Pan's Labryrinth

Pan's Labryrinth is a dark fairy tale involving a fantasy world of mythical creatures intertwined with the harsh reality of WWII era atrocities.Ofelia ,the movies' protagonist and a big fan of reading fairy tales so much so that she is finally pushed into inventing one in her head so that she may survive the abuse that she witnesses and experiences.The movie utilizes a wonderland of prosthetics,puppeteers and computer animation to insert the viewer into Ofelias world.The long shots through out this movie pan the labryrinth and forest with such spatial enormity we are able to see miles in a direction.We are visually saturated with detailed information and need no dialogue , for the scenery. is the dialogue.This film played out on a stage, in a theatre,would be very limiting.The vast space displayed on film ,would be unachievable on a stage limited by dimentions.I dont believe the forest and labryrinth would be as impactful live as they are in this movie,especially when viewed as an aerial shot.

Crash

"Crash" is truly a collision of director Paul Haggis realistic style and the superb acting abilities of a star-studded cast.The lengthy takes that permit us to buy into the various characters' drama.The plethera of players cover all walks of life,from the wealthy ,to the working class,all the way to the drug addict.As if it not enough to have all classes represented,we become privy to eachs character deficits and assets.Just when we think we have a dirty cop figured out,we witness a touching scene of cop tenderly attending to his aging fathers late night ,prostate difficulties.We view a verbal assault between a married couple the likes of which ,can only be discribed as injurious,especially to some whom may have had such an experience.The emotional layers, peel away,incident by incident.The pointed ,slap in the face dialogue,accompanied by the same camera style leaves us emotionally spent.The chopped up and then linked together like a chain drama commands our rapt attention.The photogenicity of the chosen actors faces must have been a factor in the casting of the characters for the director relies on the expressiveness of faces to convey a variety of human vulnerabilities.The low register of the persian immigrants' voice coupled with his dark expressive eyes clue us in to his frustrations with the cultural discrimination that he experiences.In the end, the movie is about the life lessons we all learn from our many and continous mistakes,and hope for future decisions.

District 9

District 9 opens a door into our own psyche,without revealing it has ever done so!The story is revealed to us in the style of a documentary,with real people speaking , not actors,so we are led to believe.We are drawn in by breathless newscasters divulging unbelievable information.The movies' premise is that an alien spaceship is stalled over the city of Johannesburg with the creatures inside.The films protagonist is introduced as government official"Wickus" .He is assigned the job of care and containment of aliens,and attempts to do so in a humane manner.The audience is astonished by Wickus lack of insight or inexperience dealing with these matters,as though nothing has been learned by S.Africa's history with apartheid.Clinton Shorters' award winning score drives home the fear,urgency,and dispair the city feels with his rhythmic beat.The score evokes these emotions in the viewer,emphasizing the ethereal feel of the information we are hearing.Clinton Shorter artfully combines the newscast with the dramatic by way of two scores woven together with each becoming more prominent as the storyline dictates.The solo vocalist sings appropriately "The mysteries of life",in an indigenous African language.The desired effect being haunting and exotic,a mirror of our response to the storyline.Later in the movie we hear low register brass melody,accented by deep percussion,and punctuated with a militaristic marching beat ,building to a climactic crescendo.This film,sans score,would not be the thought provoking 111 minutes that it is.The accompanment of the music amplifies and completes every frame.The movie, at some point sinks into the category of unbelievable,and for me just becomes faux!

Raging Bully

" Raging Bull" is a genius piece of filmmaking!Robert DeNiro perfectly portrays the sorted, sad life of the one-time prize winning boxer Jake Lamotta in the years between 1943 and 1964.Jakes lifelong dream is to get a shot at the middleweight title without ever having to adhere to traditional avenues to arrive there.His manager and brother played by Joe Pesci,attempts to channel Jakes raging talent into a lucrative career for both men and their families.The movie profiles the havoc that is unleashed unto all that come into contact with Jake Lamotta,inside and outside of the ring.This movie is a showcase for D.W.Griffiths' expert editing techniques,executed by D.P. Michael Chapman.The film is shot in black and white lending the gritty brutal feel of actually attending a live fight.The use of some actual footage of Jake LaMotta fights bring us front and center of the boxing ring.D.W.Griffiths' methods are evidenced in the editing of this movie with the use of techniques suchas cutting and photography, slo-mo,freeze frame,blurred shots.The cinematography evokes a visceral reaction of the viewer with no words needing to be spoken by the actors.I give this movie a two thumbs way up,if I had more ,they would be pointed toward the sky as well!This is a supremely acted ,filmed,and edited movie.

Run Lola Run

Run,Lola run for your life!Lola is driven,at the behest of her drug-dealing boyfriend,to run all around town and secure monies so that his life may be spared. The director of photography,Frank Griebe, uses a myriad of camera techniques,such as;instant replay,speed-up,long shots,black and white,tight framing,depth movement and anything else that has ever been invented regarding a camera to convey to the viewer just how desparate the situation is. When none of these techniques get the message across,the film switches over to animation!These styles of cinematography are perfect for the storyline of an unstable couple involved with drugs and the havoc this lifestyle brings with it. If you dont like the movies' ending Tom Tykwer provides two more options for you by retelling the tale thrice over. This movies' movement reminds us somewaht of Harrison Ford running through the streets in "The Fugitive". The plot lacks the depth of "The Fugitive"and save the animation is almost documentary in content. Lola frequently moves laterally in frames which tells us that she is dogged in her pursuit of the cash. We get to see depth shots with Lola looking strait into the camera,or Lola running away from the camera which enables us to feel the breathlessness of her constant movement. I give this film two thumbs up for entertainment factor.

Heath Ledger's Farewell

I have chosen a frame to evaluate for placement of objects and characters. This frame occurs after tony joins the cast and revamps the setting to attack replacements for Valentina. The camera views Heath Ledger from slightly below and places him center frame, surrounded by high contrast visual elements,and using high key lighting. Tony speaks to a group of ladies gathered in front of the imaginarium. Heath Ledgers placement at camera center alerts us to the fact that he is the center of attention,he is the most omnipotent! The frame is used as an isolating device,the shot is tight with only Tony speaking. The two-dimensional frame becomes three-dimensional to my eye with the usage of the black and white painted squares on the wall. We would expect the subject matter to be attracting for Tony is attempting to persuade the ladies to enter the imaginarium. Heath Ledger is shot in the full front position,giving us the suggestion of intimacy by proximity, but his face is hidden by a white face mask,which evokes emotions of mystery and inaccessibility. We are drawn into this frame by Ledger and at the same time distracted by Valentina in the shot, almost on top of ,but behind him. Valentina appears to be portraying Eve with the poisonous fruit dangling over her head as she absent-mindedly strokes her hair with a brush,I think this is the eye-stop in this frame. The rule of thirds is observed with the placement of the "please take generously" chalkboard,Valentina,and Tony. A left to right movement of the eye is used, frame is closed, and presentation is an isolated movement with Tony and the audience. The frame is tight with Tony kneeling up against the offering box. The backdrop of black and white harlequin painted squares may suggest a carnival atmosphere, "hey come in here, have fun, live your dreams". The background of eve in the garden of Eden may suggest utopia. the gauzy white drapery gives an ethereal feel, with all of these being the content and canvas to the story line of this film.

Donnie Darko

The film Donnie Darko was a continuous example of symbolic uses of light and dark.The cinematographer or D.P. is the person responsible for lighting and its effects on the viewer.Lighting may be used to direct the audiences eye to any area of the film;any person, any vista,any movement taking place on the screen, every frame is considered and adjusted for lighting.All colors,shapes,and also textures, reflect and absorb varying amounts of light.A number of different styles of lighting exist and are geared to the genre of film.Light and dark lighting convey symbolic significance, with darkness suggesting fear, evil and sinister intent.The use of light may be used to suggest to the viewer feelings of security,virtue,truth and joy.Donnie Darko used low-key lighting in several scenes,perhaps to lend a visual display into the mind of a schizophrenic when non-compliant with their medication regimen.The sardonic bunny,a manifestation of Donnie disease ,was low-lit through out the film, perhaps suggesting the characters' evil intent.Lighting may be used realistically or as is the case in Donnie Darko;expressionistically.How better to illustrate the mind of a schizophrenic, one who sees visions and hears voices,than with the use of darkness, or low-lighting to enhance the darkness of the experience of hallucinations for the audience.With what I have learned this week about cinema,I believe this movie adheres to the formalistic style,utilizing less light,and the distortion of natural light patterns to tell its story.