Miniature Movie Reviews

Directed by Christopher Nolan, Memento is a throwback to the Noir genre of film. Not knowing much about the genre, I can's really vouch for its consistence with elements found within Noir movies. What I can mention, however, is Memento's narrative format. Memento's story is told almost entirely through flashbacks. The film's protagonist, Leonard, is trying to track down his wife's killer. The narrative format works because of Leonard's mental condition. Since his wife was killed, he has been unable to create new memories. Half of the movie is told through these flashbacks, and the other half are present events, as he is recollecting these memories over the phone. Memento is presented backwards, starting with the end. I recommend Memento because of its innovative storytelling, and its originality.

Pee-wee's Big Adventure is the 1985 debut of the first feature film directed by the now-famous Tim Burton. The movie did pretty poorly critically, and it's not hard to see why. It's difficult to be critical of a movie like this. It's definitely not a good movie by any means, but it is enjoyable. Pee-wee's Big Adventure follows Pee-wee Herman as he travels across the US to find his stolen bicycle. Along the way, he meets all kinds of crazy characters. He makes new friends, and that's it, really. There isn't a real lesson learned at the end of the movie, which felt a little weird considering it's a movie made for kids. The main character's unbelievably annoying, and the story's insultingly simplistic, but it's hard to not have a good time while you watch it. Had I been a kid when I first watched it, I'm sure it would have been better because of nostalgia alone. Regardless of it's problems, Pee-wee's Big Adventure is a great family-friendly movie that everyone should watch at some point, whether you end up liking it or not.

The classic 1985 summer blockbuster. One of the most entertaining movies of our time. Back to the Future is a movie that, ironically, stands the test of time. It's an adventure movie with action, science fiction, comedy, and even a little romance. The movie follows Marty McFly as he accidentally travels back in time in Doc Brown's DeLorean time machine. Marty has to live a week in 1955 until he can manage to give the DeLorean enough power to send him back to the future. He gets to live out every kid's dream and see his parents when they were his age, and even goes to school with his dad. He learns how his parents meet (in an unsettling way), and his mom has a crush on him. He turns his father into a new man, and changes the everyone's future for the better. The movie remains popular because of the way it combined its elements. Few movies have managed to capture the wonder of Back to the Future. The focus of the movie wasn't on traveling through time, but the adventure that arose from it. Everyone should see the movie and the entire trilogy, even if they're each worst than the last.  

Copyright 2011. All Rights Reserved TM. Please Don't Steal.

A documentary is almost like filming an essay. It presents an argument, and then provides some information to support it. Also like an essay, documentaries are biased toward the creator's opinion. RiP: A Remix Manifest tries to argue that copyright laws have gotten out of hand. They limit creativity and the consumer. Fines for downloading music are outrageous. With such a slick film, how can you not agree? Copyright holders are conspiring against us!

The movie's subject definitely isn't a deep look into the human experience, discussing all of the troubles that we face every day. This isn't I am Number Four we're talking about here. But it is an important issue. A lot of people have an opinion on the matter, including me. I'm not about to change my opinion, though.

The pinnacle of moviemaking.

Technically, the movie is very well made. It moves along smoothly, and the filmmaker's argument is definitely well-supported. His argument is effective, though, because it's the only one with any evidence to support it. The pro-copyright side is terribly under represented. More specifically, he argues that the music belongs to the public, and that they are allowed to do whatever it is that they want with it, and obtain it by any means they choose. I only half agree with his point.

I support copyright laws. if I were to create something artful, perhaps even my prose here, I would want to make sure that it belongs to me, and no one else would be able to take my work as their own. I would be crushed if someone was profiting from my work, I don't profit from it. Not using my actual name would probably prevent me from maintaining my copyright, though.

Copyright laws are great in that they protect the creator's rights to exclusively own their work. They have gotten out of hand, though. Current laws have too many restrictions on what happens to people who infringe upon it. In my perfect world, perhaps when I'm king of this one, copyright laws would see an overhaul.

Anyone would be able top take any copyrighted material and edit it however they want, as long as the original creator is credited for it, too. If the modified material makes a profit, then some of these profits have to go to the original creator. If copyrighted material is pirated, instead of charging thousands of dollars, the pirate would only have to pay the same amount as someone who purchased the material through legitimate means.

And maybe pigs will fly, too.

Music Videos

Let me preface this with the following video:

Fantastic, no? Okay, then.

If you couldn't glean from the title or the previous video what this entry's topic is, it's music videos. And I'm a little crushed by the fact that you needed it to be stated abruptly like that. In particular, today's discussion will be on history's fantastic music videos. I just that Cracked TV is hilarious. On that note, what happened to Michael Swaim? I miss him. Sorry, I rambling again. Without further ado, let's begin.

As you're probably aware, musical groups have recently begun to create little videos to accompany their delightful music. Some of these videos are fantastic, some are nightmarish horrors of terribleness, and others are just completely nonsensical.

All of history's greatest music videos originated in a mysterious time period known as the '80s. Not much is known about the '80s. It remains a mysterious time, one shrouded in peculiarities, and its people hidden behind potential-neck-trauma-sized hairdos. I have spent little time researching this time period, and have created a short list of exactly one video that illustrates a proper music video. Now, I'd like to remind you that this is only my opinion. My expert opinion, sure, but still just my opinion. Your's may differ, your opinion would be wrong, but it could absolutely be different the expert.

Not only is the song ear-meltingly fantastic, but the video is definitely fantastic as well. The creativity behind it was, and still is, unbelievable. It mixes animation and film on a level not seen until Who Framed Roger Rabbit hit theatres. This can definitely be attributed to the weirdness of the decade in which it originated.

Now let's contrast that with a terrible music video:

Now, I just may be a bitter, jaded internet user, but I hate this video. Even posting it here has gotten my blood to a boil. Countless times I've clicked on a link expecting to see something of interest, a new trailer, only to have this abomination appear. You can't react quickly enough. The intro plays every time, and you catch a glance of Rick, and you have the strongest desire to punch his teeth down his throat.

Music videos have only gotten worse over time. Their lyrics, too. Now I'll leave you with the worst of all time. Rebecca Black's Friday. Enjoy.

Citizen Kane

Dubbed one of the greatest movies of all time, Citizen Kane, released in 1941, was renowned director Orson Welles' first feature-length movie. Welles was riding off the success of his War of the Worlds hoax, and was given funding to make his movie.

In my opinion, which is of paramount importance, Citizen Kane was worthy of all of the praise that it recieved. The key word being was. At the time, Citizen Kane was absolutely worthy of the title. It was revolutionary at the time. Shots were filmed from multiple angles and the camera was moved around in some shots. Citizen Kane was revolutionary in that it changed storytelling conventions. The plot was not linear as many other movies at the time were, it used interviews and flashbacks to break up the story. Some scenes were further in the past than others, breaking chronological conventions.

Many scenes were filmed from different angles. The opening scene, for example, moved in closer and closer. At one point, the scene was inverted, looking through a reflection on water. Still in the film's opening, a scene was filmed through the broken glass of a snowglobe, with a fisheye effect enveloping the shot. There are a number of shots filmed next to mirrors, including a very notable one toward the end of the movie with very large mirrors on either side of Kane as he walks down his hallway. At yet another point, during a flashback to Kane's childhood, actually, the camera is moved back through the set, focusing on different depths simultaneously, moving through a table at the end.

I love that many of its directorial qualities are still employed by directors today. I love that many of its storytelling elements are, too. Without a doubt, Citizen Kane, is a phenomenal film. Mostly because of the era in which it debuted. If Citizen Kane was released today, versus fifty years ago, I don't believe it would still receive the same acclaim. I thoroughly enjoyed the film, but I can say without even a sliver of doubt, that it can thank the time period in which it was released for its praise. That said, it definitely has had its influence on film making, and without it, we wouldn't have movies with the same level of ambition and innovation today.

Like the fantastic I am Number Four.

Media in My Life

Media is very important in my life. And I mean that, the many content creators in the world definitely aren't funding me. No, this is absolutely my true, not-influenced-at-all opinion. In reality, though, I am constantly surrounded by the media. I use my TV as an alarm clock - I like waking up to Pokemon, I watch a lot of TV during the day, too. I don't usually pay attention; I use the TV as background noise while I'm watching shows on the Internet, where I can block all of the ads. I see advertisements all over the place; on people's clothes, signs, I hear about all sorts of things. It doesn't bother me, though; I welcome media into my life.

If you're curious, adblock extensions can be found here.

Adblock Plus for Firefox

Adblock Plus for Chrome

You should use Google Chrome while you're at it.

The most important types of media to me are the Internet and video games, I'm very much a geek. I enjoy a good narrative, whether it be a movie, a book, or a video game. Video games in particular can tell a story in a way that movies or TV are unable to. I enjoy their stories because of the immersion that they can provide. I think that the goal of any story is to get the audience to feel that it's real, and video games can provide that. For example, when you're watching a horror movie, the movie's makers want you to feel for the characters, and fear for their safety. I have a hard time empathizing for characters in movies, I know that I'm watching a movie, and the outlandish scenarios don't help, either. But in a video game, you are the character. You have to be careful, you're afraid that the character will die because, in a way, you're afraid that you will die. Because you're controlling the character, you create the character's thoughts and emotions, and the story feels more real as a result. No other form of narrative can provide that.


The Internet, though, is where I spend the majority of my time. The Internet holds every type of media; you can find every movie, show, or book online. Where the Internet really shines, however, is its original content.

As mentioned previously, the Internet has all traditional forms of media. You can watch the exact same shows that you would on TV. Instead of watching TV shows, though, you could watch shows made for the Internet. Like my favourite, The Guild. I like the content on the Internet more than TV because of the freedom that the Internet provides. Shows, news articles, stories, none have to be censored to be distributed.Creators are able to take on a wider variety of topics and are free to use any language they choose. Media on the Internet isn't usually for profit, people on the Internet are often more savvy and know how to avoid paying, so the main driving factor behind it is fun. There are fewer restrictions, so people can be more imaginative in their creations. There are even some forms of media that have moved to the Internet, like the poor man's Mad Magazine, Cracked.

First episode of The Guild

Watch the first three seasons here.

I don't like to think that today's media is worse than it has been at any other point. Lots of people enjoy music from 10 or twenty years before they were born because they think it's better. I don't think that the music is any worse than it was twenty years ago, just as much of it is good as any other time. We remember the best music from previous generations; the bad stuff wasn't worth remembering, so it's not played anymore.This applies to every form of media, not just music.

I use media for entertainment purposes mostly. That's not to say I don't use it for informative purposes, though. I do, but most media is for entertainment. I'd have to avoid it all to say that information gets the majority of my time. 


I'm an epicurean. I don't care if it doesn't apply here. My tastes, in media and food, are quite varied. I enjoy and action-packed video game, a thought-provoking novel, and musicals. So, I had a difficult time choosing my favourite of each. I think I have a good list here, though.


Video Game: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Credit to Nintendo

Shocker I know. If you're a fan of the series, you're probably surprised that I chose this over the much more acclaimed Ocarina of Time. It was a difficult choice to make, but one that was well deserved. 

As a kid, I didn't get out a lot. I played a lot of video games with my sisters and cousins, and Zelda was our favourite. We played them all. So all of the Zelda games have a sentimental aspect to them. I chose Majora's Mask above the rest for one reason: you can transform.


There are a myriad of redeemable qualities to found in Majora's Mask. It looks nicer than Ocarina of Time, it runs more smoothly than Ocarina of Time, it has a darker storyline. They're all valid points, and I agree with all of them. The reminder of my childhood is greater in Majora's Mask, though. After we were done playing the game, I would pretend to run around as Link (the main character), and transform into the various creatures that he does (a Deku Scrub, a Goron, a Zora, and Fierce Deity Link), and pretend to fight evil and be a hero. Unfortunately, I still haven't grown up too much, and still do sometimes.


Book: Flowers for Algernon

Credit to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

I'm going to come right out and say this. Flowers for Algernon is the greatest book ever. No contest. If you haven't read it, go do that now, and I'm going to spoil it for you.


Flowers for Algernon is about a man named Charlie Gordon. In the book, Charlie is mentally challenged, with an IQ of 68, and lives what he thinks is a normal life. He goes to an special school for challenged adults, has friends, and a job. To improve his intelligence, Charlie undergoes an experimental surgery that will allow him to learn at an incredible rate, and withhold the information. Before testing the surgery on Charlie, the doctors introduce him to Algernon, the rat that they had tested it on previously. The surgery worked on Algernon, so the doctors are confident that it will work on Charlie.


The surgery is a success and Charlie starts learning. He starts to date his teacher. His intelligence eventually reaches the point where it surpasses hers. He realizes the friends he thought he had were only making fun of him and using him for jokes. Charlie remembers his childhood vividly, his mother was abusive and he had visited many doctors to try and fix his brain. 


Later in the book, Algernon's intelligence starts to deteriorate. I don't want to spoil the ending. I'm sure you can guess what happens, though. I will say this, it was the only time I have ever cried because of a story; I have never become so emotionally involved with the plot and characters. The book just felt so real. Buy it, it's only $8.99.


Movie: Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog

Ah, Dr. Horrible, you are my favourite movie. Fun to watch, fun songs, great actors, I could go on. I can't, though, there are only so many positive adjectives. I've seen this movie at least fifty times, and watched three times in a row once; just so I could listen to all of the songs. It's an Internet thing, too, which makes it so much more awesome.


The songs in a musical are just as important as the story, in my opinion. And the songs in Dr. Horrible are absolutely fantastic. Not only do I know all of the words to all of the songs, but I know most of the words in the movie, sad I know. Every time I watch the movie, I sing along. When I'm walking around, I sing the songs in my head. I'm a huge fan.


I've thought about the story in detail, and even dressed up as the titular character for Halloween. The actors are all great, and Penny is played by the actress who plays the main character from The Guild. Go watch it, you won't be disappointed.


TL;DR
I like the media, mostly the Internet and video games. I like Majora's Mask, Flowers for Algernon, and Dr. Horrible. I'm also an evil genius and will eventually take over the world, just you wait, everybody.


Links:
Adblock Plus for Chrome
Adblock Plus for Firefox
The Guild
Cracked
The Guild's YouTube Channel
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Flowers for Algernon
Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog


All images are property of their creators, I take no credit for them.