shihanyu Reviews

Baby Driver (2017)

A brilliant display of music, editing, and action

[10/10 · 1 July 2017]

Director Edgar Wright did not fail to meet expectations. In fact, he exceeded them to deliver a wonderfully soundtracked, very enjoyable film, well rounded with action and comedy.

The film Baby Driver follows the story of Baby (Elgort), a robbery getaway driver who listens to music to drown out the ringing in his ears. He meets and falls in love with a diner waitress (James). Despite the couple's wish to leave the world of unenjoyable jobs behind them as they drive off to nowhere in particular, Baby's life of crime doesn't let him to do so as his boss (Spacey) and the muscle (Hamm, Foxx) continue to put him in difficult situations. The film is full of stunning car chase scenes, foot- tapping and head-bobbing soundtracks, and spectacular editing work.

The acting is praise-worthy, especially with an all-star cast. Ansel Elgort plays Baby wonderfully, fully embodying the character and drawing the audience's attention. Kevin Spacey plays Doc and gives a good supporting performance as the callous mastermind behind each big heist. Hamm and Foxx play the callous and ruthless robbers and undoubtedly succeed in giving Baby a hard time. Lily James also gives a great breakout performance in the film.

ON TO THE EDITING. Edgar Wright's past works (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, etc) all show his action/comedic genius with on-point sound editing and scene cuts. Personally, I believe Baby Driver may be Wright's best work because the intense, fast paced driving action allows for quick cuts that align with the rhythm and beat of whatever great song is playing on Baby's iPod. Even the characters interact with the music -- whether it is a character mimicking the loud blast of a grenade, cocking a shotgun, playing a make-shift piano, or shifting the car into reverse -- each interaction is a perfect note that makes the audience enjoy the film and song that much more. Overall, I believe Wright managed to succeed in what he sought out to achieve -- a comedic action film that is unique in film and sound editing.

In my opinion, Baby Driver is a highly recommended movie that will be sure to attract and appeal to a large audience. Wright makes the viewer appreciate editing, so take note and enjoy the brilliance and the fun.

Moneyball (2011)

A great translation of a beautifully written Michael Lewis story

[9/10 · 9 June 2017]

Moneyball's greatest aspects: an adapted screenplay written by Aaron Sorkin, based off of a Michael Lewis book.

The film is incredibly well written, with each scene reliving the story of general manager Billy Beane (played by Brad Pitt) struggling to rebuild an unfortunate, low budget Oakland baseball team. The screenplay allows for excitement and attentiveness, somehow changing a slow moving sport into an enjoyable, dramatic motion picture.

The attention to detail throughout the film, like the fit of the baseball pants and the design of the locker room, truly shows the hard work and effort put in by the production crew. Despite the simplicity of baseball uniforms relative to usual film attire, the costume design for Moneyball is still impressive. The well designed set for the baseball team's locker room and offices allows for long shots through hallways that show characters' moods and general ambiance.

Additionally, the film crew did a fantastic job of understanding and breaking down the data-oriented system that is used in baseball today to rate players. Director Bennett Miller successfully delivers comprehensive scenes to teach the audience about this complicated concept, all the while incorporating drama and baseball action into the film.

Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill are both fantastic in Moneyball. Both of them grow into their characters extremely well, and the film successfully manages to get the audience to become attached to them. Brad Pitt wonderfully depicts inner frustration and pain on the screen, all the while smiling externally to his character's coworkers and family. His performance is further enhanced by the personalities of his supporting cast, specifically Jonah Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Director of Photography Wally Pfister has a great sense for a scene's look and feel, and he proves that to us throughout the film. For a baseball movie, Pfister shoots scenes with aspects of ingenuity and reality, sometimes shooting scenes the way a person would view a baseball game through their TV. His use of both natural light and artificial light is nicely done — specifically, Pfister's shots tend to have certain lights turned off, whether in a room or in a stadium, to project a dramatic feel onto the scene.

Additionally, the editing was superb. By going back and forth between the 2001/2002 baseball video montages with the film footage, the film is able to tie together 2001/2002's exciting commentary with slow motion pitches and swings.

Ultimately, Moneyball is able to successfully fulfill and translate the beautifully written story told by Michael Lewis.

Wonder Woman (2017)

Beautiful, inspirational, and the first female dominant superhero film in over a decade

[9/10 · 5 June 2017]

As a comic-book movie, Wonder Woman undoubtedly ranks near the top. It is by far the best DC installment thus far; which isn't saying much, but I would also say that it compares competitively with the recent Marvel installments.

Director Patty Jenkins' film stretches over 141 minutes, and unlike most superhero story lines, Wonder Woman never really extends unnecessarily past what was appropriate.

Gal Gadot's performance is astonishing and powerful in this film as she was able to show the emotions of love, sorrow, motivation, innocence, and sincerity beautifully and bravely. As the first female dominant superhero film in over a decade, Gadot delivers an inspirational message to her audience about the strength of women.

The humor was thoroughly enjoyable and never forced. The film found a great balance between humor, action, and drama while depicting a hero's journey and delivering a story full of purpose.

Director of Photography Matthew Jensen shot impressive action sequences along with dramatic scenes to pull together a well-rounded and well-shot story. Also Jenkins' color schemes throughout the film, especially Wonder Woman's color of blue, gold, and orange, make the scenes more emotional and alluring — that along with the beautiful music score.

A couple critical opinions: First, I was hoping for more depth in Chris Pine's character (Captain Trevor). As Diana slowly became assimilated into modern culture and behaviors, it would have been more fulfilling to see human emotions, like real jealousy and frustration, through Pine, instead of constant bewilderedness and humorous anxiety. Additionally, I think the film failed to grasp the concept of warfare's harsh and incomprehensible realities, even though there were several opportunities to do so.

Second, as beautiful was the fight choreography and photography, the action sequences could have cut down on the Slo-Mo, and instead could have let the action run normally to depict the enjoyable confusion and speed of melee combat. The editing was impressive and cool, just a little over the top.

Overall, Wonder Woman was a beautiful film, one that I think is necessary for today's society. I hope this film further carries the motion for more strong and inspirational female leads.

Millennium Actress (2001)

Beautiful and unforgettable

[10/10 · 27 May 2017]

This film further reinforces my belief that Director Satoshi Kon is a master of depicting abstract ideas, especially love, time, and dreams. Kon never lets the limitations of reality interfere with his imagination and creativity. He is a consistent example of how anime can create a work of art that can't be shown through live-action films.

The Millennium Actress follows Genya with his camera man, Ida, as they interview Chiyoko and learn the life story of the actress, who has since retired and secluded herself in bamboo forests and hills. The film does an amazing job of telling Chiyoko's story through the various movies she made throughout her life and showing the idea of forever chasing your dreams.

The storytelling method by Satoshi Kon, where he puts Genya and Ida into the depiction of Chiyoko's past and movies, is fascinating and undoubtedly effective. Genya and Ida are like ghosts from the future looking into Chiyoko's life as she chases after the man she loves. It was refreshing to see the two interact physically and emotionally with the past world in order to "shoot" Chiyoko's story, as well as helping her "bring the movies to life."

The editing, as expected from Satoshi Kon, is phenomenal. The transitioning between Chiyoko's stories and her movies are beautifully done. The movies and characters all have recurring themes as the stories shift genre backgrounds and time periods. The constantly changing settings and stories seem to reflect Chiyoko's feelings at a particular time in her life. The depictions of Japan's historical eras all the way to the Space Age are not only well designed, but they are never too long nor too short, and they keep the viewers constantly engaged as they piece together Chiyoko's life story.

As an aside, I personally think that I've never seen someone direct and edit scenes of running/chasing better than Satoshi Kon.

The soundtrack also helps to bring the animation to life and works in unison with the film to draw out emotions.

Overall, Millennium Actress is a touching story told in the most creative, beautiful, and elegant way. The film is sure to stay with you as you go through your own life chasing dreams.

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

A beautiful and thrilling film, with a few shortfalls

[8/10 · 26 May 2017]

After watching the movie, I was a little unsure of how I interpreted the movie and how I felt about it. However, after mulling the film over for a few hours, I can conclude that it was a good movie.

Director Tom Ford attempts to show a man's (Edward's) transformation and emotions after a heartbreaking experience in his life, specifically through the perspective of his ex-wife, Susan. Ford beautifully intertwines three sections: the past, the present, and a novel story line written by Edward, into a two hour film.

The phenomenal editing of the movie and the thrilling parallels between the reality and the novel definitely helped Ford achieve what he intended to show the audience: a beautiful chaos of a man's life being turned upside down and the transformation that results from it.

The three sections are depicted beautifully through the photography, each with their own distinct style.

The acting was good, as can be expected from Jake Gyllenhaal, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Gyllenhaal impressively depicts the emotions of a man who undergoes the worst nightmare a husband/father can experience. Adams does a good job of portraying the frustration, confusion, and desperation of a woman unhappy with her life. Shannon and Taylor-Johnson are phenomenal in their character portrayals in Edward's story, despite the novel story line being disturbingly dark overall.

The costume design was also pleasing to the eye, as can be expected from a famous fashion designer turned film director.

To share a few dislikes: The film seems to want to show a lot of emotions, thoughts, and symbolism, but ends up not completing most of the attempts. Not saying that the movie is missing any components nor is it a cliff hanger, but the concepts or messages that Tom Ford tries to give to the viewer seem incomplete. He himself says that he tries to "put a lot of things in the film that maybe you wouldn't see the first time," but his use of the symbols (like the red sofa, the cross necklace, the green Pontiac, Ray's ring, and Susan's wedding ring) don't really come full circle to wrap up the concepts they introduce.

Altogether though, Ford delivers a thrilling motion picture that stays in the viewers' mind as they attempt to mull it over and understand the director's intentions.

Carol (2015)

Beautiful, intelligent, simple but distinct

[9/10 · 25 May 2017]

Absolutely beautiful shots, simple but distinct and meaningful. Overall, the film does an amazing job of showing character development.

Outstanding, intelligent acting by both Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. Blanchett clearly shows the character's sophistication and flirtatiousness through her body posture and verbal delivery. Mara's acting is a great portrayal of a nervous but excited mix of emotions. Her hand gestures and motions are filmed brilliantly, and she does an amazing job of showing the absentminded, unconscious behaviors of an emotional person.

Director Todd Haynes especially likes shots through car windows and mirrors to show the viewer the characters' sense of being lost in thought and self reflection.

The Super 16 mm film is noteworthy and gives the movie a different texture that corresponds to the 1940s/1950s time period, as does the costume design.

Symbols worth noting are cigarettes, mirrors, photographs, and hands. Cigarettes show the character's anxiousness, frustration, as well as flirtation. Mirrors show self reflection and thought. Photographs help the characters to slowly grasp their emotions as they develop, and hands show the delicateness and gentleness of love.

Silence (I) (2016)

An in-depth portrayal of religion and faith

[8/10 · 25 May 2017]

Overall the film was good. The locations for shooting were beautiful and chosen perfectly to convey the time period.

Andrew Garfield is outstanding in this film. His expression of determination, frustration, sorrow, and self reflection is beyond commendable.

Director Martin Scorsese chose a deep and difficult message to send to his viewers, but is successful in doing so. The idea of God's silence is a beautiful concept that is well captured by the directing, the screenplay, and the acting. Scorsese's directing decisions also does an amazing job of portraying two conflicting religious beliefs and opinions that, due to pride, never intertwine.

The movie is mostly slow-moving and long, but the length is understandable and appropriate for the depiction of such intense historical events.