Do The Right Thing, Yo!

Do the Right Thing directed by Spike Lee was a great comedy with a tragic ending. Spike Lee wrote a directed this film which was about racism. I really liked this movie. I found it to be very funny and made me think a lot. I liked how Spike Lee used colors to make things stand out. An example is the big bright red wall the three guys are sitting in front of all day. This movie takes place on the hottest day of the year and the red wall represents the heat. Spike Lee plays a guy named Mookie and Mookie is sort of the mediator between everyone. He works for a white man named Sal at Sal's pizza joint. Sal's pizza joint is in the heart of a black neighborhood and has had his pizza joint there for years. The whole conflict of the movie is that Sal doesn't have any pictures of "brothers" aka black people up on his walls. This causes two guys to fuss. The fuss becomes out of control and one person ends up dying, Radio Raheem. He was killed by a white police officer and that causes a lot of controversy. With the racial slurs and the actions between blacks and whites, Do the Right Thing makes you think about the reality of racism in our world today.

Battle of What?

I read the critic that really praised the movie. I couldn't disagree with them more. I did not find this movie to be “THE BEST MOVIE I SAW ALL YEAR – THEN, IN 1968, AND NOW!” I really did not enjoy this movie. First it was in black and white, then there were SUBTITLES. Come on Mr. Klobuchar! Haha, just kidding. But seriously. Fine, I admit it was sort of interesting but depressing and boring all at once. I did not like how in the end Ali (awesome name) was hiding in the wall with three other people and they all were blown up. That made me really sad because there was a little boy in the wall with Ali and had the choice to get out or stay and he stayed and died. Bad ending. Overall, I didn't enjoy this movie and hope to never watch it again.

M E M E N T O

Holy cow Memento directed by Christopher Nolan was a confusing movie. If we didn't have to fill out the movie guide I would have been completely lost. I had to watch this movie at home because I was absent the days we watched Momento in class. I think watching it at home also helped a lot to help me understand what was going on. I thought the acting was great in this movie. Christopher Nolan directed and wrote this film and I thought it was a brilliant film. The way he told the story backwards but forward at the same time made it a very unique film. One thing I didn't like about this style of story telling was that you knew who the bad guy was the whole entire movie. From the start to the end. Even though this film gives away the ending in the beginning it was still entertaining to see how a guy with a short term memory was able to make notes and tattoo himself to help him remember who's who and what means what. Guy Pearce is a babe and I really liked watching him in this film. Memento and one other movie are the only movies I have seen with Guy Pearce. I thought this was a great movie to watch to end our film noir unit.

XOXO Me Deadly

The second film noir movie we watched was Kiss Me Deadly directed by Robert Aldrich. This film is a classic that involves a stolen "nuclear" thing. With a great cast such as Ralph Meeker, Maxine Cooper, Cloris Leachman, and Alber Dekker, they make the movie a great film noir. Mike Hammer (Meeker) gets tangled up in a mess when a women jumps into his car and are both kidnapped. This sort of get out of control from there. Involving his girlfriend/assistant Velda (Cooper) they are pulled into this mess and are kind of responsible for the stolen "nuclear" thing. In the end a women (above) opens the box with the "nuclear" thing in it and screams and lights on fire, and the whole beach house explodes while Mike Hammer and Velda run into the ocean. Our class had a discussion on what we thought was in the box and I thought they could have been spirits locked up. The class laughed but I was serious. When she opened the box, the thing inside the box was screaming and it sounded like more than one thing was in that box. Obviously have missing the clues that there was a stolen "nuclear" thing on the loose, my theory of spirits in the box was not relevant.

"I'm crazy about you Baby!"

We watched the film noir movie Double Indemnity which was, I thought, a great movie to start a genre with. I had never heard of film noir before and it definitely striked my interest. Double Indemnity, directed by Billy Wilder was an amazing film about an insurance man named Walter (Fred MacMurray) who goes to this man's house to try and sell him life insurance. He meets the man's wife and falls for her in a matter of hours. Her name was Phyllis played by Barbara Stanwyck. She was most definitely the femme fatal in this movie. Her character brought on such an amusement because for a woman she was well spoken and very scandalous. Also, Keyes (Edward G. Robinson) was a huge character in the film. Walter worked for him and they had a close bond. This film contains a murder and a heartbreak. Once again, I thought that Double Indemnity was a great movie to kick off the film noirs.

KISS ME DEADLY

"I Got You Babe!"

This was the song that woke up Phil Connors at 6:00 a.m. a million times in this movie. Groundhog Day was a romantic comedy about a weather man (Phil Connors) who is arrogant, selfish, and just plain mean. He goes to the town of Puxsatawney, Pennsilvania every year to do a report on the national holiday, groundhog day. He makes rude comments about the situation and is rude to everyone he encounters with that day. So he relives that same day, February 2nd, at least a hundred times during the movie. He finally figures out that this curse does have an end to it. After living the same day a hundred times, he firgures out how/when he could save people during that day. His last day reliving that day Phil was completely selfless. During this whole time he fell more and more in love with his co-worker Rita. He learns what she likes and does everything to make her happy and hopefully fall in love with him. Well, this being a romantic comedy and all, they do fall in love at the end. YAY. Anyways, I thought Groudhog Day was really funny and by far my favorite movie we've watched all year. Bill Murray is a fantastic comedian and really made this movie very enjoyable.

Bringing Up Baaaaaby!

Oh wow. What a screwball film. Bringing Up Baby was an insane, crazy, confusing movie. I liked it the best so far out of all the movies we've watched. The dialogue between Susan and David made me laugh. All the physical comedy was great too. The dialogue got a bit annoying but still had some really funny parts. The physical aspect was just stupid things like tripping but I still found that to be humorous. My favorite quote of the whole movie was, "Because I'm GAY all of a sudden!" I couldn't believe that for a movie that came out in 1938 actually got away with using the word "gay" in the context they used it in. Overall I thought it was a fun movie to watch. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to a real romantic comedy!

Finding Nemoooo

I watched the fantastic, Disney, smart adventure, Finding Nemo. Finding Nemo came out in 2003 and was directed and written by Andrew Stanton. I have seen this movie over 50 times and was excited to see it was on the list of options to watch for this assignment. I was super excited to have to watch this movie one more time.

I love all the characters and the storyline. The animation is amazing and I sort of forget I'm not actually under water with all of the characters. Thinking about the technical aspects of film making and watching this movie, I really noticed the script. I don't think you could change the script at all. The script was written by Andrew Stanton. Along with Finding Nemo, Stanton has a lot more great accomplishments: Toy Story 1 and 2 (1995, 1999), A Story (1987), Mighty Mouse, the New Adventures (1987), A Bug's Life (1998), Monsters, Inc. (2001)) What a fantastic list. Funny how most of them were Pixar films/animations. And one more thing, he has not only written these films but has also been the voices of a few characters in these movies. I couldn't find anything on how Staton got the idea to write the script but I found out that when he was writing this script he always pictured it to be animated. He pictured it to be animated because it took place underwater and you could really do a lot with animation for under the sea. Having all the corals, fish, sea creatures being animated could really help the film seem almost more real. This movie was not based on any literature. Staton had been writing the script since 1992. He refused to present it to anyone until he knew it was perfect. Producers loved it and helped make it into one of the best Disney/Pixar and biggest money making film in the world.

I recommend this movie to anyone who loves the sea or just loves a great story. This is the sort of entertainment that you can watch over and over again, hence I've seen it over "50" times. I think Andrew Staton did an awesome job at creating such a wonderful, fun, amazing adventure for all ages to love.

Once Upon a Time in the West

We watched Once Upon a Time in the West directed by Sergio Leone and let me tell you, I thought it was awesome. I have never really seen any westerns besides My Darling Clementine and Once Upon a Time in the West and between the both of them, I'd definitely have to say that I liked Once Upon a Time in the West a lot better. First of all, I thought the cast was great. From Henry Fonda to the amazing Charles Bronson who plays the main character "Harmonica." These men make this movie a fantastic western. Their acting was phenomenal and it made me want to actually watch the movie. Along with those two actors was Claudia Cardinale, who I thought was absolutely gorgeous. I also really liked the plot. One thing I noticed was the filming. I sort of liked the long close-ups. I only sort of liked them because I'm not used to that kind of filming. Overall I thought watching this movie was a great experience and I was actually excited that the film was over two hours long so there'd be more and more to watch.

Howdy Ya'll

The first Western we watched in our Western Unit was My Darling Clementine. This was a pretty good movie from what I've seen of it. I missed a few days while we were veiwing this and have yet to rent it and watch it. I found this movie to be boring and not as exciting as some other westerns I have had a glimpse at before.

In this movie I noticed that the director didn't use suspense that much. Before something sort of big would happen you had nothing leading up to it. I didn't like how this western was based more on Civilization vs. Wilderness either. I like when westerns are more good guys vs. bad guys. This movie appeared to me as boring and I've been sort of confused as to what the movie was actually about.

I plan on renting this and actually trying to understand this movie. We've started to watch Once Upon a Time in the West and I have started to enjoy this movie a lot more. Maybe because Once Upon a Time in the West is in color...

Citizen Kane Post

We watched the movie Citizen Kane, directed by Orson Welles. For a movie that came out over 60 years ago, I thought it was very well done. The camera angles, the lighting, the sounds/music, all made this movie one of the best films ever made. I'm going to talk about how mise-en-scene was used in the movie. I noticed this mostly used through lighting, and costume and make-up. I noticed it in lighting when they would use high and low-key lighting. One part I really noticed the low-key lighting was when Kane was signing the Principles Paper. He was really in the shadows while everyone else seemed to be normally lit. I think Welles used this technique to make it look dark that Kane was signing the Principles Papers as if he was going to break the rules later on. The costume and make-up aspects fit perfectly for this movie. They wore what they normally wore in the old days. Also I thought they used make-up pretty well towards the end of the movie when they made Kane and Susan look like they were older. Even though it was obvious he was wearing a mask, it still added the effect of age to his face. Overall this movie is a classic and portrays great film techniques. I enjoyed this movie, but wouldn't consider it myself one of the best films ever made.

Journal #2 YAY!

The movie I watched was the Spanish foreign film Pan's Labyrinth. Even though it is foreign to us, most would call it a fantasy film. I found it to be both. The fantasy in the story became so real that I ended up balling an hour after the movie had ended. The little girl who is 11 years old and also named Ofelia was such a great actress, and you found yourself falling in love with her. Pan's Labyrinth contains fauns and fairies in the meantime being about a war. The war that was in the film took place after the civil war in Spain at a camp. Ofelia had a pregnant mother that died and dispised her stepfather, the Falangist, Captain Vidal. He was a brutal man with no heart. He would hunt down rebels surrounding his camp and would have them killed in no time. When Ofelia arrives to the camp she finds a labyrinth, also known as a maze, and meets a faun. He gives her three tasks and she must complete them following certain rules. Facing the realities of the crappy situations Ofelia is put in, fantasizing about these mystical creatures helps her through her life. The movie starts at the end of her story and the film retells her story, sort of like a flashback. This foreign, moving, fantastic film is filled with interesting creatures and a story that makes you cry but smile. I'm the sort of person that loves romantic comedies. This movie is no where near the genre. This is a dramatic, fantasy film brings takes you on an adventure that ends sadly. Hence why I cried for an hour after it ended. I definately recommend it to someone who would like to see a very moving and serious film and wouldn't mind reading subtitles.

Love Actually

One of my favorite movies is the great romantic comedy, Love Actually. My favorite kinds of movies are romantic chick flicks and this one fits me perfectly. I still remember when I first saw it in theatres in 2003 and buying it right away when it came out on DVD. With the many love stories going on in the story, you are so entertained and almost in tears through out the movie.

Love Actually is a movie about love, no pun intended. It's a movie that displays love within seven different love stories. It takes place around Christmas and ironically enough everyone seems to fall in love on Christmas. This movie makes you want to fall in love and watch it over and over again. I have learned that this movie relates to men and women. I know a lot of boys my own age that happen to really like this movie. Even though it is a romantic comedy, usually in the likings of girls, love is what really gets to people.

With a great cast: Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, and Kiera Knightley. They make the movie great. You end up in tears with how much emotion everyone puts into this movie.

Its a great movie to watch whenever, but especially around Christmas. This movie makes you want to fall in love and you find yourself cheering all the characters on as they themselves find love.

Critique the Critic Assignment 1

I read the review by Collin Covert who wrote about Superbad. I have seen this movie, thought it was great and hilarious and he agrees with me. He explains how the movie definitely brings you back to the '70s and how nerdy teenagers used to be in the '70s comedies. I didn't live in the '70s but got a sort of hip vibe from the great funky music they played through out the movie. He talks about how the jokes turn from raunchy into more adult like themes. I agree with what he's saying there because most of the jokes are pretty gross but some are hilarious to a more mature audience.

"Superbad" maintains that delicate balance of sweetness, empathy and vulgar
comedy. It's so packed with irreverent lowbrow wit that you scarcely notice how
it quietly shifts from gross-out jokes to adult themes.

By reading what Covert had to say about the movie would definitely make me want to see it. He says mostly positive things and that makes me believe even more that this is a fantastic movie. Covert really talks about the plot of the movie and sort of gives a little description of each character. I think he nails it perfectly. The plot in this movie just gets better as it goes. The movie is based on two best friends who are about to graduate who decide they should lose their virginity. The movie takes place during one day and that day they are invited to a party where one of them is expected to bring liquor for everyone at the party. Things come up during the day and makes you wonder if they will ever get their hands on the booze or even make it to the party. The two boys take you on a hilarious adventure and you find yourself cheering them on as they go.

Jonah Hill and Michael Cera play Seth and Evan, best buds soon to leave for
separate colleges. Anxious about graduating and disconnecting, the chubby
motormouth and his bright, timid pal shoot for one final bonding experience --
losing their virginity.

Covert explains how Jonah Hill and Michael Cera are perfect for the parts. Superbad was the first movie I have ever seen either of the two act in before and I agree with Covert about saying that they were perfect for this movie. Now that I've seen it I can't see any other teenage actors perform like they did. In this outrageous comedy your face could seriously become sore from laughing. I wouldn't recommend this movie to kids but defnitely to teenagers.