mytwin-02225 Reviews

The Greatest Showman (2017)

It is the Greatest Show!

[8/10 · 4 February 2018]

Michael Gracey, the director of this film, knows very well what is the biggest selling factor for his film and cleverly puts it at the beginning of the film, right after the company logo sequences. This is perhaps why The Greatest Showman opens with the stunning musical performance led by Hugh Jackman who plays PT Barnum and slowly dissolves his image into the young PT Barnum (Ellis Rubin) as the film narrative would start from that point. The flashforward to hook the audiences by revealing the famous actor isn't a new technique in musical films. Pitch Perfect 3, another musical film that is released at the same month with The Greatest Showman, adopts the similar technique. The film begins with the performance of Barden Bellas in a cruise ship, then the narrative starts from another point which happens much earlier than the opening scene. Both films present its timeline in the middle-beginning-middle-end order, however I must say that in The Greatest Showman the middle and beginning parts are nicely merged together. The use of dissolve as the transition from Hugh Jackman to Ellis Rubin creates a strong visual connection between them.

There are much more to talk about from the opening scene alone, such as active camera movement, great dance choreography, great loudness contrast between Hugh Jackman's sound and the rhythmic stomping feet, impressive lyrics with deep meaning. All of these things show how much the film cares about its visual and auditory impression to its audiences.

The only disappointment for this film would be that a few people don't actually sing when they seem to do it. Hugh Jackman, however, is a special case because he got direct order from his doctor not to sing. But I am really surprised when I know Jenny Lind's singing doesn't come from Rebecca Ferguson who plays the role. It is Lorren Allred. I don't know why the director made this decision as he himself hired Keala Settle from Broadway musical. So why didn't he hire someone like Keala or Zac Efron, a great actor with great voice? It's not that I hate Rebecca Ferguson for not singing in a musical film, but lip-syncing is just an unusual thing in musical films.

Pitch Perfect 3 (2017)

Pitch Perfect 3: Badass Bellas

[7/10 · 30 December 2017]

After facing countless acapella competitions in the first two films, Christmas 2017 marks the last journey of Beca and her 'family' Barden Bellas singing together. This time, however, Barden Bellas wouldn't face another acapella team in an acapella competition. As a matter of fact, there is a little part of competition atmospheres (only when the Barden Bellas are playing with rip-off game with another bands) as this third installment focuses on things that much more important than winning any competition, which is to moving on to the next stage of our life. Beca is frustated with her job as music producer because she couldn't do what she thinks the best for musician's music. This is why she quits her job and agrees to go on a tour with other Barden Bellas members who also don't satisfy with their current life. Fat Amy meets her father again and thinks that he has changed so that they can live happily together like they used to be. Both Beca and Fat Amy are trapped within the past, they want to relive the past which is seemingly happier than present time and the future. And throughout Pitch Perfect 3, audience would be learning with them that someone could create their future without completely leaving the past behind (Beca would still have her 'family' even though she accepted DJ Khalid's offer).

Pitch Perfect 3 keeps the trilogy record for having amazing acapella performance (lots and lots of dancing and singing), but also goes all the way to make itself different with the first two films. Barden Bellas against music bands. Barden Bellas against the evil father of Fat Amy. Barden Bellas succesfully ruin DJ Khalid's room. With all of these things combined, Pitch Perfect 3 becomes an extraordinary musical film packed with right amount of comedy and action. It is like a Jackie Chan film plus singing and dancing.

The script is okay. The acting is amazing. The only problem of this film is the visual aspect. Similar camera movements are excessively used that make the visual looks boring, especially when Barden Bellas perform on stage. And I get a feeling of watching a travelling video blog rather than a film every time Barden Bellas are moving to another country. There would be a fast panning that shows the distance between the countries, then a montage of 'what would we find in the country' continues (ex: shots inside a busy outdoor market). This montage technique isn't able to convince us that Barden Bellas are actually in the same country with the camera. We don't see Barden Bellas inside any of this montage shots (correct me if I mistaken) and when we see Barden Bellas, we don't see anything we saw in the montage as they always perform at an indetail space (open grass field or inside a building).

Overall, Pitch Perfect 3 is a safe bet for watching with family or friend. Even though they might not like the story, the actors, or the visual, they wouldn't deny that Barden Bella's performance is enjoyable and funny moments are funny.

Rashomon (1950)

Who was telling the truth?

[10/10 · 16 December 2017]

Rashomon offers four subjective narratives talking about the same event in the past, which is the death of a samurai in the woods. The film starts by introducing three characters at the Rashomon Gate: a woodcutter, a priest, and a commoner. While the heavy rain is pouring down to the ground, the woodcutter and the priest take turn for telling the commoner the stories of the dead samurai from the mouth of the bandit, the samurai's wife, and the samurai himself (in the ghost mode). From this point the film continues repeating the same event, but there is always something which creates contradiction with the previous or the latter version of the event.

As you are watching the film, you would get confuse and eventually feel frustrated because you couldn't tell what really happened inside the woods. And perhaps we don't suppose to figure out at all. Akira Kurosawa, the director of Rashomon, told his assistant directors who didn't understand the script that the script is comprehensible already, even though there isn't any solution given inside the script. In Rashomon, Kurosawa didn't create a film which is formed in classical narrative structure (exposition, rising action, climax, resolution). What he created is a film that doesn't treat flashback as reality of the past. This is perhaps why Rashomon become one of a few films that being discussed over and over again in film studies classes.