Twilight

Twilight is one of the best teen romance movies they have made in a long time. While I haven't read the books I thought it was an amazing movie and I'm glad that I finally got up the nerve to see it. This is the only movie that I have seen in theaters more then once. I thought it was good because it always had you wondering when are they going to kiss and you never know when things are going to happen. I thought this was a good movie because you didn't have to read the books to understand what is going on. Also it was nice that the movie wasn't overbearing with vampires and the whole Gothic idea. I think they would have had a smaller crowd if they would have made it that way. I really liked how they weren't afraid to change the idea of vampires. For instance making them not able to go into the sun because they would be all shiny instead of burning or how when you go to Edward's (Robert Pattinson) house how its so open and there aren't coffins. I thought it was a well written film and I can't wait to read the books.

I agree with Ty Burr when he said that at times it could get annoying with the girls screaming and those same girls reciting lines from the movie. I also thought that he was right when he said that the two main characters were well picked for the parts. I loved every minute of the movie. It's wierd every movie the director, Catherine Hardwicke has directed I have loved and I think she really blew this one out of the ball park. I really hope they make sequels to this movie. I believe that Burr explained Edward Cullen, he really knew what he was talking about when he was describing him. I also believe that Pattinson did a nice job with the acting. I mean he had to play so many different angles for his character and I think he did a really nice job. Overall I would recommend this movie to anyone and I would give this movie a 9 1/2 out of 10.

http://www.boston.com/movies/display?display=movie&id=11203

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

I loved this film I thought it did a nice job of keeping the viewer intrigued. I have never seen a film like this one. It goes from reality to being in the mind and memory of Joel (Jim Carrey). Usually I don't like movies that are science fiction because I like things that could actually be possible. As far as I'm concerned mind erasing isn't ever going to be used because it goes against most people's moral perspective. For instance its a form of brain damage and because you erase those memories you can't learn from your mistakes. Also the movie shows that while it can erase the events that ever occurred with that person or thing, you can't run from fate. If it was meant to be then it will happen just that way. An example of this would be Joel and Clementine (Kate Winslet) falling in love again or Mary (Kirsten Dunst) falling in love with the doctor she works for again. I loved the story line and how they set up the movie, I just didn't like how the movie ended. I wish they would have given us insight of what would come of their relationship, would it eventually end up the same in the end or would they live happily ever after. I just didn't like the ending.

I agree that this is a romantic comedy because love is always the center of all conversation. From Joel's idea of the perfect mate to Clementine finding somebody to get close with and share her uniqueness with. There is always love in the air except for when they are getting their minds erased but even then you see through all the good and bad Joel really did love Clem. Also in the end Joel takes the initiative to get Clem to give their relationship one more go, which is exactly how a romantic comedy is categorized. But I don't believe that it deserves the comedy asspect that the genre gives it. I thought it was funny at times but for the most part it was sad and it had more drama and romance then comedy. I felt like it was a serious movie and could have used a little more comedy. Andrew Sarris would agree with me that there was rarely any humor throughout the film. For the most part we agree with everything. From not liking science fictions to not thinking it was all that funny. He also said that he didn't like how the director (Michel Gondry) plays games on the audience. I would agree I like movies that are more forthcoming with what they are hitting at. http://www.observer.com/node/48997 Anyways for the most part I liked our romantic comedy and screwball unit. Overall I would rate it 4 out of 5.

I Am Legend

The movie I watched for this next blog was I Am Legend with Will Smith. I thought it was probably one of the saddest films I have ever seen. It ends terribly but I like the film because it allows you to feel what it would be like to be the last person on Earth at least that you know of. It was intense and had a lot of action. Basically the whole movie Will Smith has to try to survive and to save the world at the same time. It was crazy at times when the evil infected people came out of hiding at night and they tried to kill whatever came in their sight preferably human flesh. I have never been so captivated by a film before. Usually I might understand where the characters are coming from but I never actually feel apart of the movie or the life of the character this movie really did that for me. This movie never had a dry moment it was always on top of things and I really like that I never got bored with anything even if it was a slow moment. For instance when he is sleeping or when he is hunting for food/subjects to work on. Besides loving the movie as a whole there were also some really good details that made the movie what it is.

I thought that without the temporal relations in this film there would have been no drama and it would have been all action. The temporal relations give us a view of what happened to Will's character in his past life that made him the man he is today. It also had a lot of special effects for instance the superhuman people and the demented dogs etc. All these things helped to set up the overall movie but its not pulled off until Will Smith begins to act. He was definitely the best man for the job I couldn't have picked a better candidate. Will really knows how to present himself and he always finds a way to put himself into the shoes of the characters. He goes from one great role to another from Pursuit of Happiness to I Am Legend. He always seems to pull it all off. http://www.newsweek.com/id/77774

Personally I believe he is one of the better actors in Hollywood today. He doesn't do anything bad that gets him into the tabloids and he seems like a really cool family guy. In my eyes its not what you do that makes you famous its who you are inside that does. I don't know how many people would agree with this but I don't care cause I believe that he is a great actor and he has worked hard for his reputation unlike most young actors today. Like Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton.

The Language of Film Blog Entry

So far I have used the film notes for a lot of films while watching just to see if I can noticed any techniques. I really like knowing all the different techniques. Now I feel smart when I can say oh there doing crane work there and there they are doing deep focus. Personally I have liked learning all the techniques because it gives me a different perspective on films and it allows me to learn more about photography as well which I really like.

One example of crane is in Citizen Kane they do a crane shot in the beginning when they are going up the fence and when they are looking at the room of all the things he owned. Crane is a good technique because it gives a smooth view of a variety of things like a dance or a location.

My other favorite technique is spatial relations because it gives you a feel for the relationship the people in the scene have with each other whether they are good or bad. In not only Citizen Kane but also almost every movie we are shown almost every scene this way so we know the relationships and what each character is thinking. An example of this in Citizen Kane would be when he is with his first wife at the dinner table and each time we get a different time segment in their relationship we still see both of them and the things around them so that we get a feel for how they are acting towards each other. Like in the first segment she is in love with him and by the end they are far apart and her love for him is lost and we get a since that she is going to leave him.

Sound is another important aspect in a movie because it can other build or break a moment. For the most part music is used to build suspense for the watcher. Just recently I watched Pride and Prejudice and there is a scene where it seems like the music is nondiegetic but then we find out that she can also hear the music coming from the piano so it changes to diegetic. Another example of this would be in Jaws when we hear that dreadful music that tells us something bad is going to happen but its nondiegetic so the actor in the story has no idea what is about to happen.

So far these are the most noticeable techniques in films that I have seen so far. I look forward to learning techniques into finding these techniques easier when watching a film. I also think its very interesting when you learn the techniques that the director uses because some of them are so interesting and something you wouldn't think would fit with the film's setting but they do.

Ballet Shoes (2007)

Just recently I watched Ballet Shoes, it is a movie about three girls who are taken in by a family when they are babies and then raised and learn to make a living for their family at a very young age. The first one is Petrova and she is from Russia and she learns to be an actress and a dancer in plays and musicals but her ultimate dream is to be a pilot and fly around the world. The second one is Pauline, she was found in a lifebelt in the Atlantic ocean and she is as well a dancer and actress but unlike her sister Petrova she loves to act and wants to someday be great at it. Lastly there is Posy, she is given to the family by her mother her choses her ballet over her child and all Posy wants to do is to be a famous ballerina and to become well known by everyone in the art world. I believe this was a great movie because it helps to show that women can do great things when they put their mind to it.

This movie was different when it came to filming because the thing that stuck out most was that it was filmed like a documentary and it felt a little bit like you were more in the scene then if they were tracking the people. I believe that the lighting, props, and setting all helped in the making of what that era would have looked like which was the 1930s. This film really helped to show the difference in the way directors film. To me the director in this movie didn't really seem to care about the camera movement she just really wanted to set up the story and make it as interesting as the writer of the book and tv show had so many years ago. Overall I would give this film a four and half out of five stars because it is a very aspiring and coming of age film for young women.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hkf3FdFyAKY