"What Makes A Good Movie?"

          What makes a movie compelling, noteworthy, or deserving of an award to me is it's story, cinematography, and soundtrack.  A good movie must have a good story line that I can understand and possibly relate to.  Without a good story I might get bored or uninterested.  Cinematography is very important as well, because I have to be visually attracted especially because I love photography and unique perspectives.  A movie with a great story can be a disaster with bad cinematography.  The soundtrack or movie score is key in a great movie.  It gives me a feel of the what is happening in the scene and sometimes makes me jump out of my seat in an intense scene.  The soundtrack and movie score sets the right vibe in a movie.
          The movies for Week 1 "Le voyage dans la lune" and "The Great Train Robbery" meets my criteria for a good movie, at least for being a silent film made in 1902 and 1903.  Both movies had a good story, cinematography, and soundtrack, but it wasn't the best. Yet again the movie was made over a hundred years ago. In "Le voyage dans la lune" my favorite scene was the spaceship they made and shot out of a canon.  I thought it was great and humorous! In "The Great Robbery" I loved the dancing scene, where they started shooting the ground to make the guy dance faster.
          Just off the top of my head, two of my favorite films that meet my criteria are "The Wackness" and "Avatar".

"The Wackness" is a great independent film written and directed by Jonathan Levine.  This movie has a great story that any young man can relate to, great cinematography, and an amazingly hip soundtrack.  This film is interesting, emotional, and humorous as well.  I love independent films and this one is probably my favorite!  I recommend this movie to anyone that hasn't seen it yet.




"Avatar" is an epic fantasy film written and directed by the famous James Cameron.  This movie has a great story I think anyone will love, especially those with a great imagination.  The cinematography and computer generated imagery is absolutely breathtaking, and the soundtrack was fantastic.  Some people say this film is over rated, but I disagree.  I also recommend this movie to anyone that has never seen it.