Romeo+Juliet

OMG, THE ORIGINAL EMO KIDS!!

Okay, watching the Baz Luhrmann version of the classic Shakespearian tale I haven't seen since 9th grade.

Cinematography, wow. Each visual takes special pride in saying so much without words, since they are already written and not easily understandable. One of my favorites thus far is the misunderstanding, how the Fedex guy just totally screwed up. You see the message blow out in the wind, then Romeo step over the message, see the looks confusion as each messenger fails to deliver the correct message.

I love the use of insanely intimate close ups.

I love the guns, beautiful symbols of ancient masculinity translated into the modern power pistols. I love how they turn this into such a gangster LA movie.

I'm loving the drunkenness and drug use. The drunk abusing Capulet father and the bitch of a mother, totally justifies Juliet's emo-ness.

I love Druggy Drag Queen Mercurio doing the original Single Ladies while Romeo trips.

I love Claire Danes wings. I now NEED a pair.

I love the scenes where they lie dead, the candles are absolutely stunning. I also like how they take time to really morn their death, how it keeps it together into this stunning narrative, before translating into the sorrow filed peace.

I like all the water scenes, like how the balcony scene was moved down into the water and the and how they likely inspired the X-Men retelling of this story.

Dreams

1. Foxes
There is a theme of childhood innocence, in that the child who went spying was curious, not really caring about the consequences. But there is also a theme of revenge, that the foxes want retribution for being spied on. But also a kind of rebellion turning badly, since his mother (?) told him not to go into the forest, and he didn't listen, leading to his demise.

The small child walking though the forest, so small against the large trees, the transitions between lightness and dark, the use of light to enhance the story. The sound, the quiet noise of raindrops and slow steady reedy music. The earthy colors repeat themselves, until the end, when there is both irony and hope in the rainbow he's walking into. The dark hills pass the rainbow, what the child is walking into, could show the change between where he was, the beautiful Field, the rainbow distance showing the allure of adulthood and the ominous mountains showing the actual use of nature.

2. Momo Blossoms

The dark lighting of the interiors of the house, the brightly lit branch of the peach tree as the boy walks towards it, the red light of the doll room, all show a darkness to the interior, while outside is brightly light and beautiful. The theme of respect, the message of treating the trees with kindness, along with greed, in that the trees were cut down but also the child's greed in the beauty of of the blossoms. The sunshine shining though the forest, yet again a transition though the world of reality to the realm of fantasy, were the dolls are able to come to life, dance in a slow sound of rhythm, beautiful in its painfully slow pace.

Showing the child what he missed, the peach trees, a final act of kindness, then when he got close, trying to chase the girl, they disappear and he's once again left with the emptiness. This scene could translate to adolescents, where the joys of childhood are gone, but the respect of adulthood still haven't happened.

The falling peach blossoms, the framing of the child's face on the brown ground, in his simple dark blue clothes, contrast beautifully with the elaborate faces and clothing of the living dolls. They are on a green background, making their beauty pop.

3. Blizzard

Courage is needed to make the final steps. The responsibility of the lives of the men climbing the mountain falls on the only one waking. Their ambition in making this climb. The rope is the tether tying them together, uniting them, but also a tie to life. There is terrible noise as the struggle to get up, the darkness of the surroundings, how the snow isn't pure white, how it flies around angrily. The snow becomes quiet as the women emerges, trying to lure the men to their death, lying saying the snow is warm and hot. The juxtaposition of the sparkly, furry blanket and the snow, how her face appears so serene when her victim is agreeing with her. Then her transformation, her hair flying up, her beauty replaced by demon-like features. The sound changes as she is fought up, as her hold is lost, and the man gains the courage to fight on. The sound of the flapping flag gives hope, growing louder as she flees. The men who didn't awaken the first time now can move on.


4. The Tunnel

Responsibility, and honor play in the heart of the only surviving solider. The dog barking showing what he will always walk with, this constant barking from those he sent on suicide missions, just like the dog. The solider telling him about the parents who still think there son is alive, who are in pain now that they lost someone they love. The blue skin of the platoon visually illustrates there death. The noise of echoing footsteps show he's alone, show he's doomed to walk this road alone. The appearance of the dead coming to the man show the slow trickling in of memories and guilt. First the dog, then the lone solider, then the entire battalion. The tunnel is also in reverse, since there is no bright light at the end, rather another version of hell.

5. Van Crows

The theme is ambition, transformation, of the life of an artist barely hanging on, relying on the pity of those around him. The use of Chopin's music, loud and meaningful. The young Kurosawa meeting withScorsase Van Gogh, show his own struggle in trying to regain his fame, although Van Gogh only had it in his death.

The visual transformation between black and whites of the real world then again into the brightly colored paintings, the use of vivid light like with the haystacks and rivers. The trainmetephor reinstates ambition, to keep climbing, to power and move and fight. The Crows at the end show the pointlessness in always living at full speed, of the fear of what will always be, of death.

6. Mount Fuji in Red
The fearful Japanese running off cliffs like lemmings into the see, because of the consequences of what they did to their enviorment. The use of mount Fiji, a volcano, but the destruction coming from man-made monstrosities around it.

The man cleaning his glasses as he calmly explains that even if they didn't die that second, it was so close, because the radiation would give them cancer, killing them slowly and more painfully. Then he throws the glasses down after they are perfect, showing a metaphor to how Japan reached that way, even though their was perfection, its pointless in the face of a holocaust. The family fighting away, flapping a jacket uselessly as the colored radiation reaches them and kills the parents and their small children.

7. The Weeping Demon

The theme is responsibility, of fear in the face of death. The irony is that there is nothing remaining after this nuclear disaster, that there are no bodies, but the buildings still stay in the background. There is noise to the shaking of the powerful winds. There is more to this, but the giant dandelions confuse the hell out of me, I guess the Buddhist metaphor makes more sense.

8. The Watermills
The Watermills show love and tradition, that its so much more slow then the rest of the dreams, showing the last stage of life, of peace that comes with acceptance of the end that will soon come.

The use of colors, so spectacular, the natural beauty, the water making beautiful noise. The slowing down, the power of the river dictating the noise, the style of life. The celebration of death shows the use of the acceptance ofenevatablity and once its accepted, it can be celebrated.

The entire village of tradition, of working with the environment rather then fighting it. This show a more peaceful time, a idyllic time, but when he talks about the pains of this lack of consonance, such as using cow dung for fuel.

The Magnificant Seven

Seven Samurai was fun to watch, as was this remake. It included all the good markings of a great story, honor, love, banding together of unlikely allies for the good of the helpless. Really any plot choices I could critique I already did in Seven Samurai.

The real beauty in The Magnificent Seven is the scenery, and the bold use of scene shots. In the opening scene, where a still shot of mountains and village, showing the credits, then slowly action approaching, simply stunning. The three minutes that lacked dialogue in when the seven were traveling into the village, stunning, it also illustrated the story, of the men eating together while the hodgepodge character, Chico, ate fish alone.

The Magnificent Seven was the last of the great scene westerns, fitting since the last line was "Only the farmers won. We lost. We always lose.". This film discussed the drawbacks to the gunslinger lifestyle, the lack of binding that would tether them down, but also makes them drift like tumbleweed, having no family or nothing besides what they can carry.

Like Seven Samurai, this film also made great strides for film, showing that an action story can include love and lose.

Hidden Fortress

Something is to be said for comic relief, of two boffins traveling with the heroes, to break up the tention and provide an access point for the common man to the dramatic leads. In the case of Hidden Fortress, the two wandering peasants, Tahei and Matashichi, who were able to met up with the Princess Yuki and Samurai General Rokurota Makabe. The use of filming from the point of veiw of the lowest characters is a bold choice, ultimatly useful and memorable. The film was given 100% fresh at Rotten Tomatos, and influanced George Lucas to film from the lowest characters point of view in Star Wars IV.

The gold in Hidden Fortress showed greed and motavation for the cowerdly Tahei and Matashichi to move forward with the noblitiy, to follow them through the adventure to get to allied land. The hiding and deception give action and adventure.

The entire film is fun, powerful in its need for sacrifices for the common good, and also its use of transitions and film style.

Fistful of Dollars

The first of the truly great Italian Westerns, the west's first blatant anti-hero, if he can be called that. Clint Eastwood's character, credited as 'The Man with No Name', created an archetype of the new gunslinger, one who doesn't care about the law, love, or politics, the one who does what he wants, be it moral or not so much.

An artistic interpretation of Yojimbo, set in Spain that's pretending to be Southern California.

Kurasawa's compensation for the western redoing of Yojimbo, was that Akira Kurosawa and Ryuzo Kikushima received 15% of the film's worldwide gross and exclusive distribution rights for Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. Kurosawa said later he made more money from this project than he did on Yojimbo.

The use of close camera cuts to faces put an almost uncomfortable intimacy to the film, making the audience be that close to the violence and bloodshed and greed.

The casting of television cowboy darling Clint Eastwood to play this gruff and rugged en'poncho'ed near villain turned out beautifully. The official Rawhide gun and holster, along with authentic Californian jeans and bitter cigars gave a truly 'American West' feel to the Italian masterpiece.

This film did a lot for cinema, giving another decade to the dying silver screen cowboy, recreating him to be more like his audience, seeing both sides of a story, being a spectrum of grays rather then a strait cut black and white.

Yojimbo

Kurasawa attention to detail, his perfectionist nature in the realm of visual composition, this attention to detail leads Kurasawa to be almost godlike in his orchestrating of every scene. In Throne of Blood, the fog set the mood for mystery, deception, and the supernatural nature of the film. In Seven Samurai, the devastating rains set the tone in the town, the rains beating down the earth like the infiltrators beating down the villages moral. The rain also parodying the sadness the villagers felt knowing the are helpless. Because of the nature of rain, its lack of compassion of all it devastates, its uncontrollable nature, all parallels the bandits plaguing the village.

In Yojimbo, the bitter cold wind helps to explain the mood, along with illustrating the turmoil and hostel environment of this warring town. This also allows the fighters to keep their arms in their yukatas, so they can walk around looking both ferocious and crippled. This leads to an almost comic interpretation, because its so far from the truth, since both "rogues" are experts in their field. The gun in this film, its explicate nature as a source of power, combined with the stealing of another man's women, and another son's mother, all provide a kind of oedipul nature (the boys father represnting his own, him being able to take the beautiful women way from him, stealing her away).

The storyline, the use of violence, the adorable dog caring the hand out of the cursed town. This also tranfers though boundries, (I made some good points in my review of Titus). Kurasawa doens't just tell a story, he creates a truely Japanese expreiance. The husband and family groveling as the thank "30 Year old Mulberry Feild" , showing the ties to Japanese emotional nature. There is also the costuming, the setting (plants that are growing).

This film inspired "Fistful of Dollars", the main character inspiring meny meny more nameless saviors and sinners.

Spaghetti West

The American Western, the tales of heroes and bravery, of men with guns dispensing justice and getting the beautiful little lady. These films influenced post-war Akira Kurasawa, who conseved the Japanese Western, not set in the lawless west but the territorial days of Edo era Japan, where heroes' guns morphed into the more blatent swords.

Kurasawa's work, which delved into developing heroes into rounded people, rather then 2D figures that fit pefectly on posters. This persanalization of the hero, creating relatable characters, along with brillant story lines, spurred the Italians into creating the Spaghetti West.

The Story of Yojimbo started the spigetti west. It was remade semi-legally into the first Spegitti Western, ironicly symbolicly staring an American Cowboy. A further post of A Fistful of Dollars is needed to explain the similarites and brilliantness of these two films.

Seven Samurai

Seven Samurai, is one of the most acclaimed Japanese films ever created, and also one of the most influential pieces of film. Akira Kurosawa co-wrote, edited, and directed this masterpiece, a film that became the archetype for group action films.

Seven Samurai has honor, bloodshed, lose, and love. Its covers the full spectrum of humanity, about the tragedies of life, such a starvation, sickness, weakness and finally death. It also includes the honor, in upholding one's beliefs, of defending the weak, and of the poor, huddled masses that raise up to fight their oppressors.

Kurosawa's beautiful use of scenery, his attention to detail, his ablitily to not only move his audiance by the storyline, but also from the sher beauty of it all. From dappled light dancing on the top of bald heads to patterned kimonos gracing the back sides of young women, to unforgiving rain symobolizing both dispare and salvation. The use of bamboo diagonals to lead into the scenes, and the separation of the samurai from the farmers all show the continuty of a strictly Japanese piece along with sublty directing the audiance into watching and feeling what Kurasawa wants them to feel.

The nature of this film, its role as an archatype, is whats fascinating, that this Japanese answer to the Western went on to spur the last of the Great American Film Westerns; The Magnificent Seven.

Titus

There is a timeless nature to violence. The same goes for sorrow and vengeance. According to some, violence started with Cain and Able. Those of higher thought realize human nature is violent, the remittance of the panicked reptilian brain we once had, lashing out. Violence is typically a manifestation of perverse sense of self preservation. Killing animals for food and skins, killing other humans in anger and in jest. Titus is a journey into the timeless nature of violence, so the anachronistically nature of sets and costumes makes perfect sense.

The sets of totalitarian Rome set the scene for the gore and bloodshed sure to follow. The main set piece of the Federal Building constructed during Fascist Italy conveys both the modern and archaic. The scenes shot in the Colosseum show the fortitude of violence, the substantially of the cycle of anger and pain and vengeance. The anachronistic nature of violence allows telephone poles and ancient Roman roads to play in the same scene, to show the timeless nature.

Costuming and the clothing, the use of metallic togas and leather pants and terry robes. Entire styles fused together, all to show the violence, the carnal nature of lust, of power.

The nature of violence, of rape and revenge, that it never ends till most of the players are dead, that it lives though millenniums of evolution, becoming more closeted, more controlled, but still there, in things like the WWE, campus and date rape and of course the death penalty.

Throne of Blood

Kurosawa's adaptation of Macbeth is voted about one of the best Macbeth's put to screen even though it has little to do with the script. This is due to its retelling as a tale from Feudal Japan and its influence of Noh theater, which ties together the retelling of the play to theater and Japan. The best examples of the influence of Noh is the static expression on Isuzu Yamada face for the majority of the film, and the brilliant whites of the fog and the spirit that represents the three witches in the original MacBeth. The ominous white fog truly ties in the use of superstitions that allows most of this to play out stunningly.

Lady Asaji's pushing of Taketori ties to the play along with the scene of Taketori Washizu murdering the king taking place off stage and Lady Asaji framing the guards are the same from the play, tying it again to the orignal tale. Asaji's mental breakdown, where her face actually moves, shows the guilt still present, the blood still on both her and her husband's hands.

The idea of self-fofilling prophecy is eminent though this, where each man does his part to make the spirits prophecy come true!!! The trees rising up to attack Taketori is the final straw, what makes his men turn on him, giving one of the greatest, most over the top death scenes ever, where Taketori ends up like a porcupine, the coup de grace being the arrow threw his neck, where he so nicely turns so we can see it going all the way threw his neck, then falling down the stairs, staring ominously at his army that turned on him, finally falling into the fog and dying like prophecy foretold, that when the trees rosed up, he would be defeated.

The last scene of us seeing the soldiers behind the tree was brilliant, a way to shake away the belief of suspicion to the audience, where while we are to remember the story, but also the follies of Taketori!!

Monomyth HARRY POTTER SYTLE!!

Really any Harry Potter story - Monomyth!! (Told from the point of view of Harry Potter- Puppet Pal Edition)

Departure (or Separation)

The Call to Adventure - "Oh, I guess its time for me to save the wizarding world once again in perfect correlation with my school years!"

Refusal of the Call - "I don't wanna fight Voldemort!!" - Harry

"You have to Harry!!!" - Ron

"No, I don't wanna" - Harry

"But you have to Harry!! The plot doesn't move unless you do!!!" - Ron

"You go do it Ron!" - Harry

"You know I can, I have to keep pushing the myth of the hot tempered red head!!!" - Ron

Supernatural Aid - "I have a super magical wand and the Magical 'Old Magic' my mother bestowed when she kicked it!!"

The Crossing of the First Threshold - "In the last 150 pages of the 700 pages of the fourth book, I fight He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and got Cedric Cullen killed, then my only cool father figure in the next book where I'm once again in the belly of the whale!"

Belly of The Whale- "Oh no, its you and all of the death eaters and I ran into the Ministry of Magic with 2 wizard school rejects, a ginger and a brain. Oh no, your kicking my butt! Oh but look, my Godfather showed up! Oh no, don't go behind that curtain Uncle Black! WHAHHH, my only other family is dead!! I'm going to be a better warrior now!!"

Initiation

The Road of Trials - "Me and my two groupies (who are totally hooking up) go adventuring though our wizarding school for clues to find out how to defeat Voldemort!"

Mother as Goddess - "My dead mothers love saves me from the full magical power of He Who Must Not Be Named"

Woman as Temptress - "That jaring Asian girl with the heavy Scottish accent who's no good for me and tempting me away from my battles and such!"

Atonement with the Father - "My father and his gang made Professors Snapes life suck though their schooling time and he still protects me because he was in love with my mother! And we made up sort of, even though he still hates me for the sins of my father, and in love with my mother!!"

Apotheosis - "At the end of book four and then again at book five since I didn't fully get it, I lead someone into battle and that kills someone I love. This continues for the next two books but I'm a more moral figure because I killed my other father figure by being an idiot!!"

The Ultimate Boon - "My father gave me an invisablitity cloak that can fit me and my friend no matter how much we grow so we always can go have mischief and be useful in our escapades designed to undermining authority and getting others killed by being cocky little bastards!!"

Return

Refusal of the Return - "WAHH! Everyone treats me different because my parents are dead, my girlfriends always crying over the guy who I made die, and I have to go battle he who must not be named!!"

The Magic Flight - "My cloak allowed me to flee from the raid of baddies on my secret army training place in the fifth book!!!"

Rescue from Without - "A fricken house-elf saved like twice!!!"

The Crossing of the Return Threshold - "Oh wow, my new red-head girlfriend is all normal and stuff and I'll eventually have normal-ish children and the lightning bold scar fades and I'm all normal and happily ever after."

Master of Two Worlds - "I get to live all normal in the end in the magical world to make up from the wizarding I was denied as a child!

Freedom to Live - "I killed the bad guy, so now I get to go off and live all normal and happy, banging my best friend sister!"

Jesus Camp

The basic premise of this film is to give insight into the pentacostal fraction of the Evenglical movement sweeping the Midwest, by following the lives of three children who go to a camp to hone their "prophetic gifts". The directors Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing said that they want to do "an honest and impartial depiction of one faction of the evangelical Christian community”. It really "doesn't come with any prepackaged point of view", showing beautifully transitioned slides of the dreary enviorment this place has taken root. There is no narration, although there is clearly a story line as the journey continues. There is a voice to this film though, a radio personality that talks about how "these people aren't the Christians in the way I was thought. They are indoctrinating their children". The radio personality then talks to Becky Fischer, the leader of "Kids On Fire School of Ministry," who ran the Camp the story is based on.

Thats the main premise that frighten me, that there is an entire generation of Christian Extremist who are being taught by their parents that they need to "take back America for Christ". Becky Fisher her self says that we need to fight Muslim Extremes with Christan Extremes.

The true beauty of this film is whats captured, like in all documentry, that the directors have to capture the beauty already existing and show it, rather then create it like most directors.

Road Home

Compared to typical Western love-stories, or the classic concept of a monomyth, the story unfolding around the road leading into a small farming village in Northern China (this is felt though the quilted pants the heroine wears while doing a running impression of a teletubby jogging). Instead of nostalgia set up in black in white, its given in beautiful technicolor. A particular scene of light pouring from the window, golden light, her pale skin and brilliant red jacket taking up the other half of the frame. Stunning in its simplicity and color, which is what the director Yimou Zhang is infamous for.

The plot for this story allow a story from the 1960 to flow smoothly into modern times, by having the mother retelling the love story between her and his father. The intro and exit in black and white allow the audience to fully feel the freezing cold of winter. This coldness is continued in the winter where the two lovers are separated when the father is hauled into the city for questioning.

Common tasks are preformed with the kind of beauty that can only be captured by Yimou Zhang, from making dumplings, to repairing broken pottery (that particular piece of pottery holds value, not only because it was what Zhang's character aways presented food for him in, but because the mother pays for its repair, knowing it sentimentality to the daughter, giving her approval even though she doesn't verbalize it).

Yimou Zhang is a master of color, so the infusion of golds and yellow add to the sense of nostalgia. The icey white of winter show sadness and the beautiful shades of green infuse the spring and reunion.

The High Price of Progress

From December 2008 American Cinematography

Archival footage is mixed with this film, not exactly matching, on purpose. The shot decisions made to film Milk were exquisite, the lighting and continuation of the period add to it. It was purposefully kept shot in neutral tones, to avoid a feeling of nostalgia (see my Milk review about how Van Sant keeps his actors at arms link). What I though was cool was that the shop they filmed in was the actual store font of Castro Camera. The lighting that went into the kitchen scenes, where Milk speaks into taperecoder, used the single light that was typical of this time, but crafted to give the perfect lighting.

Sancutary Process

The new sci-fi show Sanctuary doesn't use sets. Actors work in front of a green screen then the sets, like the fortress in Sanctuary, to apartment interiors, are all added in. This was kept when it reached network, but it needed reshooting for the higher resolution of television.

Daily Show

There was a really cool line from the interview with Bill Cramer of Mad Money. Jon said "Now we're both sell snake oil, but we sell ours as snake oil while you market it as some medicinal tonic."

Or something like that.

But the idea that a show can honestly say its dishonest while still critiquing others for non-transparently being dishonest is pretty positive. It also shows the new direction of the Show. No longer is it Jon's job to be the man who pokes fun at the administration, because the American people like the new administration, particularly Jon's demographic of young liberals. So the new job is defending the little guy, an odd stance for a pundit who labeled himself an outside observe who puts everything at arms length.

There was this other good point about how the demographic has changed, that the new face of crime is well dressed white people who stole millions of dollars from the american public. It then put up a picture of President Obama and Berny Madoff, asking which one of these do you expect to be president and which one do you suppose would have money problems?

I like new direction, but I kind of miss the Skippy McDumbutt and Vader power hour, the world seemed less precarious then.

Lie To Me and Adspace

Lie to Me is House without the medical gobidly gook.

Dr Lightman is this shows Dr. House, but without fake American accent and cane. Same amount of showboating and productive jackassiness. Theirs the not very funny pretty guy, who this time is braining rather then Australian, the perky burnette now blond is replaced by a latino women so they able to skip the black guy character all together. Theirs the curly haired professional like women, who replaces Cutty, but works for this House so the dinamic is slightly diffrent.
But the plot line is pretty similar; oh, we have a puzzle we need to solve in 40 mintues, with our speicalized skill set! Oh, theres a twist, OH GOD ANOTHER TWIST, oh wait, it was this simple thing all along!!

Its really not a bad show, but the idea of it is for cast to be able to read facial experssion and deduct to solve the projects they've been hired to conuslt on. Which means actors have to act as real as possible, which most times fall's short, since their suppost to be acting one way to lie, then have microexpressions that tell Dr Lightman and the audiance the truth.

Also why is it that Hulu keeps advertising 1. Charities it supports, 2. Cars, and 3. Various Vertiaties of Vodka. I think it subliminal messaging for our minds to create aweful stories where a van full of nuns off to help orphans get drunk and go to Vegas instead.

Vertigo

Alfred Hitchcock's mental thriller takes winding paths though San Fransisco, when both characters wander, lost in their own heads rather then the city. This leads to beautiful pans and views from the hood of the car, where the city if forced to blur by in the backround. This story contiunues with the Hitchcock style of the leading man to forceable overcome his tragic flaw, this time a fear of heights, a extreme case of Vertigo, which wouldn't be a problem in anywhere besides a city, where sky scrapers stretch high.

There is betrayal, or rather a double crossing reviled. Love turning to the point of Obsession, "evil twins" this plot line had all the markings of a bad soap opera, but the beautiful camera work made it a classic rather than trashy. Large shots of rooftops like at the missionary south from the city, where the ground seems so far away, gives more believability to the watcher, that the fear of hights is justified. The ghastly green light that pours threw the window of the hotel the betrayer lives gives more to the feelings of complete ominousness.

Vertigo also has the special effects of a bad Sci-fi movie, the ominous unearthly tones, the rotating eye intro, the pulling away of the stairs that started special effects. While this movie is now a classic, it must have raised some eyebrows back when it was first out.

I Love You Man

I saw an advanced screening of I Love You, Man with my awesome boyfriend. I really was looking forward to it because I saw the original red band trailer and the intro song was from one of my favorite bands Vampire Weekend. But the red band trailer gave far too much away, the movie losing its ability to tell the story because it was already completely shared with the trailer. Then I checked OkGo's website, and they wrote a cute intro about how "I love you, man" is what Tim always tells Damien before entering a car or plane, you know, just incase. But that they also had a cameo as the wedding band at the reception. Apparently most of that hit the edit room floor since they only appeared behind Jason Segal and Paul Rudd during the credits.

They solded their best scene in the trailer, where Jason meets Paul at his open house. The stage is set of a beautiful girl and an average looking guy, where Jason points out to Paul that "That guy really needs to fart" then the long explanation and BFF forever.

It was a good introduction into the new are of Bromances, and quite funny, I just need to remember like with Slumdog Millionaire, don't watch movies with preconditions, because they can't always live up to it, unlike chocolate cake.

Wii (Fit) Rocks

I totally love my birthday gift of the Wii system!! The ability to play 5 sports from the comfort of your living room adds a lot of fun to the otherwise boring 'visiting' with my grandfather. Also it adds to the idea that everyone sucks at most games, such as when I played baseball, Seth was declared a mercy winner in the first inning. Now thats embarrassing, although I did win in WiiFit Hula Hooping because not only did I beat Seth's score but I did it without looking like monkey dancing for a nickel.

The Wii was designed to bring people together, which it does, by making us all suck equally at the majority of their games!!

Thank You For Smoking

Jason Reitman works well with his actors, several from Thank You for Smoking doing his next project of Juno. Jason Reitman's father directed Ghost Busters.

Jason Reitman adapted and directed this brilliant introspect into the composite character of the face of big tobacco. The tagline: American is living in spin" the sultan of spin is Nick Naylor, who tirelessly fights for conglomerations. Aaron Eckard does an amazing job bringing Nick to life. The story is designed to humanize a devil who defends a cooperation that kills two jumbo jets full of people a day. The film is funny and amazing

This film was shot with beautiful transitions, a beautiful one where a time laps sunsets on the Washington monument, establishing movement of time and change in location. Also when Nick confronts the last Marbalo man, the entire lighting set in the yellow of old time westerns that started the ad campain.

Rear Window

Solving a murder across the courtyard never looked so sexy.

Actually I have no idea about that, but I do know the feet of trying to capture an entire movie in a single apartment is quite impressive. This limits the director to broad shots of the courtyard or voyeuristic view of the surrounding apartments. This also forces the action of the story into the apartment.

This unique camerawork is possible due to the storyline, by forcing the main character to remain in one place, due to his tragic flaw of being wheelchair bound. This adds to the drama because it immobilizes the hero, leaving him unable to defend himself of the people he loves.

Alfred Hitchcock is amazing when it comes to moving the story though unique shots.

Visions of Light

A documentary on the history of cinematography and the lighting necessary to capture performances and moods.

The human eye is much more evolved then any camera, because our pupils can dilate enough to see in most every light, even the most advanced camera of today can't do that. Cameras need certain light to correctly capture, and its a cinematographers job to correctly light a scene along with making each shot move the story and capture a feeling.

In the beginning of motion pictures, capturing sound didn't exist. This gave true carte blanche to directors to capture the motion. These early films gave true freedom in there placement which allowed more documentary like shots.

The arrival of talkies locked up the camera, putting it on massive dollies and soundproof boxes. This hauled the progression of photography's by the immobilization if the camera, although this time of sets allowed for more controlled lighting. At this time the studio system was in full swing, and each had its own unique look, the gloss of Paramount, the sharp edges of Warner Brothers and the glamor of MGM. Actresses on screen performances were heightened by lighting, changing the shape of the faces and making their pale skin pop.

The first color process was two, then three, then the spectrum. This allowed films like Meet Me In Saint Luise and The Wizard Of Oz possible. By now the camera was once again free to move about.

Jaws at the end of the 60s was shot with handy cams, hand held at water level to truly frighten the audience. It and Indiana Jones also changed the rules of censorship, creating the new PG13 for blood and guts!

Several viable clues lent to thinking about what the director of photography was trying to convey. Yellow, first used in the Godfather signifies memories, heavy shadows, used more at the end of the 1960s used to distort feeling and created true chiaroscuro of the characters' hearts.

Texture

Texture!!!!

Milk

OMG!! Milk was freaken awesome!

As always, Gus Van Sants kept us at an emotional distance, making it harder to connect to the majority of his characters, except the one that gives the audience access to the entire story. Back in Elephant, the first film I saw of his, Alex is our emotional access point, the person who the audience can really connect to. This puts more pressure on the lead, to act thought the fourth wall, so Sean Penn really had to work for it, and he did, and it showed in the film and the recognition he received. Also, Sean Penn smiled, a lot, truly emulating the late Harvey Milk, with gestures and crooked smiles and general beings.

I missed the first five mintues (Caroline ran late), so I don't know if they said in the begining that Dan White killed him, which might have made the film slightly less potent than just knowing that Milk would die, then the little shock if you didn't previously google before walking into their theater. Whats funny is in Middle School I wiki'ed Dan White in connection with the Twinkie Defense that got him off for the assassination of two government officials, I just didn't remember that it was Harvey Milk.

The death scene was beautifully shot, where Milk is in his office, Dan walks in, makes him go to his knees, and you see Dan standing behind him, gun drawn, then the shot and blood stain Milk, the camera panning as he falls forward, then out the window to the opera house, a poster of a large women sobbing in the way everyone must have felt like doing after news reached.

The use of news real in combination with film worked very well in this film, Anita the Hun Briant shown in brilliant Technicolor as the beautiful devil she is. The whole idea of protecting the children, shown for the idiocy it truly was. This also tied to the idea that in California, now, if your gay you can't adopt children already here, but if your heterosexual, unemployed and living with your parents and on well-fare, you can have a whole litter.

The Speeches given at the Oscars were brilliant. Dustin Lance Black quote was brilliant
"I think he'd want me to say to all of the gay and lesbian kids out there tonight who have been told that they are less than by their churches, by their government or by their families, that you are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value and that no matter what anyone tells you, God does love you and that very soon, I promise you, you will have equal rights federally, across this great nation of ours. Thank you. Thank you. And thank you, God, for giving us Harvey Milk."

I loved Sean Penn's speech, why "“you commie, homo-loving sons of guns.” ask, because quite simply it kicked but!

"For those who saw the signs of hatred as our cars drove in tonight, and, I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren’s eyes if they continue that way of support. We’ve got to have equal rights for everyone. And there are these last two things. I’m very, very proud to live in a country that’s willing to elect an elegant man President."

Coraline

Neil Gaiman is one very creepy and brilliantly talented man. He originally wrote Coraline in 2002, it won numerous awards. Not only was Coraline beautifully captured, a truly amazing stop-motion animation, but it also hits home in the crafting community.

The first scene, gorgeous close ups, the process of sewing the Coraline doll, beautifully archaic tools known to most crafters, construct a Coraline replica. In order to generate more buzz for the film, they actually sent out boxes to 50 blogs including some of the set of the movie!!

Coraline was a creepily beautiful story, captured magnificently, kind of like a preserved swallow-tail butterfly.

Why Foodgawker Looks So Good

They actually critique the photos. If they don't like them, it gets rejected.
The two photos I submitted were sent back with words like 'Blur' and 'Harsh Light'. Also they will publish photos that link to blogs that don't include the recipe!!!!

Wow, the mystery of the magical photographs is uncovered!!!!

Paths of Glory

The saying goes that 10,000 men lost is a statistic while a single death is a tragedy. So in Paths of Glory, a single failed mission, where many died due to enemy and friendly fire, the tragedy is the three executions following. Three men were scarified to the ambition the greed and the pride of their superiors. While the soldiers went that it wasn't death that was to be feared, but the pain of dying, the agony of the slow wound rather then the quick death of gunfire. Ironic, considering the execution by firing squad, a quicker death, a preferred . The irony of the firing squad continues with the idea none of the firing squad got far enough to shoot at the German troops, but they could fire at their own 'solider brothers'!

Irony is a continuing theme, with the dignitary ball held before the executions, where all have a grand time before and during the death of the three men. The press putting on the pressure that the three men needed to die, the idea that the masses truly control the world, that public opinion is what drives the leaders. The flow of blame down the chain of command, where each General's choice was filtered down into the massive casualties on the failed Ant Hill Mission.

But why did the mission fail? In the beginning, Kirk Douglas' character stated he and his troops couldn't take 'The Ant Hill', that it was as impossible as would be found out. Then his commander bribes him with the promotion if they can take "the Hill". Then the statistics are laid out so callously, ironically, because it was stated that 1/3 of the men would be lost due to French friendly fire (ironic because of the number 3 and the death by firing squad). Then the General wanted artillery to fire at their own location, to scare his troops out of the trenches, which would later come back to bite him.

The irony is in the caricatures of intimacy, the brotherly bonds that supposedly are born due to the military, but so easily broken to even the slightest betrayal. The Sargent delivering his solider to the firing squad, the betrayals for power and survival. The impossible choice of the group leaders in the sacrifice of their single solider, each leader picking their sacrifice for unpure reasons.

The tight shots show the claustrophobias of war, the intimacy and betrayal echoed in the shots.

At the end of the film, it is shown the commander will be tried in a similar trial for his ordering of attack on his own men. The singing German women at the end echoing this idea, that all the solider are as far away from home as she is.

Black Bean Burgers

The government of Germany (this is Germany, people, where there is over 100 types of sausage) has asked its citizens to reserve the eating of meat to only on special occasions, due to the fact that 15% of their air pollution is because of agriculture. In Germany!!!!!

So I started new vegetarian recipes.


Black Bean Burgers

2 14 ounce cans of black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/3 cup plain dry bread crumbs
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 Tbsp vegetable oil

1. Pulse 1 can beans in food processor with mayo, bread crumbs, cumin, oregano and cayenne until a coarse puree forms. Transfer to a bowl and stir in cilantro and remaining can bean. Form mixture into 4 patties.

2. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium high heat until it shimmers. Cook burgers until outside are crisp and lightly brown, about 5 minutes total.

Texas Needs to Be Annexed

Seriously. Look at what came out of the Waco District!!!!

Lookie!!

Wow, if they get angry about the new facts developing moon, like its a reflector, imagine the riots when someone mentions Darwin's Birthday coming up on February the 12th.

Screenwriting- "Can Films Make A Difference"

"Writing Consciousness-Raising Stories" - Catherine Ann Jones
Student Filmmakers July 2008

In 1994 Quentin Tarantino's film Natural Born Killers, a satirical crime film, the main couple murders about 50 people "for the great sex after". The week it opened, a couple in the Midwest recreated the film's premise. When they were arrested, they gave the names of the characters. This shows the dark side of film, but there is also the story that provides a carthatic release for the viewer. The trick is to finding the balance in it I believe.

Amazing Cookies!

Instead of doing work, I made chocolate crinkle cookies that absolutely rock my socks!!

I have been told they are the secret love child of the brownie vampire princess (Sofia) and slave werewolf cookie (Lucian). This love story ends tragically though, because her father burns her to prevent the abomination in her tummy. And this metaphor leads doesn't work because the base is a chocolate cake mix and it's good for the stomach...........

Anyway, this leads into a long rant about how much I want to go see UNDERWORLD: Rise of the Lycans!!!



Super Easy Chocolate Crackled Cookies

Ingredients:
1 devil's food cake mix (18 1/4 ounce)
1/2 cup shortening
1 tablespoon water
2 eggs

1 cup powdered sugar for non-rick rolling!

Directions:
1. I was making Squash and Mac so the oven was already at 350!!! But if not preheat oven and lay down parchment paper or SPLAT or professional baking mat.

2. In your local Kitchen Aid, beat together the shortening, water, and eggs. Add the cake mix, and mix until smooth. I usually have to get out a spatula to incorporated.

3. Roll balls into balls about a half golf ball sized ball. Then plop the the balls in a bowl of powder sugar, prop onto . Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.

4. Bake for 10 minutes. Enjoy for about a week!!! (I don't actually know how long they last because they're gone in about 3 days!)

Lawrence of Arabia

The middle east has always been ducked. Various tribes all fighting for bare necessities in a barren trek of land between the rivers and seas. Under an oppressive sun and outside interests, pride and religion clashing like calvary swords, under the cloak of brotherhood . The ideas of brotherhood, of loyalty is what Lawrence of Arabia explores.

The graphic scenes of bloodshed, of true wartime battle, are explicitly and exquisite shot, literally moving pictures, where each scene is a photograph. Lighting, set design, and costuming drive the point of fine art home. The contrast of settings, from the barren deserts to the lush seaside of Damascus and Aqaba. Seeing the conditions that the Arab tribes live in, barren, bleak desert, makes them more understandable, the thirst for blood like that of water. The loathing of members of rival tribes, the disdain and fear of the different.

Costume design plays a key roll, visually separating British commanding officers in their tight pants from natives in their flowing robes. The costuming also designates change of loyalty, the inter-battle going on in Lawrence is captured in his wardrobe. His loyalty to Britain is first shown when in Officer regalia; his change of loyalty shown as a change of clothes, his rebirth from a bastard son of Britain to an Honorary Arab. His change from trousers, lapels and buttons to flowing traditional garb visually captures his change of sides, where his loyalty then lies. But he switches back into pants, back to his old life after war changes him, the gallons of blood he and his own little army spilled, piling on him. Then his loyalty is tested, his own judgment change; during one of the first vividly homoerotic, openly sadistic scenes where his is captured and beating because no matter what he wears, under the keffiyeh he still has blue British eyes, and he will never be an true Arab.

Lawrence of Arabia captures the inner battle between Lawrence and his loyalties, his loyalty to Britain, to his moral code, and to the Arab tribes.

Orange Pecan Gems

These soft orange cookies are a great juxtapose to the crunchy pecans in the dough and the gem! This recipe was in my cookbook for a few weeks, and I wanted something easy (because its a cake-mix) but crazy awesome. I wanted to make something new for my mother's garden meeting!

Orange Pecan Gems
Active time: about 30 unfocused minutes
From start to finish: 2 hours
Makes about five dozen amazing cookies!

1 box of Orange cake mix
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
(if you only have one, use one cup of that)
1 egg
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1 cup finely chopped pecans
Pecan halves for decorations

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray Pam to treat cookie sheets. (I used four sheets in total, rotating between Ikea sheets with Pam and old pans with SPLAT mats.)

Add cake mix, yogurt, eggs, margarine, and chopped pecans to bowl of electric mixer, and mix together for about two minutes, then scrap sides of the bowl. Drop about one and a half teaspoonfuls two inches apart on the prep cookie sheets. Press the pecan halves down into the cookie dough.

Bake at 350 for 11 to 13 minutes or until bottom sides brown or golden. I cooled on sheets, but a cookie tray would be better. Store in an airtight container.
These cookies are amazing with a cup of Black Mango Tea with honey and milk.

Lighting Your Subject's Face for Most Flattering or Most Dramatic Effect

The reason behind good lighting is professionalism. The most effective lighting accentuates the performer and the performance. To do this, move lighting around the subject in order to find the ideal height and position, key lighting should falls on the side of the face furthest from the camera.

20th Annual Asian Culture Festival

Code 51 will be going to the Asian Cultural Festival, and we will eat amazinly and I shall buy my belly dancing bell belt!!

For those who can't remember Asian Fest!, it is amazing because the sheer amount of vendors, participants, crazy amazing acts and fricken awesome yummies!

The picture is the start of the shirt design I'm working on to commemorate this crazy awesome day.

March 7th and 8th, 10am to 6pm
Admission: 7 dollars

I believe in little elves!

Originally said by Steven Colbert when asked if he believes in money.

This is based on the idea that money is an agreement of value, a unit of trust. This is why the bills in your pocket are signed by the Secretary of Treasury, this is the promise of money.

But what is money really, besides a unit of value and a unit of account, its a belief, an exercise in trust, of those that deal it, those that accept it for payment for goods and services rendered. Its a belief, its a promise that anyone who uses money.

By the logic of belief, that if enough people believe in something, then it makes it true. But it also makes it a religion!!!

So technically, all atheist do follow one religion if they buy or sell!!