BEHIND THE CAMERA
I’m no film critic, but I thought I’d share some of the most memorable movies I’ve watched to date. Some I love, some are unsettling, some I’ve rewatched a thousand times. Below is a table for all the categories I’ve included. If you want to share your opinion or recommendations, be sure to get in contact via my About page.
| Category | Movie title | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Best Overall | The Shawshank Redemption | 1994 |
| Best CGI | Spiderman Far From Home | 2019 |
| Most "Feel Good" | Cool Runnings | 1993 |
| Most Odd | Under the Skin | 2013 |
| Most Scary | Silence of the Lambs | 1991 |
| Most Nostalgic | Eddie the Eagle | 2016 |
My all-time favourite film is the Shawshank Redemption. Directed by Frank Darabont, this movie is one of the highest rated on IMDB. I was hesitant to watch it at first, thinking it would be boring just based off the cover. However, it quickly became my favourite and has stayed that way ever since. I like this film because of the incredible acting performances. Morgan Freeman’s narration is one-of-a-kind, and Tim Robbin’s portrayal of an inmate is genius. There are many scenes that, to this day, still give me chills like the beers on the roof and the opera over the intercom. And of course, Brook’s story is one of very few movie moments that can make me cry time and time again. Altogether, the well-planned story, great acting, and satisfying conclusion make this my absolute favourite movie.
As the topic of this blog, it would be a crime to skip out on my favourite CGI in film. Since it was action films that first got me interested in the topic, I had to pick one of my topic favorites: Spiderman Far From Home, specifically the illusion sequences. Mysterio uses advanced VR to fight Peter Parker, with hopes of having the world ‘finally listen to him.’ In doing so, the post-production teams had to create shots that represent what peter sees in the illusion and they had a high level of creative freedom to work with. What resulted was interesting CGI clips like falling glass, duplicates of spiderman, a New York snowglobe and much more. Each was entirely computer-generated and had fun transitions from one shot to the next. Because of its creativity and good execution, this sequence is one of my favourite examples of CGI in film.
This was a clear choice in my brain. There are so many things from this early 90s classic that I love: the colours, the music, the humour, the story and so much more. Altogether, it’s one of the most feel-good films I’ve ever seen, and I’ll often put it on just to brighten my mood. There are a couple of lines that I find myself quoting quite a lot, like “you dead man?”
Under the Skin, starring Scarlett Johansson, is a sci-fi thriller that is quite unsettling. Being that I watched this for the first time a couple of weeks ago, I made this category directly for this film. It’s odd because of its story and how the director tells it. Without spoiling too much, Scarlett plays an alien in a woman's body who seduces men and send them to another dimension as food. Bizarre, right? Not only is the story very unique, the dialogue is vey few-and-far-between. Many shots are simply done for the aesthetic of eeriness – in which it succeeds completely. Although I don’t rate it as a film that I like in any way that counts, I recommend audiences see this one if only to expand their horizons on what a movie could look like.
I must confess, I haven’t seen that many scary movies. They’ve never been my thing, but I am trying to watch more of them. Even though my index for scary films isn’t the best, I can confidently say that Silnece of the Lambs is one of the best thrillers around. It’s stood the test of time (30 years this year) and has persisted as one of my personal favorites for a while. Silence of the Lambs, as many people know, is thrilling because of its dynamic story. We follow an FBI trainee as she interviews an infamous serial killer in an attempt to learn more about a current murder on the loose. The layers that thereby unfold are gripping, uncomfortable, and 100% thrilling.
Without actually picking a movie released in the 80s or 90s, this was still a close category for me. I really like Spielberg's Ready Player On(2018) as a 80’s nostalgia film, or Guardians of the Galaxy(2014) with their ‘Awesome Mix.’ But while these two were intentionally nostalgic-themed, I thought Eddie the Eagle held a very 80’s aesthetic without it being overt. This film, which is one of my all-time favorites, tells the true story of Michael Edwards and his run at the 1988 Olympics for ski jumping (same Olympics as Cool Runnings!). I’ve loved this film since the day it came out and will continue to for its inspiring message, fun soundtrack and great performances.
