I never got much of an opportunity to watch "FireFly" when it was on television. I think I saw two episodes, but what I saw, I loved. To speak plainly, I wasn't a bit disappointed by Serenity, the big screen, whittled down version of the television show.
To begin, the dialogue is incredible. Example: "Violence will ensue" versus "I'm gonna kick your a**." You have to think about what they are saying, because they have different idioms and grammar. It's a bit like listening to a folk tale. I'm sure there's some discussion somewheres out there on the Internet about this. You have to marvel at the ingenuity of it because, if you think about it, who would talk like we do 500 years into the future? Did they talk 500 years ago as we do now? I thinketh not!
What else is there to like about this movie...it has a good mix of humor, drama and action. There are a fair number of sight gags in the movie that break up the seriousness. I laughed when the Operative pulls out a big sword and Mal pulls out a screw driver or some other implement with a short shaft. Freudians, start your blogging! Oh, and those Reavers are pretty darned spooky. I liked the fact that you never really got a clear look at them. Let's your imagination wander a bit.
Some stylistic elements of note…the scene that introduces Serenity’s crew is all one long moving camera shot. Mal moves through the ship and we get to see him interact with the crew. Probably not an easy shot to make since everyone has to hit their mark. I also like the fact that all of River's dream sequences or hallucinations have the same washed out look. Even when she is having the most horrible visions, it stylistically stayed the same. That happy place with the beautiful soft light was really a nightmare.
Connor, my son, went along with me to see this film. He's eleven and you can tell he is my son. During the scene in which Mal talks to the crew about getting the word out about Miranda, he stands before the crew and is bathed in a golden light. Connor turns to me during the scene and says, "He's standing in golden light." He noticed the lighting! I'm training my little grasshopper well. I'm not sure if he understood that the light was emphasizing the fact that Mal was about to wax heroic, but he did notice the lighting. He's taking baby steps to becoming a film geek like me. Oh, and the Reavers really freaked him out. Just FYI for all you kiddies out there.
If you can answer what it means for Steve to be the Zissou, perhaps you can understand The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. I haven't read a word about this movie, so I'm a blank slate when it comes to commentary or interpretation. I can say that it took a while to get used to. Flat delivery of dialogue, obvious special effects and oddly placed action scenes that were strangely violent, what does it all mean? It's a complex film, but I think I like it. You almost had to laugh at the obtuseness of the characters. I'm hoping it was intentional to disrupt any attempts to lose yourself in the movie.
The best part of the movie, the part that kept me watching it was the David Bowie song's sung in Portuguese by Seu Jorge. Fabulous! I think I will have to buy the soundtrack just so I can sing Rebel, Rebel in Portuguese.
Things that will make you laugh in this movie: Klaus, the hats, Eleanor's explanation of how the cat died, Steve running amok shooting pirates. Things that will annoy you: Ned's cheesy accent, the flat line delivery and the bad special effects. I know they meant to put them in there, but sometimes they were just silly. Things that will amaze you: the fact that you start to like the flat line delivery and laugh unintentionally, the moving camera shot that follows Ned and Steve through the boat, and Seu Jorge's voice. So, viewer, be wary. Watch this film if you are in the mood for something a little different.
To explain why Apocalypse Now is my favorite movie, I need to tell you about the first time I saw it. I was around 14. I had heard a lot about the movie and Francis Ford Coppola. The documentary about the making of the film had been on TV or something. I distinctly remember watching the move in my aunt's living room while the rest of the family played cards. I was so engrossed in the movie that when they took a break from cards for snacks, my mother had to shout at me several times to get my attention. This movie is the first movie that made me realize that movies are "made." I began to recognize that sound and picture were working together to tell the story. Ever since then, I've been hooked.
When I watch it now, I am still amazed at how beautiful and terrible it is. No other scene embodies this more clearly than the scene in which Clean is killed. All of the violence of the exchange stops suddenly and everyone tries to recover. Chief sees Clean lying in the boat. When he realizes what has happened, there is a shot of him looking right at the camera. The audio from the tape Clean's mother sent plays as Chief stares, reaches out and pulls back his hand covered in blood. Clean's mother tells him to "stay out of the way of the bullets" and bring his "heinie home all in one piece," but she is too late. The look on Chief's face and Clean's dead body are even more horrible to look at as you listen to her message. But the scene is also beautifully put together. All three elements in combination remind you of the true horror of war.
Obviously, if you have been reading the blog, or, when you read further in the blog, you will realize that my favorite movies are the ones that move me. They make me feel something, whether it is happy or sad. That's what a good movie should do. I think no other movie does it better than this one. Even the Redux version with all of its extraneous material.
To leave you with one other example of how powerful this movie is, I'll tell you a little story about when my friend Cathie and I went to see Redux in the theater. There is a scene in which shots of the boat cruising along the river are cut together with point-of-view shots of the river bank covered in trees. There is no sound other than the boat engine. Suddenly, rockets come bursting through the trees at the boat. Everyone in the audience, including Cathie and I, ducked. For a brief moment, we were right there in the scene, avoiding the bombs coming our way. Amazing or ridiculous, you decide.
Next time you see a movie, ask yourself why you laugh or cry or get angry as you sit there and watch. Was it the dialogue, the way the shots are edited together, the music, or is it the close-up of that one tear trickling down the heroine's face? All of these elements work together to tell you the story. Find out how they do it and you will start to see that movies are not always just entertainment, they can also be art.
P.S. The music in the movie, in a word, awesome.
It has been a long time since I have actually seen the Shawshank Redemption. I can't really come up with any fabulous commentary on the film's style without watchinig it again, so I will briefly state that this movie is #2 because of the story and the characters. I love the fact that the two friends, Andy and Red, wind up on a beach together in the end. I also appreciate that scene in which Andy crawls through the sewer to escape the prison. A visual metaphor for his journey through the film. This fact is even recognized by Red, when he comments on how Andy crawled through the - insert bad work here - and came out clean on the other side. You have to love it when a movie even comments on its own metaphors, or in film geek terms, when a film is self-reflexive.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is one of many movies that I have seen that you can watch multiple times and always encounter something new. I have seen the movie at least six times and this last time I watched it, I discovered who shot the dart from the rooftop in the first fight scene. I never even really wondered who it was, but something caught my eye this time. I won't reveal who it is here - you can press pause and try to figure it out yourself - but I will reveal why this film is rated #3 on my top 5 movie list.
Music
Music is used so well in this movie. Watch the fight scene where Jade Fox fights against Police Inspector Tsai, his daughter and Master Bo. Close your eyes and listen. Can you tell when Li Mu Bai enters the scene? You can. The music changes. Strings begin to play along with brass and percussion the moment he enters the scene.
But the most interesting use of music in the movie is during the fight scenes between Shu Lien and Jiao Long (Jen in the Mandarin or subtitled version). In the their two fight scenes, the first near the very beginning and the other near the very end, the score is percussion only, nothing else. None of the other fight scenes between any of the other characters use this arrangement. So why only percussion when the two women are battling it out? Perhaps one way of answering that question is to simplify some themes in the movie. The use of percussion only in these two fight scenes could illustrate the primal battle between order, represented by Shu Lien - the female that follows convention and the rules of honor - and chaos - represented by Jiao Long the female that wants to defy convention and live life according to her own terms. Percussion is the backbone of music, essentially its heartbeat. It is what drives the score and keeps it together. In this scene, the rhythm drives the fight. Their kicks and punches are often synchronized to it. Their battle is not only between order and chaos, it is also between young and old, passion and stoicism, fate and destiny. Okay, that last part might be stretching it, but those two women are the heart of the film. A percussion only score seems to help ilustrate that fact.
Fight Scenes
The fight scenes avoid the use of the close-up and are choreographed to be like a dance. In many of the scenes, the fight will be framed by a medium or medium-long shot. The camera will move to follow the action as it occurs. You can watch as a kick or a punch is countered. You have time to revel in the grace of each movement. This is not the case in many other movies. If you have ever seen Batman Begins, you will know what I mean. Try figuring out who punches who in that movie. It's hard to do so, because it is filmed with close-ups and fast editing so that you feel confused and disoriented. I'd rather be amazed by the grace and skill of the fight that the sheer brutality of it, so I much prefer how they do it in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
The End
What happens to Jiao Long in the end? Is she committing suicide? Does she make her leap of faith? The first time I saw this movie, I hated the ending. But now, I enjoy it for the questions that it asks but doesn't answer. Can a woman truly be free of society’s preconceptions about who she should be?
And finally, this movie is here because I cry every time I see it. Li Mu Bai does die every time (sorry, Rebecca) and I cry every time he does. Why? It's not because he says some really moving things, it's because he has to be dying in order to say them. How sad that they could never tell one another how they felt. When you saw this movie for the first time, did you tell yourself that you would never wait to tell someone you love them, or did you just leave the theater or turn off the TV? I think any movie that can make you think about your own life and how you live it is worthwhile.
P.S. Try watching this movie dubbed in English with the English subtitles on at the same time. The two have some interesting differences. Give it a try and let me know what you find out.
I have a kid to take care of and some homework to do, so I have run out of time this morning to do the write-ups for movies 1, 2, and 3. I'll list them here as a teaser.
#1 Apocalypse Now
#2 The Shawshank Redemption
#3 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Y'all come back soon now, ya hear?
I almost feel ashamed to rank Star Wars (Episode III - A New Hope, just so we are clear) so low as fourth on my list, but I have to do so. Do I need to elaborate on why it's on my list? That could take up a lot of space. I'll just skip over the in-depth deconstsruction of the film and move on to more personal reasons for listing it here.
It's here mainly because it's the first movie I ever loved. Awe, isn't that special?
The first time I saw it as a kid was at the drive-in with my family. After seeing it, every time we would play outside, we would play Star Wars. Everyone always wanted me to play the role of Princess Leia. There weren't any girls in my neighborhood, or at least, there weren't any girls that I liked to play with. But I always wanted to be Luke Skywalker. In psychoanalytic terms, this is referred to as Narcissistic scopophilia. We usually compromised and I got to be Princess Leia and carry a light saber and my blaster. Essentially, Star Wars makes it here on my list because of all of those things that people talk about (archetypes, blending of genres, etc.) and because of nostalgia.
Oh, and of course, my two favorite movie quotes of all time:
Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.
-Han Solo
Somebody has to save our skins!
-Princess Leia
Produced by the BBC, Persuasion is probably the best movie adaptation I have seen and is the one exception that I make for romance movies. Show me a movie preview with a kissy-smootchie scene in it and I can promise you I won't be seeing it in the theater. Unless you can bring Rock Hudson back from the dead and pair him up with Doris Day.
Persuasion is a screen adaptation of Jane Austen's novel of the same name. If you want to read a plot summary or other movie details, see its listing at IMDB.com. Now on to my reasons for listing this as movie #5 on my Top 5 Movies list.
This movie ranks as #5 on my list because of the following:
-You won't find Gwyneth Paltrow with a low-cut bodice in this film. Thank you! The actors aren't "beautiful" and, actually, they shouldn't be. Because the actors look like real, average human beings, I think I was able to immediately connect with the characters.
-Anne's transformation during the movie. Her character development is carefully handled, not only by the plot, but also by the mise-en-scen and editing. As the movie progresses, she transforms from a sad, lonely woman into a strong, independent one. As she goes through this emotional transformation, she goes through a physical one as well. That mousy, pallid little woman who cowers in the corner, now becomes a radiant woman who is out in the world. There is one particular scene that illustrates this quite well. She bumps into a rather attractive man while she is out walking. The man tips his hat and smiles at her. She walks by and gives him a double take (Was he smiling at me?). When she gets back to her room, there is a shot of her looking at herself in the mirror. She gently brushes back a strand of hair from her face and smiles back at herself. That shot alone indicates that she is recognizing the transformation in herself. I doubt she would have noticed the man had she met him earlier in the movie, but now, the compliment - his smile and tip of the hat - is recognized and appreciated. Ever had that experience in real life?
-You find out almost everything you need to know about Anne and the other main characters in the movie in one scene with careful editing and shot construction. Anne is sitting and conversing with her sister Mary and Mary's in-laws. The scene consists of shots of Anne sitting next to various people as they talk about one another. She sits and talks to Mary as Mary complains about her husband. Cut to a shot of Anne talking to the husband as he complains about Mary, and so forth. All shots are of Anne in two-shot with another person. Essentially, you come to realize that Anne is an important part of this family and is herself a very patient and caring person.
-Finally, the best part of the movie is the end, when she gets her guy. Oh, how it pains me to admit that I like the happy, kissy-faced ending. I think I've mentioned that I'm not fond of romance movies and heterosexual coupling is incredibly over used as means of self-realization in the movies ("I am complete because I have a man now." Uh, I'm going to be ill). But this girl-gets-her-guy ending is not like that. Her transformation in the movie isn't because she realizes that he is what she needs to complete her life. She realizes that she can be happy on her own. They wind up together in the end because he realizes that he loves her and he - after an entire movie of seemingly avoiding her - expresses that love in a brilliantly crafted scene. The two of them are in a room filled with other friends. Frederick - that's the "guy" - sits and writes a letter at a desk, while Anne talks with another man. Frederick leaves to run an errand and leaves a letter for Anne on the desk. We see her reading the letter and hear him reading it in voice-over. Her voice is mixed in with his as he reads and then it transitions to her voice alone reading the letter in voice-over. The acknowledgement of their love is expressed subtly through that use of audio.
In summary, good story, great characters, and some amazing uses of film style make this #5 on my top 5 movie list.
Where I a watch a movie is often just as important as what movie I'm watching. So where do I go?
My favorite movie venue is Wynnsong 15 in Moundsview. Yes, it's owned a big theater chain and it's a multi-plex, but they have a big, giant screen (BGS) with THX certification and stadium-style seating. They also have a real cheap deal for the last matinee of the day.
When I can't get out to the movies, I watch movies at home with my surround sound system. I don't have a huge screen or the most expensive system, but I can get up and go to the bathroom whenever I like without missing anything and I can turn on closed-captioning when the dialogue gets muddled. Two really important features of watching movies at home, in my opinion.
Other movie theaters that I recommend include: the movie theater in Block-E downtown, because it is downtown; the Riverview because tickets are inexpensive, they show a good variety of shows and they have real butter for their popcorn; and finally, the Heights Theater, because it a single-screen movie house that is independantly owned, they have a real organ that a person plays before some of their shows - it even rises out of the ground - and because I used to work there long, long ago.
Why is where I watch movies important? If you have to ask why THX or surround sound is important, you should be ashamed of yourself! (Insert sarcastic chuckle) But seriously, what you hear is just as important as what you see so it is always advisable to see a movie with the best quality sound and picture available.
Mellow Greetings and Salutations!
If you are here and reading this blog, you have either searched and found it under "movies" or I have invited you to read it. Hopefully, you will not be disappointed by what you read.
This blog will feature my humble opinions and observations on the movies I see. I don't get out to the movies as much as I would like - I'd go every week if I could - so please don't rely on me for current movie reviews. What I am attempting to do with this blog is to start writing down those opinions and observations that my friends and family have been listening to for years. I earned my degree in film studies here at the U, but I have had very few opportunities to write about movies since I graduated. Well, maybe that's not exactly true...I really haven't been motivated to write about movies. Hearing so much about blogs and how easy they are to create, I thought, maybe, just maybe, this would be a way for me to write about movies and to try out blogging for myself. Two birds; one stone. How can you beat that?
So, dear friend or kindred cinephile, grab a fountain beverage, some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the show. Oh, and you don't have to be quiet or turn off your cell phone to observe. ;-)