Another Series of Unfortunate Events

As said by my classmates, Ashley and John, this past week in class we analyzed the first four or five minutes of A Series of Unfortunate Events and nearly all of that was the opening credits, and song. As a person who read the books as a child, and watched the movie made in 2004, I was eminently under impressed with Netflix’s tv series. I can agree with John that Lemony Snicket, played by Patrick Warburton, was my favorite character. I was disappointed considering, I have always loved Neil Patrick Harris, and in the role of Count Olaf he just didn’t do anything to capture my attention and was not at all how I envisioned Count Olaf as a child.

I found that my opinion at the beginning was that I preferred the 2004 version of A Series of Unfortunate Events to the Netflix series, but when I went back to watch the movie to compare the two I found that many scenes from the first episode and the movie are significantly similar. Here is a scene from both the movie and the Netflix series:

In the side-by-side comparison, you can clearly tell that the scenes are deeply similar. In this scene, Count Olaf seems to frantically be showing the crowd a sheet of paper, and in the movie, you can’t quite tell what that paper is in this still. Looking at the judge in the background, I would assume that the piece of paper he is showing everyone is a legal document. In both scenes, Violet seems to be wearing a wedding dress and veil, and Count Olaf seems to be in a medieval suit. So one can conclude that maybe they are in a play where they are acting out a wedding, but when you take into account the looks on the faces in both scenes you start to obtain the inclining that maybe something is wrong.

I did notice that while plenty of scenes are extremely similar, the major difference between the two is the colour difference. In the movie, all of the scenes have muted tones and the characters all wear dark colors, which almost in some scenes blend them in with the background. Violet is a prime example of this contrast; in the movie she only wears black, but in the Netflix series, Violet is always wearing a pink dress and a baby blue cardigan. In fact, all of the siblings in the movie where some shade of gray or black, whereas in the series they are always wearing a bright colour, or some colour that makes them stand out.

In the end, I enjoyed the TV series and might continue to watch it, but I think that the 2004 movie will always hold a special place in my childhood. While there are hordes of differences between the movie and the series, and I only covered one, there are more similarities than I covered as well. Overall, if you have never read or seen the original A Series of Unfortunate Events this might be up your alley, but some might not appreciate the TV series being that the movie has a place in their heart. My advice would be to give the show a shot, and if you don’t like it you don’t like it, but maybe you find your next series to watch.

It's Arrested Development

Arrested Development is perhaps the most comedically dense show I have ever had the pleasure of watching. It’s a show of constant subtle callbacks and foreshadowing. It is a show rife with double entendre in nearly every scene. This is all locked into place with a tongue in cheek narrator whose voice and phrases have penetrated my own inner monologue. I’m not sure how, but this show was cancelled after the third season. Network television is a confusing and fickle mistress, what can you do? So the first time I saw that netflix was to make a new season of Arrested Development, I was ecstatic. Yet, I am slightly ambivalent re-watching the first episode of season four, the first Netflix Original episode.

Season four has a wildly different structure than the rest of the series. An episode focuses strictly on one member of the Bluth family, following them through whatever shenanigans ensues. That’s a bold move, Cotton!... Whoops, wrong Jason Bateman reference. Coincidentally, these type of “in” jokes are frequently found (or not found) in Arrested Development.  I notice a new aspect just about every time I rewatch an episode. Where were we? Oh yeah, structure. This setup really lets the layered jokes and foreshadowing/callbacks go crazy. As the events that take place affect all of the members of the Bluth family, the viewer often sees different perspectives of the same event. The jokes feed into each other. This format makes repeat viewings even better than the first watch, as the foreshadowing that beforehand most likely went unnoticed can then be more fully appreciated.

However, this is a dual edged blade. Aren’t most swords like that, anyway? Shit, that’s some profound stuff right there. While the separated structure of the show allows for an incredible density of jokes, it’s addition by subtraction. What is lost is the relationships between the family members. They cut out the shared screen time for an interesting take on the fourth season. This makes it unique, but takes away something that was fundamental to the show and its humor.

For this reason, despite being constantly clever, the fourth season was shunned by most fans. I’m not one of them; I genuinely liked the fourth season. But it is different than the Arrested Development I knew and loved. I learned to love the fourth season, but only because there was no alternative. What’s funny is, would this have been a different show, it would have been revered for its genius and unique structure. Judged relative to the average show, it is still amazing. It’s only in the context of Arrested Development that it feels like the weakest link. A new season is in the works, and it has been confirmed that it will be a return to form for the Bluth family. Needless to say, I’m antsy in anticipation.

Movie Little Evil

Little Evil is a horror-comedy movie. Gary’s stepson Lucas had a supernatural power to make horrible thing happen. Gary was told his stepson was the antiChrist, and he tended to kill him in his sixth birthday at six o’clock in order to save the world. When Gary took Lucas out to the water park, and he decided to save Lucas rather than kill him. The truth was that Lucas was not Satan itself but the portal of evil. If Lucas dies, the world will end. Gary saved the child and the world with his love.  

The beginning sequence of the movie was shot in a thunderstorm night. The director used backlight to introduce Lucas to the audience. Due to the backlight, Lucas’ face was shadowed, and the audience could not see clear. When Gary moved to live with Lucas, he saw Lucas was on the swing. In this scene, the director used backlight again, creating a great contrast between the sunshine and Lucas. By doing this, the movie conveyed a sense of horror to the audience.

The proximity to the camera in this movie were different. To show the characters’ facial expression, the director mainly used medium close-up shot. These facial expression was not very significant to the whole story. The director only used close-up shot in the water park to show their happiness on the face, and the angry on Lucas’ face when Gary was caught by police. These close-up shots were a symbol of their warmup relationship. The other proximity shots also used throughout the movie, but the medium shot was the most common one in this movie.

The director made effort to control the depth of the shot too. The shot was pretty deep when the scenes happened in outside. A deep-space provided the audience a broad background. When a bad guy was making a deal with Gary on the nunnery, which used to hold the cult rite of killing the evil kid, the shot focus changed from background to the foreground, focusing on Gary and the bag guy. At the same time, the bad guy was saying something about the end of the world, which raised the audience’s curiosity.    

 The camera angle in this movie was very important to depict Lucas’ character. Low angle was used in the Gary’s wedding. In the video, the tornado was hitting the wedding in a very high speed. With his head down, Lucas was shot in the background of the video from a low angle. The tornado was behind Locas, and everything was flying in the sky, however the child’s hair didn’t move at all. The low angle shot made Locas look extremely powerful and horrible. The director also used eye level angle to shot the children.

In all, this was a funny movie. One thing I want to talk more about the movie was why people always blame the adult rather the child. In this movie, Lucas killed his teacher indirectly, however, it was Gary who was asked to see a therapist. When Gary talked about Lucas’ behavior with his wife, his wife thought the child had nothing wrong and should not be blamed. Is that funny?

Bloodline

      I was searching through Netflix shows trying to see which show I was going to watch next and came across Bloodline. I checked the ratings and they were extremely high so I figured, why not?
      The show began with the narrator John speaking about his brother. He sounded really stressed about something, as if his brother were in trouble or created trouble for him and his family. John then continues to say "I had a feeling that something terrible was going to happen and there was nothing I could do to stop it, that's how I felt when my brother Danny came home." So it does sound like he's in trouble, right?
      Throughout the show, Danny stuck out like a sore thumb. He was clearly the member of that family that felt like he didn't belong and his family didn't do much to make sure he didn't feel that way, except his brother John, at first. John tried to reach out to Danny since he left from with his family, I assume something went wrong to make Danny leave in the first place. I haven't gotten that far yet but I'm sure it had to deal with how he is treated by his family.
      Danny's mom was having a get together and they wanted him to attend but after John waited for him to come to the bus stop, he didn't show. Until the family started a game and he made a surprise visit. His mom was ecstatic, however his other brother, Kevin, made him feel as if he shouldn't have shown. John wanted to bring a guest but Kevin complained about how his guest isn't family, although his other siblings were bringing their significant others, he couldn't bring one guest. Kevin was ashamed of him and didn't embrace him not even once. The love wasn't there and I could understand why Danny wanted to leave every chance he had.
      Not only did his siblings not really care for him, but whenever the screen was on him, it was dark. The colors were dim, gloomy, as if it showed how his family really felt about him. The love from his mom and sister seemed sincere but it seemed as if his family didn't want John around.
      The show fooled me as well. The producers made it appear as if the love John had for Danny was sincere but throughout the show, there's flashbacks with Danny and John. John was dragging Danny through the water, John claimed he was trying to him Danny, himself, and everyone else but I'm not so sure about that. I won't spoil the show just in case you decide to watch it but what John did was unquestionably wrong and I hope authority figures find out.
      I thought this show was different from what I usually watch but the ending made me think twice about that. It just might be added onto my "must watch" list because after finishing the first episode, I want to see how the series end. Maybe you'll like it too and we can talk about how Danny's family doesn't love him like they claim they do.

Sound Effect and Animation in Dragons: Race to the Edge

Pictures and sound always play an important role in creating an excellent movie. With the sound effect, especially background music, the audience can understand what the scene wants to talk about. This week, another cartoon just pops up in my mind, and this is Dragons: Race to the Edge. Through this blog, I am going illustrate the sound effect and the animation in the movie.

Dragons: Race to the Edge is an extra series following the plot of the popular movie How to train your Dragons 2. The series continues telling the story about Hiccup and his friends in the adventure to explore the world and find the new species of dragons. It has five seasons, and I only watched two episodes of the season one. However, the sound effect brings to me an excited feeling when I view the episodes. Starting with the drum sound and the trumpet, the viewers can right away feel the spirit of adventure. Because the drum and the trumpet always relate to something unexpected and surprised, so the filmmakers choose them as an introduction to catch the audience attention. Furthermore, when Hiccup fights with the bad guys, these sound are once again emerging to describe the atmosphere of the fight scene. Until the mysterious scene, on the other hand, another sound arises. No more enthusiastic music, a deep, low tone music is replaced to fit with the enigmatic scene. In each different scene, the filmmakers know how to apply distinct music with the suitable one.

However, the sound effect only fully works when it combines with the pictures. In the mysterious scene, besides the music, the setting also combines with fog, the useful material which usually conveys the scary part. Furthermore, the moonlight is another factor which also contributes to the enigmatic message. The filmmakers are very clever when combining these two factors together because when mentioning about fog and moonlight, the audience can easily figure out the following scene. It will be jump scare or surprising element. The interested in using this technique is that it requires the audience to guess what will happen next. The more guessing game they play, the more unpredictable they will have. Moreover, the way the filmmakers draw the dragon is so realistic and creative. In some movie, sometimes the audiences feel that the animation seems unrealistic enough. Therefore, they will be bored soon, and do not want to watch the movie anymore. Dragon is a mythical creature, so drawing it is pretty difficult, especially when you want the pictures are real. However, the filmmakers have done a wonderful job: creating a realistic creature (although it is only an animation). Furthermore, although there are many dragons, all of them are different in shape with the different ability.

Although Dragons: Race to the Edge does not transmit any lesson or experience (or maybe because I have only watched two episodes of the whole series), sound effect and the animation are two reasons why you should watch, and I also.

Black Mirror

"Black Mirror": To a Friend

Hi Blaine!  You have already seen the show, but I want to talk about Netflix’s “Black Mirror”, specifically the first two opening shots and the factors that played into the elevation of tension.  To set the scene, the show takes place in Britain and the main characters are Prime Minister Michael Callow and his cabinet.  The primary conflict, at least in the pilot episode, is that Princess Susannah, the Duchess of Beaumont, has been kidnapped and held for ransom.  The rest of the episode consists of Callow and his constituents trying to figure out the best way to deliver the ransom while ensuring that Princess Susannah will be released safely.  The first shot that I want to talk about opens the show and the series, and simply consists of Callow answering a phone call where he is told that Princess Susannah has been taken hostage.  The following shot is of Callow and his cabinet members watching the video that Susannah’s captors released to YouTube.  One common trait of both these shots is that they both are able to heighten tension through the use of camera angles, low light, and other techniques.
The first shot of the series takes place in Callow’s bedroom, where he is then awoken by a phone call informing him that Susannah has been taken hostage.  Initially, the camera is in medium-shot range, capturing Callow and his wife sound asleep in bed.  The room is dark and motionless as expected.  As Callow awakens to answer the phone, which had been ringing for quite a while before he finally got up to answer it, the camera begins to zoom in on him and his wife, even further heightening suspense.   As Callow answers the phone, the camera gradually works up to close-up distance.  Callow turns on the light and the close-up allows the viewers to easily distinguish his facial features and the discontent and uncertainty that lies upon his face.  In terms of heightening the suspense and uncertainty that the viewer experiences, initially the episode opened in a dark room and the sound of phone ringing in the middle of the night which may lead the viewer to experience a sense of foreboding of the events that are to come.  Next, the extremely slow and gradual zoom on Callow’s face also lends to heightened suspense; once again, it allows for the viewer to enter into a close engagement with a character which may allow their feelings to be better communicated.  Together, these factors, readily transition into the next scene which properly opens the main conflict of the episode.  
After the phone call, Callow heads to a room where his cabinet members are and they all begin watching the video that Susannah’s captors released; there are several key elements that work to heighten suspense in this shot.   The scene opens with a long shot of Callow and his cabinet members, all visibly concerned with the safety of Susannah.  Next, a subtle moment in the shot is when the camera stays focused on the long shot of Callow and his cabinet members while Susannah can be heard crying on the video that they are all viewing together, the textbook describes this as a “long take”.  The shot captures the anxiety and uneasiness that may have been in the air.  Once again, the director makes a point to incorporate several frame transitions, especially transitioning back to Callow’s face, still full of uncertainty and dismay.  One final element that this shot incorporates is an extreme close up shot of Callow.  This particular shot takes place as the terms of Susannah’s release are detailed, and as a result, Callow’s awe and the incredulity on his face are both fully captured.  Careful placements of camera positions, long shots, close ups, and setting changes all lend to the suspense present in this particular shot.
Although you have already seen the show, Blaine, and I hope you were able to see the same significance in these two scenes as I did.  The description of the show indicates that the focus of the show is to give insight into how technology of the world has the ability to greatly affect events, and this episode may have held a very small role in the overall plot.  Nevertheless, the director’s ability to use the camera to communicate tension remains significant.    

The Discovery: A Scientific Take on the Afterlife

The Discovery is a 2017 science fiction mystery romance film directed by Charlie McDowell and stars Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother), Rooney Mara (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Jesse Plemons (Black Mass), and the iconic Robert Redford (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid). The film is about Jason Segel's Will, a neurologist who is trying to cope in a suicidal world following Redford's Thomas scientific discovery of an afterlife. Additionally, the film follows Thomas as he tries to figure out exactly what this afterlife entails.
Being a christian myself, I found this idea to be quite interesting and have in a way been looking forward to watching the film and then being able to talk about it. I was curious how the film would approach the topic and if it would try to give an actual proposition about the afterlife.
Now that I have seen the film, I can say that the film is a thought provoking, well made film that unfortunately is too flawed to create what could have been a terrific sci-fi masterpiece. The major problem with the film is the romance subplot. Rooney Mara's Isla slowly becomes involved in Will as they sprout a romance, and while this subplot could work, I don't feel like the overall structure of the film supported this subplot. Most of the runtime is intensely focused on trying to find out what the afterlife entails. Whenever the romance plot pops up, it feels forced and completely out of place. A subplot involving Will and Isla trying to disprove this afterlife also pops up towards the end of the film, similarly feeling out of place. If this was the main plot and had been developed from the beginning of the film, then it would have worked and probably well. The problem is that the subplot starts around the hour mark with only forty minutes of runtime left. For an hour, the audience is led to believe that this afterlife is real, and then all of a sudden it comes into question? To make matters worse, the afterlife turns out to be real, rendering the subplot dead on arrival and completely unnecessary. The ending also was rushed and forced. It seemed like the writers wanted to have a thrilling ending that would in turn reveal exactly what the afterlife is. What actually unfolded was a crammed ending. It did show what the afterlife was, however I think it was super predictable and should have been taken in a completely different direction.
While it might sound like I didn't like the film, it quite frankly really was good despite its problems, because almost everything else about the film is solid if not great. The acting was very solid all around, especially from Redford and Segel. All of the characters were incredibly well developed, leaving them feeling three dimensional. In this case, I think that the praise should go both to the actors and the writers. The film is also incredibly well paced. Never in its entirety does the film ever feel long or boring. The cinematography was also very solid. Most of it is filmed with slow camera panning and a healthy mixture of close ups and medium shots. To me, this helps keep the tone of the film as feeling mysterious and sort of depressing.
The highest of praises that I can give this film as it was incredibly thought inducing. Even though I am a christian, I don't necessarily know exactly what heaven or hell are like. The interesting angle the film takes is one that isn't necessarily religious. Having never been an atheist, I always assumed that they didn't believe in any sort of afterlife. This film, however, introduces one that may very well be an afterlife without a God. Even though I personally don't agree with that notion, I can still understand and respect it. I think that this should have been explored deeper than it was, however I think it is a good idea not to answer all questions in a movie like this. It's just unfortunate that this was something that wasn't addressed. The film also introduces ideas of what an afterlife could be like that I would never have thought of, such as ones that involve parallel universes.
The sad thing about the film is that it could have been great, but instead is just a very ambitious solid one. I think the writers had a million and one great ideas for the film and decided to try and fit them all into the film. If the film had only focused on a few of the stronger ideas present in the film, I think it could have been the next Arrival. I still recommend the film for anyone who wants to watch a thoughtful sci-fi that tackles maybe the most sought out question in the history of this world: is there an afterlife?

A Series of Unfortunate Events

So, in lieu of having to watch the first four minutes of A Series of Unfortunate Events for an assignment that we did in class, I was particularly intrigued in the first four minutes that I wanted to see the rest of it, and coming from someone who's never read the books, this opinion will be not only be solely based on from what I've seen in the show, but also what I've seen in the first episode, as it may or may not represent the series as a whole.
And what I was presented with was more or less of a mixed bag. Starting with the most apparent feature of the show is the cinematography and sets. As the story proclaims numerous times throughout that this is not a happy story, that can be seen very clearly in the cinematography and coloring of the scenes. Shots are typically in drab and muted colors, while very few shots (such as the judge's house) are in pure color. The most prevalent showcasing of this being nearly any scene within Count Olaf's home, as it is typically dark and full of grays and blacks. The camera work is also very interesting, as shots are typically steady (even in moving shots) and very horizontal, with lots of details in the background. The camera work is very reminiscent of something that Wes Anderson would film.
Now let's move on to the acting in the show, and this is where the "mixed bag" comes in. Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf is okay, which means a lot as I did not expect him to be any good as Olaf, and Joan Cusack as Justice Strauss was wonderful. But Patrick Warburton as Lemony Snicket/The Narrator was just fantastic, with him going as far as being my favorite part of the whole episode. But here's where problems start. The kids playing Klaus and Violet are just terrible. I know that they are children and acting would be harder for them, but they didn't even seem to try. When they're told that their parents died in a fire that burned down their mansion, and even when they go to examine the burned down mansion, they don't even look that sad, not even any tears. And towards the end of the episode, something happens to Klaus (which I'm not going to spoil) that should make him cry, but he just sounds slightly more stuffy than usual. Most other times, they're usually just very flat, and the man the plays the banker is kind of underwhelming in his performance, too.
The writing is also in the middle of the road.  A lot of the jokes did make me either chuckle or laugh, though some did fall flat. But otherwise, save for Patrick Warburton's narration, the writing didn't really click for me. A lot of the characters kind of seemed stereotypically terrible, and as I said, the kids are typically flat in their performances and mixed with some lackluster dialogue, it doesn't make for much of an experience, save for the numerous jokes throughout.
Now, chances are that some of these complaints can be argued using the book as a reference, like some of the stuff in the episode is made that way because of how it is in the book. Well, I might pick up the books sometime as I hear they're quite reliant on dark humor and are typically praised by critics and audiences alike. As for the show, I may end up watching the next episode, although it may be hesitant and largely because of the cinematography, the jokes, and Patrick Warburton.

Wet Hot American Summer

Wet Hot American Summer SUCKS! The whole show is a joke, and I think the director meant for this to be. The sad part is is that in the making of this show, the screenplay writers tried WAYYY too hard to get a laugh out of you. The logistics of Wet Hot American Summer confuses me. The camp counselors are supposed to be 18-19 years old, but they are played by a bunch of 40+ year old beer bellied ugly people who wear wigs.


The angles at which each scene is shot are vertical and still. There is no sense of realism, due to the fact that throughout the first episode, there is no intimacy with the camera on any one person. The viewers never get the chance to connect with any characters, counselors nor the campers, because of these camera choices, or lack thereof. One positive about Wet Hot American Summer is that each shot is filmed in an extremely crisp form. The lighting is continuously provided by natural sunlight and natural sunlight only. This brings the show a different vibe than the average Netflix Original episode. Like some of the shots are very dark and gloomy because the clouds are out or it is getting close to night time, and in other shots like morning or mid day shots the camera angles and the light reflect so beautifully on the actors/ actresses faces and hair. 

Sitting on my bed bored out of my mind, I try and notice all the miniscule details in this not so interesting show in order to stay intrigued in what I’m seeing. I came to the conclusion that this show is NOT for girls like me. This show is for guys. Guys that are immature and well yeah.. Just immature little dweebs. Wet Hot American Summer put most of their focus on the guys camp experience. The jokes that are made are total 8th grade boy jokes about dumb and immature things.

Oh My Goodness!!! Okay total change of mind here! Bladley FREAKING Cooper is in this show. So, therefore I like the show Wet Hot American Summer. At least now I have some eye candy to look at. The director probably cast an actor like Bradley Cooper in here due to the fact that I just stated. Hot guys attract girls, and up to this point I was half asleep, BUT when I saw this hot, fun, and active character all my energy resurged from within.
 
Now reflecting back on the show, I do recall one scene where one could relate to. When coming to a new place with new people one may come across the feelings of awkwardness or loneliness, and in the show this exact thing happens with one of the campers, but then the camper ends up meeting a counselor who becomes his best friend. There is one takeaway in this show that I figured out. People can be deceiving and overall, don’t judge a book by its cover.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

So you probably know by now that watch a movie every week for my Netflix and quill class. So this week I watched A Series of Unfortunate Events and it was very intriguing and kind of sad. After their parents die in a terrible fire, the orphans Violet, Klaus and Sunny are sent to their removed distant relative Count Olaf to live where they are treated like servants till he can collect their money.

This show is not something that I would normally watch but today in class we analyzed the first 4 minutes of it and it grabbed my interest. The movie is narrated by Lemony Snicket who really caught my attention in the first few minutes because he stated “If you are interested in stories with happy endings, then you’d be better off somewhere else.” And “You might dream that justice and peace win the day, but that’s not how this story goes.” These two automatically started stirring questions in my head and all kinds of curiosity. This show uses this aspect to its advantage over and over again leaving you with a new question every time and making you want to watch even more. This also leaves you with a big cliffhanger at the end of the first show where it shows the parents alive but in handcuffs, making you wonder even more.

The other aspect of this show that grabs your attention is how everyone besides their new neighbor across the street Justice Strauss whom is genuinely kind to them wants the orphans for their own personal gain. Everyone is very insensitive to th kids and seems like they couldn’t care less that the kid’s parents died. To Mr. Poe and his wife want to help the children so that they can get publicity and be seen as “good” people when in reality they are not very friendly towards them. And the even bigger, badder wolf is Count Olaf; he wants them entirely for the inheritance. He takes them into his very rough sketchy looking mansion and makes them his little servants. Through the first episode it shows them cooking and cleaning and doing everything he wants them to while he abuses them mentally and physically. With the children being portrayed as sweet and innocent it really makes the watcher sympathize for the children.

Another aspect that I have to tell you about is how adorable it s that they made the baby more personable by letting the older sister translate for the baby, this gives her a lot more personality and just makes you fall in love with her and her cute little smile. Therefore you get even more attached to the kids and hate him even more when he is hateful towards her.This show is a great show and I recommend watching it, it really pulls you in then you just want to watch more.

Response:  This show really sounds great, it’s not really something I would normally like since I really like happy endings and definitely Rom- Coms. With everything you explained maybe I’ll have to watch it and see if I get hooked too. I can tell that it’s at least decent by how focused you were on it when I walked by. If I like it then we can watch it together!

Sense8

This week I took on Sense8, a seemingly sci-fi with a broad array of characters with different backgrounds, locations, races, etc.. The beginning serves as a shock factor, as we witness a woman kill herself, leaving us with so many unanswered questions. Out of all the pilots I’ve watched thus far, this one has definitely left me feeling the most intrigued.

I say this show is seemingly sci-fi as I’m not 100% sure where this show truly falls yet. I’ve seen plenty of other shows where, after the first episode, I’m not sure what sort of show I’m watching, or what genre it could be, but this one I feel does that right. I often get confused watching shows, deciding whether or not it should be a comedy, action, or whatever else. While I will say this show is not in a certain category for me (yet) I feel like it does it right. I left the episode feeling like the creators wanted it to be up for interpretation, and that you had to come back to find out more, what course it would take, where the characters would end up.

The characters had such a great impact on the show, that even if I barely know their names, where they’re from, or what their background is, all of them gave so much that I wanted to know them more. I wanted to follow them and learn more about them, cheer them on even if they were doing so pretty illegal stuff. Each of them had such a compelling story, and I can’t wait to see how they all connect with each other. They all contribute to the mystery factor of the show. Towards the end of the episode, Riley and Will are shown interacting with each other, despite being in completely different countries at the time. We never get an explanation as to how Riley ended up in America, and it’s left to a point where we want to know more.

Lastly, I was captivated by the cinematography as a whole. Having recently read this chapter, there is a lot to be commented on. The usage of color and overall tone varied from scene to scene. I felt as though this was used to reflect the character and their emotions and background. For example, when we first meet Nomi and Amanita, they make usage of the colors at pride. They’re shown as happy and loving. Meanwhile, as we first meet Angelica, she’s laying in the dark, very little color reflecting her, and even the soundtrack reflects her as it’s horrific and negative. Each character comes with a different background, personality, and story, and the creators seem to want to showcase it through their scene design.

Sense8 has a lot thrown at you all at once, and the pilot leaves viewers with so many unanswered questions. Therefore, I would recommend this show, especially if you need something to binge watch. I definitely would like to continue watching this series, as I have already become pretty enveloped in these characters!

Narcos: A Netflix Original Revolving Around Columbian Drugs

Hello Classmates,
     

              Scrolling through Netflix I didn't think that i would find anything interesting because I generally do not like watching netflix shows or movies unless it involves something else right after. That is not the point. The point is that i stumbled across a show called Narcos in which seasons 1 and 2 are about the story of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, who became a billionaire through the production and distribution of cocaine, while also focusing on Escobar's interactions with drug lords, DEA agents, and various opposition entities. Season 3 picks up after the fall of Escobar. The last season follows after the death of PAblo Escobar and the pursuit of those who succeeded him.
                What I found so interesting about the show is its exaggeration about the drug cartel. I am fairly sure the exaggeration is a method they used in order to keep the viewers attached to the show, which in my opinion, worked. For example, when a scene came around where one of Pablo Escobars' associates went to go take an undercover drug member where they were simply shot, it was shown that multiple Escobar workers would go and torture the individuals families and then kill the undercover worker. This easily kept me attached although i know that in reality, the actual worker was simply shot and killed.
                 The narration was a great piece of work also. In the show, during intense scenes, there would be vocal narration from the polices point-out-view. For example, if Pablo Escobar would get away from an officer, the officer would have a narration of himself saying "Knowing Pablo we should have expected him to have an underground tunnel." Another example would be when some of the cartel members would be getting ready to do a hit on a rival drug cartel one of the members would be thinking to himself "Fucking Pablo wants to get us all killed for no reason." *Pulls out family picture* "i love you maria (wife)." It is amazing because you do not only get to hear the main characters point-of-view, but the individuals who are scattered throughout the show which is kind of like a viewer immersion into the series.
                  Each episode feels like it was made in total isolation from the others, like the cool parts of Pablo's rise to drug glory were scripted out, laid next to each other, and tied together with only the thinnest strings of plot to connect the pieces. But setting that aside it is a great show. The fact that a Colombian drug lord was inches close of becoming the president of Columbia is amazing. The drama of him coming so close to be a president of Columbia and many other incidents that one could only imagine of which he actually achieved in real life. All of these incidents make audience excitement alive in each and every episode and hence this show is my favorite and so good.

Master of None

This week I decided to watch the first 6 episodes of the Netflix Original Master of None. Most of my friends have already seen this show, so I thought it was time for me to get on board. I had heard about Aziz Ansari’s stellar writing, direction, and acting, so I was really excited to see the show that turned Ansari from a supporting character (think Parks and Rec) into the star of his own show.

The storyline of the show is relatively simple: Dev (played by Ansari) is an average millennial navigating life in New York City and all of the modern problems that come with that. He’s a 30 year old actor who has yet to do anything major with his acting career, and is in a less than desirable place, romantically and financially. Like any good comedy, he has a cast of eclectic characters surrounding him that have their own goals and motivations.

In the pilot episode, Dev encounters the risk of pregnancy with a woman that he’s just met, causing him to contemplate the logistics of fatherhood. Next we see him reach out to his parents, asking to know more about the sacrifices that they made in coming to America. He deals with racism and sexism, and tackles each new issue with the same “can-do” attitude.

The first thing that stood out to me about this show was the fact that Dev is based around the personality of Ansari. I’ve seen interviews of Ansari before, and he acts with mannerisms extremely similar to those of Dev. I don’t know if this was intentional or not, but it makes the show interesting to watch. I don’t know if any of you have ever seen the movie The Truman Show, but when I watch Master of None, I can’t help but be reminded of that. Dev feels so real, and it seems like the experiences that he has are legitimate. Like The Truman Show, it appears that we have stepped into the world of a man who is completely unaware that he is being watched by millions of people. We see Dev struggle with heartbreak and disappointment, and it feels more like a long-distance relationship than a completely scripted show.

On a different note, I think that this show speaks volumes about Ansari’s diverse abilities as a comedian and creator. The work that he’s done on this show in particular is really interesting to me. He does not direct every episode, but a lot of the episodes are directed by people who also act in the show. Obviously, this isn’t the first time that this has been done, but it is an element of the show that I find interesting.

I will definitely continue to watch this show. To be honest, I have binge watched 12 episodes over the past three days, so it’s safe to say that I enjoy it. I look forward to seeing more of Ansari’s work!

Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale

One more week of thinking what to see on Netflix, and I still have no idea to choose. There are many comments which suggest me to watch House of Card, White Collar, etc. However, because I am a fan of the cartoon, especially I like Puss in Boots, another movie which relates to Puss is my first choice. Therefore, Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale is my movie I choose this week to write about.

Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale is an extra story following the series The Adventures of Puss in Boots. Unlike the series, this movie has a special detail: a storyteller. Books are better than movies in some ways. When we read a book, each word describing the character as well as the scene help us to have the clearest images. By using our imagination, the images will be more beautiful,  more lively, and may be more fiction. Furthermore, a storytelling in every book helps us to understand easily the meaning of the plot. However, in the movie Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale, a storyteller plays an important role in explaining what happens during the movie. He helps to have a clear purpose of what the movie is about. Without him, the watchers may be struggled a little bit in figuring out why Puss was trapped inside an Epic Tales.

Timing is another important factor which makes the movie become better. Following the plot, Puss has to find the evil Queen in order to break the spell which curses the lady. It will take Puss many months to find out the castle of the Queen. However, with the shortcut technique, a long journey which takes a few month only last a few second in the movie. Furthermore, the movie is based on some famous epic tales which are very long, and some of them take a movie to tell a whole story. In Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale with five or ten minutes each tale, the movie can easily tell several stories at once. Shortcut technique may be dangerous because if the filmmakers use it too much, it is very difficult to the audience to understand the movie. However, the filmmaker in Puss in Boots has been clever use of this technique so that the audiences could still understand the content accurately, although it includes many epic tales.

In the series The Adventures of Puss in Boots, music and visual involve a crucial role in depicting the meaning of the scene. Once again, the effectiveness of those elements continues to be promoted in this movie. After the kiss between Puss and the Queen, a romantic music is emerging. They are flying into the sky with pink clouds behind them and the hearts of love flying through them. A romantic scene is built up helps the audience to understand that they are in love with each other. At the end of the movie, the storyteller is actually Puss old enemy, a tiny white mouse. A fight between them happens. To make the battle more dramatic and repetitive,  the filmmakers make use of the intense music. With the drum and the horn, the audience will get excited to the battle and want to watch till the end.

Two Halves of an Unusual Whole

Two Halves of an Unusual Whole

Dear Classmate,

For this blog post, I watched Grace and Frankie, I am not really sure what I expected but I really enjoyed it. I usually watch animated shows and romcoms but I decided to watch a live-action show in light of our recent chapter reading. I really enjoyed the way they tied two very different characters together as they went through the same obstacles. There was a constant compare and contrast that was really telling of the characters. It was very opposite but there was almost a subtlety to the differences. I thought it was interesting the way the audience was brought back and forth very smoothly and yet with very little interaction between the characters. It was challenging to connect to what they were experiencing as a whole but there were little bits and pieces that were very easy to relate to. I was surprised with the characters’ usage of profanity and drugs. I thought it was daring but realistic and a very important aspect to include. The show was a big mix-mash that was held together by emotions. There was a very large disconnect and yet there was a very clear connection if that makes sense. I really enjoyed seeing the different ways the women responded and it made me wonder which of the two I would more likely replicate. This particular blog is pretty challenging because I don’t want to dive into the plot. I think that Grace and Frankie, was really well done and the way the episode concluded really made me want to watch the next one. There was one scene that was really interesting and powerful to me. Grace was sitting at her bathroom vanity, removing her false eyelashes, her hair extension, and two objects that I didn’t even know what were. I don’t even know why I felt that scene was so important but I could feel it somehow. Like the equivalent of a tired soldier that has just come home and removed all his armor. I thought it was interesting how it felt like the characters’ were acting outside of their respective norms yet still within their characters’ personas. It must have been challenging for the actresses because of the line between abnormal for the characters’ and just unrealistic for the characters’. I feel like this show is geared for a female audience. It is difficult to think about when Netflix was producing this what audience did they have in mind. There is almost a young progressive millennial kind of feel to it but the characters’ are elderly women. It is a daring mix, considering the stereotype for the typical American senior citizen. Especially, considering politics in this day and age. Netflix has gotten pretty ballsy. It was kind of interesting it felt like the show was supposed to be comedic but with very serious undertones. I would highly recommend this show simply because it is so unique in content. This show is not typical in any way. I am very curious how the show will continue from where it stopped. Anywho, sorry I was a little late this week this was one of my more challenging posts.

Thanks,

happylittlepenguin

Bojack Horseman: Pilot Episode

  Bojack Horseman is an adult cartoon comedy that follows the life of the once been sitcom star and titular character Bojack Horseman.

The show opens up on a scene from his old sitcom called Horsin' Around before cutting to reality where Bojack is at an interview while drunk. This entire bit sets up a main theme of the show, the segregation of Hollywood glamor and reality. The interview only furthers this with Bojack attributing the shows wide success to, “People coming home after a long day of life kicking them in the urethra to watch a show about good, likable, people who love each other, where no matter what happens after thirty minutes everything is going to turn out okay”. In contrast to this when asked about his life he can not answer the question. This scene tells us a lot about Bojack, but the show just piles on.

We cut to the opening of the show that has Bojack waking up and moving through his day. Always blank faced and staring at the camera while the world goes crazy around him. Finally climaxing at a party where he falls in a pool seeming to drown only for the next shot to feature him lazily laying on top of a raft on the same pool. This opening could imply many things, but the one I got was Bojack Horseman trying to distract himself from the world, but ultimately failing by falling in a pool, and how he tries to ignore his world and reality by putting something protective between him and the pool. However it could also be implied that he finds a way to rise above his world by sitting on the very same pool.

Coming back to the show we see that not only does Bojack have issues, but so does the publishing company Penguin Publishing. This is the company that Bojack is supposed to be writing his memoirs for, that he never actually does. The company, run by penguins (high brow comedy there guys), has run into financial trouble after making a series of bad investments and lack of sales. Penguin Publishing is an obvious parody of the real world company that runs by the same name. This continues to drive the point that beneath the seemingly easy life of success and glamor, these are people with real problems as well.

We continue through Bojack's day meeting various members of the cast who bring up differing flaws and contrasts to Bojack. Todd Chavez, who is his free loading room mate, that acts only to fill up his empty time. We meet his ex girlfriend and agent Princess Carolyn who serves as another amusing dichotomy between Hollywood stardom and reality. Mr. Penutbutter, a golden retriever who has had the same life as Bojack, but is seemingly unaware of anything and must be stupid since he's happy as Bojack puts it. The final character we meet is Diane Nguyen, Mr. Penutbutter's girlfriend and Bojack's ghost writer, she serves as the outer person's view and somewhat naive to Hollywood's inner workings.

The show Bojack Horsemancis an adult cartoon comedy that follows the life of the once been sitcom star and titular character Bojack Horseman. I find the jokes to fall flat most of the time, and the comedy to hit the lowest common denominator. I do find myself wanting to watch more however. I have only watched one and a half episodes, and find myself eager to continue. I think it is do the the rather cynical and satirical nature of the show that makes Bojack Horseman an interesting character and show.

Little Evil

This week I watched the Netflix original movie Little Evil, and I recommend it. It features Adam Scott from Parks and Recreation, and Evangeline Lily from Ant-man. I have to say that while the horror film centered around demon children and the antichrist are quite common, this doesn’t strike you as a true horror film, in fact it is listed as a horror/comedy. I can tell you that it is definitely more comedy than horror, and so even if horror isn’t your thing I think you would find it in you to like this movie.

What I want to talk about this week is the mise-en-scéne in a particular scene from Little Evil. As a reminder, because as students we all have too many things happening in our heads, mise-en-scéne is the staging of a scene. The scene below is what we are analyzing:

In this scene the main characters are at a birthday party for their child. Within this scene we see the normal signs of a birthday party: a child running in the background, parents talking and supervising their children, and presents on the table by said parents. Looking deeper shows the child all alone on the swing, isolating themselves from the party, implying that maybe they don’t feel comfortable there, or that they don’t have any friends there or even perhaps that they don’t actually know any of the children there.

The another thing is the parents with alcohol; maybe my birthday parties were just lame, but my parents never supplied alcohol to the parents of my friends at a get together that involved children. This could imply that whoever set up this party wanted the other parents to like them, or that they imagined that it would encourage more people to bring their children to the party.

If we look next to the parents we see a small pile of what look to be presents. I could infer from the little amount of presents that maybe people didn’t know what to get the birthday child, they were invited last minute, or didn’t know whether they were going. It is courtesy to bring a gift to a party you are invited to, especially a birthday party. 

If you look at the furthest background of this still, you see a cemetery. Throwing a birthday party next to a cemetery is not something you see very often. Mixed with the child who is playing alone, it gives this scene a very depressing feeling, even though it is supposed to be positive. I mean, who throws a party next to cemetery? Plus, if you look at the faces of the women in the foreground they look shocked, or like they were not expecting the location of the party perhaps, or something the man talking to them might have said.

There are many things that can be inferred from a single still of a movie or TV show. Not many people pay attention to the extra things that truly make up a scene in a movie because they are too transfixed on what is happening with the main characters. So if you decide not to watch this movie I at least hope you give the mise-en-scéne in the pictured scene a thought or two. Let me know what you notice, or what you think is happening in this scene. If you get the chance and are looking for a movie that is a comedy I would recommend this one, but that is my personal opinion and the fact that I thoroughly enjoy Adam Scott.

The Ranch

When Netflix suggests a show is going to be a 98% match in terms of what you will like to watch, it normally isn’t wrong. While I really did like The Ranch, and am continuing to watch it, I also found the plot to be very typical and easy to see what was coming. The other weak point was the use of the audience laugh again, like one of the last shows I watched, Disjointed. This laugh takes away from the acting and the awkward pauses it creates are distracting. The strongest point of the show would have to be its main characters, their development, and the impressions you automatically have from them based on their previous acting. The names alone would prompt many people, from different generations, to watch it. The two main characters, Beau, played by Sam Elliott, and Colt, played by Ashton Kutcher, are engaged in a stereotypical storyline. Colt has just returned from trying to make it in professional football to the family ranch that has fallen on hard times. Beau is exceptionally unforgiving and Sam Elliott captures this role very well. Previously Sam Elliott has played the role of cowboys and outlaws in dozens of westerns. If you are familiar with this at all, as soon as Beau walks in the room, you automatically know what his persona is going to be. His lanky stature, thick mustache and even thicker drawl make him a great fit, while drawing viewers who have seen him in older productions. In this show, he appears to be a strong Republican, making reference a number of times to government and gun rights. Portraying a typical fatherly figure, he grills his sons and routinely takes a grumpy manner in which he says things. The most notable scene showing this is when Rooster and Beau are working on their truck, and Rooster says they can order the part off of Amazon and it will get here in 24 hours. Beau argues they will go to a store and get the part, claiming “that’s what’s wrong with your generation”. That they’d rather sit and wait for it to be brought to them, and then asks what they will do when North Korea comes knocking on their door, “order a gun off Amazon and wait for it to get there?”. To which Rooster responds that he will instead make use of one of the multiple gun racks in their house, including two in their bathroom.

Ashton Kutcher, arguably most famous for his role in That 70’s Show, plays the role of the irresponsible runaway son, Colt. Associating him with his role in That 70’s Show develops his character before the show even gets rolling. Further regarding the characters, the use of their names tells a bit about their story. Jameson “Rooster” is the older brother to Colt. He is predominately called Rooster throughout the episode, giving way to the fact he is mainly comedic relief and as mentioned by Beau many times, not always the brightest. Additionally, Jameson and Colt are names you would expect from a rural farmer to name his son; Jameson referring to whiskey, and Colt either referring to a young male horse, or a popular gun brand. This subtle character labeling with casting and naming gives you an impression of the characters before you truly get to know them.

On the OA

After being recommended by multiple people to watch The OA I have finally given in and watched the premier episode. After finishing the episode I can definitely say the the story writers have done a fantastic job of opening up questions about the characters like OA and Steve, as well as to build up these characters without giving too many details.

Bojack Horseman - Continuing

After enjoying everything Bojack Horseman had to offer, I decided to return this week to watch this incredible show once more, this time addressing the actors, or characters, and how they’re portrayed. Bojack Horseman is an animated show, so the characters and how they behave is exactly how the creator saw them. Normally, with humans, the script writer writes how he wants a character to be, but the actor adds his own personal touch. With animated shows, especially one such as Bojack Horseman, the characters are the perfect actors.

Bojack Horseman is a character that isn’t supposed to be relatable, and yet he is. Sometimes, characters will be created in the attempt to be  simply relatable, yet Bojack is relatable, and at the same time, unrelatable. He’s a rich horse who takes horse tranquilizers and sleeps with actors who he knew as children. That isn’t something an average person can say they do. However, Bojack never takes the blame for the problems in his life, he is selfish and rude, and he’ll make mistakes. He embodies the ideas of a normal person, because those are traits a person would have, but he also shows how you should try your best to not be Bojack. No one wants to be a Bojack, because if you are one, that’s not good.

Another character that is more relatable is Todd Chavez, a slacker who stays with Bojack and, while able to do great things, doesn’t because he doesn’t have the support. Todd is a funny character, but he can also be shown to have a dark side. His character was specifically made to be seen with a bit of annoyance in how he behaves, yet when we see Bojack sabotage Todd’s chance at independence, we start to pity him. It’s not difficult to relate to someone who has lost their opportunity for something great from something out of their hands. Todd is someone who you truly can pity, but also empathize with.

Overall, the characters, or actors, in Bojack are well made, because they are the perfect vision from the creators. There is no differences, Bojack is just as he was created.

To the Bone

This week on Esobel’s episode of Netflix and Quill, I chose to watch a netflix original. The movie that I watched went by the name of To the Bone. The casting for this movie must have been extremely difficult and the consideration in searching for the perfect main character, Ellen, took excessive work. The actor that plays Ellen is Lily Collins. Lily actually had to become anorexic in order to cast for this character. It is so wild to see the real effects of anorexia and bulimia in an actress that many people look up to.

I really love one of the first scenes of this movie where Ellen and her stepmother Susan are in the bedroom together talking about Ellen’s eating disorder, and I love how the film producer shoots this scene. They both only have their undergarments on, and something about this scene is so touching and definitely brings out the light of what this whole movies purpose is. Following this scene there is a scene where Ellen and her step sister Kelly are sitting at the top of a hill and overlooking the city. The way that this was shot captured my eyes because it was night time in the shot, and all the city lights were shining in the backdrop and all the viewers could see was the back of Ellen and Kelly’s heads. The music was slow and showed a very intimate moment between two sisters ( this is where Kelly brings up Ellen’s disorder and begs her to get help). There are many beautiful scenes that stick out to me, but the one that sticks out the most is when Dr. Beckham, a unique kind of Doctor works with Ellen to better herself, and takes all his patients to an art exhibit. The video footage caught in this sense is by far the best part of the whole movie. The art exhibit is some sort of waterfall exhibit, and in order to get the the exhibit the patients have to go through this dark room/ hallway and they relate it back to those the Jews must have felt in the Holocaust. Anyways, so once the patients get to the black room with water falling from the ceiling, there is only a hint of light coming from the ceiling. As each patient crosses over through the “waterfall”, the light shines on their faces in such a beautiful and uplifting way. This type of view is something that you just have to go see on screen.

I would definitely recommend To the Bone if you have been through a rough time with body image issues, and/ or you know someone who has been through things such as body  image issue before. Mental and physical disorders are no joke, and as sad as it may be, no one wants to talk about them, and these types of issues are just swept under the rug. It is now our time, and we need to bring these situations to light again and start teaching people that It is 101% okay to not be okay.