Film Noir/ New Unit

I found myself disappointed by the Film Noir unit. I set my expectations fairly high for the three films we watched (Out of the Past, Kiss Me Deadly and Chinatown) and at the end found myself let down. I'm not quite sure why I didn't enjoy these films, it just seemed like each one dragged on too long and had trouble keeping my interest. To be completely honest, I am very glad that we are done with the Film Noir Unit and moving on to a new unit.

If memory serves, the new unit that we are starting really doesn't fit into its own specific genre, but all the films are considered "social commentaries." I have heard really good things about Battle of Algiers and Do the Right Thing (though I have not heard much about M). After watching three straight films that take place in dense urban areas and that share a lot of the same characteristics, I look forward to a change of pace with the films that we watch in this unit.

Romantic Comedies

I'd have to say that so far the romantic comedy unit has been the least interesting or entertaining. If I can be frank for a moment, I am not really a fan of romantic comedies. I love to laugh, which is precisely the reason I don't like romantic comedies. I understand that movies often need a romantic sub pot to keep things interesting. However, when a film solely revolves around "funny" romantic situations I have trouble keeping interest. Also, it seems that many romantic comedies follow same rules. A man meets a woman (or the other way around), something crazy/unexpected happens, hilarity ensues, and eventually they get together at the end. I'm not really sure how the wrap this all up, so I will just leave it at that.

"Deservin's got nothin' to do with it."

Watch from 6:50 to 7:05

I'm sure that some would like to believe that this type of behavior is not tolerated today in the 21st century. "Deservin's got nothin' to do with it," is a ridiculous statement that would only be accepted in the 1800's in small western towns, where there are outlaws and sheriffs that don't play by the rules. Right?

Wrong.

The concept of killing someone who "doesn't deserve it" is still present in society today. Author, journalist, and a writer/producer for HBO TV series The Wire, David Simon, examines this in a 2008 episode of The Wire. (0:40 to 0:45, warning: naughty language)



As you can see, this is the exact phrase that William Munny says before he kills Little Bill. I am not trying to argue about whether anybody deserves to die and what makes killing justifiable. Rather, I am trying to show that people believed and still do believe, that sometimes in regards to killing someone, deservin's got nothin' to do with it.

Blog Post #1

I really enjoyed watching Citizen Kane for the first time last week but unfortunately for me I already knew what the ending was going to be (thanks to a person in my math class who shall remain nameless). However, what makes this film so good is that even by knowing the ending the viewer still doesn't completely understand the character of Charles Foster Kane until the movie is watched in its entirety. Even if the viewer knows that "Rosebud" is Kane's (spoiler alert!) sled when beginning the film, it doesn't come close to fully explaining the character of Kane. To quote Thomson at the end of the film "I don't think that word can explain a man's life." Truer words were never spoken.

Introduction

Every Tuesday some of my friends and I get together and watch a movie. Usually these movies are terrible but at the same time funny (like S.I.C.K.). Last Tuesday we all got together and watched The Big Lebowski, which was great. We plan to do this throughout the rest of the year. We are partial to terrible horror moves because they provide so much comedy. I look forward to watching more movies this year and hope that I can actually watch good movies this year in Art of Film!