blog – LeFors Design

Who wants to simply read something when it can be presented in a much more visual fashion. I believe we are becoming an increasingly visual culture, relying on the image more than the text to convey a message. However, I also believe the happy medium between the two forms of communication is the infographic.

To prove my point, take a look at this infographic from Brand Flakes (@brandflakesblog). It’s a visual representation of the history of our social media world from 1971 to today…yes it goes back that far. The topic is presented in a way that is visually pleasing while still very informative.

What do you think?

brandflakesforbreakfast: social media history in one giant info-graphic.

Everyone has an opinion, and these days there are more media outlets than ever for those opinions to reach the masses. Most of it gets lost in the ether of the Facebook News Feed and Twitterverse. With so many unique voices, the challenge to stand out from the digital static may seem daunting.

One of those unique voices up for the challenge is film critic (and Lindenwood University college student) Joe LeFors. Yes he is my younger brother, and yes he has the same dashing good looks, but he is also an amazing critical thinker, especially when it comes to the cinema.

In today’s world the “film critic” and his opinion is regarded as fact when determining the good films from the bad.Joe’s film review site, LaFlowReviews, is no exception. His critical insights are on par with the great film critics of our day. Sure you may be thinking I am biased in my opinion being Joe’s older brother, but I encourage you to read my interview with him. And check out his latest entry, Joe’s 25 Most Anticipated of 2012.

See for yourself that Joe has a great gift as a film critic, with an instinctual ability to present a films true value, whether it be good or bad. His voice is sure to be one that stands out from the rest.

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Why did you start LaFlow Reviews?

I started the website because I wanted to actually have a place where I can go back and read all my reviews in one place instead of say the random spots on Facebook. I also wanted a place to write much longer reviews instead of just quick reviews that would only be a few sentences.

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What do you look for when reviewing a movie? What is your process?

I look for a lot. The most important though are plot and acting. Does the story flow well? Does it try and take any risks? Do those risks pay off in the end and if they don’t were they at least attempted in a decent way? Are the actors just playing off cliches or are they actually putting effort into it? In the case of comedies, is the humor present and does it actually fit within the context of the film? I also look at such areas as editing, pacing, setting, direction, etc.

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What was the first movie you reviewed? How was it?

The first movie I reviewed? This is a hard one. I think when I really began looking at films in a critical light and not just for an escape might have been with “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”. Granted I had still critiqued films before this but this film had me really think of where a film can go right and wrong. I didn’t particularly like this film and I have gotten a lot of backlash from saying that. However the story just was not there and I found the entertainment value and some of the effects lacking, particularly in relation to the first film.

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What has been your favorite movie review?

There have been a lot of reviews that I have enjoyed writing. If I had to choose one though it would actually be from my current website when I did my review of the Harry Potter series as a segment in my ongoing My Favorite Films Series (http://laflowreviews.com/2012/02/15/harry-potter-series/). It is my favorite series of films and allowed me to really go into depth of why I enjoy the series so much.

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What was your least favorite?

I have hated a good share of films but in relation to the site, my least favorite film review was for the film “Project X” (http://laflowreviews.com/2012/03/03/project-x/). That film was just so out of place and was another review I received backlash for more because people were saying I didn’t get the film. I got it and just hated it.

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What movie surprised you the most?

A lot of movies have surprised me because I would hate the trailer but then the movie would not be so bad. As such I dob’t watch trailers as much anymore. Comedies can surprise me a good amount of the time such as “Get Him to the Greek”. In terms of the films I have reviewed for the site, “Chronicle” (http://laflowreviews.com/2012/02/22/chronicle/) really surprised me. I wasn’t expecting to hate the film per se, but I wasn’t expecting to love it so much. The film works with material so well and makes it something that is one of a kind. It is currently my second favorite film of the year behind a small little film called “Jeff Who Lives at Home” which I saw last November at a film festival. I personally love it when a film truly surprises me

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Is it just movies or do you cover tv as well?

I just do movies. I’m not sure if I will move over into TV since I do not watch as much television in comparison to movies

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Anything else you’d like to add?

Be on the lookout for a bunch of new segments as summer approaches. I will try to add a movie review or two each week from movies currently in theaters as I move into April and May. I’ll also do some suggestions of films to see on DVD and I will begin to do some fun little movie lists covering all different categories. “Like” LaFlow Reviews on Facebook and follow LaFlow Reviews on its newly published Twitter page @LaFlowReviews!

Tag: blog

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