Sean's Movie Blog

Avatar

2010-05-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

James Cameron's Avatar is a groundbreaking film. Utilizing incredible special effects, this film is a visual masterpiece. Some people say that the plot of the film is a rip-off of other stories, yet I feel that the film is a unique viewing experience. Unlike most movies with impressive special effects, Avatar has a grasping story and interesting characters. It has a perfect blend of story, romance, character development, and action to satisfy most film viewers. Avatar brings back thoughts of how American settlers displaced the Native Americans who lived in this country. Overall, this film is a must-see for everyone. This film appeals to all audiences, and every person should have the opportunity to watch it.

Gone With the Wind

2010-05-11T15:43:00.000-07:00

Gone With the Wind is based on the novel Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.

The most memorable scene for me is when Scarlett runs into the city and sees the thousands of injured soldiers laying on the ground by the railroad tracks.

Scarlett's favorite drink is corn whiskey.

The dress that Scarlett wears when she visits Rhett in jail is green.

It is made of her mother's drapes from her house.

The film takes place during the Civil War in Georgia. It begins before the war started, around 1861. It ends shortly after the war ends, around 1865.

My favorite quote of the movie is "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." This was said by Rhett Butler as he left Scarlett at the end of the movie. This shows that after all of the manipulating that Scarlett has done, Rhett doesn't care about her anymore.

When telling another person about Gone With the Wind, I would tell them to be prepared for the great length ofthe movie. Although, this movie will be very boring for many people who are not greatly interested in watching it, I believe that it is an important film to watch for anyone who is interested in film.

Mob Movies

2010-04-27T17:07:00.000-07:00

While the three mob films we watched have many similarities, they are also unique in their own way. In "Goodfellas" and "A Bronx Tale" the main character is repeatedly told not to affiliate with the mob by their parents, while "The Godfather" depicts an entire family that runs a crime empire. In The Godfather, Don Corleone refuses to go into the drug business, while the latter half of Goodfellas revolves around the illegal cocaine trade. Goodfellas is also the only of the films to feature a mobster who is not a full-blooded Italian. The Godfather takes place in the 1940's and 1950's, when the mafia dominated the streets of major American cities, most notably New York. Goodfellas takes place in the mid 1950's to 1980. A Bronx Tale is set in the 1960's. Interestingly, Goodfellas and A Bronx Tale feature prominent roles by Robert De Niro. He would also star in the Godfather Part 2. Joe Pesci has a cameo in A Bronx Tale and a leading role in Goodfellas.

Stereotyping plays an important role in all three films. In A Bronx Tale, the neighborhoods are divided along racial and ethnical lines, and anyone who strays out of their neighborhood is subject to torment. C is looked down upon by his peers and even his own father for being romantically interested in Jane, who is black. These tensions lead to many important conflicts in the film. The Godfather conatins mostly Italian characters, as it mostly deals with members of the mafia families. Those who aren't Italian however are often very prejudiced against the Italians. Most of these men end up paying for disrespecting the family. While not necessarliy stereotyping, in Goodfellas, Jimmy and Henry are prevented from becoming "made" men because they are not full Italians.

Goodfellas is a based on a true story. It depicts the life of Henry Hill, who was a notorious mobster is the 70s and 80s. The film is very true to his life story, although it does not contain anything about his military service and some of the names of characters are changed slightly. Also, the movies only shows his dealing of cocaine, while in real life he sold many different drugs. Hill's testimony against the mob convicted more than 50 members of the crime family. Hill also played a huge role in the Boston College basketball point shaving controversy in 1978 and 1979. Throughout the rest of his life, Hill has had numerous drug and alcohol problems that continue to the present

Vertigo

2010-03-04T12:33:00.001-08:00

Vertigo is crazy. That is the best way that I can put it. James Stewart's acting definitely helps to make the film as great as it is. Bernard Herrman's film score is simply amazing as usual, possibly second only to his work on Psycho. This film employs the now classic "Vertigo" shot whenever Stewart is affected by his fear of heights. Stewart's obsession makes this film truly creepy, in a way that no film I have seen ever has. This film is Hitchcock's masterpiece, and features every aspect that makes his films so great from beginning to end. The cliffhanger at the end is the perfect ending to such a wild movie.

Notorious

2010-03-04T12:14:00.000-08:00

Notorious is one of Hitchcock's more star-studded films, featuring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. Bergman plays a daughter of a Nazi spy, who is recruited to spy on the Nazis by Grant. What follows is the beginning of a bizarre love triangle involving one of the Nazis. This film is regarded as one of Hitchcock's best, and a film classic. However, compared to the other films that I have seen, this was one of my least favorites. As a teenage male, films involving romance do not typically appeal to me. I felt that this film lacked Hitchcock's classic suspense, as you got the feeling of how the film was going to end very early in the film. While not one of the greatest films in his library, Notorious is still a good view for those interested in film.

Shadow of a Doubt

2010-02-27T17:10:00.000-08:00

Shadow of a Doubt, an Alfred Hitchcock film, stays true to the distinc style of its director. The plot revolves around a young girl who knows that her uncle is a dangerous serial killer. True to Hitchcock's style, the viewer finds this out early in the story, but does not know what will happen to the characters; utilizing his common use of suspense instead of surprise. As with most of Hitchcock's works, you get much more scared and creeped out than you anticipated. Until the climax of the film, the villain is never scene clearly seen doing any explicit "villainous" things. This shows how Hitch is so effective at making clean-cut, well-dressed young men into some of the most iconic film antagonists. While not one of Hitchcock's more celebrated films this is still a good watch if you are a fan of his work. This film seems to me that it is years ahead of its time, due to is use of mystery, horror, suspense, and thrill, all wrapped into a new genre all its own.

What's Up Tiger Lily

2010-01-23T19:20:00.000-08:00

This film is an early work by Woody Allen, which takes a Japanese spy film, and replaces the voices with American dubs. This creates a completely different story and turns a serious film into a pure comedy. From my viewing experience, this is a film of two halves. Durng the first half of the film, I was cracking up constantly. There are so many great one-liners, along with a bunch of joks based on what the characters are doing in the actual film. However, the second half of the movie seemed to drop off a great deal in my opinion. After only seeing the film once, I cannot tell whether this because it was just less funny overall, or if I just got too used to the film to find it surprising or funny. The first half is definitely worth watching, since it packs a lot of comedy in a short period of time. However, it would be wrong to tell you not to watch the rest of the move, because in my opinion, there is nothing worse than not finishing a movie, and then wondering how the story ends.

The Birds

2010-01-23T19:15:00.001-08:00

Anyone who has seen The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock will probably agree with some of the things that I will say in this blog. First of all, I have absolutely no idea, why the birds are attacking people. I watched this movie intently, and I know that it was not discussed even once. Next, even for the 1960's, it is hard to believe that the actors are actually being attacked by birds when there is a thick black line around the characters and their surroundings. I understand that little could be done back in the day to prevent this, but it does lessen the overall experience for me. This film was successful in being creepy when it needed to, and Hitchcock is still Hitchcock. While that in itself is enough to save this film from the garbage heap, it is far from one of his best works. And don't get me wrong, this film is still probably worth seeing, it is just hard to get over the story which never explains itself.

American Graffiti

2010-01-23T19:05:00.000-08:00

American Graffiti is a true American classic film. Set during the early 1960's, this film depicts one of the iconic eras of this country's history. This film features all music from that time period, fun music that perfectly fits in with the story. While many future stars appear in this movie, they do not overshadow the overall story. The best word that I can find to describe this movie is fun. I know it is a broad description, but to me, with the classic music, cool cars, and coming of age storyline, this film can represent so many different things to different people. Whether it reminds one of their childhood, shows youner people what the culture was like in that era, or reminds people like me of their own friends in the present, this is a film that can be enjoyed by a great deal of people.

Psycho

2010-01-23T18:58:00.000-08:00

Psycholfred Hitchcock's horror masterpiece, as well as his most famous film. I will not discuss due to the plot, because I don't want to ruin the plot for anyone who has not seen it yet (though I doubt too many people will read this anyway). This is a film that is driven by its music, written by Bernard Herrman. Herrman's music gives the film a completey different feel; as I saw after watching a part with and without the music. Featuring stellar acting by little known actors, this film is a masterpiece. The one thingthat proves this film's greatness is the fact that 50 years after its release, it is still as creepy as it was originally. Anyone who has ever drawn a single breath on this Earth would be doing themselves a disservice if they did not view this film at least once.

Edward Scissorhands

2010-01-23T18:52:00.000-08:00

Edward Scissorhands is a classic film, although it is only 20 years old. Starring Johnny Depp, this film tells the story of a young man created by a scientist that had scissors for hands. He is taken by a woman back to her home, and she attempts to adapt him to society. His talents for hedge clipping and haircutting instantly make him popular around the neighborhood. However, the woman's boyfriend makes Edward look like a criminal, turning the entire neighborhood against him. This film is fascinating in that it can be happy, sad, and funny at the same time. It is a beatiful film that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

Network

2010-01-21T18:21:00.000-08:00

Network is a comedy about a news reporter who gains tremendous popularity after speaking about how terrible the world is on his newscasts. The film spirals after he gains his own show, and the various antics that go on behind the scenes. In my opinion, this film suffered from trying too hard to be funny. This may be due to the fact that I was not alive during the 1970's and did not recognize the many of the references that were made. If you were alive during this time period, this may be a good viewing experience, but if you are too young this film is not worth your time.

His Girl Friday

2010-01-21T18:10:00.001-08:00

His Girl Friday is probably the fastest talking movie of all time. It takes a good ear to be able to hear everything that the characters say. The story is about a newspaper editor, who tries to ruin his ex-wifes plans of marrying another man and leaving for Albany. He does this by getting her to do one last story for him, all-the-while harassing her fiance. I did not particularly like this film. I didn't really care for much of the humor and the plot did little to satisfy me. I suppose this film would be worth watching if you were a fan of Cary Grant, but I'm sure that there are better examples of his work.

Run Lola Run

2010-01-21T18:01:00.000-08:00

Run Lola Run is one of the most fastpaced, hectic films I have ever seen. The plot is this: Lola's boyfriend has lost money that is owed to the mob and she has to figure out how to get enough money to save him from the mob boss. The film has three stages, each one depicting a different strategy for Lola to try and get the money needed to save her boyfriend. There are 2 failures and ultimately 1 success. Run Lola Run has sme of the best, most fitting music to any film I have seen recently. The fact that it is not in English is not a detriment at all to the viewing experience. It actually adds to the feeling of the strange world that the characters seem to live in.

Memento

2010-01-21T17:52:00.000-08:00

Memento is a unique film that is known for being backwards. The movie starts at the end of the story, and every successive scene ends where the previous scene started. The plot revolves around a man who is trying to find the man who killed his wife. Unfortunately, he has short-term memory loss, so he has to leave himself notes to help solve the mystery. I can attest that I have never even heard of a film having a similar format to Memento. I found it to be very interesting, not only for its unique style, but also for being a good movie overall. Anyone who wants to see a landmark in the history of film should see this movie, but be prepared to have to pay close attention to every detail.

The General

2010-01-21T17:37:00.000-08:00

Ever since I first saw Buster Keaton's Sherlock Jr. a few months ago, I became a fan of his work. The General is one of his most famous works, and according to some, one of the greatest films of all time. The premise of the movie is that Buster has his train stolen during the Civil War by Union soldiers. He then has to catch them and bring his train back to the South. I found it to be an interesting choice that the protagonist is from the South, when most Civil War films have the hero from the North. The overall story ultimately comes full circle, as the soldiers lay traps along the way to prevent Buster from catching them. Then Buster lays traps to keep the soldiers from catching him after he regains the train. While this film may be his best overall movie, it is not devoid of Keaton's timeless physical humor. Anyone who wants to watch a classi silent movie, or anyone who just wants a good laugh can benefit from watching this film.

Some Like It Hot

2009-12-13T17:35:00.000-08:00

Some Like It Hot is a film about two musicians who witness a mob hit, and have to diguise themselves as women to escape from the gangsters. This of course causes numerous problems. When one of the men falls in love with another member of the all-women band(Marilyn Monroe), he has to don another disguise as a man to spend romantic time with her. As expected, the men have to flee the mob after they find them again. This film has some great comedic moments, especially the final lin of the movie. I won't give it away, but believe me, the last scene is worth watching the whole movie for. This was the first Marilyn Monroe movie is have seen, and I got what I expected. She was beautiful, yet ditzy at the same time, something I kind of expected to see. Her performance wasn't anything stunning, but was still well worth watching.

Bicycle Thieves

2009-12-13T17:20:00.000-08:00

Bicycle Thieves is an Italian film set shortly after World War 2. It involves an father who desperately needs a job to provide for his family, and is given a job that requires him to use a bike to get around. The problem of the story, as the title implies, is tha the bike is stolen. The man roams around town trying to find it, seemingly stirring up trouble wherever he goes. The movie flows beautifully and the viewer is drawn to the plight of the man and his son. I was stunned to learn that this film did not use any professional actors. The performance of the father is comparable, if not better, than many of the star actors of today. I also found the acting of the man's young son to be impressive as well. His performance also helped drive the movie, making me sympathize even more with the characters. At first, I was skeptical of whether I would like this movie or not, but after seeing it, I truly enjoyed it. I highly recommend it to any avid film-goer or just anyone who wants to see a great film that is not very well known.

The Penalty

2009-12-13T16:18:00.000-08:00

The Penalty. Where do I start with his one? Starring Lon Chaney as a legless crime boss in San Francisco, this film at first appears to be one of Chaney's typical grotesque but lovable characters. But what I got instead was a grotesque film. It's story is better suited for a cartoon show (seriously he committed numerous crimes because of a bump to the head?) The music from this film was terrible and did not fit the movie at all. At first, I was interested in seeing a film starring the legendary Lon Chaney, but I was disappointed with his performance,relying only on a few scowls and his physical disfigurement to drive his character. The only penalty involved with this movie is actually watching it.

East of Eden

2009-12-13T11:56:00.000-08:00

East of Eden is a 1955 drama based on John Steinbeck' bestselling novel. In my opinion, this is one of the rare cases where a classic book is followed by a great movie. Much of this is due to the spectacular performance of James Dean in his first starring role. More so than any actor I can recall, Dean is what his job is called, an actor. Watching this film, I did not feel as if I was watching the legendary James Dean portray Cal Trask. I felt as if I was viewing Cal Trask during the events that transpire during the movie. Don't get me wrong East of Eden has a well thought out plot and is well filmed. But I think of this movie as a simple story and setting, with James Dean using his creativity and improvisation to bring it to life.

Twentieth Century

2009-12-10T17:50:00.000-08:00

Twentieth Century is a film that we viewed due to its use of acting. John Barrymore used very overly dramatic acting techniques and gestures. This style is reminiscent of stage acting, as Barrymore's character is the producer of Broadway shows. It features a goofy comedy style, with many of the jokes relying on the vibrant acting of John Barrymore. I found the film to be a bit much too handle, as the acting seemed too dramatic to be real. I found it difficult to really enjoy any of the characters, since they each seemed to get on my nerves about halfway throught the film. To a teenager like myself who relies more on action and big punchlines to enjoy a film, it left much to be desired. However, I did find it good to watch a screen icon such as Barrymore in a role that played to his style.

Montage and Pure Cinema: Rear Window

2009-11-06T12:32:00.000-08:00

I think the comparison between Jeff and the viewer is fair. Since the viewer sees everything that Jeff sees, we are essentially in the same position that he is, of course we don't have to worry about being seen staring into someone else's house. Often times I do feel uncomfortable seeing certain scenes in a movie. Sometimes I ask myself "Do I really need to see this?", and I feel slightly intrusive looking at scenes into the personal lives of the characters.

Rear Window

2009-11-06T12:16:00.000-08:00

Rear Window is an Alfred Hitchcock film that revolves around the use of the Kuleshov Effect, by alternating between what the character sees with their reaction. Rear Window uses this effect perfectly, making the viewer as if they are the main character in the story. Along with the technical use of the camera, this movie has good acting, led by James Stewart, and has a reeling story. It is an obvious influenc to the 2007 film Disturbia, and is essentially the same film, just substituting certain story aspects. Overall, it is one of my favorite movies seen so far this year and I highly recomend it.

The Night They Raider Minsky's

2009-11-01T12:54:00.000-08:00

The Night They Raided Minsky's is a comedy based on burlesque shows from the 1920's. Although the film does not particularly draw to my age group, some of the slapstick humor, as well as physical comedy made this an enjoyable viewing experience. This movie used a combination of black-and-white and color in a select few scenes in the city. The camera also employed fast motion during some scenes which aided to their comedic success. It also employed the Kuleshov Effect to a certain degree, showing the performance on stage, then showing the reaction of the audience. Overall, this film had its moments, but failed to deliver a performance that would have set it apart from others good movies.

Spike Lee's Do the RIght Thing: Territorial Struggle

2009-10-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

1. The position and angle of the camera can be used to make the streets look smaller, and the characters look closer together. Mookie picks up the trash can and throws it through the window of the restaurant in one shot, signifying the closeness of the block. The street represents a barrier because of the Italian restaurant on one side and the Korean market on the other. Without the movie telling you, it is easy to tell that the day of the events is extremely hot due to the use of the camera.
2. There is a distinct barrier between the Sal and his sons, the Korean family, and the black people who live in the neighborhood. This is due to the fact that the two families each control a section in the neighborhood. While the black characers dislike the way that the institutions are run, they are a big part of their lives that they cannot do without. The way Sal and the owners of the store are treated and treat others prove the dislike of the different races towards each other.

Do the Right Thing

2009-10-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

Do the Right Thing by Spike Lee chronicles racial conflicts in Brooklyn. It was shown in my film studies class because of its use of mise-en-scene. It takes place in one neighborhood, and shows some of the racial issues that occur. It features music in a prominent role, as it much of it is the music that the characters hear as well, instead of just a soundtrack. I also enjoyed the camera angles used for many scenes. Such as the closeup and slanted screen used in the confrontation between Sal and Raheem. The fact that it takes place on one block, in one day adds to the effect of the set used and the music played by Radio Raheem. This film uses a variety of characters, many of whom are not thoroughly examined. This makes the characters seem more like actual people, instead of characters of a movie. Overall, it was a very interesting film by a very talented director.

Traffic

2009-10-18T09:47:00.000-07:00

Traffic is a film hich uses multiple color filters to distinguish the multiple storylines which link to form the plot of the movie. In a way similar to Vantage Point, Traffic contains multiple characters in multiple separate storylines converging into one. The yellow filter is used in the scenes in Mexico and add to the desert-like feel. There is a blue filter used in the scenes surrounding Michael Douglas' family. The film also has a grainy texture, which adds to the overall feel of the movie.

Traffic has a star studded cast, many of which only make cameos. It has a well-developed storyline, and it comes together very well. While the film was slightly long, it was not a boring as other films of its length.

Robin Hood

2009-10-18T09:28:00.001-07:00

I recently watched The Adventures of Robin Hood from 1938 starring Errol Flynn. This film contains a great combination of comedy and action, along with beautiful coloring. Produced in Technicolor, it contains a vivid display of colors, most notably green. After seeing this film, I was reminded of the first time I watched The Wizard of Oz, seeing the spectacular colors contrasting to the typical film of its day. This film also had a spectacular flm score, one which I compare to that of the Star Wars franchise.

The colors of this film are bright, almost to the point of looking like a book, or a cartoon. However, this fits well and makes this film one of the most beautiful that I have ever seen. THe acting is great, and the film has an everlasting comedic effect, making it funny 70 years later.

In Living Black-and-White

2009-10-11T09:50:00.000-07:00

1. I agree with the notion that black and white film has its own excitement and purposes. In the current film market, people are always looking for something different, and black and white film would certainly draw customers just because of its uniqueness. One example of a great black and white film would be Raging Bull. It was made well after color film became common. Because of the black and white colors, it seems reminiscent and brings thoughts about the past. The movie would not be the same if it was in color, as the black and white gives it it's character.

2. If I came across the black and white movie while flipping channels I would most likely keep going. This is because I know more color movies, and the black and white movies wouldn't attract my attention if I have never heard of it. I also find some black and white movies harder to get interested in because it is harder for me to relate to movies that are older. I would, however continue watching if the movie is a famous movie that I had heard about, or it features a famous actor or actress.

The Long Voyage Home/Raging Bull

2009-10-07T16:24:00.000-07:00

Just finished watching two black and white films, whose plots could not have been more different and were made in two completely different eras.

The Long Voyage Home was released in 1940 and features John Wayne before his rise to stardom. Amazingly, even though nearly the entire movie takes place on a boat in the ocean, the majority of the film was shot in a studio. The black and white film is beautiful, and the many shades of black, white, and gray, almost make the film appear to be in color. While the plot leaves more to be desired from a teenager's point of view, the acting and the overall look of the film make this film enjoyable to watch.

After watching Raging Bull for the first time, it has already established itself as one of my all-time favorite sports movies. Based on the far-from-perfect life of boxer Jake LaMotta, this film employs some amazing camera work. As someone who has seen the Rocky movies multiple times, it is refreshing to see someone use a camera from inside the ring for once. It featurs one the most incredible shots in any movie that I have seen, when the camera follows Jake from the training room, out into stands towards the stage, and then up onto the crane to capture an aerial view. In the end, this film interests me as it is not a typical happy-go-lucky ending where he gets the girl and wins the title. While a typical happy ending may be generally more appreciated, it would have completely changed the mood of the film.

Question for Making Movies by Sidney Lumet

2009-09-27T15:54:00.000-07:00

One movie that really caught my eye in regards to how lighting was used was The Godfather. The use of shadows was remarkable. While I have seen this movie many times, it took me a few views to fully realize how this changeds the movie. For example, there are very few times where you can clearly see the entire face of Vito Corleone. This gives him a mysterious, and darker appearance.
One example of a film that benefited from lens use was Lawrence of Arabia. While this film was not the most exciting for a teenager to watch, I was impressed with the incredibly wide aspect ratio. This gave the scenes in the desert the feel of being in the middle of nowhere, and added to the perils of surviving in such an environment. It gives the area a vast feel that can show close-ups on the characters while also embracing the depth that the view allows.
The one movie that I have seen that clearly displays use of stop to cause less light is The Spirit. It is an incredibly dark film, expressing many qualities of a film noir in the modern day film industry. While the film is not a black and white film, the darkness of the movie makes it almost seem black and white, and gives an incredible effect when the film uses bright colors such as red.
In the movie Black Hawk Down, the usage of yellow is very important to the film. Since the movie takes place in a desert-like environment, the yellow filter exemplifies the color. It gives the environment more depth and makes the African environment look even more harsh.

Tristra Shandy

2009-09-21T16:13:00.000-07:00

I just finished watching Tristram Shandy, a so-called "film within a film". It is about a group of actors who are attempting to make a movie about a book about a man struggling to right his own autobiography. This film stars a number of British comedians, including Steve Coogan. As such, the humor is exceptionally dry, and I didn't quite understand a good deal of the jokes. I found some of the scenes to be slightly disturbing, such as the scene with the accident with the window and the scene with the giant womb. Often times it is hard to tell when the film is trying to be funny and trying to be serious, and it often jumps from the filming, to the actors off screen without warning.

However, this film does do a good job of thinning the line between the film, and the film about a film. It also does well when it creates parallels between the actors lives and the filming of the movie itself. Some of the scenes lasted much longer than was necessary, and a few became tedious to watch. I found it very difficult to watch this movie and it continued on and on for far too long. Overall, this was a film that I would rather not watch again. I found it tiring, boring, and not as funny as it attempted to be.

Kracauer Questions

2009-09-16T16:57:00.000-07:00

1. Three more phenomena that the camera is attracted to are as follows...
Explosions. In general every major action movie has numerous eye-opening explosions, fires, etc, especially in the new age of cgi and advanced special effects. It is impossible for a viewer to look away from a film when these films display these bright, flashing explosions over the entire screen. My favorite example would be the Transformers franchise and director Michael Bay. Both of the films contain an unnecessary amount of massive explosions. Let's face it, nobody goes to see these films for the spectacular acting performances, nor do they contain an Oscar-worthy plot. These films prove that people flock to pretty explosions regardless of the quality of acting.
"Pretty" people. It is no coincidence that all of the actors that have played James Bond have been goodlooking, suave Englishmen. It is also no coincidence that every single film in the series has at least one gorgeous woman for Bond to fall in love with, or at least walk out of the water in a bikini. In this era, almost every film has a highly attractive character, if they didn't, very few people would go to the movies.
Superstar actors. Somewhat along the lines of the last example, people flock to movies that contain the hottest actors in Hollywood. A movie could be made with Brad Pitt just sitting on a couch, silent for the whole movie, and still make a profit, I guarantee it.

2. I believe that Kracauer's ideas still make perfect sense in the present day. While the phenomena that he states are not as common in film anymore, i.e dancing, the concepts still prove true with the cgi technology in use today. If there is a silence, and then some sort of loud, or fast-moving scene on a film, the camera will always be attracted to it.

Sherlock Jr.

2009-09-16T16:49:00.000-07:00

I recently finished watching Sherlock Jr., starring Buster Keaton. This is the first silent film that I have ever watched in its entirety. This film has physical comedy that is unparalleled in any film that I have ever seen. This short film is about a young man who works at a movie theater, who is trying to marry the girl of his dreams. Things take a turn for the worse when he is framed for a crime that he did not commit. In his dreams, he enters the movie screen and becomes the world’s greatest detective.

The performance of Buster Keaton is absolutely hilarious. After looking at a massive list of the films that he starred in, I was impressed with his total body of work, and I am interested in watching more of his films in the future.

By watching this film, I believe I have turned myself on to a new genre of film. What makes Sherlock Jr. such a fantastic film is that is seems to transcend time itself. While some movies lose meaning and quality over the years, Sherlock Jr. has perhaps even gotten better over time.

The Purple Rose of Cairo

2009-09-13T13:31:00.000-07:00

The Purple Rose of Cairo is definitely one of the more unique films that I have ever seen. It deals with what would happen if a character in a film broke the so-called fourth wall, and entered the living world. It also deals with how the other characters of the movie would react in this situation. The film does a good job of displaying the wide range of emotions that the main characters go through, as well as having some excellent comedic moments.

I enjoyed the performance of Mia Farrow as a young movie-goer who uses the theatre as a solace from her abusive husband. She struggles to choose where her heart lies when multiple men vie for her affections. I was also impressed by the performance of Jeff Daniels in his two roles in the film.

The only part of the film that I disliked was the climax. The entire film had an overall happy and enjoyable air about it, but the ending just catches you offguard and changes your mood instantly. Overall, a very good film and one that I highly recommend to all film fans.

First Blog Post

2009-09-10T09:49:00.000-07:00

First blog post of all time, not much else to say.