Diigo Movie Review

For my first time using Diigo, I annotated a New York Times Movie review by A.O. Scott on "Beasts of the Southern Wild". My review deeply analyzed the meaning and theme of the movie, but did not discuss the cinematic or dramatic aspects of the movie that much.

The review begins by describing the main character, Hushpuppy, as "an American original, a rambunctious blend of individualism and fellow feeling". I personally think the little girl makes the whole movie, her stick-it-to-'em attitude and her courage stands out above all else. The review describes Hushpuppy's confidence and certainty in herself, but also mentions the contrasting adult view, which consists of a little, vulnerable girl who lives in a poor area with a sick father. The review gives nothing away about how the movie ends and, in fact, doesn't discuss the plot all that much. Throughout the whole review, there are only a few mentions of the cinematic and dramatic aspects of the film. It mentions that Quvenzhané Wallis, the girl who plays Hushpuppy, is an "untrained sprite who holds the camera’s attention with a charismatic poise that might make grown-up movie stars weep in envy." The sole cinematic aspect mentioned is that the director, Benh Zeitlin shot the movie on 16-millimeter film instead of in a digital format and credits cinematographer Ben Richardson with finding the rugged, ragged beauty in nearly every shot. A. O. Scott dives deeply into the meaning of "Beasts of the Soutern Wild", writing that the young heroes of the film remind us of the metaphysical arrogance of childhood." Hushpuppy tells herself that in a thousand years scientists will know the story of her and her father and the Bathtub, the area where they live, because she is leaving behind charcoal drawings wherever she goes. What she thinks and what the world actually is are, "perceived, by an awakening mind, as opposites." Towards the end of the film, it begins to show that the self and the world must too be equal. Hushpuppy stands up to giant monsters and shows that she can be anything she sets her mind to. The review is written in a witty, yet casual way which really parallels how the movie is done; a silent, powerful meaning hidden in a simple plot line.


For our quarterly movie review assignment, I think it would be best to follow a basic structure. The reviews should discuss all three aspects of film. We could also find a way to come up with a creative aspect of it, like writing the review in the form of a news report or creating a commercial for the film, but still include the three aspects. Some reviews could just be in paragraph form, but I think giving students the option to do their own thing with it would make it a lot more fun. Overall, I'd prefer to write my own review instead of reading somebody else's.


Annotated Movie Review