My Favorite Movie: Pay It Forward

Pay It Forward is an American drama/romance film based on a book of the same name written by Catherine Ryan Hyde. The film was released in October 22, 2000. The film made $32.8 million, according to Rotten Tomatoes. The director of this movie is Mimi Leder. Leder was born January 26, 1952 in New York City and raised in Los Angeles, California. Her father Paul Leder was a director, producer, actor, writer, and editor. Therefore Leder's interest in film sparked. She  was the first woman accepted to study cinematography at the American Film Institute. Leder began her film career as a script supervisor on films such as Dummy, The Boy Who Drank Too Much, and NBC's TV series Hill Street Blues. She then went on to direct and produce a short film called Short Order Dreams. Leder received attention for her work and was given the opportunity to direct an episode of L.A. Law. Later she was nominated for four Emmy's for directing episodes such as Crime Story, The Bronx Zoo, Midnight Caller, and China Beach. Leder's break came in 1994, when she was hired to direct the successful drama ER. In 1997 Leder received a job offer from Steven Spielberg to direct The Peacemaker. It was the first motion picture produced by DreamWorks. Leder continued working for DreamWorks and directed Deep Impact, and Pay It Forward in 2000. Pay It Forward takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada. Eleven year old Trevor McKinney (Haley Joel Osment) is given an assignment by his seventh grade social studies teacher Eugene Simonet (Kevin Spacey) to change the world for the better. McKinney's plan is to willingly do a good deed for three  different people in hopes that it creates a branching tree of good deeds. Though this bright young boy had a big heart, he lacked a stable home environment. His mother Arlene (Helen Hunt) was an alcoholic working two jobs to support her son and his father Ricky (Jon Bon Jovi) left them. McKinney's first good deed is to let Jerry (James Caviezal) a homeless man sleep in the garage. In return Jerry does car repairs for Trevor's mother. Arlene paid Jerry's favor forward by forgiving her own mother Grace (Angie Dickinson) for her mistakes in raising Arlene. Then Grace, who is homeless, helped a gang member escape from the police. The gang member then saved a girl's life, and the girl's father gave Chandler his new car. Next, Trevor targeted Mr. Simonet, Trevor's teacher, and set him up with Arlene on a romantic dinner date. Trevor and Eugene fight over her alcoholism, which led Trevor to run away. The incident once again united the teacher and Arlene. They eventually find the boy. The fresh relationship between Arlene and Mr. Simonet turned sexual. Arlene accepted Simonet regardless of his disfigured complexion. Their feelings and affection for each other grew. Their relationship came to a sudden stop when her alcoholic ex-husband returned begging to be welcomed back into their lives. Mr. Simonet gets angry due to Ricky's lies and Arlene's tendency to give in. Mr. Simonet later confessed to Arlene that his burnt skin was from his father intentionally burning him. Arlene learned her lesson with Ricky and left him. Chandler, a Los Angeles journalist, traced the root of these random acts of kindness to Trevor. Chandler conducted a recorded interview  in which Trevor described his hopes for the "pay it forward" project. The remainder of this film is more sweet than bitter. As A.E. stated in his poem, "Smart lad, to slip betimes away
                                                         From fields were glory does not stay
                                                         And early though the laurel grows
                                                         It withers quicker than the rose".

I was impressed with this movie from the lighting to the moral of the story. When Trevor's teacher tells the students about the "pay it forward" project I felt like that was unrealistic. How can a teacher assign a student to change the whole world? I realized that all it takes is one individual to transform a life and so on. The person doesn't necessarily have to impact six billion people, as long as they are being involved in their community. It is more profitable to give than it is to receive. The statement rings true especially this Christmas season. The film also taught me acceptance and perseverance. Fight for what you love and never back down. In the midst of Trevor's troubles he persevered and went beyond the call of duty. Trevor found a way when no one else would. The reason Trevor chose Mr. Simonet as one of his first deeds was because Trevor lacked a father figure in his life. Trevor tricked his mother and Mr. Simonet  into a dinner date in hopes that they fall in love. Furthermore, Arlene was a heavy drinker as opposed to his teacher. The teacher would be a better influence and keep Arlene away from drinking. Arlene in turn was afraid to let any man in her life because she was too afraid of getting hurt or she felt unworthy of it. She was so used to being treated badly by her ex-husband that she has been accustomed to it. Their relationship quickly escalated and Arlene learned to accept Mr. Simonet the way he was. To her looks did not matter. Acceptance also led to forgiveness. Arlene paid it forward by forgiving her mother for the way she grew up. Arlene forgave her mother in order to move forward. Arlene did not accept that whatever happened to her was acceptable, but to reflect, look at it for what it is, learn from it, and move on. These life lessons apply to real life. The acting was exceptional.  No one could have played Trevor better than Haley Joel Osment. Helen Hunt was a really good actor as well as Kevin Spacey. The lighting was substantial however it could have been better. Lights and shadows help set the mood. I didn't see that in the movie. The camera positions and angles were exquisite. Camera angles were awesome in the last scene. Overall this movie was phenomenal and uplifting.     Movie Rating: 5

 

The Christmas Story

The Christmas Story directed by Bob Clark is a Christmas season classic. The Christmas film based on the novel In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash by Jean Sheperd. The setting of this story is Hohman, Indiana in the 1940's. Nine-year old Ralph "Ralphie" Parker, played by Peter Billingsley, desired one thing for Christmas: a Red Ryder BB Gun. So Parker used various schemes to convince his parents to get him this gift. In all his pursuits, Parker got the same objection, "You'll shoot your eye out". The antagonist is Scut Farkus played by Zack Ward and his acomplice Grover Dill played by Yano Anaya. The trouble-makers harrass and chase Ralphie and his brother Randy Parker (Ian Petrella) throughout the neighborhood until their mother (Melinda Dillon) broke up the fight. Dillon spared Ralphie punishment by telling their father a lie. Ralphie's bothersome encounters did not shake him from what he wanted most. The anxious and excited Parker brothers arose Christmas morning to the presents under the tree in hope that they would get what they wanted. To his bewilderment Ralphie saw no BB gun in sight. It seemed like all that was left now was gift wrap, until his father (Darren McGavin) pointed out one last unopened gift. The gift contained his BB gun. Ralphie did what any other boy would do. He tested his new gun in the backyard.To his regret a ricochet hit his glasses and knocked out a lens. Ralphie made up a story so his parents wouldn't find out what really happened. On Christmas night Ralph and Randy are laying in their bed as the voiceover states that this was the best present he had ever and will ever recieve.

I love the film The Christmas Story written by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown, and Bob Clark. The Christmas film I believe captures the essence of a nine year old in the Christmas season. Every child or adult experiences at least once something that they really desire for Christmas. I enjoyed the music and the actors did a phenomenal job. They played their parts well enough. However the lighting could have been better and the camera angles. This film recieved a 89% which is why i give it a 5.

Halloween

My favorite horror suspense film would have to be Halloween written and directed by John Carpenter. The Edinburgh University Film Society said, “Perfect entertainment for the night of October 31^st in any year”. The lead role was played by then unknown actress Jamie Lee Curtis, the daughter of Janet Leigh who starred in Psycho. Curtis otherwise known as Laurie Strode is accompanied by her friends Nancy Stephens and P.J Soles just to name a few. The story began in Haddonfield, Illinois 1963 Halloween night with a young boy by the name of Michael Myers and his older teenage sister Judith Myers. The boy’s twisted mind leads him to stab her sister to death. The knife he stabbed her with would be his signature. Laurie Strode has not even a faint memory of the mishap. In the same town exactly fifteen years later high school student Strode is portrayed living a normal teenage life; settled in a quiet family-friendly neighborhood, loving parents and many friends, and intelligence giving her a bright future. Strode experiences bizarre encounters with a man wearing dark blue overalls and a white mask, but they never verbally communicate. The masked killer was her estranged brother Michael Myers who has returned to capture his sister, the only family he has left. Later that evening startled and unnerved Strode went to a friend’s house to help baby-sit. Myers slowly began to hatch out his plan murdering her friends. Vulnerable Strode fought for her life and survived, however her killer had survived as well. The movie ended with Strode alive but living with the succumbed uncertainty of Myers still lurking in the dark. The film was released in theaters October 25, 1978. Little did we know the film would become a franchise. The Halloween classic that was made with a $325,000 budget, grossed about $70,000,000 worldwide. In 2008, Empire magazine chose the movie as one of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time. Halloween received a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.

When October sets in and Halloween comes around, this film is a must see. I love this film because it captures the essence of everything that makes us fear and the danger of what is lurking in the closet. The first scene showed a long shot of the Myers’ house. I also noticed how much of mis en scene was used to help objectify the Myers’ house. The late night wind flowing through the trees and the lighting really helped set the mood. The camera lens made me feel as though I was the killer because his eyes were like the camera hiding behind the mask. I loved that effect because I felt like I was in the killer’s mind; Stepping into his shoes provided me with a whole new outlook. Sinister music played after Myers stabbed his sister which reinforced the mood. The strong use of sound, music, lighting and camera view lead me to believe this was a movie worth watching and I was correct. I thoroughly enjoyed Halloween and it satisfied my craving for fear and that adrenaline rush. The next scene showed Laurie Strode walking to Haddonfield High School. I was impressed by how real the scenery looked as far as the fall leaves and gloomy skies because the entire movie took place in the spring. I also enjoyed the rawness of the characters. Although this movie was made over 30 years ago I can relate to those teenagers. In one hand I experienced being in the eyes of the killer as well as feeling like the victim Laurie Strode. There were times in the movie I felt as vulnerable as her. I felt like I was right beside her. John carpenter did a phenomenal job choosing the main character. In this role, Jamie Lee Curtis was likeable, relatable, and charming. In the ending there was a major sound bridge. This effective tool helped to restate the fact that the killer could be hiding anywhere and may come back. The sound of Myers breathing as scenes transition from the living room to the bedroom to the street, etc. complement the sense of mystery and suspense. Overall this timeless classic engaged every molecule in me which is why I give this film a five. If you want a good scare, watch Halloween!



Movie Rating

Movies are ranked by 5 through 1, one being the worst and five being the best.

5 = Brilliance
4 = Good
3 = Fair
2= Poor
1 = Horrible

I look for the quality of the film in the following ways: Actors/Actresses, lighting, camera, sound, and the moral of the story
                                                                                        

Memento

The 2001 neo-noir film Memento directed by Christopher Nolan and produced by Jennifer and Suzanne Todd , received an AFI Film Award for Screenwriter of the Year in 2002.  The story is about  Guy Pearce (Leonard Shelby) an ex-insurance investigator who's memory is cut short after suffering a head wound one night while his wife (Jorja Fox) was being murdered. The tragic incident resulted in Pearce searching for his wife's killer. In the beginning Shelby wakes up in a motel room. We then see his inked body riddled with messages due to his short memory span. In the days of being an investigator, he explained how he was assigned to determine Sammy Jenkins (Stephen Tobolowsky) mental condition, who also suffered memory. In hopes of reviving his memory, Mrs. Jenkins (Harriet Sansom Harris) repeatedly asked Mr. Jenkins for her insulin injections.Unfortunately his memory did not come to light furthermore Mrs. Jenkins died from an overdose. An anonymous caller, later known as Teddy (Joe Pantoliano),calls Shelby. Pearce shared with him his mental condition and in exchange Teddy identified the second attacker as Jimmy Grantz (Larry Holden). They meet and the undercover officer gives Shelby directions to the place Jimmy Grantz is at. Pearce attacked Jimmy, put on his clothes then took a picture of his naked body. The puzzling story line converges from black and white to true colors as these events lead to the unforeseen ending.

 

Memento is unlike any other film that I have seen. I was exposed to new actors. The first time I ever heard about the movie was in film class. As I watched the plot progress I realized the movie was not in chronological order. The black and white sections went forward as the colored scenes reverse. This film is unsettling to the point you are on the edge of your seat. The movie was definitely a mind bender. The disorder of events makes you think hard and pay attention. To most teenagers as myself, this is not a film we probably would watch but for a movie lover it is a must see and. I loved this movie and I totally recommend it. It was like a puzzle putting all the pieces together and in the end it all makes perfect sense.

 

Movie Rating: 4