Numero Dos hermano.

I believe that if a movie has an ambiguous or confusing ending that it could hinder the success of the movie but not always. The reason being is that a lot of people are not clever enough to figure out the endings of these movies. They get frusterated and confused and say they don't like it and might even give it a bad review (to their friends or on the internet) which could deter others from seeing it. However, I personally prefer it when movies leave unanswered questions because it gives me something to discuss or think about. Which gives the movie more depth and feeling than the movies that lay it all out for you. One movie that demonstrates this point is Donnie Darko. The reason why this movie is so good is because it's confusing. It takes multiple views and a lot of thinking to figure out the ending and that is why the movie is so amazing. You are allowed to create your own interpretations on the ending. But that might be why it did not do as well in the box office as other movies that explain everything for you.




Another movie that has a mysterious ending is Inception. The movie closes with a lingering shot of a top spinning which would determine whether Cob is still in a dream or not. This is an ending that has a lot of people arguing and thus holds a lot of intrigue. But this was sort of the opposite of Donnie Darko. The movie itself was not that confusing or ambiguous and it did exponentially better in the box office at 825 million against Donnie Darko's 4.1 million. So there is some truth to the correlation between how confusing the ending it is and how much money it makes.


And in terms of personal preference I do enjoy it when movies leave the ending ambiguous or open to interpretation or even just unexplained components of the movie that can drive me crazy thinking about like the briefcase in Pulp Fiction.  If they told me what was in it then it would ruin the mystique of it.

Silent Films that Silently Suck

1. After studying the birth of cinema and silent film I believe that the movies made during this time can't be considered good. In terms of story, effects and acting these films can't compare to films made more recently. These movies are indeed important as they show how the medium started and how far it's come since then but that doesn't mean that it is actually a quality film. One example of a silent film that is not good in terms of quality was the "Train Pulling into Station" film we watched. It had no substance; all it did was show a train. Another Sub-par film from the early days of cinema was the film about the train robbers. The actors were over-exagerating everything to the point that it was laughable and the special effects, such as the explosion and the colouring, were cringe worthy. And lastly, the Charlie Chaplin film we watched. Although it was funny at parts it was more of a novelty thing, as our generation rarely see's his outdated brand of humour that if used today, would fall flat on its ass.The story was kind of unfocused, he's in a factory then jail then out of jail and so on. So, the films that were created in the silent film era and before can not be considered good because they are well below the standards set by todays films in terms of story, effects and acting.

Blog Post #2- Music Video Analysis

Britney Spears-  Baby one more time

2. The reality in this video is presented as very provocative.All the girls are dressed in "sexy schoolgirl" outfits (dress shirt exposing midriff and cleavage and short skirts) and they all dance in a sexy fashion. There are also no authority figures except for the frumpy looking teacher at the beginning, who is only there to hold the kids hostage till the after school dance orgy. They portray reality this way so Britney Spears and her fellows can appear cool and sexy and that being a teenager is awesome and fun.

3. Some of the teen pop music stereotypes in this video are the synchronized dance scenes in odd or random places ( the hallway, the gym, outside), sexy, revealing cloths on young women and old bitter adults trying to ruin the kids fun. Another code of this genre is that the lyrics of the song are completely meaningless for example: Hit me baby one more time. It sounds like she either wants to be physically abused or that she's a crass old British women who wants someone to hit her baby one more time.

4. Some of the values portrayed in this video include: That school work isn't important (they hurl it away as soon as class is over and spend most of their time in class staring at a clock) .Another value is that being a slut is important in order popular because all the "cool girls" wear trashy outfits and dance like strippers and only they can get guys to like them.They also show that all adults are squares and their only goal is to hold us back.

5. This video would appeal to teenagers in quite a few ways. For one thing it would appeal to guys because of her outfit and the way they dance because guys will find it attractive. It will also appeal to teenagers because they will think " Hey I want to be sexy and fun like Britney" and then they might try to emulate her attitude and what not.

6. I think it is a good music video because it's pretty good at telling us what Britney is all about. Being a slut, having sex, failing school. It's also very memorable because I'm sure just about everyone could tell you about what happens in this video so it's very memorable and influential. I'm sure it influenced a lot of kids in the late 90's and early 00's to act just like their role model Britney Spears, the shining example of a person that she is.

 

Creating Your Media Profile

1. I believe that media is very important in my life. Because everyday I enjoy many different forms of media such as Radio, T.V and the Internet. Media is so important top me because I am always surrounded by it and it is constantly changing the way I see the world.

2. The type of media I am the most passionate about is movies. I really enjoy movies because I get to immerse myself in a tepid bath of plot and characters. I'm also passionate about the Internet as it is a go to place for all sorts of other types of  media such as video, music and books. Video Games are also important to me. They allow me to somewhat experience something I probably wouldn't be able to in real life.

3. I think that modern popular culture is stupid. It seems like all I'm seeing is stupid shows on the Disney Channel or songs by a 12 year old talking about falling in love with a person he saw at a mall or whipping your hair back and forth. I do enjoy a lot of the new technology that enables us to communicate in different ways like Facebook or Twitter (I don't tweet I just read the other peoples tweets). I mostly use media for entertainment but I also have to use media for information. I would shop more on the Internet but since most things won't ship to Canada there isn't much to buy.

4. Desert Island Choices
T.V It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia- This is easily the best program on T.V. The crazy situations these disfunctional charcaters get into always make me laugh like from dropping acid in a highschool parking lot to faking their own deaths by stealing a friends car and driving it into a wall.



Movies: I can't really pick a movie I can watch to frequently but if I had to choose I would say the Big Lebowski just because it's a great film and I think it's very funny and has many memorable lines. It is also one of the two Blu-Rays that I have ever bought ( the other being the LoTR extended editions).


Album: I don't never really buy albums so I don't really have a particular album but if i had to choose I would probably pick the Scott Pilgrim soundtrack because that movie had some pretty cool songs on it.


Video Game: If I could only one game I would pick Falout: New Vegas. It's not my favourite video game but I have taken different reasons for choosing it into account.The reason I picked it is because you can replay it dozens of times and get a different outcome each time. I could complete different quests or play as a different style character which would result in thousands of hours of entertainment.



Book: If a was stranded on a desert island I don't think I could really bring along any sort of fiction book because I can't really read a book more then 1-2 times a year without getting completely bored with it. That being said I would probably bring along some sort of survival guide that could help me find food or water and make shelter.