but I just wanted to have a last word on all the films overall. I'm going to miss this class so much. Every morning started off great, funny, exciting, captivating. I have to say my absolute favorite is Runaway Train. It really stuck with me and I love Manny. It's definitely one of my favorite quotable movies too. After this, every other film kind of just all fall into the second and third spot. I think Dark City and Memento takes second for me. Memento was truly a creative film and Dark City was just wonderfully new. It was original and captivating even if I was forced to stare intensely at the back of the room during certain scenes. This was the one movie that I decided I couldn't wait to see the ending and about two days before the film ended in class, I actually finished it at home.. haha. But even while rewatching in class I was still glued to the screen.
Seventh Seal really caught me for its comedy and cinematography. Although I wasn't quite satisfied with its ending, the film as a whole was entertaining and gave me a lot to think about in life, and in my opinion, those are the best kinds of movies. All Quiet on the Western Front was a depressing movie, I have to say. But it was perfect in showing the negatives of war. I know a lot of my classmates weren't really in favor of this movie, but I actually quite like it. I really think I'm going to spend some time rewatching all of these...
Citizen Kane and the Asphalt Jungle = amazing. Citizen Kane's message was a great reminder that you truly cannot buy happiness. I think Dr. Strangelove and the Atomic Cafe were just brilliant films. They are both quality films in their own ways. The manipulation of Atomic Cafe is genius and the underlying message of how we have no control in Dr. Strangelove never gets old. The one and only film I didn't enjoy quite as much was A Simple Plan, but I can appreciate it as a film, even if I did not like it overall.
All in all, this was an amazing class, and the fact that Mr. Bennett was teaching just made it all the more fun. I remember walking into second period still laughing about a joke that you cracked or something that you said that was really funny and made my day. But, as with everything else in life, this class has come to an end.
- Jen (:
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
The Atomic Cafe
I've never really been one for documentaries and non-fiction stories but this was manipulated in such a creative way, I almost forgot it was even a documentary. The end of the film really leaves a lasting impact on the viewer. I found it quite funny when the film flipped between the shots of what actually happens when a nuclear bomb goes off compared to the propaganda the government feeds to the public. The house that was shown by the government to the house that was blown apart really made the film's message clear. The shots of the people diving under desks and doing the "turtle" were fascinating to watch. They practiced it so much and did it so well... if only they wouldn't all die if the bomb actually went off...
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Dr. Strangelove
Dr. Strangelove was an interesting and funny movie. The character of Dr. Strangelove was odd... the way the director chose to represent how the characters have no control over their bodies or what their doing was rather innovative. The arm trying to strangle the doctor was really a great scene.
The parallels to Runaway Train are everywhere, yet this is not quite on the same level as Runaway Train for me. The Cold War was one of the more fascinating wars because it was not a war in the typical sense. The building of nuclear weapons for mutual destruction was stupidly human. The entire world could have gone up in flames over a single mistake. The phone booth scene was absolutely ridiculous. The whole world is about to be blown up and they are short a quarter.
Dr. Strangelove provided a great prompt for deep thought. It's certainly a movie to watch over a couple of times to really get everything.
The parallels to Runaway Train are everywhere, yet this is not quite on the same level as Runaway Train for me. The Cold War was one of the more fascinating wars because it was not a war in the typical sense. The building of nuclear weapons for mutual destruction was stupidly human. The entire world could have gone up in flames over a single mistake. The phone booth scene was absolutely ridiculous. The whole world is about to be blown up and they are short a quarter.
Dr. Strangelove provided a great prompt for deep thought. It's certainly a movie to watch over a couple of times to really get everything.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Memento
This was certainly one of the most interesting and definitely unique movies I have ever seen. The director's choice to go backwards was really clever. To not know what happened before as opposed to after was a really new experience.
I feel bad for Lenny, to be stuck in such a state. But I do see that he is the villain here because he purposely set himself up to chase after the wrong guy. Originally, he did have justified intentions though.
I knew there had to be a flaw somehow though. If Lenny got into an accident, got his condition, how would he know he had his condition? He would have to find out later... but then he would forget anyways.
One thing I saw, was when they showed Sammy Jenkis sitting in a wheelchair in the asylum, for a quick moment, it was actually Lenny. I'm not sure what I believe anymore, This films seems to be a big metaphor for "everything is not what it seems" and that we never really know what we see or believe to be true, really is.
I feel bad for Lenny, to be stuck in such a state. But I do see that he is the villain here because he purposely set himself up to chase after the wrong guy. Originally, he did have justified intentions though.
I knew there had to be a flaw somehow though. If Lenny got into an accident, got his condition, how would he know he had his condition? He would have to find out later... but then he would forget anyways.
One thing I saw, was when they showed Sammy Jenkis sitting in a wheelchair in the asylum, for a quick moment, it was actually Lenny. I'm not sure what I believe anymore, This films seems to be a big metaphor for "everything is not what it seems" and that we never really know what we see or believe to be true, really is.
A quick note on my previous post
On the last blog post of mine, Mr. Bennett commented that it was John Locke's theory that I was speaking of, but I was actually talking about Rousseau. He believed that humans are born inherently good and that society is what corrupts them.
Just wanted to clarify (:
& what I said about the small kid, the choice to have the kid was really a smart idea. It's the Lord of the Flies all over again. Take the kids because they are what represents innocence to society. It really drives the meaning home and does a lot for the story.
Just wanted to clarify (:
& what I said about the small kid, the choice to have the kid was really a smart idea. It's the Lord of the Flies all over again. Take the kids because they are what represents innocence to society. It really drives the meaning home and does a lot for the story.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Dark City
I have to say, this movie sufficiently creeped me out in the beginning. It was strange and suspenseful and different. I think that's what makes me really like it. I think this and Runaway Train are my current favorites. The fact that the beginning was so confusing and you had no idea what was going on really made it much better. If we saw the scene of John running around yelling for everyone to wake up at the very beginning, I feel like I probably wouldn't like it as much. The figuring out what's going on is one of the best parts.
The question of the human soul and our memories is really thought-provoking. I think our memories play a huge role in who we are and what we turn out to be. There's proven statistics that what happened in your childhood will shape the person you will be. For example, more people that were abused when they were children, abuse their own when they grow up. I think what this film is saying about John in the end when he turned out good despite the fact that he knows he is suppose to be a murderer is that all people are born good. This is someone's philosophy during the Enlightenment that I forgot by the way. Without any of his memories, he is essentially starting over and being reborn. He grew up to fight against what he was suppose to be and created his own life. This was an awesome movie :D
& I just have to say, that little kid... is just scary.
The question of the human soul and our memories is really thought-provoking. I think our memories play a huge role in who we are and what we turn out to be. There's proven statistics that what happened in your childhood will shape the person you will be. For example, more people that were abused when they were children, abuse their own when they grow up. I think what this film is saying about John in the end when he turned out good despite the fact that he knows he is suppose to be a murderer is that all people are born good. This is someone's philosophy during the Enlightenment that I forgot by the way. Without any of his memories, he is essentially starting over and being reborn. He grew up to fight against what he was suppose to be and created his own life. This was an awesome movie :D
& I just have to say, that little kid... is just scary.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Deathly Hallows and Unforgiven
Well we were told we can post about any film, so one film I saw was Deathly Hallows, Part One this weekend. I already posted on Reuben's blog something I noticed while watching the film, but i'll reiterate it here. There was a scene in particular that stuck out in my mind. As the sidekick (Ron Weasley) and the hero (Harry Potter) walked inside a house, Ron asked Harry what they are going to do or something along those lines. He never gets an answer and they walk into the darkness of the house. It becomes clear later that Harry never really did know what to do and I found it really cool because before this class, I would have never noticed this.
As for Unforgiven, I spent a good hour on imdb.com just reading up on Clint Eastwood. It was out of pure entertainment because he really is an interesting person. He's against violence and never saw himself as a cowboy and yet, here he is, a cowboy and an assassin. He got his job in one of his starting roles on his way to fame because he just looked like a cowboy. He is a fascinating person and so is his character, Will Munny. Will is another one of those characters that is not all black and white, but somewhere mixed in the grey. He's not all good, but he's not all bad. I find those to be the best characters and the easiest to relate because who in the world is just ALL good? There's a little bad in us all.
As for the name, I noticed a lot of people posting on that. It's clear in the end that there is a very unforgiving nature in Will. He could have walked away after kicking the gun to the side from Little Bill's hand. He would have gone away unscathed. But Little Bill killed his friend, and for that, he has to die. I like that he didn't just walk away though. That would have been against his character to leave him there.
As for Unforgiven, I spent a good hour on imdb.com just reading up on Clint Eastwood. It was out of pure entertainment because he really is an interesting person. He's against violence and never saw himself as a cowboy and yet, here he is, a cowboy and an assassin. He got his job in one of his starting roles on his way to fame because he just looked like a cowboy. He is a fascinating person and so is his character, Will Munny. Will is another one of those characters that is not all black and white, but somewhere mixed in the grey. He's not all good, but he's not all bad. I find those to be the best characters and the easiest to relate because who in the world is just ALL good? There's a little bad in us all.
As for the name, I noticed a lot of people posting on that. It's clear in the end that there is a very unforgiving nature in Will. He could have walked away after kicking the gun to the side from Little Bill's hand. He would have gone away unscathed. But Little Bill killed his friend, and for that, he has to die. I like that he didn't just walk away though. That would have been against his character to leave him there.
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