Crash is a movie that depicts the casts struggle in racism and in determining between what is right and wrong. Throughout the movie you are able to see some characters make the transition from bad to good, but others make the opposite transition and go from good to bad. Examples of characters that make the transition from bad to good are Anthony and Jean Cabot. An example of a character that makes the transition from good to bad is Officer Hansen. Many of the characters face outside forces that affect their mood and how they go throughout their day. For instance, Officer John Ryan is very racist and after an African American lady denies his sick father to see another doctor he takes it out on an innocent African American couple. This makes the viewers watching this movie feel bad that he has to take care of a sick father but also angry about how he inappropriately touches Christine. Almost every character at some point in the movie makes the audience feel opposite emotions for the choices they make.
The movie Crash focuses on the idea of moral implications. The movie shows people of all nationalities making the right and wrong choices, through their wrong choices the movie is telling us not to make the same wrong ones. The movie is showing and telling us to live at piece with the people around us and not to judge people by the color of their skin but instead on the things that make their character. The main moral statement that this movie is surrounded by is racism and how it is just not white people being racist towards African Americans, but it is Blacks against Chinese, Persians against Mexicans, and so on around the wheel.
The movie Crash is good story and is very credible through its externally observable truths. It is credible because it depicts things the way the really are. Although I think the movie takes depicting the racism a little extreme at times, I’m sure that it is pretty accurate to how things are in the bigger cities. If this movie was shot in North Dakota, I feel that the accuracy of the racism would be off because I have never seen anything like that while living here 19 years. The story of Crash is very interesting in its balance of suspense and action. The scene where two young black teens run of the Chinese man is very suspense full because at first you are unsure if he is still alive or not. A scene that shows good action is when there is a standoff between Cameron Thayer and the cops and Thayer keeps telling the cops to shoot him if they’re going to. The movie also uses characterization through dialogue. The characters reveal a great deal about themselves by what they say, do and how they act. By using characterization through dialogue, the director allows the audience to decide for themselves what they think about certain characters.
Although Crash doesn’t revolve very much around music, it does contain some moments of traveling music. When the two teens steal the Navigator they flip through the radio channels and land on a country song. When Anthony hears it he thinks the singer is talking about lynching black people but Peter thinks otherwise. Later in the movie Peter is picked up by Officer Hansen while hitch hiking for a ride. When Peter gets in the car country music is also providing the traveling music. So, although music is not a large part of the movie it does provide some traveling music in a couple of the scenes.
For the movie crash, the director used the star system approach to attempt to attract a large amount of moviegoers. I believe the director used many popular actors from many different diverse backgrounds in an attempt to attract people from different walks of life. By me not knowing this before I watched the movie, I was very surprised to see the amount of popular actors and actresses I knew and it kept me very interested while watching the movie. The director also casted the actors and actresses very well and put each actor in the role that was right for them. I feel that if the director would have not casted the actors and actresses so well the movie would not have been as successful as it was.
Director Paul Haggis is famous for creating a couple of the 007 movies which became big box office hits. In the movie Crash although I couldn’t find evidence of how much he was involved, I’m sure that Haggis supervised every step in the filmmaking process, selected the cast, found a suitable setting, and edited the final cut. I think this because after seeing his two 007 movies it would be hard to think otherwise. I feel that by Haggis deciding to show many scenes with racism I feel that he was trying to depict how racism is still a large part of our society in bigger cities. He also gains a lot of credibility by not beating around the bush and actually showing real life situations involving racism and prejudices. I also saw that Haggis used a subjective camera in many scenes in the movie to show the audience a visual and emotional point of view. I also feel that Haggis did a great job in selecting the cast and having each actor and actress play the role that fit them best. I feel that the toughest character to play would have been Officer John Ryan, if Haggis would have selected anyone besides Matt Dillion I don’t think the character would have been played as well.
I feel that the theme of the movie revolves around prejudices and racism towards all nationalities. Like I said earlier, I don’t feel it just focuses on one key one but instead on all the different types. Through this technique I think that the movie is more credible and makes the movie seem like it is real. I also believe that this film has a moral statement that it wants people to abide by. I feel that this statement is that we should not judge people by the color of their skin but instead by the things that show their character. The movie shows how the cast judges people on the color of their skin or their ethnic background, the director wants to show how this causes problems and how we should learn from other people’s wrong doings.
One thing I noticed from the beginning of the movie is how racy it was going to be. Although it was very racy, I give the director credit for depicting how life in the big cities around the US is actually like. I also noticed that you have to pay close attention to the whole movie because it is all tied together at the end. I feel that the director made the choice of tying the whole movie together at the end so the audience would pay attention to all the twists and turns the movie makes along the way. I like the director’s choice of tying all the characters in to each other in many of the different ways, I feel like this made the movie more visually appealing and interesting. The questions that still remain are as follow: Was Officer Hansen ever caught for murdering Peter? Did Christine ever forgive Officer Ryan for inappropriately touching her? And did Officer Ryan’s dad ever get to see a new doctor? The things that made this movie interesting to me is how each character seemed to make the change from good to bad or bad to good; with many going from bad to good. A scene that made me feel emotional is when Peter was shot by Officer Hansen when he tried to show him the hood ornament that was like Hansen’s. This made me feel emotional because throughout the whole movie Hansen was a good character that wasn’t racist or prejudice, but at the end he shot Peter because he thought he was pulling a gun on him. Overall I thought the movie was kind of hard to follow because it didn’t centralize around one character. I also feel that the main message and theme of the movie was very powerful and made the movie interesting.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
The Terminal
The Terminal is a movie that shows a focus on one character, that character being Viktor Navorski, who is played by Tom Hanks. The whole movie focuses on the problems Viktor faces with not being able to enter New York City and not being able to be deported back to his country. With his country at war he is stranded indefinitely at the New York City airport. The thing that makes this movie so believable is that it is based on a true story. The fact that it is based off of a true story makes the movie more credible and more appealing to the audience. The story is also very interesting because as I watched it I imagined myself in Viktor’s situation, and could only imagine how boring it would eventually get if I was trapped in an airport. It was very interesting to watch how Viktor made adjustments to survive living there for so long. It was interesting how he learned how to collect the carts to get quarters and pay for food. One thing Viktor faces throughout the movie is external conflict. The main source of this external conflict is with the head of airport security, Frank Dixon. At first Dixon embraces Viktor but once he realizes that Viktor may keep him from receiving a promotion Dixon attempts to drive him out off the airport; with all of the attempts failing and making Dixon look bad.
In the movie, Viktor is characterized through dialogue and through external action. He is characterized through dialogue by one of the airport janitors when the janitor thinks he is a spy or working for the CIA. This characterization adds some comedic confrontations between Viktor and the airport janitor that soon forms a friendship between the two. Viktor is also characterized by his dialogue early in the movie because he speaks in very broken English that is hard to understand, which makes conversing with others nearly impossible. Viktor is also characterized through external action. When Viktor translates for a man that speaks a tongue close to his and allows him to take the pills with him to help his dying parent, Viktor is received as a hero in the airport and everyone opens up and wants to help Viktor in any way they can. Viktor also helps a food delivery guy marry his dream woman, which tells a lot about his character and how he is willing to help others and not expect anything back in return.
In the movie there are certain parts that use special visual effects. For example, when Dixon is sitting up in the airport security office he is watching everyone on the security cameras. The special visual effect the movie uses is when the security cameras pan and tilt around to watch Viktor. The security cameras also zoom in and out on him so that Dixon may watch his every move and every confrontation Viktor has. One thing that doesn’t play a very important role in this movie is the musical score; however the movie does contain some scenes with traveling music. There are a few scenes with Viktor traveling and working that have music in the background, much of the music used for these scenes is most likely music from his native country and music most people wouldn’t listen to.
The thing that I think is the most important part of this film is the acting. I believe that Spielberg made the movie by choosing to have Tom Hanks play the role of Viktor. Hanks made me and I’m sure everyone else that has watched the movie believe that Viktor could be a real life everyday person. Hanks became Viktor almost to the point where you thought Hanks was actually Viktor and Tom Hanks never existed. Everything from his accent to his body language made me believe that Tom Hanks was made to play the role of Viktor. Hanks completely submerged himself in the character Viktor by altering his personal, physical, and vocal characteristics and made the character seem like an alter ego of his. The encounters with the supporting cast allowed the movie to have romantic and also comedic scenes which I believe kept me interested in the movie until it ended.
Spielberg’s style in this movie was simple and straightforward. The movie is based on a true story and Spielberg depicted the actual story very closely and tied in dramatic, comedic, and romantic scenes to make the movie more visually appealing to the audience. This is a style of Spielberg’s that is seen in many of his famous movies. Spielberg is an auteur and has been since he started directing. He conceives the idea for most of his stories, writes the script of the screenplay, and then carefully supervises every step in the filmmaking process. Spielberg is also known for tackling new subjects and not only sticking to types of films he has shot before and feels most comfortable doing. For this reason he is one of the best, if not the best, film directors ever. Spielberg also pays close attention to the editing of the movie because the rhythm and pace of the film flows together nicely and the transitions are very clear. The supporting cast that Spielberg picks also compliments Hanks very well and helps make the movie more interesting.
The theme of the movie is centralized around one character and his advancements made with all the external conflicts that he faces. The main character is Viktor and he unifies everything that happens in the movie. The film is an emotional experience because as a view you can’t help but to put yourself in Viktor’s situation and feel bad for him. Although you being to not feel as bad for him as he starts to adapt to his surroundings and make the best of his situation. Throughout the movie you see Viktor grow as a person and open up as he meets friends that he will never forget. The movie makes you feel emotional when Amelia breaks Viktor’s heart because throughout the movie you are able to see that Amelia and Viktor are supposed to be with each other. The movie also makes you wondering whether Viktor and Amelia will ever end up being together. The movie also makes you feel emotional when Dixon makes everything so hard on Viktor, but when he overcomes the struggles you are happy. All in all I feel that Spielberg has made this a great movie and I love the way he makes it interesting by tying romance, comedy, and drama into the story.
In the movie, Viktor is characterized through dialogue and through external action. He is characterized through dialogue by one of the airport janitors when the janitor thinks he is a spy or working for the CIA. This characterization adds some comedic confrontations between Viktor and the airport janitor that soon forms a friendship between the two. Viktor is also characterized by his dialogue early in the movie because he speaks in very broken English that is hard to understand, which makes conversing with others nearly impossible. Viktor is also characterized through external action. When Viktor translates for a man that speaks a tongue close to his and allows him to take the pills with him to help his dying parent, Viktor is received as a hero in the airport and everyone opens up and wants to help Viktor in any way they can. Viktor also helps a food delivery guy marry his dream woman, which tells a lot about his character and how he is willing to help others and not expect anything back in return.
In the movie there are certain parts that use special visual effects. For example, when Dixon is sitting up in the airport security office he is watching everyone on the security cameras. The special visual effect the movie uses is when the security cameras pan and tilt around to watch Viktor. The security cameras also zoom in and out on him so that Dixon may watch his every move and every confrontation Viktor has. One thing that doesn’t play a very important role in this movie is the musical score; however the movie does contain some scenes with traveling music. There are a few scenes with Viktor traveling and working that have music in the background, much of the music used for these scenes is most likely music from his native country and music most people wouldn’t listen to.
The thing that I think is the most important part of this film is the acting. I believe that Spielberg made the movie by choosing to have Tom Hanks play the role of Viktor. Hanks made me and I’m sure everyone else that has watched the movie believe that Viktor could be a real life everyday person. Hanks became Viktor almost to the point where you thought Hanks was actually Viktor and Tom Hanks never existed. Everything from his accent to his body language made me believe that Tom Hanks was made to play the role of Viktor. Hanks completely submerged himself in the character Viktor by altering his personal, physical, and vocal characteristics and made the character seem like an alter ego of his. The encounters with the supporting cast allowed the movie to have romantic and also comedic scenes which I believe kept me interested in the movie until it ended.
Spielberg’s style in this movie was simple and straightforward. The movie is based on a true story and Spielberg depicted the actual story very closely and tied in dramatic, comedic, and romantic scenes to make the movie more visually appealing to the audience. This is a style of Spielberg’s that is seen in many of his famous movies. Spielberg is an auteur and has been since he started directing. He conceives the idea for most of his stories, writes the script of the screenplay, and then carefully supervises every step in the filmmaking process. Spielberg is also known for tackling new subjects and not only sticking to types of films he has shot before and feels most comfortable doing. For this reason he is one of the best, if not the best, film directors ever. Spielberg also pays close attention to the editing of the movie because the rhythm and pace of the film flows together nicely and the transitions are very clear. The supporting cast that Spielberg picks also compliments Hanks very well and helps make the movie more interesting.
The theme of the movie is centralized around one character and his advancements made with all the external conflicts that he faces. The main character is Viktor and he unifies everything that happens in the movie. The film is an emotional experience because as a view you can’t help but to put yourself in Viktor’s situation and feel bad for him. Although you being to not feel as bad for him as he starts to adapt to his surroundings and make the best of his situation. Throughout the movie you see Viktor grow as a person and open up as he meets friends that he will never forget. The movie makes you feel emotional when Amelia breaks Viktor’s heart because throughout the movie you are able to see that Amelia and Viktor are supposed to be with each other. The movie also makes you wondering whether Viktor and Amelia will ever end up being together. The movie also makes you feel emotional when Dixon makes everything so hard on Viktor, but when he overcomes the struggles you are happy. All in all I feel that Spielberg has made this a great movie and I love the way he makes it interesting by tying romance, comedy, and drama into the story.
Friday, July 3, 2009
The Dark Knight
In the article, “Holy Show Stealer, Batman,” the author Sara Stewart explains how the character of the Joker has changed from the classic purple suited arch nemesis to one that resembles a guitar player in a punk rock band. But don’t get me wrong, this Joker is everything you hope a punk rocker wouldn’t be. Whether he is tormenting Batman or eluding district attorney Harvey Dent, the Joker is up to his no good ways and back to his tricky self. Stewart also mentions the fact that this is Ledger’s last performance do to an overdose before the movie was even done filming. She says that “this one is so off the rails that you really don’t want to say goodbye, to the character or the actor.” She couldn’t be more right; the character of the Joker is played to a t by Ledger and leaves the audience wanting a return by this character in the next Batman movie, which will probably include an appearance by the villain named Two Face. By summing up what Stewart is basically saying in this article, I believe she is saying if you already haven’t watched this movie you should because it is a must watch and that by watching this movie you are only going to be left wanting more and waiting in anticipation for the next Batman film to come out.
When Claudia Puig says that the Dark Knight is the best superhero movie to date, it is questionable because it is hard to agree with that when I haven’t seen all of the superhero movies. However, I believe this is the best superhero movie I have seen. I also agree with Puig when she said that this is a movie that made Ledger’s career, although Brokeback Mountain also received good reviews. The way Ledger “disappeared into his role,” was also very astonishing because he made it seem like it was his normal personality and like he was an actual person instead of a made up character. He brought the joker to life and played the part flawlessly. He achieved being a perfect villain by killing without second thought and by always eerily licking his lips. The article, “Ledger’s talent lives on as The Joker in ‘Dark Knight,’ gives the movie The Dark Knight 4 out of 4 stars and I couldn’t more than agree with them but to give it an impossible 5 out of 4 stars.
The book says that the ultimate goal of any actor should be to make us believe completely in the reality of the character. I believe that when Ledger steps in costume for the Joker, he takes this to the next level by flawlessly playing and making the audience believe that this person could in fact be real. There wasn’t a time in the movie when I believed anything different. In recent films Ledger has played a cowboy in Brokeback Mountain and Bob Dylan in I’m Not There, he has never played the role of an unhinged villain and for that reason I believe he is one superb actor. For him to become a role he has never played before and to do it with such success is extremely amazing. In the movie Ledger uses both action and dramatic acting very fluently. He uses action acting at many points throughout the movie but the square off with Batman towards the end of the movie is very good action acting by both he and Christian Bale. He also uses great dramatic acting when he is getting interrogated in jail. When he talks about how he prefers a knife as a murder weapon because it’s slower, the audience is able to see how crazy the Joker really is. In the movie, Ledger plays the part of being an impersonating actor. He impersonates the character of the Joker so well that at points it seems he is actually becoming the character.
The thing that I noticed about this movie right away is how you are immediately involved in the action right from the opening scene, which you don’t get in every movie. The thing I also noticed right away is that the movie foreshadows that in the city of Gotham it is hard to trust anybody these days. The reason I think it forecasts this is because in the open scene the director has all of the clowns killing each other for a larger portion of the stolen money and in the end it’s the Joker who gets away with all of the money. I also noticed that the Joker is a very smart villain who plans everything out and rarely leaves anything to chance. By planning everything out the Joker becomes a character that leaves the crowd on the edge of their seat and leaves them thinking about what twist is going to come next. I believe the director called Harvey Dent the White Knight because he and Batman were very much alike. Harvey was the white knight because he stopped crime and put criminals away during the day and people were able to see everything he did and I thing he called Batman the dark knight because he stopped crime and criminals during the night when no one could see or give him credit for it. I also think/hope that the director made Harvey Dent burn his face and become Two Face so that there may be another action packed Batman movie. The questions that the director left me wondering were as follows: Did Harvey Dent actually die after falling off of that platform? Is there going to be another Batman movie with Two Face as the star villain? And does Batman actually hang up his shoes on his superhero career? A part in the movie that made me feel emotional is when the Joker kept licking his lips and blinking his eyes slowly. These characteristics added to the Joker’s already crazy personality. Another part of the movie that made me feel emotional was when Dent had Jim Gordon’s son and was going to kill him so he could feel what it felt like to lose someone who he loved so much. Overall I felt that this movie is one for the ages. It features a star packed cast and leaves you on the edge of your seat with all of its unexpected turn of events.
Works Cited
When Claudia Puig says that the Dark Knight is the best superhero movie to date, it is questionable because it is hard to agree with that when I haven’t seen all of the superhero movies. However, I believe this is the best superhero movie I have seen. I also agree with Puig when she said that this is a movie that made Ledger’s career, although Brokeback Mountain also received good reviews. The way Ledger “disappeared into his role,” was also very astonishing because he made it seem like it was his normal personality and like he was an actual person instead of a made up character. He brought the joker to life and played the part flawlessly. He achieved being a perfect villain by killing without second thought and by always eerily licking his lips. The article, “Ledger’s talent lives on as The Joker in ‘Dark Knight,’ gives the movie The Dark Knight 4 out of 4 stars and I couldn’t more than agree with them but to give it an impossible 5 out of 4 stars.
The book says that the ultimate goal of any actor should be to make us believe completely in the reality of the character. I believe that when Ledger steps in costume for the Joker, he takes this to the next level by flawlessly playing and making the audience believe that this person could in fact be real. There wasn’t a time in the movie when I believed anything different. In recent films Ledger has played a cowboy in Brokeback Mountain and Bob Dylan in I’m Not There, he has never played the role of an unhinged villain and for that reason I believe he is one superb actor. For him to become a role he has never played before and to do it with such success is extremely amazing. In the movie Ledger uses both action and dramatic acting very fluently. He uses action acting at many points throughout the movie but the square off with Batman towards the end of the movie is very good action acting by both he and Christian Bale. He also uses great dramatic acting when he is getting interrogated in jail. When he talks about how he prefers a knife as a murder weapon because it’s slower, the audience is able to see how crazy the Joker really is. In the movie, Ledger plays the part of being an impersonating actor. He impersonates the character of the Joker so well that at points it seems he is actually becoming the character.
The thing that I noticed about this movie right away is how you are immediately involved in the action right from the opening scene, which you don’t get in every movie. The thing I also noticed right away is that the movie foreshadows that in the city of Gotham it is hard to trust anybody these days. The reason I think it forecasts this is because in the open scene the director has all of the clowns killing each other for a larger portion of the stolen money and in the end it’s the Joker who gets away with all of the money. I also noticed that the Joker is a very smart villain who plans everything out and rarely leaves anything to chance. By planning everything out the Joker becomes a character that leaves the crowd on the edge of their seat and leaves them thinking about what twist is going to come next. I believe the director called Harvey Dent the White Knight because he and Batman were very much alike. Harvey was the white knight because he stopped crime and put criminals away during the day and people were able to see everything he did and I thing he called Batman the dark knight because he stopped crime and criminals during the night when no one could see or give him credit for it. I also think/hope that the director made Harvey Dent burn his face and become Two Face so that there may be another action packed Batman movie. The questions that the director left me wondering were as follows: Did Harvey Dent actually die after falling off of that platform? Is there going to be another Batman movie with Two Face as the star villain? And does Batman actually hang up his shoes on his superhero career? A part in the movie that made me feel emotional is when the Joker kept licking his lips and blinking his eyes slowly. These characteristics added to the Joker’s already crazy personality. Another part of the movie that made me feel emotional was when Dent had Jim Gordon’s son and was going to kill him so he could feel what it felt like to lose someone who he loved so much. Overall I felt that this movie is one for the ages. It features a star packed cast and leaves you on the edge of your seat with all of its unexpected turn of events.
Works Cited
Puig, Claudia. “Ledger’s talent lives on as The Joker in ‘Dark Knight.’” USA Today 16 July 2008.
Stewart, Sara. “HOLY SHOW STEALER, BATMAN!” New York Post 30 June 2008.
Napoleon Dynamite
Having watched the movie Napoleon Dynamite when it first came out on dvd and now watching it for this class, I realized some things I missed in my previous viewing. I realized that you need a sort of immature sense of humor or a good sense of humor to find the movie funny. I still found the movie humorous when Napoleon had tater tots in his pocket during class and reluctantly wouldn’t share them with a classmate. So, the classmate kicked Napoleon in the pocket and smashed his tots. One thing I noticed about the movie is that neither Napoleon’s uncle or grandmother ever really act as parents or the guardians and that Napoleon and his brother Kip are usually left alone to fend for themselves. Other parts of movie such as the storyline failed to capture my attention throughout the whole movie, and most likely led to the movie not receiving as many awards as it could have.
The goal of becoming the character Napoleon for John Heder was probably a very difficult and uncomfortable one for the actor. But the actor flawlessly played the part of the dimwit Napoleon and made the character come to life. He was able to project the truthfulness and the naturalness of the character almost effortlessly and to the point to where you believed you may someday actually pass a Napoleon-like character in the halls one day at school. The book says the goal of the actor is to obscure his or her own personality and to become another person on the screen. With this being said I couldn’t even imagine trying to play the part of Napoleon, this is a role that would take much patience and a great acting ability.
In the movie there are a few scenes with dramatic and action acting. One in particular is when Napoleon and Deb are talking at the dance. Napoleon asks Deb if she is getting serious with Pedro because he likes her. Luckily, Deb says no and saves Napoleon from being heartbroken. Although there aren’t many scenes with action acting in them, you probably couldn’t expect that given the cast and storyline. One scene that shows some action is when Kip, Napoleon’s brother goes to the dojo to learn self defense. This scene also provides some humor because the guy leading the class keeps on slapping Kip and Kip can’t defend himself. Most or all of the actors in Napoleon Dynamite are impersonators because the movie is a fictional movie and is not based on anything. Many of the cast was able to submerge themselves in a role and alter their personal, physical, and vocal characteristics to the point in which you believe they are real life people. Although Napoleon is obviously the main character in this movie, he has supporting players that play roles that are just as important as his. The one thing I like about this movie is that almost every person plays an important part in the plot and obviously I like its humor. All in all I thought this was a pretty fun movie but it wouldn’t be my first choice when choosing to watch my next comedy movie. I also thought that Heder played the part of Napoleon to a T and brought the character to life.
The goal of becoming the character Napoleon for John Heder was probably a very difficult and uncomfortable one for the actor. But the actor flawlessly played the part of the dimwit Napoleon and made the character come to life. He was able to project the truthfulness and the naturalness of the character almost effortlessly and to the point to where you believed you may someday actually pass a Napoleon-like character in the halls one day at school. The book says the goal of the actor is to obscure his or her own personality and to become another person on the screen. With this being said I couldn’t even imagine trying to play the part of Napoleon, this is a role that would take much patience and a great acting ability.
In the movie there are a few scenes with dramatic and action acting. One in particular is when Napoleon and Deb are talking at the dance. Napoleon asks Deb if she is getting serious with Pedro because he likes her. Luckily, Deb says no and saves Napoleon from being heartbroken. Although there aren’t many scenes with action acting in them, you probably couldn’t expect that given the cast and storyline. One scene that shows some action is when Kip, Napoleon’s brother goes to the dojo to learn self defense. This scene also provides some humor because the guy leading the class keeps on slapping Kip and Kip can’t defend himself. Most or all of the actors in Napoleon Dynamite are impersonators because the movie is a fictional movie and is not based on anything. Many of the cast was able to submerge themselves in a role and alter their personal, physical, and vocal characteristics to the point in which you believe they are real life people. Although Napoleon is obviously the main character in this movie, he has supporting players that play roles that are just as important as his. The one thing I like about this movie is that almost every person plays an important part in the plot and obviously I like its humor. All in all I thought this was a pretty fun movie but it wouldn’t be my first choice when choosing to watch my next comedy movie. I also thought that Heder played the part of Napoleon to a T and brought the character to life.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
The School of Rock
In the movie School of Rock, the director uses a great deal of editing and transitions to make everything flow together perfectly. The director uses good coherence, continuity, and rhythm when changing to a shot of each actor playing or singing in the battle of the bands. The rhythm he uses allows us to feel like we are part of the crowd listening to the show live. Although the movie uses many transitions, I don’t remember the director using a wipe, flip frame, fade-out/fade-in, or a dissolve transition technique. In the beginning of the movie the author uses glancing rhythms to make it seem like Jack Black’s band is terrible and gives us the reason for why the crowd boos them off stage. The movie doesn’t use the editing techniques of expansion and compression of time or slow motion. I would find it interesting if they were to have used slow motion in the beginning of their performance in the battle of the bands. This would add a little emphasis on the lighting and catch the viewer’s attention.
In the School of Rock, the director doesn’t use very much color in his scenes. He uses more of the cool colors in each of the scenes. His scenes are darker but he uses different effects to attract our attention, such as lighting and music. The cooler colors allow us to feel more comfortable because it makes the scenes appear more laid back. I feel that if the director would have made the school uniforms more colorful, it would have made some of the scenes livelier. The director uses bright lights during the concert to give it that rock band feel; it captures the viewer’s attention and makes it feel like they are at an actual concert. In the film there aren’t any scenes that are in black and white and I feel that it is better that way. In comedy genre films its tougher to shoot in black and white and still keep the viewer’s attention. It is also hard to shoot a film in black and white these days because it is so unpopular and many people prefer color versus black and white.
The sound effects and dialogue play a very important role in the movie School of Rock. The use of Dolby-Surround Sound in this movie plays a very important role because in that way you are able to hear every note played on Black’s guitar or hear each word from the three singers. It also again gives you the feel like you are watching the performance and their practices live. The subjective point of view throughout most of the movie is Jack Black, it however changes to some of the students when they are asked question by Black or are conversing with him. The director uses sound as a transitional element. He does this when the students and Black sneak out of the school to go to audition for the battle of the bands. The movie does not use any voice-narration, voice dubbing, or subtitles.
The movie uses a few different types of musical score. The director uses the Mickey Mousing technique when the band is playing on the stage. When they are playing on the stage the music coming from their instrument or microphone it is in direct collaboration with their movement. The director also uses generalized score, he uses this when Black and his students sneak out and go to the audition. By using this technique it allows him to create that adrenaline rush of sneaking out and cutting school. This last example also uses a form of traveling music. The traveling music is used as background music and creates a sense of sneakiness. This technique pulls you in and makes you want to be a part of the action and be a rebel again. Overall I feel this movie has a great balance of musical score. Through the use of Mickey Mousing and generalized score, the movie pulls you in and makes you want to take part in every step along the way.
In the School of Rock, the director doesn’t use very much color in his scenes. He uses more of the cool colors in each of the scenes. His scenes are darker but he uses different effects to attract our attention, such as lighting and music. The cooler colors allow us to feel more comfortable because it makes the scenes appear more laid back. I feel that if the director would have made the school uniforms more colorful, it would have made some of the scenes livelier. The director uses bright lights during the concert to give it that rock band feel; it captures the viewer’s attention and makes it feel like they are at an actual concert. In the film there aren’t any scenes that are in black and white and I feel that it is better that way. In comedy genre films its tougher to shoot in black and white and still keep the viewer’s attention. It is also hard to shoot a film in black and white these days because it is so unpopular and many people prefer color versus black and white.
The sound effects and dialogue play a very important role in the movie School of Rock. The use of Dolby-Surround Sound in this movie plays a very important role because in that way you are able to hear every note played on Black’s guitar or hear each word from the three singers. It also again gives you the feel like you are watching the performance and their practices live. The subjective point of view throughout most of the movie is Jack Black, it however changes to some of the students when they are asked question by Black or are conversing with him. The director uses sound as a transitional element. He does this when the students and Black sneak out of the school to go to audition for the battle of the bands. The movie does not use any voice-narration, voice dubbing, or subtitles.
The movie uses a few different types of musical score. The director uses the Mickey Mousing technique when the band is playing on the stage. When they are playing on the stage the music coming from their instrument or microphone it is in direct collaboration with their movement. The director also uses generalized score, he uses this when Black and his students sneak out and go to the audition. By using this technique it allows him to create that adrenaline rush of sneaking out and cutting school. This last example also uses a form of traveling music. The traveling music is used as background music and creates a sense of sneakiness. This technique pulls you in and makes you want to be a part of the action and be a rebel again. Overall I feel this movie has a great balance of musical score. Through the use of Mickey Mousing and generalized score, the movie pulls you in and makes you want to take part in every step along the way.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Memento
1. Why did the director choose to edit the film the way he did?
- I believe the director chose to edit the film the way he did because that way it would be more interesting for the viewer. Although the beginning was a little strange and kind of hard to pick up, once you started to understand the dynamics of the movie it was fun and exciting to watch every twist the movie took. I also believe he edited the film the way he did so that the people watching would have to pay attention to the whole movie to be able to understand it.
2. Why did the director change from color to black and white? Do you think it was necessary? Interesting? What did it add/subtract from the film?
-I believe the director changed the color from black to white to put an emphasis on the phone conversations. It also seemed to be that when the movie went to black and white, it was like a flashback into the movie. Throughout the whole movie the audience is wondering who he is talking to and how this is going to change the dynamic of the movie. When you finally find out that it was a detective calling him you realize that it was probably unnecessary for it to be in black and white. I thought it was an interesting way to emphasize certain parts but was in the end unnecessary. It added emphasis on certain parts but lost relevancy by not being a large part of the outcome.
3. What was the relevance of Sammy Jankis?
-Sammy Jankis throughout most of the movie is a man that Leonard came in contact with through his career as an insurance investigator. Sammy is a name that is suffering from short term memory loss; a condition in which he cannot register new memories in his brain. Memories such as people’s names, his name, or the place he lives. In the beginning and throughout most of the movie, the audience believes that he is real and the through an injury Leonard is suffering from the same condition. In the end we find out that Sammy Jankis has been made up and is just a name Leonard bases his life off of.
4. What is your theory about what happened at the end (which was really the beginning) of the movie?
-My theory about what happened at the end of the movie is that Leonard actually knew what he was doing the whole time. He was acting like he suffered from the same memory illness as Sammy Jankis so that he may kill people. I believe that Leonard intentionally killed his wife by giving her to much insulin and knew what he was doing the whole time. This is a very twisted movie that takes a lot of unexpected turns and is kind of hard to follow, but if one is able to follow the whole movie it actually is pretty well written.
The things I noticed about this movie is that the beginning of the movie is hard to follow but once you recognize the system it follows it is fun and exciting to watch. I also noticed that the director cuts the film to black and white at points to put an emphasis on certain parts of the movie; later in the movie you realize it is kind of unnecessary but is still interesting. The movie is also backwards and has the beginning at the end and the end at the beginning. By choosing this method I feel that the director makes the movie more interesting and forces the audience to pay attention to the whole movie and try to piece everything together. The questions that still remain for me are as follows: Did Leonard actually know what he was doing? Was Sammy Jankis actually a real person? And if Leonard actually suffered from this short term memory loss why was he not in a group home like Sammy Jankis? The parts of the movie that made it interesting was how you had to piece everything together to understand what was going on throughout the movie. It was also very interesting how Leonard used tattoos on his body to remind himself of certain things he couldn’t remember. It was also interesting how he used pictures of people to remember them and how he wrote certain things on the back of them to remember things about them. The ending put a very good emotional twist on the movie because you go from feeling bad for Leonard because people are taking advantage of him, but then it suggests that he knew what was going on the whole time so you feel like you felt bad for no reason. Overall this movie is a good thriller and takes a lot of interest twists.
- I believe the director chose to edit the film the way he did because that way it would be more interesting for the viewer. Although the beginning was a little strange and kind of hard to pick up, once you started to understand the dynamics of the movie it was fun and exciting to watch every twist the movie took. I also believe he edited the film the way he did so that the people watching would have to pay attention to the whole movie to be able to understand it.
2. Why did the director change from color to black and white? Do you think it was necessary? Interesting? What did it add/subtract from the film?
-I believe the director changed the color from black to white to put an emphasis on the phone conversations. It also seemed to be that when the movie went to black and white, it was like a flashback into the movie. Throughout the whole movie the audience is wondering who he is talking to and how this is going to change the dynamic of the movie. When you finally find out that it was a detective calling him you realize that it was probably unnecessary for it to be in black and white. I thought it was an interesting way to emphasize certain parts but was in the end unnecessary. It added emphasis on certain parts but lost relevancy by not being a large part of the outcome.
3. What was the relevance of Sammy Jankis?
-Sammy Jankis throughout most of the movie is a man that Leonard came in contact with through his career as an insurance investigator. Sammy is a name that is suffering from short term memory loss; a condition in which he cannot register new memories in his brain. Memories such as people’s names, his name, or the place he lives. In the beginning and throughout most of the movie, the audience believes that he is real and the through an injury Leonard is suffering from the same condition. In the end we find out that Sammy Jankis has been made up and is just a name Leonard bases his life off of.
4. What is your theory about what happened at the end (which was really the beginning) of the movie?
-My theory about what happened at the end of the movie is that Leonard actually knew what he was doing the whole time. He was acting like he suffered from the same memory illness as Sammy Jankis so that he may kill people. I believe that Leonard intentionally killed his wife by giving her to much insulin and knew what he was doing the whole time. This is a very twisted movie that takes a lot of unexpected turns and is kind of hard to follow, but if one is able to follow the whole movie it actually is pretty well written.
The things I noticed about this movie is that the beginning of the movie is hard to follow but once you recognize the system it follows it is fun and exciting to watch. I also noticed that the director cuts the film to black and white at points to put an emphasis on certain parts of the movie; later in the movie you realize it is kind of unnecessary but is still interesting. The movie is also backwards and has the beginning at the end and the end at the beginning. By choosing this method I feel that the director makes the movie more interesting and forces the audience to pay attention to the whole movie and try to piece everything together. The questions that still remain for me are as follows: Did Leonard actually know what he was doing? Was Sammy Jankis actually a real person? And if Leonard actually suffered from this short term memory loss why was he not in a group home like Sammy Jankis? The parts of the movie that made it interesting was how you had to piece everything together to understand what was going on throughout the movie. It was also very interesting how Leonard used tattoos on his body to remind himself of certain things he couldn’t remember. It was also interesting how he used pictures of people to remember them and how he wrote certain things on the back of them to remember things about them. The ending put a very good emotional twist on the movie because you go from feeling bad for Leonard because people are taking advantage of him, but then it suggests that he knew what was going on the whole time so you feel like you felt bad for no reason. Overall this movie is a good thriller and takes a lot of interest twists.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Slumdog Millionaire
“Slumdog Millionaire is a very Indian film, mixing together romance, crime, comedy, passion without sex, violence, and drama together in the Indian way—with an absurdly happy ending, of course” (Christie Davies). I couldn’t agree more with how the author of “Wagging the Slumdog” has described the motion picture that won eight Oscars. It was very fascinating to hear that many people in India got up early in the morning to watch the Oscar’s in real time at their house. This reminds me of when American’s get up at 3 a.m. to watch an event in the Olympics, so it is very astonishing when you see that for an event like the Oscar’s. The movie has also won many international awards from around the world. In Davies article, she shows that a majority of the population in India enjoyed the movie and how only a handful of Indian journalists and academics have given the movie bad reviews. The journalists and academics say that the movie depicts the slums of Mumbai and how that could turn off investors or land realtors, when this is actually the opposite. The movie actually shows both sides of Mumbai by showing the “dumpy” slums and the successful centers of trade, finance, and modern industry. The article also shows how this movie has come from an actual novel written by Swarup. This I feel doesn’t play a very important role in the final outcome because the overall journey of Jamal Malik’s life is more important.
The article the “The Original Amazing Indian Reality Show,” written by Bobby Ghosh shows a real-life story of two Indian boys who have took first and second in the Million Dollar Arm game show. The article says that a year before the television show the boys were throwing javelin for the national team and had basically never seen a baseball before. With the amount of money on the line and nothing to lose Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel tried out with the other 30,000 contestants. Singh was the overall winner and won $100,000 but wasn’t able to throw three consecutive pitches at 90 mph so he didn’t win the $1,000,000. After many workouts with the USC pitching coach and many classroom lessons they were ready to try-out for MLB scouts. With their first try-out being unsuccessful the second one was a charm. They both threw 90mph and were signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The article went on to say that they were going to compete on the single A farm team of the Pirates as relief pitchers and see where it went from there. This article was published a few years ago and I haven’t how things turned out for them. But this is a very inspirational story because these kids picked up baseball so fast and were able to be signed after only knowing the game for six months.
The thing I noticed about this movie right away that it was shot in a foreign country and it very closely depicted the struggles of the people living in the Mumbai slums. I noticed that I have never realized just how bad some of the people in these flourishing countries actually have it. I noticed this because when you watch the Travel Channel it only shows you the resorts and nice parts of a city and rarely shows you the slums or poverty stricken potions of the city. The director decided to show the slums of Mumbai because people like me coming into the movie only had seen the “nice” parts of these large cities and have rarely seen a movie show the poverty stricken parts of it. It was very eye opening and makes a person feel very sad to see all the kids living as orphans because their parents have been killed by extremists. The questions that still remain for me are as follows: Did Jamal ever get his money? What did he end up doing with all of it? Was he ever found by the gangster his brother worked for? And did he and Latika live happily ever after? One scene that I thought was funny was when Jamal’s friend locked him in the outhouse and he jumped into the defecations which was his only way out. Another part of the movie that was very emotional was when Jamal’s brother gave Latika the keys to his car and was willing to die so that his brother could have the girl he had always wanted. Overall this movie is one of the best I have ever watched and can see why it won eight Oscar’s.
The article the “The Original Amazing Indian Reality Show,” written by Bobby Ghosh shows a real-life story of two Indian boys who have took first and second in the Million Dollar Arm game show. The article says that a year before the television show the boys were throwing javelin for the national team and had basically never seen a baseball before. With the amount of money on the line and nothing to lose Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel tried out with the other 30,000 contestants. Singh was the overall winner and won $100,000 but wasn’t able to throw three consecutive pitches at 90 mph so he didn’t win the $1,000,000. After many workouts with the USC pitching coach and many classroom lessons they were ready to try-out for MLB scouts. With their first try-out being unsuccessful the second one was a charm. They both threw 90mph and were signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The article went on to say that they were going to compete on the single A farm team of the Pirates as relief pitchers and see where it went from there. This article was published a few years ago and I haven’t how things turned out for them. But this is a very inspirational story because these kids picked up baseball so fast and were able to be signed after only knowing the game for six months.
The thing I noticed about this movie right away that it was shot in a foreign country and it very closely depicted the struggles of the people living in the Mumbai slums. I noticed that I have never realized just how bad some of the people in these flourishing countries actually have it. I noticed this because when you watch the Travel Channel it only shows you the resorts and nice parts of a city and rarely shows you the slums or poverty stricken potions of the city. The director decided to show the slums of Mumbai because people like me coming into the movie only had seen the “nice” parts of these large cities and have rarely seen a movie show the poverty stricken parts of it. It was very eye opening and makes a person feel very sad to see all the kids living as orphans because their parents have been killed by extremists. The questions that still remain for me are as follows: Did Jamal ever get his money? What did he end up doing with all of it? Was he ever found by the gangster his brother worked for? And did he and Latika live happily ever after? One scene that I thought was funny was when Jamal’s friend locked him in the outhouse and he jumped into the defecations which was his only way out. Another part of the movie that was very emotional was when Jamal’s brother gave Latika the keys to his car and was willing to die so that his brother could have the girl he had always wanted. Overall this movie is one of the best I have ever watched and can see why it won eight Oscar’s.
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