Ray

Ray a film played by Jamie Foxx was magnificent. Jamie Foxx did a wonderful job, he showed the aggressiveness, soft hearted and talented Ray Charles well. Directed by Taylor Hackford , screenplay by James L. White, produced by Hackford, Stuart Benjamin, Howard Baldwin and Karen Baldwin collaborated and made a film that got Grammy award.
Ray Charles mother played by Sharon Warren(Aretha Robinson)played a fiercely independent mother who insisted that he make his own way through the world. She kept pressing on young Ray to be independent. Which prove well because in one scene when Ray Charles mangers tried to play him like a fool he realized it and left. Also when he first met Della Bea, going back home he mesmerized the direction from her house to his.
Kerry Washington played as Della Bea Robinson, Ray Robinson wife was great. She played a God-loving woman but also a woman of heart. She stuck with Ray Charles despite his adulterous acts. But when it was time for her to speak her voice she did and she was powerful and fierce with it.
C.J. Sanders played as little Ray did a magnificent job. He showed the fear of turning blind, watching his brother die and seen his mother go through a struggle to support him.
One factor of this film was lighting, in one scene was when Della confronts Ray the lighting was dark and the only thing you can see is there faces and reactions. It was a factor because it shows the expressions well enough, to the point where you don't even have to listen to the words to know whats going to be said. You automatically know what they're feeling.
Music by Ray Charles obviously was played through out the whole film. But Jamie Foxx singing sounded just like Ray Charles. The jazz, and gospel sounding came natural to him.

Letters from Iwo Jima

Director Clint Eastwood sought the action of Japanese defenders in a film about World War 2 showing the Japanese views. It was a wartime tale of sacrifice and survival.
The ideas and characters are universal in this film. But the language was in Japanese which made it interesting that pure Americans were speaking Japanese.
General Kuribayashi played by Ken Watanabe was great. In the film his role as general was good because his plans were strategic not tactical. He wasn't as interested in winning the battle he was more interested in holding up U.S. invasion of Japan.
Eastwood and Stern(cinematographer) used the advantage of shooting with small cameras. With that you can feel the soldiers claustrophobic in battle.
Going on research this film was shoot in a real tunnel 100ft underground where Japanese soldiers had killed themselves during the war. Two third of the film was shot in actual mines, caves, and lava fields mountains. The good of having to be in a actual cave is that each of the characters felt what the soldiers felt from being in there.
One key factor of the film was the color black. An example to understand the effect of the color is to imagine yourself on a highway where theres no light until a car passes you and the car light shines directly on you. The only thing thats shown is the light and the object its shines on but everything else is pitch black. There were no extra lights. Another color factor was red. Red mostly symbolize blood, the color was on the military insignia and around the explosions and muzzle blast there was red.
The gruesome part was when the soldiers commit suicide by blowing themselves up with grenades.

The Peach Orchard

“Peach can be brought.
But where can you buy a whole orchard in bloom”

In the beginning the boy was mesmerized by the dolls in the house. Each doll symbolized the life of the blossoms and the spirit of the trees.
In the house one of the first things you see was a peach tree. Maybe that tree symbolize the sixth girl the boy said he seen when he was talking to his sister. Also the second time he seen the girl she was then in front of the peach tree.
When the little boy was chasing the girl the first dolls that came was showed was the white dolls and in that culture the color white represents death. So it might have showed that the tree was dead or gone in life.
Every doll was in a specific position and had specific colors. Maybe those colors represented either the rank because at the top line there was a black and a white doll, maybe to even out justice or it might have represented the different colors of how trees can form. The little boy was dressed in grey in the scene where the dolls were dancing,so he doesn't mixed in the colors of the dolls.
The little girl was the spirit and she was the last tree standing at the end. Maybe the little boy was sad because he understands that the life of the tree was gone.
The music was a great impact because it itself introduce the scene and told the story.

“We dolls personify the peach tree”

Sunshine through the Rain

Symbols are the key to this dream. Everything symbolizes something. Also this deals with curiosity and consequence.
The rainbow symbolizes light. The color white in the flowers and one of the women who had all white on symbolizes death. The child symbolizes curiosity (disobedience). The mother warns the child not to go. The knife symbolizes death.
The Foxes have concession in the rain. The Foxes come out when the sun shine through the rain. Obviously the foxes was doing something that nobody was suppose to see. Maybe like a wedding or a death ceremony. Or even a new path to the foxes new life, because in the film people aren't suppose to see the foxes or know where they live.
“I don't know where they live”
You'll find out...... Days like this the rainbow are always shining..... Foxes live under the rainbows”

They wanted him to kill himself is part of the consequence for being curious.

Chinese Cinema v.s. American Cinema

American Cinema has five different types of film styles, you have The Hollywood Style, The Western, Romantic Comedy, The Combat Film, and The Horror
The Hollywood Style is basically structure, narrative, and visual. Western films are shooting and control power. Romantic Comedy is the I Love You, but also have drama that make everybody laugh on life's reality. Combat Films are on WAR, government and political views. Horror films are the nightmares that you'll get, and stupid myths.
As for Chinese Cinema its all base on their tradition and fighting technique such as martial arts.
Style of making films are very much different. Even though there are similarities such as cut and paste. But Chinese filmmakers seldom use computers, they would usually shoot at three different angles and then combine them. While American filmmakers would shoot scene A and then scene D and go back to scene B to collaborate. Also American filmmakers would use computers to generate special effects.

Vertigo

Vertigo is a sensation of whirling and loss of balance, associated particularly with looking down from a great height. Vertigo is another job well done by Alfred Hithcock. Which showed both the true meaning of vertigo and which is filled with many misconceptions.
Vertigo is about a San Francisco detective John ” Scottie” Ferguson( James Stewart) develops a phobia of heights after one of his friends died during a rooftop chase. Then John gets hired as a private detective to follow Madeleine(Kim Novak).
The scenery was dark shadow throughout the whole film which might have been a symbol of mystery. The idea of shadow is a recurring theme throughout the movie, so that Madeleine's death would be the hand of a shadow.
The costumes reminded me somewhat of Scarface, in the mid to late 50's.
The music/ sound effect was of much suspense. It made the film more intersecting then it really was. Its main key was to keep everyone on the edge of their seats and it did just that.
The camera gave the dizzy effect which gives the film its title.
Misconception is a view or opinion that is incorrect because it is based on faulty thinking or understanding and Vertigo consist of a lot of misconceptions. One conception was when John thought that if he steps on a stool then maybe his phobia of heights would go away. John thought that Madeleine was cheating on her husband (thats why he wanted someone to spy on her).