Cool Hand

Cool hand Luke was cool. Unlike our previous films the plot was not what drove the film it was Paul Newmans swaggerific preformance. I appriciated that Paul Newmans defiance was seen as sacraficial and christ like but I did not actually believe it. Every act of rebellion should have a greater purpose other then just being and annoyance to the gaurds. The rest of the inmates were unified because of Paul Newman rebellion but they were not united in action or for a cause so it almost seems like his sacrafice was without reason. The background of florida as the location of the prison camp lends to the feeling of oppression for the inmates. Overall I thought this was a good movie but I was not nearly as impressed as the previous two movies we watched.

Psycho was a very exciting psychological thriller. Alfred Hitchcock is absolutely the master of the psychological thriller. Psycho much like Casablanca was the first of it's kind and set many trends in the film industry. Hitchcock delves deep into the theme of desire throughout the film. More specificly desiring what you cannot have. Marion wants a new life and a family so when her boss tells her to put the money in the bank she instead keeps it for herself and runs away. Norman also desires what he cannot have but his desires are not fiscal they are physical and emotional and Norman ends up killing Marion because of his desire to have her. Privacy is another important theme throughout the film almost everyone is being watched whether it's Norman watching Marion shower through the hole in the wall or the Private eye sneaking into Norman's house to try to speak to Norman's mother. There is a feeling throughout the film that someone is always watching you. The twists and turns in this movie are completely unexpected but make complete sense with the plot which makes the movie all the more exciting to watch.

Casablanca was a great film. I have a tremendous appriciation for this movie because it is such an early film but i was still enthralled with the characters and the action in the film. Humphrey Bogart does a phenominal job playing the tough yet sentimental hero and it is his character developement that drives the story. The director effectively showed a flashback to paris when Rick was with his love, which was first use of this technique in a film. The black and white film lends to the classic effect that the movie has on a modern audience. Like the David or the Mona Lisa, Casablanca is an original masterpiece and directly or indirectly influenced all works that followed in it's genre.

King Kong is a film co-directed byMerian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. The original King Kong was a terrific movie for it's time. After watching Peter Jackson recreate the stop motion animation gave me an whole new appriciation for the work original King Kong movie took to create. Having to move a model thousands of times and create the perfect minature set for every single shot is a meticulous and labor intensive for of art. Innovation is often imitated and ultimately exceeded over the years, but no one had ever seen anything as spectacular as King Kong, but the special effects that were groundbreaking in their day seem cartoonishly crude now. Even so, King Kong is still a great story and the passion and commitment the production team took is evident through out the film.

In this film study I am most looking forward to discussing the movies we watch among the class. Obviously watching the movies will be the most entertaining part of class but I’m interested to find out other people’s opinions on classic movies. I tend to become more enthralled with movies when I watch them in class because of the group setting and with an increased focus on the details and technical nuisances I hope to discover a new appreciation for movies I’m already familiar with. After high school I plan to attend Assumption where I will be playing soccer and majoring in international business. After the I plan to attend law school and pursuing career in international law.

TRIAL POST COMPLETE