The Birds

The Birds

Horror movies during this time are very different from the horror movies now. The horror movies now are more gruesome. This movie was actually really scary, although it wasn't as scary as what I'm used to. I mean, birds attacking people is really scary. It makes you think about whether or not you should go outside. Those birds were crazy, just flying down attacking some little kids. I liked this movie simply because, I was able to see how far horror films have gotten from then to now. It's amazing to see how for we have came, in a relatively short period of time. This film was a bit boring, but it was acceptable, mainly because this was made in a different time, where this was considered horrifying. I enjoyed this film a lot. 

American Graffiti (1973)

American Graffiti (1973)





The soundtrack was very important in this movie. I thought the movie was boring, but the music helped it alot. The soundtrack is the only thing I liked about it, and thats only because I know some of the songs. My granny taught me the songs, so it kind of made me think of us in the car singing along to the cassette tapes that she had. It made me really happy. Don't get me wrong, it's still a good movie, but it's just not my style. I like excitement, and comedy. This film didn't provide much of either. It was confusing. If it would have had a more directed purpose, then I believe it would have been better.

Final Blog (1st Semester)

Final Blog

"The Maltese Falcon" has been one of my favorite films so far. My favorite part is when Spade says the bird is made out of the stuff dreams are made of, because it's a great comparison. It makes you think about what it means. It takes you a little while to understand it. It's a beautiful thing to say. So I liked this film because of the message.

"American Graffiti" in my opinion, is the most boring movie I have watched. Nothing was happening. Another reason is because I was lost. I didn't know what the film was about. It was kind of just all over the place. I think it was  was just about teenage lives in the 60's, I'm not sure.

"The Great Escape" is also one of my favorite films. I love history, and I loved the story of the pilots trying to escape from the camp. They put all the escapees in the same camp, and it was interesting to see them all working together, trying to get out.

"War of the Worlds" was also boring, and I'm not one for Sci Fi. I don't have a real reason why I don't like it.

"Bambi" is my favorite Disney Movie. I love the hand painted scenes. I think thats just amazing how someone could paint all of that. It's beautiful. I love the story as well. It has some humor as well as some scene's that were very sad. It was an emotional film. It kept me entertained throughout the whole film, I never got bored with this film.

(I only had 2 films that I didn't like.)

It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

In "It's A Wonderful Life", George is the underdog. He is a regular guy that grew up in Bedford Falls. He plans to travel around the world, and go to college, and he almost goes. He saves his money and he gets up enough to go, his plans quickly change as his father passes away, and he is left with the family business. The business doesn't get much money in, so naturally he doesn't have much money. He donesn't really have anything going for him. He went threw all kinds of stuff to keep the loan place open. He did it for everyone else, he didn't do it for himself at all. It payed off at the end of the day. 

The underdog won. Potter was trying to do everything he could to make George give him the loan place, but he wouldn't. Then George lost $8,000, so he went to Potter begging for money. Potter refused, but it turned out that he didn't need Potter's help to begin with. Once the community heard the George needed help, they all pitched in and gave some money, and everything worked out fine.

There was also a lot of courage displayed by George. He ran his father's business just so his community would have a way to do things without having to go crawling to Potter for money. He gave up his dreams, so people in his town would have a way to do things without worrying about Potter threatening them. Also with the money he saved to travel, he sent his brother to college, since he wouldn't be using it anytime soon. 

Sgt. York (1941)

Sgt. York (1941)

Hannah Steed

The message in "Sgt. York" leads to patriotism. The message was about having to do things that you wouldn't want to. Sometimes, you are put in situations that require you to do things that you don't want to. Alvin York, was is a rough spot in his life, he got straight and started doing right by god. He was then called upon by  the government to go into the army. He was forced to make a decision,  kill people, or die / let other people to die. You lose either way really, but something had to be done. He chose to protect his friends/country, and kill the threat. He didn't want to, but he had to. The message in this movie is an amazing one. The message applies to everyone, not just a certain group of people, but everyone. Everyone one is going to come to a point in their life, where they have to do something that they don't really want to do, but it has to be done. This is where the patriotism comes in, other than the fact of him being in the army. Soldiers aren't just out killing people for the fun of it. They don't want to do that, they don't enjoy it, they aren't set out to kill everyone they see. They are protecting their families, friends, leaders. This movie is amazing, I loved it.

A Hard Day's Night (1964) & Help! (1965)

A Hard Day's Night (1964) & Help! (1965)

The Beatles movies were great. It's slightly because I love anything to do with the Beatles, but also because they were great films. Both films were very different films.

"A Hard Day's Night" is like a comedic "day in the life" kind of movie, I feel like it was very promotional. It was mainly about their lives with the new fame, how they dealt with all the craziness going on around them, and their music of course. It is kind of like a rock-n-roll, "High School Musical". The music really empowered the movie, I personally don't think it would have been as good with out the music.It was about them before they were cultural icons, because I think their career really took off after these films. This film is stands out of its time, rock , and even its genre. I think that this film was a very influential one, there is no way that is isn't, it's just so good.

Unlike "A Hard Day's Night", "Help!" is for more entertainment purposes rather that promotional. "Help!" is a silly movie. There is nothing funnier than watching a bunch of crazy, religion obsessed, money crazed people chase the Beatles around for a ring. The humor in this film is based on sarcasm, although they act out funny scenes. The songs in the film are great, and they are presented in an interesting way. I don't think they go well with the story, but they work visually.  I loved both of these films very much, I wouldn't change a thing about either one of them. They are great the way they are.

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Greed is exemplified greatly in this story, because all anyone cares about is finding that bird. People are dying over it, and no one cares, everyone if so focused on finding that statue. It's insane. All they was is money. Ms. Oshanase (I think than's her name) planned out this whole scheme to get the bird from Miles, she went into Spade and Miles' office to get them to help her. She had Miles killed and everything. Gutman was this big shot gangster after the falcon as well. Just about everyone in this film wanted the statue, and no one cared how they got it. 

Sam says the bird is made out of "the stuff dreams are made of." because it is. Because people were chasing it like people chase dreams. Everyone wanted "it" so bad they couldn't stand it. I say "it" because they didn't want the statue, they could care less about that statue. They wanted the money (happiness) that came from finding it. Just like dreams. People strive for happiness, no matter who we are or what are trying to do, we all want to be happy. We want to be happy so bad, that we do things that we don't want to or that we don't have to do. Example: Along with a million other people, I'm going to college to pursue a career that will allow me to ultimately lead me to be happy. That statue made all those people act like complete fools, one man chased it for years. Why? Because they wanted money and satisfaction, which all lead to happiness. :)

Some Like It Hot (1959)

Some Like It Hot (1959)

In my opinion this movie is way ahead of its time, and on so many levels. Especially on a comedic level. They were making really adult oriented jokes in this film, they were drinking alcoholic drinks, and the two main characters were cross-dressers. Which even now would cause lots of controversy, so I could only imagine how people reacted in the 50's. Everyone in this film was all about some trouble too. The characters were always up to something, like Sugar was drinking alcohols when she wasn't supposed to (no one really was supposed to, but especially her) , the girls were sneaking into each other's beds on the train. Not to mention the two crossdressing men were being chased by mobsters the whole time. It was a really great film. The men pretending to be women did a really good job. They executed the jokes very well. This film was very entertaining, and I personally would watch it again.

The Magnificent Seven & The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence

The Magnificent Seven & The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence

Hannah Steed

I think that what the "Magnificent Seven" did was very noble. They were the only people that were willing to help the villagers protect their lively hoods. Calvera was taking their stuff all the time, messing with their families. The villagers were tired of putting up with Calvera and his tricks, so they hired these men to help them get rid of their problem. They asked a lot of people, but no one was willing to do it. Until they asked Chris, it took a little convincing but they finally worked out an agreement. Chis got a few men to help him. It took a lot of bravery for the men to face Calvera, but when they did it paid off tremendously. All it takes is a little bravery, and team work.

In "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence", Ranse finds out that basically his whole life has been a lie. Now, it wasn't until the end of the movie when he found out. His wife was in love with another man. Ranse found out when he asked her who put the cactus rose on his coffin. She was in love with Tom. So he was just heartbroken about that. Also, Ranse didn't shoot Liberty, Tom did. That was probably the worst part of the whole movie. Ranse was devastated to find out that he was basically living a lie. The two people that he trusted the most, were lying to him almost the whole time. I felt bad for Ranse, like I really did. I thought that was horrible.  

The Great Escape (1963)

The Great Escape (1963)

By: Hannah Steed

This movie shows us how important teamwork is. It shows if it a very unique way.  The men in this movie couldn't have dug the tunnels alone. It was impossible. It was barley possible using teamwork. Hilts, Roger, and their crew worked really well together, I think. I don't recall a time in the film where they fought. They had a few disagreements, but they were solved rather quickly. I thought it was amazing how the movie showed a historical event, while getting an important message to the viewer(s). They had a whole bunch of skilled men stuck in this camp, and every one of them was very eager to get out, so everyone was more that willing to contribute as much as they possibly could with the escape. They had lookouts, people to dig the holes, people to plan the escape, some to distract the officers while they dug, and that has men to hide the holes. There were many other important jobs that were carried out by these men, and it ended up paying off, for the most part.

Without teamwork, the idea of this elaborate plan probably would not even survive. It took everyone in the camp to attempt this almost impossible task. It would take time, hard work, and patience to complete this task, and that's what the men were willing to donate. They were so ready to get out of that camp. This movie teaches the viewer that you how important teamwork was and is to people all over the world. Even military people have to have help sometimes, no one can do everything alone. It take moke that one person to do most things, there isn't many things that you can do alone. 

The Wizard of OZ (1939)

The Wizard of OZ

Hannah Steed

The director changed from B&W to color because they had just learned to do color, so they thought this movie would be a good one to put color into. I also think that it had to do with the representation of when the going gets tough, people think that they can just run away from their problems and be done with them. The way that the director utilized technicolor and B&W was great. They didn't make tho whole thing B&W and they didn't make the whole thing color. They used both styles and used each one to represent different things in the movie.

I think the songs add a lot to the entertainment/fantasy side of the movie. It shows that the beginning of the movie. Without the movie I think that it would be kinda boring, most of the fun comes form the songs. So, without the songs, the viewers would get bored and not want to watch all the was through, and it wouldn't be very popular.

I think that "The Wizard of OZ" is one of the greatest movies of all time. This film is for adults and children, it has the fun and whimsical aspects for a child, and the reflection of America during this time period for adults.  But what makes this movie so great is that it showed that you can't count on someone else to sole your problems for you, all you need is for someone to help you find what you were looking for, like when Tin Man, Dorthy, Lion, and Scarecrow were going to the Wizard because they wanted something, but the Wizard didn't give they the things they wanted. Instead, he gave they a task to show them that they already had courage, a heart, and a brain. And this movie was really showing us that everything is about mind set. If you believe it, you can do it. 

Bambi/Toy Story

Bambi (1942)/Toy Story(1995)

Hannah Steed

These were two really great movies. The evolution of animation is shown greatly in the comparisons and contrasts between the two films. I think that CGI makes the film look better, but I think that it really takes something away from the film. Before CGI, it took Disney massive amounts of time, effort, and patients, and he had to really have a passion for animation. Walt had to draw/paint everything that they wanted to happen in Bambi. CGI makes everything easier and look better, but I think it take some aspects of hard work out of the experience. It take a lot more work to make animated films when CGI wasn't possible. If you messed up, you basically had to start all the way over. Compared to CGI, where you could just fix the problem within minutes (depending on how large the mistake is). Without CGI, animation would take way longer, just imagine on how long it took to complete Bambi vs. how long it to to complete Toy Story. I'm pretty sure that Bambi was harder to accomplish than Toy Story. I'm sure Toy Story wasn't a walk in the park, but it probably took less time.

The stories were great too. I have seen these movies before, when I was younger, so I had no doubt whatsoever in my mind that I would fall in love with them all over again. And I did, but I also learned some things about the stories of the movies, that i was probably too young to understand the first time I watched them. When I was a kid, I didn't know Bambi was a boy. I guess I just thought that Bambi was a girl name. I also thought the same with Flower, probably for the same reason. I guess I kinda learned that there was more to the movie that the "entertainment" there are deeper meanings to these movies. I don't know what the actual meanings of these movies were but I thought that Bambi was about life, thing happen some are good and some are bad, but you can't let things stop you from achieving the greatest goals in life. I found Toy Story to be more about jealousy, Woody was jealouse of Buzz because, he thought that Andy loved Buzz more that he loved Woody. It teaches you that there will always be someone prettier, smarter, or funnier, but that shouldn't stop you from being the best you that you can be.

Casablanca (1942) By: Hannah Steed

Casablanca (1942)

By: Hannah Steed

I liked Casablanca very much. I love historical fiction, so I thought this film was just amazing. I also love how there was so much build up, and how the back story was presented and used by the characters throughout the movie.

I love historical fiction. So it was great being based in WWII, and having cities being taken over by the German soldiers. I just thought it was amazing how they incorporated war and  love, in the way that they did. I thought the over all idea of the movie was great. Like how, the whole time Rick and Ilsa were in love in in Paris, the city was being taken over by the Nazi soldiers. And how Rick and Ilsa's low key husband, Victor, were running from the Nazis, because they were they were like the underground railroad in WWII. Rick and Victor were trying to help people from European countries leave, because their countries were being invaded by Nazis. They were part of a rebellion. Every event in this movie was happening in the midst of WWII, and I love it. I love how they have made some of the main characters targets of the Nazis.

I like all the build up too. In my opinion, the build up makes the ending of the film so much more rewarding. I think that if you have to sit and watch the story kind of unfold, that you will enjoy the ending way more. It also makes you appreciate the film, and the characters way more. For example: The characters i were wanting to leave Casablanca because of the Nazis trying to take the city over, but they couldn't leave with out letters of transit. A man named Ugarte has two letters so of course, people are looking for him so they can get the letters from him so they can leave. It's not just common people that want him, the Nazis and the police want him as well. They want to imprison him in a concentration camp. They put all of this build up of a man running from people, and by watching and waiting for something big to happen makes you love the climax even more. It pulls you in to continue watching the film, and I love it.

The back story in this film was really entertaining and confusing. It starts off like they pulled the story out of a fairytale book. Rick and Ilsa meet in Paris, they fall in love. And its all great and wonderful, but they are in the middle of WWII. Paris is on the verge of being taken over by the Nazis. There is chaos all around them, but they are still trying to make everything work. They plan on leaving together, and they make the arrangements and are supposed to leave the following day. The next day, Rick is at the train station and waits on Ilsa all day. He ends up waiting on her until the last train is about to leave. Right before he is about to get on the train, he is delivered a note. The note is from Ilsa, it says that she can't go with him, she has unfinished business in Paris and Cannot leave. Rick is forced to leave Paris. It was really entertaining to watch all of that to unfold, and I thought it was great how they used some of the backstory in some of the main scenes. Like when Ilsa manipulated her and Rick's past love to get the letters from him. I thought it was great. And to be honest, I was confused through the whole movie, until the scene where when Ilsa told Rick she was married to Victor when her and Rick were in Paris.