MYST Post #3: White Bird in a Blizzard

One day when I was looking for a movie to watch on On Demand I came across a movie White Bird in  A Blizzard. It has not come out to theaters yet, but I watched it on On Demand in the category before theaters. right when I saw the trailer I wanted to watch it. The movie is starring Shailene Woodley, Christopher Meloni, Eva Green, Shiloh Fernandez, Angela Bassett,and Thomas Jane. The movie is set in 1988 and it is about a teenage girl whose world changes when her mom goes missing. Just as her mom goes missing she starts the point in her life when she starts relishing her newfound sexuality. The movie is her life without her mom, but it doesn't seem to affect her that much for some reason. The end has a crazy twist.

The craziest scene that happened was the end scene that reveals what really happened. Usually in Movies especially movies with a mystery aspect I can guess what happens. In this movie my prediction was wrong. I thought that the mom was having an affair with Kat's (Shailene Woodley) boyfriend because it kind of made it seem like that. I thought that the father found out and then killed her, but 

I was wrong. (Spoiler Alert) I was not wrong about the dad killing the mom, but i was wrong about Kat's boyfriend. The end scene of the movie is the mother arriving home. As she walks into her room she find the father having sex with Kat's boyfriend. She started laughing and her husband and he told her to stop laughing, but she woulnd't. So he choked her and put her in the freezer he had in the basement.  My jaw dropped to the ground at the last scene I was not expecting it. It was a great twist that I did not see coming. 

I think the actors did a great job in this movie. Some people think that since Shailene was in this show called Secret Life of the American teenager that she is a bad actor because it was not a good show acting wise. I do not think people should judge her acting based off of that show because she is actually a good actress and did a great job in this movie. Christopher Meloni is best known for his role of Elliot Stabler in Law & Order: SVU and I think that he also did good in this movie. I really liked this movie and I want to read the book. I wanted to wait after I read the book to watch the movie, but I just couldn't wait. I really wanted to see it and really enjoyed this movie

I give this movie 4.5/5

MYST Post #2: Gone Girl

Gone girl has been in the movie theaters for about three weeks and I have already seen it twice. This weekend I am going to be seeing it for the third time. Gone girl stars Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens, Tyler Perry, and Neil Patrick Harris. This movie is based on the book written by Gillian Flynn. I really wanted to read the book before I saw the movie, but i couldn't wait i wanted to see the movie. I hope to still read the book, and from what i have heard from a friend the movie does the book justice and it is almost as good as it. The movie is about a married couple who are celebrating their anniversary, and as nick(Affleck) is coming home to his wife for their anniversaries scavenger hunt he finds out she is gone and reports her missing to the police. As the media becomes obsessed with the case people start to believe that Nick might have killed his wife.

I think that the one of the most important parts of the movie was when Nick was in an interview with Sharon Schieber. This part is important because it changed Amy's mind about Nick. She was either going to kill herself or stay with Desi the rest of her life, but when she saw the interview her mind changed. In the interview he told Sharon about how he did not kill his wife and that he loved her. In the end of the interview he looked into the camera and said Amy I love you come home. This changed her mind because it made her go home because she forgave Nick and wanted to be with him. (spoiler alert) Amy planned that she would kill Desi by, slitting his throat, and make it look like he had kidnapped her and raped her. Then she would go home to Nick. If he would have not done the interview I think that she would have not come home and he would be arrested for her murder and be in prison for the rest of his life or have even gotten the death penalty.
I think that all of the actors did a great job. There is already Oscar buzz going on about this movie. There are big named actors in this movie and also new actors. Carrie Coon who plays Margo Dunne, Nick's twin sister, has only been in about 5 movies/ tv shows, but I think she did a great job. I also think that Rosamund Pike did a great job as well. People either think that Ben Affleck does good or bad in some movies, but I think he did a very good job acting in this movie. I loved his character. I got annoyed with Rosamund Pike's characters at times but I liked her character in a different way because she was very interestingThis movie is very long, but i was never bored during it. Usually in long movies there are always some scenes that seem to be boring, but i was never bored while watching this movie. I really like this movie and look forward to seeing it again this weekend with my dad who is excited to see it.

I give this movie a 5/5

Formal Film Study: Baz Luhrmann

Baz Lurhmann has a unqiue style to his movies. His movies have a lot of props and are also very busy. People usually really like Lurhmann or they do not like him. In the article "'Great Gatsby' Reviewers Divided: Is Baz Luhrmann a Good Director?"by Kevin Fallon he said, " The films are stylish. They're over the top. They're bazzy. ' When it comes to Baz Luhrmann and his style, it's hard not to have such a hard opinion.' says Scott Meslow, entertainment editor at The Week." Luhrmann's work is very over the top and modern, and people will either appreciate it or not like it at all. I for example love Baz luhrmann and his work, but my dad does not. He thinks that they are too busy. Luhrmann gives a very modern feel to his movies. Even if a movie is set in the 60s he will still put music in it that is modern and hasn't even come out until 2013. He goes over board on props and costumes, but in my opinion it makes it more entertaining and he is known for it.

Romeo + Juliet (1996) stays true to the original Romeo and Juliet script, but Baz Luhrmann puts his own spin on it. He sets it in modern time and he changes some parts of the original to make it more contemporary. For example in the original ending Juliet kills herself with a dagger. In Luhrmann's ending she kills herself with a gun. Also the sword fight between Romeo and Tibolt is with guns in luhrmann's version as well. He chose that to fit in with the more modern feel to it. Also in the movie Romeo(Leonardo DiCaprio) takes ecstasy before he goes to the Capulet party. Romeo definitely did not take any drugs in the original, but in Luhrmanns's version he did because he was putting his own style into it. The Capulate party is very busy with crazy costumes, dancing and music. His style is very unique and crazy when it comes to party scenes in his movies.

Moulin Rouge (2001) is another Baz Luhrmann that goes over the top and is very unique. This movie is one of my favorite movies of all time. In the "'Great Gatsby' Reviewers Divided: Is Baz Luhrmann a Good Director?"by Kevin Fallon he said, "Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor belting a medley of love songs by Paul McCartney and Whitney Houston while standing atop an elephant structure in turn-of-the-century Paris while CGI fireworks boom over their heads." This movie is set in 1899-1900 and it plays songs from the 20th century. Satine's( Nicole Kidman) costumes in this movie are very dazzling and the shows at the Moulin Rouge are very busy. In a review of Moulin Rouge Todd McCarthy said, Like everything else in the picture, the Moulin Rouge here is a reinterpretation of the real thing designed with an eye to giving it contemporary relevance; the men might be dressed in black tie and top hat, but the music slips breathlessly from “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” to “Material Girl” as Satine descends spectacularly from the ceiling via trapeze and picks Christian out of the crowd to dance." One of my friends was actually confused watching Moulin Rouge because she didn't understand why some of the songs were in there because they were not made yet during the year in the movie. That is just how Luhrmann's style is when it comes to songs in his movies. 

The Great Gatsby(2013) is Luhrmann's most recent movie and still obtains his style of being unique and dazzling. The props, costumes, and parties are over the top. This movie even won an oscar for its costume design. Historians say that the costumes are not authentic to the time period, but Luhrmann knew that. He just wanted to make them more modern. As for the parties they are extravagant and outrageously  over the top, but in a good way in my opinion. The movie is set in the 1920s and it has modern music in it. During one scene while they were driving to the city they pass a car with people dancing in it and they're listening to Jay-Z. Luhrmann added music from today and brought into the 1920s because it is a part of his style. He adds modern music into movies. He  does it to movies that were set before the songs even came out. 
                     Baz Luhrmann in my opinion si a very good director that creates an over the top movie. His style is very modern. He makes modern costumes and puts in modern music in his movies. His style is very unique and is either liked or hated. I however love his unique styles and appreciate how different his movies are from other directors. 

MYST # 1: AMerican Beauty

 MYST POST # 1: AMERICAN BEAUTY

A while ago when my friend and I were having a movie night we were deciding on what movie to watch. She told me that she had seen a movie recently that she really enjoyed and thought that I would too. The movie was American Beauty starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, and Mena Suvari and directed by Sam Mendes. This movie is about Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) a depressed suburban dad, going through his mid-life crisis, who develops a crush on his daughter's friend, Angela Hayes (Mana Suvari).  His wife, Carolyn Burnham (Annette Bening) is a judgmental and self hated person whom takes it out on her husband, and his daughter Jane Burnham (Thora Birch) a typical teenager who hates her parents falls in love Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley) the shy next door neighbor who is also the local drug dealer and loves to film things. Lester's mid-life crisis causes him to change his world around him. He quits his job and starts working at a fast food restaurant, he buys an expensive car, and he starts working out for Angela.
    In American Beauty there is a famous scene that I think is very important. That scene is when Jane is with Ricky and he is showing her footage of the most beautiful thing he has ever filmed. It is a paper bag being carried by the wind, or "dancing' as Ricky called it. Ricky goes on to state, "It was one of those days when it's a minute away from snowing and there's this electricity in the air, you can almost hear it. And this bag was, like, dancing with me. Like a little kid begging me to play with it. For fifteen minutes. And that's the day I knew there was this entire life behind things, and... this incredibly benevolent force, that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid, ever. Video's a poor excuse, I know. But it helps me remember... and I need to remember... Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world I feel like I can't take it, like my heart's going to cave in." Ricky finds the paper bag beautiful as it floats unaware of the tragedy and problems in the world. The bag gives him a sense of peace. I love this scene and meaning behind it. This scene is important because the movie's tagline is "... look closer" and this scene shows Ricky looking closer at the bag and realizing the beauty of it and what he sees in it. 

   A cinematic element in this movie is the footage of a camcorder. Ricky loved filming and whenever it showed him recording things you got to see it as if you were looking through the camcorder. That is a cool perspective to look through. He looks through his camera a lot and it is as if you're looking at things in his perspective. When you watch videos he has recorded it looks like a footage recorded by a normal camera, and  it also shows good editing when it goes from the camcorder to regular camera work. 
     Overall I really enjoyed this film. I give it a 5/5. There weren't any parts I didn't like. I actually liked the ending because it wasn't a fake cliché hollywood ending. Of course I didn't want him to die, but i knew he was because it said in the beginning. I loved the meaning behind this movie and the acting was great. Kevin Spacey won an Academy Award for his performance in this movie and he deserved it. The film all together won 5 Oscars and Best Picture. I love this movie and highly recommend people to watch it. 

Review of the Reviews

                                         
                                                                       An Education
An Education is a coming-of-age story about Jenny Mellor (Carey Mulligan) a very knowledgable 16 year old london school girl in the 1960swho is determnined to learn English at Oxford until she meets David Goldman (Peter Sarsgaard), an older playboy.  The positive  review is by Nathan Rabin, from the A.V Club, and it starts off by giving a brief synopsis of An Education and the screenwriter, Nick Hornby. Then Rabin goes on to summarize the plot of the movie. After writing about the story line Rabin analyzes Peter Sarsgaard's role in the film. He then states, " Sarsgaard and Molina exist in a world where lives are circumscribed by money and position." He goes on to reveal a theme Mulligan has learned from that in the film. Mulligan learned that she , "has the vision and self-determination to to conceive of a future for herself and a changing world where young women aren't limited to choosing between teaching and becoming a housewife."Rabin then ends his review by stating that the film captures the "ache of growing up" in a tender and witty way. 

The negative review by Jeremy Hellman gave An Education a 34/100 and immediately starts his review with a negative comment about the movie states that An Education, "attempts to impress audiences with its worldliness, but it comes off instead as an awkward, unformed teen fantasy run amok." Hellman goes on to summarize the plot and speak negatively about Nick Hornby's screenplay by saying here was a lot of deck stacking. He does compliment Mulligan though, but says she is the only things that gave the movie a "saving grace" He believes that everything about this movie is superficial and then ends his review with negative feedback. 

I agree with Rabin when he stated, "It captures with tenderness and wit the exquisite ache of growing up as Mulligan evolves into the architect of her own destiny only after incurring the scars, pain, and brutal disappointment that separate the genuinely wise from the merely precocious." I agree with this because i believe that the film does capture the ache of growing up through it. Mulligan learns throughout the whole movie about growing up with wit and tenderness, but it isn't until the end that she learns the ache of it when she learns the truth about Sarsgaard's character. In Hellman's review I only agree with him complimenting Carey Mulligan's acting, but not the part where he states that is was the "saving grace" because i really enjoyed this movie and did not really find anything  negative about it. 

If i have never seen this film i would think that Rabin's review is more convincing because he said very good things about the film and stated a theme from the movie. He also gave a good summary that made me fully understand the movie, and then he went on to give a theme he learned from the movie. I think it is good for reviewers to state the theme because it is what you will learn if you watch the movie. 

If i were to write a one page film review i would be sure to give a summary of the plot and the acting of the movie. I would also give a theme that i had learned from watching the film. I would be sure to say whether or not i liked the film. Then i would give reasoning on why i thought it was a good or bad movie. 

Film Intro Survey

1. What is the first movie that really made a strong impression on you?

• The Goonies and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory . I used to watch these two movies all of the time when i was younger and i have loved them ever since and still watch them all the time.

2. What are 3-4 of your favorite genres?

•  Comedy, Classics, Drama, animation

3. What are 3-4 of your LEAST favorite genres? 

• Silent, Biography, 

4. What are your 5 favorite films? 

• Step Brothers, The Goonies, Moulin Rouge, Shawshank Redemption, Harry potter series, pulp fiction, national treasure, and most Disney animated movies.

5. 3 Characteristics of what you consider a good movie. 

• Funny, plot twist, good ending.

6. What are some of your least favorite movies?

•  IT, 

7. List 3 characteristics that you consider to be a bad movie. 

• bad story lines, cheesy, bad acting

 8. If you have any favorite directors, list them. 

• Baz Luhramm, Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, Francis Ford Coppola, Tyler Perry and Stanley Kubrick.

9. If you have any favorite actors/actresses, list them:

•  Nicolas Cage, Jennifer Lawrence, Johnny Depp, Will Ferrell, Jonah Hill, Dave and James Franco, Liam Neeson.

10. List 3 films that you think students in a film class need to see. 

• Citizen Kane, Casablanca, and The Godfather.

11. List 3 films that you consider important films for people to see.

•  Shawshank Redemption, Goodfellas, and Pulp Fiction.

12. What’s your oldest favorite film? 

• The Wizard of Oz

13. What’s the best movie you’ve seen that’s been released in the past 2 years?

•  The Wolf of Wall Street and Now You See Me

14. What are the next five films on your “queue”?

•  If I Stay,