Can I post something in here later that I can access tomorro

[Angelus]

Can I post something in here later? It's an essay for school, but I need to print it out at school because my printer is broken. I would just send it to myself through email, but the school blocked email. But they haven't blocked this site. So would that be ok?

[Angelus]

Oh, and if it helps at all, the essay is on the Ninja Turtle movie

[Kali]

Well, we don't have a rule against it... And since it's on Ninja Turtles, go ahead. But some people may wish to comment on it.

[JameO]

Yeah go ahead. Let the essay be welcomed in. On the first movie or second? Or an essay on how bad the 3rd one was?

[Kid Icarus]

Well, you could always PM it to you *shrug*.

[Angelus]

Type of Film

The type of film I chose to do is actually a mix of several different genres. It mixes action, comedy, even some drama, and it’s also a comic book turned movie as well, similar to movies such as X-Men, and Spiderman. The conventions present in the movie are among the major action conventions where the heroes are beaten down, but then miraculously end up saving the day.
However, unlike most movies, this movie doesn’t take advantage of using a deus ex machina to help end it. That means they don’t just have a wondrous solution that is sudden and unexpected for the difficulty they face. The solution actually makes sense, and it is built up throughout the movie.

Another convention that is similar to that is also in the action genre, it’s the whole “taking on many people at once” convention. The turtles take on many foot soldiers at once, usually defeating them all. The language in the movie is a convention of most movies made in the late 80’s, early 90’s. Words like Dude, Cowabunga, Radical, Awesome, etc. are used quite often.

Some conventions from romantic movies are used as well, bickering between Casey Jones and April O’Neil leads to them kissing at the end of the film, much like many other romantic movies. Not to say that this movie is a romance though, because it’s definitely not, it just has romantic qualities to it.

Some movies that are similar to this are obviously the second and third Ninja Turtle movies, however, they’re quite different in a way as well. They have a much less dark tone, the mood is a lot lighter, and they seemed to be geared more towards kids, whereas this movie seemed to be geared at a broader audience. Another movie you can compare it to is the Spiderman movie. Both movies are based on comic books, and both in the comics are a lot more mature and had to be ‘kiddyfied’ for the movie. Spiderman was a bit different though, as it was very big budget, while the Ninja Turtle movie was actually an independent film. It’s actually the highest box office grossing independent film of all time with a total gross of $135,000, 000. This was back in 1990 as well, when money held different value than now.

The movie Gremlins could be compared to this movie in the fact that they both came out around the same time, and they both featured puppet controlled, well, I don’t know if animals is the right word, but they both featured puppet controlled things. They were also both geared towards kids and adults, while sometimes being too inappropriate for children. However where in Ninja Turtles, the animatronic puppets were good guys, in Gremlins they are bad.




B) Content

The plot of my movie is simple, yet very cool. The basic plot is as follows: New York City is facing the biggest crime wave to ever hit there. Things are being stolen right out from everyone’s noses, all kinds of things. Money, TV’s, you name it. No one knows what is going on. But an investigative reporter, April O’Neil intends to find out. However, some thieves attack her, but the Turtle’s come to rescue her. They tie up her attackers, and escape to the sewers without being seen.

We discover that there are four of these Mutated Turtles, Leonardo, who leads the team, Donatello, the resident tech geek does machines, Raphael is cool but crude, he loses his temper often, and Michelangelo is the party dude, always cracking jokes. Their sensei, and father is Master Splinter. He is a giant rat, mutated as well.

Any way, April now more than ever wants to find out what is going on with the crime wave. She interviews the chief of police, and asks him if he knows anything about a secret band of ninjas called the Foot Clan. She had interviewed several Japanese Americans and they said the crime wave was very reminiscent of the Foot Clan in Japan. She was then on the subway, and was attacked by the Foot so they could silence her. However, Raphael happened to be nearby, and he helped her out. She was knocked unconscious and he took her back to the sewer lair. Little did he know one of the Foot followed him…

She awoke in the Turtle’s sewer home, and was quite frightened. Master Splinter explained the story to her, 15 years ago his owner, Hamato Yoshi, had a feud with another Japanese warrior named Oroko Saki. Saki attacked and killed Yoshi one day, and Splinter, being a rat, couldn’t do much but claw Saki’s face. He escaped however, and Splinter wound up in an American sewer. One day, he found a broken canister of ooze, and saw four baby turtles crawling around in it. They began to grow, and so did he. They turned into mutants, and he taught them the ways of the warrior ninja, and named them after artists from the Renaissance period.

The Turtles then brought April home, and she offered to invite them in for some pizza, and the Turtles love pizza, so they came with. They talked for hours, had some fun, but then had to leave. The Turtles returned home to discover their lair destroyed, ripped apart, and Splinter was gone. They returned to April’s apartment, saddened by their loss. Later, they got into an argument, and Raphael left to cool off on the roof. He was attacked by many Foot Soldiers, and thrown through the roof. The rest of the Turtles engaged in battle with them while April tended to Raph’s injuries. Eventually the floor collapsed and they fell down to another level. They fought off the Foot until there was too many, but then thankfully their friend Casey Jones showed up to even the battle. They escaped just in time, as the building went down in flames. The Turtles, April and Casey drove up to April’s old farm in the country. They stayed there for several days until Raph was healed, and then they decided to return to New York to rescue Splinter.

They came back, and went to their lair. Casey decided to sleep outside in the truck because he was claustrophobic. He saw someone from the Foot, and followed them to their headquarters. He found Splinter, and rescued him. He returned to the lair to see the Turtle’s being attacked by the Foot, but it was too late, he couldn’t find them. There was a gigantic battle until eventually the Turtle’s all ended up on a roof with a man wearing all sharp metal. He called himself the Shredder; he was the leader of the Foot Clan. He told the Turtle’s he had killed Splinter, and they were next.

They fought for several minutes, until they almost lost. Leonardo was being held down, a movement away from death, when Shredder stopped. He told the rest of them to throw their weapons over the edge of the roof. They obliged, however Mikey’s nunchuku’s were caught on the ladder. Splinter then showed up, and it was realized that Shredder was Oroko Saki, Splinter’s old nemesis. Shredder charged Splinter, and was flipped over the edge. He was held on by the nunchuku’suntil he attacked Splinter, slipped and fell into a garbage truck, where he is presumed dead.

The police then arrest all the members of the foot, and justice is served. The heroes rejoice on the rooftop with Master Splinter, and the movie ends.
Target Audience

I believe the target audience for this movie is children, aged 5 to 12. However, there are some elements of the movie that make me confused on my answer. It seems that the target audience is quite larger than that. Language like Cowabunga, Radical, Awesome, and other phrases accompanied with children are used very often, however more ‘harsh’ words are used as well, such as damn, and hell, words not usually associated with children’s movies. In fact, at one point in the movie, one of the main characters Raphael even says Bitchin! He says it in a positive way, but it is still surprising to be used in a primarily children’s movie.

The content in the movie is geared toward, several different age groups. While there is a lot of violence, a lot of it is slapstick violence, but still, there is some questionable graphic violence as well that children probably should not see.

[Angelus]

The plot of the movie is very simple though, nothing very complex, so children are easily able to understand it, unlike something more complicated and geared towards an older viewer. The thing with this movie is it is enjoyable for all ages. I first saw the movie when I was 3 years old, and I still love and enjoy it 13 years later. In fact I bet I’ll still love it 10 years from now, and not just for the nostalgic value, it is just a cool movie.

B) Why would someone outside the intended audience watch?

An older person such as myself may watch the movie for nostalgic value, they saw it when they were younger, and now they watch it again because they remember and like it. Same goes for someone in there thirties or forties, perhaps they watched it with their children and now they watch it again because they enjoy it. Someone also may watch it because they enjoy the comic book series, which is geared toward older audiences, and they want to see what the movie is like.

Characters
Although you would probably think the Turtle’s are very similar because they’ve grown up together, and they’re the only kind in their species, they’re all actually quite different from one another.
Leonardo
Leo, as I said before, is the un-proclaimed leader of the four. He’s honorable, his brothers look up to him, and he dedicates himself to the art of Bushido, the Japanese way of the warrior, failure is unacceptable to him. He takes responsibility for his brothers, in much the same way their sensei, Master Splinter does. He makes sacrifices for the team, and he always tries to do the honorable, right thing. He’s very strong willed, and is an excellent fighter. He fights with Katana’s, a type of Japanese sword; he’s very skilled in using them.

He can sometimes be blunt-headed, and blames himself for things that are not his fault. This can sometimes get him into trouble as well. When Master Splinter was kidnapped, and Raph was injured he felt very bad about it all, and just wanted Raph to be better. He sat by him for days while his energy built up, until he was ok. Then he was very happy when Raph woke up, and felt better.

He’s very isolated though, he’s one of the four members of his species to exist, and he’s quite different from his brothers. He’s very serious most of the time, and while he can joke around, he doesn’t do it very often. He is a memorable character who is just an all around good guy


Raphael
Raph is the loner of the group, by nature. He tends to get in arguments with the others quite often, and when he gets upset, he has to leave to cool off. He’s very hotheaded, and he has a very low tolerance and a short temper. Three things that when put together, are very bad. He rushes into situations where the others would be wary, and he takes the initiative when it comes to combat. This tends to get him into trouble quite often.

He sometimes says things harsh that he doesn’t mean, but says because he’s angry, but he usually takes them back after he’s cooled off and calmed down. He’s an excellent fighter; much more rough than the other turtles, using his weapon of choice, the sai’s. A three-pronged weapon similar to a large fork, he has mastered it, and is very good at using it.

April O’Neil
April is one of the main human characters to appear in the movie. She’s a reporter for the channel 5 news, and it can get her into trouble. She’s very curious and investigative, getting into things she shouldn’t be, but she means it with good intentions. She’s very friendly, befriending the Turtles almost immediately, and she’s accepting as well. I mean, how many woman would hang out with mutated turtles? Not many.

She has a bit of a crush on Casey Jones, but through most of the movie she doesn’t realize it. However, she eventually notices her feelings, and is very forward with them as she tells Casey “Oh just shut up and kiss me”. She’s one of the only feminine influences in the Turtle’s lives, but she’s not exactly a mother to them. She’s more like a big sister. She’s very caring, allowing the Turtle’s to stay at her apartment after only knowing them for several hours, and she’s a very good person.

Pace

The film is pretty fast paced, in fact, with the exception of just a few scenes that are slower paced, almost the whole movie is fast paced. Edits and cuts are used quite often, and the action is presented in a very fast paced way. The JPM’s are higher than the average movie, probably because it’s more so a children’s movie. There are around 15-20 JPM’s on an average basis, and during action sequences it can jump to around 25.

B) Describe 3 specific scenes and comment on the film work

One of the scenes that I thought the camera work stood out was the opening scene. It starts out with a horizon shot of New York City, and while that is done very often in movies, I think it was captured differently in the movie. The camera work just stood out to me on it, it was more gritty, and raw, and seemed well done. We then are narrated by a news report telling of crime in the city, and there are many shots of people stealing from other people, including a few shots of Foot Soldiers in full gear. The next scene I liked was done right afterwards, with April O’Neil being attacked by some muggers. She is attacked, and then a sai comes flying through the air, and knocks out a light, and suddenly total darkness. You hear kicks and punches, and many hits, and you can see a few flashes, and then the police cars light up the screen. The muggers are tied up, and the Turtles gone. You then hear them talking in the sewer and you see their silhouettes. They’re talking about how cool it was to get those guys, and as Leonardo yells out “Cowabunga!” and jumps out, the frame freezes and the Ninja Turtle logo pops up.

The other scene I really liked is much later in the movie. The Turtles are on April’s farm, and Raph finally wakes up, healed. Fast paced music then begins playing, with April doing a voice over. We see the Turtles in a field, training, with the sun in the background just below the horizon. April in the voice over is saying that the Turtles are stronger, once again they are four, but they’re still missing their Sensei Splinter. I think the camera work used on the Turtles in the field just looks very good. It captures the isolation of the Turtles, and the sadness they feel from their loss of Splinter, but it also shows the energy they possess.

B) Storyline

The story is told in a linear style for the most part. There are no major time shifts in it. However, there are several times when a story is being told, and scenes from the past are shown with narration from the present. Aside from this the movie is told in a very linear fashion, as so it wouldn’t be confusing for younger children watching it.

Product Placement

This movie has several instances of very blatant product placement. Near the start of the movie, Mikey orders Pizza, and has it delivered to the street “122 and an eight” which is really just a sewer vent. The pizza delivery guy hands him the pizza box through the grate, and it is clearly shown that it is Domino’s pizza. It is extremely blatant and obvious. Another instance in which product placement is used is at the Foot headquarters, when they’re organizing stolen material the camera shows a Burger King Whopper Box, and a Burger King drink. Burger King was a pretty big, well, I guess you could say Sponsor of the Ninja Turtles, they even released cartoon videos with their Kids Meals at some point.

There are lots of other products shown as well in the Foot headquarters, Sony, Casio and other big name electronic companies products are shown, as well as many arcade games. The VW symbol is shown on a van driven by April and the Turtles, and a bottle of brand name Turtle Wax is shown as well. In April’s apartment several brand name products are shown as well, some chocolate bars and chips, things like that. A character also brands a Sex Pistol’s shirt throughout most of the movie.

Value Messages

There are quite a few value messages in this movie, but I will focus on the most important messages.

Family is important. That’s one of the value messages in the movie. I don’t mean the “mom, dad, two kids and a dog” family, not necessarily, I mean a group of people that come together and care for each other, and would do anything for the others. It’s important because you can accomplish so much. This message is implicit because it is never directly stated, but you see it shown in the movie through what happens. When Raphael is injured, and Splinter is gone the group is weakened. When everyone’s back, they are strong again.

Another value message is stealing is wrong. This is shown when many members of the Foot steal from people, and eventually it is shown that this causes hurt to them, and it should not have happened. You will also get arrested for it. This message is both implicit and explicit, because while they never really say “stealing is wrong” they come close to it. It is also implied, thus the implicitness.

The other big value message present is forgiveness. Raph and Leo get in an argument, and Leo tells Raph that he wants him to leave, and they’d be better off without him. After that Raph is injured so Leo feels really bad. When Raph is better they discuss it, and they forgive each other for the bad things that were said. This message is implicit because it’s never stated that forgiveness is important, but it’s heavily implied and shown.

B) Would you describe your film as realistic?

I don’t think it’s a very realistic movie at all. Almost everything in it is completely fabricated, I mean come on, walking talking mutated Turtles that are Ninjas too? I don’t think that happens very often, in fact I’m pretty sure it never happens. Unless I’m missing out on something really cool. But any way, the point is, it’s a complete fable of a movie, not realistic in any way, but it’s still a fun, cool movie to watch.

Themes

I think one of the major themes presented in this movie is isolation. These Turtles are 4 of a kind, nothing like them in the world. Although they live in our world, they live a completely different life from any one else. They cant have what most people have, they have to be isolated from society. When people see them they think they’re freaks, or they get frightened.

But as negative as that theme may be, the other major theme in the movie sort of makes positive on it. I think the other major theme

[Angelus]

theme in the movie is that you must overcome your obstacles, whether it be a problem with a brother, or a friend, or if it’s a problem with who you are, the way you look, how different you can be. You have to learn that not everyone is a jerk, or an asshole, there are good people in the world that accept you for who you are. People like April O’Neil, and Casey Jones.

Controversy

There is surprisingly quite a bit of controversy over this film. The reasons for it are because of the violence, and dark matter in the film. Ninja Turtles are seen as a children’s franchise, so the dark tones and matter in the film, the violence, and the bad language is seen as inappropriate. The language isn’t very appropriate for most children, considering words like ‘damn’, ‘hell’ and ‘bitchin’ are present, those aren’t words you want your children hearing. Because of this, many parents complained, and complained, and complained, and complained some more, oh, and I did I mention the fact that they pissed and moaned and complained about it? Ahem, my point is, because of all their complaining, the second movie was toned down many notches, and lost the darkness that the Turtles should have. It may seem like a children’s franchise, but it is in fact a pretty dark comic, and the movie should have stayed that way.

[Angelus]

Video Clip

The video clip I chose to show is from the opening of the movie. It tells of the crime wave, and it shows April getting attacked and the Turtles rescuing her. It shows the Turtle’s nature, they’re not protectors of society, but if they’re in the right place at the right time they’ll help someone out. The pace starts out a bit slow, but quickly works it’s way up to the pace used throughout the rest of the movie. The characters shown here are April O’Neil, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo.

[jeff the cheff]

Interesting to read....very long too. How long did it take you to do all of this?