Fantastic Mr. Fox

by: Matt Vinti

Representations of Characterizations

Fantastic Mr. Fox offers a lot in its character development throughout the movie.  The characters also have a tendency to relay their emotions by the way they are dressed.  There are many cases of this in the film.  Another thing to note is the way the characters are pinned against each other.  Specifically speaking the 3 antagonists of the film.  The farmers.  The scene pictured below is directly after the shooting off of Fox's tail.  

Things to note are the heights of each farmer.  The one on the left is the shortest, stating that he has the least amount of power.  I found it interesting that the director took the time to do this for the film. Each is clothed in position of their power as well.  The man on the far right is clothed very professionally and each seems to become less professional as you move left.

There is another occurrence of this during the film.  If you pay attention to Mr. Fox's clothing through out the movie it changes based on how happy/well off or sad/hopeless he is.  Happy being a more professional and wealthy look.  And sad being a no clothing and dirty marks on his face (exg. when he was digging constantly.) Although these are just a few of the examples in the film.

Kill Bill Vol. 2

by: Matt Vinti

Pai Mei's impact on The Bride

When Pai Mei and the Bride first meet, it is certain that he shows very little respect to her.  He is shunning her in every way possible.  After briefly talking about what she can do and what martial arts she knows, Pai Mei quickly tests her and shows how untrained she really is.  He seems like a god to her, able to dodge every attack with ease and able to oust her quickly.  The picture below represents this perfectly.  Pai Mei is seen in the shot illuminated, but still in the shadows.  His face is lit to make him look menacing and very powerful.  The Bride looks very weak and brittle hunched over herself and attempting to eat her rice with her broken hand.  The use of imagery in this scene can be related to the rest of the movie.  The Bride looks up to Pai Mei as her master now, and he understands.  He teaches her moves that will help her survive later in the film.  

The Bride knows she is the weakest here, but accepts it.  She is willing to be treated like "a dog" to expand her martial arts knowledge.  Of course later in the movie this training with her becomes extremely beneficial.  With her knowledge learned during this training, she breaks out of a coffin buried 6ft underground, kills another person that was taught by Pai Mei, and is able to do the five point exploding heart punch to finally kill Bill.

4/5

Ghost Dog

By: Matt Vinti

Ghost Dog's Symbolism

The scene pictured below I found to be very interesting.  The bear on the ground is a direct reference to Ghost Dog himself, and it is a foreshadowing to later in the movie where he is killed by Vargo.  The hunters say that it is rare to find any black bear in the woods anymore, so they take the shot whenever they see one, even if it is not in season.  Ghost dog was refereed to as a black bear earlier in the film.  He also says that his kind is a dying breed and there are very few of him left.  

I read up on the book that Ghost Dog lives by, Hagakure. It is the way of the Samurai. It basically states that one should always be loyal to their master, and one should always be ready for death. Unfortunately this bear probably had no idea he was going to be shot by these hunters and was simply minding his own business. Ghost dog on the other had understood his circumstances he was in, and realized that Vargo would be coming back to kill him. This is a huge problem because he is Vargo's retainer and owes him his life. But, being the loyal samurai he is, he lets Vargo kill him. Since he was ready for death at any moment, like the black bear, he "saw everything he needed to see." and then died. I find it interesting that the director included this scene. Most people would think its just Ghost dog being a bad ass again, but it actually had a lot of symbolism to his way of life.


1:18:22

Thin Blue Line

By: Matt Vinti

Use of Time

There are a lot of references to the thought of Time in this film.  These references include the use of imagery, camera effects, and dialogue.  Every time there is a clock on screen, it is shown for quite some time.  Sometimes the next sequence in the film is the same clock, but at a later time to show that time has passed.  This happens in many parts through out the film.  Another example of this is during the beginning of the film when they are first discussing the murder; there is a shot of a newspaper with the date "November 29, 1976", the next shot fades to the next date "December 22, 1976".  This is a clever way to pass time in the film.

The use of dialogue to show how time can affect a character is also explained. (21:17) "I don't know why but it always seemed like time just stopped, or something. ..... It just seemed like 'boom' time had stopped or something, I don't know.  Like a flash."  The picture below shows a subtle use of the imagery of a clock.  I believe the use of time through out this film is a metaphor to spending time in jail.  The references always come up whenever someone is talking about the shooting or details pertaining to the murder scene.

1:19:36

Dr. Strangelove

By: Matt Vinti

"Nuclear Combat, toe-to-toe with the Rooskies"

The War Room is a setting that takes place during the movie Dr. Strangelove.  It's quite a large room and it comes out to be very mysterious.  Why is it named the War Room if only peace negotiations are going on in this room for the entire movie?  It is pictured as a dark and eerie feeling room with all of the world powers conveniently in the room.  It serves as a relaxing place to go compared to the other scenes in this movie.  As seen in the picture, the room is dark and everybody at the table sees a serious threat to the human race.  

They are trying to think of every possible action that can help them in this situation, but people just keep bringing on bad news.  In fact, the general doesn't bring a single point of good news to the president while at the table.  The meaning of this points to a quote said earlier by the Pilot destined to deliver the bomb that would start the doomsday device. "Nuclear Combat, toe-to-toe with the Rooskies." The importance of toe-to-toe here is showing that both super powers are using their nuclear devices against each other. 

38:27

The Elephant Man

By: Matt Vinti

The Reveal

The Elephant Man needs to be pictured as mysterious to the viewer.   There are numerous ways to accomplish this and the lead up to the first time we see the Elephant Man is possibly more terrifying than seeing the actual freak show star.  In the first picture this is a few scenes before we see him for the first reveal.  Trying to make it like a real carnival freak show, the director sets up the setting for us.  Dark alley ways and stray animals walking with lots of steam and grime surrounding us.

9:44

The stray dog, I would say, really puts this scene into perspective.  Its not everyday that you just see a lonely dog wandering the streets by himself with no owner.  Kind of a primitive feeling went through when I rewatched the opening to this movie.  And the reveal of course of the Elephant Man himself was also a very circusy-carnival showcase.  Everything leading up to when that curtain being pulled away is meant to be in the movie for a reason, it isn't just filler.

10:03

Se7en

By: Matt Vinti

The Opening Title

I believe the best use of music and sound with the auditory part of a film is most effective with scary and eerie types of settings.  In slow parts where the audience is revealed the surrounding areas it is especially effective.  As for use in Se7en, sound is used everywhere.  It would creep me out even without knowing what images are seen during the movie.  That is the exact reason he used that music, it conveys that something isn't right and very very wrong.

With the music being creepy in the very start of the movie, specifically the opening title, the images and un steadiness sets the stage for the remainder of the film. Throughout the entire film music and sound is sued to set you into moods similar to the one I just explained. This is precisely what the director wants you to feel, and executes it perfectly.

7/10


4:37

Pan's Labyrinth

By: Matt Vinti

Thematic Elements Worth Noting

Pan's Labyrinth has a different approach to revealing its plot to movie goers.  Many, when they first saw the movie, had no idea how the story would unfold into affecting the fairy tale world, and the real world at the same time.  This can be seen in a number of scenes, but specifically the scene where she puts the mandrake root under her mother's bed.  This cures her of her pain and illness at the time, leading us to believe that the mandrake root actually worked.  Later on in the movie, the Captain discovers the root and throws it in the fire.  It lets out a squealing sound and dies.  Immediately after this, Ofelia's mother starts to contract the baby and is in a great deal of pain.  This leads the audience to think on Ofelia's level.  Is there really a fairy tale world? Or is this all just perfectly timed coincidences.  

I believe this movie has thematic elements based on Ofelia's character.  She is the only person that can see the Fairy Tale part of the movie, besides the audience.  This leads us to connect with her more than the other characters since we can actually see what is going on in her head.  The basic fact that she can see the Faun and everything else, is what sets her apart from all the other characters in the movie.  There is also a focus on the idea if what Ofelia is actually seeing is real or all just in her head.  There are countless scenes where this can be shown.  It leaves you questioning the entire movie, and a re-watch a very high possibility just to understand everything going on.

8/10

1:21:47

The Royal Tenenbaums

By: Matt Vinti

Richie's Demise

Throughout this movie red is used substantially to show change and difference and for characters to stand out.  It is used in what the Tenenbaums eat and drink as well.  This subtle use of color adds some emotion to the film.

As for this scene pictured below, Richie says, "I'm going to kill myself tomorrow." Right after he is finished with that razor swipe, he takes out the blade, it flashes to him with his beard still, then back to him with shaving cream on his face.  He then proceeds to cut his wrists as images of Margot are flashed onto the screen.  After about 2 seconds we are back to Richie as he falls to the ground with a camera tracking him to the floor.

This last scene perfectly relays why Richie is sad and depressed in very subtle ways.  The back walls are a blue color, giving the scene a sad feeling right from the beginning.  Richie's eyes in the picture below are bloodshot and yellow.  He just looks like hes been through so much, the makeup here is perfect to reflect his emotions.  After this scene, the synchronizing of the wrists being cut to memories of Margot is a key fact that he is upset about her.  As he falls to the ground the camera tracking him from high shot, to low shot implies that he is becoming much weaker mentally and physically.

1:10:58

The Host

By: Matt Vinti

The Bird

This movie was a surprising twist to what we had been watching in the class.  Plenty of moments of tension, where the story keeps you on the edge of your seat.  Great CGI work for being released so long ago as well.  But for the most part, this movie is heavily focused on themes and gives you constant reminders throughout the movie.  For instance, right when Hyun-Seo is taken away by the monster the first time, there is a fluttering bird that appears right as she is swung off of the screen (19:15).  This visual representation can mean many different ideas, but I am not sure of the correct representation of this.  I believe It may represent a fairy tale that leads to a deeper understanding of the film.

A number of Fairy Tales that could be used to compare this film could be Little Red Riding Hood, or the Boy Who Cried Wolf, as they play almost perfectly with a couple of characters.  For Example, the creature is playing with Hyun-Seo and controlling her by keeping her in the sewer just as the wolf did in the short story.  Also Gang-du's act in the film resembles the second Fairy Tale I mentioned.  He is constantly reminding authorities that his daughter had called him on his cellphone for a brief period while in the hospital.  The only problem is that he is always considered crazy or in shock from the death of her, and nobody will believe him.  This is strikingly similar to The Boy Who Cried Wolf.  He even is the cause for her death, as he let go of her hand and grabbed the wrong person's hand.  In the tale it is the boy's entire fault he was eaten; in the film it is technically Gang-du's entire fault.

9/10

0:19:15

Vertigo - Alfred Hitchcock

By: Matt Vinti

Johnny's Demise

Vertigo is highly regarded as one of the best films ever made.  Hitchcock did a wonderful job at expressing his thoughts and ideas for this movie.  He accomplishes everything he wants to tell the audience in subtle ways, including the use of lighting, character placement in the scene, outfits, and colors used to display emotions.

In a particular scene, right after Madeline's death, John is being tried for his actions and his involvement in the death.  Although he is found not guilty and had nothing to do with Madeline's mental state, there are uses of actor placement, lighting, camera angles, outfits, and even the weather outside can help make the scene so powerful.  As for the placement of actors, John seems very insignificant in front of all the people at the makeshift trial.  This puts him as a weak force and can not do anything to protect himself.  As for the lighting in the scene, it is very dark and eerie, but only shining a light on John himself.  This adds to the mood of the scene, making things seem more mysterious and sad in a sense, while placing John as the Likely suspect because he is in the spotlight.  The outfits people are wearing, are mostly blue or grey, adding to the sadness in the scene due to the death of Madeline.  Now the camera angles is an important part to discuss.  This high angle makes John seem weak compared to his audience.  

Overall this movie is a must watch if you like to seek out the subtle things directors put in movies to give it that extra emotion.  As for a casual movie goer, it can be slow at times compared to the latest movies today, but overall a good experience.

7/10

 1:18:50