Scary Movies to watch

There's some good scary movies that aren't the best but I guess worth watching.

Let The Right One In, Silent Hill, The Ruins, Grudge, The Hills Have Eyes, The Saw series.

Those are only some of the ones I have heard of, but I can't tell you if they are any good because I don't watch that many scary movies.

HALLOWEEN

Trying to get into the halloween spirit me and some friends were looking through the horror movies that netflix has to offer. We are having some trouble finding ones that look good and that we haven't already seen. Anybody know any good ones that are streamable?

I thoroughly enjoyed watching One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest for homework this week. The acting and character development was incredible and the film successfully evoked many emotions within me. I thought it raised a lot of interesting ethical questions about how to go about "treating" the mentally ill. I liked how McMurphy wanted all the men in the ward to experience the real world by taking them fishing, getting them drunk/laid, and trying to show them a baseball game. I agree that simply throwing these people into the real world and the mainstream way of life can have a positive affect on their mental illness.

The film also reminded me of one of my favorite movies, It's Kind of A Funny Story. Also based on a book, this film involves a suicidal teenager who checks himself into a mental hospital. The characters he encounters and the progress they make throughout the movie are very similar. They even reference OFOTCK which I was not aware of until watching a particular scene. If you enjoyed this week's film definitely check out It's Kind of a Funny Story. It's a bit more comedic, modern, and quirky, but still an excellent movie.

All About Eve's Obsession with Margo

Wow All About Eve. Where to start.....Eve is creepy to say the least. I know that there are a lot of genuinely kind people in this world but some of them just cannot be trusted, Eve is one of them. Eve is slowly stealing Margo's life. Eve causes the downward spiral of Margo's self confidence and it slowly drives her crazy, she gives up on life and doesnt trust people. Overall Eve is just plain obsessed with Margo and he life. Margo's life is just slowly slipping about and falling into Eve's lap. Oh and I recently saw Good Will Hunting and I highly suggest it for anyone who liked the film Saving Private Ryan or Erin Brockovitch :)

Marlon Brando

If you liked Marlon Brando in Down on the Waterfront, Check out some of the other great movies he has been in.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000008/

Saw

So on friday my friend went to Paranormal Activity 3 and when he got back we had a long conversation about horror movies... I told him how I really liked the Saw movies ( I've only seen the first 3 so far) and he said that was ridiculous cause all they are is blood and gore. But for some reason I was intrigued by the plot and I loved the twists that the first 2 movies had. I haven't found many people that agree with me that these movies are at least decent, what do you all think? I know there is a lot of sick stuff in them but once I got over that I really liked the unexpected endings.

"But I tried, didn't I, God Dammit. At least I did that."

I read Ken Kesey's book in high school and have seen the movie before, but never appreciated the acting until I was told to do so, which is a shame. All of those actors made the performance of their lives and I can't believe I didn't notice it until now. Jack Nicholson played the ideal R.P. McMurphy that Kesey described in his novel; full of life, and freedom and wisdom (hence my favorite quote above) even though crude and violent at times. Most of the actors we see today in various films also made the cast of crazies phenomenal, like Christopher Lloyd and Danny DeVito. Although not crazy in life, they did an excellent job pretending to be. Not only was the acting spot on and made the movie amazing, but One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest is one of my favorite movies. I love the theme of one sane man showing what it is truly like to live and feel freedom under the oppression of (arguably) one of the most evil villains ever created in human history, Nurse Ratched. Although the movie was mostly heart-warming, the ending still is a heavy hitter as one of the darkest endings I have yet to see in flim. I love this movie and the acting from all of the cast members, from the wild antics of R.P. McMurphy, to the bitchy smirk of Nurse Ratched, made it all the better.

On The Waterfront

What a great old school gangster movie - i love that era that it portrays when the mob ran riot! I think black and white really gives those types of film an edge on more modern creations. As far as the acting, i could hardly believe that guy was Marlon Brando i must admit i haven't seen many of his films but he was brilliant, i understand why this movie was chosen for the acting category. Additionally i did not recognized the actor but whoever played the priest was also a very powerful actor playing an equally powerful role!

All in all great film!

Horror Fans

Hey Guys,

For all you horror fans out there I thought I would give a little fun. They might not all be wonderfully filmed or directed but they are most certainly scary.

http://movies.msn.com/paralleluniverse/50-scariest-movies/photo-gallery/feature/?gt1=28101

For those of you who liked "On the Waterfront" I'd recommend checking out some of the involved actors other films as well. Karl Malden (Father Barry) had a long run and impressive career and has a large selection of films to choose from. One of my favorite films of all-time is Sidney Lumet's "12 Angry Men" which has Lee J. Cobb (Johnny Friendly) playing a hothead once again. Much like this film there is a slew of terrific actors in 12 Angry Men. You have a young Henry Fonda, Martin Balsam, Ed Begley, Jack Warden, Jack Klugman, E.G. Marshall, etc.
If you don't immediately recognize some of the names look them up and I guarantee you've seen some of their other films.

Something Cool About Citizen Kane

As I was studying up for today's midterm exam, I came across an interesting factoid while reading about the different kinds of focus. Citizen Kane was Orson Wells' first venture into motion pictures, and it is often said that the film really made Wells love film. As a newcomber to film production, Wells knew nothing about film making, or the deep focus that made the film so memorable. Wells said that all of the innovative film making strategies that he developed came from ignorance of film altogether. In other words, because Wells was trying to develop his own way, he was able to produce new techniques because he did not know what had and had not been done, as well as what strategies were effective/not effective. As we all saw on the first day of class, these strategies were all extremely effective.

The Wizard of Oz

An old film I wanted to watch today is The Wizard of Oz! It's a great film to watch regarding to lighting, colors, sound and designing of the set. It's amazing how people come up with such imagination. Especially the clothing the actors wear and the make up and just imagine how much they have to work on because it's an old film with not that much technology like today and how good it turned out. I'm not a fan of the songs as much as some might be, but I do like a good musical like Singing in the Rain. Only in the past few years have I really gotten into musicals with my family. I can't remember when I first saw The Wizard of Oz but it is a great film to wath once in a while when you are feeling in that magical mood.

13 Assassins

I was really excited to watch 13 Assassin a lot of my friends back home really liked this movie and hadn't seen it yet. All of the action scenes were really well done and it exceeded my expectations even from what my friends told me.

Singing In The Rain

After we watched Singing In The Rain I talked to my mom about it the next day. She remembered watching the movie as a child. She remembered all of the characters in the movie when I talked about them. It was interesting to hear her talk about a movie that came out when she was a child and compare them to movies that are coming out now.

Win Win

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lixOX9bajIc&feature=related
I rented the movie 'Win Win' the other night starring Paul Giamatti. I recommend this movie to everyone. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It reminds me a lot of the Blindside but with less hype. Paul Giamatti does an incredible job as always. It has a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes as well so I'm not the only one who liked it I guess. Check it out.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

A student just informed me that "The Conversation" is no longer available for streaming. If so, disregard this weeks viewing assignment. Also, there will be no question involving this film on the Mid-Term Exam. See you in class.
Best regards, Tom H.

Singing in the rain

One would think an old movie, would not entertain one. I shall agree with that, but singing the rain proved me wrong. I found myself humming the song, and skipping merrily back to my dorm with a lot of energy strangely. I thought the movie was very well filmed for it's age and I loved the colors and dancing. I wish I could possess such talent. So needless to say I was proven wrong and singing in the rain actually made me want to sing in the rain and be happy. who would've thought?

Singing in the Rain and Magic Mike

I really enjoyed Singing in the Rain. I felt it was very well done as well as very entertaining. I particularly enjoyed the dancing and singing numbers, although I suppose that was the point since it was a musical!

On a side note, apparently they are currently filming a movie called Magic Mike with Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey in the St. Pete area. I had heard they were at the Don Cesar for a bit, but they're supposed to be filming on the Pinellas Bayway Bridge today and/or tomorrow. Maybe one of us will run into them this weekend!

http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/channing-tatum-stripper-movie-magic-mike-begins-filming-on-sunset-beach/1196113

"Singin' in the rain". Let me tell you it was the funniest movie I have seen in a while. I loved the comedy love triangle esque theme. I just loved how Hollywood turned around and made fun of their silent actors. Im going to start babbling on and on so Im just going to end it here and just say one more time that i loved loved loved this movie :)

Is The Conversation streamable on Netflix??

Editing documentary

I became interested in the making of movies when I took a video editing class in 7th grade. I knew editing was important, but after watching the documentary last wednesday it has completely changed my view of it. One quote that really got to me is when the director of a movie (forgot which movie) said that after writing and filming the movie he was so excited to get it in the editing room so that he could finally make the movie. I always thought that when the movie was being filmed the director and editor already knew exactly how every scene was going to be edited. Apparently this was completely incorrect.

"For a Spoonful of Borscht"

Whoa. 1926. The editing cuts and the camera shots almost seemed modern. I can see why Soviet Montage is such a subject of discussion in film studies. As I read the chapter in our book, I understood that older silent movies had very little camera movements and long shots. This 1926 film with its camera shots and the famous editing cuts as seen in the Odessa Steps sequence really were phenomenal and way ahead of its time (of course being that of a different style which would become a of editing style used today). There were a lot of scenes that really stood out beside the most cliched Odessa Steps sequence where I really admired the editing. The scenes of the bowl of borscht and the scene of the sailor smashing the plate were great examples of D. W. Griffith's style of editing. Instead of shooting a long, boring shot. The film was edited to include bits of other shots to interrupt the main concentration. The plate scene, as I recall, also made an attempt to be a continuous edit but with the interruption of a close up of the sailors hand wielding the plate. Although there were a few flaws, the uniqueness of the editing in this film really was impressive and explains Battleship Potemkin's reputation of being a groundbreaking film.

13 Assassins Reflection

After watching this film I couldn't help but wonder why I haven't seen it sooner. I'm glad it was assigned to our list because it was an all around great film. The fact that it was based on a true incident made it even more interesting. For this reason I plan on watching the original 1963 black and white version. The only flaw I feel was in character development. It was hard to remember each characters role in the intricate storyline. Otherwise I loved the film, as did the group of friends I watched it with.

film editing, michael cody

I watch a bunch of films, but I dont know much about the production of films, specifically editing. I did not realize how much work it takes. A good amount of film has to be gone through, cut out or moved, and often times this process is repeated several times. This must be a frustrating part of film making for the film maker because I doubt any film maker wants to really cut anything out of the original film. New technology must make the process easier than it was back in the day and I beleive that while editing will still be tedious, newer technology might make it easier.

Movie Editors

I really enjoyed watching the movie about film editors because it completely changed how I will watch movies in the future. I never realized how heavily the entire project relies on the work of its editors. The editing process is more than just throwing a bunch of clips together, but rather it is an art of directing the audience's attention paying strong attention to timing, fluidity, and motion. When I watch movies now I will pay much more attention to how many shots are incorporated into each scene as well as the timing of the scene changes. The career appeals to me because of how much control an editor can have both artistically and technically. I found it interesting how the editor is the one who spends the most one-on-one time with the film's director and how their relationship has a great effect on the end product.

hope this works

Top 10 Best Film Editing Sequences

Found this article on the some of the most excellent film editing sequences throughout the years and how film editing has changed. I found it a pretty interesting read:

http://www.filmsite.org/bestfilmediting.html

I also found this article on film editing and the Oscars in The New York Times archives:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/movies/awardsseason/06harr.html

Top 100 Movies.

Firstly, i have to say i don't particularly like Kung-Fu movies and did not know what to expect with Kung-Fu hustle but i really enjoyed it. I liked the seriousness of parts mixed with cartoon elements. The looney toons comparison in class was perfect!

I found this link while i was ''stumbling'', it is a list of what are considered the top 100 movies complete with brief plot description, memorable moments, why people love the movie, best quotes and screenshot. Many of the movies were mentioned as peoples favorites in class and 1 or 2 i think we are actually watching - Citizen Kane is on there. Anyway check it out....

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/AUqBAs/www.lifed.com/top-100-best-movies-of-all-time

I just finished 13 Assassins and it was really good for a Samaria movie. Personally I am not too fond of Samaria movies, mostly because i feel that the idea is really over done, but it held my attention and the action scenes were really awesome but honestly I dont think ill ever be a huge fan of action movies. But that's just me. I think the fights scenes were more believable than most and that if you are an action fan this film is a must.

13 Assassins

I just finished watching 13 assassins. I thought the story line was really entertaining and always moving in a direction. With some bloody action movies the story gets lost in the fighting and the movie itself suffers. Even in the final battle scene there was a direction. The way the camera moved inside the village really made it seem like an unescapable maze. Then when the lord and his three body guards finally walk out into the open it really felt like a whole other world. Even the last shot when the final samurai is walking away from the village and the last walkway crumbles and falls behind him, it was like a literal closure to that part of his life.

13 Assassins' Movement

First of all, before watching this movie, for some reason, I had conceived the notion that 13 Assassins was not going to be entertaining. I thought it was going to be another martial art movie with the same old story. But once the action started picking up, I found myself exclaiming to my roommate: "Holy ?#@% ! This is really good!" But, relating back to the theme of movement, any time a samurai would unsheathe his sword, there were excellent camera shots that added to the more detailed movement that really would hit an audience hard and connect them deeper to the characters or the story; specifically the opening suicide scene. With a close up shot of the man, never revealing any knife or blood, the slightest movement of his shoulders or body made me wince. The close up amplified the brutality, even though most of the action was not visible. To make me wince, only showing the bare minimum of a suicide, is quite a skill possessed by the director. The way that the camera showed some details and hid the others throughout the movie would cause any slight sword motion to make anyone in the audience say "Holy ?#@% !"

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari Reflection.

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, in my opinion, was a great film. The shots were taken in such a way that the viewer feels a sense of being uneased, uncomfortable, and maybe even claustrophobic. One of the most interesting aspects to me was that of the dialogue boxes. They had a cartoon like back round, which complemented the cartoon like set the film had. In fact, the whole movie seemed to have a sense of choppy cartoon style animation, which made it such an interesting horror film to me.