Crash

The best was definitely saved for last.  Crash is an intense film that deals with racism at the heart.  No one could watch this film and think that the director had any other intentions than dealing with this issue.  This is a well written film that is a must see for all mature audiences.  The reason I say mature is because children, although may understand a little, will not grasp the weight of this film.  But to the same effect, due to where I live, might not fully understand it completely either. 

I think the directors theme (pg.405) in the film is that everyone, no matter what race, needs to overcome there prejudices’ towards other race groups.  The director does an excellent job with this diversity by having several story lines, which are intertwined with the others in some way, that go through their own struggles with racism and rising above them. Because of these factors, I feel the director’s level of ambition (pg.405) if extremely high. He didn’t just focus on one particular group’s racism but strove to tackle the problem in its entirety.  Did this level of ambitions pay off?  Absolutely!  Not once during the film did I think that something was over done or under emphasized.  It’s hard for me to think of the strongest contribution to the theme of the film. (pg.405) I say this because each time one of the many characters overcame there racism was a strong contribution to the theme.  Whether it was the policeman saving the women, from a burning car, who he had molested earlier, or when the rich white lady overcame her racism toward Hispanics because she realized that their Hispanic maid was her only true friend.  And there are many other instances where someone overcame there racism in a time of true need. 

In evaluating the film subjectively (pg.408), I felt that this film is definitely not one that I would go and rent when I have a lot of friends over on a Friday night setting.  Reason for this being is that it is a tough film to watch.  Its not one you walk away from feeling great and happy.  Not that it doesn’t have a good ending; it’s just that this film requires a lot of quite pondering to grasp the weight of what you just saw.  I would definitely give this film two thumbs up.  My personal reasons for this are that I think it is a very important topic and that it exposes everyone’s own racism inside of them whether its outright hate for a certain race or  a deep set distrust for someone based on the color of their skin.  I also really like this film because it doesn’t claim to fix the problem in the end.  Even though several people overcome their racism, the director throws in a short scene at the end which shows racism happening. The problem is still there but every person has opportunity to take two different roads when faced with a situation, the high road of forgiveness or the low one of selfishness and distrust not based on actual facts.  And I think the director is trying to say with this ending that one thing isn’t going to cure this disease of racism quickly, but that the cure is a snowball effect, and that the cure has to be personal.  Each person has to be cured of this; it can’t be treated as a corporate or government treatable thing. No law can fix it but kindness and forgiveness from one person to another is the treatment we all need.  This movie has inspired me take an honest look at where I may have some prejudices and learn to let them go. 

Napoleon Dynamite

In a film era where explosions, special effects, and explicit language are a norm for movies, comes a low budget masterpiece that leaves us with a smile on our face and peace in our hearts.  And I feel that is the director’s aim (pg. 405) in this movie, to give a simple look at life with very odd but believable characters.  We can even learn some important life lessons form these characters as well, life lessons that are simple but sometimes ones that we never even apply to our own lives. 

The first lesson I want to look at is not living in the past. We can learn this from the character Uncle Rico.  During the movie all he ever talks about it going back to his high school days and playing quarterback.  He is probably around 30 years old or more in this film but I can’t be sure because it is never stated in the film.  The life he leads now only emphasizes why no one should ever live in the past.  He lives on a random field in his van/motor home, video taping himself throwing footballs all the time, and falling prey to any type of quick money making scheme that comes his way.  In order to develop as a person in this world you must always move on to the next phase of life, not looking back and wishing you could change it.  The past is over, we can learn from it but should never let our lives be consumed with regret and thinking, “What could have happened if,” types of thoughts on a regular basis.  There is more to life than having a high school state champion trophy.  If that’s the world to you then I feel sorry for you.  Having a state champ trophy is awesome don’t get me wrong, but that should be what defines you for the next twenty plus years. 

Second lesson is defining who you are, not letting other people do that for you.  Kip is easily swayed by Uncle Rico’s money making schemes because he doesn’t have to self confidence to say no to Rico’s bad ideas.  The main thing we see, why Kip lets other define him, is when his girlfriend changes him into someone she wants him to be.  Even though this is never portrayed in a negative sense, it’s still something we all could say it not right.  He goes from being a nerd of sorts to looking and talking like a stereotypical “gangster.”  I realize this element may have been added to give more humor to the film, but you should always be who you are; and people should accept you who you are, not expecting you to change drastically to fit who they want you to be.

Finally, lesson number three, is take a risk.  Napoleon is having trouble with his soon to be girlfriend, no thanks to Uncle Rico, and instead of wallowing in self pity he takes a risk.  He didn’t intend on doing it to win Deb back but did get her back because of it.  Napoleon actually took the risk for his friend Pedro, which shows that he is a true friend by the way.  Pedro didn’t even ask him to take the risk, Napoleon did it because he knew it had to be done.  If you’ve see the movie you know what I am talking about.  It’s a very comical scene of him dancing in front of the entire student body, but he risked great embarrassment so that his friend might win the school election.  And it paid of for him in the end. He did win Deb back and Pedro did become student body president.  Did the reward out way the cost? I think so. Now not every time we take a risk will everything work out, but it’s worth it. Step outside you comfort zone and help someone, don’t live in the past wishing what could have been.

The Dark Night

The Dark Night is a Christopher Nolan masterpiece.  If you haven’t seen this movie yet I recommend you buy this movie at once at watch it.  You will not want to miss this one.  What’s so great about it you might ask?  If you thought that Batman Begins was a great movie than you’re in for a treat.  Unlike most super hero movies these days, The Dark Night has a sense of realness to it.  Impeccable acting performances especially from the late Heath Ledger who played to joker in this film, help bring that sense of reality. 

Acting and special effects aside, there are several other factors that make this movie an instant classic, one of which is the coloring used throughout the movie.  One dominating color through the movie is a dark, bold yet hazy blue.  I think this repeating color alone give the film a mood of a strange unknown lurking here and there.  In the opening credits this color is full screen with the batman symbol barely seen through it and I feel that this color alone sets the mood for the film.  I feel this type of color usage is, as the book puts it, “color to enhance mood.” (pg. 240)  Other than that dominating color, there are some other color usages that make the viewer uneasy.  The most obvious one would have to be the joker’s entire costume.  Clown face paint and a purple suit are very offensive to the eye, subconsciously, and add a lot to the creepy, evil character of the joker. 

The sound effects also enhance the overall mood of the movie.  Of course when you have a superhero movie you are going to get some of the best sound effects like explosions, gun fire, and the whole works, but the sound effects I want to discuss are the subtle ones that really set the mood.  In the opening scenes of the movie there is a single violin note being played but it is a very harsh sounding one that sets you on edge.  This adds when the scene plays out and you see how sick the joker is right away.  “Foreshadowing events,” (pg.297) is definitely what Nolan was going for when he used that violin, and he re-uses it throughout the movie to give it an overarching theme. 

Finally the most important aspect of the movie, as I mentioned before, is acting.  Heath Ledger is definitely an “Impersonator” (pg. 332) type of actor.  If I hadn’t known, going into the theater, that he was playing the joker, I would have never been able to guess it was him.  He literally became a different person for this film, and that is what makes it such a great movie.  Now I don’t mean to belittle the performance of the other actors/actresses in this film because all of the roles where done very well, but his was so good that it’s scary. 

Star Wars

Starwars

The original Star Wars movie is, as some would argue, the best one of them all.  The latest one, Revenge of the Sith, may be the best with special effects and budget, but nothing can beat the originality of the first one.  Well the first one made not Episode 1.  One of the greatest things about this movie is the musical score by John Williams.  I would argue he is one of the best in the business.  Whether you like the Star Wars films or not, you would be able to recognize the classic opening tunes of all six movies anywhere.  Also the Darth Vader theme is an extremely recognizable tune.  Needless to say, the music is almost one of the best things about this movie.

When it comes to acting with this film, performances are about par.  The only actor who really did anything great outside of Star Wars was Harrison Ford.  His performance was probably the best out of all the characters too.  It seemed as though the other actors were stuck for life almost in there Star Wars character’s “personality” (pg.333) unlike Ford.  Maybe the reason that Ford was the best in this film was that his character went through a great internal change during the film.  At the beginning, he is set to be the kind of guy who just looks after himself and is only concerned with himself.  Through the circumstance of the movie, though, he comes in when all hope seems lost for the rebels, and aids Luke in saving the day.  Luke also went through character change in the movie, but I don’t feel as though it is as dramatic of a change as Ford (Han Solo) went through.

This original Star Wars movie is, I would say the most believable of the six because the special effects are not over done.   Don’t get me wrong the special effects are awesome in all the movies, but I think, in the three newest ones, Lucas lost some people because there was so much special effects.  I do realize, however, that some people do enjoy alot of special effects, so my claims are only ones of personal preference.

Slumdog Millionaire

The set of this film is extremely important to this film.  The story takes place in India during a time of great change in the country.  Jamal (protagonist) is growing up in the lower class, in the slums, and the set of the film immediately captures this within the first five minutes of the film.  He and other kids are running through garbage heaps to escape people who wish them harm; and right before they were attacked, are bathing in very dirty water.  These settings aid as a” reflection of character,” (Pg. 102) which helps define Jamal’s character to the viewer.

In the earlier part of the movie, Jamal, his brother, and Latika all get taken out of garbage heaps to what seems like an orphanage with food and a warm place to sleep at night. But one thing they did realize was that the man who ran it was just finding kids who would make money for him as beggars.  Once particular disturbing thing that he did was find the best singers and blind them so that people would give them more money on the streets.  When we witness this in the film, it is done at night in a very ominously light section of the compound.  These factors make an emotional atmosphere (Pg.103), one of horror and alarm. 

During this movie I felt most of the time that I was at a “subjective point of view.” (Pg. 133) Although there were many instances where you are at all the other points of view, I feel that subjective was used much more than any other. 

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

The grand finally of the Star Wars saga and yet being movie 3 of 6, thanks to George Lucas, couldn’t have been any better.  From the modern CGI technology to monumental writing, this film brought together the best of both sides of Lucas’ creativity. 

In looking at the cinematic points of view (Pg.126) I feel that almost all of them were used in this movie.  Some scenes like when Anikan was flying the half destroyed ship are seen from an objective point of view (Pg. 127) while in others you see what Anikan sees while killing the Federation leaders on Mustifar.  In other scenes like when Yoda is about to fight Darth Sidous, you get extreme close up shots (Pg. 136) to feel the depth of what is about to transpire. I could go on and on about the different shots in this film because there is such a vast array of them in this film.  Focusing on the principles of visual composition, (Pg. 133) Vertical lines are very evident in the Jedi temple “which suggest strength, authority, and dignity.” (Pg. 133) This makes perfect sense because, according to the movie, these are the types of things that Jedi are defined by. 

As I stated earlier, Lucas uses CGI, computer-generated imaging, (pg. 163) throughout this film.  With this technology, he was able to make settings that fit exactly where the characters were internally and were the dialogue is.  For example near the end of the film, Obi-Wan and his former apprentice, Anikan, are locked in a heated dialogue over Anikan’s betrayal of the Jedi; and will later begin the epic battle that culminates the six Stars Wars movies.  Lucas was able to make a dark, ominous, molten planet that fit the over feeling of the film.

Batman Begins

This is a great movie that is immersed in many levels of conflict.  The film has a well unified plot and storyline, expect for a few flashbacks; but these only aid to understanding the present in the movie.  As far as being “simple and yet complex” (pg. 48 of text), Batman Begins does a descent job at doing this.  I would say it only lacked a little on the complex side of things.  I didn’t have to think real hard about what was happening and why, but the movie wasn’t anywhere close to being a bore for a complex movie lover. 

As I said earlier, I feel this movie explores both internal and external conflict.  On the external, simple side, of this you have Batman fighting against Ra’s al Ghul and his attempts to destroy Gotham city where Batman, Bruce Wayne, grew up and whose father tried ridding of corruption.  The external conflict (pg. 58 of text) is also seen in a few noble city officials who are struggling against the corrupt policemen and government officials who are easily bought out to “look the other way” by the mob and other bad characters.  

The internal conflict of Bruce is seen in the flash backs of him seeing his father and mother gunned down by bum who wanted their money.  He lives with the guilt of their death for many years.  He comes back from college to see the trial where the bum who killed his parents is found guilty of the murders.  Bruce is so full of revenge that he plans on shooting the bum as he walks out of the court house, but before he can, another person shoots the murderer.  Later he and his childhood friend, Rachael, are talking about the trial in a car when he reveals the gun to her and his intention to kill the man.  Rachael immediately slaps him on the face because of how childish his idea was even though he must be at least 21 at the time.  She slaps him hard again to reinforce the point of how awful and ridiculous that idea was.  Revenge from a wrongdoing is never the best way.  Repaying evil for evil would only stoop his own character to the level of a murderer.  

Later in the film, Bruce learns to harness his fear and regrets of the past to fight for his city and its good people.  Even when his master of fighting, Ra’s al Ghul, tries to get him to show his loyalty to him by beheading a criminal, Bruce refuses to because he doesn’t want to be a murder, like Ras was. 

Bruce is defiantly the dynamic character in the film. (Pg.68 of text) He undergoes many changes internally through the movie.  A good example of a static character (pg. 69 of text) is the butler, Alfred.  He is the same from beginning to end, always helping Bruce as much as possible and challenging him to be a bright light in the dark city of Gotham.  He is probably the most influential static character of the film. 

Symbolism (pg. 71 of text) is seen throughout the movie.  Believing that good can prevail even if it’s outnumbered is very evident in the movie.  The good vs. evil symbolism is probably most widespread, and yet the strongest symbolism there is.  Irony (pg. 81 of text) is thrown into this movie but I don’t feel it adds a whole lot to the actual ending.  When Bruce is training under Ra’s, it seems that he has beaten Ra’s in a fight when Ra’s states that he isn’t being mindful of his surroundings. At this moment Bruce falls through the ice and looses the battle.  At the end, when they fight again, the opposite happens.  Ra’s seems to have won when Bruce repeats his words back to him about being mindful of the surrounding, and Ra’s dies because of it.  All in all this is a great film for most movie goers because it has a lot of great elements of a great story.

Good Will Hunting

After seeing this movie for the first time this past week, it has easily become an instant classic in my mind, and even ranks in my top five all time favorites.  If you’re looking for an action flick, this is defiantly not for you.  This film excels in the mentally complex (pg.50 of text) and is far from any simple violence, explosion filled movie. 

When looking at the films conflict aspects (pg. 57 of text) almost all of it is internally based on Will Hunting.  You catch a glimpse of some between Professor Lambeau and Sean McGuire over what is the best thing for Will at this point in his life.  Will is a genius but never applies himself or his impressive gift of photographic memory.  Constantly getting in trouble with the law, Will is running out of options to keep him out of jail. 

I think the reason why this movie is so well esteemed is because its story is extremely relatable.  Almost every person growing up feels the pressure to do well in school and get good grades in this country.  As (Too smart for their own good? By: McCormick, Patrick, U.S. Catholic, 00417548, Feb2003, Vol. 68, Issue 2) states “In America every minivan bears a bumper sticker boasting about honor roll children, and every parent wants to believe their kids are above average.” This constant pressure may impede upon natural growth of youth growing up in America.  Will Hunting is a smart person but lacks the normal upbringing of a stable home to aid his personal growth.  Another thing that defines who Will has become is his tough emotional upbringing.  He has a “Hardened view of the world,” (Holden Caulfield, Alex Portnoy, and Good Will Hunting: Coming of Age in American Films and Novels By: Ziewacz, Lawrence E.. Journal of Popular Culture, Summer2001, Vol. 35 Issue 1, p211-218, 8p; (AN 6058975)) due to a burden he carries around form his “foster home mistreatment.” Because of this burden Will “Strikes out with his fists, carrying out the pattern of violence with which he grew up.” (Holden Caulfield, Alex Portnoy, and Good Will Hunting: Coming of Age in American Films and Novels By: Ziewacz, Lawrence E.. Journal of Popular Culture, Summer2001, Vol. 35 Issue 1, p211-218, 8p; (AN 6058975))  Now some of us may not have had the hard upbringing that Will had but we all hold onto things from our past that impedes on our growth in some way, shape of form. 

Because Will hasn’t been able to grow up naturally, he still “Can humiliate MIT professors, but he's about as grown up as the average schoolyard bully.”( Too smart for their own good? By: McCormick, Patrick, U.S. Catholic, 00417548, Feb2003, Vol. 68, Issue 2)  Not growing up naturally cripples him from being an adult with a sense of duty, a desire for personal advancement, and giving of himself for the betterment of other.  One thing that Will has, and gets in this movie, is a good friend to tell him how he sees it, and a mentor who cares about the personal growth of Will.  These two people are absolutely crucial for any person to have in their life.  A mentor will forget about his person comforts like, Sean McGuire did for Will, and work hard to break through to the confused youth they are mentoring.  Equally important is a good friend who will tell you when you are wrong.  In the movie Chuckie, Wills best friend, tells him that the happiest day in his life will be when he goes to pick Will up and he’s not there.  Chuckie knows that Will isn’t using his gift to his full potential and would hate to see him waste his gift staying in Boston working as a simple laborer. 

On the Waterfront

On the Waterfront is a great classic with great character depth and development.  Terry Malloy (Protagonist) is an ex-boxer/prize fighter who works for a labor union on the docks.  This film’s main theme is about Malloy’s “Struggle for human dignity”. (Pg. 27 of text, “The Art of Watching Films”) While watching the film, I noticed that a lot of emphasis was put on an appeal to our moral sense. The entire movie, Terry is wrestling with an internal conflict about know what is right and just to do; and keeping quite, staying on the good side of the films antagonist.  One particular example from the film was when Malloy was being pursued by the authorities about the death of Joey, in which he kept telling them that he didn’t know anything about it when in reality he was influential in setting up Joey’s murder.  In this particular instance, Malloy let the comfort control his mind over doing what is right.  In the end Malloy does finally tell the authorities what happened and his role in it. 

As far as the artistry of the movie goes, I’m glad it was shot in black and white, because I feel it works as a contrast between good and evil evident in the film.  In an article reviewing a book about On the Waterfront, Sue Bower notices more artistic scenes in the film.  She discusses the scene when the truck is bearing down on Malloy as he finds his brother hung in an alleyway. She states that it “gives the film a claustrophobic feel.”( ON THE WATERFRONT. By: Brower, Sue, Journal of Film & Video, 07424671, Winter2007, Vol. 59, Issue 4) This claustrophobic feel as quite a bit to the uncomfortable scene of seeing his brother killed by the mob.

Stephen Schwartz in the article”Arthur Miller’s Proletariat: The True Stories of On the Waterfront, Pietro Panto, and Vicenzo Longhi. By: Schwartz, Stephen, Film History, 2004, Vol. 16” talks about why this isn’t a classic film and why it is overrated.  Although he brings up interesting comments on the political aspects of the film, I don’t feel that’s enough to discredit the message/theme of this film.  I feel, unlike he, that this is an instant classic because it’s a story that we can all identify with, maybe not in the exact setting as Malloy is in the film but we all feel this internal conflict of right and wrong.  Watching the film, you can see how these opposing sides are fighting for Malloy’s allegiance. As Phillip Lopate put it in his article on the film, “Every scene, every action, every bit of dialogue contributes to the drama of Terry Malloy’s transformation from complicit bystander to active witness against evil.” “On the Waterfront (Motion picture). By: Lopate, Phillip, Cineaste, 00097004, Spring2002, Vol. 27, Issue 2”  Since everyone deals with right and wrong at any level in their daily life, I honestly feel that Malloy’s struggle can relate to people regardless of time or demographic.  A lot of different character analysis can be done on the supporting roles in this film but the most identifiable character is definitely Terry Malloy.

Memento

This film is definitely built upon a unique style (pg.25 of text) from the mind of Christopher Nolan.  If you are familiar with his films you definitely know that he tries to write and direct out of the box. (ex. The Prestige, Inception) Just for a brief summary, the film is about a guy who suffers from some sort of short term memory loss, where his mind is incapable of making new memories.  I won't ruin the movie if you haven't seen it but this gives insight into its odd style.  Like a typical Nolan film, this movie starts basically at the end chronologically and shows how the characters got into the situation they were in at the end.  Through the movie, two different time lines, working from the end back and from the beginning towards the end, meet in the middle at the very end of the movie.  Thankfully Nolen used two color schemes to differentiate between them, but he doesn't just give the standard color and black and white.  For one of the two he uses a hazy, dirty yellow color for one which, I feel, adds to experience of this unique film; and color for the other.

I'm honestly not sure if the film is universal or not. In this section of the text it describes universality as "A theme of lasting interest, meaningful regardless of age or race," (pg.34 of text).  I could definitely see right away why it wouldn't be universal because it’s not necessarily something that people can relate to at all.  I don't think many people on the planet have the inability to make new memories and keep looking for someone to kill from an injustice the protagonist can remember.  That being said I do feel it is a film that people could watch 50 years from now because it isn't bound to a certain time, place, or circumstance; like many other movies are. 

Several questions arise while you are watching this movie, but after seeing it two or more times you start to understand a few of the loose end that come to mind from seeing it only once.  This film keeps the viewer extremely interested for a couple or reasons.  One is while watching the movie you go back and forth on some character, thinking they are trying to help Leonard (main character) at one time and then in the very next seen turn on them instantly.  This aspect along the story many plot twists make it very enjoyable to watch.  One thing that saddened, or disappointed me about the film was that there didn't seem to be an actual protagonist or "good guy" in the film.  Some would argue that Leonard is but i don't feel like he ever does something that would give him the rank/title of a "good guy".  Numerous times during the movie, people take advantage of Leonard's disability and use him for their own selfish reasons.  In one scene Natalie (supporting actress) cusses out Leonard and calls his dead wife a whore over and over again because she knows that he won’t remember anything she said in the next minute.  It’s interesting to think what stuff we would say to someone if we knew they wouldn't remember it in a moment. Would we restrain ourselves from it or would we give in and take the opportunity to say whatever we wanted without and repercussions?  Definitely some internal questions of right and wrong arise from deep thinking on the film, but over all I would give this film two thumbs up.