Yuhyunlee's Blog

Wolverine

yuhyunlee — Fri, 01 May 2009 08:25:45 +0000

Director: Gavin Hood

One word to describe this movie would be exciting.

From beginning to end, the movie is filled with unexpected twists and filled with action.

The masterful use of visual and sound effects made this film a success because without it, this type of film genre

would be a flop. It is a mixture of action, science fiction fantasy.

The ending was obscure which gave me an idea that there would be another movie following this one.

One thing I did not like that i wished this movie was shown before the other X-men movie so there would some

chronology to it but overall it was a good film that i would suggest to my friends.

“Reality” show

yuhyunlee — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:51:45 +0000

The irony in “reality” shows is that it is obviously not real.

The only thing thats real about relaity shows is that the people in the show are actually playing themselves.

However, it is very plausible that they are being influenced by the fact taht their every move is caught on film to be

viewed by the world. One would think this would somehow alter the “reality” of the show. Other factors such as

editing can hugely determine the success of a film. Without drama and interesting characters the show is doomed.

An example is the show “The Hills”, manily focusing on the life of socialite Lauren Conrad and her posse. The

makers of this series is expected to fit a weeks worth of filming into 20 minutes. Therefore the viewers do not have

the entire story. The audience only sees what the production crew want them to see and easily manipulate the

situations to add drama and intrigue to the show. Reality shows are an illusion of reality.

Creative Expression

yuhyunlee — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:50:57 +0000

As I have already mentioned several times during this course, film is another addition to my knowledge of creative expression. I was again reminded of this through one of my best friend’s films. Him along with his fellow deviants skated through he alleys and streets of manila and recorded their failed attempts, successful flips and just plain foolishness with a camera. The entire film was in fisheye mode (the effect that instantly makes anything cooler) and the cameraman was also following everyone on a skateboard so there is always constant movement. The thing I liked about their film is that there is no pretension whatsoever. It is raw in its essence of a bunch of teenagers enjoying life and doing what they love. To be able to capture that idea, to me is true film making.

*note: i cant post the films here because i don’t want Mr. Brown to hang me for the inappropriate content*

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Movies based on Books?

yuhyunlee — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:47:07 +0000

Being an avid reader, I have often read books before watching the movie. In my humble opinion I feel that books are better most of the time despite the additional visuals and sound a movie provides. Film is created through vision and imagination of the producers and everyone involved in the production. What disappoints me the most is the editing and the alteration of some parts of the story. The reason I like reading is because I have my crazy imagination giving me all the visual and sound I need. By watching the movie and seeing that it is different from what I had anticipated really disappoints me. However, one movie I think escapes this idea is Harry Potter of course. The effects and the sounds and everything was really well executed although there were many parts missing.

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American Gangster

yuhyunlee — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:37:41 +0000

I recently watched American Gangster with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe Directed by Ridley Scott.

It is the tale of two very different “american dreams” and plays on the idea that good prevails over evil.

It is the story of a cop who wants to take down the biggest drug ring to rule Manhattan in the 1970′s, by doing so this cop, Richie

Roberts would be taking down Frank Lucas, the other main character in this movie. It is a long movie and drags at some parts

but I think the plot was cleverly unraveled. The characterization also effectively portrayed the side of Frank Lucas although he

was the “bad guy”. I was even a bit sorry to see him get caught. I realized the importance of characterization and the audience

impact it has.

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The unkown

yuhyunlee — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 04:27:02 +0000

i watched a film over the weekend. It’s called “The Unknown”.

It was entertaining to watch but the ending was very disappointing.

The movie toys with the idea that everything does happen for a reason and that things are not just mere coincidence.

However i feel like the film was too much in a sense that there were too many elements fused together.

Part horror, part thriller, part science fiction when it all came down to it i decided that this was not a film i would watch over.

However one of the things about this film that i liked were the special effects. It put me on the edge of my seat. the non-

diegetic sound all throughout also maintained the tension and creted this sense of foreboding that finally lead to the main

events.

The Art of Collaboration

yuhyunlee — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 02:00:28 +0000

One of the first things i realized through this production is that film-making is not a one-man project. Without collaboration and team work nothing would be possible. Even a person with the most meager task contributes something to the production of the film and without this mindset, it would be difficult to achieve anything. Open-mindedness is key in film making. You must be open to new ideas and possibilites becasue without this problem solving would not be possible. Becasue we are dealing with so much technical aspects of film while working within a time limit, there are many glitches that may arise. Sometimes there may be disagreements regarding a certain concept but by being a good listener and giving everyone a chance to voice out their idea this glitch can be easily solved.

Milestone Film Website Review

yuhyunlee — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 23:59:41 +0000

From the Milestone Films website, I learned that they are the “distributor of classic and art films”. They are more focused on classic films or art films. Their “collection now ranges from the earliest days of the cinema, to the golden age of the silents, to the postwar foreign film renaissance, to brand-new American independent features, documentaries and foreign films.” They also offer films that are created by “masters of cinema” such as Hiroshi Teshigahara, Luchino Visconti, Pier Paolo Pasolini, F.W. Murnau, Orson Welles, and Luis Bunuel. They restore old films and take care of their films so they are in mint condition. They use the best quality of machinery and products to care for these films so even old classics are maintained for the pleasure of the audiences viewing purposes. They let native speakers carefully translate the films and proofread and edit them several times before they finalize everything. This is a perfect site for film buffs and admirers of art films because they provide such a wide scope on fillm. If there are good films that seem to have been lost, Milestone Films is most likely to have that one last copy.

81st Annual Oscar Nominations

yuhyunlee — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:15:53 +0000

Sadly, I have yet to watch the nominated films however I feel like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button should win for its incredible plotline. After viewing trailers and hearing raves from my friends, it is definitely a must-see! For best actor I think that Brad Pitt should win because he of his believable performance even with ambiguity in the character’s role of an old man aging backwards. Best Actor in a supporting role should be Heath Ledger. As opposed to his usual roles, he made a sinister impression playing the role of ‘the joker’ in The Dark Knight which left quite an impression after his death. Angelina Jolie’s nomination is also well deserved, seeing as how she portrays the part of a frantic mother looking for her child in the film “Changeling” genuinely. As for best supporting actress, Taraji P. Henson should win for her role as Queenie, the nursemaid in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. As for the best cinematography, Slumdog Millionaire should win for its creative use of lighting and shots that help create and emphasize the drama and the different moods.

Thoughts on Film making

yuhyunlee — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 13:10:59 +0000

Now that we are moving along to actual filming, I realized that sometimes things do not turn out as planned. Even with the shooting schedule and everyone being prepared to shoot, there may be aspects that could hinder the production. We have already gone through unwilling actors to absent group mates and lack of equipment. I learned that organization and preparation is key in film. Not only is preparing our film production important but we should also be prepared for the unexpected setbacks that may arise. Another key aspect to film is that it is based on how well the group does, not just an individual. No good film can be created by the efforts of just one person. It requires the mashing of ideas and second, third and fourth opinions. It requires team effort. Everyone in a film production is significant no matter how meager their task may seem.