I know I’ve had a lot of posts about movies lately, but I think they can easily relate to writing novels. After all most movies are based on books. Anyway, enjoy this guest post!

There are many different types of action that film makers can utilise to grab the viewer’s attention – guns, swords, fist-fights, chase scenes and more. Sometimes, however, several of these are used in one scene, to great dramatic effect.

Casino Royale

Casino Royale is a fine example of this. As Bond goes after Sebastian Foucan, they begin with a chase on foot through a crowded market place. Leaving a trail of destruction in their wake, the two men leap and bound over stalls, pulling down awnings and scattering produce. Ending up on a building site, Foucan pulls a gun, but Bond goes one better. Stealing a bulldozer, he cuts a swath through the site, and as Foucan’s shots are all deflected by the giant shovel, he turns to run once more. A workman throws dynamite at the two fighters, but they dodge, and leave the explosion behind them. Foucan then proceeds to make a daring climb to the top of a crane, and leap down again in a series of improbable, but not impossible, jumps, leaving Bond hanging precariously many hundreds of feet in the air. Yet another chase ensues, this time through a residential building, and Bond finally gets his man – only to find himself in the sights of no less than six rifle holding men.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCA7c0_tO-Q (To embed)

The Matrix: Reloaded

In The Matrix: Reloaded, as Neo, Trinity and Morpheus aid in the escape of a man known only as ‘The Keymaker’, the fight begins in an underground garage. Knives are drawn, and the trio fight the deadly twins, who have the ability to make their forms insubstantial at will. Realising this form of combat is useless against such opponents, Trinity and Morpheus bundle the Keymaker into the back of a car, and the chase is on. Leaving Neo to fend off any enemies who are left behind, the rest begin a crazy chase down the freeway. At this point the guns come out, and the combination of bullets and petrol makes for some pretty impressive explosions. As the car becomes invaded, Trinity grabs the Keymaker and steals a motorbike from an unsuspecting rider. There follows an awesome display of driving skills as she weaves in and out of traffic, dodging bullets and fending off enemies, finally ducking between two lorries where Morpheus is waiting to haul the Keymaker to safety.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLtbQLv9-NA  (To embed)

The Bourne Ultimatum

The Bourne Ultimatum is a two hour riot of action of all descriptions. From start to finish, it is jam-packed with fist fights, shoot outs, and chase scenes encompassing entire cities. Jason Bourne must defend himself against hundreds of attackers, in every way, shape and form. With explosions on every corner, martial arts skills not often seen in the West, and a plethora of pistols, rifles and other stolen weapons, Bourne is a hero for the new era.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlHwct4D3Pw&feature=fvst (To embed)

Many new movies have tried to emulate this dramatic mixture of action, and Vue cinemas bring you the best of the best.

Enjoy this guest post about the Hunger Games. I admit that I didn’t think I’d like the book, but I got into it. I have yet to see the movie, but from what I’ve heard, it’s pretty good.

Books and movies about a world after the collapse of civilization (Dune, Farenheit 451, Soylent Green) hold a consistent nihilist appeal, but Hunger Games adds a new modern twist to the theme: citizens in this post apocalyptic world are forced to fight to the death on what must surely be the ultimate reality T.V. show.

After an unsuccessful revolution to oust the leaders in the “Capitol” (modern reality once again?) who have brought the nation to the edge of ruin, the citizens of the rest of the United State haves been defeated and subjugated. The country is divided into 12 districts, and each district must send two young contenders to fight in what is known as the “Hunger Games”, where their fellow citizens are entertained by watching these contestants fight to the death. Sixteen year old Katniss, after her younger sister is chosen as a contestant in a lottery, volunteers to take her place. Katniss is from a tough, poor mining region of Panem, as the new United States is now known.

Katniss is determined to survive, and yet, despite her coldness and nerves of steel, her vulnerability makes her extremely likable. Her teammate, Peeta, refuses to lose his humanity despite the inhuman conditions, but Katniss recognizes that in order to survive, she has to disconnect from her normal human emotions and become a survival machine. In an interesting comment on the superficiality of the games, and most especially of the audience that watches them, Katniss has to be made over to be more photogenic for her T.V. appearances, despite the fact that her death is the ultimate goal. She rises above her emotions towards the game organizers by removing their humanity in turn, looking upon them as odd little pets. There is no way to prepare for these games, since the methods, locations and circumstances change with each contest. And the contestants must not only win the games (survive) but also the approval of the audience. In an age-old theme, Katniss and Peeta are the underdogs, fighting against opponents who are stronger and better trained than they are.

The book and the movie are gripping and tense, with characters who will appeal to audiences who now understand the dynamics of reality shows: surviving and remaining strong while accepted and popular by the group. Except on this island, they get more than voted out.

Since this is the first of a series, it is inevitably a cliff-hanger, with all of the unresolved issues hopefully to be addressed in the sequels.

If you are fascinated by post-apocalyptic worlds and stories then you might want to consider hiring someone to help you write about one.  You should use the best background check available as well as ask your partner to sign a non-discloser and copyright agreement before you hire them.

Enjoy this guest post about chase scenes! I grew up watching the famously looong one from What’s Up Doc.

Throughout cinema history, there have been hundreds of spectacular chase scenes, gripping the viewer as characters race through crowded back street, fight against on-coming traffic and over-turn innocent bystanders’ cars. Often coming to a fiery conclusion, these are some of the most exciting scenes in the world of films.

Ronin – Paris Chase

Take Ronin – a nine minute car chase through the streets of Paris, and unique for it’s time in that one of the cars is driven by a female, this is a car chase never to be forgotten. There is plenty of action to be had, with massive pile-ups being caused on the Parisian motorways, the majority of the chase being conducted against the flow of traffic, and over-turned lorries aplenty. Culminating in a drive over a bridge, an upside-down landing by the protagonist, and a daring rescue by a crew of workmen from a flaming vehicle mere seconds before it explodes, all whilst under fire from De Niro, this is an unforgettable scene of destruction.

Ben Hur – Chariot Scene

Not all chase scenes are about the car though – the chariot race scene from Ben Hur, with teams of horses frantically racing through the gladiatorial arena is outstanding. Capturing the ancient Roman love of the gruesome spectacle, the makers of Ben Hur have outdone themselves. Spinning blades on the wheels of chariots hack at the heels of horses, screaming crowds urge the drivers on to ever greater risks, and thrown riders can only watch helplessly as other teams of horses thunder towards them as they lie prone in the centre of the track. Freedom or death seems to be the order of the day, and the emperor holds the key to both.

Ben Hur – Chariot Race by andybe29

Blues Brothers – Mall Chase

The mall chase from the Blues Brothers must be included here, even if simply for the epic trail of destruction it leaves behind. Possibly the only totally indoor car chase ever seen on the big screen, this scene begins with the brothers driving into a shopping mall through the window of a toy shop. Leading the police a merry dance through store fronts, stalls and windows, shoppers dive out of the way of the old Dodge and its pursuers into the mountains of broken glass, and the scene ends only as the brothers exit the mall – through another window.

 

Italian Job – The Getaway

The absolute classic car chase scene, however, has to be from The Italian Job. Although this film has since been re-made, nothing can beat that original race through the streets of Italy. The red, white and blue minis never pick up as much speed as their faster pursuers, but are driven charmingly in perfect unison, creating a dance that even the motorbike riders cannot keep up with. Driving on rooftops, leaping across buildings, down steps, through tunnels and even on water, these cheeky little cars are so perfectly in tune with each other that they are an absolute delight to watch.

 

Vue cinema hopes that new films 2012 will bring more of the same.

Enjoy this guest post about this infamous book!

“One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest” is one of the most memorable books of the 20th century for a number of reasons. It is a type of book that really resonates with readers. It invites them into an asylum and into the lives of the characters. After the book is completed, the challenges that the characters encountered and either conquered or were defeated by stick with the reader for some time.

Mildred Ratched

One of those memorable themes is the interaction between Mildred Ratched, commonly known as Nurse Ratched, and the patients. Her obsession with power can be compared to those who are in positions of authority in prison settings. In connection with that, the patients can be compared to prisoners as most simply accepted their situations and their roles as prisoners in the hospital setting. This in and of itself could be the basis for some very interesting writing and essay editing.

Randle McMurphy is the main protagonist on the side of the patients. He continuously stood up for himself and for his fellow patients in a manner that the rest of the patients either wished they could or that they were simply unable or unwilling to. Throughout the book, he and Nurse Ratched pushed each other, trying to force the other to succumb to their own way of thinking.

Chief Bromden, the narrator of the book, is somebody who may at first glance appear to be dull and uninteresting as he appeared to be deaf and mute to others at the hospital. However, doing so allowed him to find out much more about the people at the hospital as others simply did not realize he could hear or understand what they were saying. The Chief was in fact a very bright and compassionate individual.

Some of the most memorable scenes from the book have to do with the medical procedures that were done to some mentally ill patients, both in the book and in real life during the time period the book was written.

Lobotomies were performed during the 1950s with an acceptance that can be hard to comprehend nowadays. The procedure has the ability to turn those who may be hard to control into people who are more relaxed, but who also have very low mental capabilities compared to before the completion of the procedure. In fact, this book helped educate the general public as to how often these dangerous procedures were being done at that time.

Another medical procedure used on mentally ill patients in “One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest” was electroshock therapy. It was also used to control the patients as if they were prisoners. It would change the patients from difficult to manage to timid and easy to control. The primary side effect of electroshock therapy was loss of memory, including for life events that occurred after the use of the therapy.

Those undertaking essay editing and writing relating to this engaging book will find many themes and characters to write about and explore in addition to the above characters and issues.

John Grant is a regular writer for many book sites. He is also writing his very first novel.

Love this guest post! Hope you enjoy it, too.

 

Ok I admit it.  I ate up Stephanie Miller’s adolescent series like, well, an adolescent. They were hardly well written literature. And maybe part of me stuck with it to see if it would get better. And the last part of the 4th book did improve once the story’s focus was off of the melodramatic and pained relationship of Bella and Edward.

Despite all of this, the book was very detailed on character, setting etc.  Anyone making a movie should have zero problem creating the world right? Wrong! Somehow Hollywood managed to ruin something that should have been a no brainer. So how’d they screw it up?

Casting

This was their first and biggest mistake.  The director of the first movie actually had several critically acclaimed films under her belt. If anyone could bring this film to its feet it was her.  Unfortunately, she made a huge mistake in casting.  And don’t get me wrong, the actors (in other projects) have all been pretty good.  I don’t even think Kristen Stewart makes a bad Bella. She brought as much as she could to a weakly written 2-dimensional victimized character.  But I wanted heat and passion between her and Edward. And for some reason Robert Pattinson looked more like he was smelling rotted garbage or in excruciating pain whenever he was around Stewart. They had zero chemistry.  How they ended up dating in real life is a mystery.  Rosalie(a latino actress with bleached blonde hair?), Alice (she’s supposed to be short and pixie-like not 5’7) and Jasper round out the craptastic cast.  The only characters that remotely embodied their literary descriptions were Bella’s father and her plucky friend Jessica.

Direction

While the cast was sealed by the time the second director came on for the second film, I was hoping a new director meant a better film.  Alas, it wasn’t so.  While it was a welcome break from the saga of Bella/Edward to watch her with Jacob (hello chemistry), the film still had to weave its way back to the their predicament.  Part of me secretly wished Edward would walk out into the sun in all his sparkly glory and burst into flames.  But of course (SPOILER) he doesn’t. And with the subsequent films, the direction never seems to put anything real into the film.  The sadness and despair seems forced, the attraction seems false and the only thing exciting is the soundtrack.  Why wouldn’t the director(s) fix the obvious lack of relating in a natural way? It had to be obvious.  I almost wish Tim Burton would have given it a go. Or Tarantino. At least it would have been a visual delight. With more blood.

The Makeup

I can accept that the first film had a much smaller budget than the rest.  And that the vampires looked like they dumped their heads in flour (especially Rosalie) was probably due to lack of funds.  And the sparkling- well it was awful.  However, the second film had more money.  The art department should have stepped it up.  Instead, the vampires still looked awful.  And it stayed this way through the next two films.  I can only hope that the last film someone, anyone, said something.  I want my vampire to look like Brad Pitt in Interview With the Vampire or Gary Oldman in Dracula.  Is that too much to ask?

Lisa Coronado is a content writer for Custom Magnets.