Give the Bad Guy Some Love

When it comes to film's I feel like I'm a picky watcher. There are things that I see in films, maybe only for a few seconds that almost completely ruin the experience for me (I.E. in the newest hobbit film when legolas was able to jump up the falling debris). Although there is one transgression that to me ranks high above the others, and that's having a bad Bad Guy.

What constitutes having a bad bad guy? Well that's a question that could yield many a thesis, but for now I'll say that I think a bad guy should always have solid reasoning for their actions. Take Davy Jones in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, now besides having one of the coolest designs of any Disney villain, he was also one of the most well written characters in the Pirates series. Look at the way he's introduced in the film:

He doesn't slither onto the screen declaring his delight in general dobaddery, rather he sinks down to the eye level of one of his captives and offers him a choice. A choice by the way that resonates with us as an audience. We know that Davy Jones is a bad guy, but the temptation of a prolonged life is so attractive to us on a primal level, that many of us may be tempted to look past the tentacles and see this swarthy cephalopod as someone who is looking to save us from whatever judgement we may be subject to in the great beyond. 

Now on the other hand let's look at the villain from Marvels newest solo film "Ant Man". 

"Imagine a Soldier the Size of an insect"

...

What does that even mean? So what if a soldiers the size of an insect? I squash six bugs before breakfast, talk to me about an insect the size of a soldier and then I'll by twelve of whatever you're selling me.

Yellow Jacket's plan makes no sense, his threats hold no weight, and as a character his isn't the slightest bit memorable. This kind of thing makes a difference.

 If you watched both of these clips blind, which one would interest you more? I rest my case your honor.

Why You Should See Big Hero 6

Disney's new animated film, Big Hero 6, directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams, left me giddy for the rest of the day after I saw it. Granted, I do tend to love all things Disney and animated films are my weakness, I truly believe this film is one that people of all ages and from all backgrounds would like. It has all the elements of a great animated film: relatable characters, humor, an intriguing plot, and, of course, beautiful animation. It is entertaining but also has a meaningful message.

The healthcare robot, Baymax, is designed by Tadashi, a young man working at a Technical Institute developing new technology. Baymax is programmed to help those who are sick or injured. Looking like a floatation device or balloon that turned into an adorable creature, Baymax is the glue of the entire film. He holds everything together and makes the film special and memorable. He provides comic relief and conveys important themes. One of the most easily lovable Disney characters I've seen in a while, Baymax is kind-hearted and reminds us of good moral values. Who knew a robot could teach us things about how to help people emotionally?


The movie really takes off after a mysterious fire breaks out causing tragic events. The main character, Tadashi's younger brother and a fourteen year old genius, Hiro, uses Baymax to help him figure out the truth. Hiro and Baymax bring together Tadashi's friends, a group of extremely intelligent students, to form a high-tech, ragtag team of heroes. Hiro learns there is a fine line between justice and revenge, and this is a major struggle throughout the movie.

Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune explains another great thing about the film:

"Without making a big deal out of it, "Big Hero 6" features a shrewdly balanced and engaging group of male and female characters of various ethnic backgrounds. It'd be nice to live in a world where this wasn't worth a mention, but it is. And yet the movie belongs to the big guy. While Baymax has his limitations — "I am not fast," he says when urged to run by one of his human pals — somehow his face, delineated by two black dots connected by a straight line, expresses plenty of human emotion."

The beautiful animation is, as some would call, "eye candy." It's stunning and fun to watch, just for the colors and backgrounds. I immediately wanted to watch Big Hero 6 again after it was over (although that may be just my obsession with animated films talking).

Big Hero 6 first appeared as a Marvel Comic book series in 1998. It was unpopular compared to Marvel's other comic book series and was soon forgotten, until now. This is the first animated Disney movie based on a Marvel Comic, and I'm sure it won't be the last. With the lovable characters, humor, exciting story, and breath-taking animation, there are so many reasons why you should see Big Hero 6. Disney and Marvel lovers alike will relish in this heart-warming film.

Oh - and for the Marvel fans out there - you may want to wait until after the credits to leave.

Why More Movie Characters Should Just Stay Dead

There's begun to be a trend in big Hollywood blockbusters where a film will decide to kill off one it's most beloved characters, only to resurrect them before the credits role. The biggest offenders, obviously, have been super hero movies, and the list of characters who have been brought back to life is actually getting a little out of hand. If you don't want minor spoilers for both old and newer movies, stop now.

Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy. Loki in Thor 2. Pepper Potts in Iron Man 3. Agent Coulson in the Avengers (who was technically brought back in the TV shows Agents of Shield). Baymax in Big Hero 6. Batman, kind of, in the Dark Knight Rises. Captain Kirk in Star Trek 2. I could go on.

There's a good article about the whole issue by Kyle Buchanan at Vulture that highlights a few of the problems that this trend creates. A lot of these movies are based off of comic books, he points out, and characters dying and inevitably getting brought back to life are a common occurrence. Killing Superman would be a huge, dramatic event, but no writer is actually going to get rid of such an iconic character forever. Still, the impact of such a death would have a more lasting effect on a reader, since they would most likely have months to think it over before any form of the character could be brought back to life.



Movies, on the other hand, are getting overly manipulative with audience members emotions. Once or twice is ok - I obviously didn't expect a kids movie like Big Hero 6 to kill off the funniest/most interesting/most action-figure makable character, and I didn't really want them to - but it's become something of a trope. Killing off a character at the end of the second act is fine; it's a good "dark moment" for the hero/rest of the characters and can vault a film into it's third act. Bringing them back 15 minutes later, however, is just toying with emotions. It's not enough time to fully reflect on the implications of a death. Even waiting for a sequel to bring back a character would be better than the immediacy that Hollywood has been banking on. It really tends to feel like a cop out. If I get all sad over a character dying, part of me wants that sadness to be justified by actually having that character stay dead.

I'm not sure if these writers and studio executives think that audiences won't be able to handle the implications of a beloved character staying dead or if they think they're just being clever. I, for one, want to see more Dumbledores; big, meaningful characters dying for good and seriously effecting the rest of the characters. If one of the Avengers dies? Really, truly, dies? Yeah, that's a movie I want to see. I think it's only a matter of time before the trend starts dissipate, and I can't wait to see who the writer or director is that has the balls to actually make death meaningful.

Iron Man Beams Replication for Project 2

I'm working on a test for a scene in my project. I'm trying to recreate the Iron Man light beams but need some help or guidance as to what people would like to see or what it should look like.

So far I think the test is almost there. I am working on installing a little energy orb around the surface to make it look realistic in some sense. Overall I am having a great time with this project after shooting and look forward to working on more special effects.

Captain America: The First Avenger

While this summer was filled with many blockbusters, Pirates of the Caribbean, Thor, Super 8, The Hangover, Green Lantern (which turned out to be awful), Harry Potter, and one that I fully waited for was Captain America.

I tend to watch a lot of trailers and was very impressed with the trailer; however, I was very worried that it would turn out to be like Green Lantern where there was no story at all in the movie. While watching this, I found this superhero movie to be one of my favorites since Spider-Man in 2002. While Visual Effects has taken a huge tole in movie-making this century, the story is the heart of the movie and visual effects create the illusion of this fantasy into a reality.

In this movie, I found it very easily to relate to Steve Rodgers' (Captain America) character because he continues to strive and keep with everyone by wanting to fight for his country in World War II. Due to his size and lack of muscle tone, he is always turned down. He is then chosen for the Captain America project because he has a strong heart, the one qualification that every soldier should posses.

I truly enjoyed this movie not only because of the character development but that there wasn't a lot of time spent in the fight scenes or taking down Hydra's (the enemy) bases, the movie was very well dedicated to having the viewer appreciate the story of this legendary superhero and what he wants next.

Next summer should be epic with The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises . . . can't wait.