Journal Entry #4

The Week of October 10th

I've decided to change the text and the viewing a format because it seemed like it was getting a little confusing. For the record The Blogs follow a backwards thread, that is the first day of class is at the very bottom of the page and the posts at the top of the page are the most recent. I would have liked it to be in the opposite order, but Blogspot insists on making this hard!

10.6.2008
ROSHOMAN (1950) 150 Word Review
Directed by: Akira Kurosawa

REVIEW
Finally a foreign film. Well actually The Bicycle Thieves was foreign so I stand corrected. OK finally a Kurosawa film! That's better. This film was kind of like a melting pot between Pulp Fiction, Four Rooms and The 7 Samurai. There's a lot of things going on in this movie. The opening titles play out like a Japanese Film Noir...which I guess this is. From a visual standpoint it's groundbreaking. A furious rainstorm engulfs everything and then an opening shot of the two guys sitting under what looks like a destroyed pagoda...But from that portion of the film my favorite shot is the two sitting on the steps and the rain coming down...it's a straight on shot which is brilliant. Not only that but don't all good movies start with some variation of "I went into the woods" or "He went up the mountain" The strength of this film in my opinion is that it tells a very complex story and a very simplistic way. It's crisp. Add to that a compelling soundtrack and it's awesome. Obviously Kurosawa is ahead of his time. It's hard to believe that it's a film from 1950 and has interesting influences on the film world from the day it was made to now.

10.6.2008
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
ESPN
The Saints are on National TV. Hard not to pass up. Im hoping my longshot bet on The saints pays off at 200-1 and I can retire a rich man. Reggie Bush is a waterbug on rollerskates...fun to watch

10.8.2008
THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN (2007) Home Viewing
Directed by: Mark Orton (Dir. of Phot.)
Written/Narrated by:John Peterson

Doc. about Farmer John Peterson. Captivating

10.8.2008
THE TINGLER (1959) In Class Viewing
Directed by: William Castle

10.8.2008
INVASION OF THE BODYSNATCHERS (1956) In Class Clip
Directed by: Don Siegal

10.10.2008
IN A LONELY PLACE (1954) In Class Clip
Directed by: Nicolas Ray

10.10.2008
IMITATION OF LIFE (1959) In Class Clip
Directed by: Douglas Sirk

10.10.2008
8 1/2
Directed by: Fedrico Fellini (1963) In Class Clip

Italian Neo Realist. The concept of the Auter. The Face of Mastroianni-guy in glasses

10.10.2008
GOOD MORNING (1960) In Class Clip
Directed by: Yasujaro Ozu

Characters talking directly into the camera. Ozu was extreme in his minimalizium. Film is poverbialy exessential

10.10.2008
ROMEO AND JULIET (1996) CASTRO THEATER
Directed by: Baz Luhrmann
STARSHIP TROOPERS (1997) CASTRO THEATER
Directed by: Paul Verhoeven

"Peace...Peace...I hate the word" Tibault AKA "Cha Chi"

I wrote about this in my Extra Credit Paper. Lots of fun.



BREAK