(Luận văn) an investigation into graduation in online film reviews

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING QUY NHON UNIVERSITY NGUYỄN MỘNG KỲ DUYÊN lu an n va p ie gh tn to AN INVESTIGATION INTO GRADUATION IN ONLINE FILM REVIEWS d oa nl w ll u nf va an lu m oi MASTER THESIS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE z at nh z m co l gm @ an Lu Binh Dinh - 2019 n va ac th si MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING QUY NHON UNIVERSITY NGUYỄN MỘNG KỲ DUYÊN lu an n va p ie gh tn to AN INVESTIGATION INTO GRADUATION IN ONLINE FILM REVIEWS d oa nl w u nf va an lu ll Field: English Linguistics m oi Code: 8.22.02.01 z at nh z Supervisor: NGŨ THIỆN HÙNG, Ph.D m co l gm @ an Lu n va ac th si BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN NGUYỄN MỘNG KỲ DUYÊN lu an n va p ie gh tn to PHÂN TÍCH PHẠM TRÙ THANG ĐỘ TRONG ĐÁNH GIÁ d oa nl w PHIM TRỰC TRUYẾN u nf va an lu ll Chuyên ngành: Ngôn ngữ Anh m oi Mã số: 8.22.02.01 z at nh z m co l gm @ Người hướng dẫn: TS NGŨ THIỆN HÙNG an Lu n va ac th si i STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby declare that this thesis “An Investigation into Graduation in Online Film Reviews” has been composed solely by myself and that it has not been submitted, in whole or in part, to any previous degree or professional qualification Besides, the experimental work is almost entirely my own work Furthermore, collaborative contributions have been indicated clearly and acknowledged Binh Dinh, 2019 lu an n va p ie gh tn to Nguyễn Mộng Kỳ Duyên d oa nl w ll u nf va an lu oi m z at nh z m co l gm @ an Lu n va ac th si ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Throughout the writing of this thesis, I have received a great deal of support and assistance Firstly, I would like to acknowledge my deep indebtedness to my supervisor, Dr Ngu Thien Hung, whose expertise was invaluable in the formulating of the research topic and methodology in particular Without his enthusiastic guidance, helpful advice, and enormous encouragement, this thesis would never have been completed I would like to thank all of my teachers for their valuable and interesting lu an lectures, which helped me to lay the solid foundation for this thesis n va In addition, I would like to thank my classmates, M.A students of tn to English course 20th at Quy Nhon University with their helping during the time ie gh I studied and carried out my thesis p With my heart, finally, I want to thank my parents, my husband, and nl w my little son, with their wise counsel and sympathetic ear which is oa extremely significant for me to overcome a lot of troubles from the d beginning of the thesis ll u nf va an lu oi m z at nh z m co l gm @ an Lu n va ac th si iii ABSTRACT This research examined Graduation used in online film reviews in the perspectives of Appraisal Theory The research aims at finding out Graduation resources in online film reviews in terms of syntactic and semantic features The study was conducted based on the theoretical background of Appraisal Theory by Martin & White (2005) and grammatical model of structural units by Quirk et al (1985) This descriptive study was conducted with the application of both quantitative lu an and qualitative approaches The samples of the study consist of 20 film n va reviews in English collected from online websites The findings reveal that tn to the reviewers tend to use Graduation resources in form of adjective phrases gh in online film reviews in English to strengthen their assessment of the films p ie to draw the readers’ attention with different tones of evaluation Also, there w is the overall tendency of Graduation resources under force category, oa nl especially expressions of number category to make the writers’ evaluation d more believable Hopefully, the results of the study will offer the readers an lu knowledge of evaluative language related to teaching and learning English va ll u nf as well as daily communication oi m z at nh z m co l gm @ an Lu n va ac th si iv TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vii LIST OF TABLES viii LIST OF FIGURES ix lu an LIST OF CHARTS x n va CHAPTER I tn to INTRODUCTION ie gh 1.1 Rationale p 1.2 Aim and objectives of the study nl w 1.2.1 Aim of the study oa 1.2.2 Objectives of the study d 1.3 Research questions an lu 1.4 Significance of the study va u nf 1.5 Scope of the study ll 1.6 Organization of the study oi m CHAPTER z at nh LITERATURE REVIEW z 2.1 Previous studies @ gm 2.2 Theoretical background 11 m co l 2.2.1 Syntactic Theory 11 2.2.2 Overview of Appraisal Theory 15 an Lu 2.2.3 Definition of Film reviews 21 2.3 Summary 22 n va ac th si v CHAPTER 24 METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURE 24 3.1 Research methods 24 3.2 Data collection 24 3.2.1 Sampling of study 25 3.2.2 Population of study 27 3.3 Data analysis 27 3.4 Research procedures 28 lu 3.5 Summary 29 an n va CHAPTER 30 tn to FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 30 4.1 Syntactic features of Graduation used in online films reviews in English gh p ie 30 w 4.1.1 Graduation resources used in online film reviews in English in form oa nl of nominal phrases 30 d 4.1.2 Graduation resources used in online film reviews in English in form lu va an of verb phrases 34 4.1.3 Graduation resources used in online film reviews in English in form u nf ll of adjective phrases 38 m oi 4.1.4 Graduation resources used in online film reviews in English in form z at nh of adverb phrases 46 4.2 Semantic features of Graduation used in online films reviews in English z gm @ 54 4.2.1 Graduation resources used in online film reviews in English as Force l m co 54 4.2.2 Graduation resources used in online film reviews in English in terms an Lu of Focus 64 n va ac th si vi 4.3 Summary 72 CHAPTER 73 CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS 73 5.1 Conclusions 73 5.2 Implications 75 5.2.1 To the learners 75 5.2.2 To the teachers 76 5.3 Limitation of the study 76 lu 5.4 Suggestions for further research 77 an n va REFERENCES 78 tn to In English 78 In Vietnamese 79 gh p ie Online sources 80 d oa nl w APPENDIX 81 ll u nf va an lu oi m z at nh z m co l gm @ an Lu n va ac th si vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS lu an : Systemic Functional Linguistic SFG : Systemic Functional Grammar MCRs : Medical Case Reports NS : Native medical writers NNS : Non-native medical writers Ama : Adverb as Modifiers of Adjectives Amv : Adverb as Modifiers of Adjectives SA : Single Adjective CA : Comparative Adjective Spa : Superlative Adjective SN : Single Noun Cnp : Complex Noun Phrase n va SFL p ie gh tn to : Transitive Verb nl w Trv d Sha : Intransitive Verb oa Inv : Focus: Sharpen an lu : Focus: Soften Qua : Force: Intensification-Quality Pro : Force: Intensification-Process Num : Force: Quantification-Number Dist : Force: Quantification-Extent-Distribution-Time Diss : Force: Quantification-Extent-Distribution-Space Prot : Force: Quantification-Extent-Proximity-Time Mas : Force: Quantification-Mass Num : Force: Quantification-Number ll u nf va Sof oi m z at nh z m co l gm @ an Lu n va ac th si 83 complexities as the superheroes we all are lu an n va p ie gh tn to d oa nl w Captain Marvel is a reminder that we still have more work to (especially when it comes to the implementation of women of 22 color), but it will most definitely continue to pave the way for more women heroes to have their own feature films in the MCU After seeing this film, I can 100% say that I couldn’t be more 23 excited about what direction and heroes Marvel has up their sleeves for Phase of the MCU expansion So, be prepared to watch a mighty heroine come to life and 24 come into her own, with her squad beside her Captain Marvel is in theaters now! Example C: Tessa Thompson Plays a Small-Time Drug Dealer in Tense Drama Little Woods (by Samuel R Murrian, April 2019) Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/ https://parade.com/871444/samuelmurrian/movie-review-tessathompson-drug-dealer-little-woods/ It’s a suspenseful and compelling drama, and its main draw is 25 career-best performances from two of Hollywood’s most versatile and sought-after young actresses So many pictures fall flat on their faces when depicting small26 town America and people who struggle to keep food on the table DaCosta’s work as a writer here is absorbing and textured, and her direction is flat-out remarkable So many pictures fall flat 27 on their faces when depicting small-town America and people who struggle to keep food on the table Little Woods really nails strife without being condescending Addiction and the illicit drug trade in the United States is one of 28 the most urgent of topics these days, and many filmmakers are all it for good reason Perhaps the most notable bummer is the near absence of humor Sure, these are dire circumstances—but these are clever, 29 street-smart characters, and it’s hard to believe they’d be as unyieldingly stone-faced as they’re portrayed Example D: Disney’s Penguins is black and white and adorable all over (by Brad Wheeler, April 17, 2019) Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/reviews/article- ll u nf va an lu oi m z at nh z m co l gm @ an Lu n va ac th si 84 disneys-penguins-is-black-and-white-and-adorable-all-over/ Seems like an antiquated portrait of home life, and perhaps not the best message Educating young audiences as it entertains just about 31 anyone, Penguins features the droll narration of Ed Helms and some great Antarctic cinematography It’s all about the annual mating cycle of the smallish Adélie 32 breed Some interesting soundtrack choices were made; apparently it’s 33 better to introduce White snake to kids sooner rather than later Although we are told both the female and male parent share in 34 domestic duties, mostly we see Steve doing the heavy lifting, while partner Adeline sits on eggs After all, when it comes to making house, it’s not all black and 35 while Endgame’ beautifully wraps up Marvel’s 10-year epic superhero 36 journey After Thanos snapped half of life’s existence into dust, the 37 surviving Avengers assemble one more time to try to undo the actions of Infinity War And that’s pretty much all you need to know, because after seeing the trailers for Avengers: Endgame, and the movie itself, 38 you may be shocked (V.INT) by how little the marketing truly reveals It only instills a sense of fallout, a few sprinkles of comedic flair 39 and teases that quest for hope Example E: ‘Avengers: Endgame’ beautifully wraps up Marvel’s 10-year epic superhero journey (By Preston Barta Film Critic, April 24, 2019) Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/ https://dentonrc.com/entertainment/film-review-avengersendgame-beautifully-wraps-up-marvel-s-/article_0e3f6f4a-e53e-53119657-141ac4caef33.html That said, Endgame is not what you’re expecting, yet it’s also 40 exactly the impressive epic you’re chasing It takes our central heroes to new places and wraps up this 10-year journey so 30 lu an n va p ie gh tn to d oa nl w ll u nf va an lu oi m z at nh z m co l gm @ an Lu n va ac th si 85 beautifully 41 42 43 44 lu an n va p ie gh tn to 45 46 49 ll u nf va an lu 48 d oa nl w 47 The most shocking element about Endgame is its emotional depth, and this shouldn’t be a surprise considering how Infinity War concludes Similar to a miniseries, it takes its time to dig into the characters’ psyches As we learned in Infinity War, there are a lot of characters stuffed into one movie He had a great pep talk scene with Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but here, we spend a significant portion getting to know him and what he’s going through Thor (Chris Hemsworth), again, lightens the mood There’s a fun great, unexpected change to his character that makes for great entertainment That’s not to say his sole purpose is jokes Thor is dealing with an incredible amount of loss Infinity War was decorated in red markings by many critics for failing to juggle its characters and locations Speaking of Hawkeye, Endgame makes him more interesting than he’s ever been He takes command of two of the film’s most emotional scenes, displaying acting that feels beyond what most people see in a superhero movie The Iron Man movies remarkably kicked everything off over a decade ago, while the Captain America movies changed the game (especially after The Winter Soldier and Civil War) How Iron Man and Captain America have evolved since their debut is truly a work of excellent character writing and acting There are some flaws in the Avengers’ plan z at nh 51 oi m 50 z I won’t reveal what their plan is, but there’s a lot of explaining involved It’s as if they wrote the script after reading all the comments 53 online about Marvel’s previous films They fix many issues and story errors, but they don’t always go 54 about it subtly Example F: Don’t bother voting on the Oscars if you haven’t m co l gm @ 52 an Lu n va ac th si 86 lu an n va p ie gh tn to d oa nl w seen…Blythe Danner in I’ll see you in my dreams (by Matthew Eng, November 18, 2015) Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/ https://www.tribecafilm.com/stories/don-t-bother-voting-onthe-oscars-if-you-haven-t-seen-blythe-danner-i-ll-see-you-inmy-dreams-overdue-brett-haley-sam-elliott-indie This week: one of the industry’s most undersung treasures 55 claims an all-too rare spotlight Or, even better, when was the last time you watched a characterdriven dramedy that handled these themes with humanistic 56 sensitivity and in-depth complexity (NP), instead of fart gags and boner jokes? But to see this type of film turn out not just passably “good” but 57 truly and tremendously great When was the last time you saw this film led by a woman — and not just any woman, but a woman who has never won or been 58 nominated for an Oscar and who has never even starred in a film of her own, despite being in show business for half a century this year? What if I told you this woman is nearly three-times the age of Jennifer Lawrence and that, although stunning in her own right, 59 she doesn’t look a thing like Scarlett Johansson or Amanda Seyfried and that she repeatedly — even proudly — displays her crow’s feet and wrinkles? Now, what if I told you that, despite being made for quarters over the course of two-and-a-half weeks, this movie made over 60 seven million dollars at the domestic box office and stayed in theaters for 17 weeks? Intimately directed and astutely scripted by Brett Haley, I’ll See You in My Dreams is one of 2015’s most heart-stirring surprises that also contains of the year’s most luminous star turns by the 61 formidable Blythe Danner, who is indeed making her cinematic debut as a leading lady at 72 despite two Emmys, a Tony, and over one-hundred credits on both the big and small screens He gives what is possibly the best supporting performance of 62 the entire year, but Dreams is Danner’s show through and through and she embraces this uncommonly centralized ll u nf va an lu oi m z at nh z m co l gm @ an Lu n va ac th si 87 lu an n va p ie gh tn to d oa nl w opportunity not with the fiery hunger of a routinely-sidelined performer getting her first big role, but with the precision and tenderness of a consummate character actress who doesn’t have to prove a damn thing Through Danner’s time-honed skillfulness, Carol is indeed a heroine, but hers is a form of heroism that is unmistakably rooted in the everyday courage that allows us to wander outside 63 our comfort zones and seek out different avenues of happiness and new ways of being, which can, of course, entail romantic or sexual satisfaction, but aren't solely that Too many contemporary romances — and not just the comedies 64 — naively envision the attainment of love as an ending in and of itself, an achievement that answers for everything Carol is a true-to-life romantic heroine fully worthy of our fondness and admiration, but she also isn’t devoid of the sharper 65 edges that all of us possess and which transform a well-written character into someone truly unforgettable What more could you demand from an actress who has not only contributed one of the year’s most sensational performances but 66 has also, in doing so, disproved an entire industry’s assumptions about characters and actors of a certain age, as well as the movies that audiences will willingly pay to see Example G: Yesterday review (by Amanda Keats, May 5, 2019) Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/ https://www.heyuguys.com/yesterday-review/ The perhaps initially strange pairing of Richard Curtis and Danny 67 Boyle, who wrote and directed Yesterday, works brilliantly As he sings Beatles track after Beatles track, trying to understand what’s going on and find someone – anyone – who knows who John, Paul, Ringo and George are, people start to be really 68 impressed with his *ahem* original songwriting And it doesn’t take long before his fame and popularity grows, especially when Ed Sheeran comes knocking on his door The film boasts a supporting cast as delightful the film itself, including the marvellous British gems Sanjeev Bhaskar and 69 Meera Syal who come together on the big screen as Jack’s parents ll u nf va an lu oi m z at nh z m co l gm @ an Lu n va ac th si 88 70 Yesterday is utterly joyous and smile-inducing throughout It’s a glorious celebration of the intoxicating beauty of music, human connection and the beautiful British summertime Example H: Artic review – The Martian on ice (by Adam Sweeting, May 08, 2019) Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/ https://theartsdesk.com/film/arctic-review-martian-ice This is the first feature film by Brazil-born director Joe 72 Penna previously best known for his hit YouTube channel MysteryGuitarMan), but you’d never have guessed Clocking in at a crisp and chilly 98 minutes, Arctic is an immaculately controlled exploration of the theme of man versus 73 the elements, assisted immeasurably by having Mads Mikkelsen as its protagonist, Overgård In a largely dialogue-free movie, it’s actions and landscape 74 which define the development of character and story The landscape, beautiful in a tragic sort of way, is a baleful 75 wasteland of snow and ice, stretching away to a range of whitecapped mountains in the distance (it was shot in Iceland) Despite the absence of dialogue, it’s a remarkably eloquent performance from Mikkelsen, who manages to convey shifting 76 moods of hope, fear and despair behind his outward mask of dogged stoicism He's an ice-man, but he's got soul Example I: Killer alligators are out to mess with kaya scodelario in her new film ‘crawl’ (May 6, 2019) Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/ http://www.mtv.com.au/movies/news/killer-alligators-are-outto-mess-with-kaya-scoldelario-in-her-new-film-crawl If you've ever had an irrational fear of a large amount of water 77 or the squeaky reptiles, then you might find yourself scared out of your wits after viewing its latest trailer When she finds him gravely injured, she's baffled as to what 78 kind of tragedy could have befallen him Soon, it all becomes clear: the house has become infested with 79 enormous alligators for some reason 80 Multiple attempts at rescuing the woman and her father seem as 71 lu an n va p ie gh tn to d oa nl w ll u nf va an lu oi m z at nh z m co l gm @ an Lu n va ac th si 89 81 82 though they'll happen over the course of the movie, which are only felled by some of the most nefarious gators we may have ever seen in a horror flick "I can distract them for you," her father (Barry Pepper) insists at one point in the clip That's probably not going to end well There's no distracting ravenous beasts like these gators It looks like a real nail-biter, that's for sure lu an n va p ie gh tn to d oa nl w Example J: This new Detective Pikachu trailer is too pure for this world (by Brittany Vincent, Aprail 22, 2019) Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/ http://www.mtv.com/news/3121583/detective-pikachu-footagepure/ "A little shot of wonderful for a weary world," Pikachu himself (Ryan Reynolds) captioned a tweet with some new footage of the 83 film, which is every bit of relaxing and pure as we need it to be in this hellscape of a world that is 2019 Set to Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World," the latest Detective Pikachu trailer is one of the most peaceful, awe84 inspiring pieces of promotional content we've seen for the movie just yet Pikachu doesn't seem too into it at first, but he eventually gives 85 in, and your believe us when we say your heart will melt when you see it va an lu ll u nf Example K: Pokémon Detective Pikachu (by Sean P Means, May 09, 2019) Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/ https://moviecricket.net/blog/2019/5/9/pokmon-detectivepikachu For the hordes of Pokémon fans, who have watched the animé 86 TV series or the movies, or played the video games or trading card game, the action-adventure movie is catnip For those of us in the middle, who picked up Pokémon through 87 contact with kids who consume it like air, it’s a passably fun if frenetic send-up of detective noir Outside of Ryme City, there’s a lab where the most powerful of 88 Pokémon, the genetically raised superbeing Mewtwo, escapes oi m z at nh z m co l gm @ an Lu n va ac th si 90 and seems to cause a car accident involving a detective 89 The fun of “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” comes in two forms The kids and Pokémon fanatics will thrill to see how many of the 809 characters are deployed for sight gags and plot twists And the grown-ups will enjoy Reynolds’ hilarious line readings 91 coming out of a cute yellow fuzzball Example L: Madeline review – teenager’s troubles take centre stage (by Peter Bradshaw, May 8, 2019) Source: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/may/08/madelinesmadeline-review-molly-parker-helena-howard-miranda-july Here is a gigantically risky film about emotional development 92 and theatrical performance, swinging wildly from the end of the limb that it’s just gone out on I can quite see why some might find it insufferable Yet I found 93 it absorbing and weirdly moving Madeline’s attitude to her new mentor or quasi-mother figure is 94 itself complex; it is never entirely clear if what we see on screen is actually happening or if Madeline is imagining it British person watching this film’s rehearsal scenes, it is impossible not to remember Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie’s sketch about theatre types gathering from the buttocks, and I am 95 someone who instinctively sympathises with Laurence Olivier in the legendary anecdote about telling Dustin Hoffman on the set of Marathon Man to “try acting, dear boy” 96 The movie’s tone and its narrative arc are intriguingly elusive Example M: The Hustle review - Anne Hathaway kills the comedy in dire scam caper (by Peter Bradshaw, May 9, 2019) Source: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/may/09/the-hustlereview-anne-hathaway-rebel-wilson A gender-switch reboot of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels co-starring 97 Rebel Wilson is catastrophically unfunny Anne Hathaway detonates a megaton blast of pure unfunniness 98 in this terrifying film She leaves behind a mushroom cloud of anti-humour, reducing 99 every laugh possibility to grey-white ash in a postapocalyptic landscape of horror and despair 90 lu an n va p ie gh tn to d oa nl w ll u nf va an lu oi m z at nh z m co l gm @ an Lu n va ac th si 91 lu an n va p ie gh tn to d oa nl w Now it’s Hathaway playing Josephine, the scam maestro with the couture outfits and the supposedly posh “English” accent 100 (Surely she will be finally unmasked as American, and there will be a point to how annoyingly fake that voice is? Surely?) The incredible thing is that the film has many talented people who are entirely wasted Director Chris Addison has worked 101 with Armando Iannucci on TV’s The Thick of It and Veep and high-calibre performers such as Rebekah Staton and Rob Delaney are similarly thrown away Example N: The Corrupted review – lively gangland pulp in the shadow of the London Olympics (by Mike McCahill, May 10, 2019) Source: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/may/10/the-corruptedreview-lively-gangland-pulp-in-the-shadow-of-the-london-olympics It has a measure of ambition, strong dramatic scenes and grabby performances, not least from Timothy Spall as a property 102 magnate looming over east London like some doubly malevolent reincarnation of Bob Hoskins’ Harold Shand from The Long Good Friday This approach short-sells both cinematographer Richard Mott’s striking Fframing of the capital’s moneyed hotspots and the 103 spiky idea at the heart of Nick Moorcroft’s script: that the great triumph of the 2012 Olympiad was built on the shakiest of foundations Partly it refers to the once-toxic scrap of Stratford forcibly reclaimed by fatcat developers like Spall’s Clifford Cullen, which 104 involves setting murderous muscle on a mechanic holding out on him in the run-up to the Games Here’s enough activity for a miniseries, and while Scalpello casts well and pulls stretches into cinematic shape, he’s caught 105 garbling key plot points to get to the saleable gunplay and fisticuffs Yet it also refers to the biddable entourage of the mechanic’s son 106 Liam (a newly sturdy Sam Claflin), attempting to go straight in the present day on these very same streets Example O: Final Ascent: The Legend of Hamish MacInnes review – portrait of a mountain man (by Leslie Felperin, May 9, 2019) Source: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/may/09/final-ascent- ll u nf va an lu oi m z at nh z m co l gm @ an Lu n va ac th si 92 the-legend-of-hamish-macinnes-review-mountaineering-documentary This loving documentary charting the polymath mountaineer’s 107 life, including a recent health crisis, offers few insights into wider issues This documentary about Hamish MacInnes, one of Britain’s preeminent mountaineers and a polymath inventor, photographer 108 and stuntman who literally the book on mountain rescue, opens with some warm words from his friend Michael Palin After spending almost 90 minutes listening to MacInnes’ soft 109 Scots burr in this film, you can understand how that might be so lu an n va p ie gh tn to d oa nl w But as a cinematic character he’s a bit underwhelming, despite 110 his manifold accomplishments, gear inventions, designs for rescue gurneys and mountaineering achievements Luckily for him, he has been a public figure for many years, and there were numerous pictures, film clips and self-penned 111 writings – shown, read from and excerpted in this film – available to guide him back, leading to the recovery of 98% of his memory Modest and prone to understatement, MacInnes doesn’t give much away, even about the peculiar episode around which 112 director Robbie Fraser structures the story: the time MacInnes was found in a state of derangement, misdiagnosed as dementia, apparently caused by an acute urinary infection The archive material, particularly MacInnes’s large-format landscape photographs, is engaging and skilfully assembled; 113 Giles Lamb’s background score, heavy on the Tibetan-sounding horns and drones, adds atmosphere But with few handholds available to gain insight into wider issues, Final Ascent will be of interest mostly to climbing 114 enthusiasts, zealous fans of Scottish, Alpine and Himalayan landscapes, and friends of MacInnes himself Example P: Dead Good review – breathing life into the funeral business (by Mike McCahill, May 9, 2019) Source: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/may/09/dead-goodreview-rehana-rose-documentary-funeral-business 115 There will be no better tagline this year: “Several died during ll u nf va an lu oi m z at nh z m co l gm @ an Lu n va ac th si 93 the making of this film.” lu an n va p ie gh tn to d oa nl w Cara and Sarah are two heroically relaxed funeral directors who are far from the death industry’s terse image and whose clients 116 are looking for something more than the usual combination of hymns and tears It’s true to the spirit of a documentary that attempts to loosen the 117 centuries-old strictures đans in a file marked with a skull and crossbones Rose leads us gently, and with obvious empathy, into surprising and enlightening areas Take, for instance, Cara and Sarah’s enviably airy office, which is more redolent of a tech startup 118 than anywhere traditionally associated with laying out the dead; or the unexpected briefing Cara offers on the subject of embalming Rose fashions one visual highlight from the diverse caskets her 119 undertakers carry out of camper vans and double-decker buses Rose’s respectfully framed scenes of the living communing with 120 the dead aren’t trampling on taboos so much as turning them over in search of a new line of approach If there’s a limitation, it’s that these feel like highly localised 121 case studies There’s considerable human interest here, and adventurous programmers should be alerted it would make an apt double bill 122 with Almost Heaven, Carol Salter’s excellent 2017 documentary on the time-honoured formality of Chinese funeral rites Example Q: Diamantino review – delightfully daft football fantasy (by Cath Clarke, May 8, 2019) Source: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/may/08/diamantinoreview-gabriel-abrantes-daniel-schmidt-carloto-cotta If Cristiano Ronaldo fell asleep after gorging on year-old camembert, his dreams could not match the bizarre bonkersness 123 of this enjoyably throwaway romantic sci-fi satire from Portugal about a megastar footballer who falls victim of a government cloning plot He grows breasts, adopts a child refugee and inadvertently 124 becomes the poster boy for a “vote leave” campaign in a fictional EU referendum ll u nf va an lu oi m z at nh z m co l gm @ an Lu n va ac th si 94 lu an n va p ie gh tn to d oa nl w Ronaldo must be the inspiration, physically at least for striker 125 Diamantino Matamouros, so famous he’s known simply by his first name On the pitch, in the four or five seconds it takes to score a goal, 126 in the moment of genius, he has visions of a giant pekinese puppies invading the pitch This “boy” is actually a female undercover secret service agent 127 called Aisha who is looking for evidence of money-laundering However, it’s Diamantino’s pantomime-evil twin sisters who are 128 the real criminals The film is fun but, for all its inventiveness, it’s a bit tame, with 129 its nice-but-dim hero But Diamantino is never dull Example R: Review: ‘John Wick 3: Parabellum’ delves deeper and hits harder (by Sarah Gopaul, May 19, 2019) Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/ http://www.digitaljournal.com/entertainment/entertainment/rev iew-john-wick-3-parabellum-delves-deeper-and-hitsharder/article/550122 ‘John Wick 3: Parabellum’ has the unbeatable assassin preparing 130 for war in which the odds are even in spite of every trained killer being out to get him Running only gets you so far and then confrontation, surrender or – if you’re lucky – negotiation become the only options In John 131 Wick 3: Parabellum, the title character opts for all-out war against anyone who tries to stand in his way After being excommunicated, John (Keanu Reeves) has one hour 132 to try to get out of the city before all its assassins come to collect the eight-digit price on his head The first film’s introduction to John Wick and its incorporation of 133 gun-fu made it the standout action movie of the year It also made the sequel one of the most anticipated The second chapter combined gun-fu with car-fu, yet again 134 delivering a hard-hitting, high-impact film with an even higher kill count Within the first 15 minutes of this movie, John’s killed someone 135 with a book, a customized antique gun and a horse ll u nf va an lu oi m z at nh z m co l gm @ an Lu n va ac th si 95 lu an n va p ie gh tn to d oa nl w There’s definitely still a thrill to watching John escape only 136 slightly scathed even though he was exhausted and/or significantly outnumbered His dexterity when reloading a gun is captivating and his aim is 137 impeccable 138 But the most interesting action sequences bookend the picture Once the bounty hunters begin their assault, the rapid fire action 139 is spellbinding The shadow society’s hierarchy, rules and penalties are further revealed in this installment, though there will likely be much more to uncover in the next one The three returning men — 140 Reeves, Ian McShane and Laurence Fishburne — resume their roles perfectly, though at least one of them will surprise everyone Joining the cast are Dillon and Anjelica Huston Each chapter builds on the previous one, finding new ways to take 141 down John’s enemies and expanding this fascinating world of honour-driven killers Example S: Birds off Passage review: dark odyssey to the heart of the drugs trade (by Peter Bradshaw, May 15, 2019) Source: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/may/15/birds-ofpassage-review-ciro-guerra-colombia-marijuana-trade Ciro Guerra’s poetic – and shocking – drama about marijuana 142 trafficking in Colombia digs deep into the culture of the indigenous people involved Ciro Guerra’s film Embrace of the Serpent from 2015 was 143 audacious journey into Colombia’s dark interior, figurative and literal, a jungle full of Kurtzian fear Now he has entered into a fascinating auteur collaboration with his longtime producer Cristina Gallego to create this really 144 startling and intriguing movie, which was Colombia’s shortlisted entry for best foreign film in this year’s Academy Awards This is film-making that really does push at the limits of 145 storytelling and generic templates, and it’s brimming with images and ideas Taking place over a timespan of about 20 years, from the 1960s 146 to the 80s, Birds of Passage is a poetic re-imagining of the rise of ll u nf va an lu oi m z at nh z m co l gm @ an Lu n va ac th si 96 147 148 lu an n va to p ie gh tn 149 u nf va an lu 150 d oa nl w Colombia’s marijuana trade in a series of five poetically conceived “songs”, entitled Wild Grass, The Graves, Prosperity, The War and Limbo As it happens, the factual accuracy of Birds of Passage has been challenged by Colombian and American historians who argue there is no evidence that either the Wayuu or the Peace Corps were involved in drugs It is fair comment, although Gallego and Guerra never purported to be doing other than exercising the freest poetic licence in the service of a higher truth This is about revelation – or hallucination There are many ominous dreams, and dreams, to quote a character here, “prove the existence of the soul” There is also an extraordinary scene depicting a “second wake” in Aníbal’s property: a ceremony involving the exhumation of a dead body in a coffin, and the solemn removal of body parts while alcohol is sprayed around like holy water Are these ceremonies accurately reported? I don’t know But the film shows cultural expressions being intensified and warped by the new energies of the drug trade If I have a criticism of Birds of Passage it is that the character of Zaida herself, so vivid and thrilling at the beginning the movie, tamely fades out almost immediately, a mute wife and mother whose relationship with Rapayet is disappointingly irrelevant ll Example T: The Spy Behind Home Plate: Moe Berg’s story (by Danielle Solzman, May 21, 2019) Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/ http://www.solzyatthemovies.com/2019/05/21/the-spybehind-home-plate-moe-bergs-story/ The Spy Behind Home Plate is Aviva Kempner’s newest 151 documentary that tells the true story of catcher-turned-spy Moe Berg A year ago, the Paul Rudd-starring The Catcher Was A Spy premiered during Sundance While that film does manage to 152 tell Berg’s story in narrative form, the documentary goes the whole nine yards oi m z at nh z m co l gm @ an Lu n va ac th si 97 153 It’s an incredible story to say the least! To be Jewish in college during this era isn’t quite the same as it 154 is in today’s era The interviews in the film come from all sorts of worlds The 155 film provides footage so rarely seen in addition to photographs They can certainly be proud to know that their work is not for a 156 lost cause lu an n va p ie gh tn to d oa nl w ll u nf va an lu oi m z at nh z m co l gm @ an Lu n va ac th si