Journal # 3
Behind the Scenes
I saw the movie “Chinatown” for this journal, and I liked it. It was a mystery and it had some surprises. There were some shocking situations because one of the characters found out that her grandpa was also her dad. The film was made in 1974, and was 130 minutes long. It was directed by Roman Polanski. It stars Jack Nicholson as Jake, a private detective who spies on guys who are cheating on their wives and wives cheating on their husbands. While doing so, he gets mixed up in a murder case, which ends up to be complicated. It all is involved with the water supply for the city of Los Angeles. I liked the fact that it was in color, for a change. I will talk about some of the things that happened while this movie was being made and while it was being written.
At first this film was going to be a trilogy about the private detective J.J. Gittes and the history of Los Angeles. The second part was called “The Two Jakes” and it didn’t do very well at the box office. It was about the natural gas business in the 1940’s and it came out in 1990. They never did the third one. Nicholson never took another detective role so the only detective he ever played was Jake Gittes. I thought it was a great character who knew how to get things done and wasn’t afraid to get into fights if he had to. Gittes name came from one of Nicholson’s friends, Harry Gittes, a producer. The movie was originally a lot longer and it would have had voiceover narration but Polanski decided not to use it. He wanted the audience to find out the clues at the same time as Jake.
They decided to call the film “Chinatown” because the ending took place there and because lots of bad stuff had happened there in the past. Chinatown is another word for a place you can’t understand or control. Every character in the movie that Jake runs into has a messed up past. Robert Towne, who wrote the screenplay, wanted it to have a happy ending and he argued with Roman Polanski, but Polanski won and it’s a tragic ending. I thought it was a strange and unnecessary ending. I wish that Towne had won, because most likely the sister/daughter is going to go to the Grandpa/dad. I thought it was disturbing.
The plot is based on true things that happened in the history of Los Angeles and the water department. It was the last film made by Polanski in the United States because of his bad decisions to sexually assault a minor which meant that he couldn’t come back here anymore. This was a good film to see and a good detective movie with a lot of twists. The writers deserve two thumbs up.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Friday, October 5, 2007
Casablanca : #2
If you like being chased by German’s and if you like romance movies, Casablanca is for you. It’s directed by Michael Curtiz and stars Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid. Casablanca is about a lady named Llsa who’s husband (Victor Laszlo) is put in a German concentration camp, so she thinks he’s dead. Victor is the leader of Czech Resistance and is on the top of the Nazis’ most wanted list. When she is in Paris she meets this nice handsome man named Rick Blaine and they both fall in love with each other. It’s not really my type of movie but I enjoyed it and recommend it to old people and girls.
The plot involves Victor and Ilsa running from the Nazis. They end up in Casa Blanca, French Morocco. Everyone there is trying to get somewhere, like Lisbon, so they can then go to America. They go to Rick’s cafe Americain and they bump into the piano player, Sam, played by Dooley Wilson. There is a lot of drinking and music in the film because most of it is in a bar. Even at the airport we see them drinking. I think drinking must have been more accepted in French Morocco than we accept it. The song Sam keeps playing is “As Time Goes By,” and that is how Ilsa and Rick meet again. I recognized that the song kept playing every time Ilsa was in the bar. I thought it was a good plot because it was dealing with what was happening at the time.
World War II was going on while this was made in 1941. It was popular then and it is a classic now. It has a lot of quotes that you always here. At one point, Rick says to Ilsa, “Here’s looking at you kid.” Then he repeats it over and over, and says it in Paris where they first met. Another famous quote is, “Play it again, Sam.” which Rick doesn’t say quite like that but it’s close. There is also “Of all the gin joints in the world, why does she have to walk into mine?” She says that if she knew he was in Casa Blanca, she wouldn’t have gone there.
I thought it was a good romance with a plot that is hard to follow the first time you see it. There were not too many sets or changes of scene. There was basically Rick’s cafe, the marketplace, the police office and the airport. It didn’t look quite real to me. Some of it looked like green screen. I wish there had been more action. I hate films in black and white. They give me a headache. During this movie, I forgot that it was in black and white after about ten minutes. That must be a sign that it was a good fillm.
The plot involves Victor and Ilsa running from the Nazis. They end up in Casa Blanca, French Morocco. Everyone there is trying to get somewhere, like Lisbon, so they can then go to America. They go to Rick’s cafe Americain and they bump into the piano player, Sam, played by Dooley Wilson. There is a lot of drinking and music in the film because most of it is in a bar. Even at the airport we see them drinking. I think drinking must have been more accepted in French Morocco than we accept it. The song Sam keeps playing is “As Time Goes By,” and that is how Ilsa and Rick meet again. I recognized that the song kept playing every time Ilsa was in the bar. I thought it was a good plot because it was dealing with what was happening at the time.
World War II was going on while this was made in 1941. It was popular then and it is a classic now. It has a lot of quotes that you always here. At one point, Rick says to Ilsa, “Here’s looking at you kid.” Then he repeats it over and over, and says it in Paris where they first met. Another famous quote is, “Play it again, Sam.” which Rick doesn’t say quite like that but it’s close. There is also “Of all the gin joints in the world, why does she have to walk into mine?” She says that if she knew he was in Casa Blanca, she wouldn’t have gone there.
I thought it was a good romance with a plot that is hard to follow the first time you see it. There were not too many sets or changes of scene. There was basically Rick’s cafe, the marketplace, the police office and the airport. It didn’t look quite real to me. Some of it looked like green screen. I wish there had been more action. I hate films in black and white. They give me a headache. During this movie, I forgot that it was in black and white after about ten minutes. That must be a sign that it was a good fillm.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Critique The Critic : Journal #1
The Simpson’s is a great television show and everyone knew that they would make it to the big screen sooner or later. Amy Biancolli the writer of the review I will be talking about said that the Simpson’s movie has it all, “adventure, romance, nudity and action”. Even though it seemed like a really long episode but it still shows old Homer grabbing at Bart’s neck and choking him. The Simpson’s television show has been around since I was born. I was always allowed to watch it and I have always enjoyed it. I knew as soon as the movie came out that I would go and see it. I thought it was pretty good and so did the reviewer.
The movie shows the best of every character in every way. I think that there is no other way to show the personality of the Simpson’s, rather than in a feature film. I mean Homer being the big stupid donut eater he is finds a way to screw all of Springfield by being stuck in a huge Dome, which is typical for him, and he has to find a way to save Springfield. But as that happens his family starts to drift away, making him realize how much he has gotten to like them.
I thought that Amy was right on with her review giving good details and quotes from the movie. Amy asks “what else can they do, they have one or two cameos; one or two slaps at political figures; one or two slaps at Disney; one or two meta-winks at itself and the audience and a cast of limber comic actors voicing one or ten characters.” The movie was good but not to the point where I’m like wow that was awesome I have to see it again. Each of the staring characters have their own little scene in the beginning of the movie which lets you know how each of there personality’s work.
Anybody who is a fan of the Simpson’s television show should go out and see this movie. At this point you will have to rent it but it is as good as on the big screen. All the actors who played the characters did one of their best jobs in years. This film was directed by David Silverman (no relation to me), and he did a great job. There were many surprises but I don’t want to ruin it for the viewers who might still go out and see it. The movie was starring the Simpson family of course but the one who stuck out the most was Homer with his bad decisions.
The movie shows the best of every character in every way. I think that there is no other way to show the personality of the Simpson’s, rather than in a feature film. I mean Homer being the big stupid donut eater he is finds a way to screw all of Springfield by being stuck in a huge Dome, which is typical for him, and he has to find a way to save Springfield. But as that happens his family starts to drift away, making him realize how much he has gotten to like them.
I thought that Amy was right on with her review giving good details and quotes from the movie. Amy asks “what else can they do, they have one or two cameos; one or two slaps at political figures; one or two slaps at Disney; one or two meta-winks at itself and the audience and a cast of limber comic actors voicing one or ten characters.” The movie was good but not to the point where I’m like wow that was awesome I have to see it again. Each of the staring characters have their own little scene in the beginning of the movie which lets you know how each of there personality’s work.
Anybody who is a fan of the Simpson’s television show should go out and see this movie. At this point you will have to rent it but it is as good as on the big screen. All the actors who played the characters did one of their best jobs in years. This film was directed by David Silverman (no relation to me), and he did a great job. There were many surprises but I don’t want to ruin it for the viewers who might still go out and see it. The movie was starring the Simpson family of course but the one who stuck out the most was Homer with his bad decisions.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The Hop Clop : The producers
In this sence from the movie The producers Max and Bloom need the writer of "Spring Time for Hilter" to approve of them makeing a broad way show of his play. Most of the sence is a medium shot, so there is room for them to move around and dance with out moving the camera that much. The lighting is kinda bright to set up a cheerful mood that sets up a good surrounding for a dance.
In this sence from the movie The producers Max and Bloom need the writer of "Spring Time for Hilter" to approve of them makeing a broad way show of his play. Most of the sence is a medium shot, so there is room for them to move around and dance with out moving the camera that much. The lighting is kinda bright to set up a cheerful mood that sets up a good surrounding for a dance.
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