Interview: Cheap Thrills’ Pat Healy

You know Pat Healy, right? Well, if you don’t, that means you probably haven’t seen “The Great World of Sound,” “The Innkeepers,” or “Compliance,” and that also means you have quite a bit of movie watching to do. But before you get to any of that, Healy’s latest feature is an absolute must. In fact, “Cheap Thrills” is easily the best film I caught on the film festival circuit in 2013.

Healy leads as Craig, a loving husband and father who gets slapped with an eviction notice and loses his job all in the same day. In an effort to ease the pain, Craig hits the bar and that’s where he happens to bump into an old high school friend, Vince (Ethan Embry). A few drinks in, they’re joined by another couple Colin and Violet (David Koechner and Sara Paxton). Colin doesn’t just enjoy sharing a little of his wealth by buying Craig and Vince drinks; he wants to share a significant amount of it in exchange for dares. At first, it’s simple things like being the first to take a shot and antagonizing a bouncer, but the higher the payout, the more intense the dare, and with his home and family on the line, Craig proves to be quite the contender.

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The Best – and Worst – Movie Trailers of the Week

The first official teaser trailer for Into the Storm is essentially disaster-movie porn, but it’s been quite some time since we’ve seen an outrageous big-screen natural disaster, so all destruction and no story is really the most marketable way to go. However, marketability is only one component of a good trailer and this week’s Best Stuff selections have many more.

The Best Stuff

1. The Purge: Anarchy

The teaser for The Purge: Anarchy was a little underwhelming, but apparently for good reason. It turns out that first promo was only a baby step back into the 12-hour free-for-all. The first full trailer, on the other hand, goes all in and it’s all the more satisfying because the original teaser paved the way. By introducing us to just two main characters in promo number one and then letting different leads take the spotlight at the start of the second, there’s the added appeal of seeing how their situations differ and also the thrill of seeing them all come together.

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Review: Noah

When you’ve got Darren Aronofsky bringing a Biblical tale to screen, expectations are through the roof. “Noah” may not meet those expectations, but the film does nestle in just a few notches below. It isn’t a mind-blowing epic, but it’s certainly a riveting and worthy retelling of this story.

The film kicks off with a partial recap of creation, specifically what went down with Adam and Eve, and what became of their children, Cain, Abel and Seth. From there we cut to one of Seth’s descendant’s, Noah (Dakota Goyo), who’s just a boy at the time, but watches his father murdered right before his eyes. Years later, Noah (Russell Crowe) has a wife, Naameh (Jennifer Connelly), and three boys of his own, Shem, Ham and Japheth. After having a vision of man’s demise, Noah sets out to save the innocent – the animals – with the help of his family and The Watchers while Tubal-cain (Ray Winstone) and his followers threaten to claim their work, the ark.

As someone with limited knowledge of scripture, Aronofsky had a significant amount of breathing room with this and he didn’t let an inch of it go to waste. Whereas early memories of Noah’s ark involve a lecture or pages in a book, Aronofsky’s take is cinematic through and through. The performances are bold and engaging, most visuals are downright stunning, and they’re both featured within the context of an enthralling narrative. However, even though Aronofsky does deliver a worthy big screen Bible story, by going big in certain respects, he is forced to tiptoe around a number of potential pitfalls.

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7 Things We Want to See in the ‘Divergent’ Sequel ‘Insurgent’

Even though Summit Entertainment gave both Insurgent and Allegiant release dates months ago, the first sequel didn’t get its green light until Divergent managed to lock in $4.9 million in Thursday late-night screenings. Now, with $56 million in the bank, Insurgent is heading towards a May start date, and there are quite a few things the filmmakers should consider that could make the second adaptation a hit.

Warning! There are Divergent spoilers below.

Uriah

Uriah is a Dauntless-born initiate that makes an impression on Tris a handful of times throughout Divergent. Even though Uriah’s name did make it onto the Dauntless initiate ranking board and someone who fit his character description did pop up during the zip-line scene, essentially, he wasn’t in the movie. It’s disappointing because he is a fan favorite, but the first film adaptation was likely better off without him considering he spends most of his time with the Dauntless-born initiates and doesn’t have a significant impact on the flow of the narrative.

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‘Divergent’ 101: Meet the Characters

So you still don’t know much about the YA adaptation coming to theaters March 21, Divergent, starring Shailene Woodley? With so many people, groups and ideologies to keep track of, it’s no wonder you might be confused what it’s about.  See where everyone stands at a glance with our guide.

Jeanine Matthews

Jeanine is the leader of Erudite and Divergent’s main antagonist. She’s the one busy trying to demolish Abnegation’s reputation so that her own faction can assume control of the government. As a stickler for the rules and the “faction before blood” way of life, Jeanine has no tolerance for the Divergent.

Who is she? Academy Award winner Kate Winslet.

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20 Things You Need To Know About ‘Divergent’

It’s finally here! Divergent is due in theaters on Friday, March 21 and while the movie certainly stands on its own, there are a few elements of this world worth learning or revisiting. Here is everything you need to know to experience Divergent to the fullest.

The State of the World

Well into the future, long after an unnamed disaster, Chicago is in ruins. The large majority of the city is crumbling save for certain buildings in the downtown region. The tallest of them all, The Hub, was formerly the Sears (or Willis) Tower.

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The Best – and Worst – Movie Trailers of the Week

This was a very good week for movie trailers. So good, in fact, that this iteration of the column requires a lengthier intro. Even though three trailers earned the top spots, there are four others that deserve to be seen, too.

Noteworthy Newcomers

Maleficent blows its narrative wide open with its latest promo, hinting that the title character could have an antihero quality. We’ve also got a brand new international piece for Godzilla, and even though much of the material comes from previous promos, this one does have elements that will enhance your perspective, adding to the thrill. The Boxtrolls got a new trailer as well, and even though the promotional campaign is still steering clear of story details, this one does delve a little deeper by revealing the Boxtroll lore. Last up for the noteworthy newcomers that couldn’t quite crack The Best Stuff is our first look at the Peanuts movie. The first part of this piece was screened at CinemaCon last year, but now, 20th Century Fox has added an interaction between Charlie Brown and Snoopy that’s both highly nostalgic and will absolutely warm your heart.

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‘Divergent’ Fan Review: How Does the Movie Compare to Veronica Roth’s Book?

The first film in a potential young-adult book-to-film franchise is always a challenge. Not only do you have to convey a compelling narrative, but you also must establish an entire world around it, and in Divergent’s case, that’s quite the undertaking. The concept of a society being divided up into five factions is a strong starting point, but what makes the book a particularly engaging read is how that lifestyle sparks interfaction rivalries, family strife, personal problems, ethical issues and more. Director Neil Burger and the folks behind the screenplay do a standout job building this world and then filling it with meaningful details that newcomers can understand, appreciate and enjoy, but what about those who are already familiar with the ins and outs of this realm?

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Interview: Divergent’s Ansel Elgort

Meet Ansel Elgort. You better get to know him now because he’s bound to make quite the name for himself over the course of the year. Maybe you saw him in the Carrie remake, but Divergent is another story. With a sequel already planned and good buzz fueling its momentum, this will most likely become the next big YA franchise. And if we learned anything from Twilight, Harry Potter and Hunger Games, that will skyrocket its cast members to a new level of fame.

In the film, Elgort plays Caleb Prior, Beatrice’s (Shailene Woodley) older brother, but not by much. Now that they’re both 16, they’re due to take aptitude tests before participating in what’s called the Choosing Ceremony, which is where they decide whether to stick with their parents in Abnegation or switch to one of four separate factions: Dauntless, Erudite, Amity or Candor. Caleb does have a knack for being selfless, but what if his test told him he was a natural fit for a life of bravery, intelligence, peace or honesty?

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Review: Divergent

After a slew of young adult book-to-film adaptations essentially crashed and burned, it’s finally time for “The Hunger Games” to make some room because the quality of “Divergent” justifies all of the hype and gives the film a solid shot at becoming a successful franchise-starter, too.

The story takes place in a future Chicago in which society is divided up into five factions based on core values. The Abnegation place precedence on selflessness, Erudite believe intelligence is of the utmost importance, Dauntless pride themselves on bravery, Amity on peace and Candor on honesty. Beatrice Prior (Shailene Woodley) is a member of Abnegation, but that could change come the Choosing Ceremony. Even though she was born into that faction, it’ll ultimately be her decision what kind of life she wants to lead. Does she stick with her family or follow her gut? The Aptitude Test is supposed to help with that, but in Beatrice’s case, it only makes the choice more difficult because she didn’t test positive for just one faction, but rather three. Beatrice is Divergent.

Even if you’ve only seen a single trailer for “Divergent,” it’s quite clear that it’s a tricky scenario to explain. Some story components get lost in the mix, but the screenwriters do manage to convey the basics in a dynamic fashion. The film opens with Beatrice running through the preliminary details via voiceover, but soon enough, they’re paired with the appropriate visuals, and, much quicker than one might expect, you’re consumed by this world and ready to start exploring the details of the situation, and then Woodley takes it from there.

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