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Stickney09
Reviews
Kirikou et la sorcière (1998)
Kirikou: a real hero
The film Kirikou et la Sorciere is a magical tale about Kirikou, a small little boy, who saves his village from the evil Sorceress Karaba. He is small, but brave and will not let anyone stand in his way. Kirikou saves the other children, saves the women and then bravely travels to the mountain to see his Grandfather, where he receives the information in order to save the Sorceress and his village.
Superheroes played a huge roll in me and my brother's lives. We loved them. We wanted to be them. They were truly our heroes. Kirikou is a different kind of hero, but he is a real hero. He doesn't wear armor or use magical powers to fly. Kirikou does use his magnificent speed, but other than that doesn't have anything a real child doesn't have. Kirikou uses his intelligence and confidence to save his village. Anyone can be a hero like Kirikou if they use they are confident and fight for what they truly believe in.
The music and use of colors in the film are too factors in the film. For example then the color becomes dark Kirikou is near the Sorceress Karaba. When the colors are bright and warm Kirikou is in the village. The warm colors are more traditional. The color is more important to the film than the music in the film. The music in the film is very much in the background, not in the forefront.
Tradition vs. modernity also plays a role in this film. The Sorceress Karaba is covered in gold and wearing a giant head dress. Her helpers are robots. This film represents the bad guys as modernity. Whereas Kirikou and the village people are represent tradition. The women in the village wear just clothes around their lower waste and run around without shoes. The children are dressed this was as well, with traditional African hair styles.
I think this movie would be too confusing for elementary children, although it is animation. I think for the use of African culture it fit great with our class, but would also work with Jr. High and High School students as well. Through defeating the Sorceress Karaba Kirikou teaches his village about forgiveness. This is the final lesson of the film. Kirikou is an amazing and clever child who shows the true meaning of a Hero.
Twist à Popenguine (1994)
The two worlds Ca Twiste a Popenguine
The move Ca Twiste a Popenguine is a wonderful portrayal of Africa and how they are dealing with changes of outside cultures. The film shows the lives of children who are trapped between two cultures. In the film each child has three names; there Arabic name in which their family members use, a French name that is used at school, and lastly the name they choose for their self, which is most often an American rock stars name. The children are stuck in limbo between different worlds because of culture. The irony in this is the teen's teacher Monsieur Benoit who is there teaching them French, feels alienated from both Senegal and France. What makes this ironic is that although the teens are mixed between different cultures and they seem to have a firm grasp on who they are. They are fine with the two cultures as long as you remain true to yourself.
During another scene an argument happens between Monsieur Benoit and Jabeel, one of the teen boys fathers, about the children's future. Benoit believes the teens should strive for bigger and better horizons. While Jabeel believes the teens should be just like their fathers. In this scene the viewers see the give and take from two cultures. The last scene of the film is a great example of post-modernism, when tradition and new fads are mixed together, because the teens threw a party with a mixture of cultures, music, and dancing.
Overall Ca Twiste a popenguine was a good film to show African culture. I was worried I would not be able to understand the background of the film and some references made about past issues, but the film is actually an easy follow. What we learned in class helped me to better understand the film, but a anyone can enjoy this upbeat African film.
Entre nos (2009)
Real life in America
The film Entre Nos is an amazing portrayal of the love of a real family. In the film Mariana is left by her husband, with her two children after being in America for only a few weeks. The film shows the struggles the family faces, until they are back on their feet. The lighting, music, and camera angles make a large effect on the film. The emotion you feel as an audience and the love of a family are very important aspects of Entre Nos. This film shows the audience a side of life they many have never seen.
Entre Nos is a film with very little dialog, so most of the story is told through emotions. To enhance the emotion, lighting, camera angles, and music are very important. Most of the lighting during the film is dark, indicating how unsafe or unhappy the time is for the family. Throughout the film the camera often zooms into Mariana's face showing the tears welling in or eyes or the sickness coming across her face. The camera often starts in close then zooms out. I think the close camera angles allow you as a viewer to really look at Mariana and make and emotion connection with her. Lastly, the music playing throughout the film is a director indicator of the overlying feeling during a specific scene. These three factors made the movie great and were a main reason the film was successful in connecting with the audience.
The title Entre Nos means between us. The film was written, directed, and starred in by Columbian, Paola Mendoza. I think the "between us" is the relationship between the movie and the audience. I believe the film was created to show Americans the life of illegal citizens trying to make it in America. Mendoza connects with the audience through emotion. With little dialog the audience must pay attention closely to the nonverbal cues the actors make. Mariana does not cry often throughout the film, but you see the anguish on her face and disappointment for letting her family become this way. Mendoza draws her audience in through her wonderful characters.
The greatest part of the film is the love you see from the family. Through all of the struggles and hardships they never give. I believe Mariana shows what a real mother is like and although they are not living the good life, they portray the true love of a family. Never once did Mariana give up hope. I think the affection she shows to her children throughout the whole movie shows that hope is never lost.
Entre Nos is an amazing film that shows the real part of life. Although at times it was almost uncomfortable to watch, the film made me think of issues that have previously never crossed my mind. I loved the emotion it made me feel and the connections I made with the characters. Entre Nos was an unexpected success in my book!
Como agua para chocolate (1992)
Like Water for Chocolate: Bringing Magical Realism to the Big Screen
Like Water for Chocolate Movie Review The movie Like Water for Chocolate is a beautiful portrayal of an amazing novel. At times I felt that the movie was hard to understand, and if you were watching it without reading the novel first you would be very confused. The storyline of Tita and Pedro's undying love for one another was magical, and although the movie is from a different country and time period, I feel that many people today can relate to their story. Food plays the largest role in the film. Most of the magical realism portrayed is after the family or even guests of their home ate the meals Tita prepared. Before watching the movie I was concerned how they would portray the magical realism throughout the film. In the novel, the magical realism catches you and draws you in. The film does the same. The magical realism scenes were wonderful and exciting. Some were not done as well as others, for instance when Tita is being born and the "buckets" of flowing water come, but for the most part the magical realism scenes were successful. I do not know much about Mexican culture, but from what I have learned this year in World Literature class the movie is very realistic. Some actors and their Spanish could have been better, for instance Pedro, but overall most the characters were portrayed well. Tita was just as I imagined her from the novel. Gertrudis, on the other hand was not, but I think the choice of actress was great. Gertrudis was not like her sisters. The red hair made her stand out and reminded viewers she was different. Like Water for Chocolate makes you question yourself throughout the film. Lots of people say they don't understand Tita and her actions, but they have never been in her position. Mexican family traditions are different then what we see in today's society. What would you do if you had to wait and take care of your mother until she passes to marry? What would you do if your one true love married your sister? These questions seem so easy to answer, but when you see Tita facing these questions in her real life, you realize the answer might not be as easy as you thought. Over all Like Water for Chocolate is a great film. I was worried about how I would deal with subtitles and it didn't affect my enjoyment of the movie at all. The movie is in Spanish and involves Mexican culture but, anyone can enjoy it. If you have or haven't read the novel I recommend watching Like Water for Chocolate.