Friday, April 16, 2010
Optional Film reviews
Students from the Literature through Film class can put a brief review in the comments for optional film credit. Make sure to mention title and director, discuss the main plot/chracters/conflict, and discuss what you liked or didn't like about the film. Make sure to give it a rating!
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Goodfellas is a movie directed by Martin Scorsese. It stars Robert De Niro (Jimmy Conway), Ray Liotta (Henry Hill), Joe Pesci (Tommy DeVito), Lorraine Bracco (Karen Hill), and Paul Sorvino (Paulie Cicero).The movie basically follows the rise and fall of 3 mobsters: Henry Hill, Jimmy Conway, and Tommy DeVito. Henry grew up desperately wanting to be a mobster because he thought it was cool how they had all the power. Finally, at age 13, he got his wish. He began working for Paulie (Paul) Cicero doing all sorts of things like getting the other mobsters drinks when they were playing card games or selling stolen goods with Tommy who later became a partner of his. After showing us the beginnings of his career, the movie flashes forward to when Henry is 21 years old. He begins dating and later marries, Karen, a Jewish girl who didn’t know much about what Henry did until she was already too deep into her relationship with him. Things were good for a while between the two (they had a kid, lived in a great house), but the lifestyle of a mobster began getting to Henry and he began cheating on Karen with a woman named Janice. When Karen found out, she went completely crazy and was really upset, but ultimately decided to stay with him because he promised to stop seeing Janice. Whilst all of this was happening, Henry , Paulie, Jimmy, and a few other who ran in their circles got arrested and were subsequently put in jail. During all of this, Henry kept seeing Janice and Karen found out again. Karen threatened to leave him again due to the fact that he was cheating on her and because she was broke (since Henry had been in jail, no one was giving her money). 4 years later, Henry is out of jail and comes home to find that Karen and their kids have been living in a crappy one bedroom apartment, he then tells her to pack-up, saying that he has “things lined up” to make money. After he tells her this, they head over to Paulie’s house where Henry and him have a conversation. Paulie tells him not to do anything on the side – to not work with anyone other than him and his organization and Henry promises that he wouldn’t betray him. But he lies. He ends up selling drugs through a jail connection from Pittsburgh and later gets Jimmy and Tommy in on the deal. Things go well for a while, but things turn a little sour when Tommy is murdered by to Gambino mobsters (for previously killing Billy Batts who is a member of the Gambino crime family). The movie then flashes forward to 1980 where Henry is arrested by the narcotics police and is sent to jail. After being bailed out by Karen, Henry returns home and learns that she has flushed $60,000 worth of cocaine down the toilet to prevent the FBI agents from finding it during their raid. As a result, Henry and his family are left virtually broke. In need of money, Henry asks Paulie for help. Paulie gives Henry $3200 in exchange for having nothing to do with him ever again. And when Jimmy asks Henry to do it a hit in Florida, Henry realizes that Jimmy is planning to kill him in reality. Broke and desperate, Henry goes into the Witness Protection Program and gives up all the information he has on Paulie and his organization, subsequently putting Paulie, Jimmy, and many others in jail. The final scene of the movie shows Henry getting the paper one morning in his house in the suburbs. He still yearns to live in the mob life but accepts the fact that he has to be like “every other schmock.” The movie ends with black title cards telling us that Karen left Henry after 25 years of marriage, that Paulie died in jail, and that Jimmy was in jail in New York for 25-life.
ReplyDeleteGOODFELLAS REVIEW CONTINUED: There’s only one thing I could say about this movie: it’s awesome. I’ve watched The Sopranos before and really liked it so I figured I would like this movie and I did. The acting in the movie was superb. Lorraine Braco (who played Dr. Melfi in The Sopranos!) did an awesome job acting as Karen Hill. She really portrayed the heartbreak and drama of her life with Henry really well. Besides the fact that the movie reminded me of The Sopranos, I really liked the dialogue – it was really funny and realistic (you could picture people saying the things they did) and I loved the accents of course. The plot line was overall really good, and it kept me interested. I also liked the voiceovers because they gave me a lot of insight as to what the characters were thinking. The only thing I really hated about the movie was Tommy DeVito. He was extremely annoying and I felt like a lot of things could’ve been prevented if he wasn’t such a tool all the time. I think if Tommy had kept himself in check, Henry would’ve never had to go into Witness Protection and things would’ve been okay for him. I give the movie a 5/5.
ReplyDeleteDazed and Confused was directed by Richard Linklater. A few of the main characters include Jason London (Randall Floyd), Rory Cochrane (Ron Slater), Wiley Wiggins (Mitch Kramer), Sasha Jenson (Don Dawson), Michelle Burke (Jodi Kramer), Matthew McConaughey ( David Wooderson), and Adam Goldberg ( Mike Newhouse). The movie is based on a group of high school students in the year 1976 on their last day of school. Some new freshman boys face hazing and physical punishment while the girls face humiliation and verbal abuse. One character is facing trouble in particular, Randall Floyd. He is the star quarter back on the football team and is asked to sign a pledge to not do drugs and to stay out of trouble over the summer. Confused about what to do Randall gets himself into a few interesting situations. Since he will be a senior in the next school year it is tradition to haze the incoming freshman. He takes it easy and actually becomes friends with one of the boys named Mitch Kramer. Throughout this last day of school Mitch and Randall go cruising for girls, crushing mailboxes, drinking beer, and starting trouble. Later on in the night the two go to a kegger party and face more drama and danger from other seniors. One person in particular David Wooderson, who is older than the others wants to paddle Mitch. Randall sticks up for him and outrage occurs. At this end of the year bash there are all types of people there drinking, doing drugs, and involving themselves in sexual activities. This movie overall focuses on sex, drugs, and rock and roll by high school students in the 1970's. The thing I liked most about this movie was how a freshman and senior became good friends which is against traditional roles of hazing. Also, at the end during the kegger, all types of people appear and get along for one night. Jocks, nerds, stoners, and greasers all emerge for one final night of fun. This movie also reminded me of the stories my dad told me about growing up in the 70's. Skipping school, hooking up with girls, and doing whatever they can to have fun. I liked the idea of Randall rebelling against his football coach and saying he will only play football If he doesn't have to sign the pledge. Rebellion was a hit back in the 70's and I admired his bravery. The one thing I did not like was Matthew McConaughey's role. I found him to be creepy and weird and old and I was confused as to why he was still hitting on high school girls who are ten years younger than him. He was still in the mind set of high school and wanted nothing more than to be a part of it again. Otherwise the movie kept my interest and made me laugh by all ofte corny jokes and stunts that occur. I would definitely reccomend this movie to others and I would watch it again in a heart beat. This has been my favorite optional film so far.
ReplyDeleteThe Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, directed by Sergio Leone is a spaghetti western, meaning it was shot in italy. The story revolves around Blondie(Clint Eastwood), Tuco (Eli Wallach), and Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef). Blondie is the Good, an intelligent bounty hunter looking for the best way to get money. Tuco is the Ugly, a lucky bandit that has a bounty of $3000 for murder and theft. Angel Eyes is the Bad, a mercenary that finishes a job to the end when paid. The plot is to find a cashbox worth $200,000 and the only clues to finding it are kept by our lead characters, Blondie and Tuco. The two each have a key to finding the money, but they do not trust each other and refuse to tell the other so they must work together while watching and backstabbing. What pushes this story is the constant high tension, absurd events, the curiosity of who will get the money. As a kid that doesn't know a lot of westerns, I found this movie to be interesting. I really like the intro because of the music. The music/sound was also a big part of this movie. It constantly changed from a coyote howl, random sounds, and music. With the intro, there is a mix of the howl, gunshots/cannonshots, and music. The intro set the entire tone by starting with mid-tempo music combined with images of the characters and ending with fast tempo music combined flashes of the images. Other than the intro I enjoyed the camera shots and the detail in every shot. Story wise I enjoyed watching Blondie and Tuco's relationship change from random strangers to unusual friendship. My favorite character is Tuco because he is a comical fool, but Blondie is the most interesting character because we learn nothing about Blondie and his history. We get a sense of respect and intelligence from Blondie the instant he appears though. What I did not like was the music. At first I found it to be enjoyable, but it changed to a unbearably long thing to listen to. It makes one just want to fast forward the movie to the action ( I did not). I don't think there was anything else I didn't like. Out of a five point rating system I give it a 3. There isn't a strong plot but the characters are interesting enough to see it to the end. And the music seemed like it stretched out the movie. I think I would have to watch it again to know if I'll recommend it to anyone. Currently I am not 100% sure about the music.
ReplyDeleteElma - "Goodfellas" really grabs you from the start and lets you know that you're going to be in for a ride. The music is so important in this film. I can't think of a movie tied to the soundtrack as much as this one. Scorsese seems to edit the film based on the rhythm of the music instead of the content of the sequence, and this gives the film a sort of a visual "rhythm". I've noticed that I can't listen to songs from this film without picturing scenes from the film in my head. Everytime I hear the piano ending to "Layla" I see that bloody Cadillac and the guy, frozen hanging from the meathook. For a film with so much violence, it sure is a great deal of fun. Many quotable lines and parodied scenes. The tracking shot going from the outside of the Brown Derby through the kitchen to the dining room is legendary. In fact, the night you wrote your review, the NBC sitcom "Community" had an episode that borrowed several tradmark technique/lines from "Goodfellas". Easily should have won best picture in 1990 over "Dances with Wolves".
ReplyDeleteKevin - I agree that the movie can seem tedious at times, but I think the acting, settings and moments of climax make the film worth watching. Leone is a master at letting a scene build and build and build and build... until it reaches the boiling point. The acting is wonderful - Tuco is a great chracter, but so are the other two - they really compliment each other. The score by Ennio Morricone is legendary. I think Leone is going for a gritty operetic score that is supposed to continuously run throughout the film. I agree that it can be annoying since it repeats quite a bit.
ReplyDeleteKasia - "D&C" is a personal favorite of mine that came out when I was in college. It's a notable cult film because of the drug use, memorable lines and essential soundtrack, but I feel it's better than just that. It may be the quintessential post-1950's high school film. The anxieties and issues the characters deal with are the same timeless issues students deal with today. Finding an identity is so important at that age that we often allow ourselves to be placed in a clique or embrace sterotypical characteristics before we even realize who we really are. Randall is a great character - someone who has handle on how the system works and their own place in (or choosing to remain outside)society. Will I be popular? Will I stay true to myself? What do I stand for? Will I be loved? What do I do next? Do I follow the path that been set out by parents and teachers? Do I fight back? Do I accept the person others have assigned me as? Can we get ZZ Top tickets? "Dazed and Confused" captures a moment in our lives when we are struggling to find answers about ourselves and are expected to grow up and join the "real world" whether the answers are right or not.
ReplyDeleteOJ
ReplyDelete"Eight Men Out"
Directed by John Sayles
After getting yelled at today in class for having three films at my house and not watching any of them I finally decided to watch "Eight Men Out". It is supposedly directed by John Sayles but I do not know what to believe after going through the drama of the Black Sox scandal. The main plot is somewhat weak considering we all knew that the reds won the world series that year so I give it an A-. Obviously the plot is just a bunch of people blowing the world series but the characterization is strong. I would give it an A+ but that is forbidden so I'll give it an A. The characters include Buck Weaver, Charles Comiskey, Arnold Rothstein, and many more; but more importantly they do a good job at letting us really know our characters especially Buck Weaver. This gets me a lot closer to the action than watching the games themselves. The conflict is what seals the deal. Every character has internal conflicts with themselves until it turns so external that they are in court. Conflict gets an A+ because the conflict was just so good. But there are other things besides those 3 aspects. For example, the film is 22 years out dated. I think if the general public really apreciated this film it would have gotten remade. But an obvoius problem arises $$$$$$ So if anybody has a problem with my overall grade of A-- they can do a remake of the movie and use 21st century graphics
The Graduate, directed by Mike Nichols, introduces us to 21 year old Ben Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) who has graduated college and finds himself unsure of what to do with his life. He finds himself flung into an affair with Mrs. Robinson (Anne Brancroft) who happens to be the wife of Ben's dad's business partner Mr. Robinson. Struggling with keeping the affair a secret, Ben falls in love with Mrs. Robinson's daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross), who in time figures out about the affair. Ben is then met with the challenge to get Elaine back. There are three main conflicts in this film. There is an internal struggle within Ben as he tries to figure out what to do with his life. He isolates himself which Mike Nichols captures perfectly in the scuba suit scene. Then there is the affair conflict. Both internal and external Ben finds himself paranoid thinking people know about what is going on. An ironic twist comes in the form of Ben falling Elaine which in the end breaks Mrs. Robinson's hold on him, gets him out of isolation, and even gives his life a meaning. I loved the way Mike Nichols used the camera in this film. When Mrs. Robinson first presents herself to Ben, the quick flashes of her body really conveyed Ben's hesitation yet curiosity for the situation at hand. I believe this is one of Dustin Hoffman's greatest films and seeing it for the first time has caused me to appreciate him even more. I give this movie 5 stars *****. Also; Mr. Walker you will like this; the church scene where Ben is banging on the glass yelling for Elaine is in The Simpsons when grandpa runs to keep Marge's mom from marrying Mr. Burns.
ReplyDeleteIn Mike Mills’ production of Thumbsucker, we are shown a unique side of a youth’s life. Justin Cobb (Lou Taylor Pucci) sets out to get rid of his thumb sucking addiction. He finds the answer from his orthodontist Perry (Keanu Reeves) when he hypnotizes Justin and it actually works. But, this then spirals Justin in confusion as he tries to please those around him, in turn causing him to throw away himself. It starts with his father Mike (Vincent D’Onofrio; also known as Private Pyle in Full Metal Jacket) as he clearly expresses how much he hates the fact that Justin sucks his thumb. This fuels Justin to accept the hypnotism in turn causing his confusion. In trying to please his principle, he starts to take medicine for ADHD, in turn causing him to excel in the debate team but lose Rebecca (Kelli Garner), the girl he likes and also become a know-it-all. He then decides to stop taking the medicine and tries to win back Rebecca, in turn turning him into a stoner because that is what has become of her now. During all of this, there is the feeling that his mother Audrey (Tilda Swinton) is having an affair. At the end, the realization that there isn’t an affair allows Justin to be himself and pursue a career in video journalism at New York State. Although this isn’t one of my top favorites, I enjoyed the unique look at how others can influence someone. This film really shows how youth today can be influenced by so many things, from our parents, to our teachers, and even the ones we like. The overall conflict in this film would be Justin trying to figure out who he was. This is later resolved but not after going through more than most kids his age. I give this movie 4 stars **** for its sometimes hard to follow areas and because I really can’t take Keanu Reeves that seriously due to his other films I’ve watched.
ReplyDeleteClockwork Orange, directed by Kubrick, was very... strange. It was set in the future. It was about a teenager, Alex,whom was very knowledgeable about music, and his desire to become pure. He started as the leader of a rambunctious gang always looking for trouble. They decide they wanted to find their way into homes, beating and raping and mugging the owners. The gang grew tired of Alex and planned to sabotage him just in time to get away from the police, leaving Alex there. As Alex spent his time in jail, he decided he wanted to become pure, leaving behind his old ways. They took him away from jail, to a place where he would be brainwashed into hating sex and violence. The sat him in front of a screen showing all of these cruel acts, one of them while playing Beethoven's 9th symphony, which Alex immediately recognized. He passed and was released back into the real world, where he was recognized and beat for what he used to do. He crawled his way to a house. The man allowed him in, not knowing who he was. it turned out that the man was one of the owners of a house Alex had gotten into. The man plays Alex into drugging him with wine. When Alex awoke he is locked in a bedroom, noticing Beethoven's 9th roaring through the house. The music makes him sick and decides he wanted to commit suicide, jumping out of the window. He survived the jump, waking up some time later in a hospital. A man stands there next to him, admitting that he and the government was wrong for brainwashing him, and said he wanted to do what he could to make it right again. We end the movie with a shot in Alex's mind, having sex with a girl, and he says, "I'm cured."
ReplyDeleteI give this movie a 5 out of 5. It was very entertaining. It kept me so interested, i watched it 4 times in 3 days. My favorite scene was towards the beginning, when Alex and the gang are in Mr. and Mrs. Alexander's house. I just found it interesting how they could be doing those things to "Singing In The Rain."
Cool movie.
Directed by Richard Linklater, Before Sunrise is about a young, American man Jesse (Ethan Hawke) who meets a young woman named Celine (Julie Delpy) while on a train to Vienna. They quickly hit it off and decide to go to the dining car to talk. They get to know each other fairly well when Jesse's stop comes. He ecides to take a chance and ask Celine to get off with him as he is only staying for one night becasue he has a fligh back to the United States the next day. Celine agrees and they get off. They start roaming about the city visiting different landmarks and gettin to know each other even better when they stumble upon some sort of fair. They go up into the Riesenrad ferris wheel together just as the sun is starting to set. While up in the ferris wheel, Jesse hints to Celine that he would like to kiss her. Celine gets the hints and kisses Jesse at sunset. As they continue to go about the city they begin to learn more personal details about each other that brings out the connection they have even more. While walking Jesse and Celine come across a man who instead of begging for money tells them he will write them a poem with any single word they choose and if they like it then they can pay him. Celing and Jesse choose the word "milkshake" for their word. The man writes the poem and Celine and Jesse both like it so they pay him. They continue to walk until they come across a cafe and decide to stop. While they are sitting at the cafe a woman who claims to be a fortune teller. She comes over to and asks Celine if she would like her palm read. Celine decides to do it while Jesse thinks it is pointless. They keep walking when they come to a restaurant and stop. While sitting inside Celine and Jesse fake phone conversations as if they were talking to a friend. Both Jese and Celine reveal things about themselves. Since they both know that they will never see each other again they decide to make the most of the time they have together. Jesse gets a bottle of wine and him and Celine go to some sort of park where they lay in the grass together. Jesse tells Celine that if given the choice he would rather marry her then never see her again. Jesse and Celine then decide to have a brief liaison for the night. Morning comes and they both know that Jesse has to leave. They go to the train station where they tell each other that they wanna see each other again and make a deal to meet back in 6 months. They say goodbye and Celine leaves on the train. I thought the movie was good. It presented a romantic movie in a different way instead of the typical hollywood way. It had a lot more dialogue so I feel like I learned more about the characters. I would recommend this movie to others. I give this movie a 4 out of 5.
ReplyDeleteDrew -The Graduate is an entertaining film with textbook filmmaking by Nichols. The soundtrack put Simon and Garfunkel on the map. If you've seen Wayne's World II you'll notice that they replicate the end of the Graduate shot-for-shot with authentic set + props.
ReplyDelete500 Days of Summer is a romantic comedy directed by Marc Webb. The film follows Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who falls hopelessly in love with Summer Finch (Zooey Deshcanel), a new employee at the office he works at. The movie chronicles their 500 day relationship – from the honeymoon phase all the way down to their break up. Summer is up front about not wanting a serious relationship but Tom believes that she’ll change her mind. I really enjoyed this movie! It had the perfect balance of seriousness and humor. It wasn’t a typical romantic comedy film and that made the movie a thousand times better. I liked that it was the guy in the relationship who was the hopeless romantic, not the girl. I also loved the little girl who played Tom’s sister, she was hilarious! Especially in the beginning of the movie when Tom was freaking out. The dialogue was really witty and my favorite quote has to be when Tom and Summer are in the pancake place. Summer: “We’ve been like Sid and Nancy for months now.” Tom: “Sid stabbed Nancy, seven times with a kitchen knife, I mean we have some disagreements but I hardly think I'm Sid Vicious.” Summer: “I’m Sid.” And then Tom walks away. Hilarious! Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tom was totally endearing and adorable and Zooey Deschanel did a fantastic job playing carefree Summer. I also like the music in the movie especially the Regina Spektor song, “Us.” One thing I didn’t enjoy was the order they showed the movie in – at times I became confused and had to rewind it. Other than that, I give this movie 5 stars *****.
ReplyDeleteThe graduate directed by Mike Nichols is about a college graduate Ben Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) who is confused about what he should do after 4 long years at college. In the beginning of the movie his parents have a graduation party for him and he is not interested what so ever. There he runs into the Robinson's. Mr. Robinson is Ben's dad's business partner. Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) asks Ben for a ride home, of course he accepts and takes her home. When they arrive home Mrs. Robinson tells him that whenever he wants she is willing to have an affair with him. They go through with this and through the whole thing Ben falls in love with Mrs. Robinson's daughter Elaine(Katharine Ross). They go on one date together and Elaine finds out about his mother's affair and is pissed. Ben goes through multiple struggles to try and gain back her love and affection. I liked this movie overall and the idea of never giving up but he did some creepy things. For example: When Ben told his parents he is marrying Elaine but she has no idea about it.. kinda creeps me out. Following her on the bus..that was just funny.Also what bothered me was in the beginning of the movie people would try to speak to ben at his own graduation party and he would say excuse me, or one moment, and walk away from every single person. I liked how he never gave up on himself and followed his heart even after Mrs. Robinson told him he couldn't date her daughter. I would give this movie 4****. Hope my review was a little different from drews.
ReplyDeleteI watched Momento, directed by Christopher Nolan. Before i start the review, i would like to note the fact that it took me about 10 minutes to figure out how to even play the movie. the title screen messes with your head, but then i found directions in the dvd box... awesome. Anyway, The film tells two stories about the same person, Leonard, one in real time, giving us information of what is wrong with Leonard. The other story goes back in time, starting with him killing the man we believe killed his wife, and each time we go back to this story it shows us what happened before the previous "back-in-time" story. The two stories go back in forth within minutes of eachother. The reason we don't know what happens before each story is because we only know what Leonard knows, and he has short term memory loss. The review seems very confusing, and thats because i dont want to get into the storyline too much because i know ill miss a million things because it moved so fast. This movie gets a 4 stars, only because it was very fast-paced, otherwise it was great. It is definitely something i recommend, but watch it by yourself because you cannot be distracted.
ReplyDeletePulp Fiction is now one of my favorite movies ever made. It is directed by Quentin Tarentino and stars John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, and Bruce Willis. This film is not a traditional one, as it is not shown chronologically, there are five sections shown from three different point of views, and there really isn't a protagonist. The plot is hard to type out, but essentially it is the life of a few people over the period of a few days. John Travolta plays Vincent, Samuel L. Jackson plays Jules, Bruce Willis plays Butch and Uma Thurman plays Mia Wallace. Jules and Vincent are hitmen for Marsellus Wallace, the big cheese of the town, Butch is a boxer who is paid by Marsellus to throw the fight but instead bets everything for him to win, and Mia Wallace is Marsellus' wife. Beyond that i can not explain more except that everyone needs to watch this movie. 5/5
ReplyDeleteA clockwork orange was directed by Stanley Kubrick. It stars Malcolm McDowell as Alex, a youth in a futuristic Britain with Alex as the narrator. It opens up with Alex and his "droogs" in a bar. They leave and partake in their usual activites which include beating up helpless people, getting into gang fights, and entering random people's houses and beating and raping them while singing "singin' in the rain". This is the norm for this gang until alex's droogs grow resentful towards their leader. During one of their escapdes after Alex murders a lady, his droogs hit Alex with a glass bottle and leave him for the police. Once he is in prison Alex learns of a way to leave prison early by undergoing a treatment to change a person. Alex, believing that this treatment won't work, feigns wanting to become a better person in order to receive the treatment. While in this treatment, Alex is given an injection and is forced to watch several movies of people fighting and raping others. Later to prove he is "cured" the doctors tempt Alex to fight and have sex causing him to feel sick and want to die. Alex is released to the world and everyone has moved on without him. His old droogs are now cops but still hate Alex and nearly kill him and Alex is left wandering in the middle of nowhere and stumbles upon the house of a man he paralyzed and whose wife he killed. Alex is drugged and locked in the second story room and forced to listen to Beethovens ninth which was the music to one of the treatments so Alex ends up jumping out the window trying to kill himself. He wakes up in a hospital where he gets cured of his cure. This movie is very weird but does make people think about what's right and wrong when dealing with those who do not fit in with society. I give this film 5/5
ReplyDeleteErin Brockovich is directed by Steven Soderbergh. It's about a young woman with three children who is a single jobless mother. Her name is Erin Brokovich(played by Julia Roberts. She was in a car accident and hurt her neck and decided to get a lawyer to try to get some money. The case was a major fail and she got nothing out of it. Instead of giving up all hope, she bothers and bothers her lawyer until he agrees to give her a job to make up for her loss of money. Everyone in the office thinks of Erin as white trash or a hoosier because of the way she dresses and the way she talks and approaches things, but this all soon changes. As she is sorting through some paperwork, she notices something funny about one case involving Pacific Gas and Electric Company. She asks her boss to further investigate and finds out that the company is trying to quietly buy land that was contaminated by a deadly toxin the company had been dumping. The toxins are deadly to the people in the area. Her discoveries lead to one of the biggest law cases in American History involving billions of dollars. Not so much a hoosier anymore. My favorite part of the movie was how Erin never gave up on herself even when things kept getting worse and worse. She continued digging deeper and deeper to help others and isn't selfish. Another thing I like is how she proved all of the people in her office wrong, they all looked at her as trash and worthless but she came out with one of the most successful cases in history. I love how this is based off of a true story. It is touching and unique and I know there are real people with real struggles out there. I didn't like how predictable the movie was at some times. I would have to give this movie 4 out of 5 *****.
ReplyDeleteAmerican History X directed by :tony Kaye
ReplyDeleteIts about a boy named derek that has just returned from prison to find him in the same web of mess that got him into prison in the first place.Derek(Edward Norton)is the right hand man of a neo-NAZi and he finally realizes that everyone is equal and that life shouldn't be this way. His younger brother Danny( Edward Furlong) is NAZI youth you could say and Derek tries to save him from everything that he went through and to say him from the same mistake he made. Main conflict of the film is when the head guy recruits teenagers and brainwashes them into believeing the same veiws and things about other races that he does. The conflict is never really resolved it only escaldes to where danny ends up being killed in the bathroom at his own highschool. This film is similar to DTRT because it has two directors that aren't afriad to go where other people won't about everyday tentions between races. I would recommend this film to others because it will open their eyes and make them think in a different way and it will help them understand some of the daily struggles that some people go through.
-Alyssa Manley
Fast times at Ridgemont High
ReplyDeleteWe are taken along for the jorney of stacey Hamiltion( Jennifer Jason Leigh) and her friends Mark Ratenr(Brain Backer),and their older friends Linda Barrett(Phoebe Crates)and Mike Damone(Brian Romanus) who think that they are much smater about the younger one in sex and romance. We find out about how her brother works at the popluar burger joint and how is he is working to pay off his car and work everything out with his girlfriend. We also find out that Stacey who is 15 and thinks she is ready to have sex.She has sex for the first time with a boy who is 26 and he believes that she is 19. We also find more out about Mark "RAT" who works acroos the street at the movies with Staceys brother. He thinks that he is a "ladies man" and staceys borther convinces him to ask her out well after finding out that Rat has a big crush on her she invites him into her room after their dates but as soon as nhe realizes that she is wanting sex he leaves. Later in the movie we see Damont ask stacey if she needs a ride home and she invites him in and they have sex but after he has some malfunctions he gets embrassed and leaves. she come to find out that she s pregnant and tell damont and he agrees to pay for half of the cost to get an abortion but when he is unable to come up with his half she tells him to go bowling and he finds he going to the clinic to get an abortion. They both agree not to tell eachothers parents and they went on their way.After confiding in her friend Linda about how he blew her off, linda become enraged and spray paints obsecen things on his locker and car and at the end of the movie we find that Stacey and Rat are having a love affair and they haven't gone all the way yet. The main conflict is stacey getting pregnant and the resolution is that she get an abortion. this film is similiar to ones i have seen but they never get the abortion they end up having the kid. My favorite part is when he runs out after having his malfunctions. I would recoomend this movie because it shows some what of what highschool is like and it helps show kids that sex isnt always going to end up being what they think and it could end up with you being pregnant.
To Die For is a movie directed by Gus Van Sant starring Nicole Kidman and Matt Dillon, both well know stars in other big films. The movie is about a woman named Suzanne Stone who is an aspiring television star who will stop at nothing to get on TV. Her husband, Larry Maretto comes from an Italian family and his family is not supportive of him marrying Suzanne. He has promised to never get in her way but as their marriage goes on he wants to start a family and spend more time together which would get in her way. She realizes that staying with him will get in her way of being a star, so she starts having an affair with a student to persuade the student to kill her husband so she can focus on her career. I enjoyed the movie and it offers a great plot and a great lead up to his death, giving it a 5 out of 5.
ReplyDeleteMarc Webb directs 500 days of Summer starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deshcanel. Joseph plays Tom and Zooey plays Summer. Tom works wiht Summer and is starting to gain feelings for her but is too afraid to do anything about it until they finally hook up. However, there is a bit of a role reversal in all of this as she does not want a relationship and he does, but they basically do everything a couple does just without the label. Their "relationship" lasts only a few months and then she eventually says they just need to be friends. I did not enjoy the movie since i would not like it if a girl i liked and eventually fell in love with did not want anything serious but continued to flirt with me and do intimate things couples would do. The role reversal was upsetting to watch as I am a guy and I do not like watching a guy get torn apart by a girl. I found the plot to lack depth and i was confused by all the jumping around in time so i only give it a 2 and a half out of 5.
ReplyDeleteStanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket stars Mathew Modine. He plays Private Joker, the narrator of the story. The first chink of the movie shows a group of marine recruits and their journey into the marines. One of the recruits, Private Pyle, struggles his way through, eventually being advised by Joker, as appointed by Sergeant Hartman. Joker is not known to be very violent, and is gentle with Pyle, getting him through training. Pyle turns out to be one on the sharpest shooters out of the recruits by the time they graduate, but is so fed up with all the crap he got from everybody for messing up, that he shoots Sergeant Hartman and himself dead, right in front of Joker. Joker is sent to Viet Nam as a correspondent Stars and Stripes, a newpaper. He is sent to follow a group in combat for a story in the paper, but when it got rough, he could do nothing more but join the action. The first few minutes of the film were not so clear, but it as very easy to figure out after that. Another film by Kubrick i very much enjoyed. I give it **** out of 5. I took one star off because i was very interested at the end and would have liked to see more.
ReplyDeleteChicago directed and choreographed by Rob Marshall did a superb job also considering the movie won 6 Academy Awards including "Best Picture". I fell absolutely in love with this movie I very enjoyed all the musical numbers and the characters. This movie had an all star cast of Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger, Richard Gere and Queen Latifah. The film took place in the late 1920's Chicago and follows the events of women murderess' and in particular Roxie (Zellweger)she kills the man shes having an affair with because he actually does not have connections to make her famous. Roxie goes to female prison and later meets lawyer Billy Flynn to help her to fame and innocence. The plot furthers from that point and events in the film have a coinciding musical scene. My favorite musical number would have to be "Cell Block Tango". This one is my favorite be cause each female murderess sings and tells the story of each man they murdered. The overall movie was funny,bold and I could watch it over and over. I give the movie a 5 out 5 rating. I recommend to watch this movie at least once only if your acceptable to musicals! enjoy!
ReplyDeleteFar From Heaven directed and written by Todd Haynes. The movie is set in the 1950's a time when race and sexuality weren't so open and accepting. The typical 1950's house wife Cathy Whitaker(Julianne Moore) deals with both issues and pressures with her society/class. Cathy Whitakers husband (Dennis Quaid)is caught cheating with a co-worker and diagnose with an "illness". Cathy questioning the standards of her class and becomes friends with an African-American. This movie is loaded with questions, truth, drama and romance. I almost feel it's a little too much controversial issues going on at once with homosexuality, racial, and societal issues.Even though I think it's too much, I really enjoyed the film. I would rate the movie a 4 out of 5.
ReplyDeleteTrue Romance, directed by Tony Scott and written by my all time favorite director, Quentin Tarantino is an action movie with a lot of love thrown in. It stared Patricia Arquette as Alabama, a call girl who recently moved from Florida to Detroit, Michigan where the story takes place. After being hired to "call on" Clarence (Christian Slater) for his birthday, they fall in love in less than 24 hours and get married. Clarence decides to go get Alabama's things from her pimp's house and all kinds of shenanigans happen ending in the murder of the pimp and Clarence mistakenly takes a suitcase full of cocaine. The adventure that follows is the result of this mix up. This is my new favorite movie of all time because of the light-hearted xylophone music that plays when Alabama and Clarence are showing/feeling the True Romance and the action that happens when they're being chased by the mob. This movie has something for everyone and that's why I'm giving it 17 thumbs up. Go out and see it!
ReplyDeleteTwelve Monkeys, directed by Terry Gilliam is an intense sci-fi thriller that messes with your mind and keeps you guessing. Bruce Willis plays a criminal in an underground prison in the future who is sent back in time (to present day) to find the source of a virus that killed the majority of the human population that caused the rest of the population to live underground. He is thrown back and forth between times to the point where he questions his sanity (partly because he ends up in an insane asylum in the past/our present). This movie keeps you on the edge of your seat and might even make you question your own sanity. I liked this movie despite the fact that it took me three attempts to watch it all the way through. 10 out of 12 monkeys for Twelve Monkeys.
ReplyDeleteThumberSucker is about 17-year old Justin Cobb (Lou Taylor Pucci) who has an oral obsession. He never stopped sucking his thumb. It has become a secret addiction a dirty secret he tries to hide from everyone. In school, between classes, he sneaks into the bathroom for a quick suck. At home, he does it behind closed doors. It infuriates his father, Mike (Vincent D'Onofrio), who can't understand why a teenager won't give up such a childish habit. His mother, Audrey (Tilda Swinton), is more supportive. His orthodontist, Dr. Perry Lyman (Keanu Reeves), hypnotizes him in an attempt to sort out the situation. But Justin is not fixed and his unwillingness to conquer his addiction causes him to lose a chance with a potential girlfriend, Rebecca (Kelli Garner), another member of the school debating team.
ReplyDeleteJustin is diagnosed with ADHD. His is given a prescription for Ritalin that focuses his concentration, makes him more upbeat, and allows him to give up thumbsucking. Suddenly, he's the star of the debating team, but his teacher, Mr. Geary (Vince Vaughn), is alarmed by the changes in Justin's personality. The next time Justin encounters Rebecca, she has become a stoner, and he's looking to add both marijuana and sex to his list of new experiences.
I enjoyed watching thumbsuckers because it is well acted, and it focuses on a problem that many teenagers face but dont know how to express.
Raising Arizona is a 1987 film. H.I. McDonnough (Nicholas Cage) is criminal who has been arrested so often that he gets to know "Ed," short for Edwina (Holly Hunter), the officer who takes his mug shots. Hi takes a shine to Ed and promises to go straight if she marries him. She accepts, and they move to the Arizona desert, where Hi holds down a factory job and blissfully watches the sunsets with Ed. Their serenity is shattered when the couple decides that they want a child and discover that Ed is unable to have kids. Ed goes into a severe depression until she sees an item in the news. Nathan Arizona (Trey Wilson), owner of a chain of unpainted furniture stores, has become the father of quintuplets, and he and his wife joke that they now have more children than they know what to do with. In what seems like a perfect "helps you, helps me" situation, Hi and Ed kidnap one of the Arizona infants, figuring that they'll have a baby and the Arizonas will have less of a burden.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of the movie is when the police were chaceing HI because he stole a package pampers. If you like comidies then i recommened you watch this film.
Thumbsuckers is about 17-year old Justin Cobb (Lou Taylor Pucci) has an oral obsession. He never stopped sucking his thumb. It has become a secret addiction a dirty secret he tries to hide from everyone. In school, between classes, he sneaks into the bathroom for a quick suck. At home, he does it behind closed doors. It infuriates his father, Mike (Vincent D'Onofrio), who can't understand why a teenager won't give up such a childish habit. His mother, Audrey (Tilda Swinton), is more supportive. His orthodontist, Dr. Perry Lyman (Keanu Reeves), hypnotizes him in an attempt to sort out the situation. But Justin is not fixed and his unwillingness to conquer his addiction causes him to lose a chance with a potential girlfriend, Rebecca (Kelli Garner), another member of the school debating team.
ReplyDeleteJustin is diagnoseD as having ADHD. His is given a prescription for Ritalin that focuses his concentration, makes him more upbeat, and allows him to give up thumbsucking. Suddenly, he's the star of the debating team, but his teacher, Mr. Geary (Vince Vaughn), is alarmed by the radical changes to Justin's personality. The next time Justin encounters Rebecca, she has become a stoner, and he's looking to add both marijuana and sex to his list of new experiences.
Raising Arizona is bout HI McDonnough (Nicholas Cage) a criminal who has been arrested so often that he gets to know "Ed," short for Edwina (Holly Hunter), the officer who takes his mug shots. Hi takes a shine to Ed and promises to go straight if she marries him. She accepts, and they move to the Arizona desert, where Hi holds down a factory job and blissfully watches the sunsets with Ed. Their serenity is shattered when the couple decides that they want a child and discover that, ED is unable to have children. Ed goes into a severe depression until she sees an item in the news. Nathan Arizona (Trey_Wilson), owner of a chain of unpainted furniture stores, has become the father of quintuplets, and he and his wife joke that they now have more children than they know what to do with. In what seems like a perfect "helps you, helps me" situation, Hi and Ed kidnap one of the Arizona infants, figuring that they'll have a baby and the Arizonas will have less of a burden.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of the movie is when the cops are chancing HI because he stole a pack of pampers. I recommend this movie to any one who likes comidies
Face/Off stars (John Travolta) as Sean Archer, an FBI agent obsessed with capturing Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage), a criminal genius who years before killed Archer's son while trying to murder the agent. Archer's single-minded pursuit of Troy has caused serious harm to his marriage, but Archer thinks the light may have appeared at the end of the tunnel when a seriously wounded Troy is captured in a bloody shootout. However, it turns out that Troy has planted a time bomb, with a biological payload that could destroy the entire city of Los Angeles -- and Troy isn't about to say where it is. The only other person who knows the bomb's location is Troy's brother, Pollux (Alessandro Nivola), who is no more helpful than Castor. FBI scientists have come up with a plan, they have developed an experimental surgery which would allow them to graft Troy's face temporarily on Archer's head and allow him to question Pollux as if he were his brother. But after Archer has taken Troy's face, Troy regains consciousness and forces the doctors to give him Archer's face. Now the criminal mastermind has the FBI at his disposal, and the lawman is underground with few places to turn.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this movie, it had action, mystery, and a little bit of comedy.
Network stars Howard Beale (Peter Finch), the dean of newscasters at the United Broadcasting System, who is put out to pasture because he skews old. Network executive Max Schumacher (William Holden), Howard's best friend, is forced to deliver the bad news. Beale can't stomach the idea of losing his 25-year post as anchorman simply because of age, so in his next broadcast he announces to the viewers that he's going to commit suicide on his final program. Network head Frank Hackett (Robert Duvall) is all for kicking Beale out then and there, but when it looks as though the UBS is going to have its greatest ratings ever on the night of Beale's self-destruction, ambitious programming exec Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway) talks Hackett into treating that fateful final telecast as a special event. Naturally, Beale doesn't go through with it but he does begin rambling about the horrible state of the world in general and television in particular. He concludes his tirade by admonishing his viewers to "Go to the window and shout as loud as you can: 'I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!'" With that, Howard Beale becomes the hottest TV personality in America, and Diana becomes the network's fair-haired girl. She draws up plans to treat the nightly news broadcast as garish entertainment all built around the rants of Beale, billed as "The Mad Prophet of the Airwaves."
ReplyDeleteDriving Miss Daisy, directed by Bruce Beresford, shows us how old southern prejudice can be overcome by time. Miss Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy) is a Jewish southern raised woman strictly set in her ways and prejudice. Her chauffeur Hoke Colburn (Morgan Freeman), through the years establishes a relationship with Miss Daisy through driving her around. Over a period of twenty years, the relationship grows from Hoke not even being allowed to drive, to a close friendship. The main conflict in the film touches on the issue of overcoming prejudice. In Driving Miss Daisy, time is the main factor in resolving this conflict. Each drive spent with Hoke allows Miss Daisy to slowly let go of her old southern ways. My favorite part, which was also very touching, was the scene when Miss Daisy is looking for her letters (letters from years ago that aren't around anymore. At this time Miss Daisy is very old and her memory is slipping). She is frustrated because she thinks Hoke moved them. After Hoke sits her down and calls her son she tells him, "Hoke, you are my only friend". At this point I believe Beresford is conveying that Miss Daisy has accepted Hoke and renounced the old south in her. I give this movie 5 stars ***** because I really enjoy films with Morgan Freeman. Plus, it is witty and touching.
ReplyDeleteCarrie is a 1976 movie directed by Brian de Palma. It was adapted from a novel of the same name by Stephen King. It stars Sissy Spacek (Carrie), Piper Laurie (Mrs. White), Amy Irving (Sue Snell) and a bunch of others. The movie follows Carrie White, socially awkward teenager who develops special powers (telekinesis). Raised by her strict mother by religious teachings she didn't fit in well with the kids at school (they made fun of her all the time and enjoyed pulling pranks on her). The movie comes to a climax at the senior prom. Some students think it would be funny to vote Carrie prom queen so they do. After she's announced prom queen, she gets on stage and is somewhat shocked but yet is still happy. As the final prank on her, when she receives her crown and flowers, a giant bucket of pig blood is spilled onto her. Angry and upset, Carrie uses her power of telekinesis and lights the room on fire which causes the death of all her classmates. When she comes home she kills her mom in self defense because her mom was gonna kill her. Although the movie was creepy, I enjoyed watching it because I wanted to know what would happen next after Carrie had fully developed her powers.. The best scene was the prom scene because the red lighting made Carrie look really CREEPY. And Sissy Spacek's (Carrie) eyes was scary as well. I give this movie 4 out 5 stars, I enjoyed watching it but it's probably not something I wanna re-watch five times.
ReplyDeleteBefore Sunset was directed by Richard Linklater and is the sequel to Before Sunrise. In Before Sunset, Jesse and Celine who had originally planned to meet 6 months after they both left Vienna finally meet after 9 years. Since then Jesse has written a novel about his experience he had with Celine. Jesse is on a book tour promoting his novel in Europe when at a reading he sees Celine in the audience. Jesse invites Celine to spend time with him before he has to leave. They only have a hour together so like before when they first met they make the best of the time they have. They quickly get to personal details such as Jesse is married and has a son and isn't happy with his marriage and that he only stays with his wife for his sons sake. Celine tells Jesse that she has a boyfriend but is unhappy because they don't see each other very often because he usually on assignment. They quickly get to the conversation of why they did not meet 6 months after they met. Jesse tells Celine that he was there in Vienna and Celine tells Jesse that she was not able to make it because right before they were suppose to meet her grandmother died. As they continue to talk they go through Paris where they go to a cafe and garden and then eventually end up in the car that Jesse is using while in Paris. Slowly the feelings they had for one another years ago start to come out again. As Jesse is spilling his feelings for Celine, she goes to reach out to touch him but then thinks better of it and stops herself. Finally they arrive at Celine's appartment where Jesse comes to find out that Celine plays the guitar and convinces her to play a waltz. The lyrics to the song are about their experience together. Celine then starts to dance to a CD that Jesse puts in. She then reminds him that he is going to miss his plane and Jesse just smiles at her and that is how the film ends. I think this film was even better than the first one. The dialogue again was great. I wasn't happy though with how they left it. I like to know exactly what happens at the end of films. I would rate this film 5 out of 5.
ReplyDeleteThe Man Who Wasn't There was directed by Joel and Ethan Coen (aka the Coen Brothers). The story is about Ed Crane( Billybob Thorton) trying to escape the dull life he lives. There are many things about this movie I cannot say without ruining the movie, but the technique the Coen Brothers use to shoot this movie is peculiar. The movie is seen through the pov of Ed Crane Throughout the entire movie. The audience hears his thoughts on every little thing he does and wants to do. Most of the movie the audience never sees Crane talking aloud, only his thoughts are said over the scene This movie is also shot in black and white which makes everything seem lifeless. I don't know what else to say about this movie, but I give it a 4 out of 5. Other actors in this movie are Frances McDormand and James Gandolfini.
ReplyDeleteThe Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, directed by John Ford is probably one of the top ten movies I would recommend watching. The story is about Ransom Stoddard( James Stewart), attorney at law, moving west to open up a law firm. On his way there he is robbed by highway bandits where he tries to fend them off, unfortunately he gets beaten to near death by Liberty Valance, the biggest outlaw in that area. His life is saved when, Tom Doniphan (John Wayne), finds him and brings him back to town to nurse him back to health. After recovering, he vows to bring down Liberty Valance with the law, but unfortunately for him he is told his law has no power in the west and he must use a gun, something against his moral code. This movie started off with a pretty good bang because at the start of the movie our hero is beat up and told his ways are not accepted in their culture. Although being told this he sticks to his ways and tries to bring down, Liberty Valance, a man everyone is fearful off( except Tom Doniphan). This movie is in black and white because it had to be, it was not out of choice like the Coen Brothers. Anyway I give this movie a 5 out of 5 because it is a classic story of heroism.
ReplyDeleteGroundhog Day
ReplyDeleteits about about a weather man that is sent to cover the story on what he calls the "rat", he doesnt try to hide how upset he is and the next morning he wakes up to find that its groundhog day again and again and again... at first he takes advantage of it but then he realizes that he is going to have to be doing the same thing over and over again and he doesnt care too much for that part of it. This is a harold Ramis film. The main characters are played by Phil the weather man is played by bill murray and rita is played by andi macdowell. i wouldnt say that this film is relatable to anyother other than some of the movies that have the werid twist of being able to freeze time or to do things over again and again till you get it right. I would recommend it because it has a good story line and it is a comedy that will keep you laughing.
a mischiveous plan sought out to rob a bank. The story behind robbing the bank, has a good story.
ReplyDeleteDalton (Clive owen) goes into a Manhatten bank to what the people inside think as a robbery. Daltons plan was to walk in to that bank and walk right out without stealing a dime, the only thing he was stealing was a ring, the owner of the bank stole from a former jewish friend from the hualocaust. Through out this robbery a New york detective named Keith Frazier tries to figure why the inside man is doing what he's doing. the inside man, was holding the manhatten bank up to steal that ring, what nobody knows is that the ring belongs to the decendent grandson of the jewish man. The whole scheme goes accordingly and the inside man walks out the front door with the ring. I would recommend this to others because if they like movies then this a movie for them to see. Is not like anyother movies i have seen or that i could compare them too. i liked this movie and you recommend it
Shawshank Redemption...easily the best movie involving any relation to prison and one of the few Stephen King works I could actually get in to. Starring Tim Robbins and of course Morgan Freeman, and directed by Frank Darabont- this film is about a man who is sent to prison for murdering his wife and her "lover". His life in prison starts off, i suppose, as any other but quickly changes and becomes like nothing anyone had expected. This film has it all: the obvious drama, but with comic relief when needed and even a few very sad scenes.
ReplyDeleteLikes: great dialogue, creative plot, and Tim Robbins is incredible (better than Morgan Freeman!)
Dislikes: truthfully nothing, it was really very good. Even if you don't enjoy the prison setting i think you can appreciate this film.
The Silence of the Lambs...dark and creepy yet containing some the best dialogue I've yet to encounter. Conversations that would make some uncomfortable but within them is much deeper meaning. Young, vulnerable Clarice (Jodie Foster), an FBI agent on the trail of a psychotic serial killer is sent to seek the help of just that: a psychotic mastermind cannibal called Hannibal Lecter who is in a mental hospital/holding facility. Hannibal, played by Anthony Hopkins, does what he can to help Clarice but doesn't work for free. Wicked movie, sick dialogue, and just when youre getting a little bored someone's face literally gets ripped off...enjoy.
ReplyDeleteGroundhog Day...a fun film with hidden, deep intentions. Directed by Harold Ramis, and starring Bill F***ING Murray! I know that's not his middle name but...
ReplyDeleteMaybe you won't find scenes with incredible camera angles and interpretive lighting but this film really makes you think. It's about a weatherman who "gets" to relive the worst day of his life over and over again forever. Or does he? There is a way to end the curse...will he succeed. What would you do with that oppurtunity? How would you try and fix it?
Pulp Fiction is a film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The film tells three stories simultaneously. The first being Ringo (Tim Roth) and Yolanda (Amanda Plummer)as they attempt to hold up a diner. The next story is of Vincent (John Travolta) and Jules (Samuel L Jackson) to hitmen that are on a job to recover a case for Marcellus Wallace (Ving Rhames). Finally the third story follows Butch Coolige (Bruce Willis) and his plan to throw a fight and scam the books. As the movie progresses the stories slowly intertwine, until it finally all connects with the final scene, where the first scene with Ringo and Yolanda is repeated and it is revealed that Vincent and Jules are there too which causes a sort of a "mexican standoff". The standoff ends with Ringo and Yolanda making off with the other patrons wallets and Vincent and Jules leaving the diner. Tarantino does an incredible job as far as story telling, by telling it out of order we as an audience have to attempt to put the story together and remember details form the other bits. One part that adds a lot of tension is half way through the movie we see Vincent killed by Butch, but then later we see him alive and well which makes us question why he was inside Butch's house? Tarantino also does a great job by building tension by taking a scene to a point where action could occur but then holds it there adding suspense. For example when Vincent and Jules realize they're early for a hit they casual walk down the hall the camera is stationary saying that as an audience we want to go in. But, they continue there conversation down the hall then when its time they return to finish the hit. I also loved how the ultra violence was almost comedic in some parts like the accidental killing of Marvin. Over all the movie was amazingly done, with great cinematography, incredible story telling, and the dark humor. My rating is 5/5
ReplyDeleteChildren of Men,directed by Alfonso Cuaron, is simply magnificent and truly a piece of art.
ReplyDeleteTheo, Clive Owen,lives in the year 2027 and it has been a whole eighteen years since a child has been born. Theo is kidnapped and given a mission, to escort a pregnant immigrant girl into Britain. This task seems easy except for the fact that only British people, like Theo, are treated with any respect and any immigration into Britain is illegal. Theo comes to realizes his captors are planning to murder him after he helps the girl, who is unaware of his death sentence. Theo, in the black of night, retrieves the girl along with an ally and escaped from the captors. Throughout the movie Mis-En-scenes are used to fill pieces of the plot together and to generate an alternate theme for the higher conscious viewers. Some of these scenes include the purity of spirituality and how one benefits from it, Marijuana should be legal, and when we fight, no matter for what cause, we will only be hurting ourselves in the end.
Children of Men is a movie everyone should see for it shows how unneeded violence is and how one can live, easily, in harmony, alone. Chaos is like an infection that spread throughout the world, much like the infertility epidemic, and Britain "blocked" themselves from it, but one knows resistance leads to persistence. By enforcing the no immigration law, minorities were treated like animals and anti-britain/militia, such as he captors, were created, through this hate.
Theo and many allies risk their lives and even their purity of heart to save the human race which is only just killing itself. The movie, needless to say, is "F**king Epic" and truly depicts the world and how it can, easily,look 16 years from now.
It is ironic, for at the beginning of the movie, Theo smokes cigarettes and drank Whiskey but throughout the movie he trades his cigarettes for help and uses the alcohol to help deliver the baby, this shows how Theo changed from a single minded enslaved Britain to a man who will risk anything to safe humanities last chance. The Baby, born completely opposite that of Christ, a sign of the chaos us humans bring.
Spiritual messages such as the third eye and shanti are shown to us by characters such as jasper. Aside from the inner peace we all try to rind there is struggle which makes it hard to find that peace, this is shown by the scene when Theo is leaving the building with Kee and Dylan, her child, all the military is standing, stricken by the sight of a child. within seconds firing is heard and all the men are back in a gunfight, showing how fast peace can turn to chaos.
Other than being spiritual Children of Men was an exciting and action packed movie with many gunfights, I literally felt like I was playing "Black ops". Through the violence a lesson was learned for none of it payed off in the end, the only two who lived were Kee and Dylan, the pure hearted. This is foreshadowed when Theo bashes Syd upside the head with a rock, seconds later jabbing his foot on glass, cutting his foot. This scene alone stuck out to me as instant karma and that whenever one joins in on the violence they get hurt back, or killed.
Overall I rate it a 6/5 because all the themes I can actually relate to reality and my own life, and also the cinematography was amazing, such as the scene where Theo is having a discussion about Kee, who you can see outside through the hole in the broken window.
If you haven't seen it watch it!
Children of Men.
Battle LA is an Alien vs. Humanity film that is 20x times better than Skyline but that isn't saying much. When I saw the previews for this movie I knew that this was going to be a very simple film. Well I was right. Battle: Los Angeles is a very simple movie with a very simple premise: Marines shoot the living hell out of aliens. Does that mean this is a bad movie? Well it depends on what you are looking for. If you are looking for a really well thought out film with lots of character development, clever dialogue and interesting subplots this is not the film for you. The dialogue is poorly written and delivered half decently, but not well. Most of the storyline is pretty standard war movie/alien invasion stuff. From the moment we first encounter the aliens till the end the movie is mostly “nonstop thrill ride”. The action is unpredictable and zany. One minute everyone will be walking somewhere between point A and B, the next, they're crouching behind burned out cars and houses as aliens pour ungodly hellfire onto them from above. That being said, the movie suffers when it slows down. The biggest crime this film commits is that at times it wants to be a different film than what it is. Like somewhere in the middle things get slow and the film tries to become more than a shoot ‘em up alien invasion film by raising “philosophical” questions like “do you think they are force to fight by their leaders? Maybe they don’t want to fight as much as we don’t” or by hinting that the reason aliens are invading is because they ran out of water on their home planet, thus making the aliens less of bad guys and more “ they were forced into this” kind of situation. The film also tries to pull at our heart strings by having the father of a little boy die heroically .But it just end up feeling forced and Oscar bait. Not to also mention that even I f you were to "leave your brain at home" it is still a pretty bad film. For the most part I would say the film is below average and would agree with Rotten Tomatoes “Overlong and overly burdened with war movie clichés, Battle: Los Angeles will entertain only the most ardent action junkies”
ReplyDelete