Extra Credit

Double Indemnity, 1944 directed by Billy Wilder I feel that this was a great movie because of its compelling storyline. It was also my first original film noir movies I have ever seen and I loved. For that reason I feel that it serves as a great example of noir to people who are not familiar with the genre.

North by Northwest, 1959 directed by Alfred Hitchcock  This one is a classic masterpiece of the master himself Alfred Hitchcock. I think this film is noteworthy not only because it’s good but because I feel that everyone enjoys Hitchcock’s films.

Le voyage dans la lune (A Trip to the Moon), 1902 directed by Georges Méliès This movie is simply powerful and ahead of its time. I feel that this movie is excellent because it was made in 1902 and still managed to transport me. It’s hard for a modern day movie to transport me to the films world but this one did.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story 2007 directed by Jake Kasdan  I feel that film students should see this film because of its strong storyline. This films storyline is very well constructed and shown on film. Also John C. Reilly is a great actor that film students could enjoy.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas 1998 directed by Terry Gilliam This film has very excellent examples of visuals. The camera angles and techniques are vast in the film. It also has an oddly plotted storyline that can be interesting to experience.

Drive 2011 directed by Nicolas Winding Refn  Drive is a great example of good cinematography and style. This movie fairly new but the directed was able to capture a retro look to it. Not to mention the story plot is great and has essences of noir.

Music and Film

     North by Northwest Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

                     “Prelude- Bernard Herrmann”

 RED- The musical piece kicks off after the famous MGM lion roars for the third time. From hear beating drums come in backed up by wind instruments. The Music in itself is upbeat almost as the credits go by presenting the actors. The actors named in the opening credits are Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and James. Then the North by Northwest title credit comes in then fades in to a shot of a mirrored building. Form the mirrors you can see the reflection of the hustle and bustle of a city street. Then finally that shot fades out to a shot of the bottom of a building where many people are walking. Those types of shots of people walking happens about two more times until the clip ends. The music being played fits well with the shots of busy city people because the music is upbeat and so are their lives. The shots and the music reminded me of those busy days that I have had and some people have every day. The musical piece used for this opening segment was spot on with the vibe and feel of the film.

   

Punch Drunk Love Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

                             “Tabla- Jon Brion”

YELLOW- The shot starts with Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) and Lance (Luis Guzman) in a grocery store. Then shot cuts to another of Barry explaining things to lance about the products at the store. In this shot there is a lot of thinking and talking about newly found information. The music in the background is that of pounding drums and flutes coming in and out. The music worked well with the scene because the pounding drums serve as the stream of thoughts march out of Barry’s mouth.

              

      The Godfather Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

“The Baptism- Nino Rota”

Blue- The scene starts out with the shot of a baby being baptized. In between the shot of the baptism other shot cut in showing the murders of people. Then Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) is shown with a face of regret and deep guilt and worry. So on many other murders are shown until Michel Corleone looks down and the clip ends. The music is a creepy organ piece that sounds similar to something out of a horror movie. It reminds me of a church where organs like these are usually played. It also reminds of the creepiness of the Phantom of the Opera. The music is very effect because it goes well with what Michael Corleone is feeling. It also goes well with the brutal murders in the shots.

   

      Pee Wee’s Big Adventure Directed by Tim Burton              “Simone's Theme- Danny Elfman”

Part 2- In this scene Pee Wee (Paul Reubens) and Simone (Diane Salinger) are in a t-rex statue. Here Pee Wee and Simone talk about their dreams and hopes about the future. Here Simone confesses to Pee Wee that she dreams about going to France. Pee Wee then persuades Simone to follow her dreams and to not let anything stop her. The music playing in the backroud is soothing piece that glides through the air. It makes me feel like if I were walking in a dream while being wide awake. The song fits perfect with the scene because the characters are talking about dreams.

John C. Reilly Interviewed on The Treatment

      Hello readers in this post I will be writing about one of my personal favorite actor, comedian, and screenwriters John C. Reilly. Reilly has starred in such movie as Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and recently the blockbuster hit Wreck It Ralph. Reilly has also had some experience working on television; Reilly was a guest on “The Simpsons”. KCRW had the pleasure to have Reilly as a guest on July 07, 2010 for the show “The Treatment”. The interview was hosted by Elvis Mitchell and was produced by Gemma Dempsey.

       John C. Reilly was KCRW studios to talk about his new film at the time “Cyrus”.  From what I learned is about an older man who meets a woman and they fall in love. The catch is that the woman has a son that is not too fond of Reilly’s character. This causes complications and other funny ordeals for the characters in the film. About Reilly personally I learned from this interview that he is a down to earth person. You get this vibe from Reilly when he states that he never thought he was big enough to be recognized or be in a creative position.  I got a friendly impression from Reilly it feels like he is easy to get along with. I also learned that he is an honest man with a catholic upbringing.

                                        

          One thing that I noticed from the interview is that Reilly is a person adapts to change. That is what I got from one of his quotes. “Honestly I’m not a self reflective person …. I see myself more as vessel for other personalities for better or for worse that’s who I am”. I think it’s noteworthy because it says a lot about Reilly. It shows how good of an actor he is because he has the ability to transform himself into the character he is playing. Reilly states that he tries his hardest to believe one hundred percent in what his character beliefs. This quote also shows that Reilly can have any personality as needed thus allowing him to take on anything.

           The second quote I feel supports the first quote I have from Reilly. “I see myself as this constantly changing thing” I find this important because it ties in with Reilly as a whole. This quote shows that Reilly is not stuck in stage he evolves and learns as his career goes on. This making Reilly a better actor and a better person. Like previously said he changes to survive as change happens around him. This quote also shows that Reilly is he here to stay as the years go on.

“If I have super objective to my work is to illuminate the human condition”. This is the third noteworthy quote from Reilly during the interview. I think it is important to know what you are doing in your art and this shows Reilly knows. At the end of the day Reilly has a goal or a point to his acting or whatever he is doing. Reilly illuminating the human condition shows his honesty. Many actors now in days make their characters look perfect in every way. That is not the case with everyday human beings and that is what Reilly sees. Reilly tries to make his characters as real as possible in every way from bad to good.

       

Overall I feel that John C. Reilly words in the interview were extremely valuable. Valuable because they were words of experience and they were words of honesty. Reilly contributes to the film world by giving the people someone they can relate too. Someone people can look and dream about making their dreams come true because Reilly exist. A regular man that made his dreams come true and kept his honesty and good heart on the way up.