Reviews and Ramblings

     In the Seven Samurai and the Magnificent Seven, there are a lot of similarities, but also a lot of differences. The Magnificent Seven was made after the Seven Samurai, and was even a sort of tribute to the Seven Samurai. For the first thing, and foremost, the most extreme difference that is noticeable, is that the Seven Samurai is in black-and-white, and it is placed in a small town in Japan, where the villagers are farmers. The Magnificent Seven is based in a small town in Mexico, and a small town in Texas, right across the border from each other.      The biggest similarity is the plot of both films. There is a town/village of farmers that keep getting raided or pushed around by bullies, who want food. After so much time, then the villagers get extremely agitated with the bandits, so they decided to ask the highest respected person in the village. In Seven Samurai, they ask “Grandfather” what they should do, and it is decide...

Monsters perform many functions in movies. Please write an essay on how Del Toro treats the creation of monsters in his movies "The Devil's Backbone" and "Pan's Labyrinth." Support your argument with examples of how teh cinematographer's craft was used to support this principle.      This is the prompt for our cinematography final. And this is my essay for our cinematography final:      Del Toro uses monsters to convey the conception of imagination and difference in hi movies. In "The Devil's Backbone", he uses the 'monster', Santi, a prior occupant of the orphanage to show how messed up the older guy, Jacinto had become, from his days at the orphanage. There is a sense of imagination because Carlos, the new-comer, at first believes he only sees something that is not real. But then, this imagination turns into a remedy. Which is exactly what Del Toro wanted. Similarly to how Akira Kurosawa places every single strand of hair i...

     This movie was originally made in late 1979. (released mid 1980). Obviously everyone wore the typical disco outfits of the time period; however, there were different characters who had certain costumes on because of the different scenerios that were happening. It is a comedy/romance and I highly recomend it. There are many wonderful uses of transitions throughout the film, allowing for more imagination to happen. Special effects are not needed for the most part, although are used. Most things, are not so much as "special" effects as just effects, where you can see how/where/what is being used which in some peoples minds makes it special. However, this just makes the film more enjoyable.      It is rated PG despite some nudity, and sexual references. There is many different forms of jokes in this film, which are impossible to catch in one sitting.      There are flash back in where the characters are ...