Student Film Reviews

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1. Chi Truong 10.12.09 / 11am

   This was also a movie that surprised me as I watched it. I had not expected it to be a musical, but as I kept watching I did seem to enjoy it very much. The only thing I did not like about the film was that, as I read the subtitles I would miss out on something important that would be happening in the scene. I definitely agree about how the props and the costumes went really well with the film’s mise-en-scene. I also thought that the editing was done well, because the settings were not dramatically changed, most of the important scenes happened in the general area of the common room.
2. Shan Wang 10.15.09 / 11pm

   In the film 8 Women, a businessman named Marcel was found murdered in his room. Thus the investigation of Marcel’s death exposes a series of family secrets among 8 women: his mother in law, his wife, two daughters, sister, sister in law, and his maid. What are we expect to happen among them? Also, the design is fully expressed through setting, props, lighting, and costume. For instance, when comes to the dancing and singing part performed by each woman, it not only reveals each person’s character, but also leaves audiences with a sense humor. Additionally, the acting, costume, and the lighting seem to be contributing the most to audiences’ sensation. For example, Gaby, Marcel’s wife, is always wearing a fancy coat, such as a mink coat. The well’s dressed character symbolized a sort of power. Beyond a doubt, Gaby’s costume represents her powerful status in her family. Through this film, the overall design plan and mise-en-scene manipulated my emotion. Also, the story took place in a small house by the countryside which in a way to suggest a sense of mystery and nervousness.
3. Melissa Marques 03.18.10 / 8pm

   I totally second that after watching this movie I realized that I should never judge a movie by its cover again. This movie was so different than I was expecting because the last thing i expected was for it to be a foreign musical! Despite my expectations of the movie I really enjoyed it. I loved how bright all of the colors in the movie were and how well the make up was done on the actresses. They moved and used a lot of the props throughout the movie and although it made the movie seem a little bit unprofessional I really enjoyed the use of the props I thought it made the movie much more lively.
4. Lupita Saldana 06.05.18 / 9pm

   At first I was not looking forward to watching this film because I was having trouble reading the subtitles while also watching the film. However, I enjoyed watching 8 Women because I love all the genres it incorporates: crime, romance, comedy, and musical. The director does a nice job of keeping the suspense throughout the movie and how he reveals the family secrets in a very stylistic way. The musical seduction and dances reveals the mystery female psyche, helping us determine each of the women’s motive for wanting Marcel dead. The lighting helps us determine the mood of the scenes, especially during the musical parts. When some the confessions were made their were serious like in Chanel, which called for dim lighting and close camera shots. When other confessions like Louisa’s were made the music was more upbeat with some comedy, which called for brighter lighting and mid camera shots. The way the women’s hairstyle, costume, and make-up is done we can see that the film was meant to take place in the early 90’s.We can also see the importance of social class by what each female is wearing. Gaby is often wearing something luxurious, signaling she is powerful. Her sister, Augustine dresses like an old school girl with glasses and hair done up, showing us that she is seen as less than her sister. I personally find the ending very interesting because it captures the overall message of expect the unexpected.
5. Natalie Mazmanian 07.20.18 / 11pm

   What an interesting perspective this is. When I initially began watching this movie I thought to myself “a French musical about a murder, what an intensely packed film.” I wasn’t very fond of this movie due to the several turning points, however, I like how you point out not to judge a book by its cover. Initially, when watching the trailer I didn’t expect this film to be in French, given that the trailer was narrated in English. I like how you point out that the props guide the audience’s imagination on what is happening next. I didn’t necessarily see that by myself but now that you point it out it truly does add up. Overall, great review and perspective on the movie!
6. Renelle Coronel-Gonzales 10.19.18 / 9am

   I would have to agree that this film was not what I expected it to be. The whole integration of a musical threw me off because I was expecting this film to follow are more classic Hollywood style narrative. However, the musical scenes played out well because they allowed the mis-en-scene of props to be fully utilized. I also agree that it was a bit strange that the characters outfits and makeup remained relatively the same throughout the duration of the film. This makes the film feel a little bit less realistic, however, the suspense and drama distracts the viewer from paying too close of attention to the wardrobe. The overall ending came as a complete shock to me because the way things were adding up, it almost seemed as if the blonde maid admitted to being capable of performing such a crime. The thought of the youngest daughter committing the crime would have never crossed my mind and the plot twist with the older daughter being pregnant with the father’s baby completely hit me with shock. The film director knew exactly what he was doing, creating just the right amount of suspense and suspicion to keep the viewers hooked.
7. Esmeralda Sanchez 07.20.19 / 1pm

   This is a very well analyzed and critical review! I have a short analyzation that I would like to share about the film. I did identify with the camera lens as they were very evident in what they wanted the viewer to focus on. The director is very creative as he brought us as the viewers to see the importance of acting as well as its hardships. The film leaves me a number of things to our imagination and that includes the love story and the great adventure that they went through as well as the acting story line. Us, people grow older and we don’t notice our passions are drifting away from us in pure sight and I think that was a very important obstacle that the director mastered when filming this film.
8. Ibeth Ramirez 07.18.20 / 1am

   I really enjoyed watching this film too! I am a sucker for musicals and when I saw this one, I knew I had to give it a try. It was honestly a very interesting movie and I found myself hooked to it the entire time. I really liked the fact that it was very suspenseful throughout the entirety of it and I was not bored at all. Another thing I really liked was that I could clearly see the messages they were trying to convey and their emotions with the way they were singing. I also liked the huge plot twist at the end. I was certainly not expecting that ending. Overall this movie is definitely a must watch!!
9. Muhammad Ibrahim Malik 10.21.23 / 5pm

   I also noticed the dramatic scenes and was shocked by it being a musical. It was my first musical ever, and I think it was really fun to watch. One thing I noticed was the weird mise-en-scene. The lighting and colors during almost every scene (up until the plot twist at the end) was very bright and warm, and it was relaxing and welcoming, which worked in the beginning, but didn’t make all that much sense throughout the film. I think it was supposed to represent how the father is still alive, up until the end where he dies. Overall, I enjoyed your review of this film. Very educational!

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