THE BEST GAME I EVER PLAYED 25pts

Ready to hear about the game I believe to be the best one out there? If you guessed Dishonored, you would be absolutely correct. I myself am not a major video game player, but I found myself captivated by the story-line and  the game play. Fight off legions of people out for your head! Save the Princess! Reclaim your honor! KICK SOME ASS!!! Dishonored; if you haven't played it yet, DOOOOO ITTTT!


So Dishonored is a first person "shooter" game in the style of Steam Punk. You play Corvo, who is the empress' body guard/ close friend. You fail at fighting off attackers and thus the empress is killed and her daughter is captured. If that isn't bad enough, you yourself are charged with her murder by her less then savory council (who you don't have to be a rocket scientist to come to the conclusion that THEY are behind it). The game starts with you at this point escaping from prison (which is hard, let me tell you). And meeting up with a rebellious party who seeks vengeance for their late empress. The rest of the game is slowly killing off each member of her killing party, finding the princess, etc. I have not made it past a certain point, so I am still  a little behind in what happens, but let me tell you so far it is an awesome game. I love it because unlike other first person shooter games, there is a story; a quest you must adhere to. Those games are my favorite, and I get made fun of for liking such games as "Lego Harry Potter" (well, the Lego games in general), but I like having goals in a story line.

HOW DOES IT FEEL… TO BE A ROLLING STONE? 50pts

Abbey Road (The Beatles Album)

Listening Phase 1 (Rhythm)

Source each instrument in their "arsenal" if you will tends to give its own sense of rhythm. The drums are the obvious lead in creating their rhythm, but the bass and guitar definitely add a layer of rhythm you normally don't hear. Even their voices contribute, as you can clearly hear in Come Together

Time/Tempo the time signatures tend to be 4/4 time, but sometimes they sneak in creatively placed changes in the rhythm.

Groove the Beatles cannot be described as having any one sort of Groove, but it's definitely rock and roll at its finest.

Listening Phase 2 (Arrangement)

Instrumentation overall, you get the standard arsenal of rock and roll instruments: guitar, bass, drums and keyboard. they also tend to put stringed instruments into their songs to create more of a melodic sound

Structure/Organization sometimes the Beatles stick to the normal (verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, etc), but often times they do song patterns you aren't expecting. It almost seems to be within the song itself (song, another song, first song again)

Emotional Architecture I don't know about you, but each Beatles song leaves me feeling a different feeling. For instance, Maxwell's Silver Hammer has a light-hearted feeling to it, even though it's not the most uplifting song. (It almost sounds like something you'd hear in A Clockwork Orange). Comparing this to the free-flowing, melody changing I Want You (She's So Heavy), you get moments of passion, followed by a dark, dismal sound when it gets to the "She's so heavy" part.

Listening Phase 3 (Sound Quality)

Balance

-       Height The Beatles know very well how utilize different pitches in their songs. There is no one range they decide to stick with in regards to High or Low pitch

-       Width their songs tend to be very width, you get a sense that at least in the recording it is not only them playing, but sometimes even a small orchestra. It definitely keeps you interested

-       Depth As I've mentioned a few times, there is quite the abundance of instrument sounds. You got the main rock and roll instruments, often along with woodwinds and i may be wrong, but i feel like i hear some brass in their as well

Now that I have given you an analysis of this caliber of the Album, I would like to talk about the lyrics and how it made me feel. I am a sucker for a while written peace as far as wording. That being said, SOME of their songs on this album were a bit annoying. I know they are the Beatles and are a major force behind rock and roll history, but i get tired oh so quickly of "I Want you... I want you so bad.. she's so heavy" being the only lyrics in their songs. Granted, they have other songs that make up for the lack of creativity lyrics wise in that one, but still. Just the one bothers me.

I love me some Beatles. I almost always make emotional connections with their songs. Come Together Makes me feel strong and proud; determined almost. Maxwell's Silver Hammer is one of those songs that i could listen to on a day where I just want to relax and feel good (despite some of the lyrics in the song, hehe). 

Hands down, they are one of my favorite bands.

Don't Go Back Into the House 50pts

Something I’ve learned from watching scaring movies. People are not logical at all! The react to the situation the worst way they possibly could. Another thing I’ve learned, do not pick on people! That should be a given, but horror movies really pound it into your brain if you watch enough of them. One of the best examples of “bullied teen turned psycho” horror movies, aside Carrie is Chronicle. The movie is based off of a boy, Andrew, who is not liked at all either at school or by his father at home. He begins filming everything, giving it the mockumentary, so that he can “show everyone” what happens to him on the daily. At a party, he, along with his cousin Matt and soon to be friend Steve, stumble upon a whole in the ground. Within, they encounter a foreign object which knocks them out. When they awake, they all have powers beyond comprehension. This sets up a story in which Andrew slowly “makes friends” and gets stronger, only to be bullied still. At the same time he is bullied at home and worried for his dying mother. He starts to defend himself against the bullies and mean ol’ daddy by using his powers, and people find him even weirder. Eventually, while trying to steal enough money for his mother’s medicine, blows himself up, putting him in the hospital. Therein, his father confronts him about how awful he is. Andrew snaps, and starts wreaking havoc on Seattle. In the end, there is a show down between him and his cousin, Matt; Andrew loses his life in a last resort choice by Matt.

There are many things people do wrong in regards to this film. For starters, Andrew’s father is an abusive alcoholic who falls short of blaming Andrew of his wife’s illness. Many times on camera you see him beat the absolute crap out of Andrew. As I said before, it should be a no brainer to treat people right; not to be bullies. It’s bad enough that he has to deal with it at school, but that he doesn’t even have solace in his own home. Here’s where Mr. Detmer messes up, in one encounter where Andrew uses his super-human powers to through him against a wall and beat the crap out of him in return, you’d think he’d learn “maybe I should stop”. What does he do instead? When Andrew is in his hospital bed, supposedly in a coma, he starts verbally abusing him to no end. Sure, Andrew is “asleep” so he should be safe. I don’t know about you, but even then I wouldn’t try to cross him again. And rightfully so, he woke right up and tried to end the terror by dropping him from the hospital window several stories up.

There is a moment when everyone seems to finally really enjoy Andrew’s company, after he wows everyone with his “magic skills” at the talent show. It’s all very superficial, but you’d have to think after being so mistreated, he’d obviously take superficial friendship over beatings. When he is about to lose his virginity, he gets nervous and pukes all over the girl (this is just speculation as it is not shown, only implied). The fickle group of high-schoolers waste no time in turning back to their old ways and being absolute jerks to him. How does he react? By telekinetically ripping the teeth out of one of his biggest school tormentors.

During the showdown between Andrew and Matt, Matt’s girlfriend Casey jumps into a car so that she can follow the fight, as it is mostly air-born. Speaking of air-born, Andrew uses his powers to pick up the vehicle she is in so that he can crash it into the ground. I’m sorry, but if you see someone flying and moving things with his mind, the last thing I would do is get inside a vehicle, because HE’S PROBABLY GOING TO MOVE THAT TOO! This goes for the cops too. They try to shoot at him, and he redirects the bullets. They look confused by this, and I mean for the most part rightfully so. However, if you see this guy moving things, do you think you want to shoot at him? I don’t know how clearly I’d think in the actual situation, but something tells me I’d let the two flying guys work it out themselves. There is only so much you can do to save the city at this point, so just step back for a second and wait to see if you are indeed needed. So again… don’t be a jerk to the “weird” kid at school, they could end up being powerful psychos.

Classic Ending? 50 pts

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi alternate ending

Leia sneaks aboard the ship that takes Vader and Luke up to the Death Star. She hides steps behind and later makes her way through the death star and climbs into the ventilation system. The original conversation amongst Palpatine, Vader and Luke ensues, and Leia eventually finds her way up into the Emperors head-quarters. She overhears the part of the conversation in which Vader makes the connection that there is a twin sister. There is a longer pause as now that he is aware of her he feels her presence, but thinks it is just the new awareness. He inadvertently looks in the direction that she is hiding and she becomes scared and pulls back some. Vader continues his monologue in which he starts threatening Luke to hurt Leia and their friends; or turning her to the dark side. This invokes the iconic scene in which Luke gets pissed and starts wailing on Vader. Leia cringes at the sight of Luke losing his nerve, especially when he chops off Vader’s already prosthetic hand. Palpatine starts his eerie pressuring of Luke to give into his feelings. Leia thinks she sees for a brief moment Luke thinking through his options and begins to cry silently. Vader senses her presence again, but is unsure of why he is sensing her. When Luke refuses to join, the Emperor goes about using the force to shock him. Leia becomes enraged as she watches her brother being electrified. She sees Vader struggling as the realization of what has happened sets in, but he is extremely warn out and cannot stop it. He shouts out to Palpatine to stop, who gets angry and directs his electricity at both Vader AND Luke. Leia’s anger heightens and without think, she holds out her hand. What happens next was subject of conversation for many years after. Leia inadvertently used the force to retrieve Vader’s lightsaber and jumps into action. She chops of Palpatine’s hands in a successful attempt to stop. The Emperor falls to the floor in utter shock at this vigilante rebel who out of nowhere harnessed her power. She holds the lightsaber up to his neck to gain control over him. She tells him she isn’t going to kill him… rather, she was going to let him blow up with the rest of the death star. It’s at this point Luke runs up behind her, questioning her presence and her ability to use the force. She tells him not to worry and they retrieve Vader. They are able to leave the death star moments before the rebels blow it up. Once on Endor, Vader requests to have his mask removed so he can live amongst the others, however briefly, as a person; not a cyborg. He enjoys his last few moments seeing peace in the galaxy. He then shows up in force ghost form alongside Obi Wan and Yoda. He is Anakin Skywalker again; whole, healthy and good. 

Relationship 25 pts

I heard a conversation on the phone today between a girl and her mother. I was trying not to eavesdrop, but it can be hard when they are talking super loud. She was explaining to her mother about her current affair; a guy who sounds like a total jerk. He’d apparently told her he couldn’t be with her because she seemed extremely stuck on her ex-boyfriend.  She explained to her mother that she told him that this didn’t make any sense, because they hadn’t been together for a year, and she only brought him up once. Now granted I was not there to see if it indeed was the only time, but if it was that is really ridiculous! Her movie quite audibly started yelling at how awful of a d*** the guy was. It was interesting and I tried to get out of her company.

I am part of a club of all girls, which is weird because I’ve never had so many friends that were girls. Let me just say girls can be rather petty sometimes. One of them is super A type, and she has no tact whatsoever. I was recently asked by this girl how it was like to be, seeing as I am 23 years old… She herself is 22, but apparently I am old. I told her “I don’t know, it’s not much different than your age.” She then asked me, “So it doesn’t get better?” In her eyes, I guess this means we are friends.

On the other hand, I have made some awesome friends in this group. Two of them force me to finally give in and watch Doctor Who and now I love it. We are such dorks. We often talk to each other with varying accents; everything from Irish to Russian. It is very fun to be in our friend group because we have a lot of fun, but also are there for each other when we need to be. If it weren’t for them I don’t think I would have made it through this semester.

My family and I are very sarcastic with each other. We can be downright cruel sometimes, but we know that it is out of love; if that makes any sense.  We audible mock things each other does. For instance, mom has a tendency to get sucked into shopping or work, and there is no way of bringing her back into reality when she does. Dad on the other hand seems very lost in his head and it seems like he doesn’t listen very well. I quote movies and shows, and talk media talk, way too much as if they understand. We will just make remakes loud enough the other is talking and make them curious only to be “jerks” and tell them what we said.

Ever just go to someone’s house and they begin fighting in front of you and you sit there feeling extremely awkward? That was my ex’s house on a regular basis. And it would be over the most unnecessary topics. It would get to the point in which I would either get upset or have to leave, because my family hardly ever fights at all. I miss my best friend, but I sure as hell don’t miss th

Your Life is a Screenplay 60 pts

(Disclaimer, this is a true and very sad story.)

Fade In:

The Petermann Household – mid afternoon

In a suburban Ohio town, a girl learns the tragic news of a beloved family members death.

CLAIRE, a girl 14 years of age, is dropped off by her carpool group, as her father is at work, and her mother is on her way to pick up the older sister, Danielle. She walks inside and starts looking around.

                                                                CLAIRE:

                                                Gigi, Sipsee! I’m home!!!

Two dogs, one tan and one black, both mutts and very fluffy, come into view and beg for CLAIRE’S affection. CLAIRE obliges by sitting on the floor and petting them enthusiastically. She then stands, moves to a couch to sit on. She flips on the TV and begins to enjoy a mind-numbing episode of Spongebob Squarepants.

Fade out:

Fade in:

CLAIRE is still sitting, but the show is now Boy Meets World. She looks completely unaware of the world.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

CLAIRE reacts startled and looks out the window.

Outside stand two cops. One is looking through notes, and the other one is talking to the first. CLAIRE sinks down, worried that there are two cops. She quietly moves towards the house’s side door. She merges, and sneaks to the side. She is hoping to hear a bit of the conversation. However, she is immediately spotted.

                                                                COP 1:

                                                (He welcomingly waves her over)

                                                Hey there!

                                                                CLAIRE:

                                                Hello, is there a problem?

                                                                COP 2:

                                                Are your parents home, sweetie?

                                                                CLAIRE:

                                                No, just me at the moment

                                                                COP 1:

                                                Well, can you give us a phone number where we could reach one of them?

CLAIRE nervously walks over to them                                    

                                                                CLAIRE:

                                                (whispers) Yes

CLAIRE give them her father’s phone number.

                                                Can I know what is going on?

                                                                COP 2:

                                                We’ll contact you guys in a few minutes.

The cops leave. CLAIRE runs inside immediately and calls her mother.

                                                                DEBRA:

                                                (over the phone) Hello!

                                                                CLAIRE:

                                                Hey, so there were just some cops here. You on your way home yet?

                                                                DEBRA:

                                                Nope, still waiting on Danielle. But it shouldn’t be too much longer.

                                                                CLAIRE:

                                                Alright, well I’m gonna try to call Dad

                                                                DEBRA:

                                                Okie dokie. I love you, bye!

                                                                CLAIRE:

                                                Love you too bye.

MONTAGE SEQUENCE. Several cross cuts of CLAIRE trying to get ahold of her father. CLAIRE starts to look very frantic as the scene progresses.

Suddenly her father, DOUG, a fit man in his late 40’s in a work suit, walks in.

                                                                CLAIRE:

                                                I’ve been trying to call you!

                                                                DOUG:

                                                Oh, sorry I haven’t had my sound on. You ok?

                                                                CLAIRE:

                                                Yea, but there were some cops here. Did they call you?

                                                                DOUG:

                                                Um (picks up his phone) yes, yes they did. I should call them back.

DOUG moves to the kitchen table and sits as he listens for the cops to answer. CLAIRE leans in the doorway.

                                                                DOUG:

                                                Hello officer, how can I help you? Yes I am sitting down, why?

There is a muffled sound from the phone. DOUG’s demeanor changes to sadness.

                                                                DOUG:

                                                No, you can’t tell me that.

                                                                CLAIRE:

                                                Dad?

                                                                DOUG:

(Holds up a finger to make CLAIRE wait) Ok, thank you officer. I’m going to call my wife now

                CLAIRE:

Dad, what is going on?

                DOUG:

Hang on, I’m gonna tell you and Mom at the same time.

DOUG presses the speed dial to call DEBRA. There is an ominous wait as both DOUG and CLAIRE are silent. DEBRA answers the phone.

                                                                DOUG:

                                                Hey Deb… Are you sitting?... I know she’s not there yet… Deb? Danielle’s gone!

What is this Sorcery 30 pts

I would like to make a game based on my premise presented in my “Your Harmatia is Showing” project. You will play the girl. She will start out in her little village. The first task you will come across is her fulfilling her own quest of getting to her father’s sword fighting lesson. You will ride your horse to the class and must find the shortest, most efficient way to the class. If you fail to do so, you will be sent back to the beginning until you can. Once you have (finally) succeeded, there will be a video of you having a conversation with your father as he caught you watching in on the class. Fade to nighttime when the Dark Lords minions make a terrorizing visit to the village. You follow them and repair damage as you attempt to keep close. You follow them back into the woods; you are alone with only a wimpy sword your character forged in secret. Your attempt to keep close leads you into trouble because they become aware of your presence. You are given a chance to try to fight them off. You may succeed, but if you do you it will not be long before more come back and capture you. And if you don’t win the first time, it will be all the quicker you are taken away.

You then wake up in the prison of the Dark Lord’s palace. Your next quest is to break out without being noticed. If you get noticed, you have to try again. You do this until you succeed. Once out, you meet a young woman of similar age who offers to help you in your quest to exact vengeance on the Dark Lord.  You must retrieve certain materials to make armor for yourself and then proceed to the blacksmiths. While there, there is another raid by the minions, who recognize you and you must fight each of them off. They release a “boss” minion, who you must get very close to beating. However, before you can, the Dark Lord emerges. He is not at all what you pictured; in fact he is tragically handsome. In an unexpected turn of events, he saves you and takes you to his palace as a guest.

He allows you to sleep, which gives you all your strength back. When you awake from slumber, he is waiting to show you his fortress. In a quickly edited video, you see the highlights of his work. He has you show your strength and skill against his men. You spend some time doing so, but when you’ve sufficiently done so, you turn and hold the sword to his throat. He gives you the ultimatum, and you have a dream sequence in which you must wonder through the steps of his plan. when you have had your fill, you must fight him. this consists of intertwining instances of fighting his minions instead. this is the hardest level. 

Someone Got Paid for That? (25 pts)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLa__49Ltv4

So as we know, Troy and Gabriella were not going to follow through with the audition due to schedule conflicts. So I believe I'll keep it the same all the way up until they get on the stage. From there, I'll make the scene more intimate. I'll do this by giving them an audience only of Troy's father, his friend Chad, Sharpay and Ryan, and of course the musical director. There needs to be a sense of realization from their audience that "we've stopped them from doing something they could be great at". They need to see that they have hindered their growth as well-rounded individuals. I would take out the cheesy dance moves and just have them sitting at a piano. The track will be playing overhead as a means to make it look like Troy is playing. Also, if not to be so bold i would also have changed the song to where it is simply just a duet with a piano. This will make it more dramatic and less cheesy.

This scene needs to be meaningful. It needs to represent them breaking the molds that have been made around them and growing into their own. The reason I have them sitting at a piano and singing is, while they need to interact as it is a musical audition, they need to be more serious. I can't tell you how much their dancing around has always ticked me off. I will remove the mass crowd as it is destracting to the moment and the importance of the scene. I believe it is important for them to be scene by people going against "the status quo" (dear lord forgive that one) and performing in the less than desirable act of... well acting. However, it does not need to be focused on the key people who have forced them to play basketball and be a science nerd. Everyone else is so insignificant, i have no idea why the screenwriter wrote them in to begin with.

A Better Project: Visual (25 pts)

Make a Silent Scene (3 to 6 hrs) 50 pts

I don’t know about you, but sometimes it is just fun to make a short film. For this project, you should get together with friends (no, not people from class) and film a mind-blowing 3 minute silent film. Use music as a means to convey emotion. Be creative with your editing.

Audience

Pretend you are going to Sundance or another film festival. Make something you would be proud to show to the public.

Deliverable

Post the finish product to Youtube, but provide a link to your blog as well.

That Song Rocked (50 pts)

Hey Jude- The Beatles

Listening Framework

(SIMPLIFIED)

Listening Phase 1 (Rhythm)

Source Initially the piano is the source of rhythm, but a tambourine is added in the second half of the first verse. Eventually the drums enter, and just begin to really increase in layers 

Time/Tempo 4/4 time

Groove It's a ballad, therefore it's very melodic.

Listening Phase 2 (Arrangement)

Instrumentation The piano and tambourine seem to be what make the song, aside from their voices

Structure/Organization To be fair this song does not quite follow the stereotypical strcuture of a song, because there is never really a chorus. So it plays out verse, verse, bridge, verse, verse, bridge, verse and the a long riff of la la la's.

Emotional Architecture The song is one of providing hope to an individual, and it starts very soft and focused, but eventually gains spirit and momentum with each layer of percussion added. Also, the dynamics get louder and stronger both instrumentally and vocally.

Listening Phase 3 (Sound Quality)

Balance

-       Height the Beatles know how to play around with pitch and frequency. Their melodies don't waste too much space on the scale.

-       Width the song stayed fairly static, but the dynamics helped to broaden the sound.

-       Depth it was pretty simple layering, piano, a little guitar and then an increasingly explosive use of percussion instruments.

Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix

Listening Framework

(SIMPLIFIED)

Listening Phase 1 (Rhythm)

Source drum and bass

Time/Tempo 4/4 time for the most part, some points are hard to define

Groove funky

Listening Phase 2 (Arrangement)

Instrumentation guitar, drum and bass

Structure/Organization Hendrix kind of does his own thing, i have no idea what to label this structure

Emotional Architecture fun, loose, carefree

Listening Phase 3 (Sound Quality)

Balance

-       Height it is generally on the higher side of the frequency chart, as he likes doing his crazy guitar playing

-       Width there is a little bit of back and forth panning, nothing too fancy though

-       Depth it's pretty simple, guitar drum and base. however his playing makes it seem a little more deep because he plays around with the scale

I Walk the Line- Johnny Cash

Listening Framework

(SIMPLIFIED)

Listening Phase 1 (Rhythm)

Source drums

Time/Tempo 4/4 time

Groove folk

Listening Phase 2 (Arrangement)

Instrumentation drum and guitar

Structure/Organization verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, chorus

Emotional Architecture happy

Listening Phase 3 (Sound Quality)

Balance

-       Height fairly lower frequency

-       Width there is quite a bit of back and forth panning in the song, and it's mostly created from the chords he uses

-       Depth the song as a shallow layer of music; it's simply guitar and drums

Hotel California- The Eagles

Listening Framework

(SIMPLIFIED)

Listening Phase 1 (Rhythm)

Source drum and bass

Time/Tempo 4/4 time

Groove reggae-ish

Listening Phase 2 (Arrangement)

Instrumentation guitar, drum and bass

Structure/Organization verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, music break, guitar competition :)

Emotional Architecture haunting, sad

Listening Phase 3 (Sound Quality)

Balance

-       Height higher frequencies

-       Width there is a feeling of movement and panning in the song, making it feel pretty wide

-       Depth many levels of drums, bass, and many levels of guitar

Superstition- Stevie Wonder

Listening Framework

(SIMPLIFIED)

Listening Phase 1 (Rhythm)

Source drop and slap bass

Time/Tempo 4/4

Groove funky

Listening Phase 2 (Arrangement)

Instrumentation slap bass definitely directs the song to be as enjoyable as it is

Structure/Organization verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, chorus

Emotional Architecture it is a song about bewaring supersition, so weary I guess would be a word for it

Listening Phase 3 (Sound Quality)

Balance

-       Height higher frequencies

-       Width it's a prettty wide song, you feel like you are surrounded by the isntruments

-       Depth drums, slap bass, guitar, brass instruments and his voice

That Movie Rocked! 75 pts

Columbia-Warner Entertainment

FILM COVERAGE

TITLE:  A Clockwork Orange	SETTING:  England
AUTHOR: Anthony Burgess	PERIOD:  Futuristic
PRODUCER:  Stanley Kubrick	ELEMENTS ATTACHED:
SUBMITTED BY:	SUBMITTED TO:
READ BY:  Claire Petermann	GENRE:  Crime/Action?Sci-fi
COVERAGE DATE:  3-22-14	SUBMISSION DATE:

                                                       

	EXCELLENT	VERY GOOD	GOOD	SO-SO	NOT GOOD
PLOT	X
CHARACTERS	X
DIALOGUE	X
STRUCTURE	X
COMMERCIAL APPEAL	X

RECOMMEND: X

CONSIDER:

PASS:

LOG LINE:  A young delinquent finds his success has run out when he is arrested and used to test a brainwashing technique to cure his evil behavior.

SUMMARY:  Alex, a teenaged gang leader, spends much of his time terrorizing the world around him. He is a very intelligent, perceptive individual who finds great solace in listening to Ludwig Van Beethoven. He and his “droogs” spend much time terrorizing, raping; even sometimes murdering the people of London.

           

          One night on one of the rounds of terror, the masked ruffians break into the home of a man and his wife. During this raid, the man is beaten to a pulp and forced to watch his wife suffer through rape; all the while Alex is delivering a terrifying rendition of “Singing in the Rain” (this is important to remember).

          The droogs begin to undermine Alex’s power over them, and he seemingly hands it over to Dim, who I guess you could say is his very powerless second in command. However, a scene later Alex reprimands his droogs for the treachery they attempt to exact. He pushes Dim into a river and proceeds to stab him in a non-vital area, simply as a means to get his attention. Later, seated at a table, Alex smiles evilly at his droogs and reestablishes his power.

          On yet another mission of dread, the four boys come upon the home of a single, cat-loving woman. Masked yet again to protect his identity, Alex makes his way into her home alone. He spends a dizzying sequence terrorizing her, resulting in her death. When Alex hears the sounds of sirens he attempts to flee. However, his droogs, still sore about the earlier occurrence, knock him out and leave him alone to suffer for his deeds.

          As he so earned, Alex finds himself on the way to prison. Aside from his arrogant way of speaking, he becomes one of the better liked and useful prisoners. He spends his time reading, the Bible especially; however, his interpretation is far from holy. He reads of a new experiment to rehabilitate the evil minds of delinquents, and that they will be coming to his prison in search for a test subject. In a lineup on the day of the visit, Alex makes his presence extremely well known and wins the position.

          Alex is in no way prepared for what he is about to endure. He is introduced to a method which includes his eyes being permanently clamped open so he cannot turn away from the treatment. He is forced to watch videos of the type of crimes he once committed: rape, abuse, terror and murder. He is even forced to watch videos of Nazi activity. He quite enjoys himself at first, because he is just that sick in the head. Suddenly on one occasion he starts to feel ill towards NOT the videos, but the cruel use in his mind of Beethoven to represent evil.

          A group is gathered to witness his transformation from delinquent to honorable citizen. He still has a tendency of wanting to do the dreadful things he once did, as made evident by the voiceover. However, when he tries to perform the acts of abuse and rape made easily exactable, he cannot. He has been cured, but has been torn down and made into someone he is not.

          He is released back into society, but is rejected by his family. He is left to try to find a corner somewhere in the city to live. He is attacked by many of the homeless people he once terrorized mercilessly. A couple of cops reach out to help this individual the find being beaten by  a mob of homeless individuals, but it is soon revealed they are his droogs and they have not forgiven him, nor do they believe he has been rehabilitated. They proceed to take him into the woods, beat him up and drown him to the point of asphyxiation. He is left for dead, but wanders until he finds an eerily familiar home.

          Inside lives the man who was beaten and forced to witness the rape of his wife. She is not dead, and he is paralyzed. He now has an in home hospice person who saves Alex from the rain and certain death. Once Alex begins to focus again, he realizes his dreadful mistake of seeking help from this home. He is recognized, but not for the reason he knows. The man has kept up with the current news, and therefore knows of what Alex has endured. Alex remembers he was wearing a mask, so the man should never know. He is fed, and given a chance to bath.

          This is when Alex makes the biggest mistake of his life. As he is enjoying his bath time, he proceeds to start singing “Singing in the Rain”. At first the man doesn’t notice because he is on the telephone. The moment he hangs up, however, he turns to listen through the door. It is quite obvious that he is tormented at that moment by a flashback of the night and has the most overacted fit of rage I have ever witnessed in my young life. He decides Alex must pay for his transgression. But first he must try to get him to confess. When this fails after a very awkward meal in which Alex starts to realize the grave mistake he has made, the man does his research. Somehow whether it be from the news, he figures out that Beethoven is now Alex’s trigger and blasts it over the record player. No matter how hard Alex tries, he cannot escape this terror. In a last resort decision, he jumps from an upper story window in an attempt to end his suffering.

          It does not work, and Alex wakes up in a hospital with many broken bones and very little memory of what happened. His nurses seem to encourage his old habits for some reason. For instance, when doing a picture association test Alex recites answers we’d only expect from the old Alex. It can be assumed, though it is not outright said, that the treatment was reversed somehow. He is informed of the fact that a man attempted murder on him although he had no tangible proof of his guilt. The man has been put away, and Alex is free to be himself again. At the end there is a sequence in which we go into Alex’s mind celebrating the chance to think freely again.

COMMENTS: I will admit this is one of my favorite movies, therefore I may be biased. It had an exceptional script writing who paid very close attention to the original text and played into Alex’s use of thought to convey important parts of the movie. Alex is way mature and perceptive beyond his years; not to mention he is quite sly. There is a great amount of psychological suspense in the film wonderfully executed by a well written screenplay and the choice of an actor who knows how to improve an already fantastic script. While the use of sexual imagery is a bit overwhelming, I don’t think the movie would have been rightly made without it. It adds to the power lust we find in Alex. Stanley Kubrick always demanded perfection from his work, and didn’t care what it cost. The use of an actual sequence in which Alex’s, or Malcolm McDowell, eyes are clamped open, while almost leaving McDowell blinded, was a massively risky, yet effective choice. There are no loose ends left for the audience, even if the answer is something they have to come to terms with in their minds. Overall, just a wonderfully executed film that I highly recommend, but only if you want to be sufficiently mind-blown.