Se7en

When I first saw Se7en, I was blown away by how dark the ominous the story had become. By the end, the plot and characters were so intense that it was truly captivating. Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman pull off their best performances in this mystery thriller.

The story centers around Detectives Mills (Brad Pitt) and Somerset (Morgan Freeman) as they investigate a trail of murders. The crime scenes are always very strange and seem to resemble one of the seven deadly sins. With these clues, the detectives track down the real killer but he gets away in a gripping chase. Throughout the sequences, Mills and Somerset build on the relationship between one another and there are some heart warming moments to balance out the horrifying ones. Eventually, the killer reveals himself to the police covered in blood. Can the two detectives survive the killer's final trap? I won't spoil the ending but it is definitely worth watching and is considered a classic in shocking endings.

Kevin Spacey plays the murder and, in my opinion, it was his greatest role in a long time. He was calm, cool, and collected which made him absolutely terrifying whenever he had something to say. You'll really learn to hate this guy quickly, and Spacey does such a good job of achieving it. The twist was good upon itself, but Kevin Spacey definitely made in ten times better.    

I always end up watching this movie a few times a year to refresh myself in a deep and compelling narrative. However, I definitely won't recommend it to anyone with a weak stomach.    

American Beauty

American Beauty is a film from 1999 that embodies the dysfunctional beauty of one family, and relates it to the overall American cultural experience. The main character, Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey), sees no point to his existence: he is in a trying relationship with his wife Carolyn (Annette Bening); he barely talks to his daughter Jane (Thora Birch); and he has been put under fire at work. After a series of occurrences in his life such as meeting his new neighbor Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley) smoking some pot, and becoming captivated by Jane's high school classmate Angela (Mena Suvari), Lester undergoes a remarkable transformation and decides to stop being a conformist. He quits his job, much to the irritation of his wife, and begins to work at a Burger King.

There is a great deal of suspense in this story line of this film: we are give the ending right at the beginning: that Lester will be dead in a year's time. However, how and why this is the case isn't revealed until the very last minute. The movie tries to tell us that conforming to a lifestyle dictated by society leads to dysfunctionality. But finding freedom as illustrated in the film isn't exactly great either.

As the movie proceeds, each of the characters experience a transformation that breaks them out of their rut and enables them to advance to the next level of existence. Each transformation is characterized by the movement between living a routine life and living a dynamic life, where everything is uncertain. At the end, only Lester has found true freedom. Colonel Fitts (Chris Cooper), the homophobic father of Ricky is left to confront his own issues; Jane and Ricky move away to become professional drug dealers; Carolyn's transformation leaves her alone; and there is nothing to fix Angela's insecurity.

Netflix and House of Cards

With the amount of money Internet streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Instant Video make, it didn’t take long for them to start airing original series. One of the most popular of these shows is House of Cards, a political drama featuring Kevin Spacey. Set in Washington D.C., this show follows fictional politician Frank Underwood through all the deception and manipulation of a job in the White House.

House of Cards is one of those shows that it seems like everyone has seen, and if it were to be included in the Nielsen ratings system, it would likely be one of the highest rated shows currently on TV. Sadly for Kevin Spacey, his pay rate is not quite up to par with the show's popularity. Since Netflix is a private company that does not air any commercials, and House of Cards (a Netflix original series) does not air anywhere else, there is no reason for Netflix to release information regarding the amount of views its shows get. This leaves Spacey and his agent guessing as how to much money he should make for each episode.

Netflix’s ability to keep their data private gives them an advantage that television networks do not have - although with their gross revenue of $5.5 billion in 2014, they would be doing just fine even if Kevin Spacey were to make twice as much as he does. Despite the disadvantage Spacey faces, he is returning for a 3rd season which airs on Netflix on February 27th. It will be interesting to see how the show progresses having gained so much popularity since the last season was released, and how other existing Netflix original shows like Orange Is The New Black will progress as well. 2015 will be a big year for Internet streaming, and House of Cards will be no exception.

Repetition in American Beauty

Sam Mende’s film American Beauty takes place in a boring monotonous suburb. It is fitting then that the film features so much repetition. The first scenes are almost all repeated later in the film with a different twist on them.  For instance, the family is seen at the dinner table in the beginning eating quietly and the same shot with the exact same framing comes up later in the film but this time they get into a huge argument that ends with plates being thrown against the wall.

The small differences in these scenes speak volumes. Lester’s clothing is more relaxed in the second scene, he is drinking a beer, not wine, the red roses on the table have been replaced by an empty bowl. These two shots side by side tell the whole story, even though they are essentially the same  basic shot.

Another place repetition comes in is in Lester’s fantasies about Angela in which jump cuts and repetition of shots establish these sequences as existing only in Lester’s mind. The music is similarly repetitive with percussive rhythms that repeat over and over. These sequences also repeat several times in the film, notably scenes in which Angela is covered in red roses or has red roses coming out of her etc. as seen in the video below, which illustrates all of these points.

The repetition in this film serves to both establish the boring, sameness of life in an American suburb as well as to show the excitement of Lester’s voyeuristic fantasies.

4th Wall

Ive always been iffy about my feelings towards breaking the 4th wall. Breaking the 4th wall is when a character in a film talks directly to, or acknowledges the audience watching the film. I'm indecisive about this technique, because it throws you out of the film for a moment, which means if the movie is not engaging enough to begun with, it may be hard to fall back into the world of the film. however when it is done correctly it can make for an amazing viewing experience.  

One of my favorite examples of breaking the 4ht wall is in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall. Annie Hall is about a comedian in New York City named Alvy Singer and his relationships and love interests throughout his life. Through out this movie Allen’s character, Alvy, breaks the 4th wall and talks directly to the audience. Allen later said he chose to use this Technique “because I felt many of the people in the audience had the same feelings and the same problems. I wanted to talk to them directly and confront them.” 

Another excellent example of breaking the 4th wall is in the Netflix series House of Cars staring Kevin Spacey. This show is based on a BBC mini series which was based off a Michael Dobbs novel. The show centers around a power hungry, Congressman, and his equally heartless wife and their rise through the government. The creators of the show says that they use “Shakespeare’s direct address from Richard III, where the Main Character speaks directly to the audience.” the goes on to say “i think it is a really rich and effective way to bring an audience even close to the material.”

Fight Club also famously breaks the 4th wall, arguably the most seamlessly. Fight Club revolves around an insomniac and a strange soap salesman he meets on a plain. The two become unlikely fiends and start a fight club, that become more and more popular and spreads to many cities. The first time you see this film you might not even realize the 4th wall was being broke, however Ed Norton and Brad Pits characters, or character, do it relatively frequently. 

The Fourth Wall

     The fourth wall is a term that comes from the theater. Typically on a stage set there are three visible walls, one in the back and one on the left and the right. The fourth wall is an imaginary wall at the front that is left open so the audience can see into the room and watch the action. This "wall" is used to separate the audience from the action and keep a sense of realism about the story. Television and movies also have their own version of the fourth wall. Although there is no actual wall in those media the camera creates its own. So what happens when some one acknowledges the wall?
      Talking to the audience directly, noticing the camera, or talking about being in a show/movie/book is all called "breaking the fourth wall". Why would someone break the illusion and the reality that is created in their medium? Originally it started out as a comical action. It was funny to see a character realize that they are in some work of fiction and see how they react to it. A character that commonly breaks the fourth wall for comedic purposes is Marvel's Deadpool.

     

     Unlike Deadpool comics some shows will only do it once and awhile for a quick joke. Such as in an episode of "30 Rock" the Character Liz Lemon is talking about how great Verizon phones are and then asks "Can we get our money now please?"

     

     Breaking the fourth wall doesn't always have to be a used in a comedic way some serious dramas break the fourth wall and it at first seems jarring and uncomfortable, but that is the perfect feel to fit a show like "House of Cards". In both the American and the British version the main character Francis will look into the camera and have a one sided conversation with the audience. This makes the character feel even more all knowing and intimidating.

                                   

New Onscreen Text Messages in Fiction TV

      

Recently there has been a rise in a new form of onscreen information in fiction television.  Made famous by the BBC's Sherlock and Netflix's House of Cards, is the concept of displaying text messages on screen for the audience to see.  These messages come completely separate from the phone and aren't your traditional over-the-shoulder shot that we are used to.  The interesting difference between the two comes in the execution of the concept.  Sherlock features the simple plain text as seen in Image 1 below.  Whereas House of Cards, actually uses a text bubble which makes it feel much more directly out of a smartphone texting application (see Image 2). 

Image 1

Image 2

Admittedly when you start watching these shows (and I have seen all released episodes of both), it is somewhat distracting that this information is being displayed in this fashion.  Once you get a fair ways into an episode however, this technique becomes very effective.  I will say that I find the Sherlock format a bit more efficient in lay out and definitely more seamlessly integrated in; House of Cards sometimes uses the technique in a more distracting fashion.  Part of the reason why it is so seamless in Sherlock is that Sherlock incorporates it as a way to have insight into Sherlock Homes' mind.  When he thinks his way through a problem, his many possibilities are projected onto the screen (see below).  This really helps tie the technique together in a big way.  

    

    

I am very excited to see how this technique of extra onscreen text plays out in the future.  It has huge potential to be a great way to help tell stories.  I would be interested to see how long it takes for it to jump to movies.  

Becoming Internet Famous

TV is moving online, or so it seems. Most younger demographics consume TV content through the internet, legally, or unfortunately for content providers, illegally. Youtube and Netflix are famously paying huge money for original content, with the latter's House of Cards rivaling primetime content from premium cable channels.

Similarly, original web content is an exploding market. Websites like CollegeHumor are thriving, producing new comedic content every day, occasionally nabbing an A-list celebrity for a cameo.

With so many people making content for the internet, how is one to discover quality and separate the good from the bad? Thus is the problem. Without millions in funding or a big name attached, months, if not years of hard work can disappear in the black hole that is the internet.

I worked on a web series last semester called John and Kyle Do Everything (which you can find here), and while I am thrilled with the reception we got, it took us months to understand how exactly to get people to watch the show. We did a condom handout in the on-campus dining halls, with our logo emblazoned on the wrappers. Classic.

In an environment as expansive and impersonal as the Internet, web marketing really boils down to establishing person-to-person connections. How many times have you received an email telling you to check out a website and immediately deleted it? Thus is the problem... or at least another problem. Try to market too broadly and people will think you are a robot (and you will most likely get your accounts suspended).

If you want to get big on the internet, you need to get small first. Build your empire from the ground up, person by person.

Spacey delivers the chills

Last weekend a friend noticed a new original series that was on Netflix called “House of Cards”. When I saw it was a ruthless political drama starring Kevin Spacey, I had to give it a shot. Spacey plays congressman Frank Underwood, a brilliantly manipulative and cunning politician who will stop at nothing to accomplish his goals. David Fincher directs this US remake of a BBC series by the same name from the early 90s.

The show starts with the presidential election of the democratic candidate, Underwood’s party. Frank was expecting to be named Secretary of State as reward for helping win the election, however the president reneged on his promise, sending Frank on a path of merciless retribution.

Kate Mara, best known from “American Horror Story”, plays an integral role in the series as Zoe Barnes, a journalist from the Washington Herald desperate for hard hitting political news. Frank is more than willing to obliged…as long as she paints the picture he wants.

Season 2 will supposedly start filming in the coming months, so I would expect it to hit Netflix for the Fall season, however I’m keeping my fingers crossed they make it this summer.    

House of Cards Kills

After listening to Arturo's such positive comments about the brand new Netflix series "House of Cards", I decided I'd give the first episode a try and see if they held true. 12 episodes later... I concurred that Arturo was right.

House of Cards proved to be a very intelligently written political drama that kept you on the edge of your seat throughout. It was extremely difficult to stop watching once I got started, with the ending of each episode leaving you on even more of a cliffhanger than the last. In addition to the excellent storytelling, the acting was absolutely superb. Kevin Spacey delivers an immaculate performance as Francis Underwood, the ruthless Majority Whip whose hellbent on scheming his way to the Presidency, and not letting anyone get in his way. However he still doesn't outshine his co-stars, with Robin Wright, Kate Mara, and Corey Stoll bringing their A game as well.

This is the second original series Netflix has put out, and this one really knocked it out of the park. Whether or not the show is a success hinges on how many of Netflix's subscribers decided to watch the show and keep watching once they got started. Netflix hasn't released any numbers yet, but the hope is that releasing an entire season all at once will keep viewers hooked given the accessibility of the next episode, as opposed to releasing each one weekly. Essentially, Netflix hopes their original series inspires the "binge watching" in which many customers end up using the service for (especially college students). After my experience, I have no doubt that it will.

Horrible Bosses

The movie Horrible Bosses is about three friends Nick Hendricks (Jason Bateman) Kurt Buckman (Jason Sudeikis) and Dale Arbus (Charlie Day) who try to work hard, be respected and move ahead in each of their jobs, but they each have a big problem in attaining this goal: they have a terrible boss and a job that is difficult to leave without starting somewhere else at the bottom of the ladder. At the financial firm where he works, Nick's mean spirited boss, Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey), has always given Nick the impression that he is next in line for a senior vice-president position. This however is the farthest thing from Dave's mind. Kurt, who works for chemical company, used to have a great boss, Jack Pellitt (Donald Sutherland) until he died, which meant that the company was passed on to his drug addicted son, Bobby Pellitt (Colin Farrell). He has no work ethic, hates Kurt and does not really care about the family business. As a dental hygienist Dale is constantly sexually harassed by his boss, Dr. Julia Harris (Jennifer Aniston). What makes things even worse is the fact that Julia keeps threatening to tell Dale's fiancée that they did sleep together if he does not sleep with her. Because of an innocent accident when he was younger, he had been put on the sexual predator list, so he knows that it would be impossible to get another job. The three men joke about killing their bosses in order to make their lives easier and that is when the craziness really begins. Dale is the first to say that he really wants to do it, and after some coaxing the others agree. Since they are just ordinary men they do not have any idea about how to hire a hit-man. Between a hit-man they meet in the bad side of town, played by Jamie Foxx, and what they have learned on television crime shows they set out to follow through with their murder plot without getting caught. However the way they try to carry out their plan puts the police right on their trail.

The direction, by Seth Gordon and the writing by Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein, plus the comedic talents of the cast, created comedy at its best. I laughed throughout the entire movie. I could tell that some of the script had to have been ad-libbed, which made the scenes especially funny. Even though the critics did not like this film, I guess because it was not sophisticated and I am sure they thought that the plot was predictable, I found it to be a fun film to watch. I would highly recommend it as a rental, or on demand, to be watched with friends for an entertaining evening in.