A Disney Classic - Bambi

The Disney animated story, Bambi, follows the life of a young deer hailed as the 'Prince of the Forest' at his birth. This movie has been a classic tale for many generations passed and certainly several generations to come. Although kids these days are becoming progressively stranger and only watch over stimulating movies with such titles as Sunny with a Chance of Meatballs- I haven't seen the movie but the title leads me to believe that it is not nearly as meaningful as Bambi. Throughout his life, Bambi makes friends with many different animals in the forest; more specifically a rabbit named Thumper and skunk named Flower. The most memorable part of the entire film is without a doubt the death of Bambi's mother which was really the only scene I could remember from my childhood. As Bambi matures he finds love with the beautiful doe Faline, and experiences heroism when he saves his woodland friends from a vicious forest fire.

Unlike the African scenery of The Lion King, I was able to relate to Bambi because the nature scenery and animals are nearly identical to the rural Saskatchewan area I've grown up in. This strong reliability also made the movie have a stronger impact on me as a child. Growing up I associated any white-spotted baby deer as being Bambi.

The antagonist in this animation is no doubt man as the hunters carelessly move through the forest destroying everything in their path and dangerously shooting at every animal in sight. I did not like this inaccurate portrayal of hunters but I suppose it was necessary in order for children to associate the hunters with evil. As a child I always hated that my dad was a hunter. I think was largely due to my imagination which related Bambi's story to real life.


A child's worst fear is that of losing a parent which is why the death of Bambi is such a fearful scene for many children. I read an article where a psychologist preached that children under the age of 7 should not be allowed to view Bambi as it is far to traumatizing. As a child I was not over-censored by my parents which is something that I am very grateful for. It is important for children to understand that nature is cruel and the circle of life is inevitable. Sadness for the death of any living thing is unstoppable and necessary but it is important for children to develop the ability to understand that death is a part of life. Disney films do not hide these themes from children which is why I think they are a great source of entertainment but also a crucial step in child development.

This is a classic movie that can be enjoyed in both childhood and adulthood. Bambi addresses many sensitive themes that are crucial for child development. If you haven't seen this movie than you should probably question your childhood.

Everyone knows that when Adam Sandler is starring in a movie it is definitely worthy of your time and Billy Madison is no exception to this standard. Billy Madison is a classic cult favorite that follows the pursuit of a young man, Billy, who is trying to prove to his father that he is not an idiot so he can take over the family company. In order to this, Billy goes back to school and goes through the grades K-12- this journey, of course, is very comedic.

Billy Madison is the source of many extremely funny quotes that you will hear me say repeatedly throughout the day. Some of my favorite quotes include: "If peeing your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis," said by a hilarious old lady who I wish was my grandma. If you are anything like me, you are probably wondering: Who's Miles Davis? Well apparently, he is an influential jazz musician who was popular in the 20th century. Another of my favorite scenes is Billy's conflict between which is "better" shampoo or conditioner. I won't even bother explaining the scene to you- you just have to see for yourself!

After thinking about it, I realized Billy Madison teaches a good theme but in a corrupt way. Billy has spent his entire life reaping the benefits of his father's hotel chain. He spends his days drinking with friends and creating disturbances across his father's estate. Billy is then forced to turn his life around by working hard for 13 weeks. These weeks of hard work allowed him to graduate from high school, get an acceptance to college, date a hot chick, and save his father's business from being passed to the antagonist, Carl. Realistically, you can't just slack of your entire life and except a fairy tale ending. That being said, it isn't reality- it's a movie. Despite this one critique, I love the movie and Adam Sandler's role as Billy. It is pretty hard not to root for the underdog!

In At the Movies, Siskel and Ebert gave the film a very bad review, and said of Sandler "...Not an attractive screen presence, he might have a career as a villain or a fall guy or the butt of a joke, but as the protagonist his problem is he creates the fingernails on the blackboard". To that I say, has neither Siskel or Ebert taken a look at their own reflection? Both of them are much further from being an "attractive screen presence" than Adam Sandler. My opinion on Billy Madison is exactly opposite; it is a must see classic film filled with hilarious quotes that will keep you laughing for days.

Dr. Strangelove

Dr. Strangelove is a 1964 black comedy that satirized the nuclear scare during the cold war. The movie deals with a General (Jack D. Ripper) who goes insane and launches a nuclear attack on Russia believing that the US will have to commit to a nuclear war to avoid being wiped out. However, the Americans are unable to recall the bombers and are searching for the code to stop them. The Americans are then informed of a Doomsday Machine created by the Russians that has the potential to destroy all life on Earth and will detonate if and when any attack on Russia is made. Believe it or not, this is a problem.

For those of you who do not know exactly what 'satire' means it is a use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc. I think this is a very effective form of humour, however, it a style of comedy more directed towards educated people. If you don't understand the cold war and the nuclear era, you will not catch onto many of the jokes. So, to sum it up simply- if you are stupid and have a slapstick sense of humour just don't watch this movie.

I thought the acting by Peter Sellers was amazing as he tackled three separate roles: the U.S. President, Colonel Mandrake and Dr. Strangelove. I think Peter Sellers deserved to win the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role! My favorite line in the entire movie is "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here, this is the war room," said by the U.S. President. Apparently I'm not the only one who found this funny as it is ranked #64 on the AFI's Top 100 Movie Quotes.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb not only wins the award for the longest movie title ever but was also nominated for four Academy Awards. These nominations include Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture. It has also been recognized by the American Film Institute rankings of #26 Top 100 Movies, and #3 100 Laughs.

The Maltese Falcon

The Maltese Falcon is considered one of the most popular and best classic detective mysteries ever made. Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) is a partner in a private-eye firm who finds himself hounded by police when his partner is killed while tailing a man. The two accept the assignment because the money is good, but Spade also implies that the woman looks like trouble, though she seems innocent. The girl who asked him to follow the man turns out not to be who she says she is, and is really involved in something to do with the 'Maltese Falcon', a gold-encrusted life-sized statue of a falcon, the only one of its kind.


The Maltese Falcon is a widely recognized movie that has received many prestigious titles since its creation. This movie received three Oscars: Best Picture, Best Writing/Screenplay credited to the director John Huston, and Best Actor in a Supporting Role. It is also highly ranked amongst several movie associations: #85 on the IMDb 250 Best Movie List, #23 on AFI top 100 movies, and #26 on the AMC top 100 movies.

If you have read my previous blogs you have probably concluded my taste in movies is extremely shallow, meaning that classic movies usually cause me to fall asleep. Surprisingly, this movie was able to hold my attention. I think it was because it was fairly unpredictable and the acting was superb. Humphrey Bogart did a great job, although the chemistry with Brigid O'Shaughnessy was lacking. When they kissed it looked like he was killing her not loving her- but whatever! My favorite character was Joel Cairo because he had a funny accent and he was very unpredictable.


I would definitely recommend watching this classic mystery movie mainly because it is widely spoofed. This way you can actually pick up on the spoofs when you see them. However, it would not be ranked as one of my favorite movies of all time and I probably wouldn't watch it again in the near future.

High Noon: "When the hand points up - the excitment starts!"

Gary Cooper plays the main role as Will Kane, a popular small-town sheriff whose wedding to a beautiful young gal (Grace Kelly) on the day of his retirement. But then Kane learns that an old enemy, Frank Miller, who has sworn revenge has been released from prison, and that his old gang members are awaiting him on the noon train.

High Noon generates suspense in many ways. Kane’s increasingly tense, pained expression makes the viewer question how dangerous Frank Miller is. Everyone in the town believes that Kane stands no chance against the fearless Miller which makes the audience question Kane's safety and future. The villainous Frank Miller was known only through dialogue but he did not actually appear until the end of the film. Not seeing what the villain, Miller, actually looked like made him seem more dangerous and added to the suspense. Even when Miller finally arrived on the noon train, we didn't actually see his face for a full two or three minutes, showing him strapping on his guns from behind and talking to his gang.

There are continual shots of Miller's three gang mates sitting maliciously by the empty train track awaiting the noon train. This created a great amount of intense suspense because it was a constant reminder that Kane's archenemy, Miller, would be arriving soon. There was no violent action between Kane and the gang members until the end of the film which built to a suspenseful finale.

The use of music was unique but still contributed to the amount of suspense throughout the movie. Rather than having heart pounding adventure music, there was a simple ballad featuring the calm voice of the country singer, Tex Ritter. This haunting tune contains the plot outline within its lyrics and emphasizes the danger of the daunting task Kane has accepted.

The method that I feel was the most successful in creating suspense was the ticking clocks counting down the minutes toward noon. In the beginning of the film, they were small clocks in the background that had short pendulums that swung quickly. The movie is shot in "real time" which means that the duration of the movie is equal the actual time that the events in the movie occur. This is suspenseful because the audience knows the train will arrives at noon with Miller on it. As the clock approached noon, they got bigger and the pendulums swung more slowly making them more menacing. At noon, the clock took up the entire screen as we waited for the last tick and the train's whistle.

Ferris Beuller's Day Off

Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) is a high school senior who is adored by "sportoes, motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wasteoids, dweebies and dickheads, they all love him- they think he's a righteous dude." He decides to skip school, and convinces his best friend, Cameron, to help him and with Ferris' girlfriend Sloane they head off to Chicago for a day of fun. To make their way into the city, they borrow Cameron's father's one love, a 1961 Ferrari. Unfortunately, they have a problem with the car and this threatens to expose them all.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off has been one of my favorite movies for quite some time now, but I never picked up on the fact that it actually has a suicide prevention theme in its contents. My Media Studies 20 teacher pointed it out to me (I guess teachers actually do pick up on useful information) and after thinking about it I realized he is most definitely right. After discovering this, I think that Ferris took the day off not for personal benefit but to help his friend Cameron gain some measure of self worth. Cameron is very uptight and is over controlled by his parents and Ferris wants to show Cameron that the world is passing by him and he needs to wake up and embrace it. In a way it might be a bad message for teenagers because it probably is not the best idea to disobey your parents, skip school, and ruin your dad's Ferrari. But I think it does teach teenagers that it is important to live life to the fullest and have fun in your youth. As Ferris would say, "life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once and awhile, you could miss it."

This classic movie was written and directed by John Hughes who was also responsible for such films as The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles. Hughes died in early August of 2009 from a heart attack at the age of 59. His memory will certainly live on through the array of high school based films he has created throughout his prosperous career. Hughes was no an athlete but he was a big fan of the Detroit Red Wings and Gordie Howe. Later, Hughes paid tribute to Howe in Ferris Bueller's Day Off when Cameron wore a Howe jersey though out the film. I thought that was awesome seeing as I am from Saskatchewan and I also like Howe!

The casting for this movie was done perfectly- I couldn't imagine any other actors doing a better job! Mathew Broderick played the role of Bueller perfectly by having a lot of charisma and spunk- he just makes you want Ferris Bueller to be your best friend, or in my case boyfriend. The actors who played Cameron, Sloan and Principal Rooney also did an excellent job but my favorite actor throughout the movie was Grace (the Secretary) played by Edie McClurg. She is just so funny and every secretary should model their life after her! I've included a film clip with my favorite quote from the entire movie said while Grace and Mr. Rooney discussed Ferris.

If you haven't seen this movie, go out and buy it. Watch it until you can quote the entire movie, then come find me and we can be friends.

Citzen Kane = Lame

Rosebud. One simple word leads to the basis of the classic, 1941 film, Citizen Kane. Newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane is one of the richest, and most powerful men in the United States. With his last breath he utters the enigmatic word: Rosebud. A newspaper reporter digs into Kane's past to find the significance of this mysterious word. The film shows his rise and eventual down fall. A man who seemed to have everything would have traded it all for something that most take for granted- love.

Citizen Kane is considered a classic movie, and any movie that is a classic is definitely worth watching. But to be honest, the most useful thing I got from it is the understanding of Family Guy's spoofs on the movie. I am not going to lie and say that I'm interested in movies with "deep" meanings just so I sound smart - because to be honest I'd way rather just relax and watch a funny movie like Billy Madison. The main lessons I learned from the film were to treasure your childhood as it is fundamental in your growth into adulthood. The second message in the film was to not choose materialism over love. Although both these themes are very strong I find them to be quite overused and cliche.

The movie is based roughly on the life of William Randolph Hearst who, like Kane, was a newspaper tycoon. Orson Welles plays the main role as Charles Foster Kane. I may be the only one in the world who feels this way, but I did not like his acting as I did not feel a connection to his character at all. Usually I care about the wellness of the protagonist but with Kane, I did not care what happened to him one way or another. Here comes my shallow side again, but I think if they had casted a more handsome actor it would have triggered greater interest from me. Dorothy Comingore played the role of Susan Alexander Kane. I didn't like the character at all as she was annoying, whinny and got her fame handed to her (much like my earlier blog on Miley Cyrus). Comingore did her job as an actor as she ignited some passion towards the character she played- even if it was the feeling of annoyance!

One thing that is undeniable is that the actual filming technique was executed superbly and helped deliver many of the themes. Unique camera angles and techniques were used to make the viewer wonder, "how on Earth did they pull that off?" A particular shot that stands out to me is when Kane is walking past a mirror and it shows reflections of him through various stages of his life. Not only is this interesting technologically but it also shows Kane's loneliness and development throughout the years.


In my opinion, is this one of the greatest films of all time? No. Is this film worth watching? Yes. If there is one thing that I've learned by reading movie reviews is that you can never fully trust them. You just have to watch it for youself and develop your opinions from there. This is a classic film which is wise to watch because it has good themes and is well-known. Who knows, you might experience a question about Citizen Kane when playing a game of Trivial Pursuit - if it helps you win the game you might be very grateful you watched it! Overall I think it is necessary to be open minded when selecting movies to watch because it is the best way to discover something great. Even though I didn't like it, you just might.