quiet for a few minutes. I didn't know whether she was nervous or if she was holding back her anger. Finally she spoke, "Jash, why did you join the Resistance?"
"Because Skynet needs to die." I replied.
"But you are a Terminator."
"I am only a Terminator because Skynet desecrated my body. I was probably just a normal human girl before. Hanging out with friends and trying to hide my feelings for my newest crush. I don't know what I would've done. I just know that it would've been normal."
"So you want revenge?"
"I want the ability to be human again. Without having to worry about Skynet trying to stop me."
"And will you be willing to follow our leader John Connor?"
"I've been asked that more times than I can count. And, being a hybrid, you better believe I can count pretty damn high." I paused only to have her look confused with how to react to my words. "And my answer is still the same. The answer is still yes."
She then asked her final question, "Is there any reason you are willing to?"
I thought about my answer. The truth was that I loved John and would follow him to the end of the world. Well, beyond the end of the world. But I couldn't tell this woman that. If she told John, things could get awkward. And I didn't know how I could get my feelings across to him. Leaving that duty to someone I didn't know wouldn't be a smart thing to do.
When I formulated a good sounding answer I spoke, "I trust John Connor. I trust that he is the best way to defeating Skynet."
The woman nodded. "Our session is over for now."
With that she walked out. I waited a few minutes and then headed towards my room. My room wasn't the same as my holding cell, but only slightly better. I wasn't considered a part of the Resistance by most members, so I was lucky just to have a room.
Resistance fighters passed me as I headed to my room. To me they weren't important and only one caught my eye and turned his face from mine. I swore John Connor had been looking at me, but he had quickly turned his gaze to another soldier. After that there was a conversation between the two.
I continued to move towards my room, but the thought that John had been sneaking a look at me continued to grow. The only bright light in this war.
----------------------------------------------
The Eternal Heart Blog aka The Wars Against Skynet
The Eternal Trilogy Facebook
The Eternal Heart Tumblr
"Terminators would be useless if they couldn't think," I replied while trying to not think of myself as one of them. "If they couldn't think then they couldn't fight."
My trainer's face assumed a blank expression to not give me the pleasure of seeing him angry. It didn't matter to me what his expression was because I knew what he was feeling. Or at least I had a very good guess of what his emotions were at the moment.
"That will be all for today, Jash." He said. The only motion he made for me to go away was to turn his face from mine.
"I'll see you tomorrow then." I said as I walked away. I wasn't expecting a reply and was rewarded with silence.
My footsteps brought me closer to my new destination. Faster than a human's would. No, I was doing what was called speed walking. I just had an easier time at it than a pure human would. That way of realization wouldn't lead me anywhere useful and might cause problems in the future.
But I didn't care at the moment.
I opened a door into a very small room. Like the rest of the base, it seemed to be about to collapse at any given moment. However, there wasn't a high likelihood that it would. The base reflected the very human spirit of those living here. A spirit that I didn't really have. But that I wished I did.
The only furniture in the room was a chair. Its front faced the door and I went over to it. As I went to sit down a woman entered the room. Once I was comfortable, she had shut the door. The look on her face showed that she had been in a few battles, but nothing that had torn her apart yet.
The Resistance woman stood in front of me and remained quiet for a few minutes. I didn't know whether she was nervous or if she was holding back her anger. Finally she spoke, "Jash, why did you join the Resistance?"
"Because Skynet needs to die." I replied.
"But you are a Terminator."
"I am only a Terminator because Skynet desecrated my body. I was probably just a normal human girl before. Hanging out with friends and trying to hide my feelings for my newest crush. I don't know what I would've done. I just know that it would've been normal."
"So you want revenge?"
"I want the ability to be human again. Without having to worry about Skynet trying to stop me."
"And will you be willing to follow our leader John Connor?"
"I've been asked that more times than I can count. And, being a hybrid, you better believe I can count pretty damn high." I paused only to have her look confused with how to react to my words. "And my answer is still the same. The answer is still yes."
She then asked her final question, "Is there any reason you are willing to?"
I thought about my answer. The truth was that I loved John and would follow him to the end of the world. Well, beyond the end of the world. But I couldn't tell this woman that. If she told John, things could get awkward. And I didn't know how I could get my feelings across to him. Leaving that duty to someone I didn't know wouldn't be a smart thing to do.
When I formulated a good sounding answer I spoke, "I trust John Connor. I trust that he is the best way to defeating Skynet."
The woman nodded. "Our session is over for now."
With that she walked out. I waited a few minutes and then headed towards my room. My room wasn't the same as my holding cell, but only slightly better. I wasn't considered a part of the Resistance by most members, so I was lucky just to have a room.
Resistance fighters passed me as I headed to my room. To me they weren't important and only one caught my eye and turned his face from mine. I swore John Connor had been looking at me, but he had quickly turned his gaze to another soldier. After that there was a conversation between the two.
I continued to move towards my room, but the thought that John had been sneaking a look at me continued to grow. The only bright light in this war.
----------------------------------------------
The Eternal Heart Blog aka The Wars Against Skynet
The Eternal Trilogy Facebook
The Eternal Heart Tumblr
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Fringe Series Finale Review
I review the Series Finale of Fringe and manage not to break down in tears.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
Title: Snow White and the Huntsman
Series: Snow White and the Huntsman
Director: Rupert Sanders
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, and Charlize Theron
Rated: PG-13
Released: 2012
Personal Rating: 2.5/5
Oscars: Nominated for 2
Plot: In a twist to the fairy tale, the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed winds up becoming her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Leaving Out Kristen Stewart
The low rating I have given this movie isn't due to Stewart. Yes, Stewart is a horrible actress that only has an expression and a half in her arsenal. But she doesn't make this movie horrible. The job of making this movie horrible doesn't lie solely with her or even mostly with her. In fact, I was looking over Stewart and the movie was still horrible.
Glaring Plot Holes
I was talking to my Dad about some of the prominent plot holes in this movie and he replied with, "It's just a movie." No, no, and no you don't defend a movie by saying plot holes are okay because it's just a movie. A movie has to make sense within its own universe. With this movie all the plot holes take away from the wonderful graphics (and they are easily the best part of the film) and the otherwise decent plot. I say a decent plot because it's simple and nostalgic (princess is a 'chosen one' who has to save her kingdom from a great evil). The first question that nagged me from beginning to end was "Why did Ravenna allow Snow White to live?" On imdb the question is answered (on the FAQ) by saying that Ravenna wanted to suck the beauty out of Snow White. This doesn't make sense due to Ravenna having a whole kingdom of pretty girls and to allow Snow White to mature (in this film the evil queen can only suck out beauty when a girl is physically mature) gives her time to cause problems. And, hey, that's what ends up happening. Listing all the plot holes in this film would be a blog post of its own.
Things Aren't Stated Clearly
Snow White is supposed to be deciding between two potential lovers: the Huntsman and William. However, this isn't clearly shown throughout a good majority of the movie. While Chris Hemsworth is a good actor, Kristen Stewart's expressions can't show any subtlety of a possible relationship. Besides that, the whole basis of Snow White being loved by the audience is stated by basically saying 'she good character, you likey'. And the last one that I will mention here: the kiss. Those familiar with the fairy tale will know that true love's kiss would wake her from the spell. But the movie DOESN'T STATE IT! You instead get the two 'love interests' just kissing her. I'm not saying people won't figure it out for themselves, but is it too much to ask for just ONE line saying what's going on? It doesn't need to be described in depth (due to everyone most likely knowing about the fairy tale and cliche), but the movie not saying what's happening is just lazy.
Final Thoughts
I wanted to like this movie. I really did. I was excited to finally see it even though Kristen Stewart was in it. She's just one actress in the movie. But there were just too many plot holes. Then there's the fact that you never really get to know the characters. You see them and spend time with them, but you never really get to know them. This is especially bad with Snow White who is the main character and the one we're supposed to be rooting for. By the end of the movie I was rooting for Ravenna (the Evil Queen) which shouldn't be the case in a good movie. Why? You're supposed to root for the good guys and wish damnation upon the bad guys. Besides the graphics (which are very well done) the song at the end of the credits ('Breath of Life' by Florence and the Machines) are the two things of this movie I enjoyed without question.
Series: Snow White and the Huntsman
Director: Rupert Sanders
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, and Charlize Theron
Rated: PG-13
Released: 2012
Personal Rating: 2.5/5
Oscars: Nominated for 2
Plot: In a twist to the fairy tale, the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed winds up becoming her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen.
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Leaving Out Kristen Stewart
The low rating I have given this movie isn't due to Stewart. Yes, Stewart is a horrible actress that only has an expression and a half in her arsenal. But she doesn't make this movie horrible. The job of making this movie horrible doesn't lie solely with her or even mostly with her. In fact, I was looking over Stewart and the movie was still horrible.
Glaring Plot Holes
I was talking to my Dad about some of the prominent plot holes in this movie and he replied with, "It's just a movie." No, no, and no you don't defend a movie by saying plot holes are okay because it's just a movie. A movie has to make sense within its own universe. With this movie all the plot holes take away from the wonderful graphics (and they are easily the best part of the film) and the otherwise decent plot. I say a decent plot because it's simple and nostalgic (princess is a 'chosen one' who has to save her kingdom from a great evil). The first question that nagged me from beginning to end was "Why did Ravenna allow Snow White to live?" On imdb the question is answered (on the FAQ) by saying that Ravenna wanted to suck the beauty out of Snow White. This doesn't make sense due to Ravenna having a whole kingdom of pretty girls and to allow Snow White to mature (in this film the evil queen can only suck out beauty when a girl is physically mature) gives her time to cause problems. And, hey, that's what ends up happening. Listing all the plot holes in this film would be a blog post of its own.
Things Aren't Stated Clearly
Snow White is supposed to be deciding between two potential lovers: the Huntsman and William. However, this isn't clearly shown throughout a good majority of the movie. While Chris Hemsworth is a good actor, Kristen Stewart's expressions can't show any subtlety of a possible relationship. Besides that, the whole basis of Snow White being loved by the audience is stated by basically saying 'she good character, you likey'. And the last one that I will mention here: the kiss. Those familiar with the fairy tale will know that true love's kiss would wake her from the spell. But the movie DOESN'T STATE IT! You instead get the two 'love interests' just kissing her. I'm not saying people won't figure it out for themselves, but is it too much to ask for just ONE line saying what's going on? It doesn't need to be described in depth (due to everyone most likely knowing about the fairy tale and cliche), but the movie not saying what's happening is just lazy.
Final Thoughts
I wanted to like this movie. I really did. I was excited to finally see it even though Kristen Stewart was in it. She's just one actress in the movie. But there were just too many plot holes. Then there's the fact that you never really get to know the characters. You see them and spend time with them, but you never really get to know them. This is especially bad with Snow White who is the main character and the one we're supposed to be rooting for. By the end of the movie I was rooting for Ravenna (the Evil Queen) which shouldn't be the case in a good movie. Why? You're supposed to root for the good guys and wish damnation upon the bad guys. Besides the graphics (which are very well done) the song at the end of the credits ('Breath of Life' by Florence and the Machines) are the two things of this movie I enjoyed without question.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Brave (2012)
Title: Brave
Director: Mark Andrews & Brenda Chapman
Starring: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, and Emma Thompson
Rated: PG
Released: 2012
Personal Rating: 3.5/5
Oscars: Nominated for 1
Plot: Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.
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Different From Trailer
Now I am not the first to say so but I must: the trailer is highly misleading. When I saw the trailer I thought that it would be about a princess going on an adventure through a faraway land because she is making her own fate. Luckily I did listen to reviewers (and people who had seen the movie) so I knew that the trailer was wrong. I heard something about going on an adventure with a bear. So how does this affect my view of the movie? It made me disappointed but I didn't take off any marks because the trailer was different from the movie.
A Twist That You Can See Coming
If you can even pay a little attention during the movie, you can figure out who the demonic bear is. I don't know whether to be mad or happy that I guessed it. I'm happy because I figured something out but mad because usually the stuff I do figure out any idiot can do the same. I watched this movie with my Dad and I usually remain quiet (in such situations) because he doesn't seem to like me talking to the movie (which I actually like to do). However, when Merida figures this twist out I yelled out, "No shit!"
A Female Protagonist
Let me start off with saying that I am glad that this movie featured a female in the lead role. However, she was still not that strong of a character. Part of it was that she was a little annoying and the other part is that she didn't do that much. The biggest thing she did was give some half-assed speech about letting children decide their own fates and it didn't make sense why everyone quickly agreed to this. Maybe I am being a little harsh as she did also manage to turn her mother and brothers back into their normal selves. No matter how little she did, I am glad that she learned a little humility by the end.
Final Thoughts
This movie's uplifting tone and happy conclusion were good to me. This being due to me finishing The Casual Vacancy (by J.K.Rowling) around a week before and I wanted to see something uplifting. That being said, since I knew it was going to end happy I wasn't tense during many scenes. And when I was tense I wasn't as tense as I should have been. However, this doesn't make the film bad. It's just the type of film it is. But if you want a tense and gripping tale, this isn't the movie for you.
Director: Mark Andrews & Brenda Chapman
Starring: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, and Emma Thompson
Rated: PG
Released: 2012
Personal Rating: 3.5/5
Oscars: Nominated for 1
Plot: Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.
-------------------------------------------------
Different From Trailer
Now I am not the first to say so but I must: the trailer is highly misleading. When I saw the trailer I thought that it would be about a princess going on an adventure through a faraway land because she is making her own fate. Luckily I did listen to reviewers (and people who had seen the movie) so I knew that the trailer was wrong. I heard something about going on an adventure with a bear. So how does this affect my view of the movie? It made me disappointed but I didn't take off any marks because the trailer was different from the movie.
A Twist That You Can See Coming
If you can even pay a little attention during the movie, you can figure out who the demonic bear is. I don't know whether to be mad or happy that I guessed it. I'm happy because I figured something out but mad because usually the stuff I do figure out any idiot can do the same. I watched this movie with my Dad and I usually remain quiet (in such situations) because he doesn't seem to like me talking to the movie (which I actually like to do). However, when Merida figures this twist out I yelled out, "No shit!"
A Female Protagonist
Let me start off with saying that I am glad that this movie featured a female in the lead role. However, she was still not that strong of a character. Part of it was that she was a little annoying and the other part is that she didn't do that much. The biggest thing she did was give some half-assed speech about letting children decide their own fates and it didn't make sense why everyone quickly agreed to this. Maybe I am being a little harsh as she did also manage to turn her mother and brothers back into their normal selves. No matter how little she did, I am glad that she learned a little humility by the end.
Final Thoughts
This movie's uplifting tone and happy conclusion were good to me. This being due to me finishing The Casual Vacancy (by J.K.Rowling) around a week before and I wanted to see something uplifting. That being said, since I knew it was going to end happy I wasn't tense during many scenes. And when I was tense I wasn't as tense as I should have been. However, this doesn't make the film bad. It's just the type of film it is. But if you want a tense and gripping tale, this isn't the movie for you.
S&N: The Rule of Logic and Playful Battle
I talk about The Rule of Logic and give a little Sneak Peek into Playful Battle.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
The Casual Vacancy (JK Rowling)
Title: The Casual Vacancy
Author: J.K. Rowling
Released: 2012
Rating: 6/5
Basic Plot: Barry Fairbrother dies in the town of Pagford. This sweet little town's darker side is shown.
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This Ain't Harry Potter
For all those who haven't yet heard: This is not a kid's book and far removed from the world of Harry Potter. The language used in this book includes harsh swearing as well as words you need a dictionary for. As well as a more adult tendency for the words, the situations reflect what the intended audience can handle. Among other things in this book: drug, sex, and rape are all shown. Though there is only one rape scene near the end of the book to the character who least deserves it. All I mean to say with this is that if you're a Harry Potter fan it doesn't mean that this is a book for you. Also, if you're a kid with a love of Harry's wizarding world: that hopeful magic isn't in this book.
Three Dimensional Characters
These aren't black and white characters. There are those who appear good at first glance but there is always some dirt hiding under their masks. The one character that I loathed (and didn't mind if anything bad happened to him) was Stuart "Fats" Wall. Besides him, every character had at least one good characteristic about them. It's almost scary with how realistic characters are portrayed (I'm talking more about their three dimensionality more than anything else) and made me disturbed every time I picked up the book. I must congratulate Rowling with this superb feat.
The Dark Tone of the Novel
This novel isn't happy. By the end there are a few 'happy' ends to a few subplots, but the majority of them don't have overly happy outcomes. Besides the ending (which I recommend getting a few million tissue boxes before you read), the novel is very dark in tone. Andrew (aka Arf) is the son of an abusive father; Samantha is married to a man she has lost sexual interest in long ago; Stuart (aka Fats) believes in doing what he wants over what is decent; and a character gets raped. So if you're looking for a feel good story: stay far away from this book.
Final Thoughts
I picked up this book because J.K.Rowling wrote it. I wasn't pretending to myself that this book would be like Harry Potter, but I wanted to see if Rowling was just a one hit wonder. While reading this book I could hardly believe Rowling wrote it because of how different the tone and feel of it was. I had heard that it was a sad book but I didn't realize how sad it would actually be. Maybe something is wrong with me because I like books/movies/comics that make me hurt, but I don't care. This book made me hurt so bad but the journey it gave was very much worth it. I would highly recommend this book to any mature person that wants to see how three dimensional characters are written. Finally, the book is a little hard to get into, but once you get past the beginning stage you'll be pleased you stuck with it.
Author: J.K. Rowling
Released: 2012
Rating: 6/5
Basic Plot: Barry Fairbrother dies in the town of Pagford. This sweet little town's darker side is shown.
------------------------------------
This Ain't Harry Potter
For all those who haven't yet heard: This is not a kid's book and far removed from the world of Harry Potter. The language used in this book includes harsh swearing as well as words you need a dictionary for. As well as a more adult tendency for the words, the situations reflect what the intended audience can handle. Among other things in this book: drug, sex, and rape are all shown. Though there is only one rape scene near the end of the book to the character who least deserves it. All I mean to say with this is that if you're a Harry Potter fan it doesn't mean that this is a book for you. Also, if you're a kid with a love of Harry's wizarding world: that hopeful magic isn't in this book.
Three Dimensional Characters
These aren't black and white characters. There are those who appear good at first glance but there is always some dirt hiding under their masks. The one character that I loathed (and didn't mind if anything bad happened to him) was Stuart "Fats" Wall. Besides him, every character had at least one good characteristic about them. It's almost scary with how realistic characters are portrayed (I'm talking more about their three dimensionality more than anything else) and made me disturbed every time I picked up the book. I must congratulate Rowling with this superb feat.
The Dark Tone of the Novel
This novel isn't happy. By the end there are a few 'happy' ends to a few subplots, but the majority of them don't have overly happy outcomes. Besides the ending (which I recommend getting a few million tissue boxes before you read), the novel is very dark in tone. Andrew (aka Arf) is the son of an abusive father; Samantha is married to a man she has lost sexual interest in long ago; Stuart (aka Fats) believes in doing what he wants over what is decent; and a character gets raped. So if you're looking for a feel good story: stay far away from this book.
Final Thoughts
I picked up this book because J.K.Rowling wrote it. I wasn't pretending to myself that this book would be like Harry Potter, but I wanted to see if Rowling was just a one hit wonder. While reading this book I could hardly believe Rowling wrote it because of how different the tone and feel of it was. I had heard that it was a sad book but I didn't realize how sad it would actually be. Maybe something is wrong with me because I like books/movies/comics that make me hurt, but I don't care. This book made me hurt so bad but the journey it gave was very much worth it. I would highly recommend this book to any mature person that wants to see how three dimensional characters are written. Finally, the book is a little hard to get into, but once you get past the beginning stage you'll be pleased you stuck with it.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Friday, January 11, 2013
American Horror Story "Spilt Milk" Review
This episode wraps everything nicely and it's not even the season finale!
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Sunday, January 6, 2013
S&N: The Rule of Logic
My sensors started to pick something up. I thought about it for a few
minutes and then it dawned on my M-4 processors. It was Samara's
favorite breakfast. It was a jalapenos omelet. She liked clearing out
her sinuses in the morning. Not always, but from time to time.
It was strange that I wasn't making it for her, since it was usually my duty to make it. Samara didn't like making it because she preferred my cooking skills. But a lot had happened in three years to have changed that.
Within a nanosecond something hit me. The breathing was different from Samara's. I went into the kitchen and saw Mark. How he would've known about the omelet was easy to guess: Samara had told him.
I watched him make it and grew a little jealous. Though that wasn't really the correct term. I didn't know how to describe it. All I knew was that I didn't like Mark doing something I would normally do.
After a few minutes he turned to me and I met his eyes. My eyes didn't have to blink and so he became uncomfortable very quickly. He turned back to making breakfast. After my outburst he knew I could do damage out of anger.
And having a Machine after you isn't something any human wants. Truth be told, not something a Machine wants either.
My thoughts were diverted when I heard Sam's footsteps and turned to look at her. She had just come back from a morning jog. They had been getting longer as of late. Like she was trying to escape something.
A small smile formed on her face when she saw the omelet.
"You made this for me, Mark?" She asked him.
"Yes he did." I said tonelessly. I was not to be left out of this conversation.
A small blush appeared on Mark's face and then quickly disappeared. I was the only one with the sight to see the remaining blush on his face.
"Thank you." Samara said and then turned to me. "Are you growing tired of cooking too?"
"I didn't know." I paused. "And you didn't ask."
After a few minutes Sam's omelet was ready and Mark brought it to the table. I sat down beside Samara and joined in on the mindless conversation Mark had begun. But while I joined in on the conversation another part of my mind thought something different.
Looking at Samara I noticed her beauty, as always, but something seemed to be missing. Something was lacking in her features now. I would always stand with her but there was only confusion when I tried to figure out what was gone.
I loved her but also cared more for my safety and jealousy was also something that was starting to enter the relationship.
I tried pushing that to the back of my mind and focus on the conversation. But I was too advanced to be content with one topic at a time.
I could tell something was going to happen by Mark's odd heart rate. It seemed like his heart rate was about to go up. The mindless conversation was about to have something added that I wouldn't like.
If I were human, I'd be flexing my muscles at this point. As it was, I stayed still as the conversation continued. I heard the car pull up and the others getting out. Stewart, Rebecca, and Martha were about to come in and hopefully get Samara away from Mark.
While human hearing wasn't as good as mine, Mark also knew that time was running out.
"Samara," Mark said and I could tell he would've used her nickname if I wasn't present. "I'm wondering if you'll do a mission with me."
"What mission?" Samara asked, cutting me off from saying anything.
"Just to check out a Playful Ballet convention."
"If Samara goes, I go." I said since I could guess what breakfast was really about. "It'll be a big area and my abilities will help you out."
"I was just thinking of Samara and myself." Mark said.
"Marky, you aren't taking my girlfriend on a date." I replied to him. I stared at him and saw his heart rate increase even more.
"What Mark probably means is that you'll be too much of a giveaway." Samara said, trying to justify Mark's request. "The Net will notice a rogue M-4 more than two humans."
I nodded only to show a human response for Sam. Looking at her I could see a little fear when looking back at me.
"Are you sure he's not taking you on a date?" I asked and by Sam's response I could tell the idea didn't do anything for her. My inner human smiled.
"Just be calm, Naz, I'm not going to leave you." She told me and I thought about my previous thoughts. Being with her was safety and the other reasons were starting to leave me.
I was going to reply, but at that moment the others came in. I got up quickly and faced Stewart. At the moment our eyes met I could tell something was wrong.
"What is wrong?" I asked in an effort to distract myself from what Samara was planning to do.
"It's about Kered." Stewart replied and looked to Mark. Mark's only response was to wave us off. Stewart nodded and we went into another room.
"You're worried about losing her?" Stewart asked me and the two sisters gathered around us.
"Yes." I said. He didn't need to know my true feelings. "What is it about Kered?"
"He's been captured." He replied and I could sense the things that would be classified as human fear. An Elemental being captured wasn't an every day thing.
"Do you know where?"
"Yes." Rebecca said. "He's not far away."
"You were going to ask Mark what to do?" I asked them.
"Yes." Martha replied.
I turned quickly and burst into the kitchen.
"Mark, stop flirting with Samara and do your job." I said and Mark reached for his gun. He would've took it out and fired it, if not for Sam. "Kered is captured. Permission to rescue him."
Mark let out a sigh of relief of work not affecting his ability to be with Sam.
"Stewart," He said and Stewart came to stand by me. "You're in charge of rescuing Kered."
With a second wave from Mark, we went to another room to start planning. I hoped that Samara would remain true to me on the 'mission'. I would've fought more but the stability of Karma was much more important than lingering feelings of jealousy.
***********
While my main focus was on the mission, there was still a little that focused on Samara. I ran a few processes to push her further back and then looked out the window. In the car with me were Stewart, Rebecca, and Martha. Stewart, taking the position of team leader for the moment, was driving.
I turned my head so I could focus on Rebecca more. I could tell that she didn't like her part in the plan to rescue Kered. Though she didn't like me, she couldn't deny rescuing Elemental Earth was much more important.
I looked at the two other members of the mission and knew they could do their job. Stewart appeared to be someone who could take control of any given situation. Martha would follow his orders. That was the same obedience that Rebecca would show.
After a few minutes, the hour long journey to where Kered was being held ended. In the distance was a building with subtle markings to show it was owned by Netty. Stewart stopped the car and both Rebecca and myself exited.
Stewart quickly put distance between us and him. Rebecca turned to me and let out a long sigh. She knew what was going to happen as well as I. Not only were we going to rescue Kered, we were going to be working together. Not with a group, but with each other.
"We better hurry." I said and Rebecca nodded. We only had a small window of time to rescue him.
With hardly another moment passing, we started to walk quickly. I wasn't worried that Rebecca's fear would be a hindrance, in the first part of the plan it would be necessary.
I kept all my scanners on full alert and when we got close, at least by Machine standards, I grabbed Rebecca and held a gun to her head. To a Machine this would be seen as useless until human emotions were taken into account. Doing this also increased what Machines read as fear so that I could more easily pass her off as my prisoner.
A little bit of walking later and I came to the entrance of the building. At the entrance were two M-3s and one M-2. Even though the M-2 had skin on it, one could tell that it was clumsily put on.
"She is part of Karma." I said.
"You're an M-4. Unreliable." The M-2 said. "And how did you get her?"
My old self started to rise and I pushed it back. A witty comment wouldn't help the current situation.
"She's human." I replied and, before the M-2 could reply, a small explosion went off. Stewart and Martha were doing their part. Letting go of Rebecca, I got ready to do mine.
Rebecca was very quick to draw her own gun and aim. I pointed my own gun at the nearest Machine. Luckily the first line of guards weren't anything to worry about due to Stewart and Martha creating such a good distraction.
The two M-3s and one M-2 turned to look where the distraction was. My sensors picked up a signal and I motioned to Rebecca to step to the side of the door. As soon as she got into position, a blur of motion came out. I recognized the M-3s that were exiting but the other model I didn't.
My sensors told me that they were M-4s. But something seemed off about them. Something was missing. I couldn't tell what and I didn't have the time now to run a full analysis. Doing the only thing I could to solve the mystery at the moment, I ran a program to look into the problem. I then ran that program in the background.
Getting back into the moment, I waited until the Machines were out before entering the building. Rebecca followed behind me. I scanned the area and pulled up a map of the building. I signaled to her and we raced down a hallway.
After a few minutes of running we got to the large jail part of the building. I scanned each and every person to find Kered. Some of the prisoners made sense.
There were a lot of M-4s chained up. The chains were made up of harder material than would be used to imprison a human. They were probably chained up due to M-4s being harder to control than normal Machines. I had to turn my head away from looking them in the eyes. The human emotion of guilt was coming back to me. It was illogical and I managed to stop thinking about it.
Some of the prisoners did not make sense.
I scanned them and confirmed that they were human. That wasn't the odd part. The odd part was that they were members of The Net. According to my files on them, they were all extremely loyal to Netty.
I had to force myself to continue to look for Kered. Questions of why The Net was imprisoning their own wasn't important now. Getting the Elemental out of here was.
After a few more seconds I was able to find where Kered was being held. There was an old fashioned lock on his cell door that was easy for me to break. He wasn't a Machine so why would he be held like one?
Rebecca had my back as I rushed into Kered's cell. I scanned the area, decided it was safe, and picked up the damaged Elemental.
"Logic...The Net...logic..." Kered kept on muttering as I took him out of his cell.
What did Kered's ramblings mean? I added that to my list of things to put in the background until Kered was at Sam's house. I turned to Rebecca and we shared a glance. I could tell that she was more than happy for the rescue mission to be half-way done.
I stepped out of the cell and just as my foot exited it, an alarm went off. Rebecca tensed up and then relaxed. It seemed like now that there was a threat she was used to, she could calm down.
"We don't have much time." Rebecca said with a smile starting to form on her face.
"Yes." I replied and followed Rebecca as she started to run. I was worried about the safety of Kered and that the mission would fail because there was only a human protecting me. The other worry at the moment was if I were to be reprogrammed by Netty that I would bring danger to Karma and Samara.
Three M-3s came to investigate us before we got out of the building. While they got out a few shots, Rebecca was able to shoot them down very quickly. This gave me hope that our mission would be successful.
A few seconds after that thought was formed, Rebecca was running through the building and shooting at the Machines that started shooting at us. After minutes of running through the building and nearly getting killed, we exited the building. As anyone could've guessed, there were other Machines out there too.
Yelling out run was illogical since what was to be done was obvious.
"Run!" Rebecca yelled and showed her humanity. I ran after her as shots followed us and she fired back.
I dodged fire and took the hits that I couldn't dodge. I was being very careful not to get Kered hit. Finally the car could be seen in the distance. Stewart was in the driver's seat with Martha riding shotgun.
Rebecca yelled out in joy about seeing the end of the mission, but then the yell of joy turned into a cry of pain. She fell down after being shot in the knee and Martha's mouth opened in anguish.
Finding a fallen comrade to be more important than this particular Elemental, I was about to run to help Rebecca when she waved me to go to the car. I nodded and ran as fast as I could. I turned back to see Rebecca limping at a pretty good pace.
When I reached the car I put Kered in a seat, buckled him up, and took out a gun and shot at the Machines pursuing Rebecca.
"Get in the car, Nazilla." Stewart ordered and I just continued to shoot the Machines trying to kill Rebecca.
As more fire hit me I started to think that protecting a fellow soldier was illogical. Just as I put my gun away Rebecca jumped into the car. I quickly followed her and shut the door as Stewart drove away.
The ride back, after we were away from the Machines, was very quiet. The only sound was the car and Kered's repetition of 'The Net' and 'logic'. Stewart seemed to be staying quiet because he was angry. Rebecca was out of breath and Martha was recovering from nearly losing her sister.
Upon reaching Sam's house we exited the car and entered the home. Mark and Samara had not yet returned. I took Kered up to Samara's room, put him on the bed, cleaned up his wounds, and stayed by his side.
*******************
The room was of a moderate temperature and somewhat comfortable to humans. However, no one in the room took comfort in the temperature or the furniture. This wasn't surprising as what was to be discussed wouldn't be pleasant.
I turned to my left and looked at Samara. Nothing had seemed to happen when her and Mark had gone to investigate Playful Ballet. Samara was no closer to being Mark's lover than she was before.
Looking around the room I noticed Martha and Rebecca sitting closer than normal. I didn't blame them as they had recently nearly been separated. Mark was looking at both Samara and myself, as if his look would change our relationship. Stewart was looking calm as always. I scanned him and was reassured when it turned out that he was still human.
Elemental Earth Kered was lying on the couch as he had insisted on not holding a meeting in Sam's room. I didn't see the need to carefully move him as Sam's room would've held us all comfortably. But, humans being humans, held importance about a bedroom. I probably would've given the bedroom more importance if I had still been human.
As it was, I waited for Mark to start speaking. If he could get over his fear of speaking in front of an Elemental.
"Earth, Mark and Samara have a plan to deal with the Playful Ballet problem." I said when I felt Mark had spent too long remaining silent. Kered nodded and we all turned to face Mark.
"As you know," Mark said. "My team was called in to help Samara Crichton and Nazilla with Playful Ballet. Recently, Crichton and myself went to a Playful Ballet convention to explore options."
I kept silent and didn't say that him taking Samara was purely for his benefit. He wanted to take her out on a date and the only reason I hadn't stopped him was that Kered had been captured.
"We have found a way to take the front out." Mark continued and a faint smile formed on his lips. The fact that Kered hadn't interrupted him seemed to give him courage.
"The heads of the front will be gathered soon." Samara said. "Martha has already set a plan in motion to make sure the front won't be able to start up again once the leaders are killed."
"I still don't think we need to kill them." Martha said.
Kered sighed and everyone in the room tensed up. "Those who work with The Net aren't really people anymore." He replied. "Even Nazilla is more human than they are. The only sure way to stop them is to kill them."
"Unless they need to be tortured first for information." Samara added and had to hold back a look of revulsion.
Martha's only reaction was to nod.
"How soon will the attack on Playful Ballet be ready to execute?" Kered asked Mark.
"Two weeks." Mark replied and Kered responded with a nod.
"Can't wait to get The Net back for what they did." Rebecca said and pointed to her knee.
"The Net didn't capture me." Kered said and everyone but me looked confused. I felt confused but my body didn't show it. "Logic did."
"Logic?" Stewart asked.
"We have a new enemy." Kered continued. "Logic is a secret organization in The Net made purely up of Machines. Specifically, every Machine besides the M-3s and M-4s."
"Is it possible they are evolving themselves?" I asked. "When we went to rescue you, Kered, some of the Machines I scanned gave me an odd reading."
"What do you mean by odd?" Stewart asked.
"The readings from the scan said they were M-4s but something was off." I replied. "I can't explain it any other way."
"It is possible." Kered said. "Also, your rescue was probably made easier so that Logic could get knowledge of itself out. So that Karma would be in fear of being beaten on two fronts."
"I had heard mention of Logic before." I said, regretting that I hadn't picked up on the information sooner. "Before I escaped from Netty, I had heard a comment about Logic but just brushed it off."
"It wasn't your fault." Samara comforted me. "There were other things on your mind."
"Do you know how many things I can think of at once now?" I asked. "Because I was thinking of other things is no excuse for me to let something like that slip."
"Crichton, you can discuss Nazilla's failure with her later." Kered said and Sam turned her gaze back to Kered quickly.
A few minutes later the meeting ended and dinner was prepared. Since Kered was with us, I stood behind Samara and didn't pretend to actually be interested in food. I also remained silent as the conversation started.
The only piece of conversation I put any thought into was one of Kered's comments, "Never trust a Machine. Those things don't feel or think like we do. They don't care about us. Even if one helps you, don't trust it."
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It was strange that I wasn't making it for her, since it was usually my duty to make it. Samara didn't like making it because she preferred my cooking skills. But a lot had happened in three years to have changed that.
Within a nanosecond something hit me. The breathing was different from Samara's. I went into the kitchen and saw Mark. How he would've known about the omelet was easy to guess: Samara had told him.
I watched him make it and grew a little jealous. Though that wasn't really the correct term. I didn't know how to describe it. All I knew was that I didn't like Mark doing something I would normally do.
After a few minutes he turned to me and I met his eyes. My eyes didn't have to blink and so he became uncomfortable very quickly. He turned back to making breakfast. After my outburst he knew I could do damage out of anger.
And having a Machine after you isn't something any human wants. Truth be told, not something a Machine wants either.
My thoughts were diverted when I heard Sam's footsteps and turned to look at her. She had just come back from a morning jog. They had been getting longer as of late. Like she was trying to escape something.
A small smile formed on her face when she saw the omelet.
"You made this for me, Mark?" She asked him.
"Yes he did." I said tonelessly. I was not to be left out of this conversation.
A small blush appeared on Mark's face and then quickly disappeared. I was the only one with the sight to see the remaining blush on his face.
"Thank you." Samara said and then turned to me. "Are you growing tired of cooking too?"
"I didn't know." I paused. "And you didn't ask."
After a few minutes Sam's omelet was ready and Mark brought it to the table. I sat down beside Samara and joined in on the mindless conversation Mark had begun. But while I joined in on the conversation another part of my mind thought something different.
Looking at Samara I noticed her beauty, as always, but something seemed to be missing. Something was lacking in her features now. I would always stand with her but there was only confusion when I tried to figure out what was gone.
I loved her but also cared more for my safety and jealousy was also something that was starting to enter the relationship.
I tried pushing that to the back of my mind and focus on the conversation. But I was too advanced to be content with one topic at a time.
I could tell something was going to happen by Mark's odd heart rate. It seemed like his heart rate was about to go up. The mindless conversation was about to have something added that I wouldn't like.
If I were human, I'd be flexing my muscles at this point. As it was, I stayed still as the conversation continued. I heard the car pull up and the others getting out. Stewart, Rebecca, and Martha were about to come in and hopefully get Samara away from Mark.
While human hearing wasn't as good as mine, Mark also knew that time was running out.
"Samara," Mark said and I could tell he would've used her nickname if I wasn't present. "I'm wondering if you'll do a mission with me."
"What mission?" Samara asked, cutting me off from saying anything.
"Just to check out a Playful Ballet convention."
"If Samara goes, I go." I said since I could guess what breakfast was really about. "It'll be a big area and my abilities will help you out."
"I was just thinking of Samara and myself." Mark said.
"Marky, you aren't taking my girlfriend on a date." I replied to him. I stared at him and saw his heart rate increase even more.
"What Mark probably means is that you'll be too much of a giveaway." Samara said, trying to justify Mark's request. "The Net will notice a rogue M-4 more than two humans."
I nodded only to show a human response for Sam. Looking at her I could see a little fear when looking back at me.
"Are you sure he's not taking you on a date?" I asked and by Sam's response I could tell the idea didn't do anything for her. My inner human smiled.
"Just be calm, Naz, I'm not going to leave you." She told me and I thought about my previous thoughts. Being with her was safety and the other reasons were starting to leave me.
I was going to reply, but at that moment the others came in. I got up quickly and faced Stewart. At the moment our eyes met I could tell something was wrong.
"What is wrong?" I asked in an effort to distract myself from what Samara was planning to do.
"It's about Kered." Stewart replied and looked to Mark. Mark's only response was to wave us off. Stewart nodded and we went into another room.
"You're worried about losing her?" Stewart asked me and the two sisters gathered around us.
"Yes." I said. He didn't need to know my true feelings. "What is it about Kered?"
"He's been captured." He replied and I could sense the things that would be classified as human fear. An Elemental being captured wasn't an every day thing.
"Do you know where?"
"Yes." Rebecca said. "He's not far away."
"You were going to ask Mark what to do?" I asked them.
"Yes." Martha replied.
I turned quickly and burst into the kitchen.
"Mark, stop flirting with Samara and do your job." I said and Mark reached for his gun. He would've took it out and fired it, if not for Sam. "Kered is captured. Permission to rescue him."
Mark let out a sigh of relief of work not affecting his ability to be with Sam.
"Stewart," He said and Stewart came to stand by me. "You're in charge of rescuing Kered."
With a second wave from Mark, we went to another room to start planning. I hoped that Samara would remain true to me on the 'mission'. I would've fought more but the stability of Karma was much more important than lingering feelings of jealousy.
***********
While my main focus was on the mission, there was still a little that focused on Samara. I ran a few processes to push her further back and then looked out the window. In the car with me were Stewart, Rebecca, and Martha. Stewart, taking the position of team leader for the moment, was driving.
I turned my head so I could focus on Rebecca more. I could tell that she didn't like her part in the plan to rescue Kered. Though she didn't like me, she couldn't deny rescuing Elemental Earth was much more important.
I looked at the two other members of the mission and knew they could do their job. Stewart appeared to be someone who could take control of any given situation. Martha would follow his orders. That was the same obedience that Rebecca would show.
After a few minutes, the hour long journey to where Kered was being held ended. In the distance was a building with subtle markings to show it was owned by Netty. Stewart stopped the car and both Rebecca and myself exited.
Stewart quickly put distance between us and him. Rebecca turned to me and let out a long sigh. She knew what was going to happen as well as I. Not only were we going to rescue Kered, we were going to be working together. Not with a group, but with each other.
"We better hurry." I said and Rebecca nodded. We only had a small window of time to rescue him.
With hardly another moment passing, we started to walk quickly. I wasn't worried that Rebecca's fear would be a hindrance, in the first part of the plan it would be necessary.
I kept all my scanners on full alert and when we got close, at least by Machine standards, I grabbed Rebecca and held a gun to her head. To a Machine this would be seen as useless until human emotions were taken into account. Doing this also increased what Machines read as fear so that I could more easily pass her off as my prisoner.
A little bit of walking later and I came to the entrance of the building. At the entrance were two M-3s and one M-2. Even though the M-2 had skin on it, one could tell that it was clumsily put on.
"She is part of Karma." I said.
"You're an M-4. Unreliable." The M-2 said. "And how did you get her?"
My old self started to rise and I pushed it back. A witty comment wouldn't help the current situation.
"She's human." I replied and, before the M-2 could reply, a small explosion went off. Stewart and Martha were doing their part. Letting go of Rebecca, I got ready to do mine.
Rebecca was very quick to draw her own gun and aim. I pointed my own gun at the nearest Machine. Luckily the first line of guards weren't anything to worry about due to Stewart and Martha creating such a good distraction.
The two M-3s and one M-2 turned to look where the distraction was. My sensors picked up a signal and I motioned to Rebecca to step to the side of the door. As soon as she got into position, a blur of motion came out. I recognized the M-3s that were exiting but the other model I didn't.
My sensors told me that they were M-4s. But something seemed off about them. Something was missing. I couldn't tell what and I didn't have the time now to run a full analysis. Doing the only thing I could to solve the mystery at the moment, I ran a program to look into the problem. I then ran that program in the background.
Getting back into the moment, I waited until the Machines were out before entering the building. Rebecca followed behind me. I scanned the area and pulled up a map of the building. I signaled to her and we raced down a hallway.
After a few minutes of running we got to the large jail part of the building. I scanned each and every person to find Kered. Some of the prisoners made sense.
There were a lot of M-4s chained up. The chains were made up of harder material than would be used to imprison a human. They were probably chained up due to M-4s being harder to control than normal Machines. I had to turn my head away from looking them in the eyes. The human emotion of guilt was coming back to me. It was illogical and I managed to stop thinking about it.
Some of the prisoners did not make sense.
I scanned them and confirmed that they were human. That wasn't the odd part. The odd part was that they were members of The Net. According to my files on them, they were all extremely loyal to Netty.
I had to force myself to continue to look for Kered. Questions of why The Net was imprisoning their own wasn't important now. Getting the Elemental out of here was.
After a few more seconds I was able to find where Kered was being held. There was an old fashioned lock on his cell door that was easy for me to break. He wasn't a Machine so why would he be held like one?
Rebecca had my back as I rushed into Kered's cell. I scanned the area, decided it was safe, and picked up the damaged Elemental.
"Logic...The Net...logic..." Kered kept on muttering as I took him out of his cell.
What did Kered's ramblings mean? I added that to my list of things to put in the background until Kered was at Sam's house. I turned to Rebecca and we shared a glance. I could tell that she was more than happy for the rescue mission to be half-way done.
I stepped out of the cell and just as my foot exited it, an alarm went off. Rebecca tensed up and then relaxed. It seemed like now that there was a threat she was used to, she could calm down.
"We don't have much time." Rebecca said with a smile starting to form on her face.
"Yes." I replied and followed Rebecca as she started to run. I was worried about the safety of Kered and that the mission would fail because there was only a human protecting me. The other worry at the moment was if I were to be reprogrammed by Netty that I would bring danger to Karma and Samara.
Three M-3s came to investigate us before we got out of the building. While they got out a few shots, Rebecca was able to shoot them down very quickly. This gave me hope that our mission would be successful.
A few seconds after that thought was formed, Rebecca was running through the building and shooting at the Machines that started shooting at us. After minutes of running through the building and nearly getting killed, we exited the building. As anyone could've guessed, there were other Machines out there too.
Yelling out run was illogical since what was to be done was obvious.
"Run!" Rebecca yelled and showed her humanity. I ran after her as shots followed us and she fired back.
I dodged fire and took the hits that I couldn't dodge. I was being very careful not to get Kered hit. Finally the car could be seen in the distance. Stewart was in the driver's seat with Martha riding shotgun.
Rebecca yelled out in joy about seeing the end of the mission, but then the yell of joy turned into a cry of pain. She fell down after being shot in the knee and Martha's mouth opened in anguish.
Finding a fallen comrade to be more important than this particular Elemental, I was about to run to help Rebecca when she waved me to go to the car. I nodded and ran as fast as I could. I turned back to see Rebecca limping at a pretty good pace.
When I reached the car I put Kered in a seat, buckled him up, and took out a gun and shot at the Machines pursuing Rebecca.
"Get in the car, Nazilla." Stewart ordered and I just continued to shoot the Machines trying to kill Rebecca.
As more fire hit me I started to think that protecting a fellow soldier was illogical. Just as I put my gun away Rebecca jumped into the car. I quickly followed her and shut the door as Stewart drove away.
The ride back, after we were away from the Machines, was very quiet. The only sound was the car and Kered's repetition of 'The Net' and 'logic'. Stewart seemed to be staying quiet because he was angry. Rebecca was out of breath and Martha was recovering from nearly losing her sister.
Upon reaching Sam's house we exited the car and entered the home. Mark and Samara had not yet returned. I took Kered up to Samara's room, put him on the bed, cleaned up his wounds, and stayed by his side.
*******************
The room was of a moderate temperature and somewhat comfortable to humans. However, no one in the room took comfort in the temperature or the furniture. This wasn't surprising as what was to be discussed wouldn't be pleasant.
I turned to my left and looked at Samara. Nothing had seemed to happen when her and Mark had gone to investigate Playful Ballet. Samara was no closer to being Mark's lover than she was before.
Looking around the room I noticed Martha and Rebecca sitting closer than normal. I didn't blame them as they had recently nearly been separated. Mark was looking at both Samara and myself, as if his look would change our relationship. Stewart was looking calm as always. I scanned him and was reassured when it turned out that he was still human.
Elemental Earth Kered was lying on the couch as he had insisted on not holding a meeting in Sam's room. I didn't see the need to carefully move him as Sam's room would've held us all comfortably. But, humans being humans, held importance about a bedroom. I probably would've given the bedroom more importance if I had still been human.
As it was, I waited for Mark to start speaking. If he could get over his fear of speaking in front of an Elemental.
"Earth, Mark and Samara have a plan to deal with the Playful Ballet problem." I said when I felt Mark had spent too long remaining silent. Kered nodded and we all turned to face Mark.
"As you know," Mark said. "My team was called in to help Samara Crichton and Nazilla with Playful Ballet. Recently, Crichton and myself went to a Playful Ballet convention to explore options."
I kept silent and didn't say that him taking Samara was purely for his benefit. He wanted to take her out on a date and the only reason I hadn't stopped him was that Kered had been captured.
"We have found a way to take the front out." Mark continued and a faint smile formed on his lips. The fact that Kered hadn't interrupted him seemed to give him courage.
"The heads of the front will be gathered soon." Samara said. "Martha has already set a plan in motion to make sure the front won't be able to start up again once the leaders are killed."
"I still don't think we need to kill them." Martha said.
Kered sighed and everyone in the room tensed up. "Those who work with The Net aren't really people anymore." He replied. "Even Nazilla is more human than they are. The only sure way to stop them is to kill them."
"Unless they need to be tortured first for information." Samara added and had to hold back a look of revulsion.
Martha's only reaction was to nod.
"How soon will the attack on Playful Ballet be ready to execute?" Kered asked Mark.
"Two weeks." Mark replied and Kered responded with a nod.
"Can't wait to get The Net back for what they did." Rebecca said and pointed to her knee.
"The Net didn't capture me." Kered said and everyone but me looked confused. I felt confused but my body didn't show it. "Logic did."
"Logic?" Stewart asked.
"We have a new enemy." Kered continued. "Logic is a secret organization in The Net made purely up of Machines. Specifically, every Machine besides the M-3s and M-4s."
"Is it possible they are evolving themselves?" I asked. "When we went to rescue you, Kered, some of the Machines I scanned gave me an odd reading."
"What do you mean by odd?" Stewart asked.
"The readings from the scan said they were M-4s but something was off." I replied. "I can't explain it any other way."
"It is possible." Kered said. "Also, your rescue was probably made easier so that Logic could get knowledge of itself out. So that Karma would be in fear of being beaten on two fronts."
"I had heard mention of Logic before." I said, regretting that I hadn't picked up on the information sooner. "Before I escaped from Netty, I had heard a comment about Logic but just brushed it off."
"It wasn't your fault." Samara comforted me. "There were other things on your mind."
"Do you know how many things I can think of at once now?" I asked. "Because I was thinking of other things is no excuse for me to let something like that slip."
"Crichton, you can discuss Nazilla's failure with her later." Kered said and Sam turned her gaze back to Kered quickly.
A few minutes later the meeting ended and dinner was prepared. Since Kered was with us, I stood behind Samara and didn't pretend to actually be interested in food. I also remained silent as the conversation started.
The only piece of conversation I put any thought into was one of Kered's comments, "Never trust a Machine. Those things don't feel or think like we do. They don't care about us. Even if one helps you, don't trust it."
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Saturday, January 5, 2013
Insurgent (Veronica Roth)
Title: Insurgent
Series: The Divergent Trilogy
Author: Veronica Roth
Released: 2012
Rating: 5/5
Basic Plot: Chicago is now at the brink of war. Tris must now do what is right while figuring out who is friend and who is foe.
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Bigger and Better
I will just say 'wow'. Divergent (first book in the trilogy) was awesome but was the first part and, therefore, the setup. Everything expands from the first book here. Tobias/Four's relationship with Tris is explored with many ups and downs (great thing about this, no love triangle in sight!). The reasoning behind Jeanine Matthews' (the leader of the Erudite) plans to mind control the people of Chicago is explained (which made me more understanding of why she did what she did, though still not thinking of her as a good character). Plus there are good characters that turn out to be traitors and bad characters that end up doing good things.
Many Plot Twists
There are many points in this novel where there are plot twists. I won't mention any names here for the sake of keeping this spoiler free as possible. I will say that one made me feel like I was in extreme pain. The reason behind this was because I didn't think the character had it in him/her to do it. Truthfully, I don't think I'll ever get over what that character did and might do in the sequel (which hasn't been officially named yet, I believe). Another plot twist (where it is revealed a character isn't straight) didn't make any impact on me. It didn't really do much for the story.
The Growth of Tris
Tris is recovering from the events of Divergent as more painful events happen in this novel. How she reacts to the grief is sometimes annoying to me. The main thing is when she can't fire a gun (for the majority of the novel). I know Veronica Roth was trying to be realistic but it was still annoying to see a strong female character not being able to fire a gun. That being said, I am proud of her for pursuing truth so she doesn't mess up.
Final Thoughts
Holy flying penguins! This book was just awesome. I read this over 500 page book in two days (the large print, simple words, and shape of the book did help) and I would've read it quicker if I didn't have anything important to do. The twist at this ending will leave you breathless and craving for the final part of the trilogy. I won't mention the twist here (might make a post about it in another post, though) due to it being probably the biggest thing in the trilogy yet far. How big? It will change everything you think you know about the Divergent Universe. Yeah, that big. And I can't wait for it to be fully explained in the final part of this series.
Series: The Divergent Trilogy
Author: Veronica Roth
Released: 2012
Rating: 5/5
Basic Plot: Chicago is now at the brink of war. Tris must now do what is right while figuring out who is friend and who is foe.
--------------------------
Bigger and Better
I will just say 'wow'. Divergent (first book in the trilogy) was awesome but was the first part and, therefore, the setup. Everything expands from the first book here. Tobias/Four's relationship with Tris is explored with many ups and downs (great thing about this, no love triangle in sight!). The reasoning behind Jeanine Matthews' (the leader of the Erudite) plans to mind control the people of Chicago is explained (which made me more understanding of why she did what she did, though still not thinking of her as a good character). Plus there are good characters that turn out to be traitors and bad characters that end up doing good things.
Many Plot Twists
There are many points in this novel where there are plot twists. I won't mention any names here for the sake of keeping this spoiler free as possible. I will say that one made me feel like I was in extreme pain. The reason behind this was because I didn't think the character had it in him/her to do it. Truthfully, I don't think I'll ever get over what that character did and might do in the sequel (which hasn't been officially named yet, I believe). Another plot twist (where it is revealed a character isn't straight) didn't make any impact on me. It didn't really do much for the story.
The Growth of Tris
Tris is recovering from the events of Divergent as more painful events happen in this novel. How she reacts to the grief is sometimes annoying to me. The main thing is when she can't fire a gun (for the majority of the novel). I know Veronica Roth was trying to be realistic but it was still annoying to see a strong female character not being able to fire a gun. That being said, I am proud of her for pursuing truth so she doesn't mess up.
Final Thoughts
Holy flying penguins! This book was just awesome. I read this over 500 page book in two days (the large print, simple words, and shape of the book did help) and I would've read it quicker if I didn't have anything important to do. The twist at this ending will leave you breathless and craving for the final part of the trilogy. I won't mention the twist here (might make a post about it in another post, though) due to it being probably the biggest thing in the trilogy yet far. How big? It will change everything you think you know about the Divergent Universe. Yeah, that big. And I can't wait for it to be fully explained in the final part of this series.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Divergent (Veronica Roth)
Title: Divergent
Series: The Divergent Trilogy
Author: Veronica Roth
Released: 2011
Rating: 5/5
Basic Plot: Beatrice "Tris" Prior leaves her family (and faction) to join another. While going through Initiation she must also deal with her being a Divergent and keeping it a secret.
-----------------------------------------
A Real Page Turner
I could hardly put this book down. If all I could do all day was read I would've. I admit this review is out later than it should be since once I finished this book I had to start reading Insurgent (the sequel) right away.
Where One Belongs
A theme that this novel covers is where one belongs. Tris is a Divergent (aka someone who can fit into more than one faction) and so she can't tell anyone what she really is. This would be hard enough on its own but she's also a sixteen year old girl who is still growing up. She is trying to make friends as well as defend against enemies (who aren't above killing her). A lot is talked about the different Factions and how they interact with each other. In the Divergent Universe you belong to one of five factions (that dictate how you live your life) or live Factionless (who are basically the Untouchables). This makes fitting in very important.
Treats Young Adults Like Adults
This book is for young adults but it's not gentle at all. There is romance but there are also scenes that are hard to get through. At the end of the book it feels like Veronica Roth has personally beat you up to the brink of death. With that said, I would only recommend the strong willed to read this. It's a great read but you will be disturbed through many parts of this book.
Final Thoughts
I cannot say enough how great this book is. I decided I wanted to read this after I saw its good reception. I admit that I am biased for this book due to liking the dystopian future genre. I got this book as a Christmas gift. There is going to be a movie version released in 2014.
Series: The Divergent Trilogy
Author: Veronica Roth
Released: 2011
Rating: 5/5
Basic Plot: Beatrice "Tris" Prior leaves her family (and faction) to join another. While going through Initiation she must also deal with her being a Divergent and keeping it a secret.
-----------------------------------------
A Real Page Turner
I could hardly put this book down. If all I could do all day was read I would've. I admit this review is out later than it should be since once I finished this book I had to start reading Insurgent (the sequel) right away.
Where One Belongs
A theme that this novel covers is where one belongs. Tris is a Divergent (aka someone who can fit into more than one faction) and so she can't tell anyone what she really is. This would be hard enough on its own but she's also a sixteen year old girl who is still growing up. She is trying to make friends as well as defend against enemies (who aren't above killing her). A lot is talked about the different Factions and how they interact with each other. In the Divergent Universe you belong to one of five factions (that dictate how you live your life) or live Factionless (who are basically the Untouchables). This makes fitting in very important.
Treats Young Adults Like Adults
This book is for young adults but it's not gentle at all. There is romance but there are also scenes that are hard to get through. At the end of the book it feels like Veronica Roth has personally beat you up to the brink of death. With that said, I would only recommend the strong willed to read this. It's a great read but you will be disturbed through many parts of this book.
Final Thoughts
I cannot say enough how great this book is. I decided I wanted to read this after I saw its good reception. I admit that I am biased for this book due to liking the dystopian future genre. I got this book as a Christmas gift. There is going to be a movie version released in 2014.
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