Sci-Fi movie review for work experience

GRAVITY – WOULD THAT ACTUALLY HAPPEN?

From launch, the outstanding cinematography in ‘Gravity’ was breathtaking, evoking that overwhelming feeling of realizing how insignificantly small we are.  The constant build-up of tension; silent space contrasted with panicked breathing, had a startling effect; translating the emotion of the two characters to the whole audience.

What put a ‘downer’ on the movie was that it was too ‘Hollywood’, therefore predictable. Although the threat of ‘running low on oxygen’ is a massive spacewalk danger, it rushed the tensest moments; the main character couldn’t suffocate in the first half hour! It's ratings plummeted after Ryan met the ISS (International Space Station for you uneducated lot). The unnecessary involvement of three space stations, which all met similar endings, was laughable; why does Hollywood insist on over-using these tediously similar scenes?! Stone must have pretty bad karma to be within the demolition of three space landmarks in one day!

So … is space actually like that? Real images from the ISS capture it much closer to Earth than ‘Gravity’ suggests. This is only a little quibble, but what really fired up those space-geeks was that, according to Newton’s Law of Motion, ‘every action has an equal and opposite reaction’. Basically, with a little push and shove, the two protagonists could’ve both reached the ISS effortlessly.

In fairness, hats off to those techies who did a remarkable job of representing zero-gravity whilst on Earth. It was thoroughly convincing and a massive reminder of our technological advancement, and the extreme talent of individuals in this industry; their skill certainly paid off.

The hype about ‘Gravity’ is understandable, but the film is too clichéd. Will we remember it in 5 years? Probably not – it definitely didn’t meet ‘2001 Space Odyssey’ standard. The final scene of Bullock strutting about on land was disappointing – prior to this she uttered a fantastic line, ‘there are only two possible outcomes; either I make it down there in one piece and have one hell of a story to tell, or I burn up in the next 10 minutes’ – at this point, the movie should’ve met an overwhelming finish, plunging fans and critics into intense debate – would she have survived? 

Thoughts on 'Divergent'

Divergent is the love child of ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘Mean Girls’ – you’ve got your strict governmental body who somewhat restrains the residents of the country in an effort to create a peaceful empire post-war, and then you’ve got the bitchiness of the clique-y factions, all of whom have 5 very different personalities. This doesn’t, however, mean that ‘Divergent’ didn’t bring something new to the movie world.

The intricate storyline was not only thought-provoking and exciting, but it was easily understandable and immediately provoked the audience to develop their individual theories and hopes for the plot’s continuance. The characters were well-developed and were far from the cliché protagonists that I would imagine. I loved the idea of having their fears tapped into, and it was very interestingly portrayed, making me think of what I would find in my hallucination (jellyfish, eyeballs and someone in the window as I pull back the curtain, I think!)

The downside of the movie, for me, was that some aspects of the story weren’t explained as much as I would have hoped. Now, perhaps this is because I haven’t read the books, but I would have liked to know more about Tris’s brother, Caleb, and why he decided to join the Erudite faction. It was a twist near the beginning of the movie which was never really quite explained. Also, I loved the catch that Tris’s mum was originally in Dauntless, but this could also have been elaborated more, but perhaps they’re saving it for a prequel!

Parts of the movie were pretty predictable, and the ending was disappointing because it was extremely cheesy! But despite this, I think I will give the books a go – I can see where sequels could lead to, and am pretty sure this will be a popular one of 2014!

Will you be following up the inevitable sequels to the Divergent movie? Tell me your thoughts in the comments!

Thoughts about 'Shrooms'

Tonight, I went round to my friend’s and was the first to arrive at his house. I naively asked him what movie we were going to watch, expecting (or rather, hoping) for a response such as ‘mamma mia’ or ‘you can choose, Louisa – as long as it’s a cheesy musical’. But no. With a smug grin, he thrusted a dreary looking trashy-horror film at me, and with disgust I read the blurb. I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover and all that, but it was called ‘Shrooms’ and was basically about a group of teenagers who experience a horrible trip after eating some mushrooms they find in the forest. Yeah, it’s as good as it sounds - find out for yourself here.

As soon as the others arrived, the host showed them the film and, typically, us girls all rolled our eyes and asked for the wifi code whilst the boys couldn’t wait to put it on.

As the film started, we immediately realised that the movie would bring more laughs than screams. At one point, it actually got a little bit good, when we were told about a ‘true story’ from the past which basically addressed the generic ‘something-bad-happened-now-people-die-here-and-are-found-mutated’ catch. It was actually quite scary, though (although I think this was provoked a little bit more by the fact that there was a really scary tree outside which kept swaying in the wind and making us jump).

As the climax built up, we gradually lost understanding of the storyline, although it wasn’t any good to begin with. Being a horror movie however, it had all of the right effects yet I don’t think these were executed to the best quality – the gore was very cliché and looked fake, and the ‘dark figure’ started off scary, but we saw too much of its face so it lost the mysterious and creepy element and the suspense therefore dropped. I think this was one of the main mistakes of the movie – showing the audience too much. Rookie error.

All in all, as far as trashy horror movies go, this was no different to the rest of them. One might describe the plot as ‘unique’ but to be honest, it was just stupid. Other elements of the storyline were actually quite gripping – such as the ‘horror story’ of the psychiatric men in the forest – yet the actual reflection of these in the film let down its potential. The film made us laugh a lot, particularly one of the characters who (we assumed) was supposed to scare the living daylight out of us. He was meant to be a psycho but my friend immediately saw a resemblance of Lennie from ‘Of Mice and Men’ in him, and from then on, none of us could take him seriously. Ironically, somebody spotted a dead rabbit hanging from the doorway of this character. I guess Lennie never got to tend to the rabbits in the end. The best part was the extremely unexpected catch right at the end. I won’t give it away but it did give ‘Shrooms’ the edge off other similar movies because it wasn’t as predictable as we had thought.

In summary, if you want a lazy night in with a couple of friends to have a laugh, rent this movie (don’t buy it – you probably won’t watch it again), but if you actually want a big scare and something to talk about for weeks after, I’d veer towards better quality horror films.   

What did you think about the film? Leave your comments below!

A (very long) The Trueman Show (for a piece of school work)

We all felt a bit paranoid after watching The Truman Show. What is real life? As Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey- Bruce Almighty) suddenly realises all is not what it seems in Sea Haven, we play along with the game; desperate for Truman to see what his life really is- a TV show. Ed Harris plays the determined and controlling Christof, owner of the controversial ‘fish-tank-like’ programme following the life of Truman, a television idol since birth. As we see the audience glued to their screens watching Truman’s every move, we realise how much power the media has in our modern world; this was the principal moral of the movie. Peter Weir is the real director of the film and he makes us feel that we are the audience watching the show, with occasional imperfect camera angles, discreet clues about the real world and special effects to add feeling to each scene but still keep the star of the show ignorant to his fame. Without much information on the storyline, only knowing that it was a sci-fi drama based around a TV show, my expectations were quite modest and it completely exceeded my predicaments, due to the clever methods of filming the show and the originality of the storyline.

Truman’s apparent normal life is suddenly thrown into confusion when he pieces together the small aspects that don’t seem to add up in his world. We watch him trying to overcome the discreet manipulation that the TV producers use to turn his ignorance into a high-rated show. I found the film very interesting and gripping, despite being borderline predictable and having a slow start. The climax was exciting and kept me on the edge of my seat, pleading for Truman to be granted justice and the ability to get out of Seahaven.

Jim Carrey does a fantastic job convincing the real audience that Truman is clueless about the show. He plays the character well, using good actions and facial expressions to portray the idea that Truman is suspicious and paranoid about his life. We sympathise with him because we see how innocent and genuine he really is, and how he has been controlled throughout his life. Laura Linney plays Truman’s wife, Meryl- she does a brilliant job in portraying her character as a bad actress, making a few slip-ups in keeping the secret quiet from Truman. Her facial expressions are unconvincing, forever reminding us that she is acting as Truman’s wife, tactfully edging away from him and remaining professional around him, never looking very comfortable. She didn’t gain any sympathy as it was her decision to trick Truman for her own benefit; she manipulated him and never took him seriously. Ed Harris (Christof)’s character is ambiguous to Truman; at the beginning, he plays a God-like figure to him, creator of his world. However at the end, we see that he has watched Truman’s whole life and feels protective and paternal over him. In the end scene, when Christof reveals everything, we realise he is upset to see him leave, his voice becomes softer and his words to Truman are fatherly. We can understand how Christof felt, wanting to keep Truman in Seahaven for longer, but I don’t sympathise with him. He might feel a love for Truman now, but originally he did it for entertainment purposes. In an interview, the interviewer says ‘Thanks for giving up so much of your precious time to talk to us’, Christof acts like this is a generous thing for him to do, but Truman has given his whole life up and Christof doesn’t realise how differently Truman could have lived without being on the show.

The scenes are shot in a very natural and interesting way. The settings are beautifully lit, always very bright and colourful with plenty of detail. The cameras are cleverly positioned; many are from specifically low or high angles, giving the feeling that Truman is being watched. It singles him out and makes him look alone, the only one who doesn’t know the truth behind his life. Sometimes the angles make him look smaller and more vulnerable. Many cameras are hidden in the costumes and sets. To show this, some edges are blacked out, giving the effect of a button or desk camera. Sometimes, with these angles, the cameras are very jolty and have more noticeable zooms. This portrays people purposely watching him. During Truman’s life, the technology improves. We see him as a baby staring at a mobile above his cot with a camera hanging off; as Truman grows, the cameras get more discreetly hidden and the shots less ‘perfectly’ placed and captured. In the last scene, as Truman steps out into the real world, we only see darkness, symbolising that he has been watched his whole life and now he should be free.

The soundtrack to the film is very subtle and natural. It means that Truman is always in the spotlight. Watching the film, I didn’t really notice much backing music, but when I did notice some, it added emotion and atmosphere to the feeling of the scene. It draws people in and the simplicity and sincerity of the melody added to the innocence of Truman.

This film is topical in our age of reality TV shows and celebrity personalities- it is often compared to George Orwell’s ‘1984’, which is similarly about being watched and lack of freedom. As somebody who enjoys watching reality TV and often reads Hello magazine, I completely understand how Truman was manipulated into a celebrity-shaped TV star for the public’s enjoyment. The last scene really links to real life, where the audience (previously gripped to their screens throughout Truman’s last shows) switch to another channel and have nothing else to say about the show’s dramatic finish. It portrays that fame isn’t forever and media is always forgotten. It shows that the audience only wanted entertainment, and didn’t care for the effect it had on Truman. I would recommend this film to anybody older than 12, who enjoy reading about celebrities and reality-life, because it gave me a great insight into how a celebrity must feel, being watched everyday; however I don’t think anybody younger would understand the concept, or notice the film’s subtle details.

The Truman Show was extremely cleverly written, and the storyline was enjoyable to watch. I would rate it an 8/10, because I haven’t ever seen a film like it and I thought the extra effort taken to see the film from interesting camera angles improved it lots; it lost out on 2 points because sometimes, it was quite slow moving and confusing.

Cinema trip to see 'The Wedding Video'

Last night I saw 'The Wedding Video' at the cinema with my friends. I didn't know much about it, I had only briefly glanced at the trailer (see the trailer here) however in all honesty, I was surprised at how good the film was!
Think 'The Hangover' and 'Bridemaids' and you will get a feel for what the film is like. The old 'wedding-goes-badly-wrong' film but with it's own unique feel.
The aspect I liked most was the fact that it was filmed by a non-professional, and this made some of the scenes very funny because it gave a very realistic impression of how differently people act on camera. Being interested in video-making myself, I found this particularly funny and interesting!
Despite the theme being done hundreds of times before, the story line was not as predictable or tedious as I would have expected and many of the sketches gave the audience genuine belly-laughs! (Although it has to be said, my biggest laugh came from the fact that my friend spilled popcorn all over the couple sitting in front of us, rather than a part in the film..!)
Perhaps the ending was a little cheesy for my liking, and some of the scenes dragged out a bit, but all in all it is definitely a film to recommend to anybody over the age of 13 (although it is rated 15!!!).