How do you think he would have done directing the other movies?
Azkaban is one of the most cinematic movies of the series but do you think he could have kept up the “magic”?
They are mexicans I really like many projects of them, but, I think Iñárritu is better, he helps in a lot of movies (including Cuarón or Toro's movies), and the movies he had made, are really cool, I love Amores Perros, or The Revenant.
Guillermo del Toro is really cool too, The Shape Of Water, Laberinto del Fauno, Santi, but he has too many bad movies, i think he is very influenced by the industry, and he has made bad movies just for money or because his fame.
And I'm not a really big fan of Cuarón, but I know his participation in many good movies, for example The Hobbit, Rudo y Cursi, Y tu mamá también.
English isn't my first lenguage, so, maybe I could have some mistakes, and my words aren't enough to describe my opinion, sorry for that
Regardless of your position on the common discussion of whether Prisoner of Azkaban was the best film in the saga, it's hard to deny that its director, Alfonso Cuarón, created lasting wonders for the film series. Beyond his filming techniques, his decision to give each character their own unique wand and to make Hogwarts a real map of connecting areas in real space was absolutely brilliant. He also went out of his way to make the main trio solidify their relationships with their characters (which I think has noticeable effects on their acting calibers from there on forward). I just had a random shower dose of appreciation for how he stepped in for one movie and did his own lasting magic. Thanks Al!
No sólo tendremos la oportunidad de tener un director latino por primera vez si no también tendrán que buscar invitados hispanohablantes, de los cuales no ha habido muchos en el podcast.
Hemos llegado lejos en otras ocasiones con directores como Del Toro pero a menos que gane Cuarón no veo mucho entusiasmo en los dos amigos para cubrirlos (Cuarón viene del lado de los invitados).
Y aunque mi favorito es Carpenter no estaría mal que los dos llegaran a la final.
Vamos por Cuarón!
Which film directed by Alfonso Cuarón do you think is his best?
I have been a lurker here for a long time, and I decided I will write my first submission on "Roma" and "The Help"! It is going to be long, so if you need a tl;dr, the last and second to the last paragraphs should be enough for what I wanted to convey.
I was inspired to write this post after watching The Take’s video on “white savior” trope (which I personally really recommend!) and I didn’t notice anyone comparing “Roma” and “The Help” to each other. It surprised me, as it seems that they have very similar concepts – with the protagonist belonging to an oppressed racial minority, working as a domestic help for white people, belonging to a higher social class, and their stories are used to show the racial and class inequality that are prevailing in societies portrayed in these movies – that are also focused on women and patriarchal theme. Their major differences lie within “The Help” being focused on struggling with racial prejudice and fighting against it, while also using the infamous “white savior” trope, whereas “Roma” simply portrays scenes from a life of an indigenous Mexican worker, that showcase the economic power and class imbalance in much subtler ways. “Roma” is, I could say, an answer to the “white savior” narrative in “The Help”, that points out nuances and systemic unfairness in society that this trope omits.
Disclaimers: Spoilers for "Roma" and "The Help" ahead and English is not my first language so forgive me for my mistakes and not so rich vocabulary! If I made any mistakes, regarding the movies or the historical backgrounds, do not hesitate to correct me on them - I would love to see more discussions on this subject.
The protagonists of “The Help” and “Roma” happen to be in similar circumstances. Both Aibileen (Viola Davis) and Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) are responsible for bearing the physical and emotional burden of families they work for. They both deal with substituting mothers in raising children, when it comes to “uglier” aspects of it, which makes them earn love from these children (there is a very strong parallel between Aibileen and Cleo when it comes to their relationship with kids), both witness conflicts in their families and they both are on the shorter end of power imbalances. Comparing these movies, you could however see, that the discrepancy between them starts when it comes to portraying the societies.
In “The Help” white people aren’t as fleshed out
... keep reading on reddit ➡Alfonso Cuarón is a very talented filmmaker with many great movies. I just want to say out front and that Children of Men and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban are both some of my favorite movies. Children of Men just blew my mind. The way the movie was shot and the immersive world really brought me in.
Prisoner of Azkaban happens to be my favorite Harry Potter movie. I like Sorcerer’s Stone & Chamber of Secrets enough, but Cuarón breathed new life into the franchise. The atmosphere and look were greatly improved. If anything, I wish Cuarón made the other Harry Potter movies. But anyway, which is your favorite?
Your choices:
- Sólo con tu pareja (1991)
- A Little Princess (1995)
- Great Expectations (1998)
- Y Tu Mamá También (2001)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
- Children of Men (2006)
- Gravity (2013)
- Roma (2018)
Did I maybe lose track of the days here? Perhaps. Almost to the end, folks!
We already have some of Alfonso’s best works, the most famous being Gravity (2013). Not to mention Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), which is considered, by many, as the best installment in the franchise and for very good reasons as well. Alfonso showed his skills by directing the movie brilliantly, including the breathtaking scene of The Flight of Buckbeak but he gave a little magical touch to the movie as well, and was better at presenting the fantasy world compared to David Yates. We’ve seen that in LOTR, the way they’ve built their world, the way they’ve portrayed fantasy. Had he directed all other movies in the franchise as well, the movies would’ve had more class attached to them. Don’t think I’m criticising David Yates works. His movies are excellent but Alfonso added a more magical taste to his movie. The way a Harry Potter movie should be made.
I say this because I saw recently a thread in which someone said that Alfonso Cuarón was the worst director. Now, I deeply disagree. Alfonso Cuarón was deeply involved in the main cast, he used sweeping shots to a fantastic effect; so much to the point that you are almost too enthralled with his speech to notice that Dumbledore’s actor has been replaced, as the camera resists cutting away, instead coming in on the characters and scenery. He got involved with the cast in asking them to dress themselves, rather than the perfect uniforms from the first two films. The biggest factor in his directing for me is my favourite scene in the film; Harry Riding the Hippogriff. The swelling score, fantastic visuals, and it perfectly captures the magic of this franchise. Along with this there is creative foreshadowing, fade-aways and more. Now, I can also see his fault; he disregarded multiple established aspects of the previous films, such as Flitwick’s random makeover, set changes, and extreme atmospheric shift (which I can forgive, as it fits much better with the tone). Overall, he was certainly not the worst director, not objectively. I didn’t even mention the badges changing position each time the camera moves through the mirror in the boggart scene, and aspects of Horror in the scenes such as The boggart and the introduction of Sirius Black. I would love to hear more people’s opinions on this; did Alfonso do more damage than good?
Prisoner of Azkaban is supposedly the best Harry Potter movie and much of the praise goes to Cuarón. So it makes me wonder, had he directed the rest of the films, would it have been much better? The films after the PoA are all quite good. However, I wonder what they might've been like had Cuarón stayed on.
