Before iPhones became a thing, Steven Soderbergh decided to do filmmaking the old fashioned way…with a nonlinear plot, non-synchronous dialogue , and a lot of cockney. The basic plot for the Limey is an ex-con father flying to America to avenge his daughter’s death. There is a certain beauty to the way Soderbergh tells the story. He reminds the viewer over and over that this story has an end with this shot:

This shot at first seems like it is Wilson landing in America for the first time, but the look at his suit clued me in that this is actually from the ending of the story. This is also used with two other shots, one including the picture of Jenny, Wilson’s daughter, and with a flashback of Jenny holding the phone which is similar to her younger self holding a phone. The cuts between future, present, past, and back to present helps keep the audience in suspense and scrambling to figure out which part goes with which.

Overall, the story was very well driven, Terrence Stamp letting lose with cockney was a treat and Luis Guzmán was there too! The nonlinear plot got a tad bit stale, and the story of Valentine wasn’t panned out as well as it could have been. 7/10

Alfred Hitchcock. That name for a time needed only be attached to a movie and it would elevate the film to a higher level. Rear Window simply adds to Hitch’s suspenseful throne. This film was ripe with plenty of mise en scene moments, but the one that sticks out most to me is this photo: 

In the photo you see the protagonist, L.B. Jefferies (played by the iconic James Stewart) sitting next to the illustrious Lisa Fremont (played by the ever talented Grace Kelly). Jefferies is focused on the window adjacent to him that acts as his vantage point to the neighbor across the way. The audience can tell that Jefferies is fixated on something and they can also tell that Lisa is fixated too, on Jefferies. Behind the pair there is a window with the shade drawn. Behind the shade is a enamored couple and placing this behind the two acts as foreshadowing for their outcome at the end of the film.

Rear Window lives up to Hitchcock’s natural talent for suspense and keeps the film just at the tipping to keep the audience engaged. When the ending comes, it definitely shocks the viewer despite being obvious from the get-go.

9/10. Acting in it is very well chosen, but the variety of mise en scene is what propels the film forward.

Allow me to first start off by saying that in terms of movies, 1997 was a hit or miss. Moreover, it seems as though science fiction movies really dominated this year. Gattaca is an excellent example of this theory. With big 90’s names such as Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, and Jude “the one and only” Law sprinkled in the cast it was bound for success. Even with a star cast the writing and directing by Andrew Nicool rockets the movie to new heights.

Nicool will lated be known for his writing for the Truman Show, but you can see his later beliefs start to develop in Gattaca. Nicool uses this movie to really address the idea of perfect genetics. This new form of technology seems to make everyone blind to the presumptuous features such as race, sex, sexual orientation, and others like that. There is one and only one thing people judge you on…your genes. This is an interesting concept because it seems ideal but insanely warped because while people are being discriminated against, they physical features don’t matter.

Overall the plot follows a three act structure with the first act being the history of Vincent, the second act being after the murder and Vincent working to avoid being discovered, and the third act being Vincent confronting his brother one last time, tying things down with Irene and closing the chapter with Jerome. The final quote Jerome says to Vincent caused me to tear up as he told him “I lent you my body…but you…you lent me your dream.”

Overall, truly powerful film with a lot of social issues being discussed. 8/10

 

Let me start off first by saying that of all the 20th Century movie pioneers Charlie Chaplin is by far my favorite. The sheer amount of effort that is put into his movies shows through based on the sets, actions, and even the expressions. Chaplin uses visual story-telling very heavily for obvious reasons, number one being the fact that his film is a silent movie. This stems directly from his use of expressions as his “tramp” character. Along with the visual comes his use of special effects gags like the giant fan blowing him through the cabin acting as heavy storm winds.

The Gold Rush also illustrates early uses of the three-act story. The first act is Chaplin in the Wilderness and the Cabin, which is mostly visual gags, character gags, and prop-based gags. The second act takes place in the Town and shows the Tramp character interacting with other characters. The final act is half in the Town and half in the Cabin/Wilderness. Seeing this done, especially early on, illustrates that film started to take a turn to becoming story-based rather than documentary based.

Overall, Chaplin’s The Gold Rush is littered with gags and visual, vaudeville-esque jokes that have a clever twist put on them. Along with that it possesses a three act story that isn’t half bad and still holds up to this day.

The Gold Rush gets a solid 8/10 from me.

Oh Lucy! is an interesting movie to put it into plain terms. Off the bat the thing I appreciated about this movie is the visual transitions between the scenes. Even in the very beginning the scene does not change after the suicide until another train can be heard moving. Further on in almost every scene the transition happens either with a door opening, vehicle moving, or when Setsuko (Lucy) begins to move or walk. The transitions are subtle, but after further reflection I noticed it happening more and more.

Another thing of Oh Lucy! that stood out was the circular journey the Setsuko goes through. She begins her journey in a train station witnessing a man take his own life. Throughout this straight downhill or a cycle she somehow finds herself in another train station, but instead of witnessing a man take his life she sees herself perhaps start hers again with the real hero of this movie, Takeshi Komori (Tom). There is something about this circular journey that really elevates the movies story for me.

Finally, the thing I appreciate most about Oh Lucy! is the fact that she does not win. One can argue that her ending with Tom is a win for her, but Setsuko set out to California to be with John. She finds him and never once does John show interest in her. The closest thing was their moment in the car which ends with John basically telling her it was a mistake. She embarks on this journey to win the love of a man she just met and she does not get it. It was a bold choice from director and writer Atsuko Hirayanagi to create this movie where the protagonist does not get the thing she desires. I wholeheartedly believe that this choice sets her film apart from others following a similar story, and that’s the type of thing I want to see more of.

7/10 for overall rating. There were bits of the story that seemed over-the-top and I felt as though it dragged during the motel bits, but still an enjoyable film.