Bonnie Gross: “Umshini Wam” was a very interesting short. I am still not sure if I liked it or just plain did not understand it. At first I found it very comical, being that this couple was playing in wheelchairs wearing onesies. Also the giant blunt made some the scenes very funny, as well as the light up wheel chairs. The premise of two people shooting people to steal wheel chair parts was hilarious, but I am still confused as to why exactly they were doing it.
Maybe if I knew more about the backstory of this film, I would have a better understanding as to the meaning behind it. The shots were pretty simple for the most part, just filming the two main characters talking and playing around. In all this one was not my favorite short. As I mentioned earlier, I think that there is a lot of meaning behind “Umshini Wam,” that I do not understand. I tried to research it, but I am still pretty confused.
I have seen a few of Die Antwoord's music videos, so I am familiar with their style. I think it's very very original. For some reason it is very interesting and pulls you in. I enjoy the music and what they're singing about, although sometimes vulgar, is from their culture in South Africa which is also fascinating.
I also think the cinematography was beautiful. It was very clean and crisp and aesthetically pleasing due to everything being well lit and the colors. Although Die Antwoord can come across as very lude I think this film showcased some softer sides like their love for each other which due to the opposing vulgarity really highlighted them. There were stark contrasts in story line as well as technically speaking about the visuals. Overall, I found it to be a very interesting and entertaining short.
Kaitlin: “Umshini Wam,” was very stupid in my opinion! It was unclear what the purpose of the film was and it was difficult to understand the storyline. I started to turn it off because I felt all they were doing was cursing back and forth. However, I did like the humor behind the light up wheel chairs and the onesies because they were just so awful and ridiculous, which made me laugh. The cinematography in this short was boring and simple. I feel like I could have shot this myself. There were no interesting camera angles or anything that was visually striking to me. I would say this is a very original film. As to where the idea came from, I have no idea! Again, I still do not know what the point of the story was. However, I watched the entire short, meaning it had something that grabbed my interest.
Joel Where did they keep getting bullets from? Where did they get guns from? I was so confused with this short. I was expecting a rival wheelchair gang to pop up from somewhere but all they did was roll around and say focking. They subtle sub titles were nice. I tried to understand how they got Umshini Wam from Hand me my machine gun.. nothing ever clicked. The only things I can take away from this is that 2 pokeman crazed gangsters roll around in wheel chairs and try to get street cred..
I think that "Umshini Wam" was completely weird. It spews of the oddest vibe I have ever felt, but, I can't help but to like it (for some unknown reason. The twisted references to "gangsta-rappers" makes it pretty funny. It is like a completely new and weird fantasy land of white trash dreams. These characters do not tell a story, instead, they are explained through snippets of their day.
Visually, I thought that it was shot well and in an extremely fun way. It was shot in a very intimate fashion between both of the characters.
Overall, weird. We all need that weird put into our system sometimes.
I have to say that I really enjoyed this. Not because it made any sense, not even because it was so bombastic that I couldn't help but laugh at the spectacle. It was just interesting, in the same way that watching two random characters in a Tarantino movie talk about inane drivel is interesting. I can't pin down why it held my attention, but it did, and thus I have no other option but to say I enjoyed it.
As far as the cinematography goes, it was a mixed bag. Not in a bad way, just that it shifted from some really interesting visuals to a shooting style that didn't stand out at all, but these gaps in visual extravaganza were always filled with something interesting that the characters themselves were doing.
All in all, one of the better shorts I've seen this semester.
"Umshini Wam" was very weird. The beginning of the short was very unique and caught my attention because I had no idea what was going to happened. Then I heard the accents and the cursing and I was even more confused. After that, I saw two people dressed in what is bunny suits riding in a wheel chair. What an opening scene.
The cinematography and camera work was very simple. They used establishing shots, close ups, and medium shots. The best scene was toward the end when the two were lying together on the street and they used a depth of field to put our focus on the girl.
The storyline was going all over the place. I did not know what was suppose to happen or what I was suppose to get out of it but I guess the purpose of this film was to show a couple who is misunderstood by suburban society and they feel they belong in the hood. They feel that being gangster and having their machine gun help them fulfill their gangster paradise in place where they are misunderstood.
I found Umshini Wam to be borderline rediculus, but still pretty comical. The outfits, especially what appeared to be a Pikachu onesie were hilarious, and I thought it was funny that they were so worried about the appearance of their wheel chairs which they thought made them look like "pusses" when they were wearing such get-ups. The camera work was simple enough, but I liked the behind shots when they were shooting guns throughout the film, especially when they were in the river and you could see the shells dropping around them. I was left wondering how they got all the way down there with their wheel chairs. I liked the oversized blunts, street slang and drinking mixed with automatic weapons that seemed to make fun of the glorification of street violence and popularity of the "gangster" lifestyle.
The girls voice got a little annoying, especially when she was screeching at the boy to get up and how she constantly complained, but I got over it because I thought the randomness of the film was interesting and captivating in the same way Tim and Eric holds your attention.
There really isn’t much good to say about Umishimi Wam, it’s basically a random and bizarre short piece. The plot is completely nonsensical, focusing on two wheelchair bound people with aspirations, guns, and a willingness to use them. There seems to be a large level of symbolism in the story, which is never something I’m fond of, though it does have its moments in some films, however, I can’t honestly judge this piece in context because I do not know or understand the context. The cinematography is very basic, though the composition is good enough to keep the story moving. The music really didn’t do anything for me either. Overall, in my opinion, it was one of the worst short of the weeks we’ve seen all semester.
andrew wallace- While entertaining for portions where the shenanigan style antics of both the protagonists blends with the asian style dubstep, the staying power of this short is limited. While supposedly addressing issues in the war torn parts of South America, I actually found this 15 minute flick more of a mock-hip hop music video. Incorporating humorous elements that are found in rap videos, the mission of the two anime resembling characters seemed to be a quest to be gangster. While funny, the dialogue was lacking mainly because it was nonsense with metaphor sprinkled throughout.
Bonnie Gross: “Umshini Wam” was a very interesting short. I am still not sure if I liked it or just plain did not understand it. At first I found it very comical, being that this couple was playing in wheelchairs wearing onesies. Also the giant blunt made some the scenes very funny, as well as the light up wheel chairs. The premise of two people shooting people to steal wheel chair parts was hilarious, but I am still confused as to why exactly they were doing it.
ReplyDeleteMaybe if I knew more about the backstory of this film, I would have a better understanding as to the meaning behind it. The shots were pretty simple for the most part, just filming the two main characters talking and playing around. In all this one was not my favorite short. As I mentioned earlier, I think that there is a lot of meaning behind “Umshini Wam,” that I do not understand. I tried to research it, but I am still pretty confused.
Lauren Musgrove:
ReplyDeleteI have seen a few of Die Antwoord's music videos, so I am familiar with their style. I think it's very very original. For some reason it is very interesting and pulls you in. I enjoy the music and what they're singing about, although sometimes vulgar, is from their culture in South Africa which is also fascinating.
I also think the cinematography was beautiful. It was very clean and crisp and aesthetically pleasing due to everything being well lit and the colors. Although Die Antwoord can come across as very lude I think this film showcased some softer sides like their love for each other which due to the opposing vulgarity really highlighted them. There were stark contrasts in story line as well as technically speaking about the visuals. Overall, I found it to be a very interesting and entertaining short.
Kaitlin: “Umshini Wam,” was very stupid in my opinion! It was unclear what the purpose of the film was and it was difficult to understand the storyline. I started to turn it off because I felt all they were doing was cursing back and forth. However, I did like the humor behind the light up wheel chairs and the onesies because they were just so awful and ridiculous, which made me laugh. The cinematography in this short was boring and simple. I feel like I could have shot this myself. There were no interesting camera angles or anything that was visually striking to me. I would say this is a very original film. As to where the idea came from, I have no idea! Again, I still do not know what the point of the story was. However, I watched the entire short, meaning it had something that grabbed my interest.
ReplyDeleteJoel
ReplyDeleteWhere did they keep getting bullets from? Where did they get guns from?
I was so confused with this short. I was expecting a rival wheelchair gang to pop up from somewhere but all they did was roll around and say focking. They subtle sub titles were nice.
I tried to understand how they got Umshini Wam from Hand me my machine gun.. nothing ever clicked. The only things I can take away from this is that 2 pokeman crazed gangsters roll around in wheel chairs and try to get street cred..
Calvin Ross:
ReplyDeleteI think that "Umshini Wam" was completely weird. It spews of the oddest vibe I have ever felt, but, I can't help but to like it (for some unknown reason. The twisted references to "gangsta-rappers" makes it pretty funny. It is like a completely new and weird fantasy land of white trash dreams. These characters do not tell a story, instead, they are explained through snippets of their day.
Visually, I thought that it was shot well and in an extremely fun way. It was shot in a very intimate fashion between both of the characters.
Overall, weird. We all need that weird put into our system sometimes.
Mike McGee:
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I really enjoyed this. Not because it made any sense, not even because it was so bombastic that I couldn't help but laugh at the spectacle. It was just interesting, in the same way that watching two random characters in a Tarantino movie talk about inane drivel is interesting. I can't pin down why it held my attention, but it did, and thus I have no other option but to say I enjoyed it.
As far as the cinematography goes, it was a mixed bag. Not in a bad way, just that it shifted from some really interesting visuals to a shooting style that didn't stand out at all, but these gaps in visual extravaganza were always filled with something interesting that the characters themselves were doing.
All in all, one of the better shorts I've seen this semester.
Nia Barnes
ReplyDelete"Umshini Wam" was very weird. The beginning of the short was very unique and caught my attention because I had no idea what was going to happened. Then I heard the accents and the cursing and I was even more confused. After that, I saw two people dressed in what is bunny suits riding in a wheel chair. What an opening scene.
The cinematography and camera work was very simple. They used establishing shots, close ups, and medium shots. The best scene was toward the end when the two were lying together on the street and they used a depth of field to put our focus on the girl.
The storyline was going all over the place. I did not know what was suppose to happen or what I was suppose to get out of it but I guess the purpose of this film was to show a couple who is misunderstood by suburban society and they feel they belong in the hood. They feel that being gangster and having their machine gun help them fulfill their gangster paradise in place where they are misunderstood.
John Steven Hiott
ReplyDeleteI found Umshini Wam to be borderline rediculus, but still pretty comical. The outfits, especially what appeared to be a Pikachu onesie were hilarious, and I thought it was funny that they were so worried about the appearance of their wheel chairs which they thought made them look like "pusses" when they were wearing such get-ups. The camera work was simple enough, but I liked the behind shots when they were shooting guns throughout the film, especially when they were in the river and you could see the shells dropping around them. I was left wondering how they got all the way down there with their wheel chairs. I liked the oversized blunts, street slang and drinking mixed with automatic weapons that seemed to make fun of the glorification of street violence and popularity of the "gangster" lifestyle.
The girls voice got a little annoying, especially when she was screeching at the boy to get up and how she constantly complained, but I got over it because I thought the randomness of the film was interesting and captivating in the same way Tim and Eric holds your attention.
Hampton Bradshaw:
ReplyDeleteThere really isn’t much good to say about Umishimi Wam, it’s basically a random and bizarre short piece. The plot is completely nonsensical, focusing on two wheelchair bound people with aspirations, guns, and a willingness to use them. There seems to be a large level of symbolism in the story, which is never something I’m fond of, though it does have its moments in some films, however, I can’t honestly judge this piece in context because I do not know or understand the context. The cinematography is very basic, though the composition is good enough to keep the story moving. The music really didn’t do anything for me either. Overall, in my opinion, it was one of the worst short of the weeks we’ve seen all semester.
andrew wallace-
ReplyDeleteWhile entertaining for portions where the shenanigan style antics of both the protagonists blends with the asian style dubstep, the staying power of this short is limited. While supposedly addressing issues in the war torn parts of South America, I actually found this 15 minute flick more of a mock-hip hop music video. Incorporating humorous elements that are found in rap videos, the mission of the two anime resembling characters seemed to be a quest to be gangster. While funny, the dialogue was lacking mainly because it was nonsense with metaphor sprinkled throughout.