Self Evaluation -- TAKEN (2008) Presentation

What Went Well ..

I had decided to do a presentation analysing the film Taken 2008. My PowerPoint presentation included 7 slides, with plenty of pictures and text and a background summary made by me on each of the points whilst analysing the movie in front of my class. Whilst presenting, I liked the overall atmosphere and the attitude of the audience as they were carefully listening to what I was saying, deeply following through with my presentation. This also helped me because with such an audience I was not so nervous and was more able to perform freely.

After I had finished my presentation I received feedback from each member of the class, including the teacher, on the good points about my presentation and performance, and on contrast I received the negative points about my presentation and performance.

Whilst the audience kept giving feedback, I recorded down my goods and bad.
Like average, my PowerPoint was set in these 6 categories: Writers and Film Directors, Film Institution, Film Genre, Film Audience, Representation and the Narrative of the film. It was then discussed by the class that in my presentation, that the amount of information and my performance on the explanation of the Film Institution was clearly my strongest category of all.

According to my class mates, the information given to them by me about the Film Institution for Taken 2008 was very understandable and had a lot of simplicity. In terms of performance, they liked the way I showed plenty of eye contact and also engaging them by ask a question or 2. They also commented that I spoke loud and clear and that there wasn’t any mumbling involved. In addition to that, they stated that on my final words, the liked the way I was giving them extra feedback on the film. In other words, not only did I analyse the film in front of my class, but I also persuasively advised them to go ahead and watch the film Taken.

Even Better If ..

After growing some feedback on the positive points about my presentation, I clearly received feedback on how to improve my work or even better if, due to my negative points. For my first feedback and advice, I was told not to apply so much text on my presentation, as in most cases the audience may find it a little boring having to pay more attention trying to read of the board rather than focusing the attention on me the performer. So that meant that in order to replace the text, more bullets points or even images were a wiser choice than a whole load of writing.

Secondly, although my tone of voice was good, my body language was not so good. I was told that applying a little more movement does not only show that you are lively and awake about the performance, but also that besides the audience, I should be enjoying my own presentation too. I was also told that there wasn’t enough information shown on certain categories and that a little more media terminology should have been used whilst analysing the film.

In Conclusion ..

Getting all this feedback from my teacher and my class mates, I was able to understand my weakness and learn how to better improve them. Of course it makes me feel good hearing about all the positive points about my work, and aspects like that give me more confidence into doing better next time. I have learned that whilst doing presentations, it is best to show a lot of simplicity on the display and use a lot more images rather than text, this way it is eye catching to the audience and it gives more of a chance to engage to the audience by looking at them more and showing more enthusiasm rather than reading of the board.

Overall, I know that I have gained a huge knowledge about how to make and perform a presentation, and know I feel that my presentational skills have improved a huge scale. The reasons for this, is not only because I was able to receive information on what I could improve on, but also looking and investigating other people’s presentations made me realise and pick up on stuff such as different types of media terminology that I didn’t quite use on my own presentation.

More Film Reviews – On TAKEN 2008

“Taken” stars a dour Liam Neeson as a big bad papa bear on the rampaging hunt for his baby cub, a virginal Los Angeles teenager — the first of many dubious plot points — who has been snatched while vacationing in Paris by hairy and scary Albanians who put her on the auction block. The movie was produced by the international hitmaker Luc Besson, who is best known for bankrolling action fare like the “Transporter” series and who shares writing credit on this exploitative throwaway with Robert Mark Kamen.

Mr. Besson, who made his reputation in the 1980s directing entertainments like “Subway,” was a central figure in a French movement called the cinéma du look, work that emphasized slick visuals, avoided ideology and politics, and paid closer heed to spectacle than to narrative. Although Mr. Besson now casts a wider net as a producer — he went somewhat upscale with the recent art house thriller“Tell No One” — the genre movies that carry his brand tend to be predictably homogeneous, with more or less the same look (glossy), sound (blaring) and pace (relentless). That more or less describes “Taken,” as well as innumerable action flicks from Hollywood to Hong Kong, of course, though this digitally dreary-looking movie also gleefully trades on the specter of American vigilante justice.

Directed by Pierre Morel, who kept bodies and scenes jumping in the superior “District B13,”another Besson factory production, “Taken” starts in low gear and almost immediately stalls out. Mr. Neeson’s character, Bryan Mills, a former operative for the Central Intelligence Agency (he calls himself a “preventer”), has hung up his black bag to repair his relationship with his long-neglected daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace). It’s a tough road for Bryan, particularly since he has to compete with Kim’s bitter mother (Famke Janssen, in a thankless role) and wealthy stepfather (Xander Berkeley). Happily for Bryan, nothing brings an estranged daughter back into the patriarchal fold faster than the threat of being served up like a bonbon to a salivating, knife-wielding sheik from the Republic of Cinematic Stereotypes.

The story, which opens in Los Angeles, perks up once it moves to the more dangerous environs of Paris, where legions of predators prowl for salable young things. By chance, or rather because of the shamelessly lazy filmmaking, Kim is on the phone with Bryan when the wolves break down her door, which allows him to tell off her kidnappers: “I will find you. And I will kill you.” He makes good on both promises and, in a repellent scene, he also tortures and electrocutes one of the bad guys, employing techniques he mastered while in the C.I.A. Swarthy Europeans and Arabs may still be the villains du jour at the movies, but the Americans, including those with inexplicable Irish accents, are, alas, catching up.

NEW YORK TIMES.

Film: -- TAKEN 2008

Media Representations

In this film, there is Bryan Mills (main character) who finds himself to be the victim of loosing a 17 year older daughter to some Albanians involved in human trafficking all over Europe, especially Paris, France. Bryan’s personal task (as any father would feel to do), is to save his own daughter from these criminals who are known to be one of the most dangerous crime organisations all over Paris.
Bryan has plenty of confidence in him self as he is a CIA secret agent and so therefore carefully prepares himself for an outstanding mission of having to kill, torture and discipline these criminals in order to save his daughters life. Although the reason his daughter got kidnapped in the first place was not his fault, he still feels that he is eager to do anything in order to take her back.

Kill Mills who is Bryan’s daughter, (the victim), earlier asks her father the following day whether she can go to France with he best friend Amanda, Kim manages to convince her unwilling father to allow her to travel to Paris

When the girls arrive in Paris they share a cab with a stranger named Peter, and Amanda lets it slip that they are alone in Paris. Using this information, The Albanian Mafia of human traffickers kidnaps the girls. Kim barely has time to call her father and give him information. Her father gets to speak briefly to one of the kidnappers and he promises to kill the kidnappers if they do not let his daughter go free. The kidnapper wishes him "good luck," so Bryan Mills travels to Paris to search for his daughter and her friend.

The father is clearly represented as the hero in this film. His job is to save his daughter and eventually, that’s exactly what he does, leaving the rest of the family completely shocked for his actions.
Not only is this film full of entertainment, like the joy of thriller and the action packed scenes, but it also teaches a really great lesson t o its audience.
Plenty of other characters are represented in this film, such as members from The Albanian Mafia, and the people who Bryan Mills thinks he can get help from but later on then realises that he is on his own.

Kim Mills is represented as a daddies little girl who has accidentally done something which she regrets. Not listening to her father made the young 17 year old how dangerous the world can be out there, and specifically Kim is the main actor who teaches the audience a valuable lesson.

Media Language And Forms.

As this is film is an action/thriller film, the connotations related to this film are clearly, knifes, guns and all sorts of crime. This relates to an audience who generally enjoy action or thriller films, although this particular movie is full of entertainment, it true teaches a valuable lesson to its audience.

The mise-en-scene involves Bryan Mills who is the main character of the movie. The hero of the whole situation and as the tag of the movie is “They took his daughter. He'll take their lives. “His daughter was taken. He has 96 hours to get her back.”

In this film there are more than 2 different languages used. Firstly, there is the main English; secondly there is some French, as the whole setting of the film is in France. Also there is some Albanian, as the villains in this film are the Albanian Mafia, and lastly there is some Arabic. This is because similarly like the Albanian mafia, there are Arabs that work along side them. As it is an 18 certificate movie, strong language is involved which again attracts a certain niche audience, particularly the youngest of adults.

Narrative

A short summary of the story: --
Seventeen year-old Kim is the pride and joy of her father Bryan Mills. Bryan is a retired agent who left the Secret Service to be near Kim in California. Kim lives with her mother Lenore and her wealthy stepfather Stuart. Kim manages to convince her unwilling father to allow her to travel to Paris with her friend Amanda. When the girls arrive in Paris they share a cab with a stranger named Peter, and Amanda lets it slip that they are alone in Paris. Using this information an Albanian gang of human traffickers kidnaps the girls. Kim barely has time to call her father and give him information. Her father gets to speak briefly to one of the kidnappers and he promises to kill the kidnappers if they do not let his daughter go free. The kidnapper wishes him "good luck," so Bryan Mills travels to Paris to search for his daughter and her friend.

All the music and the sound used in this film fully apply along with the genre of the film and all actions taking place. There is action packed scenes full of violent sound of someone screaming, dying, and gun shots in the atmosphere. Towards people who enjoy these types of films, therefore, action and thriller type of films, they would truly love this particular film, as it has more to it than just the entertainment. The narrative of this film is truly appealing to our everyday audience. Giving a warning about our everyday life, this film teaches a really good lesson.

Genre & Media Audiences

An action/thriller film starring Liam Neeson. By just looking at the film poster, the connotations of the poster have a lot of generic themes to show that is film is full of actions. The gun held in the main character’s hand and the impressions on the face. As much as this film is extremely action packed, it also falls into the categories of a thriller as from the plot of the story, and certain people are after others in order to get what they want. In this case, Bryan is after the Albanian’s who kidnapped his daughter and would easily do anything in order to get her back.

Although this film is aimed at 18 year olds and over, it also applies to people and mainly females who are even under that age, as this film gives a great warning.
The most important point I can make whilst analysing this film, is that; although this film is fully entertaining, with a lot of action and anxious thriller scenes, overall it gives out an important messages to the entire audience about the dangerous in this world, and more specifically, a more important message to females, and presumably teenage females. So in a way, this film is trying to teach an important lesson.

Media Institutions

This film is instituted buy 20^th Century Fox, which as we all know is a very popular film institution, up on the categories of one of the top six best in the world. Having produces thousands and thousands of film, Taken is clearly one of the films that hit the top rank. 20th Century Fox is known for its outstanding movies and is well established across the world. As 20^th Century Fox is one of the richest and of course one of the most successful film industries world wide, may be a reason why the film TAKEN may have turned out to have attracted a huge number and therefore turn out to be a very successful film.

Research On Taken. Reviews & Comments.

“Taken” stars Liam Neeson as an overly concerned father whose worst nightmare comes true when his 17-year-old daughter is kidnapped while abroad in France. Neeson gives a truly convincing performance of a man who is willing to do anything to rescue his daughter whether that means torturing, electrocuting, shooting or beating to a pulp anyone who gets in his way.

Taken" is an enjoyable movie with a simple plot and a hero viewers will sympathize and root for, all while holding on to the edge of their seats.
>>http://dailybeacon.utk.edu/showarticle.php?articleid=54535

After watching so many movies and writing these alleged ‘reviews’ of said movies it seemed as if perhaps I was beginning to take myself seriously as a film critic. Maybe I should re-watch ‘The English Patient’ or ‘Shakespeare in Love’ because since I’m classier and more sophisticated than I used to be I might actually like those movies. Then a movie comes along that reminds you that deep inside your still that seventeen year old boy, only wrapped in an older fatter slower body, who still prefers a movie that has shooting and killing running and lots of dying – with the caveat being that it’s done correctly. My friends, that movies name is ‘Taken’, and ‘Taken’, thy name is awesome.
>> http://filmcriticsunited.com/taken.html


User Comments

The movie has a similar plot to other action thrillers, but even though you may know the outcome, it is the journey that counts in this movie. It is the way he does what he does, the way that he fights and overcomes problems that draws you into the movie and makes this movie so great to watch.

Liam Neeson is such a great cast for the main character, he delivers an outstanding performance. I love to see an actor that can portray themself in anyway, a good guy or a bad guy and in this film he fights for his daughter and he will not stop for anything. You love to watch him seek revenge and feel for him the whole time, maybe just because its Liam Neeson, can you help yourself from loving this guy? He is such a great actor and shows himself as a badass with charm.

Great, great , greatness i loved this movie so much and had great fun watching it. If you love the bourne titles you must see this movie. All i can say is its so much fun to watch it, love it and go check it out.

The film starts nicely, but with overtones of spy thrillers like "Day of the Jackal" coming to mind. Neeson seems a bit pityful at the start, but soon overturns that impression with a taste of his handywork after around ten minutes of the thriller.

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