Jaws Critique

JAWS Critique

            Considered one of the best movies of all time Jaws is obviously a favorite by many in the film community. But what is it that really makes critics and movie lovers’ alike love this film? Lets start with a summary of the film. What could be better then the beach on a hot summers day in New England. Probably nothing but when people start disappearing from the waters around Amity island the beach may not be the best place. A great white shark seems to be the culprit of these fatalities and it is up to Chief Brody a part time police officer, a marine biologist named Hooper, and a season fisherman Quint to catch the Great White shark haunting the beaches.

            As stated in the Kruleshov Effect: it is “not the content of the images in a film which is important, but their combination.” I think that the best part of this film is the editing. The way that the suspense builds and the action shots leave you scared to keep watching but drooling for more is amazing. This works in direct correlation with the varying shot sizes (close-ups, medium, and long shots) and also the shot angles used in the film. The acting was quite impressive, and every person seemed as though they were apart of something real, like a real shark killing and hunting the people of a small town. I think there could have been some better color correction but then again I’m used to HD and in 1975 when this was released this may have been the best editing available. 

            Although Spielberg was said to not really know what to do going into this film I think he knew exactly what he was getting himself into. He did an amazing job as a director and it really yielded an amazing film. He was able to strike fear into the hearts of Americans that honestly still scares people today. However what I found to be the most interesting part of Spielberg’s directing skills was how he was able to reverse the roles of high and low angle shots. Usually in film when the angle is looking down on something, it means that that subject has lesser power then the POV or talent. This works vice versa for low angle shots looking up at more powerful objects. Spielberg was able to make what people were looking down at, a shark, a very powerful thing. And when people in the movie were being looked up upon, they were usually the next victim. Now although subject to be afraid of is a giant great white shark, it is funny how he was able to reverse the roles of what is usually normal of a camera’s gaze. This is just one single example of how Spielberg was able to change the standards of directing forever.     

Django Unchained Critique

Django Unchained Critique

            I watched Django Unchained for one of my film critiques because when I saw it in theaters it instantly became one of my favorites! I actually went and saw it 3 times, I thought it was that good. The setting of the film is in 1858 in the United States where slavery was still prevalent. A Bavarian Bounty Hunter, Dr. King Schultz (Christopher Waltz) buys a slave named Django, (Jamie Foxx) in the hopes of training him as an accomplice and assistant in his bounty hunting duties. In their quests, Dr. Schultz promises Django to find his wife and save her from the witty and merciless slave owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DeCaprio). Being a Quentin Tarantino film there was lots of blood, great storyline, and an amazing ending.

            Django held some of the best film elements of the year! The acting was great by my standards. Christopher Waltz did an awesome job and of the three main characters, he was my favorite. Leonardo I thought did a very good job even though I heard he was not a very big fan of the part. I imagine it may have been good practice for his upcoming film Gatsby. Foxx did a decent job and I think he fit the part well but lacked the qualities of an amazing performance. The types of shots used by the director were mesmerizing. A myriad of close ups and long shots using zoom to focus on certain objects. Also through the film there was many great shots that showed action without showing the entire action. For example there is a part where a man gets shot off a horse. Instead of showing the man getting shot and him falling off of the horse as a result, the director decided to picture from the horse’s chest down will the man falling off at the legs of the horse. The sound editing was excellent in my opinion. There is a scene where a man gets eaten alive by dogs. Without actually showing the action, the sound designer was able to make the audience not even doubt the fact that someone was being torn apart, from limb to limb by 3 ferocious, man-eating dogs.

            As for the director, well what is there more to say, its Tarantino! He is one of the best and for a reason. I like the fact that he took a new direction on an old genre. While most directors and film-makers now days are jumping on the bandwagon and making superhero movies or futuristic scifi flicks, Tarantino has made a western “shoot’em up” style movie. He is able to show scenes and display action in a way much more creative and inventive way then that of most of his contemporaries. His directing style is so extremely refreshing and you can tell that he is making art with his movies, not just a box office hit to make some money. His choice in the soundtrack is equally as impressive and only goes along with his directing style and choice of filming. If you are unafraid of some blood and gore and are looking for s movie that is different from most of its time, Django Unchained is the movie to see. 

The Princess Bride Critique

The Princess Bride Critique

            The Princess Bride released in 1987 and directed by Rob Reiner, is a classic fictional fairy tale made into a movie. The film starts out as a grandfather reading his grandson a book that has been passed down through the family for generations. The book’s story is played out on screen as the grandfather reads. The story is filled with monsters, giants, kings, queens, sword fights, adventure, and true love. The princess Buttercup is kidnapped by a giant, a Spaniard, and an over zealous Sicilian in order start a war. The dreaded pirate Roberts who is actually Princess Buttercup’s long lost love Westly in disguise then rescues her. Before they can make off into the sunset for happily ever after, Princess Buttercup is stolen back again by her bride to be, the king. Westly must then go on another quest to defeat king Humperdink and win his lovely lady Buttercup back while making a few friends on the way.

            This is a great movie based on the story and comedic delivery however if you were to judge this film on its technical aspects it would not be very good. The actors are all sub par and do not play their parts very well. The sound design I feel like was over edited. For example during some of the fight scenes there was too much sword noise, as if they were clanking together more then they should have been. Not to mention you can see that the swords are obviously not real and not even close to being a heavy, ridged, dangerous sword. Another example of the over editing of the sound design was when Westly was fighting the “Rodents of Unusual Size.” During the altercation the animal is squealing and making growling noises the entire time. It just didn’t seem necessary. I think the best part of the film was the subtle ironic comedy, which was more or less part of the screenplay writing and not part of the filming process.

            I’m not really sure what to think about Rob Reiner and how he directed this film. In my opinion Reiner made a classic! The Princess Bride is the perfect fairy tale story with lots of comedy peppered in. I feel like it was a precursor to films like Finding Nemo, Shrek, and Ice Age; children’s films that are enjoyable for adults to watch also. The blocking of the characters, how each character played their part, the movement of the story from the book back to real life where the grandfather is reading and then back to the story is genius! However if you judge the Reiner on the other elements of the film I don’t think he did a very good job at all. He could have done much more to make it more of film lovers’ movie and less of a box office hit. Either way I do love this film and it will always be a classic in my opinion. 

Coming to America Critique

Film Critique of:

Coming to America

            After watching the 1988 film “Coming to America” directed by John Landis I was pleasantly surprised. I was looking for a funny, late 80s movie to compare the humor and production techniques to that of modern day comedies. My final results were much different then I though they would be. A brief summary of the film will put some of my opinions into context. I will continue with analyzing some of the films elements and how they were conveyed throughout the film. Finishing the critique I will describe how the director was able to use the films elements in a way that worked for this film.   

            The opening scene of Coming to America starts with the main character, Prince Akeem, played by Eddie Murphy, waking up on his 21^st birthday. Akeem is the prince of a fictitious African country and has every part of his daily life done for him. Even though he is pampered with rose petals before he walks anywhere, has his clothes put on for him, his teeth brushed, even his rear end whipped for him when he uses the bathroom, he is tired of his extravagant lifestyle. Being that he is now 21, his parents are forcing him to be married even if he is not ready. Akeem tells his parents he would like to travel to America to find a wife and live a normal life. Akeem along with his friend and loyal servant, travel to Queens, New York to find the cheapest most low rent housing possible. They then get a job at a local fast food restaurant and start out as cleaning attendants. Akeem meets the restaurant owner’s daughter and starts to fall in love with her even though she is involved with another man. Akeem is successful in winning her heart without her knowing that he is a prince. When Akeem’s father, king of their nation, shows up unannounced to find what wife Akeem has chosen, Akeem’s secret gets out. Akeem’s love finds out he is lying to her she runs away to try and escape Akeem, his family, and his money. But just as in every love movie the man chases after the girl, which happens to be a subway train, and pronounces his love to her. Akeem then takes his new lover back to his home country and marries the woman of his dreams. The premise of this movie is you have to look to find true love and sometimes you have to take yourself out of your element to discover it.

            There are many key elements of this film I would like to address. I will start with the ones I don’t like and continue on with the ones that I did like. The acting was nothing out of the ordinary. It was a late 1980s comedy with mediocre actors besides the great Eddie Murphy; who played several roles through out the film. This has come to be what seems like Mr. Murphy’s famous callings. Being able to play multiple characters but all be in the same scene together. In the various characters he did play he did a good comedic job but it wasn’t anything he is going to win an Oscar for.  As for the other characters they were believable but again, not great. As for the cinematography, it was somewhat like the acting. Just mediocre! There was a mixture of close ups and long shots that kept the plot physically moving forward but it was not a ground breaking performance at all. The lighting was low lit and however I was able to always see the characters perfectly fine, it wasn’t anything special. I understand why these parts were probably not the most important part of the film because I feel like they were making a comedy. It does not have to have amazingly beautiful and colorful cinematography and the actors don’t have to be the best either. I believe the focus was on the soundtrack, the costumes, and the set.

            In addition to the things I did not like I was happily surprised with some other elements of the film. One of the first things I really liked about the film was the set/setting. At first it looks cheesy and you can immediately tell that it was made in a Hollywood studio and was not shot on some exotic location. But when you really start to notice the imagination and craftsmanship of the set its really quite interesting. For example in the beginning of the movie, it shows Prince Akeem’s massive and extremely lavish home. It starts in his bedroom where all the walls are beautifully painted and the floor a extravagant marble. What really got me was all of the frosted glass with pictures of birds and other animals in them. Also around the rest of his home everything is painted with wall murals and christened with hanging chandeliers. The rest of the movie is mostly set in the fast food restaurant where Akeem and his friend worked, which had a surprising resemblance to a McDonald’s restaurant. It is also set in their apartment, which starts with blood on the walls and rats running through the apartment (which is what Akeem wanted) and then is fixed up into a “bachelor pad” with all the newest technology and a full hot tub in the living room. Although it seemed just modern I though it took some creativity to think to put a hot tub in a low rent Queens apartment. I also thought the costumes for the movie were wonderful! I did think sometimes that Akeem and his family in their wealthy royal clothing was over the top, but then again I think it was designed that way to be comical. Prince Akeem and his father would both wear whole skinned dead animals over their shoulders or extremely large gold chains. However, in the beginning of the movie there is a ceremony held for Akeem for his 21^st birthday where he is to meet his wife that he is suppose to have an arranged marriage with. Before the bride to be is shown for the first time she has a large group of talented African dancers choreograph a sophisticated ritual dance before her entrance. I was very impressed with the dance but I though the costumes of the dancers was the real gem. They were wearing beautiful feathered headdresses with decorated tops and loincloths. These costumes may not have been culturally correct but it was extremely entertaining to watch and added to the over all effect of the scene. Over all what impressed me the most was the soundtrack. Various artists composed the music but some of it was extremely well written. It really surprised me to be honest. There was some music that was used from the modern day but most of it was symphony orchestrated. Because it was about a man coming from Africa, most of the music had heavy bongo drums and a thick beat with a groovy jungle feel to it. I believe it really helped the movie get through some certain scenes.

            So, how well did the director, John Landis, put all of these elements together to create a good film? In my opinion I think he did a good job. This film was not trying to be the best film of the year by any means. It was meant to be a comedy, and that’s exactly what it was. Although it is slightly different comedy from today’s standards it is still a funny movie. Compared to the movies of its time like Mel Brooks ‘Spaceballs,’ Ivan Reitman’s ‘Ghostbusters’ movies, and the ‘Back to the Future’ films its different in many ways. Eddie Murphy has a bit more vulgar comedy then most but that added to the film. Also different from the other comedies with their elaborate plots of fighting ghosts, going back in time, or space adventures ‘Coming to America’ was something simple that people could relate to. This movie exemplified something that a lot of people have experienced in their lives, moving to a new place and dealing with the language barriers and culture differences. Most people have experienced this is someway or another and that is another element that only added to the film.

            In conclusion I believe that John Landis did a good job directing Coming to America. He utilized a great actor (Eddie Murphy) that could play multiple roles, made it relatable to the general public, kept the plot simple, while at the same time investing more time in the soundtrack, costumes, and set to finish off a great comedy.