Memento

"Memento" is by far my favorite film that we have watched so far. I know for a fact that if I had watched this movie on my own I would not have understood anything, but surprisingly writing down the events of every scene as they went was extremely helpful. I loved everything about this movie, from the plot to the acting to the order of the scenes. Everything pieced together perfectly. The story revolves around Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) who suffers from short term memory loss and therefore cannot make new memories from any time after his wife's death, and his attack. He results to photographs, notes that he writes to himself, and tattoos to direct him in the right direction everyday, he conditions himself to remember. This storyline right away is something I have never seen in a movie before, already making it an original film. The characters are all very hard to read, and throughout the film, and for some, after the film, you do not know who to trust. The characters all have their own motives and it was extremely entertaining to see them all unfold. I was impressed with the acting throughout, especially Guy Pearce. The other characters such as Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) and Natalie (Carrie Ann Moss) seem to be just as complicated as Leonard in their own ways, and they each question eachothers motives throughout the film. I really enjoyed watching the colored scenes, which were going backwards in time, and the black and white scenes, which were running chronologically collide at the end (or beginning depending on how you look at it). I love films that keep you thinking even after you've watched them, and have subjects open for debate because it gets your mind to think while watching. I must admit, I'm not exactly sure what film noir tactics are used in this film, the most obvious one that I can think of is the universal fact in film noir that the protaganist is doomed from the beginning. I definetly think that Leonard is doomed and he does not want to admit it. Like Teddy said, we all lie to ourselves to be happy.

Kiss Me Deadly

I honestly don't even know where to start with this movie. From the opening credits, to the story, to the ridiculous ending, I was weirded out and completely confused. I honestly have no idea where some characters fit in and why every woman the main character, Mike Hammer (Ralph Meeker), seemed to meet would just go up and kiss him. I mean, do people ever really do that? Going off of the unrealistic portion of the film ultimately leads to discussing the ending that I could not have possibly been more surprised by. The mysterious box was opened and unleashed a fiery doom for the characters to either fall into from one ending, and run away from in another. I did not understand how Christina (Cloris Leachman), who Mike picks up randomly, gets possession of this key that opens the box, and that is never explained. It was also not explained, or maybe I didn't catch, why Dr. G.E. Soberin (Albert Dekker) wanted possession of this box, that clearly only destroys. Velda (Maxine Cooper) is the only character that I liked, and truthfully I didn't like her that much. I won't even go into the acting because I really was not impressed by any of it. Gabrielle (Gaby Rodgers) was the creepiest woman I have ever seen so I guess that is an accomplishment considering she's supposed to be a little crazy. Overall, I can safely say I hated this movie. Not because it was in black and white, not because it was old, but because I honestly was not entertained. That is what movies are supposed to do, atleast, that is what good ones are supposed to do.

Double Indemnity

A movie with the name "Double Indemnity" does not seem to grab people's attention right away, but once we started watching the film, I became extremely invested in the characters and their outcome. Because the film begins with the end, it is no longer a mystery of what is going to happen, but more how and why it happened. Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) is an insurance agent who seems to be leading an average life. When he goes to the Dietrichson household to sell car insurance to the head of the house, he instead finds his wife Phyllis (Barbara Stanwyck), and is instantly enthralled. From their first meeting flirtation is obvious but nothing more seems out of the ordinary. It is when Phyllis asks Walter to come back another time that her motifs begin to shine through. I thought it was very interesting how at one point I felt bad for her because her husband seemed so wretched, but what was even more interesting was Walter agreeing to assist in the murder of Mr. Dietrichson so easily. Many aspects of the film noir genre were easily spotted, for example the voice over narration and low key lighting. The use of venetian blinds was also evident in many scenes especially in the offices. I felt the love story between Phyllis and Walter blossomed to fast but by the end it becomes evident that Phyllis did not really love him at that point at all. Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson) was by far my favorite character. His intelligence and ability to piece information together was extremely noteworthy. I also liked watching his scenes with Walter because he confided in Walter when all along he was the one he was looking for. The film has a very true and clear message, sometimes people miss what is right under their noses.

"It's Groundhog Day!!!"

Every time "Groundhog Day" is played on ABC Family (which happens quite often) I have always found myself changing the channel and not giving the film a chance. That was definitely a mistake on my part. I thought this film found a very original way to tell an extremely over done story, the story of a man who is initially a jerk, realizing that he is a jerk and changing his ways. Because this film had Phil Connors (Bill Murray) repeat the same day over and over again, I was able to see a gradual change within Phil throught events that happened over and over again. I liked how the film mixed a significant amount of comedy and romance into a story that could have probably survived without one but would not have been as successful in depicting the story. Although it did frustrate me not knowing why Phil was stuck in February 2nd for however many days, I am glad the writers did not make up a ridiculous excuse to cover it up. By not knowing I feel the plot line, in a sense, becomes more legitimate. I loved the acting in this movie because unlike "Bringing Up Baby," another screwball comedy, the acting seemed more realistic and the characters seemed more like everyday people. The film was extremely repetitive, obviously, but I feel it was filmed in a way where everyday brought something new for the characters keeping the events moving. My only problem with this film would have to be Rita, played by Andie MacDowell. She just did not seem very likeable to me at first, and the only reason I seemed to be rooting for their romance was because Phil seemed so enthralled by her. Throughout the film her character did grow on me, but Phil was by far the star. This film in many ways is like a screwball comedy but Phil being the center of the events was a clear difference since usually in screwball comedies there is a strong female character leading the film. I think, in a way, "Groundhog Day" tried to incorporate the strong female character by having Rita be the producer and Phil just a weatherman, making her the authoritive figure. Overall, I enjoyed watching this film and I must say it does surpass "Bringing Up Baby" for me. Although the film involves a not so likely premise, the message is universal.

Bringing Up Baby

I personally love romantic comedies. Although they may not be very realistic in terms of all the events that unfold, I find it quite entertaining watching the relationship between two people grow, especially as it did in "Bringing Up Baby." Susan Vance and David Huxley meet at a golf course, and Susan takes a liking to him instantly. From that point on Susan does everything in her power to keep David close by, and wacky situations ensue. It was interesting to see Susan as the dominating character in terms of personality. She was not just the female sidekick, which is different from many other films, making this movie especially loyal to the screwball comedy genre. I noticed immediately that the film would be extremely fast paced, in terms of dialogue and action. The film is very dependent on physical comedy, for example Susan's clumsiness, which is not very funny the fifth time around but it definitely credits her wacky personality. Many people say Susan's annoying, but I just find her eccentric and bubbly. Let's face it, if Susan were a calm, quiet woman, the film would lose its charm. Contrary to what others have said, I find both Susan and David's characters likeable. Their personalities seem to compliment eachother, and through all the events, it is clear why they finally fall in love. I have found a new appreciation for both Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, who I thought played their roles fantastically. The acting is overdone at certain times, but only to highlight the craziness of the sequences. Overall, I found this movie to be extremely entertaining, and taking into account the film genre and time period, the film is rightly renowned by critics and film goers alike.
Fun Fact: "Bringing Up Baby" was one of the first films to use the word "gay" in a homosexual context.