Sunday, December 12, 2010

Popular Mechanics-->Childhood Memories

Plot__#
This film would be about a middle-aged man named Freddy McDoogle. He is married with two kids and works as a special effects designer. At night, he travels to random houses and kills people in the most horrendous of ways while he flashes back to times in his childhood when his parents abused him, because they were too busy fighting to care about him. Freddy is the baby in "Popular Mechanics." The final murder will be of his parents. He will tie each to ropes and stretch them to death. During this, he will flash back to the scene that is the short story. It will illustrate the effects of bad parenting while having the thrill of a horror film. It will include the exact plot of the story but add on.
Point of View<<<
The film will have two point of view. The part of the film that involves the story will have a first person point of view that is from the baby Freddy's perspective. The part of the movie that isn't a flashback will be from a third person omniscient point of view. It will show inside the houses of the victims to show what they do that reminds Freddy of his parents. It will be little things like using red sidewalk chalk that will cause him to kill them. He feels bad after the killings, so the viewer will also see him talking to himself about how bad he feels. The viewer will also see how he reacts with his family due to the abuse he received as a child. The two points of view will accentuate the experiences that he had as a child.
Characterization==='
This only character that will be deeply characterized is Freddy. His reactions with his family and his victims will show that he is a compassionate person. He doesn't want to kill his victims, he feels like he must to get the memories out of his head. The parents will also be characterized through the flashbacks. These will be more direct characterizations while Freddy's is indirect. The viewer will feel sympathy towards Freddy, because it was the abuse that causes him to commit the murders. he cleans up and buries the bodies, showing that he does care for them. Though he is a serial killer, he will be seen as compassionate. He will turn himself in after the murder of his parents, showing that he is finally content with himself and his memories.
Setting%
The setting of a suburb outside of Philly makes the nice neighborhood in which he lives feel homey and nonthreatening. This will add to the scariness, but also to the sympathy towards Freddy. He does not live in the ghetto where he could be seen as a bad person. He lives in a nice neighborhood that shows that he cares for his family and wants the best for him. The setting of the flashbacks will mirror the story. It will takes place in a dark house that has no detail besides the dark. It will create a scary, violent setting in which he is abused by his parents. This setting will illustrate why Freddy has the memories that he does.
Theme1234567890
The theme of the film will also mirror the story. It will show the negative effects of parents that care more about winning against their spouse than their children. It will show this through the flashbacks that show why Freddy does what he does. Each one will have a unique, neglectful act that causes Freddy to commit a murder. The acts by the parents will be so unbelievable that the viewer will understand Freddy and how his parents caused his murders. This theme will also be shown through Freddy's attempted care for his children, He is so overcome by his memories that he has trouble showing love, but he does try to care for them. It will show the correct motivations of parents.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

He showed that cereal box what's up.

Plot@
The plot of the film is extremely different from the story. The story focuses on the realizations that Anderton makes regarding the minority report, but there isn't even a true minority report in the film. Anderton, instead, tries to figure out the reason that he was set up, which he partially is in the film. This causes the point of the film to stray away from the story. The plot of the film adds much for drama and excessive details that are necessary for a film, but that change its meaning. The film's plot creates a meaning of the importance of motivations, which is important in the story, but not nearly as important. Another main plot difference is that Anderton takes one of the PreCogs and has her help him in his hunt. This takes the place of the men that help him in the story. The result is a closer connection to the PreCrime concept, making its flaws more visible in the film. The flaws of PreCrime are evident in the film, which explains its demise in the film, which does not occur in the story. All details in the film lead up to this drastically different ending.
Point of View#
Considering the fact that this was a film, it had a very similar point of view to the story. It focused on Anderton and his actions. This focus causes an emphasis on the actions of Anderton and how his decisions and realizations affect the other characters. The main difference is that the film also has scenes that deal with characters that aren't Anderton. The main reason for this is the subplot of the murder of Amy Lively that does not exist in the story. Because a man kills Amy and Anderton's ex-wife must figure this out once he is imprisoned, there must be scenes that don't involve Anderton. These scenes mainly serve to point out the flaws of PreCrime. They show the loopholes that allow murder to go undetected. These flaws result in Anderton making actions that are fueled by motives different than those in the story. These scenes allow the issues of Anderton's motivations to help Agatha (motivations that aren't in the story, but ones that greatly drive him in the film) to shine through in the film. This point of view is necessary for the subplots to exist.
Characterization+
This is the area of the film that most mirrors the story. Anderton is mainly characterized through his actions and reactions to the situations he is in. He is motivated by different things, but the fact that he stops at nothing to reach those goals show that he is a determined, goal-oriented person in the film as well as the story. Films mainly use indirect characterization, because there are rarely narrators to directly characterize. This forces interactions to have a much more important role. One example is when Anderton undergoes surgery and pain to be gain access to the lab again. He is so determined that he will risk his life to understand what is happening to him. Other characters are characterized in the same way, but on different levels. Anderton receives most of the story's focus and is the deepest character in the story, showing that his character traits and how they push his actions is a main meaning to the story. The fact that his actions are what show who he is places the emphasis on those actions.
Setting>
The only true difference in setting is that the story is in New York while the film is in Washington D.C. This, however, has no major impact on the meaning. The fact that the film takes place in the future shines a light on the primitive attitudes that the PreCrime workers have. Anderton suggests that he does not view the PreCogs as human, showing his lack of concern for their well being. This futuristic setting also reveals the lack of change in human nature. If the film was set in present-day America, the flaws of society would not seem abnormal. Because the flaws that are in the film also exist today, they show how society has not changed over time. The setting also allows the idea of character to be emphasized. The people in society are always being watched, so people can see their true character. The issue of character must be a motivation for every person's thoughts and actions. These motivations are a key meaning to the story. In general, the story must take place in the future for the technology to exist. It is not the physical setting that matters, but rather the time period that is essential.
Theme)
Because this is a Sci-Fi film that focuses on actions, there is not a theme that is easy to identify. The theme of realizations is not one that the film focuses on. Rather, the film focuses on the idea of motivations and how they affect decisions. Anderton is willing to shoot Leo, because he is angry that he was set up. Leo is willing to die, bacause he is protecting his family. Anderton's ex-wife is willing to stand up to Lively's killer, because she still loves her husband. The main motivation for Anderton is his dead son. he claims responsibility for his death, and will do anything to avenge it. These motivations cause the film to have many little subplots. Each character has his own little story that connects to the other charcters and their stories. As a result, the film's hectic plot connects through the characters' motivations. This theme of motivations is what brings the film together in the end.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

The Lottery...Where you get to stone your momma.

This story is messed up. From the beginning, I got the feeling that this wasn't the typical lottery. I picked up on the fact that piles of stones and pockets full of stones were mentioned a great amount of times. The townspeople where way too on edge to be in a drawing to win some money.
I definitely liked that the story has that surprise ending. It really points out the flawed thinking of society today. The fact that people would place tradition and superstition as more important than life is just absurd. The fact that the narrator shows no emotion also adds to the horror of the story. It is just a great message overall. I'm very impressed that the author thought of writing the story in this way and about this topic.

You're Ugly, Too.

This story was very interesting for me. I'm trying to decide if I like Zoe or not. In some ways she is a lot like me. She seems not to have a filter on what she says. Any person knows not to mention death when a guy asks what you think about love, but she obviously thinks that's okay. In some ways, she is a sympathetic character. She does not seem to communicate with people very well, making the reader feel sorry for her, but I can also see her as an unlikeable character, due to her choice of words. The way she speaks almost makes her seem stuck up, because she has no concern for what she says.
I am officially going to say that I like Zoe. She seems to be a very sincere character. She says what she means and does not try to put on an act for anyone. I also think that the last line makes her seem a little womanly. She finally cares about what the guys thinks of her. When she begins to think about how she looks, the reader finally sees that she does like this guy. It adds a new perspective to her character.

The Drunkard- #6

Well this story is just full of irony. I would say that the most ironic part of the story is the scene where the father is walking his son home. So many times before, the father has been the one walking home drunk, but this time the roles are reversed. The son drinks all of his fathers beer, and gets terribly drunk. His father must walk his drunk son home. It is also ironic that the father, though he is not drunk at all, is still scolded by the old ladies on the street. He would have gotten the same treatment if he was drunk. The people around him find any excuse to get mad at him.
The final ironic point is that the mother is proud of the son. She knows that her son needed to drink the beer to keep his father from doing so. he saved the family money by getting drunk himself. It is ironic that he needed to get drunk himself to prevent his father from getting drunk.

Popular Mechanics- #5

The title of this story makes the methods of the parents seem like mechanical things that they do without feelings. The parents in the story do not refer to their child by name or even by gender. They do not see the child as a child, but rather as another item that they are splitting up in the divorce. This is why "Mine" is not as fitting. Though they do claim the child as theirs, they do not have any care for the child. They only care that their spouse does not get possession of the child. They take a very rough approach to attaining the child, and this is why the title fits. They decide the "issue" of their marriage disputes over the child just like any other, by playing tug-o'-war.
I would also like to mention that I really liked this story. I think that it really shows the absurdities that occur in divorce disputes. And I also think that the image of this baby being ripped in half is kind of funny as well.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

The Minority Report.....short story style

Plot!
The story is split into ten little chapters that follow the realizarions of Anderton. As the story progresses, Anderton realizes the truth and meaning behind the predictions of his crimes, and he uses those realizations to prevent Kaplan from destroying the Precrime headquarters entirely. The setup of the plot in this way allows the reader to follow Anderton in his realizations of the truth. The plot also has a very rapid pace. It does not focus on minute details, but rather gets to the point of what is happening and moves on. This parallels Anderton's fast-paced state of mind as he is suddenly brought into the intense situation and must hastily decide how to deal with it. He does not focus on the details around him, but rather focuses on the major events that are causing the potential problem. In the same way, the story's plot is fast-paced, especially during the times when Anderton is hurried. On page 130, when Anderton is being kidnapped, the story does not reveal many details about the kidnapping. It focuses on his "being dragged through the rent that had been the door." This helps illustrate Anderton's frantic state of mind.
Point of View?
The story is told from third person point of view and focuses on Anderton and the environment around him. The fact that Anderton is the only character that the narrator knows about further emphasizes the mental progressions of Anderton. We immediately know that the point of view is this when we are told that, upon seeing Witwer, Anderton thinks that he is "getting bald. Bald and fat and old" (page 119). This point of view has a further impact when Anderton believes he has been betrayed by "my wife and a younger man" (page 131). The narrator does not reveal that his wife is trying to help in the Precrime lab, so the reader is forced to make the realizations that Anderton does as he makes them. This story focuses on these realizations, and if the narrator was omniscient, then the realizations would not come as a shock to the reader, eliminating the theme of the story. This point of view is essential for the reader to be as oblivious to the goings on as Anderton is.
Characterization$
The characterization of the main character, Anderton is completely indirect. Though there are other characters that are characterized through both direct and indirect, they do not have as large of an impact as Anderton. Anderton is mainly characterized as a hasty yet determined character. This is best shown when he immediately leaves when he sees that he will commit a murder, or when he states "I'm going to murder Kaplan anyhow" (page 146). Though he knows that this act will hurt him and his family, he does it for the better of his program that he started. He is determined that his program will work. He makes hasty decisions that may not be the best, but do ultimately benefit his program. These characteristics are slowly revealed throughout the story. This further goes along with the realizations of truth by Anderton. As he makes knew decisions of what to do, the reader is shown a new aspect of his character. At the end when he leaves with his wife, the story has finally revealed all of his character, just as he has made his final realization of truth.
Setting%
The physical setting of the story has little significance, but the story is set in a different time period. Though most of the story seems like today, the society has been able to harness the thoughts of people who can read the future. They have made these people pretty much machines, taking away all dignity they have. One of Anderton's subordinates is "in charge of the monkey block," which refers to the area of the lab that has the humans that predict the future (page 122). This shows that society has become much less considerate of human dignity. This lack of dignity makes Anderton's realizations that he needs to sacrifice himself for mankind even more noble. He shows dignity to all of the world when most of society does not even show it to the people that help protect them. This realization of the importance of human dignity is yet another realization that Anderton makes regarding the truths of the world around him.
Theme~
As I have stated in every little section of this blog so far, one of the themes of this work is Anderton's realization of the truths around him. He originally sees the majority report and a hoax, but he eventually realizes, on page 149, that, due to his actions, "Kaplan, as the majority report had asserted, was dead." He realized that the majority report was right all along, but not because he was a bad person. He killed Kaplan, because he cared more about his program and the safety of the country than he even knew. He realizes his compassion and willingness to sacrifice as he learns the truths of the reports. These realizations are a major theme of the work. They are not only made by Anderton, but they are simultaneously made by the reader. This further emphasizes that theme. The reader realizes the theme of realizations which hammers home the theme itself. Woah