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savvageorgia
Reviews
The Man from Mo'Wax (2016)
Huge Era nostalgia and but a little bit long for my music doc taste
That was such a good and accurate portrayal of working in an arts industry with lots of ups and downs. I have always loved hip-hop and it really made me quite nostalgic in the first half to be honest with all the good music, baggy fashion, the unforgettable vhs and records! It worked so well that it was filled with bits of his personal archive, as well as the graphics style and non-diegetic sounds, as they really helped in remembering the golden era of 90s. The little figures/ merch that everyone collected really unlocked a whole memory I didn't even know I had!
There were a few bits that there was no non-diegetic sounds which I wish there was a subtle hip-hop track behind just to keep the energy flowing equally and set the mood. Also, unless you are super into learning the ins and outs of music, highs and lows, for a music doc it felt a little bit long for me. Usually I don't mind a doc that is 2hour long if it's a crime for instance, but for a music doc/biography I think I would prefer it to be around an hour and 20 mins max personally. However, even though it felt long, I can certainly say that the whole thing was so well paced and divided into sections.
Hawk (2011)
Great storyline but couldn't stop staring at the costumes as they didn't feel natural.
So for starters, I absolutely looooved the storyline and found it quite different. The hallucinations bits are stunning and soo well directed and shot they reminded me Sabrina The Teenage Witch (the netflix version)! The demon in the shadows and mist worked amazingly and potentially better than when we saw the demon from a distance as it kept the mystery going strong.
Also, the scene with the birds crying and starring at him brought soooo much more tension to the story that kind of made us take a trip down memory lane to Hitchcock's Birds and I think that was by far my favourite part as who doesn't appreciate a good reference to Hitchcock?! The short in general had so many gorgeous spots and shots that I just couldn't take my eyes off, thanks to the aerial and tracking shots! Even simple establishing shots such as the one from the inside of the cave looking at the dead body of Gawain and then later of Rowan seemed like a painting.
In the scene with the deer however, when Gawain walks with his stick next to the deer and the stick clashes with the animation of the deer you can kind of feel the animation next to reality a little bit as it feels quite light. And I also kind of felt the same gap within real life, props and animations when Gawain picked up the deer's head as I assume only the head was a prop and the rest of the body cgi? Maybe I wish Gawain struggled a little bit more to pick up the deer's head as deers can be extremely heavy. But the head itself, when in close-up it looked completely realistic and well made!
Lastly, something I was a bit disappointed I think was the costumes as I really could not stop noticing the metallic rings that stop the threads (cannot find online what they're called) around their shoulders and wherever they had laces. I really do not think they had such sewing technologies back then?? Plus I wish the costumes were more distressed and the leather more broken into, as Gawain and Rowan have been living in the wild for years and the materials seemed quite fresh and more like a Halloween costume.
Killing Thyme (2015)
AMAZING!!!!
The acting is sick!! Everyone was amazing but I think the kid has a lot of potential in the industry! I'm shook, from the first second to the last, Joe is literally acting so effortlessly as if he has been doing that for decades. His character, and relationship development with Norman is so well developed and written. Kind of made me wonder whether this was purely child innocence or if Sam has got a bit of a serial killer inside him and that's the main reason why I absolutely loved it.
The costumes and mise-en-scene of the short were spot-on as they really portrayed well the characters. The mug that Norman gave Sam, shows Norman's soft side that slowly opens up to the kid and finally makes him feel more welcome in his allotment - feels like a parental/grandfather figure, as his father is absent- , the exact time that Sam tries to destroy that. He is clearly low-key jealous of the other kid and his dad and in the last shot we see Sam smiling as he has gained a friend, a grand-father almost AND an allotment that he wanted so badly.
In the Third Act where Norman thankfully wakes up and realises that he could have died, immediately changes his whole perspective as he looks around his allotment and sees his plants that he once loved and cared about so much are dead. While he leaves his chair and leaves behind the pile of newspapers next to him that kept him company for long enough now, he seems like he forgave Sam immediately as he invites him to plant cauliflower seeds even though he almost killed him. Equilibrium has now been established as Norman was reminded of how small life can be and if we don't take care and love of our own garden, our life, it will eventually die sad and miserable. He might have lost many people but his life is not over yet and it's beautiful how he decided to fight his depression and internal battles and make the most of his life.
The Girl in the Dress (2015)
Something missing but Henry the VIII saved the day
I absolutely loved the character of Henry the VIII as I found him not just hilarious while he maintained a crucial part in the story about what Emily should do about Patrick, but I also found Nick Helm an astonishing actor who potentially outshined the Emily's character with his character's charm and personal talent that just feels natural and easy to watch.
There was something about the flow that I enjoyed so much and I think this mainly due to comedic timing, along with the diegetic and non-diegetic sounds that compliment it. Henry the VIII literally has the best come backs with such a good balance of irony, while the pace of the dialogues is just right and helps the comedy to flow so easily.
However, it kind of felt like something was missing in terms of the storyline as this could have escalated in so many ways while still balancing the comedy side of it well. Like, I'm curious to know what happened after they left the wedding as even though she ended up not speaking to Patrick, it still doesn't feel like she got some kind of closure. And even if she didn't get the closure she needed I would still like to see how her character escalates after deciding not to say anything.
Gin & Dry (2010)
Incredibly sweet with a strong message
As someone who appreciates aesthetics and gorgeous mise-en-scene, this short is absolutely stunning. Found the colour palette extremely mood setting and appropriate, as even though there's a lot of comedy in the short, the message it's trying to pass is strong. The vinyl shots and the non-diegetic sounds take us back to a different era, totally different generation with different qualities and habits which somehow makes it a bit nostalgic even though I most certainly have not lived through that era. It's interesting how the lighting is mostly dark through out the whole film but there's that little morning scene in the first act that is way brighter, which makes us assume that was when his wife passed away hence why she stayed in bed and told him to have fun. Although this scene felt a tiny bit short, it served so well it's purpose with the steadily moving shot, as it added on the 'peaceful'/ 'dreamy' aspect of it.
In regards to the scene where Albie sits down with Adam, it is safe to say that everyone 'knows' that life is short. However, it seems like when those wise words and pep talk about how you should live your life, say what you want to say before it's all a memory come out of a tired, wrinkly face and soul they just hit differently. His wisdom, pain and love for life are not only portrayed by his words but also from his physical expressions through the close-up.
Now the last scene got me conflicted about what was truly the story behind Albie's relationship with his wife but I guess that's the beauty of a film, to make you think. He's repeating the same conversation we have seen in the entry scene which makes me wonder whether that's the last memory of his wife and he's repeating it every evening or whether his wife died that evening and he's just saying the things he wished he had the time to say to her last night, considering that in the entry scene he didn't have the time to finish his sentence. He was interrupted by Ranjeet which in my eyes symbolises Dee's death coming unexpectedly which interrupts their special moment and then the morning scene was him saying goodbye to her soul as she's not around anymore. Hence why the morning scene feels kind of dreamy and peaceful. I think I would like the second theory to be the correct one as it's a little more complicated but either of the theories are brilliant and express the meaning of this short so so well!