They say Hollywood is a beauty contest. Actors, actresses, models, and musicians all try to look attractive for the magazines. Several female stars put on make-up and buy fancier clothes to look beautiful for the camera. Additionally, they spend a lot of money on plastic surgery. However, too much plastic surgery can make a woman look artificial like a Barbie doll. Besides, there are several female stars who look just as beautiful without make-up. Likewise, film directors, cinematographers, and visual effects designers strive to make their films attractive to audiences by spending thousands of dollars on props, costumes, CGI, and visual effects. This is particularly seen with superhero franchises and science fiction adventure films. Although special effects can be cool to look at, I do not believe that movies need to have a lot of special effects in order to be good. In fact, I think that too much special effects and CGI can actually ruin the quality of a movie. Everybody has different taste in film genres and filming styles, but one style that really turns me off is the gray tint seen in several action movies, the Twilight franchise, and Inception. On top of that, shaky camera movement makes me nauseous. Sometimes movies can have stunning visual effects, but an uninteresting story. For example, the shots of space in Gravity are beautiful, but the story is so predictable to me. Also, I do not care for movies where people are stuck in a confined location and they are trying to get out (i.e. Buried, Open Water). Nevertheless, this is just my opinion and you do not have to agree with me. Below is a list of some films that are beautiful to look at, even without a lot of CGI.
1. The Films of Wes Anderson:
a. The Royal Tenenbaums: This is a hilarious look at a dysfunctional family with great songs from the 60’s and 70’s. The design of the house in the film is gorgeous. I do not think the time period of the film is ever specified, I would have to watch it again to remember, but the 60’s and 70’s style costuming was something directly out of a cartoon.
b. The Darjeeling Limited: A fun look at three brothers on a journey in India. The train they ride on is so colorful.
c. Moonrise Kingdom: A cute look at two child runaways who fall in love. The costuming and set design of the camp is beautiful. There are also some beautiful shots of the woods.
d. The Grand Budapest Hotel: The costume, set design, and make-up is all gorgeous. That’s all I can say. The other day at school, I heard a friend say that watching the film is like looking inside of an old fashioned doll house. I couldn’t agree more.
2. Wet Hot American Summer (dir. David Wain): While this film is a hilariously silly spoof of 80’s summer teen movies, the scenery of the camp is also beautiful.
3. Carol (dir. Todd Haynes): This was my favorite film of the 2015-2016 season. Not only is this a great LGBT-themed love story, but also a great 1950’s period piece. The costuming reflects that time period very well. More importantly, it followed The Price of Salt, the book it was based on, very closely.
4. Paris, Texas (dir. Wim Wenders): This is a great road trip movie about loss, reconnection, and finding oneself. There are also beautiful shots of the American west.
5. Happy-Go-Lucky (dir. Mike Leigh): Not only will Poppy’s (Sally Hawkins) attitude of gratitude put a smile on her face, but also her colorful clothing.
6. The Before Trilogy (dir. Richard Linklater): Not only are Jesse and Celine characters in this trilogy, but also the places they visit: Vienna, Paris, and Athens.
7. Boyhood (dir. Richard Linklater): What Richard Linklater is so good at doing is taking something so simple (i.e., two people becoming friends, a person growing up, etc.) and making it so beautiful. In this film, Linklater does an excellent job at depicting family and nostalgia ranging from the early 2000’s to the mid 2010’s. Additionally, although the grass and trees may not be essential to the storyline, the shots of them are still gorgeous. I am so glad this was recently added in the Criterion Collection along with Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused and Slacker.
8. The Lobster (dir. Yorgos Lanthimos): Although this is a science fiction film, it has little to no CGI. It is about a dystopian society where people are mandated to find a romantic partner unless they are sent into the woods to transform into an animal. This movie is a great social satire of the “rules” society places on romantic relationships. It was my favorite film released in 2016 thus far. The Lobster was filmed in Ireland. The film has beautiful scenery of The Parknasilla Hotel, The Grand Canal Dock, and The Dromore Woods.
To conclude, just how the beauty of a woman can be found within, the beauty of a film can be found in the dialogue, acting, and story.
