Who needs a Director?

There have been some truly wonderful pieces of cinema which have been created on the spot in that moment in time. This I think is almost completely down to the actor having totally amerced themselves into the role. The only part the Director has to play is not to yell cut.

This is one example of an improvised moment on the big screen. It is from a wonderful film called Midnight Cowboy. This film had fantastic music, a great story but most importantly great acting. If you think of this film this is one of the moments you will properly remember and you would never have thought that it was improvised.



Another one of my favourite scenes from a film is a scene from On The Waterfront. Marlin Brando is walking through the park with Eva Marie Saint and she drops her glove by mistake. So naturally he picks it up but he decides to play with it and put it on his hand. This scene would have been completely different if he had just left it. By putting it on and playing with it in a way changes the point of the scene. It enhances the connection between the two actors and shows that he likes her. You would think that this would have been the direction the director had given.



The last scene I want to talk about is from Dr Zhivago. Hans Matheson has just come back from the war and Keira Knightley is bathing him. In the script she was just meant to bath him but she decides on the spot to climb into the bath. This is just another great example of how actors have the drive to do what is right for their character and the film. I could not find this clip on youtube but I have found a clip of Hans Matheson talking about the scene.



It is important to have great acting in a film and it is what separates the good films from the fantastic films. However you do need the good actor but you need a good character for that actor to play. If you think to Righteous Kill with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino it is pretty awful. You can not say that they are bad actors but you can say that their performances where not good. The reason there performances are not good is down to them not being able to challenges themselves within a role.

So to make your film fantastic you do need your great actors but they are just tools you need to let them work by giving them a part they can lose themselves in and then you will end up with wonderfully improvised scenes and powerful performances.

M*A*S*H

This film was just a bit odd. One of its major problems was that it did not have a point or plot. During this film I looked at my watch a lot which is a very bad sign. After about 45 minuets I just accepted the fact that this film was not going to have a central plot or point. It was really annoying to start to invest in a story line to have then just dropped and pick up some other line. I think this is why it worked very well as a TV show because you could just deal with one story and that was it. The film just felt like 4 episodes joined together but not very well.

Another thing that annoyed me was how dark all of the scenes were. Any of the scenes inside a tent were so dark you could only see one persons face and that was it. I do not like the fact that the film maker is telling me that I must watch this part of the frame. I want to let my eyes wonder and explore the depth.

Also I did not get the sense humour in this film. I will admit that I did laugh at a couple of bits but overall this is meant to be a dark comedy but it just was not. Again this proves that there is not point to this film it does not even make me laugh, it didn't really teach me anything about the war and just left me a bit annoyed.

I would not say that this was a not very good film to represent the 70s, it was the first film of the 70s but I would not think it in my mind one of the great 70s movies. It is so different to some of the other classics.

I do wonder why this film is on such a high pedestal. People do rate this film as being one of the great movies of all time. Could it be that I am just too young? I don't know but I can aspirate other films like Shampoo and the parallax view. The only thing that I can aspirate from this film though is the gore. I know that this was one of the first times you saw gore like this on the big screen.

So overall I would not recommend this film unless you want to see it just so you can tick it of your list of films to see.

Simpsons

I have watched the Simpsons since I can remember. I would say that this is one of the only TV shows that I have grown up with. I did watch shows like saved by the bell and other shows on Nickelodeon and Disney but this show has stayed with me right through all of them and I still enjoy watching old and new ones. I think that now when I watch old ones I get something different out of them than when I did when I was younger. There are loads of jokes that went right over my head when I was younger.

Another reason that I liked this show so much was because my Dad and brother both really liked it. It was something that we could all watch together and still do when we can. When I was younger I thought that this must be a cool show if my Dad enjoys it and now I know that he liked it for different reasons.

However I watched one of the latest episodes the other day and was unfortunately disappointed. It was just a bit flat, had nothing that special about it and I didn't laugh out once. I thought that maybe I had finally out grown this show and after so many years maybe they had just ran out of jokes but still being a big fan I did watch the next new episode. I am so glad that I am able to say that I loved it. It was still as good and funny as it had ever been and if not better. I love the Simpsons even more now because I get all of the 'Grown up' jokes and it relates current events in the news now.

The Street

I loved this TV show as soon as I watched it in class as did everyone. I have started to watch other episodes on TV. My sky planner is now filled with episodes waiting to be watched. I have never watched a TV show like this. I think the thing that makes this so different to any other show is that the story is so good. All of them are so clever and really make you think and put you right into the story.

My favourite episode so far has not been the one we saw in class but the one with the school teacher. The male teacher and family man goes for a jog in the park before his dinner. He goes into the bushes to relieve himself. A five year old girl is playing frisbee with her dad. She follows her frisbee into the bushes and sees the teacher. She screams and her dad runs over. The man assumes that he must be a flasher and the teachers life starts to fall apart around him. Nobody believes that he was just going to the toilet.

This episode was so horrible because we as an audience know that he is innocent and feel so sorry for him as his life crumbles. I don't want to give too much away and I think that you should definitely see this one. I really hope that there is another one as good as this one and hopefully better. Don't get me wrong other episodes are still very good. I can't wait to work my way through the rest.

Trainspotting

I totally loved this film witch I did not want to. Everyone always goes on about this film and how amazing it is. I thought that they were just people who thought that they knew about films and were just saying it to follow the crowd. However I was very impressed with this film. It did have some flaws such as the pase was a bit off during the middle but I was able to forget about them and totally immerse myself in this film. It had beautiful scenes and very clever camera work. The acting in it was superb. I love Robert Carlyle in anything I have seen him in and Ewan McGregor was also fantastic. McGregor was able to make us care about him and feel for him. It is easy to feel sorry for a junky to but really feel emotionally attached to one is very strange. There is a part in the film when Robert Carlyles character comes down to London to live with McGregors character Renton. This is just horrible and I felt my heart drop when it happened. You see Renton had got clean and moved down to London, got a job and was slowly making his way back into society but Begbie comes down and starts to reck this. I loved the way I could feel so many different emotions in this film. At the start I was disgusted and felt to be honest quite ill at some bits. Then suddenly I was thrown to feel something else like humour, hatred, sadness, horror, pity or happiness.

There is one moment when Renton has just emptied his bowls in a disgusting toilet and then has to fish through it to find some pills. This was just horrible but then he climbs into the toilet and disappears into it. This threw me completely. You go from saying that is so disgusting and wanting to be sick to saying wow that’s amazing I wonder how they did that. This really made me think about how films are meant to be like rollercoasters. The viewer wants to be taken on a ride and you should have different emotions thrown at them.

Watch this with the sound turned off. It is gross by the way.



Another thing that I thoroughly enjoyed about this film was the way that they spoke. I was not in any was junkie langue it was beautiful at some bits. I now understand why everyone has that chose life poster.

This was made on a low budget with people who had not really made a name for themselves yet. After watching it I thought that I could make a film like that would have the success that this did. We have talked about how the 'Keys to the Kingdom' were given to the likes of Scorsese and then just handed right back. Well I think that this film here proves that we can still make films now that have low budgets and make millions. This was made about fourteen years ago which is not that long ago but I now think it is about time that this was done again.

Shampoo

This film will be interesting to discuss as it has many points and underlying themes that we have talked about in class. One obvious discussion point was the way that women were represented. It was very interesting that there were four women in the film, all very strong. I can't think of a film that has come out recently that has any strong women in it. You could say that today Angelina Jolie is a strong women in wanted but she is just a male sexual fantasy. Perhaps in 1975 men thought powerful, strong women to be sexy.

This film came out in 1975, just after the watergate scandal, however it was set in 1968, as Nixon is getting into power. They could have played on this a lot more and been more ironic at times. This was obviously a big aspect of the film but I would not say it was the main point. It is clear that the fact everyone was sleeping with each other was more important in two ways. One was to drive the story and the other was to try and remember the 60s again. The casual sex made me think. I think of sex being a very new and young thing like in skins. We as a society now don't really think twice about sex so it was weird and interesting to see how casual it was back then. I suppose that does say a lot for the time. It was totally down to my naivety that I was not shocked but surprised how casual and how much sex there was in a film back then.

Lost Ending (Spoiler)

On reflection I would say that I suppose I am sort of happy with this ending. That is not what I thought at the time. Having watched Lost since 2005 and followed every little detail I was wanted every little end to be tied up and for all of the cast to come to some sort of end that was out of the box but still satisfying. This  I think would have been impossible. I wish it wasn't but there could never have been an ending that would leave the viewer total fulfilled.

I remember at the start of Lost people said I bet they are all dead and us true Lost fans said of course they are not there is something much more clever going on. Well I hang my head in shame, yes they were all dead and they all walked into the white light at the end.

However at the time I did put my head in my hands and think that I wanted more but looking back on it I have been able to think of all them good times this show has brought me. There was the time when Charlie died which was so huge at the time. Everyone was talking about it, even those who were not fans sort of knew what had happened. I certainly was talking about it to everyone and felt a little teary when he went.

Then there is the fact that this TV show has been able to grip me for so long and keep me entertained. I was not just watching it just so I could find out what happened in the end I was generally intrigued by everything. I felt for the characters. I suppose it is hard not to when you have followed them for so long.

So I would like to say thank you to lost for keeping me glued to the TV for what feels like a life time. I was glad that I could go out on a bang and did not just filter out. I wold also suggested that this would be a very good box set to buy as you will find yourself saying just one more about one hundred times.

Work Work Work

Other people always say that our course is just watching films and talking about them. They say this because they have loads of very stressing exams. However recently we have been working quite a lot more than we usually do and I have enjoyed it. I have had to over the last few days write outlines, a script, make a poster, blog, watch Stadgecaoch, blog again and moodle. I liked having a bit of stress pushing me along. I think the worst part was just before I started a bit of work. I would do almost anything else but when I final made my self sit down and do it I found myself getting really into it. I was remembering how I used to find my scripting class one of the best things about the week. Also there is no felling better than when you get all of your work load off from your shoulders. 

I think I have done a good job with my scripting work but I am sure that I will not be saying that in a few days after Richard has asked me what was I thinking. I also wonder how long it will be until he says his famous words "Is it?" No I know it is not now so just tell me why! We love it really. Although I can't take full credit for my poster. I did draw it but I was in stick men form with done with a biro so thankfully Jessica drew mine for me and colored it in. I did find the pencils and she worked from my original sketch. 

When I was working away at my outlines I got stuck but I was then able to sort of lift myself out of it and look at it from I different angle. I just couldn't think of where to go and it was taking me ages. I then thought it is my world so I am going to do what I want. I was able to create a whole other world and this wonderful. I know I properly sound a bit  artistry and but it was not so much the creating I loved it was more the fact that I could create. I think that in other course you have to learn your world that you want to work in but in our course you in a way create the world you are working in. I hope this makes sense and does not make me sound to up in the clouds. Basically our course is making stuff up. I am really lucky that I have found a job that I really want to persue and think that I will enjoy it. 

How TV has had an effect on my political views.

Well I would say that may choice of who I will be voting for in the election is almost 100% through the television. I don't really follow politics that much but it is hard to miss as it is all over the news. I watch the news every day or so, so I have a rough idea of what is going on. Also everyone was talking about the live debates so I didn't want to miss out on that and I thought it might help me make my mind up.

I would say that it has influenced me and swayed my opinion or sort of put me off people more than put me on them. I don't to make this about my political views but I think that david Cameron has not come across very well on TV. He always seams to me being ripped apart by people, weather that is a journalist or a member of the public.

Then it also makes me think how bias the TV is. I am a little c of how much I should believe when watching the news and I do try not to let it influence me to much. I liked the TV debate because it was just what it was. After the debate I felt that the TV channels were favoring people even if they did not mean to. Even by saying that the polls say that somebody has won the debate it makes you think that you should follow the crowd.

Puppy nightmare.

This blog can be found at http://morethanreflection.blogspot.com/


:)