8 mile

Eminem as an actor? What? Who would have thought? But actually was a perfect fit for the movie which involved his rough journey he took to reach superstardom.  This movie was listed in our book as a movie that touched on censorship, but I think it also touches on a lot of similar problems that crash did.  It involves a young white kid from the streets of Detroit trying to make it in a game that was primarily run by those in the black community.  The last “rapper” that tried to do that was Vanilla Ice and he didn’t really do us to proud.  For this blog post I am going to briefly touch on censorship, and once again explain how this film affected me and how it more than likely affects society as a whole.  I will also explain why I think this movie affects and also reflects on social and cultural values.

I have seen this movie in the movie theater and also on television.  I will be the first to tell you that watching movies on television that try and have a dramatic impact through sex, violence, and language and be totally ruined due to censorship.  I feel the same way when it comes to music as well.   Changing the words to a song is just like changing words to a book, you just don’t do it.  Imagine if the word feeling was a swear word.  Boston would have never been able to release a song over the radio as great as More than a Feeling.  Going back to 8 mile the swear words in his lyrics and in the film are there to put emphasis on specific parts of the movie.  Editing them out for television audiences not only takes away from the film, but ruins it in my eyes.

This movie actually had a stronger impact on me than crash did due to seeing some of the struggles that Eminem faced growing up in a rough area.  Seeing how his rough upbringing made him treat his sister so much differently.  How when things went wrong he taught her to just close her eyes and ears and try and get away from that place.  Also showing how hard it was to make money and that riding in an old crappy car didn’t make a difference as long as you had friends with you.  I think that this movie impacted society by shining a light on how hard life can be on the streets of any city and motivation is the true key to success.

8 mile does indeed reflect and affect social and cultural values.  It reflects them by once again showing the strong presents of racism in today’s society.  It also does show by hitting on another strong issue that crash does not, Poverty.  I think with the growing unemployment rate and debt crisis that the US faces that poverty is a very serious issue.  In watching this film people who are in tough times can reflect and relate to people in this movie, while people that are not in tough times can be affected by how hard the struggle to make money can be for someone in a larger city. 

Crash

Crash is a deep film with many different and difficult issues involved.  From the racial altercations in the beginning that followed a car accident to the car accident at the end, this film does a good job of keeping the viewers attention and making them focus on some complex problems in today’s society.  In this blog I will explain why I believe this movie is not a social problem film, how this movie affected me and how I believe it affects society as a whole, and finally close on my take on the fact that film can reflect on social and cultural values.

Our book defines a social problem film as difficult to evaluate, for their aging can occur very rapidly.  It goes on to say that these types of movies can become dated and irrelevant within society over the course of just a few years.  Racism has been a problem in the world for thousands of years, and unfortunately will more than likely continue to be.  As technology grows if gives people the ability to spread their hatred and attempt to pull more people on to their “racial bandwagon”.  For whatever reason people experience these feelings of hate towards someone else due to their ethnicity can span from a million different things.  I guess what I am trying to say is that this movie cannot become dated, because this issue as much as we want to believe is not around anymore is still prevalent worldwide.

Crash definitely reached out to me and made me think long and hard about the topics I previously discussed.  It really tries to hit hard on these issues by throwing very rough racial slurs and involving weapons into the whole complex racial equations.  Growing up in Chicago I was actually the minority at my school and even in my neighborhood.  So I saw and heard a lot of this stuff growing up.   Gangs are extremely popular in Chicago and are mostly based on race.  These gangs preach that it is right to kill someone else just because they are Black, Hispanic, or White.  So does this film affect or reflect society?  The answer is simple.  It reflects what people already know and do.

So to expand on that point, how do some films affect society and others reflect it?   I have used this film example in a prior discussion but I am going to use it again.  The movie United 93 is a film that can definitely affect a viewer.  Why? Because it shows the deeper side to a story that no one really had a first-hand account of.  It brings you into the dramatic situation that took place on that flight and AFFECTS what you could only imagine.  When doing this it brings a new image of what you only perceived at first.  On the flipside a film like crash simply reflects and then expands on a cultural issue such as racism.  So from my analytical standpoint movies can be very strong and persuasive tools, but at the same time can also be very informative and moving tools as well.

American History X

For my second film this week I really wanted to focus on a film that involved great use of color, lighting, and impactful acting.  For that I decided to write this blog on the movie American History X.  This film was released in 1998 and takes you on a journey of a Danny following in the footsteps of his older brother Derek.  Unfortunately Derek is part of a Neo Nazi faction and goes to prison for killing three gang bangers who break into their house one evening.  This movie does a great job of using color as a transitional device, color as a symbol, and also color to enhance the mood.

The transitions of color in this movie are done beautifully.  As the movie starts out in black and white it brings us into the dark evening in which Derek brutally kills three black males who attempted to break in and rob his place.  As our reading states, color provides a transition between two separate worlds.  This movie shows that in more of an emotional aspect instead of literally taking us from one world to another.  It shows all the dark, racial, and difficult times in both Derek and Danny’s life through the use of black and white.  And then shines through on positive moments as well as emphasizing difficult moments with color as well. 

Symbolically color has a very significant role in this movie.  I think that the director was not only trying to set different moods with color, but also to attempt to remove color from such a racially driven film.  Showing that in all essence there is no difference between black, white, red, blue, or purple.  To really grab what the director is trying to portray you need to remove all the other colors and focus on what the director is trying to truly show you.  At the same time showing in the end that blood is red regardless of who it comes from or is on by flashing back and forth from the young black kid who shoots Danny, and Danny lying in the bathroom covering in blood can only be enhanced with the use of color. 

As I had previously touched on this movie also uses color to enhance the mood of the film, on top of which music also adds a lot of effect.  One of the more memorable scenes is after Derek kills the first to men that broke into his house, the camera cuts to him turning around and slowly walking towards the third.  As this happens (in black and white) they shine a bright light on him giving him an almost euphoric feel.  The dramatic choir music and slow motion really give this scene a strong impact on the viewer.  American History X does a great job of touching on a serious topic such as racism in today’s society and adds a very dramatic impact through the many uses of color.

The Dark Knight

Heath Ledger is an actor that has starred in many films.   The Patriot, Monsters Ball, and Lords of Dogtown are just of few of his films.  His all-time best role in my eyes was that of the Joker which he played in the batman saga The Dark Knight.  Sadly he passed away at the age of 28 shortly after finishing up this great movie.  His ability to become the character, add his own ability to become a truly good impersonator themed actor, and use his creativity to contribute to the film made it a $180 million dollar box office hit.

In the theory of using the inside/outside approach to becoming a character I feel that Heath did a little of both to become the joker.  I believe that he used the inside approach by doing a lot of research on the joker.  Looking into what had made this character so dark and evil. Looking at the abuse he suffered as a child and horrible things he had been through in life helped Heath to develop his own image of what the Joker would be like in real life.  Not a joker at all but instead a cynical lunatic.  He also used the outside approach in my eyes.  I believe that he looked at the joker’s appearance and took into play why he wore the makeup, had green hair, and of course the smile scar running across his face.

In the reading I did in chapter 10 it elaborated on the fact that there are three types of actors; Impersonators, Interpreters and Commentators, and Personality actors.  In the film The Dark Knight Heath Ledger most definitely took on the role of an Impersonator.  He used his ability to set aside his normal personality and with the help of costume and makeup immerse himself in a new character, the Joker.  Adding the raspy voice, awkward walk, and chilling laugh show Heath Ledgers true greatness as an actor.

The director of this film, Christopher Nolan, did an outstanding job of allowing Heath and other characters from the film to contribute their own creativity to this film.  I think that letting Heath add in his own voice chilling spin on the story of his scars and laughing in moments when he should of undoubtedly been in pain show a true cohesiveness between actor and director.  The Dark Knight was definitely one of Heath Ledgers top acting performances and will always be one of the favorites in my movie collection.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

As this story opens at an upscale party in L.A. you wonder what took place to have Harry Lockhart end up here.  As the movie then jumps back to Harry running from the cops after stealing in New York the plot thickens.  He barges into an audition and steals the show (not on purpose by the way).  Then the story jumps back to him running into his long lost childhood friend Harmony, who is doing beer commercials in L.A.  Then Harry runs into a Gay private detective that goes by the name Gay Perry.  Perry asks Harry to help in an investigation.  As the story progresses the two become suspicious of all the guest’s at the original party who have all become suspects.  As they work to solve a murder case Harry finds himself falling in love with Harmony. 

This movie involves a very good production design and is artfully directed.  From the setting and its effects to the costume and makeup design this movie has it all. The way the director directly and indirectly makes fun of the underground and low budget acting scene as well as how everyone in New York City and L.A. pretend to be aspiring actors and actresses is extremely witty and funny.

After truly analyzing just the opening scene it started to become apparent to me how much actually goes into the production design of each scene of a film.  Watching the party in L.A. really brought me into a ritzy upscale party scene and made it seem realistic and funny at the same time.  Another part in the film that did this was when he went to another one of the parties and there was the three guys dancing in the glass cage.  This creative and hilarious joke on the ridiculous things people will do to make their party trendy and “upscale” is so true in today’s society.

The book talks about one aspect of a setting to a movie is setting for verisimilitude.  This means that the director attempts to create a semblance of reality that gives the viewer a sense of real time and a real place and a feeling of being there.  From the opening scene to Harry running away from the cops I felt that I was truly involved in the film and that I was in each scene.  If I were to imagine what a low budget casting would be like the director seemed to pull my thoughts out of my head and portray it in this movie.

The last thing that stood out to me in this film was the costumes and makeup in this movie.  A couple of examples of this were Gay Perry’s wardrobe to include his “faggot gun” (a tiny little derringer), which he says is because it is only good for a couple shots then you have to exchange it for something better.  Even though this is a very derogatory statement Val Kilmer’s humor and great acting make that statement acceptable to the viewer.  The dry and dark humor of the movie tie in very well with the elaborate costumes worn at some of the parties and even in the beer commercial that Harmony is involved with.  I highly recommend this movie to the viewer that enjoys dark comedies.

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire is a great movie that takes place on the streets on Mumbai and involves a young orphan who ends up on a game show that mirrors Who Wants to be a Millionaire.  When the show breaks for the evening they arrest Jamal on suspicion of cheating.  To explain where he learned all of these answers he tells the story of his childhood and as he does he explains the answers to each of the questions on the show.  This goes on to show that luck had more to do with the correct answers than actual intellect.  The setting as determiner of character is very apparent in this movie.  The director also did a great job of choosing location shooting rather than doing the filming in a studio. He also did a great job of using unique camera angles and lighting to help draw in the viewer’s eyes.

As the book states belief that our character, destiny, and fate are all determined by forces outside ourselves, that we may be nothing more than products of our heredity and environment, and that freedom of choice is only an illusion.  I feel that this is shown in this movie very well by showing that Jamal only knew the answers to the questions as a product of the environment that he grew up in.  The fact that he was about to become a millionaire by answering questions that only someone with a very high education would only know, not an orphan with barely any education at all.  When in all actuality he knew these answer only because of the events and environment in which he grew up in.

Even though the book emphasizes on shooting a film in a studio rather than on location to be able to control the lighting structures and post a more dramatic effect.   I think the director of this film did a good job of using both shooting on location and in the studio to pull in dramatic effects to this movie.  Shooting the film on location on the streets of Mumbai gives the viewer a great chance to truly see what poverty is like in the slums of Mumbai.  It pulls some truth into this fictional story and indirectly focuses on an issue such as poverty in third world countries.

To expand more on that point the vast camera angles that the director did use along with different film grain and lighting effects tie this entire movie together.  It pulls in smooth transitions to the show (which is filmed with poor lighting and great texture) to jumping into the streets of Mumbai and showing the adventures of Jamal and his brother.  This movie is not for everyone, but is appreciated by the true film critic.

Reservoir Dogs

               

                Today I watched Reservoir Dogs one of my all-time favorites by Quentin Tarantino.  The way this movie was shot and directed is very unique.  From the opening seen showing all the guys around a table drinking coffee, to then cutting to Mr. Orange and Mr. White driving as Mr. Orange bleeds all over the back seat.  Great use of dramatic structure, conflict, and allegory make this movie stand out above many others.

                The dramatic structure of Reservoir Dogs is definitely non-linear.  What I mean by that is that the movie is not structured in chronological order.  Our text talks about a story beginning in medias ves which is a Latin phrase meaning in the middle.  As I had previously stated in my introduction the story jumps from place to place.  This makes the movie somewhat confusing to some viewers in the beginning, but also grabs your attention to keep you watching and wondering what had happened to lead up to this point.  In the case of Mr. Orange bleeding in the back of Mr. White’s car it left the viewer asking many questions. Who shot him? Why was he shot? What did Mr. White have to do with it? As the movie progressed and the pieces began to come together everything then started to make sense.  I love movies that are filmed in this way and would put this film in my top five all time favorites.

                As our texts states; conflict is the base for all stories.  It is the element that captures our interest, heightens the intensity of our experience, quickens our pulses, and challenges our minds.  In this movie there were many different conflicts. The main conflict being who the rat in the group was that led to the robbery going wrong?  This is very hard to identify at first due to the non-linear structure in which this movie was filmed.  Eventually we come to find that Mr. Orange was an undercover cop who shoots Mr. Blonde when Mr. Blonde threatens to light a cop on fire that he had captured from the robbery.  In the end the answers are finally known when Joe comes to the rendezvous point at the end and says that he knew Mr. Orange was indeed a cop.

                Allegory is shown in both a concrete and figurative way.  For most directors it becomes difficult to show both of these, and the figurative side to a story becomes more prevalent.  To make a more concrete statement the character that is involved needs lack a lot of unique characteristics.  In the case of this movie Mr. Blonde made the concrete statement when he was shot by Mr. Orange.  In the end he became a symbol due to his loyalty to Joe.

                In conclusion this movie showed many characteristics of a great movie. The dramatic structure, conflict, and symbolism shown in this movie were portrayed very well.  If you are looking for a film that will keep you guessing and is full of great acting Reservoir Dogs is one I highly recommend.