Rear Window Review

Rear Window, directed by Alfred Hitchcock was produced in 1954 and starred James Stewart and Grace Kelly among others. James played a character named Jeff Jefferies who’s stuck at home in a wheelchair and finds himself spending his time spying on neighbors. All of his spying has him convinced one night there was a murder that took place and he needs to find out what happened. This is when Grace, who plays Lisa steps in and helps him find out the mystery. James plays his character very well with facial expressions and tone of voice.  Also, Hitchcock does a marvelous job with panning of the camera. Scenes are memorable such as viewing the apartments or when James spies on his neighbors. It almost makes me want to know more about all the other neighbors. I very much enjoyed this film due to the character development and story line. It was very catchy and I always wanted to know what was going to happen next. 

Jaws Blog 2

Steven Spielberg directed the classic film, Jaws in 1975 with a long running time of 124minutes. When a girl is attacked on a beach, panic terrorizes the town and three men try to figure out the culprit. Robert Schieder plays Brody, Robert Shaw plays Quint and Richard Dreyfuss plays Hooper in this dramatic terrifying movie. Because there has been attacks near the shore these men are figuring out what kind of shark has been attacking these innocent civilians and they need to destroy it in order for the beach to stay safe for the people. Throughout the film, these men go on a boat and try different tactics to catch the beast. They carry guns on deck when they try to capture the shark and attempt numerous times without giving up to try to destroy it before it destroys them. Near the end, their boat is sinking and they know they’re in big trouble for their own sake. Unfortunately, two of the men don’t make it and the third one survives, successfully killing the shark.

The elements of the editing in this film is remarkable. Spielberg is known for the sound in this film that is still around in society today. The music when the shark approaches closer to the boat is terrifying and it is the perfect amount to scare the audience. It is famous and well-known to everybody. Not only is the music memorable in this film, but also the camerawork. Spielberg uses several zoom in/zoom out work that punctuates exactly what he wants the audience to see. The shark for example, is a great way to describe this kind of camera work. Spectators never see the full body of the shark until the end and that creates even more suspense to the story. The knowledge of not knowing drives the imagination to a new level and Spielberg did just that.

Spielberg managed to create a film at such a young age that is successful and memorable. One of the best films in my opinion, for audiences to view. He had tension throughout the entire film which puts people on the edge of their seats waiting to see what is going to happen next. I enjoyed this film not only because the plot was a hit but just viewing the camera angles and hearing the music play together just right made the movie what it is.

Session 9 Blog 3

Brad Anderson directed Session 9 in 2001 creating a horror film. A cleaning crew is hired at an abandoned mental hospital and things get weird when the past history of the hospital starts to appear in present day. Gordon Fleming played by Peter Mullen stars in this film as one of the cleaning guys for the mental asylum. He seems normal at first but then as the movie goes on his insane behavior erupts into confusion and murder. Throughout the film, a tape is playing of a person with multiple personality disorder and all the voices are different in their own way telling a story. The last person we hear form the tape is a voice named Simon. To tie it all together, Simon and all the other voices are really Gordon from being in the asylum before.

Anderson uses camera techniques including an abundant of long shots. He will pan using a long shot then the next cut is another long shot that will include characters in the middle ground. The long shots are good to use because it shows spatial relationships and what is in the room. When the next scene appears using the same room but it is a close up, the audience will know what is behind everything and has a feeling of that heir actually in the room with them. He also uses the camera where its straight forward on a character and the character is walking towards it. That lets the audience see the facial expression but can only imagine what is in front of them. Because the audience can’t see, it makes the film that much more suspenseful. Located in a mental asylum already, the mood is eerie and uncanny.

Gordon's facial expressions are defined in a way where the audience truly doesn't think it is him who is crazy and we start blaming other characters. I consider this film to be a little too long with a running time of 97min due to what actually happens in the film. The story moves very slow up until the end where everything evolves and starts to make sense. Anderson has been part of numerous film festivals and has won a lot of awards for his work.

The Princess Bride Blog 4

Rob Reiner directed The Princess Bride that was created in 1987 releasing a romantic fairytale. This fairytale is actually from a book that is read by a grandfather to his grandson when he is sick in bed. It is full of adventure, comedy and action that intrigue the audience’s attention. Buttercup, played by Robin Wright is kidnapped against her will by Prince Humperdinck played by Chris Sarandon and her only chance of being rescued is by her one true love Westley, played by Cary Elwes. Through swordfights, clever drinking games and a battle with a giant, Westley succeeds all the obstacles that stand before him and Buttercup. Westley is known as the Dread Pirate Roberts when he comes to the rescue and plays his part well. He is dressed in black with a mask hiding his facial features therefore his character is unnoticeable at first. He brings comedy relief to the story by cracking jokes and making sly remarks. This film is definitely known as a family movie and runs about 98min long.

The colors Reiner uses complement each other in each scene. All the colors coordinate with the location and surroundings. It makes it easy for the eye to look around the scene. I enjoyed this film mostly because I like comedy and adventure. Westley brings out the funny side to the movie but it is the overall movie itself that is lighthearted and fun to follow. It makes me want to jump right in and be a part of the action. I would suggest this movie to anyone that enjoys fairytale stories and like a good laugh here and there.