And the winner is....

     Im not sure if we are going to be picking and discussing our favorite films in class on monday but i figured after all this blogging i should at least talk once more about the movie that I enjoyed the most this year.  So my vote for best movie we saw this year is split between Memento and The Atomic Cafe.  I know that neither of these films were the most symbolic or visually impressive movies we watched this year but as far as pure entertainment they were my favorite.  The Atomic Cafe gets my vote because i really just enjoy learning about that particular time in american history.  The two world wars and then the cold war are always my favorite part of whichever social studies class we are taking each year.  So seeing the atomic bomb from a different slant then the one presented in our history textbooks was entertaining, informative, and humorous: Three things that make for a very good film.  

   Now I know that many of you would advocate Runaway Train or in Mr. Bennett's case The Seventh Seal as the "best" movies we watched.  Personally, I liked Runaway Train but i don't think i could really appreciate  it as much because in the end i didnt agree with its message. As Mr. Ferrigno can confirm though, i did enjoy it enough to base my physics project on it. Two trains colliding makes for a fairly complicated physics problem and a pretty cool explosion.  The Seventh Seal was a bit too symbolic for me.  I liked the message and the visuals and camera work were both fantastic but it got a little slow at times.  As a product of 21st century society I can not stand such a thing.  Its not my fault really.  Ive been taught to find beauty in violence and explosions not a corny fight between good vs. evil.  Im joking of course and if i were to rank the movies The Seventh Seal would be near the top.  But only one movie we saw kept me interested for the entire length of the film.

        For me, there wasn't any point were Memento bored me, tried to preach to me, or attempted to become overly symbolic.  It did what movies are meant to do: entertain.  The movie industry is after all well, an industry.  Its main goal is to get people to sit down and watch a movie.  Yes almost every movie has some bias, main idea, moral lesson, or some kind of agenda but in the end making movies comes back to the almighty dollar and pleasing audiences.  This dooms many movies but it is also one reason that movies like Runaway Train were included in this film class.  They wouldn't sacrifice story line or dialogue for profit. And thats what made them great movies.  We may not have agreed on everything but thank you Mr. Bennett for opening my figurative eyes to these genres of film.  I enjoyed many of them.  I think some of them should never have been created. But hey, thats my opinion and if our blogs have enough of one thing its opinions..  But thats what made this class great. Its been fun guys and all in all id say weve been very lucky around here.  Nothing to do now but wait for orders from the authorities and relax. Until next time...