The film Gravity starts with a shot of earth. It's a big blue planet that fills the darkness of space. We hear radio chatter. And slowly from the right comes the space shuttle Explorer. This gentle, poetic scene lasts much longer than many scenes in modern films which would favor fast cutting. Such a scene would drive directors like Michael Bay or J.J. Abrams crazy for its slowness. But that's the beauty of Gravity. Director Alfonso Cuarón (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) is unafraid of letting a fascinating visual speak rather than worry about the audience getting bored. And the great thing about this movie is that Cuarón uses many such shots.
Gravity starts with the space shuttle Explorer attached to the Hubble telescope. Astronauts Matt Kowalski, (George Clooney) who has a penchant for retelling stories about his love life and Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) are repairing the telescope. The Russians destroy one of their satellites and the debris starts to destroy other satellites thereby sending more debris into space. Some of this debris destroys the Explorer. Astronauts Kowalski and Stone are stranded. Their only way to survive is to make their way to the International Space Station which has been evacuated due to accident. The hope is that one of the Soyuz ships is still there.
The movie's screenplay by Alfonso Cuarón and Jonás Cuarón is well written with good character development. The movie has many taut, exciting moments. But much of this film works because of Cuarón's direction. As stated before, he's not worried that the audience will get bored and use camera gymnastics to keep the interest. There are many long, epic scenes without fast cutting. I love it the way the camera follows the floating astronauts. Cuaron also creates disorientation when characters are hurled into space due to the lack of gravity. Cuarón's eye for action set pieces is also logical so you know what is happening without dialogue. And kudos to the special effects team. You really feel as if Gravity was filmed in space. I also appreciate the small nods to other science fiction movies such as Alien and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Also welcome are the gentle metaphors to the family of man.
As for Sandra Bullock, this might be her finest work. She demonstrates fear without hysteria. There's sadness, despair, love, bravery and hope in her performance.
The movie does have some flaws. Much of the live action was shot in 2D. The CGI shots look to be shot native. So it's a hybrid. I agree with film critic Roger Ebert. You cannot make a 2D movie look like 3D. Without the 3D camera rig, you can't capture the light, shadow, angles, nooks and crannies. It's a pop up book. And you can tell in the live action scenes. The CGI works but frankly it's not special enough for me to recommend. Floating 3D pens don't mesh with 2D live action. You pay a premium for 3D. There are some neat shots with depth showing astronauts among the stars but that's about it. Go ahead and see this movie in 2D.
And without giving the plot away, the last twenty minutes will ask you to suspend disbelief. I mean you're going to have say to yourself as you watch the ending of this movie that there's luck, miracles or God. But maybe that's the point.
Gravity is a visually stunning and exciting science fiction movie. The grade is A.
Teaser trailer.
Friday, October 4, 2013
Stephen Colbert mocks Bill O' Reilly
Fox News' Bill O' Reilly claims that the Holy Spirit told him to write the book, "Killing Jesus." This is great comic fodder for Stephen Colbert who uses his special brand of sarcasm to rip O'Reilly a new one. Hilarious stuff.
The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Video Archive
Grand Theft Auto V: "Minor Turbulence" Gold medal tips
Getting the Gold medal for the Grand Theft Auto V mission "Minot Turbulence" is not that hard. What's hard is getting to that point where you have to complete the requirements. This post will cover the mission and if you fly the plane correctly, you should be able to get the Gold Medal on the first try.
First, prepare for this mission. I suggest you buy or find some armor for Trevor who's going to do the mission. Then make sure his pistol has enough ammo. Yes, we're going to use the pistol to take out enemies. I'll tell you why later in this post.
Okay. Let's get to the section of the mission where you have to fly a biplane crop duster and follow a huge cargo jet. This is the hardest thing about the mission. Why? Because flying planes in Grand Theft Auto games suck. They've always been hard to control. I don't know what rocket scientist at Rockstar thought let's put planes back in after San Andreas. And don't get me started on trying to land a plane in any Grand Theft Auto game.
Now you have to fly low so the radar from the military base doesn't detect you. If you fly too high for too long, the base scrambles jets and that's the end of your mission because they light you up with air to air missiles. Anyway follow the jet and stay low. Watch out for trees. Running into a tall tree is like hitting a mountain with a plane. Eventually your partner Ron tells you can climb and meet the jet.
The point is that you're going to fly you plane into back of the cargo jet. Sounds ridiculous and unrealistic? Yes it is. Once you get close, the jet lowers its rear door and a soldier starts firing a machine gun at you. But it gets worse. As much as this is a totally unrealistic way to get on board the jet, they add a dose of realism to make life hell for you. The jet's engines cause turbulence when you approach, causing you to frequently lose control as you try to crash your plane into the rear door of the jet.
Here's some tips. As you approach the open door on the back of the jet, stay low. Try to line your plane up. Aim low. Try to fly your plane into the opened door which is lower part of the black opening. Look at the video below from Grand Theft Auto Series Videos at about the nine minute thirty mark. Also as you're approaching the jet, don't jerk or move the joystick in large movements. Small, gentle movements.
If correctly done, a cutscene takes over. The plane crashes into the cargo hold. And you're in cover. There are two requirements for the Gold Medal. Let's go over each one.
1. Accuracy. You must finish with a shooting accuracy of at least 80 percent. There are armed guards on this plane. This is why I use the pistol. It takes about three shots to shots to kill a guard. If you use five bullets to kill an enemy your accuracy suffers since you're shooting at a dead body. Using an assault rifle is nice but you can fire too many bullets. The pistol is not automatic so you make your shots count. Use auto aim. And stay in cover. Pop out and put rounds into live enemies.
When the above cutscene ends, you're in cover behind a crate. There's one guard in front of you, one in front of a jeep and another with a shotgun moving on your position. Okay, use auto aim and put a round in each. One bullet knocks them down but doesn't kill them. Keep shooting a round into them until these three guys are dead. Use your HUD to tell you if they're dead. Watch out for the shotgun guard. He'll kill you quickly if you let him get too close.
Stay in cover. The jeep to your right, rolls off the plane leaving a kill zone. Now wait for the other guards to charge. I knock them down with one shot. Then let them get up. I shoot them again until they're dead. Eventually you've taken out all of the guards in the cargo hold.
Now advance. Watch out for rolling jeeps. The sequence is the jeep to your left rolls off. Then the jeep to the right, leaving a jeep behind it. You're going to use that jeep to get the next requirement.
Now climb to the cockpit. There's the pilot with a gun. Don't hesitate. Shoot him. It knocks him down. As he gets up, fire another shot. Keep putting one bullet into him until he's dead.
2. Four Wheel Flier. Okay, you've killed the pilot and take over the plane. However as you make your way across Los Santos, you're attacked by jets. Nothing to do here but bail out. After getting hit with air to air missiles, your now in the cargo hold with a parachute.
Get into the jeep or SUV or Mesa. Drive it off the plane. Then jump out of the SUV. Sometime later deploy parachute. Land safely. Gold Medal earned.
Yeah, this guy is really good. Really good.
First, prepare for this mission. I suggest you buy or find some armor for Trevor who's going to do the mission. Then make sure his pistol has enough ammo. Yes, we're going to use the pistol to take out enemies. I'll tell you why later in this post.
Okay. Let's get to the section of the mission where you have to fly a biplane crop duster and follow a huge cargo jet. This is the hardest thing about the mission. Why? Because flying planes in Grand Theft Auto games suck. They've always been hard to control. I don't know what rocket scientist at Rockstar thought let's put planes back in after San Andreas. And don't get me started on trying to land a plane in any Grand Theft Auto game.
Now you have to fly low so the radar from the military base doesn't detect you. If you fly too high for too long, the base scrambles jets and that's the end of your mission because they light you up with air to air missiles. Anyway follow the jet and stay low. Watch out for trees. Running into a tall tree is like hitting a mountain with a plane. Eventually your partner Ron tells you can climb and meet the jet.
The point is that you're going to fly you plane into back of the cargo jet. Sounds ridiculous and unrealistic? Yes it is. Once you get close, the jet lowers its rear door and a soldier starts firing a machine gun at you. But it gets worse. As much as this is a totally unrealistic way to get on board the jet, they add a dose of realism to make life hell for you. The jet's engines cause turbulence when you approach, causing you to frequently lose control as you try to crash your plane into the rear door of the jet.
Here's some tips. As you approach the open door on the back of the jet, stay low. Try to line your plane up. Aim low. Try to fly your plane into the opened door which is lower part of the black opening. Look at the video below from Grand Theft Auto Series Videos at about the nine minute thirty mark. Also as you're approaching the jet, don't jerk or move the joystick in large movements. Small, gentle movements.
If correctly done, a cutscene takes over. The plane crashes into the cargo hold. And you're in cover. There are two requirements for the Gold Medal. Let's go over each one.
1. Accuracy. You must finish with a shooting accuracy of at least 80 percent. There are armed guards on this plane. This is why I use the pistol. It takes about three shots to shots to kill a guard. If you use five bullets to kill an enemy your accuracy suffers since you're shooting at a dead body. Using an assault rifle is nice but you can fire too many bullets. The pistol is not automatic so you make your shots count. Use auto aim. And stay in cover. Pop out and put rounds into live enemies.
When the above cutscene ends, you're in cover behind a crate. There's one guard in front of you, one in front of a jeep and another with a shotgun moving on your position. Okay, use auto aim and put a round in each. One bullet knocks them down but doesn't kill them. Keep shooting a round into them until these three guys are dead. Use your HUD to tell you if they're dead. Watch out for the shotgun guard. He'll kill you quickly if you let him get too close.
Stay in cover. The jeep to your right, rolls off the plane leaving a kill zone. Now wait for the other guards to charge. I knock them down with one shot. Then let them get up. I shoot them again until they're dead. Eventually you've taken out all of the guards in the cargo hold.
Now advance. Watch out for rolling jeeps. The sequence is the jeep to your left rolls off. Then the jeep to the right, leaving a jeep behind it. You're going to use that jeep to get the next requirement.
Now climb to the cockpit. There's the pilot with a gun. Don't hesitate. Shoot him. It knocks him down. As he gets up, fire another shot. Keep putting one bullet into him until he's dead.
2. Four Wheel Flier. Okay, you've killed the pilot and take over the plane. However as you make your way across Los Santos, you're attacked by jets. Nothing to do here but bail out. After getting hit with air to air missiles, your now in the cargo hold with a parachute.
Get into the jeep or SUV or Mesa. Drive it off the plane. Then jump out of the SUV. Sometime later deploy parachute. Land safely. Gold Medal earned.
Yeah, this guy is really good. Really good.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Grand Theft Auto V: "Deep Inside" Gold Medal tips
This post will cover the hardest requirement for Grand Theft Auto V: "Deep Inside" mission's Gold Medal. It's the "Not a Scratch" requirement and its quirky as hell. The video below from Grand Theft Auto Video Series shows how the player did it on one attempt. He's really, really good. He's also uses Franklin's Special Skill of driving. But it might require two attempts for you and that's okay. Just remember after your first attempt to save your game. Okay, let's start the mission again.
What makes "Not a Scratch" so hard is the actress in the JB 700 car. (Oh, I get the joke. JB 700. James Bond. 007) Anyway, she grabs the wheel and causes you to lose control and possibly damaging the car and losing the requirement. You can't eject her right away either. You must wait for the prompt. Now there is a requirement "Premature Ejector" where you use the ejector within ten seconds. But if you were like me, you had too much damage with the car to get the "Not a Scratch" requirement.
What's so quirky about the "Not a Scratch" requirement is that you might have virtually no damage to the care and fail to get it. Then you get some damage to the car and get it. So, your best bet is to try to get no damage to the car or at as minimal damage as possible.
So on this second attempt we need to find a way to coax the actress of the car before Franklin gets in it. Here's how. When the first guard tells you that you're wanted on the set, arm an assault rifle. This causes the guards to attack. Okay, waste the first guard. Run to the right of the car. Waste he guard here. You are using auto aim aren't you? Shoot hard and fast. There should be one or two more that will attack you. Quickly dispatch them. Now try to get in the car from the passenger's side. The actress should leave or has already left the car and out of your hair. Drive the car and turn left. Run over the male actor if you didn't get the "Second Strike" requirement.
You're not safe yet. The studio sends cars after you but now you are unhindered. Use the spikes when prompted and the enemy is behind you. Piece of cake. You call Molly. Now if you don't have the "Fastest Speed" requirement, look for a long stretch of road with the map and head for it. Floor the car. Use Franklin's Special Skill liberally. This mission does not have ta time limit requirement. After you're done go back to the secret garage.
Okay, now you should have the "Not a Scratch" requirement if you have not damaged the car. Go back to your Safe House. Save your game. Now look at the data for "Deep Inside" from the Replay Menu. You've got all the requirements for a Gold Medal.
What makes "Not a Scratch" so hard is the actress in the JB 700 car. (Oh, I get the joke. JB 700. James Bond. 007) Anyway, she grabs the wheel and causes you to lose control and possibly damaging the car and losing the requirement. You can't eject her right away either. You must wait for the prompt. Now there is a requirement "Premature Ejector" where you use the ejector within ten seconds. But if you were like me, you had too much damage with the car to get the "Not a Scratch" requirement.
What's so quirky about the "Not a Scratch" requirement is that you might have virtually no damage to the care and fail to get it. Then you get some damage to the car and get it. So, your best bet is to try to get no damage to the car or at as minimal damage as possible.
So on this second attempt we need to find a way to coax the actress of the car before Franklin gets in it. Here's how. When the first guard tells you that you're wanted on the set, arm an assault rifle. This causes the guards to attack. Okay, waste the first guard. Run to the right of the car. Waste he guard here. You are using auto aim aren't you? Shoot hard and fast. There should be one or two more that will attack you. Quickly dispatch them. Now try to get in the car from the passenger's side. The actress should leave or has already left the car and out of your hair. Drive the car and turn left. Run over the male actor if you didn't get the "Second Strike" requirement.
You're not safe yet. The studio sends cars after you but now you are unhindered. Use the spikes when prompted and the enemy is behind you. Piece of cake. You call Molly. Now if you don't have the "Fastest Speed" requirement, look for a long stretch of road with the map and head for it. Floor the car. Use Franklin's Special Skill liberally. This mission does not have ta time limit requirement. After you're done go back to the secret garage.
Okay, now you should have the "Not a Scratch" requirement if you have not damaged the car. Go back to your Safe House. Save your game. Now look at the data for "Deep Inside" from the Replay Menu. You've got all the requirements for a Gold Medal.
Grand Theft Auto V: "Mr. Richards" Gold Medal tips
I'm going to go over how to get the Grand Theft Auto V Gold Medal for the mission "Mr. Richards" in two attempts in this post. The video from Grand Theft Auto Series Videos shows how to do it in one attempt. But there's a chance you may not get the requirement for the medal with the Mission Time of under ten minutes. Please save your game after your first attempt. Go to the Replay Option in the Pause Menu. Pick the "Mr. Richards" mission that you've just completed.
First I equip my pistol with a suppressor. Now on the first attempt, I got the "Stealth Assassin" the first time. You need to nail guys with their backs to you for a stealth attack. It's pretty easy but time consuming. Unless you'e as good as the guy in the video below, all the sneaking around will take you out of the time limit for the medal. So waste the contractors you nailed with stealth attacks in the first attempt with your pistol this time. But you don't need three. Assuming you got "Stealth Assassin' the first time, you only need to shoot two.
I then clime the ladder. I shoot the first contractor. Run across to the next ladder. Once the door opens, I shoot that contractor. Then I climb the ducts to the roof where the stairs leads to the helipad. Now, instead of taking out the contractor that comes out of the door with a stealth attack I ignore him and run up the stairs. That starts the cutscene where you confront Rocco. Pummel him quickly and jump in the chopper.
Now unlike the guy below who's really, really good, I don't fly under bridges. I just fly fast and dive hard. Get close to buildings. Finally, the actor agrees to be in the movie and you fly them back to the lot. Once you land, run back to Mr. Richards.
Okay, you say you got the Mission Time requirement but it shows you don't have "Stealth Assassin." No problem. Go back to your Safe House. Save the game. Now check out the Repay Option and look at the mission. It shows you've completed the mission and all the Gold Medal requirements.
First I equip my pistol with a suppressor. Now on the first attempt, I got the "Stealth Assassin" the first time. You need to nail guys with their backs to you for a stealth attack. It's pretty easy but time consuming. Unless you'e as good as the guy in the video below, all the sneaking around will take you out of the time limit for the medal. So waste the contractors you nailed with stealth attacks in the first attempt with your pistol this time. But you don't need three. Assuming you got "Stealth Assassin' the first time, you only need to shoot two.
I then clime the ladder. I shoot the first contractor. Run across to the next ladder. Once the door opens, I shoot that contractor. Then I climb the ducts to the roof where the stairs leads to the helipad. Now, instead of taking out the contractor that comes out of the door with a stealth attack I ignore him and run up the stairs. That starts the cutscene where you confront Rocco. Pummel him quickly and jump in the chopper.
Now unlike the guy below who's really, really good, I don't fly under bridges. I just fly fast and dive hard. Get close to buildings. Finally, the actor agrees to be in the movie and you fly them back to the lot. Once you land, run back to Mr. Richards.
Okay, you say you got the Mission Time requirement but it shows you don't have "Stealth Assassin." No problem. Go back to your Safe House. Save the game. Now check out the Repay Option and look at the mission. It shows you've completed the mission and all the Gold Medal requirements.
Grand Theft Auto V:" Eye In the Sky" Gold Medal tips
There's one quirky requirement for the Gold Medal in Grand Theft Auto V's mission "Eye in the Sky" mission. It's "I See You. " I tried to get this multiple times until I found out what I was doing wrong. So let me give you the tip on this tricky requirement.
The first two requirements are pretty easy. One is called "Not a scratch." Just drive the Z Type car carefully back to the marker at the Los Santos International Airport. The second is "Eavesdropper." Again easy. Just listen to every target. But it's the "I See You" that is tricky. This requires you to find Chad's hiding place on the first attempt.
Here's how to get it. After your chopper follows the car back to a parking garage, Trevor tells the pilot to bring the chopper lower. It goes to the side of the garage. There's some conversation between Trevor and the pilot where Trevor complains about not being about to spot Chad. The pilot tells you to use the thermal vision.
First, before you turn on the thermal vision, look to the right. You can barely see Franklin. Turn on the thermal vision. Franklin asks if you can see him. Zoom in on him. This starts the attempt when Trevor acknowledges he sees Franklin. Now this is important. ZOOM OUT BUT STAY IN THERMAL VISION. Move the camera all the way to the left where there's a guy sitting down. That's Chad. Zoom on him and hold. A cutscene then interrupts indicating you've completed this requirement correctly in one attempt. One last warning. Do not zoom on anybody else except for Chad. The video from GTA Video Series shows how to get the Gold Medal. The "I See You" requirement starts at 11 minutes and forty seconds.
The first two requirements are pretty easy. One is called "Not a scratch." Just drive the Z Type car carefully back to the marker at the Los Santos International Airport. The second is "Eavesdropper." Again easy. Just listen to every target. But it's the "I See You" that is tricky. This requires you to find Chad's hiding place on the first attempt.
Here's how to get it. After your chopper follows the car back to a parking garage, Trevor tells the pilot to bring the chopper lower. It goes to the side of the garage. There's some conversation between Trevor and the pilot where Trevor complains about not being about to spot Chad. The pilot tells you to use the thermal vision.
First, before you turn on the thermal vision, look to the right. You can barely see Franklin. Turn on the thermal vision. Franklin asks if you can see him. Zoom in on him. This starts the attempt when Trevor acknowledges he sees Franklin. Now this is important. ZOOM OUT BUT STAY IN THERMAL VISION. Move the camera all the way to the left where there's a guy sitting down. That's Chad. Zoom on him and hold. A cutscene then interrupts indicating you've completed this requirement correctly in one attempt. One last warning. Do not zoom on anybody else except for Chad. The video from GTA Video Series shows how to get the Gold Medal. The "I See You" requirement starts at 11 minutes and forty seconds.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Stephen Colbert interviews Daniel Radcliffe
Last night, Stephen Colbert interviewed actor Daniel Radcliffe. (Harry Potter) It's a funny and interesting talk with one of film's most well known actors. There's also a clip from his upcoming movie "Kill Your Darlings" where he plays Beat poet Allen Ginsberg. Here's the interview.
The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Video Archive
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
