Film Analysis Essay

2004 film “Collateral”, in which the puzzling and seemingly lonely lives of a cab driver and contract killer are entwined. Their brief adventure takes them through a tour of one night in Los Angeles, showcasing its deficiency of moral character, the intense presence of crime which is a threat in both the psychological and physical realm, and most importantly, the sense of isolation and cynicism of others that comes with living in such a cruel and unforgiving city. The beginning of the film…

If anything could revitalize an interest in CW's The Flash it's a giant, evil, telepathic gorilla. After last week's battle with Zoom, Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) is wheelchair bound after a spinal injury that would have permanently crippled any regular human being. Eerily reminiscent of Barry's mentor from season one, Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh), Barry finds himself in a state of helplessness and self-loathing after being publicly defeated by the earth-jumping Zoom. Going into this week's…

Deliverance is definitely a film that alternates between “Man vs Man” and “Man vs Nature”; the way the themes are explored makes the film a little unique. Many of the scenes depict “Man vs Man”, for instance Ed’s inability to shoot the arrow without his hands trembling, despite him being an “excellent shot” at inanimate objects, he can’t shoot any living being whether animal or human without his conscious, hence the hand trembles, fighting back. Even when experiencing and witnessing the…

pleasure of watching the informative documentary Overburden, directed by Chad A. Stevens. A film that highlights the greed of a company and industry and the struggle and division of a community, Overburden tells the emotional story of how mountaintop removal of the Appalachian area, (particularly in Raleigh County, WV) does more than simply damage the physical environment. The majors themes presented in the film challenge one to think about the coal and mountaintop mining debate in a deeper…

Dividing film theory into the dichotomy of two very broad categories, realism and formalism, does have it merit but only in the simplification of information. By stating that Andre Bazin is a realist and Sergei Eisenstein is a formalist on who is largely unfamiliar with their works is able to compile a rough list of attributes and beliefs that may relate to each theorist; however, these label can act as a subterfuge, masking the beliefs of Bazin and Eisenstein that do not fit into these…

of Life is a subtle film that intricately links together the world while discussing vast concepts. One such concept, the way of nature, is personified through Brad Pitt’s character; he is a man who acts in primal animalistic ways, and consistently lets these emotions get the better of him. This motif has been explored in many films prior to Terrence Malick’s masterpiece and previous directors’ efforts by no means come close to the beauty of Malick’s film. Many of the films of the past relied…

Early Films Because of the reinvention or the addition to the form of non-linear narrative in a film, Yasujiro Ozu is considered one of the Japanese greatest director. The first impression his films give is that his subjects are the Japanese Family and the stoic construction of the patriarchal figure of the father as a pillar of the Japanese identity. However, I wonder what one can discover if Ozu’s early works are paralleled and scrutinized with different perspectives. Yasujiro Ozu´s films…

Pan’s Labyrinth, directed by Guillermo (gill-yea-mo) Del Toro, is a visually striking, dark fantasy film compiled of a range of equally gruesome and intriguing scenes that address the grim realities of 1944 fascist Spain through a child’s perspective. Del Toro does not delude nor pacify the cruel reality of the narrative where he displays a society that glorifies a corrupted male-dominated society. In the ‘Final Task’ scene, Del Toro’s intertwining of the camera techniques, colour scheme,…

of discrimination and fall of a race. La vita è bella (Original title: Life is Beautiful) will certainly leave you in awe once you finish the film. According to IMDB (n.d.), it lavished prestigious awards including three Oscars (1999), one from the Cannes Film Festival (1998), four Italian Golden Globes (1998) and one Grammy Award (2000). The Italian film was directed by Roberto Benigni and was released on 20th December 1997 in Italy. It was subtitled and translated into English for the United…

unsettling. He’s a man on a mission; hell-bent on growing his ‘company’, he takes to the LA streets and hires a lowly intern (Riz Ahmed) to assist him in Lou’s endeavours to make as much money as possible by capturing horrific incidents. Yet as the film continues, Lou’s progression into insanity and lust for power showcases himself as the true horror… This is Jake Gyllenhaal’s best performance of his career to date. With a mixture of Bale’s Bateman (American Psycho), Damon’s Ripley (The…