Movie Review

So time to write movie reviews… it’s been a very long time since I have written anything for my blog so here it goes.

For shoot week on top of all the shooting and assignments the other students and I had, we got to sit back and watch a few photo related movies. During what would normally be class time we were issued movie passes and set out on some popcorn popping and movie watching. We were told that 3 movies were the minimum to see, so with no question I chose I Am Cuba, One Hour Photo, and Manufactured landscapes.

The movie extravaganza started Tuesday with “I Am Cuba”. Sitting in the DT room not sure what to expect but excited to see what it would entail because it sounded quite interesting and I was looking forward to seeing it. So it started, I thought to myself hmm its in black and white that’s cool. The movie is set in Cuba around the early at 60’s, it focuses on four short stories about different peoples lives and their reaction to the war that is going on in their own home towns. The first short story is about a young female named Betty (Luz María Collazo), she has a unique life style to say the least. The setting was very tiki, lounge, and music…as what the 60’s were all about. You get a sense that the war was there but not at all on the top of her mind at the time. The other short stories to follow, you would get the feeling of war and wanting a better life; a farmer wanting a better life for his kids, a male student fielding for liberty, and by the last one you see there is a revolution that is happening and everyone trying to secure a happy place for their future. The movie all and all was wonderfully done, this film didn’t have to be in color to justify it, the tone, the expressions, the mood, it all worked together to create a breathtaking movie.

It was a double bill for Wednesday, as I was seeing One Hour Photo and Manufactured Landscapes after that. So to start off the morning I had already seen One Hour Photo but I thought why not see it again as odd as it was the first time…why not!! It stars the amazingly funny Robin Williams but for this movie put on the serious role. I didn’t take this movie too seriously it was the fun movie out of the three, I did find it interesting and had a straight urge to work in a photo lab after seeing it. Lol as well as not taking my family photos to a one hour place. The part of the movie I think I found most interesting was near the end where you could see the films color was getting darker and more serious in a way, the tones were getting richer and richer and the movie was getting more suspenseful.

Last but not least Manufactured Landscapes I really didn’t get this one, it had its interesting moments and it wasn’t bad considering it is a documentary. I thought it would have been quite different though. It was about I believe Chinese workers who were working in factories, ship-breaking yard in Bangladesh and stone quarry in Vermont. The documentary was about Photographer Edward Burtynsky travels observing changes in landscapes due to industrial work and manufacturing. For what it is a documentary it is fine work and it documents the events well and shows Burtynsky’s talents and work considerably well but it wasn’t one of my favourites.