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Sophisticated technology has allowed movie creators to manifest a story to become some kinds of scene that are really similar to real condition. Consequently, we can enjoy movie on various genres which have been made by the use of advanced 3D technology. So, if you really like indulge in watching movies, just take your time to watch your favorites at home theater or cinema.

When you have lack information of a movie, just come to Movies.piczo.Com since it has provided you with reviews of various genres of movies.  At this website, you will be able to know what people’s opinions about a movie so that you can have references before watching the movies.  All about Matt Mazer filmography is also available at this website. So, if you one of his fans, please check out his overview and bibliography at this website. Aside from reviews of movies, this website also provides reports of holywood and Bollywood celebrities.

Do you want to have updated news of several celebrities whose movies are famous? If you do, this website is the precise place for you.  There is no need to wait any longer when you are a movie lover since all about movies will be disclosed at this website.

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Copyright © 2009 Ed Bagley

Wedding Crashers – 3 Stars (Good)

Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby – 2 Stars (Average)

There are comedies that can make you laugh that are not good films because they lack any meaningful substance or worthwhile message. An example would be “Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby”, worth a few laughs with Will Ferrell as Ricky Bobby, but not able to get you emotionally involved in a character’s plight.

Then there are comedies that can make you laugh that appear to have a lack of substance, but slowly pull you into a character as you become emotionally involved with his situation. An example would be “Wedding Crashers” with Owen Wilson as John Beckwith.

So what makes one film good and another just average? The difference is in the script, the direction and the acting.

For openers, Talladega Nights was written by Will Farrell, who also plays the lead role, and by Adam McKay, who is the director. My experience has been that when the director of a film also writes the script, the script, the direction and the movie all suffer the majority of the time. When the lead actor of the film is also a writer of the film, the situation becomes compounded, like the blind leading the deaf through a minefield.

Both Farrell and McKay try to tell a story with their comedy but fail because not only is the comedy unbelievable, but the character of Ricky Bobby is not likeable enough to convince us that there is human drama unfolding here.

McKay joins a long list of other writer/directors who have bombed in these dual roles, including Vanessa Parise (terrible rating) for Kiss the Bride; Peter Weir (average rating) for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World; Nancy Myers (average rating) for Something’s Gotta Give; Thomas Bezucha (average rating) for The Family Stone; Michael McGowan (average rating) for Saint Ralph; Jared Hess (terrible rating) for Napoleon Dynamite; Robert Rodriguez (terrible rating) for Once Upon a Time in Mexico; and Paul Thomas Anderson (terrible rating) for Punch-Drunk Love.

Exceptions to this dual role as writer/director are Kirk Jones (excellent rating) in Waking Ned Devine, and Tim McCanlies (excellent rating) for Secondhand Lions. Both Jones and McCanlies are master storytellers in these films, and other writer/directors who have failed could learn a lot from them.

Wedding Crashers, another funny comedy, is just the opposite of Talladega Nights in that Steve Faber and Bob Fisher can tell a good story, and David Dobkin can direct a good comedy film. Their effort comes together because Owen Wilson as John Beckwith is likeable and has the acting style and ability to emotionally connect with the viewer.

We can see ourselves in his predicament—living a life of fun and pleasure at the expense of others, and then developing a conscience that foreshadows personal growth.

After taking advantage of so many lovely, unsuspecting bridesmaids, he slows down enough to notice Rachel McAdams as Claire Cleary, who shares his sense of humor and light-heartedness. The more he looks at Claire, the more he wants to look at Claire.

Claire, however, is spoken for by a person she has not yet discovered is really a self-absorbed, dictatorial, manipulative, rich jerk, whereas John Beckwith appears more worthless but is wanting and willing to change his ways.

It is interesting that Vince Vaughn as Jeremy Grey’s character, Beckwith’s wedding crasher partner and best friend, is not nearly as likeable, although he also decides to get married to Claire’s immature, dippy sister Gloria Cleary (Isla Fisher).

I saw the unrated and uncut version of Talladega Nights, and the uncorked (not rated) version of Wedding Crashers, the theatrical version was rated R with sexual content, nudity and filthy language.

Despite watching the additional footage not shown in theaters, and enduring the sexual content and language, I would watch Wedding Crashers again but would not watch Talladega Nights again if you offered to pay me.

Moviegoers are fooled less often than you may think, and it becomes evident at awards time. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, was nominated in 2007 for the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Movie Comedy, but did not win. Wedding Crashers was nominated in 2006 for the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Movie Comedy and did win.

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There’s many things that make a good movie and there’s a lot more that make a great movie. One of the deal breakers between a movie going from good to great or falling away from good to a waste of the audiences time is the ending.
Sometimes it feels like the writer just ran out of ideas or had gotten the film’s plot so convoluted that when he realises the run time has breached the two hour point the ending is suddenly cobbled together and rushed through.
Perhaps the worst possible end to a film, and indeed any story, is for the main character to suddenly wake up and find it was all a dream. So we sat there and got involved in a story for nothing? What was the writer trying to say?
There’s other cardinal sins in ending films: losing the big game or fight (Tin Cup); after a film-long build up the bad guy goes down ridiculously easily (Rocky 3); the whole thing is resolved by something completely outside of the story line so far (Raiders of the Lost Ark); the writer doesn’t know how to explain things clearly (Revolver) and leaves the plot so confused that numerous viewings still leave you thinking “what?!!”
I’m not going to look to heavily here at those films which are obvious set-ups for the sequel as I still hold these as a waste of time – films that are franchises rather than installments in a series a-la Godfather.
One of the real irritants in a bad movie is when the character receives absolutely zero pay off for the struggle they’ve been through in the previous two hours of film.
Castaway, with Tom Hanks, is a prime example. We, the audience, spend the majority of the film watching Tom Hanks struggle to live on an island, losing weight, growing a questionable beard, developing an eerie relationship with a volleyball and desperately struggling to get back home to his loved ones and, specifically, his wife. When he does make it home he finds everyone has given him up for dead and his wife has married and had a child. So what does Tom Hanks’ character do? What is our payoff for watching this story? It’s Tom Hanks staring at a truck going down a road and smiling. Well that was worth all that struggle. Good have been a good film but ruined by one of the biggest let downs in cinema.
A great film can also be demoted to a mere good film by a let-down of an ending. Take The Sixth Sense. A child psychologist, Bruce Willis, trying to help an annoying little kid who can see dead people. The director, M. Night Shyamalan, masterfully builds up suspense throughout this film as the psychologist encourages the kid to help the dead people. Parodied many times but a pretty good film bordering on the great, until the ending where we find out that Bruce Willis’ character is dead.
Bit of a let down and a poor twist – how had anyone not wondered why he was wearing the same outfit throughout the film? Oh, and the kids mum finally believes the kid can see dead people.
As a small point, Shyamalan is one of the biggest perpetrators of bad endings on pretty good films. Signs, for example, masterfully built up and then the aliens turn out to be allergic to water. I haven’t even seen Unbreakable simply because so many people have told me how bad the ending is.
Some bad endings are so bad they can kill an entire trilogy. Godfather 3, for example, nearly killed the trilogy just by it’s mere existence. A hugely and overly convoluted plot bought shuddering to a series of questionable scenes finalised with Michael (set sometime in the future from the plot) sitting in a chair in an Italian garden, he puts on his sunglasses then dies, a dog sniffs him and the screen fades. Great way to end what had been once billed as the greatest saga.
Speaking of great sagas, there’s the end (or endings) of the Lord Of the Rings trilogy. What could have been a huge film in terms of battle, resolution and final feel good factor is ruined by not knowing when to end. Something like a dozen endings follow the films logical conclusion point (Frodo waking up and being greeted by all the survivors) one of which seems to be there only as an attempt to quash the questioned homosexual relationship between Frodo and Sam, thus ruining a film which could have been the best of the trilogy.
So, for all those budding screen writers and the film makers that keep committing cardinal sins when wrapping up films, here are some tips.
Don’t rush the end but know when to leave it alone – we don’t want to know what the character did for the rest of their life just the end of the story you’re telling us. Don’t make it too confusing, if you can’t explain it clearly don’t attempt to be clever – for every The Usual Suspects there’s a Revolver.
Don’t make your main character to something completely against grain and nature just to wrap things up or attempt a twist – “oh he turned out to be evil” is not a twist.
Give the audience a payoff, they’ve spent upwards of two hours on an uncomfortable chair watching this story they don’t want to see someone merely shrug the events off as an attempt at a symbolic gesture and try not to kill your lead too easily if you must kill them at all.
Look at Pulp Fiction: John Travolta’s character gets killed ridiculously easily halfway through the film but thanks to some clever sequencing, is still alive when the credits role as the films money-rollers knew that’s what the audience wants to see. Nobody wants to spend the films duration relating to and liking a character only for them to get hit by a car at the end and die.
I’m not saying all films end badly, there are many, many great endings that make a film even greater.
My own personal favourite ending is Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. A great film with a great ending. The characters don’t suddenly change, they don’t die on screen. They may well die but we don’t see it. They remain true to their friendship and attitude, deciding they can shoot their way out not knowing that while they’ve been planning the entire Bolivian army has gathered outside to await them with a hail of gunfire. We don’t see that though, what we see is our film’s hero’s bursting out smiling and then held in position as the credits end.
When you roll those credits, do it well.

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Filmmaking is not only an interesting, enjoyable and fulfilling career but very lucrative as well. Unfortunately, realizing the big Hollywood dream entails hard work, commitment and great amount of skill, right attitude, guts and some luck, too. While it is true that you’re not in full control of your fate, the initial steps toward being a successful filmmaker depend on you. Choosing the right or the best film school where you would hone your talents, develop more interest and learn more knowledge in filmmaking is your first step. Your decision to choose a particular film school is very crucial to your success as a filmmaker since that film school shall equip you with or shall help you gain more knowledge, skills, techniques and experiences, which are essential to a filmmaker. Those are his tools in filmmaking that cannot be bought but are earned and cultivated through time.

1. Know What You Want

First of all, you have to know what you want. Ask yourself what realm of filmmaking do you want to venture in or what kind of films do you want to work on in the future? Do you want to be an independent filmmaker or a simple film artist? There are so many film schools in the country as well as in other parts of the globe and each has its own expertise. Knowing what you want in the first place would allow you to focus your research and thus refine your choices for good film schools. Also, this would help you save time and effort in searching for schools as you have already eliminated those that may not fit your interest and criteria.

2. What Are Your Considerations?

After deciding on what area you want to concentrate, you should also identify your major considerations in choosing a particular film school.

- the affordability of film courses
- the facilities of the film school
- the accessibility and proximity of the school
- the film school’s reputation and quality of education

3. Don’t Skimp On Your Education

Remember that a good film education is really expensive so do not just choose a film school that offers the cheapest film courses. It is important to consider the quality of education and the reputation of the school above all else. Remember that with that school, you are building a career that is supposed to be a life-long profession. Short-term film courses, say a 2-yr filmmaking course may be a lot cheaper than a 4-yr course and is quite helpful as most provide hands on training and a lot of project work. If you want to really excel in this field, however, you might opt for a longer course as it is more comprehensive.

3. Identify Where You Want To Study

Knowing where you want to cultivate your skills and intensify your interest in filmmaking is essential in selecting the right film school for you. This would refine your search as well since you would have to concentrate in looking for film schools only in one particular area or locality. New York is one of the best places to study film. It has the most developed art scenes for film and a number of reputable film schools. If affordability of the film course is one of your major considerations, you can choose a film school in Chicago and Milwaukee, which are known for having the most affordable film schools in the country. If you want to make it to Hollywood, better start your search for the best film school there in Los Angeles and nearby cities. There are lots of renowned film schools there that offer short and long term film courses.

4. Explore Colleges and Universities

Now that you have refined your criteria: the area in filmmaking you want to concentrate in, your major considerations such as the affordability of the courses, the school’s reputation and the place, you can now do some research. As you explore your options, consider the things you have identified earlier. It would be better if you list down every film school’s advantages and disadvantages so you can easily compare and contrast them. Also, as you examine the school’s film courses and their special attributes, you can add some more considerations to your list and see which of the film schools you have considered meet the most of your requirements.

5. Narrow Your List

After going through several colleges and universities, narrow now your list by eliminating those that do not meet your criteria. With your short but well researched list of the best film schools, you can be more confident now of making a right decision. But before you finally select the film school, seek for other people’s advice and recommendations, especially those who are well familiar with filmmaking.

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Once you have decided that film school is the way forward for your career the next big hurdle is deciding which film college will best suit you. This is no easy task, as more and more people seek training in the art of film making more and more film making schools appear to fill the gap and one is not as good as the other. There are some major considerations you should take into account when you are deciding which film school best suits your aspirations.

Firstly, the standard of the faculty they employ at the school for film. You will be learning from your lecturer’s experience. If they have very little in the way of hands on experience then their lessons may not be the best you can get. As a deal the faculty of your chosen school should have a lot of experience in top Hollywood productions. If the school you are looking at does not boast a distinguished, experienced faculty then it may be better to look somewhere else. The last thing you want to do is waste your money on sub standard training when there are good film colleges that will set you up for life.

The next thing you must look into is the film school curriculum? Is there real depth in what they are proposing to teach you? This is going to be the stuff you are relying on to educate you in all aspects of the film industry. If the film college you choose has a curriculum that is light on content or does not suit what you want to learn it will not provide you with the basis for a successful career in film and television.

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly of all, do some research into what the school for film former pupils are actually doing now. There could be no greater recommendation of a film college than the success past students have had in the industry.

One film college that satisfies all of these criteria and is gaining an increasingly widespread reputation in the film industry is IAFT. This school for film and television boasts an impressive faculty that counts Hollywood movies among their many successes. They certainly don’t lack for experience they can pass on to you. Their curriculum also has a satisfying depth and diversity that is bound to please you whether you are look for a school for director, actor, or producer. There are many programs to choose from including the crazy filmmaker program which offers you the opportunity to work on real productions including feature films for Bigfoot Entertainment.

And their students really are making a name for themselves, recently former student of IAFT; Steven Flor had two films selected for the New York Short Film Festival. Another former pupil is Alan Lyddiard, a well known name in theatre circles who is starting to emulate that success in feature films. Visit IAFT’s impressive website to learn more http://www.filmschool.ph

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