Double Indemnity

Double Indemnity was a whole new idea too me. I never suspected a film to be put into a category of "film noir" just because of these characteristics. I just thought that these movies were just cool, under the radar, sneaky, and dark. Throughout Double Indemnity, Neff is displayed as a character who is in it for the money, greed, and love. On the other hand, Phyllis is in on the scheme for a new life and money. They both are on similiar grounds which really helps create team ethics which would most likely turn out to be the best in the end, even though such didnt happen. I felt that Film noir is very distinct in the various way they are filmed. I noticed that throughout, even if it was day time, shadows were conveyed at any given time. It gave off the essence of trying to be unnoticed and to be under the radar. It always kept you geussing. For example in the first scene, we dont see Neff's face until he goes into a very horribly lit room only by a light. The shadows convey a gloomy feeling, and kind of like everyone is out to get you and to watch your back. It gives the characters much more distinct characteristics. They all seem eery, in it for themselve, and ready for the worst. Film Noir and Double Indemnity are prime examples that reflect one another.

Groundhog Day was a transformation from one person to a whole new person. Phil began the story as a self centered, errogant man. He didnt really care one bit about his co-workers and just kind of lead the way like he superior to them and everyone else around. As the day keeps on repeating and repeating, we begin his transformation. He eventually learns that, being cruel and acting superior wasnt working out for him, it just got to him that it got old. I feel that the theme of the movie is treat others like you want to be treated. He becomes true to himself, which allows him to be true to others such as Rita, who who eventually falls in love with based on his true self and not the self centered self. I believe that after he realized that being negative towards others was the wrong way to live, he started to learn that being kind isnt so bad afterall. Its much easier and in the long run it helped him gain a love and possible life with Rita. His first attempt to sleep with Rita was sleezy because he just made the date perfect which made it almost creepy and weird. At the end, he was his true self and let her know who he was by gaining so much positivity from others he helped prior in the day. It really impressed her and i believe that since he treated others nice, they treated him nice which ulitimately landed him a date with Rita, and the begginning of tomorrow, which has seemed like a year.

Bringing Up Baby

Bringing up Baby brought a new aspect to film to me, annoyance. Within the first five minutes of listening to Susan talk about literally nothing and manipulate the situation at any given time almost sent me to the insane asylum. It's impossible to not notice Susan, shes brings so much emphasis into what she does. Susan is a type of character that craves attention and will do so by creating a scene. In The movie, you find that she clings on to David almost instantly and makes all her problems, his. David isnt the one to speak up, so she works on this trait that davids lacks. Multiple times we see Susan doing a wrong, and manipulating the situation and causing David to feel the guilt. Susan is a problem that David cant get rid of, she clung on since the start and stayed to the end. Susan is a nuscense throughout and literally just her voice made me want to punch a baby (kidding). I find that the reason this film went as big as it did, was because of the annoyance factor susan brought. It's too a point where its so annoying, it keeps your attention throughout. I find that the theme of annoyance kept the audiences attention and didnt let anyone daze off.

Westerns: a preference in taste

I dont think thats its fading out. I feel as if this question is aiming towards the teen audience because i do believe that most teens dont find interest within western themed movies. Teenagers want to relate to their surroundings and want to watch movies of interest. Most teens dont have experience with living a western lifestyle riding horses, whereing spurs, and living in the rugged rural west. I feel that as life grows on you, some people begin to find new interests past their teen years and will run possibly run into an interest in a western themed hobby. im not saying it will happen, but the possibilities are much more possible because you have that much more freedom to do what you want when older. I feel that as a teenager, your more involved with friends, society, driving, and family not so much duels and roping caddle. Its a complete preference question. For example, i find no interest in love movies, but im sure that majority of females do as well as males. I just dont find it interesting and spell binding to keep me watching a whole movie about love. On the flip side, i do feel that superhero movies are easier to watch because the director has so much to work with, they can recreate reality and create a fantasy land and put it back into reality. The west is complete reality and all of the stories cant be changed as much compared to "super hero" movies. To asnwer the question of if america doesnt enjoy the past, i find this impossible to believe. People are so intrigued with the past and the history that millions of people have jobs just studying the past. Kids are forced to study the past, its obviously not something that should be forgotten about, many films from the past or based in the past are very influential. The old movies are the stepping stones and the layout for movies we view today. To say that old/original movies and ideas are boring and lame, is considerable to calling your favorite movie from today bad because chances are, without movies in the past, the movie wouldnt be anything like it is today. In the end, i believe its all about preferences, priorities, and influences within society.

Guillermo del Toro’s Pans Labyrinth is a taste of reality, fantasy, and love. Through my first viewing of the film, I noticed that the whole movie had a distinguished color throughout the film. I realized first that the fantasy worlds were very rich, deep, and vibrant in colors. It almost felt welcoming until you discovered what was in these fantasy worlds. In reality, Ofelia the main the character, she feels discomfort and unaccepted. The only true love that she felt was the love for her mother, who died and was left with the last person she wanted to be with, El Captain. El Captain was displayed as a cold man who had no fear to kill. Guillermo del Toro’s commentary on the set design is exactly what I thought he tried to do. IN the fantasy worlds the colors are very warm, welcoming, and accepting while in reality, it was very cold colored like blues and greys. It conveys the point that Ofelia didn’t want to be in the real world, she wanted to be the princess that the faun said she would be.

There are many ideas that relate together in both worlds. For example, Guillermo del Toro describes in the commentary that there are doors that are important in both worlds. The doors that Ofelia can draw with chalk which makes a door anywhere she wants, helped her get through reality and discover her family in the underworld, where they could rejoin in peace and live together once again. In reality, the doors show importance to El captains presence because whenever he went in a room with one other man, he seemed to torture them and would leave everyone to believe that he is cold as ice and has no emotions or regrets when bashing a mans skull. This door closing can relate to the cold colors that we see in reality too. The cold colors help us get the picture that El Captain is a mean man, but the doors when they close, solidifies that he has no fear to kill. There are also keys in both worlds that seem to help vastly. The key that Ofelia gains is a key to succeeding and being the princess that she thrives to be, once again. Her first task is to be fearless with a very large scary frog monster that later pukes up a key. This key later on helps open a safe in another fantasy world. The keys in reality that Mercedes, the housekeeper, gains helps the other troops facing El Captain survive when supplies are scarce. She can unlock the ration shed and provide them with limited amount of goods.

In the end, we realize that there is a clash of reality and fantasy world when both colors are conveyed very vibrantly in the fort burning down. It signals us that the movie is ending and that something significant is going down. The manners fire is very vibrant and it reminds the viewer of the fantasy world that had deep and rich colors, which felt almost welcoming and nurturing. Throughout the film you can realize where and why Sofia is longing to be part of the underworld. It’s the only thing she can find with comfort, which shows through the colors conveyed because she has nothing in reality, a hateful stepfather who ends up shooting her. As the viewer, I realized that Sofia had no likings of reality and truthfully hated the position she was in. She realized she needed to leave. She found comfort in the fantasy world and the urge to discover what the underworld was, is what drove her to do the courageous things she did. Guillermo del Toro believes that conveying emotions is very important and that he wanted to work with everyone to make sure the sets were perfect. The colors conveyed in the movie help the viewer understand who the characters seem to be based on warmth or coldness of colors and where Sofia wants to go in the end, the underworld because of its welcoming presence.

My Darling Clementine

I believe that one of the most significant image/scene presented in the movie is when the church is put up. It doesnt seem to be like a beatiful monument quite yet, but it shows so much more. It shows how the town has changed, a change of chaos to unity. Wyatt really shows leadership skills when entering and leading Tombstone to success.

We enter Tombstone almost immediately in the film and are assured that the town is a typical chaotic western town. Almost right away Wyatt realizes that the town sheriff doesnt enforce the law and this is why so many things can be done without a penalty. A lack in leadership is what the town seemed to have, which Wyatt imediately shows when arresting the drunk indian shooting crazily causing a ruckus. He shows the town that right there and then that he was the man to lead the town to success and so be it, they gave him the sheriffs job.

Throughout the time period that Wyatt manages Tombstone it gets a new facelift. Everyones attitude changed when there was someone to follow. The Church scene really shows us the unification that the town gained throughout this experience. It shows that they all had to come together and do something, and not fight about differences. The towns people seemed to have benefited very much with Wyatt as sheriff. He turned Tombstone around from a negative to a positive. The church shows the unity and teamwork that the towns people put in to make it showing the drastic change they have gained.

Citizen Kane

I believe that the filming was outstanding throughout Citizen Kane. It really seemed like something new and original, and it seems like it almost paved the way for future movies. It may or may not be that influential, but none the less its very unique. The scenes where they literally took out the floor boards just for that angle seemed very well shot. I feel the whole flow of angles weren't always new, but some just jumped out at you. The way he entered through the gate at the start, where they then craned down into a dinner table, seemed very creative. It was a cool new way to look at it and it was also a very good transition from one scene to the other. I also enjoyed the pan over all of Kane's possessions at the end. They shot it well enough to get the image that, Kane was seriously rich and that he owned a ton of stuff. Overall, i would say that he was very unique and different and it a cool way to view the film.