Do The Right Thing!

I found this film strangely entertaining. I think it was because the style of the film reminded me of the television show Fresh Prince with Will Smith. I thought it was well made, I liked the cinematography, it showed many different angles and shots of the neighborhood. The entire setting of this place had nothing real about it, the people didn't really act like that, it was a creation of Spike Lee. They had to clear out that neighborhood, cleaning out all the drug addicts in order to shoot the film. Overall I thought the film was pretty fun to watch. I feel like I should mention the death of Radio Raheem, It is a tragedy when a young person dies for such a small issue. Spike Lee then tries to hide it by not making it a big deal, making the destruction of Sal's Famous Pizzaria more important. I thought he was trying to show that people considered Sal's Famous Pizzaria was more important than the life of an adolescent African American boy. Then the movie critics basically did what he said they were going to do and didn't even mention Radio Raheem. It seemed sort of like a trap, seeing who caught it and who didn't, and those who didn't would be prosecuted by Spike Lee himself in his interview about he film. Overall I thought this was a very entertaining film and would recommend it.

The Battle of Algiers!

NPR: Movie Review 'The Battle of Algiers' by Kenneth Turan - Morning Edition
http://www.npr.org/templates/dmg/dmg.php?prgCode=ME&showDate=09-Jan-2004&segNum=14&NPRMediaPref=WM

My classmates might have found this movie to be quite annoying, mostly because they didn't like the subtitles, but I actually liked the movie. I liked the effort in trying to make the film unbiased, to show both sides of the conflict. I also liked how they tried to make it as realistic as possible, with scenes that looked like they were from a documentary. They were even able to get an operational tank for one scene. This film was made only a couple years after this actually happened which is surprising to hear. I really liked this film overall and would recommend it to someone if they are researching the battle of Algiers, or they just want to see an old war film. This film is still even relevant today as the review says, even though this review was made years ago, our present day situation in Iraq can be compared and similarities arise. The gorilla warfare in the city look very familiar. The way the film was shot made it look realistic and basically stated, "This is happening now!" to the audience.

China Town!

I liked this film, I thought it was probably the best film noir out of the the three films that we had watched in class. The fact that this film was more recent than the other two probably had a lot to do with my choice. I didn't really like the character the main character, J.J "Jake" Giddies played by Jack Nicholson. Especially in at the beginning of the film, he just seemed like he was profiting off of other people's problems. But as the film went on, I think he was starting to show a more human and compassionate side of him. By the end of the film, he failed but tried the best he could to do the right thing and that is what counts. The type of ending of the film was definitely not the typical happy ending. It was a dark ending that actually reminded me of some of the foreign films I have watched in the past. It leaves a bit of mystery unsolved, what is going to happen after this? Will the water tycoon problem be solved? It just doesn't give a definite answer, and leaves people wondering. Overall I thought this was a good film, and would definitely recommend it.

Kiss Me Deadly...

I thought this was pretty bland as well, though it was funny watching the main character slap people for information. The whole mysterious detective that the story follows in film noirs are getting annoying. Every single one has pretty much the same characteristics except a different background story and mystery to solve. There is a question that I wanted answers to, why didn't he go and close the box? I mean if it was going to cause the end of the world, he could have just closed it, he even opened and closed it earlier in the movie. The sound made by the box was pretty annoying, why did they have to make things sound like that in the old movies? It apparently it gets louder when there is a person screaming or a sound effect. This was a "B" movie, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. Overall I thought the movie was alright, it would have said I didn't like the film if the main character didn't go around slapping people though.

Out of the Past...

I didn't really like this movie, this style of film isn't very interesting to me. I didn't even finish part of the movie because I was gone on Friday, oops. But from what I have seen, there isn't very much to it. It was probably very original when it was first created, dark and mysterious, but now it just seems used up now. All the detectives in these films seem pretty much the same, always smooth with the ladies, and is invincible throughout the movie, until the end. Overall I just didn't really like the style of the film, the whole film noir style is not very appealing to me. The mystery in these films aren't really that mysterious, there is no excitement, no suspense. The withheld information just annoys me, there is no point when the information is revealed, it just fills in the holes of the plot that they withheld from the viewers in the beginning. It is supposed to surprise the viewers when it is finally revealed, but the plots of these films really wasn't too exciting to me. The films are not bad, but they are just not my cup of tea, they are just dull in my opinion.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind!

The film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind directed by Michel Gondry is a pretty fun film to watch. I think it is the best film we have seen so far, I really liked it. It was a nice mix between sci-fi and reality, science and love. My favorite scene in the film is probably at the end of the film where Joel Barish, played by Jim Carrey, tells Clementine, played by Kate Winslet, that he didn't care if things were going to repeat. I think this is a good ending because humans know how to learn from their mistakes, and if they don't then they would just repeat them. That is why we study history and keep records of the past. If they know that the other doesn't like some of the things that they do, then they will probably try to change and not do those things for each other. Then there was also the fact that it wasn't exactly over when Clementine had Joel erased from her memory. Joel bought a gift for her and wanted to get back together, a question arises. What would have happened if Clementine didn't spontaneously get her memory erased and Joel gave her the gift? It might have been a happy ending right then and there, but then there wouldn't be much of a story. Maybe everything that happened to them will happen again, but now without the memory erasing, Joel may be able to have a chance to give Clementine his gift and get back together. Overall I really liked this film, and highly recommend it.

His Girl Friday...

This film was alright in my opinion, it was not great or bad. I just thought too many things happened at one time, one after another. There was that one scene where a convict is hidden inside a desk and then a woman jumps out of a window. Things are happening so fast, and nothing seems to be important. Hildy Johnson seemed weak at the end, when she was asking Walter Burns where they would be going for a honeymoon. She seemed like a giddy school girl for a slight moment, nothing like the powerful woman she was at the beginning of the film. I did not understand what the point of this part of the film was meant to do, was it meant to show that Walter and Hildy would be together again, or was it supposed to show that all women want to have one of those fairytale lives and that they only act tough. I think it could be interpreted either way, but I hope the second option is not what it is supposed to be. I find it impressive that all of these things could happen when there were only five different settings in the entire movie, Walter's newspaper, the restaurant, the news reporter office, the jail cell, and the street. Overall this movie was entertaining, but I think it was just too many things happening at the same time and many of the things having no purpose. I would recommend watching this movie, but prepare to be focused on the film the entire time, or you might miss something important to the plot, especially when Hildy and Walter start to talk.

Unforgiven

I don't really know what to say about this movie, it had an interesting storyline and had Clint Eastwood which added intensity into the scenes he was in. This is by far the most interesting film we have watched in Art of Film in my opinion, probably since it was in color. But this film is important because it revises of the stereotypical western films of the past. A revisionist point of view tries to correct the errors of stereotypes in films. In this film the hero, Will Munny isn't shown as the expert marksman in the beginning of the film, but an old pig farmer and former murderer with two kids. He can't even shoot a can with all six bullets from his revolver, this scene was created to show how he isn't the stereotypical cowboy from the western films of the past. I find it interesting how he turns into that stereotypical cowboy close to the end of the film. He walks straight into the lion's den, the brothel where the sheriff and a whole platoon of armed men were having a meeting. Munny is able to kill the sheriff, the person who owns the brothel, and several other men while able to avoid being shot by another handful of men. This scene is incorporated into the film because it allowed the viewers to compare the two heroes. Munny in the beginning and Munny at the end, two very different people. One being the washed up murderer that can't shoot a can, while the other is fed off of revenge, fearless, and maser marksman. This comparison of the two heroes was my favorite part of the film overall.

Bibliography:
http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/34/003_UNFORGIARP~Unforgiven-Posters.jpg

Tonari no Totoro

Director Hayao Miyazaki is my favorite director of all time. Along with a company called Studio Ghibli which he co-founded, Miyazaki created many memorable animated films. One of which is Tonari no Totoro or My Neighbor Totoro in English. One of my favorite films of all time and the first film by Miyazaki I watched. It was completely different from the films I had seen in the past when I first watched it. It was fun to watch, soothing to hear, an interesting story, and was still able to promote the themes that Miyazaki lives by. This film won the Animage Anime Grand Prix, an award given out by the Animage magazine. It is a well known award when it comes to Japanese anime, and is a pretty important award in the anime world Miyazaki played a huge role in creating this film, mainly because he wrote it. In this film, Miyazaki incorporates Japanese culture, as well as his own beliefs and ideas. A lot of people think Totoro is supposed to be a kami spirit of the Shinto religion, a kami spirit supposedly looks after nature. Causes of thunder, wind, the sun and other natural occurrences. In this film and many other films that were directed by Miyazaki have themes that tie it to nature. As well as how humans interact with nature and technology, how these three things come in contact with one another. In this particular film the technology isn't as apparent as some of his other films, such as Princess Mononoke or Laputa: Castle in the Sky. Another one of his themes that he uses quiet often is how hard it is to become and stay a pacifist, the difficulties of avoiding violence. There are two more things that many of his films have in common. One are the antagonists, they are usually strong headed individuals that follow their own beliefs even though it might seem different from the protagonist. They usually aren't entirely evil, they tend to change through the movie and redeem themselves. Then there are the protagonists of Miyazaki's films. They tend to be young females that are innocent and just seem like a normal person, but they demonstrate their bravery and strength when it is needed in the films. This film demonstrates more of the strong young female protagonist and the connection of humans with nature. Those two things are most common in his films that I have seen. But the films by Miyazaki appeal to me not only because of the themes, but his ability to entertain the people that watch his films. People young and old are able to watch these films and become entertained, even a child that doesn't understand a thing about humans and their connection with nature will find his films entertaining. Without analyzing a anything in his films, I found enjoyment just watching the films. Miyazaki's creativeness and original ideas really make his films fun to watch. Even while making these films extremely entertaining, he is still able to create these interesting worlds in the films based on his themes. I personally love the music created by Joe Hisaishi as well, this music really helps make Miyazaki's films a lot more enjoyable in my opinion. Hayao Miyazaki is definately my favorite director and deeply involved in all of his films. I still don't really know which film is my favorite of his films, but Princess Mononoke and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind are two films that I highly recommend. I just wish I knew when his next film is finished.

Two Songs from My Neighbor Totoro:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pWwOVkfv_FU


http://youtube.com/watch?v=BpUHQjO-smU

Bibliography:
http://www.math.sc.edu/~griggs/Family/totoro.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayao_Miyazaki

Stagecoach

This movie was by far better than Citizen Kane in my opinion. The tune was catchy and easily recognizable as well. I liked the diverse personalities of the characters in the movie, but I felt like there wasn't enough character development overall for each character. I saw a lot of similarities with this film and more recent ones. Although more recent films aren't usually westerns. Though the whole hero in pursuit of a woman, hero prevails over evil, and an American happy ending has definitely been used way too many times. It was probably still quite fresh when this film was created. I just see a lot of the things that turned how films are made today in Stagecoach. For example the Apache Indians chase scene, this seems like an early version of any typical chase scene in a movie, but with a stagecoach and horses instead of cars.

This scene was discussed in class quite thoroughly. How the camera violates the 180 degree rule in filming, the director wasn't trying to prove a point. According to him it was because he got a better shot from that angle and position. Once it had been pointed out, it became pretty obvious. The scene would have the stagecoach and the horses moving in opposite directions, one would think this would make it harder to follow along and make the chase scene less logical. But it didn't, no one in my class had noticed this switching of directions. Everyone in the class also seemed just fine while watching the movie, and was able to understand what was happening in the scene. I was also very impressed by the stunt men, I lost count of how many people were shot and fell off their horses. The movie looked as if it had been made later than 1939 in my opinion, it just didn't look as outdated as it was to me. Then there was the animal cruelty going on in the movie, with the horses being jumped on and falling over. It would be pretty hard to see a recent movie treating horses that way with all the animal rights laws.

In conclusion, I actually liked this film. My favorite character was probably Doc Boone, he just brought laughter with his constant alcohol abuse throughout the film. Then there were more annoying characters like Lucy Mallory that I didn't like. She didn't seem like a very good actress to me, she never really showed any emotion in the film. Even when she tried to show fear and anxiety in the stagecoach during the chase scene but instead she looked constipated or brain dead. I couldn't help but laugh when there was a long shot that was perfectly parallel with the side of the stagecoach because Lucy Mallory's face was looking straight out the window and her face just looked weird. But overall, I liked this movie.

Kane...

Some call this the best American film. I didn't think it was THAT great, I had no problem with most of the movie, but the loud sounds made to refocus your attention was very annoying. Especially that transparent bird that almost scared my class to death. It was due to the director's history with radio, but it was just very annoying. I'm not saying it wasn't effective, I'm just saying I didn't like it. It had one of those endings that no one would really understand, I just realize that some of those movies really don't have an answer. The director might have just done it so people would talk about it and have their own interpretation, and to confuse people so much to go and watch it a second time. I really don't see why this was such a great movie overall. Susan Alexander's voice was quite annoying as well. In conclusion this movie made me want to stop watching after the scene with the transparent bird and when Susan Alexander was complaining to Kane about her review in the Inquirer. I guess I could say these two things kept me awake in class?

Pan's Labyrinth Rocked my Socks Off!

Pan's Labyrinth directed by Guillermo del Toro is a very original movie. It is full of action, suspense, and yet was able to introduce me to a very original story. Most of the credit should go to Guillermo del Toro, who directed and wrote the screenplay as well. It was produced by many people, including Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón, Bertha Navarro, Frida Torresblanco, and Alvaro Augustin. But telling this story would not have been possible without the actors/actresses. There is Maribel Verdú who plays Mercedes the main house keeper, Sergi López who plays Capitán Vidal the main antagonist, Doug Jones who plays the Faun as well as the Pale Man, and many other minor characters that helped bring the story together. But the most important is Ivana Baquero who plays Ofelia, the main character. She seems to handle herself quite well in front of the camera at such a young age. She seems quite real when it comes to her reactions and emotions. She seems more natural while acting than some of the younger American actors/actresses that I have seen. Then there was the way the movie was filmed, it was all shot to seem like a story. The person behind the photography was Guillermo Navarro. He seems to try really hard to always have the actors face shown, every emotion and facial expression is captured. He uses a large number of techniques as well for the filming. The music is very important as well. Javier Navarrete is behind all of the songs in the film, the songs are never too loud, they are soothing yet a bit creepy in a way. It made me relax, yet at the same time gave me a creepy feeling because of the way it is played. I think the best example of this is the theme song from the movie "Long, Long Time Ago". This movie is very original compared to anything I have seen before, but it did make me see some connections to a movie I had seen recently. There are some similarities between Pan's Labyrinth and The Chronicles of Narnia. In both films there are innocent children that step into a fantasy world and have very important roles in those worlds. Pan's Labyrinth is set during the Spanish Civil War in 1944. There seems to three specific conflicts that appear in the film, yet they are connected. The first is between the soldiers who follow the orders of Franco and the revolutionaries, second is the connection between her and the Faun, and third is Ofelia's conflict with the adults around her. The main characters are Ofelia, Mercedes, Capitán Vidal, and the Faun. The story revolves around Ofelia, a young girl who has moved with her pregnant mother to live at a military fort with her step father Capitán Vidal. While she stays there, a fantasy world opens up to her. Mercedes seems more of a mother figure to Ofelia than her actual mother, she becomes a mentor to Ofelia. Capitán Vidal is the antagonist and is the stepfather of Ofelia. The Faun is a creature of Ofelia's fantasy world that she has stumbled upon, it is hard to tell which side the Faun is one, good or evil. The plot of the movie overall is well-structured, the story is easily followed. But there are underlying themes and hidden messages throughout the movie that are a bit difficult to find. Everything seems to be resolved in the end and makes logical sense, yet there are questions that are never really answered that keeps the audience thinking. The dialogue in the movie is very real and what a person would normally say in Spanish. One of the more important themes that I found was that one should not blindly obey to authority without question. The acting was superb in my opinion, Ofelia really showed an innocent child very well and Capitán Vidal actually did such a great job at being the antagonist that I just wanted him to die close to the end of the film. The sets, costumes and makeup was beautifully done, the set in the long hallway leading to the Pale Man's dining room was so extravagant, the Faun and the Pale Man's costume/makeup along with some computer graphics made them come alive and become the creatures of fantasy that they were meant to be. I really liked the way this movie was filmed as well. There were many slow tracking/steady cam shots that just allowed me to capture the emotions of the characters much better. During these slow shots there wasn't too much action going on but when there was, I noticed a lot more cuts during those scenes. For example, the scene with Ofelia and the Pale Man in the corridor. There were many lengthy shots in the film, including a scene that I liked was of Ofelia walking along the edge of the Pale Man's dining table full of food. There was a use of deep focus as well in this scene where the Pale Man was on the right but Ofelia is clearly visible and in focus in the background walking towards the camera. But my favorite shot of all is a medium shot of Ofelia standing in front of the three locks, but with the unfocused Pale Man over her shoulder in the distance. This shot just gave me a slight chill down my spine because I kept wondering when the Pale Man was going to move. Pan's Labyrinth was a very enjoyable movie, and was just so original. It was something I had never seen before. It was a new idea by mixing historical facts with fantasy. I would recommend this movie to anyone who has not seen it, and to anyone who has already seen it, just because it allows people to see things they had not seen the first time around.

Pan's Labyrinth Trailer:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7YeuPMrPt_Y

Superbad!

Superbad was a movie that I really wanted to see when it came out. I would have seen it by now, but all of my friends had already gone or didn't want to watch it. I heard it was full of highschool humor, not many of the older people I know thought it was that great. But almost every teenage I asked at school said it was great. I really wanted to watch it, but it is just not as fun alone. I will probably rent it once it comes out, but that doesn't compare to the theater expeience. When something is funny and everyone in the theater laughs, it just makes it more enjoyable. Going with friends is the same thing, watching their reaction to parts of the film and discussing the humorous parts of it when it is over. It is fun to watch a movie, but it is even more fun when you are in a packed theater with friends watching it together. Next time a movie I want to watch appears, I'll call my friends ahead of time and not wait till a week after. I still haven't seen the movie, I thought it would be awkward to go alone... But once it comes out on dvd, I'll rent it!

Trailer: http://youtube.com/watch?v=MNpoTxeydiY

300: Less for the brain, more for the eyes

I have seen the movie 300 quite recently and I found it very entertaining. A review of the film by Zack Snyder from RollingStone reflects my opinion. I thought the review was very accurate in describing my experience. The movie was stunning to watch, yet it did lack character development and a lengthier story line in my opinion. But I still found this movie to be awesome.

"300 is a movie blood-drunk on its own artful excess. Guys of all ages and sexes won't be able to resist it." - Zack Snyder, RollingStone

I completely agree with this statement. There was always excitement to keep people interested, and it was very well done. The way it was filmed allowed people to see a lot of the battles that were going on. The stop and go during the battles where certain parts of the movie were filmed at a higher frame rate thus slowing down the scene allowed viewers to take some time and enjoy the action, rather than just letting it speed across the screen to the next conflict.

"Decked out like gladiators in a gay fashion layout, the soldiers from the Greek city-state of Sparta look gym-ready for battle in crotch-squeezing ensembles that expose as much flesh as an R rating will allow." - Zack Snyder, RollingStone

The outfits did show a bit too much in my opinion as well, but the purpose was to show the muscles of the warriors and to show their strength. The actors had to work out for months, hours everyday to look like that before the movie started shooting. Snyder also thought the Persian ruler Xerxes to be a bit odd. Completely covered in jewelry and saw himself as a god. Snyder did not mention this, but I thought Xerxes might have liked men. My friends who watched it with me thought so as well, and all of us thought that at the same time too, just because of one scene where Xerxes puts his hand on Leonidas' shoulder. It was just the way he did it seemed questionable to us. The movie left me leaving the movie theater doubting any of that really happening at the Battle of Thermopylae. But I would still recommend it to anyone that asks me, I still thought the movie was very entertaining and what is the point of going to a movie if it isn't entertaining? Isn't that the reason people go to movies, to have a good time? I certainly did and there are probably a quite a few of people that would agree with me, including Zack Snyder. It was also fun watching my spanish teacher act out scenes of the movie in front of all of his classes, bringing in the music from the movie, and even putting up a poster of the movie that he modified himself! Instead of "prepare for glory" which was on the poster, he modified it into spanish by adding red pieces of paper he colored himself onto the poster. The movie 300 is recommended by me, as well as by Zack Snyder from RollingStone.