Friday, May 4, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Amelie Paper
AMELIE
1. Amelie,
2001
Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Written by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and
Guillaume Laurant
Starring Audrey Tautou and Mathieu
kassovitz
Cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel
Distributed in America through
Miramax Films
2. Amelie
is a French comedy film that tells the story of a young waitress in a café in
paris. At a young age she was misdiagnosed with a heart condition and was home
schooled isolating her from other children. She discovers a box of childhood
memorabilia that belonged to a former resident and proceeds to track him down
and return him his possessions. After
seeing how happy she made the man she proceeds to become a Good Samaritan and
guardian angel for people in her life. Through a chance encounter Amelie meets
a man as eccentric as she is and they play a game of cat and mouse chasing each
other until they finally meet and begin a meaningful relationship.
3. The
way in which the film relates to my text is through the chapter on editing.
Amelie contains many quick cuts which give the film a feeling of speed, energy and
excitement. The editing complements the tone of the movie and the story in
which Amelie is playful and almost childlike in imagination and creativity. The
animation in the film also further shows the creative ends of the character
bringing fantasies to live and exaggerating actions like her heart beat at
first sight of her love.
4. The
film was released in 2001 and it has the feel of a timeless film. If it weren’t
for select events like princess diana’s death which places the story as
happening in 1997. The year 2001 saw many dramatic films being released but
animated films and comedies were not as plentiful that year. Three other major animated/ comedies were Shrek,
monsters inc. and spirited away. American Pie 2 doesn’t count in this list
because it’s not funny and funny is subjective I suppose but I am making the
judgment call that that movie never existed in 2001 (in my mind). Most other
major films were action, adventure, thriller and fantasy sci fi films. So I
feel Amelie was an especially important film for the year just because it may
have been the only intelligent comedy film out there for adults with just the
right dash of romance to make it a date movie as well.
5. The
two articles I chose to write about were a review by Roger Ebert and an article
called Amelie: A false dialogue with emancipation by Alina Haliliuc. In Roger
Ebert’s review he talks heavily about the plot and history of the film in
relation to the festivals it played at and how it was snubbed from the Cannes
film festival official selection. He also talks about the director’s visuals
inventiveness and the great shot ideas such as Amelie wondering how many women
were having orgasms in Paris at the time, 15 if you were wondering. The second
article by Alina Haliliuc talks about the influence the movie has had with both
French and non French audiences. She also analyses the film using Freudian
theory as well as using a feminist perspective.
6. I
feel that this film is a wonderfully inventive and creative comedy. Even for a
French film which contains subtitles that distract the gaze momentarily away
from subtle actions on the screen I felt that I didn’t miss a beat and could
understand all their types of humor. The movie moves at a very fast pace but
fails to lose the audience through the many twists and turns that follow the
characters. The film really highlights an unusual bunch of characters and how
they go about to achieve different degrees of happiness. The film has a wonderfully
funny script and is brought to the screen in such a way that all the visual
splendor of Amelie’s mind spill into every frame. Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet
should get credit for creating a modern masterpiece and quite possible one of
the best French films ever.
Bibliography
Ebert, Roger.
"Amelie ::
Rogerebert.com :: Reviews." Rogerebert.com.
9 Nov. 2001. Web. 26 Apr. 2012.
<http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20011109/REVIEWS/111090301>.
Haliliuc, Alin. “Amelie: A false dialogue with
emancipation”. Conference paper- International Communication Association, 2005.
New York, NY. P1-20,21p.
CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM
1)
( x
) I have not handed in this assignment
for any other class.
2)
( x
) If I reused any information
from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in
the paper.
3)
( x
) If I used any passages word for
word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation
within the text.
4)
( x
) I have not padded the bibliography. I
have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.
5)
( x ) I
have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6)
( x ) I
have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in
another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.
7)
( x
) I did not so over-use direct
quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
8)
( x
) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and
therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my
paper.
Name_____Matthew Larue_______________
Date___________4/25/12________________
Monday, April 9, 2012
Film Paper 2: Raging Bull
Raging Bull
1. Raging Bull 1980
Written by Martin Scorsese
Based on the autobiography of Jake Lamotta
Screenplay by Paul Schrader
Starring Robert Deniro and Joe Pesci
Cinematography by Micheal Chapman
Was nominated for eight academy awards and won two for best actor and best editing
2. Raging bull is a film by Martin Scorsese that follows the life and dealings of middle weight boxer Jake LaMotta played by Robert Deniro. LaMotta spends his career fighting both inside and outside the ring. He is trying to get a middle weight champion belt all the while battling his demons and lashing out at his wife and brother damaging his relationships at home.
3. The way in which Raging Bull relates to my text is Martin Scorsese’s use of actors in the film. Robert Deniro was the main star of the film as he was the main character and a big actor at the time. He had starred in many films by Scorsese as well as the critically acclaimed Godfather part 2. The other actors in the film are much more low profile; Joe Pesci was small time actor who had only appeared in a low budget crime film called The Death Collector. Two of the other cast members, both Cathy Moriarty and Frank Vincent also had worked with Pesci on The Death Collector. When I think about the film I feel that it is a character piece because of how it is primarily billed with just Robert DeNiro on the posters. They did not hire any other big time actors to step in his spotlight or take attention away from him and his work in the movie.
4. Raging Bull although made in 1980 has the feel and look of old movies from the 1940s. The film jumps between the 40s and 60s to tell the story of Jake LaMotta but the black and white cinematography to the film gives itself a very old time feeling. This film stood out among films from the time period because of its use of black and white and focus on story and dialogue. Almost all movies were in color and the studios rarely released pictures in black and white. Raging bull also differs from movies like Rocky because it uses expert cinematography as well as a script that elevates the subject of boxing into a metaphor for the characters life.
5. The two articles I chose to write about related to Raging Bull are the article Raging Bull by Roger Ebert and the paper Words made flesh: Language in Raging Bull by Gail Carnicelli and Thomas Hemmeter. In Roger Ebert’s article he focuses on the theme that runs through all of Scorsese’s prior films. The dealings of a male character with the women in his life. These men perceive women as falling into one of two rigid categories, whores or Madonna’s. There is no compromise or grey area between these two and these causes the characters to become obsessive, jealous and violent when the women do not fit into their designated categories. The second article is a scholarly article which talks about how Scorsese does not allow his character Jake LaMotta explain himself through dialogue but through cause and effect of his actions as the story unfolds. They make a case that Scorsese often shows characters that have difficulty explaining themselves through mere dialogue alone. Jake LaMotta is similar to Travis Bickle of Taxi Driver and the members of The Band in the Last Waltz in that they find other means to convey their feelings and emotions whether it be a violent gun fight or music as a means of self expression in the Last Waltz.
6. I view the Raging Bull movie as a character driven film, I find it to be an exhilarating bio picture but at the same time it is a deep metaphor for the manner in which boxers like LeMotta live and struggle. I have never been a fan of boxing movies so I was surprised by how much I loved Scorsese’s take on boxing and the beauty in the cinematography really allows outside spectators to find an appreciation for a violent world of physical sports. The script was extremely well written showing an unstable family life with the brother and wife trying to hold Jake together but keep his rage at bay. The monologue at the end from On the waterfront to me was both a homage to the classic film which also involves boxing but the monologue felt especially poignant because of how Jake and his brother ended their relationship in the film. I would declare that Martin Scorsese’s film Raging Bull made me enjoy boxing for a brief moment and just for that momentum accomplishment not to mention every other aspect of the film, I deem it exemplary.
Bibliography
Ebert, Roger. "Raging Bull :: Rogerebert.com :: Reviews." Rogerebert.com. Web. 09 Apr. 2012. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19800101/REVIEWS/1010328/1023
Hemmeter, Gail Carnecilli and Hemmeter, Thomas. "The Word Made Flesh: Language in Raging Bull." Literature Film Quarterly 14.2 (1986): 101-05. Print.
CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM
1) ( x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) (x ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.
3) ( x ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.
4) ( x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.
5) (x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) ( x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.
7) ( x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
8) ( x ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.
Name______Matthew Larue_______________________ Date________4/9/12___________________
Monday, March 5, 2012
Annie Hall Paper
Anni Hall
1. 1977, Comedy/Drama, Written, directed and starring Woody Allen, Winner of four academy awards for best actress, best picture, best director and screenplay.
2. Annie Hall is the story of a man named Alvy Singer who has loved and lost and loved some more. The woman who is responsible for his infatuation is the character Annie Hall, she shares the same neurotic tendencies and on again off again relationship’s that mark Alvy as such an odd ball. The movie itself is a recount of their relationship a year after it ended with Alvy still trying to put the pieces together to completely understand the complexities of a love that keeps on going.
3. The way in which this film relates to our text is the section involving movement and dialogue. I did not even realize how in Annie Hall the dialogue is so plentiful that it encompasses the majority of the film. Even in moments where the characters are driving or walking them are also taking and further adding depth to the movie. The camera spends a lot of time in the movie just simply capturing the characters interacting with each other, getting lost in long chunks of dialogue. In scenes where Annie Hall is driving the camera places us there with Alvy so we too can experience the fear he feels with her erratic driving. There are traveling shots as the characters walk the streets of the city and walk and talk without missing a beat. These types of shots also allow us to see into Alvy’s mental state when he stands on the street corner pacing waiting for Annie to arrive to the movie trying to avoid the people who want his autograph.
4. This film was an accomplishment for its time for many reasons the first of them being how it beat out star wars for best picture in 1977 which seems practically unthinkable today. Another reason why it was such an accomplishment was because it blended the worlds of comedy and drama and expressed itself with dialogue and content which is well above the standards for its time. The movie uses techniques such as cartoon animation, breaking the fourth wall and longer length shots that allowed for more complicated dialogue. The movie also created an unexpected fashion where Annie Hall’s style of dressing in the film was copied as it was unusual and fresh. Annie wore a lot of men’s clothing such as slacks, vests and ties
5. The two articles that I chose for the Annie Hall movie were a short essay by Roger Ebert (for pop culture) and a paper titled Woody Allen’s Annie Hall: Galatea’s Triumph over Pygmalion (profession article). In Roger Ebert’s article he details assorted facts about the movie, the awards it won and the context for the time period. He also goes on to talk about how the film is probably Woody Allen’s most important and visually challenging film. Roger Ebert is a pop culture writer and his essay on the film deals mainly with facts and observations pertaining to the status and significance of the film. On the other hand the professional article takes a look at Annie Hall and examines the different ways in which men impose meaning upon women. This article takes more of a look at the psychology of the film and dives deeper than just surface level issues.
6. I feel that Annie Hall not only a very important film for film history it is also highly experimental for a comedy for its time and it regards itself with a level of knowledge that does not pander down to the audience. Annie Hall to me is a type of film that is not often seen anymore, a dramatic comedy that does not make basic jokes pertaining to farts, and dick jokes or adds gratuitous sexual stimulation. The film’s jokes are much deeper dealing with issues such as identity, troubled childhood, the complexities of relationships and many references to non pop culture films. The way in which Woody Allen shot the film also begs me to replay the movie as the dialogue is longer and wittier than most movies (especially blockbusters) of our time and even for a comedy in the 70s his use of cartoon animation, flashing back to childhood, breaking the fourth wall and assorted moments all stood out from movies of the time. Comedies were often times more basic and straight forward and dramas less likely to feature a neurotic character who over analyses his relationship through the entire film. After watching Annie Hall I looked back the past few years to see if there were any films that were half as funny and even remotely as smart as Annie Hall was, I find it sad to say my favorite comedies all dealt with giant man boys who have yet to grow up and throw dick jokes around like their as plentiful as water or oxygen. My opinion has been solidified and I now know Annie Hall is a unique film, the type that comes along once or twice a generation and leaves its mark in history.
bibliography
CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM
1) ( x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) (x ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.
3) ( x ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.
4) ( x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.
5) ( x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) ( x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.
7) ( x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
8) ( x ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.
Name___Matthew Larue ____________________________________ Date_____________________2/27/12______
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
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