The Blog
This blog will be all about film reviews. I'm going to be watching a lot of movies, writing reviews, and hopefully not spoiling any movies you plan to watch.
Director: Adam McKay
Verdict: Thumbs Up Based on the novel of the same name, The Big Short follows the story of the few who were able to see the impending financial crisis of 2008 and profit off of others misfortunes. Through the use of diegetic narrators and metaphorical explanations of complex financial topics, The Big Short was able to connect to the viewer in a unique way leaving the audience better educated about the happenings of the 2008 collapse. The Big Short follows the paths of separate investors in the mid 2000’s and follows their stories as they attempt to use the housing market “bubble” to profit off of the greed of bankers. They all endure similar problems as they are all connected by the same market. However, when payday comes and their gamble pays off, they are all uneasy about the situation they find themselves in. The film builds tension and expectation through the real world connections and dilemmas we all face. Money is something everyone can relate to and the 2008 housing market collapse is still fresh in many minds. Through this we all can begin to fully grasp what the film shows and it makes what the men are doing so much more real. No longer is it just a news article or a statistic, its actual people actually inside the system. This movie feels real in a way a rare few have. One of the best aspects of the film was how it flirted between being a formalist and realistic movie, making it a very pleasing visual movie but also one that feels almost like a documentary and occasionally a mockumentary. Throughout the movie, Jared Vennett would act as a narrator, guiding the audience and also informing the audience of what happened in the real world. This was a rather interesting aspect of the movie as it talked about what really happened and even at times acknowledged that what was portrayed on screen was inaccurate but described what really happened. The Big Short also would use famous people to explain complex economic terms in a way which the average viewer could understand. This made the movie not only brief rests from the real world but also improved the movie by involving the viewer and making sure they understood the concepts. Having said that, the it is still a bit short in my opinion. Even though it is two hours and ten minutes long, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to add an extra twenty minutes. Some parts of the movie felt rushed and somewhat brief, not really allowing enough emotion to get across. An extra twenty minutes throughout the whole film would have helped, even if it turned away some audience members. The Big Short is a brilliant, informative movie that touches emotion in an incredibly personal way. It’s unconventional style and insightful metaphors engage and wow in a way few others could replicate.
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Director: David Yates The new series of the Harry Potter world, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is set in a pre-WWII America with a clash between a mysterious beast and the world. This film touches on modern political topics as well as those of yesteryear, showing a stark contrast of our world today. Newt Scamander arrives in New York from England on his way out west. However, a platypus looking creature escapes from his briefcase, leading to a mad chase for the creature, during which he accidentally takes a different briefcase as a muggle, Jacob, takes his. He is arrested by an American wizard, Tina. Some of the animals within Newt’s briefcase escape in Jacob’s apartment, and now Newt, Jacob, and Tina must hunt them down. All the while a mysterious, destructive beast called an Obscurus is wreaking havoc on New York. Newt’s beasts are blamed by the Magical Congress of the United States of America and he and Tina are sentenced to death, but manage to escape and set about capturing the Obscurus. This leads to a showdown as the Obscurus ravages New York and is eventually killed. The movie has amazing special effects, especially for the animals. It is good that it was done now instead of when the first movies came out is it would not do them justice. However, special effects is not magic (pun intended) and there are times when it should not be used. In the scene in the bar where Newt is bargaining with the Goblin, the goblin is plainly and rather unimpressively CGI. It is a rather disappointing feature of a beautifully created movie and there is still a place in the world for using actors and makeup and skilled craftsman, not just computers. Apart from this small detail, the effects were brilliant. Much of the conflict in the film relates with modern day struggles and those founded in the early twentieth century. The protection of animals is an incredibly obvious one. Many of the animals Newt has possession of are the last of their kind and he is working to bring them back from the edge of extinction. This parallels to the modern world with many animals struggling to survive. Fantastic Beasts also brings to light issues of domestic violence and suppression with Credence being brutally beaten and the wizards having to live underground in hiding for fear of being discovered. |
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June 2018
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