Magnificent Seven Review

Magnificent Seven Review

-the opening scene mainly involves two men, one obviously being an antagonist and the other, the protagonist. Medium shots on their amicable interactions support the idea that they are friends at first, however, in a few short minutes we learn otherwise. The heightening tension is displayed not only by building instrumentals, but also a series of close and long shots. At the height of the musical roar, after the antagonist and his men have mounted their horses, the antagonist shoots an innocent man who was angrily protesting their thievery twice in the chest before riding off. The towns people begin to discuss what can be done to stop the men from taking their food and killing their people. While most are not confident and not optimistic, they encounter an old man who suggests that they match guns with guns and fight for what is rightly theirs: fertile land, lush crops, and generations of ownership. Therefore, the search for a team of fighters begin. An unlikely group of seven led by Chris and Vin slowly bands together to form bonds and learn to fight off the bandits once and for all.

Elements of the Western: Magnificent Seven carried on what seems to be a pattern among westerns of a theme song that is present throughout the movie. The theme song, like in High Noon, also shares the title of the movie. In addition, exaggerated signs on every little business were present to magnify the small-town feel, along with little greenery, lots of sand, horse-drawn buggies, male bonding, the contrast and collaboration between the civilized and less civilized, or people of different races and backgrounds, and of course, guns, blood, and battle.

Close-up shots are generally used to show emotional changes or extremes. For example, they are used often to highlight feelings of romance, hostility, or fear. One significant close up is in the very beginning when we distinguish Calvera as a foe instead of friend. The proximity to and disrespect with which he comes to the villager's face is heightened by the close-up shot and we are made as uncomfortable as I'm sure the villager was.
Long-shots are used to show many different things at once or to establish a scene or idea before focusing in on it. One effective long shot happens right after all seven are brought together and it is far away and then shows the seven horses one by one trotting through the water in a line.
Medium-shots are used mainly to focus in on one particular activity such as a conversation, a head-to-head battle, or a significant factor that was not immediately obvious in the long-shot. For example, we see the two men riding in the hearse and establish their route, however, when the camera transitions to a medium shot, we are able to hear their conversation and learn more about them.
Another cool shot that is used is a reflective shot off of the water's surface of Chico trying to improve his reaction time by catching fish by hand.

The setting is mainly in a small, subsistent town in Mexico, however the search for the "Magnificent Seven" took place on the United States side of the border. The town is filled with many western elements and obviously not wealthy due to an annual crop raid led by the antagonists of the film, the bandits.

The diverse character types of the movie are what made it so interesting.
The main characters, Chris and Vin are complete opposites. Chris is more of the hero of the film, a determined and brave fighter. Vin, on the other hand, is very laid back and was joining after going broke from gambling.
Next, there is a gunfighter named Bernardo who ends up befriending and protecting the village children.
Britt is a talented switchblade fighter that the group finds at a bar, along with Chico, a hot-headed impulsive teen who ends up falling for one of the village girls. He ends up as a product of his comrades, the other six of the magnificent seven and his growth is shown throughout the story.
Harry is an old friend of Chris' and is mainly in it for the money, while Lee joins in hopes of lying low after committing a crime.
All of these men in different walks of life, coming together for different reasons, make for an atypical western.

The theme of this movie strays from that of a normal western. While the obvious camaraderie and collaboration towards a pressing event or goal is ever present, there is a nice addition of diversity and growth. Also unlike the usual western, the ending is not a complete success. Most of the men die, and only Chico truly gets anything out of the experience as he stays with Petra in the village. The original problem is solved and the farmers can finally live in peace and develop their village, but Chris and Vin, the main characters, ride away without any personal victory other than their lives. Therefore the theme up until the end is the beauty of diversity and camaraderie.

additional review: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054047/
clip: http://www.cinemagia.ro/trailer/the-magnifice...

Remember the Titans Review

Remember the Titans is a sensational, touching, and heart-warming true story about a high school football team from Virginia.  The movie is set in the 1970's, at the very start of integration and shows the journey from prejudice to brotherhood is shown through an unlikely and, at first, unwilling group of boys.  The boys were shipped off to football camp under the direction of Coach Boone (Denzel Washington), and with the help of his assistant coach, Bill Yoast (Will Patton), he taught the boys to see past outward appearances and create a unified front as an example to the community.  When they first arrived at camp, the team was anything but unified, however, that changed when they were forced to get to know every one of their teammates in order to escape extra running.  The boys realized that they had more in common with teammates of the opposite race than they knew possible and learned that racism should be a thing of the past and that their brothers always come first.  Remember the Titans is a movie title that could not be more accurate or effective, for because of their outrageous acts of brotherhood and love, aside from their championship-winning efforts, everyone would always remember the Titans.

If you're looking for a movie suitable for the whole family, Remember the Titans will be a movie you'll never forget; two thumbs up! For a second opinion, check out Joshua Tyler's review at http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Remember-the-Titans-61.html.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3237872409/