Genre Movie Reviews Samples For Students

Genre and ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’.

The 2004 film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind raises the question of ‘if you could erase the memories of your ex-lover, would you?’ As a film, its genre is seemingly quite ambiguous: it switches back and forth between memories and reality; love and un-love in a non-linear fashion that also skips between romance and science fiction. The genre of a film is traditionally seen as being a form of classification; it refers to a number of factors that go some way to defining it: “type of presentation (epic/lyric/dramatic), relation to reality (fiction/non-fiction), level of style (epic/novel), kind of plot (comedy/tragedy), nature of content ( ...

Genre: Horror

Director: Tobe Hooper
Stars: Marily Burns, Gunnar Hansen
Objective Analysis: (give a few examples and provide text to support your examples)
1. Visual component (such as the art direction, camera angles and movement, cinematography, lighting, visual style, etc.):
The film is very gritty, with a dark visual style, heavy use of shadows and more. The visual style is very stripped down and gory, with close-up camera angles to capture the horror.
2. Editing component (like the pacing, rhythm, transitions, etc.):
The pacing of the film is very tense, with situations and shots lingering ...

Essay 1: Auteur

X-Men series of film is an institution in its amazing way. Bryan Singer pioneered this popular comic characters and brought them to the silver screen. It is a very gigantic task to convert the fictional fantasy of an existence of a superhuman into a realistic visual treat. However, highly creative mind of Bryan Singer is capable of this task. The history is the evidence (The Usual Suspects) of the mastery of Bryan Singer in direction and storytelling. The thesis statement of this paper is the powerful auteur of the directorial team of the movie to bring his vision into reality.

Very few ...

Genre: Drama

Director: Orson Welles
Stars: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten
Objective Analysis: (give a few examples and provide text to support your examples)
1. Visual component (such as the art direction, camera angles and movement, cinematography, lighting, visual style, etc.):
Excellent use of Expressionist cinematography (canted angles), chiaroscuro lighting (stark contrast between black and white), low angles frequently used to make Kane seem larger than life, etc. Incredible use of deep focus, such as in the shot where Kane’s mother signs him away from his impoverished childhood (Kane in the background, same shot as adults in ...

Genre: Mockumentary

Director: Rob Reiner
Stars: Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer
Objective Analysis: (give a few examples and provide text to support your examples)
1. Visual component (such as the art direction, camera angles and movement, cinematography, lighting, visual style, etc.):
Filmed like a documentary, Spinal Tap uses handheld camera and talking head interviews to make the documentary part feel real. The filmmaking is straightforward to let the actors improvise.
2. Editing component (like the pacing, rhythm, transitions, etc.):
The film is fast-paced, and uses flashbacks and “archival footage” to flash back to the ...

Introduction:

Film noir can be seen from several aspects principally a portrayal of a certain aspect as well as a creation of a particular atmosphere. The Dark Night is perhaps no more film noire than other more descriptive films but it certainly has elements which are typical film noire. The argument that a woman has to be present to make a film noire has already been argued extensively before especially in the appraisal of ‘The Maltese Falcon’ which has been described as being a precursor of the genre but not the actual genre. The Dark Night contains several aspects which classify it as film noire and amongst ...

The following analysis of Persona and Solaris reveals how movies from unlike countries and of different genres portray the development of opposite human personalities while losing or gaining humanity under the external influences and internal self-recognition. The attempts to create a fine movie about internal and external of human life do not often impress much, especially nowadays when we experience an endless flow of visual images. Probably, it inspires people to look back at the classic works that not only represent the unusual transformations in the forms of self but also produce extraordinary rhythms in the scenes (Tarkovsky 113). ...

The genre of film noir is an expansion of the classic Hollywood genre of film known as the crime film. The crime film persists as one of the most popular and enduring of all types of Hollywood films - ever since the sound era, it has remained a particularly potent and popular genre (Leitch 1). As the years have progressed, the noir film has been replaced with the neo-noir - a modern film genre which takes the trappings of noir and places them outside of its typical comfort zone. In the case of 2010's Winter's Bone, the typical film noir detective ...

The only right decision, while giving a definition of culture is to define the main features, causes and ways of creative thought’s expression, and afterwards grouping the obtained data. This is what we can observe in the work of Cook and Glickman. After examining each of the options, one can give examples for each of them right away. However, the American culture in all its manifestations is versatile. And every issue within it is equally important. Though, it is sometimes difficult to navigate in the flow of information and ideas, and one has to “go on the reverse”. ...

Introduction

“Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” is a 2008 comedy film directed by Hurwitz and Schlossberg. The movie presents different ideas about the Asian and American relationships after the 9/11 attacks. It is a captivating comedy with content suitable for adults only. In this paper, the movie is chosen since it presents an opportunity to execute autonomous, creative ideological review that reveals intended messages and structures of a film. It is also suitable due to the concept of “popular cinema.” This review explores the film’s ideology in terms of concepts of negotiated reading, underlying structures, and national ...

Movie subvert to genre expectations:

The film’s genre expectation is subverted in the historical context, of runaway slaves of quilombos in the Brazil’s societies, samba, and organizational for political rights. An activist and a renowned historian Beatriz Nascimento, gets to be a pillar in the search for her African heritage, hence developing the movie plot
The genre in a high profile blends historical and adventure genre types. Adventure is through the slaves who escaped and history revelation of Black Consciousness and manifestation in Brazil. Through epic distant journey for political rights, adventure is revealed through the quilombos, who are the communities of escaped slaves ...

The Pursuit Of Happiness Summary

Movie is a form of art just like literature, music and paintings but movie is much beyond that. Movie is a pictorial representation of a story one reads in a book. Movie is an expression of life in motion as one sees in paintings. Movie is a medley of colors and sound which provide a gateway to its audience from all the worries of life for a short while. Movie is a means of escape from the reality of life to find solace in something more cheerful. During Great Depression when people were bogged down with the distressing economic condition of the country, many Americans find something ...

Plot Summary

In Birdman, A unsuccessful actor, Riggan Thomson, who some years back was an iconic super-hero, fights his egocentric life and challenges to make amends with the family, the lost career and his own life just days before the opening of a new work; the Broadway. Riggan Thomson is a famous actor who 20 years ago had played the superhero role in a film dubbed "Birdman". In his middle-age life, he struggles to direct a debut on Broadway, in a play titled ‘What We Talk about When We Talk about Love’. The efforts of the assistant, the daughter Sam, and ...

“Psycho” is one of the most horrifying movies by Alfred Hitchcock. Although there were no grandiose shots, Hitchcock was able to invoke horror and thrill among the audience because of how he presented the crime scene and how he provided close ups of the victims. The black and white screen adds more horrifying effect and delivers an eerie atmosphere. Hitchcock introduces the viewers to the film’s characters and invites them to enter their world through consistent close up shots. By doing so, the audience establishes a much closer contact with the character and they seem to observe his/her experience ...

Movie review of “2001: A Space Odyssey”

Majestic “Space Odyssey” (the genre precisely defined already in the name of the movie) directed by the then only 39-year-old Kubrick acquires over time even larger importance. None of the experienced fans of cinema has got doubt that this film – is not just an outstanding creation, but also a genuine milestone in the science fiction genre, and in the history of world cinema. Kubrick's achievement is unique because he managed in one theatrical film to capture considerable number of key problems of human civilization – ranging from the distant past up to the XXI century, which seemed to be so fantastic ...

ABSTRACT

During the last decade, Asian horror cinema has seen a surge in popularity throughout the world, especially in western countries. Traditionally, Japan has dominated the Asian horror cinema, but recently Hong Kong and South Korea have emerged as major powerhouses in the genre. Majority of these movies have enjoyed international success. Moreover, many of these movies have been adapted and remade by Hollywood. As the genre continues to grow, there is a need to understand the social conditions, cultural values, and cinematic traditions which influence the horror movies from Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore. In particular, ...

What is Bollywood and Hollywood?

Bollywood and Hollywood both have many similarities and differences in regards to their portrayal of romance in film. The term “Bollywood” is defined as, “films produced by the Mumbai film industry, primarily in the Hindi language, distributed across the normal commercial film circuits of northern India, and containing song and dance item numbers as an integral part of the plot.” (Brief History). Hollywood film is defined as, “the cinema of the United States since the early 20th century.” (Brief History).

Nationalism

Bollywood differs from Hollywood because it incorporates three different characteristics: nationality, censorship, and music(Brief History). These three concepts ...

The 2005 film, Constantine explores the ideas of heaven and hell and their impact on the day to day lives of the people on Earth. In terms of its success, the film was, financially, a big one and took a total of $230,884,728 at the box office. However, it was greeted by a mixed reaction from critics and audiences alike – this was largely due to the film being based on a popular comic book series entitled Hellblazer. The film tells the story of John Constantine, a man who is able to see demons and angels at work on Earth and takes on ...

Introduction

In 1998, Steven Spielberg directed a World War 2 film showing the events that happened during the Normandy invasion. The film was called “saving Private Ryan” and was based in Normandy and some parts of France. Screen play for the film was done by Rodat Robert with main actors being Tom Hanks as Captain John Miller, Tom Sizemore as Mike Hovarth, Barry Pepper as Daniel Jackson, Adam Goldberg as Stanley ‘Fish’ Mellish, Vin Diesel as Adrian Carpazo, Giovanni Ribisi as Irwin Wade, Jeremy Davis as Timothy Upham, and Matt Damon as Private James Rayan. The movie was produced to depict a ...

The Oscar-nominated film ‘12 years a slave’ stands as an epitome amongst all the period films which have their central theme based on the plight of slaves in America. This review aims at assessing the various aspects of the film which made it a huge success and a matter of adulation for the global cinema lovers.
The content of the film is extremely well crafted via using an autobiographical account which makes it perfectly competent for its plot(Cameron and Belau 227). The most interesting part of the film is that the story focuses on the most traumatic and ...

We would like to analyze the American film, directed by Antoine Fuqua in 2001. The film is called “Training Day”. In that there are starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. The exact genre of the film is very difficult to define. We would attribute it directly to the symbiosis of the three genres namely, a thriller, a drama and crime ("Training Day (2001)", n.d.).
We will briefly convey the essence of the movie, and then we would like to research how the film demonstrates leadership and influence. And so, it is the the first day at service for a ...

“Once” is an art-house modern-day musical that describes a period in life of British street-musician and an immigrant from Czech republic. The film was produced in 2006, and two main roles are performed not by experienced actors, but by professional musicians. The movie was directed by John Carney, and two main roles were taken by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.

This movie is not a typical love-story, and every minute of it is full of outstanding emotions and tender feelings between heroes. A well-known movie-critic Roger Ebert gave a positive comment about a film. “It's one of those films where you hold ...

Genre: Suspense

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: James Stewart, Kim Novak
Objective Analysis: (give a few examples and provide text to support your examples)
Visual component (such as the art direction, camera angles and movement, cinematography, lighting, visual style, etc.):
Hitchcock’s visual style is tense and scary, with great use of focus and top-down shots to get the feeling of Jimmy Stewart’s “vertigo.” The visual style of the opening sequence is dreamlike and unsettling, as is the dream sequence he has halfway through the movie. It really gives the feeling of losing your grip on reality.
...

- The film genre expectations are subverted in the manner to which an expected judicial process for the Huntsville convicts at long run does not take place. In a high profile, the genre blends action, adventure, crime and faction types of genres. Action is through the Adventure, with a risky turn. Adventure is through an epic distant journey in escape of crime on the offense being committed by the convicts escaping.
- In comparing and contrasting three cultural types, of criminal, legal and religious, Butch, Phillip and Red are of importance. Butch represents the true criminal culture through his actions ...

In Susan Hayward’s summary of David Bordwell in “Classical Hollywood Cinema,” the author relates how the dominant ideology of American culture in the 1930s and 1940s was often conveyed in the films of the era. This particular genre of film follows a narrative tendency towards literalism and dramatic formula over nuance and complexity: “The narrative of [classical Hollywood cinema] reposes upon the triad ‘order/disorder/order-restored,’ also known as disruption/resolution” (Hayward 82). Through these styles of filmmaking, a consistent, accessible reality is created in which to impart the dominant ideology of the time. In the case of The Best Years of Our ...

Secrets and Lies (1996)
This movie focuses on the life and struggle of one woman in finding truths in her life. After her adoptive mama passes away; Hortense (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), a triumphant black eye physician, searches for her birth mother. She is surprised when her investigation leads her to a plebeian white woman, Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn). Initially, Cynthia denies the claim, but she finally admits to birthing Hortense as an adolescent, and the pair begins to bond. Nevertheless, when Cynthia invites Hortense to a relative’s barbecue, Cynthia's already nervous relationship with her kin becomes even more complex. The film is ...

Introduction

Easy Rider is one of the hallmark films of Hollywood. It defines a cultural period as this important film established filmmaking styles and attitudes. Aside from its cinematography, it also launched a guerilla style of independent filmmaking with very controlled and smooth studio film cinematography. Principally, this film featured a very remarkable soundtrack. Easy Rider was one of the first films that used the popular music during that period. The film also featured musicians such as Steppenwolf, The Byrds and Jimi Hendrix. The rock and roll background gave a more enriched narration and storytelling. The musical pieces featured by the film also made ...

Enter The Dragon was Bruce Lee’s last film before his death in 1973. It was the first Warner Bros’ Chinese martial arts film. Lee’s intention was to express his Chinese culture. The film comprises of three main characters; Lee who is recruited by an organization to investigate Han’s drug trade, Roper who to hide himself from the mafia because of gambling debts and Williams who is harassed by racist police officers. The film is an action that has a lot of wrestling and the intended motive achieved through fighting.
Braithwaite, from British intelligence approached Lee for ...

Film/novel; Winter's Bone/Winter's Bone Daniel Woodrell/Debra Granik

‘Hope” is the beauty and the very essence of life. A day follows a night, every sunset is followed by sunrise, light at the end of the tunnel – you can ramble on and on so forth. Art in any form, be it a painting, a literary work or a movie is supposed to celebrate the gift of life and most of the time it does. Every fairy tale has a happy ending, a lovely piece of melody fills us with joy of living and a beautiful painting reminds us about the existence of God.
But novels and movies cannot always be preaching how good conquers ...

The movie “V for Vendetta,” directed by James McTeigue, follows the actions of a freedom fighter who operates under the alias “V” and uses guerrilla tactics to oppose the totalitarian regime established in England. When he rescues Evey Hammond from the secret police, he also gains an accomplice.
James McTeigue, the director of “V for Vendetta,” entered the film industry during the 1980s, and he became an assistant director in 1991. He was an assistant director known for participating in the creation of “The Matrix” series and “Star Wars Episode II.” The movie “V for Vendetta” was his debut ...

A Critical Review of David Michod’s Animal Kingdom (2010)
In our everyday lives, most of us do not spend too much time thinking about organized crime or the people who are actively involved in this very distinct lifestyle. This is the theme that is explored in David Michod’s Animal Kingdom (2010), but director who made his directorial debut with this film adds a different twist. Michod’s film is an exploration of how normal society is pervaded by the criminal world, and how our daily lives continuously come in contact with the criminal world but we never ...

Analysis: “Out of the Past”

Out of the Past is one of the classics of the American film noir genre, staring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer and Kirk Douglas in one of the classic twisted plots that is a hallmark of this milieu. Joe Stephanos is searching for Jeff Bailey, who has enamored local girl Ann Miller, but who has also attracted the suspicions of the law – and of Ann’s father. Stephanos finds Bailey and takes him to see Whit Sterling, who has been hunting for him, over a matter of $40,000. Bailey and one of his former loves had swindled Sterling out of the ...

Japanese horror films through the years had made astounding contribution to the movie industry and to the horror genre in particular. One of the notable directors of great Japanese horror flicks is Kurosawa Kiyoshi who is often compared to Andrei Tarkovsky and Stanley Kubrick in terms of directing style and influence. Most of his films are focused on ho a general society affects an individual and how the society also reacts to adverse irrational and disintegrated social mechanisms. Japanese horror movies are not typical to the usual western made fright movies. As observed from many western horrors movies, they incorporate ...

Feminism in Movies: Just Wright

Introduction

Decades after Mary Wollstonecraft began the suffrage movement, women’s liberation is in its third wave and has changed its style with feminists shedding the image of bra-burning activists to one of “the woman on the top” (Britannica Encyclopedia). According to prolific feminist studies writer Susan J. Douglas, as advocated by the British female pop group, Spice Girls, feminism has become a dirty word, and girl power has become the acceptable way to think and speak of strong women (2010). Feminists are no longer women clad in baggy clothes striving for better recognition and respect for their gender. In the ...

“Shake hands with the devil” is an adaptation film on Romeo Dallaire's autobiography, which gives details of his personal journey during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. This movie was produced in 2007, after the writer visited Rwanda in 2004 to commemorate the 10 years of the genocide (Shake Hands with the Devil).

The main objective of this film is that it gives details of how the genocide in Rwanda could have been prevented if the United Nations, U.S. and French had honored Dallaire's request for more aid. According to the movie, this has been known to be one of the ...

In Daybreakers, the world has fallen victim to a plague that has turned everyone into vampires, giving them rule over society. Because so much of the population consists of vampires, however, the supply of blood is running out, and scientists are working around the clock to find a blood substitute before there is no more human blood left. Over the course of the movie, Ethan Hawke’s character, a hematologist, falls in with a small pack of humans hiding from the vampires and attempting to find a cure for vampirism, which he eventually discovers. Daybreakers, despite being a low-rent science fiction horror movie on the ...