How Movies Can In Theaters Now

Make You Smarter

p. 13 Movie Reviews
Why Are Movie
Tickets so Greatest
Expensive? P. 23 Performances:
English and Non-
The Impressions English
of Jane Campion’s
Films p. 11 “Harry Potter”
Cast All Grown Up

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Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter
 Table of Contents
Founder’s Message Greatest Performances:
English and Non-English
p.4

Editor’s Message p.6

p. 7

Cast of “Harry Potter” The Mistakes of Alfred

grows up p.25 Hitchcock’s Films p.21

Movies at the theaters

p. 28

Movie Reviews and

Ratings p. 29

Left: Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe

Monte Pictures was originally founded by Javier Serrano in San Diego, California on February 4, 2007. Monte
Pictures is the subject to the founder’s passion: to establish a film company. At this time, Monte Pictures runs
independently through monthly newsletters composed by the founder Javier Serrano and his editor-in-chief
Julia Wieczorek.

© 2009 Monte Pictures Newsletter. We acknowledge all photographs are subject to their original owners.
Monte Pictures was created to express, entertain and educate members of Monte Pictures the variety of film
selections available. We do not sell our newsletters nor accept donations of any kind; we are neither a
corporation nor non-profit organization. Questions or comments, please email your inquiries to:
montepictures@ymail.com .
Founder
 Maintaining Motivation
There are times when the motivation to get
out of bed to prepare for another day of
drudgery at work is the last thing anyone
wants to do. Writers sometimes find it hard
to get a word on paper as writer's block
stifles creativity and squelches any desire to
accomplish anything worthwhile. Everyone
goes through periods when productivity dies
and imagination and creativity dry up.
Maintaining motivation just doesn't seem
edible when the goal is so far off as to
appear unreachable. No matter what career
you're in or what job you do, keeping
motivation going is sometimes a necessity.
At those times when the job must be
accomplished to the best of your abilities.
There are methods that you can employ to
keep your motivation flowing and your spirit
upbeat.
Turn the despair to Your Advantage
It's hard to see anything good when you're
feeling blue. But if you accept the fact that
you feel this way then you have a chance to
use it to your advantage. It's an excellent
time to take a break from the routine. Rest
and relaxation are important elements for
health and vitality. Feeling down doesn't
mean you'll stay that way permanently. Take
a few days off for some recuperation. Do
something out of the ordinary. Change your
routine. You'll start feeling your old self again
before long.
Review the Purpose of Your Life
It's easy to get lost in worries and the hustle
of daily activities and forget what your long
term goals are. You're working for a reason.
Whatever those goals are, focus your mind
at how you'll feel once you've achieved your
dreams. Keep your goals in the forefront of
your thoughts.
Review Your Plans
Everyone has a vision of what they would like
to accomplish. Not everyone has a plan to
reach those goals. If you're not sure how to
get there, you need to clarify your goals by
outlining the steps that take you there.
Otherwise every day will be much the same
as the one before, one long drag after
another. Motivation comes from achieving
every step you've mapped out ahead of time.
There's no better feeling knowing that you're
reached an important milestone toward your
ultimate desire.
Review the Time Factor
Motivation wanes when you set an unrealistic
time frame. Time needs to be your ally.
Anything worthwhile takes time to achieve, so
you need to give your goal time toward its
achievement. You have to factor in detours,
Sabbaticals and any other things that could
stand in the way. Setting your time too short
and you'll be disappointed. Too long and you
might have no incentive to get started. Only
you can determine how much time is
appropriate for the goal.
Many people give up on life. They have no
dreams and thus no motivation to go
anywhere. The purpose of life demands taking
action toward a goal. Knowing what your
purpose is will keep you motivated and you
will enjoy all the benefits that you worked,
sacrificed and disciplined for. Thus, I wish you
and your family great health!
- Javier Serrano, founder
Editor-in-Chief
 Welcome back readers!
This is one of our longest and greatest issues yet,
and hopefully you will enjoy everything about it as
I have in editing it!
I always loved movies and books since I was very
small. For me, they were like an escape to a
different place and anything could be imagined
before your eyes/in your mind. There have been
movies made about almost everything. My favorite
types of movies are about the unexpected, make- “What would I do without you?”
you-think lives of people, twisted around in –the Joker in The Dark Knight
surprise endings or alternate realities.
The Dark Knight, this may/should not be
surprising to some, was one of those movies that I
fell in love with. They took an already loved- The Dark Knight…a year later…
superhero, who has been made into countless
The Joker is intelligent, a true
comics, books, cartoons and movies, and they
leader, resourceful and not to
made him think. Their catalyst: the Joker. Not just
mention ruthless. He may be a
an evil villain, an arch-nemesis to Batman, but the
psychopathic serial murderer with
one person who is able to get Batman to use his
a message, but he shows us true
brain and see the true nature of human behavior.
abnormal psychological disorders
The Joker goes one further and tasks the human
in their most real and scary.
population to a social experiment between 2
boats of very different groups of people. Do you Heath Ledger was deserving of
remember the touching outcome of that one? Was his posthumous Oscar win.
it surprising?

For me, the most interesting parts of life are the behaviors human beings display as the social
animals that we are. These make up the countless stories and adventures that we fall into on a
daily basis. And these are the things I write about, hopefully making my characters as true and
unique as the best authors and film-makers are able to do. My interests in the human mind flows
through my writing, into my goals in life, with my graduation (Psychology and Anthropology degree
of course) quickly approaching I wonder what it is exactly I want to do with my interests, there are
many options that intrigue me.
Whatever I choose, I will never forget the movies and books that have inspired so much, and have
taught me so much. Let alone, I will not forget the movies and books that have simply amazed me
for their cinematography and their passionate look into the depth of the minds who created them.
There is nothing that tells a person more about someone else, than reading/watching something
they have created. - julia wieczorek
editor-in-chief

“I think you and I are destined to do this forever.” –the Joker

5 Greatest Performances of
All Time in an English role
Legendaries:
(Clockwise from left)
Al Pacino; Peter
O’Toole; Marlon
Brando; Meryl Streep;
Jack Nicholson
It’s taken nearly 3 years to complete the
American Film Institute 100 Best Films of All
Time. Plus, it’s taken me another year and a
half to complete the revision of the AFI 100
Films of All Time in 2007. I honestly have to
say, this was the most difficult and challenging
decision on choosing five best performances of
all time, out of 150 actors and actresses.
Overwhelmingly, here are the five best
performances to date:
Peter O’Toole in Lawrence of Arabia
From its spectacular Panavision widescreen
cinematography, to Maurice Larre’s gorgeous
soundtrack and the ravishing and superb
performance by Peter O’Toole, Lawrence of
Arabia is a true “classic.” Originally released in
1962, the film was honored with a variety of
awards, including seven Oscars, five Golden
Globes, and three British Academy Awards. It
is also rich in contexts, from the imperialistic
politics to racial difference and
homosexuality. The film is loosely based on
T.E. Lawrence’s own autobiography, Seven
Pillars of Wisdom, the film tracks his
experience as an officer stationed in the
Middle East during World War I. In the Middle
East, Lawrence changes from white to “Arab,”
and it becomes clear that there are hints of
his homosexuality, which we encounter a
bizarre performance featuring Lawrence’s
“feminine” gestures. Peter O’Toole performs
gorgeously on screen but he failed to win an
Oscar for Best Actor losing to Gregory Peck
in To Kill a Mocking Bird. In this regard,
Lawrence of Arabia illustrates the many
complexities found in the relations
between colonized and colonizer.
Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront
On the Waterfront is a great film for
many reasons, but Marlon Brando’s
performance, whose radiant acting
style ushered in a new era of more
naturalistic, less affectionate, acting.
It’s a tribute to the almost
unprecedented emotional power of
Brando’s performance that although the
character he plays here is among the
screen’s least expressive heroes, he has
one of the best-known dialogues in
movie history. Brando plays Terry
Malloy, an ill-mannered but passionate
young ex-boxer who is owned by a
corrupt union boss Johnny Friendly,
until an unexpected murder shakes him
and he slowly begins developing a
conscience through the graces of the
dead man’s sister (Eva Marie Saint).
Without question, Brando’s
performance is awe-inspiring, brilliant
and well-received, winning Best Actor
Oscar for his mesmerizing performance
in On the Waterfront.
 drama directed by Alan J. Pakula. Strength of
Meryl Streep’s performances creates another,
more serious problem for Sophie’s Choice.
Nobody could accuse Pakula of creating a bad
film, since he covered all the bases from plot to
multiple flashbacks sequences to photography.
But whenever Sophie’s Choice drifts away from
Sophie and her story, it becomes less of a
masterpiece. But thank God for Meryl’s
dedication and passion for the role as Sophie
Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest because the story is pointless without her. Meryl
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Jack Nicholson learned how to speak Polish fluently, learned to
stars in an outstanding characterization of Ken speak with a Polish-English accent, and lost 15
Kesey’s asylum anti-hero, McMurphy, and Milos pounds on top of that. However, Sophie’s Choice
Forman’s direction of a superbly-cast film . The deserves to be recommended not solely due to
film’s pacing is relieved by a group escape and Meryl Streep’s role. A great part of its deal with
fishing boat heist, right out of Mack Sennett, and World War II and its most macabre yet most
some stabs at basketball in which Nicholson exciting element – Nazi death camps. Sophie’s
stations the tall Indian for telling effect. This in Choice shows that the nations other than
turn makes the shock therapy sequences and Germany had their own forms of anti-Semitism
Dourif’s suicide scene incredibly potent. Jack with genocidal potential (which was hinted in
Nicholson’s performance is simply not comparable Spielberg’s Schindler’s List). Therefore, even
to another actor. If you liked his performance in those who might not get affected by the strength
1980, The Shinning, expect five times better in One of Meryl Streep’s performance should watch this
Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. film, at least in order to grasp tragedy that
happened to Europe in the middle of the 20th
Century.

Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon

Forget Al Pacino’s performances in 1972, The
Meryl Streep in Sophie’s Choice Godfather and 1983, Scarface . His performance in
Dog Day Afternoon is pure perfection. In this film,
The Marvelous Meryl Streep. Bitter experience
Pacino plays a bisexual New Yorker who stages a
often taught us that Hollywood stardom and
hopeless bank robbery in an attempt to raise the
great acting doesn’t have to go hand in hand.
money for his lover’s sex change operation.
Bitter experience also taught us that Academy
Pacino’s relentless energy into a sustained and
Awards often end in the wrong hands. In that
blackly comic study of hopeless desperation is
year, Meryl Streep received her Oscar for her
nothing short than Robert De Niro’s performance
heart-wrenching role in Sophie’s Choice, 1982
in 1976, Taxi Driver.
 For a while, the uptight woman relaxes, but her phobic

The Impressions
behavior is never completely overcome. When her obese
sister Dawn (Genevieve Lemon) appears on the scene,
unannounced and uninvited, we begin to understand just

of Jane Campion’s why Kay's a paranoid bundle of repression. In this darkly

stylish debut, Campion has fashioned a humor domestic

Films
tragedy. In addition to being a remarkable visual stylist
(brilliantly aided by cinematographer and former classmate
Sally Bongers). In this comically heightened version of reality,
the actors might all too easily have overplayed the laughs
Jane Campion is one of the most celebrated female and forced the tears; instead they are effectively disquieting
directors today. Why would she not be? In 1994, she and colorful. Cruelly honest and pitilessly funny, SWEETIE is
became the second woman and first New Zealand one of the most naked explorations of familial love and
director to be nominated for Best Director at the desperation ever filmed.
66th Academy Awards. Born in Wellington, New
Zealand, in 1954, she began her journey into the The following year, her second attempt at a feature film
world of cinema in the early 1980s when she brought her international acclaim, An Angel at My Table
attended the Australian School of Film and (1990). On the surface An Angel at My Table is a
Television. Her first short film Peel (1982) won the straightforward biopic about the life of celebrated New
coveted Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Zealand author Janet Frame. But Frame's life story is
anything but your typical "portrait of the artist." Angel is
SWEETIE (1989), Jane Campion's remarkably based on Frame's three-part autobiography. Like Frame's
assured first feature illuminates gorgeously on books, the movie is divided into three discrete sections, a
screen. Kay (Karen Colston) is a scrawny, division that may owe more to its origins as a Television
withdrawn young woman whose life is ruled by movie. The first part covers the author's poor but culturally
superstition. A control freak, she fervently nourishing childhood as one of five children. The section
accepts a fortune teller's prediction that she'll contains a series of fleeting, but profound childhood which
meet a man with a question mark on his recounts various early episodes highlighting the petty
forehead and promptly steals a coworker's injustices encountered, the formative years of a life spent on
fiancé (Tom Lycos) who fits the bill: he sports an the fringes, the pastoral lushness of the countryside, and the
errant curl of hair over a beauty mark. beginning love for the written word.
 (Clockwise from left) 1993, The Piano; 1989, Sweetie; 1990, An Angel At My Table; 2003, In the Cut; 2009, Bright Star; 1999, Holy Smoke!
The middle section deals with Frame's move to the city to
pursue her education, get her teaching degree, and suffer
a complete nervous collapse. Diagnosed as schizophrenic,
she is institutionalized for eight years and undergoes over
200 electroshock treatments and is only saved from a
lobotomy when her doctor learns that Frame's first book
has just won a prestigious literary award. Part 3 follows
the growth of the artist. She discovers that what had been
falsely diagnosed as schizophrenia was, in reality, only
acute shyness and awkwardness brought about by a life
spent aloof. In many ways Angel is similar to Campion's
earlier Sweetie, with their dysfunctional families and their
sibling jealousies.
Jane Campion's THE PIANO (1993) is an emotional
masterpiece. A mute Scottish woman, Ada (Holly Hunter),
and her daughter (Anna Paquin) arrive by boat in a
remote corner of New Zealand to complete an arranged
marriage to farmer Sam Neill. She has her beloved piano
with her and won't budge until someone moves it from
the beach. It winds up in the cabin of a tattoo-covered,
Maori convert (Harvey Keitel), who offers to "trade" it
back to her one key at a time in exchange for various,
sometimes sexual, favors. Campion manages a brilliant
visual equivalent for every emotion felt. If the movie has a
flaw, it's that Neill plays the husband as too much of a
cuckold, a married man who has an adulterous wife. But
Keitel is dangerously fascinating and Paquin gives one of
the screen's all-time great juvenile performances. Hunter,
though, is genuinely miraculous, channeling her every
passionate release through her eyes and hands. She and
Paquin deservedly won Oscars, as did Campion for her
screenplay.
Jane Campion's Holy Smoke (1999) is seductive to look
at and fascinating to experience, though we'd be lying if
we said we entirely understood the project. Kate
Winslet stars here as Ruth, a young Australian woman
who travels to India and becomes a devotee of a
charismatic guru. Panicked by this turn of events, Ruth's
mother (Julie Hamilton) travels to India to bring her
daughter home. The family hires an American
deprogrammer to try to win their daughter back from
the influence of the guru. This expert in such spiritual
matters is played by Harvey Keitel. Ruth's family is
essentially hopeless in the midst of this crisis, so Keitel
takes Ruth away to an isolated spot to begin his three-
step deprogramming. Things go according to plan. No
matter what Ruth claims with regard to her new-found
religion, Keitel's character knows more. It's his intellect
versus her emotion. It's also his male superiority and
his place in the power seat versus her youth and beauty
and vulnerability; you can be sure the power positions
are going to be reversed. At the turning point of Ruth's
recovery, the unthinkable happens. She and Keitel
become sexually involved in a situation that upends
their relationship. Now, Ruth is in control. Keitel's
character embarks on an obsessive quest to make Ruth
his wife. He begins to hallucinate in the Australian
desert. Things get grim and bizarre. Strangely, Holy
Smoke still manages to find its way to an ending that is
all about redemption. The screenplay for Holy Smoke
was co-written by Jane Campion and her sister Anna,
and covers some of the themes that appear in such
other Jane Campion films as The Piano or A Portrait of a
Lady - forbidden passion, the war between men and
women.
 How Movies
It helps if the film is well constructed and if follow up reading and
discussion accompanies the film. History seems too broad a
category, especially since wars are often cited as the primary

Can Make
historical highlights for any country. Biographies take in an
excess of other worthy candidates as well. Below are several
films that can make you smarter:

You Smarter The Crucible (1996)

This underrated film based on Arthur Miller’s play explores the

These days it’s extremely complicated to
Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1632. Although we’ll never know
actually sit down, take a load off and read a
definitively what caused the mass hysteria at Salem, Miller’s
good book. As an aspiring historian myself,
psychological and sociological study gives as much insight as the
films are the perfect source of median today.
historical records. With an excellent cast and location filming on
We all can admit that we’ve seen a YouTube
the Massachusetts coast, The Crucible captures the Puritan
video here and there on our break from work,
colonial period better than any other film to date.
school, husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend
and/or children. I have to admit I’ve seen
The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
about two dozen films on YouTube because it’s
there and it’s available. Every one of you can
Daniel Day Lewis must be type cast as the American colonial guy.
agree that we’ve seen plenty of movies in our
But here he heroically represents the idealized American
history class? Why is that? Unfortunately,
frontiersman in Michael Mann’s excellent adaptation of James
there is a gigantic percentage in our population
Fenimore Cooper’s immortal novel, set during the French and
of people who dislike history. So how do we
Indian War in upstate New York.
teach those who dislike history? We show them
a movie. I remember in my seventh grade
Gone with the Wind (1939)
history class, my teacher made everyone get
their parents signature to watch the classic film
To portray the thinking of the South during the Civil War period,
Schindler’s List by Steven Spielberg. Let’s just
this Clark Gable/Vivian Leigh classic has to be on anyone’s
say there was not a dry eye in the classroom
historical film list. For historical purposes, the first half of the film
that afternoon.
stands up much better than the second half, which mostly
emphasizes the love story.
One wonderful element about films is that it
allows the viewer to gain a virtual “experience”
Little Big Man (1970)
that brings life into what would otherwise
become meaningless text. Of course, a
Arthur Penn creates a humorous account of the Indian Wars on
drawback can become that students will rely on
the Great Plains of 19th century America, but with a serious
the film version only to gain their historical
undertone. Dustin Hofmann’s character serves as a narrator who
knowledge; however, I am convinced that
knows the ways of both the Indians and settlers, but the brutal
certain quality films will teach far more history
re-creation of the Sand Creek massacre and a later bloody
in a compressed time than mere reading.
slaughter of women and children confirm who the true human
beings are.
(Clockwise from left) 1979, Apocalypse Now; 1956, The Ten Commandments; 1970, Little Big Man; 1976, All the President’s
Men ; 1939, Gone With The Wind; 1970, Patton.
Grapes of Wrath (1940)
John Ford’s classic rendition of Steinbeck’s novel
captures the spirit of the Great Depression and the plight in history has been expanded to mark the event with
of poor folks of that time better than any film I can think more significance than it may have originally had, and this
of.
Patton (1970)
George C. Scott becomes George S. Patton in this epic
war film. You can learn a lot of WWII history through the
film (at least the U.S. involvement on the European
front).
The Right Stuff (1983)
There are a number of films that you can use to show the
Cold War and demonstrate the paranoia of the 1950’s,
but why not focus on one of the seminal events of the
period—the launch of sputnik, which triggered the Space
Race. This film is great for watching whenever you need
a lift about what is right and good about the American
spirit. It’s an incredibly well written and edited film
about a turning point in our history when we began to
earnestly reach for the stars.
Woodstock (1970)
Woodstock truly IS a piece of history that defines a
moment. Sure, there were half a million people who
attended the rain soaked, muddy event for three days of
Peace and Music in upstate New York, but Woodstock
enabled the event to live on afterwards and grow into
legendary status. What could have been a small footnote
is largely due to this documentary.
Apocalypse Now! (1979)
Francis Ford Coppola has constructed the definitive
Vietnam movie even though Apocalypse Now isn’t just
about the war. Coppola’s film explores the dark regions of
the heart and soul in a well-conceived metaphorical
rendition of Conrad’s novel that we see through Captain
Willard’s eyes as he pursues Kurtz and to “terminate” his
command “with extreme prejudice!”
All the President’s Men (1976)
Why cover Watergate when there are so many other
choices available? For one thing, Watergate must be
regarded as an important turning point in American
history—never again will Americans naively regard their
political leaders as highly. So, the scandal in a sense
destroyed much of our innocence, and pointed out the
value of freedom of the press. Another reason is that
Pakula’s film is an intelligent and finely crafted work.
Students will need to take notes to keep up with all the
Watergate figures—but so did those of us who attempted
to follow the situation as it was happening. Never before
did we become as familiar with the White House staff.
Clockwise from left) 1995, The Crucible; 1995, Braveheart; 1960, Braveheart; 1992, The Last of the Mohicans; 1961, Lawrence of
Arabia; 1987, The Last Emperor.
The Ten Commandments (1956)
It’s hard to leave out original sources like Cecil B.
DeMille’s classic epic when considering world history.
Much of western civilization traces its history to the
events of this period. I realize that the acting
performances are statuesque – none more so than
wooden lead actor Charlton Heston, and the dialogue
sometimes gets downright sappy.
But what a grand spectacle this is with the plagues, the
huge exodus from Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, and
Moses descending from Mt. Sinai with the tablets.
Spartacus (1960)
If you’re looking for a good film to portray the period of
the Roman Empire, check out Stanley Kubrick’s one
Hollywood produced film, Spartacus. Although Spartacus
doesn’t rank among Kubrick’s best films, it is and worth
watching 10 times before giving the far inferior Gladiator
a look. The story patterns itself after the great epics of
the 1950’s when television studios felt they had to bring
wider vistas to audiences to compete with television. It is
based on the true story of a gladiator who led a slave
revolt in 73-71 BC. Beginning with a small band of
escaped gladiators, Spartacus would increase his ranks to
nearly 100,000 as they marched on Rome, only to be
killed near Rhegium.
The Vikings (1958)
This Kirk Douglas spectacle (also starring another
Spartacus star: Tony Curtis) still entertains and
reminds us about the difficulties the Vikings faced
when navigating to the New World. Don’t expect a
great deal of historical accuracy, but the Vikings are
often overlooked, as is this film.
Braveheart (1995)
This film has done more for creating interest in
Scottish history and for increasing attendance at
various Highland games venues ever since its release.
Mel Gibson had a real passion for the project, and the
filmmakers actually did a great deal of research in
putting it together. Of course, dramatic license is
taken, but the film depicts William Wallace and the
stubborn freedom seeking Scots effectively.
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
As a film critic and an aspiring filmmaker, this film is
the greatest film ever made. Just the cinematography
alone makes this great film stand above other war
films. Never before have the moods of the desert
been captured so well, and the large-scale travel
scenes and battle scenes granted epic stature to the
film.
(Clockwise from left) 1955, Night and Fog; 1982, Gandhi; 1981, Reds; 1983, The Right Stuff; 1940, Grapes of Wrath.
Reds (1981)
The Russian Revolution should be represented
somewhere on history lists, and this film explains
the Socialist philosophy and shows the political
reality much more effectively than other
commonly available films in the United States.
Sergei Eisenstein’s Oktober (Ten Days that Shook
the World) should also be on your list, but Warren
Beatty’s Reds is much more likely to be available
in your local video store.
Gandhi (1982)
An over-rated film, Richard Attenborough’s
straightforward account of Mahatma Gandhi’s life
does convey the historical period well. If you’re
attempting to cover the entire planet, India and its
culture should not be overlooked—this epic film
will do the job. Ben Kingsley does his best work
and becomes Gandhi.
The Last Emperor (1987)
The fact that this is the first film ever shot in
the Forbidden City makes this an automatic choice
for a world history class. Besides the mind-
boggling location setting, Bernardo Bertolucci's film
is remarkably accurate with the costumes and
culture. The film also explores the history of a
region that few Americans are familiar with. With
the current difficulties between the Chinese and
U.S. governments, it would help more westerners
to watch this significant film about China’s uneasy
transition into the 20th century.
Night and Fog (1955)
Night and Fog is a short 30-minute documentary about
the Holocaust that begs to be viewed. Once seen—the
images will haunt for a lifetime. Night and Fog begins
very peacefully—lyrically surveying a pastoral
countryside nearly ten years after the end of WWII. But
this is no ordinary countryside—we are in Poland
following the railroad tracks that lead directly into
Auschwitz.
Tora, Tora, Tora (1970)
With the 2001 summer release of Pearl Harbor a danger
exists that people will look to Michael Bay’s lame excuse
for a romantic backdrop for the history lesson about the
Japanese attack on the American base and for their
perspective on the WWII Pacific front. That would be a
huge mistake. Tora, Tora, Tora is a much better choice.
Historical accuracy stands as the biggest strength of Tora,
Tora, Tora. Copious research went into the writing, and
the ambitious project used two separate film crews to
give both the American and the Japanese points of view
for Pearl Harbor.
5
Greatest Performances of All
Time in a non-English role
(Clockwise from left) Isabelle
Huppert (France); Tony Leung
(China); Marion Cotillard
(France); Sophia Loren (Italy);
Raj Kapoor (India)

Sophia Loren in Two Women
The two women of the title are Cesira (Sophia
Loren, who won an Oscar for her performance
here) and her pre-teen daughter Rosetta
(Eleonora Brown). What makes their story
worth watching is that they are struggling to
survive in Italy at the conclusion of World War II
– facing hunger, rouge Nazis, and an uncertain
future. Loren’s performance is completely
stunning and mortifying, and though the film
has a very slow start, its last hour is dazzling and
more than makes up for the flaws.
Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung, In the Mood for Love
If you thought our American perception of love
making is any better than depicted on screen,
well, you’re wrong. The placement of adultery
and affairs on-screen has become nothing
more than a commonplace, and so often they
explore nothing that we have not seen before.
But then comes along something with
ambition, something highly unusual, and in
that, is a miraculous story and discovery.
That miraculous discovery happens to be
Wong Kar-wai’s Mandarin language film In
the Mood for Love.
It remains unpredictable because the real-
life characters themselves are only handling
it as it occurs. Kar-wai’s format is sure to be
looked on as couture, and will likely
attempted to be imitated, but In the Mood
for Love’s transcendent dissimilitude and
provenance is unmistakable and
conspicuous. It is stylish without trying; it is
different without falsely calling attention to
itself; it is mature and deserved of much
more attention and acceptance that it
should and will get.
Marion Cotillard in La Vie en Rose
La Vie en Rose is utterly gorgeous, but I do
have to warn you, you need to be
extremely patient to understand this
biographic film about the legendary French
singer Edith Piaf. The film focuses much
more on her (Edith Piaf) being, her inner
life, than on her life events, which is in itself
riveting, but I still found myself asking,
“Who is that guy? When did she get
married? Why is she blamed for that
death?” And still, much is left for us to infer
by her actions. Don’t get me wrong, even
while lost I was enraptured by Cotillard and
the fluid dance of the camera through the
world of misery and glamour. In the same
Manner as Jamie Foxx with Ray Charles and Reese
Witherspoon with June carter, Cotillard doesn’t
play the role as much as become possessed by it.
From the feisty singing for her supper on the mean
Parisian streets, to the songbird known
internationally as La Mome Piaf, to the emotionally
and physically battered woman who still managed
to successfully headline concerts, Cotillard is a
force of nature as she eats, breathes and sleeps
every moment up until Piaf’s early death at the age
of 47. That is why, Marion Cotillard received a Best
Actress Oscar for her devastating and inspiring
Nargis, left; Raj Kappor in Awaara (“The Tramp”)
performance.
With Awaara, Raj Kappor created the tramp,
the rootless vagabond living on his wits,
inspired obviously by Charlie Chaplin. The
tramp was an allegory for the innocent state
of mind of the post independent Indian.
Although with Awaara, Raj Kapoor’s social
concerns become more pronounced, more
than its social probe, Awaara is an
astonishing even ingenious mixture of
melodrama, romance and crime. The film
also works primarily due to the casting of
real life father and son, Prithviraj Kapoor and
Isabelle Huppert in The Piano Teacher Raj Kapoor as the judge and his estranged
criminal son, Rag’s younger brother Shashi
“WOW!” Would be the word for this amazing as the younger Raju and real life lovers Raj
performance. I have to warn you, this film is tough, Kapoor and Nargis as lovers in the film with
but the sexual contents make up for the entire film. solid on-screen chemistry between them
So, this is a film not suitable for any children since particularly as Nargis dances in sexual frenzy
there is a “rape scene,” which, in my honest on the boat during the Dum Bhar song.
opinion, is needed for this film because foreign
filmmakers have the knowledge, understanding and To see the list of Oscar winning
expertise in filmmaking on human behavior. This
film received critical acclaim in Europe and the rest
foreign language films. Check out
of the world, but limited distribution in the United the website below:
States made it difficult for movie goers to
experience such a feast. But, if The Piano Teacher Academy Award for Best Foreign
ever makes it to the English-speaking world, it will Language Film
be very interesting to see what kind of response it
receives from feminists in particular. Though it was
the winner of three major prizes at Cannes,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acade
including Best Film, Actor and Actress. The Piano my_Award_for_Best_Foreign_Langu
Teacher is the story of Erika, a brilliant pianist and age_Film
teacher who has sacrificed a romantic life for her
career.
The Mistakes of
Alfred Hitchcock’s
Films
For nearly half a century, Alfred Hitchcock, the master
of suspense and the most influential film director of
all time, spans a successful career in directing the
same themes over and over again: mistaken identity.
I have to admit, Hitchcock is one of six film directors
that I truly admire and study in filmmaking. The other
five film directors are: Robert Wise, The Sound of
Music and West Side Story; Steven Spielberg,
Schindler’s List and Jurassic Park; William Wyler, Ben-
Hur and The Best Years of Our Lives; Billy Wilder,
Sunset Boulevard and The Apartment; and Ingmar
Bergman, The Virgin Spring and Fanny and Alexander.
Okay, back to the subject!
As I study Alfred Hitchcock’s filmmaking techniques
and styles, I’ve come across many mistakes or what is
now called “movie goofs” in Hitchcock’s films. Is it
possible that there was a lack of proper equipment,
lighting and props or could it really be careless
direction by Hitchcock? Often in movies, cameras,
lights on the set and other studio equipment could be
seen in the reflections on the walls or a glass window
or in a mirror. Shadows appeared on the right, then
on the left. Objects in the scene disappear then
reappear.
Here are seven important and critically
acclaimed films by Alfred Hitchcock that are
perfect examples of tactless filmmaking:
The 39 Steps (1935): In this film, Professor
Jordan suggested, that Richard Haney commit
suicide by making the statement "What if I leave
you alone with this revolver?” However, as he
was speaking, he was holding a small caliber
semi-automatic pistol. Then just before he shot
Hanney, his pistol suddenly switched hands.
Notorious (1946): There were several mistakes
during this movie, starring Cary Grant and Ingrid
Bergman. When they are sitting at an outdoor
café, the same footage of film is used twice
during their discussion. Then, when the two are
traveling in a plane, the clouds seem to be going
backwards.
Rope (1948): This film had some real bloopers! In
a scene of Jimmy Stewart, a camera pans from
an easy chair to the piano. When the camera
pans back, the chair is sitting in a different
direction. Then Farley Granger cuts his hand on
some glass, a few awkward minutes later, there
is no blood or any evidence of a cut.
Rear Window (1954): There are a few little
continuity errors that stand out but I know you
want something juicier than that, right? How
about this: in the first pull camera swing showing
the whole apartment area about eight minutes
into the film you can see an arc light in a top
floor window visibly blow out.
(Clockwise from left) 1959, North by Northwest; 1958, Vertigo; 1960, Psycho; 1946, Notorious; 1954, Rear Window
Vertigo (1958): The ice cubes in Gavin and
Scottie's drinks vanish as they continue talking.
Another good one is when Scottie chases
Madrilène up the bell tower, you can see a
crew member's hand slip on screen behind the
stairs in the upward shot of Madrilène and it
disappears as she walks by.
North by Northwest (1959): For one thing,
there is a scene where an ambulance comes
into the screen and the trees wobble! Another
good one is when Thornhill and his mother are
changing elevators-there is a crew member in
the reflection on the pane of glass.
Psycho (1960): It is hard to list them since it is
such a flawless film. The inside of the bathtub
was spotless when Janet Leigh finished dying in
it (blood went down the drain) but it is covered
in blood when Norman comes in there to clean
up.
I hope I have not left you with an impression of
dissatisfaction? As a film expert, critic and
aspiring filmmaker, Alfred Hitchcock’s films are
the best film noir. Hitchcock’s films are classics
in their own right. If you really want to
experience BAD filmmaking, watch any film by
Michael Bay (The Rock, Transformers, The
Island, and Pearl Harbor)? He uses an extreme
amount of fast-paced editing sequences,
explosions after explosions, special effects
and several of his film’s budget are nearly about
$100 to $200 million (Transformers: Revenge of
the Fallen). Even though, Alfred Hitchcock is
regarded the most influential film director who
ever lived, unfortunately, he has never won an
Oscar for directing. So it goes to show you that all
aspiring filmmakers cannot be Steven Spielberg
(influential, Oscar winner, billionaire, co-owner of
DreamWorks, six children, married an actress,
etc), but anyone can be a George Lucas (founder
of Lucasfilm and the wealthiest person in
entertainment with a net of $3.5 billion).
When an actor comes
to me and wants to
discuss his character, I
say, 'It's in the script.' If
he says, 'But what's my
motivation?, ' I say,
'Your salary.'
- Alfred Hitchcock

Why Are Movie Tickets
So Expensive?
The rising costs of movie tickets and concession items
have many staying at home than attending movies at
theaters. With big-budget films nearly at $100 million
to $200 million these days, fewer sold tickets tend to
cause some panic to movie executives, who earn most
of the profits from sales. Fewer people going to the
movies and the increasing expense of making movies
both contribute to higher prices for movie tickets.
The average non-matinee movie ticket in the states
is $10 dollars, but there are numerous cities in
America where the cost of a movie ticket can rise
up to $13 dollars. These days, it’s too expensive to
watch movies at theaters, forget choosing to see a
movie for your date. With the high cost of movie
tickets, popcorn and soft drinks are even more
costly than the ticket itself. That is why we see
more combo specials that can help reduce the
price of a single item. The expense of concession
stands has much to do with the way in which movie
studios are reimbursed by local theaters. In the first
week of a movie’s release, the studio may make as
much as 90% of the revenue from sales of movie
tickets. So while tickets are high priced, they are
not benefiting the theater tremendously. Each
subsequent week in film brings greater revenue to
the theater. So seeing second run movies tends to
mean one is giving more money to the theater and
less to the studio.
The question is: Do studios need to charge so
much? That is a debatable question. Some of
the best films like Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s
List was made for $20 million, that being a
fairly low budget. Some high budget films are
not often well received, such as the failure of
the film Pearl Harbor which was budgeted at
$151 million but took in domestically (in North
America) $198 million, barely enough to pay
back the studios and marketing for the film.
While actors make a great deal of money, like
Will Smith, who made the Forbes’ fortune as
the highest paid actor in 2008 at nearly $80
million. If one ever takes the time to read the
end credits of a film, one will see a huge
numbers of people employed by large
productions: from gaffers, to film assistants, to
animators, to casting assistants, to set
designers, to musicians, etc. Many of these
people work for a union that is set to specific
wages for work. Thus, budgets for films that
require a high number of employees are going
to be very expensive.
Are you paying too much for movie
tickets?
This does not mean that studios don’t turn in
profit. In fact the largest studios make a great
deal of money. However, since people are
seeing fewer movies in theaters, the movie
tickets now reflect the price of the increasing
gamble studios take when producing a high
budget film. Remember the Great Depression,
of course not, we weren’t born yet.
Hollywood in the late 20’s and 30’s was not
affected in any way from the depression. In
fact, their sales were enormous. To this day,
Hollywood has yet to be affected from the
nation’s recession. So you have two options
of watching a film: you can pay the high
priced movie ticket and enjoy the movie
experience or you can become a member of
Netflix, Blockbuster, Hollywood Video, or at
your local video store, if we still have those,
and have a movie night of pure
entertainment.
Filmmaker
of the Month
July

M. Night Shyamalan

An NYU graduate who struck gold with

the 1999 blockbuster The Sixth Sense,
M. Night Shyamalan has written and
directed nearly ten films by the age of
38. He is currently the most
expensive writer to date with his 2002
film Signs, which was purchased from
Disney at $5 million.
Will Daniel Radcliffe have a Daniel Radcliffe will have to reinvent himself to go on
from here. He will have to either live with the fact that he
career after Harry Potter, or is a millionaire and will always be known as Harry Potter,

will he be Harry for life?

or he will have to work very hard to find another line of
work.
Daniel Radcliffe, will always be known as Harry
Many child stars end up going down the path of
Potter. Maybe when he is much older he can get
squandering their riches on drugs and live the partying to
away from his child star status as Harry Potter, but
excess lifestyle. Daniel Radcliffe will always be known
it will be a long time in the creation. He may have
worldwide too many millions of children as well as adults,
to change his look completely and possibly change
as the loveable Harry Potter. It will be an incredible feat of
his accent from British to American or Irish to get
masterfulness for Radcliffe to shake the Harry Potter
some great roles as well as in the Harry Potter
character from his persona. He has been looked at as this
series.
gifted wizard for at least seven years now and will always
be knows as such. He may even have do a magic act of his
But, in reality what is so wrong with Daniel
own to shake this role from his life if he wants to go on as
Radcliffe already starring in five Harry Potter
an actor in other movies.
movies? There are two more Harry Potter movies in
the works with J. K Rowling's last book, the last
What is so wrong with being known as the loveable
being separated into two movies. He will be a
wizard, Harry Potter, who has an incredible gift of inner
millionaire for his entire life. If planned correctly,
strength? Harry is a much loved character by children as
Daniel Radcliffe will always be a millionaire and so
well as adults. Possibly, Daniel Radcliffe can make a life
will his children. And what is so bad about that? Of
from acting as Harry Potter for the rest of his life.
course he will want to act for the rest of his life as
many child actors do.
It’s a double edged sword famous people have to bear.
Daniel Radcliffe will always be known as the down to
Possibly, he could do what some other child actors
earth character. He has been seen by millions of people
have done, and become a rich famous director such
and that's what they recognize him as. Is there really
as Ron Howard did after his acting days on The
anything wrong with that?
Andy Griffith Show.
Emma Watson most
popular out of Harry
Potter cast
Before the start of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s
Stone in 2001, there were speculations on
whether or not Emma Watson was right for the
part as the heroine, Hermione Granger. Casting
agents found Watson through her Oxford theatre
teacher, and producers were impressed by her
confidence. After eight auditions, Emma Watson
was selected to play Hermione Granger with J.K.
Rowling, writer and creator of the billion dollar
franchise, who was very supportive of Watson
from the first screen test.
Emma, who will be attending college this fall, was
born in Paris, the daughter of British lawyers.
Nearly ten years ago, as she dazzled and flirted
with the audience with her intelligent and
confidence performance, in my opinion, I
believe Watson has a better chance to succeed,
if she pursues to become a child star turned
adult actress. In the first installment of Harry
Potter, Watson received more critical acclaim
than Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and Rupert
Grint (Ron Weasley).
Emma, who plays Hermione Granger
gorgeously on screen, is a student at Hogwarts
who becomes close friends with Harry Potter
and Ron Weasley and often uses her quick wit
and encyclopedic knowledge to help them in
need. Miss Granger, who is an overachiever
and excels academically, becomes part of the
trio in all eight installments of the Harry Potter
films.
Rowling claims the character, Hermione, carries
several autobiographical influences.
Rupert Grint: Third
player is always charm
It would be a very difficult task for Harry Potter
to adventure solely in his quest to find and
destroy You-Know-Who (Voldermort) without
the support of his best friends Ron and
Hermione. Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley
in all eight installments of Harry Potter, shares
similarities with Emma Watson: they do not
have acting experience prior to their roles in
Harry Potter. A self-proclaimed fan of Harry
Potter book series, young Grint was interested in
getting a role in the film. For his audition, he
sent a video he made of himself, in which he
dressed as his drama teacher, while rapping how
much he wanted the part and won the casting
selection with it!
Ron Weasley’s first appearance was in the first
book of the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s
Stone as the best friend of the protagonist Harry
Potter and then Hermione Granger. Some of Ron’s
qualities serve as foils to Harry. While Harry is an
orphan with more gold than he needs, Ron comes
from a large and loving, but poor family; many of his
possessions are hand-me-downs. Harry is famous in
the Hogwarts community but would prefer to avoid
the spotlight; Ron, in comparison, is often perceived
as a mere lackey and sometimes becomes jealous of
the recognition Harry receives. Finally, Ron is the
most mediocre of his siblings, being neither an
excellent Quidditch player, a noteworthy student,
nor the “only daughter”. All these factors have
combined to cause Ron serious insecurities; this
inferiority complex, and his need to prove himself a
notable person in his own right, is the main thrust of
his character.
Out of the trio, Ron Weasley is perhaps the most
vulnerable character and that is what Rupert Grint
performs superbly on screen.
 Moviesatthetheaters
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood
Prince
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson,
Rupert Grint
PG, 2hrs 33min
Returning to Hogwarts for his
sixth year, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe)
is convinced, as ever, that
nemesis Draco Malfoy (Tom
Felton) is up to no good. But this
time he’s right – Malfoy has been
given a mysterious directive from
Voldemort himself, and Professor
Snape (Alan Rickman) has vowed
to help him. As Malfoy
completes a mysterious task in a
hidden corner of the castle, Harry
and Dumbedore (Michael
Gambon) delve into memories of
Voldemort’s past, hoping to
discover the key to destroying
him for good. A -
500 Days of Summer
Joseph Gordon-Levitt,
Zooey Deschanel
PG-13, 1hr 35min
Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is
an aspiring architect who has
become too settled in his
comfy office job at a
Manhattan-based greeting
cards company. When he
meets Summer (Zooey
Deschanel), his boss' new
assistant, Tom is struck by her
beauty and assumes there is
no chance she'd go for him.
Things start to look up when,
riding the elevator together,
Summer remarks that she
loves The Smiths, the band
Tom is listening to through his
earphones. Despite Summer's
later claim that she isn't
interested in a boyfriend and
doesn't believe true love
exists, there are undeniable
sparks between them that,
sure enough, lead to a
newfound intimate
relationship. A
I Love You, Beth Cooper
Hayden Panettiere, Paul Rust
PG-13, 1hr 42min
"I Love You, Beth Cooper" is
the story of a quest by a
geeky brain to get noticed by
his dream girl who has
ignored him throughout high
school. On graduation day,
Denis Cooverman (Paul Rust)
decides he will be denied no
longer. During his
valedictorian speech, he
blurts out his love for Beth
(Hayden Panettiere). After she
confronts him after
graduation, he invites her and
gal pals to his graduation
party. Intrigued, they take him
up on the offer, not knowing
that the "party" consists only
of himself and his equally
nerdy sidekick. Also showing
up: Beth's jealous and
possessive boyfriend, who
crashes the party to beat
Denis to the flesh. C+
 Moviereviews
Election
Reese Witherspoon, Mathew
Broderick
Dir. Alexander Payne, 1999
Election is about a twisted,
backstabbing run for political
office among candidates who are
self-centered and slightly dim.
This isn’t the Democrats and the
Republicans. This is high school.
Reese Witherspoon stars in
perhaps her very best
performance as Tracy Flick, the
go-getter who must succeed in
everything come hell or high
water. Mathew Broderick plays
her teacher, Mr. McAllister, who
doesn’t like Tracy. His best friend,
another teacher, got fired for
having a relationship with her.
Tracy is running unopposed for
student council president.
McAllister doesn’t want to see her
succeed and continue to step on
everyone in her adult life, so he
convinces a former football start,
Paul Metzler (Chris Klein) who has
been injured and needs a purpose
in life – to run against Tracy. A
Birthday Girl
Nicole Kidman, Ben Chaplin
Dir. Jez Butterworth, 2002
The divine Nicole Kidman, who
learned Russian, plays Nadia, a
Russian mail-order bride who
has been purchased by John
(Ben Chaplin). John is a lowly
English bank teller who lives
alone and has grown weary of
choosing between celibacy and
pornography. After being
smitten with Nadia’s picture,
he sends several thousand
pounds to the mail-order bride
broker. When Nadia shows up
at Heathrow with bags in
hand, she is as beautiful as her
picture, but nothing else about
her lives up to the description.
Contrary to John’s
expectations, she doesn’t
speak a word of English.
Oddly, a film I would never
expect Nicole to perform, but
she does it well. B -
Whale Rider
Keisha Castle-Hughes
Dir. Nikki Caro, 2003
An emotionally potent
combination of reality and
mythology, “Whale Rider”
pulls at you with power of
both elements in a story
that is freshly identifiable.
Carefully crafted by
writer/director Nikki Caro,
the film never couches to
cheap sentiment. At the
film’s center is an
understated, quietly, fierce
debut from teen-aged
Keisha Castle-Hughes, at 13
she became the youngest
Best Actress Oscar nominee
for her breath taking
performance as Pai.
Refusing to believe the
spirit of Paikea could reside
in a girl, Koro, Pai’s
grandfather, kindly pursues
another chief while Pai
attempts to prove herself
to him. A +