This is about an insurance worker, Baxter (Bud), who lends his apartment to big company officials for their work and meetings. His manager is willing to promote Bud if he lets him use his apartment. The problem is that Bud likes his manager’s mistress, Fran who he thought he would have all to himself. This movie takes one on a journey to see if Bud chooses the girl he is head over heels for, or his promotion that will affect the future of his career.
A scene that stood out to me was the very end. This was the New Year’s scene where Fran is with Baxter’s manager at the party in the bar. There’s a shot of people counting down to midnight and the celebrations happening right after, then the camera goes to the chair that Fran was expected to be in. Suddenly there is audible worry in the manager’s voice, yelling for Fran as to where she has gone. Then we see Fran running to her apartment building and as she goes up the stairs she hears a loud noise, mimicking a gun-shot. She immediately thinks that Baxter shot himself and runs and yells for him as she bangs on his door. Baxter calmly opens the door with a bottle of champagne that he opened, which was the cause of the sound, and Fran is feeling a bit embarrassed. Fran acts cool and decides to spend the rest of the night with Baxter, drinking and playing cards. This scene sums up how Baxter gets the girl in the end. One can see the love for Baxter in Fran’s worrisome manner as she freaks out about Baxter. It was quite a happy ending. I was not a fan of this film. The beginning of the film that leads to the meat of the plot is very slow and feels like forever. It’s a quite a bore. The movie itself was too long and could have easily been only an hour long. The plot itself was weak and was not executed well at all. The main character, Baxter, is very annoying and I couldn’t stand another minute of him on screen. Overall this film was bad. This gave me ,'It’s A Wonderful Life,' vibes, but not nearly as good. Don’t even think about watching this as your ‘holiday,’ film. Honestly I am upset I didn’t like it.
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This film is the third of Truffaut’s series of the life of Antoine Doinel. This film is about Antoine being discharged from military service and then him searching for his sweetheart, Christine. Throughout the film, the audience sees numerous jobs that Antoine obtains and also a big love triangle that he gets himself into all while being a detective under cover.
A scene that stood out to me the most, and also the scene that this film is known for is the mirror scene. This scene is so iconic in this entire series. This scene takes place in Antoine’s bathroom and he faces the mirror above his sink and just looks at himself. This entire scene is held for what feels like a long time. What makes this scene so amazing is that Antoine turns into a maniac about his love triangle. He tries to figure things out while trying to find his own identity and who and what he truly wants in the mirror. He does this buy repeating the names of his lovers and then even his own name. Antoine turns into a madman who eventually breaks down and calms himself. This scene was very powerful and emotional and was very well shot as the audience can only see Antoine’s facial expressions in his reflection in the mirror. Overall, this film was okay. Jean-Pierre did it again with his great acting and good looks but the film itself became kind of a bore and felt a lot longer than it needed to be. I think I feel this way because I did not see the film between this one and 400 Blows. This film felt kind of slow but towards the end it turns out okay and Antoine chooses who the audience want him to choose regarding his love life. I was disappointed by Truffaut this time around, but I’m sure it’s only this series of his that is a bit weak. This film is about an aspiring writer named Gil, played by OWEN WILSON, who is on a trip with his wife and his future in-laws in Paris. He isn’t quite the life of the party but once it hits midnight, the city around him changes into his favorite era: 1920’s Paris. He meets his literary idols and undergoes a crisis in his love life.
This film did not have a scene that stood out or was artsy fartsy but instead it had some low-key aspects. The opening scene for example, consisted of a montage of everyday life in Paris. The whole movie itself was very bland when it came to color. This movie however, is lucky because majority of it was beautiful scenery in the background, because of course, it was shot in Paris. The two transitions that the director stayed consistent with was dissolve and fade. The music was your stereotypical, walking in the streets of Paris music, nothing special. It consisted of the wide, tight, wide, tight shot pattern throughout the entire film, no variety. This film was just your average film. This movie was not good. It was barely okay. I knew this wasn’t exactly my taste but I was willing to give it a chance because of the big debate in our film class. It was a disappointment honestly. It was the kind of film that you force yourself to watch on a long flight to kill time and if they have very limited movies, or the kind of film where the entire theater is full of old people and it’s around 2:00. It gave me The Night at the Museum vibes, but not NEARLY as good, in fact it couldn’t even compete with that movie. I was bored out of my mind the entire film, but the last 30 minutes were somewhat bearable and somewhat interesting. I feel like I have wasted an hour and a half of my life. This is a hard R film btw This film is about a group of scientists who go out into space and discover life on Mars. They bring the creature inside the ISS and it turns out this creature isn’t as harmless as they thought it would be. The entire crew’s life is in danger and the rest of the film is about their survival. A scene that stood out to me the most was the very first death in the film of Ryan Reynolds. This really set the tone of the film and lets the audience know they need a high pain tolerance of other people’s pain, for example someone literally dying before their eyes. Basically, Calvin, the not-so-nice creature from Mars, attacks Reynolds. You can see the pain in his eyes, knowing this moment will be when he dies, and everyone else on the outside of the glass doors can’t do anything about it, all you hear is the screaming of them and the horror in their eyes. Calvin, crawls up to Reynolds’ face and goes into his mouth. This is when it gets gross and hard to watch. Reynolds chokes and tries to finger Calvin out of his mouth, but his eyes go black, and his face turns red/purple, and the others just watch helplessly. Throughout his chest and his throat, you can see Calvin’s body move along and destroy his insides. Finally when the scene comes to an end, it’s just goopy blood coming from Reynolds’ mouth and floating up to the ceiling. Again, as the audience you feel pain and hatred. Pain because this was the hardest scene to watch in the whole film. And hatred because you want to go in that movie and kill Calvin yourself. The animation for Calvin was amazing, totally surreal. This movie was amazing. Definitely not for everyone, but it was totally awesome. I am not a big sci-fi or space movie kind of person but this really blew me away. This totally took a toll on every audience member out there, every scene was thrilling and suspenseful. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time nervously awaiting for what Calvin and the crew’s next move would be. Some would argue that this was predictable, but I didn’t think so at all, except maybe for the very end. This is a must see, but if you’re the squeamish kind, DO NOT WATCH. (Also lets stop trying to find life in Mars because this was very scarring). This film is Akira Kurosawa’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. This contains the same storyline, except with samurai peoples and Japanese culture. This contains a Noh theatre aesthetic with a Western tragedy. This film considered as one of the best versions of Macbeth in the world.
The very first thing that I noticed was the variety of transitions Kurosawa uses: fade to black, wipe, fade, and even dissolve. A shot that immediately stood out to me was when the spirit was first introduced (a spirit was used instead of witches because witches don’t exist in Japanese culture). In this scene there is a very bright, white light that is on top of the spirit, making him stand out as he tells the prophecy to the two soldiers. This is all shot behind the two soldiers who stand in darkness among the trees that frame the shot perfectly and the spirit is seen between the two soldiers as they listen. This film was FULL OF NOH DRAMA STUFF such as: assertive flute, exaggerated facial expressions, stillness and then agitation within scenes, and more. Other repetitive aspects I noticed were the heavy usage of fog/mist, flocks of birds (these gave me Hitchcock vibes), dark and light, natural lighting, shots through forest, rain, and a lot of tracking shots executed perfectly. This film was good. When I first watched this film, I was not a big fan. That is because I didn’t do my homework and was not really aware of what Noh drama was all about. Once I did my research, I truly appreciated this film. This was interesting and I actually like this version better than the original Macbeth, (this movie also helped me with my test on Macbeth the day after I watched it). This was very well done and is a must see film. P.S. Happy Belated Birthday to Bae, Toshiro Mifune. This film is about the workers at a corporation called Belko, located in Bogota, Colombia, who get trapped into a messed up social experiment (thus the title). Little did they know that they will have to be a part of a twisted killing game that is controlled by an unknown voice from the intercom.
This film was very odd. It used technical aspects very intensely but the usage of it was awfully ridiculous, especially the music chosen for certain parts of the film. I am sure this is a kind of thing that one would either love it or hate it, but in this case, I hated it. The music chosen for certain scenes, almost made this film seem as if it were a joke, and it definitely took away from the seriousness and the horror, unless that was what the director wanted…There was one time where it was totally okay to use. This scene took place during the second round of killing. In this scene, Leandra is in shock, and there is simply nothing but Latin music playing in the background and all the other noise is blocked out, and there is a panning shot of all of the violence happening around Leandra, while showing her reaction and every little expression that forms while watching the graphic nonsense around her. At that time, it was appropriate and a unique way to set the scene. But a time that I thought was inappropriate was when the killing game gets very competitive and its everyone for themselves in order to survive, thus more violence, guts, and gore. Barry, the bad guy, is on this killing spree, and during this there is loud, opera playing and it completely takes away from the saddening, hard to watch, mood. In fact, the audience who could barely swallow their food, were laughing out loud simply because of the music. One thing this film did successfully was it’s smash cuts. The only problem was that every other transition was a smash cut and it was pretty annoying. This film was awful. The plot was great and there could’ve been so much potential, and I had expected a lot from it, but in the end, it was a disappointment. The two biggest flaws, other than the bad music choice and the annoying transitions, was the fact that there was no closure, too many f bombs, and the character the audience was rooting for the whole time gets killed off. Never in the entire film do they mention what the experiment was about, there was no point. The ending felt like the filmmakers were telling the audience the following,”joke’s on you, sorry-not-sorry for wasting your time lol.” The f bombs were way too much and unnecessary and it was getting obnoxious. And then, Dany, the girl everyone was rooting for, who literally does everything to save herself, (she literally does parkour), ENDS UP DYING. At that point I was like is this even worth watching anymore? But at the same time, it made me excited for the end to see what happens because obviously the director tricked us. Instead, the movie has no point whatsoever, besides the fact that the whole chips-in-people thing is real and that this could possibly happen. Don’t watch it. (Also this was gross and gory and this movie gave me Final Destination vibes throughout it). This Bollywood film is about Badrinath Bansal, a guy with an animated personality and an overconfident attitude with a big heart, who falls in love with a girl named Vaidehi Trivedi. Both are polar opposites. Badri keeps getting rejected by Vaidehi, but he can’t take no for an answer. Throughout the film Badri tries to win her over, while Vaidehi focuses on following her dream.
This film was great, but technically did not have much variety. It included all of the lighting techniques, and had numerous settings. The film did a great job with jump cut transitioning that did not make it obvious at all. There was not a set color scheme, but that was expected because of how truly “Bollywood,” this movie ended up being. A scene that stood out to me the most was when Badri brings Vaidehi back to her room when she is uber drunk. Before this scene, when they weren’t as drunk, they were telling each other how they really feel about each other, and this conversation verified Badri, how she feels about him and how he should reciprocate these feelings. That scene set the mood for this scene because as he tucks her in, there is silence, and a long, close up shot of the two just staring into each other’s eyes, and there is a quite a lot of emotional tension. The audience can tell that in this moment, Vaidehi is falling for Badri, but cannot read what Badri is feeling, although he tucks her in and walks away without making a move, despite the fact Vaidehi holds his hand and all. It takes an emotional toll on the audience and almost stuns them once they find out what happens next. When it comes to technicality, there was one thing that this film did perfectly, and that is wide shots of stunning views. For example, when transitioning to a different setting, such as Singapore, the shot chosen was a beautiful sunrise of the city life, and was introduced with an upward wipe. This film was done very well and had little to no variety when it comes to making this an impressive technically. I loved this film. It was fantastic. This film gives me hope that Bollywood still exists, and that it can have a modern message behind it as well. The message behind it was about gender equality/feminism, the dowry issue that still goes on even though it is illegal, as well as putting forth one’s dream of having a career and being independent, rather than forcing yourself into marriage at a time you are not ready. This film captured all these qualities without turning its head from Bollywood and turning into a more westernized film like most of the films. I think this movie has validated my love for its director, Karan Johar, and I can safely say he is my favorite director in Bollywood. Another aspect that I adored was the whole guy-doesn’t-get-girl thing, but the ending may surprise you. The choreography of the dancing, the music, and even the chemistry between the two characters was so admirable, I absolutely loved it. This film did not disappoint. (Also, I have fallen head over heels for Varun Dhawan thanks to this movie) This film is about a naval officer, Rustom Pavri, who is accused of murdering the guy his wife was having an affair with. This is based on the K.M. Nanavasti vs State of Maharashtra. He comes back home from his duties over seas, and comes home to his wife missing from his home. He finds letters that prove that she has been cheating on him while he was gone. He then shoots his wife’s lover and the rest of the film is finding out whether Rustom is guilty or not.
This film was very different from most Bollywood movies. It had technical parts that was very different. This film uses a color palette that really stands out, and uses mostly green and red throughout the film. There is almost a filter that makes bright colors stand out to make nearly neon, giving it a 50’s/60’s vibe (this was set in 1959). I have never seen the wipe transition in any serious movie before, and that was odd to see. Most of the aerial shots when Rustom was out at sea were tilted shots. This movie had a lot of technical aspects that I did not expect. A scene that stood out to me was the scenes in the beginning when the director shows Rustom, thinking about him and Cynthia, his wife, on his way home from sea. This was quite montage-like. Here is where most of the bright colors were, lots of natural light, very Bollywood, and this almost leads you into a different direction of the film. This scene is the only part of the film that appears to be happy, the rest of the film goes downhill from there. This film was okay. Going into this, I thought it would be about a love story of a naval officer and his wifey and the ups and downs of him trying to get back home and while he’s away and all that, but the advertising mislead me. My favorite singer’s song was in here and they threw it away in the first 20 minutes in the romantic montage and I was so disappointed. Overall, the story was cool, a bit slow in the beginning, but the pleading in court was exciting and fun to watch what the jury decides in the end. Lately, I’ve noticed that Bollywood is lacking in making their movies really “Bollywood.” Instead, they have given up on original ideas, and have been using adapted stories. This is about the true story of Desmond T. Doss, the conscientious objector who saved 75 men in Okinawa, during WWII, without firing a single shot. He believed that killing is so wrong and that he could never do it, let alone hold a gun. He was the only American soldier in WWII to fight on the front lines without a weapon. He was the first conscientious objector ever to win the Congressional Medal of Honor
This movie was gory and all but that’s no surprise because it’s a Mel Gibson film. A scene that stood out to me the most was the very end. This was when Doss was injured and was being moved along the rope to safety. This part of the film was so majestic and almost fantasy-like. It begins with a tracking shot of Doss gliding along the rope. Then the camera gives us a 360 shot of him simply floating, to give the audience time to think about all he’s done and that this was the first time that he’s in an injured state, like those that he saved were in. Then, there is a shot of Doss from under him, showing the exaggeration of sunlight and the sky above him, almost as if he is floating up the heavens as if it were a Biblical reference to his beliefs throughout the film (he doesn’t die). Then there is a high angle shot that zooms out and turns into almost an aerial shot that shows him and the war zone around him. This was a wonderful way of ending the film. This movie included jump cuts, wide-tight-wide-tight patterned shots, and natural lighting. Overall, this movie was good. Although, there were parts that threw me off and made this movie seem as if it were a joke. For example, there was a scene that came across as weird and it was during battle and there was blood that spewed onto the camera and that was very odd and I couldn't stop thinking about it during the rest of the movie, it gave me a Call of Duty vibe. Then there was the fact that Vince Vaughn was playing a serious, authoritative, role that did not suit him and the lightheartedness in the earlier parts of the film were not fitting for the film. Andrew Garfield amazed me with his outstanding performance, his acting was incredible. The story of Doss still has me in disbelief that he singlehandedly saved so many lives, that too without a weapon. This was a great story. I am glad that many people now know the heroism of Desmond T. Doss. This film was about a really old pensioner named Umberto Domenico Ferrari who comes back to his apartment style house from a protest calling for a hike in old-age pensions, his mean landlady demands her 15,000-lire rent by the end of the month or he and his small dog, Flike, will be kicked out onto the street and become homeless. Umberto fakes illness to get sent to a hospital to stall and make some time to find money, while giving Flike to the landlady's pregnant maid to watch while he's gone.
This film was an Italian Neorealistic film, directed by Vittorio De Sica. This took place during Italy's postwar economic recovery. After he gets kicked out of his house for failing to pay the rent, he ends up struggling to find basic goods to fulfill his basic needs such as food, shelter, and companionship. This was overall not a really technical film and was mainly showcasing the hardships of the old man, Umberto, and how tough it was to go through what he was going through in order to live. A scene that stood out to me was when he tried to find Flike at the place where they kill the dogs that have not been found. It was hard to watch and it took an emotional toll on the audience. This showed the essence of what life was like for the average old man who went through what Umberto went through. Overall, this film was pretty boring. I had my hopes up for this film because I thought I loved Neorealistic film, but I guess not. I had high expectations based off of how good Bicycle Thieves was, but this was disappointing. This felt like watching an old guy have a bad time getting through a month of his life, which it exactly was but for some reason this film did not do it for me. |
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May 2017
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