Journal #3

I chose to watch Raiders of the Lost Ark, which is the first Indiana Jones film. It was directed by Stephen Spielberg and came out in 1981. George Lucas and Philip Kaufman wrote it. Harrison Ford stars as Indiana Jones, the archeologist/adventurer, who is hired by the government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis do. Karen Allen plays Indiana's love interest, Marion Ravenwood, who goes along with him to find the Ark.
The Music in Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the most notable things about the movie and the Indiana Jones series in general. The film uses an original score by John Williams. The music in Raiders defines the film. It is used in almost every scene to convey the mood and to give the audience a clue as to what is going to happen next. During the scenes with a lot of action, the music would get loud and intense but when it was a relaxed scene the music would be faint in the distance. The most famous use of music in Raiders of the Lost Ark is the theme song for Indiana Jones himself. He has a musical motif that is played whenever he is coming to save the day or has just won a battle. That theme song has defined all the Indiana Jones movies. The composer John Williams did a great job at creating a motif that would be recognizable whenever it was played.
Another fantastic aspect of Raiders of the Lost Ark is the direction. Stephen Spielberg directed this film and it is one of the main reasons that it has become one of the best films ever made. Spielberg is one of the greatest directors of our time and his abilities really shine through in this film. He and George Lucas were the ones who came up with the idea to make this movie. They had all the say into who was cast and what the plot was going to be. Spielberg’s major role in creating the idea of this film gave him the upper hand in actually directing it. He knew how every scene should be shot to make it the best it could be. Spielberg uses his signature film making for this movie. He made everything larger than life. All the sets were incredible. They were huge and very realistic. Also the explosions and action sequences were done in a big way and so the audience would be captivated which they were. The reception for this film was amazing. It got rave reviews and ended up winning four Academy Awards. It was not only reviewed well but it did extremely well at the box office. It made about $209 million. The public loved it. They loved that Indiana wasn’t just another superhero with powers. He was a regular guy that was a hero. People could relate to him and that made them like the movie even more. Even though this movie came out 27 years ago it still is loved today. The whole Indiana Jones series is loved which is shown in that Spielberg and Lucas have made a fourth one that comes out this May and the buzz is enormous. Everyone is so excited for it to come out. All the film aspects of The Raiders of the Lost Ark are very well done. Because of these aspects it has become a classic and Indiana Jones has become America’s favorite action hero.

Journal #2

The film i chose to review is Rear Window directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It was made in 1954 and starred James Stewart and Grace Kelly. It was produced by James Katz and Alfred HItchcock. It was based on the short story "It Had to be Murder" written by Cornell Woolrich and the screenplay was written by John Michael Hayes. The movie is about a man, L.B. Jeffries, who is a photographer that got injured and is now confined to a wheelchair in his apartment. The whole movie basically takes place in his apartment and shows the apartment building across where he spends most of his time watching his neighbors. One night he sees his neighbor leave and come back 2 or 3 times and begins to get suspicious when he doesn't see the man's wife the next day and begins to suspect murder. The other main character Lisa Fremont, Jeffries' girlfriend is also a main part of the story because she wants to be with J.B. so much, but he is so consumed with his job and wanting to do it even though he is injured. She wants to be with him so bad that she goes along with his murder theory and tries to help him prove it. The general conflict of the movie is Jeffries trying to figure out what happened to the man's wife and prove his suspicions that he had murdered her. The plot is believable but not very realistic. It could end up happening but the chance that your neighbor killed their wife and you witnessed him taking her remains out in suitcases is not very high.
A main theme in Rear Window is fear. This is shown not only in the fear of Jeffries that the man may have murdered his wife but also in how he is afraid to let anyone get close to him and also how he is afraid to ask for help. Fear also shows up in the character of Lisa. She is afraid that Jeffries doesn't love her and she tries to do anything to make him feel the same way about her that she feels about him. Another literary aspect of this movie was the dialogue. It was pretty realistic for its time. The characters talked how people would normally talk. There wasn't any random dialogue. The acting overall in the movie is fantastic. Stewart portrays J.B. Jeffries with perfection. He becomes the character and never loses it. An audience gets lost in the movie because they can believe the actors are actually the characters they are playing and that is what happens in this movie. Grace Kelly also plays her role well. She doesn't have that difficult of a part, but at the times in the movie when she plays a significant role she does a great job becoming Lisa Fremont.
This film was unique compared to the other movies of its time because it is all restricted narration. The audience knows the same amount of information the characters do throughout the whole movie. Also the editing in Rear Window is great. George Tomasini, the editor, uses the Kuleshov effect in which all the thoughts that add up in Jeffries' mind add up to murder and so that is what the audience is led to believe as well. Also there weren't many quick cuts. There were a lot of lengthy shots to keep the audience focused on the story and the dialogue. The director of photography, Robert Burks, used a subjective point of view for most of the movie. Whenever J.B. looks out the window at his neighbors we, the audience, see exactly what he sees. The sound in rear window is credited to Harry Snodgrass. He does a great job of using non diegetic sound to create a feeling of suspense throughout most of the movie. Also the lighting was interesting in this movie. There was a lot of low key lighting to express that the characters did not want to be seen and could just escape into the shadows so their secrets wouldn't be discovered. The cinematography in Rear Window was also great. There were a lot of long shots to show the apartment building across from Jeffries and the people inside. Also when J.B. and Lisa were in his apartment there were close-ups of them when they were sitting together and also close-ups of Jeffries when he was watching people out the window. Also high angles were used when it was showing the dog digging in the garden. Another great aspect of Rear Window is the set design. It was fantastic for its time. The movie was shot on the same set for the entire movie and it really gives the movie a realistic look. Also the costumes were realistic as well as the makeup. Lastly the music in this movie is written by Franz Waxman. Many of the scores were ones that he had written for other movies and was able to incorporate into this one as well. Rear Window is a classic and there aren't many movies that compare to it but one that is similar is Disturbia, which is the same idea with a few plot changes to create a more exciting and modern effect. Overall Rear Window uses all the right film elements to create a great movie.

Art of Film Journal #1

Teenage pregnancy. Not really a light, dinner conversation topic but it does happen and in the movie Juno it is dealt with in an unusual but surprisingly smart way. Juno is the story of a 16-year-old girl, Juno MacGuff, who gets pregnant by her geeky friend Paulie Bleeker and decides to give the baby up for adoption. Claudia Puig of USA Today gives it four out of four stars. I am in total agreement with her. This is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. The writing in this movie is fantastic. As Puig says, “kudos to Hollywood’s “it” screenwriter Diablo Cody.” But the writing isn’t what made the movie; it was Ellen Page who plays Juno. She gives an incredible performance. The character of Juno is extremely witty and fast-paced in her jokes and so the actor that would be picked to play her needed to be able to be witty but also be able to pull it off as being natural as well, which is exactly what Page does. But Page isn’t the only character that is portrayed brilliantly in Juno. “In a welcome deviation from stereotype, her parents (J. K. Simmons and Allison Janney) do their best to be supportive — even though they are deeply disappointed” (Puig). This is so true. Most parents would be furious and confused. Juno’s parents are somewhat like that at first but they’re also are really great and respect her decision to put the baby up for adoption and support her and stick up for her at all times. The parents are written to be quirky and awkward but also that they love their daughter and will do anything for her. That is exactly how Simmons and Janney play these roles. Their performances are flawless. The other performances that were great were the adoptive parents. Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman were perfect. Garner especially to me was amazing. At the beginning when you are first introduced to her she seems rich, snotty and stuck up but as the movie goes on you begin to like her more and more and by the end you totally love her. I love watching characters transform throughout movies. I find it so fascinating.
In her review Claudia Puig only says good things about this movie, which is somewhat strange to me. I mean I agree with her one hundred percent but I’ve never read a perfect review of a movie before. Usually even if the critic likes the movie they still critique parts of it. By her not saying anything bad or even giving some constructive criticism makes me feel like she is not a credible critic, which I guess sounds ridiculous but that’s just how I feel. But it doesn’t change the fact that Juno is an extraordinary movie. “With its original performances that can't be reduced to simplistic labels, [it] is charming, honest and terrifically acted” (Puig). I as well as Claudia Puig give it four stars and I recommend it to teenagers and their parents. Even though the subject matter is a little touchy the way the film is done doesn’t make it awkward at all. It is just a terrific witty movie about teen pregnancy.

Puig, Claudia. "Unconventional 'Juno' strikes right comedic balance." Rev.
of Juno dir. Jason Reitman. USA Today 4 Dec 2007

Crash Video Clip

Crash Video Clip

My video clip is from the movie Crash. This is one of my favorite movies because it is so powerful and really makes you think. The clip i picked is a very intense part in the movie but is also one of my favorites. Two things that we have learned in class that are present in this clip is that first, most of it is filmed in medium shot. You are able to see the bodies of the characters from the waist up and some other surroundings. And second there is a part in the clip where the little girl is running to the window to see her dad come home and while she is doing this the camera is tracking. It moves towards the window as she does in a smooth and steady motion.

Robertsdoug. "Favorite Scene in Movie - Crash." YouTube. 12 Oct 2007.

My Favorite Movie!

My favorite movie is Mean Girls. It is about a girl who has been home schooled in Africa for her whole life and then moves to the U.S. and goes to a real high school. The movie is about her time in high school and how she makes friends with the "freaks" who ask her to become fake friends with the popular girls and spy on them and then make fun of them later. But she ends up turning into one of the "plastics" and hurting the friends that were nice to her even when she was a nobody.

I love this movie becuase it is hilarious! Also it is easy to relate to. The things that go on in the movie- even though they may be a little extreme- are what really happen in high school and it's funny to compare it to how Edina is. I know that it isn't a very deep and groundbreaking film, it is funny and I'm able to watch it over and over and not get sick of it which is what defines a great film for me!

The majority of the reviews for Mean Girls are really good! They say that it is a smart, sharp and funny teen comedy that is very well done. Most of the critics are impressed with the writting and also Lindsay Lohan's performance. Some of the critics do not like it however. They say that it isn't funny and poorly acted. Also that the topic of rich material teenage girls is way too over done.