Wednesday, November 18, 2015

...day of the dead and 007...



I mentioned that my fella and I went to the movies on Saturday.  We actually had two movies on the agenda: Crimson Peak in the afternoon but only after we first watched my fella’s pick, Spectre, the latest James Bond film.

I’m not going to write a full review of Spectre but I will note that the opening begins with the most colorful Day of the Death parade and celebration that leads into Zocalo Square in Mexico City. The entire theme of the movie is “death.”  

For the most part, I found the film to be entertaining. We don't often go *out* to the movies anymore because we can't stand how some people behave in theaters but he really wanted to see Bond on the big screen. Because of that, I tossed in Crimson Peak which I had planned to watch when it came to cable. 

The part I enjoyed most about Spectre was the visuals in the beginning of the film that focused on the Day of the Dead celebration. It was elaborate and detailed, and as the YouTube video below notes, it didn't need to be by today's standards. So many movies often include computer animation so when you see a film that includes 800 extras, well, that's impressive.

I read this article which did a nice job explaining Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebration in relation to the 007 film. And to give you a glimpse of the festival, I'm included this YouTube video below. 

6 comments:

  1. Oooh I saw the Day of the Dead parade in the trailer briefly! Looking forward to it!

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    1. I wouldn't have gone to see it on my own but a good action movie is usually worth it.

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  2. Oh my gosh! Spectre's opening scene! I was DONE after that! Like, "I could go home happy now." It was so beautiful and amazing. And the pulsing drum beats put me in a trance. AND I think nearly the entire thing - up to the bomb going off - was one long tracking shot. Amazing! It made me immediately want to go next year's Day of the Dead celebration, but I was fighting back a fear: Everyone's makeup and costumes were GORGEOUS! And they all seemed to be uniform in hues of blacks, grays and whites, which was intriguing. But then I started worrying that they were all done up by Spectre's makeup crew. What if I went to a real Day of the Dead celebration and people didn't put as much thought and talent into their costumes? I worried about this for approximately one quarter during the rest of the movie!

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    1. Yeah, there were 800 extras and they did go through make-up. I haven't been to the real Day of the Dead parade but I wonder if you'd just see less uniformity and more variety. I'm sure it's still over the top. AND, you're less likely to have to worry about a helicopter falling on you ;p

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