Spirited Away Film Review

1) Provide a description of the film. Discuss the plot and characters and how they influenced the film. Was the plot line or character development more important? Why?

Spirited Away, directed and written by Hayao Miyazaki is an animated film about a young Japanese girl, Chihiro, who stumbles upon a world of spirits and their bath house. Being the only human in this spirit world, she goes on a mission to rescue her parents. Along the way of fighting off evil spirits, like Yubaba and No Face, working in the bath house and for Kamajii, and eventually saving her parents, she develops friends along the way like Haku and Lin. For this particular film, I think that the plot line is what made the film more interesting, and therefore more important. The plot was super developed and had many creative twists and events that it kept the viewer engaged the entire time. Even though Chihiro’s progression as a character was important, the progression of the plot is what makes this film so successful.

2) Think critically about how the film was shot, directed, use of lighting, etc. What do you think was effective in the making of the film? What took away or could have been done differently to enhance the film?

I think that the choice to animate this film was very smart. By creating these outrageous spirits that have the ability to do the most unbelievable things, animation helps make the whole situation more dreamlike, which matches the film. If the film was acted out with actors, it would have been a lot different because it would have had to have a lot of special effects, and probably would not have been executed as well as the animation. Also, the music enhances and sound effects helped enhance the film because it added to the suspense and action.

3) What is your overall opinion of the film? Would you recommend it? Why/why not?

I absolutely love this movie. I saw it for the first time after it came out when I was younger, and think it is just a really neat film. I’m a fan other Miyazaki’s other movies because he has such an ability for creating such intricate fantasy worlds. Just watching the movie transports the viewer into this crazy world, and it’s really fun to be able to go there. Because of this, I would recommend this movie o others because it’s a really neat and fantastic movie. There are very few movies like it that I’ve seen before, so I think it’s definitely worth watching.

Short Films part 2

Two Men
1. This film was centered around the idea of a running person. We see a man sitting by a fence, and another man runs by. The man sitting goes into all of the reasons why you should never stop a running person because you don’t know your story.
2.I think that the characters were more important because what they had to say is what drove the film. The most important aspect was the narration, which came from the characters. It was less about the fact that a man was running and more about what they thought about the guy running. Part of what made this film so interesting is that you didn’t know the plot, and the reasons behind the running, which enhanced what the message behind it.
3. From this film, I took away the idea that you never know what’s going on in another person’s head. You can never assume what kind of situation they’re in, because there are so many different possibilities that might always be left a question mark.

Tokyo Glow

1. This film follows the journey of the white glowing man on the walk sign as he travels through Tokyo to find his light up glowing woman. As he travels through Tokyo slowly, everything else around him including cars and people is sped up, until he finally finds his lady friend.

2. In this film, the plot was more important because it's more about the idea that there is a person behind the walk sign than the person himself. What made the film special was the creative idea and following him through the busy lit up city, and not so much the walking guy himself.

3. From this film, I was able to really appreciate the cinematography that went behind it, as well as such a creative concept. I really liked how how everything was sped up except for the glow man because it gave the film a really cool feel. Also, the idea for it was super creative and really unique.

Short Films

1) 10 minutes

1) Provide a brief description of the film.

In this short film, it starts out with a Japanese tourist traveling around Rome looking for a place to develop his photos. He finds a place that does it in 10 minutes, so he drops off his film and looks at the time. It then goes to a Bosnia, where we see a poor family interact. They send the little boy out to do errands and as he does his errands, he is suddenly surrounded by violence and gun shots. He runs back to his apartment, to find that his parents have been killed. The film then goes back to the Japanese tourist who has waited the appropriate time to get his film. It shows how the 10 minutes for the tourist were safe and uneventful, but the 10 minutes for the family changed their lives.

2) What is the overall tone or mood of the film?

The overall tone or mood for this film is very sad. Watching a poor family struggle and eventually die in just 10 minutes leaves the viewer feeling upset and taken aback. Also, juxtaposing the tourist and everyone else have no idea what's going on makes the viewer feel almost guilty that we can be so unaware of all of the unrest and sadness in the rest of the world.

3) How does the dialog influence the film?

I liked how the dialog was in a different language with subtitles because it helped distance the viewer from the family even more so. It separates them from the viewer so that it makes the situation more drastic because even though its so nearby, it seems so foreign.

4) In what ways does the cinematography affect the film?

I think that following the young boy in just one shot definitely enhanced the movie because it made the situation seem more organic and in the moment as if we were following him and in the scene with him. Also, I thought that it was interesting how the scenes with the tourist were brightly light and had vivid colors, whereas the scene in Bosnia was very grey and dark, which definitely parallels the two life styles.

5) What scene or part of a scene do you like the best? Why?

My favorite part would have to be the scene where the little boy is running through town to get to his final destination. The fact that is was all one shot was very powerful to me, and it felt so real and almost like it was a documentary.

6) What is your opinion of the film?

I thought that this film was very powerful. I love the concept, especially how it plays with time. It gave me a whole new perspective on poverty and life, and how everything can change for some people in 10 minutes. Also, I think the film was done very well and I really enjoyed the cinematography.

New boy

1) Provide a brief description of the film.

This film follows a young boy, Joseph as an African immigrant in an Irish school. We watch him as he is introduced to the class and see the classes reactions. Two boys pick on him, and he deals with how to appropriately react. As we watch, we flashback to his school in Africa, and we see his teacher get taken away with a gun. When he is in the school yard, he is targeted and it reminds him of his teacher getting shot. He and the other boys get in a fight, and the teacher yells at them. However, the young boys bond over one of the other nerdy girls in the class, the and the film ends with the hope that they will be friends.

2) What is the overall tone or mood of the film?

The mood starts off sad and lonely. We see Joseph having to deal with not only feeling outcasted, but leaving behind a really good school setting where he was happy and thriving. It's hard to watch without feeling lonely or outcasted yourself because the story line in the beginning is sad. However, towards the end it starts to look up because he and the other young boys bond. The tone then becomes hopeful and relieved because Joseph begins to make friends, and he becomes happier.

3) How does the dialog influence the film?

The dialog influences the film because it helps tell the story. Without the dialog, it would be unclear what was going on, like the boys teasing him or the class reacting strongly to his race. Also, the dialog helps as a contrast the two cultures that he is exposed to because he goes from his African teacher to his Irish-accented teacher. However, the dialog really does drive the plot and tone because most of the emotions portrayed need to the dialog to make sense, whereas 10 Minutes, while the dialog helped, wasn't necessary to get the overall mood of the film.

4) In what ways does the cinematography affect the film?

The cinematography affects the film for the better because it adds dimension and makes it interesting. For example, it was really effective how it switched back from scenes of the 2 classrooms because it helped contrast them. Also, the lighting was very bright and cheery, which made the whole entire situation feel as if it was a flashback or kind of dreamlike. Also, I liked how in the scene in the school yard how the director focused in on the wall instead of Joseph's face at first because it paralleled the idea that there is a wall between Joseph and the other students.

5) What scene or part of a scene do you like the best? Why?

My favorite part of the film was the scene in the African classroom when all of the students were present. Seeing Joseph so lively and engaged in the classroom was really powerful, since the only exposure to him before was him sad in the Irish classroom

6) What is your opinion of the film?

I really enjoyed this film. Out of the three films, it was the most relatable for me since I was new this year. I had to deal with similar things, so all of the emotions that he was going through I felt as well. I also really like happy endings, so when he ended up having friends I enjoyed it even more.

Glory At Sea
provide a brief description of the film
This film shows one interpretation about life after Hurricane Katrina. Narrated by a young girl that had died, it shows how people in the community banded together to find some sort of happiness after the storm. Together, a group of eclectic individuals create a boat that they sail in order to find their loved ones whom they had lost in the storm. Some of the individuals included the reverend, the man who washed up, the little boy, the older woman, the dad, and many others.
what is the overall tone or mood of the film?
Even though the subject of the film is sad, the overall mood is more hopeful. These individuals have lost their families and friends, yet they find some happiness and joy in the small community they create. They find some happiness in all of the terrible sadness that engulfs their lives, and in the end, they end up back with their loved ones.
how does the dialog influence the film?
The dialog between the characters is minimal, so it doesn’t really influence this film all that much, except that one they do speak to one another it seems very important. However, one does influence the film more so is the narration by the young girl who had died. Having her voice tell the story of these individuals with so much wisdom is very powerful.
In what ways does the cinematography affect the film?
The music I thought was the most important cinematography aspect of the film. It really controlled the mood, and was reflective of the emotions and mood. I also thought that the lighting really helped develop the mood as well. It was interesting how it changed with the plot of the movie, like how in the beginning it was very light and dreamlike underwater, and then at the end it was darker.
What scene or part of the scene do you like the best? why?
My favorite scene was the last one, where the people reunited with their loved ones. I thought that it was so moving, especially since I’ve never been in that situation. Their loved ones died, and they were willing to sacrifice themselves to be with them.
What is your opinion of the film?
I enjoyed this film a lot. I liked how it took a different perspective on Hurricane Katrina, and showed a more positive and happy side to the disaster, being that it brought people together. I felt engaged the entire time while watching it, and thought that the storyline to it was cool and interesting.

First Post

My first favorite movie is Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I love the idea of it, the characters, and the overall feeling. Matthew Broderick I think was perfect for the role and made Ferris Buller an icon. Additionally, super funny and I really like comedies. Because of this, another one of my favorite movies is Zoolander. Although it's kind of silly, I think it's absolutely hysterical and Ben Stiller is really funny. I't's one of those super quotable movies where the one-liners are very memorable. Finally, Another one of my favorite movies is (500) Days of Summer. I love how creatively it plays with the concept of time, and the soundtrack to it is fantastic. Also, I love Joseph Gordon Levitt and Zooey Deschanel and thought they worked well together. The way they incorporated the cartoon element in that one scene with Joseph Gordon Levitt was really creative and cool.

In film studies, I hope to learn how to make well done movies because whenever I've had to make movies for class they have always been really poorly done. Also, I think that it will be interesting to learn about all of the little things that go into making movies since I don't really know how movies are made.

I'm not really sure what kind of movies that I'm trying to make. I'm more interested in the artsy aspect of movies instead of the dialog films, so maybe something more visually based. This appeals to me because I think for shorter films you can really focus in on the decisions made like lighting and music. In order to do this, I would like to focus in on all of the fine tuning to create something that I like.