Dirty Dancing, 1987, Directed by Emile Ardolino

I saw Dirty Dancing (1987) about a week ago at my University as part of my degree. I thought I’d review it because it made me feel very cheerful afterwards. I consider Dirty Dancing more of a classic than 1980s cheese. Director Emile Ardolino expresses lots of energy and enthusiasm in the film which I found quite inspiring. It is a very theatrical film with lots of interesting dances which will keep you gripped. The Final Dance has lots of beautiful camera shots that make you want more.

The story is based around Johnny Castle (actor Patrick Swayze) who is a dance teacher and he falls in love with Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman (actress Jennifer Grey). She lies to her father about wanting money for an illegal abortion. She then becomes a teacher and she starts later being oming more of an independent woman. The relationship between ‘Baby’ and Johnny do suffer some problems. ‘Baby’s’ father for example hated the fact that she lied to him about why she wanted money. The Final Dance scene in the end however made you feel like none of those things mattered. It was just a brief distraction from the dancing and music.

The soundtrack of Dirty Dancing called Time of My Life was what I remembered most about the film. The final dance at the end had the soundtrack and I found that moment very memorable and it got stuck in my head. Time of My Life is sung by a male and a female which represents Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in the film. The two characters find love through dancing and through their personalities. There is indications that Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman likes Johnny not only through his talent Castle but also because of his muscles and strength. There is a lot of eroticism in this film not only between Swayze and Grey but from other situations such as when Swayze was dancing with Penny Johnson (actress Cynthia Rhodes). Dirty Dancing is very much aimed at a female audience because of themes such as love and dancing which are suited more for females.

Dirty Dancing is also aimed at teenage girls. Jennifer Grey acts very young and innocent and she represents the youth of the time and their problems. There was a very strange scene in the film where someone was chasing someone else in the dark and Patrick Swayze says something like ‘Don’t worry baby, sometimes in life bad things can happen’ in a very patronising tone. She is also referred to as ‘baby’ throughout the film which emphasises again her youth and innocence. Patrick Swayze is the kind of man that young teenagers would dream about however because of his muscles and his charisma.

Overall I thought that Dirty Dancing was a very fun, romantic and stylistic film which I think many people would enjoy. It has many energetic moments and of gentleness and eroticism. I would recommend this film because it is fun and it will cheer you up. I am going to give it 6/10 because it made me feel good. I would have given it 5/10 otherwise however.























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Paranormal Activity 2008, Directed by Oren Peli

Paranormal Activity (2009), directed by Oren Peli is very much a film about traumas, paranoia and superstition. The whole film is concentrated mostly on two couples who live in a suburban home. Katie (actress Katie Featherstone) claims to be haunted by a ghost ever since she was eight years old. She claims that the ghost has been following her from house to house ever since. What starts of being trivial acts by the ghost turns into violent and aggressive acts from doors slamming and lots of noise coming from the attic and so on.

What I liked about Paranormal Activity was the way the characters use hand held cameras to give an artistic subjective feel. This type of filmmaking is uncommon within most Classical Hollywood films and I enjoyed this change. But what changes drastically is the feeling of art and slow paced filming to a more traditional paced method of filming more towards the end of the movie. Still, it kept me entertained and gripped.

Another thing to say about Paranormal Activity is that it has been clearly been influenced by films such as The Blair Witch Project (1999) and The Exorcist (1973). One way it copies The Blair Witch Project was when Katie attacks the camera at the end of the movie. In The Blair Witch Project, similarly at the end of the movie the main character gets attacked and the camera falls to the ground. In both cases the camera is the main use of the ending as it is attacked. The only difference is that in The Blair Witch Project we don’t see the witch but we do see the demon in Paranormal Activity in some form.

In Paranormal Activity what starts off to be a subtle slow paced film turns into a tense, uneasy film to watch. Even though Paranormal Activity does take elements from other films it does also have some originality attached to it. The idea of subjective hand held camera filming in a small house is interesting and visually compact. It feels as though the outside world doesn’t exist and that they are kept in the small house on the suburbs. I did laugh in a few scenes in the movie to relieve the tension. When the couple leave the camera rolling in the night it feels quite tense and uneasy.

What I was impressed with was the way that director Oren Peli used the two characters and how the momentum and fluency was kept throughout the movie. It is quite admiring to see a film being made by almost two characters in the movie. This demonstrates that a movie does not have to consist of big landscapes and lots of characters. Paranormal Activity is made in a small house and with two characters. Not at any time in the film do we go outside the house. In consequence this makes the audience feel trapped and slightly alone.

Overall I found the film entertaining and quite scary. I would rate this film 5/10. If you are going to watch this film it would probably be best to watch it with a friend or someone who you know.

The Rikowski web site, The Flow of Ideas is at:
http://www.flowideas.co.uk




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The Hurt Locker, 2008. Directed By Kathryn Bigelow

The Hurt Locker, directed by Kathryn Bigelow is a film that is set in Afghanistan during the War period. Kathryn Bigelow shows the War in its true intensity and captures the realist aspect of this time. The traumas, emotions and consequences of War are being explored in The Hurt Locker.

The action throughout the Hurt Locker is gripping and the scenes generally are intense. One scene in particular that shows this is the sequence when the soldiers are surrounded by Iraqi soldiers in the open desert. This scene is very long and intense because of the uncertainty involved. The American soldiers sit and wait for any movement from the Iraqi soldiers from a distant small house. The Hurt Locker is different to other War films such as Black Hawk Down or Saving Private Ryan because the action in The Hurt Locker is less brutal and the scenes are more subtle and slower paced. This scene is an example of that which creates mystery and adds a danger element to the film.

The Mise-en Scene (locations, characters props, etc.) is not claustrophobic therefore giving the audience a wider view on the film. Visually the film is very bright and is easy on the eye.

The tactics of the Iraq War were shown in the film by a character named (SSG James) actor (Jeremy Renner) whom takes a lot of risks in the film as he is constantly diffusing bombs. This gives us an idea of the tactics and strategies that may have been involved in the Iraqi War. Also what is interesting is how weapons of mass destruction are not even mentioned. American President George Bush claimed that it was the reason that America went to war.

The Hurt Locker does show the differences culturally between America and Iraq. Economically America is wealthier and sustains a well organised army. You can see by watching The Hurt Locker that Iraq has fewer resources and have much lesser power than America. There are more Iraqi soldiers that are killed in the film, which gives an indication that American troops are more organised and have bigger numbers. The American soldiers are shown as being very masculine throughout the movie. There was one scene where two American soldiers start practice fighting on each other.

On the whole I found the film very interesting because it was the first time I had seen a film that shows the Iraq war, although I did see Black Hawk Down which is similar but not quite the same. A criticism of The Hurt Locker is that you only get the perspective of the Americans and not the Iraqi’s. You don’t really know how their army is run, what they do culturally or how they behave. The Hurt Locker shows us the struggle of the Americans but not the Iraqi’s. I suppose it would have been controversial however if they showed the position of the Iraqis because The Hurt Locker is an American film and it wouldn’t be appropriate to represent the Iraqis. Never the less there are many examples in other American films that do the same thing.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed The Hurt Locker because of its intensity and action. It is an enjoyable spectacle with a nice pace to it. I would recommend it to anyone. I would rate this film 6/10.




The Rikowski web site, The Flow of Ideas is at:
http://www.flowideas.co.uk




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Couples Retreat, 2009. Directed by Peter Billingsley

I went to see Couples Retreat on 31st October 2009 at the Odeon Marble Arch cinema in London. The film was directed by Peter Billingsley who was also involved in films such as Iron Man (2008). Billingsley started off as a child actor and then later became a film director. Couples Retreat is a comedy film which is centred on an Island called ‘Eden’. The film is a Hollywood production that lasted over one a half hours.

The story begins with a couple named Jason (Jason Bateman) and Cynthia (Kristen Bell) who have major problems with their relationship. They both think that they need a holiday to try and rediscover the love they once had for each other. So they decide to go to an island called ‘Egan’ to in which it involves a couple therapy retreat program which they hope will save their marriage. But in the process they invited their friends to go along with the idea, which they reluctantly said yes to. The names are Dave (Vince Vaughn) and Ronnie (Malin Akerman), Joey (John Favreau) and Lucy (Kristen Davis) and Shane (Faizon Love) and his girlfriend Trudy (Kali Hawk). These couples end up having a great time but also with some tough challenges on the way. Shane gets back together with his wife as well.

I found Couples Retreat interesting in regard to showing us possible difficulties within marriages but also how they can be resolved. There were also some very funny moments in the film when for example Salvador (Carlos Ponce) gives the couples certain tasks which involve being nude and showing them sexual positions and helping them to improve on this aspect. One scene in particular which was funny when Salvador interrupted Lucy and Joey’s positions and he demonstrated to Joey how he should be moving and how to be a sexually great in bed! I found this scene the funniest. Even though there were some funny moments, the humour varied a lot but not particularly in an interesting or challenging way. Perhaps Billingsley was over thinking the humour too much. The director did a great job in showing couple problems however. Additionally the characters were a bit obscure and strange.

The location of the holiday resort itself is beautiful. The sea, the waterfall, the trees and the beach makes a great spectacle and it does capture the viewer’s eye. It looks almost like paradise.

Overall I did find the film amusing but only to an extent. Even though the film involved some visually pleasing scenes in the and it was funny, for me the humour was not frequent enough and it wasn’t humorous in its entirety. The funny bits were in scattered places in the film which meant that the funny notion was being disturbed by the emphasis on other aspects. I wouldn’t watch this film again but it’s ok if you want something light hearted. I would rate this film 3/10.




The Rikowski web site, The Flow of Ideas is at:
http://www.flowideas.co.uk




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Terminator Salvation, 2009. Directed by McG

I went to see Terminator Salvation in Ilford Cineworld on June 22nd 2009. The film is a 12a rating and is directed by McG. It is an Action, Adventure, Sci-fi and a Thriller movie.

Terminator Salvation continues from Terminator 3 (judgement day). The film moves forward and shows the continuing conflict between the machines and human beings. John Connor, the only hope for humanity has lots of self motivation and courage in order to conquer the machines. The machines do lots of damage as they wipe out people and cities, with only scattered people fighting the resistance. There is no real closure at the end of the film as the battle continues to go on. Terminator Salvation gives the audience an outlook of how brutal and imagery the War is.

I found Terminator Salvation hugely entertaining. The fight scenes in particular are very quick and the editing is swift. One example in the film was when Marcus Wright (who is half a robot and half machine) helps to blow up an enormous machine at a petrol station. The gigantic machine was continuously annihilating people in their cars, in which they were trying to escape. Marcus and Kyle Reese, who is now in the present managed to destroy the machine. He did this by blowing up a flammable piece of equipment. This was one example in the film which demonstrated a lot of action and intense War.

The characters in the film are fairly plain. There is no real character that stands out despite John Connor being the leader. The film is focused on the War rather than on character building.

I found the use of space in this film very interesting. Throughout the film the space is very vast and open. Much of the action takes place in open lands that have no sense of community. Terminator Salvation is a film of War but it is also a film which tries to distinguish the differences between machines and people. Sometimes that distinction is not always clear. I found that point very interesting. The special effects in the film were fascinating and very mesmerizing.

Overall I found the film very entertaining and fun. But at the same time I thought it was rather predictable. I predicted that the only next step in the terminator saga was to show the battle between the humans and the machines. This was proven the case. Additionally I thought the film lacked substance and does not leave you much to think about. I would rate this film 4.5/10




The Rikowski web site, The Flow of Ideas is at:
http://www.flowideas.co.uk




Gregory's myspace profile and his blog is at:
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New blog

I have a blog of my film reviews on Myspace. But recently I have been having some problems with it and so I have decided to start writing reviews here on Blogger instead. This blog will be full of film reviews and I will write about them here. Films which I have seen at the cinema or at the BFI

I hope you all like my reviews.


Feel free to add any comments or suggestions.


Gregory Rikowski