Archive for the ‘Cinematography’ Category

Eclipse, The Twilight Saga

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Directed by David Slade

Since we are in Canada, and we saw many posters and trailers on tv for the movie Eclipse, we found out that it came out a week earlier here in Canada than back in Ireland. So today we went to the closest cinema and went to see it.
Do I even have to bother telling a synopsis of the Twilight Saga? By now, it has become as encrusted in our history as the discovery of America. But still, I guess some people just don’t know that yet, and they have no idea what Team Edward and Team Jacob means, and have no idea who Bella, the Cullens, and Charlie are. Well, I’ll do a synopsis anyway, to promote this excellent movie.
Bella is reunited with her love and vampire Edward Cullen after the problems seen in New Moon. They resume their lives where they left off and live happily, even with the ridiculous curfews Charlie sets as punishment for Bella (and Edward). Problems soon arise though, and Bella is forced to try and calm with the rivalry between her vampire boyfriend and her werewolf best friend, Jacob. Another graver problem comes, forcing the vampires and the werewolves to work together. Someone is creating a vampire newborn army in Seattle, which later revealed is an army created to destroy Bella, and the Volturi take their time to sort the problem out, but once they do come, they will visit Bella, and if she is still a human, there may be some grave consequences. With dangers at all sides, Bella still has to cope with Jacob, who tries desperately to make Bella realise her feelings for him before her graduation, before she becomes a bloodsucker.
I enjoyed this movie, and although some people critiqued the fact that it was more action than romance, I believe it was a healthy balance of both. There was quite a lot of kissing, and a lot of scenes with just Bella and Edward, and just Bella and Jacob, but there was also a very active battle scene, and some great special effects werewolf wise. The humor was also very good, some jokes making you lol, while some making you rofl. *Spoiler Alert* My favorite joke was just before the battle scene, when Edward, Bella, and Jacob are in the mountains camping, and Bella is very cold. Edward at first objects to the idea of Jacob lying with her to warm her up, but Jacob of course then adds a remark: “You know, she may need her toes someday. And you have to admit, I am hotter than you are.” Everyone in the room rofl-ed. *Spoiler Alert Finished* Most of the funny bits were generated by either Jacob, Jacob – Edward rivalry, or Charlie.
Even if I think this movie is awesome and I want it on Blu-ray, there were a few things that I disliked. There was the scene in the book, when Edward proposes on one knee and Bella finds out he is trying to protect her virtue (when they have the Cullen house to themselves), that I found was not expanded and explained enough in the movie. To someone who has not read the book, I think the scene would have been a little bit confusing, or at least less important, when it is actually a very contributing piece of the story. This is just one example of some scenes and details I think were important enough to have been included in the movie.
Overall, it is a great movie, even if compared to the book, some bits are missing.

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Sherlock Holmes (2009)

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Sherlock Holmes is a movie which was based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s character of the same name. It was directed by Guy Ritchie and stars Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock. The movie does not follow a particular book, but there are many allusions, quotes, and characters from the series of novels written. It starts with Holmes and his companion, Dr. John Watson, who catch a criminal, Lord Blackwood. Lord Blackwood, claimed user of dark magic, had killed five women, and he was to be hanged for his crimes. The general public are all afraid of him and what he could do. Once Blackwood is hanged and Watson declares him dead, Sherlock and Watson deal with their other problems. Watson intends to get married, but Holmes detests the idea of losing his companion, and throughout the movie, he does random attempts to sabotage the relationship. Also, Holme’s only enemy who escaped him, but also the only woman he ever loved, Irene Adler, is back in town and he knows something is coming. His notices that Blackwood was caught too easily, and once a gravedigger sees Blackwood rise from the dead, Holmes starts investigating what might be his biggest case.

I really enjoyed this movie, the actors are all unique and yet blend in together in a comically ironic film. I have only read one or two of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s books (I intend to read more), but I found Robert Downey Jr.’s performance to be sublime. As always, he turned into a generally funny, ironic, and sometimes crazy character. Jude Law (Watson) was also a very good actor. He portrayed a different version of Watson than what is commonly known. I always pictured Watson and Holmes to be polite, and respective to each other, however, in the movie, it is the complete opposite. When they are not fighting bad guys, they are fighting each other. They are more like rivalrous siblings. They have many funny, and pointless, arguments.
I also enjoyed the special effects in the movie, i.e. the recreation of an old London, with dirty muddy streets, and many of the historical buildings there is too see in London now are shown while under construction. I really adored this film, and I could watch it again and again. There is, however, one little detail I didn’t like about this movie (isn’t there always?). Being bilingual, I thought I would not need the subtitles for a scene in French between a huge French bad guy, and Holmes. I understand that Holmes would have an accent while talking in French, and would not really be able to pronounce the sounds properly, however, the giant, supposed to be a Frenchman, had the worst French ever. It made the scene look fake and I was amazed that I actually needed the subtitles for the giant because I couldn’t understand a thing, even when I could comprehend Robert Downey Jr. I have to say, it was a little disappointing detail.

The end of the movie does imply a sequel, and the director had already taught about whether to do a sequel or not. All the main actors agreed to come back for a second round, and the next one is currently in pre-production. Let’s hope it comes out so I can watch it and give it a review!

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Making a Jelly Candle; Using Time Lapse

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My New Camera

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Le Gendarme à Saint-Tropez

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Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez est une comédie française réalisée par Jean Girault. C’est le premier volet d’une série de six intitulé ‘Le Gendarme’. Louis de Funès, alias Ludovic Cruchot le gendarme principal, est muté à Saint-Tropez avec une promotion. Il arrive avec sa fille, Nicole, qui est émerveillée par l’animation de cette ville. Elle s’amuse beaucoup plus que quand elle était dans son tout petit village, mais elle n’est pas encore acceptée par les jeunes de son âge. Pour faire partie du groupe, elle prétend être la fille d’un milliardaire qui habite sur le plus beau yacht du port. Pendant ce temps, son père et le reste des gendarmes essayent plusieurs façons pour prendre des nudistes la main dans le sac.

J’ai adoré ce film. Il y a des blagues et des effets sonores très rigolos. De temps en temps, on découvre des références à d’autres films, mais plus on le regarde, plus on trouve de tout petits détails. Il s’avère que l’humour de Louis de Funès est excellent, et la chanson ‘Do you Do you Do you Saint-Tropez’ (extrait du film) est très entrainante. L’histoire aussi est bien, même si elle est prévisible. C’est une très bonne comédie, et je crois vraiment que c’est un grand classic de la filmographie française. Le début du film commence en noir et blanc, accentuant le fait que la vie dans le petit village n’était pas très amusante. Dès que le Gendarme Cruchot et sa fille arrivent à Saint-Tropez, la couleur apparaît, ce qui signifie que des choses beaucoup plus intéressantes vont se passer dans la vie de ces personnages.

C’est le seul épisode, à part ‘Le Gendarme se Marie’, que j’ai vu. Je serais bien intéressée de les voir tous. Voici la liste complète de la saga:
-Le Gendarme à Saint-Tropez
-Le Gendarme à New York
-Le Gendarme se Marie
-Le Gendarme en Balade
-Le Gendarme et les Extra-terrestres
-Le Gendarme et les Gendarmettes

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Crueldad Intolerable Critíca

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Está película es de los Estados Unidos, dirigida por los hermanos Coen. Yo le veía en Español.
Miles Massey es un exitoso abogado especializado en casos de divorcios millonarios. Su cliente, Rex Rexroth, es un hombre adinerado. Rex está casado con la inteligente y hermosa Marilyn Rexroth. Miles se enamora de Marilyn, pero cuando Rex gana el divorcio, y Marilyn no se le da nada, ella empieza a buscar de dinero y la gloria. Busca el dinero de Miles utilizando su seducción y inteligencia. ¿Puede conseguir el dinero de Miles, sin caer en el amor a sí misma?

Me gusta esta película, porque es una comedia romántica. El humor es muy bien y la historia es muy cautivante. Recomiendo está película.

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8 Femmes: Critique

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Ce film, réalisé en 2001 par François Ozon, raconte l’histoire d’une famille qui s’apprête à passer Noël ensemble dans leur grande maison bourgeoise. Cette famille est constituée de sept femmes et d’un homme. Marcel, le seul homme de la famille, dort tard ce matin. Quant aux femmes, elles s’activent dans la maison. Gabi, l’épouse de Marcel, ramène leur fille Suzon, de la gare. Chanel, la gouvernante, prépare des brioches pour le retour de Suzon. Louise, la jeune bonne, prépare le déjeuner de Monsieur. Mamie, la mère de Gabi, fait une sieste, et Augustine, la soeur de Gabi, chipe une ou deux brioches pour les manger dans sa chambre. Catherine, la plus jeune fille de Gabi et Marcel, est dans sa chambre peut-être en train de lire. Pierrette, la soeur de Marcel, arrive plus tard dans la journée. Tout semble tranquille, sauf lorsque la bonne apporte le déjeuner au lit de Monsieur. Elle le trouve mort dans son lit avec un couteau planté dans le dos. Comme les chiens n’ont pas aboyé cette nuit, elles savent toutes que personne de l’extérieur n’a pu tuer Marcel. Qui d’entre elles l’a tué?

Ce film est très compliqué, on ne comprend pas tout la première fois. C’est une comédie musicale, et toutes les femmes ont leur propre chanson. J’ai bien apprécié ce film, même si parfois on ne comprend pas tellement. Il y a beaucoup de suspense, et la fin est inattendue.

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Edward Scissorhands Review

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This movie, directed by Tim Burton, was released in 1990. Peg Boggs is a door-to-door make-up sales person who is having a bad day, and she decides she could try the old creepy mansion on top of the hill. There she enters into a beautiful garden, making her think that someone does live here. She enters into the attic and discovers this man (named Edward) with scissors for hands. She takes pity on him and brings him to live with her in her suburban neighborhood. She takes him in as one of the family, and soon he becomes quite useful in shaping hedges and landscaping the neighbor’s gardens. He then does dog hairstyles, soon after switching to human haircuts. Kim, Peg’s teenage daughter, starts to feel accustomed to having Edward around, and Edward, from the moment he had seen Kim, he had fallen in love with her. Except that now, the neighborhood starts to see a dangerous side to his razor sharp ‘scissor fingers’, and Edward has to deal with all the new emotions he feels, plus the growing mob of people who disapprove of his special condition.

I enjoyed this movie because it has beautiful music (from Danny Elfman), and it is a very moving and yet unoriginal story. Moving in the sense that it is a heartfelt tale of unexpected love, but unoriginal in the sense that a ‘monster’ shows up, he falls in love with the beautiful girl, but is chased away by the angry mob. Apart from this, there is some humour if you can see it, but it is mostly a ‘romantic tragedy’. I definitely recommend this movie.

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Atrapado en el Tiempo Crítica

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Atrapado en el tiempo (Groundhog Day) es una película estadounidense dirigida por Harold Ramis. Es una comedia romántica. Phil Connors es un meteorólogo de una cadena de televisión. Es el dia antes del dia de la marmota, y dos periodistas (Larry y Rita) y Phil van a Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Phil odio la marmota, y su dia, porque todos los años Phil va a Punxsutawney. Pero este año no es el mismo. El día se repite. Phil revive el día de la marmota todas las días. Al principio, hace cosas locas, porque sabe que no hay una mañana, pero Phil se enamora de Rita. Todos los días Phil aprende más sobre Rita. ¿Pero como puede vivir Phil, si Rita no recuerda ayer?

Me gusta Bill Murray (Phil). Creo que es un buen actor, especialmente como Phil. La película es muy bien, hay humor, y un poco de tristeza. Es un poco viejo (1993), pero es un clásico. Usted tiene que verlo.

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Critique: Les Visiteurs

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Ce film est une comédie dirigée par Jean-Marie Poiré. Comte Godefroy de Montmirail était un brave seigneur. En sauvant la vie du roi, il fut récompensé par une épouse, Dame Frénégonde, dont il était amoureux. En passant par la forêt pour rejoindre sa promise, il rencontra une sorcière. Il la captura et comptait bien la faire brûler en arrivant dans son château. Quand son domicile arriva en vue, il ordonna à son escuier, Jacquouille la Fripouille, de l’aider à changer de vêtements. Pendant ce temps, la sorcière mit une potion dans la gourde d’eau. Après que Godefroy ait bu dedans, il vit des formes bizarres. À cause de cette potion, il tua le père de Dame Frénégonde parce qu’il le prit pour un ours. Du coup, il ne se maria pas. Il fallait un magicien pour trouver une solution à ce probleme. Le mage proposa de transporter Godefroy dans le passé, pour revenir au moment où il tua le père de Frénégonde. Lui et Jacquouille burent une potion magique et ils disparurent quand le sorcier eu dit les mots magiques. Après leur disparition, le mage se rendit compte qu’il avait oublié un ingrédient, et Godefroy et Jacquouille se retrouvèrent dans le future. Ils essayent maintenant de trouver une solution pour retourner à leur époque.

J’ai apprécié ce film parce qu’il est très amusant. Il y a beaucoup d’humour et de suspense, quelques effets spéciaux, mais aussi de l’amour et du courage. Il y a eu deux autres films après celui-ci, un étant une suite du premier et l’autre étant un remake du premier film situant la scène à New York. Ce film est très divertissant, et je vous conseille de le voir.

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