A Christmas Story

Sorry. I only saw the first day of the film. From what i did see, though, i thought it was silly. Cute, but silly. I did manage to catch my mom warning my younger sisters that they'd "poke their eye out" if they played with some sharp object in motion, and enjoyed the allusion, wh ether or not i actually made it up. It must be a real quality film, though, if TBS managed to play it 231654697896 times during Christmas. I guess I'll have to take their word for it.

Ruuuuun Lola Ruuuuuun!

That girl just kept running. Initially, I couldn't focus on the cinematic part of the film, just the fact that ALL this girl did was run in the same place. once I got over that part, though, i began to appreciate the film (sort of) for it's manipulation of space and time. I really couldn't stand her screaming or the animation that just felt too much like it was from a Lizzie McGuire episode. So i guess i couldn't focus on teh cinematic part of the film at all, then. There was just too much running. Although I thought theh concept was interesting, it lacked a certain lack-of-excessive-repetition for my liking.

Not all of it was terrible. I did love (when she wasn't running) when Lola and Manny are talking in bed about their lives or whatever it was they were discussing and how beautiful the lighting was. There was a romantic feeling about it all, and under the adventure of Lola's quest for all of the money was a romance. Interestingly enough, though, I found that the couple never trulye xpressed howo they felt openly in th elovey-dovey way Americans see in American movies. It's very blunt and subtle at the same time, and I enjoy it, because their love is understated verbally, but clearly emphasised in their actions, or Lola would never have helped manny the way that she did.

Also, I did like, in the manipulation of time, the snapshots of the people that Lola bumps into on her way down teh streets. They are bizarre and quick, but they say so much about the actual passage of time in each circumstance. I have never seen that in a film before, and thought it was really interesting to see such novel ways to depict life in film in modern times.

American Beauty

Before this class, I had heard so much about American Beauty. The thing about it is that until I actually saw the film, I had absolutely no clue about the actual plot or characters, just that there was something about roses. Turns out, I thought this film was really good. Kevin Spacey's portrayal of a man who narrates the last year of hisl ife with a neurotic real estate wife, daughter who hates him, a dead-end job, and seemingly nowhere to go. Rich, the new neighbor, creepily videotapes Thora Birch's character's every move. THere's something "beautiful" in everything that she does. THat relationship freaks me out initially, but there was something in their awkwardness that complimented the bizarreness of their relationship and almost forced the viewer to enjoy their work. The characterization of all of the characters, from the mother to the ex-Marine father (Rich's), complimented and contrasted with Spacey's character to create an opportunity for Spacey's character to split farther away from the unlikeable traits of the rest of the characters.
I think that the most powerful portrayal of any character in the film wasn't Spacey's with his newfound love of life and freespiritedness, but the Marine's revelation when he assumes the relationship between Spacey's character and Rich's. All of his hatred for gay people was really directed toward himself, and that moment was really a pivotal point in the film for all of the characters, and i loved the power in that. Next to the marine's character, Mena Suvari's role as the self-proclaimed slutty yet prude friend showed to be equally as twisted and away from teh truth.

Vacation Movies!

Over break I had the chance to see Sweeney Todd, Charlie Wilson's War, and Juno.
They were all great.

Sweeney Todd was completely in the style one would expect of Tim Burton, but it also seems that the concept of Sweeney Todd could have been directly from the mind of the director. I loved the lighting and the way Burton really played off of the characters through makeup and design. I was really surprised that Todd (Johnny Depp) can sing. His voice suited the film. It wasn't very powerful, but it was strong in the way that evoked emotion. TOBY WAS AMAZING. I've never heard a little boy sing so well. I was also amused that Alan Rickman and the guy who plays Wormtail in the Harry Potter movies were together in it. I really hate blood and gore, especially of the throat-cutting kind, but this movie was so well done and as dark was it was, there was such humor in it, especially in the way Mrs. Lovett (Burton's wife, whatever her name is) had quick, snide remarks that were there to contrast Todd's irrationality.

Charlie Wilson's War was also great. I love Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman, and I thougth that it was great to see Amy Adams shy away from a role like the one she played in Enchanted. I really didn't know much about Charlie Wilson, and though it was probably dramatized to the max, it was really enjoyable to see the versatility of the actors.

Juno was by far my favorite of the three, though. Ellen Page, although considerably older than the sixteen-year-old character she plays, beautifully portrays Juno, a quick witted, sarcastic,almost angsty and very pregnant teenager. She explains her name in the film as Zeus' wife, beautiful but mean. She is realistic and true to herself and her pregnancy almost serves as a backdrop to the rest of her coming-of-age story. The soundtrack was also INCREDIBLE.

rushmore!

Max Fisher (Jason Schwartzman) is the "king" of Rushmore Academy. He's the president of every club imaginable, he's a playwright, and he's failing out of school. After being given another chance by the headmaster (Brian Cox), he is expelled and sent to public school, where he begins his endeavors again. This time, his eye falls on Ms. Cross (Ollivia Williams), a widowed elementary schoo teacher, and he falls in love with her. Considering he is only fifteen years old, ms. Cross has to repeadely reject and remind Max that they will never be in a relationship, and that they are just friends. Blume (Bill Murray), is a bitter chainsmoking business man with two obnoxious sons who go to Rushmore with Max. Thestory continues as Blume begins a relationship with Cross, and Max does everything in his power to "get her back".
Max creates a string of lies and manipulations, from telling people his father is a neurosurgeon and not a barber, to not telling Dr. Guggenheim (Cox) that he has commissioned an aquarium to be built on cmpus. In the most bizarre and random events, Max's character shines thorugh with his awkwardness and his clear motivation by things other than academic pursuits. The plot really wasn't what makes teh movie, though.
Small, quick remarks made by characters were funny in a strange, dry way. Bizarre moments wehre children painting natuer outside exclaim "It's a...a jellyfish!" make you laugh, for whatever reason. Truthfully, what makes this movie get by is Max's awkwardness and almost fantasy-life that he lives, creating a whole world for himself within the world he really lives in. Without that detail of Max's character, the film would be lost.
there is compassion for the characters, from Max to Blume to Cross. max is struggling in adolescence, regardless of the facade he creates with his extracurricular success. He loves Cross, and doesn't know what to do with it, or how to act (or not act). Blume is clearly unhappy, clearly does not get alog with kids, and seeks friendship in people like max, who I think he uses to make himself feel better. Even with his superiority complex, Max is his competition for Cross' affections and time. Cross is a widow and it is only realized how unhappy she truly is when it is learned eh lives in her huband's old bedroom.
Director Anderson's slow motion creates a beautiful mood at the right times, and it is itersting in the way he uses the same effect to evoke different emotions. I had high expectations for this movie, and, frankly, it was not up to the standard I had envisioned. It was not the humor I expected. It was not the story I thought it would evolve into. It was, however, the characterization that created such humor. Because all of the characters have such stragne traits, and so many of the scenes have ridiculous and completelty unrealistic events, the only thing one can do is laugh. THe film was worth seeing, but at this point, I'm stil l trying to figure out for which particular reasons.

"Excuse me miss, do you like pineapple?"

My initial general impression of Wong Kar-Wai's "Chungking Express" was that it was mediocre, and I had no idea why Quentin Tarantino thought so highly of it. It seemed slow and boring and did not genuinely affect me the way some films do. However, once it was established that Cop 223's pining and obsession was in a way cute, and that he was hopelessly lovesick and meaningful, the film started to grow on me. It is a romantic tribute to people's lives and how they change with time and experience hidden under the craziness of an action movie (provided by the blonde lady).

My favorite part of the film was the way teh second cop told his soap, his dishrag, and his teddy bear to get over it, and to start takign care of themselves. It was so lighthearted and fun I couldn't help but smile. I also loved the impressionistic aspect of the film that we discussed in class. Once i realized how connected the art movement was with the way the film was made, the real purpose of the film comes through. It is blurry and fast paced and so full of life because the characters are changing and experiencing.

Elephant

I have to start off saying that this is by far one of the best films I've ever seen. Yeah, people can huff and puff about how ridiculous it is to follow someone's back for thirty seconds or more, but it was so great. I absolutely loved how the director took the lives of these high school kids and made such poignant remarks on their lives and violence in such an understated way that spoke so loudly. The way that all of the senses and time were distorted, often to the extent where I questioned reality. The way that the breathing was so loud, yet the gunshots in a closed room seemed muted, and the way that the camera was so focused on the individuals, yet the world around them was a blur and unimportant. (that part, i think, can be translated into the universality of the possibility of the situation). The constant juxtaposition of the film made it really interesting. The way that everyone's lives were situated on their own track and how truly interconnected they really were kept me thinking, and it reminded me very much of the way "Crash" worked.
The social aspects of the film were just as intriguing to me as the visual ones. The way that John cared for his drunk father and warned the people not to go into the school afters seeing the boys walk in with the duffels made him a hero in my eyes. Elias captured people, and was generally well-liked. The girl with the sweatpants was a loner, but was just as much a victim as anyone else. The principal was a figure of authority but became a victim as well. No matter the position or standing of a person, no matter the way that the characters interacted with their surroundings, they were all subject and victim to the actions of others.
The violence was so random and so brutal that, even though I knew what was coming, there was really no way i could have been prepared to visualize it. The question that is constantly asked is "well, what was the root of this violence?". Clearly one of the boys was bullied, but what realy put them over the edge? What kind of hate made them buy guns and use them to "pick off" people, like some sort of game? Was it a social thing or was it within themselves, two people who are naturally drawn to violence, who,when given the opportunity, will act? None of it made sense.
I think that this is my longest post so far, and I think that says a lotabout the impact a movie can have on a person. It has been over two weeks since the film, and I'm still thinking about it. I look at school differently. I look at people differently. It's amazing.