Do the Right Thing

Spike Lee used many interesting cinematic effects in his film Do the Right Thing, especially whenever Radio Raheem was a part of the scene. Most of the time, when Radio Raheem entered the shot, Lee used oblique angles, possibly to express unstability, or an unsure feeling. Radio Raheem was always shot at a low angle as well, to create a feeling of superiority, and to make him seem more powerful than those whom he was speaking with, which were shot at a high angle, and made to look weaker.

Otnemem

The film Memento, directed by Christopher Nolan, has a very unique way of playing with the audience and taunting their memory in a way. I find the way that this film is presented extraordinary. I believe that the reasoning for the order of the film, color scences backward, and the black and white forward, is to create the illusion that we are actually the main character, and share that same memory loss condition. I also think that the reason for the two different stories, Leonard's and Teddy's, is to show us that we cannot fully trust our memory at all times, just as Leonard cannot depend on his.

Kiss Me Deadly

I am not sure whether or not I liked Robert Aldrich's film, Kiss Me Deadly. While Kiss Me Deadly held my attention throughout most of the film, the end really threw me off. I am not a big sci-fi finatic, and I just didn't really understand the glowing box of death, or fire, or spirits, or whatever the heck it was that was in the box. I also didn't really understand the reason for having two different endings, because they seemed too similar to me. I just think that they could've improved the film a lot if they just changed that one aspect. Or if they had introduced the idea of sci-fi earlier in the film, then it may have made a little bit more sense, because it just seemed so out of the blue at the end.

Groundhog Day

I thouroughly enjoyed Harold Ramis' Groundhog Day. Although getting stuck in a time loop seems basically impossible at this time, I think that many of the ideas of Groundhog day are very realistic. We may not be reliving the same day over and over again, but we do lead very controlled and pre-planned lives. We go to school five out of the seven days of the week, nine out of the twelve months of the year, for 12 to 16 years of our lives. We go to the same classes at the same time every day, with the exception of the switches at semester. Once we graduate from high school and college, we find a job, and then, from there, we continue to attend that job 5 out of 7 days of the week, every month of the year, until we are either fired or retire. We might wonder if such a repetitive life is worth it. In Groundhog Day, Bill Murray's character, Phil, shows us that, yes, it is worth it. It's worth it to help others as best you can, and do what you can to enrich their lives.

Bringing Up Crap

As many of the other students from the class would agree with me, I did not enjoy Howard Hawks film, Bringing Up Baby. I am not sure whether it was the plot of the story, the script or Katharine Hepburn that made the film so unbearable. If it was indeed the script, then Hepburn did an amazing job conforming into the obnoxious character that she played! No matter the case, it is never a good idea to frustrate the audience that way, because it is extremely distracting from the film.

I would not reccomend this film.

Once Upon a Time in the West

I enjoyed Sergio Leone's film, Once Upon a Time in the West, very much. I liked how you never really knew what was going on, but you were still able to follow along with the story.

The use of sound throughout this film was incredible. The introduction was confusing, but interesting how each character was described using their body language and music. When Harmonica was first introduced, the sound of the harmonica that was associated with him sounded very eerie. As Harmonica continued to appear throughout the film, the harmonica always sounded nondiegetic, as if he were not there. Sometimes, we really weren't aware of his presence. For example, toward the beginning, when Jill and Cheyenne were in the shop, Cheyenne swung the lantern across the room, eventually revealing Harmonica's presence.

Casablanca

Michael Curitz’s film Casablanca first premiered in New York City at the Hollywood Theater on November 26, 1942. Casablanca’s general release occurred on January 23, 1943. James Berardinelli states that “Unlike many films that later became classics, Casablanca was popular in its day, although a cadre of officials at Warner Brothers were convinced that it would be a box-office failure.” The film was a noteworthy, yet not outstanding box-office success. On its initial U.S. release, Casablanca made $3.7 million, and became the seventh best-selling film of 1943.

James Berardinelli says “It's probably no stretch to say that Casablanca, arguably America's best-loved movie, has had more words written about it than any other motion picture.” Reviews of Casablanca were mostly positive as the film won three awards at the Oscars of 1944. Those awards included Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture. Eventually, by the year 1977, Casablanca became the most frequently broadcast film on American television.