Saw VI Review

Once upon a time, two men wrote a brilliant, gripping and original horror movie. Because it was made on a budget of chewing gum and pennies and grossed tens of millions on release, the sequel machine took over and began churning out yearly instalments of varying grizzly nastiness while simultaneously forgetting what was so great about the original in the first place – the lack of violence.

After the original writers killed off their creation in the third movie, two new writers came on board to write a second trilogy. With the series this time actually being designed as such, it meant they could do whatever they wanted and be as stupid as they liked, knowing they would have three years to plan how it all resolved. And that’s where Saw VI picks up: at the end of a long, bloody, painfully obvious road.

Opening in traditionally silly style, two loan sharks wake up in a room to discover they have sixty seconds to cut off as much of themselves as possible to avoid having screws driven into their heads. If at this point you’re wondering what technology would be involved in such a thing, this franchise is not for you. After this, the film turns yet again into a long series of ‘tests’ (read: excuses for violence) as Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) takes the head of an evil insurance firm and tries to help him see the error of his ways. As you’d expect, this involves forcing William to murder seven of his employees.

The traps – hugely elaborate ways to die, a staple of the series – are as stupid and deliberately gruesome as you’d expect. One involves holding breath to avoid being squeezed, another running through a steam maze, while the most hilarious of all features six people on a carousel facing a shotgun. It really is as face-palm-worthy as it sounds. As usual, Jigsaw’s victims are mostly blameless, from a bunch of white-collar office jockeys to an old man whose only crime is to smoke – you really have to wonder why you’re supposed to want these people to die.

While all that thigh-slapping fun happens in the background, the main arc of the story sees Jigsaw’s apprentice Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) trying to keep his cover (again) while Jigsaw’s ex-wife Jill (Betsy Russell) walks about looking mysterious.

The main things this instalment have going for it are that it manages to answer most of the questions left open by the series (not that you wanted most of them answered, but, hey, that’s life) and that it’s better than Saw V – although that film could perhaps have only been worse if it randomly fired snakes out of the screen at you.

By the end of the long, arduous trek up death mountain – passing stupid civilian city and dumb dialogue point – you finally come to the end of this ludicrous and unnecessary franchise. But, wait… what’s that? The story isn’t quite finished? And the sequel machine rolls on. See you next year, Jigsaw.

Two stars

No lyrics this time. My mind is in a brain twisting mode. Hidden puzzle, puzzle me. It’s not bugging me, because I feel I am in the flow. I just have to play with it. I will tell you when I figure it out. This could mean I will take a little time-out…………………..

I’m sitting in front of the white canvas. I kinda feel happiness. I really don’t understand it and try to focus. Wow in a second I see a lotus. I already lost it. This is just the surface.

(Hmmm, I guess I am still lyrical.)

Looking for a perfect new handbag? Here’s my selection of the prettiest bags to be found. From totes to evening bags. Handbags are a great Christmas gift, one size will fit all and you can never have too many nice bags. My next investment piece will be a really nice leather bag, something like the Chloe handbag below, that will be great for the office and everyday use.

Silk Fan Clutch Bag

Alexander McQueen Skull Clutch

Chloe, Marlow leather handbag

Lulu Guinness handbag

On tässä vanhalla inmettelemistä kunka kaikkea voi nykyään tehdä koneella ja digitaalisesti.

Ehkä tässä “vanhuudessa” on silti ehkä se etu, että “kaikki” ei kuinkaan ole ihan uutta – asiat vaan saa hienompia nimiä j amuita uusia sovelluksia ympärilleen.  Esim tämä Jigsaw työskentely, joka on jo ammoisilta ajoilta tuttu, mutta kulki sillen eri nimellä. En toki muista millä.

Monta mielenkiintosta ulottuvuutta on tässä menetelmässä löydettävissä.

Esimerkiksi luennolla toteutetun tehtävän muodossa kukin sai itse lukea artikkelin itsekseen, josta sitten ryhmässä koottiin yhteenveto. Tiivistä ja nopeatahtista työskentelyä. Ensimmäiseksi tulee testattua paljon puhuttu (ainakin latinomaissa peruskoulun koulun yhteydessä nyt viimeksi) luetun ymmärtäminen. Jos et nimittäin ole lukemaasi ymmärtänyt niin et paljon siitä voi ryhmässä ammentaa.

Ryhmätyöskentely taitoja tulee harjoitettua sekä kotiryhmässä että eksperttiryhmässä. Eli pääset käytännössä harjoittelemaan myös sitä, miten saat selitettyä muille ihmisille ymmärtämäsi. Ja yleensähän selittämällä ei tule mitään järjellistä ulos, jos et ole sitä itsekin sisäistänyt. Vähän sama kuin mitä sanotaan asioiden kirjottamisesta – kuten oppimispäiväkirja. Eli asioita kirjottaessa joutuu väkisinkin ajatuksiaa järjestämään ja jonkin verran ehkä reflektoimaankin. (Loogisesti kirjotuksesta voi tulla sikti huono – kuten varmasti tästä blogikirjotuksesta, jonka nyt teen kun on pakko JUST NYT tänne jotain saada ..

Seuraavassa vaiheessa eli eksperttiryhmän toiminnassa ollaan jälleen harjottelemassa sisäistetyn asian kertomista sekä muiden kertoman ymmärtämistä.  Eksperttiryhmän toiminnassa tulee mielestäni mahdolliseksi vielä paremmin yhteisöllisyys, eli nimenomaisesti se etu mikä yhteisöllisessä oppimisessa väitetään saavutettavan kysymysten ja argumentoinnin avulla. Sillä eksperttiryhmänssä kun muut eivät asiaa tiedä on tilanne otollinen esittää kysymyksiä ja näin saada itselleen asiasta parempi ymmärräys ja antaa asian kertojallekin vielä mahdollisuus kertomansa asian parempaan jäsentämiseen ja reflektointiin.

Jälleen sitten vielä kerran päästään asiaa jäsentämään kun tämä kaikki uusi tieto kootaan kotiryhmässä ja pistetään paperille. Ja tässä vielä uuden ja hauskan teknologisen työkalun mindmapin avulla

Jigasaw tehtävä oli siis hauska, antoisa ja tiukkatahtinen. Mutta kuten Essi sanoikin kyse oli harjoituksesta, jonka tarkoitus oli tehdä menetelmä tutuksi. Eli kunhan tahtia vähän hidastaa niin asioista saa varmasti enemmän irti. Nyt asia puolelta jäi lähinnä mieleen kongnitiivinen ylikuormittuminen

Da sitze ich nun und grübel vor mich hin…
“HALLO!”
“Hallo?”
“Ja! HALLO.”
“Wer ist da?”
“NA ICH.”
“Toll! Und wer ist ich?”
“NA ICH, DEINE DUNKLE SEITE.”
“Ach nee, die habe ich auch?”
“LOGO!”
“Und was willst du?”
“DIR ETWAS ZEIGEN.”
“Soll ich den Fernseher anmachen?”
“PFFFFFFFFF…”

© 2009 T.R.

I thought I’d be a die-hard Jigsaw fan forever. My visit to the Island changed all that. Back in the day, I thrived on Jigsaw. In fact a vast portion of my wardrobe is still Jigsaw (almost vintage now). I have so many pieces that have lasted and served me well, and I will always praise the quality to their clothing. However, it appears Jigsaw has failed to move with the times. The once quirky and innovative designs have disappeared, the prices have risen, and the general vibe has gone. Years ago, Jigsaw was a real hub for style, and at every store they were BUSY! As an ex-employee I can attest to the huge number of customer orders, and the speed at which stock moved through the company. Most of the stores were cosy, and friendly, the staff look great (if I do say so myself) and there was a real energy about the place.

Many items would sell out on the first day, and even staff members had to be fast if they wanted something. Repeat items kept customers coming back to see what new colours had been released. Regular customers knew the delivery days, and would plan their shopping so they could be amongst the first to see what new treasures had arrived. It just worked. I spent a few days in the design department on work experience, and you just knew this team was onto a working formula. So what happened?

Well, if my old store is anything to judge by, here’s my opinion. Jigsaw has created competition with itself. Kew, a sister company, in developement during my employment, has grown and is snatching up customers keen on lower prices and similar designs (even if Kew now has raised it’s prices Jigsaw now has even higher ones). Kew now inhabits my old store and Jigsaw has moved into much bigger premises just up the street. Is this the problem? This store is vast. From the exterior it looks small and cosy, but as soon as you step inside it’s difficult to not feel overwhelmed. The store at the front is narrow, and goes back, and back, the cobbled street almost completely vanishes from view. Clothing rails line both walls, and after following them further, the store opens out into a large, cavernous expanse. The clothing continues to sprial about on rails and shelves which both line the walls, with more sprouting up in the center. There are couches, and an entire wall of change rooms. The store simply feels too big to be cosy.

In general I found the staff less welcoming, and for me in a huge store the first thing I want is to feel at ease. The staff still look great, and online everything looks good, but it looks just as it did when I left almost five years ago. For me that’s a problem. It hasn’t moved with the times. On one of my visits into the store I found it quiet (not like the busy store I remember), and I was surprised to see one person still working there from our old team. This person still looked fantastic and it was nice to see her loyalty. I met up with a group of my old work gals and the general consensus was that the style has stagnated, the prices are too high, and that everyone has moved onto Whistles. I found it funny how, after all these years we all still appreciate the same labels.

Whistles is my new addiction. I became aware of the label a few months before the end of my British visa, and since leaving I’d pretty much forgotten about it. It’s not a label I’ve seen anywhere but the UK, so that’s probably another reason it had slipped into the darkest corners of my memory. On this trip it was one of the labels that immediately stuck out. The window displays were simple, thus showcasing the brilliant design of the garments. The materials are lovely, the clothing is well made and the style is exactly where I’m at just now. There are real elements of vintage, and rock, and I’m loving the elements of draping and the interesting cuts. The stores are also much more welcoming then I recollect. They are light and airy, well laid out and the staff look stunning (how could they not, clad in these gorgeous clothes).

There was an amazing array of fabrics, leathers, wools, silks, cottons and more. A veritable smorgasbord of textures. Ah… I’m in love! The prices I also thought were very reasonable considering the quality of the clothing.

The best part of Whistles at this time was the amazing sale prices they had. I’d have happily paid the retail prices, but the sale prices made things much more interesting for me. They had reduced prices on several items for this season (mostly coats and jackets) but I really took advantage of the huge savings on some of last seasons items.

Tencel Trousers from Whistles

These beauties were reduced by a LOT. I love the details, and the functional pockets. The tencel is a nice change, and they are just so comfortable. They are a blue/grey colour.

I love the detail. That zip pocket is functional.

This top is made from wool and alpaca. It feels so nice on the skin. I love the cut of the sleeves, though I don’t think it’s all that visible in my photos. I thought it’d make a lovely casual addition to my wardrobe… and funnily enough… it’s grey!

Wool and Alpaca Top from Whistles

This vintage cut dress was my best find. Sorry if it’s still a bit creased from being in my bag. It was also hugely reduced. I absolutely love the cut of the back. It works really nicely with my frame. The cowl effect at the back is also very interesting, and the play on transparency is very pretty. Grey again!

My pretty new dress!

As you can see it’s fairly short. I plan on wearing it with opaque, black tights and some black heels (when I get some). It also needs a belt in my opinion. I bought it a size up from my usual (it was the last one), so I guess the elastic in the waist isn’t working as it should on me.

I’m so excited about these new additions to my wardrobe. I’m already feeling better, and like I’m on my way to being myself again.

What makes you feel like yourself? Is it clothing, exercise or something familiar like a taste or sound?

Espero que hayan cumplido el reto de ver tooodas las películas de Halloween llenas de sangre, violencia, adolescentes estúpidos…mmm, confio en que algunos de mis lectores son psicópatas y vaya que disfrutaron verlas y leer las palabras anteriores; y algunos que si no lo eran descubrieron que lo son por amar ver tanta SANGRE, VIOLENCIA, ADOLESCENTES ESTÚPIDOS (se que les gustan esas palabras…o mejor dicho, que les valen). Yo? Si, si disfruto verlas…porque me puedo reír de ellas, aunque desgraciadamente no las pude ver todas este año porque muchas personas se volaron las películas del Blockbuster…no los culpo. En fin: psicopátas. Son las personas más geniales que he visto en el cine. Son manipuladores, agresivos, calculadores, inteligentes…ahhh. Eso según los psicólogos. Pero según yo, aquí va un recuento de las personas geniales -y malvadas- del mundo del cine con patología imprecisa:
Jean-Baptiste Grenouille
Nuestro chico francés que tiene un gusto especial al aroma de las mujeres jovénes y hará todo para obtenerlo…en especial matar.

Catherine Tramell

La mujer que arrancó…suspiros a muchos hombres en Bajos Instintos y que encontraba un placer mayor en matar a los hombres que …estar con ellos. (No la culpo…sólo vean el Espacio de Keso y díganme si no se convertirian en asesinos al leer lo que dicen…haha)

Earl Brooks

Pues, este Mr. Brooks es un psicópata agradable (en los estándares comunes) y muestra bien a sus …amiguitos que viven en su cabeza.

SWEENY TODD

Ohh, me gusta mucho la película! Mrs. Lovett quién ama a un psicópata asesino y él la mata al final lanzandola en una caldera…Que hermosa historia! Esperen…me suena conocida…Oh…

Anton Chigurh

Bueno…pues me sonó a Harvey Dent lo de su moneda esa, pero aún así la escena final es genial y más aún la cara de “que más da” de Javier Berdam.

LEATHERFACE

El sonido de la sierra + una chica gritando horrible durante toda la película= Boo! Hasta a mi me asustó por sus gritos y aún peor cuando esta en la hermosa reunión familiar de psicópatas: oh, que honor! El abuelo de 150 años va a partirle la cabeza para la cena! Llena de miedo psicológico tiene la cinta ” La masacre en Texas” y quién no? Con un carnícero con una máscara de pieles humanas. Me llevo dos!

Hannibal lecter

El ex psiquiatra Dr. Hannibal cuyo plato favorito somos tú y yo. Bastante culto e inteligente y con diálogos llenos de ingenio hacen que entre en la categoría de psicópatas refinados. Pase usted, es hora de la cena!

JIGSAW

Vaya lecciones de vida nos da! Acosado por una enfermedad terminal, busca enseñar a todo aquél que no disfrute su vida a cómo “Vivir la vida” con unos simples y divertidos juegos: No pierdes nada al jugar! Sólo que si pierdes, mueres de una forma horrible y dolorosa. ¿Quieres jugar?

ESTHER

Una “niña” completamente diabólica!!!! Ok, es una psicópata. Basta ver los lindos dibujos que tiene pegados en su cuarto, bueno, ya sabemos porque no quisieron ponerlos en la puerta del refrigerador. Sabe mostrar muy bien lo psicópata y más aún con la escena de la paloma. Bueno, claramente con una pedrada en el cráneo dejara de sufrir.

NORMAN BATES
Creación de Hitchcook de un hombre que se disfraza de su madre para asesinar. Es prota de la famosa escena de la ducha. Usa frases cortas como estas. Muy buena actuación. Vaya madre debió ser esa. Han de oirse raras estas frases. Diablos.

PATRICK BATEMAN

A poco? Por algo se llama Psicópata Americano, no? Ohh, muy buenas escenas hay en la película. Desde el vago asesinado, la chica asesinada con la sierra desde las escaleras, su crisis mientras confiesa sus crímenes. Vaya que vale la pena y Christian Bale aquí es muy genial!

Alex McDowell

El ultraviolento Alex es sumamente genial en Naranja Mecánica y un claro ejemplo de psicópata…un psicópata fanático de Beethoven y de Gene Kelly, cabría suponer.

Y AHORA…EL NÚMERO UNO!!!!

THE JOKER!!!

El de Heath, claro. Bueno, bueno…él no es un psicópata. Más bien es un sociópata (simplemente Joker <3), pero no importa. Ya no falta decir POR QUÉ, verdad? Creo que ya lo he dejado claro. Ohhhhhh…<3 <3

“It’s hard to imagine the dry, grassy plains of the Serengeti would be a particularly hospitable location to settle, and it’s certainly not the kind of place where you’d expect to encounter a land rich with colorful gems ripe for the plucking. Treasures of the Serengeti may take more than a few liberties with its premise, but the tribal setting provides a nice backdrop for an unusual blend of traditional jigsaw puzzle and fast-paced gem matching gameplay. ”

Check out the full review here at Gamezebo.

After some dancing your nylons have pulled
Dancefloor a jigsaw of cherry stained planks
Napkins have been soiled, teeth made purple
From beets in course two or wine that you drank

It is already too much that you ate
You’ve run out of things to say to her son
Third of four courses protein on your plate
Wild Salmon, Roast Chicken, Filet Mignon

Salmon is cooked with white wine and capers
Chicken with rosemary sprigs on the side
Filet Mignon pink juicy and tender
Menu invites vegetarian snides

Reception hall fare, you’re in the homestretch
Wait for the car ride for family kvetch

when i sat down to think about this week’s top 5, it was so painfully obvious who i would feature with tuesday’s release of kid sister’s CD, ultraviolet. ahhh, yes: women who rap. women who produce damn good beats. bad ass women who do their thang (yes, “thang”) without a care.

get up and dance. it’s friday, hoes.

leading off, kid sister :: right hand hi

[hey, dallas friends: she'll be at the palladium tomorrow night. get in there.]

a little bit rock, a little bit electro, but always fucking awesome, peaches :: billionaire

“the biggest midget in the game,” lady sovereign :: let’s be mates

i can’t get enough of this trio, northern state :: iluvitwhenya

seriously, how could i not include m.i.a. :: bamboo banga

Through bizarre circumstance I ended up watching Saw I through V in about 6 days last week. I didn’t write reviews of them because I considered them to be pretty much irrellevant. Then I realized that Saw VI is out in theaters, however, so I went to see it last weekend and seeing as this one is actually current (don’t mistake that for timely or relevant, just saying it’s actually out in theaters so writing a review seems appropriate) I thought I’d write up something.

The Saw series is a bloody mess, in every sense of the word(s). The first one started out with a relatively intriguing premise, but never really managed to make anything of it beyond unnecessary gore for the sake of unnecessary gore, which is a bit of a shame because I believe there is a level of intelligence (or at least could have been) underlying the premise: Trap people in life-threatening situations and observe just how far they are willing to go to save their life (usually survival requires going through extremely strenuous mental or physical torture, i.e. being required to saw your own foot off to escape.

One might think this premise opened for, if not any sort of humane treatment of the issue, at least an interesting perspective on the human survival instinct. Or perhaps some weird sense of reformation treatment that Jigsaw (the man behind it all) seems to be aiming for. Alas, none of this is had in any of the films, VI included, as it all boils down to gore and nothing else. Jigsaw’s motivation for choosing people is completely arbitrary, the extent of the task they are required to perform to survive is completely arbitrary, and the actual way in which they die is equally so, some being tortured to death and others dying, presumably, in an instant. If any social commentary was meant to be made it was more or less completely idiotic before the words were ever uttered. The uncivilized manner that the apparently civilized Jigsaw executes his whole plan is pretty much bat-shit insane from beginning to end. Everyone seems to have the sloppiest definition I’ve ever heard of what murder is and moral questions are treated about as delicately as if someone witohut fingers wearing huge boxing gloves is trying to thread a tiny thread of logic through an equally tiny needle hoop of moral questions.

I could go on at length about how truly ridiculous, inconsistent, gratuitous and blatantly hypocritical the entire Saw series and every character within it is. That said, while Saw I started on a pretty average note and the series has regressed steeply and consistently into awful from there, a fall ending with the absolutely uncomprehensible Saw IV and the slightly less awful but still migrane-inducing Saw V. I could not expect Saw VI to be any better. However, it is.

The series has been attempting to have a plot outside the traps since day one (which I have consistently maintained is a huge mistake, as I have not cared about any of the plots at all as they all involve completely generic cop characters doing completely generic cop things and reaching no end whatsoever) and it does so here as well. Magically, unbelievably, this time I cared. Weirder still, the plot involves the same characters as IV and V (although a lot of these die in their respective films, including Jigsaw himself who surely died 3 films ago yet still lingers on through the magic of the flashback) and follows those plots, and still I cared. It’s hard to say what did it. The plot is not genius, it is not impressive in any way, but it is completely followable and pretty much devoid of logical inconsistencies and characters whose motivations are at best hypocritical and at worst completely arbitrary. Saw VI is, to put it simply, completely acceptable which considering how horrible the last few films have been is a bit of an achievement.

The traps are also pretty clever, relying more on psychological terror than gratuitous gore and following one character in a pretty logical manner most of the time. A lot of the issues are still there, incompetent editing, incredibly seizure-inducing camerawork and pretty much every thing one could mention is probably further away from perfect than it is from terrible. It is not a particularly enjoyable film, but I am willing to say that it is probably the first Saw film to actually make a shred of sense. If only they had managed to do this with the first film, where the premise was original and fresh and not worn down by years of rehashes of the same plot points, they might have had a memorable horror film on their hands. As it stands, it is pretty much just watchable.

2/5

The other two puzzles I’ve posted about have been finished for quite a while now, but I’ve been waiting on one more to complete the room redecoration they’re a part of. After having the puzzle on backorder through HobbyLink Japan for quite some time to no avail, I finally decided to cancel the order there and buy it from Love Ghibli instead, where it was listed as in stock. It was a bit more expensive from Love Ghibli but I really like the store and customer service you get from there, and I don’t think HLJ was ever going to be able to find more stock, so in the end it’s what I probably should have done in the first place. In any case, it’s here now and I can’t wait to get it done and put it up on my wall.

The EVOLVE website has evolved again, this time adding the first two teams to the Official Tag Team Division. The first team is Aeroform, made up of Louis Lyndon and Flip Kendrick. Lyndon and Kendrick have been teaming on the Indy scene for awhile now, with Kendrick also doing some singles work in Jersey All Pro Wrestling where he is a former Light Heavyweight Champion.

The other announced team is full of awesomeness, the CHIKARA trio made up of Mike Quackenbush, Hallowicked, and Jigsaw. Under EVOLVE rules, “A trio can register as a tag team and select two competitors for a match. The trio can also compete in six man tag team matches. All matches between official teams will count towards their record. This means that both regular and six man tag team matches can count towards records.”

EVOLVE 1 will take place January 16, 2010 at the Rahway Rec Center in Rahway, New Jersey. Tickets go on sale @EVOLVEwrestling.com on Monday, November 23rd at 10am EST.

I thought I’d write a quick blog for those of you still try to find that ’something different’.

How about a canvas map wall hanging, the ultimate in armchair map reading! Or maybe placemats and coasters centered on an area of your choice . Choose from 1833 – present day.

Jigsaws are a favourite of many. We have an interesting range including Mazzle , the jigsaw for your walking friends, Jigsaws centered on your area (again choose from 1833 – present day) or an educational jigsaw for the children.

If you are stuck for any mapping Christmas ideas, always remember, you can give us a call on 01280 840770.

Little boy’s racecar, 500 piece set
“Hang in There! kitten hanging off a branch
Silhouetted palms in front of sunset
Horses in a stable, red door, dude ranch

Find pieces with edge build out the border
Cardboard on one side and the other with
Images that become more familiar
Jigsaw pieces shaped liked psychedelics

A game for when it’s raining cats and dogs
When you’re homesick with a fever and flu
While babysitting or feeling in fog
Jigsaw puzzle splayed where you eat stew

Strategize how to keep your brain able
Set up puzzles on the dinner table

Carine Roitfeld, the 55 year old, editor in chief of Vogue Paris is said to soon become a book.

Olivier Zahm, editor in chief of sexy, fashion and luxurious Purple Magazine, is working with art director Alex Wiederin on a book about Carine.

Alex has contributed as an art director to AnOther Magazine, Vogue Hommes International and 10 . From his boutique studio in NY, he has created concepts for the likes of Valentino, Cesar Paccioti, Missoni, Cerruti Jeans, Jigsaw, Yves St. Laurent, Dolce & Gabbana, Givenchy, Lanvin, Versace, Cartier and H&M.

However no details have been given yet, this is surely going to be a best seller. Join the queue girls !

Rosane Ribeiro

Today we talked about the phases of matter and I broke the lesson up into 4 different activities using a variety of strategies.

Part 1 – Brief introduction to set the stage

I told the students to place their hands on the table and close their eyes.  I then asked them “Is the table moving?” Variety of answers.  I told them that the table is made up of billions of atoms that are vibrating, we just can’t feel it.  Atoms do not stay still, I mentioned absolute zero and how scientists think that atoms would stop moving at this extremely cold temperature. Last I checked, we got really close but have not reached absolute zero yet.  

Keeping their eyes closed, I ask them if they feel the air molecules hitting them right now.  Gasses move very quickly and are bouncing around the room, hitting each other, bumping into the wall, off the ceiling, off the floor, kind of like a pinball machine.  I also ask them to take a deep breath – the air is filling up their lungs.  I also mention that they are breathing the same air that the ancient Greeks and Australopithecus did (they just studied early man in History class).  All the matter on Earth has always been here and is constantly recycled.  The oxygen you are breathing right now was once part of a water molecule, or part of an animal, etc… They think its cool and gross at the same time, of course!

Part 2: BrainPOP movie on States of Matter.

I show the movie and paused it when it zoomed into the glass of water and showed the water molecules.  I ask the kids, “What do you notice about how the atoms are arranged?” We discuss it and I have them draw the atoms, in a color of their choice,  into their notes in the liquids box. Continue the movie.

Paused the movie again when it zoomed into the gas atoms up close.  ”What do you notice about how these are arranged compared to the liquid?”  Using a different color, they draw the gas atoms into the gas box.  Continue the movie.

Paused again when it zoomed into the solid atoms up close. “What do you notice about how these are arranged compared to the liquid and gas?” They came up with great observations, such as many more atoms, close together, not a lot of empty space between each, and they were neater – arranged almost in a pattern. Using a third color, we drew in the atoms for the solid.  Played the rest of the movie.

Part 3 – Notes – Jigsaw/read aloud

I assigned a paragraph to each group and gave them about 3 minutes to complete their assigned section.  Once they were done, each person in group 1 read a sentence out loud to the rest of the class. Student 1 read the 1st sentence, student 2, the next, and the group continued until the whole paragraph was done.  I used 3-4 students per group for this activity.

The other groups/students listened and filled in their notes.  We then moved to group 2 for the second paragraph, and so forth.  This worked really well.  Some of the kids noticed that it was exactly the same as the movie, which it was, I made a transcript and cut out important words and placed them in the word bank.

Part 4 – Closure using the matrix

Using the BrainPOP graphic organizer, we reviewed the main concepts that we learned today, making sure to fill it in completely and correctly.

Homework: cut ‘n paste vocabulary to review terms we discussed today.

Resources:

Saw NUNCA debería haberse convertido en una saga… al menos así lo demuestra su cuarta, quinta y sexta entrega, a cada cuál más falta de originalidad…y de guión.

Aterrador: salchichas en una portada de Saw. Me lo parece, o Saw VI tiene las peores portadas de la saga?

Pero vayamos por pasos… ¿qué es lo que hizo de Saw una buena película? La originalidad. El suspense. Unas actuaciones correctas. Por el mismo motivo que, por ejemplo, Cube fue una muy buena película, mientras que sus secuelas dejaban mucho que desear (bueno, Cube Zero aún se dejaba ver) es porque la idea que se presentaba era interesante y nueva para el público, y dejaba muchas dudas abiertas que realmente era mejor no explicar…y es que, al fin y al cabo, uno de los problemas del cine actual es que parece que nos tienen que explicar todo, hasta el más mínimo detalle, cómo si fuesemos tontos. Con ideas cómo la de Saw y Cube, creo que es mucho mejor dejar cosas en el aire y que el espectador pueda sacar sus propias conclusiones (o no) que explicarlo todo al detalle.

Pues bien, el caso de Saw es que han querido estirar un argumento que no daba para mucho más a lo largo de no dos, ni tres, ni cuatro películas, sino seis. Y la séptima, en 3D, caerá el año que viene.

Y es que, a pesar de que la trama de Saw pueda parecer complicada, con miles de flashbacks buscando el desconcierto del espectador, no deja de ser un juego de luces y sombras mal logrado. Mientras veía Saw VI, me preguntaba (algo que ya me había pasado con sus anteriores entregas)… ¿a dónde nos quiere llevar el argumento? ¿Qué demonios nos quiere decir? ¿Acaso tiene algo nuevo e interesante que aportar? ¿A mí que coño me importa que (ejemplo ficticio) la chica de la tercera entrega estuviese compinchada con el policía de la quinta, que a la vez se cargó a una chica de la cuarta, que a la vez recibió un paquete que envió la de la segunda entrega, que era para que en la sexta tuviese que saber que debía tender una trampa al de la…séptima entrega? Con tanto flashback lo único que hacen es que uno pierda la paciencia y piense… ¿realmente esto tiene algún sentido? ¿Realmente queda algo interesante por contar, aquí?

Pero en fín, vamos a hablar de Saw VI (aunque realmente, me temo que hablar de Saw VI es cómo hablar de Saw III, IV y V, ya que son prácticamente un copia y pega); en esta ocasión, el juego de Jigsaw toma a un agente de una compañía de seguros cómo protagonista. Aquí es dónde viene una (otra) de las incoherencias del guión: hagamos memoria. Jigsaw cambia totalmente su personalidad a causa de un cáncer que lo está matando, y decide iniciar sus macabros juegos para que las personas elegidas empiecen a valorar realmente su vida (y lo que están haciendo con ella). Sin embargo, más adelante nos explicarán que realmente fue por perder a su hijo (en una de las escenas más cutres y lamentables que he visto en toda la historia del cine).

Sin embargo, según esta entrega, Jigsaw fue a su seguro a pedir un tratamiento para su enfermedad, ya que un doctor estaba experimentando una cura para su tipo de cáncer y, según éste, él era el sujeto perfecto para esta prueba. Sin embargo, el seguro le deniega injustamente el tratamiento, a lo que Jigsaw salta con que “el problema no es el dinero”, pero que lo van a dejar morir. Pero qué demonios… si el problema no es el dinero…¿entonces qué problema tiene Jigsaw? SPOILER: NINGUNO.

Y de eso va la sexta entrega. Jigsaw ha preparado un juego para hacer ver el tipo de decisiones arriesgadas que toma su agente de seguros denegando ayuda a sus clientes. Ok, la moraleja es aceptable, pero no tiene absolutamente ningún sentido dentro de la trama de Saw.

En cuanto las actuaciones, digamos que la mediocridad viene a ser la marca de la casa. Con la única excepción de Tobin Bell, que me parece sin duda el mejor actor de toda la saga -y con diferencia-, el reparto me parece uno de los peores jamás vistos en una película. Y, si a eso le sumas que este reparto suele aparecer en más de una película de la saga, la cosa ya se pone terriblemente fea.

Parecidos razonables

Voy a hacer una mención especial al que, sin duda, el peor actor de toda la saga. Y, personalmente, uno de los peores actores que he visto en toda mi vida y que espero no encontrarme en ninguna otra película, porque estoy seguro que la saga de Saw no me parecería tan mala de no ser por este hombre… Costas Mandylor. El personaje ya de por sí es totalmente plano y está muy poco trabajado sobre el papel , pero si a eso le sumas que el Mandylor procura poner cara de ladrillo durante toda la película, y que ni se esfuerza por poner una voz convincente en ninguna de las entregas en las que aparece… Siendo Hoffman un personaje con tan poca miga, sin embargo puedo imaginarme a Christian Bale en American Psycho interpretando a Patrick Bateman, un personaje de carácter frío pero que realmente te hace pensar “menudo hijo de puta sanguinario”. Sin embargo, cada vez que aparece Mandylor en pantalla, lo único que me pasa por la cabeza es “menuda mierda de actor” y “ni leyendo el guión lo harías peor”.

De la puesta en escena no se puede decir nada mejor. 100% videoclip.

Y lo más importante a estas alturas en la saga Saw: el gore. Pues, a pesar de la polémica con su censura en España (que bien seguro hará ganar muuuucho dinero a Disney cuando por fin levanten el veto, cosa que estoy seguro de que pasará), Saw VI no es ni más gore que sus predecesoras, y ni tan siquiera tan ingeniosa cómo las anteriores. Y es que es eso, cuando el guión y las interpretaciones fallan, lo mínimo que te esperas en una película de género es gore ingenioso…y nada, me temo que de eso Saw VI no tiene nada.

En conclusión: otra película de la saga que no aporta absolutamente nada. Hay que admitir que es bastante superior a la quinta entrega, pero la verdad es que no le veo mucho mérito superar a la peor entrega de la saga xD

A modo de último apunte, a pesar de que la película me haya parecido tan floja, debo decir que en absoluto estoy de acuerdo con la moción de censura realizada a la película. Además de absurda, ya que he podido ver en salas comerciales de cine películas mucho más bestias, me parece ridículo que a estas alturas se produzcan situaciones cómo la presente. Sinceramente, espero que no vuelva a repetirse ningún caso así con películas que realmente no tiene sentido que sean censuradas.

Este estupido comentario no contiene spoilers, sin embrago da algunas pistas sobre la cronologia de la pelicula.

Ser la sexta parte de una película no es fácil, ser la sexta parte de Saw es una responsabilidad muy grande, responsabilidad de la que esta película victoriosa. Y es que a pesar de sus fallas, esta película recupera la escencia que se notaba algo perdida desde la cuarta parte y cierra casi perfectamente un ciclo en la saga. Se podría decir que es similar a Saw III (para mi, la mejor) en el aspecto de cerrar círculos y despejar dudas que pudieron haber quedado abiertas incluso desde antes de que Jigsaw pusiera a prueba su primer victima.

Los flashbacks son muchos en cantidad, pero todos son importantes dentro de la saga. Ya sea para entender como la obra de Jigsaw fue tomando forma y entender que desde un principio su obra es un concepto que estallo con la muerte de su hijo y se retorció con su enfermedad. O para mostrarnos la relación entre personajes que creíamos que no la tenían, una relación de odio, desconfianza, celos o indiferencia que hay entre los protagonistas.

El tema de las trampas, estas se desarrollan dentro de la línea argumental “principal”, son mas moralistas que en las películas anteriores y al involucrar a mas de una persona en peligro de muerte se muestra la competencia entre ellas, llegando a matar o dejar morir para salvar la propia vida y la voluntad de vivir se convierte en un constante grito de suplica por no ser la siguiente victima del juego.

El enfrentamiento entre los jugadores convierte al asesino en una especie de testigo, obligando a que ellos tomen la decisión y hagan el sacrificio final para poder vivir, una de las bases de la fiolosofia de Jigsaw.

En conclusión esta película cierra perfectamente la segunda trilogía y podría decirse que cierra completamente la obra de Jigsaw.  Incluso a tal grado de que el, podría dejar de ser el protagonista absoluto de las siguientes secuelas.

Para mi, se lleva los 9 pezones.

]]> http://challengingperceptions.wordpress.com/2009/11/09/saw-vi-weve-seen-enough/ Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:12:40 +0000 challengingperceptions http://challengingperceptions.wordpress.com/2009/11/09/saw-vi-weve-seen-enough/

The first Saw seemed incredible. Now, with six Saw(s) down the line, the concept has lost its freshness.

I remember watching the first Saw and being glued to my chair with eyes popping out the whole time.

The concept was new, original, and mind-blowing. It was simple and effective. Creative and unique. I could only come up with great words for the first Saw. But James Wan, director of the first film, is now long gone from the franchise to pursue his career in other (more interesting) projects.

But Saw VI is not really just a waste of money, it’s a complete waste of your time. Of course, if you’re looking for the thrill of gory scenes, the sight of a woman cutting off her own arm will certainly have some effects on you. It may provoke in you some feelings of repulsion, disgust or even excitement. And what are good movies for other than provoking emotions from its viewer, whichever emotion it is.

There is nothing really happening in Saw VI. Jigsaw wants to show the world what is violence and death. He wants to make people understand the reality of pain. Ok, after five films, we got it. The story barely moves and keeps deceiving scene after scene.  Tension doesn’t build, there is nothing to fear. And in this one actors act more funny than horrified. It really feels like the franchise is just running after its money.

And how many times more will we have to suffer with the same story being made worse over and over again? Well, the Vice Chairman of the franchise, Michael Burns, was quoted saying: “as long as we make money on it we’ll keep doing this.” They will start the production of Saw VII in January 2010. This one will be in 3-D so we can at least expect a slightly different experience in the theater. Then, Saw VIII is planned to be released in October 2011.

Jigsaw is not ready to leave us alone and even Perez Hilton is sick of it: “How exhausting and ridiculous!”