Dark Knight Recipe

Here we have three character that comes from two different universes. Rorschach (top left) and Nite Owl (top right) are two heroes that comes from the comic Watchmen. Batman (bottom right) comes from the DC Universe comics. I made this picture to show how Rorschach and Nite Owl who are partners to fight against crime in a city filled with criminals show a very strong comparison to Batman. Rorschach is your goth Sherlock Holmes. He is an underground detective that takes cares of crooks his way, which involves violence, but he show a soft side to the innocent. Nite Owl is a crime fighter who inherited lots of money from his dad. With this money he built himself a high tech suit, futuristic weapons, and a flying mobile, called Archie. Here you can see the similarities to Batman. A wealthy man who inherited billions from his parents business. He took to his own hands the duty to protect the city of Gotham. His way of getting information is doing detective work on the side. Both comics made action movies with these characters. Watchmen was noir, gory, and violent movie that showed a more realistic underground look to a life of a “hero”. Batman was decent on its violence and gore, but its story and characters that made it famous. Both action movie are similar by exposing the what they perceive would be a life of a vigilant in a city ridden of criminals and madmen.

"We Both Know Our Guns"

In Face Off, a tale of two brothers is told. One brother is a high-ranking detective, while the other is one of Los Angeles’ most wanted terrorists. The moral behind the movie, simply put, is “Good triumphs over evil.” Through a new age of operation, a doctor has developed a procedure that can provide a swap of the outside physical appearance of one person with that of another. In order to prevent a bomb from exploding, John Travolta (“good guy”) exchanges appearances with that of Nicholas Cage (“bad guy”), who is in a coma. Travolta (now Cage) – begins to enter a complicated situation when Cage (now Travolta) awakens from the coma and does all in his power to complicate his life. Now Travolta must do all in his power to regain his life and make others believe he is not who he seems.

Face off is a classic example of what I call a stereotypical 90’s action flick. The excessive effects, gun battles, and ridiculous explosions provide for a ride that the viewer enjoys every moment of. When the car exploded simply because it hit water, the laws of physics and chemistry literally went out the door. However, I see this as intentional; it removes me from my reality and boundaries that I may be familiar with, and recreates a world where rules can be broken. The adrenaline and excitement felt - when the sparks fly from bullets hitting metal, when smoke surrounds the air, and when the lighting illuminates only part of your screen – solidify the entire purpose of action film. The defiance of nature electrifies my senses, keeps me glued to my seat, and makes me want to be the action flick. Yes ladies and gentleman, I am the action flick.

Avengers Assemble!

Here in the picture (on top) is a scene from the movie "The Avenger" directed by Joss Whedon. In this scene, Thor (left), played by the actor Chris Hemsworth, and Captain America (right), played by Chris Evans, are fighting against a race of aliens sent by their enemy Loki (not shown) who is out to control the race of humans. In this very scene they have actually been fighting for awhile and are pushed against the wall in this fight. There are only a few of them against what seems to be a never ending army. You can see in the picture that cars are crushed, buildings are crumbling, and our heroes look exhausted. My reaction by looking at this scene is "C'mon! You guys are the best! You can beat them!" I am a big fan of the marvel universe of heroes and I will always root for them. Heroes are always pushed to the limit and when I look at this picture I get the feeling of hope inside of me. Knowing that everything has fallen around them, as you can see by the destruction of objects around them, and that they are out numbered, Thor and Captain America in this picture looks to be still fighting, and will continue to fight till the end. There effort, will, and bravery is what is being communicated to me and I applauded them for it. (Spoiler Alert!) Good thing though they were able to defeat them. Nuke missile sent by the government was redirected by Iron Man sent to the direction of the mothership of the alien race. 

No! It's all about X-Men: First Class

Author: Jasmine Brown

Date: 3 October 2012

This is a movie still from the 2011 action film X-Men: First Class directed by Matthew Vaughn. In this clip best friends Charles Xavier (right side) and Erik Lehnsherr (left side) who is also known as Magneto, are trying to stop a devious nuclear mutant named Sebastian Shaw in his submarine. Holding tightly on to the door of the plane, Erik extends his left hand out and uses his magnetic forces to stop the submarine from moving beneath him. He begins to pull the submarine out above the water while Charles Xavier uses his telepathy to help the stability of Erik’s mentality. The pain and anguish molded on to Erik’s face shows that he is trying to overcome his weaknesses and find strength within his mutation. This picture makes me feel a sense of hope because there are two people, heroes to the blindest eye, trying to fight for something bigger than themselves, beyond all mutants and humans. It always seemed to me that Erik had an unhealthy vengeance towards the world and in this picture, although he is seen as the “hero”, you can also perceive the inner-workings of an anti-hero who would rather use his powers to better the lives of mutants rather than for humans like those who killed his parents. I feel as if the image represents a perfect example of the specific time you see characters change from the natures of good to evil.

Links: http://deskofbrian.com/wp-content/uploads/x-men-first-class1.jpg

            imdb.com 

Let's Get to Work!

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.