Film class

I really enjoyed your class, and would love to take it again. Overall I enjoyed most of the movies and the class. I got to see a lot of movies that I normally wouldnt watch, such as Seventh Seal or Asphalt Jungle. I very rarely watch older black and white films because of how quick I am to assume the movie will not be enjoyable. I remember the first film you showed us was All Quiet on the Western Front. The first few minutes of the film, I was thinking to myself that this is probably some old film that has been considered good years ago. I did not expect to actually be able to pay attention to the film. Surprisingly the movie was really good, and I enjoyed it. It was a great way to start off the class. Off course there were also a few movies that I enjoyed less.
Countless times I would wake up in the morning, not wanting to go to school. However the only positive thought I had was that I would get to find out what happens next in the movie. I would always look forward to your class.
The funniest thing I can remember about the class was constantly looking at the time during a movie. In every other class, whenever I would look at the time, it would be to see how much longer till I can get out and go to my next class. In Film class, I always looked at the clock to see how much longer I would be able to stay in the class, and watch the film.

Out of the films I saw in your class, here is a list of what I enjoyed or didnt.

Enjoyed

All quiet on the Western Front- I really enjoyed the idea of going off to war and finding it to be totally different then expected.
Midnight Cowboy- Some scenes were sort of mixes of a comedy, and seriousness. I thought it was both funny, and serious at the same time.
Runaway Train- Definately a movie that would be enjoyed by a lot more people if they saw it. It almost felt like a movie about one person defying all odds, and doing something unexpected. He was able to escape out of prison easily, get onto a train, and would get away if the train didnt break as well.
Unforgiven- Probably one of my favorites. I have not seen to many Westerns, but this is probably the best Western I have seen so far. I remember you telling us how the beggining is slow to pick up, but the ending is great. I was actually never bored, and the beggining was very good as well. The beggining had a few intense scenes which kept me interested in knowing what happens next.
Asphalt Jungle- I really liked some of the characters in the film such as the Doctor. Even in the worst of situations he managed to remain calm and still try to think logically.
Dark City- Unlike anything I have ever seen before. Also felt like a movie about one guy defying all odds. He was the one guy that discovered the truth, and was able to defeat the aliens.
Memento- The whole movie was a giant mystery, and just when you thought you would finally know everything, a whole new mystery was introduced at the end
Collosus- It felt like a classic case of machines taking over the world. I enjoyed it, it was a nice way to end the class.

Neither enjoyed or disliked

The Seventh Seal- nothing I disliked about it, some parts were rather interesting as well. Symbollically I thought the movie was great, but other then that I felt there wasnt really any plot other then the characters avoiding a fictional character of Death.
Dr. Strangelove- part of the problem was that in the first 15 minutes I didnt actually realize the film was a parody. Once I realized it was, it sort of hit me as a surprise and I felt as if the film would be better if it wasnt a parody.

Disliked

Citizen Kane- Nothing that really caught my attention. I feel like perhaps it wasnt an issue with the film that I disliked, but more of a dislike of the genre/type of film that I disliked. Felt like there was no real plot, or anything going on in the movie. Seemed more like a life story of a character.
Atomic Cafe-  I feel like its more of the genre of a Documentary film that I disliked. Nothing that ever caught my attention
A Simple Plan- Originally I had high expectations for the film, and I really did like the idea/concept of the film. I think what ruined it for me was the unrealistic stupidity of some of the characters. For example, Jacob walking up to the cop and mentioning the plane. Or the smarter character killing the guy when he realized he survived Jacobs (also stupid) assault. It was one of those films that has a great idea behind it, but was poorly made.



I loved the class, and would gladly take it again if I had a chance.

Collosus good or bad

The ending of Collosus can be considered great or terrible. It sort of is a sacrifice of freedom in order to solve many world wide problems. However the question that comes to mind is how much freedom will the average person sacrifice. It is impossible to determine that question because of when the movie ends. Off course it could go either way. Both arguements have valid reasoning, and proof from the movie.
Previously, Collosus has used a bit too much nuclear weapons to gain power. It has already destroyed 2 towns and killed thousands of people. It also has killed off a few scientists that it felt threatened by. Some of these deaths were unnecessary, even if Collosus needed to establish control. There will be nothing stopping Collosus from killing more people in the future as well. However in other aspects, Collosus did back off and let Forbin decide for himself, such as drinking alcohol. When Forbin asked Collosus what he was going to do if he got drunk, Collosus said nothing. However Collosus also pointed out every thing. Whether or not they are "suggestions" is tough to say, since Collosus constantly reminded Forbin when to eat, or when to go outside for a jog. The extra computers Collosus wants to build could allow more spying on regular people.
It is also possible that Collosus will just stick with solving the main issues and try not to interfere to much with daily life. Overall it is tough to say whether Collosus is a good thing or a bad thing, because it is impossible to tell how much freedom a person will give up.