"Road to Perdition" is one of most classic revenge movie I've watched. Of course, we can not use the word "Revenge" entirely to frame the theme of this film. Files with eternal value should be multiple topics, the unknown format,intense mood to take the audience into the film.
The title of the film gives a violent and bloody feeling, but in the performance, the director used music, lights, shadows,different perspective and highlights to show strength of the violence. In terms of cinematography with its amazing composition, subtle lighting and various techniques. The film starts with the high key scene of a minimalistic composition. The subject is backlit and placed in center.Then, a nice play of S curve and lines from the hill and bike track, also minimalism. A rule of thirds composition with camera tracking the bike so it stays still in the frame while the pedestrians or cars are motion blurred and moving out of the frame.Back to central composition with the kid facing us and pedestrians moving away this time. The cars on the scene below are also placed so the picture is more or less symmetric.
This is a long shot with the rule of thirds composition, Dutch angle, partial frame and high contrast. We know moving object carries more weight, so the kid on bike moving towards left somehow balances large mass of the plant on the right.
The entire film uses dark scenes. most of the film's characters dressed in black. Director Sam Mendes did not use 3 point lighting technique.The most exciting moment is when Sullivan was facing the killer and listened to him that took pictures of victims after killing them. One light source maybe was the sunset coming from the window and hit on Sullivan's right side of face, the other blue light seems coming from the store to fill the left side of his face. So we can see sweating motion very slowly. The first time that light can be used so beautiful, the camera work can turn the frozen time into a painting. In the film, the director of photography used glass to show different perspective. One scene is glass on the door of Sullivan's house. Mike was preparing in front of mirror and suddenly he the reflection of the person who killed his mother and brother in the mirror. Another is glass on bathroom door. Sullivan opened the door, walked in, two shots, then Sullivan came out, the door mirror was slowly closing and reflected a man lays in the bathtub with blood all over place.
Is reality a fact?
I have to write a review for "Life of Pi". The film is adapted from a fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel that published in 2001. At that time, no one believes that novel can become film. When the movie first came out, I don't want to watch it. It is another movie of Ann Lee, the director of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" movie. I have to say, as a Chinese director in Hollywood, he is very successful. But as a Kung Fu movie, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is not successful. It might suit in western movie culture, but certainly not for me.
The entire film was also shot by fusion camera system that found it by James Cameron in 3D, not partially in 2D. It was developed as a way to shoot features in stereoscopic 3D. James Cameron first used in movie "Avatar", and 3D is very different, like no more painted backdrops. Also "Life of Pi" uses a lot of lighting technique. I have to say Claudio Miranda is a genius in lighting.The sunset of the ocean that Pi was standing in the boat and sealing a message in can and throwing it into the ocean was so beautiful. Visually, 'Life of Pi' is a masterpiece. It opens with shots that seemed like they were filmed in the Garden of Eden and moves on to stunning scenes from Pondicherry and the Pacific Ocean- where each frame looks like it was lovingly hand painted by supremely talented artists. 3D is also used well and you're unlikely to leave the theater complaining of a migraine. The film also used animated technology to create the animals and insert them into scenes.
When I first watched, I really did not get the point. I only saw the movie as a boy who left India traveled with his family across the ocean to another country. And in the middle of ocean, the ship sunk. Only Pi and a Bengal tiger survived from 227 days. I did not get the meaning of two different stories. But now, I really want to believe in the first story, the one with the tiger. Ann Lee used a very obscure way to tell audience that the second story may be the fact of the reality, and even Japanese reporters wouldn't want to believe the second story.
"Jaws" ("Jaws") is directed by Hollywood famous director Steven Spielberg. The film was shot in 1975, adapted from the free reporter Peter Benchley's best-selling novel "Jaws" . At that time, the movie was the highest grossing film before the "Star Wars" came out in Hollywood. This is a classic movie, and it was incredible from start to the end. It also used memorable impressive lens.
Like many of the greatest films of the 70s, "Jaws" was an accidental masterpiece. The excellent modeling and effects processing also make this movie a great movie. Spielberg's use of the Vertigo dolly zoom shot to focus in on Brody, above the glorious shock of the head underwater, showed the unfolded controlling abilities and skills , especially his boldly used the Kuleshov Effect in the film. At all time, Spielberg did not show the whole body of shark, and that is a clever way to build the intense mode for audience. he basically did not arrange the panoramic shark to exposure in front of camera, but partial coming out of sea many times. It created more directly, more compelling atmosphere of terror. The close- up show of the evil shark with sharp teeth also exposed the malicious nature. Spielberg also used lighting as the most effectively technique in the first scene of Jaws. At the start of the film we see a group of teenagers around a campfire in the night. This tells us that they only light there is the fire and the moon. Most people said the background music of the film also helped building the horrified intension. But I do not agree. I found the montage music and the repeating sound that made by John Williams is a little wired. It did not add the intense mode to the movie but a little humor.
"The Princess Bride" is a 1987 film, nearly twenty years ago. Of course, it was a little naive to watch now. The reduced background and monsters standard requirement are not satisfied for modern people. Before watching, I have been psychologically prepared. For almost one hour and half time, the movie showed the traditional fairy tale without any doubts. This is exactly what I expected for this movie. This is not a criticism, I believe this movie would bring huge responses at that time. It is just too old to watch now, after so many years, the movie has faded out and forgotten by audience. But it is not fair to say, because "Princess Bride" still keeps some pure elements of movie. It is really hard to find in this complex modern.
The action is gladiatorial. The actor Cary Elwes is so handsome back then, especially when he was wearing black. Love is another part I was looking forward to. Like all of the fairy tales, the true love is "I will always come back for you", an old fashioned dialogue, he still can create very warm and deeply feeling. Comedy in "Princess Bride" adds great characteristic for the movie. Carly Elwes' body language made me really laugh. Nevertheless, the "Princess Bride" is a very good fairy tale, the basic fairy tale with ethical restrictions, such as good man can not die, bad guys will not succeed. As a fairy tale, "Princess Bride" is very successful. If you've caught the movie must have a complicated plot, magnificent beauty wheel landscaping, beautiful fancy gimmicks, "The Princess Bride" is really behind the times. Conversely, if you have the heart to see an innocent movie, "The Princess Bride" is a lovely and clear and suitable for all ages.
