Off-Topic: Children of Men
I don't usually use this blog to post off-topic commentary, but I'll indulge in my film nerdiness this one time. For those of you who don't know me personally, I'm a bit of a film geek - which is a part of my passion around being a filmmaker.
I had the chance to catch Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men just after the Christmas holiday - and was blown away by this new release. In my opinion, this film is this century's definitive case study in cinema.
The film teleports us 20 years into the future, where the world is looking at its inevitable extinction - women around the world have been infertile for the past 18 years, and the societal depression and chaos it plunges us to.
I won't give away any spoilers, but will point you to Cuarón's incredible direction and his DP, Emmanuel Lubezki's amazing cinematography. There are segments of the film that entire 10 minute one-takes where the camera transports us on a no-holds barred, relentless trek of this war-torn, deteriorating world. If you're fan of great camera work like I am, the choreography of these shots are simply astounding (though I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't have a little digital assistance). If this posting has any relationship to Machinima at all, its here, due to its non-stop action capture and these scenes have almost a videogame ebb-and-flow.
There's been some criticism on the film's less-than-expository script (which is the unfortunate focus of those that prefer spoon-fed entertainment), but the entire backdrop of the film plays into the character's motivations - whether or not its fully expounded upon. Another great facet to Children of Men, is that while the dark and brooding subject matter is the driving force, it is not without its smattering of dark humor, which gives the audience a much needed smile and mental rest stop from the film's otherwise nonstop direness.
Weirdly and unfortunately, Children of Men is apparently not receiving its proper share of marketing. The film is in wide release and is receiving critical acclaim across the board, but there's very little advertising happening with the film. A visit to MovieTickets.com last night, where I planned to purchase tickets online, the movie wasn't offered in their drop-down menu with all of the other films in wide release. I had to resort to using the site's Advanced Search function to find where it was playing (Update: the site has since been updated, thankfully). While we can swirl conspiracy theories to no-end, my speculation is that the film's ad budget has been pulled due to poor response in test markets. Shame.
The film is not without its faults, but if you are looking for a really thought-provoking and satisfying serving of cinema, I highly recommend Children of Men. If you're like me, you'll be back for second and third servings as well.
I had the chance to catch Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men just after the Christmas holiday - and was blown away by this new release. In my opinion, this film is this century's definitive case study in cinema.
The film teleports us 20 years into the future, where the world is looking at its inevitable extinction - women around the world have been infertile for the past 18 years, and the societal depression and chaos it plunges us to.
I won't give away any spoilers, but will point you to Cuarón's incredible direction and his DP, Emmanuel Lubezki's amazing cinematography. There are segments of the film that entire 10 minute one-takes where the camera transports us on a no-holds barred, relentless trek of this war-torn, deteriorating world. If you're fan of great camera work like I am, the choreography of these shots are simply astounding (though I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't have a little digital assistance). If this posting has any relationship to Machinima at all, its here, due to its non-stop action capture and these scenes have almost a videogame ebb-and-flow.
There's been some criticism on the film's less-than-expository script (which is the unfortunate focus of those that prefer spoon-fed entertainment), but the entire backdrop of the film plays into the character's motivations - whether or not its fully expounded upon. Another great facet to Children of Men, is that while the dark and brooding subject matter is the driving force, it is not without its smattering of dark humor, which gives the audience a much needed smile and mental rest stop from the film's otherwise nonstop direness.
Weirdly and unfortunately, Children of Men is apparently not receiving its proper share of marketing. The film is in wide release and is receiving critical acclaim across the board, but there's very little advertising happening with the film. A visit to MovieTickets.com last night, where I planned to purchase tickets online, the movie wasn't offered in their drop-down menu with all of the other films in wide release. I had to resort to using the site's Advanced Search function to find where it was playing (Update: the site has since been updated, thankfully). While we can swirl conspiracy theories to no-end, my speculation is that the film's ad budget has been pulled due to poor response in test markets. Shame.
The film is not without its faults, but if you are looking for a really thought-provoking and satisfying serving of cinema, I highly recommend Children of Men. If you're like me, you'll be back for second and third servings as well.
posted by Paul
at 1:38 PM
4 Comments:
I loved this one too. The long steadicam shots really got me especially at the escape scene near the end. It was just... wow. Maybe because the rest of the film was so great, the ending left me disappointed. Well, maybe disappointed is not the right word. Just not enough I think. Doesn't really take away from the whole experience though.
I'm wondering if anyone else noticed the similarities to this film and Half-Life 2. Just the whole backdrop, the setting, especially the whole government vs. rebels thing. Even if it's a commonly done theme, just the way it was done and shot felt like I was watching a HL movie. Some particular shots strongly reminded me of scenes within the game, too.
My friends joked that the director played too much HL2, hehe.
Yes, it very much felt like HL2 - though I think most of that reference comes from war-torn Eastern Europe. The desaturated colors and high contrast feels like a scene pulled right out of City17. And hey, Barney=Clive Owen!
Ha, ya, we were just having interesting discussions on the film here at work. The whole ten minute shot thing was amazing, mostly with the fact that I was so immersed I did not even notice until I read a comment about it afterward. Great article about this shot here
I felt the hold HL2 thing two but I think you nailed it with the war torn eastern europe decor. The background gun fire felt right out of the game. The film definately immersed me.
Ken
Sorry I'm so late in catching up on the blog!
I saw this film a while ago here at one of the Alamo Drafthouses in Austin (if you're ever in Austin -- which you occasionally are -- it's great fun seeing movies at the Alamo). There was a train platform scene at one point in the movie that was so spot-on HL2, I half expected to hear Breen's "Welcome to City 17" monologue echoing through the terminal. In fact, I remarked to a friend of mine later on, "It's like this guy is stuck in a shooter, but he forgot his gun."
It was a winter of good movies for me and my friends. We saw this one the same week as Pan's Labyrinth, which I also recommend. I love to see a movie where you can feel the creator's hand in every frame. Craftsmanship really appeals to me. Both of these movies really deliver on that front.
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