Pride and Prejudice Film Review

 1)Provide a description of the film. Discuss the plot and characters and how they influenced the film. Was the plot line or character development more important? Why?
This film is based off of the classic novel by Jane Austen. It follows the lives of the Bennet Family (specifically Elizabeth), a middle class family in England and their woes involving marriage. Mrs. Bennet is eager to see her 5 daughters, Jane, Elizabeth, Lydia, Kitty, and Mary, get married. When the very eligible bachelor Mr. Bingley and his best friend Mr. Darcy show up, it changes the dynamic of their lives. Mr. Bingley falls for Jane, and Mr. Darcy is, at first, a terribly rude and burdensome presence. However, as the Bennet family experiences woes like the irritating Mr. Collins and deceptive Mr. Wickham, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth fall in love and end up getting married. In this film, as true to the book, the character development drive the film. Much of the story focuses not on the woes of the Bennets, but the relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy and how they grow from hating each other to falling in love with each other. They are both very emotionally deep characters, and the movie captured that.
2) Think critically about how the film was shot, directed, use of lighting, etc. What do you think was effective in the making of the film? What took away or could have been done differently to enhance the film?
 The film was shot very traditionally. Nothing with the lighting really stood out to me, however, the use of camera angles and editing helped enhance the film. For example, during the scene with the ball, the way the director cut different scenes with the spinning of people, close ups of their faces, and the entire room really added a necessary element of chaos that helped describe the situation further. I also really liked the scene where Elizabeth is on the swing and spinning and then sees a person and stops. The camera angle made it feel as if you were spinning as well. To enhance the film, the director could have played with the lighting a little bit more to capture the mood of each scene.
3) What is you overall opinion of the film? Would you recommend it? Why/why not?
My overall opinion of the film is that it was really well executed. The director did a really good job of staying true to the book, which can be a difficult task. The slight changes only enhanced the plot or added necessary character development that otherwise wouldn't have been captured. Also, it was cast really well, and Keira Knightly made an excellent Elizabeth Bennet. I would recommend it, especially to those who have read it because it captures the wonderful aspects of Jane Austen's novel, and it is a great story of love and first impressions.

Good Will Hunting

1) Describe the film.

This film is about a Boston janitor, Will Hunting, who, despite his rough lifestyle is incredibly gifted and brilliant. While working at MIT, he solves a proof in no time that took two years for all of the MIT professors to solve. An MIT professor, Gerald Lambeau, discovers him working at this problem to much success and decides to take him under his wing so the world can make use of his brilliance. He sends Will to meet with psychologist Sean Maguire to help him deal with his inner demons. The film follows this journey of Will, Lambeau, Sean, Will's friends and Will's girlfriend Skylar as he tries to make sense of the impact he could have on the world.

2) What did you notice about the writing in the film?

The writing of this film does an excellent job of making it both humorous and serious. There are many funny parts, but then it quickly and seamlessly transitions into the more serious aspects. The funny parts are really creative and quirky, and the serious parts are touching and raw, which is emphasized by the dialog written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

3) What was a favorite line from the film? Why?

My favorite lines from the film are first when Sean says, "Real loss is only possible when you love something more than you love yourself. " I thought that that was really well said and very true. Second I loved the whole set of dialog when Sean is talking to Will at the park about how he knows so much but hasn't really experienced a lot. That part was really moving.

4) This film won an Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay). Do you think it deserved this award? Why or Why not?

I think that this film deserved the Academy Award for best original screenplay because Matt Damon and Ben Affleck really did a fantastic job developing the plot and characters through the words while simultaneously creating a really touching movie. It had the perfect amount of humor and seriousness that made it very enjoyable.

Contemporary Silent Films

1. What differences do you see in traditional silent films and films of today?

The biggest difference that I noticed was the quality of the films today. Because of technology, filmmakers now have more options for the different directions they can take. For example, Nuit Blanche was super slowed down, and Momentos had a slight color to it instead of black and white.

2. Which do you prefer?

I enjoyed both silent film types for different reasons, however, I think I prefer the temporary films because of the different directions the filmmakers were able to take. Plus, I found them more relatable and enjoyable because it's more what I'm used to.

3. How will you use these differences in your own work?

I am really looking forward to playing with speed in my silent film and deciding whether it would be more effective to slow it down or speed it up. I also want to use the older trend of having the screens with words on it.

The Artist Review

1. This film follows George Valentin as his career as a silent movie actor deteriorates as talkies become more popular, and the rise of Peppy Miller’s career, which he was somewhat responsible for. As their lives go in different directions, they still stay connected. Valetin becomes desperate and loses all of his money, having no other companions except his dog, and Peppy Miller becomes more and more popular and happy. However, she still worries about him and they end of reuniting after George almost commits suicide.
2. The story is driven by the characters in my opinion since Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo were such fantastic actors. They were so animated and full of life that the plot became secondary since the characters and relationships between the characters was so strong.
3. The cinematography was very appropriate for the film. My favorite part was how the medium mocked the medium used in the 1920s by being black and white and silent. Then towards the end when Valentin is in a “talkie,” they have sound. Additionally, I really liked how when he was spending all of his money creating his own silent film, the scene of the ripping checks was transparent over the making of the movie because it added a neat effect of time going by.
4. My favorite scene was the end of the movie when George and Peppy were filming their dancing movie. I really like happy endings, so watching everything fall into place made me happy! I liked how after the music stopped, you could hear them breathing but not talking. It was an interesting choice to never have the characters speak which I thought worked out really well to enhance the film. I especially liked all of the clapboards in the beginning because it was a cute touch!
5. I really enjoyed watching the silent film, much to my surprise. I thought that I would be bored, but the actors vivaciousness and spirit really made the movie come to life. It was fun watching a movie without dialogue because I could really focus on the actors and how they expressed themselves without any words. In normal movies, you can lose yourself easily in the dialogue and not appreciate the acting skills, but in silent movies you can really appreciate the skills.
6. I would most definitely encourage someone to see The Artist!! I thought that it was SO good and fun to watch, especially since I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s so drastically different from the other movies of this time, which lends itself towards a very enjoyable and neat viewing experience! Plus, it’s great plot that’s well executed.

George Melies

1) What did you notice/learn about Melies' style?

Melies' style is very quirky. Since he was a magician, he played a lot with the new techniques he discovered to create a very odd and surreal feel. He liked to add and take away things and people within a frame, like with the people in The One Man Band.
2) Were there consistent elements in his films? What were they?

There was definitely consistency between the films with the whole strange, kind of confusing idea with items and people changing into different things and people disappearing and whatnot. In every single one of his films that we watched, he played with the idea of hectic confusion and people and things popping up out of nowhere.
3) Did you enjoy his films? Which ones? Why?

I did enjoy his films, especially The One Man Band. This one was my favorite because I thought it was really quirky and entertaining the idea of it, and his special effects worked really well for it. Also, the kind of choppy speed worked well with the idea and enhanced it.
4) What will you take away with you from watching these films?

From watching these films, I will take away with how you can do so much work and make something really great out of so little. Instead of relying on dialogue, color, and crazy special effects, you can really utilize simple tricks and concepts to create something great.

Casino Royale Movie Review

1) Provide a description of the film. Discuss the plot and characters and how they influenced the film. Was the plot line or character development more important? Why?

This James Bond movie with Daniel Craig is the first movie after Bond gets his 007 and follows him as he tries to take down Le Chiffre, a terrorist banker during a poker game in Montenegro. Le Chiffre lost all his organization's money, and is trying to win it back with a high stakes poker game. Bond follows him to this game with Vesper Lynd, a woman sent to keep an eye on him. Bond ends up winning the game (after almost losing it and almost dying) and falling in love with Vesper. However, it turns out that Vesper was working on the other side secretly and takes the money. Bond discovers this and tries to figure out if she was actually being dishonest but Vesper ends up committing suicide. The character development was more important in this film because no matter what crime or action Bond is involved in, it always goes back to James Bond. Additionally, his character development with Vesper is a large part of the film.
2) Think critically about how the film was shot, directed, use of lighting, etc. What do you think was effective in the making of the film? What took away or could have been done differently to enhance the film?

I really liked the way the film was shot. For example, in one scene when Bond is almost killed because he is poisoned, the camera was all shaky and close to his face which really added to the chaos of the scene. It was decisions like this with the shooting that really enhanced the film. I also really enjoyed the music. The song used in the opening credits was used throughout the rest of the movie (instrumental) and it nicely connected everything together. One thing that could have enhanced the movie would have been if they hadn't rushed the end so much. I felt as if a lot of really important things happened super quickly.
3) What is you overall opinion of the film? Would you recommend it? Why/why not?

Overall, I really enjoyed this film. I usually don't like action movies, but this one wasn't boring and was really well done. I thought that Daniel Craig makes a really good Bond, and that the overall plot line was interesting and different. I would recommend it to others because it's a lot a fun to watch and is really well done.

1) Describe your film

For my film, I tried to capture the idea of freedom, starting out with being trapped and eventually being liberated. I started out with the locked doorknobs to capture the opposite of freedom, and then went to Emma running to capture freedom.
2) What was the mood you were going for?

I was going for freedom, but started out with the idea of trapped to elevate the idea of freedom
3) Do you think you were effective in representing the mood? Why/How?

I think that I was effective in representing the mood because when I think of freedom, I think of running, open space with no boundaries (like the sky), and open doors. By capturing these sorts of images, I was able to portray the feeling of being liberated and free.
4) How did the use of sound or music influence the film?

I used the music to help influence the film because whenever I hear Sweet Disposition by the Temper Trap it makes me feel free and happy, which is what I was going for. I didn't want any other sound except for music because I wanted the focus to be on the images and ideas speak for themselves rather than having the dialogue influence the ideas.
5) Would you do anything different?

I would have probably added more scenes of freedom and tried to have the music line up better with the scenes in the film.
6) What are you most proud of?

I am most proud of the speeding of the doorknob shots before the black screen because I'm not very creative and was very happy that I thought of that.