Clip A: This clip dealt a lot with spatial relations due to the numerous characters that had to be shot from many different angles. The clip uses the 180 degree rule to show the different characters as they talk and interact around the poker table. I noticed that Brad Pitt's character seems to stay towards the left side of the screen and George Clooney stays towards the right side of the screen throughout the dialogue. When editing the clip uses the match on action to switch to another characters angle in the middle of the action when they are playing cards. It uses diegetic sound through the music played later on in the clip at the club as its later in the night. Soft light is used to show shadows across the characters faces and give off a mysterious vibe.
Clip C: An extreme long shot at the beginning of the clip shows the house and the suburban neighborhood the FBI agents are about to enter. The scene uses cross cutting to show the FBI busting into the wrong house, while at the same time Sterling has found the right house and has entered a state of danger. The crosscutting adds a great deal of intensity to the scene and is very well done in how it balances out both locations. It uses a low camera angle to show how Buffalo Bill towers over the woman in the hole. This gives off a sense of the power Bill has over his victims and the intimidation he inflicts. The straight on camera angle is used to show Bill and Sterling's faces as they are talking to each other back and forth. The camera zooms in on Jack's face at the end of the scene to add a great deal of tension as he realizes Sterling is in trouble.
Clip D: The long shot is used to show the different characters walking through the hallways. The music that is played is nondiegetic and changes slightly as it follows the different characters. Instead of using editing to switch from following one character to the next the camera zooms in on the other character and starts following them. This makes for a very original scene that must have taken many tries to get it just right. The camera work was most likely done with a steadicam I'm guessing due to the very steady and fluent cinematography. The rule of thirds is used as the man and his son walk down the hall way with the lady giving off a very well balanced look. The opening part where the man and the boy are outside is very dark and gloomy it almost looks like a different color tint could have been used for that part.
Clip F: This clip starts off with a long take but is unusual in how it does not follow the characters but instead stays focused on the same area until the bottle falls from the table. The camera then pans to the left to show the children standing in the doorway. The camera work seems to have been done using either a track or steadicam. The ending shows deep focus composition with the house burning in the background and the man and woman watching in the middle ground and foreground of the frame.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
My First Movie Review
Brainstorming
1. Clint Eastwood was very believable as the lead
2. Good original story
3. blends serious drama with comedy very well
4. good variety of characters
5. good unconventional ending
6. good portrayal of different cultures
7. cinematography was very well done
8. good sound
9. good editing
10. nice soundtrack
11. good chemistry between the leads
12. very quotable
13. exciting
14. rewatchable
15. good overall resolution
Review of Gran Torino
When I was watching Gran Torino I found the lead character portrayed by Clint Eastwood to be very believable, he really fit the role as an old man upset with the changing world he is living in and how different things seem from the past. Thao and Walt showed real chemistry in the lead roles as Walt takes up the task of making Thao his apprentice. Not once did I stop and think that they were acting because they really embodied their roles. I also found the dialogue in general to be very quotable and funny in many cases. The way the film was able to mix serious drama with witty humor was very well done and I feel like that is what really sets Gran Torino apart from other films. The cinematography and editing made for a very intense movie. The way the camera shakes around during the fight scenes as blows are exchanged made the fighting seem very realistic and never gave off that staged feeling. The overall resolution to the story was very original and wrapped up all of the loose ends very well. I found the way Walt sacrifices for the betterment of the neighborhood to be very touching. This film really stands out due to the great actor portrayals and dialogue.
1. Clint Eastwood was very believable as the lead
2. Good original story
3. blends serious drama with comedy very well
4. good variety of characters
5. good unconventional ending
6. good portrayal of different cultures
7. cinematography was very well done
8. good sound
9. good editing
10. nice soundtrack
11. good chemistry between the leads
12. very quotable
13. exciting
14. rewatchable
15. good overall resolution
Review of Gran Torino
When I was watching Gran Torino I found the lead character portrayed by Clint Eastwood to be very believable, he really fit the role as an old man upset with the changing world he is living in and how different things seem from the past. Thao and Walt showed real chemistry in the lead roles as Walt takes up the task of making Thao his apprentice. Not once did I stop and think that they were acting because they really embodied their roles. I also found the dialogue in general to be very quotable and funny in many cases. The way the film was able to mix serious drama with witty humor was very well done and I feel like that is what really sets Gran Torino apart from other films. The cinematography and editing made for a very intense movie. The way the camera shakes around during the fight scenes as blows are exchanged made the fighting seem very realistic and never gave off that staged feeling. The overall resolution to the story was very original and wrapped up all of the loose ends very well. I found the way Walt sacrifices for the betterment of the neighborhood to be very touching. This film really stands out due to the great actor portrayals and dialogue.
Oscar Rankings for Best Picture
1. The King's Speech- This movie gave the best character portrayals of any of the other nominations for best picture. Colin Firth was completely immersed in his role as the king and gave off great sincerity in his struggle to overcome his speech impediment and unify the country. The cinematography and overall look of the film was very well done. The long corridor scenes and experimental camera angles always kept me interested. Geofferey Rush really helped bring the movie into greatness. Rush and Firth showed great chemistry and it was fun to see how their attitudes towards each other progressed throughout the film.
2. True Grit- Jeff Bridges was made to play the role of Rooster Cogburn and the dialogue he is given is highly memorable and quotable. The portrayal of Mattie could not have been better. I was very surprised at how traditional the movie seemed with the exception of Mattie. Mattie really seemed to really hold her own and bring out the best in a star studded cast with both Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon. Overall a very well made film that is very dialogue and actor driven.
3. Toy Story 3- The Toy Story franchise has always been one of my favorites ever since I was a little kid. They always surprise me in there unsurpassed quality as animated films. This film was my favorite of all the Toy Story films. It really struck an emotional cord with me, which is a very rare occurrence for me with an animated film. The story is very well done and brings the trilogy to a very dramatic conclusion.
4. The Social Network- This was a film I thought that I would never like and did not see the appeal. But after watching it I found it to be surprisingly humorous. I liked the portrayal of Mark Zuckerburg but found some of the supporting actors like Justin Timberlake to be very annoying and this detracted from the film. I feel like the soundtrack was what really stood out for me. It was very well done and really helped keep things interesting.
5. Inception- I found this movie to be very good and intriguing for the first half or so but then fell into deep confusion. The dream scenes really stood out to me and had visual effects like nothing I had ever seen done in film before. I think that I might really enjoy this movie in time after more viewings of it. For now I am still very confused and puzzled about what it is that actually happened.
6. Winter's Bone- This film gave off a very melancholy feeling as I was watching it. I prefer my movies to be a little more uplifting. I admired however the documentary type feel of it and what they were able to do with a very limited budget. The dream sequence where the screen went to black and white and followed the squirrels fleeing their destroyed habitat was particularly memorable to me, in showing how Ree must have felt. I felt like the ending at least gave off a little bit of hope in an overall very bleak film.
2. True Grit- Jeff Bridges was made to play the role of Rooster Cogburn and the dialogue he is given is highly memorable and quotable. The portrayal of Mattie could not have been better. I was very surprised at how traditional the movie seemed with the exception of Mattie. Mattie really seemed to really hold her own and bring out the best in a star studded cast with both Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon. Overall a very well made film that is very dialogue and actor driven.
3. Toy Story 3- The Toy Story franchise has always been one of my favorites ever since I was a little kid. They always surprise me in there unsurpassed quality as animated films. This film was my favorite of all the Toy Story films. It really struck an emotional cord with me, which is a very rare occurrence for me with an animated film. The story is very well done and brings the trilogy to a very dramatic conclusion.
4. The Social Network- This was a film I thought that I would never like and did not see the appeal. But after watching it I found it to be surprisingly humorous. I liked the portrayal of Mark Zuckerburg but found some of the supporting actors like Justin Timberlake to be very annoying and this detracted from the film. I feel like the soundtrack was what really stood out for me. It was very well done and really helped keep things interesting.
5. Inception- I found this movie to be very good and intriguing for the first half or so but then fell into deep confusion. The dream scenes really stood out to me and had visual effects like nothing I had ever seen done in film before. I think that I might really enjoy this movie in time after more viewings of it. For now I am still very confused and puzzled about what it is that actually happened.
6. Winter's Bone- This film gave off a very melancholy feeling as I was watching it. I prefer my movies to be a little more uplifting. I admired however the documentary type feel of it and what they were able to do with a very limited budget. The dream sequence where the screen went to black and white and followed the squirrels fleeing their destroyed habitat was particularly memorable to me, in showing how Ree must have felt. I felt like the ending at least gave off a little bit of hope in an overall very bleak film.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Oscar Nominated Rankings
The King's Speech
1. Colin Firth gives an excellent portrayal as the king.
2. Geoffrey Rush gives an amazing performance.
3. The best looking and most visually appealing of the films.
True Grit
1. Rooster Cogburn has very quotable and funny dialogue.
2. Mattie is portrayed perfectly.
3. Gives off a very good traditional western vibe.
Toy Story 3
1. The most dramatic animated film I have ever seen.
2. The story is very well done.
3. Had a very satisfied feeling after watching it.
The Social Network
1. Surprisingly humorous.
2. The soundtrack was amazing and saved the movie.
3. Mark Zuckerburg was portrayed in a very interesting and unique way.
Inception
1. The dream scenes especially in the beginning left me in awe.
2. The endless twists and turns force the viewer to pay close attention
and makes the film require multiple viewings to fully understand it.
3. The soundtrack was particularly memorable.
Winter's Bone
1. Gave off a very documentary type feel.
2. The entire movie seemed very in your face.
3. Makes the most of its limited budget.
1. Colin Firth gives an excellent portrayal as the king.
2. Geoffrey Rush gives an amazing performance.
3. The best looking and most visually appealing of the films.
True Grit
1. Rooster Cogburn has very quotable and funny dialogue.
2. Mattie is portrayed perfectly.
3. Gives off a very good traditional western vibe.
Toy Story 3
1. The most dramatic animated film I have ever seen.
2. The story is very well done.
3. Had a very satisfied feeling after watching it.
The Social Network
1. Surprisingly humorous.
2. The soundtrack was amazing and saved the movie.
3. Mark Zuckerburg was portrayed in a very interesting and unique way.
Inception
1. The dream scenes especially in the beginning left me in awe.
2. The endless twists and turns force the viewer to pay close attention
and makes the film require multiple viewings to fully understand it.
3. The soundtrack was particularly memorable.
Winter's Bone
1. Gave off a very documentary type feel.
2. The entire movie seemed very in your face.
3. Makes the most of its limited budget.
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