MYST POST #6: Interstellar

Interstellar

Interstellar is a 2014 science fiction film directed by Christopher Nolan. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain and Michael Caine. The film features a crew of astronauts who travel through a wormhole in search of a new home for humanity. 

Brothers Christopher and Jonathan Nolan wrote the screenplay, which has its origins in a script Jonathan developed in 2007.

Interstellar premiered on October 26, 2014, in Los Angeles. The film was successful at the box office with a worldwide gross of over $672 million. It also received mostly positive reviews from critics, who gave particular praise to the film's scientific accuracy, science fiction themes, musical score, visual effects and performances from McConaughey, Hathaway, Chastain, and Foy.

At the 87th Academy Awards, the film won the Best Visual Effects award and was also nominated for Best Original Score, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing and Best Production Design. The film also received several other awards and nominations particularly for its visual effects, cinematography, musical score, and the performance of Mackenzie Foy.

Some thoughts from critics about the film:

"Interstellar" is a grand undertaking, but in shooting for the stars, it loses its footing. It goes to infinity and beyond, when infinity would have been plenty."
-Adam Graham

"This is a film where complex concepts of quantum physics and powerful human emotions are inextricably intertwined and the ghost that haunts the farmhouse has both a scientific explanation and a sense of supernatural power."
-Sean Axmaker

"Interstellar is chockablock with philosophical ideas, visual effects and theoretical physics from Nolan and his brother, Jonathan, who co-wrote the script."
-Rob Lowman

"Nolan is one of the few directors with the ambition to tackle big topics -- like the fate of humanity or our need to explore -- and the artistic clout to bring that vision to a mass audience."
-Sean Means

MYST POST #5: Horns

Horns

Horns is a 2013 American dark comedy that was directed by Alexandre Aja. Daniel Radcliffe stars as a man who is accused of raping and murdering his girlfriend and uses his newly discovered paranormal abilities to figure out who the real killer is.

The world premiere of Horns was held at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. Horns grossed a total of $3,347,106 worldwide in 31 days of release.

When the film was released, it received mixed reviews from critics, praising the originality and Daniel Radcliffe's performance but criticizing the script.

A few critiques/thoughts on Horns from Rotten Tomatoes:

"Daniel Radcliffe gives an absolutely incredible performance that Horns doesn't really seem to fully appreciate. But the ludicrous ending derails the film from what was otherwise a gripping mystery thriller." -Chris Sawin

"It seems to have been made by people who couldn't decide if their film was a horror flick, a whodunit, or a Hellboy knockoff." -Chris Nashawaty

"Horns is not quite a horror film, not quite a whodunit, not quite a comedy, indeed not quite much of anything, except a stuttering attempt to bring Joe Hill's source novel to the screen." -Brian Viner

"There are times when you will want to look away from the horrors shown on the screen but it will be hard to wipe the smile off your face." -Jack Books

MYST POST #4: The Judge

The Judge

I have been wanting to see this film for awhile now and I finally got the chance to sit down and watch it. I am a huge fan of Robert Downey Jr. so this movie was a must see for me. This 2014 film received many mixed reviews on Rotten Tomatoes concerning Robert Downey Jr.'s performance in this movie. Audiences were much more of a fan of this movie than critics were, not sure why. Personally, I think he is an amazing actor and that he really shines in this film.

The Judge is a story that follows a big city lawyer Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.). In an attempt to get separation from his wife, he returns to his hometown where his father, the town's judge, is suspected of murder. Hank sets out to discover the truth about what happened with his father and represents him in court. He ends up reconnecting with his family that he hasn't seen in years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBvK6ni97W8 (The Judge - Official Movie Trailer)

A few reviews from Rotten Tomatoes (both positive & negative):

"The Judge picked me apart in ways that I wasn't prepared for."

"The Judge will say and do anything to win over the jury of public opinion, but look at the facts, and you'll see nothing but pandering."

"Downey and Duvall deliver fine performances in a story we've seen many times before."

"A slow-moving drama that feels like a made for TV movie that moved up to big screen status thanks solely to the cast."

"The Judge is over long and periodically self-sabotages itself through moments of sentiment and dramatic obviousness, but at heart it's a smart and hard-working film aided immeasurably by powerful performances."

Formal Film Study: Movies Filmed/Set in Chicago

Films Set/Filmed in Chicago

For my Formal Film Study, I chose to study movies that were filmed in the beautiful city of Chicago. From many to pick from I went with The Dark Knight (2008), Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1985), and Home Alone (1990). I chose these three films specifically because they all show a lot of the setting throughout the film and highlight the city of Chicago.

The first film I watched was Ferris Bueller's Day Off. This movie has always been one of my favorites. I am a big fan of movies that were made in 1980s because so many iconic movies were filmed in that decade like this one and another one of my favorites, The Breakfast Club. If you haven't seen this movie before, basically, it's about a high school senior who is determined to have a day off from school because it is such a beautiful day and he does not want to be stuck in school. I know the feeling. Ferris and his friends head downtown after they ditch out on school. There is also a few scenes where Ferris is singing on a float during a parade on the streets of Chicago. The director of the film, John Hughes, wrote the screenplay in less than a week and shot the film on a budget of $5.8 million over a span of 3 months. This film features many famous Chicago landmarks including the Sears Tower and the Art Institute of Chicago. The film was said to be Hughes' "love letter to the city." Hughes stated, "I really wanted to capture as much of Chicago as I could. Not just in the architecture and landscape, but the spirit."

The second film that I watched was The Dark Knight. I also think very highly of this movie. It is definitely one worth watching. The Dark Knight was filmed primarily in Chicago, as well as in several other locations in the United States, United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. After doing some background research on this movie, I found out that Warner Brothers Studio chose to film in Chicago for 13 weeks, because Nolan had a "truly remarkable experience" filming part of Batman Begins there. Unlike Batman Begins, scenes of this movie were shot in a way that sort of "disguises" Chicago. Many recognizable locations were used in the film, such as the Sears Tower, Navy Pier, 330 North Wabash, the James R. Thompson Center, Trump International Hotel and Tower, LaSalle Street, The Berghoff, Randolph Street Station, and Hotel 71. Brach's factory was used as Gotham Hospital. The Van Buren Street post office doubles as Gotham National Bank for the opening bank robbery. Several sequences, including one car chase, were shot on the lower level of Wacker Drive. The Marina City towers also appear in the background throughout the movie. The difference between this film and Ferris Bueller's Day Off is that this movie "disguises" Chicago because they are really trying to show a made up city named "Gotham" and in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, they are trying to show off the city.

The final movie I chose was Home Alone. Everyone has seen this movie (at least I hope so), it's a classic. The film stars Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, a boy who is mistakenly left behind when his family flies to Paris for their Christmas vacation. Kevin initially loves being home alone, but soon has to defend his house from two local burglars. Home Alone was set and mostly shot in the greater Chicago area. The airport scenes were filmed in one part of O'Hare International Airport which is so cool to me. The scene where Kevin is in the flooded basement when trying to outsmart the burglars was shot in the swimming pool of New Trier High School. Unlike The Dark Knight, the viewers know that the setting of this movie is the suburbs of Chicago because it is blatantly mentioned in many scenes. 

MYST POST #3: 8 Mile

This movie is a must see for everyone. I definitely have a bias because I love Eminem and all of his music. I think it's crucial to be a fan of Eminem to really get something out of this movie. Even if you don't like Eminem, it's worth seeing because he grew up in such bad conditions but was able to overcome all of those and come out on top. 

This film, directed by Curtis Hanson and written by Scott Silver, came out in November of 2002. Although the acting could be better, the message is still present. Whether or not this story is completely based off of Eminem's real life I am not sure, but I know most of it. He grew up in the ghettos of Detroit, had no dad, an abusive mother, and he expressed himself through rap music. But there is so much more to it than that.

"Since his ascension to pop-culture royalty, Eminem has transformed the messy emotions of his life into musical black comedy. In 8 Mile, that life becomes an equally riveting drama." -Nathan Rabin

"8 Mile wins because it doesn't try to impress you with mega-stars and made-up stories. Instead, it tells a simple story of trial, error and triumph." -Khary Kimani Turner

My favorite scene from this film is definitely the final rap battle. Eminem had been struggling to find his voice throughout the movie and finally he comes out on top. Earlier in the film, he left the stage in the middle of the battle because he just gave up, but not this time. The battle scene concept was developed after director Curtis Hanson decided he might want to use the riff footage as part of a silent montage in the film. Since Eminem was losing his voice and his words weren’t going to be heard anyway, this literally worked out, and he asked the MC to mimic his portion of the battle. Further along in the scenes, viewers will get to witness Eminem rapping his little heart out.

This film is rated R and rightfully so because it has VERY strong language and gang/drug references so obviously don't watch this one with your parents.

MYST POST #2: Billy Madison

I have seen this movie about 47564377483 times and it never gets old. Adam Sandler stars in Billy Madison, a story about a spoiled rich kid who spends his days drinking and partying. When his father becomes fed up with him, he issues him an ultimatum. Since Billy passed all his schooling thanks to his father's influence and bribes, he must retake and pass every grade in 24 weeks. Otherwise, the business will be turned over to his father's annoying associate.

If you have never seen this movie, you are really missing out. I have never been much of a fan of slapstick comedy, which this movie is a mostly compromised of. This is one of Adam Sandler's first movies, and it's one of his best also. This is good to watch when you're in a bad mood, or if you're stressed out, because it will perk you up quicker than any coffee you can name.

Each time I watch Billy Madison, I focus on a new scene. For this post I decided to pick one of my favorite scenes. It's the scene where "Billy pees his pants."

(Video Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRpouK0KmWQ#action=share)

 

One of the students Billy has been in school with pees his pants on a school field trip and Billy, being the kind hearted guy that he is, decides to poor water on his pants and tell everyone that he peed his pants too to help make the kid feel better. He told all the students in the class that "You're not cool unless you pee your pants." I really like this scene because Billy is embarrassing himself in order to make one of his new friends feel better. You can't help but praise Billy for this. 

Overall, Billy Madison has a somewhat stupid sense of humor, but it does make you laugh, and it's such an entertaining movie. If you haven't seen this yet, see it now and see what it is all about. 

Film Studies Group Project 1935

 

Title: Partition de l'amour (partition of love)

 

Studio: MGM. We chose MGM because the studio is known for its sex appeal and glamour which shines in our film.

 

Genre: Drama

 

Main Actress: Greta Garbo. We chose Greta because she was one of the highest paid actresses at the time and we needed someone who would succeed at a difficult role. She was also involved with MGM.

 

Main Actor: Robert Montgomery. We chose Robert because his first film ever was with MGM and he as nominated for 2 Oscars, so he is pretty well-known.

 

Supporting Actress: Leila Hyams. We chose Leila because she works for MGM and the role is not too big so she can handle it.

 

Director: Clarence Brown. Clarence is an American film director and he worked with Greta Garbo on multiple films so he knows her really well. Also, he was involved with MGM.

 

Publicist: Irving Thalberg

 

Make-up Artist: William J. Tuttle. Tuttle is the "master of make-up" for MGM Studios and he has spent 15 years doing make-up for famous actors and actresses. We needed an experienced make-up artist for our movie because of the women in the film.