Troy

A very interesting film i saw this week was Troy. In many ways this film reminded me of All Quiet on the Western Front. While watching Troy I always had the impression that it was a modern version of All Quiet on the Western Front just like how Dark City is a modern version of Asphalt Jungle. In both film All Quiet on the Western Front and in Troy the main characters all end up dying due to war. In addition, the gory fighting scenes that Troy displayed had the same affect on me as the fighting scenes in All Quiet on the Western Front. Both showed the reality of war and that is is no game. Both films were identical except the fact each film occured in a completly different time era.

A Simple Plan

The movie at first had a slow, monotonous, boring start but as the plot developed the whole aspect of the film became more interesting. One thing i noticed that kept appearing throughout the film is the raven. A motif for this film. It is also symbolic for everytime something went wrong, the raven was always present in the preceding scene. A very disturbing scene of the film is when Hanks wife is giving birth. Usually in a film the birth of a child is something to be in awe in or something to praise, but in this film this feeling is ruined when the wife spoke of her evil plans. The music, the face, the tone this scene had added to the disturbing feeling that the audience would recieve when viewing this scene. The fact that the wife had the newborn baby in her hands multiplies the feeling.

Memento

Memento is a movie that is unique in its own way. Memento is the first movie that I've seen that goes through two narratives but follow a different chronological order. Christopher Nolan is a genius for pulling off such a confusing movie. I thought it was brilliant how he delibrately made the film confusing so that the audience can get a sense on what Leonard was going through. The story with Sammy Jenkins was quite confusing since in the end it was revealed that Sammy never had a wife even though in all the memories of Lenny it was shown that he did have a wife and she was skeptical whether or not Sammy lost his memory. If this was false then where did Lenny get this story from. Also it was revealed that his wife survived the attack and died from insulin overdose. Again how is this possible if in the memory of lenny she did die that very night in which he lost his memory. The whole film is confusing and the audience cant really trust anything thats said in the film. The film is based on a recollection of memories but many of those memories can be false or tampered from what actually happened. Though confusing, this aspect of the film is what makes it so unique and also a very entertaining film to watch

Dark City

Dark City was a very interesting movie from the start. From the exposition the film is confusing yet exciting. The very first scene was a bit odd but yet exhilarating in the sense that the audience were anxious that the main character who is John to escape from the hotel from the Strangers. Right from the start the audience is introduced to the mysterious clan of the Strangers. Throughout the film little by little the audience gains knowledge of the strangers and of John himself. The way the film is displayed i think i brilliant because the audience never gets tired of whats going to happen. The audience is always on the edge of the seat anxious of what more information will they digest about the mysterious strangers. The way the strangers were portrayed as bald, pale, sadistic looking humans added to their mysterious, viscious, and frightening persona. The fact that this film is considered a film noir is a bit confusing. Its true that the evil characters lose in the end, the audience would never guess that this film is considered a film noir due to the frightening and sometimes disturbing aspects that the film has. If i were to watch the movie by my own i would never thought that this film would be a film noir.

Asphalt Jungle

The genre of this film is very new to me. Ive never heard of the genre film noir but i have seen movies from this genre before without knowing. Asphalt Jungle is an example of this genre. I think the cinematography of this film helps with the feeling that the director wants to give to the audience. The fact that the film is black and white is no mistake. It gives the audience a sense of a mysterious, dreary, suspicious atmosphere. Also i think its clever how all the characters have a flaw that results in their demise in the end. For example, Emmerich is an influential lawyer who had money but his weakness was his young attractive mistress. It was her fault that Emmerich was caught in the end for his crime and for his loss of money. Also the rough german accent of Doc also adds a sense of unfamiliarity to the audience with the character. The audience would never expect the next thing that Doc would do. The ending of the film is what Mr. Bennett told us was going to happen and that is why this film is considered a film noir. All the bad or evil characters in the ends up losing in the conclusion of any film of this genre. In a way, this can be a spoiler for every film that is under this genre. I dont understand why would people back then in the 50s watch films of this genre if they knew that the bad guy ALWAYS ends up losing. I cant watch a film if i know what to expect from the bad guy, it just ruins the whole point of watching it.