Sunday, May 8, 2011
DAY 21, MOVIE 1:
Slumdog Millionaire (2008), directed by Danny Boyle. I remember when I saw this at the theater, this movie left me with such high feelings, there was no way I couldn’t love it. Slumdog Millionaire is easily my favorite Danny Boyle film. The premise is great, a poor Indian man goes on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and thinks back to his life experiences to answer each question. Danny Boyle uses this film to show us what energetic direction is all about. From the fast pace, to the bombastic sound design, and to the music, right down to even how the subtitles are displayed. There is not a single moment where I am not entertained, thrilled, or moved. And that right there is what makes a movie great.
DAY 21, MOVIE 2:
Casino (1995), directed by Martin Scorsese. For crime movies, you can’t do much better than the works of Martin Scorsese. But out of all of his crime films, I would say Casino is the only one that screams the word “epic.” While movies like Mean Streets and Goodfellas take on the task of delving into the characters, Casino’s goal is to show how an entire city once operated. Using two mobster friends as the narrators, Scorsese paints the story of mob rule in 1970s and ‘80s Las Vegas. As usual, Scorsese is a master craftsman when it comes to constructing a scene. The most effective sequence comes early on, only a half hour into this three hour mammoth of a movie. As two guys run a cheating scam in the casino, the camera takes us through the process that Ace (played by Robert De Niro) uses to catch them, and deal with them. The use of guitar music builds tension right up to when Ace asks the cheater if he’s right handed. And then there is a brief silence from the characters as everyone processes everything that had just been said and done. Finally, that silence is broken by the most memorable use of a hammer I have ever seen in any movie. It’s scenes like those that places Casino in the ranks of the great crime epics. And somehow, the constant narration doesn’t bog down the quality of the storytelling. Most times I hate excessive narration, but Scorsese is one of the few directors that make it work.
Showing posts with label Danny Boyle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Danny Boyle. Show all posts
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Day 14: A Farewell to Arms, and a Renewal of Life
Sunday, May 1, 2011
DAY 14, MOVIE 1:
127 Hours (2010), directed by Danny Boyle. I wish more people would see this wonderful movie. It is so easy to make a dark and depressing movie, but Danny Boyle has given us two of the most inspirational movies of modern cinema (this and Slumdog Millionaire). Even though this movie gets really intense (especially at the end), that only adds to emotion at the end. Based on the true story of Aron Ralston, a hiker who gets his arm trapped under a boulder in an isolated canyon for five days. This is a story about a man who refused to give up and die, and would go to extreme lengths just to keep living. Everyone seems to know this movie for its climatic scene, but the story keeps going after that. Those minutes after his escape when he’s trying to walk to safety are just as emotionally involving as the rest of the movie. And that ending montage was simply perfect, as it shows all of Aron’s accomplishments since the incident with the rock. The combination of music and editing makes you feel as glad as he probably was just to be alive. As for Boyle’s direction, he definitely shows off his skill. He’s able to make an exciting film, while only limited to one stationary location. With the use of creative camera angles, quick editing when necessary, an energetic soundtrack, and an intense score by A.R. Rahman, Boyle shows us how big a small story can look. Sometimes you can tell if a director enjoys life by looking at the movies they make, and I think it’s safe to assume that Danny Boyle is one of those directors.
DAY 14, MOVIE 2:
Toy Story 2 (1999), directed by John Lasseter. Watching and writing about the first Toy Story last night put me in the mood to watch the sequel today. I’ll be honest and say that when I was younger, I thought this was significantly worse than the first Toy Story. On my last birthday I got the entire Toy Story trilogy on blu-ray, and going through those movies was the first time I saw the second one in about eight years. Re-watching it now that I’m older, I have no idea why I didn’t like this movie. Most sequels are rehashes of the original, but Toy Story 2 gives the characters a completely new adventure, delves deeper into the characters, and even adds some new ones. In Toy Story 2, Woody the cowboy gets his arm torn, and is shelved by his owner. Soon after which he is stolen during a yard sale, and the other toys set out to rescue him. These past two nights were the first time that I watched these two movies with my surround sound system, and got the full effect of the sound mixes. They were amazing. Pixar doesn’t just pay attention to the details in their animation and stories, but also their sound designs. Both movies did such a great job at making you experience the sounds the way the toys would. The sound mixers designed the sounds in such a way that everything sounds big, thus making you feel as small as a toy. There are numerous examples of this in the first movie, but I’ll keep it with Toy Story 2. The scene where the toys are trying to cross the street, hiding themselves in traffic cones is where the sound really gets a chance to show off. As the cars zoomed by, you can feel them rush by as if you’re down on the street, almost getting hit by them. Then there’s the large cylinder that falls off the truck, which sounds larger than anything. The sound mixers of the Toy Story movies are clearly masters of their craft, and can immerse you in the dangerous world of a toy.
DAY 14, MOVIE 1:
127 Hours (2010), directed by Danny Boyle. I wish more people would see this wonderful movie. It is so easy to make a dark and depressing movie, but Danny Boyle has given us two of the most inspirational movies of modern cinema (this and Slumdog Millionaire). Even though this movie gets really intense (especially at the end), that only adds to emotion at the end. Based on the true story of Aron Ralston, a hiker who gets his arm trapped under a boulder in an isolated canyon for five days. This is a story about a man who refused to give up and die, and would go to extreme lengths just to keep living. Everyone seems to know this movie for its climatic scene, but the story keeps going after that. Those minutes after his escape when he’s trying to walk to safety are just as emotionally involving as the rest of the movie. And that ending montage was simply perfect, as it shows all of Aron’s accomplishments since the incident with the rock. The combination of music and editing makes you feel as glad as he probably was just to be alive. As for Boyle’s direction, he definitely shows off his skill. He’s able to make an exciting film, while only limited to one stationary location. With the use of creative camera angles, quick editing when necessary, an energetic soundtrack, and an intense score by A.R. Rahman, Boyle shows us how big a small story can look. Sometimes you can tell if a director enjoys life by looking at the movies they make, and I think it’s safe to assume that Danny Boyle is one of those directors.
DAY 14, MOVIE 2:
Toy Story 2 (1999), directed by John Lasseter. Watching and writing about the first Toy Story last night put me in the mood to watch the sequel today. I’ll be honest and say that when I was younger, I thought this was significantly worse than the first Toy Story. On my last birthday I got the entire Toy Story trilogy on blu-ray, and going through those movies was the first time I saw the second one in about eight years. Re-watching it now that I’m older, I have no idea why I didn’t like this movie. Most sequels are rehashes of the original, but Toy Story 2 gives the characters a completely new adventure, delves deeper into the characters, and even adds some new ones. In Toy Story 2, Woody the cowboy gets his arm torn, and is shelved by his owner. Soon after which he is stolen during a yard sale, and the other toys set out to rescue him. These past two nights were the first time that I watched these two movies with my surround sound system, and got the full effect of the sound mixes. They were amazing. Pixar doesn’t just pay attention to the details in their animation and stories, but also their sound designs. Both movies did such a great job at making you experience the sounds the way the toys would. The sound mixers designed the sounds in such a way that everything sounds big, thus making you feel as small as a toy. There are numerous examples of this in the first movie, but I’ll keep it with Toy Story 2. The scene where the toys are trying to cross the street, hiding themselves in traffic cones is where the sound really gets a chance to show off. As the cars zoomed by, you can feel them rush by as if you’re down on the street, almost getting hit by them. Then there’s the large cylinder that falls off the truck, which sounds larger than anything. The sound mixers of the Toy Story movies are clearly masters of their craft, and can immerse you in the dangerous world of a toy.
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