Space, an empty, void place that stimulates mankind's imagination. Since in the early 19th century (Jules Verne: From the earth to the moon, 1865), or perhaps even before, mankind have admired space and dreamt of conquering its vastness and openness. Thus, it is obvious that from 1947 to 1991, what we commonly refer to as a Cold War Era, the US and Russia have spent their money on space exploration to show off their respective technological prowess. The competition for space exploration in each country was not in vain as some insist. Thanks to the competition from each country's pride, we could send a person out of the earth and set the stage for future space exploration. However, what is so frustrating is that despite decades of technological progress, we have yet to send people to Mars. Human beings have big dreams, but its corresponding reality has many limits. This is where media kicks in. By utilizing computer graphics, we often use our imagination to implement scenes that are not obtainable in reality. This is what I call the 'charm' of the movie.
Both visually appealing, Gravity (Directed by Alfonso Cuaron, 2013) and Interstellar (Directed by Christopher Nolan, 2014) are my top two space film picks. Gravity swept seven Academy Awards, including visual effects, sound effects, and direction. Interstellar won visual effects award in Academy Awards. I'll address these films in later essays individually. These movies worth an essay each.
Two days ago, a brand new space film starring Brad Pitt hit the theaters. Although the ratings from Naver (which is not a reliable source, I know) varies from 0 to 10, critics from Rotten Tomatoes qualified the movie as a 'Certified Fresh' rating (Basically the best grade the website has to offer). Thus, I knew from the start that it would be a mesmerizing experience. I even changed my blog title to "Ad Astra per Aspera", which basically means "through hardships to the stars" in latin.
I am anticipating to watch the movie on IMAX next week..
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