Tatami 

                                                            Film analyse                                                     

Hello Charlie and hello reader ! 

Let me ask you a question: would you bend over your government’s order or would you refuse and put in danger everything and everyone you love  ?

This is the big dilemma of the movie, of Leila, an Iranian judoka and her coach, Maryam . She is competing for the judo world championship. She is doing very well, even too good, and she may competes at the final against an Israeli judoka : the Iranian government  orders her to withdraw from the competition because of that .

(By the way it is inspired by a real story, which kinda change the vision you have on the movie when you watch it.) 

Let’s do a little analyze of everything I found interesting in this film . 

First of all the choice of the color, and well quite literally the first thing that you see : the directors chose to cancel the color and tell the story in a black and white tint . We could see many reasons that explain this choice, but I think the most relevant is simply that when you take out color of life, you take out his joy: it reflects perfectly the story, joyless and dark . 

There is not a lot of music in this movie, which is not appreciated by everyone . But more importantly, the only music that we hear, is the music that she listens . So first of all nothing is distracting us from the story. We are focus on the voices, the sounds and the (very important ) silence . But we also feel connected to her, we have the weird feeling of being is her brain :it is almost not a film anymore , we don’t have the artifices of a movie, and it gives us the impression that we are on the tatami with her, her music in our ears . 

The way this movie is filmed is also a definite choice : we only have very close up plans and sometimes very large ones . No in between. The large plan let you breath a few seconds from the anxiety that we share with Leila .

The close up plans are giving more intensity to the movie, and highlight the brilliant actresses,  seeing every precise detail of the their faces, every eyebrow move and eye squint . 

I would overall really recommend this movie, because it is powerful, in it’s fight and in it’s rare simplicity. Also because you could watch this movie 10 times and still see another little detail. 

If you have a I-love-seeing-impressive-woman-movie list, this one definitely belongs in it . 

my top 4 must see movies ever!

Hi Charlie!!! So, for my first post I decided to share with you my top 4 must see movies ever! SOOO let’s get started:

 #1 US (2019)

A family of two children goes on holiday by the sea. They rent a house near the coast and invite friends. One night, the family see by the window 4 unexpected guests on their front porch. It is also a family with two children. Each of them resembles a family member, but the newcomers behave in a peculiar way and quickly turn and tries to replace them.

Fun fact: Nyong’o’s tethered voice is inspired by a real medical disorder called spasmodic dysphonia which  causes spasms in the throat muscles which results in vocal distortion

 

This is one of my favourite Halloween movies because it’s full of suspense, cliff-hangers, twist, and you have to imagine the ending and have long debates with friends. I’ll admit, I didn’t understand anything the first time I watched it (LOL). I give this movie a 4/5 cats.

#2 Call me by your name (2018)

In the early 1980s, Elio, a 17-year-old boy spent his summer holidays in his family villa Italy. His father and his mother gave him an excellent education and have a very close relationship. One day, Oliver, an American preparing for his doctorate, comes to work with Elio's father. During his stay, Elio and Oliver starts to get very close…...maybe too close.

Call me by your name is a movie based on the book written by André Aciman.  My favourite things in the film are that the landscapes  are stunning and that they speak 3 languages (English, French and Italian) throughout the hole movie. 5/5 cats Very emotional from the beginning to the end.

#3 Misery (1990)

Paul Sheldon, the writer of the famous book saga “Misery” decides to end his saga by sacrificing his heroine. Satisfied, he left the mountain hotel to go to New York. On the road, blinded by the blizzard, he gets in a serious car accident. A retired nurse, who lives in a detached house, helps and keeps him. Paul soon discovers that his benefactor, is a big fan of his books. But when Annie Wilkes learns that her idol's dies by browsing the pages of the manuscript, she radically changes her behaviour to become an inflexible torturer.

This is an old movie, but it is still great. In fact, it’s my 2^nd favourite Stephen King based movie next to IT (obvi) I recommended Misery as a must see, because it’s a mix of suspense, frustration, thrill, violence, and the scenario is great. 4.5/5 cats.

#4

Last and certainly not least! The best movie ever created on earth……...

Ratatouille (2007)

A young sewer rat, Rémy finds his way into the kitchen of a large Parisian restaurant “Gusto’s”. An ideal home for the rodent, who dreams of becoming a great chef. One evening, he saves a dish prepared by an inexperienced garbage boy, Alfredo Linguini, whom the new chef has taken in flu. The rat befriends the human and hides under Alfredo's hat to become the chef he always dreamed of becoming.  

I know this is a bit weird to choose a kids movie as a must see but, I have a very emotional attachment to this film and I consider this as THE BEST MOVIE EVER MADE !! because I find it so fascinating that someone has such a big imagination to think about this scenario. 1000000/5 cats!!!!

 

Thank you for reading my long article 😊 I hope it made you want to watch these movies!

Please feel free to comment down below 😊

Bye 

Deconstructing cinema tropes: Discover “The Take”

 

“Most saliently, the cool girl isn’t a REAL girl. She’s a myth created by men, perpetuated by women pretending to be her.”  (“The Cool Girl Trope, Explained”-The Take)

You see, Charlie, that’s the kind of unconventional analysis you can find on The Take!

The Take is a YouTube channel which posts videos analysing different character tropes, movie & TV character profiles, and plotlines. A trope is defined as “a common or overused theme or device, cliché” (Merriam Webster dictionary). Created on April 12, 2016 by movie lovers Debra Minoff and Susannah McCullough, the Take has already reached 1,1 million subscribers. Their relevant, modern, and refreshing analyses of today’s and yesterday’s visual culture help us understand what we watch and why. 

 

And if this hasn’t convinced you already, here are a few more reasons you should absolutely watch “The Take”.

1.Whether we are aware of it or not, movies DO impact our vision of society and of ourselves. Perhaps one day, after seeing a movie or finishing one of your favourite series, you laid on the couch, sighed and wondered : “Why can’t I be more like the heroine/hero?” or “I really hate that character!”. Well, after that immediate reaction, have you thought about whether this character was a trope, and what message it conveyed ? Or what does the way movies treat it say about our culture and society ? This is precisely the kind of questions The Take encourages you to ask, instead of being a passive viewer (or binge-watcher!).

2. Their video essays are accessible to everyone. They are fairly short - most videos last between 15 and 25 minutes - but manage to explore the topic in depth. Most importantly, they do it in a well-structured way, with clear explanations. And it’s available for free on the YouTube !

3. Finally, it’s fun, even better than a series! The editing is entertaining, there are animations, music, famous movie lines, and a little bit of sarcastic humour. It’s a different way to learn more about your favourite movies & series…and discover new ones!

 

Don’t know where to start ? Here are my top 3 picks to give you a taster !

      The Evolution of Harley Quinn - Birds of Prey :

 

Harley Quinn is the most famous antiheroine of the DC Comics universe. She went from being simply the Joker’s girlfriend to being her own character. In this video, The Take explores her evolution “from throw away character and neglected love interest to the protagonist of her own film”, and what it says about the evolution of our society. They show how her emancipation “heralds a time where female heroes are free to be less than perfect”.

 

          The Cool Girl Trope, Explained :

 

The Cool Girl is defined as “fun-loving, raunchy, uninhibited”, she likes junk-food and beer and is very easy-going. She’s “one of the guys” and has “a passion for any stereotypically masculine activity”, but she’s also “effortlessly hot” and the male protagonist’s love interest. As The Take highlights, the problem with this trope is that she is used to bring down other, more feminine, characters and sets unrealistic expectations.

 

          The Mean Girl Trope, Explained :

 

We have all seen a lot of high school movies with a mean girl character. The fact is that she has a lot of qualities, she is “highly intelligent and cunning”, “glamourous and charismatic”, “confident and ambitious” but takes these qualities to the extreme. Ultimately, the mean girl always falls. According to The Take, this is because we need to believe that we are better people than her, to compensate for the fact that she has everything else in life.

 

You can watch these videos and more on their YouTube channel :  

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVjsbqKtxkLt7bal4NWRjJQ

 

Thank you for reading ! This was my take on : The Take ;)

N

Letterboxd

Hey everyone!

During this quarantine, something I've found myself doing a lot is watching/rewatching movies, because that's one of my favourite things to do. And for years now, I've been making a list of every movie I see, because I like knowing when I first watched what, and overall like keeping a tab on things. And instead of writing it out in my boring old 'Notes' app, I'm going to present a website that does just that!

This website is called Letterboxd, and it's great for movie lovers. You can keep a diary of all the movies you see, write or read reviews and give ratings, find ideas on what to watch next...

Letterboxd has a great aesthetic, this what your profile looks like:

peep my profile picture

On your profile, you can log your favourite movies

they only let you have four, it's dramatic

And you can stack all the movies you've ever seen, all in one place!

You can follow your friends, and judge them for their poor taste:

only three and a half stars for The Full Monty, really??

Finally, you can make cool (and mostly useless?) lists:

Alright, that's it for today, I hope you enjoyed this short article exposing my taste in films! If you want to create an account, it's super easy: you can either download the app, or use their website. So, if anyone ends up making one, or already has one, feel free to share your username in the comments because I'm always searching for new things to watch!


Take care, and watch loads of movies :)
Sibylle

Heya Charlie !

SO ! Today I'll present to you a film that we are supposed to talk about at our cinema club soon and it is this beautiful movie :

As I supposed you've guessed from the title, this film is set during the year 1917. And so, World War I. But ! As you have probably not guessed, in the Somme.


I have to say that there will be spoilers so if you continue to read this entry I can rightfully assume that you have seen it, or that you just don't care.

you have been warned!


As for such setting for this movie, this will be heavy in drama, violence and overall despair because war is dificult, and World War I is one of the most deadly so corpses are everywhere. (Amazing work on those by the way, they are beautifully crafted now that I think about it)
In this film we follow our main character. That races against the clock to deliver a message to stop an attack on a trap set up by the enemy.

He first goes with his partner that... you know from the start that one of them dies. I mean its like the mentor archetype, you know he'll die. but it still hits you hard.

I just want to point out that... Holly Molly this movie is beautifully shot, I mean look at this !

the work that has gone into every single aspects is jaw dropping. The costumes, the environment, the lighting, the sound effects, the accessories, the little one minute characters that pop up every now and then that has depth and everything. They feel like actual people. It's simply magnificent !

I'd say that the thing that struck me the most inside of the story of this movie is the dialogue at the end. You understand how the war was like, pointless, heroïc gigantic efforts for... just minimal consequences, by the few lines my main man Benedict Cumberbatch delivered perfectly. this movie appart for all the amazing things I've said which make oh so good pale in comparison to this scene.

It's truly beautiful in the gruesome bloody truth it delivers it hits us like a truck. I'd say that it might even be a reason to watch the whole movie !