The first movie I chose to watch was “Boyhood”. I first heard about this movie years ago and really wanted to watch it but never had the time. I was so excited to see it on the list of movies to choose from for this assignment. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and found it so interesting to watch the cast get older over the years. The spacing of the life events the characters went through was adequate, and it didn’t seem like they spent a longer amount of time on any specific milestone. Although it is a long movie, lasting 2 hours and 43 minutes, it seems like it flew by. This mirrored the way Mason’s mom felt at the end of the movie, like her life had just flown by in front of her. I think the movie had a general purpose of showing how fast life goes by. I think the best part of the movie was that they filmed the same cast members throughout 12 years. We, the viewers, were able to see Mason’s maturity level increase and how his thought process evolved as a young adult. It showed all of the hardship and struggles Mason’s mom went through with juggling being a single mom and trying to have a unified family. There were a couple of times during the movie where I teared up watching her try her best and still be overwhelmed, something I resonate with as a mom of two young children. I think that no matter who you are, when watching this movie, you are able to relate to at least one of the characters because of the diversity of characters depicted in the film. Something I am used to watching in movies is transition, and this movie didn’t seem to have any in between scenes. Suddenly, Mason is older in the next part of the movie, and I then realize that this is a different part of his life. I enjoyed the movement in the film when Mason went on a camping trip with his dad and the camera was set up in one place, as they both walk from the far right to the far left of the lens while talking about a “kind of” girlfriend Mason had. It was so smooth and a cool way to utilize camera positioning and points of view.
The second movie I chose to watch was “Get Out”. This movie was also one I had hoped to watch when it first came out and was eager to pick for this synopsis. I think I might have enjoyed this movie more than the other because of the suspense. It kept me on the edge of my seat and attentive to each detail. The accompanying sounds in the film added to the movie’s impactful delivery since they used sharp, terrifying noises throughout. The sounds make an impact no matter how low your volume is. The overall context of the film is racism, and it was effectively portrayed during each scene. The film’s auteur, Jordan Peele, is African American and successfully captures the racial profiling and hardships that have been present for decades. This movie was only 1 hour and 44 minutes long, but it didn’t seem short in reference to both films I watched. It was jam-packed of details and the scenes were efficiently paced; it left me wanting more after it ended. One scene of the movie that stood out and seemed particularly effective was when Chris was strapped to the armchair in the basement, forced to watch the video Rose’s grandfather made. The structure of the scene seemed eerie, nervous, and isolated from the outside world. Specifically, the camera angles used were a great addition to the fear the filmmakers were striving to portray. At one point, you feel like you are in Chris’ shoes, and you are watching from his point of view. When he was forced to watch the TV, the camera was placed just behind and above his head. The close-up shots of Chris’ face showed the panic and terror in his eyes. The lighting was a soft yellow, and it was evident that the décor had been there for many years. The sequence was edited to make abrupt cuts when he would come in and out of consciousness. The editing of the film and transitions made it easy to follow along with what was going on. Chris’ acting ranged from sublime to admirable. He effectively contributed wit, emotion, and significance to the scene. I almost lost it when I noticed he was not hypnotized as Rose’s brother untied him because he had filled his ears with the stuffing from the sofa. This scene was dramatic, although the movie is categorized under “comedy”. After finishing this movie, I would have thought it was more inclined to being under the “horror” or “thriller” categories and not so much comedic.
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