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.

Killer of Sheep: Random, Historical, and Frustrating

This film was most definitely a difficult one to watch. There were a few questions that I kept repeating in my head while watching this film, but the most common question was when is something interesting going to happen? Killer of Sheep was basically a film that consisted of a bunch of random scenes that lead to nothing. It was not until after I watched the film that I started searching for the purpose of this film. Little did I know that this genre of film was at times used to simply represent the daily routines of African Americans and of the working man. This film did just that. While watching Killer of Sheep I found myself scrolling over the time bar many times to make sure there was enough time in the film for the "big climax" to occur... it didn't. I do not enjoy extremely slow moving movies and I think that is one of the main reason Killer of Sheep was so difficult to watch.

To be honest, while watching Killer of Sheep I wanted to shut it off because I began to get really frustrated that nothing was happening except kids throwing rocks and adults having conversations that did not go anywhere. However, after watching the film and reading the assigned article and some other google searches I now have a decent understanding of Burnett's purpose and the purpose of many L.A. Film School films similar to Killer of Sheep. Although I now understand the historical influence that Watts' had on this film, I won't be seeing Killer of Sheep a second time.

Final Shootout Analysis

The shootout I am choosing to analyze is the final showdown between Blondie, Tuco, and Angel Eyes. Personally, this was the scene that had me sitting on the edge of my seat the most throughout the entire film. I think this is in part because during the entire film I was anticipating a scene like this to occur. The final shootout begins with various close, medium, and long shots between the three characters in order to build suspense. I was surprised how long it took for the characters to finally wield their weapons, but this only enhanced the scene even more. The suspenseful music and the close up shots really helped me connect with each character and the situation they were in. Bouncing from one character to the next, it was only a matter of time for bad ass Clint Eastwood to take action. Cigar in mouth, Blondie remained calm and confident, while Tuco and Angel Eyes had their eyes wondering from one character to the next. The most interesting part of the shootout was the fact that the shootout really only lasted a few seconds while the suspense was built for a few minutes. I could not help but notice how Angle Eyes and Tuco seemed rather frightened while Blondie remained in his usual confident state. This really stuck out to me when the close up shots only showed the eyes of each character.

Awara

The first musicals that come to my mind are Cats, Fiddler on the Roof, and movies like Grease so I tried to compare Awara with these famous musicals to come to my conclusion. There were various examples in Awara as to why I think it was musical. In my opinion, a musical emphasizes certain events throughout the film through music and singing. There were various examples during the film when characters would begin singing about the current situations such as when Raj sings about why he is a "tramp." I find that in musicals singing is another way for characters to connect and express their emotions with the audience and I feel that Awara did this effectively.

Detour: The Portrayal of Women

     When I first read the question about the portrayal of women in Detour on blackboard I figured it would be a very simple and straightforward answer. When Sue explains to Al that she is going to travel to L.A. to pursue her dreams, Al was not very supportive and a bit rude. Because of this, I figured throughout the movie women would be treated as the inferior. However, Vera came along and really made this question a lot more interesting. I described Vera in my notes as bossy, inconsiderate, demanding, and a word that starts with B and rhymes with itchy. Vera seemed to really have all of the power over Al throughout the film. The interesting part of this film was Ulmer’s ability to create a likeable character such as Sue and then bring Vera into the film and really create an interesting plot twist. Al could never catch a break.

Freaks

Is Freaks a Horror movie or not?

      While watching this film I could not help but notice the similarities Freaks had with the 1980's film The Elephant Man. In The Elephant Man there is also a disfigured man that is treated horribly and must make a living as a side-show "freak." I used The Elephant Man to help come to a conclusion about whether Freaks is a horror film or not. Personally, I do not think Freaks is a horror movie. The Elephant Man has been described as a drama, and I feel that Freaks should be in the same genre. I believe the only reason Freaks has been categorized as a horror film is because of the way society viewed disfigured people during the 1930's. I would find it very surprising if a screenwriter attempted at making a script similar to Freaks in 2014 and considered it a horror movie. So I ask you, how would society react to Freaks if it was produced in the 21st century?

-Jake

Sherlock Jr. Reaction

I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this short film. Having not watched too many black and white films I was not really sure what my reaction was going to be. Personally, the visual gags were really what made this movie both comedic and entertaining to me. Sherlock Jr. was filled with funny gags that would often times be categorized as slapstick. One example that gave me a laugh would be when the protagonist attempted a classic prank by trying to trip the antagonist with a banana peel, and failed miserably I might add. This was especially funny because I have been playing a good amount of Mario Kart during my time in college. Also, the pool scene had me laughing simply because of the facial expressions the two antagonists were making. In my opinion, the gags are what made the film so entertaining. Although I do love watching awesome animated films that we have today, it is always a pleasant experience to watch a silent comedy and see how far filmmaking has really come over the past century. Also, I was impressed with some of the filming techniques that were used throughout this film. The one scene in particular that really caught my eye was when the protagonist jumped through the woman’s stomach in an attempt to lose the antagonists. I really enjoyed this film and I hope to continue to build a silent comedy vocabulary over this semester.

-Jake

Bienvenidos!

     Hey everyone! My name is Jake Ostmann and I am currently a freshman just beginning my Electronic Media career this semester. I love everything music. Playing music has truly been a huge part of my life and I do not know where I would be without it. I would say I have a pretty eclectic taste for music so try me! I also have a strong passion for traveling, and I am very grateful for the amazing experiences I have been able to have along the way. There is something about immersing myself into an unfamiliar culture or environment that gets me going.

     I decided to take this class because I felt that it would be a great way to start exposing myself to film terminology for E-Media. As far as my taste in film goes, it all depends on my mood. However, if I could only watch one genre of film the rest of my life, I would choose comedy. Recently I have been enjoying T.V. series such as Entourage-which I highly recommend- and New Girl. 

- Jake