Chinatown has easily been my favorite movie that we have watched this year. It kept my attention they entire way through and I was really interested in the story. I loved the character of JJ Gittes and I really liked the way that Jack Nicholson portrayed him. I really want to watch it again so I can catch more of what I may have missed. I thought that the film did a lot for film noir. It wasn't the typical film noir setting with the typical lighting and venetian blind effect, but it has the same sort of story (mystery) and the big rememberable ending. I thought that it was really interesting the way that the plot had so many twists and turns, and everytime that I thought I knew the answer to the question of who killed Hollis, I was suprised again by another key piece of evidence.
Overall this was an excelent film and again, I plan on renting it so I can review it at least once more.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
I loved the movie Eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind. I had seen the movie before seeing it in class but I had never analyzed it as closely. I really love the cinematography and editing that it has. Michel Gondre is easily one of my favorite directors and I cannot wait to see more of his films. If you liked Eternal Sunshine, I recommend The Science of Sleep which has a lot of the same elements, but is still a completely different movie.
I thought the acting in Eternal Sunshine was great too! I really liked seeing Jim Carrey in a film that asked him for a little more dramatic role rather than just the physical comedy of Liar Liar and Dumb and Dumber (even though those films will also always have a place in my heart).
I thought the acting in Eternal Sunshine was great too! I really liked seeing Jim Carrey in a film that asked him for a little more dramatic role rather than just the physical comedy of Liar Liar and Dumb and Dumber (even though those films will also always have a place in my heart).
Thursday, November 1, 2007
His Girl Friday
I liked His Girl Friday a lot. It kept my attention and I was excited to go back to class the next day to continue it. The two main characters were both equally funny and entertaining, and given the limited amount of camera tricks in the 40's, I thought it was pretty good cinimatically as well. A lot of the camera shots were long and steady, but that just showed the audience how great the actors were. At parts, it became a little frantic and frusterating because of all the confusion dealing with Hildy's new husband and the entire Earl Williams case, but that added to the comedy. It was probably my favorite movie that we have watched this year, but I think Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind might pass it by. I guess we'll have to see though!
Unforgiven
Unforgiven was the second western that we watched in my art of film class. I liked the movie for some reasons, and strongly disliked it for others. It was more entertaining to me than stagtecoach, but still not the kind of movie that I would pick off of the shelf. There were a lot of cinimatic elements to Unforgiven that made it interesting to watch such as the lighting that casted a lot of shadows, and the character development (which I felt was absent in stagecoach), but I also wasn't very interested by the plot and the somewhat predictable ending. I don't think that the unneccesary killing of people is that entertaining, but then again im not much of a hardcore action fan. I like action that shows some skill within the fighting like martial arts. Shooting ten people in a row with a gun is just not that interesting to me.
Overall, Unforgiven was alright. I liked it better than stagecoach (since more that half of the characters actually seemed to have a purpose), and the camera shots and lighting were interesting, but as far as plot and entertainment go, it wasn't for me.
Overall, Unforgiven was alright. I liked it better than stagecoach (since more that half of the characters actually seemed to have a purpose), and the camera shots and lighting were interesting, but as far as plot and entertainment go, it wasn't for me.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Pan's Labyrinth
For my journal 3 assignment, I knew that I either had to watch a film that was foreign or made before 1960. So I chose to watch Pan's Labyrinth, created by writer and director Guillermo Del Toro. I loved this movie. It was much better than I expected and I'm very happy that I watched such an impressive film.
The number one thing that stuck out to me while watching Pan's Labyrinth was the beautiful cinematography, which the film won an academy award for. I could not stop thinking about the excellent effects and undeniably amazing camera shots. The lead cinematographer was Guillermo Navarro. Navarro won 9 out of 11 nominations for this film, including an Oscar. According to Cameraguild.com, Navarro began taking still pictures as a hobby during his teen years and later got a job as a still photographer on movie sets and then moved on to make his own documentaries and discover his cinematographic talent. Pan's Labyrinth showed his true gift for the art of film making, but he also worked on movies like Stuart Little, Hellboy, and Night at the Museum.
In an interview I found on moviemaker.com, Navarro was asked how the different environments and looks were created, and Navarro responded saying, "It was a total collaboration. We had wonderful costumes by Lala Huete and settings created by production designer Eugenio Cabellero. There is a strong influence of Goya's paintings in our use of light and darkness-there are dark interior scenes with single sources of light modeling faces. As the story progressed, we created bridges between the worlds of fantasy and reality. The different colors and camera movement in the real and fantasy worlds begin to blend."
Another thing that I loved about Pan's Labyrinth was the soundtrack. With original music by Javier Navarrete, I felt like I was being led through this fairy tale like film by the beautiful sounds. From lullabies to frantic and heart-pumping scores, you couldn't help but notice. During certain scenes where the main character, Ofelia, is discovering an entire underworld below the home that she has been forced to come to due to her mothers new husband, we are given a beautiful violin accompanied by a smooth piano and a voice of Ofelia reading us the story's from the book she has been given by the imaginative creatures that dwell within the labyrinth. Without the music leading us through the seemingly untouched forests and dark questionable temples, I don't think the film would have been such a hit.
I am so happy that I chose this film to watch, I had no idea that this film had so much beauty to it and could keep me so glued to the screen. I wasn't even botherd by the subtitles or the parts of the movie about war (which I don't normally like). It was a imaginative piece of art and I wish more film crews would put as much work into their films as the makers of Pan's Labyrinth obviously did.
The number one thing that stuck out to me while watching Pan's Labyrinth was the beautiful cinematography, which the film won an academy award for. I could not stop thinking about the excellent effects and undeniably amazing camera shots. The lead cinematographer was Guillermo Navarro. Navarro won 9 out of 11 nominations for this film, including an Oscar. According to Cameraguild.com, Navarro began taking still pictures as a hobby during his teen years and later got a job as a still photographer on movie sets and then moved on to make his own documentaries and discover his cinematographic talent. Pan's Labyrinth showed his true gift for the art of film making, but he also worked on movies like Stuart Little, Hellboy, and Night at the Museum.
In an interview I found on moviemaker.com, Navarro was asked how the different environments and looks were created, and Navarro responded saying, "It was a total collaboration. We had wonderful costumes by Lala Huete and settings created by production designer Eugenio Cabellero. There is a strong influence of Goya's paintings in our use of light and darkness-there are dark interior scenes with single sources of light modeling faces. As the story progressed, we created bridges between the worlds of fantasy and reality. The different colors and camera movement in the real and fantasy worlds begin to blend."
Another thing that I loved about Pan's Labyrinth was the soundtrack. With original music by Javier Navarrete, I felt like I was being led through this fairy tale like film by the beautiful sounds. From lullabies to frantic and heart-pumping scores, you couldn't help but notice. During certain scenes where the main character, Ofelia, is discovering an entire underworld below the home that she has been forced to come to due to her mothers new husband, we are given a beautiful violin accompanied by a smooth piano and a voice of Ofelia reading us the story's from the book she has been given by the imaginative creatures that dwell within the labyrinth. Without the music leading us through the seemingly untouched forests and dark questionable temples, I don't think the film would have been such a hit.
I am so happy that I chose this film to watch, I had no idea that this film had so much beauty to it and could keep me so glued to the screen. I wasn't even botherd by the subtitles or the parts of the movie about war (which I don't normally like). It was a imaginative piece of art and I wish more film crews would put as much work into their films as the makers of Pan's Labyrinth obviously did.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Stagecoach!
I don't think old western's are my thing. Stagecoach was everything a western should be, but for me it still wasn't enough. Like all westerns it was predictable, which isn't something that usually bothers me, but a little spicing up wouldn't have hurt. I found the characters and acting annoying. many of them only having one side to them. I didn't catch much character development and I didn't feel like we really got to know any of them. It would begin to have a emotional attatchment, but then a dumb line from Curly or a horse chase would interrupt. I mean don't get me wrong, the big chase seen was probably the best part of the movie, but I guess I'm just not for all of the fluff that surrounded all of the good parts.
Overall I'd give it a C+. Not unbearable, but one viewing is definitely enough.
Overall I'd give it a C+. Not unbearable, but one viewing is definitely enough.
Citizen Kane!
I had mixed feelings about Citizen Kane. I really liked the cinematography portion of the film, and I thought that Orson Welles did a good job of coming up with ways to make shots and camera movements work. But the whole plot wasn't really for me. I thought that the "Rosebud" mystery was pretty exciting, but politics and opera don't exactly whip me into a frenzy. The acting from Kane was excellent and I loved the passion that he brought to the screen, but there were a few moments when I didn't view Susan as genuine. Overall it was alright. Again, the cinematography was interesting to watch, but with a different story, I think it could have been much better.
But I should also add that I missed a day, and watching it all split up probably didn't work to the movies advantage/potential.
But I should also add that I missed a day, and watching it all split up probably didn't work to the movies advantage/potential.
Monday, October 1, 2007
E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, directed by Steven Spielberg, was released on June 11, 1982. The film won many awards, including 4 Oscars, and I can see exactly why.
The enchanting and loving story about a boy befriending an alien is truely one that warms the heart. It begins with the mysterious landing of a UFO visiting earth, which all of the sudden becomes disturbed by a human encounter. All of the aliens are forced to get back on the spacecraft and travel back to their home planet, but they forget something. One of their own. Not knowing what to do, the alien finds his way into a ball shed of a random backyard, but the backyard he wanders into doesn't turn out to be quite so random. It is the home of Elliot Thomas. Elliot is a pretty normal boy growing up with the battles of a single mother and two siblings, but the discovery of the alien, that he eventually names E.T., turns his world upside down.
The performances of all characters (including E.T.) are great. Even though Henry Thomas, who plays Elliot, is so young, he carried the entire film. His ability to pull off the curiosity of a young boy, but also the maturity of an adult was impressive. I read somewhere that Henry Thomas used the day his dog died to help him express sadness during the audition for the part, which in turn made Steven Spielberg himself cry, resulting in Spielberg to hire him on the spot.
The movie called for a somewhat psychological and very physical connection between the character of Elliot and E.T., meaning that Elliot had to act and react the same as an alien. This sounds like a difficult task but Henry Thomas makes you forget that he is even acting. It seems almost real and gives a very humorous flavor to the film. The film also includes another young actor which many would not recognize, but almost all have heard of. Drew Barrymore plays the role of Gerty, Elliot's younger sister. She also gives an enchanting performance that really makes you feel attached to the family and gives you the hope for a happy ending.
Not only did E.T. The Extra Terrestrial have a great plot and great actors, the cinematography was a delight as well. Now that I have taken the basics about Art Of Film, I found myself really noticing the aspects of good filmmaking. Steven Spielberg uses many different types of camera angles, Extreme long shots showing the cityscape, medium long shots showing distance between characters, and close-ups to focus on the emotions of the characters. There was one part that I keep thinking of that I thought showed a lot of artistic cinematography. It was when Elliot finally sees E.T. for the first time and his scream is stretched out between 4 or 5 of the same shot from different angles at a very quick pace. I thought this made it really interesting and gave you a little bit of a rush and alertness since the shots were coming at you so quickly with a scream to back it up.
Well, I obviously have a strong love for this movie and I would recommend it to anyone because it can really connect with everyone on some sort of level. Thanks!
The enchanting and loving story about a boy befriending an alien is truely one that warms the heart. It begins with the mysterious landing of a UFO visiting earth, which all of the sudden becomes disturbed by a human encounter. All of the aliens are forced to get back on the spacecraft and travel back to their home planet, but they forget something. One of their own. Not knowing what to do, the alien finds his way into a ball shed of a random backyard, but the backyard he wanders into doesn't turn out to be quite so random. It is the home of Elliot Thomas. Elliot is a pretty normal boy growing up with the battles of a single mother and two siblings, but the discovery of the alien, that he eventually names E.T., turns his world upside down.
The performances of all characters (including E.T.) are great. Even though Henry Thomas, who plays Elliot, is so young, he carried the entire film. His ability to pull off the curiosity of a young boy, but also the maturity of an adult was impressive. I read somewhere that Henry Thomas used the day his dog died to help him express sadness during the audition for the part, which in turn made Steven Spielberg himself cry, resulting in Spielberg to hire him on the spot.
The movie called for a somewhat psychological and very physical connection between the character of Elliot and E.T., meaning that Elliot had to act and react the same as an alien. This sounds like a difficult task but Henry Thomas makes you forget that he is even acting. It seems almost real and gives a very humorous flavor to the film. The film also includes another young actor which many would not recognize, but almost all have heard of. Drew Barrymore plays the role of Gerty, Elliot's younger sister. She also gives an enchanting performance that really makes you feel attached to the family and gives you the hope for a happy ending.
Not only did E.T. The Extra Terrestrial have a great plot and great actors, the cinematography was a delight as well. Now that I have taken the basics about Art Of Film, I found myself really noticing the aspects of good filmmaking. Steven Spielberg uses many different types of camera angles, Extreme long shots showing the cityscape, medium long shots showing distance between characters, and close-ups to focus on the emotions of the characters. There was one part that I keep thinking of that I thought showed a lot of artistic cinematography. It was when Elliot finally sees E.T. for the first time and his scream is stretched out between 4 or 5 of the same shot from different angles at a very quick pace. I thought this made it really interesting and gave you a little bit of a rush and alertness since the shots were coming at you so quickly with a scream to back it up.
Well, I obviously have a strong love for this movie and I would recommend it to anyone because it can really connect with everyone on some sort of level. Thanks!
My Interest in film began in middle school. My friends and I loved watching and going to movies all the time. I remember being the first in line to see Mean Girls at 4:00 the day it came out to see it at the theater (it was a school day so the midnight showing wasn't a possibility). But not only did my friends and I love watching movies, we also loved making movies. We made dozens of videos of fake commercials, fake news broadcasts, and fake T.V. shows. We used my friends huge video camera that recorded directly onto a tape and you had to support the entire thing with your shoulder. It was so fun! We liked to give everything our own twist, often mocking the real commercials and shows that were on T.V. at the time. One being an episode of MTV cribs that took place in a linen closet. I can't wait to make the movie at the end of the semester and see how my film making skills have changed!
Monday, September 17, 2007
First Film Journal
The film that I decided to look up reviews on was The Science of Sleep. The Science of Sleep is a film that I loved because I love the way that the director (Michel Gondry) let us step into the mind of the main character, Stephane. Stephane is a man who is very sweet and good-natured but is having trouble with his dreams invading into his real everyday life. He cannot distinguish what is real and what is dream, which creates some pretty funny encounters with his neighbor girl of interest Stephanie. The film was different than any other I have ever seen, and confusing at times but the artistic creativity was enough to override it for me.
A review from Amy Biancolli of the Houston Chronicle, states:
"Directed by French fabulist Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) from his own screenplay, The Science of Sleep struggles with the same disorder as its muddled protagonist: It doesn't always distinguish between waking and sleeping. Keeping track of Stéphane's world-conquering daydreams and whimsical REM cycles is a difficult and rather pointless task, and only the foolhardy will try to discern too much meaning in any of them."
Another thing that I loved about the film was the lighthearted humor given. Keep in mind that the entire movie must be watched in subtitles unless you can speak Spanish, French, and English all at the same time without becoming confused (or 'schizometric' as Stephane says). The fact that reading subtitles can sometimes be tiring is not much of a problem though. The humor is mostly things that you can follow along with just by watching. And the whimsicalness of the film will keep you enraptured and interested even if you are not following the story.
Duane Byrge of The Hollywood Reporter agrees with me by saying:
"Laced with great goofiness and oddball associations, "The Science of Sleep" is a super-kinetic lark, juiced by some nutty production design and fueled by a wonderfully incongruous mélange of styles. Enlivened by a slapstick sensibility, "Sleep" walks through a world that resembles an off-kilter Toys "R" Us, as if Terry Gilliam ran the franchise."
And the last thing that I really noticed when watching The Science of Sleep was the great cinematography. I thought it was shot very well and had a lot of interesting things to add. Michel Gondry has a history of using interesting transitions from settings and characters and The Science of Sleep is no exception. There are parts in this movie that really make you wonder, "how did they do that?” One of them being a part when Stephane is floating through a town made out of cardboard toilet paper rolls, and another being when Stephane and Stephanie are throwing cotton balls into the air only to find that what goes up, does not always come down.
Well I'm sure that you can tell by my review that I loved this film and I speak very highly of it. I strongly recommend it to anyone that loves seeing something in a movie other than just a love story with a good soundtrack. Because The Science of Sleep is that and more.
A review from Amy Biancolli of the Houston Chronicle, states:
"Directed by French fabulist Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) from his own screenplay, The Science of Sleep struggles with the same disorder as its muddled protagonist: It doesn't always distinguish between waking and sleeping. Keeping track of Stéphane's world-conquering daydreams and whimsical REM cycles is a difficult and rather pointless task, and only the foolhardy will try to discern too much meaning in any of them."
Another thing that I loved about the film was the lighthearted humor given. Keep in mind that the entire movie must be watched in subtitles unless you can speak Spanish, French, and English all at the same time without becoming confused (or 'schizometric' as Stephane says). The fact that reading subtitles can sometimes be tiring is not much of a problem though. The humor is mostly things that you can follow along with just by watching. And the whimsicalness of the film will keep you enraptured and interested even if you are not following the story.
Duane Byrge of The Hollywood Reporter agrees with me by saying:
"Laced with great goofiness and oddball associations, "The Science of Sleep" is a super-kinetic lark, juiced by some nutty production design and fueled by a wonderfully incongruous mélange of styles. Enlivened by a slapstick sensibility, "Sleep" walks through a world that resembles an off-kilter Toys "R" Us, as if Terry Gilliam ran the franchise."
And the last thing that I really noticed when watching The Science of Sleep was the great cinematography. I thought it was shot very well and had a lot of interesting things to add. Michel Gondry has a history of using interesting transitions from settings and characters and The Science of Sleep is no exception. There are parts in this movie that really make you wonder, "how did they do that?” One of them being a part when Stephane is floating through a town made out of cardboard toilet paper rolls, and another being when Stephane and Stephanie are throwing cotton balls into the air only to find that what goes up, does not always come down.
Well I'm sure that you can tell by my review that I loved this film and I speak very highly of it. I strongly recommend it to anyone that loves seeing something in a movie other than just a love story with a good soundtrack. Because The Science of Sleep is that and more.
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