Battlestar Galactica Review

First off, I would like to mention the cinematography. The thing I really liked about it was it felt really real. As a big editor I focused on all the little things that needed to be fixed, but then I realized, this is the show, the cinematography helps to the atmosphere of the show. A lot of times they have glaring lights that seems to pop out in odd places on the actors bodies or faces, but it makes it feel more real. Some films try too hard at this, or try to little, but watching this, seemed like the perfect amount.

The thing is, the camera is our eyes. Through the camera we have to show people what we want them to see. If we make it boring or the lighting is flat, it won't work. That's not how peoples eyes see things. We see depth. We see shadow. We see only parts of things that are obscured by other people or things but our mind completes it behind them. Our mind corrects what looks funny. Usually when you see cinematography they try to avoid strange looks to begin with which can be good a lot of the time, because it can take you out of the story and the moment. But in Battlestar Galactica, they have the bright lights behind the characters that out shine some of their leg or their nose, but our mind works with it (unless you're an editor like me and you have to point out every little flaw).

The second thing is the editing. Again great. Can't complain. Like I said, what they did adds to the show a whole lot and I wouldn't change it. Of course there were moments where I thought a certain shot lasted to long or too short or it seemed to cut funny but that's going to be in any film or t.v. show. No ones perfect. I did think the animation on the cylons (the robots on the show) could have been better, they seemed kind of fake to me.

Now comes the writing and the story. It was captivating. My dad has been pushing me to watch this for a long time and I never wanted to. And so one day I was painting my nails and thought, I need something to watch. Then when I was flipping through netflx I found and it and thought "why not?". My plan was to just watch one episode. I ended up the next morning, not having slept, and over half a season watched. And mind you, these episodes aren't those 24 minute ones, oh no, the pilot was an hour and a half and the rest were 45 minutes long each. So obviously I was entranced by the first episode. The writing feels natural and gets you attached. It will make you laugh and probably cry and also freak out a bit (or a lot, like I did).

The basic plot (I'm not going to spoil anything for you guys, don't worry) is about this old battle ship and it's commander William Adama. Adama refuses to have cylon (the robots they created) technology integrated into his computer system to improve it and make it faster. This ends up saving them because when the cylons come back for a second war (the first war was when cylons rebelled and killed a lot of people in the first war, then they just looked like big metal machines) the technology that had been placed in the other ships were able to be controlled by the cylons and they shut down the ships and then blasted them to smithereens. This time, they have "evolved", they look human, talk like humans, and are in every way human, except they can't die, they come back to life in a new body, exactly identical to the one that was destroyed.

I feel like the plot fell apart at the end. It seemed like they had to many threads pulling in one direction, but didn't complete so many of them. I think this is because they didn't plan out their ending. They started and just kept writing, hoping it would all come together (see here for more info on planing a plot). The ending could have been very strong, but seem weak to me. I was an ok ending, not one that will make you cry your eyes out, like I was hoping for, but it was alright.

I would still recommend this show to anyone, and probably watch it with them!

-Sirwhovian, Out!

Walter Murch, In the Blink of an Eye

I read a book by Walter Murch, an editor, sound-designer, director and screen writer who worked on Apocalypse Now and many other films. This book was entitled In the Blink of an Eye (there is also a film). If you're an editor or want to become an editor or even intereasted in phycological things, this book is amazing. He combines editing with everyday things like bees and blinking and connects it all together. It's quite amazing how he did it. He really makes you think. I would recomend this book to anyone, because its really fun to watch movies and think about what he said, see for yourself kind of thing. You can also be more aware of who as an actor, becomes the character rather then just acting them out. Good book *****


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Sirwhovian, Out!

Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus Notes

Here are my notes from watching this awful movie for "fun". I wrote these while we watched the film. I think my IQ droped after watching this.



effects bad. animation soooooo bad

acting horrid

dick lines, bad lines.

earthquake acting sucked

bad lighting

music and editing? wtf

typing? the guy looks like he was doing this jkdsfohsafgho[irawspij[h'awerfip[hasdfhjk'dfspij[asfoij[

props, unsteady

random explosions

falling the wrong way and ship moving wrong way when shark jumps up

sounds like they are saying "yay!!!"

a rope fell on chick, now shes dead???? what the hell happened?!!!!! where is the blood coming from?

amo? shooting fireworks?

how are these people dying?

reversed same shot of shark jumping over boat

shark is everywhere at one time

the boat sunk from two hits at the top of it from the shark

cinamatography and editing sucks

ship sunk in two seconds

oh dear god

why did we need to see a pig? which after being killed there is no blood

glowsticks weponrey?

how did she get to the bar with highheels in the jungle?

who is he talking to???? look at her!!!!

sound off and nothing out of the helicopter

what does he battle??????

continutiy error

bench?

how did the crock fit in two feet of water?

same cave

crock drop for no reason?

i want to throw up i hate this thing

sound terrible

oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god. oh god.

SHARKS DONT LAY EGGGGGGGGSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!