Film Appreciation with K S Sivakumaran

Reacting to films

Viewing a film and writing about it could be done in many ways:

Film journalism (information on movies, stars etc, which is more like publicity), reviews (commenting on films), appreciations (writing about the salient features), criticism (taking a deeper view with critical comments) and studies (research and comparative study). What yours truly does in this column is only film appreciation.

We find that merely writing the synopsis or the story about a film is erroneously dubbed as ‘review’ in the press.

This is because such writers do not seem to know the exact functions of the respective kind of writing.

For the benefit of our potential reviewers and critics let me give you a selection of suggestions or hints taken from a website, www.essortment.com.

Being a film buff

Your number one reason for being a critic must be your love of movies. If you are a real film buff, chances are you will like all types from Hollywood blockbusters to subtitled films with no special effects.

Remain objective. Don’t be swayed by who’s in it. Pay no attention to the director. Ignore any stories or rumour you might have heard about the filming of it. Be completely absorbed in the movie, concentrating on the events unfolding on the screen.

If you’re launching a career as a film critic and want to use the first person, then use it right from the start. Make your opinions count and do so in a way that’s forceful. Be stern and unwavering! Or be funny. Just make sure you can handle being the ‘I’ behind all your opinions. You’ll gain many admirers and detractors, but if you’re comfortable with writing in the first person then go ahead - you’re the critic!

We can draw better guidelines from critics like Bosley Crowther who wrote for ‘The New York Times’.

Essential points

Comparing movies:

To compare the current movie you’re reviewing to one that is already on video/cable or has been around for dozens of years is a very common practice.

This shows that A) you know about movies and B) allows people who have seen the earlier movie to know what you’re writing about.

Assume nothing:

Use your clearest style of writing. If you’re doing a comparison, be precise but not overly so. Not everyone in the world has seen the movie ‘Psycho’ so should you use this movie as an example, you might want to preface it with: ‘classic horror film’ or ‘director Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 movie starring Anthony Perkins,’ etc. Add a few words to introduce a new reader or refresh an older reader’s memory.

The story:

What is this movie about? After assigning a category such as drama, action/adventure, horror, comedy, etc., you must give a synopsis of the tale. Is it a man vs. man saga of ‘Apocalypse Now’ proportions? Man vs. nature: ‘The Perfect Storm.’ Man vs. the supernatural? ‘The Haunting’ and any horror flick. Man vs. himself, any western with the proverbial ‘lone gunslinger.’

The actors and actresses:

Analyze their performance in relation to the story. Mention past films if appropriate, as this gives the reader an opportunity to explore their earlier works. Respect the thespian for what they’ve done, but not excessively.

If an actor has destroyed an otherwise good film due to many situations such as being inappropriately cast, wavering accent[s], wrong age/size for the part, etc. point it out in a diplomatic way. Not every actor/actress is cast in the right part!

If the actor/actress steals the movie, please indicate this. Stay rational! You may think a certain performer is wonderful, that they can do no wrong. They’re still just human beings! Keep your perspective. You’re writing a review, not a love letter!

The director:

The leader behind the movie, this person has enormous responsibilities and can range from being invisible to being in the movie. Directors can also be hyphenates such as director-producer, actor-director, director-screenwriter, etc. Analyze, hyphenate the same way you would the average one-titled director.

Things to watch for: how the director interprets the story. Are there lots of close-ups or is the camera kept at a distance? Is the film in color or black and white – or both? If color, does one color stand out? Does the camera move around or remain stationery? If the movie takes place in an earlier time period, do you feel like you’ve stepped backwards through a time machine?

In science fiction, do you get a sense of a future world that’s very different from our 21st century? If this is a contemporary story, do you feel as though everything’s accurate?

The screenwriter:

More invisible than the director and usually under-appreciated, the writer is finally getting a little more recognition for their screenplays. Think of famous movies from any decade — whether it’s an epic like ‘Gone With the Wind’ or a comedy like ‘Groundhog Day.’ Every movie originates with the writer.

Not only must a writer be able to describe the action you see on screen, it must be done succinctly as the powers that be [producers, agents, directors] like to read scripts that are preferably under 130 pages. The screenwriter has to be able to write dialogue that moves the story along and also sounds realistic.

Genre:

Action/adventure, comedy, drama, horror, romantic comedy, science fiction, tragedy, religious, historical, documentary, film noir, thriller, western, war, martial arts, teen or musical.

Reviews:

A. Tips of what to write about—first or third person review.

Summarize the plot in a few sentences.

Comment on accurate information about the production that you may have read about in a legitimate source [‘Variety’ and ‘The Hollywood Reporter’ are two trade magazines that are recommended—they’re not gossipy, they’re factual].

Mention how you felt about the main and supporting actors/actresses performances.

Did you feel the director’s presence?

Was the dialogue real? If the cinematography strikes you – say so.

The same for any pattern of editing you notice. Did the musical score enhance or detract from the movie?

Are there any plot holes or gaffes? Do the special effects seem adequate? How did you feel right after seeing the movie? How did you feel a few hours later after analyzing it?

B. Simple review

Name of movie, year of release, starring, directed by, genre, one or two sentences of the summary of the story,

This is an easy way to start getting your reviews out there for people to read.

It’s advisable to start with a free site such as those hosted by major search engines and host services.

Writing movie reviews is a fun job and not only does it allow you to really appreciate movies but you can help others do so also.

Your reviews might convince people not to see a movie and therefore save them money. You might also launch a career for yourself.

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