The Dark Knight

I remember watching The Dark Knight a few years ago but didn't really remember most of what was going on. I was able to catch quite a few things from our chapters while watching it again though. This movie was action packed and full of surprises.

The Dark Knight uses color in so many different ways through out the movie. First of all I noticed that the whole movie itself was kind of dark. There was a lot of grays and blacks and just not a lot of color. I think that gives a hint at how the town of Gotham really is. It is a town of criminals with not many people you can trust. The two main characters in the movie were also expressed by. This can either be a leitmotif or expressionism Batman wore black and yellow which I think symbolizes how mysterious he is but he also provides hope for the town of Gotham. We all already know the Joker has lost his mind but  I think the colors he wears proves it. He always wears dark clothes with colorful makeup. The dark clothes can tell us that he is a villain and that makeup tells us how crazy he really is. (Chapter 7)

I'm not the greatest at paying attention to all of the sound effects in movies so I had to do a little research on this. The first thing I found was that they spend a lot of time getting the right sound for the batpod. After watching that part again I noticed just how cool they made it sound. I must have been distracted by all the cool stunts with it the first time I watched.  (Chapter 8)

One thing that I really did notice was that the same music played every time the Joker was about to appear. It turns out that is one of the main songs from the soundtrack.  It is called "Why So Serious?" It actually fits the Joker quite well as never really was serious and always had something up his sleeve. Another song that caught my attention was "A Dark Knight" to me it was the theme song of the whole movie. Like the song "Why So Serious" describes the Joker, "A Dark Knight" describes Batman. The rest of the soundtrack didn't really catch my attention but I'd say two good ones out the bunch isn't bad. (Chapter 9)

The Dark Knight was all about the star system. I mean who wouldn't want to go to a movie starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, AND Morgan Freeman? Not only did these actors steal the show they also nailed their parts. I though Christian Bale played a very believable Batman and loved being the hero. Morgan Freeman did what Morgan Freeman does. His voice and the way he gets into his character really makes the movie for me. Finally, we have Heath Ledger. He went above and beyond in his role of the Joker. Some would even say that he got so into his role of the Joker that we went crazy in real life and that he why he died. But that's just what I've heard.  (Chapter 10)

The director, Christopher Nolan, nailed this dark, action packed film. He chose characters that would not only draw in people to the box office but would also play their character perfectly.  He also put all of the effects together nicely. The color of the movie was pretty gloomy to represent the terrors of Gotham. The music gave you hints when something was going to happy whether it was loud music or the creepy scary music. Christopher put this movie together perfectly. (Chapter 11)

Overall, I think The Dark Knight is a great movie for anyone who wants to watch an action packed movie. The movie is also loaded with stars so everyone is bound to know at least one person in the movie. I have to say this superhero movie is a lot like other super hero movies I have watched. You knew that something was bound to happen between the Joker and Batman and you knew that Batman would come out on top one way or another. I will probably end up watching this movie again sometime in the future though so it can't be all bad.

The Breakfast Club

The first time I ever watched The Breakfast Club was in my high school psychology class, so I thought it was pretty strange that it was one of the films for this class. Regardless, it has been one of my favorite movies ever since.

In the film I noticed that each character really has there own color that tells a little bit about them. This is also known as expressionistic use of color. Bender's color is red. Under his jacket he wears a red flannel. I think the red stands for how confident is throughout the whole film but also for the anger he feels towards his father. Another example would be that the color pink represents Claire. Throughout the movie she is thought of as the girly girl and the queen bee. The other characters were also represented by colors; Andy was blue, Allison was black, and brain is green. Brian, Andy, and Allison all represent cool colors while Bender and Claire represent warm colors. Bender and Claire are also the colors of love...No wonder they become so close. ( Chapter 7 )

Some of the unique sound effects in The Breakfast Club include are Brian's pen clicking and the group whistling. In the beginning of the movie the group of high school students are just annoyed by even having to be in the same room as each other, but by the end of the movie they are all getting along and even whistle tunes together.  There are also two parts in this movie where the dialogue is different from other movies. In the beginning of the movie we can only hear Brian reading part of their letter to Vernon but at the end of the movie all of the voices are overlapping reading the letter together. (Chapter 8)

It's no secret that The Breakfast Club has one of the best music soundtracks of all time or so Pitch Perfect told me. I honestly thought it wasn't the greatest. The only song that really stood out to me was Don't You    ( Forget About Me) by Simple Minds. The song tells the inner story of the film. It tells the audience that even though these kids may ignore each other at school and go back to their own social norms that they don't want to forget each other. Most importantly, I think it backs up Claire giving Bender one of her diamond earring so he will never forget about her. The song was the perfect ending to the movie and a great representation of new found friendship. ( Chapter 9)

The Breakfast Club is another great example of ensemble acting. There really is not stand out actor in the movie. Each actor compliments one another and doesn't steal the show. Overall, I thought the acting in the movie was superb. Each actor nailed the character whether they were the jock, the nerd, the queen bee, the crazy one, or the rebel. I felt like there was a connection between me and characters when each one of them told their personal stories. (Chapter 10)

I think the director, John Hughes, wanted the movie to be comical and humorous but to also cover some heavy topics. He allowed each character to really talk about their problems while adding some humor to whatever subject.  He also picked the characters wonderfully. He didn't choose actors with big names that would steal the show. He choose a cast that could work together to make the movie a hit. Not only did he select the perfect cast, he also picked the perfect way to end the movie. He left the audience feeling a sense of hope and appreciation for each character. ( Chapter 11)

The Breakfast Club will forever be one of my favorite movies. It taught me to never judge someone by their appearance or by who they hangout with. Everybody has their own story and own problems to deal with. It also taught me that even though you don't always hangout with someone doesn't mean you cant have a good time with them This movie will never get old.

Little Miss Sunshine

Before this class I had never heard of  Little Miss Sunshine so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I did a little research before I watched the movie and thought it was going to be a little different than what I was used too. After watching the movie I learned to not judge a movie based on pictures that you have Googled. The movie was comical but had a serious message.

Little Miss Sunshine is the perfect example of a dysfunctional family. Every member of the family has their own quirks but they all seem to fit together. The movie proves that some things in life just happen but family, no matter how dysfunctional, can help you through it. The bad luck of this dysfunctional family, can help bring any family closer.

The use of color is huge in this movie. Right away we are almost overwhelmed by the color yellow. It's the main color of the movie poster and also the color of the family van. I think the color yellow is used because it is a happy color and also symbolizes optimism. It also catches people's eye, hence it being the main color on the poster! Whenever we see the color yellow in the movie, it gives us a hint that something good is bound to happen. I think Olive is characterized by the color red. Red can stand for fear, anger, love, or even confidence. I think in this case it stands for fear but also for confidence. Olive is scared to perform in the Little Miss Sunshine contest, but she also shows her confidence and goes on with the show! Other characters in the movie may have been characterized by color but it was less noticeable. (Chapter 7)

Chapter eight is all about the sound effects and dialogue of the movie.  It is hard to notice all of the little sound effects in movie unless they hit you right on the head. During movies we are most likely to pay attention to what is going on in the film and the dialogue than the special sound effects in the movie. The one sound effect that really stood out to me was the annoying van horn. Right away the horn made me think that they were going to be busted for hiding their grandpas body in the van. After thinking about it after the movie a little more I think they horn could also stand for the numerous struggles they encountered on their road trip to California. Instead of quitting like most horns would have it kept going on, just like the family did even through all of the obstacles there were faced with.

The dialogue of this movie seemed pretty normal to me. Well besides Dwayne, who didn't speak for half of the movie. They characters spoke just like normal families would talk to each other. They argued, they asked never ending questions, they annoyed each other, and they cared for each other. I think the dialogue hit it spot on when it came to acting like a family.

The soundtrack to this movie didn't really catch my attention. After reading the textbook I noticed that they movie mostly used traveling music. This really fit well with the movie since they did road trip to California in their van. The one song that really stood out to me was Olive's song choice for the pageant. Superfreak was hilarious and extremely fitting for the family. It went perfectly with their dysfunctional family.

The only actor I knew right away in this movie was Steve Carell so there wasn't much of the star system going on.  This movie is a great example of ensemble acting though. No character really stood out much from the others. They all were part of this average Joe family.  Each character needed to have its own quirks and qualities. Casting the characters in the movie was no walk in the park.  Each character in the movie had their special qualities. Olive was an outgoing little girl, the grandpa was not up to date on the times and didn't really watch his mouth, and Dwayne acted as the annoyed son who just wanted to get away.  Of course the other characters had their special characteristics too, but you get my point. (Chapter 10)

In my opinion, I believe the directors, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, wanted this to be an optimistic and hopeful comedy.   The whole movie is based on a road trip a dysfunctional family takes to California. He chose all the right actors to play the characters and brought together a group of individuals with very different personalities that ended up matching perfectly to the movie.  They used their soundtrack to match up with the road trip theme even.  Basically, they turned this movie into a comedy about one awkward family. (Chapter  11)

Overall, I thought the movie was very entertaining. I even found myself getting embarrassed for some of the main characters. Although there are a few graphic and wordy parts, I would recommend all families watch this movie. It shows that no matter how embarrassing or annoying family members can get, the will always do what is best and help each other out. 

Memento

The film Memento became a hit back in the early 2000's.  People were intrigued by the unique plot and editing of the movie. Unlike other movies, Memento made the audience think and piece the movie together. It was almost like puzzle to find out who murdered Leonard's wife, or so I thought.  The movie also received Academy Award nominations in Original Screenplay and Film Editing.

I was impressed by how much thought had to be put into the film in order to play the events in reverse order in a way that still made sense. It's no wonder it was up for Film Editing, the movie was stitched together perfectly to tell a story in a non-linear way. Another part of the movie I found interesting was how you could always tell when Leonard was thinking to himself. The movie was always in color when they were telling us the story in short bits, but when he was talking on the phone it was in black and white. At first I thought they did this to make the audience feel like they were in the mind of Leonard and could relate to his short term memory, but then I realized they couldn't make the audience forget what they had already saw.  I think the director just did it to make it clear to the audience that he was breaking his biggest rule.

One part of the movie that I thought had really interesting editing was the photograph in the beginning of the movie. The photograph went from showing the actually picture to gradually fading away to white and then it was back in the camera. It was the perfect attention getter and gave the audience a taste of how the movie was going to go from there.

In my opinion, I don't think the director never wanted anyone in the audience to have the upper hand throughout the movie. I think he wanted everyone to be slightly confused so they would pay attention even more to every detail. I felt like I was being lead in the direction of Teddy being his friend and Natalie being his lover but then all of a sudden everything changed. Although I felt like I was supposed to be confused. I wasn't the biggest fan of being tugged in all different directions throughout the whole movie.

Basically, this movie is all about vengeance.  Leonard spends the whole movie seeking vengeance for the murder of his wife, but in the end we find out he already got it but doesn't remember. I think that is telling the audience that getting vengeance for something doesn't always solve all of your problems. Maybe everyone can take some notes of what not do and learn to just move on.

Amelie

The movie Amelie came off as a bit strange and a little different than what I am used too. Of course, I had never watched a french film before either so I expected it to be different. One thing that really through me for a loop was having to pay attention to subtitles. I felt like it was hard to catch some of the other details in the movie because I had to focus on that to know what was going on.

In 2002, Amelie was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography so its no surprise this movie fits with chapters about editing and cinematography. The film goes quickly through the childhood of elie before getting to the main story. Each shot in the movie focuses on the perspective of Amelie, showing her reactions to the events of everyday life. Most of the shots are either close ups or panning shots that switch your attention from her to what she is reacting too. The directors did a wonderful job making the movie flow together while still drawing your attention to the parts they wanted to emphasize.

The movie also had quite a few strange special effects that we normally wouldn't see here in the United States. Although most of these effects only happened when Amelie was reflecting on something, they included; her heart beating wildly in the beginning,  her melting to a puddle,  and the x-ray of the stolen key in her pocket. These effects definitely grabbed my attention and made me focus on them and their importance. They may have been a little over the top, but the movie is supposed to be quirky so it worked well.

One downfall of this movie is that it lasted so long. There was no rush to finish the movie and everything happened just like it was part of normal life. I found that towards the end of the movie I was hoping for Amelie and Nico to quit playing games and just meet already. That part was a little drug out for my liking. Although, the director may have made the movie so long to put emphasis on the joy Amelie found from doing the simple things in life.

Overall, I thought the movie was meant to show the simplicity of life. Maybe everything in life doesn't have to be over exaggerated or little mishaps don't have to be the end of the world. Amelie showed that even though situations may seem awful there can be some joy found in them. Another point I think that movie makes is how childhood effects a person when they grow up. Amelie grew up being home schooled and wasn't around people much. The director made this evident by beginning the movie with Amelie's childhood and then flashing back to present time where she is still shy but enjoys helping others.

This movie inspired me to want to pay it forward. It made me realize that you don't always need something in return and sometimes the best reward is just seeing the joy that you gave to others. The movie also taught the audience to not be too caught up helping others to miss the chances right in front of you.

Life of Pi

Life of Pi, the story of a boy stranded at sea was interesting to say the least. I thought a lot of the things that happened were far fetched but it did make the story more interesting then just a boy stuck at sea. The movie was filled with suspense, conflict, and symbolism though so it fit our chapter perfectly. I think the title of this movie is extremely fitting, after all, this is a story that sums up what Pi has been through all of his life. The title tells us exactly what the movie is going to be about.

Life of Pi is a truly suspenseful movie. I kept watching the whole time just to find out what was going to happen next and if he was going to survive. There was so many unexpected twists in the movie including ; huge storms, flying fish, and floating islands that I never knew what was going to happen next. (Page 46)

 Throughout the movie I noticed there is a lot of both internal and external conflict. Pi Patel, the main character, experiences internal conflict when he questions his faith. He wants to believe in God throughout the movie, but his trouble at sea leaves him wondering what he did to deserve this. I think most of the external conflict is shown in his battle to survive at sea. Pi has to survive many unusual circumstances presented by mother nature including; storms, animals, hunger, and thirst. Basically, Pi is constantly battling with his faith and for his life. (Page 58)

The movie also is loaded with symbolism. All of the animals in the life boat symbolize something else. The zebra is passive and cannot defend its self. In the movie they say the zebra represents the sailor, but I think it represents what would have happened if Pi did not fight to survive. The orangutan acts as a mother figure and represents the mother in the movie. I think this symbolizes what would have happened if Pi didn't choose his battles wisely. Next, the hyena is greedy and cowardly. In the movie we are told the hyena represents the cook, but I think the hyena really symbolizes that Pi needed to be brave because greed will only get you so far before something bad happens. Finally, the tiger is brave and has the will to power to live. The tiger is what truly represents Pi because he fights to survive throughout the whole movie. Therefore, I think each animal in the movie represents what would have happened to Pi if he wasn't brave. (Page 71)

Although the movie kept my attention the whole time, I was pretty disappointed in the ending. The fact that he gave us to different stories for us to decide between just made me think that the first one was made up, especially since it was so far fetched to begin with. There were so many details in the movie, that if you missed a little bit you would be confused with the ending. I'd say the movie is good if you have a big imagination, but I probably won't be watching it again soon.

Good Will Hunting

The movie Good Will Hunting caught my attention right away because the main characters were about my age and that made it easier to relate to. Having Matt Damon as the main character didn't hurt either. The whole time I watched the movie I hoped that Will would realize his potential but towards the end I started to realize that most important thing he could do is make himself happy.

• The title Good Will Hunting is significant because it basically tells us the theme of the movie.  If you look at it one way, you will just see the name of the main character. Looking at it in a different view, it seems like the title is trying to say that Will is trying to find the good in himself. Either way, the title tell us a lot about the movie. 

During the movie it became obvious that Will Hunting was a dynamic character. In the beginning of the movie Will was a boy that liked to cause a little trouble with his friends and didn't have much of a plan for the future, But by the end of the movie Will Hunting has changed to a young man who wants to chase his dreams and dream girl. (Page 68)

The movie is also filled with symbolism. One example of symbolism is the painting in Sean's office that looks like a man rowing a boat against a storm, but we all know that there is a rainbow after every storm if you look hard enough. I think this symbolizes the hardships that both Sean and Will have been through in life, only once they forgive themselves for their past can they reach their true potential. Of course, we don't realize that the painting is a symbol until the end of the movie when we learn about Will's past. ( Page 72)

The characterization through appearance was clearly evident in Good Will Hunting. Right from the beginning it's clear that Will had a troubled past just from the people he hangs around and the job that he has. Professor Lambeau comes off as an arrogant, yet intelligent man just by the way he dresses and carries himself. Finally, we can tell that Sean is intelligent from his beard, but we can also tell that he has lost his way by the way he keeps himself. (Page 60)

The movie Good Will Hunting showed endless possibilities of overcoming one's past and has become one of my favorites. I don't think the characters could have been chosen any better and it makes it even more perfect that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck wrote this film. They made the audience experience heavy topics of abuse, losing a loved one, and poverty without all the sad feelings that go along with it. I'd say this movie teaches so many lessons about friendship, love, and life in general that it is a must watch!

On The Waterfront

  The movie On the Waterfront didn't really catch my attention at first. I thought it went on too slow and that there could have been more action. However, I did like the main theme, courage. I feel like the director, Elia Kazan, really pushed the theme because he knew the audience could relate to it. Most people know what it is like to finally stand up to something that they are afraid or wish that they could. I think he wanted everyone to know that they can stand up to their own Johnny Friendly’s.

Father Barry was the one who really encouraged all of the workers to stand up for their rights. Every time the mob killed someone else and tried to hide it, he was there to console the workers and try to convince them to do what was right. I think that for everyone who does something courageous has that one person who helps them gain the confidence that they need. For Terry, that was Father Barry. The part of the movie that really made me think was when Terry's own brother Charley threatened to kill him if he didn't choose the bad side. It made me realize that there will always be people trying to persuade you to do the wrong thing.

In my opinion, the actors fit the characters pretty well. Edie (Eva Saint) comes off as such an innocent young girl who just wants to find out what really happened to her brother and Terry (Marlon Brando) has a tough guy attitude. Edie does a good job of bringing out his sensitive side and helping him do what is right.  Although the actors fit the characters, I still think the movie lacked excitement to keep a younger audience entertained. (SparkNotes Editors, 2004).

Overall, I felt like I knew what was going to happen next in each part of the movie. The only big surprise to me was that Terry’s brother Charley even threatened him. Seeing how Terry stood up to Johnny Friendly was the only thing that really kept me interested in watching the movie.  

Casablanca

Movie Poster 1942

At first when I watched Casablanca I thought it was going to be your basic love story where two people fall in love, they go through a rough patch, and then at the end they live happily ever after. Like the Notebook or really anything written by Nicholas Sparks. Although I was right about the movie being about love, it was about so much more and really made me think more about what the director was trying to get across.

Casablanca has a few underlying themes including; friendship and sacrifice. I first realized friendship was an important part of the movie when I put it together that Sam, Ilsa, and Rick all knew each other before and that Sam and Rick stuck together even after all that time. They proved that a real friendship will last a lifetime. Sacrifice can be anything from taking a bullet for someone to just sacrificing a life on Candy Crush. In Casablanca the relationship between Ilsa and Rick is what takes the hit. Throughout the movie you can tell that what they had was real and that they gave up a lot in order to do the right thing.

I think the main idea of Casablanca is to show the viewers the complexity of human relationships. Throughout the movie we see how close and loyal Rick and Sam are but we also how torn Sam is when Ilsa is back in the picture wanting him to bring up old memories. We see the relationships between soldiers and their spouses and how they don't want to lose a moment together. I think the movie does a good job of showing that every choice that a person makes impacts not only themselves but people around them.

Overall, I thought Casablanca was good movie. The movie made me keep watching just so I could find out what would happen between Ilsa and Rick. I secretly rooted for Rick and Ilsa to get back together but the ending proved the point that sometimes you have to sacrifice your happiness in order to do the right thing.

Summer Film Class

Hello guys!

My name is Ashley and I am a student at the University of Mary. This summer I will be posting blogs as a part of my film class. I will be writing my opinion about a number of different films and relating them to what I have learned from my text book ( The Art of Watching Films by Joseph Boggs and Dennis Petrie).