Photo courtesy of Netflix

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June 27, 2018
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Last summer, I traveled to Twin Peaks, Wash. and helped solve the murder of Laura Palmer soon after I served time at Litchfield penitentiary with Piper Chapman. Then, I experienced a whirlwind of emotions when I saw the corruption of a lonely soul, the separation of a mother and a daughter, the death of many innocent people, the loss and attainment of love, the depletion of hope and the long-waited retribution. What I had experienced was very hard, especially since it was one event after another, so I took a break and spent some time obsessing over Josh Chan with Rebecca Bunch while I worked at a small IT consulting company owned by Hasmukh. I also got to become more independent with an atypical guy named Sam Gardner.

Television shows and films allow their viewers to escape into different worlds, so instead of spending hundreds of dollars on a vacation, this summer, simply pay the small price of $10.99 per month for Netflix. That being said, once you have Netflix, the question is: What do I watch? At the end of each week, I will provide you with TV shows and films from Netflix that I have reviewed. Since this is my first post, I thought I would start with my favorites or top recommendations. These choices will obviously be biased, but hereafter, I will try to remain impartial.

 

“The Office” U.S.

Description: A mediocre paper company in the hands of Scranton, Penn. branch manager Michael Scott. This mockumentary follows the everyday lives of the manager and the employees he “manages.” The crew follows the employees around 24/7 and captures their quite humorous and bizarre encounters as they will do what it takes to keep the company thriving.

Average Duration: ~ 22 min

Reaction:

Before- I thought the show was weird at first because my mom watched it, but I was a preteen with no taste.

After- I thought that the show was much more than any sitcom I’ve ever watched. I can’t describe what it is about it; it is just a feeling I get. From then on, it became my all-time favorite.

Analysis:

  • The composition was good; they used the rule of thirds.
  • There were many close-ups used during interviews.
  • The setting was stationary; it was set at the Dunder Mifflin Office in Scranton Business Park.
  • The props were often significant and/or comedic. For example, the stapler in jello, the World’s Best Boss mug, and the Dundie Award.
  • Costumes and hair and make-up were utilized as markers of change in characters.
  • The lighting embodied the mockumentary style of the television show.
  • Deep focus was used for reactions and A/B storylines.
  • Facial expressions became a signature of the characters like Jim Halpert.

Breakdown:

 

“Twin Peaks”

Description: The body of a young girl (Laura Palmer) is washed up on a beach near the small Washington state town of Twin Peaks. FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper is called in to investigate her strange demise, only to uncover a web of mystery that ultimately leads him deep into the heart of the surrounding woodland and his very own soul.

Average Duration: ~ 47 min

Reaction:

Before- I initially felt that the show was too melodramatic to take seriously.

After- I was shocked by the finale and infatuated with David Lynch’s stylistic choices.

Analysis:

  • Blue and red are prominent colors within the series; they are used to symbolize different ideas throughout: good and evil, white lodge and black lodge, alive and dead, etc.
  • Shallow focus
  • Interdimensional settings
  • Carefully selected props
  • ’50s inspired costume, hair, and makeup
  • Desaturation of color
  • Exaggerated facial expressions are used when characters are experiencing great emotion.
  • Surrealist special effects

Breakdown:

 

“Mad Men”

Description: The professional and personal lives of those who work in advertising on Madison Avenue—self-coined “mad men”—in the 1960s are presented. The stories focus on those at one of the avenue’s smaller firms, Sterling Cooper, and its various incarnations over the decade. At the heart of these stories is Donald Draper, the creative genius of the company. That professional creative brilliance belies the fact of a troubled childhood, one that he would rather forget and not let anyone know about except for a select few, but one that shaped who he is as an adult and as an ad man in the need not only to sell products but sell himself to the outside world. His outward confidence also masks many insecurities as evidenced through his many vices, such as excessive smoking, drinking and womanizing—the latter despite being a family man—and how he deals with the aftermath of some of the negative aspects of his life.

Average Duration: ~ 47 min

Reaction:

Before- I had high expectations for this show because of its reputation.

After- I knew why it was considered quality television. I have to admit though, the ending was not satisfying.

Analysis:

  • There was a variety of shots and angles because of the focus on cinematography.
  • The show was set in New York City and bled into the suburbs.
  • Period props, costumes, hair and makeup
  • The lighting was either fluorescent or natural.
  • Body language subtly depicted the sexism and racism of the ’60s.

Breakdown:

 

“Nurse Jackie”

Description: A drug-addicted nurse struggles to find a balance between the demands of her frenetic job at a New York City hospital and an array of personal dramas.

Average Duration: ~ 27 min

Reaction:

Before- I figured it was going to be another generic medical drama.

After- Edie Falco did an amazing job. I am glad she got cast as the lead.

Analysis:

  • During Jackie’s experiences with drugs, it is overexposed, which emphasizes her introspection.
  • Shallow focus
  • When Jackie feels euphoric, when she is high, the camera angle is usually above her. This angle is used when something is perfect or beyond reach.
  • “Nurse Jackie” is set in All Saints Hospital and in the home of Jackie.
  • Pills are the most important prop because of their influence on the stylistic choices and storyline.
  • Bright lighting for smooth transitions into overexposure and fades to white
  • Changes in facial expression and body language signal when Jackie experiences withdraw.

Breakdown:

  • Comedy
  • Drama
  • TV-MA
  • Showtime
  • Seven seasons and 80 episodes
  • The voice of Jackie in “Nurse Jackie” is Edie Falco
  • The voice of Dr. Cooper in “Nurse Jackie” is Peter Facinelli (“Twilight”)
  • Five Golden Globes
  • Keywords: mother, prescription drug abuse, extramarital affair, double life

 

“Black Lightning”

Description: Jefferson Pierce has made his choice. He hung up the suit and his secret identity years ago, but with a daughter hell-bent on justice and a star student being recruited by a local gang, he’ll be pulled back into the fight as the wanted vigilante and DC legend: Black Lightning.

Average Duration: ~ 43 min

Reaction:

Before- I was so pumped because superheroes were finally not just white males.

After- I am over the moon for this show because not only is there Black Lightning but Thunder and a female Lightning and they’re all badass.

Analysis:

  • Deep focus for action shots
  • Angles from above and below to give and take power away from the subject
  • Black Lightning took place in the city of Freeland.
  • Voice distorter protects the identity of Jefferson Pierce
  • Costumes enhance their ability and represent their role in the community.
  • Blue is a symbolic color for the show because it is the color of lightning.
  • Facial expressions and body language differentiate who they are in that place and time.

Breakdown:

 

“BoJack Horseman”

Description: BoJack Horseman was the star of the hit TV show “Horsin’ Around” in the ’90s; now he’s washed up, living in Hollywood, complaining about everything and wearing colorful sweaters.

Average Duration: ~ 25 min

Reaction:

Before- Since my roommate liked it and she is picky, I knew it had to be good.

After- I found out it that it was, in fact, good. It also portrayed a lot of feelings and emotions I experience, which was comforting in a way.

Analysis:

  • Deep focus that shows the world of humans and animals alike
  • It is set in the Hollywoo[d] area.
  • Props are used to assimilate animals into the human world.
  • Colorful due to the fact that it is animated
  • The despair in Bojack’s face adds depth to his shallowness.

Breakdown:

 

“The Truman Show”

Description: In this movie, Truman is a man whose life is a fake one… The place he lives is in fact a big studio with hidden cameras everywhere, and all his friends and people around him are actors who play their roles in the most popular TV series in the world: “The Truman Show.” Truman thinks that he is an ordinary man with an ordinary life and has no idea how he is exploited. Until one day, he finds out everything.

Duration: 1 hr 43 min

Reaction:

Before- It is going to be at least okay because Jim Carrey is in it.

After- I’m surprised a show like “The Truman Show” hasn’t happened already.

Analysis:

  • There was shot variation because the show within the film was a reality show.
  • Every camera angle was used since “The Truman Show” was set in one big studio.
  • Short cuts that track Truman
  • Simulated world
  • Everything serves as props and costumes
  • Props are also used for product placement
  • Well lit for the fictional broadcasting
  • Facial expressions and body language is often used when a character in “The Truman Show” is breaking character.
  • Framed around Truman

Breakdown:

 

“Hot Girls Wanted”

Description: A documentary about young women who have been drawn into the sex trade—and how easy it is for a web-savvy generation to end up making porn.

Duration: 1 hr 24 min

Reaction:

Before- I was worried it was going to be too graphic.

After- It was kind of graphic, but I am glad to have learned about the human rights issues within the porn industry.

Analysis:

  • Shallow focus
  • Florida is the setting of the documentary which a popular place for amateur porn because there is less legal restraint.
  • No costumes, hair and makeup because of the genre
  • Darker because they relied on the light available
  • Through facial expressions and body language, the viewer could discern how it felt to be a sex worker.

Breakdown:

  • Documentary
  • NR
  • Netflix
  • A producer of “Hot Girls Wanted” is Rashida Jones (“Parks and Recreation”)
  • Keywords: victimization porn, independent woman, exploring sexuality, feminism, lust for fame, amateur, sex worker, internet porn, fame seeking, exploitation

 

“It Follows”

Description: For nineteen-year-old Jay, autumn should be about school, boys and weekends out at the lake. But after a seemingly innocent sexual encounter, she finds herself plagued by strange visions and the inescapable sense that someone, something, is following her. Faced with this burden, Jay and her friends must find a way to escape the horrors that seem to be only a few steps behind.

Duration: 1 hr 40 min

Reaction:

Before- Since it was a horror film, I figured it would be scary.

After- It wasn’t necessarily scary but definitely haunting.

Analysis:

  • Deep space for the inclusion of the demonic entity
  • Long cuts and pans for ominousness
  • The setting is always changing because the characters are trying to distance themselves.
  • Costumes are basic so that people blend together, creating paranoia.
  • Limited lighting
  • Desaturation of color
  • Facial expressions and body language are used to detect whether or not it is who you think it is.

Breakdown:

 

“Cool Runnings”

Description: Irving Blitzer disgraced himself when putting extra weights into his team’s bob in the Olympics, resulting in his gold medal being taken away from him. Years later, Derice Bannock, son of a former friend of Irv, fails to qualify for the 100-yard sprint for the Olympics due to a stupid accident. But when he hears of Irving Blitzer living also in Jamaica, Derice decides to go to the Games anyway, if not as a sprinter, then as a bobsledder. After some starting problems, the first Jamaican bobsledding team is formed and heads for Calgary. In the freezing weather, Derice, Sanka, Junior and Yul are only laughed at, since nobody can take a Jamaican bobsledding team led by a disgraced trainer seriously. But team spirit and a healthy self-confidence may lead to a few surprises in the upcoming Winter Games.

Duration: 1 hr 38 min

Reaction:

Before- I was happy to watch this because it was during class, so I was like, “At least I don’t have to do work.”

After- I got crazy inspired because it was an underdog story.

Analysis:

  • Angles from above during action scenes
  • The characters travelled from Jamaica to Canada.
  • Costumes distinguished the main characters at the Olympics and in the new environment.
  • Yellow, green, and red were apparent throughout the film because it is the colors of Jamaican flag, symbolized the starting point of their journey, and it embodied their Jamaican pride.

Breakdown:

 

“Exit Through the Gift Shop”

Description: The story of how an eccentric French shopkeeper and amateur filmmaker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner. The film contains footage of Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Invader and many of the world’s most infamous graffiti artists at work.

Duration: 1 hr 27 min

Reaction:

Before- I was hoping it was going to be interesting.

After- Thierry Guetta, the filmmaker was hilarious, and I liked learning about the relations within this subculture.

Analysis:

  • The rule of thirds was used for interviews.
  • Some short cuts between content
  • The setting was not fixed.
  • No costumes, hair or makeup

Breakdown:

 

I apologize for overwhelming you on my very first post, but I have a hard time meeting a show or film I didn’t like. Next week, the post will feature only one television show and film so, in the meantime, you have these.

Happy streaming, and in case I don’t see you, good afternoon, good evening and good night.

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