BATTLEBLOCK THEATER

   BattleBlock Theater, a 2D side scroller, is insane in every way. Not too many have heard of this game, and it's a shame. It cam from Behemoth, a game studio that has been around for several years, and it's their third official game. Now, these aren't retail games, but downloadable games that can be purchased from the comfort of your living room at $10-15. BattleBlock, however, is the craziest one yet for a few reasons, primarily the way the story is told.

   The game hooks everyone in with it's insane action and lovely colors, the story would be expected to come second, but it nearly prevails. The game starts out with a crash land on a remote island populated by crazy cats. Your "king" figure is then captured by the cats and becomes possessed by the evil hat. That's all your given until you beat the different worlds. After each world is beaten, a new cutscene occurs revealing more and more. There isn't much I can say without spoiling, but one can imagine how amazing a story involving crazy felines would turn out.
   As I said, this isn't too known to gamers, let alone the public. It was released solely on the Xbox 360's arcade as a digital only game, but it's phenomenal. Anyone who loves insanity, animation, or cats, should buy this game now, they won't regret it.

Once Can a Film With a Budget of $2 Make It Big

   All I knew about the film Once was the 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so I had high expectations. Besides that score, I knew nothing. I mean, I knew that music had apart of it, but that was it.

   Throughout the film I enjoyed the male lead quite a bit, but I'm sorry, I couldn't deal with the foreign lead actress. Her accent, in my opinion, was a little difficult to understand at times. It's the actress, not the role if you ask me. The budget, however, did not distract me too much as one would think. Sometimes I was a little, "Ehhh, that was rough." but nothing too bad. The absolute entire time though, even with opening comedic scene, I could see this film as a play. It had the type of comedy, characters, plot, I mean, it's a musical too! I just feel this would be so great. This way it also removes the low budget that most likely distracts many. Picture it, the opening scene would just work. People who see plays expect that very same type of comedy, perhaps without the cussing, but still. Add in some choreography for the occasional songs, and voila! It can be done, and it will be loved. There were no amazing backgrounds and a quite small cast. This would be a great play for anyone. Cheap, few actors, and a great story.

   If I ever direct a play for anything that isn't my own work, this is what I'm doing. I'll show people how great this will be and you watch, it'll be everywhere.

Seven Brides For Seven Brothers

   I've always loved going to school productions of various plays and musicals in high school, but man is college different. Now when I say different, I mean REALLY different. The performances, the singing, the sets, nearly everything. One last reason though, Sam and Sean were the bomb.
   I had no idea that such a play existed until Huntington University put it on. Going in to the play I knew nothing except for the fact that it took place approximately one hundred years ago and two fellow DMA majors were involved. As soon as it started however, I wished I had known about this play. Everything came together so well! There wasn't a single performance that was lackluster, here's lookin at you, Sam and Sean. On top of that, the singing job was phenomenal. I could hear every part as each song joyfully went along. There wasn't an ounce of confidence, but rather a pound! No musical is a musical without a set though. This set was something I hadn't seen before at high school performances, I'm focusing on the sheet sets. Each one was outstanding, whether it be the vast mountains of Oregon or the cozy barn. It actually took me a couple of scenes to even realize, but that's what's so grand about it. The colors were so varied, yet never less than gorgeous. Everything was just professional.
   It's amazing ingredients such as these that make a great production, and I'm happy to say that this year HU nailed it.

The Master and Psychology

   Not too long ago, rorschach's and asking questions to find out more on a person was discussed in my psychology class, I immediately thought of The Master. It’s somewhat, as in to avoid dispute, based on L. Ron Hubbard and his creation of scientology. The film is astounding in every aspect, but I’m only going to discuss one scene. 

   In a “processing” scene, Hubbard, Dodd, is asking Freddie loads of questions. He finds Freddie and thinks he could learn a lot from him through analyzation and interviews, or “processing.” Dodd asks the first set of questions with no special rules and Freddie enjoys it. After that ends Freddie wishes it to continue, so Dodd takes it to the next level. This time he has to answer the questions faster than he had to the first time and be able to not blink throughout it all. If he does, they have to start over. He fails shorty after beginning, so they start again. This time he finishes, but it was no easy task. As the questions were asked, they steadily became more personal. By doing this, the questions are answered quicker than the ones in the beginning, and because of that, the truth is far more likely to come out.

   From what I could find, this isn’t something actually done, and it surprised me. I feel this would be a great technique, depending on the interviewee, but perhaps it’s because of two great performances and an outstanding director. It’s not exactly as effective as a rorschach, but I believe they go hand in hand.

A Prime Example of a Mediocre Film That Had Great Potential

   This past weekend I, along with Mason and some friends, watched the film The Experiment off of Netflix. In 2010, the film was made directly to DVD starring Adrien Brody and Forrest Whitaker. As we read the synopsis for the film we learned that it was based off of the Stanford prison experiment conducted back in 1971. Having introduction to psychology this year, I immediately knew what the experiment was. The film though, ventured off the trail a little more than I had hoped.

   There is an article in a newspaper asking for random subjects to take part in an experiment for $1000 a day for two weeks. That’s the film version. In reality, students were asked to take place in the experiment for a much cheaper cost. One of the smaller differences, but it’s still a difference. A bigger change is the fact that a man has diabetes in the film and tells no one. He then gets to the point where he needs his insulin, and at first the main crazy prison guard refuses, but then he’s convinced otherwise because a prison guard wants to prove he’s not all bad by saying, “I can be nice, you see?” (which goes absolutely nowhere). Spoiler alert, the “I can be nice. . .” guy kills the diabetes guy later in the film. No one had diabetes in the real experiment, and no one died. Instead, in the real experiment a prisoner becomes so insane that he is removed from the experiment. On account of the lack of that character, I assume diabetes man took his place, a terrible switch if you ask me. The last point is somewhat minor, but key to the experiment. In real life the most rebellious prisoner is locked up by himself in darkness, which does happen in the film, but not without a difference. The difference is that in real life the other prisoners were commanded to pound on the door of the dark room saying, “thank you.” Without the insanity that actually took place, the film lacks big importances.

   On behalf of some of the biggest psychotic actions not being around in the film, the film lacks the terror of the actual experiment. The acting shines occasionally, but there’s truly nothing here. The film being absent of some of the most shocking psychotic occurrences takes away what’s interesting in the actual experiment. Nothing great here, and it’s a shame considering the source material.

Flying Lotus' Tiny Tortures

   Tiny Tortures by Flying Lotus is an incredible instrumental hip-hop song. Flying Lotus, because of his type of music is typically unheard of, but he's great. He's been doing the music for the black screen's with white text in between breaks on Adult Swim for years, proof that he is talented, just not well known. He has a few LP's that he has released, but Until the Quiet Comes is the containing Tiny Tortures. As great as the song is, the music video is incredible.
   Elijah Wood plays the role of a young adult who has recently lost his arm. Considering that it's an instrumental hip-hop
song, no lyrics are available to describe any bit of what's going on, but the instruments do it with ease when accompanied by great production design and a grim color palette. The video opens with a shot of the night sky followed by sports trophies and a Dreamcast gaming system with a greyed television. That right there tells the viewer that it's late and Elijah's not doing much of anything. Loads of pills are then seen, telling the viewer that Elijah is indeed on drugs. The audience then sees him lying hopelessly in bed just downing pills, in hopes of a better future. Soon after, things get weird. On account of the drugs, Elijah has formed another arm from various materials in his cluttered bedroom, he's obviously extremely drugged. Things stay completely dark in every sense until the effects of the drugs worsen. He's then surrounded by an abundance of colors, the typical out of body experience. Amongst these colors of red (anger), blue (sadness), and green (life in it's unfairness), a new human arm is formed and a baseball bat is gripped. He walks around a little longer until he comes back to himself while lying in bed. Upon coming back, he looks down at his now broken robotic arm and nervously smiles, for he knows he can have his arm back, but only while drugged.
   Without a true sense of production design or a nice color palette, who knows what could have been seen. It’s simple things such as those that have such a great impact on the story.

Tom Hanks, a True Actor

   Paul Greengrass' recent cinematic success is that of Captain Phillips. For some reason, this film has not been discussed at all by anyone around here that I know of, except for Mason and I, because we both went to see it. Greengrass is great, but Tom Hanks is who shines.
   There is no doubt in my mind that Tom Hanks will be nominated for an oscar this year. Upon originally coming out of the theater I said, "I wouldn't mind Hanks getting a third Oscar." Now I can't exactly say the same since I've seen 12 Years a Slave, but he's nothing less than second on my list for favorite 2013 performances. On screen, Hanks is extremely convincing as a ship captain. He's stern, intelligent, and professional throughout the entire film. Once the pirates board the ship, nothing changes about his character. A tad bit more tense, but nothing else. He's believable in every sense through his mannerisms, slight accent, familiarity with occupation, and dedication to his wife. I forgot it was Hanks.  If that wasn't enough, he conquers the feeling of shock later in the film better than I have ever seen on screen. Tom Hanks cranks out another Oscar worthy performance at 57, nearly twenty years since his last oscar. A true actor in every sense.

Maniac, A Refreshing Horror Film

   It's extremely hard to come across a horror film as good as say The Shining or The Thing (1982), but once in a while a couple twenty hours apart view one. The recent Maniac remake by Franck Khalfoun may not be something as outstanding as The Shining, but it should be remembered for what it is.
   French director Franck Khalfoun ventured off the path of the original 1980 film in the way the story is told. The original was almost entirely like one of the Friday the 13th films, or a typical horror film these days, where the killer is seen as a monster with no personality. The parts that weren't typical however were great, for they were from the point of view of the maniac. Even if those shots' dialogue from the maniac consisted of heavy breathing, they were still a unique way to go about a horror film. Khalfoun took notice of that and rather than made some of the film from that perspective, he practically made the entire film from the point of view of the maniac, Elijah Wood. Doing so allowed for a more personal feeling for the maniac, even if he was, well, a maniac. Yes, in the end he was a disgusting killer, but you felt for him far more than, say, Jason Voorhees.
   As I said, it's not as great as the classics, but more people in the horror making business should take note, as Khalfoun did. This is horror moving in the right direction, even if it's just for one great aspect.

Are You Sure You Get It? (Only God Forgives)

   Recently over Thanksgiving break, as Mason said, we had the pleasure of viewing Nicolas Winding Refn's Only God Forgives. I had highly recommended the film to him for I loved it. The visuals, the color palette, the story, everything. The film truly is beautiful, yet critics weren't too appreciative of what he brought to the table. I'm sure there's plenty of reasons for why critics, as well as ordinary viewers, disliked it, but I seriously believe that I could persuade them otherwise with one detail.
   The film is very limited with the amount of dialogue, and that isn't nearly as bad as people make it out to be. The story is told through imagery to spellbinding affect. Slight spoilers now follow. Ultimately, this is a film about good and evil, and within the film is a godlike character as well as a devilish one. Ryan Gosling is caught between both of them in one nightmare of a ride. As I said, this is a visually heavy film, so those who blink can certainly miss something big. The devil character is seen to be a monster of a human, and when some of the most anti-religious scenes occur, the "devil" is seen even for a few seconds either before or while it occurs. To the simple, it's nothing, but it's huge in a film such as this. To prove the character's matching with the devil even more, in one of those scenes with a quick shot of the devil, he/she is seen looking out a penthouse window over the city, as if in control of the world. I guarantee that there are many people who missed things like this, but it's nothing to be ashamed of, just give it another go.
   Only God Forgives can truly go either way with people, but before one dismisses it as nothing, he/she should take a closer look.

Top 3 Music Videos

   I immensely enjoyed both of the music video classes and found it hard to narrow them down to three. One of the following videos I had seen a head of time, but it still deserves the acclaim. Without further ado, here they are.

    #3) Hurt by Johnny Cash

 Johnny Cash's outstanding final song is a masterpiece. Who would have thought that a cover would be one of his best? Despite it's perfection, I always have a hard time listening to the song. It truly is haunting given the lyrics and it's job of depicting Cash's empire as nothing. It's understandable though, what's truly important in the final years of one's life? To Cash, it clearly wasn't fame or fortune, and the music video does a fantastic job of displaying this. For instance, when the woman, his wife, is watching over him, she is saddened by what she sees. She realizes that Cash is in a dark place and there is no changing that. It's reassurance that Cash is afraid of death and nothing will alter that. On top of that is the abundance of darkness in the video pushes it even farther. A simple effect that adds so much. Cash's Hurt may be too dark for some, but it's essential viewing for anyone interested in DMA.

#2) First Day of My Life by Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes' wonderful song is just great in every way. It's such a happy song about love that anyone can enjoy, or perhaps I just enjoyed it because I have a girlfriend back home in Maine that I'm dying to see. Either way, the music video is just delightful. So many different kinds of people are brought together and almost all of them display the same result, happiness through love. It's so simple, but it hits home for so many because everyone can relate. No matter if straight, gay, black, white, young, old, or even maternal love, it's all the same. It's something that people argue about all the time, but this video allows them to just take a moment and realize that we're all the same, nothing more, nothing less. Bright Eyes did it in about three minutes, who else can do that?

#1) Allaxis by Kaly Live Dub

Best incorporation of Dirty Harry in any song. Wow, this video was stunning. I'm not gonna lie, I wished I had minored in Animation. The style of this animation was astounding. The animators on this project took a whole new take on the song, a practically wordless song I may add. That's difficult, especially when it's something as huge as a path to suicide. The way I look at the video is that the driver tried to see himself as everyone but himself and/or tried to fit in with anyone, but nothing did the job of fixing his problems. As things, or his personas, got bigger, he couldn't handle it, hence why it didn't fit in his car, but he keeps trying these personas in hopes of finding the right one. Think of the car as his body, and even when he committed suicide he still didn't want to be himself, hence again why his arm changed personas at the very end. That's my take on the video, and because of it and the animators' incredible job, it was my favorite music video that we watched.

(Quiz2) One Day a Man Bought a House

   One of my favorite short films this year has been One Day a Man Bought a House by Peter Sapigen. Now more than ever I have realized why it's so great. Not only is it a delightful comedic piece, it has a certain tone and sense of style. The two things Keith Lango had said in his blog in order to rival Pixar in a way that's not as expensive money wise as well as man day wise.
   The film is funny, but the characters don't think so. The man is frustrated at the rat for causing such a disturbance, but we find it funny because of the way things don't work out for the man, such as the cat cutting his own tail off and the rat falling in love with the man. The narrator increases the comedic value in those situations with his Ben Stein-ish straight forward type of narration. A voice typically associated with something boring, comedy is not, and the combination seems ridiculous, but it's perfect. Content wise, it's all there.
   As far as the style of animation, it's not Wallace and Gromit quality, and it shouldn't be. The grimy and gritty not quite perfect animation goes hand in hand with the content. It never tries to be anything but what it is, another Lango direction. It looks great in it's own kind of way, and more animators, as well as live action directors, should take note of it.

Blood Brother

    When I first heard about Blood Brother being shown, I didn't think much of it. I thought it was just some random student film about India, man was I wrong. I found that out after actually finding it on Rotten Tomatoes. I said to myself, "Wow, this is actually an early screening." So Thursday came around and I was pumped to go.
   From about 8 to 9:30 I was hit with so much sadness, happiness, love, loss, everything. I never thought I could have experienced India through a film. As Rocky lived his life I couldn't help but envy his brave decisions. I mean, how many of us would actually go out to India essentially for the heck of it? Then once he was dealing with the children with HIV I cringed a little bit. It's not a very enjoyable time to see children pass before they become an adult, I don't believe I could ever do it. This is what makes the film so great, Rocky's determination and love for these children is outstanding. I truly loved the message of the film, but as most things, there's a downside, even if it is tiny.
   I understand that the film was a documentary and shots aren't exactly planned, but at some points the sun's glare and extreme shaky cam became disorienting. A very minor and hard to control nitpick though. I only found fault with one other thing. When still images were used, there was some kind of filter thing in between the camera and the image. It looked as if one second we were looking through someone else's prescription glasses. The image would be on screen for ten seconds, but we would only see it for five. The Ken Burns effect would have been just fine. Now for technical aspects that I loved.
   The first scene of the film is Rocky trying to save the dying girl, I unfortunately don't recall her name. That was almost as if Steve Hooper, the director, was setting the tone for the film. It set a very dark and quite terrifying tone, but that's the point. As I said, the film is loaded with different emotions, but sadness and loss are nearly constant. So the film essentially opens up with the lowest point, allowing the audience to deal with the rest with ease. A great editing technique if you ask me. Another great strategy was when Rocky called in sadness about the one boy nearly dying. The audio was heart-wrenching, but the darkness on screen empowers it to the max. Something along the lines of why David Fincher films are darkish green all the time. It's to subliminally convey the tone of the scene, or film as a whole.
   With great strategies such as those, they more than make up for the minuscule problems I found with the film. So, for those that did not attend the screening, find it somewhere and watch it! You will not regret it, promise.

The Evil Dead

   In honor of Halloween this month, I have decided to share why people hail to the king. I'm not exactly sure how many people here know of the amazing horror/comedy trilogy done by Sam Raimi including The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, and The Army of Darkness, but here is why you should know The Evil Dead at least.

   In 1981, a primarily unknown director known as Sam Raimi stepped on the scene of the horror genre with a film made with a budget of less than half a million. This film was known as The Evil Dead and upon release gathered the notorious rating of NC-17 due to substantial graphic horror violence and gore, which seems like nothing in this day and age, but that’s besides the point. The thing is, what made this film so different is the comedic aspect. There is a ton of black humor in this film, but at the same time has enough horror elements as any other horror film. In one scene there is a (*warning, disgusting/disturbing*) violent sexual act shared between one of the characters and a tree. On paper this sounds so ridiculous and seemed like it would never work, but in the film it’s actually quite horrific while at the same time it still has the, “What? Are you kidding me?” effect, hence the black humor as well as the horror. Not something that applies to everyone’s taste, but it’s achieved by sensational direction. It’s blending at the time was unheard of, but it still gathered the reviews it deserved. Through time it has gathered even more love and serves as one of the greatest horror films out there. So, if horror or black humor is your thing, this is a must.

Don't Judge a Film Before You See It: Don Jon

 

   Joseph Gordon-Levitt's new film not only stars himself, but he's also the writer and director. The subject material is certainly one that would turn many people off, but it's more than what it appears to be. Rather than a comedy involving a man's addiction to porn, yes porn, and the jokes that can be made off of it, it's about how to overcome it.

   The first half of the film is in fact what the trailers show it to be, an extremely raunchy comedy that never lets up, well at least until the halfway point. The difference however is that this film’s plot becomes more involving as it goes on, something along the lines of Knocked Up, rather than Pineapple Express or 21 Jump Street. The meaning of love is actually the whole point of the film. It’s realistic love too, not just finding that one girl with the great body. JGL takes risks with where this film ends up, but it’s payoff is extremely satisfying. He drew in “idiots” by actually advertising his film on porn sites, got couples who wanted something different than the most recent Nicholas Sparks film, and reeled in buffs, as myself, who wanted to see the potential of the kid from 3rd Rock From the Sun. Why was this crowd of people attracted? He wanted to try to get everyone he could to see what love truly is and isn’t. An extremely gutsy move, but as I could tell, it paid off, for there were many people in the theater saying all sorts of things. Never in my lifetime would I have believed that I would walk out of a theater similar to the way I left my room when Harold and Maude ended, but JGL’s debut did it. I can’t wait until his next film.

Terrence Malick and Frédéric Back Could Enjoy Coffee Together

   Upon accomplishing my viewing of The Man Who Planted Trees today, I wondered something. In fact, the whole time I was watching it I thought I recognized it. It finally came to me that I was thinking of a Terence Malick film, and I wondered if either of the two were influenced my one another. No film in particular, just his style, but if I were to pick one, it'd be The Tree of Life. Despite Back's film being animated, and Malick's being live action, they both seemed very similar.
   The feeling of Back’s film was that of a calming and immersive one. The reason though is all because of his charming and colorful animation, as well as direction. As the story was told, the visuals provided matched so perfectly that there was no doubt in my mind that this wasn’t a true story. After, when Kyle asked if it were real or not and Professor Leeper replied with no, I was shocked. I was so sure that it was real, and the same can be said about The Tree of Life. Now, this film may not be a straight forward narration of what happens, but it certainly is a retelling of some sorts. It’s almost as if you were looking into some select memories of God, but that’s my opinion. Anyway, this time the calmness and immersive feeling is presented through extremely careful direction of beautiful things. Whether it be a family from around the 1950’s, small dinosaurs, or the universe, it’s presented through the eyes of no one and allows us freedom to decide what we want without bias or commentary, just our simple and peaceful viewing. It’s a story told through visuals, and that’s exactly what The Man Who Planted Trees is, and why it’s so effective.

The Art Show

   To be completely honest, I had no idea that this was a faculty art show. I had imagined this to be some of the work of seniors and juniors. As I looked around and saw the name Stephan Leeper I thought to myself, “ohhh.” However, my enjoyment of what I saw certainly continued, if not rose. As any art show though I had a few favorites, but I loved most of what I saw.

   First up is Terrible Yellow Eyes by Bryan Ballinger done through digital photography. When I first saw this it immediately reminded me of a music video done by Flying Lotus called Putty Boy Strut. They both come off as chaotic messes, but through cartoonish design the observer takes the corn flakes with a spoonful of sugar. That way it’s accessible to everyone rather than non-art schmucks. Either way, I loved the color tone, the faces, and the overlapping. I felt like there were people around me as I was looking at it, there wasn’t.

    The next piece is W.K Hopper’s Jackson Hole Number 9 done through digital photography as well. This is a complete change up from Ballinger’s work, for this is an actual photograph. A splendid photograph of the shore of a perhaps pebble beach. Pebbles of blues and yellows were abundant. Some were just barely in the water while others were just on the outside. I felt as though those on the outside were desperately trying to reach the others in the water. It brought life to simple pebbles. How many people do you know that can do that? That alone is why this one was as awesome as it was.

    Finally, a piece from The Temptation of Brother Thomas titled Brother Thomas Makette done by the legendary Stephan Leeper! For real, I loved this piece of work. I’m not sure if I’m grasping the point here, but based on the title I would assume that this is similar to Pleasantville. Where Thomas is all religion or simplicity, thus grey, until the day that a dragonfly zooms by and he becomes infatuated with it. The dragonfly, colored, then leads him through the woods in the storyboard and he witnesses all sorts of things. I feel that this dragonfly is a temptation for Thomas, because maybe he has been sheltered due to his religion? I really don’t know for sure, but all I know is that I enjoyed the contrasting figures. To me it was the best piece there and I’m excited for the final product.

Drunken Angel, Kurosawa's First Big Oddly-Mooded Dramatic Film

    Akira Kurosawa, one of the greatest film directors of all time, obtained praise all around for his drama known as Drunken Angel. I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting myself into prior to this screening, but I had seen Seven Samurai last year. However, I certainly feel that Drunken Angel was not on par with his now hailed masterpiece. Obviously they are different films, but on a skill level I just feel that this wasn't as immersive or "pretty" to look at. That can be considered fine because it was an early one of his, it's just sometimes director's early films are better. I did love that this is considered a drama, yet it can be seen as something more.
    Throughout the film I carefully analyzed it the best someone can during their first showing, and I focused on the clear cut, as well as more subliminal, humor and the use of the guitar. Unfortunately my analyzation of the guitar segments proved to be a little scattershot and I won't discuss them until my second viewing. The humor on the other hand worked out pretty well in my opinion. There were several scenes in which an obvious or a subtle comedic segment took place just before something rather intense did. A nice example is the scene in which Mifune is drunk out of his mind and he decides to pick up a girl and just dance at the club. While they are dancing we are graced with the presence of the wonderful band, led by the rather comedic female singer. This entire scene is definitely trying to delight us, but it almost seems out of place. It wasn't until the next scene started did I realize what it was for. The next scene immediately opened up with Shimura slapping Mifune for drinking and because of the abrupt cut and humorous dance, it came off as funny. Kurosawa meant for those kind of scenes because there isn't exactly the greatest happiness by the end of the film. For those that don't remember, this was the final humorous anything in the film. Thus why it had to be as ridiculous as it was. Imagine these as pain pills. Another quick example is when the kids were having a good time while playing around the stream. The stream is obviously heinous, but the light-heartedness that surrounded that scene lightened the threat for the time being. Notice again, that never is that water even joked about. If Kurosawa did one thing right, it's certainly knowing when things are and aren't appropriate for the sake of the mood. For that alone, I enjoyed the film more than things typically spat out these days, and I have Kurosawa to thank.

Punishment Via Fiona Apple and PTA

         

   Now I'm not exactly a Fiona Apple fan, not saying she's bad by any means. I actually own one of her songs, surprise it's the one I'm posting about. Anyway, since we watched the "Across the Universe" music video I was like, "I'm going to post about her too!" So, this time the video is for "Hot Knife." I stumbled across it because I heard that Paul Thomas Anderson, a personal favorite, directed the video and he of course did. As soon I saw it I loved it. The song stays true to a claustrophobic mood. It begins with hard beats on a drum followed by some reasonably faster than usual lyrics. Not too long after, the piano comes in and after that, a backup vocalist. This is how a typical song by a single person should sound, but Fiona isn't done. Vocals stop, but we still have the accompaniment of the drums and piano. As far as we know, this song should only be those four things; a singer, backup vocalist, piano, and drum. Here's when the fun begins. The vocals are back and it's now two lead vocalists singing with just the drums, but quickly we get Fiona again, only she is singing at a different pace than the other two. It's the same lyrics, just going at different times. This is when the director makes this his own. PTA now has three different cameras filming what's happening. One camera for Fiona, and one for each backup. At this point you begin to feel the pressure for some reason, and it's because there are two medium shots of the singers next to the one close-up of Fiona. Without them even looking at you, you feel their stare through the music. That goes on for a little bit then you go back to one camera and it's an intense close-up of just Fiona belting what she has been saying the whole time. However, it feels new this time because of the added echo effect. This echo effect feels as if another "instrument" has been added and it stuns you. That doesn't last too long though, for the three cameras are back. This time however they are all close-ups, but Fiona gets the close-up of the extreme variety. Too much yet? That goes for a while, but then it feels as if everything stopped, for the singing stops and the one camera has returned. Now it's just Fiona pounding on the drums and the piano, which has taken another piece to play, one that spirals down and repeats, spirals down and repeats, spirals down and repeats. Here is another big change. We now have Fiona belting again with the echo, the piano that spirals down, the original piano, and that incessant drum pounding. But that doesn't last too long and we are back to what we had with just Fiona, two backups, and the drum, all shown through three cameras. Then out of nowhere we have what seems to be two more backup vocalists, only they are singing something we haven't heard yet, and to top it off, now there are five cameras; Two close-ups and three rough mediums. At this point I couldn't believe what I was experiencing. It was as if I was being pushed into the corner more and more. With each camera angle change I felt another push. Then it changes to just a single camera, everything else stays, and I thought I was in the clear, but rather Fiona is now looking down with a shadow covering her face. I felt as though she was shouting her song at me as if I was being punished. Again the single camera frequently changes angles, only this time I feel as if I'm shrinking more and more each time. The drum finally stops, but the singing continues until the end. Whether she was actually making me shrink or not, I am still recovering from what happened. I think it's safe to say that in the long run, this was just beautifully controlled chaos, all thanks to PTA and one crazy artist.

The Mythic Cycle of "Touch" by Daft Punk

   The song "Touch" by Daft Punk is one of my favorite songs off of there latest album, Random Access Memories, and as I was doing some homework I decided to give it a listen. Throughout the song different time signatures are weaved in and out of, lyrics are repeated, and different genres occur. It wasn't until today that I had the sudden realization that it was traveling through the Mythic Cycle! It's a long song, but it holds true to what I have declared. Here's the song link for a step by step listen.

   Spring (Birth) Start-2:30: The song begins with wind and simple beats that quickly grow to be more complex. At this point you are about to be born. You here something you've never heard before, wind, and with birth comes happiness to finally be alive. The music stops, mom stopped pushing. You're still left with wind and sound, however the sound is one note continuously. It's as if your heart stopped and the monitor rings with that last note of your life. This is not the case for the different notes have returned! Guess what, mom pushed again and you begin to hear sounds you've never imagined. The wind stops, for it is a common occurrence at this point. Not long after the new sounds you hear a word, "Touch."You have been exposed to the earth and have witnessed the sense of touch. Some more new words are mentioned and you hear a variety of new sounds, only this time it seems as if it's too much. It's too much of a change from where you were and you become frightened, thus the phrase, "Where do I belong?" You question this new area but you feel the need for more. You're used to this world now, but you still question what's happening, thus, "...a visitor it seems" and the emphasis on, "I need something more." The words then stop and the music fades out into, well, something more.

Summer (Youth) 2:31-4:11: During youth you experience romance, hence the "Kiss, suddenly alive" and the beat now seems to be more disco, one easily relatable to teens. Still confusion occurs, as it does with all teens, and also a craving for more. The opening sounds you heard earlier our repeated for a short bit again for you because romance is now a necessity, but it seems so new as did earth, hence the recurrence. Just before you enter the extremely jazzy, poppy, and disco-like set of sounds, you hear a quick classical bit because the older you are, the more you tend to appreciate it,  and you know you are growing up (aging). This genre of sounds continue for a long period of time and then it stops, for you're not young forever.

   Fall (Maturity) 4:12-7:41: The beat quickly took a decline for the slower side, and as everyone knows life comes at you fast, hence the abruptness. Everything you've heard in the past is still there, but slower and autotune-ish because you can't continue the old fast-paced lifestyle you had in your youth, as much as you don't want to admit it. An instrumental build up then progresses it's way through how you use to live and you out of nowhere have the realization that you just can't anymore, so you stop trying, hence the new abrupt "sound" change to something new. Something that sounds more suitable for who you are now. A great classical take on how you use to be combined with a slow and steady choir accompaniment. Your body isn't what it use to be, but that's okay because you are ready for the next part of life, death.

   Winter (Death): 7:42-End: One more time the instrumental builds up for the next chapter in your life and it abruptly hits as the others. Nothing comes about for a brief period of time, but when the music returns we here what we heard first, "Touch", better translated to knowledge at this point. In our life as we try to take in as much as we can, at the end we come to a point where we can no longer take any more, "You've given me too much to feel." When that point arrives it's a bitter sweet feeling for excitement of what's next, but you need it. Heaven or Hell, no matter which it is, you need it to complete the cycle. Without that you're stuck in an experience that can never be completed.

  Who would have thought that two English speaking electronic artists from Europe could say so much with one song? Not me, but I hope it continues. Thanks for reading guys, please let me know what you thought!

Evan Matteson

   Hello fellow DMA students! I'm Evan Matteson, a freshman, and my major is film production. I have come all the way from Maine to pursue my career. A family friend who happened to be a pastor highly recommended HU, and bam! A visit was scheduled and I loved it, but that doesn't mean there wasn't any other competition. Either way, does it matter? I'm here now!

   I've always loved the magic of films since I was about two, starting with 1997's Anastasia. A classic? No, but I still cherish it. Since then I've come a long way with my five favorite films all being of a different genre. I feel I'm a very well rounded film buff, and because of my fascination with such films, you can see why I chose this profession. In high school I took a film course for two years which finally allowed me to make something of my own. Some were for spanish class, others were based on prompts given by my teacher, but most were what I wanted to see. All last year I worked on a short film revolving around the ridiculousness that is organized crime with a great crew, consisting of my awesome girlfriend and some great friends. It's something I'm proud of, but it's certainly not the best I could have done. I'm sure with the films we view in here, I'll be a wiser cinematographer, director, writer, anything! In fact, I already have learned the "challenge or delight" analyzation. Right there I know that I should stay true to the tone of something I shoot, rather than go for that great joke that really shouldn't be there, one of the issues with my organized crime film. Now, time to analyze! See ya on the blog!