The Artist – Review
By Helena Hörmann
The Artist is an award-winning French romantic comedy directed by Michel Hazanavicius. The film was released in 2011 and is a black and white silent movie. The story is set in 1930s in Hollywood and follows the individual lives of the two main characters, as well as the changes they go through after meeting.
Silent movie actor George Valentine (Jean Dujardin) is at the peak of his career when he finds out that silent movies are going to be replaced by movies with tone. This is also when he first meets the young rising actress Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo) on set and due to literally bumping into him, Peppy suddenly gets thrust into the public eye. Peppy takes advantage of her lucky break and the current changes in the movie world, becoming a renowned actress. Meanwhile George, refusing to go with the technological flow, slowly loses his celebrity status.
Stylistically, the film is extremely authentic. The absence of sound transports the audience back to the era and helps the audience to understand and sympathise with George's reluctance when it comes to the inclusion of sound in movies. Furthermore, both actors carry off their roles magnificently through the adroit use of gesture and body language, generating powerful empathy for with the protagonists. Not only is the romantic relationship between George and Peppy very well portrayed, but their individual scenes also show off demonstrate their versatility.
All in all, director Michel Hazanavicius has managed to make watching a silent film feel like the most ordinary thing in the world, taking the audience on an unexpected and poignant journey back in time. The Artist is well worth watching for its originality and audacity.
6 below - review
By Dominique
6 Below is a 2017 American survival drama film, directed by Scott Waugh. It is based on the true story of Eric LeMarque (played by Josh Hartnett), a pro ice hockey player, who went missing in a blizzard while snowboarding in the High Sierra and had to fight for his survival.
The movie grabs viewer's from the first second by dropping you right into the middle of the story. Then it quietly reveals in a slower tempo more of the life of Eric Le Marque. After the introduction of all the different characters, the blizzard starts, and the pace accelerates slightly. Also, more and more flashbacks occur, intensifying the atmosphere. The further the story goes on, the more intense it gets as the viewers suffer with the protagonist. Josh Hartnett and also Jason Cottle, who plays Eric's father in the flashbacks, pulls off an stunning performance and manages to really get the audience to understand how Eric's motivations and reactions.
To be honest, the way in which the character survives in temperatures below zero seemed unrealistic to me, so it was a huge surprise for me when they revealed at the end that it was a based on a real story (sorry for the spoiler). AndI felt that at times the filmmakers could have put more pressure on the main character, by waiting a bit longer for the challenges with which he has to contend to be resolved, or by simply edging the sound track up a little bit more. It sometimes felt like music could have been used more to create and sustain tension.
All in all, it is a good film with some flaws, which make it seem unrealistic. I recommend this movie above all to fans of survival dramas and even more to snowboarding enthusiasts.
3/5 stars
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Review
By Domink
This years
90th annual Academy Awards were dominated by various films. One of them was Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, a drama directed by
Martin McDonagh. The film, set in our time, deals with the issue of a mother
whose daughter is raped and murdered. The film focuses on the different
viewpoint of every single character and how the events affect their lives.
The mother,
Mildred, played by the outstanding Frances McDormand, has lost her daughter one
year earlier and is desperate to find the murderer. She accuses the police of doing
nothing to find him and decides to rent three billboards outside the town. Her
billboards personally attack chief officer Bill Willoughby (Woody Harrelson).
The fact that Willoughby has cancer means the whole community turns against
Mildred. In the following two hours viewers will see a chain of events
following the principle of Mildred against the police.
The depth of
the characters is great and makes you get strongly involved with every one of
them. Every person has their own point of view and when you have a closer look
you will understand every one of them. The movie also takes different problems
such as cancer, alcoholism or suicide into consideration, which affect everyone
in some way. Moreover, the
balance of
humor and seriousness is perfect. Even if there are serious scenes there is
humor but it never feels inappropriate. As a result, time flies as you watch
the movie.
If I had to
point out a weakness, I'd say that after a while I couldn't really grasp some
aspects of thecharacters as they did strange things that I just wondered about.
Maybe I need to watch the film again, or maybe these things could have been
left out of the film. Besides that, there were also some characters that felt unnecessary
to the story like the character of Peter Dinklage.
All in all
this is an outstanding movie that deserves every single Oscar it got. McDonagh
was able to create a masterpiece that shows you so many different aspects of
human nature and will make you think about certain issues in a new way. So if
you are a person that loves to dive into films and get hit by a huge amount of
emotion, then it’s a must-watch for you!
Swiss Army Man - 2016
Dir. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
Review by Catharina
Swiss Army Man is an unconventional American
comedy/drama/adventure film written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel
Scheinert. It stars Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano and was released in 2016.
The story begins with Hank (Paul Dano), who is lost on a
lonely island wants to commit suicide. Just as Hank is about to end his life,
he discovers a dead body (Daniel Radcliffe) lying on the beach. Hank manages to
escape from the island with the body and is trying to find his way back to
civilization. The body thereby helps him as it comes to life more and more
during their journey. Furthermore, Hank discovers that the corpse can be used
in many different ways (like a swiss army knife) which helps him survive in the
wilderness.
The movie is an allegory of loneliness, of not showing your
true self to society for fear of not fitting in. Although one of the two main
characters is a dead body it is a very heartwarming and life-affirming story.
Both of the actors are convicing in their roles and convey the characters
feelings seamlessly. Daniel Radcliffe in particular pulls off the slightly
strange role of a dead body coming back to life with great skill and insight.
The film leaves the audience asking themselves about the norms in society and
will definitely provide a good base for discussion afterwards. The soundtrack
is also quiet special and intriguing. They music played in the background is a
combination of some sounds created by the main characters.
That said, the movie is not for everyone as some of the
“abilities” of the body can be quite disturbing or unsavoury. They escape from
the island, for instance, is achieved by using the flatulence of the corpse as
an engine! In fact, most of the funny parts of the film are based on a somewhat
juvenile humor, which doesn't always work for a mature audience.
But in my view at least, Swiss Army Man succeeds as
unconventional kind of art piece, even if some viewers will stop after half an
hour of watching. I recommend watching it, knowing what your in for and then
decide for yourself if such a unique movie is to your taste.
