Filmodus Operandi

Over the last month I have been working on the music for a short film done by a good friend of mine.  Here is the link to their website they just put up.  Filmodus Operandi
Hopefully I can post some music samples soon for those interested.
Enjoy!

Tron Legacy Movie Review

I saw this a while ago but I wanted to write a review on it.
Overall, I did not like this remake.
I haven't seen the old one.  But this one was a very poor remake.  Its only redeeming characteristics is a few highly entertaining scenes.
The movie had a complicated storyline and it was thin in several points.  Characters were underdeveloped and extremely weird.
Sam (the main character) after his dad gets sucked into his own video game Tron leads a kind of depressed life. Sam's big achievement each year is playing a prank on his dads multimillion dollar company.  So from the start he isn't that likeable.  After he himself gets sucked into Tron he gets put into a disc fight.  Which is cleverly done.  Its entertaining to watch the fight.  He ends up having to fight for his life in the 'Lightcycle' ring.  Sam gets defeated and just before dying he is saved by a female warrior (classic cliche).  Sam is taken to his father who is hiding somewhere out some dark rocky mountains.  After that the story evolves into Sam trying to get his dad back to reality.   This is were it gets weird.  Sam with Quorra (the female warrior) go to Zeus, a guy with long hair who looks more like a girl and supposedly is a enemy of Clu (the villain who is trying to make the world perfect).  He seems to want to help but he actually is a traitor.  What is weird is supposedly he is extremely powerful but he doesn't use his power hardly at all and when he does your saying, 'that's it?'
The movie ends with Sam's dad sacraficing himself to get his son back into the real world and destroying Clu.
What really destroys this movie is the messages and underlying theme's.  One of the biggest contradictions is this: When Sam's dad and Clu (who used to rule Tron together) first came to Tron they built stuff to create a perfect world.  As they were doing this a entire race of perfect 'programs' (which is what they call humanoid forms) and these programs are ENTIRELY PERFECT.  Quorra is the last surviving perfect program yet she hast to be taught and she losses her arm so her fight moves aren't perfect.  The underlying message though is an example of evolution.  That out of nothing comes perfection.  That we are slowly getting their and these, 'perfect programs' are the end result.  So an evolutionary stance was taken early in the movie.
But then we see that Clu tries to achieve perfection and destroys hundreds of programs and is obviously a tyrant.  It almost seemed like in some ways they were comparing to Hitler.  So then their is another stance that seems contradictory to the one I talked about above.
Another big thing was that Sam's dad was all into New Age Meditation.  Several lines through out the movie really annoyed me.  But it was portrayed as a very beneficial thing through out the movie.
The last thing that bugged me was this.  In the movie, when programs are killed they shatter in millions of little pieces.  They call it Derezzing. Now since Quorra is a program we see how her body is made up of millions of little pieces.  So she is only compatible with Tron world which is made up of that stuff.  Then she goes into the real world and she becomes human.  It was a lame way to end the movie.
Overall its story was passable, but with the agenda it pushed forward and its flat ending...  I only give it two stars.
That's my two cents on Tron Legacy. 
EDIT: Thank you Ethan for pointing out to me that this was the wrong trailer.  Here is the correct one.

Oh whoops here's the real one. ;)

 

Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon

Last week I went to the dollar theater to see Transformers 3. I have only seen the first one.  I saw the first one but didn't see the second.  The third one can be watched without watching any of the first two.  It was kind of like a fresh start to the series.
Overall I really liked it.  Some people may get bored with it because it is a long movie(2hr. 45min.).  And, half of it is a enormous battle through the streets and skyscrapers of Chicago.  Which I thought was incredibly well done.  Michael Bay certainly knows how to do a battle scene well.
One of the things that I disliked a bit in the first one, and that they remedied in this one was the vareity of the weaponry used.  In the first one, everyone used their arm cannon.  (And it got annoying well to me anyway). In this one, Optimus Prime used five or six different weapons.  Also there are a lot more autobots all with different styles of fighting and weapons.  Bumblebee is the only one that still just uses his arm cannon, but he uses it in different ways which makes it fun to watch.
Another thing that was a HUGE improvement from the first one was the storyline.  There are good subplots that go throughout and all were done decently.  Surprisingly, there were a couple major twists that totally altered the plot.  From the trailer it may seem like it has a very flat plot.  Lots of good twists that had me gasping in the theater.

Also I know its not hard to be a better actress then Megan Fox.  Thankfully, new blonde girl did a MUCH better job than Megan Fox.
Something new was the addition of the transformers bleeding red gas.  In my opinion but when it was used sparingly and well done effect.
Another thing that I liked about this movie is the message of fighting for freedom.  I liked how it also had sub themes of never giving up and friendship.
On the negative side, the first half of the movie it had weird moments and some inappropriate comments.
Overall I give it five stars. :)

"In any war, there are calms between the storms. There will be days when we lose faith, days when our allies turn against us. But the day will never come, that we forsake this planet and its people. For I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message to the universe: We are here. We are home."

The closing lines of the movie.

Soundcloud

Soundcloud is a internet based music sharing site.  Its free to use and you can upload and share your tracks.
I just started using them and I am uploading music clips to most of the sheet music.
So check it out. :)

Grafted The Movie

So right now I'm working on two movies:
One is a documentary on adoption.  Its going to be entered into the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival.   I 'm part of the crew, I help with whatever needs to be done.  Its not that glorious but working with friends on a movie is so much fun that the work is enjoyable.
They've started a blog about their progress.  Here it is.
Enjoy!
The other movie I will announce as soon as their website is up.  Which shouldn't be too long.
So stay tuned for more info. :)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes Review

I went and watched Rise of the Planet of the Apes a few days ago.
And just to give warning, the post has some spoilers.
Here's the synopsis from IMBd

During experiments to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease, a genetically-enhanced chimpanzee uses its greater intelligence to lead other apes to freedom.

Overall it was worth EVERY PENNY OF THE $9.75 I spent to see it.
I liked the main character (the human).  His drive to find the cure for his dad, who has Alzheimer's was touching.  And it really brought it home when his dad dies in the middle of the movie.
I was incredibly impressed with Andy Serkis's (Gollum from Lord of the Rings) performance as Caesar.  Watching it, I was amazed that it was actually a human, he seemed to act like an ape so much.  The mannerisms were perfect!  A funny thing though (for those who have seen Lord of the Rings) Andy Serkis in the movie bits the the index finger off of a character in the movie.  The exact same finger that he bit off of Frodo's in Lord of the Rings.
It felt bad that I was nearly laughing as this guy got his finger bit off.
The story was thrilling!  I loved watching the final battle on the Golden Gate Bridge.  As it was brute force against guns.  Their is just something cool about massive gorilla's jumping and slamming into helicopters.
The thing that I was most impressed with was that the movie did not thrust evolution down your throat.  And how we evolved.
That was not the point of the movie.  It may have been subtly in the sublayer but it was not the main point.
Their is a bit of romance for the main human character and it felt like it was just thrown in.  As it didn't really advance the story.
It was beautifully done movie overall.  I give it five stars. :)
Watch the trailer below.

Rio Movie Review

I just watched the animated movie 'Rio'.
A quick synopsis of the film.

(From IMDb) When Blu, a domesticated macaw from small-town Minnesota, meets the fiercely independent Jewel, he takes off on an adventure to Rio de Janeiro with this bird of his dreams.

My thoughts on the movie:
Overall I was impressed on its story structure.  It followed closely the classic three-act-structure like I talked about in a previous post.  Complete with a:

A flawed but sympathetic protagonist                                       

 summons moral courage to face and then overcome                 

 increasingly difficult, seemingly insurmountable moral tests to achieve a compelling desire.

The characters were well defined.  And even in this secular film certain Christian themes bled through(honoring the family, a husband who was devoted to his wife)
Their were plenty of funny moments and great jokes.  The story kept up and held the me interrested. The climax was very well built up to and no
Though their were a few things that weren't so great.
Their was some bizzare humor throughout which was kind of weird.  The end fell a bit flat. Because....
Spoiler ALERT.
Well at the end, Blu and Jewel kiss.  Now how that works don't ask.
That was the only thing that was bad about the movie.
Other than that I liked it.  I give it 3 stars.

And the pop song at the end wasn't bad either. :-)

It is Well With My Soul

Another song that I absolutely LOVE.  So add that genre to the enormous list of genre's that I love.  The story behind this hymn is so amazing.  Horatio Spafford wrote this hymn after his family had died.  If that isn't a complete trust in God, then I don't know what is.  I pray that if that ever happens to me that I will have the same response he had.

So I rearranged it into C, so I could play it with more finesse.
Enjoy.
For sheet music click here.

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul, 
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life,
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Horatio Spafford
  

Viva la Vida - Coldplay Rearranged into C

Okay, I like Classical, and I like Coldplay.  Call me what you will.  But this song is awesome.
Since it was so awesome I looked for a piano cover for it and found this: (Sorry that its a bit grainy.  But the sound is good.)

So then I found the sheet music for it.  So I sat down to play it and it was a bit difficult, because of the key.  I'm not a master pianist (yet, I'm working on it).  So I took it and inputted it into my notation software and changed the key to C which has no accursed flats. :)
So for anyone who really likes this song and wants to get a easier version, they can click here.
Also here's the REAL version:

Have fun with it!

P.S. Watch the Rhythm's of the left hand.

New Classical Song by Yours Truly

I found this old song in my piles of sheet music.  Its a bit classical.  But classical comes easiest to me so...
Its a little rugged so you can add your own improvisations to it when you play it.
I won't be offended. :)
Here's the link to it.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/61205647/Invention-in-C