Definition of "terrorist"

Michael Rivero's thought for the day on 13 Nov. 2008 (via WhatReallyHappened):

"The seizing or detaining, and threatening to kill, injure, or continue to detain, another individual in order to compel a third person (including a governmental organization) to do or abstain from doing any act as an explicit or implicit condition for the release of the individual seized or detained." or "A violent attack upon an internationally protected person (as defined in section 1116(b)(4) of title 18, United States Code) or upon the liberty of such a person."-- Official US Department of State definition of a terrorist.

Top 50 Favorite Movies

They're not all there because they are quality productions... Tried to get a good mix of genres in there...


this is england
no end in sight
saw
hot fuzz
goonies
killer klowns from outer space
requiem for a dream
cowboy del amor
fight club
horns and halos
the birds
the devil's playground
Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.
edward scissorhands
willy wonka and the chocolate factory
charlie and hte chocolate factory
blazing saddles
grandma's boy
mr. brooks
dead ringers
shaun of the dead
maximum overdrive
storm of the century
pulp fiction
memento
it
no country for old men
the departed
planet terror
jaws
fox and the hound
300 (IMAX)
Fantasia
Shrek
wizard of oz
Paths of Glory
Don't Be a Menace in South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
Beetlejuice
Collateral
Team America
A Christmas Story
Christmas Vacation
Vegas Vacation
The Hunting Party
European Vacation
PCU
Full Metal Jacket
Session 9
Gone with the Wind
Quills
Drop Dead Gorgeous
Waiting for Guffman

Stanley Kubrick, the auteur

Stanley Kubrick is a true blue auteur. An auteur of who Andres Bazin could be proud. Kubrick mixed elements together in such a fashion that you could immediately say, "That is Kubrick." A couple of these elements include "dolly" or "rolling" shots (where the camera would follow a character or group), close-ups of anguished, emotional faces (including Nicholson's and D'Onofrio's respective "glares"), ironic music, and war themes. Full Metal Jacket (1987) represents Kubrick's lifetime of toil and work. He seamlessly melds all the elements from previous movies into this powerful, troubling film. You can see this at work in this clip:

The Drill Sergeant is followed by a rolling camera and causes Gomer Pyle to have some of the most terrible faces I have ever seen.
Ironic music in Dr. Strangelove:

Stanley Kubrick will forever be remembered as a extraordinary writer-director. His body of work "only" included sixteen films, but in forty-eight years, that does not sound like a lot. An average of three years per movie really shows in the crafted, particular way he shot his films. He liked close-ups of everything:

His shots have spurred many imitations, like the following scene:

It is unfortunate Kubrick died before the new millennium, but he left behind many works to appreciate and dissect. He will always be remembered in- and outside film classes.

Jack Nicholson's Star Persona

Jack Nicholson is the quintessential Hollywood leading man. No matter what role he adopts, Nicholson always brings a strong presence to the screen, leveraging his looks with his acting ability. From a villain to a hero and everything in between, Nicholson's characters have become some of the most recognizable in movie history. With a staggering number of leading roles under his belt, Nicholson's career spans over five decades of hit after hit movie.

In most still images of Nicholson, he steals the picture with all eyes drawn immediately to his classic good looks and commanding presence. In every role he plays, there is a sense of strength mixed in with a touch of crazy. In fact, in his most well-known roles, he uses his "faintly sinister appearance" to etch his persona in the public's mind. Recently, he brought this essence to The Departed. Scorsese perfectly utilized Nicholson as the slick, ruthless Mob boss; one walks away from the movie wondering if Nicholson is playing at insanity or actually insane. In that manner, he could be considered a method actor.

Additionally, he is the ladies' man, the dashing rogue, the man every mom warned her daughter about. He takes on that role in As Good as It Gets with Helen Hunt. His ability to play characters from comic book heroes to real life political icons is a testament to his versatility as an actor. He will forever be remembered as one of Hollywood's top leading men.

Sony Pictures Classics

As a film distributor, Sony Pictures Classics appears to enjoy distributing eclectic documentaries and narratives. Wikipedia lists Sony Pictures Classics (SPC), previously known as Orion Classics, as the indy/art film subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment (Wikipedia is appropriate as a source here because it is a non-partisan topic). It also reads that SPC distributes as well as produces, but according to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB), it has produced only a handful of movies in the past few years. Many of the movies distributed by SPC have well-known actors and actresses looking for the next sex, lies, and videotape break-out indy hit. The three movies that stuck out to me are Youth Without Youth, Das Leben Der Anderen, and Die Falscher.

None of the movies went straight to DVD; all were theatrical releases. All involve drama based in Europe. Although Youth Without Youth is a romance, it is still a drama set in a period of crisis and turmoil like The Lives of Others and The Counterfeiters. The films also have a strong political leaning to them. Youth Without Youth is about a man pursued by the Nazis for the secret to his amazing medical recovery. The Counterfeiters is set inside a Nazi concentration camp. The Lives of Others involves East Berlin and spying on your fellow man. These films also enjoyed limited openings in NYC and LA. SPC likes picking up very political movies for distribution. Movies such as a Jimmy Carter documentary, an Iranian Revolution cartoon, and a Palestinian-Israeli confrontation narrative all are steeped heavily in politics. Additionally, SPC likes to distribute subtitled foreign films and a few straight-to-DVD titles.

I recognized many of the indie films listed for SPC on IMDB; SPC must have a large advertising budget. I will now pay more attention to distributors to determine if it will be the kind of movie I want to watch. I enjoy highly political movies, so SPC seems like a sure fit.

In the picture above, an actor in The Counterfeiters is shown in a medium shot. In the picture below (with the snow), an actor is in a full shot from Youth Without Youth. The actor to the right is pictured in a medium shot from The Lives of Others.

Stylistic Comparison of Payback and Point Blank

Both Point Blank and Payback typify their respective eras. These movies are great examples to use for style because the plots are relatively easy to follow so we are able to focus on the varying stylistic differences.

In Point Blank, Lee Marvin plays an ex-Mafia type named Walker bent on retrieving the money that slipped out of his hands when his partner shot and robbed him. The opening scene expresses the New Hollywood style perfectly. The movie opens in Alcatraz, the infamous island prison in California. New Hollywood is marked by on-location shooting due to the lower cost and easier transport of cameras and related equipment. The prison scene is dark, gritty, and confusing. It reflects Walker's state of mind after being shot and robbed and sets the tone for the whole movie. Walker is an unapologetic killer who will stop at nothing to recover his thousands of dollars. The movie never imparts Walker's first name (even his previous shady "employer" does not know it), and this serves to emphasize the mystique and danger swirling around him. Following the violence of the opening scene is more non-stop violence. Quite memorable is the scene where Walker calmly flings a car salesman around in a car he has taken for a "test drive." Like in the rest of the movie, he expresses little emotion besides anger. His penchant for zero expression would label him as "villain" in any other movie, but in the New Hollywood style, it has catapulted him to protagonist as a kind of anti-hero. Staying true to New Hollywood characteristics, the movie ends with uncertainty as Walker finally gets his money and rides off into the distance with no mention of his next move or future plans.

Thirty-two years later, a remake of Point Blank came out named Payback. Mel Gibson stars as the new Walker aka Porter. It is interesting that a filmmaker took a well-made, brash, violent movie and sexed it up into an ultra-violent, cheesy, loud movie. Payback follows the conventions of the Contemporary Hollywood style with attractive actors like Mel Gibson and Deborah Kara, likeable characters, much sex and violence, and an impossibly happy ending. One can immediately spot differences between movies simply from the movie posters. Both posters are similar in that they depict the protagonist with his gun. On the Point Blank poster, however, Walker is aiming his gun off into the distance with his head to the side in a detached, indifferent sort of way. On the Payback poster, Porter looks purposed with the tagline of "No More Mr. Nice Guy" emblazoned across his forehead. The tagline alone highlights the cheesy feel of the movie. The moviemakers recycled Point Blank into a movie with mass appeal. Payback spells out everything for the viewer. This was shown when the entire class missed the reason why Walker's wife died in Point Blank. In Payback, the camera focuses on Mrs. Porter's drug stash and the syringe sticking out of her arm after she administers the lethal dose. Someone only has to watch Payback one time to get the gist of it. With Point Blank, it is nearly impossible to catch everything the first time around; it is meant to be watched two, three, even four times. To make the Payback characters more likeable, writers inserted joke after unfunny joke. Personally, someone being tortured, shot, or dominated is not something that needs to be lightened up with a crass one-liner. Maybe the writers felt that exponentially increasing the amount of blood and violence warranted a comedic foil. Unlike Point Blank, Payback ends with a happy scene in which Porter gets his money and the girl. Multiple people just died, and Rosie and Porter are riding off into the proverbial sunset content with themselves.

Overall, I did not enjoy Payback. Lucy Liu's character was extraneous, the characters were too developed, and it was just too bright and slightly cheerful for its content. Point Blank, though confusing and fast-paced, was just right. Lee Marvin as the wronged, stoic anti-hero is perfect. Even the way he holds himself in the movie is vastly superior to Mel Gibson. This is obvious from the two pictures I posted. Walker, in an American shot, has his gun raised for the purpose of taking care of business. Porter, in a medium close-up, has his gun casually raised in a "I might use it, I might not" fashion that detracts from his persona. I prefer the cerebral New Hollywood style over the generic mass appeal of Contemporary Hollywood.

The Puffy Chair

The Puffy Chair, in the Mumblecore movement, is refreshingly different. Now, I want to view other films in the same genre, like LOL and Hannah Takes the Stairs. The Puffy Chair bored me a bit in the beginning, but by the end, I was a fan. This movie captured all nine elements of the French New Wave.

1) On-location shooting

The entire movie takes place on-location. The on-location shooting gives the movie a realistic feel. It helps the viewer become immersed in the feelings of the characters because she can identify with the small-town settings and homey feel.

2) Non-professional actors

The actors and actresses are non-professional. Mark Duplass even uses his own parents as his parents in the movie. Using non-professional actors/actresses is another way to give the movie a realistic feel because they are not recognizable and seem like they could be any other person on the street.

3) Jump cuts

The jump cuts in The Puffy Chair are not as prevalent or obvious as in Shadows, but they are employed.

4) Improvisation

Though the movie does not explicitly state it is improvised like Shadows, the improvisation is inherent within the genre. Additionally, the dialogue has an improvised tone to it. The characters do not exchange witty banter, but argue in the heat of the moment and ask each other out for a coffee. The characters speak like twentysomethings do in real life, not how some forty-year old screenwriter thinks they should.

5) Dirty, cheap film

In this decade, digital film and storage has fallen dramatically in price, putting it within the reach of independent filmmakers. The Puffy Chair clearly is shot with a handheld digital camera, which echoes the French New Wave style of filming. Cassavetes did not have digital media at his disposal, but he did utilize the similarly handheld cost-effective medium of his time.

6) Heavy quotations

I am not well-versed in "classic" or "defining" films, so this aspect was harder to spot. The two main characters, Emily and Josh, attend a movie that appears to be a classic due to the film quality and look. I feel like this is supposed to be a quote, but I am not sure what it is quoting.

7) Mostly natural lights

Because the movie is on-location, it naturally exploits the natural sunlight. This is another element that adds to the realism.

8) Wanted to capture playfulness

Though the movie is an emotional romantic comedy, it sought to inject playfulness into the story. In my opinion, the best representation of this is the camera cuts to a shot of Josh's brother, Rhett, with multiple daisies stuck in his full beard. His eyes are shining and he is smiling widely. It reminded me of Michel's devilish grin in Breathless.

9) Poetic realism

As a mainstream Hollywood movie, this storyline would have been irritating. Hollywood would have made it into a Crossroads-type roadtrip where everyone gets married and lives happily ever after. Duplass gives the movie a realism seldom seen in others. He adheres more to real life by depicting real people facing real life-changing decisions that do not always turn out rosy.

The whole film felt real to me, like this could have really happened outside the movie theater. It captured the grittiness and sometimes unpleasant elements of a relationship. It shows that couples argue and do not automatically make up afterwards with "darling" and "I love you." Instead, it drives a wedge between them they do not immediately deal with. At the end, I wanted to watch the movie again to see if I missed any little hints that would indicate how it would end because it was totally unexpected. I will surely add more Mumblecore films to my queue.

Self-reflexivity in Spiral

Rottentomatoes.com says Spiral is a movie where " [Joel] Moore also stars as a man whose attempts to paint a beautiful young woman (Amber Tamblyn, The Grudge 2) aren't as innocent as they seem. Spiral also features the talents of Zachary Levi (Chuck) and Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica)."

This week's entry on "self-reflexivity" proved more difficult than previous entries. I can spot mise-en-scenè and method acting much easier than "self-reflexivity." For instance, in the following shot:

The way Mason, the main character, is lit in his bright white shirt in contrast to the dark shades of everything else demonstrates mise en scenè. It highlights how awkward and out of place he feels around others, and how even though there is a party going on around him, he still feels alone. So instead of blindly watching movies for specific terms like mise en scenè, I conducted Internet research on self-reflexive movies. I found that M. Night Shamalan's Signs is deeper than most think and that Solaris seems to be one of the defining movies for self-reflexivity. Then, I noticed Spiral, which came out in 2006. A movie critic mentioned described it as "homage to Hitchcock and M. Night Shyamalan." Signs, Rear Window, and Vertigo sprang to mind as self-reflexive movies. Based on these findings, I decided to watch Spiral. The opening shot is of rain and puddles, while the ending is an extreme close-up of a rain falling on a puddle, as depicted in the following:

Water at the beginning and end of the movie is a sure sign of self-reflexivity. Mason plays a vinyl record of jazz and an extreme close-up of the spinning is shown:

The spinning of anything represents a movie reel. Self-reflexivity seems to be quite obvious in this indy movie. The writer's intent is a little fuzzy. I interpreted the movie as a comment on Hollywood's tendency to chew up pretty girls and spit them out. I arrived at this theory based on a number of reasons. The movie keeps the audience in the dark about Mason's personality and past. He rarely speaks and other characters rarely speak to him. At work, the new girl begins to flirt heavily with Mason after she notices him sketching. She ropes him into painting her in a series of paintings, during which she really falls for him. They sleep together evetually. She finds out Mason's dark secret the morning following their night together. He hates that she discovered his secret and leaves the city on a bus. On the bus, another pretty girl comments how beautiful his sketchings are. The scene evokes the earlier one in which his coworker first complimented his sketchings, suggesting the cycle was to start anew. Mason represents Hollywood in that females seek him out without any prompting or interest on his part. Many actresses flock to Hollywood looking for that big break, only to be flatly rejected. My interpretation might be a bit ambitious, but that is what I thought.

Method acting in Requiem for a Dream

I had never heard of Ellen Burstyn until I viewed Requiem for a Dream. It mentions she is an Academy Award winner for Best Actress in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. Despite this, I did not expect her to play her character so well. She gets into a "fat suit" to play the widowed, unhappy mother of a drug addict. In addition to the physical part of method acting, she loses herself in the insanity and despair of her character. She seems to be this middle-aged and lonely woman who feels disconnected with her surroundings. She feels she has no control over anything, especially of all her son, Harry. Her character does not like the drugs her son is on, but becomes involved with pharmaceutical version of speed to lose weight. This is because she wants to have control over some aspect of her life. The speed eventually causes her to lose her mind, which affords Ellen Burstyn ample opportunity to flex her acting muscles. She plays a convincing mental patient. Her performance is extremely emotional and powerful. She deserved to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2000.

Ultra-informative, FREE documentaries online!

Going to watch The Corporation this weekend. I Y documentaries.


Click here for documentary goodness.

Mise en scène

I watched The Hunting Party with Richard Gere this week. The suspense was awesome. It also seemed like the filmmaker put a lot of thought into the design and composition of it. It is set in Bosnia after the genocide and resulting peace agreement. The movie is gritty and dark to reflect the post-war atmosphere and despair. When the plot starts and all three main characters arrive in Bosnia, they are told by a native that the criminal, who is the antagonist, that they are looking for is known for using a caravan of orange cars to get around (pictured above). Later in the film, after a particularly tense meeting with a Serbian native, the three main characters arrive at their hotel. Richard Gere informs them not to trust anyone, not even the hotel help. The shot right after he says this is of a dirty and sinister-looking hotel janitor. The next shot is the one pictured at the right. Note the orange hallway. The characters enter their respective rooms and are promptly met by guns held by the antagonist's henchmen. It is mise en scène because it indicates something related to the bad guy is about to happen.

The first shot appears to be a long shot because the person is small and insignificant compared to the background. The second shot is a medium-long, or American, shot because the characters are framed from the knees up.

Non-diegetic

The film, Mr. Brooks, starts with this text. It is non-diegetic because the filmmaker is showing the viewer information about the title character, instead of telling or recounting it.

Six Degrees of Separation

I liked Six Degrees of Separation (SDS). It is out of my normal range of movies, but that makes it even more delightful. I tend to stick to weird, out-of-the-norm films and documentaries (documentaries are my favorites). SDS was enjoyable for me because one could tell without formal film training that it is a classic. It employs much diegesis by having the characters recount their "anecdotes." It is also self-referential. This is obvious when Flan refers to "color" and "structure" when looking at a painting. Rich color saturates every frame. Much of the movie occurs in lavish settings, which adds even more depth and richness. Self-reference comes in again at the end of the movie when Ouisa shares an outburst with the dinner party. She talks about how life should not be "distilled into anecdotes." The structure is complicated, but it is there. SDS is also nonlinear. It flip-flops between the past and the present with ease and coherence while seamlessly melding story and plot. All of this will contribute to SDS being discussed by film classes fifty years from now.