Once Upon a Time in the West

Once Upon a Time in the West was an excellent movie, furthermore, it can be compared to another excellent movie: Goldeneye. Perhaps better known as one of the more recent James Bond films.

The comparisons start with the protagonists: Charles Bronson and Pierce Brosnan. Aside from having similar last names, each character portrays resembling attitudes and body language. Never in either movie do we see Harmonica or James lose their cool. They are both always very calm and relaxed, or dare i even say "reluctant"??? Being very ridiculously good looking is also in each actors playbook. Suaveness is a lifestyle for Bronson and a way of life for Bond. Just like in this picure above, Harmonica always has a cool and calm look on his face and rest of body.

In addition, the two brunette bombshells are very good with the ladies. A must if you want to be a western movie protagonist and essential to be called a "Bond". Also, each actor comes with their own theme song. For Charles Bronson, its his own jazzy harmonica tunes, and for Pierce Brosnan, its the signature Bond tune.

this last picture is for the viewing pleasure of our very own Dave Matyi.

dave: save the cat calls for class so you dont wake up your parents

Journal

Having never completely viewed one of the most famous movies in all of film history, this journal gave me an excellent excuse to watch the old, dusty copy of The Wizard of Oz (1939). I have only watched snippets of the movie on television and heard it referenced tens of hundreds of times throughout my life. So now finally, i have watched the film start to finish and am now Oz literate.

Directed by Victor Fleming, The Wizard of Oz as everyone knows is about a girl named Dorothy who is played by the hometown hero Minnesotan Judy Garland. As the story progresses and the plot expands, I began to realize in my own basement that my body was the only thing actually in my bottom floor, my head and imagination had long dissapeared into simpler times; my childhood. I have heard somewhere that The Wizard of Oz brings out the child in everyone who watches it, a detail I have never lived until now.

Just like how a war movie can take your thoughts into a defferent realm, or a sad song captures your fellings about a topic, and even how a sighint of toy flys a person off to a different time in thier life, the Oz did this to me. A fantasy land that i dreamed of as a child, floated into my mind like a mirage in my slummy basement.

Victor Fleming used sound extensively in the film throughout. Whether it was the flying monkeys, or the sound of Dorothy's voice while she skipped to the castle, the music and sound, in my opinion took center stage in the impressive category for the flick. The sound effects of the characters and the witches really made the movie of that time period stick out to me as one ahead of its time. and also make it a movie still referenced over 60 years later.

My Darling Clementine post

In the movie My Darling Clementine, Wyatt Earp is very much the stereotypical westerner for various reasons.

One of our very first encounters with Mr. Earp is when he suddenly appears to be the only one brave enough to stop a drunken crazy Native American. He shows poise and courage, just as all cliche heros do. Even though we do not know Earp yet, Ford still conveys him as someone who can be trusted and a man who viewers side with.

Also on a lighter note, when the Earps attend the dance with the rest of the town, obviously Earp is going to be an amazing dancer. All main charasmatic westerners are excellent dancers.
Even though we never see him work on his dancing, he is definately going to have sweet moves because he is Wyatt Earp, Sheriff extroardinaire.

Rosebutt

Orson Welles uses sound in his movie "Citizen Kane" to help convey emotions and thoughts to viewers. Throughout the film, he utilizes numerous sound techniques that helped "Citizen Kane" become such a household film.

In the beginning, Welles introduces a song that will play repeatedly throughout the film. This is know as a musical motif. The catchy tune is played in different volumes and speeds so that it is not too noticable that the song is reoccuring. He also uses the song to startle the viewers by suddenly turning it on extremely loud and unannouced. He uses this tactic later in the movie when he shows a bird making a very loud screech unannounced that startles the crowd.

Not to be overlooked is the singing of Kane's ex wife Susan. The sound she makes is portrayed as beautiful by some, but not as pretty by others. Orson combines her singing with the drama of Kane's life to stir up feelings.

Directed by Frank Darabont, The Film Shawshank Redemption won me over with a thoughtful plot and amazing narration. The movie was made after a book by Steven King.

The main character Andy Dufraine, played by Tim Robbins, is a man who was sentenced to do two life sentences for two murders in a prison named "Shawshank". Dufraine is a man who is extremely bright and quiet. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, or Red, the movie takes on a somber mood with his relaxing mood and "in prison" sad mentality. Almost immediately, others notice how smart Andy is and they begin to trade for him helping them out. One of the jailguards, has Dufraine do his taxes for him in return that he brings him a six-pack of beer, a six pack that Andy never touches and only gives to Red and his other friends. Soon all of the guards recieve help from the brilliant Dufraine.

Throughout the movie, there is narration about the feeling of being locked up and what it does to a man. This is very interesting to me because Morgan Freeman and the director do an amazing job and instilling chills and lonelyness in the viewers. He even states "In prison, a man'll do almost anything to keep his mind occupied". I really enjoy this quote because of how realistic it must be.

As the plot continues, Andy starts to work with the warden to do alot of his paperwork. However in doing so, he agitates the warden numerous times and in one occasion, he plays classical music on the loudspeaker over the entire courtyard and prisoners stand in awe, while the camera which is located way up in the air next to the the speaker looks down on everyone of them just staring up at it in awe that there is music being played over the speakers. For this unruly, behavior, Andy has to spend a month in solitary confinement, an amazingly horrific lifestyle kept in a 24-hour dark room with no bathroom, little food and even fewer commodities.

One of the most sad moments in the film is when Brooks, the former senior fragile librarian for the prison, who now is being bossed around by a grocery store manager, hangs himself in an appartment building that he stayed for a while. However, on a lighter note, Red travels to the same room and carves his name in the ceiling, right next to where Brooks carved his before putting the noose around his neck.

As other smaller stories unravel, the main plot is focused on two things, Andy escaping, and Red getting parolled after 40 years.

The director did an excellent job on this movie and the cinematographer did even better. My favorite shot, is the crane shot of Andy Dufraine immediately after crawling through a sewage pipe to escape the confines, of Shawshank standing in the rain holding his hands up like a man who hasnt breathed free air in 20 years (my picture on top of post). The movie was amazing and really makes a person think about life after watching it and noone will have trouble remembering the amazing stories of Andy and Red.

my favorite movie of the last 3 years.

The most entertaining movie I have watched recently is the movie "The Prestige" directed by Christopher Nolan; the director of "Memento", a heralded film from 2000. The movie captivated me and it was one of the only movies I have ever wanted to watch again, immediately following the initial time I watched it.

The main character, portrayed by Hugh Jackman ( wolverine in "X-Men") is named Robert Angier is a magician who is a very good charasmatic performer, while his opponent Alfred Borden played by Christian Bale ("3:10 to Yuma", "Batman Begins") is exactly the opposite; he is not a very good performer, but instead just an amazing magician. Each of them struggle against the other to try to make money.

Christopher Nolan does an excellent job making the audience thrilled and entertained at the same time. He uses ceratin cameran angles that add to the effect of the magic tricks and gives up interesting point of views from all different characters. Throughout the movie, Jackman, Bale, and even Michael Caine, a magic trick inventor for Jackaman, narrate parts of the film. Each divulging information about their character and the story line.

Scarlett Johansson also plays a fairly large role int the film by being an assistent to both magicians. She transfers sides after Jackman wants her to get some inside information on Bale's tricks, but refuses to return the ugly looks of Hugh Jackman.

Throughout the entire movie, the fued between the two is escalating. Each man somehow slithers onstage of the other ones show as a volunteer and attempts to foil the other ones performance and enrage the crowd, Jackman even shoots Bale in the finger.

David Bowie is also in the movie playing Nikolai Tesla, a real actual life inventor who has a mythical role in this movie, trying to invent machines for the two magicians than will mystify the crowd using electricity.

The acting is top-notch in my oppinion and the plot-line that has so many turns and twists is asstounding to me. I highly suggest that anyone who has not seen this movie (coughcoughmr.Klobucharcoughcough) should see it the nearest weekend. It is indeed my favorite movie of the last three years, hands down.