Film Noir is Reality

    The American public had lost its innocence and it wanted more adult stories about the way people actually behaved and noir films are the movies that address that- Eddie Muller this quote right here says it all why film noir exist and why double indemnity is a film noir staple. Anyone who has ever been confused about anything that has to do with film noir should boil their questions in this quote. This quote applies to the movie because of the dark nature that is carried in this film. Keep in mind this movie was made in 1944 which were more innocent times.  To see a wife plot and scheme against her husband was truly dark. Hence the name of the genre Film Noir in French noir means black. "it is the noir idea we don't know what's going but we do know something bad is out there controlling events"-Errol Morris director.

 “Life is a dangerous game especially with a new breed of women whose working all the angles building her own set of rules”-Errol Morris. This quote defiantly describes Phyllis character thus making her a femme fatale.  Phyllis is a typical femme fatale because she uses her power to get what she wants. In this case convincing the insurance agent Walter Neff. That is a characteristic of a femme fatale dragging down people into bad situations for her own personal gain. The key parts are there the convinced accomplice Neff and the personal gain insurance money.

  

   Lighting and location are very important in order to set the vibe in noir films. For example when Phyllis drives Mr. Dietrichson to the train station. In the scene where the car is driving down the street and then turns into an empty street. The lighting is somewhat darker than the rest of film. There is very little leaving the viewer to assume that the events are happening at night. The dark lighting helps to show how dark the actions that about to be committed are. Secondly the location in which the car drives into set the vibe as well. From being in a very busy street Phyllis takes a turn into a darker empty street. This helps the feel of evil and darkness that is the murder of Mr. Dietrichson. The documentary states that film noir deals with the darkest of human nature that being murder.

    One of film noirs main characteristics without doubt was its black and white color. The way the movies feel gets scary with use of heavy blacks.  Now in this time we have neo noir films and they are in color. They without doubt lose a bit of the magic film noir brings to the table. This forcing neo noir films to be a bit more over the top. By this I mean more graphic or darker. One aspect of Memento that is based on film noir is the main characters situation. Just like in film noir the main character is in a bad situation that gets deeper and darker. The way Leonard Shelby is trying to piece together and solve the events before his amnesia is noir. Second example is the open sequence of Memento is a true homage to film noir. The way it comes slowly and of course in black and white.  The last and final example is the ending of the film. It doesn’t end on a bright happy note. It ends dark and even more blood soaked than it started. Leonard Shelby Murders Teddy in his car similar to the plot that the documentary mentioned.

                                   

BLOG POST #1: Film Criteria

      What makes a movie compelling to that question there is many answers. To me personally a movie is compelling if the they have three components. The three main components that are vital in a movie in my eyes are imagery, memorable characters, and story line. Imagery by this I mean images that draw you into the screen, images that have the power to make imagination soar and wander. Most of my favorite films that have this component touch on a psychedelic level. For example the film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas has powerful imagery. In one of the scenes the main character that is under the influence of drugs starts to see lizards and moving objects. The movie does a great job when showing this on screen. I feel that you could watch this movie with the mute on and still be entertained.

       The second component that I need to consider a movie compelling is memorable characters. The best kinds of characters are the ones that the viewer can relate to on any level. Another key of to a memorable character is charisma. These characters are the ones the viewer instantly loves and roots for regardless if they are doing right or wrong. These characters are the ones the viewer would love to be friends with if they were real. The movie Pineapple Express nails it with the two lead roles. Seth Rogen and James Franco give life to two lovable stoners that get into to mischief but are trying to make things right. To me these characters are relatable on some level and easy to like.

This last component is a pretty basic one and that is story line. A good old fashioned story line always gets the job down. To me a good story line is the backbone and fifty percent of a good movie. A movie can fail in some areas but if there is a great story line behind it the fails can easily be forgotten. A Trip to the Moon is a grade a movie in my book and an instant favorite. It has my three components that make a movie compelling. It has a great story line that builds and ends just beautifully. The way that the astronomers have the idea to go to moon and once there get into trouble thus expanded the story line. The astronomers and the aliens’ natives of the moon are memorable characters that can easily be remembered and liked. Last but not least the imagery in this film is amazing. I absolutely loved it the way the capsule lands on the moon and it has a face. The way the stars have faces and the inside of the moon is vegetated. Simply magical it blasted my imagination of just like the rocket in the film.

The Great Train Robbery was a great movie as well that has the components. It has a well built story line that develops beautifully. The imagery is also magnificent because it feels and looks very real. That brings this into perspective if I felt that the imagery was this good back in the day it must have been like 3d. This makes it a great film because it stands the test of time.

One of my favorite films that met my criteria of excellence is Dude Where’s My Car. For starters it has the memorable character factor that I look for in a movie. Jesse and Chester the two main characters in the movie are memorable and since the release of the movie have become part of pop culture. In the movie there is a cult of nerds that are also memorable. Many folks can easily say they remember their call “Zoltan”. The movie also has a good story line although it is not to complex it serves the purpose of entertainment. Another of my favorite movies is Pineapple Express and what can I say it follows the same grading. This movie also has loveable memorable characters as well visually appealing scenes. The storyline in this movie is truly great for a comedy movie it’s above and beyond. The story line manages to mix comedy and action all in one movie.

My interest in film

   Film has been and will always be an important part of my life. Film has allowed me to dream and view life through different eyes. As a kid growing up films fired my imagination allowing me to think and imagine beyond what is normal. Those are the main reasons why I have an interest in films and what they can do. I have a modest medium sized collection that is made up of DVD and VHS format films. My favorite genres are comedy and action/adventure I feel that you cannot go wrong with those two. Some favorite sub-genres of comedy are buddy comedies, slapstick comedies, goofy comedies, and underdog comedies. My favorite action/adventure sub genres are anything from sci-fi fantasy, action comedy and “Die Hard Scenario” films. I only have one least favorite genre and that is drama. It usually takes a lot for me to pay attention to those films. The following is a list of my top ten favorite films of all time 10. Drive 9. Die Hard Series 8. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby 7. Back to the Future Series 6. Teen Wolf 5.Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas 4. Dazed and Confused 3. Pee Wee Herman’s Big Adventure 2.Pineapple Express 1. Dude Where’s My Car.