Favorite/Least Favorite Movies

We watched many movies this semester. My two favorite movies that we watched this semester were "Gladiator" and "Something Like It Hot." My two least favorite movies that we watched were "Fantastic Voyage" and "Mister Roberts." 

Gladiator is one of my favorites because I had never seen it before and it stood out from all the other movies that we watched. I loved Russell Crow's character and the plot of the movie. I really liked the action in the movie as well. "Something Like It Hot" is considered one of my favorites because I really like Marilyn Monroe. She is so pretty and hot. I thought the movie was hilarious because two of the guys in the movie, had to dress up and pretend to be a girl.

"Fantastic Voyage" is considered one of my least favorite movies because the whole movie seemed really stupid. I mean there is no way that a ship could be shrunk into a size that can go throughout the whole human body. The graphics were really bad due to when the movie was made. The body parts in the movie didn't even look realistic. "Mister Roberts" is one of my least favorite movies because it was really boring and almost put me to sleep, everyday we watched it. The whole movie takes place on a boat and nothing really happens throughout the whole movie. They just hangout on the boat. There is no action in the movie, which to me, makes it less interesting.

Its A Wonderful Life

"It's a Wonderful Life" is a drama made in 1946. The movie was a flop when it played in 1946. The movie stars James Stewart as "George Bailey", Donna Reed as "Mary Hatch", Samuel S. Hinds as "Peter Bailey", and Lionel Barrymore as "Mr.Potter."

I really liked this movie. I liked how they made the whole movie out of a flashback. Even though it was made in black and white, I still believe it was a great movie. I like James Stewart and believes he is a great actor, even in the previous movies we watched of him.

Sound of Music

The "Sound of Music" is a musical that was filmed in 1965. In 1965, it won Academy Awards for "Best pictures", "Best director", and "Best Sound." The movie stars Julie Andrews as "Maria Von Trapp", Christopher Plummer as "Captain Von Trapp", Eleanor Parker as "Baroness", and "Richard Haydn as "Max Detweiler." 

I really liked this movie. I usually do not like musicals, but I liked this one. I had never seen this movie before but I have heard of it before. I liked the plot and how Captain Von Trapp did not like Maria at first but the fell in love with after realizing her personalities and relationship with the kids. I also liked how the movie had historical references to World War Two.

Mister Roberts

Mister Roberts is a comedy-drama that was made in 1955. It was directed by John Ford and written by Frank Nugent. The movie stars Henry Fondra as "Mister Roberts", James Cagney as "Capt. Morton", William Powell as "Doc.",  and Jack Lemmon as "Frank Pulver".

I liked this movie. I believe it was well written and had a great plot. Even though the movie took place during World War Two, and it had no action in it, I believe it still was a great movie. I thought that the movie had many funny scenes such as when Mister Roberts throws the Captains palm tree off the ship because they are fed up with the Captain. I do believe that the ending was a little sad, but it showed that the crew on the ship loved and cared for Mister Roberts.

Something Like it Hot

"Something like it Hot" is a comedy film that was made in 1959 and was directed by Billy Wilder. The movie is stars Marilyn Monroe as "Sugar", Tony Curtis as "Josephine", and Jack Lemmon as "Daphne". The movie is ranked the #2 greatest Movie of All-Time. 

I really liked this movie. I thought it was very creative and had a great plot. It had some very funny scenes throughout the whole movie. This was my first movie that I had seen of Marilyn Monroe. She is beyond gorgeous. I thought it was funny how two guys pretend to be girls, just to get away from some mobsters from Chicago. They had to wear heals and dresses and it just made it hilarious. Even though the movie had no color, and was black and white, I do believe it was a great movie. It definitely deserves to be on the list of the all-time greatest movies. 

Fantastic Voyage/Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

"Fantastic Voyage" was directed by Richard Fleischer in 1966. The movie stars Stephen Boyd, Raquel Welch, Edmond O'Brian, and Donald Pleasence. "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" was directed by Irwin Allan in 1961. The movie stars Walter Pidgeon, Robert Sterling, Joan Fontaine, and Barbara Eden.

"Fantastic Voyage" and "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" have many similarities and differences between the two. They are both similar as they are both going on a voyage somewhere. They are both going on a mission that are impossible.  They are both "Sci-fi" movies. Although they have many similarities, they have many differences. In "Fantastic Voyage" the mission could not be done because we can not shrink people small enough to go into the body.  In "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea", the mission, and the plot, seems more realistic.

Honestly I did not like these two movies. They both seemed stupid and annoying to me. I do not really like sci-fi movies. I did like "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" more than I liked "The Fantastic Voyage" because it seemed more realistic and had a better plot.

American Graffiti

"American Graffiti" was directed by George Lucas, who later on wrote Star Wars. "American Graffiti" takes place in Modesto, California in 1962. The movie stars Ron Howard as "Steve", Richard Dreyfuss as "Curt", and Paul Le Mat as "John."

I really liked this movie. It was funny and helped how how life was in the 1960's. In the 1960's everyone seems laid-back and does not seem to care about much. I think it is pretty cool that because it was a small town, and all they did was circle around, and drive around the town. To me, that seems like it would be really fun. I liked the plot and the characters. I liked how there was two different stories going on at the same time. You had Steve and Lauri in their situation during the movies, and then there was John and Debbie in their situation.

Beatles

"A Hard Days Night", directed in 1964, and "Help" directed in 1965, were directed by Richard Lester in Although they are both about "The Beatles", they both do have similarities and a few differences. 

"A Hard Days Night" and "Help" were both silly movies. They were designed to show how the Beatles life-style was. In "A Hard Days Night" it was mainly a movie about every day life for the Beatles.  The songs in the movie were mostly about girls. In the Movie "Help" the movie was still a bit silly but had a plot to go along with the movie. 

I had not listened to much of the Beatles but after watching these movies I have started to like their music a lot more. I liked how they played Beatle song's throughout the whole movie. "A Hard Days Night" did not interest me that much but the music did. I liked how in "Help" there was a plot and actually had a story.

Manchurian Candidate

"Manchurian Candidate" was made in 1962 but was not showed because the assassination of president John F. Kennedy in 1963. It made its television debut in in September of 1965 on the CBS Thursday Night Movies. The movie starred Frank Sinatra as Major Bennett Marco, Laurence Harvey as Raymond Shaw, and Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Iselin.

The movie took place during the Cold War time period. After getting back from the Korean War, a group of men that were captured together begin to have the nightmare. Raymond Shaw was hypnotized by a Korean psychologist during a test. Throughout the movie, his hypnotizing trigger goes off by the Queen of diamonds. Meanwhile, his mother and step father are communist and have an evil plan. 

I really liked the movie because you had to think about what was going on and you had to know about the Cold war and the Communist. The movie made me wonder what was gonna happen next in numerous scenes. I like history and the movie had some historical references in it so that made me like the movie even more.I like the plot twist in the end. I did not expect what happened in the end to happen.

Wizard of Oz

"The Wizard of Oz" was written in 1939 but made into a movie and directed by Raymond Weschler in 1999. The movie is a musical. The movie stars Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, Ray Bolger as Hunk/The Scarecrow, Jack Haley as Hickory/The Tinman, and Bert Lahr as Zeke/The Lion. The movie takes place in Kansas and in a fictional place called Oz.

Once Dorothy gets caught in a twister back in Kansas, she ends up in a magical place called Oz. She wants to go home and at first very scared because she doesn't know where she is. She must go on an adventure and follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City to meet the great, and powerful, Wizard of Oz, while avoiding the Wicked Witch of the West. 

I have always liked this movie. I like how the movie starts off in a real state, Kansas, and its black and white, but once she gets to Oz, it has color and its a fictional city. The songs are really catchy and it is hard to keep your foot from tapping when you are listening to a song. I liked how they showed the three workers from the farm in the beginning and then when they were in Oz, they each played a role in the "Dream." They were either a scarecrow, tinman, or a lion.

Gladiator

"Gladiator" was made in 2000  directed by Ridley Scott. The movie is an adventure, war type film. The movie starred Joaquin Pheonix as "Commodus" and Russell Crow as "Maximus". The movie takes place during the Roman Empire. The movie is shot in various locations including the UK, Italy, the United States, and Morocco. The movie won 5 Oscar awards.

The movie is about a guy named Maximus who is an army general. Maximus is betrayed by a guy named Commodus and is now in slavery and is owned by Proximo. Now, Maximus must fight his way out and get his freeedom as a gladiator in the Colosseum in Rome. 

 I really liked this movie. The action and the plot really kept me interested. I liked how through all the tough times Maximus had to face, he always found a way to keep going and push forward. He was a great fighter. The movie compared to earlier made action movies was different. They showed more blood and violence in Gladiator.

The Great Escape

"The Great Escape" was directed by John Sturges and written by "Paul Brickhill." The movie stars Steve McQueen as "Hilts"and James Garner as "The Scrounger." The movie is based off a true story from World War Two. 

A group of allied prisoners of war in trapped inside a nazi-controlled camp, where they try to escape the camp using tunnels. They try to get 250 men out using one tunnel. They got 76 people out but the real adventure starts when they are out of the tunnels and in the German terrain. 

I liked the movie because it was historical and I love history movies. The movie to me was kind of like a thriller because it always kept me wanting to know what was happening next. I liked how the movie was based off a true story but also was extent of fiction. I also like Steve McQueen. He is one of my favorite actors.

Magnificent Seven

"Magnificent Seven" is a western-type movie that was directed by "John Sturges" in 1960.  The movie stars Yul Brynner as "Chris", Eli Wallach as "Calvera", and "Steve McQueen as "Vin." The movie was actually a western style remake of the 1954 Japanese film "Seven Samurai."

A Hispanic/Indian village needs help to fight some bandits that keep eating all their food and destroying their town. They travel a long way and find seven guys that are capable of defeating the bandits. They teach the guys in the village how to fight and defend themselves against the bandits. They end up fighting against the bandits in the end. 

I liked the movie because it had color and it had many actors that were popular at the time. The director did a great job with the plot and the scenes. It was historical and I like history movies. I liked Steve McQueen's character. He played a major role in the movie.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence

"The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence" is a western movie starring John Wayne as "Tom Doniphon and John Stewart as "Ranse." The whole movie is a flashback of what happens in the beginning.

When Hallie and Ranse come back to Shinebone for a funeral, they talk to people about a man named Tom Doniphon, a man that lived with them in Shinebone. After Ranse has been bullied and beat up by Liberty Valence, Ranse has to fight/ duel with Valence. Once Valence is shot by "Ranse", the town goes crazy and is safe again.

Even though the movie was in black and white, I really liked the movie. The movie made me wonder what was gonna happen next in each scene. I liked the plot how they made the whole movie off Ranse and Hallie's experiences with Tom Doniphon. I liked how the movie made historical references in the 1800's.

Animation Films Blog

"Toy Story" was an animated movie made in 1995 all from a computer. It starred Tom Hanks as the voice of Woody and Tim Allen as the voice of Buzz. Toy story is about a young boy named Andy's toys. Woody has been Andy's favorite toy but once Buzz comes along, Woody becomes jealous. Once Woody and Buzz become lost and stuck at a cruel kid named Sid's house, they must go on an adventure to get back to Andy.

"Bambi" was an animated movie filmed in 1942, and was based off the children's book by Felix Salten. The movie was supervised by Walt Disney. Bambi is born in the beginning of the movie. He was called the "Young Prince." Bambi's best friend is Thumper, a rabbit. Once Bambi's mom takes him to the meadow one day, Bambi realizes how dangerous the meadow is. When Winter comes, Bambi's mom gets shot and Bambi goes to live with the king of the forest. Once the spring has come, Bambi has antlers and is a lot bigger. Their forest burns down, and Bambi finds a mate, and has a kid of his own. This was my first time watching Bambi, and i liked it. It had some sad scenes it the movie.

Toy Story and Bambi are similar but different in many ways. They are similar because they are both animated films. Toy Story had many funny lines or scenes but Bambi was a more serious movie. The animation in Toy Story was better than the animation in Bambi, due to the fact that Bambi was made in 1942. Bambi had more sad scenes than Toy Story.

The Birds

"The Birds" was directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1963. The movie stars Rod Taylor as "Mitch Brenner", Tippi Hedren as "Melanie Daniels", and Suzanne Pleshette as "Annie Hayworth." The movie is considered scary because at this time in 1963, it was a portrayal of an apocalypse.

Mitch Brenner comes into a pet shop to get some love birds. Melanie tells them they are all out, but she finds out where Mitch Brenner lives and goes to Bodega Bay to deliver the birds. Once Melanie delivers the love birds, the birds in the area start to act strange, and attack people. The reason why the birds are attacking them is because it was their planet first and they are attracted to the smoke and gas. Many people are attacked throughout the movie by the birds. A school full of children are attacked. In the end, Melanie, Mitch, Cathy,Mitch's little sister, and Lydia, Mitch's mom, leave Bodega Bay and head to San Fransisco in the end. They escape the birds.

I thought the Birds was a good movie but not really a scary one. It had some scenes where they made me jump sometimes. The movie had a great plot and great actors. I did not like the ending though because

Star Wars

The very first "Star Wars" was made in 1977. It was directed and written by George Lucas.  The movie starred Mark Mamill as Luke Skywalker, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, and Alec Guinness as Ben Obi-One Kenobi.

Shortly after Luke Skywalker's family is killed, Luke starts living with his mentor Obi-One Kenobi. Luke, Obi-One, and two droids, C-P30 and R2-D2, are trying to get out of a planet and go to another one. They find a pilot named Han Solo and his Wookie named Chewbacca to take them to the other planet. They end up going to a military station where Darth Vader is the leader. Once the group gets there and they realize Princess Leia is captive there, they plan to save her and escape from the station. They end up saving Princess Leia and returning her back to her planet. Once they safe, Han Solo plans to leave and not fight with the Rebels against Darth Vader. Luke and other Rebels, go to destroy the military station with a single shot. Once the rebels are spotted, the bad guys, including Darth Vader, fight against the Rebels and Luke. After many Rebels deaths, Luke is one of the few Rebels left. He is just about to get shot when Han Solo comes and shoots at Darth Vader and makes him go away and Luke destroys the station. Han Solo and Luke are rewarded well when they get back to Princess Leia's planet.

I had never seen "Star Wars" before I watched it yesterday but I really liked the movie. I liked the action and the scenes in the movie. The action and the scenes made me interested and on the edge of my seat. I liked how they used real props throughout this movie. I plan to watch the other "Star Wars" movies soon.

Looney Tunes

Animated short stories were played before movies to entertain the audience before the actually movie was being played. They were produced from 1930 to 1969  during the Golden Age of American Animation. The target audience was children because sometimes the films could be childish or a bit silly.

In the animated short story "Rabbit of Seville"- Bugs is running from Elmer, who is shooting at him. Elmer chases Bugs into the Opera House called "Barber of Seville." Bugs and Elmer end up starring in the play, Bugs being the Barber and Elmer being the customer. Elmer does not want his hair cut but Bugs tries to cut it. There are many funny, silly scenes throughout this story.

In the animated short story "Bully for Bugs"- Bugs is lost and ends up at an Arena and has to fight a bull. The bull tries to hurt Bugs but Bugs always ends up hurting him. The bull is not a Happy one, he sees the red blanket and charges for it every time.

In the animated short story "Fast and Furryous" Wilde Coyote is trying to kill or capture the Road Runner. The coyote tries a whole bunch of schemes but every time he uses them, they always seem to back fire on him. The Road Runner is super fast.

War of the Worlds

"War of the Worlds" is a science fiction, movie based off the book that written in 1898 by H.G Wells. The movie was filmed in 1952 and directed by Byron Haskin,and produced by George Pal. The movie is starring Gene Berry as Dr. Forrester and Ann Robinson as Sylvia Van Buren.

Martians, possibly from Mars, have come to Earth to take over the world. Space ships come flying down at random places on Earth. The first one to hit on Earth lands in California. The citizens do not yet know that the space ship has Martians in them. Once 3 citizens are killed from by the Martians, the police call in the military. The military tries using every weapon they have including guns, tanks, and even the atom bomb but none are useful against the Martians. Many of the major cities around the world are destroyed because of the Martians. The Martians invade Los Angeles.The Martians die right before they tear up the church where Dr. Forrester and Sylvia are located. The reason the Martians die, is because they cannot breathe the same air as we do on Earth.

Although the movie was a "B" type movie, meaning that it was a low budget motion picture, and the effects were not as great, I thought the movie was good. At the time the effects in the movie were the best ever. The movie won an Oscar award in 1954 for best effects and special effects. The Characters were unknown actors because it was a "B" movie, but overall I think they were great. I liked how the movie used actual cities and making it seem real, but then making it seem fake with the aliens, making it a science-fiction movie.

Casablanca

Casablanca is a drama movie that was filmed in 1942 and directed by Michael Curtiz.The movie takes place in Casablanca, Morocco, which is controlled by Nazi-Germany. This movie stars Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine,Ingrid Bergman is Ilsa Lund,Paul Henreid as Victor Lazlo, and Claude Rains as Captain Renault. Rick's character is based off of self preservation and love. Ilsa's character is based off of love for Victor and Rick. Victor's character is based off of money, pleasing Nazi's, and being on the winning side. Lastly, Victor's character is based off of freedom and defeating the Nazi's.

The movie is about a guy who stole the transit documents, which are needed to go to America. Rick owns a Saloon in Casablanca. Ilsa is a woman who Rick fell in love with in Paris many years before. The war forced Rick to move to Casablanca and IIsa stayed in Paris. Ilsa and Rick meet up again when Ilsa visits Casablanca with her husband Victor. He is a criminal that the Nazi's are trying to capture. Rick has the letters of transit, but because he loves Ilsa so much instead of taking the transit documents and going with Ilsa, he gives the letters to Ilsa and Victor and they escape from the Nazi's before they can be caught.

 Although Casablanca was made in 1942, and had no color, overall I thought it was a great movie. I really like history. So when the movie made historical references, such as WW2 and the Nazi's,it made me even more interested. I also liked how Rick changed his attitude. In the beginning of the movie, Rick does not drink with the customers or stick his neck out for anyone. But in the end, Rick starts helping people, such as helping Ilsa and Victor escape to America.