Formal Film Study: (Quentin Tarantino)

Joe Herr
Quentin Tarantino


Quentin Tarantino has two styles that are so unique and crazy that his movies cannot be mimicked. I believe that  his movies are usually a huge hit or a gigantic miss. I watched Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and Inglorious Bastards. It seemed like Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction took on his one style of American gangster films and Inglorious Bastards took on his other style of unrealistic human war movies. Personally I believe all of his unrealistic human war movies are terrible. I have seen Kill Bill Vol. 1 and i think that is to hard to follow and too gruesome. Inglorious Bastards, to me, lived up to my reputation of these films. I didn't like it one bit. It was over acting by most of the characters and the story line was very weird. But, Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs are masterpieces. The scripts and the cast was just outstanding and they made great movies.

Tarantino loves violence and all of his movies are very violent, why not. People are paying a lot of money to watch these films. I enjoy very much Tarantino's violent American gangster style films and Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs are exactly that. In Pulp Fiction it is a classic love, drugs and money and in Reservoir Dogs it was blood and yelling. With a great script in both the actors in these films are pretty great. Samuel L Jackson, John Travolta, Steve Buscemi, and Tim Roth are great actors in all of their films and they were great in these two movies. They were at the peak of their careers and very popular so of course people are going to see a Quentin Tarantino movie with this all-star lineup.

"You shoot me in a dream you better wake up and apologize." (Harvey Kietel Reservoir Dogs) Each of Tarantino's movies always have one or two main characters that are the feared ones. You realize who they are because; He always has the camera pointed up at them to make them look huge, gives them the best quotes, or every where they go they are so demanding in the movie that the fear that the other characters have for them are so obvious. But, he never gives it away right off the batt. Tarantino starts off his movies with usually a conversation between people that isn't violent and then all of a sudden the script switches and violence, blood, and foul language starts and continues in plentiful.

The camera shots help a lot in Tarantino's movies. Looking up at the tough guys, down at the weak links, and almost always panning eye level shots when it is a big group of people. To me, the lighting didn't change dramatically. The difference that the lighting made didn't seem to matter. You watch the Kill Bills and its mostly dark and night. For the three movies that I watched the lighting was dark at night, bright during the day, and sometimes he throws a dark room in the movie so you really focus on the actions of the actors and on what is happening.

I'm excited to see other movies that he has created, but I'm nervous to come across one of his movies that could ruin my opinions towards him. His movies are so crazy that you never know what you are going to get. Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs were the movies that made myself love Tarantino. Inglorious Bastards... Not so much. But, Whatever he is doing he shouldn't change a thing. He wins Oscars, makes blockbusters, and is considered one of the best directors of all time. I wonder what he will come out with next?

Citizen Kane Response

The "American" dream is to come from rags to riches and that is exactly what Kane did. He went from being in an orphanage into being a very rich man. Although, Kane forgets about his childhood and forgets about having fun. My opinion is that Kane is so bought into that money buys you happiness and tries to get as much as he can like most Americans. When he loses everything but his money he realizes that the way he lived wasn't the right way and that the American way is not the way he should've lived.

MYST Post #1: Zero Dark Thirty

9-10 Thumbs up

Zero Dark Thirty is about the greatest man hunt in the entire wold. The USA finally killed Osama Bin Ladin and this movie gives you the details and the tactics on how they got him. This movie has been on my watch list the first I saw the trailer on IMDB. What guy wouldn't want to see a war movie that has been nominated for best picture in the oscars. But, when I think of war movies I think of trench warfare with explosions and constant battles. I saw Act of Valor a couple weeks ago and if you have seen that movie you would know that their is constant battle and explosions. But, just like Kathryn Bigelow's last film (The Hurt Locker) Zero Dark Thirty is more slow ad not as much action.

Kathryn Bigelow likes the "slow action" scripts. The scripts focus mainly on conspiracy and suspense. Rarely you see constant gun fire and fist fights in this type of movie. You need a strong story and a great lead role. Jessica Chastaine in Zero Dark Thirty plays a crazed CIA conspirator. Her acting catches you off guard. She is crazy good and she really takes on a character that needs and gets what she wants. She was talking on the phone with another CIA agent to get access to a terrorist phone number. Her actions, her voice, and her force made the CIA agent get the number. You could really see how intense she was about this acting part, and it payed off. Kathryn Bigelow's movies always have a strong main role that make the movie good or not. This main role takes away from the performances of the other actors/actresses though. Jason Clarke was just phenomenal in this movie. He play just this bad ass interrogator in the beginning of the film and he plays the character to perfection. I love his anger and quotes in the movie. He usually is a tough guy character in the movies he is in, just like his role as Howard Bondarant in the bootlicker film Lawless.

They had the right actors for the movie and they had a jackpot for a script. How they put it together in my mind was also genius. Starting the movie off with a powerful interrogation scene hooks you in the first five minutes. Like most movies the intensity dies down in the middle. With the shots being more up close then full body it really gets you thinking about the characters actions. It becomes darker and makes you focus on every little detail that is being shown or said. The final scene is a take down of Bin Ladin and that is when they start to show camera angles in first person. It gives you a feeling like you are at the house and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I think this movie has the perfect combination of cinematography, acting, script, and directing. To me, this movie is the best war movie I have ever seen. I was so into the movie that I kept hushing my friend when he was interrupting me to tell me what he thought was cool about the recent scene. It is just a powerhouse movie that everyone should go see. Zero Dark Thirty is a must see movie and an in my opinion an Oscar winning film. We will have to wait and see what the results are at the Academy Awards.

Review of the reviews

Review of the Reviews

"Warrior"

Negative review from Time Magazine:
http://entertainment.time.com/2011/09/09/warrior-movie-review/

         The review from Time Magazine is a harsh review with very good points. The review gives a good plot summary of the movie and then it gets in to saying that its just, too much. Warrior is a fighter movie with, in my opinion, great background stories with the main characters. The dads a drunk, one brother is a war veteran, and the other is a physics teacher. Some how they all end up at a ultimate fighting tournament called "Sparta." The writer says that is a little cliche and that you know they are going to end up in the championship together.

        Now that the element of surprise is gone with Warrior's plot, the writer goes into attacking little details about the characters and directors. Gavin O'Connor (director) is trying to do to much and she says that some scenes are "too playful a gimmick to match the film’s sobriety." Again she has a vision that the film should be plane and really organized that changes her thoughts on little actions like a six screen montage or over acting by Hardy in a role that really doesn't have that many lines. She doesn't reference very many things and when se does she is not comparing two styles or movies. She is referencing past roles and jobs by the creators of this film. 

Positive review from New York Magazine:

http://www.vulture.com/2011/09/movie_review_warrior.html

      This review is organized a lot like the Time Magazine review. It starts out with giving a plot summary of the movie and then it goes right in to talk about the actors. He explains the actors and the roles they had in the movie. Over and over again he kept using the word cliche. The plot's a cliche. HAving situations like two brothers fighting in a championship while they are both angry at their drunk father. But, "But it has a rich, classical Hibernian gloom, and the brutality is an extension of the brothers’ inner turmoil."

             His main focus is all about the actors and the plot. In all fairness I feel like the actors made the film. Perfectly placed, stelar performances, and great chemistry. But, again not very many references in the review. The writer was more about explaining the facts about the film and then give a quick opinion of how it was. It was very cliche but very well made and well acted. I totally agree with this critic.

Joe Herr's Survey profile

• 1. What is the first movie that really made a strong impression on you?
• Valentine, my brothers showed me this horror movie when I was really little and I had nightmares for months. I now dislike horror movies.
• What are 3-4 of your favorite genres?
• classics, biography, gangster/crime, indie/art house
• What are 3-4 or your least favorite genres?
• romantic comedy, horror, teen
• What are your five favorite films?
• Warrior,  Moneyball, A Few Good Men, The Departed, The Fighter
• 3 characteristics of what you consider a good movie.
• Well written, confusing, and challenging
• What are some of your least favorite movies?
• Valentine, Red Tails
• List 3 characteristics that you consider to be a bad movie.
• Over acting, Cheesy, No story just fighting
• If you have any favorite directors, list them. 
• Martin Scorsese, Ben Affleck, Gavin O'Connor, Tony Scott, James Cameron
• If you have any favorite actors/actresses, list them. 
• Tom Hardy, Russel Crowe, Mark Wahlberg,  Leonardo Dicaprio
• List 3 films that you consider important films for people to see.
• Warrior, The Dark Knight, Casablanca
• What's your oldest favorite film?
• A Few Good Men
• Whats the best movie you've seen that's been released in the past two years?
• Warrior
• What are the next five films on your "queue"? 
• 42, Zero Dark Thirty, The Wolf on Wall Street, Django Unchained, Argo