Monday, December 9, 2013

Moon

This was one of my favorite films of the semester. With so many similarities to previous we watched throughout the semester, like 2001 and Another Earth, it was cool to watch and point out things that we have seen before. I enjoy films with very few characters, such as buried. It may not have been the best movie ever, but it really shows how good an actor is. Which is what Sam Rockwell did in this film. I haven't really seen him do his own movie before, and after seeing this i would like to see him do something alone again.

Moon was so creative and scary, especially when both clones meet each other. From that point, I actually guessed the rest of the movie in my head (I was pretty proud), but since I guessed it, it made me think the movie was too expected.

The film was about a man who finds out he is a clone by being saved by another woken up clone. Eventually, the newest clone beats the system and escapes to earth. Knowing they only have about three years to live, they don't want to stay anymore and want to go home to earth.
It gets pretty sad watching this man who really has nothing... then have to watch him die.

Visually it was pleasing. I think it was funny how we didnt really see much of the moon itself, only the inside of the space station. But it was nice to see so much of the space station. It felt spacy and the audience really got to experience most of it.

Final Writing Assignment

Sam Piscopo
December 9, 2013
Final Writing Assignment
Art 441
The Perfect World

It is 2014, and scientist Shannon Mahoney shares her and her crew's latest revolutionary discovery at a press conference. The last 15 years, Mahoney and her co-workers have put diseases in a slower more controlled environment by sending infected subjects into space where time appears to move slower. Mahoney continues to explain that they have been able to slow down the disease progression allowing more time for bodies to react and form a synthetic antibody cure for all diseases that affect the human body.

As the press conference continues, a reporters asks if the allegations that this cure could cause harm to the human reproductive system are true. Mahoney, looking over at the senator, Jeff Casey, explains that their studies have shown there is a diminished chance of natural human reproduction after administering the cure, although the cure itself does not cause impotence.

As cameras flash and hands from reporters shoot up, Jeff Casey stumbles up next to Mahoney to explicate the government's support towards the cure. He guarantees that the United States government health care plan will make it possible for every family that wants children to receive artificial inseminated pregnancy in the near future.

It is now 2015 and people are waiting in line to get their vaccinations for the cure. It became a mandatory requirement that everyone, including the US and European union, be vaccinated with the cure. As some people are outraged, small riots begin to break out. The government makes sure that they are to be controlled by police and other officials. Although there were many fatalities because of the new cure, everyone eventually was vaccinated.

58 years pass.

It’s year 2073, earth's human population is down 35% since the year 2013 due to the cure and lack of procreation. However, the government did not keep it's word about free universal fertility treatment. As a result, people in poor financial situations could not afford to have children slowly diminishing the poverty in the world. Building towards the perfect world where starvation and homelessness are becoming things of the past. But there is always a silver lining.

Low end jobs are losing manpower leaving the government to force a mandatory recruitment on such jobs. Parents must give their children an aptitude test that will place children in a specific class and give them a job that pertains to that class. First class being the best, and fourth class being the worst. This will fix the lack of people working in the low end jobs the country needs to survive.

A middle class family in Sacramento, California, brings home their second child, Derek, from the hospital. Karen and Steve Levy, the parents Derek and Derek's brother, Connor, question their son's eye color. Thinking they should have chosen green or blue instead of brown. Karen laughs and says their choice was perfect and so is their new born son.

About five years pass and Derek is growing up like any normal boy, talking, playing and laughing. While Steve is home from work one weekend, he shuffles through the mail finding the local census letter. Steve opens letter and enclosed in it is a personality and aptitude test given to every child in America used to determine a future career and social class. Steve calls Karen and asks why they would be sending their five-year-old child the test when they got theirs around 15 and Connor got his at age 12.

Steve and Karen are shocked, but tell Derek at dinner time that he has to help them answer a few questions. After dinner, Derek is told to stay at the table as his brother leaves to his room. As Karen reads the questions from the aptitude test, she has to reword them for Derek to understand. Derek stops his mom and shows a picture he drew of himself with blue eyes. She tell him to stop and pay attention. As she asks more and more questions, she gets frustrated by how hard they are for a five-year-old to answer. Karen gets frustrated with the test and tells Derek to go to his room. Karen and Steve agree to fill out the test on their own.

A few weeks pass, and Karen discovers a letter from the government. The letter states that Derek Levy, age 5, scored a 98% on the aptitude test and will be placed in social class 4 working in sewage management.

Shocked, Karen calls down Steve to show him the letter and she begins to call the census bureau. She gets a hold of someone in charge asking why her son was placed is such a low class when he had a high score. The woman on the phone explains that Derek scored much higher on test than most 5-year-olds. Kids his age normally score between 20-40% on the aptitude test. Apparently there was a discrepancy in the test. When our systems noticed the discrepancy, they automatically placed Derek in the lowest class. Karen doesn't respond to the woman and hangs up the phone. Steve grabs her arm and Karen says that it was their fault since she filled out the test themselves.

10 years pass.

Derek is showing amazing skills throughout middle school and high school. Although he is progressing well, his parents know where he will be placed when he turns 18. Still hesitant to tell him the truth, his parent continue to lie to Derek about his class and his upcoming profession.

One day, Karen finds the 10-year-old government letter under a pile of old papers in her closet. She starts tearing up after rereading the mistake she made. As she walks downstairs with the paper, Derek runs from his room to show her pictures of the world before and after artificial insemination. Derek then asks why she and Steve chose brown eyes instead of the more popular green or blue. She explains that no matter what color they chose, he was going to be perfect no matter what. Derek gives his mom a hug.

Karen tears up, and continues to walk downstairs. Derek is confused and asked her to tell him what was wrong. Karen sits him down and shows him the letter. In shock, Derek asks the same questions Karen asked ten years ago. After Derek receives all the answers, he goes up to his room and shuts his door. He hasn't felt such anger towards his parents before and begins to throw things around his room.

Steve and Karen barge in and grab Derek. As he falls to the ground crying, his parents hold them and say, “We're so sorry, Derek.”

Three years pass.

Derek has graduated and is working in sewage treatment. Since Karen and Steve are in class 2, they don't see much of Derek anymore. Holographic screens around Derek's job play a commercial on repeat expressing how important his work is to his country.

Derek is not happy and begins drinking a lot when he is at his apartment. Since the drinking age is now 18, beer and vodka bottles lay around the Derek's home. His home phone lays next to his bed with 13 unheard messages. As Derek continues to drink, he stares at the missed messages shaking his head and decides to fall asleep.

The next few days, Derek goes to work like any other day. Eric, an honest friend and co-worker, informs Derek that someone in their faculty committed suicide. As people mourn, Derek continues to finish his work for the day and go home.

Finally Derek decides to call his parents and talk to them about his life in class 4. They were beginning to worry that there was something wrong since he wasn't answering their calls. Derek then replies, “There is something wrong. I'm not where I'm suppose to be.” He begins to yell and hangs up. As he looks out his apartment window, he stares at a screen on another building across the way that is playing the same commercial from his job. Derek smiles, shuts the curtains and falls asleep.

It is now year 2094. A news report on Derek's television shows that suicide in the United states has risen 28% in the past fifteen years, mostly in the lower classes.

Derek's apartment is looking more torn up than ever. About 17 missed calls are flashing on Derek's phone. Meanwhile, a pounding on Derek's front door starts getting louder and louder. It's Derek's friend Eric, asking why he hasn't shown up for work or answered any calls. He grabs the key from under the mat, opens the door and sees Derek with a rope around his neck.

A week passes and few friends and family come to Derek’s funeral. As his family mourns, the casket is placed in the ground along with the picture Derek drew of himself with blue eyes.

Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Where do i begin.

This was the second installment of the Hunger Games. It was brilliant. Like Harry Potter, I refuse to read the books. I personally think movies are so much better than reading and I don't want to compare these master pieces with anything else.

This is such a powerful film, espeically for women. Like mentioned in class, someone said Katniss was not that powerful. I disagree. I think that she is extremely powerful and proves that for fighting to keep her family alive and safe. The only reason she keeps pushing as hard as she does, is for her family.

I am so fascinated with these movies because I really like powerful female leads and I also like how far out it is. I would have never thought that something like this would be so popular and to teenagers mostly. 

I think this movie did better than the first because it felt a lot more mature. The characters were older and wiser. Johanna, who was played by the wonderful Jena Malone, was probably one of the highlights of this film. She too was a powerful woman in the film who was definitely not happy about going back to the hunger games. She expressed that through curse words and yelling.
The elevator scene was probably one of the best scenes in the film.

When the film ended, both chris and I were in shock. I have not seen such a bigger cliff hanger in a film. I just can not wait until nov. 2014 to watch the third installment. I am sure it will be even better than this one.

Another Earth

This was one of the crazy ending type movies. I was not a fan of how the movie was filmed, but thats kind of expected when watching a movie with such a low budget.
The film was very long and very boring. Although the concept was interesting and different, it really lacked excitement. Again, it could have done without the sex scene. Come on... a good looking girl like that... with a guy like that. Makes me think of  the male fantasy and how real it is in so many damn movies.

This is one of the few female empowered movies we have seen this semester. Side note: I really like how gravity was such an important film with a female as the lead role. Although this was a female movie, it could have done with a male too. I don't think it would have matter who played the lead role in this. Of course, that would have meant a female character who lost her family in the crash.

Anyway, I think the movie lacked environment. It was only really filmed in her room, the school hallways and the mans house. It was a very slow film, but it was necessary for the audience to understand what was going on. Minus the stupid love scene.

I would probably avoid watching low budget sci-fi films because they really lack what sci fi films need... which would be a good set, special effects and other elements to really make a sci fi film work.

Trekkies

This documentary was more interesting than some of the actual films we watched throughout the semester. I enjoyed watching this because it really made me change my mind on how I felt about conventions in general. Although I hate star trek and anime, I respect their conventions, their costumes and whatever else is super lame to me.

I would judge them and see them as these fucking nerdy people, when really I would do the same things but with other movies, tv shows, comics, or video games. I am those people. I just didnt understand that until now.

The film followed a few different people who called themselves 'Trekkies' They collected star trek toys, items from the show/movie, etc. They go to the star trek conventions all around the US. It was interesting how many people would invest so much time into collecting and following this fiction.

What I liked most about these people is that they do not give a shit about what anyone else thinks. They can walk around dressed like any of the characters and they don't even notice if people are laughing or staring. I really liked their commitment and passion towards star trek.

I truly hate star trek, but if there were hunger games conventions, im pretty sure I would be at every single one of them. Im pretty sure i am just like one of these people. 

Fanboys

"What if this movie sucks?"

That is exactly what I asked before watching this film. I was not a fan, but it was funnier than a lot of other movies we watched this semester which was a nice change. I do like watching movies from 2000 up, so that was also a plus.

It's hard watching nerd movies with many other nerd references that I don't actually like. The ending is kind of sad since their friend doesn't live to see the star wars episode one movie, but thats what I really didnt like... how the plot surrounded that movie and how he wouldn't live to see it.

Of course, its called Fanboys and it would lack female roles in this film. I think that Kristen Bell did a good job for being probably one of few females in the film, but I might be a little bias since I think shes amazing.

I would not recommend this movie to anyone since I thought the dialog was terrible and it was a stupid plot.

Yes, it did suck.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Primer

This was a terrifying and confusing movie. After reading some reviews about the film, which helped me understand it a little more, I was interested to understand the movie in a lot more detail. If people actually had this ability, I am pretty sure it would not end up good.

People can not be trusted with this sort of power. When people have to put trust in others, it never ends up well. 'Do not mess with your double.' They are really just asking for us to mess with them. Thats like saying, dont press the only red button in front of you.
Ok...

I really like the concept of time travel. When I first saw this movie and read the reviews, it reminded me of Donnie Darko. It was an confusing film that I had to watch a few times to fully understand. AND it had to do with time travel. Although these two have very different plots, they are similar in the sense of the consequences when it comes to messing with time.

I think I really need to watch the movie again to write a good review on it.

Friday, November 22, 2013

La jetee

This was the only photo film we got to watch. I was not too interested in this type of movie nor would I be interested in the other French movie made like this. I did enjoy the plot to the movie and found it to be interesting. It was like watching something that happened back in the day with someone captioning all the pictures and adding sounds. It was a new concept that I would have never thought to do, which is why I appreciated it. But i am not going to go out of my way to watch another photo film like this.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Enders Game

What I like most about new films is how we have advanced in visual effects, and I think that Ender's game was a great example of just that. Just like Gravity, I think that this was visually pleasing as well. Unlike my friend that saw it with me, the movie kept my attention the entire time, which is a A+ in my book. Sadly, the acting was not spot on, but I guess that's what happens when you work with a bunch of children.
The movie focused on Ender, who was seen to be everyone's last hope. The academy trains him to become the best leader for their attack on the aliens. The aliens attacked and killed many people last time, and they want to prevent that from ever happening again by finishing them completely. Of course, Ender succeeds and destroys the entire planet... but sadly, he doesn't know that he killed them all since they tricked him into thinking it was a test. Eventually, Ender finds one last of their kind and travels off with it.
Sadly, after reading many reviews, there will most likely not be a second movie. I guess Orson Scott got karma for being so damn homophobic!
I really enjoyed this film. I think that it kept my attention the whole time and it was a very interesting story plot. I remember my friend reading this book back in middle school, but paid no attention since I was never interested in sci fi ANYTHING, but i might now read it since I enjoyed this so much.
Although the actors were pretty terrible, I think that they portrayed the characters well enough. Ender was a bit of an emotional boy, but i guess thats what happens when you're a genius.. child. I think there should have been a larger female population, especially since this is so far into the future. This is one thing I really do not understand about sci fi films; how is it that stories are so far in the future, yet every plot still revolves around white males? The future should have all races and plenty of women. Are we fighting for nothing? No, were fighting for everything and I think this sci fi films should really portray that. I do understand that this book was written back in the day, but nevertheless, it should portray the future and the future should have a lot more minorities in it (although there are more women then men).
Rant finished.
I give this film an A-

Starship Troopers

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Total Recall

First let me stay that this movie was probably the best one we have watched so far, mainly because it was so crazy, gory and ultra violent!

I remember my dad watching this when I was young, but he would change the channel so I wouldnt see anything 'bad.' The scene when Arnold gets into the taxi was so nostalgic because it was the only part I had any bit of memory of, but still reminded me of my dad watching such great movies. At the beginning of the film, viewers know exactly what they're in for while watching Arnolds eyes pop out of their sockets. I say the same thing with Bridesmaids! The first scene is this awkwardly hilarious sex scene - the viewer knows exactly what they're in for for the next two hours.
Although Arnorld isn't the best actor, I think that he did well portraying his character and I had no problem watching him throughout. I havent seen the new film, but I wonder why they would remake this classic anyway. Thats like someone remaking Alien. It cant be done... it shouldn't be done. Of course, all of it will be special effects too... so im sure this new Total was pretty lame.

The ideas we talked about in class, about memories and dreams, was interesting to me, because while watching the film I wasn't really thinking of how they impacted Arnold's character in the first place. Its funny to think that people want things so bad, that they would pay to believe that they actually have it/did it. Sadly, there really isn't enough time to accomplish everything we want to accomplish and see what we want to see while were alive, so I guess given the chance to experience something like he did in the film, we would take it.

The female characters were really rad in the film, especially since they knew how to take care of themselves and beat up people! Although the film was obviously sexist in some parts, they still did a good job portraying the females as tough characters. Get some, give some.

After watching old movies like this, it really makes me laugh they people back then thought we would progress so much faster (technology wise) than we really have. So looking at all of these futuristic things made me kind of laugh. We might get there one day, but we all have this silly perspective of this crazy futuristic world.

Blade Runner

I hope that I am not the only one who thought this film was a total bore? I really appreciated the effects, especially during it's time, but I was almost falling asleep and I had two energy drinks before hand. This is the second film that really had a surprising ending. I mean, was he human or not? Did the detective see his memories and his stupid unicorn thing? This was probably the only interesting part of the film to me.

The film focused on a cop who has to take down replicants and about four of them are on the run reeking havoc. He basically does all this searching for them and eventually kills three and the last guy saves his life. Although the premiss is interesting, I thought that the movie in general was just boring. There were too many slow scenes and i am pretty sure they could have done without the sex scenes. I did, however, find the ending to be questionable. I mean, who knows if he was a replicant or not.

The set of this movie was beautiful. I think the toy maker's house was amazing looking. It really made it memorable. The rain in the street scenes were also pretty amazing. I can understand why this was such a popular cult film, since it was so beautifully made... but i really didnt enjoy the plot.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

THX 1138

   What's more interesting than loud noises and white people? Anything. Of course, because of the films more interesting plots, critics and other cult fanatics are extremely attracted to this movie. Similar to 2001: A Space Odyseey, this film really makes the auidence kind of question what the hell is going on throughout the entire film. Yes, we kind of get the concept, escaping this idealistic, perfect, constructed world in order to feel different and free... But why did the filming and acting have to be so uncomfortable awkward? I sensed a bit of depression throughout the film, which kind of equaled out due to all of the vibrant white walls and clothing.
   The characters in the film were all similar when it came to emotions. This was not too interesting to me since all the characters could have been the same person in the same situation if they really wanted to be set free. The most interesting character would probably be the one black man in the film, since he seemed to have more emotion than most others... And he knew how to smile. I enjoyed his character and also enjoyed how badly he wrecked his car while driving it for about 4.2 seconds.
  I noticed the entire film was filmed inside buildings, and even the car chase was all inside. Yeah, its because they were underground. Like mentioned in the reading, at the end of the film, the sun signified freedom. It was the only time the audience saw the outside and we knew that thx was finally free and gone from that total hell hole of a life. I think it was interesting that they were all white and everything was white, which kind of meant purity. Since they didn't want any sexual activities going on down below, i think that the white kind of pinpointed that.
   Overall, the film was pretty intense and just a little weird throughout. I compared it to 2001, because it was kind of random and weird just like that. I was not a fan of this film, but I do think it was one of the more interesting films we have watched so far. It definitely kept my attention, unlike 2001 where the scenes were way too long and drawn out.

Friday, October 18, 2013

Dark Star

Unlike many of the previous films, this one was really funny and I was interested from beginning to end. Although the ending is kind of sad, I think that the rest of the movie made up for that with its humor.

In the film, we follow four hippie astronauts who are working to destroy unstable planets. Along the way, their mission is compromised by different issues happen on board. Each different astronaut tries to cope with a different problem happening, including a lose alien running around the ship.
The characters are all very charming and you can't help but love them and their personalities. If the movie was trying to be completely serious and lacked funny dialog, i'm pretty sure the film would have failed.

While watching, I noticed I felt a little claustrophobic.  Everything felt so small and tight for the astronauts. Having that many people on board, minus the one in ice, seemed kind of annoying. I would have been pretty upset working on that ship.

I think the film had major slow points and really high points. A slow one would be near the beginning when the three characters are doing their work. I didn't think it was too necessary always showing that. I think one of the best points in the film, was the fight between the alien and the astronaut. It was definitely funny. I also enjoyed the bomb/computer thing who thought he was way more powerful than he really was.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Silent Running

This was one of the first films that I ever seen combine nature and science in the matter that it does. Sadly, I was not a fan of this film... kind of because of how random and completely odd it was. I understand how it was suppose to be futurist and space-like, but I don't think it impacted me like the cult followers.
The film really focuses on saving earths last bit of life, by preserving it.

2001: A Space Odyssey

2001 was a completely terrifying film. The idea of life, death, E.T., technology, etc., were all brought into one and captured a surreal and terrifying futuristic experience. Sadly, due to slow pace of the film and the complete randomness towards the end, I found it hard to understand it's main plot and general idea.

There were so many different ideas made throughout the film. The idea of human evolution was a big part of the film, which I am assuming confused a lot of people, especially at the end. Technology played a huge role in the film, of course. It really gave that scary perspective of how it could easily take over us and take advantage of us if we allow it to.

The characters in the film were pretty monotone and uninteresting. The only interesting character was HAL, and he wasn't even a human. The ship could also be considered a character as well, since the audience got to really get the feel of it, what it looked like, how big it was, etc. It would have been interesting to add maybe some humor or more character development within the film.

What an interesting and trippy movie. I have seen this before, and I understood a lot more watching it a second time, but I was still not impressed. Like others who have critiqued this film, I had a hard time focusing and staying awake. It is too long, too boring and too slow. Personally, I like things that keep me interested and this did not do the job. A lot of the scenes were way too long and were definitely not necessary. I am pretty sure we did not have to watch the main character take out each damn memory stick of Hal! That took forever. I understand its appeal, but this is not my favorite movie and I will probably never see it again.

Planet of the Apes

I am not too sure how many remakes there are of this movie, but when I heard we were going to watch it, I automatically thought of Mark Walhbergs film, which I quite enjoyed.
I really liked this version, which is surprising because I thought I would have disliked it since it was so old and they had so many other newer remakes out there. But similar to the Mark's version, and not the 2012 version, the apes were actual costumes and NOT CGI. I love when movies use actual costumes, it makes it feel so much more real. For example, the costumes/models in Alien or The Thing make the movie 5 times more scarier and more entertaining. When I saw the new planet of the apes, all the apes were CGI. I knew what I was watching, and I knew I was watching nothing but a man in a green suit. It's not the same, and espcially does not look the same.
Since I saw the other movies first, I was obviously comparing this 1960s one to the newer versions, but this one is so original and creative. I wasn't bored at all throughout the film, which I have been with previous movies we've watched.

I think this movie could have easily scared people because it was obvious how quickly technology was growing and the possibility that this could happen, with the creation theory, probably frightened people into thinking it was actually possible. This movie also emphasized the forceful nature of man and how we have treated others, keeping people as slaves and scientific advancements. Like the newer films, I think there was a lot of symbolism in the film, including human rights, not to mention how society is kind of split into two different groups. And what do we do? We fight and we don't get along. Also, at least one side has to be the dominate one as well.

Monday, September 30, 2013

The Thing

Similar to a lot of the other films we've watched, this was also slow and kind of boring until the end. Just like Godzilla, they barely showed the monster until the end of the film! This is where the movie reached it's climax, then suddenly ended. However, this builds the suspense and drama for the audience which made it bearable. The humor in the film is what made it fun to watch, since it was mostly talking anyway.

The characters in the movie made the film, of course. They were all funny and the main woman in the film was also a lead, who helped some of the problems in the story. Although the woman is still a love interest to the main character, she was powerful and smart, unlike a lot of other films we've watched. Other characters like the lead and the photographer, were funny and entertaining throughout the film.

This was another film that had symbolized the atomic era and really pushed the idea of others taking over our world or how we are at risk of losing our lives by acts of stupidity! I am pretty sure that if the crew decided not to go after the ship, not to blow up the ice, not to take back the alien, all would've been okay. But then again, we wouldn't have a terribly boring movie.

Personally, I disliked the film very much. I was pretty bored throughout AND the monster was not scary at all. It just looked liked Frankenstein's monster, except worse. I might be a little bias, though, since I though the 1981 version was so amazing and I was also really into the 2010. I think the major difference was the fact that the 81 version was so frightening and the creatures they created for the film were terrifying, unlike this old version where it was mostly a comedy and terrible acting. The 2010 version was mainly CGI, which was not awesome, but it was still scary and more entertaining than this one.

Them

Giant ants attacking us?? At least they weren't giant spiders... that would have been way worse. This movie really took it to the next level with visuals and creating giant monsters for the film. Sadly, we do not see that now-a-days since everything we create is made on computers. This was a creepy film and I think it was successful, unlike some of the other films we've watched.

The scene that caught my attention was during the board meeting the scientist guy and other men were having showing clips of ants and what they do. What was funny is how the scientist talks about the species and how the female is dominant and the male ants are puny, workers, etc. While explaining all of the female empowerment in this species, you don't see one woman in that room full of men, which I found pretty sad.

Like mentioned in class, I watched a video about the Wilhelm screams used throughout the film and I found this interesting because I caught every one throughout and I didn't know that it was a type of scream until I came across a video. This was probably one of the most interesting aspects of the film since I havent heard anything like it from the other films and the use is so important to this film.

This was one of my favorite films by far, mainly because it was so weird and actually kept my attention. Like the other movies, it also quickly ended just like in The Thing. One of my favorite scenes was when they were down in the sewers looking for the giant Ants and the female character tells the two guys to burn down the eggs. It completely reminded me of Alien when Ripley just burns up all the ends in the nest and eventually runs into the mama! So dang awesome.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Unlike many of the other movies weve watched throughout the semester, this one had one of those awesome twist endings, which we rarely see in sci fi movies. I have only really seen twists at the end of horror type films.
I really enjoyed the suspense during the film and the really great lines throughout. For example, when the man runs up to the main character in the car and screams, "They're coming!" and eventually runs for it, we get to see all the body snatchers chase after him. Besides the ending, I would probably choose this as my favorite scene in the film.The main character throughout was hard to focus on because he was so weird and weird looking, which I didn't really care for. I also appreciated the female characters throughout, even if they didn't do too much.

This was one of those freaky movies where, instead of seeing aliens, we see people behaving differently. The screams in the film also remind me of the 1980s The Thing remake, WHICH WAS THE BEST, so I enjoyed that comparison.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Star Wars Episode 4



Personally, I have always been attracted to these movies because they keep me interested, the plot never slows down and I would never know what would come next. Like many movies of this time, including Alien, I always wanted to know what it would have been like to see the movie in theaters during this time. For star wars, I am pretty sure it was visually amazing, and for me it still is. Even though the female lead isn't all it could be, I am glad they gave her some kick-ass shooting skills. Better than nothing. Oh, and the only thing that bugs me about Star Wars is the long written intro. Not a fan, never was.

A Trip to the Moon

I've seen this short film a few times before class, and it was always so interesting to watch each time. The way they make things appear and disappear (the alien things) was so great, because using an effect like that during its time seems really shocking to me.
I loved all the male characters in this because they were all charming and so giggly. I really like the upbeat and positive feel of the film, even though it seems a bit frightening for the characters. I saw it as a comedy and a beautifully made one as well.

Godzilla

Another film that is relating back to the Atomic era. The general idea relating to the atomic era is a giant monster, taller phone lines, that comes from the water is created by atomic waste.
This is a sci-fi masterpiece and a genius fiction to frighten people. The whole movie really leads up to the ending, which of course is the most frightening part. When the audience sees the monster in the middle of the movie, it was like a tease. They were able to see a little bit of the monster, but barely any. The audience has to wait until the end to see the monster, and they get to watch him destroy everything in front of him. I think this technique is super effective since it really puts the audiences on edge and causes great suspense.

The characters in the film reminded me of the star wars film, because you had the one female role throughout the whole movie, the two male roles that were connected to the female somehow and the villain aka Godzilla. Obviously the story was largely based on the characters and their movements, although we did not really know their back stories. Like the audience, they were outsiders to what the monster and they didn't know what was happening. So, the audience were on the ride with them trying to figure out what was going on and what they had to do to fix it.

Like mentioned earlier, the film was relating to atomic bombs, waste, etc. I think other symbols in the movie were about how American's were a threat and could potentially start all of these wars and issues. I think that realistically they were scared of us and assumed that something bad would happen, killing many of their people. I am curious to know if the new 2014 movie will be relating this era to its new plot, or will they keep with the times and create something completely different and unrelated to the atomic waste.

What I liked most about this movie were the effects and how there was a man dressed up in the godzilla suit. We never see any of that anymore, which is why I was so attracted to this movie. For example, The Thing (1981) also used real alien props, unlike the 2010 remake where it was mostly all CGI. It was disappoint and not scary at all, but the real props just gave it more depth and it felt so real. It's upsetting that it's not like that anymore. I wasn't a fan of the female role in this movie, because like almost every movie during this time, the female is the most emotional, distressed and used as the main character's love interest. I wish she had a more interesting, stronger lead. Hopefully the 2014 version will give her a better lead. 

The Day the Earth Stood Still

We see this new form of life end up on earth, and humans treat them like they are evil and are only here to hurt us. So, what do we do? We try and kill them. Of course, this shows the aliens that they are not guests on planet Earth and will have to threaten earth to obey them or to live with the consequences of not following their orders, since they are a danger to all of the other planets. This really relates to the wars and atomic threats going on during this specific time (1951, so it's interesting to put it into a different perspective, one with an awesome Sci-Fi theme. If people live peacefully, then all should be okay. No atomic wars, no problems!

The characters in the movie were all equally different and interesting. It was nice to finally see a woman play kind of a lead role in the film, even though she didn't do a whole lot of action pack things, but like the other characters in the film, she was put in equally if not more. The boyfriend was kind of the bad guy, along with the public (the army, the police, etc). The child was the curious character and Klaatu, with his super awesome giant robo accomplice, was the protagonist, I assume.
They all played roles that fit perfectly with the plot, which is how it should always play out. 

Unlike many of the previous movies we watched, this one kept my attention the whole way through. Although some scenes were slow at times, the plot was consistent and interesting, which is why I was so engaged the whole time. For an older movie, the graphics, costumes and props were pretty good, especially for what they had back then. What I didn't like about the movie, besides how slowly it moved along, was the child actor in the movie. He was the most annoying human I have ever seen played on film since I use to watch I Love Lucy. That boy was equally annoying. I think this has a huge impact on the movie, because if there is bad acting, then there is no way I can take the movie seriously.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Things to come

There are fears of the future, but this movie really put that into society's mind. The idea that we will have to live this incredibly upsetting future with little to no food, water and our technology is frightening. Of course, there is a sense of relief that maybe there will be a future for us; a future that has a lot more than we had before the disaster. Things to Come was frightening to the point where we would live in a world without technology and of course, still live in a patriarchal society... OF COURSE. I'm pretty sure that's the scariest thing out of all the fears the movie had depicted.  

The characters in this movie were sassy men with little to no knowledge about the world and what it has become. The characters did make themselves a world to live in and were given an opportunity to live in a new, better world with the help of a stranger from 'space,' Cabal. He was someone that was coming to give them freedom and hope for the future. Sadly, it took half of the movie to get to that point, but eventually it worked.

Near the end of the movie, one points out where our technology ends and when we stop moving forward. It was said that the end is death and if we live and continue to build, then we are not living. This was interesting to me, because truthfully society will always keep building and moving no matter what. If we came to a halt, there would be no more progress and no more things we need to survive, especially technology.

I was not a fan of the film. As a feminist, I would like to see the DAMN FUTURE depict more women as leaders or people that matter. Of course, it's still funny to me that a lot of these bad decisions made, the wars and the destruction of our society was all caused by men. It would be interesting to see what the world would have been like if women ran it. Anyway, it seems as those there are two different parts to Things to Come: A realistic part and the scientific, fiction part. For instance, during the beginning of the movie, they're a normal society that gets attacked and left for dead. Their earth has crumbled, everything they built was gone and nothing was left. They had to survive off of whatever they had left and have to work together as a society to live and survive. The second half of the movie is when a stranger from a distant land gets taken as a hostage on their land but is eventually rescued. From here, they go to this society that is all futuristic and modern. When I watched the movie insidious, I always said it was like watching a movie that was split in two. The beginning of the movie was about a family waiting for their child to wake up from a coma, but the audience soon find out it's not a coma, but something to do with ghosts. Then in the second part of the movie, it just gets more unrealistic by placing the father in this limbo type of place and a devil looking creature that follows after them. I compared both these films, because to me I was lost and confused as to way they would switch up so dramatically and it was odd for me to watch. With Things to Come, it felt like I was watching another film, and I wasn't impressed. The second half was too long and plain boring. Their ideas of the future were somewhat idiotic as well. I can appreciate i-Robots ideas about the future because they're still similar as our lives now, but Things to Come seems to be way off and kind of embarrassing.

Atomic Cafe

This documentary really displayed our country at war using extreme technology to kill and basically prove to the Japs and other countries that we are not screwing around; we have the technology to kill millions. Growing up, I was not really aware of the atomic bombs and the America lived so long in fear of other countries hurting them with radioactivity and A-bombs in general. The scene where the child was dressed in an all black suit was really shocking to me, mainly because when I learned about the years from 1945 to the late 1950's, I was never taught that our country was living with the idea that they might get attacked by A-bombs and that they had to take all of these safety precautions.

I noticed that the characters depicted in the film, besides the random females in our society, were mostly just men. A lot of film clips of political leaders, including Lyndon Johnson and Truman, were showed randomly throughout and also just a lot of civilians, workers and others who were living during this time in hopes that A-bombs wouldn't kill them. I also remember watching clips of children getting prepared for any crisis that may occur and what they would have to do in order to protect themselves.

All of these images and videos throughout the film were kind of scary and really made me question what the hell the government was doing during the time. It's obvious that they didn't know little or any about atomic bombs or what to really do if there happened to be a nuclear war. The government really tried to hide their fears and lack of knowledge on the subject by covering it up and using their technology to keep the public and their military calm during this intense situation.

Personally, I enjoyed the documentary because it gave me a whole new outlook on what life was like for Americans back during that time. While watching it, I thought a lot about calling up my grandparents and asking them if they remember anything about that time and what it was actually like. I appreciated the film makers collection of all of these old newspapers, films and television/radio news stories from that era and putting it all together to make a fantastic, and beautifully made film. It's interesting to me that people are silent about that time and how we are still not told much on how to survive it now-a-days. I mean, where do we go and what do we do IF a nuclear war actually happens? I guess I would have to take cover under a desk at school.



Monday, September 9, 2013

Metropolis

This idea of technology taking over our future and controlling the people who built it, may seem like the best was to describe this film. This adapted film has slowly became reality while we are creating so much technology to our society which all of us live off us. This world that is created in the film, kind of reminds me of hell and this mythological take on our society begin controlled by technology. If everything is run by technology, then why are there workers? According to the commentary, they are just a part of the technology to help it run and no brain power is necessary, which plays a big role in the film, since the workers are this dreadful symbol throughout the film that the viewers can help but feel sorry for.

The characters in the film seem to be a little insane, especially Freder. The viewers at times are not even sure what exactly Freder is looking at, beginning with him staring at the machines and death of workers near the beginning of the film. Does he imagine many other things too, or are those things real? Maria, who was the virgin/mother, became the complete opposite when she was cloned into this machine, this complete opposite of what she really was. The father, Joh Fredersen, was the ruler of metropolis which can be seen by the big office he owned and it was implied that the city was built off of all his designs and work.

Symbols: There were a lot of symbols throughout. A few are: Religion, the robotic woman, the workers, the virgin/mother, light and shadow, etc. The cross/ The clock which was his father's instrument of power, and he controlled the workers non-stop. The light, which was a tool for the scientist, was used to find 'the virgin.' The light and shadows play a big role in this scene, because they are objects that really help create the mood and visuals of the scene. She is also seen wearing lighter colors, along with the runners at the beginning of the movie which show freedom and movement, while the workers wear dark clothes to express sadness and slavery. Religion/mythology play a huge role in the film, like when the workers are getting sacrificed, or when the virgin talks to the workers (the crosses are seen behind her, also when they show the robotic woman for the first time, the audience can see a pentagram which can mean 'satanic.'

This was definitely a sci-fi film with a lot of drama added to it. It's sci-fi because there are devices, ideas, characters, things, in the movie that are really fiction. This unrealistic world beyond our society, especially during the time, make this genre of film. This film scared people because of this idea of technology taking over our world and basically ruining everything we have worked for, and especially being in control by the female-type robot. The cities were so unlike things they saw back then, and there are only few differences between that city design and our city designs now.

Personally, I was a little more interested in the film this time rather than the first time I saw it a couple of years ago. This time I watched the movie with a commentary, so it was easier to really understand what was happening scene by scene. It's sad that society back so many years ago, created this idea that we would be overrun by all of this technology and realistically, we kind of are. We live and thrive off of it, which really threatens our future. Hopefully not exactly how it was depicted in this film.

Frankenstein


Curiosity was a major component in the film, Frankenstein. When Frankenstein asks the doctor if he has ever wanted to do anything dangerous, he explains how if no one was curious or brave enough to look beyond what we already know, we wouldn't know anything and wouldn't learn anything new. I think this is a general theme throughout the movie, especially with Frankenstein and his monster. Frankenstein uses his knowledge and creates something that was never attempted or accomplished before, while his monster also explores things and wants to learn what is new and what this life is.
Besides curiosity, which is a big element of human nature, there are so many other themes that were played throughout the film, such as human emotional experience, which can be felt throughout with the characters in the film and also how the audience feels while watching it.

Although the idea of Frankenstein is fictional, the characters feelings, emotions, the environment, etc., all live in our real world, but were vividly expressed in this film while adding a fictional character: the monster. Henry's curiosity led him to create a monster who was unable to cope with normal society. Unable to grasp the concept of anything around him, the monster was lost and confused, which led him to hurt and kill people. Still not understanding, the monster escaped to eventually hurt more people and get killed by the one thing he was truly scared of: Fire. Realistically, the audience would understand that they would have also acted the same as the rest of the townspeople if there was some undead monster running around hurting people, which would seem realistic in that sense of the movie.

The characters in the movie were the most important part of the film, because they all expressed emotion and their thoughts throughout the movie. Frankenstein, who was the monster's creator, was intelligent and mostly curious to see if he could create something like never before. He was the whole reason the plot even existed. Sadly, he is also the reason so many people got hurt and killed since his creation was out of his hands. His wife was someone who seemed pure and innocent, just like the little girl by the lake. The wife showed the sane side of things and also understood that what was going on was wrong and that bad things were going to happen if continued. The little girl by the lake was, like mentioned earlier, this idea of hope, purity and happiness. The monster tries to express those feelings with this little girl, and the audience hopes that she is slowly helping the monster change into this pure innocent creature. But of course, the monster doesn’t understand that he is doing wrong when he throws the little girl in the water and kills her. The monster is this sad, confused character that people are terrified of. He is put into this world which he is unable to understand and is harassed at the very beginning with fire and torture. It's sad to say that some of the other characters could have approached this situation differently and helped the poor creature possibly turn out better than he really did.

Like the themes, there were many symbols throughout the film, such as: Fire, dark/light, religion, the tower, power, etc. Fire was something that scared the monster and eventually killed it. It was the light and he was the dark, even though light is what awakened him (lightning) and light is what put him down (fire). The daisies in the film, along with the wife and her dress, represented purity and happiness which neither the monster nor Frankenstein grasped.

This film is definitely a sci-fi film, because we have this plot of a man who creates a man out of other men! It's unreal for someone to bring a human back to life and teach it how to live, breathe, eat, talk, sleep, live like a normal human. This scary monster is what children are afraid of and what we know as science fiction.  Personally, I enjoyed this film because it was so beautifully shot from beginning to end and great use of resources especially during that time. The graveyard scene, which was my favorite part, at the beginning of the movie really sets the mood for the entire movie. I also enjoyed this more than Metropolis mainly because of its use of silhouettes and having the technology that allows voice!