SOPA, Stop Online Piracy Act

Today Wikipeida, That Guy With The Glasses and dozens of other sites have gone completely dark to prove a point. SOPA is wrong. The Stop Online Piracy Act currently on the floor of Congress in the United States could potentially damage the internet irrevocably. 

The bill basically says that companies like Sony, FOX, Universal, can claim copyright infringement and not just shut down one video on YouTube or a user's account on facebook, but the whole damn site. It's the equivalent of one soldier performing an illegal act during war time so his whole branch of the military gets put in prison for it. The worst part is that it's giving the Government powers they don't need, the power to simply shut down websites without due process and remove them from search engines such as Google, Bing or Yahoo. 

Hundreds of companies are against this bill, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, Nintendo, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, even Barack Obama and his White House Press have made a public statement that they do not endorse the bill with Vice President Joe Biden making a video for YouTube explaining how damaging this was a while back.

The internet is the fastest growing sector of the economy in the world. In a recession, can we really afford something like this... no? But it's not only that, it's immoral, it's wrong... and hell, even Rep. Lamar Smith who created the bill has actually violated it. Don't believe me? Click this picture here on the right and see...

What can YOU do to support the Anti-SOPA, Anti-PIPA campaign? Simple, here is a website that will tell you everything you need to know: http://www.americancensorship.org draw awareness through twitter and facebook by using a twibbon, a banner th at will go over your profile picture to raise awareness. Click that here. http://twibbon.com/join/Stop-SOPA-111611

Still not convinced? Then watch this video. 

Thanks for listening, and remember, we have to fight to protect the internet. Piracy may be wrong, I don't agree with piracy, but neither do I agree on making the internet a place where information can be stripped down by those in power. People who are given power are shown time and again that they will abuse it, not everyone will, there are some good people out there, but there only has to be one or two assholes, which we all know exist to ruin it for everyone. Right now SOPA and PIPA are too vague in their wording. Help us fight for a free and better internet today.

Golden Globes 2012

Last night was as second time running host Ricky Gervais put it, "the second most prestigious film award ceremony in the world". He's right, it ain't the Oscars, but the Golden Globes definitely are a lot of fun. Despite being pretty pissed off at them year after year at the Globes, Emmys and Oscars, I love watching these award shows because it shows a part of the year where people get honoured for their work. Some people like George C. Scott don't like the idea of competition in acting, I don't see it as a competition so much as when your peers can honour you for the work you've done this year and if you've done great work like Scott did Patton back in the 70s, then you should surely be honoured.


A lot pleased me about this year's Golden Globes, some truly deserved awards were given out. One mention I'd like to make before I begin is that of Idris Elba winning his Golden Globe for "Luther". I am extremely pleased about this despite only having seen a few episodes of the show. From what I've seen he's an absolutely terrific actor and one of Britain's rising stars in my opinion.


Now, the awards I was very pleased with winning were for starters obviously Elba, who won for Luther. A great performance from a great actor. He was joined by my choice for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series, Mini-Series or Movie by Peter Dinklage for Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones, a show that I personally think is one of the best shows I've ever seen on TV. Peter Dinklage's performance as the manipulative but honourable Tyrion was a personal highlight for me, it was Sean Bean that got me into the show it will be Peter Dinklage that will keep me watching. 


The next award I was very pleased with was Best Director which went to Martin Scoresese for Hugo. An award I thought he thoroughly deserved. Hugo was also my choice for Best Drama but we'll get to that. Scorsese's direction of his first 3D movie really showed how the medium can be used when it's put in the hands of a master. Scorsese knew how 3D works and how to make it work, much like James Cameron did two years ago with Avatar, Scorsese has shown us how 3D can be used for the betterment of film, first off by shooting that medium and secondly by using it's use of depth perception to our advantages. In Avatar it was the sweeping landscapes of Pandora, in Hugo it was recreating scenes like the famous Train and the wonder and amazement that just a little thing like depth can really add to the movie going experience. Hugo however did not win for Best Drama, The Descendants did. I've not seen that film, but I've not heard great things either, I was pretty disappointed. 


The Best Comedy however I was very pleased that The Artist won. A silent film in this day and age. In many ways Hugo and The Artist are very similar films, they both celebrate the magic of cinema, Hugo tells of the wonders of it's advancement and that even with 3D and colours and digital visual effects, Cinema can still wow and amaze us through it's characters and passion for the art. The Artist did the same but without sound, without colour, with effects. It showed the same thing, that without 3D, colours, sounds or effects, a film can still be great and the passion of the art is all that matters. Both are very valid and whilst Hugo will be my choice for Best Picture at the Oscars this year, The Artist is very funny and beautifully made.


The host Ricky Gervais didn't get as much on screen time this year as he did last. He was however still very funny, not quite as funny as last year but still very funny. He was a touch cynical this year it almost seemed but I really enjoyed him hosting and I hope he gets a third year and becomes the Billy Crystal of the Globes.




EDIT: There was one thing I forgot to mention. Morgan Freeman's lifetime award was beautiful and getting Sidney Poitier to hand it out to him was very nice. It was strange because Sidney is lookin' good! He's about fifteen years older than Freeman and Freeman looks way older! Good job! It was also nice to see just how awesome Freeman's career has been, he's been in films with Christopher "Superman" Reeve and Christian "Batman" Bale. Yeah... oh yeah, and he's been Nelson Mandella and well.... God.... yeah he's awesome.

Network: A Screenplay Analysis

NETWORK
Screenplay Analysis by: 

Petros L. Ioannou

Network is a 1976 film about the “first known instance of a man to be killed because of lousy ratings.” It is an absurd jaunt into a satirical and yet extremely potent and spellbinding world written by three-time Academy Award winning screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky. The story revolves around a news anchor called Howard Beale who has an on-air meltdown and threatens to blow his brains out live on national television on the fictional UBS network. This in turn creates a series of events that lead to him becoming something of a television messiah to the people and leading the people around him to get dragged through his insanity crisis as we the audience get dragged into the insane world of television that Chayefsky created.

If there’s one way to describe the events of this film it’s “Snowball Effect”. One event leads to a bigger one, which in turn creates another bigger event, and starts a chain reaction that results in one of the most bizarre and insane scenarios ever played out on screen and yet one of the most powerful messages. From the very start we’re told about Howard’s life up to this point by the narrator. He was the number one news anchor in America until his wife left him, his ratings dropped, Howard began to drink and now his ratings have dramatically dropped and he’s been fired. Before the film’s even begun a snowball effect has started, he gets depressed because of one incident after another and it is something we can all relate to in our lives unless you’ve led a bizarrely perfect carefree life. He gets depressed from the mountain of stress that piled on him. Knowing from personal experience I know how tough that can be, stress can make you lose sleep, it can make you lose weight, it can make you lose your appetite and cause all kinds of havoc with your personal and professional lives and that’s what’s happened to Howard, before this film has even begun.  This is compounded by other people’s lives intertwining to enhance this snowball effect. How  Max’s problems with the restricting of the News Division leads him to angrily let Howard continue his “I ran out of bullshit” rant on the air, which in turn spikes the ratings and gets Howard on the show and begins the insane rise in popularity and his eventual death.

It’s strange; you can almost look at Howard’s personal journey as vaguely similar to that of recent events in history. In particular, the utter insanity and eventual firing that recently surrounded formerly TV’s highest paid actor, Charlie Sheen.  Sheen completely lost his mind, he ranted and raved in interviews and uStreams leading to him getting fired from the show. Sheen’s rants were indeed some of the most insane things we’ve ever heard spoken aloud, “I have tiger blood and Adonis DNA” or “I’m an F18 Bro, I’m tired of pretending that I’m not a total bitchin’ rockstar from Mars”, or my personal favourite, “Brrrr!!! Hold on stupid plane above with noise attached!! WINNING!!” Suffice to say Charlie Sheen really went off the deep end in a manner so bizarre not even a movie could write that kind of thing. Even Howard in Network is speaking an iota of sense in his madness, Sheen just went balls-to-the-wall insane. However what is very similar is the way their madness was used and abused to the benefit of gaining ratings. When Sheen was finally fired from his job on Two and a Half Men, he was replaced with actor Ashton Kutcher. At the same time Comedy Central hired Sheen to do one of their famous “roasts” with him, where an assortment of friends and other comedians mock him live on stage before he gets a rebuttal and decided to air it right after the first episode of Two and Half Men with Ashton Kutcher. Kutcher’s first episode gained the CBS show a 26.8 Million viewership, the highest the show had ever recorded, higher than any episode where Sheen was in the lead role, it was not however because of Kutcher, but because of Sheen’s madness and the fallout from which people wanted to see what happened. At the same time, Comedy Central got it’s highest ratings in the Cable Network’s history for Charlie Sheen’s roast. However since then the ratings for Two and a Half Men have rapidly dwindled. The madness Charlie Sheen almost seems like it’s what inspired the madness of Howard Beale only Network was actually written over thirty-five years before Sheen ever started crying that he was “Winning”, Sheen was only eleven years old when this movie hit theatres.

But it’s not just Sheen that Howard Beale seems to be like, he’s reminiscent of people like Glenn Beck and Bill O’Reilly. Unlike Howard Beale, these are real people, who genuinely think that what they’re saying makes perfect sense. But they’re really tools to the political machine, just like Howard becomes towards the end of the script, and for lack of a better expression “shit-stirrers”. People who throw all multitudes of “the truth” or what they believe is the truth at the audience, and reject any notion that they could possibly be wrong. And networks like FOX and MSNBC are perfectly willing to let them go insane live on the air scream at callers and tell people that there is absolutely a God because the “sun goes up, sun goes down, never a miscommunication”, for one simple reason. Ratings, these rants and raves bring in ratings just like Sheen did; and most importantly just like Howard Beale did in the screenplay for Network. Each of these commentators who spouts that they and they alone speak “the truth” be they politically inclined to the left or right considers themselves to be the man standing in front of the camera screaming “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!” But they’re not. They’re tools used for ratings, just like Howard Beale becomes. The film is almost prophetic in its presentation, a satire of present day news shows written thirty years before the present day. It’s as though Paddy Chayefsky travelled thirty years into the future, got mad as hell at the state of television news, got his ideas, travelled back and put pen to paper to write one of the most incredible screenplays ever written.

And yet even as I write this analysis of what is an incredible screenplay it’s brought to my attention the grandest irony in all of this. This is screenplay, with a political message about TV stupification, in film, now being broadcast on TV being taken away and having it analysed by a film student studying how to put something on the screen.

I could go on for hours about the political message of this screenplay, its prophetic nature and the grand irony in me, a film student writing a screenplay analysis on it. But let’s look at the characters for a moment outside of Howard. Everyone is a product of their generation; Diana is a cold calculating “programmed droid” who was raised by television who can’t deal with “primal doubts” that every human has so she simply ignores them and lets them build up as they slowly rot her from the core to the point that she willingly has a man executed for having poor ratings and doesn’t give a second thought to it, the world is a television show with three act stories for movie of the week. Then there is Max an older man going through a mid-life crisis, his traditional values feel askew in this confusing new world where his friends either go crazy, abandon him or die of a heart attack. He leaves his wife, his family and his life behind to be with Diana because nothing else makes sense in this world and he wants to be a part of the new one or least bring a part of his world into the new one that Diana represents and as with their relationship and his attempts to try and be a part of Howard Beale’s raving ranting ratings success, it is an abject failure because he does not belong in the new world. Finally there is one scene with the famous Arthur Jensen, the owner of the parent company that owns the parent company that owns the Network. He is the top dog of all top dogs, and in a single scene with a single monologue has more power and insanity burning through him than the whole of the rest of the cast. “It is the international system of currency that determines the totality of life on this planet. That is the natural order of things today.” – How prophetic this statement is. This film was made before the fall of the Soviet Union and that would be theisr own downfall. The political furore of this film and his character as he espouses it is incredible! “The World is a Business Deal.” How right he is as he continues to say that the “individual is finished..... people are as replaceable as piston rods”. How right is he? Howard Beale’s death has advertisements rolling over it. That should say it all.

Network is preachy, overbearing, unsubtle and yet very subtle, methodical, emotional. It stands on a soap box but does it through personal characters. It might just be one of the best films ever made, on par with Citizen Kane and The Godfather even. Rocky is my favourite films of all time. Taxi Driver is also an amazing film. But how this didn’t win best picture is absolutely BEYOND ME! It thoroughly deserved winning Best Screenplay however and it stands the test of time so well, it’s like prophetic gospel!

Quick Thoughts 15-20 Hours into Skyrim

Unlike most people out there I went into playing the much anticipated The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim not really caring about the hype. I've played it's predecessor Oblivion and thought it was, "Good". A 7/10, that's all, perhaps being a bit generous even. I didn't buy the hype people gave it really. So when people started raving about Skyrim, I was just like "Meh... sure." And then people kept telling me why it was better than Oblivion; it didn't have any of the technical issues or limitations, the combat was improved e.t.c. But to be honest, that was never the problem I had with Oblivion in the first place.

Here's how I like my games: big and expansive with a strong focus on story and characters in that story, a need to play the game that derives from the story driving you forward but at the same time optional side-quests that can allow you to divert for a while from the main story that is so hardcore it can be exhausting at times.
Examples: Batman: Arkham City, Final Fantasy VII, Breath of Fire III, The Legend of Zelda (The Entire Series) and to a certain extent Mass Effect and Dragon Age.

To me, The Elder Scrolls is in the same vein as games like Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto, where you have these massive sandbox worlds to explore and do anything you want in them really but then you can do the "main quest" at your leisure, almost a reverse of the games mentioned. Mass Effect and Dragon Age sort of all under this banner too but they're not sandbox.

Now let me preface this by saying. I like Skyrim, a lot, I've been enjoying it more than I did Oblivion. I think that's because at the start, it makes you focus a little more on the main plot so you can get the Dragon Shouts. After this I've been blacksmithing, of to the Mage College, killing random wolves and goats with a flamethrower (I'm a sadistic magical bastard, sue me) e.t.c. Everything most people said is true, this game is better than Oblivion, though many say not as good as Morrowind and I'll even touch on that in a minute. But like I said, those 'problems' the people who loved Oblivion and now love Skyrim had, aren't the same problems I have and my problem with the game is thus...

Despite the massive open world with huge amounts of detail, which is very commendable and by far the best and most detail oriented world I've ever seen or played. Despite all the thousands of sidequests and new mechanics that make the game almost completely different every time someone plays, which is also excellent... I find myself really not giving a shit about half of it because of the lack of character the characters themselves have. Virtually every NPC in this game could be faceless and nameless to me, as could the Dohvakiin, the protagonist you play as. He has no voice, he has no personality and to many that's like "Great, I can play as 'myself' it's a role-playing game". But as a writer, I like to feel connected to characters and more importantly, relate to the characters.

I can't relate to the characters because I just don't give a rats ass about them, they all look very samey, act very samey, have very samey voices and, yeah... that's how I feel about the world. Take the Greybeards... they're four of the same damn person. The mage school... everyone is practically the same with one being a bit schemey one being a different race.... eh.... they're archetypes not characters.

The combat is... average at best. It's button mashing, running around, healing, there's little strategy involved except "Kill Your Opponent and Don't Die". Compare this with say a turn based system from Final Fantasy where you have to use your whole party together in a strategic attempt to take down the enemy. Or The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, where you have to aim and time your sword strikes to kill an enemy whilst trying to dodge their attacks. It's not that the combat is bad, it's just, I've seen it before, it's nothing new and it's very standard. It's not outdated or anything, it's not not as strategic as other RPGs like the Final Fantasy's and Dragon Age's of this world. Thought I will admit the Dragon Fights so far have been exciting and awesome, in part thanks to the great musical theme that plays there.

As for the story... well, I dunno. Characters tend to make up a story and for me nothing has been memorable so far except killing a dragon and learning the shouts. Aside from that it's been pretty basic, even Oblivion has the threat of the Gates of Hell Opening to put the fear of God in you about the severity of the siutation. Here there's a civil war going on that I just don't care about because I don't care about the people involved, there's some mythical dragons returning which a lot of people are just like.... "Yeah... Dragons are back... man that sucks..." Wait... What?! Seriously their reactions are so blase about it. You just heard that a supposedly extinct and possibly even mytholgical beast has returned to destroy the f***ing world and you're just like "Wow... that sucks..." I'm sorry but take this in a real world context... If a Tyrannosaurus Rex suddenly rampaged through downtown Manhattan, people would not be like "Wow....a dinosaur... that sucks..." They'd be more like "HOLY S*** B*** MOTHERF***** THERE'S A DINOSAUR TRYING TO EAT EVERYONE! S*** RUUUUUUUUUN!!!!!" There'd be bloody mass panic and hysteria and that's for a creature we know exists, not one that might not even even existed.

Back to the world for a second, but this massive world that's open and "you can see it, you can go to it" as people have described it. Awesome as it is... 90% of it is completely pointless.... It really is, all the detail is bells and whilstles really because it's great and all but it's pointless in a practical sense. Much as I hate doing it I'm drawn back to other examples, Mass Effect, every mission even the side missions have purpose. But that's a mission based style so let's try... Final Fantasy, every inch of the world map has a different pattern of enemies, some you can only fight in a small section which hold key items you'll need for side quests.... Let's try... Skyward Sword. Every inch of this game is like a dungeon at times, it's got loads of puzzles and methods and ways to get around. Deus Ex: Human Revolution, something I'd describe as the pinaccle of "Choose Your Route" gameplay because there's literally about 5 different methods to do every section of every mission in the game. It's incredible. Grand Theft Auto, lot's of cars available on every street, certain things available only in certain places.

Skyrim is just kinda... empty at times with some goats and wolves here and there. It's an amazingly huge and detail oriented world, not quite as fantastical as Morrowind's which one day I'll give that game a try because the world there looks so damn beautiful, it's very fantastical and unique, unlike Oblivion and Skyrim, which really doesn't have such fantastical feel to it, it feels a little too down to earth at times. Hell even the worst example of a linear game, which I've said time and time again I dislike how linear it is despite being a fan of linear games and for the record Skyrim is a far superior game in general; Final Fantasy XIII. When you get to Gran Pulse, it's world is beautiful and imaginative, of course the gameplay itself is pretty bad and much of you find yourself saying "this was one of the biggest wasted opportunties in gaming history", but the point stands.

The music in the game has been lauded as excellent. Whilst the main theme that's been around since Morrowind is really, really, great, especially when used during the dragon fights... the rest is very kinda... meh. It's not made me go, "Wow what a beautiful song" or even "What an atmospheric piece of music" like Deus Ex: Human Revolution did constantly.

However in spite of this I am enjoying the game a lot. I find that despite it's faults it has, I'm actually finding it a lot more fun than Oblivion and Fallout 3 (but that's another story for another time... feel a little betrayed there). I'm also only about fifteen-twenty hours into the game but I've played other games for that time and if this is just a slow start, maybe I'll eat my words but I doubt it. I am enjoying this game and it's "Great", which I give 8/10 so far. We'll see how it progresses...



Pictures are from various sources around the internet, I do not own them.

Blog Reboot

Okay because Squarespace sucks, I've rebooted the blog on blogger.com via this address, petrosofsparta.blogspot.com. there we go. Now that that's out of the way I'm going to re-post some old thoughts from the old blog later today and try and update this once a week.