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.