Month: Oct 2020

Citizen Kane (1941)

here it is one of the if not the greatest film ever made, sheeesh just thinking of speaking about this film just after that so called review of film Vertigo i sure have made it hard for me. like a great works not of era the way i came to know of this film was first through the various references scattered in all pop culture media movies to cartoon.

the simplest jist of the film is about the last ambiguous words ‘Rosebud‘ of a publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles), reporters try to uncover its significance and this leads to many points of the man’s life being showcased to us.

one thing that stood out to me all the while i watched the film was i hardly ever felt that this film was made in the forties, the various camera shots and effects and techniques that comprise the film feel so commonly used nowadays, i cant say much about how people might have felt when the first watched it i reckon it felt just a tad bit different to everyone from what all they had experience it no wonder this film was able to move the critics but to the masses that bit difference need time to realised for its value. as we become to normalised to various innovations it really important to member and appreciate the wonder and efforts of the pioneers.

lets start with the narrative style by keeping the disjointed mannerism of showcasing the various life points of our protagonist Mr. Kane we are slowly allowed to unravel and understand the person here the camera angle and techniques come into play that allow the film to always keeps everything in focus for us viewer to understand from scenes the mood the tone etc.

just like vertigo i can fell why many would call it great and unlike vertigo my experience was Citizen kane was more refreshing than i had thought, the non linear ish story, a quasi biographical narrative and various camera angles. all the while this small nag behind my mind that its hard to think this film was made by someone my age in the 1940s and the fact this was his first film, a film that has been called the greatest film i wont lie i kinda feel intimidated.

99 movie down………..401 to go

see you soon

goodbye

Overlord (2018)

every once in a while a good sleeper film comes into your hand, you will not have any expectation and the film will not be overly great yet when it ends you will be satisfied by the experience and remark how did this flew under the radar.

great films always find their audience but the good films have a bit harder time, many will become cult classics and many will stay silent till a new soul finds them in a corner of their playlist. this is a very interesting experience one which i had last time when watching Upgrade (2018). their was hardly any chatter about this film to my ears its rare to find films that no one talking about to appear in my playlist and after vertigo i felt a easy non great film was on order to prepare for the next great one.

i never expected much thinking it would be like another war movie guns soldiers actions the whole shabang and it was all that with a simple twist. during WW2 Nazi experimenting to make super soldiers using human sacrifice and Black tar substance that flows beneath a french town. maybe be generic in many cartoonish sense but the film was entertaining enough to quench any such concerns.

the mass media presentation of the d day has always been the valor of the soldiers, the film adding the sci-fi-ish element made it uniquely odd that i was engage just to see where they took it. though nothing outlandish happens its still fun to see an Fantasy side quest like chapter to the WW2. just like in Inglourious Basterds (2009) utilizing the theme of war but changing aspects to make a its own something.

nice smile

98 movie down………..402 to go

see you soon

goodbye

Vertigo (1958)

 Alfred Hitchcock is a name i and many others find synonymous with great film making and age defining personalities. this name rings to me 2 films that even before i sat to watch them i was aware of, Psycho (1960) and Vertigo (1958). with the later being the obvious title of this novice review.

just last past month i had my grandma suffer from this same condition of vertigo, this made me curious about the condition and as i went down that rabbit hole i remember this film thinking to myself, its as good of a time as any to watch. so here i stand trying to speak my mind about a great movie.

the film is about a ex police detective (James Stewart) that developed vertigo and acrophobia, who accepts a case from his college to investigate his wife (Kim Novak), only to fall in love with her. this however isnt to last as she kills herself and poor detective goes into depression. one-day finding a person that reminds him of his dead love his obsession begins.

in all honestly its a good film it seems great in all aspect yet i felt an oddity in my experience of the film the fact that i know prior to watching it that it is a great renowned film to an extent that thinking otherwise need real evidence or opinion pushes me into a corner. i dont have any strong emotion about this film. Vertigo, the condition itself is a minor part of the film as the film act to speak more on the concept of obsession and identity in the film using the condition dramatic enhancer and character trait.

the fact that over years i have come across many mediums that have dealt various aspects of the film and even paid homage to theses sequences that viewing the original has its own impact. but i cant help wonder has the effect been diluted due to any of those past actions. all to be said the film never dis engaged me, keeping its narrative straightforward even when i was able to see the twists or plot points clearly beforehand the narrative was crisp enough to have enjoy. though unlike my experience with the film Psycho that had surprised me in various points, this film lack of surprises comes to me in a unique simplistic charm.

i am probably like the initial film viewers back in 58 to whom this film never seemed all that great, but maybe given some time i too might change my opinion on this piece.

97 movie down………..403 to go

see you soon

goodbye