Free at Last

    For many years, director Quentin Tarantino has been perfecting his film style and continues to prove that he is one of the most visually and literary unique directors in Hollywood. Tarantino's filmography is a well spaced out list of films that I believe are all equal in quality and none of which don't show true passion or laziness from the director. In 2012, Tarantino released Django Unchained, starring Jamie Foxx as the main character, who is a freed slave turned bounty hunter on the hunt to free his lost slave wife. Not only is this film one of his most critically acclaimed, but it is one of my personal favorites of his.

    Django Unchained tells the tale of a slave who is bought freedom by a white bounty hunter, played by Christoph Waltz, in order to assist the man find a slave trader that he must hunt down and complete a bounty on. The rest of the star studded cast consists of Samuel L. Jackson, a regular in Tarantino films, Kerry Washington, and Leonardo DiCaprio who all pour their heart and soul into their characters. The plot is extremely interesting because the deal between Django and the German bounty hunter, Dr. Schultz, almost seems to good because not only can Django help the Doctor find his bounty, but the man their hunting happens to be one of the most ruthless slave owners in Mississippi and one of his main house slaves is Django's long lost wife, played by Kerry Washington. From the minute the duo is seen on screen together, there is a chemistry that is made present that goes against the norm of the time but just feels right. 

    At the beginning of the film, Django is a cold, malnourished and and uncleanly slave, who doesn't even have the ability or confidence to talk clearly, but by the end of the movie, he is a well spoken, talented and confident hero. The transition made between a slave walking through the woods with literally no clothes on his back to a successful bounty hunter shows change that the audience roots for the whole time. In most films dealing with times of slavery, the tone of the film focuses more on the hardships of a slave and never shows a side of the slaves winning, but that is the complete opposite of this film. Django Unchained shows a slave being freed and standing back up against his captors and prevailing at the end of the day. Tarantino shows an interesting point of view on slavery that we normally wouldn't see in modern American cinema. 

     I guess what my favorite part about Tarantino's films are that they take a specific time period/event in history, and put a twist on it to capture the audience's attention. An interesting fact about this movie is that during filming, in a scene where DiCaprio's character is having a meltdown on Django at his home, during filming he slammed his hand down on the dinner table and genuinely did get a deep gash on his hand but continued to perform the scene in order to achieve true authenticity, which in my mind is one of the most dedicated and truly dramatic things to do in recent films. For someone to truly hurt themselves and bleed profusely but continue to stay in character really shows passion and diligence in his work which I believe made the scene better than it could have ever been. 

     Overall, Django Unchained not only shows the true hardships slaves had to experience through extremely graphic scenes but also pays off because it over all shows the triumph of slaves and has an uplifting positive message in the end of the underdog over coming his goal. This is one of all time favorite films and believe it holds true educational value for America's history. 

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

    Coming from my local high school, Jack Nicholson is an extraordinary actor who got his big break in the 1970s with films such as The Shining and Chinatown, but I believe he really showed his range and passion for the art of acting in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. This film premiered on the big screen in 1975 and is one of Nicholson's most highly regarded and praised movies in his filmography. The plot of this movie centers around a man, Nicholson, who is admitted into a mental institution and from the moment he walks in, wrecks havoc among the residents and medical staff. The film's cast features Louise Fletcher as the infamous Nurse Ratched, Dean R. Brooks as the head Doctor Spivey, and an ensemble cast of patients including longtime hometown friend of Nicholson, Danny DeVito as Martini. It was interesting to see Danny DeVito looking so much younger as this was only his fourth movie and the difference between his looks and acting skills has changed so much. After viewing this film after most of Nicholson's newer movies, it's very interesting to see how far his skills as an actor have come but still how well they held up in the 70s. 

    In the duration of this film, there is no real "plot", but there is a series of schemes that Nicholson pulls off in order to defy the totalitarian staff that consists of nurses and help with sinister intentions as well as doctors and scientists that are extremely tractable and seem to bow down to the head nurse who always seems to get her way. As the film progresses, it is very evident that the plot holds much more than Nicholson shaking up the norm at the institution. Nicholson's character, McMurphy, single handedly changes the lives of all of the patients in the hospital with his antics that go much deeper for everyone there. From the moment McMurphy walks through the front door, it can be seen that he isn't insane, but merely put in the institution because he's been to jail before and the people around him are starting to think he's going crazy. The men that live inside the hospital haven't seen the outside world in a while and when McMurphy comes in and interacts and treats them like normal human beings they get very excited. McMurphy tries to understand all of the men in there and find out how to get then to open up to him. What follows in the story is a timeline of antics caused by Nicholson's character that change patients forever. This film really shows the range of Nicholson and was a wonderful blend of several different genres that is worthy of several more viewings. 

    In the past decade, young adult books have become a huge craze in modern society and their movie adaptations have followed suit. These films started with the ultra popular Harry Potter series and now the Hunger Games series has really skyrocketed in popularity among a large population of fans. Recently, the cinematic Hunger Games adaptions wrapped up it's run on the big screen with the release of Mockingjay Part 2. This was the final film in the trilogy that first came to theaters in 2012 and ever since has been a huge hit and has given it's lead actress a huge boost for her career. The latest and final installment in the series, picked up right where the previous movie left off which made for a very nice transition for a year long difference between movies. Although I do enjoy the rest of the Hunger Games series, I feel as though this particular film was merely a cash grab, and that's why it was split into two parts. In the first part of this film, almost all of the important and exciting events occur so there's not much left to do in the second part. The second part was basically one event dragged out over the course of two hours, and it made the film seem like a waste when the film really would have just been better as one movie.
    The amount of time that passes in the actual movie is only a matter of about a few days so it just seems like it was a rush job that was used to drag out the life span of the series for as long as possible. Now it's now surprise to see that this particular installment in the series had the lowest box office opening weekend revenue. Overall, I felt as though this was the weakest film in the young adult series and think that it would've worked out much better if there was just one longer ending movie.

Room 237

    The 1980s were riddled with many Stephen King film adaptations that came from his novels, and in 1980, one of King's most classic novels was brought to the big screen in a big way. The Shining is one of King's most famous novels/films in his whole collection of works, and it's still remembered today as an extremely popular horror film. The cast consists of Jack Nicholson playing the main character, an ex drunkard family man who's living in an isolated hotel for the winter with his wife, Shelley Duvall, and his son, Danny Lloyd. At the time, both Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall were at the beginning of the height of their career, and were extremely popular right around the 80s. Before their time spent alone during the winter, a lot of weird things occur that point to something going awry. Throughout the entire film, the audience can tell something is going on with Nicholson and that he isn't acting like a normal human being. Alongside Nicholson's strange behavior, the couples son Danny continuously acts out and has reoccurring visions and nightmares in the hotel. From the start of the movie, it is very obvious that at any moment the horror will begin.
    What I believe to be the best part about this movie and what separates it from modern horror films is specifically what sub genre of horror it is. In The Shining, their is never really any "monsters" or blood and gore but some very brief creepy people and the rest of the horror comes through the dialogue and body language. This is more of a psychological horror movie which I don't believe is given justice anymore. The extremely talented director Stanley Kubrick and the writers really allowed the audience to be scared without having to overdo anything. Never once in the movie does it seem like the film creators are trying too hard to push the horror side, but instead it naturally is creepy through the way the characters are portrayed. Nicholson plays the  perfect psychopath on the hunt for his family for a reason that is never explicitly said. Throughout the film there are several nods and hints as to what is really going on with Nicholson's character but it is never clarified exactly why he wants to do horrible things, and that's what makes this movie so scary, especially for it's time. Not only was this movie extremely great for it's time, but even now it still holds up in modern cinema and there are still unanswered questions and debates about what really went on in the movie. Overall, The Shining is still an excellent horror movie and hold up today as one of the most thought provoking and truly "scary" movies ever.

True Grit

    The 2010 film True Grit is a remake of the 1969 Western classic starring John Wayne and Robert Duvall. This film tells the tale of a young girl who's father is murdered in cold blood, and set for retribution, she goes on a dangerous adventure hunting down her father's killer with a washed up alcoholic bounty hunter. This film contains a very popular cast consisting of Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, and finally Maddie, the true protagonist is portrayed by Hailee Steinfeld. True Grit's Western narrative begins in Fort Smith, Arkansas, where Maddie is in town collecting her father's body and possessions. After she gets into town, Maddie has a change of heart and realizes what she must do to fix the wrong that the murderer Tom Chaney, and that is to hunt down and take Chaney dead or alive. In order to help her on this wild goose chase, Maddie goes through town searching for the best bounty hunter to enlist to help her capture Tom Chaney once and for all. After finally finding who some told her to be the best around, Maddie hires Rooster Cogburn, who's truly an old incompetent drunkard. In the beginning of their journey, Rooster attempts to leave Maddie behind and bring along Texas Ranger LaBoeuf, but Maddie chases after them and convinces them to bring her on their trip. This is where the true adventure begins for our main characters.
    Although, Rooster . In the beginning of their time spent trying to find Chaney, Maddie claimed Rooster had "true grit", which is by definition, courage, honor, bravery, and other characteristics of a truly heroic person. As the movie progresses and we see the disposition of each character, it is clear to the audience that someone does indeed have "true grit", and that character is Maddie. For the entire time Maddie is with Rooster, she was always helping him up when he was down and putting him in his place when need be, and most importantly, unlike Rooster, she never gave up. In one of the climactic moments in the movie, when Rooster gives up on their mission, Maddie desperately tries to continue their search and doesn't plan on stopping until she has Tom Chaney. Although Maddie is a seemingly harmless little girl, the idea of true grit is deeply rooted in her and shown through her character traits and actions in the film. This film to me is one of the most entertaining Western classics and this remake only made it hold up more in modern times. Another unique part about this film is the main characters themselves, Maddie and Rooster. Normally in Western classics the man is portrayed as the typical male hero who is extremely moral and a role model for all, and they save the damsel in distress, and in this film it's truly the other way around. We see a smart and brave young girl go on a deadly mission in the frontier to capture a murderer. Having a young girl take this role in a film is interesting because it doesn't happen all that often, and makes this movie special in it's own way. This is not only one of the most excellent Westerns in the past few years, but it is also an outstanding remake and it deserves all the love it gets.

Alien

     During the 1970s, a new wave of space movies started that would eventually lead to the modernization of one of the most popular genres and most popular film franchises of all time. The influx of films set in galactic territory contained such franchises as Star Trek, Star Wars, and the Alien series. In 1979, prestigious director Ridley Scott, created one of the most unique and revolutionizing films of it's time and genre. Unlike Star Wars and Star Trek, Ridley Scott's Alien steered away from the more upbeat and vibrant elements of the space films of it's time, and set itself in a more intimidating and sinister version of space than previously seen in cinema. Many would argue that Alien set the archetype for sci fi horror films to come in the following year and even modern cinema. Ridley Scott's rendition of space was a dark and menacing place where audiences felt as though something could be lurking around every corner of the deep dark galaxy. Alien was a very important film in that it changed the way modern sci fi directors think today and really created an icon that is the alien in that film.
     At it's time, Alien contained two major stars to be in the American film industry. Not only was Tom Skerritt, most known for his role in Top Gun, one of the lead space goers in Alien, but the true protagonist in the sci fi horror was Sigourney Weaver, who would later become one of the most famous actresses in modern cinema. After her role in this film, Weaver's popularity sky rocketed and her career took off from Alien. Throughout the film, there is a sense of dread and unease that something horrible is going to happen and that is one of the best parts about the movie. As some say, fear is the best character, and the sense of fear that comes from the ambience of being on an isolated ship in deep space really strikes it's viewers. One of the most memorable things about this movie is the tagline, which read, "In space no one can hear you scream", and that perfectly describes what works so well in this movie. As each of the characters makes the decision to wander into the bowels of the ship where some unknown terror is awaiting them, a sense of anxiety is transferred to the audience as we know something bad is out there and the characters in the film might not know what awaits them. This sense of dread stays until the end when the protagonist and true hero, Weaver's character fulfills the "hero" role and defeats the alien creature, which is something that none of the other characters could do. The fact that this woman was able to step up and solve the problem not even the captain of the ship could do went against most prior situations in popular film where it was a male who was the real hero, not a female. This movie not only made popular the sci fi horror genre in general, but also was the first major film to use a female as the action star/hero. Ridley Scott has gone down in history as one of the most revolutionary directors for the science fiction genre as a whole and popular culture would forever be changed because of his works, Alien is not merely another sci fi horror film, but a work of art that sculpted the way similar films were created over the next few centuries.

Best in Show

     Documentaries are a type of film that have been around since the early 20th century and are continued to be made today, but "mockumentaries" put a spin on the genre to create a more comedic effect. Renowned director Christopher Guest has created and starred in several mockumentaries including This Is Spinal Tap, A Mighty Wind, and Best in Show. I recently watched Best in Show, Guest's film from 2000 that follows the lives of several different dog owners as they prepare for a national dog show. This film's star studded cast consists of Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Jennifer Coolidge, Jane Lynch, Parker Posey, John Michael Higgins, and of course Christopher Guest. Best in Show utilizes everything that works well in a documentary and in my opinion, makes it better by adding a comedic tone.
     Throughout the entire film, the use of popular documentary elements makes the film more interesting by adding things most audiences aren't used to in a comedy film. One of the things I believe works best in this film, is cut aways. In order to add interesting backstories behind he characters, their is cut aways which is basically a one on one interview with just the dog owner(s) and the cameraman. This allows the audience to hear some personal information from the characters that you wouldn't normally hear in a regular scene, and that further allows the audience to create a stronger bond and connect with the character more. One of the other intriguing elements in this film is how all of the characters are constantly very close to each other, without actually meeting until later on in the film. The audience gets to see jump cuts from one character to another, and although they're not physically together, the editing allows us to see everyone in rapid succession so it never feels like a certain character is isolated. In the third act, when all of the characters finally meet and compete against each other in the big show, it is very rewarding for the audience to see everything finally come together. Although it isn't the most mainstream popular comedy, it is a truly smart and comedic film that puts a twist on normal comedies that not only makes it more enticing but smarter as well. Best in Show is a great film that adds a lot to several genres and does what it attempts very well.

Pulp Fiction

    Pulp Fiction is an American film from 1994 directed and written by Quentin Tarantino, and is a widely considered to be a cult classic and is highly praised by both critics and fans. It is a film that has gained both positive and negative attention over the years but ultimately has been looked at as a great film that has offered a lot to modern day cinema. Pulp Fiction follows several different people who have their own stories that eventually end up connecting to each other in one way or another. The films star studded cast includes the likes of John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Christopher Walken, and Bruce Willis. The most interesting part about this movie is the fact that it is a non-linear story and certain parts are told out of order and other parts are told in order of real time. The way the film follows different groups of people is interesting because the audience is always excited to see what happens to the other characters and if they're going to all connect eventually.
     One of the best parts of this film is the way comedy is a major genre even though it's an extremely violent crime movie. The use of comedy in certain situations creates a tension that normally you wouldn't see in a serious crime film. One of the other major elements of this film is the use of many pop culture references. The film is filled with pop culture and pays homage to many other films and outlets of entertainment. Pulp Fiction was one of the first and most popular films to start paying homage to other films and such and led to other movies down the road using the same idea. Pulp Fiction not only revived the careers of several actors/actresses, but set a new standard for almost all genres in cinema. Without this film, modern cinema would not be where it is today.

The Godfather Part I

      For years, American pop culture has been portraying mobsters in a very similar way and all these ideas derive from a 1972 cinema classic, The Godfather. The Godfather is an American crime film series that follows a family of mobsters and their trials and tribulations in the underworld. Francis Ford Coppola was the pioneer director of these types of mafia movies and he set the path for most of the other films that were made about the same subject. This film has a very certain style of all cinematic elements including cinematography, score, and settings. From the opening scene, the camera uses a certain style that it uses throughout the film to show importance to the character speaking, and the same goes for the setting. In the first scene, the character the audience first sees has one dim light above him in an otherwise mostly dark room, which creates tension and gives great importance to that specific character. Merely moments later, the camera pans out to not only reveal a larger, shadowy figure in the side of the shit, but it takes away the importance on the character we first saw. The dim light and use of darkness on character's bodies as well as settings is used throughout the film to display several different themes. For example, for the first half of the movie, Michael Corleone, is never fully shining in light when discussing family mafia business, but later on at a turning point, Michael is the main focus on the camera with full light on him as he says some of the most significant dialogue in the film, and that is the turning point for his character. This is made very clear to the audience and the use of lighting helps very much. The use of the dolly to pan out with the character is something that is used a lot and the audience sees more throughout the film. This American classic was the archetype for American mobster films.
       Although it may be over 40 years old, The Godfather has a cast consisting of many current A list actors and actresses who went on to have incredibly successful careers after the 1972 classic. Marlon Brando plays the "Godfather" and as well as him, the main family consists of Al Pacino, James Caan, and Robert Duvall. It's very interesting to see the progression in these actor's skills and how far they've come in terms of acting from 1972 to the present. One of the things that I believe is the most intriguing about The Godfather is just how well it holds up in modern times. In present cinema, most movies are filmed very technologically and come in incredibly high quality with a lot of CG effects, but the subject matter as well as the effects and stunts in The Godfather still hold their own in modern times. In my eyes, this film is a true American classic and showed modern cinematic directors many ways to introduce themes and elements through the use of things such as lighting and camera use. Without this film, the idea of mobsters would not be what pop culture displays it to be.