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joefinnreynolds
Reviews
Gin & Dry (2010)
interesting and intriguing story with good visuals and brilliant emotional elements
*SPOILER*
I liked Gin & Dry because it gives all people an insight into what is going on in other people's lives such as the lives of the characters in Gin & Dry and helps us to empathise with them. We follow the main protagonist, Albie and his wife in this short film.
Initially, we are shown that Ranjeet is an issue for Albie and it appears that he is dislikable but as the story develops we find out that all the people in the home, bar the helpers, are fed up with the alcohol shortage. At first, I felt sympathetic for the helpers because they are trying to help and are getting no thanks for it but as the story develops and with Albie's speech to Adam we see the pain and trouble that the people in the home have to endure and this shows that in fact Adam was in the wrong and he was trying to treat the people like they were children who should be disciplined when in fact they were retired and had fought for their freedom in the war and deserved to be treated well and not rationed or disciplined in their later life.
I liked the music that was a repeated ongoing song that helped the emotional through line of Albie's wife, Dee, as well as keep the film flowing along smoothly. It helped the corridor pushing and shoving scene because it added another layer to the scene where the music was jolly which should reflect on the scene because it was Christmas Eve however it didn't which amplifies the sadness of it all.
The film helps Albie's character develop by showing that he wasn't as ruthless as the other people. He shows his kindness by handing out the alcohol rations as presents to everyone else and then helps Adam by explaining what happened and why he was doing the wrong thing. This helps put the audience's views of Adam at ease because we see that he learnt his lesson and will now respect older people because of their great achievements and they still have lives beyond retirement. This is a message to all people of younger generations to say that you should respect the older generation because they didn't have it so easy.
The film ends with the realization that Dee was never there and was a figment of Albie's imagination. This is a sad truth but it does reflect on what he said to Adam because it shows Albie's loss and this amplifies what he said. It shows that Albie has experienced loss and deserves to have the best life he can until it isn't possible.
This film was really nice and also interesting because it had a nice and funny storyline but also had layers of deeper meaning and morals to the story that you infer and they are intriguing. It feels like a very deep and meaningful ending because it ends in the same way it starts with the same conversation between Albie and Dee although this time it shows that Dee is gone which helps close the film by taking us on a journey right back to where we started and then lets the journey fade away. One thing that could help more of an understanding for the story would be more dialogue from the other retired people to help us see their emotions about what was going on at the home.
Hawk (2011)
Brilliant cinematography, intriguing story.
*SPOILER*
Hawk was a fantasy film that followed the story of Rowan, a boy who wants to kill but he has been told that it angers the God(s) if he takes the life of a human, animal or plant if it isn't necessary. Rowan suffers a great loss when Tide, his Grandfather, died. This causes Rowan to become really upset and he kills a hawk and its babies bar one. He raises this Hawk and with its guidance Rowan chooses what he should do after he discovered another world beneath our own.
I liked the fact that Rowan started off as a boy who didn't know very much and throughout the film he gained knowledge as well as the burdens of his past so he is carrying this big weight of his crimes and it is good that this film starts by adding layers and layers of detail of Rowan and showing his crimes and how he lived his life and then his realisation of what he has done wrong and finally giving in to his crimes and accepting death. This helps us to bring back a sense of nobility for Rowan and we can sympathize with him.
What is good about Hawk is that it has the main plot of Rowan's life but includes this magical fantasy world in which the story takes place. It is good because we can watch the story and interpret what is going on differently but in the end that is good because it isn't very important to have the same views on the magic because the main plot is with Rowan's life and how he will realize his wrongs and finally give in to his crimes, take the punishment and die a peaceful and respectful death.
Overall, I think that Hawk worked really well because the cinematography was aesthetically pleasing and really nice to watch and the story was really intriguing and kept me involved with the plot. My one small issue was that I wasn't sure at times what was happening when it came to the fantasy and magic and I think that if this was made clearer it would be more enjoyable for younger viewers.
The Girl in the Dress (2015)
Really enjoyable and easy to watch yet also really clever and intriguing.
* SPOILER *
Overall, I think that the structure of this short film was relatively simple but effective because it built up to a climax then tied everything off with a smooth ending. The film began with a question provoking opening that uses vibrant colours to produce a happy mood whilst hinting at certain ideas whilst also leaving it open for questions about what is happening.
The focus is shifted very smoothly to the next section through Emily mentioning Mary and then Mary entering. Through all of this, the audience can relate to Rob because he is trying to help Emily and is finding out new pieces of information that help him guide Emily to the right decision and so is the audience. Mary and Emily are arguing with Rob feeling quite awkward in the middle of it and both Mary and Emily using Rob to argue against the other which puts Rob in an uncomfortable situation which helps to amplify the argument and make it tenser. This is good because if Rob is feeling uncomfortable then it can get the audience more involved because they are similar to Rob in the fact that they don't know the full story.
The plot twist in the fact that it isn't Emily's wedding is smooth and takes a second to realise which helps the movement of the focus because it helps develop character arcs and the story line but doesn't stop the rhythm of the film. This leads to quick transition where Emily goes to the Church and you can see the conflict in her mind because she is trying to be confident by putting her faith in love but is also being swayed by Mary and Rob which causes suspense as she finds her final hiding spot. Emily's facial expressions help elevate the pressure until the suspense is released when she gives in to her friends and she does the right thing.
The relationship between Mary and Emily is sorted when Mary kneed Emily in the face and then they make up in the Church which ties off their relationship. The film ends with Rob teasing Emily about her mistakes which show how their relationship has developed and when they leave together it hints at their relationship developing but leaves it up to the audience to decide in their own minds what happens next.
In conclusion, I really like the simplistic and clean structure that is easy to watch and enjoy as well as the characters that become really developed in only 14 minutes. I think that the relationship between Emily and Rob was really funny and you could see that as they became more familiar with each other they were developing their relationship although I would have liked to see more or Rob and Mary's relationship because I think that it would be really interesting to have seen their disagreement at the beginning begin to form into friendship and respect for each other at the end.