DEAD POETS SOCIETY (Peter Weir, 1989)

If you do not live your dream, probably you'll be dead in life. Because everybody has the right to have dreams and fight for them, and of course, everybody has the right of seeing their dreams to come truth.
In addition, Science can have many utilities and probably people who study science will be have a better job and better income in the future but, literature allows us to think and to feel. “We don’t write poetry because it’s cute, we read and write poetry because we are members of the human race; and the human race is full of passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering: these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love: these are what we stay alive for.” It's like a metaphore of what the life should be for us. Literature allows us to live other lives and dreams do it too. So literature, is a dream as well as a dream can be literature.



The literary component in this movie is obvious and wonderful. However, not only literature but also philosophy and values make the dialogues richer, since the defenses made in this film as well as the way in which they are made compose a really impressive script which keeps the attention of the viewer during the entire movie. The latin idiom "Carpe Diem" constitutes a fundamental part of the movie, the philosophy that all the students follow, trying to live their lives and to become what they really want. Nevertheless, not all of them can achieve it and not all of them can overcome the difficulties life prepares for them. That's why this film is a really emotive one, which takes advantage of the fact that the characters are teenagers in order to move, even more, the spectator.



Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard) will be the most moving character since his story makes the viewer to feel identified with him and to suffer at the same time he does. This is a good key the director probably used in order to shock the audience, since the effect that children or teenagers can have over the audience is not the same as those of an adult. Besides, the person of Neil itself and his dramatical end, transmits to spectator how unfair the life can be. Even though he is one of the
best students and one of the most concerned with his must, he is not allowed to be
happy. The end of this character, one of the two most moving moments of the movie, is not going to be discovered here. The way to know it is seeing this great touching movie :)

Here I leave for you the moment I like the most from this movie. And the most moving as well!

ROBINSON CRUSOE (Rod Hardy and George Miller, 1997)

This movie is based on the novel by Daniel Defoe which tells the adventures of a shipwreck. I've watched this film in order to motivate myself to read the novel and I am absolutely convinced to do it since I love the story very much. It is similar, in a way, to the movie Cast Away (Robert Zemeckis, 2000) played by Tom Hanks. In fact, I have read that it was based on the novel by Defoe.



I specially like the character of Friday. I think it is necessary in the story because it teaches many things to Robinson (Pierce Brosnan) as well as beinf his salvation. In some way, he represents the wild part of Robinson, although it is Friday who is afraid of Robinson and not vice-versa.



On the other hand, the presence of Friday at first and the way that Robinson refers to him can make us to think in the problem of slavery in U.S. as well as in the colonization. Actually, the story of Robinson Crusoe is, in some aspects, a story about colonization.

POSSESSION (Neil LaBute, 2002)

This movie is very beautiful, especially at the end. After watching the end of the film I have no words to describe it or to express my feelings.



It's sad that because the world does not allow two people to love each other or because of a misunderstanding two lovers quit from sending letters, these two people cannot say goodbye to each other as they really need. Sometimes, the destiny itself doesn't permit two people who are in love to finish together and this is something for what we have just two solutions: accept it or fight.

In terms of the elements employed, in my opinion that it is very important the use and the organization of editing in order to present the situation of the past between Ash (Jeremy Northam) and Christable LaMotte (Jennifer Ehle) parallel to the present one between Maud Bailey (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Roland Michell (Aaron Eckhart).





As well, the different uses of crosscutting to show these two situations as parallel ones evokes a possible interconnection between the characters of the past and those of the present. However, the mentioned crosscuttings cannot be considered to be purely crosscuttings because the two situations don't happen at the very same time, since one is part of past events while the other is part of the present time.
Nevertheless, the sensation is like both love stories were parallel at the same time. Instead, the time is not the same, but the places are.

CRASH (Paul Haggis, 2004)

The racism is a problem of nowadays although people who are against it try to deny it. Many people are still against other people's races, not only white people who think that they are better than the others but also black ones who think that the others consider them inferior or dangerous. And this is a bad and a big problem of our society and until we don't finish with the stereotypes and with the generalisations we do, we will not finish with the racism problem.

One important thing we have to take into account is that, not everybody is like the rest. Being different doesn't involve being a better or a worse person, we only must accept each other as we are, because if we don't do so we can have many problems. This movie represents all of these problems: death, "corruption", danger, fear, fights between people of the same race and of different races and eventually, a lack of calm and happiness.

ROOM IN ROME (Julio Medem, 2010)

How love can surprise you! This is a different love story between two people, Alba (Elena Anaya) and Natasha (Natasha Yarovenko), who meet one night and stay together until the next morning. Each one has an independent life that is apparently impossible to join, one in Spain and the other in Russia.

This is a movie with different possible interpretations. On the one hand, it could show the difficulties for two women to be in love. This is represented in this movie not only because for these two is impossible but also because at first Natasha does not want to accept that she wants to have a love affair with Alba. She says that nobody must know their story and that they must keep it in secret. On the other hand, it can also represent how love can surprise you appearing suddenly when you don't expect it.
As well, it presents how two really different girls feel love, in a special way, for themselves but also the hurt a love like this produces. The two parts of the truth, the happines and the pain.



Love can be the best and the worst feeling at the same time.

FICCIÓN (Cesc Gay, 2006)

How to give an opinion about a movie which is not very clear for me? I'm not quite sure about what can I say because for me, this movie is quite weird and not very explicit. Maybe this is a way to do a good movie or maybe it is me who does not understand very well the message that for others is clear.

The story is about a film director, Álex (Eduard Fernández), who is writing his next movie. Apparently, he is living a bad moment and he goes to a meeting with some friends in order to be inspired for writing his next story.



Supposedly, he wants to write about his friends and even about himself. Yet, although he has gone there to write he's not really inspired. Probably, the spectator think that the movie itself is the representation of what the protagonist has written to do this movie. But this is just a way of watching it.

On the other hand, a romantic story is developed. The filmmaker has two children and has been married for 6 or 8 yeras. However, in his trip he meets a girl, Mónica (Montse Germán), with whom he falls in love. Mónica, who also has a partner, is in love with him as well. But nothing happens between them until the end of the movie, when in my opinion the kiss was not necessary at all. Anyway, I can interpret it as the necessity that everybody sometimes have of escaping from their own life to another one in which there are no problems or questions, where everything felt can be possible.
But this is just an interpretation which I don't think -I don't know why- the filmmaker wanted the spectator to have.

From my point of view, this is the kind of movie that mus be seen more than once to understand all the meanings and the details.

SAY ANYTHING (Cameron Crowe, 1989)

If you fight for something, you can achieve it because every goal we propose for us is achievable if we want to. So, the only thing we have to do in life, is to believe in our dreams, in our feelings and fight for them.
Besides, life is not only having some studies or being the best of your year but living experiences that nobody but you can explain: love, sex, being afraid, being happy, feel, smile, help the others... Life is a continuos fight for those things we really desire, but it is easier if you have somebody next to you with whom share everything. Furthermore, persons are always before the rest.



I just can say: please, watch this movie right now.
It's not just a love story, although it is, but it also can make you to reflect on the important things in life. So please, don't lose the opportunity of watching this film :) You won't regret.

REAR WINDOW (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954)

It is curious how your world can dramatically change and be transformed, just by watching what others do.
This is what more or less is happened to Jeff (James Stewart) who is on a wheel chair because an accident and cannot go out or doing anything. So, his only task is to observe the neighbours through his rear window.

On the other hand, the story presents a quite sad situation, not only because the man is on a wheel chair and he cannot move, but also because he is more worried and interested in what is happening outside, to his neighbours, rather than in his own life and with his girlfriend, who loves him much more than he does.



But, in life many things can occur and change our feelings, our needs and our thoughts. That is what happens to the protagonist, who finally will love his girlfriend as nobody else, thanks to the assumption of having seen a murder in the flat in front of his.

LOVE ACTUALLY (Richard Curtis, 2003)

“Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinions starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around.”



Can it give you a key about what this movie is about?
In my opinion this is definitely the best scene of the whole movie, even though it is just the first one.

LOVE, ACTUALLY, IS ALL AROUND. The first words the external narrator (which then it is possible to see that it is the voice of the Prime minister(Hugh Grant)) are moving and from my point of view, they make the spectator to continue watching this movie.
In some way, it is similar to Valentine's Day , since different love stories, interrelated one another, are narrated showing the difficulties a relationship can produce or the reverse thing, that is the happines they can convey.
However, I think Love Actually is much better. Through the use of colours and also the Christmas element, it is created and atmosphere of happiness and feelings absolutely related with the stories that are presented. That's why watching this film is easy, because all the elements are in a perfect harmony: music (different songs are played), sounds, Christmas, a wedding, welcomings at the airport, colour, light, composition... All of them for creating an harmonious atmosphere of love and happines.

BLOG (Elena Trapé, 2010)

What can move people in order to do unthinkable things?
This is the story of some teenagers that one day decide to create a group, MAKAMAT, and in the school trip they get pregnant.
But, not all of them are so sure about what they are doing and, in some way, this movie shows how some of these girls do this to be accepted by the rest, but not because they really want.

There is a shor presentation of each girl so that the spectator can understand, more or less, the purpose and the reasons of the decision. In my opinion, this is quite good because it helps to understand the idea. However, it is quite difficult for the spectactor to understand it because the topic developed by the movie is quite hard. By the way, I like it and I think it is a good way to have fun by watching cinema made in my own country, which is somethin that everybody shoul do.



The use of the camera movement in this film is very important. It is presented as it were a video filmed by one of the girls so it gives the spectator a point of view different. On the other hand, it makes the story more believable because it is like it was filmed as a play, and now it comes to light.

On the other hand, it is important to remark how this movie shows the influence that some people have over the rest. The decision taken in this movie is not a decision taken by every single girl that participate but only by two who decide to involve the rest of their classmates and friends in order to make it more sonorous. The rest, so that they are integrated and accepted, do it. Therefore, this movie can be considered as a kind of critic of the society. The important thing is not to do what the rest expect from you, but doing what you really feel, defend and desire.

ORDINARY PEOPLE (Robert Redford, 1980)

He who sows the wind shall reap the whirlwind.
Everybody can have a complicated life, even ordinary people. Dealing with the death of a son and the try of suicide of the other is not something easy to overcome. But, sometimes, it is nobody's fault and the only possible thing to do is to share all you have, included your love, with the people who are next to you, and not to do just the opposite. Because people who love you are not the guilty of your sadness or your misfortune. Therefore, it is better to be with them rather than against them.



The use of the composition in this movie is fantastic in the way it perfectly represents how the characters are related to each others. There is a scene where the two parents and the son appear together, dinning in the same table.



The composition used for this clip, as well as the lack of light show to the spectators that something is wrong without having seen the whole movie. That is why the use of mise-en-scène is really well thought in this movie in order to show not only what exactly is happening but also how the characters feel and the hurt they are living. That's why most of the shots are mainly dark.

On the other hand, editing is also important in the building of this movie since not everything is happen at the same time. I mean, at the end of the movie there are some flashbacks that help to understand what is going on, and also to know the reasons why the son tried to kill himself.

In my opinion, even though it is an old movie, it is a really good one. It is quite hard, from my point of view, but I think it is in general very well done. The story narrated is not easy in terms of the difficulties lived by the family, but its representation and the role of the actors is also really well played.

Therefore, I strongly recommend you to see it. You will not regret.

THE DEPARTED (Martin Scorsese, 2006)

The actors of this movie are incredibly good: Leonardo Dicaprio (who plays the role of Billy), Matt Damon (Sullivan) and Jack Nickolson (Costelo).I think that only his names produce a desire of seeing this film.
It's quite shocking. I don't like the end because in my opinion it is unfair. In some aspects, it occurs what must happen but, on the other hand, it is not fair some of the deaths. By the way, the movie is really well done, and it can be considered to have a kind of moral around the idea of being infiltrated and of being corrupt.

Here I leave for you part of the end of the movie. Please, as always, don't watch it if you have not seen the movie yet :)



The use of mise-en-scène is excellent, especially with regards of Costello, who is assumed to be a dangerous man just thanks to the use of shadows from the very begining. Editing is also an important element which helps the spectator to identify some characters and relate them to the others.

The best interpretation in my opinion, is the one made by Leonardo Dicaprio. I doubt between him and the fantastic Matt Damon, but my interest and admiration for Leonardo DiCaprio make him to win.

It is an excellent movie.
Here you have the trailer so that you can feel more interested and motivated to watch it.



Finally, to conclude, a sentece I will probably remember for ever by Costello: "No one gives it to you, you have to take it."

HIGH FIDELITY (Stephen Frears, 2000)

It always has been said to me that there is a kind of rule in the cinema which tells that actors must avoid to look directly to the camera because it makes the story less believable.
However, not every movies follow this rule and, an example of it is this one.

Rob (John Cusakc) is a man who has not had luck in his love life. Meanwhile he continues with his life he tells the story of his past life to the spectator, referring to it all the time. At first, it is quite weird because looking at the camera not always is good, but little by little the movie improves.



Sounds are very important since Rob has a music shop and he is really interested in music. Therefore, the music will be a crucial element. Everything that happens will be connected with a song.
Different love affairs will be presented by Rob in this movie in order to show that, even though he has got the job of his dreams he is not happy at all. Eventually, he will achieve more or less what we consider as happiness, and of course it will no be related with job.

ANONYMOUS (Roland Emmerich, 2011)

Was William Shakespeare who everybody thinks?
This movie deals with this question, and proposes another possibility, an alternative to the story we know. Of course, this is not something prove,and it is not based on anything so it can be considered to be just fiction; a false story told as it were true. By the way, this movie is not only about William Shakespeare plays and works but also about a love affair the Queen Elizabeth I (Joely Richardson when young and Vanessa Regrave when oled) had with an important member of the Court, the Earl of Oxford, Edward (Rhys Ifansl) with whom she had a son, the Earl of Southamton (Xavier Samuel).



Firstly, this movie is quite confusing due to the flashbacks. It is a story told in a theatre by a man who needs to explain past events so the film can be unsderstood. Anyway, although at fist it is complicated to follow because there are many changees of time and also many characters, little by little, when the movie is more os less "established" in a static period, it is easier to follow and understand it, as well as knowing who is who.

On the other hand, I find it interesting for my degree studies at the university because, although I don't believe the story narrated by this film, all the characters and the historical events are pieces of information I've already studied so it is useful to situate myself in this period.

Finally, I'd like to add that I think it's a quite douring movie, since it doubts of the authorship of Shakespeare, givin and image of him as a completely analphabet, foolish and a drunker.