"Battleship Potemkin" Review

By Trey Smith

The great question today in regards to Sergei M. Eisenstein's legendary silent epic "Battleship Potemkin" is whether or not the film still retains its greatness today. Is this a timeless c-lassic that will continue to inspire the down-trodden for still many generations to come, or is it merely a respected relic that has lost its teeth? I think the answer is somewhere in between. This is clearly still an important film historically, both cinematically and in regards to the Communist revolution. However, with time it has lost its effectiveness as a moving narrative, there is just no resonance left in the cries of freedom shouted from the deck of the Potemkin and the streets of Odessa.

The film opens with a expose of the horrible conditions plaguing the crew aboard the Potemkin and the tyrannical response of the ship's officers when the crew bring these issues to them. Besides deplorable sleeping and living conditions and grueling work, the crew must suffer through meat that is so rotten maggots can be seen crawling across it. The ship's doctor clears the meat and claims that the maggots are already dead, even though we can see they are very much alive. When a section of the crew refuses to eat the captain orders them all shot. This order is the tipping point and very quickly the officers are tossed overboard and crew takes over the ship.

The call for an end to oppression reaches across the waves and finds harbor in the minds of the working c-lass in the seaport of Odessa. Their outrage is planted with the seed of the dead seaman who started the mutiny on the Potemkin and was killed by the officers. His body acts as sort of an altar for revolution and unites the town against the government. This all culminates in a brutal slaying of the townspeople on the Odessa Staircase.

This scene is easily the best of the film and perhaps the only one that still feels relevant today. Seeing the people slaughtered without mercy or provocation is still a horrifying sight. The death of the sailor failed to inspire any emotion in me, his demise rang just as hollow as his cries for revolution. However, seeing the mother pick up her dead child and carry him up the stairs toward the marching soldiers only to be shot down is powerful stuff. Still to this day that is a shocking image.

Just as powerful is the mother trying to protect her carriage bound infant from the onslaught of bullets. She stands frozen, unsure of what she can do; instinct has taken over, a desperate need to protect her child. She too is murdered by the soldiers, and the carriage tumbles down the stair, dooming the baby to the same fate. Here Eisenstein reminds us that in revolution the bullets that spill the blood of men do not know innocence.

The rest of the film fails to capture potency of this sequence; it only manages to impress with the sharp camerawork of Eisenstein. This is a powerfully shot film, with images that are good enough to be hung on the wall in glass frames. Though the death of the sailor is weak, the image of him pathetically breathing his last breath while hanging from a rope just above the beating waves is so good that it is almost moving solely because of how it is shot. There is also an incredible shot of lion statues edited together to make it seem as if the beast is raising its head, raising it to the call of revolution. That right there is great filmmaking; a brilliant use of visuals to express meaning.

Another key scene worth mentioning, though not out of praise, is the finale of the film. There is a very well done sequence building up to the climax, which is set up to be a naval battle against the Admiral's squadron. We see the men of the Potemkin waiting with bated breath for the fleet to arrive, peering through the fog into the blackness of the night for even a hint of their enemy. When the squadron does finally arrive we are treated to a tension rich montage of the troops preparing for battle. We see guns being loaded and men being rushed to the deck, certain of their impending death. The Potemkin is ready and charges headfirst into battle.

But wait! Lower the guns! The comrades have taken over the enemy fleet as well! Hooray! Communism for everyone! While I do admire such a quick change of mood that stands in contrast to the constant need for an epic final battle, I can't help but find this sequence rendered laughable by the cold passage of time. I actually found myself yearning for something more powerful and inspiring. Yes, I'm sure this was very effective at rousing the audience to the cry of communism when the film was first released, but now it rings just as hollow as other historical propaganda films.

There is no doubt that this is still an important film, but the propaganda has lost steam and the message is dull and rusted. One powerful sequence isn't enough to make the whole great, it's just enough to warrant the film a watch. This film just doesn't matter much anymore. It's a work meant for those who love film and wish to experience all its history, or perhaps a student of the Russian revolution. Eisenstein is no doubt an important figure in both Soviet and cinematic history, but this film may no longer be his masterpiece.

3/5

"Do the Right Thing" Review

By Trey Smith

Even over twenty years after its original release, Spike Lee's controversial film "Do the Right Thing" still manages to raise eyebrows and invite accusations of anti-white propaganda leveled towards its out-spoken director. It's not hard to see why; Lee still makes headlines with his accusatory comments and is no stranger to stirring up the pot with cries of racial injustice. However, just as racism is bred from ignorance, so is blind hatred of this film, which seems to mostly come from people who haven't even seen it in the first place. Such ignorance is exactly why you should give this still very relevant film a chance.

The movie opens on the morning of a dangerously hot summer day in a predominantly black neighborhood in Brooklyn. The center of this story is a young black man named Mookie, played by Lee himself, who works at a local pizzeria run by an Italian-American, Sal (Danny Aiello). There is obvious tension between Mookie and his boss, which isn't helped by Sal's angry and very racist son, Pino (John Turturro). In the heat of the day this tension begins to simmer to a boiling point when a black customer amusingly called Buggin Out (Giancarlo Esposito) gets upset over the lack of African Americans on the Wall of Fame in the pizzeria. This event, combined with several others on this very hot day seems to be building up to an explosion that can only end in violence.

The most wonderful thing about this film is that even though it is very clear that things are heating up on this one block, the film doesn't really dwell on it or even go beyond subtly hinting how serious it could get. The day just goes by as it normally would, with three old men talking on the corner complaining about various things and each other, Mookie making his deliveries and trying to please a demanding girlfriend, and Sal trying to keep is bickering kids from driving him nuts. Everything feels like it is just another day in the neighborhood and this is key to illustrating Lee's ultimate point.

He infuses these everyday scenes with humor and inventive filmmaking that still feels very fresh today (even if the dated clothing looks like it was wrangled from a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air wardrobe closet). Using this unique approach for a movie dealing with such a serious issue as racism, Lee guides, or perhaps fools, his audience into trusting him that this isn't just another heavy-handed lecture film on racial issues, which leaves them wide open for the hit coming in the finale. It happens so fast that you don't really see it coming. One minute, the day seems to be coming to a very normal conclusion and the next, BAM, things quickly spiral violently out of control.

This is why it is so important that the day feels so normal through much of the film. Yes, we certainly feel things bubbling beneath the surface, but if Lee would have made you constantly aware of it his message would have lost a lot of its poignancy.

When things do finally explode, I truly began to realize how brilliant this film is. It is clear that Lee isn't taking sides along white or black lines; he's taking the side of brotherhood no matter the race. Neither the white nor black characters are made to villains, nor are any of them particularly painted as heroes save for a few characters. However, the fate that ultimately befalls Sal and his pizzeria feel a little unjustified, just as much as the death of another character. Though Lee is asking us to look beyond the damage of property and instead to the brutal murder that both results from the chaos and sparks more, it's hard to turn our head from one side to the other without asking, "Which is more wrong?"

In other words, who is in the right?

No one is. And though I originally took issue with the way Lee handles Sal's fate, the more I think on it the less of a problem I have. Lee didn't want to make it easy for me or anyone else to figure out. There is no clear answer, no sign pointing to what is right; a pitfall that so many message movies find themselves stumbling into. I applaud any movie that has me questioning my original interpretation of it. Such an achievement for a movie like this is what every filmmaker with something important to say should strive for. We don't need the answers fed to us; we need the issues presented to us in a thoughtful and mature way and have the director ask, "Who did the right thing?" If the answer is the hero, you've failed. If the wrong answer is the supposed villain, you've still failed.

Lee doesn't give us those answers, he shows us that during any ordinary day things can turn ugly and racial tensions can erupt even among people who aren't ordinarily racist. Veteran actor Ossie Davis plays a drunken black man known as Da Mayor who very early on tells Mookie to do the right thing. Mookie isn't racist, neither is Sal, really. Neither of them are bad people. However, they both fail to take heed to Da Mayor's sagely advice. Lee's point here is clear: when we fail to do the right thing, bad things happen.

The ultimate question is: can you set aside your own prejudices and watch this film with an open mind? Throw all preconceptions you have of what it may be based on Spike Lee or what this type of movie usually is. Because I assure you, it isn't. It's entertaining and more often than not hilariously funny. It has a very unique s-tyle and flow to it that frankly makes it very easy to get caught up in the story. Once Lee has you, he slaps you across the face and asks you not would you do the right thing, but are you capable of it? Are you really capable of not making the same mistakes the characters in this movie make? Understanding this movie for what it truly is is a good first step.

5/5

Here is a list of my favorite directors of all time. The primary criteria for this list is filmmaker's who have inspired me in some way or another the most, since creating one based primarily on movies I like would have to much longer. Maybe some day.

This list is in no particular order.

Stanley Kubrick-

Kubrick was the master filmmaker as far as I'm concerned. When I watch one of his films I see a man who is in complete control and knows precisely what he wants. The thing that stuns me the most about that is that he always gets it. Every shot is perfect, every camera move makes sense, and it all comes together to create a beautiful, beautiful whole. So many wannabe filmmakers go to film school to learn the craft, but honestly, it's all available to them at the cost of obtaining Kubrick's films. Watch his work and you'll see how movies are made.

Akira Kurosawa-

Widely acclaimed as being the best Japanese director of all time, such a title is too small for this man. Akira Kurosawa is one of the best directors of all time...period. Kurosawa's strength was making films from an intensely human perspective. All of them deal with the struggles we face, whether exaggerated in great historical epics or made gritty and realistic in stories that take place in Japanese slums, he always wove tales that arerelatable, sometimes frighteningly so. Kurosawa was an artist in the truest sense; his shots flow like paintings and his compositions are brilliant and beautiful.

Ingmar Bergman-

Bergman is one of the few filmmaker's that I feel comfortable with calling a philosopher. His films were always intensely personal and deeply provocative. Ranging from dealing with religion, death, life, love, happiness, child hood, marriage, and a plethora of other experiences we understand to be deeply human, Bergman always had something to say and what he said is still worth hearing today. As a director his shots are frequently powerful, evoking emotion simply with what he is showing us, making what is going on in them all the more effective.

Alfred Hitchcock-

Francois Truffaut once said something to the effect that if cinema suddenly lost sound again, Hitchcock would be the only filmmaker we still call great. That statement is evidence of the power of Hitchcock's prowess as a filmmaker. Though the majority of his films are indeed sound films, you could mute them all and understand everything that is going on. Filmmaking is a visual medium and Hitchcock understood that. Though his characters are speaking lines, he didn't need dialogue to show us what he wanted us to know or feel, he didn't rely on it to convey his stories.

Jean-Luc Godard-

One of the founders of the so called French New Wave, Godard was something of a rebel from the very beginning. Though he admired cinema to the point of obsession, he struck out to do something different than what he regarded as the rules set in stone by its past. This approach was met with varying levels of success, but when he did manage to succeed he did so in spades. What I admire most about him is how devoted he is to sticking to his guns and never wavering from his unique (and sometimes ego possessed) vision of how he wants to make movies. Sometimes his pretension leaks out a bit too heavily into his films, but even then I always feel involved and entertained by the stories he tells. And when Godard is at his best, moved and challenged as well.

Francois Truffaut-

If Godard was the rough outer edges of the French New Wave, Truffaut was the heart and center of it. Truffaut's first feature film The 400 Blows, which was, in his words, part autobiographical and part biographical, burst onto the scenes at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival and announced the revolution in cinema with the force of a bomb. Unlike Godard, Truffaut always strived to tell films in the traditional sense, but to make them more personal and add an atmosphere of realism he felt was lacking in the stuffy post-war French cinema productions. Truffaut was a great director and his films are always moving and have a unique and delicate flow and humor about them that only he could do. Whether telling tragedy or light-hearted gangster romps, his films are always a joy to behold. It's truly a shame we lost him too early.

Andrei Tarkovsky-

Like Truffaut, Tarkovsky was a master filmmaker that we lost much too soon. Constatlyfighting against the tyranical Soviet government to make his films, Tarkovsky always struggled to get his unique and thoughtful vision up onto the screen. Tarkovsky's films always have a very precise pace, something most movie goers find too slow and dull. Personally, I find the pacing in his films to be both sublime and refreshing. Tarkovsky knows he is always showing us something worth seeing and so it is easy for me to forgive and revel in his lingering shots. It also helps that the images he paints on the screen are always beautiful and usually haunting. I challenge anyone to find a great number of shots that are on par with those he crafted in his films Solaris and Stalker. Though I've only seen two of his films, he deserves to be on my top ten directors list on the strength of them alone.

David Lean-

Sir David Lean directed my favorite movie of all time, The Bridge on the River Kwai, so that should be reason enough as to why I put him on my list, but I guess I should say more. What I love about Lean is his ability to take films that are presented on a grand scale and still make them feel intensely personal. Though the aforementioned Kwai is certainly an epic film centered on a WWII Japanese run POW camp, it never loses focus on the characters and the unique challenges they must surmount, both in the thick, unforgiving jungle and within. Lawrence of Arabia, his film after Kwai, is the culmination of this talent. Though it is a war epic taking place amongst the sands of Arabia, in reality it is a film about one man, British solider T.E. Lawrence. And even though there are battles and charges and huge set pieces, the film never loses sight of that.

William Wyler-

To me, Wyler is the greatest "Hollywood" director to ever step behind the camera. Unlike other greats who often get stuck (usually unfairly) with being proficient in one or two genres, Wyler could direct any type of film and make it great. He did westerns, he did historical dramas, he did romantic comedies, he did gangster films, he did epics...he did, well, pretty much everything. What is so great though is that he always did them so damn well. Wyler never once stopped making mature, thoughtful films throughout his whole career, again, no matter the genre. Though Wyler's form is subtle and he chose to remain invisible as a director rather than lavish in complex shots, it is very easy to notice his personal stamp: quality pictures. That's what it's all about, right?

Orson Welles-

Welles is the most tragic director on this list. He started out his career with an astounding bang, directing what is widely hailed as the best movie of all time, Citizen Kane, right off the bat. The follow up was to be his true masterpiece though, an adaptation of Booth Tarkington's turn of the century drama, The Magnificent Ambersons. However, the film was yanked away from Welles in the cutting process and edited down from his original vision to one that suited the pockets of the studio execs. It's a prime example of Welles extraordinary and truly genius ability that the film is still as great as Citizen Kane. Welles crafted some of the most incredible shots of all time in those films, taking the then new invention of deep focus photography to its peak along with cinematographer Gregg Toland. That he directed these two masterpieces in his mid-twenties never ceases to amaze me. The word genius is thrown around a lot by critics and cinema lovers, but Welles is one of the few, maybe the only, who deserves the title.

Yep. My gaming rig is now home to the recently released GTX 560 Ti. Beast mode activated.

Click the link for my full review of the film!

The King's Speech Review by Trey Smith

With Halloween just around the corner, here is a list of my favorite horror films of all time.

10.

"The Shining"

Though not my favorite of Kubrick's oeuvre, "The Shining" is a masterpiece of horror that grows on me with each viewing. Though not scary in the traditional sense, the film always manages to chill me in way that is honestly quite difficult to explain.

9.

"John Carpenter's The Thing"

John Carpenter's "The Thing" is a rare breed of remake, in that it is superior to the original. The film's outstanding practical effects and brilliant use of a "who to trust" plot structure it one of the few in the sci-fi horror sub-genre that manages to scare me no matter how many times I watch it.

8.

"Halloween"

Another John Carpenter favorite. "Halloween" is the best slasher film of all time, bar none. Not only is it legitimately creepy, but it is also extremely well made and presents you with something you usually don't find in the sub-genre, characters you actually identify with and care about.

7.

"The Evil Dead"

"The Evil Dead" launched the career of Sam Raimi. It also inspired countless low budget horror movies and gave us the poster boy of B-Movie horror icons, Bruce Campbell. While not especially scary, it is ridiculously entertaining and incredibly inventive. It was one of the films that first made me fall in love with cinema.

6.

"Alien"

"Alien" is the king of all sci-fi horror. What makes the film so powerful is its reliance on atmosphere and the build up of tension, rather than showing the monster too much, to scare you. The final act of the film with Ripley, played brilliantly by Sigourney Weaver, stalking through the steam filled corridors of her doomed spaceship never fails to leave me exhausted.

5.

"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"

If "Alien" is the king of sci-fi horror, then the original "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" certainly holds that title for no-budget/low-budget horror flicks. Though not as gory as the title leads one to believe, the film is still very, very effective at being shocking and grueling to watch. Mostly thanks to the grittiness that comes from the low budget and the use of 16mm film. This film feels real.

4.

"Rosemary's Baby"

Roman Polanski's adaptation of "Rosemary's Baby," about an expectant mother who fears her child is endangered by Satanists, is probably the least frightening film on this list. Why is it so high then? Because it also one of the best. Polanski's first big Hollywood film is teeming with creepiness and his trademark slow-burn approach to building up suspense. It all culminates in one of the best and most effective endings of all time.

3.

"Psycho"

I can't imagine how shocking "Psycho" was for film goers when it was originally released in 1960. Not only did it feature a brutal murder scene, courtesy of the infamous shower scene, it dealt with the sexual serial killer, which most of America was unfamiliar with at the time. M. Night Shyamalan may be know for the twist, but he has never topped the shocking one at the end of this film.

2.

"Repulsion"

The second Roman Polanski film on my list, "Repulsion," is his first English film and quite possibly the best thing the talented filmmaker has ever given us. I don't think there is a film out there that is as effective at putting us in the mind of a girl who is very slowly losing it. The consequences of this disconnection from reality are shocking, brutal, and very frightening. I love this film.

1.

"The Exorcist"

Yep, "The Exorcist" is number one, shocking, isn't it? The tagline on the home video releases for this film tout it as the scariest film of all time and well, I don't disagree. This film scares the **** out of me. Whenever I watch it, I am almost always guaranteed to suffer a sleepless night afterward. Not only is it scary, it's incredibly well-written and masterfully directed, with strong performances and beautiful, haunting photography topping it all off. This is the essential horror film and I don't see it ever losing that title.

http://www.projectedreviews.com/2010/10/social-network-review/

Hit the link!

1. "Put Your iTunes (or other music player) on Shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write down the name of the song no matter how silly it sounds!
4. Put any comments in brackets after the song name.
5. Tag at least 10 friends.6. Anyone tagged has to do the same, because fun pointlessness spreads like a virus."

Let's Begin!

1.If someone says, "Is this okay?" You say

Spring Break 1899 (Murder by Death)

2. How would you describe yourself?

Sexy Sadie (The Beatles) :lol:

3.What do you like in a guy/girl?

Clients (Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker OST)

4.How do you feel today?

Tirez Sur Le Pianiste-L'Arbois (Le Cinema De Francois Truffaut)

5.What is your life's purpose?

Brown Sugar (The Rolling Stones)

6.What is your motto?

Airbag (Radiohead)

7.What do your friends think of you?

I Didn't Know I'd Love You So Much (Repo! The Genetic Opera OST)

8.What do you think of your parents?

Piano Sonata No.11 (The Very Best of Mozart)

9.What do you think about very often?

You Never Give Me Your Money (The Beatles)

10.What is 2 + 2?

Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel)

11.What do you think of your best friend?

Infected (Repo! The Genetic Opera OST) :lol:

12.What do you think of the person you like?

Mission Briefing (Metal Gear Solid 3 OST)

13.What is your life story?

Night Surgeon (Repo! The Genetic Opera) :lol: Wow.

14.What do you want to be when you grow up?

19th Nervous Breakdown (The Rolling Stones)

15.What do you think of when you see the person you like?

Fitter Happier (Radiohead)

16.What will you dance to at your wedding?

Something (The Beatles) (This is actually possible. :o )

17.What will they play at your funeral?

Yours Truly, 2095 (Electronic Light Orchestra)

18.What is your hobby/interest?

Song For The Asking (Simon and Garfunkel)

19.What is your biggest fear?

I Talk to the Wind (King Crimson)

20.What is your biggest secret?

Infinite Legends (Two Steps From Hell)

21.What do you think of your friends?

Epitaph (King Crimson)

22.What will you put as the title?

Legal Assassin (Repo! The Genetic Opera)

1. The Bridge on the River Kwai

2. Citizen Kane

3. A Clockwork Orange

4. The Magnificent Ambersons

5. Raging Bull

6. The Godfather

7. The Godfather Part II

8. Chinatown

9. High and Low

10. The 400 Blows

11. Lawrence of Arabia

12. Rear Window

13. 2001: A Space Odyssey

14. Breathless

15. Repulsion

16. Sunset Blvd.

17. Easy Rider

18. 8 1/2

19. Casablanca

20. Inherit the Wind

21. Black Narcissus

22. Goodfellas

23. Paths of Glory

24. The Best Years of Our Lives

25. Sherlock Jr.

26. Dr. Strangelove

27. Taxi Driver

28. The Conversation

29. Vertigo

30. From Here to Eternity

31. The Exorcist

32. Double Indemnity

33. M

34. Unforgiven

35. A Place in the Sun

36. Ikiru

37. The Searchers

38. Wild Strawberries

39. Seven Samurai

40. The Big Country

41. Jaws

42. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

43. Aguirre: The Wrath of God

44. Five Easy Pieces

45. On the Waterfront

46. Jules and Jim

47. The Vanishing

48. In a Lonely Place

49. Memories of Murder

50. Lost in Translation

www.projectedreviews.com

:D