A Move I Hate

Analysis of a movie I hate:

Birdemic: Shock and Terror

This blog post was a little more difficult for me than some of the others, as there are not many movies I've seen all the way through that I can say I hate. Usually, if a movie I'm watching looks particularly bad, I just stop watching it. Then there are those movies that have been adapted from books that I've read and loved, and feel obliged to watch the movie of. These, sadly more often than not, are absolutely terrible; examples of these are movies are Eragon or The Mortal Instruments. However these movies don't necessarily have anything partially wrong with them, besides butchering the story line, so I chose to talk about a movie that I have mixed feelings on, but can definitely say is a terrible movie. 

I have a very love/hate relationship with this movie, because it is just so bad, that it's hilarious. So if you're in the mood for a laugh at something really stupid, this is your movie. But over all it really is just terrible, and is painful to watch at most points. 

The reasons for why it is bad are practically endless, but lets just start with the acting. Every single actor is in this movie is awful; they have practically no facial expressions for any of the scenes, they read their lines robotically and their movements are just so awkward, like they had absolutely no direction from the director on how to play their characters. Not that there was much even a good actor could do with this script. The plot line is supposed to be about birds attacking the city, but no birds even show up until about 40 minuets into the movie, and when they do, the explanation as to why they are attacking is all over the place. The characters themselves tend to be dry, speak in extreme run on sentences, and some seem completely unnecessary to the movie as a whole. The filming and use of space is awful as well. Either the camera is too low, too high or too close, and the amount of good shots the movie has does even compare to how many bad ones there are. Not to mention the just laughable excuse for a green screen, as well as the same 3 second clip of birds flying that is used throughout. (As seen below) 

Basically I could go on, the whole movie is a disaster, which makes it pretty hilarious to make fun of, as well as very easy to hate. 

(Here is just a small piece of what this movie entails, in case you're curious after this review) --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzV8Q2fsN0o (Jon Tron: Birdemic)

A Movie I Love

Secret Life of Walter Mitty

(I included some pictures as well as my favorite quote from the movie)

The movie I chose was "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty". This film focuses on the life of a slightly odd, middle aged man, Walter Mitty, living in New York City, who has worked the same job for the last fifteen years and done relatively nothing with his life. He lives in is own mind, focusing more on what could have happened if he had done what his younger self had dreamed of doing, exploring the world, rather than what he has the ability to do now. He then comes to find a slide from a film strip he had been given has gone missing, and is thrust into the adventure he had so desperately sought after his whole life. Throughout his journey to find the elusive photographer who has the missing negative, he discovers a reality where he can be the adventurer, the hero, the traveler, the man he has always wanted to be. The message of the movie is that life is out there, and the only way to find it is to travel, explore and search for it; and in the process you more often than not find yourself. 

The reason I really love this movie is I partly because of the message, as I do agree with it. The other reason has a lot to do with the actual shooting of the film. The landscape photography of the places he travels to are absolutely stunning, capturing the soaring peaks and desolate beauty of the Himalayas, as well as the intensity of riding down the curving roads of the volcanic regain of Iceland. This also allows the audience to appreciate the work that the photographer, who Walter is attempting to find though out the movie, is able to capture through seriously hard work. This movie gave the me notion of what it was to be a photojournalist, which is what I would one day like to be. 

The soundtrack is also amazing and contributes a great deal to the movie in many ways, but much goes to expressing the emotion of the scenes. 

"To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life."

Photo Essay Rejects

10 Photos That Didn't Get Into the Photo Essay

Photo Essay

"Control"

My favorite photo in the essay was the first one that was featured, the one that shows a man and a woman sitting at a table. I chose this one for a couple different reasons, namely what it is depicting literally and metaphorically as well as its composition.

I took this photo with the idea of different forms of societal control in mind, focusing specifically on patriarchal superiority for this particular photo. The woman here is wearing a head scarf, a common accessory in many cultures where men hold control over the family. It can be, though is not always, viewed as a symbol of gender inequality; where women are viewed as less than men. It is a way for men to keep their women from begin seen by other males outside the immediate family. This however is not always the case, as some women view it as a freedom from men, more of a symbol of modesty than anything else; though those who hold this view tend to be in the older generation. In some areas of the world a full covering of the body is expected, depending how much the religious and societal rules are upheld. It is an interesting discussion, as to whether or not the religious form of the head scarf, also known as the Hijab in some regions, is a form of control or a form of release for the women who wear them. 

Composition wise this photo is nicely contrasted, makes use of lines and patterns as well as the rule of thirds, which adds to the message of the photo. The contrast lies in a couple different areas, mainly the blurriness of the background, the car and the walking man, and the sharpness of the people in the forefront. There is also a contrast in what the featured people are wearing, which I think adds to the photo. The use of many straight lines, which often are associated with strength, are prevalent throughout the picture as well, including the men in the frame. The woman, however has her head tucked into her hand, making her body appear slightly tucked downward. This was purely coincidence, ironically enough, but it still goes along with the theme of the photo. Finally the rule of thirds can be seen, placing the man on the dominant right side. 

Photo Journal

The categories I chose were Urban, Nature, Long-Exposure, Architecture and Candid. I ended up taking almost 500 photos as I tend to take a lot of duplicates trying to get the best shot. These are my 10 favorites; I took 2 from each category. ( I made some comments on some of them in addition to my analysis at the end) 

Urban 

(This one intrigues me because it comes across as a reflection on urban living, but without reading into it, it is merely a recycling container. The viewer can take whatever view he/she likes; I also like the prevalence of lines)

Nature

 (This one has my favorite color combination of the ones collected here; it hold an essence of Fall) 

(I love the calming affect this photo has with the combination of the sleeping duck and the still baby blue water with the single ring; it is extremely peaceful)

Long-Exposure 

 (This was the best of the metro photos to come out; I love how you can see the outline of the train but in lights only)

Architecture 

 (This was a photo of a cute white dorm on GW's campus but just with a few edits it now looks like a haunted house)

Candid

 (She's just so cute and looks so curious as to what I'm doing)

Personally I think that the photo with the mom and the baby is the best. I like this one because the baby seemed to notice me taking the shot even though mother didn't. I also like how warm the photo is with the bright colors, and how your eye is immediately drawn to the baby's face as she stares at you. The shot makes use of the rule of thirds, lines and varying aspects of contrast. The diagonal line of the chair back is a leading line right to the mother and baby, so as your eye travels it always comes back to the main focus in the frame. The contrast comes in the form of both color and blurriness versus sharpness. The people in the photo are lit up by the sun behind them, and are much sharper than the trees in the background.