When I first started watching this movie, my dad told me that it was a comedy. He was wrong. Not that it was super scary, but it was more thrilling than I expected. The movie starts with Lewis being orphaned and having to move in live with his uncle Jonathan. Uncle Jonathan is very quirky and lives in a creepy house. There are hundreds of clocks in this house and Lewis notices that it is strange. Eventually he find out that his uncle is a warlock and wants to become one himself. After trying to gain friends, Lewis awakens the dead and a horrible man comes to life and try’s to reverse time so no one is on earth besides him and his wife. Uncle Jonathan, Lewis, and the feisty neighbor Ms. Zimmerman have to work together to defeat the evil spirits. The House with a Clock in Its Walls is an interesting story that has a heartwarming ending.
In the opening credits I noticed a match cut that was super cool. It matched the clock to an eye. It created a cool effect and made me super excited that I noticed it. After learning about the different cuts, it was interesting to be able to identify them while the movie was happening. I also thought that the special effects were really good. One scene there were flying pumpkins who threw up adhesive stuff and they looked really good.
1 Comment
10/28/2018 1 Comment The Trouble With HArry (1955) I absolutely hated this film. I found it boring and expected a lot more. With that being said, I did watch Vertigo right before I watch The Trouble With Harry, so that could be why I was underwhelmed. The Trouble with Harry is about this guy named Harry who is killed and many of the town's residents wonder if they are responsible, including the man's ex-wife, Jennifer (Shirley MacLaine), and Captain Wiles (Edmund Gwenn), a retired seaman who was hunting in the woods where the body was found. As the sheriff (Royal Dano) gets involved and local artist Sam Marlowe (John Forsythe) offers his help, the town slowly figures out the mystery. I was completely uninterested by this, I mean, we get it. Everyone is partly responsible, besides Sam, no reason to draw this out. Also, why are we digging this body up so many times- I get for the story plot but don’t understand why. Oh and the millionaire. I get why he was there. I liked how Sam gave everyone a little something. But, why? Why is this in the film. I was a little annoyed by Captain Wiles. He was a fine character, just not one I particularly liked. There was nothing that he did that I can recall that I did not like, except for the entire movie. The only part that was interesting to me was the romance, and it really wasn’t the type I am super into. After reading several reviews of the movie, I guess I did not get the joke that Hitchcock was going for. Maybe it was making a jab at his other suspense films or digging the body up multiple times, I’m not quite sure. But the problem is that I found nothing amusing about a dead body that no one seemed to know what to do with. I lost count of the number of times Harry was buried and dug up again. I imagine that there is a type of person who really enjoys this film and I respect that.
I thought that the movie was well directed and had several great shots. I thought the one of the gang walking away from the grave site with the shovels at beginning of nightfall was iconic. I thought that having the Doctor was a choice. I understood what he did to advance the plot, but he was just kind of there. Nothing more, really. In theory, this movie should have been my favorite. It has mystery, romance, a makeover, and a happy ending. I honestly do not know why it wasn’t due to all of my favorite things. As I said, I understood all of the choices that Hitchcock made. I just didn’t particularly like them. 10/22/2018 1 Comment First man (2018)Everyone knows about Neil Armstrong. Everyone has seen the pictures of their travels. But, not everyone knows or has seen the behind the scenes of this amazing American advancement. First Man tells the story chronologically of Armstrong’s space travel. While showing this giant step for man kind, Damien Chazelle, the director, has the life of Armstrong told in relation to the events happening with NASA.
I went to see this movie with my grandmother who was best friends with Janet Armstrong. My grandparents and the Armstrong’s went to college together, so they’ve known each other a loooonnnnggg time. She said that everything was portrayed correctly. But, my grandmother was in the marine corps so she was unable to be there. Apparently, Armstrong was not the best husband- which was definitely shown in the movie. Personally, I loved way Ryan Gosling played Armstrong but was annoyed with Armstrong as a person. I couldn’t tell if you were suppose to or if he just bothered me. I really liked that Chazelle showed the moon landing scenes in ways that people never have seen before. I thought it was nice because it expressed a little bit of the same awe that Armstrong had. Especially since most people have studied the moon landing, it’s refreshing to see everything in a more modern way. I loved the way that Chazelle had Gosling look up at the moon during scenes where Armstrong felt emotion. It made you connect with what was happening in the scene more. Although I knew what was going to happen, I still couldn’t help to feel exhilarated during the action scenes- which were very well choreographed. I also really liked the characters emotion. All of the actors did a fantastic job channeling what was happening in that moment. I will say that parts of the movie got a little confusing because the scenes jumped very quickly over a large gap of time. It was mainly confusing because it was not noted on the screen until after you pieced together that it was a different time. Over all, it was a good movie-I had fun while watching it. 10/15/2018 1 Comment Mystic Pizza (1988) Mystic pizza follows the lives of three girls after high school graduation in small town Mystic, Connecticut. These three girls work in a Pizza Parlor and have unforgettable personalities. We learn about Daisy (Julia Roberts), Kat (Annabeth Gish), and Jojo's (Lili Taylor) life and the viewer really becomes invested. I will not lie, many times I had to look away from the screen for a brief moment due to secondhand embarrassment- but, nonetheless, the remaining parts were so much fun to watch.
While the story was great, I would change a couple of things. I want to change the cringe factor of this movie. Meaning, multiple interactions that the girls had with their boy had some scenes that you could not watch due to awkwardness. One of these scenes is when Kat asks for wine from Tim after Phoebe is asleep. It was not the action, but their conversation that I cringed I did not notice any cool shots or anything artistic about this movie. Which was nice because I was able to be completely emotionally invested with the three girls. I loved Daisy the most. I really liked her unpredictable nature and was excited to see what she did next. My second favorite character was Kat. I liked how quickly she fell for the dad she was babysitting for and how that relationship progressed (not saying that it was a good choice). Then, my third favorite character was Jojo. Maybe it was her accent, I’m not sure, she was just very annoying and I could not stand how she acted with her now husband. My favorite scene in Mystic Pizza was when Daisy went to Charlie’s house for dinner. I loved seeing the tension with the family. I thought that both actors did a fantastic job expressing their emotions. Another scene with Daisy and Charlie was when his car broke down and they had to try and catch another ride from passing cars. It was just fun and playful. I also really liked the importance that Leona put on the secret ingredient in the pizza. It made the girls, the critic, and the viewer curious about what is truly in the pizza. Donald Petrie, the director, does a nice job of wrapping up the girls stories. Petrie does it so well that the only question that I am left wondering is what the heck does Leona put in the pizza!? 10/8/2018 1 Comment King's MAN When I started watching this movie, I thought it was Kingsman directed by Matthew Vaughn but it turns out that it's not. King’s Man follows the story of three young girls who are kidnapped off a bus in Mexico. The film starts with three girls who are from Mexico coming home from their aunt's house who resides in the States. These creepy guys follow the girls and once they arrive at the bus station in Mexico they kidnap them and take the girls to their plantation/land/farm. They shove these girls in a bunker and inject drugs into their veins. It is implied that the drug is to make the girls skinner. The whole purpose of the abduction is to sell the girls into modeling for a Chinese company. I thought that the thrilling nature of the film was interesting because it is something that is actually happening today. With that being said, multiple parts were very hard to watch- especially since human trafficking is so prominent in today's culture.
This film was not made for you to notice the art of filming- it was made to raise awareness of human trafficking. So it is categorized as a classical film because the director wants to make you emotionally invested in the characters. But, it was interesting because it kind of felt like a documentary since it was documenting what these girls lived through. Also because it was informative to the viewer. At the very end, it dedicated the story to families with missing children everywhere which I thought was cool. It is very hard to analyze shots or color or anything artistic because I was on the edge of my seat paying attention to the characters. But I thought the casting was done very well- all of the characters did a good job at portraying fear and anger. I will say that Lucy, the aunt who saves the girls, has a tattoo on her neck that was shown multiple times. I would have thought that this would come up as a motif or symbolize something but the director did not make it a big thing. 10/7/2018 0 Comments American Psycho (2000) Woooooooow. Okay, I was not prepared for this movie. I have read the synopsis and the reviews but they definitely did not prepare me for what happened. Basically, American Psycho is about a wealthy man working on Wall Street at his father's company and kills for no reason at all. But, it goes beyond just murder. It is creepy and for lack of better words psychotic. It was a lot to process. The director, Mary Harron, references a couple of horror/thriller movies. When Cristie is running away from Patrick after finding all of the bloody, dead people he follows her with a chainsaw and kills her with it. This was a direct reference to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (which I did not like as well). Another reference I picked up on was Patricks last name- Bateman. The killer in Alfred Hitchcock's thriller Psycho is Norman Bates. The final reference that I thought was funny was how he mention Ted Bundy while looking at his murder weapons that Ted Bundy used.
First off, Patrick’s morning routine is very complex. I mean so complex that I guarantee a vast majority of teenage girls get ready faster than he does. Well, thinking about it now that makes sense that his routine is so detailed since he is psychotic. While this was only a tad weird, I did not hate him. My hatred towards Patrick started once he told his secretary that she was too pretty for that outfit and she needed to never wear it again. Which was only minor until the viewer sees how terrible he treated the homeless man then killed him. But let's not stop there. He goes to kick and kill the dog and the dog makes loud crying noises. Which would all be fine until he later goes to kill the kitten. It was a lot. Then to top it all off, the multiple women he kills after having sex with them. WEIRD and PSYCHOTIC. I think I was very uncomfortable because I noticed that I over analyzed the film and made a list of questions. Such as: What’s the hype about business cards? Head in the freezer? How did the car blow up? And finally, did Patrick Bateman really kill all of these people or is it made up? The final question is really left up to interpretation. I interpreted it as he is just psychotic and none of the murders really happened. This theory was confirmed when Gene, his secretary, was going through his office and found his calendar. She opened it up and found drawings of all of the murders that happened- like the chainsaw and bodies in the closet. I also think that all of his murders were so elaborate that he really just imagined doing all of the things that were filmed. I will say that I really liked the way Mary Harron shot certain scenes of Patrick. I liked the way that she made you make eye contact with Patrick. It felt like he was staring at you and not a camera. It felt very uncomfortable but super effective-, especially in the closing scene. I also thought that Christian Bale did a very nice job at being cold and withdrawn. He made it look like he was completely blank which was perfect for the role of Patrick. Some side notes: - I read a review of this movie beforehand and it said “very difficult to watch sometimes, but stick with it. It’s a movie you will not forget.” Well, yeah. You definitely will not forget this move…. - I turned on Trolls immediately after I finished American Psycho. I am watching it while writing this to hopefully remove everything I just watched out of my mind. A very traumatic film. 9/30/2018 1 Comment The cabinet of dr. caligari (1920)It was not my favorite, but I did not absolutely hate this film. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is about a hypnotist and a somnambulist. The hypnotist, Dr. Caligari, has control over Cesare, somnambulist, who claims to see the future. When Alan and Francis went to see the carnival act, Alan asked Cesare when he will die and the answer was the next morning. This prophecy came true and Alan died making Cesare the prime suspect for the murder. However, the film explores if Cesare is the murderer or if it is Dr. Caligari controlling him.
I thought the film had a cool storyline. If I watched a modern version of this film, I think it would become one of my favorite horror/suspense films. I like the way Robert Wiene directed the characters emotions and the set. I appreciated the set a lot, and liked how it looked a drawing but was real. It was super fun after the film to think about all of the influence this film had on modern horror films. At one of the shots, I could tell that the Babadook totally used a scene in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. In The Rocky Horror Picture Show, it uses the same shot as Dr. Caligari opening the coffin that Cesare is in at the carnival. If I could change one thing about this film, it would be the music that accompanied the version I watched. It made you very sleepy and I had to turn the TV on silent in order to be able to watch it alertly. 9/30/2018 0 Comments MIRACLE Season (2018) Tears. This is the one word I can use to describe this movie. I became so invested with the story that I didn’t pay attention to the directors creative decisions. Miracle season is based on a true story following West High School girls state championship volleyball team. After a horrible accident, the setter and team captain Caroline “Line” Found passes away in a moped wreck. The remaining players have to band together under the leadership of their coach Kathy Bresnahan in hopes of defending their state championship.
It was not my favorite movie, but as I watched it with a group of friends we all realized the importance of friendship and that you should not take advantage of it because you never know what could happen. I would say this movie redefined our friendship and made us appreciate each other more. As the five of us laid in a bed we all were moved by the story and could not help but pause the movie and take a few minutes to just talk and appreciate each other. A message in the movie was to “Live Like Line” and all of us to that to heart. What that statement stands for is being a great leader, being bubbly and open to new friendships, and enjoy life while we have it. The one choice that Sean McNamara made that I noticed was the same shot over and over again. While the player was serving, he always had the same camera angles and the choreography of the players were extremely dramatic. If it was an important sequence I would understand that he was trying to stress the importance of it, but it wasn't. It was just someone serving the volleyball. To be completely honest, I didn't notice anything else about the film. It was cut and paste the definition of a Classical movie. *Side note: I think it is very interesting that the director Sean McNamara also directed Soul Surfer (2011), Bring it on: fight to the finish (2009), and Raise your Voice (2004). I totally see a similarity in all of these films. I would not say he is a great director. After looking at more of his movies (The suite life movie (2011), Legally Blondes (2009), The Even Stevens Movie (2003), and Bratz: The Movie (2007), he made average movies. They were not terrible, they were just blah. It almost seems like if he is not doing a true life story then he is directing an extension of an already filmed story. 9/23/2018 1 Comment Jurassic Park (1993)So, I didn't know much about Jurassic Park going into watching it. I honestly expected the dinosaurs to look something like Barney. But… they are not like Barney at all. At the time, these dinosaurs were revolutionary and rightfully so. The special effects in this film were so incredible that it was extremely easy to watch and I kind of got freaked out. For all two hours my eyes did not leave the screen. Which was amazing because throughout the film I was never bored. I was extremely invested with the characters and their development. The music that accompanied all scenes were fantastic and accomplished the vibe that the film was aiming for.
Once the film was done, I began to think about one main theme throughout the film: if man should mess with biological nature. The answer is ultimately no, but it is very interesting to think about. At what point does man stop genetically modifying organisms? I do not think anyone knows this answer. Even Ian Malcolm, played by Jeff Goldblum, brought this point up multiple times during the film. The other theme in the film that I continued to think about was greed. Like John Hammond, played by Richard Attenborough, bought an island so he could literally do whatever he wanted without government interference. Which is crazy… He let his greed and excitement cloud his judgement which turned out poorly for a couple of people. Which is a side point- does the accountant/lawyer always die? I think I am picking up an occuring theme… Over all, I thought that several shots were very cool. My favorite was when the kids were in the kitchen alone and the velociraptors were hunting them and the camera captured the raptors feet and the children's feet. I also liked when the camera continuously showed the amber with the mosquito in it on Hammonds walking stick. I thought it was interesting to seeing how Hammond’s pride in the amber continued to decrease as the film went on. 9/17/2018 1 Comment Room (2015)Exhilarating and relieving “Room” is a kidnapping thriller with realistic vibes. Brie Larson stars as Ma (Joy) who was kidnapped at age 17. Two years after captivation, she delivers her son Jack (Jacob Tremblay). Jack is convinced that the only place that exists is Room. Ma waits until his 5th birthday to teach him that there is an entire world outside of Room. She devises a plan to get Jack to safety and hopefully herself as well.
Ma’s compelling performance and Jack’s revolutionary acting had the viewer connected in the story-telling of this film. If Larson and Tremblay were not cast, I do not think the film would be as good as it was. Their performances connected you to their situation and made it impossible to look away from the screen. While I was expecting it to be more thrilling, I loved how the director (Lenny Abrahamson) surpassed expectations and had the film end on a happy note. The film would show a picture of the ‘skylight’ from Room when there is a turning point in the plot to mark a beginning or an end of a section. This was helpful for the viewer because it indicated a change in the character's status (either being positive or negative). I think that this film was trying to create meaning through the world by bringing a positive outcome of a horrible story revolving a kidnapping case. This story especially hit hard considering sex trafficking is becoming more prominent in our culture- especially in Northern Kentucky since the I-71/75 split resides here. The film reinforced the idea of being careful because if you listen to Ma’s monologue, you find out that the reason she was in this situation was because she tried to be nice and help Old Nick take care of his sick dog. |