Sound vs. No Sound

Sound and audio were a main factor in creating suspense and horror throughout the movie Psycho. During the shower scene, sound played a very important role to make sure the audience jumped. Right as the killer was about to attack, a sharp noise of a violin was used. As the stabbing took place, a certain choice of instruments took over to make it seem even more scary. The sound could be considered to take over that scene. The music made the scene seem more intense and fit in perfectly. When the scene was played with no sound, it lacked the same effect. Even though the scene was the same, there was no surprise when the killer entered the bathroom. When there was no sound, the surprise attack and stabbing were less intense. Along with the music, there had been the actual stabbing sounds which also gave the realistic element to the scene. When that noise was removed, the realism faded. When the sound was there that part had been really scary and surprising. With the sound gone, the scene became boring and not scary at all. Throughout the whole movie there were many parts that sound was a big factor in creating a multiple of feelings. Sound really did make a difference in this film, and played such an important part to giving the audience a scare.

Casablanca

I thought that Casablanca was a very boring and uninteresting movie. There was a decent plot and storyline throughout the movie, but the romantic parts of the movie were not very romantic. The black and white quality was very hard to pay attention to, and made the film even more boring. The little amount of action also did not help make the movie anymore exciting. I liked how the movie took place in Morocco because it was a unique setting. It was cool to see how other parts of the country were effected by the war instead of watching the actual war. Rick's Cafe and Ferrari's place were also pretty cool. I liked how Rick was such a well known and had a status above everyone else's. He controlled the police and was able to bring in money for his place under the table. Everyone in town knew who he was, and his high status showed when a street vendor was trying to sell Ilsa something, then realized she was Rick's friend and dramatically lowered the price. Other higher status people also put themselves below Rick when they approached him, such as Victor and Ugarte. I also liked Rick's attitude towards helping anyone, which was, he didn't "stick his neck out for anybody" so he couldn't get in trouble. At first i didn't like Captain Renault, but at the end where he joins Rick and doesn't get him arrested, I liked him. I can see how this movie is considered timeless, but it would not be considered that for me. I bet over the years it has gained much popularity and is a classic to some people. The movie did have a sense of good quality and I can guess why the remakes and tv shows have not worked out. Overall, the movie just moved too slow for me, but I didn't hate it. There were some interesting scenes, and parts that had action, just not enough.

Peter Jackson's King Kong

I couldn't tell if I liked the new King Kong better or worse than the first. Even though it had color, and amazing graphics and animation, I liked the first one just as much. The story in both were the same even though there were a few differences and additions in Peter Jacksons's. One of the main differences in the story was the love aspect to the movie. In the second one Ann actually felt a connection and bonded with Kong, while in the first he was just holding her captive. One other difference between the movie was the spider pit scene. They said that the scene was lost in the first movie, so Peter Jackson attempted to recreate it in his. I thought that it would have been an accurate representation of the scene but there were more monsters in the second. The natives on the island were alot more hostile towards the people in the second as well as more scary. Another difference in Peter Jackson's movie was that there was an actor playing the main character. After Kong had been captured, the actor was given credit for fetching Ann and capturing Kong. While only Jack was given credit in the original. The graphics in Peter Jackson's movie were incredible, there were vibrant colors and cool effects that made the movie more interesting. The trees and leaves in the jungle looked real when they were not, and even the dinosaurs looked real. My favorite scene in this movie was the T-Rex fight. Even though it was not the same as in the original movie, Kong still won. It was really cool how the T-Rexes teamed up to fight Kong, and the whole time they were fighting was great action. When Jack finally reached Ann, Kong seemed alot more mad in this movie. It was too bad he was being attacked by the bats which was also a huge difference. Capturing Kong also took much more this time, and he broke free the first time they tried to get him. When they brought him to America it didn't seem like as many people showed up as the first but he still was a huge hit. I thought that when he broke free was really cool, because he tore the auditorium apart. But he eventually found Ann and made his way up the Empire State building. When he was shot down, it was alot more heartfelt in this movie too. He had such a better connection with Ann and the audience as he fell. Overall this movie was really good, and am glad it was re-done. Even thought I kind of liked the original, it was good to see some color and more action. There were a few scenes that I liked more which included the natives, and the T-Rex fight.

King Kong: The Original

This movie was alot better than I thought it was going to be. Since the movie was made in 1933, the producers were dealing with alot of old equipment. Even though the out-dated equipment was obvious in some scenes, the movie as a whole did not seem like it was made that long ago. I was surprised how well they fit the rear projection with the actual animation, it looked as if it was all shot at once. The Kong miniature was also very well made and had nice detail. I liked the actual story of the movie, and the plot was cool. I could imagine that people in 1933 were pretty amazed with the whole idea. I thought that the actors fit their roles, had very different personalities which helped guide the movie. Even though Kong was a main character, others played just as important roles in the movie. The setting of the movie was portrayed as very scary. The dense jungle hid some unusual creatures and foreign terrain, that was unlike any we had seen. The high cliffs and large trees also showed that the island was massive. There were many dinosaurs that struck fear into the audience with their size and ability to kill the actors with ease. The other creatures that showed up throughout the film contributed to the scariness of the setting. The turning point in the movie is where Jack finally reaches Ann. Jack follows Kong all the way up to his caves, and hides till he gets a chance with Ann. When he takes her away from Kong, it makes him angry and is when he trails them back to the beach. Alot of action happens during this scene, which leads to my favorite part. My favorite parts is where Kong is being displayed in the autotarium and breaks free. He sees Ann getting pictures taken and thinks she is being hurt from the flashes. The end was very sad for me, I did not like seeing Kong fall off the building. I think that the directors did a good job in getting the viewer to like Kong in the end. There were few things that I didn't like. The first being how Jack talked, he gave a bad name to everyone named Jack. The second thing I didn't like was how much the natives were involved, I think they should have been more involved in the movie. The last thing that I didn't like was how quickly the movie ended. It seemed like finding Kong and following him up the mountain was so built up that it ended really quick. Overall, I think this movie was pretty good. Im not a fan of older or black and white movies, but I did like this one. The rear projection did not look bad at all, and was pieced together so that you couldnt tell that there was two things being shot. I really liked the storyline, and Kong himself.