Guillermo Del Toro bases all the monsters from his films from monsters that he has dreamed up. Growing up he always had dreams of monsters that have influenced him as a director and a a former make-up artist. In a recent NPR radio interview DelToro explains how monsters have always been a part of him. His fascination with monsters is shown clearly by the through detail exhibited in every monster in his films.
The use of monsters in Guillermo Del Toro lets him share his ideals of monsters being things that must be studied, and dissected in film. In Del Toro's film Blade II, he brings the dissection part of he monster fascination to live on film. The film's main antagonist are a new breed of vampire that prey on other vampires instead of humans. When one the new breed of vampires is captured, the normal vampires dissect it and try to get an understanding about how this new breed works.
Del Toro also speaks of the sociology of monsters in his films which in films like The Devil's Backbone (El Espinazo del Diablo), and Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Faunto). In The Devil's Backbone, the ghost of the little boy (Santi) is first thought to be a scary character. But when the main character Carlos finally is able to speak to the ghost, the audience finds out the he is only there to warn the children about the danger to come. The same happens in Pan's Labyrinth, the audience spends most of the film wondering whether or no the girl (Ofelia) its making a good decision to listen to the faun and do as he tells her because of the mean ways he tells her to accomplish the goals he wants her to. At the end of the film when he tells her that in order to have her do all the task he had to be very strict so that she would be able to come to the underworld to become princess along with her true family.
The way monster are portrayed in many films have almost become a cliché. But directors that have a general interest of how every aspect of their films are perceived, like Guillermo Del Toro, bring general film adaptations of monsters from their own personal lives. They then recreate the movie monsters into something the lives and breaths, without needing to use extremely gory images to keep the audiences attention.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
300
300! This must be one of the best action films I have ever seen. This movie is based on a comic book which was based off of a real battle in history. That makes is so the movie doesn’t really need to be completely historically accurate because the comic already retold the story. Frank Miller, the writer of the comic for which the comic is based from is a great writer who brings together history and a comic book violence to create great stories that have amazing detail.
Zack Snyder, director (and screenplay writer) of 300, isn’t very experienced as a director with only one other feature film under his belt, but after watching 300, and his other film Dawn of The Dead (2004 remake) it is obvious that he will become a great director. A good director can take their own vision of a film and make it, but a great director must be able to make anyone vision of a film come alive on the big screen.
The lighting used in 300, showed more on black and white then color. The filters on most shots in the film give the shots a dark sephia almost black and white look. The main color that pops to the audience is the crimson red that the Spartans wear in battle to represent that they are willing to bleed to protect their home. Zack Snyder created a technique he nicknamed “the crush” which was used to “crush the black content of the image and enhance the color saturation to change the contrast ratio of the film.” This brings me to my next point, which is the drastic contrast in the film. The blacks in the film are so dark that the viewer can sort of drift off into them. The main reason all color in 300 is because of the use of a blue screen for most of the backgrounds. A blue screen used in movies works the same way as a green screen (as in covering it with C.G.I. in post-production) expect that on a blue screen colors become deeper, and darker. This is why all of the sets in 300 were C.G.I., because with the deeper tones of the blue screen the sets could have a more realistic look.
Sound in 300, really brought the movie to life. With the sounds of the battle scenes drawing the audience in and sudden breaks of silence the sound was just as if the audience was in the battle, seeing the horrors of the Battle of Thermopylae first hand. With the sounds of swords, shields, and spears clashing with each other the sounds battle just make everything more realistic. Along with the battle sounds, the music in the film also made the atmosphere of the film all the better. It brought a strong heart pounding beat to the film which was just what it needed to fill a missing void.
300 had very little as far as costumes. If you take the time to read the comic book you would see that Frank Miller drew all of the 300 Spartans naked expect for their capes, helmets, and weapons. The American public would never approve of a film that included 300 nude men in the cast so the movie had to include simple clothing that would still allow the same type of fighting seen in the comic. So the costume designer Michael Wilkinson looked for capes with a strong texture that could also be made into clothing for the actors. The fabric was also chosen for its worn look which was “a metaphor for the life starting to bleed out of the characters.” The Spartans and Persians have a huge difference in the main colors used in their costuming to represent the differences in the two cultures. The Spartans have warm earth tones, while the Persians wear greens, blues, silvers, and golds.
Another critical part of the film was the bodies of the 300 Spartans. History shows these men as the best warriors mankind has ever known so all the actor who were in the film had to be a good representation of this. The extreme training regiment used by the actors in 300 put there bodies to the limit to get the perfect physique that only a true Spartan would have. Some of the actors have described the training for 300 as close to torture, but they all eventually appreciated the results of the training.
The special effects used in this film took up most of the time that the film was in production. The actors were done in just 60 days of active production while all the other time the film was pre and post production. Stand out special effects in the film include the character of Ephialtes (the deformed Spartan solider), the Persian “Uber-Immortal”, and the scene when the arrows block out the sun. The characters were first created in clay molds then they were made live size to fit over the actors who played the parts in the film. Without special molds the character of Ephialtes wouldn’t have been able to be portrayed the way he was. The arrows blocking out the sun scene was very good because when the line “Our arrows will block out the sun!” is said the audience would never think they would see it actually happen on screen.
300 is a film that true fans of comic books would truly enjoy because many shots from the film are exact replicas of frames from the Frank Miller comic “300.” These were dubbed “Frank Frames” by director Zack Snyder because when you bring the book up to the screen many shots are exact frames from the book. This makes the movies even better for true fans of the comic.
The way the different elements of this film come together all create a great film that was judged way too harshly by film critics that just don’t understand great comic book based films. If 300 was a movie before being a comic I think most critics would have been a little less harsh of it and gave it better reviews then it has received.
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
O Brother, Where Art Thou?, is based on Homer’s The Odyssey, a tale which is about the hubris of one man and his adventure to keep his pride. The film has many similarities with the book from very subtle to large aspects of the film. But the film manages to be strong in its own right, and be a great tale on its own.
Co-writers and directors the Coen Brothers (Joel and Ethan) recreated Homer’s The Odyssey with a great depression twist to create an entirely new tale. Which under the direction of the Coen Brothers is able to carry it’s self even if the audience has never read The Odyssey. With all the similarities in the film (i.e. Odysseus as Everett, Big Dan Teague is the Cyclops, Pete being turned into a toad is Odysseus’s men being turned into pigs, etc.) it is rather strange that Coen brothers were talented enough to be able to recreate such a different style story.
The lighting of O Brother Where Art Thou?, is terrific with the use of warm colors like reds, yellows, oranges, and browns every scene is given a specific feel and creates a wishful feeling for the audience. They bring the viewer into the film and have them rooting for Everett, Pete, and Delmar from the very beginning of the film. An example of cool colors used in the film is during the siren scene because of the slight blue filter the audience is entranced by the sirens along with the main characters. Creating a great audience to actor relationship.
Sound is a large part of this film. Every character has a very distinct tone in their voices when they speak helping the audience to differentiate the characters without even having to see them. Repetition is another big part of the voices in O Brother Where Art Thou?. Two examples of repetition are “Were in a tight spot” said by Everett three different times in the film, and “r-u-n-n-o-f-t” which is repeated by several different characters in the film. Along with voices, the music of the film is very distinct to the time period. With all the different songs used as big parts of certain scenes this film could be mistaken as a musical to some.
Costumes in this film are very subtle because of the time period (1937 a.k.a. The Great Depression) most characters dress very poorly to show that they are of a lower class. Which the several costume changes of the three characters it is fun for the audience to see how some people during this time is history had to lie to get what they wanted, of needed.
The set design of O Brother, Where Art Thou?, becomes very memorable in the audiences mind because of subtle details that catch the eye. This is especially true when the prophecies that the blind man on the train cart begin to come true and they are just shown on the screen without explaining to the viewer what they mean, which allows for the viewer to draw their own conclusions from everything that happened in the film.
Facial expressions were a huge part of many scenes but one in particular is the scene when the main characters are eating dinner at Delmar’s cousin’s home all the characters have strange looks on there faces giving the audience a laugh and creating openness in the film once again.
The main special effect I saw in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, was the great tidal wave near the end of the film. It was a very believable looking wave of water.
This film is very well done. In many ways it is a remake of The Odyssey, but it is also a story all its own. The great lighting and sound is what makes this film so recognizable and fun to watch.
Co-writers and directors the Coen Brothers (Joel and Ethan) recreated Homer’s The Odyssey with a great depression twist to create an entirely new tale. Which under the direction of the Coen Brothers is able to carry it’s self even if the audience has never read The Odyssey. With all the similarities in the film (i.e. Odysseus as Everett, Big Dan Teague is the Cyclops, Pete being turned into a toad is Odysseus’s men being turned into pigs, etc.) it is rather strange that Coen brothers were talented enough to be able to recreate such a different style story.
The lighting of O Brother Where Art Thou?, is terrific with the use of warm colors like reds, yellows, oranges, and browns every scene is given a specific feel and creates a wishful feeling for the audience. They bring the viewer into the film and have them rooting for Everett, Pete, and Delmar from the very beginning of the film. An example of cool colors used in the film is during the siren scene because of the slight blue filter the audience is entranced by the sirens along with the main characters. Creating a great audience to actor relationship.
Sound is a large part of this film. Every character has a very distinct tone in their voices when they speak helping the audience to differentiate the characters without even having to see them. Repetition is another big part of the voices in O Brother Where Art Thou?. Two examples of repetition are “Were in a tight spot” said by Everett three different times in the film, and “r-u-n-n-o-f-t” which is repeated by several different characters in the film. Along with voices, the music of the film is very distinct to the time period. With all the different songs used as big parts of certain scenes this film could be mistaken as a musical to some.
Costumes in this film are very subtle because of the time period (1937 a.k.a. The Great Depression) most characters dress very poorly to show that they are of a lower class. Which the several costume changes of the three characters it is fun for the audience to see how some people during this time is history had to lie to get what they wanted, of needed.
The set design of O Brother, Where Art Thou?, becomes very memorable in the audiences mind because of subtle details that catch the eye. This is especially true when the prophecies that the blind man on the train cart begin to come true and they are just shown on the screen without explaining to the viewer what they mean, which allows for the viewer to draw their own conclusions from everything that happened in the film.
Facial expressions were a huge part of many scenes but one in particular is the scene when the main characters are eating dinner at Delmar’s cousin’s home all the characters have strange looks on there faces giving the audience a laugh and creating openness in the film once again.
The main special effect I saw in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, was the great tidal wave near the end of the film. It was a very believable looking wave of water.
This film is very well done. In many ways it is a remake of The Odyssey, but it is also a story all its own. The great lighting and sound is what makes this film so recognizable and fun to watch.
The Conversation
The Conversation is a film that one could see from many different angles which is a talent that Writer, Director, and Producer Francis Ford Coppola has within every film of his I have seen. As with The Godfather Trilogy the audience can take different parts of this film to create a different view from what is truly being shown.
Coppola’s vision for this film is exactly what the final product is, because as writer, director, and producer of The Conversation he didn’t have to discuss any aspect of the film with anyone else because and the decisions were made final through him. My favorite part about Francis Ford Coppola’s directing in this film is the camera shots. Almost every shot in the film is a wide shot letting the audience see everything around the actors on screen. Along with the wide angle lenses the other shots in the film are shot is a slight fish-eye lens bringing audience slightly closer to the actors.
The strangest (in a good way) shot in this film would be when Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) gets home from recording the man and women in the park to and walks into his apartment. The shot is very interesting because he puts something down and walks off camera. This was never done before in movies it was pretty much unheard off until Coppola did it. Harry stays off camera for quite sometime then another surprise the camera turns to him instead him walking on camera again. This type of camera work isn’t seen again until Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (20 years later).
A focal point of the lighting in this film was shadows. The long opening shot was filled with the shadows of many people who were walking around the park. Which previously knowing a little about the film made me think everyone is shrouded in mystery. Another interesting thing I saw in the film were very dark sets which because of the lighting seemed very bright. For example Harry’s warehouse is a huge empty room except for a corner of it. The entire place is dark but that little piece brightens it, making it seem accessible to the audience. Harry’s “girlfriend’s” apartment is also very dark but the same kind of light from the warehouse isn’t there. Harry seems very upset when he is there which is why I believe it is so dark there because it is a dark place for Harry to be.
The sound of “The Conversation” is amazing. With very recognizable voices, strange electronic noises, and sudden burst it is no wonder this film was nominated in 1974 for the Academy Award for Sound. The main reason the sound is such a prominent aspect of the film is because the film was made in between “The Godfather I & II” two of Coppola’s most popular films. So sound editor and designer, Walter Murch had a bigger role in the editing process and made it a larger part of the film. The music of the film also exploited the fact that Harry was a man suffering from paranoia because of the way it was distorted during stressful times for him.
The costumes in “The Conversation” are very true to the time. One of the main aspects of the costuming that is very noticeable is the raincoat that Harry wear all the time, even when it is not raining or cold outside. This coat is another sign of his paranoia which the audience can see at the strange times he wears the coat.
All of the sets in The Conversation have a very industrial feel to them. Harry's warehouse is a large empty room a represents the emptiness he feels from his job. The only set that doesn't have much of an empty feel is Harry's apartment. It is his santcury from all thing but eventually it becomes a victim of his paranoia.
Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation, is a masterpiece of film. The viewer can see that Coppola cared that his vision of this film was realized and was shown to the viewer in the best way he could.
Coppola’s vision for this film is exactly what the final product is, because as writer, director, and producer of The Conversation he didn’t have to discuss any aspect of the film with anyone else because and the decisions were made final through him. My favorite part about Francis Ford Coppola’s directing in this film is the camera shots. Almost every shot in the film is a wide shot letting the audience see everything around the actors on screen. Along with the wide angle lenses the other shots in the film are shot is a slight fish-eye lens bringing audience slightly closer to the actors.
The strangest (in a good way) shot in this film would be when Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) gets home from recording the man and women in the park to and walks into his apartment. The shot is very interesting because he puts something down and walks off camera. This was never done before in movies it was pretty much unheard off until Coppola did it. Harry stays off camera for quite sometime then another surprise the camera turns to him instead him walking on camera again. This type of camera work isn’t seen again until Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (20 years later).
A focal point of the lighting in this film was shadows. The long opening shot was filled with the shadows of many people who were walking around the park. Which previously knowing a little about the film made me think everyone is shrouded in mystery. Another interesting thing I saw in the film were very dark sets which because of the lighting seemed very bright. For example Harry’s warehouse is a huge empty room except for a corner of it. The entire place is dark but that little piece brightens it, making it seem accessible to the audience. Harry’s “girlfriend’s” apartment is also very dark but the same kind of light from the warehouse isn’t there. Harry seems very upset when he is there which is why I believe it is so dark there because it is a dark place for Harry to be.
The sound of “The Conversation” is amazing. With very recognizable voices, strange electronic noises, and sudden burst it is no wonder this film was nominated in 1974 for the Academy Award for Sound. The main reason the sound is such a prominent aspect of the film is because the film was made in between “The Godfather I & II” two of Coppola’s most popular films. So sound editor and designer, Walter Murch had a bigger role in the editing process and made it a larger part of the film. The music of the film also exploited the fact that Harry was a man suffering from paranoia because of the way it was distorted during stressful times for him.
The costumes in “The Conversation” are very true to the time. One of the main aspects of the costuming that is very noticeable is the raincoat that Harry wear all the time, even when it is not raining or cold outside. This coat is another sign of his paranoia which the audience can see at the strange times he wears the coat.
All of the sets in The Conversation have a very industrial feel to them. Harry's warehouse is a large empty room a represents the emptiness he feels from his job. The only set that doesn't have much of an empty feel is Harry's apartment. It is his santcury from all thing but eventually it becomes a victim of his paranoia.
Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation, is a masterpiece of film. The viewer can see that Coppola cared that his vision of this film was realized and was shown to the viewer in the best way he could.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
The Bad Sleep Well
Described by many as Akira Kurosawa’s Hamlet, Warui yatsu hodo yoku nemuru (a.k.a. The Bad Sleep Well) is a film about the corporate corruption of Japanese companies. Much like Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Koichi Nishi (Toshirō Mifune) tries to find out how his father died and make those responsible pay.
Kurosawa’s directing techniques as always shine and present the actors as well disciplined because in all Kurosawa films I believe it’s almost as if the audience isn’t watching a movie but viewing a documentary. It’s as if the cameras aren’t in the room and everyone is just being there normal selves. This also highlight’s Kurosawa’s great casting choices.
The lighting used in Kurosawa films usually highlights the color white. Although most of Kurosawa’s films were shot in black and white he still found ways to highlight certain aspects of shots to catch the audience’s eye. For example in the opening wedding scene the Bride’s dress is a bright almost blinding white causing the viewer to have to focus on her, which hints to her role in the story. Another good example of great lighting in this film is when Nishi, Wada, and another man are talking. Wada is presumed to be dead by everyone who knows him, and the only people who know that he is alive are Nishi and the other man. Wada is lit in such a way that his skin looks pale (almost like a ghost) symbolizing that he is thought to be dead (while still among the living).
Sound in “The Bad Sleep Well” wasn’t very prominent in voices as much as it was in dialogue between characters. In most Kurosawa films there is one characters voice that is very noticeable above all others, but that was lacking in this film. The music in “The Bad Sleep Well” matched every scene perfectly, for example whenever a plan is being discussed a happy type of music is played to offset the possibly evil plan in the audiences mind. But another sound factor that is prominent in all Kurosawa films is silence which happens when serious subjects (i.e. death, and confrontations) are happening.
Costumes in the film were not very extravagant like other Kurosawa films. The story taking place in a corporate setting leaves little room for stand out costumes. Except for Nishi who even during some high moments of stress, he still looks neat and clean when anyone else would have their jacket unbuttoned, messy hair, lowered tie, etc.
Other then the companies building, Nishi’s apartment, and the underground vault there aren’t may sets. This is very strange for Kurosawa who usually has many different sets some which are only seen for less then a minute. The few times the movie has other sets are also strange because they are such a huge change i.e. office setting to mouth of a volcano, and office setting to creepy alleyway with bright lights at the end of it.
The only special effects that I spotted in this film were when a man was ran over by a car. For the time it was made it looked great, but with today’s CGI it could have looked better (but who am I to criticize the great Akira Kurosawa:)).
I believe the “The Bad Sleep Well was a very good film. It is a film that the viewer needs to pay close attention to or they will miss a big detail that holds s the story together. All in all it is another masterpiece of film by Akira Kurosawa.
Kurosawa’s directing techniques as always shine and present the actors as well disciplined because in all Kurosawa films I believe it’s almost as if the audience isn’t watching a movie but viewing a documentary. It’s as if the cameras aren’t in the room and everyone is just being there normal selves. This also highlight’s Kurosawa’s great casting choices.
The lighting used in Kurosawa films usually highlights the color white. Although most of Kurosawa’s films were shot in black and white he still found ways to highlight certain aspects of shots to catch the audience’s eye. For example in the opening wedding scene the Bride’s dress is a bright almost blinding white causing the viewer to have to focus on her, which hints to her role in the story. Another good example of great lighting in this film is when Nishi, Wada, and another man are talking. Wada is presumed to be dead by everyone who knows him, and the only people who know that he is alive are Nishi and the other man. Wada is lit in such a way that his skin looks pale (almost like a ghost) symbolizing that he is thought to be dead (while still among the living).
Sound in “The Bad Sleep Well” wasn’t very prominent in voices as much as it was in dialogue between characters. In most Kurosawa films there is one characters voice that is very noticeable above all others, but that was lacking in this film. The music in “The Bad Sleep Well” matched every scene perfectly, for example whenever a plan is being discussed a happy type of music is played to offset the possibly evil plan in the audiences mind. But another sound factor that is prominent in all Kurosawa films is silence which happens when serious subjects (i.e. death, and confrontations) are happening.
Costumes in the film were not very extravagant like other Kurosawa films. The story taking place in a corporate setting leaves little room for stand out costumes. Except for Nishi who even during some high moments of stress, he still looks neat and clean when anyone else would have their jacket unbuttoned, messy hair, lowered tie, etc.
Other then the companies building, Nishi’s apartment, and the underground vault there aren’t may sets. This is very strange for Kurosawa who usually has many different sets some which are only seen for less then a minute. The few times the movie has other sets are also strange because they are such a huge change i.e. office setting to mouth of a volcano, and office setting to creepy alleyway with bright lights at the end of it.
The only special effects that I spotted in this film were when a man was ran over by a car. For the time it was made it looked great, but with today’s CGI it could have looked better (but who am I to criticize the great Akira Kurosawa:)).
I believe the “The Bad Sleep Well was a very good film. It is a film that the viewer needs to pay close attention to or they will miss a big detail that holds s the story together. All in all it is another masterpiece of film by Akira Kurosawa.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
American Cinema VS Chinese Cinema
American and Chinese Cinema in my opinion are some of the least comparable film making styles. The cultures of the two countries are dramatically different, mainly because of the traditions of the two countries. American Cinema has gone through four distinct periods the Silent Film era, Classic Hollywood Cinema, New Hollywood, and the Contemporary Period. There has been six distinct periods of Chinese Cinema the Beginnings (1896-1945), the Second Golden Age (late 1940s), the Communist era (1950-1960), the Cultural Revolution (1960s-1980s), the Fifth Generation (1980s-1990s), and finally the Sixth Generation (1990s-present). These periods in both types of cinema have created classics in all aspects of the film world.
American Cinema because of the massive difference in the culture of the people in the country is all over the place. So many American films are seen all over the world that American Cinema touches almost all countries cinema (even Chinese). The silent era of American film was the first era which had films in which music was playing while the film was going on, and breaks that would show what the actors were saying. Classic Hollywood Cinema was when the rise of American Cinema started because of the great films, directors, and actors that were alive during the 1910s and 1920s. The New Hollywood era brought films like the Star Wars Trilogy, and Dawn of the Dead. Most films out of this time are considered classics of film. So many great films were made during this time in every genre, bring American Cinema into many other countries. In the post contemporary era of American Cinema (after 1980) is when most of the good films that were formal presented to American audience were forgot, and replaced with lots of for the lack of a better word, crap. There is the occasional great film but for the most part present day American films are just about the money involved. This is where Chinese and American cinemas are the most different.
Chinese Cinema is created to tell a story and convey it to the director’s best ability usually resulting in a great film. The best way I can describe my personal view on Chinese film is to describe the vast use of color which creates a beautiful image for the audience watching. Every time I sit down and watch a Chinese film I know that I am going to enjoy the color and the great story that is exhibited throughout the film. Chop Socky, shows how Chinese Cinema helped to inspire World Cinema by using color to tell the story. Along with chorography and inventive camera angles plenty of new ways to make movies have come from Chinese Cinema. I haven’t been exposed to many Chinese films which creates a void in this essay causing my argument to truly have only one side.
The main difference between American and Chinese Cinema's are how the stories are presented to the audience Chinese film describe all aspects of the story and bring the entire audience into the film. American films (of the post contemporary era) usually are one track telling the audience only one thing and creates a simple minded film. But like everything in the world there and plenty of exceptions to this, that make American Cinema worth what it is.
American Cinema because of the massive difference in the culture of the people in the country is all over the place. So many American films are seen all over the world that American Cinema touches almost all countries cinema (even Chinese). The silent era of American film was the first era which had films in which music was playing while the film was going on, and breaks that would show what the actors were saying. Classic Hollywood Cinema was when the rise of American Cinema started because of the great films, directors, and actors that were alive during the 1910s and 1920s. The New Hollywood era brought films like the Star Wars Trilogy, and Dawn of the Dead. Most films out of this time are considered classics of film. So many great films were made during this time in every genre, bring American Cinema into many other countries. In the post contemporary era of American Cinema (after 1980) is when most of the good films that were formal presented to American audience were forgot, and replaced with lots of for the lack of a better word, crap. There is the occasional great film but for the most part present day American films are just about the money involved. This is where Chinese and American cinemas are the most different.
Chinese Cinema is created to tell a story and convey it to the director’s best ability usually resulting in a great film. The best way I can describe my personal view on Chinese film is to describe the vast use of color which creates a beautiful image for the audience watching. Every time I sit down and watch a Chinese film I know that I am going to enjoy the color and the great story that is exhibited throughout the film. Chop Socky, shows how Chinese Cinema helped to inspire World Cinema by using color to tell the story. Along with chorography and inventive camera angles plenty of new ways to make movies have come from Chinese Cinema. I haven’t been exposed to many Chinese films which creates a void in this essay causing my argument to truly have only one side.
The main difference between American and Chinese Cinema's are how the stories are presented to the audience Chinese film describe all aspects of the story and bring the entire audience into the film. American films (of the post contemporary era) usually are one track telling the audience only one thing and creates a simple minded film. But like everything in the world there and plenty of exceptions to this, that make American Cinema worth what it is.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
An Inconvenient Truth
An Inconvenient Truth, this film is an eye opener. Never before has a documentary affected me the way this has. I begun watching this film thinking that it was just going to be Al Gore talking about how he should have became President and why George Bush was going to destroy the world. Instead I was pleasantly surprised by the content of it. Beside the quick introduction of “I’m Al Gore, I used to be the next President of the United States” there was absolutely no mention Presidential politics. Instead the film was purely about informing the masses about the big problem we will be having in the near future.
The way I write my critiques, writing about a documentary is a little strange because they are not really focused on lighting, costumes, sounds, direction, special effects, or colors. An Inconvenient Truth was just Al Gore speaking to a few groups of people and showing the natural beauty of our planet. It didn’t seem like anything special was done to the film. It was as if they set up a few extra lights on the stage Al Gore was open and film his entire speech. Then took the camera to a lot beautiful examples of what global warming will destroy if will continue to let is happen.
This film opened my eyes to what needs to change in our world. I believe that if someone watching this film doesn’t decide to change at least one thing that they know is bad for the planet its message didn’t get through to them. If everyone who saw this film would just change one thing that they do it could make a big difference on our planet.
p.s. - Does anyone think the blue letters in the white words at the end of the movie spell stuff out? We should watch that part again and figure it out!!
The way I write my critiques, writing about a documentary is a little strange because they are not really focused on lighting, costumes, sounds, direction, special effects, or colors. An Inconvenient Truth was just Al Gore speaking to a few groups of people and showing the natural beauty of our planet. It didn’t seem like anything special was done to the film. It was as if they set up a few extra lights on the stage Al Gore was open and film his entire speech. Then took the camera to a lot beautiful examples of what global warming will destroy if will continue to let is happen.
This film opened my eyes to what needs to change in our world. I believe that if someone watching this film doesn’t decide to change at least one thing that they know is bad for the planet its message didn’t get through to them. If everyone who saw this film would just change one thing that they do it could make a big difference on our planet.
p.s. - Does anyone think the blue letters in the white words at the end of the movie spell stuff out? We should watch that part again and figure it out!!
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