JoelGrennon Reviews

Annie Hall (1977)

Annie Hall

[2 May 2012]

I never really was a fan of Woody Allen films. Mainly because they tend to kind of depressing, but i recently realized that he has a very unique way at hitting the key points of life as a general term. While being his corky, weird, and sometimes overwhelmed self you somehow feel sympathy for the things he does. He is a man who stands true to himself while being as nice as any man could. What i enjoyed most about this film was the way he attempts to put himself and the audience along with him, inside of his memories. The idea of putting his present self literally in the scene of his memories is one thing, but to have his present self talk directly to the audience when this is happening is something I found really interesting. Not to many people have done this in my opinion and its a unique way to add some comic relief.

This film, unlike many of the other films composed in New York City, gave the city life style a more positive look. Many of the city films consist of anger and violence while this one took a more emotional approach. It kind of makes it seam more realistic or easier to put yourself in the composition of the director.

Easy Rider (1969)

Easy life to Hard death

[2 May 2012]

I felt that the director of this film did an excellent job at creating an enjoyable film with such little editing and camera work. From its feel good music, to its enjoyable scenery shots this film literally takes you in and out of a trip across the country. The only thing that I can say was a bit confusing was the scene in the cemetery. I understood the idea of an acid trip but I just felt that it kind of ruined the movie for me. Everything was pretty interesting and smooth going until that portion of the film came. Maybe it was put in there to get you prepared for the ending of the film, witch again was pretty disappointing, or maybe it was more enjoyable for the audience of that time. I'd have to say my favorite part of this film was the general emotions that were portrayed by Peter Fonda. He just seamed free of worries,life, basically everything. Then again you can never just coast through life, cause when you do someones always there to bring you back down.

Ace in the Hole (1951)

Kirk in the Hole

[2 May 2012]

If you like a film where no one wins, cheesy acting, and corny sets then I would recommend this film. The idea of a small town reporter being able to create a national awareness to the extent of this film was not only unbelievable but in a way disappointing. I would even take this film as a mocumentary in the sense that it created a theme park out of a serious situation. Maybe the director was attempting to show that people will do things for their personal benefit rather than for the actual cause. As in the movie people were showing up to a carnival rather than a attempt to rescue a person stuck in a hole. You can even connect this idea to the main character himself. Not only was he a selfish creep but towards the middle of the film you realized the he did it all for attention. I feel as if that was one of the reasons I had a hard time enjoying this film. There was no character the I actually enjoyed watching. Even the man under the boulder was scavenging things that were not his own. I'm not trying to say that in order for me to enjoy a movie there needs to be a good guy, but it is a bit more enjoyable when there's a character you can have sympathy for.

Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)

Film Noir

[2 May 2012]

When you think of the cinema in the late 40's early 50's of the nineteenth century the first thing that should come to mind is Film Noir. With the timidly evil detective and the New York City scenery,i'd have to say this film matches that genre exact. However, I do have to admit I had a hard time paying attention to the entire film due to the lack of interest I had with the plot. I felt as if I was watching people talk the entire time. Maybe it had to do with the lack of cinematography in the film. There were some interesting shots here and there for instants the shot where the man is looking out the window down at a taxi cab. The window frames the shot very well, but besides that it was mainly just people conversing in a room full of furniture.

On the other hand the smoothness of the camera work was something my eye did catch. With the amount of talking there was, the camera moves very smoothly from person to person with a limited amount of cuts. It created a very fluid way of traveling scene to scene.

The Graduate (1967)

The Graduate

[18 April 2012]

After viewing this film for the second time around I was able to notice how much thought the director put into the cinematography of this film. In almost every scene you get at least one interesting composition that either frames the center of attention, or gives you a deeper meaning behind the emotions felt inside the composition. I felt that the plot was really strong in the beginning and had my attention, however the further I found myself in the film, the more i began to notice how un-realistic it really was. The idea of a man having an affair with someone, then eventually falling in love with the daughter of the family, and in the end running off with her the day of her marriage seamed to be a little odd in my perspective. On the other hand I've seen the ending of The Graduate re-created many times for example in one of the Waynes World Films ( a series of films that somewhat mocks some of the more famous films of America Cinema) and a few others. Also, lets not forget the theme song of this film alone. The song Mrs. Robinson was introduced along with the viewing of this film. Today this song is one almost everybody knows. That just goes to show you that this film really did make an impression on the people of its own generation. I think what makes this film so enjoyable is the relationship you achieve with the main character Ben, or Dustin Hofmann. He gives off a sense of sympathy while at the same time you almost can't feel bad for him because he just seams flat out clueless of the world around him. Then again the entire film is based off of one simple question, "what am I going to do with my life?" and this is something everyone has to overcome, witch in a way creates an elimination of boundaries for the target audience. I guess what I'm trying to say is this movie did an excellent job at creating a scenario that almost anyone can enjoy.

The Killing (1956)

The Killing

[18 April 2012]

To be completely honest this was my least favorite film by Stanley Kubrick. Compare to his others such as a clockwork orange, 2001 space Odyssey , or even The Shining, I felt this one lacked the ability to catch my attention. However i was intrigued by the concept of having the plot come together in a non chronological order. I've herd that originally this film was intended to be a non-narrative however the production company felt that people of the time wouldn't be able to understand the storyline of the film. After watching it for the first time I can actually see where they were coming from. I really don't know if I would have been able to follow along with the story line without a narration, at least for the first time watching the film, and back then not to many people had the opportunity to watch a film twice.

Aside from the non-linear plot i felt this film was put together very well. The angles of the camera work along with the shadows and lighting of the set really gives you a suspenseful and fast faced sensation. There is one clip towards the end of the film where there is one lamp hanging from the ceiling, attempting to light up the entire room. It gives off a very dramatic look. Another clip that seamed really interesting was the shot at the shooting range. The cardboard cut outs they were shooting at were at the bottom of the composition, almost giving the shot a frame or border. All in all i'd say this film was exciting and unique, just maybe not my favorite Stanley Kubrick film.

All That Heaven Allows (1955)

All that Heaven Allows

[7/10 · 4 April 2012]

This film not only challenges stereotypes about social status, age, and love, but also shows how the older woman/younger man affair can be considered a damning indictment of the upper middle class in America at the time. Sirk's use of light, color and carefully staged camera work as seen in the snowy window scenes, the mirror shot and angles that give the film a unique look of a room while holding all of the characters together,and the overall strong set compositions are all perfected techniques that create a meaning full and emotional film. I feel that this film unlike singing in the rain, would of been better off in black and white. I don't know it its because of the mood of the film, or if its because I feel that the cinematography would of held more depth in black and white, but the Technicolor just wasn't as intriguing this time around.

The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

The jungle of Jewels

[4 April 2012]

I think what caught my attention the most in this film was the idea of developing 6 unique characters that all hold an important roll in the film. Not only do you learn their struggles as the film goes on, but you get the feeling that the combination of these six people are what hold this film together. However Sterling Hayden does an well job at creating a very feared character. His ending scene was one of my favorites because it was as if he finally made it to his destination before he passed away. The horse range was all he wanted. This realistic, documentary-like, urban heist film has amazing cinematography where the deeper shadows help hide the night.

Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Singin in the rain

[4 April 2012]

Singin' in the Rain takes us back to the late 1920s, when the film industry was abandoning silent films in favor of talkies. In a way I found this film informational because it does a very good job at describing what life was like for an actor back then. To many this film is known as one of the best musicals of its time, however I feel as if a lot of that has to do with time at witch is was released. Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly did a fantastic job at explaining the transformation of silent films to musicals, well after the genre had become established, but more than a decade before it began to run out of steam. It also was one of the few movies available at the time that used Technicolor, which in my opinion did a fantastic job at emphasizing every source of color in the film. These factors along with an excellent variety of characters, a number of interesting settings, and unique concept of showing the world the true Hollywood are what made this film so enjoyable.

Mildred Pierce (1945)

A Flash of Mildred

[4 April 2012]

For starters I really enjoyed the fact that like Citizen Kane, Mildred Pierce is told in flashbacks. As the introduction begins with Mildred being interrogated in a police station after a mysterious murder. This is an excellent way to catch the audiences attention right in the beginning of the film. For some reason I immediately felt curiosity to what was going on in the film. I also enjoyed how this film was put in perspective of a working mother. You see Mildred working hard her entire life just to ensure that her daughter does not go through the struggles she did as a child. Ironically this eventually leads to a spoiled daughter who takes everything for granted and has no respect for her family (until later on in the film). In my opinion this idea of a family struggle is one seen very often even today. That just goes to prove that a movie from the mid nineteen forties can still be related to life today, the future of the past.

Penny Serenade (1941)

Penny Serenade

[6/10 · 6 March 2012]

With a well organized story line and a decent amount of sympathy this film comes across to me as the ever so common love story. Most of this is due to the fact that a movie like this one comes to theaters about 5 times a year now a days, but put in perspective of the early 1940's and you got yourself a film with quite uniqueness. The amount of over dramatic scenes was found a bit to often but again compared to movies today it was a nothing out of the ordinary. I'd have to say the actors sold their roles and were very believable. Now what made this film different from many of the films out there was the way Dunne went through all the flashback scenes in the movie by playing records that reminded her of their life together. It was a very strong idea that got the concept across fairly easily.

Stagecoach (1939)

Stagecoach

[6 March 2012]

This film is one of many black and white films that just wouldn't be the same in color. I feel as if the black and white really brings out the contrast in the background and the main character or view point. With many of these shots film on location, you get the amazing sunlight and actual picture of the American Western lifestyle. What i enjoyed most about this film was the amount and variety of well played characters. Each one was played to perfection and held a strong role in the film. Whether it was a round character or even a flat one, they all reflected off of the main plot of the story. The idea of the social ranking was often brought up in the film and but to an extent that almost felt normal. It just goes to show you how often people in society judge a book by its cover, even today.

Jane Eyre (1943)

Lighting is Key

[29 February 2012]

First off I would like to say that i was extremely surprised at how convincing the young Jayne actress was. Her dialog was very proper and really help set the mood of her character. The idea of her being a poor homeless child was easily portrayed by the actor. Second the perspective of lighting done in this film was excellent. The inside shots were very spacious with limited lighting that really helped point out the spot of focus. The use of smoke was also something that caught my attention. Although it was simple it was a very good technique to give the outside scenes a more realistic feel. The overall order of events in this film was exciting and surprisingly unexpected.

The Invisible Man (1933)

Claude Rains or Double?

[7/10 · 22 February 2012]

This film did an excellent job at creating an invisible man, but I also was caught with surprise when he was immediately introduced into the film invisible. The job was done so well that i wanted to know how it was achieved. While doing this i found that the Invisible Man was mainly created by the use of wires when he had no clothes on, but when he had some of his clothes on or was taking his clothes off, the effect was achieved by shooting Claude Rains in a completely black velvet suit against a black velvet background. Then a matte process was used to combine both shots together. coincidentally Claude was a Claustrophobic and felt it was hard to breath in the suits, so a double was used for many of those shots. Then, Claude's voice was dubbed in after.

Frankenstein (1931)

The face of Frankenstein

[22 February 2012]

So after view this film i wanted to get an idea on how the monster came to be. Not so much the makeup and accessories but more so the though and ideas. When creating a monster most people would aim towards a robot or alien. With Frankenstein you have an abnormal, pitiful looking human witch gives it a more realistic look. This took months of studying research in anatomy, surgery, medicine, criminal history, criminology, ancient and modern burial customs, and electrodynamics for Jack Peirce. Witch eventually lead him to believe the best way for a person like Dr. Frankenstein to replace a humans brain was simply cut off the top and hinge it back on. The ending results came out perfect in my perspective. Very realistic for the time period the movie was set in.

The Lady Eve (1941)

playing the cards

[15 February 2012]

This movie seamed to flow extremely well in my perspective. Compared to others, the smoothness of the camera movement when filming longer shots seamed to be right on key. It also seamed to have a lot more movement with the camera rather than having it sit still with one background. The over all tempo of the movie seamed to be a bit slower than most black and white films and i actually enjoyed that. It made it a bit easier to follow. I think the only thing I didn't enjoy was the scene on the boat when Lady Eve realizes the man has a snake. Her voice was so high pitched and ear piercing when she screamed the only thing I could think of was how the audience would of reacted when viewing this in a theater.

My Man Godfrey (1936)

Good vr. Bad

[15 February 2012]

Watching classical films like this one really makes you understand the difference between good and bad acting. Now don't get me wrong, the acting done in this film was a lot more convincing than most of the acting i've seen in black and white films. With that said, this movie really seamed to bring out the difference between them for me. Up until recently I haven't been able to enjoy a old films acting, discarding Charlie Chaplin and a few others. I also started to pay attention to what characters I tend view or enjoy the most. While doing this I found that almost every character in a film is on one of two sides. One being the good and the other, the bad. Anything in the middle wound up being a main character in the film.

Scarface (1932)

Tony's Shadows

[1 February 2012]

The film seamed to have a slow beginning and was some what confusing at first. Everyone seamed to be talking really fast and it was kind of hard to follow, but once I got an understanding of the plot it was a little bit easier to follow. What i found kind of interesting about the film was the idea of a shadow symbolizing Tony the main character. I believe the introduction scene was of a shadow shooting another person. This shows the audience that Tony has a very secretive personality and does not like to expose himself. The idea of a shadow was brought up again later on in the film when there were seven men lined up against a wall and Tony shot them at point blank. It gave the scene a sense of strength and power that Tony had over the other men. Lastly I felt that the most interesting scene to me was the scene where the newspaper company was held on trial for exploiting the crimes to the citizens of the towns. The idea that it was considered "informing to the public" in some eyes, and in others just "promotion & a symbol of power" for the bootleggers is a problem I feel most advertisements and information papers come across even today.

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)

The False Fugitive

[7/10 · 1 February 2012]

I chose to title this the false fugitive simply because the main character of the film originally did nothing wrong. He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. They did a good job at showing the characters true and honest side when they showed that he had the ability to hold a steady job and proceed far in a career of his liking. The concept i felt stood out the most to me was the questioning of the United States legal system and how truthful it actually is. Especially for the time frame of the movie i feel the audience would take a second look at how our government works. Finally i always like to bring out the symbolism in movies when i watch them and this one had a few. The sound of the train seamed to symbolize freedom to me, much because it tended to come around every time the main character was fleeing for his freedom. Whether from his original home, jail, or just running for his life, the train seamed to be his safest way of transportation.

Sadie Thompson (1928)

The Scarlet Woman

[7/10 · 25 January 2012]

After watching this silent film i began to realize how large of a roll the music production contributed to the film industry through out America's cinema history. With all the flashy yet realistic effects that are produced now a days its hard to notice what makes a good movie good, and to me a lot of that has to do with the music. The audio of a silent film really helps you understand the language, emotion, and even gestures of a setting for a particular scene. The other portion of this film that i found interesting was the language and slang of the late 1920's. Words like "brazen" "boodwar" "brothel" "scarlet" and even "blood thirsty blizzard" are words were never hear now a days. I guess it just helps with the understanding of the era of silent films.

The Circus (1928)

The Silent Circus

[7/10 · 25 January 2012]

For starters I'm not really a fan of silent films, not because there old or less interesting i just find it really hard to stay awake during most of them. However, what i do tend to do when watching silent films is pay attention to the characteristics that make a silent film enjoyable for the viewer of the time. When it comes to Charlie Chaplin i feel his strongest position as a director is his rhythm and flow. All the clips correspond extremely well, his use of less movement with the camera along with his strong background compositions add to a more professional look in an easy way. I also enjoy a lot of Charlie's facial expressions. Even when he has a particularly recognizable expression, you can still see his timid and caring personality in each one.