Time Article

I thought that the article from Time Magazine brought up some very interesting points but I found myself disagreeing with many of the ideas from the article. First when the article says

"The westerns that are surfacing now can do so only because some potent actor like Pitt invests his cachet in producing an epic-size movie"

This makes it sound like westerns are dead and only big shot actors can attempt to bring them back. I disagree with this personally becasue I feel westerns are still as thrilling as ever if made right, but people seem to fear that it's too old of a genre to attempt. Another thing I desagree with is when they say

"Then there's the problem of tempo. Other modern movies move at warp speed, but the cowboy hero is a man with a slow hand."

I don't think that tempo should be a problem, because with modern technology directors should be able to make engaging westerns even if they have slightly slower tempos. Overall I found this to be a good article, even though, I found myself disagreeing with many of the points brought up. I think that part of the reason that westerns have fallen off is because of articles like this which make is sound like the genre is out-of-date and no kids would enjoy a good western. I hope that a director reads this article and decides to prove it wrong by creating an amazing modern western.

Caution: Huge Ape!

Journal #3:
(Photo Courtesy of Google Images)

King Kong, the 1933 version, Is a black and white film directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. The film is about a huge prehistoric gorilla named Kong, set during the great depression. The film opens with us being introduced to one of the main characters Carl Denham, a film director who is known for hims 'animal pictures' in remote and exotic locations. Denham is unable to find an actress to star in his next exotic film so he takes a chance with a poor girl named Ann Darrow. The movie then is set off by Denham's believing there is an exotic beast on the local island. Denham and his crew find this island, and find Kong, which is when Denham attempts to shoot his movie, and exploit this prehistoric beast to get rich. While all this is happening, and the crew is attempting to shoot the movie, Kong takes a liking to the blonde movie star (Ann Darrow) causing one more conflict in the movie. After viewing this intense movie I was left wondering about the script writing. Questions such as who came up with this script, and where did the main idea for this film come from?

After viewing the film and doing some research I discovered that the original screenplay was written by James Ashmore Creelman and Ruth Rose. The movie released in 1933 was not actually the first Kong to come out. A novelization of the screenplay actually appeared before the film, in 1932, (adapted by Delos W. Lovelace) However, the novel contains descriptions of scenes not in the movie. The original screenplay was titled The Eighth Wonder, and the gorilla was knows as "Kong" not "King Kong."

The actual writing of the screenplay had many different influences. One influence came from literature. Two main literature influences were from the "Lost World" literary genre as well Edgar Rice Burroughs' The Land That Time Forgot. I have not read any of the "Lost World" genre, or The Land That Time Forgot, therefore I will not attempt to draw similarities, however, according to Wikipedia "both depicted remote and isolated jungles teeming with dinosaur life", which is identical to how the island in Kong is depicted. Another factor that influenced the creation of this film was the time period. This film was released in 1933, a time when movies were young and audiences were being introduced to many new genres and ideas. This meant that audiences were open to new ideas, also, during this time few zoos had monkey exhibits so there was a popular demand for seeing monkeys in movies. These two factors put together helped spark the idea of Kong.

These influences were pivotal in Creelman's screenplay, however, another important factor that led to the actual creation of the screenplay was an unfinished film Creation. It wasn't until after Cooper screened this footage that he believed that with the help of cinematographer and extraordinary special effects Willis O'brien that this screenplay could actually become a reality.

This screenplay idea which can be linked to literature, early 20th century fascination with animals (monkeys), and an unfinished film led to the creation of many different "giant beast" science fiction movies. Kong was so successful, that not only did people try to create similar movies, but Peter Jackson actually shot a re-make of the film in 2005, just proving the brilliance of Creelman and Rose's original screen play.

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Make-up Movie Clip

This is a clip from the movie Blue Streak starring Martin Lawrence. The aspect of Film I'm analysing is the Mise-en-Scene. The first thing I noticed in this clip was Logan's (Martin Lawrence) ridiculous costume and make-up he has on. This adds to the scene because he is trying to get into the police station disguised as a pizza delivery man. Another thing I noticed was the setting. Although this short clip doesn't change setting, and setting doesn't seem to matter, it does. When you watch the movie you learn that this police station he is trying to sell the pizza to is the place where Logan, a criminal, hide a huge diamond he robbed before he went to jail. This clip uses high-key lighting so it looks normal, with very few shadows. Those are the parts of Mise-en-Scene I saw in this movie clip .

Journal #2

The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring is a fantasy adventure film based off of the novel written by J.R.R. Tolkien. The movie starts in a small village know as the Shire, where we are introduced to our main character Frodo Baggins, played by Elijah Wood. Frodo has been given an ancient ring thought to have been lost for centuries. After Frodo receives this ring Gandalf, a very powerful and wise wizard (Ian McKellen) discovers the ring is the Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron. This

(Photo courtesy of Google Images)

discovery sends Frodo off on an epic quest in order to destroy the ring. The Fellowship of the Ring is the first of the Lord of the Rings trilogy where Frodo along with the help of the fellowship (Legolas the elf, Gimli the Dwarf, Aragorn, Boromir and his three Hobbit friends Merry, Pippin and Samwise) venture through all imaginable climates and terrain, with danger and evil waiting everywhere, with only one goal in mind, to destroy the ring and end the reign of the Dark Lords.

Before you even start the movie the genre, Fantasy Adventure, allows you to prepare for unlikely events, circumstances, and that the impossible is now possible. Sometimes when things get so unrealistic they can confuse people, but even with all of the fantasy events, places, and characters, this movies avoids confusion for most people. However, one aspect that sometimes does confuses people in the film is the dialogue. Every character comes from a different place, thus each character talks with slightly different accents and know different languages. An example of this is Legolas the elf knows elvish which is a made up language used in the movie. Besides imaginary languages, characters often use more of a medieval English, using phrases such as "Yes my lord". The unrealistic events along with dialogue creates the feeling of a very complex, sometimes hard to follow plot, however if you sift through the confusing names of characters and places, the plot is in fact quite simple, destroy the ring, and defeat evil. This ties in with one of the main themes of this movie along with many other movies, the idea of good vs evil. The ring is a reoccurring symbol for evil in the movie, which the fellowship (good) must destroy. The plot, fantasy events, and dialogue are all brilliantly woven to create a thrilling adventure.

However, none of these ideas, conflicts, or dialogue would be possible without actors making it possible. The cast of the Lord of the rings does an amazing job adding to all of the special effects the movie uses. Elijah Wood plays main character Frodo brilliantly. Wood is able to give the feel of a small innocent hobbit who's bravery and good heart want us to side with him. Wood brilliantly creates a love-able character who's main goal is to destroy the ring and defeat evil. Along with Wood is a stellar cast that makes up the fellowship. People such as Orlando Bloom (Legolas), Sean Astin (Samwise), and Ian McKellen (Gandalf) allow us to believe they are their characters and help us to become absorbed in the film. Along with the acting comes elaborate costumes to help us feel like we are part of this fantasy world. Another brilliant aspect of this film are the many elaborate costumes in the movie. These costumes range from the heavy armor worn by Gimli, the pounds make-up of the or cs, the ragged cloths of the hobbits (Frodo and Samwise) or the cloak and hat Gandalf wears.

Even with solid acting, elaborate costumes, and an intriguing plot, the brilliance in this movie comes from the cinematography and special effects. The movie uses special effects so often a lot of times you can't tell what was created effects and what wasn't. The huge battle scenes us multiple camera angles and shots, such as extreme long shots to establish the overwhelming number of orcs, and close ups to show the amazing fighting abilities of the main characters. Most cuts and transitions are short and aid the smooth continuity of the film. Words don't do justice to the effects and cinematography in this movie, the only way to understand is to experience the movie for your self by watching The Fellowship of the Ring, It's worth investing 3 hours of your time to watch this movie.