Jaws

     "Jaws" is an absolutely amazing, near perfect film by Steven Spielberg. It tells the story of beach town Amity, and the new Chief of Police Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) dealing with an intruder in the town's waters. When Brody realizes he can't deal with this shark alone, he joins forces with shark expert Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and local fisherman Quint (Robert Shaw). They take to the sea to track down this menace and face a variety of problems. After much trouble, it all comes down to Brody vs. Shark, Man vs. Nature.
     By now, most people know the story of the sharks not working, causing Spielberg to reassess how he was going to shoot this film. The result was a mysterious, invisible force that roamed the waters of Amity. The first scene does a great job of introducing you to this mysterious beast, with the girl being thrashed around above the water, and then finally disappearing when you least expect it, to the sound of only the water lapping up on the shore. From there, Spielberg does a great job of slowly building up the mystery of the shark, with the final reveal happening when you least expect it. And what a reveal it is. The size of just the shark's head is enormous and leaves you ready to see more. The score in this movie is one of legend, and John Williams was either a genius or got extremely lucky in his choice of this simplistic sound. Without it, the underwater scenes from the shark's POV wouldn't have the same terrifying effect that they do. Spielberg picked three great actors for this film, and the scene in which Quint tells them about his shipmates being picked off by the sharks, followed by their drunk singing, is an extremely memorable scene. The cinematography is also very noteworthy, specifically the Hitchcock-esque dolly zoom that is used when Roy first sees the shark.
     "Jaws" is a great film on all fronts: the actors, the cinematography, the mystery of the shark, and score. It is a film that has completely stood the test of time due its suspense and rawness.

Drive

     Nicolas Winding Refn's "Drive" stars Ryan Gosling as the unnamed Driver, a stunt car driver by day and a getaway driver by night. Soon after his relationship with his neighbor Irene is interrupted due to her husband returning home from prison, Driver gets caught up in a heist gone wrong while trying to help out said husband.  Driver spends the rest of the film using his street smarts and wit to not only survive from the mob's hit on him, but to protect the people he cares about.
     Moving past the wonderful story line, we arrive at Refn's unique style and vision for this film. During the film's beginning chase scene, we get a feel for the creative camera techniques that are used to make the chase seem raw and real. Instead of unnecessary dialogue, Refn uses audio cues, like the basketball game on the radio and the ticking of his watch to add suspense. Following this scene we are blasted with the amazing "Nightcall", a wonderful 80's style song, foreshadowing the great soundtrack that is to come. The theme, "A Real Hero", is the perfect song for this film, and is exactly how we feel about Driver as he drives into the unknown at the end. Another great aspect of this film is the fantastic acting. Gosling lays down a solid performance as the serious driver, with the boy-like wonder and charm. The pinnacle of his performance is easily the scene in which he sits in his car, without blinking or breathing, making us wonder if he has survived or not. This scene sends chills down my spine every time I watch it. Carey Mulligan also gives a solid performance as Irene, the neighbor torn between who she loves and who she is married to. They both do a great job of conveying their feelings for each other, simply through their gestures and glances, rather than over the top dialogue.
     "Drive" is a well made film that warrants many, many re-watches due to Refn's attention to detail, great cinematography, and fantastic acting. At the end of the film, you will be left wanting more Driver, a great testament to the grasp this movie holds on its audience.

Children of Men

     "Children of Men" is Alfonso Cuarón's 7th film, and after looking through all of his past films, this one is easily his magnum opus. This film tells the story of Theo Faron, a citizen of a post-apocalyptic society in which all women have become infertile and in which the last human was born 18 years ago. After reuniting with his wife of the past, who also happens to be a leading figure of an underground guerrilla group called The Fishes, Theo is assigned the task of smuggling Kee, a young woman pregnant with humanity's first child in a while, out of the UK.
     The most notable accomplishment of "Children of Men" are the wonderfully executed long shots. The long shot of the attack on the car may be one of the most memorable shots in film history. The shot begins with Theo and Julian playfully reigniting their old relationship, and then it jarringly switches to a full on attack from all angles. The complicated tracking shot circles all around the inside of the car, and as evident from behind-the-scenes footage, involved a complicated car rig to accomplish the effect. The shot does a great job of keeping the viewer engaged in what is happening, making them feel as if they are a passenger in the car themselves. The direct and suddenness of Julian's death is surprising and adds to the realness of this scene. The other incredibly impressive long shot in this film is towards the end of the film, when Theo is making his way through the chaos to get back to Kee. The coordination that this scene must have taken for all of the extras and special effects attributes to the greatness of Cuarón's directing ability. Just as it did in the car scene, this shot makes us feel like we're right there in the action, running alongside Theo. It provides a vulnerability that keeps us on the edge of our seat, expecting the worst to happen at any second. Another accomplishment of "Children of Men" is the production design. The flawless design of the apocalyptic streets of Britain look as if the film was shot directly on location without any set up, and the detention center is without a doubt a living, breathing place.
     "Children of Men" is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. Throughout the film, the viewer is exposed to wonderful little details, like the London 2012 Olympics shirt that Theo wears (this film was released in 2006), that make it very apparent that Cuarón put a lot of work into making this film great. With wonderful production design and innovative cinematography, "Children of Men" will forever stand the test of time, and will one day be considered the masterpiece that it is.

The Master

     The Master is Paul Thomas Anderson's newest film, and though it may not seem apparent on the first watch, it may one day be considered a masterpiece. The film centers around the life of Freddie Quell, an unstable war veteran who is looking to restart his life. After trying many different occupations, Freddie ends up aboard a ship on which he first encounters Lancaster Dodd, who describes himself as, "a writer, a doctor, a nuclear physicist, and a theoretical philosopher." Dodd is the leader of The Cause, a religion and way of life not only founded by Dodd, but also constantly created by him. As Freddie becomes more involved with the Cause, his relationship with Dodd deepens, a relationship in which both parties benefit from the other. Through his involvement with the Cause, Quell discovers a new confidence in himself, realizing that he doesn't need a master in his life.
     The first thing to note about the Master is the fact that Anderson decided to shoot the film in 65 mm, resulting in beautiful imagery. The camera work is amazing, and nothing less than would be expected from P.T.A. There are multiple long shots, including the wonderful "Get Thee Behind Me Satan" mall shot, and the intense and personal processing scene between Quell and Dodd. These shots do a great job of creating the feeling of being right there in the scene with the characters. They are also a great tool used by Anderson to get the most out of his actors; by leaving the camera rolling on them, it lets them explore their characters more.  Sound also plays a huge role in the film, specifically Jonny Greenwood's wonderful score. The film begins with the score being the only audio, and it compliments the first scenes of Quell on the beach perfectly, specifically the rhythmic percussion sounds.
     Paul Thomas Anderson used all of these elements combined to create an astoundingly great film. The performances by Hoffman and Phoenix are possibly the best of their careers, and a lot of this accomplishment is due to P.T.A's directing style. He presents this story of self-discovery in such a deep and fleshed out way that one may sit there while the end credits role wondering about what they just watched and what they were supposed to come away with. It is only through multiple viewings that The Master can be fully appreciated.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligardi

How had I never heard of this film? I just recently watched it in my film class, prefaced by the Portlandia clip bringing out the film nerdiness of it. Unlike others in my class, I'm not automatically turned off by the notion of a silent film, so I went into it with an open mind.

The sets were automatically noticeable to me; the overuse of jagged edges and strangely shaped walls and doors. My professor pointed out after that this was done to show that our main character is an unreliable narrator, which worked out great. 

The acting was overall pretty great, especially by the Director/"Caligardi". The use of fade ins and outs got old pretty fast in the beginning, but I eventually got used to it. 

The plot kept me interested throughout and the only slow scenes I can think of are the ones immediately following the death of the narrator's friend. It was like scene after scene of him giving these "Oh, the horror!" faces. 

I was completely satisfied with what I thought was the ending, and then even more suprised and delighted when the twist was revealed (according to my professor, this was the first real twist in a film. I don't know if that's true or not, but it's a nice thought).

Overall, this was a great film. Although a little slow at times, which is expected in an old silent film, the plot drove along and kept me wondering.