Required Post #1

So in class we have just finished watching 'the greatest movie ever' "Citizen Kane", and I have to say I am more than a little disappointed.

The way I see it, there are two possible reasons for this:

1. the massive hype over the film that had me expecting way too much out of it
2. the fact that I was neither "captured" by the performance of any of the cast, nor was I really all that impressed with the clever lighting and scene work that Welles put into the film as a whole.

Or, it could be the fact that I have never been a fan of movies that do nothing but pan public figures of the time.

While I watched as Welles criticized the lifestyle of William Randolph Hearst, I could not help but to be reminded of the collections of horse shit Michael Moore appears to be on a never ending quest to keep making. Even though Welles does a rather tasteful mockery of Hearst, I believe that during his time, Welles' film was the equivalent of Moore's contemporary embarrassments to the world of film.

That aside, just as a movie, "Citizen Kane" held very little appeal. Throughout the whole movie, nothing surprising ever really happened, and, while it was filled to the brim with excellent theatrical and cinematographic(?) work, there really was not anything that captured me as a viewer.

I'm not too sure why, but if I ever come across a movie with no action what-so-ever, I usually dislike it. Call me pig-headed, but that's just the way it is for me.

Introduction

I haven't been onto blogspot for a year or two, but I had some good experiences and am looking forward to using it again. As for film, I would have to say my favorite genre is the Western. To me, this area is unique to America in the sense that both its stories and setting are found nowhere esle in the world. My love for this genre started when I was first introduced to the "Speghetti Westerns" that starred Clint Eastwood (who is, besides Anthony Hopkins, my favorite actor of all time). Since then, I have found few things more enjoyable than sitting down and becoming entranced by the stories and characters that have come to embody the genre.