I more or less feel the same toward the second book in the series as I did toward Divergent. It felt too rushed a lot of times and could have been done differently. I felt that the writing was lacking in some places and more could have been added, not in the story, but in the telling of the story. I did feel that it was slightly less rushed and flowed a little better than Divergent did however. A couple of things that bugged me with Divergent were also lesser in this book. All in all, I think I liked this one slightly more than the first. If you read Divergent then you definitely need to continue the series.
Expect an Allegiant review in the future.
Author Archives: TheAuthor
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Just like all the other Marvel movies, I loved this one. Had humor, action and a good storyline, though the humor may have been somewhat lower in this film than the others. All around the movie was good. The acting was pretty good, the action scenes were awesome, the storyline and characters were great and the special effects were amazing. In short, if you like superhero films and liked the other Avenger ones, then you will enjoy this one. Sorry for the short review, I hope you get the idea.
Divergent
First let’s look at it outside of the book. It is a good film with cool visuals, good acting and a good story. It isn’t necessarily my favorite movie, but I still recommend it. Not sure what else to say on it as a movie alone.
Looking at it with the book I have more to say. For once I think I can say that I actually liked the movie a little bit more than the book. I felt that the book was a little rushed in places and didn’t go into enough detail about a lot that happened. The movie showed it a lot better. There were also a couple of things that weren’t explained great in the book that the writers of the screenplay really helped our understanding of. There were a few things I didn’t like about it however. They changed a few things, most were just minor changes that made it better for a film adaption, but a couple bugged me. I won’t spoil it for you, you will just have to figure them out yourselves. One thing that really was a disadvantage for the movie was the fact that you can’t see into the characters’ brains. Since the book is first person, and a book in general, you can really see what a person is thinking and what motivates them. There wasn’t that bonus in the movie and they didn’t excel at showing it. Really, I recommend everybody read the book and watch the movie. For the most part, one is strong where the other is weak, so the two together are great.
Need For Speed
Maybe not the best film ever to be created, but I really enjoyed it. I have played the NFS video games for quite a few years now and really enjoy them, so I was excited when I first saw the trailer for this movie. I was not disappointed. It lived up to its source material (the games) but managed to become a good and well-rounded film. It had a good story with characters that are likable and believable.
As a car lover, I had a love-hate relationship with this movie. Based on the subject you know there are going to be nice cars and that damage will come to them. Both of these is true. I loved seeing the fancy sports cars, and I cringed every time anything happened to them. I’d say that my enjoyment at seeing them outranked the pain when they were damaged though, so I’d recommend it to other people who like cars.
There were a couple of things that didn’t quite add up or weren’t explained. To avoid spoilers I’m not going to say much, but I think a couple of things could have been slightly changed or better explained. This doesn’t really take away from the film, however. I just like to think everything through and if everything doesn’t match up or isn’t explained thoroughly I get irritated. Don’t let this turn you away though.
I definitely recommend this film, especially to players of the games and car lovers, but to everyone else as well.
Non-Stop
Completely lives up to its name. Don’t drink anything before hand, there is not any time to leave. The movie never stops, every moment is full of suspense. The characters were believable and intriguing. The way it is filmed really adds to the feel of the story and the effects are most impressive. I greatly admire the writer of this film, the idea and execution are genius. A movie on plane hijacking is not new, but the way this one pulls it off and the way the characters think is unique and very impressive. As always, Liam Neeson did an incredible job portraying a complex character. I did not expect what happened or who the terrorist was (no hints). Really I have nothing negative to say on this one and highly recommend everybody watch it.
Moment of Definition
Well, I had to write another poem for school so I thought I might as well put it on here. I really wrote 3 poems, each better than the last. I didn’t find the first two good enough to be graded on, so I didn’t submit them, but I will post them on here anyway. The first one I literally wrote at 3am, so it isn’t anywhere near my usual skill level, but it was a good place to start from. I’m sure you can see how one led to the other, especially with one stanza. Now, here they are:
This is the first one. I focused more on the structure of the stanzas on this one rather than the sound or meaning. No editing done.
At the edge,
Ready for the end.
Forgetting my pledge.
With nothing left to contend.
No
There is much yet to undergo.
The light in the distance,
Barely a faint glow.
Much resistance
Nothing to my ability,
My invincibility.
I am a dragon against mice.
Hercules and the hound.
You are a giant,
My name is David.
Burning like fire
Perforates my soul.
Taking muscles and lungs alike.
Cold and heat
Fight for dominance.
Each ripping me apart
From separate sides.
Metal or blood?
The taste that taints my tongue.
The end
Is all I see.
There is nothing I cannot beat.
I will find my way to dominance.
All in my way, feel free to depart.
I will change the tides.
Though I may tire
I will remain in control.
My body will not go on strike.
Every cell is a piece of rice,
Grain giving power to pound.
I am strong and defiant,
With a ferocity almost rabid.
I get stability
Through my adaptability.
No assistance
Is needed for me to go.
My strength is persistence.
There is nothing I cannot undergo.
Know
Any challenges thrown at me I transcend.
I must not fall off of the ledge.
I will learn to contend
At the edge.
This is the second one. Just kind of wrote it as it came to me, though I was trying to make it kind of more like a song. Not sure I really succeeded there. No editing done.
Sometimes you feel
That you are done.
That you cannot beat this ordeal.
That is a lie.
Sometimes you ask why?
Why has this demon awoken?
You are an eagle wanting to fly,
But your wings have been clipped.
Let me pull you from your crypt.
Let me show you the way through.
I will hand you a script
Follow it to victory.
I am a dragon against mice.
Hercules and the hound.
You are a giant,
My name is David.
Anything I can overcome.
Never alone I win.
What is failure?
Follow it with victory.
Is the Reaper chasing you?
The dark smothering you, smothering your soul?
Take the light of a Silmaril,
Follow it to victory.
Does it burn?
Your heart, your lungs?
The taste that taints your tongue,
Is it metal, is it blood?
I am a dragon against mice.
Hercules and the forked tongues.
You are a giant,
My name is David.
Anything I can overcome.
Never alone I win.
What is failure?
Follow it with victory.
That ache, that strain,
Permeating your form,
Is strength cloaked as pain.
Follow it to victory.
Though this may sound contradictory,
It is truer than blood.
Listen to this documentary.
Overcome this wall.
I am a dragon against mice.
Hercules and the swine.
You are a giant,
My name is David.
Anything I can overcome.
Never alone I win.
What is failure?
Follow it with victory.
And finally the one that I actually turned in. I’m proud of this one. Not the best poem ever, but I’m not a poet by choice, so I am proud of how it turned out.
Our moment of definition
Is the moment we give in.
The moment where it seems impossible.
When your tongue is tainted with the taste
Of metallic defeat.
Every breath is stopped
In the desert that has become your throat.
In that moment your eyes drop
You welcome the cool darkness
Introduced by your lids.
Fire ferociously tears your fibers.
Muscles feel an earthquake that comes from within,
Ravaging every cell, every protein.
Moist cold and dry burning
Fight for dominance.
Each threaten to claw away
Every ounce of strength.
Everything shuts down,
Blocks it out.
The pain.
This is the moment
Where anything is truly possible.
That fire searing your muscles
Becomes the fire guiding your passion,
Driving you into action.
Metallic defeat is now
Steel-hardened victory
Landing you in history.
Cool and dark
Drive you to become
A larger sum.
Tremors compile
Becoming the force
To make you stronger than a horse.
All that is needed
Is for you to make a decision,
And tell yourself with precision:
I am a dragon against mice.
Hercules and the hound.
You are a giant,
My name is David.
Then succeed.
As always, feel free to leave feedback or comments.
The Lego Movie
Awesome. Totally cliché and cheesy, but awesome. It’s meant to be totally cliché and cheesy, so it works. Laughs everywhere and laughs over laughs. If laughing adds to your life then this movie should be medicine. Not only are there a ton of moments just outright funny, but there are references to other films at every turn. I’m sure I didn’t catch all of them, but there were a ton that I did catch, so who knows how many more there are.
Now aside from the jokes the animation was awesome as well. I’ve always loved playing with Legos and seeing such perfect animation with them was awesome. The fact that pretty much everything could have been done with stop-motion with actual Lego blocks is incredible. There was a great cast and each was perfect for their role.
So do I recommend this film? Absolutely.
Everything is awesome.
The Monuments Men
Excellent movie. Not your typical World War Two action film, which was good. If they had made it like other war films I would have been mad. Different subject within the subject, it should have a different feel. It didn’t have much action in it, but I still really enjoyed it. Had a great cast as well, and as always, they did a great job acting. I really felt a connection with the men, and that is a compliment to the writer, director and actors (one of which qualifies for all three of these). They managed to turn what could have been a boring movie had it been done incorrectly into a very good film that deserves a lot of credit.
As for how real it is, I cannot say. A lot of these war films I know a lot about the subject, but I admit I had never heard of the Monuments Men before this film. I will definitely be looking more into them in the future, but I can’t say how close this movie was to the real events as of now. If you do know, please feel free to leave a comment.
I highly recommend this one to everyone. Even if you don’t generally watch war films, definitely get to this one. I’m sure you will be pleased. I’m always happy when there are good films that bring to light less known parts of wars and the heroes in them. I don’t care if you go for the subject or the movie itself or the cast (all good reasons and you should go for all three), but you need to watch this one.
Anchorman 2
Not worth it. I’m serious, this film is not worth the money. Crude to the point of un-comfortableness pretty much the entire time. There were not as many laughs as I had hope. It did have its moments, mostly the fight scene, which was a tribute to the best part of the first one. Other than that one scene it was pretty terrible. Not really anything else to say about it. If you really want to watch it, then at least wait until you can rent it for a dollar.
Divergent by Veronica Roth
I decided I should probably read this book before the movie came out. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series and watching the movies. It was pretty good all around and I enjoyed it, but it does not earn a spot on the top shelf of my home library. That being said, I will start with what I liked. The story is very interesting and moves quickly, especially toward the end. I kept reading, wanting to know what was going to happen. Still do actually, as I have yet to get Insurgent and am still very intrigued by the story. I also liked the characters I was supposed to and hated the ones I was supposed to and I felt like they all were believable for their situations. I also have to praise Roth for the writing. First-person present is extremely hard to write, for me at least, but when it is done well, it really adds to the story as it does here.
On that note I will jump to what I wasn’t impressed with. I guess not impressed may not be the right statement for this first comment, or any of them really. They are more preferences. First up: The writing style was different. I’m not exactly sure what about it was different, but I felt like it was very far from most books I read. That alone isn’t bad, but I didn’t feel as engrossed by the story because of how it was written. There were times when I wasn’t exactly sure what was going on or had to think about something because of the way it was written before continuing. There were parts, however, that I was really impressed with the writing. Next up. As I said before, the story moved especially fast toward the end. Almost too fast I feel like. Again, this is more of a personal preference than a real critique. The action at the end moved so fast I almost couldn’t keep up with everything that was happening. And last up. The detail. I’m a fan of detail, in my current big project I make it a priority, but I’m picky about where the detail is. In this book I feel like it got too detailed in the wrong places and there wasn’t enough detail where I would really have liked to see some. Again, this is a personal preference and it by no means makes the book bad.
I recommend the book to readers, mainly young adults. Not recommended for the youngsters. I enjoyed the book. It may not have reached top ten for me, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. So please, read it. Support my future competition…I mean colleagues.
