The Wizard of Oz

Nearly 1/5 of the population has seen this film and with good reason.

I’ve seen this film over twenty times but never have I REALLY watched it. I felt like I was watching it for the first time; with my new eyes I watched The Wizard of OZ. The film the Wizard of Oz was released in 1939 and was directed by Victor Fleming. The three other directors that were not credited were Richard Thorpe, George Cukor and King Vidor. The film was based off the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum but there are a lot of differences between the two.

Dorothy is a young girl from Kansas who arrives in Munchklinland with her dog Toto after a tornado carries her house away and crashes it there. She quickly becomes the Munchkin’s hero when her house lands on their owner The Wicked Witch of the East. Since Dorothy killed the Wicked Witch of the East she is threatened by her sister The Wicked Witch of the West. In order to help, Dorothy gains protection from Glenda the Good Witch. Glenda tells Dorothy for her to be able to go home she must follow the yellow brick road that takes her to the Wizard of Oz, the only man who can help her. Along the way she meets the Tin Man who needs a heart, the Scarecrow who needs a brain and the Lion who needs courage; they must each overcome obstacles set in front of them to reach the Emerald City and obtain what they wish.

The film uses many different camera shots and angles to vary what you see. Many high angle shots are used to show the viewer what the setting looks like and to show where the characters are headed. Some special effects used in this movie are when Glenda the Good Witch appears in her traveling bubble, when the monkeys are flying after Dorothy and Toto, the glass ball the Wicked Witch of the West looks into and when the Wizard of Oz appears as something else. The films editing ranged from quick cuts to dissolves which varied the different transitions. The nondiegetic music coincides with what is going on in the scene. The songs sung by the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion all have the same melody but use different words. And the films signature song, Over the Rainbow, is sung by Dorothy herself.

The acting in this film is outstanding. Judy Garland, at age sixteen, played the character of Dorothy. She had had minor roles in other films before but the staring role in the Wizard of Oz began her career. Garland received an Academy Award for her role in the movie. The characters of the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion; played respectively by Ray Bolger, Jack Haley and Bert Lahr, are all done excellently. It took me years to figure out that they are the three men that Dorothy meets in the beginning, because their costumes are so good. The costumes were done by Adrian Greenburg and when combined with the makeup the characters looked very realistic. And who can forget those infamous ruby red slippers. The sets also look real, but with a closer look you can figure out what is real and not. They are however very colorful and capture your attention and imagination. With its revolutionary cross over from black and white to color makes this film unique. I have personally never seen any other movie that has done that and when it was released no film had done that before. The difference is remarkable and purposely placed at the moment Dorothy leaves Kansas and enters Oz. When we seen Oz with all that color we can tell that it is a happy vibrant place, one that anyone would LOVE to dream about.

Pan's Labyrinth

Pan’s Labyrinth is a compelling film about the thoughts and fantasies of a little girl. It has a great meaning and a wonderful storyline but the way everything was put together was all wrong. This movie is spoken in spanish and there is engligh subtitles. The language barrier makes it hard to really understand this film. The subtitles are annoying and are zoned out by the end. The characters are unrealistic when she goes into her fantasies. I am still confused at where these thoughts came from. The ending is so typical that it's not even worth watching. The movie has two huge things going on in it and I would hope they would choose one. It is a mix between a historical horror and a children’s tale. It is rated r with good reason, Pan’s labyrinth is not suitable for kids than don’t make it a children’s story. Cinderella does not have blood, gore, and violence. Why mix these two things that have nothing in common. If this movie was a childrens tale and didn't have a ll the gore it would be a good movie. This film has gotten so much praise and aclaim, but I don't really understand why. The plot is confusing, there is too much going on, and it is to hard to understand when I don't even speak spanish.I think this movie is terrible and only deserves a one out if four stars.

According to the review of Pan’s Labyrinth by Maitland McDonagh from TV Guide. She rated this movie four stars out of four. The only thing I agree with is her statement “Del Toro understands the shadowy power of folk stories in which wicked stepparents dispose of unwanted youngsters” (McDonagh). She is right the director Del Toro does portray that well but that was taken to the extreme with the neglect that was given to the little girl. Otherwise the rest of this review is very wrong. Maitland loves this movie and everything about it. She never questions why these two different types of films a mixed for one mess. “His film ranks with the best examinations of children's inner lives” (McDonagh). I feel like it defiantly wasn’t the best and the only thoughts she portrayed were that she wanted her mother and she wanted to be a princess. She talks about how this movie is depressing and you feel for the little girl. I do agree with that its a very sad movie and almost put me into tears BUT I was to confused to be sad. She also liked how this movie flowed really well. While I on the other hand thought this movie was really confusing and hard to follow along; I had to figure out everything about her stepfather and his corruption in the military. I am still confused at where this fantasy came from. In conclusion this isn’t a very good film and is getting to much praise for it.

I thought that Pan's Labyrinth was an ok film but does not deserve four stars. If you are good at spanish or following subtitles or enjoy films that are kind of confusing and leaves you on your own to figure out; than watch this movie. Also if you like unique movies see this because I have never seen a movie like this before.

Lucky Number Slevin

I choose the movie Lucky Number Slevin. In this scene its starts as a close up because the director wants you to think that Slevin (Josh Hartnett) is sad because the girl he liked Lindsey (Lucy Liu) was shot. The director creates a mood and a feeling with this close up also he doesn't want you to see that actually Lindsey is actually alive and he was just waiting for her and hoping that everything went as planned. For the scene changes it the very beginning of this clip the director uses fade out, to black, and fade in, from black. This is used to show a dramatic and visible change. Also it is a great transition from a very action pacted scene that had nothing to do with the next secene

My favorite movie is Bourne Identity. This movie is about a man name Bourne (Matt Damon) who is found in the ocean with a bullet in his back with no memory about his life. Through out the whole movie he tries to find out who he is and what happened to him, with clues he finds. He finds out that he is being hunted and takes off on a journey to find his real identity. This is a very action packed movie filled with lots of adventure and excitement.


I love this movie because you find out everything the same time as Bourne. This movie really makes you think and demands your full attention. I love all the action and fight scenes; they are actually realistic and very believable. I also like this movie because I can actually see it happening, it isn't like other movies like "I am legend" which is very unbelievable. This is the first movie of the series and is Critical in understanding the plot in the other two. Bourne identity will keep you on the edge of your seat and always thinking. I also like it because there is nothing else out there that is like this. All the scenes are realistic and very action packed.

The reviews are in...and they look good. In the reviews I read they all liked the movie and the plot it was the actor choices and timing of the movie that were off. "Damon is also a pleasant surprise. With his intellectual manner, slight build and Howdy Doody looks, he would seem a most unlikely action hero" (Arnold) they don't like that Damond was picked to be the ex CIA agent but in reality I think he pulled this role off very well and not many others could. Also they don't like the timing that is was released, soon after 9/11. They didn't like this because it was showing corruption in the CIA or the American government. Over all most of the reviews are saying how excellent this movie is and how it is a must see.

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