downwest

Member since 12/13/2007, last signed in awhile ago.

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Personal statement: I am a former high school film student, and I've grown to love film.

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Re:Too much power to the director?
By downwest in Directors
"It seriously does depend on the film being made and the people making them.Take, for example, Akira Kurosawa. If you read up on him you'll find almost horror stories about how much he dictated what was being shot. He'd wait for the right weather, he'd try and get rivers to flow upstream (I really don't know if that in particular is true) but the lengths he would go to composing shots is really astounding, and not very common nowadays. For example, a close-up wasn't just a close-up, he'd use activity in the environment (wind, light reflecting off water) to reflect the situation or the thoughts/emotions of the subject being shot. Seven Samurai, considered his classic, took over a year to actually film, from what I understand. But yes, as a director Kurosawa took his position very seriously and though some at the time might have thought he overvalued it, it really paid off in the end. Of course, the Japanese actor famous for working with Kurosawa the most was T ... " [More]

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

Execute Order 66
By downwest in downwest Blog
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"This film is about what made Episodes IV, V, and VI into what they are all about. In the end we realize that after six installments, Star Wars is about the tragedy and redemption of Anakin Skywalker. Ultimately I think we're supposed to realize that Anakin Skywalker is a demi-god, and a failed demi-god at that, of the Force, born of the Force, and led to the dark side by an essence of pure evil and becomes Sith lord Darth Vader. He in the end achieves his redemption and is reborn through his offspring, and as the prophecy fortold, Anakin Skywalker, The Chosen One, brings balance to the Force. This particular film is about the tragedy of Anakin's fall into darkness, which leads to the rise of a dictatorship and the defeat of democracy. Overall I think it was visually and musically well-done, as much as people like to rag on the performances and all that. " [More]

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

A visual feast
By downwest in downwest Blog
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"Probably one of the more visually accomplished of the installments, particularly the innovation in making a digital Yoda, such that he brandishes his lightsaber in the chapter's awe-inspiring climax. At the same time it is the installment of all six that feels most in tune with a 1930's serial, of which the style of all episodes are based on. The acting itself is not exactly memorable but it is the sensual essence of the film, the story propelled by stunning visuals and audio and score, that will forever remain prevailant in our recollections of the six episodes that make up the film we know as Star Wars. " [More]

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Every film with an end has a be ...
By downwest in downwest Blog
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"Now that many years have passed since the first release of Episode IV, George Lucas was finally able to get his vision of the beginning of Star Wars on film. In many ways I'd say it's just as fully realized for George Lucas as the very first film people fell in love with. Technologically, it's quite a feast, from visuals to sound, particularly the podrace scenes. The problem with something like Star Wars is that people expect to be blown away just as much by (or more than) this one as they were with Episode IV. I think if people took Lucas' whole vision into context they'd come to appreciate each installment more. " [More]

American Graffiti

George Lucas before Star Wars
By downwest in downwest Blog
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"A well-crafted cult film about teen life in the 1960s. Well-written, directed, shot, and performed. " [More]

Return of the Jedi

You were right about me
By downwest in downwest Blog
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"Some don't like what was done with this film, but in the context of all six installments I think it was a decent conclusion. I also want to highlight this episode has one of the greatest cinematographic moments in the six installments, when Darth Vader decides to test Luke Skywalker's faith and use of the Force, to lure him to the dark side. " [More]

The Empire Strikes Back

No title of mine for this revie ...
By downwest in downwest Blog
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"The saga continues with this visually bold chapter to the tale of Star Wars. Irvin Kershner and the other filmmakers really performed in delivering the dark (and bright)moments of the story. In the context of the story, this chapter has one of the most affecting lines in film history. Characters return and some are added to a tale that escalates the Galactic Civil War to new heights. " [More]

Star Wars

What started it all... that whi ...
By downwest in downwest Blog
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"Ah yes, I'll never forget when I first saw the name Star Wars flying directly away from me followed by the scrolling text driven by John Williams' rousing score, throwing us right into the high-speed chase in space. For its time A New Hope was the greatest accomplishment in science fiction and a masterwork of George Lucas' depiction of his rich vision. Of late, some have been dissatisfied with Lucas' attempt to go back and add to the film he made 30 years ago from the date of this review. I personally haven't. In my opinion, Lucas as the artist has every right to go back and make his vision more complete. That's why in filmmaking (though more short-term) you have periods called "principal photography" and "pick-ups". For those who aren't familiar with those, principal photography almost always involves the bulk of the actual filming. Pick-ups are designed to add anything that might have been missed during principal photography, and af ... " [More]

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The End of All Things
By downwest in downwest Blog
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"One of the greatest works in filmmaking comes to an inevitable and enthralling close in Return of the King. Watch all three installments in a row and you will finally get the full scope of one of the greatest epic works of fiction ever created. Here at the end of all things we find a satisfying fulfillment in everything that The Lord of the Rings is. " [More]

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Once it takes hold of us it nev ...
By downwest in downwest Blog
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"A beautifully epic installment to one of the greatest tales ever written. Everyone that made the preceding installment great made this one great in its own right, along with a few new additions to the cast. " [More]

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

We travel light. Let's hunt som ...
By downwest in downwest Blog
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"This is a highlight in filmmaking history. An absolute masterpiece in its execution and portrayal of a tale and world we only knew through words. There aren't that many films that will match up to the quality that this one exhibits. This can stand on its own apart from its original medium and the later installments as an epic quest to destroy something so small, but so destructive a thing. " [More]

Sanjuro

The path of a ronin continued
By downwest in downwest Blog
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"In many ways it seemed very different from its predecessor Yojimbo, but reminiscent of it at the same time. I saw this a while ago, along with Yojimbo, so I'll have to watch both of them again to further analyze them. " [More]