Bridge of Spies (2015)

Storyline

In the cold war, a lawyer, James B. Donovan is recruited by the CIA and involved in an intense negotiation mission to release and exchange a CIA U-2 spy-plane pilot, Francis G. Powers. The pilot was arrested alive after his plane was shot down by the Soviet Union during a mission and stays in the company of a KGB intelligence officer, Rudolf Abel, who was arrested for espionage in the US.

Review

Bridge Of Spies is a historical drama film starring Tom Hanks, co-written by the Coen brothers, and directed by Steven Spielberg. Even though its subject matter of the Cold War is something I know very little about, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I am now more interested than ever to learn more about it. I rank it among the best of Spielberg's most recent movies.

In 1957, tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War are at their peak. Spies from both the American CIA and Soviet KGB are a major threat to the security of both world powers and each side often resorts to hasty measures to stop any classified information from being leaked. In Brooklyn, New York, Rudolf Abel is arrested under the suspicion of being a spy. James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks) is assigned as Abel's defence lawyer. However the idea of defending a potential Soviet spy proves to be an unpopular and difficult task for Donovan. Meanwhile, over in the Soviet Union, an American spy plane pilot Francis Gary Powers is shot down and captured by the KGB. As a means to ease tension between the two warring countries, Donovan proposes a swap between the two prisoners of war, Abel for Powers.

Despite containing barely any action scenes and being almost entirely made up of talking, the film never feels boring or slow paced. This is most likely due to the Coen brothers' clever screenplay and Steven Spielberg's creative direction. There were many suspenseful moments where it felt like the prisoner negotiations would go horribly wrong and that kept me on the edge of my seat. Tom Hanks also gives another memorable performance as James B. Donovan, once again proving his versatility as an actor.

I rate it 8.5/10.

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Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)

Storyline

CIA chief Hunley (Baldwin) convinces a Senate committee to disband the IMF (Impossible Mission Force), of which Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is a key member. Hunley argues that the IMF is too reckless. Now on his own, Hunt goes after a shadowy and deadly rogue organization called the Syndicate.

Review

I saw this film on an IMAX screen and I'm glad I did. Although IMAX cameras were not used in the filming, I think the larger screen creates a more immersive experience and the sound was spectacular. But this film would be great in any format.

"Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation" is one of the best action films I have ever seen. The story is clever and action packed. The photography is amazing and the music is fantastic.

Much has been made of the stunt work, especially that done by Tom Cruise himself. It did not disappoint. And the action and chase sequences are as exciting as any I have seen.

We can thank the writing for the well-defined and engaging characters. Some Bond films have villains that are rather cartoonish, but in MI:RN the danger feels real, helping to drive the suspense.

The female lead, Rebecca Ferguson, deserves special mention. Her portrayal of Ilsa Faust is a wonderful blend of intelligence, beauty and strength and definitely one of the best in any action film. I can only hope she shows up in the next installment. some of the credit goes to the writers who created the character.

In all, this film offers everything you want in an action film and deserves a "10" for its place in the genre.

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Synopsis

Impossible Missions Force Agent William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) is directing two members of his team, Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), in an attempt to retrieve a package from a cargo plane that's about to take off in Minsk, Belarus. Luther is connecting Benji to the plane's electronics by hacking a Russian satellite, which is likely to get them into trouble -- and Brandt reminds them that they're already under investigation for misconduct. As the plane rolls onto the runway, Benji finds that most of the plane's systems are secured -- he can't shut down the fuel pump, the electrical system, or the hydraulics. Just then the missing member of the team, IMF Agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), sprints over a hill by the runway and leaps onto the plane, demanding that Benji open the plane's door. By the time Benji gets the right door open the plane is up and away, but Ethan escapes with the package -- many canisters of toxic nerve gas, conveniently prepared for a parachute drop.

The nerve gas was being sold to a terrorist group, but none of the people who sent it from Belarus had the means to obtain it. Ethan is convinced this trail will lead him to the Syndicate, an international criminal consortium whose very existence has been in doubt. Reporting to an IMF substation that's disguised as a London record shop to receive his next orders, Ethan is captured by the Syndicate and watches in horror as a Syndicate agent kills his contact. He wakes up in a torture chamber, where he observes some discord -- Syndicate operative and disavowed MI6 agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), who's preparing to interrogate Ethan with drugs, is forced to step aside by her colleague Janik Vinter (Jens Hultén). He's called the Bonedoctor and has a case full of scary instruments to prove his right to the nickname. Ethan escapes with help from Ilsa, but she refuses to go with him.

Meanwhile, Brant appears with CIA director Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin) before a Senate oversight committee. Brandt must respond to every question by refusing to confirm or deny anything without permission from the secretary (of defense, presumably) ... which he cannot get because there is, at the moment, no secretary in office. This allows Hunley to have his way with the committee. At his request the IMF is disbanded and absorbed into the CIA, guaranteeing that Ethan -- who Hunley thinks has gone rogue -- will be captured within the day.

Six months later, Ethan is still on the run. Unable to find the Syndicate without help, he enlists his former colleague Benji, who's happy to take a break from the CIA -- Hunley is sure Benji knows how to find Ethan and subjects him to weekly polygraphs (which Benji beats handily). Ethan arranges for Benji to attend Turandot in Vienna to search for Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), who Ethan suspects is the leader of the Syndicate. Although Ethan and Benji thwart three snipers at the opera (one of whom is Ilsa), the Austrian chancellor (Rupert Wickham) is killed by a car bomb. Ethan reveals to Benji that the Syndicate has been assassinating minor world leaders for some time; the murder of the chancellor of Austria is an escalation and a signal that the Syndicate is stepping out of the shadows.

Brandt recruits Luther to help find Ethan and prevent Hunley's team from killing him. Using a likeness of Ilsa left by Ethan, Brandt and Luther are able to track Ethan, Benji, and Faust to Morocco, where they're infiltrating a secure server underneath a power station. Their target is a well-protected ledger containing the names of all Syndicate agents and information on where the Syndicate keeps its money. The three of them execute an elaborate scheme in which Ethan is nearly drowned. As soon as he starts breathing again, Ilsa whacks Benji and takes the drive holding the ledger. During the ensuing chase, Brandt and Luther catch up with Ethan and Benji, while Ilsa joins a team of Syndicate motorcycle goons just long enough to get a bike of her own. Ilsa manages to escape, but Benji reveals he had already made a copy of the data.

Ilsa returns to London and attempts to pass the drive containing the Syndicate ledger to her handler, MI6 Director Attlee (Simon McBurney), who compels Ilsa to return to the Syndicate and finish her mission. She returns to Lane, only to find that Attlee has wiped the drive, which in fact contained an encrypted "red box." A red box is a data safe programmed by the British government; unlocking it requires the prime minister's biometrics. The former IMF agents confront Ilsa, but when Lane's men abduct Benji, Ethan and company are told they must deliver a decrypted copy of the drive to Lane.

Brandt contacts Hunley and reveals their location. At a charity auction, the two try and prevent Ethan from attacking the prime minister, whom they and Attlee take to a secure room. Ethan, having posed as Attlee, reveals himself and has the prime minister confirm the existence of the Syndicate, a classified project to perform missions without oversight (though the prime minister insists that he cancelled the project while it was still in the planning stages). When the real Attlee arrives, Ethan subdues him and he admits that he had been covering up the existence of the Syndicate since Lane hijacked the project and went rogue.

Luther discovers the file actually contains access to billions of pounds. Ethan memorizes the data and destroys the file to force Lane to release Benji and Ilsa in exchange for what he knows. He goads Lane, drawing him into the open and luring him into a bulletproof cell where he is taken into custody. Ilsa drives away, telling Ethan, "you know how to find me."

Some time later, Hunley and Brandt return to the oversight committee, where Brandt once again refuses to confirm or deny anything without permission from the secretary. Hunley secures the reinstatement of the IMF, claiming that his previous efforts to have it disbanded were all to allow Hunt to go undercover. The committee, though skeptical, approves, and on the way out Brandt addresses Hunley as "Mr. Secretary." 

 

Terminator Genisys (2015)

Storyline

When John Connor (Jason Clarke), leader of the human resistance, sends Sgt. Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke ) and safeguard the future, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline. Now, Sgt. Reese finds himself in a new and unfamiliar version of the past, where he is faced with unlikely allies, including the Guardian (Arnold Schwarzenegger), dangerous new enemies, and an unexpected new mission: To reset the future...

Review

The newest entry to the Terminator franchise, strives with towering efforts to reclaim the glory of its two James Cameron-directed predecessors, but miserably fails to deliver even a faint hint of wit and sense, in the wake of its convoluted confusion-infested time-travel narrative.

In this fifth installment, ill-wittedly conceived and called GENISYS, The Terminator is definitely back, but his legacy is dead, butchered to bits of rusty metal junks through lazy and uncreative reinvention of its original source material. The timeline is set back to 1984. Skynet sends its own terminator from 2029, to kill Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke), mother of future subversive leader of the resistance, John Connor (Jason Clarke). Consequently, a human, Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) is also sent to stop the terminator, in humanity's desperate hope to save their species. At the time, Sarah is already being protected by her guardian terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), whose reasons of arriving in her time, is seemingly set to be never known.

Time-travel has always been a fascinating subject, and it in such fashion that Terminator: Genisys, attempts to build its own stronghold in the mold of the first two films. The take assumes an interesting onset, depicting an apocalyptic future where machines lord over the human minority, but it spirals down to fatal loops of nonsensical uncreatively-staged retreads when the what can be considered the inception of human salvation (Schwarzenegger's Terminator's arrival), begins. Once the deadly cat-and-mouse chases spin out of control, confusion begins, and the film itself, can't be bothered to clear off heads as it totally busy itself to trying to awe-inspire spectators, with elaborately-constructed action setpieces, teeming with CGI-mastered explosions, pursuits, and fight scenes. There's no denying that such attempt is carried out with colossal success, but the audience would inevitably find appreciating the feat, difficult and pointless . The proceedings are sutured into recreations of some iconic scenes of the original movies, while also devising its own, at the same time. But even with all these efforts, GENISYS still fails to generate sustained interest. The result of its motives manages to hit some of the nostalgic beats of the franchise, but tepid one-liners and confusing paradoxes would drag down its capacity to last. It is also by these narrative defects that interest is being stripped off its key players, making the audience barely care about the characters and the imminence of their extinction. This is why Genisys is way below the glory of its predecessors--the dread is barely present, and fear is forced, thus ineffective.

There is a screaming irony that bursts at the heels of this attempt to reinvigorate the sagging Terminator series: The Terminator (Schwarzenegger) returns to the past to save the whole of humankind, but the mess that is GENISYS, murders the franchise. 5/10

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Synopsis

In the year 2029, John Connor (Jason Clarke), leader of the human Resistance against Skynet launches a massive final offensive on Los Angeles. He is notified by his unit, Tech-Com, that Skynet will attack on two fronts in the past and future, thereby changing warfare forever. Connor sets up two attack forces, one to strike at Skynet's main defense grid in Colorado, and a second one, led by John and his trusted lieutenant Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney), to destroy Skynet's main weapon, a time machine hidden at a remote storage facility.

Before the Resistance can reach the time machine, Skynet sends a T-800 terminator back in time to 1984 to kill John's mother, Sarah Connor. Reese volunteers to go back in time in order to protect her and ensure John's existence. Moments before Kyle disappears, he witnesses a cyborg posing as a Resistance soldier suddenly attack John. As Reese floats in the machine's magnetic field, he receives fragments of memories belonging to an alternate 12-year-old version of himself (Bryant Prince) with a young Sarah, including a cryptic warning of events that will happen in 2017.

Both Reese and the original T-800 arrives in 1984 Los Angeles. The T-800 materializes near a garbage truck, and goes to the Griffith Park Observatory, where it confronts three punks and demands their clothes, as before in the first film. All seems to go just like it happened in the first film, that is, until a new, much more aged T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) appears to confront the original. The three punks run away just as the two cyborgs engage in a one on one brawl, with the younger one gaining the upper hand. However, just as the younger T-800 is about to finish the older one off, a sniper allied with the T-800 shoots it from the observatory's roof, disabling its onboard computer.

Meanwhile, Reese materializes in a back alleyway. He steals a pair of pants from a homeless man. Moments later, a police car arrives and its officer chases Reese into the alleyway. Reese corners the officer, taking his revolver and demanding to know the date and year, just like before in the first film. Much to Kyle's astonishment, the cop reveals that he knows Reese was to arrive at that precise time. Reese fires several shots at the officer, revealing that it is a T-1000 terminator. The shots stall the T-1000 long enough for Reese to escape into a nearby department store, where he grabs some new clothing. While fleeing, he inadvertently runs into two officers, Garber and O'Brien, who subdue and handcuff him.

Garber and O'Brien lead Kyle away in handcuffs, failing to see the T-1000 emerge from a dressing mirror. It impales Officer Garber through the back. Kyle and O'Brien manage to take cover behind another counter. Just when it seems like their luck is about to run out, an armored van driven by Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) bursts through the storefront, and knocks the T-1000 out of the way. She then empties a Desert Eagle pistol into it, stalling it long enough for Reese to get into the truck with her ("Come with me if you want to live!!"), and then drives off.

As they drive, Kyle finds out that the original timeline has been altered: Sarah already knows about Skynet, Judgment Day, and his role as her protector.Furthermore, Kyle learns that the T-800 sent from 2029 was already dispatched by Sarah and the new Terminator, who is now known as "The Guardian" (or as Sarah sometimes calls him, "Pops"). As Kyle is taking in the new revelations, the T-1000 attacks the vehicle. The Guardian and Sarah plan to lure the T-1000 into a trap from an abandoned factory. From there, the T-1000 disables the Guardian and re-activates the fallen T-800. The T-1000 then pursues Sarah while Kyle fends off the T-800. After destroying its flesh, Kyle finally destroys the T-800 by blasting its head off. Moments later, Sarah finds herself in a chamber beneath an acid bath set up as a trap for the T-1000, when she's approached by two Kyles. Unsure which Kyle is the actual Kyle and which one is the T-1000, she takes a lucky guess and shoots one of them in the foot. By sheer luck, it's the T-1000, which morphs back into its cop form. After yelling to the real Kyle to run, Sarah fires at the ceiling, unleashing an acid bath on the T-1000. The terminator is mostly melted, although it takes some assistance from the Guardian to do so (and not without damaging the flesh on the Guardian's right arm).

Sarah then explains to Kyle that the Guardian was sent to protect her from the T-1000 back in 1973, where the Terminator's arrival had caused a fractured timeline that differs from Kyle's. After saving Sarah, the Guardian began training her to face her destiny. The Guardian has built a time machine similar to Skynet's and Sarah plans to use it with Kyle to travel to 1997 to change the events that would lead to Skynet's initial attack on humanity. However, Kyle, convinced that the future has changed because of his new memories, persuades Sarah and the Guardian that they should travel to 2017 instead. He believes that Skynet will begin its attack on that year of the altered timeline; Kyle and Sarah time-travel while their Guardian spends the next 33 years preparing for their arrival.

In 2017, Kyle and Sarah materialize in the middle of a busy highway and are apprehended by police. The Guardian watches from a distance and follows them to a hospital. While being treated for injuries, Sarah and Kyle learn about "Genisys", a soon-to-be-unveiled operating system that will be used on every computer system worldwide: they realize that it is Skynet's precursor. She and Kyle are then rescued by what appears to be John Connor. As he leads the pair to a parking garage, the Guardian appears and shoots John, revealing "John" to be a nanomachine hybrid. John has been converted into a T-3000, and explains that shortly after Kyle was sent back, he was infected by a T-5000, and was subsequently transformed. His mission here is to ensure that Cyberdyne would receive Skynet's technology and secure its rise. The T-3000 John tries to convince Sarah and Kyle to join the machines and end the conflict, but they refuse. After a brief battle, the T-3000 is temporarily incapacitated with an MRI machine.

The Guardian takes Kyle and Sarah to a safe house in southern Marin County, where they make final preparations to destroy the Cyberdyne's Genisys mainframe before it comes online. The T-3000 pursues them to the Golden Gate Bridge, where Kyle, Sarah, and the Guardian are all taken into police custody. While awaiting interrogation, the trio is freed by O'Brien, (J. K. Simmons), who discovers that Kyle and Sarah are time-travelers, and the officer that Kyle and Sarah saved from the T-800's attack back in 1984. The three hijack a helicopter on the rooftop and head toward the Cyberdyne's San Francisco headquarters, with the T-3000 in close pursuit. During the airborne chase, the Guardian dive bombs into the T-3000's helicopter, causing it to crash.

Emerging from the helicopter crash, the T-3000 enters the Cyberdyne complex and advances the countdown mechanism from 13 hours to 15 minutes. As Genisys begins to gain sentience, the Guardian, Kyle and Sarah plant bombs at key points in the facility while holding off the T-3000. After a lengthy battle, the T-3000 reveals its true self before easily defeating the Guardian, only to be attacked by Sarah and Kyle. With not much time left, Sarah and Kyle escape while the Guardian traps the T-3000 in the magnetic field of the prototype time machine, where T-3000 manages to throw the Guardian into a vat of mimetic polyalloy liquid just beneath the magnetic field. Kyle and Sarah manage to reach a bunker beneath the facility moments before the time machine explodes, setting off the bombs, and preventing Genisys from coming online. The explosion also kills off the T-3000, destroying it once and for all. The Guardian, now upgraded with mimetic polyalloy components that the T-1000 usually has, appears and helps them find a way out of the debris.

Later, the trio travel to young Kyle Reese's home, where they repeat the warning about Genisys to young Kyle, ensuring the events leading to their arrival. Sarah is relieved believing that she is now free to choose what to do with her future. She decides to stay with Kyle.

In a post-credits scene, it is revealed that the Genisys system core was located in a hidden subterranean chamber and has survived the explosion.

Jurassic World (2015)

Storyline

22 years after the original Jurassic Park failed, the new park (also known as Jurassic World) is open for business. After years of studying genetics the scientists on the park genetically engineer a new breed of dinosaur. When everything goes horribly wrong, will our heroes make it off the island?

Review

It's been awhile I think that I have labeled a film "a thrill ride" but seriously though this film was a real thrill ride. It takes place about twenty years after the events of the first film. There is now a functioning theme park on the original island. They get thousands of guest and they have tons of money making attractions. But then the people who run the park get a little greedy wanting to make more money and bring in more people so they create a new attraction, one that is more dangerous and scarier then the T-Rex. This film was fantastic. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard lead this film very well almost as a good as Sam Neill and Laura Dern did in the first film. The kids as well Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins did a good job. Colin Trevorrow also was a great choice to helm this film and he did a fantastic job directing. Now yes this film was a sequel and a great one at that. It's been a long time since I have felt that a sequel is just as good as its original. This film to me is really good and just as good as the first film. The special effects were great and one of the best parts was the music. I have been a Jurassic Park fan since I was a little kid and this is actually the first of franchise that I have seen in theaters as well. So this was definitely an amazing experience for me and hearing that original score in this film literally gave me goosebumps.

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San Andreas (2015)

Storyline

In San Andreas, California is experiencing a statewide earthquake that goes on record as easily the biggest earthquake in history. Dwayne Johnson plays Ray Gaines, a helicopter rescue pilot for the Los Angeles Fire Department, who is trying to find his daughter, Blake (Alexandra Daddario), who is in San Francisco amidst the chaos. Ray's estranged wife, Emma, is forced to turn to Ray for help, as he is her last resort. Together they journey to save their daughter.

Review

Where are all the ugly people? San Andreas puts a beautiful family front and centre of this disaster film and it leaves me wondering that only beautiful people can survive disaster attacks. You have a handsome well built leading man played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. You have his gorgeous wife, played by Carla Gugino and their hot hot hot daughter, played by Alexandra Daddario. Even the suave and Welsh Ioan Gruffudd has a small role here. I guess you can label Paul Giamatti as average or even below average and guess what role he's got here? The smart guy.

The plot line for the film is flimsy, so much so, that there is almost no plot at all. We have a basic outline of a story where we find our characters in the location where a giant Earthquake will take lots of lives and destroy lots of buildings. Johnson plays a rescue chopper pilot, we see his skills in the opening sequences where he has to rescue a young blonde woman who's stuck in her van falling down a cliff. Our hero, front and centre, rescues the poor girl and goes back home to find divorce papers waiting for him. His family is falling apart due to a horribly tragic accident that cost him the life of one of his daughters. His other daughter is alive and well, they seem to get along, so we have no daddy issues here. Except his wife wants to move on and move on with Ioan Gruffudd. He seems like a nice guy, when circumstance don't call for him to save another persons life or anything. As soon as a character like this pops up on screen, you can almost guarantee that they will do something dickish, which will push the wife back closer to her soon to be ex husband. What does this guy do? Leave her daughter to die while she is stuck in a car. This switch was almost instant. He was likable up until that point, then he becomes a total dick to everyone. When one's life is at stake I guess....

Anyways, I digress. San Andreas wants to entertain you with the abundance of special effects it throws at you. 2012 style effects which sees building collapse left, right and centre. People running through the streets, destroyed in seconds. Yet, our main characters always seem to be okay even when running on a building that is falling beneath them. Thrilling? I'm not so sure, since we've seen these scenes played over and over again in every other disaster film. San Andreas has the added bonus of looking completely fake when we have our characters dead centre in the action. Seeing both Johnson and Gugino is a boat roaming San Fransisco is hilariously awful. Nothing about this film feels genuine. The special effects look like special effects I see everywhere else. This film feels like 2012 lite. Centred around one family and their attempt to escape this destruction.

The cast is serviceable to their roles, which entails a lot of screaming, running and nothing else really. I couldn't help but roll my eyes in disbelief numerous times throughout the film. Let me ask you this: Both Johnson and Gugino decide they must find their daughter amidst this chaos. So they go to San Franciso, communications are down, tens of thousands of people are dying and more are looking for salvation. Will they find each other? This is after a tsunami has hit too by the way. What are the chances that they will be wandering around looking for their daughter and she will magically appear right behind them? I think it's pretty plausible....at least this film wants me to believe so.

San Andreas offers nothing new and it feels like rehashed material. I guess if you like disaster films check it out, or just watch 2012 again, it's almost the sam damn movie. At least in that one we get to see the destruction on a much bigger scale.

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Synopsis

The film opens with the girl, Natalie (Morgan Griffin), driving through the cliff of San Fernando Valley, 16 miles (25.75 kms) north of Los Angeles, when suddenly the rock slides onto the car, causing it to fall then hang into the edge of cliff. Moments later, Los Angeles Fire Department helicopter-pilot Chief Raymond "Ray" Gaines (Dwayne Johnson) and his other colleagues comes to rescue the girl trapped in the car. Ray safely rescues the girl moments before the car falls into the cliff.

In CALTECH, Dr. Kim Park (Will Yun Lee) receives a data of minor earthquakes in Falco, Nevada and shows it to his collegue and seismologist Lawrence Hayes (Paul Giamatti). The minor quakes measure 2.0 to 2.6. Hayes is curious of why such a minor quakes can produce even there are no faults in Nevada. Hayes and Park decide to go to Nevada to test the theory.

While Ray is calling for his daughter, Blake (Alexandra Daddario), for the upcoming trip to San Francisco, he receives a divorce papers. Recently, he is divorced from his estranged wife Emma (Carla Gugino) and she is now with his new boyfriend Daniel Riddick (Ioan Gruffudd).

Meanwhile, at the Hoover Dam, along with Hayes, Park is now testing a magnetic pulse of quake. Suddenly, his device detects a sudden spike pulse then a stronger earthquake triggers. It measures 7.0 - highest ever recorded. As the dam starting to break, Park struggles to escape while Hayes tells the people, still on the dam, to get out. Park now exits the dam facility, however when he sees a girl - staying beside the dam while crying - he carries her out. After rescuing the girl, Park is impaled by a rod in his right foot. The dam completely crumbles and Park is killed. The disaster leads to the flooding in towns and the earthquake was the strongest and destructive ever recorded in Nevada's history.

Back to California, Ray arrives at his family house for planning what to do for the trip. After that, Ray is back to work for another mission: rescue the disaster victims in Nevada. Daniel and Blake head to San Francisco for a meeting. While Daniel is having a meeting, Blake meets an English guy named Ben Taylor (Hugo Johnstone-Burt) - having an interview - and his brother, Ollie (Art Parkinson).

In CALTECH, the reporter, Serena (Archie Panjabi) arrived and wants to interview Hayes about what happen in Nevada. Hayes states that they didn't know that there was any fault line in there. He says that they can predict an earthquake just like they did along with Park. One of his colleague interrupts Hayes and he presents him the data showing the pulse rates where detected on the entire San Andreas fault. The pulse rates were higher than Nevada. Hayes then explains to them on why the earthquake triggered in Nevada even there are no fault line: his theory is to draw a fault line near Nevada and it connects to the end of the fault boundary. Hayes predicts that the whole San Andreas might go off.

In Los Angeles, Emma is having a lunch with Daniel's sister, Susan, in a high rise restaurant. After some conversation with Susan, Emma answers a call from Ray, in the helicopter en route for maintenance. Ray apologizes Emma for what he did the other day. Their phone conversation is interrupted by the strong earthquake. Emma tells to Ray that they're having an earthquake and he also notice that the freeway is crumbling in the process. Ray instructs Emma to get to the roof for rescue. According to the CALTECH, the first major earthquake peaked at 8.5 and later 9.1. Not only in Los Angeles, but the whole California and the quake is heading to San Francisco where Blake and Daniel are there.

While the ensuing destructive earthquake, the people inside the building panic in terror; others are injured. Emma told Susan to get to the roof together, but she goes to the exit, only she is killed in a crumbling floor. Emma made it to the roof, with the floor and the surrounding structures crumbling in the process. Emma manage to recover and emerges from the rubble. Finally, Ray rescues Emma and barely escapes as the surrounding structures collapse. The whole city is now completely devastated.

Meanwhile in San Francisco, after Ben has the interview, Blake borrows Ollie's book to write her number in it for Ben to call her. As Blake and Daniel drive inside the parking lot, the earthquake hits. They manages to escape but the floor collapses ahead and they become trapped. The debris crushes the driver, making the driver's seat to stuck Blake's leg. Daniel leaves her for help. As Daniel calls for help, the debris falls near to him and kills a security guard. Because of this, he flees in terror instead of saving Blake.

Ben and Ollie are struggling to save her as the debris above her continues to press the roof. By using the screw jack to lift the debris out, Blake is still stuck but at least the driver's seat pushes away a bit. When Ben pops the tires, finally they rescue her. The trio get out of the building as the aftershock continues. The trio decides to go to the electronic store in order for her to contact with her family.

Blake, Ben and Ollie goes to the electronic store. Blake found the phone and she calls her parents that she's okay. Also, she tells them that Daniel left him. This makes Emma angry and she leaves an intimidating message to Daniel's voicemail. Ray advises Blake that they will need to get out immediately and they will go to Coit Tower as rendezvous. Ray and Emma quickly heads to San Francisco to save her.

Meanwhile, Daniel is walking through the crowd in the street when suddenly a strong earthquake hits again. The structure ahead the crowd collapses. In order to save himself, Daniel steals the safe spot of one of its victims. The victim is swept away by the debris.

When Ray and Emma are en route to the city, the helicopter's engine fails, forcing them to make a crash landing into the superstore in Bakersfield. As they try to steal the vehicle, which is already stolen, the perpetrator aims the gun to him but he manage to subdue the perpetrator and then they drive away.

With the help of Serena, Hayes is able to warn the others, through the news coverage, of a much bigger earthquake in San Francisco. He tells the people of San Francisco to get out now, and their lives depends on it.

After Ray and Emma obtain the vehicle, they drive out when they see an old couple warns that them to stop their vehicle - it is the now-opened San Andreas fault rendering the road impassable. They drive it back to the old couple who happen to own an airplane. In exchange for their stolen vehicle, Ray and Emma manage to fly their plane to San Francisco. While on the plane, Ray recaps about what happen with their daughter, Mallory, who died in a rafting accident. Ray regrets because he did not save his daughter. That's why Emma stays harder with Blake and that's the reason of Emma and Ray getting divorce. Then they fly to San Francisco

Blake, Ben and Ollie, walking through the streets of crowd, head to Coit Tower for their meeting place, but it is already engulfed in flames. So, they change the plan by going to the highest ground which is Nob Hill in order to signal her family.

Ray and Emma make it to San Francisco but they cannot land the plane because the airport has a lot of cracks and scattered planes. Ray has no choice but they will sky dive to the stadium - still standing - leaving the plane to crash into the Pacific Ocean as long as it runs out the fuel.

Meanwhile, Blake, Ben and Ollie are walking through the deserted street when the strong earthquake hits. The earthquake measures 9.6, the largest recorded in the history. Blake and Ollie quickly get into the side of the street but Ben goes to the opposite side. The glass shard, coming from the building, pricks Ben's leg. The remaining still standing structures destroy, ground ruptures, suspension bridge crumbles, etc. At the same time, Ray manages to tell other people to get the side of the stadium safely and the higher beams nearly crashes them - but all of them are safe.

After the earthquake, Blake carefully removes the glass shard from Ben's leg and then they move to the highest ground. Ray and Emma drive in the boat to the city where they see Coit Tower is on fire. He knows that Blake has gone somewhere else. They notice that the water recedes quickly, which means that the tsunami is about to hit the city. As the trio receives the tsunami warning from the radio, it is too late for them to head to the highest ground. So, the trio quickly heads to the Daniel's unfinished building.

Ray and Emma, in the boat, and the other boats manage to drive into the giant tidal wave. They almost made it through but they almost hit a cargo ship, that is carried by tidal wave. Daniel, is still on the Golden Gate Bridge, and is crushed by loose ship container, killing him. The cargo ship slices the Golden Gate Bridge in half and the tidal wave continues to hit the city. Sadly, most of the people, still on the ground, don't make it.

The trio is in now in the building when the tidal wave hits. Ray and Emma drive through the devastated town to find Blake. Blake and Ollie sees her parents riding in the boat but they don't see them. Ollie then uses the laser pointer - that he obtained from the electronics store - to attract her parents. Now the parents sees them inside the building, but before can save them, the building starts to sink into the ground. Blake is separated from the two brothers as they made it up to the floor. Blake is now trapped inside as the water continues to rise up. Ray manages to rescue his daughter, only the exits are jammed. Blake then apparently dies from drowning and Ray struggles to get her out. Ray then tries to resuscitate Blake, but as the building is going to collapse, Emma drives through the window and they quickly get out as the building finally collapses completely.

Once outside, after Ray tried to revive Blake, she's now back to her life and finally reunites with her family. Later, the five make it to a relief in Marin County. The family along with Ben and Ollie watch the sunset, on the destroyed and radically altered geography of the San Francisco Bay Area, and they talk about the future. They also see an American flag is wave to the now-destroyed Golden Gate Bridge.  

Mad Max : Fury Road (2015)

Storyline

An apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and almost everyone is crazed fighting for the necessities of life. Within this world exist two rebels on the run who just might be able to restore order. There's Max, a man of action and a man of few words, who seeks peace of mind following the loss of his wife and child in the aftermath of the chaos. And Furiosa, a woman of action and a woman who believes her path to survival may be achieved if she can make it across the desert back to her childhood homeland.

Review 

George Miller returns with a bang and takes the helm of this crazy 2hr bonkers extravaganza named Mad Max: Fury Road. First of all, the stunts and action sequences are SPECTACULAR. Tom Hardy breaths life into Max Rockatansky and Charlize Theron is excellent and emotionally perfect as Furiosa. The story opens, with Immortan Joe who has young ladies as his wives, but he'll goes down when they escape the sadist's hands. Max, who has a violent past with Joe's cronies, decides to help Imperior Furiosa take the girls somewhere safe. Furiosa can't trust Max, and neither can he. So it all comes down to Joe's cronies fighting against them reaching to their destination. The movie is a bananas car chase for the runtime, as Max and Furiosa work together to fight against the evils. And then, there is Nux, a bonkers "really skin coloured" guy, who works with Joe, played well by Nicholas Hoult. The 3D really pays off, and is worth the extra ticket. The movie puts all other action movies of shame, the effects really pop out. Well, this is a definite masterpiece. One of the best movies of the year, one of the best action movies ever made and the role of Theron's life. Miller is truly a mastermind as stated clearly in the trailer. This exceeded my expectations, and will exceed yours as well. The dark style, dark comedy and the over the top characters make a return in this reboot. Must watch, and worth the extra IMAX 3D ticket.

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Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

 Storyline

When Anastasia Steele, a literature student, goes to interview the wealthy Christian Grey as a favor to her roommate Kate Kavanagh, she encounters a beautiful, brilliant and intimidating man. The innocent and naive Ana starts to realize she wants him. Despite his enigmatic reserve and advice, she finds herself desperate to get close to him. Not able to resist Ana's beauty and independent spirit, Christian Grey admits he wants her too, but on his own terms. Ana hesitates as she discovers the singular tastes of Christian Grey - despite the embellishments of success, his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, and his loving family, Grey is consumed by the need to control everything.

Review

I don't want to spoil a lot, so ill just give ratings with a brief description on certain elements of this so-called "film".

Acting; 3/10. The acting was misplaced, awkward.. not to look at. At least convince us you're an intense guy, Mr. Grey.

Plot: 1/10. that wasn't a plot for a normal movie, it was a plot for soft-core porn.. which had as terrible acting in it as real porn.

Camera work/scenery/etc. 7/10 for what it is.. great camera work i guess and good scenery

Romance; 2/10. I've seen the notebook... that's romance. This is a poor attempt to romance. It tries to tell you they're madly in love, but it's just a weird sexual relationship.

Drama: 1/10. there is no thrill.. no intense things going on. There is no drama in this soft-core-erotic-drama.

"The deeds" 10/10.. they did it. so.. can't give it any lower points than this.

Overall, it's was horrible acted, plot-less, non-romantic nor drama movie about a girl being horny and the guy doing an attempt of BDSM, which comes down to.. soft-core.. almost nothing different than normal sex with bondage.. boring sh*t.

on that note, go watch the kings man; secret service. that's one of the best action movies i've seen in a while!

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Synopsis

Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) is a business major at Vancouver University in Washington state. She goes to the Grey House building to interview the mysterious CEO of Grey Enterprises, Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) in place of her sick roommate Kate Kavanagh (Eloise Mumford). Christian also happens to be a benefactor of the university. Ana asks Christian several questions prepared by Kate, including his being adopted at the age of 4 and if he is gay. Christian says he is definitely not gay. Ana is intimidated and clearly interested in him. After the interview, Christian escorts her to the elevator. He simply says, "Anastasia," to which she replies, "Christian."

At school, Ana is approached by her friend Jose (Victor Rasuk), who is a photography major who announces his pictures are going to be part of an exhibit at school. Ana congratulates him, it is obvious that Jose harbors feelings for Ana.

Ana works at a hardware store, Clayton's. She talks on the phone with her mother Carla (Jennifer Ehle), who informs Ana that she can't make it to her graduation because her boyfriend Bob (Dylan Neal) has broken his foot. Her manager Paul (Anthony Konechny) calls her over to help her in the back. Ana walks by an aisle and is startled to find Christian there. He requests several materials like duct tape and rope. Ana tries to keep her cool with him but she is very much enchanted by him.

Christian poses for a photoshoot shot by Jose, with Ana and Kate in attendance. Kate notes that Christian is unable to take his eyes off Ana. Later, the two get coffee together. Christian discusses his family, as does Ana. She asks him if he has a girlfriend, to which he states that he doesn't "do the girlfriend thing". He asks her if she is interested in Jose or Paul, but Ana says no. As they walk down the street, Ana is almost hit by a biker until Christian pulls her out of the way. Before parting, he hands her a business card and states that he's staying at the Heathman Hotel.

Following the end of their finals, Ana and Kate go to celebrate at a bar with Jose and a couple other friends. Ana gets pretty drunk and calls Christian while in line for the ladies room. Christian heads over to the bar to pick Ana up. Ana goes outside, and Jose follows her. He admits he likes her and tries to kiss her. Christian runs in and pushes Jose away from her. Ana then pukes and Christian holds her hair back before she passes out. He takes her back to his hotel room while leaving Kate with his brother Elliot (Luke Grimes).

Ana wakes up in Christian's room wearing different clothes since he says her other ones were covered in vomit. Christian takes his shirt off and reveals what appear to be cigarette burns on his chest. He brings Ana some toast and gets his chauffeur Taylor (Max Martini) to fetch Ana some new clothes. There is some flirtation going on between the Christian and Ana, but he says he won't touch her until she gives him written consent. They walk to the elevator, but Christian decides, "Fuck the paperwork" and they kiss passionately. He takes her home, where they find Elliot and Kate having sex on the couch.

Later on, Christian takes Ana on his private helicopter to his condo in the Escala Building in Seattle. There, he shows her his "playroom", which is filled with BDSM (Bondage Dominance Submission Masochism) materials like ropes, chains, whips, and floggers. Christian explains that he is a "dominant" and enjoys doing certain things with the consent of other women. Ana asks if it is love-making, but Christian says he doesn't make love, he "fucks hard". Ana is taken aback by this, but it doesn't push her away. She admits to Christian that she is still a virgin, a fact that surprises him. He decides to rectify this, and he takes her to the bedroom. He slowly undresses her and kisses her thighs. He lays her on the bed and proceeds to have sex with Ana, which she greatly enjoys. After the sex, Christian is in another room playing piano. A very naked Ana walks over to him, and they start kissing. He picks her up and takes her back to the bedroom.

The next morning, Ana and Christian take a bath after she fixes up some breakfast. They are about to have sex again when Christian's adoptive mother Grace (Marcia Gay Harden) shows up. Ana meets Grace, who is delighted to get to know Ana. Grace hasn't seen Christian in a while, and he leaves to take a business call.

Ana and Christian walk through the woods. He tells her that his first sexual experience was at the age of 15 with his mother's friend, who was also a dominant. Ana finds this fact to be disturbing, but Christian doesn't see it as such.

Before Ana goes home, Christian gives her a folder with a contract and certain guidelines/explanations for their BDSM arrangement. When she gets home, Ana finds that Christian has sent her a laptop for them to keep in touch and for her to do research on the subject. Ana looks over the list of explanations for the dominant and submissive, including certain sex acts and codes during the actual acts. Ana is both curious and a bit mortified upon learning some of these things. She sends Christian a message saying it was nice knowing him.

None too happy with this statement, Christian shows up in Ana's room. He gets her to lay in bed and he ties her wrists together with his necktie. He blindfolds her with her t-shirt and gets the rest of her clothes off. He kisses her body and runs an ice cube across her bare chest and stomach with his mouth. He then turns her around and starts to have sex with her doggie-style.

The next day, Ana decides to meet with Christian privately in a business meeting of sorts to discuss the contract. Ana rules out any form of fisting (to Christian's disappointment) as well as the use of genital clamps. For the most part, she seems okay with some of the requests listed.

The day of Ana and Kate's graduation arrives. Ana's father Ray (Callum Keith Rennie) shows up and sits with Kate's parents. Christian shows up and gives a speech. Two girls comment on how hot he is, and Ana leans over to them and says he's gay, to their dismay. After the ceremony, Ana introduces Christian to Ray after Kate refers to him as Ana's boyfriend. She and Christian get their picture taken for the newspaper. He also gives Ana a new red Audi as a gift, saying that he got Taylor to sell her old Beetle (something that she isn't happy with).

On several other occasions, Christian continues to try and show Ana what she can expect if she is his submissive. He bends her over his lap and takes off her pants, spanking her a few times, which she sort of enjoys. He brings her back into the playroom, ties her hands, blindfolds her, and strips her nude. He whips her butt a few times with a riding crop, which seems to excite her.

Ana joins Christian at his mother's house since his sister Mia (Rita Ora) has returned from her visit in Paris. Kate is also there as Elliot's date. During the dinner, Ana mentions that she is going to Georgia to visit her mother. Christian and Ana walk around the garden, and Christian is mad at learning that Ana is leaving.

At night, as Ana lies in bed, Christian mentions his birth mother being a drug addict who died when he was four. He barely remembers her but he claims to sometimes dream about her.

Ana heads to Georgia to be with Carla. At night she texts Christian and finds out he is going out for dinner with a friend. Asking, " with Mrs. Robinson?", Christian doesn't confirm or deny. The next day Ana and her mom discuss her new relationship over Cosmos at a hotel lounge. Ana gets a text from Christian saying, "Not ANOTHER Cosmo," which startles her. He walks into the bar and introduces himself to Carla before ordering himself a drink. Later, Christian takes Ana up in a glider and thrills her with loops and rolls. On landing he gets a call and has to return to Washington immediately.

Sometime later Ana returns to Washington with Taylor picking her up and dropping her off at the Escala Condo.

Things get heated since Ana still hasn't officially signed the contract. She doesn't feel comfortable with the thought of Christian trying to punish her for his pleasure. He tells her that he doesn't want to hurt her nor does he want to do anything that she wouldn't want him to do. She asks him why he wants to do this, to which he responds that he is "fifty shades of fucked up". Christian takes Ana into the playroom and pulls her pants down to show her how extreme their BDSM relationship can be. He says he will whip her butt six times with his belt, and he makes her count. After the sixth hard whip, Ana is mortified and she retreats to the bedroom to lie in bed and cry. Christian is sweating and breathing hard, She doesn't want to see Christian right now. She tells him she's fallen in love with him, but she knows that she can't be what he wants her to be.

Ana gets dressed and heads for the elevator, she leaves the laptop and asks for her VW Beetle back, Christian says it's too late but he'll send a cheque. Christian follows her and tries to stop her from leaving, but her mind is made up. As she steps into the elevator, he calls out to her, "Ana..." She only says, "Christian" as the elevator doors shut.  

Gone Girl (2014)

 Storyline

On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne reports that his wife, Amy, has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick's portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies, deceits and strange behavior have everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife?

Review

Gone Girl marks Fincher's tenth feature film and his most mature work since Fight Club. Centering on Nick Dunne, a husband desperately trying to find his wife all while having police and media accuse him of murder. The story sounds straight out of the Scott Peterson case and the film looks unlike any film I've seen in recent years. Lead by an all star cast featuring Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Tyler Perry and Neil Patrick Harris, Gone Girl rises above the pack with smart storytelling, phenomenal pacing and perfect performances. What Gone Girl does so brilliantly is taps into the audience's psyche regarding marriage and the ideology behind a sanctioned union that is corrupt. It is really heavy stuff when the story really gets to the meat and bones of it all. With plenty of twists and turns, Gone Girl keeps you, not only second guessing the whole idea of marriage, but the intentions of every character in the film. It is truly one of the most twisted films adapted from an even sicker and twisted book that's out there right now. Gillian Flynn does wonders with her adaption from her own novel. The dialog is crisp, the characters are multi-layered, it truly is a pitch perfect script that doesn't have one false moment in it. Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike are EXCELLENT in this film. This is a different Affleck, a very human and realized Affleck. Nick Dunne is a wonderful role for him and captivates just how good he can be with a terrific director. Harris and Perry give well rounded performances as well but are nothing compared to Affleck and Pike. David Fincher and his long time collaborator and cinematographer, Jeff Cronenweth create a dreary, horrific tone for Gone Girl that makes every twist and turn that much more gut wrenching. Every shot is meticulously planned, showing each shot as if it were a still frame that spoke a thousand words. It is truly gorgeous filmmaking. And now for the score...Trent Reznor and Atticus Finch deliver a perfect score, besting their Social Network and Girl with the Dragon Tattoo score. If Reznor won for Social Network, I fully expect not only a nomination but a win for this film. Overall, this is a mesmerizing film that demands multiple viewings to truly get the full experience. It is impeccably made, beautifully acted and an all around near perfect film.

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...

Synopsis

Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) is stroking the hair of his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike), saying through a voiceover that he'd like to crack her skull and pick apart her brain to answer that eternal question married couples have: What are you thinking?

July 5, 2012

Nick takes out the garbage early in the morning, and looks around at the quiet neighbourhood. He then goes to a bar he co-owns with his sister Margo (Carrie Coon). He brings her a Mastermind board game that she throws in with a pile of others. He asks for a drink, and she pours one for each of them. It's the morning of Nick and Amy's 5th wedding anniversary, and he expects another scavenger hunt. Nick seems distressed, not wanting to be there at all.

January 8, 2005

Nick and Amy first meet at a party in New York. He writes for a men's magazine and she writes personality quizzes for another. She makes a comment on the cleft of his chin making him look untrustworthy. He puts two fingers over the cleft so he'll appear more trusting. They take a walk and pass through a bakery that is getting a sugar delivery. Sugar is floating around everywhere as Nick and Amy walk through it. Nick tells Amy he has to kiss her now. He wipes some sugar off her lips and kisses her. They are later seen in bed with her lying on her back in her underwear and him performing oral sex on her.

Present Day.

Nick gets a call from a neighbor, telling him that his cat is outside. He returns home and calls for Amy. No answer. He goes into the living room and sees a table flipped over and the glass top is shattered on the floor. Nick screams Amy's name, startling a neighbor.

Nick calls the police. Arriving at his home are Detective Rhonda Boney and Officer Jim Gilpin (Kim Dickens and Patrick Fugit). They inspect the place. Rhonda sees a small splatter of blood in the kitchen above the range. In the living room, they see a wall with pictures of "Amazing Amy", a book series written by Amy's parents. Rhonda comments that she loves the books and is surprised to learn that Nick is married to Amazing Amy herself.

February 24, 2007

Nick and Amy go to a party held by her parents Rand and Marybeth (David Clennon and Lisa Banes). It is to celebrate the latest Amazing Amy book, where Amy gets married. As Nick and Amy discuss the exhibitions at the party, it becomes clear that the parents' fictional Amazing Amy character is a dramatically "improved" version of their real daughter that is sold it to the public. (For example, they gave Amazing Amy a dog, but refused one for their real daughter. They made Amazing Amy a prodigy cellist when real the Amy dropped out.) Rand asks Amy to go sit with some reporters so they can interview her. She does, and they ask her mundane questions such as why she's not married yet (to which she replies that Amazing Amy has always been one step ahead of her). Nick comes in pretending to be a reporter. He asks her more personal questions, leading up to a marriage proposal - opening his notebook to reveal an engagement ring. He mentions that she has a world class vagina.

Present Day

Nick is brought into the police station for questioning about Amy's disappearance. Rhonda and Jim find it odd that he seems rather indifferent and passive when answering questions and the fact that he doesn't know if Amy has any close friends or her blood type. He goes to call Amy's parents. Her mother asks to speak to Rhonda. In the next room, Nick finds that his father Bill (Leonard Kelly-Young) is in there after the police found him wandering around town, having left his assisted living facility (he suffers from Alzheimer's). Nick drives him back to the facility.

Nick stays at Margo's house while the police inspect his home. A pregnant neighbor, Noelle Hawthorne (Casey Wilson), who claims to be Amy's best friend, comes by and asks about Amy. In the upstairs bedroom, Officer Gilpin says that he found "it" in the drawer of "unmentionables." Detective Boney pulls out an envelope, labelled "Clue One."

July 5, 2009

Nick and Amy have been happily married for two years. On their anniversary, another of Amy's scavenger hunts takes them to the library to have sex in a quiet area. Amy gives Nick a gift. He opens the box to find a package of very high quality bed sheets. She refers to a private joke they had about how their sex was too good for ordinary sheets. He laughs and pulls out a gift for her - the same sheets.

Present Day

When questioned about this "clue", Nick says Amy always prepares a treasure hunt for their anniversary. The first clue leads him and Rhonda to his office, with another envelope on his desk labelled "Clue Two." Detective Boney finds a pair of red panties in the office. Nick is surprised by this discovery, as it doesn't seem directly related to the clue. The second clue mentions a brown house, but tells the detective that he doesn't understand it. Nick goes to his father's old home, which is painted blue. He arrives, but sets off the alarm. He enters the code twice to disarm the alarm, but it doesn't work. The phone rings, and it is the alarm monitoring company investigating the alarm. As he starts to explain that it's his father's house, the detectives arrive, so he figures they must be following him. He finds the third clue there but only has time to tuck it into his back pocket, hiding it from the police. The detectives question him as to why he's there. He says he comes by once a week to make sure the place doesn't burn down.

Amy's parents fly in from New York as a press conference is held to spread awareness of Amy's disappearance. Nick asks others for help, but he appears emotionless. He is asked to pose next to a poster of Amy, and a photographer captures the brief moment when a smile appears on his face.



Nick and Amy's parents meet with Rhonda to determine some possible suspects. Rand names an ex-boyfriend of Amy's, Desi Collings, who apparently tried to commit suicide after Amy broke up with him. They also mention a former classmate named Tommy O'Hara who was convicted of sexually assaulting Amy.

People go to the volunteer center to help find Amy. One person there is Desi Collings (Neil Patrick Harris), but he leaves without saying anything. Nick tries to come off as friendly to others, but Jim doesn't buy it. Even Marybeth thinks he is acting like a "homecoming king." Nick is approached in a hallway by a woman who extends her sympathy and offers to make him a chicken-Frito pie casserole. She stands next to him and takes a selfie of the two of them, telling him to say "chicken-Frito pie." He makes a fake smile as she takes the photo and he immediately realizes this was a mistake and asks her to delete the photo. She refuses, and he asks her not to share it with anyone. She replies, "I'll share it with anyone I please" as she walks away. The photo goes viral. Consequently, the media starts analyzing Nick. TV personalities like Ellen Abbott (Missi Pyle) paint him as an unempathetic sociopath.

2010

Amy's diary explains how both she and Nick lose their jobs. Amy talks about the troubles they are having, then says, "But that's all background noise." She says that none of it matters as long as they have each other. Then Amy tells Nick that her parents are having financial problems and asked her for her trust fund money, which is nearly a million dollars. Nick is shocked that she would do that without talking to him first. Amy explains that the money is really their money anyway, and then says, "This is the part where you say, 'It's all background noise.'" He appears to calm down, and repeats the phrase. Later on, Nick has started losing interest in the marriage and has begun overspending on electronics like video games and a new laptop. Amy thinks he is trying to make her look like a cold, bitchy wife. To make matters worse, Nick and Margo's mother Maureen (Cyd Strittmatter) has been diagnosed with breast cancer, forcing Nick and Amy to move back to his hometown in Missouri. Amy feels a bit upset because Nick didn't even discuss the decision to move to Missouri with her, although she does support it. In general, Amy feels left out. She says he is just using her for sex. Nick is getting ready to go out with his old friends one evening when Amy tries to persuade him to stay with her, but he refuses. Then she offers to join him, but he also refuses, saying how she won't enjoy it. Then Any makes the suggestion that they have a child. He starts to get angry, asking why couldn't they have had this argument four hours prior, instead of when he is about to leave. The argument escalates as they go down the stairs, and at the bottom of the stairs Nick grabs Amy and throws her down, and she strikes the bannister post and falls to the floor. He immediately looks shameful.

Present Day

A few nights after Amy disappears, Nick is at Margo's house. It's late and Margo has gone to bed. Nick gets a text saying, "I'm outside." Nick opens the back door. A young woman, Andie Fitzgerald (Emily Ratajkowski), comes in and starts kissing Nick. He tells her to be quiet while Margo is sleeping. He makes sure that Andie hasn't said anything to anybody about her affair with Nick or that he has mentioned wanting to divorce Amy. He asks her if she left some red panties in his office, and she is doubtful, but not 100% sure. They continue kissing and have sex.

Nick has Andie slip out the door early in the morning, thinking Margo is still asleep. However, Margo appears in the kitchen and angrily berates her brother for lying to her, knowing what would happen if the cops or media were to find out about this.

At night, there is a vigil for Amy. Nick stands alongside her parents, and tries to seem more empathetic and anxious to find Amy, telling the crowd how he truly loves his wife. Andie is clearly visible up front in the crowd and mouths the word "asshole" in a way that only he can see. Noelle walks by and calls out to Nick, asking him if he knew that Amy was six weeks pregnant. The reporters chase Nick all the way to the police car as they escort him away.

Margo presses Nick about the pregnancy bombshell. He says he did not know she was pregnant, but that he did want kids and Amy didn't. He shows her a letter from a fertility clinic that they were going to, stating that they were going to dispose of a semen sample they had left there, unless someone came to retrieve it.

Rhonda and Jim meet Nick back in his home and explain that the results of a light test showed that someone wiped up a large pool of blood in the kitchen. Nick also doubts that Amy knew Noelle, until Rhonda shows him photographs of the two of them together, along with Noelle's kids. She even hands Nick a document of recent expensive transactions from his credit card, mentioning items including golf clubs and a Stratocaster guitar, though Nick says he never bought any of those items. Additionally, Rhonda presses Nick about the fact that he upped Amy's life insurance policy earlier that year to over a million dollars. He barks back, "because she told me to!" Rhonda gets a call confirming Amy's urine sample analysis indicate that she was indeed pregnant.

Nick remembers the third clue in his pocket, and tries to decipher it. Rhonda and Jim continue their investigation, checking out the abandoned mall, now frequented by prostitutes and drug dealers. They find a local dealer and show him a picture of Amy. He tells Rhonda that she came by and tried to buy a gun from him. He had a clear memory of the event; it was Valentine's Day and she had been wearing a pink dress. They go back to Nick's father's home, wondering why Nick went there in the first place so soon after Amy's disappearance. In the furnace in the basement, they find Amy's diary hidden in the furnace, burnt slightly. Nick, meanwhile, figures out that the third clue refers to a wood shed outside Margo's home. He discovers a large pile of items from the credit card purchases stored there, as well as a gift-wrapped box in the middle of it all.

Amy's Version: July 5, 2012

We go back to "the morning of", and we learn the truth - Amy is alive and she staged everything to lead up to her disappearance. She is seen driving away from Missouri with her arm bandaged up with a blood spot evident on the inside of her elbow. Amy had used a variety of pens to make recent diary entries appear as if they were written over the past 5 years, and periodically threw each one out the car window. It documents a happy marriage deteriorating to the point where she buys a gun because she is afraid that Nick may kill her. She even faked her pregnancy by befriending pregnant Noelle and making her think that Nick was hurting her. Amy drained her toilet and offered Noelle lemonade until she had to use the bathroom. Amy then stole her urine and used it to submit it for the pregnancy test.

On their fifth anniversary, Amy told Nick to take a walk and really think about their marriage, knowing full well he would go for a walk in his favorite isolated spot along the beach and thus have no alibi. Meanwhile she set up a crime scene to make Nick look guilty. Her plans included suicide so that her body would be found to completely frame Nick. To make sure she's not found out, she cuts her hair, dyes it, and makes herself look unkempt and disheveled. She begins eating large amounts of junk food to gain weight. She hides out at a small resort under the name Nancy, even hitting herself in the face with a hammer to sell the idea that she is hiding from an abusive boyfriend. She befriends a woman named Greta (Lola Kirke). Amy tells her how she came across Nick leaving the bar with Andie during a snowy night, wiping her lips before he kissed her the same way he kissed Amy when they first met (this part is true). With her plan working perfectly, she postpones her suicide for another month.

Back to Nick

Nick brings the gift box inside and opens it to find Punch and Judy dolls, with the Judy doll holding a baby and missing a mallet. Together, he and Margo deduce that Amy has framed Nick for her disappearance.

Nick goes to New York to find Tanner Bolt (Tyler Perry), a lawyer specializing in tough, high-profile cases who has been following Nick's story in the media. He agrees to help Nick in his defense. He gives Nick the contact information of Tommy O'Hara (Amy's second boyfriend, who was charged with sexual assault) so that Nick can ask him questions.

Nick meets Tommy (Scoot McNairy) in a bar. Tommy says he and Amy dated for a while, but he could see that she was using him. He gave her some space, hoping she'd break off the relationship. One day, she seduced him, and told him she wanted rough sex. She staged a scene where she had marked her wrists and left neckties tied to the bed to make it appear he had tied her up. She went to the police, and claimed he had raped her. He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge to avoid prison time. Now he is a registered sex offender and has not been able to get a job. He warns Nick about how evil and manipulative she is. Nick later visits Desi after finding his address from a letter he wrote to Amy. After Nick asks Desi about his side of the story regarding his attempted suicide, Desi closes the door on him and walks back inside his house without confirming or denying the things she told Nick about him.

At the resort, Amy plays mini-golf with Greta and her friend Jeff (Boyd Holbrook). At one point, she jumps up and drops her fanny pack full of money. Greta and Jeff notice. The next day, as Amy is cleaning the room meticulous to prepare to leave, they force their way into her room and start searching for the money. Amy threatens to call the police. Greta says that she doesn't know what she's up to, but has dyed hair and she doesn't think she's ever been hit. Greta says, "You won't call the police." They find the money under her dress, and take it. Now penniless, she calls the Missing Amy tip line, and reports suspicious activity at Margo's wood shed. She then places a call from a pay phone.

Tanner goes to Missouri to help Nick and Margo clear up Nick's image. Nick tells Tanner what he thinks has been going on with Amy, dropping clues that only he would really know. For instance, the reason he knew that the "brown house" in the treasure hunt clue was his dad's house was because they used to pretend that his dad was a spy called Mr. Brown. Nick also admits to the affair, which Tanner says he ought to tell the cops about so that it gives them one less reason to think Nick had a motivation to kill Amy.

Nick later books an interview on TV with Sharon Schieber (Sela Ward) to tell his side of the story. Tanner coaches him to make him seem more likeable by having Nick admit that he's been unfaithful and dishonest, which would earn him some possible points in the media.

On the day of the interview, Tanner keeps trying to get Nick to come off less smug and more genuinely upset by pelting him with gummy bears in his dressing room when Nick appears too smug or untrustworthy.

At the same time, Desi meets Amy at a casino. She never mentions getting her money stolen, but she continues to play up the abused wife angle. They leave for Desi's lake house.

As Nick meets Sharon, a bombshell hits the news: Andie has confessed to her affair with Nick at a press conference, with Amy's parents. Desi and Amy see the news while Sharon gets wind of it at the same time. Marybeth tells reporters that her and Rand's love for Nick has ended then and there.

Desi and Amy watch Nick's interview with Sharon, while Nick is watching with Margo. Nick convincingly comes off as remorseful for the affair, but he insists that he did not kill his wife. Sharon lets him speak directly into the camera to say something to Amy. He says he loves her and mentions the woodshed (figuratively, apparently as a secret message to Amy) before putting two fingers on his chin, knowing Amy would recognize that. Margo checks the Internet and sees that Nick is trending positive with the public.

Things take an unfortunate turn when Rhonda and other officers show up at Margo's home with a search warrant due to the call about the woodshed. They find all the merchandise from the credit card bill. Both Nick and Margo are taken into custody. Rhonda reads to Nick the pages of Amy's diary, which ends with "This man may truly kill me." Jim brings in the missing Judy mallet from the puppets. It has been burned in their fireplace, but traces of Amy's blood are found on it. Rhonda now has a murder weapon, and arrests Nick. He protests, but Tanner shuts him up.

At Desi's home, Amy learns that Desi has security cameras installed all over the property. She is virtually a prisoner in his home. While he's out at work, she stages what looks like a brutal rape. She soaks her nightgown in red wine, binds her hands and feet, then crawls to the camera, crying, making it look like she's just been raped.

Nick and Margo are released on bond. The media continues to hound them on the way out, now that everyone is convinced Nick is a cold monster. Nick quietly whispers to himself, "Come home, Amy. I dare you."

Amy waits for Desi to come home. She gets a wine bottle and puts it in herself to create injuries. When Desi gets home, Amy seduces him and agrees to run off with him to Greece once the trial is over. They go into the bedroom. She starts taking his clothes off, tearing his shirt open, and they start having sex. Amy demands it to be harder. Desi is caught off guard, once he gives over to the moment, lifting his head to the ceiling, Amy grabs a box cutter she concealed beneath the pillows and slashes his throat. She is drenched in his blood as he dies underneath her. She does look upset about what she's just done.

Nearly a month after Amy's disappearance, Nick looks out his window and sees Amy drive up, still covered in blood. The reporters and neighbours are shocked and begin clamoring around Nick and Amy as she walks up to him. He whispers to her, "You fucking bitch", before she collapses in his arms.

At the hospital, Amy is interviewed by a roomful of police and weaves a story about how Desi kidnapped and raped her before she made her heroic escape. Rhonda asks her questions about the items in Margo's woodshed, but Amy deflects the question and returns to her rape story, while also being heavily medicated on painkillers. The reporters follow her and Nick home, happy that she's alive and that Nick is now vindicated. However, Nick knows something is wrong, and asks her what really happened. Amy forces Nick to disrobe to prove he's not wearing a wire. She goes to the shower to wash off the copious amounts of Desi's blood still covering her. In the shower with Nick, she all but confesses that she framed Desi and murdered him in order to return to Nick as he had requested (and presumably also to make her return seem heroic). Nick sleeps in a separate room and locks the door behind him.

Nick meets with Tanner, Margo, and Rhonda (who now trusts Nick) about this revelation, though without sufficient evidence and with everyone on Amy's side, they cannot prove that she murdered Desi.

Nick and Amy make their first public appearance together at the volunteer center, posing as a happily reunited couple. They are even set to have an interview with Ellen Abbott in their home. As they are getting ready, Amy gives Nick a gift, which is a pregnancy test. It's positive. Nick first says it can't be his, and he'll demand a blood test. Then he realizes that she has retrieved his semen sample, and is using this as a ploy to keep him with her. The tension escalates and he grabs her and slams her head against the wall, calling her a cunt. She tells him she's the same cunt he fell in love with. And she's the only cunt that ever made him feel like a man. Reluctantly, Nick joins Amy hand-in-hand for the interview. During the interview, Amy prods Nick and he says they're going to be parents, when Ellen appears overjoyed and hugs Amy. Margo later finds out about the pregnancy and cries for her brother, and is distraught that he plans to stay with her for the sake of the child for the next 18 years.

The film concludes with a similar shot as the opening, Nick stroking Amy's hair again, wondering to himself just what she's thinking.  

Divergent (2014)

Storyline

Set in a futuristic dystopia where society is divided into five factions that each represent a different virtue, teenagers have to decide if they want to stay in their faction or switch to another - for the rest of their lives. Tris Prior makes a choice that surprises everyone. Then Tris and her fellow faction-members have to live through a highly competitive initiation process to live out the choice they have made. They must undergo extreme physical and intense psychological tests, that transform them all. But Tris has a secret that she is Divergent, which means she doesn't fit into any one group. If anyone knew, it would mean a certain death. As she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly peaceful society, this secret might help her save the people she loves... or it might destroy her.

Review

The main problem from Divergent is that its premise is too far-fetched, improbable and illogical. If the story had been ingenious enough to justify so many conditions and unearthly circumstances, there wouldn't have been any problem. But no... this is simply another juvenile tale about the typical main character who must overcome her insecurity when she finds out she's "special", and her actions escalate until she practically saves the world... without forgetting, of course, the "unexpected" romance in the road to her destiny. Well, I'm speculating about saving the world. Divergent is based on a series of "young adult" novels I haven't read (and I will never do so), and the producers obviously expect to shoot sequels, so this first film establishes the (absurd) post-apocalyptic world, the bland characters and the obligatory conspiracy in which NOTHING IS LIKE IT SEEMS (translation: everything is exactly like it seems, from the predictable villain to the gallant who starts being a hateful lout, until he softens himself and shows his romantic side). In other words, a simpleton and innocuous teenage fantasy made for female spectators; and another attempt to create the saga which will inherit the crown from The Hunger Games... something which isn't precisely bad. Divergent was made for a very specific audience, and I sincerely hope that the female fans of the novels are left satisfied by this film. For the rest, the production values are pretty high, the special effects are competent and the cast is composed in a big part by attractive multi-cultural young people who seem taken from a catalogue of Urban Outfitters (what a luck for the post- apocalyptic world). I don't know how the casual spectators can take Divergent; in my personal experience, it bored me very much (specially during the "exciting" conclusion full of action), but I'm very far from belonging to this film's objective audience. Each one will know his/her posture and tolerance to this kind of film; I personally regret having wasted my time and my money on it.

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Synopsis

The sun rises over a field in a futuristic Chicago. A rusty old ship rests on land, seemingly deserted for ages. Lake Michigan appears to be mostly dried up. We move to the rest of the area, where people are walking around wearing uniforms of identical colors to match their place of living. Beatrice Prior (Shailene Woodley) explains that after a great war, society was divided into five separate areas called factions to maintain order.

The Erudite faction is for the smartest and most logical-thinking people. They dress in a dark shade of blue.

The Amity faction is meant for the kind and peaceful. They grow crops and provide for other factions. They dress in orange and yellow.

The Candor faction values honesty, and they dress in black and white.

The most fearless go to the Dauntless faction. They are the protectors of the nation, and they are known for their bravery as much as they are known for their crazy behavior. Their uniforms are black.

Beatrice and her family reside in the Abnegation faction. They wear light grey clothes and are selfless and do not value power, giving them the nickname "Stiffs." They provide for the factionless, those who have no place to call home (basically the homeless population of the city). Because of this selfless demeanor, Abnegation forms the city's government. Beatrice's father Andrew (Tony Goldwyn) works closely with the Abnegation leader Marcus Eaton (Ray Stevenson). Her main concern is that she does not know where she really belongs.

Beatrice's mother Natalie (Ashley Judd) cuts her hair and only allows her a brief amount of time to see her reflection to avoid vanity. It is the day of Beatrice's aptitude test, along with her twin brother Caleb (Ansel Elgort), in which they will find out which faction they are best suited for. She asks her mother if she was nervous when she took her test. Natalie says 'No. I was terrified.'

Beatrice and Caleb go to the station where other 16-year-olds from the other factions are taking their aptitude tests. A Candor member, named Peter (Miles Teller), mocks the Abnegation kids and blames them for the dwindling supplies. Beatrice continues to wonder just where she will fit in. After the kids are all put through a brief history of the test and its origins, she gets up to take the test, monitored by a woman named Tori (Maggie Q). She puts Beatrice in a chair and has her drink a blue serum to start the test. Beatrice closes her eyes and then opens them to find herself alone, with Tori no longer standing by her side. She gets up and sees her reflection. She keeps turning her head and sees more and more reflections. Then there appears to be a rabid dog. It growls at Beatrice and then runs toward her. She closes her eyes and then sees it as a puppy. Her younger self appears, wanting to play with the puppy. It reverts to its mangy dog form, running to attack the little Beatrice. The older one runs after the dog, and they sink through the floor. Beatrice awakens with a jolt. Tori is in a panicked state. Beatrice asks her what the results were. Tori says they were inconclusive. According to the results, Beatrice is suited for Abnegation, but also Erudite and Dauntless. This is a rare case, known as Divergent; being suited for more than one faction. Tori tells her to go home and say she was sick from the serum.

When Beatrice gets home, she is hesitant to tell her family what her results were. She just says she got Abnegation again. Andrew says that he needs to resolve matters with Abnegation as there is trouble going on with the faction's helping of the factionless, as well as a rumor being spread that Marcus hit his own son. It's also hinted that Erudite wants to be the ruling faction, instead of Abnegation.

The day of the Choosing Ceremony arrives. The Prior kids meet the Erudite leader, Jeanine Matthews (Kate Winslet). It is suggested that someone in Erudite (most likely her) has been spreading the rumor about Marcus. Once the ceremony commences, the new initiates step up to a table with five bowls and a knife. They cut their hands and give a drop of blood into these bowls to choose their factions. Caleb chooses Erudite. There is scattered applause in Abnegation but the Erudite members proudly welcome him. Beatrice goes up, nervous. She cuts her hand and almost drops blood into Abnegation, but then decides on Dauntless. Her parents are surprised, and the Dauntless members welcome her. The initiates leave with their factions, and Beatrice looks at her mother one last time.

Beatrice arrives in the Dauntless faction with all the other initiates. They run wild, climbing to the top of the elevated train tracks and chasing after the train as it goes so they can hop onto it before it's too late. Beatrice meets a Candor initiative, named Christina (Zoe Kravitz). They then have to jump off the moving train onto a rooftop. Dauntless leader Eric (Jai Courtney) gathers everyone over the edge of the rooftop for them to jump into a hole. He asks for a volunteer to go first, and Beatrice steps forward. After some hesitation, she jumps into the hole and lands on a net. She is pulled out by Dauntless instructor Four (Theo James). He asks for her name, and she decides to call herself 'Tris'. When everybody else comes down, he leads the initiates to The Pit, where everybody is having fun and they get to eat. There, Tris meets an Erudite initiative named Will (Ben Lloyd-Hughes) and Christina's friend from Candor, Al (Christian Madsen). Another Dauntless leader, Max (Mekhi Phifer), comes out to greet the initiatives and welcome them to Dauntless. The initiatives, including Tris and Christina, get carried away proudly.

The initiates are given new all-black Dauntless clothing and set to begin training for them to prove they are worthy of staying in Dauntless. Eric warns them that if they fail to reach the top ranks, they will be kicked out of Dauntless and stay factionless, unable to return to their old homes. The first stage of training is combat where the initiatives fight against each other. Tris is put up against the last person to jump into the hole, a girl named Molly (Amy Newbold). Molly beats Tris easily. Additionally, she does not fare well in shooting practice or other tests. Four and Eric sneer at Tris and doubt her ability to keep up. To cheer her up, Christina, Will, and Al take her to a parlor to get tattoos. There, Tris finds Tori and follows her, even though it looks like she's trying to avoid her. She warns Tris that she shouldn't have chosen Dauntless as her new faction, because there are people looking for Divergents. She gives Tris a tattoo of three flying birds.

Tris practices fighting on a punching bag, with Four coming to watch. He tells her she's weak, but fast, and her moves won't work. He positions her properly and gives her tips on what moves she should use. Meanwhile, Christina is fighting Molly, getting beaten pretty badly. Christina is knocked to the floor and recoils from Molly, pleading for no more. Eric asks Christina if she wants to give up, and she says yes. He helps her on her feet and guides her somewhere. They walk over a bridge that stands over a deep chasm. Eric asks her if she's feeling better and then pushes her off the bridge. Christina grabs onto it for dear life, and Eric times her to make a choice - hang on and he will forget her cowardice, let go and die, or give up and force herself out of the faction. She almost slips off until the time is up, and she's still hanging on. Tris and Four pull her out as she cries. Eric reminds them that Dauntless cannot be afraid of anything nor can they ever give up.

The initiates then practice throwing knives at targets. Al throws his knife weakly and it doesn't hit anywhere close to the target. Eric tells him to go get it, but Al refuses to as everybody is throwing their knives. Eric stops everybody and forces Al to stand in front of the target. Before Eric throws his knife, Tris tells him that this won't prove anything. Eric makes her take Al's place. Four grabs four knives to throw. He throws the first one far away from Tris, but gets closer with each knife until he throws the last one close enough to cut Tris's ear. After the practice, she tells Four that he cut her, but he says Eric wouldn't have let her out of there if she was left without a scratch. The other initiatives, including Molly, congratulate Tris. Peter approaches her to congratulate her sarcastically while adding that there is a news report on both Tris and Caleb and their both choosing to leave Abnegation for other factions.

The next day, Jeanine and a couple of Erudite Council members go into Dauntless, as it is implied they are searching for the Divergents. Tris never reveals her status, but Jeanine tells her to let her know if she needs anything.

Tris is set up to fight against Peter. Four reminds her of the moves he told her about, which is to dodge her opponent's move and go for his throat first. Four also tells Tris that Peter always steps in before striking. Peter, being significantly bigger than Tris, has something of an upper hand, but Tris hits him in the throat as planned. However, he still ends up beating her hard, knocking her down, and then knocks her out with a stomp to the face.

When she wakes up, Tris sees Christina and Will standing by her side with black jackets. Will tells Tris she's been out for a day and that Eric has decided to cut her from the faction. Her friends leave to join the other Dauntless initiates on the moving train. Tris, not ready to be thrown out, runs after the train and hops on. Eric is slightly impressed by her determination and allows her to join in on their game. Both Eric and Four gather up members for their team in an extreme version of Capture The Flag, with everyone carrying guns full of darts that simulate the pain of a gunshot. They are all taken to an abandoned amusement park, are divided into two opposing sides, and Four's team tries to come up with strategies on taking the other team down. Tris appears to want to say something, but impatient with all the discussion she simply acts alone to get an idea of where their opponents' flag & forces are from a better, higher vantage point. So she begins to climb the huge Ferris Wheel. Four follows her, though he looks uneasy climbing up. Tris realizes that he's afraid of heights. They get their view on the other team and lead their team into an smart attack. Together, Tris and Four shoot through Peter and Eric, and Tris takes Molly down, and with Christina they gain the flag and emerge victorious. As part of a final Dauntless initiation, Tris joins the others on a crazy zipline over the city. She pulls the braking cable just before she hits the wall at the end of the line.

The next day, the Dauntless initiates are taking in bags of supplies from Amity and loading them onto trucks. Tris sees a light flashing in her eyes as if somebody is trying to get her attention. She walks behind the trucks and finds her mother had signaled. They hug. Natalie asks Tris if she really got Dauntless for her aptitude test. She admits her results were inconclusive. Natalie warns her not to let anybody know about this and to be safe, because Erudite is hunting down Divergents, believing they are a threat to their system since they do not conform to just one faction and are capable of free-thinking. Tris then asks Natalie if she was Dauntless. She leaves before answering.

Tris's ranking rises above the dreaded red line, keeping her right above Al. Her current position is #20. The next stage of training is a simulation room to test out the initiates' control of their fears. Molly walks out of the room, shaking and trembling. Four oversees Tris's test. As the simulation begins, Tris sees herself in a field outside a town, behind a fence near the Amity faction. A flock of crows fly over her and swoop down to attack Tris. She tries to run but gets stuck in mud. The crows surround her, but she tells herself "This isn't real," and she swims into what looks like a puddle but actually holds a larger body of water. Tris is snapped out of the simulation. Four asks her how she got out of there so quickly. She only lasted three minutes, quicker than most initiates. Tris says she just got into the water. Her second simulation has her coming up to her friends, but she is trapped by an invisible wall. Christina appears to laugh at her and then talks to Peter. Tris realizes she is in a tank that slowly fills up with water. It starts to fill up to the top until she is completely submerged. She sees her reflection and once again tells herself, "This isn't real." She taps the glass lightly, but it somehow causes a big crack before finally breaking completely. She wakes up from the simulation again, and Four once more questions how she got out of there so fast. He's noticeably suspicious, and tells Tris that no Dauntless has ever completed the simulation so quickly.

Tris goes to visit Tori. She reveals to Tris that her brother George was Divergent but he chose Dauntless as his faction. When he was found out, he was dropped into the chasm.

Tris goes to Erudite headquarters to visit Caleb. The other Erudite members look at her with surprise to see a Dauntless member in there. Tris tells Caleb that she thinks Erudite is planning to take over the other factions, starting with Abnegation. Caleb, now acting and thinking like a real Erudite, agrees, but maintains his devotion to his faction over his family ("faction over blood"). Tris tearfully leaves when she realizes her brother won't help her. She is stopped by two Erudite officials trying to take her in. She punches one of them and tries attacking the other when Jeanine stops them. She takes Tris into her office to refresh her. Jeanine reminds her of the need to maintain a balance in the system, as well as peace.

When Tris returns to Dauntless, she is caught by three masked guys. They carry her and nearly throw her into the chasm, but she fights herself out. She unmasks one of them, shocked to see it is Al. She fights them off and Four comes in to her rescue. He tends to her wounds, and she expresses disbelief that Al would attack her. Four says it's because he's trying to boost his ranks since he knows he's close to getting kicked out. Later, when everybody is eating in The Pit, Al tries to apologize to Tris for what he did. She tells him to leave her alone and that she'll kill him if he touches her. Afterwards, Tris and Christina come across the chasm where some Dauntless members are pulling out a body. It's Al, having jumped to his death out of guilt. Tris feels somewhat responsible for this. Tris admits to Four she isn't sure she'll pass her final testing either. When Four asks why, Tris says that Four knows she is Divergent. Four acknowledges that he knows, and says he's going to help her.

Four brings Tris into the simulation room where he lets her get inside his mind to show her his fears. They start off high above the city, simulating Four's fear of heights. Tris suggests they jump because it's not real, but Four says that's something a Divergent would do. They need to overcome their fears the way a Dauntless would. They walk carefully over to the tower nearby to continue. They become trapped inside a vent, simulating Four's fear of containment. The walls start closing in on the two of them. They discover some nails and wedge them into the wall-floor joint. This stops the walls from crushing them. Four's next fear has him being forced to execute a factionless girl, but he cannot look at her with his gun aimed at her. Only by looking away can he fire. Finally, he and Tris find themselves in Abnegation - Four's original faction. They're in a house. Coming down the stairs is Marcus, holding a belt. Tris realizes that Four is Marcus's son, Tobias Eaton. Marcus walks over with the belt to hit Four, but Tris fights him off, and the simulation ends. Tris and Four walk onto the balcony of his apartment. She realizes he is "Four" because of his four fears. He shows her the tattoos on his back. He has the symbols of each faction on his back. Four states that he doesn't want to belong to just one faction. He wants to be kind, fearless, honest, selfless, and intelligent. This hints that he, too, is Divergent. The two of them kiss.

Later, Four shows Tris a few Erudite members bringing in supplies. He shows her a vial of an orange serum that is being used to make people more prone to suggestion.

Tris's final test comes, with Jeanine and other Erudite members, along with the Dauntless members, watching her. She is sat down in a chair and is told that her hallucinations will be viewed on monitors. Her previous fears come back to her. She is almost attacked by crows again, but this time, she doesn't jump in the water. She sees the field catching fire and grabs a burning branch to scare off the birds. Tris suddenly finds that she's tied up and lashed to a stake among the burning field. She thrusts her bound wrists down so the fire burns the ropes, and then plunges her hands into the water as soon as she's free. Next, she is back in the glass tank that fills up with water. Instead of breaking the glass, she takes off her jacket and plugs the pipe that sends the water in. She then finds herself in Four's room. He goes to kiss her, but then gets aggressive. He throws her onto the bed as if to rape her, so she kicks him in the groin and throws him off. Tris appears to wake up from the simulation, hoping Four didn't see the last bit. Jeanine comes over to hand Tris a gun as her parents and Caleb walk in. Jeanine tells Tris that she knows what to do. Tris refuses, but then hesitantly aims the gun at somebody (we don't see who) and she pulls the trigger. This snaps her out of the simulation.

Tris is officially a Dauntless member. She and the other new members, including Will and Christina, are suited up and given guns as they line up for a mission. The Dauntless members are injected with a tracking device in case anybody gets lost, but Tris realizes they've actually been injected with the mind-control serum. As the Dauntless board the elevated train, Max and Eric see a man wandering out of line, uncertain of who to follow, leading them to realize he is a Divergent. Eric tells the man everything will be fine before he shoots him in the head. As the train carries the Dauntless, Tris very slowly and stealthily slips through the crowd until she is standing beside Four, and he takes hold of her hand. They are brought into the Abnegation neighborhood, ready to attack and round up the residents. The Dauntless members round up the Abnegation members, but Tris and Four refuse to join in the chaos. They are found out by Max and Eric, who conclude that both Tris and Four are Divergent. Eric aims his gun at Four, but Tris holds hers to Eric. Max aims at her, and Four aims at him. Tris and Four incapacitate both leaders and make a run for it, evading other antagonistic Dauntless members. They are then captured and brought to Jeanine. She recognizes Four as Tobias Eaton. He tries to attack her, but her guards hold him back. She has Four taken away while she orders Tris to be executed in a back alley. Before the villains can shoot her, they are shot by Natalie. She rescues her daughter, and Tris realizes that her mother was indeed a former Dauntless. They take their weapons to defend themselves. Will shoots at Tris and Natalie, and Tris has to kill him. She is upset that she had to do it, but her mother comforts her.

More Dauntless members appear to shoot at Tris and Natalie as they make a run for it. They fight back, but Natalie is shot in the side and quickly dies. Tris holds her mother and cries. She goes to find her father and Caleb in a safe house. She cries to her father, mourning Natalie's death. Caleb mourns as well, having left Erudite after realizing their corruption. Tris tells them that the serum Erudite gave the Dauntless members is controlling them into attacking the Abnegation members; part of a plot to usurp control of government from the Abnegation faction. To stop this, they must infiltrate the Dauntless fortress. Tris leads them away.

Tris guides Andrew and Caleb, and another fighter, to the train that takes them to Dauntless. They jump off the train onto the rooftop and down into the hole. Tris finds Peter and forces him to tell them where the fortress is after shooting him. The heroes encounter more controlled Dauntless members. Andrew shoots at them and kills them, but he is shot and also dies quickly. Caleb cries over his father, and Tris briefly mourns him as well. She continues moving until she finds the room with Jeanine and others, ready to complete the controlling of the Dauntless. all ready to kill many of the Abnegation members. Some of the Dauntless have already begun killing some Abnegation members off. Tris sees that Four has also been injected with the serum, controlling him to attack Tris. She fights back, but Four outfights her easily. Tris repeatedly tries to remind him who she is. She grabs a gun and points it at him, but then she turns it around to her own head. She continues to reassure Four, "It's okay, I love you." As Four takes hold of the handle of the gun, ready to kill Tris, she gently keeps his face turned toward her. This helps Four to fight back against the serum and throw off its effects. Four helps Tris fight off the villains. Jeanine tries to finish the process, but Tris throws a knife that pierces Jeanine's hand. Tris orders her to stop the process, and Jeanine refuses, saying she's willing to die for her cause. Four grabs a gun with a vial of the serum and puts it together. Jeanine snarls, "Guess you're not as Dauntless as you thought." Tris replies, "You're right. I'm Divergent." Four throws her the gun and she injects Jeanine with the suggestion serum, forcing her to release the Dauntless members from their control and then wipe the computer, erasing the program. After recovering from the serum and realizing what she'd been forced to do, Jeanine tries to attack Tris with her knife, but Tris knocks her out cold.

Four reunites with Marcus, his father, and he is obviously uneasy. Despite this, both Marcus and Caleb join Tris and Four as they board the train heading out of Dauntless. Tris is sad over the loss of her parents and she still doesn't know where she belongs. Four says he does know.

Tris narrates again, saying that they feel like the factionless, having lost their homes and loved ones. However, they will continue to fight if they must.

The film concludes as the train takes them outside the city wall to Amity.