4 PEER RESPONSES DUE IN 20 HOURS

Zachary’s Post:

I have been looking forward to this topic for some time because I really love a good Western! I was raised on Eastwood's spaghetti westerns and as I look for a good movie to talk about that came out over the last 30 years, I realized I actually watched one recently! No Country for Old Men, 2007 is absolutely one of my favorite Westerns from the past 30 years (although there are so many other brilliant movies to choose from.) Long story short, this is a crime western taking place in modern day (2007) and it involves a bad drug deal gone wrong with the Mexican cartel, a lot of unaccounted for money, a bad guy, a good guy, and a "cowboy." If you have not watched this movie, please put this on your to-do list because you will not be disappointed. This movie has actors in it such as Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones, and Javier Bardem. 

This film has a ton of similarities from the films in this week's genre. As I mentioned earlier, there is a defined good buy and a bad guy, the terrain shares the same with Westerns of old being the deserts of Mexico and western U.S., lots of gunfights, and has a lot in common with The Great Bank Robbery, 1903, the very first Western film. There is something captivating about watching a fight between good v evil especially when it involves good guys versus bad guys and a definitive "hero cowboy." Now, Tommy Lee Jones does not have the same scale of role as John Wayne did in his Westerns, but he is old fashioned, slow speaking, and lethal with a revolver; all of things similar with John Wayne.

Special effects played a relatively large role in this film, primarily in the gun fighting scenes and the gore. This movie is rated R and mostly due to the language and very gory scenes involving gun fights and melee weapons. The first scene that stands out to me where special effects were used were when the villain, Bardem, used a bolt gun to shoot a policeman in the head. The sounds and picture of a bolt going in a nd out of someone's brain is only something that could have been captured with a high level of special effects, and boy you will remember this image. Second place where a special kind of cinematography stood out to me was when Jones was giving a soliloquy in the beginning of the movie which used a considerable amount of intercutting and flashbacks to describe his days where his father taught him how to be a cop and defend himself. This scene was very dramatic and helped the viewers draw a lot of empathy for Jones who was now an old man and it also provided a little foreshadowing as to how he might be in danger later in the movie. Lastly, the last scene in the move where Bardem wrecked his getaway vehicle containing all the cash used a ton of special effects; it was a head-on collision and Bardem sustained a ton of injuries and a lot of CGI and SFX was needed to accurately depict this scene and make it have a long lasting effect on the audience even after the movie had ended.

Reference:

“Western Movies History - Film Genres and Hollywood.” Www.youtube.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHARlbUktEA.

Jillian’s Post:

The musical I decided to watch for this week’s discussion was Burlesque (2010). I am not a huge fan of musicals, but I loved this one! Something I really enjoyed about this film is it doesn’t have moments that just turn into song, like most musicals do. I know that’s normally a main factor in a musical, but that’s why I choose not to watch them. Ironically I also love the movie Singing in the Rain (1952) and Chicago (2002); both of which have do exactly what I mentioned. There are many differences when it comes to Burlesque and Singing in the Rain, but they both are very well done. Burlesque, for example, has many singing numbers, but they are all part of “the show.” There’s no point where Tess (Cher) or Ali (Christina Aguilera) just burst into song and dance while they’re walking down the street, or doing the dishes. All of their musical numbers were set up as a performance for the club they worked in, or a practice for a performance. There was also no use of diegetic sound, which Tran (2016) explains is any natural sound caught while filming. All noises used in the signing numbers in Burlesque is non-diegetic sound; unnatural sound added to the film post filming (Tran, 2016.) With that being said, Singing in the Rain has numerous numbers where the characters just burst into song and dance as if it’s normal, and continue about their day. Which most “top” musicals do, such as The Wizard of Oz (1939), Mary Poppins (1964), The Sound of Music (1965), Chicago (2002), and many more. Of course, that is how most musicals are. When it comes to sounds, Singing in the Rain does incorporate diegetic sound. In the scene where Kathey Selden (Debbie Reynolds), Cosmo Brown (Donald O'Connor) and Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) sing “Good Morning” after staying up all night, they incorporate tap dancing into their dance routine. The sound from the tapping is diegetic, it was from the actual scene and not added in post-filming.

Cinematography, “the process of capturing movement on film,” (Kuhn & Westwell, 2012), is a huge part of what makes a film good. Burlesque (2010) had great cinematography. Starting with the Club the burlesque show was held at, was a great set choice. It felt unique and welcoming, which I believe is what the idea was. There’s a scene where Ali is searching for a place to work at, and it shows her looking at many physical locations and having no connection with them, then she sees Burlesque and is instantly drawn in, as is the audience. An addition to this, the angle this scene was film at was a high angle, making the club look like it was towering over Ali, but not in an intimidating way. The lighting used was warm and welcoming, another addition to the great cinematography work. Another film technique Burlesque uses are personal shots. According to Tran (2016) personal shots are used to show the emotion from the character and gain empathy form the audience; this tied in with the correct lighting ensures the audience feels what they were supposed to during that moment. There’s a scene where Tess stays late to practice a song for an upcoming show by herself. She is sitting on a chair on stage, with the spotlight pointed on her, and this is being filmed using a personal shot. The lighting is a cool blue color and makes you feel more intimate in the moment, and the personal shot shows al her emotions as she’s signing “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me.” Thanks to the cinematography, this scene definitely played on my empathy and made me feel her sadness and strength. This scene was also filmed at a high angle, to make Tess look more vulnerable, but as the song went on, it turned into a low angle to make her seem more powerful.

Overall I truly enjoyed this assignment. As I mentioned, musicals aren’t my favorites, but I enjoy them from time to time. Burlesque (2010) is not like your average musical, which is why I enjoyed it so much. The cinematography work put into this film, definitely made it a great watch!

 

References:

Kuhn, A., & Westwell, G. (2012). Oxford Reference. http://www.oxfordreference.com.ezproxy.umgc.edu/view/10.1093/acref/9780199587261.001.0001/acref-9780199587261-e-0124?rskey=jRCezZ&result=1.

Tran, L. (2016, May 22). Film techniques for students. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvybQ5RpMkc.

Film Essay Paper 1 progress critique and review

CRITIQUE TWO STUDENTS’ POST/PAPER

GARRETT LOLLIS POST:

I chose (1959) film Ben-Hur directed by William Wyler. This is a fictional story based on a book from the late 1800's about a Jewish prince that gets betrayed and imprisoned by his best friend that is a Roman soldier. This story takes place during the biblical time of Jesus and shows parts of the life of Christ while also intertwining these events with the storyline of Ben-Hur's life. I enjoyed this film even through it almost 4 hour entirety.

JILLIAN SLOVICK POST:

I don't have a fully written paper yet, but here is what I am working with...

I decided to watch Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) directed by Blake Edwards and Back to the Future (1985) directed by Robert Zemeckis. I chose Breakfast at Tiffany's after talking to my mom about older movies that I haven't seen. It was her suggestion, but I am thankful for it! She has always talked about it and this is one I’ve ALWAYS heard bout, but never got around to watching. I viewed the film, but I need to watch it again to take more notes on editing. I can say I enjoyed Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly, who wouldn't?

I chose Back to the Future after talking to my dad. My dad is the movie guy, so I thought I should ask. Now, he's more into the criteria of the movie, than the director, but they go hand-in-hand in my opinion. Back to the Future is another one I've heard about all my life, and I'm embarrassed to say I haven't seen it. I will be watching it this weekend to form opinions. But, I'm sure it will not disappoint. From my readings i have learned that Zemeckis is "an innovator in visual effects" so, I'm looking forward to seeing his work brought to life in this film!

I am not really sure what my approach will be to write this paper due to my consistent 'B' grades on all of our discussions; where I have put in tons of effort and time. This is the only class that I've ever had an issue with writing, and I've taken many extensive writing classes. Maybe, it's because I'm a HRM major and not a film major, or maybe the criteria is just harder for me to grasp. But, I'm hoping my frustration clears and I figure out how to execute this assignment well so that it's an enjoyable read and earns a good grade.