Movie Nitpicks - Episode IV (SPOILERS)

Time for the fourth  of my 'Movie Nitpicks', nitpicking certain aspects of 'Divergent', 'God's Not Dead', 'Boyhood', 'Insidious:  Chapter Two' and 'Paranormal Activity:  The Marked Ones'.  These contain spoilers, so read at your own discretion.

• 'Divergent'
  
  1. So the teenage citizens in this world have to take a test that helps determine which faction they belong to.  Obviously the point of the factions is to control the people.  But why is it that a day after taking the test they then have a choice to which faction they want to belong to?  Doesn't that make the test kinda pointless?
• 'God's Not Dead'
  I already nitpicked a few parts of this movie in my previous 'Movie Nitpicks' post, and that was just from watching the trailer.  Now that I've actually seen the movie....oh boy.....
  
  1. So Josh's girlfriend dumps him after five years of dating because he accepted Professor Radisson's challenge to debate the existence of God.  Five years down the drain, but not only is that not mentioned at all the rest of the movie it also appears that it doesn't phase Josh at all.  Yep, because that's realistic...
  2. So during one particular debate session, Professor Radisson keeps rebutting Josh's arguments and it appears that the class is favoring Radisson's view over Josh's.  Yet, immediately after class Radisson goes up to Josh in the hallway and berates him for humilating him in his own classroom.  I could understand this happening after the third and final debate when Josh wins over his classmates, but this was after the first debate.  It just doesn't make much sense...
  3. So in one of the films many subplots, left wing blogger Amy finds out that she has cancer.  Her initial reaction?  Typing away on her phone, coldly stating "I don't have time for cancer".  Okay...I can understand denial to such news at first, but this was harsh.  But the cancer subplot nitpicks get harsher and harsher.
  4. Amy tells her atheist businessman boyfriend Mark that she has cancer while at a restaurant.  His response?  "This couldn't wait until tomorrow?"  Then they subsequently break up.  I'll make this simple:  NO ONE WOULD SAY THAT OR RESPOND LIKE THAT!!!!!!!!!!
  5. Later on in the movie, Mark is on the phone talking to his sister Mina.  The topic of his and Amy's relationship is brought up and Mark simply says that Amy has issues she needs to work out.  ISSUES?!!?!?!?!?!!??!?!?!  SHE HAS CANCER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
     Once again, NO ONE WOULD ACTUALLY SAY THAT!!!!!!
  6. Now onto another subplot.  Ayisha is a Muslim girl who is wanting to convert to Christianity.  After her brother tattles on her after catching her listening to the Bible on her iPod, her father beats her and kicks her out of the house.  If this were set in another country and in another language then okay I can buy this subplot....but certainly not in America and not in a very very very preachy Christian propaganda movie. 
  7. Towards the end of the movie Professor has been hit by a car and is laying in the street.  Reverend Dave and Reverend Jude just happen to be nearby, and upon first glance Reverend Jude immediately states that Radisson has broken several ribs, is bleeding internally, and will die.  Reverend Jude clearly must has superpowers or something because I don't know how he was able to know that from just one look and Radisson clearly not looking all that injured...
     
• 'Insidious:  Chapter Two' and 'Paranormal Activity:  The Marked Ones'
  
  1. Now these two share a common nitpick:  Both involve time travel.  Remember how things were going bump in the night during the first 'Insidious' movie?  That wasn't because of a demon or the Black Bride, it was because Josh was trying to save his family from other demons and while also trying to get their attention and point out that that's not his spirit in his body but rather the Black Bride.  He even goes back to when he was a boy and first being investigated by Elise.  It does explain that this spirit world is beyond time and space....but time travel?  Seriously?
  2. And now on to the fifth 'Paranormal Activity' movie and it's time travel plot point.  So early in the movie it's discovered that there is a door that will lead to a very dark, demonic place.  While on the run from witches, Hector stumbles into the door thinking that he can hide from the witches.  But that then takes him to...Katie and Micah's house from the first movie.  Remember Katie screaming for Micah at the end of that movie?  Well I guess it's because suddenly while getting out of her trance she discovers a random person in the kitchen.  Micah comes down to fight him, but Katie ends up killing Micah and Hector then gets taken out by a witch who followed him.  It practically does the same thing that 'Insidious:  Chapter Two' does.
       
• 'Boyhood'
  
  1. Out of all the nitpicks I've done, this is probably the most nitpickiest.  More of a personal nitpick than anything, but it has to do with parents swearing in front of their young kids.  Now contextually in this R-rated drama I can understand the swearing to some extent.  Mason Jr. and his sister Sam grow up in a rather broken home.  Their parents are divorced, with their father Mason Sr. being the immature "fun weekend dad" for a good chunk of the movie while their mother Olivia goes from home to home, husband to husband, trying to make things better for their kids. 
             Olivia swearing at the kids I couldn't really buy.  Can't really point a finger on why I didn't buy it, other than it just didn't seem like her character would do that.
            Now Mason Sr.'s swearing I can buy, since it was quite clear that he was immature and didn't quite know how to act around his kids whom he hadn't seen in a year and a half.  The kids even call him out on his swearing, and by the end of the movie Mason Sr. has cleaned up his act, remarried, and even has another child.
            Bill, Olivia's second husband, is an alcoholic whose alcoholism gets worse and worse.  His swearing at the children I can buy, since he was an alcoholic and eventually turned quite abusive towards Olivia and not only her children but his children as well.