Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Cigarette? Smoking!

Before this unit, I didn't even know film noir existed, but I have been opened up to a whole new world of darkness, gloom, crime and unjust deeds! As if high school wasn't enough...but seriously, despite it's depressing tone, film noir was probably my favorite unit so far, which was very unexpected, here's why I think I like it.

The plots of all the movies were so addicting, they draw you in and you can't look away, no matter how horrible it is. One sadistic action goes on to the next and so on, until we reach the exciting conclusion, which is unpredictably predictable, meaning, you know it's all gonna turn out bad in the end, but you hope it won't. So plot is great, enticing, but not amazing in that I probably wouldn't want to watch any of the movies more than twice.

I think this particular fact is mostly because the characterization is weak. I get pulled into the story, but I have no interest in the main character's well-being. Maybe this is because the whole time I know he's gonna die anyways, or maybe it's because he's not a very intriguing character in general. Either way, the characters are a little dull, in contrast with the lighting, which is brilliant.

The strategically placed shadows and the Venetian blinds are thrown onto the screen and it is SO satisfying. There is always something to notice about the lighting in the films, it constantly keeps your eyes busy, trying to decipher what's what and who's who in the shot. Basically, it makes me feel pretty smart to talk about how much I like the lighting, not to mention I actually really do like the lighting, so it's all a good situation in general.

In conclusion, film noir=good because of the above stated reasons.