Jerry Maguire Actor Review

The film Jerry Maguire features three prominent actors. Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger. Tom Cruise has secured his fame as a ‘Star” actor. “He is a distinctive screen persona who is well known and popular with the movie going public, often to the point that some avid movie fans become deeply curious about the actor’s private life.” (Goodykoontz, 2014) You have to include Tom Cruise as a Hollywood star.  As evident by his largely publicized divorce from Katie Holmes. Cruise’s religious beliefs are brought to center stage as a reason for their breakup. The avid movie fans became deeply curious about Tom’s support and connection with the Scientology religion that as it turns out has some moral and domestic issues with the movie going public and may have had some damaging publicity for the actor.  However, Tom Cruise’s at 52 years old still has star power that has survived mostly because of his acting talent and devoted fans.  His latest film Edge of Tomorrow critic Ben Mankiewicz admits “that the story is a recycled topic of people stuck in a time loop like Groundhog Day but Tom Cruise does his job very well.” (Mankiewicz, 2014)  The fact that his star power can stand up to a certain amount of negative publicity is a credit to his acting talent and his avid devoted fans.

In the film Jerry Maguire Tom Cruise plays with a style of “realism,” (“gives the impression of genuine human action and reaction that is considered realistic and natural”) (Goodykoontz, 2014)  in a naturalistic roll as a sports agent that is confronted with a moral dilemma that places him at odds with his large corporate Sports Agency he is fired.  Armed with only one client (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and a shy bookkeeper (Renee Zellweger) Tom is confronted with challenges in his personal life he has never experienced.  With the help of his client and bookkeeper he fights his way back to the top of his game with new found values and unconditional relationships with both. The realism Tom Cruise brings to the screen is evident in these clips from the movie titled “Play with Heart” and “Help me help you.”

http://movieclips.com/gpRQe-jerry-maguire-movie-play-with-heart/

http://movieclips.com/aKGt-jerry-maguire-movie-help-me-help-you/

Tom Cruise’s ability to play a variety of styles in rolls very different from each other like Top Gun, The Last Samurai, Interview with a Vampire, Rain Man, Vanilla Sky, The Firm, Far and Away, Mission Impossible, A Few Good Men, Legend,  Losin’ It, Minority Report and many more.  With these movies to his credit it is easy to classify Tom Cruise as a mega star.

Tom Cruise’s leading lady in Jerry Maguire is Renee Zellweger.  Who may be classified as a method actor by some but her body of work as a personality actor may be closer to the truth. Renee has received Academy Award nominations for best actress in Bridget Jones Diary where her naturalistic style may have earned her the personality actor category.  “Her performance is widely considered to be of a high standard, including her English accent.” (Maguire, 2001) The realism of Renee’s acting seems to come from such honesty it is likely to be the result of her method acting ability.  By definition is “the Method requires that actors draw on their own memories and experiences to reach the heart of a character,” (Goodykoontz, 2014) Renee’s leading role in Jerry Maguire is a tribute to her ability to method act with such realism and a naturalistic personality it is hard to tell if it is method acting or not. Renee brings her talent in this scene from Jerry Maguire that brought her national attention became a household phase. “You had me at hello”

http://movieclips.com/fn9Z-jerry-maguire-movie-you-had-me-at-hello/

Renee’s talent as an actress could be classified as a “wild card” or “character actor” because she is “an actress who is difficult to classify as one certain type, often because he or she can play a wide variety of characters equally well without becom­ing typecast.” (Goodykoontz, 2014) Evident in her contrasting genres of movies, Renee shows her versatility in Jerry Maguire and Case 39.  Whereas in Case 39 she plays a social worker who takes a case that turns out to be of the horror genre. Again in her role of Bridget Jones Diary and Bridget Jones Edge of Reason shows her ability to adapt to comedy roles and makes it hard to classify her other than a personality or wild card actress.

And finally Tom Cruise’s co-star Cuba Gooding Jr. as Ron Tidwell professional football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals.  His character role in Jerry Maguire may earn him a promotion to a personality actor from the solid character actor he is. As a co-star his realism and naturalistic actor skills shines in Jerry Maguire.  Cuba Gooding Jr. is a character actor because of the variety of characters he portrays equally well without being typecast. But as a Tom Cruise co-star he gives an Academy Award supporting actor performance in this movie clip titled “Not gonna cry”.

http://movieclips.com/ZQiXH-jerry-maguire-movie-not-gonna-cry/

Cuba’s movie list is an impressive one: Men of Honor, Instinct, Judgment Day, Selma, the Hit List, Life of a King, What Love Is, Radio, Red Tails, Firelight, Absolute Deception and many more. All of which qualifies him as a truly talented character actor. And a star in his own right.

References

Goodykoontz, B. &. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Maguire, S. (2001). Bridget Jones Diary. Retrieved from Movie Clips: http://movieclips.com/eRQu-bridget-joness-diary-movie-videos/

Mankiewicz, B. (2014, November 30). Edge of Tomorrow movie review. Retrieved from Ask.com/What The Flick?: http://search.tb.ask.com/search/video.jhtml?searchfor=Tom+Cruise+movie+reviews&cb=ZZ&pg=GGmain&qid=2071b123a2b1450eb40d4fedf654ba11&n=77DE8857&ss=sub&pn=1&st=hp&tpr=hpsb&vid=4U4v2C32OF0

“Let me put you on Hold” movie clip from the Avengers

 

The Avengers (2012) 143 min 8.2 Your rating: 12345678910 –/10 X Ratings: 8.2/10 Earth’s mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity. Director: Joss Whedon Writers: Joss Whedon (screenplay), Zak Penn (story), 1 more credit » Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson | The Sounds of the Avengers

The movie clip from The Avengers is called “Let me put you on hold.” (Whedon, 2012) I choose this clip because the cinematography and editing is superb. It is an action scene that shows the talent of editing as well as lighting and focus. But the sound element of dialog, sound effects and musical score really brings it to life. The genre of this movie is action adventure / fantasy however as the clip title eludes the dialog adds a sub-genre of humor. This clip does not have a lot of dialog but the dialog it does have is used to add a genre of humor to the film but also informs the audience of the upcoming agenda of the character “Black Widow” (Whedon, 2012) as she is summoned to combat a global threat that the Avengers must confront and defeat. The dialog in the beginning of the clip is the “Black Widow” Natasha being interrogated. Her hands are tied to the back of a chair when her boss calls her on a cell phone and informs her of the global threat and she says, “Let me put you on hold” (Whedon, 2012) This starts the action sequence of Natasha fighting her captors. I doubt that this phrase will become a “catch phrase” of our “cultural shorthand” (Goodykoontz, 2014) but it begs the question that it might. The sound effects and orchestration adds to the mise en scene with the technology of Dolby sound and surround sound that brings the audience into the action as though they were in the room where the action takes place.

As the action starts the music score produces quick draws of the string section of the orchestra making a prelude to the action of Natasha’s initiation of blows to her combatants. There is a bass drum and a rapid beat of the snare drum that sets a rhythm to the action however there is no melody or commercial music in this clip. Each time Natasha starts a new sequence of fighting with a new combatant the orchestration produced with surround sound technology and is edited in post-production to match the sound effects of battle. For example, when Natasha does a forward roll with the chair on her back you can hear the wooden chair clicking on the floor as she rolls sideways with the chair on her back. Orchestrated string section as well as the drums exaggerates the clicking sound of the chair hitting the floor and Natasha’s grunting sound as she administers her blows. The timing of the orchestration is in sync with the sound effects that produces a loud larger than life effect of the action and adds “psychological impressions” (Goodykoontz, 2014) to the fight and enhances the experience. The score is so masterful that it is hard to single it out while watching the clip. And as noted in our text; “Most composers would say if you notice the music, something is wrong,” Bondelevitch said. “And most people don’t think about what they’re hearing; we’re trained to notice what we’re seeing” (Goodykoontz, 2014) Whedon directed a very exciting film but the post-production of sound is what makes the film so realistic. The sound effects were masterful as well.

The sound effects of the clip used the Foley technique in post-production to add impact and supernatural strength to the blows of the Black Widow. The sound effect of wind being moved every time Natasha swings her arms to strike her combatants adds a psychological impression to the action. The same sound effect is used when she kicks or even performs her flip to smash the chair into pieces. A direct cut back to her boss waiting on the phone as he can hear the fight in the background from the phone is a series of sound effects and post-dubbed combatants grunts and moans as the Black Widow administers painful blows to them. This technique of playing the sound effects while the boss is on the phone is like a solo for the Foley crew. The multitrack mixing of the sound effects as well as the orchestration had just the right volume levels for the surround sound separation of effects that matched the action on screen. The “skillful use of the soundtrack adds immensely to the power of a film, supporting and enhancing the visual elements” (Goodykoontz, 2014) the skill used by the Foley’s certainly added power to this clip of the Avengers.

The dialog of the opening scene combined with the superior action of Natasha in this clip added a genre of humor to the movie. The dialog also informed the audience of what was to come and that Natasha was going to be a part of the Avengers team. Dialog, musical score and sound effects combined to add a power to the action on screen that when mixed to the perfect volume levels made this clip of the Avengers a perfect example how skillful sound elements can make sound as important as the visual action onscreen.

References

Goodykoontz, B. &. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Whedon, J. (Director). (2012). The Avengers “Let me put you on hold” [Motion Picture].

Jerry maguire

IMDB Rating: 7.3/10 from 147,945 users

Release: 1996 / Jerry Maguire

Genre: Comedy | Drama | Romance

Director: Cameron Crowe

Stars: Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger

 Cruise / Zellweger

        Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) is a successful sports agent. The biggest clients, the respect, a beautiful fiancée, he has it all. Until one night he questions his purpose. His place in the world, and finally comes to terms with what’s wrong with his career and life. Recording all his thoughts in a mission statement Jerry feels he has a new lease on life. Unfortunately his opinions aren’t met with enthusiasm from his superiors and after dishonorably being stripped of his high earning clients and elite status within the agency Jerry steps out into the sports business armed with only one volatile client (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and the only person with belief in his abilities (Renée Zellweger) with the impossible task of rebuilding what he once had. Along the way he faces the harsh truths which he’d ignored in the past and a host of hardships that he’d never faced before. (Crowe, 1996)

 Video Link : ://httpffilms.org/jerry-maguire-1996/

         By far, my favorite movie of all time. Although the screenplay, editing and cinematography is excellent it is not the reason for being my favorite movie. The reason it is my favorite movie is because of the similarity and emotional trauma it portrays to my own life. I was not a sports agent but a highly paid network consultant faced with many of the same problems that Jerry Maguire faced. Plastic people, dishonesty, insincere and uncaring associates that would stab you in the back first chance they got. And because of my own moral beliefs much like his I left it all behind and decided to do it my way. Going through the same harsh reality of life much like Jerry Maguire did. 

    The story and plot follow a chronological or linear presentation which allows for the characters to development in a very real to life manor demonstrating the natural emotional stress of going through a major real life crisis.   This story could only be told in that way.  A Non-linear presentation would make the theme and story line hard to follow and detract from the emotional elements of this movie  that draws the audience in and moves them in a very personal and  emotional way and understanding of how the characters grow through the mid life crisis they faced.

    Why is it my favorite movie of all time? Because I am still trying to make my life turn out to be as successful as Jerry Maguire’s life turned out to be in the movie. Not monetarily but ethically. Still living the dream and remembering the movie!

References

Crowe, C. (1996). Jerry Maguire. Retrieved September 15, 2014, from http://ffilms.org/jerry-maguire-1996/

Cinematography in the Wizard of Oz

 

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

IMDB Rating: 8.2/10 from 203,255 votes

Release: 1939 /

Genre: Adventure | Family | Fantasy

Director: Victor Fleming, George Cukor

Stars: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger

Synopsis: In this charming film based on the popular L. Frank Baum stories, Dorothy and her dog Toto are caught in a tornado’s path and somehow end up in the land of Oz. Here she meets some memorable friends and foes in her journey to meet the Wizard of Oz who everyone says can help her return home and possibly grant her new friends their goals of a brain, heart and courage.

In my travels around the United States one thing was always the same. Whenever someone ask me where I was from and I answered “Kansas” the next line out of their mouth was “How’s Dorothy?” But what they didn’t expect was me to answer “My mother’s name was Dorothy and my first dog’s name was Tippy (close enough to Toto) and yes there is a lot of tornado’s in Kansas.” So obviously everyone has seen the movie “Wizard of Oz” but what most people don’t remember is how remarkable of a production it was in  1939. One of the first color movies to be aired on national television. The creativity of Directors Victor Fleming and George Cukor and Cinematographer Harold Rosson (Nominated for the 1940 Academy Award for Best Color Cinematography) (Richards, 2014) was extrodinary.  Their special effect techniques were crude but effective in creating a film ahead of its time. The clip of the Wizard of Oz that I have chosen is the sequence of Dorothy leaving Kansas and arriving in Oz. Three components of cinematography discussed here are lighting, color and focus. Additional comments about the special effects are included. Watch the entire movie here: http://putlocker.is/watch-the-wizard-of-oz-1939-online-free-putlocker.html

This shot of the characters of OZ in Kansas is a perfect example of three point lighting. Notice how the front camera light source on the right of the shot is elevated the character on the right’s hand is casting a shadow on Aunty M shirt and the character on the left his hat is casting a shadow on the right side of his face but the left side is lit from the left front of camera light source positioned lower than the right side. The rear light is set low and highlighting the building behind the characters.  The focus of lenses are sharp and deep into the scenes until the tornado comes then the focus become shallow on the characters but out of focus on the tornado in the distance.

Tornado scene Special effects strong winds blow door off of house – After Dorothy is hit by the window she goes into a dream. The special effect of using smoke swirling around her head tells the audience that she is going into a dream state.  Lighting is sourced as a low-key light focused on the forehead of Dorothy.  It’s position is located above her at an angle from the right side of the frame.  This serves two purposes it helps capture the smoke in the air around her head and focuses the light on her forehead to set up the plot of her dreaming.

 

Crude but effective use of double exposed film blurs the focus of Dorothy’s image creating a dream presence as the house spirals into the sky. The second shot is where the window is framed like a television showing her objects flying by the window, Aunty M goes by the window knitting in a rocking chair and waves at Dorothy, the ranch hands goes by the window in a row boat, the mean neighbor that took Toto pedals by the window confirms to the audience that she is dreaming.

In this shot the mean neighbor riding a bicycle changes into a witch riding a broom. Foreshadowing what to come. This shot the double exposure of the neighbor transforms the neighbor into a witch. The focus is sharp on the neighbor but during the transition to a witch it is taken out of focus and then back in focus on the image of the witch which aids in the elusion of the transformation between the two images.

This shot shows the bed spinning around with Dorothy on it as the tornado takes her to Oz.  The lighting source is located out the window and is reflected by the moving curtains being blown about.  The camera is set as a medium close range but is panned around as the bed is raised and lowered to give the effect of the tornado tossing the house in a circular motion.  Very creative cinematography for 1939.

The first shot of color in the movie when Dorothy opens the door of the house and peers outside to see Oz for the first time Note the yellow brick road at the bottom of the shot.

The first overlay of color film over black and white in the history of movies up to 1939. Notice the lighting is positioned between Dorothy and the foreground plants. The three point lighting technique was modified to move the rear light behind the plant and right of stage but in front of Dorothy the two front light are positioned with the left light positioned low and the right light positioned high so both Dorothy and the color plant are highlighted but no shadows are visible. This shot was done with a backdrop shot of the black and white house behind Dorothy. Very creative for this time period as are many of the shots the cinematographer Harold Rosson created for the Wizard of Oz.

The lack of color in all shots filmed in Kansas are a yellow tint or filter creating a sepia  or brownish black and white of country dust in the air adding to the mise en scene of the ordinary unsaturated color of the Kansas landscape.      Foreshadowing the characters of Oz.  Ranch hands: Zeke/ Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man dialog reveals who they will be in OZ.

The Wizard of Oz was one of if not the first full length movie to incorporate two completely different mise en scenes within one movie.  The mise en scene while Dorothy is in Kansas is completely different than while in Oz which adds to the dramatic impact of Dorothy in Oz.  The lighting, set and color while in Oz is created as a magical place with very bright colors and deep focus lens to bring the land of Oz to life.  In contrast to the yellowed filtered sepia matte of the Kansas setting.  Lighting throughout the Land of Oz is high-key except when the darkness of the wicked witch is in scene then low-key lighting is used.  The timely assertion of high and low key lighting provide the Wizard of Oz with a mise en scene that is consistent with the plot and support the story in a very illustrated way.  Directors Victor Fleming and George Cukor and Cinematographer Harold Rosson created a movie for the times in their creation of the Wizard of Oz.

References

Richards, E. E. (2014, October 2). Cinematography of the Wizard of Oz. Retrieved from      EvanERichards.com: http://evanerichards.com/2011/1243

Victor Fleming, G. C. (2014, October 2). Putloclker Wizard of Oz. Retrieved from Online free putlocker: http://putlocker.is/watch-the-wizard-of-oz-1939-online-free-putlocker.html

Rosemary’s Baby directed by Roman Polanski

Imagine your 15 years old visiting a cousin in a very small town in Oklahoma (Lamont) and your cousin takes you to a local movie theater that is old and very small. My cousin and I were 2 of the 7 people in the theater. With half the seats in the theater broken, a dirty floor and musky smell the theatre itself was scary. All your cousin tells you is the name of the movie is “Rosemary’s Baby” and you have never heard anything about it.

When I left the theater that night I was terrified, shaken, sick and in a light state of shock. Traumatized by what I had just seen, being a naive young Christian boy I was truly shaken to the point of almost crying. My cousin laughing at me as we walked back to his house (which in itself was always a very scary place to me) because of how horrified I was and sick, he said I was as white as a sheet. I will never forget this experience or the film “Rosemary’s Baby”   (Polanski, Rosemary’s Baby, 1968)   After watching the movie later in life I am surprised that it doesn’t seem as frightening as it did when I was 15 but the ending I still find disturbing.

Roman Pulaski’s “Rosemary’s Baby” (Polanski, Rosemary’s Baby, 1968) genre is a cross genre of drama, horror and mystery. The mystery genre is probably the genre that had the most effect on me because of the way the movie was directed and the drama of Rosemary’s discovery of the cult that is plotting to facilitate the surprise horror of the movie (the birth of the devil’s son). The general genre of drama supports the more dominating sub-genre of horror and mystery. As the caption on the movie poster suggests, “It’s not what you’re expecting” (Polanski, Rosemary’s Baby, 1968) and the horror it produced for me was unforgettable. Check out the trailer:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063522/?ref_=ttmd_md_nm

(Polanski, Rosemary’s Baby, 1968)

The lighting effect under Pulaski’s direction was superb for a movie of that time period (1968). The high-key to medium-key over all lighting used was sort of sepia or yellowed tint but presented the mise en scene of a very realistic warm action but set up an ironic element of anticipated happiness which dramatically increased the magnitude and suspense of what was inevitably to be a horror of an ending. The high-medium-key lighting was used even during the mysterious elements of Rosemary’s conception and child birth which also made the movie so realistic and unsuspecting. This technical use of consistent three point lighting throughout the movie sub-consciously foreshadows the surprise ending of acceptance of what she has bore. I believe this is what contributed to the traumatic effect the movie had on me as I left the theater that night. I believe Polanski wanted to the audience to believe that the protagonist was not going to have anything to do with the cult she discovered but in the end when she accepted her child (even though it was the devil’s son) it was a real shocker and made me feel unsatisfied with the anti-climatic ending. I had anticipated Rosemary doing something to the baby or cult to demise the success of the birth but when she accepted the devil’s son as hers in the end I was shocked.

The cinematographer’s consistent high-key to medium-key three point lighting contributes to the normalcy of the plot and subconsciously foreshadowed the mysterious ending. The mise en scene of each frame was consistent with the year of the movie (1966) and the very limited and subtle use of special effects (only used in the conception and birth scenes) contributed to the realistic element the film portrayed. As our text points out the mystery genre of “Horror films effectively center on the dark side of life, the forbidden, and strange and alarming events. They deal with our most primal nature and its fears: our nightmares, our vulnerability, our alienation, our revulsions, our terror of the unknown, our fear of death.” (Goodykoontz, 2014) Was prevalent in this film. Rosemary’s baby is not a “torture porn “(Goodykoontz, 2014)  but more of a melodramatic horror film. And as our text explains, “in many ways, the horror films that show less and suggest more are actually more frightening,” (Goodykoontz, 2014) in that I agree wholeheartedly. Watch the full length movie here and see if you agree. http://putlocker.is/watch-rosemarys-baby-online-free-putlocker.html

References

Goodykoontz, B. &. (2014). . (). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.).:. This text is a Constellation™ course digital materials (CDM) title. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Polanski, R. (1968). Rosemary’s Baby. Retrieved September 23, 2014, from Put Locker: http://putlocker.is/watch-rosemarys-baby-online-free-putlocker.html

Polanski, R. (Director). (1968). Rosemary’s Baby [Motion Picture].