Dystopia: Divergent A Review

A Summary and Reaction on the movie “Divergent”

“Divergent” takes place in a rigidly structured, dystopian future where one seemingly ordinary girl discovered her potentials and later will serve either as its destroyer or its savior. The setting happened in the highly fenced remnants of a post-war Chicago a 100 years from now, to which the known society has been broken down into five factions or groups of people arranged by a primary, defining attributes like Amity, Candor, Erudite, Abnegation and the Dauntless. The Amity are harmonious, hippie farmers who dress in shades of sorbet. The Candor run the judicial system and value truth about all else. The Erudite are the serious-minded scholars who wear conservative, dark blue. The Abnegation are known for their selflessness and modesty. And the pierced-and-tatted Dauntless are the brave soldiers who protect the city from … who knows what? Whatever the perceived threat is, it requires them to run, scream and practice parkour wherever they go.

Woodley’s Beatrice Prior is a member of the Abnegation alongside her brother, Caleb (Ansel Elgort), and their parents (Ashley Judd and Tony Goldwyn). They dress in drab colors, eat simply and are only allowed to steal a quick glance in the mirror once every three months when it’s time for a haircut. Basically, they’re no fun, and Beatrice has a wild streak in her that she’s been forced to suppress.

When she undergoes the aptitude test required of all teens, which determines which faction is the best reflection of one’s true nature, her results are inconclusive. She’s got pieces of a few different places in her, which makes her what’s known as Divergent, which makes her dangerous. Thinking for yourself is a naughty thing in this world, apparently; plus, the angsty inner conflict that rages within Beatrice is something to which the target audience for the book (and the movie) surely can relate.

At the annual Choosing Ceremony, where the teens use their test results to pick the faction they want to join for the rest of their lives—like the last night of sorority rush, mixed with the “Harry Potter” sorting hat—Beatrice dares to choose Dauntless. This means she can never see her family again. (Man, the rules are strict in dystopian futures.) But it also means she gets to train to unleash the bad-ass that’s been lurking inside her all along.

Renaming herself Tris, our heroine must learn how to fight, shoot, jump from moving trains, throw knives and control her mind in a series of harrowing simulations, all while competing against a couple dozen other initiates in a demanding ranking system. Eric (a coolly intimidating Jai Courtney) is the merciless Dauntless leader who’s taking the faction—which was founded on the notion of noble courage—in a more militant and vicious direction.

But the hunky trainer who goes by the name Four (James) is the one who will have a greater impact on the woman Tris will become. Quietly and generically brooding at first, James reveals more depth and shading to his conflicted character as the story’s stakes increase. He and Woodley have an easy chemistry with each other, but the romance that took its time and smoldered on the page feels a bit rushed on the screen.

Similarly, the supporting figures who had identifiable personalities in the book mostly blend into the background here, including Tris’ best friend, Christina (Zoe Kravitz). But it is extremely amusing to see Miles Teller, who played Woodley’s first love last year in the wonderful “The Spectacular Now,” serve as her enemy here as the conniving fellow initiate Peter. The smart-alecky Teller is also the only actor here who gets to have much fun. With the exception of a few major set pieces—the zip-line ride from the top of the John Hancock Center, for example—”Divergent” is a rather dark and heavy endeavor.

Woodley, though, by virtue of the sheer likability of her presence, keeps you hanging on, keeps you rooting for her. She may not have the blazing, rock-star power of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss in “The Hunger Games,” but there’s a subtlety and a naturalism to her performance that make her very accessible and appealing. And when she needs to crank it up and kick some butt—as she does in a climactic scene with Winslet as the evil Erudite leader who’s hell-bent on eradicating Divergents and maintaining control—she doesn’t oversell it.

Plus, there could be worse role models for the eager adolescent audience than a young woman who’s thoughtful, giving and strong—all at once. The inevitable sequel will show us what else she’s got in her.

The movie “Divergent” is all about identity, I don’t want to call it a crisis but in the movie, it’s about determining who you truly are and how you’ll fit in as you gracefully emerge from adolescence to adulthood.

BRILLIANT EDTECH GRADUATE STUDENTS UNVEILED SCALE MODEL OF UMAK’S FUTURE LEARNING RESOURCE & TECHNOLOGY COLLABORATION HUB

Old school libraries which functions merely as a storeroom for books are now a thing of the past. The pews of chairs and tables are now left unseen since the prevalent use of computer and gadgets. Technology as an in demand learning tool, has given birth to this digital age where the marriage of interaction and collaboration is paramount to learning.  In order to cater to these dramatic changes, these 21st century library designs have gradually evolved and have transformed to becoming the cultural center of the school community and the place to go for digital information. While still maintaining some areas for quiet individual study, this so called “information hub” now provides spaces for collaborative work as well as a venue for automation,virtual and visual presentation/demonstration for today’s liberal learners.

Part of the Doctor of Innovative Educational Management program is the Educational Technology Management Class under Dr. Danilo Sabado. On January 12, 2019, the class was tasked to work on a scale of a proposed futuristic & innovative Technology Center for the University of Makati. The facility should have computer lab, media lab, server room, storage room, etc. Listening to the instructions, our group was stunned not knowing where to start. After serious deliberation & collaboration and considering the limited hours to complete (3 hours) the output, the group decided to come up with our version of the UNIVERSITY OF MAKATI’S 21^ST CENTURY LEARNING RESOURCE & TECHNOLOGY COLLABORATION HUB.

Allow us to guide you through the different areas of our proposed facility.

The first stop is the Registration & Assistance Station. All users are required to pass through this area to register. The area is attended by student assistants supervised by the Facility Supervisor. The registration system makes use of facial recognition and retina scanner. Students are automatically registered upon enrollment. The registration backdrop is a LED wall where activities, programs and announcements are flashed.

Adjacent to the Registration Area is the Reception Lobby.  This place is assigned for visitors and guests who would like to just sit down, read magazines & casually chat with friends. Coffee is served at this area while classical music is played. They can also make use of their gadgets here as this is also intended as a BYOD (bring your own device) area.

 

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From the Reception, the visitors can easily access the Library & Book Domes boasting for its collection of local & international academic & scientific references. This area feature three (3) book domes housing the latest collection of books. Each dome also serves as interactive digital pods installed with 10 glass tablets (with earphones) each that can be used by visitors for note taking, viewing, listening & recording.

Aside from book collections, users can also access references through the Electronic Library Stations that contains an unprecedented number of online references & library networks from all over the world.

The Hub also houses Information & Communication Technology (ICT) Kiosks. These areas serve for individual researches and information gathering. The kiosks are arranged strategically to encourage group collaboration and interaction among users and individual private study & research.

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To balance technology and nature, the huge part of the hub is walled by Zen Garden Small Group Collaboration Cubicles giving the center the feel of nature, balance, tranquility & relaxation. This helps in relieving stress among students after long hours of technology use and research and provides perfect for venue for small group chats, meditation & even short naps.

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Another highlight of the facility is the state-of-the-art Multi-media Conference Stations. This allows classes to hold local and international online conferences, webinars and audio-visual fora which encourages global connectivity and interaction.

 

The facility also has available Social Media Connectivity Zone. These are available computer units available for social media use. Users are given an hour only to check their Facebook and other social media platforms.

 

At the center of the hub is the Interactive Digital Wall. This wall allows students to search for information about their researches, school facility, events, schedules, programs, etc. Right at their fingertips; students can just type title of books, keywords, titles, etc. This wall serves a one-stop-shop for easy find.

At the inner part of the hub is the Quiet Zone. This area is multi-functional in nature. It can serve as a classroom, a conference hall & a discussion room. The area also houses the storage room and the server room. Various activities can be held here as this sound proof facility provides collapsible stage, basic lights & sounds.

 

The entire facility is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is in response to the need for students’ collaboration with other students from other parts of the world and different time zones. It is also powered by a very reliable fiber optic internet connectivity serving all users at all times.

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With this newest trend at hand, it will be another 1st if not, another milestone for the university.

The 21^st Century Learning Resource & Technology Collaboration Hub scale has been conceived and constructed out of the imagination and creativity of the members of our group: Mr. Jayson Bergania, Mr. Julius Bernal Jr.,Ms. Ony Erispe, Ms. Esperanza Tanchingco, Mr. Noel Palomares, Ms. Princess Lim,  and Mr. Esmeraldo dela Armas IV; under the guidance of our Professor, Dr. Danilo Sabado.

Divergent in a Dystopian Society

“Divergent” takes place in a rigidly structured, dystopian future where one seemingly ordinary girl discovered her potentials and later will serve either as its destroyer or its savior. The setting happened in the highly fenced remnants of a post-war Chicago a 100 years from now, to which the known society has been broken down into five factions or groups of people arranged by defining attributes namely Amity, Candor, Erudite, Abnegation and the Dauntless. The Amity are harmonious, hippie farmers who dress in shades of sorbet. The Candor run the judicial system and they value honesty above all else. The Erudite are the serious-minded scholars who wear conservative, dark blue. The Abnegation are known for their selflessness, simplicity and modesty. And lastly the pierced-and-tattooed Dauntless who are the brave soldiers or the police who is the known protector the city from whatever they perceived are threats.

Beatrice Prior is a member of the Abnegation alongside her twin brother, Caleb and their parents who holds key positions in their faction. They dress in drab colors, eat simply and are only allowed to steal a quick glance in the mirror once every three months when it’s time for a haircut because according to them they reject vanity. Basically, they’re no fun, and Beatrice has a wild streak in her that she’s been forced to suppress all her life while she was still in the Abnegation faction.

Everything went for a spin when she undergoes the aptitude test required of all teens when the reach 16 years old. This test will help them decide and will help them determine which faction is the best reflection of their true nature but her results came as inconclusive. She’s got pieces of a few different places in her, which makes her what’s known as Divergent, and this “sort of” faction isn’t recognized which makes her dangerous. Thinking for yourself is a unacceptable thing dictated in this dystopian world.

At the annual “Choosing Ceremony”, teens use their test results to pick the faction they want to join for the rest of their lives. Whatever faction they will choose will be irrevocable, but despite the odds, Beatrice dared to choose Dauntless, while her brother Caleb chose Erudite which means they can never see her family again. It is deeply indoctrinated that “faction before blood” rules are strict in dystopian futures.

She later  renamed herself as “Tris” and as a new member of the Dauntless Faction, She must learn how to fight, shoot, jump from moving trains, throw knives and control her mind in a series of harrowing simulations, all while competing against a couple dozen other initiates in a demanding ranking system. On the other hand the merciless Dauntless leader Eric who’s taking the faction in a more militant and vicious direction. But the hunky trainer who goes by the name Four is the one who will have a greater impact on the woman Tris will become. Quietly and generically brooding at first, James reveals more depth and shading to his conflicted character as the story’s stakes increase. He and Tris will have an easy chemistry with each other.

Conflicts came when the Erudite leader who’s hell-bent on eradicating Divergents to maintain control and balance. Later in the story, more revelations emerges as Four and Tris have worked hand and hand to save the factions from the clutches of the evil ruler to eradicate anyone who will come against them.

Reaction:

This Divergent movie so far is what I can consider one of the best trilogy movies I’ve ever watched. I have repeatedly watched it and still enjoy watching it because of the following reasons. First, the setting reveals so much about what the movie and its characters. Secondly, the plot is not as boring as I have expected though some of the parts were quite predictable, and lastly I love the portrayal of each characters in the story.

SETTING: A Dystopian future to me is quite unnerving, although it may not look as depressing as compared to other Apocalyptic themed movies like  I am Legend,  Waterworld, the Matrix etc., I like Divergent in terms of the setting because even though it all revolved around the highly guarded fence of post war Chicago, each scenes in the movie revealed different factions which the entire state, so to speak, represent  what a particular group and how the look like in terms of its people, behavior and lifestyle. A typical busy city where the Erudites who are lovers of knowledge and facts are found studying, brainstorming, discussing etc,. they were shown wearing dark blue apparels. Boxed type houses similar with our local “row houses” were for the Abnegation which grey colored walls and grey wardrobes show very simple lifestyle.  Amity being the farmers of the land wears orange which symbolizes warm and harmonious personalities and are situated in a rural style living. Candor values honesty and justice which carries the color symbol of white and black which I interpret as a set of colors that would either mean “good and evil” or “True or false” and like the Erudites, they enjoy city living. On the other hand, the base camp of the Dauntless speaks for itself, their training school looks like a camp in the ruins, it appeared like they are in a military camp deprived of comfort because they are the protector and they can endure living without pleasures in life, even their sleeping quarters and mess hall is very similar with a real military boot camps.

PLOT: As I have mentioned earlier, living in a Dystopian future is quite alarming because I find myself far impossible to conform to a certain monotonous activity dictated by the society for the rest of my life. I find submitting to a mundane system banal and it kills what you entirely capable of doing. Although the transitions of the story is not as fast paced as I have expected, but the gradual exposition of the setting and character almost wore me off. I find it slow paced and getting too predictable already that made the movie (as far as my opinion is concerned) almost wearisome. I also find injecting characters in the neck with a mind-altering serum inhumane if not brutal! Medically speaking, I don’t think it’s even safe to inject at that particular region of the body? Moreover, in terms of violence, I’d rate violence to a 4 out of 10 because there less blood splatters nor oozing from the victims shown; it’s not as violent as compared to its contemporary “Hunger Games” which I find virtually gruesome! Guns used were likely to be simulating pain plus it was very much regulated it was only until the last part of the movie in their confrontation with the antagonists. Sex/Nudity: Sex is not apparent; there were no torrid kisses plus no intimate scenes as well. Tris even resisted then said she doesn’t want to go fast which Four respected. It was even confirmed during the final test and her stand was very much consistent which I find worth emulating for the young viewers to observe. In terms of nudity, very minimal, it was only during she has to change to new apparel, her shirt was torn from the attack and Four took his shirt off to show his tattoo.

CHARACTER/CHARACTERIZATION: As the story unfolds, it reminded me of one of my favorite cartoon movie “Mulan” Just like our main character Beatrice Prior or “Tris”, role was quite predictable, she’s a typical underdog story who’s badly beaten, bruised, discouraged and almost likely to quit from the force but later rose as the savior and only hope of the people. Another observation that I find predictable was when her instructor Four developed a deep affection for her which is very likely of the story of Mulan. The other supporting characters were very effective with the roles they play and I admire the composure and how Kate Winlet “ Janine” played as the main antagonist here. Eric on the other hand was quite effective as well, he’s a regular villain any story can easily have, but his merciless character caught my attention since he’s not as vicious as I have expected.

Overall, I find the movie Divergent far better than most trilogies of its contemporaries I’ve seen before because of the following reasons: First, the setting reveals so much about what the movie in terms of the time and the kind of society it represents. Secondly, the plot is not as boring as I have expected though some of the parts were quite predictable then Finally, I love the portrayal of each characters in the story and the effectiveness of their characterization. Since they belong to different factions, most of the common types of people are well represented in the story.

Ender’s Game : A Movie Review

The Earth has been attacked by hostile alien race known as the Formics if not for the legendary heroism of the Fleet Commander, Mazer Rackham all would have been eradicated. So, in preparation for the next attack the International Military have been training only the best young children to find the future Mazer. Ender Wiggin, a shy, but strategically brilliant boy was pulled out of his school to join the elite group under the leadership of the highly esteemed Colonel Graff.

In the Battle School, Ender easily and quickly mastered strategies about difficult war game which earned him the trust and respect amongst his peers. He faced two different types of games. On his computer he plays the mind game, a game that even its creators do not properly understand and one that affects Ender’s life in direct ways. It is through this mind game that He was able to come to terms with the challenges that were taking place in his life and the images of this game that the buggers use to communicate with Ender. On the otherhand, while in the battle room Ender would play somewhat simulated war games. These games are everything to the kids at the school. Their lives revolve around playing these games, and so these have shifts from a voluntary fun experience to a necessary and crucial aspect of life in Ender’s life. These games and their implications caused Bonzo’s, Ender’s former squadron leader’s death and create rancor and jealousy throughout the school.

He was soon ordained by Graff as the military’s next great hope, resulting in his promotion to Command School. Once there, he was trained by Mazer Rackham, himself, to lead his fellow soldiers into an epic battle that will determine the future of Earth and save the human race.

Finally, we come to the greatest game that Ender played, while he was the commander of the Third Invasion. Playing this game of attack has become debilitating to his health and his team members. They were sleep deprived, they barely eat, and He was forced to be a leader and not a friend to those whom he cares for. Ender destroyed the buggers because he wanted the games to end, and he was quite successful with it. In the end instead of a relief and feeling triumphant, He became scared and frustrated. If he had ever known that it was not a game, he never would have participated in.  It was not very clear how to separate a game from reality, for the playing of a game can have a profound impact on a life, and sometimes the game itself is reality. He was dumbfounded of this discovery and felt so devastated.

My Reaction:

Personally, I didn’t get chance to read Ender’s game in the novel, but just like most of my friends and my niece’s usual reactions to a novel turned to a movie, the novel version was far better than the film itself. Well, for me it’s a no brainer that any story  in  the written form can be more ideal and most probably more creative in terms of description and narration since words are more likely create powerful imagination as the story unfolds that makes it enthralling to read.  Perhaps the films biggest strength is its production design, the technical team did an outstanding job of bringing the environments of the battle school to life, the zero gravity combat scenes being some of the films biggest highlights. Our advance technology had helped create more dramatic scenes with death defying stunts to give justice to novel’s setting. I’ve watched the film for about 5 times just to better enjoy it and give justice to this review.

The biggest problem with Ender’s Game movie is that, it’s incredibly fast paced, according to a film review I’ve read, well compared to the one on print, a lot of story’s scenarios and characters suffered in terms of establishing its importance and relevance to the story.  Personally, I have asked a lot of questions since I don’t have background of this story. I didn’t know who are these “Formics” at first I thought they are a Plague because they all look like a swarm of bugs to me, well they are of course.. But I started questioning myself, what was the motive of the attack and it was not clearly established what triggered the attack and why do they have to annihilate them, they seem to look friendly as far as Ender’s vision was concerned? Another concern was for me as I watched the story developed, I was quite confused again with the significance of the character of Peter, Ender’s brother? I told myself, why does he seem to hate Ender so much that he almost tried to kill him as they somewhat do a role play of a fight scene in the battle school? They don’t look like siblings to me, Peter appeared to look like he’s just too jealous of his closeness with Valentine?

Another concern was, it was almost barely 10 minutes in the movie before Ender is blasted off to battle school. All the back story about Ender and his family, his turbulent relationship with his older brother Peter and his delicate relationship with this sister Valentine, were not properly recognized plus a lot of the history of the alien invasion are largely skimmed over and this lack of depth hurts the movie. This and also the fact that no-one seems to age throughout the film which gave me the impression that this whole thing took place in a very short amount of time, unlike the novel form which took years to train and develop, It seems like the plan and training for the attack was going to happen soon just like in some scifi movies like Independence Day, IRobot, Avengers etc.,which all happened in a day’s worth.

But the whole time the film builds towards a really remarkable conclusion, I was drawn into the story and the emotional journey within. I find it both morose and uplifting. Morose in a sense that what he thought was just another game was actually irreversible and there were a lot of casualties. Uplifting, because in the end he has found the remaining specie where a new colony can emerge.
Overall it’s a really good movie that I would highly recommend.

“And They Live Happily Ever After… The End”

Who can ever forget these lines?

                    “Oh Grandma, what big eyes you have. . .”

                                         “Fee fie fo fum..”

                                                           “I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in!”

         Well your guess is as good as mine, these are just some of the popular taglines taken from our favorite Fairy tales. Who doesn’t like fairy tales? I believe most of us love them even until now! Every kids and even the young at heart have heard and enjoyed listening to these as bedtime stories, either from their parents or from their grand parents. Well read by every child across the world, these stories are indeed famous. Such stories are usually fiction yet it makes the children imagine a lot. It has lessons which can inculcate reasoning and creative skills among children. Many of these stories have deep morals to learn and imbibe in themselves.

As for my experience, my recollection of growing up as a child was quite interesting. I remember how my brother and I used to spend it mostly in front of the boob tube and these Fairy Tales were not introduced to us on the printed pages of books. Walt Disney cartoons brought life to these fairy tales in an animated form. Movies like Cinderella, Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood ,Snowhite and the Seven Dwarfs, Beauty and the Beast and many others were more likely shown on televisions if not on the stage. I may not have experienced someone reading it to me, nonetheless, repeated viewing of these on television has given me a clear picture of how interesting each characters and stories were.

Among the Fairy Tales I adore, I love the story of Cinderella and Snow White the most because their stories depicted lives coming from humble beginnings and ending in a happily ever after love stories. It also teaches love for enemies, humility and forgiveness which are valuable lessons for kids to learn in life. I have included the best scenes of Cinderella since it’s one of my favorite story of all times! As a kid, I have once dreamed of meeting my Prince Charming and be able to attend a dance ball with him too. I also remember looking for a glass shoe at the department store thinking that these shoes were readily available there but to my dismay, I couldn’t find any back then and at present I assume? Lol. Well, Fairy tales I must admit, had so much impact in my childhood. It has influenced the way I view things and see a colorful life.

Today, I know I have found my own Prince Charming, have our own carriage and live in our version of a castle and in addition to these, I’m pretty sure, my version of the glass shoe fits and it’s unbreakable! And more importantly, just like every the Fairy Tales I know, We  will live, Happily..Ever..After! 🙂