Tuesday, December 3, 2013

7 Man-Made Wonders Of The Cinematic World

The World of Cinema is full of great works built by man that we could only wish truly existed in real life. I have take the liberty of selecting Seven of what I consider to be the most impressive and awe-inspiring works from cinema history!

I. The Death Star

As seen in: Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith (2005 and Star Wars IV: A New Hope (1977) (was rebuilt during Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi (1983))


Purpose: The Death Star was built by the Empire to destroy entire planets at the mere push of a button.

Current Status: Destroyed by the Rebel Alliance.

Notes: The Death Star was described as being the size of "a small moon." It was an impressive sight and held a majority of the Empire's army. The great battle station had a multitude of rooms for army use, prisoner storage, council meetings, and many other purposes. It also was equipped with enough power in its main gun to destroy entire planetary systems.

II. The Glass Tower

As seen in: The Towering Inferno (1974)


Purpose: Designed for owner James Duncan.

Current Status: Abandoned after being partially destroyed by fire.

Notes: At 138 stories, The Glass Tower was the tallest building in the world. This distinction was shortly lived, however, as a fire consumes much of the building during its grand opening. After the blaze is finally extinguished, it is said the building should be left as is to "be a symbol for everything wrong with society." The building was one of the finest in the world with great architects working to make it a beautiful, illustrious building.

III. Metropolis

As seen in: Metropolis (1927)

Purpose: City founded and built by Jon Fredersen; upper class lives in the luxurious skyscrapers while workers toil below the city

Current Status: Still in tact after being partially destroyed by flooding.

Notes: Metropolis is a mega-city, one of the largest and most scientifically advanced cities ever built. However, class separations have left the citizens of the city in constant feud with each other. It wasn't until the son of the leader of the city went down into the depths of the city that peace among the citizens could be found.

IV. Seahaven Island

As seen in: The Truman Show (1998)

Purpose: Designed to be an artificial world for Truman Burbank for the television reality show The Truman Show.

Current Status: Still in tact, but abandoned after Truman learned of its real use and escaped.

Notes: The Seahaven Dome is by far the largest television set ever created. It was, effectively, a fully-functioning city, with enough actors to completely populate Truman's life. It also had a plethora of microscopic video cameras to capture literally every aspect of his life.

V. Titanic

As seen in: Titanic (1943), Titanic (1953), A Night to Remember (1958), Titanic (1997)


Purpose: Built to be the largest and most luxurious cruise ship of its time.

Current Status: Sunk after striking an iceberg.

Notes: The Titanic has been re-imagined through many different films and is the only 7 Wonders to be based on a real-life structure. As in real-life, in all film adaptations, it is depicted as being a grandiose, beautiful, and luxurious vessel. However, the ship's design and legends were its ultimate downfall. Hundreds of lives were lost when it sank.

VI: Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory

As seen in: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory


Purpose: Willy Wonka built this factory to make the world's tastiest candy

Current Status: Still in tact, though presumably under new management

Notes: Willy Wonka built his factory specifically to design and make candy in the most specific and unique ways. Included in the factory are things like chocolate rivers, shrink rays, flotation rooms, geese who lay chocolate eggs, and an elevator that goes anywhere in the world that the traveler wishes to go. During the events of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka gave the factory to Charlie Buckett.

VII. Xanadu Estate

As seen in: Citizen Kane (1941)


Purpose: A luxurious private palace intended for Charles Foster Kane and his second wife.

Current Status: Unfinished and presumably abandoned after the death of Charles Kane

Notes: Xanadu was initially to be the grandest palace ever built by and for a single person. It included countless relics and statues from around the world, a private zoo, and lagoons. However, Kane never fully finished the palace and after his death, all the artifacts were either sold or destroyed, presumably leaving the rest abandoned.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Top Ten Movies to Watch This Halloween

With Halloween only a short ways away, I'm sure many people will want to know which movies are the best ones to watch during this horrifying, yet very spirited holiday. What follows are my picks for the Top Ten Movies to Watch This Halloween. Enjoy and Happy Halloween to all!


#10: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

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***
Director: Tobe Hooper

Screenwriter: Kim Henkel, Tobe Hooper

Principal Actors: Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal

Cinematographer: Daniel Pearl

Music by: Wayne Bell, Tobe Hooper




This movies is the original slasher film. And, as such, is a superb film to revisit on Halloween. The imagery is pretty horrifying, and it has a lot of elements reminiscent of the urban legends that are so fun to recite on Halloween.


#9: The Evil Dead (1981)

evil-dead-linda.png
***+


Director: Sam Raimi

Screenwriter: Sam Raimi

Principle Actors: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker

Cinematographer: Tim Philo

Music by: Joseph LoDuca

Thrilling, gory, and occasionally a tad goofy, The Evil Dead is, essentially, a ghost story. And that's the kind of thing we want to see on Halloween. It might be too bloody for some, but I think any viewer who can stomach some gore will find this immensely entertaining.

#8: Ghostbusters (1984)

ghostbusters_l2.jpg
***
Director: Ivan Reitman

Screenwriter: Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis

Principle Actors: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis

Cinematographer: Laszlo Kovacs

Music by: Elmer Bernstein

Ghosts are what we all think of on Halloween, and sometimes it's nice to get a good laugh out of the ghosts and spooky things that would otherwise plague out nightmares. That movie is both eerie and a lot of fun.

#7: Psycho (1960)

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***+
Director: Alfred Hitchcock


Screenwriter: Joseph Stefano


Principle Actors: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin


Cinematographer: John L. Russell


Music by: Bernard Herrmann


How can we not watch the quintessential horror film on a holiday of horror? This film is always remembered for its dark twists, eerie camerawork, terrifying performances, and horrifying music. The idea that this also has the aura of a haunted house film as well only adds to the film's effect.


#6: The Exorcist (1973)

theexorcist010.jpeg

****
Director: William Friedkin


Screenwriter: William Peter Blatty


Principle Actors: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair


Cinematographer: Owen Roizman


Music by: Mike Oldfield


This movie feels like a ghost story--and looks like one, too. Plus it's one of the most terrifying films many people have claimed to have ever seen.


#5: House On Haunted Hill (1959)

hauntedhill10.jpg
***+
Director: William Castle

Screen Writer: Robb White

Principle Actors: Vincent Price, Carolyn Craig, Elisha Cook

Cinematographer: Carl E. Guthrie

Music by: Richard Kayne, Richard Loring, Von Dexter

House On Haunted Hill was a surprisingly effective haunted house/ghost story film that really knows how to send up the chills while still being the good ol' fashioned kind of Halloween tale we need once a year.

#4: Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
Annex - Abbott & Costello (Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein)_01.jpg
***
Director: Charles Barton

Screenwriter: Robert Lees, John Grant, Frederic I. Rinaldo

Principle Actors: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Bela Lugosi

Cinematographer: Charles Van Enger

Music by: Frank Skinner

It may be a comedy, but it includes a lot of the classic horror icons that any audience can recognize--The Wolf Man, Dracula, Frankenstein's monster. And it has a very defined sense of nostalgia for these characters, rather than just spoofing them.

#3: Halloween (1978)
halloween1.jpg
**+
Director: John Carpenter

Screenwriter: John Carpenter, Debra Hill

Principle Actors: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, PJ Soles

Cinematographer: Dean Cundry

Music by: John Carpenter

Yeah, it's hard not to include this one. Halloween really sums up our feelings for the holiday well--scary stories, urban legends, lurking dangers, and murderous strangers. It may not be the best horror movie ever made (or even the best slasher film ever made), but it is still a movie to watch every Halloween.

#2: The Blair Witch Project (1999)
blair-witch-project2.jpg
****
Director: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sanchez

Screenwriter: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sanchez

Principle Actors: Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, Michael C. Williams

Cinematographer: Neal Fredericks

Music by: Antonio Cora

This simple movie about three teenagers getting lost in the woods is a frightening ghost story, which is based off a creepy urban legend, and becomes and ungodly horrifying tale of survival. The realism makes it frightening, but the story makes it memorable--and the ghost story element is perfect for Halloween campfires in the woods where the story takes place.

#1: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Nightmare-Before-Christmas-nightmare-before-christmas-494173_800_494.jpg
***+
Director: Henry Selick

Screenwriter: Caroline Thompson

Principle Actors: Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey

Cinematographer: Pete Kozachik

Music by: Danny Elfman

It might seem like an odd choice to make the number one Halloween film an animated film with "Christmas" in the title, but, as it turns out, this movie is exactly what Halloween is--and what we want it to be. It looks like Halloween, it feels like Halloween, and--thanks to some kick-ass music--it sounds like Halloween. This is Halloween.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Spotlight On Chick Flick: Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants (2005)

***+
Director: Ken Kwapis
Writer: Delia Ephron based on the novel by Ann Brashares
Principle Actors: America Ferrera, Blake Lively, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn
Cinematographer: John Bailey
Music By: Cliff Eidelman

I am a very straight guy and I enjoyed this film, and I think the reason I enjoyed it is because I had to admit that this was a well-acted and well-written film that actually understood girls. Is this a great film? No. But it's one that I feel like deserves to be watched by its target audience. I wouldn't really *recommend* it to other straight guys because I know that most would not find it overly appealing, but if they are asked by their girlfriends to watch it with them, they may be pleasantly surprised to find it not only tolerable, but quite moving.
Ferrera, Tamblyn, Bledel, and Lively

Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants is about four best friends: Carmen (America Ferrera), Bridget (Blake Lively), Tibbey (Amber Tamblyn), and Lena (Alexis Bledel). They are forced to spend a summer apart from one another, so, in order to keep each other close, they send a pair of pants to each other to wear during their summer adventures. Each of these girls has her own story to tell that deals with a variety of issues including love, loss, family, betrayal, and (of course) the power of friendship.

I think the first thing that any audience member will agree on when watching this film is that the four lead actresses have a lot of chemistry together on screen. This is very surprising given not only the young talent of the actresses on screen but also with the occasionally quite cheesy screenplay that they must work from. But because the actresses handle the screenplay very well and work together so believably, the audience is able to believe the relationship among the four friends very well.

Each of the lead characters has her own story and her own issues that she must deal with. One must try to keep a relationship with her father while feeling replaced by his new fiance and her children. Another is experiencing her own Romeo And Juliet story with the young man from a family her family has hated for years. Another girl must come to terms with death and friendship. While yet another girl is dealing with her own sexuality as she begins a relationship with her soccer coach. 


But what I admired about the film is the way that is seemed to really, genuinely understand girls. It understands girls so much more than many different other films out there that aim for the same target audience like Twilight. It tries to bring a message of comfort to girls as well as trying to really understand how they feel. This, to me, is commendable to say the least and falls nothing short of admirable.

I enjoyed watching Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants. Will it become one of my favorite films of all time? Of course not. It's still a film that aims very directly to one particular group and as such is difficult to bring to a wide audience. Still, for a film that does lend itself to one audience as heavily as it does, it is still entertaining and I feel like people outside that audience will be able to find it just as watchable as any other.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Spotlight On: HARRY POTTER

As Deathly Hallows Part II's release approaches, I thought it would be a grand idea to take a look back at the other Harry Potter films, first released a decade ago...

YEAR ONE: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

**+
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Screenplay by: Steve Kloves
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, and Richard Harris
Cinematography by: John Seale
Music Composed by: John Williams


Academy Awards:   Best Art Direction/Set Decoration (Nominated)
                             Best Costume Design (Nominated)
                             Best Music, Original Score (John Williams) (Nominated)

YEAR TWO: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
**+
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Screenplay by: Steve Kloves
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Kenneth Branagh, Richard Harris, Robbie Coltrane, and Maggie Smith
Cinematography by: Roger Pratt
Music Composed by: John Williams


YEAR THREE: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

***
Directed by: Alfonso Cuaron
Screenplay by: Steve Kloves
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, and Timothy Spall
Cinematography by: Michael Seresin
Music Composed by: John Williams
 

Academy Awards:   Best Music, Original Score (John Williams) (Nominated)
                             Best Visual Effects (Nominated)

YEAR FOUR: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

**+
Directed by: Mike Newell
Screenplay by: Steve Kloves
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon, Ralph Fiennes, Brendan Gleeson, and Gary Oldman
Cinematography by: Roger Pratt
Music Composed by: Patrick Doyle with themes originally composed by John Williams

 
Academy Awards: Best Art Direction/Set Design (Nominated)

YEAR FIVE: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

***+
Directed by: David Yates
Screenplay by: Michael Goldenberg
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Imelda Staunton, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, and Alan Rickman
Cinematography by: Slawomir Idziak
Music Composed by: Nicholas Hooper with themes originally composed by John Williams



YEAR SIX: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

****
Directed by: David Yates
Screenplay by: Steve Kloves
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Tom Felton, and Jim Broadbent
Cinematography: Bruno Delbonnel
Music Composed by: Nicholas Hooper with themes originally composed by John Williams


Academy Awards: Best Cinematography (Nominated)

YEAR SEVEN: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I (2010)
  
***+
Directed by: David Yates
Screenplay by:  Steve Kloves
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Bill Nighy, Helena Bonham-Carter, and Alan Rickman
Cinematography: Eduardo Serra
Music Composed by: Alexandre Desplat with themes originally composed by John Williams
Academy Awards:    Best Art Direction/Set Decoration (Nominated)
                             Best Visual Effects (Nominated) 

Friday, July 1, 2011

Top Ten Friday: Silent Films

10. Das Kabinet des Dr Caligari (1920)

Directed by: Robert Wiene
Written by: Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer
Starring: Werner Krauss, Conrad Viedt, Friedrich Feher, and Lil Dagover
Cinematography by: Willy Hameister




9. The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

Directed by: Rupert Julian
Written by: Elliott J. Clawson, Raymond L. Schrock, Bernard McConville, Jasper Spearing, Richard Wallace, Walter Anthony, Tom Reed, and Frank M. McCormick
Starring: Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry, and Gibson Gowland
Cinematography by: Milton Bridenbecker, Virgil Miller, and Charles Van Enger



8. Modern Times (1936)

Directed by: Charles Chaplin
Written by: Charles Chaplin
Starring: Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry Bergman, and Stanley Sandford
Cinematography by: Ira H. Morgan and Roland Totheroh


7. Battleship Potemkin (1925)

Directed by: Sergei Eisenstein
Written by: Nina Agadzhanova, Nikolai Aseyev, Sergei Eisenstein, and Sergei Tretyakov
Starring: Aleksandr Antonov, Vladimir Barsky, Grigori Aleksandrov, and Ivan Bobrov
Cinematography by: Eduard Tisse


6. The Gold Rush (1925)

Directed by: Charles Chaplin
Written by: Charles Chaplin
Starring: Charles Chaplin, Georgia Hale, Mack Swain, and Tom Murray
Cinematography by: Roland Totheroh


5. The General (1926)

Directed by: Clyde Bruckman and Buster Keaton
Written by: Al Boasberg, Clyde Bruckman, and Buster Keaton
Starring: Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, Glen Cavender, and Jim Farley
Cinematography: Bert Haines and Devereaux Jennings


4. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

Directed by: F.W. Murnau
Written by: Carl Mayer
Starring: George O'Brien, Janet Gaynor, Margaret Livingston, and Bodil Rosing
Cinematography by: Charles Rosher and Karl Struss


3. Metropolis (1927)

Directed by: Fritz Lang
Written by: Thea von Harbou
Starring: Alfred Abel, Bridgitte Helm, Gustav Froehlich, and Rudolf Klein-Rogge
Cinematography by: Karl Freund, Guenther Rittau, and Walter Ruttmann


2. Nosferatu; eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)

Directed by: F.W. Murnau
Written by: Henrik Galeen
Starring: Gustav van Wagenheim, Greta Schroeder, Alexander Granach, and Max Schreck
Cinematography by: Fritz Arno Wagner and Guenther Krampf


1. City Lights (1931)

Directed by: Charles Chaplin
Written by: Charles Chaplin
Starring: Charles Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Florence Lee, and Harry Myers
Cinematography by: Roland Totheroh and Gordon Pollock