Archive for Movie Commentary

After a second viewing of The Dark Knight, something occurred to me. I noticed it years ago and has become more of a trend: the title of the movie is at the end. I can’t remember the first movie I realized this, all I know, this seems to be the norm for filmmakers to do nowadays.

I find it interesting how classic movies showed all the credits and played the opening score to the film at the beginning. Maybe they knew people didn’t care about all the grips, so the only way to get them to watch it was to place it in the start. Movies, back when my grandmother was my age, didn’t have the elaborate cast and crew that movies do now. No wonder that phase has seemed to have faded.

I have no clue where the idea that showing the title of a movie comes in last. I know I paid my money to see a certain film in the theaters, but I want to see the name in big flashy lights at the beginning so I can compare my ticket. What would happen if I paid to see The Dark Knight and ended up sitting through House Bunny instead? I’d demand a full refund, and then I would curse the moviemakers for playing such a horrible trick on me. All of that could have been avoided if I had seen the title in the beginning.

House Bunny was a bit drastic, but you see my point. Millions of us could be out there sitting through that very predicament. I say bring back the title in the beginning, where it belongs, because how many movie theaters are going to believe that you couldn’t tell Christian Bale from Anna Faris? Well, theaters are pretty dark….

There is talk of offering Heath Ledger an Oscar for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight. By now you’ve probably read all of the buzz, and while I was absolutely stunned (and a little bit haunted) by Ledger’s performance, I don’t know if he should win an Oscar for it.

Yes, the role was intense. Yes, he played it to perfection, making Jack Nicholson’s Joker look, well, about as credible as…let’s not even go there. Obviously, Ledger had to go to a very dark place to be able to play the part (as evidenced by the sheer number of sleeping aids his psychiatrist and doctors prescribed to him after he finished filming). But for me, giving him a posthumous Oscar would be akin to awarding Johnny Depp an Oscar for his role in Pirates of the Caribbean…and Depp is one of my all time favorite actors.

I know that the Oscars are political and there are a lot of people who are pounding a “Heath was awesome!” pulpit, but to me Oscars aren’t for over the top roles, no matter how perfectly they were played. I’d say that he was robbed in 2006—when he had to play a real person going through a real struggle. To me, Oscars should be awarded to people whose performances go so deep that you forget there is an actor playing a role on the screen in front of you. Maybe that happened for you with The Dark Knight.

Heath Ledger was an amazing actor—something I would not have guessed after my first viewing of 10 Things I Hate About You. After watching The Dark Knight I felt a deep sadness at not being able to see what else he can pull off, but I do not know if The Joker is an Oscar worthy role.

What do you think?

n

The qualities of some of the greatest films of all time have the same common bonds. They all have a great script, storyline, characters and the wow moments you will never forget. Going in depth what makes a movie great? Why do they seem to make us come back to watch them several times?

The Script: This is the basic storyline. Without a great director and great acting it doesn’t mean nearly as much, but with a great script used properly a film is almost guaranteed to be destined for greatness.

The Storyline: This is one of the most important parts. If the story grips your emotions or makes you laugh hard enough, you probably will never stop coming back. If the storyline is imaginative or captures your attention deeply, the writers already have won the first battle.

The Characters: This is probably the most important part of any film. If the characters capture you and make you (if only for a moment) forget they are not real, then you will end up owning the film, so you can watch it over and over.

The Wow Moments: These are the moments that make you laugh or cry or scream or shake in fear or gasp. They make you angry or merely just toy with your emotions slightly. Every great, or even good, movie has them, and many of your favorites probably have several.

Take a moment and think about some of your favorite movies. Chances are they include much of what I have stated here.