Wild Tales (Szifron, 2014) is comprised of 6 different short stories that arent linked by story, but instead are linked by themes of retribution and violence that explore the extremities of human behavior when people come into conflict.
My initial thoughts are very conflicted regarding this film but what i do know is that i found it to be very entertaining and what i would describe as ‘Brilliantly insane!’. Out of the 6 stories in the film i would be inclined to say that ‘Till Death Do Us Part’ story was the superior out of the bunch as it was emotional and yet surprisingly unpredictable in a film where the audience knows that someones going to end up seriously hurt at the end.
One of my favourite aspects of the film was sound. It’s more prominent in some scenes but i found it to be captivating and felt it really helped to draw me in to what i was watching and make it appear entirely convincing.
Despite having the same general themes, all the stories seem entirely unique and fuelled my fascination with the characters, making it virtually impossible to predict the outcome of the action that’s unfolding. This gave me a sense of being overcome with information that i had to process to work out a characters motives and helped me to appreciate what they were feeling in a realistic manner.
In order to improve, i would have liked to see all the stories connect in some way other than the theme of violence as i think that it would have added more context to the stories and made it even more entertaining overall.
Doctor: But Captain, to obey – just like that – for obedience’s sake… without questioning… That’s something only people like you do.
In Spain 1944, the young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie yet captivating fantasy world, finding a collection of magical creatures that set her numerous tasks to complete in order to save her mother and become the young princess she is destined to be.
The film is the second part of an incomplete trilogy and combines themes of loss, tragedy and joy.
One of my favourite aspects of this film is it’s aesthetic looks and representation. The beginning of the film shows a luscious and warm forest but is paralleled later on in the film with a dark and mirky atmosphere as the effects of the war closes in on them. The vibrant colours perfectly reflect the current state of the story or the chosen character creating a much wider and deeper meaning behind the emotions and feelings at that point in time, creating effects of tension and despair. The representation is so subtle and yet so brilliant in this movie, for example the slow decay of the tree and the toad that lives inside that dies, leaving only it’s beating heart, representing Ofelia’s mother and the baby which eventually kills her.
Production design is possibly one of the best of all time due to the creative and realistic characters that bring the story to life and allow the audience to be forced into it, feeling every emotion and sharing the pain of every hardship.
Frank Abagnale Sr.: Two little mice fell in a bucket of cream. The first mouse quickly gave up and drowned. The second mouse, wouldn’t quit. He struggled so hard that eventually he churned that cream into butter and crawled out. Gentlemen, as of this moment, I am that second mouse.
An FBI agent pursues Frank Abagnale Jr. who successfully managed to forge millions of dollars’ worth of checks while posing as a Pan Am pilot, a doctor, and a legal prosecutor. Until one day he finds his luck runs out but in a surprise turn of events, begins work for the FBI, helping to track people down just like him.
The first time i saw the film, the main aspects that were drawn straight to my attention were both the mise-en-scene and the performance.
Performance
There are a few standouts in this film such as the laid back Tom Hanks playing Carl Hanratty, the charismatic Leonardo Di Caprio playing Frank Abagnale Jr. and the likes of Christopher Walken playing his father and Martin Sheen playing Frank’s father in law. Di Caprio is able to bring a spark to the role that other actors would struggle to find with an ability to make the audience believe that he is the character that he envelops. He also brilliantly showed us the type of man behind the crimes and what he could have done if he stayed on the right side of the law, although we would rather see the exciting chase between the two men.
Mise-en-scene
A particular scene that i wish to focus on for mise-en-scene is the scene where Frank Abagnale Jr. is almost captured by Detective Hanratty but uses his cunning and wit to escape the difficult situation. One of the most notable pieces of design is the elaborate food display that is present across the scene. There is no immediate attention brought to the display but when Frank Jr. has eluded the grasp of Hanratty, attention is drawn to the black leather wallet that is full of various food labels and suddenly everything in the scene begins to fall into place for Hanratty that he is the criminal. The comic book, large amounts of food and cheques begin to have a greater meaning for him and gives a greater understanding as to the personality of the characters evoking more feelings of sympathy and compassion.
I would in no doubt say that ‘Catch Me If You Can’ ranks highly among some of my favourite movies of all time because of its gripping and enticing nature. My only complaint would be the lethargic start to the film which fortunately is made up for in the following middle and end phases ;however, it does nonetheless give background to his life and allow us to gain sympathy towards Frank Jr because of the trauma he had in his early life.
Casares: What is a ghost? A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again? An instant of pain, perhaps. Something dead which still seems to be alive. An emotion suspended in time. Like a blurred photograph. Like an insect trapped in amber.
After Carlos – a 12 year old boy is left at an orphanage when his father died in the Spanish civil war, he discovers that the orphanage is haunted and must uncover the secrets that lie beneath.
The film manages to simultaneously be both haunting and tragic at the same time and combines many individual stories of guilt, war and death. Despite fitting the horror category (a genre which i have typically shyed away from), it transcends a far deeper meaning than merely being a scary story and shows the value of teamwork and companionship in a deeply troubled time.
One of the main things that I loved about the film was the ending. It leaves the audience questioning what they just saw, attempting to figure out what was real and what wasn’t. Something that I perhaps would improve is the presence and meaning of the bomb. Whilst I recognise that the bomb held some significance in the timeline of the story, I think that it could have had a better place in the film.
Rick Deckard: “Sometimes to love someone, you got to be a stranger.”
Blade Runner 2049 follows ‘K’ (Ryan Gosling) a young blade runner who discovers a buried secret that leads him to track down the former missing blade runner know as ‘Rick Deckard’ (Harrison Ford).
The film was nominated for 5 Oscars and won 2, including ‘Best cinematigraphy’ for Roger Deakins and ‘Best visual effects’. It’s also shot in the traditional 2.39 : 1 aspect ratio used in a large majority of modern films.
Cinematography
When working with villeneuve, Deakins discussed at great length the right atmosphere that they wanted to create for the character ‘Wallace’, spending a lot of time looking at the way architects use light in modern structures and large concrete structures. They focused on one particular cathedral, with a big concrete block with two skylights allowing light in. They decided to create an artificial world in which lighting moves like sunlight with caustic water patterns to evoke different emotions.
02:08:56 – 02:16:44
Looking at a part of this scene, Deckard recovers after being captured by Wallace, who is keen to learn the whereabouts of a missing child.
There are 23 shots used in total with the majority consisting of wide and close- up shots.
The first shot is a close – up shot showing Deckard waking up after being unconscious, at first we are unable to see his face as it’s hidden in darkness but slowly becomes brighter, reflecting his own thoughts as he begins to understand where he is. This is also reinforced in the following establishing shot that tells the audience where he is as we look at his surroundings just as he does. This a common style as Deakins and Villeneuve want to give context to the scene. From this point on, only two types of shots are used, wide shots and close – up shots. This is a personal choice made by the director and Deakins as it shows the scene in great detail which becomes important to the plot later on when deckard notices the copy of Rachael has blue eyes when the real Rachel’s eyes were green. The use of light is perhaps the most important thing in this scene. its often used to reveal a certain character or convey a specific emotion. A close – up shot on Deckard switches to a wide shot where a faint voice can be heard but can’t be seen. Wallace then emerges from the darkness to reveal himself; a technique also used again when a close – up shot of Deckard shows him searching for someone, reacting when finding them, cutting to a wide shot panning to the left to reveal someone standing in the darkness much like we are his eyes. Wallace is always in darkness when there is a close – up shot as he is showing a lack of emotions and represents the fact that he is blind; however, the female figure has been revealed to be lurking in the darkness so she has become his eyes meaning that he is no longer in darkness in close – up shots.
Sound
01:40:48 – 01:45:21
Sound plays such a crucial part in the film as it engages the audience, especially when there are times that there is a lack of speaking to distinguish what us happening, making us rely on sound touches understand the characters emotions and actions.
In this scene, ‘K’ searches for clues to find out what happened to a child and stumbles upon Rick Deckard who has been missing for 30 years.
On the cut to the scene, there is a large bass drum sound with a very ominous sense to it as he is in a vast and destitute area with no idea what he will encounter. This drum sound repeats very infrequently and is filled with large gaps of silence in order to create tension. The digetic sound of bees can be heard which grow louder as ‘K’ walks towards the bee hives. When he looks up at the tall building, the non – digetic score can faintly be heard to keep the audience in suspense and create a sense of mystery and intrigue. Throughout this next scene, there is no non – digetic sounds present, instead only the digetic sounds of what the audience are supposed to focus on such as the door opening, the roulette table spinning and the piano playing. The digetic sound of Deckard speaking can only be heard when it’s in complete silence but he isn’t on screen but the audience knows he is there as does ‘K’ and his voice becomes louder when he is in shot as we now notice him more prominently. Also, there is a slight echo to both there voices due to being in a large empty building.
Denis villeneuve
I dont believe that villeneuve is an auteur although he is well known for his dark films that tackle issues with humanity such as ‘Sicario’ (2015) and ‘incendies’ (2010). One of his unique traits is that he will often use shallow focus to convey a sense of mystery always keeping the audience at arms length.
After watching ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’, I am confidently able to convey my thoughts on how Wes Anderson has managed to create a cinematic masterpiece.
The film recounts the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero, a lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting and the battle for an enormous family fortune — all against the back-drop of a suddenly and dramatically changing Continent.
It was nominated for 9 oscars and won four, including ‘Best Achievement in production design’ and ‘Best Achievement in Music written for motion’.
Wes Anderson once again does a superfluous job in creating a film that is rich in eye catching detail and purposeful design choices that brilliant compliment the characters on screen. One significant production choice that was noticeable in the film was the use of different aspect ratios to represent the different time periods being shown. During the 1930’s, a 1.37:1 ratio was used; 1.85:1 was used in the scenes from 1985 onwards; and 2.39:1 for scenes in the 1960’s. This attention to detail is present through many different aspects of the film and is one of the main reasons the film is so absorbing.
The film is a bright and wonderfully exuberant example of Andersons skills as a director and is reinforced by the unique style of cinematography that Robert Yeoman continually brings to his projects.
“The sun is for everyone, the beach is for those who deserve it.” – Rocket
In Rio De Janeiro during the 1970’s, two young men go on very different paths. Rocket, a budding photographer and Li’ l Ze, a drug dealer who uses Rocket to increase his fame as a violent turf war engulfs the neighbourhood against his rival ‘Knockout Ned’.
It earned the nomination for four Oscars, including the category for ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Editing’. ‘City Of God’ (Meirelles, 2002) is based of a true story where violence and corruption roams freely about the streets.
The film follows a very unique style of narrative structure that is quite uncommon. Typically, some films will either follow a structure where the story is shown in chronological order or will divert back to before the opening scene of the film in order to show the audience how and why something happened. However, ‘City Of God’ completely ignores all narrative stereotypes which helps to make it incredibly engaging.
Instead, it presents a character or group of characters and their individual story one at a time. What makes this work is the fact that all stories are connected to the other stories so the audience is able to see different situations from different perspectives, and view them occuring at different times and in different ways. The first scene of the film shows Li l’ Ze and a group of young street criminals chasing a chicken, passing under a police car and stopping in front of Rocket, this is the first time these characters are introduced to us. In actuality, this scene is shown to us at the beginning but narratively it takes place at the end of the film, where we begin to understand what is happening as there have been seperate stories highlighting key aspects of the lives of people such as Rocket, Li l’ Ze, and ‘Knockout Ned’. This now means that the audience knows that all there lives are connected in some way and the police car is there for a purpose, something that we wouldn’t have understood as smoothly if we hadn’t been able to see events occur relative to the time of the character who’s story the audience are viewing.
Fernando Meirelles
In an interview, Meirelles states how, “In City of God, I shot the first part only with wide-angle, short focal length lenses: 40mm, 32mm. You see these little rows of houses and a lot of skyline, always the skyline, because the people who moved there thought they had order and a horizon in their lives. As the story goes on, I begin to use longer focal length lenses and, little by little, to stop explaining the space”. “Eventually we are using really long lenses and never show the skyline or the perspectives. All the streets have something blocking the end.You never see the way out. It’s as if they were trapped.” He wants to make the viewer feel oppressed too just as the characters who live their feel and the people they are based on. Meirelles is a Brazilian director who has worked on films such as ‘The Constant Gardener’ and ‘City of Men’.
Rocket is caught between a gang and the police, shown in this full shot
One of my favourite shots in the film would have to be one of the very first shots we actually see. The camera focuses on Rocket as he approaches the chicken facing towards the gang, as the police arrive to confront them, the camera pans around following his eye movement as he looks back at the approaching convoy of police and then repeats this camera movement to show him looking back at the gang, presenting the location of the confrontation in a 360° pan from left to right. Meirelles uses a full shot to begin with that shows the character what the characters actions are, then he zooms the focus onto a medium close- up shot in order to show build up climax when its revealed to the audience that there is about to be a shootout and Rocket is stuck between both of them. The reason for this chosen technique i would ascribe to the fact that the director wants to allow the audience to gain a full of view of the setting in which an important scene is about to take place, also giving a sense of tension and unease because of these sharp camera movements and how everything appears to be closing around the characters that can be seen, shown by the use of the sharp transition from a full shot to a medium close- up shot and then transitioning back once again.
A Close- up shot used to show the first appearance of Warren (Samuel L. Jackson)
The Hateful Eight is the story of a bounty hunter and his prisoner, who attempt to reach a small town in the dead of winter and take refuge in a cabin that holds a group of highly elusive people as they seek shelter from a harsh blizzard, leaving them trapped for two days. It was gifted one Oscar for the ‘Best original score’ for Ennio Morricone who created a brilliantly unique western theme.
A wide shot used to show how the characters arrived at the main film location and how the setting has changed
One of my favourite shots used throughout the film is the effective use of the wide shot. The reason that its so effective is because it shows how the character is small in relation to their surroundings, presenting either the power of the blizzard that rips up ground in the wind or how the characters distance themselves from one another as there is a lack of trust in their company. The decision could have been made to use a medium shot on several occasions, but i think that a medium shot draws the audiences attention to the detail too much which is the opposite of what Tarantino is trying to do, he’s saying that you don’t need to look at a character close- up to determine their motives which gives the film far more suspense and a greater climax.
‘The Hangman’ converses with Daisy
One technique that is most notable is the use of shot reverse shot, seen most prominently between ‘The hangman’ and Daisy, as when they converse, the audience is drawn to the suspicion of one and the cunning of the other, implying that they aren’t just attached by cuffs, but also that if one suffers, then the other shall receive the same treatment.
An effective use of the wide shot, giving two camera angles to the same scene, one earlier on in the film facing away from the door from the perspective of ‘The Hangman’, and one from the perspective of the gang facing towards the door
A trait that is usually found in Tarantino’s films (because it work so well) is how we see the story take place in chronological order up until we reach the climax of a characters story arc or important part of the story. The reason this is done is to build suspense and revelation when we discover what has occurred and how every thing fits together in time. This is present in the movie when at the height of the action, the movie cuts back to before the opening scene of the movie to discover that four passengers are present in the haberdashery, all intent on free Daisy. It shows how they arrived and what happened prior to the arrival of the stagecoach, stopping just as we see ‘The Hangman’ enter which is what the audience saw before only now it’s done from the perspective of someone else. Another movie Tarantino does this in is ‘Pulp Fiction’ where there are seperate parts different stories mixed up and the audience doesn’t begin to figure out what and when something happened right up until the very end.
An example of a chapter that segregates a scene
Something that I especially loved when watching this film is the use of shots showing the chapters of the movie, in order to show the progression of the movie. It’s very uncommon and reads more like a book rather than a film when using this technique but I think that’s why it works. We are able to grasp a better understanding if what is about to take place, and yet, we have absolutely no idea what course the film could take because of the brilliance of Tarantino’s directing.
Quentin Tarantino
Auteur or not? Definitely yes! his movies are instantly recognisable and can be traced back to him easily because of his unique directing style. One of the first things to be noticed when watching one of his films is constant use of very violent settings and character. This can be seen in films such as ‘Pulp Fiction’ and ‘Reservoir dogs’, and is no different in this film, especially this film. He uses this violence not to take frustration out on screen, but to give motive for a character, normally that motive comes in the form of revenge such as Django in ‘Django Unchained’ who lashes those who one held him as a slave, giving the character a purpose. Another one of his most prominent aspects is his use of long and intense dialogue scenes that gradually build up suspense over time, drawing out the eventual realisation that we are led, creating a shocking conclusion that the audience gets as they learn the truth, just as the characters in the film respond to it in a similar manner also. Lastly, something i believe to be one of his strongest traits in film making is how he intertwines different stories together from different perspectives and present them all as the film progresses to give a better understanding of what is occurring. For example, in the film ‘Pulp Fiction’, we see characters such as Vincent and Jules who share the same story but go off in separate directions that eventually results in them meeting with someone else from another story line, until it all comes together at the end, when the audience begins to understand the timeline of the film and when certain parts took place.
The two men drift away as they have succeeded in killing all members of the gang, only to lose their own lives as they slowly bleed out
Possibly one of my favourite shots in the entire film is the very final shot of the film. This is because the camera slowly pans up as they read a patriotic letter addressed from Abraham Lincoln. The reason it has so much meaning is because the letter highlights all the brave and heroic work Warren has achieved, whilst drawing our attention to Domergue, hanged by both men in an effort to reclaim some salvation before they die. It highlights how in such a gruesome film, these two characters are able to find peace, conflicting the emotions of the audience as to whether we feel sorrowful about their fates or whether we view the ending of the film as inevitable, as it cant be possible for such wicked men to live, this us what makes the fil so brilliant, there are bad guys and there are worse guys, and yet, we still feel mournful.
Inception follows the work of a thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream sharing technology who is given the task of planting an idea into the mind of a powerful C.E.O starring the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, and Ellen Page.
Inception has won 152 awards including 4 prestigious Oscar’s in a range of categories. ‘Best Achievement in Cinematography’ for Wally Pfister, ‘Best Achievement in Sound Mixing’ for Hirschberg, Rizzo, and Novick. ‘Best Achievement in Sound Editing’ for Richard King and ‘Best Achievement in Visual Effects’ for Corbould, Lockley, Bebb and Franklin.
Christopher Nolan
Nolan is one of the most recognisable auteurs of the 21st century, with a unique style that many instantly accosiate with him. He is known for his mainly dark and fantasy themes and non-linear storytelling type where he has multiple threads all at once. This is still apparent in this film but not as prominently as some of his others such as Memento (Nolan, 2000).
Reality – Memory and Tradgedy
Inception deals with the idea of dreams and how we feel safer when we are in our own dreams. It asks us how different the real world is from the one we make for ourselves and whether it’s right to spend so much time dreaming about what could be than living about what is. This is present in the fim through the character Cobb, he struggles to cope with the stress of losing his wife and Nolan cuts the ending of the film seconds before we learn if he is still dreaming because he is in a better place for himself.
Cinematography
The cinematography in this film put simply is mesmerising, this incorporated with insanely epic special effects brings together such an immersive feeling and keeps you transfixed from beginning to end. One of the most simple examples is the spinning top, that something so small can be so significant and the way this is captured by Pfister does so well at catching your attention.
Cobb: What is the most resilient parasite? Bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm? An idea. Resilient… highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it’s almost impossible to eradicate. An idea that is fully formed – fully understood – that sticks; right in there somewhere.
I think this quote is so important as it points out the fact that what the world and people see, is very different from the actual reality and once we learn this, we never lose it.
Acting
One of Nolan’s many noticeable traits is that he will often re-use certain actors on many of his films, and you can see why. He has used the likes of Tom Hardy (Dark Knight Rises, 2012/Dunkirk, 2017) and Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins, 2006/ Dunkirk, 2017) because of their versatile acting skills. Hardy (Earnes) has the ability to tell stories with just the use of his facial features and Nolan has mentioned his reason for picking him for some roles because of what ge can do with his eyes alone. Murphy (Fischer) is described to be the perfect villain because of his “seductive” and “sinister” acting methods by ‘The New York Times’ so makes the ideal choice for this anti-hero. It’s also no suprise Nolan went with Leonardo DiCaprio, one of the most recognisable faces in Hollywood who is one of the most talented and diverse actors if the 21st century and shows it in ‘Inception’ with heart-throbbing scenes and a range of emitional abilities.
Cold War is a passionate love story between two very different people who come from very different backgrounds and follows their story across some of the most troubled times of the 20th century, venturing through locations such as Poland And France to share music for the entertainment of others whilst two lovers attempt an impossible relationship, in an unforgiving period of time.
It has proudly won 35 awards whilst also being nominated for 3 Oscars including ‘Best Foreign Language Film’, ‘Best Achievement in Directing’ for Pawlikowski and ‘Best Achievement in Cinematography’ for Lukasz Zal.
Pawel Pawlikowski
Pawlikowski is best known for his work as a director on films such as ‘Ida’ in 2013 and early works including ‘My Summer of Love’ in 2004.
Insatiability- Depression and Discontent
In my opinion, the film shows the attitude of many about the state of affairs that people had to deal with during the Cold War. Some felt that they were restricted from doing what they love and reflects in this film in the form of an unlikely couple who try to find love during hard times. Like Zula and Wiktor, many were disheartened by a lack of freedom and the theme of ‘Insatiability’ is present here as they go looking for something that neither of them are able to find. This is reflected greatly in the final scene of the film. After escaping the labour camp and going to get married in secret, they are unable to escape the fact that they aren’t satisfied with their lives and find their only source of happiness when they are together, this leads to their eventual downfall as they die together overlooking the shimmering tall grass in the field and deliver the final line which leaves the audience realising why they did it. “Let’s go to the other side, the view will be better there” – Zula. Personally I believe this can be interpreted two ways, one way is the conclusion that they were so unsatisfied in life that the only happiness they could find is in the next world after death. Also, another way that I interpreted it when watching was that it could reference much of the thoughts of many who lived in the West during this period of time and they felt that the lives they once had were no more and couldn’t find peace in knowing that and instead chose to die in each others arms.
Cinematography
The lead cinematographer, Lukasz Zal, made the decision of having the film shot in a 4:3 aspect ratio rather than the more typical modern day cinemascope such as the more usual 16:9 in order to give the impression that the film was shot during the time that it was set, as films would have been shot using this aspect ratio. This format engages the audience more as they are capable of looking at the setting in greater detail. This decision was also the reason as to why the film was shot in black and white to give the film a far more aged appearance. Interestingly, the film doesn’t follow the rule of three, used to give greater focus on a character and what there actions are or what they are looking at, the reasoning behind this, I would think, is that it shows how cut off some individuals feel from society and how many blindly followed laws set out before them, not question whether they were right or wrong.
When we were young, we could all watch a film and aspire to be just like a character we saw, whether that’s wanting to explore abandoned temples just like Indiana Jones or race across time just like Marty McFly in Back to the Future (Zemeckis, 1985). For many though including myself, after seeing Star Wars, our inner child wanted nothing more than to fly in the stars and discover new planets. I think that although all films in the trilogy are superb and many would argue that the first is the best, I would have to say that Episode V is superior in my opinion for numerous reasons.
After seeing a vision from Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker must travel to the Dagobah system whilst his friends travel to Bespin where they are met by Imperials and captured. it is up to Luke to go save them which leads to an epic showdown between himself and Darth Vader. The film takes on many challenges of filmmaking in the time that it came out with a great array of practical effects that cleverly depict gargantuan monsters on the screen whilst being mere inches in real life. A New Hope was so loved because it established the setting of this universe and developed characters that were instantly admired, and Empire Strikes Back is able to continue this whilst delivering new locations such as the harsh ice planet of Hoth and the swampy wilderness of Dagobah, as well as having a strong first and middle act that leads to a fantastic end battle that can never be forgotten because of the intrigue that It leaves behind and the jaw dropping twist in the climax that leaves you wanting more.
George Lucas
Although he didnt direct this film, he did have the majority of the say on film choices so I have chosen to ignore Kershner as he isnt an auteur and focus on Lucas. It’s hard to tell whether Lucas is an auteur as he hasn’t directed many films and those that he has have mainly come from the Sam franchise. I would be inclined to argue that he is an auteur due to the fact that he deals with ideas such as growing up and leaving home in order to pursue what they want, which is present in his films such as American Graffiti(Lucas, 1973) and of course Star Wats: A New Hope (Lucas, 1977)
Suspense – Temptation and Deterrence
One of the main themes relates to the idea that characters are continually being drawn to temptation whilst others work to make them see the light. This coincides with suspense as its unclear to the audience what course of action someone might take and this becomes most apparent in the final showdown between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, Good and Evil. Most if not all know about the surprising revelation near to the end of the film and has become notoriously quotable, but when you first saw the film, the prospect that this was a possible outcome seemed to be impossible which is what makes it all the more brilliant. It shows that good and evil are never truly 100% that, they have aspects of both in them whether they realise it or not, but until two opposites collide and come to this conclusion themselves, both seek to sway the other, for reasons they may not fullest understand themselves.
When I was 8, I had my very first experience of cinema when I went to watch Captain America: The First Avenger (Joe Johnston, 2011). Previously, I had always watched films at home on a very small 19 inch TV in the distance, making viewing experiences, whilst still enjoyable, completely different to how I first saw this movie. I remember being astonished by the size of the screen before the film had even started, and when it did, a feeling of captivation seemed to flow through me as the pure booming sound and brightness of what I was witnessing, transported me into another world, one that I would never be the same again. I felt every action, every silent whisper, although someone was breathing down the back of my neck, it’s a feeling that I can describe as being something that changed my view of film forever.
I believe that it was back in 2010 when I was fortunate enough to watch the masterpiece that is Lord of the Rings : Return of the King (Peter Jackson, 2003) for the very first time. The final film in the trilogy, it allowed for superb character development and masterful shots that engaged with the audience on a vast amount of levels and is one of the main reasons for my love of film. From my experience, many truly brilliant films that are so emotive have the capability to inflict strong feelings such as sorrow and joy especially upon first watching them, but in my opinion, I think that Return of the King triumphs over all others in terms of characters and how the story beautifully coincides with the score composed by Howard Shore.
The characters are developed perfectly across the course of the three movies and their arcs are wrapped up with such precision in the movie as can be seen if we take the character of Frodo for example. When we first meet him in the Fellowship of the Ring, he is a bright and joyful individual, who becomes conflicted after having been given the ring, which continues across the course of all three movies until the final film. Even after succeeding in his quest, he still lacks the same persona that he had once before, and refuses to smile even after the film is drawing to a close as he is still holding on to the heavy toll of he ring when everyone is celebrating the victory, its only when he leaves on the boat later on that he smiles, perfectly ending his character arc and ending an exception story. Also, as stated before, the score for Lord of the Rings brings out so much conflicting emotion whether the story makes us feel pity for a character or sadness when we watch someone leave, it demands that the audience become engrossed with what they are viewing and I know that it would always remain one of the most heart-breaking and beautiful stories told on the screen.
Over the course of the past decade, I have watched a great variety of different films from comedy to fantasy, horror to sci-fi, but one particular film comes to mind when I think of the weird and wonderful. Locke (Steven Knight, 2013) I believe to be such a unique film in the way that it takes place in one location, looking on Tom Hardy’s character, Ivan, and his struggle across the course of the film inside a car as he fights with those he loves and his own conscience.
Hardy’s performance keeps you fixed on what’s occurring in a film that shouldn’t work, but thanks to the brilliance of editing, directing and stellar acting by Hardy, you cant help but take your eyes away. The film was shot over the course of a few nights with several different camera angles in the car and only a minimal amount showing the exterior in order to affect the audience on how he is feeling as he is stuck in a very claustrophobic environment both physically and mentally. As this was filmed over a few nights, there was a directing choice made that meant a scene would only be shot once and be used on most scenes, giving the solo performance of Hardy an even more realistic appearance. One of the main things that I admire about this film is the writing. To have a film that is set in one location it requires a script that gives a compelling plot with interesting characters and a sense of intrigue throughout as the audience doesn’t know where he is going and what is causing him such stress until the climax of the movie.
Hello there, my name is Aaron Bruce and welcome to my blog! This blog comprises of all my work in A Level Film Studies and will contain notes about my work and be a place to share my opinions on different aspects of old and new pieces of cinema that I have viewed.
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Aaron Bruce's Film Studies Blog 