Judging Cinema

Documentaries are one of the most diverse styles of cinema, they can be used for education, like David Attenborough’s wildlife programs, or as a cinematic masterpiece, like Asif Kapadia's documentary films such as Diego Maradona. This review will look at GeoChic , an aspiring documentary that aims to hit multiple targets, tourism and culture. Themes: While it doesn’t have a story like in films and television, GeoChick  still provides a narrative through its stunning images and interviews. There is a theme in this narrative, and that is to show the culture of Cape Town and South Africa and change the stereotypical view of it while acknowledging the past and current problems that it’s trying to surpass. The film manages to do this by relying on its cinematography and photography to deliver beautiful pictures of the city of Cape Town. It shows the buildings, the restaurants, the sights, the beaches, and some of the wildlife. One of the images is of the sunset with peo...

Video games have gone a long way since they were first introduced by William Higinbotham in 1958. They went from their primal age to the Atari Age, to the introduction of the Nintendo Entertainment System in the 80s, to the console wars in the 90s, or the bit wars as some would call them, to the modern age of video games. Throughout its existence, video games managed to merge with culture in different ways, like how the NES and SNES became symbols of the 80s and 90s. Video games also managed to merge with literature in different forms throughout the years, from disastrous films like the Super Mario Bros. with Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo and John-Claude Van Damme’s Street Fighter to the excellent Disney Classic Wrick It Ralph films and to Ernest Cline’s science fiction, video game themed novel ready player one . In this review, I will look at the anime adaptation of Rensuke Oshikir's manga High Score Girl , a Netflix original anime that began on December 24th, 2018, for season...

Rosamund Pike is one of cinema's finest actresses, having appeared in films like Wives and Daughters , Love in a Cold Climate , and Die Another Day . In 2020, she was in a film titled I Care A Lot , a film that received mixed reviews from critics and audiences. This review aims to analyze the film's themes and decide if it is a film worthy of being watched. Themes and analysis:   The film’s main theme is greed and corruption, as the film makes it clear from the start that Marla Grayson is a con artist who uses the law system for her best interest. The way that the film portrays Grayson, and her associates can be seen as a reflection of our reality, as corruption is now seen everywhere, and everyone cares about making a profit for themselves without caring what happens to others, including the ones they protect. The film discusses this theme in three ways: “… There are  two types of people in this world, the ones who take and those getting taken. Predators and prey...

Throughout the history of drama, there are often plays that tend to be powerful but short, one kind of those plays are one-act plays. Some of the powerful acts in literature include Samuel Beckett’s Endgame , which serves as a follow-up to Waiting for Godot.  The transition from one-act plays to Cinema is not difficult, as some consider short films to be the final form of that transition. But for one film, the drama factor plays a role in its identity but does not overshadow its reason for excitement. Malcolm and Marie is a film that has received mixed reviews from some critics, some due to its shooting style and some due to the lack of excitement in it. In this review, I shall look at the film from a more literary point of view and analyze its themes, it’s characters, and it’s style, and determine if it is indeed a mediocre or a hidden gem, and how it is a representation of a one-act play affects its identity. Themes: “What’s interesting, though, was that you can tell that because...

Disney is known for making great animated films, and until now, they have made over 58 films that they like to call “Disney Classics,” with films such as Aladdin , Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , and Cinderella in that category.  Zootropolis is Disney's 55 th classic film, and since its first appearance in cinema, it has had critical acclaim from critics. But does it deserve all the compliments that the critics are giving it? In this review, I will discuss the plot in general as well as the themes that the film discusses, analyze the main characters of the film, and discuss the animation style. The Plot: Zootropolis tells the story of Bunny Hops, who is one of the two main characters, as she dreams of becoming a police officer. After some time, she manages to become the first bunny officer, and through a series of events, she and Nick Wilde, a fox and the second main character, cooperate to solve a case that involves 14 missing predators. The film succeeds in ...

The 1980s have brought us several classic films, such as Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and My Dinner with Andre . It also brought one of the greatest coming-of-age films of all time , The Breakfast Club. In this review, I will analyze the movie in terms of its theme and plot, as well as character analysis and important scenes. Plot and themes: The plot of The Breakfast Club tells the story of five high school teenagers, John Bender, Claire Standish, Andrew Clark, Brian Ralph, and Allison Reynolds, who are in detention on a Saturday. As the story progresses, we get to know and understand the reason why these teenagers are in detention and get to know them more. The film's main themes is about the pressure that parents put on their children, both physically and mentally from physical parental abuse to mental pressure from the parents' demanding good grades and the importance and pressures of teaching. The film does an excellent job of exploring this theme ...

Studio Ghibli is one of Japan’s best anime film companies and is known for making some of the best anime films in cinema history such as My Neighbor Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies . In this review, we will look at one of Studio Ghibili’s famous films, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and analyze the themes that the film presents, as well as how the characters in the film are presented and how good the animation style is. Animation style: Kiki’s Delivery Service was directed by Hayao Miyazaki, who is known for being one of Japan’s famous anime directors. The animation style in the film is colorful and beautiful. The characters, buildings, and even the day and night are presented beautifully with the film’s animation, and the animation style succeeds in attracting the viewers to the film and increasing their interest in the story. Story and themes: While the film is being presented to us as an animated fantasy film, the film can be seen more as an animated coming-of-age film...