Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Final Blog

A. What are the three most important things the film class has taught you about film? How has this changed your approach to movie watching?

One thing that the film class has taught me is that their are a lot of movies that I would have never even seen if it wasn't for this class. I didn't like every single movie that we watched, but I got to see movies that I would have never seen. I would have never seen the movies like "Casablanca, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, or Something Like It Hot." These 3 movies were made long before I was born. If it wasn't for this class, I would have never seen them. Another thing that this class has taught me was that you cant just assume that because it's an old movie, it is not going to be a good movie. Most of the movies we watched this year were all at least 50 years old, and almost all of them were good movies to me. Lastly, this movie has taught me that you cant just assume a movie will not be good just by looking at the genre. One of my favorite movies we watched this year was "The Sound of Music." This was a musical and I did not think I would like it because it was a musical. But in the end, it turned out to be one of my favorites that we watched this year. 

This has changed my approach on movie watching tremendously. I now look at the dialogue that the Characters use. I pay attention to who stars in the movie. We watched a lot of Jimmy Stewart movies and he was one of my favorite actors. Now, whenever I see a movie, I will pay attention to who stars in the movie.

Monday, May 11, 2015

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

"20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" is a Disney movie directed by Richard Fleischer. The movie mostly takes place under the sea or on top of the Pacific Ocean. The movie stars Kirk Douglas as "Ned Land", James Mason as "Captain Nemo", Paul Lukas as " Professor Aronnax", and Peter Lorre as "Conseil."

I really liked this movie. I didnt know that this was a Walt Disney movie. I had never seen this movie before either. I liked the plot and how the monster turned out to be people. I really did not expect that to happen.

Thursday, April 30, 2015

West Side Story

"West Side Story" is a musical that was filmed in 1961.  The movie was directed by Robert Wise. The movie stars Natalie Wood, George Chakiris, Rita Moreno, Richard Beymer, and Russ Tamblyn. The movie is based off Romeo and Juliet.

I kinda liked this movie. I liked how the plot was similar to Romeo and Juliet but was a different movie. After a while, the song's soon got annoying because they were derivative.Other than the songs sounding all the same, the movie overall was not too bad. 

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Citizen Kane

"Citizen Kane" was made in 1941 and produced by Orson Wells, who also co-starred in the movie. The movie stars Orson Wells, Joseph Cotton, Dorothy Comingore, and Everette Sloane. The movie is set as a flashback back on Kane's life and everything he accomplished.

The word "Rosebud" comes from the sled that Kane used when he was a little boy. As a child he loved the sled. Although he had a great life with money and being successful at his job, riding the sled was still the happiest moment of his life. The sled was taken away from him after he was taken away.


Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Beatles movie

"Yellow Submarine" was made in 1968. It starred the "Beatles" throughout the movie. The movie was animated and was a cartoon. "Let It Be" was made in 1970. It starred the Beatles also. This movie was a documentary on the life in the studio of the Beatles.

I did not like these movies at all. I thought that "Yellow Submarine" was really dumb, and that they must have been on drugs when they made it. The documentary was kinda cool but mostly boring. They just played sons over and over again. Eventually it got boring and annoying. But if I had to choose between which one was better, I would say that Yellow Submarine was better because it had a plot and a story and a little funny.

I think that these movies showed how innovative the Beatles were. They had new methods. They had there own animated movie because they were such a hit and were such a big hit. They changed the music world and pop culture. There was nobody besides Elvis to be that successful such as them in that time period.

Friday, April 17, 2015

North By Northwest

"North by Northwest" is a mystery movie, directed by the great, Alfred Hitchcock.  The movie was made in 1959. The movie stars Cary Grant, Eva Saint, James Mason, and Jessie Landis. The movie was later nominated for three Oscar Awards.

I really liked this movie because it was very interesting and always had me thinking what was going to happen next. I like suspenseful movies such as these. I liked this movie because it was never boring to me. I also liked the plot as well. I liked there was a little bit of action in the movie. This made it even more interesting and got my attention.

Ben Hur

"Ben Hur" was made in 1959 and was directed by William Wyler. The movie is set in the time of Jesus's life. The movie stars: Charlton Heston as "Ben Hur", Jack Hawkins as "Quinten Arrius", Haya Harareet as Esther, and Stephen Boyd as "Messala."

One theme in this movie is "Loyalty." Ben Hur is loyal to his city and does not join Messala and the Romans. He is also loyal to his family and never betrays them. Another theme in this movie is "Athletic Victory." Ben Hur shows true athleticism because he does not use any weapons in the Chariot Race, and does not cheat. He won by being athletic. He also showed athleticism when he saved the captain in the water. The last theme in this movie is "Friendship." Ben Hur shows true friendship witht the Judea people. They let him use his horses to race and allow him to live with him as well.

Sci-Fi Combined

"Close Encounters with the 3rd kind" and "Invasion of the Body Snatcher's" are classical science fiction movies. "Close Encounter's" was directed Phillip Kaufman and "Invasion" was a directed by Stephen Speilburg.

"Invasions" and "Close Encounter's" both talk about aliens coming into Earth and invading the United States. In both of the movies, bith of the aliens seem to be harmful. Although "Invasion" and "Close Encounter's" have to do with the same thing, they both have different plots. In the "Invasion" movie, the aliens invade their mind through these plants. They restart their whole boyd and you cannot love if you go sleep. In "Close Encounters", the aliens have taken a little boy. In another plot, this guys is trying to find the aliens. He studies them. They were also different because "Invasion" is in black and white, and "Close Encounters" is in color and had decent graphics.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Western's combined

"The Searcher's" and High Noon" are both popular western movies. They star some major actors including John Wayne, Gary Cooper, and Grayce Kelly. These movies portray more action in them and more killing. They do have some differences though.

The Searcher's is about some Indians and finding a little girl. The story and plot was completely different from "High Noon". It was a different type of western. High noon was about a man who comes back to save the town from some outlaws.There are not indians in this movie. There is a theme of love in both of the movies as well. John Wayne shows love for Debbie and Gary Cooper shows love for his town and his people.

Friday, March 13, 2015

Pride of the Yankees

"Pride of the Yankees" was directed by Sam Wood. It was made in 1942. "Pride of the Yankees" stared Gary Cooper, Terasa Wright, and Babe Ruth. The movie was a biography of Lou Gehrig's life. It starts from when he was a little boy and goes to when he gave his last speech at Yankee Stadium.

I really liked this movie. I did not know much about Lou Gehrig until I watched this movie. I did not know that he held the record for most consecutive games played in major league baseball. He is an outstanding baseball player. To me, he is probably the best baseball player to ever play. This movie was very inspirational. It showed that you should never give up in anything that you do.

Friday, February 20, 2015

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

"Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" is movie that was made in 1936 by Frank Capra. This movie stars James Stewart, Claude Rains, Jean Arthur, and Edward Arnold. This movie was considered very inspirational.

This movie was pretty good I guess. I did like the plot and how Mr. Smith had no politcal background and in the end, gets his bill passed. I believe that without Saunders help, he wouldn't have been able to pass the bill. Even though it was black and white, I still liked this movie a lot.

Lord of The Rings

Lord of the Rings "The Two Towers and "The Return of the King" are written by Peter Jackson. These movies star Elijah Wood, Andy Serkis, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, and Sean Austin. These finish the triology of the Lord of the Ring.

I really liked these movies. They were really long, but were very entertaining. I liked the ending and how frodo had to leave and do even bigger things. I also liked how Sam ended up marrrying the girl he always wanted to.

Same is the most heroic character of all. Sam goes with Frodo everywhere. Many times Frodo is in trouble and needs help, and Sam saves him. Sam shows bravery as he fights the orcs to save Frodo at the tower. Sam never gave up and stuck by Frodo's side, just like gandolf told him to.

Friday, January 30, 2015

Lord of the Rings "Fellowship of the Ring"

"Fellowship of the Ring" is part one of a 3 part movie serious of "The Lord of The Rings." This movie was directed by Peter Jackson. It stars Elijah Wood, Andy Serkis, Ian Mckellen, Orlando Bloom, and Sean Austin.

I really liked this movie. This was the first time I had ever seen a "Lord of the Rings" movie. I did like the plot and the idea of using mythical creatures and made up countries. It was very interesting and always had me wondering what was gonna happen next. I didnt like the ending of the movie though. The movie ended as a cliff-hanger and I hate those.

The movie is relevant because it teaches us about friendship. The friendship that Sam and Frodo have is unbreakable. Sam promises Gandolf that he will never leave Frodo. When Frodo tries to leave Sam nearly drowns because he is trying to chase after Frodo. The hobbits have a great love between each other. So in the end, it is relevant because it teaches us a lesson about friendship and how its important.

Friday, January 23, 2015

Harvey

"Harvey" is a comedy movie that was directed by Henry Koster in 1950. The movie stars James Stewart as "Mr.Elwood", Josephine Hall as "Veta Louise", Peggy Dow as "Miss Kelly.", Charles Drake as "Dr. Lyman Sanderson", and Cecil Kellaway as Dr. "Chumley." 

I kind of liked this movie. It seemed a little bit silly. I mean really, a six foot three inch, invisible, rabbit? I wish that we could have seen the rabbit in the movie. I also would have liked it if it would have been in color, instead of black and white. But I still found this movie interesting. It kept me interested throughout the whole movie.

I think that the rabbit was real. The proof of it being real is in the movie. The doors open up and the wallets were stolen. Dr. Chumley saw him and so did Veta Louise. So Mr. Elwood was not the only one to see Harvey.

Friday, January 16, 2015

Grapes of Wrath

"The Grapes of Wrath" is based off the book written by John Steinbeck. The movie was directed by John Ford. The movie stars Henry Fondra as "Tom Joad", Jane Darewell as Ma Joad, and John Carradine as "Casy."

I really liked this movie. I thought it was really good even though it was in black and white. I liked the historical background in the movie. It had a great plot, and I believe Henry Fondra was the perfect actor to play Tom Joad. Tom was my favorite Character because he never let anyone tell him what to do, and he was very independent. 

There are a few things that I did not like about the movie as well. I do not really like black and white movies that well because I believe that a movie with color. With color, the person watching the movie can see things or objects in a different perspective. I also did not like the ending of the movie. The movie just left us hanging and had a dumb ending. It doesn't specify where Tom or the family ended up.

Monday, January 12, 2015

Raiders of The Lost Ark

"Raiders of the Lost Ark" was directed by Stephen Spielburg. It was produced by George Lucas, the man who produced "Star Wars." The movie stars Harrison Ford as "Indiana Jones", Karren Allan as "Marion", and Paul Freeman as "Dr. Rene Belloq." 

I really liked this movie. This was my first "Indiana Jones" movie that I had ever seen. I have seen Harrison Ford in "Star Wars" earlier this year. He is a great actor. I liked the plot and how he had to battle his rival, Dr. Belloq, throughout the whole movie. The movie had numerous historic and Biblical references such as Hitler and the Nazi's, and the Ten Commandments in the Bible. 

The things that I didnt like about this movie was the graphics. In some scenes the graphics and animation wasn't as great as the movies today. For example, when the souls came out and killed the Nazi's when they opened the covenant, I think that the animation could have been a little bit better.