The Devil's Backbone

There aren't many horror films that tells the story of a ghost and the effect of a war. Director Guillermo Del Toro really created a movie that has two totally different themes in itself but the themes come together. Guillermo said The Devil's Background was the most difficult hybrid of genres, which was part war movie, and part ghost story.

There were only two sets in this film, the Orphanage and the Town which was miles away from the orphanage. The Orphanage was a made up of old rugged buildings that surrounded an interior courtyard. Because the orphanage was in the middle of the desert I think this showed how the boys were isolated from anybody other than the workers in the orphanage. There were different sets inside the Orphanage like the kitchen, the hall where all the boys slept, and the rooms where the caretakers slept. I thought the basement with the high-celling hallways and cellars was very successful at being creepy. At anytime anyone could appear from behind one of the cellars and doge behind another without being seen.

Sound played a huge part in the movie. I think the sounds are a big part in what makes you jump when something pops on the screen out of nowhere. I don't think that when Carlos was in the closet and the ghost popped into the keyhole anyone watching would've jump if there wasn't any sound to back up the suspense. Sounds also helped add to the creepy factor of the movie like the sighs of the ghost and the music that is playing whenever the ghost is in a scene.

The special effects in the film were very great, but I though anybody with a brain could have noticed that the fly at the end buzzing around the Doctor's face was computer animated. Other than the fly all the other effects were fantastic, the ghost of the little boy was perfect. I especially liked when Carlos was running from the ghost and he hide in the closet, then the suddenly the ghost popped his eye the keyhole. I thought this was both a moment that made you jolt, and a moment where you could see how well the effects of the ghost's eye were.

Hotel Rwanda Critique

Director Terry George really did a terrific job directing Hotel Rwanda. Everyone from the little kids 4 and under to the men and women in their 70's were in the right place at the right time. I feel that if was extremely important to direct this movie because it was sending an important message about what happened in Africa.

Throughout the movie the lighting was o.k. except for one scene when I felt it was too dark. When the refugees were in Paul's home witch was the Manager of the Hotel and his son was missing. When Paul went to look for his sun he founded him out side in some bushes, this scene was very dark and I barley saw the expressing of the actor's faces.


There were many gunshots, bombs, and people screaming in almost every scene in this movie. Throughout the movie, shooting and screaming was heard in almost every scene, when it came to the voices of the characters they were heard clearly.

Then costumes or the attire that was chosen for the characters was very believable. I especially was impressed at how the main character Don Cheadle was dressed. When he went off to work he was in a nice stylish suit, also the rebels and soldiers were in appropriate attire.

There weren't too many sets in Hotel Rwanda. There was Don Cheadle's Home, the Military Base, Hotel, and the Refugee Camp. I think that all the sets were accurate with the real life crisis.

Rear Window Critique

Rear Window was one of the different movies I've ever seen. For a whole movie to be shot in one scene this was a spectacular movie.

I think the directing in Rear Window was Brilliant, but it could have been more realistic. What I mean by this is that the story line could have made the characters seem as if they had sense. Now I've never murdered anyone but, if I did I would have enough sense to leave town and get as far away as I could. Another situation in the story I thought was a bit unconvincing was when the photographer was spotted by the murderer and he heard the man coming to the door and he didn't lock it. These moments in the movie made me feel that the characters weren't very good thinkers.

In Rear Window the lighting was very convincing. The way the photographer could turn the lights and duck off then become almost invisible was very interesting.

The sound played a great part in the movie. As the murderer opened the door and entered the room of the photographer the music in the background was almost saying he was doomed. Also when the murderer began to thrown him over the balcony the music began to intensify making the viewer think it was the end for the crippled photographer.

The costumes were on point, and by that I mean they were great. I wouldn't say it is hard to pick costumes the for the characters in this movie, but the costumes they choose were realistic. The photographer had on regular around the house clothes because he was home out of work, his mistress had on the seductive but, classy clothes. I feel that every character's costume was a good match from the detective to the murderer.

In the entire movie the were only two sets the photographer's apartment room, and the apartment across from his room. I believe the sets were life-like, the photographer's apartment had actual items that an apartment room would have in it. The apartment building across from him was surrounded by a realistic environment and there were clotheslines hanging from the building.

There weren't many specials effects in the movie but the effect that was used wasn't so impressive. When the photographer was tossed over the balcony I was not even the least bit convinced that he was actually plummeting to his death.