The Quiz Re-Do (#1: 3/11/18, #2: 3/14/18)

Here is your chance to re-take up to two of the quizzes as long as you earned above a zero (0) on the quiz. You cannot re-take a quiz that you did not take in the first place because your were late for or absent from class.

If you have looked at the schedule, you will note that we have two periods for which we need movies.

Re-take One Quiz (Step #1)

Reply to this prompt and suggest a film for one of the two open periods. The film must be a great film based on an intensive analysis of the elements of film as we have and will continue to discuss in this class, not how much you liked, were inspired by, related to, etc. the story. Your reply must include a specific discussion of specific scenes, shots, frames, sound, etc. that make it a great film. In addition, you must provide the following information.

Title and Year of Film

  • Director
  • Star(s)
  • Awards (Nominations/Wins)
  • Running Time

Re-Take Second Quiz (Step #2)*

Reply to one of the posts in response to the above prompt and explain specifically why I should not choose the film suggested. As before, your argument against the film must be based on an intensive analysis of the elements of film as we have and will continue to discuss in this class, not how much you liked, were inspired by, related to, etc. the story. Your reply must include a specific discussion of specific scenes, shots, frames, sound, etc. that make it a great film.

  • You cannot complete step #2 unless you complete step #1

Both posts are due by 11:59pm on the posted due date according to the timestamp from the web site. Late posts will not be considered.

6 comments for “The Quiz Re-Do (#1: 3/11/18, #2: 3/14/18)

  1. Lilly Lightsey
    March 12, 2018 at 7:52 pm

    I recommend we watch The Sixth Sense. The Sixth Sense was released in 1999 and has a run time of one hour and forty-seven minutes. It was written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan and stars Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, and Toni Collette. The Sixth Sense was Oscar nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Actor in a Supporting Role Haley Joel Osment and Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Toni Collette.
    At the time the film was released the ending of the film (no spoilers) came as a big shock to audiences everywhere. The way the film is editing and directed it is not until you watch it a second time do you even realize what was about to happen. Just the editing as characters interact between each other leads to, what I would argue, is the best plot twist in film.
    The movie is shot mostly from the point of view of the little boy named Cole Sear. Cole is a nine-year-old boy who sees ghosts. The camera is often at Cole’s eye level and often it feels like you are watching the movie straight through his eyes. This makes the movie eerie and creepy and you feel the fear Cole feels. When the camera is not focused on Cole it is focused on Dr. Malcom Crowe, a child psychologist who was hired to help Cole. Cole’s mother does not believe he actually sees the dead and Dr. Crowe is supposed to help find the real issues Cole is dealing with. At the same time, we see Cole struggling with his life, the movie also follows Dr. Crowe as he faces his own struggles.
    One of the main things that makes the editing of this movie so great, is the ambiguity of how scenes are filmed. At the end of the film you get a quick montage of all the scenes that, when looked at from the correct way, show you the answer. However, when you first watch them, you see only the basic level and do not question it further. Shyamalan’s scenes play a lot with the audience’s head and can you really trust what you are being shown on screen.

    • Erica Dovre
      March 14, 2018 at 7:40 pm

      There are so many different reasons as to why we should not watch The Sixth Sense. First of all, the major plot holes in the movie are too prominent to look away from. The movie is said to be known for its great “pacing” of events, but most of the movie seems to drag on, many of the scenes involve someone staring at someone else. The acting is also terrible. Personally, I don’t think Bruce Willis was the best choice to play a child psychologist. It almost seems as if hes never even spoken to a child before in the whole movie. Then there is the ending, the most remembered part of the movie. Sure, it may have come as a shock to many of the viewers that Bruce Willis was already dead. But how many of the viewers didn’t already know that about halfway through the movie? You also forgot to mention the use of the color red throughout the movie, which contradicts itself throughout. At one point, the color red is meant to signal the danger of the spirit world, and the next it signals safety. The whole movie is just another cliche “thriller,” if it could even be called that. The only thing that could possibly set it aside from the rest is the ending, which in itself, isn’t even an original one.

  2. Erica Dovre
    March 13, 2018 at 1:49 pm

    I noticed, when looking at the schedule, that there is not a section for a good, classic comedy. The movie that I suggest the class watches is Raising Arizona. The comedy, nominated for best screenplay in 1988 and directed by the Coen brothers, is a fun film about a couple that kidnaps one of five children, after finding out that they can not conceive. The couple is played by Nicolas Cage, who was nominated for funniest actor for this movie, and Holly Hunter, who was nominated for best actress. The Coen brothers are famously known for their eccentric cinematography and the viewer can definitely see this in Raising Arizona. The movie was nominated in 1988 for the best family motion picture because of this. The type of comedy in this movie is known as slapstick comedy, which is identified by exaggerated physical activity and rowdy humor. One can see this in Raising Arizona, as there is a police chase scene, which is just as cheesy and funny as it needed to be.
    The soundtrack of this movie gives off more of a country/western vibe. Many of the songs feature an odd instrument, such as the bagpipes, or yodeling. A technique used in films, called shaky cam, is used a lot during this movie. Shaky cam is a technique used to make it seem as if the footage you are watching is being filmed “live” and is done so, usually, with a hand held camera. Every scene, it seems, is lit up by the sun, which really sets the scene, as the movie takes place in hot Arizona. The cinematography itself is almost as silly as the movie. The camera is always spinning, shaking, or zooming.
    The movie runs at 1 hour and 34 minutes. This is suiting for the movie, any longer and it may have ruined it. I believe that Raising Arizona has all of the qualities that a comedy should have. The Coen brothers took an almost dark subject and turned it into a fun, family quality, and that is why so many people love it.

    • Lilly Lightsey
      March 14, 2018 at 6:47 pm

      I feel one of the first things to point out as to why we should not watch Raising Arizona, is because it is not a comedy, but a black comedy. We have already watched a black comedy in Harold and Maude and while it had okay parts, black comedies are not that great. Raising Arizona gets a lot of backlash for trying way too hard to be funny. It is not a natural comedy, but forced, the movie tries to tell you when and why you should laugh.
      A lot of the comedy comes from slapstick comedy which is very similar to those of cartoons we all watched as kids. Cartoon violence is funny once or twice, it cannot be the whole plot of a movie. The humor is very juvenile for a movie with a PG-13 rating. It is one thing for a movie like The Godfather or Fargo to use their violence to tell a story, but they take it seriously. Raising Arizona is constantly making light of the violence and expecting for you to laugh.
      Also the movie has a tendency to drag out moments longer than it should, turning them from a funny or cute little moment to something you start wishing ended five minutes ago. We all remember Maude and the police officer scene from Harold and Maude. It was okay funny and then it just continued to drag on. Sometimes you have to know when to cut off a scene for it to remain funny and Raising Arizona did not know that cut off point.
      And then with the shaky cam. Shaky cams should be saved for movies that are supposed to be like home movies. Yet, the characters in Raising Arizona aren’t filming themselves. The camera bounces all over screen, as if it is supposed to add to the humor. When I hear shaky cam I think a movie like Paranormal Activity or The Blair Witch Project. Both those movies have characters filming themselves, their friends, and their surroundings. It is shaky because it is supposed to be in the style of “found footage” which adds to the creepy style of those films. Shaky cam in the case of Raising Arizona does nothing for the film. The main characters are not filming themselves and telling their own story, so why does the camera act like there is another unseen person following our main characters around. I feel like the shaky cam just hurts the film.

  3. March 14, 2018 at 9:19 pm

    The film I consider watching for this class is The Great Gatsby. This is a legendary movie that has multiple elements of film that make it superior above the others. This film was directed by Baz Luhrmann and aired on May 10, 2013. The running time is two hours and twenty-three minutes. This film stars Leonardo Dicaprio, Carey Mulligan, and Joel Edgerton. What makes this film considered “great” is the editing, costume design and sound. The editing in this movie received a “best editing” award from the AATCA. Throughout the film, the editing was dynamic in a way that really draws the audience in. There are several scenes and show long camera shot and a bird’s eye view. During the party scene, the camera is zoomed out to show everyone at the party. This displays the party’s livelihood and free-spirited nature in its entirety. The people there all seem carefree and drunk with no pre-thought of repercussions. The lighting is very bright with little shadow contrast. The colors are very vivid which better displays the representation of livelihood and contentment from the characters. This film also received two Oscars for best achievement in costume design and best achievement in Production Design.  

  4. film_7n1sm6
    March 22, 2018 at 7:55 pm


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