Clueless, Not So Clueless.

I have only seen bits and pieces of Clueless before we watched the movie in its entirety in class. I had low expectations of being entertained by the movie, but I was pleasantly surprised. The move was very funny and had very well developed characters. I found myself laughing a lot throughout the entire movie. The fact that the characters were able to poke fun at themselves added to the humor. As we go further into the plot, the characters grew with the story and added a new level to the film.

We don’t see much of the main characters breaking the boundary between the film and the audience, but that is exactly what Cher did. At times in the movie, Cher would talk directly to the audience. These conversations allowed us to become more involved in the story. They also helped add depth to the characters. It was also used to be humorous, because on several occasions Cher would say things to the audience that were nothing but hilarious. Normally a character talking to the audience would not allow the viewer to become lost in the film; in this case I found it to be untrue. I was able to become lost in the film as time flew by even with Cher talking directly to the audience.

The evolution of the characters also plays a roll in the films success. The characters in the movie do not remain static throughout the film. They are continually changing. Cher, at first, is a self centered individual that did little to benefit others. As the move progressed we learn that Cher is truly a kind person at heart. At the end of the film she is helping others and trying to make a difference in people’s lives. Allowing characters to grow parallel to the plot adds depth to a film. It is this depth that allows us as viewers to read into the film and become more involved in the story line.

Links-

The script-

http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/5342/Clueless.htm

http://www.celebritywonder.com/movie/1995_Clueless.html

Great overall Film!

Eve Bayou is a film that I truly enjoyed. I feel that all of the aspects of the movie complemented each other and created a great film. The actors and actresses fitted their roles very well. The plotline was very interesting and kept me intrigued. I was able to get lost in the movie and the time went by very fast when watching the film.

While watching the movie progress, I would continue to ask myself ‘how is the family going to deal with Louis Batiste?’ Louis is a character in the movie that we grow to hate. He spends most of his time away from home, spending a good deal of this time with his mistresses. The film is shot in a way that my feelings for Louis progressed as the story unfolded. The film did not just come out and say that this is the person that you are going to hate throughout the movie.

Near the end of the movie we learned that not everything about Louis is true. Yes he was not faithful to his wife, but the incident that took place between him and his oldest daughter was not as it appeared to be. Learning what really happened after his death was a very interesting choice. The driving force to fuel his death in the movie was the incident between him and his daughter, not that he cheated on his wife. Now that the truth was out, did he disserve to die? I ask myself this question and don’t have a clear answer. However, I enjoyed the fact that this movie made me think.

Links

http://www.filmcritic.com/misc/emporium.nsf/reviews/Eves-Bayou

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119080/

My Wanda Review

Wanda is a movie that falls outside of my circle of movies that I enjoy. I enjoy more typical Hollywood films. While watching Wanda, I found it very hard to become lost in the film. I had to stop myself from drifting off and losing interest. However, this experience also made me more aware of the style of film I enjoy. The part I had trouble with was the documentary style. The film was shot in a way that goes along with the nomadic nature of the film. I kept looking for a story line to follow but never found one. Although I did find it very interesting how the film was shot in ten weeks with only a crew of four people.

Learning that the film was shot with a small crew and in a short period of time, I found myself wondering how Loden would have done things differently with more time and a larger crew. It was very interesting to learn that several scenes in the film were shots that were not planned or in the script. It seems that most directors in today’s film making do not allow the amount of freedom that Loden allowed. Loden allowed Proferes to frame and compose most of the shots. The freedom that she allowed in the making of the film carries over to the nomadic nature of the film.

Although I stated before that I did not enjoy the film, there are parts of the film that I can appreciate. I enjoyed the scene at the beginning of the movie where Wanda walks across the coal field. The scene was a loosely framed long shot, long take. The scene foreshadowed the life of Wanda. Another scene that I found to be entertaining was the scene of Wanda following Mr. Dennis. This was one scene that I found myself getting into the film. I kept asking myself if she going to make it. Also, Wanda getting stopped by the policeman made me laugh and added suspense to the scene. The scene ended perfectly. Wanda getting stopped by the cop kept her from making it to the bank and getting arrested with Mr. Dennis.

I think that there is a lot that we can learn from movies that we don’t necessary like or enjoy. The more we learn about the films we don’t identify with, the more we understand why we identify with other films.

Links
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067961/

http://www.erasingclouds.com/0915wanda.html

Would you have guessed Female?

In class we discussed the theory of Essentialism. Do women directors create different films than men because of their gender? Is there a clear connection between gender and art? To me, the answer is no. People can argue both sides. To me it is not important to know the gender of the director before watching a film. If you know the gender you will be looking specifically for things to agree with your already preset assumptions.

After watching The Bigamist, I would not have imagined it was created by a female director. Throughout the film we followed a male lead who cheats on his wife. The audience at times, feels bad for this man who has been cheating on his wife and living a double life. Why was the female director not casting a negative shadow of this male lead? One would think that the female director would want to make this man appear as evil as she could. It is a way to send a message through a film that cheating is not accepted. At the conclusion of the film, when the man’s double life is revealed, neither of his two wives appeared to be that upset; an unexpected ending.

The Bigamist is a good example of showing that women directors can create a film that does not follow a stereotype. The film is shot in a way that the audience would no suspect a female director. I feel that the Essentialism theory does not apply to all films or any at all. Women can create films that are not connected to their gender. A female director does not have to create a feminist film. Female directors are few and far between in this male dominated career and it is important to recognize their success.

Cool Info-

http://www.imagesjournal.com/issue05/reviews/ida-bigamist.htm

http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/L/htmlL/lupinoida/lupinoida.htm

Vertigo, Who do you like?

When watching Vertigo for the first time, it took me a while to become lost in the film. It wasn’t until the scene where Madeleine was tossed from the tower when I stepped back and was wowed by how the film was unfolding. At that point, the entire film changed for me. I realized that there was more than meets the eye, and the characters were much more developed than I first pictured.

As the plot continued to unfold, the characters become more complex. The audience was able to see the obsession that Scottie was dealing with. At times, I found myself sympathizing with him and the tragedies he had endured. While other times I was discussed with his behavior. When we were reintroduced to Judy, in the hotel room, we sympathized with her and the love that she truly had for Scottie. I find it very interesting that we were able to ignore the terrible things she had done, such as helping commit murder, and we over look it.

As Roger Ebert explains in his review, the development of two key characters adds to the overall success of the film. I continually found myself cheering on Scottie but at the same time feeling the pain Judy was going through. During the closing scenes of the movie, I was rooting for both characters. I wanted Scottie to make it to the top, but at the same time I wanted to see Judy escape. This confusion or involvement in the plot helped me to become lost in the film

Reviews-

http://movies.toptenreviews.com/reviews/mr2043.htm

Awards-

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1800131906/awards