Do The Right Thing

Do The Right Thing was quite an interesting movie in that it used weird camera angles. Especially noticeable throughout the movie with the awkward angles and oblique shifts. Such as during the several scenes in Sal's pizza shop. Many of the scenes in the pizza shop when Buggin Out came in to make some trouble. Several camera angles were shown to be as though the camera was set at a tilt or was turned onto its side a bit. This gave the scene quite an odd feeling. Showing several parts of the little pizza shop as well as a few characters at this angle gives the scene a different purpose as though the shot that was shown was meant to have given those specific people or parts a certain meaning. This camera angling wasn't in the pizza shop. It was also quite significant each time Radio Raheem was in a scene. When the camera had shown him, it was also at an angle which gave him the look as though he was very important and quite powerful with his radio and persona. The movie overall was quite a different experience compared to films of today and films of the 1900s. Seeing this new use of camera angles gave me the idea of how just simply turning the camera could give a whole new aspect as to the meaning of the objects and people that are shown in the scene.

Battle of Algiers

I had read the Washington Post review for the Battle of Algiers. The review had many good points that I had agreed with especially how the director, Pontecorvo, has portrayed the Algerians and the French. The way he had done it was not to make one side look specifically heroic or evil but instead he made both sides seem equal. There was no protagonist as well. We see both the wrong-doings of both sides and how each side retaliates. With such ways of portrayal in this film, there’s real no group or person to ‘root’ for and therefore removes the bias part of the typical film viewer and their tendency to take sides.

Momento

Momento was at first quite a confusing movie but as the movie picks up, it became much clearer as to what the premise was. The way the movie was made is very interesting because it isn't typical as what we see in today's movies as well as typical film noir movies. The movie had begun from the end and progressed towards the beginning. With confusing plot twists and a storyline that gave more emphasis to how insane the movie was already, it made the movie generate several characteristics of a film noir. Such as the mysteriousness that comes with a film noir. When the movie begins, we see the main character kill what we have thought was the 'villain' at the time. Just from seeing that scene alone, we wonder why did he kill him, who was he, and so forth. Not only that but the movie also had a very distinctive contrast. Half the scenes were in black and white while the other half were in color. Each colored scene corresponded to the movie timeline by going backwards from the end event and the black and white scenes were progressing from the very beginning and eventually the two meet. However, with a confusing storyline, the movie itself had given explanation as to what had happened but still available for subjective views of opinions. The movie overall was good because of its creative and innovative progression as well as the film noir aspects that it had contained.

Kiss Me Deadly

This movie was an interesting film and to be considered as film noir was just a fitting one. Because of the way the movie was made and the plot outline and such, this movie was a perfect fit for the film noir category. One example of this is how the movie is quite a mystery overall. In the beginning we meet a woman and is killed quite early and the only message she left behind was "remember me". With a beginning such as that, you can't help but think of questions as to who was she, what was she after or doing, why was she killed, and so forth. Such questions are driven because of the way film noir's are made, which is to be mysterious. Not only that but the movie was also shot in different contrasts of light. With many scenes being in daylight and such, the significant scenes all had lighting that focused on the main event and what was going on during the scene. The film was quite an interesting watch even though it was quite random with the main character being a scammer but takes on the role of a private investigator in order to find out who the woman in the beginning was and what was behind her death. The movie overall fit the typical film noir aspects as well as adding in its own theme of science fiction was wasn't typical for film noir's but nevertheless, the film overall had fit the noir themes.