"Goth Robot Fights Other Goth Robots"

Bored? Need something to entertain you? Watch these little Sci-Fi shorts I found! I was lucky enough to come across the list again, since its one of the lists where I learned about Sintel (much earlier blog reference there...). But hey, the animation on these is pretty cool, and they've got their fair share of showing off to do. 
The first one I watched was called "Rosa," and it had the description that's in the title. That's pretty much how it was, no real plot to it. Just something that'll keep you dazzled. Which of course is totally okay, I enjoyed all of them! So if you're not feeling like doing homework, or studying, or anything like that; procrastinate with these!

here's the link to the gallery:

http://imgur.com/gallery/5h6ng

Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

Behind the Mask is a film that's set in a world where slashers from horror movies are real. A team of filmmakers sets out on a journey to document the beginnings of a serial killer, named Leslie Vernon. It does turn into a regular styled film later on though, after they realize how Leslie was actually serious about being a serial killer. The film is has a bit of off color comedy to it too, and even pays homage to those original slashers with cameos (any Robert Englund fans!?). Leslie plans on making a name for himself by doing as he says all other slashers do; make a character based off of a local legend. He takes the guise of a boy who killed his family and ended up being casted out into a river by the townsfolk, never to be seen again. 

The movie gives an interesting perspective into how someone might think becoming a serial killer would be a good idea. I mean, how does it happen? Do you wake up one day and just decide on it? But the film itself does a lot to empower horror movies, like debunking how slashers actually plan their attack (like location, traps, etc.), and how everything is representative. Its all just interesting to see play out. And hey, if you don't know why Leslie did it, just remember...


"Everyone needs someone To look up to." 

Not every dog gets its day: Dog Pound

I was scrolling through Netflix and found this little movie called Dog Pound, a film that follows three characters during their time in juvenile prison. The three characters all have different quirks and traits that make them all unique: Butch, a previous inmate with anger issues, is a fighter, Davis, a ladies man, is a hustler, and Angel, an ex gang-banger who's quite loyal. They all come to the same correctional facility on the same day, and all of them are wronged by this inmate who "runs things" named Banks. After coming together, they face their problem together, and become good friends. Its a darker toned movie, and the end was not happy. However, It is a good film, and well done considering the amount of independent actors. And I by that I mean all of them. If you like crime/prison or darker films, this could be a good one to watch.

The other mafia movie: Goodfellas

     To start off, I would just like to admit that I haven't seen The Godfather yet. But I like to think I make up for that by seeing Goodfellas. With Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta as two of the main characters, the movie based on a true story seems to have quite a genuine mafia-like feeling to it. Plus, its probably the best Liotta movie I've seen yet, so it has that going for it too. 
     The story follows Liotta's character Henry, who had gotten involved with the mob business at a young age when he was still in school. He started at the bottom of the chain and worked his way up, even though he would never be able to be a boss since he wasn't fully Italian. He meets James Conway (De Niro) and Tommy Devito (Pesci) through his early years, and they form a tight-knit trio. It seems like them against the world, and they all have each other's backs. Of course, things go south as they age and not everyone walks away happy...or even walks away. The life of a mafioso is difficult, and its not one that's meant to be left. Goodfellas did a fantastic job of keeping you along for the ride to give an insight as to what that kind of life was.

Refn does it again: Only God Forgives

Nicolas Refn, director of Drive and Valhalla Rising, brought another amazing movie to the screens with Only God Forgives. I heard about this movie from Evan and we watched it over break, and I have to say it was one of the most visually stunning movies I've seen. Refn paints the story more through the visuals than the dialogue, but the scenes look so well done and so beautiful. Every shot had a collage of colors and eye-catching moments to keep you entranced, while the actors moved fluidly through the scene, completely drawing you in. Ryan Gosling delivers his character in a similar way to Drive, with little dialogue and more through his actions. He plays Julian, a man living in Bangkok and thriving in it's criminal underworld. Julian's brother is killed for committing a crime, and Julian is asked to find the killer. After discovering the truth, Julian is put in the middle of a moral conflict on whether to get avenge his brother.
      One thing's for sure, though; this movie is not shallow when it comes to thematics. The whole plot tells a story of revenge and how it does nothing good for anyone, good and evil, and punishment with justice. There's a representation of God and the Devil, there's a punishment for those sins committed for the Devil-character, there's redemption; this movie has pretty much everything to it. It can be hard to follow through the visuals when a decent bit of it is so surreal, but if you can follow along the plot progression and story you see is so rewarding.

It'll Keep You Wondering: Shutter Island

I don't know who all has seen this movie, but it's probably one of the best mystery movies around. The movie, set in 1954, follows Leonardo Dicaprio who plays the character Edward "Teddy" Daniels, a U.S. marshall. Teddy is being brought to Shutter Island, an asylum for the criminally insane, to investigate a missing mental patient. He's paired with a new partner, Chuck Aule. However, the farther into the film you get, the deeper Teddy goes down the rabbit hole. He's forced to fight past demons as he decides who he can really trust. Dicaprio and Ruffalo's (Chuck Aule) performance is great, and the movie's plot is very thick and keeps you pondering what the truth is. I've watched it 3 times now after today, and the experience changes every time you watch it. After deciding for myself what the truth was (because they leave you hanging, just like a Scorsese film would), you begin to see the confirmation of said truth. If you If you liked Inception, or films similar to it, then Shutter Island is a must. But then again, I think its a must-watch either way.

Catching Fire Sets The Box Office Ablaze!

I would like to apologize for the cheesy, news article title. But apart from that, Catching Fire managed to grab $25.3 million on just last night. And I believe that this movie was even better than its predecessor. I think they solved a lot of the problems they had in the first movie (like the shaky cam, sweet Lord) and they kept the characters pretty true to the book. I mean, you'll have scenes where you like Katniss, and then a few minutes later you're feeling the opposite. They didn't make her out to be a noble hero, and thats the character I got from the book. Now in comparison to the book, its obviously got things not in the film that were essential to the book. Like some of the scenes where Katniss sees people being put down and abused and finally decides to work against the Capitol were completely missing. But with how long the movie was without them, I can understand why they cut them out. They did cover enough in the film to keep the same plot valid, the arena design was really well done too. 

My Top 3 Music Videos

Between Tuesday and Thursday, I'd say my favorite three music videos would have to be Bright Eyes - First Day of My Life, The Shins - Rifle's Spiral, and Johnny Cash - Hurt.

I already knew and loved the song by Bright Eyes but hadn't seen the music video in quite some time, and I'm glad I got to see it again. It was a lot cooler to see the video and see why it fit with the lyrics, as compared to before when I just thought "Why I am I watching other people listen to this song?" Just seeing so many people being happy together while listening to a love song does a lot more for an example of love than a scripted video with unnamed characters who you don't care for. And it had a dog. Who doesn't love dogs?




The Shins' song was awesome, and the music video had some awesome stop motion. The characters all looked really cool and the bunny getting its eventual revenge (although I'm not sure what it was avenging..) was all just fun to watch.

Johnny Cash.. The dude can sure bring you down. After watching the video I felt exactly as Evan described it would make you feel: "like someone just punched you in the heart." I didn't avidly listen to Cash but I've heard songs over the years. He's a brilliant artist, his voice is amazing, and its sad the world lost such talent. The song was almost like his last hurrah, like this was his goodbye to his fans. Man, the onions in here are really strong. Why do I have those in my dorm?

Seven Brides For Seven Brothers: Sean and Sam Lookin' Good

As they said they would, Sam and Sean took the stage as two of the seven brothers this weekend, with Sam being Frank and Sean being Efraim. I've heard about how the performance has been very demanding on the people in it (especially the stage set) and I have nothing but admiration for the work they put into it. I saw it this Saturday, and I don't think I saw or heard any mistakes from the cast. I mean, normally you have someone mispronounce a line or something of the sort, but I was impressed with how smoothly it went. Not only that, but I was laughing quite a bit and enjoying how silly the idea was (warning: potential spoiler in this next sentence fragment!) 6 guys kidnap 6 girls that they met once, and everything working out just fine (okay, it's over). But then again, being out west in that time period, I guess you don't have time to lolygag when it comes to love. All the actresses and actors were phenomenal, and the music was just as great. If you haven't gone yet, I'd recommend going and supporting our drama department!

p.s. I added a tag to the article for anyone else who posts, just in case we want to keep it all organized :)

12 Years A Slave - A Hard Film

I recently went to see 12 Years A Slave on the insistence of Evan, and I'm still conflicted as to whether I'm glad or not that I did. The film is based on the autobiographical book written by Solomon Northup, telling his tale of being kidnapped in Washington D.C. where he traveled from his home in New York, and being sold into slavery. The movie had a few scenes I found unnerving, and I know I wasn't the only one. It's difficult to watch them portray the reality of slavery, let alone the brutally cruel punishments. There was a woman in the theater who sat a couple seats away who had to leave during a scene where a small slave girl was being whipped and wait until it was over. It wasn't a nice film, and it isn't something to watch when your bored. This film will incite internal conflict and make you feel for the character, there's no dodging it. 

But the shots, the sound design, the casting- it all worked and flowed so well together. The film was beautifully crafted, and I think I would say that it was an movie that I'm glad I viewed, but I don't know if I want to relive it just yet. I can easily see this movie winning academy awards this year. I'd recommend it, but just be prepared for what you're going to see. I didn't fully grasp it when I did.

A Good Deal Gone Wrong: The Counselor

Ridley Scott's The Counselor made waves with it's unusual storytelling and it's powerhouse line-up of Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, and Cameron Diaz when it hit theaters a couple of weeks ago. The doesn't give you any premise or base to go off of, you have to piece together what's going on as the film progresses. But for the sake of an understanding, I'll try to explain some basis here. Michael Fassbender, a lawyer, becomes involved in a drug trafficking scheme with Javier Bardem and Brad Pitt. Michael wants to settle down with his newfound love Penélope Cruz, but the deal goes bad and he's suddenly in over his head. The film's got some great cinematography and a nice plot, but its a film that requires your full attention. If you miss something, you might not get what's going on with one character for the rest of the movie. I did feel there were some unnecessary scenes in the movie that I really didn't need the visuals of. 

There's a scene that Javier Bardem describes while talking about Cameron Diaz, and, well...let's just say I would have been better off without seeing it and just hearing it. But, overall the movie did a great job of turning something almost minimal in plot into a great story simply by focusing on the characters and how they react to the situation. And, let's be honest, Michael Fassbender is just awesome. I mean, look at 'em.

Miss Representation

Last night was the premiere of our screening of Miss Representation, a documentary about objectification and discrimination in society as we know it today. The film, narrated by someone who's been in the film/television industry (Jennifer Siebel) starts off by stating something like"Is this the kind of world I want my daughter to grow up in?" The film covers the perspectives of multiple women, ranging from high school students to high ranking officials, professors, actresses, and talk show hosts about how high of an impact media has on our life and what impact it's making about women. They describe it as women are being objectified and treated like things instead of people, thanks to the influence of media. Music videos and commercials display half naked women being promiscuous because it sells. The speakers say how we care less and less for what accomplishments a woman makes or what she has to offer to society. I don't disagree, I think they're right; we've let media morph our opinions of women and change how we see them.
That in turn changes how we interact with women, as a man would and as another woman would. Media has given women unbelievable standards to try and live up to, taught us to look down on each other based on our appearances, and to care less about others as people and what makes us special; only focus on how everyone looks. And it's not only women, but men have been given standards like this too. I'm not saying it's worse for men, because I don't think it is. But I've felt the same stimulus media tries to push on me. Its a struggle we all have to suffer, and its one we need to stand up against and change for our generation. By leading by example, future generations will have hope and can hopefully better what we've done. Films like this are a good calling card for people to recognize our issues so that we can change them in ourselves.

The Stain

One of the films that really made an impact on my mind was The Stain, the short film inspired by a newspaper article of twins who killed each other over a gravy stain. The movie told a story of a family that went through rape, incest, and attempted murder. Just like anyone else, I know about all these things. I also don't think about these things everyday either, just like everyone else. I couldn't get the film and it's issues out of my head for the rest of the day. My family has a lot of issues and can be dysfunctional, never like that. I've heard of people who've dealt with these issues just from my mother being in law enforcement and overhearing her conversations with my father, and its disturbing just to hear about a victim of these things. It changes people, and they'll never be able to feel the same again. These issues are things people repress and don't talk about. I didn't understand everything that happened right away in the film, but the more I thought about it the more serious it became. It was a beautiful film even though it's topic was so aberrant, and I'm glad I got to see it.

You're Only As Old As You Feel: Bad Grandpa

Produced by MTV Films, Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa hit theaters this weekend. This movie, directed by Jeff Tremaine and starring Johnny Knoxville, beat out Gravity for the #1 spot in the Box Office, bringing in $12.4 million on Friday along with $1.4 million from midnight screenings. Bad Grandpa keeps to the same style as all other Jackass films have done, with hidden cameras for pranks on unsuspecting citizens and then using film crews to keep the story rolling. However, this movie held a plot beyond just doing stupid stunts. But don't let that stop you from witnessing the gut-busting moments that the movie packs. With a story about a boy and his grandpa bonding on a trip across the country, you can take note of the heart-warming love Knoxville's character feels for his grandson. The movie's definitely a turn-your-brain-off kind of film, but if you're okay with raunchy humor and need a pick-up, Bad Grandpa can surely deliver.

Telekinesis is the devil?: Carrie Review

This weekend I had the pleasure of going to see Carrie in town. Well, maybe not pleasure. The movie "hollywood-izes" everyone so all the high school kids look like they're 23 (which they probably all are) and it doesn't give off the vibe you'd normally get from a school. It's a little too outlandish for the setting. Yet the acting seemed, to me to be a very solid aspect of the film. It wasn't cheesy or bad, they pulled off their characters really well. The best was the main actress Chloë Moretz, who did a great job of portraying Carrie. she was timid and shy and very suspicious when someone showed her kindness. The movie relied a little heavily on some CGI gimmicks to shock-and-awe the crowd, but they were well done. It skipped over quite a bit of reading from the book, but I think that's to be expected by now. I think a main problem they encountered was trying to label it as a horror movie, but then tried to bring in a comedy aspect to it. If they would have labeled it properly and stuck to one style, they might've been better off. All in all, not an amazing movie, but I can see it being a film that would potentially get a slight cult following. It kept me entertained, at the least, but I wouldn't pay to see it again.

Arrow Season 2 Kicks Off

Last Wednesday the first episode of season 2 of the hit CW show Arrow premiered at 8. It's the follow-up show to Smallville that tells the tale of Green Arrow, another hero with no powers who comes from wealth. Last season ended with Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) saving the city, albeit a smidgen too late before the bad guy caused an earthquake in the slums. The city's been left in shambles, his family's company is being attacked, to add insult to injury he dealt with the fact that quite a few people met their end during the disaster in the slums; and Oliver's had to deal with that guilt. However, he's called back into action when some people impersonating his vigilante side (currently being referred to as "the hood") kidnap his younger sister. He picks up the mantle once more, but he has to struggle with the challenge of never taking a life again. All in all, the show picked up pretty well from where it left off and seems to be gearing up to take it even farther than last season. The story seems to be intact and it looks like plenty of cameos may play into the show. 
Roy Harper, originally the first Speedy (Green Arrow's sidekick) and later Red Arrow already serves a part as Oliver's sister's boyfriend (egh, youthful romance) but likes to roam the streets in his red hoodie (a reference to Red Arrow?) fighting bad guys at night. When he came into a bit of trouble in last week's episode, a woman clad in black swooped in and saved his skin. I'm predicting that this character could only be Black Canary, one of the other heroes in the DC Universe who also played a love interest of Green Arrow The next episode premieres tonight at 8, and I suggest catching up if you're looking for a good television show.

How Aquaman Doesn't Suck

Sorry Scott, but can we just take a second to talk about how wrong you are? Aquaman's half human, so he can live on land just fine and wont become a "fish stick" just by stepping out of the water. He's not only strong in the water, just stronger. He has a mystic trident that not even Superman can break. He is the KING of of Atlantis, even after trying to avoid taking over. He has to deal with the fact that Atlantis is always trying to uprise against him and fight the surface world (btw they have advanced technology and are much more powerful than regular humans). He's a member of the Justice League, a group of elite heroes in the DC universe. He doesn't talk to fish, he controls them, essentially making fish zombies that do what he wants. He protects all oceans, which is 70% of the earth. Plus all the times he's fought on land. He has super strength, stamina, agility, etc. He can leap buildings, dude. He has bulletproof dense skin to survive at the bottom of the ocean and extremely awesome scale armor. He's fought demigods and punched Death in the face, along with throwing whales and polar bears at people.Plus, he CUT OFF his hand to save his son and replaced it with a TRIDENT HOOK! Oh, and if that's not enough he also has to lead a compaign every four years to keep the undersea monsters you hear about in legends from rising again. And if you read the new 52 series, Aquaman doesn't care that noone seems to like him, because he doesn't need their approval to be awesome. So how about we don't criticize a hero who I know you haven't researched at all or read anything about.

Tinky Winky: A True Villain?

So today in class we discussed how awhile ago Tinky-Winky of the children's TV show Teletubbies was accused of representing a gay lifestyle. What I really think we should look at isn't the possibility of that, but of his other involvements. If you notice, Tinky-Winky's shape on his head is a triangle. Who else has a triangle as their symbol? That's right, the illuminati. Plus, he's always able to use that television screen on his stomach to see everything, sort of like the all seeing eye. Its very suspicious that this could all be "coincidence." Because nobody would suspect a cartoon character, right? Wrong. Besides, how could all those basement-lurking, tinfoil-wearing conspiracy investigators who work from online forums be wrong after so much work? No, I'm almost certain that Tinky here is the leader of the organization. With such resources, it would explain why everyone thought he was responsible for 9/11. All of this jargon seems to almost be legitimate; but just in case, I remind you to realize that it's only some people's opinion. However, I don't think the illuminati is raising an army of baby minions through subconscious messages. So if you'd like, just sit back, and say:

Four Stories In One: Rashomon

Kurosawa's film Rashomon had an interesting story line and very well done cinematography. I couldn't get over how well he captured the emotions of the actors in all the different stories that were told. But Kurosawa put a lot of work into putting the underlying messages into the film that I was happy I was able to find. The one I saw most of was a battle of an almost yin-yang styling of good and evil. The woodcutter, a man who doesn't lie and has a family, a generally all around good man, stole the dagger. He still has that little bit of evil underneath, causing small reactions to giving into desire. The random commoner, who starts tearing down the temple, seems to only laugh at how people could care that a man was murdered, and steals the bedding of the baby seems to be a more evil being than most men. Yet, in the end when push came to shove about who was truly a bad person, he called the woodcutter out about his evil deed, and showed that everyone has that struggle. Our world is naturally evil, and our battle is to remain distant from the world's influence and try to keep ourselves absolved from evil.

GO SEE THIS MOVIE

I literally just saw Prisoners with Sam, Panthelys, and Evan. We'll all blog about it, and for good reason. If you like cerebral, mind-boggling, suspenseful movies or anything with Hugh Jackman/Jake Gyllenhaal, Go see this movie. You know what, even if you don't like those two actors or suspense, go see it anyway. It ties a more grounded, real-world situation to the plot and shows not only a family struggle through a situation, but the main character's struggle with faith. It might just be the nostalgia of it, but I seriously think that this could be picture of the year.