The Golden Apple Awards: The 2014 Season

        It has been an interesting year for women in film; with stereotypical archetypes being pushed aside in favor of more realistic portrayals of our fictional female characters. No where is this change more apparent than in the Young Adult category- a genre that largely defines the teenage reading experience for young women. So, it should come as no surprise that below you will find two such specimens of that most beloved genre. However, instead of pitting these two Sci-Fi mavens against each other, it was decided to set aside the apple of discord between them in favor of  honoring what makes these fictional females so extraordinary to begin with. Spoiler Alert! You have been warned! 

And the Golden Apple goes to...

The Mockingly: Part I

Release Date: November 21, 2014

Rating: PG-13

     This is not your "average", dystopian YA-inspired movie adaptation. For anyone entering those hollowed, theatre doors expecting a no-holds-barred shoot-out, you must have faced the sort of bone crushing disappointment saved for the latest installment of the Twilight saga. This is a war movie and there is no way around that. Katniss Everdeen is no super hero who dusts herself off after certain destruction to only face off against the stereotypical villain for an epic ass-whooping. She is broken-- left huddled in the fetal position, tucked away within the deepest bowls of District 13.  Peeta is gone-- rather taken-- by the capital to a fate that is unknown to us. Don't worry, fangirls, you will receive glimpses of him on and off throughout this harrowing journey through Capital destruction. The citizens of Panem will rise again behind their figurehead, but as the title of this movie suggests; to what end? How much of herself must Katniss sacrifice before there is nothing left of her? As stated in a previous blog post, Ms. Everdeen's struggles have always far exceeded those within the arena's walls. She has juggled her undying need to be the protector/ provider of her family, all while trying to make sense of her confused emotional ties for Gale and Peeta.

In Mockinjay, her careful balancing act is about to collapse around her. Her very sanity hangs in the balance as the Capital taunts her with visions of Peeta in various forms of tortorous decay.Does she love him? Does she still harbor feelings for old flame Gale? Who cares! At the end of the day, she would much rather trade places with either man than cause them pain. Instead of experiencing this near end to the now infamous trilogy as a grandly epic thrill ride; it remained closer to the subject matter at hand. For those of us that are fans of the text, this is a special treat. The power in each scene lies behind the now tightly knit cast-- and those quietly intimate moments that occur when weapons are set aside and tears are shed. The entire film is moving slowly towards that one, titular moment at the very end.

For those of you that were disappointed with this cinematic gem, expecting more from the battle for Panem's soul-- do not fear. The war will begin promptly with the release of Mockingjay, Part II. 

  Divergent

Release Date: March 21, 2014

Rating: PG-13

      Only receiving a 41% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, even I must admit some mixed feelings about the movie adaptation-- as detailed in this movie review. Yes, there are some similarities between these two femme fatales but this blog post is dedicated to embracing what makes these women stand out. To begin with, Divergent is more a personality-test-on-steroids than a reality show gone amuck.  Tris is forced, very early on, to choose against her family and her station in order to break through the boundaries of what is expected of her. She does not want to follow the line of her Abnegation past, choosing instead to join the Dauntless and forging her own path. The entire movie unfolds as simply a series of physically/mentally demanding tasks that are meant to bring our heroine to the brink of success. It's only in failure that the audience begins to see that Tris is no outstanding woman.

She is just a girl, after all; trying to reconcile all the different facets of herself in an effort to move forward towards an unsure future. There is no love triangle here to distract from the overall story-- her loyalty to Tobias/Four will carry us through two more sequels before it is all over. How refreshing that a young woman should know her own heart well enough to find true love within the first handful of chapters. In the end, Tris teaches us that it is alright to push the envelope of what is expected of us. Sometimes we will succeed, and most likely we will fail. Hell, there will be times that our worst fears are realized (quite literally) and we may have to improvise our way out of that ever-filling water tank of failure. 

In the end, we must stay true to who we are if we ever expect to achieve happiness.  

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.