Coen Brothers

The Coen brothers have a really different style that is calming, entertaining, and bizarre at the same time. The way they subtly end scenes at punch lines adds to the hilarity and brings relaxment--like they aren't digging for laughs, they just come easily.
In Raising Arizona I feel like there is a lot of this, where you just want to laugh out loud at what you're viewing in front of you. They also aren't afraid to be completely realistic at times and comepletely fictional at others. Raising Arizona has cartoon-like aspects to it and the feeling is just silly. In Fargo the entire movie is filmed realisticly with the beginning even claiming that all the events are true. But then we find out that they fabricated the entire story, misleading us.
In No Country For Old Men the film is really realistic, showing all graphics and violence mercilessly. They try to show all moments as detailed as possible to have the story be perfectly plausible as if in real life.

Robert Altman's Integrity

Altman's films were definitely interesting and definitely revealed a new filming style to me.
I don't think I would go on looking for his work, because I don't think it quite impressed me.
But I do believe he has a good vision and intention for his work. He is driven with a passion for staying true to his initial intentions in what messages are delivered through his work.
I really respect him for being an artist and not necessarily a director.
The fact that he goes against hollywood's rubric for movies and succeeds in living out his dream, doing his favorite type of work, is amazing to me and inspires me to do the same. I want to do what I want as an artist and not let anyone's advice prevent me from creating what I love.

Thank you, Altman.

The Shining

Director, Stanley Kubrick, dramatizes The Shining’s suspense in all the right ways. Basing the thrilling screenplay upon Stephen King’s novel, Kubrick is able to deliver a classic modern horror film through his style of taking a realistic fiction through a slow and suspenseful thrill with an unrestricted type of narration, a question of reality and distant cinematography.

The basis of the plot line is realistic with some unlikely aspects. It is possible that a mountaneous hotel would shut down for the entire winter due to belligerent storms, but it isn’t likely to exist. Spirits taking over and influencing the mental health of a father may be possible but it also isn’t likely. It is easier to believe that the severe isolation and cold is what’s driving Jack nearer to insanity, but he urges that he “loves it here.” The “shining” gift of having conversations with people not using your mouth is another unlikely aspect. The psychic ability of Danny and also the cook, Dick Halloran (Scatman Crothers), is unheard of in modern life. But that’s what is intriguing about the film. There is an uncertainty that brings out one’s imagination and creativity. What will they do next? How will they do it? We ask because we have never had the shining visions before ourselves.

The cinematography of the film is very authorial, distant, and eerie. Many shots seem to be subjective, because it is at eye level to the character; we see their back as they move forward and the camera follows. There are also authorial when the director controls what we are seeing. Many shots of the scenes keep the characters far away, as in a long shot. The screen displays the space of the room, as well as the distance between characters, which is growing as they continue to live in the hotel. The slow panning and tracking movements also help to show the setting and create the desired mood. The director employed close-ups when there was important dialogue between two characters, while majority of the shots are long or medium.

The film moves slowly but surely with a driven plot and carefully directed sequences. It is very intense for a 1980 film, horrifying and shocking. Kubrick creates a captivating and haunting storyline, so I'm excited to see if this style follows into his other works.