June 2011
1 post
Week 12 - Aesthetic of Astonishment
It was pleasing that Mark finished semester with such a fun class last week, but what was even more pleasing was the superficiality. After a semester discussing and analysing the meaning of film, thoroughly exploring motivations, conflict, symbolism, etc. It was great to just talk about pure aesthetics, film as a visual medium, film, just for fun.
The Matrix was a brilliant example shown, with...
May 2011
4 posts
Gimme Shelter
I just watched Gimme Shelter, what an intriguing and amazing documentary.
Two major things struck me about it.
1) Nothing much happened. As far as narrative goes, the film basically chronicles the organization and performance of a free concert in the San Francisco area. The concert doesn’t start until about the 55 minute mark, leaving the first 2/3 of the film about the organization and...
A Place In The Sun
After missing class I read Mark’s notes to catch up and was very excited (and equally disappointed that I’d missed it) to see George Stevens’ A Place in the Sun (1951) was discussed. This film brought back a lot of memories for me and got me thinking about our relationships with films and how we can be emotionally attached to a roll of polyester.
So the story goes…two...
HBO, Why I Love Thee
So you can probably tell I like lists, not because the numbers mean anything, because they don’t, but because it gives structure and focus to my thoughts, rather than just, here some shit I like. So after a bit of waffle I will list my personal Top 5 HBO Shows.
So I was thinking about the HBO style of television programming after class and something Mark mentioned pretty much summed up the...
Film vs. Television with Don
All this talk of TV in class and everyone sharing their favorite shows has got me very excited to re-watch all my personal favs over the holidays, which I will list in another post, but it also got me thinking about the difference between Film & Television and how polarizing it seemed to be. I think this is best exemplified by people’s reaction to, or in this case, lack of reaction to...
April 2011
3 posts
Week 7 - Documentary
So after Mark ambitously attempted alter the laws of the universe and squeeze a 24 minute doco into the last 20 minutes of class…and failed, I thought I would finish the film off at home. So I went to the unfailing youtube and sure enough the film was there under the interesting title of ‘Serial Killer Groupie Sondra London’.
I had already seen the fasciniating and masterful...
Week 6 - Paths of Glory
Following David’s great blog presentation I decided to watch Paths of Glory, one of the few Kubrick films I hadn’t seen. Already a big Kubrick fan I was actually strongly considering A Clockwork Orange for my presentation but in the end I couldn’t resist Scorsese. I would have shown the amazing sex scene that just made my jaw drop the first time I saw it. Check it. So I...
Week 5 - Melodrama
I went in to Written on the Wind (1956) with an open mind because I had genuinely never experienced a true melodrama and was keen to expand my film knowledge and experience. Then i came out thinking ‘Why oh Why did I hate melodrama so much?’ I’ve been pondering this for a couple of days now and I think the answer lies in the type of films I love. Realism, subtlety and emotional...
March 2011
4 posts
Week 4 - Raging Bull
So it was a very difficult task to choose one film to talk about for my presentation and just as difficult to choose just a single clip from that film. Honourable mentions go to 2001, A Clockwork Orange, The Graduate and Annie Hall, each of which I strongly considered but ultimately all lost out to the stunning Raging Bull.
Raging Bull for me is the pinnacle of cinema as an artform. It...
Week 3: Top 5 Robert De Niro Performances
Speaking about performance and acting in class got me thinking about the actors that I love, and the way that I can’t look away whenever they are on screen. Something about them just draws you in and even if they aren’t saying anything, you are still enthralled, see Cool Hand Luke as an example of this. But the actor who keeps me hooked like no other is Robert De Niro, so i thought i...
Week 2 - Mulholland Dr & Others
After watching Mulholland Dr and discussing this and other narrative styles, two major themes immediately stood out to me as crucial reasons why these films are loved or hated.
The first is the sense of community, when a film can bring disparate characters together and make them interact in a way that’s believable, it can really get an emotional connection to the audience, because it taps...
Week 1 - The Crowd
Whilst watching “The Crowd” (1928) one central idea kept floating through my head, that of influence. Repeatedly throughout the film, a moment, perhaps a stunning shot of New York, a scene, some dialogue, would remind me of another film, and show how influential King Vidor’s silent film was. This got me thinking of influence and film education, and how someone of my generation is...