Film Evaluation: A Time to Kill The movie A Time to Kill is engrossed in the emotions that revolves around hatred, this hatred originates from racism in the south. It begins with the brutal rape of a young black girl, Tanya Hailey. The rape was committed by two rednecks in a pickup truck. Tonya’s father Carl Lee Hailey takes the law into his hands and lashes out by killing the rapist. Charged with two counts of murder, he is assigned the young and brilliant lawyer Jake Brigance, who still believes he is able to receive a fair trial. With the trial beginning, viewers get to see this hatred somehow rise to become more significant. Focusing on the relationship between Carl Lee and Jake Brigance, and its impact on the southern town. The producers of this movie tried to make the audience or the viewers understand how these people in the south struggle with this hatred of racism, facing segregation head on and its judicial system. A Time to Kill is based on the first novel by John Grisham. Directed by Joel Schumacher, with the strong performances from Samuel L. Jackson as Carl Lee Hailey, the avenging father, and Matthew McConaughey as Jake Brigance, the lawyer. This paper will be analyzing some clips and scenes from the movie, and discussing how every visual aspect of a film's language especially cinematography. For example, shots, sounds, settings, and movements can give the audience a clear sign of emotions, motive, and clues as to what the filmmaker feels and
Based off Charles Webb’s 1963 novel by the same name, The Graduate is an American romantic comedy/drama released in the United States on December 21, 1967 starring Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross, and William Daniels. The film was directed by Mike Nichols, produced by Lawrence Turman and the screenplay written by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham. The film was produced by Lawrence Turman/Mike Nichols productions starting in March of 1967. Mike Nichols has also directed other well known films such as Catch-22 (1970), Working Girl (1988), and more recently Closer (2004). The film was distributed by AVCO Embassy Pictures nationally and United Artists internationally. AVCO Embassy Pictures studio, founded by Joseph E. Levine, the films executive producer, also claims production/distribution for other hit films such as Godzilla, King of Monsters! (1956), The Fog (1980), and Prom Night (1980). The movie was well received due to its $104 million dollar box office opening tab. The score was produced by Dave Grusin and the songs written by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.
In conclusion, A Time to Kill has many examples of how conflict between characters reveals society's dominant racist attitudes. These attitudes are presented to be negative throughout the film by representation of social groups, characterisation of Jake Brigance and the perspective from Carl Hailey. Together these conventions allow the viewer to understand the character Carl Hailey, and see how the film presents the dominant racist attitudes
In the film, Night of the Living Dead, the movie starts with two siblings, John and Barbara, driving to their father's grave to drop off flowers. John is reluctant to be there and is eager to leave while Barbara is trying to pray. John teases her like when they were children saying “They’re coming to get you, Barbara!” when they both see an unknown man. Barbara goes to apologize to the unknown man but it seems he is dazed and kills John. Barbara escapes and finds herself at an empty house. In the house, she meets Ben, who borders up to the windows after taking down 3 undead. After a bit of listening to a radio for the current status of the state of emergency, Harry and Tom come upstairs. We learn that two men, two women, and a child had been in the basement of the house during Barbara’s and Ben’s struggle with the undead. After much argumentation on if the basement or upstairs was safer between Harry and Ben, Harry went back downstairs to his wife and child. Tom and his wife, Judy, stayed upstairs with Ben believing they could properly border up the windows together. After much convincing from Helen, Harry’s wife, Harry and she join the others upstairs. While listening on the radio, they are given more updates of the state of emergency. The radio announcer suggests instead of staying in place, to now go to one of the designated “safe areas”. When places are announced, Tom says that one of the
For what it is, this documentary was powerful. Brought to screen by Marc Silver, cinematographer/documentary director. 3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets is riveting and devastating. A deeply moving documentary about a subject that continues to plague America. Demonization of black lives and the deadly actions taken against them, by private citizens and law enforcement.
American actor Anthony Mackie once said “There are a lot of limitations and stigmas that are placed on young actors, specifically young black actors.” You have probably seen black male actors play the leading role of a drug addict, drug dealer, abusive husband or a even a thief. Although they do get a chance to be displayed on the media, they more often than ever are represented or viewed as the antagonist. Why? Because they are set up according to certain limitations in which they must obey. The lack of accurate representation on black actors in the media today is the result of prejudice and racism occurring in society. Racism and prejudice which are demonstrated in the films directed by Spike Lee, Do the Right Thing and Jungle Fever.
The film “Juvies” really made me think about how the criminal justice system treats young children. Before watching the film, I was under the impression that children were treated fairly and with care when they commit a crime. After all, they are just kids. However, to my surprise, this was not the case. Many children have been cheated by the law because they are put through the adult system and are not given a fair trial. Meanwhile, these children are expected to make the rational decisions that an adult would make. There is biological evidence that kids do not have the ability to control impulsive behavior because their brains are underdeveloped. Thus, I believe this system is extremely unfair because children are not protected in adult prisons, which makes it very difficult for them to succeed once they are released back into the free world.
Die Hard, a film directed by John McTiernan, successfully utilized several aesthetics, which offered viewers various meanings throughout the duration of the film. Although the diverse meanings grasped by viewers may differ, it was clear to me that McTiernan effectively applied elements of cinematography and mise-en-scene that resulted in viewers being allowed to interpret a range of different meanings or functions of the elements.
The 1946 film The Killers is a renowned film noir based off of Ernest Hemingway’s short story of the same title, focusing on the detailed backstory and investigation for the motive of the murder of Pete Lund/Ole Anderson, commonly known and referred to as “The Swede.” A film noir is a term made originally to describe American mystery and thriller movies produced in the time period from 1944-1954, primarily marked by moods of menace, pessimism, and fatalism. Although the film does not focus on the war itself at all, it still puts forth interesting new ways in how gender relations can be stereotypical as well as divergent proceeding the Second World War.
The Comparisons and Contrasts of the films of The Thing and The Thing From another world
In “The Departed”, which takes place in South Boston, State Police are tasked with bringing an end to Irish American organized crime. One of the stars of the movie is the great actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays undercover cop Billy Costigan. The cast is packed with high demand actors; one of them being Irish mob boss, Jack Nicholson, playing Frank Costello. Costigans counterpart is Colin Sullivan, played by Matt Damon. Both men just-graduated from Massachusetts State Police Academy; Sullivan is on the side of the mob, and joined the police force to be an informer for the mob boss. There is a key interplay between each man, and the people they are trying to deceive. The stakes are high, as each operative becomes entrenched in their double life,
Analytical Thesis: Get Out is a psychological thriller that analyzes the racial issues in modern America through the use of visual rhetoric: such as film noir, symbolism and metaphors.
The use of various camera techniques such as canted frames, low-angled, high-angled and close up shots, as well as camera distance, enhances the struggle between the characters. The use of such techniques not only allows the audience to get an extensive insight into the many different characters, but also helps us understand the relationships between them and how all of these factors contribute to the overarching theme of racism in the film. The use of these camera rapid movements
Part 1 - In American author's 2009 book, The Help, the primary thesis is the relationship between Black maids and white households in Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960s. The story is really told from three perspectives, Aibileen and Minny are Black women, both maids, and Skeeter is the nickname of Eugenia Phelan, daughter of a prominent White family. Skeeter has just finished school and hopes to become a writer. In general, the relationship between the Black maids and the White employers is six sided: On one side we have the White employers who have three views: 1) Their personal and private beliefs that can range from extreme scorn and bias to kindness regarding race; 2) Their public persona that must have the "proper" attitude about Blacks and "the help," and 3) Their employer attitude, which is condescending and parental. The Black view also has three segments: 1) Their personal and private beliefs that usually range from understanding not all Whites are the same and an extreme love and empathy for the White children for whom they care; 2) The public persona that is deferential, polite, and stoic to their White bosses; and 3) Their attitude and view among the Black community, which usually separates the "poor and ignorant but rich" White souls from the Black view of family and common sense. All in all, the relationship is contentious, phony, and based on economic advantage.
The vision Christopher Nolan had for The Prestige (2006) was to add to the outbreak of street magician film, whilst playing a large dramatic subplot equal in grandeur to the magical performances within the film. In the final sequence of the film, I will analyse how the cinematography and sound resolves the plot so that it summarises the themes present in the film, whilst also invoking a response from the audience. Nolan predominantly uses close up shots, non-diegetic sound (music) and dialogue collaboratively to convey the dramatic, personal subplot of the characters and their relationships, whilst appealing to the audience bringing forth an emotional response from the audience. The heavy, slow, dramatic atmosphere of the ending sequence uses various techniques to summarise and uncover the underlying mysteries of the events throughout the film and consolidate themes introduced during the exposition.
Ex Machina goes above and beyond when it comes to science fiction and philosophy, if anything the movie leaves us with more question than answers. In the movie we are introduced to Caleb, a person we think has won the lottery only to find out he was chosen to be a participant for a Turing Test against AI, Ava, to see if she can pass as human. We are also introduced to Nathan who is the AI’s father of some sorts, he is wild, crazy genius that throughout the movie we are never sure if he is trustable or not. Nathan represents humanity at its darkest state; he is a self-destructive drunk who seeks his own demise. When he talks about the future and how the robots he created will take over the world, he talks about with awe like he can’t wait for