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Moonlight (2016)
Limelight of Moonlight
Moonlight is a coming of age story about the struggle of being different in an environment which excepts you to act and behave a certain way. The themes are heavy but also light at times; giving a vibrate contrast between two ways of life. One with a mom who penalizes his son for drug money, and the antithesis: with a cool "uncle" who shows you more respect and love than your own blood.
Like Lion (2016), the film keeps a realistic style while keeping a cinematic flare (note this is a very standard Oscar trope... often pretentious but sincere). One interesting note is the emphasis on diegetic sounds which is a fancy film word for "real sounds". Over 50% of ANY high produced film reproduces sounds in a studio to give them an "omph".
While Moonlight is no exception, there is a handful of scenes which recaptures a sense of atmosphere which could only be heard at these specific spots: the breeze of the ocean comes to mind. I enjoyed Moonlight, most of it, especially if you like the subject matter.
Lion (2016)
Lion King
Lion shows how one small error could propel you worlds away from home, only to be forced to survive, assimilate to a whole new language and culture, and yet wonder what happened to home all those years ago. It's a beautiful, human story about being once lost, and somehow found.
The aimed style of the film is predominantly realistic with a more documentary direction while simultaneously keeping a cinematic flare. The soundtrack is even more present than the camera-work, with somber tunes coherent with the style of the film.
It was recognized by the Academy for 6 nominations, but somehow manages to feel like an alternative film to the general Oscar picks. If you find the subject matter interesting then you will surely not be disappointed!
La La Land (2016)
10 10 Land
10 10 Land
"What is the 'perfect' film?" and "this can't be a 10/10?" were two questions running through my head. At the end of the film, at the edge of my seat, I confidently found two answers: "This" and "YES". And here's the why:
La La Land is on the surface a love song to the heyday of Hollywood's musicals; a story of struggle to stardom; of romantic and heartbreak; of the juxtaposition of floaty fantasy and harsh reality. The devil in disguise, however, lies NOT solely in the master level of sound design or editing. BUT, the juxtaposition between the characters and the duality and the dynamic between sound and image; between what's going on IN the film versus what's going IN our collective minds.
The film is very aware of its own medium which in turn demonstrates the perfect balance between audio and image. The movie always suggests ideas which in turn emphasizes more than telling. When you must explain a joke, the joke is indeed not funny if you don't get at first. But never once did the editing undermine itself enough to blatantly turn to words to clarify what the story implies or aims for. This is a common mistake predominantly most and every movie makes these days, and they can thank mediocre writing and poor understanding of what the medium is capable of.
Every scene, every cut, every line, every sound cue, has a rightful place in this one hundred and twenty-eight-minute film opus. I am simply soaring in the sky after 10 years of devoted film study, and more than plus 1,000 films legit rated on IMDb, and have no proper way of concluding this review except this anecdote from my friend:
"Now I must go home, watch a crappy movie, so I can get back down to earth!"
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
Pacing was a key thing I liked about this film
The saga has come full circle, and my worst fears of a stumbling ending has been alleviated. What I found striking is the film's striking pacing which is strangely very true to the book (note, pacing). I was never truly bored, and Hobbit/Lord of the Rings have a tendency to drag on. Sure there are some of these annoying "this sets up for LOTR", but it's more to find a way to conclude characters in the film.
Overall it was an "expected" experience, but I wasn't raging out of the cinema. The trilogy is definitely a warmer welcome than the Episode 1-3 of Star Wars, and I can see myself watch all 6 films of what I presume now is called "The Middle-Earth Saga" back-to-back.
Frozen (2013)
The Second Renaissance?
Disney's 50th classic, Tangled (2010), marked the beginning where 3D Disney animated features aimed for the warmth and feel of Disney's first renaissance (The Little Mermaid (1989) up to Tarzan (1999)). The decade following this renaissance would become a watershed period (2000-8) of poorly received films, and suffering losses at the box office.
Pixar would essentially be the dominating force in a new 3D world, and Disney's attempt with Chicken Little (2005) (poorly received, but OK at the box office) and Meet the Robinsons (2007) could not live up to the beasts produced at Pixar.
The year 2009 with the return of the star director of John Musker and John Clements of the first renaissance era, critics have coined that Disney might be in a second renaissance. The idea was that they would return to traditional hand drawn 2D animation to recapture the feel and warmth which the first renaissance Disney films were associated with.
Musker/Clements' The Princess and the Frog (2009) was essentially a welcoming sight for many fans, however, it still just performed a quarter of what The Lion King (1994) grossed with around roughly 250$ USD.
Then Oscar winning animated short Paperman (2012) happened which was a beautiful mixture of 2D style in a 3D environment, and during the production of Tangled (2010), the aim was exactly this: a 3D animated feature with the same warmth and feel as the 2D. It generated nearly 600 million USD in profit, and the following Frozen (2014) generated over 1,1 billion USD on a budget of 150 million.
Frozen (2014) is the first film in 20 years to gross more than Lion King (1994) which was up to 2010 the animated feature king at the box office when Pixar's Toy Story 3 (2010) was the new crown at the box office. From a financial stand-point, box office performance is what "decides what is a good movie" which is a sad thing to say, but that's the reality of the industry, but Frozen's success is not purely rooted in a money making formula.
It is the return of the renaissance Disney with modern themes and less bound to conventions found in the older Disney classics. It is loosely based on the Danish fairytale author H. C. Andersen's The Snow Queen, where the title character has bee changed into a deuteragonist (second most important character which can be both with or against the protagonist, in this case both).
Elsa, our Snow Queen, is a one of the most relatable character created by Disney which deals with the strife of family, and the conflict of holding back yourself from hurting your beloved ones.
The second most notable change is the relationships between boys and girls, Frozen is not necessarily a feminist film, but it is certainly proto-feminist. Elsa and Anna are the driving force of the film, and without spoiling anything, are also the ones who resolve the conflict.
Women have for a long history in film been secondary to male plot-driven characters. Women were something to look at, and rarely contribute to the plot. If the Hunger Games (2011) marked the beginning of box office giants with leading female roles, Disney's Frozen marks the beginning where driving forces of female characters can generate animated films of 1 billion USD, and possibly a second renaissance.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
There And Triumph Again
The Desolation of Smaug is THE Hobbit film I have been waiting for. The film is a love song to the fans of Tolkien's book, and The Lord of the Rings films by Peter Jackson.
Pretty much everything has been improved from An Unexpected Journey: pacing, characters, settings, humor, the soundtrack etc. P. J. has implemented and tweaked some of the middle section of Tolkien's book, but was worthwhile for the sake of pacing and variations, and gives the fans of Tolkien's universe some interesting new perspectives.
The Desolation of Smaug is a wonderful bridge-film to the last installment of the Hobbit trilogy, and some of the best sequels of any blockbuster franchises in a long time. Not everybody will be equally satisfied with the new tweaks and twists in terms of the source material, but I think it was for the greater good of the film.
For any fan- boys and girls, this film gave me that "LOTR chills" when I went out of the cinema.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
There And Back Again Forever
There is no shortage to say that Peter Jackson and his staff of creators and actors have left its mark in the history of visual story telling for as long as time shall go.
History will continue to revile this gem of our time, and I feel lucky to be part of its birth and continuation to fill the hearts of love for films. Its visual achievements stand proud even ten years down the evolution of movie crafting, and Howard Shore delivers a score which will define brilliance in motion picture soundtracks.
It is truly one of the rare films I watch dearly once a year, and still gives me chills, smiles and touch the deep heartstrings I so seldom touch in real life.
It is a reminder of the beauty in life, and that darkness is but a passing no matter how great. It is indeed a movie which is pro-life; no matter what your struggles may be in life.
This film is part of my childhood, now in my adult hood and hopefully something dear I can share with my children and their children. Until we all voyage into the west.
Tou ze (2011)
A Simple Hidden Gem
I saw this film during the film festival in Norway; it's been a long, long time since I watched a movie which captivated me even after the credit started to roll.
It's a movie which primarily focus on every little moment of an elderly woman, but it is never a dull moment as the first impression might seem. It's a movie which really drives you to care for the characters in a natural way as opposed to many films where they "force" you with "natural" gimmicks. No, this movie broke most typical western styles, but at the same time made it entertaining and thrilling.
It's a movie where there're no explosions, no foresight drama or no extreme twists... it's truly, a simple life, which showed me how simple it can be to be humble, and care for those we love.