Stagecoach

I thought that Stagecoach was a good movie. It had many aspects that I did not expect. I never watch western movies because I think that I will hate them but this movie changed my perspective. The theme of the movie is differences in social classes. It brings so many different social classes together and shows how they interact and treat each other. There are so many different classes shown through different people like Dallas who is a prostitute, Ringo Kid who is seen as an outlaw, and Doc. Boone who would seem to be respectable considering he is a doctor but because he is such a drunk, people don’t see him that way. It is also interesting to see how people of lower classes treat people of higher classes and vice versa. Throughout the movie. The characters social classes become less noticeable and they come together. Overall, I thought that this movie had more importance than just the story line because it showed how everyone, no matter their class, has something in common and class does not make someone better than anyone else.

Beauty and The Beast

I chose to watch the movie Beauty and the Beast. It movie is from the year 1946 and is understandably on Roger Ebert's great movies list. I chose to watch this movie because I am obsessed with the Disney Princesses so when I saw that this movie fit the requirements, I knew I had to watch it. I chose to write about the music in the movie because it was a part of movies that I often overlook.

There is music present through the majority of the movie. You would not realize that unless you were watching the movie while examining the sound like I was because it is so subtle that it is almost unnoticeable. The music that is played is only instrumentals and then the characters in the film sing along to the music. The characters sing about themselves, other characters or events in the movie and therefore the music helps narrate the story. It is mostly Belle that sings but the Beast, Mrs. Potts (one of the Beast's servants), and Gaston (the man who wants Belle to marry him) sing often also. The instrumentals sound like piano, flute, and most of all, violin. Also, the environment in the movie is used to make music like the wind in the forest and the birds chirping.

The music seems to go along with each scene. During the dramatic and action packed moments the music is fast and intense. This music plays in scenes like when the Beast is present and mean (at the beginning) and when Maurice (Belle's dad) gets lost in the forest. During the happy moments, the music is upbeat and energetic like when the Beast is watching Belle from his tower and beginning to realize that he loves her. During the sad moments, the music is somber and slow like when Belle finds out her dad is sick in the forest and she must go save him. During the suspenseful parts the music is intense and adds to the suspense. For example the music is very suspenseful when Belle is sneaking into the castle to find her dad and when Belle is looking in the West Wing of the castle which is forbidden. Lastly, scary music is played during moments like when Belle is being attacked by the pack of wolves in the forest and the music really helps dramatize the situation. Slow, pretty music is played when Belle and the Beast meet when the Beast is all dressed up and trying to impress Belle.

The music contributes so much to Beauty and the Beast and the scenes throughout. It was so interesting for me to watch this movie while listening for specific music and how it adds to the film. The reason it was so interesting is because the music blends so well with the film that before it had gone unnoticed to me. But in this case where I was specifically listening for it, I was able to see what great things it adds to the movie and how truly prevalent it is in almost every scene.

Citizen Kane

I chose do write about mise-en-scene. The aspects of setting, lighting, and costume and makeup are wonderful. The setting of the movie contributes so much to the story. Kane’s house is one of the main important settings. It is so grand and luxiorious. All of the valuables inside and things just help show his wealth. I did not fully realize just how big the house was until parts like where Kane is standing in the fireplace, or when they crane over all of Kane’s possessions after his death. The setting of the story really helped set up the characters and show their social status. Costume and make-up were also very significant. The clothing helped show the people’s social classes. The make-up was used well to show how people felt, like when Susan is in bed after she had tried to commit suicide, she looked so much different and so sick. The make-up helped show how she felt. Lastly, lighting was used in ways to help tell the story. For example, low- key lighting is often used. The contrast in using low-key lighting helps point out specific traits of characters and how they handle situations. Overall, I think all the aspects of mise-en-scene were used well to add that something special to the movie.

Journal #2

I chose to review the animated movie Finding Nemo. It was directed by Andrew Stanton and co-directed by Lee Unkrich. Not only did Andrew Stanton direct the movie, but he also contributed greatly in writing the screenplay and was the voice of Crush (the sea turtle) who is my favorite character. Finding Nemo was produced by Pixar Animation Studios in 2003. Since this is an animated movie there are obviously no actors that you can see but there are actors that play the voices of the characters. These actors include Albert Brooks (Marlin), Ellen DeGeneres (Dori), Alexander Gould (Nemo), Willem Dafoe (Gill), Andrew Stanton (Crush) and Barry Humpries (Bruce). The music was done by Thomas Newman.

Finding Nemo is about a clown fish named Nemo who gets captured by humans and taken away from his parents and then his father, Marlin, goes out in search of him. Along the way Marlin meets another fish, Dori, who then continues on with him on his journey to find Nemo. The story also follows Nemo in his attempt to escape the dentists fish tank he was brought to. The setting of Finding Nemo is in the ocean and some parts are also in the dentist's office where Nemo is trapped. The main characters are Marlin, Dori, and Nemo. Although those are the main characters, some of my favorites are the more secondary ones. One of my favorites is Crush the sea turtle. I like Crush because he talks like a surfer and is really funny. A line from the movie that Crush says is:

Cuz we were like, "woaaaah.", and I was like, "woaaaah." and you were like, "woaaahh...”

The story is very simplistic in the fact that the story is so easy to follow for children to be able to understand but it is also has more complex parts and comedy for adults that does not pertain to children. The dialogue of Finding Nemo is very funny. It is so enjoyable because all the characters are so relatable. Even though the characters in the movie are not real people, you can still in some way relate each and every one to yourself or someone you know.
There are no actors physically in the movie, but the voices of the actors who play the characters fit so well with the characters that they almost seem like real people. There was no set, make-up or costume because it was all animated but the colors that were used made up for all of that. The colors were bright and made everything pop. Each individual fish or other sea creature had amazing detail, colors and patterns specific to them which made the visuals amazing.
Parts of the editing in the movie are less prominent because it is animated but there still is so much editing done. There are close ups of the fish, people and many other things. There is a example of using lighting to show dominant characters when the sharks look so powerful as they cast shadows on the fish underneath them. There is also quick cuts when Nemo is stuck in the filter of the fish tank and is trying to escape. It is a scary and intense scene and the quick cuts help emphasize that. Lastly, the music was fit perfectly to the movie. There were slow, mellow songs in the calm and peaceful parts and fast music during the dangerous and intense scenes. The music, by Thomas Newman, really contributed to the film and allowed me to become more wrapped up in what was happening. One of the songs (Nemo Egg) from the movie is actually now one of my favorite songs.
I was surprised to see this movie on Time's All Time 100 Movies list because I feel like animated movies are often overlooked but I am so glad that Finding Nemo got the recognition it deserved. Overall I think that this Finding Nemo is an amazing movie and I really enjoyed every aspect of it.