Fresh Eyes Film Critiques

  So... let's talk about Don't Worry Darling. (SPOILERS AHEAD!)     I went into seeing this film for the same reason everyone else went to see it: for Harry Styles. As one of his first big feature films, the movie trailer caught the attention of many. However, Styles' lack of experience seems to also be his downfall.       Don't Worry Darling follows the narrative of Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack (Harry Styles), a young couple who live in the utopian, squeaky clean Victory village as members of the Victory Project. Every day, Jack and all the other men go off to work in their 1950s style cars, while the wives clean their houses, listening to propaganda media, going to a strangely regimented ballet class, sipping martinis, and gossiping. In other words, the wives do "traditional wife things", while the husbands do "traditional husband things". However, the mens' occupation is unknown. The one price to live a perfect life? The women aren't all

  Yep, you guessed it: I finally watched The Notebook .  The Notebook is a cult classic, romance movie of all romance movies. I knew all of this before even watching the film! Just from hearing times it's been referenced, like: "I'm gonna go home and cry while watching the Notebook" tells me all I need to know: it's a comfort film.  Annnnnd what did I think of it? The answer: I didn't hate it! I know what you're thinking: Meg, you're a girl in your 20s, of course you liked the Notebook. But the reasons I liked it were not what you think -- In fact, I was VERY prepared going into it to scoff at every cheesy line and laugh at every overdramatic encounter.  While watching, I made sure to note any shots that I found to be visually stunning. Scenes on the boat.. . or in the abandoned mansion (specifically when she's playing that old, out of tune piano).. and  their argument scene in the rain are just a few of the moments that made me go, "okay, now

  After viewing the 1960 film Breathless, I can see how this film paved the way for others to follow. It introduced the idea of basic plot structure with jump-cuts that we see in our films today, and even introduced new film tropes to be emulated later in the future.  That being said, I feel it would be a disservice to our generation and to women as a whole if we did not address the behavior of the main character, Michel Poiccard. More importantly, I feel his behavior presents a broader discussion regarding the way cinema has protected misogyny throughout the years and often glamorized this behavior instead of condemning it. Throughout the film, Michel commits grand theft auto, murder against a police officer, and petty theft against his girlfriend. He then cheats on his girlfriend, and openly admits that he does not care.  ...And this is just in the first 30 minutes.  And yet... this man is somehow still considered desirable? Desirable by an aspiring, talented, intelligent, and ambiti

Hugo Munsterberg's Photoplay Discussion THEATRE VS FIILM  This discussion of Hugo Munsterberg's "Photoplay" had me very intrigued in the way that theatre and film are compared to one another. As a Musical Theatre major, I feel I have some insight on this topic as well.  I find it so interesting that at it's conception, movies were considered an "inexpensive substitute for the real theater". It's ironic to think about, because today's budget of a major motion picture far exceeds the budget of any Broadway show. This just goes to show how theatre and film have really become their own separate art forms with their own needs.  The biggest difference between theatre and film is that film can have multiple takes whereas theatre has to be done in one try. If you think about it, a musical really is a two and a half hour "one take" film. This means months worth of rehearsal and preparation to make sure that the performance can happen without any

Disclaimer: This entry discusses Disney Pixar's  Soul, and may contain spoilers.  Chapter 1 touched on the idea of a montage, which according to this book, is "the splicing together of individual shots" (30). This reminded me of a montage in a film that, for me, carried a lot of emotional impact.  Disney Pixar's 2020 film, Soul, explores the existential crisis that is: "What is my purpose?" This film gives perspective on this question in the sense that everyone struggles with it, whether you're very young or old.  This idea of "purpose", or "spark", is best captured in a montage towards the end of the film. I've included a clip of the scene as well as the screenplay for reference. (In the screenplay, this scene starts on the middle of page 113, starting with " INT. JOE’S APARTMENT. NIGHT.")  In this scene, Joe reflects on the memories that are attached to small everyday objects, such as a piece of a bagel, a spool of t