FILM 100 Wrap Up

It's a wrap!

1. Favorite screenings! Why? What did you love? What did you learn?

    I really enjoyed The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Rear Window, Pan's Labyrinth, Get Out, and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. 

    These films I have either seen before or knew the director. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari I had never heard of before but I really enjoyed it and learning how the first movie was made. Rear Window and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou are both films I knew of the director but never watched their work. I surprisingly liked the way Rear Window was filmed and the story was intriguing. For The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, I always heard of Wes Anderson but never watched any of his films. Get Out and Pan's Labyrinth I have seen previously, and it still is so good every re-watch! 

    But my favorite screening was probably Me, You, and Everyone We Know. The reasons I like this film are solely because of all the lessons I learned in the discussion afterward. Along with watching a movie outside my comfort zone. At its core, I really did like the main couple in the film and thought it was a good balance of a realistic relationship, it was very cute without having to be sexual. I really enjoyed how awkward the main character was. The main couple reminded me the writing for relationships in period dramas where everything is shown not spoken. There are acts of love, rather then confessions of love. It's what I really enjoy about period films, and this film had elements of that. 

    Now the other parts of the film I definitely struggled to understand. And I'm really grateful for our conversation after class, I really need an explanation or just a guide on how to see the plot of the film's side characters. I was able to piece together my own interpretations like how I believe the two teenage girls were secretly in love with each other but they still wanted to try and fit into a heterosexual world. My favorite part of their story is their running together at the end of the film, after the older man who was leaving them perverted messages got scared and never took any actions to his words. The two girls ran together away from that house in glee, and it just felt like they were free. 

    Overall, Me, You, and Everyone We Know made me step out of my film comfort zone. It challenged my perception and showed me that context is everything in a film. 

2. What have you discovered about yourself as a film spectator (preferences, knowledge, filmmaking) since we began?

    As a film spectator, I definitely have more respect for every single film made in the world. Making these movies, especially with no budget or film crew is hard work. It was interesting to learn about the filmmaking process whether it was from the textbook, or re-establishing the knowledge I knew about films previously. In addition, acting is definitely not for me 😅, but I wholly support it. 

    As for film preferences, I appreciate the class so much for giving me the opportunity to watch different genres and directors. I probably never would have watched a Wes Anderson film without this class. I'm glad I was able to dip my foot into other genres. 

 

3. What movies did you see over the course of the pandemic that you wish you could have seen with many others? Or, which do you wish you could share and watch with someone else?

    I don't usually go to the theaters to watch movies so the pandemic did not really affect my movie-watching that much. But some movies that were my favorite that came out during the pandemic was Emma (2020). (I love Emma so much, hence my blog imagery being inspired by the film).  I was so ready to support this film when I heard it was coming out. It was also from a more independent company so it is a film that would have benefited most from a theater release to make more money but it did release digitally. I'm pretty sure it was one of the first films to be released digitally due to theaters being closed from COVID-19.  I was able to watch this film with my mom, so she was the only "other audience member" I needed. 

    Another movie that felt like a movie theater release to me was Dune. I forgot this movie came out during the pandemic due to my friends and I watched it at her house and she owns a movie theater room. So it felt like I was at the theaters! 

    Those are two key moments of watching pandemic movies. 

4. Recommendations for spring '23 films in this class?

    More LGBTQ+ movies! I was a little saddened we didn't have time to watch Moonlight this semester. I don't think in general I've seen many LGBTQ+ films, so that would be a bucket-list item. In addition, animation films are big on my list! I feel animation always gets thrown into the "movies for kids" bucket and it upsets me so much because it is a genre just like any other film. I think Guillermo del toro's Pinocchio or Netflix's Klaus would be a great choice for animation that isn't the typical Disney or Pixar film. Also maybe foreign films like Parasite. 

   

    Late Night in Soho is my favorite girlboss movie. Even though it is directed by a man, the director made sure he had females heavily involved in the writing room and it shows. The film is my favorite criquing the showgirls industry and also makes a really good thriller mystery! 

 

    Another slower film is After Yang. I just saw this out of curiosity and love for the actor Justin Min. But it's a really good heartfelt grounded sci-fi film.  I would say this is my version of Me, You, and Everyone We Know, as it was a movie that was out of my comfort zone to me and I was surprised at the heartfelt story. 

And that concludes my FILM 100 blog 💖
Thank you for stopping by ~