You want to talk Film?

The best way to bring people together to talk and share their opinions about film is discussions after a film is shown. Usually the film is fresh in their memory and they're able to remember the good and the bad. Recently, on the ESU campus, they had discussions about the film "Watchman," but because I was unable to attend, I was not sure how it went, but I do have a feeling that people shared and learned of people's opinions and possibly formed new attitudes as well.

There is a website (http://filmdiscussions.com) in which a group of people get together, discuss films, voice record it, and put it up on this site. They have discussions ranging from Saved! to There Will be Blood. Although this group is a bit mysterious (I have no idea where they have these discussions or if they're legit), they do have a great amount of opinions on these movies.

For those of you interested in talking about films. Next semester here at ESU, Two friends of mine (plus me) will be showing free movies every week in Stroud 113, and we are hoping to have discussions on these movies afterwords (more information will be following).

New York Times.

I recently was strolling around the New York Times website, and found many interesting people who know quite a lot about movies. Such as the carpetbagger, originally carpetbaggers were what southerners named northerners when they moved to the south during the reconstruction period. Now, in modern times, carpetbagger is used for politicians who run for a state that they have no affiliation with. I guess you can say that David Carr (The man you see on the videos) is essentially a carpetbagger. Before making this blog he was a business writer, and now he is doing something that he really didn't have much affiliation with. Carr, goes around to premiers, watches the movies, and shares what he feels about it. Essentially, he's a movie critic, but mostly shares his idea of the winners for the Oscars and for other such awards. Although he sounds like he smoked many cigarettes and drank a lot of coffee in his day, he does know what he's doing. So, if you would like to become a video blogger like David Carr, watch him, a lot.

The Bad Interview

When interviewing actors or actresses, there are always guidelines to follow when asking them questions. If something goes wrong in an interview there can be some consequences to follow.
The first thing you cannot do and must stray away from is the personal question. You may ask a new mom about how their baby is doing but you should not ask them about their new partner, the recently received DUI, or drug habit (if indeed they have one). An interview you may remember is Tom Cruise and Matt Lauer. Throughout the interview Tom Cruise tries to teach Matt Lauer about Psychology, and it essentially becomes an intense argument. Although Tom Cruise brought up the issue, usually someone that's not Matt Lauer would try to calm the situation, if need be.

Making fun of an actor during an interview can be a terrible thing to do. Unless you are known to pick fun at them, it might be okay. Otherwise, if you are making fun of their weight, their looks, or anything similar, you might want to flee the situation. There is an interview with Jonah Hill and Michael Cera (Superbad) in which the interviewer begins to make fun of Jonah Hills weight. This makes Hill angry and he then begins to rant and storm out of the room (unfortunately, there are some crude words involved in the interview so I wont post it here). Either this interviewer wanted to loss his job, or he just doesn't like overweight people. It was still wrong and obviously made the actor mad.

The Director's Guild

The Director's Guild of America is a labor union that embodies the interests of film and television directors. To become part of this guild there are a few things you must follow.

1. Get some experience with shooting film either on film or digital video. If you can't afford film school, or any other kind of training, get your name out there. Tell people that you're a director and you want to show a film that you have done. You would be surprised how well that works.

2. Keep a journal. Write down all your projects, your visions for them, and the ending result. This will help you learn from your mistakes, and essentially build from them.

3. Use the journal to make a resume. It's always good to work for a company that is involved with DGA. So that you can be recommended to be part of the guild.

4. Work hard in your field. This will also up your chances in becoming a member.

How to watch a movie like a director

There is a differences between a movie critic and a movie director. Movie critics share their opinion and either lead the reader to watching or not watching the movie. Directors, on the other hand, look at the technical aspects of the movie.
If you would like to become a director or at least watch a movie like a director there are a few things that you must pay attention too.

1. Pay attention to the camera angles. These angles are considered the eye for audience, and if they are hard to follow, then the movie isn't worth watching. Sometimes camera angles can be a way for a director to tell the story

2. Listen to the dialog. It is up to the director, and a few other people, to decide how a line is pronounced. However, the actor may have different views on the way a line is said, but, in the end, directors direct actors.

3. Look for film techniques. Such as the color, the grain of the film ( how clear the picture is) etc. These also play an important part in telling the story, and making the film. Without some of these techniques, the movie wont be portrayed well.

4. Directors also look for other peoples opinions. Usually, if someone tells them to change something you can see that change in their next production. Opinions from other people usually help you see things in another light.

Mr. Roger Ebert.

After my review of Funny Games U.S, I decided it would be a good idea to read other reviews about the movie. Unfortunately, the movie did not get the greatest reviews. According to Roger Ebert, who gave the movie a half a star, the audience is the lab rat and they are placed in a "Skinner box" ( a movie theater) "and subjected to random negative stimuli (filmed violence, as a substitute for painful electrical jolts.) And Haneke plays the role of empirical taskmaster." And then Ebert goes on to say that an audience member should flee the movie theater and rip the film out of the projector.

Well, Mr. Roger Ebert, I disagree with you! After watching it at 1 in the morning when I was about ready to go to sleep, and simultaneously thinking "Turn it off, I don't want nightmares," and "This is probably one of the best horror films I have seen in a while, keep it on!" I would instead give 4 stars. And by the way, I watched the whole thing.

Funny Games is the kind of movie that gives off a fear that isn't just frightening but uncomfortable. I've never felt that in a horror film before. And, as I was watching it, I felt like I was there in the movie as a standby and watching these preppy boys do their dirty work. That, I have never felt while watching a thriller. I also thought that the script was clever, and with the violent undertones, made it even better.

Movie Review: Funny Games U.S.

The English remake of Funny Games (2007) (written and directed by Michael Haneke) is both vexing and maddening and one of its many goals is to make the audience feel unnaturally uncomfortable. With only a horrible punk rock song played throughout the movie, an opera song in the beginning and talking from a television in the background, the only real scare is the infrequent looks that Paul(Michael Pitt) gives to the camera and the well-mannered attitude that both boys carry. And the only reason for these two boys to torture this family is, well, just for the hell of it.

In the beginning, while driving to their quaint home in the middle of a wealthy town each member Ann (Naomi Watts) George (Tim Roth) and Gerogie (Devon Gearhart) cheerfully await their weeklong vacation that they think will be filled with sun and new family memories. While at their home preparing for the week’s events, they get a visit from a young man dressed in a white polo, black shorts, tennis shoes and white gloves named Peter (Brady Corbet), who politely asks for 4 eggs to bring back to their neighbors house. Unknown to the audience and Ann, this is where the torture starts. Throughout the rest of the film the boys begin to play “funny games” with each of the family members. They include “We bet that in, let’s say, i 12 hours, all 3 of you are going to be kaput, okay?”

Michael Haneke, who also made the first Funny Games, recreated each scene line for line, scene for scene, but instead the 1997 version was in German instead of English. His reasoning for making this movie was to show violence in society and how the media depicts it. His script is original and can be read as funny in some parts and also brings up issues in psychology and even philosophy.