Double Indemnity

Double Indemnity is my first experience in traditional film noir and i quite enjoyed it. The film stood out to me in a number of ways, mostly the unique story and the look of the film. Double Indemnity's story was unique largely because the protagonist in many ways didn't seem to be a good person. It was one of those movies where its hard to completely identify with any of the characters yet it still remains interesting. I really liked the typical noir look that the movie had. I think the film is a fairly typical example of film noir and im looking forward to seeing more movies like it.

The Elements Of A Great Film

Is there one thing that all movies must have in order to be considered great or even just good? My short answer to this question is kind of. First off, I think there must be some elements of realism and believably in the characters that inhabit the films. i say SOME elements because i think there can be a wide range of realism to characters. On the one hand are characters in traditional Hollywood films such as Casablanca and Do the right thing that exhibit normal human characteristics. Many may remind you of actually people that you may know. On the other hand you have eccentric, abnormal characters, often in unrealistic settings such as the photojournalist in Apocalypse Now and many of the characters in your typical sci-fi action film. No matter where you fall on the spectrum, every character has something about them that makes them human, even if they're not. I think the important part is that every movie should have a character that you can identify with. In fact i think thats probably the most important part of any story. I think this is the main reason why I had trouble enjoying Scorsese' Raging Bull and yet may also be why other people liked it so much. Personally, i had so much trouble identifying with any of the characters in the film while others may find certain redeeming qualities in them.

That being said, i think there are two extremely important things that can make a film great. A good film doesn't have to have both but i think it needs to have on or the other. The first one draws from what I said above in that a great film often has actors that portray their characters as realistically as possible, interacting with each other in a strong linear plot. This sort of film must have a interesting dynamic plot. Classic examples of this include The Godfather, Casablanca, Gone Baby Gone, The Departed and many others both old an new.

In an effort to not leave out many good films, a film may also achieve greatness without having an especially linear evident plot. A film like this must then rely more on the actual images shown on the screen and the way the music creates certain moods than on what the characters are trying to achieve. An extreme example of this is Daughters of the Dust. There isn't to much more to the plot of the film than simply waiting with the family until they move to the mainland. Instead, the beautiful images of the island and the men and women that live on it make it literally like a moving piece of art. I have often said that music is also more important to a film than many people realize. If done well it creates strong moods and feelings to supplement the emotions of the characters and even of the images themselves. Admittedly, I am some what partial to films that follow this "path to greatness" than the former. While movies with good plots and interesting characters are often great I'm more inclined to consider a film the best when it plays out like a complex piece of art than simply a good story. Naturally, the best sort of film will emulate both of theses characteristics.
Irregardless it is extremely important that the Characters and the actors that portray them join together in a special way. In other words, the actors must make you believe that they are their characters and that they make sense to at least a minimal extent.

I think some of the best examples of all this are There Will Be Blood and Apocalypse Now. There Will Be Blood has many great shots of the California landscape while Apocalypse now has wonderfully chilling shots of the dark of the jungle supplemented by good editing effects. In addition, the acting is very good in both films, especially Daniel Day-lewis as Daniel Plainview. These films, among many others, are what i consider to be cinema at its finest. I think my passion for movies comes from the fact that I see film as such a complete form of art, combining beautiful images, dramatic music, and intriguing story's. Any film that combines these elements eloquently and entertainingly is what I call a great film.

Casablanca

Casablanca is generally considered to be on of the greatest films of all time. After watching it i can certainly some evidence for it but i'm not sure if i would necessarily hold it in that high regard.

I think a large part of my opinions of this movie come from the fact that it is an older movie and many movies have been influenced directly from it. Watching in today, much of the story, particularly the romance, seemed comical simply because i had seen it used so often. Admittedly, before i saw it i was expecting to not like it at all but luckily i did enjoy most of it. First and foremost i really appreciated the writing. The dialogue, especially between Rick and captain Renault, was both entertaining and intelligent. I found myself enjoying the political intrigue in the film much more than the romance.

I was certainly impressed with this movie. Mostly because of the writing and setting. though I wouldn't call this the greatest film ive ever seen it does deserve most of the credit it receives.

Ran

i enjoyed watching ran. it was quite different than most American films in a lot of ways. it had an unique combination of humor and drama. I particularly liked the large battle scenes. i think a lot of the epic battle scenes in movies that i like now were heavily influenced by this film. this film has an interesting mix of both American and foreign film styles. The influence of Japanese Noh theater is clearly strong. While some American audiences might be put off by some aspects of the film, i still think it reaches a wide, diverse audience nonetheless.

daughters of the Dust

Calling daughters of the dust an unusual film is somewhat of an understatement. the film doesn't follow most Hollywood film conventions. That being said i think daughters of the dust is a good film, worth watching for, if nothing else, its originality. it shows the life of a family living on the Gullah islands, days before they plan on moving to mainland America.

The film is quite simple with most of the time spent showing the character's relationships and interactions with each other. The actors in the film do a great job at playing there characters honestly and realistically. Daughters of the Dust intentionally doesn't follow a strong linear plot. Julie dash wanted to create a new kind of film and she seems to have succeeded. The power of this movie is in its images, music and relationships of its character.

Raging Bull

Rarely sit through a movie that i don't like. Unfortunately Raging Bull was one of those movies. Though im told that i have to like it just cause Scorsese or Deniro or whatever but i just didn't enjoy it. The problem was that i had no sympathy for any of the characters in the film and i think thats the most important part of a good story. As far as film quality goes it isn't too bad but its just not a movie for me.

Do The Right Thing

Do The Right Thing is a very loud and in your face film and set Spike Lee up for a long career are racially charged films. Overall i quite liked the film and while there are some specific complaints that i have it still warrants praise, especially for its complex and controversial subject matter.

The film starts out quite simple, simply showing life in New York in a black neighborhood. For a large part of the film I had trouble finding any particularly coherent plot. Normally I would immediately be put off by this in a film but I think Lee makes it work. His honest portrayal of communities like this one overshadows the lack a specific plot. Later on though, different character dynamics begin to take prominence and the point of the film becomes clearer.

The acting in the film plays a large part in making to film seem real and all the actors played their parts well. I’m especially impressed by Spike Lee’s ability to write, direct, and act in his films, especially at his young.
The deeper messages of the film are especially interesting though many things in the plot don’t seem to get resolved. This is another thing that normally would cause me to not like a film but I think it fits the subject matter. Spike Lee doesn’t try to bring unrealistic closure to the issues being dealt with.

I thought Do The Right Thing was a very good movie and deserves the acclaim it has been given and the place of cultural significance it has.