Western Comparisons

Comparison #1 Stagecoach to True Grit

I believe that there are many similarities between the classic western Stagecoach and the new version of True Grit. Both stories are very similar in that they take place on a long journey to get revenge on another. In Stagecoach, Ringo wants to get revenge on the men that killed his family and rides along on the stagecoach to go to Lourdes to find the Plumber family. In True Grit, Mattie goes on a long journey with Rooster to find Tom Cheney, the man who killed her father. These films are also similar because the way they get revenge is to have intense gun battles. In stagecoach, there is a big face-off in the bar where the Plumber family waits for Ringo. They find him outside and Ringo kills every one of them. In True Grit, Mattie kills Tom Cheney and Rooster has an intense battle with several cowboys out on the range.

Comparison #2 True Grit and Unforgiven

Another comparison of great western films is True Grit and Clint Eastwood’s, Unforgiven.  All though both movies have a lot of qualities of a classic western, they also have many qualities of the revisionist western. Both films are extremely violent which make it more revisionists. True Grit have the huge battle in the end and In Unforgiven, Will Munny comes to the bar and shoots up everybody in the bar. Another unusual similarity for both of these films is both main characters past. Both are leading, strong, and powerful men who both had deep and dark pasts which they moved away from for years but were forced back into it because they needed money.  Scofield Kid gives Munny the idea in Unforgiven and Mattie forces Rooster to help her. Also in each movie the characters don’t want to work with each other and be a team. Rooster usually works alone and doesn’t want Mattie to come along on his journey. In Unforgiven, Munny brings his partner Ned Logan along and Scofield was furious that Munny brought another member.

Comparison #3 Stagecoach and Unforgiven

Finally we will compare the movies Stagecoach and Unforgiven. I feel like these movies don’t have a lot of similarities. Stagecoach is your typical western where its good against evil but in Unforgiven it is very unclear who is good and who is evil. For instance, Little Bill, who is the sheriff of Big Whisky, he is a very violent man with a past dark and is very abusive and angry in the movie even though we believe the sheriff should be a good and trustworthy man. Also the movie Unforgiven has an incredible amount of violence. The whole movie talks about death and Munny’s past where he was a mad and drunk killer. In the end of the film he becomes drunk again and shoots up an entire bar. Stagecoach just has a little violence where the people on the stagecoach are attacked by the Apache Indians but you don’t see a lot of blood like you do in Unforgiven. Those are a few reasons why I believe these movies are not that similar.

Online Film Analysis Assignment

Clip A – Oceans 11

This scene shows a lot on continuity of editing and has a lot of match on action. It was a very difficult scene to try to keep all the characters straight and not cross the 180 degrees rule while they are sitting around the table playing cards. I also really like the cuts because they are your basic cuts and make the scenes move much smoother. The director likes to use both a handheld camera and a standard steadicam. The handheld makes it seem more realistic and the steadicam help the audience member feel not as nauseous. The camera also likes to show a low angle from the middle of the table to show the cards perspective and then likes to show a high angle from the players perspective looking down at the cards.

Clip D Magnolia

The very beginning of the scene starts with a steadicam following the father and son and we know it’s a steadicam because the camera turns around and you can’t see any tracks of a dolly. The camera likes to stay at a medium shot while the characters are walking down the hallway. The lighting is very bright and doesn’t have many shadows which makes it seem like a more friendly atmosphere.

Clip E from Amadeus

The opening of the scene has the two characters at a medium shot with a low-key lighting to show a few shadows but you can still see the details of each characters face. They do a nice job to not break the 180 degree rule as well. Once the scene changes to the opera singer you hear the singer before you see the singer, which is an example of nondiegetic sound. Once we see the singer it starts as a low angle to make it seem like you are watching her walk down the steps yourself. The camera uses a slow zoom backing away from the singers so you can see the orchestra and the conductor. We can infer that it was a zoom shot because the orchestra was already there.   

    

Clip F from Zerkalo

The scene starts out with two boys who run from room to room and the director uses a pan to go from room to room. The lighting is a very low-key lighting which is dark but still shows details. The director also uses a deep focus to show everything in the scene to show that everything in each scene is important. This scene is also a long shot because it never cuts to a different scene, all one motion.

Academy Award Nominated Films Rankings

My Rankings:

The Social Network

1. Our Generation

2.  Great Characters

3. Great Soundtrack

Toy Story 3

1. Funny

2. Makes you feel young

3. Great character animation

True Grit

1. Great Acting

2. Fantastic Scenery

3. Great Action characterized with westerns

Inception

1. Confusing

2. Amazing special effects

3. Great performance by Linerardo Dicaprio

The Kings Speech

1. Inspiring

2. Too many Harry Potter Characters

3. Great Story

Winters Bone

1. Creepy

2. Sad

3. Slow and Boring

The Social Network

This movie I believe really relates to so many people because Facebook is in everyone’s lives. The music is so interesting to listen to and it really gets the viewer involved. I am a huge fan of techno and to hear techno in this movie made me much more interested. The Director and Producers pick the perfect characters for this film. Justin Timberlake plays Shawn Parker and he got so involved into his character that I believe he should be up for best supporting actor. This story is a little confusing trying to follow which case they are talking about and also I wish they would have told more about how they made Facebook but overall this was my favorite movie because it was the most enjoyable to me. I give this movie a five out of five stars!

Toy Story 3

Wow Pixar did an amazing job with their final Toy Story. This movie just makes you feel like a kid again when you thought of your toys and how much you loved to play with them. I have always loved the voice of Woody (Tom Hanks) because he makes everything sound funny and important. This story is great in adding a toy as the villain (Lotso). The animation is just incredible and they make this movie so fun! The best part about Pixar movies is that they are able to make their movies not just fun for kids, but also for teens and adults. I would have to say this is one of the best if not the best movie they have come out with so far! I would give this movie a four and a half out of five stars!

True Grit

            The Coen Brothers have done it again with another huge hit! True Grit is a fantastic Western genre movie and Hailee Steinfeld should be up for Actress of the year. She made this movie from good to great. The Coen Brothers picked the perfect scenery for this film and made me as a viewer just awe at some of the views. I also believe that the action was great. When I see a western I get excited to see the battles and the shootings because that’s what gets me more interested in westerns. I thought that the finger cutting scene was not necessary but that was the Coen signature part. Jeff Bridges was phenomenal as his character Rooster and he should be up for best supporting actor. Overall I thought this movie was entertaining and fun to watch but the finger scene should have been cut. I would give it a four and a half out of five stars!

Inception

            Wow, talk about a head spinning and incredible film. This entire movie makes you think and try to figure out what is going on. That is the downside to the movie because it is very confusing to follow even though that is what I believe the Director wanted. Linerardo Dicaprio was brilliant as Cobb and he made the story much more interesting. I was also blown away by the special effects in this film. They way they made the cities turn upside down, the trains appear, and also having zero gravity was absolutely incredible. If there was an award of special effects this movie would win by far. But because the plot was a little hard to follow is why I think it will hurt the film in the end. I would give it a four out of five stars.  

The Kings Speech

            This movie was incredible with a great and inspiring story. I really enjoyed the plot but I couldn’t take all of the characters seriously because of the previous films they have been in. For instance Geoffrey Rush as Barbosa in Pirates, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gambon, and Timothy Spall all from the Harry Potter films. I thought that Colin Firth was incredible playing the part of King George VI and he is my pick for Best Actor this year. The lighting in this movie is very contrasted with a lot of shadows and strange camera angles but I thought that added more to the film and made it better. Overall I thought it was a very entertaining film but just a few different characters should have been selected. I would give it a three out of five stars.   

Winter’s Bone

I am sad to say it but I have nothing good to say about this movie. I thought that this movie was so slow and so boring. There was never a scene that kept me interested and I felt like falling asleep the entire time. The story was too slow, the dialogue was slow, and the scene when they cut off her fathers hands was absolutely disgusting! I didn’t like any of the actors and overall I just thought this was a terrible movie and would never recommend it to anybody to watch. I would give a half out of five stars.  

           

My First Movie Review

Sherlock Holmes

• Exciting
• Intense
• Makes you think
• Mind Grabbing
• amazing special effects
• Funny
• Entertaining
• Robert Downey Jr.

REVIEW OF SHERLOCK HOLMES

When I first Saw the movie Sherlock Holmes I was blown away. I thought it was and incredible, funny, witty, intense, and just an overall great movie. I thought that Guy Ritchie did an amazing job as the director and the main characters(Robert Downey Jr, Judd Law) played there parts perfectly. Both Actors got really into their characters and made the viewer want to see more. The special effects I thought were awesone. My favorite parts were when Sherlock would go in slow motion to show how he would hit and take out his victim in the opening of the film and also when he was in the fighting ring. This movie had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I thought it was incredible when Sherlock could tell so much of another character and not even know them. I would give this movie 5 stars out of 5. The next movie will be coming out this December and I know I will be one of the first in line to go see it.