Mini Review #3: Ex Machina

Altogether I would have to say that Ex Machina deserves a 3.5 out of 5. This is because it was an amazing movie with amazing graphics and the story line of it is perfect. Although it was slow at times, it is hard to look past how the graphics and story make the movie what it is. On top of the cinematography involved in the movie, the soundtrack is also just perfect for the type of movie that it is and it helps build on the whole creepy aspect that is shown throughout the movie.

While it is an amazing movie, there is still aspects of it that can become confusing and parts or it that are slow and left me bored. The continuous meetings between Caleb and Ava left me wondering when something exciting and intense was going to happen because it was always the same things happening between them over and over again. Nothing extremely exciting happens until the last 20 minutes of the film and the rest of it is all dialogue that can be stretched out and leave the viewer bored, especially if they become lost about what is going on.

Something that I did love about the film though was the ending. The ending left me wondering how the AI was going to survive in real civilization and whether or not she was going to be caught. Also it left me wondering what was going to happen to Caleb. All in all the ending was probably the best part of the movie and is the main reason that this movie is getting a 3.5 out of 5.

Fun Facts About Ex Machina:

• The title derives from the Latin phrase "Deus Ex-Machina," meaning "a god from the Machine," a phrase that originated in Greek tragedies. An actor playing a god would be lowered down via a platform (machine) and solve the characters' issues, resulting in a happy ending.
• The location of the house in the movie is the Juvet Landscape Hotel in Norway
• Oscar Isaac said he based his characterization of Nathan on Bobby Fischer and Stanley Kubrick, both of whom were reclusive and highly intelligent figures with a dark side.
• The three main characters all have appropriate biblical names. Ava is a form of Eve, the first woman; Nathan was a prophet in the court of David; and Caleb was a spy sent by Moses to evaluate the Promised Land.
• Even though the movie stars famous Swedish actress Alicia Vikander, the movie was never shown in regular Swedish cinemas. The cause of this was said to be a lack of quality and not enough potential for screenings.
• Lowest grossing Oscar winner for Best Visual Effects since What Dreams May Come(1998).
• When Caleb meets Nathan for the first time, there is green wheat growing in a pot. This is a pagan Slavic symbol for new life.
• This film has many similarities with The Machine (2013), starting with the title, ("The Machine" vs. "Ex Machina"), the plot, and the female robot named "Ava."

Mini Review #2: Jaws

Altogether I would have to give Jaws a 4 out of 5. This is because although it was a great movie, it did come out in the 70's and I as a child born in the 90's has seen so much more development in the film industry and is used to seeing amazing graphics. That still doesn't mean that it wasn't an amazing movie. The movie leaves the viewer wondering what is going to happen next throughout the whole movie and I think that is what makes it such a success because in most thriller movies that you see nowadays, you get to see the threat/scary thing right in the beginning and sometimes that ruins the whole point of a thriller movie.

Jaws has the amazing Steven Spielberg directing it and although this was his first successful movie, you can still see how successful he will be in the future and because I love him as a director it makes the movie just that much better.

As well as having some scary parts in it, Jaws leaves viewers thinking about other things other than the shark. This is because although the movie is mainly about the shark, you also get to see how Brody goes through all of this to make Amity Island safe for his family and I think that this is another reason why it is so successful and popular.

Fun Facts About Jaws:

• Robert Shaw could not stand Richard Dreyfuss and they argued all the time, which resulted in some good tension between Hooper and Quint.
• When it was initially released in the summer 1975, over 67 million Americans went to see the movie, making it the first summer "blockbuster".
• According to Steven Spielberg, the prop arm looked too fake in the scene where Chrissie's remains are discovered, so instead they buried a female crew member in the sand with only her arm exposed.
• When composer John Williams originally played the score for Steven Spielberg, Spielberg laughed and said, "That's funny, John, really; but what did you really have in mind for the theme of Jaws (1975)?" Spielberg later stated that without Williams's score, the movie would only have been half as successful and according to Williams, it jumpstarted his career.
• An accident during filming caused the Orca to begin sinking. Steven Spielberg began screaming over a bullhorn for the nearby safety boats to rescue the actors. John R. Carter, already up to his knees in water on the sinking Orca, held his Nagra (tape recorder) up over his head and screamed, "F**k the actors, save the sound department!" During the accident, the film camera was submerged, so its film, still submerged in sea water, was flown to a New York film lab where technicians were able to save the film. The accident is described starting at 01:30:07 in "The Making of Jaws" on the 30th Anniversary edition DVD.
• Steven Spielberg named the shark "Bruce" after his lawyer.
• After the shark was built, it was never tested in the water, and when it was put in the water at Martha's Vineyard, it sank straight to the ocean floor. It took a team of divers to retrieve it.
• Three mechanical "Bruces" were made, each with specialized functions. One shark was open on the right side, one was open on the left side, and the third was fully skinned. Each shark cost approximately $250,000.

Mini Review #1: Batman Begins

Altogether I would have to give this movie a 3 out of 5. This is because Batman Begins was a good way to start of the trilogy, but I find that the casting for some of the roles wasn't all that good. Also I think that Christian Bale makes a terrible Batman. He is too short, his body shape doesn't fit the descriptions that are given in the comics and his Batman voice is just plain stupid. To me the only thing that makes the movie good is the fact that it was directed by Christopher Nolan and the fact that it is a Batman movie.

At some points throughout the movie I felt like falling asleep because it is basically just an origin story and not only that, but it is also an origin story that everyone has heard and that everyone knows.

The reason that this movie is getting a three out of five though is because there was some cool action sequences in it and had some extremely intense moments throughout it. It also had some parts in it that are funny and humorous. And I love the fact that they picked Michael Caine to play the role of Alfred. He brings most of the humour to the movie and he is just the perfect fit for the role.

Fun Facts About Batman Begins:

• Christian Bale's active dislike of his uncomfortable Batman outfit helped his performance as the Dark Knight as he was perpetually in a foul mood when wearing it.
• While shooting on the streets of Chicago, a person accidentally crashed into the Batmobile. The driver was apparently drunk, and said he hit the car in a state of panic, believing the Dark Knight's vehicle to be an invading alien spacecraft.
• Christian Bale revealed in interviews in 2009 that in his first ever scene with Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman (one involving Bale waking up in bed to find them waiting there), he fell asleep after getting ready for the scene. Bale described waking up to findMichael Caine poking him in the ribs, saying "Look at that! He's bloody fallen asleep".
• Although Christian Bale performed many of his own stunts, he wasn't allowed anywhere near the Batmobile.
• Christian Bale lost his voice three times during filming after altering his voice while playing Batman.
• Much of Batman's gear and apparel, including his cape and suit, is based on actual military technology.

Video Games: The Future Part 1- Dystopian Worlds

Throughout the future unit we looked at how the world might look like in the future and how other people see the world. While playing Fallout 4 I was able to see that the world that has been created is very different from the one that we saw in Blade Runner. Even though both of these worlds look at the future and both have the possibility of becoming true, I would have to say that the world created in Fallout 4 seems like a more realistic fate for our society. This is because Fallout 4 is set in a post apocalyptic world where a devastating nuclear war has happened and I think that there is a great possibility that the today's world could end up like this because nowadays all countries have nuclear bombs and are always using them as a threat when another country is getting out of hand.

Even though Fallout 4 seems like it is more likely to happen, I still think that some things from Blade Runner could happen because we as a society are evolving so quickly that it seems possible that we could end up with AI at some point in the future.

Altogether I think that both of these futures are possible, I also think that we could end up with both of them happening, just at different times in the future. Like the whole idea of Blade Runner would most likely come first and then the future presented in Fallout 4 would most likely end up being quite some time in the future.

Video Games: Batman

Batman has been adapted into several different types of media. Some of these types it has been adapted into include comics, film, TV, video games and quite a few others.

I think that Batman's essence is expressed best in movies because they are an easy thing to follow and everyone can understand how Batman works better in a movie. Also when Batman is portrayed in movies it makes it easier to see how Batman spends his day to day life an how he becomes the character that we all know and love. Another reason that movies express his essence the best is because you can see his struggles and the image is right in front of you, whereas in comics you are left to create the image yourself even though you have the pictures to help you. 

Video games are an okay way to express his essence because instead of watching or reading about Batman, you are able to actually play as Batman and get a feel of  what his life is actually like. By getting the chance to play as Batman you get to experience how Batman works and all of the cool things he can do.

Although comics were Batman's first form of entertainment and most people would consider it to be Batman's best form, I personally think that they don't express his essence that well. This is because with comics you have to come up with the image yourself and you don't always have the background information that you need to come up with that image and the essence that Batman has.

Video Games: BlockBusters

One of the things we talked about in the Blockbuster unit was how a lot of big Blockbuster movies tend to have several sequels to them and they eventually end up becoming a franchise. Also that Blockbuster movies tend to have a lot of advertising that goes into them to make them the big success that they are. I think that this is also true for video games. This is because just like Blockbuster movies, Blockbuster video games can also have several sequels and end up having their own franchise. They also have a lot of money that just goes into advertising. Like a video game may have a trailer and posters just like movies. Also just like movies, in video games it seems like the more money that is put into advertising, the more successful the game becomes and if the game is successful than it usually leads to more sequels and a possible franchise.

Some examples of Blockbuster video games that have had several sequels and have created a franchise are:

• Halo
• Halo: Combat Evolved
• Halo 2
• Halo 3
• Halo 4
• Halo 5: Guardians
• Halo Wars
• Halo 3: ODST
• Halo: Reach
• Halo: Spartan Assault
• Halo: Spartan Strike
• Fallout
• Fallout
• Fallout 2
• Fallout 3
• Fallout: New Vegas
• Fallout 4
• Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel
• Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
• Fallout Shelter
• Just Dance
• Just Dance
• Just Dance 2
• Just Dance 3
• Just Dance 4
• Just Dance 2014
• Just Dance 2015
• Just Dance 2016
• Just Dance Kids 
• Just Dance: Disney Party
• Just Dance: Summer Party
• Just Dance: Best Of
• Just Dance Now
• Just Dance Unlimited
• Assassin's Creed
• Assassin's Creed
• Assassin's Creed 2
• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
• Assassin's Creed: Revelations
• Assassin's Creed 3
• Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
• Assassin's Creed Rogue
• Assassin's Creed Unity
• Assassin's Creed Syndicate
• Assassin's Creed: Altairs Chronicles
• Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines
• Assassin's Creed 2: Discovery
• Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy
• Assassin's Creed: Recollection
• Assassin's Creed: Multiplayer Rearmed
•  Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation
• Assassin's Creed: Pirates
• Assassin's Creed Memories
• Assassin's Creed Chronicles
• Assassin's Creed Identity

Another thing that I noticed is that most Blockbuster video games tend to not just have a lot of sequels, but that they also seem to have several spin offs for the series and franchise. Altogether I would have to say that from the video games I looked at, Blockbuster video games tend to have a lot more sequels to them than Blockbuster movies, leaving them with huge series that would make the companies a lot of money.

How Important are Good Graphics in Video Games?

The Future Part 2: Zombies

In Left 4 Dead the graphics are quite important. This is because without the graphics the game wouldn't seem as scary and you wouldn't have the feeling that you are actually inside the game with the characters. Without the good graphics the game would become boring after the first few times playing it and you wouldn't get the same thrill while playing the game if the graphics are bad.

Blockbusters

In Wii Sports and Mario the graphics aren't all that important. This is because when you play blockbuster games, you usually aren't worrying about what the game looks like and when you play them you are more worried about how much fun you are having rather than what the game looks like.







Batman

In Batman: Arkham Asylum the graphics are pretty important. This is because when you play this game, you are in it for the story of Batman and want the graphics to be good. Also when you play a game where there is lots of fighting, than you usually want the graphics to be more realistic to bring the story to life and to make the fighting more realistic.





The Future Part 1: Dystopian Worlds

In Fallout 4 the graphics are extremely important. This is because this is a story based game and when you play the game you want to feel like you are in a movie or in the world itself. By having amazing graphics you are able to engage yourself into the game better and actually feel like you are a part of the world.