Week One Media Post

Picking my least favorite movie was tough. There are some pretty bad ones out there that could be perfect for this but I think I am going to have to go with Waterworld. Waterworld is the 1995 disaster starring Kevin Costner, who happens to be the only person in the movie I recognize. Costner also happened to have directed the movie. The first time I saw the movie it was on television and I sat and watched it for some insane reason. I really think this film needs to be on the list of worst movies ever made. I actually enjoy some of Kevin Costner’s films but this one is rough. There is no real plot, and the parts of the movie that do contain a plot are extremely boring. I also think that it was extremely hard to understand what exactly was going on. There might be people out there in the world that enjoy this movie but I definitely have to put it on the bad list. The acting was not that good at all, especially coming from Costner. I would not make anyone watch this movie and I do not ever want to watch it again or even hear about it. I just feel that it never should have been made.

 

Week One Discussion

     To me, the best year in film has to be 1999. And I have noticed that a lot of people are choosing the same year but not many have mentioned some of the films that I think make it great. The reason so many have chosen that year is because many of us were born in the 90’s and saw all of these films in our teenage years. 1999 is the last year of one of the greatest decades in history, to me at least. The 90’s had great television, Full House, Boy Meets World, and Saved By the Bell. It had interesting fashion trends, it was the era when “boy bands” were a big deal, and some of the greatest summer hits in music came from the 90’s. I am, of course, forgetting one of the best elements of the 90’s and that is the movies. My five favorite films of 1999 would have to be Fight Club, The Boondock Saints, Cruel Intentions, American Pie, and The Green Mile.
     “Fight Club”, which is an adaptation of a book, is a cult classic. Most people I know have heard the line “The first rule of fight club is you don’t talk about fight club”. I did not see this film until about 10 years ago. It is one of my dad’s favorite films and he insisted that I had to watch it. I will admit, I had to watch the film a second time to completely understand what happened but that only made the film better. Throughout the entirety of the film you are lead to believe that Edward Norton’s narrator is the main character, especially the first time you watch the film when in my opinion Brad Pitt’s Tyler Durden is the main character of the movie. Tyler Durden’s badass, arrogant and intelligent persona makes the film a masterpiece. I think everyone needs to watch this movie at least once.
     “The Boondock Saints” has been one of my favorite movies since I was about 10. It is another film that my father insisted that I watch and to this day I am glad that I did. Norman Reedus, Sean Patrick Flannery and Willem Dafoe were definitely made for this movie. The McMannus brothers are characters that were developed extremely well. They are in my opinion some of the most bad ass brothers in movie history. I just find the whole concept of two Irish brothers that are fighting the Russian mob in Boston to be extremely fascinating.
     “Cruel Intentions” to me is start of the whole teen drama genre in movies. Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillipe and Reese Witherspoon were an A team in this film. Not only is their a complicated love triangle involving siblings but the main theme is clearly revenge, and payback. Resse Witherspoon makes a wonderful debut and ends up being one of the most important characters in the movie. Not only is the movie good but it also contains one of the best scene/song pairings ever for when Kathryn gets caught in her lie and “Bittersweet Symphony” is playing. It is the most important scene of the film and has the perfect music to go with it.
     Stiffler, one of the funniest characters in American movie history, at least in my opinion, came to life in 1999. “American Pie” is a great movie. That’s it. It is the start of the teen comedy movies that became popular in the early 2000’s. Whenever someone has apple pie my mind immediately goes to “American Pie”. The thing that is unique is that even though “American Pie” is the best, the whole series is really good and extremely funny.
     “The Green Mile” came out in 1999. Tom Hanks is a part of another masterpiece of a movie. I really do not have to prove why this is an amazing movie, when you hear the name you should just know. I want to have a pet mouse named “Mr. Jingles because of this movie.
     Basically, 1999 was a great year to go to the movies. Unfortunately, I did not get to appreciate these great movies of 1999 until after since I was only 7, but I am glad that I got to. I recommend seeing all of these movies one day, they are all great.

Week 1 Discussion Post

It is hard to pin down a single year as the best year in films, but at least for me the most significant is 2001. It is a year that does not contain necessarily the best movies, but instead several movies that have personally influenced my life. In the case of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Lord of the Ring: Fellowship of Ring they are both films based on novels that I cherish dearly. Their respective book series are the novels that taught me to love reading and in many ways influenced my favorite genres for books and movies for years to come. 2001 was also the year that the animated films Monster Inc. and Spirited Away were released, and both films, at least in my mind, made animated films as viable entertainment for both children and adults. There are plenty of animated films that predate this idea but these two at least seem to make the idea commonplace. This year also saw the release of Black Hawk Down, the first big budget film that realistically displayed what modern military encounters for at least the following decade would look like. Finally, there is 2001’s Best Picture winner A Beautiful Mind, a film that I hate watching not because I dislike it, but because it makes me so profoundly uncomfortable that I would rather avoid the film in its entirety, something I can say for no other film.

 

Quick Notes

I am really enjoying your posts so far!

Just a couple of notes to keep everything running smoothly.

• Post your weekly discussion and media posts as new posts, not as comments. Your replies to others will be comments, but not your initial posts.
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Thanks for your active posting! Week 1 is really just about working out the kinks, and I think we are coming along quite nicely.

Week 1 Discussion Post

I have a broad taste in, well… Everything; especially films. However, I always go back to the classics when I try to think of years in film that made a big impact on the industry and on myself. In 1939, Gone with the Wind, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Of Mice and Men, Stagecoach, and The Wizard of Oz took the film industry by storm, as well as my applause.

Gone with the Wind is an instant winner of hearts that was clear early on after the film was released. It was a fantastic adaption to the novel and was well loved and appreciated enough to make it on The Great Movie Ride at Disney World so that all the world can see what Hollywood originally meant to do; melt hearts and minds. It definitely melted mine.

Anything with Jimmy Stewart earns a clear “great movie” title in my book. Although my favorite of his is It’s a Wonderful Life, I watch it even when it’s not the holiday season, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a close second. It stirred up American politics while still maintaining aesthetically pleasing the audience. Entertaining politics! What a combination.

Of Mice and Men gives an accurate look into the era of the Great Depression and what true tragedy is. I’ve always liked the unusual relationship of George and Lennie and their journey together. I’m a fan of John Steinbeck and the film did his work justice.

A good old John Wayne, American Western film was mixed into the pot during 1939 and Stagecoach was born. The strange group of travelers who journey to New Mexico allow the film to have many different layers. Stagecoach has been very influential and most was shot on location in Monument Valley, which is very impressive to me.

I still remember my four-year-old self in ruby slippers and pigtails during Halloween. I’ve always loved The Wizard of Oz, even before I could be described as a film buff. It always holds a special place in my heart. The transition of color and location, the adoring music, the enlightening messages, and its ability to entertain me after fourteen years earns a trophy on the self of 1939.