Blog Post # 1 - February 4th, 2011

Thousands of movies are released every year. Yet only a small percentage of those movies can be described as compelling and amazing. Movies are an art form and just like all other art forms, there are two important aspects that are examined: form and content. The content of a movie tells a story or multiple stories. It can teach, inspire, entertain and do many other things to a viewer. Content within a movie is the most important aspect. A movie with amazing form but has terrible content is no good. If the story/stories are compelling and people are experiencing something that teaches, inspires, or entertains them, then a film is good or even great. Form is what turns a good/great into a classic that would probably be proclaimed as "one of the best films of the year" as the critics usually put it. The form of a movie can do many things for the content and movie all together. Both together in top form make a movie compelling. When both aspects are perfected is when the magic and beauty of cinema takes place.

Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men is a film that fits this criteria. The content of this film is amazing. It is a Science Fiction film so it tells a story no one can relate to but is compelling and exhibits realism.  The story depicts many themes and has the ability to teach many things to people. This story is great but the form of the film that Alfonso Cuaron and his crew exhibit make the film a classic. The scene composition, tone, and symbolism are amazing throughout the film.  The photo below is an establishing shot of the current state of a street in London in 2021 that depict the composition and mood quite well.

In many instances the cinematography almost puts the viewer in the scene as if they were another character with the main characters. The tracking shots keep people in the story and are beyond amazing. Many scenes are longer than a minute, many other eclipsing two minutes and the uprising scene that lasts over seven minutes is arguably, the best cinematography in history. The acting within the film, also really impacts the story telling and take the story to a whole new level especially Chiwetel Ejiofer's performance as Luke, the main antagonist. Children of Men is a perfect film with top notch form and content that entertain, teach, and inspire people. It is a beautifully made film that is a complete masterpiece.




Ruben Fleischer's Zombieland is another film that I completely believe fits into this criteria. The form is nothing phenomenal but it is still a terrifically made film. As with many zombie movies, the zombie make-up is great and is the apocalyptic scenery exhibited throughout the film to make a well put together film as shown in the still below that shows the scenery around the two main characters. 

The content of this film is quite amazing. This movie has scenes or parts that can trigger many different emotions or genres. It is a zombie comedy that it is horrifying, hilarious, sad, surprising, and definitely entertaining. It is an ambitious film as it perfectly blends two things that most would not see going together. It blurs those lines perfectly. This film is much more on the entertaining side of content compared to the teaching or inspiring side even though things can be learned as there are many themes in this movie that are present in many films. The performances by the main actors and actresses really develop a great characterization for each of them to help further the story. The content of this film makes it a fantastic film. Zombieland is a very well-made film with excellent content, which makes for a compelling movie. As comedy films go, this one is a classic.