Wrap Up!

Note:

For the last two entries I will be writing about two different movies. I was unable to see Pixar's Up and Indiana Jones. I will be discussing Chasing Amy and Alice in Wonderland. These movies I have seen numerous times and could go on about them for days.

Alice in Wonderland

Although I did not see the movie in 3D the movie was no less spectacular. Time Burton remakes this classical Lewis Carroll story. His characters are riveting and they display such emotion in body language. The depictions of their characters are so accurate. I can see the dialog come to life (in Burton's film) just the way Lewis Carroll intended. Compared to the old school television, the movie was intelligent, quick and witty, where as the cartoon was dumb downed so children could gaze into the brightly colored fantasy-land.

I always wondered how a writing of such adult material could end up to be a show (we as kids) watched on Nickelodeon or something. Growing up knowing the shows, movies and stories of Alice of Wonderland including Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit", I absolutely loved it. I think the writing was incorporated beautifully and Burton's world displays everything Lewis Carroll.

I found the new version, "live action" Alice in Wonderland to lack such creativity. The characters and cast actors were spot on. They were enticing and kept me wanting more. They really tapped into the written text that Lewis Carroll intended. But the actual creative content is lacking originality. Burton is such an awesome director, I don't see why he would produce something less than extraordinary and "mind-blowing". The most astonishing piece of work would be the outfits and Johnny Depp's outfit and make up in particular!

Most indifferently, die hard Carroll fans find this rendition to be a complete disaster! Carrie Rickey of the Inquirer Film Critic says, "It is whimsical to read about the Red Queen's playing croquet with a flamingo for a mallet and hedgehog for a all. But it is enchanting to see an apparently real (if digitized) flamingo and hedgehog used for the games." Whether or not the movie brought Carroll's exact world into play it definitely got the "jest" of it. Tim Burton brings out that colorful explosion rather than keep us wondering.

Chasing Amy

Although not a new movie, it is undoubtedly one of my favorites. Kevin Smith is a brilliant writer. Although he is outward and a bit crude, he takes his well written dialog and his elaborated intertwined and developed characters. Many of the characters can be seen in other Kevin Smith movies as lesser important characters.

As far as writing goes it is a class (of new age cinema). Smith has a knack for real life interpersonal relationships and he definitely understands the way we interact in the most casual of settings.

Margaret A. McGurk of the Cincinnati Enquirer says, "It's a tribute to a smartly written script that the triangular relationships are played out in hip, flip language, but are not trivialized. These characters may be wry, rude and foul-mouthed, but they are grappling with honest human emotion." The characters are so deeply written and built. It creates a whole new outlook and brings the viewer into the scene. It exposes the characters for what they really are, genuine and raw. There is a level of sophistication between his ridiculous plots and bad humor.

His comics as well as his cartoons are well written. To Smith's disadvantage he doesn't reach all audiences and can be considered somewhat of a fool. Kevin Smith has a way with words and come backs. The dialog could come off the page and there would be the scene being played out in front of you. Each character has his/her own distinct traits and flaws. Some being jealousy, passion and loss of self. I feel like I know the characters as if I were each of them. There is something to be said about well written dialog that jumps along with the natural rhythm and flow of a conversation.

Conclusion

Throughout the semester we have examined the way that writing can be expressed in movies. Cinema is accessible and exposes us to all the different types of written dialog. Most things we see are not solely original and make up on the spot. They have been carefully written down and analyzed in several different ways.

Some conversation can be taken different ways. But what makes a good written dialog? When writers express a flow of words that blend to make music, they are creating verbal harmony. Being able to recognize good writing is as simple as being able to recognize good dialog.

Movie scripts and critiques create a lot of buzz. There is always talk of the action and the special effects, but if there is no main story and the dialog is garbage, then there is no way for the movie to be a success. Sometimes the movie do not adapt well to the book, however alone they could stand as successful writing.

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight was not only a nice surprise for those who are Batman fans. But also it is easily appreciated by those without any knowledge of the Batman series. I am not particularly an avid Batman reader. Not only did it surpass the expectations of people who had doubts for the film. It is undeniable that it was a better film than the first Batman movie. “Why soooo serrrrrious?!” Although, sounding nothing like the proper English of Shakespeare, its slang spoke words to the public.

It is also very well known that Heath Ledger’s award winning performance helped captivate the numerous followers, fans and large profitable sums. He created a completely new dimension for which the Joker came to life.

Manohla Dargis of the New York Times states “Pitched at the divide between art and industry, poetry and entertainment, The Dark Knight goes darker and deeper than any Hollywood movie of its comic-book kind.” It was first of its kind to take comic book writing and transcribe it to a memorable and substantial piece of literature.

The movie held strong sociological points while giving it a hint of philosophical intake towards the stories plot. The movie was entertaining regardless of age, mindset and intellect of prior Batman knowledge. You can view it to see a new side of things or to just watch things blow up. The strong characters and psychological conditions proved to be convincing more than just a box office hit.

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes although entertaining for a couple of hours, you’d really have to decide whether or not the movie followed the original story line. Cole Smithey says “You'd need a special magnifying glass to identify any elements of Doyle's original literary source material that lends the title character his name.” The same literary merit is not found in the movie as it was in its original format.

The action scenes in the film were more over compensating for the lack of witty and intellectual story line which Sherlock Holmes is known for. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law give an adequate performance and live up to my expectations of a Guy Richie rendition.

Action and suspense/mystery are the main focus. The original literary source was witty and ingenious; it incorporated good writing to capture the reader’s attention and could lock them into the mystery. Whereas the film throws in action packed fun and the Hollywood commercial appeal it loses all literary merit and intellectual stimulation. It is difficult to appreciate the story when it was smothered by action. A story that has always had such rich material, it is sad to see it be completely erased.

Transformers II

Transformers II was an action packed film full of graphics and hot chicks. Megan Fox plays the role of a tough yet unbelievably beautiful girl. She can be held responsible for the movie’s popularity. What is better than an action packed movie with attractive girls, machine aliens from another planet and the ever romantic twist of Sam and Megan Fox’ character’s?

Critics are unanimous in the opinion that movie was a waste of a $200 million budget and of two and a half hours of our lives. Top critic John Anderson, of the Washington Post declares “What's wrong here is that there's so much swirling, relentless action, indistinct robot characterizations and over-caffeinated techies loose on the special-effects machines that the movie, in mere seconds, achieves incoherence.” ‘Revenge of the Fallen’ was not only painful to noteworthy critics but was just as awful to those of us who aren’t professional critics. Rossiter Drake of the San Francisco Examiner says, “Loud, long and utterly incomprehensible, 'Revenge of the Fallen' is an exquisitely painful experience that pummels the senses as it confounds the intellect.”

Though critics agree that the movie is a waste of time, it still grossed an enormous amount of money and is still rented regularly from both Netflix and Blockbuster.