Bourne Identity

               As we start watching the movie trailer for Bourne Identity released in 2002 we can quickly notice that it is a movie obviously targeted toward  people who like action and suspense. At the beginning there is a narrator that mentions the main points of the movie with a strong and mysterious voice. The director uses ethos and pathos to catch the spectators attention. A strong credibility aspect of the movie is Matt Damon because he was already a well known actor by the time the trailer was released as he had already performed in other famous movies with the same genre, for example Oceans Eleven in 2001. Furthermore almost at the end of the trailer they show that the movie is based on a international best seller and that it is produced by Universal Pictures a company well known for making good movies, these are credibility points and it will catch the attention of those who read the book and like Universal Pictures's movies.

                

                 Pathos is also used in the trailer, when they show Matt Damon's difficult relationship with a woman that he tries to protect. At the beginning the narrator mentions that Bourne, Matt Damon's character, has amnesia and throughout the trailer they mention it a couple more times and in my opinion that makes people curious about what is going to happen and if he is going to remember who he really is.

                 Louis Giannetii, in his book, Understanding Movies, mentions that "music can serve as a kind of overture to suggest the mood or spirit of the film as a whole" (214), in Bourne's trailer the soundtrack plays an important role. Even tough the trailer lasts only 2:10 minutes, every time they change or show an action scene the music gets louder and faster, that makes the intensity a lot higher than if it did not have any music. Lights and colors are generally in a kind of dark shade which associates with the suspense part of the trailer. There is also rain and snow which helps to make action scenes more exiting. As I have already watched the movie more than once I find the trailer in a perfect dosage to attract viewers attention, because it shows what the movie is about but at the same time without showing too many details, that way leaving a lot more for the actual movie. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpKaB5dvQ4g

Hit & Run

The trailer for the slapstick, romantic comedy Hit & Run (2012) was, in my opinion, a “hit and miss.” I saw the movie in theatres and enjoyed it; however, I am glad that I watched the trailer afterwards as I believe it reveals far too much of the plot. Taking into consideration that I watch the trailer through a different lens from someone who has never seen the movie before, I can understand why other viewers may find the trailer compelling.

Romance, humor, and action are three emotions that the producers of the trailer elicit by using pathos. Pathos is a device that is utilized in order to persuade viewers of the trailer to go watch the movie. The opening scene of the trailer depicts a couple, actress Kristen Bell and actor Dax Shepard, laughing and kissing while in bed together. Romance is a key emotion that the viewer experiences from watching the trailer, which may appeal more to a female audience. On the other hand, action scenes may be strategically placed within the trailer in order to draw in a larger male audience to view the movie. The action scenes include images of men fighting, high-speed car chases, and gun shootings. These scenes give the trailer an element of excitement.

In the book, Everything’s An Argument, Andrea Lunsford says “make people be aware of how much they owe to others, and they’ll acknowledge that debt; persuade people to hate an enemy, and they’ll rally against it; help people to imagine suffering, and they’ll strive to relive it; make people feel secure or happy, and they’ll buy products that promise such good feelings” (41). In essence, the producers of the trailer can evoke certain emotions in its audience by using powerful images. In the Hit & Run trailer, the romance scenes will cause the female audience to want to fall in love with the movie’s characters and want to know more about their story, while the action scenes will also cause the male audience to get thrilled. Humor is the last element of pathos that is used in the trailer, which appeals to both male and female audiences. Most of the humor in the trailer includes sexual references, such as the elderly nude scene and references to intercourse within prisons. In my opinion, some of these references should have been left in the movie and not shown in the trailer. However, I also realize that placing these references in the trailer warns the viewers about the profanity they should expect if they go see the movie.

Ethos is another device used in the trailer. Bradley Cooper and Kristen Bell are two main actors in the movie, which both have reputations as successful actors who have been in some excellent comedies. Cooper’s performance in The Hangover (2009) awards this movie with great expectations, which draws in viewers to want to go and see the movie in theatres. Kristen Bell has also played a major role in the great comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), which has the similar type of humor as Hit & Run. The trailer also mentions that Hit & Run is “From the producers of Wedding Crashers.” Referencing Wedding Crashers and enhances the movie’s credibility even further. “Humor alone can’t establish credibility” (60), which is why referencing a successful film that shares the same producer reaffirms viewers that this movie will be worthwhile and will meet their highest expectations.

I believe that the trailer could be successful; however, I also think that cutting out some of the profanity could give the trailer more success.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nZlXB5okeo

Rating: 3

Act of Valor

The 2012 film “Act of Valor” utilizes ethos pathos and logos in its movie trailer.  The clip begins with a man’s voice speaking into a radio and scenes of zodiac boats and soldiers with assault rifles and machine guns before showing the words, “THE CHARACTERS IN THIS FILM ARE PORTRAYED BY ACTIVE DUTY U.S. NAVY SEALS”.  These words alone are enough to convince most of the prospective viewers to see the film, as the Navy SEAL’s have an almost mythical level of combat capabilities in the minds of most of the Americans, and this is an action movie about combat.  This establishes the Ethos of the movie, as the United States Military is the most trusted institution in America, and the Navy SEALs are an even more elite branch of that.  Most action movies hire retired soldiers to advise them on how combat scenes should be set up and run, yet this movie has those advisors as the stars.  This would create a much more realistic fighting sequence and allow for better transitions in the combat scenes, as the actors would be the experts themselves.  Utilizing Active Duty Navy SEALs adds to the Pathos of the film, as they are still the poster child of the U.S. Military after it was announced that they spearheaded the raid that killed Osama bin Laden on May 2^nd 2011.  This event and the details that were subsequently released about it by various politicians have thrust the Navy SEALs into the front of all of our minds and draw up a strong sense of patriotism in most Americans whenever they are mentioned.  This scene adds to the Logos of the film, as who could create a better action movie about Navy SEALs than the SEALs themselves? Actors have tried and failed in the past with movies like the 1990 film “Navy Seals” with Charlie Sheen and the Arnold Swarchenegger film “Commando”.   By showing this one sentence in the trailer for the film, the director has appealed to the ethos, pathos, and logos of the audience in a very convincing manner.

Through watching the trailer for the movie, you can clearly tell that it is an action movie, as there are multiple shooting scenes, fast boat scenes, skydiving scenes and explosions.  While none of the Actors are recognizable, this should be expected as they are not professional actors, but rather are Warriors and have never been on film before.  The trailer for the movie has an almost constant flow of different action scenes, but also breaks it up with a brief description of their family lives to show that it is not just one explosion after another.  All in all this film will probably be most desirable to those who have had dreams of being in the military or have family in the military, as well as the all around action fan.  Americans with a strong sense of Patriotism may also be drawn to the movie even if they typically would  not watch this sort of film, while movie critics would probably say that the acting in it is horrible.  Overall, this movie did an outstanding job of selling itself to its audience and I give it 5 popcorn tubs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35b_UqGYZgw

The Princess Diaries

Alexis Dromgoole

The Princess Diaries

 The trailer for Princess Diaries gives off a certain relatability quality with the dreams of main character Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) to be popular and famous, when in reality she is a typical awkward teenager.  This is a similar emotional experience, shared by almost every youth worldwide (pathos).  As seen in Andrea Lunsford’s Everything’s An Argument, “…emotions can add real muscle to arguments…”, and that is exactly what these emotions of uncertainty in youth and fantasizing about your dream life do to encourage the young audience to come see the film (103).  As soon the words “From the Director of Pretty Woman” appear, immediately every woman’s eyes are glued to the screen.  First and foremost, the audience notices the decorative font style being used to entice the viewer in by giving off a feminine appeal.  “The serifs are those little flourishes at the ends of the strokes that make the fonts seem handcrafted and artful” (Lunsford 456).  Even something as small as the font of the text invites the reader in because the eye is immediately drawn to the creative writing style that adds an aspect of femininity to the trailer.  Secondly, the iconic movie name of Pretty Woman is comparable to that of Dirty Dancing’s in that even if you haven’t seen Pretty Woman, you know the story well enough to know it is a classic, establishing the ethos/logos of the film by citing that since the film is directed by the same director, this movie should be equally as good.  For those who have seen Pretty Woman, the main ideas of the films parallel one another.  Princess Diaries has a slightly more juvenile theme than Pretty Woman, but it contains the same basic concept of a “diamond in the rough” who is going to find her true beauty, real identity, and maybe some romance in the end.  Projecting the fresh faced Anne Hathaway as comparable to the established Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, is a way to establish the credibility (ethos) of the film as well as play on the previous emotions (pathos) felt by those who have seen or heard of the romantic and endearing tale of Pretty Woman, and encourage the audience to venture to see this modern day rendition of sorts. 

The feature film takes advantage of some of America’s favorite childhood memories by introducing Academy Award winner Julie Andrews (from the classic film Marry Poppins) into the main scenes of the trailer.  From Louis Gi\annetti’s Understanding Movies: Casting, we know that “Casting is Characterization.”  Once an actor is cast into their role that is how the audience sees them until the last reel of film rolls through and beyond that because they become those characters for one to two hours in the real lives of the audience (282).  The world will never forget the lessons Julie Andrews taught us in previous films and they still see her as an all knowing, heroine guiding the audience through yet another story, this time as a Queen.  Using Julie Andrews and her Academy Award winning status establishes the ethos and logos of the movie because with an award winning actress who is so well known, the movie must be worth seeing.  From this trailer full of laughs and scenes filled with embarrassing moments of the main character, stumbling her way down the stairs of  her newly discovered life, both literally and metaphorically, the audience can see that this will be a comedy for anyone who can ever remember growing up as a klutzy, unsure teen.  Humor is used to resonate with people and their positive emotions of joy, and happiness which makes the public more receptive to the message of the movie and more eager to see the film (pathos) (Lunsford 48).  The audience will not only be almost wholly comprised of females, but by females of all ages dying to see this new “chick-flick”.  Mothers will surely take their daughters to experience the magical presence of Julie Andrews that they all know and love, the enduring story of a girl trying to find herself as a woman, and the opportunity to witness a female star be born for the new generation in Anne Hathaway, under the guidance of the respected Julie Andrews and in the parallel of the talented Julia Roberts.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8-RmatEn8M

   

Pretty Woman (1990)

        In the movie trailer for the Touchstone Pictures sensation, Pretty Woman, the devices ethos and pathos are used to grab the viewers’ attention. The first thing I hear is Julia Roberts talking about the fairy tale she has dreamed about since childhood. She is extremely detailed with the story that the audience can actually picture the scene. This use of imagery draws at one's senses; causing one to become interested in what is to come next. There is not one little girl that has not at least heard of the Disney princess stories and their basic storyline. This truly is a fairy tale story of a poor woman being saved by her “Prince Charming.” Everyone can relate to the desire for someone to love them and want to be with them for who they are. Director Garry Marshall uses pathos to generate the emotion of love for the audience. This brings about the romantic aspect of the movie. However, there is a wide range of emotions throughout the trailer besides just love. Pathos also comes into account through Julia Roberts in tears, laughter, and excitement. You feel for the character because the producer is portraying the one in a million chance of a multi-millionaire falling in love with a poor girl basically living on the streets. 
        Louis Giannetti, in the book Understanding Movies, says, "Good looks and sex appeal have always been the conspicuous traits of most film stars" (pg.251, 2). The sex appeal of Julia Roberts brings in the male audience. She plays a seductive role from the start by wearing skimpy clothing and acting as if she is promiscuous. Red lip gloss and luminous flowers behind Julia Roberts add to her visual appeal. We learned that cool colors bring out a positive vibe, while colors such as red can be a sign for danger. The red lips in this case could tell the audience that this love story may have some bumps along the way. Richard Gere portrays every woman’s dream man, possibly causing the audience to have a feeling of jealousy that Robert’s stole him. Both Richard Gere and Julia Roberts were attractive and Roberts was an up and coming star at this point in her career. Together they make quite the duo that will have viewers on the edges of their seats in eager to see what these two will bring to the table.
        Humor is slipped into the trailer through quirkiness and extravagant emotions. One instance is at the polo match when she yells “whoop whoop” with her fist in the air. The comic scenes shown in the trailer help sell the movie to the audience. The director decides to use well-known name brands such as Chanel and Gucci to show the viewer this guy is the “real deal.” He can afford the most expensive clothing and jewelry, giving him the credibility of a successful business man. In addition, the camera shows the Beverly Hills sign at the beginning when they drive off. This shows that the area he is visiting is five-star. The reason these items are important is because they give Richard Gere's character credibility. The movie’s credibility also comes from Julia Roberts. Although this is one of her first big hits, Louis Gianetti points out that, "she really shines in comedies, where her acting style is so spontaneous it hardly looks like she's working" (pg.284, 1). The audience can see this in the few scenes from the hotel and polo match. She brightens the mood causing viewers to become happy. This is also helpful in establishing pathos. In the book, Everything's an Argument, Andrea Lunsford and John Ruszkiewicz explain, "It's important to regard any rhetorical situation as dynamic, since each element of it has the potential to affect all the other elements" (pg.35, 2). This is the case in this romantic comedy because the use of each different element attracts a broader audience. For example, if Garry Marshall decided to only show the romantic scenes between Roberts and Gere it is likely that most male viewers would decide against seeing the movie.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng2hEIWVqqo&noredirect=1 

Sources: Giannetti, Louis D. “The American Star System.” Understanding Movies 12th edition. NJ: Pearson, 2011. P.251 Print.

Lunsford, Andrea A., and John J. Ruszkiewicz. Everything's an Argument: With Readings. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2010. Print.

 

Taken

The trailer for the 2008 movie Taken is extremely intense, to say the least. In only 1 minute and 52 seconds it effectively uses pathos and ethos to grab the viewer.  Watching the trailer, I experienced a whole range of emotions, quickly moving from happy to anxious, nervous, scared and sad as my heart beat faster and faster.  Thoughts ran through my head such as:  What if I were abducted by strangers? What would I do if a child of mine were taken? Would I fly overseas with little to no information to try to personally track him/her down? Would I do everything that I possibly could to get my child back safe and sound, even if it meant taking the law into my own hands?  Not only did the trailer evoke a strong emotional response and make me question how I might respond in such a situation but it also made me curious about the movie’s plot.  Why was this young woman taken and who took her? What will happen to her? What skills does her father have that will make him a “nightmare” for the kidnappers? How can he be so confident that he will find her? Will he find her in time?

Liam Neeson is the only actor that I recognize in the trailer and he is very convincing in his role. He is clearly on a mission and you can tell by the very deliberate statement he makes to his daughter’s abductor on the phone, moments after he has heard her be taken away by force, that he doesn’t care what he has to do to get his daughter back. “I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.” (IMDb.). That alone made me want to see this movie. “Acting styles are determined in part by a player’s energy role. High-voltage performers usually project out to the audience, commanding our attention” (Giannetti, p.275). Liam Neeson is definitely a high-voltage performer.  I don’t think I blinked once during the whole trailer, especially towards the end when you see all these flashes of Neeson going after people to rescue his daughter.  Liam Neeson has been in a number of movies where he played serious roles and he has always done a fantastic job and really gets into his characters. I have enjoyed watching him in other movies so I imagine that I will like him in Taken.

The suspense and all the action in the trailer really draw me into the movie. The pace is normal in the beginning as you see the dad and daughter at her birthday party and when she asks him about taking the trip to Paris with her friend. The shocking and pivotal moment comes when the daughter, while on the phone with her dad, is grabbed from behind and pulled away.  From there the trailer speeds up, interspersing the dad’s threatening statement with flashes of scenes where Liam Neeson is going after the bad guys.

The use of light is also very interesting. In the article about color, Columbia Pictures is quoted saying “Bright colors tend to be cheerful, so directors often desaturate them, especially if the subject matter is sober or grim” (Giannetti, p.24). In the beginning we see things are very bright and the colors are vivid. Once the daughter is taken though the lighting dramatically changes, going from bright to dark. You can just tell that the rest of the movie is going to be intense because of the color change.

From the look and feel of the trailer, Taken is a thriller / action movie. I think it would appeal to people who like those sorts of suspenseful, intense movies.  Unlike some action movies, this one does not appear to be geared toward just one gender.  Because of the subject matter, I think this movie is going to be a little too intense for an audience younger than teenagers. I would guess the intended audience for Taken would be high school age and older.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeFnD2Vm-SY

 

Sources

Giannetti, Louis D. “Color.” Understanding Movies 12th edition. NJ: Pearson, 2011. P.24 Print.

Giannetti, Louis D. “Styles of Acting” Understanding Movies 12th edition. NJ: Pearson, 2011. P. 275 Print.

"Taken (2008)." IMDb. Web. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501/>.

Ted

From the creator of Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane, a movie named Ted is  playing in theaters now. A farce comedy about 35-year old man-child and his friendship with human like teddy bear Ted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fbo_pQvU7M

According to Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun Times, this trailer just makes you want to see this comedy/fantasy movie starring with the funniest movie character – a stuffed teddy bear Ted.

Like in the beginning of fairytale stories, a strong and authoritative voice, played by Patrick Stewart,  narrates how little child wishes for his favorite friend, a teddy bear, to become human and a real best friend. A magic night makes wish come true, so stuffed animal becomes alive. Teddy bear could talk, walk and be living adorable stuffed animal friend for the boy. However, instead of sweet fairytale, story twists around. The little boy grows into a man-child, as well as his teddy bear. They live the life of crazy irresponsible bachelors. That twist characterizes a farce comedy full of laughter. Nevertheless, this is not movie for children because it has scenes of crude and sexual content, persuasive language, and some drug use.

Well chosen soundtrack follows the movie trailer. Fairytale beginning is followed with also fairytale song and strong narrative voice. After the funny twist, slow and funky song follows their bachelor wild life on daily basis. While the plot of the trailer is cumulating, an awesome pumped song leads us deeper in the story and their problems. Song finishes loudly and instantly leaving only curiosity what might happen at the end. Well chosen soundtrack is a good argument to go to the theaters and see the whole movie.

Moreover, cast is promising a good, hilarious movie; Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, and Seth MacFarlane in main roles. Wahlberg is playing John Bennett, 35-year-old man-child. He is considered as an action-drama-crime actor because he had leading roles in The Planet of Apes, Contraband and The Fighter. Themes in those movies are serious, but also, I would characterize them as men movies, movies that most of male population would enjoy. Despite that, Wahlberg showed the audience his other side as well. In recent comedy/action movie, The Other Guys, he is playing unsecure police agent with well know great comedian Will Farrell. I believe that his role in Ted will be funny and excited and definitely worth to see.

Next, Mila Kunis plays Lori, John’s girlfriend. She is often seen in movies as sexy, strong, independent young woman that knows what she wants. In real world, she is displaying that image of herself as well. For instance, last year (2011), she became a new face for fashion company Dior. Her previous famous roles support her image as well. Remember Jackie Burkhart in That 70’s Show or Jamie in Friends with Benefits. In Ted, I expect to see the same Mila as I remember from those roles. To boost her funny side, note that she has been playing Meg Griffin in Family Guy, too. The same show that Seth Macfarlane directed and created.

In Ted, MacFarlane is not only director and screenwriter, but also he is teddy bear Ted’s voice. With his recognizable voice and humor, Macfarlane is promising again a good movie night. He created movie super funny by setting unusual characters in usual situations and; in my opinion, he did it perfectly. He created Ted, an extravagant character, in very casual setting.Movie is placed in New York City and, according to Maryann Johanson in FlickFilosopher.com, movie works so well because it so casually accepts the reality of living teddy bear. NYC is a city that never sleeps; has seen everything; and accepts everyone, even the stuffed animal as equal member of society.

To sum it up, movie trailer promises a good movie night. Interesting and unusual plot followed with well chosen soundtrack creates curiosity for the movie. As explained, cast has already shown in previous roles that they are amusing and funny. Overall, for those who want to have a night full of laughter, go see Ted.

Inception

          As an action movie junky, I absolutely ate up the concept of Inception. The trailer for the movie clearly establishes the genre as a mystery and action film and entices us with pieces of the plot. The producers of the trailer use a variety of tactics to appeal to an audience looking for a movie that is both complex and thrilling.

Ethos is prominently established by drawing upon prior successes of the filmmakers and cast. The producers suggest the credibility of Inception by flashing that the movie is “From the director of the Dark Knight”. Because The Dark Knight was a successful movie, the audience might assume that Inception will be a success too. I was a huge fan of Christopher Nolan’s directing in The Dark Knight so I was very hopeful that Inception would be done in a similar style. The producers also try to win the audience’s respect with the casting itself. In the book Understanding Movies, author Louis Giannetti comments that “Once a role has been cast, especially with a personality star, the essence of the fictional character is already established” (282). Because Leonardo DiCaprio can be associated with his strong, mysterious roles such as in The Departed and Shutter Island, his casting in this movie suggests that his character is equally captivating and intense. On a similar point, Andrea Lunsford and John Ruszkiewicz of the book, Everything’s an Argument, write that “If they are well known, liked, and respected, that reputation will contribute to their persuasive power” (64). In other words, people are more inclined to see a movie with recognizable and respected actors and actresses, I know I am. Therefore, DiCaprio’s fame and accredited career as an actor is the magnet that pulls viewers in. There are several other highly respected actors and actresses cast in the movie such as Joseph Gordan-Levitt and Ellen Page who also contribute to the allurement. The combination of credentials of the cast and directors attract viewers who are interested in the suspenseful/action genre.

Pathos is another powerful tactic used to influence the audience. To achieve a mysterious tone, the producers incorporated scenes that defy the rules of our world. Such scenes include men floating in the dream world, or the character Ariadne creating a dream for the first time. This gives the movie a fantasy feel that pushes our perceptions of reality and pique our curiosity. The producers also attempt to arouse anxiety through intense action scenes such as exploding cars, buildings, and shootings. The interaction between DiCaprio’s character Cobb and his wife Mal stir up our passion and sympathy. Finally, Arthur’s ruse to get Ariadne to kiss him at the end of the trailer evokes our laughter and breaks up the heaviness of the film. These appeals to emotion are not flimsy attempts at pulling the audience in; on the contrary, “Emotion can add real muscle to arguments” (Lunsford and Ruszkiewicz 110). This reiterates the point that the pathos is a powerful tool in the trailer. The myriad of emotions being drawn from the audience causes them to be invested in the plot of the story and thus attracted to go see the movie.

The Inception trailer initially flaunted the qualifications of its cast members and directors to grab the attention of the audience, but captured them with the dynamics of the movie. As an action movie lover, I was very enticed to see the movie, but the trailer did not only interest those who liked action. The main appeal is to the mystery-drawn audience and the action-seeking audience, but there are minor appeals to those interested in the romance of Mal and Cobb and the witty humor of Arthur and other characters. Overall, the trailer successfully advertised the movie and was persuasive in its techniques to attract the audience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMG4MxO2HbI

          

Kung Fu panda

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1uJ7OExp60

Enthusiastic, big and a little clumsy, Po the panda is one of the fans of Kung Fu and masters in the village. But he is always complaining that work in his father’s noodle restaurant is mean less. By accident, panda was chosen to be a dragon warrior; Po's dreams become reality, he start learns the Kung Fu and together with his idols, the legendary Furious Five -- Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey – guru and Master Shifu are the master of them. But before they aware it, the vengeful and treacherous snow leopard Tai Lung is headed their way, and Po will take responsibility to defend Tai Lung. Finally, Tai Lung was defeated. Po became real dragon warrior.

I chose Kung Fu panda to write my blog review. Kung Fu panda was a movie played on 2008 summer and made by Dream Worker. The box office of the film was almost $215 million, which was a great success. The genres of the film were classified as action, adventure and comedy.

From the trailer, people can find that a black, white and fat panda in the focus. The moment when the panda stand on the top of mountain with one foot, and the other foot is shaping to kick the sky that is the special part attracts my attention. Generally, people will think this funny panda is the master of the kung Fu and enjoy the movie as entertainment. In addition, both Kung Fu and panda are national treasures of China, and China is a country opposes war since last Century, so people may connect Kung Fu panda with peace, harmony, and Chinese martial art. That’s another reason people would like to pay for the movie. Also the colors of the trailer can separate into two parts. First half, which stands for justices includes orange, brown, and white all of the colors are warm color. On the opposite, the other half cold colors are the representative of evil, like gray, black, and dark blue. The other Careful observe the trailer, people can find that the back ground is a temple in the top of mountain, which send information to the public; this movie will bring people in to Eastern country and especial Chinese culture. Therefore people focus on culture or want to experience different culture may interested in Kung Fu panda.

The actors are all recognizable, which are several animals. For instance panda, tiger, owned crane, mole, and mantis.

Actually, there are not a lot of actions, because I think the action on this film is not the most important thing but necessary. Consciousness is the most vital element since beginning, every character in this film is doing conflict with oneself. Personally, It is an effective argument for me because after watch the film I asked myself several questions like who I am, what’s the value to living on this world, where’s my future. Maybe in future I will find the answers. Like the master Wu Gui said “yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift, that is why it is called present”

Batman Begins

The batman franchise has been a story of failure the past several attempts so many will, expectedly so, be cautious before going to see a re-boot of a string of movies that were critical failures. I’m here to tell you that this one is going to be different. The trailer opens with a young Bruce Wayne falling down some sort of well. 5 seconds in, and the trailer has most likely already effectively captured the viewer’s pity and attention. This use of pathos plays a role in seizing compassion from the audience. A seemingly bodiless voice then utters “Tell us, Mr. Wayne. What do you fear?” Fear turns out to be a common theme throughout the trailer, and the scarecrow is revealed to be one of the enemies in the movie. This theme of fear will also serve as a testament to the pathos of the viewer. What stands out more than anything in this trailer is the color palette; the hues hardly range from anything more than charcoal gray to pitch black. This implies that Nolan is in fact digging down to the roots of the batman origin story, which many die-hard comics fans will appreciate. Nolan doesn’t want to show a brightened, naïve version of batman that runs around during the day hitting criminals on the head. Despite how he may appear on the outside (at one point in the trailer Bruce rolls up to a hotel in a Lamborghini with two beautiful women in the backseat) Bruce Wayne has been permanently affected by his parents death and this is apparent in the dark color scheme – after all, he is the “dark knight.” Batman Begins also brings with it an impressive veteran cast. The main role of Bruce Wayne/Batman will be played by Christian Bale, an actor with an amazing reputation, particularly in cult classics. Morgan Freeman, an actor with a mountainous supply of achievements in his resume, will be appearing as Lucius Fox, one of Bruce Wayne’s assistants. Michael Caine is set to play Alfred, the trusty butler. Caine has won countless awards, including Best Actor in a Supporting Role for both “The Cider House rules” as well as “Hannah and Her Sisters” (Michael Caine Awards, IMDB). Lastly, Liam Neeson will also be in the movie, as a nameless character in the trailer. What makes this such a special cast is that no one in it has been typecasted (with a possible exception in the case of Neeson, as he plays in mainly action films). Bale has played everything from a boxer to a sociopathic killer, Caine from Austin Powers’ father to an interesting old man in Secondhand Lions, and Freeman from a jail bird to God. On top of all this, none of these actors have had any sort of fiasco in their private life that may jeopardize their reputation and therefore use ethos in a detrimental fashion. The trailer uses logos in such a way that it will make previous batman films look like cheap knock-offs. First of all, the score is amazing. Hanz Zimmer brings an amazingly dark sound that contrasts beautifully with cheap jingles in other superhero flicks. The new batsuit is a high-tech (nipple-less) military grade suit of armor. The new batmobile is a small, stubby military vehicle – not a high-powered freight train that runs on a single turbine and spits oil out the back. Both of these things suggest that this new film will be taking a more realistic approach to the superhero genre. As Lunsford and Ruszkiewicz suggest in “Everything’s an Argument,” “people usually prefer arguments based on facts and testimony to those grounded in reason alone” (73). The new dark knight will be a superhero that we can actually imagine, breaking the mold of the slapstick, romantic approach that preceded it. All in all, it was an incredibly effective trailer that will bring a long-anticipated breath of fresh air for moviegoers. Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vak9ZLfhGnQ Rating: 4/5

2016

Our Nation, Our Future

              The trailer for the movie, 2016, is a political piece, sponsored by the Republican Party, but the trailer targets both democratic and republican audiences.  With the use of rhetoric, it invites one to dive into the debate and contribute to the future of our nation by going and seeing the movie. This is done with ethos, pathos and logos.

             The trailer uses both bold and subtle visual arguments to ignite the viewer’s pathos. Louis Giannetti, in his book, Understanding Movies, elaborates on the use of color in movies. He notes that red can represent sexuality, danger, death and blood (23). The color of red flooding the statue of liberty with the rapidly growing numbers of debt links our nation’s debt to danger, death and blood. We also see the use of black and white to denote significant moments in history, as if what’s going on today is equally as important. The viewer also gets a sense that Obama’s history will be revealed because there are pictures of his ancestral past displayed and images from his book, entitled Dreams from My Father. Muted and gray-scale coloring is used for the scene of young Obama visiting his father’s grave, suggesting he has a dark past that we do not know about. The emblems of the flag and eagle are used recurrently to ignite a patriotic response, as if to remind us to unite as Americans.  

            Ethos is played on when we see the face of Barak Obama, who is the face of our nation. At first loved by many, then hated by many, Obama is a face that draws in an audience because of the star quality. As stated in Gianetti’s book, “A star must have enormous personal magnetism that commands our attention” (16).  Viewers can be intrigued to see the movie because this star’s credibility. Not only is he visible but we also hear his voice, speaking about his personal life.  We see at one point a pro-Obama poster turn into a white question mark, as if to say we actually do not know the face we though we knew. This creates mystery and is a positive point for the preview because both republican and democratic interest is caught in this unbiased approach.

            Ethos is also evident when we see, “Based on New York Times Bestseller by Dinesh D’ Souza”.  That plug convinces us this must be a reputable and worth-while movie. The preview also inserts, “Academy award winning best picture Schindler’s List”, which argues that this movie may be a brutally revealing and honest representation of governmental and historical issues, like Schindler’s List. This draws in an audience that likes dramatic and realistic portrayals of moments in history. The political / drama genre pulls mostly from college age men and up. Some political women may want to see, or maybe wives will accompany their husbands just for company, but women are not the target.        

            Logos is also ignited with the use of numbers and facts in all capital letters and business-like font. The inserted texts and most writing are in all capital letters. Here, the written capital represents the governmental capital, as well as emphasizing importance. We see images of “STOCK EXCHANGE” that represents the suffering economy and for some pull at pathos as well. Convincing images of maps, dates in history, typical American cities, an America family, and ordinary faces encourages the audience to align personal issues with government fallacies. Abraham Lincoln’s statue and the Washington monument are both representations of logic and accomplishment that we revere. We also see images of monopoly pieces and the jail stop on the board game. Showing the jail on monopoly reflects our nation being stuck in an economical jail, so to speak. These flashes of economical symbols help the argument for the movie because poverty and unemployment vex our current nation, and no one can deny that these are important issues. People who are affected from the suffering economy may want to see what possible causes or solutions the movie offers. However, it is not reaching people who are unaware or unconcerned about the current political and economic status.

            I think this preview does a good job at making an unbiased preview, though it is republican in ideology. I am republican and recently passionate about politics and Obama in particular, so this definatley got me out to see the movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G1OT5gzb48&feature=related