Change Your Image
John0711
Reviews
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Analysis of Pulp Fiction
I love the opening scene of this movie because the two robbers plot what they are gonna do for their next robbery and right then and there they start to rob the place. But what I like most about this scene is how casual they are and happy and then they go full robbers and pull out their guns. I like how when the women says "Ill execute every motherf**cking last one of you" then the shot freezes on her and then they start on the opening credits.
I like how in movies when the shot starts off dark then whatever it is that the characters are behind opens then you see the characters. In Pulp Fiction the shot starts dark then the trunk opens and you get a low angle shot. The camera is in the trunk shot up at the Vincent and Jules getting their guns out of the trunk.
Tracking shot is used when Vincent and Jules walk to the apartment.
When Jules and Vincent enter the apartment the movie uses close shots of the characters faces so the audience understands the atmosphere of the conversation.
Mia calls Vincent a square without actually saying it. She moves her hand to make a square and the effects of movie makes a square. I like this editing technique, it different and something you don't see in most movies.
One of the reason why I enjoyed this movie so much is because Quentin Tarantino did a very good job at making me confused. Throughout the movie I had no idea what was really going on but as the movie went on you understood how the scenes connected to eachother.
Taxi Driver (1976)
Analysis for Taxi Driver
In the beginning of the movie when Travis is walking along the street Travis fades out and then fades back in further down the street.
After this scene the movie uses a voice over of Travis talking about his hours as a taxi driver and what his typical nights were like driving around in his taxi.
You can tell that Travis is an alcoholic because throughout the film he has a drink that is in a paper bag which most will understand is alcohol.
When Travis walks into a shop where it starts off with a few men talking, Travis walks through a gate where he needs to get a ticket to get in and my eye caught the editing. I like how you here the the diegetic sound of the buzzer when he walks through then the movie does short cuts of "stop" and then cuts to the ticket that Travis takes. In this same scene the movie uses a few clips of POV. One time when he leaves the store and looks at Charlie T and then right after he leaves it is used again when Travis sees a man on the street.
The scene when Travis is at the shooting range the movie shows Travis shoot and then cuts to the target that he shot and then zooms in quickly to show where he shot on the target.
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
Analysis of Midnight Cowboy
Opening of movie is very different then any of the other movies I have watched for my American Cinema Class:
1. It's fully color
2. And it doesn't start with the opening credits.
3. The opening credits appear over the scene that is going on in the movie.
Joe has a lot of flashbacks but the flashbacks seem kind of haunting. Flashbacks of something that he might be trying to get away from or something he is trying to get back to.
One shot that I like in movie is when you can tell the camera is being held by hand. In the scene where Joe is on the bus and there is a short clip of the city; it almost feels like a video that I would of taken off of my phone.
A more clever way of not showing a sexual encounter, the shots go back and forth from TV stations as Joe and the women roll over the remote.
Notorious (1946)
Analysis of Notorious
I thought it was different how in the opening credits the screen was a square and then as the movie started the screen got bigger.
One editing technique that is used a lot in this movie is fading in and out of scenes.
One of the first scenes of the movie Alicia is talking to a man, but you can only see the outline of his back, and others in the room and during this entire scene she is talking and looking at the man (Devlin) but the man's face is never revealed and he says nothing.
The scene when Alicia is hungover is very cool to me. The editing allows you to understand how Alicia is feeling. It starts off blurry and hazy and then slowly goes into focus.
Close up shots of the different actors faces helped show me how that particular person was feeling in that moment. Also credit to the actors who are actually making the expressions that seem realistic.
POV is used a few times in the film but seems to be only used with Alicia to show what she is seeing.
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Analysis
This is my second time watching the Wizard of Oz and I wanted to watch it again so I could pick up on things I missed the first time I saw it.
In the beginning when Dorothy is on still on the farm Zeke and Hunk make references that I didn't pick up on the first time I watched it. One of the things that Zeke said was, "Have a little courage" which is funny since he is the Cowardly lion. Some more irony that comes in this scene is when Hunk says, "Your head ain't made of straw", this is also amusing because Hunk is the scarecrow. All of the characters in the beginning of the film before Dorothy has her dream are in her dream. For example Miss Gulch is a mean old lady that is trying to have Toto be put down. Dorothy says to her, "You wicked ol witch". Miss Gulch is the Wicked Witch in Dorothy's dream.
I like how in the beginning of the movie is shot in black and white then as Dorothy is dreaming it turns to color.
Out of the Past (1947)
Analysis
Out of the Past has a very melancholy feel to it. The movie uses low key lighting to show the dreariness of the movie. I enjoyed the opening shot. The camera is placed on the back of the car as the man driving it looks for Jeff.
I found it interesting how the movie decided to use a Deaf kid when they could of easily of used a kid who wasn't. With such a small role in the movie I didn't quite understand why they did that.
This movie is non-linear. The movie starts in present time then flashes back as Jeff tells the story of his past. During these flashback scenes the movie uses first-person narrator as Jeff explains his past.
I found myself rather on edge when Jeff is checked up on by Whit and Joe. When they are in Jeffs room you hear a knock on the door and you assume right away the person at the door is Kathie but it is not. Then in the next scene Jeff is walking down to get a drink with the two men and sees a women from behind that appears to look like Kathie but as she turns around you notice it is not her.
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Analysis of The Maltese Falcon (1941)
The Maltese Falcon is a very dreary film. You can tell this buy the lighting of the film. On the outsides of the screen it is quite dark giving this setting of the film a melancholy feel to the mystery.
Sam is a very interesting character. In most movies characters usually come at a point where someone else has more power then them in a scene. In this movie there are many instances where you would think Sam would feel less powerful then others but he always knows what to say. No matter the setting or the people he is talking to he is good at using his words to make himself have the upper hand in every confrontation he is in.
Ms. Wonderly in the film is another character that I took notice to. She is very manipulative and knows how to make people fall under her spell by acting powerless but of course she could never fool Sam.
The Women (1939)
The Women Analysis
I thought it was great how the entire film is shot in black and white but when it is the scene of the fashion show it switches to color. Couldn't of picked a better part in the movie to be in color because it makes you pay attention to the scene more in my opinion. It was funny, at first when I was watching the scene of the fashion show I didn't notice the change until like 2 minutes into the scene but to people that have only watched movies in black white they must of been in awe. Another great part about the scene would have to be the length of time on the shot.
I find it funny how even though the language the women used then and now are different; the way they always talk about drama and are passive aggressive is still the same.
When the two women are angry at Crystal and want her fired; they fall into that cart and it almost seems to perfect the way they fall into it. Not that great of an act but something that probably was amusing at the time.
His Girl Friday (1940)
His Girl Friday (1940) Analysis
The title His Girl Friday is quite ironic because a girl Friday represents a servant; but the thing is Hildy is the brains behind the newspaper and either as smart or smarter then Walter.
When Walter finally meets Bruce he uses Bruce's innocence and kindness to try and get his way by sabotaging Hildy and Bruce's marriage.
During the jail break scene of Earl Williams the director does a very good job a grabbing the attention of the audience. He does so by loud siren noises and while the reporters are on the phone you can see the intensity of the scene by the camera constantly switching from reporter to reporter.
King Kong (1933)
King Kong Analysis
I thought King Kong was a well done movie. Of course the filming and special effects weren't the best, but it was still a good movie. One thing I took away from this film is how everyone fears the beast, but in reality the only reason that he is to be feared is because of the people. Kong is very misunderstood and you see that when he is with Ann. She opens another side to him that the people have never seen before. He isn't just a scary beast he is an animal that just wants to be loved.
One Week (1920)
One Week Analysis
"One Week" is a funny silent film. A married couple ready to build their own house seem to construct it wrong because a man that was rejected by the woman sabotages their kit so they do certain steps out of order. Of course nowadays this movie wouldn't come across as too funny because it is a silent film; but I can see how back in 1920 this could come across as amusing. Without sound directors would have to think outside the box. In this short movie the director does a good job at making the actions of the characters funny and easy to understand so the audience can follow along.
Baby Face (1933)
Baby Face Analysis
"Baby Face" was a very well done movie that shows us that all the money in the world cannot buy love and happiness. Lily, made her way up the company by manipulating her bosses. Doing this brought her great fortune. The thing was Lily had all the money but still felt unhappy. Lily thought that having all this money would bring her happiness but she realized in the end that love would bring her happiness not fortune. The significance of this movie is that we all want money and power but when we finally get it none of it will matter if we don't have the people that we love.