American Graffiti
AMERICAN GRAFFITI was released in 1973 without much fanfare, but it quickly touched a nerve with movie audiences everywhere. There was something about this look back to a summer night in a small California town in 1962 that made moviegoers nostalgic for a time of innocence, of romance, and of uncharted possibilities.
There was something for everyone in that film - whether it was a character you identified with, or the cars and the music - that wonderful music! - brought back so many memories.
The story by Lucas is based upon his own experiences growing up and cruisin' the streets while listening to Wolfman Jack spin his vinyl discs on the radio.
This autobiographical touch, and the documentary style gives the film an emotional focus and depth that never goes out of style - and that is why the film still touches audiences today.
Many people have commented on the ingenious use of top rock-n-roll hits that Lucas incorporated into the fabric of the film. But did you know that the reason this was done was because the budget on the film was so small that the filmmakers literally could not afford an original score?
The film's cast is nothing short of amazing - Richard Dreyfus, Cindy Williams, Ron Howard, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips, Charles Martin Smith, Paul Le Mat, Kathleen Quinlan, Suzanne Sommers, and another young actor named Harrison Ford. The film caught these young performers right on the cusp of stardom, and this was the film that truly established their careers. Their youth and vitality give AMERICAN GRAFFITI a raw energy that simply ignites the screen.
AMERICAN GRAFFITI was more than just a box office hit - it was a critical hit as well. The film went on to earn five Academy Award nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Best Story & Screenplay (based on Factual Material or Material Not Previously Published) and Best Editing. Candy Clark, by the way, did win the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Debbie.
Just recently, the American Film Institute selected AMERICAN GRAFFITI as one of the best 100 films ever made.
Other notable awards include a Golden Globe Award for Best Picture and Most Promising Newcomer (male) for Paul Le Mat; a Bronze Leopard awarded by the Locarno International Film Festival to George Lucas; the National Society of Film Critics gave Williard Huyck, Gloria Katz and George Lucas their award for best screenplay; and the National Film Preservation Board added AMERICAN GRAFFITI to the National Film Registry in 1995.
On the TV show, The Movie Show, David Stratton described the film as a “bold and timely film about the stolen generations.” The film is so highly rated for its amazing plot, the well-used mise en scene and the film techniques including the camera work and sound.
The critically acclaimed film, American Beauty has been a topic of conversation since it debuted in theaters in 1999. The film currently sits at the 63rd spot for best movies on IMBD along with 8.4/10 stars and a 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It was produced by Dreamwork Studios, written by Alan Ball, and directed by Sam Mendes. As if the title did not give it away; the film was made and filmed inside the United States and takes place in a residential neighborhood in California for the most part. The movie managed to win five Oscars on eight nominations; these include awards such as Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Director, Best Writing Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, and Best Cinematography
Many songs were incorporated into the story line, such as “The Sound of Music,” “My Favorite Things,” and “So Long, Farewell.”
I have been a fan of martial arts movies since the late Bruce Lee so I figured Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, even though it was the winner of four academy awards, would just be another attempt to make a poor example of a kung fu movie that lacked culture and poor acting. Acting, scenery, choreography, and story line made this an incredibly good movie.
This classic move focuses on a single night in the early Sixties, the hopeful future of the main characters is followed by the events which occur. Steve (Ron Howard), and Curt (Richard Dreyfuss) will be leaving for college the very next day, the build up of years of hard work. Finally they'll be able to leave their small hometown and "spread their wings", experiencing life in ways they never have. Curt is unattached to anyone, but Steve will be leaving behind his longtime girlfriend Laurie (Cindy Williams), who happens to be Curt's sister. Also remaining at home are Terry (Charles Martin Smith), a fumbling nerd, and John (Paul Le Mat), an older kid with "the fastest car in the valley". The two main things that kid's focused on in 1962, it was cars and music. Everyone who's anyone cruises the strip in their shiny automobiles and while they're doing that they're listening to Wolfman Jack on the radio. Music is an integral part of this group, defining its moods, fears, desires and feeding from the same emotions.
The music suited the movie very nicely. By the type of music playing, you could determine what sort of scene was coming up, either fast and light...
Many independent films have given women and minorities a fair representation on camera, explored other cultures with an objective view and attempted to fairly portray the American experience. The 2009 film the visitor told the story of a widowed college professor who befriends a Syrian immigrant and his Senegalese girlfriend who live in a small apartment next to him in Manhattan. This film in particular is significant given that it was still nominated for an oscar, but more importantly was filmed independently, “Mr. McCarthy also noted, his was also a low-budget, character-driven indie film, which gave him the freedom to take his story where he wanted, without having to worry about high-concept pitches, marketing strategies or focus groups.” (New York Times). Another film titled 3 and ½ minutes is a documentary which tells the story of a black teenage shot in Jackson Florida and analyzes the current relationship between races in America. This is a highly relevant film however it was not widely popular. Advantageous is among many films given the 2015 sundance film festival award that focused on life for women in a constantly shifting society, These movies show that there American Cinema does exist that gives a voice to people and cultures that are unrepresented however hollywood still has a long way to
Lucas was in a car crash in 1962, which ended his racing career before it even started. He missed his graduation ceremony at his high school, but joked that the only reason he got a diploma was because his teachers felt sorry for him. As a result, Lucas looked for other options to fill his void in life. Since his grades were not good enough for a four-year college, he decided to go to junior college. For the first time in his life, he hit the books. He fell asleep trying to earn the highest grades he could in order to have a future for himself.
Ryan Uytdewilligen argues in his book 101 Most Influential Coming of Age Movies that “Superbad might be to the millennial teens what American Graffiti was to the baby boomer generation: a wild and crazy night spent trying to get girls and beer.” (170) This quote is a good summarization of the two films and how they relate to one another. Both films have many common themes that are in the teen coming of age genre and are enjoyable for anyone who views them. Yet they each are a representation of the time they were released. American Graffiti is a representation of the optimism, innocence and the culture of the 1960’s while Superbad shows the 21st-century obsession with parties, girls, sex and being accepted by society’s expectations. The genre has changed and developed over time, though. American Graffiti is innocent while Superbad is raunchy and leaves no provocative topic left untouched. The genre has developed with society’s ideals; people are most accepting and open when it comes to themes of sex, drugs, alcohol etc. and this can be seen in the change from American Graffiti and
No matter what people say about it, Graffiti is a form of self-expression. It is important to realize the amount of talent and work required to create a piece of graffiti. The scale of such a piece can be small found on a corner to massive one taking up an entire wall. However, there are varying
At the end of the day, people should stop underestimating graffiti art. Banksy, in his book, “Banging Your Head Against A Brick Wall,” said “Graffiti is one of the few tools you have if you have almost nothing. And even if you don't come up with a picture to cure world poverty you can make someone smile while they're having a piss.” Graffiti work should be admired by everyone else because it holds so many significance whether it's only a phrase or a sketch. People shouldn't just absentmindedly assume it as the worst thing ever or as an awful thing. I agree that it can be vandalism to the public but graffiti can also be made in many other places legally so why think of it in the dark side? People should take care on how they are judging the striking art behind graffiti and criticizing it without really evaluating all the great meaning behind it.
As the fascinating artist that inspired the story, the film has a provocative plot and sentimental ending, which lead us to admire, even more, the enigmatic figure of Edgar Allan
Graffiti is a form of art that people use to express themselves and to convey various messages to people in a particular community. In the movie "Graffiti Verite':. One of the graffiti artist explained that his purpose in doing graffiti is that it allows him to "express his anger' on the wall. Another kid by the name of "Jipsie" said that graffiti is a "form of growth". There were several different explanations that artists shared as well as several different reasons why they like graffiti. The common theme among the graffiti artist and taggers was that graffiti is simply a form of self-expression (Bryan). At the end of the film one tagger made a comment and said, "graffiti is not vandalism, but it is a beautiful crime". This comment did not make sense to me. Committing a crime, a hideous act, is not a beautiful thing to do by any means. Graffiti does not mean people can go around and draw and spray paint on other peoples property. Regardless of what types of graffiti are being expressed by the tagger, this type of self expression is considered vandalism when people decide to draw, destroy, or violate any persons property without consent. As a result of taggers committing the crime of vandalism, property owners, concerned citizens, and law enforcement officers spend too much time, money, and energy trying to put an end to the unlawful act of vandalism.
During the Roman Empire and ancient Greek, graffiti was well known as an inscription but graffiti was discovered long before the Roman Empire and ancient Greek. Graffiti was discovered 30,000 BCE in caves paintings using tools such as animal bones and pigments. These illustrations were often placed in ceremonial and sacred locations inside of the caves. Today graffiti is a form of art conveying political social messages in artistic form.
Graffiti started in the 1920s when gangs would tag train cars and walls to mark territory mainly in New York City. Graffiti took a different turn in the 1970s when young adults decided to use street art as an outlet to express their political and social outrage. This movement had soon gained the attention of the “adult” world. Graffiti was known as “creation through destruction” and to this day is still considered illegal in most parts of the world. In modern street art the mediums used have evolved past spray paint and now artists are using different methods with spray paint to progress their works past crude tags. Common mediums used are stencils, prints, and murals. Graffiti is often considered to be art because of new artists, such as