Divergent: Great Casting, Suspenseful and Fast-Paced ★★★★☆

I had the privilege of seeing Divergent last night at the Thursday night premiere in my hometown.  My excitement built all day, as I've been waiting for this one for a while.  I love the book, and I wanted to see how the movie would stand up to Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times Bestseller. So many times I've been disappointed by the movie version of a great book or book series, and I wondered how it would go.  Would the characters be what I'd imagined as I read the book?  Would they really bring the book to life?  

Popcorn in hand, I headed into the theater early and got a great seat, impatiently sitting through the warm up pre-show and then anxiously tapping my foot to a TON of previews, waiting for Divergent to begin.

Shailene Woodley as Tris (right) &

Zoë Kravitz as Christina (left)

Finally it started and the images from my head came to life.  A post- apocalyptic Chicago with a huge walled structure built around it came up onto the big screen.  My next thought was that they couldn't

Tris, Dauntless & Learning to Fight

have cast a better Tris than Shailene Woodley.  In the beginning of the film, her minimalist look (hair, makeup, wardrobe), since she was being raised up in the Abnegation Faction, was plain perfection.  Woodley played Tris delicately when necessary and with fierce boldness once she gained her confidence in the Dauntless Faction. 

Oh, The Costumes!

Costume Designer Carlo Poggioli did an amazing job with the costumes for all five factions:  Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless and Erudite.  Simplicity was key, as was color, and he did magnificent work putting the entire piece together in costume.  I kept thinking, "Bravo, Carlo Poggioli!" A lot of what made the book translate to film was the costuming.  You can find out more about the five factions and what each one means here: Divergent Factions

More on the Cast of Divergent

Four & Tris, Weapons Training

Theo James is well cast as Four, a Dauntless leader and instructor who not only trains Tris, but becomes a mentor and friend to her and, eventually, well...no spoilers here.  He is handsome, strong and determined - and has a tormented past that's developed over time in the movie.  

Jai Courtney as Eric, Dauntless Leader

The part of Eric is portrayed in an over exaggerated fashion by the very buff-and-tough Jai Courtney, also a Dauntless leader.  Eric is a much crueler personality than Four, but for me, he overplays the part a bit too much.  The more I've had time to think about it, perhaps it was necessary to get the true nature of the training of the new recruits across.  At times, however, his depiction just seems SO over the top.  He certainly looks the part of Eric, which 
is a plus. 

Kate Winslet plays Jeanine in the film, the cold-hearted Erudite leader with plans to take over the government and kill all Divergents.  She is really deceiving her faction, because the belief of the Erudite Faction, book readers would know, is "a calm mind is a clear mind."  Jeanine is power-hungry and does not want to risk being challenged by anyone that is Divergent.  Always well-dressed and looking neat and beautiful, her beauty is quickly shown to be only exterior.

The supporting cast, Ashley Judd as Natalie Prior, Ansel Elgort as Caleb Prior and Tony Goldwyn as Andrew Prior, all give convincing and engaging performances as a Tris' mother, brother and father (respectively).  Ashley Judd is especially amazing, playing an Abnegation mother and then

Zoë Kravitz as Christina

showing her Dauntless bravery when protecting her daughter in one of the fire-fight action scenes.  Zoë Kravitz shines as one of the Dauntless trainees, bringing life to the screen in every scene she's in.

Tris and others that don't fit into just one faction, or have aptitude for multiple factions (which is rare) are called Divergents.  For instance, Tris was born into Abnegation, however, she has traits of three factions that she must conceal (Abnegation, Dauntless and Erudite).  Should anyone find out she's Divergent, she'll be in extreme danger.  Thus, the mystery and intrigue in the movie:  who's Divergent and who's not?  The movie is a thriller and keeps you watching, from start to finish.

The Trailer (for those who haven't seen it)

Changes, but Nothing Earth-Shattering

There are a few subtle things in the movie that are

Divergent Book Cover

either eliminations or changes from the book, but nothing earth-shattering that will upset a real Divergent book fan.  Overall, the movie's a really good adaptation, it's full of action and does a good job of covering Roth's bestseller thoroughly.  I can highly recommend seeing this one, whether you have read Roth's first book or not.

Divergent is directed by Neil Burger, who's known for The Illusionist (2006), The Lucky Ones (2008) and Limitless (2011).

Take a test:  Which Faction Do You Fit Into?

I give Divergent ★★★★☆

Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi

MPAA Rating:  PG-13 

(intense violence and action, thematic elements and some sensuality)

Running Time: 139 Mins.

Sex           ★☆☆☆☆

Nudity     ☆☆☆☆☆
Language      ★☆☆☆☆
Violence     ★★★★☆
Alcohol/Drugs     ☆☆☆☆☆

"What Makes You Different, Makes You Dangerous" 

(Pictures courtesy of trisandfour.com and divergentthemovie.com, book cover picture courtesy of npr.com & director, tagline & movie ratings information courtesy of IMDB.com)

     


   


    

Kate Winslet is Presented Her Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Kate Winslet, Actress

On March 17th, St. Patrick's Day, even after an earthquake hit L.A., Kate Winslet showed up looking beautiful in a perfectly fitted LBD to happily accept her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Winslet said, "I'm completely overwhelmed by the number of people that there are here today.  I honestly had no idea this was going to be such a well-attended event especially after the earthquake this morning, which frightened me quite a lot."

The six-time Oscar nominated British actress won on her sixth nomination in 2009 for the 2008 film The Reader, where she portrayed Hannah Schmitz, a Nazi war criminal on trial in post-war Germany, eight years

Kate Winslet in The Reader

after an affair with a younger man she nursed back to health.  The actress has also won two BAFTA awards, two Golden Globes, an Emmy award and a Grammy.  Now she just needs to win a Tony Award to obtain the coveted EGOT, which is winning all four major American Awards for Entertainment.

Her Hollywood Walk of Fame star is well deserved, and she is one of the most talented and versatile actresses in Hollywood.  Winslet's latest film, Divergent, opens in

Kate Winslet (left) & Shailene Woodley (right) at Presentation

theaters everywhere this Friday.  Actress Shailene Woodley, who stars in Divergent with Winslet, spoke at star awards presentation about Winslet.

Currently, Kate Winslet has two movies in pre-production and one in post-production.  I'm most excited about 2015's The Dressmaker, directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse.  IMDB describes the film this way: "A glamorous woman returns to her small town in rural Australia. With her sewing machine and haute couture style, she transforms the women and exacts sweet revenge on those who did her wrong."  This one had me at haute couture style!  It'll be based on Rosalie Ham's best selling novel of the same name.

One thing we can count on is the beautiful and talented Kate Winslet will continue to give fantastic performances in her films.  Divergent, A Little Chaos and Triple Nine are all coming soon, so we'll be seeing her quite a bit.  That, my friends, is a good thing.

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(photos courtesy of eonline.com and hellomagazine.com, and upcoming film/awards information courtesy of IMDB.com)

Divergent - The Film, the Costumes & the Fashion Inspiration

Are you ready for Divergent, set to be released on March 21st in the U.S.?  Based on the best-selling series of books by Veronica Roth, Divergent is billed as an action, adventure and sci-fi film.  It takes place in a futuristic world where all people are classified into very defined groups based on their human virtues, and Divergent appears to be a thrilling movie.  The newly released final trailer can be seen here:

Fans of the books will be keeping their fingers crossed that the movie will live up to the hype and come close to the thrills of the storyline in Roth's first book of the same name.

Shailene Woodley as Tris

Kate Winslet at Jeanine

The title character in the film, Tris Prior, is played by Shailene Woodley.  When Tris is told she is a Divergent and is unable to find a identifiable role in any one particular group, she then finds out that the cold, calculating and malicious Jeanine, played by the super-talented Kate Winslet, is heading a major scheme to kill her and all Divergents.  

Theo James as Four

Tris will have to learn to trust the enigmatic and handsome Four, played by Theo James, and the two of them will have to find out why being a Divergent is so perilous before time runs out for them.  One thing is sure, this movie will have a lot of action.

Costume Design for Divergent 

Carlo Poggioli is the costume designer for Divergent.  He was costumer designer on Cold Mountain (BAFTA Nominee for Best Costume Design) and on the TV Mini-Series The Mists of Avalon (Emmy Nominated for Best Costume Design).  Poggioli won the Capri Umberto Tirelli Award in 2007, as well as the Genie award and the Jutra Award in 2008 for the beautiful film, Silk, starring Michael Pitt and Keira Knightley.

Divergent Movie Poster

More recently, he has worked as costume designer on Season of the Witch, The Raven, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and still in production: Romeo and Juliet and The Zero Theorem.  His work on Divergent has simple tones, gray, black and white as the main color scheme, and a very futuristic feel.  

When Poggioli completed the sketches for the film, he told eonline.com "The colors they wear are shades of grey, the fabrics are all natural fibers and very plain, like wool and cottons. And the cut of the clothes is very simple and rough..." However, the trailer and the official released pictures do show a powerful aesthetic that could make him a contender for some nominations once again. 

 Divergent Fashion & Beauty Inspiration

  

Courtesy of instyle.com, these are just a few examples of Divergent-inspired workout gear

Click the link above to see a whole range of Divergent-inspired workout clothing by various designers. Below are just a couple of examples of how the movie is inspiring jewelry design:                                              

Left:  $10 on Etsy.com

Right:  

TomTom Earrings

as seen on   Instyle.com's  22 Edgy

Accessories to Look Divergent Tough

On the beauty front, Sephora has released a Sephora Divergent Cosmetics line, with three products.  Most popular is the Divergent Multi-Piece Collectors Kit (below), which is an exclusive limited edition and sells for $59.50. 

According to Sephora's website, to own it will allow you to "Embody the traits of each Divergent faction with 4 palettes for eyes and cheek, 4 lip glosses, and a brush."  To see the entire line, go to Sephora's site here: Sephora Divergent Cosmetics Line

Divergent is one of those films that will be trend-setting, from clothing to makeup to jewelry.  How far will it infiltrate the fashion industry and how long will it last?  That remains to be seen.  Nonetheless, I'm eager to see this one.  Watch for a review as soon as I get to the theater to see it.

Please leave your feedback and comments, and vote in the latest poll about which movie(s) you are most excited about seeing with release dates in March and April.  Divergent is in that list with four other films.

Divergent Trailer courtesy of YouTube.

Divergent  character pics and movie poster courtesy of divergentthemovie.com.
Carlo Poggioli bio information courtesy of IMDB and eonline.
Fashion inspirations courtesy of instyle.com, Etsy.com & Sephora.com