Flimmaking Stresses

 I think I am realizing that I am terrified of trying new things.

In the film course I'm enrolled in this year, we have to make an 8(ish) minute short film by the end of this month/term. This means that we have to find actors, locations, props, and possibly crew members all on our own. I, foolishly, decided to wait until our prof began to tell us more about how to go about doing this. I assumed she'd do so at the beginning of January, but when that didn't happen, I approached her about it at the end of January and she basically said we should be started on it already. She's rather unorganized. So, I have been trying to get actors. I wanted to be done by the official due date, February 27, but I'm fairly certain that won't happen. I have a few possible actors lined up, but I still need to find locations and just the thought of going up to whoever I need to to secure a place makes me want to just quit the course.

Why am I so afraid of a challenge? Why must I always be pushed before I can do anything?

I need to get my butt in gear if I'm even going to come close to finishing by the end of this month.

Another Update

I'm taking a break from movies this month for many reasons. Some of the reasons are to collect a list of films to review and to organize a rating system and when to view and rate them. If anyone wants to suggest a movie or two, please don't hesitate to comment below!

Top Ten Movies of 2014 (And a Few Movie-Goer Tips)

Well, a year has come and gone. I didn't stay 100% true to my challenge, there were some months/weeks where I was short on funds or didn't feel like venturing out into the cold just to see a film. But, that's ok. I saw a movie ALMOST every week for a year. That's good enough, right?

2014 was not a good year for movies. I decided at the beginning of the year that at the end of my challenge, I would make a top 5 or top 10 list out of all the films I saw. This is the list, but I'm not sure I'd call it a top 10 since these are the only movies that I actually truly enjoyed. Kind of sad, isn't it? Back when motion pictures were a new concept, there would be one film out a month, so they had to make sure it was a good one. Now, 6 films can come out in one week, and, most of the time, they all suck. I saw close to 50 movies, and I only really liked 10, and out of those ten, I'd probably only buy 3. 3 movies out of 50. That means that Hollywood has spent billions of dollars on at least 47 pieces of trash. And they'll do it again in 2015, I'm sure. I'm so disappointed in the work of the today's filmmakers.

Before I get into my movie list, I would just like to share with you some tips and pointers on movie-going that I've found.

• If you want the best seats, get to the theatre no later than 30 minutes before the showtime. I usually went an hour ahead and had to wait until they were letting people in, but I always got the seat I wanted!!
• Middle is best, but the middle of the 3rd last row is better (in my opinion). It's the Sweet Seat. You're high enough that you can see clearly, but not so high that you can't tilt your head back without getting an awkward view, and not so low that you get a sore neck from having it tilted back the entire time. 
• Best seating #2: far top corner. This seat depends on the theatre. If you are in a theater that is sloped rather steep, this is not a great seat. If your theatre is gradually sloped, however, this seat is almost as good as the Sweet Seat.
• Always, always, always, pee before the movie. always. No one wants to leave mid-movie for a pee break, especially when you've paid good money to see it and you can't pause it. Want if you miss the emotional death scene that you never saw coming?! always pee beforehand.
• Popcorn and peanut M&Ms taste really good when eaten together. Try and and tell me I'm wrong (you won't, because I'm not wrong).
• For movie snacks, go to dollarama beforehand and get whatever your tastebuds desire and can fit in your (or your friend's)bag/pockets. This is technically against the theatre's policy, but they never check, and this way you can save money and get a bigger package of your favorite snack and/or drink!
• When choosing a seat, try to sit one seat to the left or right of another person. Most people respect the unspoken rule of personal space and won't sit directly beside a stranger. If you sit in the row above and one seat over from someone, you have a better chance of the seat directly in front of you remaining vacant, which gives you a very nice footrest. 
•  If you are buying more than one ticket and using a Scene Card, make separate transactions. You get 10 points per transaction, not per ticket...I learned this the hard way...
• That being said, if you go to any place that accepts a Scene Card, bring a friend (or 2 or 3) that don't have a card themselves. You can give your card to your friend(s) when they buy their ticket(s), which will give them a discount, and you more points!! (1000 points gets you a free movie, remember?)

• Last, but not least, bring a sweater and/or jacket. Once you've found your seat, place said clothing onto one of the seats next to you. This creates a barrier and, unless the movie you are seeing is extremely popular and the theatre completely fills up, most people will not sit where your sweater/jacket is placed. I learned this from Olan Rogers.

There are my tips! I hope you find them useful and enjoy your movie-going even more with them in mind! Now, without farther ado, here is my list, in no particular order.

1. Into the Woods
                   Great plot, great music, great character development, great cinematography.
2. American Hustle
                   Great cast, phenomenal cinematography, fantastic soundtrack.
3. How To Train Your Dragon 2
                   Fantastic animation, suspenseful action, great plot twists, great storyline.
4. The Budapest Hotel
                   Great script, fantastic cinematography, very funny, great narration
5. The Judge
                   Great plot, great character development, great cinematography, great great, great!
6. A Winter's Tale
                    Great plot twist, great cinematography, fantastic script, good casting.
7. The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty
                   Wonderful cinematography, great directing, great soundtrack.
8. The Box Trolls
                    Great animation, great script, great characters and casting.
9. St. Vincent
                    Phenomenal character and plot development, good casting, very funny.
10. The Captive
                     Great storyline, great plot development, good suspense, great casting.

There you have it, your top movies of 2014. Of course, this is just MY personal opinion, and you are welcome to disagree with me (except for American Hustle. That was the best movie of the year, hands down, no discussion). I hope you enjoyed following me on this journey though film as much as I have enjoyed writing about it, and I hope you continue to read my reviews as continue to blog throughout 2015 (this time on new AND old films, I'm making a list). Happy movie-watching in 2015!!

Into The Woods

This was the best musical I've seen since Sweeney Todd. I loved it. Words can not describe how great this was. The casting, the lyrics, the script, the cinematography, everything was just golden!

If you haven't already, I recommend you see this fim.

I give Into The Woods an 9.5 out of 10.

Annie (2014)

Hmmm. I don't know how I feel about this. I grew up watching the one made in the 80s, with the pale-skinned, red-headed, freckle-faced kid that didn't let anybody (not even an old cranky billionaire) push her around. I didn't mind that they changed Annie's character, it made sense with the year they set it in. However some things didn't make sense. Some lines to the original songs they changed so it made more sense with the decade it was set in, but other lines or words they didn't when they really should have. I mean, they used the "Hard Knock Life" song and kept pretty close to the original. But, what does the phrase "hard knock life" even mean? Yeah, they briefly explained it, but why use that phrase at all? No kid in this decade would use that phrase, let alone know what it means. Also, they're cleaning up didn't make sense; who begins mopping before picking everything off the floor?? Not the best prop director, if you ask me.

I don't want to go into all the details about why I didn't like this film, because it really wasn't a bad film. It was definitely better than the last remake Hollywood attempted (Annie (1999)), and let us never speak of THAT again!!

Annie (2014) does NOT compare to the original, but let's be honest - nothing ever will.

I give Annie 7 out of 10.

Penguins of Madagascar

Pretty funny movie. The villain, Dave (Kevin Malkovich) reminded me of Megamind a bit, but that's ok I guess. They did write themselves into a corner at one point. If all they needed to turn the penguins cute again was something of immense cuteness, why did Dave have to create a serum to make them monsters? Couldn't he have just used something of immense monstrosity to take away their cuteness? Really, Private (Christopher Knights) should have stopped Dave before any of the penguins got shot with the serum.

The jokes were also kind of dead by the time I saw them in the theatre. The parts that were suppose to be the most funny had been in the previews so I was completely desensitized to them. However, I did enjoy Dave's clever name-dropping throughout the film. The first one everyone noticed, of course, but I don't think many noticed the others he through out there. It made me chuckle.

I give Penguins of Madagascar 5 out of 10.

Update and thingsssss

I am so sorry, you guys! It's exam period again, so things have been really busy. Also, christmas, so this have also been really broke. Hopefully, next week I can find some time to see something in theatres. Be patient, my friends!!

Big Hero 6

I've been looking forward to this movie for quite some time and, to be honest, I was a bit disappointed. Oh, sure, it was a good film, but it lacked originality.

First, the 6 characters resemble The Avengers quite obviously. I mean, the design of Baymax (Scott Adsit) 's super suit was pretty much a complete copy of Ironman. Also, the fact that Hiro (Ryan Potter) pretty much rides him like a dragon is kind of a copy of How to Train Your Dragon. They also have a similar bond to Hiccup and Toothless #Unoriginality

Second, I'm PRETTY sure the villain is either a copy, or maybe just a reference, to one of the bad guys in Star Wars (can't saw which one because I actually haven't seen the films....). Also, on a side note, THAT IS A FREAKING CREEPY VILLAIN FOR A CHILD'S FILM, DISNEY!!!!! And that sparrow symbol was a direct copy of the Mocking Jay film/book's symbol!!

And, third, failed teleportation? I'm pretty sure something like that happened in a game called PORTAL. Also, it kind of looked like that futuristic battle teleportation television show that was on in the 90s....what's it called? Stargate? Something like that. Anyway, No originality.

On the plus side,the characters where decently rounded, and the plot flowed nicely. Although they focused on Hiro and Baymax, the divided the rest of the character-focus equally amongst the other 4. Also, there was a significant moment where I thought they may have written themselves into a corner, or forgotten something that resulted in a flaw within the story, but they found a way out of it rather gracefully, so there's that.

I can't decide if I liked Big Hero 6 or not. although there were definitely parts I really liked, there are aspects of the film that just make me angry. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's unoriginality,especially when it comes to film. Disney has become such a disappointment to me, lately.

I give Big Hero 6 6 out of 10.

The Judge

I don't think this is even in theatres anymore, which is really unfortunate because it was good enough to be placed onto my top 10 of 2014 list. The moment it is either on DVD, BlueRay, or Netflex, you all need too watch it because, holy guacamole, it was - IS - fantastic!!

The cinematography was wonderful. Very unique, at times, but it worked. How it was shot gave the audience a clear view of the plot, the details of the characters and scenes, what a specific character may have been thinking in certain scenes, it was just all around GOOD.

Hank Palmer (Robert Downey, Jr.) was a rather deep character, and Downey does an amazing job playing it off. This film has allowed me to respect him as an actor on a whole new level. Moments where Downey was crying in a scene, or holding back tears, I fully believed Hank was genuinely crying or wanting to cry. The realness was just so beautiful.

If I had to pick a favorite moment, it would have to be the very last shot of the very last scene. Hank is in the courtroom, after the trial had finished, he goes up to the judges chair and spins it around. As it spins, he stands there, staring at it. I honestly wondered if the chair would ever stop, but as it spun, it was almost like I could see the gears turning in Hank Palmer's head as he continued to star at the gradually slowing chair. I knew that he was contemplating whether or not HE should be the town's judge. As the chair slowed and eventually ceased, it stopped with the seat of the chair open towards Hank, as if to invite him in. That, mixed with the look on Hank's face, told me that he had just made his decision. BOOM. That's good filmmaking!!

I could say so much more, and I really should have written this last week so that I could recall all I wanted to share about this film. It was just so good, honestly, one of the best I've seen. Please, watch it.

I give The Judge a 10 out of 10

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

I wanted to see The Judge, but the person I went with had no interest in that, so we saw this instead. I had wanted to see this, but I didn't expect the humour to be AS forced as it was. Yes, it was funny, but there were moments where it was just way too extreme to be a realistic scenario, and I really hate when movies do that; you're not a cartoon, don't try to be.

Over-all, I didn't mind the film. It was funny and Steve Carrell, as usual, was hilarious. The main kid bothered me a bit, mainly because of how he talked, but that's not a big deal. I did, however, enjoy the last scene during his birthday party. I'd recommend the movie just for that along ;)

I give Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day a 5.5 out of 10.

St. Vincent

I meant to post this a while ago, but I've just been so busy that it slipped my mind! Anyway, you guys are in for a treat. I was able to see an advanced screening of St. Vincent a couple weeks ago, and I'm telling you, it was amazing! Absolutely beautiful writing, the dialogue, the story, how the plot worked out, just beautiful.

I really don't want to give too much away, since I went into it assuming it'd be a comedy. I'd like you all to be able to go into the theatre with your own idea of what to expect. Basically, Bill Murray is great. His character is basically a jackass, but has a good heart. The kid he befriends is basically a reflection of Bill Murray's character, which I think is brilliant. I loved everything about this film...except the first shot of the opening scene, that I could have gone without.

It comes out October 24th, GO SEE IT!!!!!

I give St. Vincent an 8.75 out of 10.

The Boxtrolls

The detail put into this film is amazing. I absolutely loved it. I don't think many fully appreciate all the tedious work that has to go into a stop-motion film. Anyway, this was one of the best films I've seen this year, stop-motion or not!

I loved how the dialogue was in this film. The trolls had their own language (which was many gibberish) but instead of adding subtitles whenever they communicated, they used the magic of cinematography to translate what they were saying, and it worked beautifully! I never had to ask myself "what's going on here?" or, "what are they saying?" I understood everything, and the only English words they used were the names they had for one another (Like "Fish," or "Eggs."

Speaking of cinematography, the cinematographer of The Boxtrolls is fantastic. Not only that, but the set up for the scenes was amazing!! So much physics were involved in the making of this film!! I LOVED IT!!

The characters were great. The villain couldn't have been more villainy, you just knew he was the villain by looking at him. And, for once, the villain's henchmen were not complete idiots; they were actually quite intellectual beings who believed they were doing the right thing the entire time! Their banter was great, the dialogue between the two of them was just splendid. They were such adorable characters! The main characters, Eggs (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) and Fish (Dee Bradley Baker), we the cutest things! The relationship they shared was just beautiful. Honestly, I have never been more in love with characters in a cartoon (ish) film before.

This was an all around fantastic film and I order everyone to watch it.

I give The Boxtrolls 9 out of 10.

The Maze Runner

Wow. This...this was good. Suspense. Mystery. Twists. Action. Definitely recommend (I'm sorry, there really isn't much I can say without giving away parts of the film).

8 out of 10.

The Drop

This was a bit slower-paced than I had expected. That's really the only thing I didn't like. There were twists, though, and details that added to the suspense. That was cool.

I liked the little side-story with the dog and how they tied it into the main story. The female love-interest, however, could have been a stronger focus. I didn't quite feel for her what I should have, she seemed almost unimportant until the very end. Also, there was a moment were, based on a previous detail shown, I was able to predict something that was about to happen. I LOVE when writers do that in a suspenseful way!

The cinematography was beautiful. How some of the clips were transitioned together was fantastic, I really have no way to describe it.

This is a short review because I saw it 3 weeks ago and it's no longer fresh in my mind and I'm too lazy to go into full detail.

I give The Drop a 6 out of 10.

The Captive

I have three reasons for you to see The Captive:

(1) Ryan Reynolds.
(2) Ryan Reynolds with a beard.
(3) Ryan Reynolds with a beard in plaid.

If those aren't good enough for you, then allow me to share some other elements of the film There may be slight spoilers, so if you'd rather not read on, just know that this was a pretty great film and I'd recommend you watch it.

First, the cinematography was beautiful. I believe it was shot in Canada, around the Niagara Falls area, and it's just beautiful. There were some interesting shots as well,, like in one scene, the main antagonist, Mika (Kevin Durand), is sitting in front of a computer monitor, having a video conversation with Cass (Alexia Fast), who is in a locked room. The camera is at his back, so the audience can't see his face, but there is a mirror beside the monitor angled in such a way that the camera can see his reflection. Genius blocking.

The film went out of order, showing scenes from before Cass went missing to years afterwards and back to before. There was one scene where a detective went to ask some business man some questions about a police officer that had gone missing. She had been working on Cass' case, and there seemed to be some sort of romantic connection between this woman and the detective (which is confirmed in a later scene). It then goes back to before the woman was missing and goes in order up to when she was kidnapped. I love when films are directed this way! It keeps me interested and engaged in what's going on.

To be completely honest, I assumed The Captive would be like any other missing-person movie (a.k.a. all the Taken films) and I was really only interested because of Ryan Reynolds (I mean, come on. It's Ryan Reynolds), but, I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed this film.

I give The Captive 7.5 out of 10.

Oh, Dear.

No movies for me this month. I discovered a plumbing problem in my bathroom, so I'm really broke this month. Also, school started up again, so I have to focus on that as well. Hopefully, next month will be better!

The Giver

I should have posted this days ago, but I've been kind of lazy, as well as preoccupied with other things.

Apparently, this is based on a book that I didn't even know existed. Anyway, I really enjoyed the film. This review is going to be short and sweet because I don't want to go into detail about it (mainly because you should just go see it). The cinematography was beautiful, and I'm certain they used real life footage of events that actually happened throughout history. That was a nice touch. Brenton Thwaites (Jonas) did a marvelous job reacting to the things his character saw/experienced. How would one react to seeing an elephant for the first time? Especially if they only learned their existence moments prior? Great acting on his part, honestly.

Read the book, see the film, whatever, just partake in this thrilling and beautiful story.

I give The Giver 7 out of 10.

Guardians of the Galaxy

This was such a good film. I was interested in it because it looked funny and dumb, but it was better than I had thought it would be. I had been hearing nothing but good things about it since it first came out, and some had compared it to The Avengers (which worried me, to be honest, since that is a film major's nightmare), but it was good.

I loved the sci-fi feel Guardians of the Galaxy has. At times, I felt like I was watching a Star Trek film, which was cool, even though I've never been into that sort of thing. The never explained WHY Ronan (Lee Pace) wants to destroy Zonar (I think that's the name of the planet Nova is on), unless they did and I missed it, so that bothered me. I also didn't like how most of the best jokes were included in the previews, so they weren't as funny as they should have been. I liked how they tied in his sentiment towards his deceased mother, though. Peter Quill, also known as Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) carries with him a mixed cassette tape (for those youngins out there reading this, a cassette tape is a device that records audio onto a thin, skinny film that's wrapped up inside) that holds a collection of his mom's favorite songs. There were a few other things that tie in, but I don't want to spoil anything for those interested in watching it, so I'll keep those to myself.

One thing I really didn't like was that, at the beginning, it looked REALLY CGI. They probably used a bit of that so they could make it into a 3D movie. I really don't understand Hollywood's obsession with 3D. It's annoying. Wearing glasses are annoying. Our eyes get damaged enough watching a movie in the dark, I don't want to cause them any more pain by making them focus on virtually made 3-dimensional images. Fortunately, my eyes soon adjusted to the odd animation and it no longer looked CGI-ish shortly after the beginning credits rolled.

The soundtrack was fantastic, I sang along to almost every song! Also, side-note, Chris Pratt is a babe.

I give Guardians of the Galaxy 7 out of 10.

Lucy

Do not see this film. I have never before wanted to walk out more than during this movie. Lucy was a total let-down. I was terribly frustrated with the logic behind the plot; it didn't make sense and was unrealistic. Also, there were multiple scenes where semi-important information was left to the imagination, rather than being properly explained. Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) was, at first, made out to be what I would have assumed was a ditzy blonde, but then she didn't play the part. The story also dragged. Honestly, I wanted to walk out before it was even half way through. I was not impressed.

I did, however, enjoy some parts of the cinematography. At one point, Lucy gets kidnapped and they show shots of her being pursued and caught by a group of large men and that of a female elk being preyed on by a pack of cheetahs. The similarities between the two situations were astounding; I loved it.

I give Lucy a 2.5 out of 10.

The Fault In Our Stars

I saw The Fault In Our Stars today. I did not want to see it (this is becoming a regular thing, it seems). However, I certainly do not regret seeing it, and now I wish to read the book!

Looking at the story itself, it is a beautiful movie. It's very realistic, which I almost don't like, but I believe I would dislike it more if the characters all had a happy ending. The casting was great, in my opinion. From the cinematography point of view, there were some moments I absolutely loved. One of my favorites was when Augustus (Ansel Elgort) and Hazel (Shailene Woodley) and finishing off their date. The signify this by first showing a shot of his empty dessert plate, then a shot of hers, all the while they are having a conversation voiced over. Beautiful! I love when directors do things like that.

The Fault In Our Stars was great, and, for once, something deserved the hype that it got! I didn't want to see this because it looked overrated, cheesy, and had been done before (aka A Walk To Remember), but it was different; it truly is as good as everyone is saying, and it's not cheesy at all. Of course, it has it's cheesy moments, sure, but it is so full of heart.

I give The Fault In Our Stars 7 out of 10.