A semester of film screenings

I’ve seen a lot of films for the first time this semester between an English literature class and two film classes.  The most recent ones screened for class were only watched part-way through or in scene clips.  Those included “Full Metal Jacket,” “Eyes Wide Shut,” “A.I. – Artificial Intelligence” and “Strangers on a Train.”  Even so, it was still the first time I saw those to any extent.

After so many first-time screenings of various films, I’ve come out of these classes with some that I’d like to add to my DVD collection.  I bought a few of the Stanley Kubrick films so that, as a commuter student, I’d be able to review them quicker and easier for one class.  Those films were “Paths of Glory,” “Spartacus” and “Lolita,” but some of the ones I really liked and would still like to get include:

• “Run Lola Run”
• “North by Northwest”
• “2001: A Space Odyssey”
• “The Awful Truth”
• “Barry Lyndon”
• “Persepolis”

The last film I’ll get to see for the first time on campus is “District 9,” although that’s not for a class.  This is being screened as part of a campus film festival, an event held by the English department.  Finals week starts tomorrow, I have a film class term paper on “A Clockwork Orange” to finish by Monday night.  Graduation follows soon after that, which is still hard to believe.  I’m not sure if I’ll go on to grad school, when or where, although I figure I’ll at least stay in the mid-Atlantic and northeast region.  However, I would like to major in English literature and also continue my film studies if (hopefully, when) I go to grad school.

Film Studies: More in-class screenings

Since my last blog post about film class screenings, I’ve seen a few more films in three different courses.  These are a really good mix of film genres – mystery and suspense, animated / biography, crime / drama / sci-fi, historical / romance and horror.

“North by Northwest” (1959)

For the longest time, I kept coming across “North by Northwest” starring Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint on TCM part way through.  So I figured, I’d skip watching it until I could catch it from the beginning.  The growing intrigue in the story of an innocent man on the run when he is seen as a criminal keeps you hooked.  In the film, Grant plays Roger Thornhill and knowing that nobody believes his innocence, he is very sly in his steps to avoid getting caught.  I love the acting by classic Hollywood legends in films like this because it can really pull audiences into the story.  Also, I feel that those legends are the inspiration for many of today’s great acting talents.

“Persepolis” (2007)

We watched this animated film in my English literature class as a follow-up to reading the graphic novel of the same title.  One thing about the novel first – if I were ever to publish a literary work, I don’t think I’d be the one to create the accompanying graphics.  It takes a lot of talent to keep consistent the dimensions of whatever you’re drawing.  The book is the first of its kind that I read and I enjoyed the film adaptation as well.  There was a wide range of all human emotion with moments to laugh, along with hard-hitting drama based on Marjane Satrapi’s experiences.  There are relationship issues as well as cultural situations that readers could identify or connect with on some level, which especially make “Persepolis” a great book and film.

“A Clockwork Orange” (1971)

I watched this for a film class and am beginning to read the novel by Anthony Burgess for the same English literature class in which “Persepolis” was covered.  For me, this is one of those films that I was never really interested in seeing on my own.  Now that I have seen it, I can say that I don’t really like “A Clockwork Orange” a lot.  It’s just not my kind of film overall.  There was a scene that comes to mind which I thought was funny, when Alex (Malcolm McDowell) imitates the officer’s marching in an exaggerated way.  But the interesting aspect to me regarding this film is the history surrounding it, which a guest professor came into class to discuss.  It’s that history which relays why, whether or not a person likes the film, I can see its significance in film and impact on society.

“Barry Lyndon” (1975)

After seeing this period film, I decided to write about it for a film scene analysis paper instead of going with “2001: A Space Odyssey.”  I love the elaborate details seen in films that recreate historical time periods.  “Barry Lyndon” may just be my favorite Stanley Kubrick film, with its architectural detail, the costumes and locations.  It’s another film that I add to my list of those featuring beautiful locations I’d like to visit one day.  Also, there were a lot of elements that reminded me of a number of my other favorite films, such as the poor guy versus the rich guy and attitudes about social class.  Think along the lines of “Titanic,” “A Knight’s Tale,” “Pride & Prejudice.”  Of course, social class is a timeless issue to this day with the 99% and the 1% news stories.

“The Shining” (1980)

This was only viewed in various clips during class, but I’ve also seen parts of “The Shining” at home when it was on TV a few times recently.  I can’t think of another actor who can do such a creepy, evil expression like Jack Nicholson does in this film.  It’s the overall intense creepy vibe throughout “The Shining” that has always prevented me from watching it from start to finish.  Also, the last time I caught it airing on TV, I happened to catch a warning about an upcoming graphic scene.  I didn’t see that scene, yet I know it involved someone who showed up to check on the family at the hotel.  In general, I can’t help comparing “The Shining” to today’s horror films and how they do or don’t build up suspense.

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I’ve got another paper coming up for the film class on Kubrick’s work.  I’m going with “2001: A Space Odyssey” this time.  In another film class, we broke into groups to research different directors; my group focused on Christopher Nolan and four of his films (“Memento,” “The Prestige,” “The Dark Knight” and “Inception”), each of us watching a different one.  I chose “Inception,” although it was a tough choice between that and “The Dark Knight.”

After this semester and all the films I watched for the first time, there’s a list of DVDs growing in my mind that I want to add to my collection.

Film Classes: Writing assignments on classics

My semester is at it’s mid-way point and film classes are going well, most recently discussing sound in one class and finishing “Dr. Strangelove” in another.  I have writing assignments in the works for both of those classes.  For the moment, I’m most of the way through spring break but am trying to get a jump on these assignments with the remaining free time.

For my film appreciation class, I’m writing my term paper on the mise-en-scene elements of “12 Angry Men” (1957).  This time last year, I was working on a term paper about “Rebel without a Cause.”  For anyone who hasn’t seen “12 Angry Men,” there’s a juvenile delinquent theme in that film as well, except that it isn’t from the teen point of view.  It’s a very good film and I would recommend it to those who haven’t seen it yet.

In the class focusing on Stanley Kubrick films, I don’t have to start a full term paper just yet.  The writing assignment right now is to choose a particular scene in one film and analyze the directing techniques in it.  I’m going with “2001: A Space Odyssey,” although I’m not sure yet which scene to write about.  I just have to narrow it down among the scenes I’m most interested in for the assignment.

Film Class: Full-length screenings and scene clips

As a follow-up to a previous post on film class and screenings, here are a few more we’ve watched to study the elements of cinematography.

“Lolita” (1962)

We had to watch this Stanley Kubrick film on our own for more in-class discussion time about it in the art of film directing class.  I had never seen “Lolita” before and never knew who was in it, so it was a bonus to see Shelley Winters in it.  She is one of my favorite actresses, having seen her in “A Place in the Sun” (1951), “The Diary of Anne Frank” (1959) and “The Poseidon Adventure” (1972).  Lolita, the daughter of Winter’s character, shows two opposite personality traits toward Professor Humbert throughout the story.  In that sense, it reminded me of Alicia Silverstone in “The Crush” (1993), which has been on TV once or twice recently.  The difference between that example and “Lolita” is in the lead male characters of both films.  Humbert doesn’t want to lose Lolita who is too young for him.  In “The Crush,” Nick (Cary Elwes) definitely wants to break free from Adrienne’s (Silverstone) obsession with him.

“Psycho” (1960)

With all of the pop culture references of the scary shower scene, I thought I would most likely never see this Alfred Hitchcock film.  However, the first time I saw any of “Psycho” was that very shower scene.  The famous scene was viewed for discussion of cinematography during film appreciation class.  Given all the gore of such scenes in recent horror movies, it didn’t seem as scary as I was expecting.  I didn’t have the urge to cover my eyes or look away as I would with present-day all-out slasher films.  However, I can definitely see how the shower scene was one horrifying scene for its time and for many years.  The “slicing” music accented the stabbing motions the killer makes with the knife, adding to the shower scene’s creepy atmosphere.

“The Birds” (1963)

This is my favorite Alfred Hitchcock film; I’ve seen it the most out of all the Hitchcock classics. In film appreciation class, we watched a short clip of the diner / gas station accident scene.  The scene was replayed again, in slow motion to compare Tippi Hedren’s character looking all over while gas flows from one point to the other.  For memory’s sake of a comical moment in class, watching a scene from “The Birds” in slow motion is not an easy thing to do without having to hold back laughter.

“Paranoid Park” (2007)

This Gus Van Sant film was screened in my English literature class focusing on novels about alienation.  I haven’t seen any other of Van Sant’s films.  So, comparing to other films, “Paranoid Park” was very different in that it used sound at times to really emphasize the turmoil of the main character.  That turmoil is the result of teenage Alex being involved in terrible accident which killed a security guard.  Just a heads-up: that terrible accident may induce squeamish feelings just from the idea of what happens to that guard.  Afterward, the film shows very well just how alienated Alex becomes from life as an average teen.

“Dr. Strangelove” (1964)

For the film class covering Kubrick’s work, we began watching “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.”  Although I haven’t seen this all the way through on my own yet, there were a few scenes that really stood out for me.  One such scene is when two of the men meeting in the war room start fighting; the president yells at them about the idea of fighting in that particular place.  Then there are the scenes of a B-52 flying over the mountains, adding dramatic landscape to the film.  Another scene included a underwear-clad woman in General Turgidson’s (George C. Scott) bedroom.  The way she talks on the phone while relaying messages between the caller and Turgidson is very official and business-like, a contradiction to what she is wearing at the time.  At the war room meeting, there is a humorous moment in which Turgidson gets a call from the woman and reminds her not to call him there.  It reminded me of a similar scene from “Spaceballs” (1987); it’s the scene in which President Skroob yells the same thing to someone who calls him.  I’m not sure if that was to pay homage to “Dr. Strangelove,” along with the spoofs on numerous sci-fi blockbusters.  Despite the serious topic of “Dr. Strangelove,” these are just a few odd moments of humor throughout the film.

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Next up, I have a paper to write on one of six films to choose from.  On the night the choices were given, I narrowed it down to three that I’m interested in writing about.  At this point, I’ve picked out the one I’m writing about; now I just need to write a short thesis  due on the next class meeting.

Screening Kubrick films and more

As my class on the art of film directing studies Stanley Kubrick, some of his works that we’ve watched in class or on our own were new to me.  That especially goes for “The Killing,” which I hadn’t heard of before.  Also, one of the textbooks we are using is called “Stanley Kubrick,” by Bill Krohn; it’s from a series of books called “Masters of Cinema.”  So if we want, we can also find books on other directors within the series for a good price.  Something else I like about my film classes is that they are allowing me to catch up on watching the talent of many classic Hollywood stars.  For instance, until watching “Paths of Glory,” I had only seen Douglas in one other film.  Overall, we watched these films for the cinematic techniques used throughout and why they were chosen in relation to the stories.

“The Killing” (1956)

This film is all in black and white as a narrator tells the story of a robbery attempt at a racetrack.  What I liked about “The Killing” was the surprise moment here and there:  karma striking back at one man and a sudden interference that changes another man’s fate.  It’s somewhat relatable because things don’t exactly happen as planned for the characters, including moments all along the way.  Of course, that’s how things are in real life.

“Paths of Glory” (1957)

Our professor gave us some history of this film: that there was some controversy surrounding it, in terms of differing war-related views.  After learning that and then watching “Paths of Glory,” it’s one of those films for discussing military history and how the big screen depicts it.  There is also great acting by legendary leading man Kirk Douglas.  As he walks through trench scenes, the camera shows the soldiers on either side as though the viewer is walking there.  Another interesting view is that of one looking through binoculars from the trenches.  The decadent architectural details of buildings used by high-level military personnel reflect the imposing situation of three soldiers who are chosen to be put on military trial.

“Spartacus” (1960)

Another film starring Kirk Douglas, this time with fellow Hollywood legend Laurence Olivier, to depict ancient Roman times.  In discussing and watching this film, I recognized one of the younger stars (Tony Curtis).  And while I didn’t know much about Charles Laughton and Peter Ustinov, it was mentioned in class that they were big names just as Douglas and Olivier were by then.  In terms of the film itself, I love the amount of details that go into epics like this.  Douglas was great as Spartacus, whose honor could be seen in his respect for other humans and in his fight for the slaves’ freedom.

Are you a fan of Stanley Kubrick films?  If so, which one would you say is your favorite?

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The following films were watched in my film appreciation class focusing on cinematography.

“Run Lola Run” (1998)

I’ve heard of this film many times, yet never caught it on television.  Finally having the opportunity to see it for an in-class writing assignment, I was curious what “Run Lola Run” was going to be about.  Early on, I thought that the main characters were going to begin a life of crime together and run from the law from that point.  But then, something unexpected happened instead and the film goes into a what-if-this-happened mode to ask what the new outcome would be.  The camera and music are used in a way that brings out the intensity of the characters’ situation.

“Visions of Light” (1992)

After watching this documentary, I decided that I’d really like to get my own copy of it on DVD.  The history of filmmaking technologies, camera use and incorporating sound and vibrant color into movies fascinates me.  If you love history, movies and related technologies, it’s worth checking out.

What films do you think have great elements of cinematography, whether lighting, camera angles, sound, etc.?

In my final semester, completing a film studies concentration

Classes began on Wednesday, and along with the last half of my journalism class, I also have some English literature classes.  Most of those classes are on film studies, fulfilling both an English minor and a concentration in film studies.  It’s going to be an interesting and creative semester that brings to an end the undergraduate college chapter of my life.

The first class I had this week was English literature, and although it doesn’t focus on film, there is a connection.  One of the books we’ll be reading has big screen adaptation: “A Clockwork Orange.”  I’ve never read the first of those, or watched the film.  Besides those film connections, the theme of the class focuses on a topic in many coming-of-age stories told in the movies.

The film-oriented English classes I have include scriptwriting, film appreciation and film directing.  The scriptwriting class is actually for stage, although my professor said that people who write for stage can transition well into writing for film.  My classmates and I each have to write a script for a one-act play.  For mine, I’m going to try writing a script that has drama.

Film appreciation covers different aspects of filmmaking: genres, camera use, lighting, scenes, etc.  That will be really interesting to me because I love a lot of details that are used to make up a scene, and I love interesting camera angles.  The film directing class isn’t about actually getting to direct.  Instead, it’s a lecture class and we’ll be studying a lot of the works of Stanley Kubrick.  We watched part of a documentary today, called, “Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures.”  Out of his films, I’ve only seen “The Shining” and maybe half of “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

Where I go once this semester and these classes are over, I’m not sure about the long term just yet.  Right now, I’m looking into communications-related internships, as well as those that relate to my English and film studies.

I’d like to go to graduate school, although I have a lot of steps to take for the admissions process.  So I know that I won’t be starting grad school in the fall 2012 semester.  While in grad school, I hope to study abroad in the UK and see a lot of literary film locations.  Read more here about why I want to go to the UK as a study abroad participant.  As for how I’ll apply my film studies to either that or the career world, there are a few ideas I  have in mind.  For grad school, I would like to continue with my academic path in either communications or English and definitely incorporate further film studies.  I hope to take on more video classes at some point as well.  In terms of a career, I’m interesting in writing film reviews and behind-the-camera work.  Of course, that goes along with my interests that are more directly journalism-related.  In that area, my interests include travel writing and photography, writing features, covering arts & entertainment.  Those are just a few of my journalism and English literature / film-related career interests.  I’ll post more about my film classes as I go on through the semester.