...My Movie Critique of The Blind Side Shannon Cowper English 225: Introduction to Film Michael Warren February 2, 2014 Some people may feel that if a movie wins an academy award that it is a great movie because the film critics have experience, the film critics are paid professionals, and also that the film critics decide which movies are nominated for an academy award so the movie must be good. But this is where many people beg to differ regarding the film critic’s reviews on a particular film. In some cases, if a film critic decides that a movie is good, not every movie goer will feel the same way. I have sat and listened to Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert as they either praised or destroyed a film. Whenever I chose to go and view a film they have given their customary thumbs up to I would normally not enjoy the film. It is possible that I did not see the same things within a film as they did as it was evident that I was not viewing the film in the same manner as a film critic by looking for camera angles, editing, or frames. All that I cared about was escaping for a couple of hours and receiving some enjoyment from the movie. Some people feel that this is a special time for film criticism. Never before have more people been able to express their views about a film. Being a film critic was once a profession, but it’s not a job any longer and there is not a huge financial gain by doing so. However, this opens the door for those who want to critique a film and also...
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...The Critics Corner Roger Ebert a prolific movie critic, had this to say about “Citizen Kane,” “Citizen Kane” is more than a great movie; it is a gathering of all the lessons of the emerging era of sound, just as “Birth of a Nation” assembled everything learned at the summit of the silent era, and “2001” pointed the way beyond narrative (Ebert, 1998).” I most certainly agree with Mr. Ebert on this movie does begin to break into the categories not yet truly explored in movies sound and special effects. However being a child and growing up in the age of “Star Wars” and most recently “Avatar” I found myself losing interest quickly. “For the first time in the American cinema, the very process of telling a story on film became every bit as tricky and exhilarating as the story itself”, said columnist Owen Gleiberman. (Gleiberman, 1991) Certainly agree with the columnist here the story itself although to me took a moment to unfold at the end became a lot more plain for the viewers. Citizen Kane proved to be a slightly difficult movie to watch not because the acting was horrible or the movie production was awful but more because it was not what I was accustomed to. The movie started a little slow with the introduction of the main character in what almost seemed like a very early slide show. The takeaway from the movie as opposed to what Mr. Ebert stated in his review I believe is to see how far we have come as a movie going and producing society. The movie was a masterpiece...
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...MOVIE CRITIC PAPER Action and Adventure Barbara Jones Hum/ 150 Film Studies September 24, 2012 Deborah Taylor When I decided to watch a movie for my critic paper I wanted a film that had a little bit of action, adventure and thriller. I came across the movie Contraband. The mise-en-scene of this film was based on Mark Wahlberg as Chris Farraday; he was a master drug smuggler who had tried to settled down in a normal life as a working dad and loving husband. But his wife in the movie Katie played by (Katie Beckinsale) had a teeage brother in the movie Andy played by (Caleb Jones). During the beginning part of the movie Andy was on a drug run trying to smuggle drugs in on a ship for a drug dealer name Tim played by (Giovanni Ribis) but during his drug run Andy was forced to drop a huge shipment of cocaine off the ship because customs was checking ship making sure it was drug free. And because of that Andy lands himself, Katie, Chris into a huge financial problem. Chris (Mark Wahlberg) tried to negotiate with Tim Briggs to pay him back the money that was lost cause of the cocaine drugs being dumped off the ship. However Tim only gives Chris and Andy 2 weeks to give him back the money that was lost due to him dumping the drugs off the ship. Chris now has to make the decision to get back into the game of smuggling drugs and trying to bring in counterfeit money to save his brother in law from being killed. Chris rounds up a few friends to go with him to Panama to help him...
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...Nineteenth Century I found that the use of technology brought new idea and cause a revelation that effected movie goer worldwide. The following time line shows how each innovation had an effect on the technology that was introduce in that time period. The expectation of movie goers was high as a result the film makers came up with new way of composing motion picture on the big screen. The thought process was open to new possibility. The use of movie projection called magic lantern was introduce in the Seventeenth Century. The use of different filming technique was on the rise. The thought process of movie composer consists of what they were exposed to and to shoot at different perspective. It was well thought out. A movie that was directly influenced by a technological advancement was Alfred Hitchcock, “Vertigo”. To achieve my point, I have organized my paper into four main sections, two of which have sub-sections. In the first section, there is a record of three important events in twentieth century motion picture history: technological changes, the information revolution, a film by Alfred Hitchcock. The techniques he used and how it paved the way for movie director that came after him. It discuss articles a about how the movie Vertigo played an important role and how it impacted the twentieth century film making producer and filming in connecting with his audience. The paper ends with a third section that the film functioned on multiple levels simultaneously and conclude with...
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...project contrast paper Introduction Captain Phillips movie, examines the 2009 hijacking of a U.S container ship, by the name Maerks Alabama. The movie stars Tom Hanks as Richard Phillip (IMDb). It is a hard pounding thriller that exhibits the creativity of its director Paul Green Grass. According to Ryan McNeil (2013) the movie reflects on the primary effects of globalization, by showing the relationship between the ship's commanding officer and the Somali captain who forcefully held him (McNeil). Richard Phillips meets with Muse; the Somali captain, when Phillips ship goes on a wrong course (IMDb). Both captains find themselves at the mercy of forces, which are beyond their control. The movie is recommended for audience above the age of thirteen years. It contains an intense sequence of menace, and violence associated with bloody images (IMDb). The script The script of the movie was primarily based on a book called A Captains Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy Seals and Dangerous Days at Sea, which was written by Richard Phillips (IMDb). The script narrates a very compelling story, which keeps the audience on the seat's edge. It moves the audience in the world of the ship’s crew, leaving the audience with a close experience of the dangers associated with cargo ships (McNeil). Acting Tom Hanks is considered as the highest box office star currently (Whitfield). According to IMDb, he was “outstanding as always” in this movie. However critics have argued that in this movie Barkhad Abdi steals...
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...Running Head: P.S. I LOVE YOU 1 An Analysis of P.S. I Love You Tammy McDaniel ENG 225 Jonathan Beller August 15, 2011 P.S. I Love You 2 An Analysis of P.S. I Love You The 2007 film, P.S. I Love You, is a film about learning to let go and move on with your life after the death of a spouse. The Film stars Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby and Gerard Butler, 300. It also stars Lisa Kudrow as Denise, Gina Gershon as Sharon, James Marsters as John, Kathy Bates as Patricia (Holly's mom), Nellie McKay as Ciara (Holly's sister), Harry Connick Jr. as Daniel, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as William. This paper will critique the film, 'P.S. I Love You,' through textual and formal analysis focusing on the following elements.. Storytelling, Acting, Cinematography, Editing, Sound, Style and Directing, Societal Impact, Genre, and Film Criticism and Analysis. By examining the films technical elements, you can gain a better understanding of the director's vision of the film. P.S. I Love You is a 2007 American drama directed by Richard LaGavenese. The screenplay by LaGavenese and Steven Rogers is based on the 2004 novel P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern. This film was shot on locations in New York City and county Wicklow, Ireland.(Imdb.com) In this film, P.S. I Love You, Hilary Swank plays Holly, an American who marries an Irishman,Gerry (played by Gerard Butler). Gerry is Holly's soul mate, the love of her life. A few weeks shy of her...
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...m critics to a such extent that his carnality becomes more and more veiled by mystery and fairy tales. The naturalized term “Hitchcockian” as pointed out by Boyd and Palmer is widely spread among film critics and film lovers. This term might be a sufficient example of a fashionable detachment of Hitchcock’s flesh from Hitchcock’s concepts. High honor is given to Hitchcock himself, but on the other hand, it is slightly troubling for critics and film academicians. (as if Hitchcockian was the monster Kronos who ate all of his own children, in an effort not to be overthrown, but the problem lies in the fact that we are more interested in his children). Moreover, there are couple of other obstacles which keep us from approaching Hitchcock’s films more closely; In the first place, as Robin Wood claims, Hitchcock is not perceived as “a serious director” by many film academicians or critics since he was a part of Hollywood movie production whose commercials intentions were blatant. Hence, Hitchcock is suspected of “ being influenced by commercial interests and compromising his vision to accord to the mob’s taste .”|ustupky komercniho ohledu a na zasadni kompromisy s pokleslym lidovym vkusem |. (Wood 9) What is more, Hitchcock himself offered many murky comments or an absolute silence concerning his movies. William Rothman in “The Murderous Gaze” seems to be irritated by John Russell Taylor’s conclusion in an authorized biography of Alfred Hitchcock which claims that: “It seems...
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...Video Assignment Directions After viewing today's segment of the video An Inconvenient Truth, you will thoughtfully answer the following questions. You should think about the questions as you are viewing the movie, and may want to take notes, but you should not try to respond to them as you are watching the movie. Your answers must be typed or written neatly on a separate sheet of paper. Trivial responses (responses with no thought put into them) and responses that do not relate to the movie will receive zero points. Questions 1. Al Gore considers global climate change to be a moral imperative. Do you agree or disagree, and why? 2. Of the evidence and images presented in the movie, which did you find to be the most persuasive, and why? 3. Of the evidence and images presented in the movie, which did you find to be the least persuasive, and why? 4. What is the most important new thing you learned from this movie, and why do you feel it is important? 5. In his review of this movie, the film critic Roger Ebert wrote “…You owe it to yourself to see this film. If you do not, and you have grandchildren, you should explain to them why you decided not to.” Do you feel this movie necessary and/or needed? Why or why not? 6. Do you think this movie will alter your behavior in any way? If so, in what ways? If not, why not? 7. Can we trust new, sophisticated scientific technology, such as computer modeling, that says our environment is in trouble? What will...
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...“P.S. I Love You” Cindy Sheldon ENG225: Introduction to Film Instructor: Sarah Snook September 7, 2013 “P.S. I Love You” Introduction: For this film critique essay I will be writing about the movie P.S. I Love You (2007). This paper will explore the storytelling, the actors as well as how they act in the film. We will explore the cinematography, editing, sound, and the style and directing for this movie. The last few things we will explore are the impact this film had on society (if any), the genre, what is the best way to analyze this film. When all these aspects of the movie are examined we will see how a script comes to life on the big screen. Storytelling: This film is shot in non-linear form, it starts with the present and throughout the movie we are given glimpses into the past. This story takes place in several different places which include Ireland and New York City. The main female character (Holly) experiences an internal conflict when her husband Gerry passes away from an illness at a very young age. Holly is able to resolve her conflict with help from her friends, family, and her deceased husband. The symbolism in this film is that love can overcome anything including death. For us, the viewers, relates to our human nature. If we are lucky we have all been able to experience the type of love that is portrayed in this film. That love that we never see coming, but hits us like a “ton of bricks”. The kind of love most of us only get to experience...
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...Lots of movies divide audiences (you liked it, I hated it, and the world goes round). But a liberal message movie about race has the power to divide audiences — and critics — in a special way. The people who respond to it are likely to feel moved, uplifted, morally transported, emotionally activated. Others may feel not so much that they don’t respond but that they’re reacting against what they’re seeing — a “hard-hitting” mass-audience truth that is actually a feel-good lie. Over the years, I have often found myself on the latter side of that divide, excoriating movies that passed off complacency as racially enlightened boldness. In the 1980s, there was a spate of films about the moral obscenity of life in South Africa that insisted on hanging their dramas on the shoulders of white protagonists — and that, as I usually took pains to point out, was wrong. (Why did a movie like Cry Freedom, featuring Denzel Washington as the slain anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko, need to have a crusading white journalist played by Kevin Kline as its hero? Answer: It didn’t.) More recently, I was shocked that art-house audiences could have fallen for the finger-pointing sanctimony of Mike Leigh’s Secrets & Lies (1996) — a movie that basically pulled the same ploy as Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), springing a (saintly) black visitor on a racially insensitive household in order to get viewers to shed a tear of sympathy and, at the same time, to flex a muscle of moral superiority. ...
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...Become a Critic Watch a movie or television show with a critical eye. Write a 350- to 750-word review of the movie or television show. The review must include a thesis statement, introductory paragraph, and at least two supporting paragraphs. Discuss what the movie tells us about the society we live in. You may address whether you think it is good or bad, but you must address the big-picture issues, not just the quality of the work. Post your paper as an attachment. Forrest Gump “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get”, When you watch Forrest Gump starring Tom Hanks as Forrest and Robin Wright as Jenny, him/her know that they are going to laugh and may even shed a few tears. The screenplay for the 1994 movie was written by Eric Roth, based on the novel by Winston Groom. The story follows Forrest through 30 years of trials and tribulations, placing Forrest within historical moments of history, and in pursuit of his one dream–his “most special friend,” Jenny. According to the Washington Post, Forrest Gump won Oscar awards for Best Picture, Best Actor (Hanks), Best Director (Robert Zemeckis), Film Editing, Visual Effects and Adapted Screenplay. The movie was well deserving of these awards since the acting and the visual effects were extraordinary. The film actors success in portraying their characters is a major factor in the film’s awards. Tom Hanks and Robin Wright worked well together. The on-screen chemistry between the two...
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...Film Viewer Opinion Paper HUM/150 Sitting down and watching movies are always a fun and relaxing part of life. There are films out there that are enjoyable and others that are not. Throughout this reading I will be sharing my personal opinions on what is enjoyable and un-enjoyable to me, and how I decide on which movie to watch. Something that is huge for me is organization in a movie. If it doesn’t keep me interested and in line while watching I loose interest. There are many un-sequenced movies out there, but just because the events in the movie are out of order doesn't been it is not organized. If a movie isn't organized properly, the watcher tunes out. When deciding on a movie to watch I am up for anything. I prefer comedy but often I catch myself watching all different types of movies. I start my selection by scanning my options to look for possibly any I have heard are good or if there are any actors or actresses I recognize. After selecting a few movies this way I then read each movies summary on the back of the case. From these steps I then have my movie to watch. Every person has their different likes and dislikes in movies. A key factor in being able to enjoy a movie for me is organization like I mentioned above. Organization is huge, especially in the first 30 minutes of a movie. The first impression from a movie has to catch the watchers attention. When I sit down to watch a movie it has my full interest through out the whole movie unless it is scattered...
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...Week 1 DQ 1 HUM 150 Week 1 DQ 2 HUM 150 Week 1 DQ 3 HUM 150 Week 1 DQ 4 HUM 150 Week 1 Summary HUM 150 Week 1 Assignment Film Viewer Opinion Paper HUM 150 Week 2 DQ 1 HUM 150 Week 2 DQ 2 HUM 150 Week 2 DQ 3 HUM 150 Week 2 DQ 4 HUM 150 Week 2 DQ 5 HUM 150 Week 2 Summary HUM 150 Week 2 Assignment Editing, Sound, and Music Worksheet HUM 150 Week 3 DQ 1 HUM 150 Week 3 DQ 2 HUM 150 Week 3 DQ 3 HUM 150 Week 3 DQ 4 HUM 150 Week 3 DQ 5 HUM 150 Week 3 Summary HUM 150 Week 3 Learning Team Assignment Film Matrix Comedy and Horror Presentation HUM 150 Week 4 DQ 1 HUM 150 Week 4 DQ 2 HUM 150 Week 4 DQ 3 HUM 150 Week 4 DQ 4 HUM 150 Week 4 DQ 5 HUM 150 Week 4 Summary HUM 150 Week 4 Learning Team Assignment Film Matrix Romance, Western, and Documentary HUM 150 Week 5 DQ 1 HUM 150 Week 5 DQ 2 HUM 150 Week 5 DQ 3 HUM 150 Week 5 Assignment Movie Critic Activity mode aims to provide quality study notes and tutorials to the students of HUM 150 COMPLETE CLASS in order to ace their studies. HUM 150 COMPLETE CLASS To purchase this visit here: http://www.activitymode.com/product/hum-150-complete-class/ Contact us at: SUPPORT@ACTIVITYMODE.COM HUM 150 COMPLETE CLASS HUM 150 Week 1 DQ 1 HUM 150 Week 1 DQ 2 HUM 150 Week 1 DQ 3 HUM 150 Week 1 DQ 4 HUM 150 Week 1 Summary HUM 150 Week 1 Assignment Film Viewer Opinion Paper HUM 150 Week 2 DQ 1 HUM 150 Week 2 DQ 2 HUM 150 Week 2 DQ 3 HUM 150 Week 2 DQ 4 HUM 150 Week 2 DQ 5 HUM 150 Week 2 Summary HUM 150 Week 2...
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...Film Theory and Approaches to Criticism, or, What did that movie mean? by Christopher P. Jacobs Movies are entertainment. Movies are documents of their time and place. Movies are artistic forms of self-expression. Movies we see at theatres, on television, or home video are typically narrative films. They tell stories about characters going through experiences. But what are they really about? What is the content of a film? DIGGING DEEPER: FOUR LEVELS OF MEANING Recounting the plot of a movie, telling what happens, is the simplest way to explain it to someone else. But this is neither a film review nor a film analysis. It’s merely a synopsis that anyone else who sees or has seen the movie will likely agree with. This level of content may be called the referential content, since it refers directly to things that happen in the plot and possibly to some aspects of the story that are merely implied by the plot. In John Boorman’s Deliverance (1972), four men from the city go on a weekend canoe trip that unexpectedly becomes a life or death struggle for survival of man against man and man against nature. Some characters survive, others don’t. Most films can be analyzed more thoroughly to reveal deeper levels of meaning. A review (perhaps 400-1200 words) typically includes personal impressions and evaluations of a movie’s content and techniques. A good review may be subjective, yet still touch superficially on topics that might be explored in more detail in a longer...
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... Daniel Miller Professor Schmidt ENG 225 March 25, 2010 Analyzing Films Generally, when a person wants to watch a movie, it is solely for the purpose of entertainment. As the audience member, we often do not spend a great deal of time analyzing the plot, dialogue, and setting. But by taking the time to carefully analyze a movie, you can get a better appreciation of the story that the filmmakers are trying to tell. The films themselves often have a number of elements that come together in order to guide the audience through the arc of the story. Film has properties that set it apart from painting, sculpture, novels, and plays and it is a storytelling medium that shares various elements with short stories and novels (Boggs and Petrie, 2008). While the actors themselves may be the most visible elements on the screen, a number of other craftsmen had to perform many other functions in order to get that finished film in front of an audience. If you are interested in analyzing why one movie succeeds and another fails, it is necessary to understand how much of a collaborative effort filmmaking truly is. Here are some elements that should be considered when preparing to analyze a film (Pollick, 2007). To Analyze a Film Completely First, consider the effectiveness of the dialogue and storyline. Professional screenwriters are the true architects of a movie, though many of them do not get the same attention as the actors or directors of a film. Screenwriters may adapt a book into...
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