Media Meditation: Numero 2- Ransom

Last week I woke up with nothing to do, and watched a personal classic, Ransom. This movie has always been exiting and emotion stirring to me. When I was a little kid my only fear was being kidnapped. The movie Ransom is about an airline mogul Tom Mullen (Mel Gibson) and his wife Kate Mullen (Rene Russo), handling their son being kidnapped. Both Gibson and Russo are extremely famous and awards winners, no matter Mel's breakdowns.

"Someone is going to pay." Movie cover from Ahashare.com

In the movie, the character Tom Mullen is told to pay a ransom for his son. They ask him to pay $2 million. He agrees and highers the FBI to help him handle the situation. After the first drop off goes wrong. Mullen starts brainstorming other ways to get his son back. He decides that instead of paying them for his son, when they might not even get him, he was going to make a bounty. He went on television and told the public whoever finds the kidnappers, they would recieve the $2 million.

Personally, I think Gibson did a great job in this film, along with the other actors in it as well. I have always been a fan of movies involving kidnappings, or family revenge. The scene when Gibson changes his mind and flips the bounty over, gave me goose bumps. It would be extremely difficult to make the decisions in a situation as he is in.

I found this video when searching for a clip. After hearing the tapes Gibson has embarassed himself on with racist rants and threatening his wife, I thought this was entertaining.

If you like movies like Payback, Man On Fire, and even Heat, you would probably enjoy this. It is one that anyone could sit down to and stay focused through out. I recommend it for a rainy day that you want to tune your emotions and view sights into.

Media Meditation: Numero 1- Shottas.

Last night I sat down in my spoiling Quarry Hill “dorm”, and flipped through my TV’s Netflix Instant Que. One movie I added I haven’t seen in about two years. I wanted to refresh my Rasta, slug flying, drug dealing memory, so I turned on Shottas.

(Movie cover from Gilla Movies)

Although not more than remotely famous, or critically claimed, this movie always gets me. It is about two childhood best friends from Jamaica, Biggs (Ky-Mani Marley, Son of Bob Marley) and Wayne (Spragga Benz.) They lived together in Kingston, Jamaica, and sought a life of crime. Together they stole a gun, and made their first robbery on a truck driver. After that, Biggs had enough money to fly himself to America.

Later in the film he returns to his homeland and his best friend, for more crime. Together Biggs and Wayne take over the Jamaica crime syndicates and even the drug cartels in Miami.

Personally, I love this movie because of the action and soundtrack. I am a big fan of gun busting movies and also love Jamaica reggae and rap. Perfect match eh?

Watch after 1:35 to get an idea of Biggs's character and his goons. One of the criminals he works with in the movie, is named Mad Max (Paul Campbell, one of Jamaica's most popular actors.) In the movie his character is meant to give you the chills. He does not speak, only murders. After everyone you see him kill, he writes on the scene in the person's blood, the amount of people he has killed (8:19-8:37 in video above.)

This will always be a movie I will watch and enjoy on a yearly basis. If you are someone who likes aimless action, Rasta accents, gangster groupies, and Bob Marley's sons, than you should give Shottas a try. It is only an hour and a half, and you won't be yawning.

Personal Quickie

1. Where are you from? State or province, and town?

I was born in Brookville, Long Island in New York. In 2nd grade i moved to Old Brookville only ten minutes away. It is 20 minutes outside of Queens and about 45 minutes from Manhattan.

2. Describe a fun media experience you had during your summer vacation.

In early August four friends and I went into Brooklyn to see the Distant Relatives concert at the Williamsburg Waterfront. The artist were Nas & Damian Marley. Not only are they two of my favorite musicians but almost if not all profit went to Africa. The concert was mind boggling and unforgettable.

3. Describe one thing you LIKE about our 21st century media culture, and one thing you DON'T LIKE about our 21st century media culture. BE SPECIFIC!

One thing i like about the media is the rapid process almost everything can undergo. The instant access to music, movies, and all forms of entertainment makes leisure simple and quick.
One thing i don't like about the media is not the way things are presented, but how the things being presented have changed. For example, the way music evolved. Through peoples demand, soul music almost no longer exists. Hip-hop has also changed severely to the point people call it "dead." Music media is congested with the popular favor.

4. What vision do you have for your future, professionally?

The future isn't quite simple to decide, but i have a reasonable vision. I would like to write in any form that gets my opinions and inspiration out. It doesn't have to be creative or professional, just enjoyable.