This film was about a guy named Luke who is sent to prison due to taking the heads off of parking meters. He tries to conform to the rural, prison life and starts off as the underdog. Throughout the film, he gains popularity and helps the fellow prison mates to make life better at the prison.
When it comes to the technical parts in this film, there is a lot of variety. The opening shot is a tight shot of one of the parking meters and then zooming out to where the audience can see Luke screwing the top of the meter off, and then a wide shot of him surrounded by all the parking meters he ruined. There is also a lot of repetition of the usage of reflection. The sun glasses of The Man with No Eyes a.k.a Boss Godfrey, were often used with a tight zoom in and a reflection that uses foreshadowing of something bad that will happen in the next scene. There was an establishing shot of the prison before Luke was shown there which I also noticed. During the fighting scene with Luke and Dragline, where Dragline was shown from a low camera angle making him appear stronger, bigger and more dominating because he was winning. Luke appeared more vulnerable because of the high camera angle he was shot from. There was also a cool shot from the zooming out of Luke's mom's car/bed thing after they met. The camera zooms out and you can see his mother's face through the sheer roof of the car. The boiled egg scene reminded me of a frat-house party and also made me feel sick to my stomach. It turns out for the film, Paul Newman only consumed 8 eggs and threw those up after the shoot. Overall, this film did not disappoint. This movie was outside of my comfort zone when it comes to films and it was pretty okay because I had low expectations to begin with. It was a bro-ey movie. Pretty good. I can still feel Newman's blue eyes piercing into my soul, they are so pretty.
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This movie is about Dr. Fulton who has spent 2 years trying to create a formula for youth. One of the monkeys that he has been experimenting his formulas on concocted the elixir of youth on accident by throwing in lots of chemicals into a beaker and into a water cooler. The rest is the journey of where this formula takes the characters in this film.
This was my very first Marx Bros films and it did not disappoint. When it comes to comedies this falls under the category of Vaudeville/Stage Acts, which could be easily pointed out. There were not many puns, but there was a lot of physical comedy, though I expected a lot more. Barnaby and Edwina do an incredible job at playing a very youthful character and to create a character that is very distinct from the "original," character that they are playing. This was also my first Marilyn Monroe movie and even though she is not a main character in this film, the makers of this film did not hesitate to make sure she was treated as a sexualized object. A scene that stood out to me was when Edwina intoxicated with the formula and kicks Barnaby out of her hotel room. In this scene, Barnaby does not have his glasses and tries to find a phone along the walls. Instead, he falls through a laundry chute. The kind of tracking shot that was used to show Barnaby falling through the chute was very impressive and interesting. It was successfully pulled off. Overall, this film was indeed laugh out loud funny, but I expected more. This was a great Marx Bros experience and I will definitely watch more of their films. I was very impressed with the acting as well with how Esther the monkey was trained. Even though I had high expectations, I think that the film was as funny as it could have been. This film was about how Raees' relationships helped him become a successful entrepreneur and the most powerful person in the region. He gains popularity by showcasing a persona that is loved by everyone and everything he does is genuine and is for the greater good. Raees is always thinking ahead and never lets obstacles come in his way of destroying his business empire.
This film had obvious transitions that did not flow with the movie well. The director used many fade outs that fade to black as every transition. A scene that stood out the most was when Raees was fighting the guy trying to kill him. There was a high camera angel shot at Raees during Muharram to show that he was vulnerable and that someone was about to kill him. Then Raees vanishes just as the bad guy tries to snipe him. Raise ends up being behind the guy and instead of fighting him, he does cheesy parkour all around town. There were wide shots of Raees with music in the background and there wasn’t really a purpose to this, it was simply dragging the movie out. Finally Raees jumps off of a roof and lands on a truck perfectly with the bad guy and then they fight with their bare hands. Raise obviously wins the battle, and goes on with this life that just receives more irrelevant problems throughout the film. This scene was an interesting choice for the actor because he rarely ever does action scenes that involve fighting, it was a poor choice. This film was awful. This film could have ended in an hour and a half, but the plot kept dragging. There were so many sub plot points that were irrelevant and made the audience lose interest and want the movie to end sooner. Bollywood movies rarely disappoint me and I was highly disappointed by this. The songs didn’t even make up for how bad the movie was either, they were just placed as fillers and had nothing to do with what was going on in the film. I think this film was just a way to lure Pakistanis because of Mahira Khan who made her first appearance in Bollywood in this film. Shahrukh Khan continues to disappoint. (P.S. This made me realize how good guys look with kajal on) This movie is about Kevin who has dissociative identity disorder and has 23 identities. Throughout the film, Kevin’s dominate personalities combine and fight each other for the light. His personalities have gotten so extreme that they have kidnapped three teenage girls and have kept them hostage as food for the coming of the beast. The girls try to escape as it gets closer and closer to the beast’s arrival.
This film used hard lighting throughout the entire movie with some occasional natural light as well. The hard lighting really captures the essence of the film which was dark and mysterious as to the kind of genre this film falls under, which is horror/thriller. It made sense as to where the majority of the film took place, which was in Kevin’s sketchy house. Majority of the film was shot subjectively to have a real-life effect to it. There were no scenes that were truly memorable when it comes to technicality, but I can name two. One was the close-up shot when Kevin is turning into the beast in the train with just enough lighting to where the audience can see the the muscular transformation in his back as he is turning into the beast, I thought that was very impressively done, as an illusion to the audience that Kevin is able to change his body extremely through another identity. Another scene that stood out was when the beast is running with the animal-like abilities he has, back to his home, and there is a shot that is taken from above a street light and you can see him running underneath the light. It was a very odd choice to make and pretty random because the beast had no qualities that made him vulnerable at all. This film was fantastic and James Mcavoy’s acting was incredible, aside from him being a babe (I fell in love with him in Atonement) like always. There is a scene where 9 of his personalities come out within 4 minutes and I cannot imagine how difficult that must have been for Mcavoy. I thought M. Night Shyamalan did an excellent job at executing this film. The ending sparked some twists and confusion though. At the very end, there is a scene with Bruce Willis in a diner watching the news about Kevin and his DID and he makes a statement about Mr. Glass and the wheelchair. I was so thrown off by that but then I looked into it and found my answers in the attached links below. Apparently if you have seen Unbreakable, you won’t be confused, and it might hint to a sequel or the beast’s appearance in a possible Unbreakable 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2TngNFI4Sk http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/split-movie-ending-explained-unbreakable-2-bruce-willis-planned-966669 This documentary film is about a Mongolian girl named Aisholpan, and her journey of becoming the first ever eagle huntress. This film takes the audience on a journey of a young girl, proving the elders in society wrong, that girls can become eagle hunters too. Aisholpan’s father has no doubt in his mind that his daughter can do just as much as other’s sons can. In fact, he is proud that his daughter has such passion and great interest in the sport and strategy of eagle hunting. We see how much training and technique Aisholpan and her father, go over, in order for Aisholpan to become an eagle hunter.
I think one part in the film that stood out to me was towards the end. This was after Aisholpan won the eagle hunting competition, yet the elders were still not convinced and would not accept Aisholpan as a real eagle huntress, until she battles the cold and hardships of where the real hunting happens, which is literally in the middle of nowhere. Aisholpan and her father go eagle hunting on a journey to the snowy mountains to hunt fox and to see if Aisholpan can do more than just win a competition. This entire scene was filmed with natural light, and the wide shots captured the beautiful landscapes of snowy Mongolia perfectly. Helicopter or drone shots were definitely used, and there must have been at least four cameras covering this hunting trip. Even close-up shots of Aisholpan’s reactions were perfectly captured, as well as her father’s. The pattern this scene used was definitely wide shot to close-up shot, to wide shot and so on, and fit very well with the action occurring within the scene of the hunting. Overall, I thought this film was incredible. I was absolutely amazed by how well the documentary was shot, with each shot executed perfectly. The way each and every reaction was captured made the film lighthearted, at the same time of being such an intense movie of a girl trying to prove to society that, “girls can do just as much as guys can.” The beautiful long shots and wide shots of the breathtaking landscapes of Mongolia truly made this film, and leaves the audience speechless as well as in wonder as to how the cameramen were able to film in the middle of, ‘nowhere.’ If there was one thing that I could change, it would be to omit the narration and to have an interview at the end so the audience knows if whether or not the elders in the community will accept and consider Aishoplan as a real eagle huntress even though she proved them wrong. This documentary is one to remember and will be one of my top favorites, and is an inspiration to all the girls out there, that they can do whatever they want as all as they can give it their all, just like Aisholpan. This movie is about a pig-pong star named Randy Daytona who is recruited by an FBI agent to get rid of Daytona's father's killer once and for all...through the art of ping-pong.
A scene that stood out to me was towards the end when Randy and Feng are playing head-to-head on the bridge. This was the only time the director included some sort of variety in his camera angles. Because the two were on the bridge, to make it more intense and dramatic, the scene was shot heavily from an angle below the bridge, making the scene appear much more extreme than it really is. It showed how narrow the bridge was and how high up it was, this shot truly focused on the two characters and emphasized on the fact that whoever loses will probably fall off the bridge somehow and obviously get electrocuted because of the electric vest which will lead directly to death #foreshadowing. The rest of the movie however was shot in mainly subjectively angles with the typical variations in tight and medium shots throughout this feature film. Overall this film was your typical comedy and would not recommend it. It was a fun movie just for laughs, my brothers are obsessed with this movie simply because of the fact ping-pong is in it which is why I watched it. I watched Lion again which YOU SHOULD TOTALLY SEE. But this film was not impressive at all, besides the rad ping-pong skills shown. This film is about Mastani, a Muslim Princess, and Bajirao, a Maratha general who fall in love the moment their eyes meet during a battle between the two. Mastani, being a Muslim, is already a huge obstacle in this love story because Bajirao has always fought with the Mughal dynasty. On top of that...he's already married to Kashi, who is head over heels for her husband and never imagined another woman to come between her and Bajirao.
A scene that stood out to me was the,'Pinga,' song, which became a huge hit after the release of this movie. For those of you who are not familiar with the format of a Bollywood film, what truly makes it Bollywood, is for the movie to have heavily choreographed and extravagent dance sequences where the actors break out into song. 'Pinga,' is one of them. This scene shows Kashi, welcoming Mastani into the musical celebration, but to the audience it gives a different vibe. As the two dance, it's almost as if the director wanted the audience to think that the two were competing for Bajirao's love through dance. I am not sure if Bollywood films use specific shots for the same reasons, but this song had a lot of varying camera angles and shots. There were a number of shots where the two girls were captured from a high angle shot which was probably to capture how grand of a dance it was and to see all of the dancers and all, but if the director was using it to make them seem vulnerable, I did not understand why, I suppose it was because they were both vulnerable to Bajirao. There were medium shots and many subjective shots where the audience can clearly see the character's dramatic facial expressions, which truly makes this song,'Marathi.' Overall, I thought this film was amazing. I think hands down, this may have been the most beautiful Bollywood film I have ever seen (I have seen too many Bollywood films). It was so gorgeous and everything was so overtheop and so done up, which is what Bollywood essentially is, but this exceeded my expectations, especially visually. This is a kind of movie I wished I would have watched in theaters, but instead, watched it much later, after it's popularity was at its peak...which I regret. The plot is great, an action romantic. Mastani is a really cool character, and it's intersting to watch Kashi's character develop throughout the film. This film was spectacular. I definitely recommend this as a first-time Bollywood. This film is about a guy who lives his life based on his dreams and imagination. He falls in love with a French girl and tries to show her his world of dreams while not being able to accept rejection. A very formative film about a lovestruck guy living a life run by his creative thoughts.
A scene that really stood out to me was the very end. I thought it was a unique shot in the film to end this movie. This film did not exactly have closure, but the scene at the very end made the illusion that it did. This scene takes place right after Stephane falls asleep in Stephanie’s bed after their fight when he was supposed to leave for his flight. These scene is made for the audience to see what Stephane was seeing in his dreams at that moment. It is a long shot consisting of Stephanie’s toy horse on which Stephane and Stephanie, “ride away in the sunset.” These scene was very formative and consisted of a lot of animation. Behind the couple there was the cellophane water and the cotton ball clouds. What makes this scene create closure is that it ties in all the loose ends of the imagination of Stephane thinking that his life is incomplete without Stephanie, but through this dream of them being together and happy for once, it seems as if he has accepted rejection and is content with all the memories he made with Stephanie, which is why their crafting supplies are shown in the last scene with them on the horse. I thought this ending suited the film very well. Overall, this film was great. It is one of a kind. I don't think this film is for everyone, but I really enjoyed it. It had a very unique storyline and the usage of animation gave it a childish feel but this film was executed well enough that the weird qualities this film had seemed, “okay,” to do. Once again, Michel Gondry didn't let me down. *I watched this film not knowing what it was about and I encourage others to do so as well.*
This film is about a five-year-old Indian boy who gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia; 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family. This film was overall a beautifully done film with varying shots that made the film move smoothly with every transitional shot executed perfectly. However, a scene that stood out to me the most was one where Saroo is older and there is kind of a "flashback." It takes place when Saroo is 25 and in Australia, he breaks up with his girlfriend and is walking the streets along the sidewalk made next to the lit up busy traffic. During this scene, the screen splits into two and one side is showing Saroo walking the same, but this time alongside the path of a raiload walking the streets of Calcutta. This scene was a formative way of showing how Saroo is getting closer and closer to what he wants to find, and that this hints to the fact that Saroo might start to recall moments in his past that will help him find where he came from. It was a subtle way of foreshadowing. This was the first similarity we see in Saroo now, and young Saroo. It was a way for the director to show how the drastic change in Saroo as a more Westernized, educated, and sophisticated Aussie, versus the cute, mischievous, uneducated Indian toddler from a poor village. This film might be my new favorite movie. It was absolutely incredible. From the cinematography, to the plot, it was all around a perfect movie. Every detail of the film was shot exquisitely and the music that went with every scene was spot on as well. The child actor, Sunny Pawar, was one of the best child actors I have ever seen, he was remarkable. This is a MUST SEE film. This film was about the strike in 1903 by the workers of a factory during pre-revolution Russia, and their suppression. This film depicts the hardships that ended up leading to the strike with all the poor conditions that the working people such as factory workers, had to deal with. This was one of Eisentstein’s films and was created right before Battleship Potemkin.
A scene that stood out to me the most was the very end of the movie which is what it is most famous for. This scene consists of a montage of cross-cut footage. The clips varied from tight to wide shots of all the violence that was taking place such as the slaughtering of cows, murdering of a child, a child getting stuck in the violence in a stampede, and the fighting between the working class and the officials in general. It was awfully violent and was ultimately the climax of the film. It was filmed in an epic manner with action packed fighting which made the whole film come together for the audience to realize that once humanity comes together to fight for what they want, they can eventually get it. Overall, this film was better than I thought it was going to be. I believe plot-wise it was much better and stronger than Battleship Potemkin, although Battleship Potemkin is much stronger in cinematography and the epic and visual aspects. I am still not a fan of Russian films… |
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May 2017
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