Films outside the Theater

Though I have always enjoyed films much more in a theater than at home or on a computer, I can’t imagine a time where if you failed to see a film in theaters you may not ever see it or if you loved a film you would have to hope it returns to the theaters at some point. However, one of the disadvantages that we did not mention last class about films being available outside theaters is that people are less inclined to see a film in theaters because they know that they will be on DVD in a few months. I know I have not seen certain films in theaters because I felt like I could just rent it later. Also we have often heard about people back in the day lining up outside theaters to see a film life Star Wars and seeing it multiple times.  Though people do see films multiple times today, I think the threat that you won’t get an opportunity to see the film once it leaves theaters compelled people to watch films they like many times in theaters. I’m sure the ability to watch films on DVD or through streaming has hurt many films ticket sales.

Mockbusters

When we were talking about the advantages/disadvantages of having the ability to watch films outside of the theater i got to thinking about the idea of mockbusters. Mockbusters are straight to DVD cheap rip-offs of films which are released at about the same time the theatrical film it is based on opens. For example, the mockbuster of Transformers is a film called Transmorphers. Movies like these are not made to spoof the original film but, are made to have a similar name and story in order to confuse people. It seems to be a silly business but, its messed up that some people may purchase Sherlock Holmes from Asylum Films (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaHvM9KVpcw) expecting the Guy Ritchie version. Instead they get Holmes battling robots and dinosaurs.

The Tell Tale Heart Animation (1953)

Though the MPAA rating system is far better than the Hays code that preceded it, the ratings have often been criticized for their ability injure the distribution and advertising of films rated with a NC-17. The rating system is also considered very subjective. Films with sexual scenes often receive a NC-17 while extremely violent films are given an R rating. This Film Is Not Yet Rated is a interesting documentary that attempts to reveal the absurdity of rating system and the damage it does to the art of film-making.

Though the video I have posted was not rated by the MPAA but by the British Board of Film Censors, it still reflects how rating boards can make questionable ratings. The Tell Tale Heart, created in 1953, is a short animated film based on the Edgar Allen Poe story. Despite lacking gore, sexuality, nudity, cursing and other aspects that could result in a more mature rating, this short was the first animation to be rated X by the British Board of Film Censors. The only reason i can think of that this movie was denied to children was because the tone of the film and the nature story may have been thought to be to frightening for children. I find this so strange because i believe most of us had to read this story when we were younger and the film actually takes out much of the gory details from the story.

Cabin in the Woods

I had the chance to see this last week and it is a really fun movie. I don’t want to spoil it so i can’t say much about it other than it is more of a dark-comedy than a slasher film and that it has many homages to both recent and classic horror movies.

Critics

            In our last class we had watched a review of Goodfellas by Siskel and Ebert and we briefly discussed the role of film critics in class. I had never really liked the idea of critics when I was younger because I didn’t understand how someone could be arrogant enough to declare which films were good enough to watch. I thought that the only way a film could be considered great was through a consensus of movie goers. I came to respect certain critics though, when after searching for movie times I came across a section on the website providing blurbs of what some of the critics were saying about the films that week. In one review, the reviewer explained in detail why he disliked the movie I was trying to go see. This didn’t prevent me from seeing it though because he was speaking for an audience that was expecting something more than a forgettable dumb action movie. It doesn’t really matter what opinion critics have of a film, as long as he/she explain why they hold that view. For instance I enjoy reading Roger Ebert’s reviews because he explains why he gives a certain rating in detail, avoids spoilers, and is generally entertaining to read. When he receives a lot of negative feedback for one of his reviews he often posts a response on his site to further elaborate on why he gave the rating he did. Other sites like rottentomatoes are great for seeing which films are being acclaimed which may not have been on your radar.

           

(Recently, I have found out about contrarian critic Armond White of the New York Press. He is infamous for going against critical and general opinions. He hates all the Harry Potter films, Toy Story 3, Inception, The Dark Knight, and the Social Network to name a few. He loves films like Norbert, Jonah Hex, and Transformers 2.  I’m not sure if he is trolling. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/critic/armond-white/ )

Here is a tiny Family Guy joke about CinemaScope and TV conversions.

Wide-screen vs Full-screen

Maybe it was just ignorance on my part but, for a long time whenever I purchased a DVD I would buy full-screen editions (now DVDs seem to give you both options). I felt that the black bars were distracting and I felt the need for the film to fill up the entire screen. I had thought that the difference between the two formats were that the full-screen format was stretched to fit the screen. I also figured that since i didn’t have a wide-screen TV it wouldn’t make sense to buy wide-screen format DVDs (once my family bought a wide-screen TV I switched formats).

In last weeks class we were shown how clip on full-screen format and film to TV conversion relied on method called pan and scan. This method is clearly a removal of the director and cinematographer’s creative control. I felt a bit cheated that all the films I had seen in full-screen format were not the creators’ intent and that i was missing out on much of the action on the periphery. Now I figure I don’t have a right to complain since it was the fault of my own stupidity. Maybe the trend of re-releasing films in theaters will allow me to see some of the films I have enjoyed in an unaltered condition. Hopefully without the 3-D. Why anyone needs to see Titanic in post-conversion 3-D  is beyond me.

Capra’s War Comes to America

Capra’s film acts as a propaganda film to rally the U.S. during WWII. In the beginning a brief and idealized history of America is given that celebrates our diversity and ideals. The decision to go to war in is shown as a last resort and only to be used to protect US security and freedom. Capra presents the narrative of a US that was unwilling to engage in another war in Europe after WWI, utilizing Gallop polls and dialogue from congress favoring isolationism. He then shows the forces of Germany, Italy, and Japan mobilizing against peaceful nations in Europe, Asia, and Africa using clips of bombed cities, reenactments of assaults by the Axis forces, and footage of Nazi ceremonies. He makes it clear that the actions of the Axis forces warranted a response from a US and explains how the US came to reject their isolationist policies. He also shows how the US was unprepared for war but, through American hard-work and exceptionalism the US was able to quickly produce arms and ammunition to fight with and to sell to its allies. Finally, towards the end of film Capra presents a vision of the world if the Axis forces were successful. He argues that they would control most of the worlds population (which he claimed would be a slave labor force) and resources  leaving the US unable to defend itself.

Drive

Recently, I watched Drive with Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan. It’s funny because I figure most people going into it were expected a Fast and Furious style action movie. The summary does sound like one: a stuntman by day and getaway driver by night gets dragged into the world of organized crime and grows attached to his neighbor and her son who he must protect from mafia thugs. However, the director, Nicolas Winding Refn, takes a different approach then what is usually seen. The film is very floaty and dreamlike for the most part. But when the violence occurs it is very graphic and brutal. The film also had some great performances especially by Albert Brooks who plays a psychotic mob boss. Its disappointing that it didn’t get many nominations this year.

The Great Dictator

Last class we got to see a small part of Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator. We saw how Chaplin effortlessly made the transition into sound and we were able to clearly see Chaplin’s critique of Nazi Germany. Later in the film the Jewish barber character poses as the dictator Hynkel and makes an impassioned speech.