"The Giver", while straying far from the book at times, was not all bad as an on-screen adaptation. The film takes place in a utopian future where pain, hatred, death and war have been eliminated from the world. The film follows protagonist Jonas as he is chosen for a special job known as the “receiver." There is only one receiver, and Jonas slowly learns what happened to the past receiver and why it is such a difficult task to take on. The cinematic perspective of "The Giver" is beautiful and well-thought out. As Jonas learns more from the "Giver," he begins to see things in color, and director Phillip Noyce shows the changes by having a portion of the film in black and white. As Jonas discovers more about how the world once was, he sees color and begins to feel emotions such as love. Without giving spoilers, the book and the movie differ in several different aspects, both stylistic and regarding the film's content. Some of these changes are reasonable, as they were needed to keep the film in a futuristic timeline. However, these changes took away from the classic story. This modernized version of "The Giver" brings light to modern day social issues, such as abortion and euthanasia, which are present-day realities in Belgium – updated the story for our own turbulent times.

If I Stay

Runtime 107 Minutes

Overall Grade: B+

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMp896hfp74

The urge to hold back tears and chills from beautiful swaths of music are all essential emotional responses felt while watching "If I Stay." The film is based off the New York Times bestseller novel of the same name by Gayle Forman. The film follows Mia Hall, a naturally talented cellist who goes into a coma after she and her family have been in a car accident. Mia has an out-of-body experience, which gives her the ultimate choice on whether or not she wants to stay on earth or join her family in the after life. Throughout the out-of-body experience, the viewers are able to see all of the great things that have happened to Mia up to the car accident, and the heartbreak she has felt with her high-school sweetheart, Adam. With her family completely gone and her love still alive, Mia has to make the decision of a lifetime, literally. "If I Stay" incorporates classical music and a love story, following the formula of a classic Hollywood blockbuster, only better. Chloë Grace Moretz was the perfect choice for Mia. Moretz portrays Mia as disconnected and shy, which is how Mia is in the book. The audience will experience laughter, sadness, confusion and shock within the two-hour foray. "If I Stay" does the book justice and is the perfect tearjerker. While I really enjoyed this film, there were minor things that could have been changed. I would have loved to see more of Mia playing her cello and more original songs of Adam and Mia playing together.

As Above, So Below

Runtime: 93 minutes

Overall Grade: D

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83PpryYHHeY

If you happen to be looking for a good horror film to kick off October, "As Above, So Below" is not the movie for you. The film lacks content, cinematic value, and the use of a tripod. The movie takes place in the catacombs underneath Paris. The team of the adventure hunters (all conveniently aged mid twenties) goes to the catacombs to find hidden paths and hallways, eventually finding themselves to the gates of hell. Legend has it that the resting place of the Philosopher’s Stone is in one of the hidden passages in the catacombs. While the crew is underground, they continue to find themselves crawling deeper into the earth, eventually all of them facing their biggest fears in life. The crew comes to encounters with people who have died in their past, ghost-like creatures, and a creature that resembles the Grim Reaper. Everything in this movie is to give the audience chills and screams, which it ends up doing the exact opposite. Every single “trick” director Drew Dowdle has given effort to scare the audience has been done before. The movie follows the basic ‘horror’ film plot- instinct to go research something scary, figure out what’s really there, people pop out, and a few are left to live and tell the tale. There are parts where I literally counted down and something popped out. This film is worth renting if you’re looking for a predictable plot.

The Maze Runner

Runtime: 113 minutes

Overall grade: B-

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwwbhhjQ9Xk

Although 'The Maze Runner' starts with its main character feeling lost and in the dark, it has a bad habit of leaving the viewers this way throughout the entire film. Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) wakes up drenched in sweat and confused about where he is. Thomas doesn’t remember anything, including his name. Thomas quickly learns that everyone in the maze has gone through the same as him, and he is determined to get out from the very moment he is placed there. The motives and actions behind Thomas are very unclear throughout the film. The film feels much like an updated, future version of "Lord of the Flies." Following the classic post-apocalyptic future in a dystopian world, everything the adolescent boys have ever known has changed and resources are limited. Most of the movie shows the teen boys in a living space known as "The Glade," and the fastest people of the group, known as the ‘runners’, go into the maze during the day to try to map it out which will ultimately lead to their escape. Any runners that go beyond the walls to explore run the risk of getting stung by these creatures called “grievers." The grievers have deadly venom in their stings, which lead to a couple deaths in the film. Each boy that appears in the Glade is given a job that suits their personality, but Thomas refuses to follow any rules, and goes into the maze after a few days of being brought into this new world. The movie is very visually oriented, and it is evident that director Wes Ball has focused on the visual effects of the film. The visual effects, such as the maze moving and walls closing, are not something that should be ignored. They are very realistic and well done. Because the film is heavily focused on the visual effects, the plot and acting suffers. There are many questions left unanswered. The end of the film leaves off as a transition to the next one, which is never a great idea as there have been many films in the past that leave off for a sequel that never gets made (cough, cough, "Mortal Instruments"). For "The Maze Runner," this won’t be the case. The sequel, "The Scorch Trials," has been picked up by FOX and is slated to hit theaters Sept. 18, 2015. Although the film is a tad confusing to watch the first time, it is a film to be seen in theaters, not on DVD. It is clear that Wes Ball made the film for the big screen, as there are tiny details that will go unnoticed on a smaller screen if you are watching it for the first time.