#4: The Sation Agent (2003)

THE STATION AGENT (2003):

The Station Agent is an American comedy-drama film written and directed by Thomas McCarthy. It stars one of my favorite Game of Thrones actors, Peter Dinklage. This film won best Audience Drama and two other awrds at Sundance in 2003.

The Station Agent is about Fin, a midget who is quiet and reserved but with a great passion for trains. He is a man who keeps to himself due to feeling ostracized by people because of his size. Fin worked in a toy train store but after his elderly boss dies he decides to move to an old abandoned building next to a train. This building was left to him, a gift from his elderly boss that passed away. He moves believing he will have a peaceful solitude life, but that is the complete opposite of what life will be for him. He meets two people, a woman that lives alone and is trying to cope with the death of her son and a loud Latino man who is taking over his sick dad's hotdog truck outside of Fin's new home. Throughout the film we see how their relationship grows and they help each other deal with their life struggles.

This film was really good. What made this film good was the story line. Not going to lie, I cried maybe twice while watching this. It is a very heart felt film but it also has a lot of comedy in it. Its a funny film and I was definitely giggling here and there. As a filmmaker that loves seeing creative shots, this films didn't have too many of them. The only creative shots that I saw throughout the film were some shots shot from high above looking down. There were many shots that were looking down, creative and different which I enjoyed. This film was made from mostly fixed shots, where the camera stays in one spot but there is movement that stands alone in the shot. One tiny little thing that did bother me was a shot that broke continuity. I'm a continuity freak and notice every detail. There was a shot at the end that was from an earlier scene, same location and same clothing and details from the actors.

This was a fun heart felt film that I truly did enjoy. Probably wont be one of my favorite films but, I did enjoy watching it. I would say it's a fun movie to watch but maybe not a must see. But go watch it and tell me what you think :)

#3: Martha Marcy May Marlene

MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE (2011):

Martha Marcy May Marlene is a 2011 American drama film written and directed by Sean Durkin staring Elizabeth Olsen. It won best Dramatic Directing Award at Sundance in 2011.

This film is a complete trip. It is about a young girl, Martha, who runs away from an abusive hippie cult where she lived for 2 years as Marcy May. In this cult she was drugged and brain washed to believe a different way of life. When she runs away her sister and brother-in-law take her in to their home to take care of her. Martha is having trouble living away from the cult since she is constantly being haunted by memories, which she struggles to distinguish between dreams and reality. She is constantly paranoid and haunted by memories of the cult.

Through the eyes of a filmmaker, this film was exceptionally made. It is made in a non-linear narrative style which helps understand Martha's strange behavior. Through this non-linear narrative structure we are constantly shown flashbacks of Martha's life in the cult. Another thing I enjoyed was the minimal use of closeups. Most of the shots were wide shots that would slowly zoom in. I'm a fan of long shots and in this film there is one that stood out the most to me. During Martha's first days at the cult, everyone is hanging out outside playing the guitar and singing. We see a long shot beginning from one side of the area where they are all hanging out and slowly dollying left until we see Martha. The long shot continues and to dolly towards the center where we see a conversation between Martha and the leader of the cult. It is an exceptionally well made long shot!

This is a MUST SEE FILM! It's a complete trip and will leave you paranoid after watching, well it sure did that to me. Oh and the ending is not the typical type of ending, leaves you wanting more.

#2: Fish Tank (2009)

FISH TANK (2009):

Fish Tank is a drama film written and directed by British director Andrea Arnold. This film won the Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and won the 2010 BAFTA for Best British Film.

Fish Tank is about a rebellious 15-year-old, Mia, who lives with her slutty single mother and little sister in a East London estate. Mia has a highly antagonistic relationship with both of them and has just been suspended from school and now has a lot of extra time on her hands. She dedicates her extra time dancing hip-hop, drinking, roaming the streets and competing with her mother for a man.

As a filmmaker, I thought Fish Tank was really well done. There were a lot of well done handheld shots, shaky but great. Even though some of the handhelds were a bit shaky, they helped show Mia's toughness and rebelliousness. The whole film had a variety of diverse shots that were great, but my favorite aspect of the film was the focus on the breathe. The film begins with a focus on Mia's deep breathing after dancing and that focus on her breath stays throughout the whole film. The focus on her breathe highlights Mia's strong emotions towards certain aspects in her life that are important to her. We hear hear love for dancing through the exhausted breathing after her dance routines or her strong attraction towards her mother's boyfriend when he is with her.

Fish Tank was a great movie! A lot of swearing in a British accent by everyone in the film, which was quite entertaining to hear. This movie makes you want to dance and be a rebellious young girl in London. Great film techniques, especially the focus on the breath. Must see!

#1: Circumstance

CIRCUMSTANCE (2011):

The first movie I want to blog about is Circumstance, a film that won the Sundance Dramatic Audience Award in 2011. This was a film directed and written by Maryam Keshavarz. I was really interested in watching this film because I will be working with Nikohl Boosheri, the girl who plays Atafeh this film. I am interning for a production company that will be having her as their main talent for their film. So, I wanted to see the amazing Sundance film she is known for.

Circumstance was absolutely amazing! Not only was the story original and creative, but the way it was shot was phenomenal. Circumstance is about a young wealthy Iranian teen who is struggling with her sexuality, religion and her obsessive brother. Through this movie we learn a lot about how the life of a young Iranian girl can be in the Middle East. The story is so unique and truly amazing. Along with an amazing story, the way this film was shot was stunning. My favorite shot was when both girls Atafeh and Shireen walk into an underground party scene. It is one long continuous shot through the party scene with no cuts. Amazing camera work! It establishes the location and makes us feel as if we were in the party too. Circumstance also has many slow motions scenes that help us depict the emotions that are being felt by the characters. The slow motion scenes helps depict minor details that are key to the understanding of the story.

Circumstance was an amazing film! Such a great story and very well made. Everyone, go watch it!! A must watch film!

365 Films in 365 Days

Hello All!

My name is Jenny Cortez and I am a student filmmaker. I am at my last year at Santa Clara University and will be graduating with a Communications major with an emphasis in Film. I love every aspect of filmmaking! So, in order to become a better filmmaker I have decided to watch 365 films in 365 days, a whole year. I will try to watch one every day and blog about it. I am creating my own documentary at the moment along with 4 college classes, 2 jobs and an internship, so I'm not sure if I will be watching a film every single day. But my goal is to watch 365 films by the end of a whole year. Hoping this blog will expand my knowledge of films and the knowledge of my viewers. I will begin tomorrow! :)