ENGL 280 - Intro to Film

 Malachi Jay Bruno Introduction to Film The Searchers The Searchers is a film directed by John Ford, released in 1956 and based on a novel. I think that it showcases a lot of themes, including the importance of family; despite the very obvious racism going on throughout the entirety of the film. Because Ethan Edwards, the main character of this film, was on the side of the confederacy during the Civil War, it's only right that it would justify the racism that was happening on the screen, as well as off-screen. From the jump, Ethan was shown to appreciate and have a lot of love for his family, especially his niece, Debbie. The way they went about this show of love, however, was bewildering and demeaning if anything at all. If any native Americans willingly went to take that role, I would personally be shocked; naturally, they had to take a different approach... The thing that stuck out to me the most during this movie was not the plot itself. It was the sheer interactions and what w...

Malachi Jay Bruno Introduction to Film Natural Born Killers Natural Born Killers is a 1994 Crime and Drama film by Oliver Stone and written by Quentin Tarantino. The two very popular names already gave me some kind of idea of what direction this movie was going in, but what I saw was not necessarily what I expected. The movie starts off by introducing the two main ‘protagonists’, Mickey Knox and his wife, Mallory. Immediately, the crime scene that they create by killing nearly everyone in what seemed to be a calm diner, as soon as Mallory started being harassed by two characters that came in and saw her dancing. Then, the movie delved off into explaining Mallory’s passed, and what turmoil caused her to behave in such a way present-day. Murdering was not a foreign concept to her, as it was essentially the life-blood that gave her a key out of her father’s disgusting abuse. Mickey was also there during that scene, helped killed Mallory’s father, and then the two ran off to have an unoffi...

     I loved this Spike Lee film, he rarely disappoints me. In this post I will pint out some things I found to be interesting, important or even just thought-provoking.      In Blackkklansman we are shown a peek into two opposing groups’ lives (the KKK and the Black Panthers). I think Lee does an excellent job of commenting on the outrageousness of the KKK’s views and beliefs. From the beginning we are shown historic clips of the civil war and civil rights movement and the struggles for equality and freedom that African Americans have faced and continue to face throughout the years. At one point the two groups have meetings and we are shown what takes place during both of them through juxtaposition. You can feel the pain of the Black Panthers as they share stories of Jessie Jackson being murdered and all the struggles they have faced. While the KKK is boasting about pure bloodlines and outwardly showing racism and hate. This definitely opens one’s eyes to...

German Expressionism was an artistic movement that emerged in 1920s Germany before World War I.  The goal of this movement was to express the artist’s emotions and thoughts on reality through the use of simple shapes, distorted images, melodrama, and noir color schemes.  The creation of German Expressionism came about when the German government banned all foreign films in the country, thus causing domestic studios to produce more films each year.  At the time, the world was in a dark place, so movies about romance and action did not satisfy audiences.  This is where Tim Burton comes along in the future. Before we watched the Hansel and Gretel short, I watched a thirty minute video on Youtube about Tim Burton’s career, just for fun.  In the video, I saw sketches of designs that he created for movies he directed like Batman Returns, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Edward Scissorhands , etc.   Burton had a fascination with d...

Richard Linklater’s Slacker is one of the coolest movies I’ve ever seen.  The offbeat tempo of the film really contributes to the message that he is trying to present.  A few aspects of the film that I liked were the passage of time, the detachment from the characters, and the natural view on everyday people.  Since this took place in the 90s, I figured the conspiracy theories and performative activism tied directly with the political climate in the U.S. at the time; this sort of relates to today as well.  Although Slacker doesn’t exactly have a solid plot, I did find a common theme throughout the film. My interpretation of the characters’ nonchalant behavior deals with the new generation’s response to national and global issues, as well as their frustration with how we choose to live our lives.  There seemed to be a mixture of fear, discontent, and a minor sprinkle of hope.  Take for example the conspiracy theorists, they mainly spoke about global warming...

  Pan’s Labyrinth is a beautiful cross between the darkness in the real world and the curiosity that lies in fantasy.  Ironically enough, I always thought of this movie as a horror film, mainly because of the creatures i.e. the Pale Man.  Now that I watched this movie, I wouldn’t classify it as such, although some key elements are still present.  One must-have in horror is tension, and Guillermo Del Toro delivers this feeling extremely well. In all of the scenes where Del Toro raises tension, the camera remains focused on the character closest to the frame, while a non-diegetic score creeps in the background.  I interpreted the crescendos in the music to be like pauses of breath, as we waited for the next subject to come into focus. Before he showed up I thought there was a threat approaching Mercedes, but she was in fact safe.  Even the rapid strings playing in the score signified danger, which Del Toro uses to frighten us.  Another scene that delive...

  “Touch of Evil” is a 1958 American film noir written and directed by Orsen Welles, who also stars in the film. In the film the Police Captain, Hank Quinlan, is well recognized and decorated in the precinct. He takes the investigation of a car bombing and works with an American-Mexican District Attorney, Miguel Vargas. In the film Hank is clearly racist towards the mexicans. So much so that he frames the prime suspect of the investigation. Hank has stated before that every mexican accused of a crime is guilty no matter what. I think Hank was so good at framing people that when others believed he solved the crime he did too and I mean genuinely believed it. When he is first confronted about framing the suspect by Vargas he is absolutely offended and insulted that he would even accuse such a thing. So much to the point that I think he believed he didn’t frame him because he believes his statement about Mexicans being guilty.  So what I believe drove Hank to frame people w...

  Cormac Clune Alien is a film that is in my opinion, completely ahead of its time. Alien has been ingrained in pop-culture and helped to usher in an era of dark science fiction to theaters.  One of the aspects that immediately stood out to me during initial viewing and subsequent re-watches, is the timeless set design. Alien’s set design is not the sole reason that the film has buried itself into film canon, but it remains one of the most impressive and revolutionary aspects of the film. I would specifically argue that the innovation and effectiveness of the production design is a large part of what makes the movie work as well it does.  This includes the Nostromo and the abandoned alien ship where they first encounter the Xenomorphs. These vastly different worlds generally have two artists attached to them. Ron Cobb designed the human environments, while H.R. Giger designed the Xenomorph and the alien spacecraft. One thing that immediately stands out is just how differe...

 Clocks play a huge role in Pan's Labyrinth . Captain Vidal's father broke his watch at his time of death. He did this so that when it was given to his son, he would always know when his father dies and be reminded of him. When Vidal himself dies, he starts to tell Mercedes this tale but she denies him. She says that his son will never even know his name, thus disrupting his narrative and denying his patriarchal nature.  Another character who wears a watch is the doctor. Not only does he have a pocket watch, he also dresses in a waistcoat and at times reminds me of the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland (a movie that Tim Burton redid).  Tim Burton is actually one of my favorite directors and I think I've watched a majority of his films. The fact that I had never heard of him doing a Hansel and Gretel remake was interesting to me. Tim Burton certainly has his own style. Gothic swirly trees, characters who are definitely made in a certain similar style, Tim Burton films ar...

  Pan’s Labyrinth is a twisted, dark fairytale with hints of politics mixed in. This film is whimsical and odd. I enjoyed how there were darker elements, social issue awareness and even hints to other famous fairytales.       This film brings in horror aspects in multiple ways. One example is the eye-less monster. Not only was he grotesque to look at, the entire scene was uncomfortable and when he starts chasing Ofelia you are on the edge of your seat. There are also other elements of horror such as body horror when the captain beats the man to death or tortures the captured soldiers.       Some social issues that were brought to light were as follows: Probably the biggest issue the characters were facing was a fascist regime. I think this was definitely a warning about overly-powerful governments. There was also the issue of the captain and his toxic masculinity power trip. He bossed every female around in the movie and desperately wanted a ...

 Cameron Carmichael Professor Wisniewski ENGL 280 01 December 9, 2020 Touch of Evil: Mexican Portrayals     The film Touch of Evil starts off with a bomb being placed in the trunk of a couples car, and follows that car up the road until it blows up as it crosses over the U.S/Mexican border into America. Along this journey, we follow Miguel and Susie Vargas who will play big roles in the film. Miguel is a drug enforcement officer for Mexico and begins working on the case of who planted the bomb along with Hank Quinlan, a police captain. Throughout the film, because it takes place exclusively in Mexico and the film was made in the 1950's, there are a lot of Mexican antagonists depicted in the film. Besides Quinlan and a few other corrupt cops, every other antagonist in the film is Mexican, and the stereotype is very obvious.     The Mexican characters are portrayed very poorly, considering today's standards, in this film. They all seem to be greasers, wearing lots...

     When I first finished “Slacker” I wasn’t sure that I really got it. But it is a movie that sits in your mind far after watching it. While there really isn’t a set storyline, I found it interesting to see how all of the strangers were connected to each other. When the man is explaining alternate realities to the cabbie I think this is meant to reflect the film and characters we are shown. He says something along the line of how what if every decision we make is a path that leads you to a different reality. And how all of the connections we make are interwoven in these specific realities. This reminds me of the Black Mirror interactive movie “Bandersnatch”. Essentially you pick a path and it has it’s own consequences and snowball effects. I think that this film is sort of similar. One chain of events leads to the other.       Another thing to point out is that most of these characters are “slackers” in one way or anther. They all have their own litt...

 Alien is a classic horror/sci-fi that we all at least know of. This was not my first time watching it, however it was my first time watching it all the way through.  This time around I noticed more underlying themes and details. One of the things that jumped out to me was the strong female lead. From the beginning the crew disrespects Ripley as a leader. However, her wits and careful strategies are what end up keeping her alive in the end. She ends up being the sole survivor and maybe the rest of the crew would have come out alive had the listened to her as well. Perhaps the crew’s fragile masculinity was what lead to their demise.  This movie may not be super scary today, but for it’s time it was really well done. They manage to keep you on the edge of your seat with suspense by using only a handful of props and no special effects. From the eggs to the aliens themselves they are highly detailed and disgusting. They are slimy, unique and intricate. Another example of how...