All posts by Denisa Apostu

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Moonlight first response

I decided to give this film an 8/10 because I thought it was a powerful film which delt with serious social issues such as drug usage and addiction, discrimination, bullying and sexuality. I feel like this film was great at showcasing what all those issues really look like, giving the film a deeper sense of verisimilitude and creating an emotional bond with the audience. The 3 different actors who played Chiron at different stages in his life felt very connected with one another, giving the audience the impression that it was the same person all the way throughout the movie. 

Memorable scene: the most memorable scene in my opinion was the very last scene of the movie where young Chiron is on the same Miami beach as teenager and adult Chiron were also at. This for me was memorable as it symbolizes a “full-circle moment” meaning something symbolic in the movie takes place usually at the end or beginning of a movie which then has an important correlation with something leading to the same point in the movie. I think this was great as it made the audience much more interested in the overall plot as it is left up to the viewer to make their own assumptions and theories about the movie, hence why it is at its peak interest point.

Monaco article

What does Monoco mean by the term “The Spectrum of Arts”?  

There is no simple way of answering this question as there are hundreds of things to say about “the spectrum of arts” as it is so wide, and everyone has their own perception of the various forms of art such as:  

  • History – recorded the story of race and cultures over time, leading not only the modern social sciences but also a broad narrative  
  • Poetry – this form of art has been a widely loved and explored form of art ever since the roman days, recognized in those times as either: lyric, dramatic or epic  
  • Astronomy – this was known as the art of “searching the Heavens” and it represents the vast range of modern sciences at the same time as it suggests one other aspect of social sciences in its astrological features, values and functions of production and interpretation  
  • Dance – this form of art and many variations of it have been around for millions of years, it is a very expressive form of art, requiring skill, endurance and commitments however it was and is still used today by humans to celebrate and be able to express their emotions without the use of words  
  • Music – humans have been creating music ever since the beginning of time, maybe not with a variety of instruments or music editing apps but with either objects, their voices, instruments or even the nature around them as music has been a symbol of celebration and essentially what makes people happy as there is a very large spectrum surrounding music because everyone’s ‘music taste’ is different making it the amazing art form it has come to be allowing people to express how they feel through music  
  • Comedy and Tragedy – both these types of performing arts have mainly come around over the century for the entertainment of society (plays, musicals, movies etc.), these are both admirable components in performing arts as many people modernly use these as inspirations for their own future  

In conclusion, Monaco explains that Art is such a broad spectrum, meaning every person may have a different way of viewing art depending on the individual’s personality and what they view as “good” or “bad” art.  

Joker first response

Critical score: 7/10  

I personally really enjoyed this movie as it was great at portraying the mental health issues the main character (Arthur) was dealing with as the contrast between scenes was very noticeable and impactful. For example, some scenes seemed more calm and almost eerie as they were slow-moving compared to some of his more hectic and rapid scenes, making Arthur seem out of control and manic in some cases making it scary for the audience as we don’t know what he will do next but it also allows the audience to make their own assumptions about what the Joker is capable of.  

Memorable scene: In my opinion this movie had a lot of amazing scenes, however my favourite scene was the staircase scene when Arthur was first introduced to the audience as the “Joker”. I enjoyed this scene because it was a huge contrast to the first time we saw him on the same staircase (gloomy and dark) contrasting with the ‘iconic’ staircase scene with the Joker looking happier (singing, dancing and bright colours). 

Categorizing Films

Battleship of Potemkin 

  • Historically significant film  
  • Date – December 21st, 1925 
  • Director – Sergei Eisenstein  
  • Genre – war/historical drama  

A bug’s life 

  • Mainstream film  
  • Date – November 14th, 1998  
  • Director – John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton  
  • Genre – animation  

The shape of water 

  • Art film  
  • Date – December 1st, 2017 
  • Director – Guillermo del Toro  
  • Genre – romance/fantasy  

The seven samurai  

  • Historically significant film  
  • Date – April 26th, 1954  
  • Director – Akira Kurosawa  
  • Genre – action  

The breakfast club  

  • Mainstream film  
  • Date – February 15th, 1985 
  • Director – John Hughes  
  • Genre – teen drama  

The wizard of Oz  

  • Mainstream film  
  • Date – august 25th 1839  
  • Director – Victor Fleming  
  • Genre – musical/fantasy  

The magnificent seven 

  • Mainstream film  
  • Date – October 23rd, 1960  
  • Director – John Sturges  
  • Genre – Western action  

Love Simon  

  • Mainstream film  
  • Date – March 16th, 2018  
  • Director – Greg Berlanti  
  • Genre – teenage melodrama  

Fitzcarraldo  

  • Mainstream film  
  • Date – October 10th, 1982  
  • Director – Werner Herzog  
  • Genre – music/action drama  

Alphaville  

  • Historically significant film  
  • Date – May 5th, 1965 
  • Director – Jean-Luc Godard  
  • Genre – synth pop  

I think that some of the films from the table such as ‘The breakfast club’ and ‘A bug’s life’ (films I categorized as mainstream) have many different features to them which make them be considered ‘mainstream’ such as being easy to watch and follow along, suitable for a wide age range and also being loved by the audience as they are entertaining and sometimes even relatable.