Journal #2 is due next Tuesday!

Don't forget that your second journal is due next Tuesday.

It needs to be posted to your blog by class time on October 2. Woot woot. If you've lost your yellow-hard-to-lose-since-it's-so-bright handout, here are the directions:

Film review.

Due Feb 26.

Write your own review of a film of your choosing (remember that for journals 2 and 3 you MUST choose films from either of the following lists, and at least one of them must be either from before 1960 or a non-American film: www.time.com/time/100movies/ (then click on “see the complete list”) or www.rogerebert.com/greatmovies.) Select a film that genuinely interests you or puzzles you – a movie that you want to think about and examine more carefully than usual. Since this will be a critical review, you need to go beyond a simple statement of your likes and dislikes. Be prepared to use what you’ve learned about film technique and history so far to illuminate this film.

We will look at sample reviews so you have a better idea of what you should have in yours. You must turn in at least one page of notes of your film with your review. For the love of all things holy, don’t even think about plagiarizing someone else’s review. You will receive a zero not only on this journal, but the entire journal assignment, essentially dooming you to fail the quarter.

You will want to gather the following information for your review, even if you don’t use all of it:

The basics

o What is the title of the film?

o Who directed the film?

o Who are the main actors in the film?

o Who wrote the screenplay?

o Who was responsible for photography?

o Who produced the film?

o Who wrote/played/sang the music?

o If you plan to mention any technical aspects of the film, you should find out the name of the people responsible for those aspects (such as editor, costume designer, and so forth).

Description/summary of the film

o What other movies is this movie like?

o Who are the main characters?

o What is the setting of the film?

o What is the main situation or source of conflict?

o Summarize the plot (without the ending!) in no more than five sentences.

REMEMBER: Your reader wants to know enough about the movie to make decision about going to the movie, but not so much that there’s no need to go. Your analysis of the film

Literary aspects

o Characterize the plot/story of the movie. Is it involving, convoluted, simplistic, realistic, unbelievable, highly unlikely, well-structured, unresolved? (Add to this list if you need to).

o How would you characterize the dialogue? Do people talk this way in real life? (Or if realism was not a goal of the movie, was the dialogue amusing, poetic, or moving?)

o What themes do you see in the movie?

o Do you notice any symbols that recur in the movie? Dramatic aspects o Describe the acting. Did you believe that the actors were the characters?

o Describe the sets, costumes, makeup and lighting if these elements of the film’s design are significant.

Cinematic aspects

o What did you notice about the film’s cinematography? Did the director employ a lot of camera movements? Close-ups? High or low angles? Distorted lenses? Special visual effects?

o What did you notice about the film’s editing? Where there quick cuts? Lengthy shots? Other transitions?

o What did you notice about the film’s sound effects and music? What did they add to the overall effect of the film?