Boyhood: Blog Post

This is a very unique film that took a span of 12 years to make and some may say it is a one of a kind film. There were many interesting features about this film besides the fact it took so long to make. We are able to see a family grow right before our eyes and see all the ups and downs a family goes through. The cinematic aspects of this film are very interesting and well done, but the one that stuck out to me the most was the camera shots/angles. A scene where I thought this was displayed very well was when Mason and his father went to one of his fathers buddies shows. As they sat on the top level overlooking the ban, Mason's father friend notices how big Mason has gotten since the last time he had seen him. He looks above from the stage and tells him how big he's gotten and all of the wonderful things his father has told him about Mason. I found this to be interesting, almost as a turning point for Mason as he appears to be standing all high and mighty at the top as he over looks the band and his told all these positive things about him. I feel the director was trying to portray that things for Mason were finally looking up as he was getting ready to take off for college. That he was starting to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. Another scene that used this aspect well was the very last scene when Mason is off at college and is hiking with his new friends. He is sitting with a girl he met and they are having small conversation, nothing important, just getting to know you talk. But in the moment, it seems more than just small talk, Mason overlooks the mountains realizing this is were he starts his life. The open space symbolizes all the opportunities he has in life and it all starts here.

A moment in this film where I thought that this aspect wasn't used to its full potential was when Mason is getting ready to leave for college with his mom and his mom begins to cry and review her life as a waste. This is the first time we see Mason's mom really show a negative attitude and I thought was a key part to the film, but there was nothing special about the scene. I thought they could of had more interesting cinematic aspects to it, especially with the camera angles.

I felt that this cinematic aspect helped emphasize the importance of someone's childhood. The free and careless aspect of a childhood is important, to do whatever you want and be able to try new things out and see what you like and dislike. It also shows some of the traumatizing things some people have to go through like seeing your parents get a divorce or experiencing your first love slip through your fingers, thinking you'll never find anyone else like that again. This movie does a great job letting viewers observe this and maybe help us reflect on our own childhood or help people that are passed that stage in life to make sure that they will look at their own kids childhood differently.

I think that another movie that used this cinematic aspect well was The Dark Knight. This was a very high spoken movie and many peoples favorite, but what I felt made the movie so effective was the unique camera shots they had throughout the film. Christopher Nolan did a great job of making Batman look even more powerful than he already is with his camera angles. The scene that stands out to me the most is one of the very last scenes where Batman is faced with a decision on whether to try and save Harvey Dent and turn him good again, or eliminate him to save innocent lives. During this scene, the camera angles are shot at a low point when facing Batman to make him look more superior than Harvey Dent. This gives the viewers a sense on who might come put on top at the end of the scene.

MYST Post #2

Good Will Hunting:
This is a movie of opportunity and willingness to take a chance when no one else believed in you. Its a movie that shows that it doesn't matter what background someone comes from or "what kind of hand" they were dealt with at the start, but that anyone has true potential in life but sometimes it takes a certain individual to reveal that hidden talent. I felt that after watching this film, I found that the best cinematic aspect was the camera angles. One of the most powerful scenes was when Matt Damon meets Robin Williams for the second time and they sit at a park bench overlooking the pond. Robin can see that it is going to take some work to get through to Damon so he begins to try to relate to him through his hardships as a child. The camera focuses on Robin as he tells his troubled past and we no longer can see Damon as the film really wants us to focus on what Robin has to say. As he is almost done saying what he has to say, the camera slowly drifts back and allows us to see Damon's reaction. He sits there almost puzzled and afraid as this angle helps us go through Damon's realization of his own problems through Robins experience.

One of the most important scenes in this film was the very last one when Ben Affleck, Damon's best friend, slowly walks up to Damon's house, as he always does every morning, and knocks on his door to pick him up. But for the first time, Damon isn't there to answer the door. Affleck confused knocks again and looks through the window to see if his friend is inside but he seems to not be home. Affleck takes a step back and just gives a small smirk as he heads back to his car knowing that his dear friend took his advice to go make something of himself. He told him earlier in the movie that he has an opportunity that everyone around him would kill for. That he shouldn't accept the position he's at in life and take a chance to go do something. Throughout the movie he had people telling him to step up and do what his unique knowledge would allow him to do, but it took his best friend to finally give him that eye opening wake up call and pursue what he wanted in life and not let his past hold him back any longer.

If I had to compare this movie to another, I would choose The Internship. This is a classic Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson comedy but it has a positive message to it, one similar to Good Will Hunting. Its about these two best friends that just lost their jobs and are looking for a new career path to take, so they decide to get an internship with Google. They are both not familiar at all with all the demands that are asked of an employee of Google but work their way up the chain. They have many people who doubt them and try to discourage them throughout the movie, but these two friends push each other to be better and really believe that they can be better. Without the support from each other, they would both fail to achieve the goal they set out for themselves. So with that said, it just takes one person who truly believes in you and supports you for you to reach your goal in life and that anyone can do anything with the right mindset and surroundings.