MYST Q4 #2

PITCH PERFECT

Pitch Perfect is not your typical romantic comedy. This movie is about a girl named Beca (Ana Kendrick) who is a freshman at Barden University. She is somewhat of a loner, and is extremely passionate about following her dreams as being a music producer. However, she joins an acapella group at the school, and makes some unlikely friendships. The movie is all about her underdog acapella group and their journey to the finals. Along the way she also forms a romantic friendship with Jesse (Skylar Astin) who is part of the Trebelmakers, which is the rival acapella group. This movie is extremely unique, because it entails so much music, yet isn’t a cheesy musical. They incorporate all the songs so well and use a great mix of modern songs and old classics. I feel I enjoyed this movie so much because of the music and the singing.

Along with the music, the movie is also extremely funny, and caused me to laugh out loud multiple times. However, my favorite scene in the movie had to be the scene where the girls sing “Just the Way You Are” in the streets of their school. I love this scene, because it’s the first time they all come together and work well as a team. Therefore, it’s extremely powerful and a huge turning point in the movie. Up to that point everything was going wrong for them, but after that point everything goes well. Therefore, it’s an extremely vital scene and I love the music in it.

Since the movies soul purpose was to entertain there wasn’t really any unique camera work or cinematography. The movie is shot in really bright lightning and has a lighthearted mood. I noticed, however, most of the movie is shot in a medium shot. Except when the groups are performing, because then it’s a full shot. However, the main focus is on the storyline and characters. I really enjoyed this movie and would recommend it if you are looking for a laugh and a good feeling movie. I give this movie 4.5/5 stars.

Into The Rabbit Hole 1975 film

INTO THE RABBIT HOLE

 Into the Rabbit Hole, a 1975 film, is about a man named Jason (Jack Nicholson) who had a really hard life growing up in the slums of New York. By 20 years old, and after living on his own for years, he decides he wants to make some goodmoney. At his job he doesn’t make nearly as much money as he would like, so he quits and begins drug dealing. While he’s dealing one night he crosses paths with Ron (Robert De Niro), a crooked cop who wants in on Jason’s business. They form an unlikely friendship and become business partners. Jason, who had never depended on anyone in his life, begins to not only look at Ron as a partner, but a best friend and the family he never had. The duo begins making lots of money, however when the NYPD becomes suspicious of Ron he does the unthinkable. Ron secretly covers up all his guilty tracks in the business and turns Jason in. Jason, confused and betrayed, is sentenced to a lifetime in jail due to all the crimes he has committed. This movie is a dramatic story about friendship and betrayal. It hits the 70s movie criteria with an unhappy ending. The movie ends with Jason being put into the cell and the cell door closing on him. This leaves room for the audience to be creative in choosing the ending, however we did not make it a happy one. Also, it’s a 70s movie, because the main character is an anti-hero. The entire movie we are rooting for Jason even though he is doing illegal things. We want him to succeed though we know it’s wrong. Lastly, it’s a 70s movie, because the cop is portrayed as a bad guy, because he is a crooked cop. This shows how police and other officials were criticized in the 70s. Also, due to the drug related plot and some violence, the film is rated R, and its genre is a drama.

We chose Martin Scorsese to direct our movie. We chose him, because he has had a number of experiences with crime and drama, and he has worked with Robert De Niro before. Robert De Niro and Jack Nicholson were easy choices for our leads, because both were very famous at this time. They also have had experience in crime films such as China Town and Mean Streets. We chose William Reynolds as our editor. We felt our movie should rely heavily on editing to add a dramatic effect. Also, we would like editing to jump from Jack to Robert in scenes. Lastly, we chose Warner Brothers as our studio, because it is a very powerful studio in the industry. We wanted our movie to be popular and successful, and we feel Warner Brothers can help us do that. Warner Brothers also has produced a lot of dramas and has worked with Scorsese and De Niro, which makes it a perfect fit.

I had no disagreements with my group. If I was making it on my own, however, I feel I would make is more dramatic with a better relationship between De Niro and Nicholson and then a bigger betrayal. This would add more of an emotional impact, which would make people more interested in the movie. But, I really like our movie and have no complaints/ major changes in what we decided.

Formal Film Study

BEST TEEN FILMS

Clueless, Breakfast Club & Mean Girls

     

 The style and coloring of both Mean Girls and Clueless where very bright and colorful, while Breakfast Club was slightly darker with less bright colors. One aspect that made both Clueless and Mean Girls so bright was the clothes used. Both movies had girls wearing lots of pinks with crazy and fun accessories. Therefore, this made practically every scene filled with color. The story telling of each movies were all very similar in a way that they had a narrator. Both Clueless and Mean Girls had the main character's thoughts narrating the movie. Breakfast Club had one of the several main characters narrate the beginning and ending of the movie. However, Breakfast Club didn't rely on narrating like the other two. 

All three movies had a lot of characters and story lines, which made editing very important. A lot of the time scenes would jump quickly in order to keep up with the story. Also, it would jump from character to character quickly so you could keep up with what each was saying. None of the movies had special effects, but one thing that was interesting in Breakfast Club and Clueless was the sound. Both movies had a lot of background music and songs. This made both movies more fun and exciting to watch. However, Mean girls barely had music. 

All these movies have a message of not giving into peer pressure or changing who you are to fit in. I feel this closely relates to any culture/teenager, because teens constantly change who they are to fit in. All movies had a character who pretended to be something there not that made them unhappy. I feel this is an extremely strong and important message to send teens. In the end of all movies, when the characters gave up on trying to fit in, each character was happy. This then influences our society to be yourself no matter what. This is an indirect message, however, because they never come out and say "be yourself and you'll be happy", they just show it through the story line. 

All three of these dramas also had parts where characters told their peers personal things about them. In each of these scenes the camera was in a close up of that character's face. This heighten the dramatic aspect, and made me more interested in what the character was confessing. Also, it made me connect with the character, because i could see their face so clearly. One example of this was in the Breakfast Club when they were sitting in a circle. One character was confessing why he got a detention, and it was a reason the truly bothered him. As the camera moved around him slowly you could see the pain building in his face as he began to relive the incident. I felt as if i was there with him feeling the pain. I felt this was an extremely powerful scene, and the close up shot is what allowed it to have such an impact. 

MYST Q4 post #1

A PLACE BEYOND THE PINES 

     

As a teenage girl I have seen more movies starring Ryan Gosling than I can count, however I feel A Place Beyond the Pines had to be my favorite of all. This movie, directed by Derek Clanfrance, not only stars Ryan Gosling but also Bradley Cooper and Eva Mendes. The 140-minute movie takes no time to mess around and jumps right into a story line. Luke (Gosling), a motorcycle stuntman, tours city to city doing shows at carnivals. Right before leaving New York to travel to the next city Luke learns he fathered the child of Romina (Eva Mendes) while being in New York for the past year. After Romina leaves Luke for another man, who can actually support their son, Luke decides to do whatever it takes to make money. However, his foolproof plan to get a lot of cash is to rob banks. Luke begins to rob banks and get away with it, until one day his plan goes wrong. When Luke crosses paths with Avery (Bradley Cooper), a policeman determined for justice, the story takes a complete plot-changing turn. 

This movie is an intense drama that will keep your attention despite the length. It’s an interesting plot with the first hour focusing on Goslings character, the next hour being about Cooper’s character and the last 40 minutes to tie everything together. Although it was possible to end the story sooner, I thoroughly enjoyed the entire movie. Due to the dramatic story line, the movie was mainly shot at a medium shot or a close up. However a handful of scenes began with an extreme long shot. One scene I found interesting was when Luke was riding his motorcycle through the woods. It was cool, because all the shots kept changing. The scene was to show how stressed Luke was and how he uses riding to clear his mind. It also showed how dangerous he is, because he was riding through a forest and barley missing each tree. The shots were interesting, because they showed all different kinds of angles. First they would do a long shot showing him weaving through the trees. Then, they would do a close up showing you how close he is getting to each tree. They’d also show different angles and switched from shot to shot very quickly. I felt this was cool, because all the shot s in the other scenes stayed in a medium or close up shot, and this was the only scene that had everything in it at once. It also did a good job of making the audience feel like you are right there with him. I started to get anxiety watching him nearly hit the trees and feeling like I was experiencing the ride as well.

The movie was great and very different from anything I’ve ever seen before. It was also interesting how throughout the movie you find yourself rooting for the antagonist (Gosling). I found myself hoping he’d get away with each bank he stole from, because you learn his back-story and know him as a person not just a bank robber. The most interesting aspect of the movie was how many storylines were built into one movie and how it all came together. Although, there were many parts that were unrealistic and cheesy I loved the movie. It is hard to express why I liked this movie without giving too much away, I really enjoyed it and strongly feel it was Goslings best role, and quite possibly Cooper’s as well. Despite the length I would definitely see this movie again and I give it 5/5 stars.  

MYST #2

THE CALL

The Call is the typical thriller about a killer taking their victim hostage, and the main character’s quest to save the victim. However, the movie is told threw the view of a 911 operator, giving it a unique twist. Halle Berry plays Jordan, a 911 operator who gets hundreds of alarming calls a day, yet they don’t seem to phase her. She’s a calm character that works well under pressure, which makes her perfect for this job. However, that all changes when she gets a call from a young girl who has an intruder (Michael Eklund) in her home. With Jordan’s help the girl was able to hide from the intruder and stay safe, but when the phone gets disconnected Jordan panics. Jordan calls back the number, which causes the man to hear and find the girl. This man gets away with it and proceeds to kidnap more girls such as Casey (Abigail Breslin). The movie is then about Jordan’s journey to correct her mistake and find the man and end his killing spree. 



This movie is a thriller. Therefore, it relies heavily on close ups to create suspense. Scenes that showed Jordan working as an operator always had close ups, and scenes where Casey was on the phone with Jordan was always a close up. The dim lighting also contributed to the suspense. The entire scene where the girl is taken from her room is shot in extremely dark lighting. It is night time, and there are no lights on in the house. Therefore, it is extremely hard to see which adds get suspense. The scene began with a close up of Jordan receiving the 911 call. Then the shot goes to a close up of the young girl at her house. The shot of the girl is far to the right where she is standing in front of a wall, and far to the left you can see the man trying to break through the window. The camera then follows the girl close behind as Jordan tells her to go hide. When the man breaks in the house it is dark, and you never see his face. Either it's too dark or the only show his feet or back. This also creates suspense because he is a dark and dangerous character. He then searches her room, and the whole time it's quiet, which builds suspense. While he searches her room, the camera is shot from under the bed so you can only see his feet. After he searches the room he goes downstairs, which causes us, as an audience, to relax. However, this is when the phone gets disconnected. Therefore, Jordan calls the phone back and the man hears it and goes back upstairs. Once again the shot is from under the bed and you only see his feet. Then when you think he's gone again he drags the girl out from under the bed, which is extremely similar to the movie Taken. The entire scene is much like the scene of Taken when the men break in. The only difference is the lighting in Taken is bright while the lighting in this scene is extremely dark. However, in Taken there are shots of feet under the bed and the girl ultimately gets dragged out from under the bed, which is the exact same as in The Call. The story line was also similar to Taken where the girl is taken and the main character does whatever it takes to get the girl back. I am not a fan of the movie Taken, but I did enjoy The Call. Also, I enjoyed the protagonist being a woman, and I loved how she put matters into her own hands. She worked extremely hard and put her life at risk to fix her own mistake. However, the movie was very long with drawn out scenes that could have ended sooner. Also, it was very unrealistic at times (much like Taken). However, it's an interesting story line with a thrilling ending that will no doubt keep you at the edge of your seat. I would give this movie 3/5 stars

1935 Film

THE GAMBLER

The Gambler is a movie set during the depression. It's about your average, everyday man named Harry Johnson (Clark Gable) who is fighting to earn enough money to support his wife Alice Johnson (Joan Crawford) and son Tommy Johnson (Jackie Cooper). However, this becomes difficult when Johnson gets laid off from his job. He then becomes desperate for money and begins to play poker with some dangerous men. After hustling and winning $300 he makes enemies with Greg Erhart (Robert Montgomery). In order to get his money back, Erhart kid naps Johnson's son and holds him hostage. The movie is a desperate battle of a man trying to get his son back and make his life right again. 

The movie has a strong message of the value of family. During the depression people began to lose sight of their values and morals due to all the problems going on. Therefore, it was important to make a movie that causes people to remember what's really important. In the end Johnson realizes how important his family truly is to him. He also realizes how important it is for him to set a good example for his son. Therefore, he turns his life around in order to be that great role model. 

We chose MGM to produce this movie, because they make a lot of drama movies. This movie is mostly a drama, therefore we felt it was appropriate. We also chose Clark Gable to star in it, because he is the biggest star of MGM. Also, Gable seems to be paired up with Joan Crawford a lot, that's why we chose her to be his wife. She also is a big name in MGM. Robert Montgomery worked in MGM as well, and had the "bad guy" look we were going for. Lastly, Jackie Cooper was a young star in MGM, and perfectly fit the part of a young child. 

We chose Victor Fleming to direct this movie, because he later will make big films (like The Wizard of OZ and Gone with the Wind) and is very talented. He also works with MGM and Clark Gable, so he seemed like a good fit. We chose Hugh Wynn as our editor, because our movie will rely heavily on the editing. We chose to focus on editing in order to make quick cuts that create suspense. Our movie will also be suspenseful, due to the kidnapping, and the editing with help to create that suspense. Also, we chose to have the movie in color rather than black in white.

Due to the Hayes code we refrain from having any killing, sexual activity, or profanity in our movie. Although we do plan on showing gambling, since it's a big aspect of our plot, it is not shown positively. This is because gambling is what leads Johnson's life to go down hill. It is also the cause of his son's kidnapping. Therefore, gambling is negatively shown and, therefore, makes it okay for the Hayes Code. 

I loved our movie and didn't have any disagreements with my group. There's nothing I would change. 

Formal Film Study

Annie Hall, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Flashdance are three very different movies, yet they have all impacted the fashion industry greatly. Breakfast at Tiffany’s came out in 1961 starring Audrey Hepburn who immediately became a fashion icon. Throughout the film Hepburn has an elegant and sophisticated look wearing pieces such as pearls, big sunglasses, a black gown and a large sun hat. Hepburn looks very put together throughout the entire film, which I find ironic because her character is very disorganized and scatter brained. Although her appearance is flawless her life style is anything but. However, Hepburn continues to look stunning in every scene no matter what is happening, which is what makes her such an icon and trendsetter. 

Another movie with a grave impact is Annie Hall. Although the movie greatly changed the fashion industry, it was a much different style than Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Annie Hall, played by Diane Keaton, has more of a tomboy look. Through out the movie she wears baggy khakis, oversized shirts, large fedora and her most famous outfit of a man's vest and tie. Keaton brought something knew to the screen audiences hadn't seen before which is the use of men's clothing in a women's wardrobe. This risk had a positive affect on the audience and caused women across the country to steal their man's clothes. Therefore causing Annie Hall to be one of the top movies impacting fashion trends.

The last movie that had a grave impact was Flashdance. Made in 1983, this movie foreshadows all the workout clothes the 80s are about. The movie stars Jennifer Beal’s as a girl who dreams of going to ballet school. The movie is all about dancing, which causes the appeal to be work out gear. Therefore, this movie brings leg warmers; leggings and baggy sweatshirts in style make a huge impact on societies fashion. 

The look of the films was very similar to one another. They all had bright lighting and all didn't have camera movement. The camera always stood still and never circled or became higher or lower. The position of the camera only changed with the shot in all three movies. Also, medium shots were the most popular in all three movies and dominated most of the movie. However, Flashdance had a lot of close ups along with their medium shots. I really enjoyed the close ups of Flashdance which they did when the main character would dance. It was cool too see her feet up close and how they are moving really fast. One shot that was extremely unique and interested me, however, was in Annie Hall. The main character of Annie Hall, Alvy Singer (Annie's boyfriend) was walking and talking to someone. It was an extremely long shot of a side walk and all the way at the end you could barely see the two men walking towards us. The shot didn't move at all and waited until the two men reached the camera. I felt this was very different, because it took the men a long time to walk that distance and, in the mean time, we were just starring at a screen of a sidewalk listening to them talk. It was the first time I’d seen anything like that and it definitely caught my attention. 

Although my movies were similar through the clothing they also were very similar in genre. My greatest discovery in watching these movies is that they are all romances. All three movies had a male and a female starring and through out the movie a relationship developed. Also, the man per suited the women in each of the movies and the women played "hard to get". Also, all movies involved the couple getting together then breaking up then getting together again. Therefore, you could say they were your typical romances. This surprised me because I didn't think any of the movies were romances prior to watching them. However, I didn't enjoy any of these movies, but I did enjoy the clothing used. I knew these were the top three movies that have had major impacts on the fashion industry and the public's fashion. Therefore, I was glad to finally watch them and see for myself what all the hype was about!