Power of Film

Throughout my life, I have seen many fictional films. I have seen 98 of Blockbusters Top 100 rented movies, and the two I have not seen are The Note Book and another intense chick flick. Still, after watching thousands of movies I have not wandered very far away from the Hollywood Cinema. As we discussed, Hollywood Cinema has few main characters with goals. The main characters seem to always succeed in their goal, and knowing this, I seem to be able to predict much of the movies events, and endings. I enjoy movies that make me figure out how the story will unfold. The Inside Man and The Prestige are two movies that make you think while watching them. I find myself asking how the main characters are going to succeed, because they always do. I find myself struggling to watch or enjoy movies that move away from the Hollywood conventions. When I watch a movie, I enjoy getting lost in the film. I have a tough time enjoying movies that are created for other reason or purpose.

I also enjoy films that can be learned from. Documentary films are important films that can learned from. It is important that a film maker creates a documentary that isn’t biased. No documentary will be 100 percent bias, but the film maker always chooses what to put in the film or edit out. Documentaries like When the Levees Broke and Planet Earth both do a great job of not presenting a very bias film.

In the documentary, When the Levees Broke, Spike Lee had many choices on what to edit in or out of the film. Spike Lee’s choice to leave material in the film about the levees being bombed is extremely important. It shows that the material in the film comes from every angle. We also see interviews from a wide range of people. It is important that we see multiple stories to show all aspects of the truth.

Documentaries are a good source of education. We are able to learn about history in an artful and touching ways. It is this artful touch that makes these movies so powerful.

Links

http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/whentheleveesbroke/

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5641453

Make A Difference!

Films serve many different purposes. For example, there are comedies that make us laugh, and action films to keep the action junkies entertained. The list can go on and on with many different types of films. All these film types share a similar aspect that drives the storyline to move forward. The premise witch is the theme or point that holds the story together. The premise can be serious and moving, or it can be more relaxed and harder to identify. Comedies often have a premise that is not as serious as a drama; which can have very moving or inspirational premises. One movie that I find to have a great premise is Pay if Forward.

After watching Pay it Forward, I stopped and thought to myself, wow what a great touching story. The message that this movie gave off was moving. It is one of those movies that made me stop and think. The movie was released in 2000 and stars Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment. The movie is about Osment’s character Trevor McKinney who comes up with a brilliant idea for a school project. He wants to help three people, but not by just giving them money or helping them with small things. He wants to help these people with large struggles that they can not do on their own. After helping these people the only thing he asked for in return was for them to pay if forward and return the favor to someone down the road. This was his plan to better the world one person at a time. The movie unfolds and shows the troubles and successes of his plan.

This movie has a serious premise. The theme of this movie expresses that one person can truly make a difference in this world. I feel that a movie with a serious premise can become a great movie due to the premise itself. This film had no amazing visual appealing scenes. It wasn’t action packed and didn’t have an on the edge of your seat suspense. The premise drove the storyline forward and allowed the story to unfold.

I enjoy many different types of movies, those with a serious premise and then those comedies with not as serious of a premise. When I watch movies with a touching or moving premise I find myself sharing the storyline with people that have not seen it. I like movies that have a premise that I can carry over to real life, kind of like a life lesson.

Links

http://payitforward.warnerbros.com/Pay_It_Forward/

Really Interesting!

http://www.payitforwardmovement.org/