A Love Letter to Mr. Johnny Depp

I know what this looks like; an impassioned, oblivious note of gush-worthy proportions. With a side of stalker. But I can assure you, my dear Muses, that my intentions are pure. No, really, they are. He is an actor who needs no introduction, his body of work speaks for itself and, most likely, more eloquently than I can. But yet, here I am, giving it a go regardless. Depp is a Muse simply because he is… he refuses to fit into any mold what so ever. He exists in an entirely different plane of creativity. A true patron of the arts, if you will, he doesn't seem to realize any cookie cutter role for himself; he is not merely the broody bad boy, the villain or the comedic actor. He embodies all three of these and has even created some molds all his own!

Consider Edward Scissorhands, for instance. How do you begin to characterize that creation? Both comedic, tragic and real all the same time. Yes, I said real. There is nothing more honest and vulnerable than the silent-movie qualities of dear old Edward. I could go into great detail about how technically awesome his portrayal was. But, I'll get a tad more personal than that. That movie has always touched me on a personal level. Who hasn't felt lost and alone, rudderless in this big and wide world? Or, at the very least, like an outsider? Edward is all of these things and yet, he refuses to change. Why should he, I asked myself as I was growing up with this movie on constant repeat. He is perfect and beautiful and pure… the world should be more like him. He touches the lives of a few and then disappears; going back to his isolated castle where he realizes that, being alone is it's own freedom after all.

That is only one example, and there is a long line of other creations from his internal factory, waiting in the wings. Literally too many to list here lest this turns into a 100 page thesis on his overall breed of creativity. He is a true chameleon, doing whatever it takes to dive into his roles. But, I am no critic. I am just a humble and
 loving fan. I rarely watch interviews because there is a certain repetitive nature to the questions being asked. That and, let's face the one reality here: we will never know him. I can only know him for that briefest of moments when he is projected in character form; like a living canvas on the screen for about two hours. But, in a way that is his gift to us. A small piece of himself, frozen in time forever so we can enjoy it over and over again. The Mad Hatter, Captain Jack Sparrow, Barnabas Collins, Ed Wood and countless others. They are ours to enjoy at our leisure.

So, as Mr. Depp stands on the eve of another movie release, I find myself holding my breath. As always, the trailer looks completely amazing. Trailers usually do. Transcendence, they say, is a "departure" for Depp because it is a marketable movie. Expectations seem high, but regardless if whether it's a hit or not, Depp probably isn't terribly worried. Despite all the commentary and judgement… all the haters who wait poised for failure, he has always, and ever been himself. He makes no apologies, and furthermore seems to genuinely not care. Well, I'm sure he cares… and if you happen to stumble upon this letter, Mr. Depp I want you to know, that I know, that you know…. wait what?

Oh my, it seems I've confused myself... oh well. He gets the picture. And if he doesn't, he can feel free
to drop me an email and I'll be more than happy to clear it up for him. Ecstatic, in fact. My simple point is: there is not enough said about how inspirational his journey is. He has been, and always  will be, himself. If you don't like it, then there are a multitude of other actors out there to gush over. He is respectful in his indifference. In many ways, he jumped off the conveyor belt some ways back, and decided to trail his own path through the bumpy roads ahead. Sink or swim, it's been his journey. In a lot of ways, he's proved that you can achieve success, and even fame for that matter,  while still  maintaining who he is. Being different is not a liability, he insists, aren't we all different and weird in our own ways, anyway? Shouldn't we just embrace that about ourselves?

I endeavor always to try. And for that, I'd like to thank him: thank you, sir, for making it just a flea's breath easier for the rest of us. Oh, and good luck on that little movie, Transcendence, coming out April, 18th.

A Feminist's take On: "Divergent"-- From Book to Movie.

I know what you're thinking; the book is entirely different from the movie. I mean, basically world's apart by adaptation standards. Where does one begin? How about starting here: I actually don't mind the sudden string of book-to-movie adaptations that are taking over the big screen lately. Once a book is written, it's out there. Out there for us to enjoy and live however we choose to; hence the whole theory of having a movie adaptation to begin with! It allows a whole new group of people to experience the story; to meet the characters and join the fandom. There really is enough room for everyone, I promise.

So, let me begin by saying, I didn't totally hate Divergent the movie. I didn't love it either. I could sit here and knit pick what I disliked and, honestly, when I set out to write this post I almost did! Yeah, no one wants to read that! No, instead I'm just going to condense my opinion to 2 issues that I found most frustrating. Because, overall, there were a lot of truly glowing moments. Like when Tris took that literal leap of faith into Dauntless. I held my breath , and then laughed with her when she landed successfully. What a rush! And then that first meeting with Four… sigh. Yes, I'm a huge Tobias Eaton groupie. Don't judge me. At least I don't stalk any real people. SPOILERS!

Point One: They tried to copy The Hunger Games. I'm the first one to point out that, yes, Divergent shares many things in common with this series. Dystopian America, check. Corrupt government, check. Control freak president figure with overall distain for human life, check. Yummy abs, check. But that's all on the surface. Whereas the Hunger Games uses the actual games as a basis for all the unrest, and eventual revolution, Divergent does not. The rigourous training is necessary; it allows the initiates to build up their bodies and minds. To face their perceived fears and to become stronger, inside and out. Tris grows through this experience and very literally becomes a "warrior woman". There is also no love triangle, no side to take on which man is most "deserving" of Tris' heart in the end. In fact, there is a very realistic, messy, emotional and volatile relationship at the heart of this story. They barely gave that relationship a chance to flourish, basically throwing it together during one "show me your tats" moment. What happened to the slow boil?  I'm certainly not saying the entire movie was a loss; I just wish that they had embraced what makes Divergent unique. However,I do have to admit it was amazing to see women in a position of power. There was no separation of gender training within Dauntless faction, each initiate had to train in the same facility while learning the same techniques. It was refreshing, and one of the things that makes this story so strong right from the start.

Point Two: The ending was painful.  I mean, why did they have to rework the ending to begin with? All of you who read the book will, hopefully, agree. They ruined the climatic ending sequence  involving Jeanine for Insurgent!  And, officially, reduced Tobias to a pretty boy. He had a bigger role in that final sequence (rather than flinging his girlfriend around) and it was meant to show his duality. He's not just a good trainer/fighter. He's also a smart guy, who works in INTELLIGENCE!! I think he even says as much, for a split second, at the beginning of the movie. Why didn't he shut down the computers HIMSELF, like he was supposed to?? Why did they have to MIND CONTROL Jeanine? Like she would have been so foolish as to have been standing right there. In Dauntless headquarters. Basically ground zero, the whole time. With dozens of witnesses to her depravity, controlling the simulation herself. I thought she was supposed to be from Erudite, the logical-thinking faction. And, how will this play out for Insurgent,  where Tobias and Tris are blamed for "crimes against humanity", because they are believed to have caused the entire attack on Abnegation. I mean, the writers did realize there was another book, correct? This does have to make sense even in a Sci-Fi universe!

Ok, ok I need to calm down. Deep, cleansing breaths.

Ok. I'm solid again. Sorry, guys, I almost lost my cool there. Anyways, I didn't mean to slam the movie.  Fine, maybe only a little bit. The casting, though, was like a bright light at the end of a dimly lit tunnel. Take Shailene Woodley for example. Although she got started on some ABC Family show, her break out moment finally came in The Descendants, playing George Clooney's troubled daughter, no less. She got the chance to prove that she isn't just another pretty face, out to play the same teen-angsty role over and over again. A fact she got to showcase here  in Divergent. She made Tris real for us. Showing all the facets of her personality; quiet and somewhat shy but  still smart and observant. She's a fighter and you realize, as you do when reading the book, that Tris was born a fighter all along.

And, of course, Theo James. Not only is he a brooding, handsome guy with big pouty lips. But he managed to break away from that stereotype, just enough to show that there is more to Four. His dry sarcasm was just enough to make us chuckle, and let's not forget that final scene. Yes, it made steam come out of my ears just a little bit. But, when Tris turns the gun towards herself, I actually held my breath. You see Four battling with himself, his eyes confused and hard and…vulnerable. That is the essence of Four, to me anyway. He breaks the stereotypes of what a man should be, as much as Tris does for women. A man can wield a gun and yet still be vulnerable and a little lost as well. He proves that walls can be brought down, that a man can be both soft and hard at the same time… that all Tobias really wanted was to be loved in the end.

Ok, now that I've said my piece, what part of the movie did you love, or even hate for that matter? Are you looking forward to Insurgent? Any thoughts on Allegiant?

On another note, I've become recently obsessed with Ellie Goulding's song, Beating Heart. Check it out here! And anyone looking for another interesting read in this same genre, you should really give the Delirium series a look. It's available in Hardcover and for your Kindle.