While watching movie trailers and previews at the theaters, I've often turned to a friend to express my short opinion. I'm sure it's a common occurrence.
The Adaptation of The Orchid Thief into the film Adaptation
Adapting an original source to the screen has been a common use from the very beginnings of cinema. However, there has been no other film that bends the idea of adaptation than the film Adaptation, written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Spike Jonze. Based off The New Yorker regular Susan Orlean’s non-fiction book The Orchid Thief, Adaptation is a unique case of cinema and adapted material. The film crosses the boundaries of truth and fiction and meshes the styles of Orlean and Kaufman to create a very intriguing film that will continue to incite debate and discussion on whether the film is an adaptation or an original work.
Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief, a New York Times bestseller, told the true story of John Laroche’s legal battles with the State of Florida and the orchid industry. This historically accurate tale spoke of the many passions that Laroche had obtained for a variety of subjects, then simply brushing it off like it never existed.
The Hurt Locker - Top Notch Suspense
Suspense is still one of the most difficult elements to capture and express on screen. The Hurt Locker is a rare breed in the 21st Century. While the mostly unpopular Iraq War has netted a few films so far, The Hurt Locker offers a suspenseful look into the lives of the soldier, minus the political leanings.
Love it or hate it, the Iraq War happened, and is happening and the politics, lies, cover-ups, etc, etc have made the situation difficult for many. The Hurt Locker dives into the lives of soldiers of a bomb squad and their daily struggles with life and death. What makes this film stand out, is that instead of revealing a poitical agenda, it veers off to a new path. The story is told, and the struggles are revealed. This allowed director Kathryn Bigelow to focus on a little character development and control the suspense.
The Royal Tenenbaums as a Technical Achievement of an Auteur
This essay was written by Aaron Weiss for a Cinema Criticism course at the University of Central Florida in Spring 2007.
The quirky and humorous film style of Wes Anderson is seen in all of the director’s films. His works are primarily similar in their motifs, directing style, cinematography and uses many of the same crew and talents throughout all his films. His 2001 film The Royal Tenenbaums was Anderson’s third full-length feature and his highest grossing film , continues the unique narrative style to an accumulation of his previous works and leaves room for continued experimentation in future works.