MYST Post 6: The Boondock Saints

This film follows Irish twins destiny to bring justice to all the corrupt and criminals. The film starts out with the two in a desperate situation. Russian mob members have them handcuffed and ready to be killed. Miraculously, the twins escape and kill the mob members. After, the two decide it is their destiny to kill all of those they deem "bad." Later, they are joined by their Italian friend who has been betrayed by the mob. Together the three kill plenty of bag guys. The real test comes once they reach a man that the mob has hired to kill them. A great battle occurs, but in the end there is a great twist. This film stars Norman Reedus, Sean Patrick Flannery, Willem Defoe, and David Della Rocco. The director, Troy Duffy, has only directed two films, this and the sequel. It was not produced by a big studio. This film was not liked by critics but was liked by the public.

This was one of my favorite movies, so of course I will give it four stars out of four. Duffy uses a Tarantino style of violence. He does not shy away from gore, and it is also highly fantasized. He also does a good job of adding an unexpected twist that adds to the movies entertainment value. The camera work in this film is interesting. Numerous times, the camera spins 360 degrees. This adds a full effect to the viewer because it gives the feel that the viewer knows exactly what is happening everywhere in the area. Duffy by no means is as highly skilled of a director as Tarantino but his style is very similar.

One Scene that caught my eye was a scene where the twins are in air ducts climbing to reach their next target. the two fall but are caught by a rope. Spinning, the two take out every target. The colors here are one of the main references to Tarantino's style of violence. Everything in the room is white or cream to contrast the red of the blood. Once everyone is shot besides the boss, blood is pouring out of the dead bodies bright red. The twins get the boss on his knees and angle their guns so their bullets go out through his eyes. Once dead the red and black residue where his eyes once were is displayed on screen. All the men in this scene have on some sort of white shirt to help make the blood pop out even more.

Overall, the movies plot more than anything else is what drew me in. If you are looking for an artistic masterpiece, this is not what you are looking for. However, the story is great and the acting works well in creating a great story.

MYST Post 5: A Bronx Tale

In a film Directed and starred in by Robert Deniro, a boy grows up with two role models in his life. Lilo Brancato Jr. plays "C" an Italian boy growing up in the Bronx. His father, played by Deniro, is a straight, hard-working bus driver. He teaches him simple values like hard work, the importance of education,  and modesty. However, while sitting on a porch one day, "C" witnesses a murder by the most important man in the Bronx. His name is Sunny, played by Chaz Palminteri. He is the area's mafia boss and runs the area in which "C" lives. "C" is impressed by his power. When the cops come to talk to "C" regarding the murder, he does not say anything. He therefore gains the loyalty of sunny. "C" and Sunny become closer as they both get older. C's father, tries to keep the two apart, however he is unsuccessful in his attempts. Eventually conflict arises between C's father and Sunny. In the end, Sunny changes C's life, as well as saves it.

I give this movie 4 out of 4 stars. It was entertaining throughout, and had great character development. This film had similar qualities to films like Casino and Goodfellas. Though this movie was directed and starred in by the same person, the writer was also Chaz Palminteri, who played Sunny. The Deniro influence is prevalent throughout this film. He tends to like to add plenty of drama and unforeseen twists in his films. When "C" is feeling happy and there is a joyful tone and the lighting is bright.
As far as genre, this film is similar to many Scorsese films. The style is also similar in the way it tells the narrative. It includes lots of character development and unexpected twists. The lighting in the movie is interesting at times and also typical at times. The film uses a lot of dark scenes to create an ominous feel.
In this film there is one particular interesting cinematic scene. "C" goes to see Sunny for the first time as a kid. Sunny is in his usual hangout at a table. The lighting is dark. Though it is not Godfather dark, it is dark  nonetheless. There is a cloud of smoke as "C" walks in. There is a low angle shot looking up to Sunny as he begins to talk to "C" for the first time. This helps show the importance of Sunny.
 "C" is nervous to talk to Sunny and a high angle shot looks down on him as he speaks. This helps emphasize the little importance and power he has compared to Sunny. The irony is that "C" is important to Sunny because he was a witness to the murder.

Overall, I recommend this film to anyone interested in dramas or Italian mafia films. It tells a good story and is relatively easy to follow. An interesting note for Chaz  Palminteri fans is that this film is semi-autobiographical.

1975 Create a Movie Project

During then 1970's new film characteristics and styles emerged. Genres began to blend together, the emphasis on character development grew, a new theme confusing traditional ideals about good and evil emerged, and "Hollywood endings" began to fade. In 1975, a new film has been created and presented by 20th century fox. The film's title will be Feared Mind. In this Film, Michael J. Fox will play a disgruntled early teen. He has been bullied at school and has bottled up his anger. His mother, played by Angie Dickinson, has decided it would be a good idea for her son to visit the school's psychologist, played by Dustin Hoffman. The social worker, after a few visits, has noticed what appears to be an imaginary friend who helps dictate the teens's actions. The friend helps the teen make decisions and often has a taste for blood. This imaginary friend will be played by Jack Nicholson. A string of deaths among people who have come in contact has been noticed by the social worker. The viewer knows that the imaginary friend has been telling the child to use violent actions against the school's bullies. The viewer then finds out that the child can tell what every one's biggest fear is. The child uses this knowledge to make the bullies feel the pain the child has felt. The child kills the bullies and anyone else he does not like in the way that each person considers their biggest fear. Dustin Hoffman, the social worker, realizes what is going on. He tries to help save the boy from committing these crimes. He tries to save everyone, but in the end not only do the teen's victims die, but the child dies as well.

As stated previously, Michael J. Fox, Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman, and Angie Dickinson will all star in this movie. This film will be a big budget film because of the high priced actors and also the special effects needed to make this film appealing. Jack Nicholson should fit the role of the Imaginary friend perfectly. He has proven in the early seventies that he has a wide range of roles he can play. In One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, he plays a man that may be mentally disabled. In that film he had times in which he had an eerie personality. This is exactly what is needed in the role he plays in Feared mind. Dustin Hoffman is casted to play the role of the social worker. In the 70's Hoffman was in his prime and a very popular actor. He played a key role in The Graduate and Lenny, winning awards for both. Angie Dickinson, playing the role of the Mom, would be in her 30's. She has a background in horror films and has won numerous awards as well. Michael J. Fox, starts his acting career in the 70's. With little experience in film to this point in his career, this could be his breakout film. He also is the one character who would be considered low profile, therefore helping keep the budget realistic. The director of this film will be William Friedkin. Friedkin has a background in horror films. He directed The exorcist, a successful horror film. He was inspired by Citizen Kane and Orson Wells and has won the academy award for best director.

The studio chosen to produce this film is 20th Century Fox. This decision was made for various financial reasons. At this point in time this studio had broadened it's investments. This gave it the financial backing to invest in higher budget films. It helped make Star Wars possible when other studios denied the script. This would give them the potential to invest in this high budget film.

The element chosen to be highlighted in this film was cinematography. The lighting will be dark and similar scenes to the godfather will be used. Specifically scenes in the office. In The Godfather, dark lighting was heavily used in the office scenes. The same will be used in the office scenes in Feared Mind. This will help emphasize the actors facial expressions as well. The editing will play a key role as well. Jump cuts will be used sparingly. Deep space composition will also be used to create suspense. This film will also feature Gordon Willis as it's cinematographer. This is due to it's similarity with The Godfather.

As mentioned earlier, this film will feature several seventies film themes. This film will not have the Hollywood ending. The teen's death will be the end of the film, sparing no one he has encountered. This film will also feature an anti-hero. The viewer at times will be on the side of the child when he is bullied. They will also be on his side when he is trying to decide who to listen to, his social worker or his imaginary friend. However, once he begins to use excessive violence, they will no longer be on his side. Throughout this film, the viewer will see the development mainly of the social worker. After being put in many pressure packed situations his personality and morals will change. Lastly, this will be a blending of a horror film and a thriller.This film will have a mature rating due to it's violence and some profanity.