Suggested Viewings: British Cinema

All of you aspiring film aficionados have probably thought to yourself, "I want to expand my understanding of the cinematic medium by watching foreign films." Shortly after you doubtlessly remembered that the reason you don't is because you don't like reading subtitles. Many people have told me that the reason that they don't like to watch foreign movies is because they don't want to read subtitles. Personally, they don't bother me in the slightest, but I can see where people are coming from. So, in light of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee I have pulled two British action movies for your viewing pleasure. This way you can explore foreign cinema without the alienating foreign language! It's a nice way to ease yourself into exploring films from beyond our borders.
The following movies are also tied together with two common themes: They are all directed by Guy Ritchie and star Jason Statham. So you know they're going to be awesome.

 Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
When a group of no-bodies get cheated in a high-stakes card game they end up half a million pounds (that's British money) in debt with only a week to pay it back. Guy Ritchie movies always have a lot of great action and comedy. They characters, situations, and dialogue will get at least a few chuckles out of you. Lots of gangsters, guns, and f-bombs in this little gem.

Snatch (2000)

Jason Statham, yet again, finds himself being chased by gangsters in one of my favorite action movies. Brad Pitt plays a bare-knuckle boxing gypsy that gets two boxing promoters in trouble with the bookmakers. This one has a great cast and a truly chaotic (yet manageable) story line. If you're looking for witty comedy, bad-ass dialogue, and pig farmers, this is the one for you.

Guy Ritchie has also made another movie that is similar to the above called Revolver which was released in 2005 in the UK and 2007 in the US. I personally do not believe it is quite good enough to suggest everyone to go watch it, but if you really liked the first two you'll probably like this one as well.

Discussions with Devs: Beatrice the Biologist on Amoeboid

In this episode I sit down with the voice of Katie McKissick, also known as Beatrice the Biologist, to talk about her new game Amoeboid. It's a kind of like Pac-Man on the cellular level.

Check out her blog here, http://www.beatricebiologist.com/.

Suggested Viewings: Eastern Westerns

Genres are very important in marketing films.  For example it is easier to tell someone that the latest Ryan Reynolds' movie is a comedy then it is trying to explain the plot. Why? Because genres are socially accepted conventions that everyone understands. Marketing agencies use genres to sell stories that no one has ever heard of. A lot people will go see a romance movie, not because they know the story but because they like the genre.  There are many films out there that cross over between a single genre, like romantic comedies or sci-fi horror.  But there are many more genres that are not quite as popular. One of my favorite genre mash ups would have to be Eastern Westerns. Most American audiences are familiar with the western genre. Lots of cowboys, dusty towns, and gun fights. Those same audiences may not be familiar with Samurai movies which are very similar in nature. A lone character with an inability to fit into society ends up floating from town to town looking for adventure (and violence).  The following three films are filled with swords, guns, samurai, cowboys and dust. Lots of dust.

Sukiyaki Western Django (2007) (Japanese with subtitles)

This movie was made by the cult Japanese director, Takashi Miike. Director Quentin Tarantino also guest stars in the film, doubtlessly having some input in some aspects. In the film, a town is caught in a war between two rival gangs and only a strange nameless hero can help put the bloodshed to an end and save the town.  It's a bloody film with lots of guts and steel flying through the air. If you like westerns and aren't afraid of blood, you'll like it. 

Bunraku (2010) (English)

Another big aspect of eastern action movies is martial arts. Directed by Guy Moshe, Bunraku has this in excess. Instead of a lone hero this movie has two, one from each genre. When a cowboy (Josh Hartnett) and a samurai (Gackt) find themselves in a post-apocalyptic town run by a crazy killer (Ron Perlman), it takes an enigmatic barkeep (Woody Harrelson) to lead them down the right path. The movie is highly stylized around the Japanese art of shadow puppets which makes for a really cool intro.

The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008) (Korean with subtitles)

This genre blending comedy comes from South Korea and was inspired by Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad, the Ugly (1966). It shares a similar story where three men try to beat each other to a hidden treasure. The character dynamics are not quite the same for example the Good character (played by Clint Eastwood in the original film) is a bounty hunter and not nearly as intriguing and mysterious as the original Blondie. But the Bad guy is just as Bad and the Weird is just as Ugly.

Suggested Viewings: Animated Marvel Adventures!

Welcome to the first installment of my new weekly series, Suggested Viewings.  When I was in film school we were given suggested viewings to go with our lessons.  I've decided to put this method to good use and help people explore film.  Since I do most of my movie watching on Netflix, all of the films I'll be referring to can be found on Netflix Instant.

Since I'm still on a pretty big superhero kick from the The Avengers movie, I'll be talking about animated Marvel cartoons.  Animated shows and movies are great because they can get away with things that live action movies cannot.  For example, it is extremely difficult to get CG special effects to look realistic enough for people to suspend their disbelief. However, cartoons do not have this problem because they are not realistic to begin with.  And once you buy into the following cartoons it will be hard for you to pull yourself out.








Black Panther: The Animated Series (2009)
Back in 2008 BET teamed up with Marvel Knights to create an animated comic series for TV that was released in 2009 and debut on television in the US in November 2011.  The series is based around the origin of the Black Panther who is the king of the reclusive nation of Wakanda in Africa. Out of all the animated comic book series that Marvel Knights has released, I think that this one is the best. It's a good series and with rumors of Black Panther getting his own movie, it's a good way to get associated with the character.

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (2010-Present)

If you liked The Avengers movie then you may also want to check out this cartoon. It was made for Disney's Toon XD channel and originally debuted in the fall of 2010. It has all of the characters from the movie and a few more (Black Panther, Wasp, and Ant Man). This show has great animation, voice acting, episodic continuity, and story lines that are complex enough to be enjoyed by an older audience. It's a well rounded show in its own right and with an extensive line-up of characters from the Marvel universe.  I would recommend it to anyone who can't get enough Marvel exposure.

Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow (2008)

I watched this movie in the build up to The Avengers movie.  It takes place in an alternate universe where Ultron (a sentient robot created by Hank Pym) has conquered the world and killed most of the original Avengers. However, the super-team's children were saved by Tony Stark and trained from an early age in hopes that they will be able to defeat Ultron. I had a lot of laughs watching this and would recommend it based solely on the voice acting performances of the kids.

Hulk Vs. (2009)

Most of the time our favorite heroes are fighting on the same side but Marvel also likes to pit them against each other from time to time.  This animated feature doesn't have much in the way of a story line but it sure is  a lot of fun to see the Hulk fight Thor and Wolverine. If you just want to see some all-star fighting then this one is for you.

Choreography v Fast Cuts: Why The Avengers Was So Refreshing

This weekend I saw The Avengers and it was awesome.  And beyond the geek pandering and cheap laughs, it had some really impressive elements including the best filmed action sequences that I’ve seen in a very long time.  


A lot of modern day action scenes skip long choreographed shots and use fast paced editing of brief, tightly framed shots.  For example, in a scene where a waiter drops a cup of tea and a ninja catches it before it hits the floor, all of the action could fit into one frame/shot without the camera cutting or moving.  But the excitement of this scene could be enhanced by breaking all of the smaller actions into separate close ups:   A foot slips.  The ninja notices.  The cup falls off the tray.  A hand jets out.  The waitress’ shocked face.  The hand catching the cup.  The cup returning to the tray.  The ninja sitting back down.   This technique adds to the excitement of the moment by bombarding the audience with close ups that literally make the action bigger and faster.  While there is no fundamental problem with this, I happen to believe this fast cutting technique is over used and often disorienting.  I think a lot of filmmakers feel a need to pump up their scenes with fast cuts even if it doesn't need it.  I remember asking myself, “is it necessary to play up the action in a scene where two giant robots are fighting and crashing into a highway overpass?  Is that not exciting enough?”  


Another reason people use this technique is to add confusion and disorient the audience.  If you had to film a bar fight and wanted to portray the chaos of the scene, you could use the fast cutting technique by showing a stream of images of bar patrons bludgeoning, punching, kicking, swearing, puking, and screaming in rapid succession.  You could convey the confusion of the fight by overwhelming the audience with imagery.  While I understand why a filmmaker would choose to do this in a bar fight, I can't understand why a filmmaker would use this disorienting fast cutting technique to show people gathering in a dilapidated town square for a reaping.


**I will also take the time to make this plea: Filmmakers, DO NOT USE FAST CUTS IN 3-D!!!  We can barely sit through a two+ hour film with 3-D glasses on, please do not tax our senses with your wily edits!


By now you can understand my apprehension when I got tickets to go see The Avengers in 3-D Imax.  Yet, the unbearable and disorienting fast cuts never came.  Instead, during the middle of the New York fight scene I was delighted by a long cut that focused on and then moved seamlessly from one fighting Avenger to another.  By choosing to not use the tired ol' crutch of fast cuts, Joss Whedon had created a beautifully choreographed scene that was both action-packed and coherent.  I was actually allowed to look at the whole battlefield and admire the action instead of having my face pushed into every hammer blow and repulsor blast.  


This specific long shot was both awesome and iconic, and I will bet good money that if you saw The Avengers you know exactly what shot I'm talking about.  I hope that other filmmakers out there noticed it too.  It's time they stopped hiding behind fast-cuts and learn how to actually choreograph a scene.  




Further Viewings: If what I said resonated with you at all and you would like to see well choreographed action movies I suggest Ong-bak: The Thai Warrior (2003) or one of Jackie Chan's earlier films from the 90s.  These can be found on Netflix.

Discussions with Devs: Magic Pixel Games

The second of episode of Discussions with Devs has arrived!  It can now officially be called a series.  Today, I sit down with Holden Link from Magic Pixel Games.  It was founded back in 2010 by several game industry veterans with a mission for fun.  Holden and I talk about how the studio was founded, their latest game Carnival Island, and developing games for motion control platforms.  Enjoy!

As always, if you have any suggestions for future episodes then comment below or email me at ryanjsuter@gmail.com  And thanks!

Comic Review: AvX #1 and the Marvel AR app

I want you to do something.  Get out your smartphone or tablet computer and download the Marvel AR app (it's available on iOS and Android).  Now open the app, make sure your sound is on, and point it at the AvX cover and watch the magic.

On April 3rd the first Avengers versus X-Men came out.  I'm pretty excited about the series because Captain America is my favorite super hero and the X-Men is my favorite super team.  It is going to have some very awesome match-ups for sure.  In this story arc, the destructive Phoenix Force is rocketing toward Earth and people are starting to freak out.  It's coming to Earth to embody the newest mutant, Hope, as its host and everyone knows it.  The Avengers are trying to stop the coming of the Phoenix Force and have some sort of plan that involves taking Hope from the X-Men.  However, Scott Summers (Cyclops) is the leader of the X-Men and is refusing to give Hope over to the Avengers.  Scott knows that the Phoenix Force can be very destructive, but he also knows that whenever it destroys something it leaves behind a rebirth of new life.  He believes that the Phoenix will restore the mutants that were lost when Scarlet Witch changed reality back in the House of M story arc by changing all but 200 mutants into regular people.

It is understandable that both parties are conflicted as to what to do, but I have to admit that I am disappointed in my favorite heroes' problem solving/conflict resolution skills.  You would think that they could all work together to figure out a solution, but I guess they used up all of their teamwork skills in Fear Itself.  Then again, comics wouldn't be very interesting if there wasn't any fighting.

AvX #1 is a great read. The cliff hangar at the end has me pumped for #2 which comes out this Wednesday.  And while I'm excited to see where the story goes, I'm more excited to explore its integration of the Marvel AR (augmented reality) app.  If you didn't/couldn't try it out here's what you missed:  the app uses your camera and you point it at the page/pane that has the AR logo in the corner and watch as it brings the page to life.  The front cover of AvX #1 has animations and video that serve as a trailer for what's inside.  It's so cool.  Then on the title page inside, Marvel Editor in Chief, Alex Alonso, walks onto the screen to tell you about the series and the AR function.

The app is a little finicky but overall it adds a whole new dimension to enjoying the book.  I like comics, but my biggest complaint is that they are so short I'm always left wanting more.  So with all new content I got a lot more out of AvX #1 then I have with any other comic.  The best part is that the technology is brand new, so it will only get more sophisticated with time.  I can't wait for this Wednesday.