Winters Bone- Chillingly Amazing

Let me start out this post by telling you all how utterly bone chilling this film was.  As a person who rarely gets attached to films, I find this film to be so exquisite that it has actually made its way into my personal DVD collection, which is a first.  Jennifer Lawrence, known for her stunning performance as Katniss Everdeen, is absolutely phenomenal as 17 year old Ree Dolly.  Ree is a young girl who dropped out of high school to look after her deranged mother and two younger siblings after her father goes missing for a year.  She soon finds out that her father had put the families home up for bond and if he did not show up for his court date, her family will be evicted from their home.  Ree goes to great lengths searching for her father and encounters some very difficult obstacles along the way.  If you haven't watched it, I won't spoil it for you. But be forewarned there will be an overwhelming amount of tears shed.

On to a more important topic.

This film was written, directed, and produced by women, which is something that does not happen often in the independent sector.  Women in the independent sector find it more difficult (in relation to white male film makers) to find funding, and get distribution. Women are often given little choice but to work in the independent sector, this is usually due to the fact that they tend to go beyond what is generally permitted in the mainstream, or because it is the only place that options are available for them.  In the film industry, women are seen as risky when it comes to writing, directing, and even playing the leading role in films.  Some stereotypical opinions of these films refers to the films as "chick flicks", identifying women as the projected audience, whereas a if the film was written, directed, and lead by a male there would be a more vast projected audience.  Another belief held about women film makers is that most of their subject matter revolves around feminist ideals, which is not always the case.  Which brings me to my next topic.

Is Winter's Bone a feminist film?

To be completely frank, I do not believe that Winter's bone is rooted in feminism, I do believe that there may have been some culturally constructed ideas of feminism in this film, such as having a female lead, and focusing in on the well-being of the children, and the emotions behind the film, but not enough to be considered deeply rooted in feminism.  In fact, I believe that those are the reasons that this film is as gripping as it is.  I think that if this film wasn't as gritty and violent it may have been considered a feminist film. 

Overall,

All politics aside, I highly suggest watching this film simply because it is amazing. The acting is phenomenal and the grit of this movie really gives this film a sense of realism, that is absent in most mainstream films.

Do the Right Thing- Fight the Power

In last week’s class we watched the film Do the Right Thing.  This was one heck of a film, I have never watched a Spike Lee film before and have always heard people talking about how amazing his films are, and now I can officially say that I have given into the hype.  The multi-strand narrative format really made the film seem more dimensional.  I liked how Spike used Mookie to tell connect the characters in the film and to be the one that breaks the race barrier by working with Sal and his son’s.  One thing that I thought was interesting was that Spike Lee wrote, acted, directed, and produced this film, I wonder what filming was like? Anyways, I like the fact that this film addressed the political topic of racism and drew attention to tensions from both viewpoints.  Another thing that I found interesting was that this film was made around the time that the Rodney King Riots were going on, and really shone a light on racism and police brutality.  Many people say you shouldn't mix art and politics but I think that if it is done in a way that evokes discussion then it is absolutely necessary.  I feel that film is an especially great way to bring attention to a cause especially when the ones who are watching the film are unaware of the cause and or far from the cause.  A few months ago I watched an independent film called 5 broken cameras which was filmed by one man who recorded the daily occurrences in his town, and it really drew a light on the situation in Gaza that I was unaware of.  This film piqued my interest and I did more research on it independently.  For this reason, I think that film is a great outlet for politics to either inform or grow interest in a topic.

Blue Velvet- Review! and then some

In this weeks class we watched the film Blue Velvet.  This film was so bizarre that I couldn't turn away.  This film encompasses the same stylistic drives as film noir.    Jeffery Beaumont, home from college to visit his sick father, is caught up in a compelling mystery that drives him to investigate on his own.  While walking home from the hospital, Jeffery finds a strange object hidden in the grass after further examination we find that it is a human ear.  Distraught, Jeffery rushes the ear to the police and asks them to investigate.  The detective asks Jeffery to remove himself from the investigation because it is private information.  Unable to keep away, Jeffery solicits the help of the detective's daughter Sandy.  Sandy tells Jeffery that she overheard her father talking about a specific apartment as a site of interest.  It is from here that the real nail biting starts to happen.  This movie is great at keeping its audience in a state of suspense.  The film spirals from crazy to freakishly bizarre as the movie progresses.  This movie seemed to be more on the Hollywood side, but had many of the bizarre characteristics that would make this film seem more Indie than Hollywood.  One thing that made the movie a bit hard to watch was the acting, it was either overdone or bland.  Nothing special there. 

Things that I have noticed througout the film. 

1. I'm not going to lie, Frank Booth played by Dennis Hopper, really scared the crap out of me.

    2. Laura Dern has by far the ugliest fake cry I have ever had the misfortune of seeing.

    3. The song " Blue Velvet" has been stuck in my head since the day we watched the film.

                                      I like the Lana Del Rey version better.

Little Miss Sunshine

This week's assigned reading was Indie Opposition: Happiness vs. Juno.  In this section, we learned that not everything that is presented to us as "Independent" may not be completely independent.  We read about how  even though a film may come from a independent film maker, the film maker may be making the film under a production company that gives the film maker a big budget.  These films are so similar to Hollywood films that they are actually blurring the line between Indie and Hollywood films. 

In this week's class we watched Little Miss Sunshine .  I think that this film by far, is my favorite film we have watched this semester.  I believe that the reason for this is because, it is more of what I am used to seeing in Hollywood-style films.  Although this movie was not completely similar to the big budget studio films we are used to seeing at the theaters, it is typical yet quirky enough to pique the interest of any film goer.
To be completely honest, I can not decide whether to categorize this film as Independent or Hollywood.  This film definitely contains elements of a mainstream Hollywood film, but then it contains all the quirk that is characteristic of Independent films.  The way the story flowed was very Hollywood  like, with no unconventional methods of story-telling or episodic narrative structure, and was very straight forward.  Even though the story line was very streamlined, there movie was filled with quirk and oddities that are characteristic of Indie films.  The characters themselves are the only source of quirk in this film.  One example of this is the uncle Franks suicide, for someone who was distraught enough to take his own life, he seems to be very positive.  Another example of the quirk in the film is the family's display at the pageant.  Olive is not as glitz'd up as the rest of the girls in the pageant and to some, she sticks out like a sore thumb.  I thought that Olive was actually the prettiest girl there because she was natural, and not wearing three wigs.  Her performance was truly unique thanks to her Grandpa, and soon into her performance the whole family joins in.  Another example that I thought was hilarious was when the family stole grandpas body.  Now that is something you won't see in a Hollywood style film!

Wendy and Lucy

In class last Thursday we watched a movie called Wendy and Lucy.  At first I wasn’t sure what to expect, but when we finally began to watch the movie, I was drawn into the story.  The story is very raw and realistic, and definitely makes a statement about one element of society that is typically not focused on in major Hollywood style films.  I think that this film really addresses a major social problem in society, which is poverty.  It tells the story of a poverty stricken woman named Wendy, and her journey to Alaska.   The story literally follows Wendy through her days in a town that she was “Just passing through”.  We are shown everything that happens to Wendy, and we also see the sacrifices she made in effort to preserve her life.  We watch her sacrifice her money, loose her car, her dog, and calculate her money after every transaction.  This movie really lets you see first-hand how bad poverty can be.  In today’s economy almost everyone is hurting financially, people are struggling to pay bills and are working more and barely making ends meet, and these people actually have jobs.  Imagine how bad it would be if you were homeless, no job, hardly any money, and no family.  We tend not to look outside of our own little bubbles and focus on how bad we have it, when in reality there are people that are living in much worse conditions.  This film really makes you think twice about what you have, and forces you to realize that one day, you may lose it all.  This film definitely brought a (TON!) of tears to my eyes.   It was interesting to see poverty through a young woman’s eyes, things become more real (for me at least), when I see someone who near my age group going through this hard time.  When I heard that the film maker said that the movie was not supposed to be political, it dropped a few points on the creative scale, in my mind at least.  When watching the film I strongly felt that main idea of the film was to make a statement about poverty in America, the political viewpoint made it more interesting.  Knowing that this was a just a personal film made it a little more lackluster for me.  I thought the film maker was trying to creatively send a message, but I guess not.

Overall, if you’re looking at this film from a political viewpoint, it’s amazing.  But if you are looking to watch it for kicks there really isn’t much going on for it, in my opinion.

Pulp Fiction Film Review

In class for the past two weeks, we watched Quentin Tarantino’s hit film Pulp Fiction.  In 1992, Quentin Tarantino was always seen as an independent film maker, but today the name Tarantino is well known in the film making industry.  Just this year Tarantino released his new film Django Unchained which has now grossed over 186.76 million dollars.  Personally, I have never heard of Quentin Tarantino until I watched his newest movie Django Unchained, which I personally thought was amazing.  I thought he was always a big time Hollywood film maker, until I read that he was actually an independent film maker.  When I heard that we were going to watch a Quentin Tarantino film in class I was excited to find out how Quentin Tarantino made his name in the world of film making. 

                Pulp Fiction was said to be the prize possession of Miramax.  This is because it was the first independent film to gross over 100 million dollars at the box office.  Essentially, the esteem this film had, had also given Miramax esteem as well.  It proved that there was still room for independent films in the market. ( Ronald Bergan,2006)

                Pulp Fiction was probably one of the best movies I have watched in a while, its satirical flavor, take on pop culture, and unconventional method of story-telling are elements of this movie that I believe make this movie stand out.  My favorite scene in the movie involved Vincent and Joules.  Vincent, who is played by the plump John Travolta, and Joules, who is played by Samuel L. Jackson work for a man named Marcellus Wallace.  Vincent and Joules do Marcellus Wallace’s dirty work, which involve killing those who double cross him and delivering his possessions. 

Vincent and Joules are hilarious, although the plot is very serious and the manner in which they say their lines are meant to be serious, they just come off to be very satirical.  One thing that I noticed, actually you would have to be deaf to notice, is the overuse of profanity.  Although the terms used in this film may be controversial to those with sensitive ears, I found that the profanity really added to the hilarity of the film. 

Another element of this film that really allowed it to stand out in my eyes was the films take on pop culture.  Typically in Hollywood style films, it is rare to hear the characters of the film speaking about elements of pop culture amongst each other.  In Pulp Fiction there are many instances where elements of pop culture are discussed.  In the opening scene, Vincent is telling Joules about the McDonalds in Amsterdam.  Vincent tells Joules that in Amsterdam the Quarter Pounder is not called the Quarter Pounder; instead it is referred to as a Royale with cheese.   There was also a conversation about Big Kahuna Burger, Joules talks about how he has longed to try a Big Kahuna Burger just before killing a man who had double crossed Marcellus.  Also, there is a scene about Vincent and Marcellus’s wife where they go to Fat Rabbit Slims, which is a 50’s themed diner whose waiters and waitresses are all dressed as iconic people of the 1950’s.

I think that the reason that this movie is pretty unique is because of its unconventional method of storytelling.  The beginning is also the final scene.  As a member of the audience, the method of storytelling is a fun and avant-garde way of presenting the pieces of this film.  Even though in the order they were presented the scenes did not fit together, each scene could stand independently and was amusing and was able to effectively tell a story.  This was one of those movies where you are constantly sitting in your seat adding things up, trying to figure out the story line.  Although some people dislike this method of storytelling, I believe it really makes the movie more interesting and adds to the fun yet wild feel of this film.

Mystery Train- A Multi-Strand Narrative

This week in Contemporary Cinema we watched the film Mystery Train by Jim Jarmusch.  Having never watched a film by Jarmusch, I did not know what to expect from this movie and was not familiar with his style.  To be completely honest, when I heard the name of this movie, I was scared it was going to be a bit like Harmony Korine’s bizarre film Julien Donkey Boy. (Thankfully it was not as grotesque, but it still encompassed similar-but not equal- emphasis on the main characters)  To my surprise I actually enjoyed the movie and was able to understand the filmmaker’s artistic point of view and was able to appreciate the movie because of this.  This movie was different from many of the movies I have ever seen because the film maker chooses to use different form of narrative that is more complex than a typical Hollywood narrative.  Jarmusch uses a multi-strand narrative plot line which shows us the same period of time through viewpoints that are different yet intertwined.

                This film is separated into three different parts, and uses three completely different groups of people.  In the first part “Far from Yokohono” it follows two Japanese tourists Jun and Mitzuko travel to Memphis  on their quest to visit Graceland and all of the Elvis related landmarks.  They stop at a hotel for the night, and end up making love, when they finish they fall asleep listening to the radio; the radio host says that it is 2:15 a.m. and the song “Blue Moon” by Elvis begins to play.  The next day as the couple leaves the hotel they hear a gunshot, which they disregard.  

Between each of the scenes there is dialogue between the bell boy and the owner of the hotel, along with a warning about a group of armed robbers and that it was 2:15 a.m. and the song “Blue Moon” by Elvis Presley played.  This same sequence is replayed again and again until the end of the story.

In the Second part of the film entitled “Ghost” a young woman named Louisa who is recently widowed is accompanying her husband’s corpse back to Italy but their travel is halted when the plane is grounded until the next morning, she wanders the town in search of a place to sleep she finds a hotel and plans to rent a room for the night.  As Louisa walks in she trips over a woman named Dee Dee who is stumbling out of the hotel arguing with the man at the front desk, who tells her that she does not have enough money to rent a room for the night.  Dee Dee recently left her boyfriend and sought out the hotel to rest in until she boards a train leaving town the next morning.  After hearing this Lousia decides to pay for the room and share it with Dee Dee.   As the night progresses and the girls decide to go to bed the two women hear noises coming from the next room (we are lead to assume that it is the love-making sounds from Japanese couple in the next room), Dee Dee decides to turns the radio and the radio host tells them that it is 2:15 a.m. and the song “Blue Moon” by Elvis Presley begins to play.  As the song ends Louisa believes that the ghost of Elvis Presley has visited her, terrified she stays up for the remainder of the night.  The next day as they are preparing to leave, the two girls hear a gunshot and disregard it, just like the Japanese couple.

In the third part “Lost in Space” Johnny (Dee Dee’s ex-boyfriend, who is nicknamed Elvis), Charlie (Dee Dee’s brother), and Will ( Johnny’s best friend) become entangled in a murder committed by Johnny to get free alcohol.  The group of men ride around town until they find the hotel and beg the owner, Will’s brother-in-law, to let them stay the night for free.  The owner reluctantly accepts and the men go upstairs and find a picture of Elvis hanging on the wall, Johnny turns it around and the guys begin talking, they look for a radio to turn on but there is no radio in the room.  They end up falling asleep and the next morning before they leave, Johnny puts the gun to his head in attempt to kill himself, Charlie tries to take the gun away from him and Johnny ends up shooting Charlie in the leg.  The hotel manager sends the bell boy up to their room to see what is going on.  And that is when we realize that the gunshot that the Japanese couple and the two women heard was the shot fired from the men in part three of the film.

As you can see, this film had a lot of repetition, which to some people can be seen as annoying, but without the repetition of parts you would not be able to see how the multiple-strand narrative came together (temporal overlap).  These scenes were not connected by obvious factors, in order to understand how the story fit together you need to pay attention to the details.  I feel that because the filmmaker chose to present the information in this manner it keeps the audience interested and anxious to finally understand the connection to the three different stories. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this film, it was put together in such an interesting way that it kept me attentive throughout the whole movie.  I really liked that the plot line wasn’t predictable, which really added to the film’s mysteriousness.  One thing I didn’t understand though is the title,( I wish I did!) it would only make this film that much more awesome in my book , maybe I overlooked it? Oh, well! It was still a great movie!

Realism in Lost in Translation

It is well known that the story lines for most major Hollywood films of today are a bit out of the ordinary.  They tell stories of vampires, werewolves, super human characters, and of course the perfect love story.  Although the movie may be great as a whole, we the viewer’s know that  the plot line for some of these movies are so far from reality that we can’t really identify with the themes or characters the film makers are trying to portray.  It feels as though Hollywood film makers have pretty much thrown the concept of realism out the window.   I am not saying that all Hollywood movies completely lack realism, there are instances in movies where you can catch small glimpses of realism, but then it’s back to the same unrealistic plot line.   I think that it is refreshing to watch a film that is completely centered around the portrayal of real emotions of characters that seem to be realistic.  The movie Lost in Translation is one movie that absolutely compelled me to feel with the main characters in the film and relate it to my own life.

Lost in Translation is about two strangers, a disheartened movie star and a lonely housewife, who meet in Tokyo.  Now, if this film were a typical Hollywood style film the plot line would be predictable, they fall in love, get married, and live happily ever after.  But this movie is not one of those tall tales with a typical happy ending.  At the beginning of the movie we see both characters in their own domains; we see them in a depressed state and watch them struggle to make some form of connection with the people around them.  As the movie progresses the filmmakers show us the instances that push these characters to feel the way they feel.  Then when the two strangers finally meet, they both make light of their sad attitudes and find comfort with each other, until the movie star leaves Tokyo.  These two characters, although they seemed to be compatible, did not get married and live happily ever after.

There are many examples of realism in this movie which allow this film to touch the hearts of its viewers.  One major example of realism in this film the film makers use of emotions.  In most major Hollywood movies, the characters are typically happy, exuberant and in some cases even eccentric; whereas in Lost in Translation  the characters are presented as “lost” individuals meaning that they are isolated, depressed and lonely which shows realism because in real life, not everyone is content with the way their lives are going.   Also, even though the movie is about two Americans meeting in Tokyo, the places portrayed in the film seemed to be very typical which made the story more realistic.  Finally, the fact that they didn't live happily ever after together is an excellent example of realism because in real life, people don’t always get happy endings.

Overall I feel that the realism in major Hollywood films is lacking.  Some major companies have developed ways to make their stories seem more realistic by making their movies in 3-D and 4-D to make the audience feel like they are actually experiencing what the characters are experiencing.  But even with these added affects which can cost millions of dollars to create, they can easily give the viewer a more realistic experience by making the story lines as realistic and unique as possible. 

Harmony Korine: From Gummo to Spring Breakers

               

               

      Harmony Korine is widely known in the indie community for his unique style of film making.  Harmony’s films are typically far from the mainstream in the sense that they tend to depict people and events through a bristly, gritty viewpoint and contain all the strange familiarity of a nightmare you can’t wake up from.  The cultural dissonance portrayed in his films is characteristic of Korine’s artistic style.  His films have a habit of making people aberrantly mad, but if you watch them with a heightened sense of concentration, you can actually appreciate the stylistic choices made by Korine.  From his film making debut at age 19, Korine has made films that showcase a sense of exaggerated realism in a weird and gritty way, until recently.  His new movie Spring Breakers seems to me to be the exact opposite of the style that he has tried so hard to maintain.

Korine’s 1997 film Gummo, is a low budget film that follows two boys named Solomon and Tummler on their involvements in Xenia Ohio, a small town that never actually recovered after being torn apart by a tornado in the 1970’s.  Korine immediately terminates the idea of a plot line by showing us bits and pieces of disconnected scenes with many bizarre characters who really express to the audience the central idea of the film, which is a corrupt group of kids.  Korine also did not use real actors to act in this film because he felt that real people could contribute something more than an actor ever could and that is a sense of realism and personality.  The film is extremely off-Hollywood due to the simplistic cinematography and stylistic choice.  The film is a lower budget film with less expensive talent and showcases a sense of exaggerated realism by following the ‘ordinary’ lives of the characters.  

Korine’s latest film Spring Breakers seems to be a colossal change in Korine’s style. By only watching the trailer movie appears to be much different that Gummo but in reality it still encompasses the same central idea which is a group of corrupt kids but it is just displayed in a more flashy and provocative way, and it helps that it has a story line.  Korine, who previously did not like to use real actors in his films, uses ex- Disney stars to make a point about kids and corruption.  In my personal opinion, I believe that Korine’s choice to use ex- Disney stars in this movie will actually heighten the symbolism and make the movies message more realistic when the audience sees that even the teen actors they looked up to on their favorite television shows are now bikini wearing bank robbers that sworn to do whatever it takes to have the most wild spring break.  Opposite of Gummo , this movie seems to be more on the Hollywood side than the indie side, with bug budgets, stars , and advanced cinematography.  Although the movie seems to lack the grit and grain that is characteristic in the rest of Korine’s films, I’m sure the movie will contain a unique twist that I believe no one in the theater (except those who know Korine’s work) will see coming. 

                I hope that when the movie comes out, it will show the world just how good a Harmony Korine film can be and maybe people will find a new found appreciation for his older works.  I also hope that Korine will stick to his stylistic preference and not conform to the ways of mainstream film making, unless he wants to. I’m sure a lot of people wouldn't mind the change though.

Moonrise Kingdom- Review

This short film takes place in 1965 on a fictional island named New Penzance. The movie begins in the main female character Suzy Bishop’s home. The scene shows the Bishop boys listening to their record player while Suzy is sitting with binoculars around her neck. Suzy is a twelve year old girl who is disliked by her peers and her parents believe that she is a troubled child. Through a flashback we learn that she has a pen pal, named Sam Shukusky, who she meets at a play of Noah’s Ark at a church. Sam is an orphan and a member of the Khaki scout troop 55. He is also disliked by his peers and his foster parents have refused to take him back after camp ends because they believe he is disturbed. Sam and Suzy have been writing each other for a year and have decided to run away together to an unnamed island. It is not long before Suzy’s mother, Laura, and Sam’s Khaki scout troop leader, Scout Master Ward, find out about the runways. They notify Captain Share that they are each missing a child, which causes the entire island to start a manhunt to locate the two runaways. The two star-crossed lovers are not in any hurry to be found and thanks to Sam’s wilderness survival skills are well equipped and ready to take on anyone who tries to stop their love. The narrator of this story tells us that in three days there will be a storm unlike any other on the island that adds to the necessity to find Sam and Suzy soon.

In Chapter 1 of American Independent Cinema, Geoff King discusses the strategies that are employed when making an independent film. He states, “Some films customarily designated as ‘independent’ operate at a distance from the mainstream in all three respects: they are produced in an ultra-low-budget world a million miles from that of the Hollywood blockbuster; they adopt formal strategies that disrupt or abandon the smoothly flowing conventions associated with the mainstream Hollywood style; and they offer challenging perspectives on social issues, a rarity in Hollywood”.

Although, Wes Anderson has tried multiple times to make his way into mainstream film making this film demonstrates the opposite of what is required to make a blockbuster film. In a non-independent film story lines are typically smooth-flowing and spoon fed to the audience. However, Anderson uses unconventional methods of telling the story which adds to the films originality and makes the story line thought-provoking. Also, Instead of telling a love story about two children in modern times, Anderson approaches the sensitive topic of young love from an outdated standpoint, which in my opinion is more captivating. The use of deadpan humor in was a phenomenal addition which added humor to this film in a unique and unconventional way. The wackily dressed narrator and the quirky wardrobes of the cast were fitting to their awkward characters.

Anderson was also working on a tight money budget because his last film The Fantastic Mr. Fox did not do as well as he had hoped. It was evident in the film that the budget was tight, because of minor things like location and the simplicity of the scenes and filming quality and techniques.  Although the budget was small I believe this film reached its maximum potential, and truly told a story that was more realistic than the stories of Hollywood.

One thing that truly caught my attention was the use of symbolism in this movie which is rare to find in mainstream Hollywood films. One use for symbolism in the film was the fact that Sam and Suzy ran away to an island which is symbolic for isolation. Another is the fact that Sam and Suzy see adults as nothing more than unrelatable human beings, when the truth is that the children and adults have more than a few similarities.

Overall, Moonrise Kingdom is a must see film whether the audience is accustomed to Independent films or not. The quirky characters, picturesque settings and the thought-provoking story line are definitely the primary reason that this film is so interesting. As a person who has never been interested in Independent films, I can truly say that this film has heightened my interest in the Indie film industry and I will definitely be watching more Indie films in the future.