Review: 'Wadjda'

I had never even heard of this film until two days ago, when my Film and Culture class had been assigned to meet at the Broadway Theatre in downtown Salt Lake and view it as a class. That made the film all the more powerful, being introduced to a culture on the other side of the world that I have no idea on how it works. That's one of the greatest things a foreign film can do to you: Take you places, introduce you to people, give you a bit of a culture shock even, all without physically going anywhere.

It's really a miracle that a film like this was even made, considering the ongoing setback the United States is having with the middle-east. It's also a miracle because, as the film portrays, women are not allowed to show any part of their body outside of their own homes. So what efforts were taken in order to have the women revealed out in the open streets of Saudi Arabia, for a movie? This is a film about women in a corrupt system from Saudi Arabia. And it is all seen and experienced through the eyes of a young girl, Wadjda.

Wadjda, a spunky, rebellious girl (always wearing blue shoes, instead of black; also rarely keeping her head cover on when men are in sight), lives with her mother. Her father comes and goes every so often, being with other women, supporting other families. Wadjda wants to race and play on a bike with her friend. The only problem is, he's a boy and Wadjda's not. Girls are not supposed to ride bikes. Being the smart, sneaky little girl she is, Wadjda does whatever it takes to earn the money to get the bike. Even if it means learning the Koran by memory for a school competition.

The boldness and realism of the film is it's strong-suit. It also occasionally uses cliches that are eventually turned on their heads, making them feel new again. The movie brings a smile on your face that you didn't expect to be there, and wherever Wadjda goes, you want to be riding close by her side, supporting her all the way.

My rating: 3.5 / 4

Review: 'Captain Phillips'

Paul Greengrass, the director of 'Captain Phillips', is undoubtedly a stickler for authenticity. Almost every one of his movies are as realistic-looking as they can be. I remember watching 'United 93' (2006) for the first time, and completely forgetting that I was watching a movie. As far as I could tell, it was pretty darn believable as to what possibly did happen that day on 9/11. There's a lot of believability in this new film as well, just not quite as much as I hoped. But only just.

Based on a true story, in 2009: On the East coast of Africa, Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks), sails his cargo ship into open Somalian waters, despite warnings of piracy. The ship is eventually taken over and turns into a battle/game of wits and will against these adversaries.

Other than Tom Hank's brilliant performance, which is his best performance since 'Cast Away' I think, half of my praise goes to the actors portraying the pirates. To my understanding, most of them had never acted a day in their lives before. And here, they deliver absolute convincing performances. Barkhad Abdi particularly, who plays the lead pirate, gives a conniving, snake-like performance here that's worthy of an Oscar nomination.

As I mentioned before briefly, the authenticity is definitely present in this movie, yet artistic licensing can be sniffed out occasionally here-and-there. And if there's one major thing I would have to criticize deeply about this film, it would be the musical score selected for one pivotal scene. The music is a specific track that is taken (or borrowed?) directly from the soundtrack of 'United 93'. Call it what you will, but that felt a bit lazy to me of the director and composer, and it kind of bothered me. It made this movie less greater than it was aiming to be. I won't mention what the scene is, but I will say it's a pretty big one.

Despite some set-backs and certain technical choices in the final editing/mixing that were made, 'Captain Phillips' has still turned out to be an emotional, powerful film with an equal amount of pleasant surprises.

My rating: 3.5 / 4

Review: 'Gravity'

Surprisingly, it is rare to be amazed by computer generated images (CGI) nowadays. But after watching this film, the special effects envelope of filmmaking has been pushed even further than it has been in years.

First of all, many people are claiming this as being one the greatest science-fiction films in years. It's not science-fiction! Sure, one might mistake such a thing as outer space and space suits and ships as being fictional. But, the truth is, all of what you see depicted in this film is factual. This is something that could indeed potentially happen, and that makes the concept all the more terrifying. 

What we have here are two astronauts, who are engineers, going about with another day at the office in space. Meanwhile, an accident occurs causing their space shuttle break apart. Sandra Bullock's character, being one of the astronauts, finds herself detached from the shuttle, drifting out into open space.

The things that were great about this movie were this: The special effects and the visuals. This film might possibly be the most believable experience you will have in a movie theatre this year. The opening scene of the film alone sets the tone and the mood for the rest of the movie and what you are set to behold. The scene consists of one continuous long shot of sequences, with no cuts or editing whatsoever. You become a fellow astronaut in this entire scene, experiencing everything they are. You go throughout the entire movie, scene by scene, pondering over what is a computer effects shot, or what is the real thing. I will be extremely surprised if this film does not at least receive the Academy Award for best visual effects this year.

By now, you're probably aware of how adamant I am on good storytelling and good characters. Despite 'Gravity' being an experience unlike any other this year at the movies, there are still certain problems with it. Though it's lead character(s) is clearly strong and committed on surviving, I felt like there could have been more time to develop her character and see her grow as the film progresses. Instead, the film turns into one long obstacle course, one after the other. When Bullock dodges one catastrophe, another immediately follows. After that next one passes, she's caught in another blender. For a film that was aiming on being "grounded" in realism and believability, the situations that occurred ever so often felt a little far fetched.

With that said, I still really enjoyed this film. I especially praise the way it looked in the IMAX theatre, in 3D. Watching it in that format, I could not imagine it being seen in any other way. See it in IMAX, there is quite literally no other way to experience this film. Be aware though that as you exit the theatre, you will feel a little dizzy. It's basically like re-entry back onto Earth.

My rating: 3.5 / 4