asalshah

[asalshah]

Fallen Creed

In my opinion, Fallen Creed is professionally filmed and scripted. I loved the setting of the establishing shot and customs chosen for the characters. Moreover, the story line of the film and how it turned out in the end was quite interesting. However, acting wise I believe there’s a lot of room for improvement. The actors couldn’t thoroughly transfer their feelings such as grief, anger or fear to me as a viewer or in some scenes I felt like they were reading straight from the script and playing it did not feel genuine. Unlike the acting, the techniques used in filming definitely gave off the vibe of this student film. The B&W color, film music and the settings used for this film contributed to its story line. The scenes where the neighbors were shoveling the snow or when the characters met in a small cafe felt very cold and depressing. I Also liked the film music chosen for the end of the movie but I have to say that I didn't really understand what exactly happened at the end whether the police arrested the husband or not and I think this sense of confusion added to the mysterious genre of the movie. To sum up, I rate it 3.5 out of 5.

[asalshah]

THE RAPE OF NANKIN

Frankly speaking, it was very uncomfortable for me to watch both parts of the short movie because I easily get influenced by the events in the movie. I am very proud of the students who have made this short movie since the concept of it is a major problem in Asian and Middle Eastern cultures. I could feel how it is like to not be able to tell your close ones about a major Issue you have only to protect your family dignity since these cultures are more of a collective one than an individualistic. Although, It is truly heartbreaking and frustrating I highly encourage everyone to communicate about their issues regardless of their situation. Film technique wise, I was not very satisfied with how shots were taken or with the selection of the actors because honestly the rapist looked like a nerd! But I loved how the beginning of the movie starts with the sound of a clock ticking. It gives a sense of fear and seriousness of the situation to the viewer. Overall, I rate it 3 out of 5.

[asalshah]

BILL GATES

It’s funny how we have to go through an epidemic then think about the ways to prepare ourselves for it. There are many things to learn by preparing ourselves individually and collectively. Firstly, to prepare our immune system by eating healthy and strengthening our mindset towards such things. Many people are still ignorant and that is more dangerous than being actually infected! Plus, we have the privilege of advanced technology to prepare an efficient response system which can potentially help us track the infected people or places in order to prevent the spread. I am personally disappointed by how governments have responded to this disaster and I think we all have a long way to go!

[asalshah]

Godlike

I am very impressed by this student film, although it was truly heartbreaking to watch especially when it’s filmed in my own school. I find the dialogue very deep and sad and I have to say that every single feeling of the shooters are relatable and understandable. However, I think they were weak; they never asked for help! How do you expect people to understand you when you don't have the same respect you want for them! Teenagers go through a lot and many of them get stuck in their very little mean world of thiers therefore, they tend to make a bubble around them that divides them from the rest of the world. I deeply felt the movie and applaud the creators because they have done such a great job and I loved how the actors could perfectly play the emotions and transfer their feelings to the viewer. I also enjoyed how it was filmed and the shots were clear and realistic. To addmore, starting off with a close up shot and lighting a cigarette is a smart way of introducing the setting of the film and adds to drama. Plus, I think The props, customs, film music and weather contributed to the mood of the film. More specifically, In one scene a student swears at the characters while passing by or when they start the massacre the film music gets played and it hugely gave me a sense of fear as if i was there. In conclusion, I liked the student film and I think they did a great job from the acting to production.

[asalshah]

Hotel Rwanda

Hotel Rwanda is a dystopian movie portraying civil war and genocide while challenging humanity and morality. A systematic slaughter happens towards the minority ethnicity of Tutsis from the Hutus which is the major ethnicity in Rwanda that led to almost 1m death of Tutsis. Although,the movie includes many overwhelming visual representatives and harsh graphic scenes that made the movie extremely hard to watch. I believe, the movie was produced perfectly in a way that could deliver a sensitive and heartbreaking feeling of what it is like to live under the shadow of getting slaughtered from the hate and dehumanizing language used such as calling people animals to the costumes and props. There are many strong techniques used to deliver the right message and feeling to the audience. Such as the use of Real music and Film music or movement of camera. One of the techniques used that I loved is how the movie starts off with a happy real music played on the radio with the characters singing along with it and just in a short time everything turns the other way around. In my opinion, this technique makes the audience truly feel the pain one can go through with a start of a sudden civil war on a sunny day. Moreover, the movement of groups in the rally of Hutus shows the significance and power of this ethnicity since every demographics is seen in the rally from kids holding guns to adults. In many scenes slow motion shots are taken l like when innocent tutsis are sitting on the ground with their hands on their head having the look of deep fear, confusion not knowing what to do! Or when the belgian troops come to Rwanda to take the foregin nations back to their country it starts raining and the color of the frame is dark blue meaning sadness and hopelessness! All these techniques beautifully convey the trauma involved in this real event.

Personally, I admire Paul’s brave and selfless character and how smart he takes action in case of any difficulty and talks himself and the others through everything he could possibly do. He is the definition of a true leader. He is honest, courageous, smart, inspiring and real.

There are moments he stands up for his beliefs such as when he encounters a road full of dead bodies. He’s a man I look up to and I think the world needs more responsible people like him.

I’d like to also talk about the drives of acting in opposition to humankind morals such as money and authority. It is unbelievably sad how these two can change history and handily wipe off a race and the world does nothing but observing it! Overall, this genocide is one of the underrated one of all times and I wonder how people who had the chance to help out another human but didn’t can live untill this day!

[asalshah]

The Minority Report

Minority report lies on the Drama, mystery and fiction genre produced in 2002 with the outstanding play of Tom Cruise as the chief officer of the precrime department. The whole movie revolves around John Anderton and proving the accuracy of the pre crime department. Thanks to precrime, 90% of the crimes are predicted prior to happening with the help of three precogs who are psychics. In other words, the person who wants to attempt the crime gets arrested and there’s a lot of controversy around this system since you kind of get caught for the crime you haven't technically done! YET! And that leaves you confused while asking yourself whether that makes sense or not because even if someone has a knife on their hand pointing at another person suddenly something can come up and change the whole story! The climax of the story is when precogs foretell a murder getting done by the Chief officer, John Anderton and he doesn’t even know the victim. Therefore, he starts escaping from the DC and tries to figure out the reason behind him being set up for a murder.

Throughout the story it is shown how John struggles in his personal life since he lost his little son at a public pool and got divorced from his beloved wife. Moreover, the main reason he joined the precrime department was for the sake of other people not going through the same pain of grief as he did.

Under the influence of technology various aspects of people’s lifestyle has shifted and made living faster and harder. For instance, The citizens are constantly monitored and recognized, highways are built in the sky and removing your eyeballs is all it takes to change your identity and that gets done as easy as a piece of cake!

In my opinion, everything was filmed very prescriptively and professionally and I enjoyed every second of it and how it made viewers either hate the movie or love it!

I am a futuristic person therefore I enjoyed watching how our theories today can possibly get implemented in the future. The virtual world The Minority Report tries to draw is not far from reality and I even believe ours is going to be much better and cooler!

I loved how extreme long shots were taken in the movie to cover as much detail as possible and deliver the proper message and feeling to the viewer. To addmore, the whole idea of new tech and precrime ideas entertained me a lot; however, I’m still disappointed about the fact that humankind would still take actions or make decisions based on their own benefits even if it involves ending an innocent life.

I’d like to also mention a few film techniques that caught my eyes such as the props, customs and color. The whole film had a blue and grey dark tone which gave me a sense of darkness and fear along with everything that surrounded the actors from the customs they wore to the environment of John’s home and office. For example, The physical layout of John’s home made me feel his loneliness and the hardship he was going through.

Overall, despite everyone I liked the movie a lot and I’d like to watch more such films. Rate: 4.4/5

[asalshah]

Beneath this mask there's more than flesh, beneath this mask there's an idea and ideas are bulletproof

V for Vendetta

“ Beneath this mask there’s more than flesh, beneath this mask there’s an idea and ideas are bulletproof” says the man with a Guy Fawks mask on his face.

A man called V who has lived in the shadows of a totalitarian government for years planning a plot to bring back hope to the society by some perfectly done tactics and plans such as blowing up important buildings of the Britain like the parliament and murdering the key members of the oppressing government like the Commander and Chancellor in order to fight for his idea of people needing hope more than buildings.

Film Techniques

V for Vendetta is a Drama/Mystery film produced in 2005 starring Hugo Weaving as V and Natalie Portman as Evey;V’s aid through the film. The movie starts with giving a short summary of real Guy Fawkes and what happened to him back in the day and then it gets transformed into a more fictional world.

Throughout the film many techniques are repeated to show the significance of a person in the movie. A very good example is the close-up shots taken from the Chancellor Sutler. He is viewed from a low angled camera appearing in a larger screen than anybody else to show to the audience the authority he has over everyone and how everyone must do as he commands. For instance, In one scene as he is speaking the camera moves closer to his mouth trying to highlight his words.

To add more, the editing of the movie caught my eyes as well. There are many shots taken from different demographics placed in various settings watching Sutler talking on Tv and these shots are dissolved into one another in the beginning of the movie shifting from an average household with kids and parents to a bar or a retirement residence. At the end of the movie, citizens are evoked to stand up for themselves and change their future and no longer live with fear this exact frame changes as the same places are shown but empty of any individual or group. From my perspective, the director tries to show bravery of the citizens and the sparkle of hope they’ve felt by emptying the scene with people.

I’d like to mention the Lighting of the film as well. In every shot taken the proper lighting has set the mood of the setting perfectly. For example, when V attempts to kill Dr Dela, she’s laid down in a dark room with windows open and the movement of nature which is Wind moving the curtains in the dark which it undoubtedly adds to the scariness of the scene. In addition, there’s one shot I personally love and that’s when Evey is captured from a high angled camera lying down on a tiny square cell in the position of an infant. I Deeply felt that scene and how lonely at the same time fearless she felt at that very moment.

Conclusion

Deep down I wish there was someone as smart, courageous, brave and driven as V in every fascist government that could lighten up hope in people’s heart and motivate them to fight back for their rights and lives. As a result, I believe in every single one of us there’s a little V hidden in our deepest layers of our suffering yet beautiful souls that are big enough to make a change in this cruel world.

[asalshah]

Children of Men Review

Children of Men

Children of Men is a Fantasy and Drama film directed by Alfono Cuaron in 2006. It is a mixture of war, futuristic visions, culture and fiction. It has also won many awards such as the award for the best contribution of film techniques. The storyline of the movie is about a dystopian world going through extinction since no one has been fertile for 18 years. However, it is later shown in the movie that extraordinarily a woman gets pregnant and that’s a secret which must be kept from the government and outsiders until Theo, the suave savior, can safely take her to the Human Project; a place of hope for humanity.

Theo, A government bureaucrat, has been living aimlessly for the past two decades ever since he lost his son, Dylan, and been looking for a reason to live until he suddenly gets kidnapped by his ex-wife and meets the sweet pregnant girl named Kee and finds his mission to save the human kind by helping Kee get to the Human Project.

There are many film techniques observed throughout the film. The first scene of the movie starts with the death news of the youngest person in the world and surprisingly he is 18 years old. Yes! Not an infant! This particular shot is taken in a cafe with a group of people staring at the news on TV. This technique is called Movement of Groups and it is meant to deliver the intensity of the emotions felt in a particular shot.

The very next shot shows the main character, Theo, feeling tired and hopeless. His emotions are clearly shown in his movements like the way he walked and looked. He lives in a chaotic world of infertility and protests against immigrants in the UK because among all the countries in the world The United Kingdom is still liveable. Therefore, the country gets awash with immigrants.

The very next scene shows the cafe he just bought coffee from getting bombed. I think the act of bombing the setting puts emphasis on the mood of the whole film and wants to draw the viewer into the world of the main character and make the viewer feel scared and excited enough to continue watching the movie.

Throughout the movie, many close-up shots have been taken in order to make the audience feel more empathetic and relate more to the character. For example, in every scene that Theo is on a train or subway the camera focuses on his face or when Kee takes off her clothes and shows Theo her big pregnant belly for the first time the camera moves closer and closer to Theo’s face trying capture his feelings and reaction.

There are also extreme long shots taken to establish the setting of the movie full of different elements such as different animals like sheeps, cats and dogs, big street garbage bins set on fire to heat immigrants left on the streets and people shivering on grounds for their loss.

To add more, I personally think, along with all the previously mentioned incidents happening in the movie Cuaron also tries to illustrates the power of money and authority one can have even in hard times specifically when Theo meets the Minister in his mansion placed on a very high floor that is designed with artistic statues, artworks with calming music played on the background. There is also one more shot taken from a higher angle than the background which is the city collapsing showing the viewer the strength of money as the Minister looks down to the city and its people as if he lives on a different planet from others. Overall, Children of Men is a professionally directed movie that never goes out of date.