2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

2001: A Space Odyssey is a film about human creativity and their ability to conquer any obstacle. This movie represents the journey and evolution of mankind. 
I appreciate this movie and recognize it as a work of art but I would not say that it is one of my favorite movies. It's general lack of a clear plot and action makes it difficult for me to watch. I do still though enjoy watching the movie every once and a while. 

This movie is filmed similarly to a western film because it uses an abundance of wide shots of space and the music is a very important part of the movie. The movie balances itself out between dialogue and suspense. It moves very slowly but that does not detract from the suspense and buildup in the film. There are parts in the movie that are hard to understand because the director leaves so much of the film up to interpretation. 
I think that 2001: A Space Odyssey is a good example of the sci-fi/western genre because of its themes of exploration and its creation of another world. I would recommend this film as a work of art to any film lovers interested in the sci-fi or western genres. 

Citizen Kane (1941)

Citizen Kane is a film about a tycoon whose mysterious last words send people scrambling for answers in order to find out what they mean. The story is filmed through a series of interviews and flashbacks recounting the life of Charles Foster Kane and how he got to where he was. The transformation that Kane goes through is horrific and it is one of the reasons why this movie is regarded as one of the best films ever made. 
I enjoyed this movie because the viewer is able to witness the birth of a man who had shaped his world. Kane is very difficult to understand until the movie's conclusion where he is explained and you are able to empathize for him. 
The film was directed as a series of interviews and flashbacks skipping through the life of Charles and asking people who knew him what they knew about him. The movie is shot very well with precision and great attention to detail. The movie used space as a great way to express feeling and attitude throughout the film. For example, Kane buys a large mansion with extra space everywhere. Perhaps the emptiness of his home reflected to the emptiness he felt

inside. This movie was years ahead of its time and is still considered a masterpiece by today's standards. 
Citizen Kane is a wonderful example of the dramatic genre because it focuses on themes like the American Dream, isolation, and materialism all while delving into the life of a deeply troubled man. I would recommend this film to anyone who loves movies and who views the films as art as well as entertainment. 

Nightcrawler (2014)

Nightcrawler is about a ambitious, sociopath named Lou Bloom who finds himself working as a news cameraman in Los Angeles who is heart-bent on capturing the perfect story. Seeking only to improve himself, he will let nothing and no one get in the way of his goal of being the best. 

I very much enjoyed this film because of how it kept me on my toes and Jake Gyllenhaal's ability to play a sociopath. The movie has a very clean but realistic feeling to it. The lighting used in the movie was darker but the colors used were very vibrant. For example, Lou drives a bright red camaro down a dark street in LA and also the lights in downtown show up in very pretty colors against the dark backdrop giving the film a clean, crisp look. Many of the shots used were used with a wide lense which made the movie look very nice and gave the director room to show off the setting as well as the main action going on in the scene.

The movie is filmed from the point of view of Lou so it uses a lot of medium shots and close ups. I think that Nightcrawler is an exemplary example of the thriller genre because the movie is always taking different turns from how it appears and it throws surprises until the end. I would recommend Nightcrawler to any lover of the thriller genre. 

Birdman (2014)

Birdman is a movie about an actor named Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton) who used to play a superhero in a movie series in the 90's and is now trying to find something different that gives him meaning to his life. Trying to adapt, direct, and star in his own show to prove that he is more than just a man in a mask proves more difficult than he could have imagined. 
I absolutely love the way that this film was shot because the way that the film was edited, the movie looked like the movie was filmed in one shot. This gave the movie a better flow and while watching it, it felt like you were actually there and I think that that is really cool. The lighting in the movie was used to tell what time of day it was. Because the entire movie takes place in one shot, they needed to use different lighting in order to distinguish between different times. The movie for the most part took place in a theater and the streets surrounding the theater. 
I think that Birdman is a good example of the drama genre because it uses minimalist lighting and the themes it touches like disappointment, failure, and the revenant. It delves into the mind of someone who is losing everything because of his inability to accept that he is wrong. I would highly recommend this film to people who love dramatic cinema. 

Oldboy (2003)

"Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone." 

Going through Netflix the other day, I remembered my friend told me to watch an action movie called Oldboy that he had really liked. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. 

Oldboy is an Korean thriller film directed by Park Chan-wook. Oh Dae-su, the main character, is locked in a room for 15 years without knowing why. With no human contact and only a TV, Oh nearly goes mad. When he is released, he meets a woman and instantly falls in love with her. Oh is then told that he has four days to figure out why he was imprisoned or else the woman he just met will be killed.

I enjoyed this movie because it broke down this one character and took him to the deepest place inside of him that he could go, and then pulled the character down even further. Before his imprisonment, Oh Dae-su was a husband, a father, and a drunk. He often got into quarrels with his neighbors because of his drunkenness and was a rowdy, obnoxious individual. But once he is imprisoned, you get to him evolve to be a wiser more reserved character. The room he is stays the exact same way for his whole stay in the movie and if I had been stuck in the room for that long, I'm sure that I too would have gone insane.

The acting in the movie is decent but the directing is really what kept me watching the movie. Although the movie is a thriller, it is a pretty funny movie too. There is a lot of comic relief because the movie is a fairly intense movie. Oh trying to fit back into society is humorous at times.

The fighting scenes in the movie are not quite believable, but they are extremely entertaining and they flow well. Not to mention the directing is very good. There is one fighting scene where Oh Dae-su is fighting around forty people and the entire fight scene is filmed from the side in one shot.

Overall I really enjoyed the movie and was never bored while watching Oh's quest to find the man who imprisoned him. The deconstruction of the character was very entertaining and I loved the way that it was directed. I would definitely recommend this movie to those who love foreign films or thrillers.

Overall Rating: 9/10

"Even though I'm no more than a monster, don't I too have the right to live?"