Jan 30th, 2017 7:42p.m.

"Manchester by the Sea"

Raw and realistic. Acting was absolutely astounding. I felt like I was there with the characters at times because of how natural the acting was. The dialogue was incredibly clever and I loved how they incorporated bits of comedy into such a depressing film. It made it seem all the more realistic, because life isn't always just sad or just happy, and people feel a lot of different things when grieving. And the idea that more is less really applies to this film. A lot of times when nothing was being verbalized by the actors, they were revealing a lot through silence, body language, and lack thereof body language. I could go on and on.

Jan 30th, 2017 7:41p.m.

"La La Land"

The use of colors in this film was absolutely brilliant. There were multiple scenes where colors would shift to match the feelings of the characters or to match the predominant emotion of a scene. The camerawork alone could have saved this film if it would have had a boring plot. The longshots slowed down the scenes and gave time for the audience to soak in everything that was happening at once. It gave you a moment to appreciate and understand all the emotions the characters were feeling, instead of being distracted by jumpcuts. It also just made the film more visually pleasing, because lots of cuts can be so distracting. The plot itself was very intriguing. Even though it was a bit similar to past romantic comedies I've seen, it still felt unique and refreshing. I think the realistic ending really did it for me. All in all, La La Land was not your typical, musical, drama, or romance. There were many aspects of the film that made it so unique and enjoyable, which is why I so confidently gave it five stars.

Jan 30th, 2017 7:45p.m.

"The Last Days"

Do all animals from the Barcelona Zoo wear a tag that says "Barcelona Zoo"?