Rashomon

I had seen a few Akira Kurosawa films before this one.  This film seemed much simpler than the others I had seen.  I enjoyed hearing the differences in everyones stories only to find out that it wasn't a amazing battle, a story about a girl who had all the odds against her, or a tale of a samurai who was honorable and proud.  It was a pathetic brawl started by a spoiled girl that ended in a lucky shot.  The ending was interesting and a happy way to end the movie.  Just as the monks faith in man is reaffirmed so is yours.  This movie had a lot of drawn out silence and shots that only took in the actors emotions but lasted a while.  I will probably watch it again in the future so i can better understand the complex themes that are most likely in this film.

Duck Soup

This movie was quite confusing to me. I couldn't rap my head around why the four most annoying wise guys held the most powerful positions. I'm assuming that it is a metaphor for citizens blindly appointing people to power... but perhaps I'm just not used to the humor. I didn't find it funny, very hectic and redundant, but not funny.

Iron Man

This movie was awesome, it was filled with action packed scenes from start to finish. I have seen this movie many times and it never gets old. Tony stark is a billionaire who has a life threatening experiance with the very products he sells. He creates an iron suit and uses it to fight against evil.

V for Vendetta

I really enjoyed this movie. It thought that Natalie Portman went above and beyond in this film by shaving her head. The plot was great, V was a freedom fighter in a socialist society. I would definatley watch this movie over and over again.

Duck soup

I am not a fan of old movies. This one in particular was somewhat commical. I found the plot to be somewhat confusing and strange. This movie was all over the place, I would not watch it again.

The amazing spider man

I recently watched this movie and thought it was just ok. The movie deviated from the origional plot significantly. I was not a fan of the new story line but thought the visual effects were good. I dont think i would watch this again.

Prometheus

This movie was very exciting and at some parts spooky. To my knowledge it was supposed to be the prequel to the Alien movies with Sigourney Weaver. The movie had awesome special effects. It was set in the future during a space expedition in search of "our makers". By then end of the movie you see what created the human race and how they died. The aliens from the movie alien were created as a weapon. Very cool movie that I will definatley see again.

The Amazing Spiderman

The new Spiderman was AWESOME. I loved the change in the story; it followed the original plot which was great and easy to follow. The new storyline was interesting and much more modern. It was a little more Sci-Fi with the lizard-man but still very good.

Prometheus

Last weekend I saw Prometheus for the first time. I had not seen Alien in a long time, (the movie you should watch before Prometheus), and so had forgotten a couple of key events in Alien. If I had watched it, Prometheus would have been amazing. Such a great Sci-Fi movie. Noomie Rapace the edish actress originally from the Swedish Girl with the Dragon Tattoo films did such a great job like she normally does in every movie I have seen her in. Not a fan of Charlize Theron's character. Overall great movie.

Duck Soup

Duck Soup was so ridiculous and annoying. Probably one of the worst movies I have seen in a while. Wikipedia was the only way I was able to even understand the movie. The random outbursts of singing made no sense and sounded awful. The characters all clashed and did not cohesively work; the scenes and dialogue came off short and not connected. Overall, bad movie.

Duck Soup

This movie was not at all what I expected when I read the synopsis from IMBD. I was surprised when it turned out to be a slapstick comedy rather than something serious. While it wasn't terrible to watch, it's not something I would watch again. I realize that there was a deeper meaning to the film, but it was hard to focus on that when people kept getting kicked in the shin or slapped in the face. Though I would have to say that my favorite scene in the film would have to be the mirror scene. Even though it was completely ridiculous (like most of the movie) I did find that scene particularly funny.

Duck Soup

The random singing caught me off guard. The other actors looked a bit condescending when the Secretary started singing, and then the others started singing. It was odd. But I smiled and laughed at the "Can't you see what I'm trying to tell you I love you!" line. Because it's such a famous line and I've heard it a lot, but I'm glad that I know where it's from now. I liked that one of the spies was wearing a deerstalker. I found the mirror scene towards the end interesting, not because of the scene itself, but because of the decision to have no audio whatsoever. It was odd. Overall I liked it. It was funny, lots of good, quick-witted dialogue, and the Marx brothers are very well versed in physical comedy.

Duck Soup

Duck Soup was clearly a comedy but within the comedy there was suppose to be a greater message. I did not recognize or clearly understand the message on my own but I think it is because of the time period I was raised in.  I do not generally find this type of humor funny but I can see where it is meant to be funny. The constant joking of a man who is suppose to be serious and has great importance. Parts of the movie also reminded me of the three stooges. I can see where this movie would be important to the genre of comedy in film and am fortunate that people have become much funnier in present day. Overall the movie was bearable but was not something I would choose to watch again.

The Gold Rush

The only thing you hear in this movie is the sound of a piano, playing along to the emotion of whatever situation this "lone prospector" got himself into. Initially, it was hard to get used to watching a silent film but it had me laughing out loud after the first ten minutes. It was full of timeless humor and had an interesting plot. The "lone prospector" finds himself in a few tight situations on his journey to get rich and gets side tracked by a beautiful but uninterested woman. Classic Comedy that I would recommend to all. 

Duck Soup

This comedy is not like anything I would watch on my own. Although that doesn't mean I can't appreciate it for what it is. I did a little research on this movie and many scenes have been used in future comedies. It seems like it is a stepping stone that paved the way for  other comedic films. The jokes didn't exactly resonate with me. The slapstick humor and the silliness was slightly amusing. The film made political statements that I tried to understand but a few may have been lost on me. Overall I value the film and think it's part of comedic history.

Duck Soup

I thought that this film really showed the evolution of comedies.  Today it is rare for comedies to not be loaded with inappropriate humor.  Honestly, it took me about 30 minutes of watching to adjust to this slapstick style of humor, however by the end I was laughing out loud (some scenes were just very strange, i.e. the horse sleeping in the bed).  I enjoyed this movie, even though it is not what I would typically watch on my own.

Chinatown

This movie felt like a film noir. It had elements of crime, adultery, and mystery. The style was gritty and the lighting added to its effect. I liked that Jack Nicholson was the main character, since I enjoy his acting. I don't like crime movies very much so the violence and such wasn't too appealing to me. I did appreciate the mysteries as the were uncovered and the sad twist towards the end. The old style of the film was neat but at the same time it seemed to wash out some aspects of the movie. Overall I recognized the drama caused by the particular types of conflict in the film and found it interesting as it unfolded.

Chinatown

I found Chinatown to be an extremely impressive movie. Although it was a little over 2 hours long, it held my attention throughout! The acting was what I was probably most impressed with. Nicholson was incredible and played his role perfectly. The plot was full of surprises. Just as I thought I knew exactly what was coming- something new would arise! The dialogue and interactions between characters were very expressive and easy to follow. One of my favorite elements of this film was the use of the car horn as Evelyn rested her head on the steering wheel [the first time] and sounding a quick honk of the horn and then at the end of the movie when she's shot in the back of the head, her head slams the horn and sounds a long, drawn out honk. I found this use of sound to be very clever! Great movie overall!

Chinatown

Chinatown is definitely a mystery movie, there were more twist than I expected and I eventually found myself pretty intrigued. I have never seen Jack Nicholson act in his younger years before and was very entertained.  I actually enjoyed the performance of the majority of the cast and can see why it won an academy award for screen play.  The cinematography was great. The lighting techniques were strong and fit the mood appropriate. For example: the contrast between the desert and daytime scenes.  Some of my favorite shots from the movie are below. 

Lady and the Tramp

After watching the movie 101 Dalmatians, I was inspired to watch another animated dog Disney movie, The Lady and the Tramp. This movie really speaks to me, considering I have two golden retrievers back at my parents house in Denver. This Disney movie was much more closely related to 101 Dalmatians, I thought than the older Disney animated films like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. 

101 Dalmatians

The other day I wanted to revisit my youth by watching a Disney movie. Missing my dogs, I decided on 101 Dalmatians. I love this movie. Disney movies are some of my favorite to watch; they encompass great themes while also having a light-hearted, fun story. I felt  like the design of this movie was a lot different from the previous animated Disney films like Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. It felt less stiff, like there was more movement in the characters and in the background. 

Adaptation

Adaptation was an interesting movie, and it was different seeing Nicolas Cage talk to the other character he played most of the movie. I actually did not realize that he was imaging his brother all of the movie until the discussion we had after the movie. The plot was not what I had expected, it was a interesting decision that Donald and his brother made to go down to Florida to track down Orlean. Although this movie is not a movie that I would have picked to watch, I still did enjoy it.

Kung-Fu Hustle

Kung-Fu Hustle was hilarious. I love foreign movie humor especially in Asian films. I had seen it once before, but not the whole movie. The special effects were very well done. The point of view in the movie was great you could see all of the special effects while still seeing all of the other actors not involved in the action. 

8 1/2

At first when Prof Hammond was describing the movie 8 1/2 I felt like I had heard or seen the story before. The movie 9 is a revamped version of 8 1/2. Daniel Day Lewis plays Guido, the star and basis for the movie. I believe that the movie 9 is much easier to understand. I enjoyed the movie 8 1/2 because I already knew the plot and understood the story. I really like seeing the original version and in its original language, Italian. I can see how it would be hard for people to understand if they have not seen the updated version prior to the original, though. 

Midnight Cowboy

I thought this was a good film. I can see how the sneak-peak into the low-lives of Manhattan would be shocking to people in 1994 because it was odd for a film to show any compassion to the types of characters in this movie.

The Avengers

I have not seen this since it was in theatres but recently watched it on DVD. This movie is awesome, it has tons of action and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Marvel did an incredible job on bringing in all of the action heroes. I could watch this movie over and over again.

Black Hawk Down

This film has some gritty combat scenes and great visuals that make it interesting to watch. I think the director should have done a better job of helping the audience form a relationship to some main characters though. In my experience the characters were hardly distinguishable until the middle of the film.

8 1/2

 This movie was very confusing and hard to follow. I was lost the whole time and was very confused as to what the plot was. The characters threw me off as well. I could not tell what was a dream and what was reality. Overall I did not enjoy this movie, it was old, boring, and confusing.

High Noon

The wide shots help capture the rugged terrain and scenery that steotypically made up the Midwest at the time. Most importantly, the theme of time plays a crucial role, for it serves as underyling tension throughout the movie. The music seems to coincide with time....repetitive and contributing to the build up of conflict...ect.  

Chinatown

I personally thought that this movie was a little too long, and a bit confusing.  However, Jack Nickolson  did a great job with the character.  I also liked the style in which it was filmed. The ending surprised me a bit.  I usually expect happy endings (I thought the woman and Jack's character would run away together.)  This was not the type of movie I would typically watch on my own, but it was alright!

High Noon

This film was definitely an old classic. As I was watching it, I knew I'd watched it with my dad when I was younger. I sometimes find the way that older movies are filmed distracting, especially during the night scenes, and I had this same reaction during this film. I did like the sound though. With the outdoor scenes, you can always hear all the extra little noises that they cut out of film in today's age.

Shakespeare In Love

I liked this movie, it was what we discussed in class about character vs. self and character vs. society. It was character vs. self because Shakespeare is conflicted about the relationship because he knows it's wrong. But he's also going against society because back then, when marriages were arranged, it was sort of like "that was that". I also liked this movie because it brought a little humor into Shakespeare, which usually makes for some dry reading material.

True Grit

This film was surprisingly witty for such a sad story. I really liked the cinematography by Roger Deakins and the work by the composer, Carter Burwells. The audio and visual components of this film mesh exceptionally well.

V for Vendetta

"Remember, remember the fifth of November." -V

Now, if you are familiar with this film, it is never out of the question to view it on such a night as the fifth of November. It's famous line is really what brings viewers into its world. "Remember, remember the fifth of November" is such a famous line now that it has sparked a revolutionary tradition among movie-viewers.

However, this may not be the only attraction that this film offers. V's carefully executed monologues and actions mark the entire movie up for its writing and script development. It reveals how much work was actually placed into such a film.

But what is it really that drives us back to this film? Is it V? Natalie Portman? Perhaps the action and violence? The writing?

It really comes down to a film that has excellent writing staff and script.

Shakespeare in Love and the Creative Process

Sure. Lots of people are going to get trapped in a hole that all historical fiction movies have: the "fiction" part. That there is no account that Shakespeare fell in love with some noble woman and then the girl ended up getting ship wrecked and all that (and I'm pretty sure there would've been a much bigger scandal in real life than was made in the movie if a woman really had stepped in on stage). But I think that this film demonstrates this really simple idea of how the creative process can work, because many of the scenes that were in Romeo and Juliet were directly from the movie and Shakespeare's encounters with Viola. And speaking as a writer myself, I can say that things like that do happen. I do often take bits of my life and people and my experiences and put them directly onto the page, with little or no change. That's what I really like about this movie, is that it demonstrates inspiration and muses perfectly. How Shakespeare is constantly inspired by a specific person or thing, and when he has that thing, he writes like crazy. On a different note, I loved the little nod at the end to Viola being ship wrecked, and Shakespeare starting his next play with her as the lead in Twelfth Night.

Shakespeare in Love

Though i found this movie to be a bit corny, it was fun to watch.  The acting was well done.  I liked the twist towards the end where she played Juliet and William played Romeo.  The ending was a bit confusing to me though.  I thought they would end up together, but i suppose this ending was more in the style of Shakespeare's plays.

Raging Bull

Raging Bull was very entertaining to watch.  I found Robert Deniro's character very difficult to like.  Throughout the film you have a feeling that he will end in tragedy.  His pain seemed to come from his own doing so I never really felt bad for him.   By far my favorite parts of the movie were the fight scenes.  They seemed different from any other fight scenes i have seen before.  The slow down and speeding up was very cool.