I Watched This: Deja Vu

I watched a Thriller/Action film that I love. Deja Vu, featuring Denzel Washington has many thriller aspects and really puts you on the edge of your seat in some instances as well as drawing you in with suspense.

This film is about a detective/agent that is investigating a terrorist bomb on a ship, but investigates the death of one girl, he goes back in time as he attempts to save her life and the lives of those who were on the ship. Growing closer and closer he falls in love with her, this only spurs him on to get the job done.

I recommend seeing this film.

Definition Of Suspense

Shock + Suspense:

This is where the character or audience is held between the line of pleasure, excitement and anticipation. It is used in  thrillers all of the time, its what makes them so addictive and enjoyable! 

The Birds

We watched one of Alfred Hitchcock's best ever films today. The Birds. This is a film that dived opinion in my class, I thought it was the best Hitchcock film I have watched to date. With it's unpredictable plot and me not liking birds that much I though it served it's purpose rather well.

The film is about a small part of California under attack, Melanie Daniels (Tippy Hedren) follows her potential lover to this small town. And there is where all of the action unfolds, with the birds getting increasingly viscous they have to find ways of fighting against this strange phenominoum.

Hitchcock uses many devices in this film, emphasising some peoples fears of birds. An interesting fact is that Tippy Hedren had to receive many years of therapy due to one scene near to the end of the film. One device that is used is the illusive relationship that the two main characters have, Melanie and Mitch. It adds a stark contrast between the horror shown when the birds attack and the immediate curiosity and attraction between the pair.

This thriller has the typical beautiful woman that most thrillers have, and the very butch man that will offer a helping hand and eventually be the one who the woman will turn to in need of help. In addition to that this thriller like most, have short bursts of action and it started with a rather strange beginning, that honestly made me think 'what the hell is this?!'

Alfred Hitchcock really knew the recipe for a thriller like a chef knows all the ingredients for his star dish. It's as simple as that, if that film was to be made now over 40 years on from when it was first showcased nothing would be changed to the plot because a thriller is a thriller. Compare this film to any today and look closely and you'll see that the format is very similar.

Types Of Thrillers - Action

Action Thriller – Includes, races against time which therefore leads to a fast action packed film. Lots of fire arms and weapons used which means loads of explosions. Furthermore there are many chase scenes which may include cars or on foot chases, these types of thrillers are a very macho and appeal to a male audience, Such as The Dark Night.

Types Of Thrillers - Crime

Crime Thriller – A robbery, kidnapping or some kind off of fraud maybe committed, this may lead to a type of investigation. Pretty much all of the time the crime fails and the ‘good guys’ always come out on top. A good example of this is Pulp Fiction. 

Pulp Fiction is one of my favorite films; it’s a classic that really has got its place in my film draw at home! 

Types Of Thrillers - Supernatural

Supernatural Thriller - Brings a supernatural element to the thriller genre, which adds suspense, builds tension and adds twists into the plot, often the hero/main character has some kind of psychic ability or an ability to do things that others cannot, an example of this is The House of Wax.

Types Of Thrillers - Erotic

Erotic Thriller – This is became popular in the 1980’s – 1990’s, it’s a mixture of erotica and thrillers. It was popular then because it the ‘VCR’ one example of this is Devil in the Flesh.

*The trailer to the 1998 film Devil In The Flesh:

Types Of Thrillers - Disaster

Disaster Thriller - Is a thriller in which the main conflict is due to some kind of natural or artificial disaster such as hurricanes, floods, volcanic eruptions or nuclear disasters an example of this is The Chernobyl Diaries.

Media - Camera Work

This was to exercise our ability with the camera and the different types; it included using many different shot techniques  it's only short but it includes many of the simple camera shots that become the infer-structure of a good thriller!

North by Northwest:

North by Northwest:

'IMDb' - A hapless New York advertising executive is mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and is pursued across the country while he looks for a way to survive. 

This film did not really appeal to me (but it is 53 years old) but the devises that were used to try and create tension with out any sort of special effects were quite remarkable. One of these devices is a MacGuffin is a device in the form of some goal, desired object, or other motivator that the character is willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to pursue, often with little or no real explanation as to why it is considered so desirable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRfmTpmIUwo - the films official trailer:

Unknown:

Unknown:
This is the best film I have seen in school, defiantly my cup of tea. With Liam Nelson as Dr. Martin Harris he awakens from an accident in which Diane Kruger who plays Gina saves his life, he finds in which the life that was saved, is now lost. With no way of knowing who he is there is a  persistent struggle to prove that he is who he says then the film unfolds.

It has many twists and turns, the maguffin leads the story two different ways and splits the viewers attention. In addition to that the way that the director has displayed "Dr. Martin Harris'"shock of not knowing who he is, also gets the viewer questioning his actions. Furthermore the actions of his wife (played by January Jones) makes the viewer feel sorry or the main character putting us on his side.