Category: Recommended Reading/Viewing

Schindler’s List is originally one of the three films I decided to do for my shot list and sequence analysis, but at the end I chose All Quiet on the Western Front for its more detailed mise-en-scene and cinematography elements.

Schindler’s List is one of the few films that make me feel it is less of a movie but rather more like a historical reflection. Steven Spielberg approaches the Holocaust of the Jewish people with a documentary style approach. He grounds the story in the transformation of Oscar Schindler, who is first a opportunist but gradually become a savior to more than one thousand Jewish captives.

We all know that the Holocaust is terrible, thousands and thousands of Jewish people die every day, but what makes the film astounding is not the scale, but the quiet shift in Schindler’s character as he face the Nazi machines.

In addition, I think the decision to make the film black and white is not a stylistic choice but rather a moral and humane one. Stylistically, we can say that black and white increase tension, adds on pain, and reflect the brutality, but it is more reflected in how humanity is shown through the movie, so I believe it is more of a humane choice. It takes away the cinematic comfort, and force the viewers to put themselves into a drained up world, where humans are viewed as numbers.

The minimal use of color, most famously the girl in the red coat, is like a spear that pierce through the monotone color scheme. Emphasizing the existence of humanity in such a dull and draining world.

Unlike other historical or war film, Spielberg does not exaggerate violence, not framing heroic deaths or sacrifices, but rather he presents it abruptly and casually, as if dehumanization is a daily job for the Nazi officers and soldiers.

Liam Neeson’s performance as Schindler, is also interesting. He never delivers grand speeches or have heroic moments. Instead, his transformation is conveyed through small moments, like hesitations and silent realizations. This step by step change his mindset and build up to the emotional climax. Where Schindler realize that he is not saving more lives, it feels overwhelmed, the weight of goodness lands on his shoulders and will feel devastated in the face of a genocide.

In relation to RRR that we saw this week, I see a similar starting but different ending. Both film demonstrate the vulnerableness of individuals against high power, in RRR the British and in Schindler’s List the Nazi Power. The Indian people suffer from power imbalance and the Jewish people suffer from genocide. But the ending is Ram and Bhemm saving the world in RRR but Schindler’s list making a much more reflective, thoughtful ending of real history.

What this film ultimately suggests is the fragility of humanity under an evil world. The film ends with real survivors placing stones on Schindler’s grave, a reminder that the story is still being told and passed down, carried by the ones survived.

After watching RRR, I wanted to find something similar to watch during the pre-final week, and I ended up finding Avatar 1, which is similar to the RRR’s theme of revolution and resistance, but in someways different.

So it is set in 2154 on the moon Pandora, Avatar follows Jake Sully, a former Marine soldier set by the corporation (RDA) to help secure a rare mineral called unbotaium. Jake used a artifically designed Avatar body, infiltrates the Navi tribe, but eventually fall in love with Neytiri and the culture, and he had choose between the human corporation he serve or the world he loved. A very typical mode of the good beats the bad, but its political story behind is much more considerable.

(Like most Sci-Fi, high-tech enemy stuff always get beated)

THe director Cameron has admitted that the film is openly about imperialism, where technologically superior humans are tyring to uproot a native population for their precious resources and not care at all about the survival of the tribe. This echoed the European colonialism in the Americas and all the other empires. The RDA’s machines and ships are of the same role as the British cannons and rifles in RRR, a symbol of a system that only see the land, the people, the environment as accessible resources able to be turned into profit.

Stylistically, Avatar and RRR shared the use of large amounts of props. RRR has tigers, motorcycles, dance battles, guns, and large fights. Avatar has neon forests, floating mountains, air and ground combat, and all those high-tech machines and magical creatures. Both film use spectacle as it is realistic, and the CGI technology only make the battles look cooler. The final battle, where Pandora’s wildlife joins Navi against the human army, mirror the RRR’s final battle of Ram and Bheem (fire and water) against the British army. They both represent nature and people rising together against the empire and power.

Thematically, these two movies also rhyme. In RRR, Ram and Bheem are basically superman, the two basically killed a battalion of English soldiers with only arrows and spear. In Avatar, Jake’s body is also some kind of superman figure, where it allows him to connect with a new world that his human body cannot survive. Both film use physically strong heros as fantasy answers to a real historical question: what if the people are strong enough to fight back?

RRR is rooted on the Indian rebellion against the British in history, while Avatar abstractly framed the same event into a sci-fi story. The actual history and name are gone, but the main idea still exists, and the power difference still remains. This makes Avatar, the blue skinned epic story that turns anti imperial anger and grief into one gigantic battle, less specific but more universally applicable.

While scrolling through instagram after viewing Wicked: For Good, I stumbled upon a post that struck me. This film definitely reflects our current world whether intentional or not. It is interesting how similar things are.

Did you find any similarities in the movie? Let me know your thoughts!

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Tonight, I went to an advance screening of Eternity (David Freyne, 2025) at Regal Cinemas. I want to thank Kate for giving me the opportunity to experience this movie in theaters before its official release on November 26th.

Eternity follows a woman named Joan who dies and must decide who to spend her afterlife with, her first husband, Luke, or her second husband, Larry. The movie balances comedy with a touching emotional center, and the set design of the afterlife world is well done. While the film struggles to settle on a clear distinct message, the plot is still better than many of the other A24 films I’ve seen this year. This is one of those movies you feel because if you start to think about it logically, it kind of falls apart. The acting is well done, and both Elizabeth Olsen and Miles Teller play their parts beautifully.

I definitely recommend this movie to anyone interested in romcoms or dramas. It’s a fun, whimsical time that will have you feeling the feels!

Last night, I sat down to watch Little Women (Greta Gerwig, 2019) with very high expectations. It’s many peoples’ favorite movie, and now I understand why. Little Women follows the lives of the March sisters as they navigate what it means to be a woman in 19th century America.

One of the main themes in Little Women is that women are complex and their different priorities do not make them less of a woman. Jo wants to be a successful writer, Amy chases the life of an artist, and Meg dreams of living a life of luxury and riches. Each sister also has different views on love. Meg gives up the chance to marry rich for the man she loves, while Jo refuses to compromise her dreams for any man and believes she will never fall in love. Meanwhile, Amy originally views marriage as an economical transaction.

I thought back to these ideas during our discussion today about Paris is Burning (Jennie Livingston, 1990). While in a different context, Little Women explores similar themes of wish fulfillment and dreaming of an unattainable life due to societal barriers. Both groups of people dream of fame, recognition, or riches. While the Harlem ball communities have an outlet to be whoever they want to be for a bit, the March sisters each end up having to compromise some of their values or dreams. This doesn’t make them any less of a woman, and they don’t need to be subservient to the societal expectations they face. Ultimately, both groups are looking to realize their dreams while remaining true to themselves.

When Andor (Tony Gilroy, 2022 – 2025) first came out, I dismissed it as another run-of-the-mill Star Wars show and didn’t touch it. It was only after some convincing that I picked up the show. Once I started watching, I binged the two seasons and capped it off with Rogue One (Gareth Edwards, 2016) as the thrilling finale. I promise that no review I write is going to do Andor justice; this is just a shameless plug for the show. Rogue One was also good, but the subject matter of Andor is quite relevant to current events and offers powerful commentary on our political climate.

The events of Andor are set five years before the events of Rogue One. The show follows one of the side characters from Rogue One, Cassian Andor, and reveals how he became part of the Rebellion. No prior knowledge of the Star Wars universe is needed to watch it, which works to the story’s benefit and allows the general audience to connect and engage with the characters and world.

On a technical level, both seasons of Andor are beautifully done, with the framing, costuming, and editing all working together to make the worlds come alive. The depth and worldbuilding of the different planets featured throughout the show is astonishing for how little screentime they get. All of the props, clothing, and makeup lend themselves to make the artifice of these fake planets a reality.

Documentary techniques were considered in multiple scenes of season two specifically (being vague to avoid spoilers but its episode 8). Janus Metz, a documentary filmmaker, directed that particular episode and relied on his own experience and other documentary films to inform the cinematography.

Season one of Andor is definitely a more fleshed out narrative, both in themes and character development. It offers up a tumultuous political thriller in a sci- fi world with minimal space wizard magic. The dialogue is amazing and character-driven story is masterfully done. Plot doesn’t matter so much as Andor’s moral journey from an indifferent bystander to someone who has found their life’s purpose.

Season two is a little more rushed, and the characters are a little under-utilized because the creators wanted to make more seasons. As a result, every three episodes chronicle a year in the Star Wars universe leading up to the events of Rogue One. Season two has a more involved plot and a more ambitious agenda, but continues to be extremely well done with impactful moments and some incredible monologues. The show ends right at the beginning of the events of Rogue One.

Rogue One was also a good watch, but the writing was not a good. The score, however, was phenomenal and the final climax was a spectacle to watch. Both Andor and Rogue One do such a good job of fleshing out the Star Wars universe and create striking parallels to reality. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend watching Andor and Rogue One.