Gabrielle Reviews: The Hunger Games

This is what you get when you watch too many survival shows. It doesn't help that our economy and leaders are in the gutter either. How do we fix this problem? It's simple. We make our children kill each other. What fun!

The Hunger Games has many ups and downs. There are parts where it satisfies, and others where it does not. I mean, it's hard to make a movie perfect. However, it's often especially hard to make a movie perfect in a sense that it is close to the book. Now, I'll admit. I only read a bit of the book before seeing the movie, so there isn't a whole lot I can compare. I will try to sum up the films strongest and weakest points based on what I saw.

Let's start with the strengths of the film.

I felt the movie had great settings. The way they had everything from the slums, to the Capitol, to the wilderness was excellent. It was obvious that the world had changed quite a bit in the passed years since what we have currently today.

Another thing that the movie does well is the overall character development. Katniss really grew during the movie. She knew that she had to stay calm in her situation, and the way she stayed by Rue's side when she had passed away and took care of her was emotional and beautiful. Other characters, like Haymitch and Peeta were also well-executed.

Now, of course, a movie will often have its weaknesses.

I felt that it was a shame that the overall time spent in the wilderness was to short. I really wish we could have seen more fight scenes. Then again, a majority of the characters did die at the very beginning of the actual games, both in the film and in the book.

Other than this one flaw, the rest of the movie was actually very enjoyable. This was one of the biggest movies of 2012; and it really deserves the praise that it got from fans and critics. I'd recommend it to anyone who can handle some violence as well as heart-warming or heart-wrenching scenes.

I give the film a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Utopia and Dystopia: The Matrix and The Hunger Games

After watching both The Matrix and The Hunger Games, I can say that both have proved to be great examples of Utopia/ Dystopia. The big question is: "How do the two films compare or contrast to one another?"

Both films use a strong sense of restricted freedom. In The Matrix, the humans are being kept in pods and are being taught to fight and bring use to their abilities. In the Hunger Games, the twelve districts must survive off of little to no resources or food. The Capitol takes two children, one boy and one girl, from each district and places them in the wilderness to fight until one victor is standing. The district that the victor is from will then get supplies and food to feed its people for up to a year. In the end, The Hunger Games, however, manages to pull off the restricted freedom role much easier.

Another major comparison of the two films is the use of surveillance against our characters. Neo always seemed to be followed by the enemy during The Matrix. He would either be forced to fight or to run and return to the ship. Katniss, as well as the other tributes in The Hunger Games, were being carefully watched as they fought each other to the death. Every time a character would die, the Capital could send out little signals to the other players, informing them of those who had died and who remained.

However, the only real difference between both films would be the nature of the two worlds. The Matrix did control earth in some ways, though it wasn't being destroyed. Nobody knew about it except for a few people, such as Neo. In The Hunger Games, however, the children are placed in the wilderness to survive on their own. If they had already known a little about being out in certain terrain, then maybe they would had survived easier. Katniss had wandered out many times to hunt, which gave her an advantage against the other players.

Films: Fact, or Faked?

The assignment for today in Mass Media is to blog about whether or not movies are allowed to be 100% accurate or not based on its history. While some movies are best kept to their exact history, sometimes it is fun to add a bit of "creativity" to a film to make it more interesting.

One of my all-time favorite animated movies is "Princess Mononoke" by Hayao Miyazaki. The film itself is supposed to be set in the late Muromachi period. While war did occur at that time, the movie had some special and unique elements, such as a war not only between man and man, but man and nature. A group of humans that strive for land and prosperity must fight the animal gods of the forest, large beasts that inhabit the surrounding mountains. These gods are led by a human woman named San, who was raised by wolves when her parents abandoned her during an attack by the beasts. She has sworn to protect her land from the humans that invade it. There is also the conflict of a curse in which a young warrior must find a cure for before it eats him alive.

As you may notice, this movie is very much different from the natural history of the war. The creator  added his own twist to the film to add excitement and mystery. Personally, I'm fine with the add-ons in the film. It makes me believe that films can slide with a few tweaks here and there to make it more enjoyable, especially if the film is targeted towards a younger audience. Kids would get bored with most movies if the history was already lacking the excitement that they often crave.

Family Feud is Awesome!

My favorite game show that we watched in Mass Media class was Family Feud. I would give it probably about 4 stars out of 5! It was a game show that involved family team work and thinking about common subjects. The goal of the show was to earn points and money by coming up with ideas based on what something was. For instance: "Name something that people possess most." Then they would answer and if it was correct, they'd get points. The audience was very lively in the show, saying the answer when it showed up on the board when they would get it wrong. Overall, it was a fun show to watch and kids especially will get a kick out of how insane some of the answers are.

Mass Media Commercials

Okay, so we watched our commercials today in Mass Media. There were some that stood out more than others.
Ours was the one with the clay monster that tried to get the energy drink. I won't brag too much, but I'd say ours had some of the most effort. It took time to actually get the monster to move as a gif. I was the only one in the shot during the commercial since both my other two teammates did mainly stuff off screen like shooting it and editing it. They did a great job and I feel our commercial was a big success!

Another one that stood out to me was the makeup commercial! I laughed so hard during this segment my eyes teared up a bit. It was so goofy in a good way. Plus when you have Rick Astley playing in the background nothing goes wrong.

The last commercial that stood out to me was the Pepsi commercial featuring Darth Vader. Well done to the three guys who put this all together. It was clever and made me chuckle. Now if only they had all been in Star Wars costumes. That would be even more hilarious. Especially if one of the "guys" dressed up as Princess Leia.

5 Memorable Super Bowl Commercials [2013]

5. Get in. Get happy. Volkswagen [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H0xPWAtaa8 ]

This commercial put a smile on my face. I love how the guy is just so cheerful. Being someone who has been told they smile alot, I feel like I can relate to the guy in the commercial. Also, it bugs me with the whole controversial issue that this commercial is racist. It most certainly is not. It's just some dude being laid back and having a good time.

4. Prom- Audi [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANhmS6QLd5Q ]

This is a commercial that can appeal to a younger audience. The boy gets the keys to this awesome car, drives to prom, parks in the principle's spot, walks in, kisses the prom queen like a boss, and even takes a beating to the eye by prom king. You know what he does next? He drives away like he accomplished something! This kid's got guts, haha!

3. Fashionista Daddy- Doritos [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmhhbJIBoNs ]

I think this is one of the cutest and most histarical commercials I've seen. I especially love how at the end, all of the dad's friends join in on the little girl's "princess party." A very confused and mildly disturbed mom walks in, not sure how to comprehend the whole situation of seeing big, burly men dressed in tutus and crowns and whatnot.

2. Brotherhood- Budweiser [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2prAccclXs ]

This one was a hard choice. It was between this and "God Made a Farmer". However, that one can just have it's own number two place somewhere else. This commericial is sentimental on friendship and how it should always be strong, no matter how far away you are. The rancher and the horse both share exactly this relationship.

1. OREO [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufu5sqJh24Q ]

I'm not even 100% sure why I liked this commercial so much. Perhaps it was the fact that people don't have to be loud or bombastic to be funny? I find the whispering to be absolutely hilarious, especially when the cops bust in through the wall. It's fun to see all of the chaos around them being the only loud sounds in the whole thing.

One Text Kills in a Heartbeat

In Mass Media today, our teacher showed us a video about what happens when you text and drive. I had already seen the video once before in College Career Readiness class, though still paid the attention it respected. This is an important message that needs to be spoken of to not only teens, but many adults alike.

One story that really got to me was when a girl sent a text while she was driving on the freeway. Her car flipped over to the side of the road and she even flew out of her car into a ditch during it. Her family and friends were celebrating what would have been her nineteenth birthday. However, one important person was missing from the occasion. It was the victim.

Another thing that scares me about this subject is that it doesn't only refer to teens. Adults nowadays have even started to sneak little texts here and there to their kids while driving. You are supposed to be an example of not to do this, and yet you do. Why can't you just text your kids before you leave or after you've arrived at your destination? This applies to you as well, teens.

If you want to help prevent yourself from dying or getting critically injured, here are some personal tips that might help.

1. As well as sending a text message, drinking can also lead to car crashes. So if you're 21 or older, drink responsibly and don't drive. Make sure you have a designated driver with you who will be drinking less or not at all.

2. Set boundaries on your phone use. Only use it when you are not driving.

3. Call or text someone before you leave in the car. If it is really an emergency, pull over to a gas station or some other area where you're car won't be moving, such as a rest stop.




Don't text and drive. It can wait.