Ferris Bueller's Day Off review

Oh Ferris Bueller’s day of this a chance to review one of the greats of all time in the comedy genre. A film comedy that is upfront in your face with it the humor and the narrating by Matthew Broderick is done as he is giving teenagers that are watching a guide to how to pull off the successful day of hooky. Ferris’s character is one of which that most teenage boys wanted to be like because they felt like that they had that wild side in them. No fear, no regrets and man did he have a hottie for a girlfriend.

This film is filled with great on liners that I could go on all day with but for the sake time I want to draw attention to the phone conversation the goes on between Cameron playing the role of Mr. Peterson and Dean Rooney. During the dialog Rooney thinks that he has Ferris and is trying to create a trap for him, quickly that is turned on Rooney when Ferris calls on the other line and Rooney quickly moves from insulting to reeling and trying to kiss up to Mr. Peterson.

Try are times in life when there are things that are most does and watching Ferris Bueller’s Day off is one of them. If you ever imagined the perfect day in your high school years where you were able to own the day Ferris has given you the ultimate guild to success. I suggest that you leave to him though. Its for your own sake.

Review of The Princess Bride

This week are final films that we watch two very good movies that are comedy’s that  are close to being legendary, The Princess Bride and Ferris Bueler’s Day Off. The Princess Bride is such a well rounded comedy that delivers entertainment that any one can enjoy. Wallace Shawn is brilliant early in the film with ramblings and monologs that have well delivered humor. When he see Andre the Giant in the film you don’t necessarily think that he would add much to a film that is a comedy, but when Vizzini tells him to jump in the water to go after the Princess Buttercup and he tells him that he only dog paddles it is hard not to picture a seven foot over four hundred pound man trying to dog paddle that is comedy that you and you don’t even see that.

Count Tyrone has such a claim and disturbed way of delivering his character that both twisted and hilarious at the same time. When he is torturing Wesley it is hard not see the humor in the fact the he ask for feedback on the machine so he can improve the results.

I feel that the relationships with the boy played by Fred Savage and his grandfather plays a big in the story and how it unfolds even though they are only in about fifteen minutes but it help the audience see the movie through the eyes of young boy.

Finally you can not do a review on this film without discussing Miracle Max play by Billy Crystal with is random banter and his off topics comments add just that little extra to complete such a well rounded film.

Review of Dr. Strangelove

Last Thursday was a week that was another first for me with the pair of movie with Dr. Strangelove and O Brother where art thou? I have to say between both I enjoyed Dr. Strangelove much more.  The film takes place during the cold war. Directory Stanly Kubrick has done a great job of bring humor to a movie that main plot line is a war. The story is absolutely hilarious with very well time punch lines that sometimes can catch you of guard. The scene when General Turgidson and the Russian Ambassador our fighting and the President says “you can fight in here this is the war room”.  I also really thought that the naming of the characters is a great way to bring the comedic element to the movie as well.

There were some various ways that Kubrick was able to able to get his message of social commentary in the film with the obvious scene where Dr. Strangelove is discussion living in mines till its safe to return to the surface because of the radiation levels from an apparent retaliation attack from the Russian. During the scene Dr. Strangelove is fighting his hand and I found myself wondering what the hell is going on with that hand with the black glove. Then I started noticing the he was talking about selecting on the women to live in the mines that are the most fertile to be able to help repopulate the country  sounds like a Nazi views and then he gives the hail Hitler salute and if we weren’t getting it before he did it just slapped you in the face.  I also loved how the messages where delivered through things that were not even said, like in the middle of battle at the base there was a sign that says peace is our profession.

Reservoir Dogs Review

This last weekend class we view Reservoir Dogs in calls and this was the first time I have seen this movie and really besides the two Kill Bill movies I have not seen any other Quentin Tarantino films. I had a very big perception that his movies were extremely graphic with over the top violent which is not my choice in movies.  With watching Reservoir Dogs and Pulp fiction I do have a completely different opinion of Tarantino’s work.

First thing with the movie I truly love the opening scene were everyone is seating around the table at the diner. The low angle shots and circling the table as each person speaks the camera stops and focus on that persons as a way to introduce that character to the viewers.  You can tell that with Tarantino that the dialogs in his movies are very important to how the stories are told.  

From the graphic and violent views that I had perception on were justified but it is no more over the top than any other movie I have seen that has a violent story. The change that I had been when it gets real graphic when Mr. Blonde goes to cut the ear off the cop that they took hostage is not even shown and it’s up me and my imagination is a lost art since everyone is trying for more shock value in movies today.

The Usual Suspects

This last week we viewed The Usual Suspects, for me this was the first time viewing the film. My first reaction to the film was how good and well written the story was. Than the acting by Kevin Spacey was truly brilliant, the role is very complex that Spacey plays. Early in the film I got the notion that there was more to the Character than what I was seeing. Everything that he was saying seem to very well thought out and portrayed himself of having a shuttle genius about him.  Yet his calmness and calculated comments drove the authorities crazy.

Spacey is not only a main character in the film but he also narrates the story. Which ads great eliminate of the story telling to the film. It brings additional depth to the story and it allows really unfold with nicely with twist that keep you think about where is this going and eventually who is Kiser Sosa.  My favorite scene is Kujan is commenting messy Sgt. Rabin desk is and he tells that it has a system to you have to step back from it to appreciate it.  As he starts to take a more broad look we realizes that the man he has been looking for just limped out of his office, as he comes the that moment a just love the slow motion drop of the coffee cup for dramatic effect.  

This is a most see if you like a good dramatic movie with great twist keeping you on the edge of your seat with a well written and well told story.

Review of the Incredibles

This class we watched the Incredibles which is a Pixar movie from Disney. I have seen this movie countless times and never really notice the detail in the movement like I did when watching this last time.  With animated films you probably don’t pay attention to those small details like you would with any other movie, but with the Incredibles Disney really set the bar with the movement in the animation.  There was one scene when the Parr family is gathered around the table for dinner and things change from calm quite dinner to complete chaos. You can see not only the look frustration on Mrs. Parr (Elasta Girl) face and you can see how her hair had gone from well prepare at the being of the scene to frizzy messed up hair, little details the really bring life-like quality in the film.   

One of the best testaments to how great the character movement is with Elasta girl, Her super powers are her elastic like body which had to be very difficult to create.  Form human parachutes and rafts to your everyday mom that keeps the family together. 

Another scene that I really like in this the action sequence in the Jungle with Dash being chased by Syndrome’s goons. This looked like something out of Return of the Jedi, that type of fast paced action and sequence is something we don’t usually see in animated film. The fast paced movement and the explosions one of the most life like animated films.

Review of Snow White and Cloudy with Chance of Meatballs

This week we take our turn at animation in films and I will be comparing Snow White and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.  With these two films it easy to point out that there will be majors differences because the advancements in technology, however the rules film making are similar.

In Snow White there were times that the director left major scenes unseen to use like when snow white bit the apple we only had the look at the evil queens face and got here scene of enjoyment of finally getting rid of Snow White and also when the Evil Queen falls to her death.  These are all off scene shots and it is to our imagination to visualize those events.  Also in Snow White use of lighting towards the feelings of Snow were brilliant in the scene when the huntsman tells here to run away and she enters the forest scared and it immediately turns from day to night and she feels that ordinary objects like trees have come to life and turn into monsters that are trying to get her.  The audience can easily understand what she is feeling.  Once she feels safe again the environment changes back from night to day.  

With Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs it’s easy to see how far animation has come. It is something that this viewer had taken for granted.  Even though we didn’t watch the film in 3-D you can see the depth in each scene and how much more is going on in each scene bring every element to life.  There was one scene that I particularly like and it is when Flynn is decided to turn the machine. In this scene Flynn is the clear focus of the shot and for me the lighting tells the story.  On the Left side of his face is darkened by shadows which represent his bad/evil side where the major is telling to keep the machine running and be adored by all. On the right side of his face it is lighted representing his good side the wants to do the right thing but he know that everyone will be angry with even though it is the right thing to do.  This illustrates some of the struggles in all decision that we make.

Both movies are great in their own right were Snow White is a slower story that can be hard to stay engaged were with Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs is faster pace and brings the element of comedy. I feel that without Snow White we might not have movies like Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs so remember the classics because without them the inspiration for some of our favorites might not have happened.

The Musical...Review of Singing in the Rain

Singing in the rain is a film about the transition in the film industry from silent films to talking pictures.  Silent film actress Lina Lamont played by Jean Hagen is very popular film start that is struggling to make the transitions to talking pictures, I don’t know if it was the Jean Hagen brilliance or her natural voice but when  she first spoke it was truly awful.  The director really capture’s the fact that whatever she is saying in the silent films we really don’t want to hear.  Another key concept that I took away from this movie is that without sound the actors and actress are just shadows on the screen, and if you have seen one silent film you have seen them all.

One of the best scenes in the film is when Gene Kelley is describing the modern number in the film and when he sees the woman from across the room and the musical number goes all instrumental and is a great metaphor for that and how important sound is to film.

With well placed, music, acting, and good script all working together you can tell your story to the audience and singing in the rain is a great example of that.  Without the sound all movies would be the same.

Rosebud... Brett's Review of Citizen Kane

After watching Citizen Kane for the first time last Thursday I found myself thinking really that was it! They open the movie with great shoots of the monumental home of Charles Foster Kane Xanadu which looks to be a scene that was taken from the film Psycho.  As the movie went on it was hard for me to keep my interest because within the first thirty minutes I felt like I knew everything thing I need to know about Charles Foster Kane. A boy that was desperately seeking the love and affection from people that he had been looking for all his life because his mother gave him away and the only affection his father gather him was in the form of a whipping of the belt.  I notice as the film went on that they way the director shot wells with the camera was noticeably changing. For example when he was younger the light was very bright and when standing with his business associates everyone seemed the same height. As he grew older and the need for affection from people grew the lighting become darker and Wells took on more of a mostertive look and feel to his character. He portrayed peer evil in his eyes and in his voice and he look as if he was the largest man in the room.  In closing I enjoyed watching how the camera captured the evolution of Kane it changed through the film but found the film hard to sit through but would recommend that you see it at least once if you call yourself a movie buff.