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)