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Let's Get to Work!

Provided below are resources for research about action film:

Academic Sources:

http://www.filmsite.org/actionfilms.html

This source provides many examples of action films from the birth of the genre. Not only does this source define what an action film is, he goes into detail of the best example – the James Bond series. From there the writer provides examples of “Bond knock-offs” and goes into the further development and examples of action film.

http://www.filmsite.org/filmterms1.html

A film term illustrated glossary is important to understand for any genre, but especially in action film. Usually action film is the “test-dummy” for all and any special effects, camera angles, screenshots, etcetera, and uses most tools noted in the glossary to create the film. No research on film can be done without understanding key terms of the film industry.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/critics/latest_reviews.php

Rotten Tomatoes is a web site well known for its credible reviews and news from the industry. In this section any and all reliable critique is stated in one database. Not too bad for a spoiled veggie (well, technically a fruit).

http://www.britannica.com/

Britannica has been one of the leading encyclopedia sources over the past 300 years. The digital era of encyclopedias is eminent, and Britannica is no exception. Type in any piece of information: from movie titles, to how film is made, and to the cast and crew. Britannica will have all of the answers for your needs, and not just in movies.

http://www.budomate.com/

Budomate is dedicated to the martial-arts-based action flicks. Their international movie database of blog posts, news, reviews, and more provide abundant information necessary for the research of this relatively large sub-genre. The most unique, however, is their “Interview” section, full of meetings with some of the best choreographers and martial artists in the industry, providing an inside look on the sub-genre.

Blog Posts

http://longroadactionfilms.blogspot.com/

It seems this blog is of a teacher’s, providing abundant information for his/her class. Anything from definitions, examples of types of action scenes, techniques for filming and effects, and more can be researched via this blog. Ever wonder what a squib was?

http://cooltarget.blogspot.com/

The author of this blog is a freelance journalist who has built this list of reviews around his favorite genre – action. What I appreciated most about this page was his listings of what he called “B-List movies,” referring to movies that never made the box office. 90 percent of his listings are movies I personally have never heard of, though I am quite fond of the genre.

http://www.slideshare.net/willdyer95/a-history-of-action-movies

Will Dyer, the author of this slideshow, provides solid information about the history of the genre. He goes into great detail and dates the birth of the genre as early as the 1920’s. He too touches the introduction of Bond films and martial arts to the genre and its modern definition.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/01/10/the-top-25-action-movies?page=2

IGN based this “top 25” list of action movies upon their staff’s choice. After each listing, there is a short description of the movie chosen and a recommendation of the listing. You may be surprised as for the listings, but their number one choice will definitely make you say “Yippee-Ki-Yay!”

http://spill.com/Movie-Reviews/Default.aspx

Spill uses an inconventional approach to review movies and provide information about the industry. They are one of the only sites I found that provide podcasts, let alone audio and video reviews. Their database is definitely one to look at, and quite entertaining at that.

Deep into Action Films: Research

Author: Jasmine Brown

Date: 27 September 2012

Action Film Blogs:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog+actionandadventure

Guardian.co.uk is a fantastic blog to refer to for information on the most recent and memorable action films throughout history. Each film blog post is written by a different author, which helps keep the stories interesting with every new perspective. This website primarily focuses on writing its’ reviews on films and specific entertainment battles between action movies come opening weekend such as The Avengers, Hunger Games, The Dark Knight Rises and etc. This source is significant because it allows me to learn how to analyze a film from a different set of eyes and helps me acknowledge how some people interpret a film.

http://www.slackermovieblog.com/2012/08/top-5-movie-guide-80s-action-films.html

Slacker movie blog dedicates each post to a specific theme like 80’s action films such as The Terminator, Rambo and Die Hard or even the top 5 movie guides to on films based off of video games. This source presents a more interesting quality because it doesn’t just review the most recent film that came out to theatres, this site focuses on those mysterious action films that have not been promoted for months before their release. This blog is useful because it gives people a more pleasurable approach to reading about action film reviews and recommendations for similar hardcore action films.

http://www.geeknation.com/blog/action-chicks-love-letter-to-action-movie

This blog is a smaller subcategory amongst the entire website geeknation.com dedicated to action movies and some films are even reviewed by woman. Not only does this source show relate to my perspective of being a girl who writes her perspective on the latest action flicks but also it helps me get a grasp on what people want to read. This website, like most, writes reviews on the film and even post their expectations before the film comes out to theatre.

Action Film Academic Sources:

http://actionfilm.org

This website helps people who are naïve about the action film genre understand the basic information of the historical background. The main argument in this website is that action films are aimed at a male audience rather than to a female. This source gives detail information about certain films after a specific time period, which gives the reader a broader knowledge and interest of the genre.

http://www.imdb.com

Although this website is purely dedicated to action films, it still gives you the access to look up certain categories like 100 Best/ Worst Action Films or just a specific film you are looking for on the website. This website helps other bloggers or move lovers compare their reviews to come up with a brief speculation whether or not a film will be successful before they see it in theatres. This website is important to give everyone a brief knowledge of a action film whether it be movies like Fast Five or Taken which might build up personal bias or critique beforehand.

http://movies.mmgn.com/Articles/The-Appeal-of-the-Action-Film

This source gives specific details why people have a large appeal to action films; it has to do with the adrenaline, explosions, fast car speed chases and beautiful women and men. This article separates actors out from the rest who are known, primarily, for being in action films, these actors include Chuck Norris, Clint Eastwood, Steven Seagal, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone. This article helps me to understand the appeal to action films which will help me write my blog using logos, a more logical approach to each post on a specific action film.

Blogs and Academic Sources

Blogs

ARTERIAL SPRAY (http://arterialspray.wordpress.com)
Arterial Spray is a blog made by two girls, with a lot of passion for action movies. Vicki and Susana are  both into "fake blood, ludicrous technology, and explosions" so there no fooling them when making an action movie. They would not be considered professionals on the subject but they do give the peoples view on it. For being the peoples voice they do give really detailed analysis on the movies they watch.

ACTION MOVIE FREAK (http://www.actionmoviefreak.com)
Action Movie Freak is a formidable blog to follow. Not only is it detailed on its analysis but it adds some fun into it. This blog is more into the "badass" action movies where it is gory, loud, and vulgar. This blog has been around for quite some time so the age and experience has added some value to its words.

ACTION CHICK FLICK (http://actionflickchick.com/superaction/)
Action Chick Flick is my personal favorite out of all the blogs I have displayed. This blog is well established and has won an award for being the best action film blog in the web. It is made possible by Katrina Hill who used to be a G3 host.

Academic Sources

FILM BUG (http://www.filmbug.com/dictionary/action-movies.php)
Film Bug is a great source for history, information and sub-genres on any movie. The focus though is one action movies and they made it clear on every aspect of it. Everything is easy to read for any age and it gives outlook of action movies.

THINK PROGRESS (http://thinkprogress.org/alyssa/2012/09/25/902431/david-denby-action-movies/?mobile=nc)
This source talks about what is ruining action movies today. This post is by Alyssa Rossenberg but she is restating a fact made by David Denby, a well known critic. The main argument here is that the main thing that make acton movie popular is what also is messing them up. Action scenes are put on a larger scale now but is it slowly taking away the view on the protagonist making them smaller.

HELIUM (http://www.helium.com/items/1917105-how-movies-influence-teens)
This article posted by Rebecca  Adele Scarlett is about how movie affect the teenage brain. A teenager brain is sensitive in this part of its life. This where your still learning but using your knowledge too see how far it would take you. This is article is important for action movie because the physical parts in an action, can affect how the teenager grows.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

One man and a league of seven exes unite to fight for “love”. The 2010 film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, adapted from Bryan Lee O’Malley’s popular graphic novels, is pure brilliance. Although this video game themed movie is filled with a vast amount of witty comedy and written like it is made for pure fantasy, the action in this movie is precise and on point.

Just a twenty-three year old Canadian, Scott Pilgrim seems to be a “regular” protagonist in a “basic” life as he plays lead bass in his friends’ band and finds time in his “typical” schedule to hang out with underage girlfriend Knives Chau; this is Scott’s life. One particular afternoon he comes across a pink-headed girl named Ramona Flowers who he falls for quickly with hopes to get her by fighting off her heinous ex-boyfriends, seven ex-boyfriends. Ramona Flowers is an unpredictable and metaphorical heroine who is forced to play the damsel-in-distress throughout the film in order shine light of heroism on Scott Pilgrim.

Analyzing this film, the audience notices the video game layout pretty quickly within the beginning; you don’t have to be an official gamer to understand the inner workings of how a game is ultimately constructed. Throughout the entire film, Scott deals with an ultimatum of figuring out if this “dream” girl he found is really worth dying over. Every time he comes across one of Ramona’s ex-boyfriends, their number appears in the scene whether it be in the background: on a tree, on a shirt, on a lamppost, etc. This technique not only helps the viewer know what is happening at all times but allows Scott to understand the intensity he will need to fight to go to the next round. Also, the music throughout the film always presented an idea of how powerful each scene of the film would be and allowed each character a transition in and out of the movie.

After fighting in band venues, streets at night, night clubs and movie sets to win a girls heart, Scott Pilgrim comes to a point in the film where he would be proud to admit his own defeat. The whole point the writers were trying to get across is that love isn’t what conquers all, it is self-respect; in the end Scott needed to fight for himself. This film isn’t just an action film but has a comical approach to what our generation wants to see when it comes to fighting for something. There is no such thing as a lost cause in his world.

Links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1qaLmfzW3I

http://www.philmology.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/scott_pilgrim.jpg

http://www.angiehan.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/scott-pilgrim.jpg

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0446029/

Author: Jasmine Brown

Date: 20 September 2012

“The Matrix is Everywhere”

“The Matrix is everywhere; it is all around us” is literally the impact this epic action film has had, leaving a legacy behind it. The Wachowski brothers (writers of The Matrix) left their staple in each and every aspect of action cinematography. Four Academy Awards – film editing, sound mixing, sound editing, and visual effects – are living proof to their success.

Like Star Wars, The Matrix has become a legacy for the action films of modern day times. Aside from the enormous budget, The Wachowski brothers built their masterpiece by using tools either forgotten or never before seen in the industry. The first 360 degree shot was taken, using over 200 still cameras simultaneously and revolutionizing a way of thinking. The anime-style angles of filming provided an untouched, alternate view point for the audience. Bullet time was first introduced by the Wachowski brothers as well, which not only affected action film production, but also was incorporated into video games.

Another staple in the art of action film production that was reinstated after this movie was the use of martial arts scenes. Yes, there were other martial arts based films out there, but they were never again the same after the release of The Matrix. Proceeding The Matrix, famous martial arts choreographers were in high demand to stage fighting scenes. “Wire Fu”  has now become common fold, not only among Hong Kong film (where it originated), but among Hollywood features as well (X-Men (2000), Daredevil (2003)).

The Matrix, among other things, has become an icon for plot metaphor. I want to give you, the reader, an assignment: search the web for metaphoric meaning of The Matrix. Just try it; you’ll understand when you see for yourself.  

Ip Man

A few days ago I watched a movie called "Ip Man". It is an action movie that follows the life of a Chinese martial art master through the tough times of his town, Fo Shon. Master Ip, the protagonist of this movie, is the best at martial arts. He is humble, polite and a family man. Although he lives a peaceful life the Japanese started a war with china and it consumed Fo Shon. Through this Master Ip will discover his higher calling in life.
I feel that the meaning behind this movie is too show that even if life is great, it can take a turn for the worse at any time. This though should not stop you from being who you are and finding your place in the world. Master Ip still provided for his family and stayed humble to the people to show that there is hope. The movie also shows that no matter what road you take in life the outcome of it is always in your hands.
The purpose of this film was to showcase the life of Master Ip. A true master who taught the legendary Bruce Leethe ways of Wing Shun, a form of martial arts. It shows why he considered one of the best in the world during his time. In the movie he fights all the Masters in his hometown, a foreigner, ten Japanese students at once and a Japanese general. During the fights he show a tremendous amount of experience in his art. All the fight scene were well executed and it felt that no corner were cut when showcasing each martial art styles.
The cultural significances of this movie is the way it advertises kungfu. The Asian community is well known for its fighting style. Bruce Lee popularized it during his life style and this movie is a prequel to his life. After watching this movie, I had the sudden urge to learn kungfu. This movie will revive the popularity of kungfu. I have seen the decline of kungfu in action films but if you were to watch this movie, you will surely love it.

"The Customer is Always Right"

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"The Customer is Always Right"

                The infamous world created under the title of Sin City became a motion picture that set the precedent for every movie originating from a comic series. The play on screenshots, color, angles, lighting, and ambience created by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez  remain fresh in my memory to this day. Just by watching the opening scene The Customer is Always Right the audience begins to understand what kind of thrill they are in for.

                Notice the background The Salesmen (Josh Hartnett) comes from. The entire space is black and white. The light floods the windows and leaves a glare for the audience, as if to project the mystery yet happiness Hartnett brings with him. Much light shines on our protagonists from behind, as if to show that the other direction can provide a solution. The building behind the characters is also blurry, so as to make that secondary in the scenario to the characters themselves.

                Why did Miller and Rodriguez choose to make the customer (Marley Shelton) the color stain of this picture? Notice her eyes, glowing green in the darkness of night, The stark red dress, and the bright red lips. However her skin is still black and white. It seems Miller and Rodriguez wanted to portray the importance of a woman through her color, and yet present the superficiality of the dress and the lipstick.

                The confident, sly look on the face of The Salesmen tends to intrigue the curious-minded audience. Why is he smiling? Does he know something the woman does not? Does the hairstyle imply his future intentions in this scene?

                The relationship between our protagonists is not yet defined. It seems as if the man knows he can help the woman. As he approaches her, she does not seem scared, but deep in thought, staring out into oblivion. Her cigarette continues to burn as if to represent that one cannot escape time.

                Enough with the analysis, we have a scene to watch! Keep in mind the elements I have presented. Notice how Miller and Rodriguez use their angles, lighting, color, and such, to present a picture that has yet to be matched in its brilliance:

                

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Shut up and Drive

This picture is a movie poster for the 2011 Oscar nominated film, Drive, directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and features actors Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan. The primary figure, Ryan Gosling’s character, is centered in the middle of the image showing his importance as the protagonist throughout the entire film. The second figure within this image is the car that rests idle in the middle of the street directly behind him and although the car is unidentifiable it is still easily categorized as some type of classic and fast automobile to some extent.

The perspective we see in this photo is as if Ryan Gosling is walking towards us although his eyes are gazed elsewhere lost in thought. This type of chilling perspective allows the viewer and audience to understand that the character is daring and he is a risk-taker and is willing to face a problem dead on. Without the lighting there wouldn’t be a perspective in this poster to show how dark and provoking everything seems at the moment. The scene is placed in a big city late at night where the streets are empty and desolate. The shades of blues and blacks demonstrate a ferocious and sinister light to the city as if something wicked is going to occur on this particular night. The way that the lightning illuminates the character shows more good qualities in him than evil and the blurred darkness that flows around the outer corners of the picture displays a vengeance and or aggression that he feels altogether.

The cinematographer of this scene captured an elegant way of showing a vast and yet vacant city late at night where the sounds grow softer and the lights ooze together. The empty space around the character and his car practically sums up the story without saying too much. The buildings that stand tall off to the sides take up the negative space that needs to be filled, showing how the character feels stuck in a place he isn’t quite comfortable in and his car shows his escape. The main character is walking casually along the street at night sporting a creamy white colored leather jacket as he clutches a dark duffle bag tightly in his right hand. His jacket is a soothing and peaceful color showing that he remains calm, cool and collected through times of fear. And although he seems to be fearless, he is still holding something mysterious and important in his right hand that could put him in jeopardy.

This image tells a story about an independent man who would rather be on the road than stay in one place for the rest of his life. He looks suspicious at a first glance but once you look at the surroundings you notice that he isn’t the bad guy but someone who might be working as a criminal to get the independence he seeks in the world as a new-type of hero. Everyone has the need to be free but some others have to work harder for their freedom; some people work in big businesses, some people fly planes and some people drive.

Links below:

http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/drive-movie-poster-international-01.jpg
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780504/

11 September 2012 

Author: Jasmine Brown

The Legend Ends

http://blogs.coventrytelegraph.net/thegeekfiles/The%20Legend%20Ends%20poster%20landscape.jpg

Here is a poster for the movie "The Dark Knight Rise" directed by Christopher Nolan. At first glance (excluding the text) we see two things; the shattered mask and the muscular person in the background. The shattered mask is without a doubt the mask of Batman. It being in pieces tell us that it has fallen. The next figure we see is the muscular person in the background. He is turned away from us and seems to be walking away. This may indicate that he was the one who dropped the mask. 

From the perspective we see the picture it puts us in a place of a person who is on the ground. What the photographer wants us to feel is that we are apart of this scene and we play a vital role. The way we are angled to the person in the background shows that they are higher than us. This might mean that we are at a lower level than this person.

The lighting of this picture is only focused on the two objects we see. And the source of this light is coming from a thunder storm. The rain that is angled to drop from left to right indicates that this is a strong storm. The way the light shines on these two object differs. More of the light is focused on the mask than it is to the person behind. This may show that the person is dark in personality and the mask is a source of light. 

The whole thing has a very dark persona with its color scheme. A majority of the screen is black. With the colors that the photographer used, he wants to show us that the scene is very sad and gives you the sense of loneliness. To sum up what the photographer wanted to say is the mask has fallen and the person in the background stands in a higher level but a bright light shines upon the mask so all darkness has not gone away and there is still hope.

TOD

Movies are a great type of medium. Just like any other type of medium, it could be terrible if done wrong.  How do you know if a movie is bad? Well it depends on who’s watching it. Some people said the original “Spider-Man” was a good movie while others criticized it, but you will never hear anyone say that “The Godfather” was a terrible movie.

I’ve been an avid movie watcher ever since my father started showing me Asian martial arts films staring the classic Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li. It was my dream to become like them, fighting more than one person at a time and kicking everyone’s butt. Avenging the death of a sensei (Japanese for master) also gave some emotion and story to the film(s) so you wouldn’t be watching some lunatic punching everyone he sees.

Asian martial arts films were a start for me, but then I started to transition to the other sub-genres of action films. And yes, martial arts films are a sub-genre of action films. You can notice how Asian films started influencing Hollywood movies specifically through the transformation of action films. Bruce Lee was a big name to bring change to Hollywood by having awesome fights rather than the classic Western bar brawls. Jackie Chan was the other by adding comedy to serious fights. 
Throughout the action films I’ve seen so far, not every movie is alike. One action film could be missing something all other action films have, and one action film can have something new that action films never had before. If you wanted to make a movie that’s cool and badass, you have to make an action film because other genres don’t give that cool and badass feeling.

My blog, technically, my team’s blog is going to cover interesting topics you may have or haven’t heard about action films, and we will try to go into detail as much as we can. What our goal is to have you check our blog daily because we would love to have an audience. So stick around until our next adventure right here on Guns, Girl, Action!

Eyes from the Audience

5 September 2012

Author: Jasmine

Eyes from the Audience

Movies aren’t just anything to me. Good films are timeless unlike those badly written and played out songs that you hear on the radio nowadays that sound so good until suddenly they lose their pure significance and magic in the matter of a few short months. Movies are sometimes despicable and yet noteworthy, hilarious but depressing and some are downright sadistic. Even with all the unnecessary excess baggage to a plot, these films are still somewhat pleasurable to watch even if that is just for a single moment in time.

Actions films are a different type of genre that I have fallen so ridiculously comfortable with watching over the past decade. Who doesn’t get chills from an overly dramatic explosion in the background just as a very attractive protagonist comes into play covered in corn syrupy blood and pseudo sweat? How can you resist falling in love with the hero in the end and hating the villain from the very beginning… well with the minor exception of the Joker from the Dark Knight--- he was simply fantastic!

I’ve been a movie whore for years. I continued to lurk through Netflix and search through movie themed websites for anything that can give me the essential buzz and satisfaction from seeing a great film in action. (Pun intended). I am not here to tell you what I think a good action film entails or how many attractive people can be cast in a movie without it being too unrealistic or even why those perfect one liners gives me sharp tingles. No, I am here to give you a fresh perspective from a females eyes who not only accepts action films as they are but respects the good and even the terrible movies as a whole. Movies are everything to me.