Super 8- The Cinematic Elements

Super 8 is a sci-fi  thriller what was directed by J.J. Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg. Following it's release in 2011, it was honoured with with numerous award nominations, most of which were for the acting. Instead of critically watching this film for the purpose of writing a review, I looked for the cinematic aspects it had to offer. The cinematic aspects are the features of the movie that can only be achieved by film making, for example, editing, C.G. effects and camera angles.

The most obvious cinematic quality of this film is the lens flares. They were used a lot in the scenes that were set at night. A specific example would be the train crash scene. Due to the fact that lens flares are like "breaking the forth wall" because they cause the audience to remember that they are watching a film and are not part of it, lens flares are rarely used. J. J Abrams though, is not at all afraid to incorporate them in his films. He is famous for his use of this technique and therefore it is no surprise that this movie is full of them!

                           

The cinematography was very well done in this movie. Lots of different camera techniques were used but I can only talk about a couple of them. Close-up shots were often used to show case the superb acting of the young child stars. This especially occurred when Alice and Joe were together, like the scene where he "turns Alice into a zombie". The children in the movie also road around on bikes (which the actors say they actually got to keep after filming) quite a bit, so dollying was done to effectively and smoothly film them. 

As for sound, there was tense music throughout the film that would set the mood and create suspense. That was the only nondiegetic sound that I noticed. The rest of it was diegetic and lots would have had to be added on during post production, like the explosions and sound that the mystery cube made.  

Some may argue that the computer generated effects in this film were nothing special or new, but I didn't have a problem with them at all. There were some pretty big scenes in which computer generation was heavily used and it did the job! I thought that the train crash was extremely realistic and I felt like I was a part of the action. I personally wasn't a big fan of the ending, but regardless of the story, the C.G. effects made the unlikely event seem real! 

From a cinematic point of view, this was a very strong movie. It was very enjoyable to watch! 

True Grit

The film True Grit, a western that was written and directed by the Coen brothers, is a remake of the 1969 adaptation of the 1968 novel of the same name. The Coen brother's version was released in 2010 and was nominated for ten Academy Awards.

Fourteen year old, Maddie Ross, hires Rooster Cogburn, the "toughest" marshal working on the Indian Territory, to help her to avenge her father's death by finding his killer, Tom Chaney. Meanwhile, Texas Ranger LeBeouf is also searching for the same man because there is a bounty on him for killing a Texas state senator. The two men want to team up together and help each other but Maddie is unhappy with this due to the fact that she wants Chaney to be killed in Arkansas for the murder of her father, not in Texas for the death of the senator. Despite her discontent and the fact that the two men tried to leave he behind, the three of them set off on their quest. After a couple fall outs between the two men and a few gun fights, Ross finally comes face to face with Chaney.

The film defiantly has traditional western genre characteristics, like the characters' desire for justice and the setting of the wilderness of the American west. I found the plot line to be very ordinary and nothing special, the rising action was slightly dull with small spurs of excitement and humour and (spoiler alert, highlight to read) the killing of Tom Chaney did not come with the victorious feeling I was expecting to experience. That in mind, I personally do not find westerns to be my favourite genre of movie because the brutal killings and the story line (usually) does not excite me. What made up for a bit of my boredom though, was the ending. Endings are really important to me because when I'm happy with the ending, I find that the movie was much more worth while. Some may argue that the ending was uninteresting, but I thought that it was extremely appropriate and realistic and wrapped up the story in a satisfying way.

I would also like to recognize Hailee Steinfeld for her Academy Award nominated performance in this film. I completely understand why she was nominated because her portrayal of Maddie Ross was phenomenal and some of the best child acting I've seen. Her role defiantly improved this film, along with that of her more experienced co-stars Matt Damon and Jeff Bridges.

I definitely recommend this film to people who enjoy westerns! Others, who may not be so fond of this genre can still find impressive aspects in this film, but like me, will most likely find themselves completely uninterested in some parts.

North by Northwest

North by Northwest is a 1959 film directed by the "master of suspense", himself, Alfred Hitchcock. Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint  star in the fairly suspenseful, action packed thriller.

Madison Avenue advertising executive, Roger Thornhill is accidentally mistaken for another man and kidnapped. No matter how many times he insists that they have the wrong man, the kidnappers don't believe him. Since he is unable to give them the information they are seeking from him, they force him to drink bourbon and try to stage a drunk driving accident resulting in his death. Despite their efforts and whilst under the influence, Thornhill manages to steer the car, although wildly, away from most life threatening situations and survives the night. Unfortunatly, not even his mother believes the story and he is charged for drunk driving. To make matters worse, the kidnappers are still hungry for his recapture and death and the plot unfolds into a series of action packet and suspenseful scenes as he is chased across the country. To add a bit more excitement to his adventure he meets a very attractive yet suspicious female, Eve Kendall, along the way.

I found the beginning to be quite fast compared to other Hitchcok films, but the first scene gives away a substantial amount of information about Cary Grant's character so I didn't feel that I needed to know him better by the initial incident. As the movie progressed there were some scenes that really caught my attention (like the Mr. Townsend's death and the airplane attack scene), but by the end, I felt that the story was beginning to drag on and I was ready for the movie to be over. Despite the fact that I felt that way, when it finally came to the final scene I felt that it stopped too suddenly. Although abrupt endings seem to be a signature of Hitchcock's and the story had resolved, I found it too predictable and hasty, and because of this it was not quite satisfying.

What I really appreciated about this movie was the use of sets and the interesting characters. Although I didn't quite notice it at first, Hichcock used a forest set to create symbolism. The trees framed and divided the camera shots in certain ways to symbolize the relationship between Grant and Saint's characters. In one shot the two of them were divided and it looked as though they were very far apart. As they continued talking and walking closer together, they broke barriers in their relationship, which is represented as they pass trees. What I also really liked were the characters that were portrayed in the film. Roger Thornhill, introduced as a rich, somewhat rude man who wants things his way, put together with the smart, beautiful and manipulative character of Eve Kendall, proved to be an interesting mix. One of my favourite scenes is when Roger visits Eve in her hotel room. I enjoyed how the two characters talked to each other because, as the audience, it's hard to tell who's side Eve is on, how much Roger trusts her and who is one step ahead of who.  The mixture of romantic, yet untrustworthy feelings brought an interesting dynamic to the scene and untimely the entire film.

Although I was left slightly unsatisfied, I still appreciate the clever techniques that were used, the characters and the interesting plot line of this film. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a suspenseful thriller that will, for the most part, keep them on the edge of their seat!