Quatre cents coups, Les (1959) is a French film also known as 400 Blows in English is directed by Francois Truffaut. The movie basically revolves around an ordinary young kid in Paris, Antoine Doinel (Jean - Pierre Leaud) who is thought by his parents and teachers to be a trouble maker, having lack of attention from the people close to him, the agony he had been through when his parents start arguing, he then starts to delve into a life of petty crime at a young age. This is a biography drama and the whole movie is actually shot on the days of Antoine’s life, from morning until night. This autobiography reflects on many events of Truffaut’s life too as stated in Wikipedia. This movie is one of the defining films of the French New Wave which displays many characteristic traits of the movement.
I like the ending part the most, when the he was running to the sea, he runs runs and runs and the when he reach the sea, he finally realize that he had reach the place where he had always wanted to go but he did not know what to do next since he had reach the sea. The camera shoots the scene in a very good position, which is where shots were taken far from Antoine when he was running. At the end of the movie, Antoine looks straight into the camera and that let the viewer see the expression of his face clearly. When the movie ended, I was a bit taken back because I was expecting that he would do something but no, the movie ended there. The ending part made the viewer wonder what “What happen next?”, “So what now, since he had reach the place that he wanted to go all along?” and a lot of question marks were raised when the movie ended. The ending leaves the viewer to think and ponder what about what Antoine had been through in his life so far and feel for him.
I did enjoy this movie although I had to read the subtitles which was really not what I like to do.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Rashomon and YoJimBo
Rashomon a Japanese movie directed by Akira Kurosawa was mainly to show the humanity of people and how the weather could be an element that provokes the viewer’s feelings. In the movie, different people tell their side of a particular incident that had happened, and all of their views differ in many ways. Who is telling the truth? Who actually was there and witness the whole scenario? Who’s point of view and story can actually we believe? Different people look at the same thing differently. People now a days cannot be trusted of what they say, life just have to be viewed in shades of gray, in my view, it is shades of dark grey as I am not an optimistic person by nature. Not only can people not trust others, they sometimes come to a point of time where they cannot trust themselves too. “Man just wants to forget the bad stuff, and believe in the made-up good stuff. It's easier that way.”, “It's human to lie. Most of the time we can't even be honest with ourselves.” and “… men are weak, they lie to deceive themselves.” That is so much for the irony in life.
The visual effect of the movie which is the elements of the world like I have said above does play a big part in this movie. The director began the movie by showing the viewer the hut and it was raining heavily at that time. The rain symbolizes the blurriness on the situation and the uncertainties of life.
There is still one thing that I do not like about the movie, which is when the woman in the movie will suddenly cry and yell and do silly stuffs. I got irritated by that disturbing fact that the woman was either out of her mind or just plainly provoking the two men to fight over her. The close ups done in the movie was done quite good as the viewer could see the exaggerations of the expression of each character’s face.
YoJimBo, another drama action crime movie directed by the same director was equally as good as Rashomon. The movie started by showing Sanjuro Kuwabatake (Toshiro Mifune), the Samurai’s back. The viewer was not able to see his face until a few minutes after the movie started. I find that part interesting because it is a bit different from the way the rest of characters from other movies were introduced into the movie. I do find a few characters movements and expressions a little too exaggerated and I did not really like it.
The visual effect of the movie which is the elements of the world like I have said above does play a big part in this movie. The director began the movie by showing the viewer the hut and it was raining heavily at that time. The rain symbolizes the blurriness on the situation and the uncertainties of life.
There is still one thing that I do not like about the movie, which is when the woman in the movie will suddenly cry and yell and do silly stuffs. I got irritated by that disturbing fact that the woman was either out of her mind or just plainly provoking the two men to fight over her. The close ups done in the movie was done quite good as the viewer could see the exaggerations of the expression of each character’s face.
YoJimBo, another drama action crime movie directed by the same director was equally as good as Rashomon. The movie started by showing Sanjuro Kuwabatake (Toshiro Mifune), the Samurai’s back. The viewer was not able to see his face until a few minutes after the movie started. I find that part interesting because it is a bit different from the way the rest of characters from other movies were introduced into the movie. I do find a few characters movements and expressions a little too exaggerated and I did not really like it.
JFK
JFK is a movie base to stir up curiosity for the young people who seek the truth, the truth about The President, John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Who killed JFK? How many assassins killed JKF? Who was behind the assassination? Why was JFK killed? In the movie, it was shown how Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner), a district attorney of New Orleans was interested in helping the government's investigation on the conspiracy of JFK, stayed confused for three years after the death of JFK and how he later began to be obsess with his investigation on finding out the truth and also the facts and arguments that he provide for the murder of the president. The facts that he gave can be questioned whether it is true or not because the movie is actually not about the truth on the assassination of JFK but it is to prove to the viewer that there were actually a conspiracy behind the killing of JFK and that the government did cover it up.
This drama history mystery suspenseful movie, directed by Oliver Stone was a bit too long for my eyes to be kept wide open. Having to see a three and a half hour movie does to a certain extend makes my mind wonder off a bit. I find the movie a bit dreggy too. But overall, I guess I still have to submit by saying that this movie is worth watching. Stone not only did smartly choose the right actor for each character, the cinematography and the editing of the movie was done well. The movie starred Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Bacon, Gary Oldman and others were good at acting their characters out especially Kevin Costner. He acted as though he was really Garrison trying his best to find the missing pieces of the assassination. He indeed is a good actor.
The whole movie clearly shows the curiosity and impact the assassination had on the nation. Everyone wanted to know what really happened. It had been a few decades since JFK died and still no one clearly knows who killed him and for what reason. Yes, there may be many explanations as to why he was killed but until today, people are still finding out the truth. Curiosity kills the cat; I do hope no one gets killed trying to find out the truth behind JFK’s assassination after their curiosity was provoked by the movie.
This drama history mystery suspenseful movie, directed by Oliver Stone was a bit too long for my eyes to be kept wide open. Having to see a three and a half hour movie does to a certain extend makes my mind wonder off a bit. I find the movie a bit dreggy too. But overall, I guess I still have to submit by saying that this movie is worth watching. Stone not only did smartly choose the right actor for each character, the cinematography and the editing of the movie was done well. The movie starred Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Bacon, Gary Oldman and others were good at acting their characters out especially Kevin Costner. He acted as though he was really Garrison trying his best to find the missing pieces of the assassination. He indeed is a good actor.
The whole movie clearly shows the curiosity and impact the assassination had on the nation. Everyone wanted to know what really happened. It had been a few decades since JFK died and still no one clearly knows who killed him and for what reason. Yes, there may be many explanations as to why he was killed but until today, people are still finding out the truth. Curiosity kills the cat; I do hope no one gets killed trying to find out the truth behind JFK’s assassination after their curiosity was provoked by the movie.
Heat
Heat is a movie about two men that are similar in so many ways yet both on opposite sides of the law. The first men is a police Lt. Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) that is life driven by his work which is catching hardcore criminals like the second men, Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro). Both of them had screwed personal life when Hanna is always in a bad state with his marriage, (quoted from the movie) “My life's a disaster zone. I got a stepdaughter so fucked up because her real father's this large-type asshole. I got a wife; we're passing each other on the down-slope of a marriage - my third - because I spend all my time chasing guys like you around the block. That's my life.” and McCauley being a loner but claims to not be lonely, as said in the movie “I'm alone, I am not lonely.” And “Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.” Despite their hate for each other, they did in a point of time cross path and “talked” over the life they choose to live. The director of this crime thriller drama film that was released exactly eight years after the day I was born, Michael Mann which also directed “The Insider” was innovative enough to divide both the two characters properly as each character is shown their working style, their principles and most importantly their personal life. There were a few good scenes where the director played with the lighting and the positioning of the camera. One of the scenes which made a big impact on the viewer was the ending part where McCauley notices bright runway lights turn on during the landings to enable the pilots to land, and, sensing an opportunity, makes a move to take out Hanna. However, as McCauley steps out to shoot Hanna with the lights at his back, Hanna is able to see McCauley's shadow and shoots first. As McCauley dies, Hanna moves to comfort him, and the two men share a final, reflective moment. Honestly, I was expecting a twist of fate for Hanna at the end of the movie, I was actually hoping that McCauley would take out a knife and kill Hanna or at least injured him before his final breath but he did not. Despite my hopes For McCauley’s revenge on Hanna for killing him, I think that the ending is a pretty good one where the viewer could see the honorable moment the two men shared at the end. It is somehow touching and very rare to see one man comforting another without them looking like gays. I believe their acting was superb and the director was talented enough to make this movie such a heart touching movie despite all the crime scenes that was in the movie.
Brazil
Brazil, indeed one of the worst movies I have ever seen. First, I did not understand why was there so many bombing and people dying here and there even in restaurants and public places. It was so unrealistic in the beginning already, showing people dying at the back of them while Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) was so call celebrating his birthday with his mom, Mrs. Ida Lowry (Katherine Helmond) and her friends. There are a few things that I find it silly and one of them is when the telegram girl came crashing into Sam’s house, dancing wildly, while singing in an absurdly high soprano. At that very point, I felt like cursing the movie.
There were parts in the movie which until now, I do not understand. One of them was the scene where Archibald 'Harry' Tuttle (Robert De Niro) came in to the picture. I did not understand the part where Tuttle came and fix Sam’s air con that broke down. There was also another part where Tuttle shit into people’s suit when the people were in the room. The cold humor in that particular scene did in a way made me laugh, but only after seconds after the scene toke place.
The gadgets that were shown in the movie was the interesting part. I fancy the televisions that were used in the movie. It looked like an on old television but in the same time, it looks like a technology from the future. The computers used in the movies were also uniquely funny yet very high tech. there were parts in the movie where the positioning of the camera played a big part and one of which was the scene where the camera moved from Sam’s face that was facing the computer, to the back of the computer and made the computer looked like a magnifying glass.
The part where Sam was dreaming was the real confusing and really stupid part. But I maybe it is there for a reason that is to show how Sam’s life is in such a boring routine and actually all he wanted is to be with his dream girl. In his dreams, he just wanted to save the girl and be with her but there were so many enemies and evil that tries to stop him from getting to his dream girl. In the end of the movie, he was so caught up with his dreams he could not focus on the reality anymore and became insane. This thing will happen if we do not control our fantasies and dreams and let them overpower the reality part of our lives.
There were parts in the movie which until now, I do not understand. One of them was the scene where Archibald 'Harry' Tuttle (Robert De Niro) came in to the picture. I did not understand the part where Tuttle came and fix Sam’s air con that broke down. There was also another part where Tuttle shit into people’s suit when the people were in the room. The cold humor in that particular scene did in a way made me laugh, but only after seconds after the scene toke place.
The gadgets that were shown in the movie was the interesting part. I fancy the televisions that were used in the movie. It looked like an on old television but in the same time, it looks like a technology from the future. The computers used in the movies were also uniquely funny yet very high tech. there were parts in the movie where the positioning of the camera played a big part and one of which was the scene where the camera moved from Sam’s face that was facing the computer, to the back of the computer and made the computer looked like a magnifying glass.
The part where Sam was dreaming was the real confusing and really stupid part. But I maybe it is there for a reason that is to show how Sam’s life is in such a boring routine and actually all he wanted is to be with his dream girl. In his dreams, he just wanted to save the girl and be with her but there were so many enemies and evil that tries to stop him from getting to his dream girl. In the end of the movie, he was so caught up with his dreams he could not focus on the reality anymore and became insane. This thing will happen if we do not control our fantasies and dreams and let them overpower the reality part of our lives.
The Insider.
The movie, The Insider, directed by Michael Mann is a biography, drama and thriller taken from an article The Man Who Knew Too Much, telling the events that took place in the 1990s between the news broadcast “60 Minutes,” its television stations CBS and the exposure of the tobacco industry. This movie is about a true story of a middle-aged Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe), an executive for a tobacco company Brown & Williamson Co. fired. Left jobless, he still had to support his family and his house. Hope came when Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino), an assistant of the “60 minutes” producer offers a paycheck that he desperately need in return of Wigand’s willingness to expose the tobacco company’s dirty “secret” about the addition various other chemicals to give cigarettes more of a kick when they knew about cigarettes being abdicative. In the beginning, Wigand is not willing to cooperate with Bergman and is determine not to say anything that might put his former company in trouble but he later changes his mind. At the beginning, I was a bit puzzled when I saw Bergman “captured” and blindfolded in a car and was brought to the streets of Tehran but later only did I realize that he was not actually captured but was going for an arranged interview for Mike Wallace. The whole “insider” thing is portrait by not only Wigand but by Bergman too.
The director did a good job at portraying the characters. His chronological way of introducing the two main characters were effective too. The viewer gets to see their style of working; how they approach problems and they way they handle situations even in the beginning of the movie. The positioning of the camera, the close ups that were shot up to the cinematography that was done in the movie was well done as it makes the viewer feel what was going on in the particular moment rather than juts watching it. The scenes where Bergman and Wigand exchange faxes was taken were good shots. There were also a part where I find it funny, which is when Ron Motley (Bruce McGill) was talking to the tobacco lawyer about having the rights not to talk about the exposure of Brown and Williamson Co. Motley’s reply to him was “Boy, you got rights... and lefts. Ups and downs and middles. So what?...” that part really made me laugh and that particular scene was actually stuck to my head even after the movie.
In conclusion about the movie, it is just about two men driven to tell the truth... whatever the cost is.
The director did a good job at portraying the characters. His chronological way of introducing the two main characters were effective too. The viewer gets to see their style of working; how they approach problems and they way they handle situations even in the beginning of the movie. The positioning of the camera, the close ups that were shot up to the cinematography that was done in the movie was well done as it makes the viewer feel what was going on in the particular moment rather than juts watching it. The scenes where Bergman and Wigand exchange faxes was taken were good shots. There were also a part where I find it funny, which is when Ron Motley (Bruce McGill) was talking to the tobacco lawyer about having the rights not to talk about the exposure of Brown and Williamson Co. Motley’s reply to him was “Boy, you got rights... and lefts. Ups and downs and middles. So what?...” that part really made me laugh and that particular scene was actually stuck to my head even after the movie.
In conclusion about the movie, it is just about two men driven to tell the truth... whatever the cost is.
The Haunting
The Haunting – “It was an evil house from the beginning - a house that was born bad.” Stared by Julie Harris as Eleanor Lance, Claire Bloom as Theodora or “Just Theo”, Richard Johnson as Dr. John Markway and Russ Tamblyn as Luke Sanderson, this movie is based on the classic novel The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. The Haunting, 1963, directed by Robert Wise, was not scary because of what I saw in the movie; it was what I could not see that scares me the most. It is because what a person does not see makes the mind create things that are very likely worse than reality. It is in the state of the mind. This movie plays a lot on our emotional and psychological part where when we tend to imagine the horror in our mind. This movie frightens the viewer by its intense powerful sound and simple visual effects, creating a horrifying experience. The director of the movie, Robert Wise was a sound effects editor and film editor. He edited the sound for the movie, Citizen Kane. Naturally, being a good sound editor, he did a good job using sound to scare the viewer. There was a part where the door of the room Theodora and Eleanor Lance was in keep banging, it was as though there was some force from the other side of the door banging it and trying to get in. It was frightening enough just to see the door banging and hearing the sound of the banging. That particular scene lasted quite long until the banging stop. I could still remember the scene that very night after I had watched the movie. I couldn’t really sleep at night because I was frightened and I kept looking at my room door, feeling scared that it would start banging by itself and that night, I kept my hands to myself. I could still remember the part when the time Eleanor was in bed, when she felt that she was holding Thor’s hand but when she woke up with a shock saying “God! God! Whose hand was I holding?” when she realized that Thor was sleeping at another end of the room. The sound played a big part of the movie, there is a part in the scene where Eleanor was very frighten and was explaining about the crying of a child she heard at night, in fact there was actually her imagination of a child when she heard the voice, the child was solely imagined in her mind because only the voice was heard. Dr. John Markway said to her “There was no child, remember? Just a voice.” The director was also good at making images scary. There is a part of the movie when a face could be seen at the door. The crafting of the door look as though it was an ugly face staring at them.
The Poseidon Adventure
The Poseidon Adventure, directed by Ronald Neame is an adventure, action and disaster film based on a novel written by Paul Gallico. It is about how a group of survivors find struggle their way to the bottom of the hull when S.S. Poseidon overturned on a New Year Eve killing thousands of passangers. The luxurious ocean liner was hit by a mother of all tidal waves killing most of the people in it when on her way across the Atlantic from New York City to Athens on its last voyage. The survivors included young Reverend Frank Scott (Gene Hackman) who believes that strength is related to your faith, as well as bickering Detective Lt. Mike Rogo (Ernest Borgnine) and his beautiful, foul-mouthed and ex-prostitute wife Linda Rogo (Stella Stevens). Alongside are an elderly couple Manny Rosen (Jack Albertson) and his obese wife Belle Rosen (Shelly Winters) that are going to Israel to meet their grandson, a bachelor Haberdasher James Martin (Red Buttons) who takes numerous vitamin pills ever, a pop singer Nonnie Parry (Carol Lynley), and two children Susan Shelby (Pamela Sue Martin) and her brother Robin (Eric Shea) are traveling to meet their parents in Greece. The actors did a good job at acting their parts, the emotions and tension the actors and the sound effect provoked the viewer in a way or another. The director is smart to blend in tension, honor, humor and teamwork in the movie. While watching the movie, I suddenly realized that my hands are griped tightly to the side of my chair as could feel that I was going to fall off the “deck” when the explosions accrue. The lost, sacrifices that were made just to help each other were touching. The time when aged Mrs. Rosen jumped down to free Scott from being trap in the water was a heart-touching scene when she decides to sacrifice herself knowing that she is not capable of swimming anymore, but yet for the sake of everyone and Scott, she did it anyway. It was sad in the end that she had a heart attack and died after saving Scott. There were also parts where I could see so much pressure and intensity in the movie, I could feel the fear in each character’s heart and yet want to burst out into laughter at the same time when the conversation in the movie was funny. The people there are so serious when they are determining to get out safely but yet, there are parts where the way they talk makes me laugh. Those parts were mostly conversation that involves Mrs. Linda Rogo. The scene where people were in the air, here and there when the ship capsized, and after everything was over, and people started to pick themselves up and look for survivors, Mike Rogo went looking for his wife, after finding her she questioned him “Hi... where the hell have you been?” and Mike Rogo answered her “Where do you think? Flying around on my ass.” That particular scene made me laughed just after I felt the tension of the whole chip capsizing.
Singing in the Rain
Chicago, the only other musical movie that I have watched was bad enough to make me not want to watch another musical movie. I remember I fell asleep during the movie too. But honestly, for a person that does not like musical movies at all, I do find “Singing in the Rain” not a bad movie after all. At least I could understand the story line in this movie and the songs were not that bad. Singing in the Rain was directed by both Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly with Kelly not only “singing and dancing” but also acting, directing and choreographing. This movie did its part by showing the humorous way of how Hollywood transits from silent films to “talkies” where. The talented actors and actress in this movie such as Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds did made the movie so much more interesting. I like watching Don Lockwood, Cosmo Brown, and Kathy Selden dance especially on the part where the three of them dance and sing in the house after Don though that the studio is going to close down because of Lina Lamont’s (Jean Hagen)’s hideous ridiculously awful voice and the sound system that was not working properly. There was a scene when Lina said “What's wrong with the way I talk? What's the big idea? Am I dumb or something?” and "People"? I ain't "people." I am a - "a shimmering, glowing star in the cinema firmament." I could not help but laugh. It was so obvious that she had a very bad voice. There are also some other part of the movie that will put a smile on your face. I could also remember the part where Brown sang and danced “Make ‘Em Laugh” it was so catchy, the way he danced was so funny and it makes him look so flexible, I could see that he is really artistic. The songs were nice enough to successfully be implanted in my brain for a few days until it finally fades away. I was actually surprise to find myself humming the tune of “Good Morning” and “You Were Meant for Me” after the movie. However I do find a part of the movie quite dreggy, which is the part where Don kept singing and singing if I recall properly it was the Broadway part. I find that scene a bit too long. Frankly, I find the character Cosmo Brown even more interesting than the main character itself. Maybe it is because his actions and facial expression are more amusing in a way.
Memento
At the end of the movie, I just sat there looking at the screen blankly. It toke me a few seconds to realize that the movie had ended and that I was not really sure if I still know what was going on. The movie is extremely confusing; my mind just could not contain what I had just seen. Not until I have to sit down rethink about what I have seen in the movie. Memento, directed by Christopher Nolan is told in reverse-chronological order with the beginning part of a scene acted as the ending point for the next. Therefore there opening scene of the movie where we sees John Edward Gammell a.k.a Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) killed by Leonard (Guy Pearce) was actually the ending part of the whole movie. In the movie, there are black and white scenes and also colored scenes. The movie consists of short scenes of Leonard’s memory. The movie brings the viewer into the position of the main character in the movie, Leonard Shelby’s mind, narrating whatever that Leonard is thinking, his motives and his feelings. The viewer will instantly be in the realm or being in Leonard’s shoes and feeling the way he did. Leonard, the guy that suffers from a short term memory lost when he was hit by a person that rape and murdered his wife was the narrator of the movie. Leonard - “I can't remember to forget you.” But after some time, I realized that whatever he “recalled” and narrated could not be true because everything that had happened was what he remembered only, I did not see the whole picture of the movie. This makes the whole movie very mysterious and interesting in a way because until the very end of the movie, everything was still so uncertain. The director lets the audience decide whatever that happened outside the mind of Leonard and also lets us ponder about the ending of the movie.
In this movie a “femme fertile” was introduced too. A “femme fertile” is a female character in the movie that uses her sexuality to seduce the men. In this movie, it is seen that Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss) uses Leonard to get her out of her drug dealing mess she was in by manipulating him to kill Dodd. After seeing that he got rid of Dodd, she helped him to find “John G”. She even dared saying “You sad, sad freak. I can say whatever the fuck I want, and you won't remember. We'll still be best friends. Or maybe even lovers.” In the beginning of the movie when she was introduced, she was known to be a good person, but after some time, as the story unfolds, she turn out to be just another character that used Leonard for her own benefits, just like what Teddy did.
In this movie a “femme fertile” was introduced too. A “femme fertile” is a female character in the movie that uses her sexuality to seduce the men. In this movie, it is seen that Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss) uses Leonard to get her out of her drug dealing mess she was in by manipulating him to kill Dodd. After seeing that he got rid of Dodd, she helped him to find “John G”. She even dared saying “You sad, sad freak. I can say whatever the fuck I want, and you won't remember. We'll still be best friends. Or maybe even lovers.” In the beginning of the movie when she was introduced, she was known to be a good person, but after some time, as the story unfolds, she turn out to be just another character that used Leonard for her own benefits, just like what Teddy did.
LA Confidential
LA Confidential, directed by Curtis Hanson is a good crime movie, a classic film noir. I am not a fan of this kind of movies where I have to use a lot of my brain cells and to crack my head thinking about what is going on in a movie, but LA Confidential is seriously good. The movie is complex but it is still understandable and at least not confusing. There is also always something new to catch from each scene and I’m glad that this movie is not a dull one. The movie is about the corrupt policemen in the world of the 50s. The movie started by introducing the three main characters in a not so nice way. But after some time, the viewer could see where they were coming from. Officer Wendell “Budd” White is a hot tempered guy that has a violent obsession with men who abuse women. Later only it was reviewed that the reason why he was like that, was because of his childhood life. His mother was frequently abused by his father. The other character in the movie, Det .Lt. Edmund Jennings 'Ed' Exley, acted by the same guy in Memento as the main character is Guy Pearce. Being the son of a legendary LADP police, he is determining to outdo his father and because of that he tends to receive a cold shoulder by his colleagues because of his straightly-follow-the-rules character. Jack Vincennes on the other hand is a popular cop that indulges himself into increasing his fame in the Hush-Hush magazine. The investigation is actually on a crime that happened on Nite Owl coffee shop. The director reviews little by little information about the murder by what each pf the three cop had found out about the case. There was also a “femme fertile” in the movie, which was Lynn Bracken, a beautiful high class call girl that uses her sexuality to manipulate the cops as you can see in the movie that she sleeps with Budd but then seduces Ed too with her own motives.
The movie was shown as though from three different sides of a story yet it comes back to the same path at the end. The actors and actresses chosen for the movie were suitable for their character. The cast consist of Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey and Kim Basinger did a great job acting their parts.
The movie was shown as though from three different sides of a story yet it comes back to the same path at the end. The actors and actresses chosen for the movie were suitable for their character. The cast consist of Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey and Kim Basinger did a great job acting their parts.
Citizen Kane
Directed and acted by Orson Welles, the movie Citizen Kane was said to be the “best film of all time” or “the greatest film every made”, of which I only agree partly with it. Yes, the technical part of the movie is good but it still fails to capture my full attention and make me relate to the movie.
At the beginning of the movie, the shot of the “No Trespassing” sign first reminded me of one of Mr. Patrick’s movie, Exit. In my opinion, it’s a good way of starting and ending this movie. This movie began by showing Kane’s big mansion, named “Xanadu”. The beauty of the beginning of the movie was that when the mansion was shot at every angle, be in front or at the reflection of the water, the window of Kane’s bedroom in particular was in all the shots of different angel of the house. At first, I did not realize anything extraordinary about all the shots of the house, but it suddenly hit me that all the shots have the bright yellow light coming out of the window in it. It made me think it was a horror film at first but I was later convinced by the movie and Mr. Patrick’s explanation that “Kane propose a fictionalized biography of media magnate William Randolph Hearst.” I honestly think Orson Welles did a good job at the shots of the window because it’s unique. This movie is mainly about a man, Chiles Foster Kane, fragments of his life and the search of the meaning of “rosebud” which was the last word he said before he died. The reporter that was assigned to find out the meaning of “rosebud” did all sorts of research such as tracing back his life, meeting up with people that associated with Foster Kane when he was alive and reading Foster Kane’s journal. Even with all the information the reporter had gathered, he could not find out what “rosebud” meant. It was later at the ending of the movie that showed “rosebud” was the name of a sled that Kane used to play when he was young. It symbolizes the lost of his childhood innocent and love. After uttering the word “rosebud”, Kane died and a small glass with snow inside dropped out of his hand. In my opinion, it reminds Kane of the time he was taken away from his mother. It was snowing when he had to leave his poor but loving mother and live with a wealthy businessman. That point where he was “adopted” by the businessman, Kane’s life changed. He loved his life yearning for love, in “his” own terms. Quoted from Susan, his second wife’s words “Love! You don't love anybody! Me or anybody else! You want to be loved - that's all you want! I'm Charles Foster Kane. Whatever you want - just name it and it's yours! Only love me! Don't expect me to love you” It’s sad to know that all he ever wanted was what he could never get, that is just to leave a normal life with his mother and just be blessed with the love his mother could give him.
There were also a few jump cuts in the movie such as when he was growing up and on Foster Kane’s first marriage. The time frame for those events was long, but Orson Welles did some jump cuts and made it in a few minutes. There are also scenes in the movie where Foster Kane was always in a box, as if he is trapped and cannot get out of the situation or he is always bounded with things around him. One of the scenes were when he was dancing, he is always in a frame even when the dancing part was hot in another few angels. There is another part where Foster Kane was standing in front of a lot of mirrors after his second wife walk out on him. It seems like the director is trying to indirectly show the different times in Foster Kane’s life.
At the beginning of the movie, the shot of the “No Trespassing” sign first reminded me of one of Mr. Patrick’s movie, Exit. In my opinion, it’s a good way of starting and ending this movie. This movie began by showing Kane’s big mansion, named “Xanadu”. The beauty of the beginning of the movie was that when the mansion was shot at every angle, be in front or at the reflection of the water, the window of Kane’s bedroom in particular was in all the shots of different angel of the house. At first, I did not realize anything extraordinary about all the shots of the house, but it suddenly hit me that all the shots have the bright yellow light coming out of the window in it. It made me think it was a horror film at first but I was later convinced by the movie and Mr. Patrick’s explanation that “Kane propose a fictionalized biography of media magnate William Randolph Hearst.” I honestly think Orson Welles did a good job at the shots of the window because it’s unique. This movie is mainly about a man, Chiles Foster Kane, fragments of his life and the search of the meaning of “rosebud” which was the last word he said before he died. The reporter that was assigned to find out the meaning of “rosebud” did all sorts of research such as tracing back his life, meeting up with people that associated with Foster Kane when he was alive and reading Foster Kane’s journal. Even with all the information the reporter had gathered, he could not find out what “rosebud” meant. It was later at the ending of the movie that showed “rosebud” was the name of a sled that Kane used to play when he was young. It symbolizes the lost of his childhood innocent and love. After uttering the word “rosebud”, Kane died and a small glass with snow inside dropped out of his hand. In my opinion, it reminds Kane of the time he was taken away from his mother. It was snowing when he had to leave his poor but loving mother and live with a wealthy businessman. That point where he was “adopted” by the businessman, Kane’s life changed. He loved his life yearning for love, in “his” own terms. Quoted from Susan, his second wife’s words “Love! You don't love anybody! Me or anybody else! You want to be loved - that's all you want! I'm Charles Foster Kane. Whatever you want - just name it and it's yours! Only love me! Don't expect me to love you” It’s sad to know that all he ever wanted was what he could never get, that is just to leave a normal life with his mother and just be blessed with the love his mother could give him.
There were also a few jump cuts in the movie such as when he was growing up and on Foster Kane’s first marriage. The time frame for those events was long, but Orson Welles did some jump cuts and made it in a few minutes. There are also scenes in the movie where Foster Kane was always in a box, as if he is trapped and cannot get out of the situation or he is always bounded with things around him. One of the scenes were when he was dancing, he is always in a frame even when the dancing part was hot in another few angels. There is another part where Foster Kane was standing in front of a lot of mirrors after his second wife walk out on him. It seems like the director is trying to indirectly show the different times in Foster Kane’s life.
A Few Good Men
I personally do not favor court case movies because there is too much dialogue in it and sometimes, it makes me feel very bored. There is just too much talking in the whole movie. I would seriously be dishonest if I say that I love this movie just to please my lecturer. Maybe it is the way I see a movie, I did not see it in dept and just I did not analyze all the scenes thoroughly. But there is always one thing that will somehow capture my attention, that is when the character in the movie says a particular sentence or phrase that is very meaningful. The movie, A Few Good Men, directed by Rob Reiner has all the drama in the courtroom, the way they the lawyers handle the case, the irony and fear of losing the case and near to giving up hope when they lose all their witness, the relationships the lawyers had between each other, the way the characters “mature” at the end of the movie and the way all the characters bring themselves up in the movie. The movie draws a line between honor and manipulation; right versus wrong and how the fate of a person’s life is in another person in a more superior position than themselves.
The movie expose the fact that in a way, our life is actually determine in another person’s hands, like in the movie, the two U.S. Marines on Gitmo life’s, who were charged with the murder of another Marine were actually in the hands of the Col Jessep and later in the hands of the jury of the court. They though they were just doing their duty because like what Dawson said. “We joined the Marines because we wanted to live our lives by a certain code, and we found it in the Corps. Now you're asking us to sign a piece of paper that says we have no honor. You're asking us to say we're not Marines. If a court decides that what we did was wrong, then I'll accept whatever punishment they give. But I believe I was right sir, I believe I did my job, and I will not dishonor myself, my unit, or the Corps so I can go home in six months... Sir.” But actually after the jury made their decision that the two of them were wrong and was still punished Dawson realized that he did made a mistake and not only follow the rules blindly but make a stand when he knows it is wrong to oppress someone weaker. At the end he said “We were supposed to fight for the people who couldn't fight for themselves. We were supposed to fight for Willie.” That shows how he finally realize and mature throughout the whole movie because at first he was determine that he was only doing the right thing. The best quote of the movie is still this statement made by Kaffee “You don't need a patch on your arm to have honor.” The ending part of the movie where Col. Jessep said “Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s going to do it? You? You, Lt. Weinburg? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago, and you curse the marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, and you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to.” made me think a little about the way I handle situations. Sometimes, I do think that I am just doing the right thing for everyone’s benefit but it is actually merely self deception of the truth that it is actually wrong in some situation even though I am only following instructions. The other thing that Col Jessep said that was quite catchy was “You can't handle the truth.” Sometimes, theses things that the character says really make you think.Tom Cruise look very smart, handsome and nerdy too in that movie wearing the suit to the court room. He did a very good acting in this movie. I still can remember the expression he made when he look around the court room at then end of the first trial. Demi Moore was quite a charmer too in the movie; she brought out the strong side of her character in the movie well. I find what Patrick said that to be quite true about the part where there is no scene in the movie than can be cut because all of the scenes are very informative. Even the scene when Galloway was on a date with Kaffee at the seafood restaurant was important to a certain extend as to show us that there might be a certain closer or more intimate relationship blooming between them but it just stop there, unlike other typical films that shows the couples sleeping with each other after just a dinner. This movie is said that we can find something new every time we watch the movie again. I am not planning to watch this movie again because I am really not interested in law movies. The reason I gave quite a lot of quotes from the movie is because the movie mainly has a lot of conversation and not much action so by quoting on the words the characters say, I can relate and write on this movie.
The movie expose the fact that in a way, our life is actually determine in another person’s hands, like in the movie, the two U.S. Marines on Gitmo life’s, who were charged with the murder of another Marine were actually in the hands of the Col Jessep and later in the hands of the jury of the court. They though they were just doing their duty because like what Dawson said. “We joined the Marines because we wanted to live our lives by a certain code, and we found it in the Corps. Now you're asking us to sign a piece of paper that says we have no honor. You're asking us to say we're not Marines. If a court decides that what we did was wrong, then I'll accept whatever punishment they give. But I believe I was right sir, I believe I did my job, and I will not dishonor myself, my unit, or the Corps so I can go home in six months... Sir.” But actually after the jury made their decision that the two of them were wrong and was still punished Dawson realized that he did made a mistake and not only follow the rules blindly but make a stand when he knows it is wrong to oppress someone weaker. At the end he said “We were supposed to fight for the people who couldn't fight for themselves. We were supposed to fight for Willie.” That shows how he finally realize and mature throughout the whole movie because at first he was determine that he was only doing the right thing. The best quote of the movie is still this statement made by Kaffee “You don't need a patch on your arm to have honor.” The ending part of the movie where Col. Jessep said “Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s going to do it? You? You, Lt. Weinburg? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago, and you curse the marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, and you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to.” made me think a little about the way I handle situations. Sometimes, I do think that I am just doing the right thing for everyone’s benefit but it is actually merely self deception of the truth that it is actually wrong in some situation even though I am only following instructions. The other thing that Col Jessep said that was quite catchy was “You can't handle the truth.” Sometimes, theses things that the character says really make you think.Tom Cruise look very smart, handsome and nerdy too in that movie wearing the suit to the court room. He did a very good acting in this movie. I still can remember the expression he made when he look around the court room at then end of the first trial. Demi Moore was quite a charmer too in the movie; she brought out the strong side of her character in the movie well. I find what Patrick said that to be quite true about the part where there is no scene in the movie than can be cut because all of the scenes are very informative. Even the scene when Galloway was on a date with Kaffee at the seafood restaurant was important to a certain extend as to show us that there might be a certain closer or more intimate relationship blooming between them but it just stop there, unlike other typical films that shows the couples sleeping with each other after just a dinner. This movie is said that we can find something new every time we watch the movie again. I am not planning to watch this movie again because I am really not interested in law movies. The reason I gave quite a lot of quotes from the movie is because the movie mainly has a lot of conversation and not much action so by quoting on the words the characters say, I can relate and write on this movie.
Amelie
Amelie, also known as Le Amelie Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain is a French romantic comedy drama. It is about this sweet, innocent, shy and naïve girl, Amelie, acted by Audrey Tautou that went through a lonely childhood life. Amelie, as a young girl had wild imagination and it amuse me to see such creative thing like this particular scene where Amelie, when she was still a young girl, draw a picture of a face on her hand and moved it so that the face looks like its opening and closing its mouth. Later, as an adult, she worked as a waitress in Montmartre café. Her life changed when she found and returned a long-lost childhood treasure to a previous resident of her apartment. After observe the effect on how much it meant to the owner of the “treasure”, she made up her mind on helping people around her and make them happy. The irony of it is that she is sometimes “afraid” to look at her own life to see the loneliness she had within her. It is somehow amazing how she managed to see the little and small things in other people’s life that seems so insignificant to others yet it could mean a lot to that particular person.
This movie had a lot of narration in it. It started with the narration part where the narrator gave details on the exact day, time and place, description on the people, insects and things, and “At the same moment, a sperm with one X chromosome, belonging to Raphaël Poulain, made a dash for an egg in his wife Amandine. Nine months later, Amélie Poulain was born.” It is quite a funny way of starting a story. There were also parts in the movie where Amelie and the other characters such as Nino Quicampoix, acted by Mathieu Kassovitz looked directly into the camera and talked to it. In a way, it connects the person watching the movie to the character. There was a part where Amelie was in a cinema and she turned and looked into the camera saying that she likes to see other people’s expression when they watch a movie. The movie has a lot of animation in it that made the movie to be so unrealistic. There was a scene in the movie where Nino was talking to a photograph when he was on the bed. That is because the director of this movie, Jean-Pierre Jeunet was once an animation director. The director also did a good job in introducing the main character, in the beginning of the movie, there were at lest 10 minutes of showing the people associated with Amelie, who she likes and dislikes, the way she was brought up and her character build up from that strong foundation since the beginning of the movie. Quite a lot of Paris’s popular landscape was shown in the movie too. It is quite funny to see the expression of Amelie’s father’s face when he receives pictures of his gnome visiting places around Paris.
I believe Audrey Tauton did a good job in acting her character out as Amelie. The smile on her face, her expressions, it’s all still so clear in my mind. She made Amelie a unique character. She made the movie a one of its kind movie with the combination of the director’s good work and other things. Overall, this movie is worth watching.
This movie had a lot of narration in it. It started with the narration part where the narrator gave details on the exact day, time and place, description on the people, insects and things, and “At the same moment, a sperm with one X chromosome, belonging to Raphaël Poulain, made a dash for an egg in his wife Amandine. Nine months later, Amélie Poulain was born.” It is quite a funny way of starting a story. There were also parts in the movie where Amelie and the other characters such as Nino Quicampoix, acted by Mathieu Kassovitz looked directly into the camera and talked to it. In a way, it connects the person watching the movie to the character. There was a part where Amelie was in a cinema and she turned and looked into the camera saying that she likes to see other people’s expression when they watch a movie. The movie has a lot of animation in it that made the movie to be so unrealistic. There was a scene in the movie where Nino was talking to a photograph when he was on the bed. That is because the director of this movie, Jean-Pierre Jeunet was once an animation director. The director also did a good job in introducing the main character, in the beginning of the movie, there were at lest 10 minutes of showing the people associated with Amelie, who she likes and dislikes, the way she was brought up and her character build up from that strong foundation since the beginning of the movie. Quite a lot of Paris’s popular landscape was shown in the movie too. It is quite funny to see the expression of Amelie’s father’s face when he receives pictures of his gnome visiting places around Paris.
I believe Audrey Tauton did a good job in acting her character out as Amelie. The smile on her face, her expressions, it’s all still so clear in my mind. She made Amelie a unique character. She made the movie a one of its kind movie with the combination of the director’s good work and other things. Overall, this movie is worth watching.
The Road Home
This movie The Road Home by Zhang Yiu-mou had seriously moved many hearts. It is a beautiful story about the fairy tale like flash back of a pair of lover’s courtship through their son’s eyes. The love the two lovebirds shared were so pure, it’s as though love really is that simple yet so outstanding. Living in a reality world like this, love is never that simple anymore in the minds of human. In this era, love is just something that we “fall in” and “fall out” off. Unlike shown in the movie, Zhao Di’s love for Lu Changyun was actually “love at first sight”, and that her love for the primary school teacher stayed until the very end. The best part of the movie is that the lovers did not even touch, hug, kiss or have sex. In this movie, it’s all about the way Zhao Di looks into Lu Changyun’s eyes when they walk pass each other when Lu Changyun accompanies his students back home, it’s about the irony she went through when Lu Changyun had to leave the village, it is about how she waited, looking and hoping for Lu Changyun’s arrival back from the city, it’s about how she yearned to listen to Lu Changyun’s voice teaching. The actions the actors make is just so sentimental, so into the “love” realm. It is just something like filming a real couple’s courtship rather than actors just acting the role out. This movie is just so different, compared to the movie Titanic. Titanic was all about the passion and sense of touch, scenes that provoke the audience to cry such as the time the main male character in the movie died.
Zhang Yiu-mou did put in some symbolic meanings in the movie too. The broken bowl symbolizes Zhao Di’s heart when Lu Changyun had to leave the village. The bowl was not thrown away but her grandmother has it repaired. The bowl meant too much for Zhao Di to be thrown away, it reminds her of her way of showing her love to Lu Changyun by cooking her best dishes and hoping that he will eat her cooking when the men were building the school. Zhang also did show the differences between the past era of China and the present one. Back then, it was bad luck for the women to go near men that are working so all they can do it to cook, bring the food to the construction area and sit to see the men work from a far. It is different now because women work too. Last time, education was hard to come by; therefore it is really a privilege when a person gets to study. In today’s era, education is given to everyone. It is often taken for granted by most people that sometimes education does not mean much to them. Education back then was something that they look forward for; going to school was an important event.
I personally like Zhao’s way of making the movie, the past in colored scene while the present in black and white. It shows that the past was even so much more beautiful and lively than the present. A lot of shots were taken at the same place too, such as the well, the bridge, the road that connects the village to the city, the school and Zhao Di’s house.
This romantic movie did made me cry in certain scenes, I was actually impress by how touching the movie is even though the closes Zhao Di and Lu Changyun could get to each other was when Lu Changyun handed Zhao Di a hair pin and said that it suits her red sweater. After the movie I could still remember the particular scene where Lu Changyun describes Zhao Di being as beautiful as a painting on the wall. It was just so lovely how the shot was taken when Zhao Di lean against the door waiting for Lu Changyun to come in. I also realized that there is a lot of close up on Zhao Di in the movie. It is good in a way as it shows the expression of Zhao Di’s face clearly.
This movie also shows how the son respected the mother’s request of bringing his father’s dead body back the traditional way, by foot. It is done so because it is believed that if the body is bring back by foot, the spirit of that body will know the way back to his home. At the ending of the movie, the son taught at the school, his father had taught before, as to respect of his father’s wished. That scene was also one of those that made me cry.
I remember turning to the person next to me right after the movie and said that I would also like to have a love life, as innocent, simple yet splendid like how Zhang Yiu-mou had portrait it to be.
Zhang Yiu-mou did put in some symbolic meanings in the movie too. The broken bowl symbolizes Zhao Di’s heart when Lu Changyun had to leave the village. The bowl was not thrown away but her grandmother has it repaired. The bowl meant too much for Zhao Di to be thrown away, it reminds her of her way of showing her love to Lu Changyun by cooking her best dishes and hoping that he will eat her cooking when the men were building the school. Zhang also did show the differences between the past era of China and the present one. Back then, it was bad luck for the women to go near men that are working so all they can do it to cook, bring the food to the construction area and sit to see the men work from a far. It is different now because women work too. Last time, education was hard to come by; therefore it is really a privilege when a person gets to study. In today’s era, education is given to everyone. It is often taken for granted by most people that sometimes education does not mean much to them. Education back then was something that they look forward for; going to school was an important event.
I personally like Zhao’s way of making the movie, the past in colored scene while the present in black and white. It shows that the past was even so much more beautiful and lively than the present. A lot of shots were taken at the same place too, such as the well, the bridge, the road that connects the village to the city, the school and Zhao Di’s house.
This romantic movie did made me cry in certain scenes, I was actually impress by how touching the movie is even though the closes Zhao Di and Lu Changyun could get to each other was when Lu Changyun handed Zhao Di a hair pin and said that it suits her red sweater. After the movie I could still remember the particular scene where Lu Changyun describes Zhao Di being as beautiful as a painting on the wall. It was just so lovely how the shot was taken when Zhao Di lean against the door waiting for Lu Changyun to come in. I also realized that there is a lot of close up on Zhao Di in the movie. It is good in a way as it shows the expression of Zhao Di’s face clearly.
This movie also shows how the son respected the mother’s request of bringing his father’s dead body back the traditional way, by foot. It is done so because it is believed that if the body is bring back by foot, the spirit of that body will know the way back to his home. At the ending of the movie, the son taught at the school, his father had taught before, as to respect of his father’s wished. That scene was also one of those that made me cry.
I remember turning to the person next to me right after the movie and said that I would also like to have a love life, as innocent, simple yet splendid like how Zhang Yiu-mou had portrait it to be.
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