Yesterday was one of those red-letter days in my public school career where I am at home enriching my life whilst my peers and classmates are toiling away at government institutions to earn their freedom from intellectual oppression. Actually, my school took our third annual trip to the Texas Renaissance Festival so I, being suddenly afflicted with a mysterious one-day illness, stayed home with Mac. Our activities of the day included watching portions of various movies, eating inordinate amounts of our famous bean and cheese dip (I can give you the recipe) and otherwise experiencing the R&R we so richly deserve. All in all, I think Mac will agree with me that the day was seized.
The glorious day was just beginning to really pick up when we were called upon by our mutual best friend (who we will simply call Tres) to watch with him what he has described as "the greatest show ever to pump testosterone into the veins of teenage males." The show Tres was extolling is none other than "The Deadliest Warrior", a SPIKE channel TV show which pits famous warriors in history against each other using virtual battles to decide the winner.
The particular episode we watched pitted the Japanese gangsters, the Yakuza, against the well-known Sicilian Mafia of the prohibition era US. The idea of the show is to bring in specialists in each style of fighting, give them the weapons and tools of their warriors, and use sensors and dummies to test the destructive power of each weapon in the hands of professionals. The data and observations are then fed into a computer which calculates 1000 battles and shows how many each side won and lost, with the final result being choreographed and played out by professional actors.
The concept is a tantalizing one for anyone with a vivid imagination. Imagine pitting ninjas versus Spartans or pirates versus knights. It puts the thousands hypothetical discussions of middle and high school boys everywhere into real-world situations. Not to mention that every dummy that is smashed, bashed, or blown to bits is filled with synthetic blood for a near-realistic gore factor.
The directors obviously focus more on the special effects and choreography than they do on the dialogue. There is enough wit passed between rival warriors to suggest scripting, but the comebacks are so weak that I hope for their sake that it is improvised. This is excusable of the brutes the show brings in to demonstrate weaponry, but when the medical professional they have on staff reviews a dummy who's head is cleaved in two and his only remark is, "You can see by the fracturing of the spine here, this guy is dead", I tend to think they just keep him around because of his overwhelming grasp of the obvious.
In all honesty "The Deadliest Warrior" is a very well-made show which combines imagination with hard fact and special effects with genuine observation. I find it to be both highly entertaining and informative at the same time.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Mac on what I did yesterday(oct 28)
Yesterday many of my peers who also blog took a field trip to the ren fest. As many of them will tell you it was quite a blast. Sadly this year I wasn't able to go to ren fest. The reason being I was sick of school. It is very contagious and felt I would be better off staying at home so that I could get better. Since I was staying home my mom felt I needed to be productive so I spent all of 20 minutes doing chores. After that I watched the movie traitor which I will not do an indepth post on but I will say that it was good movie with a cool twist. After that I went to my friends house and played PSO which is an old school but highly addicting RPG. After tiring of PSO me and my friends watched Deadliest Warrior(Which is pronounced with a deep ominous voice). Deadliest Warrior pits two classic enemies against each other to see which is better. We watched yakuza vs mafia , and of course the American mafia won. Then we watched swat on my free big screen tv that my neighbor gave me. Sadly we weren't able to finish the movie and had to stop at the climax because of church. Doing all of this nothingness cured my school sickness and refreshed me for the rest of the week.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Mac on Psycho
Psycho is right. Hitchcock's thriller is one of the first of its kind(Psycho murderer movies) and is still widely considered one of the best murder movies of all time. This movie will chill you to the bones and leave you checking out your shower curtains for suspicious shadows.
Hitchcock's movie Psycho is about a girl, her greed and poetic justice in the form of a crazy, and a killer with multiple personalities. It all starts when the main character Marion Crane still 40000 dollars from her boss so she and her lover( who is cheating on his wife) can go live together someplace else. When Marion stops for the night in a vacant motel she meets the killer Norman Bates. Later that night she is killed by a weird women. The body is then cleaned up by Norman. After the killing Marion's sister goes to look for her and what they find out will live in infamy in the annals of movie history.
After watching Psycho I have learned that to always lock the bathroom door and to never stay at vacant motels with creepy owners. This movie is definitely a must see for all you movie buffs and horror lovers. With its story that sucks you in and the final twist that drop your jaw.
B
THE BLAKE SNYDER BEAT SHEET
PROJECT TITLE: Alfred Hitchcock’s PSYCHO
1. Opening Image (1): Panning from the city into the building, then the window where Marion and Sam are. Showing that the story could be based on anyone.
2. Theme Stated (5): It could happen to anyone. This could be anyone’s story.
3. Set-Up (1-10):Events leading up to when Marion runs away and when she is at the Bates motel.
4. Catalyst (12): Marion steals the $40,000.
5. Debate (12-25): As Marion is driving she hears the voices in her head of people finding out what she has done.
6. Break into Two (25): Marion gets off the road and winds up at the Bates motel.
7. B Story (30): The story of Norman Bates and his ‘mother’.
8. Fun and Games (30-55): ‘Mother’ kills Marion and Norman hides her car in the swamp.
9. Midpoint (55): The PI, Sam, and Lila go to find Marion.
10. Bad Guys Close In (55-75): The PI goes to talk to Norman and doesn’t find anything.
All Is Lost (75): PI comes back after leaving and is killed by ‘mother’.
12. Dark Night of the Soul (75-85): Norman Bates is watching the PI’s car sink into the swamp.
13. Break into Three (85): Sam and Lila go to the Bates motel to get some answers, and Lila goes to the house to talk to mother.
14. Finale (85-110): Sam stops Norman (as ‘mother’) from killing Lila.
15. Final Image (110): ‘Mother’ is saying to herself that she won’t kill the fly buzzing around her. Trying to show how she “wouldn’t hurt a fly”. She’s just like anyone else.
B
THE BLAKE SNYDER BEAT SHEET
PROJECT TITLE: Alfred Hitchcock’s PSYCHO
1. Opening Image (1): Panning from the city into the building, then the window where Marion and Sam are. Showing that the story could be based on anyone.
2. Theme Stated (5): It could happen to anyone. This could be anyone’s story.
3. Set-Up (1-10):Events leading up to when Marion runs away and when she is at the Bates motel.
4. Catalyst (12): Marion steals the $40,000.
5. Debate (12-25): As Marion is driving she hears the voices in her head of people finding out what she has done.
6. Break into Two (25): Marion gets off the road and winds up at the Bates motel.
7. B Story (30): The story of Norman Bates and his ‘mother’.
8. Fun and Games (30-55): ‘Mother’ kills Marion and Norman hides her car in the swamp.
9. Midpoint (55): The PI, Sam, and Lila go to find Marion.
10. Bad Guys Close In (55-75): The PI goes to talk to Norman and doesn’t find anything.
All Is Lost (75): PI comes back after leaving and is killed by ‘mother’.
12. Dark Night of the Soul (75-85): Norman Bates is watching the PI’s car sink into the swamp.
13. Break into Three (85): Sam and Lila go to the Bates motel to get some answers, and Lila goes to the house to talk to mother.
14. Finale (85-110): Sam stops Norman (as ‘mother’) from killing Lila.
15. Final Image (110): ‘Mother’ is saying to herself that she won’t kill the fly buzzing around her. Trying to show how she “wouldn’t hurt a fly”. She’s just like anyone else.
Del on Psycho
Heebie-jeebies! You can expect to jump out of your skin multiple times if you watch Psycho. It follows the story of Marion Crane, who steals $40,000 from her boss in order to settle down with her lover who is going through an expensive divorce. While she is on the run she stops to rest at the Bates motel. The proprietor, Norman Bates, seems nice enough but his 'mother' comes in and kills Marion in one of the most famous and widely used scenes in the genre, the shower scene. Several people come to investigate, which leads to another murder and a look into the mind of Norman Bates, a scary place.
Alfred Hitchcock's psychotic thriller was the first of its kind ever to hit the big screen. It portrays the events surrounding the murder of Marion Crane at the Bates motel. But Psycho is more than the story of a disturbed motel manager, Norman Bates, or even of Marion Crane, but is meant to be a case study in the psyche each person in society. The opening scene shows a city, arbitrarily dated and placed, which pans in to focus on a random building, then a random window in that building. This gives the audience the feel that the story could take place in a day in the life of any in the audience. Hitchcock's genius is that he writes broad enough portrayals in the main characters that almost everyone can relate to at least one person affected in the story. Along with good use of lighting and shadow as well as Anthony Perkins' superb acting as Norman Bates, Psycho is hailed as Alfred Hitchcock's greatest work.
Here is the beat sheet that breaks down the story.
THE BLAKE SNYDER BEAT SHEET
PROJECT TITLE: Alfred Hitchcock’s PSYCHO
1. Opening Image (1): Panning from the city into the building, then the window where Marion and Sam are. Showing that the story could be based on anyone.
2. Theme Stated (5): It could happen to anyone. This could be anyone’s story.
3. Set-Up (1-10):Events leading up to when Marion runs away and when she is at the Bates motel.
4. Catalyst (12): Marion steals the $40,000.
5. Debate (12-25): As Marion is driving she hears the voices in her head of people finding out what she has done.
6. Break into Two (25): Marion gets off the road and winds up at the Bates motel.
7. B Story (30): The story of Norman Bates and his ‘mother’.
8. Fun and Games (30-55): ‘Mother’ kills Marion and Norman hides her car in the swamp.
9. Midpoint (55): The PI, Sam, and Lila go to find Marion.
10. Bad Guys Close In (55-75): The PI goes to talk to Norman and doesn’t find anything.
All Is Lost (75): PI comes back after leaving and is killed by ‘mother’.
12. Dark Night of the Soul (75-85): Norman Bates is watching the PI’s car sink into the swamp.
13. Break into Three (85): Sam and Lila go to the Bates motel to get some answers, and Lila goes to the house to talk to mother.
14. Finale (85-110): Sam stops Norman (as ‘mother’) from killing Lila.
15. Final Image (110): ‘Mother’ is saying to herself that she won’t kill the fly buzzing around her. Trying to show how she “wouldn’t hurt a fly”. She’s just like anyone else.
Alfred Hitchcock's psychotic thriller was the first of its kind ever to hit the big screen. It portrays the events surrounding the murder of Marion Crane at the Bates motel. But Psycho is more than the story of a disturbed motel manager, Norman Bates, or even of Marion Crane, but is meant to be a case study in the psyche each person in society. The opening scene shows a city, arbitrarily dated and placed, which pans in to focus on a random building, then a random window in that building. This gives the audience the feel that the story could take place in a day in the life of any in the audience. Hitchcock's genius is that he writes broad enough portrayals in the main characters that almost everyone can relate to at least one person affected in the story. Along with good use of lighting and shadow as well as Anthony Perkins' superb acting as Norman Bates, Psycho is hailed as Alfred Hitchcock's greatest work.
Here is the beat sheet that breaks down the story.
THE BLAKE SNYDER BEAT SHEET
PROJECT TITLE: Alfred Hitchcock’s PSYCHO
1. Opening Image (1): Panning from the city into the building, then the window where Marion and Sam are. Showing that the story could be based on anyone.
2. Theme Stated (5): It could happen to anyone. This could be anyone’s story.
3. Set-Up (1-10):Events leading up to when Marion runs away and when she is at the Bates motel.
4. Catalyst (12): Marion steals the $40,000.
5. Debate (12-25): As Marion is driving she hears the voices in her head of people finding out what she has done.
6. Break into Two (25): Marion gets off the road and winds up at the Bates motel.
7. B Story (30): The story of Norman Bates and his ‘mother’.
8. Fun and Games (30-55): ‘Mother’ kills Marion and Norman hides her car in the swamp.
9. Midpoint (55): The PI, Sam, and Lila go to find Marion.
10. Bad Guys Close In (55-75): The PI goes to talk to Norman and doesn’t find anything.
All Is Lost (75): PI comes back after leaving and is killed by ‘mother’.
12. Dark Night of the Soul (75-85): Norman Bates is watching the PI’s car sink into the swamp.
13. Break into Three (85): Sam and Lila go to the Bates motel to get some answers, and Lila goes to the house to talk to mother.
14. Finale (85-110): Sam stops Norman (as ‘mother’) from killing Lila.
15. Final Image (110): ‘Mother’ is saying to herself that she won’t kill the fly buzzing around her. Trying to show how she “wouldn’t hurt a fly”. She’s just like anyone else.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Flickdaddys on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Hush
'Hush' (Episode 10 of Season 4) was the result of Joss Whedon challenging himself. Many people told him that his television series was a smash hit because of his dialogue, so he wrote an episode without dialogue for the heck of it.
This episode features the ghoulish, floating, 'Gentlemen' and their Igor-like 'Footmen' as their villains. The Gentlemen are fairytale creatures who enter a town, steal the townsfolk's voices and put them in a box, then select seven people and cut their hearts out while they can't scream. This plays on our primal fear of a monster attacking us and not being able to cry out. It is like something out of a nightmare watching the Gentlemen float around Sunnydale with metallic smiles on their faces and scalpels in their hands.
The underlying idea is that communication is more than talking. In the beginning of the episode there are several boy-girl scenes in which the romance is broken by too much talking or not knowing what to say. It is interesting to notice how different people react to losing their voices. Some think they are deaf and others try to telephone friends before they realize that they have no way to communicate over the phone. The relationships are resolved when action and body language is used, which is a reference to our lives that actions speak louder than words. This episode is a wonderful demonstration of Joss Whedon's ability to tell a story and make a deep impression without witty dialogue.
This episode features the ghoulish, floating, 'Gentlemen' and their Igor-like 'Footmen' as their villains. The Gentlemen are fairytale creatures who enter a town, steal the townsfolk's voices and put them in a box, then select seven people and cut their hearts out while they can't scream. This plays on our primal fear of a monster attacking us and not being able to cry out. It is like something out of a nightmare watching the Gentlemen float around Sunnydale with metallic smiles on their faces and scalpels in their hands.
The underlying idea is that communication is more than talking. In the beginning of the episode there are several boy-girl scenes in which the romance is broken by too much talking or not knowing what to say. It is interesting to notice how different people react to losing their voices. Some think they are deaf and others try to telephone friends before they realize that they have no way to communicate over the phone. The relationships are resolved when action and body language is used, which is a reference to our lives that actions speak louder than words. This episode is a wonderful demonstration of Joss Whedon's ability to tell a story and make a deep impression without witty dialogue.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Flick Daddys on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Halloween)
Although I have not seen any other Buffy episodes besides Halloween. I get the feeling that this is a top notch show. The episode is well written with very good acting and action.
From what I have read Joss Whedon the writer and director includes metaphors in all of his episodes. The Halloween episode is no exception. The episode is set during Halloween when the main characters get forced into walking kids around during Halloween. The characters have to wear costumes and the main character says that this is the one night you can become who you are not. This statement becomes all too real when Ethan the bad guy casts a spell that turns you into who you dress as. Eventually the characters turn back into themselves and realize how nice it is to just be yourself. This is most evident when Buffy talks to the guy she likes and he tells her that he likes her just the way she is and not as the person she was pretending to be. This can all be boiled down to be happy with who you are.
If this episode is any reflection of the rest of the episodes I would recommend you watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
From what I have read Joss Whedon the writer and director includes metaphors in all of his episodes. The Halloween episode is no exception. The episode is set during Halloween when the main characters get forced into walking kids around during Halloween. The characters have to wear costumes and the main character says that this is the one night you can become who you are not. This statement becomes all too real when Ethan the bad guy casts a spell that turns you into who you dress as. Eventually the characters turn back into themselves and realize how nice it is to just be yourself. This is most evident when Buffy talks to the guy she likes and he tells her that he likes her just the way she is and not as the person she was pretending to be. This can all be boiled down to be happy with who you are.
If this episode is any reflection of the rest of the episodes I would recommend you watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
FlickDaddys Nosferatu Beat Sheet
Spoiler Alert
1. Opening Image (1):Jonathan Harker bringing his wife flowers.
2. Theme Stated (5):”Was it he [Nosferatu] who brought the plague to bremen in 1838?”
3. Set-Up (1-10): Jonathan and Nina are flirting and Renfield gets a letter from Count Orlock.
4. Catalyst (12): Renfield sends Jonathan to Transylvania to broker the Count’s house purchase.
5. Debate (12-25): Nina asks Jonathan not to go, he tells her he must.
6. Break into Two (25): Jonathan leaves and travels to Transylvania
7. B Story (30): The love story between Jonathan and Nina.
8. Fun and Games (30-55): Dracula creeps Jonathan out in his castle.
9. Midpoint (55): Jonathan gets Dracula to sign the deed and he starts to travel back to Nina.
10. Bad Guys Close In (55-75):Dracula starts to travel to his house in Bremen.
11. All Is Lost (75): Nina and Jonathan feel the control of Dracula as he gets closer.
12. Dark Night of the Soul (75-85): Dracula has his hold over the city and many people die.
13. Break into Three (85): Nina reads the book of vampire and realizes she must sacrifice her self for the town.
14. Finale (85-110): Dracula bites Nina and when the morning comes he dies.
15. Final Image (110): Jonathan holding the dead nina in his arms.
1. Opening Image (1):Jonathan Harker bringing his wife flowers.
2. Theme Stated (5):”Was it he [Nosferatu] who brought the plague to bremen in 1838?”
3. Set-Up (1-10): Jonathan and Nina are flirting and Renfield gets a letter from Count Orlock.
4. Catalyst (12): Renfield sends Jonathan to Transylvania to broker the Count’s house purchase.
5. Debate (12-25): Nina asks Jonathan not to go, he tells her he must.
6. Break into Two (25): Jonathan leaves and travels to Transylvania
7. B Story (30): The love story between Jonathan and Nina.
8. Fun and Games (30-55): Dracula creeps Jonathan out in his castle.
9. Midpoint (55): Jonathan gets Dracula to sign the deed and he starts to travel back to Nina.
10. Bad Guys Close In (55-75):Dracula starts to travel to his house in Bremen.
11. All Is Lost (75): Nina and Jonathan feel the control of Dracula as he gets closer.
12. Dark Night of the Soul (75-85): Dracula has his hold over the city and many people die.
13. Break into Three (85): Nina reads the book of vampire and realizes she must sacrifice her self for the town.
14. Finale (85-110): Dracula bites Nina and when the morning comes he dies.
15. Final Image (110): Jonathan holding the dead nina in his arms.
FlickDaddys on Nosferatu
Nosferatu, the Symphony of Death has frightened movie watchers for 80 years. Despite its silence and gray-scale appearance, Max Screck's pinnacle performance as Count Orlock remains the truest and most frightening portrayal of Braum Stoker's book.
Nosferatu is the story of real estate agent Jonathan Harker his wife Nina and their Towns encounter with Dracula. In the beginning of the Jonathan Harker gets sent to do a real estate deal with a wealth count. Upon arrival Jonathan finds out that the count is something more. After they sign the paper work Jonathan Harker takes off for home and on his way he reads a book that confirms his worst fear. When they finally arrive in Bremen the Count holds a sort of spell over the town. When their is no hope left Jonathan's wife Nina does something completely unexpected.
Nosferatu was released in 1929 as the first movie version of Brom Stroker's Dracula. The studio produced the film had no rights to the Dracula license and was by Stroker's wife for making the movie. The studio ended up going into bankruptcy and lost the rights to the movie. Because the closing of the studio the movie rights fell into the public domain and is available to watch for free.
Although most people would dismiss Nosferatu upon hearing that it is silent and grayscalse, this movie is one of the most well made and creepiest horror films of all time. This is in large part due to Count Orlock (Max Schreck), for the duration of the movie Orlock is extremely creepy. He blinks only once throughout the entire movie and has two big front teeth and a perfectly straight posture. It is even rumored that off set he stayed in character and would attack people at random. If you are in the mood for a movie that will keep you up scared this is a must see.
Nosferatu is the story of real estate agent Jonathan Harker his wife Nina and their Towns encounter with Dracula. In the beginning of the Jonathan Harker gets sent to do a real estate deal with a wealth count. Upon arrival Jonathan finds out that the count is something more. After they sign the paper work Jonathan Harker takes off for home and on his way he reads a book that confirms his worst fear. When they finally arrive in Bremen the Count holds a sort of spell over the town. When their is no hope left Jonathan's wife Nina does something completely unexpected.
Nosferatu was released in 1929 as the first movie version of Brom Stroker's Dracula. The studio produced the film had no rights to the Dracula license and was by Stroker's wife for making the movie. The studio ended up going into bankruptcy and lost the rights to the movie. Because the closing of the studio the movie rights fell into the public domain and is available to watch for free.
Although most people would dismiss Nosferatu upon hearing that it is silent and grayscalse, this movie is one of the most well made and creepiest horror films of all time. This is in large part due to Count Orlock (Max Schreck), for the duration of the movie Orlock is extremely creepy. He blinks only once throughout the entire movie and has two big front teeth and a perfectly straight posture. It is even rumored that off set he stayed in character and would attack people at random. If you are in the mood for a movie that will keep you up scared this is a must see.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Night of the Living Dead Beat Sheet * Spoiler Alert *
Here is the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet on the Flick:Night of the Living Dead
1. Opening Image (1):Barbara and her brother don’t recognize the zombie as a zombie.
2. Theme Stated (5): “They’re coming to get you, Barbara.”
3. Set-Up (1-10):Barbara and her brother are in the cemetery visiting their dad.
Catalyst (12):Flesh eating ghouls come.
6. Break into Two (25):Barbara meets the half-man in an abandoned house.
7. B Story (30): They meet the people that were in the cellars
8. Fun and Games (30-55):They plan and fight and board up the house
9. Midpoint (55): They find a tv and get more information about whats happening.
10. Bad Guys Close In (55-75): The go out to get the gas
11. All Is Lost (75):The other couples daughter kills and eats them since she is a ghoul
12. Dark Night of the Soul (75-85): The main character kills the parents of the zombie daughter and huddles in the cellar
13. Break into Three (85):The police clear out the zombies and go to the house
14. Finale (85-110): THe police shoot the main character thinking he’s a ghoul.
15. Final Image (110):The police don’t recognize Ben as a human. Contrasting with not recognizing the zombie for what it was at the beginning.
1. Opening Image (1):Barbara and her brother don’t recognize the zombie as a zombie.
2. Theme Stated (5): “They’re coming to get you, Barbara.”
3. Set-Up (1-10):Barbara and her brother are in the cemetery visiting their dad.
Catalyst (12):Flesh eating ghouls come.
6. Break into Two (25):Barbara meets the half-man in an abandoned house.
7. B Story (30): They meet the people that were in the cellars
8. Fun and Games (30-55):They plan and fight and board up the house
9. Midpoint (55): They find a tv and get more information about whats happening.
10. Bad Guys Close In (55-75): The go out to get the gas
11. All Is Lost (75):The other couples daughter kills and eats them since she is a ghoul
12. Dark Night of the Soul (75-85): The main character kills the parents of the zombie daughter and huddles in the cellar
13. Break into Three (85):The police clear out the zombies and go to the house
14. Finale (85-110): THe police shoot the main character thinking he’s a ghoul.
15. Final Image (110):The police don’t recognize Ben as a human. Contrasting with not recognizing the zombie for what it was at the beginning.
Flickdaddy's on Night of the Living Dead
Mac and Del-
"They're coming to get you, Barbara." Forever this is that ironic phrase branded in the minds of anyone who watched George Romero's original zombie horror, Night of the Living Dead. No movie before it had ever featured zombies as the living dead. In fact nowhere in the movie do you hear them called 'zombies'. Night of the Living Dead is a monster-in-the-house thriller, which has three components: A supernatural monster, a closed environment, and a sin that the monster is punishing characters for.
The supernatural monster is, of course, a zombie. The zombies have come back from the dead to eat and/or scare the pants off of anyone they come across. The closed environment is the farmhouse that the six characters take refuge in. The sin is a little more complicated to describe, though. In the opening scene, Barbara and her brother are visiting their father's grave site and Johnny is telling Barbara that he doesn't go to church anymore. This is the beginning of the disparity between the older generation and the younger. The sin of this movie is that the 1960s youth and young adults were throwing off the traditions of their parents.
Night of the Living Dead was released in 1968, and was directed by George A. Romero. This movie was a low budget movie for the time and so it made it hard for them to get big name actors. In fact for many of the actors this was the only famous movie they made throughout their career. Although it was a low budget black and white film made during the beginnings of color tv, the movie went on to become a cult classic. It is even ranked as one of the scariest movie in history on Bravo. Later when the owners changed the name of the movie they forgot to change the copyright so the movie is now available to watch or download for free.
After this movie was released the director made 5 more Dead movies. There has also been remakes and parodies of Night of the Living Dead. To this day Night of the Living Dead is considered one of the fathers of zombie movies, and has influenced the whole genre of zombie horror.
"They're coming to get you, Barbara." Forever this is that ironic phrase branded in the minds of anyone who watched George Romero's original zombie horror, Night of the Living Dead. No movie before it had ever featured zombies as the living dead. In fact nowhere in the movie do you hear them called 'zombies'. Night of the Living Dead is a monster-in-the-house thriller, which has three components: A supernatural monster, a closed environment, and a sin that the monster is punishing characters for.
The supernatural monster is, of course, a zombie. The zombies have come back from the dead to eat and/or scare the pants off of anyone they come across. The closed environment is the farmhouse that the six characters take refuge in. The sin is a little more complicated to describe, though. In the opening scene, Barbara and her brother are visiting their father's grave site and Johnny is telling Barbara that he doesn't go to church anymore. This is the beginning of the disparity between the older generation and the younger. The sin of this movie is that the 1960s youth and young adults were throwing off the traditions of their parents.
Night of the Living Dead was released in 1968, and was directed by George A. Romero. This movie was a low budget movie for the time and so it made it hard for them to get big name actors. In fact for many of the actors this was the only famous movie they made throughout their career. Although it was a low budget black and white film made during the beginnings of color tv, the movie went on to become a cult classic. It is even ranked as one of the scariest movie in history on Bravo. Later when the owners changed the name of the movie they forgot to change the copyright so the movie is now available to watch or download for free.
After this movie was released the director made 5 more Dead movies. There has also been remakes and parodies of Night of the Living Dead. To this day Night of the Living Dead is considered one of the fathers of zombie movies, and has influenced the whole genre of zombie horror.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Blake Synder Beat Sheet
This beat sheet is an outline for most good stories. We took this outline and applied it to our favorite movie.
PROJECT TITLE: O Brother Where Art Thou?
Opening Image (1): The three friends(Everett, Pete and Delmar) are escaping a chain gang.
2. Theme Stated (5): Everett says in regards to who should lead them, “Well Pete, I figured it should be the one with the capacity for abstract thought. But if that ain't the consensus view, then hell, let's put it to a vote.” This shows that Everett will be leading them into to a whole bunch of his cockamamie plans.
3. Set-Up (1-10): The three argue about who should lead and thereby display there personal characteristics, intentionally or not.
4. Catalyst (12): The three decide to go after the treasure before the flood buries it forever.
5. Debate (12-25): Meet Pete’s cousin and are almost caught when he turns them in.
6. Break into Two (25): Steal a car from Pete’s cousin and set out on their journey. Pete and Delmar get baptized.
7. B Story (30): the trio meet Tommy Johnson, a black guitarist who sold his soul to the devil to play the guitar well
8. Fun and Games (30-55): The three meet sirens (Pete disappears), a one-eyed bible sailsman, and a bank robber.
9. Midpoint (55): They meet Everett’s wife and daughters, his wife is fixin to get married.
10. Bad Guys Close In (55-75): The other two meet Pete and help him escape.
11. All Is Lost (75): Everett tells Pete and Delmar that there was never any treasure, they fight.
12. Dark Night of the Soul (75-85): They meet Tommy who is captured by the KKK and break him out.
13. Break into Three (85): They pose as the soggy bottom boys and everyone loves them but Everett’s wife still doesn’t take him back without her wedding ring.
14. Finale (85-110): They go to the cabin, get caught by the law and are about to be hanged when water rushes in and covers the whole area. They return to Everett’s wife empty-handed.
15. Final Image (110): All his kids are roped together on a string behind him and his wife. (like a chain gang)
Friday, October 2, 2009
Mac on Cool Youtube Vids
Food Fight(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-yldqNkGfo)
This was definitely the most creative and awesome representation of American History that I have seen. The premise was show all the wars America has been involved in using food. Each country has different food representing it such as hamburger for American or bratwurst for Germany. The video was very very well done, the special effects were good enough that with just food you could tell what war it was and what was happening. This video is a must see on youtube.
Great Tasting Americano(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xREW_pk_7vU)
This is a very short stop animation film. It does not really have much of a plot. All it is about is a guy who almost gets hit by a car so he steals the car and goes and gets a drink to heal himself. This video has no redeeming value and the only reason to see it is if you want to see a decent stop motion short.
Back of the Mike(http://www.archive.org/details/Backofth1938)
This is one of the coolest sound effects videos out there. It is a video of the behind the scenes of an old radio show. The video transitions between a kid watching the show and the people performing the show. The show to sound realistic has to have sounds so the people creating the radio broadcast use anything from a fan in a tub to crinkly paper to make the show as realistic as possible.
Zombies in Plain English(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVnfyradCPY)
The plain english videos are usually talk about serious subjects such as twitter and blogs. For this video they decided to have fun so they created a video informing you how to survive a zombie outbreak. It goes through everything from where to go to how to save your friend once he has been infected. If you are afraid of zombies and want to survive an outbreak this video will be very educational for you.
Blogs in Plain English(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN2I1pWXjXI)
This is a serious video from the Plain English series. It talks about the history of blogs and how they have shaped news today. They also go into how to use a blog. This video is a must see for people who have spent years wondering why on earth there are millions of blogs.
This was definitely the most creative and awesome representation of American History that I have seen. The premise was show all the wars America has been involved in using food. Each country has different food representing it such as hamburger for American or bratwurst for Germany. The video was very very well done, the special effects were good enough that with just food you could tell what war it was and what was happening. This video is a must see on youtube.
Great Tasting Americano(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xREW_pk_7vU)
This is a very short stop animation film. It does not really have much of a plot. All it is about is a guy who almost gets hit by a car so he steals the car and goes and gets a drink to heal himself. This video has no redeeming value and the only reason to see it is if you want to see a decent stop motion short.
Back of the Mike(http://www.archive.org/details/Backofth1938)
This is one of the coolest sound effects videos out there. It is a video of the behind the scenes of an old radio show. The video transitions between a kid watching the show and the people performing the show. The show to sound realistic has to have sounds so the people creating the radio broadcast use anything from a fan in a tub to crinkly paper to make the show as realistic as possible.
Zombies in Plain English(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVnfyradCPY)
The plain english videos are usually talk about serious subjects such as twitter and blogs. For this video they decided to have fun so they created a video informing you how to survive a zombie outbreak. It goes through everything from where to go to how to save your friend once he has been infected. If you are afraid of zombies and want to survive an outbreak this video will be very educational for you.
Blogs in Plain English(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN2I1pWXjXI)
This is a serious video from the Plain English series. It talks about the history of blogs and how they have shaped news today. They also go into how to use a blog. This video is a must see for people who have spent years wondering why on earth there are millions of blogs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
