His Girl Friday

I think the movie pokes fun at a number of societal figures. They range from the down-to-earth average Joe to the man of power and prestige, the mayor. This movie does an amazing job breaking down and rebuilding the characters with a hint of satiric spice. For example, the character who delivers the reprieve to the mayor is just some average Joe. But the movie goes on to make him out to be a family man with very little competence and stature. This I believe is to the further press the point that being normal, is well, boring. Another example of boring being normal is the character of Bruce. Though he is a mild mannered and kind fellow he is never able to grasp the situation quite as quickly as Hildy and her male counter part Walter. Clearly this is a jibe at the common man and how bland his life is in comparison to that of a fancy and sophisticated newsman such as Walter. Another example of caste criticism is the character of Hildy. Though she is a women she plays a very dominating role in this movie. From her sometimes violent encounters with Walter to her cool headed demeanor in tight situations, she's a man but much more attractive. She combats the common stereotype of helplessness and demolishes the standards of quietness and submissiveness. A good example of a women stereotype is the character of Molly who ultimately jumps off a building, go figure. This movie does a fine job of taking common issues and positions and warping them into something funny and unexpected.

Unforgiven Post

I chose to write about the final gun scene in the movie. In this scene I think there is a lot of character development as well as great over all action. Will's rugged determination really sets the scene for when he silently creeps into the bar during Little Bill's pep talk. I think the choice of having the gun cocking as one of the first indicators of Will's presence was a great idea by the director. It really set the tone for the rest of the shot, no pun intended. Also while Will shoots all of the men he does so in such a methodical method that it really shows what type of person he was as a youth. Up until then he had been shown as rusty but here I think he returns to his former glory. Though I believe the fact that he allowed some of the people to leave to be a sign that the old Will is back but with a different twist. Almost as if all of his late wife's guidance hadn't been all wasted. This shot was very compelling and very justifying I believe. Even though Little Bill was just trying to keep a fair and safe town he really got on my nerves. So I was more than happy to see him taken care of. This final scene was a lot different compared to that of other western endings I have scene. Usually it is an old school shoot out but here it's more modern gangster movie with a little bit more gutsy moves. This scene was a proper climax to the movie and I think it was directed perfectly.

Drunken Master II

For my review and behind the scenes look I chose Drunken Master II, directed by Lar Kar-Leung. I chose this movie because it is not only on the Time's 100 greatest movie lists but also because it's one of my favorite movies of all time. The choreographers, Jackie Chan and Lar Kar- Leung, use explosive moves and great technique to not only highlight different fighting styles but they also stays true to their form and method which is hard to find with a lot of martial arts movies today. I will be analyzing two different fight scenes within the movie. My first fight scene is the one underneath the train to the farm house.

"Underneath the train - farm house"




Within this fight scene Jackie Chan faces off with an old legend in the martial arts movie industry, Lar Kar-Leung, who also directed the film. Here we see the styles of the Chinese spear
(Qiang) vs. the Chinese sword. The scene starts with both Jackie and Lar beneath the train fighting. Jackie utilizes quick maneuvers and the compact spacing to neutralize Lar's long ranged weapon, the spear. The moves that are performed within this sequence are extremely dangerous for 2 main reasons the speed at which the spear thrusts are done and the closed spacing. Jackie then finds a Chinese sword which is extremely flexible. This sword is primarily used for slicing because it is pretty much a huge flexible razor. This sword may seem weak compared to that of a Chinese "Jian" or straight sword but is extremely quick, sharp and versatile when is comes to fighting. The basic deflecting techniques used by Jackie in the fight scene are common technique while using this weapon because it allows the practitioner to also deflect but also to counter quite quickly. After the weapons are thrown to the side, Jackie utilizes the style of Drunken boxing. Drunken boxing is a type of martial art that relies on acting just as much as power to be a successful fighter. By acting I mean that most of the moves come from what would seem as "unstable" stances and awkward positions such as attacking while you have your back to your opponent. These type of techniques are only effective if opponent can be lulled into a sense of superiority or safety. This style is especially popular for martial arts demonstrations because it relies on acting so heavily.

"In the Restaurant"



In this scene Fu man chi (Lar) and Feng Hung (Jackie) take on the dreaded "Axe Gang". The axe gang has actually appeared in a more recent movie, Kung Fu Hustle. This fight scene is so extraordinary because it not only involves a massive fight scene but it stay creative. With a lot of movies, massive fight scenes may appear all the same or just a bunch of punching. But here it's quite different. Lar and Jackie utilize not only the first level but also the second level of the building. This is very important because it allows viewers to see massive action on the top and bottom of the screen. Also while watching this I remember seeing a similar type of scene in Matrix reloaded when Neo fights off all the Mr. Smiths, though with his fight scene it was all CGI. And for that exact reason, this figth scene is amazing. The onslaught of opponents thrown at Jackie and Lar make the fight scene fast paced and extremely action packed. Jackie utilizes simple things such as benches and tables to fight off countless opponents. And at one point Jackie uses a broken bamboo stick to take on the majority of the axe gang. This creative and unorthodox type fighting make this movie and scene exceptionally good. This movie is one of the best movies I have ever seen in my life. Truly this movie has earned its position on the top 100.

Stage Coach

My favorite scene in the movie was the Indians chasing the stage coach on the way to Lordsburg. This scene is truly amazing in many different facets of the movie making process. First of all the mere fact that Ford is able to break the 180 rule and still have an amazing and attractive shot is truly amazing. I think that Ford was able to do so because the scenery is so vast, empty and that it doesn't have any distinctive land marks. I don't think he could have gotten away with this if it was in a city area because the audience would pick up on certain land marks. Secondly i think this shot is fantastic because of the stunt work involved. Jumping from horse to horse is truly amazing not only because it's dangerous but also because i could never do it (i'm allergic to horses). But the stunt man doesn't stop there, he gets "shot" in the back and falls in between the horses and is nearly trampled by the stage coach. Even for our time this stunt is truly amazing and daring. I was very impressed and in awe of not only the mere fact that the man did it but also because i knew it was all legit and no CGI was involved. This movie definitely set the bar for future stunts in other movies. Thirdly, another part of this scene that was also cool was the shots of the horses and stagecoach from a low angle. I've seen this used in other movies but I think it was truly effective in this movie. Overall this scene made the movie for me. I thought up until then the plot of mediocre at best and the gun fights and script boring but this movie really made the movie interesting and more enjoyable. I guess it goes to show that great action movies span the spectrum of movie genres.

Citizen Kane

My favorite aspect about the movie was the elaborate setting and "costumes". The overall theme of the movie is wealth and I think this movie did the best in the showing it off. I usually am accustomed to seeing fancy cars or high priced villas but to see such display of massive wealth with all the statues and paintings was truly a sight. The shot where they're in the Xanadu mansion and Susan is doing a puzzle is one of the best examples. The sheer size of the fire place and rooms are caverns of wealth in themselves. This is a perfect example of Mise-en-scene with all the high class clothing and elaborate settings. The crane shot in the end of the movie is another tribute to not only wealth but creativity. To get all of those pieces together and to film over them was revolutionary for that time. Maybe not the crane shot but the sheer magnitude at which the screen was filled. This movie was a great and intriguing movie that even gave big budget movies today a run for their money.

Film Review : Rashoman

I decided to view the movie "Rashoman" which was directed by Akira Kurosawa. This movie was surprisingly good, it had many twists and turns which allowed even a black and white film a chance against the larger color movies. The movie employed a certain "Clue" aspect because it involved many different characters witnessing the same event but telling very different accounts. The basic story line is that a local woodsmen ventures into the forest in search of kindling and wood but instead finds something much more horrifying. A brutally murdered samurai lays at the side of the path. The Woodsmen quickly runs and notifies the proper authorities, who then find 3 other witnesses to the immediate crime. The movie continues with each of the witnesses' accounts. The director uses flashback to the retell each of the character's stories. This I thought was a very effective way with which to approach the story line. The character's perspectives are all completely different which makes the movie always suspenseful. The experience during the movie could be comparable to a puzzle piece egg hunt. It is like this because with every new piece found, another dimension of the story is uncovered. Even though the filming is in black and white the director is able to use different shades of light to reflect the general mood of the characters. The setting is in three locations, the woods, the police station and the run down monastery. The movie's basic idea looks like just a piece together situation but if you look deep down into the story line it does a wonderful job highlighting the true nature of human beings. The priest played by Minoru Chiaki symbolizes an innocent bystander and his loss of hope for humanity. The bandit played by Toshiro Mifune symbolizes someone who acts purely on human desires and feels no guilt for his actions. The woodcutter played by Takashi Shinmura symbolizes a true human being who does sin but feels guilt and shame for what he has done. The wife played by Machiko Kyo is a mixed representation of women and deception. The samurai played by Masayuki Mori represents the ways of old nobility and pride. The combination of all different class systems and wide array of motives provides the movie with a twisting and interesting plot. This movie overall was superb and had a great life meaning as well. I really enjoyed this movie and I don't think i would have ever seen it unless it was for this project.