cinemasearching-blog
cinemasearching-blog
Cinema Searching
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Reviewing films throughout history with my personal opinion and commentary
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cinemasearching-blog 12 years ago
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Shutter Island (Martin Scorsese, 2010)
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Shutter Island (Martin Scorsese, 2010)
Clearly I've been in a Leo DiCaprio kick lately. Shutter Island is definitely one of my favorite DiCaprio movies, as well as novels (written by Dennis Lehane in 2003). Shutter Island follows the story of Edward "Teddy" Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio), a Boston U.S. Marshal, investigating the disappearance of Rachel Solando, a patient of the mental hospital Ashecliffe Hospital which resides on an island within the Boston Harbor. Accompanying his investigation is another U.S. Marshal Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) and the two quickly begin to realize that the hospital isn't all what it appears to be. Shutter Island garnered a 6.6/10 general review, a generally positive one which I agree with (thought, personally, I'm a sucker for psychological thrillers and would rate it higher).
Having read the novel before seeing the film, I was still blown away by how Martin Scorsese masterfully presented each scene to build up to the big twist that completely changes the whole Ashecliffe Hospital investigation: Teddy Daniels is actually Andrew Laeddis who is now an Ashecliffe patient from murdering his manically depressed wife after she drowned their three children, and the whole investigation was staged as a psychological test to Teddy's alleged improving sanity (Chuck is his therapist, and Rachel Solando a nurse), for which he failed in the end leading to his lobotomy. Scorsese's use of suspense and elimination of the omniscient knowledge allows the viewers to be sucked into Teddy's world, as they find out the "conspiracy" of Ashecliffe along with him (with the exception of Teddy's regression at the end of the film). Though Scorsese can't be credited with all of the believably of the film, the cast itself is also phenomenal. Never would I have believed that Leo DiCaprio and Michelle Williams could give perfect '50's Boston accents! Teddy's delusion was only so believable because of DiCaprio's acting, and certainly one of the movies that he had been cheated an Oscar from. Ben Kingsley, Dr. Crawley, gave an excellently chilling performance that a therapist of seriously deranged mental patients 聽would have.聽
The cinematography and music are apparent and amazing from the very first scene. The gloomy and stormy atmosphere of the Boston Harbor and the hospital alone sets the audience up for the dark nature of the film, coupled with the eerie music and move watchers are thrust into the terrifying world that Teddy is entering. Scorsese's repeated use of hard lighting to create shadows alludes the shady world of Ashecliff Hosiptal that Teddy experiences. The exceptions to the hard lighting are with Teddy's flashbacks: his memory of his apartment being set on fire by another pyromaniac Ashecliffe patient, Andrew Laeddis, and the memory of his wife and children's deaths. These flashbacks, though morbid, were portrayed in a softer more illuminating and natural light to capture Teddy's life before the tragedy that drove him insane: the death of his family. Additionally, the two memories are connected by more than just lighting: the memory Teddy has of the apartment being set on fire by a pyromaniac was his mental cover of the reality of how his family actually died, which was through his manically depressed wife drowning their children and Teddy mercy killing her to stop the depression. And now to the music. The score, though a combination of previously recorded music and not original to the movie, was very eloquently done in accordance with the overall theme. The combination of modern and classical music gives the viewers the 1950's feel that the film is set in, yet the relevance of the fear of helplessness that one has against the many against them. The chilling sound of deep-sounding string instruments and the fog horn blares instills suspense and terror in the viewers; those sounds are common but still brash enough to send the message 'you are alone, help is not coming' to both Teddy and the audience, much like the music played in聽Jaws.聽I always appreciate and enjoy a suspenseful and terrifying score within my thrillers.
I'll be completely honest that I found no flaws with聽Shutter Island聽other than it being quite long and can make viewers feel that it drags on sometimes. Again, I absolutely love psychological thrillers and this movie had the perfect combination of suspense, action, and mystery that the plot lends it to have. The film, while being fiction, takes a look into the early development of psychology in America, ranging from undiagnosed depression to the abusive mental hospital, which were all more than common in the 1950s. I definitely recommend the film if you want a film with 聽an open-to-interpretation ending that lends for discussion, as well as just a really good thriller.
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cinemasearching-blog 12 years ago
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Again, sorry for the delay!
I know I had stated I would make a post by the end of that week. Obviously it never happened, but I just recently made a post (about a modern movie this time!). I hope you enjoy it, and I would really appreciate feedback.
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cinemasearching-blog 12 years ago
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The Great Gatsby (Baz Luhrmann, 2013)
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The Great Gatsby (Baz Luhrmann, 2013)
The Great Gatsby is probably the early summer's most anticipated movie out there right now. Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel of the same title,聽The Great Gatsby聽follows the story of ambitious Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire), a bond salesman, and his life interacting with Jay Gatsby's (Leonardo DiCaprio) pursuit of his love Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan) and the American Dream.聽The film聽received聽a 50% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a review that I agree with overall; about half of the film's good qualities were matched with the other half of the film's bad qualities.
First, I'll start out with the good. Luhrmann, in his usual Moulin Rouge!聽fashion, had wonderful and over-the-top theatrical editing and cinematography. His use of the glitz and glitter during Gatsby's elaborate party scenes were a great allusion to the fantastical perception that New York City in the Roarin' Twenties had, which Nick would mention a lot during the beginning parts of the film. The soundtrack was critiqued differently by people, making it on the iffy-er side. However, I felt that some of the songs, such as the jazzy 1920's-sounding remake to Beyonce's "Crazy," blended in the modern feel that Luhrmann tried to incorporate within the 1920's atmosphere of the story. Simon Duggan, the cinematographer, did a great job in showing that fantasy feel that Gatsby and Daisy's relationship appeared to have (through Gatsby's eyes, of course), as well as the fantasy that the whole 1920's was to encompass - up until the end when the dreams are crushed with Myrtle's death and Daisy's betrayal to Gatsby. The cinematography and editing at the end had a more dark and angst-ridden feel compared to the glamour of the beginning of the feel, which represented the dark side of the American Dream and Gatsby's death very well.
Moving on to mise-en-scene, I personally felt that the parts were very well cast. Honestly, when you picture the character of Jay Gatsby, who comes to mind better than Leo DiCaprio? The same applies with Tobey Maguire for Nick, both looks and acting style. Carey Mulligan played the perfect materialistic bitch that Daisy Buchanan was represented to be. The only problem with the casting I had was the decision to make Joel Edgerton into Tom Buchanan. Edgerton, an Australian actor, noticeably had a slight Aussie accent whenever he spoke throughout the film, which I felt inappropriate for the 'All-American" old-money character. thought that the costume, hair, and makeup was done very well. While many viewers might have been put off by the modern music and editing, they would be pleased to note that the film stayed true to 1920s fanciful fashion. From Jordan's slinky gowns, to Gatsby's well-tailored suits, to Daisy's extravagant jewelry, the artistic direction from the fashion directors of the film did not disappoint.聽
Now, for the bad. As many people have complained about before, I also did not like the changes to the original novel that the film's script made. Really, what the hell was with all that crap about Nick being a mental patient in an institution? I understand that novels have more leeway with the reality of how a story is told than films, but had it been written that Nick was just telling the story to a friend or a family member it would have been much more realistic. I understand that Nick "wrote"聽The Great Gatsby as a form of expression of his thoughts and feelings, but him adding 'The Great' to the already-created titled 'Gatsby' was far too cheesy. Additionally, the love story between Gatsby and Daisy was too overdone and masked over the umbrella theme of the whole story: the rise and fall of the American Dream. Yes, the film glossed over that whole 'new money vs. old money' aspect that the 1900s ushered in with the feud between Gatsby and Tom, and how crime was beginning to take over the picture perfect America with Gatsby's illegal money. However, the film was far too focused on the love story between Daisy and Gatsby leaving viewers who have not read the novel with the sense that F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote a 1920s version of聽Romeo and Juliet,聽with the umbrella theme of the American Dream being crammed into the end with Gatsby's death.聽However, with all of the negative changes to the novel, I did think that the phone call from Nick to Gatsby at the end was done very well. Gatsby believing that Daisy called and not knowing that it was in reality Nick fueled the manic hope that Gatsby had clung on to for his perfect life, which really fit that whole "Gatsby's hope" theme of the film.
If the changes in the novel weren't bad enough, then the obvious portrayal of the novel's motifs should annoy those true to the novel. The green beacon at the end of Daisy and Tom's dock could not have been any more obvious of a symbol of Gatsby's goal of obtaining Daisy. From the beginning the brightness of the beacon and the significance that Nick, who had nothing to do with the beacon's representation of Gatsby's hope, gave to the beacon pretty much handed the audience the notion of it's importance throughout the film. Moreover, the frequent showing of "The Eyes of God" billboard overlooking the Valley of Ashes was another obvious giveaway to the audience. The meaning of "The Eyes of God" was thrown in the audience's face when George, questioning his wife Myrtle about who gave her the fancy pearls she was wearing, when he yells at her , "The eyes of God are always watching!" forcing her to look at the billboard. The symbolism of the novel were more eloquently written and depicted with the audience's gradual knowledge after reading through the book. However, much of the symbolism was lost in the film by it's blatant meaning from the very beginning, but also with the lack of elaboration upon the symbolism.
Overall,聽The Great Gatsby I felt was a very well-made movie, if you aren't expecting it to be a word-for-word adaptation of the original F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. Definitely it was a box office success, and the actors and actresses starring in it as well as Mr. Luhrmann deserve recognition for the film.
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cinemasearching-blog 12 years ago
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Sorry for the delay
Apologies for not keeping up with more reviews... than just one. I've been super busy with finals unfortunately. But I will make sure to post one by the end of the week. Thank you for the patience!
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cinemasearching-blog 12 years ago
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The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles, 1942)
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聽 The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles, 1942)
The Magnificent Ambersons is famously known as a failure throughout film history. The film was created by Orson Welles, creator of the famous聽Citizen Kane, who adapted the story for Booth Tarkington's novel by envisioning the film to be a story of a Southern, well-to-do family's struggle to adapt to the changing world around them during the Industrial Revolution. Welles lost the editing control to RKO when he was sent to South America on behalf of "Good Neighbor policy," which in turn messed up the last 40 minutes of the film. If not for the disjointed story line of the film towards the end, Stanley Cortez's cinematography made up for it's success later in film history.
Cortez's cinematographic style is very unique and bold; you can't miss a Cortez film if you've seen one before. The use of light and shadow in聽The Magnificent Ambersons聽is very similar to聽The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, 1955) in the sense that the shadows from the lighting depict character development. Take for example the scene when George Minafer and Fanny Amberson are discussing Eugene Morgan and his intentions with Isabel Amberson: George and Fanny are cast into shadow while watching Isabel and Eugene outside. The shadows within the Amberson Manor also give the ominous, powerful character that the house possesses over the Ambersons; the house is coincided with the wealth that Isabel's father, Major Amberson, made for the Amberson family.
Also, Cortez loves placing the camera on the floor, giving the characters an upward-facing angle. These angles provide a sense of power and authority that the characters possess (note the picture above: George standing half in shadow with the camera angled upwards towards him, a sense of dark power). George, indeed, holds a great amount of power within the Amberson household, as he is spoiled by his mother his entire life he is allowed to do whatever he wants. His power also controls the town that the Ambersons live in as the Ambersons are the wealthiest family throughout the county (a Southern tradition that wealth trumps everything). George only loses power after his mother and grandfather's death, when he and his Aunt Fanny go bankrupt due to bad investments from Major Amberson's wealth.
The ending of the film is quite strange. There is a depiction of an automobile accident, and a newspaper article stating that George Minafer was the victim of the accident. The scene then changes to a hospital ward, where George is being kept, with Eugene Morgan and Aunt Fanny outside of the room. Eugene talks about how George apologizes for all the trouble he caused with he and Isabel years ago, and he and Aunt Fanny walk off smiling with new hope. Hope for what? Perhaps Fanny's silly fantasy of being with Eugene is about to happen... Only RKO knows the reason behind that one, besides the obvious upbeat ending that would have been聽beneficial聽to them at the box office.
There's so many things that can be said about聽The Magnificent Ambersons,聽but I'm only discussing the cinematography because I feel that is the strong point of this movie. I still聽recommend聽the film if you're looking for an Industrial Revolution era film involving spoiled, Southern brats and great camera work (for the most part).
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