Terminator 3 (2003)

The terminator has been sent back in time once again to rescue John Conner. In the battle preceding this scene, one if its fuel cells was damaged. The terminator throws this damaged unit out of the vehicle and it explodes creating this miniature mushroom cloud. Though it might at first be dismissed as being appropriate for the overall theme of the movie, I later found it to be a form of foreshadowing. Nuclear war hounds the characters of this film and at this point its presence is close enough to be tangible.



I find it strange that a town with so many signs of occupation would be seemingly deserted, even if it is past sunset. I realize that many car scenes are filmed on closed courses, but there are usually at least a couple extras here and there. I conclude that this was intentionally done to induce a feeling of loneliness and hopelessness.



I like how this scene is utterly gray. It not only fits well with the time of day and the look of the city, but also mimics the overall palette of the aftermath of nuclear war. When everything is turned to ash and twisted metal, the overall color won’t change much.

Unforgiven (1992)

This shot isn’t really what I wanted to note. Rather, what I wanted to say was that there is a lack of musical score for most of the movie. This gives the movie a greater feel of authenticity because life doesn’t have a soundtrack. I like the absence of music because it means the filmmaker doesn’t need it to sway my mood. Things in the old west happened down to Earth and with face value. Plain and simple, that’s it in a nutshell.



What’s interesting about this shot is not what’s in it, or how the camera is angled. Instead, what’s odd about it is that there’s no trail dust on any of these cowboys. You’d think that, in a time where paved roads are scarce (at least on the frontier anyway) there would be dust and dirt all over people’s pants and shirts. Yet it is strangely absent. I can’t claim credit for seeing this; my dad once pointed out this little detail to me. Ever since he spoke of it to me, I have been looking carefully for signs of the dusty trail on cowboys in western films. It is a detail few are keen to spot.



The use of a candle at night may seem obvious to some. But I see it as proof of bonding. A candle’s light only reaches so far. People nearby that want to use that light have to sit real close to each other. This leads to fraternizing and familiarity, sometimes resulting in friendship. The trio does end up bonding, but like the illumination of the candle, it’s minimal.

Lost in Translation (2003)

One of the first things I notice about a movie is the use of establishing shots, especially when they take place in cities. The vast majority of cities are simple blocks of concrete, glass, and steel. Few ever demonstrate an individualistic flair, like Tokyo does in this shot.



I like this shot because it shows how far this character is out of his element. He’s far away from home as it is. This otherwise pointless elevator shot demonstrates effectively how much this American visitor sticks out like a sore thumb.



I like how this shot sums up this character’s predicament. He’s in Tokyo for a couple weeks and his family is in the states. The arrangement of the items on the table shows that he’s used to sharing a portion of it with someone else. Without anyone to share it with, his lonely state becomes evident.

Terminator (1984)

This intimidating pose is struck by an infiltrator machine bent on destroying a bunker full of holocaust survivors. I found the lighting to be significant in creating the feeling of gloom and doom. The fact that it’s holding a huge laser gun also helps. At first I didn’t notice it, at least not consciously, but the infiltrator’s eyes are glowing. This also contributes to the feeling of dark power radiating from this thing.



I like this establishing shot because the city has so many lights yet only the street itself is well lit. Granted it’s nighttime, but you’d think with all those lights blazing there’d be much less darkness. The bluish street lamps shrinking with distance give the feeling that there’s a long road ahead. Indeed, this shot was taken not long after one of the main characters arrives early in the movie.



This is probably the first point of view (POV) shot I can remember seeing in any movie. Watching this movie as a kid, I didn’t realize how much it affected the movie overall. But it does make the terminator’s mission crystal clear: search and destroy. The choice of red and black as major colors lends to the air of ill will associated with this machine.

Batman Forever (1995)

One thing that has always fascinated me about Batman movies is the style of architecture of the city of Gotham. In this movie, the lighting dominates the structures rather than the opposite. This creates an unusual look for a city that’s supposed to be all doom and gloom when now it seems to glow radioactively.



Jim Carrey always seems to bring a considerable measure of spontaneity and odd facial expressions to a character. This medium shot of him explaining to his boss the key element in his latest invention proves that notion quite well. There are no objects to help the emphasis because they are not necessary.



Dark colors often represent dark feelings, and that holds true for this flashback to Bruce Wayne’s childhood. Everything has the blue tint, even the fire. It makes the flashback distinct and ethereal, which is appropriate for the situation.

Employee of the Month (2006)

There are several ways to show the passing of time in a short period. One of those is time-lapse. This is where a camera is left to run for a long time and record at a much slower frame rate. The result is an afternoon gone in 30 seconds or sometimes less. This one in particular I find to be uncommonly beautiful for a movie whose main focus is comedy.



If there was ever a doubt in your mind that you could get pretty much anything from a warehouse store, this little shot dispels it. The floor workers of this particular warehouse store have set up a pallet clubhouse complete with drinks, games, and furniture. You can even see what appears to be a sleeping area behind the two card players. It also attests to some latent ingenuity in the lowly workers.



I liked how this scene utilized a diminished form of dramatic effect to create a humorous scene. Normally dry ice is used to add mystique or emphasis to a serious scene, but in this case the use of freezer mist thrown into the path of the savior’s run just adds some amusement.

Army of Darkness (1992)

Though it was probably unintended, I thought this shot of the windmill behind the chainsaw made a noteworthy contrast between old and new technology. The chainsaw is shiny and full of power while the windmill is dull and slow. The new tech looks so strange compared to the old, yet we’re much more familiar with it than we’d be with a windmill.



A single light could be all a filmmaker needs to put emphasis on the importance of something. This shot is no exception. The altar of the Necronomicon (book of the dead) is dreary and old, not in the least bit holy as white lights often emphasize. Yet a white light is used to illuminate the place of the book. Whether this was intentional or not really thought out by the filmmaker is arguable.



For some reason, the use of jerky puppets seems more appropriate than computer animation for the simulation of walking skeletons. Computer animation is either too shiny or too smooth, neither of which would go well with the undead. Though the option to use puppets and animatronics is more due to the limitations of technology at the time this film was made, I still feel it is the best choice.



This shot could have been broken up onto two, but the filmmaker kept it together. The man on the right (from the future) slaps the man on the left (in the correct time period) after watching the troops score small victories in the battle below. The man on the left isn’t accustomed to such body language and stares back almost threateningly. It could have been split up so the reaction was shot separately, but that would probably have made the reaction seem too serious and detract from the comedic air of the film.

300 (2006)

I find this shot to be particularly special because of all the symbolism packed into one short instance. We see here the young Spartan soldier, thrown out into the wild to fend for himself and return alive or not at all. He has encountered a wolf (whose shadow we see on the rock face), easily as big as he is. He fights with his brain first, by luring the wolf into a rocky crevasse. The wolf gets stuck and wounded by the spear in its attempt to lunge toward the Spartan boy, who deals a deathblow with one swift strike. This demonstrates the Spartan king’s overall strategy on how he will fight the Persian army: lead them to a narrow space, then strike. Talk about foreshadowing.



I like this shot because it efficiently sums up the main points of this character and all the hell he’s been through. The piercing gaze speaks of an unyielding spirit, and the battered helmet tells of the long hard battle he has fought.



Here’s a shot with some good imagery. The “God-king” Xerxes rides on a huge white polished throne carried on the backs of slaves. There’s no more obvious way to say that he is the absolute ruler of these subjects. The subjects themselves are dehumanized by their lack of faces. Rather, they wear masks or head cloths or other such related apparel. This lets them seem less than human, worthy of scorn and fit only to die at the hands of the noble Spartans.

Black Hawk Down (2001)

Here's a scene near the beginning where religious observance is performed by the townspeople of this city in Somalia. I find it interesting that everyone puts down their weapon to do this, even though it's pretty much a war zone and anyone could take advantage of the situation. Though the window of opportunity is small, it could make the difference in a fight. These people are devout, and it lends some humanity to their overall character despite the bloody nature of their existence.



A nice shot of the aftermath of the battle thus far. This part really helps drive home just how impoverished these people are in terms of material wealth. It also serves as a calming breath between action sequences. Viewers cannot be flooded with too much action, or they'll eventually lose interest.



This might seem like any scene from a war movie where doctors operate on the wounded. But this scene is unique in that it shows just how much the commanding officer really cares about the welfare of those under him. He sees a spatter of blood spill onto the operating room floor and grabs a towel to wipe it up. Few generals I've heard of demonstrate their devotion down to such a small detail. We usually hear about how they command from the rear, so we assume they're detached from what they do.

Lord of War (2005)

This is perhaps one of the most interesting opening sequences I've seen. The camera follows the path of a bullet from manufacture to usage. We get to see it developed through a factory, trade hands with various people, and finally be used on a battlefield. As an opening sequence it does a great job of catching and holding the viewer's attention.



I found the symbolism of this shot to be quite interesting. Here we have a statue of Lenin, our antagonist weapons dealer doing some calculations, and a row of military vehicles stretching into the background. In this world, capitalism thrives, and it is the merchant class that gets rich most easily. Here we see a visual manifestation of the outcome of the struggle between the classes: Communism falls to the wealthy, aided by the military.



Here we have another somewhat symbolic scene. The gun dealer and his brother (his partner in "the biz") are both nearly shot by a spray of bullets. After much ducking and dropping of recently-made money, the brother looks around to see who fired the shots. It's a firing squad, and they're executing several people including women and children. The brother wants to interfere, but the gun dealer keeps him from doing so, while also gripping his money more tightly. Here we see a conflict of human nature; the desire to help others, and the desire to stay wealthy (and alive). Ultimately, they choose the latter.

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

The beginning scene in the coffee house does a good job in showing the relations between the members of this particular group of criminals. The viewer learns a good deal about them in this first scene. While some movies start with a little action first, this film starts with actual story-building content. The argument posed by "Mr. Pink" in this picture regarding tipping certainly brings a level of detail to the character that other movies don't even attempt (even if it is about a superficial issue).



What caught my interest in this scene is not the sense of camaraderie, but the fact that the slow-motion is somewhat choppy. For the longest time I had the assumption that all slow motion scenes were smooth as butter. But seeing this rather old film using it really showed how far we've come in video technology.



If there ever was a moral summed up in one scene, it would be this. Nearly all the bad guys and a few good guys end up dying, with the exception of one of the bad guys. He gets away while the others suffer the consequences. Though it says pretty clearly, "Crime doesn't pay" it simultaneously shows how dangerous and bloody police work can be.

The Usual Suspects (1995)

This scene communicated more than just what was said in the conversation. You can tell from observing the position of the man being questioned (left) and the officer (right) that the cop should have the upper hand. He should be the one in power, asking questions and getting answers. But the mannerisms of the man on the left tell that he believes he has it all under his control. Later on you learn just how far in control he really is.



Here is a good example of the dramatic effect of fire. We see the silhouette of a man as he walks away from what we presume to be a burning building - partly because it's what you might expect, and partly because the man narrating this tidbit says so. This near-mythical figure is Kaiser Sose, a famed criminal known for his viciousness and tenacity. The story goes that he was crossed by some mob who wanted his territory. He ends up slaughtering them and anyone even remotely associated with them. Horror stories are told about him by criminals to their children, saying, "You cross your dad, and Kaiser Sose is gonna get you!" This shot gives meaning to that phrase quite well.

Equilibrium (2002)

These shots show the state of the world after a third world war. Mankind has taken a new path toward eliminating war with a drug called Prozium. This drug suppresses all emotions, eliminating war altogether at the sacrifice of happiness and joy. A world grown like this would be gray upon gray due to lack of interest in ornamentation, as these shots show.




I found the detail of this shot to be at once subtle yet obvious. The room itself is nothing to gawk at, but rather the globe and the continents are the main point of interest. You'll see the continents do not look very much like how they do now. This implies not only a change in human behavior after the famed WWIII, but also a permanent change in how the land itself is arranged. This sort of thing is permanent and unbending, which hints at the authoritarian rule practiced in this society.



This is a shot I liked because it showed an element that I picked up immediately while the character ran right over it. He's running his hand along the wall across the bullet holes in this hallway (a raid is in progress). As he does this, a glint of light plays across his hand as he passes one of those holes. I saw this and immediately assumed there was a secret room of some sort, all before he doubled back after noticing it for himself.



In this post-WWIII world where people deaden their emotions with a periodically-applied drug, a new crime has been defined: sense offense. People found to be missing their dose and experiencing emotions are arrested and executed, and all the material possessions that invoke such emotional responses are confiscated and burned.



After accidentally dropping his dose of Prozium and missing his refill from the closest resupply building, (closed due to terrorist activity) he decides to try and live the day without it. He falls asleep and dreams, waking with a start. He sees the splatter of rain on his window, which has some sort of greying film covering it. He rips at it and tears it off to reveal this beautiful view of the city. He's feeling emotion for what one can assume is the first time, and his initial reaction is to run to the bathroom and nearly inject himself with Prozium. But he doesn't, and so the plot thickens.

Evolution (2001)

One of the things I like about this particular comedy is that they tend to keep things simple. Like the cops posing before the meteorite. This might be the sort of sophomoric behavior you'd expect from anyone but cops. Apparently, these guys have something other than professionalism in mind.



Here we have a Chief of the CDC, a professor of biology, and a geologist all with a problem: where can they get 500 gallons of Selenium at 2:00AM? The answer -surprising enough to turn heads- comes from two of the worst students in the biology professor's class. The statement, "Yea we can get that" is enough to momentarily stump even the so-called brains of this outfit.



It's amazing how elementary computer-generated image effects can look when you slow them down. In this still, you can see the spheres that make up the gobs of green biomass as it is hurled outward from the giant alien creature that exploded. It occurred to me that we take CGI effects for granted, and they have become the norm in special effects. They're so common they're not really special anymore.

I, Robot (2004)

Though I have never been to Chicago, this is probably what I would expect to see in 2035. It has only been recently that set designers for sci-fi movies and shows have realized that, in the future, not everything will have radically changed. In shows and movies past, cities were depicted in some extreme as too dark, too metallic, too tall, and so on. It is reassuring to see that not all visions of the future are so drastic.



This scene is a rather obvious attempt at foreshadowing. It starts with a view of the body of an employee, a high-in-the-ranks scientist. It zooms out to encompass the yellow police line and goes further panning up to take in the statue which dominates the interior of the building. The thing on everyone's mind is, "Why would this man kill himself?" and the style of this shot gives the answer clearly.



Here I see an interesting contrast taking place. As it is with most technologies, they are gradually integrated in what we have today. Rarely do they ever intrude to the point of completely replacing everything. The small, sleek automobile in front of the old-style architecture of the home with the large unidentified robot nearby depicts that gradual phasing-in of technology and new designs.

Galaxy Quest (1999)

This shot I liked because of its practicality. Here we see one of the actors in the faux T.V. show Galaxy Quest. He's in what appears to be his home yet he still hasn't taken the makeup off his face. To me, this shows a deep familiarity and redundancy with having that makeup on. It shows how deeply ingrained the show has become with their lives.



Want to make a space ship that pretty much shouts, "Bad guys on board!" Look no further than this fine example. Not only is it large, but it also employs less obvious means to get the message across. Note the rings of what seem to be teeth in the yellow, glowing maw that is the front of this ship. If this isn't enough, the whole of the thing is covered in what looks like a green, scaly hide. It looks like one of those deep-sea angler fish with the lights running across it. The subtleties and blatancy combine to form an unmistakable message.



An excellent reaction shot here. This man has realized that he is not on the set of a show or movie, but is in fact on a spaceship. He's staring out into space, covered in some protective film. He asked to be driven home after having a taste of what he suspected was a new gig. What get got was a ride through a black hole back to Earth. I don't think anyone could make a face any different from that if they were in his shoes.