Top Five Favorite Films

Top Five Greatest Movies of All Time: Krystal’s Edition

• Grease (1978)
• Classic and personal favorite film. I can literally watch this film a million times, with all the singing and over dramatic scenes and be completely content. Had this film be of the 2000’s I would probably be annoyed and bored of the musical cliches. The characters have great charisma and the songs are addicting. But if nothing else- this film proves to be a great one simply off of the marketable aspect of it (example: halloween costumes). Although I must admit, I wish they would have never made a sequel.

• Titanic (1997)
• The hand scene, gives me life! I believe it is one of the main crystallizing images of the film other than Jack holding Rose on the edge of the boat. The storyline of two people from different backgrounds merging into one, to cover one of the classic tales of love in an historic tragedy-is priceless to me. This fictional story of Jack and Rose with real life occurrences was beautiful and remarkably believable. It is hard to imagine the Titanic without the thought of the film and the love story of Jack and Rose. James Cameron as a writer and director for this film was also astounding. Everything from the music, to the special effects, even down to the costumes was purely magical and extremely impressive.

• Gothika (2003)
• I’m not a big fan of thriller/crime films but the acting and storyline really draws you in and there’s a certain amount of empathy or sympathy (both) that can be felt! Every single time I watch this film I have an emotional reaction to it, my skin crawls/chills I become nervous and afraid (suspense), and as a result of those constant emotions the film has made my list. I do believe that in a year when romantic comedies were rolling out of the box office, this movie was underrated. I would even go as far as to say that Halle Berry had one of her best performances in the film!

• Maleficent (2014)
• The casting was phenomenal, and of course the storyline is great however the true reason why Maleficent has made my list is the outstanding art direction, and costume designs in the film. I believe great art direction can give you if nothing else a boost in ratings, so toast to disney for a great turn out of a new twist. Similar to the 2014 Cinderella art direction, production design, and wardrobe. Angelina Jolie performance as was phenomenal, she managed to make a traditional one-dimensional villain more relatable and sympathetic, as well as magical/ whimsical. I enjoyed how this film isn't classic Disney, but is a new found favorite for adults and kids.

• The Lion King (1994)
• Childhood favorite! Great animation, storyline was very impressive, and once again the overall attention the film can grasp from the audience is truly overwhelming. As well as the amount of repetitiveness this film has had over the years, in comparison to its overall likeness is also… shocking. Similar to Tarzan in overall likeness and disney adventure classic. This film has it all amazing animation, all star cast of voices, and great lessons! Its a huge part of my childhood, and a film classic.

Please note that this list was written with my humble opinion and that only, you are all open to your own interpretation/opinions!

Best,

Krystal Novaton

Matthew Frost's Short Films

Matthew Frost is known for creating music videos for bands such as M83 and also directing commercials and fashion films. He creates advertisements for brands such as Levis,  Louis Vuitton, Nike, Reebok, etc. His award short films for Vogue feature Cate Blanchett, Jessica Chastain, and Kate Winslet. He uses aesthetically pleasing shots with beautiful girls mixed with blithe humor.

In his most recent short film he created, "Aspirational" starring Kirsten Dunst, Frost explores the "selfie culture" and comments on how social media effects our interactions, even with celebrities. It's entertaining and funny, while making a sad statement about our society. Watch the two minute film below:

ASPIRATIONAL from Matthew Frost on Vimeo.

If you enjoyed that, you may enjoy his previous short film with Lizzy Caplan, titled "Fashion Film." It's a commercial for Viva Vena and spoofs fashion advertisements that you'd normally see. (Clever for a fashion brand to make fun of other fashion advertisements... I see what you're doing here, Viva Vena.) And as always, Lizzy Caplan is hilarious.

Here are the three award short films for Vogue if you want to check those out:

SLOW MOTION from Matthew Frost on Vimeo.

SCRIPTED CONTENT from Matthew Frost on Vimeo.

BEST ACTRESS OF ALL TIME from Matthew Frost on Vimeo.

I would not consider myself an advertising or fashion person at all, but I really love the charming humor that comes through in these beautiful advertisements.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: An Unforgettable Movie

What if you could erase memories? A bad break up or traumatic event could just be wiped from your brain. Recently in my psychology class we have been discussing memories and the possibility of erasing them. There has been recent research that shows it is possible to successfully erase selective memories in lab mice. This got me thinking of one of my favorite movies, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This movie directed by Michel Gondry and written by Charlie Kaufman stars Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet as a couple that has each other erased from their memories. While the service offered by the company in the movie is fictional there is some science to it and the film uses a few unique techniques to show the erasing of memories.

Try recalling a memory? It is very hard for people to recall a memory with perfect details of sound and image. In some scenes like when Joel (played by Jim Carrey) talks with his neighbor in the lobby of his building, the picture quality and sound resolution of the memory starts to slip away until it is finally gone. Sometime details simply vanish around you. When Joel goes to visit Clementine (Winslet’s character) at work the books at the store begin to gradually turn white. Even faces become forgettable and unrecognizable which is seen later on the face of Joel’s doctor as he recalls him going into the medical office to get the memory erasing procedure done. In another scene, perspective and time seem to “loop.” This can be seen when Joel is chasing Clementine down the street. Joel becomes trapped by not being able to remember further details about the memory and what happened next thus the street and sidewalk gets smaller and smaller. He tries to turn and go back but by then that part of the memory is erased too!

At the end there is a great scene when the last memory is being erased and the memory (and literally the setting of the beach house) is falling apart. Joel realizes that he wants to stop everything and hold on to Clementine and these memories so he decides to try hide away these small fragments of memories left so he can remember them when he awakes from the procedure. A series of dark images begin to flash that symbolize snippets of his memories with details like sand from the beach entering into a different unrelated memory. Finally the movie ends with both of them finding out about the company and the procedure. They decide to give their relationship another shot even if it could end the same exact way. The last shots of the movie are the same shot played over and over as the movie goes to white perhaps symbolizing that the procedure was exercised again and again. Joel and Clementine are now in a state of constantly repeating their relationship like in a circle that never stops.

This movie is a very complicated yet smart film that cannot easily be summed up in one blog post. The production team even makes it easier on the audience of keeping track of the timelines, of what is a memory versus real life, and when the moment occurred in their relationship by the color of Clementine’s hair. This hair goes from blue, orange, red, green, and brown. If you have not seen this film go out and watch it. I promise it will be a movie and a memory you will never forget.