Well its been about 3 weeks now that I've been reading, typing, and thinking about blogs in general. The idea of my own page was strange at first, but its starting to become comfortable to me in many different aspects. I'm reading how other students post blogs and what materials they choose to talk about, and its very interesting to me.
However, I still don't know how to add pictures to my posts, and its something I've been trying to figure out for a bit. If anyone could give me a brief rundown on how to do this procedure I'd appreciate it. My page looks nice, but I'd like to add some color to it.
Also, I'm thinking blogging is the new facebook/myspace for the generation below us. I wasn't totally understanding of the blog, and might still sound stupid when talking about it. My over-analyzing mind is thinking that we will sound outdated and useless to our kids, similar to how some parents still can't use a computer or cell phone. Wierd thought, but its probably going to be true in most cases. This could also be a good reason why I'm studying Communications Media...hmm....
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
The Hangover, Push, and Representation
The very popular The Hangover came out a few weeks ago and I was lucky enough to see it in theaters. Most of my colleagues and peers agree that its aunique and hilarious perspective of the day after parties. Many have had to piece together the previous day after a long, expensive binge, of sorts. Regardless, I believe this is the funniest movie of the year although I had higher expectations of it. The characters are ridiculous but very enjoyable to watch in the various situations thrown at them throughout the film. This movie does show some stereotyping in my opinion, although somewhat mild and not offensive. The only African American male in the film that I can remember is a drug dealer and the only Chinese male is involved in a mob and has a ridiculous accent. The representation of the main three characters are diverse, with one being a quiet nerdy-type guy, one being overweight and stupid, and one being good-looking and successful.
Push recently came to DVD and was a big disappointment to me. Dakota Fanning was ok as the lead actress, and Chris Evans was pretty good as the lead male actor. The movie had great music but lacked character development and plot continuance. The several different 'special' people were interesting at times but confusingly unexplained. The movie should have been twenty minutes longer with more details as to the Bleeders, Pushers, and over ten different types of mutants that had a very large role in the movie. The bounty hunters weren't scary enough or involved in the movie anywhere near enough. The movie didn't have stereotyping in my opinion but had a burden of representation. The separate groups of characters each had their own vibe and mood to them, representing a certain feel to their characters and the inpact of them in each scene.
Push recently came to DVD and was a big disappointment to me. Dakota Fanning was ok as the lead actress, and Chris Evans was pretty good as the lead male actor. The movie had great music but lacked character development and plot continuance. The several different 'special' people were interesting at times but confusingly unexplained. The movie should have been twenty minutes longer with more details as to the Bleeders, Pushers, and over ten different types of mutants that had a very large role in the movie. The bounty hunters weren't scary enough or involved in the movie anywhere near enough. The movie didn't have stereotyping in my opinion but had a burden of representation. The separate groups of characters each had their own vibe and mood to them, representing a certain feel to their characters and the inpact of them in each scene.
Friday, July 24, 2009
This Film Is Not Yet Rated
I haven't had a chance to blog about This Film Is Not Yet Rated until today, so here goes...
What I did enjoy about the film was the confidence Kirby Dick had in his material and accusations. He definately was as direct as possible, even speaking with the MPAA members on the phone. The most interesting part was the private investigators being a middle-aged woman and her daughter. I found this to be almost the opposite of what I had imagined, but that the duo could do more damage this way. Not many people would look at them and envision P.I.'s, so kudos for that. I've written paragraphs and paragraphs of information on the MPAA over the past couple weeks, but its all been so new to me. The grading system seemed congruent and sturdy until I realized its full of parents who hide their identity and have many flaws in their line of work. There should be a second ratings board, that a company can choose to rate their movies, or both ratings boards compare and contrast what they believe to be important. If one company wants a PG-13 movie rated R, then they should both come up with a solid solution with pros and cons to finalize a decision.
What I did enjoy about the film was the confidence Kirby Dick had in his material and accusations. He definately was as direct as possible, even speaking with the MPAA members on the phone. The most interesting part was the private investigators being a middle-aged woman and her daughter. I found this to be almost the opposite of what I had imagined, but that the duo could do more damage this way. Not many people would look at them and envision P.I.'s, so kudos for that. I've written paragraphs and paragraphs of information on the MPAA over the past couple weeks, but its all been so new to me. The grading system seemed congruent and sturdy until I realized its full of parents who hide their identity and have many flaws in their line of work. There should be a second ratings board, that a company can choose to rate their movies, or both ratings boards compare and contrast what they believe to be important. If one company wants a PG-13 movie rated R, then they should both come up with a solid solution with pros and cons to finalize a decision.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Star Wars Legacy
Due to the large and ever-growing fan base of the Star Wars universe, I felt compelled to find out just how good the 6 movies really were. With the viewing of the Arnold Schwarzenneger version of Star Wars fresh in my mind from the Star Wars fan contest, the movies seem to have created a different world for fans to constantly dream about. I first typed each of the movies into rottentomatoes.com, and then to IMDB.com. The results were interesting...
Star Wars IV A New Hope: (IMDB) 8.8 our of 10, considered the 12th best movie of all time. (RottenTomatoes) 95% out of 100.
Star Wars V The Empire Strikes Back: (IMDB) also has an 8.8 rating and is considered the 10th best movie of all time. (RottenTomatoes) 97%
Star Wars VI The Return of the Jedi: (IMDB) 8.3 rating, considered the 113th best film of all time. (RottenTomatoes) 75%
Star Wars I The Phantom Menace: (IMDB) 6.4 out of ten, not in the top 250. (RottenTomatoes) 63%
Star Wars II Attack of the Clones: (IMDB) in my opinion an underrated 6.8 out of 10, not in the top 250. (RottenTomatoes) 67%
Star Wars III Revenge of the Sith: (IMDB) 7.9 rating, not in the top 250. (RottenTomatoes) 79%.
Therefore, The Empire Strikes back slightly is the greatest Star Wars movie of all time as voted by millions, and the orignal from 1977 is a close second.
Star Wars IV A New Hope: (IMDB) 8.8 our of 10, considered the 12th best movie of all time. (RottenTomatoes) 95% out of 100.
Star Wars V The Empire Strikes Back: (IMDB) also has an 8.8 rating and is considered the 10th best movie of all time. (RottenTomatoes) 97%
Star Wars VI The Return of the Jedi: (IMDB) 8.3 rating, considered the 113th best film of all time. (RottenTomatoes) 75%
Star Wars I The Phantom Menace: (IMDB) 6.4 out of ten, not in the top 250. (RottenTomatoes) 63%
Star Wars II Attack of the Clones: (IMDB) in my opinion an underrated 6.8 out of 10, not in the top 250. (RottenTomatoes) 67%
Star Wars III Revenge of the Sith: (IMDB) 7.9 rating, not in the top 250. (RottenTomatoes) 79%.
Therefore, The Empire Strikes back slightly is the greatest Star Wars movie of all time as voted by millions, and the orignal from 1977 is a close second.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Red Vs. Blue
The Red Vs. Blue animation is genius. I watched some of the episodes when they came out a few years ago, but haven't caught up with the new ones or refreshed my memory lately. However, I had a chance to catch up AND earn points for my class, so I couldnt pass on the opportunity. Red Vs. Blue Season One is hilarious and very inventive, but my favorite has to be season 2. I watched the first episode of season 1 today and still laughed at all the awkward humor. There are a total of 5 seasons that I'm aware of, and I've watched up through season 4. The voice acting is a lot better than one would imagine, and the humor is priceless and fresh. The lack of facial expressions and goofy movement with the character's oblivious humor is exciting. I enjoyed watching the first episode again, and might buy the DVD series if I get a good job.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Transformers: Revenge of Mindless Movies
Although I did enjoy the movie Transformers, there was zero plot involved. Nothing really happened except Shia LeDouche fighting sky-scraper-sized robots in different parts of the world. Every scene had either sexual innuendo, half-naked Megan Fox (this part is OK), Shia's mother on crack, or machine's destroying each other and the environment around them. Great summer movie. If only more words were said, and maybe an unexpecting plot twist, I would rank this film high up there. My overall opinion of the film is that it's entertaining and has a great flow to it, but lacks story and character development. The constuctobot wasn't used as well as it should have been, but the robotic conversations were an interesting change from the first film. Seeing Megatron, the Fallen, and Starscream talk to each other was awesome in my opinion, and it really added a different angle for the future of the franchise. Overal: 7.0 out of 10.
Friday, July 17, 2009
borg
The Borg has the right to withhold points for comments like "Cool!" or posts of one sentence in length. Do not taunt the Borg.
After this quote from Professor Ingvoldstad, I decided to research just what exactly a borg is. This, I figured, would help me better understand why my teacher refers to himself as, indeed, a borg. According to Wikipedia.org, a borg is "a fictional pseudo-race of cybernetic organisms depicted in the Star Trek franchise. Aside from being the main threat in Star Trek: First Contact, the Borg also play major roles in The Next Generation and Voyager television series, primarily as an invasion threat to the United Federation of Planets and the means of return to the Alpha Quadrant for isolated Federation starship Voyager, respectively." I now fully understand why Professor Ingvoldstad is a borg. "resistance is futile"
After this quote from Professor Ingvoldstad, I decided to research just what exactly a borg is. This, I figured, would help me better understand why my teacher refers to himself as, indeed, a borg. According to Wikipedia.org, a borg is "a fictional pseudo-race of cybernetic organisms depicted in the Star Trek franchise. Aside from being the main threat in Star Trek: First Contact, the Borg also play major roles in The Next Generation and Voyager television series, primarily as an invasion threat to the United Federation of Planets and the means of return to the Alpha Quadrant for isolated Federation starship Voyager, respectively." I now fully understand why Professor Ingvoldstad is a borg. "resistance is futile"
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