Sunday, November 28, 2010

And So the Chronicle Continues...

   Now as the last post started by saying that I finally had a revelation, and found the inspiration I was looking for, I have decided to write on the topic of The Chronicles of Riddick.  The second film starts off pretty much right where the first one ends.  Vin Diesel had escaped from the desolate planet along with the rest of the survivors, and now is getting closer and closer to reaching the capital city of the regime which had him sent to die.  The path to the throne, however, is more dangerous than at first anticipated, and Riddick is faced with many perilous encounters, and certain death, as he attempts to take down the chain of command which is taking over city by city, race by race, and breaking all in their way to follow them, or die.  At the end of the film, the climatic fight ends, with Riddick having killed the next in line to ruling the regime, and now sitting in the throne, being hailed as the leader of the dark nation.  Although this can be a fairly confusing ending, one which I didn't understand when I first watched it, it can be assessed as the pivitol moment where the good guy crosses the line, and follows suit with all that the original bad guy's strived to do.  The question arises: has Riddick now become the very think, the very symbol which he had tried to destroy his entir life?  The only way to answer this question for yourself is to watch it just the same as I did, and come to your own comclusion.  I feel that, as I felt with Inception, the unconcluded ending, leaving only questions and no answers, gives the film a sense of adventure, and allows the viewer to take out of the film whatever he felt was necessary to come to a substantial conclusion.  As for the third and final film in the series, it was a brilliantly animated comic book style movie, which, although not following the original story line, it sort of played on the more playful and action packed side of the series, and less on the dark gloomy side.  Over all however, it was a great film, and one which I would recommend as a must see.

...And My Mind Was Pitch Black

   So, as I was sitting on my couch, trying to think of what to write to make up for my week and a half of having no internet connection, and no way to write or post my blogs, I decided to do three posts on the Chrinicles of Riddick, films, starring Vin Diesel as the main charactar, Riddick.  The first of the three films was called Pitch Black, and although I didn't watch it first, as I should have to completely understand the second film, it was an epic masterpiece of suspense and blood-pumping action nonetheless.  The film takes place on a lushly landscaped and deserted planet, on which lives various disturbingly dangerous and ferocious creatures, set out to kill anything that moves.  Lucky for the films lead players, they are stuck there with no way to escape... wait, did I say lucky? They are forced to stay on the planet's surface and wait for a trasnport ot come and save them from their gloomy and painful fate.  Now, despite being filled with an amazing story full off intense and suspenseful moments, leaving you at the edge of your seat, waiting to see if the survivors will escape alive, or succumb to the inevitable fates awaiting them on the surface, the film was filled with an amazing story, as well as some very memorable twists.  All of these twists then lead into the next two films, adding to the depth and power of the story, as well as to the history behind the notorious Riddick.  This is a great film, and one that can best be enjoyed first, before starting the second installment into the series, The Chronicles of Riddick.

ERROR: Internet Connection Was Lost... Wait, What?!

   So, if you have been wondering why I haven't been posting for the past couple of weeks, there is a very logical and yet very frustrating answer.  As of two weeks ago, on the ninth of November to be exact, my lapatops wifi-connection went down, and couldn't be fixed for a week.  So, having just gotten my PC back from the local computer shop this morning, I decided to attempt what may seem impossible.  This feat involves trying to write and make up the past four blog posts, which are to be due tonight, at the stroke of midnight.  I know there was only supposed to be one post per day, but I hope my professor will be a little lenient and allow all of these from one day.  So, here goes this almost impossible stunt, and the only think stopping me from continuing at the moment is the ever resilient "writer's block."  I know there are millions of films I could write about, but none of them have come to mind, and I am still sitting here, waiting for the inspiration to spark a light, and turn on that brilliant light bulb resting over my head.  Oh wait, was that only in cartoons?  Anyway, I hope I can think of something soon, because the longer I sit here, the longer I have to watch the seconds tick away, slowly catching up to the looming stroke of midnight.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Anti-Social Network

   Watching the, The Social Network, has brought up one major problem which I feel needs to be considered.  Now, considering the fact that I am an avid facebooker, I probably have no place to say such things, but in my overall opinion, I feel that the whole facebook boom that has taken place over the last few years has lead to a sort of anti-social atmosphere to the world of friendshisp, and, even in some cases, relationships.  I have had numerous friends who have broken up with their girlfriends on facebook, or, even, in somewhat rarer cases, met girlfriends on facebook, and never even met with them in person, before breaking up with them on facebook.  For many, I feel they see facebook as more of a dating website, as it was originally intended to be, in the sense that, it is like the easy way out of doing the hard things in life, such as actually talking to people in person, and having to get to know them the old fashioned way.  I can see where the it can be easily used to get in touch with old high school buddies, or even relatives from across the country, but when it becomes a person's main source of communication to the outside world, I see it then on the same level as such virtuality reality computer games as, namely, Second Life.  In this game, every one creates an avatar, almost as like in The Sims, but instead of simply being in a small, virtual world, you are apart of "the gird," a world populated by avatars created by people from all over the world.  Basically, you can live your second life, without ever having to leave the confines of your own computer chair.  The same sort of lifestyle is shown throught the Bruce Willis film, Surrogates, where everyone is locked away in their homes, and living their lives through what are called surrogates.  They are robotic representaions of the humans, which are controlled by the human counterpart in their own home, in the specailly designed chairs.  This, once again, takes away the social aspect of life, and gives the users the easy way out of having to ingeract with real people in the real world.  Now, I know  no one really uses facebook as their only source of real world interaction, and I also know that these two examples are very drastic and, referring to the latter, somewhat unrealistic, but, if this trend of online social networks continues to grow, the possiblities are virtually endless, and, one day, the laptop that I am typing this blog up on could become my only source of real world knowledge and experience.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

The Social Network

  This past weekend, I ventured off to see, The Social Network, starring Jesse Eisenberg.  Although it sounds as though it would be a boring history of the creation and development of facebook, it is actually a highly entertaining film of wits and treachery.  It follows the creator of facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, through his beginnings as a computer geek at Harvard, all the way to becoming the youngest billionaire in the history of billionaires (excluding kings, and aristocracy of old, of course).  As the movie poster declares, however, "You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies."  This proves true for Zuckerberg, who, along the way of establishing facebook around the world, he is accused of and sued for stealing the facebook idea, and loses his best friend in a battle of ownership over the company.  The question arises then of, if there was so much lost in the process, was the creation of this revolutionary idea really that great and beneficial for Mark?  Yes, he made billions of dollars, yes he became the worlds youngest billionaire, and yes he revolutionized the way the world communicates via the Internet, but, I would, if I were in his situation, rather have friends to support me, than a billion dollars to pay all my enemies off.  And, no, the 500 million friends don't count as real friends, considering he know's absolutely none of them.  Now that I have finished ranting, and asking these very important questions, I would like to get your feed back on this portion, before I go on with my main point (and somewhat of a tangent) regarding facebook as a whole.  If you have any comments, please feel free to post them, even if you are just posting simply to satisfy the class requirements.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

It's Actually a Really Good Story

   This past Saturday, I headed off to the Movie Theatre with my girlfriend, looking forward to seeing the new Horror thriller Paranormal Activities 2, only to be met by a line out the door, and around the fountain at the Long Beach Town Center.  We thought about just waiting it out, but... we just decided to see something else, and not waste four hours of our lives, waiting to be let in to see the trailers, and trying to make simplistic and incoherent small talk with the people waiting around us.  After scouring the movie board for an alternative, our eyes fell upon, It's Kind of a Funny Story, starring, most importantly, Zach Galifianakis as Bobby, Keir Gilchrist as Craig, and Emma Roberts as Noelle.  We thought it may be entertaining, or at least slightly comical, so we gave it a shot.  From the previews, we figured all of the funniest scenes were already shown, and that the rest of the film would be stupid comments and remarks, one after another, with no real back bone to the story, other than a guy who puts himself into a mental hospital, and meets a girl there, and they fall in love... basically a boy meets girl story, with a slightly dark overtone.  Much to our surprise, however, it turned out to be a pretty funny movie, with many moments of uncontrolled laughter, and lined with enough depth to the story, allowing the viewer to fall in love with the characters, and root for them, laugh with them, and cry with them, from start to finish.  Through the film, the central lesson Bobby wants Craig to learn is to simply, "Live."  He tells Craig that if he were in his situation, there would be no end to what he would do.  His youth is his advantage in life, because he hasn't done anything to ruin his life yet, and he can still choose who he wants be in the world.  I feel this message is very applicable to many teens the world around, and i feel that this film did a great job of showing the youth of the world that the future is ours, and, in the grand scheme of things, all we need to do now is, "Live!."

Friday, October 15, 2010

Oh, Why Don't You Just Grow Up?

As a child, watching Disney's Peter Pan, brought me to the conclusion that adults were all like the notorious Captain Hook, who preyed upon the children, and tried his very best to ruin their lives, simply because he was no longer a child, and was envious of the fun they had every single day. Now, don't worry, I am not going to go on with an analysis about how Captain Hook was simply a sad old man who wished he could live once again as the children do, and that he shouldn't be blamed for all the wicked things he did. No, I feel that to commit such a heinous crime would be to do a treacherous act toward the world of children films. The beauty of Disney movies, in particular, is the fact that they all follow the same sort of plot lines, and twists, and yet, in the end, each and every movie ends up having it's own unique vibe which sets it apart from all the others, and even teaches it's very own life lesson which, no matter how old you are, can always be used to help you through any applicable situation that may arise. In the case of Peter Pan, for instance, we are taught the life lesson of never forgetting our childhood. Yes, we may grow old, and have to live in the real world for most of our adult lives, but, every now and again, it is not a bad idea to try to be a kid again. Try new things, and never stop using your imagination! I even feel it is safe to say that many parents forget this lesson once they have kids, because every time their child does something that may be somewhat more adventuresome, they treat it as a horrid act, and one which must be stopped, and replaced with some form of punishment. I feel many adults forget what it was like to be a kid, and forget that many of the things their kids do are the exact same things they once did, as well. The second we stop using our imagination, the second we lose what it meant to be as free as a kid, or even teenager, we stop living, and simply start doing. Although maybe not what most kids see when they watch Peter Pan, I feel that as a young adult, the message which was originally intended for us to see, was that we need to never lose our inner child, because when that happens, we end up dying inside of ourselves, and can no longer see the true beauties of life on this amazing planet.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

I Am... ummm... Apocalyptic Comedy?

    Imagine a world, where you are the last surviving human being, to the best of your knowledge, surrounded by creatures who you once called your fellow man. Now, imagine a world where you are the last of a few people who are all out for themselves, and no matter who they are, or what they do to help you, everyone always stabs the other in the back, simply fighting for their own survival, and the ability to, “Enjoy the Little Things.” (Rule #32)” This is the cruel and yet fairly picturesque world in the comedic horror flick from 2009, entitled, Zombieland. After a virus infects most of the human population (except for a few lucky souls, including the infamous Bill Murray of, Ghostbusters, and, The Caddie Shack, fame), Columbus, a sheltered and very shy teenager from Ohio, is busy trying to survive the Zombie Apocalypse, as well as creating a list of things to do along the way, in order to survive in the deadly world of Zombies. On his journeys, he meets up with a man named Tallahassee, who is from Florida, and thrives on killing zombies. To put it simply, if you were ever to be the lucky person (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) to survive the onslaught of the immanent Zombie Apocalypse, he is the man you would want at your side. “Nuff' said.” Although he can be very temperamental, and has a man-crush/bro-mance thing going on with his idol, Bill Murray, he is a living dead killing aficionado, who has seen it all, including a lady dropping a piano on a zombie. How epic is that, right? WRONG! At one point, he kills a slightly overweight zombie, I like to call Hungry Jack, using only a pair of hedge shears. Can anyone, in their best British accent of course, say, “Off with his head?” Throughout the film, he teaches Columbus a very crucial lesson in surviving the Zombie filled world, which I feel even has note-worthy applications to today's non-Zombie filled world. And no, the guy sitting to your right isn't a Zombie... he's just playing Farm-ville. As I have stated above, Columbus' deemed, Rule #32, states, “Enjoy the Little Things.” Yes, in the film, this involved destroying abandoned shops and cars, and shooting Zombies until there is nothing left but a pile of black, slightly molding guts (“Double Tap” (Rule #2), but today, this can simply mean to go out and do something which you have never done before. Or, even as Tallahassee attempts to do throughout the movie, enjoy the simple pleasure of a lightly fried, and awe-inspiringly delicious, Hostess Twinkie. So, the moral of the story is, go out there, non-infected people of the world, and enjoy the small things which keep you sane throughout the hectic days of school and work. And, as Columbus always reminds us, please, “Check the Back Seat,” and, “Wear Seat Belts,” (Rules #31 & 4).

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Gat... Goddi... Gattik... Wait, How Do You Spell It, Again?

   Despite it's strange spelling, Gattaca, a science fiction film centered upon the science and future dangers, per say, of genetic engineering, is a movie which seemingly slipped under the radar.  Released in 1997, making it over 13 years old now, arrived at some interesting questions regarding the sciences of changing and "designing" the genetic make up of people before they are born.  Vincent Freeman, the main character, and the older of the Freeman sons, was conceived and born, against the better judgement of the Geneticist's (the main geneticist being Blair Underwood), naturally, with out any genetic engineering, causing him to be susceptible to various diseases, including asthma.  As a child, and young adult, he was very sickly, and, after his parents had a second child named Anton, who was genetically altered, was always seen as inferior by his parents and his younger brother.  To sum it up, Anton was determined to be an astronaut, and Vincent was forced into a life of medial jobs including becoming a janitor.  The climax, of sorts, brings up many questions, however.  At one point in the movie, the two Freeman brothers are racing each other in the ocean, when Anton begins drowning, and Vincent wins the race.  Once he realizes Anton is not next to him, he returns to rescue him, and drags him back to shore.  Instead of being thankful, Anton is disgusted, not at Vincent, but rather at himself, for having lost to his "inferior" brother, and having to be rescued by him as well.  This pivotal moment shows how, even though he may be perfect on the outside, Anton is quite conflicted and, to put it bluntly, sick, on the inside.  This may even be deemed a superiority complex, in his case.  This is seen once again when, a few days before he is about to launch off into space, Anton kills himself, because he can no longer live with himself, now that he sees himself as a failure, and, inferior to his, so-called, "inferior" brother.  Looking at this reaction, it makes me wonder if being "perfect," is all that great in the end.  Being human is to be imperfect, and to consider one self to be perfect is to simply set yourself up for disappointment.  Now, although I could go on for much longer, I'd rather give you all a chance to think about this for yourself, and maybe comment with some of your ideas.  Also, what I have discussed only covers about half of the movie, and I do not feel I should continue discussing the second half.  Considering this film is slightly older, and, as I mentioned before, seemed to fly under the radar, I feel it would be better if you were to watch it for yourself.

Friday, October 1, 2010

One Ring to Rule them All

   After having read my previous post, I felt as though I could have gone more in depth into certain aspects of the review, such as the concept of the Ring, which, as the title suggests, is sort of the key object to the development of the story.  The Ring, "to rule them all," was originally created from the firey lava that flows deep within the volcano named "Orodruin," or Mount Doom. This ring was used to eventually control the actions of the different rulers across the land of Middle Earth, including, but not limited to, the race of Men, Elves, and Dwarves.  All of which were given rings, or the "Rings of Power," which were supposed to help them become more powerful leaders, but, as we find thorughout the course of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, they eventually led to the downfall of almost all the rulers.  Now, looking back further into the timeline of the world of Middle Earth, after Elendil (who formed the final alliance between men and elves) killed Sauron in the Great Battle, his son, Isuldar, took up his broken sword, along with the One Ring which he cut off of Sauron's dead hand.  He was killed on his journey home, when, while trying to escape, he was killed by a band of orcs, and teh ring fell to it's resting place at the bottom of a river, and was not found until around the time slightly before the events of The Hobbit.  Smeagle, a Hobbit, as is found out later, found it while fishing, and ended up falling victim to the Ring's magical power to take over the beings will power.  He lived out most of the remainder of his life in a dark cavernous lake, until the ring was stolen by Bilbo Baggin's, Frodo's uncle, in The Hobbit.  We can see the apparent obsession with the ring even by the way Smeagle reacts after the ring is stolen.  He cries day and night, for, "his Precious."  Even later on, after Frodo is asked to take the Ring to the Mount Doom to destroy the Ring in the fires which it was created, he is affected by the ring, and is constantly tormented by the Ring's power to try and take over the holder's mind and will power.  The Ring's single goal is to return to it's dark master, Sauron.  The Ring's power can be seen also by the fact that not even Gandalf, one of the more powerful "good" wizards in Middle Earth, can touch the Ring, because, even though is strong, the Ring could make him even stronger, but at the same time coruupt his mind and will, and make him turn evil.  It would make it easier to think of the Ring as, say, a part of Sauron himself.  It is an entity of infinite evil, which has one goal, and only one goal: to return to it's master, and be used as a tool to gain Dominion over the world of Middle Earth.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Will the Real Epic of Epic Epicness, Please Stand Up?

   First of all, no, this is not a review or biography of Eminem, or a look into the imaginative world of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.  It is, in fact a look into what made one of th greatest films of all time so amazingly, well, epic.  In my mind, this movie stands out there above the rest, because, as was brought up a blog  read the other day, it simply has inspired a generation of writers and film-makers to create, and turn their dreams into reality.  The Lord of the Rings, which was originally written by J.R.R. Tolkein, the master of fantasy and epic literature, and then directed for the sliver screen by Peter Jackson, tells the tale of a young hobbit named Frodo, who must take a ring, or, rather, "One Ring to rule them all," to Mordor, to destroy it in teh same firey volcano in which it was created.  The journey starts in the homely Shire, or the home for these certain hobbits, and then takes him through practiaclly all of Middle Earth, which was J.R.R. Tolkein's world of imagination, slightly paralleing our own.  Now, what stands out isn't necessarily simply the awesome cast, and beautiful scenes and locations (which were pretty much all filmed in New Zealand), but rather the fact that, for those of us who have dedicated ourselves to reading the books, including The Hobbit, and the various other books pertaining to the history of Middle Earth, the films followed the original story, down to some of the most miniscule details, and told the story exactly how J.R.R. Tolekein had originally written it.  While watching teh movie, all of teh locations, from the Shire, to Helm's Deep, and even Rivendale, fall into place, and actually seem to perfectly reflect the ideas and perceptions conceived while reading the novels.  For instance, as afore mentioned, at the huge built-out-of-the-side-of-a-mountain stronghold, named Helm's Deep, the battle scene which erupted between the 10,000+ large army of Sauron, the great evil ruler of Mordor, who now only lives in the form of a blazing eye atop his tower, ever since he was defeated by a human soldier during the Great Battle for Middle Earth in the pre-Lord of the Rings timeline, and the rest of the coalition force of Middle Earth, brought to life the power and might of of the battle, which was so gloriously described though the novel.  One of the most awestriking and powerful moments, in my opinion, happens during this battle, and, as seen in terms of the plot and story, pushes it further into the climax, which is built upon through all three movies, and books alike.  When all hope is seemingly lost, the Elven army arrives, and walks majestically up the walkway to the core of the stronghold, putting aside all previous greivances, ready to fight along side the forces of man, as they once did many ages ago.  Then, to show the more beautiful and majestic side of the film, I turn my attention to the hidden Elven city of Rivendale, which is situated somehwere within a valley in Middle Earth, and adorned with a mighty, yet gentle waterfall and river.  It is a city filled with beuaty, which has never before been shown though any other medium than the author's pen and paper, when J.R.R. Tolkein created it in the development of Middle Earth.  It is also filled with history and lore, which is brought to life through the brilliant artisty behind the film's production and direction, as it has the sword which was used to kill Sauron, and many other writings of old.  Also, considering the fact that it is home to Elrond, the wise and seemingly young looking Elven leader, who was around all the way back during the Great Battle for Middle Earth, which took place many ages before the timeline of the Ring.  Over all, the Lord of the Ring trilogy tells the story of J.R.R. Tolkein's Middle Earth, and it's battle to save it from the power of Sauron and the Ring of power, both masterfully, and epicly.  As a movie which isnpired a whole generation, and will inspire and entertain many more to come, it is a masterpiece, and is, in my opinion, and the opinion of many others, to best and most emotional and, well, epic, cinematic feature to ever bless the silver screen.  And, if anyone feels as though I haven't thouroughly talked about everything that made the film great, I apologize, but to perform such a feat as that would require a lifetime, as J.R.R. Tolkein himself devoted to the creation of this amazing journey and story.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Dream a Little Bigger, Descartes Dares You

   Now, before I begin, I would just like to say that if you haven't seen, Inception, yet, this may spoil the ending, or a few of the key twists throughout this theatrical masterpiece.  However, considering that practically everyone and their Grandmother have seen the movie already, if YOU haven't, then it's about time you figured out what all the hype was about.  As a piece of entertainment, this movie satisfied the whole way through, and kept it's viewers on the edge of their seats.  Going deeper, on an artistic level, it surpassed all expectations, in my opinion, and, in a way, turned out to be more of a follow up to Descartes's, "Meditations," than a movie.  One of the key concepts in this great philosopher's essay was the idea that, even though we may think we are awake, we may really be sleeping, and, when we are dreaming, we are actually awake.  This concept was seen in the movie when, after being tasked with planting a thought inside the dream of another man (Cillian Murphy), Cobb, played by the great Leonardo DiCaprio, visits a friend who shows him a room full of people, sleeping on cheap hospital beds, all connected to a device I will simply refer to as the, dream machine.  When asked about what they were doing, man  replied that they were dreaming, and that, because they "dreamt" so much, their dreams had become their reality.  This statement made me wonder if, in all honesty, we look at reality backwards, and what we perceive to be true, is simply a figment of our imaginations.  What if, every morning, when we get up to go to school or work, we are really dreaming, and none of it is real?  This simple concept rips a whole into everything we know and perceive to be real, and destroys all knowledge and logic in the world.  In "Meditations," Descartes's attempts to use this very concept to dissolve all scientific knowledge, in order to bring himself one step closer to denying and proving everything he believed untrustworthy.  Maybe he was onto something... or maybe he was just off his rocker, but, I'd much rather like to believe that one of Philosophies greatest minds had some amount of sanity to his name.  The film, Inception, took this idea a step farther when Cobb discusses how after coming out of a dream within a dream, within a dream, and the limbo dream state which followed, his wife, Mal, played by Marion Cotillard, didn't believe that they were actually out of the dream, and she was determined to kill herself to get out.  In her insanity, she stumbled upon territory that was reminiscent of the dreamers who believed that their dreams were reality, and their real lives were their dreams.  I feel that, even if she had been right, she would still feel as though the "real" world which she tried so hard to get to, was still a dream.  I would like to call this, the Dream Paradox.  The Dream Paradox is simply a way I like to refer to the idea that, even though we think we may be awake, we really may still be asleep, just simply in another lower level dream.  To conclude, I would like to take a look at the ending of the movie.  The very ending seen is a close up of Mal's top, which she, and now Cobb, use to tell if they are in a dream or in reality.  if the top falls, they are supposed to be awake, but if it keeps spinning, it is supposed to signify that they are still in a dream.  As it is spinning the camera gets closer and closer, until suddenly... a black screen which leads into the credits.  Now, referring back to the dream paradox, it also works for when a person doesn't want to believe that he/she is still asleep and dreaming.  In a dream, anything in and out of reality is fair game, and, i don't see why, if you want to believe that you are in a dream still, the top wouldn't simply topple over because you wanted it to.  By the same token, the whole movie could have been within a dream, and, then, to follow suit, the couple hours i spent watching it could have been within a dream, and the movie could not even exist, for all  we know.  It is in my opinion, that Cobb was still in the dream at the end of the movie, but, hey, it's only my opinion, and it could all simply be a part of my own dream... or is it reality???

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Introduction: The Movie Method

   There are plenty of blogs out there devoted to simply critiquing movies, and giving opinions on which are to be the summer's next, "must-see," and which should be tossed into the trash can, or, even worse, put onto the shelf next to movies by the infamous, and equally egotistical, Ed Wood.  This is all fine and dandy, of course, for those who see nothing more in a movie than a few good memorable lines, and a happy feel good ending, sure to send you home with that warm fuzzy feeling inside we all know and love.  Movies, however, are no more entertainment, than they are works of art.  Every movie, whether the suspense thriller of the year, the psychological mind-bender of the century, or the chick flick of last week, all have one thing in common.  They were all created by brilliant minds (some more brilliant than others, mind you), and with the intent to lure you away from reality, and into their worlds of wonder and enchantment.  Whether it's Francis Ford Coppola's, The Godfather, taking you down into the dark world of the Italian Mafia, along side such memorable characters as Don Corleone, and his Son/Don-to-be, Michael Corleone, or George Lucas', Star Wars, launching you out into outer space with Luke Skywalker, as he is thrust into the conflict between the Republic and the evil Empire, the worlds in which these stories take place take what we know to be reality, and, if only for a couple hours (or more, as with such classics as, The Shawshank Redemption), bend it until we can no longer tell what is real and what is all imagination.  This is the true beauty of Cinema, and, it is my opinion that, behind every story, are many remarkable concepts, plots, and ideas, which can spark thought, and change how we perceive everyday events and dilemmas, even after we walk out of the movie theatre.  As the title suggests, I have concluded that, even after a movie ends, the lights come back on, and you realize that you have stepped in hundreds of other peoples spent gum, there is a so-called, "Method," behind movies in how the Writer and Director force the mind to think deeper into the film, and, if never come to a complete and true answer, at least spark the curiosity which is still young and thriving in the every man and woman's mind.  It is my goal to point out the many small, and maybe even slightly minuscule, points of interest in the movies of today, yesterday, and tomorrow, and give insight into the mysteries which lurk behind the velvet curtain, on that magnificent silver screen, we call the movie theatre.