From the Florida Theatre with Love

I recently began an internship at the Florida Theatre and today I had an opportunity to visit the theatre to attend one of the Summer Movie Classics events. The movie this week was From Russia with Love. As I have mentioned before, I am a huge James Bond fan and Sean Connery is one of my favorite Bonds. It is interesting to see how Bond has developed over the years and how over time, it has picked up certain trademarks that make it the ‘brand’ that it is today. Since this is one the very early Bond films, it lacked a lot of the trademarks that we would recognize today, such as the standard phrases ‘Bond, James Bond’ and ‘shaken, not stirred’. Although I did enjoy the humor, I missed the quirkiness and the references to previous Bond films. Overall, it was a great experience and watching a cinema classic on the big screen was incredible.

I sat in section 300 in the very back, and I still had a clear view of the film. The layout of the theatre is great because there does not really seem to be any ‘bad seats’ because it is arranged in such a way that you can basically see the entire stage from everywhere. Next time, I plan on trying to get a seat upstairs and experience the view from the balcony. The sounds quality was great, but there were a few points throughout the film where it seemed to be un-restored and the film was grainy. This somewhat added to the authenticity of the experience of watching a classic film.

I was amazed at how many people were there to see the film. Although it was hard to tell in the dark, it looked like most of the bottom floor of the theatre was full. I did not get a chance to check and see how many people were up in the balcony. It was nice to see that there are still many Bond fans out there that, like me, drove through incredibly heavy rain to enjoy this classic. 

The Amazing Backstory of an Amazing Superhero

Film: The Amazing Spiderman
Actors: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans
Director: Marc Webb

I loved the cinematography used throughout the film and I regret that I was not able to watch it on the big screen in 3D. I can just imagine how amazing some of those scenes must have been in 3D!

I enjoyed the story and I liked how it went a bit more in-depth about Peter Parker's past than other movies have. One thing I did not like was how fast the movie went in the beginning. I would have liked to have seen a bit more about Peter's relationship with Uncle Ben and Aunt May. After that, once the action picked up, the pace was set right throughout the rest of the movie.

As for the acting, I was actually surprised at how well Andrew Garfield played the role of Spiderman - although  at some parts he did seem a bit, for lack of a better word, awkward. I was unsure of what to expect from Emma Stone, but I think she did an amazing job. I might actually go back and find some of her other movies so I can watch them.

The Shawshank Redemption

Film: The Shawshank Redemption
Actors: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton
Director: Frank Darabont

This film is one of my favorite movies from the past. The Shawshank Redemption is a classic and I get a thrill every time I watch it. Morgan Freeman is one of my favorite actors and he does an incredible job in this movie. I enjoyed the suspense and the fact that it made you think. The plotline is intense and the story has depth. I like movies that challenge you intellectually and have meaning.

And That's a Wrap...

So my five month movie challenge has come to an end today. I am not sure if I will do it again next year, but this year was an interesting experience. It was not until I rid myself of the pleasure of watching movies that I realized how often I do it. There were so many moments during the past five moths where I was felt like watching a movie and then I realized that I couldn't. I was able to spend a lot more time doing more productive things and getting ahead on all of my work. After seeing this, I have decided that although I do not plan on giving up movies completely, I will certainly cut down my time spent watching them. I will be more aware and will try and limit my time so I can do more productive things. Hopefully I will be able to stick to this goal and be able to get things done, but still indulge in my passion.

A New Logo and a New Lead Human

Director Michael Bay announced last week that Mark Wahlberg will be the new star of the latest film in the Transformers series. He will be replacing former Transformers star Shia Labeouf who said that there wasn't really much more of the story of Sam Witwicky to tell. Although Wahlberg will be a playing a completely new character, the story will still continue four years after the last movie.

I actually did not go and see the last Transformers movie ('Dark of the Moon') because I was told that it was long and drawn-out and I felt that it would be very repetitive. I felt that the storyline would be too much like the last ones. That is why I feel that it might be a good move to introduce a new character. It might make it a bit more refreshing and induce less deja vu.  Let's hope Wahlberg can revamp this series (with a little help with a sleek new logo, this might actually be possible).

More information can be found here:
http://www.technologytell.com/entertainment/8484/mark-wahlberg-joins-transformers-franchise/

Bucket List #7: Lincoln

Film: Lincoln
Actors:Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Director: Steven Spielberg

I love history - especially American history. Judging by the trailer this movie brings history to life with its drama and action. Hopefully with the right amount of drama and historical accuracy, this movie will make our country's history all the more fascinating through the eyes of one of it's greatest presidents. I'm sure the cinematography will be amazing, thanks to Mr.Spielberg and that will help history come to life even more. I am amazed at how accurately they got Daniel Day-Lewis to look like Lincoln and I have always liked Joseph Gordon-Levitt so I am looking forward to watching them portray these historical figures.

Bucket List #6: A Good Day to Die Hard

Film: A Good Day to Die Hard
Actors: Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Sebastian Koch
Director: John Moore

They are adding a fifth movie to the Die Hard series. I need to re-watch the first four before I go see this one in February 2013 because I know I loved them, but the details are getting a bit hazy. I think I am also starting to mix up some of the plot-lines.

As far as the trailer for this movie, I enjoyed the action, but I am not so sure about the plot. I can not seem to find a plot-line for this movie based off of the trailer. The only bits of information that I have gathered is that he goes to Russia and works with his son. Hopefully in the actual movie, the plot is not completely concealed by the action and the movie will have some story.

I also hope that this movie does not become completely technological as the fourth one did. I feel like the basis of these movies is McClane using his intuition and the abundance of technology in the last movie somewhat spoiled that.