Lost in Once Upon A Time with Kitsis & Horowitz

In 2004 a plane crash in the south pacific forever changed the lives of countless people. Oceanic flight 815 was over 1,000 miles off-course when it went down on its way to Los Angeles from Sydney, Australia.

If you aren't a fan of ABC's Lost, you might be wondering what plane crash I'm talking about. You should also be wondering what you've been doing with your life, because if you haven't watched Lost, then you don't know what you're missing.

In the beginning, I was hesitant to join the Lost bandwagon. It seemed like there was too much to understand, and the confusing storyline seemed like too much for me to handle. But that's really not the case. Yes, after a few seasons when the writers decided to play around with time-travel things got more then a little confusing. But by that time, you already are so hooked on the show- the incredible story of survivors on a mysterious island- the characters, all of whom have their own pasts that are intricately connected and explored throughout the six seasons of the show. They also all have their own quirks, from the honorable and brave Jack Shepard, to the sneaky and complex southern stylings of Sawyer, there is every character in between. From the loveable Hurley who, for a while, blames the crash on his own bad luck, to the british rockstar (and heroin addict) Charlie. The series does a remarkable job of weaving its story together in the most addicting way.

The cast of ABC's Lost.

The reason why I decided to write about Lost was because I recently got one of my roommates hooked on it and we've been watching season one for the past week. In fact, in less then a week she's almost completed season 1. It's just that addicting.

When Lost ended in 2010, two of the writers of the show, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz decided to create a new show of their own.

Last October, Once Upon A Time made its debut on ABC. Highly anticipated by some Lost fans, Once did not disappoint. Premiering with the highest ratings among new television shows last fall, Once follows many of the previously established concepts found in Lost.

Once Upon A Time centers around fairytales. All the stories we grew up with as children. Snow White, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Pinocchio, and many more. These stories make up the canvas for Once Upon A Time. However, as with any show created by Lost alumni, there's a twist: the fairytale characters we know and love have been sent to the real world. Our world.

When Snow White's evil stepmother unleashes a powerful curse, she takes away all the happy endings of all of the fairytale characters. She vows to make them as unhappy as she is by doing this, and by sending them to a world without magic and happy endings. However, all curses can be broken, and in this case, our hero comes in the form of the daughter of Snow White and her Prince Charming (also known as James). It was said that on her 28th birthday, Emma would return to find her parents and save the fairytale characters from their new lives in realty. And so begins Once Upon A Time. Emma and her  son, Henry, must now try and break the curse that holds the residents of Storybrooke, Maine, captive.

If you're interested in watching the show, season one was just added to Netflix, so it's super easy to watch. (Additionally, all six seasons of Lost are available on Netflix as well)
Furthermore, for those of you who may already be fans of the show, season two of Once Upon A Time starts Sunday, September 30th.

Paranoid Park

One of my favorite director’s is Gus Van Sant. Many people know him for his films like Good Will Hunting and Milk, but the one that I can watch over and over again is Paranoid Park. The movie is based off of the novel written by Blake Nelson. 

The film takes place in Portland, Oregon and the soundtrack stays authentic to it’s location. A lot of the soundtrack is Elliott Smith who is one of my favorite musicians of all time. He gained most of his popularity from Portland and played a big role in the music scene there. Since the movie doesn’t have a lot of dialogue, the soundtrack was crucial in the movie. Gus Van Sant has used Elliott Smith’s music in his past films as well, where his song Miss Misery was nominated for an oscar for Good Will Hunting.

Along with Elliott Smith’s music, Van Sant used a varitey of French composers and other artists to make complicated music for the scenes of skateboarding. The music made the skateboarding seem almost dreamlike and put it in another light. This movie is an example of how important sound can be. 

I also enjoyed his cinematography style. As seen in his his past films, Gus Van Sant used very long shots and uses different speeds through out the movie. He slows down the scene at major points in the plot. He also uses very soft lighting which gives the film a very eerie feeling which goes along well with the plot.

The movie is about a young skateboarder who accidentally kills a security guard while goofing off on a train one night. The film is about his guilt and how he deals with the horrible mistake. Paranoid Park is more focused on the cinematography and skateboarding rather then the plot itself. I love this movie and it will always be one of my favorites. 

It's Amazing how much the World Changes in Eleven Years

     Well that day has come again. Eleven years ago a few moments shook our nation and dramatically altered the coarse of many American lives. For some generations this was the second major attack on home soil by a foreign enemy, others it was the first. For some it was all too confusing at the time to make anything of it and for some children, aged ten and under, it means they grew up their whole life while our country was at war.
     This tragic event has received a lot of coverage ever since that day. The news was the fastest way to spread the message of what happened that day as that was probably the most watched thing for the following days across America. The next thing I remembered seeing was the music industry, so many bands had been releasing songs or even albums dedicated to what happened that day. Bon Jovi came out with the song "Undivided" on his album Bounce in 2002, about how the nation came together that day. In 2003 Yellowcard's song "Believe" was dedicated to heroic acts that occurred that day. Also in 2003 Darryl Worley came out with the song "Have You Forgotten", whose imagery brings back vivid memories of what happened that day. Documentaries have since emerged. Inside the Twin Towers, 102 Minutes that Changed America, Ten Years On: Remembering 9/11 to name a few. The documentaries while not having the largest audience, definitely have the biggest impact because they tend to have true stories in them, not hypothetical or cliche stories in them. Recently Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close directed by Stephen Daldry came out. Eleven year old Oskar Schell, afflicted with Aspergers, tries to solve the last puzzle his father left him before his father, Tom Hanks, passed in the attack. It is a touching movie that has a few cliches and some disturbing videos from 2001. It created a powerful movie. The movie takes place over the span around one or two years.
     As mentioned above for some people they were too young to properly make sense of what happened that day. To this day they might not know what to make of it, I know I still don't know entirely what to think of it. Since a lot of people tend to look at the world through their own eyes, people in a different generation might not understand that. To them it might be seen as a horrible event with horrible outcomes that they understand and the though might not come across to them that its fuzzy to others.
     One of the amazing things that media can do is show new points of view on topics or even bringing topics to light. Things like the coverage of the Egyptian Revolution last year, or the Kony movement that briefly swept across the internet. While it's not the biggest thing in the world, I want to use my voice to show that story. The story of someone who to this date is affected by September 11th, 2001. With Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close it takes place soon after the attacks, but with what I want to do is make it more current. So the character could fit with someone within two years of my age. I feel like it will be a powerful piece and hope this will be one of my best pieces of work while in college.
     Never Forget 9/11/01. May all those effected find peace.

The Final

So I watched a very interesting movie this weekend. No it wasn't a romance, chick flick like The Notebook that I wrote about for last week. This week I watched a movie called The Final. This is one of those movies that looks super scary but ended up not being as scary as I thought. However, it reminded me of Saw; a lot.

This movie was about a group of nerds who were always picked on in high school. They felt as if it was a sign from G-d to get back at them. Needless to say, they took all of the knowledge that they learned from the horror movies that they had watched over the course of their lives and decided to make it into real life. They all got together and planned this Halloween party at this house in the woods so no one can find them. Once all of the popular kids came to the party, they drugged them all so they would fall asleep. While everyone was asleep they chained them all up to the floor so no one can leave, obviously. Once they woke everyone up, one by one the nerds tortured them so they knew what it was like to deal with all of the making fun. So the tortured in high school became the "torture-ist" at the party. These torture acts were sick. For example, they used a gun that they shot cows with on one kid. Another, they did extreme acupuncture on someones throat. And it just gets worse from there. Bear traps, burning faces off, cutting off tongues and fingers, paralyzing people. It was very gross, but I won't lie, I did find it to be a really good movie.

So if you're into Saw like movies and all that sick stuff, then check out this movie HERE.

The Boondocks

I’m usually not a big fan of anime shows with their explicit scenes of violence and fighting. However, there is one show that is considered in the anime category that I can’t stop watching. This show is called The Boondocks. The show began in 2005 on Adult Swim and continued to make 3 seasons. Currently, season 4 is in the making.

This show consists of two 8 year old’s name Huey and Riley who are polar opposites of each other politically and morally.  Huey is the voice of reason, extremely liberal socially and underestimated by his family and ridiculed for having such radical views and having goals higher then from which he came. He is a strong believer for “Afrocentrism” and is wiser then most 8 year olds. Riley is completely opposite, interested in gangster related activities and committing crimes; he's into modern mainstream hip-hop and living the life of rappers on TV. They are both raised by their Grandad, who is very outspoken and moved his grandchildren to a suburban neighborhood called Woodcrest to have a better life. 

The first thing I love about this show is the social issues that they cover. Because they are one of the only African American families in Woodcrest, the show deals with such issues as African American vs. White Culture (exaggerates each races culture in order to juxtapose them), racial struggle with law enforcement, racism, and current events and pop culture. Obviously because of these issues the show is deemed as controversial. They push the limits with the heavy use of the word “ni***” and was voted as 5th most controversial cartoon of all time in Time Magazine. 

Other then it’s controversial topics, the show is known for it’s music. A lot of the extensive fight scenes in the show are played with hip-hop music over it. These occur in almost every episode and the it is usually underground rap. This music plays a large role in the show and the songs usually have a political theme and were written for the show specifically. There are also many celebrities that voice the characters.

I highly recommend this show to anyone who loves animated shows that push the limits of what is acceptable on TV. You do not need to have watched past episodes to understand what is going on in the show, so you can start by watching Season 4 this year when it comes out! 

Bob Marley

   

Let me preface this blog post by first saying that I started watching Marley (2012) not knowing much about Bob. I guess I had him wrapped up as just a really chill musician who smoked a lot of weed and enjoyed warm sunny days on the beach in beautiful Jamaica. 

Scottish filmmaker Kevin Macdonald contends that Bob Marley is very much a kindred soul who found himself in a place to bring about real change in others' lives and the course of history through his music.

In depth interviews with Bob's wife, his children, his siblings, his friends, fellow bandmates, business partners and other stars including Jimmy Cliff and Neville 'Bunny' Livingston of The Wailers. 

The film begins with an arial shot of a rural picturesque Jamaican landscape guiding us to the Bob's birthplace. Interviews with the superstar's siblings, old school teacher and with villagers tell the story of his childhood as a half-white and half-black kid in a small impoverished town.

Bob Marley's dad, Norval Marley, a white Marine from England, did not play an active role his Bob's Life. Bob's mother, Cedella Booker, a black Jamaican girl, gave birth to Marley at age 18 and raised him through childhood. The filmaker uses Bob's mixed identity later in the film to explain his unique behavior and offer a sort of Ying-Yang analogy.

Through found interviews with Bob, the superstar comes to life, telling his own story throughout the film. Rare footage combined with, what I assume to be actor reenactments, stunning visuals also bring this film to life.

The director covers Bob's rise to fame, his cult-like following, his philosophy, and his historial impact on the world and specifically on Jamaica. Jamaica, at the time of Bob's rise, was going through a gang-like bloody political civil war. Bob was not immune to the spillover violence.

The film uses primary source interviews to detail an assassination attempt on Marley's life in Kingston, Jamaica by a political gangster, that thankfully failed. Bob had been shot in the leg and easily recovered. Interviewers say that Bob felt hurt emotionally after the attack.

However, Bob used the attack as a source of inspiration and adopted a respectable sense of martyrdom. After touring abroad after the attack to rest his mind, he returned to Jamaica to play a free concert promoting peace. Both party leaders in the civil war were in attendance. 

Through stunning found footage of the concert, Bob is seen passionately and instinctively in a spur of the moment trance inviting both warring political leaders up to the stage. On stage, he gathered them together and held their hands in a stunning show of unity and togetherness. This scene encapsulates the film's main message that Bob is more than just a musician, but rather a meaningful and unifying messenger of peace.

This film, brings the reggae star to life in an equally entertaining and transformative way that allows audiences to leave with a sense that they too have experienced first-hand the magic that is Bob Marley.

Finally Purchased Cable

       A few years ago, I was addicted to television. I would come home after school and watch TV, I would have dinner while watching TV, and I would fall asleep watching a late night talk show or some comedy special on HBO or Comedy Central. When senior year of high school ended, I received a job at a sleep away summer camp and I would have work 24/7 for the whole summer watching kids and sleeping in a cabin. There were no TVs and I could only use my computer a few hours out of the week when I had time off. I didn't watch any TV the entire summer and the only movies I saw were Toy Story 3 and Shrek during movie nights for eleven and twelve year-olds. When my summer job was over, I had five days left of summer before my freshman year of college began. I was excited to have a few days to myself to watch TV, catch up on movies, and hang out with my friends. The day after I came home, the news was filled with hurricane warnings in my area. My parents said that I should leave for school early in order to avoid the harsh weather and arrive safely. The next day, I packed up all my belongings and left for Ithaca. I was home for a mere two days out of the entire summer, I didn't see many of my friends, and my dreams of sitting on the couch and catching up on TV and movies faded away.

        I didn't have cable during my freshman year and the only times that I watched TV were when I ate in the dining halls. The dining halls have a limited selection of news shows and sports games. I brought a rather large television to school and a DVD player so I could watch movies but my friend cable was still out of the equation. After freshman year ended, I was home for three weeks before I left to work at the summer camp again. During my short stay at home, I spent time with my family, caught up on a few of my favorite shows, and went to the movies twice a week. Once again, I didn't watch TV during this summer but I did see The Dark Knight Rises on a day off. I had a week home before I left for school and spent it with my family and friends rather than relaxing on the couch and getting sucked into the world of television. After that week was up, I returned to Ithaca College and was excited to start my sophomore year. My goal was to spend as little money as possible this year so I didn't want to buy cable. The other day, my roommates convinced me to get cable with them and it's good to be back. I can keep up with my shows and relax after a long day of work. I've been watching more TV and more movies than ever and I'm learning a lot by analyzing episodes and watching more quality films. If you don't have cable, I recommend you buy a simple cable package. It's nice to watch TV again after being away from it for about two years.

Films about films

Since many of you are now actively watching movies, I suggest that if you have not seen it try to see Rango. It is simply an amazing piece of work. Directed by Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean) the film pays direct homage to a number of films both in terms of storytelling structure, some memorable characters themselves and even music and lighting.

Needless to say, if you are to fully enjoy this film's homage structure you should try, if you have not done so, to see some of the principal films referenced in Rango.

Films referenced are of course the extraordinary "Chinatown" (by Roman Polanski) which shares the core story of the film, "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly", "For a Few Dollars More" (Sergio Leone), John Ford westerns, "There Will be Blood" (Paul Thomas Anderson) in terms of lighting, and great characters based on such icons as John Huston (in Chinatown), Lee Van Cleef's in For a Few Dollars More, which in Rango is the very bad Rattlesnake Jake. and, yes, Clint Eastwood as "the Spirit of the Desert", poncho and all. Clint Eastwood rose to fame thanks to the Sergio Leone's "spaghetti westerns" known as the Dollars Trilogy.

A couple of more references I saw were to "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" by Terry Gilliam, (And oh, a wink to Star Wars, of course) I am sure there are other direct references I missed, see if you can find them!

In short it is a film fest, definitely watch it! Needless to say the character modeling, animation, environments, shaders and particularly the acting, etc are simply outstanding. Talking about acting, some of the characters are actually played by their actors, (like Johnny Depp) who are not only doing voice over. But the subtlety of their emotions down to the smallest twitches is a pleasure to watch.

Photographs copyright © 2011 by Paramount Pictures

Lee Van Cleef in "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", one of the great  so-called "spaghetti westerns"

2001

As this summer drew to a close I found myself going through my father's old record collection. I wasn't surprised by anything I found until I got to the bottom of the second box and found the soundtrack to 2001: A Space Odyssey. I couldn't wait to listen to the soundtrack, but I had to wait until I got to school and set up my record player, seeing as how it had already been packed away. After the craze that was the first week back at school I found myself with some downtime, so I decided that it was finally time for me to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey for the first time after seeing the LP that I had packed away. I was struck by this movie. Each shot was perfectly composed, I found myself in awe of each new successive shot. The soundtrack impressed me just as much, every piece of music that was used drew upon all of the visual information and mood from the scene and amplified it perfectly. The most intense scene in the film was devoid of music, it was filled with the silence that is space. "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that." The absence of sound in that scene is what, for me at least, cemented it as one of the greatest scenes in film that I have ever seen. After the film finished, all I could think about was how glad I was that I stumbled across that record. If I hadn't, I would have most likely never taken the time to watch one of the greatest films.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARJ8cAGm6JE

Lost

Recently, after being persuaded by all of my friends, I started watching the show "Lost". I had thought of watching it before but with six seasons and 25 episodes in the first season, it was always such a huge time commitment to start it. So I guess it was now or never. I know that it has gotten plenty of mixed reviews with many people loving it and many people hating it. I ended up loving it. Granted im only through the first season, but I am hooked.

What I really like about it is the amount of character development. They make use of intensive flashbacks to get the points across of each and every characters back story and how they all tie in with each other and how they are all in each others back stories, even if only slightly. These flashbacks in turn influence how characters act while on the island and what they do while they are there. The backstories explain more and more each episode which is one of my favorite things about Lost.

I know that things get more and more ridiculous as it goes along through all six seasons, and there were ridiculous things that happened already in season 1, but once I got past that and understood that that is part of the show, everything got better. So my only complain thus far would be how far fetched some things are, but hey, that's the way the show is so if someone doesn't like it they just don't need to watch it.

capitilization And communication

there was a book i Read a Few years ago where the main character Hated the conformities of written language. she Said she felt Bad for the other letters In the sentence. now, aside From sounding mildly stupid as a principle on Her own, it make me Wonder about how capitilization Works in communication.

I'll stop that now, because it drives me insane. Call me a conformist or whatnot, but I like my capitilization. It did make me think though; what is the reason for it? How does it help our language to get our point across? And more importantly, how does that then transcend to other mediums in spoken word?

Aside from making it easy to see the start of a new sentence, capitilization can be used for emphasis. IF I WRITE IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS YOU THINK I'M YELLING. if i type in all lowercase i have the perception of being meek. When this transcends to other spoken and visual forms, capitilization takes its form through the breaths and pauses and accents the actor places in the sentence. It takes form in the director's commentary whose goal is to tell a story in the best way possible.

In many ways I think that character is wrong. She doesn't quite no what the importance is of capitilization. As for the other letters in the sentence, I don't think they mind too much.

We can't stop here, this is bat country!

It's so strange to miss class so early on in the year; in fact, it's really messing up my mindset for the semester already.  I definitely need to catch up, and fast.  It's amazing how losing out on just two hours in a lab, spending them instead revisiting lunch on the ceramic throne in my Emerson dorm, can feel like such a casualty to my learning already.  Sure, I did the usual talking to friends in the class to see what I missed, emailing professors that needed a reason for my absence, but I can't help feeling a little lost anyhow.  Have you ever noticed how anxious you get when you know that you've probably missed something important (in my case, creating a group and working on a scene), but the only thing you can really do to get back with the program is to barrel forward blindly and hope for the best?  It's definitely an awkward position, especially since we're only in our second week (I think...?).

So, instead of feeling like I'd totally lost my ground, I opted to watch a movie in between trips to the bathroom.  My first thought was to pick something off of Arturo's extra credit links, just to see what kind of hidden gems are out there, only to realize that I should probably watch something I know a bit better if I was going to be frequently running away and missing large chunks of time.  Thus, I put in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Don't know the movie?  Check out the trailer:

It's absolutely fascinating to me, as far as storylines go; who would ever dare to push human limits in such an insane way?  I've always been curious about what Thompson was thinking when he wrote this book (though I believe he wrote it based on personal experience, which then leads to even more questions).  Then, I look at the intriguing ways that they manipulated the cameras and shots in Gilliam's film, and am both amused and intrigued by it.  Certainly the effects aren't anywhere near up to par (I mean, the movie's over a decade old), but it's curious to see how such psychedelic effects could be portrayed to the audience without entirely confusing them.  Going back and forth between seeing the "trip" and reality was a good choice, in my opinion; it brings out the chaos in both characters' minds for viewers to better understand while also showing them how strangely the two men are truly acting in the world.  It's comical, yet it poses a somewhat alarming question: how far will people go just to have a little fun?

"Dexter" Season 1 Review

Recently I started watching the show "Dexter" which began in 2006. "Dexter" is a great example of the many literature to TV adaptations that now exist on television. Needless to say, "Dexter" is a wonderful show. In terms of story, the first two seasons have been fantastic. It has all the necessary twists and turns that one would expect from a show about a serial killer who only kills other murderers. The main character, Dexter, is also an incredibly well developed one, whose past is not only a mystery to the audience, but himself as well.

Some complaints I have with this show are with the supporting characters. I feel as though some of them are not very complex or well developed, and they are acting the way they are because that's how the show needs them to act. LaGuertta, the Lieutenant is one of these characters and so is Dexter's girlfriend. However, I do feel like this improves immensely later on in the second season, which I'm currently watching. Other than that, there is not much I would change.

The show uses some unique elements to present itself as one of those cinematic television shows (which is a direction I hope more and more shows start to go in; "Game of Thrones", "Breaking Bad", "Mad Men", "The Walking Dead"). The story is narrated by Dexter, which gives us some deep insight into the mind a serial killer. Narration isn't something you typically see in TV ("Scrubs" comes to mind, but not much else), and it really gives the drama and narrative some extra depth and humor as we can hear what he really thinks about the current predicament, or how emotionless he feels with his girlfriend. The lack of censorship that Showtime provides also adds a level of realism to it; the bodies are gruesome, the language is vulgar, and the blood, well, there's lots of it. All of these things add to the experience overall and make "Dexter" one of my favorite new shows.

1001 Movies You Must See

          1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die by Steven Jay Schneider is a collection of 1001 movies that various contributors believed were the most important movies to watch in your lifetime. I stumbled across this book around a year ago and I thought that it would be an interesting challenge to attempt to accomplish. 1001 movies, it can't be that much of a challenge can it? Who knows?
          The thing that I really like about the book is that in a way it's sort of a history lesson of film itself. The first movie listed in the book is A Trip To The Moon directed by Georges Melies. I'm sure many of you might recognize this film from Hugo. This was a movie that was made in 1902, over a hundred years ago and it's still considered to be a movie worth viewing. The list starts there and goes all the way up to movies coming out today. The book is a great way of literally seeing the history of film in front of you and also just enjoying many movies from the past and present.
          If anyone hasn't read or seen this book then I would highly recommend checking it out. It's pretty reasonably priced and if you buy one edition, you probably won't have to get another one.

Here's the link for it. http://www.amazon.com/1001-Movies-You-Must-Before/dp/0764164228/ref=tmm_hrd_title_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347068968&sr=8-1
         

Guilty pleasures

One of my favorite movies of all time is also one of my guiltiest pleasures. Evil Dead 2 Starring Bruce Campbell, Directed by Sam Raimi, is a cult classic horror film with terrible acting and even worse special effects. its one of those movies that if you look close enough you can see the seams in the zombie costumes.
      I love this movie because it has everything  you would want from a Cheesy horror movie. The main character is a badass who half way through the movie brandishes a chainsaw for a hand along side his sawed off shot gun.

     Every thing I know about movies should make me hate it but I don't. I love this movie. I love everything about it.

I Believe in Sherlock

As I previously mentioned in the first day of class, I am a big admirer of the British television show 'Sherlock.' I was reminded of this love while working on my London Center application essay earlier this week. Through the multiple 'Sherlock' and British blogs that I follow, I have obtained knowledge that the third season of 'Sherlock' will begin filming early in 2013 around January through April. This is the exact time that I hope to be studying abroad. Although it is a long shot, my dream would be to intern with Hartswood Films' 'Sherlock'. Even if I am unable to secure an internship, however, I have discovered that they will be filming mostly on North Gower Street in Central London and that they section off a part of the road for fans to look on. Being deeply inspired as a filmmaker by this show, just the opportunity of seeing 'Sherlock', what I think is a flawless production, in action would be incredibly inspirational.

Besides working on sets, I have found that visiting sets can be a fun experience too, to be able to see and appreciate how each set operates differently. Oddly enough, over the summer, I found myself on the set of the US version of 'Sherlock' called 'Elementary.' A friend that I had worked with on set over the summer told me that a friend of his was on 'Elementary' and that they were filming in the upper west side of NYC while I was visiting. Knowing that, I decided to check out the set and learned a lot about how differently a television set is run from a movie set. By chance I also happened to see the stars Jonny Lee Miller (Trainspotting) and Lucy Liu. Seeing the stars did not faze me, instead I could not help but think,  'How are they going to adapt the show with John Watson as a female?'

New episodes of 'Elementary' will air this fall on CBS. Unforunately, 'Sherlock' is known for 18-month hiatus' and I most likely will not be able to see a new episode for at least a year, but I know that it will be well worth the wait.

Heat

Heat is a 1995 Michael Mann film about a bank robbery crew led by a master thief who is played by Robert De Niro and a cop, played by Al Pacino who is hot on their trail after their most recent heist.  Heat also has Val Kilmer in a supporting role.  Heat is a movie that I really love and it is action packed and thrilling to the very end.  I think it has one of the best action shoot outs you can find in any bank robbery movie and I also think it has one of the best ends to a bank robbery/action movie out there.  Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are great as they go against each other.  There is a fantastic scene between Al Pacino and Robert De Niro that has fantastic tension.  It is a fantastic movie that I would really recommend seeing.  Michael Mann puts together a great story in this movie.  I am also a big fan of some of Michael Mann's other films such as Collateral and The Insider, which also stars Al Pacino.

Contact (film)

First off I would like to say that I am a sucker for a good sci-fi/thriller movie. With that said, yesterday I saw the movie Contact starring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey (directed by Robert Zemeckis).  The film follows Dr. Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster) and her struggle to prove the existence of extra terrestrial life.  After finally picking up conclusive radio proof of intelligent aliens, the Ellie's life changes forever.  Trying not to give away too much of the plot, I would like to say that while bordering on the realm of science fiction, Contact is a movie that makes you ponder the impossible.  Not only did it make me realize how tiny and insignificant are might be, but it also made me realize how precious and valuable we are as human beings.  Anyways, from a film making stand point, the film was beautiful and engaging. I was literally in awe in some scenes. If you are interested in the sci-fi/thriller genre you should definitely watch this movie. Or if you enjoy movies that make you think, this movies for you too.

The Hunger Games (Movie)

The other day, I watched the move, The Hunger Games, with my friends.  I had read all the books and frankly, was in love with them.  I'd seen the movie before, but decided that this time, I would watch it from an analytical film perspective rather than judging it on how much different it was then the book because frankly, no movie can capture an entire book or book series perfectly as we've seen many times (Harry Potter, Twilight, ect.).

I loved the DIY approach that Gary Ross took when shooting the movie by having most of the movie shot "hand held" which most feature length blockbuster movies never do.  I noticed very quickly that whenever the scene was taking place in a high tense situation or an impoverished area, everything was shot hand held and the editing was extremely fast jump cuts and very bare bones from an editing perspective.  This puts the audience in a certain mood I could tell from watching it.  It became even more noticeable during the few scenes that were in the rich capitol where every shot was either a tripod, steady cam, or jib type shot with extremely smooth cutting from an editing stand point.  Everything was very refined and more typical of most blockbusters to show the wealth of the area they were in.

They way this movie was shot was very different in my opinion from most blockbuster type large budget movies and from that aspect, I thought the movie excelled.  They did a great job of capturing the "indie feel" that the book had been written in.  There also isn't a ton of music in the movie which I think is very important because most of the "districts" didn't have any organized music so it wouldn't make sense with the story.  The only songs were folk type songs which was cool because they were sung by the actors and no instrumentals.  It was very affective in that sense as well.

Overall, it was a well done movie in my personal opinion from a film perspective.  I enjoyed the indie look because that is personally the style that I am drawn to.

Tyler Chadwick

My Kevin Costner Obsession

My dad doesn't always watch movies... But when he does, he watches Kevin Costner movies.

As a kid growing up, I didn't have the attention span to make it through a single one. I have recently made it my mission to watch all the movies he has ever produced, directed, and/or starred in, though. This may take me a while, as his movies all seem to be approximately 4 hours long. 

If you looked at ratings by Rotten Tomatoes, Kevin Costner has definitely had some big hits, and some even bigger misses. However, I find that some of the movies with the lowest ratings seem to be some of my favorites. For example, The Postman. Rotten Tomatoes critics gave it a whopping 9%, but I prefer to call it a masterpiece. Costner both directs and stars in this movie, where a makeshift postman reunites a post-apocalyptic America by delivering mail. Maybe an odd concept to wrap one's head around, but I dont want to spoil the movie for those who may actually read this post and have the intrest of watching it. 

Kevin Costner's typical style defies Hollywood norms. He makes movies as long as they need to be, rather than editing them down to a more appealing length for the general public. In some cases, his movies turn out twice the length of a typical feature film. Another rule he seems to break is to choose factual details rather than bending the truth to make more drama and/or action, shown best in his movie entitled "Wyatt Earp" that shows the life of the horse thief turned lawman of the Wild West. This is a risky style to follow, but I like how different he is and I havent come across a Costner movie that I wholeheartedly disliked. His differing style that leads to spectacular movies (in my opinion) is my inspiration for breaking the rules, and finding something outside of normal that is still appealing to at least a small portion of viewers. 

I encourage you all to IMDb Kevin Costner and watch at least one of his films. 

-Scott Walle

One day three movies

So yesterday I didn't have very much going on so I decided to watch a movie, and I ended up watching three by the end of the day.

So the first movie I watched was Philadelphia.  After seeing the segment of Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington in class I knew it was a movie I had to watch.  The movie follows the court case of Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) a lawyer who was fired because he contracted the aids virus.  It is a story that portrays the negative inclination towards homosexuals and aids victims.  This was probably my favorite out of the three movies I watched.  The films ability to play on the audiences emotions is fantastic.  The character development and the talent of the actors creates such a personal connection to everyone in the film.  The many close ups of faces during intense emotional scenes just sells it and you have no choice but to put yourself in the courtroom.

The second movie I watched was Dr. Strangelove or: how I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.  This movie made in 1964, is about an incident that sparks a nuclear war between Russia and the United States.  The part of the film I loved the most was the role(s) of Peter Seller.  Peter Seller played three different roles in the movie, and all of them different personalities or even nationalities.  One other thing I enjoyed about the film was the lack of cuts.  There were large pieces of the movie that were only one shot.  I felt this allowed the scene to unfurl on its own, something you would not frequently see these days.

Lastly I watched the movie Blade Runner.  This was a movie I had always wanted to see but never had a chance to so I figured why not.  This movie stars Harrison Ford as a "blade runner" (basically a police officer) who is supposed to track down and kill genetically engineered humans, which are illegal in the movie.  The part of this movie that impressed me the most was the visuals.  The entire movie except the last scene takes place at night, in the rain, in a futuristic city.  I just couldn't get over how well all the lights and colors went together.  There were always a neon color hue, and when there weren't, scenes that took place in homes and such, there were many moving lights to represent the light from outside.  The illusion of the lights of passing cars shining through holes in the wall added a particular mood and added to the overall image of the film.

Overall I would say it was a good day.  I enjoyed all the movies I saw and I am now inspired to start watching more movies I have always wanted to see.  I am in the process of getting Citizen Kane so who knows, maybe the next blog will be about that.

Robert Cannon

The Notebook

I'm one of those people who like to watch super action movies that have blood and gore and guns and shooting and all that awesome stuff. However, I decided to please my girlfriend with a movie that I didn't exactly have on my "Must Watch" list: The Notebook. Now I know that you're probably laughing because The Notebook is nothing like the movies I usually watch, but I won't lie to you; it wasn't that bad of a movie. I was very impressed on how the movie ended up being played out and how they utilized all of the emotion that was put into it as well as the time period that they chose to make the movie take place in. 

Granted, I did watch this romantic movie with my girlfriend, which gave it a little more of a plus because I had someone to relate it to and hold in my arms while I watched it, but I honestly think that it was a pretty good movie. I especially liked the ending. How they put it all together in the end with the two elderly people in the home which ended up being the two of them many years later. He used the notebook in order to be able to read to her when she got ill so she would try and remember because he felt as if his love was still inside and was just wasn't able to come out at all times. She didn't remember much, but after the notebook was read to her, she remembered who he was, who their kids were, and how much she loved him. 

And I can't believe I'm about to admit this, but I cried at the end when they both died holding each others hands. That must have been one of the best ways to end a romance movie because it shows true love between two people that loved and then lost and then found their way back to each others arms just to be able to be with each other again and die together to be with each other for eternity.

First Film.....Old Camera.

Most modern technologists and filmmakers would laugh at the sight of this old 8mm Camcorder H460. While some may laugh, others will know that this was the first camera I used as a child to make my first movie. I spent the other night looking through old baby films and old childhood things lying around in my basement, but couldn't come upon the film I made with this old camcorder. It must be in my childhood belongings in California with my dad.

My parents bought this 8mm Camcorder H460 in 1991, two years before I was born. from what I have seen from old VHS' is that they would use this camcorder to record family events like Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays, etc. When I was born, everything changed. The camera was used for nothing but for my "so called cute baby things I did." When I looked through these old films, I mean what I say that my parents recorded almost every little thing I did. Whether it was walking, sitting, sleeping, singing, laughing, playing, bathing, even going to the bathroom for crying out loud, they recorded every day of my child years till I was 4 when my parents got divorced.

4 or 5 years later, I borrowed the camera from my mother and made my first "movie." I say this in quotation because as a 7 to 8 year old, I just filmed two friends having a light saber battle from the film Star Wars. What wasn't a movie, but a long recording of a fighting scene turns into a "million dollar movie" in the eyes of a child of that age.

Since I was only 7 or 8, I wasn't aware of the different camera shots and angles that I have learned about the past few years. It was only a wide shot with a number of different pans that followed the talents fighting with their green and red light sabers. As much as I look back on it today, I laugh myself thinking "wow, I just made a fantastic scene from a movie and this will make me rich." If I was to record the same exact scene today from the famous franchise of all time, I would definitely be using more of the special camera techniques (shots, angles, etc.) that I have learned thus far in my college career.

A Surprised Movie Addict

On my trip to Virginia Beach this summer, I was squished into the backseat of my mom's Buick with my two nieces. With their iPods an inch away from their faces and their headphones softly leaking music and dialogue, I watched as their eyes filled with wonder and disappeared into whatever world their movies were taking them. I can not even begin to tell you how many times I caught them watching  The Lorax or Puss In Boots. That is the funny thing about children. They can sit through an hour to an hour and a half long movie, turn around to their parents and say, "Can I watch it again?" At one point during our twelve hour car ride I whispered to my mom and my brother, "I can't believe they are watching that movie again!" My brother, who is twelve years older than me, just laughed. He continued to recount how when I was their age I did the same exact thing with my movies at home. Well. That put me in my place for certain. I recalled going through my old picture books and seeing some pictures of my four or five year old self, laying on the floor staring up at the moving pictures on the TV. 

I loved watching movies when I was young, and as the years flew by, that love never vanished. I eventually developed a passion for reading novels (I read fifteen or sixteen different ones this summer!), but I never get tired of movies. Even television shows, although I'm a little picky when it comes to this kind of entertainment. When I was little, and today as well, I was quite an oddity I think. Instead of waking up in the morning and putting on cartoons, I would put the channel to TVLand. I loved Get Smart, I Dream of Genie, I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show, Bonanza, MacGyver, and the list goes on and on. 

By the time I was a senior in High School, I thought that I had a pretty good movie and TV show library in my head. I had even watched the Behind the Scenes footage from Lord of the Rings (my favorite movie) directed by Peter Jackson, and I think by then, even Behind the Scenes from Avatar directed by James Cameron, and many others. Then my world was completely changed by one thing. Netflix. Not only did Netflix have a billion movies and shows I hadn't seen (or heard of) that you could rent, it also allowed you to stream some of those movies right online! It was thanks to this discovery that by my freshman year in college I was a pro at browsing through Netflix in search of my new favorite movie. This is still my addiction today. Recently, I have gotten hooked on movies set in 19th century England, such as North and South directed by Brian Percival, Pride and Prejudice (the 1980 TV miniseries), Mansfield Park (1999) directed by Patricia Rozema, and again, the list could go on and on. I have also watched different TV shows on Netflix including Downton Abbey, Lost, and Robin Hood (2006 TV series). 

By this point in my life, I was again content with my new expanded range of movies and shows. I had even enjoyed Charlie Chaplin when I went with my friend to France. We stayed with her grandparents in Antibes, and her grandfather loved Charlie Chaplin. My friend translated later of course, but her grandfather said that Charlie Chaplin was the best because it didn't matter what language you speak, everyone can understand and laugh along. He was right. I also took a course called Bollywood while I was in college, and we watched films ranging from Jab We Met (which I recommend because it is amazing!) directed by Imtiaz Ali to I've Loved You So Long (another great movie!) directed by Philippe Claudel. 

Yet, I am continually shocked by how small my knowledge of movies is still. Even though I watch movies on Netflix all the time, (Seriously, sometimes I watch three movies in a row. Don't worry I still have a life.) somehow I am still in the dark when it comes to the classics. In class this week we were asked if we had seen several different films for examples. I don't think I raised my hand once. This was such an eye opener for me. 

So, since I am heading into a career where it is important to know and see other people's work, I have decided to watch as many movies on the list that Professor Sinclair provided for us on the blog page. Through all this I have learned that it doesn't matter how many movies or TV series you have watched, you will never have seen enough. The learning process never stops throughout life. Just like my nieces, I have to be prepared to watch, watch and watch some more. Not only for entertainment, but in order to learn and become more knowledgeable. 

~Amber Capogrossi

Patron Initiated Reservations and The Criterion Collection

Thursday afternoon, I attended an ICTV producer’s meeting in which we discussed Park’s new Patron Initiated Reservations system. Being able to make equipment and location reservations online is an incredible convenience! I want to familiarize myself a little more with the PIR system, so I’ll begin to set up Game Over’s recurring reservations for the semester. 

After talking about silent movies in class, I wanted to find a handful of films to watch as a nice break from “talkies.” I decided to start by going online to The Criterion Collection, which is a wonderful resource that not only distributes classic films, but has information on films in the form of film essays, articles and photo galleries. I’m currently reading about the Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu and his silent film A Story of Floating Weeds, which he actually remade in color. Out of curiosity, I’d like to view both versions of the film.

Another interesting feature of The Criterion Collection is their assortment of various celebrities’ Top 10 lists. I looked at the musician Adam Yauch’s Top 10 list, who’s selections include films by Akira Kurosawa and Wes Anderson as well as Federico Fellini, who I believe was mentioned in class. After A Story of Floating Weeds, I think I’m going to watch Fellini’s Nights of Cabiria. Unfortunately, The Criterion Collection website lists it as being out of print, but I’ll see if I can’t find it somewhere!

Photography and Videography

Photo and video.

Yes, they are two completely separate beasts. One freezes a memory into a single frame while the other records its entirety.

Some schools of thought think that video triumphs all — you can view things in real time, never missing a single emotion. Others believe that photography is more traditional and can be more powerful if done right. Are these purists right? That depends who you ask.

I have worked with both photo and video for a fair amount of time (well, for being a 19-year-old that is): about nine years doing video and about three in photo. Ever since the third grade I have been mystified by video. I took classes in middle and high school to further improve my skills. I have learned how beautiful of an art videography can be, both by creating and consuming it for almost my whole life. I was 100% in the "video is better than photo" mindset.

Everything all changed once I purchased my first DSLR. I'll admit first off that I did not but my Canon T2i for  photographic uses; it was all for video. Once I got rolling, however, I realized how majestic photography can be. Even going out into your backyard can bring about some amazing shots. This photo was one of the first I took with my camera. I love it: the flowers blooming from dead leaves, a bee precariously perched on the purple plant, everything. I'm not saying that video wouldn't be able to pick us these same things, but seeing it as a still adds some charm and pleasure to it. It's also easier to view it as a single shot, rather than in a video.

I do not think that one is superior to the other. Both photo and video have their strengths and weaknesses. Knowing about one can really help you with the other. Getting interesting angles, correcting white balance, and adjusting exposure are needed in each. Knowing where to look for the perfect shot is something that I personally found helpful in my transition to photo from video (I still do both currently, in a matter of fact).

Video was born from photo, and its silly to argue over the superior one (if that argument even exists). I look forward to expanding my skills and both, and translating the skills gained from one to the other.

Silent Films

Since we touched upon silent films a bit in class yesterday, I figured I would talk about the first silent film I've ever seen. I first started watching classic films as a child. My father is a huge film buff and whenever he had time off from work, I would always find him watching some black and white film that was either on the Turner Classic Movie channel or a selection from our extensive DVD collection (or VHS back when I was younger). I always used to join my father in an attempt to just plainly spend more time with him, but the more and more I watched, the greater appreciation I cultivated for the films themselves. However, I always used to bow out whenever a silent film was on -- I simply couldn't understand why anyone would want to watch a movie without any sound or dialogue. This was my thought process until one time I walked into the room to see who i now know as Charlie Chaplin shuffling around on screen with his bowler hat and cane, as he tried to talk a man from committing suicide. His pantomiming along with the music and title cards were perfectly timed so what what could have been a very tragic scene in another film, was simply comedic in this one. I was instantly entranced, and ever since then have grown to enjoy silent films. I can thank Charlie Chaplin's City Lights for that.

- Melanie Saitta

Live Television

When I was in high school, starting my sophomore year, I took a communications course for three years. Because of this course I got involved in our morning news group, where I started off as an anchor and some days a camera man. I used to like being on the television every morning, except for the part where I had to watch myself. My junior year I got more involved in the behind the scenes stuff, where I started doing the switchboard and putting up graphics. I quickly found that I was better and enjoyed this job a lot more than being an anchor. During my senior year I began taking the teacher's job  for the morning announcements and directed it and did some field work for it. In high school I thought I would always be a live television person because I was really good at it. We went to a few television stations in my area also, places like Fox and CBS. As much as I don't care for Fox news, they have a really nice studio and nice people working there. I was really amazed by all of the cameras they had, how they did the weather, and how some of them dressed. The weatherman for example wore his nice button up shirt and tie, but he also wore shorts since no one could see his pants. Another cool thing that I learned this summer that I wish I had known back then was that the director for the CBS station is an Ithaca graduate.
With all of that said, I don't like live studio work anymore. I took an introduction to live studio course last year and I felt way too stressed. I prefer field work more because you can mess up and you can easily just re-tape it. I have also been editing with all kinds of software since sophomore year of high school.

Shooting on a DSLR

          Some videos like "Reverie" by Vincent Laforet, "Tick Tock" by Ien Chi, and most recently Act of Valor really captured my attention. There are a bunch of other short films I have seen on YouTube that are of really good quality and seem really professional. These video as I learn have been shot on DSLR's. What makes them stand out against other affordable cameras is the low light abilities. Other features that I liked is the amount of manual control on them and the ability to put different lenses on the body. 

          So over spring break I visited the person I interned for in senior year. He runs the TV station in my hometown. So I asked on advice for what type of camera to get, because I wanted my own and an upgrade from my Nikon D3000. The advice he gave me was buy the best body I can afford and then a cheap lens like the Canon 50mm F/1.8. And then for important projects just rent cinema lenses for the high quality. So that is what I did to a degree.

          I am starting to learn filming on DSLR's since I got one towards the end of the summer. I've only had two chances to film with it so far. So far I am very pleased with how they turned out and how everything performed. I got a neutral density filter so I can maintain low depth of field and it worked well outside. I was able to do a pretty good job considering I had no tripod or audio equipment, aside from an iPhone. The only thing I really slipped up on was not setting the white balance, but since it wasn't for a project or job I'm ok with that. Also I filmed two quick projects in the same day over a six hour span with unpaid-non-professional talent, so if I took extra time on it, they would have gotten really annoyed.

          I am looking forward to what I can produce from this camera, I have high expectations for myself and it. The last thing I want to share is a bit of DSLR humor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEwUnENlc9M&feature=player_embedded

James Majeau

Fiction Field for My self

I have to admit taking Fiction Field 1 as a sophomore is intimidating. I cannot help but feel under qualified and out classed by those around me even though I have not seen their work yet. But being  out classed is a perfect opportunity to rise to the occasion and better yourself and that is what I intend to do. Being able to study under Arturo Sinclair whose name I have heard Associated with the park school since before I was enrolled.

Even though i love the industry I have always had anxiety about not being quite good enough to hack it. So I am taking this class as my opportunity to prove to my self that I do have What it takes and no amount of sleep deprivation  or stress will stop me.

Moonrise Kingdom

In my small suburban town in New Jersey, there is a theatre that plays only low budget films; the movies that wouldn’t exactly be a blockbuster hit. This past summer I saw a lot of great independent films there: To Rome with Love, Friends with Kids, etc. But one movie I saw I am still thinking about today. And that movie is Moonrise Kingdom. I did go into this movie a little biased since I love Wes Anderson and the cast also drew me in; Bill Murray, Ed Norton, Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand. The movie blew me away, it exceeded my expectations. It takes place in 1965 and stayed authentic to it’s time throughout the whole movie. The costuming was detailed, and the soundtrack was flawless. The island that the characters lived on was beautifully designed and it didn’t confuse me at all, and made sense location wise. 

Moonrise Kingdom is about two preteens who fall in love with each other via snail mail and attempt to runaway together. Their romance is only one aspect of this plot, with the chaos of the dysfunctional adults handling the situation making up much of the story. (Bill Murray of course played his usual depressing, alcoholic character who is the father of Suzy.)  Sam, the male protagonist is an orphaned boy scout living on an island with his troop for the summer. Although his romance with Suzy was adorable, I wasn’t too fond of Sam. It’s usually very hard for me to enjoy a movie when I can’t sympathize or relate to the main character however, the other characters made up for his lack of connection. 

Basically, I highly recommend this movie to anyone who hasn’t seen it. It’s not only aesthetically pleasing but the hilarious quirky characters make this movie very enjoyable. 

The War Room

Dr. Strangelove or how i learned to stop worrying and love the bomb.

This movie holds a strange place in my heart it is one weird movie ( it is directed by Stanley Kubrick). I first saw Dr. Strangelove in 7th grade and liked it but at the age of 13 missed out on some of the more adult imagery and many of Kubrick's stabs at the world. but it is not the strange character names and great quotable lines like the one at the end of this video that draw me to this movie. It is the amazing things that happened behind the scenes.

         There is a story about the set for the cockpit of the bomber where most of the film takes place. The story goes that the pentagon didn't allow any members of the set design team to look at the interior of the bomber that was being recreated for the film all that they had was one photo. after touring the set and looking at the replica that had been created pentagon officials commented that every detail on the prop bomber was nearly perfect down to the classified radio code transmitter. This brought about the fear that some of the folks working to build the set had not stuck to the rules and Kubrick began to fear an FBI investigation. no investigation was ever formalized and the movie went on to finish production.

It is the small things like this in films and the strange quirks that come from talking to film makers that makes film and television so interesting to me. I live for directors tracks on films and even more so the other personnel. hearing the stories about how a shot was done or something that went wrong shrinks the sometimes huge silver screen down to a much more manageable size.