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.