2001 A Space Odyssey

Patrick Mayhorn
Lemberg
Film Art
14 January 2016

2001 A Space Odyssey

2001 A Space Odyssey (1968) is a sci-fi, mystery, directed by  Stanley Kubrick, starring  Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, and a psychotic computer named HAL. The cinematography was amazing, that's all I can really say about this film. I was bored within five minutes, the plot was slow, and the acting was dull. But the music was excellent, and the shots were beautiful. This movie is as artsy as it gets, and that just isn't for me, but I can appreciate the beauty of it still. The shot below, is one of the best in the movie, and it's framed so perfectly. Everything about this shot is perfect, and there is a lot like it in the film. It's worth watching for the music and cinematography alone, even if the story leaves much to be desired.

                       

Casablanca

Patrick Mayhorn
Lemberg
Film Art
14 January 2016

Casablanca

Casablanca (1942) is a romantic drama, directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and  Paul Henreid. Everyone has heard of Casablanca, even if they've never seen it. I'd never seen Casablanca, and I wish I could say I enjoyed it, but I just didn't no matter how hard I tried. There were definitely bright spots of the movie Rick and Elsa were both likable, as was Lazlo, and there were some really enjoyable scenes, but I just can't get over the innate and over the top cheesiness. And yes, that may just be the age of the film, but the "here's looking at you, kid" consistently made me want to roll my eyes into the back of my head. I didn't like that line the first time I heard it, and I certainly didn't like it the seventeenth time. There were way too many names and it was just hard to follow. The entire movie felt like buildup to something that never happened. But that doesn't mean it doesn't have some good qualities, the cinematography was excellent, and the acting was above average. Oh, and Sam was fantastic, and if anything happened to his character I was fully ready to riot. Just because I didn't like it doesn't mean it's not a good movie, just not for me, though I would like to see what people see in this movie. Overall, it's worth a watch, just to say you've seen it, but I wouldn't watch it again.

                       

Citizen Kane

Patrick Mayhorn
Lemberg
Film Art
14 January 2016

Citizen Kane

Citizen Kane (1941) is a dramatic mystery, directed by  Orson Welles , starring Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton, and  Dorothy Comingore. Citizen Kane is widely considered one of the greatest films ever made, and while I don't agree with that, I think the cinematography is some of the best of all time.  Citizen Kane was one of the first films to use "[deep focus, which basically means, using a shorter lens, with more light and focus, to give more field of depth]" (175). This shot is a great example of this (1), as your eyes start at the mother, and then you see the depth of the room behind her. Another thing Citizen Kane uses is editing in (2), which basically means "[transitioning through editing]" in the sequence after Kane dies, and it fades to the news (223). Citizen Kane's strongest feature is its cinematography, and it's worth watching, entirely for that.

(2)



(1)

Genre Defense

Patrick Mayhorn
Lemberg
Film Art
10 December 2015

Genre Defense

 

1. Film genres are important because they help group movies into categorizes based on the content, acting, stories, and production of the film.
2. Genres are bound to certain cultures because depending on the environment you grow up in, you will relate to and be entertained by different things, and certain genres run strong in certain cultures.
3. Genre can use prototypes and troupes to classify something into it, and place a subject or theme with others like it, to use as a comparison.
4. I analyzed the crime movie genre. Crime movies almost always feature hooligans, rivals, working class criminals, and some kind of protagonist. There's often graffiti, guns, weapons, drugs, alcohol, and poor living conditions. I applied this to the movie "Pulp Fiction". Pulp Fiction has hooligans, criminals, guns, weapons, drugs, alcohol, and many themes that point directly to crime films.

Fight Club

Patrick Mayhorn
Lemberg
Film Art
10 December 2015

Fight Club

Fight Club is an action movie created in 1999 starring  Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter, directed by David Fincher. Fight Club is about an insomniac office worker, looking for a way to change his life, crossing paths with a devil-may-care soap maker, as they form an underground fight club that evolves into something much, much more. The writing is solid, as is the acting, but the cinematography really puts it over the top. The shot here focuses on the main characters beautifully, and the lighting portrays a great atmosphere.

The Shawshank Redemption

Patrick Mayhorn
Lemberg
Film Art
10 December 2015

The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption is an action drama starring Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, and  Bob Gunton, directed by Frank Darabont that was released in 1994. The Shawshank Redemption is probably the best film ever made, and I'm sure it's debatable, but I have to lean towards agreeing with that sentiment. Everything about this movie is perfect, and it's one of the most satisfying movies of all time. Morgan Freeman is absolutely incredible, the writing and plot are great, and the cinematography is fantastic. It's really difficult to describe this movie, and I don't have the vocabulary to do it justice, other than saying it is basically perfect. This shot shows beautiful lighting, and it really shows the overall setting and feeling of the movie.

                                

Pulp Fiction

Patrick Mayhorn
Lemberg
Film Art
10 December 2015

Pulp Fiction

Pulp Fiction is a crime drama action film released in 1994, starring John Travolta, Uma Thurman, and Samuel L. Jackson, directed by Quentin Tarantino. Pulp Fiction is largely regarding as one of the best films of all time and I really can't disagree. It's the gritty story of the lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits that intertwine as four tales of redemption. Everything about this movie is fantastic, the writing, plot, acting, cinematography, everything. Travolta and Jackson are both fantastic and the dark humor in the back through the movie is fantastic. Tarantino is one of my favorite directors and this is one of his best movies. The cinematography is one of the best parts of the movie, and the shot I picked really tells a story in itself. If you've ever seen anything about this movie, it's this picture. Everything about this shot is perfect, the lighting, outfits, perspective, lighting, everything. If you've never seen this movie, which I'm sure is not the case, go watch it, it's fantastic.