Tahraharper's Blog

Blog Post 5

TahraH — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:13:58 +0000

So I have come to the conclusion that I will write my critical essay on WALL-E, directed by Andrew Stanton who also brought us the notorious Finding Nemo. I chose WALL-E so that I could write about consumerism. This film does a beautiful job portraying this subject. The article I found on the Literature Resource Center talks about consumerism portrayed in children’s animated films. The author, Jillian Hinkins, uses films such as Toy Story, Shrek, and Over the Hedge as examples to support the thesis. The thesis, however, I have yet to figure out. Hinkins mentions “By and large, animated children’s films tell audiences what they want to hear and entertains them in the way they want to be entertained, because this is the way they are willing to part with their money, both at the box office, in the DVD store and in countless supporting merchandising opportunities.” I kind of get the feelling that Hinkins is saying that even though these films are trying to show consumerism as being a, for lack of a better word, bad thing, they are still produced by people who ultimately want the audience to spend money on their product. Makes sense when you really think about it. Seems like a contradiction. I like what I’ve read so far, but I plan to read it a couple more times to really understand what Hinkins is trying to declare. Hinkins also brings up that in recent years films have been trying to appeal to the adults as well as the child.

http://www.pierce.ctc.edu:2061/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=LitRC&userGroupName=puya65247&tabID=T001&searchId=R2&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm¤tPosition=1&contentSet=GALE|A166696875&&docId=GALE|A166696875&docType=GALE&role=LitRC

Blog Post 4

TahraH — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:44:56 +0000

I have narrowed down my options to three choices (kind of contradicts “narrowed down” I know, but I’m not very decisive).

My first choice is Eagle Eye (2008) directed by D.J. Caruso and starring Shia Labeouf and Michelle Monaghan. I really enjoyed this film. It’s about two people that are being directed by a voice on their phones to do certain things. They get into trouble with the government in the process. Vague, I know, but that’s basically what it is. It kind of has a bizarre plot, but the action and acting makes up for it. I like the way it portrays peoples addiction and vulnerability to technology.

My second choice would be WALL-E (2008) directed by Andrew Stanton. WALL-E is a robot that has been disposing of waste humans left behind for some 700 years. This movie is very intriguing. There is no talking for about the first 40 minutes yet it keeps my attention. I really liked how the plot can be looked at differently. The kid’s most likely see the WALL-E falls in love and does whatever he can to get her back. However, the adults see that these humans leave behind their mess with no worries or intent to fix it.

Okay soooo my last choice is The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) directed by Brian Henson and starring Michael Caine. I absolutely love this movie. This is one of my favorite story lines ever! The past, present, and future plot is great. Michael Caine was amazing and the Muppets were awesome. I think this is one of the best adaptations of the Dickens story. It brings life to a lighter, less gothic version of it.

I open to suggestions to help me pick which one to write about…

Eagle Eye: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wIRCbLJCKg

WALL-E: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UblUO0LjPUg

The Muppet Christmas Carol: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpwch3CYNMM

Blog Post 3

TahraH — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:15:28 +0000

I think Moore’s argument is basically that America’s health care system sucks. He travels to other countries where the health care system is supposedly better than ours. Yes, looking at what he shows in the film makes the viewer think medication is a lot cheaper elsewhere but he never asks them what they pay in taxes. Moore uses simple humor to get across little jokes or ironic points. I have to give him credit for making a decent persuasive film. He knows how to edit a film to make it reach its full potential. Music is a big help with setting the mood. Moore did very well with the fluidity of the scenes. If Moore were to do Sicko as an essay, I feel that it would lose its enthusiasm and the audience, which would then change to a smaller demographic, would not benefit from it as much. Reading Sicko as an essay, you would not feel the same way as you do when you watch the film. The music, illustrations, and some of the emotional intensity would be faint. There is a difference in emotions when you read about someone crying versus actually seeing them do so. I do not think Moore’s argument would not be as strong on paper unless he changed scenes around for smoothness. I also think he would need to come up with better facts and counter arguments. Moore did a good job with Sicko as a film, but I do not predict that he would have the same skills and effectiveness on paper.

Blog Post 2

TahraH — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:00:03 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=071KqJu7WVo

“Zombieland”

Now THIS is a horror-comedy done right. “Zombieland” will most definitely bring life back to the zombie cult. It is fun with a little gruesomeness. It is the best since the 2004 hit film “Shaun of the dead.” I will admit I jumped a couple times during the movie, but I definitely laughed the entire time.
There isn’t much to explain about the plot background so just know that people were infected, became zombies, and now Columbus, played by Jesse Eisenberg, is headed back home with his set of survival rules and meets a few living people on the way. The survival rules are a great piece of the film. They keep the audience’s involvement throughout the movie by showing up when a rule is applied. The rules remind of New York Times bestseller “The Zombie Survival Guide” written by Max Brooks.
A break was greatly needed from the vampire genre. “Zombieland” was introduced to a generation blinded by vampire love stories. It was a bold and risky attempt, but Director Ruben Fleischer was able to pull it off. One of my favorite touches Fleischer made to this film was the opening credits sequence. It featured people about to be devoured by a zombie in everyday activities, but the best part about it was that it was done in slow motion. Another part I love is the commentary done by Eisenberg. It worked really well in this movie and his character’s geeky personality made it that much better.
I think the actors did a really good job with chemistry and connecting. It seems like that would have been a difficult task given all their age differences, but they did well and it helped immensely with the flow of he film. There is an extremely hilarious cameo that, despite its comedic success, drifts away from the point of the movie. It brings a lot of laughs though so I give them kudos for that. If you want to go see a movie this weekend for a good time or to relax, I definitely recommend “Zombieland.”

Blog Post 1

TahraH — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 04:46:34 +0000

I love the freecreditreport.com commercials. The one I chose to post here is the renaissance fair commercial where they are all singing a song. Again. The song is always about how they should have gone to free credit report .com and they would not be where they are now or doing what ever it is that they are doing in the commercial. I chose this specific one because I like their nifty outfits. They are singing the song at a renaissance fair in their funny “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” looking outfits. All around the background there is plenty of stuff going on. For example, fake sword fights, farm animals, barrels of vegetables, a man eating a whole chicken wing.

I never change the channel when these commercials come on which, I guess, would make it an affective advertisement. The songs get stuck in my head and they are usually fun to sing. I doubt that that is his real voice but I don’t think that’s the point… but anyway I really like these commercials or any commercial for that matter that uses a song to get their advertisement out there. I think songs are really one of the best ways to get the viewers to remember an advertisement. Do you know the number for empire carpets? Or how about what Pepto Bismol helps with? Even that darn stack of money has taken over the Rockwell/Jackson song. Soo… Tell your friends, tell your dad, tell your mom. haha I love it.