Jaws

Known for being the film that set the standards for Hollywood Blockbusters, Steven Spielberg’s  Jaws (1975) tells the story of a town’s beach where several reports of shark attacks have been made. Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) at first refuses to close the beach due to it being a tourism spot, but finally sends fishermen after the shark. After they bring back home who they think is the shark that’s been attacking people, ichthyologist Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) is certain that they have the wrong one, and along with Police Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) and local fisherman Quint (Robert Shaw), they set out to find the Great White.

When thinking of Jaws, it is not uncommon to think of its music first. Spielberg made great use of the iconic tune, composed by John Williams,  that viewers heard when the shark was closing in on its prey. Even today we associate the tune with terror, danger and desperation. Another thing that stands out in the film is the camera work. Spielberg chose to show parts of the shark, but not the entire animal, which made viewers wonder how big the Great White really was. He managed to make it seem massive, like a giant beast, even without showing us the entire animal. He did this through a combination of choice of shots and of course, the terrifying music that indicated to the viewers that danger was approaching.

Director Steven Spielberg’s film did not disappoint, as usual. Even though he was very young when he directed Jaws, he created a masterpiece. From the music he chose which still instills terror in the viewers, to the camera angles and choice of shots, viewers today can watch it and still be afraid to go in the water. He managed to create a tension in the film that carried on until its end, which is not an easy thing to achieve.  All of these make Jaws an incredible film that is still known today as one of the best.

500 Days of Summer

 
500 Days of Summer (2009), is a romantic comedy by director Marc Webb. It is a nonlinear story about the rise and fall of a relationship between Tom and Summer, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. Other cast includes Clark Gregg, Geoffrey Arend and Matthew Gray Gubler.  

 
500 Days of Summer is the story of Tom (Gordon-Levitt), a greeting card writer who aspires to be an architect. At work, he meets Summer (Deschanel), the boss' new secretary. Tom is convinced that he is meant to be with her, but Summer doesn't believe in love. Tom is set on convincing her that love does exist, and trying to keep their relationship (or not-relationship) alive.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt did a terrific job at portraying a madly in love guy who is struggling between making the "love of his life" believe he is happy with putting no labels on their relationship. We see him fall in love, we see him laugh, we see him break down...And we believe every bit of it. I can't say the same about Zooey Deschanel. She did not seem genuine in most of the film. It is hard to believe anything other than she does not want to be romantically involved with Tom. I did not detect much emotion in her character; she seemed indifferent about everything during most of the film. Then again, it could just be that that was her interpretation of the character, in which case it would mean that I just do not like Summer's personality. Geoffrey Arend did a great job at portraying McKenzie, one of Tom's best friends and the one branded as the single guy that will take what he can get. He is funny throughout the entire film. Matthew Gray Gubler also does a great job as Paul, another of Tom's best friends who has been in a relationship for years. His character is more of the nerdy type guy that is still dating his high school sweetheart.

The cinematography in this film is part of what makes it so unique. As mentioned earlier, the story is nonlinear, so we are constantly seeing days out of order. The film starts toward the end of their "relationship", and from there we jump to different days, but not in order. What makes it so easy to follow is the fact that the director adds an intro to each scene where we are told what day we will see next. It is a simple background with a number on it. Another interesting detail added in post production was that in these scenes, the background behind the number would be either dark or bright, so we would get an idea of what was coming up. If the background was darker, we could assume that the day was going to be a bad one; and if the background was brighter, we could assume that Tom's day was not going to go bad.

One of the main themes of 500 Days of Summer is the idea of finding your soul mate. Tom is convinced that he is meant to be with Summer, and he tries to keep their "relationship" going even though she does not want to put a label on it. He does it because, well, he loves her! But he slowly realizes that she doesn't feel the same way, and has to learn to let go. Sound familiar? It happens to all (if not all, most) of us at least once in our lives! You think you've found the one, you try to make it work but in the end it's just not meant to be. The filmmakers did a great job at conveying this theme, and as an audience member it is easy to relate to it. Another theme in the film is that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. This is not evident until the end, when Tom meets Autumn at a job interview and asks her out. Even though Summer found her soul mate and married him, Tom also met someone in the end. Just because it didn't work out with one person doesn't mean you won't find love ever again. Moving on may not be easy at first, but things get better, and you will eventually find happiness. The movie did a great job at portraying that at the end of the film!

If you're looking to watch a feel-good film, this is the perfect choice. It is different, mostly because of the nonlinear structure, which always keeps you interested because you have to pay attention to what day the story is on. It is so easy to relate to the characters because they seem like real people and do a very good job at convincing us that the story is true. 500 Days of Summer will make you laugh, cry, and want to cheer the characters on. It's not your traditional romantic comedy. A must see.  9 out of 10!

Batman Returns

Batman seems to be everywhere these days. The newer versions of the story have created a craze that has brought the superhero back to fame. But although Christopher Nolan’s trilogy is amazing, us 90s kids cannot forget the Batman we grew up with and loved. One of those films includes Tim Burton’s Batman Returns (1992). The film had and incredible cast, including Michael Keaton as Batman, Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman, Christopher Walken as Max Shreck and Danny DeVito as the evil Penguin.

The acting in the film was exceptional. Tim Burton’s style often makes his films seem like a cartoon, and the acting is sometimes exaggerated, which is exactly what was done in this film. It is not meant to seem believable, it is meant to seem as something odd from a fantasy-like world. Michael Keaton did a great job at portraying Batman; he shaped his character to be a superhero with weaknesses and flaws, which make him seem the most realistic character in the film. Michelle Pfeiffer’s acting as Catwoman was also great. When she wasn’t in suit, she seemed like a normal, nerdy personal assistant; but once she turned into Catwoman, she became a seductress with some cat behaviors, like the way she “bathed” herself as a cat. She truly made you believe that she had just been turned into a half-cat, half-woman. Danny DeVito did an exceptional job at portraying the Penguin. Everything from his mannerisms to the way he walked and spoke made the audience believe he had truly been raised in the sewers among Penguins. He did a great job at portraying the bad guy in the film, and making him funny in a creepy way. His unusualness was perhaps what made you fear him.

Of course, being directed by Tim Burton, the film has his distinct dark style and humor intertwined with fantasy and action. The characters, as mentioned before, were like out of a cartoon; there was a lot of strange hairstyles, funky clothes (particularly the Penguin and his circus), and exaggerated makeup, like that of the Penguin. If someone had just walked into the film it would have been easy for them to notice it was Tim Burton’s work. There also were a lot of dark colors in the film, including shades of blue and gray, which also helped give it that characteristic Tim Burton look. The dark lighting added to the look, as well. And, of course, what is a Tim Burton film without Danny Elfman’s music? 

 

The theme of child abandonment is clearly stated in the film. Not that if you abandon a child it will turn into a raw fish-eating, blue-skin type of creature; but of the fact that abandonment does greatly affect a child. In this case, the Penguin was abandoned by his parents and left to survive on his own as an infant. His story and even his reaction to the abandonment is clearly exaggerated and not meant to be taken literally, but the fact is that abandonment does affect a kid. Another theme seen in the film is corruption. Max Shreck owns a big business that is nothing but corrupted, and he will do anything to keep as much power in Gotham as he can. The outcome is eventually his death, but it just explains how corruption can come back and bite you, even if you think you have everything under control and you have too much power, which makes you “invincible.”  

Out of all the Batman films, this is probably my favorite. It has everything: from fantasy and humor to action and drama. Tim Burton’s style makes it so interesting to watch, since it gives a classic superhero story a very unusual look and feel. It is definitely a must see, a 10/10. However, keep in mind that Batman Returns is not exactly a film for kids; it is actually very much adult-oriented. There is definitely a sexual undertone throughout the film, lots of death and some adult language.

Session 9

Out of all the horror films I've seen, the most disturbing ones seem to be the ones that leave you wondering what really happened."Session 9" (2001)  does exactly that. It is a psychological horror story by writer/director Brad Anderson, that includes a cast with recognizable names such as David Caruso, Josh Lucas and Peter Mullan. Stephen Gevedon and Brendan Sexton III also starred in the film.

The story revolves around Gordon Fleming (Peter Mullan), the owner of an asbestos removal company who is struggling to make money. He accepts an offer to clean an abandoned mental institution, and with his friend and associate Phil (David Caruso), hires a crew to do the job (Josh Lucas, Stephen Gevedon and Brendan Sexton III). But very soon the haunted mental hospital starts to take its toll on the workers, especially Gordon.

The acting in the film was very convincing by all the actors. David Caruso and Peter Mullan did a great job at his characters. Mullan did a great job at showing the different phases of his character's mental breakdown; each time you saw him he made you wonder what was going on in his mind. When the mystery was finally resolved, Mullan does an exceptional job at showing a completely different Gordon Fleming; the one that had been hiding a terrible secret. David Caruso also did a great job as Phil, Fleming's right-hand man. At times, his attitude made you wonder if he was the bad guy of the film, which distracted the audience from what was really going on and made the ending that much more surprising. The rest of the three workers also did a good job at portraying their characters: Hank (Josh Lucas), the thief who causes the asylum start to haunt the workers; Jeff (Brendan Sexton III), the youngest of the bunch who was scared of the dark and much more immature than the rest of his co-workers; and Mike (Stephen Gevedon), the man who knows the most about the haunted asylum.

The techniques used in the film aided the story in becoming creepier and more disturbing. The use of sound is perhaps one of the most important ones, since it directly impacts the storyline and not just the look of the film. Throughout the film, we hear snippets of a doctor-patient interview with Mary, a multiple personality disorder patient at the asylum. Mike finds nine records that include the interviews and often escapes work to listen to them. The third of Mary's personality, Simon, was believed to do something terrible with a knife. These interviews add to the feeling of the asylum being haunted, and ultimately help Gordon Fleming realize his mental state and what he has done. The use of dark settings with very little light except the sunlight coming in from the windows in the asylum also help to add a creepy and haunted feel to the story.

The main theme in "Session 9" could be described as the darkness withing us all. Several times we hear characters saying Gordon Fleming never loses his temper, but in the end it is proven that even he can do the unthinkable. The film represents that threat that there is something in you that you cannot help and that can be extremely dangerous. Paul Mullan succeeded at convincing us that there was a dark side to his character as well, and that it was something he hadn't even noticed until the very end of the film. His acting helped the theme become very clear. Another theme is the way that our surroundings can reflect our actions. In this case, the workers had to go to a mental institution, which definitely affected Gordon and eventually helped him realize the truth about his actions. The playback of the nine sessions between the doctor and Mary also helped the audience slowly realize that something was wrong with Gordon, and eventually led to the conclusion of the film.

Ultimately, "Session 9" succeeded at being a great horror film. The acting combined with the setting made the asylum so haunting but at the same time so interesting; it made you want to know more about what happened there, especially with Mary. It definitely leaves the audience thinking of what happened to Gordon Fleming that made him commit such terrible actions. What makes a seemingly normal person become someone evil? Questions left unanswered is what makes the ending so scary. It is definitely a must-see.

"Rear Window" and The Gaze

 
Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window" (1954) is definitely one of his best masterpieces. Hitchcock managed to create a perfect mix between drama, suspense and some comedy, which makes it very enjoyable to watch. The great storyline is brought to life by a wonderful cast who excel in their roles, including James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter, Wendell Corey, and Raymond Burr.  

Stewart portrays Jeff, a photographer bound to a wheelchair who is bored in his apartment and spends his days staring outside his window at his neighbors. He becomes convinced that one of them has killed his wife, and attempts to prove it with the help of his on-and-off girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly) and his caretaker Stella (Thelma Ritter).

The cast in this film did more than a satisfying job; they were all perfect for their roles. James Stewart is very convincing as the bored photojournalist who has nothing better to do but spy, and his concern when he starts to think Thorwald (Raymond Burr) has killed his wife seems very real. Grace Kelly also does a wonderful job as Lisa, who does not only play the stereotypical role of a girlfriend, but also does a great job at convincing the audience of her daring side when she goes to Thorwald's apartment. As for Raymond Burr, his portrayal of the bad guy in the film was also great; and Thelma Ritter was hilarious as Jeff's caretaker and her humor added to the film's success of mixing drama and murder with comedy.
 
The story revolves around a theme related to the gaze, or the feeling of being observed. In this case, the "peeping Tom" is portrayed by James Stewart's character, Jeff, who is always taking out his binoculars to watch his neighbors. Throughout the entire film we see Jeff watching outside his window, so the theme is quite evident almost as soon as the film starts. But the film also asks one question: when have you seen TOO much? And when you have, what comes next? Where do you draw the line? Jeff and Lisa's answer was to keep investigating, which creates a turn of events that add to the film's suspense.

Part of the reason why the film succeeded in making its theme evident was the techniques used to shoot and edit the piece. One of Hitchcock's techniques was to shoot as if the audience was seeing from the binoculars. This made it extremely clear that we were watching from Jeff's eyes, and so we were forced in a way to "become" Jeff, and it was easier to see from his point of view. This technique was excellent at helping the audience get immersed in the story. Another technique was the way in which the film was edited. Several times we see Jeff staring outside the window and the next shot we cut to is whatever he is watching the neighbors do. This also helped express that Jeff was spying on his neighbors, and that his point of view is what we were seeing. The music in the film was very subtle and only helped emphasize certain moments of the film, like when Lisa and Jeff kiss, or when Lisa breaks into Thorwald's apartment. It mostly helped create moments of suspense, but also romance and mystery.  

Overall, I thought the movie was great and very unique. It was interesting to see things through Jeff's eyes, and throughout the film it is very clear that those are the only eyes we are seeing the story through. The great story combined with a perfect cast makes it one of Hitchcock's best. This is definitely a must-see, fun murder-mystery with a comedic twist, and a great example of what the gaze is all about.