Stagecoach - Unforgiven - True Grit

Stagecoach vs. True Grit

True Grit falls into the traditional western genre, which is includes films such as Stagecoach for a few reasons. I first thought that it fit into the traditional western genre because of the characters, Mattie, Rooster, and LaBouef. These three people, who you expect would never usually choose eachother as travel partners, set off on a classic chase story, out to seek revenge. The good guys vs. the bad guys, and the seeking revenge and justice. Mattie is seen as the peace keeper between Rooster and LaBouef. The town that the film starts in also, I feel fits the very traditional town that is seen in westerns, as well as the beautiful scenery along their journey.

Also, the overall look of True Grit seems to be very traditional western, lots of browns and earth tones used, and the costuming was wonderful. Although, the music and the lighting was much different in Stagecoach, unlike Stagecoach, True Grit had more modern music I think, and the lighting was very dark and contrasting at times, and light and flat at others. While in Stagecoach, the classic black and white had a much more western feel I personally think. The music in True Girt seemed much more modern while Stagecoach had that real classic music, that just perfectly fits when you think of a western film.

Overall, when I think about True Grit and Stagecoach, I really can't think of too many similarities. Also, I am surprised to say this, but I think I would say I enjoyed Stagecoach better. For some reason, there was something so unsatisfying about True Grit, there was so much hype around it, and then I just think it fell flat. While Stagecoach had this great action and intensity about it, and it kept things so interesting and you couldn't help but connect with all of the characters, which is not the case for True Grit.

Unforgiven vs. True Grit

True Grit also fits in the revisionist western genre, with films such as Unforgiven for multiple reasons. I first thought this because Mattie, who is a young female, is the main character and the heroin of the film, which is not common in traditional westerns. Both films include three main characters that set off on a journey to seek justice, and I would say that I liked the characters in Unforgiven, far better. Mattie, the main character of True Grit has a sense of youth and passion for what she wants. Will Munny, the main character of Unforgiven has a sense of wisdom, he is far older, and is far more interesting to watch.

The settings in these two films are extremly similar, absolute beauty surrounds the main characters on their journey. Large open fields and beautiful mountains along the way. These elements of these films fit into the traditional western genre. The lighting in True Grit was far lighter and with less contrast than in Unforgiven. The dark and contrasty lighting in Unforgiven really led to some interesting effects, and added to some of the characters personalities.

For some reason in True Grit I really could not connect with the characters in anyway, whereas in Unforgiven I really connected with the characters and actually cared about their outcome. But for some reason, as I watched True Grit, I just didn't care. Yes, Hailee Steinfeld did a great job, but I didn't like her character, and as the movie continued on, I cared less and less about how she ended up.

Overall, I found myself far more interested in Unforgiven than in True Grit. Unforgiven has this incredible edge to it, that makes it far more interesting to watch. Will Munny and all of the characters in the story were incredible, and you connect with them on many different levels. So I'd pick Unforgiven over True Grit anyday.

TRUE GRIT: Revisionist or Classic Western?

I would have to say that I think True Grit is a little bit of both. I thought about this for a long time and tried to decide which one it would, and I thought to myself it had to be a little bit more of one of them, but I just couldn't decide. I THINK I would probably say it is more classic western, but still it is hard for me to decide.

Some reasons that I thought True Grit fit into the classic western genre were because;
1) the setting- really fits that classic western genre with the beautiful scenery.
2) the plot- the journey to seek revenge and justice, also fits the classic western genre.
3) the conflicts amongst characters- the conflict between Mattie and Cheney and the tension that they feel around eachother, and the revenge that Mattie seeks with him, also fits into the classic western.
4) the conflict- the conflict between the "good guys" and the "bad guys" was very much a classic western characteristic, especially when they have a shoot off.

Some reasons that I thught True Grit fit into the revisionist western genre were because;
1) Mattie- the main character is a young female, who is the heroin of the story. In most classic westerns the main character is a main, and he is usually not nearly as youthful as Mattie.
2) the music- for some reason after watching Stagecoach, I found that the music in True Grit struck me much more as being modern and not that classic western feel like Stagecoach.

Usually when directors Joel and Ethan Coen make a film that belongs to a distinct genre the results are very reflexive and can be quite different than what people may expect. I think it surprised people that the Coen brothers did stay pretty close with the traditional western genre. I think they added a revisionist twist to the film though to try and make the film more modern, and to add something new to it.

Online Film Analysis

Ocean's Eleven
The scene starts with six people sitting around a table playing poker, right away you can tell that Brad Pitt's character, will be a main character. The shot uses deep focus, as players are placed in the foreground and middle ground, because you can see for example, the strippers in the background of the shot. By sitting around the table, the shot is balanced according to the Rule of Thirds. The light is dim, illuminating only the from of the players and the table which helps to portray the feel and atmosphere of a casino, and the overall feel of the movie. The opening scene is followed by several scenes, of much shorter duration, shows three players, each placed in one of the planes of depth. Pitt's character is the dominant character because his commanding dialogue is making up for much of the sound, although the darker lighting on him, kind of puts him in the shadows. In the next sequence, the camera work changes, cutting between Rusty and Danny.

Silence of the Lambs
The scene starts with a long shot, showing the entire house as well as the police men that are about to go in. The barking of the dog, I thought was like a foreshadowing of everything that is about to happen. Then there are cuts back and forth between what is going on outside the house, as well as what is going on inside the house. The low-angle shot makes the girl at the bottom of the well love helpless and weak. While the high-angle shot makes the man above the well appear to be the dominant figure. When the are going back and forth between cuts, what you then find out, is that the people outside the house, are outside of a different house than the one they are supposed to be at. So the close-up on Jodi Foster's character when he opens the door, is a bit of a shock. Extreme close-up on the detective's face, when he finds out that Jodi Foster's character is at the right house alone, really displays the emotions and fear that he immediately feels.

Amadeus
The clip begins with an old man in the middle of the frame, and alternates to a youthful priest. The alternation continues as the two talk, aside from several shots that highlight the older man in the midground as he plays some of his old songs on a piano. The only source of light is through a window behind the older man. The light both illuminates him and lights up streaks of dust as it pours into the room. As he conducts a song playing in his head, the scene flashes back to a larger woman coming down a flight a stairs while singing opera. She is in a decadent outfit, and stands out in the background of the frame. As the song finishes, the scene flashes back to the older man, trying to relive in the memory of his past glory. The scene is distinguished by the discomfort and relation between the older man and his guest, whenever the camera turns to either of them, they are the sole subject in the frame.

The Mirror
The scene opens with two young, bald boys scurring out of a dimly lit room with in all-wood furniture, appears like a cabin. A reverse tracking shot backs away from the scene, while keeping the original room in the frame for a long time. The camera then pans to the window of a door, and in the deep background, the two boys who originally left the room are now seen at the front door. The only sound heard is the sound of a dog barking, and a man yelling out "Mikah". The camera slowly pans across from the house's porch, to center on a huge house fire in the background. A woman stands in the foreground watching, and a man stands in the mid ground, both in silence. The boy goes out to join the woman. The only sound in the shot is of flames burning and rain falling onto the porch.

Best Picture Nominee Assignment

SOCIAL NETWORK
1. Funny
2. Great characters
3. Interesting
TRUE GRIT
1. Hailey Steinfeld was great
2. Great setting
3. Dialogue bugged me
INCEPTION
1. Overrated
2. Interesting, but too confusing
3. Hated the ending
WINTER'S BONE
1. Got boring at times
2. Main character was incredible
3. Dark and suspensful lighting
THE KING'S SPEECH
1. Funny
2. Loved the main characters
3. Got boring a few times
TOY STORY 3
1. Classic, I love Toy Story
2. Cried at the end
3. Love the characters

1. THE SOCIAL NETWORK- I loved this movie for many reasons, but one of the main reasons I think would be the acting. I think that the characters in the film were incredible. Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerburg was perfect, you hated his character but at the same time, you couldn't help but love him. I have to admit, at first I didn't know how I felt about Justin Timberlake being a main character, but I think he played the role of Sean Parker, very well. I also loved the humor in the movie, there were so many hilarious and memorable lines. Mark's hilarious and sarcastic comments, "The Winklivii" "I'm checking your math. Yes, I got that too." There were so many great lines that really added to the movie. I also really liked the lighting in the film, it was always very dark and eerie, and it really added suspense to the film and made it more interesting. Also, I really enjoyed the music in the film, especially the song that the film opened with, I think it was a perfect way to start the film and get your attention right away. Also, the overall story of the film was of course interesting, Facebook is HUGE now, it is safe to say that near everyone in this class has one, so I thought it was interesting to learn more about how it came about, and some of the story behind it all. So overall, I loved The Social Network, the characters, the humor, the cinematic elements, etc. and that is why I ranked it as number 1.

2. THE KING'S SPEECH- I was actually very surprised by how much I liked this film, at first I didn't think I would like it at all, I thought I would be bored and really not impressed. However, I was wrong. I really enjoyed this movie, and thought it was actually quite funny. There were some really memorable scenes, like when King George IV and Lionel are in session in Lionel's office and Lionel asks the King to curse, he has a very difficult time with this and when he finally yells "Fuck!" he seems to uncomfortable that you can't help but laugh. I loved the relationship between King George IV and Lionel, it starts off as being quite rocky and tense and over time they become very close, and have a wonderful relationship. I also liked the characters in this film as well. I really enjoyed Geoffrey Rush as Lionel. Although, one thing that I just continued to notice and almost focus on was how many characters in The King's Speech were also in Harry Potter, hah it sounds so silly, but I just kept noticing it. The lighting in this film was far different from that of The Social Network, there was little contrast and the colors were a dull and muted, which I thought went very well with the story. Overall, I was very surprised with how much I enjoyed this film, but I thought it was great.

 3. TOY STORY 3- I am a little bit biased about this choice because I love Toy Story, and even though this wasn't my favorite, I still enjoyed it so much because of all the characters and what they bring to it. So the main reason that I chose to put Toy Story 3 at the number three position is because of the characters, Woddy, Buzz, Mr. Potato Head, Rex, etc. were all my favorite when I was younger, so seeing them in another film was great. Although, I wasn't necesarily a huge fan of the story and plot of the film, I still couldn't help but love it. It was a little hard to decide if this should be three or four but I thought about it and realized that I liked it a little bit better than Winter's Bone. So overall, great characters, decent story.

4. WINTER'S BONE- I found myself to really enjoy this film for different reasons, but the main one being how much I could relate to it. I have two older cousins who were both addicted to meth and both cooked it in their homes, so this movie hit home for me. Once again, I loved the characters in this film as well. Jennifer Lawrence as Ree, was absolutely incredible. The lighting in this film was also perfect with the story. It was very dark and eerie, and added to the intensity and suspense of the film. It got to be a little bit dull at times, but I still think it was better then some of the movies I have remaining. I found myself to really connect with Ree's character and really want to see her succeed in her journey. It was exactly awing, and breathtaking effects or anything, but with this kind of story you don't exactly need that. If you connect with the story and the characters, the special effects and all the jazz aren't always so necessary. So that main reason why I liked this film was because I could relate to it quite a bit, and also because of the incredible acting by Jennifer Lawrence as Ree.

5. INCEPTION- First off, I would like to say that I think this film is so overrated, it is ridiculous. I have seen this movie three times now, and I still don't understand why everyone thinks it is so amazing. The only reason I have it ranked as 5 and not 6 is because I really really don't like westerns, so I put True Grit as 6. A few scenes that I did enjoy though were when they were in the winter scene in one of their dreams, the cinematography is beautiful, also I liked the scene where Cobb (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) shows Ariadne (played by Ellen Page) the town that his wife, Mal (played by Marion Cotillard) designed together, I also loved the cinematography in that, all the huge buildings and long shots they used were so cool. I understand that Inception has really cool special effects and is pretty exciting, but the whole movie requires way too much thinking and is just too confusing.

6. TRUE GRIT- First off, I would like to say that I don't think this is a bad movie at all, I don't even really not like it, I am just really not a fan of westerns. The main character in this film Mattie played by Hailee Steinfeld, really really bugged me. I know many people say she had an outstanding performance, but I was really not a fan. I do have a soft spot for Matt Damon though, who plays LaBoeuf. Although I wasn't a huge fan of this movie, I think all of the cinematography in this film is wonderful for the story. Throughout the movie there is very little contrast, and very bright lighting used, except for at night. The scenery was beautiful, like in all westerns. I just for some reason really couldn't connect with this film very much, I found myself to be bored frequently and just not enjoying it.

My First Movie Review

Brainstorming

• Intense and suspenseful  
• Denzel Washington is amazing in this
• Makes Mexico seem scary and very dangerous
• Great action scenes, some very violent
• Kidnapping
• Dakota Fanning does a great job in it, plays an innocent little girl who gets kidnapped
• Such a sad ending
• I love the relationship between Denzel Washington's character and Dakota Fanning's character
• Really dark scenes, creepy
• The music really adds to the suspense
• Camera angles used really add to the suspense
• Slow motion is also used to add drama and suspense
• Denzel's character is selfless and cares so much about the little girl (Dakota Fanning)
• Wish Denzel's Washington's character didn't die in it
• Cried at the ending

Review of "Man on Fire"
I loved the movie "Man on Fire" for many reasons, it was suspenseful, had a great plot, and kept me on the edge of my seat. The movie is made the be suspenseful and dramatic, so the camera angles, music, art direction, etc. is all designed in a way to add to the suspense. I actually liked how the film uses foreshadowing, at the beginning of the film it tells you about how Mexico City is known for the amount of kidnappings that they have been having lately, and then it introduces the characters of a wealthy prodominent family, with a young daughter and how they are looking for a security gaurd for her. So right away, I figured that it would be a story about the little girl being kidnapped, now usually that would bug me that I could just guess what was going to happen in a movie, but I didn't mind it this time because I had no idea how it was going the end. Everytime I watch this film I hope that there is a different ending (which obviously won't happen) because the ending of the film is very sad, and I always start to cry when I watch it. So overall, I love the movie "Man on Fire" because all the elements of the movie really add to the overall story and make it such a strong and memorable film.