Some Like It Hot

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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