The films in order of least favorite to favorite:
Billy Madison
Rumor Has It
Unforgiven
The Forest for the Trees
Psycho
Citizen Kane
Never Back Down
The Dark Knight
The Simpson's Movie
Ben Hur
Gone With the Wind
The Secret Window
The Graduate
V for Vendetta
Cinema Paradiso
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
V for Vendetta vs. The Dark Knight
V for Vendetta and The Dark Knight are films that have many similarities. This is just a comparison of the two.
1. We want both Batman and V to triumph.
2. V is disliked by the government, similar to Batman being in trouble with the Gotham City police.
3. Both characters fall in love or are in love.
4. Both wear disguises.
5. We know what Batman really looks like, but we don't know what V really looks like.
6. V uses less modern weapons such as swords, but Batman uses the most high-tech weapons possible.
7. V for Vendetta is set in a real place (London). Batman is set in a fictional city (Gotham City).
8. Both characters wear black when in disguise.
9. Both have a secret place where they live when they are being the hero.
10. Batman lives, V dies.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
The Forest for the Trees
This film is an independent film. It was filmed in Germany so, obviously, it was spoken in German. It is about Melanie a teacher who is just starting her first job. She teaches several different grades and has no friends in the community to talk with.
Melanie feels such a complete lonliness that she begins to suspect that Tina doesn't like her. She follows her around from place to place so as to keep an eye on her.
Eventually, Tina becomes fed up with Melanie and tells her to leave her alone. This crushes Melanie, but she finds that she doesn't need Tina and that everything will be ok in the end.
The movie closes with Melanie sitting in the backseat of her car. She is supposed to be driving. One is left with the question of whether she survives or not.
This film's genre is independent. All-in-all I thought it was a weird movie. It had a feeling of awkwardness throughout the whole thing. For me, I found that Melanie was a rather disturbing character. She had a stalker feel to her, although she might not have realized what she was doing.
I give this film a 5/10 mostly for creativity.
My scale is set up thusly:
10-Best movie I've ever seen
9-Amazingly good
8-Definitely recommended
7-Decent
6-Worth watching
5-Average
4-Fine
3-Boring or uninteresting
2-idea is overdone, too common
1-Terrible, don't waste your time
She has a difficult time controlling her classes and the teachers talk about her behind her back. In search for a friend, Melanie goes to a clothing store and talks with the lady who helps her. She finds they are neighbors and they become friends.
However, as time progresses, Melanie becomes somewhat suffocating to her new friend Tina. Melanie is constantly calling her and asking her what she's doing and if they can do something together.
Melanie invites herself to Tina's parties and eventually starts to invade her personal life. Meanwhile, Melanie still cannot control her classes and she seems ever more frazzled while working. She even begins to exclude herself by eating her lunch in a closet.
Melanie feels such a complete lonliness that she begins to suspect that Tina doesn't like her. She follows her around from place to place so as to keep an eye on her.
Eventually, Tina becomes fed up with Melanie and tells her to leave her alone. This crushes Melanie, but she finds that she doesn't need Tina and that everything will be ok in the end.
The movie closes with Melanie sitting in the backseat of her car. She is supposed to be driving. One is left with the question of whether she survives or not.
This film's genre is independent. All-in-all I thought it was a weird movie. It had a feeling of awkwardness throughout the whole thing. For me, I found that Melanie was a rather disturbing character. She had a stalker feel to her, although she might not have realized what she was doing.
I give this film a 5/10 mostly for creativity.
My scale is set up thusly:
10-Best movie I've ever seen
9-Amazingly good
8-Definitely recommended
7-Decent
6-Worth watching
5-Average
4-Fine
3-Boring or uninteresting
2-idea is overdone, too common
1-Terrible, don't waste your time
Unforgiven
Just ten scenes that show the people in the movie were unforgiven.
1. Will's mother-in-law doesnt forgive him for marrying her daughter.
2. Will is unforgiven by his friend's wife for killing so many people.
3. Also for taking her husband with him to do all of his bad deeds.
4. The prostitutes are unforgiven because of their job.
5. The sheriff is unforgiven because he treats everyone he doesn't like like a criminal.
6. English Bob is unforgiven for his deeds that he did in the past.
5. The men who cut the girl are unforgiven.
4. Will doesn't forgive himself for the things he's done in the past.
3. The town is unforgiven because they kill Will's friend.
2. The blind kid won't forgive himself for shooting that man.
1. Sheriff is unforgiven by Will because he hurt Will even though he didn't do anything wrong.
The Secret Window
So this blog will be a little different too. I'm going to compare Psycho and The Secret Window.1. Both of the killers in the movies are schizophrenic.
2. Both killers have lost the person that's most important to them.
3. Both live alone.
4. One thinks his other personality is out to get him and one thinks his personality loves him.
5. There is a shower scene in both films.
6. Both wear specific articals of clothing when in their made up personality (mother's clothes, hat)
7. One gets away with murder and one doesn't.
8. In Psycho, Norman completely turns into his mother. In the Secret Window, Mort turns into a third person completely different from himself and John Shooter.
9. Mort has a dog, Norman doesn't.
10. Mort wants to get rid of John Shooter. Norman doesnt want to get rid of his mother.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Cinema Paradiso
Cinema Paradiso released in 1988 is an Italian film directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. The film won several awards outside of it's home country including the 1989 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
This blogs will be a little different. I'm just going to give 10 memorable scenes.
10. When Salvatore (aka Toto) recieves the phone call informing him of Alfredo's death.
9. Young Salvatore in the film room of the Cinema Paradiso learning how to use the film machine from Alfredo.
8. Alfredo projecting a film onto a building when the theatre is closed for the evening.
7. The fire that causes Alfredo's blindness from which Toto rescues Alfredo.
6. Elena, Toto's first love, visits him in the Cinema Paradiso after he waited outside her window for 100 nights.
5. Toto goes to war and comes back more somber than he was before.
4. Cinema Paradiso is rebuilt after the fire by Ciccio, a lucky citizen of the town who won some money in the football lottery.
3. Toto accidentally sets fire to some pictures in his home including a picture of his deceased father. His mother is in hysterics.
2. The Cinema Paradiso is demolished symbolizing a part of Toto's childhood dying.
1. Alfredo makes Toto promise the he will never return to the village once he has left. Toto keeps his promise until Alfredo dies.
The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie was released in July 2007. Directed by David Silverman, it was a huge success globally. The film won many awards worldwide including the British Comedy Award, the Best Animated Feature Film in the Golden Globes, Kids' and Teen Choice awards, etc.
The city of Springfield is an environmentally unfriendly town. Lake Springfield is especially toxic. Lisa (voice by Yeardley Smith) along with an Irish boy Colin hold a town meeting to convince the people of Springfield to clean up their lake. They agree that things need to change.
Meanwhile, Homer (voice by Dan Castellaneta) has taken a pig as his pet. He begins storing the pig's waste in a makeshift silo in his backyard. Marge (voice by Julie Kavner) orders Homer to remove it from the yard and dispose of it properly. Homer, being the lazy man that he is, decides to dump the silo into the newly restored Lake Springfield. The lake becomes completely toxic again, this time worse than before, causing wildlife to mutate.
The EPA finds one of the mutated animals and decides to intervene. Russ Cargill (voice by Albert Brooks), head of the EPA, gives the president 5 choices from which the president chooses to place a dome over Springfield.
When the silo is found in the lake and the townspeople learn that it was Homer's property, they form a mob and set fire to the Simpsons' home. Luckily, the family manages to escape through a sinkhole in Maggie's sandbox and hide-out in Alaska.
The people trapped people begin to damage the dome. Cargill fears that if the people escape they will tell everyone of the dome and he will be locked up. His plan is to simply destroy Springfield. When the Simpsons see a commercial advertising the Grand Canyon in the place where Speingfield is, the family abandons Homer to save the town. Unfortunately, the family is captured by the EPA and replaced in the dome. Homer visits an Eskimo shaman and has a vision in which he realizes he must save the town to save himself.
When he arrives to help, the EPA begins lowering a bomb into the city. Homer descends on the rope which forces the townspeople and the bomb back into the dome. He then mounts a motorcycle and reunites with Bart (voice by Nancy Cartwright). Together they manage to throw the bomb outside of the dome seconds before it explodes. The dome shatters and the people are free. They restore the city to its original state.
This movie is funny, full of political satire. Of course that means the genre is comedy. It definitely deserves an 8/10.
My scale is set up thusly:
10-Best movie I've ever seen
9-Amazingly good
8-Definitely recommended
7-Decent
6-Worth watching
5-Average
4-Fine
3-Boring or uninteresting
2-idea is overdone, too common
1-Terrible, don't waste your time
All in all a very funny film. There were few issues that the writers did not touch. Even religion, which tends to be a touchy subject to many people, was openly ridiculed. I loved the fearlessness of the comedy.
wikipedia.com
Friday, January 23, 2009
The Graduate
The Graduate, a 1967 film directed by Mike Nichols, is about Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), a young man who just graduated from college. The night of his party in celebration of his graduation, Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), Mr. Braddock's business partner's wife, convinces Benjamin to give her a ride home. When they arrive at her house, Mrs. Robinson forces him to go in with her. She begins to make hints and finally Ben realizes that Mrs. Robinson is "trying to seduce [him]."
At first, Ben is horrified and leaves as soon as possible. However, Ben contacts Mrs. Robinson a few days later and invites to a local hotel. The two begin an affair that Benjamin feels uncomfortable with.
One night Mrs. Robinson makes Ben promise that he would never date her daughter Elaine. But, after much pressure from his parents and a threat of a dinner party with all of the Robinson's, Ben decides to take Elaine on a date. This infuriates Mrs. Robinson but Ben swears that he will never do it again.
Ben takes Elaine (Katherine Ross) to a strip club. She is very uncomfortable and upset. As she sits there, she begins to cry and eventually runs out of the club. Ben follows and apologizes, thoroughly explaining his reasons for acting as he is. Elaine forgives him and for the first time, Ben feels as if he found someone he can really talk with.
Ben returns the next day and takes Elaine out again. However, his happiness is short-lived when he has to tell Elaine about his affair with her mother. When Elaine asks her mother about it later, Mrs. Robinson claims that Ben raped her.
Elaine goes off to college in Berkley. Shortly after, Ben follows and finds an apartment. Elaine is cold towards Ben when she they meet each other. Later she goes to his apartment and confronts him about everything that happened with Mrs. Robinson. He informs her that her mother did not tell her the truth. Elaine leaves but returns later. She and Ben talk shortly about marriage and she says she will consider it.
As his luck would be, Mr. Robinson is waiting for Ben one day when he returns home. Mr. Robinson says that he knows about the affair and will be getting a divorce. Also, he tells Ben to stay away from his daughter.
Shortly after, Elaine writes Ben a note stating that she will be marrying another man. She says that this is best for both of them. Ben disagrees, however, and finds the church that the wedding is in. He runs in a backdoor and finds himself on a walkway above the ceremony. He shouts, "ELAINE!!" and pounds on the glass in front of him. Elaine runs to him just as the wedding is coming to an end. She and Ben fight off her family and flee the church. Together, they board a bus and find a seat in the rear. There's is a look of "What do we do now?" on both of their faces as the credits begin to roll.
There is a follow-up film, "Rumor Has It," that features Jennifer Aniston as Sara, daughter of Jocelyn, the real Elaine.
This film's genres were comedy and romance.
I give this movie a 9.5.
My scale is set up thusly:
10-Best movie I've ever seen
9-Amazingly good
8-Definitely recommended
7-Decent
6-Worth watching
5-Average
4-Fine
3-Boring or uninteresting
2-idea is overdone, too common
1-Terrible, don't waste your time.
I loved this movie. It is definitely one of the best movies I have seen. I loved the humor and awkwardness throughout the film. The characters were well-developed. There was a lot to be learned from each of them. Also, it was interesting to see where the film went. I found it to be hard to predict what would happen next.
works cited: imdb.com
At first, Ben is horrified and leaves as soon as possible. However, Ben contacts Mrs. Robinson a few days later and invites to a local hotel. The two begin an affair that Benjamin feels uncomfortable with.
One night Mrs. Robinson makes Ben promise that he would never date her daughter Elaine. But, after much pressure from his parents and a threat of a dinner party with all of the Robinson's, Ben decides to take Elaine on a date. This infuriates Mrs. Robinson but Ben swears that he will never do it again.
Ben takes Elaine (Katherine Ross) to a strip club. She is very uncomfortable and upset. As she sits there, she begins to cry and eventually runs out of the club. Ben follows and apologizes, thoroughly explaining his reasons for acting as he is. Elaine forgives him and for the first time, Ben feels as if he found someone he can really talk with.
Ben returns the next day and takes Elaine out again. However, his happiness is short-lived when he has to tell Elaine about his affair with her mother. When Elaine asks her mother about it later, Mrs. Robinson claims that Ben raped her.
Elaine goes off to college in Berkley. Shortly after, Ben follows and finds an apartment. Elaine is cold towards Ben when she they meet each other. Later she goes to his apartment and confronts him about everything that happened with Mrs. Robinson. He informs her that her mother did not tell her the truth. Elaine leaves but returns later. She and Ben talk shortly about marriage and she says she will consider it.
As his luck would be, Mr. Robinson is waiting for Ben one day when he returns home. Mr. Robinson says that he knows about the affair and will be getting a divorce. Also, he tells Ben to stay away from his daughter.
Shortly after, Elaine writes Ben a note stating that she will be marrying another man. She says that this is best for both of them. Ben disagrees, however, and finds the church that the wedding is in. He runs in a backdoor and finds himself on a walkway above the ceremony. He shouts, "ELAINE!!" and pounds on the glass in front of him. Elaine runs to him just as the wedding is coming to an end. She and Ben fight off her family and flee the church. Together, they board a bus and find a seat in the rear. There's is a look of "What do we do now?" on both of their faces as the credits begin to roll.
There is a follow-up film, "Rumor Has It," that features Jennifer Aniston as Sara, daughter of Jocelyn, the real Elaine.
This film's genres were comedy and romance.
I give this movie a 9.5.
My scale is set up thusly:
10-Best movie I've ever seen
9-Amazingly good
8-Definitely recommended
7-Decent
6-Worth watching
5-Average
4-Fine
3-Boring or uninteresting
2-idea is overdone, too common
1-Terrible, don't waste your time.
I loved this movie. It is definitely one of the best movies I have seen. I loved the humor and awkwardness throughout the film. The characters were well-developed. There was a lot to be learned from each of them. Also, it was interesting to see where the film went. I found it to be hard to predict what would happen next.
works cited: imdb.com
Friday, January 16, 2009
Psycho
We all know the corny thrillers and scary movies that are thrown at us constantly. There are some scenes from thos movies that could almost be considered overdone for how often they appear. But where did the stereotypical scary movies get their ideas?
Psycho is a 1960 directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It was the first real thriller based on the book Psycho by Robert Bloch. Bloch's book was inspired by Ed Gein, a serial-killer from Plainsville, Wisconsin.
The film begins in Phoenix, Arizona with Marion Crane, played by Janet Leigh, and her lover Sam Loomis, depicted by John Gavin. They want to marry, however, Sam does not have the money because he is still paying alimony to his ex-wife. In attempts to help Sam, although he never asks for the help, Marion steals money from her boss that she is supposed to take to the bank. She takes the $40,000 with her on her long drive to Sam's home.
Marion gets lost during a storm and accidentally ends up off of the main road. She stops at a Bates motel, a 12-room lodging, to get a good rest and rents cabin 1. The owner and supervisor Norman Bates, played by Anthony Perkins, invites Marion for dinner when he discovers she has not had an evening meal. He rushes to his house to make the meal when Marion agrees to join him. While she is freshening-up, Marion overhears and argument between Norman and his mother, who believes that Norman is up to something bad with Marion.
When Norman finally returns, he has sandwiches but says he isn't hungry as he already ate earlier. In the parlor, Marion carefully suggests that Norman send his mother to a mental institution. Norman becomes agitated at first, but quickly recovers. He tells Marion about his love of taxidermy, especially stuffing his favorite animals: Birds. He also admits that he would like to leave and have his own life but he is trapped because he cannot send his mother away. He notes that most people have a trap in their life at some time. Marion recognizes her theft of the money as her trap and decides to drive back to Phoenix the next morning. Marion excuses herself and goes to her room in which she undresses in preparation for her shower while Norman watches through a peephole in the parlor.
While taking her shower, a human figure can be seen through the shower curtain. The curtain is ripped open and the figure stabs Marion to death. The figure has gray hair and a dress giving the viewer the impression that the murderer is Norman's mother. The viewer cannot see the murderer's face, however.
The film is suddenly about Norman. He runs into Marion's room after discovering blood on his mother. He is startled but cleans up the scene carefully. He brings Marion's car to the swamp and pushes it in with Marion and all of her belongings in the trunk.
A private detective, Detective Arbogast is hired to find Marion. He is led to Bates Motel. After questioning Norman, Arbogast is very suspicious that Norman has something to do with Marion's disappearance. Arbogast decides to continue searching for clues after calling Sam and Marion's sister, Lila, to tell them the news. Arbogast goes up to Norman's house to see the mother, but when he reaches the top of the stairs in the house, Marion's killer comes out with the same knife and stabs him. He falls dramatically down the stairs and dies.
Sam and Lila become worried when the detective never returns. They decide to visit the motel and solve the crime. Pretending to be husband and wife, they rent room at the motel. Norman makes sure that he puts them as far away from cabin 1 as possible. They do as much investigating as they can. Eventually Sam has to distract Norman while Lila runs up to his house to search for Marion.
Lila searches the entire tope floor of the house and is unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Norman knocks Sam out when he realizes that Lila is in his house. As Lila rushes downstairs, she sees Norman coming toward the house. She decides to search the basement while he is on the second floor. In the fruit cellar she discovers the corpse of Norman's mother. As she turns around, Norman comes in dressed as a woman brandishing a knife. Luckily Sam comes in immediately after and hits Norman over the head. He is knocked out.
The final scene shows Sam and Lila at the police station. They listen to a psychoanalyst who tells them that Norman was crazy. he had two personalities: Norman and his mother. Eventually the mother overtook Norman and he went completely mad.
This movie was the first of its kind, a real breakthrough in the film industry. I was bored for much of the movie as I had seen most of the ideas from this movie in others. However, this movie was the first to use these ideas, therefore I would give it a 6/10. I liked the plot twists and new ideas. It was creative for its time.
My scale is set up thusly:
10-Best movie I've ever seen
9-Amazingly good
8-Definitely recommended
7-Decent
6-Worth watching
5-Average
4-Fine
3-Boring or uninteresting
2-idea is overdone, too common
1-Terrible, don't waste your time.
The genre of this film is thriller.
Works cited: wikipedia.com
Psycho is a 1960 directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It was the first real thriller based on the book Psycho by Robert Bloch. Bloch's book was inspired by Ed Gein, a serial-killer from Plainsville, Wisconsin.
The film begins in Phoenix, Arizona with Marion Crane, played by Janet Leigh, and her lover Sam Loomis, depicted by John Gavin. They want to marry, however, Sam does not have the money because he is still paying alimony to his ex-wife. In attempts to help Sam, although he never asks for the help, Marion steals money from her boss that she is supposed to take to the bank. She takes the $40,000 with her on her long drive to Sam's home.
Marion gets lost during a storm and accidentally ends up off of the main road. She stops at a Bates motel, a 12-room lodging, to get a good rest and rents cabin 1. The owner and supervisor Norman Bates, played by Anthony Perkins, invites Marion for dinner when he discovers she has not had an evening meal. He rushes to his house to make the meal when Marion agrees to join him. While she is freshening-up, Marion overhears and argument between Norman and his mother, who believes that Norman is up to something bad with Marion.
When Norman finally returns, he has sandwiches but says he isn't hungry as he already ate earlier. In the parlor, Marion carefully suggests that Norman send his mother to a mental institution. Norman becomes agitated at first, but quickly recovers. He tells Marion about his love of taxidermy, especially stuffing his favorite animals: Birds. He also admits that he would like to leave and have his own life but he is trapped because he cannot send his mother away. He notes that most people have a trap in their life at some time. Marion recognizes her theft of the money as her trap and decides to drive back to Phoenix the next morning. Marion excuses herself and goes to her room in which she undresses in preparation for her shower while Norman watches through a peephole in the parlor.
While taking her shower, a human figure can be seen through the shower curtain. The curtain is ripped open and the figure stabs Marion to death. The figure has gray hair and a dress giving the viewer the impression that the murderer is Norman's mother. The viewer cannot see the murderer's face, however.
The film is suddenly about Norman. He runs into Marion's room after discovering blood on his mother. He is startled but cleans up the scene carefully. He brings Marion's car to the swamp and pushes it in with Marion and all of her belongings in the trunk.
A private detective, Detective Arbogast is hired to find Marion. He is led to Bates Motel. After questioning Norman, Arbogast is very suspicious that Norman has something to do with Marion's disappearance. Arbogast decides to continue searching for clues after calling Sam and Marion's sister, Lila, to tell them the news. Arbogast goes up to Norman's house to see the mother, but when he reaches the top of the stairs in the house, Marion's killer comes out with the same knife and stabs him. He falls dramatically down the stairs and dies.
Sam and Lila become worried when the detective never returns. They decide to visit the motel and solve the crime. Pretending to be husband and wife, they rent room at the motel. Norman makes sure that he puts them as far away from cabin 1 as possible. They do as much investigating as they can. Eventually Sam has to distract Norman while Lila runs up to his house to search for Marion.
Lila searches the entire tope floor of the house and is unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Norman knocks Sam out when he realizes that Lila is in his house. As Lila rushes downstairs, she sees Norman coming toward the house. She decides to search the basement while he is on the second floor. In the fruit cellar she discovers the corpse of Norman's mother. As she turns around, Norman comes in dressed as a woman brandishing a knife. Luckily Sam comes in immediately after and hits Norman over the head. He is knocked out.
The final scene shows Sam and Lila at the police station. They listen to a psychoanalyst who tells them that Norman was crazy. he had two personalities: Norman and his mother. Eventually the mother overtook Norman and he went completely mad.
This movie was the first of its kind, a real breakthrough in the film industry. I was bored for much of the movie as I had seen most of the ideas from this movie in others. However, this movie was the first to use these ideas, therefore I would give it a 6/10. I liked the plot twists and new ideas. It was creative for its time.
My scale is set up thusly:
10-Best movie I've ever seen
9-Amazingly good
8-Definitely recommended
7-Decent
6-Worth watching
5-Average
4-Fine
3-Boring or uninteresting
2-idea is overdone, too common
1-Terrible, don't waste your time.
The genre of this film is thriller.
Works cited: wikipedia.com
Ben Hur
Ben Hur Podcast
My scale is set up thusly:
10-Best movie I've ever seen
9-Amazingly good
8-Definitely recommended
7-Decent
6-Worth watching
5-Average
4-Fine
3-Boring or uninteresting
2-idea is overdone, too common
1-Terrible, don't waste your time
I give this movie a 9. I found it to be very entertaining. I also enjoyed the historical elements of the film. I feel I could better connect it to the real world. Ben Hur was also a complex character which allowed me to think a little in the movie rather than have everything made obvious.
My scale is set up thusly:
10-Best movie I've ever seen
9-Amazingly good
8-Definitely recommended
7-Decent
6-Worth watching
5-Average
4-Fine
3-Boring or uninteresting
2-idea is overdone, too common
1-Terrible, don't waste your time
I give this movie a 9. I found it to be very entertaining. I also enjoyed the historical elements of the film. I feel I could better connect it to the real world. Ben Hur was also a complex character which allowed me to think a little in the movie rather than have everything made obvious.
My Top Ten Movies
My top ten movies in, no particular order, include:
Memoirs of a Geisha
It's a Wonderful Life
Signs
Far and Away
Behind Enemy Lines
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The Graduate
The Godfather
Timeline
The Patriot
Memoirs of a Geisha
It's a Wonderful Life
Signs
Far and Away
Behind Enemy Lines
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The Graduate
The Godfather
Timeline
The Patriot
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