GoPro cameras are quickly becoming the go-to choice for documenting everyday life, which is kind of weird because they present a distorted, wide angle view of the world. That being said, they are nifty little cameras, especially the new HERO4 Black, which allows you to shoot at 120 frames per second in full HD. The compression is a little janky, but it still produces decent slo-motion footage. I’m a youth leader at my church, and last winter I took a HERO4 Black along on one of our youth retreats. Here’s what I captured, mostly in slo-mo mode.
Summer Films Part 1
It’s been a fairly average year for summer films so far. Here’s what I’ve seen:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
2014. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo
The first Captain America film from Marvel Studios had charming characters but no real plot to speak of. This sequel has both, plus well-paced action scenes and superbly choreographed fights. But unlike a lot of films these days the action doesn’t take away from the story, which is just the right balance of cheesy comic book camp and genuine spy vs. spy intrigue. Also, just enough time is given between action set pieces for the characters to breathe and develop, another thing sorely lacking in most recent blockbusters. Add in a villain that is just as menacing and complex as Bane from Nolan’s last Batman outing, a bigger, juicier role for Samuel L. Jackson, who has been criminally underused in genre films for the past decade, and you have a popcorn film that’s as stimulating as it is entertaining; a breath of fresh air in this age of slapped-together CG fests.