West Side Story (1961)

Main Characters
Maria played by Natalie Wood
Tony played by Richard Beymer
Riff played by Russ Tamblyn
Bernardo played by George Chakiris

Directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise

Run Time: 152 minutes
Reel Review Rating: 9.5

What is the movie about? 
The movie is about a large group of Puerto Ricans that come to America. A gang of Americans called The Jets don't like that the Puerto Ricans formed a grouped called The Sharks and are on their turf. They fight a lot and one of the Jets' veterans, Tony, falls in love with a Puerto Rican girl named Maria and Maria loves him, too. But, when there is a brawl and Tony's best friend and Maria's brother gets killed, things get a "teensy-bit" complicated.

What I thought about the movie.
I thought the movie was very good. It is my favorite musical to-date.


What I learned about making films.
I learned that modern versions of old stories can be good. This movie was based on Romeo and Juliet.


Why I think other kids should see this film.
It is a very good musical. But it also has a lot of talking and fighting. IT IS THE PERFECT COMBINATION!!!!! of talking, fighting, love, cool names of characters, gangs, music, etc. All of this makes it very, very exciting.

My Apple Camp Experience

I recently went to a Film Camp at the Apple Store and made a small short. The first day I storyboarded my idea. I learned about GarageBand and used it to make my own music for the short. Later that day I filmed my short. This is the first time I'm actually in my own movie so my mom had to take the shots when you see me on film. It's not up to my standards but thanks anyways mom. I know you tried your hardest.

The second day I took the video and put them together using iMovie. We had a film festival at the end of camp and showed everybody's movie. Here's mine.

Thanks so much to Martin and Keith at Legacy Village for making the experience so EPIC!!!

Brigadoon (1954)

Main Characters
Tommy Albright played by Gene Kelly
Jeff Douglas played by Van Johnson
Fiona Campbell played by Cyd Charisse

Directed by Vincente Minnelli

Run Time: 108 minutes
Reel Review Rating: 5

What is the movie about? 
The movie is about two Americans on a hunting trip in Scotland who get lost and find a village. They come right before a wedding, but soon they shall find out the secret of Brigadoon

What I thought about the movie.
The movie is a musical and I like music so I guess it was OK. I was fooled by the soundstage background because I thought it was really outside. I think the story was not completely bad.


What I learned about making films.
I learned to never put a twist too late in a movie because it makes the movie worse. In Brigadoon I believe that they divulged the secret of Brigadoon too late.


Why I think other kids should see this film.
I think other kids should see this movie because there was very good dancing (done by Gene Kelly). There was also catchy songs in it that were amazing. It was also a bit funny in some parts and also mysterious in some scenes.

Stagecoach (1939)

Main Characters
Dallas played by Claire Trevor
Ringo Kid played by John Wayne

Directed by John Ford

Run Time: 96 minutes
Reel Review Rating: 9.5

What is the movie about?
The movie is about people on a stage coach that want to leave town. They face many problems on the way: stolen horses, a pregnant passenger, and Indians.

What I thought about the movie.
I thought the movie was extremely good and I like the variety of characters. Each person has a story.


What I learned about making films.
I learned to always give every character a background. It makes the movie more enjoyable.


Why I think other kids should see this film.
I think other kids should see this movie because it is an extremely good introduction to Westerns.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

Main Characters
Klaatu played by Michael Rennie
Helen Benson played by Patricia Neal

Directed by Robert Wise

Run Time: 92 minutes
Reel Review Rating: 8

What is the movie about?
The movie is about a "space man" who lands on Earth and is immediately misjudged and shot. He gets sent to a hospital and when he asks for a favor to speak to the United Nations about the fate of the world, he gets the answer "no". He escapes from the hospital and goes on the run. Many events happen before he turns off the whole world's electricity!!!

What I thought about the movie.
I thought the movie was awesomazing!! I really liked the robot, Gort, and how he uses his laser eyes!!


What I learned about making films.
I didn't really learn anything about film making in this movie BUT I noticed the director, Robert Wise, also directed some other movies I LOVE like The Sound of Music and West Side Story. I have to add Robert Wise to my Favorite Directors list.


Why I think other kids should see this film.
I think other kids should see this movie because it has a good story and also because it has really good acting.

The Sound of Music (1965)

Main Characters
Maria played by Julie Andrews
Captain Von Trapp played by Christopher Plummer
The Baroness played by Eleanor Parker
Max played by Richard Haydn 

Directed by Robert Wise

Run Time: 174 minutes
Reel Review Rating: 9.5

 
What is the movie about?
Maria gets sent away from the abbey for a while to be a governess for the Von Trapp kids. And when she gets there, she makes the house alive with the sound of music. In an effort to escape the Nazis, they try to outsmart the Commander.

What I thought about the movie.
I thought the movie was very MUSICAL-LY. I like that. It was also romance-y. I don't so much like that.


What I learned about making films.
I learned that music can make your movie AMAZING! Also that long=good=$$$. Just kidding:-) I learned, too, that having a lot of characters can really thicken the story.


Why I think other kids should see this film.
I think other kids should see this movie because it has great songs. My favorite song being So Long, Farewell. That's a great one!

The African Queen (1951)

Main Characters
Charlie Allnut played by Humphrey Bogart
Rose Sayer played by Katherine Hepburn

Directed by John Huston

Run Time: 105 minutes
Reel Review Rating: 9

What was the movie about?
The movie is about when Rose Sayers's brother dies in Africa at around World War I. A small river boat captain helps her avenge her brother by trying to take out a main German boat. They sail all the way out to sea on the African Queen; but I don't want to spoil it.

What I thought about the movie.
I thought the movie was very intriguing - a perfect combination of romance and suspense.


What I learned about making films.
I learned that you can use green-screen for a lot of things.


Why I think other kids should see this film.
I think other kids should see this movie because Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn are the two best actors in it so it's really good, and fun, too!