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.