Movies

10. Zero Dark Thirty-  A film directed by Kathryn Bigalow, that tells the story of the killing of Osama bin Ladin.
9. The Devil's Backbone- This film takes place during the Spanish Civil War and it is a very gruesome film.
8. The Piano- My favorite film of the class which features a brilliant performance by Helen Hunt.
7. Do The Right Thing- This film is one that touches on the points of race and controversial topics.
6. El Topo- This film was a very odd one as it tested the limits of controversial contemporary views.
5. Seconds- A very odd film that makes people feel grateful for the life that they live.
4. The Hitch Hiker- A very well done film that shows how helpless a man can really be.
3. Double Indemnity- A film that shows how seductive women can really be.
2. M- This film was my least favorite of the bunch as it seemed to be so boring.
1. Sherlock Jr.- This was my first black and white film and it allowed me to look more deeply into films.

Blancanieves Review

This film was an interesting one to say the least.  Firstly, I would like to point out how incredibly terrible Carmen's life was.  She seemed to have tragedy after tragedy happen to her and for no reason whatsoever, and just when you think that everything is going to be okay she is hit with yet another tragedy.  For Carmen to be able to overcome every obstacle and tragedy that came her way, showed to me the strength she had.  I understand that this film is supposed to portray Snow White, but I did not realize this until after Carmen was with the midget matadors.  In addition, I have not seen Snow White and only knew about the part with the poisonous apple.
The cinematography of the film was done quite well and added to the depressing tone to the film.  I think that making this a black and white film also added to the tone.  This is because of how sad this movie progresses, I think that there should not have been any sort of happy colors to portray joy simply because that is not what the film is.  In addition, I really enjoyed the outfits that were worn in this film, especially by Encarna.  She wore some out of this world clothing and they really added to her dark and mean character.  Also, the clothes worn by the midgets were interesting.  Their clothing did not seem to change throughout the film and I thought that should be noted.
Overall, I would rate this movie well and seeing, as it is only my second time watching a silent film I enjoyed it.  The way the story flows really caught my attention as it would go from extreme lows of gloom and disaster and then come right back with some positives and happiness.  This allowed me to be able to understand the film more clearly.  In addition, I thought that the characters were interesting as well, Carmen especially.  I thought that it was very easy for the audience to relate to the pain she was going through.  However, with the amount of pain and suffering she went through it was amazing that she made it out alive.

Half Past Midnight

The film "Zero Dark Thirty" is not unlike many films.  The main character Maya (female), takes on the role that most people would not see any female doing.  However, with the combination of Kathryn Bigelow (director) and Jessica Chastain (Maya) they make the audience think that this role could be filled by no other person.  

We do not get too much background on the character of Maya in the film however I do remember a part towards the end of the movie where the CIA director comes to the dining hall to talk to Maya.  He asks her how long she has been working for the CIA and Maya responds by saying twelve years.  They continue to go back and forth a little about what she has been doing since she started at the CIA and she happens to mention something about her being recruited out of high school.  HIGH SCHOOL! 

Lets go back to the beginning, where we see this young female standing by and watching a man be tortured and starved.  In the beginning of this film we see a woman who seems like she is out of her element doing something that she shouldn't be doing.  This woman is standing by and watching another man be tortured and she looks disgusted.  Could it be because she is a female?  I could not tell you.  But to me that question was answered when Dan was talking to Joseph.  Dan mentioned something about "is this the best the CIA has to offer?"  With Joseph answering "Washington says she's a killer."  So we go from scared woman watching a man get tortured to a killer in a matter of 20 minutes in the movie.  

I do not know how this happened so quickly but as the movie wears on we see the development of her character as she becomes the torturer.  She becomes this person that the viewer does not see in the first 10 minutes of the film.  Jessica Chastain does a great job at making her character come to life.  Although, we still do not have any background information on her.  Until........The end of the movie when she is talking to the CIA director.  To me it was astonishing to follow this character, her being a female and doing a job that women do not do.  Then finding out she was recruited out of high school made it even more amazing to me.  Nobody in this film seemed to care that Maya was a girl, because she got the job done and she did not care that she was a girl.  She was a person who did her job and in the end was successful at it.

The Devil's Backbone

The film Devil's Backbone is a well made film.  However, the question remains as to what genre this film should be categorized in.  Is it a horror film? Is it a fable?  Is it a crime film?  The answer is not a simple one.  As a matter of fact I think a claim can be made for all three of these types of film.  In addition, I do not think Guillermo Del Toro intended this to fall under one specific genre.  I think he left it open for interpretation to the viewer.
I would like to first point out that that this film has many characteristics of a horror film.  The fact that a ghost haunts Carlos throughout the film is a good starter.  In addition, is the mystery of how the ghost, Santi, came about.  The mystery of this ghost I believe is what can constitute it as a crime film.  Carlos is continuously haunted by a ghost who he does not recognize.  He has to find out who this ghost is and for what purpose he keeps haunting him.
The definition of a fable consists of inanimate objects or forces of nature that have human qualities and through these illustrate a moral lesson.  I believe that the ghost of Santi can be considered in this because ghosts are not alive and therefore cannot have human qualities. In the film Santi can walk, talk and touch things and from this I found the moral to be "bad things happen to good people; worse things happen to bad people."

The Piano

The film "The Piano" was a great film.  I thought the story line was very well done and the acting as well was good.  The thing the was most intriguing in this film was the relationship between Baines and Ada.  Their relationship starts on a beach as Baines takes both Ada and Flora to the beloved piano that was left behind.
Baines seems to become awed by the way Ada plays the piano, so much so that he is willing to give up his land in exchange for lessons from Ada.
Baines devises a deal with Ada that will in part give possession of the piano back to Ada and in exchange Ada play her lovely music while Baines does things to her.  At first Ada is not so fond of the idea, but as time goes on I believe she becomes accustomed to it.  as much as she does not like Baines touching her she loves playing the piano more as it is her way of speaking and expressing herself.  To answer the question of whether or not it is rape.  I do not think it is rape because in order for it to be rape a person must not consent to it.  Although Ada may not want to do it at first she believes it is worth it for her piano.
The very next lesson that Ada goes to, does not turn out to be a lesson at all as Baines decides that he has been disgraceful and give Ada the piano back.  From here on in the film Ada, who was so accustomed to playing the piano for Baines, now seems to miss doing it.  They end up becoming lovers and moving back to her homeland.

"Do the Right Thing"

The right thing, what is it?  In the movie "Do the Right Thing", by Spike Lee, I don't know if there really is a right thing to do.  When I first finished the movie I thought wow what a terrible idea to throw the garbage can through a window.  However, as I thought about the movie and the situation more I began to sway my mind to the other side of the situation.  Which thinking about it more made me change my mind again.  I came upon the conclusion of I don't know.
There are compelling arguments for both sides of the argument.  For instance, you can say that Mookie had all the reason to throw the garbage can through Sal's Famous Pizzeria, but did he really?  Sal may have been the one to destroy the boombox, but was it his fault that Radio Raheem was killed?  Questions like these are the ones that went through my head when making my initial assumption.  However, I then thought about the arguments for the other side.  Had Mookie not thrown a garbage can through the window of the pizzeria, would Sal and his sons have been killed instead of the restaurant being destroyed?  Or what message would Mookie have sent to the community if he did not defend the killing of another member, especially after the comment from Sal, "He got what he deserved."
Ultimately, I could not come up with a strong enough argument either supporting Mookie's decision or not.  I think this had a lot to do with the fact that I do not know what the right thing is!  I tried to think about what I would do in that situation but that did not help.  I agree somewhat with what Bartley says in his article about how he cannot tell whether Mookie made the right decision because it is yet to be determined.  I think that because I believe in the approach that Dr. King took about not using violence, and my belief that you need to defend yourself when you deem it necessary helped me come to this decision.

Hitch Hiker

This film, in my opinion, portrays two men as being helpless.  The way Lupino portrays them is totally different than the previous film noir, Double Indemnity.  In that film the men of the movie were strong willed and able to think and do for themselves.  In addition, the antagonist of the film was also a man, and it just so happened that this man was the person making the protagonists feel helpless.
Could it be that Lupino was trying to say something throughout this film, like men can be just a vulnerable as women?  Or maybe it was the opposite?  Maybe, Lupino was trying to show how smart a man can be when put into a sticky situation like the one in this movie.  I mean these men were brought to their breaking point and managed to come out on top of the antagonist.  However, they were also shown as being vulnerable, with one of the protagonists even breaking down and crying.  This film is one that really make the viewer think hard about the message the director is trying to get across.
One can also pose the question if this film was done so well then why couldn't other female directors be successful with classical film noirs?  Could it be that the portrayal of men in this film, was seen as a hit on the male figure at the time?  Or could it simply be that women were just not able to direct film as well as a man?  Questions like these are ones that came up for me throughout the entire film and really made me pause and think.