Independent Film

I chose to watch the film King of California starring Michael Douglas as Charlie and Evan Rachel Wood as his 16 year old daughter Miranda. The film centers around Miranda and as the narrator she details how she basically managed to raise herself with her mother having abandoned her early on and her father neglecting her for most of the time and the remainder of the time he spent inside a mental institution. When Charlie is released he comes home to Miranda having dropped out of school and working long hours at a McDonald's for minimum wage.  To make matters worse Charlie becomes obsessed with finding hidden Spanish gold doubloons which he is convinced are buried somewhere under Southern California.  Overall as a low budget independent film the plot remained entertaining throughout and the viewer can be sure to be in for a laugh during the movie and a surprise at the end.

Blockbuster Movies

The first blockbuster which I can recall seeing was probably the movie Independence Day. For me as someone who isn't necessarily interested in science fiction movies I liked the movie and it remains as one of my favorite blockbusters to this day. The film had an estimated budget of 75 million dollars and grossed nearly 820 million worldwide. It remains as one of the highest grossing films of all time ranking 19th. While much of the movie was dominated with the use of amazing special effects which were of great importance in a movie involving an alien take over of the plant, the plot remains simple and the characters entertaining . Independence Day won an Oscar in 1997 for best effects. Independence Day was released on July 2, 1996, the same date on which the movie begins. The publicity generated by the film was a driving force behind it's box office success.

Movie Memory Post

I would say that no one movie actually enabled me to realize the power of the movie watching experience, rather a number of movies. My first experience with a movie, which made a lasting impression on me, would most likely be The World is Not Enough. Not only was it an introduction for me to the James Bond series but the first action movie I remember seeing. I enjoyed my experience watching this movie so much that I became a Bond fanatic and ten years later I can say that I have either seen or own all of the 23 Bond movies.

Not only was the plot entertaining but the exotic locations to which Bond traveled in the film(s) always going to first class hotels, wearing the finest tailored suits and having the coolest gadgets. Being an automobile aficionado when I saw Bonds superb BMW Z8 in The World is Not Enough and all the gadgets included I could not stop thinking about getting one of my own.

Another movie, which kept me on the edge of my seat and continues to this day to not only be one of my favorite movies but one that also continues to puzzle me, is definitely the movie Ronin starring Robert De Niro and french actor Jean Reno. Ronin definitely embodies everything that is commonly associated with action thrillers. The entire movie centers around individuals hired to steal a mysterious briefcase although these are no ordinary individuals with nearly all being formally employed by their countries as either a member of the military or intelligence/counter intelligence. As a result of these individuals no longer being needed or employed by their government they become in essence individuals without a job and without a country hence the title Ronin (a reference to a masterless samurai in feudal Japan.) The briefcase remains the center of nearly the entire film but the contents are never revealed to the viewer. The mystery and intrigue surrounding the case remains for me today and even after seeing it numerous times the viewer is left to only guess what the possible contents are.

Film Noir

One film which is often considered the best of the Film Noir genre is The Maltese Falcon. It starred Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor. I chose to watch this movie for the simple fact that I was told that this movie was considered to be one of the best of the Film Noir genre. After about a half an hour I began to realize why and I became completely immersed in the film.

The entire film centers around individuals looking to steal a falcon which was originally a gift from the Knights Templar of Malta to the king of Spain although the precious cargo was stolen from the ship it was on in 1539. This falcon was supposed to have been made of gold and encrusted with jewels therefore making the piece priceless.

I would say that Chinatown was more of a film which allowed viewers to ride along with J.J. Gittes, as witnessed with the numerous camera shots from the back seat of detective Gittes while driving. In the Maltese Falcon, director John Huston seems to put the viewer in detective Sam Spades point of view in essence making the viewer Sam Spade.

Of these two Film Noir movies I would say that both films were entertaining although if I must recommend one to see it would be without a doubt The Maltese Falcon.

Foreign Film Post

When watching the film Breathless I was impressed and entertained. I have never seen a film which includes such quick camera shots of the character and at times shots which completely skipped over certain parts of the characters movements. Breathless was a film which used a number of outdoor locations in the setting of the city of Paris. One difference which I see most often in the foreign films which I have seen such as Life is Beautiful and Slumdog Millionaire between American made movies is the use of location. In a number of foreign films the outdoor setting either in cities or the countryside seems to be commonly used, but used in way which becomes important to the plot of the film. Often times in American made films the setting may only have an impact on a specific scene within the movie.

Movie Paper Assignment

A film which immediately sticks out in my mind is Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now. One of the most dramatic interpretations of the Vietnam War it tells about the journey of a special ops solider assigned to assassinate a high ranking renegade Green Beret. The film stars Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen and Robert Duvall. The film won two Oscars for cinematography and best sound.

Western Comparison

Stagecoach vs. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

When thinking of Westerns the first name that comes to mind is John Wayne. After becoming a star in 1939’s Stagecoach, Wayne went on to act in nearly 100 movies till his death in 1979. Other than Wayne one of the Western genres biggest stars was Clint Eastwood. Eastwood stared in numerous Westerns including 1966’s The Good the Bad and the Ugly. The film centers primarily around three individuals Tuco (the ugly), Angel Eyes (the bad) and Blondie (the good). These three all begin to pursue the same treasure, $200,000 in gold buried in a graveyard during the Civil War. Their pursuit takes them from a Union prison camp to the barren deserts with a brilliant final standoff between the three in a fight for the gold.
One of the clear distinctions between Stagecoach and The Good the Bad and the Ugly that I noticed was the lack of a great deal of dialogue between the characters, with none of them speaking more than Tuco (Eli Wallach). While the dialogue was sparse the cinematography was brilliant with each camera angle chosen carefully and the iconic theme music, which remains as one of the most popular and commonly known in the Western genre. Overall with this being the oldest genre of film I would say that not much had changed in the typical Western although there was an increase in action and numerous violent deaths.