Rj's Video Blog

The Tempest came and went and it left quite the mark on our school. Many of you attended the film screenings to see your friends' film or to see your own films, streeters, etc. This year was unlike any other as far as film entries go. We had 14 different short films, not to mention the many animations, streeters and self portraits that were screened, and the audience reactions varied. Films like Hoop There It Is: The Rise and Fall made people laugh, while films like A Strange Arrangement had people wondering. What about you? What did you think?In this LAST blog explain, what your reactions were of the films this year.

Which ones were your favourites - which ones made you react or respond the most? Discuss what it was like to have your own films or streeters screened. Screening your film to an entire audience is a totally different experience than screening your films in class. Were you satisfied with what you saw, did any film blow your mind, or were you disappointed with the content?


I think this year's tempest was awesome, but I didnt really see a lot of movies one movie I did see was the one about the instant messaging couple. I thought it was really cheesy but looked amazing for a film student in high school. Whoever wrote\edited and directed it was very talented in my opinion and had probably spent hours if not months working on it. Unlike the other movies I genuinely liked the actors and actresses because they were believable and they too were vary talented. I also liked the movie because he used techniques that i don't remember learning during the course! Like the text showing up while they were talking and typing, and they various camera angles he used. I also noticed some movie cliches that were done skillfully, like the ending i thought was typical of a movie like this but i believe that it was done greatly.

If I Had my movie shown during the art show, i think it would have been nerve-racking because I would've worried about what other people thought and whether they like it or not! If it my movie was done so poorly that it made people laugh! i would've hated having my movie in the art show. One movie that i was interested in seeing was Hoop: there it is because from what I heard, it made people LAUGH OUT LOUD. Im a huge fan of the Art show because it brings the school together to showcase the talents that Mary Ward has in the arts medium.

What do you think of all these new advancements? 3D? CG imaging? Do the videos you just saw make you want to see Avatar even more or do they dissuade you from seeing the movie at all? If you have seen Avatar, tell us what you think of the movie and all the effects used?

I think, that the advancements not only in film; but also in technology is amazing. In our time; the advancement of technology is going at such an increased rate that something new is being created and distributed everyday! I think new advancements like 3d or CG imaging is a huge step ahead in filmaking. James Cameron has taken a huge step ahead with Avatar, almost as big a step as George Lucas did with Star Wars in 1977. After seeing the movie, i personally thought it was visually amazing, but story wise it was pretty generic. I went with my girlfriend downtown to watch it in Imax 3D, on opening day when it came out last December so we could get the full experience. I was in awe watching every second looking at the scenery and payed little attention at the story, because it felt almost like i had already seen it before or that it was in fact too boring. It felt more like one of those virtual rides in Disney Land than a movie.

Im more of a purist, i feel that the essence of a truly good movie is in its brilliant story telling and not solely on its visual style. If you wanna have that level of visual brilliance you have to back it up with a good story too like Star Wars or Star Trek. Visual brilliance is'nt even limited to sci-fi movies; the Godfather, Koyannisqatsi or even the end scene in "A death in Venice" captured natural beauty and made it visually amazing. I think the use of 3D technology is overrated. Not only does it dilute the color and imagery of the film but it also serves no special purpose, its more of a cheap gimmick than an amazing visual form of art. I heard that that around 20 or more 3D films have been green lit due to the success of Avatar. Maybe i'm just too old school; i mean i still like the old Star Wars movies compared to their CGI remastered counterparts or the new prequels with CGI Yoda, over Puppet Yoda. It all boils down to what everyone else as a consensus thinks, im just a minority.

Do you remember what films you saw last year? Was there a film that took your breath away or made you think about life? Was there a film that totally blew you away? Why? What was it about the film(s) that affected you so much?

I think i saw almost every film shown in that video! (except Twilight of course, don't get me started) to name a few movies i saw in the clip: Teminator Salvation, Sherlock Holmes, Transformers, Public Enemies, Wolverine: Origins, The Lovely Bones, Star Trek, Where The Wild Things Are, Hurt Locker, G.I Joe, Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Jennifer's Body, Moon, Up I could go on forever!

Last year I remember seeing bus loads of movies. Whether it was with friends, family or even by myself at home i remember watching a different movie every day of the year! I remember in March of last year when the movie "Watchmen" came out, me and a few of my friends skipped school to go see it because we were huge fans of the comic book and had been looking forward to the film since the day it was announced. I usually went for the big\high budget mainstream movies like everyone else, but also gave some indie low budget\non mainstream movies a chance.Movies like "Gomorrah", "World's Greatest Dad" or even "The Battle of Red Cliff" were probably some of the greatest movies last year, that i saw but absolutely talked about or heard of! One movie i remember seeing that affected personally that blew me away but also left me thinking about life, was the movie "A Serious Man" by the Coen Brothers.

In the movie we follow the character Larry Gopnik who's life falls into a abyss after several incidents. Throughout the movie as his life unravels he tries to understand why all of this is happening to him and the reasoning behind it, but fails to do so and he just explodes mentally. I did'nt effect me emotionally (you know... the bro code and all hahaa) but its storyline was so deep and rich i just felt immersed in the movie, i genuinely thought that it was a true story and that this was a real guy; so i became attached to the characters in the movie. I also really liked it because it was a Dark Comedy, it had moments where you did'nt know what emotion to exert; whether to laugh at the various intentionally funny moments or sympathize. I personally am more into movies with a good story or a deeper meaning than movies with explosions and superheroes saving the day once again.