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Reviews
The Naked Kiss (1964)
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The Naked Kiss is an interesting tale about earning redemption, losing it then fighting to regain credibility. The story is a roller coaster ride that really incorporates the viewer into the thoughts and feelings of the main character, "Kelly". When Kelly repents against her sinful past the viewer becomes proud, a fact which is all the more substantiated by Kelly's newfound profession. When The skeletons in the otherwise "Mr. Perfect" Grant's closet are revealed there is a true sense of sadness. Not only because of the emotion that his abhorrible acts provoke, but sadness for Kelly in that she was so close to a normal life-which admittedly is all she ever wanted. The film is in a noir type, which adds to the somber sense of hopelessness. All in all the film was certainly enjoyable, yet at times somewhat melodramatic.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
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I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Strangelove, and if political/cold war doomsday satire is your cup of tea I'm sure you will as well. The characters of the movie were certainly the most satirical aspect. Peter Sellers does a great job portraying different political archetypes, such as a helpless leader, as well as a technology crazed "mad scientist". The General was a strong analogy for the eager-to-fight leader who wants nothing more than to see the fun toys the military has at its disposal to be put to use. The film came from a time in which society was caused a great deal of distress due to the significant potential for have government officials acting as recklessly as they do in Dr. Strangelove. The film was a satirical wake up call to the world that the current course of travel leads to one logical conclusion: the end of the world.
Mildred Pierce (1945)
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The characterization of film noire is applied to certain films that touch on the grittier, more cynical aspects of life. This genre is typified as having lead roles played by strong, solemn male characters, in this respect, Mildred Pierce is an exception. In all other ways Mildred Pierce follows the model for a great film noire. The main character encounters both success and crushing emotional hardships, which the viewer gets to see the effects of. The supporting characters do a wonderful job depicting deceit in action, and each individual character contributes moving specific parts of the film along. The film ends with somewhat of an untied knot, and the viewer could certainly learn to love Mildred as the epitome of a "tragic hero". The film starts with a mystery and works it's way backwards, and as you can assume the viewer imagines he/she knows what is going on, when clearly the writer has us at his whims. Great acting. Great tragedy. Great film noire.
Natural Born Killers (1994)
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As a young man trapped in an everlasting inner monolougue, chasing after the irrelevant and unattainable answer to the question "why?", Natural Born Killers had an especially significant impact on me. I feel like the point of the film was too make comment on the foul way in which the masses have lost touch of reality in a world inundated with an everflowing waterfall of misguiding media. And this Oliver Stone observation couldn't be more astute. We are a generation living vicariously through a TV screen. The bigger the screen, the better the life. People will ignore the harsh realities of a violent world, because from their point of view (a soft couch in a warm room) violence and immorality almost become surreal. This point is especially driven home by the crowds of people who applaud Mickey and Mallory for their murders, giving them celebrity. How would these fans feel about Mickey and Mallory if the two brought their murderous ways directly to them? The film falls on the same line as Fight Club, a commentary that touches on the the confusion involved in the modern person's life. Once the hippy generation won their war against establishment, their successors were left to live in a world marked by the illusion of choice. Americans are free because we have the ability to choose the direction we want to take our lives in. But we are slaves because the things that dictate our lives on the most fundamental level(media, education, social expectations) are so oppositional from what really motivates us. Is any human born with a burning desire to be a professional anything? Or instead, is proffesionalism a way of providing the illusion of choice, the illusion of individualism, and most tragic; the illusion of happiness.
Fight Club (1999)
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Flight Club, the story owes much of its timeless magnificence to the book's author Chuck Palahniuk, who often finds a way to put generic human flaw on display in an in-your-face kind of way. One could read the book or watch the movie and still come away with the same twisted sense of confusion that the story about the meaninglessness of life provides. But Fight Club the movie is exemplary of how to use film to enhance story telling, as opposed to simply making a story more appealing to the masses. (Which is the downfall of so many works literature turned to movies) The film makes the viewer aware of only what the man character (played by Edward Norton) is aware of. We see the same illusion's that his insomnia induces. Our perception of reality is comparably distorted. (Especially regarding Tyler Durden) The effects of the movie make it enjoyable to the more primitive watcher, who saw the title "Fight Club" and noticed an opportunity to see some good fight sequences and a whole lot of blood. The three main characters of the film, (Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, and Brad Pitt) all fit together to form a revealing picture of the modern human's condition-alone, misguided, and above all empty.
Citizen Kane (1941)
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As a man of modest knowledge on film criticism I feel somewhat apprehensive about commenting on a film regarded as the epitome of cinematic masterpiece. However that is my task and moreover that is exactly what Citizen Kane is. So I follow the advice given to so many confused writers: "write what you know". Firstly the credit owed to Orson Welles for this film's greatness can be compared to the credit Michael Jordan would receive for the Chicago Bulls winning championships in the 1990s. Of course there were supporting players in the making of the film, a great script and score, phenomenal set development, and a more than sufficient budget were undenyable factors contributing to the film's greatness. But the memorable aspects of this film arise from it's brilliant screen time structure, excellent camera work, and technological innovation that must have been spellbinding for a 1940's audience to behold. Amidst the logistical greatness, the story itself can almost become forgotten, but there-in lies a classic commentary on life and what moves us. The fact that a man of un-imaginable power such as Kane reverts back to a childhood toy in his dying breath, is a comforting aside that says truly simple things can be the most important.
Casablanca (1942)
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Casablanca has been regarded through the decades as about as near to a perfect picture as an audience could ever wish to behold. Being set during a global war that was right in front of a global population's face; being centered around individualized conflicts that a global population can relate to (love, right/wrong, risky entrepreneurship); and having the story be acted out by actors and actresses with 2nd to none self control (Humphrey Bogart), the film has absolutely all the ingredients for a classic. I could only imagine the "date movie" potential a film like this could have. I think of more modern films that try to incorporate the war setting with comparable themes but none are so in-depth and all inclusive as Casablanca.
Suspicion (1941)
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The film's director Alfred Hitchcock must know a thing or two about building suspense. I must tip my cap to old school movies such as this effectively tugging on my emotions. -And I thought they were primitive?-sentiments revoked. Anyways, the acting in this film is exceptional. Joan Fontaine's character has an effective hopelessness throughout the movie; constantly putting up with her husband's lies and lead ons, until finally her suspicion overcomes her. The above-mentioned husband, played by Cary Grant must have been a cultural icon. The slyness that he brought to the table persisted throughout the movie, and often left the viewer wondering what he was going to do next. All in all the film was a quite entertaining suspense. Provided sufficient comic relief, and left somewhat of a cliffhanger-which was appropriate.
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
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This film is inspiring being that the whole production team went out on a very dangerous ledge in commentating on the evil's of the contemporary penal system. I heard that the film was banned in Georgia, which shows just how controversial such a topic was. Paul Muni proved why he is a legend of his time with some great verbal and physical acting. All around it was an enjoyable movie coming from an era when "talkies" were not necessarily all that reliable. For me, being that I myself have spent time running from the law for reasons that I thought were...well bullshit, I could empathize for James Allen (Muni) through his journey running from the oppressive, and closed minded "man".
Scarface (1932)
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Does Art Imitate Life or does Life Imitate Art? That is a cliché-ongoing-thought provoking question that this film actually made me ask. Out of any of the films we watched in class so far, Scarface- The Shame of a Nation strikes me as the most gloriously violent. Although Sunrise had very violent elements such as marital murder, Scarface represented murder as a means to rise to the top. And I thought only 50 Cent was on that tip. Anyway, the film was fantastic. I cannot comment superbly on the cinematic techniques, aside from the use of lighting to highlight specific moments, however the theme's and plot line of the movie are timeless-and the get rich or die trying mentality of Tony is slowly becoming the mentality of a hip-hop generation.
The Birth of a Nation (1915)
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Without a doubt a shear test of will given to students of any film teacher to see if we really got the guts. An absolute challenge to make through, Birth Of A Nation (1915 dir. by D.W. Griffith) made me wish I knew more about movies so I could focus on something other than the disagreeable plot line and the apparently revolutionary camera work. the plot was slow moving and non-interesting, both before and after the War took place. I thought the movie would have been better off showing strictly the war, but clearly the writer had a different agenda. Thomas F. Dixon Jr. wanted to show the development of the KKK, but not only show it, glorify it. However despite my opinion, when I checked the facts it turns out that this movie was monumental, in the introduction of Motion Pictures into the mainstream entertainment market. That being said, Birth Of A Nation is a great movie to have knowledge about....but I don't suggest actually watching it.
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)
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I remember saying that people a few generations in the past were something like more wholesome, or innocent. I'm not all that upset to say that this movie definitely made an attempt to change my mind about that.
Inherent in any modern movie's appeal is it's shock value. (How many Saw's? 6...Really?) The Germna import, F.W. Murnau's film was certainly just as shocking as any romantic film you'll ever see...Sorry Notebook. Themes such as attempted murder, and extra marital affairs drive this otherwise non-superficially interesting movie.
However, it's the average movie-goer who doesn't see beneath the surface, the class has shown me to evaluate other things such as soundtrack and camera tricks. I noticed the revolutionary Sunrise Soundtrack was just as vital a player in the plot line as any one of the three main characters. The camera work is also certainly cutting edge compared to contemporaries. All in all, Sunrise is a story told with no spoken words but excellent acting and superb directing, backed up by a revolutionary soundtrack negate the need for them.