Final Chapter

I really enjoyed this class. It was great to study film from a time when film was so drastically changing. There was a ton of stuff that I didn't know about that was great to learn. I had no idea about the guerrilla film making, and everything that the film makers went through to make the movies how they wanted. I won't lie, at first I was turned off completely by the idea of being in a classroom for 4 hours, but now, that I look back on it, any less wouldn't have allowed us to talk about everything that we needed to. And I found out rather quickly that there was usually a lot to talk about. I was able to make a lot of connections between how movies then were being made, and how they effected films today. Over all I was rather glad that I took the class, it really helped with my understanding of film, and all of the nuances that you sometimes don't get in today's films.

Assault on Precinct 13

Or...assault on precinct 9....district 14. You, know, whatever. Really quite odd when you think about it. First, and foremost, the scene with the little girl. As she was standing there, going, "This is just plain old vanilla!", in my head I was going..."Settle for vanilla!! Don't do it!" You knew it was coming, and you couldn't do anything to stop it. The suspense was killing me! On that note, you could totally see the influence from Night of the Living Dead. All of the gangsters had virtually zero personality. They looked like zombies, and acted like them. None of them had lines either. It gave your "bad guy" a really evil look. Evil without purpose. It was horrifying. I also liked how the film was a hybrid between Night of the living Dead and a film noir. This was an awesome movie, so full of suspense, gratuitous violence, and witty banter. One of the best films we've watched so far, without a doubt.

An Unmarried Woman

This film was fantastic. I loved it! Though, it was totally a chick-flick. There were parts in the movie where I felt like I was watching "Sex and the City". I have never been through a divorce, parents or otherwise, but I have known people that were. None of them were due to 'trust' issues, but a divorce, no matter the cause always tears the heart apart. It was great watching Erica grow as a person throughout the film after her divorce. She really came into her own, both as a newly single woman; really, an independent woman, and a mother. I liked the sense of realism that the film had, it was almost like all the actors add-libbed the entire thing, rather then had a script. I love the scene where she's trying to have sex with Charlie, and totally botches the whole thing up, first with her head getting caught in her shirt, and then because of the giggle fit in the bed. In a real, heated up, movie love scene, those kinds of things just don't happen.
I also connected with the scenes where Erica talked with her friends. I have found myself more then once, in situations just like it, talking about how inadequate or perhaps how "awesome" we are, (roll eyes), who's our favorite actor/actress, men, food, 'play', ect. It really added to the realism of the film.
The ending was, again, bitter-sweet. I felt good for Erica, but I wanted to know more. What happened after? How is her daughter? But, overall, I liked it.

Dog Day Afternoon

Dog Day Afternoon. I am almost positive that this movie wouldn't have been as successful if it didn't 'come out', (excuse the bad pun), during the hub of the gay revolution. I liked learning that it was based on a real story, I had seen it once before and was unaware of that. It appears that this film was really the first film about a 'hold up' situation. It seems as though it had paved the way for every hostage, hold up, bad-guy as a good guy movie that has come out since then. The film says something about the media, and it's not necessarily a good thing that is being said. But it seems that the director feels that the media is a necessary evil, the media was used to exploit the cops and the crowd. I liked how child-like Sal was, and how everyone had to constantly watch him, and keep him calm and happy. He got worked up over little things, child-like things, like the media saying he was a homosexual. He was really the complete opposite of Sonny, and a great plot-mover, as a character.

Saturday Night Fever

Oh, Travolta. I'm sure he had the girls eating out of his hand after this one. The first thing I want to bring to attention is the idea of Tony seeming so 'fake'. When you watch him on screen, you get the idea that this is a sheltered, young, rowdy teenager who cares only about his looks, and girls, and what he is going to spend his next paycheck on. Everyone sort of looks at him the same way in the film, they all sort of...pity him. The amusing part about it, is when you realize that he's the only one who really knows who he is, and what he wants. This really comes to light when you see the conversation between Stephanie and Tony at the coffee shop. You begin to realize that even though Stephanie thinks he's a teenager, who doesn't know anything, and has no plan, that she is really the one that is fake, not Tony. The line Tony says to her, "You're full of shit", really tells it like it is, when you find out later that she is in a job that she really doesn't like, simply so she could get across the bridge, and out of Brooklyn. Then, there is the use of the bridges. The bridge was really a passing transition throughout the film. Every time you crossed the bridge, there was another "character revelation", so to speak.

Throughout the film, you get the idea that Tony feels boxed in because of the life he leads. I an especially big fan of the scene where he "hangs" himself with his brother's priest collar. I love the idea of the older brother leaving him his collar as a reminder to not do what he did, which is try to please everyone else and then kill yourself in the process. Which leads us into the most heavy line in the movie, "There are ways of killing yourself without killing yourself". If the coffee house scene was a lightbulb for Tony, then this was the straw that broke the camels back. This was the turning point for Tony, and when you really look at it, it took a LONG time for it to happen. This leads into the scene in which he just rides around on the train system all night, eventually ending up at Stephanie's home. The ending, is bitterly satisfactory, it really is the new beginning. This film is the pinnacle of "every ending is a new beginning".

Shaft

"Close it yourself shitty!"

"Shaft" was revolutionary, especially for the time. The great part about "Shaft" is that it is fun to watch even now, in this day and age. I really enjoyed seeing the "Shaft" theme music in it's actual setting, rather then in all the spoofs that it's been used in over the decades. That's when you know you have a hit, when it's used in all the spoof comedies. While we were watching the documentary, Quintin Tarentino said something about the opening to "Shaft", and how it didn't stand up next to the music...I respectfully disagree. I think the opening to "Shaft" was perfect, the music shows how much of a 'character' he really is, and gives you an idea of what he thinks of himself, how he carries himself, and what his life is like. I especially enjoyed the part where he can't get a cab, it shows a juxtaposition to how the world sees him, and how he sees himself.

I liked the documentary, the pre-requisite for "Shaft". "Hotter then Bond, cooler then Bullit", really fits the description. The documentary itself was interesting for me simply because I was really, for the most part unaware of the idea of "Blaxsploitation". It was interesting to watch it, and hear from people who grew up when Shaft came out thought of the movie, and how it fits into this idea of Blaxsploitation.

The idea of the 'rouge' detective, I'm sure, was used before "Shaft", but I'm almost positive that the role of 'black rouge detective' was a little new, and probably a little startling for some people. "Shaft" really showcased a changing world, and it did it in a new light, one that everyone could enjoy, no matter what race, color, or ethnicity.

Taxi Driver

I love Robert DiNero. Everything he does is great, and this was no exception. I loved how the movie documented almost, a slow decent into madness, for Travis. You watched him go down, down, further and further until the climax of the film, which I think happens in the park at the rally, when he's standing under the tree in his coat, and has shaved a mohawk into his head. Great image. I love that scene, it's the point where Travis has come to peace with himself. He knows what he wants, and he is ready to take it. I also loved the idea behind the "grungy" city. The type of city that everyone knows is there, but no one wants to aknowlege. The dark side of the city, the type of city where you don't travel to alone, and make sure that you have some type of "protection".
I also believe that this character, Travis, is supposed to be complex and confusing. There were parts where I was like, "yea! I want that guy on my side!" , and then there were other points where I was like, "you know what? I'm gonna stay over here on this side of the street...you know, as far away from your crazy ass as possible." I didn't know, even at the end, if I trusted him completely. But that was what I think Martin Scorsese wanted, you didn't know if you liked him or not; which is what made Travis so intreguing.

Jaws

Ah...jaws. What else is there to say about Jaws? I'm afraid that I saw Jaws when I was far too young, around the same time I saw Pulp Fiction. Earlier then 10, but after 5. I was mildly traumatized by this film, although I have since grown out of the stage where I was hearing the theme song whenever my toes touched water...whether that was in an ocean, lake, or...pool, I'm sad to say. I like how the movie is a bit of a disaster film, but it was actually amusing at parts. And not dark comedy, but real, genuine comedy. I've always liked the reference to the Indianapolis. Of course I didn't understand the reference until I asked my father one day, who is reservoir of odd facts.
On an amusing note, while channel surfing one day, I came across a movie on the Syfy channel called, I believe, "Super Shark". The film is about a group of scientists living on an underwater research facility. They are trying to cure brain cancer by researching different effects on shark brains. Eventually, what they end up doing is increasing the size of the sharks brains, and begin making increasingly more intelligent sharks. As I watched the film, I really believe that it was influenced by "Jaws". There are very similiar scenes, one of which is when a man gets bitten in half by a shark after sliding down a broken catwalk. The sharks in essence turn on all the researchers, and begin attacking the facility. Even at the end, theres only 2 men left out of all 6 researchers, and it ends with them floating on a few pieces of scrap from the facility, slowly swimming back to shore, and talking. Sort of like deja vu, right?
In fact, SyFy just released a trailer for a 'brand new' film called "Dinoshark".

Here is the link, I suggest taking a minute and a half to watch this...um... ..."stellar" example of quality cinema.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBt0mg9_wQc&playnext_from=TL&videos=qT2ITpztu0Q&playnext=1

But you can see where the "Jaws" inspiration came from.

The Conversation

First and foremost, I wanted to talk about the sound design. I can understand why people were blown away with it at the time, it was a brand new way to look at sound. Right in the beginning, you weren't able to hear the people clearly, and I can see how people would have seen that as revolutionary. However, from my stance, I thought the sound was actually kind of bad. At points in the film I actually had to plug my ears because the sound was almost piercing.

I very much enjoyed the film however. I thought the way the main character was portrayed at different points in the film was great. How he started off straight-laced, and paranoid, then became obsessive, and finally turned to a state of resignation. Not only that, but the plot was fantastic as well. The twist at the end was shocking. M. Night Shamalan, move over. You only THINK you know twists! It was such a simple twist too, you needed nothing else but that ending.

I noticed that the camera changed throughout the film. There was more then one filming style throughout the movie. At times, the camera was completely static, even if the actors themselves weren't. Other times, the camera moved, and the actors stayed put, sometimes the camera was shaky, and others it was on a dolly. But all the filming styles pertained, not to the film itself, but to the scene it was a part of.

Parallax View

I liked the controversy and the "mistrust" that took place during this film. I felt kind of sorry for Joe in the fact that he felt so alone, I identified with him a little where as I went through a period in my life where I felt miss-treated, under appreciated, and 'alone'. Of course, it could have been because I was a moody teenager. It was the only film we've watched so far, where I didn't feel much of anything towards the film itself. It's not that I didn't like it, I just feel that once is enough, I don't really have a desire to watch it again.

The long goodbye

Overall, I found that I really enjoyed this film. I've always been fascinated with film noir, the depth of the characters, the intriguing plot lines, and the overall feel of the films. I must admit, seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger in his role, in that particular type of film, was odd. I giggled a little, in spite of myself.

I found the characters very complex, and interesting. I found I was a little confused with the dynamics between the characters. We talked about morality, and who was justified, and wronged. I feel that this film makes the lines between good and evil a little blurred, and well as right and wrong.

I enjoyed the ending, it giving the film a sense of "closure". It tied in with the film noir feeling well, and left you with a mind at peace.

The thing that I believe I was drawn to in "Coming Home" were the depth of the characters. They seemed so real, yet the whole time I was aware that they were just characters. It was rather clear that the director was against the war, possibly even war in general. We really covered everything I had thoughts about, considering the music. I did notice a similarity to a current show called "Army wives". It's about the struggles and the tribulations of women who marry men in the service. I saw connections between the type of life Sally found herself living, as well as the same types of "temptations" that the army wives have to live with. The beginning was extremely unsettling, as we discussed in the class, and the ending was almost touching in a way. It sort of left you wanting a close, however the open ending also left the movie with it's 'realistic' feel. In movies, problems are resolved, loose ends are tied up, and everyone reaches an 'understanding', for lack of a better term. When in real life, does that sort of ending happen? It is far more likely that problems end much in the way they did in this film. It ties the film to reality.

The Beginning

I don't blog. I never have. I think this will be a great way to branch out and try something new, however I never really thought about doing it. My thoughts are just those, my thoughts. If I wanted to share them I would talk to people, or go on facebook, but I suppose that posting a "note" on facebook would be the same as blogging.
Although I am an animation focus, I am very interested in film, and all of it's nuances. I think film is a great way to express yourself artistically, and get people's attentions.
Great movies are a backbone in the creative world. Even more so then books, (I'm not saying that they are better, I LOVE a good book), but a movie allows you to see into someone else's mind; while books are an outlet for your own. I love to read, and write, and often lose myself in either one, but movies allow me to take a trip for 2 hours or so; away from my life.
As a segway, I believe that came up in our first class upon watching "Five Easy Pieces". It was a very "home-hitting" movie, and was hard to escape from. Seeing as it was so close to regular, every day life made it so; which I think is what alot of the 70's films were about.
On a more 'off-topic' note, I have been racking my brain about the title, and have come up with nothing. How does it relate? What does it mean? If you have any ideas, please let me know.