Kingdom of Heaven (45min)

1:44-3.33 (1.89) The scene where Balian's wife is being buried should have been taken out because it's not really an important part. Taking out this scene would not affect the plot. To signify that Balian had a wife who died, her necklace could have symbolized her later in the movie.

3:33-3:55 (0.22s) This is the scene where Balian is welding. This scene is not important to the film and would not affect it if taken out.

27:30-28:23 (93s) This scene should be taken out because the next scene is where he is alone in the desert. The viewers would've assumed he might've found other modes of transport. Taking out this scene would affect the film by a small portion. If this scene was taken out we wouldn't of known Balian had his own "army" of men and how he got to the desert.

30:32-33:19 (2.87) Balian finds a horse in the middle of the desert, then get's into a fight before entering Jerusalem. He wins. This would affect the story in a small portion. Balian would not have known about Jerusalem. He would not have found it as quickly.

34:56-38:38 (37s) Balian is just walking. Not important to the film. Does not affect it.

38:11-39:14 (1.03) This scene is not important because Balian wakes up and calms a horse down, he then gives Sibylla water to drink. This would not affect any part of the movie.

51:03-53 (2min) Balian working in the village. This would not affect the movie. It should cut to when he talks to the people entering the village on horseback.

53:11-56:24 (3:13) Balian is talking to the Queen once again. Not important to the film, they talk multiple times throughout the film and the fact that Balian and the Queen like each other is already established.

58:12-103.40 (5min) Battle scene - I think there should be one big battle scene at the end, not multiple ones throughout the film. This might cause conflict because the audience might not know why both sides are fighting each other.

1:33.36-140.19 (7min) This scene is where Balian is looking over all the dead bodies from the battle field. This isn't important as he is just walking around looking at the bodies of the dead.

146.36-150.36 (6min) This scene is originally a 10 minute battle scene, I think this scene should've been shortened. 30.44

127:45-128:30 (85s) In this scene, we see Saladine's sister. From this scene, the audience is suppose to get that she is raped. This scene could be taken out and replaced by cutting to the next scene when Saladine is informed of his sisters rape. If this scene were taken out, we would not be introduced to Saladine's sister.

123:25-128:30 (5.05) In this scene we see that the Sibylla has agreed to marry Saladine. This scene can be taken out and should cut straight to the wedding.

(8min) We are introduced to Sibylla's son who is crowned King and has leprosy. We can cut out both part's where he doesn't feel the hot candle wax drip onto his skin and we can skip to the part where he is being poked in the foot with a needle and is being showed puppets. From there we can assume he has leprosy.

Heat

Heat, a 1995 movie directed my Michael Mann is an action filled gang/criminal movie.

     This movie is a very action filled film and features many stunts. The actors in the film were very believable to watch. They played their part really well which kept my attention throughout the film. The costumes were really well thought out and suited each character well. The costumes and some of the set  featured a lot of black, which gave the overall appearance of both the characters and the set a very "dark" look.

     I didn't like the film at the beginning because everything was happening kind of slow, but as the film went on it moved along very quickly. I thoroughly enjoyed the film, especially the ending because as the movie progressed, everything was happening so quickly which kept my attention because I always wanted to know what would happen next. I also liked how the film would slow down at parts to give the viewer a rest from the action and then as the movie went along it would build suspense and then the action would appear again. The camera angles featured in the movie are very intense and they build the suspense throughout the film.

     The scene where Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro)  and Lt. Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) were in the field by the airport was a very suspenseful scene because it was very dark and the sounds of the airplanes landing and the lights shining and creating shadows all were effects, making the scene suspenseful and intense.

     I really enjoyed this film because it was filled with action and there was so much to look at on screen. As the movie progressed, it kept my attention because I wanted to know what would happen next. I wouldn't mind watching this film once more and I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes the action packed genre, especially.

Night of the Living Dead

     Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 horror film directed by George A. Romero, starring Duane Jones (Ben), Judith O'Dea (Barbara), Karl Hardman (Harry Cooper), Marilyn Eastman (Helen Cooper), Keith Wayne (Tom), Judith Ridley (Judy) and Kyra Schon (Karen Cooper). The movie was released, October 1st, 1968.

     I personally did not like the movie because I felt it lacked detail throughout most of the plot. I found the movie started out slow and gradually got faster. As the movie went on, it felt like the director wanted to end the movie in a rush. While watching, I also found that their wasn't much dialogue said throughout the film and I think if there was more dialogue added, it would've been much more interesting and entertaining to watch. Considering the film was the first zombie movie made, the costumes were exceptionally realistic.

     Like I mentioned in the above paragraph, there was not much dialogue said throughout the film and I thought that the dialogue was most needed in the parts when the zombies attacked. Most of the time, the expressions on the people's faces was just pure horror, but they didn't scream. I think if they did, it would add more entertainment for the audience/viewers.

     Like I said before, I personally did not like the movie, "Night of the Living Dead" because it lacked in a lot of detail and in most parts of the film was not believable. I felt, as the movie was getting closer to the end, it was very rushed and everything was going by quickly. The costumes overall, were pretty well done considering the movie was the first zombie movie made. I would give credit to George A. Romero for trying to deliver a new approach to the horror genre.

Count of Monte Cristo - comparison

1932 version: When watching this version of the film, I found the plot hard to follow because everything happened so fast. It was shown in black and white, which for some reason made it harder for me to follow what was happening as well. The graphics in this version of the film were pretty impressive for the time and the film itself is also pretty original. The scene where Edmond Dantes is in jail seemed more realistic and detailed than the 2002 version because this scene was more focused on in this version. 

2002 version: When watching this version of the film, I found the plot easier to follow because the ideas seemed to be much more organized in this version of the film. This version was also in colour, which for me, made it easier for me to follow what was going on. It was also easier for me to follow who the characters were throughout the film. The love affair between Mercedes and Edmond was much more "featured" in this version of the film.

I would say that the 1932 version is much more original and classic then the 2002 version. I also thoroughly enjoyed the jail scene in this version better as well because it was much more realistic and detailed. The jail scene in this version really caught my attention because it was the most detailed scene and the only scene I could understand from the plot of the whole version of this movie. I did find the 2002 version better because it was in colour and I understood it better then the 1932 version. The characters and the plot were also easier for me to follow because it was in colour (not sure why). I found that the 2002 version provided more detail to the plot as well as costumes. The "love affair" between Mercedes and Edmond is more "featured" in this version of the film as well. I found I understood this part of this version of the movie better, although I wish the jail scene in this version was like the one in the 1932 version. It lacked detail in the 2002 version. 

My final decision: I liked the 2002 version better.

Movie Review: North by Nothwest

Movie Review: North by Northwest

     North by Northwest is a movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The theatrical version of the film was released July 28^th, 1959 by MGM studios and Warner Home Video released the DVD version of the film in the year 2001. Cary Grant stars as the protagonist, Roger Thornhill and Eva Marie Saint stares as Eve Kendall.

     The protagonist, Roger Thornhill is mistaken for a man named, George Kaplan. He is kidnapped and taken to the house of what he assumes is Lester Townsend’s. When Thornhill enters the house, it’s where the initial incident in the plot begins. He is interrogated by a man named Phillip Vandamm and later is arrested for drunk driving after being forced to drink Bourbon. When we are first introduced to Roger Thornhill he is an innocent man, but as the story builds he portrayed as a criminal because of the bizarre events leading up to the conclusion of the story. One of these events is when he meets Lester Townsend in person; suddenly Townsend is hit in the back with a knife leaving him dead. Thornhill pulls the knife out of his back and is photographed for the paper as a criminal. Later in the story, he meets Eve Kendall on a train to Chicago. She is a very unpredictable character.

     Both Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint played their roles well. They were very believable. The costumes in the movie blended well with the time period and the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and would definitely see it again. It was a very suspenseful movie and had good plot structure. 

Literary Views on the film "Stand by Me"

Literary Views on the film “Stand by Me”

     The movie “Stand by Me” is directed by Rob Reiner. It was released worldwide by, Columbia Pictures, August 22^nd, 1986. This movie stars, Wil Wheaton as Gordie Lachance, River Pheonix as Chris Chambers, Corey Feldman as Teddy Duchamp, and Jerry O’Connell as Vern Tessio.

     Throughout the film, many various camera angles were used. This created a very realistic effect for the viewer, making them feel like they’re in the film with the characters. In the scene where they boys are walking across the bridge with the train tracks and they hear the train coming, the notion of filming between both the boys and the train creates suspense because you know that the train is right behind them and you’re also wondering if the train is going to hit them or if they’re going to make it across alive.

     Symbolism plays an important role in this film. The train tracks symbolize the boys’ journey to finding the dead body. At the beginning, it also represents their path to becoming heroes. In the scene where the deer approaches Gordie, the deer symbolizes innocence and purity. This could also represent a similarity with Gordie’s unique personality.

    Similar to the film, “The Goonies”, each character in this film portrays their own unique personality. In this film, each characters personality reflects their home and personal life. One example from the film is; Gordie is the main protagonist of the film and is portrayed as a shy and self-conscious character. His older brother meant the world to him. He felt like his brother was more of a father figure to him then his own because he felt his father didn’t’ care for him which lead him thinking he caused the death of his brother. As the movie progresses, the boys mature with it. 

Dramatic Views on the film "The Goonies"

Dramatic Aspects of the Film, “The Goonies”

     “The Goonies” is a film directed by Richard Donner. The movie was released June 7^th, 1985 by Warner Bros. Pictures and stars Sean Astin as “Mikey”, Corey Feldman as “Mouth”, Ke Huy Quan as “Data”, Jeff Cohen as “Chunk”, Josh Brolin as “Brand”, Kerri Green as “Andy” and Martha Plimpton as “Stef”. The general summary of the plot starts with a group of friends who call themselves, “The Goonies”. They are each facing the foreclosure of their homes. On their very last day together as a group, the kids are up in Mikey’s attic exploring the many items his father has collected over the years. While on their expedition, they find an old newspaper clipping, a Spanish map and an artifact, which relates to the story of One-Eyed Willie. The group heads down to the coast and enter an abandoned restaurant where they encounter the Fratellis who are wanted criminals. While hiding from the Fratellis, the group finds an entrance to a cave where they then follow the map to try and find the lost treasure.

     For the design and set teams of the film, it must have taken them a long time to design and build a cavern like the one featured in this film. The set traps added detail and made the set look more intriguing to the viewer because they added suspense to many scenes throughout the film. This makes the film more interesting for the viewer to watch. The pirate ship and the treasure (which is mainly all gold) seemed to catch the viewer’s attention because everything looked very realistic. The gold was especially eye catching because it was so sparkly and shiny. The pirate ship had every detail that you would imagine a pirate ship would intentionally have. These details include a plank, a mast, a flag, trapped doors and etc.

 

     The make up in this film was done very well for a movie of the 1980’s. John Matuszak who plays “Sloth” in the film had a very disfigured face, which was all thanks to various molds and make up especially. This gave him a very realistic look towards his character.

     Each child actor in the film portrayed a character with their on unique personality. For example, Mikey is an enthusiastic type of character who is very excited to find One-Eyed Willie and the treasure, Data is known as the “go to gadget guy”, Chunk is a loud character that loves food, Stef can be a “smart mouth”, Andy and Brandon are portrayed as very stereotypical characters and Mouth loves to joke around.