Post, Blog Post

            In the new James Bond film we see a movie that has surpassed my expectations. I have now seen Skyfall two times and after each viewing felt very excited for what’s in store for the future. Without spoiling anything this movie is very great at everything it wants to accomplish. You can tell from the scale of this film that it took a lot from 2008’s The Dark Knight. If you haven’t seen the last few Bond films then that is okay, cause it does not reference ether one. It makes great nods to the past 50 years of Bond films throughout the entire film. If you do one thing this fall it got to be to see Skyfall. 

John Candy and Candied Yams

For some reason my family, and thousands of other families in America, have developed the yearly tradition of watching Planes, Trains, and Automobiles while the bird bakes in the oven.  My family and I have watched this movie every year as long as I can remember and I can say that I come from a family of true John Candy fans (possibly the only one).

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles was released in 1987 by Paramount Pictures and was directed by John Hughes, better known for Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, and of  Home Alone. Even though John Hughes was responsible for some of the greatest film hits of the 1980s and 1990s Planes, Trains, and Automobiles has held the biggest presence in my life. I have seen this movie so many times I can quote the whole thing and I am forced to sit next to my grandma every year and pretend I still enjoy the film.

The film tells the story of Neal Page, Steve Martin, an advertising executive who meets Del Griffith, John Candy, who must work together to get Neal home to NYC for Thanksgiving. The duo faces all sorts of bad luck along the way as Griffith is prone to bad luck. Page must make it home to his family from Chicago after being on a bad business trip. Page most deal with Griffith's sloppy behaviors as his bad luck piles up. From car thefts to plane delays, Griffith turns a  simple plan ride into a 3 day long trip from hell. They finally make it to New York and Page grows to care for Griffith. The movie ends with them building a friendship from their misfortunes. 

This movie was great the first 15 times I saw it. Candy and Martin are great actors and the story is funny for the most part. The story is like any other holiday movie...a character must overcome a series of unrealistic events to make it home in time for the festivities. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is definitely a funny movie but it is not one of my favorites. It is a good movie to watch with the family and is probably one of the few Thanksgiving movies that is funny. If you haven't seen this movie it is definitely worth seeing since it is directed by John Hughes. It wasn't his best work but it is definitely a classic...at least in my house. Have a happy turkey day and may the overeating begin!!!

-Brie

Homeland

One of the best things about coming home on break is having unlimited (& FREE) access to your parents seven hundred some odd cable channels. I've been taking advantage of this all week, and I've since become addicted to a great Showtime show- Homeland.

Homeland stars Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison, a CIA officer who's job is to track and find information on suspected terrorists to prevent the next terror attack on the United States. The show also follows U.S. Marine Nicholas Brody, played by Damian Lewis who is finally rescued after being held as a prisoner of war by Al-Queda in Syria for 8 years. Brody returns to the United States a hero, but Carrie is convinced that he is actually a threat to the country after being turned by Al-Queda, and plans to carry out a mission for them.

The number of characters and story-lines on this show is ever-expanding, but that's what makes it so interesting. It is necessary to be an active viewer just to keep up with the story and everyone involved in the suspected terrorist groups. A big part of the show focuses on Carrie's struggle with bipolar disorder, which she keeps secret from her co-workers. It is interesting to see not only how government officials and the CIA are portrayed, but also how Carrie's disorder affects her demanding job and personal life. Claire Danes plays this role phenomenally, and has won multiple awards for her portrayal of Carrie Mathison.

I'm almost done with the first season of two so far, and I can't wait to finally be caught up. I would definitely recommend this show.

Boardwalk Empire

Every year since I've been home for Thanksgiving break, I see my highschool friends and my family, and I curl up in front of the television and watch the "Boardwalk Empire" episodes I missed while I was at school. "Boardwalk Empire" is a great crime show about the gangsters in Atlantic City, starting on the eve of prohibition. The show's creator is Terence Winter, who wrote many of the best episodes of "The Sopranos," the greatest crime show of all time.

The show follow Enoch "Nucky" Thompson (Steve Buscemi), treasurer of Atlantic City, who uses his power and money to sell alcohol illegally. The show focuses on him, his protege Jimmy (Michael Pitt), his brother, the sheriff Eli, and Margeret Schroeder (Kelly MacDonald), the woman Nucky is courting. These are the four major characters in season 1, but the cast expands quickly, covering people from all the different sides, including agent Nelson Van Alden (Michael Shannon), the most fascinating character who is a brutal and religious man who wants to bring down Nucky.  The show deals with moral corruption and how far someone will go for what they want.

The show starts of slowly and does hit a few bumps, but every episode has so many great scenes that include betrayal, trickery, shoot outs, murder, and even engaging monologues. The show is currently on its third season, and after watching it for so long, I realize that although the show is fun, it's sometimes hard to figure out which character I am supposed to be rooting for because no one is good samaritan.

The highlight of the show is the production value, which I think is probably the highest of any show I have ever seen. The sets are often grandiose in the attention to detail. Every shot is well done and beautiful and the sound design is phenomenal, finding ways to incorporate music, both diegetic and on diegetic, into the scenes. If you are interested in studying production, it is a great show to watch.

I recommend the show if you enjoy crime dramas or need a fix while "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men" are on hiatus.

Want to play a little game?

Hey everyone,
 I've only watched a couple of good movies so far this thanksgiving break. One of them is called "Ondine"! It was produced in 2009 and directed by Neil Jordan, known for directing Interview with a vampire (favorite #113/124 films).  The story is about an irish fisherman who finds a woman in his net and he believes her to be a selke (a water nymph). The story was very engaging and I couldn't stop watching it, it was in a way kind of intimate in the way you get to know the characters and feel for the relationship between them. It didn't place on my fav's list so far but who knows, perhaps years from now I'll come across it again and watch it and decide I really loved it. At this point I did really enjoy it and would recommend it to many.

Anyways, to get to a more interesting point, perhaps. I would like to play a little game! I'm going to post 10 movie quotes and you comment on the blog to reveal what movies they're from!

Here they are:

1: "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore"

2: "May the force be with you"

3: "E.T Phone home"

4: "A census take once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti."

5: "Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

6: "I see dead people"

7: "Stella! Hey Stella!"

8: "Here's Johnny!"

9: "Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown"

10: Striker: "Surely you can't be serious."
       Rumack: "I am serious... and don't call me shirley."


Well those should be easy enough! Guess away friends!
Tata for now!

-Lucy Lynne' Hall

Skyfall

I went to see the new James Bond movie in theaters yesterday. I really liked it. The part that I found particularly interesting was the opening credit sequence. In every Bond movie, the credit sequence is always unique and aesthetically pleasing. As the industry has improved its technology, the Bond movies have improved their opening sequences. I especially liked the song used for this film's opening credits,"Skyfall" sung by Adele (one of my favorite artists). Her voice is low and almost haunting in this song and complements the visuals nicely. It also brings out the sexuality in the visuals, which is the goal of every Bond movie: to make sex an exciting and almost deadly mystery that surrounds the main character. I know we talked in class about how important it is that sound match up with video and I think that this sequence is a good example of the mediums complementing each other. The rest of the movie was great. It was action-packed and visually pleasing. I especially liked the use of "fire" to light various scenes. It made for really cool visuals. I would suggest that everyone see it over break! Below is a link to a website that has a clip of the credits.

Skyfall Credits

You're Trying To Seduce Me Mrs. Robinson, Aren't You?

Last night my roommates and I decided on a whim to celebrate our own Thanksgiving and put ourselves into a food comma with the delicious Italian and Greek options available at the Slovaki House in Collegetown (check it out, if I had a Nick Petrella restaurant seal of approval it would have one). After a couple glasses of wine and more lamb than I'm comfortable admitting to consuming I found myself rummaging through my roommates DVD collection until I found his copy of The Graduate.

I thought to myself, "Hey, I'm about to graduate, maybe this disc will hold the key to all of my unanswered questions" (It doesn't). Couple this with the chance of watching a young, suave, Mr. Feeny and I was sold.

"Just one. Is it okay, if I rip off your head, and roll it down the hall way?" 

- My search for a good Mr. Feeny quote led me to a dark place.

What started as a casual movie viewing experience quickly turned into myself being fixated to the screen, I stopped surfing the internet on my laptop and couldn't look away. The depressing stare of a young Dustin Hoffman paired with the cold soundtrack provided by Simon & Garfunkel gained my attention and kept it throughout the 106 minute run-time (that's exact, I googled it).

I assume you would call the film a dark comedy, although it definitely has a much more lighthearted approach then say Burn After Reading. Aka. Everyone doesn't die at the end. I personally love this style of comedy and felt that The Graduate held an excellent balance of depressing the shit out of you while still making you laugh out loud, something I think is extremely hard to achieve but insanely satisfying when done correctly.

Watch this movie or we won't stop staring you.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who watches movies, because it's simply just a great film. The story is timeless and seems so real that you'll find yourself having trouble looking away from the screen; and hey, those legs don't hurt either...

"But Mrs. Robinson, I thought we where going to play Jenga"

- He probably says this in one of the outtakes, probably.

FOOD!

I've heard a lot of buzz going on about this here documentary so I thought I'll give it a look and I must say, it was a great documentary. Before I get into my opinion about the film, I have to give my opinion on documentaries first. I love documentaries when they are done well, very informative, and unbiased  It's very difficult to shoot, in my opinion, a documentary that isn't, in someway, basis. There are so many complications when trying to shoot a documentary like trying to interview certain people or companies. For example, in Food Inc., none of the companies that they were exposing in the film wanted to do the interview, which is understandable, but on that same notion it makes the film look a little bias in one sided because there is no one speaking for the other side of this issue. I also question why some of the shots, especially in a documentary such as this one, seem like they were taking from a hidden camera? On one part of the fim the narrator actually states that the footage we were seeing is from a hidden camera. If this is the case, how do they not get in trouble for such shots? Questions, questions, questions. Definitely plan on looking more into that.

 Overall, I think t was a good documentary. It informed of information I've never known or even thought of before. It made me question how much does the government actually care about the well-being of it's citizen. It's disgusting how easily they can turn the other way when there is a profit to be gained. I can understand how someone can see this film and change the way they eat. Me personally, i love food and I love eating the things I eat. It just so happens one of my favorite things is a cheeseburger! More then anything, this film made me more aware and conscious of the food industry and how it operates. I prepare and cook my own food daily so I am constantly shopping for food, so this information is very useful to me. Documentary is definitely recommended. 

The Walking Dead

I am currently obsessed with this show! I have watched the first two seasons within like a week. I can't wait to start season 3, so no spoilers please!!
This show is awesome. Great actors, amazing make up for the zombies, great locations (especially the farm), amazing camera work, and lighting. The score for the show is perfect for it.  The amount of extras that they get in full costume and make up is also incredible. There are sometimes hundreds of extras running around in any given episode. This show has a high production value.

The Big Lebowski

A lazy hippie's favorite rug was urinated on, and from there, the story only gets weirder. That basically sets up one of my now favorite movies, "The Big Lebowski." I have seen the Coen Brothers' comedy twice before and after watching it a third time, I now am certain that it is one of my favorite movies.

The movie is about an aged hippie, Jeff Lebowski (Jeff Bridges of "Crazy Heart" and "True Grit") who prefers to be called the Dude, or "his Dudeness, Duder, or El Duderino if you are not into the brevity thing." Two men break into the Dude's house, looking for Jeff "The Big" Lebowski, demanding money from Bunny, the wife of the latter Lebowski, and pee on the Dude's rug. After this case of mixup, the Dude gets involved in the life of his rich, sophisticated counterpart. The Big Lebowski, who hates bums, pays the Dude to drop off the ransom for his kidnapped trophy wife, Bunny (Tara Reid from the "American Pie" films). Soon, he gets involved with nihilists, a feminist artist, a pornographer, a high school kid, all while going bowling with the veteran Walter, played phenomenally by John Goodman, and the naive, but nice Donny, the hilarious Steve Buscemi.

The Dude, probably one of the best comedic characters created in the last 20 years, a memorable protagonist, loves white russians, bowling, and relaxing, makes this movie a home run in my opinion. Walter and Donny are great sidekicks. Every character is quirky, giving the movie more life; Walter is jewish and observes Shomer Shabbas and doesn't bowl (or roll as he calls it) on Saturdays, and Jesus (a bowling rival played by John Turturro) talks in the third person and is a registered sex offender.

The movie is a complicated mystery, a modern comedic "Big Sleep," that is always engaging and fascinating. I have seen it three times now and each time I notice new things about the film. It is another classic in the Coen Brothers filmography.

And remember, The Dude abides.

Napoleon Dynamite

When I was home last weekend, I was going through my old dvd collection and came upon what used to be my favorite movie, Napoleon Dynamite. I watched this film at least a 100 times in the three years I was in middle school and could probably still quote the movie from start to finish. The film was released in 2004 by Fox Searchlight Pictures, after being picked up from the Sundance Film Festival. The film was released in limited markets but quickly became a "cult classic." The movie was directed by Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess, who later when on to direct Nacho Libre, starring Jack Black. Jared and Jerusha are a husband- wife filmmaking duo who have also produced music videos for The Postal Service. Napoleon Dynamite debuted Jon Heder into the film industry.

The film was shot in Franklin County Idaho, as it tells the story of Napoleon Dynamite, high school student in Preston, Idaho. The movie tells the story of Napoleon as he navigates high school while his awkwardness and old brother Kip create obstacles. The reason why I LOVED this film was because the awkwardness and humor provided by Heder's performance was funny to any teenager. The film is very slow paced and dry at times but has it's funny moments. When I watched this film, after not seeing it for 5 years, I wondered how the hell I ever liked this movie. I still have a Napoleon Dynamite keychain that quotes Heder's famous lines. For the time, the movie was a hit but is now a forgotten thought in many peoples' minds. This "cult classic" was a favorite movie in my middle school and related to all the socially awkward pre-teens. I am glad the Jon Heder has managed to shake this character and move on to more "serious" roles in Blades of Glory, The Benchwarmers, and School for Scoundrels.


Have a good break and remember "Vote for Pedro!!!!!!!!"
-Brie

Double Indemnity

"How could I have known that murder can sometimes smell like honeysuckle?"

Keeping with the theme of Noirvember, last week I watched one of the best old school film noirs out there: Double Indemnity. The film was released in 1944, and was directed by Billy Wilder and co-written by crime novelist extraordinaire, Raymond Chandler.

The film stars Frank MacMurray as Walter Neff, an insurance salesman, and Barbara Stanwyck as Phyllis Dietrichson, a housewife who seduces Walter and convinces him to help her kill her rich husband after they've tricked him into buying insurance with a double indemnity clause. "Double indemnity" an actual insurance term that states that the company will pay double the amount in the contract if the person dies by accidental means. Phyllis' plot is to kill off her husband, collect twice the money, and run away with Walter. Or so we think. As the story unfolds we learn that Phyllis is not the oppressed, victimized housewife she claims to be. Instead she the picture of the classic "femme fatale"; beautiful, but a cold manipulator with what seems like sociopathic tendencies. After the deed is done, Walter uncovers Phyllis' secrets and is left to deal with the repercussions of committing murder and getting involved with a dangerous woman.

Not only is the story engaging and the acting spot-on, but the cinematography is another amazing aspect of this film. Every shot is so meaningful and carefully composed, and the lighting is fantastic. Los Angeles serves as the perfect setting as well; picturesque and slightly sinister at the same time, like the classic myth of the "Hollywood dream." I really enjoyed this film, and I understand how it is still regarded as the quintessential film noir.

SFX make up! and other news...

Recently, I was asked to help out with a senior thesis horror film that required some special effects make up! I have done make up before but nothing all that complex. So far this is the most complex make up job I've ever done and it turned out really nicely.

I was specifically asked to create a slit throat on one of the actors. I was intrigued and really excited to figure out the best ways of going about this! First I looked up a few video tutorials on YouTube...

Both of the one's I viewed required liquid latex. I was extremely crunched for time and luckily found out that someone was letting us use their make up. They had liquid latex. HALLELUJAH!

I didn't even get to play with it until I was on set but it was really fun and really useful, you can easily make a scar with this stuff. It's awesome! I plan on getting my own stuff someday. I really enjoyed the opportunity to play with it and the shoot turned out really well! Everyone was really thrilled with my handy work!  The actor himself really got into the character (if you can call being dead/dying a character). 

As you can see above, I also played around with my hand. No, I'm not kissing him!

I'd like to have more opportunities to do this kind of stuff, actually. I think I could do better eventually after figuring out the nature of the materials and such. It's very exciting to be able to figure out this kind of stuff out. 

Also just another fun plug I just recently watched The Game by David Fincher. The film was made in 1997 and in my opinion is very much comparable to the possibilities we have now in epics like this. It was a very mind blowing experience! It was mind blowing in a sense that you are caught off gard a lot  and you don't know what to expect the entire time. It's crazy! But it's not one of those confusing movies that you would have to watch 2,384,903,802 times in order to understand it at all. When you get it, you get it but you'll be surprised how you got there. Go watch it!!! It's on Netflix!

Avid

Last weekend I attended the Avid workshop that was offered by an Ithaca graduate.  I had no prior Avid experience and I was really interested in learning the program this semester. The workshop was 10am to 4pm with a free hour for lunch. In those five hours I learned the very basics of Avid. They focused a lot of attention on organization. So much in fact, that we didn't work on actual editing until 1pm. Although slightly annoyed with how little editing I learned, I did finally realize the importance of organization when editing. With Final Cut it is easy to just import and drag files around the timeline. Avid does not allow this. You have to be organized and every edit you do has to have  a purpose, that is just how the program works. Although annoying to get used to, it forces you to be organized which is good when working on a project with multiple editors. The program is set up so it is easy to transfer projects, add comments to edits (a director can give his editor notes without having to meet with them face to face), and the program allows you to manipulate settings to your own preferred look that you can access each time you log into the program.

A really awesome aspect of the program is that it has a script recognition option. This is an expensive plug in, but if you want just one sentence from the hours of video you shot, you can search for it in the script, and it will find the audio/video clip for you. It really is an amazing program. The basic editing that I learned was how to import and convert clips to the avid format so that editing is easy and quick. I also learned how to move clips, trim them, add transitions, effects, and manipulate volume levels. I got daring and began to play with green screen, but that didn't go so well. I would like to learn more about the program, but know it will take time. I think if I were to edit a small project on the program, it would help me to get a better grasp of the program.

For anyone interested in learning Avid,  here is a useful tool to use when editing.

http://www.avid.com/static/resources/common/documents/f-r_poster_chnl_11x17_print.pdf

Freaks and Geeks

Freaks and Geeks is a show based in the early 1980's that deals with the typical teenager's problems. This show has a knock out cast featuring young James Franco, Seth Rogan, Jason Segel, Linda Cardellini, Busy Phillips, etc. The show is divided into the under class men and the upper class men and their collective and individual struggles but in school and home life.
Freaks and Geeks was Judd Apatow's first major hit show. Along with being Apatow's first success it was also James Franco, Seth Rogan, and Jason Segel's as well. This show is a cult classic, though it only survived one season. What makes this show such a knock out is it's plethora of timeless themes, stands on it's own as a period piece, and possesses unique and organic characters. Also, the writers did an excellent job of capturing those awkward young adolescent encounters that bring you back to your time as an awkward teenager.

Star Wars The blog Post Strikes Back!

What’s better than a Star Wars blog post? A second Star Wars blog post nobody wanted, and this is abut who should helm at least the first installment of a brand new trilogy. First off the bat is George Lucas’s best friend and Indiana co-conspirer Steven Spielberg. He hasn’t touched upon the genre of Sci-fi fantasy in a while and is one of the greatest directors of all time. But he has basically taken his name out of the running wit these comments "I've asked [Lucas]. He won't let me do one. I wanted to do one 15 years ago, and he didn't want me to do it. I understand why - Star Wars is George's baby. It's his cottage industry and it's his fingerprints. He knows I've got Jurassic Park and Raiders. But George has Star Wars and I don't think he feels inclined to share any of it with me." Next up in line would be LOST’s very own J.J. Abrams, he has already shown us he can reinvent a great sci-fi series with his reboot of Star Trek. A lot of us in the nerd community think he would be perfect to do the same with Star Wars. But probably my favorite right now would be Brad Bird. Yes the Incredible’s director has proven himself when it comes to filming a great live action movie with the recent Mission Impossible film. He is very open about his love for Star Wars and he is this nerds pick to helm the start of something really great. 

Larry David

One of my favorite television shows to watch is Curb Your Enthusiasm.  This show created by Larry David, stars himself as a version of himself.  The whole show his based on his life and similarly to his previous show, Seinfeld, is about nothing.  Larry is always in normal situations that everyone has been in, but he makes these situations funny.  The way Larry reacts to these normal situations is what makes the show funny.  He does what everyone is afraid to do, what is socially unacceptable.  But that is his character.  He is rude, disrespectful, and does not give a shit.  One example of this is when he is in an elevator and it is a very funny scene.

Larry touches on what people are afraid to do or afraid to say.  To me, it is a relief because at times I wish I could do or say what he says.  Most of the show is improvisation which I think speaks on how talented the cast is.  This is a show that you can watch any episode any time and still be entertained and laugh a lot.  

Despicable Me- Part Deux

One of my many summer jobs is a babysitter for two very young children who love to watch movies. I saw an array of cartoon and computer animated film this summer but one that I really loved was Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment's Despicable Me, starring the voices of Steve Carell, Miranda Cosgrove and Jason Segal. The movie tells the story of Gru (Carell), a criminal mastermind, who spends all of his evil time stealing the World's greatest places, including the moon and The Great Pyramid of Giza. During his plan to steal the moon, three small orphaned girls fall under his care. The movie shows Gru's transition from an evil super-villain to the caring man the small orphans know and love. I love this film and thought that voices of the characters were well casted, the animation was excellent, and provided a story that worked for all ages. I think I enjoyed this movie more than the kids did. Here's one of my favorite scenes....

This summer, Despicable Me 2 is being released, featuring characters from Al Pacino, Kristen Wiig, Steve Carell, and Russel Brand, as well as many others. I am super excited to see Despicable Me 2 and will probably be the only person in theatre older than 10. The sequel focuses on Gru's right hands the minions and tells the story from their perspectives. Check out the trailer below.....

Best, Brie

Noirvember

"Film Noir is the flip side of the all-American success story. It's about people who realize that following the program will never get them what they crave. So they cross the line, commit a crime and reap the consequences. Or, they're tales about seemingly innocent people tortured by paranoia and ass-kicked by Fate. Either way, they depict a world that's merciless and unforgiving." --Eddie Muller


It's that time of year again where the weather gets chillier and the days get shorter. While many of us are sad to see the fall (and the sun) go, its the perfect time of year to curl up with a good movie. Let me present to you: Noirvember.

Noirvember is an annual month-long challenge that urges film lovers to watch a noir film every day of November and share thoughts on Twitter (#noirvember), Tumblr, and Facebook.

There is something about noir films from the 40s, 50s, and 60s that I just love: all the characters have serious style, being shot in black and white elevates the air of mystery and suspense within the story, AND some of the best filmmakers (John Huston, Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles) also came out of this era. This is definitely one of my favorite genres, and I plan to check at least a few classic noir films off my list this Noirvember.

Here's a few lists some of the best noir films:
IMDB's top rated noir films: http://www.imdb.com/genre/film_noir
250 Quintessential noir films: http://www.theyshootpictures.com/noirmoreamerican.htm

"Welcome to the Layer Cake"

Before he was James Bond, Daniel Craig played a business man in "Layer Cake," a movie about the British crime underworld. The movie is directed by Matthew Vaughn ("Kick-Ass," "X-Men: First Class).

Daniel Craig's character buys, cuts, and sells coke. Although he works with gangsters, he considers himself to be a business man. He does not believe in gun use and lets his associates Morty (George Harris) and Genen (Colm Meany) work the violent side of the business. 

Although he wants to retire at a young age, the protagonist is asked by his boss, Jimmy to find the missing daughter of his associate, Eddie Temple, played by the wonderful Michael Gambon (Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies). He also needs to organize an ecstasy deal involving drugs stolen from Serbians. Soon, Craig's character gets way in over his head as he has always believed to "make a  plan and stick with it" and "to quit while you're ahead," which could be considered his two personal mottos.

The movie has a good story and it is interesting to see Craig in a role where he is not a violent character, but he has to deal with those who are. I think it is one of his best roles and it is the role that got him the position of 007. Colm Meany and Michael Gambon both give good performances too. Ben Wishaw, who plays Q in "Skyfall" gives a really good performance as the nephew of a low-level gangster. The plot is complicated as it has many layers, justifying the title "Layer Cake," which also refers to the levels in the criminal underworld. The movie has great music and is well shot and what I think is one of the most memorable endings in film.

Here is the opening monologue from the movie.

Films and their influence on society

Recently, I watched a film called Pretty Ugly People directed and written by Tate Taylor. Taylor has also directed The Help (film #97/ 123 films on my favorites list)

and Winters Bone.

Pretty Ugly People I thought was a pretty strange title. I'm not sure I would have chosen it for the title. Mostly because it just doesn't quite roll off the tongue. It's not terrible but it's not great.
  Getting more to my point of reviewing this film, I am not quite sure how it might make certain people in our society feel about losing weight. The character loses weight by a gastric bipass surgery. My knowledge of this surgery is that it is not a surgery for someone who just casually wants to lose weight. You have to be morbidly obese to have this surgery. The character's name is Lucy (weird right?!). In any case she loses the weight and has another surgery to remove access skin. She has the remains of her surgery cremated and she spreads the ashes throughout the film. The plot of the film is that she convinces her old college friends to come on a hike with her up a mountain she's always wanted to climb. Convinced that their friend is in trouble the come to visit her unknowingly having been signed up for this camping trip. The trip reveals everyone's real characters and she realizes that the people she idolized all through college turned out to be very shallow people. In the end they move on to the next chapters in their lives after realizing their serious flaws and changing them to better be happy with who they are.
  The criticism I have of this film is that I wonder if people will think that if they lose weight that all their friends will be unhappy with them. Truth be told, if your friends get mad at the fact that you've done something good for yourself, then they're not your real friends. I haven't had any thoughts of losing weight since I dont really need to. However, if I were more vulnerable and over weight I might think about that possibility.  My Mother lost almost 100 pounds and never lost one friend. Maybe this is because she had good friends to begin with. Maybe that doesn't really happen in real life. I guess I'm just questioning how this would effect someone's motivation to do something good for themselves like loosing weight.

  As film makers we should try to think a little bit about our viewers and how they might feel after watching our films. I'm not sure if Taylor really thought about that or not. It was a decent movie, wasn't one of my favorites but it was alright. I'm excited to see more of Taylor's work though. I enjoyes Winter's Bone and obviously The Help is one of my favorites.

Ta Ta for now!!

-Lucy Lynne' Hall

Ted

As a huge Family Guy fan, I was ecstatic when I learned that Seth McFarlane was bringing his talent to the big screen. When Ted hit theaters this past July, I jumped at the chance to go. I had high expectations for the film and was not disappointed. I really enjoyed the movie and thought that it had the right amount of humor without taking away from a heartwarming storyline. I felt that outside of the fact that teddy bears cannot come to life, this film was very real and struck a cord with the universal human experience. Watching Mark Wahlberg's character struggle with growing up and choosing between his girlfriend and best friend was something many viewers could relate to. I appreciated McFarlane's writing and thought he did a good job of sneaking in a serious storyline behind all the jokes and gags. Although I found it hilarious, I did find some of the humor a little crude, but went in expecting to be made a little uncomfortable. It is that brash humor that I admire about McFarlane's work. He pushes the envelope to see how far he can go, and then pushes it even further. I like this because I believe humor is something to be appreciated and entertained by and those that get offended and angered by it should shut up, sit back, and enjoy what was created purely to entertain them. Here is the behind the scenes clip that I found pretty interesting. It shows how they used Seth's movements to make Ted seem as real to life as they could.

New Project

I'm really excited for this new project. The idea of using a story that was in the news and making a short film with it is interesting and has the opportunity to be so creative and dynamic because you can approach it at some many angles. My idea of using the story of the Empire State Building shooting can be spun in so many directions. I can write a story of the life of someone who survived the shooting or a bystander, a relative of the shooter, relative or someone who has died in the shooting, a cop who worked that day, so many places I can take this story. I like the other ideas shared in class too, I voted for the the story about the gun in the book, but I'm still debating about doing my own project. I know how difficult it can be to try and assemble a team and do a production, which is why I voted for the story about the gun and the book, which is the story I will most likely do. Im excited for this project and working with other people from the class. Should be fun!

Money, Money, Money

             A long, long time ago, in a boardroom far far away, George Lucas had just sold the foundation for which his career is based off of, for what seems like a small country to Disney. Four billion dollars, that’s how much Mr. Lucas sold Lucas Films and all its properties, those include Star Wars, Indiana Jones, among the more profitable ones. I could talk about what this means for the future of a film franchise that was so ingrained in my childhood, but no I want to talk about what George Lucas is doing with this newfound mound of wealth. You would think that he would go off and buy an island somewhere near Richard Branson’s, but no he’s giving it all back….to education. Here is a quote from the man himself “I am dedicating the majority of my wealth to improving education. It is the key to the survival of the human race,” Lucas said in 2010. “We have to plan for our collective future — and the first step begins with social, emotional, and intellectual tools we provide to our children. As humans, our greatest tool for survival is our ability to think and to adapt — as educators, storytellers, and communicators our responsibility is to continue to do so.” A lot of fans give him a lot of slack for “ruining” Star Wars but I see him now in a brand new light, and heck maybe Disney won’t f***k this one up.

"Oldboy", and The Vengeance Trilogy

This is a movie (or rather a 'trilogy') that I've wanted to bring up for some time now. I've always been a fan of foreign films, particularly Asian horror. However, this movie not only takes the cake, but the whole damn bakery.

Oldboy is the 2nd in a series of South Korean films referred to as The Vengeance Trilogy. From the mind of director Chan-wook Park, The Vengeance Trilogy are a series of films all connected not by characters or plot, but by one central, menacing theme: vengeance.

The other two movies are called Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, the former of these two being the better one, in my opinion. However, this post will focus on the middle child of the triplets that I mentioned earlier, entitled Oldboy.

Oldboy is the story of a man named Oh Dae-su, on his quest to find the man who has, for some inexplicable reason, imprisoned him for the last 15 years of his life. When he's released, he is given money, a phone, and clothes. While searching for answers, Oh-Dae su starts to put his pieces together and figures out that his kidnapper has much bigger, complex, and painful plans in store for him.

Without giving anything away, I will assure all readers that Oldboy is a FANTASTIC movie and a complete and utter mind f***. It received an 8.4/10 on IMDB, and is what I consider to be the best movie I have ever seen.

While Oldboy definitely satiates my desire for graphic horror, gore in some places, and twisted plot lines, it goes above and beyond your typical thriller/horror flick. Oldboy connects the audience to the protagonist better than I've ever seen. The audience is just as much in the dark about what is going on in the story as Oh Dae-su is, and as a viewer, it draws you in like no other. The cinematography is utterly phenomenal, with a fight scene taking place in a hallway that is, in some reviews I've read, being dubbed as a "classic" fight scene (I'll post the link to it down at the bottom). Min-sik Choi is a fantastic Korean actor who puts on a beautiful performance as Oh Dae-su. Simply put, I cannot think of a single thing that is wrong with this movie. Every single aspect of it functions to tie together the story being told and, at the very end when the big reveal of the plot is made, leaves the viewer saying, "Holy crap, that was amazing".

I have watched this film about 3 times and enjoy it more and more every time I watch it. It is my favorite movie of all time and I recommend it to ANYONE who wants to see how a good thriller is made. Go on Netflix right now and watch Oldboy. You may have to look away and you may be uncomfortable at times, but I guarantee you will not regret watching this movie.

It's also got one of the best quotes from a poem ever. Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone.


Here's the trailer, and the fight scene I mentioned earlier. Thanks ya'll.

-Nick

Trailer

Fight Scene (skip to :37)

Anchorman 2

Anchorman is one of my absolute favorite movies. This movie came out in 2004, but still to this day my friends and I (and like everyone else our age, especially) quote this movie often. I must have seen this movie around 30 times, but I still crack up laughing every time. So when they announced a sequel last year I was so excited! But since then, Anchorman fans have gotten no more information. ANCHORMAN 2 WHEN ARE YOU COMING OUT?!?!?!? They have an initial release date as October 21, 2013, which they just came up with recently. I have also been able to find only a teaser trailer. So I will leave you with that to remind you of the greatness that is Anchorman and Ron Burgundy.

 Get. Excited. People.

The Town and Ben Affleck Directing

It seem like Ben Affleck is in a groove directing, going three for three on his first three films.  Those films he directed in order are- Gone Baby Gone, The Town, and the newly released Argo.  One of these films is special to me because it is filmed very close to where I live.  That is The Town.  I remember first seeing the trailer to this film and being so excited to see it.  And then when I saw it, it did not disappoint.

This movie is a crime-drama and it tells the story of a bankrobber who is trying to leave the crew and get rid of his bad ways and move on with his life.  There is a great balance of action and meaningful dialogue which is something I love.  The movie is intense but it touches on emotions you don't usually feel in movies in this genre.  Affleck makes the audience feel for Dougie (main character) and shows that people like him can be good.  There is very high quality acting by everyone in the film.  I think Ben Affleck is showing that not only can he be a successful actor but he is one of the best directors out there right now.

Shaken, not Stirred

James Bond is more than a character, he is a film institution in his own right. "Skyfall," the 23rd movie of the franchise, third of the new reboot series," is approaching us. To prepare, my roommate and I watched "Casino Royale" and "Quantum of Solace," starring all around bad ass Daniel Craig, to prepare for this new film. During the movie, we talked about why we liked Bond, and we appreciate the serious talk and that, even though we love the hokey gadgets of years past, the world needs the realist tools and fight scenes.

We both loved "Casino Royale" and we both were bored with "Quantum of Solace." We talked about what makes one good and one bad.

"Quantum" is all action. There is a story and it would be a good one if the movie just gave us time to breath and take it in. It's about oil, water, corrupt governments, money, CIA coups, a secret organization and revenge, always a good motivator for movie character. By the time the movie was over, I felt only a little bit less empty than why I saw it in 2008 in theaters.

"Casino Royale" was more of a thriller than an action movie, and hopefully the new one will stick with that. It gave us a torture scene that made every male in the audience cringe in pain, attack Bond's favorite gadget.

The movies get rid of the crazy plans for world domination with the silly lairs and names and create a world where men want money more than anything else. Bond doesn't say all of his catch phrases and we haven't gotten Miss Moneypenny and Q, who both will be in "Skyfall." I think what Quantum was missing was a villain who actually was a character and not a generic action film villain. Javier Barden, who played "Anton Chigurh," one of the best movie villains, and he got the oscar for that performance in "No Country for Old Men" might be able to bring some personality to the next Bond film. Hopefully, I will feel shaken (with excitement) and not stirred (with anger) at "Skyfall."

Repulsion

I love scary movies in general, but around this time of year it just feels appropriate. We all know that Roman Polanski is the master of dark, unsettling films that tend to linger in the back of your mind for a few days after you watch it. After watching Rosemary's Baby for the first time last Halloween, I decided to continue the tradition of creepy Polanski films and watched one of his classics, the psychological horror film Repulsion. Released in 1965 and starring Catherine Deneuve Repulsion follows the story of a young girl living with her sister in London who descends into madness, leading to a series of delusions and finally murder.

Deneuve's Carol is a painfully shy and withdrawn woman who has an increasingly severe paranoia/fear of sex and men. Carol's crippling fear is juxtaposed with her pure aesthetic and the perpetual ringing of church bells nearby. When her sister goes on vacation with her boyfriend, she is left her alone in their apartment accompanied only by her weakening mental state and the rotting carcass of a skinned rabbit intended to be dinner, that Carol just leaves to sit in the living room. Carol gradually goes insane, experiencing hallucinations of rape, men lurking in her apartment, and shape-shifting walls. She barricades herself in the apartment as a mechanism of protection and threatens the life of anyone who dares to disrupt her personal confinement.

The story is slow to develop- but that makes it all the more creepy. When you watch this movie, you really feel like you're witnessing the unraveling of someone's sanity first hand. Its almost as if Polanski intended that the audience be confined to the apartment with Carol, giving us this voyeuristic, suffocation of an experience. Despite being released over fifty years ago, the movie's horror factor still holds up. I definitely recommend watching this film.

American Horror Story

Since yesterday was Halloween, I thought that I would be fun to watch American Horror Story, since it has that spooky vibe. As Ron Burgundy says "well that escalated quickly". That one episode turned into a marathon. This show is so interesting and suspenseful that you cannot merely watch one episode. This show features a bounty of talented and well known actors; Jessica Lange, Zachary Quinto, Dylan McDermott, Sarah Paulson, etc. It also has so many different story lines that you never become bored or exhausted from watching the same thing. I was disappointed that they left some storylines open at the end, but they had so much ground to cover that it only makes sense. This is one of the first shows on television of it's kind. People don't normally decide to pop on the couch and watch an hour of suspense when they could watch a feel good comedy show. But this show also has a bit of dark humor to it, I highly recommend it.

 I thought it was interesting that Fox (producers of the show) had to handle a lawsuit about the infringement on someone's tattoos. A male model by the name of Rick Genest has his body fully tattooed to look like a skeleton. In a scene of American Horror Story one of the characters has his face tattooed to resemble a skeleton as well. The problem with this was that the character then shot up a high school. They were able to settle outside of court, but still this brings into question if Rick Genest even has the right to copyright a tattoo or whether if the show was committing defamation, which could have ruined Genest's career.

Reenactment Shot Shoot- Quiet Riot

After our film shoot last weekend, I realized how important it is know your footage, actors, and location before shooting a shot as detail heavy as our recreation shot. I also learned that it is extremely difficult to find actors if you are not organized and ambitious. Despite all of our efforts we could not find enough actors to do the original shot we chose and had to change our shot at the very last minute, creating a source of stress within the group. I also learned that it is important to know upcoming events and activities dealing with your location to prevent conflicts in scheduling. Because we filmed in the commons for our original shot, we were unable to shoot there for the recreation shot due to a community activity that was taking place on our scheduled shooting day. It was also very difficult to film around the public and to capture the natural state of people with a  camera  present.

For the actual film shoot, I was the Director of Photography and we decided to use the Sony FS-100. I have not really used the camera before and it was much easier to achieve the look of the original shot by using picture profiles. Using profile pictures, allowed me to view the shot through several types of settings and help me achieve the perfect look for our recreation shot. It was also a great challenge to frame the shot the same as the original. I found it to be very beneficial to study the location of the actors in relation to their environment. I used physical attributes of the location, such as lines on the wall and staircases, to frame the shot within the camera.

As far as the directing was concerned, it worked the best to provide our actors with countdowns  for their actions and used verbal cues to move the actors forward in the shot. Using a countdown was very beneficial to our actors. In the end we got a shot that was almost identical to the first shot, concerning the physical and facial expressions of our actors. It was also very important that we used similar wardrobe choices and actors with similar physical features.

Overall,  I am really impressed with myself and my groups's ability to overcome the difficulties we faced during this project. I wished that our shot was much longer than it ended up being but I think we did an excellent job on our recreation shot. This was a very challenging experience but was a great learning experience and tons of fun.