The Boondock Saints

Film: The Boondock Saints (1999)
Director: Troy Duffy
Length of film: 110 minutes


"The Boondock saints" is a movie about two brothers that have accidentally killed a couple of mafia gangsters. They then turn themselves in, only to find out they are actual heroes to the community. They believe it is a calling from God after they have been released from the murder charges, now they take the initiative to knock down every mafia boss that is plaguing their neighborhood.


I decide today to take a few minutes and analyze the scene where the two brothers prepare to take down the Russian mob in the condo building. From the looks of the composition of the scene, I think it is simple on how the director merged these scenes together. From the elevator shaft to the apartment, the director shot one take of the brothers in the elevator and another take of the apartment. The director then cut pieces in between to merge the scenes together to relate the scene in real time. The next scene in my opinion is the best choreographed entrance of a character in a movie I have ever seen. The frame cuts to the ceiling ripping apart, then cuts again of a medium shot of the brothers falling through the ceiling and then finally it shows the brothers tangled in ropes with their guns drawn out firing at the gangsters. At first the camera is shooting the scene from the floor level up, but when the guns start blazing, the camera was shot from an over top angle of the brothers. This shot was definitely achieved by rod systems to support the camera at such a vertical angle drop view. The best part was when the brothers were spinning in the tangled ropes from above, the director then cuts into a panning from left to right of all the gangsters getting shot. The final shot was of the two brothers standing behind the mafia boss and having two guns to the back of boss’s head. The brothers then hum a verse from the bible before shooting the mafia boss in cold blood.

I am glad I have seen this movie in my life time, because the overall feel is so amazing. The way the director shot the movie, I felt my adrenaline rush as if it were the two brothers shooting the gangsters. Especially when the director pans the camera while the brothers were shooting, I felt as if I was on the rope spinning and shooting. Also to mention the music playing for the scene, it was heart pounding because of such a rock and roll feeling. I must say, the overall feel of “justice being served” was well played through out the movie. I recommend anyone to see this great film if they have not done so already.

Museum of Moving Images

Hey guys,

Today I went to The Museum of Moving Images, which is located in Queens, Astoria. Inside the Museum was a gallery of film cameras and historic pieces that contributes to the film era. I had never seen so many different film cameras in my life. From the early stages of motion picture to the modern day film, my mind couldn’t believe the major improvements in film.

Along the way of the tour, my fellow colleagues and I were able to participate in one of the fun demos. The demo was called the “Video Flip Book,” it was an entertaining experience because we all jumped around in front of the camera while it was taking our pictures. When the demo was over, the pictures were then processed and made into a flip book. We flipped the pages from left to right and we saw a motion picture of ourselves jumping up and down. The flip book is a fascinating concept because video cameras in the film world shoot 24 pictures a second. So if you were to think about it, a regular 90 minute film consists of around 129,600 photos.

The next stop in the tour involves replacing sound in a movie scene. The film industry calls it “The interactive display for Automated Dialogue Replacement,” or ADR for short. This was my favorite stop in the tour because, as a kid, I always wondered how animals talk in movies. I luckily got picked by the tour host for a chance to participate in the demo. The scene that I was going to replace the sound in turned out to be the hit classic movie “Babe.” After many years of wondering how it was possible animals can talk in movies, I get the chance to work on one of my favorite animal movies. When the tour host gave me the cue, I spoke into the microphone with what was written in front of the screen. Then my voice recording was processed to the movie scene. When played back, I witnessed a pig speaking with my voice. I was amazed and stunned on the outcome because the pig looked like it was really talking with my voice. I was then informed that the animals had peanut butter in their mouths so that their mouths would keep moving through out the movie shoot.

If anyone has any questions about cinema, go to the Museum of Moving Images. You will not be disappointed and all your questions will be answered. I had a great time and an overall experience. Stay tune for my next post.

-Ling