This is one of my favorite movies and surprisingly, many of my friends have not watched it! I loved the plot of the movie, the child who grew up with nothing had the street smarts and won the girl in the end! It is such a good rags-to-riches story!
The screen format was wide screen, this was perfect for the film's visual effectiveness. The bold color schemes enhanced the feeling of being in the country of India. The hyperactive/extreme camera views makes the audience feel as though they are in the movie and enjoying the beautiful surroundings of India.
According to The Art of Watching Films, the setting is the time and place in which the film's story occurs. Although the setting may often seem unobtrusive or be taken for granted, it is an essential ingredient in any story and makes an important contribution to the theme or total effect of a film. The four factors that effect the story as a whole include: Temporal factors, geographic factors, social structures and economic factors and customs, moral attitudes and codes of behavior.
The story of Jamal and the street life of a slum dog in India is emotionally dynamic. He and his brother learn the ways of the streets to make money and survive. Jamal during the interrogation has flashbacks of why he knows the answers on the game show. The stories were shocking and made me side with Jamal, he deserved good/wealth in his life!
The ending of the movie was amazing! The game show host gives him the answer for the final question and Jamal didn't fall for it, he used his street smarts once again! Throughout the movie the music was of the Indian culture which enhanced the setting. Then the final scene; Jamal gets the girl and they all dance to Bollywood music! This movie contained the drama, suspense and perfect love story!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
The Others
This horror movie is based on the English coast during the years of World War II. The characters in the movie were dressed appropriately for the era and Grace, the main character in the movie, explained the reason for not having electricity. The darkness sets the mood for creepiness and the children's condition- a photo sensitivity enhances the mood.
According to http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=similar&id=others.htm, the cost of production was $17 million, the Genre was Period, Horror and the total gross of the movie was $96,522,687. The movie was good, not because of the amazing effects, but because of the mood and religious symbolism of the movie.
The movie is told from the ghosts perspective, as they do not realize they are dead. They audience doesn't realize the main characters are dead either until the final moments of the movie. I felt there was something going on with the servants during the movie and was completely surprised by the ending, not only the realization they all were ghosts but the fact the mother killed her children!
The geographic factors were perfect for this film. The Victorian mansion set off on it's own, a cemetery located out in the yard, the lighting effects, long hallways, fifty rooms and the natural occurrences (the looming fog) kept my attention!
According to The Art of Watching Films, explains rough-grain film stock produces a rough, grainy-textured image with harsh contrasts between blacks and whites and almost no subtle contrasts and smooth-grain film stock produces an image that is extremely smooth, or slick. I felt this movie did have a wide range of difference of light and dark and enabled the director to create shadows and contracts effectively for this horror film.
I did enjoy this film, as I do love horror films. I love the type of movie that doesn't use blood and guts to make it scary, instead the director used intelligence and emotion to get the point across!
According to http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=similar&id=others.htm, the cost of production was $17 million, the Genre was Period, Horror and the total gross of the movie was $96,522,687. The movie was good, not because of the amazing effects, but because of the mood and religious symbolism of the movie.
The movie is told from the ghosts perspective, as they do not realize they are dead. They audience doesn't realize the main characters are dead either until the final moments of the movie. I felt there was something going on with the servants during the movie and was completely surprised by the ending, not only the realization they all were ghosts but the fact the mother killed her children!
The geographic factors were perfect for this film. The Victorian mansion set off on it's own, a cemetery located out in the yard, the lighting effects, long hallways, fifty rooms and the natural occurrences (the looming fog) kept my attention!
According to The Art of Watching Films, explains rough-grain film stock produces a rough, grainy-textured image with harsh contrasts between blacks and whites and almost no subtle contrasts and smooth-grain film stock produces an image that is extremely smooth, or slick. I felt this movie did have a wide range of difference of light and dark and enabled the director to create shadows and contracts effectively for this horror film.
I did enjoy this film, as I do love horror films. I love the type of movie that doesn't use blood and guts to make it scary, instead the director used intelligence and emotion to get the point across!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Napoleon Dynamite
The first time I watched this movie, I didn't understand why people loved it. I thought it was terrible, to stupid to be funny. This movie did grow on me, I think it gets better each time I watch it!
The main character Napoleon is a geek in high school with no friends. He becomes friends with the new student, Pedro. Everything is so awkward in the movie; the way they dress, the way they talk and interact and then to end the movie with the famous dance at the school election! The characters are portrayed through appearance, dialogue, external action, internal action, reactions of other characters and dramatic foils.
The foil is contrasting Napoleon and the popular students. The plot of this movie has a good story line, the irony of at first laughing at the main character and then rooting for him in the end. By the end of the movie the geek becomes an idol of the school after his dance and helping his friend win the election.
According to http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/napoleon_dynamite/, 73% of viewers liked the movie and the average rating was a 3 out of 5. I would have to suggest to others, watch the movie again in order to really enjoy the quirkiness of the movie!
The main character Napoleon is a geek in high school with no friends. He becomes friends with the new student, Pedro. Everything is so awkward in the movie; the way they dress, the way they talk and interact and then to end the movie with the famous dance at the school election! The characters are portrayed through appearance, dialogue, external action, internal action, reactions of other characters and dramatic foils.
The foil is contrasting Napoleon and the popular students. The plot of this movie has a good story line, the irony of at first laughing at the main character and then rooting for him in the end. By the end of the movie the geek becomes an idol of the school after his dance and helping his friend win the election.
According to http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/napoleon_dynamite/, 73% of viewers liked the movie and the average rating was a 3 out of 5. I would have to suggest to others, watch the movie again in order to really enjoy the quirkiness of the movie!
Good Will Hunting
I have watched this movie more than once and now have a better understanding of what the director was portraying through the movie. The character Will is a genius from the Southey neighborhood of Boston. He is smart yet doesn't show it in fear of what people will think of him. Will and his friends have grown up in a tough neighborhood and make fun of the "smart Harvard people" calling them pompis, arrogant and stuck up.
I loved when Will told the Harvard student in the bar he could have received the same education from the public library for a lot less then the Harvard tuition and Will stated "at least I wouldn't be unoriginal."
Will was abandoned and abused by the people he trusted as a child because of this he has such a strong loyalty to his friends. He had built up such a wall around him for protection.
Will's psychologist in the movie was from the same neighborhood and really understood him. When he finally broke through to him by repeating "it's not your fault" was amazing! Will is a math genius yet he still needed reassurance that what had happened to him was not his fault!
The symbolism of his friends putting together their money and building him a car for his birthday gave him the opportunity to move on, "to see about a girl." Another symbol was meaning of the painting in the psychologist's office, it portrayed a lonely man in a boat fighting the stormy waters, this was Will struggling.
According to The Art of Watching Films, the movie title is an extremely important clue in identifying it. The character of Will needs to choose what to do with his life and to be able to be intimate with others. He chose to work as a janitor, at MIT, in the math department for a reason. He wanted this for his life but had such personal struggles he didn't know what to do.
I loved when Will told the Harvard student in the bar he could have received the same education from the public library for a lot less then the Harvard tuition and Will stated "at least I wouldn't be unoriginal."
Will was abandoned and abused by the people he trusted as a child because of this he has such a strong loyalty to his friends. He had built up such a wall around him for protection.
Will's psychologist in the movie was from the same neighborhood and really understood him. When he finally broke through to him by repeating "it's not your fault" was amazing! Will is a math genius yet he still needed reassurance that what had happened to him was not his fault!
The symbolism of his friends putting together their money and building him a car for his birthday gave him the opportunity to move on, "to see about a girl." Another symbol was meaning of the painting in the psychologist's office, it portrayed a lonely man in a boat fighting the stormy waters, this was Will struggling.
According to The Art of Watching Films, the movie title is an extremely important clue in identifying it. The character of Will needs to choose what to do with his life and to be able to be intimate with others. He chose to work as a janitor, at MIT, in the math department for a reason. He wanted this for his life but had such personal struggles he didn't know what to do.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Casablanca
I was able to watch this movie online through blockbuster.com and I thought the quality of the movie was terrible! The movie's volume was hard to hear even at the highest level. I did like the story line, the love story of Rick and Ilsa during a time of war. I just have a had time understanding why this is considered one of the most loved movies? I found the movie to be quite boring.
The theme of the movie according to The Art of Watching Films, is one of universality. It is one of lasting interest, one that is meaningful not just to people here and now but to all human beings in all ages. The story is about a beautiful woman and a mysterious man, about war, responsibility, courage, duty and most of all, about doing the right thing.
The character Rick chose to do the right thing by losing the one he loves for a second time and helping her to leave with her husband. I did like this ending, showing the commitment of doing the right thing and helping them escape to America. I did also enjoy the famous quotes from the movie; Here's looking at you kid and Go ahead and shoot, you'll do me a favor!
I was not able to view the articles listed for this movie but found out according to http://classicfilm.about.com/od/epicswarmovies/fr/CasablancaRevue.htm the backstory of the movie: A big-budget film for its day, Casablanca was shot almost entirely on sound stages and the studio lot. Based on the unproduced play Everybody Comes to Rick’s, the screenwriters essentially made the story up as they went along, and no one knew exactly how it would end – which may have added to the film’s very real suspense and freshness. In fact, the famous last line of the film wasn’t even recorded until three weeks after shooting ended.
The theme of the movie according to The Art of Watching Films, is one of universality. It is one of lasting interest, one that is meaningful not just to people here and now but to all human beings in all ages. The story is about a beautiful woman and a mysterious man, about war, responsibility, courage, duty and most of all, about doing the right thing.
The character Rick chose to do the right thing by losing the one he loves for a second time and helping her to leave with her husband. I did like this ending, showing the commitment of doing the right thing and helping them escape to America. I did also enjoy the famous quotes from the movie; Here's looking at you kid and Go ahead and shoot, you'll do me a favor!
I was not able to view the articles listed for this movie but found out according to http://classicfilm.about.com/od/epicswarmovies/fr/CasablancaRevue.htm the backstory of the movie: A big-budget film for its day, Casablanca was shot almost entirely on sound stages and the studio lot. Based on the unproduced play Everybody Comes to Rick’s, the screenwriters essentially made the story up as they went along, and no one knew exactly how it would end – which may have added to the film’s very real suspense and freshness. In fact, the famous last line of the film wasn’t even recorded until three weeks after shooting ended.
On the Waterfront
I thought the movie was good but not great. I think it would have been more interesting if it would have shown more of Marlon Brando's,Terry Malloy, boxing days. I found myself loosing interest and wishing I could have fast forward some parts of the movie. I did love the ending of this movie, Terry standing up after the fight and walking onto the ship with his fellow union workers following him.
According to The Art of Watching Films, Boxers are often treated in films with the dignity theme. In On the Waterfront, Terry Malloy achieves his dignity by leading the dock workers to rebel against a corrupt union, but Malloy's summary of his boxing career echoes clearly his personal struggle. I do agree the theme of this film is the struggle for human dignity but I also think moral implications would apply. The character, Terry Malloy does not agree with the corruption of the union but he follows their actions anyways, he accepts the money from them, while laying around on the job.
The actors in the movie did a great job for the time period of the 1950's. The actors in the movie were more stiff and less relate able compared to actors nowadays. The mood of the film was perfect for the time period showing the struggles to make money and the corruption of the Mob. The example of the fight between the non chosen union workers when money was thrown into the crowd; situations like that really do happen and did happen in those days. The style of the movie stands out and withstands time because of the varying aspects of the movie relating to the audience. It contained people that were wronged by others, the disadvantaged, a love story-falling in love with opposite side, the Father standing with his people, the corruption and the people who lose a sense of their morals.
I found this article very interesting, to read a point of view that was published back in 1954.
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9403e6df113ee53bbc4151dfb166838f649ede
According to The Art of Watching Films, Boxers are often treated in films with the dignity theme. In On the Waterfront, Terry Malloy achieves his dignity by leading the dock workers to rebel against a corrupt union, but Malloy's summary of his boxing career echoes clearly his personal struggle. I do agree the theme of this film is the struggle for human dignity but I also think moral implications would apply. The character, Terry Malloy does not agree with the corruption of the union but he follows their actions anyways, he accepts the money from them, while laying around on the job.
The actors in the movie did a great job for the time period of the 1950's. The actors in the movie were more stiff and less relate able compared to actors nowadays. The mood of the film was perfect for the time period showing the struggles to make money and the corruption of the Mob. The example of the fight between the non chosen union workers when money was thrown into the crowd; situations like that really do happen and did happen in those days. The style of the movie stands out and withstands time because of the varying aspects of the movie relating to the audience. It contained people that were wronged by others, the disadvantaged, a love story-falling in love with opposite side, the Father standing with his people, the corruption and the people who lose a sense of their morals.
I found this article very interesting, to read a point of view that was published back in 1954.
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9403e6df113ee53bbc4151dfb166838f649ede
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