Bowfinger

As a child I grew up watching Cheaper by the Dozen with Steve Martin. Surprisingly I've barely heard of any other movies starring him. But this one was a very good one in my opinion. This was a very creative movie it was basically a movie being directed inside of a movie without the supposed biggest movie star, "Kit Ramsey" knowing he was in the movie. The con artist Bowfinger basically lied and tried to trick everyone and anyone to get his way. Even his workers and closest friends got the best of his tricks when it came down to it. For example when he told them he got Kit to star in the movie because the big time producer said if he got Kit he had a movie but he really didn't have him. He went to his house and everything and lied about basically everything there too and still couldn't get him but told his workers he did so they wouldn't be disappointed and he didn't look like a failure. My favorite movie genre is comedy and that's probably why I enjoyed this movie more then some of the other movies we've watched this year. The only thing I wondered would be his family life and stuff like that like how come Bowfinger only was shown at his work and never anywhere else what was his family life like did he not have one. Those are some questions I would have for the directors and change other then that I liked this movie a lot.

Fruitvale Station - A Powerful Vehicle for an Important Message

Fruitvale Station is a biopic/drama film both written and directed by Ryan Coogler. Telling the story of Oscar Grant III, as he lives the final day of his life before being shot and killed by BART police in the early hours of the year 2009, Fruitvale Station is not only a gripping retelling of such events - it is a disturbingly accurate portrayal of police brutality and racism within the modern day United States.

All of this is due in part to the phenomenal acting from Creed star Michael B. Jordan, who posts an incredible performance in the lead role as Oscar Grant III. While it's obviously hard to tell whether or not he did Oscar's real-life counterpart justice, Jordan's acting certainly serves to paint a picture of Oscar as an honest man who - while not necessarily perfect - is just trying to get his life back on track. Naturally, this comes with a lot of emotions; scenes ranging from Oscar picking up his daughter from pre-school to a volatile argument with his girlfriend Wanda Johnson (portrayed by Octavia Spencer).

The film makes great use of diegetic sound as well, with lots of background noise of busy streets, crowded subway cars, and the ocean waves; all serving to create an atmosphere that the viewer can feel immersed in. This all serves to build up to the tragic conclusion, where Oscar is fatally shot by two police officers. By this point in the film, the viewer is completely enthralled within the world that Coogler creates, making the message of the film doubly impactful.

In all, Fruitvale Station is a tremendous film; it blends remarkable acting, convincing writing, and realistic sound to create a vehicle to deliver a message that - thankfully - is becoming more and more prevalent each and every day within modern America; that black lives matter.

Fruitvale station Kevin dean

    Fruitvale Station an American biographical drama film written and directed by Ryan Coogler. This film is based on the real life events that lead to the death of Oscar Grant.
This film debuted at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, and it won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for U.S dramatic film. The film was also screened in the Un Certain Regrard section at 2013 Cannes Film Festival where it won the award for Best First Film.

Fruitvale Station is based on the story of Oscar Grant III.  22 year old black man Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan) is now trying hard to live a clean life and support his girlfriend Sophina ( Melonie Diaz)  and daughter Tatianna ( Ariana Neal). The flashbacks played throughout the movie reveal the last days in Oscars life. In his last days Oscar and his friends and friends take the train to San Francisco watch the fireworks on New Years Eve and on the way back home, he was involved in an altercation with the police that ended in  tragedy at Fruitvale BART Station which was witnessed by many people. In the early hours of Jan. 1,2009, unarmed and lying face down on a Subway platform in Oakland, California was shot by a white Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer. The incident was captured on video by onlookers. Ryan Coogler powerful and sensitive debut feature, which imaginatively reconstructs the last 24 hours of Oscar Grants life, flashing back from a horrifying snippet an actual cellphone video of the hectic moments before the shooting. The director inserts a flashback of the horrible shooting.

Steve Martin

I think the movie we should watch is Cheaper by the Dozen. This movie is about a guy and his wife who are trying to raise their twelve kids. I think we should watch this because it is a fun loving family friendly movie. I think this movie would be a funny thing to watch in film studies. It got an okay score on rotten tomatoes, but I honestly don't care what we watch by him I am just giving a suggesting anything with him in it will be good so it shouldn't matter what we watch. I picked this movie because I think it might be something more simple and lighthearted. This could be a break from a few of the intense movies that we have been watching recently. So I chose this movie, but I am okay with whatever we watch. I honestly don't remember how this movie ends.  It says on the picture that it got two thumbs up so pick it! Or don't whatever you want. I am honestly good with anything. If you don't pick this the other films I would suggest would be Pink Panther and L.A. Story, because these are also comedies that are lighthearted and can make people laugh so hopefully one we watch will be a funny one that can make people laugh. How is this being decided anyway? Is this like a vote or something? If it is than this is my vote so hopefully other people suggested it too.

Steve Martin- Tossup

I have to admit, I’m at a tossup on which Steve Martin movie we should watch and critique next in film studies.

No worries though, I’ve narrowed it down to two films: Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982) and Bowfinger (1999). I think either of these films would be excellent options to watch where Steve Martin is concerned. The genres of the films are both similar, yet, slightly different. They’re both similar in the the same respect that they are both comedy/parody spoof films but that and Steve Martin, is where the line is drawn. 

The film, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, the genre of the film is also a mystery and somewhat of a film noir whereas Bowfinger is not. However, I think that these could both be very entertaining Steve Martin pieces to watch.

In one film, he plays a detective solving an unusual case and in the other he plays a producer/director who tries to land a famous actor in his film, but when the actor refuses he decides to film him anyway and secretly hims his every move causing him to go crazy. Bowfinger, has a lot of references to scientology and it gives people an interesting perspective behind the lens of a camera- what goes into making a movie. Although, keeping in mind Bowfinger, is a comedy/parody film it’s important to note that many things are overly exaggerated for comedic effect. Bowfinger, stars Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy. Martin also wrote the screenplay of the film.

As for Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, Martin was one of three writers of the film having written it with Carl Reiner and George Gipe. Martin narrates this film and stars as the main character, a P.I. (private investigator).

I think both of these films would be interesting Steve Martin films to study in class, they are both comedies that Martin not only starred but wrote or helped to write. I think watching Steve Martin perform his own work would be definitely be interesting, and well worth the critique of not only his acting but the story itself.

Alyssa Beckam - Crooklyn

Crooklyn is a 1994 semi- Autobiographical film co-written and directed by Spike Lee . This movie focuses on young girl name Troy (played by Zelda Harris) and her family  Throughout the movie Troy is learning life lessons through her four rowdy brother, her loving strict school teacher mother (Alfre Woodard )and her struggling musician father (Delroy Lindo) . In the summer Troy is sent to her Aunt Song's southern home for a visit but when she returns to Brooklyn she learns her mother is in the hospital and is very ill with cancer and died after her mother died she learn how to adapt to the new changes and is taking on the role of being a mother figure to her brothers . 

Crooklyn- Conflicts and Change

Crooklyn is a 1994 film co-written and directed by Spike Lee. It takes place in Brooklyn, New York and in the neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant during the summer of 1973. The main character of the film is a young girl, Troy, portrayed by Zelda Harris, it focuses on her and her family. She is one of five children, the only daughter of Woody and Carolyn Carmichael.

In the film there are many colorful characters that are their neighbors and family members. These characters are especially conflictual, in the film they are used as plot devices to bring about many conflicts, to display the tension throughout the film between these different families and individuals.

As such they especially have conflict with their downstairs neighbor who is always singing loudly and has way too many dogs which makes it reek with foul odor. The children especially love to make his life miserable by throwing garbage in his yard area and throwing rocks at his dogs. However, the neighbor participates in this feud with the children going as far as to verbally spar with them and Carolyn before getting knocked out by Vic

their upstairs neighbor who tried to settle the dispute. Due to the neighbor’s hysterical and turbulent disposition he knocked him out and was subsequently arrested.

This is just one of the many examples in the film of conflict that is repeated again in a later scene, although with a silver lining, the father offers to help the neighbor clean up his house.

In film Troy has to learn to adapt to the changes in life such as her father leaving and returning, living with her Aunt and Uncle for the summer, returning home to a sick mother, losing her mother and then filling her role within the household.

In simplest terms, this film is about the change of in young girl's life over a short period of time. The change in her demeanor and her family and her outlook.

I found this film to be especially moving when she lost her mother and overcame that loss, becoming stronger for herself and her family.