Evidence that WSJ used FAKE screenshots

Top 10 Movies of 2015

10. Room 

I feel that "Room" at this point is an obvious film to put on a "Top 10 movies of 2015" list. Is it overhyped? I think so, but that does not mean that it isn't a great film. I enjoyed it very much, but left with a surtain feeling that the film did not fully reach it's potencial. I felt like the film did not emotionally  deliver on the boys exposure to the world outside the room. They could of showed his amazement for the world in a more creative and beautiful way. Though this is not a mistake, it is just how I would have personally preferred it. "Room" is brilliantly acted film, and I am sure that it will win an academy award. A shoe in for the top 10 movies of 2015.

9. The Martian 

This is not a great movie, or even that good, nevertheless, it is one of the most enjoyable cinema experiences I had in 2015. Ridley Scott made a fun and exciting sci-fi adventure, which kept me entertained and laughing throughout the hole film. Matt Damon plays a loveable and funny character whom you always want to watch succeed. The Martian is sort of like a big budget "feel-good" film, which is not something you often have a chance to experience. "The Martian" is a perfect "crack open a bear, and chill" type of film. ;) 

8. Tangerine 

A pleasent suprise, which shows you a different side of Los Angeles. The movie follows two prostitutes, whom are looking for the pimp/boyfriend who cheated on one of the main characters. A beautiful looking low budget film. The cast is what makes this movie so special and surprisingly heart-warming. The characters aren't just funny, but they feel authentic and natural. Truly one of the most rememberable films of 2015.

7. Mad Max: Fury Road 

"Fury Road" was the action movie I had waited for! An action packed joy ride, which isn't boring for 1 second. This movie has been talked about for such a long time, that I don't know what I can say that hasn't been said. It's just an awesome movie. The visuals are awesome, a perfect blend of cgi and practical effects. George Miller didn't pull a George Lucas/Peter Jackson, he managed to come back to the Mad Max franchise with a fresh and great new instalment. I can't wait to see the sequal to this action masterpiece.

6. Ex Machina 

A great sci-fi film with a lot to offer. Yet another great use of cgi in film, I hate when movies use way to much cgi, but this year movies like "Fury Road" and "Ex Machina"are great examples of movies understanding when to use cgi and when to not. "Ex Machina" is a weird and clostrophobic sci-fi thriller. It is a movie about how humans play gods, and all the unpredictable and destructive consequences that endure because of it.

5. Knight of Cups 

Terrence Malick is a master of making beautiful films (with the help of Lubezki). "Knight of Cups" is a wonderful film about a man who has given up on life, and just goes blindly through life without really enjoying it. Though "The Revenant" is now named the most visually stunning film of 2015, I have to say I disagree. "Knight of Cups" was the most visually stunning film of 2015. It also had by far the best soundtrack of the year. "Knight of Cups" is a must watch, for anyone who apreciates art on the silver screen.

4. The Revenant 

This is the film that will give Leonardo Di Caprio his long awaited Oscar. A raw yet beautiful film about revenge. I personally love a good revenge flick, and this is as good as it gets. Lubezki has again proven that he is the master of cinematography.

3. Macbeth 

I was lucky enough to watch "Macbeth" at the cinema, and it was phenomenal. It's a harsh and brutal adaptation of the legendary play by William Shakespeare. 2015 was the year for great Michael Fassbender performances, and his portrayal of Macbeth was by far Fassbender at his best. The great dialog, the barbaric battle scenes, are all a big part of why this is one of the most remarkable films of 2015. "ALL HAIL MACBETH!" 

2. When Marnie Was There 

This may be studio Ghibli's last film, which really bums me out. Nevertheless, "When Marnie Was There" was a great note to go out on. An emotional film, and the only movie on this list which made me cry. The less you know about the film, the more pleasently suprised you will be by it's discrete and stunning story-telling. Ghibli studios never disappoints.

1. The Hateful Eight 

A slow, suspenseful western, which is unpredictable as hell! Tarantino only keeps in the western clichés that you want, and adds a bundle of twist and turns that you'll never see coming. This might be my favorite Tarantino film, it is a combination of the best from his early and the best of his later films. You get the crazy wittiness and dark comedy from "Django Unchained" and "Inglorious Basterds", and the great simplicity and tension from "The Reservoir Dogs". The rough and unpredictable landscape of the film is a perfect setting for the equally unpredictable characters. What really makes "The Hateful Eight " unique is that there is no hero, not one character you can trust for more than a second. This is "Tarantino magic" at its finest, and my personal favorite film of the year.

Top 10 Beautiful Movies 

(random order)

*movies with beautiful visuals

-Castle in the Sky

Hayao Miyazaki is full of great and beautiful visuals. The amount of creativity that goes into the design of these fantastic fantasy worlds Miyazaki makes are truly astonishing. He is the master of animation, and this is one of his greatest visual masterpieces. 

-When Marnie Was There 

Another beautiful Ghibli film, even without Miyazaki, they made another visually stunning film. Full of colorfull imagery which really warms your heart. 

-Howl's Moving Castle
In my opinion this is the most beautiful and imaginative Miyazaki film. 

-The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Wes Anderson's stop-motion masterpiece, with beautiful autumn colours.

-The Grand Budapest Hotel
The most beautiful Wes Anderson film, and also one of his greatest films.

-Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Incredible set design, and even more incredible fight scenes.

-2001: A Space Odyssey 

Stanley Kubrick was and still is one of the greatest directors of all time. The effects and visuals in 2001 are some of the greatest in cinematic history. A must watch for any movie lover.

-Hero

Hero is a fantastic movie which utilizes colour in a very beautiful and clever way. By using colour to tell a story from different perspectives, and does it in the most beautiful way possible. 

-The Tree of Life

A stylistic and beautiful film, which shows us the beauty of life and the hardship of growing up.

-The Thin Red Line
The subject matter is brutal and horrifying. Nevertheless, it is one of the most beautiful and moving movies I have ever watched.

Analysis of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible (the movie)

“The Crucible” was a play written by Arthur Miller during the McCarthy era. The play is mainly about the witch hunts that took place in Salem, Massachusetts in the 1690s. In the 1990s, this play was turned into a film with the screenplay written by Arthur Miller, and starring Academy award winner Daniel Day-Lewis and Wiona Ryder. The story follows a farmer named John Proctor who lives in the small town of Salem. He is a man of faith, who has had an affair with a younger woman named Abigail. The film mainly follows these two characters, John is the protagonist and Abigail is the main antagonist. 
“The Crucible” starts with a group of young girls performing a ritual in the woods. While performing this ritual the town’s priest (named Paris) catches them in the act. This ritual is suspected of being a type of witchcraft, and the girls choose to confess to taking part in a demonic ritual. Nevertheless, we find out that this was not witchcraft, though the girls do not admit this. The girls rather mention people who are “minions” of the devil, and who should be made to confess to their allegiance with the devil. This leads to a massive witch hunt, which the protagonist “John Proctor” tries to stop, but ends up being stuck in the middle of. 

John Proctor is a torn man, because he is a man of faith, yet he has committed adultery. He has had an affair with the leader of the “witch girls”, Abigail. What partially fuels her into telling lies about the inhabitants of Salem, is that she wants to get rid of Proctor’s wife. Abigail is madly in love with Proctor and will do anything for them to be together. Another important character in this film (play) is the judge, Thomas, who is leading the witch trials in Salem. He is a man who believes in true justice and his God. He is also one of the greatest threats in the film. He truly believes that the girls are telling the truth, though he does question them at times. However, he is blinded by his faith.
The film uses a lot of imagery: John Proctor constantly quotes the Bible. He once refers to himself splitting the town like the Red Sea. Abigail also talks in great detail about what she is apparently seeing while being under the devil’s command. The devil and the other demons that the girls claim to be seeing in the courtroom are described as dark shadows, whispering into the ears of the “corrupted” humans. 

The atmospheric elements that the film uses are discrete. But quite effective. When the film starts, the weather seems sunny and calm, but while the story is developing, the weather also changes. It gets darker and colder as if the weather tries to warn us viewers that the worst is yet to come, so it keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the picture. By making this a story told by an all knowing third person it helps to reinforce the tragedy of the story. When you know that the girls are just making up these hallucinations, it leaves you with a feeling of frustration and fear for the main character’s life. You understands what the accused are going through, and the tension rises even higher. 
The climax of the film comes at the ending when John confesses to seeing the devil. We know that he is innocent, so it is both sad and it almost feels like a defeat. When Proctor is asked to sign a confession to what he had done so that the confession can be hanged on the church door, John refuses. He would rather die than ruin his own name. this can be traced back to what Arthur Miller was going through, he would not ruin his own name by signing the blacklist. 
Writing this play was a very smart way for Arthur Miller to tell us about the fears and frustrations of being accused of something that you have not done, by a group of unknowing, scared and untruthful people. The themes are fanaticism, mass hysteria, faulty leadership and mistreatment of your own people. All these themes are relatable to the situation Arthur Miller was exposed to during the McCarthy area. The McCarthy area and the witch hunts of the late 17th century were what inspired him to write this play. He uses the similarities between the two events to write an almost satirical play about the government at the time. These events are very significant to each other, as I have already touched upon, as there are obvious similarities between the two. The biggest and most important one is that both events are about innocent people being hunted down and wrongfully accused of being something they are not. 

The American government blacklisted Arthur Miller as a communist (or communist sympathizer). When he tried to travel to Britain for the premier of “The Crucible”, his passport was confiscated and he was not allowed to leave the country. Many people at that time (1950s-60s) were blacklisted. Charles Chaplin was also blacklisted and left the US because of it. This happened to many innocent people, and that is why Arthur Miller chose to write “The Crucible” to show the world how he and many other Americans were mistreated by their own government and, even more important, their fellow countrymen.

Sadly the play does not transcend well to the screen, with the movie being very mediocre. The film is very slow paced and drags throughout most of its duration. A very disappointing film about a very interesting play, with even a more interesting backstory. I would recommend watching it because of its historical significance, but if you look past that, I would never recommend “The Crucible”

Top Horror Movies to Watch on Halloween Part 2

House of Wax (1953) 

A fun, cheesy horror movie with a stellar Vincent Price performance. This is Vincent Price at his best, and  he manages to keep us entertained throughout the entire movie. Great sets + Vincent Price= one of the most entertaining horror movies of all time.

A Tale of Two Sisters

A Korean horror masterpiece. You do not get to see any new horror movie from Hollywood which is as good or scary as this. A great movie which does not need cheap scares, it instead uses great atmospherical music and scenery. It is truly one of the most beautiful looking horror movies that I have ever seen. It is directed by one of my favorite korean directors, Jee Woon Kim. He is fantastic at making scary movies like "I Saw The Devil", but also knows how to make funny action and crime movies. This is a movie you have to see by yourself in the dark and it will horrify you. Enjoy!



















Thirst

A great horror movie by an even greater director, Park Chan Wook. This is one of the most refreshing takes on the vampire-horror genre. Another beautifully shot movie, with great characters, who have to fight against their inner demons throughout this picture. Nominated for Palme d'Or and winner of the Jury Prize at Cannes in 2009, shows all the critical praise this movie has received. This is a must watch for any fan of vampire-horror movies. The last korean gem I will mention on this list, so it is fitting that it is directed by one of my personal favorite directors. ;)

The Evil Dead

The Original Evil Dead is a fantastic horror movie filmed on a shoestring of a budget. Sam Raimi uses great cinematografy which really makes this an enjoyable and at sometimes beautiful ride into a movie which could have been your tipical teen horror flick. Though much of the effects look a bit outdated you have to respect the movie for all its passion and ambition. Nevertheless, this is still a horrifying movie to watch on your own, it has many effective scares, and a main character who you really roote for. The main character is played by Bruce Campbell who would later become the king of B-movies. Bruce Campbell really gives a 100% in this movies, and would later become this franchises' greatest asset.

   



















Braindead

The most absurd and hilarious movie EVER! Great horror movie, and even greater comedy. One of the goriest movies I have ever seen. The soundtrack is one of the greatest things about the movie, it's so inappropriate and very funny. It's really great, and I wish Peter Jackson still made horror movies. What aslo makes this a great movie is that it is a very funny and refreshing take on the zombie movies. It has many of the same elementes of a zombie movie, but takes everything to the extreme. You might be gross out by all of the gore and violence, but it is a classic which every film-lover should watch. Halloween is the perfect time to watch this horror movie masterpiece so do not watch Paranormal Activity for the hundred time, watch a classic instead.

Top Horror Movies to Watch on Halloween 

PART 1

(random order) 

Alien (1979)

Ridley Scott's sci-fi/horror masterpiece from 1979. A very thrilling and claustrophobic movie, with great visuals and a standout performance from Sigourney Weaver. The fantastic illustrations by the great late artist Giger, he created the iconic xenomorph (alien) and the alien planet/spaceship.
One of the classic horror movies which truly stands the test of time.

Psycho (1960)

Maybe the most essential horror movie of alltime. Alfred Hitchcock's psycho is exciting from start to finish, with plenty of twists and turns. If you were to watch any horror movie this halloween, this should be on top of your list.

The Shining (1980)

On of the scariest movies on this list, with a fantastic soundtrack. The legendary Stanley Kubrick knows how to make you shiver throughout this 146 min long film. The moody atmosphere, and scary performance by Jack Nicholson makes this movie a must see for halloween.

The Thing (1982)

A psychological horror movie, that does not tell nor show you who or what the monster is. John Carpenter's horror classic is grotesque, (in a good way) the monster is one of the most disturbing things you might ever watch in any horror movie.

Amer (2009) 

This is a belgian hidden treasure, by the directors Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani. A fantastic moderne horror movie with great use of colors and editing. A movie which does not rely on dialog to create characters and story, but uses fantastic imagery and atmospheric music. Truly a unique and fascinating horror movie. 

Horror of Dracula (1958)

A Hammer studios classic from the legendary horror director Terence Fisher. The greatest Dracula movie ever made, with a very moody environment and great acting by Peter Cushing. Peter Cushing is the main reason this movie works so well, he is the best on screen Van Helsing. Let us not forget the scary and elegant Christopher Lee who plays the role of dracula to perfection. If you were to watch any dracula/vampire movie, watch this one!

My Favorite Comedies


1. The Naked Gun

2. The King of Comedy

3. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut

4. Groundhog Day


5. Airplane!

6. Take The Money and Run

7. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou

8. This is Spinal Tap

9. Castaway On The Moon

10. Ghostbusters


11. Evil Dead 2

12. Manhatten Murder Mystery

13. The Royal Tenenbaums

14. Braindead/Dead Alive

15. The Darjeeling Limited

16. Elling 

17. Austin Powers 

18. Intouchables 

19. Trinity Is Still My Name


20. Fantastic Mr.Fox

21. The Graduate

22. Bottle Rocket

23. Hot Fuzz 

24. Project A

25. Borat

26. Hot Shots! Part Deux

27. Mr. Nice Guy

28. Team America

29. Army of Darkness

30. Home Alone