Zombieland Saga is given credit by some as the best anime of the winter 2018 season. The first season of twelve episodes just finished airing on tv, and naturally people have a lot of opinions. Zombieland Saga is based off of the manga written by Megumu Soramichi and the recent anime adaptation was produced by Cygames in collaboration with Avex Pictures. This anime could be considered one of the strangest combination of genres as it is part of the horror, comedy, and idol genres. In fact some call it the “gateway to idol anime”, which describes a kind of anime that follows a young group, usually girls, trying to form a musical group and become famous. This particular anime sneaks in the idol element and keeps it amusing with the pure silliness.
The story follow the main character, Sakura Minamoto, voiced by Mamoru Miyano, who is hit by a car and passes away in about the first few minutes of the first episode. But not to worry, this is actually where her journey begins. She comes back as a zombie ten years later with several other girls with some kind of talent, and their manager who brought them all back somehow explains they will become the idol group that brings popularity to the town of Saga. At first it all just seem like pure comedy, but later on when it get more serious I actually found myself really routing for these girls. The music this group makes isn’t the standard cute pop songs, instead they incorporate a lot of different elements and actually a bit of rock. The standard idol group faces the problem where all their songs end up sound like the same cute nonsense, but all their songs are genuinely unique and nice to listen to. Also, I love how this anime structured itself in a way where almost each girl got an episode to themselves of character development, rather than being just flat, not offense, cute characters. They all had their own struggles that shaped who they were when they were alive and now the audience just wants to see them succeed and resolve emotional baggage now that they’re undead.
The manager character Kotaro Tatsumi was voiced by Mamoru Miyano, who did an outstanding job. He sounded like he was having fun delivering each line and that’s what made the character so funny and great. If one is trying to decide to watch the Japanese version with subtitles or the English dub, it is highly recommended to watch the subtitled version even if it’s just for his voice. But all the other girls did a great job as well maintain certain accents and delivering the lines in a convincing way. Besides the voice acting, the animation/art is so creative and stunning. The opening sequence is the perfect example with the combination of more dark illustrations to fit in with the horror theme, then transitions to look more like a comic book or older anime with the use of shading. The animation during each episode is so vivid it catches the eye immediately. Also, each member has a color that represents them as a character. For example, Yugiri is represented as red to reflect her passion. Sakura on the other hand is represented by pink since she’s the bubbly and optimistic girl in the group.
With lovable characters, good unique music, visually stunning animation, and excellent voice acting, Zombieland Saga is worth watching. As an audience member, I found myself really excited for these girls to achieve something great together. Just the right amount of comedy elements keeps it interesting while simultaneously actually developing the characters. I highly recommend this to all fans of anime.
Rating: Good, Good
Monday, December 31, 2018
Minority Report: Stopping crime that hasn't happen...Yet.
Recently, I watched a movie called Minority Report, featuring Tom Cruise in yet another action-packed film. It was directed by all-famous Steven Spielberg in 2002. This movie took crime solving to a whole new level. The film is an action-detective thriller that takes place in Washington D.C. in the year 2054. The government utilizes the psychic abilities of people called Precogs in a program called Precrime, that is established to not solve murders, but to stop them from ever happening in the future. The film takes a turn when the head of this Precrime unit, John Anderton (Played by Tom Cruise), goes from solving crimes to being accused of killing a man he never even met, yet.
The cast of this film was phenomenal, and Tom Cruise never seems to disappoint when it comes to action-packed films. The actors play a big role in making this film an entertaining to watch, mainly due to the fact that they fulfill their roles so well, they seem to become their characters. Steven Spielberg is a great director and has created some of the best and iconic films, such as Jurassic Park and Jaws (Ready Player One not being one of them). Because of his film success, he has become one of the worlds highest-grossing director in the world. In the film, Spielberg shows the popular debate of free will versus fate throughout the story. Anderton, knowing his upcoming fate, has the opportunity to the change it but the result was the same as it was predicted. This fuels the debate, but never truly answers it, leaving the audience to ponder upon it, even after the film is over.
When it comes to the cinematic choices of the film, it is a masterpiece of its time. The films amazing CGI can make you feel like you are truly are in the future, where the are automated hovering cars, holographic projections, and transparent glass computer screen. It portrays a world that most people would love to be in due to its display of advanced technology. A majority of the films screen was highly dense, whether it be with the CGI interpretation of our world in the future or the action-packed scenes with Tom Cruise, so there is always something to draw your attention too. Overall, Spielberg did an amazing job on this film and made some great cinematic choices in both the story and its production. This movie is highly recommended, especially to science fiction lovers.
Aquaman Review
The legendary city of Atlantis is a myth that has been passed down for generations.
James Wan stunningly brought this myth to life through the thrilling Aquaman film, released on December 21st. Arthur Curry, the Aquaman, is portrayed by the dashing Jason Momoa. In the film Aquaman learns that he is the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis and must become a hero to both the human and Atlantean worlds.
It starts off with a romantic storyline when Atlanna, who is played by Nicole Kidman, washes up wounded at a lighthouse. The owner of the lighthouse Tom Curry, who is played by Temura Morrison, nurses Atlanna back to health and in the process the two fall in love. Through this love a forbidden child is born named Arthur, who would one day unite his parents worlds and deliver peace. Sadly, Atlanna is dragged back to Atlantis, leaving Arthur upset. He is told that his mother has died in the Trench, which is the “black hole” of Atlantis. This triggers a search for his mother and on this mission he meets the princess Mera, played by Amber Heard. She convinces him that not only should he search for his mother, but also reclaim the throne of Atlantis.
Overall in my opinion the director could have come up with a more detailed and intricate plot. To me the plot felt too predictable and left the audience feeling unsatisfied.
When it comes to the animations, Aquaman is superior to other marvel films. Not only did the structure of the lost city contain beautiful details but the animations of sharks in the battle scene were impressive, The visual imagination is genuinely exciting and transporative. For instance, at the end of the film the war between the Atlantan tribes erupted. In the scene, machines and equipment resembled sea creatures and it blew away the audience. They took a jellyfish and transformed it into a war base.
To sum things up, I give Aquaman a rating of BAD GOOD, due to its ability to draw my attention with its jaw-dropping animations and subtle humor. Unfortunately, when it came to the story plot I was disappointed. With a predictable plot, Aquaman didn’t quite hit the mark for me.
What Comes at Night?
A few days ago I was with a few friends and we all agreed we wanted to watch a scary movie. After watching the trailer for the movie It Comes at Night we all agreed to give it a watch.
The movie was completely unlike what I expected... the trailers for the movie seemed to imply certain plot points that just never happened in the actual movie. For example, the viewer never finds out what the title even means, as nothing ever actually comes at night. Despite the deception, the movie was a masterpiece in my eyes.
The movie's plot was amazingly unique. Instead of the antagonist being some scary monster that terrorizes the main characters, the deadly disease. This point is used beautifully to add to the movie's overall suspense as you never know who could be infected with the disease. The movie also never concretely defines what the illness actually is, but it does show how horrifying the symptoms are.
The precautions the family goes to in order to stay healthy only adds to the suspense of the movie. Every time anyone goes outside they have to wear these freaky looking gas masks to try to prevent infection. The family also goes through the painstaking process of boiling and purifying all of the water they consume. The fact that they do both of these very inconvenient steps to even further lower the chance of them getting infected shows just how scared they are of the disease and makes the movie just that much more suspenseful.
My favorite part about the movie is that a lot of the important events in the movie are left up to interpretation. At the end of the movie, one of the main characters is suspected to have gotten infected and spread it to the rest of the characters. However, it is never actually revealed if he was the actual cause of the infection getting spread to everyone else.
The movie was overall exciting and suspenseful. Despite the movie leaving me with more questions than answers, the ending was left me with a feeling of satisfaction and wrapped up the movie's plot well. I rate this movie a Good Good.
I'm Havin' a Good Time
Bohemian Rhapsody from beginning to end was an experience defining the vibrant and defining music the band Queen had made. Bringing the audience on a nostalgic trip back to the era of rock bands and disco. Showing the creations of iconic songs, like Bohemian Rhapsody, Don't Stop Me Now, We Will Rock You, and Another Bites the Dust. Now I'm not usually a fan of these type of movies that follow the path of a music groups starting, I found myself really enjoying the film and the way it was made. Using exquisite story telling as well as having great camera work as well as choosing the right actors to play the band members as well. This definitely deserves the Good Good rank, great quality and fun to hear those songs being made and coming out all over again.
The band Queen was founded because the head singer of the drummer Roger Taylor and the guitarists Brian May were confronted by the would be lead singer Freddie Mercury. It starts from there and they record their first song which was a hit and because of it did their first ever tour in America. The movie then follows the crew/band named Queen. Continuing to make new innovative music that will change the way that people think of bands. I believe the lock in was when the the band was meeting with a new manager and 'Freddie Mercury' and his group decide to name the band Queen, because it doesn't make sense and neither does their band. It had no real meaning, meaning that they could venture off in their music which they did continuously over and over and over again. They did an excellent job showing off each and every actor in the movie and choosing the actors to play these iconic people, it was almost like watching the starting of the band all over again. With the movie being a retelling of the lives of Queen in general there's obviously some discrepancies however, the story telling was still exceptional, coming from someone who doesn't like these types of movies. Also the use of the older filters during scenes as well as wide shot framing while they were performing in concerts to make the audience feel as if they're either watching through a T.V from back then or even experiencing the concert for themselves, the music, actors, the framing, the lighting made the music feel real and provoked feelings as well as emotions. One example is when Freddie realizes he has AIDS, and notices everything is going downhill since he decided to he wanted to go solo. There was a large event called Live Aid which was a concert in Wembley Stadium to help starving kids in Africa. The last concert they do and play all their songs was really doleful yet enchanting watching them knowing Freddie's condition and he still decided to live his life doing what he loved, performing.
All in all I believe that Bohemian Rhapsody was a great and fun film. Anyone can watch it and it doesn't matter if you don't enjoy these types of movies. The director and the actors do an amazing job of making sure that you're enticed. Excellent story telling which holds the audience from start to the very end. Even though movies like this was made, it really stands out from the norm, making it a success in my eyes. I heavily recommend to those who haven't watched the movie yet to watch this one-of-a-kind movie. I even thought I was wasting time watching this but ended up satisfied and happy with my decision. From the get go it's amazing hits and great music for all audiences. Mostly for the people who've grown up listening to their music.
Thank You "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch"
Innovative, original, creative, crazy, chaotic, stressful, "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch" is all that and more. "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch" is the latest episode from the Black Mirror tv-series and it has opened a big door for the cinema industry. How innovative can it be if even Disney has ran out of ideas, considering they are only making remakes? Here's how.
This episode allows you, the viewer, to create choices for Stefan Butler (Fionn Whitehead), a teenager living somewhere in England in 1984. As Stefan tries to finish developing his computer-game, based on the choose-your-own-adventure book 'Bandersnatch', the further and further he expands on it you get to unfold the secrets and darkness the different paths have on Stefan's life and on his surroundings. Some may be cruel, others may be satanic, his story is your choice.
This is an entire new experience that should not be overlooked. You start with easy choices, every choice with a timer, to get you to understand the flow of the episode, but as you get deeper and deeper, the decisions start to have more weight and consequences to them. "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch" straps you to your seat and does not let you go. Its use of different color palettes create the perfect mood for each and every scene. You will feel lost, you will feel uncomfortable, you will feel intimate, you will not regret watching this episode on Netflix.
Unfortunately, as for the fans of the Black Mirror TV-Series, this interactive episode of 'Black Mirror', according to executive producer and co-creator Annabel Jones, has taken up an "enormous" amount of effort and Season 5 of the tv-series 'Black Mirror' has been delayed to 2019.
Feel free to comment what ending you gave to Stefan Butler, according to fans, there are five different ones, choose wisely.
This episode allows you, the viewer, to create choices for Stefan Butler (Fionn Whitehead), a teenager living somewhere in England in 1984. As Stefan tries to finish developing his computer-game, based on the choose-your-own-adventure book 'Bandersnatch', the further and further he expands on it you get to unfold the secrets and darkness the different paths have on Stefan's life and on his surroundings. Some may be cruel, others may be satanic, his story is your choice.This is an entire new experience that should not be overlooked. You start with easy choices, every choice with a timer, to get you to understand the flow of the episode, but as you get deeper and deeper, the decisions start to have more weight and consequences to them. "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch" straps you to your seat and does not let you go. Its use of different color palettes create the perfect mood for each and every scene. You will feel lost, you will feel uncomfortable, you will feel intimate, you will not regret watching this episode on Netflix.
Unfortunately, as for the fans of the Black Mirror TV-Series, this interactive episode of 'Black Mirror', according to executive producer and co-creator Annabel Jones, has taken up an "enormous" amount of effort and Season 5 of the tv-series 'Black Mirror' has been delayed to 2019.
Feel free to comment what ending you gave to Stefan Butler, according to fans, there are five different ones, choose wisely.
Is Netflix's "Birdbox" worth opening?
Last week, I was scrolling through Instagram, like any usual teenager, and I came across multiple "memes" poking fun or praising the new Netflix original film Bird Box. As I kept seeing more and more posts about the movie, I decided to give it a watch.
The movie follows Mallory, played by Sandra Bullock, trying to survive the worldwide phenomenon that causes people to kill themselves if they go outside. It follows Mallory five years of her survival until she reaches safety at a school for the blind with her two children that she names "Boy" and "Girl". Mallory's determination and willpower represent her love for her two children even though it is clear she is openly afraid of showing her affection towards them, for she believes it will make them soft and they will not survive if they are soft.
Because of all the positive reviews, I have heard about Bird Box, I was confident that I would love the movie. However, I regret to say that I was not fully content with the movie. There were so many unanswered questions that drive the viewer crazy not knowing. My main problem with the movie was that it never explained why this phenomenon was happening. There were creatures, monsters, and people walking around causing people to commit suicide, but the viewer never finds out why this is happening or where these creatures came from. Another problem I have with the movie is that it never explained what all these survivors that live in the school for the blind are going to do in the future. What happens when they run out of food? What happens when they run out of room for more survivors?
Although there were a lot of question marks and problems with the movie, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time, and I was excited to get to the end. Therefore, I would suggest this movie. Because it kept me interested, yet left me with multiple questions, I am going to rate this movie a BAD/ GOOD.
The movie follows Mallory, played by Sandra Bullock, trying to survive the worldwide phenomenon that causes people to kill themselves if they go outside. It follows Mallory five years of her survival until she reaches safety at a school for the blind with her two children that she names "Boy" and "Girl". Mallory's determination and willpower represent her love for her two children even though it is clear she is openly afraid of showing her affection towards them, for she believes it will make them soft and they will not survive if they are soft.
Because of all the positive reviews, I have heard about Bird Box, I was confident that I would love the movie. However, I regret to say that I was not fully content with the movie. There were so many unanswered questions that drive the viewer crazy not knowing. My main problem with the movie was that it never explained why this phenomenon was happening. There were creatures, monsters, and people walking around causing people to commit suicide, but the viewer never finds out why this is happening or where these creatures came from. Another problem I have with the movie is that it never explained what all these survivors that live in the school for the blind are going to do in the future. What happens when they run out of food? What happens when they run out of room for more survivors?
Although there were a lot of question marks and problems with the movie, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time, and I was excited to get to the end. Therefore, I would suggest this movie. Because it kept me interested, yet left me with multiple questions, I am going to rate this movie a BAD/ GOOD.
And in the death of her reputation, she felt truly alive
On August 24, 2017, Look What You Made Me Do shocked the world by its lyrics and the use of snakes. Taylor Swift had not been seen in months, and at the time, her reputation and image were starting to become Delicate. But little did anyone know that Taylor Swift’s sixth album, reputation, and it’s tour would break so many records with so little promotion. The reputation Stadium Tour started in Glendale, Arizona on May 8, 2018 and ended on November 21, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan. 53 shows in 36 stadiums. The main stage is 110 feet tall and has a video screen wall that continues onto the floor. Two smaller stages in the audience. Five hundred wardrobe pieces. Four continents. Seven countries. But what does all of this lead to? Well, the highest grossing tour of the decade has just been released on Netflix.
Taylor Swift’s reputation stadium tour was released to Netflix on December 31, 2018. She sings most of the songs off of reputation, but she has also included ten songs from some of her previous albums into the tour. There are four mashups, two songs with just guitar and one with just piano. Her fans, called Swifties, know All Too Well that every person gets a light up bracelet that corresponds with the music. And it is clear to see that it is Gorgeous.
Just by looking at how many records reputation and the Stadium Tour have broken, there is no way that Netflix’s newest concert film would be anything but a GOOD GOOD rating. Whether a Swiftie or not, everybody could enjoy this rockumentary. She was able to get smarter and harder in the nick of time, and was able to find a love that was really something. It shows through her performance. It is safe to say that she is doing better than she ever was. And in the death of her reputation, she felt truly alive.
Happy New Years Eve
A must watch movie that I recently re-watched was the movie How the Grinch stole Christmas. To clarify this is the Grinch movie with Jim Carrey in it. And may I say this movie is Iconic. I rate it Good, Good simply because of the message of the movie along with the fact that Jim Carrey Is in it. I haven't seen the newest version of the Grinch so I don´t know exactly which Grinch movie is the best. To the best of my knowledge Id say that the Grinch movie that is the best would be How the Grinch stole Christmas from the year 2000. If anyone is interested in re-watching the movie go steal your friends Netflix password because that's where you can find it for free.
The movie has some relatable themes being, The true meaning of Christmas is the value of family over the materialistic side of receiving gifts. This is shown in the movie when the Grinch steals all of whovilleś gifts after Santa (spoiler, their parents) put all the gifts under the tree and the Grinch along with his sidekick Max takes all of their presents. The town of whoville wakes up on Christmas day to find no presents, rather than sulk in their sadness they start singing around a tree and talk about the meaning of Christmas. This lesson is valuable to all ages, since family and friends will always be more important than gifts.
Looking at the movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas from a cosmetologists lens the movie is ahead of its time. The movie had Jim Carrey completely change his appearance in an unrecognizable way in the year 2000. In today's world this transformation would be fairly simple although the techniques the cosmetologists used in 2000 effectively worked to change the appearance of a well known Hollywood actor. I 2001 the Movie won an Academy Awards for Best makeup. I believe because of the hard work the cosmetologists did for the movie and the theme in the movie this makes it a good, good movie.
The Best Comedy Movie Ever Made
Over Christmas break I was able to rewatch one of my favorite movies, after winning many awards and being one of the highest grossing films of the year it was released, The Hangover was one of the most funny movies I’ve ever watched. The movie won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture, and the AFL’s award for the Best Movie of the Year. The film has lots of star power with actors like Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis who attracted many people to see the movie. The director of the movie, Todd Phillips introduce us to a man named Doug who is getting married over the weekend. However, Doug’s friends and his fiance’s brother have planned a bachelors party days before the wedding in Las Vegas. After a long night of partying Doug’s bachelor party finds themselves in the morning with a tiger locked in their hotel room bathroom, and a baby in their closet. With all this going on the “Wolfpack” is challenged on finding Doug because he had gone missing and none of the men had any recollection of the night before. A scene that I always love watching is when Stu (Helms), Phil (Cooper), and Alan (Galifianakis) are challenged with returning Mike Tyson’s tiger back to his house. Alan decides to try and drug the Tiger and says “Tigers love pepper, they hate cinnamon” this is one of the many examples of nonsense that many viewers and I found hilarious while watching the movie. I think this movie was very well put together, and found that the plot had me on the edge of my seat hoping that Doug would make it back for his wedding.
With all said, I found this movie to be phenomenal, the trio of Helms, Cooper, and Galifianakis may be one of the best casts for a movie ever. The three provide comedy throughout the movie and leave you wanting to watch the movie again. With quotes like “ It’s not a man purse. It’s a satchel, Indiana Jones wears one” I found it almost impossible not to be laughing throughout the whole movie. The story also emphasizes the importance of having a close family as we slowly start to see the “Wolfpack” of Doug, Phil, Stu, and Alan come together. Since this movie was so good I would rate this film GOOD GOOD, and would highly recommend watching this if you enjoy a crazy funny movie on how four men spend their night in Las Vegas. Black Mirror's Bandersnatch: An Interactive Movie
Black Mirror was a British television that was bought by Netflix in late 2017. Since then, numerous episodes have been made, each one posing a question on humans and futuristic technology. Recently, Netflix released Bandersnatch, a film allowing the watcher to choose what main protagonist (Stefan Butler) does. Due to the constant changes made by the viewer, this may have been very hard for the camera crew and the screenplay, but critically acclaimed director David Slade was able to do it flawlessly. The screen is able to go to the chosen scene without any hesitation in camera cuts or dialogue. It seemed that the movie knew what I was going to pick it was so smooth. In addition to the amazing technicalities of the camera work, the story is able to maintain a constant flow of characters arcs, tension building, and an overall story path. Even with the multiple pathways the watcher can choose, the film still is able to beautifully create a story line that is both well written and well acted.
One of the reasons why Bandersnatch became one of my all-time favorites (apart from the fact I could choose how it ended) was the question it kept asking the audience. How much free will do we actually have? As the movie progresses, Stefan begins to realize someone is controlling his instincts, creating an almost fourth wall break. This question leads Stefan to go crazy (performed wonderfully by Fionn Whitehead) as he searches for a way for him to free himself. Predetermined fate has always been a topic that got my attention. Did I make that grilled cheese sandwich for lunch because I wanted to, or did something else choose that for me? The psychological question will make anyone mad. However, only a truly bizarre show such as Black Mirror could perfectly ask the question and show its effect on already crazed people.
Black Mirror's Bandersnatch is Good/Good. David Slade is able to use interactive entertainment without taking away from the film itself. Camera work is perfectly as the scenes switch time and time again. The performances of Fionn Whitehead and Will Poulter leave audiences with hanging jaws. The only question left after watching it is, was I the one that wanted to watch it?
One of the reasons why Bandersnatch became one of my all-time favorites (apart from the fact I could choose how it ended) was the question it kept asking the audience. How much free will do we actually have? As the movie progresses, Stefan begins to realize someone is controlling his instincts, creating an almost fourth wall break. This question leads Stefan to go crazy (performed wonderfully by Fionn Whitehead) as he searches for a way for him to free himself. Predetermined fate has always been a topic that got my attention. Did I make that grilled cheese sandwich for lunch because I wanted to, or did something else choose that for me? The psychological question will make anyone mad. However, only a truly bizarre show such as Black Mirror could perfectly ask the question and show its effect on already crazed people.
Black Mirror's Bandersnatch is Good/Good. David Slade is able to use interactive entertainment without taking away from the film itself. Camera work is perfectly as the scenes switch time and time again. The performances of Fionn Whitehead and Will Poulter leave audiences with hanging jaws. The only question left after watching it is, was I the one that wanted to watch it?
From Blindness to Sight
For many, sight is a highly underappreciated commodity that the vast majority of us are born with. Now imagine WILLINGLY taking away this sense via blindfold and throwing in a monster that messes with your head into the mix. This is more or less the premise of the movie Bird Box, the new post-apocalyptic thriller directed by Susanne Bier. While filled with suspense and tension, it sometimes feels as if the writers were BLIND to key aspects of how the real world functions. For example, why was the electricity on for the entire duration of the film after five whole years of widespread chaos and fallout. Also the fact that the gang learns of Gary's insanity after he fails to hide his drawings of the monster and instead meticulously lays them out on a coffee table for all to see. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not have my biggest secret on display in the center of the room. Regardless of missteps in realism and authenticity, however, this film teaches us less about surviving, and more about living. It is a moving and intense film that captures the essence of truly connecting to humankind, seen through the lens of a woman learning what it means to be a mother.
When it comes to suspense and thrilling terror, Bird Box is in no way lacking. The mere fact that the characters cannot see the monster causes intense feelings of claustrophobia and anxiety. In fact, we never actually see this monster. The reason being the monster is meant to be less of a physical threat but a psychological symbol. The way it operates by tempting the humans into looking at it using their past traumas works all too well with the fact that the monster is unable to be seen. This forces the audience to assume that the monster is, in fact, the worst nightmare for the person it is targeting. That could be anything from a dead relative to a shark for all we know. The important thing is that the mystery only adds to the sense of anxiety produced by the unknown assailant. Another interesting element of the film is the powerful use of present and past through flashback memories, offering a glimpse into the mind of Malorie (Sandra Bullock) and her evolution from aloof to connected. She reminds us that the world today is an unpredictable one, where children are no longer safe, and the true measure of parenthood is fierce and loyal protection. As she travels the perilous journey down a river blindfolded with her two young children to a safe zone, we feel the anxiety and tension of her situation. When Malorie drapes a large dark blanket over their heads for a fleeting, tense, claustrophobic moment of privacy with her children, I could sense the contrast between the vulnerability of their wide open surroundings with the closed-off blanket discussions and this added to the intensity of each hidden word and meaning. There were no sentiments of love, affection, or reassurance. Malorie tells them “Listen to me, we’re going on a trip now, it’s going to be rough. If you hear something in the woods, you tell me. If you hear something in the water, you tell me. But under no circumstances are you allowed to take off your blindfold.” It is not until the end of the film that we see her metaphorically remove her own blindfold and claim her children as her own.“Your name is Olympia, and you are Tom. And you are my son.” It is a profound moment of her acceptance and self- realization. It left me feeling hopeful for her and her children’s future, which was surprising in a post-apocalyptic film.
In conclusion, I give Bird Box a BAD GOOD rating due to its ability to keep me on the edge of my seat, its emotional narrative that left me rooting for an unlikely hero, and an overall sense of hope. Unfortunately, when it comes to realism, it falls painfully short at times, from all too perfect placement of vital information to a seemingly infinite source of electricity across the entire world. If you can become BLIND to these small sloppy details, then Bird Box is a movie I recommend you don't miss.
When it comes to suspense and thrilling terror, Bird Box is in no way lacking. The mere fact that the characters cannot see the monster causes intense feelings of claustrophobia and anxiety. In fact, we never actually see this monster. The reason being the monster is meant to be less of a physical threat but a psychological symbol. The way it operates by tempting the humans into looking at it using their past traumas works all too well with the fact that the monster is unable to be seen. This forces the audience to assume that the monster is, in fact, the worst nightmare for the person it is targeting. That could be anything from a dead relative to a shark for all we know. The important thing is that the mystery only adds to the sense of anxiety produced by the unknown assailant. Another interesting element of the film is the powerful use of present and past through flashback memories, offering a glimpse into the mind of Malorie (Sandra Bullock) and her evolution from aloof to connected. She reminds us that the world today is an unpredictable one, where children are no longer safe, and the true measure of parenthood is fierce and loyal protection. As she travels the perilous journey down a river blindfolded with her two young children to a safe zone, we feel the anxiety and tension of her situation. When Malorie drapes a large dark blanket over their heads for a fleeting, tense, claustrophobic moment of privacy with her children, I could sense the contrast between the vulnerability of their wide open surroundings with the closed-off blanket discussions and this added to the intensity of each hidden word and meaning. There were no sentiments of love, affection, or reassurance. Malorie tells them “Listen to me, we’re going on a trip now, it’s going to be rough. If you hear something in the woods, you tell me. If you hear something in the water, you tell me. But under no circumstances are you allowed to take off your blindfold.” It is not until the end of the film that we see her metaphorically remove her own blindfold and claim her children as her own.“Your name is Olympia, and you are Tom. And you are my son.” It is a profound moment of her acceptance and self- realization. It left me feeling hopeful for her and her children’s future, which was surprising in a post-apocalyptic film.
In conclusion, I give Bird Box a BAD GOOD rating due to its ability to keep me on the edge of my seat, its emotional narrative that left me rooting for an unlikely hero, and an overall sense of hope. Unfortunately, when it comes to realism, it falls painfully short at times, from all too perfect placement of vital information to a seemingly infinite source of electricity across the entire world. If you can become BLIND to these small sloppy details, then Bird Box is a movie I recommend you don't miss.
Remember the Titans Be Reel Blog
Over break I watched Remember the Titans. This movie takes place during the civil rights movement in Virginia where blacks and whites are very separated at the time. One high school is challenged to overcome integration and achieve success as a football team. For me, this movie was great as I enjoy football and history so it made a good mix. It also helps that Denzel Washington stars in it. He did an awesome job of playing the role of the coach of the team. He had to overcome a lot of hate from the white parents in the school district but in all brings everyone together and wins a state championship. Washington, who plays Coach Boone, teaches the players a lesson greater than football and turns his players into men throughout the course of the film. With a great mix of history, football, great acting, and a little bit of humor, this film is a must watch for anyone who has not seen it. I would watch this movie over and over again because it does not get old. The team does overcome adversity to go undefeated and win the state championship even when it looked as if this team was not going to make it out of camp in the summer. I really enjoyed this movie and also felt it was very well put together.
Objectively, this movie was put together greatly. The actors in the film did a great job of pretending to hate the other race on their team and they acted with a lot of passion once they came to like each other. The setting and clothing that the actors wear in this film do also enhance the fact that this movie was set in the 1960´s. Even the cars in the film suggest it is set in that time period. The high school kids that are not on the football team and the parents of the kids on the team express their hatred for the other race in a strong way that makes the movie more interesting and the audience is always interested to see what will happen next. The audience is also very interested to see what will happen to Coach Boone if the team looses a game. Obviously a lot of people were against Coach Boone being hired because he replaced a white coach who was a local football legend. However, because the school was integrated, they hired a black coach but still allowed the previous coach to be on the staff. Throughout the film and during the games, these coaches have disagreements but overcome them to succeed as a team. I feel that this film deserves a good good rating and that it was one of the best football movies I have ever seen. This film is great for most ages to watch as it teaches younger kids about history and how small towns in America were back then. I highly recommend this film for everyone to watch.
Objectively, this movie was put together greatly. The actors in the film did a great job of pretending to hate the other race on their team and they acted with a lot of passion once they came to like each other. The setting and clothing that the actors wear in this film do also enhance the fact that this movie was set in the 1960´s. Even the cars in the film suggest it is set in that time period. The high school kids that are not on the football team and the parents of the kids on the team express their hatred for the other race in a strong way that makes the movie more interesting and the audience is always interested to see what will happen next. The audience is also very interested to see what will happen to Coach Boone if the team looses a game. Obviously a lot of people were against Coach Boone being hired because he replaced a white coach who was a local football legend. However, because the school was integrated, they hired a black coach but still allowed the previous coach to be on the staff. Throughout the film and during the games, these coaches have disagreements but overcome them to succeed as a team. I feel that this film deserves a good good rating and that it was one of the best football movies I have ever seen. This film is great for most ages to watch as it teaches younger kids about history and how small towns in America were back then. I highly recommend this film for everyone to watch.
Bird Box should "Beat It"
Last week I had the chance to watch the new Netflix Original film, Bird Box, Directed by Susanne Bier. Bird Box is an ordinary post apocalyptic survival film where scary monsters make people see their biggest fear and kill themselves. Other than that, viewers aren’t given any more information on the monsters. Clearly, lots of confusion is derived from the lack of context about the main abnormalities of the film. Unfortunately, Bird Box lacks originality when it comes to its storyline. Bier had created what can be perceived as a wannabe version of John Krasinski's “A Quiet Place”; instead of not being able to make an sound, the characters need to keep their blindfolds on so they can’t see. The similarities between the two films made Bird Box that much more predictable and therefore it became less of the “Thriller” it was meant to be. Sandra Bullock, the main protagonist in the film, shows little to no development as a character as the story progressed. She managed to remain arrogant and moody throughout the entirety of the film up until the end of the film when she manages to show a sliver of emotion that isn’t pure anger and negativity. As for the film’s plot, throughout the duration of the movie there is a 5 year time jump. This time jump is followed by quite literally no explanation as to what had happened in the past 5 years or how they got to where they are now. Because it was only a two hour movie, most of the characters the story begins with die off early on, which led to weak character development and no real viewer-character relationships.
Personally I believe Bird Box was a great film but it really fell short in a lot of aspects. Firstly, I wasn’t fond of seeing the rapper Machine Gun Kelly (the Walmart version of Eminem). He certainly shouldn’t pursue an acting career because I can assure you it wouldn’t pan out too well. Mainly because his part was a carbon copy of his regular arrogant self. As for the plot, as I mentioned earlier, Bullock is a Scrooge up until the final 30 seconds when she bridges out of her comfort zone to give her children real names (wow!). It was also disappointing that there wasn’t more explanation of the origins of the monsters they spend the entire movie running from; that lack of necessary context made the film a lot more confusing and unenjoyable in my eyes. On the other hand, I did like that there were certain people who could see the monsters and remain unphased. It was nice to see that the film had something original it had to offer. Chiefly, the film was fun and intense but could’ve done a much better job with giving viewers extra details and information on what exactly was going on.
Mile 22 a Good Good Action movie.
This movie was an interesting choice. It was well put together and made. I enjoyed mostly every part of this movie. All together I would have to say it was extremely well made, and I recommend this movie to anyone who likes Action movies. This movie actually surprised me with how it ended. In most action movies they end with a happy ending. While in this movie the twist isn't until the very end. Throughout the movie the members of the main squad slowly die off, but in the end there are only two remaining members and the "package" which is a guy who said he had secrets that would topple his tyrannical government. Throughout this movie he helps the main characters fight their way to a plane to bring him out of his country. He used a encrypted key that only he knew the password to, as leverage. He said as soon as they got him out of his country he would give them the password. At the start of this movie it focuses on the team killing at 18 year old Russian spy. While at the end it turns out that the people trying to kill the main characters are working for the mother of this 18 year old. The "package" turns out to be working for her too, this leads to one of the final two squad members dying and leaving only one person still alive from this squad known as "Overwatch". This movie kept me entertained and portrayed a good story with it. I fully enjoyed this movie and recommend it.
In the end I would have to say this movie is a (Good, Good) Movie.
In the end I would have to say this movie is a (Good, Good) Movie.
DD= Dumplin’ , Disappointment
Ok. This last week I finally had time for the first time in weeks to actually sit down and watch a movie. I was so proud of myself that I could finally watch something. I feel like I have been living under a rock for the past couple weeks. Before those couple weeks, I did a personal read. I decided to read the book Dumplin’ that I saw in the bookstore and I am not gonna lie, it sounded pretty interesting. After I got the book, I finished it in two days which is a record for me when it comes to reading. But anyways, I talked about it with one of my coworkers and he then told me that it was now a movie on Netflix with Luke Benward (kinda my childhood, Disney Channel crush) and Jennifer Aniston. Ergo, how could I possibly pass the opportunity to watch this movie?
The story takes place in a little town known for the Bluebonnet Pagent. The Bluebonnet Pagent is where the first ever pageant in Texas has ever taken place. The main character, Willow Dean Dickson (Danielle Macdonald) is the daughter of the 1991 pageant queen Rosie Dickson (Jennifer Aniston). Rosie Dickson is now the pageant director of the Bluebonnet Pageant. So it turns out that Willow Dean is a rather larger woman. After a recent death of her Aunt, she decides to sign up for the pageant learning that her Aunt had tried to once but never did. It was meant to be a revolution against the pageant to prove that women of all sizes could be in a pageant.
Personally, I really enjoyed the book because of its overall vibe wasn’t very cliche when read. However, when I saw it on screen I was a little disappointed because I read it and thought to myself: been there, done that. I was rather disappointed in the overall execution because the book was raw, emotional and empowering regardless of the over obsession with Dolly Parton. When I saw the movie, I wasn’t empowered at all. Don’t get me wrong, it was funny, but the book was a little more serious about the overall theme of self-acceptance. The movie gave off the impression that self-acceptance is a bit of a fantasy joke. As an audience member, you want to believe it when you see it. I simply was not given that feeling. So I give this movie a Bad, Bad rating because the overall filmed in a cliche way and the themes weren’t touched upon enough. I was very disappointed.
This movie took sci-fi horror and gave it an Upgrade
Let me just start off by saying I'm not a huge fan of horror. I don't like axe wielding psychopaths, I abhor (pun intended) the supernatural, and I do not, under any circumstances, appreciate the absolute terror of a jumpscare. This movie, however, surprised me. Not only was it a gory body horror movie, but it was also a twist filled sci fi adventure, that gave the perfect blend of cinematography and storytelling. I am proud to firmly place this film in the upper echelon of the Good Good category.
Upgrade tells the story of one Grey Trace. He is a stay at home mechanic, fixing up old muscle cars in the new and improved technologically advanced future. His wife Asha, works for a tech firm. The story begins with Grey delivering a muscle car to a prominent tech company head executive, a rival of Asha's company. While in the executive's home, they are introduced to STEM, a microchip that can process any task handed to it. Grey is unimpressed, firmly anti-tech and pro human work, dismissing the power and capabilities of STEM. On their way home, their automatic, self driving car malfunctions, and overturns. A group of men appear and shoot Asha in the chest, and Grey in the neck, severing his spinal cord and forcing him to watch his wife bleed out next to him, unable to do anything. He is confined to a wheelchair, and develops severe depression. After an attempted suicide by overdose, the tech head visits him in the hospital, and offers to implant STEM into his spine, giving him full motor control back. Grey takes the opportunity, and slowly regains full control on the promise of pretending to be paraplegic in public, as not to expose STEM to the world prematurely. STEM reveals it can talk to Grey, and offers to help him find the people who killed his wife. After tracking down and gruesomely killing some of the men, the tech head threatens to shut down STEM, rendering Grey a paraplegic again. To prevent this, Grey goes to a hacker who removes the input guard of STEM, giving Grey control again. After killing the remaining murderers, Grey goes home to rest, where he sees his mother, who is shocked that he can stand. After explaining STEM, he tells her to keep quiet. STEM then reveals that without the input guards, it can cause Grey's body to move, even against his will. They then storm the house of the tech exec, who reveals that STEM orchestrated all the events, from the car crash to the input guards, to get access to Grey's body, which is untouched by technological modifications. After struggling with STEM, Grey wrestles enough control to put a gun to his head. He wakes up in a hospital bedroom, with Asha sitting next to him, saying he has been unconscious since the car crash. In the real world, STEM explains through Grey that he broke Grey's mind with exhaustion and sleeplessness, giving STEM full control. When told to "snap out of it", he responds with "Grey's not here right now", shoots the police officer present, and leaves.
This movie is a perfect use of story, with a grand and fantastic twist coming at the very end, and a compelling narrative that invests you in the characters throughout. The color scheme is fantastically executed, the world well developed, and the acting fantastic. Logan Marshal-Green performs beautifully, and convinces us that his path to righteousness is one that can be easily followed. The story convinces us to follow it up until the very end, and then throws our trust back in our faces. This excellent use of story and evolution of conflict makes this movie an absolute marvel. The way the story progresses is a bit slow, but when the action hits, oh boy does it hit. It puts together all the best of an action film, combined with the gore of a proper horror film. This fantastic combination of three genres makes this movie an one-of-a-kind exceptional thrill ride. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone with a steel stomach and an iron constitution. This movie is an absolute masterpiece by any regard.
Upgrade tells the story of one Grey Trace. He is a stay at home mechanic, fixing up old muscle cars in the new and improved technologically advanced future. His wife Asha, works for a tech firm. The story begins with Grey delivering a muscle car to a prominent tech company head executive, a rival of Asha's company. While in the executive's home, they are introduced to STEM, a microchip that can process any task handed to it. Grey is unimpressed, firmly anti-tech and pro human work, dismissing the power and capabilities of STEM. On their way home, their automatic, self driving car malfunctions, and overturns. A group of men appear and shoot Asha in the chest, and Grey in the neck, severing his spinal cord and forcing him to watch his wife bleed out next to him, unable to do anything. He is confined to a wheelchair, and develops severe depression. After an attempted suicide by overdose, the tech head visits him in the hospital, and offers to implant STEM into his spine, giving him full motor control back. Grey takes the opportunity, and slowly regains full control on the promise of pretending to be paraplegic in public, as not to expose STEM to the world prematurely. STEM reveals it can talk to Grey, and offers to help him find the people who killed his wife. After tracking down and gruesomely killing some of the men, the tech head threatens to shut down STEM, rendering Grey a paraplegic again. To prevent this, Grey goes to a hacker who removes the input guard of STEM, giving Grey control again. After killing the remaining murderers, Grey goes home to rest, where he sees his mother, who is shocked that he can stand. After explaining STEM, he tells her to keep quiet. STEM then reveals that without the input guards, it can cause Grey's body to move, even against his will. They then storm the house of the tech exec, who reveals that STEM orchestrated all the events, from the car crash to the input guards, to get access to Grey's body, which is untouched by technological modifications. After struggling with STEM, Grey wrestles enough control to put a gun to his head. He wakes up in a hospital bedroom, with Asha sitting next to him, saying he has been unconscious since the car crash. In the real world, STEM explains through Grey that he broke Grey's mind with exhaustion and sleeplessness, giving STEM full control. When told to "snap out of it", he responds with "Grey's not here right now", shoots the police officer present, and leaves.
This movie is a perfect use of story, with a grand and fantastic twist coming at the very end, and a compelling narrative that invests you in the characters throughout. The color scheme is fantastically executed, the world well developed, and the acting fantastic. Logan Marshal-Green performs beautifully, and convinces us that his path to righteousness is one that can be easily followed. The story convinces us to follow it up until the very end, and then throws our trust back in our faces. This excellent use of story and evolution of conflict makes this movie an absolute marvel. The way the story progresses is a bit slow, but when the action hits, oh boy does it hit. It puts together all the best of an action film, combined with the gore of a proper horror film. This fantastic combination of three genres makes this movie an one-of-a-kind exceptional thrill ride. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone with a steel stomach and an iron constitution. This movie is an absolute masterpiece by any regard.
Vice: An Insane Drama of Both Politics and Dick(s)
Last week I saw a trailer to the movie Vice and just had to see it. Not only was it directed by the same person as another personal favorite, The Big Short, but it also starred an actor I am currently in love with, Steve Carell. It also seemed to bring a lot of laughs to a subject matter that lately just brings anger and frustration to people: politics. A few days later I got to see the film.
The film is about the life of Dick Cheney, played by Christian Bale, from his college drop-out years to present day. In the first ten minutes of the film, the audience could tell that Bale and his co-star Amy Adams (Lynn Cheney) were going to nail their performances of the infamous Cheney's. Their chemistry throughout the film was not only captivating, but held a sense of truth. Although it is hard to tell how truthful it really was since the Cheney's were so secretive, it still got the point it needed to across and entertained the audience.
I would be lying if I said I was totally pleased with the film. My main problem with the film was how it was advertised, which was a dark comedy. There were, at times, very funny moments in the film. Anytime the character Donald Rumsfeld, played by comedy legend Steve Carell, would open his mouth the audience would have to giggle at the insanity of what he was saying. And even the ever so serious Bale got a couple laughs with his performance as Dick, especially when talking to renowned word scrambler George W. Bush, played by Sam Rockwell. But by the end, I didn't get the sense that the funny bits of the movie was enough to label it as a dark comedy. Like any good drama, it had laughs. When it got really serious (almost terrifying at points), it made time for comedy so the audience wasn't too tense and could still enjoy it.
If you're looking for only laughs, I wouldn't suggest seeing this film. If you're looking for some really good acting, this film should interest you. If you're looking for a good drama, and performances that shine, and something that will make you both terrified and giggle, Vice is the perfect option.
Although it didn't feel like a straight up dark comedy, I have to give this movie a GOOD/GOOD.
The film is about the life of Dick Cheney, played by Christian Bale, from his college drop-out years to present day. In the first ten minutes of the film, the audience could tell that Bale and his co-star Amy Adams (Lynn Cheney) were going to nail their performances of the infamous Cheney's. Their chemistry throughout the film was not only captivating, but held a sense of truth. Although it is hard to tell how truthful it really was since the Cheney's were so secretive, it still got the point it needed to across and entertained the audience.
I would be lying if I said I was totally pleased with the film. My main problem with the film was how it was advertised, which was a dark comedy. There were, at times, very funny moments in the film. Anytime the character Donald Rumsfeld, played by comedy legend Steve Carell, would open his mouth the audience would have to giggle at the insanity of what he was saying. And even the ever so serious Bale got a couple laughs with his performance as Dick, especially when talking to renowned word scrambler George W. Bush, played by Sam Rockwell. But by the end, I didn't get the sense that the funny bits of the movie was enough to label it as a dark comedy. Like any good drama, it had laughs. When it got really serious (almost terrifying at points), it made time for comedy so the audience wasn't too tense and could still enjoy it.
If you're looking for only laughs, I wouldn't suggest seeing this film. If you're looking for some really good acting, this film should interest you. If you're looking for a good drama, and performances that shine, and something that will make you both terrified and giggle, Vice is the perfect option.
Although it didn't feel like a straight up dark comedy, I have to give this movie a GOOD/GOOD.
BlacKkKlansman: Essentially Spike Lee Vs. Racism (Be Reel Blog)
BlacKkKlansman is a raunchy, action comedy that try's to mimic the aesthetic of old 70's action movies while surprisingly being based on a true story. The plot focuses on Ron Stallworth, the first African-American detective in his town, trying to prove his worth by infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan, and exposing them. The director, Spike Lee made this films plot, and characters to be as overtly racist, and biased as possible, to portray true racism. Spike Lee uses this in his film to warn his audience of the violence that comes with racism, and the fact that racism is still around and still prevalent today. When watching the movie you may not see a obvious message, everything up until the climax is just a undercover cop story but with the N word thrown around every five seconds. The message is made clear in the final act of film when some members of the KKK attempt an assassination on a female African- American advocate for the Black Panther Party. Spike Lee even comes in at the final moments of film, to be direct with the audience and show events that have transpired in recent history that supports his claim, like the alt right movement in Charlottesville, and some excerpts from the current president of the United States. Spike Lee essentially made this film to serve as a premonition of what could befall the United States if racism continues to rise.
Other than the fact that this movie is a presentiment for the near future, the film is actually lighthearted in most instances. After Ron's rocky start as the new black cop in town, he essentially becomes best buds with two other cops named Flip, and Jimmy, all three of them serve as the comic relief for the entire film. By adding all of this comic relief Spike Lee has found a way to make even the Ku Klux Klan seem tolerable in some instances. When ever there's a scene with the Klan, Flip, the undercover cop infiltrating the KKK, often cracks a joke to alleviate any tension and suspicion, And whenever Ron is on the phone with David Duke, his charisma makes the scene easier to endure. This film is a little bit part comedy, so scenes tend not be serious because of the surplus of comic relief. In summary, BlacKkKlansman is a typical Spike Lee film with the positive message that are usually in his films. All together with it's raunchy action, cheesy 70's aesthetic, and dark sense of humor this Spike Lee film adds up to get a Good Good rating. For those of you interested in watching this movie, be advised that this film is chock full of dark humor mixed and racial slurs and may not be everyone's cup of tea, so if you are prone to be easily triggered, be advised.
Other than the fact that this movie is a presentiment for the near future, the film is actually lighthearted in most instances. After Ron's rocky start as the new black cop in town, he essentially becomes best buds with two other cops named Flip, and Jimmy, all three of them serve as the comic relief for the entire film. By adding all of this comic relief Spike Lee has found a way to make even the Ku Klux Klan seem tolerable in some instances. When ever there's a scene with the Klan, Flip, the undercover cop infiltrating the KKK, often cracks a joke to alleviate any tension and suspicion, And whenever Ron is on the phone with David Duke, his charisma makes the scene easier to endure. This film is a little bit part comedy, so scenes tend not be serious because of the surplus of comic relief. In summary, BlacKkKlansman is a typical Spike Lee film with the positive message that are usually in his films. All together with it's raunchy action, cheesy 70's aesthetic, and dark sense of humor this Spike Lee film adds up to get a Good Good rating. For those of you interested in watching this movie, be advised that this film is chock full of dark humor mixed and racial slurs and may not be everyone's cup of tea, so if you are prone to be easily triggered, be advised.
Sunday, December 30, 2018
Mary Poppins Return: A Sequel That is Practically Perfect in Every Way. (Good/Good)
Mary Poppins Returns is a sequel to of course Walt Disney’s classic hit, Mary Poppins (1964). Directed by Rob Marshall and starring Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins. This movie is set in 1935 London where Michael Banks, one of the children from the original movie, is now grown up and living in his childhood home with his 3 kids. Following the recent death of his wife, Jane Banks, his sister, and Ellen, their housekeeper from the original movie are helping Michael raise his children. Unfortunately, Michael has taken a loan from the bank to cover his expenses and they will repossess the Banks’ house if not paid within 5 days. Mary Poppins arrives back to help out the Banks family to save their house and to remind them what it was like to have a huge imagination, and how to be a child again. This movie didn’t try to use the original songs, instead, they created new memorable songs that are as catchy as the classic hits.
In my opinion, this was a sequel that is practically perfect in every way. It follows a similar sequel formula that the Disney-owned Star Wars used when they relaunched the franchise with The Force Awakens (episode 7). They both took many inspirations from the original film and some of the scenes, themes, and plot sequences are extremely similar to the previous installment, but with enough new and original content to make the new movie installment more interesting. There are similar songs covering illness and death (A Spoonful of Sugar in the original and Where The Lost Things Go in the sequel), a fantasy sequence featuring a vaudeville performance and penguins (Supercalafragalistic and A Cover Is Not The Book), a mass choreographed dance of working-class Londoners (Step In Time and Trip A Little Light Fantastic) and an outdoor happy-ending kite or balloon song (Let’s Go Fly A Kite, and Nowhere to Go But Up). Trying to make a sequel from a movie that is 50 years old without it being a just cash grab was a huge challenge to do, especially doing a timeless classic like Mary Poppins, and the musical symmetry allows original content songs to emotionally mirror original classics.
These songs were extremely well done and very memorable. The acting was consistently excellent especially from Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, an American Playing London Cockney, Jack just as Dick Van Dyke did playing Bert. Lin-Manuel did a phenomenal job with a really believable working-class London accent. The costumes and clothing look like it’s from the 1930s London. The lighting was spot on especially during the musical numbers. I would probably say my favorite part of the film was the 2D animated section which actually looks like it’s from the original movie, while still being impressive.
Mary Poppins Returns is probably one of the best sequels I have seen in any film and a great film for everyone, from Kids to the fans of the original film. I’m giving it a Good/Good.
Marvel's: Infinite Reviews
Marvel’s: Infinite Reviews
The other night I had the opportunity of sitting down with my brothers and dad and watching maybe the most analyzed and hyped up movie of 2018, Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity War”. I’ve seen the movie a couple of times but this time watching it I was able to analyze the movie a lot better and was able to take mental notes. My family and I are all caught up with every Marvel movie so we are able to understand backstories and such and discuss how things in the universe worked in the movie. “Infinity War” was also one of Stan Lee’s last works until he passed away unfortunately early last month. Although he is gone, the universe and stories he made will forever live on.
The thing that stood out the most in this film cinematically were the special effects and CGI (computer generated imagery). Marvel has always been phenomenal with their ways of computer imaging, but for the Avengers series they always seem to pull out all the stops. The main villain of the entire movie, Thanos, played by Josh Brolin was computer generated the entire movie. Of course Josh Brolin was the face and voice of Thanos but I don’t believe he was really 8’2”. Josh Brolin did a great job as well as most of the crew. Chris Evans as Captain America and Chris Hemsworth as Thor had some of their strongest performances. The change of settings throughout the movie was also different compared to most Marvel movies. Everyone meeting together in Wakanda, a newer location in the Marvel universe was different than most movies, especially in the Avengers movie line because the characters for the most part stay in one location throughout the movie. Objectively this movie earns a GOOD rating from me.
The Avengers trying to save half of earth’s population by an 8 foot, seemingly unbeatable villain that the script writers do a very good job making the audience hate, is very stressful. The thing Marvel does so well with their movie is get the audience involved in the relationships between the heros, so when Thanos snaps his fingers (not gonna spoil what that means even though I can guarantee everyone reading this knows exactly what happens when Thanos snaps his fingers) the audience is sad with the characters because the bonds that people have watched over the years are being broken. Although the you may feel sad with the characters, my personal favorite part of the movie was seeing all the new heroes and characters from newer movies such as Black Panther, played by Chadwick Boseman, fighting alongside the original avengers such as Captain America, Thor and Ironman. It was a collision of all the Marvel movies we know and love and that is the main factor that made the film so enjoyable for me. The subjective view of this movie deserves a GOOD rating for me as well.
I hope I was able to bring in new points of analyzation for this movie to all the readers because this movie has been reviewed time and time again, but I tried to put a different spin on it to be more original and point out ways this movie hasn’t been reviewed on. The film itself receives a GOOD GOOD rating from me and definitely made it on to my top 10 movies of 2018 that I saw. Can’t wait for what 2019 films have to bring!
The other night I had the opportunity of sitting down with my brothers and dad and watching maybe the most analyzed and hyped up movie of 2018, Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity War”. I’ve seen the movie a couple of times but this time watching it I was able to analyze the movie a lot better and was able to take mental notes. My family and I are all caught up with every Marvel movie so we are able to understand backstories and such and discuss how things in the universe worked in the movie. “Infinity War” was also one of Stan Lee’s last works until he passed away unfortunately early last month. Although he is gone, the universe and stories he made will forever live on.
The thing that stood out the most in this film cinematically were the special effects and CGI (computer generated imagery). Marvel has always been phenomenal with their ways of computer imaging, but for the Avengers series they always seem to pull out all the stops. The main villain of the entire movie, Thanos, played by Josh Brolin was computer generated the entire movie. Of course Josh Brolin was the face and voice of Thanos but I don’t believe he was really 8’2”. Josh Brolin did a great job as well as most of the crew. Chris Evans as Captain America and Chris Hemsworth as Thor had some of their strongest performances. The change of settings throughout the movie was also different compared to most Marvel movies. Everyone meeting together in Wakanda, a newer location in the Marvel universe was different than most movies, especially in the Avengers movie line because the characters for the most part stay in one location throughout the movie. Objectively this movie earns a GOOD rating from me.
The Avengers trying to save half of earth’s population by an 8 foot, seemingly unbeatable villain that the script writers do a very good job making the audience hate, is very stressful. The thing Marvel does so well with their movie is get the audience involved in the relationships between the heros, so when Thanos snaps his fingers (not gonna spoil what that means even though I can guarantee everyone reading this knows exactly what happens when Thanos snaps his fingers) the audience is sad with the characters because the bonds that people have watched over the years are being broken. Although the you may feel sad with the characters, my personal favorite part of the movie was seeing all the new heroes and characters from newer movies such as Black Panther, played by Chadwick Boseman, fighting alongside the original avengers such as Captain America, Thor and Ironman. It was a collision of all the Marvel movies we know and love and that is the main factor that made the film so enjoyable for me. The subjective view of this movie deserves a GOOD rating for me as well.
I hope I was able to bring in new points of analyzation for this movie to all the readers because this movie has been reviewed time and time again, but I tried to put a different spin on it to be more original and point out ways this movie hasn’t been reviewed on. The film itself receives a GOOD GOOD rating from me and definitely made it on to my top 10 movies of 2018 that I saw. Can’t wait for what 2019 films have to bring!
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch- Revolution in Film
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is a new Netflix movie which is a segment of the Black Mirror series but the first Black Mirror film and it was directed by David Slade. Before the movie begins, it tells us that we actually control the movie by selecting one of two options with the controller. Every decision we make alter the film in different ways. The main goal is to make the video game successful while keeping Stefan sane. The movie begins by introducing us to Stefan Butler, an 19 year old living with his Father. After he wakes up and takes his pills, we get our first choice, sugar puffs or frosted flakes. We soon learn that he is a computer programmer in 1984 and was going to pitch his video game (Bandersnatch) to a programming company called Tuckersoft and the company liked his idea but when asked if he wanted to work there, we get two options, yes or no. I will not tell you what happens for each option because I do not want to spoil the surprise and so that you can make your own story. His video game is based on the novel Bandersnatch written by Jerome F Davies which drove him crazy and led him to decapitate his wife. Davies also became obsessed with the idea of free will. Bandersnatch deconstructs the choose your own adventure format by telling a story about the choose your own adventure format. This film uses lots of symbolism that stand for many different things. For example, the most prominent symbol is the shape of an upside down field goal which represents diverging timelines and control.
The main goal of the film is to have the audience so engaged so that you care what happens to the characters. The movie does have very interesting characters and great actors playing the characters. There are about 5 different endings that could happen from your choices, each one being more confusing than the next. According to Netflix, there are over a trillion story combinations which is a bit misleading because I have watched Bandersnatch a couple of times now and have come to the realization that you do not have as much free will as you think. For example, there are many choices you make that don't actually affect the larger plot and there are several plot points that always happen, regardless of your choices. Your choices always affect the specific scene you are watching, but often don't affect what happens in future scenes. There are a lot of dead ends and loops that force you to travel back and try again while showing you which choice you made determined your fate and bringing you back to that point in the story to try again when you hit a dead end. The theme of free will is the idea that the characters are not in control of their destiny. This puts the audience in the same situation because you think you have the decision to change Stefan's fate, but in reality you do not have much control. Placing the audience in the same situation as the characters is a great way to get them to empathize and connect with the characters. The director and writer of the film makes you a part of the world he is deconstructing, which creates the best episode of Black Mirror yet. This is why Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is a Good Good movie
The main goal of the film is to have the audience so engaged so that you care what happens to the characters. The movie does have very interesting characters and great actors playing the characters. There are about 5 different endings that could happen from your choices, each one being more confusing than the next. According to Netflix, there are over a trillion story combinations which is a bit misleading because I have watched Bandersnatch a couple of times now and have come to the realization that you do not have as much free will as you think. For example, there are many choices you make that don't actually affect the larger plot and there are several plot points that always happen, regardless of your choices. Your choices always affect the specific scene you are watching, but often don't affect what happens in future scenes. There are a lot of dead ends and loops that force you to travel back and try again while showing you which choice you made determined your fate and bringing you back to that point in the story to try again when you hit a dead end. The theme of free will is the idea that the characters are not in control of their destiny. This puts the audience in the same situation because you think you have the decision to change Stefan's fate, but in reality you do not have much control. Placing the audience in the same situation as the characters is a great way to get them to empathize and connect with the characters. The director and writer of the film makes you a part of the world he is deconstructing, which creates the best episode of Black Mirror yet. This is why Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is a Good Good movie
Saturday, December 29, 2018
The Mule: A Deep Dive into Family and the Cartel
The Mule directed by Clint Eastwood is a film that explores a man’s descent into the cartel. This man, Earl, doesn’t emulate a usual criminal however. In fact, it is arguable that his good intentions rise him above the status of a criminal. In his old age, Earl loses everything and turns to his family for hospitality, but he is turned away, as he always held work higher than his family. It is then that he turns to a seemingly easy line of work, running drugs for the cartel.
Earl stands out in the film as a grumpy old man from a judgemental era. He calls Mexicans “beaners” and when talking to a black family he refers to them as “negro folks”. This gives him a bad wrap in some confrontations, but he is mostly liked by the people he meets. Earl may not have a filter, but he has a good heart. When he uses these offensive labels, he does so with no malicious intent. The family he calls “negro folks”, is a mother, father, and daughter that got a flat tire in the middle of the desert. He, with over a million dollars worth of cocaine in his truck and cartel members following his every move, stops to help this family regardless of this risk on himself. Earl finds a way for everyone to like him, even in the most tense situations.
Earl is very wise and charismatic. This helps him evade the spotlight of the law. There are many close shaves during Earl’s drug runs and in each case, he knew exactly what to say. For instance, when he stopped at a restaurant with two cartel members, a police officer stopped the two and questioned their business. Earl convinced the policeman that he had picked them up from Home Depot and they were helping him move. He then gave the officer two tins of popcorn and ushered him away. The officer sensed nothing of it and left, thankful for the popcorn. Even though Earl could sweet talk almost any stranger, he wasn’t so successful with his own family.
This film begs the question, do you work to live or live to work? Earl chose the latter, and regretted it. The beginning of the film shows Earl at a Daylily convention while his daughter was getting married. This motif of work over family is continued until the end of the film when Earl goes off route to visit his dying wife. This introduces the theme of family over work. Earl going off route actually saves him from being caught by the DEA, for the time being, who knew where he was going. He stays with his family for a week, seeing his wife pass and attending her funeral. After the experience, Earl’s family welcomes him with open arms. His family troubles are over. He leaves to continue the route, but is stopped short by the DEA and taken into custody. At his trial, he pleads guilty to all charges knowing he will go to prison. At the prison, he is content knowing that he is finally accepted in his family. The audience sees him last planting daylilies in the prison garden, just as he was in the beginning.
I give this film a Good-Good rating. One of the best films I’ve seen in a long time.
Friday, December 28, 2018
Eternal Sunshine Review
I recently watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, directed by Michel Gondry, after hearing so much about it over the years. Eternal Sunshine was one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2004 and continues to be held in a high position in the film world because of its beautiful cinematography and enthralling storyline. Gondry is able to create a story about the helpless pain of falling out of love with somebody. The narrative can be overwhelming, considering most of it is not in chronological order, but that aspect also contributes to how messy relationships can be. The main character, Joel (Jim Carrey), decides he wants to undergo an operation to erase all memories of his ex-girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet). However, as Joel relives their relationship, he realizes that those memories are too important, too precious to forget. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that just because some memories are painful, erasing or suppressing them is not a healthy solution. Getting out of a long relationship can be agonizing, but it can leave you with important lessons and important memories.
First, Eternal Sunshine uses surreal imagery that captivates throughout the entire length of the story. Gondry and his team mostly used natural lighting in the film. In the scene where Clem brings Joel to her apartment for the first time, the only lighting used is the lamps in the apartment. When the characters stand in front of the lamps, they cast a shadow. The use of natural lighting gives the whole scene a definitive realistic look, it makes viewers feel like they really are just two people in a quaint little apartment, not actors on a movie set. Other times, the lighting provides flashbacks with the effect of a lucid dream. Spotlights are used as the source of light to show Joel's memories as they flood out of him, creating a foggy, disorienting effect.
The film is set in Long Island, New York in the dead of winter. The location of the film alone is juxtaposed to the keyword of the film's name: "Sunshine". Joel's town is grey, dismal, and unfriendly. People are rushing around in their winter coats trying to shelter themselves from the cold; nobody appears to be friendly. This dreary town reflects Joel's character: a sullen introvert living a mundane life.
Joel's serious, moody predisposition is integral to the film because it beautifully contrasts with Clementine's. Clementine is outgoing and eccentric, she is everything that Joel is not. She is able to literally and figuratively bring color into Joel's world during the beginning of their relationship. Literally, because she opens Joel up to new experiences, like walking on a frozen lake under the stars. Figuratively, because of the vivid colors that she dyes her hair. Clem's hair is the dominant feature of most shots because of it contrasts the world around her and because it correlates with what is happening in the story. It is apparent that Clementine's hair colors reflect what is happening in her life. For example, when her and Joel first get involved, she dyes it a bright, fiery red. This symbolizes passion, which is common in a budding relationship. Later, when Joel and Clementine lose interest in each other, her hair is bright orange. The orange symbolizes danger and anxiety as the pair no longer feel any passion in their relationship.
Personally, I thought Eternal Sunshine was a masterpiece. It exceeded my expectations by capturing reality in such a subtle way. The natural lighting made the scenes feel authentic without any over the top special effects. Joel and Clementine's relationship was not very memorable, there was no great love story. Therefore, it was able to evoke familiar emotions, because, in reality, not every relationship is a grand love story. Gondry saw no sense in amping up their relationship for the sake of the movie. Also, I am a big fan of Jim Carrey and seeing him perform well in a dramatic role was refreshing. Carrey successfully played the part of a withdrawn, moody character without making ridiculous faces or jokes. I think he worked very well together with Kate Winslet. Consequently, I give this movie a 'Good, Good' rating because I was captivated in the story and the surreal cinematic imagery.
First, Eternal Sunshine uses surreal imagery that captivates throughout the entire length of the story. Gondry and his team mostly used natural lighting in the film. In the scene where Clem brings Joel to her apartment for the first time, the only lighting used is the lamps in the apartment. When the characters stand in front of the lamps, they cast a shadow. The use of natural lighting gives the whole scene a definitive realistic look, it makes viewers feel like they really are just two people in a quaint little apartment, not actors on a movie set. Other times, the lighting provides flashbacks with the effect of a lucid dream. Spotlights are used as the source of light to show Joel's memories as they flood out of him, creating a foggy, disorienting effect.
The film is set in Long Island, New York in the dead of winter. The location of the film alone is juxtaposed to the keyword of the film's name: "Sunshine". Joel's town is grey, dismal, and unfriendly. People are rushing around in their winter coats trying to shelter themselves from the cold; nobody appears to be friendly. This dreary town reflects Joel's character: a sullen introvert living a mundane life.
Joel's serious, moody predisposition is integral to the film because it beautifully contrasts with Clementine's. Clementine is outgoing and eccentric, she is everything that Joel is not. She is able to literally and figuratively bring color into Joel's world during the beginning of their relationship. Literally, because she opens Joel up to new experiences, like walking on a frozen lake under the stars. Figuratively, because of the vivid colors that she dyes her hair. Clem's hair is the dominant feature of most shots because of it contrasts the world around her and because it correlates with what is happening in the story. It is apparent that Clementine's hair colors reflect what is happening in her life. For example, when her and Joel first get involved, she dyes it a bright, fiery red. This symbolizes passion, which is common in a budding relationship. Later, when Joel and Clementine lose interest in each other, her hair is bright orange. The orange symbolizes danger and anxiety as the pair no longer feel any passion in their relationship.
Personally, I thought Eternal Sunshine was a masterpiece. It exceeded my expectations by capturing reality in such a subtle way. The natural lighting made the scenes feel authentic without any over the top special effects. Joel and Clementine's relationship was not very memorable, there was no great love story. Therefore, it was able to evoke familiar emotions, because, in reality, not every relationship is a grand love story. Gondry saw no sense in amping up their relationship for the sake of the movie. Also, I am a big fan of Jim Carrey and seeing him perform well in a dramatic role was refreshing. Carrey successfully played the part of a withdrawn, moody character without making ridiculous faces or jokes. I think he worked very well together with Kate Winslet. Consequently, I give this movie a 'Good, Good' rating because I was captivated in the story and the surreal cinematic imagery.
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Home Alone- The Original "GOOD, GOOD"
With the holiday season upon us, it was a necessity to watch the classic, Home Alone. Home Alone is a 1990 film that shows 8 year old Kevin McCallister, a troublesome being who feels as though he isn't granted enough respect or attention, home alone with a duo of burglars out to get him. Early in the film, Kevin, after several unfortunate events everybody seemingly against him, exclaimed that he wish his family would be gone. He got his wish, in a way. and The film depicts a child's wildest dream and most horrific nightmare simultaneously and perfectly. Director, John Hughes, did an exquisite job of using catchy slogans like "Keep the change ya filthy animal," in order to have people continuously revert back to his film during the holiday season. To this day, that saying is used by 9 out of 10 people via Instagram captions around Christmas time. Along with that came some aspects of the film that may have seemed controversial to many, but hilarious to most. Many older people who have viewed the film have been shocked by the level of disrespect shown among children and adults, which came through taunting and name calling. Kevin, the main character, was called names like puke, disease, and even a little jerk by his uncle! With that being said, Kevin had his disrespectful moments as well, for sure, as he called his mother a "dummy."
In accordance with popular opinion, this is a great movie, as it is good-natured throughout, and a little bit unrealistic, which is good. Viewers don't want to be bored to death with an everyday proposition, they'd rather see a young child do something remarkable, and Kevin's "operation" was remarkable, without a doubt. In my opinion, I think the director did a tremendous job with including a lesson in the film, in that you should be careful what you wish for, while also showing that with bad choices you can still overcome them, have a good time, and eventually everything will be back to normal, until Part 2...
In accordance with popular opinion, this is a great movie, as it is good-natured throughout, and a little bit unrealistic, which is good. Viewers don't want to be bored to death with an everyday proposition, they'd rather see a young child do something remarkable, and Kevin's "operation" was remarkable, without a doubt. In my opinion, I think the director did a tremendous job with including a lesson in the film, in that you should be careful what you wish for, while also showing that with bad choices you can still overcome them, have a good time, and eventually everything will be back to normal, until Part 2...
Monday, December 24, 2018
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies ~ The "Bad, Good" Tolkien Film
Recently I have had the explainable desire to binge watch all of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings films, starting with the first Hobbit 'prequel', An Unexpected Journey and ending with the last LOTR movie, The Return of the King. As I was watching the three prequel movies, it occurred to me that the first two, An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug were, although subjectively the same in my opinion, they were very different objectively. The movie begins directly after the end of the last film, The Desolation of Smaug, as the terrible dragon flies towards Laketown in a fit of rage, seeking to destroy it. This is where my main issue objectively comes in; they kill the primary antagonist of the past two films within the first 10 minutes of the movie, thus hindering the plot by hurting the flow from that main issue to the next while also snuffing out the story arch of the original book. After Smaug is killed by Bard with the last (and almost conveniently lying around) black arrow, the transition into the rest of the movie does not flow nicely at all and feels very drawn out. Specifically after all the citizens of Laketown have gathered on the shoreline, the movie for a while does not seem to have a purpose until after all of the survivors relocate to the ruins of Dale. However, the damage has already been done and in almost every transition after Smaug is killed, the rest of the movie simply does not flow very nicely.
Despite the flaws described above I still personally loved this movie for not only it's very appealing visual effects but the actors and actresses that were cast to play the characters were perfect for the roles they cast in. Richard Armitage's performance as Thorin Oakenshield was exceptional and I though he did a very good job at embodying Thorin's character and really brought out his personality. In addition to this, the battle scenes in the film were excellent and really captured the scale of the fighting. The designs of the armor and weapons used by all of the races/armies were really detailed and helped to show the differences between the armies in not only their fighting styles but their culture and means of production as well. In summary, although the movie has some obvious flaws and is the lesser of the 'The Hobbit' series, it has many redeeming qualities as well and is still a Lord of the Rings movie, which makes it pretty great on it's own.
Despite the flaws described above I still personally loved this movie for not only it's very appealing visual effects but the actors and actresses that were cast to play the characters were perfect for the roles they cast in. Richard Armitage's performance as Thorin Oakenshield was exceptional and I though he did a very good job at embodying Thorin's character and really brought out his personality. In addition to this, the battle scenes in the film were excellent and really captured the scale of the fighting. The designs of the armor and weapons used by all of the races/armies were really detailed and helped to show the differences between the armies in not only their fighting styles but their culture and means of production as well. In summary, although the movie has some obvious flaws and is the lesser of the 'The Hobbit' series, it has many redeeming qualities as well and is still a Lord of the Rings movie, which makes it pretty great on it's own.
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Back to the Future Be Reel Review
Yesterday, during class we finished the film Back to the Future. Today, the class started off with Mr. Rivers assigning a poll for us to fill out on whether or not we thought the film was GOOD GOOD, GOOD BAD, BAD GOOD, or BAD BAD. Tallying the votes, the majority of period 3 class had voted the movie as GOOD GOOD. However a few voted that the movie was BAD GOOD or GOOD BAD. This lead to the discussion on why is it that the majority voted GOOD GOOD. Some argued that although this film seemed a bit cheesy, it still managed to make tons of money back in the 80's with its humorous plot and actions.
Also, we had watched a comedy sketch by a man named John Mulaney where he explains his opinion about the film Back to the Future. For those who missed the video or would like to watch it again here is the link: John Mulaney- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vkXvl5_MIc. During the clip, Mulaney explains a flaw in the plot. He believes the relationship between Doc and Marty was pretty sketchy. Mulaney backs up his claim with reasoning that the audience isn’t given a backstory to the origin of their relationship. All we know is that Doc is a crazy, old scientist who hangs out with a young high school boy named Marty. They are "best friends" and in one scene meet in a mall parking lot at 2 am for a science experiment. John Mulaney’s argument can be based off the BAD GOOD review. This gave the class another perspective opposed to the majority vote.
After that discussion, we worked on our assignments that are due this year such as the Lens tweets (due on 12/26/18), the letter revisions(12/21/18) , and the Be Reel blogs (first one due on 12/31/18).
John Mulaney, Back to the Explanation
Today was an interesting day in class. Yesterday, I fully finished Back to the Future for the first time. And yes, I know that it is totally insane that I haven't seen the movie fully until now. But I have to say, I loved it. Anyways, today was THE DISCUSSION. I don't know if it was the same for your class, but my class (well my group) was really into the discussion. We were all taking a poll on google classroom on how we classify Back to the Future just like our Be Reel blogs. The one thing I noticed is that the majority of both classes voted the movie was a GOOD GOOD movie. However others (and I mean me mostly), voted that the movie was BAD GOOD. I know that any of you who are probably reading this are probably trying to figure out what happened in class the day you were sick or early winter break. Therefore, I will try to keep my personal opinion aside so you can vote without my opinion affecting your vote.
Before this vote was cast, we watched a comedy sketch by a man named John Mulaney on explaining Back to the Future. I highly recommend watching it. I will post the link along with this video. Please be warned that it is a little inappropriate, but for the most part hilarious. John Mulaney explained certain aspects of the movie that made it a BAD GOOD movie. The movie was a great movie for my enjoyment. However, there were certain aspects that could have been better. For example, Mulaney and I agree that the relationship between Doc and Marty was pretty sketchy. First of all, we aren't given a backstory to the start of their relationship. All we know is that Doc is crazy and old and Marty is a young high school boy who meets up with his crazy, old, "best friend" in a mall parking lot at 2 am for a science experiment. At the beginning of the movie, I really thought that we were gonna learn something about Doc's past that reflects on the relationship that he shares with Marty, but absolutely nothing is shown, said, etc. Another point to bring up, the costume design was cringy. I admit when Marty full on gets kissed by his mother, I was full-on cringing. But I cringed the most when they went back into the future and Marty's mother didn't really look aged enough to be his mother. The makeup just seemed a little cliche and too obvious that it was makeup. And that is what made me cringe the most. My fellow classmates argued with me and the discussion got pretty intense.
Even though John Mulaney brought up excellent points, I will admit this movie really put a smile on my face. It was so pleasurable for me and really a good part of my day to sit down and really watch it. It was cheesy and dramatic, but I'll admit that cheesy and dramatic is sometimes what sells. The parts that get me is the originality of the piece. Back then, nothing has been seen like this before minus the exception of Star Wars and you really have to keep that in mind to really appreciate it. That is why my classmates argued with me so much. They had a true appreciation for the time era and what was possible at that time.
After that discussion that ran towards the bell, we worked on our assignments that are due tomorrows such as the tweets, the letter revisions, and the Be Reel blogs (due new years eve). It was a pleasure doing the last blog of 2018. Everyone, that's for a great week and happy holidays. May your holiday be merry and Dwight (sorry I love the office). Merry Christmas and see you in 2019.
John Mulaney Skit- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vkXvl5_MIc
Before this vote was cast, we watched a comedy sketch by a man named John Mulaney on explaining Back to the Future. I highly recommend watching it. I will post the link along with this video. Please be warned that it is a little inappropriate, but for the most part hilarious. John Mulaney explained certain aspects of the movie that made it a BAD GOOD movie. The movie was a great movie for my enjoyment. However, there were certain aspects that could have been better. For example, Mulaney and I agree that the relationship between Doc and Marty was pretty sketchy. First of all, we aren't given a backstory to the start of their relationship. All we know is that Doc is crazy and old and Marty is a young high school boy who meets up with his crazy, old, "best friend" in a mall parking lot at 2 am for a science experiment. At the beginning of the movie, I really thought that we were gonna learn something about Doc's past that reflects on the relationship that he shares with Marty, but absolutely nothing is shown, said, etc. Another point to bring up, the costume design was cringy. I admit when Marty full on gets kissed by his mother, I was full-on cringing. But I cringed the most when they went back into the future and Marty's mother didn't really look aged enough to be his mother. The makeup just seemed a little cliche and too obvious that it was makeup. And that is what made me cringe the most. My fellow classmates argued with me and the discussion got pretty intense.
Even though John Mulaney brought up excellent points, I will admit this movie really put a smile on my face. It was so pleasurable for me and really a good part of my day to sit down and really watch it. It was cheesy and dramatic, but I'll admit that cheesy and dramatic is sometimes what sells. The parts that get me is the originality of the piece. Back then, nothing has been seen like this before minus the exception of Star Wars and you really have to keep that in mind to really appreciate it. That is why my classmates argued with me so much. They had a true appreciation for the time era and what was possible at that time.
After that discussion that ran towards the bell, we worked on our assignments that are due tomorrows such as the tweets, the letter revisions, and the Be Reel blogs (due new years eve). It was a pleasure doing the last blog of 2018. Everyone, that's for a great week and happy holidays. May your holiday be merry and Dwight (sorry I love the office). Merry Christmas and see you in 2019.
John Mulaney Skit- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vkXvl5_MIc
12/18/18 BTTF blog
Today in class we continued to watch Back to the Future and started the day off around the beginning of act two. After Marty shoots back 30 years and situates himself with the young Doc Brown of 1955 who agrees to help Marty get back to 1985 by using the energy from a bolt of lightning set to strike the town clock tower, warning Marty that he must not interact with anyone, but Marty has already disrupted the space/time continuum by bumping into both his mother, Lorraine Baines and father, George McFly. And to their horror, they discover that Marty's brother is slowly vanishing from a photograph Marty has. If Marty cannot mend the damage he has caused, he and his siblings will be erased from existence. So he begins his journey with a mission to save his whole family including himself before the lightning strikes the clocktower at exactly 10:04 on November 12th, 1955. Class ended with what looked like the main culmination with Marty bringing Loranne to the dance with a plan to set up George McFly.
Day 2 viewing lens ideas
Artist-Wouldnt Loranne notice that Marty look very similar to her
Philosopher- How come Marty always gets the upper hand on Biff, even though Biff is Bigger, Heavier and has more fighting experience,
Day 2 Sequences
Midpoint- They come up with the idea for the lightning bolt to generate the 1.2 gigawatts of power.
Main culmination - Marty manages to get his parents back together, but they need to kiss or else Marty will be erased from existence.
Reminders
Essay Revision: due Friday
Be Real Blog: December 31st
Day 2 viewing lens ideas
Artist-Wouldnt Loranne notice that Marty look very similar to her
Philosopher- How come Marty always gets the upper hand on Biff, even though Biff is Bigger, Heavier and has more fighting experience,
Day 2 Sequences
Midpoint- They come up with the idea for the lightning bolt to generate the 1.2 gigawatts of power.
Main culmination - Marty manages to get his parents back together, but they need to kiss or else Marty will be erased from existence.
Reminders
Essay Revision: due Friday
Be Real Blog: December 31st
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