Film Noir

Film Noir is an interesting genre, or whatever you want to call it, and I think that I like it. Out of the past and Chinatown were really good movies, and kiss me deadly was an ok comedy. I really like the action and danger in these suspenseful movies. I love going along with the plot and trying to figure out what I think will happen. But I'm not too big of a fan of the endings. Out of the Past and Chinatown had good enough ending. But Kiss Me Deadly's ending wasn't all that great. It was so bad that it was almost funny, in an, um, almost nearly ok way. And then there's Chinatown. I don't know how i feel about Chinatown's ending. It was a twist that i never really saw coming. but i wish that there was more closure at the ending. It left me wanting to see more of it, and I think that if I liked the ending a lot more i would really love this movie.

In a lot of ways I like the film style that this movie was filmed in. I like all the effects that they use with the use of darkness and shadow. It's different from what you see in action, thriller, or ever some horror movies today, and I think that it works really well to compliment the story line.

The Detective's in these movies are interesting characters that were entertaining to watch. In Kiss Me Deadly the detective went around beating the crap out of everybody for basically no reason, except the fact that he could do it, and he did it in a really unrealistic way, like when he crushed that one guys hand in a desk only using 3 fingers. Anyway, you get my point. And then there’s Chinatown. This detective isn’t really like the other detectives. He is portrayed as a weaker character, which is vulnerable to the world. And yet he is a sly and tricky person that manipulates people around until he gets his way as he slowly digs for what is really going on with the L.A. waterworks. And finally there’s Jeff Bailey. He is the typical detective, well ex detective that we are used to seeing in movies. He got a lot of baggage from his past and he’s trying to get rid of it. We really connect to his character throughout this movie. And Jeff also seems to have issues with self destructive behavior, and this really makes the viewer be on his side, and yet sad as we watch this movie unfold knowing that it is not going to end well.

Romantic Comedy

I've never really been a big fan of Romantic Comedy. The movies just aren't my style. Sure there is some entertainment value in them, like watching them in class isn't complete torture, but if I’m going to watch a movie that I pick I don't think I’d ever watch a romantic comedy. Romantic Comedies just don't have the action and excitement that I like in movies. And a lot of times they are just kind of... cheesy, in a way that i don't really care too much for. His girl Friday may have not really been to gender specific back in the old days when it was made, but now a days I don't think that it would do very well in the box office. When it was made there weren't as many or as good of action, adventure, or thriller movies out there, so guys would go and watch it. Because really without any alternatives it would be a good movie to watch. But now we have alternatives. Even though there really isn't anything that makes it more specific movie that a girl would like, more girls would end up going to it. Nowadays, would most men want to see a James Bond movie or his girl Friday? 3:10 to Yuma or his girl Friday? No country for Old Men or his girl Friday? I think you can see my point, not a ton of men would go to a movie like his girl Friday if it was made today because there are better films out there. Another thing is that With the way that they always talk so fast is annoying, you have to pay such close attention to hear everything, and most audiences aren't going to want to have to pay super close attention for the entire movie, compared to most movies that at times go a lot slower, especially with the dialog.

Western Blog Post

UnForgiven, Directed by Clint Eastwood(1992)

William Munny(Clint Eastwood) was an outlaw that killed many people that didn't deserve it. He was an evil man, and he knew it. So he got married to a clean woman and she started to set him straight. He stopped killing, drinking and all the other bad things that he used to do. But then his wife dies, and he's on his own again.

William Munny keeps trying to convince himself that he truly is a changed man, and that he is forgiven from his past Sins. He keeps talking about how his wife straighten him out, in part to remind himself that he can't do those things anymore, and in part to convince himself that he has changed and isn't the evil man that he once was.

But as times for him and his children got tough, and he was struggling to make a living he was getting depressed because he wasn't able to support his family very well. Then when an offer to help a man kill two men that cut up a whore for money came along his old self showed a bit and he took the offer, something that would change his life forever.

He gets the crap beat out of him and chatches a fevor and almost dies. When he recovers he's kind of changed back into his old ways. He tells a whore that his wife is still alive, which shows that he needs even more convincing now to convince himself that he is a changed man.

When the time comes for them to kill a man, the other two can't do it, and so William Munny takes the Gun and shots the kid dead. It was a long, slow and painful ordeal. But Munny was able to do it. Although it is made clear that he's not as cold hearted as he used to be in that during the few minutes that it takes for the kid to die, it is obvious that Munny is uncomfortable with what he has done. The kid is asking for water and Munny gets mad at the kids friends for not getting him any water. Killing was hard but he did it.

Then later When Munny finds out that they killed Ned Logan(Morgan Freeman), even though he didn't do any of the killings. This pushes Will over the top. As he hears the details he grabs a bottle of whiskey and starts chugging it down. This shows that he truly hasn’t changed and isn’t forgiven from his past. Munny than goes into town, walks into the bar where the Sheriff and his men are and kills all of them in cold blood.

William Munny went back to his old ways. His wife only temporarily changed him, and now that she has been gone a few years when this circumstance comes up, he turns back to his old nature as a ruthless killer. He thought that he had been forgiven, that he had changed, but now it is made clear that nothing has really changed, he is still a murderer, he is still unforgiven.

Pan's Labyrinth

Pan’s Labyrinth, directed and written by Guillermo del Toro, is a fairy tale movie with a twist or horror thrown in. The movie is full of amazing scenes, props and costumes that make you wonder how they possibly make such wonderfully horrifying eye candy. Guillermo was very picky with the visual things in this movie. He would tell the people making the sets, the costumes and everything which artists they should look to for inspiration, which goes beyond what most directors do. Then he would constantly tell them to make little changes until it was exactly what he wanted.

Doug Jones is the actor that gets to wear the two most amazing costumes in this movie, the Faun and the pale man. Guillermo didn’t want this Faun to be like most fauns, half man and half goat. Instead he wanted it to look like it was part of nature, that it was one with nature, so he made it have part of a tree trunk, with bark, lower legs in the general shape of goat’s hind legs, the face resembling a human with goat’s antlers. This costume is in several parts. There’s the lower part which is the legs, in which is actual legs stick out of and have to be edited out. Then there is the part that goes over the abdomen, a part that covers the chest and arms, and finally the head. Jones, in his long career in which he has worn many costumes said that this was one of the most comfortable costumes he has ever worn in an interview that is in a special feature on the DVD. The face is very complicated and took a long time to get right. His nose is flattened so that it doesn’t stick out. There are many layers in the upper part of the face to give it the right shape and movement. This costume was difficult to act in because for many scenes Jones has to bend down in the difficult to maneuver costume. In one scene when he is taking to the girl he backs up slowly and then ducks down and vanishes, which is very difficult to do while speaking a language that Jones doesn’t know.

The pale man is also an amazing costume. Guillermo described this costume as an old man that was very fat but then lost most of the weight so that he was just skin and bones with super saggy skin. This costume was difficult because it is made of both foam and silicon, which then have to blend evenly. At first the creature had a face but later Guillermo decided that it look much better if it didn’t have any facial features, and had eyes in his hands. Doug Jones legs and edited out so that you only see the thin legs that look no more than skin and bones. The creature moves in a horrifying manor in which his hand with the eye in it leads the way, so which Jones’ great acting the amazing costume this scene is unforgettable.

I got all of this information from the special feature on the DVD called "Pan the The Fairies"

The Godfather

The Godfather,(1972) directed by Francis Ford Coppola, shows us an inside look into a New York Mafia family showing that even with its dark side family means everything to them but it’s sadly torn apart, through the pressures of being a in the Mafia, in a way that makes the viewer feel their Pain.

The movie starts out with a dark scene with low key lighting looking at the shadowy back of Don Vito Corleone(Marlon Brando) head as a man in the background begs for his help and protection. This dark and eerie sequence is interrupted by scenes of his daughters wedding. These scenes are a big contrast from the dark shot of the Godfather in that they are shot in high key bright lighting. This opening sequence sets the tone of the whole movie. There’s the dark business side of their life and then there’s the joys of family loyalty.

Don Vito Corleone is a man that lives like he is still in the old country. He has principles that he will never break. Family is everything to him. The people who he Godfathers he will help for the rest of their lives no matter what they need. This is shown in the line “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse,” which is said many times throughout the movie as he helps people get what they want through threatening their opposition in many clever ways that can’t be turned down.

But he also has principles when it comes to business. He is against Drugs and won’t offer his services to a man that needs his help to traffic drugs. This move ends up in his near death from their retaliation. Because of this his son Michael Corleone(Al Pacino) who doesn’t want to get involved with the family business ends up diving full force into the violence of the wars between mafia families and eventually taking control of his aging fathers business.

This Mafia family is portrayed completely from inside. There are no civilian casualties shown and everyone that they do kill has it coming to them which makes the viewer on their side hoping that everything works out for the best for the family.

When Michael takes over the family business he’s in a real struggle and the family starts to break down. Family members are fighting and betraying each other. A sequence where Michael is becoming the Godfather of his sister’s daughter strongly resembles the opening scenes. The should be joyful scenes of the ceremony are interrupted by many scenes of ruthless murders. The murder scenes are dull as many different people are shot dead in cold blood by Michaels doing. But in a contrast from the opening sequence the shots of Michael becoming this Childs Godfather are not bright and joyful. Instead these shots are in dark low key lighting much like the opening shot of the Godfather behind his desk. These dark scenes along with the intense music foreshadow a surprise ending in which we get to see what Michael truly values.

3:10 to Yuma

I first heard about this film from a friend who saw it and thought that it was absolutely amazing, and after hearing a brief summery of it I thought it sounded really good, and Robert Ebert strongly agrees in his Review
The movie is directed by James Mangold who has directed the movies “Walk the Line” “Heavy” and “Girl Interrupted.” Doing a film like "3:10 to Yuma" is a little out of style for him “but the movie itself proves he had a good reason for choosing it.”
A man named Dan Evens, played by Christian Bale moves to Arizona after losing his leg in a war to try and start his life over as a rancher. He finds a lot of hard times doing this and ends up transporting a famous outlaw Ben Wade, played by Russell Crowe, to a train which will take him to his death.

Christian Bale plays not simply a noble hero, but a man who has avoided such
risks as he now takes and is almost at a loss to explain why he is bringing a
killer to justice, except that having been mistreated and feeling unable to
provide for his family, he is fed up and here he takes his stand.

This movie seems like it's about good verses evil, right verses wrong in a way that is refreshing and encouraging to see.

It restores the wounded heart of the Western and rescues it from the morass of
pointless violence. The Western in its glory days was often a morality play, a
story about humanist values penetrating the lawless anarchy of the frontier.

Most western today are more about violence then doing what is morally right, although some are, but that’s something that I really miss in today’s world where violence and sex dominate action movies.

In hard times, Americans have often turned to the Western to reset their
compasses. In very hard times, it takes a very good western.

And Robert Ebert thinks that this is a very good western. And I really like movies that do this, and I really like action movies and it seems like this movie does both.
This movie seems goes deeper than violence with acting and dialog. It sounds like Dan and his captive have deep conversation.

[Wade] draws, reads, philosophizes, and is incomparably smarter than the
scum in his gang. Having spent untold time living on the run with them, he may
actually find it refreshing to spend time with Dan, even as his captive.

Wade is not your typical Western gang leader. He is a deep person that likes more that just booze, girls and killing. That’s rare to see and I think that it’s great that we are able to see that even though he’s a gang leader he still has a real intellectual side.

Locked in the hotel room, surrounded by death for one or the other, the two men
begin to talk. Without revealing anything of the plot, let me speculate that
each senses he has found the first man he has met in years who is his equal in
conversation. Crowe and Bale play this dialogue so precisely that it never
reveals itself for what it really is, a testing of mutual insight. One trial of
a great actor is the ability to let dialogue do its work invisibly…Too many
actors are like the guy who laughs at his own joke and then tells it to you
again.

That part of the review alone makes me want to see this Western. It’s not that often that you get to see deep into the characters through such great dialog in a Western. I think it will make the movie more realistic, allowing us to get to know them more than in movies where there is just pointless violence.

I really want to see this Movie; it has the Action of a Western, follows a deep moral compass, and shows deep insight through the great acting in meaningful conversation where the main characters truly connect.

intro

I think analyzing films will be fun. It will be different than just watching films without thinking about them all the much, and different can be good. Although I do have to say that there is benifit in just mindlessly watching movies. It's a really nice way to sit back and relax after going to school, doing a ton of homework, or all the other things that we have to do in our busy lives. But I think that sometimes analyzing a film will be fun, when I'm not to exauhsted.