Boardwalk Empire: A Trip to the Past

Boardwalk Empire is a relatively new show that is now featured on HBO. The producer, Mark Wahlberg, is a successful actor and director who most of you know. He has appeared in many good movies, but more important to this context he has produced hit series like Entourage and How to Make It in America. This go around, I believe he is on the line to achieve another hit with his second season premier of Boardwalk Empire. This show is about the republican machine that ruled Atlantic City, New Jersey with an iron fist back in the prohibition era, from 1920-1933. The show's protagonist, played by Steve Buscemi, will be recognized by all Tarantino fans, and does a great job of portraying the town mayor, Nucky Johnson. The show is a gangster-esque type flick, and with all great adaptations in this genre includes a lot of sex, drugs, and violence. What is most remarkable about the show is the set design. They have created a masterpiece of a set, with an entire boardwalk designed and built to look like 1920's Atlantic City. The wardrobe is equally impressive, with many long coats, mink furs, and fedora hats. Understanding that not just a spectacular wardrobe and set can win you awards, Mark Wahlberg employs great actors along with Steve Buscemi.


Here is a really interesting link to a youtube video that shows the construction of the set in a time lapse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlpFHcA98-E

Saturday Night Live

This past Saturday was the 37th season premiere of Saturday Night Live. How has SNL been able to have 37 successful seasons, when many shows struggle to make is through its first season? I think that the reason that SNL is so successful is because the show is constantly adapting to fit the times. For example, the host and the musical guest are people who are relevant in today’s pop culture. One of the reasons viewers watch SNL, is to see their favorite celebrities on the show. Another reason why I believe that Saturday Night Live is a successful show, is because it focuses on more than just pop culture. For instance, the “Weekend Update” is a funny way to present crazy news-stories. The “Weekend Update” sketch is more than just entertainment because it talks about real world issues. Furthermore, the show is never boring. Every host, special guest, and cast member puts his or her own special twist on sketches. Additionally, the show is humorous. In today’s world, with a failing economy and political strife, people want to feel good. Saturday Night Live is the perfect antidote for any kind of problem; it makes you laugh, smile, and think. SNL is one of my favorite shows, it is funny and entertaining. I think that Saturday Night Live will have 37 more successful seasons because it is a show that stands the test of time.

Walk the Line

The movie, Walk the Line, is a true story about the life of the famous singer, Johnny Cash.  Walk the Line is a movie that pulls at all of your emotions as you basically grow up with Johnny Cash, beginning as a child, and witness him become the great musician and rebellious outlaw he is remembered as.  Once Cash became a true musician the fame tore him apart.  He drank recklessly and he became addicted to drugs.  One of the scenes in the movie involves Johnny being turned down by the love of his life, June Carter, on stage in front of his fans.  Upset, Cash disappeared to his dressing room.  The scene in the dressing room is of Cash taking his pills and violently breaking and throwing things.  During this scene the camera is shaky and pans around the room quickly and unevenly, creating a feeling as though you were Johnny Cash, angry and psychotic on drugs.  Just the movement of the camera alone can make you feel somewhat the way that Johnny did, pulling you deeper into the emotion of the scene.

Refreshing Realism: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a Swedish film based on Stieg Larsson’s novel by the same title. When author Stieg Larsson was a teenager, he witnessed a woman being gang raped and was powerless to help. This event inspired his book The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The movie is one of the best film adaptations I have ever seen. While some minor things had to be eliminated from the movie for simplicities sake, all the important aspects of the novel were transformed seamlessly into film. The film uses shock value to get Stieg Larsson’s message of violence against women across. The film goes so far as to show the main character be chained and raped by her guardian, something that no film made in Hollywood would ever dare to show. The film further conveys its dark message by using low lighting, dramatic music, and bleak weather. As someone who has seen very few films not made in America, this movie was a breath of fresh air. Not only were the nastier aspects of the story not skipped over but nothing was glamorized. The actors looked like real people instead of Greek gods. If you enjoy realistic, detective movies or are simply sick of American cinema, I suggest you go check this movie out.

*The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is actually being redone by American director David Fincher. It stars Daniel Craig and is suppose to be in theaters by December. It will be interesting to see what sort of changes are made.

Bridesmaids

I recently watched the movie "Bridesmaids" and I was pretty impressed. I heard from friends that it was the "girl version" of "The Hangover," but I did not agree with that interpretation. I felt like the plot was completely different than "The Hangover". The beginning was very creative and it caught my attention letting the viewers know who each main character was. The stereotypes were not as innovative, but I thought they were a necessity to the movie because it created the humor. I really liked the drama that they incorporated in with all the women because worthless girl drama is common events like a wedding. In my opinion, the humor created by each character was what made the movie. I laughed quite a bit while watching this movie and I would watch it again.

The Sandlot

The Sandlot is a movie that I don't think can ever get old. It reminds me of when I was a kid and would meet up with all my friends in my neighborhood and not return home until the street lights went out, and was time for dinner. If you have never seen this movie, I highly recommend you watch it. It is about a young boy that moves into this unfamiliar town and meets this group of boys who play baseball everyday, have sleep overs in a tree house, and tell ghost stories about this "monster" that eats all of their baseballs that get hit out of the park and over the fence. One of my favorite parts of the movie is when it was way too hot one day to play ball so they decide to go to the pool. As they all are goofing around and checking out all the ladies at the pool, one of the boys whose been crushing on this blonde lifeguard all summer and can't swim jumps off the diving board. All of the boys were very confused and worried because they knew he couldn't swim, but as the lifeguard pulled him out of the pool and lays him on the deck he opens his eyes and gives all of the boys a slick little wink. They realize what he is doing and as the lifeguard goes in for mouth to mouth, he lays a big one on her! They all get thrown out of the pool and are told never to come back. As they are running out, they are all hysterically laughing and asking him what he was thinking! I don't want to ruin the whole movie for y'all but to end the movie they tell you where everyone is today, which is really cute and pulls the whole movie together. They shoot to the "new boy" from the crew sitting in a sky box announcing a baseball game, talking about the batter up who's actually Benjamin, another one of the boys. They turn out to be best friends and still share the love for baseball. A great end to an amazing movie!

Authenticity?

I am all about authenticity when it comes to films and T.V. shows that are based in the old days. And when I say old days, I mean a century to several centuries. One of my newly found favorites is Game of Thrones; a show on HBO featuring one of my old favorites, Sean Bean. With this higher budget kind of show, the camera (budget) is definitely much more free to do what it needs to get a good, interesting looking shot. For example, in one of the first few episodes of the first season, a son of the king is shown climbing a huge tower. There are extreme high angle and extreme low angle shots- it isn't limited to showing the boy just climbing what would appear to be an endless brick wall, like some low budget t.v. shows might portray. This is a plus for the show, but some things bother me in it, and in any other show that are slightly similar. Authenticity. Or, small things that make the show extremely unbelievable. How can that man sleeping near the mud with the pigs get up and be completely clean? He shouldn't be. Is their accent British or accent-less? I can't tell. My biggest pet peeve has to be the hair. There weren't electric razors in the day so how is that young guy's head completely bald? Or, looks to be buzz cut? A big main point of films and T.V. is to entertain, and in some cases to convince it could or could have happened. The little things matter, especially to those who appreciate them when they are present.

Tyler Perry lack of creatively

I was watching Tbs ,when I noticed that Tyler Perry was getting a new show. This completely amaze me. I have seem both of his shows on Tbs and I have not laugh once. The joke are not funny and the show is predictable. Tyler Perry's movies are the same exactly. The movies are also predictable but they are funnier then the shows. The Madea movies are the worst and I feel like their stereotypical. Some how he has so many movies and his getting a new show. Some things I will never get.

Alabama Football Tradition Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3NgTqppHec

Most people will recognize this as the infamous video played before Alabama games. Once the video starts on the jumbotron, the crowd almost instantly goes crazy. Each tackle made leads to a harmonious “BOOM.” I wanted to watch the video a little more closely to see what exactly creates the sense of pride, exhilaration, and even reverence in the audience.

The music, in my opinion, is the most important aspect. Clint Mansell’s “Requiem for a Dream” was revamped a little and used for the video. The music builds up to high points that create a general feeling of excitement. The audience is waiting to see what will happen next.

The video starts with the text “our tradition is built on” to set the stage for the remainder of the video. Old clips of Alabama football games are shown. All of the clips are action shots, and they build up to current clips of the Alabama football team. The contrast between the clips that are filled with static or in black and white and the current clips that are clear and in color leads the viewer to draw similarities between the past and the present. All of the shots have different perspectives. Some come from a high angle, some from a low angle, some from straight on behind the field goal, some zoom out from a player’s helmet, while some pan the football field. Regardless of the perspective, there is a descriptive term that accompanies each set of shots. Adding to the “our tradition is built on” idea, terms such as “legends, pride, heroes, victories, excellence, desire, intensity, courage, spirit, and class” are all shown to capture the overarching idea of Alabama tradition.

Of course, the video would not be complete without Paul Bear Bryant’s voice heard twice throughout the span of the four minutes. His image is what is seen right before the video ends. Overall, the perspectives, text, and music tie together to create a sense of Alabama tradition that inspires the audience.

The beginning of a new era for Disney

About this time last year Disney was premiering a remake of Rapunzel, "Tangled," in theaters; Which was about the same time I heard the rumor that this was the last "princess" movie Disney would make because they wanted to appeal to the boy and adult masses. I paid no mind and didn't believe that Disney would even dream of doing such a thing. For the sake of this blog and the topic of film in this class I decided to do some digging. Indeed an excerpt from the Los Angeles Times reads that "the 'princess' era is dead." I may be a year late on this subject but having grown up with Snow White, Jasmine, Belle, Mulan, and Ariel I'm heartbroken the second I read the first three sentences of this article. I love Toy Story too but the princess made Disney (other than Mickey.) I don't mind change and improvement in the film industry but I'm disappointed I never thought that Disney would run out of imagination. 

Drive

Last week I went to see Drive with my sister.  After watching a number of trailers, I didn't have an exact view of what the story would be about since some of the trailers seem to be about a love story and others a crime drama.  The opening scene is great.  The director has made some interesting decisions in how to shoot the first few minutes, which only adds to the anticipation of the audience, but I have to say, the first few minutes were my favorite.  Just as I sat back in my seat to watch the action film unfold, I was suddenly asking, "Wait, what?" The feeling of the movie changed for me from an exciting crime drama mixed with love to a gruesome blood bath that had me diverting my eyes from the screen.   Ryan Gosling gave a great performance, fluctuating between stoic, contemplative, angry, and violent, but in my opinion, he is one of the great actors of our time (by clenching a jaw, he seems to get the point across).  I loved the music, but I can't seem to decide how I really feel about the movie.  Even now, I seem to be writing a sentence, then changing my mind and erasing it.  As I am listening to the electronic, 80s sound of the main song "A Real Hero" by College while I am writing this, I think I am being influenced that I may have enjoyed the movie more than I did when I left the theatre, because the music was just so damn good.  They also chose an interesting 80s-esk font for the opening credits in a neon pink, which threw me off at first.   Overall, awesome opening, okay movie, great soundtrack.

The Big Bang Theory

The past few nights I have been watching a TV series called The Big Bang Theory and I absolutely love it! It is about this group of nerdy friends and their hot neighbor friend, Penny. One of my favorite episodes is when Leonard's mom comes to visit and you can see where he gets his "nerdiness" from. She is a psychiatrist and before she even makes it up stairs, she meets Penny and gives her session. When they finally make it up the stairs she is hysterically crying. They have a satirical sense of humor. One of my favorite characters, Sheldon, the actor recently won an Emmy Award for playing his role. They are researchers, nerds and best friends. They always have a night in the show where they sit around the couch and have Chinese food. Their conversations are always the best and where usually all of the problems between the friends come out. This show appeals to all age groups!

Entourage

This week, I found myself with a little more time on my hands than usual, and without the energy to go out and do a whole lot. I am usual an extremely active person, but over the past few days I've been more inclined to relax at home than to go do the things that I usually enjoy. Whenever I am in this situation (and it isn't often) I always end up catching up on some sort of television series that I liked at one point and then fell behind in watching. This week, I chose Entourage. I watched the final six episodes over three days and was completely sucked into Vince's world. I love the high energy, quick cuts, expensive scenery, and over-the-top plot. Even my dreams over the past few nights have reflected my current obsession with the show. As we all know, Entourage came to an end recently. I have enjoyed almost every minute of the show, and was excited to see how they were going to wrap everything up. However, (spoiler alert... sort of) I HATED the final ending. Everything magically fell together in the cheesiest way humanly possible. They left one small cliff hanger at the very end that left me more frustrated than intrigued. It was as if they were saying "okay.. it's over... we don't want you to ever wish you could see what happens next." While the entire show is far fetched at best, the writers just went over the deep end with this one. From Vince magically meeting the woman of his dreams and in three days deciding to get married, to Sloan showing up in a literal ball gown to work things out and live happily ever after with Eric. Completely ridiculous. The writers rushed the ending and lost all sight of the edginess that Entourage is known for.

Pirates of the Caribbean

I recently watched the first Pirates of the Caribbean. I feel like this is the only good one in this series of movies. This movie has multiple action scenes, great music and credible actors. I feel that the first movie has the best plot because at the time it came out, this movie was fresh and exciting. Unfortunately the movies to follow lacked the enticing elements that the first one had. The one thing that I enjoy most about this movie is the music. Without the soundtrack I don't believe this film could have became what it was. All the action scenes contain music which draws the audience in, and I can appreciate the artistic style that the director tied into the movie.

(So this was written last week but I didn't realize until I saw "One saved draft" that I realized I had clicked 'save now' instead of publish. Whoops!)

So I watched Goodfellas for the first time the other day. Yes, ever. My significant other told me he couldn't bare date someone who had never seen it, thus the movie watching activities convene. I have learned that gangster movies are not for me. My nerves are consistently on edge waiting for the main character or one of his best friends to be shot. And guess what? It happens. Throughout the whole film. I got the same thing watching "Notorious," the movie about Biggie Smalls. One bad word and the other could bust a cap. But, the glamour of being in power and having people to your disposal would be very attractive to most. I also find mutinous amounts of cocaine use in movies to be disturbing- and this movie had a lot of that as well. You saw the deterioration of the main character and his wife due to a dangerous life and cocaine use. This is said to be one of the best movies made (most men will attribute to this) and I can mostly see why. There are a lot of different shots used, but it is done mostly with a medium long shot. Overall, I liked it but the nerve-wrecking nature of it made it not as appealing to me.

Not Just Another Chick Flick

  Being a girl, I have to admit I love watching "chick flicks".  Recently I watched The Notebook, for what must have been the billionth time I have seen it.  Most chick flicks have the same story and are beyond predictable.  What I like the most about The Notebook is how the story is told in a way you would not predict.  It is a story that takes place "back in the day" about a young, hardworking man and a wealthy, spoiled girl who fall in love despite their differences... blah blah blah.  What is neat, though, is throughout the movie it cuts to "present day" where an older man reads a story to an older woman.  The story the man reads is the story of the boy and girl.  Spoiler Alert: (although anyone who would want to see this movie probably has by now), at the end we find that the elderly man and woman are the young boy and girl from the story.  The old man tries to remind his lady (who has Alzheimer's) of the story of how they fell in love, in hopes of bringing her back.  The cuts between present day and the "story", along with the old man's voice in the background of the "story" make the movie unique and gives it a twist in the end, creating the classic, ever-popular love story.

The Happening is Not Happening

M. Night Shyamalan’s film The Happening is one of the most innovative films I’ve ever seen. It is in no way your traditional horror film. It does not feature some creepy villain that refuses to die. It does not have bloody body parts flying across the screen, and it is not scary at all. When I went to see this film, I was expecting something frightening or at least something intense and shocking like The Sixth Sense. However, I spent the majority of my time in the theater laughing out loud. The film is geared more towards an introspective, philosophical audience than one wanting to be scared silly. It stars Mark Wahlburg and Zoey Deschanel who play a couple trying to avoid a gas released by plants that makes you kill yourself when you breath it in. Yes, flowers are the bad guys in this movie. Bet you would of never seen that coming. M. Night Shyamalan probably intended for audiences to be afraid of the concept of losing all self control, but when you first realize the bad guys are plants, it’s hard to think that deeply. The film does have some very memorable moments. For example, a scene early on in the movie shows people walking down a street when suddenly it starts raining construction workers. The construction workers had been working on a skyscraper prior to inhaling suicide gas. The movie has a lot of suspenseful moments leading up to big let downs. You spend what seems like an eternity waiting for a lawn mower to run over a man that has flung himself down in it’s path. Right before the lawn mower reaches the man, the scene ends. Perhaps Shyamalan wanted to make it clear The Happening is a thought provoking movie and not a blood bath, but it seemed pointless to spend so long waiting for a lawn mower to amble across a yard and not see any blood at all. The movie tries to explain the strange behavior of the plants by saying that the plants are releasing the deadly gas as a self-defense mechanism; The plants are poisoning us because we wasteful humans have been poisoning them. Shyamalan was trying to make a very clever movie and succeeded in being creative but failed in making anything truly worth watching. In short, it was a good attempt, but the movie turned out to be as lame as the title of this blog post.

Mad Men: The Old Way Still Ever Present?

I can say in full confidence that the AMC television series Mad Men is my favorite show of all time. This show is a masterpiece for many reasons. For one, it is not only a great piece of artwork, but a thorough demonstration of life in the corporate world of the 1960's. It portrays the American culture of the 1960's, where men were superior and women were still considered 2nd class, and class and racial prejudices were common. This show shows the transition that took place in this time period, where women were steadily becoming more respected and liberated, and the overall American culture began to change. The production and filming of this series is also what makes it different. The director uses many facial shots to show emotions. As every fan of Tarantino will agree, this is how you make great movies. Close-ups allow for the actor to truly present their talent. Angles from behind the business men as they walk help to demonstrate their demeanor, and allow for the viewer to view the looks and emotions of secretaries that sit close by. On the negative perspective, the show does have a repetitive theme: the protagonist, Don Draper, struggles to be faithful to those around him and to himself. It continues, however, to produce entertaining television. The storyline also makes the viewer think; does this system of hierarchy still exist in the corporate world today? All in all, this show capitalizes on unique filming and good acting to produce a widely acclaimed television series.

The Good Guy

I recently watched a movie called The Good Guy. The movie popped up in my Netflix suggestions, and I figured I would watch it. I don’t want to ruin the movie for anyone, so spoiler alert for anyone who doesn’t want to know the ending! Most of the movie was seen from either Beth’s (the main character played by Alexis Bledel) or Daniel’s (the guy she eventually falls in love with) point of view. The audience never suspects anything about Beth’s boyfriend Scott’s behavior because we are only shown what Beth knows.

The limited perspective causes the audience to view Scott as a great guy who truly loves Beth. We see the way he treats her with the utmost respect. Then, we experience a slight paradigm shift. We begin seeing the story from Daniel’s point of view. He is truly a wonderful person. He begins working for Scott and soon falls for Beth. We begin to see suspicious behavior from Daniel’s perspective indicating Scott’s infidelity. These suspicions culminate with an extreme paradigm shift where we see the entire situation from Scott’s point of view.

Previously, we had only known part of Scott’s behavior--that which he showed Beth. When we begin seeing everything through Scott’s eyes, we understand he is leading a double life with another woman. All of the subtle hints that had been strategically placed throughout the story suddenly connect to enlighten the audience about the dynamics of the scenario. The Good Guy taught me a great deal about perspective and point of view.

Countdown To Crisis - National Debt

This video is an example of a piece of time-based media which recently challenged me to think. It is definitely a politically motivated ad but without getting into the politics behind the agenda, I can note that I do like the simple visual format that is used to display the factual data. The narrator seems likable enough. There is electronica/techno music in the background to evoke a sense of urgency I would imagine, but not played loud enough to bother the older viewing audience. The images on screen are basically a fast moving, dynamic power point video with images of things like money, political leaders, outer space, and statistical charts.

Now, I am not suggesting that there is not more to the story than that which is displayed here, but it provoked a stronger response out of me than usual, and I think this is because of the way that all of these mentioned above were blended together. However, I am biased toward outspoken opinion (regardless of whether or not I agree), quantitative proof, comparisons that give a visual imagery of what the speaker is referring to etc.

Pretty Little Liars

Pretty Little Liars is one of the few shows i regularly watch. I love suspense that grows with each and every episode. The directors really know how to rack in the viewers each week because the episodes always end with a cliffhanger, guaranteeing viewers to tune in again for the next episode. With so many suspicious characters who could potentially be the antagonist "A", one week I think I've finally figured out who the villain is only to be proven I am totally and completely wrong. With each season the series has become more and more focused on and older teenage audience instead of the initial pre-teen audience. Occasional cuss words are thrown around and there have recently been numerous references to sexual activities. The characters are very relatable because they are normal girls thrown into a bad situation, which is another reason so many teenage girls tune in each week.

-Johnny Cash : Hurt

Hurt, released in 2002, is a music video performed by Johnny Cash. The video begins with a collouge of separate videos that work as a timeline for his personal history. On the screen's view, tob and bottom, there are words that further express how things were then and how they have advanced to become what they are today. The collouge of videos and words eventually leads to the main screen shot of Johnny Cash, as an older man, dressed in black. He is sitting in his house singing"Hurt" and playing his black guitar.
Throughout the video it goes form Cash playing his guitar to the memories he experienced as a younger man. In these shots when Cash is by himself the color of the camera goes to black and white. This occurs when Cash is in Jail, conducting the train, playing his show, and also the flood. On the other hand, the color shots tend to be of him when he's with other people.. This possibly can mean that when Cash was by himself his life was more bold and when Cash was with others he felt more cheerful.
The colors of the music video greater helps to en-capture the emotion as well as provokes the thoughts of the viewer. There is one shot where in the room in which Cash is playing the song it is dark and outside it is a bright and sunny day. This portrays that Cash's days are coming to an end and that life in the outside world is blossoming. This idea can possibly be why Cash is hurt.

POV

This week in class we've been talking about point of view, I just watched this documentary for the second time and thought it would be perfect for my weekly blog! It's not only full of really amazing street art & notorious artist but also makes you see the world from a different point of view. It starts out about a French man who is passionate about filming (literally films EVERYTHING he does all day everyday) that lucky stumbles into the underground world of street art. Basically, the artist enjoy having him around because the work they do doesn't last long so having it filmed is ideal, and they think he's producing an amazing documentary about street art, little do they know that this film crazed man has no idea how to put together nor produce a documentary or film at ALL! Still a great example of seeing the world through someone elses POV. I don't want to ruin it for those that haven't seen it but it's definitely a good documentary to watch.
PS. the whole thing is available to watch online on HULU.com :) for free!

Shutter

Usually I am not one to watch scary movies, but last night my roommates and I had a movie night and I was out voted. They were all for the movie, Shutter and just by looking at the cover I knew it was going to be terrifying. The beginning was very deceiving due to the fact the movie started off with a couple getting married. Nothing scary about that, right? Well as the move proceeded the couple moves to Japan and on the ride to their cabin, the wife is driving down a empty path and all of a sudden you see a lady in a white, long, worn-out gown walk out of the forest and in front of their car. They hit the lady and she is thrown underneath the car, causing them to spin out of control and smash in to a tree. When the couple awakens the wife remembers hitting this lady and the husband thinks she's crazy, because there is no sign of the lady anywhere. From that point on they were haunted by this sprit, which you later on find out is the husbands ex-girlfriend that his friends decided to drug and take advantage of her while he just sat there and let it happen; though they do not show her killing herself, you can predict that she committed suicide from the humiliation of their actions. Even though I am not one for scary movies, I did find the story line very interesting. The wife ends up finding out why his ex was haunting them and leaves him, at this point the guy goes crazy and fast forwards to him sitting on a bed in a mental hospital in complete silence. The door creaks back and fourth, which creates this eerie feel toward the seen. To end the movie you see the reflection in the door of the guy sitting on the bed with the spirit of the ex-girlfriend sitting on his shoulder. Which is symbolic (and my favorite part of the movie) because he complains about neck pain throughout the movie and that she's been with him the whole time. I am happy my roommates made me watch this and would recommend this movie to others even if they aren't scary movie lovers like myself.

The Office

One of my favorite shows of all time is, without a doubt, The Office. The actors are hilarious, and the writing is even better. I typically prefer shows and movies with a more 'polished' look. Ones with extensive sets, fast cuts, designer wardrobe, and a great soundtrack. I love getting lost in worlds that seem more exciting, luxurious, or even dangerous than our own. The world that The Office creates does absolutely the opposite. We are invited into the drab, dull, and very normal lives of Michael Scott and his employees. Everything about the show aids in establishing this world. The wardrobe is plain and inexpensive. The set is filled with the most boring and basic office supplies the set designers could come up with. Even the bad iridescent lighting reminds me of one winter break when I was stuck in an office as a runner at a law firm. Before I took all of these little details that help to create the world of The Office for granted. But this class has given me a new understanding of how intentional they really were. Everyone on the show works to create this world for the viewer. The sarcastic, hilarious comedy would not be as effective without all of the  other details.

Peter Jackson and the Trilogy

I recently watched The Filmmaker's Journey of The Return of the King the third and final movie. As I was watching I started to hear and realize a few things about these movies. Peter Jackson was a young kid in New Zealand and knew a lot about cameras and photography. He was the one who decided to try and make J.R.R. Tolkien's books into a epic trilogy. He went a different way of making these movies. I loved it how he made the cast in the most random decisions. A whole different crew of people that fell in love with the Lord of the Rings which it made it so emotional for all of the characters. Every character has their own journey and part in which they must complete each and individual mission. For Peter Jackson the love of the movies and world that it was in he made to almost history. The world's that he built and the language of J.R.R. Tolkien made it to where these movies was a part of our world history. It's like Peter Jackson put off his life for the 8 years that they filmed and was pretty much in these movies and he completed his mission. Everything he said to any character made them change just a little something about it to make the scene or line being said perfect. Everything that the characters must do must be perfect for Peter Jackson and the cast that loved these films so much did that for him to make the epic trilogy of The Lord of the Rings.

Forest Gump

I recently watched a favorite movie of mine on t.v. the other night and figured it would suit this blog. I have seen Forest Gump multiple times but ever since I have started this class I have begun to look at movies differently, as is the case with my most recent encounter with this movie. Watching the movie this time I paid more attention to symbols in the plot and the story line of this classic movie. I found that it is really all about something missing in Forest's life. Now Forest Gump is a character with many achievements in his life time, yet he could care less because at the end of the day in his point of view I feel like he is not proud of any of them. Now as the story goes on Forest reconnects with his love Jenny, and becomes aware of his son, little Forest. His son is the void he has had all his life, with a brilliant son Forest can now how have a reason to strive everyday and live a good life because he is so magnificently proud of one thing and that is his son.

Johnny Cash: Sucessful or Defeated

Most of you are familiar with the legend Johnny Cash. He is generally considered one of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century. His music touched millions, and he was a celebrated icon until his final days. And although one would think that success and fame of this magnitude would be the base of a happy life, his last music video ever produced tells us a different message. It is for the song, "Hurt." Mr. Cash covered this song, as it is originally produced by another band, and sings the same lyrics. His version, however, seems more of a self-critical form of poetry that portrays him in a sad state of mind. It is a powerful song. The images in the music video also are powerful, as they go with the lyrics. It starts with showing images of his younger life and follows a chronological order of appearances. It seems to be a slide show of his life. Towards the end is where it becomes touching. With the final lyrics,

"what have I become?
my sweetest friend
everyone I know
goes away in the end
and you could have it all
my empire of dirt"

it seems as if he's saying that all the fame and fortune accumulated doesn't mean squat in the end of one's life, and that in the end everyone eventually passes away. I like to think that Mr. Cash was being humble, in a sense, and was using this to demonstrate his content with his final days. In my book, he was a huge success and will always be remembered as such.

P.S. I've posted a link below where you can view the video on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go

A Terrifyingly Personal Point of View

The movie Cloverfield premiered in 2008 and was well received by both average movie goers and critics. Like the movie Paranormal Activity, it is filmed from the point of view of a character using a digital videocamera. At the beginning of the movie, a message appears on screen saying that the following footage was found in an area formally known as Central Park. The movie is filmed mainly by a man named Hub, who was recording his friend Rob’s surprise-going away party when suddenly the building started shaking and they had to evacuate. The party goers quickly realize that something is amiss in New York -a humongous monster is on the loose. Hub continues to film as he and his friends try to save Beth, Rob’s love interest who is trapped at the top of a skyscraper, and get out of New York. The movie’s use of a handheld camera makes it much more believable. It allows the viewer to feel like they are involved in the action and gives them a better understanding of the characters’ situation. For example, you don’t see any birds eye view shots of the humongous monster stomping through Manhattan. Instead you see a tiny piece of the monster’s foot as it’s crossing your path, which emphasizes it’s size and the plight of those trying to escape it. Many movie goers complained that the shakiness of the handheld camera made them at certain times in the film feel nauseous and disoriented -a feeling that the characters probably shared with them. The use of the handheld camera also helps to draw you into the drama. The film spontaneously cuts from Hub’s footage to Rob filming he and Beth together on a date at Coney Island. Watching this film and recalling the ominous opening message makes you more aware of the tragedy these twenty-somethings are facing. You’re getting a very raw look into their hopes and dreams, knowing that it’s more likely that they perished opposed to them escaping New York and leaving the camera behind. Cloverfield is not the scariest movie you’ll ever see nor does it have a lot of surprise plot twists like most horror movies. However, it does inevitably draw you in emotionally and have you on the edge of your seat, hoping against hope that the ending won’t turn out the way you fear.

Ally McBeal

I never watched Ally McBeal when it was on television.  Probably because I was eleven through sixteen in the years it aired on primetime (1997-2002).  Yet, through her constant neurosis, I have become completely obsessed with watching the series on Netflix for the past few months.  Although the show sometimes "jumps the shark" with its far reaching court cases and star appearances by singers such as Elton John in their local bar, the saga is funny, dramatic, and quite addicting.  The quirks in the characters are lovable, and after a few episodes they seem like someone you could call for a drink.  From Ally's failing relationships season after season and hallucinations moment after moment to John Cage's (The Biscuit's) whistling nose and Richard Fish's Fishisms, the show is creatively written and the direction takes many artistic liberties in portraying this witty comedy.  My favorite season is season four where Robert Downey Jr. plays a fellow lawyer and Ally's boyfriend; making me fall in love with him as I catch myself smiling at the screen while he delivers his lines with perfect comic timing.  I have now seen every episode but the last two, which I seem to be holding off as long as I can in order to savor every minute as I would the last sip of hot chocolate when all the chocolatey goodness has settled to the bottom of the mug.  I hope the ending doesn't fall short.

Parks and Rec.

I have recently started watching the show Parks & Rec. If you love the dry, off-the-wall humor of the Office then you will like Parks and Rec. The shows stars the hilarious Amy Poehler, well known from Saturday Night Live. Amy Poehler plays a goofy, good-hearted character who is always trying to do her best at her job. She takes her position extremely important and is passionate about it, while her coworkers slack off and joke around. I love that the show takes every day work place situations and finds the humor in it. The jobs the department is in charge of are hilarious as well! In one episode Amy Poehler gets a call about teenagers in the park having a fight with doggie poop bags. They arrive at the park and she ends up realizing how fun it is to throw the poop bags at the teenagers and joins in on the war! Here is the pilot episodehttp://www.hulu.com/watch/67259/parks-and-recreation-pilot. I think this show is very creative and the point of it is to surprise people and make them laugh.

The Fall of House

House M.D. was initially a brilliant show, combining medical drama with controversial issues such as religion, drug use, and human nature. Yet despite its seriousness and intensity, it still allowed for comic relief often in the form of Gregory House’s biting sarcasm. The first several season’s of the show were excellent. The viewer was able to feel as though they were one of the many doctors trailing in House’s wake thanks to the use of traveling shots, and complex medical explanations were made simple due to animations. It was exciting to try to figure out what was wrong with the patient, while being entertained by the quirky cast. However, a pattern soon emerged in the show. At the start of every episode, a patient would be shown going about their day. Then they would suddenly grow ill. They would then be brought to the hospital to be treated by House and his team. House would have several far fetched theories about the patient’s illness while also examining and criticizing some aspect of the patient’s life or beliefs. Eventually, House would notice some small detail and come up with a brilliant diagnosis right before the patient’s time ran out. While at first, House’s last minute analysis as well as personal dramas amongst his staff and patients, kept the series interesting, it soon became quite boring. Unfortunately, instead of changing up the plot, the cast was changed. Viewers now had to deal with the same plot as well as a new medical team that they had no attachment to. Eventually, the members of the new cast began to disappear as well and were replaced while the show still continued to follow the same plot line. Sadly, it seemed that the writers had run out of medical phenomena. During one episode, a woman who very obviously had schizophrenia was brought in to be treated. I flipped to and from House, wanting to see what sort of dreadful ailment the poor mentally ill woman had contracted. Near the end of the show (approximately 3-5 minutes before the credits), it was announced that she had schizophrenia. When a medical drama that has made it’s name by having big reveals at the end of every episode fails to puzzle a teenager for more than a few moments, it is obvious that something has gone wrong.

Comfortably Numb Music Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkJNyQfAprY

Comfortably Numb, a song written by Roger Waters, had its debut on the double album The Wall and was released November 30th 1979. For those of you who might be too young to know, Rogers was Pink Floyd's original lead singer, principal songwriter, and conceptual leader. In my personal opinion, this music video is a great portrayal of how a music video can tell a story beyond what the average listener can grasp from just the lyrics alone. The video does a great job using visual imagery and capturing the audience's imagination to further express the concept behind the song. The video opens up with Pink, sitting in a chair watching T.V. and suddenly he goes into a drug induced catatonic state. Within his drug induced state he has visions of his childhood of the experiences he had as a child. What's very cool about this is that these experiences occur within Roger's life. This is very inspiring as a songwriter to see because it comes to show that there are other artistic ways to express and add to the story beyond what the lyrics themselves cannot portray. For those of you who haven't seen the video click on the link and enjoy!

The rise of the planet of the apes

When I first heard this movie was coming out I was not at all interested. Before the movie release, the trailers capture my attention as you can see here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbCoDf44oCE. After watching the movie, I was disappoint. It was ninety minutes of building up the twenty minutes of action. The trailer led me to believe that this movie was action packed. It was far from what I was led to believe by trailer. I watched this movie for free and I wanted my money/time back. The movie take place over ten years and which is the first sixty minutes and that nothing but talking. They put "action scenes" in the first sixty minutes but they were not as thrilling as the trailer made it seem. After the big fight scene happens and the movie ends. I was wondering about the huge time gap between the movie. It would be like only watching Star Wars Episode 1 and then watching Star War A New War. It a huge time gap. Special effect wise this movie is flawless. The movie I would rate six out of ten.

Reality Television

I’ve started paying attention to some of the popular shows that are on television now. Unlike any of the dramatic scripted television shows such as Gossip Girl or Pretty Little Liars, shows like Jersey Shore and Keeping up with the Kardashians are unscripted reality shows with no set story line or plot. In all honesty, I am quite a fan of Keeping up with the Kardashians. When I started considering the artistic aspects that create an aesthetic masterpiece, I realized Keeping up with the Kardashians possesses none of the key elements.

The draw is not for artistic appreciation, but for an inside look at the lives of socialites. We are interested in the lives of popular figures as if they are people we personally know. Watching a dramatic portrayal of the everyday lives of people in the public eye almost allows us to take part of their lives as well. Some reality television shows are present to provide people with the chance to be transported into the lives of other people who are partaking in activities we can’t. Some might consider reality television and the entertainment provided as an art. Regardless of whether or not popular reality television shows are artistic, they have paved the way for a completely new type of entertainment.

Socialites’ lives can now be directly experienced in the comfort of our own homes. Reality television might just be changing how we expect entertainment to be.

Spreading the Word

I just recently moved to Tuscaloosa this semester and got my very own place. I love it, but yes there are bills to pay... UNLESS you do what I've done for the past few weeks... bum off your neighbors internet (with their consent of course) and my latest discovery FREE TV! Yes, FREE TV! I'm sure everyone knows about Netflix, Hulu, Cinemanow, YouTube, each TV station has full episodes of their shows, ect., but how much have you ever used it? Let me tell you something, I don't think I'll ever pay for cable again! The best part is if your a student, for example on HULU you can be a member for FREE for one whole month! I hope that it's going to get better, for TV shows and for movies there is Redbox and Blockbuster kiosks. Seriously people this is amazing, all you need is a cable that hooks from your laptop or even desktop and plug it in your TV! Why everyone doesn't already do this gets me every time, haha. Of course there are apps for cellphones too that allow you to watch FREE tv shows & movies. It's not illegal, there is no bootlegging, it's there at your fingertips! Ideal for that person that doesn't watch TV regularly or if your a movie buff, I would recommend paying for Netflix than any cable or satellite company each month. Yes, you do need internet connection but hey that's still better & more useful than cable! It's a new age! I think this is incredible & need more people taking advantage of this IMMEDIATELY. I had to let you all know about this extremely useful information, it'll be one less bill :) Just try it for a week, I bet you'll never go back!