Jean-Luc Burch Film Studies Blog

Get Out It took me far too long to get round to watching this film and it was well worth it. The film is brilliantly clever and all of the characters act just how a human would act rather than typical horror film idiots. Not only is it great but it also has one of the most satisfying endings I've ever seen in any film. It's also interesting to see how far Daniel Kaluuya has come since his small role in Skins as Posh Kenneth back in 2007. The cinematography is one of the things that immediately shows this film to be a horror. Like most horror films its very fond of close up shots on faces to show the characters reactions. Horror films do this in order to engage with the audience and provide an emotional response. To an audience it's much easier to be emotionally invested in a scene if the characters reactions are showcased. These types of close ups are seen much less in genres such as comedies where they serve much less purpose unless they're in an emotional sc...

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Three Billboards is the new highly reviewed black comedy crime thriller that has come into view especially after its recent wins at the golden globes. It follows the mother ,Mildred Hayes played by Frances Mcdormand, of a murdered girl who rents 3 billboards in order to express her distaste at how little the police are doing for her daughter's case. Setting: Although the time period is never specifically stated it would appear that Three Billboards takes place in the modern day due to some of the technology seen. However all the modern technology is only ever seen out of focus or in the background. I believe that this was done very deliberately because despite the film being set in the modern day it would be very easy for an unobservant viewer to think the film is set in the 1980s or 90s. This is down to the fact that the film takes place in Missouri which is in the middle of the USA which is an area known for not ch...

A Cure For Wellness This dark and creepy film goes out of its way to mess with even the audiences sense of sanity. Even after re-watching this film I am still unsure as to what genre it fits into. Never before have I been so unsettled by a non-horror film. The visuals in this film are astonishing. It carries its theme with such grace. Even though the film is set in the modern day, the entire aesthetic of the film portrays this image of a mid-20th century insane asylum with clean white coats and basic machinery really adding to the disturbing nature of the film. The whole experience of this film is one that makes the audience work for their answers. The acting of almost all the characters is this emotionless and blank performance that brilliantly conveys the brainwashing and unethical practices happening in the sanitarium. The lighting this film is superb. The bright white and seemingly cheery outside is contrasted by the dark and terrifying treatment ro...

Chigurh Chigurh has an unknown past. It is even unclear what he did to get arrested at the start of the film. Brutally commits acts of violence with no remorse. Possible OCD (avoids blood and commits to his coin flip routine.) An outsider to the west. Wears different clothes has a different accent. Uses an air pressure animal slaughter device to commit murder. Sheriff Bell Older generation perhaps linking to the films title Old fashioned Dislikes change and things that he doesn't understand. Soon to be retired. Represents good. Stereotypical sheriff. Seems to blend with his surroundings. From a long line of sheriffs. Llewelyn Moss Neither good nor evil. Working for his own benefit. Motivated by money and family. Vietnam War veteran. Has combat training and experience. Brave yet brash. We know his past whereas Chigurh's past is a mystery. Completely different to Chigurh

The Style Of Spike Lee It's clear that to Spike Lee race relations are very important. Most of his films feature race and crime as major themes for example "Malcolm X" a film about the somewhat controversial race campaigner. After watching "Do The Right Thing" I'm going to look at two other Spike Lee film and compare them to "Do The Right Thing" in terms of their themes and style. 1. Malcolm X Context/Background: The film follows the life of Malcolm X ,an influential race campaigner who rose to public interest around the time of other race campaigners such as Martin Luther King, and his life. To this day there are many different views on Malcolm X and his attitudes towards violence. Some people view him as an extremist whilst others think he did what had to be done in a desperate time. It is clear that Spike Lee has some admiration for Malcolm X by the use of his quote at the end of Do The Right Thing. This shows a ...

Film Noir and The Classic Hollywood System- Its influence on Casablanca Hollywood Studio System At the time that Casablanca was made the Hollywood studio system was like a factory with many studios churning out films all the time. It was a collaborative effort between sound, directors, actors and cinematographers working together to produce films. Casablanca was nothing special to the studio and its success was likely due to its timing due to america having just joined world war 2. Many studios had a particular style for example Warner Bros who distributed Casablanca was well known for film noir hence why there is a lot of film noir influence in Casablanca including their use of the famous film noir actor Humphrey Bogart who up until then had only played bad guys in film noir such as The Maltese Falcon. Humphrey Bogart was used in Casablanca because unlike in modern Hollywood where actors are freelance back in the 40s actors were on long term contracts to particular st...

Breathe Director - Andy Curtis. Producer - Jonathan Cavendish After seeing breathe at the BFI it was clear that the emotional content of the film moved the audience. This captivating true story really captures the experience of being confined in body but not in mind. Andy Curtis has done an amazing job at bringing this story to life alongside Jonathan Cavendish who is not only the producer but also the son of Robin Cavendish whom the film is about. The film follows Robin Cavendish who is crippled from polio and given only 3 months to live. However he goes on to live another 20 years. Not only does he survive but is determined to live a full life and to bring freedom to those who have his condition. Determination brings him out of depression and out of the hospital wards as he invents a chair to allow him to move with his respirator. There is a real sense that this film was created in a well informed manner with not only first hand accounts but also with the help of t...