For those of you who are aware, the Oscars weren't that long ago. I was unfortunately not able to view the show until yesterday. I remember scrolling through my Twitter and Facebook the night of and the morning after the ceremony and reading the usual Oscar comments; who wore it best, the funny jokes Neil Patrick Harris made, and the joy and sorrows of who won. The performance at the Oscars that I enjoyed the most was Common and John Legend performing "Glory", the best original song nominee from the film Selma. When I saw the posts saying it won best song, I was overjoyed. I thought Selma was an amazing film and was excited to see that it earned some recognition. What I failed to realize was that it was only nominated for two categories: Best film and best original song. Where were the other nominations? Surely there would be more. Best director? Best actor? Nothing else?
The Oscars always have been somewhat bias. After all, the academy decides, not the people. I don't want to delve too far into this topic for now, however, I will share this video and article from The Huffington Post about diversity at the Oscars and ask everyone to think about the time we live in and the impact this win could've had.
Today in Hollywood, there seems to be a trend of fixing things that aren't broken. In a desperate search for something fresh, filmmakers are remaking films that did not need to be remade in the first place. Today we're going to take a look at two films; the original and the remake. Let's begin, shall we?
True Grit (1969) Directed by Henry Hathaway
Photo credit: talkiegazette.com
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True Grit (2010) Directed by Ethan and Joel Cohen
Photo credit: silverscreeningreviews.com
The story in the two films remained the same; a young girl, Maddie Ross, hires a U.S Marshall to search for the man who killed her father. So let's look at the contrast in characters.
Maddie Ross
In the original version, Maddie (played by Kim Darby) seems much younger, she's just a teenage girl after all. She's still fiery and independent, but we know the entire time that she's still just a child. She makes decisions like a child would and we don't see malice or a longing for vengeance in her. In the newer version however, Maddie (played by Hailee Steinfeld) seems much older and more vengeful. She still has that spark of independence, but she also has more wit and what seems like a downright bloodlust. The original Maddie just wants to find her fathers killer, the new Maddie wants to find him and kill him with her own bare hands. The difference the era they were made could attribute to this grittier interpretation, but it makes Steinfeld's performance more compelling.
Rooster Cogburn
This is where the comparisons get, for lack of a better term, sticky. In the original, Rooster is played by the legend, John Wayne. John Wayne is usually the first person anyone thinks of when they think western and for good reason, the guy was a modern cowboy at the time. In the newer version however, we have Jeff Bridges, who happens to be a personal favorite of mine. Bridges's performance keeps the rough exterior, but still is able to convey the side of Rooster who really cares for Maddie over the course of their journey. John Wayne does a good job of being, well, John Wayne playing rough and tough Rooster Cogburn. Bridges's performance adds a certain element to Steinfeld's performance while Darby's performance falls a little flat.
The Winner...The New!!
Photo credit: webmasteruj.pl
There's more to be debated, but since the film's main focus is the relationship between Rooster and Maddie, I decided to focus on their characters only. I encourage you to watch both versions and decide for yourself!
Hello! As a college student, Netflix is a cheap and easy way to watch movies and tv shows without having to pay for channels. To help some people who might be new to Netflix or are just looking for something new to watch, here are my top five films on Netflix that I would recommend. Let's get started!
Number 1: Good Will Hunting directed by Gus Van Sant
Will Hunting (Matt Damon) is a gifted math prodigy working as a janitor at MIT. looking for clarity in his life, he seeks the help of a psychologist (Robin Williams) to get his life on track. This film is the most impactful on the list, in my opinion. It cuts you to the core with every viewing, which is only enhanced with Robin William's brilliant performance.
Number 2: American Beauty directed by Sam Mendes
A suburban father (Kevin Spacey) hits his lifetime crisis after becoming infatuated with his teenage daughter's best friend. American Beauty is visually stunning to behold, and shows the audience the depths of the human condition.
Number 3: Fargo directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
A husband's perfectly planned crime falls apart thanks to his dimwitted hit men and the work of a tough as nails and pregnant police officer. The events that take place in the small town of Fargo, North Dakota are shockingly dark and hilarious at the same time.
Number 4: The Graduate directed by Mike Nichols
The Graduate focuses on recent college graduate, Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman). In his confusion after graduating, he begins to have an affair with the wife of his father's business partner, Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft). Everything changes when he later falls in love with Mrs. Robinson's daughter, Elaine (Katharine Ross). Hilarious and heartfelt, The Graduate revolutionized film and made a star out of a young Dustin Hoffman.
Number 5: Big Fish directed by Tim Burton
While this film didn't pull nearly as many of the awards or award nominations as some of the others on this list, it's story and stunning visuals cannot be overlooked. Big Fish follows a son trying to find some truth in the stories his dying father has told him throughout his life.
These are only five of my favorite films available on Netflix. There are plenty of films, movies, and tv shows that I could watch for hours. I'm sure there will be some more Netflix related posts in the future.
In my last post, I talked about how much I love good uses of color in film. Well today I want to show you some great examples of color and how it can truly change the mood of the film. I have three examples of color to show you. So without further ado, let's begin!
Example 1: The Grand Budapest Hotel directed by Wes Anderson
So before I start talking about this picture, I can't tell you enough how fantastic this film is. This is just one of the many gorgeous stills from this film, as well as Anderson's career. I highly recommend you watch The Grand Budapest Hotel, as well as all of Anderson's films. Now, back to the color.
Without going into detail, what can we infer from this photo? The first thing that might come to mind are that the characters are in love. We can come to this conclusion from all of the pink boxes in the background, and with the knowledge that pink is a romantic color. Now lets look at the character to our left, Zero. Zero is the protagonist of our film and there are several conclusions we can gather from his outfit. First, we can gather that he's timid and young because blue symbolizes innocence and youth. We can also reach this conclusion seeing that his name is Zero.
For those who are interested, the above Tumblr link is fantastic for any Wes Anderson fans out there as well as color fanatics like myself.
Example 2: Schindler's List directed by Steven Spielberg
Photo Credit: dailymotion.co.uk
Now we move from the use of multiple colors to the use of just one. The picture above is from Steven Spielberg's three hour long World War Two epic, Schindler's List. The red coat is one of the only four instances of color in this entire black and white film. There are several meanings we can take from this photo. The use of color on the little girls coat can represent the last bit of life and innocence in a world crumbling in death and corruption. The little girl is seen wandering abandoned and lost while Nazi soldiers clear out a jewish neighborhood. The little girl can also represent the loss and confusion that all victims of the Nazi regime felt.
We've covered all color, one pop of color, and now we move on to no color at all. All of Psycho is in black and white, which makes the iconic shower scene exactly what it is - iconic. We don't fully see the character in the shower scene being stabbed, all we see is the dark blood circling the drain. We're so used to seeing bright red blood, but the muted dark color can have a chilling effect.
Thank you for sticking around for the color breakdown. I'd like to leave you with this fact about Psycho, one of my favorite movies of all times.
***Alfred Hitchcock used chocolate syrup for the blood in the famous shower scene because it was dark enough to show up on black and white film.***
So, before we can talk about a film, we have to talk about what a film is. While we're on that note, what makes a film different from a movie? Well, I'm glad you asked!
Movie: a popular, entertaining film. Usually big, blockbuster action films or comedies. Think Independence Day or 21 Jump Street - popular movies that entertain the masses.
Film: An artistic movie using the elements of filmmaking, sometimes in a foreign language. Think Grand Budapest Hotel or Psycho- films that utilize cinematography, color, lighting, costuming and other techniques. These films are beautifully made, but not necessarily as popular.
So, now that we know what the difference is between a movie and a film, what makes a film so great? There are several elements that go into a great film. I shall list them below.
Color: This is a BIG one for me. I am a visual person and color is something that stands out to me. Have you ever been watching a film and a character was in distress? Thinking back on that specific scene, what color was the character in distress wearing? Also, what color was the room they were in? Color is a great way of setting the mood for a scene. Orange is usually a color that shows caution or danger, yellow shows happiness, red shows love, blue shows tranquility, etc.
Lighting: I'm going to give you a scenario; a character walks into a bar that has a reputation for being full of shady people. The filmmakers made a choice to have all of the lights on, bright as day. Now you have to wonder if anyone would be scared to go into this bar. Lighting can make or break a scene. It can change how the audience perceives a situation and can even throw a storyline off track if not used properly.
Cinematography: This is possibly one of the most crucial elements of a film. Every time I think of the power of good cinematography I think of the Fellowship of the Ring and the rest of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Peter Jackson utilized cinematography to shape the characters of Middle Earth and bring the world to life. Sir Ian McKellen was made larger than life as Gandalf and Elijah Wood along with the other actors in his band of Hobbits were scaled down. There are many other elements to cinematography, we'll get to those later.
These are just three of the many factors that make a film great. I tried to at least scrape the surface to give an idea of the posts to come. So with these things in mind, go out and see if you can notice any of these elements in some of your favorite films!
Hello! My name is Amelia Flores, and I am freshman at Washburn University. When asked to pick a topic for a blog, I was confused to say the least. I was having a hard time finding a topic that I was passionate about that could reach a wide audience. After a week of heavy contemplation, I made the decision to blog about film, a topic that takes up most of my life. I love film. I love talking about the elements that have made film such a big part of our society. So, if you are someone who believes that films aren't just black or white but gray, this blog is for you. If you are someone who sees more than the surface of a film, this blog is for you. If you love film, then this blog is for you. I look forward to posting in the future!
