Film Criteria

Ahhh, movies. The movies that I have noticed to catch my attention is first the movie's introduction. The camera quality and the creative movement are the elements I initially look for. For example, the award winning movie Les Miserable had a wonderful introduction into the first scene. The camera contained wonderful graphics and captured the attention of the audience. The storm, and the boat being pulled into port by men was ment to portray danger and risk to the working prisoners. The camera work that moved over the scenery to the prisoners perfectly developed the atmosphere and beginning introduction to one of the main characters. I believe a movie is good when a movie totally captures the audiences attention to a point where they are was completely lost in the story. The first time seeing Les Miserable my sisters and I cried throughout the movie, in the theatre I might add. So much so that at the very end I remember saying "I feel like I was just punched in the face with emotion." I also overheard a woman who had watched the movie twice and cried even more than the second time she saw it. Clearly, the movie captures the audience and achieved a very powerful catharsis. And now the movie has won multiple awards and I absolutely believe they deserved it. So the beginning scenes, video quality, and the power to draw the audience into the movie are the key elements, in my book, to determine how good a movie is.



Although the cinema world has advanced and evolved from past films, we should never forget about the motion pictures that started it all. Le voyage dans la lune (A Trip to the Moon), and 1902 (dir. Georges Méliès) andThe Great Train Robbery, 1903 (dir. Edwin S. Porter) are ones that built up to todays great movies. A Trip to The Moon didn't express itself as well as The Great Train Robbery in terms of introduction. It was hard to follow A Trip to The Moon compared to The Great Train Robbery. Since the movie was about a fantasy and people traveling to the moon, it was harder to grasp who the people in the shot were, what they were doing as well as what was going on in the scenes at various points in the short film. The Great Train Robbery was more realistic and the character roles were easily established in the very begining. It was not hard to follow at all. So The Great Train Robbery had a better time at getting my attention. Video quality is kind of pointless to look at with these films because they are the early ones, but, again, The Great Train Robbery was better in the area of continuity and knowing where the scene is gonna be. The Great Train Robbery had better all around filming, but then again A Trip to the Moon was very creative and bold in the new way of editing film. Plus, The Great Train Robbery had come after A Trip to the Moon. I enjoyed them both although, to be honest, didn't always have my full attention. I guess you can say I'm desensitized by the quick-paced filming of today. 

Two of my favorite movies of all time are The Producers(2005) and The Phantom of the Opera(2004). The Producers first had a panning over New York and Broadway and was humorous as they entered the first song "Opening Night". It clearly shown that this is taken place in New York and is about a producer who had made some bad broadway musicals. The lyrics in "Opening Night" were funny and took people by surprise by the body language and facial expression of the people singing. It immediately captured my attention and the surprising comedy was continuous throughout the movie. The quality of the movie was bright and vibrant and the angling of the shots were straight and to the point. The ending was surprising as well as the introduction was. Brilliant movie!



The Phantom of the Opera also has a very gripping opening scene of where it is in the quality of an old black and white movie and the auctioneer introduces the story of the Phantom of the Opera and the chandeleer. Then time seems to role backwards and the chandelier is lifted into the air while the quality or style of the shot changes as the scene goes back in time to show the opera's former glory. The music as well contributes to capturing our attention and I absolutely adore the graphics that goes along with it. This also has continuity throughout the movie with quality and an added twist at the end. 




If you can tell, both my favorite movies are musicals. Musicals just do something that other movies can't. I do have my preferences, but who doesn't. I love them all.