Written by Reginald Rose
Directed by Sidney Lumet
Starring Henry Fonda, Jack Klugman, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam, John Fielder, E.G. Marshall, Edward Binns, Jack Warden, Joseph Sweeney, Ed Begley, George Voskovec, & Robert Webber

Plot
A group of twelve jurors convene to decide the fate of an 18-year-old boy accused of murdering his father. Eleven of the men immediately cast votes of guilty, but Juror #8 (Henry Fonda) dissents in an attempt to convince his peers to take a second look at the evidence.

My Thoughts
12 Angry Men takes place almost entirely in one tiny room. There aren’t any explosions or action sequences. It’s literally twelve men stuffed into a hot, sweaty room on one of the hottest days of the year. Thus the film’s suspense entirely comes from the dialogue and the actors’ performances.

Each juror has a unique backstory or agenda that affects their thoughts on the case. Juror #5 (Jack Klugman) comes from the slums and feels conflicted about convicting a boy who comes from a similar siutation as him. Juror #7 (Jack Warden) has tickets to a baseball game and just quickly wants to get out of there, regardless of the outcome. And Juror #3 has a complicated relationship with his own son that results in his guilty vote.

The film doesn’t have a long running time (96 min), but by the end, we’ve had a strong look at every character and seen what makes them tick.

Additionally, 12 Angry Men is one of the best written films at all time. We get a quick glimpse of the courtroom and suspect at the beginning of the movie, but everything else is described in the juror’s room. Every piece of evidence and every witness testimony are described by the men as they unwrap the case (without flashbacks). It doesn’t sound like a bunch of forced exposition talk. Rather, we get very detailed descriptions that create visuals in our mind as to how everything went down.

Most interesting is that the film is not about finding the killer. This is where a lot of viewers get confused. 12 Angry Men is a story about whether or not there is enough evidence to send a young boy to die. In fact, there are many things in the movie that suggest the boy did kill his father. But, what’s important is whether the jurors are sure enough to justify a conviction.

Director Sidney Lumet employed several different strategies to increase tension in the film. While shooting, he gradually changed to lenses with longer focal lengths to make it seem as though the background was closing in on the characters. In addition, he shot the first third of the movie above eye level, the second at eye level, and the third below eye level. This helped create the illusion that the ceiling was also closing in on the characters to build a feeling of claustrophobia.

12 Angry Men is a superbly crafted classic, full of tension and top notch performances. Everyone should see it.

5 angry jurors out of 5

IMDB Page —– Amazon

Film Friday is my weekly movie suggestion.

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Have you seen 12 Angry Men? What did you think? Leave a comment below.

Back in high school, a friend gave me some bootleg movies, but I never watched them and deleted them a few weeks ago after finding them on an old hard drive. Recently, the worst thing I think I’ve done is watch a really old obscure movie on YouTube that I couldn’t find anywhere else. But, I can honestly say I have never downloaded a movie from The Pirate Bay or any other similar torrent site.

Now, when it comes to the general populace and stealing media, I don’t really care. It’s something I choose not to do, but I try not to judge others for their decisions too much. However, I’ve noticed a trend at my school that I find a little unusual. And it’s film students stealing movies.

A certain streaming site has become very popular around campus where you can watch the latest blockbusters right from your laptop for free. On the film school’s actual computers, I’ve seen students accessing this site.

As someone who wants to make visual media in the future, I don’t want people blatantly downloading or streaming my material without paying for it. I want to make money off of my hard work and I have a feeling many of my peers feel the same way. It seems highly hypocritical as a student of film to want to steal movies.

When this topic comes up in conversation, the same arguments for piracy always come up…The studios are jerk wads and don’t need more money. If I like the movie, I’ll end up buying it. And movies are too expensive.

I agree that studios are jerk wads and probably don’t need more money. But, you’re hurting more than just the studio by stealing a movie. You’re hurting the filmmakers. You’re potentially hurting the chance that a sequel will be made. Heck, you’re really, really hurting the filmmakers if it’s an independent movie.

The argument of “If I like the movie, I’ll end up buying it” argument is ridiculous. I highly doubt this is true in most cases. Also, should you not have to pay for a movie just because you didn’t like it?

As for the “movies are too expensive” point, it’s somewhat true. Yes, seeing a movie in the theatre costs an arm and a leg. New Blu-rays and DVDs aren’t cheap either. But, there are less expensive ways to watch films if you look for them. Redbox and Amazon streaming cost just a few bucks most of the time. I understand that these methods aren’t exactly as convenient as going to a download site, but it’s the better thing to do. Plus, it’s not like you can justify stealing an iPhone or another gadget because it’s too expensive. If you don’t have the money, you can’t have it.

There are a lot of other arguments people bring up, but these are the main ones I’ve found. I know some peers of my mine say they don’t care if their future movies are stolen as long as someone sees their work. Filmmaking is a job. A fun job, but a job. In order to do things in life and finance other projects, you need money. I doubt this is an attitude most students will have in the future.

There are a lot of things that studios need to do better when it comes to releasing films. Some of their streaming options like Ultraviolet completely suck. They make DVDS and going to the theatre very expensive. Additionally, when they release their material to the home market, it’s not always easily accessible. Yet, I don’t see how any of these things can justify blatantly going onto a site and watching a bootleg copy of the latest Bond film.

I’m not trying to look like a holy figure that follows all the laws. But, it just blows my mind that film students, people who are vying to make it in the entertainment industry, are willing to go to a site and download/stream the latest movies without paying.

Let me know what you think. Is stealing movies any different if you’re a film student? Or is it not a big deal?

However, I’ve noticed that horror movies are not very well-respected. They’re often seen as lower, B-type films.

Heck, here at Chapman, I have yet to find anyone who shares my love of horror movies. Film students spend an inordinate amount of time holding conversations about their favorite movies and I get weird looks when I ask if anyone else has seen Halloween 4.

So I’m going to go ahead and explain my love. This post will give my reasons for why I think horror is a great genre, worthy of respect and recognition.

1. So many subgenres
Out of the main film genres (comedy, action, adventure, romance, etc.), I’d argue that horror has the most number of subcategories. There are too many to list: psychological, monster, slasher, splatter, zombie, comedy, ghost, and many more.

With so many subgenres, there’s always room for something new and different.

2. Physical reactions from the audience
Horror movies get actual physical reactions out of the audience, whether it’s screaming or flinching or whatever. Yeah, romantic comedies or sad movies might cause people to cry, but it’s not on the same level.

For example, I can’t tell you how scared I get when I watch, say, the Paranormal Activity movies. My heart will race, I’ll curl up in a ball, and yell out obscene words when the weird stuff in the house goes down.

3. Even the really bad ones are fun to watch
To get to the really good horror films you have to wade through a lot of crap. But, that doesn’t mean you won’t have a good time watching the bad ones.

I’m realistic, The Evil Dead isn’t exactly a masterpiece. The dialogue is atrocious and the acting is second rate at best. But, it’s still one of my favorite movies because it’s so damn fun to watch. Seeing a deadite getting decapitated by a shovel is entertaining as all get out.

4. Lasting impact
Certain horror movies have lasting impacts on our lives. Think about it. Why are we scared about swimming in the ocean? Jaws. Why do we make an extra effort to make sure the bathroom door is locked? Psycho.

I guarantee people would not have the same apprehensions about taking a swim at the beach if Spielberg’s film hadn’t made it so big. It’s a strong example of the power of horror movies.

5. Stepping stone for up and coming directors
Horror movies are stepping stones for up and coming filmmakers because they’re great practice in basic techniques such as building suspense. A lot of famous directors and producers started out in the genre.

You might not believe it, but James Cameron’s first big epic was Piranha II: The Spawning. Also, Peter Jackson? Yeah, he started off with something called Bad Taste where aliens invade earth to harvest humans for an intergalactic fast food chain.

6. Stunning visuals
This isn’t exactly unique to horror movies, but they can have stunning visuals. They tell out-of-this-world stories, so they have to be creative with the cinematography and production design to bring the characters and settings to life.

One of my favorite shots of all time is in 28 Days Later when the main character (Cillian Murphy) walks across the deserted Westminster Bridge in London. It’s beautifully composed and strikes fear in the viewer because that bridge should not be empty.

7. Innovation
Horror movies are always on the forefront of new ideas. The now extremely popular found footage subgenre was popularized by The Blair Witch Project. Lately, this style of filmmaking has expanded to comedy (Project X) and science fiction (Chronicle).

Also, one of the first films to reignite the interest in 3D was the remake of My Bloody Valentine.

Now, I know what you’re saying. “Michael, 3D and found footage sucks.” Well, that’s true for the most part. But, my point is to prove that horror movies are doing these things first and big budget productions are following their lead.

8. No rules
Horror films don’t follow rules. Especially nowadays, there’s no one to say what can and can’t be in a horror production. (Except maybe the MPAA, but screw those guys.) They can be disgusting, grotesque, shocking, etc.

You’re not going to see someone’s head knocked off with a meat cleaver in a romantic comedy.

9. Fun to watch in groups
The best way to watch horror movies is in groups because there’s all sorts of screaming and laughing. It’s nice to know that there will always be someone more scared than you.

One of my favorite horror movie moments happened recently when I saw the Evil Dead remake in theatres. At the end of the movie, the lead actress shoves a chainsaw into the creature that’s trying to kill her. The whole place burst into applause.

No one is bursting into applause in the middle of Titanic.

10.   Education
I’ll tell you, there are a lot of things I’ve picked up on by watching horror films. I’ve learned never to go to Texas, a shopping mall is the best place to go in the case of a zombie outbreak, and that taking my family up to an empty hotel during the winter is not the best idea.

These are important life lessons.

Do you like horror movies? What’s your favorite? Leave me a comment below.

For the most part, they’re all well put together. However, there are some not-so-good trends that I’ve been noticing and taking note of for when I start making my own bigger projects. I want to be prepared for when I make my own thesis film and know what to avoid.

Here are 5 common student film pitfalls…

1. Bad sound
A film with bad sound takes the audience right out of the story. Audio levels jumping all over the place and bad ADR (automated dialogue replacement) are just a few things I’ve noticed in Chapman movies. It’s quite a shame because oftentimes these projects have incredible visuals, but they become nearly unwatchable without proper sound.

I think a lot of this problem stems from directors not taking production sound very seriously. They’ll spend a lot of time with the camera, but not worry about the audio they’re getting.

2. Bad lighting
Night scenes can look especially poor in student films if they don’t have proper lighting. Sometimes I think I’m staring at a black screen because they’re so dark.

I don’t know much about lighting at all. It’s something I hope to learn about in the next year or so in my cinematography class.

3. Ambiguous endings
I’ve noticed that a lot of student films end with the main character staring off into the abyss. I know filmmakers want the viewer to get involved in the story, but I don’t think the “What do you think happens?” ending is always the way to do it. Oftentimes, I feel cheated when a filmmaker does this.

A strong conclusive ending that answers the right questions is the best way to go in my opinion.

4. Confusing plots
Maybe it’s because I’m dumb, but I have a hard time following the plots of my school’s thesis films at a lot of the time. I think many students follow the “Don’t treat your audience stupid” rule and leave out essential details or connection points that prevent confusion.

I tend to like stories that I can fully follow because I can invest more in the characters.

5. Too many close-ups
This is a biggie that I’ve noticed. A lot of student filmmakers shoot scenes without any wide shots and rely entirely on mediums and tights.

I think a lot of this stems from the fact that students have to adapt locations for their stories. They can’t shoot too wide or else the audience will notice that their boardroom is actually a college admissions office.

To really get the cinematic look, establishing shots and wide coverage are needed. Otherwise, it looks kind of amateurish.

Have you noticed any not-so-good trends in student films that need to be paid special attention to? Let me know in the comments.

Directed by Adam Wingard, David Bruckner, Ti West, Glenn McQuaid, Joe Swanberg, & Radio Silence

Plot
A group of criminals breaks into a house to recover a videocassette for an unknown client. They uncover stacks of tapes with horrifying footage and begin watching them one by one.

My Thoughts
I’m not a big fan of found-footage movies. Every once in a while I’ll come across one I like, but for the most part, they’re incredibly cliché-ridden and boring.

V/H/S breathes new life into the genre. It’s an anthology of five different stories. Though some segments are better than others, each tale is a solid little horror piece.

The standout narratives are “Amateur Night” and “10/31/98.” In “Amateur Night,” three fratboy friends pick up a couple girls at a bar and bring them back to their motel with the intention of filming an amateur porno. One of the girls named Lily (Hannah Fierman) acts strangely and takes a liking to the boy Clint (Drew Sawyer). This segment has great visual effects and an ending straight out of left field.

“10/31/98″ involves a group of friends who head out to a house where there’s supposed to be a Halloween party. It ends up being a Three Amigos-esque situation where the frights they encounter are real.

The anthology premise is a wise choice for V/H/S. Most found-footage movies tend to drag because they take a tiny story and try and stretch it into a feature length showing. If you hate one of V/H/S’s narratives, you’re not forced to sit through it for more than 15 minutes or so.

Also, V/H/S creates some clever situations with the found-footage concept. In the segment “Second Honeymoon,” a married couple is sleeping in a motel room. Their video camera turns on one night and records the husband. At first, we assume the wife is behind it. Then the camera does a pan and reveals the wife is actually sleeping.

Although V/H/S doesn’t escape all of the found-footage pitfalls (It’s overly shaky and has the typical drop-the-camera-as-monster-attacks shot), it has plenty of scares and brings some much needed originality to the genre.

4 creepy VHS tapes out of 5

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Film Friday is my weekly movie suggestion.

Follow me on Twitter @MikeRich9

Have you seen V/H/S? What did you think? Leave a comment below.