BSA 206 Drug Store Cowboys

Drug Store Cowboys (1989)

Director: Gus Van Sant

1971. Based in Portland, Oregon, Bob Hughes is a golf aficionado and is highly superstitious. He is also a junkie who, when he's not in prison for his crimes, leads a small group of like minded people robbing pharmaceutical dispensaries throughout the Pacific Northwest of what they hope will be prescription narcotics, both to use as their fixes as well as trade for other street drugs from other junkies, such as their lowlife neighbor, David. Bob's team includes: Dianne, his wife who he's known since they were kids; Rick, his slightly dim apprentice; and Nadine, Rick's very young girlfriend who they picked up along the way in one of their robberies, and who Bob treats as the junior partner and thus the expendable one of the group. PPD Narcotics Detective Gentry and his team know that Bob is committing these crimes and has to figure out how best to nab him. Bob, in return, knows that Gentry is watching them. A specific incident that occurs during the course of their illegal activities in combination with what looks to be the fates lining up against them makes Bob reevaluate his life and contemplate going clean and straight, with or without Dianne. If Bob does make the decision to do so, he may find that saying it will happen or wanting it to happen is different from it actually happening. He may also find that a past incident with Gentry and his men will factor into what happens.

- Written by Huggo

Review:

As great as anything
31 May 2000 | by Boyo-2

This is easily Gus Van Sant's best movie and contains Matt Dillon's best performance. The other cast members are also terrific, but the part of "Bob" is greatly realized by Dillon and he shines. The movie is difficult to watch at times but you get something out of it to think about when its over. I also must mention a great scene between Lynch, Matt & Matt's mother, played by Grace Zabriskie. To top it all off, this is also Heather Graham's best movie and she delivers as well. A blues soundtrack and beautiful cinematography make this one to remember.

BSA 206 Uplifting Movies

Uplifting News

Sponge Bob

Step Brothers

BSA 206 Decade under the influence

Decade under the Influence Part 1
Decade under the Influence Part 2

BSA 206 The Wall

Pink Floyd the Wall (1982)


Directed be Alan Parker

animation director

screen play

review

main themes

does the animation word

what genre

BSA 206 Remakes

REMAKES


Worse:

• Around the world in the 80 days(2004)

Better:

• True grit(2010)

What would I like to see remade:

• Eragon

BSA 206 Sequels

Questions and Answers:

Has there been a sequel that is worse than the original film?

• Yes. Pixar's Cars 2 (2011) directed by John Lasseter and Brad Lewis is pretty terrible, the original is funny light and original, the sequel has a lamer story and brings nothing new to the concept.

Has there been a sequel that is better than the original film?

• Yes! The Dark Night (2008) directed by Christopher Nolan, though The Batman Begins isn't bad, the Dark Knight is one of the best super hero films ever made. The characters, especially the joker were incredible. Its gritty, dark and feels real.

The influence of MTV on film making

• I never watched MTV, but there is no doubt it has had an influence on film making, just is the way of things. Butterfly effect ya know.  MTV seems to have influenced film making by boosting the idea of music video on cable TV, which has really boomed into its own area of film making."MTV Networks, came up with the idea of putting music videos on cable TV. Music videos had already existed; they were primarily used as promotional tools for the sale of albums. Today, nine years later, music videos have evolved into an art form, selling more than just the music. As a result, MTV has become an increasingly attractive medium for advertisers, especially those trying to reach the elusive teenage audience."Music video is an art from, becoming very attractive for teenagers.

BSA206 Watership Down

WATERSHIP DOWN
(1972)




Water Ship Down is an independent film written and directors by Martin Rosen,

BSA 206 Mind Blowing Movies

Mind Blowing Movies:

Early memory: 

Lord of the Rings Trilogy, the scale blew me away.

Avatar, though a fairly recent watch, its CGI and 3D thing was just amazing to me at the time.


Recent:

BSA 206 Sad Movies

Tear Jerker Moments in Movies

Young

Scene from the first Ice Age where Manny is remembering that he is the last mammoth.

Scene from bridge to terabithia where the kid dies. 

Recent

There is a few tear jerker moments in Inside Out.

BSA 206 Films the be Scaring me

Scary Films

Young:

Lord of the Rings; Return of the King
2003
7 years old when it came out. It was my favorite movie ever and for many years to come, I never looked forward to Shelob's Lair.

I am legend
2008

11 years old with a vivid imagination, was definitely the most frightening movie I had seen at that age. Had nightmares for months.


Recent:

Dead Space
2008

Played it in like 2010

Was full of jumps scare and ominous noises.


lol 
Bigfoot Sightings Compilation
This kinda thing can catch me of guard.


Babadook
2014

Yea, this movie had its moments.

BSA 206 Breathless

Breathless
Jean-Luc Godard

Breathless is a French 'New Wave' film by director Jean-Luc Godard. The film was old fashioned but easy to watch, following like-able characters. The film had moments of humor but also some moments of tension. Otherwise there were some dated dialogue, cringe worthy for some of us.

The film used various techniques from French New Wave film. Including on location shooting using portable equipment, little known actors. The plot built around chance event and it ended with an open ended narrative. It used natural lighting and unrehearsed scenes

BSA 206 French New Wave

French New Wave

La Jetee (1962)

Director:
Chris Marker

Films influenced by La Jetee:
Twelve Monkeys (1995)

Review
Chris Marker's La Jetee is a french New Wave time travel film which follows a prisoner in a post apocalyptic setting, who grips on to the experience of seeing a man die when he was a boy. He then gets sent back in time to that moment as an adult, only to realize that he was the man who was killed, therefor experiencing his own death in an infinite loop. Intriguing visual experience, cool soundtrack. Simple story which would go on to influence many films.

BSA 206 The Bicycle Theif

The Bicycle Thief
(1949)


An Italian neo-realist film following the pursuits of Lamberto Maggiorani, a poor working class father, as he hunts down his stolen bike, which is crucial to his new job. along side him is his observant son, an idle witness to his fathers strenuous decision making.

The film is fun, easy to watch, and most importantly realistic as a reflection of life at the time in Italy after the great war. It has Italian neo-realistic elements such as; non-professional actors, on sight shooting, and true lifelike scenarios following the 'real' people of the time.

It is a film with out violence, sex, or other subject matter of the like, but rather holds the attention of the viewer through its likable, relatable and realistic characters.

For a film without color, it blesses the audience with a deluge of respectable filmography lacing the whole cinematographic spectrum. The film reminds us of the reality of life through out, but cements this theme with a somber ending, where is the party is worse then they were at the beginning of the film.

BSA 206 Italian Neorealism

Italian Neorealism

BSA 206 Classical Hollywood

Max Fleischer 


What characters did he create?
Betty Boop


Pop Eye the Sailor Man


What studios did he work for?
Popular Science Magazine

Fleischer Studios
What changes where made to the character over time?
Betty Boop:

Started of as a anthropomorphism human-poodle hybrid (1930)


Transformed into a human, her floppy ears became earrings and her 

black snout became a skin colored nose (1932)

BSA 206 Surrealism

•

•Time period

•How does Surrealist film differ from Western film conventions?

•Discuss how the films of a contemporary film director or Animator have been influenced by the Surrealist film movement.

•

(Use images to backup your research)     

Surrealism was an European artistic / cultural movement which started in the 1920's. Surrealist filmmakers rejected conventional methods of telling narratives. They attempted to disrupt they illusion of time and space within the narrative.  Also dissipating character, plot and causality within the narrative until the point where nothing was made clear.

BSA 206 German Expressionism

German Expressionism

Time Period?
1919 - 1931

How did German Expressionist film differ from western film conventions?
It differs in its style with distorted and exaggerated settings; oblique angles, unnatural light, strong contrasts in black and white highlights.

US film of the time:

One Week (1920) http://trophyunlocked.blogspot.co.nz/2015/11/stubs-one-week.html

German Expressionist Film:

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) http://keeping-it-reel.com/2016/02/10/classic-the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari-1920/

What type of film genres were influenced by German expressionist film?
Film Noir
Discuss how the films of a contemporary film director have been influenced by German expressionist film.?

BSA206 Watership Downs

WATERSHIP DOWN
(1972)




Water Ship Down is an independent film written and directors by Martin Rosen,

BSA 206 Examples of Montages

Film Makers and Their Approach to Montage

1. Sergei Eisenstein

5 Methods of Montage

• Metric

"The fundamental criterion for their constitution is the absolute lengths of the pieces. Realization is in the repetition of these "measures". Tension is obtained by the effect of mechanical acceleration by shortening the pieces while preserving the original proportions of the formula" 

(S. Eisenstein, 1949, p.72)

• Rhythmic

"Refers to continuity arising from the visual pattern within the shots. Continuity based on matching action and screen direction are examples of rhythmic montage. This type of montage has considerable potential for portraying conflict because opposing forces can be presented in terms of opposing screen directions as well as parts of the frame." 

(A. Burgess, July 6, 2011)

• Tonal

"Refers to editing decisions made to establish the emotional character of a scene. Tone or mood is used as a guideline for interpreting tonal montage, and although the theory begins to sound intellectual, it is no different from Ingmar Bergman’s suggestion that editing is akin to music, the playing of the emotions. "

(A. Burgess, July 6, 2011)

• Overtonal

"Is the interplay between of metric, rhythmic and tonal montages. That interplay mixes pace, ideas and emotions to induce the desired effect from the audience."

 (A. Burgess, July 6, 2011)

• Intellectual

"Intellectual montage is montage not of generally physiological over tonal sounds, but of sounds and overtones of an intellectual sort: i.e., conflict-juxtaposition of accompanying intellectual affects"

(S. Eisenstein, 1949, p.72)

2. Dziga Vertov

• Kino Eye (film eye)

"Art Career "Cine-Eye" is a montage method developed by Dziga Vertov which was first formulated in his work "WE: Variant of a Manifesto" in 1919. Dziga Vertov believed his concept of Kino-Glaz, or "Cine Eye" in English, would help contemporary "man" evolve from a flawed creature into a higher, more precise form. He compared man unfavorably to machines". (S. Wright, p.1, 15 January 2013.)

3. Vsevolod Pudovkin

5 Editing Techniques

• Contrast 
• Parallelism
• Symbolism
• Simultaneity
• Leit Motif

BSA 206 Nz Director

Taiki Waititi 


Director (14 credits ) 

Thor: Ragnarok (pre-production) 

 2016Hunt for the Wilderpeople 

 2014What We Do in the Shadows 

 2012The Inbetweeners (TV Series) (5 episodes) 

- The Field Trip (2012)

- The Masters (2012)

- The Wrong Box (2012)

- Sunshine Mountain (2012)

- First Day (2012)

 2011Super City (TV Series) (6 episodes) 

- Episode #1.6 (2011)

- Episode #1.5 (2011)

- Episode #1.4 (2011)

- Episode #1.3 (2011)

- Episode #1.2 (2011)

Show all 6 episodes

 2010/IBoy 

 200942 One Dream Rush (Short) 

 2007-2009Flight of the Conchords (TV Series) (4 episodes) 

- Evicted (2009)

- NewZealandTown (2009)

- New Fans (2007)

- Drive By (2007)

 2007Eagle vs Shark 

 2005Tama tu (Short) 

 2005What We Do in the Shadows: Interviews with Some Vampires (Short) 

 2004Heinous Crime (Short) (as Taika Cohen) 

 2004Two Cars, One Night (Short) 

 2002John & Pogo (Short) (as Taika Cohen) 

(Source: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0169806/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t7#director )

Movie of Choice:

Eagle vs Shark

2007

International Receivership:

Eagle vs Shark was received reasonably well internationally, "It's ... a gentle celebration of the universal desire for emotional and yes physical intimacy, and all without resorting to cheap gags (okay, maybe a few)."(Mel Valentin, 08 Jan, 2008, http://www.efilmcritic.com). 

Eagle vs shark is a subtle easy to watch film, celebrating societies 'odd ones out' as people who's lives are governed by the same instinctive behavior as anyone else. And as themes in the film emphasis, it comes down to the simple narrative of intimacy and primordial revenge that pull the movie into a realm of universal understandability.

National Receivership:

Nationally
But the best thing about Eagle vs Shark is how its odd-shaped bits manage to fit into a coherent whole without it feeling like an overt effort to be a surreal comedy, many past local examples of which can be found in the bargain bins at the New Zealand Film Commission.


http://www.nzherald.co.nz