JAWS

Every summer, movie-goers eagerly await the "Summer Blockbuster," which has been more popular than church on Sunday for most Americans.   Since the talkies dazzled the big screens in 1927, motion pictures have been a staple of American culture framing the way we view art  and history, but it was the "Summer Blockbuster" that packed theaters and grossed the insane amount of money that we see today in the box office. It all started in 1975 with "JAWS" which rocked the box office and created what can be considered a new genre of film.

Steven Spielberg, the brains behind the clever picture we know as Jaws, uses many elements to make this movie pop out of the screen and land in your lap like a bucket of chum.  The sound element is arguably the most impact-full aspect of this film.  With an original score by the one and only, John Williams, the music from Jaws is exhilarating and can give the average person nightmares.  This enhances the absence of shark in the shark movie.

Have you ever wondered what its like to be a shark?  Well if you have then watch Jaws.  Spielberg turns the lens of the camera into the eyes of the shark to give every viewer the idea what its like to hunt human as a flesh eating, carnivorous  death slaying shark.

From music to clever under-water camera shots, JAWS is the real deal and the full package.  Every moment of the movie will leave you in suspense and there is a friendly dose of comic relief with the dynamic relationship of three completely different characters   Cheif Brody (Roy Scheider), Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), and Quint (Robert Shaw), all embark on an epic expedition that will end in chaos and red seawater.  With an unrelenting super-villain, JAWS is sure to leave you thinking twice before stepping in the water next time you go to the beach,

Argo

Argo, a film directed by Ben Affleck, is a suspenseful dramatization of the Iran hostage crises that took place under Jimmy Carter's administration in the late 1970's. While also starring in the movie, Affleck captures the drama, covertness, and tensity of this political event.

Taking place in Iran, six Americans get stranded in the  hostile country after the U.S. embassy is invaded by Iranians.  With nowhere for the six Americans to run, Ben Affleck's character, Tony Mendez, is sent in by the CIA in an attempt to extradite the stranded Americans.  The wicked twist in the movie is the clever approach that Mendez uses.

Affleck, who has starred in many other films such as; Dogma, The Town, Chasing Amy, and Armageddon, takes on the role of a CIA agent who must infiltrate Iran and extradite the stranded Americans.  Using the skills the he has mastered over the years, Affleck portrays a witty, sarcastic, and even tempered character and absolutely carries out the role seamlessly.

The costuming, setting, and props bring the viewer back in time to a rustic 1970's feel.  The wool suits with large collars, the cigarette smoke in almost every scene and the vintage automobiles create a feel that the events taking place are current.  Affleck does not shy away from lots of lighting in the film, creating bright well lit scenes and almost every outdoor scene is filmed during the day.  The "oner," is used many times in the film which is probably fairly easy, being that the film is a majority of dialogue.

Argo takes on the theme and idea of never giving up.  Just when the stranded Americans are ready to accept that they may never make it home, Tony Mendez comes out of nowhere as a knight in shining armor.  The U.S. government was also at a loss in how to extradite the Americans until Mendez comes forward with his clever and innovative approach.  Because of the film's medium being an actual conflict that took place in American history, the theme is well delivered and clear to the viewer.

From beginning to end, Argo leaves the viewer on the edge of their seat with dramatic suspense and excellent cinematography.  The art design and costuming brings the viewer back in time and makes the film real.  Ben Affleck delivers a gem and a creative depiction of the events that took place in Iran in 1979.

Flight

Traditional cinema normally starts off slow and builds up to a climactic ending.  The film Flight does the opposite and embraces an unorthodox format by dropping the viewer directly into the action and then slowly playing out the plot.  Using long dramatic shots the film Flight tells the story of a airline pilot who struggles with the abuse of alcohol.

Though the action takes place in the first 15 minutes of the film, the film builds up to a dramatic crash ending. Captain Whip Whitaker, played by Denzel Washington, is an airline pilot who has a severe addiction to alcohol and cocaine.  The film uses a dramatic plane crash incident to take the viewer through Whip Whitaker's journey through alcoholism.

Robert Zemeckis known for the "Back to the Future" trilogy  uses an amazing musical score that enhances the struggle that Washington's character goes through.  Some of the choices of songs, like the Rolling Stones, "Sympathy for the Devil," are subliminally connected to partying and drug usage.  This song is used to introduce Whip's drug dealer, played by John Goodman.  Goodman adds the necessary comic relief to the depressing undertones of Whip's downward spiral.

From beginning to end, Zemeckis captures the viewer with sneaky undertones and the fear of the unknown.  Flight is film worth seeing twice to really take in the story and to empathize with Washington's character.  With the long dramatic scenes, Denzel Washington is at his best and really allows the viewer to fall in love with the man he wants to be.

Dr. Strangelove

Dr. Strangelove is a political satire of the darkest kind.  Directed by Stanley Kubrick, Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb, stars Peter sellers who takes on a unique role by playing multiple characters in the same movie.  The film uses a form of comedy that is not typical in most movies and does not even indicate that it is a comedy until quite a ways into the movie.

The release of Dr. Strangelove was in 1964 which was a time significant to the content of the film.  The Cuban missile crisis was still the talk of the town and a nuclear threat seemed real to anyone alive at the time. Stanley Kubrick can be viewed as an edgy director for releasing such a comedy in such a sensitive time in American history.  This threat remains real even in today's world and gives Dr. Strangelove a form of eternal life.

Stanley Kubrick is world renown for many of his accomplishments and directing style.  Using all black and white film and his star actor to play three completely different roles, Kubrick creates a sense of hysteria with the threat of a nuclear apocalypse.  With very few moments of any slapstick comedy, the majority of Dr. Strangelove takes place in the "war room." The all powerful ending makes this movie a comedy of epic proportions.

Soft editing and a patriotic type soundtrack are two elements that pull the viewer deep into the content of Dr. Strangelove.  The character of Dr. Strangelove himself offers a major comic relief in the later part of the film, tying everything together to have the sadistic/romantic ending.