Final Movie Blog

12. Freaks: This film really aggravated me and it was rather hard to watch. However, Browning's ability to utilize real actors for a film like Freaks was impressive to me.
11.Killer of Sheep: This film was a bit too slow moving for my enjoyment, but I did respect the film for what it was. The historical context used was pretty fascinating.
10.Awara: This film was a bit too long for me and just wasn't my type of film. I did, however, enjoy the effect the music had on the plot.
9. Sherlock Jr.: I have not seen too many silent/ black and white films in my days, but this film really proved to me that through the use of slapstick humour and other cinematographic strategies a silent film can be just as entertaining, if not more, than contemporary films.
8. Detour: This was another black and white film that impressed me. The strong female characters kept this one entertaining for me.
7. Wendy and Lucy: Although this film was rather slow moving, I was impressed as to how much I enjoyed it. After discussion in class, I realized that this film actually is a chick-flick. After this realization, I appreciated the film more because of its non traditional take on the "chick-flick" genre.
6. My Own Private Idaho: This was no Brokeback Mountain in my opinion. Gus Van Sant's use of Shakespeare really intrigued me and I felt like this film incorporated some very realistic scenarios.
5. Vanishing: I thought the cinematography in this film was excellent. The final scene where Raymond watches his family go about doing their daily business right above the dead bodies was truly a fascinating piece of film.
4. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: My grandfather and I used to always watch Western films when I was younger so I was pretty excited to see this film on the list. Although very long, I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and it is hard not to enjoy Clint Eastwood's presence.
3. Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?: Having seen this film once before, my appreciation for the Coen brother's grew even more. Music is a big part of my life so a film that is surrounded by good tunes always has a special place in my heart.
2. End of Watch: I thought David Ayer chose a very unique style of filmmaking in End of Watch. This film really gave me a different perspective on working in the police force. I also didn't feel like this movie was the typical buddy cop film.
1. Moonrise Kingdom: This was my favorite film we watched during this course. Wes Anderson continued his good rep with this one. The interesting and creative shots kept me entertained.

End of Watch

Here is a medium/ longshot that sets up the string of events that is about to take place. This shot is very symmetrical throughout the entire shot. From the doors to the back of the shot by the cross and ceiling this shot reveals symmetry. I thought this was one of the most interesting scenes in the film because there is only one casket. This medium longshot keeps the audience guessing as to who is in the casket.

A few seconds later, the next cut occurs and it is revealed to the audience that Zavala was killed. This is the first closeup that portrays someone who was heavily impacted by the loss of Zavala. This shot yells anger, disgust, and sadness. Because this is the first shot that lets the audience know Zavala was the one killed there is immediately a shock factor on the audience. I think this realization is what made the cut to this shot so powerful to me. 

This medium shot immediately follows the closeup of Taylor. I think this is important to understand because the director could have showed Gabby or the child first, but he chose not to. The next cuts continue to reveal close ups.

In this closeup, Janet is shown supporting Taylor. I still find it interesting that this closeup was shown before the closeups of the child and Gabby. The emotion that is portrayed through all of these closeups is what made me choose this sequence of cuts. 

Here is a closeup of Zavala's child. This continues to represent the impact Zavala's death will have on his family and friends. 

The final closeup I chose is of Gabby. All I could think of when this shot appeared was how Zavala told Taylor he would take a bullet for him and would always support Janet. I thought it was rather ironic that Zavala had these lines and not Taylor because Zavala was the one that ended up dying. Once again extreme sadness and distress is felt through this shot.

Moonrise Kingdom

Analysis

    After taking various screenshots throughout the film, this particular image stuck out to me the most.  In the front layer, Suzy and Sam are practically naked with their arms around one another wearing white clothing. In the next layer, Suzy’s father, Walt Bishop, appears to be the biggest figure on the screen with a yellow tent raised above his head. The half naked bodies of Suzy and Sam, Walt Bishop's large figure, and the tent above Walt's head really yelled out vulnerability to me. Behind Walt on the left is an officer and Suzy’s mother, both standing stern. Furthermore, on the right of Walt are four people dressed in all khaki and three shirtless boys sitting in a boat. Behind all of the characters and main action in this particular scene sits a boat in the middle of a cove that is surrounded by green hills and rocky cliffs. The image seems to have a strong contrast between the colors white and yellow. All eyes are on the half-naked, vulnerable, and guilty runaways.

Is Wendy and Lucy a Chick Flick?

    Wendy and Lucy portrays a woman surrounded by poverty that must overcome adversity as a result of economic and authoritative issues. Wendy and Lucy is not a chick flick in my opinion. When I hear the phrase chick flick, immediately I think of movies where a girl and a boy meet, break up, and eventually get back together and live happily ever after. This loose personal definition in no way describes Wendy and Lucy. Wendy, struggling to support Lucy while trying to fix her car and purchase food, in no way seems dependent upon another person. Whenever I watch a chick flick there is always a common theme of reliance. Sure Wendy wants to have Lucy back in her life, but Wendy is willing and able to realize she must find her own way before she can support the life of Lucy. The movie ends with an open ending, unlike a traditional chick flick in which the two main characters would end up sailing off together or getting married. Instead, Wendy leaves Lucy behind and travels to Alaska leaving the film's ending open for infinite possibilities. Of course the majority of the audience watching this film would love to see Wendy end up with Lucy, but this is what makes the film that much more appealing and "countercultured."

The "Nameless Man"

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) is a film that takes place in the American south during the time of the Great Depression. A scene that really stuck out to me occurred during the first few minutes of the film. Everett, Pete, and Delmar encounter an African American man riding some sort of transportation device on the railroad tracks while running away. The man works for no one and has no name, but he does have some interesting words to say that really stuck out to me from the moment I heard them.  The “nameless man” tells the three men they have a great fortune to seek, though it will not be the fortune they intend to seek. The man continues by telling them they will seek a cow on a cotton house and that they should continue following the road to salvation. After the conversation is over, the camera begins to back away and form a long shot of a lengthy stretch of railroad tracks. I think this really resembled the long journey the three men had ahead of them.

            This scene did not completely make sense until the movie carried on and the Soggy Bottom Boys found their fortune and were saved by a flood that then lead to the scene of a cow on a roof. In my opinion, this scene really set up the way for the entire film. Although the nameless man only made one appearance-excluding the final scene- he was an essential part to the film.

My Own Private Idaho's Shakespeare Correlation

      My Own Private Idaho (1991), written and directed by Gus Van Sant, portrays the lifestyles and struggles of Mike and Scott, two male hustlers located in the Portland area. It was not until after I had read Adnum's article and some google searches that I learned Gus Van Sant used a pretty interesting cinematographic element in his film, My Own Private Idaho. The film is a representation of Shakespeare's Henry IV and Henry V that takes place in the 1990's as opposed to the era of Henry IV and Henry V. Hal, a reckless prince hoping to follow in his father's footsteps to become the next King represents Scott, while a minor character Poins, represents Mike. Scott, like Hal, is a reckless character who eventually attempts to change his unacceptable ways in order to make something of himself. Unfortunately, I have not read Shakespeare's Henry IV and Henry V so it is hard to go into a lengthy comparison of Shakespeare and Gus Van Sant's work. I think it is fair to say that Gus Van Sant illustrated some use of Shakespeare's work , but he also created a fresh film by taking something historical and applying the story to a modern film.

Vanishing Interpretation

   I would not consider The Vanishing a horror film primarily because I was never really scared. However, I do think this film contains some elements of the horror genre such as the uneasy emotions felt throughout the film and the antagonist, Raymond. Raymond is a twisted and frightening character who could very easily play a role in a horror film, but I did not find him to be very scary in The Vanishing. It was curiosity rather than being scared that had me on the edge of my seat throughout the film and that is my main reason for categorizing The Vanishing as a suspense/ thriller film.

   One scene in particular that helped me come to my conclusion is the last scene when Rex gets buried. Typically, I feel like I would be pretty frightened to watch a man get buried alive like that, but I really just felt anxious during that final scene. I think the anticipation I felt came from the fact that I thought and I wanted Rex to find a way out. The final scene was not an easy scene to watch, but nevertheless, I was never truly scared during this film.