Blog Assignment 4

Our original idea was to make a video Halloween themed since when we were originally assigned the project it was close to Halloween. The video would had been the "Do's and Don'ts" of Halloween where I would play a Trick 'r Treater presenting what should and shouldn't be done in a "Goofus and Gallant" style scenario. Unfortunately only 3 of the 5 people in our group seemed to agree on a certain time to meet up and film and even then it was difficult to get a hold of everyone. After we spent a day of shooting for the video and the assignment being due in less than 2 days, the video idea was scrapped and the focus was now changed to a podcast where 2 of our teammates discussed their favorite horror films.

What worked was the chemistry between the two spokes people. If the audio was a bit tidier, I'd say this would be a pretty good team for an actual podcast show.

What didn't work was our original video idea which sadly is now gathering virtual dust in someone's ipad. If I were to change anything about the final product of this project I'd say it would be continuing focus on the video because we were sharing some really funny ideas and I think it would've been fun to finish it all the way.

Click here to watch the video:


https://youtu.be/yddXJV1h0S4

Another Stop Motion Test

 

Here's another test in stop motion I did. As you can probably tell, endings are a nightmare for me to come up with so I just end with whatever random nonsense that comes to mind. Nevertheless, ENJOY!

One Picture, One Word

For the "One Picture, One Word" project I looked among pictures I took of my Halloween Costume, "Homeless Spiderman" as a subject. Pictures I took included the following:

Of all the pictures I liked the one best so I took it, brightened the colors, and added the text "Halloween" to emphasize to viewers that this was my Halloween costume. The result was this:

 

 

Stop Motion Test

This is an animation test in stop motion that I wanted to share. Take warning that it is really crude (as in cheap and not flowing) animation and in all honesty isn't something I'd send to Hollywood or anything. Enjoy!

Ed Wood (1994) Critique

               Tim Burton’s 1994 film “Ed Wood” is one of those films that received a following from lovers of films and those who love making films, and that’s no surprise. “Ed Wood” has a ton of heart, charming humor, brilliant casting, and is over all a pretty dang good movie to boot. The film details the true story of Edward D. Wood Junior (played by Johnny Depp), a man who dreams of becoming one of the great film directors like that of Orson Wells. Unfortunately Ed’s enthusiasm and childlike excitement for film making doesn’t make him quality “grade-A” director material and he receives the title of “World’s Worst Director”.The film details how he received his first job as director of the infamous box office flop “Glen or Glenda” in which he also performs as the main character, Glen, who is a cross dresser and by the end of the film changes his sex. He continues by self producing and directing his next film “Bride of the Monster”, another critically panned film with a hilariously fake looking squid. Finally, the film ends with Ed and his friends attending the premier of his most infamous film: the cult classic “Plan 9 From Outer Space”. During his misadventures he befriends Bella Lugosi (played by Martin Landau) whom at this point in his life was an unemployed morphine addict. The two share a friendship and Ed casts Bella in all his movies until Bella’s death. Other people Ed befriends in the movie include Vampira a failed television horror hostess, Chriswell a phony television and radio psychic, Tor Johnson the unintelligible Swedish wrestler, a group of Baptist priests who are shocked by Ed Wood’s antics, and so many more. While the plot of the film may be slightly embellished when compared to the real story of Ed Wood’s life, the spirit of what kind of a person he is lives on in the movie and shines through.

               One of the greatest aspects of the movie is the casting of both Ed Wood and Bella Lugosi, played by Johnny Depp and Martin Landau respectively. Before it became a laughable cliché to have Johnny Depp star in every Tim Burton film, he shines as the always optimistic Ed Wood. It’s said that the wife of the real life Ed Wood visited the film set while the movie was still filming and as soon as Johnny Depp walked on set and started to go over his lines, she said to Tim Burton “That’s my Eddie!”. Ed Wood is the underdog of this story. You want to see him achieve his dreams and you sympathize with him. He has such an honest love for film making to the point where his excitement to make a film gets in the way of making the movie good, which is tragically hilarious. Now as for Martin Landau as Bella Lugosi; If one did not know that Martin Landau was under all that makeup, one would honestly think the real Bella Lugosi had risen from the grave to perform in front of a camera again. Everything from the look, voice, and mannerisms all seem 100% like the real authentic Bella Lugosi. Both characters are what really make the movie work.

 

               The movie also has a brilliant and unique look. The first thing one will notice is that the entire film is in black and white, obviously to recreate the look of most films released during Ed Wood’s time. Also during the scenes where we see Ed Wood directing one of his infamous films, the sets, costumes, and props are lovingly recreated to almost match the real Ed Wood films one on one. There is a video on Youtube which puts scenes from the movie Ed Wood and scenes from one of Ed Wood’s films side by side to compare them. Even the first scene you see is a loving reference to Ed Wood’s films. It begins in an old haunted house where Chriswell rises out of a coffin and gives a cryptic warning to the audience asking if they are brave enough to witness the story of Edward D. Wood Junior. This references both “Plan 9 From Outer Space” where Chriswell gives the audience a cryptic warning about how “shocking” this film is, as well as well as Wood’s later films like “Orgy of the Dead, a snuff film where Chriswell narrates the events of the film.

                Another great touch is the use of music in the film. The score by Howard Shore, also famous for his excellent work on composing the music for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, is wonderfully quirky and perfectly emulates the film genre’s Ed Wood tried to make. However, there are two particular tracks that add a whole new level of heart to the film. During scenes where something tragic happens to Bella Lugosi, you’ll hear “Swan Lake” playing. This is important because “Swan Lake” also plays during the main titles of “Dracula” starring Bella Lugosi! The other track is the main theme of Ed Wood’s film “Glen Or Glenda?”. This tune is heard whenever something romantic or triumphant happens with Ed Wood and becomes his own theme in the movie. The main instrument that plays from beginning to end that also leaves the biggest impression is the Theremin. It’s inclusion in “Ed Wood” is genius since no better instrument exists that better emulates the cheap B sci-fi films from the 50’s than the Theremin.

               There could not possibly be a better pick for director for this film than Tim Burton. Tim Burton always has a theme a social outcast in his films, like “Batman”, “Edward Scissorhands”, or even his short film “Vincent”. He is such an eccentric film maker and his style seems to fit “Ed Wood”. The best part Burton’s directing is that it doesn’t feel like he’s trying to shove his signature style in your face. Only in one scene where Ed goes on a date with his future wife do you get see something that looks like what you’d expect to see in a typical Tim Burton film. The scene takes place during a carnival where Ed and Kathy go into a “spook house” where the roller coaster vehicle they ride in and some of the “spooks” they see look like something out of “Nightmare Before Christmas” rather than anything from the rest of the movie. Other than that scene, there’s not much else that make “Ed Wood” feel like the typical movie that put the signature “Tim Burton Style” first before plot.

               In the end, “Ed Wood” is a triumphant film that praises following you’re dreams and enjoying what you do. Even if Ed Wood’s films never were the critical or box office hits that he may have wanted, his passion and love of film making rings true in this film and calls out to other aspiring artists who fight to have their visions fully realized for everyone to witness. As Orson Welles tells Ed Wood in the movie, “Ed, visions are worth fighting for. Why spend your life making someone else’s dreams?”

What if "Pan" sucks?

I don't know about you but I had some excitement for the 2015 reimagining of Peter Pan. This probably is because I loved the story and lore of Peter Pan since I was a child, and the idea of seeing another reinterpretation of Peter Pan excited me. I admit I had some concerns when I first saw the trailers. For example: Why the hell is Rooney Mara playing Tiger Lily?! It's been legendary on how with each interpretation of Peter Pan, there was always some racial controversy over how each iteration uses the Native American based tribe that appears in each film. Some adaptations, like Hook, ignored them and didn't even show them at all. From what I hear, rather than being Native Americans in this adaptation, they are a tribe that is native to Neverland and that they incorporate different races instead. Well that's fine and all, but I still ask WHY IS ROONEY MARA AS TIGER LILLY THEN?!? It's great that you want to have a more racially diverse cast, but why take the one racially diverse character and make her white? That logic fails in my opinion. Other than that though from what I saw in the trailers it looks like Hugh Jackman is having a ton of fun as the villainous Blackbeard, and the effects seem colorfully magical and whimsical (except for those "Neverbirds". They look like something out of Pixar), and the trailers were really cool.

HOWEVER, there are a few concerns I have before going into the movie when I see it this weekend other than the aforementioned casting of Rooney Mara: why is the character of James Hook a cowboy-like charmer who befriends Peter? Why does Rooney Mara look so god damn silly under all that make up? Why is "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Blitzkrieg Bop" listed in the official soundtrack? All these questions give me pause, as well as some of the reviews I've seen from those who watched early screenings such as IGN.com and Schmoes Know.

Now that I've listed some concerns, what if "Pan" gets panned (pun intended) by critics and fails to fly in the box office? Well I doubt it will kill any adaptations of Peter Pan since the book is public domain and carries a recognizable brand name character that in my opinion kind of needs to be retold every so many years. I do believe if it does fail critically and financially, it will certainly slow down any retellings of fairy tale retellings for a while. It's not likely it will kill the fantasy genre either. It'll take a small break while Super Hero films keep on raking in money and then find a resurgence when the time is right and audiences are ready.

"Pan" flies to theaters on October 9th, 2015


Oh yeah, you're probably wondering about "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in Pan, right? Here's a link. Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/BImwyyCm6j8

Helen Mirren Says Arms Around Girls = "Ownership"??

So a few days ago, British actress Helen Mirren stirred a bit of controversy with her thoughts on when she sees a male and female couple together and the male has his arm around the female. She went on to say “It annoys me when I see men with an arm slung round their girlfriend’s shoulders. It’s like ownership. Of course, when you’re young, you want the guy to take your hand and look after you.

"But when I see girls being leaned on, I want to say, 'Tell him to get his damned arm off your shoulder'."
This caused many people, including females, to speak out against Mirren's comments and I'm compelled to give my own two cents as well seeing as how I am one of those males who when I'm in a relationship with a girl tend to put my arm around her shoulder too.

First off, I strongly disagree with Helen's comments, though in a way I see where she's possibly coming from. In high school I've known some girls who just wanted a male companion to whisk them away, hold them close, etc. And unfortunately there are still males out there who will just see females as something to have rather than something to know. In college I've witnessed to a couple of these types of people. However, Mirren isn't targeting these specific people since in her comments she's made clear that she means ALL couples, as if all the different types of couples are all being generalized into one stereotype: The young daydreaming girl with the dumb male who sees her as something he owns.

Here's the thing, Helen Mirren...Not all couples are the same. Trust me, I've known many different girls in my young life and I still haven't seen any that were remotely alike. Also, I think Helen is confusing what she's seeing as "ownership" and "affection". Physical contact is common among couples because they want to get closer together both in the emotional, mental, and physical sense. It's what differentiates romantic relationships with friendships. I also find it odd that Helen targets men putting their arms around women's shoulders. I once dated a girl who put HER arm around MY shoulder. Did that mean she saw me as her property? Maybe. But all poor attempts at humor aside, I must ask what about Helen Mirren's husband?

This is a picture of Helen Mirren with her husband, Taylor Hackford. Notice his arm is around her back. True, that's not her shoulder but I couldn't find the picture where she had rested her hand on his chest. Is this not what Helen Mirren considers "ownership" also? What is so different from when Helen Mirren is ok with her husband showing her affection by holding her close and yet THIS picture "annoys" her?

This double standard nonsense confuses and annoys me at the same time. I sometimes fear of what will next be considered "ownership" by biased people who feel the need to complain about something that doesn't affect them at all. Perhaps hugging will now be considered "ownership? Or how about kissing? Holding hands? There's a difference from empowering women and telling them "leave room for Jesus" in a way that doesn't help anyone at all.