Reviews

This film by Eagle Pennell is an extremely great example of realism in film. Whether he meant to or not, this film almost seems like a documentary because of the simple scenes and the down to earth content and dialogue. I think that the friendship between Lloyd and Frank is perfect and they seem to compliment each other just right. My favorite scene of the film is in the beginning when Frank and Paulette are at the drive-in movie theater. Their son is with them and it just shows how something so simple can show the love of a young family. Although Frank cheats on his wife through out the film, I go back to this scene and it is just so funny how Frank and Paulette react to one another. All of the characters in the film have really great chemistry and it is what truly sells the believability of this movie.

Chungking Express was a great film from beginning to end. I found myself rooting for the young girl that worked in her uncle's food stand. Although she was a little quirky and wasn't completely sane, (she kept breaking in to the apartment of the man that she was in love with and cleaning/replacing things) I felt sorry for her because she seemed so lonely and just wanted the policeman to notice her. I also liked the fact that there was humor in the film. Even though the policeman seems like he has it all together, he is seen talking to inanimate objects in his apartment when he is alone. I really thought it was funny when he was talking to his bar of soap and told it to "eat more because it had gotten too skinny." All in all, this movie was very different from any other film that I have seen and the plot was very original.

I think that 8 1/2 was a very unique and interesting film. The fact that it was a movie about making a movie was ironic and funny at the same time. It seems like such a simple idea and yet so complex at the same time. Fellini uses "dreamy" and smoky scenes to illustrate the craziness of the female characters. It's interesting how the film goes in and out of dream sequences which connects the real world to the fantasy world. The film can be a little bit confusing though, because of all of the different female characters, I found myself losing track of who was who. Maybe that was the point though, so that the audience can understand the confusion and chaos going on in Guido's head.

I feel like this movie was not something that Bunuel cared much about; the film could have cut out about 30-45 minutes out and I feel that it would have had the same effect. This film seems just like a bashing of the church by the director and doesn't seem to have much of a purpose except to get his point across, which he clearly does. Even if he did have a purpose, it didn't show up on the screen. It seemed like a bunch of pointless scenes strung together at the last minute to make a movie that was barely entertaining. One thing that Bunuel does well is focus on the teachings of Christ, rather than just the crucifixion and sufferings.

I think that Nashville was heartfelt and hilarious at the same time. I loved the cuts from one scene to another, especially when you didn't even know if the scene was over or not. I think that the quirky characters and the setting are perfect together. My favorite character is the British radio host; she seems to invite herself to every country music event that she can get her hands on and attempts to make friends along the way. There is also tragedy in this film; Barbara Jean has been working since she was just a young girl and is almost completely burnt out. It seems like she never really had a childhood and because she has been working since she was so young, she has really missed out on the freedoms and friendships of people her own age. At the end when she is shot and killed, it's almost a relief because she probably felt so trapped in her own life and this was possibly the only way that she could be released from all of her pain and anxieties that were caused by her fame. To go along with that, her husband was no help for her. He was more of a manager than husband and it even took me a while to realize that they were married because of the way that he would talk to her, as if she were a child.

Although this film seemed to be a little bit too long, I found it visually appealing. It also had many elements; it was dark, funny, romantic, and action packed. Though there were some serious moments, there was always a little bit of humor in the movie. For example, I really enjoyed the older man that was always in the hut, he seemed to not really have a purpose except to lighten the mood a little bit since everything else was so serious. Another aspect I enjoyed was the relationship between the soldier and the young woman from the village. They seemed to truly be in love, when she thinks that they may never see each other again. Once the battle is over, though, the young woman goes back to her old life and seems to not be affected by this young man and therefore shows that she was never in love with him in the first place.

I really enjoyed North by Northwest. I think that the plot was exciting and unraveled as the film went on. In the beginning, it's as if you are Roger Thornhill because you become just as confused as he about why he is being kidnapped. When Eve is introduced, I didn't really think much of her, I just thought she was a love interest. Her role as a spy seemed different for the time because not many women were put in such a powerful role. The look of the film is very pleasing to the eye, the costumes and the colors are very vibrant and kept my attention. The suspense of the film was very captivating, it kept me wondering what was going to happen next. Even when Roger gets "shot" in the cafeteria, I was afraid that it was over and that he wouldn't make it. Alas, it was a trick and that same trick gun would end up saving him again later in the film.

In the opening scene of Lost Boundaries, there is a mysterious narrator voice that tells us that there are many secrets in this little New Hampshire town. It grabs the attention of the audience and gives the initial impression that this movie is going to be a mystery in which will unravel as the movie goes on. I think that it was interesting and brave of Scott to continue to tell the hospitals that he was applying for that he was not white because it shows his determination to be accepted as who he is and not what color of skin he has. I feel that the acting in this film was very good, and not overly dramatic, especially considering the content. The unity of the townspeople at the end is very inspiring and helps one to understand that even a small town can break through racial boundaries.

I really enjoyed this movie, I think that the depiction of the traveling soldier was well played. In the beginning, there is a mysterious man that the soldier talks to who ends up offering him all of his clothes so that he can remain in hiding from the military. It is never stated, but we later see the man walking naked into the sea and never returning, leading us to believe that he had planned to "be taken by the sea." The allusion to what happened without actually showing it allows the audience to create their own story about what really happened to this mysterious and generous man.

The somewhat cold soldier soon loosens up when he falls for a local girl; they end up spending much of their time together and we start to see the soldier's real character shine through his generous actions toward the girl.

I really did not enjoy this movie very much. I feel like it was purely a propaganda film that was solely geared towards the Russians at the time. Many of the scenes were very long and drug out for what seemed like an endless amount of time. Most of the time, it was difficult to figure out exactly what was going on and who was on either side. I understand that the scenes were supposed to be a little longer, but I found myself losing interest very quickly. The storming of the palace was one of the most interesting scenes though. The camera angles were different compared to other films during that time (from the ones that I have seen) and it seemed like it was really happening. Much of the film played out almost like a documentary which made the film seem more realistic. If it had been overly dramatic and with color, it may not have had the same effect on people.

In the beginning of the film, we discover that Lily is being used by her own father for money. She has been working as a "street girl" since she was a very young teenager, and of course, as a result she despises her own father for what he has done to her and for how he has essentially ruined her life as an adult. Her upbringing is apparent when Lily tries to get a real job in the city by sleeping with various men to get the position that she wants. She seems completely heartless through out the movie, even seducing an engaged man. She does not seem to care if she hurts anyone, as long as she is happy and is getting ahead in her career. By the end of the film, I found myself actually rooting for her when she finally finds a man that she truly loves and gives up all of her selfish desires for him.

The vampire in the beginning of the film was really unsettling for me (I'm not a big fan of horror movies), and when he sucks the blood of Hutter when he cuts his thumb, it was a little shocking. I really liked the use of shadows in the film when the vampire is just about to come into the room in the middle of the night to suck the blood of his guest. The shadows were a warning of something bad about to happen and was also mysterious because you couldn't exactly, at first, see who was casting the shadow. I almost laughed when he climbs into his coffin to sleep at night, it just seemed like a stereotypical thing for a vampire to do, so it makes you go "of course." The end of the film is the climax, you are just waiting to see if he will really kill Hutter's wife and you are on the edge of your seat, rooting for something to go wrong so that this woman's life is saved. When the vampire does disappear in a puff of smoke, the image of his castle is now a castle that is destroyed, which is supposed to symbolize the end of the vampire.