#10 - Hitchcock (2012) Review

Hitchcock (2012), Sacha Gervasi
3.5/5
A descent biopic depicting the relationship between Alfred Hitchcock and his wife Alma, focusing on their personal life set to the backdrop of making Psycho. Performances are good, the cinematography sadly average, with only the subtlest nods to Hitchcock's style. Overall, a good film, but would have liked more character depth and depiction of Hitchcock's film making process. There are some scenes where the camera does a slight push in to close up, a subtle homage to Hitchcock's classic camera moves. Apart from those few moments however, the cinematography is very contemporary. What was really great, was the foley (the sound design for ambient noise i.e. body movements, eating etc) which was particularly distinctive in creating the soundscape of the film. It aided the visuals to convey emotion and drama, rather than using unnecessary dialogue. For instance, this distinct sound design was used prominently to emphasise Alfred's food and eating habits, in conjunction with cross cutting to create emphasis and connections from one scene to the next. Thus creating parallels and allusions between difference contexts. This film has a great cast, that is sadly underutilized for instance Scarlett Johansson as Janet Lee is a minor character and not developed much at all. Instead these somewhat flat character's serve rather as pawns of power and possessiveness acting as mere expressions of the relationship between Alma (Helen Mirren) and Alfred (Anthony Hopkins), rather than as fully rounded characters themselves.

#9 - Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)

Zack and Miri make a Porno (2008), Kevin Smith
1/5

This film is as terrible as I imagined it would be. While mildly humorous at times, the story is ridiculous and terribly predictable. Only Hollywood could turn two friends making an amateur porn film into a sappy romantic comedy.

#8 - Outrage (2010) Review

Outrage (Autoreiji: Biyondo) (Japan) (2010), Takeshi Kitano
4/5

This brilliant Yakuza film, is beautifully shot, sociopathic, amoralistic and brutally violent. Only Takeshi Kitano can make a completely silent opening shot, so powerful, combined with the sparse dialogue, extreme and realistic violence, great performances, and beautiful set design. This film is everything you want from a Japanese Yakuza film, and is so far removed from the Hollywood moralistic narratives. This particular film of Kitano's does add a little twist and additions to the Yakuza genre, mingling some American gangster influences into it. Overall a great film, but don't watch if you're squeamish or are only comfortable with Hollywood's happy endings.

#7 - Suddenly (Underbara älskade) (2006) Review

Suddenly (Underbara älskade) (Sweden) (2006), Johan Brisinger
3.5/5

A relatively quiet film, that is still quite emotionally intense, and yet retrained at the same time. The cinematography is simple and the dialogue, beautifully sparse. Instead the good performances and landscape speak for themselves. Despite being a somewhat simplistic narrative about grief, it is still an enjoyable film.

Memento (2000) Review

Memento (2000), Christopher Nolan
4.5/5

A brilliant piece of film making, this beautifully shot and performed film is laid out in a non-linear narrative structure. The non-linear structure compliments the themes and subject matter. The audience's experience of fractured elements of the plot which are told out of order, parallel the sense of fragmentation and lack of psychological continuity that Lenny (Guy Pierce) experiences with his Anterograde amnesia. This film is also one of the most medically consistent depictions of amnesia and memory loss, and is largely accurate to the real life condition of anterograde amnesia (short term memory loss). The cinematography also works well, shifting between the time lines from black and white in one time line to the colour time line, which eventually intersect. However, once you get your head around the actual order of scene events, the plot isn't that complex, it is the experience and visual style of the storytelling that make this film interesting. The cinematography is in sync with the story, intertwining themes of the fallibility of memory, complimented by an excellent musical score. It is one of the best uses of the non-linear narrative editing style. A great film, that still holds up and is Christopher Nolan's best film to date.

A Single Man (2009) Review

A Single Man (2009), Tom Ford
4/5

This film is a piece of stylised brilliance. The cinematography, score and performances all come together evocatively. The cinematography focalises George Falconer (Colin Firth) across the span of a single day (with the exception of some flash backs). The colour grading is also superb, switching between desaturated and slightly over exposed shots. The film is beautifully stylised, and flawlessly set during the 1960s. Each frame, including POV shots, slow sweeping slow motion shots are combined with the resounding musical score to make this film emotionally and visually powerful. The only criticism is the use of voice over narration at the beginning and end. Otherwise this is a powerful, emotive film that is visually stunning.

#6 - Side by Side (2012) Review

Side By Side (2012), Christopher Kenneally
4/5

A fascinating documentary about the paradigm shift from celluloid film into digital. Includes a wide range of great interviews from high ranking directors, producers and cinematographers. Keanu Reeve's acting as the interviewer and narrator is great and relatively neutral. The film presents opposing views about not only the nature of the technologies themselves, but also the viewing experience of cinema, and the benefits and losses due to the changes from film to digital. This documentary comes at the pivotal point in cinematic history, as the advancement of digital technology exceeds film quality and changes the way films are shot and produced, creating different visual styles and modes of story telling. The documentary details the differences between the technologies in an accessible and easy to understand manner. Side by Side captures the current shift in the way people experience cinema.