6. Fallen Angels

Trailer

Another movie probably no one I know has seen. Not exactly a movie for everyone. What this movie does with the camera is probably beyond strange for many, and the story structure would probably throw a lot of people off their rocker. Regardless, this is one funky movie that sticks with you.

Wong Kar Wai is quite the experimenter. Half of his scenes are shot with a fisheye lens, which distorts a person’s face to make their noses look big. What he does with the camera is totally unique and experimental, and I love it.

This movie is such a psychedelic rush of mixed emotions. I don’t know how to explain it, but the cinematography really conveys a ton of emotion, which is very unique to this movie. I like the artistic appeal to this movie, and it inspires me to be a bit more experimental with my camera angles.

It’s one of those movies that you have to watch to understand why it’s so great. Definitely geared more to the independent filmmakers, but I would give it a shot nonetheless. :D

7. Spirited Away

Trailer

Spirited Away, one of many great Hayao Miyazaki anime films. Bluntly put, it is an incredible movie. The fact that most of the animation was made using traditional, hand-drawn pictures honestly astounds me. You don’t get much of that anymore.

I’ve seen this movie so many times, in English and in Japanese, for years. I’ve always loved this movie for the story, and now I can appreciate and worship it for its technical glory. You get immersed in the story and in the world so easily. The story is interesting, multi-layered, and unique. The characters are incredibly memorable (the baby). There are so many things that you can love about this movie. Which brings me to probably one of the main reasons why I love this movie so much:

The music. The soundtrack is amazing. I love the soundtrack. I love it so much that I own the entire soundtrack. I’ve learned four or five of these songs on the piano. I can’t say enough about the music because I worship it. It’s probably my all-time favorite soundtrack. Joe Hisaishi is just… I could listen to his stuff all day long.

Overall though this movie is just incredible. Definitely one of those movies I could watch over and over again and not get bored.

8. WALL-E

Trailer

Yes, WALL-E, my favorite Pixar film ever. Many people seem to be mixed about this movie. Some dislike the pessimistic doomsday outlook on humanities future. Some didn’t think it had as much connection to kids as previous Pixar movies. I personally think this is their best movie overall.

The animation, first off, is absolutely incredible. I remember watching this movie and being amazed by the amount of detail that was put into the visuals. Space and the garbage-ridden Earth were my favorites. They’re just so pretty to look at. Absolutely stunning.

I thought the way the story was told was also incredibly unique. I liked how WALL-E and EVE did not really have to speak much for the audience to understand them. The way Pixar did the characters’ animations really conveyed the right things. I liked watching WALL-E’s actions because they were so expressive and lively—he felt almost human. I felt as if I followed the movie completely fine, which I find quite impressive.

Ignore anyone who thinks this is a bad movie. It’s incredible. It’s totally different than anything else out there, but it tells its story in a fantastic way. Not only that, it’s just pure eye-candy

9. When the Last Sword is Drawn

Trailer

A foreign film that I’m sure almost none of my friends have seen. This movie was made in 2004 and it follows the story of a Shinsengumi samurai named Kanichiro Yoshimutra. He is introduced as a very skilled and greedy swordsman. As a mercenary, he goes out of his way to get as much money as he can. This is perceived as greedy by his fellow samurai. However, as the story goes on, more and more is revealed about his past, and his true colors shine.

Turns out Kanichiro is gathering money so that he can support his family. He disgraced his old clan and his family name by leaving. He is perceived as a greedy mercenary in his new clan. However, it is all to support his family. His true character is revealed through his noble actions. During one scene, when food was extremely low, he gave out all the rice to the rest of the samurai and let himself go hungry. It is beautiful and sad how far he went to help others, regardless of the sacrifice.

This was one of those movies that you watch and you just feel good at the end. Kanichiro’s character is someone you really feel attached to. He is funny, quirky, honorable, and honest. You can’t help but wish more people in the world were like him. The acting in this movie is totally superb, especially Kanichiro’s actor. Everything is believable and immerses you into the fantastic tale. I’ve never seen a movie like it before.

10. Fantastic Mr. Fox

I’m gonna write about my top ten favorite movies and then explain why. I’m bored and I dunno what else to post right now.


Trailer

This movie is based off the book by Roald Dahl, though the ending to the movie differs slightly. It is a stop motion animated film. Why is this one of my favorites, out of all the animated films out there? Because it’s totally different from any other contemporary animated movie, i.e. it’s not digital. It delivers a very different feel that works.

The story and the characters are incredibly quirky. You can’t help but laugh at times because it’s just so damn different and funny. You’ll fall in love almost instantly. George Clooney’s voice talent totally fits Mr. Fox, and he delivers a great performance. And Kylie the Opossum is just hilarious. You really have to watch it to understand, because it’s pretty far from ordinary, and only after watching it you will understand.

By the way, this is only the first of three animated films in my top ten.

Posers

I hate it when people say they’re good at something just because they know the basics of what they’re doing. This applies to film, but pretty much anything else art-related out there, like photography or music or whatever.

Imagine: when people say their film is “artsy.” Sure, that’s fine and all. But if the rest of your film is pure crap, you have nothing. You can make a ton of pretty little angles with cool colors and the retarded film focus effect, but if it doesn’t do anything for your film, then it has no meaning.

People associate pretty things with art. Anyone can make something pretty. You can take a photo of just anything, color correct it and everything and bam, you call yourself artsy. You can take a video clip of anything, put in some ambient music and color correct it, and bam, it’s pretty. So what?

What do those colors do for your picture exactly? Does it capture the right emotion? Does your “artsy” video clip do anything for your film other than make it look pretty? Is your video even good? What’s the point of it anyway?

Artsy implies some form of art, expression of the imagination and feeling. Anyone can make a photo or a video clip and make it look pretty. Anyone. It’s really easy actually—just pull a few sliders here and there and voila: pretty pictures. You haven’t proved anything. You just know how to use sliders on your computer.

In my opinion, art needs the extra layer beneath the surface that has the thought and the imagination in it. I enjoy looking at photos that have meaning. I enjoy watching movies that stress the story before visual effects.

I don’t disapprove of ambition. If you’re really just trying to get better and just experimenting, fine. But don’t go around bragging that you’re all that just because you made one pretty picture. If you have something to back yourself up, well then fine, you choose what you want to do with it.

I’m not trying to criticize anyone specific. This is how I feel generally. I just don’t like it when people talk big but have nothing to back it up with.