Indie Films

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I’m always tuning into the most action packed Hollywood movies with the most spectacular special effects. Whether it is Spider-Man or Fast & Furious, I thoroughly enjoy them. But although I have a positive opinion on these films, many critics call them run-of-the-mill, unoriginal, and inadequate. So I always ask myself, “What does the critic see that I don’t? What is missing from the fiery explosions and frenzied car chases?”

Independent films are films that are produced outside of a major film studio. Knowing that, explosions are car chases are certainly not on top of the to-do list. Rather, indie films will need to stand out through their story or delivery. The 30th Annual Sundance Film Festival is set to take place from January 16 to January 26 in Park City, Utah. A total of 117 selected feature-length films out of over 4000 entries will be screened. The genres or themes that are explored are very expansive; a few prominent ones include family dysfunction, race, and comedies. Others include documentaries, more provocative themes, and a rather novel genre: horror.

John Copper, Sundance’s director, describes the new entries to be “of much higher quality.” He explains that past films looked and felt “gritty, the writing is what drove them.” Now with technology there is what he calls, “a visual boldness.” Whether this is good or not is up to debate. Of all the indie films I’ve seen (and sadly, there weren’t too many) they all had an emanation which separates themselves from Hollywood films. The writing and presentation of indie films are what generate this entirely different experience. The feeling is just so real and raw.

I also appreciate indie films for a separate reason: they remind me of my videos. Whenever I had to film a video, whether it was for foreign language class or Arts in NYC, I always took pride in my work. What amazes me and frightens me at the same time is just how absorbed I was filming and editing it. I had to make sure the end result was just like I imagined, leaving me to watch and edit my film time after time again. But I was always smiling, always glad that I was creating something I was passionate about.

So I leave you with some questions. Do you think there is a difference between Hollywood films and independent films? What is your opinion on independent films? Any recommendations? How will technology change independent films? Do indie films remind you of your IDC creative projects?

It was great getting to know all of you and I hope everyone will have happy holidays.

Too fast, why not furious?

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As sad as it might be, I have watched all 6 of the Fast and Furious movies in the series and was excited to see yet again the new one. The death of Paul Walker is the second ironic death of a big name actor right after a new film is coming out in the last 5 years. The first actor was Heath Ledger, who played the role of the lunatic villain known as The Joker. This horrifying villain on screen seemed that he could only be this crazy on some kind of drug, and of course the actor’s death was due to a drug overdose. It is strange to see another tragedy occur when it was known that Paul Walker died in a car crash, but to be crude and honest, I couldn’t help but make jokes about the irony of it.

As the article states, Walker had felt trapped by his roles in action films and wanted to become more of an actor, which he demonstrated in soon to be new releases, “Hours” and “Brick Mansion”. Both of these films and “Fast and Furious 7” discuss what is the right way to continue to go forward with these movies without offending the image of Walker’s death. Each has its different way of going about it, and I understand it is a business, but no where in the article did it even discuss the sadness of this man’s crash. These companies talk about honoring him correctly, and yet all they care about is making money and trying to look as polite as possible while they exploit his final films.

Regardless of how far each company wants to take it, it definitely isn’t the right move to shy away from the topic entirely as if nothing happened. When “The Dark Knight” was released Heath Ledger, dressed as The Joker, was a star part of each commercial being marketed. Although that is a very strong way to do it, that is certainly addressing the fact and letting people know he is a big part of the movie and there is nothing wrong with going to see it just because he passed away. Universal is taking the complete opposite approach and is still set up to have at least another “Fast and Furious” movie after this one. That really shows little class in a company that is very financially stable and isn’t in dire need of another film. There is no good way to have the next film. Will they have his character killed off? No, that would be in pour taste. So a new actor to continue his role? No, in 1937 when MGM used a stunt double for the rest of the movie when Jean Harlow died there was a huge amount of bad publicity. I understand that businesses are meant to generate money, but at what cost? Businesses are run by people, so how is it practical that human interests and behavior can be completely over looked?

My question to readers is this: Rather than trying to find the best way to honor his memory in his newest films, why don’t these companies try to honor the person’s death, instead of the character’s death?

This man was a father, not just a movie star. A daughter now no longer has a dad.

paul-walker-daughter-480x360

(link to website):

http://global.factiva.com.remote.baruch.cuny.edu/ga/default.aspx?imt=2&ao=14&aod=1811683

 

Paul Walkers Death: An accidental tragedy or stupid decision?

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Paul Walker’s recent death sparked a lot of controversy as the famous actor from the “Fast and Furious” franchise died in a car accident.  Immediately after I received the news, I thought that the death was simply a scandal to promote the franchise.  I read a couple of news articles and found that they all had cited TMZ for their information.  Thus, like the cynical man that I am, I assumed that the reports were all created falsely.  In the end, I was very wrong.

After the confirmation of his death by his publicist, Ame Van Iden, I began to contemplate why I rushed to the conclusion that his death must have been a hoax.  For starters, the day before his death, there were alleged reports that Paul Walker had died.  Of course these reports were later deemed false, but reports of this type only served to encourage my skepticism.  In addition to this, the circumstances of his death seemed too ironic.  The fact that the movie star from the racing movies died in a racing accident seemed too obvious.  There is no way that the man that had been in six big budget racecar films could have passed away in such a manner.  However, this was exactly what had happened.  It led me to ask myself, did he die doing what he loved or was he stupid for racing on the street?

Before I elaborate on my thoughts regarding this question, let me first give some back-story on the circumstances of the situation.  First off, Paul Walker did die in a car accident, but he was not the driver.  Instead, he was in the passenger’s seat of his friend Rodger Rodas’s red 2005 Porsche Carrera GT.  In addition to this, he was not driving on a regular road.  The accident took place on the Rye Cannon Loop in Valencia, a circular road separate from the traffic of Los Angeles.  The New York Times article indicates that speed was definitely a factor in a crash and that authorities found a mangled piece of red metal engulfed in flames in place of a car when they arrived at the scene.  Finally, Walker was an avid car enthusiast outside of Hollywood, enjoyed racing, and owned a car collection.

Now that we have the facts, we can make an educated decision. It is truly hard for me to stick to one side, because I think Walker acted in a somewhat idiotic manner, but also died doing what he loved.  I truthfully would love to say that Walker is a great man who will be remembered for his accomplishments, but I do not believe this.  The man had a daughter, who he had recently made an attempt to connect with.  Any man who has others dependent on him should not step into a sports car and engage in drag racing.  Although there were factors out of his control, like him not being the driver, Walker still had enough control to prevent his own demise.  This is not a man who is forced to speed along the side roads of California to express his passion.  Walker has the resources to buy himself a full paramedic team in addition to a racetrack.  He could have opted for a more controlled circumstance, but instead he decided to be the passenger of a speeding Porsche.  At the end of the day, there were decisions that Walker had control over.  He was not an innocent man who was forced to be the passenger of a race.

I am truly divided on the topic because I think there is something to be said about expressing your passion.  For, at the end of the day, maybe being in a car that is rushing down a Los Angeles street is what gave Walker the drive to live.  I cannot judge his decision, because I myself do not feel the urge to step inside a sports car to break the speed limit.  Sadly, this may mean that I will never be the star of a racecar franchise.  Let us take a minute for the memory of Austin’s dreams…

Beyond the death of my dreams, I found this article especially interesting because it related to the concept of expectation versus reality.  Constantly in our IDC class, we encountered art where we would walk in with one conception and walk out with another.  This is exactly the topic of our final project.  We are using irony by reversing stereotypical situations to show how what we expect to be true does not always end up being the reality.  I found it interesting that the article directly connected to our final project, in essence connecting with our analysis of our semester in IDC.

For one of my final blog posts for this class, I pose to you the question: was Walker justified in his decision to race or should he have stuck to the special affects of Hollywood?  Is there room for daredevils who are also fathers to express their passion or should a man know his place in this world and first consider his or her responsibilities before he makes a decision?

 

In the words of one of my favorite films, A Knights Tale:

“Can a man change his stars?”

“Yes William.  If he believes enough, a man can do anything!”

‘Long Walk to Freedom:’ One Film Uniting a Nation

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As many people are probably aware, South-African social revolutionary and long-time hero Nelson Mandela died this past week. When I first starting crafting this review, Mandela was still alive and the nation was rejoicing about the new movie released based on his experiences. The author of the New York Times Article “Father to a Nation, and to a Family,” Rick Lyman, discussed how the entire nation saw the movie as a celebration of South African social progression.  The premier of the film attracted media attention and drew masses of people to theaters, not only in South Africa but also worldwide.

Photo credit: World News: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/05/17500450-he-is-now-at-peace-nelson-mandela-dead-at-95

There have already been several films made about the South African civil leader. Most well known before this most recent movie was Invictus, a movie that focused on the period just after Mandela’s election and the end of apartheid when he appealed to the nationalism surrounding the South African rugby team to unite a nation in turmoil. But this film, like most of the films or exposes about Mandela, focused on one specific period of his life.

 

However this new film, entitled “Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom,” attempts to portray Mandela’s life from childhood to retirement. Given his long and extremely eventful life, this was a daunting task. Other films used a specific event in his life to convey his personality and tangible influence over South African civil development. Compressing over 80 years of personal relationships and national relevancy into a two –hour movie would seem impossible.

 

However Rick Lyman writes that although the movie spans almost the entirety of Mandela’s life, it still has a central focus. The events that unfold around him over the decades are centered around conversations between him and various members of his family. His upbringing, marriage, and fatherhood are used to tie together the history of years of conflict, fighting, and eventually resolution.

 

Due to this Lyman chose to interview Mandela’s daughter, Zindzi Mandela, about the film. She and her siblings assisted the production of the film; acting as ‘historical references.’ Zindzi described how she and her family helped the producer create a truthful story of Mandela’s life. They did not skate over the rough patches, but instead exposed him as a real, albeit exceptional, person.

 

The New York Times article gave the film a rave review. Lyman described it as a moving portrayal of Mandela’s life that does not idealize the hero but exposes the man. The producers did not skate over his personality flaws or marked youth. Rather, according to the New York Times review, but instead uses Mandela’s personal life to exhibit the struggles behind the South African social revolution.

 

Following Mandela’s death the film is sure to become an iconic representation of the struggle for South African social equality. At a time when the nation is torn by grief yet united by nationalistic pride for their long-time hero, the film could inspire current South African leaders to follow in Mandela’s footsteps. The coincidental timing of this movie release with regards to this national tragedy have potential to make ‘A Long Walk to Freedom’ a South African classic. I have yet to see the film but, out of both curiosity and sentiment for Mandela’s memory, I plan to do so soon. And I suspect that every emotion the film inspires will be magnified by the knowledge that this great leader is gone.

Like a Classic Ballet, but Nothing Like It

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In the past few weeks there have been many remakes of classic shows and productions, such as The Sound of Music and The Nutcracker. They have been met with different views and critique. For “The Nutcracker”, the producers and directors decided to remake it completely. As Neil Genzlinger said, “The eye-popping production is “The Nutcracker” as it might exist in another, decadent dimension. There’s candy, but not the kind you buy at a sweets shop. No gingerbread here either; pasties, not pastries. Although the familiar “Nutcracker” music turns up, so does “Material Girl,” the Madonna song. Madonna, Christmas — in the skewed world of “Nutcracker Rouge,” it makes a certain amount of sense.” I thought this quote was an amazing summary of the entire article because of the many changes the producers brought to the production.

On the other hand, NBC aired a live version of “The Sound of Music,” on the channel last night. I was actually quite impressed with the cast and their innovative production. It is a live production, but the only audience watching is at home. No one will be clapping because the only people on set are going to be the crew. This can be hard for theatre actors, but much of the cast, specifically Carrie Underwood, who will try to outshine Julie Andrews in the role of Maria, has no theatre background whatsoever. Although it will only air live once, and then continue to be shown as though it was a

Rehearsal for Sound of Musicregular TV broadcast, it is still a remake of the old classic.

Now to the argument: should classics be redone and how much can you change without affecting the movie. Everyone has either seen or heard about The Nutcracker, The Sound of Music, and many other stunning productions and movies. And then a remake comes along and provokes the extreme in people – either they really loved it and forget about the classic or they really hated it and continue to criticize any new productions of it. Anytime I go to the movies, I hear people saying, the sequel is never as good as the original. The internet is full of sites such as “12 Proposed Movie Sequels That Thankfully Never Happened” and some of the movies on the list are: E.T. II: Nocturnal Fears, Forrest Gump 2: Gump & Co., Ferris Bueller 2: Another Day Off, The Matrix 4. Can you imagine another movie about Forrest Gump? What would Jenny yell this time? “Run 2, Forrest, Run 2!” In my opinion, some classics should not be changed. If a movie/musical/art piece is a classic, it means that the people involved in it did a fantastic job the first time and you should try your hand elsewhere. Yes, my opinion of this may be bias because of certain sequels that I have seen, but I honestly think that true art shouldn’t be messed with. You don’t see people going around re-painting the Mona Lisa!

Works Cited:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/06/arts/dance/nutcracker-rouge-at-the-minetta-lane-theater.html?ref=arts&_r=0

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/01/arts/television/nbc-will-air-the-sound-of-music-live-on-dec-5.html?pagewanted=2&ref=television&_r=0

http://mentalfloss.com/article/53805/12-proposed-movie-sequels-thankfully-never-happened

New York Times Arts Blog

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KenKen

For the last six months I have picked up the New York Times newspaper every morning, got on the train, read a little of it, and then went straight to the art’s sections puzzle section where KenKen awaited. And each morning I completed the puzzle, day after day, except on weekends because it isnt published on the weekends. They have the 4 by 4 puzzle which, initially, took me 15 minutes to solve, and the 6 by 6 puzzle which, initially, took me over an hour to solve. Now, on a good day, I can complete both puzzles in less than five minutes. It took a while, but once you get the hang of the all the techniques and logic that goes into the puzzle, it becomes pretty simple. Here is what a 4×4 puzzle looks like.

 

It’s very simple, and I ll show you some quick techniques to use to solve the puzzle quickly. First off, they give you the 1 so jot that in. Now underneath that one it tells you to add two numbers 1,2,3, or 4 so that they equal 3. The only two numbers from that list that add up to 3 is one and two. For the 8X row we now that the only two numbers that multiply to 8 from the numbers 1,2,3, and 4, is two and four. In the 4+ row the only two numbers that add up to four but dont repeat are 1 and 3. So on and so forth, this is the first and most basic method that one would learn right off the bat.

Now, to delve into its history. In 2004 a Japanese mathematics teacher decided to create a game in order to help his students improve their calculation skills, logical thinking and patience. In Japan his invention was called “Kashikoku-Naru-Puzzle,” which translates to “a puzzle that makes you smarter.” In 2009 The New York Time’s Will Shortz debuted and adopted KenKen as the new puzzle to replace the sudoku puzzle in the arts section of the Times. Shortz has ran the arts sections puzzle section for a few years now and has sold both over 5 million copies if his sudoku books and a few million of his KenKen puzzles. Recently, in Brooklyn there have been KenKen tournaments to find the KenKen master.

I think you guys should totally check it out because it’s fun and quite a good brain teaser when you have nothing to do or are looking for a puzzle.

Here is New York Time’s official website for KenKen puzzles.

 

Final Projects

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Please post your final group project to this site by Sunday night (into Monday morning) at 12:01am, December 8/9th. Make sure to use the category “Final Projects” and include a byline with the names of all of your group members.

If you have any questions contact any of the ITFs or professors!

Snapshot Day Announcement

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Come and see the Photos!

 Remember all those great photos you took on October 11 and posted to the Macaulay Snapshot Gallery site http://macaulay.cuny.edu/gallery/index.php/snapshot-2013?
On Sunday, December 8, they will be exhibited at an art show at Macaulay Central.

The Snapshot opening will be from 10 through 5, but you won’t need to be present the whole time. The call time is based on your last name, and you can expect to be there for roughly two hours.  Of course, all of the class of 2017 (meaning YOU!) is required to attend, and of course, we will have some engaging multimedia activities for you.

Call times will be based on your last name:
10:00 am  – Last names beginning with A through C
10:45 am  – Last names beginning with D through G
11:30 am  – Last names beginning with H through K
12:15 pm  – Last names beginning with L through M
1:00 pm   – Last names beginning with N through R
1:45 pm   – Last names beginning with S through T
2:30 pm   – Last names beginning with U through Z

Friends and family are most welcome to come to your gallery opening.

You should bring your laptop and your imagination. If you wish to use your own camera or smartphone, you can do that too – just bring the proper cables to get the images/videos onto your laptop

Your ITFs, Associate Dean Ugoretz, and many other Macaulay staff will be there to assist.

If you have any other questions, contact one of your campus ITFs, the Post-Doctoral Digital Learning Fellow Dr. John Sorrentino (john.sorrentino@macaulay.cuny.edu) or Associate Dean Joseph Ugoretz (joseph.ugoretz@mhc.cuny.edu) at Macaulay.
See you there!
—

Joseph Ugoretz, PhD
Associate Dean
Teaching, Learning and Technology

Mood Diary – Final Project

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A major theme in the work we did was change. An underlining lesson from this class was getting out of our shell and venturing into the unknown. Because of this we wanted our final project to reflect life going by and if we don’t look around once in a while, we may miss it (thank you, Ferris Bueller).

As we have seen in the literature from class and just our own personal growth in class, we shouldn’t be afraid to come out of our shell and try something new. As in The Metamorphosis, Nosferatu, and The Nose, the characters were forced to go through changes and didn’t deal well with this. We don’t think this always has to be that way.  We were forced to experience things that maybe we wouldn’t have done on our own, but we grew from this experience. And therefore, we would like to represent this process in our video. We would have a mix of good and bad and see how we would react in the end.

 

Edward Mordechay, Nicole-Amanda Merchan, Carmela Ruffo, Khrystyna Melnyk, Kevin Parakkattu, Adona Pjetergjoka