Chinatown

The film Chinatown had a very different take on the Film Noir style, it was definitely stylized in a different manor. This was something that I really liked about this film. Chinatown was in color unlike any other Film Noir we watched, it was also more modern and depressing. The ending was a bit of a shocker which I liked but it also ended so abruptly which made me feel a bit uncomfortable. Jack Nichalson is a great actor and it was interesting to seem him at the beginning of his career and the way he played his role. I found it interesting how the femme fatale turned out to be the only person acting on moral grounds, she was acting with good intentions while the other characters where out for wealth and other things. I think the ending was an amazing scene because there was so much going on and it was very hectic until it ended abruptly with a gun shot and the car horn and screams adding to the chaos. The use of shadows throughout the film was huge, by covering JJ. Gittes face we were left outside of the bubble as to what he is thinking we cannot see his facial expressions. I think this adds a lot to the film and brings the mystery and danger to life. I felt that this film was a lot like Out of the Past in the sense that the detective was a very likeable person with a hazy past. I liked that JJ was smooth and good on his feet, and I thought that it was more realistic that he only slept with one woman throughout the movie. I don't know if this film inspired me to check out more Film Noir, because frankly I think I have had enough for a while, but I do think I was inspired by Jack Nickalson's performance and I plan on checking out some more of his movies.

Kiss Me Deadly

Honestly when looking back at the film Kiss Me Deadly I find it hard not to laugh. The whole concept was ridiculous really, from beginning to end I couldn't help myself from seeing the movie as a joke. At the beginning of the film there was this very mysterious feeling floating around, with the naked woman by the side of the road and the panting and moaning. I have to say, the opening credits did leave me wondering what was going on under the dashboard. The opening credits had caught my attention but I soon lost interest in the story. I felt that the acting was below par, most of the time the actors were overacting. It was also distracting how Hammer was able to bed just about any woman who came in contact with him. Lets just say the character development could have been better....VA VA VOOM, for instance. I mean what is his deal, he must have eaten paint chips as a child or something. As ridiculous as Va Va Voom was (if that is his real name) I must say he was the only character that I connected with. His joking personality made him easy to like, and I felt bad when the car came crushing down on him. Overall "Kiss Me Deadly" left me looking for more, I guess that is what "Chinatown" is for...redemption for the Film Noir genre.

Out of the Past or Back to the Future? you decide...

The film "Out of the Past" was my very first Film Noir, and I must say it wasn't what I had expected. I thought that it would have more of a detective that sits behind his desk smoking cigarettes and drinking bourbon until a dame comes through his door asking him to trail her husband...or something like that. Don't get me wrong I liked a lot of things about this film, I liked how it was almost a perfect match with the definition of Film Noir (smooth talking detective, can go almost anywhere, never puts himself in harms way, the femme fatale...and much much more) this was interesting to me because it was so black and white....literally. I liked Jeff's character the most and I think most of the class would agree with me that he is a "badass". Jeff is the typical detective, he smokes he drinks, and gets with the women (he just doesn't sit behind a desk...shoot so close). These are the reasons why we find it hard to resist watching him lay out a man with one punch while simultaneously answering the phone. I really liked this new genre Film Noir, mainly because it is something I have never seen before. I liked the characters seen throughout the film and I hope to find another Film Noir with an even cooler detective...if that's possible, but this next time he has to have his own desk in a smoke filled office.

Eternal Sunshine...(wouldn't that be nice) of the Spotless Mind

I really liked this movie and was excited to see it. This was my first time seeing the film but I heard good things from a number of different people. I liked it for many different reasons, I liked seeing Jim Carrey play a different role, I liked the way it was shot and how the story brought the audience along for the "trip". This was a very artistic movie, although confusing at times the end of the film seemed to tie everything together pretty well. I really enjoyed the use of light throughout the film, the "real world" was very bright and vibrant whereas deep inside Joel's memories and thoughts things were often in shadow or darkness. By using the lighting in this manner, we can see how Joel is confused and running through his mind. The real world is bright clear, unfazed by any intruding "memory erasers". The darkness throughout the film shows a sense of fear and anger towards these intruders of the mind. One scene I really liked was when Joel and Clementine were talking in the library and all around them books were losing their color and fading away. This was a cool way to show that Joel's mind and memories are slowly being erased. I liked how this choice a lot because it wasn't too obvious, it was just happening in the background. This was a cool movie because it was mysterious yet engaging at the same time. I liked how the film showed that erasing any memory no matter how terrible is almost like erasing who you are. Your memories are what make you you, and if you erase them you are erasing part of yourself in the process. The film also touched base on how love prevails. I think that both of these ideas are important and this film portrays them both accurately and in a good light. This has been my favorite film of the year and I intend to see the film "The Science of Sleep" soon because I believe that Michel Gondry worked on that project as well. I really like Gondry's style and look forward to seeing his work with a different story.