02 White House Down

White House Down staring Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx is an action drama/thriller type movie following the characters John Cale and President Sawyer. John Cale is a Army veteran and Secret Service wanna be. His daughter Emily is a White House enthusiast and the Presidents biggest fan. While on a tour of the White House things take a turn for the worst. A group of terrorists have infiltrated the White House and it up to John and, suddenly bad-ass, President Sawyer to save the hostages and the government as we know it.

Age Rating:

Not surprisingly this movie was rated PG-13 by the MPAA. The sub categories included; "Prolonged sequences of action and violence, including heavy gunfire and explosions, some language, and a brief sexual image." Honestly I think that this movie falls on the sadly blurred line between PG-13 and R. The "some language" in the report was much more than I anticipated. It wasn't the light fluffy swear words you hear in most PG-13 movies of this genre. Instead of 'damn' we had to kick it up to 'god damn' and instead of referring to Emily as Johns daughter like every other bad guy in existence they had to refer to her as 'the little bitch'. I, and the elderly couple diagonal to me, where also surprised when the President delivered a very special 'fuck you' to our main antagonist. Most of this I found just too excessive FOR ITS RATING. I have seen R rated action flicks before, but the rating gave me warning before hand. If you go into a PG-13 movie with your say 10 year old you would expect the language to be PG-13. This is where the line between PG-13 and R is being blurred to the point where I never know what to expect. Now most people say that it's not that bad and that its just swearing, you hear it in high school. All of this is true if you have ever been to high school, but chance are you didn't get there till you where 14 or 15 years old. NOT when you where 10 or 12, like the kids whose parents bring them to the movie theater. So as someone who has gone to high school, the language doesn't bother me, what bothers me are the others in the audience who are hearing this. I think the MPAA should revise their rating system, adding more specific age categories. Like Video games have Early Childhood, E for everyone, E 10+, Teen, Mature, and Adult only. But with Movies its like EC, E, and E 10+, are all grouped in G ratings, Teen and Mature are PG-13, and Adult only is R. Now there's a big difference between T and M rated games, so why do they get clumped together under the same movie rating? Just saying. I think if they had just dropped the F*bomb a couple more times and made this film rated R, I would have felt a lot better about it.

Special Effects:

Remember the "prolonged sequences of action and violence" from ^? That fits into play here, my God there where a lot of explosions. Its like the director said, "We don't have a budget so lets blow everything up." I was really surprised to see how much of the building was left when the movie was over. As for camera effects they stuck mostly to third person, changing to screen shots of the news every once in a while to help the story on the outside unfold. Unfortunately they did not utilize the 'civilian' cam very much. For those who do not know what I'm referring to, the 'civilian' cam is where the camera is placed so you are looking around as if YOU where a civilian at the scene. There where many times where we where only given a helicopter shot when it might have been more useful or dramatic if they used a civilian. Over all the action sequences where fluid and the explosions and other forms of destruction where vivid and dramatic. I think though some of the explosions that occurred during a news coverage where slightly cheesy.

Acting And Actors:

As I had mentioned Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx took the spot light as our main protagonists along with Joey King as Emily and James Wood as our Antagonist, Walker. As my friends constantly remind me, Tatum is mostly there for eye candy. I prefer guys like Robert Downey Jr my self but hey, Tatum's alright. His role as the down on his luck father in a bad situation is very well done, seeing as that role has been done by many other actors before. He can deliver his many smart ass lines with a straight face and is able to pull off the experienced leader well. You could say ditto for Jamie Foxx, and James Wood, and pretty much the rest of the cast. The actors them selves did a wonderful job, but their characters personalities barely differed from each other and I will go more into this in the Plot section. Joey King did a wonderful job of making me hate her character on the spot. She was annoying, moody, and just an obnoxious character. Many could say she becomes important later, and she does, but that first impression of her is enough to make me hate her. The overall cast did a great job, but they could have tried to play around with their characters, made them just a little different from each other.

Scene Changes:

This whole movie was just one huge battle. To show this they added Intel from the CIA out post, and news covering to mix it up between following Tatum and Wood as they ran around the White House. The battle scenes where done smoothly and purely from a 3rd person p.o.v. This unfortunately got tiring after a while, and while there are breaks in the action it truly is 2 hours of explosions and gun fire. All else considered any editing or cut scenes didn't interfere with the films fluid feel and its impact. 

Information Distribution:

The plot was easy to figure out and explained as the agents began to take in intel on what was going on. The distribution was set so that we learned as the characters learned. This isn't a bad thing but it left somethings fuzzy to the audience. Such as Walker's motive or Cale's background. They where explained quickly and only once, with little in depth analysis. Even to the attentive viewer information can be forgotten in the stimulation of the battles and the over all length of the film.

Overall Plot:

The over all plot of this movie was reminiscent of Die Hard and Taken. A security guy pushed into a situation that forces him to break the law to save hostages, it doesn't help that he's an over protective father and the villains have a hold of his daughter. 90's action movies anyone? Tatum even goes to wearing dress pants and a white muscle shirt just like Bruce Willis in just about every Die Hard movie. Not to say the plot is bad, its just if you have seen either of those two movies it seems like a high stakes rip off. Contributing to the unoriginality of the movie, all that character are battling for America's next top Smart ass. There was barely any difference in the characters personalities as they bantered with their clever little one liners. For those of you lacking in your 90's film lore, this movie will seem completely original, and that's OK. For it's day and age the plot is original and has many elements that separate it from its older counter part. For one the terrorists aren't German, but seriously the setting of the White house with its many fabled corridors and safe rooms, along with the very real and memorable land marks make this setting almost familiar. To anyone who went on that 8th grade trip to D.C. that is. This also upped the stakes for Tatum as the hero of the story as he desperately tries and continually fails to get out of the White House with the President in tact. All in all for those of you who like big action flicks, this is the film for you. Anyone who has seen Die Hard, all you need is a "Yippee-ki-yay Mother Fucker" to make it a true blast from the past.

Sound Track:

The sound track was composed by Harald Kloser and Thomas Wanker. It has some big band elements, very different from the usual pure orchestral style that most composers use, with huge hits from the brass. Listening to it separately it is very well done, but it is unfortunately covered up by the gunfire and explosives of the movie making it hard to pick out which song was where in the film. Unlike the works of Hans Zimmer or John Williams. Listening to it though, this is definitely something that I would put on my play list.Big thumbs up to the music, just wish it had a bigger role in the film.

Final Verdict:

Pros;

*For younger audiences, the plot is original and engaging. 

*One liners keep you laughing.

*Top notch Special effects.

*Information easy to understand if at times blurry.

*Actors are well known and entertaining.

Cons;

*Rating is somewhat inaccurate and really isn't for children under High School age.

*Language is excessive and unneeded at times.

*There isn't much difference between characters personalities.

*Entire movie is from 3rd person P.O.V.

*The plot is predictable and has been done before.

*Soundtrack is just kinda there, it isn't really noticed or used well considering how good it is.

*For those who have seen Die Hard this will seem like a rip off.

Rent/Wait it out

I'd say wait for this to come to the local Dollar Theater or Video Rental source. It's just not worth the outrageous prices at theaters these days. If you absolutely have to see it, see if your local theater has a matinee discount as I did. This is not a movie I would advise spending more than 5 dollars on. If you like the movie and think it's great, super. I'm just here to say what I think, I hope you don't mind.

01 Man Of Steel

Man Of Steel 

Today I'll be reviewing D.C.'s latest movie: Man Of Steel.

If you are new to this blog, please read my welcome to you first: http://screenwriterspov.blogspot.com/ thanks :)

First Off: The Age Rating and WHY;

First the down low: The MPAA hit this movie with a PG-13 rating. Now before you go bringing your 4 or 5 year old to the theater to see your childhood hero, let me explain why the 13 in PG-13 is important for this film. According to the MPAA report: "Man of Steel is Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence, action and destruction, and for some language." Now having seen the movie I can certainly agree with these terms. The action scenes throughout the movie are just as epic and as intense as advertised, same as the action and destruction. I'll tell you this later but the special effects budget for this movie must have been huge. There are very few buildings that remain intact during this movie and as for the violence, you better sit far back or else you'll pull what I like to call a Willow Smith, my head was whipping back and forth as new surprises jumped out at every corner. If your child doesn't do well with sudden entrances, then this is not a movie they should see. Then there's the language. Having gone to High School I can say it's not as bad as that, BUT parents who are not comfortable with their children hearing words such as "shit","ass", "damn", "hell", or anything short of the F-bomb should not let their children see this movie. The director wanted to steer this movie towards something more realistic and unfortunately that includes adult language from much of the cast. Now a days PG-13 and R ratings are getting more and more blurred together in my opinion, not that Man of Steel is one of these movies, it clearly falls under its rating, but I believe it is a parents job to monitor what their young children watch and be proactive when planing a trip to the movies. Looking into what the movies specific rating includes should be one of those steps.

Told You I'd Get To This: Special Effects;

I will start off by saying this: The effects budget for this movie must have been larger than the U.S. National debt. All jokes aside this movie was full of effects. My personal favorite was the many alien ships that where portrayed in this film, the details on the ships where fantastic. I have not read the comic books, but I certainly hope the original fans feel that this movie did them justice. Then there's the explosions, and there where a lot of them, but somehow they could make each and every one look different. The battle scenes as a whole took my breath away. You could see individual bricks go flying from a collapsing building, or the view swirling of the clouds as Superman flew, even the shaking of the screen as you ran with civilians as the battle raged on around you. I have to say the 'civilian camera' effect is one of my favorites of all time. Its where you just literally take the camera and run with it, so it bounces as shakes and it gives you the feeling of actually being a civilian on the street. There where also many fantastic scenes of viewing Earth from space, all of which where absolutely beautiful. You could see the line of the Earth and our atmosphere in contrast to the darkness of space. If you have never seen such pictures, it is one of the most interesting and beautiful things you will ever see. So to sum it up: Special effects, top notch, really well done. 

Everyone's Favorite: Actors and Actresses;

Lets start with our Superman: Henry Cavil. What I find most surprising for someone in such a high profile role is how short his career has been up until this point. His first credited role was in an Italian Thriller/Drama called Laguna in 2001. The following year he jumped over to the states to play the role of Albert Mondego in The Count of Monte Cricto. After many more minor international roles and a couple T.V. series he landed his biggest role yet in the 2011 release of Immortals where he played Theseus. Almost coming out of the blue this new handsome and quiet version of everyone's favorite reporter Clark Kent was a smash hit with audiences. I give this guys a huge thumbs up, I hope he plans on staying in the US for his next film. 
Next our reporter Lois Lane played by: Amy Adams. Many of you 90's fans may recognize her from her first role in the 1999 flick Drop Dead Gorgeous where she played Leslie Miller. She continued to pop up in small TV appearances throughout 2000, "That 70's Show" and "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" to list a few. Flash forward to 2009 and you'll remember her as the spunky Amelia Earhart in Night of The Museum 2. Her role in this movie as the determined reporter of Lois Lane was right up her alley. Amy Adams rocked this role, counteracting Clark Kent's natural quiet air with her feisty personality and you have the perfect combination. 
Finally Our Villain, General Zod: Michael Shannon. You may know him as Agent Nelson Van Alden from the popular TV series "Board Walk Empire" or Richard Kuklinski in the 2006 movie The Iceman. Where ever you have seen him, I doubt you've seen him like this. His role as General Zod gave him a challenge to become such an emotionally intense character. With characters like this its hard for the actors to maintain the same level of intensity or connectivity with their characters emotions. Michael Shannon had no such problem, in fact his acting was so believable I was able to see both points of view, blurring the line of good and evil ever so slightly. 
All in all this was an amazing cast of actors and actresses and I do hope they stay in the business for a while. These are all people who I would be honored to work with one day.

Scene Changes and Transitions: Hold Onto Your Hats;

Artistry in transitions and the overall flow of the movie are huge important factors when it comes to both writing and editing a film. The transitions need to make sense, but they can't be too choppy, the movie needs to be understood but it can't be too long. These are all factors that are looked at when scene changes or transitions occur. In Man of Steel there are many flash backs to Clark Kent's childhood. These can always be hard to show in a movie, because unlike in a comic where a heading can say "ten years ago" a movie doesn't have that kind of freedom if it wishes to stay realistic. This was the biggest challenge to the movies director, Zack Snyder, who had envisioned a realistic theme for the movie. Despite the challenge the flashbacks where incorporated with the story line, corresponding to what was happening in the movie showing a similar situation in Clark's past or providing reasoning for his present actions. This gave the audience a connection that either already has or will come full circle at the end of the film. Outside of the flashbacks the second hardest transitions to make are battle transitions. How to make everything seem smooth and complete despite the fact that there may have been scenes cut out or moved around. Here's the answer: keep the camera moving with the action. very rarely will you see a still shot of a battle in this movie. The camera angles and speed match that of Superman as he plows through buildings and flies between skyscrapers. This gives the battle a logical flow. This is also accomplished through multiple points of view, some civilian and some hero and villain. So not only do you see the battle from an omnipotent view, but also as a civilian on the ground or a reporter for the Daily Planet. Overall the scene changes throughout the movie kept a logical flow, the flashbacks could always be traced to the present by any attentive viewer and the camera movements always kept the audience engaged. 

Information Distribution: Understandability;

All I can say in this category is one must pay attention to the film to fully understand everything. In the early moments of the film there are many transitions between past and present. To the inattentive viewer it would be very easy to get confused. Many small things from the past or earlier in the movie WILL come back later, so make sure to pay attention. This is not a movie young children could easily understand, the 7 year old behind me proved that. The farther into the movie the more important it is to recall items from flashbacks and other early points in the movie. Now this isn't to the level of complexity of say Robert Downey Jr's Sherlock Holmes series, but young children will not fully understand why, say Clark Kent, does something if they where not paying attention during the flashback 5 or 10 minutes before. Overall to an adult viewer the story line is easy for even the most novice Superman fan to understand. They set up his back story and his reasoning clearly through a mixture of flashbacks and dialogue that anyone paying attention will be able to catch.

Overall Plot: Comic Fans and Others Rejoice;

Now since I promised not to give any spoilers I will only elaborate on the plot as a whole. This movie serves as a sort of prologue to the Superman that most of us know. It is a story of origin and to those who don't know Superman's back story, this will definitely change that. The plot is easy to follow if you are attentive and honestly very well thought out. Both the hero and the villain's goals are clearly established and explained. I don't really know what else to say, other than go see the movie.

Soundtrack: Another Home Run for Zimmer;

For those of you who may not know the composer of Man of Steel's soundtrack, Hans Zimmer he is best known for his music in: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, The Lion King, The Dark Knight, and Inception. Hans Zimmer is one of my favorite composers because of his ability to tell the movie's story though his music. If you listen to his tracks with out the film you can still visualize Jack Sparrow's drunken stumbling  or the emotional distress of Batman, and now the amazing flight of Superman. The music in this movie is beautifully incorporated  not overpowering but just enough to add intensity to the battles. This is another gorgeous track by Mr. Zimmer and is sure to be added to my favorite play list when released. This is the man who is right now number one of my list of people I wish to work with in my future as a movie maker, I would consider it a great honor for his music to accompany any work of mine.

Other Factors: Almost Time for me to Wrap This Up;

The biggest factor one should be aware of when going to see this movie is that it is LONG. This movie a is a whopping 2 hours and 23 minutes. I hope your movie seat is comfortable because you wont want to leave it. This movie is so engaging and every scene is of some importance so the best advise would be, don't drink too much, you will not want to miss a second of this film, sit farther back, it will give you a wider view of the screen so you won't have to keep looking back and forth during the battles, and DON'T BRING VERY YOUNG CHILDREN, I have addressed this problem many times. If the movie rating isn't enough to discourage you from bring your 6 year old take into account that this movie is one that requires the audiences full attention. If you don't feel that your child's attention span can last the whole 2 hours then please don't bring them. As I mentioned before I had to sit in front of a very talkative and inattentive 7 year old and it doesn't help anyone's movie experience. You are their parent so the final choice is up to you, but I will say you are ones who know your child best. If you know they cannot last through the entire movie, then why waste your money? This is just my opinion, I hope you don't mind.

Credits;

All the information I gave here, including actor histories, rating, and length can all be found on IMDB.com (internet movie data base). Also all of this is MY personal opinion. If you disagree feel free to tell me BUT EXPLAIN WHY. I will not respond to any negative comments with out explanation. 

I hope you all go out to see Man of Steel and I sincerely hope you are able to enjoy this film as I was.

Welcome

Hello and Welcome to Screen Writers P.O.V.

You will come to know me as Tsubaki, my chosen pen name and nick name among my closest friends. I wanted to get this introduction out of the way so we can get down to what this blog is for. I created this blog for the sole purpose of expressing my feelings about films I either see in theaters, on T.V., or that I have rented on DVD. I am one who enjoys movies and their inner workings and how they fit into the final product. This brings about the name: Screen Writers P.O.V. I will elaborate on many things in any given review: Rating and things that lead to it, special effects, acting and actors, scene changes and transitions, information distribution or understandability, overall plot, soundtrack, and other factors that could include length, setting recommendations, and other minor factors to enrich your experience. I WILL NOT however discuss: The ending, spoilers, or anything else that would ruin the movie for anyone. I hope you don't mind.

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