The Great Gatsby

Leonardo Dicaprio and Toby Maguire look to take the top spot in the box office in a few weeks in the Gatsby adapted film. The reported budget was about $120 million or more. This wasn't the first time Gatsby has been adapted for a film it's actually the sixth which comes to a surprise to at least me. The most famous remake starred Robert Redford but ended up flopping.

Saving Private Ryan Discussion

Saving Private Ryan was a powerful film conveying messages and themes through the distance and framing of shots. One example you might say would be the scene in which  private jackson finds himself in a sniper vs sniper battle. The distance of the shot creating space between the two snipers represented a lack of connection between the two in a sense that neither know each other or have any reason to kill each other. Although it’s Jackson’s obligation as a soldier for the U.S. to kill this enemy sniper. As for framing during the scene the medium shot/close up shot of the German sniper really allows the audience to get a feel for the expression of his face and how he comes off not really wanting to kill anyone. When it comes to Jackson, Speilberg decides to really stray away from focusing on Jackson and instead keeping focus on the sniper rifle, which explains how Jackson becomes one with the sniper rifle when he’s forced to use it. I think Spielberg wanted to created a seperation between Jackson the sniper rifle giving a feel that it’s not Jackson killing people or wanting to kill these people, it’s more so the rifle. 

Netflix looking to acquire more original programming

At first what sounds good ends up possibly being  a bad factor for hollywood. Netflix states because they're past deals have gone bad, as in the shows they acquired rights to flopped, they've decided to become a lot more picky in what they choose to buy. What does this mean? This means TV producers might start taking losses. It's most apparent for companies like CBS and Viacom because they've been the production teams selling most of their shows to Netflix. Netflix stated they wont be renewing any past deals with the two companies which could be a major hit to their yearly revenue. Read more at; http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-netflix-revenue-hemlock-grove-house-cards-viacom-media-earnings-nomura--20130423,0,2075697.story

Munich Plot Overview

Steven Spielberg has been involved in countless productions of movie’s which have led him into becoming a special kind of director. He’s a director who want’s to continue to re create past historical events in hopes of keeping generations of people in touch with the past, help prevent terrifying events from ever happening again, and simply educating society. Spielberg creates a powerful reconstruction of the terrifying events that had happened at the 1972 Munich Olympics through the film, “Munich”. Eleven Israeli athletes were captured, held hostage, and eventually murdered by a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September. Although some may think the most important aspect of these happenings was the killings, Spielberg decides to concentrate on the story that happens next after the dramatic events in Munich happened. The movie follows a squad of Mossad assassins led by Avner Kaufman who are assigned to track down and kill the associates responsible for the murder of the Israeli athletes. An interesting aspect to Avner was the fact he resigns from Mossad, continuing the operate the squad with no official ties to Israel. Avner’s team contains four Jewish men, Steve who is a South African driver, Hans a document forger, Robert who strangely enough is a toy maker and is trained in defusing explosives, and lasting Carl a former Israeli soldier who is trained in cleaning up the messes there assassinations may make. Avner leads his team throughout Europe using cleverly placed bombs, simply shooting down targets to take down those involved in the massacre. Towards the end of the film, Robert, begins to question the morality of the mission believing revenge isn’t the way to honor those who were killed, Avner allows him to take a break as he slowly start’s to believe Robert. After they succeed in the assassinations of the Dutch assassin, Steve, Hans, and Robert all being to discuss the worth in continuing their mission. Although it seems it’s was too late to rethink what they were doing as Hans is found stabbed to death and Robert is killed in an explosion. A paranoid Avner decides to rush to New York City and continue his life with his kids and wife. Avner finds Mossad continuing to urge him to rejoin Mossad, although it only leads Avner to question the effectiveness of the operation. Ephraim finally admits the fact there was no evidence linking any of the targets to the Massacre, with the  film ending with Avner refusing to return to Israel. 

- Mike Knox

Children of Paradise - U.S. Re-Release Trailer

Early Hollywood Studio vs Early French Studio

During the early era of film production America and French cinema were both undergoing what you can call drastic changes. France Studio Production was in fact on the verge of competing with the ahead of it’s time system America Studio Production had created until the occupation of Germany in France during WW II. While America was allowed to continue production and advancing in film production, upon Germany taking control, french filmmakers were forced to halt the production of twenty films. Ultimately what happened was the Vichy government created the COIC to support and control the film industry in hopes of keeping it alive but regulated unlike in America the US Government called upon hollywood to make films supporting the war effort. 

In France most of the production companies were still small firms making very little films during the war, while in America production companies like Warner Brothers, Fox, and MGM were evolving into major studio companies. France at the time brought in Continental, a German production company which owned its own studios, labs, and a large french theater chain. 

America was becoming somewhat a monopoly especially when the “Blum - Byrnes pact would reserve sixteen weeks per year for french films, and although this accord was defended as a way to encourage production, french film works protested it made France an open market for American films.”  The main aspect that created difference within French and American studio production was organization. Hollywood had started a studio system that was “the method of film production and distribution dominated by small number of major studios in hollywood.” There was a practice in large motion picture studios, that when they had produced a movie primarily on their own filmmaking lots and had this happen through vertical integration. The hollywood system was united through chains and members, having members produce a different product, service, or need, and combining all together to ignite a successful production. The french had trouble organizing a system like this due to the occupation of Germany, they lacked technology and investors considering the Vichy administration imposing rules on the system. 

For example in Children of Paradise, the film was forced to be split into two parts because the Vinchy administration only allowed a max of 90 min for feature films. The lack of money and investors through producers caused the set builders to be short of supplies and camera crews film stock to be forced to ration. 

The Bicycle Thief Trailer