HELP! Review

"Jeweler, you've failed!" John Lennon announced when the elderly jeweler couldn't remove the gaudy red ring from Ringo Star's finger. This was just one of the hilarious quotes in The Beatles movie Help! I expected the movie to be similar in nature to The Who's Tommy. But I was pleasantly surprised. Throughout the movie The Beatles and other actors in the film cracked funny little jokes and did ridiculous things. It was nothing like Tommy, which was a more serious film. Help! had a silly and fun vibe that just flowed throughout the entire film. All of The Beatles had clever lines and they all seemed to enjoy what they were doing in the movie.
I enjoyed the plot of Help! quite a bit as well. Ringo is constantly being chased because of his ring. There are several different groups trying to acquire the ring. One is a group of tribal leaders that needs the ring for sacrifices. The other is a scientist and his assistance that wants the ring for power. There are dozens of attempts to take the ring, some even threatening Ringo's life. John, Paul, and George help Ringo throughout the film, though at one point they suggest that he cut his finger off. The best part of the film to me was the music video style songs that played every 10 or 15 minutes of the movie. They were set up very nicely and weren't just thrown in. There was even an intermission in Help! Every part of this movie made me feel good. I laughed throughout and got caught up in what would happen to Ringo. I give The Beatles' Help! a 9/10 for having such a happy mood. There is no reason not to watch this film, it will leave you in a good mood and happy that you watched.

-Nicholas

The Lost Boys Review

The Lost Boys, directed by Joel Schumacher is a wonderful mixture of comedy and horror. The film is not too funny, an its not very scary either. But the too together work well and make this movie quite enjoyable. Schumacher did an excellent job choosing the setting for this film. The contained the perfect amount of exciting youthful energy as well as dark and scary mystery. I think that the comedic side of The Lost Boys was necessary to ensure a positive reaction from viewers. Vampire movies in the 1980's were more of bash fest, twisting vampire lure into comedies. Schumacher did this, but only half way, he incorporated enough comedy into his film that the audience accepted the movie as one of many in the time period. But what Schumacher did differently from other vampire films of the 80's was that he added a sinister plot line into the movie. The story was about killer vampires, but it was interwoven with comedy. That's what mad the difference, the spit of these two genres is what brought The Lost Boys to the next level. Without the comedy, the movie would have simply been a vampire film with killings, and blood. This still would have been an okay movie. The same goes for the comedy side, if the story was simply filled with comedy and not enough vampires then it still would have been a funny okay movie. It would have in no way been as good as it is with the two genres mixed so well.

The story follows Michael, played by Jason Patric, as he is lured by vampires, to drink blood, which turns him into a vampire himself. I liked Michael very much, he behaved exactly how I think a normal teenager would react to becoming a vampire. He was freaking out and had no idea what to do. After discovering that he has become a vampire, Michael and his brother Sam, played by Corey Haim, try to change him back. Sam's two friends Edgar and Alan Frog, played by Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander, assist them, since they are apparently the city's vampire hunters. These three roles always provided comedic relief of sorts. Whenever I saw Sam, or either of the Frog brothers on screen I knew there was a good chance they'd make me chuckle. David, played by Kiefer Sutherland, was the main vampire in the teenage gang. He was the one who convinced Michael to drink the blood, which turned him into a vampire. I thought that seeing Kiefer Sutherland play the role of a teenage vampire was very interesting. When you look at the actor today, he just doesn't seem like someone who would have played a part like this, but he did have to start somewhere. The Lost Boys was defiantly not a bad choice. The final character I'd like to mention was Max, played by Edward Herrmann. Max was the head vampire, which really surprised when it was first revealed. Max didn't seem like he could have possibly been a vampire. The way that the boys doing vampire tests on Max tricked the audience into believing that Max was just an ordinary guy was brilliant. All of the characters worked well together and made the telling of the story just that much more interesting.

The Lost Boys was worth the watch. I got a lot out of this movie, I didn't know exactly what to expect. That said, I don't think I would care too much to watch it again. It was great, but I'm not going to go out and buy the movie. What worked well in this movie worked very well because in a small way the movie was just designed that way. I give The Lost Boys a 7/10.

The Lost Boys Beat Sheet
Opening Image: The sign that says Santa Carla the home of happiness and on the back of the sign is written the murder capital of the United States.
Theme Stated: When they show the city and how many missing persons signs are around town.

Set-Up: Michael and Sam decide to go around town at night and have fun while there mother looks at the shops.
Catalyst: When Michael sees Star at the concert he begins to become fascinated with her and follows her until he sees David and his group of vampires.

Debate: After Michael has a race with David he takes him to there hang out which is an old hotel and tells him to drink a mysterious liquid.

Break Into Two: Michael does not want to let go of a bar that was keeping him from falling down and dying but when he does he wakes up in his bed alive and perfectly fine.

B Story: Sam had been having a suspicion that Santa Carla was a place that seemed to nice to be perfectly normal but he revisits the comic book story he is told the truth. So Sam learns more about the vampires and finds out that his brother Michael is a vampire.

Fun and Games: As Sam and the Vampire hunters try to find who the head vampire is they attempt to confront Max, Sam’s mothers boyfriend.

Midpoint: After a failed attempt to determine the identity of the head vampire they decide to ask Michael if he has any idea who the head vampire is and he says that David probably was.

Bad Guys Close In: Following the arrival at the vampire’s hideout the vampire hunters, Sam, and Michael go into the depths and kill one of the four vampires but don’t kill the presumed head vampire.

All Is Lost: They failed to kill the head vampire but night would soon fall and the vampires would arrive to kill Michael, Sam, and Vampire hunters.

Dark Night Of The Soul: The group has to kill the vampires as they come in and attempt to kill them.

Break Into Three: David is killed but the curse of the vampire on Michael is not broken which leads Sam to rethink who the head vampire was.

Finale: Max tells them that he was the head vampire and try’s to turn Lucy into a vampire but is ultimately killed by Sam’s Grandfather who drives into the house and kills max.

Final Image: Grandpa had known that the vampires had been living in Santa Carla the whole time.

-Nicholas

The Lost Boys Review

The Lost Boys is a quintessential 80’s film in all regards and shows that in the style of music and clothing that the characters where. It can be said that this film made vampires cool again in pop culture but also showed that vampires could be more than just creepy they could be hip. David the leader of the gang of vampires played by Kiefer Sutherland is a prime example of how a young vampire would be a radical and extreme dare devil. The special effects for the time were very good and showed off the innovation of film making at the time around the end of the 80's. The fangs of the vampires and the effects of making there eyes appear cat like was done beautifully showing off the ferocity in there faces. On a side note this was the first film I saw that had a child as a vampire and it was kind of creep it made me want to laugh and at the same time made me want to run away from it.

However the film does have more than just characters that are vampires it also has the hero's such as Michael the older brother played by Jason Patric, Sam the younger brother played by Corey Haim, and the Frog brothers played by Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander. Michael shows the deep termoail that teens of his age go through with hormone changes. This is later amplified by his transformation into a vampire and his mother Lucy's attempt to understand what he is going through. The Lost Boys is defenatle a film that has to be watched with popcorn on hand because it is a summer film that has a small cheese factor in that you can take some of it seriously but other parts are just silly.

The story of the film is quite odd in that the family moves to the area because of the grandfather but he does nothing to tell them that Santa Carla is infested with vampires. It is no suprise at the end that he already knew about the vampires and that is why he had built his home on a hill with dozens of stake like objects around his home and in it. Humor is an underlying factor in this film making less horrifying as it could have been but that's not a bad thing because it makes the movie feel like a horror comedy. Dated clothing gives the movie a nostalgic feel to those who went to see the film originally and if you are seeing it for the first time you will be sure to notice that it is entertaining. Final rating on this movie is a 9/10 because even though I've seen this film only twice I can still remember enough of it to know that it was a good movie. If you like vampires and 80's movies than this movie is the marriage made just for you.

Opening Image: The sign that says Santa Carla the home of happiness and on the back of the sign is written the murder capital of the United States.
Theme Stated: When they show the city and how many missing persons signs are around town.
Set-Up: Michael and Sam decide to go around town at night and have fun while there mother looks at the shops.
Catalyst: When Michael sees Star at the concert he begins to become fascinated with her and follows her until he sees David and his group of vampires.
Debate: After Michael has a race with David he takes him to there hang out which is an old hotel and tells him to drink a mysterious liquid.
Break Into Two: Michael does not want to let go of a bar that was keeping him from falling down and dying but when he does he wakes up in his bed alive and perfectly fine.
B Story: Sam had been having a suspicion that Santa Carla was a place that seemed to nice to be perfectly normal but he revisits the comic book story he is told the truth. So Sam learns more about the vampires and finds out that his brother Michael is a vampire.
Fun and Games: As Sam and the Vampire hunters try to find who the head vampire is they attempt to confront Max, Sam’s mothers boyfriend.
Midpoint: After a failed attempt to determine the identity of the head vampire they decide to ask Michael if he has any idea who the head vampire is and he says that David probably was.
Bad Guys Close In: Following the arrival at the vampire’s hideout the vampire hunters, Sam, and Michael go into the depths and kill one of the four vampires but don’t kill the presumed head vampire.
All Is Lost: They failed to kill the head vampire but night would soon fall and the vampires would arrive to kill Michael, Sam, and Vampire hunters.
Dark Night Of The Soul: The group has to kill the vampires as they come in and attempt to kill them.
Break Into Three: David is killed but the curse of the vampire on Michael is not broken which leads Sam to rethink who the head vampire was.
Finale: Max tells them that he was the head vampire and try’s to turn Lucy into a vampire but is ultimately killed by Sam’s Grandfather who drives into the house and kills max.
Final Image: Grandpa had known that the vampires had been living in Santa Carla the whole time.

-Ryan

The Texas Renaissance Festival- Ryan

The Texas Renaissance Festival is an annual event in Houston Texas that happens every October through November in which hundreds of people dress and act as people did during the time period of the renaissance. It is an interesting experience to walk around and see all of the shops that line the paths and what each has to sell and hear people speaking in old English. To get to the festival we first had to leave our school at 8:45am to arrive with enough time to do as we pleased. The bus ride was enjoyable other than the fact that the seats were somewhat cramped and as with most bus rides was filled with mindless chatter that was blocked out with my own conversation. It was around noon when we had finally arrived and much to the relief of my backside that had been killing me from sitting in a cramped bus seat. For my self personally this was my third year in a row attending the Texas Renaissance Festival and the first thing that has to be said is that upon arriving in a woodland area you feel transported into a different dimension. The simplicity in the appeal of the festival is of a nostalgic feeling as if at some point in a past life you yourself had walked down this path. Only negative thing about being outside is that the previous night it had rained and the walkways were very mudded and it was hard to keep my shoes from becoming distastefully brown. Also as I had said previously it was hard to keep from getting sweaty in the damp humid air that surrounded the entire festival.

Walking through the gates of the festival is always interesting because you can never anticipate what will be there to greet you on the other side. Usually someone walks up trying to sell you some kind of souvenir that you don’t need but you humor the salesman by acting intrigued in what the have to offer. As I walked around the Festival the first thing I realized was that some of the shops that had been opened last year had been closed down for some unknown reason and second was that I was thirsty. At the start of the day the soda shops had every kind of soda but by the end of it all there was nothing but Pepsi left. I like attending the festival the only draw back is the distances that have to be walked because the grounds are very large but having attended it previously I had some general idea of where the shops were. For most of the day I walked around and window-shopped with my girlfriend who wanted to look at all of the shops that had anything that caught her eye. Myself on the other hand only wanted to walk around and hang out with my friends and mess with random people, which was the norm. After spending time with her I left to find my friends and we went into the Maze, which had become a tradition. This aspect that made going into the maze so entertaining was that with a group of people you could mess with people and make them go the wrong way and then when they found the way out they would be angry.

One of my friends was dressed as a Ninja and all of us had made a bet on how many people would say “Hey look a ninja”. This also made the maze more entertaining because we would tell people to follow the ninja and people would and then he would disappear leaving them lost and confused. Considering that this would be my last year going to the festival I figured I would buy any souvenir that I had wanted from the previous years. This included a pentagram necklace and an ocarina. The prices on most of the food was somewhat outrages and made the money I had brought not last as long as I had previously thought. With 3000 some odd people walking around with cash in their pockets it was easy to say that the festival made a good amount of money out of the student day. We left the renaissance festival at 3:30 and shipped off for home tired and with empty wallets. The bus ride home was not as noise due to the fact that almost no one had the energy left to talk. If I had to give the trip a ratting I would say it was a 5/5 because it was my last year going.

-Ryan

Texas Renaissance Festival

Manor New Tech High's third annual trip to the Texas Renaissance Festival was a relaxing getaway from school. We left around 8:45 and arrived at the festival around noon. We began by making our way to the nearest food shop. I purchased a very delicious 'sausage on a stick' for $4. All of the meals were $4, which I though was a little high, but I suppose that's what you have to expect at a place like Ren Fest. We then began a quite extensive search for an ice cream shop. After passing several 'Frozen Drink' shops and one 'Pudding' shop we finally stumbled upon an ice cream vendor. We had to eat our ice cream pretty fast though, because it was already one 'o clock and getting quite hot out. We sat with our melting ice creams and watched the jousting death match. The match was between England and Spain. The match was very entertaining, even though poorly acted out at some points. I was cheering for Spain, who lost in the end, which kind of sucked.

Being full of food and a little exhausted from the combination of humidity and walking so much, i decided to sit and watch a play. I left after about three minutes though. I had no idea what was happening on stage, and one of the actors was extremely obnoxious. I made my way to the rock wall, where anybody could pay $10 to climb the 'challenge wall'. If they made it to the top they won $20. I watched three of my friends make no progress up the wall, I felt horrible for them for losing 30 bucks for nothing. The wall itself looked nearly impossible to climb. After that disappointing endeavor we walked over to the 'sphere play' lessons, which were free! We learned some pretty cool stuff that can be done with spheres. My friend Mason bought one, even though he wasn't very good at it.

Finally we walked over to the Globe Theater where we signed in so that our teachers would know we were there and not off lost in the maze or something. After everyone was accounted for we loaded up the buses and began our drive back to Manor. The bus ride home seemed faster than the ride there, but we were all extremely thirsty. It was very hot and there was very little room in those little bus seats. It was defiantly not a comfy ride. But the trip as a whole was pretty fun i suppose. Minus the fact that there is little to do without having to overpay for everything, I had an okay time. I'll just say that its been fun going there these three years, but I am somewhat glad that I won't have to go there again, I think I've had enough of the renaissance for quite a while.

-Nick

Psycho

Psycho is the movie that created the slasher genre. No movie before Psycho had ever ventured into such a gruesome realm, at least not in the mainstream American media. Alfred Hitchcock created this movie in as creepy a manner as the story projects on screen. He took extreme measures to make sure no one knew what the movie was about. He kept everything very secretive during production. Hitchcock produced Psycho under a fake production name. He made sure there was a seat on set for the actor playing 'mother', even though there was none. He even paid Marion Crane the salary of a leading role, even though her character dies fairly early in the film. Hitchcock did all of this to keep the plot of the story secret. Like other Hitchcock films, Psycho astonished its audience by crossing boundaries and taking the audience where they never thought they'd go.

Psycho begins with who seems to be the main character Marion Crane, played by Janet Leigh, running out of town with $40,000. She stops to stay the night at a small motel when the rain gets too dangerous to drive in. This is when the audience first meets the story's actual focal point, Norman Bates, played by Anthony Perkins. Marion is then murdered in the shower, naked, which was pushing the envelope back in 1960. Marion's boyfriend Sam and her sister Lila hire a private investigator, who is also murdered during his search for Marion. Once Sam and Lila decide to search the motel for themselves the film gets very intense and the twists towards the end are incredible.

The acting in Psycho was great, all of the people searching for Marion really had no idea what was going on. Norman was by far the best played character. Anthony Perkins did an incredible job making this character seem as odd and strange as possible. It is said that Perkins was very good about staying in character. One of the things I liked most about Psycho was how familiar the audience felt with the motel by the end of the film. It gave me the feeling that I knew where everything was, I knew where Norman's house was, where Marion was murdered, and where the office was. I suppose that the motel was the 'confined space' of the horror film formula. I think Hitchcock did a fabulous job with the presentation of the motel in the film. The other pieces of the horror film formula include a monster and a sin that people are being punished for. The monster in psycho was obviously the deranged Norman Bates, and the sin could be either greed for money, or adultery. These pieces of the formula were perfect in my mind. Another piece of the film I'd like to mention was the lighting, the lighting was always perfectly suited for the mood of the scene. Psycho was incredibly entertaining for me. I can only imagine what it would have been like to live in 1960 and see this film. Everything about this film simply worked, so I give it a 9/10.


Beat Sheet for Psycho
Opening Image: The film starts off with Marion Crane and her lover Sam Loomis making out on a bed

Theme Stated: Tom Cassidy arrives at Marion Cranes boss’s office and says “Just…buying off unhappiness.”

Set-Up: Marion is asked to take the money to the bank for her boss.

Catalyst: She is given the 40,000 dollars in cash to take to the bank but she’s not sure what to do with it.

Debate: She makes up her mind to go live with Sam Loomis in California.

Break into Two: Marion leaves her town to go be with Sam and get away with the money.

B Story: After driving all day and night for 2 days she stops at a Motel that Norman Bates owns and runs to stay the night.

Fun and Games: Norman seems to have social problems and is obedient of his mother. Ultimately this leads to Normans mother killing Marion.

Midpoint: Norman discovers Marion dead on the ground and cleans up the mess and dispossess of the evidence.

Bad Guys Close In: After finding out that her sister has been missing Lila and Sam are confronted by a private investigator that is trying to find Marion. His search takes him to Norman’s hotel and leaves unsatisfied but returns only to die.

All Is Lost: Sam and Lila are distressed that the detective did not come back with news.

Dark Night Of The Soul: They talk to the sheriff of the town and learn that Norman Bates mother has been dead for 10 years.

Break into three: They decide to go investigate the hotel for themselves.

Finale: They find Norman mothers corpse and Lila is attacked in the cellar by Norman in a wig. Sam saves her though and they take Norman to the sheriff.

Final Image: In order for Norman to live the lie that his mother had not died by his hand he put on the illusion that she was never dead in his mind and became a psycho. Norman could not buy off happiness without losing his mind in the process.

-Nicholas

Psycho Review

Psycho was very graphic for the time period and made a formula for modern horror films to follow. 1960 was the start of the loss of many norms and moral beliefs that had been passed down by there parents. This films influence has been evident in many horror films through out the modern horror world. The infamous shower scene in which a woman is taking a shower and is killed by a person walking in with a knife. Audiences around the world who watched this film must have been shocked when the Marion Crane played by Janet Leigh was killed halfway into the film and the main character is changed to Norman Bates played by Anthony Perkins. Anthony Perkins performance was very effective in showing off the films title. In 1957 Anthony Perkins won the Golden Globe award for most promising newcomer and with how he performance in this feature it is clear to see because he is very genuinely creepy. The other primary character's are Vera Miles as Lila Crane, John Gavin as Sam Loomis, and Martin Balsam as Milton Arbogast. Each of them has there own unique persona in this film but all of them share an interest in what really happened to Marion Crane and what Norman Bates is hiding deep inside of his mind and in reality. After all is said and done the ending is something more than just a shock it is a complete mind warp moment that words cannot describe how confusing the reasoning is as to the motive for the killing. This movie is ideal for those who like there horror movies to have a strong story and a definite climax and ending that keep the viewer on the edge of there seat waiting to see what happens next.

The director of Psycho is Alfred Hitchcook is known as being one of the best directors of all time for is style of film making and his story telling abilities. It was an adaptation of a novel by Robert Bloch but when it was transferred to screen is when film making became darker. Psycho is not a mindless slasher flick that has killing and gore for no reason its quite the opposite in most ways. Hitchcook was already a veteran director when he made this film being his 59th film and showing that he was still not done with his work. Visually the filming style and the building of suspense is perfect, which fits the tone of the film without becoming predictable. An excellent example is when the cop is following Marion along the interstate and the music emphasizes her paranoia. The musical score has been sampled in many different horror movies almost like recycling gold over and over again but its easily recognizable and timeless. I do not wish to put to many spoilers in this review but other than the ones that I already have placed so its still fun to watch the film for a first screening. When it comes to a basic rating I would have to give this film a 9/10 because the ending even through me off and made me say “What The..” and I'm sure most felt the same way after watching it for the first time.

Beat Sheet for Psycho
Opening Image: The film starts off with Marion Crane and her lover Sam Loomis making out on a bed

Theme Stated: Tom Cassidy arrives at Marion Cranes boss’s office and says “Just…buying off unhappiness.”

Set-Up: Marion is asked to take the money to the bank for her boss.

Catalyst: She is given the 40,000 dollars in cash to take to the bank but she’s not sure what to do with it.

Debate: She makes up her mind to go live with Sam Loomis in California.

Break into Two: Marion leaves her town to go be with Sam and get away with the money.

B Story: After driving all day and night for 2 days she stops at a Motel that Norman Bates owns and runs to stay the night.

Fun and Games: Norman seems to have social problems and is obedient of his mother. Ultimately this leads to Normans mother killing Marion.

Midpoint: Norman discovers Marion dead on the ground and cleans up the mess and dispossess of the evidence.

Bad Guys Close In: After finding out that her sister has been missing Lila and Sam are confronted by a private investigator that is trying to find Marion. His search takes him to Norman’s hotel and leaves unsatisfied but returns only to die.

All Is Lost: Sam and Lila are distressed that the detective did not come back with news.

Dark Night Of The Soul: They talk to the sheriff of the town and learn that Norman Bates mother has been dead for 10 years.

Break into three: They decide to go investigate the hotel for themselves.

Finale: They find Norman mothers corpse and Lila is attacked in the cellar by Norman in a wig. Sam saves her though and they take Norman to the sheriff.

Final Image: In order for Norman to live the lie that his mother had not died by his hand he put on the illusion that she was never dead in his mind and became a psycho. Norman could not buy off happiness without losing his mind in the process.

-Ryan

Buffy the Vampire Slayer "Hush"

“Hush” the episode that changed the people’s perception of why Buffy the Vampire Slayer was such a deep show. “Everyone loves Buffy because of the characters dialogue. “ so what does creator Joss Whedon do? He makes 2/3 of an episode into a creep silent film with villains right out of a nightmare. The episode was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award in 2000 how ever did not when but it was still visually stunning and horrific because no one could speak. Humans depend so much on communication and most individual’s nightmares are of the inability to speak when being tormented by a demonic figure.

We think that this episode was very unique because of its partially silent nature. There were several humorous parts of this episode that could not have been incorporated if not for the characters losing their voices. We also noticed that there was a perfect amount of action to story building ratio. The final fight at the end was very satisfying because the Gentlemen’s heads exploded. The most impressive part of this episode was the way that Joss Whedon told a complete story, and created an incredible plot without the use of dialogue throughout most of the epidsode.

At the start of the “Hush” everyone can talk but no one is able to get their points across so in an ironic twist everyone in Sunnydale loses the ability to talk and more is said through their actions. More specifically, Buffy and Riley finally communicate their feelings towards one another during the mute epidemic. This episode is complete able to stand with most movies and be of higher quality than most. The rating that this episode shall receive from the both of us is a 4/5. It had been so long since watching the series so it was refreshing to watch an old episode again.

1. Opening Image: Buffy is in class spacing out while the teacher is instructing.
2. Theme Stated: After the classroom goes dark Buffy and Riley leave the room to investigate a creep girl singing in the hallway. Then Riley turns into a Gentleman and there is a scream so she wakes up.
3. Set-Up: Buffy is just going through the motions trying not to reveal her secret to Riley that she is a Slayer.
4. Catalyst: Everyone in Sunnydale including Buffy loses his or her voice to the Gentleman.
5. Debate: As a result Buffy has to find a way to get everyone’s voices back.
6. Break Into Two: She goes into the town and people are looting because no one can say anything to stop them.
7. B- Story: Riley as a character is given more back-story so that he can be developed as a person and show that he is not the different from Buffy.
8. Fun And Games: The Gentlemen begin to go around town and take peoples hearts.
9. Midpoint: The newspapers begin to publish stories about the mysterious killings in Sunnydale and the epidemic of laryngitis.
10. Bad Guys Close: The Gentlemen begin to chase Buffy in town while chasing Willow at the College dorms.
11. All Is Lost: Willow and a girl from her Wicca group are trapped in a room with no way out.
12. Dark Night Of The Soul: Buffy is held down by the Gentleman’s assistants.
13. Break Into Three: She sees the box that holds the voices of the town’s people and signals for Riley to break it.
14. Finale: They break the box and Buffy screams killing to Gentleman’s because they cannot stand the voice of Humans without their heads exploding.
15. Final Image: Buffy and Riley finally can talk but they have nothing to say which is ironic.

-Nick & Ryan

Buffy "Halloween" Review

The show the changed the standard for TV shows and is still acclaimed to this day despite having ended 6 years ago. It blew peoples mind with its use of special effects and elaborate story interwoven into a relatable world. The hidden metaphor in the episode is that perhaps how you appear on the outside is not what you are on the inside. Even if someone becomes what he or she is dressed as they are still not that person. Underneath their exterior is someone who is completely different than their exterior. Joss Whendon created Buffy the Vampire Slayer but I do not believe he could of anticipated how much people were going to get addicted to it. Joss is also known for his work on Toy Story among other things. After her work this the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series Sarah Michelle Gellar became a household name and everyone wanted her to do more acting.

Most importantly this episode sheds more light on the other characters of the series primarily Willow who has to take the role as the lead female for a good party of the episode. Over all an entertaining and quite interesting episode that made the series seem more appealing to more than just the cult followers of the series but those who would watch the show casually. Never a dull moment to be said about this because of the time from that the episode is with only being 44 minutes Joss had to pack everything he could into it. Final rating is a 4/5 that's not saying that it is something to be overlooked if anything it should be studied and digested a little bit more than we gave it but this was the common consensus.

Opening Image: Buffy is fighting with a vampire while being watched by Spike who wants to find her weakness.

Theme Stated: Angel tells Buffy that he wants a date with her not some other girl.
Set-Up: Buffy returns to school the following morning and is forced into volunteering to take children trick or treating at on Halloween.

Catalyst: While looking for a costume to wear at a newly opened shop Ethan's, Buffy stumbles upon a Victorian era outfit and is given it by the owner free of charge for an unexplained reason.

Debate: Buffy has to deiced if she really is going to wear the outfit and try to impress Angel by looking like someone from his records.

Break Into Two: Everyone in Sunnydale who got there costume at Ethan's shop is transformed into what they were dressed as.

B Story: Willow is forced to take the role of the main heroine and keep Xander and Buffy from hurting themselves or others around them being that she is the only person in Sunnydale having taken on the form of what the were wearing and retained her memory.

Fun and Games: Xander begins to shoot at demonic creations who chase Buffy, Willow, and Xander to Buffy's home.

Midpoint: Angel arrives at Buffy's home only to realize that she has no idea who she is and has to protect everyone from the other transformed people.

Bad Guys Close In: Buffy sees Angel transform into a vampire and runs off and ends up in an ally being chased by a person who has changed into a pirate.

All is lost: Buffy is caught by Spikes group of thugs.

Dark Night Of The Soul: Willow go to Giles who tells her how they can break the curse.

Break Into Three: Giles goes to the shop to find that is was Ethan who had cursed the articles of clothing.

Finale: Giles destroys the statue that keeps the curse in place and the people of Sunnydale return to themselves only to the dismay of Spike who is beaten by Buffy,

Final Image: Buffy comes clean to Angel to why she was dressed the way she was.

-Nick & Ryan

Nosferatu

Nosferatu Review

Nosferatu was a very creepy adaptation of the novel Dracula. The director had to change some of the names because of copyright laws. This silent film had a musical score that would be played by an organist while the film ran live. This would add to the films dark atmosphere. Even without the music though, Nosferatu is still a powerful film. Bram Stokers the author of Dracula would have presumably been upset by this supposed plagiarism, so his wife sued the production company. The company lost everything and went bankrupt. This did not stop the film from becoming a classic that is still revered today. The use of special effects such as stop motion to have Nosferatu rise up out of a hatch on a ship was quite revolutionary at the time. Most of the lighting in the movie dramatically added to the sense of imminent death and an intense sense of unease. For example, when Nosferatu is creeping up the stairs to find Nina, he casts a long shadow on the wall that gives the audience chills. The only special effects problems we saw in this film were when Nosferatu was outside and we could clearly see casted shadows made by the sun. Nosferatu is not supposed to be able to be in the sun, yet it seems to be day when he is outside. The fact that the movie was filmed in black and white and that camera technology was not as advanced as modern day may have forced the director to film only in the daylight. The lighting confusion is a minor issue though, and does not take away from the major influence that the movie has had over nearly nine generations.

The vampire Nosferatu had a creepy aura when on screen. Max Schreck is the actor who portrays Count Orlok (Nosferatu) both on screen and off. He took his role to an extreme and dark place that most others would not have. Attacking cast members and people who lived near him, he truly lived the part. There currently is a film called “Shadow of the Vampire” in production that is going to shed light on the on set antics of Max Schreck. Gustav Von Wangenheim played Jonathan, a part that did not do too terribly much. The role of Jonathan does not seem to be hero figure as most leading roles are, but instead the role gives the audience a sort of perspective to the story as it unfolded. Nina played by Greta Schroder was Jonathan's wife, who became entranced or possessed by Nosferatu once her husband had spent the night in the demon-infested lands of Transylvania.

Overall, we enjoyed Nosferatu, the plot, the characters, as well as the stories behind the scenes. The filming of Nosferatu was very interesting and actually added to the creepiness of Nosferatu in the movie. We also enjoyed seeing the special effects that were used back in 1922. Its always interesting to learn about old techniques and how they differ from modern day filming techniques. The actual story is what intrigued us the most. The fact that Nosferatu was a silent film meant that there was not a lot of information about the plot like in regular movies where the characters are able to speak and clarify the plot. With the viewer relying on the physical movements of the actors to tell the story there was room for interpretation. One audience member might have thought that the movie was conveying one message, while another audience member might have a slightly different theory. We liked that Nosferatu could have multiple interpretations depending on how you thought about what was happening on screen. All things considered, we give Nosferatu a 9/10. It would have gotten ten out of ten if not for the shadows during night issue, and the fact that Count Orlok was more silly than scary some of the time.


The Blake Snyder Beat Sheet for Nosferatu

1. Opening Image: It was Jonathan looking at himself in the mirror.

2. Theme Stated: Jonathan is told not to worry about the stories of the vampires of Transylvania.

3. Set-Up: We meet Jonathan’s wife Nina and hear of Nosferatu and how he wants to get to a building in their neighborhood.

4. Catalyst: He wakes up in that inn and starts to read the book about the vampires.

5. Debate: Whether or not he should continue on to Transylvania.


6. Break Into Two: He decides to keep going and arrives in Transylvania.

7. B Story: He meets Nosferatu and finds that he is a strange individual who has odd habits.

8. Fun and Games: Jonathan has to escape from Nosferatu while has to be at his home in Transylvania.

9. Midpoint: Nosferatu gets on the boat leaving for London to arrive in the abode near Nina.

10. Bad Guys Close In: The police stumble upon the dead bodies of the crew of the boat as it arrives in the harbor.

11. All is lost: Nosferatu moves into the building and begins killing individuals in the area near his new abode.

12. Dark Knight of the Soul: The plague is spead so Nosferatus killings go somewhat unnoticed.

13. Break into Three: Nina has to make the choice to sacrifice herself to save everyone else in the town.

14. Finale: Nina makes the choice to let Nosferatu drink her blood until morning in order to kill him when day breaks.

15. Final Image: Seeing Jonathan holding Nina, as she lies there dead.

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Night of the Living Dead Review(1968)

“They're coming to get you, Barbara, there's one of them now!” This quote states the entire theme of the movie, the entire purpose of the zombies. They are out to consume the flesh of the living. A true classic, Night of the Living Dead was quite revolutionary for its time. No other movie had ever incorporated zombie-like creatures that actually eat their victims. Night of the Living Dead is a true horror film, it contains every essential piece that horror movies needs. First off, the movie had supernatural creatures/monsters that were out to punish. What were they punishing people for though? We think that the sin being punished in this film was straying from traditional moral values across America. People during this time period (1968) were beginning to distance themselves from what their parents had taught them. An example of this in the movie would be at the very beginning when Johnny tells Barbara that he stopped going to church. The final part of a horror movie is the confined space, this part is provided when Barbara hides in a house to get away from the zombies. A nonessential aspect of a horror film is the ‘half-man’. The ‘half-man’ in Night of the Living Dead is Ben, an African American man that survived the zombies long enough to find the house and knows how to fight them. Playing Ben was Duane Jones, his acting was quite intense and really gave the film its serious aspect once he made his grand entrance. Barbara is played by Judith O’Dea, who gives us a truly genuine sense of terror and hysteria. All of the acting was very authentic, they all behaved as if there really were zombies attacking.

George A. Romero directed a movie that most directors at the time wouldn’t dare to create. He converted the screenplay that he and co-writer John A. Russo wrote into the now well-known cult classic Night of the Living Dead. His camera angles and use of lighting intensify the mood throughout the film. Romero got great performances out of all of his actors and it seemed that every line had a meaning. The actual plot of the film was surprising at times and took some unforeseen turns that really captured the viewer’s attention. One interesting fact about this film is that they never call the creatures ‘zombies’ throughout the entire film. Instead they call them ‘murders’ and ‘ghouls’. Its influence in the zombie film genre has been exponential. It is reasonable to say that we would not have modern zombie media such as “Dawn of the Dead”, “Thriller” by Michael Jackson, or the video games “Left4Dead” and “Resident Evil”. All of this translates to a solid 8/10 rating from us. Its influence was indescribable, but it defiantly had flaws in continuity and special effects.


The Blake Snyder Beat Sheet for Night of the Living Dead (1968)

1. Opening Image: Barbara and her brother are in a graveyard.

2. Theme Stated: Barbara’s brother says, “They’re coming for you!”

3. Set-Up: We meet Barbara while talking to her brother but the world doesn’t stay normal for long.

4. Catalyst: The first zombie in the graveyard assaults Barbara and her brother is killed as she flees.

5. Debate: Barbara decides if she should stay in the house or go out and try to find her brother.

6. Break into Two: Barbara is inside the house and lock out the zombie.

7. B Story: Ben arrives to protect Barbara by barricading themselves inside of the house that had been abandoned.

8. Fun and Games: Zombies attack and Ben is forced to hold them off.

9. Midpoint: Zombies begin to get smart and break holes into the walls.

10. Bad Guys Close in: Ben and two others are trying to put gas in the truck, zombies close in on them and attack.

11. All Is Lost: The truck explodes, killing Tom and Judy.

12. Dark Night of the Soul: The zombies eat Tom and Judy and Ben returns to the house after accomplishing nothing. Barbara and the rest of the people in the house are pulled out of the house and killed by the zombie0s. Ben has to shoot Cooper because of his hysteric.

13. Break into Three: Ben retreats to the cellar to escape the zombies that broke into the house.

14. Finale: The posse comes and kills the remaining zombies.

15. Final Image: There are dead zombies everywhere. The posse shoots Ben by accident.

Blake Snyder's Beat Sheet for Pineapple Express

1. Opening Image: Military is testing pineapple express. One guy says they should tell the public about it.

2. Theme Stated: Main character wants to have fun all the time.

3. Set-Up: The main character goes to his drug dealer and his girlfriend’s school. Viewer meets both the drug dealer and girlfriend.

4. Catalyst: Main character witnesses a murder committed by his drug dealer’s drug lord.

5. Debate: Should the main character and his drug dealer run or not?

6. Break Into Two: The drug lord sends bad guys after the main character.

7. Main character and his girlfriend begin to have relationship problems.

8. Fun and Games: The main character and his drug dealer hide in the woods and hide from the drug lord’s minions, all while goofing off.

9. Midpoint: The dirty cop is after the two guys and they are forced to sell drugs in order to get money to get out of town.

10. Bad Guys Close In: The drug dealer’s drug dealer, Red sells them out to the thugs and they are almost caught.

11. All is Lost: They have a fight and go their separate ways. The drug dealer is caught by the bad guys.

12. Dark Night of the Soul: Main character talks to his girlfriend, and breaks up with her, he gets depressed.

13. Break Into Three: The main character decides to get Red’s help and go save Saul (his drug dealer).

14. Finale: Saul is held at the military compound showed at the start of the movie. He is rescued in a very long fight scene.

15. Final Image: Red, Saul, and main character are sitting in a café eating as friends. All of them have pineapple express

Some Random Online Videos Review

We started off by watching 'Blogs in Plain English'. Created by 'leelefever' on YouTube, this video was quite original in its creation. The video consisted of the author moving little pieces of paper around on a white background. We think that this was very original and really entertaining despite the topic of the video not being too extremely exciting. The video was quite thorough and explained the relationship between the blogging community and their readers. While drawing on the facts consisting of the rise of blogging to a main stream media it is able to be insightful without being boring. We think that this video was worth viewing, its original presentation is enough to keep it enjoyable but not enough to make worth re-watching, because of this we give it a 7/10.

Zombies have over taken the world not just through infecting people but through the mass influx of zombie related media (Video games, Movies, and Etc.). This video is from "leelefever" who had done the previous video we reviewed entitled "Blogs In Plain English" so it was not boring. This video was an interesting take on explaining how to survive a zombie apocalypse should it ever happen. Using the same animations as "Blogs in Plain English" it was humorous in its random presentation of zombie facts. "Zombies can't swim". The humor in this little video is created by the narrators calm tone throughout. He is calm, yet he is talking about zombies! Something that most people would not take lightly. We give this video an 8/10 for being creative and quotable.

The “Great Tasting Americano” no full words are spoken in this short other than the song “beat it” by Micheal Jackson. It was a fun stop motion take on “Grand Theft Auto” without having to be extremely violent and the character models make it humorous to watch. I've watched this video several times over and its still makes me chuckle as the main character drives off in a stolen car driving to “Beat it” with cop car sirens going off behind him. The inclusion of a HUD (Heads Up Display such as a map and health) was perfect to make it feel like a video game. There are few parts where you can tell that this is stop motion because of the level of detail that went into the video is why it is so awesome. Such simple character models make it fun to re watch. Although I have never watched any of “pg8472” videos I may just have to look into more. Also on that a Loading screen was the final touch that makes this video a 9/10. There is no time during this video in which it was boring from beginning to end it is hilarious.

"Food Fight" on 'touristpictures' YouTube page is a very exciting piece of animation. The video shows various foods actually fighting. They have several wars kill each other throughout the video. Its surprisingly very violent to see food destroying other food in the ways shown in this video, the author had some very creative ideas when it came to food weaponry. The description on the video's page says that it is a recreation of real battles in food form. It was hard for us to tell which battles were shown in the video, but we're sure that the parallels could be seen if we knew which battles were supposed to be shown. The fighting seemed to get repetitive and it seemed like the author uses some of the same animations more than once. Despite these few things we think that this video was very creative and quite different from anything we've ever seen before. We give it an 8.5/10.

"Back of the Mike" shows two parallels, a young boy's imagination of what is happening during a radio broadcast, and what is actually happening to create the sounds and effects of the radio broadcast. This video is interesting to watch because of all the different sound effects that the broadcasters have to make sounds for. Its neat to see the ways they make each sound. The sounds you take for granted like footsteps are all accounted for and recreated for the radio. We think that this video shows a lot of behind the scenes work that went on during radio shows back in the day and we give it an 8/10 for being so interesting.

Gojira Review

[Spoilers are in this review so you have been warned.]
Gojira the classic giant monster movie from japan featuring the beloved icon of Godzilla is awesome (Gojira). Ishirō Honda directed the film wonderfully with impeccable effects for the time and even had a story with a message that is still relevant. (He is best known for his work on the Godzilla films) Also the music composed by Akira Ifukube seems to match seamlessly with the emotions of the characters and the events in the film.

Although this film is was made in 1954 in Japan it was released later in the United States 2 years later as Godzilla King Of The Monsters however, this version of the film had been altered greatly from the original version. The inclusion of a completely new character Steve Martin played by Raymond Burr, which altered the tone and impact of the film to be less than the masterpiece, but it was still a fine film nonetheless. In the Japanese version Akira Takarada (Hideto Ogata) is the leading male character that has been winning over the affection of the female lead Momoko Kochi (Emiko Yamane) who has led Akihiko Hirata (Daisuke Serizawa) to believe that they should have been together.

On a side note Gojira was Akira Takarada first role in a film but he is in several other Godzilla films later in his carrier but his role in this film is what gave him his start. Akihiko Hirata career after Gojira was in the Kaiju genre (strange beast). Momoko never really stared in or appeared in any other films afterward or previous.

I personally enjoy both versions of this classic but I will be focusing on the original Japanese version (Gojira). The story begins as a ship is sunk at sea by a mysterious creature the survivors tell the locals of Odo Island that it was a huge monster. One local man says that it is the mythical beast known as “Godzilla” that will come to destroy them. That following night the village on Odo Island are attacked by the monster (Godzilla). The morning after Takashi Shimura (Kyohei Yamane) goes to Odo Island to find out more about the odd occurrence. After Takashi establishes that there is indeed a monster he presents his findings and Japanese politicians who then begin to fortify the coasts to protect from a potential attack. Takashi finds that he is one of the few people that believes that Godzilla should be studied not kill seeing as he was the product of nuclear testing done out at sea. His frustration with individuals who see Godzilla as nothing more than a monster causes him a great in pain. After Godzilla is spotted swimming near a coastal region he is then attacked by the military through tank fire and fighter planes. The attempts fail and the destruction of the city begins. In the wake nothing more than ash and rubble remain much like the aftermath of an nuclear explosion (Hiroshima had been bombed nine years earlier).

During this time the love triangle between Akira, Momoko, and Akihiko finally becomes more apparent . If it were not for Akihiko's feelings for Momoko then he would not have agreed to use his invention called “Oxygen Destroyer” to stop Godzilla.. Akihiko knows that Momoko would be better off with Akira and decides to kill himself to take out Godzilla as he's at the bottom of the ocean. The grim tones of the final scenes of the film resonate through the screen as Akihiko releases the capsule and takes his own life “Both of you, Be happy”. The hero Akihiko had to take his own life so that the rest of that nation could live. With a solute to their fallen friend they look out into an open and bright sky.

The use of miniatures sets that Godzilla destroys and the crowds of people running in terror work for this film. At the time CG did not exist so everything had to be done with some sort of trick photograph but it is still amazing as it ever was. Destruction and explosions do not take most of the film but there are enough to call it an action movie. Its entertaining and a fun film that is very dear to me personally.

Despite not being the first monster film this is definitely one that has had a lasting impact of other films of the same genre. Ishiro Honda made a film that was spectacular and has a timeless quality to it. Overall I would have to give this film a 9.5/10 because it had a wonderful story with acting that seemed more real than most at the time. Gojira is the king of the monster movie genre.

-Ryan

Welcome To Macintosh

Apple never intended to sell computers. They wanted to just give them away! The documentary ‘Welcome to Macintosh’, takes the viewer through the early years of Apple. The founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak talked with several interested retailers that convinced them to put their product on the market. The two businessmen from California began to sell their computers in Minnesota. Their first mass-produced computer was the Apple II. The documentary gets very detailed about the Apple II and the impact that it had on the computer industry Apple itself. The Apple Corp. grew substantially after the Apple II was released in 1977. The Mac was released in 1984 and gave computers a new standard. Both Wozniak and Jobs left Apple soon after though. As the computer industry grew, Apple began to fall into the shadows, as their products could not compete with competitors such as IBM and Microsoft.

The middle of this documentary is quite grim as the view learns about Apples slump. The company had three different CEO’s between 1983 and 1996. Apple was not producing quality products during this time period and only 1 out of every 10 computer users used a Mac. Then the documentary gives us a glorious moment of rejoice, when Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997. The rest of the documentary details how Apple has grown since then and how other products such as the iPod and iPhone have changed other industries as well.

‘Welcome to Macintosh’ gives the viewer many interesting interviews with employees, Mac users, collectors, and retailers. There is a sense of real intuitive innovations throughout the film as the viewer sees all that Apple has gone through and created. The viewer also gets to feel a connection to the company, and maybe even feel bad for Apple as it was being abused and neglected by its subpar CEO’s. I personally felt a connection to some of the people being interviewed during the film. I laughed at many of their comments and I felt bad for them at some points as they spoke of Apples slump. This documentary left me wondering what Apple would do next? What would be their next breakthrough? Most people don’t enjoy documentaries, but if you have to watch one, I would defiantly suggest this one. I give ‘Welcome to Macintosh’ a 8/10.

-Nick

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Review

"Goodness, look at my wrist. I gotta go!" is just one of the dozens of hilarious lines you'll find in Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, a three part short film created during the writers’ strike in 2008. The main character Dr. Horrible (otherwise known as Billy), played by Neil Patrick Harris, is a mad scientist that is trying to get into the Evil League of Evil. Dr. Horrible's crush and laundry mat acquaintance is Penny, played by Felicia Day. The final significant character is the local super hero, Captain Hammer, played by Nathan Fillion.

Neil Patrick Harris and Felicia Day both have their acting careers firmly cemented in comedy roles. Harris in the popular TV show How I Met Your Mother, and Day in the online series The Guild. If you have ever seen either of those shows, then you probably have a good idea of the sort of comedy you'll be getting from these actors. You might be surprised then by Dr. Horribles's Sing-Along Blog and its partially comedic, partially dramatic and tragic nature. When act 1 began, I saw Neil Patrick Harris and right then I knew that I was watching a comedy. But by then end of act 3 I was watching a horribly tragic story of lost love and a poor misled man. I was by no means disappointed by this, in fact I really enjoyed the dramatic change in mood. It was unexpected and very powerful.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog was a funny yet dramatic story. It was one of the most unique films I've seen in quite a while. I thoroughly enjoyed all three acts and will defiantly watch the fourth act when it is released online. I highly suggest watching this film if you never have before. I give Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog a deserving 8/10.

-By Nick

"Popcorn With The Movie" review of "Welcome to Macintosh"

These two review talked about the same basic info, but you each had completely different opinions. I liked that you could both use the same facts to support two different sides. Fix the half-a-dozen grammatical errors and this review will be pretty darn good.

-Nick

"The Movie-Nators" review of "Welcome to Macintosh"

Your review of 'Welcome to Macintosh' told me everything that I think was important to the film. Minus a couple noticeable grammatical errors, this review was solidly constructed. I would have liked to see a rating for the documentary as well, I feel that a rating would further mesh your review together.

-Nick

"Wasians review" review of "Welcome to Macintosh"

This review started out pretty solid, but towards the end of Tanner's section it began to repeat itself. Josh's section contained several grammatical mistakes and he stated a false fact. The Apple computer he spoke of featured 16kb of RAM and 30mb of memory. I suggest he fix his mistakes if he wants to attract readers.

-Nick

"Blood Rose Watching Movies" review of "Welcome to Macintosh"

Your review mentioned several people that contributed to the growth of Apple, but I noticed that you didn't talk about Steve Jobs even once. I think that Jobs was one of the main parts of the documentary. Your review completely skips over Steve Jobs' role, therefore retaining important information from your readers. I suggest that you go back and add some more information.

-Nick

"Blogggin Movies by Bignsmalls Inc" review of "Welcome to Macintosh"

This review of 'Welcome to Macintosh' was very informative and gave the reader a good overview of what this documentary is about. I completely agree with your opinions regarding the growth of the Apple company due to the introduction of new products such as the iPod and iPhone.

-Nick

"The Movie-Nataors" review of "Welcome to Macintosh"

A well written review but its missing only one small detail the star rating. Most of the other blogs I’ve read in the past couple days have been a little less than below sub par and make me want to hang myself with my computer's mouse but this was actually one that was interesting to read and somewhat entertaining. As long as the reviews I read are like this than I will live long into my later years.

-Ryan

"Gair Goes To The Movies" review of "Welcome To Macintosh"

Rather short and does nothing of telling you if it is a good film or a terrible one. I suppose that they did not remember much of the information mentioned in the film or they posted this blog in a rush. It is hard to give a review of a review but by putting this much text in this review I have written more than the actual it self.

-Ryan

"Movie Busters Busting Movies" review of "Welcome To Macintosh "

Well the review was divided into sections but there was no clear rating of was it 4 out of 4 stars or anything remotely similar to that. Also most of the facts that were stated in this review were false or half-truths. They need to be spending more time on writing the review and making it interesting rather than stating the facts in a list that was incomplete.

-Ryan

Welcome To Macintosh

The documentary about the history and evolution of the Apple Corporation was an intriguing look at how innovation and determination can even out last the original vision of a company. Despite what would seem like the early demise of one of the worlds most known technological companies, Apple survived into the twenty first century and has become the leader in revolutionizing the way humans live. This film was a compilation of interviews with individuals who had either worked for Apple or had an extreme fondness of the machines. The level of impact that they Macintosh has had on society can be seen in the change from a PC era to a more leveled playing field were the both PC and Mac are on even ground.

Overall 4 stars out of 5 because as a fan of technology and learning more of the details such as the history of the evolution of the products made by Apple was interesting. Although, it was fascinating to hear the tidbits of information that I previously had no knowledge of. Stock footage and stills of the co founders of Apple are the dominant images displayed along with the different products produced by Apple in addition to the interviews with individuals who were tied to Apple in some way. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak are the still idolized within the company because of the way they conducted their business. Although Wozniak wanted to create his product to be for anyone, Jobs wanted to market the product of the first Apple computer in 1976. However, the first Apple computer to be mass-produced and sold was the Apple II in 1977, which sold 5 million units. Wozniak left Apple in 1985 and soon after Jobs followed suit, which made the companies success dwindle and almost collapse. In the end with the return of Jobs in 1997 Apple made a full recovery and even increased in popularity and is now a house hold name again.

With witty commentary and a story that almost didn't have a happy ending it was a most amazing treat to be told the story of what almost wasn't. “Good artist copy, great artists steal.” how very true this quote is about the film. The retelling of a story that most have never heard in a relatively short and entertaining manner I give this film an 8/10.

-Ryan

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Review

Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog has a few one liners that are memorable such as “Wow sarcasm...that's original” and “The status is not quo”. The films focuses on Billy (Doctor Horrible) who is played by Neil Patrick Harris who also done comedies such as the Harold and Kumar. The other main characters are Captain Hammer who is Doctor Horrible's Nemesis played by Nathan Fillion and Dr. Horrible's crush Penny played by Felicia Day. Harris and Day have their roles focusing around comedic roles in films and television series. Most recent roles Day has been a characters in the internet comedy series The Guild. Harris even won an Emmy for Best Male Actor in a Comedy Web Series for his role in Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

As a comedy it works and even the musical edge of the film does not clash but enhance the humor of this short. Overall it is entertaining and each of the acts build the story up into a tragic romance comedy . “The hammer is my” enough said this film is a 4 star comedy that delivers a romance slant. The music is catchy and fits the mood of the scene its used in and enhances that story and develops that characters into ones that are more tangible and relatable. The main story is that Doctor Horrible is attempting to become a famous villain and get the attention of the the Evil League of Evil. While doing this he is also trying to get Penny to notice him. Although this does not go smoothly and largely due to Captain Hammer interviewing in Dr. Horrible's affairs. Sadly there is a tragic ending that surprisingly was hard hitting.

Personally I found it to be a refreshing comedy that was worth watching because it was actually funny. Even though this was an internet film it had a charm that most big budget films do not seem to have anymore. Considering I have “a PhD. in Horribleness” i give it a 7/10.

-Ryan

Any Films You Want A Second Opinion On?

Any films, albums, tv shows, or any other forms of social media that anyone wants to hear our opinion on? Submit any comments and we shall do our best to do reviews on all comments.

Transformers:Revenge of the Fallen review

I believe that this movie was an action movie that did exactly what it was supposed to. After re-watching the old 1984 transformers I found a new found interest in the film. I believe that most people are being much to hard on it and not even giving it a chance and that most of the quote issues are mainly oversights. There is no such thing as a perfect movie but as a fan of action and sci-fi films this was a great view. You have to be able to believe in the transformers universe to overlook some of the errors in the film. Most bash this film because it had a chance scene that lasted through most of the movie. My response is that the whole Lord of the Rings series was just one long chase scene.

"There wasn't a human touch" it was a transformers movie what part of that did critics not understand about that. If was supposed to be about the humans it would have been called "Humans and Robots Unite". The first transformers movie was all about the actors not the actual transformers themselves I found it refreshing that in this film the autobots had more battles much like they did in the cartoons. If you love action, explosions, giant robots, Michael Bay films, Megan Fox, and other things that make a dude movie then you'll like this one. So to all the haters that bash this movie it was supposed to be about the autobots and decepticons not the people. It had a sci-fi story which is what it was supposed have had regardless of what others might say. I found it to be a great popcorn film to watch and enjoy the ride. My final verdict it is a 8/10.
-Ryan

X-men Origins: Wolverine Review

Last night I watched X-men Origins: Wolverine. I enjoyed most of the movie, because it had all the explosions and fighting that I expected. The helicopter scene was very nice and looked pretty amazing, special effects wise. I really liked the beginning of the movie during the credits where it showed both Wolverine and his brother fighting in 4 or 5 wars. The most exciting part of this movie was when the team of mutants infiltrated the diamond warehouse looking for Adamantium. The assault on the warehouse was very exciting because the entire team was used and it was interesting to find out what each of their powers was.

X-men Origins: Wolverine was a little weak in some areas though. I felt that some of the best characters were hardly incorporated into the plot. I also had a problem with some of the visual effects towards the middle of the movie. At times Wolverine’s metal claws seemed to be lighted differently than everything else in the scene. They looked very fake about 2 or 3 times in the movie. I was very disappointed by this little issue.

I enjoyed X-men Origins: Wolverine overall. I think it had a couple things that could have been worked on and improved upon, but I think it was worth watching. I’d give X-men Origins: Wolverine a solid 7/10.

-By Nick