his girl friday

I thought that the film his girl friday was slightly to fast paced. It didn't give the viewer time to react to the comical parts of the movie before moving on to the next part of the film. This made the movie a lot less funny that i expected. It also made the film hard to understand because it already uses "lingo" that isn't used very much if at all today. Over all this made the film very hard to follow and took away from the film as a whole.

Behind the scenes

The film that I chose for this post was Star Wars. Although looking at this film now it seems to have poor special effects they were cutting edge when the film was shot. This film set a new precedence for the film industry and directors for years after it came out in 1977. The animation and special effects that were used in this film far surpassed any used in the history of film. This film was created with an eleven million dollar budget which is actually quite a small amount of money compared to the films that have been come out recently. After this film came out other directors decided to stop trying to make the great American movie and aimed to top the box office charts. This film was very well received because it is a film that has a little bit of everything. It has action, romance, mystery, comedy and suspense. The famous film critic Roger Ebert put this film in his 10 most influential films of the century. He said “here had been blockbusters before, from "Birth of a Nation" to "Gone With the Wind" to "Lawrence of Arabia." But George Lucas' 1977 space opera changed all the rules. It defined the summer as the prime releasing season, placed a new emphasis on young audiences, used special effects, animation, computers and exhilarating action to speed up the pacing, and grossed so much money that many of the best young directors gave up their quest for the Great American Film and aimed for the box office crown instead. Now most of the top-grossers every year follow in "Star Wars" footsteps, from "Armageddon" to "The Matrix" to "Titanic."” After reading more into what was happening in the US at the time this film was released it is amazing how well this film done. But I also think that what was occurring in the world during this time made people enjoy this film even more because it gave them a sort of fictional hope for the future. Even now this film is viewed as a classic and classics are timeless. I think that this is partially due to the fact that it was a huge stepping stone in film making. I also think that the fact that it took so long for the entire series to come out kept people interested in the film. I think that overall this film was received very well and still is and will be for a long time.

film review #1

The film I am choosing to review is a foreign film called Pan's Labyrinth (directed by Guillermo del Toro). This movie is about a girl named Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) who is trying to get back to the underworld where she is a princess. This film is filled with fantasy, special effects, horror and violence. This film was produced by Picture House productions and the screen play was written by Guillermo del Toro. The special effects of this film were amazing. They were created by Reyes Abades. My opinion of this film was that the story line was made for children but at the same time some of the diolague and action sequences aren't appropriate for children. I also thought that the story line ended up taking the viewer no where in the hour and fifty-nine minutes which it takes to view the film. This film takes place in spain in the year 1944 which is right after the Spanish civil war. the main conflict of this film is the war between the socialists and the Gorilla soldiers. Overall I was expecting something quite a bit different than what this film turned out to be. I would suggest watching this film but i dont think you would need to see it more than once.

Critique the Critic

Over the summer I went to the movie “The Bourne Ultimatum”. I chose to use this film for my critique the critic project for art of film while it is still fresh in my mind. The critic whose review I chose is Claudia Puig of USA Today. For the most part I agree with Claudia that this was one of the better films of the summer. It was action packed and filled with big stars and even bigger special effects. Although I would not go as far as to say that this film was better than its predecessors. This film definitely kept viewers on the edge of their seat. The film went with the whole idea of fifteen minutes of suspense over fifteen seconds of surprise. I agree with Claudia about the fact that the way Paul Greengrass (the director) used the hand held camera to give the film a more dramatic, rushed feeling was a perfect fit for this story line.

“Forget those impressive chases you saw in Matrix 3 or Casino Royale— Greengrass' dazzling, adrenaline-surging pursuits rise above the rest. He has made two of the best recent films, his last being the captivating United 93. Wherever he takes his handheld camera next, audiences would be wise to follow.”

I also agree with Claudia that through out the Bourne series that Matt Damon has really grown into his role. I bet that if you say Matt Damon the first thing that will come to their mind is one of the Bourne films. Damon has definitely made his character his own. He is a great choice for his part and fits it well.

“Damon is at his best, having grown further into the role. He is just as convincing as a nimble spy who guides a journalist past a labyrinthine set of stumbling blocks as he is at fending off a rival assassin."

Another point that Claudia makes that I agree with is that this film was riveting and didn’t even have to use fantasy which has been the theme of many of the box office films that have come out. The fact that this film is more realistic and believable than those with dragons, dwarves, elves, and ferries draws you into the film and make you wish that real life was as exciting as what you’re watching on the screen. How ever it isn’t, but for the one hour and fifty eight minutes that you are watching the film it feels like it is.

“Starting with 2002's The Bourne Identity and followed two years later by The Bourne Supremacy, the series has consistently blended intelligence with explosive thrills. Suspense is accomplished without the aid of wizards, robots or comic-book superheroes.”

I thought that for the most part Claudia’s review was right on. She had very compelling ideas about the film as a whole which has helped me to appreciate and understand the film better.

intro

I hope that this blog works because I'm kind of sick of making blogs.