Journal 6: Here Comes "Hitchcock"

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/165556-hitchcock-needs-more-psycho-less-sideshow/

In the article, "'Hitchcock' Needs More 'Psycho,' Less Slideshow," author, Bill Gibron discusses the upcoming film, Hitchcock. This movie is about the life of Alfred Hitchcock, a movie making legend. Basically everyone of his movies has suspense around a theme of death. One of his first films, North by Northwest, and one of his most famous horror films, Psycho are referenced in Hitchcock. In this movie, Hitchcock, played by Anthony Hopkins, has already made North by Northwest and wants to make another film that he will finance himself. He goes on to start the production of Psycho and hires the cast members for the film that he himself wrote. Hitchcock is about the making of the movie Psycho, but Gibron argues that the film should have more of what happens in Psycho instead of just the making of it.

This movie isn't Psycho and if Gibron wanted to see Psycho, he should have watched the 1960's film instead. Hitchcock isn't just about the making of the movie, it's about what happens behind the production of the movie. It's about his personal life and how the making of his movie effects Hitchcock and his wife, played by Helen Mirren. I think this would be a good movie to see. I have seen many of his films and would like to know the story of the man himself. He was a movie legend and his films are still being watched today. This movie would has lots of insight about Hitch's life as Psycho is unfolded.

Journal 5: Brief Screeing Report on "The Social Network"

http://www.google.com/imgres?num=10&hl=en&newwindow=1&tbo=d&tbm=isch&tbnid=yh_aN_1wxDsoYM:&imgrefurl=http://www.geekpeeks.com/2010/10/18/the-social-network-review/&docid=3D25T4POwf0mQM&imgurl=http://www.geekpeeks.com/wp-content/gallery/the-social-network/the-social-network.jpg&w=596&h=489&ei=3mGcUMTcOOfS2AXBqYCgCg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=18&sig=111518609891335608379&page=1&tbnh=147&tbnw=180&start=0&ndsp=23&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0,i:127&tx=106&ty=-31&biw=1600&bih=705

The scene in The Social Network that I found to be important is the scene in which Eduardo Saverin freezes the bank account for Facebook. The events leading up to this event help to better understand this scene. Mark Zuckerberg wants his best friend and CFO of Facebook to come to California with him so he doesn’t get left behind with Facebook’s constant growth. Mark’s other friend, Sean Parker, keeps making business meetings even though Eduardo is the business end of the company. To get Mark’s attention, Eduardo freezes their only bank account. When Mark finds out, he gets very panicky because without money, the site can’t function. He explains that the servers will be down, the system will crash, and there will be a domino effect as Facebook users log off on one by one.

The scene in which Eduardo freezes the bank account is in chapter 14 of the movie, but the events leading up to it are in chapter 13. I think this scene is important because the events in this scene drive Eduardo to take legal action against Mark for not making him a part of Facebook even though he’s the company’s CFO. Mark diluted Eduardo’s shared down from an original thirty percent to less than one percent. Eduardo then went on to sue Mark for everything because he had a big part in the creation of Facebook. He funded everything needed to get the site up and running and was the one who set up the bank account in the first place. This whole movie is set around the law suits that Mark is in, one of which being with Eduardo.

Journal 4: The Red-Head is Back!

                  http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/165047-malibu-country-reba-returns/

In the article, "'Malibu Country': Reba McEntire Returns," the author, Leigh H. Edwards, describes Reba's new sitcom, "Malibu Country." This new show does parallel Reba's previous sitcom, "Reba," in some ways. They are both about a main character named Reba who is a mom with a sassy attitude and quick with a comeback, and has a quirky next-door neighbor and a constant nuisance to Reba. Some differences between this new show and her old one are in "Malibu Country," Reba is a country singer who hasn't had a record in twelve years and wants to get back in the business while her husband, Bobby, is a country super-star with a record deal. In "Reba," Reba is a single mom with three kids and a cheating husband who gets his mistress pregnant. She is constantly in the middle of both her family and her ex-husband's family. 

Ever since my grandma introduced it to me, "Reba" has been one of my all-time favorite comedy shows. It is a complete laugh-out-loud series that I can never get enough of. One of my favorite characters on "Reba" is Reba's ex-husband's pregnant mistress and next door neighbor, Barbara Jean. She is a quirky and goofy woman who calls Reba her best friend. She is one of the funniest characters on the show and a reason why I still watch the re-runs. I am pleased to hear that in Malibu Country, there is a character similar to Barbara Jean's. In the new series, the neighbor's name is Kim. There's no doubt that I would enjoy this new show. Even though the two shows are kind of similar, this new one offers some fresh new ideas, some of which from Reba McEntire's own life.

Journal 3: A Tail of "The Little Mermaid"

                                http://www.kidzworld.com/article/6145-classic-disney-fairy-tales

Of all the movies I've seen, one of them pops out at me as a favorite. "The Little Mermaid" has been my top pick for many reasons. First of all, it takes place under the sea. As a kid, I loved the water, and I loved swimming, but this movie has more to offer than just the setting. This movie is also full of catchy songs. When I was little, I enjoyed singing along to "Under the Sea" "Part of Your World," and "Kiss the Girl." I thought those were the best songs in the movie.

Besides the many sing-along-songs, I think one aspect that I respond to is the art design of "The Little Mermaid." The whole movie is full of many colors that portray the mystical world of Atlantica. The many fish, mermaids, and flowers are painted with the colors of the rainbow. Another part of the movie that I respond to is the plot. In this film, the plot is used to teach a lesson. What the audience should take away from this movie when watching it is to not take anything for granted. Ariel traded her voice and soul to Ursula for the chance to walk on land and meet Prince Eric. Later, she realized how difficult is was to get by without a voice, but found her way. I enjoy watching Disney movies because they typically have a message for the audience and happy endings. Ariel ended up getting her voice back and decided to live on land with Eric.

Journal 2: Not Your Typical Haunted House

                              http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/164221-paranormal/

The article, "Indie Horror Month: 'Paranormal'" by Nick Dinicola is about a video game called "Paranormal." In this game, the gamer is the only character, and their task is to find the ghost in the haunted house. Throughout the game, the house depicts events that go bump in the night. Random items in the house might pop out or explode in the first game, but in the next, nothing might pop out. It is completely unpredictable. In this article, the author also compares this game to the "Paranormal Activity" movies because no one really knows what to expect, and if they think they know what's coming, they're wrong. I have seen the first three "Paranormal Activity" movies and this game does sound a lot like the movies. In the movies, the main characters are filming what's going on in their haunted house and have no idea what to expect, this game is similar to that. Special effects in the game create an even scarier setting. The "camera" will shake creating the feeling that the gamer is out of control as to what happens, the "battery" on the camera will run out after a certain amount of time, forcing the character to sleep in the house so the "battery can charge." Even though this game isn't released yet, I can imagine many people anticipating getting this game because it is so close to Halloween.

Journal 1: Response to Maraniss's Article

In David Maraniss's article, "Winning Actually Isn't the Only Thing," he talks about the infamous Packers vs. Seahawks game on Monday September 24, 2012. He comments on the end call and how the Seattle Seahawks' coach was overjoyed upon winning due to a wrong call made by the replacement referees. Maraniss believes that if the Green Bay Packers were in the place of the Seattle Seahawks, they would not broadcast their win as victorious. They would want the fans to know that they had lost and that the other team won. Maraniss also comments on the interview with the Seahawk's quarterback saying that it was a "tough call" to call an interception a touchdown was like saying black is the same as white. He wants the game of football to be his escape, not an unsettling argument of who is right and who is wrong.

I have to completely agree with Maraniss's claim that us faithful Packer fans wouldn't say it was a "tough call," but say that it was a "wrong call." We will stand by our team through the ups and downs; but we won't stand by watching our team claiming themselves victors when they're not. If the roles were switched, I sure hope that our coach or any member of the team would have said that the game was not scored right. No, winning isn't everything like Adelson claimed, but winning truthfully while giving it your all is.