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