MYST #3 Casablanca

 Over the past weekend, I got the chance to watch one of the greatest films ever, Casablanca. Widely considered to be one of the greatest films ever, certainly lived up to the hype for me. Led by an all star cast including Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid, this film all around has good performances from the actors and actresses. This film won three Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director in Michael Curtiz. The screenplay for this film is also considered to be the best ever by many critics. It’s one of the most memorable films in history. 

The film starts out with news reels explaining that because of the Germans occupation of France, many refugees have flooded into Casablanca looking for a way to get to Portugal to get to the US. Many refugees are stuck in Casablanca with little hope of getting out. We first meet Rick, played by Bogart, when a thief who stole two letters of transits from two German couriers, brags about how he has them. Rick ends up obtaining possession of these letters after the thief is arrested at the saloon. Shortly after renown resistance leader Victor Laszlo and wife Ilsa Lund show up at the saloon. Rick knows Ilsa from his time in Paris prior to the occupation. The rest of the film revolves around the letters and Rick’s relationship with Ilsa. The plot is very interesting and I did not see the ending coming. 

The part that stood out to me most was the screenplay. I though that the screenplay was great. The story was incredible creative and the character were so well developed. I was impressed by the fact that this film was released in 1942, right in the middle of the war. I can see why the screenplay won an Academy Award and is considered to be one of the best ever.

I really enjoyed the film Casablanca. It is defiantly by favorite older film because of its great acting and plot. Overall, great film. I give this film four out of four stars. 

MYST #2 A Few Good Men

Over the past weekend, I got the chance to watch the 1992 courtroom drama A Few Good Men. This film stars multiple big name actors and actresses including Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise, Kevin Bacon, and Demi Moore. The film is directed by Rob Reiner and adapted 

by for the screen by Aaron Sorkin. This film was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson), Best Film Editing, and Best Sound Mixing.

The plot of A Few Good Men revolves around the trial of two Marines who have been charged with the murder of a fellow Marine. Tom Cruise plays the role of a pretty boy Navy lawyer fresh out of Harvard. Throughout the film he has to prove his worth not only to his colleagues but also to himself because his father was one of the greatest courtroom lawyers ever. As the film progresses, we meet Colonel Nathan Jessep played by Jack Nicholson. Colonel Jessep is the most interesting character film in this film because of a standout performance by Nicholson. Colonel Jessep is an old school military officer that can’t get a grasp of the new the new ways and he ultimately payed for it. My only complaint of this film’s plot was that it is fairly predictable. 

Aaron Sorkin

Being an intensely dialogue driven film, this film needed a good screenplay. I think this film’s screenplay was great. This was the film debut for the now reputable Aaron Sorkin, and certainly set the stage for the rest of his projects. Having seen other films that he has been apart of including The Social Network, Moneyball, and The Rock, I can definitely see similarities between the films. One is the faster paced dialogue which can be seen prevalently in A Few Good Men and The Social Network. I Think that the screenplay for this film was excellent. 

Overall, I would recommend this film to almost anyone. With many big name actors, this film appeals to a lot of different film viewers and has a very good plot. I give this film 3 out of 4 stars.

Chasing Scarface (1935 Movie)

Chasing Scarface is Gangster/Crime movie made by the film studio Warner Bros. The plot is based on the well known tale of gangster Al Capone set in Chicago. We have Edward G. Robinson starring as Capone, and James Cagney as federal agent Eliot Ness. Both actors have had great success within the Warner Bros studio. We also have Glenda Farrell playing a part as Capone's girlfriend and undercover agent. This side story will provide that early 1930s sex appeal without breaking the Hay's Code. Due to the Hays Code, we had to change the focus of the movie from the glamour of the gangster lifestyle, to a pro law enforcement story of the fall of Capone and exlude any vilonce or sex in the film. The story will start in the 1920s prohibition era, continue through infamous events such as the St. Valentine's day massacre in 1929, and finish at his arrest in 1931. To direct the film we chose Mervyn LeRoy because of his history in the gangster genre and he launched the career of Edward G. Robinson in the 1931 film Little Caesar. The main focus of our film is going to be the cinematography. To make sure we had the true gangster feel, we chose Tony Gaudio to film the movie. He has a good history with Mervyn LeRoy and the gangster genre. Lastly, we chose Warner Bros. studios to produce our film because they had a great history of producing successful gangster films. I believe that this film would do well in 1935 because it has many elements in the film such as the gangster lifestyle, the love story between  Edward G. Robinson and Glenda Farrell, as well story of the good guy in James Cagney. This film has a lot of star power and a great director paired with a very good cinematographer that should be able to mesh very well together. That's Chasing Scarface.

Formal Film Study: Martin Scorsese

Before taking film studies, i’ve never seen a Scorsese film. I always heard about him and his very successful films, so I decided to make him the focus of my formal film study. I viewed a total of four films: Taxi Driver (1976), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995), and The Departed(2006).

Taxi Driver is considered to be Scorsese’s darkest film and definitely the most different of the four films I watched. In this film, Robert De Niro plays the role of an honorably discharged Marine named Travis Bickle set in New York City. We Travis’ mental state deteriorate throughout the film and ultimately leads him to try to assassinate presidential candidate Senator Palatine. However, in a crazy plot twist, Scorsese creates one of the best endings to a film I have seen. Stylistically, I felt this film was very different from the other films I viewed. Scorsese used many interesting shots throughout the movie that were different from the rest of his works. These shots make the city feel alive. I liked Taxi Driver and can see why it is widely regarded as one of the best films of the seventies. 

Goodfellas is considered my many, including myself, to be one of the greatest gangster films of all time. The film is about the rise and fall of the Lucchese crime family associates Henry Hill and his friends from 1955 to 1980. This film stars Ray Liotta as Henry Hil, Robert De Niro as Jimmy Conway, and Joe Pesci as Tommy DeVito. In this film, the cast really stands out. Scorsese did a great job of casting characters that felt real and brought the movie to life. Scorsese comes from Sicilian descent so he really knows how to cast mobsters. Scorsese’s use of the camera in this film was absolutely great especially the long tracking shot through the Copacabana nightclub, which is probably the best long tracking shot in film history. Sound was nothing really special in this film. The one complaint I have for this film is probably how fast paced the first half was compared to the second half. Other than that, this film was fantastic. 

Casino is another organized crime movie that brings back Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci from Goodfellas. De Niro stars as Sam "Ace" Rothstein, a top bookie who is called upon by the mob to oversee day to day operations at the Tangiers casino in Las Vegas. Joe Pesci plays the role of plays Nicky Santoro, a role very similar to the one he had in Goodfellas. In Casino, Scorsese tells the story of the rise and fall of “Ace,” as well as the mob. I felt that I already heard this story once in Goodfellas. This film is very similar to Goodfellas, but it should not take away from Casino, which is a good film. Set in Vegas, camera work was very important in telling the story and making Vegas come to life. I think Scorsese did a good job of that in this film. Although this film was not on the level that Taxi Driver or Goodfellas, I believe that Casino is a good film. 

The Departed is yet another organized crime movie set in Boston. The basic plot is basically both the Irish mob and Massachusetts State Police plant informants in each others ‘crews.’ Both sides realize the situation and try to uncover each other’s identity before their own is blown. This film is led by a star studded cast of Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, and of course Jack Nicholson as the antagonist. I thought the casting in this movie was very good and very believable. The sound and visuals in this film were fantastic and brought a very nice realism to the film.  This film felt very fast paced compared to Casino and Goodfellas. I enjoyed The Departed very much. 

One director I would compare Scorsese to is Steven Spielberg. I wouldn’t say they are stylistically similar, but they both have been relevant for the past 30 years and are almost always up for awards every year. They are both very great directors and will go down in film history as legends. 

There are a few things in Scorsese’s films that reoccur. One being his use of the same actors in many of his films. For instance, Robert De Niro was in many of Scorsese’s earlier films and played a variety of different roles. Another example would be Leonardo DiCaprio who has starred in many of Scorsese’s newer films. The theme of violence also reoccurs in Scorsese’s films often. In each of the films I viewed,  violence played a large role and an important way of telling the story. One last thing is his classic use of long shots in his films. 

After researching and viewing his films, I can say with little doubt that Martin Scorsese is probably my favorite director. His films have an authentic feel that make the films timeless. No director has done a better job of staying relevant because of this. I’m excited to see what else he has in store for us.