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.

Time Lapse

Patrick Mayhorn
Lemberg
Film Art
10 December 2015

Time Lapse

Time Lapse is an action thriller made in 2014 starring  Danielle Panabaker, Matt O'Leary, and  George Finn, directed by Bradley King. Time lapse is about three friends and roommates discovering a camera developed by their now dead neighbor that can take a picture one day in the future. Naturally, Japser (George Finn), the drugie troublemaker, uses it to bet on horse races, but as his bookie catches on, the friends become far too intertwined with this machine, and are forced to do unthinkable things to protect their secret. Personally, I loved Time Lapse, but it's not for everyone, it was slow building, dark, and frustrating, but it was incredibly suspenseful and thrilling to watch. The characters were likeable and the performances by each was very believable and well done. The cinematography wasn't great, but a few shots really stood put to me. This shot shows the bookie first seeing this machine, and the look on his face is really telling of the emotions in the movie. It's a dark shot, as is the whole movie, with an artificial light from the machine. The whole movie was a lot like this and definitely did its job as a thrilling horror.