Unit 1C My Reviews

Gallery  

During our session we were asked to get into groups and went down to the galleries to take a look at the work and review them. My favourite image had to be Gather of Sheep, Falk land Islands. I interoperated the image as a symbol of the British public walking only in groups as they don’t wish to stray from the flock in fear of being an outsider, so they do what others do to fit in and be “accepted”.

Tuesday felt that the image represented the union of the nation, in times of need. it made her feel happy and found it refreshing, it's has a peaceful aspect to it bringing her happiness. she like the use of the wide shot to show all the sheep's with the flag in the center to show community.

Her favourite part of the gallery was reading the text of the history and the artists view and why they took that image. this image made her think of the angles and the use of specific props and their purpose.

There was another gallery which consisted of photography and videos. It was created a video by Qasim Riza Shaheen that intrigues me was the one of him and a young boy, they were staring into a camera at a pub. The filming was very cleverly done as what you don’t realise straight away is that they are moving. It starts off with him in the middle but the younger man starts to take over then shot and slowly becomes the centre of the cameras focus suggesting that through time people move on and someone younger takes over. 

 

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Day two: Bicycle screening

Date: 26^th October 2014

Time: 14:30 – 17:00

Session held: the Electric

This was an optional evening. I decided to go as I had never been to the Electric and thought it would give me a great chance to compare the atmosphere of an art house cinema to a normal cinema.

I arrived at the Electric at 14:30 however the screening wasn’t until 15:00 but we got the chance to get cake and coffee. So straight away I found a comparison when I go to the cinemas I usually get popcorn and a drink however The Electric served cakes, wine, coffee, tea boles of nuts and other things. I chose a red velvet cake and it was actually the first time I had one. Also the coffee came with short bread. Once we got our refreshments we made our way to the lounge to sit and talk before the movie started as we had some time left. The waiting area was so cute and very old fashioned right to the lamps. We were told that the place was exactly the way it was since it was first opened which really created a different atmosphere, it felt like we took a step back in time. I loved how I was experiencing so much before we had even watched anything, which is very different to a normal cinema, as I usually arrive just before the movie with popcorn at the ready, it was all a bit of a rush with normal cinemas but with this one I was relaxed, calmed and really enjoying my red velvet cake, it was one of the best cakes I ever ate. The coffee wasn’t that bad, a little strong for me but it was good. I didn’t realise how strong it was until later, but I’ll get to that.

Well we were there I spoke to Janette as I had put a lot of thought into what she had told me the day before about being in the animation, as I thought about how the reason I joined the BFI Academy was to gain new experience and although I had made my own short animation with a phone I had no actual experience in animation and i would like to. However Janette said I couldn’t change as it was too late, I wasn’t upset but did feel as if I missed a chance to try something new which was my own fault, as I always get given a chance but don’t take it at the right time which is a weakness of mine as I don’t always look at the whole picture before making a diction, much like when I was joining the BFI as I was worried about if I could make it there due to the traveling. It is something I realise I must learn from and hopefully I will after this take more chances and look at the bigger picture instead of just at that moment.

When  we were told that the movie was going to start we went in and got the lower quarter seating’s but it wasn’t bad as I usually go for the middle in order to get the best view, with The Electric it didn’t matter, as it was much smaller than a normal cinema and very comfortable. When in a normal cinema you here people mocking around in the background however it wasn’t like that in The Electric, it was calm, relaxing and quiet. (Probably because everyone was quiet old) 

The films animation was actually made by Drew’s company Yamination and edited by Nina. Getting a chance to watch their work was brilliant as it assured me that was working with professionals and would gain a lot from the sessions.

The screening wasn’t really a movie but a documentary. It was directed by BAFTA winning Director Michael B. Clifford. It was a documentary on bicycles and how it changed Britain. What I loved the most was how the structure of the documentary. How they went through the years allowing someone like myself who knows nothing about bicycle a part from how to ride when (not very well and what one looks like. There are many things that I learnt about the bicycle such as how it allowed people from all over the country to meet and even get married, it changed lives and for a while it was the main form of transport. However after the modern day car was built bicycle was thought to be a poor man transport.

The movie wasn’t just factual it also held beautiful stories on how the bicycle changed lives. We watched people connections to their bike which sounds mushy but it was kind of heart-warming. Especially the father daughter story of Dannielle Khan, we followed her going for gold. It was very touching but the true passion for bicycles was from people like Chris Boardman "You can have my gold medal...." as he wanted more people to ride bikes.

However the part that completed the Documentary is the end where we watched the Director Michael B.Clifford teaching his daughter how to ride a bike, as throughout the Documentary although I enjoyed learning about it, the ending really helped me to connect as my dad taught me to ride my bike and every time she fell, I felt her frustration. I’m sure everyone did at the end and anyone who was taught to ride a bike by whoever would definitely have connected at the end as it’s a part of our childhood. 

Cliché as this sound by the end of the Documentary I wanted to ride my bike. It was a brilliant Documentary as it was simple but had so much in it, the animations made me laugh and built tension. The soundtrack really pulled the movie together as it didn’t contain cliché bike sounds but scores that went with the mood of the scene really building the atmosphere.

A website call London Cycling campaign said that “One of the greatest and most-prominent things about this film is the genuine love for the bicycle” which is true as the bicycle isn’t a normal pick of a documentary and I may not of watched it if I was on my own or going out to the cinemas for fun but once I watched it, I could not stop thinking about it.

Katy also saw the movie and she found it very interesting, she liked how they showed a gentle and balanced representation of cycling and how it can make a difference to your health and happiness as well as the use of the real life stories and their journey. she loved how they used animations to tell the story as it was entertaining and kept your attention. 

Idriss also watched the movie with us. he learnt more about the history of bicycle then he knew about before. he felt that the film was well made, the use of real life stories from individuals was very important as not a lot of people would know these things. the documentary was engaging in terms of the use of animation, certain cutaways to tell peoples story as the images mixed with the audio really helped bring the story to life. it reminded him of a documentary called man on a wire as it had a full story about the main person, where as the bicycle was a story about a bicycle and the empowering of bicycle even thought that wasn't the director original idea. 

What I have never done after watching a movie is attend a Q&A session with the director and producer (Pip Piper) check out the entire session on the video I uploaded, I apologies for the Guerrilla Filmmaking it was done with my terrible phone camera. Also I was shaking a lot from the incredibly strong coffee I drank. I even worked up the nerve to ask a question (so proud).

So check out the Documentary, the DVD release was in mid-September 2014. The trailer below and the link to the London Cycling campaign review is:

http://lcc.org.uk/articles/film-review-bicycle

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X-men days of future past review

I watched the latest X-men movie at the Odeon with my friends when it came out and this is my review on it. The video below is the trailer:

I myself have watched all the X-men movies and have watched some of the cartoon ones, great fan of the movies even though there are mistakes and unanswered questions. However in this review I will only be talking about the latest one, but if you have any question on the previous movies then fell free to ask in the comment section below.

 

When the movie came out I went to watch it with my friends at the Odeon, we got great seats and loads of food so we could really enjoy the movie. And I did enjoy it. to summarise the plot,  wolverine/Logan (Hugh Jackman) is transported mentally into the past by kitty (Ellen Paige) to change it in order to prevent Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from killing Dr Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage) with the help of the younger Charles Xavier (James McAcoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) however during that time Erik and Charles aren't friends and he has to fight his memories from the past and his inner battles in order to fix the future, but he comes across a past enemy which really changes things, especially by making it harder. 

The actors/actresses in this movie in my opinion were brilliant; they really showed the good and bad relationships between the characters. I personally loved Michael Fassbender's acting in this movie the way he could quickly switch emotions and how even though he's a part of the same team and wants the same end result, he himself is always in control and has his own plan. 

Through the movie we get the opportunity to see Xavier's character biome Charles Xavier we all know. I loved how in the movie we see future Xavier (Patrick Stewart) Reach out to past Xavier, that moment alone was so brilliant. 

I myself don't want to ruin the end for people who haven't watched it but I love the fact that you see the changes Logan has made, small and big.

My absolute favourite part would have to be when Charles and Erik are on the plane together, you can rally feel the tension between all the characters, during that scene there is a few sad parts, funny moments and the two finally getting over their differences. So whoever goes out to watch it, which is the scene to look forward to. 

I could go on about the movie but if I do I will most likely give too much away, so a few final points would be, this movie is funny but sad and the ending will leave you a little confuse but very excited because ends up changing a lot more of the future then he thought he would. The actors and the actresses really have upped the level of the brilliance of this movie.

Idriss's favourite scene was the last scene and the quick silver, as it was a lot of fun to watch. he liked the fact that they scrapped the previous "last stand".

Tuesdays enjoyed how they united the characters and how they used past and present Magneto and Xavier in the movie allowing us to see how they evolved through the years.

I would rate this movie 4.8/5 as I’m still a little confused about the ending. But when you watch it you get a sneak peak of the next movie which really shocked me and has got me VERY excited about the next one (X-men: Apocalypse 2016)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Dark Knight film Review

Trailer:

Plot:

When Batman, Gordon and Harvey Dent launch an assault on the mob, they let the clown out of the box, the Joker, bent on turning Gotham on itself and bringing any heroes down to his level. (From IMDB)

Review:

In this movie we see the works of a psycho criminal (the joker) who is known by any child who grew up watching batman and reading batman comics. We watch him go face to face with batman for the first time in the franchise lead by Christopher Nolan after we saw the jokers calling card at the end of Batman Begins.

When choosing this movie I knew about the works of the British Christopher Nolan, staring British actors such as Christian Bale and Michael Caine as well as Cillian Murphy Heath Ledger (R.I.P) as well as many other famous faces (full cast can be found on IMDB).  Was the use of all these actors/actresses grouped into one movie a good idea? Well I think so and it’s not just because I’m a huge Christopher Nolan fan and love his work.

Many directors have created superhero movies hat have made it big but Christopher Nolan’s take on the movie was very interesting as there was a lot of pressure due to the fact there have been five other batman movies.

“It was very enjoyable and was unique take on the super hero.” (Ehssen studying A2) a contributor and member of the club, who wishes to study Film Production in university. He himself has watched previous batman movies and although prefers the previous batman movies says he thought the joker (Heath Ledger) was brilliant even though he wasn’t sure about Heath Ledger sue to the fact her looked like a and I quote “a pretty boy” but did not fully like Christians Bales acting due to the fact it was hard to understand him. Which I unwillingly must agree.

“I like its uniqueness in the sense that it has flipped the common conventions on its head” (Ibnal Studying A2) who is a member of the film club, summing it in a very clever way in which watchers of the movie will understand and I must say that I agree.

Anisa Studying AS who is another member of the film club said “Batman the dark knight was a spectacular comeback on screen after years, Christopher Nolan returned with a batman beyond our imagination and Heath Ledger as the joker can you disagree with the fact he may have played the best role of the Joker the memorable quotes he states throughout his role will live on.”

I myself enjoyed the speed chases and felt it followed on from the previous film (Batman Begins2005) and I love how Christopher Nolan kept on the edge until the very end and showed that even in the time of evil, humanity can be shown in the strangest of places by even criminals.

I am more of a X men girl myself, I’ve watched every movie and the cartoon series growing up but I feel that after watching all three movies I can’t help but have a place in my heart of Batman and not just because there’s the mixture of my favourite director Christopher Nolan and actor Christian Bale.

One thing I never understood was how the joker became the way he is because during the movie he gives us two different stories. So if anyone does know please do clear it up my commenting below.

My favourite scene in the movie has to be the Jokers exit from the hospital from his “graceful” walk to his poor ability to blow up the hospital, even though the joker was a villain I can’t help but love him (for all media students this is called counter cultural pleasure).

Idriss's favourite scene was between Batman and the Joker as it was unexpected and the first time we witness them together. Katy's favourite character was the Joker because of his over all performance. 

will thought it was really good as it was very different to other movies he's watched, his favourite character was the joker as it was funny to see his attitude towards things. 

Through reviewing comments made and my opinion I would give this movie 4.5/5 as I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and feel that Christopher Nolan has proven why he is such a good director and Hollywood’s blockbuster. Not to mention a brilliant performance from Heath Ledger (R.I.P). I have to admit after watching the movie I want a batbike.

So those are my views amongst other students. Comment below on whether you agree with us or think differently. If you're on arts award voice then you can check it out there too:

http://www.artsawardvoice.com/magazine/reviews/bfi-birmingham-academy-dark-knight-2008-review