What Lies Beneath (2000) is a psychological thriller which is about a middle-age couple. It portrays that a couple who seem so happy together but, because of a sequence of unknown and weird things, the horrible truth is revealed.
Robert Zemeckis, the director, is good at film techniques, using the characteristics of the heroine from Rosemary's Baby and the classic plots from Rear Window, Psycho, and The Shining in What Lies Beneath. He tries to display such thriller genre with the elements in the time period of Alfred Hitchcock to the present audience. By a simple story he builds a mild, slow tempo at the first time, making it into an inflammable, drastic situation with Hitchcockian music composed by Alan Silvestri. He makes the cliché story, by tremendously stylistic camera movements, suspended.
Than saying Zemeckis mimics Hitchcock's gimmicks, I would rather say Hitchcock's tricks are exalted by him. In recent years, plenty of thrillers appeared, especially young American kinds; those are with incomplete composition, shallow characters, sanguinary scenes, and the intentional twist in the end, which have already became the common labels and the audience have got tired of them. Instead, What Lies Beneath used a few special effects and the ghost scenes to start a panic which can easily make audience heart attack.
Even though, in What Lies Beneath, the director still frightens his audience by using sudden sounds and formulaic scare in some parts, those are sturdy and basic equipments to maintain the pace in the film, like the presentation of the ghost in the beginning to make the audience awake when the movie portraying and foreshadowing the plot at first. With the slow progress, some branches of the story confusing the audience are gradually closured; then, the whole movie abruptly drives the plot towards the climax, raising the audience's curiosity on the road to the top tier. The last thirty minutes of the movie, which is the extreme climax, is brilliant, making me too flustered to barely even breathe until the satisfied ending.
What Lies Beneath is a successful entertaining work with high quality; from it, we can see the complete plot of a play, deep characterization, actress' hearty acting, the perfect harmony between shooting/composition and editing/pace, and the considerable and creative mirror scenes as the ways in Psycho. The director not merely arranges various kinds of brilliant film techniques in it to achieve the blockbuster but pay Hitchcock homage as well.
2010/1/19
The Reflection of The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight gets high opinions from the press to the reviewers, so no one can deny that it is the most outstanding film of American hero in recent years, excluding me.
TDK is surely an ambitious and meaningful cinema. Like other Batman movies, such as Batman (1989), which shows homage to Godfather, and Batman Returns (1992), which nods to Citizen Kane, TDK is filled with struggles between sinister gangs, the villain bulling around on the street, the sinister gangs kill the justice against them. It is almost a kind of early gangster film genre like The Untouchables and L.A. Confidential. The plot of the collusion between both sides of the law to cause such situation like there is no one can trust makes me recall Cop Land and Street Kings. And the plot that the Joker forces Batman to make a choice to save Harvey Dent or Bruce Wayne's girlfriend is also like the designs in Superman and Spiderman.
I think the director, Christopher Nolan, uses the formalistic subject to present the realistic style. Unlike other Batman movies in the past, especially Tim Burton's and Joel Schumacher's, the shot, the light, the set, the composition, and the music tend to low key. To me, as a crazy buff of Batman movies, dislike it at all. I fancy Tim Burton's versions, because he uses expressionist style to show the feature of Gotham city. I believe it is the best way to represent the Batman genre. After all, Nolan said that he wants to avoid his Batman to be like the way in Burton’s, because he knows no matter how he tries, he would never be better that Burton.
Besides, in TDK the shooting script seems a little negligent, because there are jump-cuts in some sequences, especially the mise en scéne of action parts; after the premiere of TDK, Nolan admitted he was not good at it.
I think the sequence of murdering the sheriff and the justice in TDK mimics the most classic parallel editing in Godfather, and the sequence of saving Harvey Dent and Batman's girlfriend by using the technique of the crossing-montage is definitely from the idea of “Griffith's last-minute rescue” in The Birth of a Nation (1915).
However, Heath Ledger's Joker lacks the Joker's archetype in comics, which is savage, bantering, elegant, perverse, dominating, sophisticated and shrewd, like Jack Nicholson’s version in Batman (1989). Moreover, in Burton's Batman, it is interesting that Batman and the Joker have a relationship which is “Jake Napier makes Bruce Wayne become Batman, and Batman turns Jake Napier into the Joker;” yet, in TDK, there is no such subtle kinship between them. It is a pity! Also, the murder by the Joker using a pen to kill in TDK, unlike the way of the murder in Batman by using a quill to kill, is not brilliant enough. And the dialogues in Batman are more classic and cleverer than in TDK.The interesting thing in it is when I see Christian Bale as Batman living between Bruce Wayne, the multimillionaire, and Batman, the dark knight, makes me review Patrick Bateman in the Slasher American Psycho (2000), who is charming, well educated and intelligent, working by day on Wall Street, but at night he descends into madness, being soulless and insane. Another interesting thing makes me curious is when Bruce Wayne asks Lucius Fox that whether the new Batman suit could protect him from dogs or not, Fox said “We talking Rottweilers or Chihuahuas? Should do fine against cats.” Is it on purpose that Nolan want to hint there will be Catwoman in his Batman part three? After all, there won't be Batman’s girlfriend in part three, because she died in the end in TDK; thus, the writers of the screenplay are going to create a new heroine. The flameless representation of Catwoman in my mind is Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns, and I hope Nolan won't let Angelina Jolie play it, because she would ruin this prominent role in Batman series.
TDK is surely an ambitious and meaningful cinema. Like other Batman movies, such as Batman (1989), which shows homage to Godfather, and Batman Returns (1992), which nods to Citizen Kane, TDK is filled with struggles between sinister gangs, the villain bulling around on the street, the sinister gangs kill the justice against them. It is almost a kind of early gangster film genre like The Untouchables and L.A. Confidential. The plot of the collusion between both sides of the law to cause such situation like there is no one can trust makes me recall Cop Land and Street Kings. And the plot that the Joker forces Batman to make a choice to save Harvey Dent or Bruce Wayne's girlfriend is also like the designs in Superman and Spiderman.
I think the director, Christopher Nolan, uses the formalistic subject to present the realistic style. Unlike other Batman movies in the past, especially Tim Burton's and Joel Schumacher's, the shot, the light, the set, the composition, and the music tend to low key. To me, as a crazy buff of Batman movies, dislike it at all. I fancy Tim Burton's versions, because he uses expressionist style to show the feature of Gotham city. I believe it is the best way to represent the Batman genre. After all, Nolan said that he wants to avoid his Batman to be like the way in Burton’s, because he knows no matter how he tries, he would never be better that Burton.
Besides, in TDK the shooting script seems a little negligent, because there are jump-cuts in some sequences, especially the mise en scéne of action parts; after the premiere of TDK, Nolan admitted he was not good at it.
I think the sequence of murdering the sheriff and the justice in TDK mimics the most classic parallel editing in Godfather, and the sequence of saving Harvey Dent and Batman's girlfriend by using the technique of the crossing-montage is definitely from the idea of “Griffith's last-minute rescue” in The Birth of a Nation (1915).
However, Heath Ledger's Joker lacks the Joker's archetype in comics, which is savage, bantering, elegant, perverse, dominating, sophisticated and shrewd, like Jack Nicholson’s version in Batman (1989). Moreover, in Burton's Batman, it is interesting that Batman and the Joker have a relationship which is “Jake Napier makes Bruce Wayne become Batman, and Batman turns Jake Napier into the Joker;” yet, in TDK, there is no such subtle kinship between them. It is a pity! Also, the murder by the Joker using a pen to kill in TDK, unlike the way of the murder in Batman by using a quill to kill, is not brilliant enough. And the dialogues in Batman are more classic and cleverer than in TDK.The interesting thing in it is when I see Christian Bale as Batman living between Bruce Wayne, the multimillionaire, and Batman, the dark knight, makes me review Patrick Bateman in the Slasher American Psycho (2000), who is charming, well educated and intelligent, working by day on Wall Street, but at night he descends into madness, being soulless and insane. Another interesting thing makes me curious is when Bruce Wayne asks Lucius Fox that whether the new Batman suit could protect him from dogs or not, Fox said “We talking Rottweilers or Chihuahuas? Should do fine against cats.” Is it on purpose that Nolan want to hint there will be Catwoman in his Batman part three? After all, there won't be Batman’s girlfriend in part three, because she died in the end in TDK; thus, the writers of the screenplay are going to create a new heroine. The flameless representation of Catwoman in my mind is Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns, and I hope Nolan won't let Angelina Jolie play it, because she would ruin this prominent role in Batman series.
The Reflection of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Even though The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in Chinese title is named “the fantastic journey of Benjamin Button,” the life of the hero is not fantastic at all. The only difference in his life from other people is he ages backwards with bizarre consequences. However, no matter what kind of life it is, aging forward or backward, the destinations of life are the same, dying. “You can be as mad as a mad dog at the way things went. You could swear, curse the fates, but when it comes to the end, you have to let go.” It is captain Mike’s dying words when he holding Benjamin Button’s hand on the ship. This quote could conclude everything in the film; it means striving hard when we live and without regret, and until the last time of our life, we have to take a brave heart to face death.
David Fincher, the director, always teaches his audience the meaning the life in his films, such as Se7en, the Game, Fight Club, and Zodiac. Those works talk about the same motif, which is “seize the day.”
This movie makes me recall Forest Gump. They are similar in the stories, which are the heroes pass by the every landmark in American history; however, the different part is Forest Gump uses his own point of view to see the world, but in CCBB, there are a number of people interpreting the meaning of life.
Even though from reviewer to the press have said CCBB is a masterpiece, I don’t like it at all. The story uses the sequences of the landmarks in the history to string every point in Benjamin Button’s life. It makes not merely the story to widen the field of the sight in CCBB intentionally but strengthen the color of Benjamin Button’s incredible legend as well; yet, Fincher, who is used to film music videos, makes the hero’s characteristics too simple, impersonal and tame but makes the story full of introspective and inspiring mottos. I cannot see those sayings have any relation to Benjamin Button in the movie, because he never changes his personality or thought after learning them from others. It seems that there is a huge gap between the mottos and Benjamin Button’s living style. Moreover, the fast tempo in CCBB causes Fincher cannot manage well the profound and meaningful plots the movie tries to present, and thus I only can see it remains a routine and day-to-day diary to read.
Additionally, the sequence of introducing the rest home by Brad Pitt’s voice-over makes me recall the sequence of introducing the support groups in Fight Club by Edward Norton’s voice-over. At last, I think David Fincher forsakes the sharp tone, the rebellious stroke, and the elaborate and pretentious long takes which are his favorite to present in past works, using the soft focus effect, filter and backlighting to film such tedious, old fashioned mystery.
David Fincher, the director, always teaches his audience the meaning the life in his films, such as Se7en, the Game, Fight Club, and Zodiac. Those works talk about the same motif, which is “seize the day.”
This movie makes me recall Forest Gump. They are similar in the stories, which are the heroes pass by the every landmark in American history; however, the different part is Forest Gump uses his own point of view to see the world, but in CCBB, there are a number of people interpreting the meaning of life.
Even though from reviewer to the press have said CCBB is a masterpiece, I don’t like it at all. The story uses the sequences of the landmarks in the history to string every point in Benjamin Button’s life. It makes not merely the story to widen the field of the sight in CCBB intentionally but strengthen the color of Benjamin Button’s incredible legend as well; yet, Fincher, who is used to film music videos, makes the hero’s characteristics too simple, impersonal and tame but makes the story full of introspective and inspiring mottos. I cannot see those sayings have any relation to Benjamin Button in the movie, because he never changes his personality or thought after learning them from others. It seems that there is a huge gap between the mottos and Benjamin Button’s living style. Moreover, the fast tempo in CCBB causes Fincher cannot manage well the profound and meaningful plots the movie tries to present, and thus I only can see it remains a routine and day-to-day diary to read.
Additionally, the sequence of introducing the rest home by Brad Pitt’s voice-over makes me recall the sequence of introducing the support groups in Fight Club by Edward Norton’s voice-over. At last, I think David Fincher forsakes the sharp tone, the rebellious stroke, and the elaborate and pretentious long takes which are his favorite to present in past works, using the soft focus effect, filter and backlighting to film such tedious, old fashioned mystery.
2010/1/18
The Reflection of Turtles Can Fly
The director of Turtles Can Fly is very good at presenting underclass characters in struggles and dangerous situations by using various meanings of camera shots. His characteristics in shooting and montage are simple, strong and somber.
In the first scene, the girl Agrin goes to the edge of high cliff, looking down, and then turning her head and the destination she looks back is the frame of the left; the next shot is there is an upside-down reflection in the lake that a person wearing a dark rob or a black cloak, looking like Death, walking from the frame of the right to the left, then throwing a stone to the right side. According to the Soviet montage theory, through the juxtaposition of two shots, new meanings can be created. The two successive different images are based on the reasonable and logical display. After seeing this movie, we may finally realize the meaning of the first scene, and maybe we can say the girl retrospects and recalls the behavior that she makes the baby drowned. Yet, remember the scene that what she tries to hold is a rock, not a stone. So that maybe it is not correct to say the upside-down reflection in the lake is the review in her mind. We should analyze the scene that because of the girl's experiences, which are she being raped and murdering her son, she feels deeply blameworthy. She thinks she is filthy after being raped, and is guilty because of murdering her own son. If we use the religious view of point, such female who has committed murder and sexual abuse should be thrown by stone to death by all the people. Therefore, she is going to kill herself to atone her sins. According to Mannerism, in a landscape painting the near the top of the frame can suggest ideas dealing with power and authority. On the contrary, the areas near the bottom of the frame tend to subservience, weakness, and powerless. Objects and figures placed in the bottom seem to be in danger and be dominated by those above. A landscape is seldom divided horizontally at the midpoint of a composition; otherwise, the sky would appear to oppress the earth. And the director of this movie creates the disturbing effects by letting the sky dominate heavily over the bottom. So in the scene by the high-angle shot, the unknown and mysterious view of sky like a cloak veils the little girl and the faded trees near the bottom, making everything repressed, bleak and helpless, foreshadowing the story will be about some desperate destiny. Such meaning by using high-angle shot in this movie presents at least 25 times. And when the girl jumping from the high cliff, the director uses the slow motion and fade-out to present the insecure shot, and then displaying everything from the beginning. The scene Agrin jumping is a strong main motif of this film. Every plot almost circles it around until the motif is finally revealed. After blacking the scene the movie title is shown. It is also an undertone that the title presented just after the jumping shot. We can also analyze it that the girl is like a turtle full of burdens and tries to find freedom, which means suicide and absolving. Moreover, I think the turtle mean the land mines. Not only does the mine looks like a turtle from the appearance, but also the image that even though those mines are hurtful to children, children might still take them as trading products. Mines are lethal burdens like heavy shells to children in daily lives, and yet mines are also things to keep them earning money and living safely like giving them wings to fly. So poetic and ironic!
The director likes to use the telephoto lens to get Agrin's close-up from extreme distance, producing the atmospheric effect that is used for symbolic meaning. The objects placed before and beyond that distance blur, go out of the focus formalistically. Therefore, we can clearly and only pay attention to her struggle observed form her facial appearance.
The director follows the way that the Italian directors after WWII liked to use the nonprofessional performers to prove the reality of the local society. But we have to distinct the difference between realism and reality. Realism is a particular style, and the physical reality is the source of all the raw materials of film, both realistic and formalistic. Therefore, as we can see from at least 25 high-contrast-angle shots and frequent Agrin's close-up, the director of Turtles Can Fly shapes and manipulates the reality to make the movie formalistic. In 4 sections which are Satellite takes plenty of radios to exchange a satellite, going to the cartridge ground, buying weapons in the market, and the panic first-person point of view of the armless boy searching for his sister, the director still wants to show the documentary way by hand-held shots based on realism. And sometimes, using bird's-eye shots at the moment of destiny's greatest impact in Turtles Can Fly make us to hover above a scene like all-powerful God. The refugees photographed seem ant-like and insignificant. Besides, in order to highlight the status of Satellite in crowd, the director uses the obvious low-angle shot in every scene. And when the American armies invade their country, the camera shoots the tanks by extreme low-angle shot. Except using the high-contrast angle shots, in most time the scenes in the movie are always filmed by child's eye-level shots, making audience to use their innocent perspectives to observe their brutal world.
Also, the director presents the two triangles in the composition which are the one Satellite and his two charming followers and the other the armless boy, Agrin and her baby. Using triangular designs visually, the film deals with the two sets of trio of characters whose relationships are shifty and interrelated. Moreover, isolated figures and objects, like the armless boy and Agrin, tend to be heavier than others in a group in images. The armless boy and his sister move away from the camera very frequently. Such movement away from the camera tends to mean being weak, fearful, suspicious, and remote from others in the movie and from audience. So such movement arouses other characters and audience's curiosity to find out their backgrounds, making the armless boy's family become a main motif in this movie.In this movie, the scenes the characters move from right to left mean they are active, energetic, and hopeful, like the beginning Satellite talking to the elder on the hill, Satellite pursuing Agrin on the road, and so on. On the other hand, the scenes the characters move from left to right intend to they are desperate, frustrated, and hopeless, such as the scene that in the first shot Agrin going to jump from the cliff, and the final shot that Satellite is disappointed to everything, moving away from the camera. And there is a scene in the beginning that an elder whining that their lives are in misery. The elder moves out of the depth of the scene in an uninterrupted long take, making us feel slow, tedious, hopeless and restless as the elder feels.
Therefore, the director not merely wants to present a realistic misery in the story, but using strong and formalistic style to display the visual techniques intensify the meanings of the story as well.
In the first scene, the girl Agrin goes to the edge of high cliff, looking down, and then turning her head and the destination she looks back is the frame of the left; the next shot is there is an upside-down reflection in the lake that a person wearing a dark rob or a black cloak, looking like Death, walking from the frame of the right to the left, then throwing a stone to the right side. According to the Soviet montage theory, through the juxtaposition of two shots, new meanings can be created. The two successive different images are based on the reasonable and logical display. After seeing this movie, we may finally realize the meaning of the first scene, and maybe we can say the girl retrospects and recalls the behavior that she makes the baby drowned. Yet, remember the scene that what she tries to hold is a rock, not a stone. So that maybe it is not correct to say the upside-down reflection in the lake is the review in her mind. We should analyze the scene that because of the girl's experiences, which are she being raped and murdering her son, she feels deeply blameworthy. She thinks she is filthy after being raped, and is guilty because of murdering her own son. If we use the religious view of point, such female who has committed murder and sexual abuse should be thrown by stone to death by all the people. Therefore, she is going to kill herself to atone her sins. According to Mannerism, in a landscape painting the near the top of the frame can suggest ideas dealing with power and authority. On the contrary, the areas near the bottom of the frame tend to subservience, weakness, and powerless. Objects and figures placed in the bottom seem to be in danger and be dominated by those above. A landscape is seldom divided horizontally at the midpoint of a composition; otherwise, the sky would appear to oppress the earth. And the director of this movie creates the disturbing effects by letting the sky dominate heavily over the bottom. So in the scene by the high-angle shot, the unknown and mysterious view of sky like a cloak veils the little girl and the faded trees near the bottom, making everything repressed, bleak and helpless, foreshadowing the story will be about some desperate destiny. Such meaning by using high-angle shot in this movie presents at least 25 times. And when the girl jumping from the high cliff, the director uses the slow motion and fade-out to present the insecure shot, and then displaying everything from the beginning. The scene Agrin jumping is a strong main motif of this film. Every plot almost circles it around until the motif is finally revealed. After blacking the scene the movie title is shown. It is also an undertone that the title presented just after the jumping shot. We can also analyze it that the girl is like a turtle full of burdens and tries to find freedom, which means suicide and absolving. Moreover, I think the turtle mean the land mines. Not only does the mine looks like a turtle from the appearance, but also the image that even though those mines are hurtful to children, children might still take them as trading products. Mines are lethal burdens like heavy shells to children in daily lives, and yet mines are also things to keep them earning money and living safely like giving them wings to fly. So poetic and ironic!
The director likes to use the telephoto lens to get Agrin's close-up from extreme distance, producing the atmospheric effect that is used for symbolic meaning. The objects placed before and beyond that distance blur, go out of the focus formalistically. Therefore, we can clearly and only pay attention to her struggle observed form her facial appearance.
The director follows the way that the Italian directors after WWII liked to use the nonprofessional performers to prove the reality of the local society. But we have to distinct the difference between realism and reality. Realism is a particular style, and the physical reality is the source of all the raw materials of film, both realistic and formalistic. Therefore, as we can see from at least 25 high-contrast-angle shots and frequent Agrin's close-up, the director of Turtles Can Fly shapes and manipulates the reality to make the movie formalistic. In 4 sections which are Satellite takes plenty of radios to exchange a satellite, going to the cartridge ground, buying weapons in the market, and the panic first-person point of view of the armless boy searching for his sister, the director still wants to show the documentary way by hand-held shots based on realism. And sometimes, using bird's-eye shots at the moment of destiny's greatest impact in Turtles Can Fly make us to hover above a scene like all-powerful God. The refugees photographed seem ant-like and insignificant. Besides, in order to highlight the status of Satellite in crowd, the director uses the obvious low-angle shot in every scene. And when the American armies invade their country, the camera shoots the tanks by extreme low-angle shot. Except using the high-contrast angle shots, in most time the scenes in the movie are always filmed by child's eye-level shots, making audience to use their innocent perspectives to observe their brutal world.
Also, the director presents the two triangles in the composition which are the one Satellite and his two charming followers and the other the armless boy, Agrin and her baby. Using triangular designs visually, the film deals with the two sets of trio of characters whose relationships are shifty and interrelated. Moreover, isolated figures and objects, like the armless boy and Agrin, tend to be heavier than others in a group in images. The armless boy and his sister move away from the camera very frequently. Such movement away from the camera tends to mean being weak, fearful, suspicious, and remote from others in the movie and from audience. So such movement arouses other characters and audience's curiosity to find out their backgrounds, making the armless boy's family become a main motif in this movie.In this movie, the scenes the characters move from right to left mean they are active, energetic, and hopeful, like the beginning Satellite talking to the elder on the hill, Satellite pursuing Agrin on the road, and so on. On the other hand, the scenes the characters move from left to right intend to they are desperate, frustrated, and hopeless, such as the scene that in the first shot Agrin going to jump from the cliff, and the final shot that Satellite is disappointed to everything, moving away from the camera. And there is a scene in the beginning that an elder whining that their lives are in misery. The elder moves out of the depth of the scene in an uninterrupted long take, making us feel slow, tedious, hopeless and restless as the elder feels.
Therefore, the director not merely wants to present a realistic misery in the story, but using strong and formalistic style to display the visual techniques intensify the meanings of the story as well.
2010/1/6
The Reflection of Misery
Misery (1990) tells a story that a famous writer is rescued by a crazy big female fan after a serious car accident; she takes him home, comforting him, and she won't let him go, asking him to rewrite the work which can make her touching; otherwise, he would never be free. It is based on one of the best novels of Stephen King. Unlike other King's works, full of ghosts, aliens, monsters or supernatural things, the frighten parts may happen in the real world, so it would be more easily to make ourselves indulge in the story, experiencing the same tortures on the body and mental pressures. Sharing with the same identity of the character with huge numbers of book fans, King puts his most panic nightmare into the story.
Rob Reiner, the director, has shot a well-known teenager adventure movie called Stand by Me (1986), based on King's another novel, The Body; he becomes one of the rare directors who are able to control King's stories. Misery is a grave thriller, so Reiner changes his narrative style, presenting the bleak and panic atmosphere like the novel does, instead of the warm and filling with surprises in Stand by Me.
Because of the plot the female character keeps the writer in captivity in her house, most of the scenes happen indoor in Misery, most of time the story focusing on the interaction between both. The simple scenes won't make the audience tedious, because the relationship between them is unpredictable; we may think the way to escape the psycho's house with the male character. With the fugitive personality of the sick woman, the nervous feelings would drive us insane. It is like a cat catches a mouse, no matter how clever the ways to escape he thinks, she will always know how to catch him back.
The brilliant interaction between the characters is thanks to not merely the good play to portray the heroes deeply but the splendid acting of Kathy Bates. She is the rare actress winning the Oscar in a leading role by such notorious character, smiling like an innocent child and outraged as a lion. So, mostly, it is she to make Misery as a stunning work.
The Final Task
Q1. How do you like the weekly writing prompts? Are they interesting or boring? Inspirational or weird? Are they related to your life? Can you suggest anything better and give some examples?
A1. At first, I really felt that such tasks dear Doris asked are extremely tedious and burdensome. I couldn't understand why I had to complete these assignments even though we had been told to write weekly journals. After I knew these tasks could be counted as parts in journals, I finally accepted them. And when I started to write the comments on these unwillingly, I found that these articles and questions were truly entertaining and informative indeed. I little bit regretted that how come I didn't start to write them early and make my comments meaningful and proper in my ample time. The fact is that I pretty like to write my feelings and outlooks in English; yet, I would always be laidback before beginning to write. Sometimes beginnings aren't so simple. But while beginning writing something I have plenty of views to say, I can hardly to stop, especially in a good mood. These articles and questions on tasks could arouse the reflections on my own experiences. They might not merely motivate me to writing down my feelings in English but make me introspect myself and rethink the events happening in my life as well. Thus the tasks really meant something to me.
Q2. Do you like the two-way online discussion with your keypal? Or do you think we should have more people (like 3~4 students) form a group blog to exchange ideas? Why or why not?
A2. I like the two-way online discussion with my own key pal, because we can try to understand each others more from the comments we leaved. Sometimes we could share our feelings and reflect our lives. However, I think if such task were formed in a group, it could be like an argument to me because there would be too many viewpoints online and they might make me repellent.
Q3. Have you encountered any difficulties during the semester when using blogs to discuss with your keypal, e.g., computer problems or anything?
A3. In fact, one of the reasons why I didn't post my comments on blog is that the task is online work. I am not a technical guy at all. I always reject working with computer, and such work makes me lazy. Therefore I wrote down my comments on previous five tasks in my notebooks, and trying to type them at a time. Here I have to apologize again that I let James wait for a too long time and made him respond to himself. How irresponsible I was...
Q4. How do you like the project website? Are they friendly enough? Have we left out any important content? How do you like the layout/design?
A4. The website is designed delicately, showing how hard-working our teaching assistance(s) is(are). I am grateful to all of these.
Q5. What have you gained from this blog activity?
A5. I could learn how to express my feelings and viewpoints in English from the tasks, comparing and sharing them with my key pal.
Q6. If you had an opportunity to start over, would you have done anything differently? If so, how?
A6. I might start to leave my comments early or be on time on James' blog, trying to avoid making James respond to himself all the time. Sorry, James.
A1. At first, I really felt that such tasks dear Doris asked are extremely tedious and burdensome. I couldn't understand why I had to complete these assignments even though we had been told to write weekly journals. After I knew these tasks could be counted as parts in journals, I finally accepted them. And when I started to write the comments on these unwillingly, I found that these articles and questions were truly entertaining and informative indeed. I little bit regretted that how come I didn't start to write them early and make my comments meaningful and proper in my ample time. The fact is that I pretty like to write my feelings and outlooks in English; yet, I would always be laidback before beginning to write. Sometimes beginnings aren't so simple. But while beginning writing something I have plenty of views to say, I can hardly to stop, especially in a good mood. These articles and questions on tasks could arouse the reflections on my own experiences. They might not merely motivate me to writing down my feelings in English but make me introspect myself and rethink the events happening in my life as well. Thus the tasks really meant something to me.
Q2. Do you like the two-way online discussion with your keypal? Or do you think we should have more people (like 3~4 students) form a group blog to exchange ideas? Why or why not?
A2. I like the two-way online discussion with my own key pal, because we can try to understand each others more from the comments we leaved. Sometimes we could share our feelings and reflect our lives. However, I think if such task were formed in a group, it could be like an argument to me because there would be too many viewpoints online and they might make me repellent.
Q3. Have you encountered any difficulties during the semester when using blogs to discuss with your keypal, e.g., computer problems or anything?
A3. In fact, one of the reasons why I didn't post my comments on blog is that the task is online work. I am not a technical guy at all. I always reject working with computer, and such work makes me lazy. Therefore I wrote down my comments on previous five tasks in my notebooks, and trying to type them at a time. Here I have to apologize again that I let James wait for a too long time and made him respond to himself. How irresponsible I was...
Q4. How do you like the project website? Are they friendly enough? Have we left out any important content? How do you like the layout/design?
A4. The website is designed delicately, showing how hard-working our teaching assistance(s) is(are). I am grateful to all of these.
Q5. What have you gained from this blog activity?
A5. I could learn how to express my feelings and viewpoints in English from the tasks, comparing and sharing them with my key pal.
Q6. If you had an opportunity to start over, would you have done anything differently? If so, how?
A6. I might start to leave my comments early or be on time on James' blog, trying to avoid making James respond to himself all the time. Sorry, James.
2010/1/3
Task 10
1. I think this activity we commenting on the articles and responding questions on blogs is mainly for fun in various fascinating issues and topics; yet not to forget the value that these meaningful tasks make us get used to weekly English writing. This is a brilliant vehicle for presenting our own opinions and perspectives on many issues. Therefore, I don't think we should think too highly of the grammatical or spelling stuff on comments if the structures and vocabulary are not too horrible because it would turn to be meaningless for free and easy writing; instead, the points of view are much more significant to notice. However, everyone has his or her original outlooks which are hard to judge as good, bad, right or wrong because they are all subjective and personal standpoints from his or her individual experiences of course, and I believe it is the main point of this activity. Thus, the criteria should be like, if one student has done all of the tasks, then s/he could get the grade s/he basically deserves. And the bonus grades should be in the teacher's charge.
2. I am supposed to get six or less if I could score myself, again, it is a hypothetical question, meaning that it's probably not going to happen. The main reason why I deserve so few is that I let Doris and my dear partner waiting for a long time and I feel shame.
3. James is a fabulous partner since he is always so decent and sincere on comments, and don't forget his virtue of punctuality at every task. It could really draw a clear line between James and me, and I should apologize for my regular procrastination. As a result, James deserves total ten points without doubt.
2. I am supposed to get six or less if I could score myself, again, it is a hypothetical question, meaning that it's probably not going to happen. The main reason why I deserve so few is that I let Doris and my dear partner waiting for a long time and I feel shame.
3. James is a fabulous partner since he is always so decent and sincere on comments, and don't forget his virtue of punctuality at every task. It could really draw a clear line between James and me, and I should apologize for my regular procrastination. As a result, James deserves total ten points without doubt.
Task 9
1. The type of course that I love the most is watching some movies related to teacher’s lectures, because I could not only pay my whole attention on it but absorb knowledge the teacher wants to explain quickly as well. On the other hand, the course style I like the least is through student groups’ presentations to display the class subjects, especially the topic I am not interested in. Well, yet sometimes it depends.
2. In my freshman year, there was an interesting class in philosophy department of FJU and it was called philosophy discussion. In this class we had an elder school sister leading this course, helping us to clarify the ideas and concepts of philosophy theory when we were discuss one subject, even arguing. She was not the authority of this course but a midwife, like the role Socrates played in Greek period, to provide some viewpoints or suggestions to motivate us as we were in struggles. This course could really make us agitate with plenty of knowledge and perspectives from other philosophy courses we had taken.
3. If I encounter some kind of difficult knowledge that tough to figure out, then I will try to study it several times or ask my teacher to help me to realize. And if I counter some kind of difficult knowledge that hard to memorize, I will find out some methods to aid me to remember; for instance, I might associate some abstract knowledge with a concrete image or an object.
4. It is pretty hard to answer because I merely even sure about this even if I could respond the questions above. It really depends on what kind of subjects you ask me to learn and study. The reason is a good learner has to possess various ways of learning strategies for different kinds of subjects, so we should not be labeled as a certain kind when facing every study.
Task 8
I might grade myself maybe 6 or less if I could really make the decision in my charge; namely I think it is just a hypothetical question. First of all, I have made nice Doris, my CC teacher, and dear James, my key pal, waiting for almost a half semester for my comments on tasks on blogs, so that I should be blamed without question. In addition, it is really a pity that I only got few chances to talk with James on MSN and on E-mail, not to mention in the phone or face to face, because we both are too busy to know each other closely. I believe that we have something in common somehow and I have a lot to ask him and to share with him. I hope we can have another opportunity to get along in the future.
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