What About This One?

Does the shot Puckett talked about below remind you of this shot from a slightly more famous 70's film? From what film is the image? Do you think the director of this film was inspired by Malick's Badlands?

Not So Good Times, Badlands

I think everyone pretty much summed it up when they posted about the make-up picture and the burning doll house picture. There's not much left to say, since I agree with all of those comments. So...I'll talk about a different picture, specifically the one of Kit and the moon in a desert like setting. I think this one should be the poster for the movie. This, to me, characterizes it perfectly. In this picture, it looks to me like he's standing right smack dab in the middle of the Badlands. It can't much "badder" than that-- desolate and dry and sandy and dirty and dusky. He's carrying his weapon of choice which, in his usual "i'm in the middle of the badlands and i'm about to kill someone else, but it really doesn't phase me" pose. He doesn't look too compassionate and hospitable in this picture, which is his attitude through out the whole movie. Oh, Kit....where did you go wrong?

--Puckett

We All Live in a Yellow Submarine....

is a lyric from the famous song by the Beatles, "Yellow Submarine," which served as the inspiration for the oddly entertaining movie Yellow Submarine. My dad rented this from the State Library over the holidays for us to enjoy. My dad is single handedly responsible for turning me onto The Beatles and converting me into a life long fan, so this was a fitting choice. Like I said, I'm a huge fan of the Beatles!!! This movie, directed by George Dunning, who was also responsible for the Beatles TV series, is a colorful, psychadellic masterpiece that conveys the message of good vs. evil while animating "music videos" for some of the classic hits of the Beatles, which provide all of the music of the movie. The whole movie is animated, which is a big part of it. The incredible colors and the amazing, talented, artwork and animation are what make the movie so unique and so enjoyable. It truly is a feast for the eyes...and the ears. For a movie made in 1968, it appears to be very advanced. The animation seems years ahead of its time. There were points in the movie where my brain just went into overload because my eyes were receiving so many images and colors at once. This movie is an experience. I recommend it to everyone, especially those who are fans of The Beatles.... Yours truly, Puckett

Goodpics from Badlands (haha)

My favorite picture is the one in which Kit and Holly are sleeping with the gun kind of positioned between them. When we were watching the movie, I remember thinking it was weird that they weren’t spooning or sleeping in some other guy-protects-girl sort of position. Instead, they’re barely touching at all, and the gun’s barrel is precariously pointing towards Holly. I’m not sure if this was done on purpose or inadvertently, but this scene to me blatantly illustrates how Kit is destroying her youth and innocence (just like the picture of the dollhouse burning).

~Morgan

Badlands

Like the movie, the images from the film Badlands tell a story through the setting and the surroundings of the characters. As represented in these pictures, the characters show no emotion, soul, or passion for anything - not even for each other, which was supposedly their motivation. However, the ideas (such as loss of innocence and personal growth) that the film revolves around are expressed in the scenery and the placement of their surroundings. The scenes in this movie were breath taking - no thanks to the actors, but to the beautiful imagery.
I have to say my favorite clip/picture in Badlands was the scene where the house catches fire - WOW!, I don't think that there is any other word that can accurately express my awe and amazement.

...I believe this is gonna be our finest hour

I watched Apollo 13 Saturday night for bonus in Physics. I have seen it a few times, but I have never actually sat down and watched the film in its entirety. I didn’t realize the beauty and suspense of the film in previous years. I don’t think I have seen another film by Ron Howard, who has produced Cinderella Man, A Beautiful Mind, and many hit TV shows.

I have never been in space, but I do think the cinematography was very accurate in depicting the scenes in the rocket and in space. It is very dramatic and suspenseful throughout the film, because the conflict is introduced early on. The music is very eerie and oftentimes sent chills down my spine as their lives were on the line. At some points, I think the drama was a little overboard and maybe even exaggerated.

What is so incredible about this film, however, is that it is a true story, which makes it more appealing I think. It was a pleasing way to get bonus points in Physics.

~Candice

Badlands

I think that the picture of Holly putting on eye makeup shows that she is trying to grow up too fast. Maybe she felt that since Kit was so much older she had to be more mature.
Christy

B-B-B-ADLANDS

In the picture of Holly standing in the reeds, she has a completely blank look on her face. This, for me, accurately sums up the reason I was perpetually annoyed with her character. I waited the entire movie for her to grow a heart or for once to express some type of emotion that proved she was a real human being. But alas, I was dissapointed and she failed to prove she was someone worth existing.


-Alyce Thibodeaux

Badlands Pictures Review - Christina

The picture of Holly putting make up on her eyes is a symbolism of how she is wishing to grow up. She is putting on make-up and trying to act like she is older in order to get Kit to love her more. The whole movie she acts as though she were older than her real age of 15 or 16 years old.

Another picture that stood out to me was the picture of Holly sitting down in the grass writing. This picture shows her at the way that she was the majority of the movie - solemn and to herself. She did not talk in dialogue with others very often and when she did it was never very intellectual conversations, but she always seemed to be writing or thinking about things and in her narration she knew more than she acted like she knew.

:D - Christina

Life or Something Like It

This would be the one movie I watched over the thanksgiving holidays other than the required Apollo 13 for physic extra credit. Anyhow, Life or Something Like it was about a women who lived a shallow life until a “prophet” told her she was going to die within a week. During this time she realizes how empty her life really is while trying to change the outcome of her fate and falling in love. I won’t give away the ending of the movie, but its pretty predictable, just like the whole movie is. It did take up a few of my “I’m bored” hours, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you are looking for something great to watch and entertain yourself with.
-Leigh Ann

Badlands Picture Review

In the picture of Holly’s dollhouse burning, it is as if her childhood itself is going up into flames. Because of her relationship with Kit and her involvement in the murders, Holly’s naivety causes her to follow along with Kit who is immature himself. This shows that she was still a young girl who got caught up in a very adult world. To go along with this, the picture of Holly putting on makeup shows her innocence and lack of childhood. Because she grew up so fast with Kit, she didn’t experience child-like things such as putting on makeup for the first time. This also coincides with the death of Holly’s mother who wouldn’t be able to show her how to do feminine things like makeup.

~Nicole Hanney

A little Badlands, a little Johnny Cash

As far as the Badlands pictures, I really like the two next to each other where Kit is sleeping with his gun and then using it to shoot fish. It reminds me that he would shoot a person with that gun as quickly and easily as he'd shoot a fish. At one point in the movie Holly says something along the lines of "I'd never met someone so trigger-happy in all my life," with which I would have to agree. I also like the picture of the dollhouse going up in flames. As the movie progresses, it seems like anything pretty or innocent just gets destroyed.

On another note, I saw Walk the Line with some friends over the break, and I absolutely loved it, especially in light of the "Hurt" video we watched in class. All of the lyrics kept coming to mind as the events of his life played out, and the music video made even more sense. I think it also made the film more poignant to know how Mr. Cash felt about all of it in the end. The film itself was beautifully and expressively shot and I thought Joaquin Phoenix did a fabulous job as the emotional, dysfunctional younger Cash. It was definitely worth my $6.75.

-Helen

Comment on the Images

I want to know everyone's thoughts on the images from Badlands. You do not have to comment on every image. Pick one or a few and tell us how they help shape the mood, theme, setting, or any other aspect of the film.

Thanks,
Mr. Fleig

More Images From Badlands

Images From Badlands

"Difficult times lie ahead, Harry."

Last night I filled up on coffee and went to the 11:59pm showing of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I was still completely impressed and amazed by the magic of the Harry Potter films. I prefer the 4th book over the movie, but Mike Newell's use of light, setting, and camera angles make this action-packed work that I will most likely see again.

The first two Harry Potter Films (2001's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and 2002's Chamber of Secrets) were directed by Chris Columbus. Even though the plot of these two books was not very dark, I still think Columbus put a "little kid" edge on them. However, with the 3rd Film last summer, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the transition into a darker, more serious film was well done by Alfonso Cuaron.

I could tell the differences in approaches to scenes and perspectives of the two directors, but that is understandable because of the difference in the films. Firstly, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, I believe, held more action and especially at the end, more darkness. I thought Lord Voldemort was amazing and I will certainly have nightmares.

The downside of this film is the changes that occured during filming. Many of the details that I loved were left out, as well as some seens were made more "Hollywood"; i.e. a scene where Moaning Myrtle approaches Harry in a very PG-13 manner. That really upset me. Other than that, it was an amazing and magical film and I cannot wait for the next.


enjoy...

candice :)

Wierd, but I like it.

I liked all of the videos we watched, mostly the Nirvana video. The videos were very captivating, even the creepy devil video. My favorite was of course Nirvana, it was odd but I loved how random everything was..or seemed to be. I thought the Johnny Cash video was very haunting and artistic. I've haven't listened to much Johnny Cash music, but I really liked his voice and the way the video was shot. I want to see more videos!

Music videos

In most cases, I thought the music videos were weird. And that is all.
-Leigh Ann King

Artistic and Touching

The music video for Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt" is not only a wonderful example of artistic expression, but also a touching memoir of the life of Johnny Cash. By including images of Christ from a movie that Cash produced, the video refers to the works of Cash as well as coincides with the theme of sacrificing everything to go back to what he once was. The action on action shots and the cuts of the piano playing gave quality of smoothness to the overall effect of the video. My favorite part of the video was the poignant nature that it portrayed in a short amount of time.

~Nicole Hanney

Without the video, its just depressing...

The video of Johnny Cash's remake of "Hurt" is extremely powerful. The video is simple, but the cuts and the montage towards the end of the song make it an amazing work of cinematography. Without the video, I think that the song itself is depressing. It has a very somber theme, but I think it is a good compromise from the latest "depressing" songs such as Papa Roach's "Scar." It has a more creative and artistic perspective which I think makes it easier to watch and to listen to as well as understand.


-Candice-

What does it all mean?

I want to know your opinions on the music videos. What did you think about the Johnny Cash video? How about the Nirvana video? I want your opinions on whether the video was art for art’s sake or it had a more metaphorical meaning. Remember to validate your opinion with well stated observations.

- Mr. Fleig

That is like SO fetch!

Mean Girls, a Mark Waters film, still gets me every time. I find this work not only witty but real. I don't think that this movie is exaggerated because, being at an all girls school, we, maybe more than most girls, can relate to the actions of the teenage women in this movie. The narration by Cady (Lindsay Lohan) makes the film more personal yet does not narrow the perspective because we see a downside to Cady as well. The cinematography is simple yet adequate.

The "animalistic" nature of the girls in this movie is halarious and sometimes hard to watch. They use looks, money, and a sense of superiority to demean those who aren't "plastics". The irony of the movie is that, those that watch the actions take part in them as well. Despite and against their best interests, each clique becomes entangled in the events of this movie. Watch your back, but most importantly, watch this film.



-Candice Elizabeth Bates






P.S. I think some girls at this school, including myself, can learn a lot from the issues and themes presented through this film.

Saw Eww is Right, Morgan.

Well I hit up Citiplace last night to see “Saw 2”. Maybe it was the fact that it was almost 11 p.m., there was a snoring man sitting behind me, and that I was sitting in the center of the 2^nd row that gave me a bad impression of the movie. Overall, I found it to be very unnecessarily gory. I can honestly say that I missed a good fraction of the movie because I was covering my eyes. I really felt like I might get sick a few times even. Two of my friends walked out because they couldn't take it. I mean, yes- horror movies are going to be gory…but do you have to show everything? I think not. As Morgan said, some of the dialogue was pretty lame and predictable. Lines like "You better start thinking outside of the box or his son is going to end up in one."...riiight. This was definitely one of those movies where everyone told me “Oh, it’s SO much better and scarier than the first one!”, so I had it all built up in my mind and it ended up not being as great as I expected. I thought the first movie was much better. However, I kind of figured out one of the twists early on in the movie. Another thing Morgan said that I agree with is the fact that it’s so amazing that there are actually people on this planet who think of things like this. It creeps me out beyond belief. I didn’t like that there really wasn’t much character development in the movie at all. You didn’t really find out any of the characters' stories (besides Jigaw’s) and it left much to be questioned. I like answers. All in all, it was decent. There was no lost sleep over it- I wasn’t scared, more so entirely grossed out. Others seemed to enjoy it though so I'd check it out anyways.

- Liz

Lindsey Carline's thoughts

What I liked best about the film Naqoyqatsi, was the director’s consistency throughout the movie. The director challenged the audience to avoid trying to understand the meaning of every flashing image, so that when after watching the movie you could see how the images piece together as a whole.
~Lindsey

It's a Little bit funny...this feeling inside...

Tuesday night VH1 chose Moulin Rouge as its featured film under their program "Movies that Rock". Moulin Rouge is a work by Baz Luhrmann, who also worked on 1996's Romeo + Juliet. Moulin Rouge is one of my favorite movies of all time. The spirit, continuity, hilarity, and, of course, the music, is brilliant. Going into the theater 4 years ago to see this movie, not only was I a 13 year old viewing a very intense film, I was unaware of the format and genre of film that Moulin Rouge is, a musical. The film may be described as bizarre. That is what I thought the first few years that I watched the movie. However, as I watched the movie when I was 16, I got more into the movie , noticing the little details and grasping much more than I ever had. The comedy placed into this tragic story is great, just as it was in Luhrmann's previous tragic comedy, Romeo + Juliet. John Leguizamo as Toulouse- Lautrec is wild. The most powerful part of the movie is, against the audience's belief, Toulouse recites the famous line correctly for the first time: " The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love, and be loved in return".


I believe the acting quality, cinematography, music, and special effects make this movie one of the greatest I have ever seen. I love it.


-Candice


P.S. I don't know if you listened to this song in religion, but Baz Luhrmann speaks life lessons in his song "Everybody's Free (To wear sunscreen). I would suggest downloading it, I mean, wait...that's pirating. I think Alyce has it on CD maybe we can play it in class. It has a very powerful message.

Laguna Girls or Gilmore Beach?

Either way I expect some intelligent banter about any TV show, film, play, radio show, etc. It does not have to be long, verbose, or publishable, it just has to make sense. You can talk about the silliest show on TV as long as you approach it with a critical eye. I don't care if you like it or hate it as long as you can provide support to give your opinion validity. Better posts will keep the blog at a higher standard, something we will be proud of. As for the elements of style, I have noticed not only grammar problems, but also dozens of punctuation issues. You may have the best written post on Earth, but no one will take you seriously if you can't capitalize "I".

Thanks,
Mr. Fleig

P.S. - Stew on that.

Gilmore Girls episode

Sadly i can't offer a review of the latest gilmore girl's episode *tear*

i was in the middle of physics homework and studying for an english test that I missed the show *bites nails*

anyone tape it? or know how i can watch it?

Yours, tori

The montage had some really interesting clips and expressed the rise and fall of humankind beautifully. It represented its ideas strongly and got to the point very quickly leaving the rest of the film with little suspense. I think that it was too long; even though the bright colors wouldn't let me fall asleep, I was ready for it to be over by the second day.

The Real L.C.

I have to agree with Candice. Kristin is a spawn of the devil. Watching last night's episode, I began to fall off the metaphorical fence in hopes of landing on a mature, compassionate, and understanding grassy knoll on Kristen's side, when I thought she would finally reconcile the once "irreperable drama" between her and L.C. Instead, she retreated back to her immature, petty, and catty lair, cowering in a corner in her jean mini with Alex and Steph-en, almost too cool to patch things up with L.C.
To shed light on the whole Jason issue. Jason is shockingly very lucky with the ladies. While his looks aren't too tragic, unfortunately; his relationship skills....suck. It would be wrong to call him stupid, since he seems to have hooked up with almost every girl in Laguna. We should almost be pointing the finger at the teenage female population of Laguna, for repeating the same stupid mistake--dating Jason. I understand Jessica's actions, but I do not justify them. He was her boyfriend first and she feels like he was taken from her prematurely. However, i do give her mad props for finally acquiring closure and letting Jason go (the touching "conversation" at the end of the episode). I applaud Lauren (cool name) in being the first girl that we know of to stand up to Jason instead of accepting his rehearsed and insincere apology, even though he threw in a few apologetic facial expressions.
Next weeks episode is sure to bring tons more juicy posts...although i feel as if I'm tainting the blog by discussing such trivial things as Laguna Beach, while Fleig expects vocabulary masterpieces on montages and classic film masterpieces. Oh well...
SIDEBAR: i do think that it must be difficult in the cinematographic aspect of this show. The angles and different shots that they do are different than most other "reality" shows. They do have very some very"symbolic" and meaningful shots. I believe i've even seen some montages here and there and the music is always very good.

Puckett

Team Kristin

I'm on Alyce's side...Team Kristin! Sure, Kristin seems rude, but LC did "hook up" with Stephen. LC has never made a huge effort to be nice and mend the gap between her and Kristin either. I think they both have their bad and good qualities but I tend to like Kristin so much more because she has a personality-it can be extreme sometimes but its entertaining right? LC always comes across on the show as boring. None of this is very important but the show is so entertaining anyway. So yay for Laguna Beach.

Nicole is smart! :D

So montage right...i mean i like it. :D acutally i never even concidered this form of film before and i think its amazing! Its such an intresting way to get a point across. You can do so many things with montages! I'm excited about our new project. wow i just read nicole's post on "crash" and i mean....she is so smart! i love the way she looks at the movie and breaks it appart. Nicole totally makes watching movies a sport! NICOLE YOU ROCK!!! :D

Lucifer...I mean...Kristin Cavalleri

So I all know that most of you are pretty big fans of Laguna Beach because I have been asking people to post about last night's episode all day. I have finally decided to do it myself. Despite my father's attempts in censoring me from trashy television (he has both MTV and MTV2 blocked on our cable), I make a "math tutoring" trip to my little freshman's house every Monday night around 8:50 and watch this show. I could really care less if the drama is real or made up, it entertains me for 30 minutes a week and it's a nice conversation starter.

Last night LC decided to throw a going away party for the end of another amazing summer in Laguna. And of course--there was some drama. Everyone at LC's wondered if Kristin, Alex M, and Jessica would show up. For obvious reasons, Jessica dared not show up at LC's party because of her previous actions with LC's former boyfriend, Jason. "Like omg how COULD she kiss Jason while LC and him were totally together!". Anyway, Kristin showed signs of maturity and kindness as she and Alex M buddied up and made an appearance at LC's. I thought she was actually going to make an effort to reconcile with LC and make a friendly showing at the party. Once she showed up, however, she and Alex M secluded themselves with Stephen in the corner, completely ignoring everyone else's existence. After 5 minutes of rudeness, the threesome jetted quickly from the get-together. And that, my friends, is why I continue to be convinced that there is little good in Kristin's actions. She disappoints me through every episode.

On top of that, LC stood up for herself against Jason and I was proud of her because she didn't put up with what he did. It was about time that someone put Jason his place.

The end

-Candice and Nicole-

oops almost forgot to post!

before i begin, i want to say that i think "montage" should be spelled "monTAJ" instead because that would just be amusing and yet still pronounced the same.
i thought this film was AWESOME. kind of like what Liz said, i felt that it was just one giant piece of artwork for us to appreciate, composed of thousands of smaller pieces of art. i thought it was beautiful! i'm not gonna lie, i did fall asleep some but that was because i was exhausted and it had nothing to do with the film. i actually found it quite intriguing how i managed to follow along better i think with just pictures and music than i would have with a normal movie. i think words at time get in the way of us listening to what someone is really trying to convey, and sometimes we just need to shut up haha. i felt like the writers/directors/whoever and i were on the same page-- it was like a glimpse into their minds for me. not to mention montage is one of my favorite film techniques ever. i find them so interesting and exciting. i've always looked for them in films- even before i knew what they were called- because i love the way that, assuming the right clips are chosen, the pictures can tell a story much better than any words could ever do justice to. i LOVED how the end of the movie gave the definition of the word "naqoyqatsi" because that really tied all the loose ends together for me and explained the whole message of the film. i guess that's all from me :)

Morgan

Another Montage!

I was searching for inspiration on the internet for my montage-related post to save my grade, and I found a montage that I actually like pretty well. It's by Peter Roehr, who died in 1968, hence it is all in black in white. There's a selection of 4 segments of the montage, and I really liked the last two. A quote from Roehr says that he changes material "by repeating it unchanged. The message is the behaviour of the material in response to the frequency of its repitition." The montage was presented at the Prospect 71 festival in Dusseldorf. I just thought it was an interesting take on presenting images.
Check it out:

Naqoyqatsi- Jessica A

I feel like the order and composure of the scenes in the montage give a very interesting depiction of the movement of technology into the world we know now. Although I did not get to watch the entire movie I still took away much of the real life events that are shown in the movie. I appreciated the unusual techniques used to almost twist the everyday happenings to be something more than just a group of people together, just making faces. It really drew me in with the feelings of extreme uniformity contrasted with the deep intimacy. Overall I enjoyed the montage and the different views it presented.

Montage- Adrienne

Despite the fact that I did find myself drifting off during most of the Montage I was still able to enjoy most of it. I found myself drifting off with only the music keeping me awake during certain parts, I feel like this shows how important other aspects are in a movie other than the pictures. The movie was long but I feel that they did a great job putting it together and showing the audience the message they were trying to portray. Maybe if it was not so long I would have enjoyed it more, but I still feel like I got enough of the movie to appreciate it and the message.

1968, A Space Illiad: Nerds need to watch Star Wars

In 1968, director Stanley Kubrick warned the American public of the dangers of the advancements in technology, specifically with computers named Hal.

In 1968, a little nerd who enjoyed playing Magix cards and doing algebra homework never got to visiting his local movie theater. It is most unfortunate, because this nerd's name is Bill Gates and in 1968, he did not head the warning of Kubrick and thus started his company, "Microsoft"

so, in 2005 it seems that the world has not yet been taken over by Hal. Instead, we are victims to Ipod, Sims, Mac and Xbox...

....and it is a shame too, because hal has a better ring than Ipod...

But Kubrick's point is still valid. Just look at the popular trilogy, 'The Matrix' and the film 'AI' starring Haley Joel Osment. Maybe it is just me, but I think this is a reaccuring theme in pop culture and a warning that we should give a little thought...

so, as your service work for the week, you need to find your local nerd and introduce him to these works of cinema or else the world will be taken over by computers...either that or skinny nerds with bad hair....

Yours,
Tori Harris
Works Cited:
http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/Gates.Mirick.html
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/
Photo curtesty of bill gates and 'paint'

"Crash" vs. "Love Actually"

Even though "Crash" doesn't involve cheesy Christmas music or love triangles, the intertwined plot connects all of the characters involved. The emotion of the film was strengthened by the cultural music used for each section. My absolute favorite parts of the movie were the scenes of montage showing the way that racism and stereotypes affected each of the connected characters. The absence of dialogue during these scenes really allowed me to connect with the characters on a deeper level and hone in on the overall theme of the move--prejudices and ignorance of people. Even Sandra Bullock takes a backseat in this film, but still plays a role in the emotional aspects of the film. If you're looking for a great movie full of action, drama, emotion, and deeper meanings, you should definitely see this amazing film! I love this quote from the movie: "It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something."

~Nicole Hanney

Liz's Thoughts- Montage

I absolutely loved the montage that we watched in class. I found it extremely captivating and interesting. I loved the way they took what may not be the most interesting shots and enhanced it using all different kinds of digital effects and techniques. It seems to me that many of the shots in the montage were just like individual works of art added up together. The music also added to the effect of the movie and kept my attention. Although it’s hard for me to watch a series of clips and put them together and find a meaning, the meaning of this film was apparent. I agree with Candice about the close-ups of the faces showing emotion. These shots were very interesting to me because it allowed viewers to focus in on the emotion this person was feeling and it was as though I almost felt it myself. Also, I found the part where they showed the faces of the wax museum sculptures to be awesome! Overall, I found this montage fascinating and I did not find it hard to pay attention at all. It was very different from anything I’ve ever seen- in a good way!

Montage--Candice

Despite being absent for 1.5 of the 3 days that we watched the montage, I still enjoyed it. I did not feel like it put me to sleep. Many films put me to sleep quite easily. I missed the beginning and was therefore lost in the discussion. I really liked how the music coorelated with the different scenes. The scenes to me were not random, they seemed to have a sort of continuity. I really liked the part where they showed a face, screaming or crying or showing some sort of emotion and then they dissolved it into a similar one. I think that is one of the coolest features in cinematography, when they make the transition so smooth. This is all, I enjoyed it and give it a 7 on a scale from 1-10. :)

Montage- Leigh Ann King

I thought this film was put together well considering it was just a bunch of pictures and music. The music added to the intensity of the images. Though I was not there for the last day of the movie, I enjoyed the images and the message I thought they conveyed, even if the movie was a little long for my liking causing me to drift off a few times.

Saw eww... i mean two

first off-- Candice, that home video post is pretty much the cutest thing i've ever read :)
secondly, as the post implies, i went to see Saw II this weekend. in traditional Saw style, it was disturbing to the point of near dry-heaving, but still ironically enjoyable nonetheless. the new things the characters must do in order to stay alive are borderline unbearable to watch, but some inner human characteristic in all of us just made me want to see more. it's disgusting but i loved it! also, the connection the characters discover that links them all together is very exciting to me.
one bad aspect i think was that the dialogue was extremely poor at some points, kinda making me feel like i was watching old episodes of Chuck Norris' "Walker Texas Ranger" (i.e., lines such as "GAME OVER!" and "oh yes, there WILL be blood".... give. me. a. break.) buttt i guess the dialogue isn't meant to be the focal point of the film, so i shouldn't really have expected Shakespearean soliloquies anyway. the plot, thankfully, intrigued me as the first film did, and i loved how much it surprised and essentially sickened me. it's one of those feelings you like even though it also grosses/freaks the hell out of you. i just love the unique idea behind the Saw films-- they're a godsend compared to your everyday predictable horror films. i like that what we fear so much about these movies is basically fear itself. don't get me wrong- some parts are gory and make you cringe like crazy, but more than anything it is the idea that THERE ARE ACTUALLY PEOPLE ON THIS PLANET WHO CAN THINK OF THIS STUFF! creepyyyy, yes?
overall, i'd give it a B+ i think. it's awesome, just not as fabulous as i expected because some of the dialogue was just absurd, and in my opinion there was too much emphasis on the backstory of Jigsaw. liiiike, yeah you're a little interested in the reasons he does this to people, but i personally don't give two turds about the obstacles in his life that brought him to this point because i refuse to sympathize with someone like that. call me conservative :P However, i got what i came for-- an original, intensely intriguing, entertaining, and disturbing-in-a-fun-way movie that i'll probably end up purchasing. if i were you i would definitely go see it- just try not to laugh at certain lines (cause i did and some people in the theater glared at me). oh and the twist at the end of the movie is NUTS.
love morgan :)

Mirabelle Buttersfield is a lovely name

This weekend, i went to see Shopgirl, starring Claire Danes. She's not what you would call an A-list actress. The last thing i remember seeing her in was that TV series, My So-called Life, whose reruns now show on Noggin. She was perfect in this role, though. She was flawless in every aspect. The thing that i love most about her acting is her amazing facial expressions. She is incredible at controlling her facial expressions while acting and she's one of those who can say everything with a look, literally.
Anyway, she plays a gentle, kind-hearted person, "coping" with depression, who works at the glove counter at Saks, the most unvisited counter there. She's also an artist in her spare time. She leads a very low-key and routine life. She is what you would call passive. Two men, more like a boy and a man enter her life around the same time. One is childish and playful bringing comedic relief to the movie. The other one, Steve Martin, is over 50 and tends to carry a creepy mood throughout the plot. He suddenly shows interest in this 20 something girl who he barely knows. I think the contrast between her "love interests" is meant to show us her struggle in life with learning how to grow from holding on to her inner child to learning how to deal with the realities of being a "grown-up" and the realities, good and bad, of the grown up world.
The casting was great. As i said, Claire Danes was great. It was also refreshing, sort of, to see Steve Martin portray such a different character than his normal comedic roles, even if he was a little shady. The music was unusually perfect. There was some classic violin pieces but there were also very indie sounding soft rock melodies that sounded very modern. There weren't any outstanding camera angles or film-techniques used, but the way that the story unfolds and the journey that we see take place for the main character is what makes the movie so great. It's a very real film. For me, it invoked alot of emotions and i really felt and understood what the character was feeling. It was a very rich film, that went deeper than i expected.
This a flipping long post, so i'll stop. I hope that i successfully conveyed how i felt about the movie, because it feels like i just rambled. Anyhoo....enjoy....
Lauren

The joy of Home Videos

My parents recently decided to do something with the 50+ home videos that sit in a drawer in the living room serving as dust collectors. My mom went out and bought a DVD recorder and brought it home Thursday night. Since that night, home videos, starting at the day I was born, have been playing in the living room all hours of the night, as my dad attempts to transfer all of them onto DVDs. If you thought 2001 was slow, try watching 10 minutes of these. The patience and passion that my dad, who is anything but a director, filmer, producer, or anyone else involved in creating a film, put into these videos of his kids is amazing. Some videos are just one day of my dad staying at home and watching my brother and I eat, watch TV, play on the swings, and go to bed. It wasn't until this past weekend that I realized how much heart goes into filming home videos, and that is what makes them so special. There is really nothing special , amazing or unique about the angles. However, the simplicity of home videos is what, to me , makes them so great. I can sit in front of them and watch for hours just because they are so simple. I guess the point of this post is to say that sometimes filming doesn't have to be complex or innovative to catch someone's attention and intrigue them for a couple of hours. Sometimes, just simple video entertains and amuses viewers.


-Candice...again

But really, I didn't sleep through this movie...

I feel like most of what I got from this movie was already posted. Maybe if I were not a slacker that would be different. Nonetheless,after watching, I mean "viewing" 2001: A Space Odyssey, I was left in total confusion, much like a lot of people in the class. The plot moved slowly and in multiple directions. My favorite part would have to be when Dave removes all of HAL's "data" (?), which are in the shape of the monolith. The decline of HAL's knowledge is a really powerful scene for me. My favorite quote : "I can feel it, I can feel it, I'm a...fraid".

The camera angles were amazing. What was also amazing were the settings. All of the scenes evoked some sort of emotion whether it was cold, confused, sad, scared, or calm. The scene in the hotel definetly mad me feel cold because of the color and space.

The other scene that sticks out in my mind is the scene in which Dave is trying to rescue Frank, while Frank is falling in space. When it flashes to Frank falling, there is absolutely no sound, which I cannot recall ever experiencing in another film. That gives me the chills thinking of it.

Overall, it was an amazing film and I can definetly see why it is a classic. I like it because I like not knowing things, and the idea of different interpretations is a theme in not just Kubrick's movie but in life itself. Fleig said the other day in class that an opinion cannot be wrong or stupid or anything else negative if there is solidity with that opinion. I think that every topic discussed after viewing this film had validity to it. I was impressed by everyone's take on the film and its purpose.

-Candice

Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County?

Ok, so unless you've been living under a rock for the past year, you know what what Laguna Beach is. We basically talk like Kristen, Stephen, Jason and Jessica are all our best friends, "OMG can you believe Jason did that to LC" or "Jessica is sooo not over Jason". But just how real is the drama? I've heard a lot of websites claim that all of their cat fights are scripted and some even go so far as to say that the cast members aren't even real high school students. Let me tell you what I've heard:

1. Shooting of the series only takes place Thursday-Sunday so if producers want some juice, they have to make it happen on those specific days.
2. All of the relationships are real but most of the on screen drama is completey set up. For instance, that bar scene from their Cabo trip were Alex confronts Jessica and calls her very dirty words, COMPLETELY FAKE. The directors made sure that Alex and Jessica were at the same place at the same time and basically handed them their lines on a silver platter.
3. Directors often times ask the cast, "So, tell me what you think about Jessica" or "How do you feel about Kristin right now". All those shots of the girls on the beach in lawn chairs gossiping about each other, yeah, they wouldn't be doing that if the directors didn't ask them to.
4. Stephen and Jason are actually really good friends and he didn't mind when Jason started "dating" LC.
5. Not everyone on the show is mega-rich; word has it that one of the cast members actually lived in a trailer park. The only REALLY rich girls are Kristen and LC.

Anyways, I could talk about Laguna Beach gossip for days, theres just so much of it. What do ya'll think? Is Laguna Beach a complete waste of time? Do you absolutely loath the characters or envy them? What do you think about the actual camera angles and set up of the series? AND WHO THINKS THAT TALAN IS THE WORST SINGER ALIVE?!?!?!

-Alyce Thibodeaux

Answer

Please do.

- Mr. Fleig

question

Are we allowed to post reviews of television shows?



-Alyce Thibodeaux