groundhog day

I can relate my life to Groundhog Day because I think that sometimes I wonder about decisions and choices I didn't make and possible outcomes that could have occured. The road not taken will always be pondered.

Journal #3

Finding Nemo was released in 2003 by Walt Disney Pictures. It was an instantious hit with the public and became a box-office smash. Its total domestic gross was $339.7 million, making it the highest of the time until it was surpassed by Shrek the Third. Although children worshipped it, even adults found Finding Nemo entertaining and a great movie. According to the review from Premiere.com, Nemo "entertains both kids and adults...the laughs are hip and well-earned and the colors are deep and utterly entrancing." People of all ages immediately loved the movie with its original and easy-to-follow story line and all the good laughs. Anyone can quote a line from Finding Nemo..."just keep swimming, just keep swimming!" The movie was also a must-see because of the actors that lended their voices to it. Ellen DeGeneres played Dory, the short-term memory losing, lovable, happy-go-lucky fish. She accompanies Marlin on his journey to find and rescue his son, Nemo. She gives the audience much to laugh about, especially with her memory loss. She is constantly forgetting things until she remembers the vital address to retrieving Nemo. This is the turning point in the film. Finding Nemo won the Academy Award from Best Animated Film in 2004, securing its place in history as one of the best animated films of all time.

Information taken from

http://www.premiere.com/dvdreviews/1300/finding-nemo.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finding_Nemo#Legal_challenges

article on westerns

I think the article on westerns was very interesting because I think it's sometimes hard for our generation of teenagers to identify with that type of movie genre and really leave a lasting effect on them. With leading men like Brad Pitt and Christian Bale, it definently helps with drawing the people's attention and creating a desire to see the movie.

philadelphia

(sorry Ms. Tholen! I know this is really late and I don't know if you'll give me credit.. but I think you should! :) please!)

In Philadelphia, there are many different shots. When Beckett takes his hat and jacket off, Miller's attention immediately is directed at the scars on his face and neck. The camera follows this and the audience is experiencing the same wonder and confusion. There is also a high-angle shot, making the characters look small and doomed. After Miller dismisses Beckett, he stands outside the office and there is a close-up of his face where you can almost see a tear. It's heartbreaking and very emotional.

Journal #2

For my second journal assignment, I chose to watch the movie Casablanca. Made in 1942, the movie is about Rick Blaine (played by Humphrey Bogart), an American stranded in Casablanca, a city in Morocco filled with French refugees during World War II, who reunites with his lost love Ilsa Lund (played by Ingrid Bergman) and her rebel husband Victor Lazlo (played by Paul Henreid), and how Rick must deal with the desicion of either letting them escape or holding them both in the town of misery. The film was directed by Michael Curtiz and was written by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison. The basic plot of the movie is that the Germans have occupied the French city of Casablanca and have one mission-- to capture Victor Lazlo and not allow him to leave Casablanca. There is, however, one flaw to this plan. There are two visas availible to allow the owners to get back to their home country, which in Casablanca, would be like a free-pass to heaven. When the government officials reach well-known and appreciated club owner Rick. they ask him for his help. Rick agrees to try to extend Lazlo's visit as long as possible but what the officials do not know is that Rick is the one with the visas. Things become complicated when Lazlo arrives with Rick's estranged lover, Ilsa Lund. The viewer learns that Rick and Ilsa fell in love in Paris before the war started and we planned to get married but Ilsa had never showed up at the train station, leaving Rick wondering if she really did love him. The main conflict is whether or not Rick should give the visas to Ilsa and Victor or escape from Casablanca himself. The dialogue is very entertaining, especially between Bogart and Bergman. Their chemistry is present and catches the audience's attention. All the actors potray their roles well. Bogart clearly is the powerhouse. Low-key lighting is constant throughout the movie, making the characters and their shadows look depressed and lonely. There are also many close-ups on Bogart and Bergman. Their emotion is evident and clear to see on the screen. One scene that stuck out to me was in Rick's flashback of his affair with Ilsa. The two were planning their get-away from Paris and Ilsa had dropped and broken a glass. It's a symbol that the plan was flawed and Ilsa couldn't make that promise to Rick. The costumes are from the 1940's. There are a lot of suits for men and dresses for women. Sounds are very diagetic. The beginning has a narrative of the war. Overall, Casablanca is a good movie and I'd recommend it for its storyline and entertainment.

Journal #1

For this assignment, I chose to use Scott Weinberg's review of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. I found his review on Rotton Tomatoes. I chose to use Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End because it's one of my favorite movies and I've seen it more times that I can count. Like Weinberg, I was hesitant to see the Pirates movies. I didn't become obsessed until my friends forced me to see the second installment in theaters. After about 5 minutes into the movie, I was hooked.

Note: This review was penned by an unapologetic Pirates of the Caribbean lunatic. (I expected the first movie to STINK, and I ended up adoring the thing. I expected Part 2 to be a tired rehash, and it was anything but.) While that certainly doesn't mean I walked into the flick INTENT on giving it a good review, the simple truth is that these movies speak directly to the ravenous 12-year-old movie geek who (fortunately) still holds residence inside my soul. The flick is far from perfect, indeed it's bottom-heavy and swollen to bursting with wriggling plot threads, but damn if I didn't have a good time tagging along on this third adventure with all my old Pirates pals. Having said that, let's move on...

After reading that, I thought Weinberg and I would be on the same page. Compared to other movies, I thought that the first two Pirates movies had a lot more storylines that any I had ever seen. However, it made it more enjoyable for me. I think that each main character (Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann) each really did need their own sub-plot because all three had very critical and vital parts to each movie. These movies are known for their intense fighting scenes. But even for me, the scenes without swords were still pretty enjoyable.

As it stands: Yes, Pirates 3 has a few more plot-threads than it really needs. And yes, it's probably a bit longer (168 minutes) than it really needs to be -- but the bottom line is this: Once again, the Pirates series delivers the goods. In style and color, in character and adventure, in wit and weirdness ... this movie delivers. I'll make it even simpler: If you enjoyed Part 1 but thought Part 2 was over-plotted, overlong and over-kinetic, then you'll feel the exact same way about Part 3. As an outspoken and very geeky fan of the first two chapters, however, I was pretty much dazzled by what World's End has to offer, and I'm not just talking about the action, the effects and the mayhem. And if the flick's got just a little too much fat on the bones, oh well. A bit too much is always better than not enough, if it's me you're asking.

Personally, I disagree with his opinion of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. I know I said before that each character deserved their own plot line, which is true. However, in the third installment, I felt that every character had their own background and separate storyline and with that, it all seemed like it was too much. I couldn't stand to sit in a theater for 3 hours, no matter how great of a movie it was. The actors are all well-known mainstreamers. Johnny Depp has yet another great preformance, along with Orlando Bloom. I thought Keira Knightley was a bit lacking compared to the other two movies. The scenes and background are amazing. All the fight scenes are planned perfectly, however, the final fight scene lasts way too long in my opinion. Overall, I'd agree with Weinberg's review. He enjoyed the movie as much as I did and we shared the same viewpoints.

scene from garden state :]

So far in class, we've talked about a few elements in film. In the following scene from Garden State (another one of my favorite movies), you can see some of these elements. In this particular scene, the lighting definently stands out. The room is only lit by the fire, making it very romantic. Towards the end of the scene, the camera zooms out into a long shot, which kind of makesthe characters seem less emotional. Enjoy!

Blow

One of my favorite movies ever is Blow. It's based on the true story of George Jung's life as a drug dealer. Throughout the movie, George (played by the rediculously good looking Johnny Depp) experiences the many highs and lows of life. Although some scenes are very graphic, I'd recommend it to any young adult.

intro blog

this is my intro blog. i don't know what to write.