Category Archives: Homework

Homework, Student Posts

Deadpool Opening Scene

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Deadpool is a super hero film based on the marvel comics. It was directed by Tim Miller and starred Ryan Reynolds as deadpool. The film is about a former special forces operative who is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Wade Wilson the special forces operative is then approached by a recruiter from a secret program offering the cure for his cancer. Although he was hesitant at first Wade decides to go to the laboratory and is injected with a serum. The serum awakens mutant genes and Wade discovers he is being used to be sold as a super powered slave. After confrontations with Ajax,  Wade is left for dead but he isn’t and his hunt for Ajax ensues.

The opening scene stood out to me because deadpool is shown inside a van but there are no clues as to how he got in the van. Eventually though we see him fall of the top of a highway and landing inside the van, where a fighting scene takes place. As he is fighting the guys in the van he cracks some jokes here and there and we see a horrific scene where a guy cleanly gets his head cut off by a bicycle chain. The opening scene adds all the aspects I love in a film which are comedy, action and gore. What really pulled me in and kept me watching attentively were the jokes being made while all the action was going down. Miller uses the original comic character and portrays him just the way he is and gave the comic fans just what they wanted.

 

 

 

 

Homework, Student Posts

HOMEWORK#2 Natalie Rodriguez, Saving Private Ryan

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Chzhf7gQxIg

Saving Private Ryan (1988), was written by Robert Rodat and directed by Steven Spielberg. Saving Private Ryan, starring Tom Hanks is set in World War II. It’s about Ryan James Francis, a solider, who’s mother had lost three of her sons in the war except for Ryan, her last surviving. A mission is given to Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks) and other Soldiers to get Ryan out of the war, if they find him and get him home safely.

The Opening scene of Saving Private Ryan is actually a famous one. It’s Starts in 1944 during World War II’s Invasion of Normandy on Omaha Beach. It can definitely be considered a “hard” opening scene because the action is immediate. It leads from minutes of nervous, frightened soldiers to sudden realistic explosion of bombs, shots firing, gushing blood, open wounds, slowly dying and dead Soldiers for around 20 min. It leaves the audience with uneasy feelings of not knowing when it will be over, and asking just how the rest of the story will play out.

What’s compelling in this opening scene is when the soldiers begin to pray, and as they are praying the scenes go from one soldier to the next. You can see the sadness and them holding on, more like strongly and literally holding on to their faith. The one soldier who was laid out on the ground, with his intestines out of his body crying out loudly through the explosions, “Mama.” was the most heartbreaking thing to see. You can only imagine in real life, dying in war at a young age crying out for your family hoping to some how have them hold you and tell you everything will be alright, and hear them say what’s happening is not really happening. The opening alone can definitely make you tear up without having to get invested in a character first.

 

 

Homework, Student Posts

Jasmine.HW#2: Gravity

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Gravity is a science fiction film that was released October, 4, 2013 that was directed by Alfonso CuarĂłn. Not long into starting the film, the sense of danger is already imminent. Impending doom soon arrives.  The astronauts (played by Sandra Bullock and George Clooney) are informed of fast moving space debris heading their way as a result of a destroyed Russian satellite. It only takes a couple of moments to affect them, completely overwhelm them, and destroy their shuttle, the only way home. Dr. Stone (Bullock) is caught up in a tangle and as a result of a debris hit,  is thrown out into the vastness of space as she continues spinning endlessly. It was very intense. The build-up of the warnings, debris hitting, and the danger we see the astronauts are ultimately faced with makes for both a heart-stopping, breathtaking, opening scene.  For the majority of the film, there’s always the question of: Will they get home? Or even, Will they even survive? Space is a vast and uncharted territory where in just a second you may find yourself with the prospect of never getting back home. In Space, you are vulnerable. If anything were to happen, it really isn’t only matter of questioning your ability to survive, but really questioning: do you have the will?

Homework

Bin Bin Zheng Homework #2: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)

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me-and-earl-and-the-dying-girlMe-And-Earl-And-The-Dying-Girl-Poster

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)

Me and Earl and the Drying Girl is a great film I would like to share with the class. This film was directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon and the film is about a high schooler named Grey, he a normal kid who wants to breeze through high school without getting involved in anything. He finds out that a classmate was just diagnosed with cancer. We see him and the classmate experience their last year of high school together and trying to figure out what their future is going to be like. We see…….the sadness in that fleeting moment in our great adventures when it ends and there is no going back.

The opening scene starts with the main character, Grey, monologuing about himself and school. He goes off talking about non-sense.  He draws us in by saying he made such a bad film that it killed someone. Then he goes on about how he figured a way through high school by being a part of every group in school. I would say the film’s opening is weak, however 15 minutes in we see that the main character is someone we can relate to, someone who is just trying to get through life and still have a bit fun. However we see in the film that at some point we do need to make an effort in forming bonds with other people and making and effort in trying.

The opening scene to me is not the first 5 minutes of this film but the first 20 minutes of this film. It took 20 minutes to set up the plot and explains what Grey’s life style is like and in the end we see how his life has changed because of the dying girl. It is a really moving film, quite relatable and sad. I hope some of you gives this film a try.

Homework, Student Posts

Ese HOMEWORK #2: The Dark Knight

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yqvbv-SB4bg

One of my favorite opening scene that I will like to share with the class is from “The Dark Knight”. The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced, and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Featuring the character of the DC Comics character Batman and other. The film is the second part of Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy and starring  Christian Bale and the late great Heath Ledger. In the film we see Bale character Batman  goes up against the criminal mastermind played by Ledger as the Joker. The reason why I find this opening so compelling is cause it just sets the mood for the rest of the movie and shows the audience what the character the late great heath ledger played is capable of. We see in the first 5 or so minutes a bank Robbery in progress. During this scene we see the robbery talking about the mastermind while trying to complete their job. As the job is finishing up we see them turn on each other so that way their is less money to split. In the end it turns out that the mastermind “The Joker” was actually  part of the group of thieves and is the last one standing. Now when I first saw this scene I’m pretty sure I had the same reaction as everyone else which was surprised that he was one of the unknown mask men robbing the bank. The music changes as he reveled that he was not the same as the dead thieves but that he was better then them the true  genius not some hire gun.

 

 

 

 

Homework, Student Posts

Anjali Homework #2: American Beauty

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American Beauty is an award winning  film directed by Sam Mendes. It stars Kevin Spacey playing the main character, Lester Burnham, a middle aged father living in a suburban neighborhood and going though a mid life crisis. He grows very bored with his life as he doesn’t portray any enthusiasm. He then starts viewing life differently and goes though some changes.

The opening scene is Spacey’s monologue of Lester speaking to the audience about his life. He introduces himself as well as other aspects of his life that seems pretty typical and in the norm. Although, he goes on to mention the fact that he’s going to be dead in less than a year.  This immediately captures the audience’s attention yearning to know why he’s going to be dead. The audience will wonder what events will lead up to his death? What’s the reason for his death? and so on.  The music that plays throughout the monologue gives off a mysterious sense. As the music is playing and Spacey is speaking, there’s another layer that’s rather peculiar.

He further describes his mundane everyday life, and introduces other characters including his family. The audiences still ponders how his life goes from here and how it dramatically changes. The music crescendos towards the ending of the monologue. This adds to the buildup to when Lester says,”It’s never too late, to get it back”. That indicates that the viewers will witness how his life dramatically changes for the better, or the worse.

Homework

Homework #2: Opening Scenes-The Matrix, an example of Bordwell and Thompson’s ‘hard’ opening?

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Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss) in opening scene of The Wachowski Brothers, The Matrix (1999)
Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss) in opening scene of The Wachowski Brothers, The Matrix (1999)

Bordwell and Thompson begin chapter 2 in Film Art with a discussion of the importance of opening scenes in movies by contrasting the differences between two Steven Spielberg movies, Jurassic Park (1993) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). Bordwell and Thompson describe the start of Jurassic Park as a “hard” opening filled with action that helps build suspense toward an encounter with a T-rex. The beginning of The Matrix is similar to the what Bordwell and Thompson describe as a ‘hard’ opening. According to movie legend the opening sequence of The Matrix was filmed first and cost $10M. Studio executives were so impressed with the opening that they funded the entire project, which in the end cost over $60M.

Share with the class a favorite opening scene by including a link in your post (video.google.com and youtube are good sources for video clips) and discuss why you find the opening so compelling. If you can’t find a clip and want to discuss a film anyway, include a link or an image to the movie.

To complete this homework assignment, you need to submit your own Post AND Comment on another student’s post (choose any of your classmates’ posts to comment on).

To students submitting a Post, please check off the category Student Post and please tag your posts (i.e., add the name of the movie as your tag)! In order to post, you have to be a member of the class, simply click “Join” on the Class Profile to become a member. If you’re unsure how to submit a post, follow the instructions under Blogging Guidelines and/or contact me!

Homework #2 is DUE MIDNIGHT on THURSDAY March 3rd.

Homework

HW#1: Introduce Yourself!

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My name is Inigo Montoya..., Mandy Patinkin in The Princess Bride (1987)
My name is Inigo Montoya…, Mandy Patinkin in The Princess Bride (1987)

As a follow-up to our first week, please tell your classmates a little about yourself and your interest in cinema. Have you ever taken a class about film history? What type of movies do you like? And how do you like to screen movies? From home? in movie theaters? on a large screen or on computer screens? Share your thoughts with your classmates by replying to this post. Click on “Leave A Comment” for this post and then submit your response. In addition, please register for an OpenLab account by next week. Please complete your Introductions BEFORE class on Tuesday February 23rd.

Who is Inigo Montoya? Found out here!