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