The Day after Tomorrow
The Day after Tomorrow 'The Day After Tomorrow' starring Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhaal was the long awaited big money blockbuster from the world renowned director, Roland Emmerich. Emmerich's previous accomplishments include the hugely popular hits Independence Day and Godzilla. Although immensely successful both films follow a pretty similar basic, bland story line. Essentially both plots are just mass destruction and the eventual defeat of a fictitious enemy by a male hero. Emmerich's latest picture, 'The Day After Tomorrow' clearly doesn't want to be a spoil sport and as expected contains plenty of disaster and destruction. The only differences' being the enemy in this newest movie is not an attacking sci-fi creature, but that well-known blood-curdling enemy, global warming! Plus the hero in this movie can't save the day! Instead he has to resort to the much smaller, unexciting scale of saving his only son. The film opens on a vast glacier in Antarctica with our hero, Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) leaping across a ridiculously large gap to save some unimportant reports on his research. We then follow a series of gradually increasing severities of weather across the world, (snow in Delhi, bucket-size hailstones in Tokyo, and a series of severe tornadoes that wreck downtown Los Angles). The only person who seems genuinely worried by all this is Jack, who as a climatologist,
The Matrix Reloaded. Sci-fi / Fantasy / Thriller. 2 hrs. 18 min.
The Matrix Reloaded. Sci-fi / Fantasy / Thriller. 2 hrs. 18 min. Neo, Morpheus, Trinity, and the rest of their crew continue to battle the machines that have enslaved the human race in the Matrix. Now, more humans are waking up out of the matrix and attempting to live in the real world. As their numbers grow, the battle moves to Zion, the last real-world city and centre of human resistance. Morpheus in particular unreels extended speeches that remind me of Laurence Olivier's remarks when he won his honorary Oscar--the speech that had Jon Voight going "God!" on TV, but in print turned out to be quasi-Shakespearean doublespeak. The speeches provide not meaning, but the effect of meaning: It sure sounds like those guys are saying some profound things. That will not prevent fan boys from analyzing the philosophy of "The Matrix Reloaded" in endless Web postings. Part of the fun is becoming an expert in the deep meaning of shallow pop mythology; there is something refreshingly ironic about becoming an authority on the transient extrusions of mass culture, and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) now joins Obi-Wan Kenobi as the Plato of our age. I say this not in disapproval, but in amusement. "The Matrix" (1999), written and directed by the brothers Andy and Larry Wachowski, inspired so much inflamed pseudo-philosophy that it's all "The Matrix Reloaded" can do to stay
Dry September Faulkner describes the setting and characters to show the conflict and the race relations that go
Dry September Faulkner describes the setting and characters to show the conflict and the race relations that go on in the story. There are a lot of conflicts between people not just because of the race relationship but as well as internal conflicts that are not as obvious. There are three major characters (out of 6), Hawkshaw, Minnie, and McLendon, who are the main characters and the book is divided into 5 sections. The first section is an argument over the raping of Minnie at the barbershop, the argument is basically between the world and Hawkshaw, the second section is a flashback to Minnie's life, the third section is the barbershop again, this time we see a gang being formed, the fourth section is Minnie's life now, and the fifth section gives us a little information about McLendon's background. The overwhelming setting is a hot, dry September day, "sixty-two rainless days" (para. 1). The characters use the setting as an excuse to be irritable, defensive, after all the eaht does make people do things like that. In Part V, the part about McLendon's life at home it has his wife stating, "Don't John...I couldn't sleep...the heat; something" (para. 99). There are a lot of foreshadowing using the environment. "It had gone like fire in dry glass-the rumor, the story, whatever it was." (para. 1), which not only foreshadows the fact that word is getting out but that people are
Action films are formulaic given this why are they still so popular?
Action films are formulaic given this why are they still so popular? In this essay I am going to explore the conventions of action films and their popularity. People love action films, and when they go to see one there are conventions you would expect to see in the film All plots of action films are based on the same outline, Hero and villain meet, there's a disruption of order, and mission, then everything is sorted out when the villain dies and everything returns to normal. There are Stock characters that you expect to see in this genre of film, the hero, the villain and two attractive ladies. The main action is around a male hero, however, modern films have featured female heroines for example Angelina Jolie in 'Tomb Raider'. If the hero is male he is always good looking, intelligent, brave, chauvinistic, and manages to escape from life threatening situations, however the hero will always have a weakness, and if the hero is male the weakness is normally women. If it is a female heroine then she will be really attractive, big breasted, and quite feminine. The evil villain is normally ugly, and greedy. The hero and villain have gunfights and chases (featuring a variety of vehicles). One of the females is a seductress, who works for the villain, she has to be attractive. The other female plays the heroes love interest; she also needs to be attractive. Action films contain
Director, Cyrus Nowrasteh really knows how to capture his audiences sympathy in the film, The Stoning of Soraya M. set in Iran. This devastating, drama-crime film is based on French-Iranian journalist, Freidoune Shahebjams book La Femme Lapid
The Stoning Of Soraya M. Imagine you hold a deep dark secret, one that could scar people's minds. The only way that you can let people know about your secret, is if you go out of your way, possibly by putting your life into danger. Would you still do it? Now imagine, you were the witness of your dear niece that was forced to be stoned because of a punishable act that she never even committed. You don't want to let such cruel incident going by unknown to the rest of the world. Would you do whatever it takes to let your voice be heard? Director, Cyrus Nowrasteh really knows how to capture his audience's sympathy in the film, 'The Stoning of Soraya M.' set in Iran. This devastating, drama-crime film is based on French-Iranian journalist, Freidoune Shahebjam's book La Femme Lapidée, written in 1990, that is based on a true story (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stoning_of_Soraya_M.). This film gives the true meaning of emotional abuse and one can have a first hand experience as they share the main character's tragedy throughout this R-rated film. The outstanding acting, storyline, use of dialogue, powerful themes, and background music contribute to a film that will definitely not disappoint its viewers and grab their attention from the beginning until the very end. A French-Iranian journalist (James Cavieziel) finds himself abandoned in a remote village in Iran due to his
"Catfish" Analysis. This documentary was made by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. Both begun filming Nevs life as soon as they sensed a story unfolding in the late 2007.
Media Text: Catfish 'Catfish' is a story that follows a young photographer Nev Schulman who lives with his friend Henry Joost and his brother Ariel in New York. Oddly an eight-year-old girl named Abby from Michigan sends him a painting of one of his photographs, which she had made by herself. They later become friends on Facebook, which gives him access to Abby's family: her mother Angela, her husband Vince and her attractive older half sister Megan whom he starts a relationship with. As he begins to get to know more and more about Abby's family, there are things, which do not add up and create suspicion amongst Nev, Ariel and Henry. Finally they leave off to Michigan in order to find out the deserved truth. This documentary was made by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. Both begun filming Nev's life as soon as they sensed a story unfolding in the late 2007. None of them had the slightest idea that this particular project will lead to the most unsettling months of their lives. All characters in this film are claimed to be real this includes Angela who has been interviewed by ABC's 20/20 and the Los Angeles Times who have spoken with her neighbors and most importantly her family. Personally it additionally reminds of a documentary made in 2007 about child art 'My Kid Could Paint That' by Amir Bar-Lev. In which the movie follows the initial artistic career of a young girl Marla
Why Cutthroat Island(TM) was a failure but Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse
Why 'Cutthroat Island' was a failure but 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl' was a success? In this essay I will begin by discussing Cutthroat Island and the history and context behind it. Cutthroat Island was released in December 1995, and given a MPAA rating of PG-13 because it includes strong pirate violence, and some sensuality, however when it was released in the United Kingdom it was rated as a 15 but it was meant for a family audience, so over a minute of the film was cut to give it a PG certificate. The director was Renny Harlin who is a Finnish American film director and a producer, and is mostly known for action films. This film falls into many genres, the obvious are action and adventure with others like romance, fiction, and pirate. The film is represented as an action film because it has continuous high energy, a few physical stunts, extended chase scenes, rescues and battles. It also includes destructive disasters with explosions and fires, there are several fights and escapes, it punctuates quite a fast rhythm and pace, and there are adventurous heroes. It has a resourceful hero (character Morgan Davis) struggling against incredible odds, life-threatening circumstances, and an evil villain (her uncle Doug), and they chase each other in various modes of transportation (ship, horseback, and on foot), with victory attained by the end
Empire of the Sun: Basie Character Analysis
Basie's Main Characteristics Throughout the film, viewers can see that Basie has strong leader qualities that allow him to get what he wants at all times. Firstly, Basie is over beyond confident which shows that he has amazing strength and leadership qualities. For example, when they suddenly encountered the Japanese, and Basie had to fight for his life, he quickly passed his precious aviator glasses to Jamie and confidently said, "I want those back when I'm done." This shows how confident he is and how much he believes in himself. This definitely falls into the leadership category because confidence is one of the major qualities needed to become a leader (well, usually this is how people are). Secondly, in a time where starvation is growing and death had come upon Mrs. Partridge, Basie shows great leadership qualities. As soon as death had come upon Mrs. Partridge, Basie said firmly "Get Mrs. Partridge's potato." This firm command shows that Basie is the boss and leader, and that he gives the commands. Another example showing that Basie is the commander and the leader is when he says to Jamie, "Bow to the sergeant." In the toughest times, Basie just rises , and gets to his feet, showing that he's truly a commander and leader that deserves to be in this place ( because of how intelligent and strong he is). Through all his actions, Basie shows his gifted intelligent and
How does the director manipulate the audience's reaction to the opening and closing sequences of the film 'Bend It Like Beckham'?
How does the director manipulate the audience's reaction to the opening and closing sequences of the film 'Bend It Like Beckham'? The Film 'Bend It Like Beckham' is shown as a light hearted comedy in the blurb and also at the very start of the film. The term 'Comedy' means humour, a film with a comedy genre is supposed to make people laugh. So, it seems that 'Bend It Like Beckham' is comedy, however once the storyline of the film begins the director starts to add themes and particular issues. The Director makes the issues apparent not only through the narrative but also film language and techniques. So is the film just another comedy, or does it have a serious message behind it? The opening sequence starts with contrapuntal sound. The audience hears the commentary of a football match whilst seeing the credits on the screen. Immediately the audience is thinking the film is about football. David Beckham's name is mentioned, and he is praised of his football skills. The visuals then complement the diegetic sound because it shows an extract from a televised football match. Use of camera movements, close-ups, long shots and especially the low-angle point of view shots make the football match more intense. This then makes the goal look even better and exaggerates the glory of the girl who scored it. The audience's reaction is immediate laughter because the possibility of a teenage
Tim Burton's use of mise-en scene in Beetlejuice, Batman Returns and Edward Scissorhands
BeetleJuice and The Batman's Scissorhands, Burton's clever use of Mise En Scene. Where scenes are often used to build momentum in films, mise en scene refers to how space in individual shots to create dramatic or emotional effect, or symbolic meanings throughout the movie. The term mise en scene derived from France and means "placing on stage". In movies it refers to how objects, characters and materials are placed inside the film frame. This relates to the choreography or design of individual visual elements in individual shots, including people, objects and their location. Sets, props, camera movements, make-up and costume all contribute to the mise en scene of any particular movie. Tim Burton as a director unleashes his imagination and experiences when making a film, his unique skill at creating dreamscapes of unusual, freakish characters, outsiders conflicting with the so called "norm". The clashing of two worlds that co-exist as well as his gift at incorporating childlike imagery - the idea of innocence and taking pride in childish things is evident in most of his films. I have decided to explore three movies that he directed, "Beetlejuice", "Batman Returns" and " Edward Scissorhands". Each movie presented the viewer with a different look into a new world with Burton's use of unique sets and props, lighting, costumes and acting. The first filmic devise I will
