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Film Reviews and Analysis
Kyrdua:
Read the Taxi Driver review... couldn't really make me curious about the film. not my type of review style.
granted, the type of "review" that makes me curious are ones that highlight the tropes used in the film and not the content of the film itself. in other words. I watch a film for how it's done. not what it's about.
In anime, i look for the stuff i point out when I review (hentai board link).
In movies, I look for the following.
* Short plot summary (Adressed the way Soryon did his, yours have too much embellishments, IMO)
* Description of plot progression or how the story is told (e.g. starts with the middle then "what happened before", e.g. The Emperor's New Groove)
* Selling point (sexiness, gore, enganging storytelling, special effects, etc)
* Character Writing (how interesting the cast are)
* Musical Score/Sound Quality (Whether they fit or not and what genre they're in)
* Special Effects or Filming Style (Like documentary style in Surf's Up or Dug up footage of Apollo 18)
* What will make you keep watching the movie (I remember almost dropping Sucker Punch because of the absurdity of plot progression and gratuitous slo mo)
Which makes me want to see how you'll review Shoot Em Up.
Now that i think of it. maybe I should review Sucker Punch here for an example of how I want my movie reviews. Don't really get what a "useful" review is for others so i could use some crits on my style.
froody1911:
I couldn't get enough time to write the analysis and explanations for Brazil today :( Hopefully I can get it done tomorrow.
Thanks for suggestions, Kyrdua. Issues:
--- Quote from: Kyrdua on January 24, 2012, 05:30:09 PM ---Short plot summary (Adressed the way Soryon did his, yours have too much embellishments, IMO)
--- End quote ---
This, I won't change. Most of the films I'll be reviewing have a huge focus on plot. Furthermore I can't review the characters and acting or explain the themes without adequate background. You'll just have to trust me to not put spoilers and keep it short where there's no such need.
--- Quote from: Kyrdua on January 24, 2012, 05:30:09 PM ---Description of plot progression or how the story is told (e.g. starts with the middle then "what happened before", e.g. The Emperor's New Groove)
--- End quote ---
Linear unless specified otherwise, isn't that generally understood? :P
--- Quote from: Kyrdua on January 24, 2012, 05:30:09 PM ---Selling point (sexiness, gore, enganging storytelling, special effects, etc)
--- End quote ---
Pointing this out isn't something I agree with. A film with just one or two "selling points" isn't something I'd give a good review in the first place. Any aspect mentioned in a review is (durr) worthy of mention (hurr), everything else is probably non-existent or negligible.
--- Quote from: Kyrdua on January 24, 2012, 05:30:09 PM ---What will make you keep watching the movie (I remember almost dropping Sucker Punch because of the absurdity of plot progression and gratuitous slo mo)
--- End quote ---
I don't really understand what you mean. A film is supposed to work as a package. If you need to search for things that'll keep you watching, it's probably a bad movie.
@Shoot Em Up
Sounds like all style no substance. Should I really?
Kyrdua:
Hmm, how should i put this...
--- Quote --- (click to show/hide)I'll start off by saying this is probably my favorite film (probably, because I don't have much of a knack for fine comparison and I like The Godfather just as much).
Have you ever looked at the world around you and felt no connection with it? Have you ever wanted to do something that makes every single person notice and acknowledge you?
Taxi Driver is the story of an alienated man slowly driven to the edge of insanity, and just as much of the society that alienates him. Set in the seedy streets of 70s Manhattan that make Batman's Gotham look like a paradise, this film gave rise to a number of iconic dialogues.
Our main character, Travis Bickle, is an everyman, a Vietnam war veteran who drives a hired taxi. Every night, he is faced with the crime and criminals festering in his city. Every night, he sees the ugly underbelly of his city - the prostitutes, the pimps, the drug dealers, the thieves, the freaks - and is disgusted by it. Under the dirty neon lights, all of the city engages in the same pattern: drinking, eating, partying, sex. Travis sees them as scum, filth, devoid of all morals, all their lives a big lie. Perhaps more importantly, he is also faced with his own loneliness. After the war, he can't fit back into this society he sees. Obsessed with mentally bad-mouthing the 'garbage' around him, he spends his time eating pills, venting his frustration in his diary, and watching porn at the theater.
One day, he sees an 'angel', a woman who seems different from the rest. She works at a presidential candidate's campaign centre. His attempts to date her lead to a series of events that make him lose faith in society. Now suicidally bent on making a difference in the world, on getting noticed, he plots an assassination and hatches a plan to rescue a child prostitute.
After all, Travis is just as psychotic as the rest of the people around him, as are many in our violent and emotionally damaged society even today.
Robert De Niro, known for playing bold and strong characters, here portrays the nervous Travis with just as much excellence. His gestures, facial expressions and blustered manner of speaking paints a genuine, believable psychopath. Supporting actors perform well too. The films shows the grimy city with great style. A manhole with smoke rising from it, a group of teens cooling down using a hydrant, the colorful blur of signboards. The imagery conveys Travis' hate for the city very well.
Taxi Driver's screenplay has a sort of aimless, meandering feel that reflects the chaos in Travis' brain. Most of the film consists of disconnected, seemingly pointless occurences in Travis' life and never gets boring. All of it builds to the impressive climatic sequence. Monologues are more common than dialogues, but both are well written and very memorable. The music is mostly calm jazz and fits the mood perfectly.
--- End quote ---
The ones I underlined are what mean by embellishments. you're giving out too much details. short, concise ones are what i prefer (like in Soryon's) Those that make you wanna know more (by watching the movie) exactly because of lacking details. that is, they tell you generic details of what a movie is about as so to spark curiosity.
Italiced ones I'd put in a separate paragraphs (e.g. like the first sentence of the last paragraph). I believe each part warrants it's own "section" no matter how short (music, acting/actors, .
--- Quote ---Linear unless specified otherwise, isn't that generally understood?
--- End quote ---
Not really. or maybe i just have a knack for pointing out the obvious so people know what to expect.
to me, not pointing it out would be like It's like failing to say that Gungrave didn't suddenly just changed plot at episode two and that huge guy never appears again to a casual viewer who stopped watching it because it suddenly became a Goons anime.
--- Quote ---Pointing this out isn't something I agree with. A film with just one or two "selling points" isn't something I'd give a good review in the first place. Any aspect mentioned in a review is (durr) worthy of mention (hurr), everything else is probably non-existent or negligible.
--- End quote ---
Mentioning that a movie features an element not mentioned in trailers or whatnot is pretty important to me. some movies have pretty good deceptive advertising. See Tekken Blood Vengeance. you'd expect it to be more combat centric but it actually more about a girl stalking a guy.
--- Quote ---I don't really understand what you mean. A film is supposed to work as a package. If you need to search for things that'll keep you watching, it's probably a bad movie.
--- End quote ---
I did just use a bad movie as an example. You can say it's an "optional" thing to include.
--- Quote ---@Shoot Em Up
Sounds like all style no substance. Should I really?
--- End quote ---
Yes, because it just sounds like that, it actually has substance. really though, I would say someone possessed you if you didn't respond with this.
froody1911:
(click to show/hide)
--- Quote from: Kyrdua on January 24, 2012, 06:45:51 PM ---
--- Quote --- (click to show/hide)I'll start off by saying this is probably my favorite film (probably, because I don't have much of a knack for fine comparison and I like The Godfather just as much).
Have you ever looked at the world around you and felt no connection with it? Have you ever wanted to do something that makes every single person notice and acknowledge you?
Taxi Driver is the story of an alienated man slowly driven to the edge of insanity, and just as much of the society that alienates him. Set in the seedy streets of 70s Manhattan that make Batman's Gotham look like a paradise, this film gave rise to a number of iconic dialogues.
Our main character, Travis Bickle, is an everyman, a Vietnam war veteran who drives a hired taxi. Every night, he is faced with the crime and criminals festering in his city. Every night, he sees the ugly underbelly of his city - the prostitutes, the pimps, the drug dealers, the thieves, the freaks - and is disgusted by it. Under the dirty neon lights, all of the city engages in the same pattern: drinking, eating, partying, sex. Travis sees them as scum, filth, devoid of all morals, all their lives a big lie. Perhaps more importantly, he is also faced with his own loneliness. After the war, he can't fit back into this society he sees. Obsessed with mentally bad-mouthing the 'garbage' around him, he spends his time eating pills, venting his frustration in his diary, and watching porn at the theater.
One day, he sees an 'angel', a woman who seems different from the rest. She works at a presidential candidate's campaign centre. His attempts to date her lead to a series of events that make him lose faith in society. Now suicidally bent on making a difference in the world, on getting noticed, he plots an assassination and hatches a plan to rescue a child prostitute.
After all, Travis is just as psychotic as the rest of the people around him, as are many in our violent and emotionally damaged society even today.
Robert De Niro, known for playing bold and strong characters, here portrays the nervous Travis with just as much excellence. His gestures, facial expressions and blustered manner of speaking paints a genuine, believable psychopath. Supporting actors perform well too. The films shows the grimy city with great style. A manhole with smoke rising from it, a group of teens cooling down using a hydrant, the colorful blur of signboards. The imagery conveys Travis' hate for the city very well.
Taxi Driver's screenplay has a sort of aimless, meandering feel that reflects the chaos in Travis' brain. Most of the film consists of disconnected, seemingly pointless occurences in Travis' life and never gets boring. All of it builds to the impressive climatic sequence. Monologues are more common than dialogues, but both are well written and very memorable. The music is mostly calm jazz and fits the mood perfectly.
--- End quote ---
The ones I underlined are what mean by embellishments. you're giving out too much details. short, concise ones are what i prefer (like in Soryon's) Those that make you wanna know more (by watching the movie) exactly because of lacking details. that is, they tell you generic details of what a movie is about as so to spark curiosity.
--- End quote ---
Now you have to notice that those underlined parts are a combined description and praise for the main character, the plot, and the themes. It's what the entire movie is about. Out of all of that, The only thing I could reasonably skip is the first line. You wouldn't be underlining most of that if you watched the movie. Maybe after Tyler watches the movie, he can give us his opinion on whether or not that stuff was important.
--- Quote from: Kyrdua on January 24, 2012, 06:45:51 PM ---
--- Quote ---Linear unless specified otherwise, isn't that generally understood?
--- End quote ---
Not really. or maybe i just have a knack for pointing out the obvious so people know what to expect.
to me, not pointing it out would be like It's like failing to say that Gungrave didn't suddenly just changed plot at episode two and that huge guy never appears again to a casual viewer who stopped watching it because it suddenly became a Goons anime.
--- End quote ---
Like I said, if I don't mention it, it's not there. Unlike anime, not a lot of films have things like decoy protagonists/tone shifts/time skips.
--- Quote from: Kyrdua on January 24, 2012, 06:45:51 PM ---
--- Quote ---Pointing this out isn't something I agree with. A film with just one or two "selling points" isn't something I'd give a good review in the first place. Any aspect mentioned in a review is (durr) worthy of mention (hurr), everything else is probably non-existent or negligible.
--- End quote ---
Mentioning that a movie features an element not mentioned in trailers or whatnot is pretty important to me. some movies have pretty good deceptive advertising. See Tekken Blood Vengeance. you'd expect it to be more combat centric but it actually more about a girl stalking a guy.
--- End quote ---
Well I'd do that if I was reviewing a new film, but I don't think I've ever watched a trailer for a film made before 2000.
Brazil
(click to show/hide)
Year: 1985
Time: 2h11m
Genres: Steampunk, Comedy, Political
Director: Tery Gilliam (from Monty Python)
Starring: Jonathan Pryce
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
IMDB: 8.0/10[/info]
(click to show/hide)Rating: 7.5/10
Firstly, let's get this out of the way: the film has absolutely nothing to do with the country of Brazil. It's called that because of the theme song.
Brazil is one of the most influential works in steampunk architecture, and a big influence to political sci-fi in general. The influence of its distinct visuals can be seen even in anime. It is often called a cult film, but it's quite mainstream by today's standards.
The story takes place "somewhere in the 20th century", in an unnamed dystopian country (obviously Britain though). A tyrannical government, proud of its "perfection", monitors every citizen closely. People rely on mostly hydraulic robots to (very inefficiently) do their work, and all this machinery is owned and maintained by the government-run megacorporation Central Services. Everyone and everything is wrapped tight in red tape. It's a world obviously influenced by George Orwelle's Nineteen Eighty-Four, which depicts a similar society where all the choices are made for the people by the government.
The main character Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) is a cog in this giant machinery. Though from a rich family, he is unambitious and has a dead-end job in the Ministry of Information. In his dreams though, he sees himself as a strong, heroic man, flying through the clouds to a beautiful blonde woman (Kim Greist) who calls out to him.
A bug in the government machinery results in the execution of one Henry Buttle instead of the renegade thermal engineer Henry Tuttle (Robert De Niro). Sam is sent to make amends with Buttle's family, and incidentally sees the blonde woman from his dreams. To track her down again, he uses his rich mother's influence to get promoted to the elite intelligence agency, Information Retrieval.
Now here's the thing. Through his eyes we see the dirty and shocking secrets of Sam's world, which he himself continues to ignore and focus solely on finding the woman. That is the genius of this film. If you focus only on the obvious and seemingly important details, you will end up unsatisfied. But pay attention to what Sam ignores, and you get a very interesting look at the workings of the government.
The film is a dark comedy in the first half. You probably won't laugh outright, but you'll be chuckling every minute. Sam has a good sense of humor and great comic timing. He also has the feel of a man who just wants to be left alone, and Jonathan Pryce portrays this quite well. Additional characters like Sam's boss and mother provide laughs with their stupidity and pomp.
There's a tone shift in the second half. The film becomes a lot more serious and dark. There's also an unexpected and well constructed twist at the end. Check the analysis for some insight on the ending.
Brazil is all about atmosphere and symbolism. The steampunk architecture is very imaginative, particularly in Sam's house. Other small things like the computers and vehicles add to the immersion. No effort has been spared to make the world feel coherent and complete. The fantasy world from Sam's dreams has some very good special effects for 1985. Costumes are well made, reflecting both retro-futurism and the social gap.
Music is suitable, but not particularly noticeable. You tend to focus more on the visuals. One exception is the beautiful leitmotif, Watercolor of Brazil, which is often sung with varying lyrics appropriate to the situation.
Acting is exceptionally good. Though some additional characters may appear to overact, it only adds to one's impression of the government.
There are some flaws in the film. More attention could have been given to the Tuttle sub-plot, which never receives much exposition. The main plot is a little too simple towards the end. There are also two inconsistencies. Given the nature of the film, though, these are forgivable in face of the magnificent world Terry Gilliam built for us.
Bottomline: A seminal sci-fi film. Great to look at, and entertaining, with solid performances. There's no reason to skip this one, almost everyone likes it.
(click to show/hide)Just in case you didn't understand the end: Jack lobotomized Sam. This combined with Sam's fear made him catatonic. Everything after that, starting with Tuttle killing Jack, was simply in Sam's head. This is why odd things started happening, like Tuttle vanishing in the papers, and Sam ending up in the alley from his dreams. At the very end, Jack brings in the minister to report Sam's state - he has "gotten away". Oh, and the police killed Jill back when they were arresting Sam.
Terry Gilliam has stated that when he started on Brazil, he wanted to make a film in which the main character going insane could be considered a happy ending. Indeed, it is. Over the course of the film, Sam finds his love, and grows to hate the world in which he was once living complacently. But escaping the government's influence to live his dream life is actually impossible. He does not realize this, and so tries his best to find a way to leave with Jill.
The only real way he can escape is by dying, or in his imagination. This is why the ending is the happiest possible conclusion for him. He is now a carefree prisoner of the government, unaware of the world. In his mind, he is living happily in the countryside with Jill. It can also be debated that Jack intended for this to happen, and he lobotomized Sam as an act of mercy.
On to other things:
Tuttle embodies Sam's own dreams - a life free of the government's influence. But by pursuing Jill instead, he loses all chances of living a similar life himself. In retrospect, one can say that he was destined to fail the moment he began meddling with government to get to Jill.
It is possible that there are no terrorists, and that the government itself arranges the bombings to keep the people from developing terrorist sentiments. Notice how the police get to the bombed department store and restaurant within seconds.
A friend of mine pointed out that when Sam meets Jack in his office, Jack has a bloody coat and his hands are shaking. We know by the end that he must have returned from torturing a prisoner. His shaking hands may indicate a dislike for his job. This lends credence to the theory that he lobotomized Sam to help him.
The backgrounds in the film have a lot of signboards with messages and motivationals that show the government's philosophy. A few I remember are "Stay safe, stay suspicious", "Suspicion breeds confidence" and "Don't suspect a friend, report him". Tuttle's dialog "We're all in it together" is also seen on a sign, with one addition, "Happiness, we're all in it together".
When Sam finally defeats the giant samurai in his dreams, the samurai has Sam's face. We assume that the samurai represents the government and the police, and it does. Showing Sam's face there is an indication of how Sam has made things difficult for himself by willingly being a part of the government so far.
An example of the arbitrary nature of the government is the device in Sam's office desk that we see him playing with. It has a sort of stick that, when dropped, randomly falls on either 'Yes' or 'No'. It can be assumed that everyone in IR has one of these and uses them to make decisions.
One of the things that viewers miss despite having heard it is the fact that Information Retrieval charges its prisoners for their own imprisonment and torture. As ridiculous and outrageous as it may sound, it is pointed out thrice in the movie. First in the interview on the TV right at the starting, then when Buttle is arrested, and finally when the guard strapping Sam to the torture chair mentions a credit rating.
Kyrdua:
(click to show/hide)
--- Quote from: froody1911 on January 25, 2012, 01:17:21 AM ---
--- Quote from: Kyrdua on January 24, 2012, 06:45:51 PM ---
--- Quote ------
--- End quote ---
The ones I underlined are what mean by embellishments. ----
--- End quote ---
Now you have to notice that those underlined parts are a combined description and praise for the main character, the plot, and the themes. It's what the entire movie is about. Out of all of that, The only thing I could reasonably skip is the first line. You wouldn't be underlining most of that if you watched the movie. Maybe after Tyler watches the movie, he can give us his opinion on whether or not that stuff was important.
--- End quote ---
eh, well I prefer them separate, personally. they look shorter and easier to read that way to me too. but well, it's your style.
--- Quote from: froody1911 on January 25, 2012, 01:17:21 AM ---
--- Quote from: Kyrdua on January 24, 2012, 06:45:51 PM ---
--- Quote ---Linear unless specified otherwise, isn't that generally understood?
--- End quote ---
Not really. or maybe i just have a knack for pointing out the obvious so people know what to expect.
-------
--- End quote ---
Like I said, if I don't mention it, it's not there. Unlike anime, not a lot of films have things like decoy protagonists/tone shifts/time skips.
--- End quote ---
hmm, yeah, good point. must be why i don't watch a lot of movies. ;D
--- Quote from: froody1911 on January 25, 2012, 01:17:21 AM ---
--- Quote from: Kyrdua on January 24, 2012, 06:45:51 PM ---Mentioning that a movie features an element not mentioned in trailers or whatnot is pretty important to me. some movies have pretty good deceptive advertising. See Tekken Blood Vengeance. you'd expect it to be more combat centric but it actually more about a girl stalking a guy.
--- End quote ---
Well I'd do that if I was reviewing a new film, but I don't think I've ever watched a trailer for a film made before 2000.
--- End quote ---
I see. on my tekken example though even without a trailer you'd expect it to have lots of fighting and less stalking because it's a movie based on a fighting game. but yeah, i get your point.
now, Sucker Punch
(click to show/hide)An action fantasy thriller by Zack Snyder of 300 fame.
One night around the 1960's. An adolescent girl, "Baby Doll", In a struggle against her abusive stepfather sexual assault to her younger sister. Gets herself and her sister cornered trying to flee from the man, who accidentaly kills her sister. Fearing imprisonment. He gets her institutionalized in Lennox House for the Mentally Insane, holding her responsible for her younger sister's death.
One of the higher ups of the asylum, Blue Jones, coaxes Baby Doll's step father into having the girl lobotomized. So she cannot inform authorities of what actually happened. She gets admitted to the institution, taking note of her surroundings. As she is about to get lobotomized, She retreats to a dreamworld where She was sent into a Brothel under the ownership of Blue. With this, our main story begins...
Review
The story starts off with Plot Establishment... in Slow Motion, you better take note of this as this will be used for the majority of the movie. and when I say majority I mean the many -many- establishing scenes and transitions WILL use slow motion. If it's in slow motion it's most likely important.
Plot progression is strangely Game-like. 1st the characters have to collect plot important items. then there's the characters doing missions in dream world levels with different themes each accessible via overworld hub, which is the brothel. and of course, there's a final mission and the obligatory mentor.
The main selling point of the movie is it's dream worlds though. since that's what's featured heavily in the trailers. Each of the worlds have different, and seemingly game-inspired concepts. Also, despite the main brothel setting, the sexiest thing you'll see in this movie are girls in not-very-revealing-lingerie and serafuku.
The music fits the theme of wherever it's used on, they're pretty rock-like and modern too. the sound effects are as exaggerated as the scenes they're used on.
The camera-work here is great, We get a good look at the detailed CG used throughout the film. plenty of beautiful and dynamic shots that emphasize the surreal nature of the film. THOUGH as mentioned, slow Motion is abused so much it gets annoying. Most of the time it is used as an in-your-face way of showing the girls kicking ass in the dream worlds. We get it, they become badass. but when you do it to emphasize nearly every move they do that's overdoing it.
The character writing is rather so-so, in my opinion. The characters are interesting enough but they're given only the minimal amount of depth required for them to be main characters. The main character just wants freedom. another just wants to protect her sister, another has a special role for the team, one serves to keep the team together, and one is just there (seriously).
Though they're pretty simple, they work. as the movie is plot-centric and progresses like a game. It's like watching a game demo with minimal knowledge about the characters. the main problem of the movie though is it's plot. because t's pretty incomprehensible. If you even get a lapse of attention from boredom from all the slow motion you'll be wondering, "Wait, How does THAT follow?". though really, it's just mainly confusing since you'll likely forget about the plot because of the sharp transitions of the scenes where they are about to get a plot important item and the dream world scenes.
Final Verdict: 7/10
Enjoyable, but not engaging. This is something you'd watch with popcorn to pass the time.
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