Thursday 24 August 2017

Ingrid Goes West Review

Ingrid Goes West is by far the most complex yet hilarious film I've seen all year. Matt Spicer has created a perfect blend of satire and Hitchcockian thriller, to create an entertaining yet thought provoking film. Each performance is on point, including but not limited too Aubrey Plaza. This is easily Plaza's best role yet, in which she plays a disturbed stalker, who befriends an Instagram Influencer. Not to mention the supporting cast of Elizabeth Olsen, Billy Magnussen, and O'Shea Jackson Jr, in which they portray exaggerated, yet realistic portrayal of several different millennials. As well, the cinematography helped the performances by blending a neon-esque color pallet, to set up the tone. My only complaint with Ingrid Goes West is the redundancy of the score. At times, the musical score felt like it was on loop, and dragged the pacing of the film. Overall, Ingrid Goes West is a smartly written, well edited, star studded film with plenty of discussion worthy material after you view the film. Don't miss it!


Score:
8.4/10

The 18th Animation Show of Shows



Just before I start, every year, I go to the biggest animation festival in North America, which is known as the OIAF. I see over 100 animated short films, which either sensationalize my inner film pallet, or is revolting, in all the sense of the word. Most of the time (like 95% of the time), I see brand new and fresh animated short films. With that said, The 18th Animation Show of Shows does NOT present the very best of animation. The 18th Animation Show of Shows is nothing more then a decent selection of some of the most commercially successful animated films from the last two years. Most of the short films range from meh to alright (with some exceptions of course.) Because it is difficult to judge a compilation, I'll be ranking each short films from least to greatest with my own personal opinion attached to said ranking:
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16. Shift: a terribly executed mess of a student film, overall thematic tone and characterization is all over the place 4.2/10

15. All Their Shades: Similar to Shift, the overall thematic message comes at the last couple seconds, making it feel more propaganda piece then thought provoking art 4.5/10

14. Corpus: Well animated, yet could of used more substance to tell a much more concise plot 5.2/10

13.  Crin-Crin: A charming, yet terribly directed film, in which the film makers can't decide to go fully animated or a live action music video 5.5/10

12. Blue: Well animated, but it didn't really connect with me on a personal and emotional level 6/10

11. Waiting for the New Year: A tranquil yet forgettable piece of art 6/10

10.  Afternoon Class: Well made and crafted, yet missed the mark in being anything more then good 6.3/10

9. Pearl: Works better as a virtual reality experience then a short film, yet still has some artistic merits in the final cut of the short film 6.4/10

8. Mirror: A beautiful piece of commissioned animation, which feels neither exploitative nor abhorrently commercial 6.7/10

7: Stems: A magnificent tribute to stop motion animation 6.8/10

6.  Last Summer in the Garden: A short film structured like a poem, smooth and well crafted with each stanza  7.5/10

5. Manoman: The definition of a messed-up fever dream, filled with social political commentary on mental illness 7.5/10

4. About a Mother: A simple yet highly re-watchable tribute to old folk tales and art designs 7.8/10

3. Inner Workings: A charming short film with hilarious hi-jinks and a great core message 8.4/10

2. TIED
Piper: Similar to Inner Workings, Piper delivers in almost every regard 8.8/10
Exploozy: A great work of satire, with delightful jokes and animation 8.8/10

1. The Boyg: One of the most beautiful pieces of experimental art that has ever been crafted. The overall concept and origin behind this short film is astonishing and a sight to behold 9/10

In general, I recommend seeing short films 6-1. Everything else is either good or meh. If your going to see this, I do recommend seeing it on the big screen. Each animator, no matter the project, worked hard on their respective pieces. I'm just not too big of a fan with this short film collection




Saturday 19 August 2017

The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman's Portrait Photography Review

The B-Side, in no way shape or form, is Errol Morris's best work. In fact, it may be one of his weakest, which isn't saying much mainly because his wide filmography of documentary and film has been mainly great, or at the least satisfactory. From The Thin Blue Line to A Brief History of Time, his work is quite expansive in variety. This variety can be seen in The B-Side. The B-Side is pretty much a standard one hour and sixteen minute discussion with one of america's most famed photographers. It's interesting, and at times thought provoking to see Elsa's craftsmanship at play. The problem with the B-Side, is that there's nothing all the inventive about it. For example, in The Thin Blue Line, Errol created several different brand new inventive concepts to present his subject. In this, it just feels visually and tonally redundant. However, it's technicalities are well done. The cinematography is nicely polished, and the original score is one of the best I've heard all year. The B-Side is just a standard, yet delightful documentary.



Rating: 6.8/10
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Wednesday 2 August 2017

The Little Hours Review

The Little Hours is one of the rare exceptions when it comes to crude comedies. The Little Hours is a big delight. It's sense of humor is always top notch, from hilarious social satire, to random odd childish humor. The performances from all members of the cast, were all perfectly chosen for there respective parts. Aubrey Plaza plays a snarky nymphomaniac, Kate Micucci plays a shy yet jealous nun who enjoys spying on her peers, and John C Riley plays a pastor/priest who is incapable of keeping his convent afloat. Even though the script feels of bit rushed, and the dialogue doesn't resemble at all old English dialect, the overall directing and tone of the film makes it a good time, due to it's musical score, production design, costumes, and performances. Overall, this is a fun time, if your into intelligent yet raunchy comedies.




Rating: 7.3/10