Jaws (1975)

Movie Analysis - Jaws:

       Stephen Spielberg Jaws is considered to be one of the biggest films in motion picture history. Having been the highest grossed film of its time and a huge summer blockbuster it has left a huge impact even to this day. Jaws is a suspenseful thriller about a giant killer shark (a great white) that terrorizes the beaches of a small vacation beach town of  Amity during one of its biggest summers. Police Chief  Martin Brody is put on the case as he struggles from day to day to keep the townspeople safe and find out just whats out in the waters. When the mayor of the town refuses to shut down the beach due to the incoming crowds and as more and more people fall victim to the attacks he is forced to enlist the help of marine biologist Matt Hooper and a old fisherman and shark hunter named Quint, to assist in the capture or killing of the beast.

                The amount of creativity in editing and various film techniques behind the scenes of Jaws are what makes it  successful for the type of film it was and why it had such an impact among films of its time. Spielbergs' masterful use of the camera along with the music and soundscape and the great cast are the main elements that make the magic in this film. The camera in Jaws is used in various ways to really draw audiences into the scene. In many of the scenes throughout the movie the camera is set on almost surface level with the water as it looms around the characters swimming around the beach. this view helps to get people right up in the action as well as hint to the unknown below the water.  During the second attack of the movie there is a scene in which the camera dolleys in toward Chief Brody as he is alerted to the presence of danger looming in the water, helping to bring out the element of surprise in the attack. Later in the film is the big scene in which the kids are playing a prank on the beach goers as a fake shark stiring up a lot of fear and commotion a scene which uses a lot of quick jumps in camera work that works beautifully with the chaos and confusion of the moment as people scramble to figure out whats happening. Aside from these examples the single most impactful use of the camera in this film has to be the POV view we get whenever the shark is about to attack.  By having the threatening antagonist never shown throughout majority of the film Spielberg is able to to build up all types of suspense and fear in both the scene itself as well as the audience who knows whats coming but cannot prevent it. This coupled with the famous "shark attack" music that Jaws is known for make for quite a edge of your seat moment. The cast of characters were also a big element to this. We have Chief Brody who is almost driven mad by his inability to stop the shark attacks himself and at the same time his fear of the deep unknown of the ocean, the witty marine biologist Matt Hooper and the experienced sea dog Quint the shark hunter. The interaction between the three characters builds up quite a bit throughout the later half. All these elements are what makes this movie the great landmark film that it is recognized as today.

Batman Returns (1992)

Production Design of Batman Returns

               When it comes to superheroes in movies Batman is always one I'm excited to see turned into a film. With everything from its incredible list of characters and the dark metropolis of a city in which its set its always great to see how production teams take the look and feel of a comic book world and translate it to the big screen. Tim Burton's Batman Returns, the sequel to the 1989 Batman,  is a film which i think does a fantastic job at bringing audiences into the fictional world of the Batman with its superb set design and costumes. The Film takes us through the Christmas season in Gotham city in where a underground crime boss who calls himself the "Penguin" teams up with a corrupt business man Max Shreck in a elaborate plot to take over the city of Gotham by becoming mayor. By winning over the city with his tragic childhood stories and the political power of his partner, penguin seeks to ruin Batmans image and appear as the new hero of Gotham staging many heroic events. Meanwhile a new villain emerges with her own plans calling herself Catwoman sharing many similarities with the bat himself.

              The amount of detail and creativity put into the production design of this film is what really makes it such a fun and interesting watch. The look and feel of Gotham and its inhabitants really meshes well with the writing of the movie and the style of Burton himself. The city itself is depicted as a dark and gothic styled metropolis with colossal sized statues and skyscrapers lining every major street. With the season being winter there's a layer of snow and frost lining all the streets and props that decorate the sets and you get a real sense of the atmosphere.  This setting blends rather well with the penguin theme of the major villain in this film. When it comes to the costumes the thugs are all very creatively done to fit the chaos they create, with a circus theme and the Batman himself is fashioned in a slim sculpted suit  that fits in with all the architecture. Catwomans stitched leather outfit does great at reflecting the unstable personality of the character as well as her seductive nature. All these elements combined are what really bring this movie to life setting it apart from other batman films even today,and makes it such an enjoyable watch for me

Review - The Hunger Games (2012)

              One of the newer films I've had the pleasure of recently watching, was Gary Ross' "The Hunger Games" based off the best selling book of the same name written by Suzanne Collins.  Having not read any of the books i went into this film with no previous knowledge of what it was about or what to expect from it aside from what id heard or seen on television. The story takes place in a dystopian future setting in a nation known as Panem which is divided into 12 districts and governed by a single capital city following a war. Each year representatives from the governing capital visit each of the districts in order to choose 2 representatives among the children to be chosen to participate in the "hunger games" a competition of life and death in which individuals battle for survival and to be the one winner who gets to return home as well as a form of entertainment for the wealthy citizens of the capital city. The plot of this movie revolves around one particularly skilled girl, Katniss, who volunteers to represent her district in order to spare her younger sister of the task and her struggles to adapt to the tasks of being a participant. As she struggles to earn the favor of wealthy sponsors to support her with supplies during the game she must also develop her skills to survive the games as she is pitted to fight to the death with the remaining 11 contestants including some of her newly developed friendships. As the main plot of the movie unfolded my my immediate thought was of the 2000 Japanese cult film "Battle Royale" directed by Kinji Fukasaku and very similar story in which these teenagers are taken to a remote island in which they must fight for their survival by killing off the other participants in a form of a contest. Having heard good things i took an interest in seeing how the director would capture the essence of the novel on film.

               Throughout the film one of the most noticeable tools in which the director makes use of right off the bat is the camera.  Ross makes frequent use of a shaky camera technique throughout the film in almost every scene. Some scenes are more noticeable than others as it switches from the close up shots of Katniss tracking deer in the woods to the flustered and chaotic battlegrounds of the games itself. The effectiveness of this technique varies throughout the film and in my personal opinion can be unnecessary in some parts of it. The camera is almost Always in constant motion during some of the more tense conversations of the movie and can take a bit away from the scene. Later in the film during the action scenes in which someones running through the woods or when characters are being killed off  the use of this shaky camera is brilliant in the way it gives off that chaotic feeling as we keep up with Katniss and even softens some of the violence that is on screen. Being that this plot does involve basically children fighting and dying violently this move is very effective at hiding some of that in a movie directed towards a younger audience.  Also in the film is the use of montage like moments to help move the story along. Being given a view of some of the events that take place during the participants training or by the supporting mentors during the games themselves through these montage like moments in which the view changes to a different character,  really help to fill in the gaps of what one might miss having not read the books to understand it completely. I can only assume this was the intention of these moments aside from saving time.  Overall i thought the film was a decent watch and can honestly say i enjoyed it as well as the performances of some of the actors on screen. I look forward to the next one!