From a wide range of movies that I have watched over the years of my young age to the present (or more likely, the movies I remember that I have watched over the years), I have chosen at least three films which I have found my most favorite.
Ten Things I Hate About You(March 31, 1991) The urban and modernized location within the city, sweet and soft rock music and freshly unique characters helped create a bright and funky mood of Ten Things I Hate About You.
The Notebook(June 25. 2004)
Using a non-linear structure for the film with the uses of flashbacks with the reading of the notebook was certainly effective to show the difference between past and present.
Running With Scissors(October 27, 2006) The idea of the protagonist narrating a depressing story in a comical fashion is nice from how it clearly defines an issue involving certain relationships and hardships in life.
I sadly couldn’t find a decent trailer for this film. How strange!
Well, a small interview, I would say. I asked him a few questions and he took the time to answer them! Here, we discover an insight of how Ien, the Korean, thinks.
He is a senior, graduating this June from Seoul Foreign School.
“So what is Seoul Foreign School like?”
Ien: “Our school: Personally I feel it can get kind of bureaucratic at times, and we’re really really busy at the moment because of applications and whatnot but that’s ok. I’ve found that doing things and then asking for permission later is much better than trying to ask for permission and then doing them. Like in the film club promo video we just taped a bunch of green paper to the parking lot walls to make a green screen and never asked permission to do it but we never got in trouble so it turned out all good.”
“Why do you make films?”
Ien: “I make films simply because I love filmmaking. It’s something I can totally release my creativity into and in return, filmmaking teaches me a lot about many things, not only techniques but working with other people, dealing with money problems, and a lot of other stuff.”
“What inspires you?”
Ien: “I can’t really pinpoint what I’m inspired by, but I think overall I want to serve others through my films.”
“What is your goal?”
Ien: “My eventual goal is to become a film director who can influence people in positive ways. A lot of media has become somewhat bad, but I think that can be changed to make people good.”
After the release of the first book of its series, the film based on the first book is now released! The Twilight series has been popular ever since the first book came out! Now, due to its popularity, Twilight, the film, has been released and so much of the readers and fans of the series are excited! Does the film perfect the beauty of the book itself?
Although I’m not a fan of the Twilightseries, I enjoyed the film itself even if the plot, the whole story, seemed predictable. I watched this film for my best friend’s birthday and it seemed most of the female companions I watched the film with seemed to love the series, the movie and of course, Edward Cullen and Robert Pattinson who plays Edward Cullen in the movie.
Twilight, the movie!
If you ever read the book, then you probably don’t have to read what I have to write about this film. This film and book is about a seventeen year old girl named Bella Swan, played by Kristen Stewart, who moves in with her father to avoid moving around with her mother and her second husband. While attending her new school, she bumps into a group of welcoming students and a classmate who seems to be moody in her presence, Edward Cullen, played by Robert Pattinson.
Days pass by as her friendship with Edward develops and a string of deaths follow, seemingly caused by animals. A dark secret is unravels and she discovers Edward is not only one hundred and eight years old but a vampire who appears seventeen and feeds upon the blood of animals to resist the blood of humans.
Unfazed by the secret, Bella yearns for this friendship and the pair conspires a love for one another, one that can endanger Bella. It is not long before a group of dangerous vampires are introduced who are willing to fight and even kill for the taste of Bella’s blood.
Characters
Developing Characters
Bella Swan; a seventeen year old who, at first, seems to dislike Edward Cullen and maintains an awkward relationship with her father, unable to seem comfortable in his presence. Later on, she is begins to develop a small liking to Edward and discovers a happiness within herself to maintain a good relationship with her father.
Edward Cullen; a one hundred and eight year old vampire who appears seventeen. At first, he dislikes Bella’s presence due to how much he feels to drink her blood whenever she is around him and with such powers, being a vampire, he has the ability to read minds except Bella’s, making him feel slightly insecure. He begins to develop into a brighter and happier character, a romantic towards Bella who he feels like he can share his secret with.
Static Character
Note: There are multiple minor characters. I will mention the antagonist, Edward’s parents and three of Bella’s companions.
James; the leader of his group of vampires consisting only three including himself. He hunts down certain humans and kills them after drinking their blood. He is the cause of the string of deaths in the town. Throughout the film, he carries the love of bloodshed and the blood of humans and discovers an unusual need to drink Bella’s blood despite the trouble he has to go through to drink her blood.
Carlisle Cullen; a handsome blond vampire who appears to be around his twenties and works as a physician. He is the one who turned Edward into a vampire and took care of Edward and four other vampires appearing as teenagers along with his wife. Compassionate and warm, he is quite welcoming to Bella and feels that she is apart of the family despite being human.
Esme Cullen; Carlisle’s wife and a vampire. At first, she was a human before Carlisle bit her after she became his wife and apparently came down with a sickness. She is the most composed person throughout the film and appears as a motherly figure, not only to the five vampires she sees as her children but to Bella who Esme seems to like and welcomes Bella into the family.
Mike Newton; a jock in the school and one of the first male classmates Bella befriends. He met Bella after she accidentally hit a volleyball against his head. While Bella and Edward develops their friendship throughout the film, Mike develops a liking to Bella and asks her to the prom before he turns to ask one of Bella’s female friends, rejected by Bella.
Tyler Crowley; one of Bella’s friends and a male classmate of Bella who happens to flirt with her constantly and even kisses her on the cheek teasingly. Despite developing a liking to Bella, he does not show much of the liking except when he nearly crushed her with his van and continuously apologized.
Eric Yorkie; a Chinese friend of Bella who attempted to ask her to the prom before he was interrupted by Mike. After being rejected, he asks one of Bella’s other female companion but continues to maintain a liking towards Bella. He is the first one who befriends Bella and takes her around the school, touring her when she first arrives to the school.
Cinematography
Handheld Camera was used in a few scenes. The camera was shaking so it seemed to create a humanly affect to the scene and created an increasing anxiety within the scene. One scene which included the use of Handheld Camera was when Bella and Edward were talking to one another after Edward confessed of his secret.
Uses of Fast Motion was used throughout the film to add realism to the scenes when Edward happens to be running at an amazing speed, one of his powers as a vampire. One of the scenes is when Edward and the Cullens decided to play baseball and Edward decided to chase after a ball.
Uses of Slow Motion was used but rare. It was to create a melancholic and intense feel to the scenes and to create a somewhat unrealistic but mysterious vibe to the scenes. One of the scenes included when Edward and Bella were speaking to one another of what occurred before Edward was turned into a vampire before he jumped down the edge of a cliff.
Uses of Subjecte Point of View Shots. Some scenes included the uses of the shots but were carried out by the uses of Handheld Cameras. One of the scenes included when Bella dropped the apple and Edward caught it by rolling it up his feet though seen through Bella’s perspective.
Uses of Special Affects seemed relevant throughout the film since most of the vampires had used powers of their own and these scenes where the vampires used their powers were important to create a realism and magical feel to the movie. One of the scenes included when Edward was rapidly running up the mountain, his figure seemingly vast as he ran up.
Genre
Romance
Fantasy
Lighting and Color
The lighting was often soft and diffused to create a calming effect in most of the scenes.
The lighting was natural since most of the scenes included daylight and somtimes, if not daylight, then late afternoon. A feeling of realism and naturality was carried out throughout the film with the use of natural light.
The color often included a light blue. It created a melancholic effect to the film and even intensified the intensity in the romance of the film. It also somehow gave a feeling of softness and coldness through out the film, supporting the theme of vampires and the dreary feeling through the film.
The color supported the weather which was often rainy, windy and cold during most of the film and rarely any sun was shown from what I remember.
Narrative Structure
Linear Structure
-One event after another was carried out without any flashbacks to interrupt the story.
Exposition
-The narrator, Bella Swan, introduces herself and moves to a new town and a new school where she is seated beside Edward Cullen in her Biology class and seem uneasy in his presence but develops a friendship with him gradaully.
Complication
-When Bella suspects Edward of being more than a simple human and begins to research deeply.
-When Edward confesses of what he is after Bella tells Edward of her suspicions.
-When Edward hesitates to maintain a relationship with Bella but nevertheless, accepts her feelings and his own.
-When James attempts to kill Bella for her blood and begins to hunt her down continuously.
Climax
-A little troubling and unsettling, somewhat questionable but without a doubt, it is something that I’m sure fans of the Twilight series would understand.
In my opinion, I believe the plot and the story of the film and the series seem a little too predictable to me because the theme of Romeo and Juliet and the forbidden affair is overused a lot nowadays that it’s becoming an old trend. Although, I feel the movie was quite amazing itself for how it carried out the plot. The music was quite perfect for most of the scenes and at the perfect moments too! I do believe that what I enjoyed most of all was how the romance of the movie was carried out perfectly. The romantic theme of the movie seemed quite heartbreaking and almost melancholic that it squeezed the screams out of the girls that I even seemed a little amused by the romance of the movie.
Overall, the movie was good and I expect a better film of the sequel of Twilight for the second book of the Twilight series, New Moon.
Trying watching the movie yourself! See the trailer:
