Films I've Seen.

   So I thought it would be good to simply make a list of films ive seen recently just to share with everyone else. All of these films ive seen off of  netflix since this is all i have to go on anymore, as sad as that is. Anyways, so here it is:

Valhalla Rising
I Saw the Devil
Red Hill
Revolver
Iron Clad
Daybreakers
Goon
Sling Blade
Death Wish
Cruising
Downfall
Che
The Grey
Gomorrah

Tumbling down the rabbit hole.

   This post is definitely long overdue but better late than never as they say. Anyways so this post will actually be one of a few that I will be posting over the next few days. This is due to the fact that I have been sick for at least a week so I had a good amout of time to devote to netflix.

   For those of you who do not know about this movie it is directed by Guillermo Del Toro who is quite the visionary. I considered giving a brief plot summary but after thinking about I decided that this is a movie in which no details should be given away. It was actually very funny the first 20 minutes or so into this movie because I actually was under the impression that it was a childrens story, however I was very mistaken. But nonetheless i can honestly say ive found a new movie in this film. I always find it hard to write about movies like this because there are always so many things that come to mind but often many of them are hard to express in written form they are more of feelings.

    One of the things that in enjoyed about this movie is that there have been many movies in the "fairytale" genre which are good movies however they just lack the ability to keep your attention for very long. But as I watched more and more of this film i found myself not wanting to look away from the screen for any reason. This was mostly due in part to Del Toros' ability to masterfully create reality out of something which is a fantasy. I can remember watching scenes in the movie and feeling actually involved in the scenes because they felt so real, almost as if they came off the screeen at you. Another thing I felt Del Toro did very well was his use of subtlety in certain scenes, which was actually something he spoke about in the special features of the film. he talked about how in a film where there is violence you dont always have to have such gritty and shocking violence, but instead you can have something be implied and actually play with an angle or the characteristics if the individual scene and have it be ten times more effective. All the components of this film; sound, lighting, makeup, sets, etc. were truly a masterpiece in my opinion.

The IRA in a whole new light.....

   There are not many movies these days that can actually break the barrier of audience and actor to the point where you feel the character, but I think this movie definitely falls into that category. I think Steve McQueen did an excellent job with this film and I really look forward to viewing any of his work in the future.
   The movie started out a bit odd at first not sure why I got that feeling but nonetheless a feeling is a feeling. The first ten minutes of the film said alot about the movie as a whole. I am referring specifically to the camera lenses used as well as the colors and shadow work done with lighting on the set which I thought very much set the tone of the movie right off the bat. One of the biggest things I liked about this movie was its use of silence to set a tone or bring importance to a scene. Two scenes come to mind when I think about silence in movies and that is first and foremost in The Godfather III when Michael Corleone is kneeling on the steps of an opera house and there is no sound but you see him screaming violently almost to the point of sheer agony and the shot stays like this until his screams fade in with the soundtrack. The second instance is in the movie La Vie En Rose, and in this scene again, ironically, the main character is screaming violently in pain and sorrow but the shot is still and there is no sound.
   I mentioned the instance of these two above scenes because they touch on something which I am a huge fan of in film and that is surreality. Both of the above mentioned scenes, though silent, involve so much emotion on the part of the actors that they cross into a surreal world for the length of that scene and it stays with you. and that is why I love when a director works with an actor and they find that perfect balance that just makes a scene jump out at you and really hold your attention. Hunger was definitely one of those movies and we talked about in class how the scene with the riot squad got to alot of peopl, they couldnt handle it. Maybe this was due to the fact that it was very violent and to quote our teacher, "visceral," but it was to me so surreal that I did'nt want to look away from it I was wrapped up in the scene as if I was there.
   Overall this was an excellent piece of film that was well worth seeing and I'm definitely glad I was able to view it.