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Eugenia made some excellent points on her blog from September 27

The Great Debaters

This film is set in 1935.  It's based on a true story and stars Denzel Washington, who also directed the film.  Washington stars as a professor at Wiley College.  He is the leader of the school debate team.  The school is a negro school and Washington attempts throughout the film to express his political views through his students.  The climax of the film is when the team gets invited to debate Harvard, the leading white team in the nation.  A last minute topic change creates tension in the team as they try to write their arguments (something that Washington's character had previously done for them).  The team form Wiley college ends up winning the final debate, and the film ends this way.  The film itself is a great commentary on the time in which it is set.  One great line used in the debates is "In Texas negroes get lynched." I enjoyed the social commentary of this film and highly recommend it.

Richard III

This film is based on the play by William Shakespeare.  It stars Ian McKellan as Richard.  The story is a tale of betrayal and murder.  Richard is bent on becoming king and will stop at nothing to take the crown.  This includes murdering not only his brothers, but also his nephews.  The most interesting part  about the film is it's modern feel.  Instead of being set in medieval times the film is set around the 1930's.  Because of this Richard III is a type of Hitler character.  The film definitely portrays him as such.  Also instead of swords there are guns and instead of cannons, tanks.  What was most interesting to me is that though the scenes and characters were modernized the dialogue was not.  The characters still spoke in the tongue of Shakespeare.  This made some parts of the film slightly hard to understand.  The story is well put together and easy to follow.  I would recommend this film to any fan of Shakespeare. 

Adaptation

This film stars Nicolas Cage and Meryl Streep.  Cage plays a writer name Charlie Kaufman who is trying to write a script based on a book about flowers.  Streep plays the woman who wrote the book.  As Kaufman tries to adapt the script he runs into a lot of problems.  The film is most interesting because of its reflexive elements.  For instance the film Kaufman is attempting to write is the film you are watching.  So, not only is the film a film about filmmaking it is a film about the making of itself.  Throughout Kaufman gives little story ideas into his tape recorder that have either been in the movie already or appear later.  Even in the end we hear a voiceover of Kaufman describing the ending as the ending is happening.  The film is credited as being written by Charlie and Donald Kaufman.  Donald is an imaginary character and as a matter of interest was the first imaginary person to be nominated for an academy award.  In the film Donald is also played by Nicolas Cage.  He represents the alter ego of the actual writer Charlie.  Throughout the film Donald is writing an outrageous script about a serial killer with multiple personalities.  In the end of the film Charlie asks Donald for help with his film, and the actual film suddenly takes a thriller twist.  The movie is filled with reflexive elements.  Too many to write in a couple of paragraphs.  I would recommend this film to anyone that is interested in screenwriting, or reflexivity.  It is a marvelous piece.

The Count of Monte Cristo

This movie is a tale of betrayal and vengeance.  It tells the story of a man betrayed by his best friend and how he gets his revenge.  Jim Caviezel plays Edmond Dantes, the man who later becomes the count of monte cristo.  His performance is excellent and very convincing.  When in prison he plays a man who is nearing insanity very well.  Richard Harris stars as a priest who was taken prisoner for disobeying orders from Napoleon.  His performance is entertaining to say the least.  The film is full of wonderful camera techniques and rich colors.  The cinematography is superb.  One particular shot that comes to mind shows a man gambling away his fortune then effortlessly zooms past him to focus on two characters watching him from the other side of the room.  Also, the final sword fight is wonderfully choreographed and well edited to give a feeling of anxiety to the audience as they watch two friends fight to the death.  This is definitely a film I would recommend watching.

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

This film is definitely not a classic martial arts film. It's more of a love story, but still has quite a few action fight scenes. The story is a bit hard to follow. And the fact that it is in Chinese and the dialogue must be read doesn't make the film easier to understand. The basic storyline is about a girl who wishes she were something else other than herself. She is a governor's daughter who wants to be a warrior. She was trained in the fighting style of the Wudan, as the film calls it, by a murdering woman who stole the secrets from a legendary Wudan warrior after killing him with poison. The young girl, Jen, is being forced into an arranged marriage and, of course, is in love with someone else. She ends up running away and to escape the life she left behind becomes a warrior by stealing a sword and picking fights with men in taverns. This being my first time seeing the film, I found it hard to understand. Perhaps a second viewing would bring more of the story together and make it more enjoyable. The film is quite different from any martial arts film I've seen. One large difference I noted was that the supposed hero of the film dies. It also focuses more on the love of two warriors, and how their love could never be rather than the fighting and winning (though there is enough of that to not disappoint). The strangest thing about the film is the character's abilities to fly based on their training in the Wudan. At some points it seems as though they are flying, though it could just be that they move so effortlessly, jumping and climbing, that it appears as though they are flying. Either way it was kind of strange. It is a film worth watching.

This Film is Not Yet Rated

This is probably the most entertaining documentary I've seen.  Filmmaker Kirby Dick takes on the MPAA to make his documentary about the rating system.  It brings up several interesting points about what gets a movie an NC-17 rating instead of an R rating.  He interviews several filmmakers whose films received NC-17 ratings.  One main theme that seemed to be in all those films was unusual sexual themes, such as homosexual sex.  Dick points out that scenes of homosexual sex gave movies NC-17 ratings while scenes shot in similar fashion of straight sex received an R rating.  The thing I found most interesting that I did not know before is that the people who rate movies are kept secret from the public.  Dick actually hires a private investigator to find out the names of the people.  The amateur PI succeeds and the names of the people are revealed in the film.  Some other topics that are covered in the film are the idea of violence vs sex.  It is brought up in the film that in Europe the ratings are exactly opposite.  In the US, the more sexual material there is in a film the harsher the rating, but in Europe films receive harsher ratings for violence.  One man in the film states that he feels the films that portray the actual results of violence should receive a lower rating and the films filled with "fantasy" violence, or violence without blood, should receive a higher rating.  He believes that teenagers should see the results of violent acts instead of being led to believe in a fantasy world where no one bleeds when they get shot.  Another point the film brings out is that the MPAA favors studio films over Independent films.  One independent filmmaker submitted his film and received an NC-17 rating.  When he asked what he could change to get an R rating he was told that the raters don't take notes so he would just have to change some things and resubmit the film for a new rating.  Later the same filmmaker submitted a film he was making in association with Paramount studio.  This time when the film received an NC-17 the MPAA provided him with specific details on what to change in order to get an R rating.  In the end of the film Dick submits his own film to the MPAA and because of the graphic sex scenes taken from various NC-17 films his film also receives an NC-17.  He then goes through the process of an appeal, where the members of the appeals board are also kept secret.  It's interesting to note that during the appeal filmmakers are not allowed to reference films with similar content that received a lower rating.  Dick again hires the PI to find out the names of the appeals board members and discovers that most are very well paid members of large production companies.  Something I found extremely interesting is that there are two clergy on the appeals board.  One is from the Catholic church and one is from the Episcopalian church.  The clergy don't actually cast a vote, but they are there to influence the vote.  It's interesting that the clergy are always from those two religions.  The board relies on two men from two specific Christian religions, to represent the morality of the nation.  Dick ends up losing his appeal and rejects the films rating, which is the right of the filmmaker, his film was released without a rating.  The film is put together very well and is very informative.  I would recommend this film to anyone who'd like to learn more about how the ratings system works, but do give the warning that it did receive an NC-17 rating before it was rejected.

The Princess Bride

This is an excellent movie.  It's full of romance, action, and comedy.  It's a family favorite.  It's hard to believe that when it originally was released it didn't do well.  It's become a classic.  The story is great.  The camera work is excellent.  The acting is superb.  There are so many wonderful lines in the script.  My personal favorite, "Have fun stormin' the castle!"  The movie is a classic fairy tale and yet it's not an ordinary fairy tale.  This is a movie that will live on through generations.

The Camera Buff

The camera buff is a film about an amateur documentary filmmaker.  The movie is roughly based on the experinces of the director Krzystof Kieslowski.  The main character Filip Mosz buys an 8mm film camera to shoot footage of his newborn daughter.  He ends up becoming a documentary filmmaker.  As the film progresses he realizes he can't make documentaries without harming people and so in the end gives up his filmmaking career.  The film is reflexive because it shows the workings of making an amateur film.  It covers the whole process of filming and editing.  Filip learns the whole process throughout the film.  It's an entertaining movie.

The Pink Panther

This is Steve Martin's remake of the classic Pink Panther films starring Peter Sellers.  While it is a funny movie it falls short of living up to the Pink Panther name.  Martin struggles in playing the character of Jacques Clouseau that Sellers perfected.  The story is well scripted.  There are many funny twists and turns.  I think the movie could have done better without Beyonce.  She didn't ruin the film.  It could have been better with a more experienced actress.  There didn't seem to be enough contention between Dreyfus and Clouseau either.  In the original films Dreyfus is driven so nutty by Clouseau that he attempts to murder him several times throughout each film.  In this film Dreyfus seems content with merely ruining Clouseau's career and embarrassing him.  The movie is good for a laugh and worth watching at least once, but for fans of Seller's Clouseau a bit of a disappointment.

Weekend

A film by Jean-Luc Godard, Weekend is a political film commenting on the rich upper class of France.  The film is about a couple, Roland and Corinne, that take a weekend to travel to her parent's to receive an inheritance.  They've been slowly poisoning her father so he would die sooner, but due to a few setbacks (car wrecks, traffic jams, a car jacking, etc) along the way they don't make it there before he dies.  The film is an expression of how horrible this upper class is.  Roland and Corinne end up murdering both of her parents in order to get more money.  In the end they get their comeuppance with Roland being killed (not to mention disemboweled) and Corinne resorting to cannibalism in order to not starve.  I found the film confusing with many hidden messages.  The characters constantly state that they are in a film giving it a kind of reflexive feel.  At one point they burn a girl because she is an "imaginary" character.  It is an interesting film in an artistic way.  I wouldn't recommend it to the normal class of film viewers.

Live Free or Die Hard

What this movie lacks in story it makes up for in action.  The story is pretty simple.  Man tries to destroy the world, another man tries to save it.  Throw in some guns, explosions and fight scenes and you've got a movie.  It falls in with the previous Die Hard films fairly well.  The movie has a very rough, straight action film feel to it.  Some scenes were surprising, for instance Bruce Willis fighting a girl.  Some of the dialogue is very rough too for instance when he explains a plan in the film Willis says, "Save my daughter, kill everyone else.''  

Living in Oblivion

This movie was extremely funny.  It's about the frustrations of low budget filmmaking.  There are three different sequences in the movie.  Each sequence deals with different problems that could arise on the set.  The first sequence deals with mostly technical issues including problems with the boom, the lights, and the camera.  At one point in the sequence the tech takes a break and the actors run through their lines.  They give the best performance of the day and the camera guy isn't there to film it.  Steve Buscemi gives an excellent performance as the director of the film.  The frustration in his face as he watches a perfect scene slip through his fingers is hysterical.  The second sequence deals with personality conflict.  In it a "star" actor who thinks he's God's gift to the film industry destroys a scene by insisting on alterations that he thinks are improvements.  The last sequence is a mesh between the two with a dwarf who calls the director out for being stereotypical by casting a dwarf as a dwarf.  The dwarf's outburst comes after the smoke machine for the sequence explodes.  This movie is definitely an eye opener for future filmmakers on the process of movie making.

A Beautiful Mind

This movie is a touching story about a man with schizophrenia.  John Nash is the main character of the film.  It documents his struggles with the disorder and how he overcomes it.  The movie itself is stunning.  The cinematography is amazing.  Camera movements and positioning keep the film interesting as the story progresses.  The film also has many aspects of the action thriller.  There is even a great chase scene.  Russell Crowe gives a stunning performance as John Nash.  He is very convincing in his role and gives the viewer a good sense of what it would be like to suffer from schizophrenia.  One of my favorite scenes is a scene where John finally realizes how to tell the difference between reality and fantasy.  It brings all of his delusions together with his wife and is actually the first time in the movie where we see the perspective of someone else rather than simply from John.  It's basically the first scene where we notice that other people really aren't seeing the people John sees.  I would recommend this movie to anyone.

The Stunt Man

The Stunt Man is a movie about a vietnam vet who, through an interesting turn of events becomes a stunt double in a movie about World War I. The movie is fun to watch because it draws you in to its cinematic qualities while showing you the inner workings of Hollywood. For example a scene in the movie involves a stunt man running across the rooftops of a building, dodging bullets and fighting off soldiers. The scene is presented as if it were shot in one continuous shot though in actuality it would not be. This draws you in to the story of the film. Then you see men being thrown off buildings to land on giant inflated pads below, showing you that this is a movie and none of the men are actually getting hurt. It gives the viewer a nice sense of how the movie was shot yet still flows well enough to create a fantasy world you can get lost in.

The Player

Robert Altman's stab at Hollywood is a delight for movie watchers. This film is full of reflexivity as it portrays the inner workings of a Hollywood movie production company. Tim Robbins stars as Griffin Mill, a movie executive that's been receiving death threats from a writer that he promised to get back to, but never did. The film is Altman's attempt to expose the corrupt dealings of Hollywood production companies. It's his way of showing that the industry's only goal is to "make a buck" and that they don't care about the art of film. This is clearly shown when the film pitched within the movie, "Habeus Corpus", which was meant to have no stars and a tragic ending, is changed to sell more tickets and make more money. Even the writer, who was very adamant about the artisitic style of his movie, sold out to make his fortune. In fact, the one woman who protested the changes was fired. The film definitely points out the flaws of the Hollywood system and is a great film for viewers and filmmakers alike

Characteristics of the Internet

The internet is a most fascinating medium. What makes it so interesting is that it's constantly changing. Not only does the technology of the internet continue to improve, but it can be changed and formed by people like you and me. Anyone can get on and add something of interest. Like right now for instance I'm writing a blog and changing the face of the internet.
The internet is also very versatile. You can simply type words to express your ideas, or you can post pictures for a visual of your ideas. The thing I like the most is the ability to watch video. Nothing's better than visuals combined with sounds and words to create a story. The internet has infinite possibilities in communication.