evaluation of movie clips

A-
I really liked how right from the beginhning, it has interesting lighting effects. before i thought nothing of it, but now i can tell that there was lighting either coming from underneath or reflecting off the table on to them. it really adds a casino sort of effect. Also, there is somewhat unique camera work. i think that in some parts it looks like a handheld camera to show a point of view, but also a regular camera to tell a story. I also noticed a lot of match on action camera work when multiple people were talking, not just two.

C-
This is one of my favorite movies and i really like how it has a great example of parallel editing when it shows the FBI agents going to Buffalo Bills house and it also shows Buffalo Bill inside the house. This is significant because it shows the two main opposing forces of good and evil coming together for the dramatic ending of the movie. But there is a big twist! The way the camera work is edited, we think they are at the same place when we hear the doorbell but really they are at completely different houses. You realize this when it shows one guy at the door, but Clarice goes in. It is ful of suspense and the lighting and camera works add a lot of effect and emotion.

E-
Since this movie is about Mozart, it makes sense that there would be a lot of music effects. The first things i noticed was how the piano/harpiscord goes inbetween diagetic and nondiagetic. The way it does this is by showing the music playing at regular time, but then switching to something else and it suddenly becomes background music. And it goes back and forth. also, when he is playing something else and suddenly the other man starts singing is interesting and very effectful.

F-
This clip was very short, but had a lot of things we learned about. It had a lot of backlighting and it was very shadowy. Also, the first time the camera move it is a pan over a wall. The last part was showing the three different sides(rule of threes) and how the depth works. On the left, there was a man far away, on the right, a woman close by, and in the middle, a large fire far away to focus on. Also, the whole shot was one big long take and it had a soft light to it which really makes you interested in what will happen next. There isnt a lot of talking so it makes you think for yourself.

movie of the year ratings

Social network

• Intriguingly smart
• gloomy lighting
• lots of sarcasm
• relates to America today

Kings speech

• olden feeling (clothing, accent, speech)
• darkness of happiness
• based on a true story

Toy Story 3

• lots of action for an animated kids film
• better thank the first two combined
• lots of new characters and theme and plot

Winters bone

• depressing story
• shaky cameras make it look real
• not well lighted, adds depressing effect

inception

• amazing story line
• everybody relates to it while watching
• a whole new idea about dreams/levels of dreams
• intense, suspenseful ending

true grit

• a modern western
• great acting by everybody
• not a lot of action, but more story

1.) The Social Network
This was my first favorite because i think that of all the others, it relates so perfectly to America today. Whats one of the most popular things on the Internet today? Facebook. What kind of movie will attract Facebook users? a movie about the making of Facebook. There were so many great quotes that really make you look back on the movie in the end. The other thing was how there were multiple story lines going on at once, which makes it unique, intriguing, and exciting. The acting was phenomenal, even though if it was a little more exaggerated than what really happened. Finally, the lighting of certain scenes adds effect. Dark lighted scenes are either important or sad, while the well lighted scenes are happy or funny.

2.) King's Speech
This was my second favorite because it felt like you were apart of the story and that you went back in time. It portrays how something so small, can be such a big deal. it all depends on who you are. There were so many important characters in the storyline. It doesn't just show the happy parts where the kings voice is perfect. Its actually the opposite in meaning that it shows mostly only parts when he gets frustrated, then shows him learning more. The acting by Colin Furth was absolutely amazing. It was easily some of the best acting I've ever scene. Finally, the dialogue was so well written it adds to the effect of the great acting.

3.)Toy Story 3
This was my third favorite choice because it was so much better than everyone thought it would be. Not saying that it looked bad, it looked amazing, it was just better in a new kind of way. The first two movies were really good. but both of them combined and then compared the third is a huge difference. Not only was the third one just really good, but it had a whole new kind of story line. In the first one they try to stay with Andy. in the second, they try to save the other toys. in the third however, they do both in a whole new way. There are so many new characters introduced in this movie that if i hadn't seen the first two, i would have thought that one was the first. Its story line was just so fresh and amazing that it easily has a chance to win.

4.)True Grit
Overall, i really liked True Grit. After the first preview i saw, i thought it looked really bad. after the second preview, it looked really good. Even from the previews and trailers i could tell that it would have that traditional western theme. I thought that Jeff Bridges looked really good. After i had seen the movie, i was slightly disappointed. I was looking forward to a lot of shootouts, cowboys, and traditional western movie features. Not to say that True Grit didn't have these features, but just not a lot of them. I was thinking i would be an action movie but it was more like an action and drama. In my opinion, there were a few too many nights sitting around the fire talking about drinking water from horse footprints. But there were also lots of cool things i didn't expect; some of these were the man in the bear suit, finding Chaney in the creek, and the hung man in the trees. Overall, i placed True Grit in fourth place, not because it was bad, but because the others were just a little better.

5.)Inception
I think Inception is a lot like Avatar last year. Everybody thought the graphics and special effects were unreal and completely new and modernized and cool. The thing that everybody seemed to attach onto about Inception was the storyline. To themselves, everybody thinks about their dreams and how the work and what not. Like The Social Network, when something like that is made into a movie, people are going to want to see it really, really bad. I think the overall best feature of Inception was either the special effects or how they went further than just explaining dreams (dream levels, totems, inception and extracting ideas from other people). I think that Inception was more of a "cool" movie than a great storyline movie.

6.)Winter's Bone
There were some parts in Winter's Bone that were really good and intriguing. Most of the movie though, was her either walking, making food, or talking to people. Not the most exciting thing. But i do think that the effects, such as zoom, lighting, and camera work, really added to the sadness of the story. I think it was too much of a sad movie or "downer" to win movie of the year. My main opinion is that it didn't start getting really good until the end. But i still thought that it was a decent movie.

Slaughterhouse-5 Blog

Essay Improvement-

1. Put more depth into elaboration sentences
2. Have a more relative intrpductory quote
3. Have an effective restated thesis
4. Have an effective concluding statement
5. Have a strong topic to write about
6. Make sure of proper grammer and punctuation
7. Find appropriate quotes that fit theme of essay
8. Have a clear expression of the main point
9. Use an effective quote to correctly illustrate the main point
10. Have an effective explanation of the quote relating to the main idea

Thoughts about Slaughterhouse-5-

1. The original three dimensions make sense to humans because thats the way we see it on Earth
2. It was interesting how Tralfamadorians see Time as the fourth dimension because humans don't see it like that
3. How Billy talks about the Tralfamadorians AFTER the plane crash is significant because he could just be crazy
4. The book really makes you think about how time works
5. it is significant how when Billy's wife dies it just says "So it goes"
6. How the story revolves around three different times in Billy's life is interesting
7. i think it is interesting how little detail there is about what the Tralfamadorians look like
8. i think it is funny that Billy is kept in a zoo on Tralfamadore
9. i think it is also funny how the Tralfamadorians are green, what most people would picture an alien to be
10. it is also funny how "zillion" is apparently a made up number but the Tralfamadorians live over a zillion lightyears away from earth
11. I think that it makes you think about death and how real it really is
12. i really like how it talks about scenes of world war II
13. i think it is intrigueing how tralfamadorians have five sexes when humans only have two
14. I think it is suspenseful when it talks about billy's friend's execution
15. the book makes you wondre what sort of afterlife there is, if there even is one

Themes of Slaughterhouse-5-

1. Death is not as important as we see it
2. There could be other lifeforms in the universe
3. Time travel can be possible to a certain extent
4. we relive the significant times in our lives in the afterlife
5. time is the fourth dimension of the universe

Conversation-

B- Are you scared of death?
Z- A little yeah
B-its nothing to be scared of, its just part of everything else.
Z-well okay.... did it hurt a lot?
B-there was nothing painful at all. except for the mere feeling of knowing that you won't exist except for in the past, which is what i learned from the Tralfamadorians.
Z-so if i thought really hard about a past memory of you, i could relive it with you?
B-Not quite, if you and i were both dead, then yes, we would be able to relive memories from the past. the really significant memories of our life.
Z-Thanks! now i understand what you mean!

my first movie review

Brainstorm-The Shawshank Redemption:

1. a film elaborated on a short story
2. in an old prison
3. violence
4. intriging
5. corruption in prison
6. language
7. confusing story line
8. escape form prison
9. mindblowing when it all makes sense at the end
10. happy ending
11. great actors
12. suspense throughout the whole film
13. how tim robbins asks for the rock hammer
14. how it is rebellious when he plays the record player in the wardens office
15. Morgan Freeman is the 'Man Who Can Get You Things.'

Review-The Shawshank Redemption:

The Shawshank Redemtion is one of my alltime favorite movies. I think the acting by some of the main characters is phenomonal. Some of my favorites are Tim Robbins (Andy Dufresne), Morgan Freeman (Red), Clancy Brown (Captain Hadley), and James Whitmore (Brooks). I really enjoy how the story line goes into so much depth about how corrupt the prison is. Even though Andy Dufresne has been covicted for committing double murder, he knows he is innocent and throughout the movie you realize that he is indeed innocent. What i really like about this film is that it not only focuses on Andy, but on so many other things at the same time that end up relating to his escape. My favorite part of this movie in no doubt the ending when you realize how the rock hammer, posters, and him helping the warden all relate to him escaping in the end. I think that it is really cool how Stephen King started this story as an 80-page short story but when made into a movie, it is two and a half hours long. The movie provides so much detail and i feel that most of the time the books show more detail than the movies. The Shawshank Redemption is an amazing movie.

Siddhartha Blog

 I believe hat in the book Siddhartha, there are many spiritual scenes that relate to everyday life and religion today. Firstly, in life, I believe that if you want something, you have to work for it. Siddhartha says "I will stand and wait" to his father after he tells his father what he really wants is to leave home and join the Samanas (page 11). Siddhartha really wants to leave and go with the Samanas and he works for that want against his father by standing and waiting and being patient, which is used a lot throughout the story and can relate to everyday life because you won't just get what you want you have to work for it. Secondly, in religion I believe that you need to not care what other people think about it. Siddhartha says to Govinda "Tomorrow at daybreak I will begin the life of the Samanas. Let us not discuss it again" (page 10). Govinda and Siddhartha are both sons of Brahmins and they have known each other their entire lives and when Siddhartha suddenly says that he wants to leave for his religion, Govinda doesnt want him to leave but Siddhartha is planning on leaving with or without Govinda because he doesn't care if people judge him about his religion which is important about religion today.Besides these two examples from the book Siddhartha about life and religion, there are many more throughout the rest of the story.

Macbeth. Being A Man.

1.) Quote:
Lady Macbeth

"Unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full, of dirtiest cruelty.  Make thick my blood. Stop up th' access and passage to remorse"
(Act 1, Scene 5, Lines 48-51)

What Lady Macbeth is saying is that she wants to be more like a man and less like a woman. She wants this by the blood in her brains to be thicker, and her body to be filled with cruelty from head to toe.

She feels as though a woman can not be as cruel as a man, so she wants to be more of a man so she does not feel remorse. She wants to be so cruel and so manly that no human being will will be able to stop her.

2.) Quote:

Ross

"He Only lived but till he was a man, the which no sooner had his prowess confirmed in the unshrinking station he fought, but like a man he died." (Act 5, Scene 8, Lines 45-48)

In this quote Ross is saying that his son was indeed a man and this was proven by fighting like one. the only problem is that as soon as he was able to prove his manliness, he died like a soldier.

This is a sad and happy quote because what was wanted was accomplished, and what was accomplished was followed immediately by death. His son proved that he was a man and he ended up dying like one immediately after which, is saying that what is wanted in life is not always the most important. 

3.) Quote:

Malcolm

"Be comforted.  Let's make us med'cines of our great revenge to cure this deadly grief." 

(Act 4, Scene 3, Lines 252-254)

Here Malcolm is saying to be comforted and use the revenge for good. They will use this great revenge to make the grieving for their lost loved ones less hard.

If someone i was very close to were murdered, i would feel obliged to get revenge. I do not agree with Malcolm though because if i killed the killer, than that makes me worse than him and all of the guilt is on me. Two wrongs do not make a right.

4.) Quote:

Malcolm

"Be this the whetstone of your sword.  Let grief convert to anger.  Blunt not the heart; enrage it."
(Act 4, Scene 3, Lines 268-269)

Malcolm is saying that he should not grieve but be angry instead. He is also saying not to blunt the heart but use its rage for revenge.

If someone that your close to is murdered, you would be very upset. Malcolm is saying to be  man and be angry instead and get revenge.

5.) Quote:

Macbeth

"Why should I play the Roman fool and die On mine own sword? Whiles I see lives, the gashes Do better upon them"

(Act 5, Scene 8, Lines 1-5)

Macbeth is saying that it is pointless to kill himself with his own sword in battle. Romans would kill themselves before being killed and Macbeth thinks it is foolish.

If I were Macbeth, I would do the same thing. If you are willing to take the risk of battle, fight until the death of the enemy upon you, otherwise you are fighting for nothing.

The Odyssey

The theme of books 11,12,13,16,19,21 and 22 of The Odyssey is that things can be different that they may seem or appear. This theme is a huge part in the Hero's Path in the book and also the storyline. If everything important was exactly how it seemed it would be, the story would not be exciting and also the storyline would not work as well. The main theme of The Odyssey is that things can be different that they may seem or appear.

One example of the theme is when the suitors try to string Odysseus' bow and they all fail in book twenty-one. Odysseus looks like an old beggar so when he says he wants to try, they all think he is crazy. But when he starts to succeed one of the suitors says "The clever tramp means trouble-" (pg. 437, line 448). All of the suitors think that the old beggar will just hurt himself but when he actually appears to be doing it, the suitors start to realize that the old beggar seems to be different than he appears who he is. Even though he looked like an old stranger, he really turned out to be the King of Ithaca.

Another example of this is in book nineteen when Eurykleia washes Odysseus' feet. When Penelope sees that there is a poor, dirty old man, shes orders one of the maids to wash the old beggar's feet. Eurykleia starts to wash the old beggars feet when she sees a scar on his foot and she realizes her master, Odysseus, had the exact same scar in the exact same place. When she feels the scar on his foot she realizes it is Odysseus and she says "Yes, yes! you are Odysseus-oh dear boy- I couldn't know you before... not until I touched the body of my king!" (pg. 405, lines 536-538). Odysseus thinks that her excitement and eagerness will give him away, so Odysseus takes Eurykleia by the neck and threatened to kill her unless she kept quiet and didn't tell anybody. She cooperated and left to refill her water basin when Penelope came in. Eurykleia was just doing as she ordered, to clean an old beggar's feet, but it seems to be her Master Odysseus and the King of Ithaca.

A final example of the theme that things may seem to be different that they appear is shown in book sixteen when Telemachus returns home. Telemachus says hello to Eumaios and from inside the house Odysseus says "Telemachus!" and Telemachus does not know who it is. Eumaios says it is his father and when he comes out he thinks it is a trick being played on him so he threatens to kill him. Only when Odysseus says "No, I am not a god, Why confuse me with one who never dies? No, I am your father- the Odysseus you wept for all your days, you bore a world of pain, the cruel abuse of men." (pg. 344, lines 209-214). The explanation for Telemachus not believing that it is his father is because he hasn't seen his father in over ten years and everybody on Ithaca thinks he is dead. So in the end, Telemachus is not expecting to see his father again and it seems to be a trick, but it appears to really be him.

The theme of the Odyssey is that things can be different that they may seem or appear. There are multiple examples of this throughout the story and it shows how it can be related to things in real life. It is important to remember this and keep it in mind.