Akira KuroSawatdee is good

I definitely enjoyed watching Akira Kurosawa's films. They were something new for me that is for sure. Because of this, I had a harder time finding symbolism, (etc.) and relating to it in general. But I don't necessarily needs those things to like a film; it just makes it harder for me to write about them.

Growing up in Minnesota, we don't deal a whole lot with samurais. However, the film Yojimbo (1961) sort of opened my interest into that world; at least because I know nothing about it! I also thought it was pretty funny, which I wasn't expecting at all.

The 1985 film Ran definitely opened my interested, as well. But this interest was in Japanese history in general. I didn't really understand a lot of the film, I understood who everyone was and what their intentions were, but as far as who was fighting whom, I had some trouble. Kurosawa has taught me to not throw a movie back on the shelf at Blockbuster just because there isn't a cute actor or something. I mean, I wasn't actually that shallow with movies before, but I thought I would use that example to put it into perspective.

Alfredders

So far, I haven't seen an Alfred Hitchcock film I don't like. He brings to the screen an interesting combination of realistic theatrical elements and fictional literary elements. The two styles of elements create superb entertainment and enjoyment. In Rear Window (1954), Hitchcock uses mostly diegtic sounds throughout the film, to give the movie a more realistic feel. However, the plot isn't so realistic. Maybe if someone were actually dumb enough to commit a murder in plain sight and the neighbor happened to witness it, then became so obsessed with proving it, that he risked his girlfriend's life as well as his own, then yes it could be realistic!

But I'm not saying all this to be plausible. I'm only saying this because it takes a lot of talent to combine those two in a way that works well. I like watching a non-realistic story every once in a while, because it is unfamiliar and fresh (depending on the movie of course). Scary, suspenseful movies wouldn't be all that scary or suspenseful if the plot was totally realistic, would it?

Psycho (1960) is another example of Hitchcock combining these two elements. Once again, the plot isn't all that realistic. But I really like his combination of fiction with realistic theatrical elements, it makes the unrealistic feel more... realistic! (Have I used that word enough?) It helps me stay at the "edge of my seat" if it feels like I'm there in the movie experiencing what the characters are experiencing. Hitchcock does just that! Thank you Alfred!

Opening Night, Cassavetepoopies.

Opening Night (1977) actually had a little more "oomph" to the story line, but still very stylistic of Cassavetes. Gena Rowlands plays an actress named Myrtle Gordon, who is experiencing a confidence breakdown from the pressures of the acting world in New York City. I read a review by Dan Schneider and found this interesting:

"John Cassavetes’ 1977 film ‘Opening Night’ is what critics usually call the work of such a significant artist ‘overlooked’. It is an excellent film, in its own right, and one of the best portraits of a midlife crisis ever put to film. It’s not a perfect film, in that, at two hours and twenty four minutes it’s about a half hour too long, ... long after we’ve gotten the point."

First off, it is interesting that he called Cassavetes "overlooked". In a sense I'm sure that is true of Cassavetes, for his time he was a very talented man. However, I'm not surprised he is sort of overlooked now-a-days.

Second, I'm glad Schneider commented on the movie length and it being a half hour too long. My group has said that about all three Cassavetes films we watched. It makes me glad to hear that we aren't just naive, critical teens being harsh on a unique film director.

Thirdly, I agreed with Schneider in saying that it was a good portrait of a midlife crisis, however personally I definitely wouldn't say the best. By different techniques, especially magnifying Myrtle's alcoholism, Cassavetes was successful in portraying the downfall of an actress.