Movies

The film Supersize Me has a great impact not only in America but in every person that has seen the movie it was a great revelation to expose the nutritional value of the food we eat in fast food chains like McDonalds. Supersize Me is based on the upgrade of meals McDonald once had and how unhealthy the food choice of America is.

Due to us eating unhealthy food and not enough exercise, America has earned the honour of being the fattest country to date.  The film Supersize Me has opened our eyes and our mind that we should aim to be healthy and watch what we eat, it is not only what we eat that will make us healthy, we should also move more or rather exercise more. We should not easily put trash in our mouth we should think more of what we eat rather than making advertises speak for us.

It is shocking how low most schools consider nutritional value in their canteens they would rather let the children eat junk just because it fits the budget more. Others are considering children to pick their lunch menu, consisting of pizza and other fattening food. Children are children, institution should be insisting them to try and eat healthier foods or at least offer an array of healthier food choices. If the school official continues to influence the kids to eat junk food, they would grow up to be unhealthy and craving for junks.

A lot of fast food chains are attracting kids with toys and play area they also stuff foods with cholesterol that can be harmful not only to us but the kids as well. Fast food chains want our kids to be addicted to their food because those kids would end up being their future customers and the kids of your kids and so on and so fort.

Towards the end of the movie Morgan Spurlock said that a little too much sweetener is leaving

Supersize Me 2
you in a temporary high but will still leave you unsatisfied. Eating junk food is an addiction, once youre in, itll be harder to leave. Eating fast food chain foods will leave you craving for more of it and if you dont take control of your life now, you might end up loosing it altogether.

The movie affected everyone as it was intended too. Morgan Spurlocks aim to let the people know that eating junk food can lead to serious damage. Every person that watch the movie now carries the burden of watching what they eat.

The movie has affected my views in eating fast food chain foods tremendously, if I want to have a longer life, I should start eating healthy foods and avoid eating fatty foods or going to fast food chains.

Mizoguchis apprehensions were a depiction of more social than political aspects in the post war Japan. His films were more focused towards reflecting the social issues of prejudice as well as a fear for his relative place in the world of Japanese films.

Five women around Utamaro is a wonderful and enthralling story of Utamaro Kitagawa (1753- 1806), who changed the tried to change the human sentiments through his wood block prints and tattooing artwork. At the same time Mizoguchi reflects his respect and fascination to his art work and devotion to self-expression in a time of strict conventionality (Rosenbaum, 1985). In Japan Kenji Mizoguchi was the first period film maker when Japan was under the American oppression. Many Japanese reviewers such as Iwasaki, Sato and Shindo, thought that Mizoguchi was so vulnerable by the limitations and his resistance to adjust to the fresh government that the film was unsuccessful in achieving Kenjis common high standards but more current re-evaluations such as that of Kirihara) have found the film specially attractive as a expression of the past tensions of the period.

Five Women around Utamaro was made in 1946, presenting a probing dichotomy of postwar Japanese films by giving a viewpoint of western influenced on the treason of social class and artistic independence, while at the same time moving on to more creativity and cultural containment imposed by American on the artists of Japan. A fascinating similarity is obtainable in enlightening that Utamaros artistic diligence, personal extravagance, and emotional coldness were replicated by Kenji Mizoguchi (Rivette, 1985).

Kenji reflects at the same time house arrest of Utamaro in 1804 along with several of his friends when he made a mockery of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In his print he showed the military ruler enjoying the delights of pleasures of the floating world. Utamaros decline was connected to this stark reality that posed a challenge for the political authority at that time.

Mizoguchi also depicts the wood block triangular form printing when one of the courtesans in the movie is shown to have a sketch made on her back. Utamaro sketches a nurse and child on Takasodes back (Rosenbaum, 1985). In these prints, a bonding between the picture of the woman as nurturer and as sexual object is attained. One might say that this form of creativity actualizes the reality that both Utamaro and Kenji achieve is on the backing of a woman, relying on them to inspire and communicate themselves, psychologically and aesthetically.

In general, the film moves from control to liberty, from the glaringly beautiful demonstration of court ladies against a backdrop of growing cherry trees with which it opens to the absolute flow of prints enthused by a sole catastrophic fervor with which it ends. But this group is by no means easy. For the sovereignty of Utamaro the artist is paralleled and in a sense exceeded by the greater sovereignty of his preferred form of art the courtesan Okita, whose chaotic lifeshe eventually kills an adulterous loverhas its own dismal and extravagant splendor (Rivette, 1985).

Utamaros interest in questioning the exterior of the subject and his use of slight hints is to create a character for a pretentious woman who exemplifies a certain type of a woman. We can, for instance believe that rather probing depiction of a young woman is majorly a focus of Utamaro and the director Mizoguchi Kenji who reflect through their art a social apprehension of woman drawing particular attention on her character and outlook.

The world of cinema, since its inception, has undergone centuries of change to reach its present social, economic and technological status. Included among its evolution is the period of early cinema from 1890-1910. This period witnessed some of the most remarkable achievements in cinema history contributing greatly to the present global position that cinema occupies in modern world. Included among these accomplishments are the twin-development of Kinetograph and Kinetoscope, first time use of stop-motion and hand-drawn animation and making of the world first feature film.
   
Among the most crucial accomplishments of early cinema is the twin-development and introduction of Kinetograph and Kinetoscope. Work on Kinetograph started prior to 1890 but the machine was completed in November 1890. Kinetograph was invented by Dickson. It was the first motion picture camera. The camera was powered by an electric motor to move the film through sprocket holes in the camera. Its invention is associated with the introduction of motion picture itself. Synchronized shutter and pocket systems enabled the camera to capture moving pictures. This camera used 35 mm films and was the sole camera used for shooting American films till 1896. It was formally introduced in 1892 and influences the construction of motion picture cameras used in cinema till date. Films shot using Kinetograph required a peep-show device for viewing as they could not be projected. This device, also created by Dickson, was called a Kinetoscope. The first motion picture made in US, Monkeyshines No. 1, was filmed as a trial for Kinetoscope. First public demonstration of motion pictures also involved the use of Kinetoscope. Kinetoscope was marketed by Edison Studios or Edison Manufacturing Company, in 1894. This device paved the way for construction of film projectors.
   
A combination of three factors highlights the worth of these inventions in early cinema. Firstly, the popularity of Kinetoscope films demonstrated the practicality of motion pictures and their widespread public demand. Secondly, these inventions highlighted the commercial potential of motion pictures as a form of popular entertainment novelty. This aspect encouraged hundreds and thousands of people to take interest in cinema and film-making facilitating its evolution and growth. Thirdly, the two inventions opened an array of manufacturing opportunities for Edison Manufacturing Company. Post their development, the company began production of films to be used in combination with Kinetoscope. Worlds first film production studio, namely Black Maria or Kinetographic Theater was built on Edison laboratories in New Jersey to make these film strips. It was constructed for the purpose of making film strips for the Kinetoscope. This studio was also the first movie studio in US. In fact, the manufacturing of these films is primarily responsible for the name change from Edison Studios to Edison Manufacturing Company. Kinetoscope is still considered to be among the greatest technical inventions of cinema and greatly contributed to its evolution.
   
J. Stuart Blackton became the first person to use stop motion and hand-drawn animation in his film Humorous Phases of Funny Faces, 1906, a vital improvement in the field of movie animation. This film is considered worlds first true animation film, making Stuart worlds first true animator. It depicted how a man smoking a cigarette and drinking wine could be made to change his facial expressions through the use of stop-motion. This involved single-frame exposures of each slight variation. Still images were carefully revealed one at a time to create motion. This film truly implemented the concept of frame by frame animation, still used in modern animation. The films use of special effects followed the development of trick effects such as dissolve, stop-motion photography and small and fast motion by Georges  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiGeorges_MC3A9liC3A8s o Georges Mlis Mlis. J. Stuart established for the first time how it was possible to manipulate a subject between exposures to create the illusion of motion. Stuarts earlier film The Enchanted Drawing facilitated achievement of true animation in Humorous Phases of Funny Faces. The latter attracted the worlds attention to movie animation, establishing it as a viable and aesthetic economic option outside the realm of live-action cinema. It served as a precursor for some of the greatest animation films, and marked the beginning of mainstream film animation.
   
A third major accomplishment of cinema in the period 1890-1910 was the development of the first feature-length film or first feature film. A feature film connotes a film shot in a movie studio made for initial distribution in theaters. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences along with American and British Film Institutes impose a length restriction of 40 minutes or more on a film to qualify as a feature film. The first feature film was made in 1906 and was titled Story of the Kelly Gang. The film was made in over six months. American film The Great American Train Robbery is sometimes mentioned as the worlds first feature film. This film, however, was only 20 minutes long failing the criterion set for feature films. Story of the Kelly Gang was about an hour long (Fell 1983, 88), justifying its position as the worlds first full-length feature film. First screening of this film was in the Athenaeum in Melbourne.
     
Story of the Kelly Gang marked a significant achievement for Australian cinema and the world of cinema at large, for multifarious reasons. Firstly, the film was a tremendous box office success with people labeling it as the most thrilling, greatest and sensational film ever made in the then motion picture history. From the perspective of production, acquiring resources to complete a massive film by early cinema standards, completing and releasing it marked a significant accomplishment. The film achieved through production what other filmmakers were aspiring to create in the 1900s. From the viewpoint of cinema, feature films established cinema as a major form of entertainment in society. Till date, feature films are considered the main attraction in theaters. The film created opportunities for other filmmakers to produce feature films, lessening the opposition they faced earlier and set examples for them to emulate. Story of the Kelly Gang enabled introduction of elaborated storylines and other storytelling techniques that could not be used in case of short length films. Further, it diverted the attention of a worlds greatest personalities towards film and cinema. For the movie viewer, it made available unlimited entertainment and a form of distraction from worldly problems. In terms of the economy, feature films have turned cinema into a major source of revenue and employment in society and made it a global phenomenon. None of these milestones would have been achieved if feature films were not introduced in cinema. Lastly, the film was an iconic landmark for Australian cinema, placing it atop the world of international cinema for some time. All these factors justify classification of the film as a major accomplishment of early cinema.
   
Despite the numerous other achievements of cinema between 1890 and 1910, the accomplishments of twin development of Kinetograph and Kinetoscope, use of stop-motion and hand-drawn animation and making of the first feature film, stand out in their value and significance to the world of cinema at large.

The Times of Harvey Milk  by Robert Epstein

The Times of Harvey Milk was an american documentary co-written, co-produced and directed by Robert Epstein. It chronicles Harvey Milks political career from being an activist to being a symbol of gay political achievement. On November 27, 1978 when he was a member of the California Board of Supervisors, Harvey and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone were assasinated. It was said that they were assasinated by Harveys fellow supervisor, Dan White. The motives of the assasination was due to Milks open homosexualty, Whites social conservatism and the Mayors support for Milk (The Times of Harvey Milk, n.d.)

Many consider Harvey as a political  outsider and  wanabe . Although he worked for gay rights, he also focused on human rights. This documentary did not focused on the fact that Harvey was gay, but rather his battles for the gay rights. Since Harvey was a gay activist, this documentary was aimed to inform the audience of the things that he was involved with. The greatest political battle that Harvey fought for was against the Briggs Proposition, which restricted open gay people and their supporters to work on public school system. It also presents the complete story of Dan White, his reasons for assasinating Milk, and the publics reactions towards the verdict of the murder trial (The Times of Harvey Milk, n.d.)

With regards to the films producer, Robert Epstien originally started this documentary as a small film. His real focus was filming on the Briggs Proposition and how the public would react with what was perceived as the gay-rights movement (Epstien, n.d.).

According to Epstein (n.d.), he wanted to do a film that would be dialectical and would show opposing points of view such as what were the issues all about, the reasons why the public were fearful of gay people and why the gay community were afraid of fundamentalism. Later on, Harvey, being the forefront of the gay movement, captivated Epsteins interest especially his leadership. When Harvey was assasinated, it became clear for Epstein to make this documentary rather than focusing on the briggs Proposition. As a result of this wonderful documentary, it received positive feedbacks from the film critics as well as won the Academy Award in 1985 for the best documentary film (The New York Times, n.d.).

Epstein made this documentary by assembling news reports, archival footages, original interviews and exclusive documentary footage, so that Harvey Milk can be credited as the lead. Since the documentary was funded by the gay community through the efforts of Robert Epstein, it can be considered as an inside reference.

According to Epstein (n.d.), The Times of Harvey Milk was a community-based project. It emerged and sustained within the community. Initially, Epstein did a fundraiser for 300 people, in which he brought a 15-minute sample reel. In an intstant, they were able to raise 5,000. Along with his co-producer Richard Schmiechen, they continued to raise funds within New York.

However, it was not an easy task for the director especially when getting newsreel footages and archivals. Fortunately, they were able to negotiate with the staff of the news station who believed in their project. They also did their own interviews of the people in the community.  Also, Epstien did an extensive research with the character of Harvey Milk, through his neighbors, friends and some common folks to get their personal opinions (n.d.).

In addition, having an inside approach to the documentary, Epstein focused his research more on Harvey Milk, though he was assasinated together with Mayor George Moscone. According to the director (n.d.), the real intention of the documentary is about Harvey Milk and for the gay community to be recognized. He added that though Moscone was in favor of Harvey, it was really the gay community that acted as the conscience of the city and that they should be recognized (n.d.).

The thorough presentation of Harvey Milks achievements and political views, the Briggs Proposition and its consequences, reactions of the gay community towards the issue, fundraising of the gay community for the development of film, and Robert Epstein as an insider to the gay community has greatly contributed to the overall development and outcome of the documentary.

Paris is Burning by Jennie Livingston
This documentary released on 1990 is about the  ball culturedrag nights  of the Latino, American, African-American gays and transgendered community in New York City. Miramax films released this documentry, which was directed by Jeniffer Livingston (Paris is Burning, n.d.).

It explores an elaborately-structured ball wherein contestants must do a fashion model-like walk on the so-called  drag ball . They will then be judged according to various criteria like clothing style, dancing ability and realness of their  drag . Most of the footages in the film alternates between the drag balls and interviews coducted to the members of what was then known as the  underground  community. Prominent members of the scene include Dorian Coery, Willi Ninja, Anji and Venus Xtravaganza and Pepper LaBeija. Most of them are representatives of various  houses , serving as social groups, intentional families and performance teams (Green, 1993).

In addition, the documentary also explores how the participants deal with issues like homophobia, racism, poverty and AIDS. For instance, some of them became clothes shoplifters and commercial sex workers, others were thrown out of homes by their homophobic parents, while another one saved money for his sex reassignment surgery. By doing one-on-one interviews on the participants, Director Jennie Livingston was able to show their struggles in life while maintaining strength, pride and humor to survive. In this documentary, the drag culture is presented as a complex performance of class, race and gender, in which each of the participants express their desires, aspirations and indentity (Green, 1993).

The documentary also depicts the origins of the dance style known as  voguing , wherein the ball-walking participants  stop and freeze  in glamorous styles   similar to that of a model in Vogue magazine (Green, 1993).

Upon the release of this documentary, it instantly gained positive to mediocre reviews from film critics as well as received nominations and awards on various award-giving bodies. Paris is Burning was also used in universities as a study tool in classes on cultural, film and critical studies, American Latino and African studies, gender and queer studies, anthropology and dance (Bell Hooks, 1996).

One of the works of Director Jennie Livingston, Paris is Burning gained success due to its respectful and sensitive ways of exposing the gay community, which was then considered as an underground subculture.

According to the director (2009), she became inspired to do Paris is Burning when she was taking filmmaking class at the New York University. Being an outsider to the culture and the ways of living of the gays in New York, it became a challenging task for Jennie to do the film. She got interested in doing the film when she saw a couple of men dancing and doing poses known as  vogueing . She was then invited to the ball where she took some photographs while interviewing the involved participants. Though Director Jennie Livingston was considered an outsider, she became fascinated on their culture, which added to the overall development of the film. To further understand the culture that she was filming, she also immersed herself in all kinds of related ideas and literatures (2009).

According to Jennie Livingston (2009), it took her seven years to make the whole documentary, alternating between going to the balls, interviewing and photographing the participants, starting to raise funds and completing the editing (2009).

Director Robert Epstein as an insider and Jennie Livingston as an outsider to the community involved really helped for the development of the film. On the one hand, since Robert Epstien was part of the gay community, he already had the idea and concepts in doing the film. The Times of Harvey Milk was even supported by the gay community and other involved personalities for the documentary to be recognized. On the other hand, Director Jennie Livingston as an outsider thoroughly studied the literature of the ball culture as well as mingled with the involved participants to further understand their beliefs and rights. As a result, Paris is Burning became highly appreciated by the public.

To conclude, being an insider or an outsider to a certain group will definitely affect the development of a certain study. In this case, The Times of Harvet Milk and Paris is Burning were the results of hardwork and extensive research by both Robert Epstein and Jennie Livingston.

Movies are regarded as one of the most common means of entertainment among people. Most individuals watch movies as a form of leisure but aside from being a source of entertainment, movies are also one of the most effective ways of expression and communication. There are many things than an individual can express and also learn from a movie, may it be from the side of the audience or the creator of movies themselves. Being the case, conducting movie analysis is a good way in order to learn more from a film, especially in terms of the underlying message that an individual can learn from it. In relation to this, the movie Disturbia, which is directed by D.J. Caruso is an interesting motion picture that embodies different methods of cultural analysis, specifically psychoanalytic criticisms and the Auteur Theory.

Daniel John D.J. Caruso is a recognized American director and producer of television episodes and movies. Caruso is a well-known for his distinctive of noir conventions and dark, almost surreal gallows humor (D.J. Caruso Biography). Carusos expertise in Hollywood crime drama is observable in Disturbia wherein he was able to apply his flair for thrillers and horror in the film. It is undeniable that Caruso directed the movie, especially since the protagonist of the Kale Brecht played by Shia LeBouf has this all-knowing characteristic which is similar with the other films that Caruso made. The surveillance theme of the movie, which is seen in the way Kale observed the behaviors and norms of his neighbors is also similar with the film Eagle Eye that is also directed by Caruso. In both films, the sense of omniscient is observed wherein Kale can see almost every move of his neighbors within their homes, which is similar in Eagle Eye wherein the actions of the protagonists of the story is seen by a mysterious caller. In this sense, the auteur theory is indeed observable in the movie Disturbia because it exemplifies the personal creative vision of D.J. Caruso, especially when it comes to his usual crime drama and horror themes as well as his take in the concept of omniscience.

The movie Disturbia is a film which presents the other side of a peaceful community. Through the eyes and observations of Kale Brecht and his friends, they were able to see the different acts of murder done by Robert Turner. The murder is a neighbor of Kale Brecht which enables him to see every action done by Robert Turner. Thus through Kales boredom he was an all knowing entity in the movie. In order to provide psychoanalysis of this movie, the aspect of Kale Brecht as all knowing with the activities of Robert Turner shall be the main basis of the analysis.

In the course of the movie, Kale Brecht became bored in being at home due to his house arrest. His choice of observing people is an act which is not regularly done by anyone. Hence, his form of reality had gone different due to the lack of normal activities that he could do. Based on the concept of The Real which was conceptualized by Slavoj iek, he mentioned that the real is a concept where in a person sees a different situation and creates a world of fantasy (Myers 25). Due to this fact, there is no reality but only fantasy which could lead to positive and negative effects. In the case of the movie Disturbia, the real is caused by the absence of different normal activities of a teenager.  Through this, Kale went into a fantasy world which he shared with his friends.

In addition to this, the aspect of the community of being very peaceful and typical is a very important aspect of the film. In the real world, a peaceful surrounding is a very ideal please to live in. However, there is no such place where in perfection is attained.

Moreover, the cultural aspect of the movie also lies in the environment of the whole community. Throughout the whole movie, the culture of the whole community is seen through cinematic features taken. In the green grasses and well maintained plants there is a killer lurking around. As the trailer mentioned, the more peaceful and dark a place is the more it is dangerous. Furthermore, the cultural representation of the whole community is lacking in terms of representing the reality. Hence, in reality, the movie as a whole is a fantasy world where in there are only a small number of people and a few personalities.

In conclusion, the aspect of the real is present in the society within the movie. A fantasy world is build by Kale due to the lack of normalcy in his life. Through this, Kale was able to see the different and darker side of the community. Hence, the lead character also saw the horrific killing of his neighbor Turner. Through the use of the cinematic style of noir in the film the director was able to capture the beauty of the community and also present the underlying darkness and horror of Tuners killings in the night.

The Departed, is one of the movies that has been hailed as a great piece of work in the new millennium. The star studded cast of actors and actresses alike under the directorship of renowned film director Martin Scorsese have come together and produced a marvelous piece of work. Some of its star casts include Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson and the effervescence Matt Damon among others.  

The movie is screened in Boston where the police force is waging a spirited war against organized crime. The star actor Leonardo DiCaprio who acts as an undercover cop known in the film as Billy Costigan, is assigned the duty of infiltrating the notorious mob syndicate run by the kingpin Costello whose real name is Jack Nicholson. The movie has a lot of twists and turns with one of them being the rise of a Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) through the ranks of the police department where he had infiltrated as an informant for the syndicate.

Another highlight of the movie is the confidence that the gang chief is gaining on the undercover cop. The movie becomes interesting as both the police and the gang learn about the existence of moles in both their organization and this leads to each of the two informants to do all they can in order to save their lives. The movie is truly a great piece of work and the coming together of Scorsese the director and DiCaprio the actor provides the perfect scenario for the theme of the movie to be greatly amplified (LoBrutto, 383).

The director in his wisdom and knowledge approaches The Departed differently from his previous gangster trilogy pieces. As one author directly puts it he has given the crime film a genre leaning rather than the personal influence that characterized his earlier works (LoBrutto, 384). The strength and appeal of the movie highly relies on the cast and the expertise of the director.

The mise-en-scene of the film has been considered a perfect one and this has mainly been enhanced by the use of blue skies and a superb use of light which ensures that the movie is in no way less appealing. The funny dialogue which at times references the Shakespeare marvelous piece of works also finds itself in the movie. Another striking characteristic of the final product is the use of mobile phones which missed in the previous remake of the film the Hong Kong Thriller.

The Departed has been described by some quarters as the return of the veteran to his glorious days. These sentiments are in more than one way clearly highlighted by the narrative of this exceptional work of a true genius. The narrative that the director uses in his movies, which revolves around crime stories often portrays his command and masterly on the subject. Credit however, does not only go to him but also to the star cast which includes the renowned Leonardo DiCaprio who is famed for his Titanic role.

One of the striking themes that the movie centers on is the loyalty and power that both Billy and Costia find themselves in. both find themselves in situations where they have gained trust from the enemy while at the same time working to fulfill their primary missions of being moles. The stage is set for a confrontation when both the gang lords and police force discover that there is a mole in their organizations and this leads the two men to take measures in order to protect their identities.

Another great aspect that greatly depicts the film as a superb work of a genius in the world of film industry is the inception of veteran cinematographer Michael Ballhaus. Even though this exceptional cinematographer was well versed with high-end digital correction as a writer preferred to put it, he did an exceptional piece of work with the film. He perfectly knew what was entailed of him and as he admitted Im used to this process from doing film to tape transfers for home-video releases. With this type of commitment, the cinematography had to be perfect (Kadner, 2). Some of the effects that are clearly highlighted in the cinematography are the amazing manipulation of colors which were at times used to make the actors brighter or darker so as to enhance the theme of the movie.

Even though the veteran cinematographer admits that The Departed was his first feature digital intermediate (DI), the quality of work he produced is undisputable. One of the attributing factors that he found fascination in, when working on the film is the fact that the DI gave him more control. The cinematographer also admits that they did not spend a lot of time on specific scenes and rather gave the whole film equal attention which in the end turned out to be the main reason for their success.

Although the film has been described as one of the perfect pieces of work in modern times, the fact that it takes after a similar version the Hong Kong Thriller the originality part of it is wanting. However, this has certainly been up by the inclusion of renowned actors and especially the union between the director and DiCaprio in which many fans and critics alike have described as the perfect recipe for success (Ebert, 856).