Back in Action

Hello, all. I’m back. I took a bit of a hiatus for many reasons. Sometimes life just gets in your way and makes demands of you and while fulfilling those demands its easy to lose sight of what you were doing and why. That idea kinda ties into what I want to talk about today. You, see while I was on my hiatus I lost sight of why I was writing so I began searching for some inspiration. I usually find creative inspiration in movies and video games because I am a visual learner. So, I watched a lot of movies and played through some video games. One of the video games that I experienced was Mass Effect 3 from developer BioWare. The game not only inspired me to write this post but one of the alien races in the game inspired a short story that I am now writing.

For those uninitiated, Mass Effect is a trilogy of games in the Space Opera sub-genre of Science Fiction. A simple definition for Space Opera is “a futuristic melodramatic fantasy involving space travelers and/or extraterrestrial beings.” I.E.- Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly, Futurama (parody/satire), and Space Odyssey. The Mass Effect series follows the exploits of Commander Shepard. Consider him kind of a Jack Bauer in space but instead of trying to save America he’s trying to save the galaxy. I played Mass Effect 3 (here on out referred to as ME3) and beat it just a few days ago and I’ve had some time to collect my thoughts on it. After its release ME3 saw some controversy with its ending. I didn’t read anything about it until after I beat the game because I didn’t want anything spoiled but now I've read up on it. The only thing that I knew going into the game is that several thousands of fans were unhappy with the ending. Today’s entry will be my take on the ending.

It was brilliant.

What could "Identity" have done better?

  Earlier this week we started talking about the movie Identity and I talked about the things that did not work about it. (If you have not read the previous post please do so now because I am just picking up where I left off with minimal recapping.) The movie had some major plot gaps and the identity of the one killer personality did not make sense. Despite the movie's failings I do like it. The movie was trying and I give it credit for that. Several movies, especially in the Horror genre, don't try anything new at all and just churn out the same tired crap that everyone has seen already. Identity wasn't very good but it had some interesting ideas and the potential for greatness was there. Today we'll talk about what could have been done to make the movie better.

  Before I go into the potential of the movie I need to address the question, is Identity scary? No. Not in the way it wants to be, at least. There are some hints at a larger issue that the movie never covered or dealt with that I believe would have made a far scarier movie.

Oh, the Horror!: Identity

  Hello again. Last week I brought up a problem that I have been noticing. Horror movies have no element of fear to them. Last time I established that Horror involves three elements: shock, disgust, and fear. The Horror genre has plenty of shock and disgust but very little in the way of fear. I set up that I am going to be looking at different movies of the genre that have had any effect on me. This week I am looking at the film "Identity" which involves a group of people getting picked off one by one. But none of them are uninspired teenagers, so its okay.

  Before I get into the movie I will tell you what I find scary. Its not monsters, slashers, aliens, ghosts, zombies, demons, and general supernatural spookiness. The thing that scares me the most is what one seemingly normal person can do to another seemingly normal person and still be seemingly normal. "Identity" is not necessarily a good movie because it has many failings in its story. The direction by James Mangold is solid and the rest of the film serves as a good example of how to make a low budget film but elements of the story hold it back from being a great film about the nature of people, how fragile life is and how easily one person can take that fragile life away from another. Instead the movie is a who-done-it? in a single location with an eye-rolling reveal at the end. The movie is in an odd state of almost good. Meaning that it had plenty of potential and it was trying to do something interesting but it just didn't get there. I'm going to talk about the movie in more detail now. So... spoilers.

 

Oh, the Horror

  Hello again. It has been a long time but I've been busy then enjoying not being busy. I just finished a semester of school and took a week off to sleep and be bored. But have no fear I'm back now and ready for summer. An additional note- I have dropped the moniker of Musing Matt because I learned that I'm not the first and only one to discover the alliterative fun of that particular word paring. Until further notice I will just be Matt. This week's topic will have multiple parts because I am trying to figure out the answer to a question that has been bothering me for quite some time now. Why aren't horror movies scary?

  This question is one that I have been obsessing over for years and I mean obsessing. You see, the reason that I started this blog is because I have an obsessive mind and when an idea gets into my head I can't stop thinking about it to the point where I can't think about anything else. As is obvious this can be a problem. I started this blog as an experiment to get out my obsessions and this far its working. Horror movies and their lack of horror are near constant obsessions for me because I would think fear is an easy concept to grasp. Either I'm wrong or the people making the movies don't understand fear.


  First, I think it's important to define horror and fear to establish a base line with which the movies can be measured. I will also establish why the horror genre is important enough for study in the first place. My definitions come from the Oxford English Dictionary (here on out referred to as the OED). The OED definition of horror is sweet and simple: "an intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust." This definition provides a solid basis for what the horror genre to offer and it seems that horror movies have covered shock and disgust fairly well, what with jump scares and gore fests. But the genre seems to have missed the mark on the third part of the definition. Fear has a very expansive and quite loaded definition(s): "an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm/ a feeling of anxiety concerning the outcome of something or the safety of someone"(OED). I can't think of any movies in the genre that fully capture that definition. I've seen movies that try but none of the movies that I have seem have made it.

  I am not a horror movie buff and the fact that horror movies have little effect on me is the reason. For the next few weeks I will be looking at the concepts of horror, itself, and revisiting some of the horror movies that I have seen that did manage to stir something in me. I won't be giving reviews of these movies in the traditional sense of a review but I will be looking them in terms of what they say about the genre and the elements of fear. I will also try to reach outside my own collection for movies I have not seen before but bear in mind that I'm college student who works part time. Also, there are a few types of horror movies that I don't even give the time of day. Slashers, monsters, torture, gross-out, and pretty much anything with uninspired teenage stereotypes being picked off one by one. I'm looking for fear not irritation and hastily thrown together cash-grabs.

  It is my belief that the horror genre is one of the most important genres of film and its also the one that the film industry puts the least amount of thought into. The genre is important because experiencing fear is important. Horror movies can make you feel fear and through experiencing fear we can learn thing about ourselves. Horror movies can also make you face your fears so that you can deal with them and come out on the other side alive and stronger. Horror and fear are fundamental experiences that we need to experience and learn from. Cinema has the potential to provide important learning experiences. Through cinema and other forms of literature we can learn from experiences without having to face them ourselves.

  I will start my look into the films in the genre this weekend with "Identity." I will be looking at how the movie represents the horror genre. What works. What doesn't work. And how it could have been improved to actually instill fear.

Review: The Brave One

  Hi, Musing Matt here. I am nearing the end of a semester of college and my, evidently, masochistic teachers have been piling on the work that they will eventually have to grade. Therefore, for the next few weeks, I may not be able to post as often as I would like. That being said, I hove found myself with a bit of free time this week. I would like to take this time to do something a little more traditional that I haven't done yet. A movie review. Now, as I have already stated, I am a busy college student and I have little time or money to go out to see a new movie. I do however have a very large movie shelf and I find that putting in a good movie helps me concentrate. So, today's review is going to be something from my shelf. I'm thinking one of my favorites, The Brave One with Jodi Foster.

  I find it interesting how many of my favorite movies have Jodi Foster in them. The Brave One, Silence of the Lambs, Inside Man, and Panic Room are all counted among my favorite movies and I'm pretty sure that a lot of that trend has to do with the fact that Jodi Foster is an amazing actress. For every movie she is in she turns in a brilliant and solid performance. The Brave One is no exception.

 Story (In terms of spoilers, I won't reveal anything that the previews did not show.)
  The story is about Erica Bain. She lives in the city and has a radio program. For her show she collects sounds around the city and talks about her experiences in the city. She also has a boyfriend and things are going pretty well for both of them. Do you see where this is going? Her life gets turned upside down when Erica and her boyfriend are attacked while out on a stroll in the park. They are both savagely beaten and by some miracle Erica survives but she wonders how much of her actually did. In the city, where she once felt comfortable, she is now gripped with a paralyzing fear that she doesn't understand. In some effort to master that fear and get some control back in her life she goes to a firearms store to buy a gun which she uses to fight back against the city she thought she knew. From that point on the movie amps up the tensity as every interaction with her and the gun speaks volumes about how she is changing as a character. This is not an action movie. Anyone who pops a bowl of popcorn will likely not touch it. At the movie's core it is a revenge movie and the filmmakers could have left it at that and the movie would still have been good, but they took it further to really explore how Erica has changed and how her actions have effected her and the city around her. These changes are explored in detail in act 2 of the movie and it all culminates in act 3 where the tension soars through the roof and anyone watching can not bare to look away.

  Starring opposite Jodi Foster is Terrence Howard as Detective Mercer who befriends Erica in while investigating the recent string of vigilante killings that have been happening around the city. This doomed friendship really adds to the tension but also serves to flesh out the characters, so the audience can get a better understanding of who these people are. Both performances are compelling and give the movie a richness that just would not have been there if anyone else was cast for these roles.
  This movie is just amazing. Its about how to learn from the tragedies we experience in life and not let them control us. If you haven't seen the movie do so. I highly recommend it.

Technical Stuff (I won't get into to great detail here this is mostly a platform for making recommendations)
  The Brave One was helmed by director Neil Jordan, who's filmography includes Interview with a Vampire, Michael Collins, and Breakfast on Pluto, and it seems he was the perfect choice for this material because he captured the intimacy of the story, characters, and the city itself.
  The score was composed by Dario Marianelli, who compose the scores of both Brothers Grimm and V for Vendetta.

Chicken Flavored Hunger

  Hello all, Musing Matt here. I have had one hell of a busy week. I've had zero time to even consider a topic for this week. In fact this is the first moment I've had to breathe all week. So, this weekend, instead of a column, I'll share another poem with you. This one is called "Chicken Flavored Hunger." Its my reaction to post-modernism. I have often said that post-modernism ruined my life and I'm pretty sure that it ruined more than that. Its a love-hate relationship that we share. Anyway, I thought of this poem while I was on my break at work and it just flowed out of me.

Chicken Flavored Hunger

I close the microwave

with a hollow click.

My sustenance inside,

flavor packet aside.

Dehydrated noodles

and vegetables.

Make it look healthy.

I pass the recommended five minutes

staring at my shelf

full of movies.

What best compliments

my chicken flavored lunch?

Selection shouldn’t be difficult.

It only takes 5 minutes to eat.

I am pulled into the kitchen

by the loud beep.

Remove cover and empty flavor packet.

Squeeze and re-squeeze the packet.

Get all that flavor out.

Stir and recover.

Let stand for 1 minute.

I’ll go put my movie in.

I sit on my couch.

TV dinner tray before me.

Play movie.

Chicken flavored steam rises.

Its warmth greets my face

but I can’t eat yet.

Pause.

I need a fork.

See you guys next week.

Writing 101: Show Don't Tell

  Hi, Musing Matt here, today we're going to talk about the basics of writing some more. There is a literary concept that continues to be either overlooked or ignored by lazy/talentless writers. The concept in question is the idea of "show don't tell." It applies to all mediums of literature (we'll be focusing books, movies/tv, and games for the purpose of simplicity) and can mean the difference between top notch story telling and insulting the intelligence of your audience. The idea behind the rule is that showing the reader/watcher/player what you want them to know is more effective than telling them. The biggest offenders of the show don't tell rule are broadly aimed Hollywood releases and amateur writers. Interesting right?
  Each literary medium deals with the concept in their own unique ways. For books there is only one thing to focus on and that's the writing. All you have to do is make sure that you writing demonstrating what you're trying to get across and not simply telling them. It takes some practice and thought but its not difficult once you figure out what you're doing.
  Movies/tv, on the other hand, provide the easiest way to get this concept right, considering the nature of that particular visual medium. All you need is good actors, talented writers, and a director who knows how to work with them. Good actors can use their facial expressions, body language, and vocal tones to convey much more than just what they are saying (or not saying as the case may have it). Here is a simple example of this rule put in action:

 

Its Called Perspective People

  Hi, Musing Matt here and boy have I been busy. These past two week have been that time of every spring semester just before spring break. It is during this time that the apparently masochistic teachers try to cram as many assignments and exams as possible. But now its spring break for the next week and that means- diddly squat. I will still be going to work and working on assignments for school. The only difference is that I don't have to work quite as vehemently.
  Anyway, the topic for today is one that annoys me to no end. Ignorance. One of its more recent manifestations revealed itself to me in an article on http://www.escapistmagazine.com/. It is, among other things, a gaming news site and I spend a fair amount of time there. Last week I found the article in question and after reading it, I sighed then got really angry as the implications of what was said hit me. 

Here is a link to the article: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/116231-Family-Values-Groups-Launch-Email-Campaign-Against-BioWare.

Writing 101: Story and Plot

  Hi, Musing Matt here and today we're going to talk about some basics of writing. But first, I need to digress a little. You see this is my fourth post and I have said very little to nothing about myself, and since I had a very busy week and was, therefore, unable to gather resources for a full article, this should help pad it out.

Steadman

  As you already have been able to suss out, my name is Matt. I study literature and writing at the University of Montevallo. I read a lot of books, mainly science fiction novels. Right now my favorite artists are Kurt Vonnegut, Issac Asimov, and Chuck Palahniuk. (Don't worry, Michael Crichton and Orson Scott Card, you will always have a special place in my heart.) My favorite artists are Ralph Steadman (http://www.ralphsteadman.com/) and Terry Strickland (http://www.terrystricklandart.com/). They have two very distinctly different styles but I enjoy both the photo-realistic beauty of Strickland and the harsh chaos of Steadman. I also enjoy a good movie. Some of my favorite filmmakers are David Fincher and Christopher Nolan and I've really been enjoying the films that Marvel Studios has been releasing. (Looking forward to "The Avengers" this summer.) There are other filmmakers whose work I enjoy but those two stick out in my mind the most. I play a lot of video games as well. My two favorite developers are Bethesda and Bioware. (Love me some RPGs) Now, to get a little more personal, I am a happily married man and my house is filled with cats, chinchillas, and dogs. My wife and I are both Christian and we try to show God's love to everyone. (Admittedly it is harder on some days than others.) Ok, that's enough personal info for now. I might divulge more later.

Something a Little Different

  Hey, Musing Matt here and we are going to do something a little different today. Since I have two mid-terms, two projects, and a paper due this coming week I will be spending this weekend studying, writing, and injecting caffeine directly into my veins. So, in lieu of a thoughtful and poignant column about the condition of art or a commentary on the products of the film industry I will share with you a poem that I wrote last year after I witnessed something that deeply troubled me...

Leaves and Acorns

by Matt Cox

I walk the ground.

The path of solid, broken bricks

is to my left

or right.

It all depends on where I’m going.

I walk the path,

only when it passes beneath

my close-toed shoes.

When I no longer need its support,

we part ways.

Maybe we’ll meet again.

The leaves of red, orange, yellow,

and green scatter,

as I scuff my way through them.

The acorns sound off

with a satisfying crack.

When immersed in their song

yesterday’s horrors seem gone

and forgotten,

but they remain

in every Fall- 

among the leaves and acorns.

  

When fertile autumn storms

announce their intentions,

caution gives birth to chaos,

and all pray they don’t become

it’s toys.

The twisted skeletons of the cautious

were carried away

but pieces of them remain.

Red bumper, green fender, and an orange side mirror

lie scattered across the highway’s left,

but it’s the right that ensnared me.

Two forms,

human in shape

but empty and still,

lay on wet asphalt,

draped in a yellow tarp

as if the dead desire dignity.

There is no rest from the dream,

leaves and acorns only sing once a year,

and wet stone provides no comfort.

  You all have a great weekend and try to stay safe out there.

Its Time to Start Thinking Instead of Screaming

  Hi. Musing Matt here and we need to talk about something important. Education. Not in general but focused on the study of literature in public schools and how important it is that we keep those kids reading and stop banning every book that contains anything remotely unpleasant. This is a hot button issue with many people and I will be approaching it from the angle of someone who has a great fondness and respect for literature and the wisdom that can be gained from reading.

Oh the Untapped Potential: The "Underworld" Franchise

 Hello all, I am Musing Matt and this is my first ever blog post. I like to talk about the things that interest me and I believe this is a good place in which to do it. My interests mostly concern movies and video games but I am also into novels, music, and recipes, so the subjects of my thoughts may cover many areas.

  Today we are going to talk about a movie- Well four movies that should have been three movies and two of them probably shouldn't have been made. Alright, confused yet? Good now we can dive right in.

  "Underworld Awakening" is in theatres now, I have not seen it but I would like to at some point because I would like to find out if its worth it. It will be the fourth installment of a series that started back in 2003 with the simply titled "Underworld". It was a great action flick concerning a civil war between Vampires and Lycans (werewolves) and in 2006 we received the sequel that the first one had set up. "Underworld Evolution" was okay, certainly not as good as the first one but it was trying to create an epic narrative. In 2009 "Rise of the Lycans" was released. Whether it was good or not is irrelevant, its story had already been told in the first movie making this movie unnecessary, for many reasons. Without this prequel the first two movies could have been a terrific trilogy.