M

M

Fritz Lang will forever stand as one of the greatest directors of all time. His work spans from Metropolis to The Big Heat and his imprint on cinema can be seen everywhere. M though stands as one of his finest masterpieces and is one of my all time favorite movies. The story follows a serial killer who kills children and follows the town’s reaction. The film’s story is incredibly well done and the direction and cinematography behind it are perfect. It’s every thing you want in a movie takes it to a masterful level.

            The camera work is very fluid and I love the shots in this film. Some of my favorite shots that stand up are the close up of the “M” hand, Hans seeing the child in the mirror, and the shot of Hans Beckert seeing the “M” on his back. There are plenty more shots but those were some of my favorites. As expected with Fritz Lang, there are some great tracking and zoom shots. The whistling motif

            Though what made M so fantastic in my opinion was that the story focused more on the reaction to the serial killings of the public rather than the serial killer himself. The opening scene says it all as we follow the kids singing songs of the child killer to the mother looking for her daughter. Lang lets the visuals tell everything as we cut to the empty seat at the table where the daughter should sit. As the film continues we see how the public’s paranoia reaches dangerous heights even attacking an innocent old man just for talking to a child. At the same time as we see the public’s reaction, Lang also focuses on the police’s actions and how they react to stop the murderer. The comparisons between the two groups adds a whole different layer to an already deep film but it works.

            The best part of the whole film comes at its climax. As the public has captured Hans we see the combination of exploring the mind behind the killer and the anger mob mentality that the towns people take on. Peter Lorre deserves some major credit for giving a wonderful performance as Hans and really pulls sympathy from the audience.

            Overall M is a masterpiece and one of Fritz Lang’s greatest films! It is definitely one of Germany’s best and it also has a huge influence on cinema just like Dr. Caligari.
4/4

The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari

A masterpiece film, one that be fundamental for centuries, The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari is one of the greatest and most influential pieces of film history. The 1920 silent film directed for Robert Wiene and screenplay by Hans Janowitz and Carly Mayer has been known for its unique style that would set the precedent for German Expressionism and impact film forever. The weird and jagged sets reflected expressionist paintings at the time and created a tense and horrific tone. Everything feels out of place and the film will make you feel uncomfortable. Along with the sets the film became a huge influence on film noir through its use of shadows and nighttime shooting. The incredible thing is that the shadows were indeed painted in because of lack of resources. The cinematography also plays a huge part into this style, creating the tone and mood that lasts throughout the film. The film includes some fantastic close ups too, including the famous one of Cesare’s awakening. Lastly it is also the actors who did not stick to traditional acting but moved in an unrealistic and moved like the environment around them.

            The film opens up and continues to have a surreal feel to it. The story is told through flashback and we can already tell that something is wrong. This helps the horror aspect of Caligari function so well. As the story progresses we notice one of the major steps Caligari took in film, by making the exterior represent the interior of the characters. In fact one could say the exterior becomes one of the characters in the film. Still the best part of Caligari comes at the end with its twist ending. When we learn that indeed Francis is insane and that he is stuck in an insane asylum, an important theme breaks out that sticks with cinema to this day. The idea of being trapped in time, that our fate is inescapable. Since the film is told through flashback, we know that there is no escape for our protagonist. Everything that is being told has already happened, and nothing will be able to save him from his fate. Francis is indeed trapped.

            Overall Caligari is an incredible film to watch because of its huge influence of cinema. As one of my classmates said, “you can see a part of Caligari in every movie.” The horror is powerful, the cinematography marvelous, and most importantly a great story to boot. It is a film everyone should watch, especially fans of cinema, as it has left its mark on film for ages and will continue to. 
4/4

Magnolia Movie Review

Anyone that knows or follows me knows that I am a huge Paul Thomas Anderson fan. Ever since I saw There Will Be Blood back in 2007 I have been captured and in awe of his cinematic vision and power behind the camera. My father thought I was crazy for enjoying There Will Be Blood and even to this day says it is awful but I know deep in my heart his is in complete denial. So immediately I became a fan and made it my mission to catch the rest of his films. As the years past I eventually saw every single one of his works from Hard Eight to Boogie Night, Magnolia to Punch-Drunk Love I have adored and loved each one of his films. I have never taken the time to sit and write my opinions on his films....until now! So begins my marathon of reviewing each one of Paul Thomas Anderson's masterful work. I will start with Magnolia and from there go to Boogie Nights, Punch-Drunk Love, Hard Eight, and finish with his masterpiece There Will Be Blood. This should be a wonderful experience for myself and hopefully for you readers out there where ever you are. So what did I think of Paul Thomas Andreson and Magnolia (if you can't already tell), read on to find out!

Magnolia is the story about one day in Los Angeles follow multiple unique individuals and the connections they all have with each other. The main story follows two old men who are dying. Philip Baker Hall stars as Jimmy Gator a game show host who has been diagnosed with cancer. The films follows his attempt to reconnect with his drug addicted daughter (Melora Walters) and host his show with child prodigy Stanley Spector (Jeremy Blackman). Jason Robards stars as Earl Partridge, an old man dying with cancer, trying to reconnect with his long lost song Frank T.J. Mackey, author and motivational coach for men on how to "tame" women. The film also features John C. Reilly, a officer in search for love; Philip Seymour Hoffman, a lonely and sympathetic nurse; and Julianne Moore; young wife of Earl Partridge filled with guilt. The films flows the stories of these individuals together as they all search for love, happiness, and meaning in a world full of coincidences.

Dancer In The Dark Movie Review

Lars Von Trier is in my mind a genius. While not every single film that he makes is a masterpiece, in fact the last film I watched by him (Manderlay) I thought was just average; I believe he is one of the smartest filmmakers around in this day and age of cinema. The first film I watched by him was Antichrist and that was a movie that truly blew my mind. It was something that I had never seen before and I loved it. Immediately I had to know more about him, his films, and his mind and since then I have tried to understand this man. I recently saw Melancholia and absolutely loved it and decided to go on a Von Trier binge by watching Dancer In The Dark. I knew very little of this film, only knowing that Bjork was in it and that was very questionable in my mind. Still, just seeing Melancholia, I was willing to give this movie a shot and hopefully one again enjoy this film.

Dancer In The Dark stars Bjork as Selma Jezkova a mother of a young boy and factory worker who just loves American musicals. She loves musicals so much; her days are filled with daydreams of singing and dancing in the factory or even on a train. Unfortunately Selma has a unique disease that is taking away her sight slowly will eventually make her blind. She manages to still work at her factory, fooling a doctor even to get permission, and pins hairpins in unbent cardboard so that she can raise and save money. She saves the money in hopes that one day she will be able to pay for a surgery to save her son from the same disease she has. Unfortunately Selma’s landlord (David Morse) has run into money troubles and cannot afford the rich lifestyle he has lived and continues to ask Selma for a “loan” to help out. I don’t want to give out too much story so this is where I will stop but know that it gets much more interesting as the story goes on.

Melancholia Movie Review

Lars Von Trier has skyrocketed in stock in my personal film opinion. The man might be the most daring filmmaker today, Steve McQueen is up there too, but he certain is one of the smartest. He is a walking genius that has made some of the most brilliant, stunning, emotionally challenging, and visually dominated films that have ever been made. From Dancer In The Dark, which might be the most depressing movie ever made, to Dogville, which is the most challenging film I have ever seen; Von Trier shows no signs of stopping with his next film Melancholia. I had been interested in this film ever since I saw Antichrist, which rocked my world, and I couldn’t wait to finally see this film. Though you have to be careful with expectations because you could end up loving a film just because of expectations and the director even though it is awful. Still, with a stunning cast behind him and an interesting premise, Melancholia hopefully will be another thrill ride. Read on to see my thoughts…

Melancholia is about Justine (Kirsten Dunst) a newlywed who is unfortunately also dealing with severe depression in the most unique of ways. She cannot enjoy her wedding reception or even her husband. Her sister Claire tries to help her out by planning the reception and eventually trying to take care of her during her dark time. Claire is married to John, a rich man who is fascinated by the stars but is somewhat fed up with Justine and her action. The film is split up into two acts: the first following Justine during the wedding and the second following Claire and her family in preparation for the planet Melancholia.

Top 5 Films Of The Year

Hey Everyone! It's the end of the year which means that its time to look back at what movies were the best of the best! It was a year of extremes with some really awful movies (I'm looking at you Jack and Jill) and some really good ones! Now remember this list is my personal opinion not an objective list like at Rotten Tomatoes. Still I would love to hear people's opinions because the debate for the best of the best is always fun. So read on to find out what movies I thought were the best of the best!

Now for the unfortunate news, while I have seen lots of films this year there are still some films that I have not seen. I would like to mention them because they would most likely end up on my list. They are Shame and Melancholia, two films by some of my favorite directors that I cannot wait to watch some day. I would also like to include The Skin I Live In, A Separation, A Dangerous Method, and Midnight in Paris as honorable movies that I haven't seen yet.


Now for the movies that I really enjoyed and received high praise form me but didn't make my top five. My honorable mentions are: Rise Of the Planet of The Apes, Win Win, 50/50, The Muppets, The Help, Moneyball, Crazy Stupid Love, and Bridesmaids. Those are a few of my personal highlights from this year but overall I felt this was a solid year of movies. Anyways time to begin my top 5 countdown starting with...

5. Hugo

As a huge Martin Scorsese fan I had high expectations for Hugo and luckily they were met and went beyond that. Hugo is a magical journey into cinema and reminds us why we all fell in love with it in the first place. With some impressive acting from Asa Butterfield and Ben Kingsley, Scorsese's latest adds another classic to his long lists of impressive films. A kids movie that appeals to anyone who loves film, Hugo takes my number 5 spot for its amazing use of 3-D, its glorification of the beginning of film, and the wonderful cast comes together to make one of the best films of the year. Now to number 4...

4. The Descendants

After my grandfather died this year, I found a very special connection with Alexander Payne's The Descendants. A wonderful filme about dealing with loss of a loved one while at the same time gaining a lot of knowledge about life. George Clooney gives the best performance of his career as Matt King and takes on a deep, emotional journey on dealing with a wife in a coma, family being greedy over inherited land, and trying to reconnect with his daughters. The biggest surprise of this film though comes from Shailene Woodley who gives one of the best supporting actresses turns this year including the most emotional underwater shot I have ever seen. The film was a wonderful experience with a superb script and impeccable direction from Payne. Along with a wonderful soundtrack to back up the film, The Descendants stands out as one of the year's best. It was a tough battle between this one and number 3, but eventually I gave in and gave the number 3 spot to...

3. Drive

I did not know much about Nicolas Winding Refn before seeing this film, but I am sure glad I know about him now. This film blew me away at its direction, action, acting, script, music, and overall amazing filmmaking. This is one of those films where everything comes together to create a true cinematic experience. Ryan Gosling stands out as the Driver here and gives a powerful performance along Albert Brooks with one of the best supporting actors performances of the year. Still its the score and soundtrack and Refn's direction that take this film to the next level making it one of my favorites of the year. Number 2...

2. The Artist

What an amazing film here by Michel Hazanavicius that embodies everything I love about silent film and gives some of the best performances of the year from its cast. The whole feel of the film and story takes us back to the golden days of silent cinema. The acting by Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo are some of the best of the year along with an incredible supporting cast including John Goodman, James Cromwell, and the cutest dog on film since Beginners. The sets, costumes, and score are brilliant additions as well but Hazanavicius is the reason this movie soars with its wonderful visuals and great story. Overall I loved every single second of this film and that's why its at number 2. Now for my favorite film of the year...


1. The Tree Of Life

As one of the biggest Malick fans around I wasn't surprised that I loved this movie to death. The thing that is really amazing about this film is that even non-Malick fans should love this movie. This is what cinema is all about. You put the crap to the side so that we can go on a journey that Malick has taken us on. A brilliant and deep look into the hardest questions that every person must face in their life. Why does God let a dinosaur live but take away innocent people's lives? Why do people do bad things? What is the way to live in this world? I was blown away the first time I saw this films and continuously am when I watch it to this day. Its beautiful, emotional, deep, thought provoking, philosophical, religious, and powerful all within one film. Malick has made another masterpiece and it might just be his best yet. I adore this film. It is not only my favorite this year but one of my favorites of all time. I could've watched the universe footage for 4 hours but along with that we get a family story dealing with a lot of issues we all deal with. Its visually dominating and it is a perfect film. You might have hated it but I loved it to death. I want more Malick, especially if its going to be like this.

There we go, thats my top 5 for 2011. I believe it was a pretty good year in film, but boy does 2012 look good. So you then, and Happy New Year! Long Live Cinema! Cheers!

The Artist Movie Review

This year has had it movies about nostalgia that's for sure. Hugo took us back to the roots of cinema and reminded us why we feel in love with movies in the first place. My Week With Marilyn brought us back to the days of the 1950s and brought one of film's biggest stars with it. Even Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris featured one of my favorite writers F. Scott Fitzgerald in the story. Least to say nostalgia was in the air. Then we come to The Artist, a silent film that radiates and glorifies the days of silent cinema. Shot in black and white and done in silence, The Artist transports you back to the days of the glory days of silent film. Was this able to work though? Would director Michel Hazanavicius be able to bring silent film to life in a day and age where new silent films are hard to find? Read on to see my thoughts...

The Artist stars Jean Dujardin as George Valentin, a silent film superstar at the peak of his career, who bumps into Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo) whose destinies seemed to be intertwined. Soon "talkies" are introduced to Hollywood and as Peppy starts to rise, George begins to slowly fall apart losing his money, stardom, and even his wife. Peppy soon becomes the biggest starlet of the big screen and must find a way before  George's career is over or something even worse happens.