The Best of the Seen and Unseen in ART 115

The 3 most compelling and noteworthy movies that had the most impact on me were:

1. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, directed by Julian Schnabel

This foreign film was probably the most moving and inspirational film from the movie playlist. It really hit home for me because I work in the health care field and every time I encounter a severe stroke patient I can't help but sympathize after viewing this film. I also really appreciated how they filmed the scenes from Bauby's point of view.  

2. The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola

I can't believe I've gone this far in my life without seeing this movie until this class. It was very clear as to why this film is regarded as one of the greatest films in world cinema. This classic movie was very compelling with great performances from Marlon Brando and Al Pacino. 

3. Raging Bull, directed by Martin Scorsese

I believe this was one of the most noteworthy movies for its attention to detail. Everything was meticulously filmed  to perfection from the makeup, the long takes, montage scene, and the dedication of the actors. 

The 3 other movies that I believe that every film student should see are:

1. The Shawshank Redemption, directed Frank Darabont

This film is my all time favorite movie. This movie has all the great elements needed to produce a very powerful and moving film.

2. Goodfellas, directed by Martin Scorsese

After watching The Godfather and the Raging Bull, I believe that if those two movies had a baby, it would have been called the Goodfellas. This movie provides all the classic gangster themes with the great team of Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. This is a must see for every film student. 

3. Pulp Fiction, directed by Quentin Tarantino 

I believe that our "movie playlist" was missing a Quentin Tarantino film and Pulp Fiction would have been perfect for the class. I believe that this film portrays almost every aspect of what we learned this semester in class.

The Color of Music

RED: North by Northwest, Alfred Hitchcock, "The U.N." Bernard Herrmann

In this scene from the movie North by Northwest, Roger Thornhill, played by Cary Grant, rushes over to the U.N. General Assembly building after avoiding being captured again by Vandamm's henchmen at Kaplan's hotel room. The musical piece is also called "The U.N." Thornhill gets out of the cab and quickly paces through the U.N. building lobby in route to find Townsend, a U.N. diplomat, only to realize that he is a complete stranger. The music has a dramatic effect that is building up with anticipation. You can identify with soundtrack to how you feel when you are on a mission to find something out. The combination of the music and the surrounding large U.N. building symbolizes Thornhill in the middle of this huge tale of mistaken identity. This musical piece was very effective for this scene in evoking the intended response of arousing the viewers curiosity. 

YELLOW: Punch-Drunk Love, Paul Thomas Anderson, "He Needs Me (Remix)" Original composition by Harry Nilsson, original vocals by Shelly Duvall, remix and additional composition by Jon Brion and Jonathan Karp

Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) patiently waits as Lena Leonard (Emily Watson) joyfully approaches him at her hotel in Hawaii. Barry actually follows Lena on her business trip to pursue a romantic relationship with her. The musical piece starts off as a simple tune with a child singing a joyful melody. It represents happiness and a sense of innocence. As they get closer together, Barry awkwardly goes in for a handshake but gets a large a hug and an even bigger kiss instead. The combination of the music and imagery makes you put a smile on your face. It reminded me of the first time I was in love and how happy I felt with the anticipation of seeing that person. The musical piece was extremely effective for this scene in evoking the intended response of love. You definitely didn't need to connect any symbolism to interpret that scene. 

BLUE: The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola, "The Baptism" Nino Rotta

The baptism scene occurs as Michael Corleone, played by Al Pacino, realizes that he is going to have to take the Godfather role of the Corleone family. The scene shows Michael at his nephew's baptism in combination with his men murdering his rivals in a montage. The musical piece of "The Baptism" portrays a dark and eerie setting. The suspenseful gothic vibe of the church music gives off an uneasy mood of death and murders with the combination of the religious ceremony of the baptism. The scene is very powerful and triggers a memory of dramatic old Dracula films intertwined with the frightening music from the original horror films of The Omen. There is so much going on in this editing montage with the organ, the priest, Michael renouncing Satan  gunshots, and screams. The musical piece along with the montage is probably one of the most memorable and effective scenes in any gangster movie for evoking its intended response. 

MY COLOR: The Replacements, Howard Deutch, "I Will Survive" Gloria Gaynor

In this American sports comedy film, this scene in The Replacements shows the very entertaining Clifford Franklin (Orlando Jones) with Shane Falco (Keanu Reeves) and teammates in a group jail cell. They were thrown into jail after a brawl in the bar with the football players who are on strike. Clifford Franklin tries to brighten the mood up of his teammates and starts to sing Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive." One by one the whole group eventually joins Franklin in one big sing-a-long. The musical piece provides a sense of uplifting and comedic mood. The scene had a feel-good vibe that made me laugh. It was very enjoyable to watch. The song also goes along perfect with the theme of the scene and the movie. The "replacements" are viewed as the underdogs and nobody is giving them a shot but the scene shows their camaraderie and brotherhood. So with all odds against them, they have each other and "they will survive." The musical piece was effective for evoking comedy and laughter. 

THANKS FOR THE GREAT SEMESTER!!!!

Quentin Tarantino Interviewed on The Treatment

Quentin Tarantino's enthusiasm and energetic personality shines just as bright in his interview on "The Treatment," as it does through his films. Quentin Jerome Tarantino is a film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is well known for his trademarks in extreme violence and common themes of revenge in his films. Some of the films he has worked on are Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds, and recently Django Unchained, which are all mentioned in the pod cast. The interview was aired on January 9, 2013.

 After listening to Quentin Tarantino's entire interview, I noticed the passion he has for film. If I were to describe my impression of Tarantino in one word, it would be "charismatic." I've learned that viewers such as myself often overlook or don't realize how much work is put into his great films. In his interview, he talks about how he uses food as an important tool, his influences from John Cassavetes, experiences in past films and his latest film, Django Unchained. I've learned that Tarantino takes every little detail and nuances into account of every aspect in his films. I was surprised to hear him talk about these other interesting aspects, as opposed to the usual violence, revenge, and other classical Tarantino themes.

The interview with host, Elvis Mitchell, begins very smooth and candid about the topic of food. At first, I found it a little odd, but Mitchell describes that many of Tarantino's movie's incorporate food in the film. In the third minute of the interview, Tarantino says, "I've always associated like getting to know somebody, trading back and forth, information finding out if your compatible, anything like that always happens over restaurants and diners. I've always found restaurant scenes to be kind of ritualistic." I believe this quote is very noteworthy because all of Tarantino's films feature one or more scenes in a restaurant or a dinner, such as in Pulp Fiction, Inglourios Basterds, and Django Unchained. I've never noticed until now, how important those scenes were to the film and how they portray the shifting of power or the establishing of power. Looking back and reflecting on all his films with scenes incorporating food has helped me create a deeper appreciation for his attention to detail.

In regards to Quentin Tarantino's latest film, Django Unchained, he says "In every way, you are supposed to be on Django's journey, your on Django's side...identifying with Django, his victory is your victory, when he does what he does, your cheering for him, your happy for him." This noteworthy quote pretty much sums up they way Tarantino makes you feel about all the likable character's in all his films, whether they are good or bad. I believe that when viewers make that connection, it is almost as if you know and have that relationship with that character. It draws you into the movie and lets you experience all the same ups and downs as the character throughout the journey in the film. Most of the time, the connection we create is so important, that it makes all the difference when deciding if we believe a movie is good or not. 

Towards the end of the interview, you really get a great sense of how much Tarantino cares about how people interpret and react to his films. It is extremely noteworthy that he bases the successfulness of his screenings by watching the film with an audience and observing their reactions throughout the movie as well as the ending. If they do what he expects them to do, it was a success. A perfect example is when Quentin Tarantino says, "If my movies are working to the best of my ability, I feel like that I'm a symphony conductor  and the audience's emotions are my orchestra, that's the symphony." 

In my opinion, the value of what Quentin Tarantino had to say was very insightful. His interview truly shows his great knowledge of film with the willingness to still learn more. It's very easy to see why he has been a guest on KCRW's "The Treatment" multiple times. Tarantino's style is very different from anyone else and extremely entertaining. He takes old forms of storytelling and techniques, and transforms them to something very new and unique. And although he usually plays a small role in all his films as a cameo, his contributions to the film world are huge. 

Only The Butterfly

Overall Look - The cinematographic aspects of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly doesn't just add up to an overall look but it also gives it an overall feeling of connection with the main character, Jean-Dominique Bauby. In general, the qualities of the film stock, lighting, lenses, framing, angles, camera movement, and use of long takes expresses this film in a very close and personal point of view. The film uses oblique angles, extreme close ups, eye level shots, and camera movements that were similar to his eye movements.  All of these cinematographic aspects gives us a new understanding of the saying, “To understand a man, you've got to walk a mile in his shoes..” because to understand Jean-Dominique Bauby, you've got to experience his life through his one eye. 

Images - There were plenty of moments in the film in which the images conveyed important information in developing the film’s themes narrative, and meaning. One moment showed a clip of a mountain of ice falling apart to represent the similar feeling of the main character. Another image shows him in a wheelchair surrounded by a large body of water to show loneliness and isolation. Lastly, we see a back and forth imagery of the diving bell and the rebirth of the butterfly. 

Shot Lengths - The length of shots consist of long and short takes. The recognizable pattern is shown by using long takes to indicate a mood of importance and patience as he communicates giving it a more meaningful expression. The short takes expresses his true personality which includes his sense of humor, his short attention span sometimes, and his change in emotions. 

Shot Types - One of the main shot type in this film are the extreme close-ups, especially from Bauby’s perspective and point of view. It gives us insight in what he is able to see from all the important people in his life. We get to closely see there expressions, mixed emotions, and real feelings. 

Camera Angles - The camera angles represent point of view shots by high and low angles from different characters. The low angle shots represent Jean-Do in a helpless position usually having to look up from his bed or wheelchair. The low angle shots from his point of view conveys the position of his children’s mother, doctors, therapists, and others in a higher place. It represents power and that he needs and relies on these people. The high angle shots are shown in his memories and imagination to portray the past and the “what-was-and-what-could-have been” feelings.

Composition - The composition of shots are usually not balanced in a way that conforms to the rule of thirds and are arranged within the frame less “painterly,” especially when it is narrated from the first person point of view. The composition contributes a sense of unbalance, confusion, and helplessness to the overall scene. In the other hand, composition is well balanced in the third person point of view in his memories with his father and children, indicating a better, happier time in his life. 

Camera Movement: The camera movement in the film plays in important role in the films narrative. The camera movement in Jean-Do’s perspective was the same as his left eye, which was the only part he had control of. The movement and blinking of the camera let us be Jean-Dominique Bauby. We got a first person experience with the difficulties of communicating and getting a taste of his challenging life. 

Cinematography Style: It was the filmmaker’s intent for the cinematography to call attention to itself. The purpose in making the cinematography so noticeable was to build an incredibly close connection with you and the story. It let you in the mind and body of Jean-Dominique Bauby. I made the memories, imagination, emotions, and feelings extremely real and personal. Overall, it left us with a greater appreciation for life. 

Upside Down Puzzle

"One of the things about detective stories or murder stories, is that no matter how bad they are, I've never seen anybody walk out on one because it's a riddle, it's a puzzle, and you want to puzzle it out," said Edward Dymtryk, a director from the documentary Film Noir. This quote is a great example of describing the main theme in the film, Double Indemnity. Overall, this movie is surrounded with murder, from beginning to end. This quote touched on both, Phyllis and Neff murdering Mr. Dietrichman, and as Barton Keyes, a claims adjuster or the detective in this case, tries to solve the puzzle. The movie grabs our attention as we anticipate and try to figure out, what is going to come next.

In the documentary, I believe that Kathryn Bigelow's description of the femme fatale best identifies Phyllis from Double Indemnity. She says, "There is a certain kind of male fantasy to this violent woman, who is uncontrollable, kind of like an untamed animal, and mere I think there is something very seductive about that." Phyllis is far from the traditional typical woman that was portrayed back in that time. She was definitely seductive, uncontrollable, violent, and Neff never stood a chance in the beginning. Phyllis also played out the classical traditional femme fatale figure in a way of, "getting the man into bed and then into trouble," quoted by actress Marie Windsor.



Double Indemnity is filled with many "film noir" elements. The movie is generally dark and is filled with scenes of shadows and low-key lighting. I especially noticed the Venetian blinds creating striped shadows, or characters entering from the darkness, and even the amount of light shown on character's faces. The documentary even explained how they would show the female in low angle shots and the male in high angle shots to show visual dominance in Double Indemnity. The choice of music and sound extremely helped create the"film noir" style by matching the highs and lows of the different scenes. It went well with the dramatic and darkness of the film.




I believe color in so-called "neo-noir" movies compared to the black-and-white cinematography in the original style is best described in the film noir documentary. It explained that color brings in a relationship to the real world because the real world is in color, and in black-and-white, it is more abstract and stylized. Christopher Nolan's Memento was filled with the "film noir" style. First, the film starts off with a classic film noir style by introducing murder. Second, the film has a definite femme fatale in the character of Natalie. We later realize that she is actually lying to Leonard and uses his condition to her benefit. Lastly, the movie is shown in a non chronological order, which is also used in classic noir films. Memento is actually shown in two different ways. The color sequences are shown in reverse order and chronologically in black-and-white.



In conclusion, after watching Double Indemnity, I noticed many similarities in Memento. Or would it sound more correct to say Memento was similar to Double Indemnity in many ways? Which ever way you look at it, I believe that Christopher Nolan would agree that both film's overlap and "meet" at some point in dealing with the topic of "film noir."

A Theme Park of Movies

What makes a movie compelling, noteworthy, and deserving of an award? In my personal opinion, a movie must make the viewer feel as if they are not watching a film but rather make them feel as if they are actually in the moment and sharing the same experiences as the characters. A compelling and noteworthy movie must connect with the audience emotionally. It should be like riding a roller coaster where the viewer is taken on an emotional ride with all the ups and downs, twists and turns, and even the unexpected surprises. I believe that a movie can only be deserving of an award if it stands out from the rest. A movie that is a true original, and takes risks from breaking away from the traditional styles may be high risk, but it is the only way to earn the high rewards.



A Trip to the Moon and The Great Train Robbery paved the way for many movies. It is amazing to see what both films were able to accomplish with what they had at the time. The creative animation and special effects of Georges Melies' takes us beyond a ride on a roller coaster but rather the first to take us on "A Trip to the Moon." Edwin S. Porter's The Great Train Robbery introduced his masterful filming techniques. It  made us feel as close to the bandits and passengers as we could experience at the time. Both films definitely measure up to my criteria.


      

Two of my favorite films that have actually established my criteria for films are The Shawshank Redemption and Rounders. The Shawshank Redemption is a true classic and its compelling story just takes you away into that time period and makes you fall in love with the characters such as Andy, Red, and Brooks. Edward Norton as "Worm" in the movie Rounders portrays great acting. You don't even need to know much about cards and poker to enjoy the adventures of two good friends "rounding" again.
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My Point of View

"You can't lose what you don't put in the middle. [Pause] But you can't win much either." - Mike McDermott, Matt Damon  (Rounders 1998). This quote is from one of my favorite movies, Rounders. Personally, although it represents cards and chips in poker, I believe that it symbolizes that you can't always play it safe and that you eventually have to take some chances in life. I may not consider myself an avid film buff but I do have a great interest for films.

I really enjoy films with a great underdog story to them and sometimes I even catch myself rooting for the ultimate underdog, the villain. I also like to see movies that end in a not-so-traditional way. My favorite endings involve films that challenge your whole perspective of the movie, such as Shutter Island, or a realistic ending, like Alpha Dog or even letting the "bad-guy" win sometimes, such as in The Usual Suspects. 

One of my favorite film directors/producers is Christoper Nolan. I enjoyed The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception, and even Memento. My favorite actors are Edward Norton and Ben Foster. Rounders, Fight Club, and American History X are all my top Edward Norton movies. And my favorite movies with Ben Foster are Alpha Dog and 3:10 to Yuma. 

All of the movies I've listed may not all be typical fan favorites but that's what makes me love these movies even more.