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Reviews
She's Gotta Have It (1986)
She's Gotta Have It
She's Gotta Have It is not only a fun new take on what a movie can be, but it is also a sign of the complete breakdown of the code. The movie itself had what seemed to be a goody absurd plot, and at some points it was, but it also shows the main characters journey and progression in a serious way as well. There were a lot of fixed shots that would zoom in or out, usually they were trying to emphasize something abstract, or possibly even with a hidden meaning. The longer a shot was the realer the scene seemed to get, this was used throughout to mount tension, or build up to something. The editing was perhaps the most interesting part. To move a character from one place to another, instead of simply showing a montage of their bus or train ride, the edtiors showed a series of obscure blurry pictures of the character throughout his or her train ride. This wasn't a massive part of the movie but I thought it was a really cool take on a usually mundane and typical action such as transporting oneself.
Shaft (1971)
SHAFT 1971
Shaft is a classic suave hero film where the main character is a smooth talking, capable hero, who everyone seems to like. The film is shot in a city, so all of the scenery is tall buildings, city lights, apartments or small offices. There were a lot of quick jokes, and pieces of sarcastic humor throughout. You can see the breakdown of the code, in the more risky sexual aspects of the movie which previously would have been immediately banned. There is a lot of following shots as a characters walks down a street, or drives a car. I thought this movie was ahead of its time, and almost had a modern action movie feel to it.
Uptight (1968)
uptight
Uptight is gritty movie about racial issues in America after the death of Martin Luther King. The movie does a really good job of encapsulating the anger and helplessness felt by the African American communities at the time. It had a lot of dramatic long shots, with frenzied movement in the background, or odd distorted visuals that change the shape of characters. This added an interesting element to the movie, but it did not seem to hold the movie up, and it was a nice touch in my opinion. Alot of the scenes started with fixed shots, and then started to follow the action. There was also a lot of vibrant colour in the clothing of the actors, along with the settings in different scenes. I really liked this movie, and it was my favourite from this genre.
A Patch of Blue (1965)
A Patch of Blue
A Patch of Blue is a beautiful love story, with unique characters and plot. The first half of the movie, the main character is found in a horrible situation with seemingly no way out. The actors and the set really did a good job of communicating the sad truth of Selenas life, and showing her still striving forwards despite this. The music is soft and melancholy which is very fitting for the way the story goes. The editing in the beginning is odd, and it cuts scenes fast and erratically, but I did not notice this as much as the movie progressed. Her friend Gordon (Sydney Poitier) is incredibly helpful, and the acting he displays is incredible, and you really begin to like him as the movie progresses. I thought that it ended perfectly, the "villains" of the movie were in the main characters past, and she had a bright future ahead of her.
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
In the Heat of the Night
In the Heat of the Night is a fast paced drama mystery that brings up issues of race, abortion, and ignorance. The film starts with the discovery of a murder, immedietley getting the viewers attention. The main character is denied, discriminated against, or not believed pretty much every turn of the movie, by the stupid characters surounding him. There almost seemed to be a pettern, where the main character would prove himself, things would seem to be getting better, and then boom, some ridiculous contradiction would change the minds of everyone but him, forcing him to find even more evidence. The movie also incorperates a mix of chases, and small scuffles which adds to the excitement. The cinematogrophy used a lot of close shots when someone was talking, and then zoom after the dialogue. There were also a lot of shots where you were following a characters, sometiems behind, sometimes next to, or at one point in the movie below. I overall really liked it, and not only was it a solid movie, but it brought in some themes that you don't typically see in these types of movies.
North by Northwest (1959)
North by Northwest
North by Northwest is a sharp and diverse film, and one of my favorites I've seen from Hitchcock so far. Hitchcock incorporated comedy, action, and romance, with a heavy dose of action. He transfers between scenes very smoothly, and he seems to cut at just the right moment. The cinematography uses lots of zooming shoots, that come into focus on one thing. One of my favorite shots of he film was when the main character was walking through a packed train station. Even though there were tons of other people, the camera seemed to track the main character perfectly so you stayed focused on him. Also the aspect of parts of the film being on a train added a lot of opportunity for close quarters, and cool shots and angles.
Psycho (1960)
Psycho
Psycho was a fast paced, and very well thought out movie. It had a variety of different shots and angles using weird points of view that would become stranger as the tension mounted. The tension was on and off, and every time it felt like it was about to break, they would switch to a calmer scene, and then switch back to the tense one. The constant change made the movie exciting to watch. Another thing I noticed were that almost every character felt like a REAL character. Most of the characters had lines or at least some interaction with the film. It kept pace until a smooth end with all the loose ends tied up. I though this movie really displayed Hitchcocks abilities both in suspense and in cinematography.
West Side Story (1961)
West Side Story
West Side Story has a big cast, a variety of singing and dancing, all while telling the story perfectly with all these elements. The sets used are always beautifully painted, but are just nondescript enough to be interesting and also be a perfect stage. There are a few sets that sty constant throughout, but there is also a lot of different backdrops, this just adds another element of interest to this film. The actors are able to display emotion, but the singing and dance really helps lift up the anguish and emotions that the characters are feeling throughout. The movie seems absurd at times, with these boyish looking characters playing out this 'Gangster life', but you get used to it, and its just something interesting I noticed about the film.
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Singin' In the Rain
Singin' in the Rain is a very dynamic, and colorful movie that incorporates the musical aspect very well. It begins with not too many singing and dancing scenes, but as the plot progresses, and becomes more familiar the musical scenes become more and more frequent. The editing transfers scenes well from singing to dialogue. The later long dancing and singing scenes, would become increasingly animated, and "Theatery" but I thought it worked well with the storyline. All around, it was pretty fast paced, and kept things exciting for the whole film.
The Hitch-Hiker (1953)
The Hitch-Hiker
The Hitch-Hiker was a really well rounded film, it had a good mix of action, emotional scenes, and drama. The movie would speed up, with close encounters, and then quickly ebb off, and then just as quickly the action would resume whether it be in the form of a close encounter with police, or dramatic target practice. The emotional acting tends to happen more towards the end, as the characters grow more and more desperate. The cinematography does a good job of making the scenes suspenseful, and coupled with the score, it had me on the edge of my seat many times.
Detour (1945)
Detour
Detour is a fun and fast paced film about a man who goes from one bad situation to an even worse, and he had no way of stopping it. I liked that it started at the end of the movie, and then brought you back to the beginning to explain the plight of the main character. The set design is pretty simple, with most of the action happening either in a car, a bar, or a hotel room. Despite the lack of diversity in the set, the movie never bore you, and keeps a good pace throughout. The movie is only about an hour long, and did not end in the way I thought it would, but it's good to be surprised, and the ending didn't take away anything from the film. Overall I really liked it, and though it had a lot of good acting, and cinematography as well.
Saboteur (1942)
Saboteur review
Saboteur is the classic redemption tale of a falsely accused man trying get redemption by bringing down the real villains. This movie has lots of very diverse sets, from an airplane hanger, to sprawling ranches, and from there to abandoned towns, and finally New York City. The constant change of scenery made the movie feel quite fast paced, and kept the viewer interested with every new building truck or town that the main character would find himself in. It also has a nice blend of action, and emotional scenes mixed in with some romance, making it a really well rounded and exciting movie to watch. Sometimes it seemed a bit unrealistic, and some characters will be one place, and then unexplainably on the other side of the country. Aside from that it was really exciting, and I really enjoyed it.
Casablanca (1942)
Casablanca Review
Casablanca had the perfect mix of romance, action, and drama to bring it all together to make a truly entertaining movie. The set design from the very first scene, is very foreign, but beautiful, with potted plants on windowsills, and busy streets with cab cars, and people walking about. One of my favourite parts of the movie, was the music. Much of the music early in the movie was not from the score, but from a character playing the piano, the songs that he plays play a small but important role in the plot, and I liked how they incorporated little things like that. Overall I really liked it, and it is one of my favourite movies I have watched from that time period.
Midnight (1939)
Midnight
Midnight follows a young girl stranded in Paris, while being pursued by different men, in different ways. I really liked the set in this movie, it was diverse, and changed a lot. I also think that having some of the scenes shot inside the car was a nice add on, and made for more interesting angles and shots. The costumes were also constantly changing, especially on the main character Eve, they were a important part of the movie, switching from elaborate to ordinary clothing on the main character. The movie had a very sophisticated feeling to it, it could be due to the wealthy Aristocratic crowd that Eve was hanging around. Overall it was an interesting movie, and I was not bored while watching.
Stagecoach (1939)
Stagecoach
Stagecoach is what I would think of when thinking of classic western movies. All the scenery is on point, and it really gives it a rough and tumblr out west feel. The music score also works well with the scenes, whether it be an emotional scene, or a high packed action scene. The chase scenes in the caravan are really well done, and the stunts were all performed well. Throughout the story you get to know all the characters, each one playing a different role, but all of them had a decent amount of screen time. Overall I really like this movie, and though it was quite entertaining.
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Bride of Frankenstein
The Bride of Frankenstein starts pretty much directly where the first movie left off. This was nice because it made it feel like it was one movie with two parts. And the sequel showed that the first movie ended and there was still plenty of action for both the Monster and Frankenstein. As the monster is chased from place to place, he finally finds a friend, who is a blind old hermit. You are introduced to Frankensteins more human side when he is with this man, he eats and drinks and the man even teaches him some basic words. Meanwhile Frankenstein is being forced to create a female mate for the monster. His wife is held at gunpoint and he can do nothing except work with Dr. Pretorious, (Who had been studying creating life just as Frankenstein did). Overall I thought it was better than the first movie, it had more characters, and settings in which scenes took place. It probably had a bigger budget than the earlier one, but just the acting, and plot alone were also very good. It ends with the monster being rejected by the female, and causing an explosion killing himself, Dr. Pretorious, and the female monster.
Frankenstein (1931)
Frankenstein
Frankenstein is a really interesting, and entertaining horror movie. It has a very gothic feel to it, with a lot of ominous buildings, and dark rainy nights, this all adds to the suspension and "Horror" aspect of it. The movie itself is about the scientist Frankenstein being obsessed with creating life, he builds a body, and on the right ominous stormy night, he beings his creation to life. But the brain he uses was that of a criminal and he had accidentally created a monster. At first the monster doesn't seem dangerous, but he accidentally killed a young girl while trying to play with her, and when the father beings her body into town, a full manhunt begins. The monster try's to hide in the hills, but is soon found, and he retreats to Frankensteins lab in the mountains, with the man who made him as captive.
The monster doesn't kill Frankenstein, but he throws him from the building while trying to wrestle him off of his back. After Frankenstein hits the ground hurt, the villagers set the building on fire, leaving the monster to die in the flames. For some reason I found my self feeling pity for the monster, he never chose to be made, but he was forced into existence, and then violently forced out of it.
Little Caesar (1931)
Little Ceaeser
Little Caeser follows Rico, a small time criminal with big dreams, and his friend Joe who is not so into the whole crime thing. Rico, wanting to get rich joins a gang, and forces Joe to come a long with him to a nightclub robbery. During the robbery, Joe watches Rico gun down a man, and is the sole witness. This turns out to be the downfall of Rico.
After he was witnessed killing, Joe does not go to the police, and Rico continues his climb to the top of his gang. He does this by claiming his leader (Sam) is being soft, and makes himself leader. After that he takes out another rival gang, and the Big Boy gives him all the power he had always dreamed about from the beginning. Rico becomes paranoid and starts seeing Joe as a threat, and tries to force him into a life of crime. Joe refuses at the pain of death, but Rico is unable to kill him and saves his life instead. All the power he had was taken away. The act of not killing Joe, although it may have been his downfall showed he had some compassion left for his old friend. He is killed by a police officer after being tracked by a phone call a few weeks later.
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang review
After serving many hard years in WWI and finally returning home, Muni (played by James Allen) does not want the job waiting for him at a shoe factory. After some thought he decided to set out and find work as an engineer, hoping he can build things that will help people. After traveling for a bit, he accidentally gets himself caught up in a stick up, with him on the wrong side of the law. He is sentenced to nine years of hard labour under the chain gang prison system. He is amazed by the unjust, and cruel treatment he is given and hatches a plan with his fellow inmates for him to escape. He successfully escapes, and after a stop at the barbershop, he's on his way to find work. He eventually get an entry level job, and works his way up from labourer, to foremen, all the way to the top becoming a well known and respected name by everyone he met. But he is again foiled, when his horrible wife tells his true identity to the police. this causes an uproar, how could such a smart and successful man be a past Criminal? To get in front of the problem he agrees to work in a chain gang for 90 days, but still says they are unjust and are inhumanly cruel, even to criminals. He gets put in an even worse chain gang than before, and the final shot is of his lawyers and the authorities pushing back his hearing to an indefinite date, and unofficially sealing his fate forever. This movie commented on the US penal system at the time, showing its unfairness and cruelty through the story of one of many men hurt by the unjust hand of the American justice system.
The Gold Rush (1925)
The Gold rush
Charlie Chaplins silent film The Gold rush has incredibly expressive acting, with minimal text, and a diversity of settings. After he weathers his first snow storm and ends up with two men in a cabin, things get tense. His body language and expressions almost make up for the lack of sound, and he is able to communicate with just his acting alone. There are a variety of different settings, the main ones being the cabin, the dance hall, and outdoors. Chaplin switches between these settings, regularly so they are never in one setting for too long. The music is also goes along with the actions, and because its silent, its magnified and I noticed it more than I usually would. Overall I really enjoyed the movie, and was impressed by the acting, and how entertaining it was.