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Reviews
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Bonnie and Clyde Review
Bonnie and Clyde directed by Arthur Penn was a great crime/drama movie. This movie was made in 1967 and was in the year when many great films were made. The Graduate and Guess Whose Coming To Dinner were also made in this year and they are all considered some of the greatest movies of all time. It was exciting throughout and kept you on the edge of your seat during the whole thing. The time period was in the 1930's and Penn made it look exactly like it was that time. He recreated the Great Depression feel and look 30 years later. It was excellent. The ending of the movie was also very good. The camera is used at many different angles. They stop on the side of the road and eventually walk right into their death. The camera quickly cuts between both of their faces before they get shot. Then it is just silent with their bodies rolling around as they are dying. It was a perfect way to an already crazy movie. I loved it.
Double Indemnity (1944)
Double Indemnity
Double Indemnity directed by Billy Wilder was an okay movie I felt. I thought it would be much better due to the whole murder/insurance fraud plan. I am also not a big fan of noir films either, so that could be a big reason why I didn't think it was that good. I thought it would be more of an action/suspense type of movie but it wasn't boring though. It was still a decent movie, I just expected more. I really liked how they told who the murder was in the opening scenes. Sometimes that can backfire on you because it can ruin the suspense later in the movie. There was narration throughout the movie from Walter Neff. The movie also had a lot of humor in it. I also really like the score music they used in it. It really went perfectly with what was happening in the movie helping you to the feel the mood of it better.
Psycho (1960)
Psycho Review
Psycho directed by Alfred Hitchcock was an amazing thriller movie. Hitchcock kept you on the edge of your seat throughout the whole movie. This movie is flawless and the cinematography is perfect. Using the shadows and covering up the killer in the shower scene was perfect. It couldn't get any better. The shower scene is one of the best scenes I've ever seen in any movie. The camera zooms in as she showering to the shadowy figure in the background. Then he opens the curtain and the score music comes on which was perfect and fit so well. While he is stabbing her his whole figure is still hidden and you can't see his face. Then he leaves the bathroom as she's dying and the camera is just focused on her hand as she is slowly dying. It was perfect and just gave me that weird feeling. I loved it. That scene describes a horror movie perfectly. The acting job too during that scene was great. She made it look so realistic and it was spectacular.
Jane Eyre (1943)
Jane Eyre Review
Jane Eyre directed by Robert Stevenson was a great movie in every aspect. It was a great melodramatic movie. Orson Welles was also fantastic in this and was a major influence in the movie. Orson played Mr. Rochester who was a wealthy man and the master of Thornfield. He is a very sympathetic person who has gone through a lot. The cinematography was very good for this time with a lot of camera movement different lighting between dark and bright lighting. It was mostly dark with a Gothic feel to it which made it even better. He used a many shadows too to give it that Gothic, creepy feel. From what I hear, the black and white version is much better than all the remakes they have done. I feel like this is true because having it in black and white can really give it that Gothic feel that Stevenson was hoping for. He did a really great job with it and I really recommend this movie.
Fantasia (1940)
Fantasia
Fantasia directed by many different directors is classic movie that everyone loves. Walt Disney produced it and it is probably one of their biggest achievements ever. I have never watched it until now and it was a really good movie. Many people view this film as one of the best animated films ever and I can agree with that after watching it. This film is so advanced for being made in 1940. It was amazing how they did it all. The music in this film is also well known by many and was a really big part to the movie. The Philadelphia Orchestra was in charge of the music. There was very little dialogue and that's why the music was huge because it basically took over for the little dialogue. The music really goes with the movie. The colors in the movie were also amazing. This time period was the beginning for colors to be introduced and they did a great job with it. I also think it is one of the top musical films ever too along with Singing in the Rain.
White Zombie (1932)
White Zombie
White Zombie directed by Victoria Helpern and starring Bella Lugosi was a low budget horror film. This is also an independent film. I really like this film because it is and old horror film and I liked how horror films have evolved from this time period. The horror films are so much different today. Back then it was just a simple kind of scary to the film which sort of made it better. Maddie is transformed into a zombie through a drug she was given. She is basically a slave to Lugosi. Lugosi's acting performance in this movie was spectacular. He is a much underrated actor. The technicality of the film was really good for being from 1932. There is a lot of transitions and many cuts. There is also long takes to help show the plot and that something important has happened. Movies that do long takes can really get a good image in the viewer's head to show him something that is really important in the movie.
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Do the right thing review
Do the Right Thing directed by Spike Lee was a good movie overall but one that really made me mad. This movie was very powerful and gave a look at the racism and tension that was going on in Brooklyn, Ny. It had tension between the piazza shop, the African Americans, and the Whites. It also fit perfectly with what is going on today with the police killing unarmed people. It really made me mad at the end because of all the rioting and destruction that the people did to the piazza place. The cops choked the man to death so they took it out on the piazza shop. It made no sense to me. I also didn't get why Mookie started the riot by throwing the trash can through the glass. I just didn't get it because he seemed like a really good guy. The movie technicality wise was great. The color they used was like a red orange type and it was great. They also did it perfectly showing how hot it was and what the people were going through. You could see the sweat and the colors just made it look very hot out there.
Annie Hall (1977)
Annie Hall summary
Annie Hall directed by Woody Allen wasn't really an interesting movie to me. It was a very funny and very creative movie though. There was comedy throughout the whole movie that was really funny. He has a lot of dry humor that will make everyone laugh. He was very creative throughout the movie using many different techniques. In the beginning, he starts with him in front of the camera telling jokes to the audience. He talks about his life and all of it has nothing to do with the movie. Also in the beginning, he is in the classroom and he kisses the girl. His younger self goes up to the room while his older self sits in the desk and tries to defend him self. It was brilliant. At some points, he would stop the film and talk to the audience about what is happening. He also uses subtitles when he is talking to Annie on the balcony. She starts it off by being funny with him being Jewish. They are both talking to each other with subtitles underneath with words that they really wanted to say. It was brilliant and funny at the same time.
The Graduate (1967)
The Graduate Review
The Graduate directed by Mike Nichols was a phenomenal movie. I finally have watched the movie to the catchy song, here's to you, Mrs. Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel. I never knew this song was from this and for this movie. All in all though, I loved this movie from start to finish. It was a perfect plot and Ben was your typical kid who doesn't know what to do after college. The whole scenario with having an affair with someone's wife, then falling in love with their daughter was brilliant. The quality of the movie was great and the color looked really good. The best scene to me was at the end of the movie. I loved it when he was standing at the top of the church banging on the glass door. He didn't have a care in the world and he was going for what he really wanted. It was really cool. But after that, when their on the bus driving away was the best. They got on the bus and they went to sit and the back and seemed very happy. When the bus drove away, the look they both gave each other was perfect. They both looked like they knew they messed up with what they had just done and that they couldn't take it back. The bus was already leaving symbolizing that there was no turning back.
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
review
Night of the Hunter directed by Charles Laughton was a creepy but really good movie. The lighting was always dim and dark throughout most of the movie. It really set the tone thought because Harry was out to get the two kids for their money. He was a murderer and nobody knew about it. Throughout the whole movie, Laughton made you wonder when he was actually going to get caught. This was good because it made you anxious to find out what was going to happen and if he'd get caught. The suspense was crazy. The scene where the mother was sitting in the car under the water was perfect. Her hair was sticking up waving in the water and the uncle couldn't believe it when he saw her down there. He didn't believe it was true. The title fits perfectly because he was hunting them for their dad's money and did whatever it took to get them. He murdered their mother and acted perfectly around the neighbors like he didn't do anything. Harry looked so innocent throughout the movie and the acting job was perfect. He made it seem like he really cared for the kids and the wife and hid his murdering habits.
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
review
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner directed by Stanley Kramer has been one of the best movies I have ever seen. Sidney Poutier's acting job was spectacular. The movie portrays a really big problem in a white girl marrying a black man. In that time period it was unheard of and nobody thought it would ever happen. The Drayton parents acting jobs were perfect. The mother from the beginning was shocked and you could tell from the scene when she was sitting on the couch. Her eyes were watery and she didn't know what to say. She changed though because she welcomed the marriage and didn't object. The father on the other hand was against the marriage for the whole movie as was John's father. They both were completely against it but had to change by the end because it was going to happen. Joey kept piling up things on him with telling him there getting married, that she was leaving that night, and then inviting John's parents to dinner. He was put in all these tough predicaments. It felt good to see him finally agree at the end and he gave that wonderful speech. This movie was perfect in dealing with the startup of interracial marriages.
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
review
Singing in the Rain by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly is the best musical movie I've ever seen. I am really not a big fan of musicals and going into this one, I wasn't too excited. After the movie though I changed my view on it. It was fantastic throughout and it was finally good to see a movie in color. All the songs in the movie were good and I didn't know some of the songs were from this movie. "Good Morning" is a song we hear a lot these days and I had no idea that this where it came from. It was also a good feeling at the end of the movie to see Lena be embarrassed by everyone at the show. She had the snobby attitude and I just didn't like her at all. Her scratchy high pitch voice fit perfectly with her because it was annoying just like she was as a person. Her voice was awful and they did a good job of making the audience really hate her and favor Kathy.
Mildred Pierce (1945)
review
Mildred Pierce directed by Michael Curtiz was a phenomenal movie. Both this movie and Casablanca directed by Curtiz are some of the better movies I have seen from this time period. Joanne Crawford was also really good in this movie and she won an Oscar for it. It had a lot of suspense and drama throughout the whole movie. The type of person Joanne was in the movie is someone that many women would look up to. She had a lot of drive and determination to what she wanted and to open up her own restaurant. She didn't let anyone get in her way, but she did also face many obstacles throughout. I liked how they started the movie with ending and did flashback with Mildred while she was being interviewed. They gave the whole story in a flashback. The relationship between Mildred and Veda the daughter was also your typical mother- daughter relationship. Veda wanted to be independent and didn't want her mom controlling her. By trying to be by herself, it got her in a lot of trouble at the end that her mother couldn't get her out of.
Stagecoach (1939)
movie review
Stagecoach directed by John Ford and was a great movie in every aspect. I do think that it wasn't as great as it was hyped up to be. Also having John Wayne in it made it so much better. His acting job was very good. The stage coach had a variety of people who were all different from one another. They all had their own reason for traveling to get to Lindsburg. It was produced in 1939 when many good movies were produced. The whole scene with the shooting and fighting towards the end was my favorite scene. The guy was jumping from horse to horse and then the stunt where the guy fell off and laid under the coach. He did it perfectly for it being such a dangerous stunt. It was shot well and the camera movement was good.
Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
analysis of Young Mr. Lincoln
Young Mr. Lincoln starring Henry Fonda was an exceptional movie. The movie took a little time to really pick up, but once it did, it was a great movie. This movie portrays the greatness of Abraham Lincoln and how great he actually was. In this movie we saw the early years of Lincoln's life. As I said before, the movie started of slow to me. When the murder happened, that's really where it picked up for me. The movie just became intense and interesting. Lincoln throughout the whole movie seemed to be so laid back like nothing was wrong with the situation. He was just a young lawyer in a case that most people wouldn't think he could actually win. He also had a lot of authority and people listened to him. He had a lot of followers and people who looked up to him. He solved every problem. The whole plot to the story was perfect with the brothers being falsely accused of murder and the movie just kept building and building. This has been one of the better movies I have seen from this time period and I really recommend it to people.
Casablanca (1942)
Casablanca
Casablanca starring Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart, and Paul Henried was an all-around great movie. This is a romantic film where Ilsa was falling for Rick and Victor. Rick was Rick and Ilsa had the stronger relationship. Victor and Ilsa seemed to have a plain relationship. In the end, Rick forces the captain to allow Victor and Ilsa to go to America while he stays behind. This shows how much he loves Ilsa because he wants the best for her even though it meant her going with Victor. A scene that was good in the movie was the national anthems being played in the café. The German's started singing their national anthem. Then Rick cued everyone else to do the French national anthem. This is a key scene because it shows the people actually standing up against the Germans and their invasions. The relationship with Rick and the Captain was also good too. Most viewers at the end would actually think that Rick turned on him but he didn't. He used the captain to help Victor and Ilsa to get away and then the captain stood up for Rick when the Germans came to try and stop them. It shows how strong their relationship was.
Nothing Sacred (1937)
Nothing scared
Nothing Scared was another great screwball comedy directed by William Wellman. It starred Carole Lombard and Fredric March. Carole Lombard was great in this movie just like she was in My Man Godfrey. She was a woman name Hazel who supposedly diagnosed with radium poisoning. She does a great job hiding the fact that she actually doesn't have the poison. She was very believable. Wally was a newsman who was looking for Hazel. They wanted to bring her to New York before she died to get the newspaper the publicity it needed. She decided to not tell the truth and live with the publicity like she was a celebrity. They were both perfect for each other which made it work. Wally fell for her throughout the movie still without knowing she was faking it. He had to learn the hard way that she actually was faking it but still loved her even after finding out. I thought the color in this movie was pretty good for that time. It made it a little easier to watch.
My Man Godfrey (1936)
Godfrey review
My Man Godfrey was a great screwball comedy with William Powell who played Godfrey and Carole Lombard who played Irene. The whole movie was funny and continued to be funny. Godfrey stayed serious throughout the whole movie and had a great personality. Even though he was living on the streets, you could tell he was a straight up intelligent man. Irene is a nutty girl who fell for Godfrey. She did everything she could to be with Godfrey. Throughout the movie, Irene would talk really fast when she was talking to Godfrey. She wouldn't let him get a word in showing her dominance.
Powell was great during the movie. He was a man pulled off of the streets to butler for a wealthy family. It was a joke to the family, but he didn't see that. He was serious while Irene was acting ditsy to him every moment. He came across many different situations but stayed serious through all of them.
Hell's House (1932)
Hell's House Summary
Hell's House by Howard Higgins was a low budget film that displayed problems with reform schools and also showed a tight relationship between Jimmy and Shorty. Jimmy ended up with Matt Kelly because his mom was hit by a car and killed. Jimmy is an innocent boy who ended up in juvenile reform school because of Matt, the guy Jimmy looks up to. He takes the punishment for Matt who is a bootlegger. While in the reform school, he meet a kid named Shorty who would later become his best friend. They grew a special bond while they were there. Shorty taught him all the tricks with bricks and stuck up for him when the other kids were messing with him. The reform school were not too good and displayed many problems. Making the kids stand on the line and stare at the wall is torture. They had to stack bricks all day and it was hard work for young kids like they were. Jimmy managed to escape the reform school and wasn't going to leave Shorty there. Shorty was in tough shape after being abused. Jimmy was going to do whatever it takes to get him out and it shows the special bond they had even though he's only known him for a short amount of time. Higgins showed us how special their relationship was. He got Frank who was part of the newspaper to spread the word out about the school.
Frankenstein (1931)
Analysis of Frankenstein
Frankenstein by James Whale was a great movie in many ways but wasn't really a horror movie. It's not like the horror movies today but it was still a good one. Dr. Frankenstein was so determined to create Frankenstein from human body parts. All of his faith in the monster was because he thought his wife believed in him. Once the monster became alive, he knew the monster would be no good. He started losing his faith slowly as the movie went on. James Whale did a good job of setting the mood for the movie because of the beginning with the background in the cemetery. The sky was gray and black and made look like a dark dreary day. Also two men sneaking around to dig a grave just makes it creepy. From there you could tell it was a dark movie. Everything else like the castle was the same way to. The castle seemed old and just didn't fit in but made it very creepy.
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang review
This movie portrays the harsh conditions of prison camps and chain gangs. James Allen who was a World War veteran trying to live his dreams, happens to fall in these chain gangs for something he really didn't do. This movie would make a lot of viewers angry in their seats because of the stuff that happened to James. He was put into a lot of predicaments. He did manage to escape the camp and live like a normal citizen for a while. He became wealthy and was well known by the city. He was not a person deserving to be in those camps. James was promised a pardon for going back to the chain gang and never got it. It shows the injustice of the cities and their wrongful doings. James was a fugitive of this chain gang.
The film really helped show the terrible conditions of these camps. The food that they were served that looked like watery, mushed up food, and then being whipped from not working too hard were some of the images that showed the harsh conditions. The songs the prisoners sung were dark showing how miserable they were and how bad the place was. These people may have been criminals but were treated severely bad.
The Kid (1921)
The kid review
"The Kid" by Charlie Chaplin was yet again another funny movie. The movie featured comedy but also had a relationship that grew throughout the movie. Charlie first finds the baby and wants nothing to do with it. He tries really hard to get rid of it but fails every time. He then doesn't really have a choice to take care of him. The relationship the two had was a very amusing relationship. The things they did were hysterical. It was a father son type relationship that made you laugh. The kid breaking the windows so Charlie could fix them and then be chased by cops was just one of the many funny things that they did.
The end of the movie really showed the true development of the relationship between the boy and Charlie. From the beginning, Charlie did not want the baby but grew to like him. They did everything together and when they wanted to take the boy from Charlie, it hit him. He had grown to the boy and did not want to be separated. He fought to keep the child with him. That shows the type of relationship they had and how strong it was.
The Circus (1928)
The Circus
"The Circus" by Charlie Chaplin was an all-around hysterical comedy. Even though there was no sound, everything about it was funny. I wasn't expecting it to be as a funny as it was because I'm used to the type of comedy today. The comedy was similar to the 3 Stooges where the characters were doing funny things like running into each other and then what I thought was the funniest was the mirror scene. Charlie was trying to get away from the cop and the mirrors made everything confusing to both. It made it even funnier because of how hard it was to get out. It was simple comedy that just isn't really around nowadays.
The title goes perfectly with the movie because Circuses are supposed to be enjoyable and funny. Everything about this movie was funny and enjoyable. Everything that Charlie Chaplin did was humorous. He became the center of the show without even knowing it. He took the job to be around the circus leader's daughter. He just happened to be really funny doing his normal routines. The movie had a little bit of romance in it and some decisions Charlie had to make with the daughter, but for the most part it was comedy movie.