Crash

Crash is a movie that takes several people and intertwines them.  You have a  a police detective with a drugged out mother and a troublesome younger brother, two car thieves who are constantly theorizing on society and race, the district attorney and his irritated and spoiled wife, a racist veteran cop who disgusts his more idealistic younger partner, a successful Hollywood director and his wife who must deal with the racist cop, a Persian-immigrant father who buys a gun to protect his shop, a Hispanic locksmith and his young daughter who is afraid of bullets.  The theme of the film focuses on the social problem of racism in our society.  Modern filmmakers are very concerned with social problems and show their concern in films that expose social vices and follies or criticize social institutions. The Art of Watching Films pg 27  Examples are the way Karen is violated by the racist vetern cop John Ryan or how Jean Cabbot has a tantrum about the changing the locks and says, "your amigo in there is gonna sell our key to one of his homies."

This is another crediable story that shows the way things really are.  The significance in the title is that all of their lives intertwine within a 36 hour time period, essentially 'crash' together.  The story is told in a linear structure and shows you the characters and then begins with the complications.  Crash also uses different film stock, most of the film is done with smooth grain, while there are moments of rough-grain. This film takes place in LA in relatively current times.  Most of the movies was filmed on scene and not in a studio.  Crash had a very minimal budget so director Paul Haggis had to cut the costs by using his own house for scenes and even his own car for other scenes. Crash was filmed in a short 36 days.  The Directors cut of this film is only 3 minutes longer than the original version, extending the scene where Daniel is trying to convince his daughter to get out from under the bed.  The story begins in the medias res with a car crash on Mullholland Drive.  The movie then starts over and shows how all parties arrived. 

The cast of Crash, Sandra Bullock, was so committed to appearing in this film that she bought her own plane ticket to fly to the set. Also, is well renowned for her role, she has less than 6 minutes of actual screen time throughout the entire film.  Two Koreans were intentionally cast as the "Chinese" couple to underscore the fact that most non-Asians cannot or don't care to differentiate between the various Asian nationalities and instead choose to refer to all of them (Chinese, Korean, Thai, Japanese, etc.) as "Chinese", like the characters in the movie do. (IMBD)  The actors made you believe they were the characters in the film.  The ultimate goal of any actor should be to make us believe completely in the reality of the character.  The Art of Watching Films pg 319

This film is rated R for language, sexual content and some violence in the US.  For society is shows us real problems that have been and are happening from the racism to corrupt officials to property theft and crime. 

The Devil Wears Prada

The Devil Wears Prada is a comedy-drama that is a loose adaptation of the novel by the same name. I think that the film focuses on the idea of the struggle for human dignity.  There are two opposing sides between the fashion world and Miranda Priestly(Meryl Streep) and Andy Sachs(Anne Hathaway).  Andy is taking this job, that "a million girls would kill for," but it is not a career that she is interested in.  As time goes on she succumbs to the fashion world and gives up her social life to become Miranda's second assistant.  In the end she stands up for her morals and quit her job.  This is a credible story in which many people can relate to.  I am sure that everyone can recall a time when we ourselves or someone we know has changed to fit into a roll, whether it be for a job or maybe even to fit in in school.  The significance of the title The Devil Wears Prada is in that most people view Miranda Priestly as the devil in Prada because she is so driven in her career.  To quote the movie, "If she were a man, the only thing people would talk about is how good she is at her job." 

This film goes in a linear structure and has a internal conflict with Andrea 'Andy' Sachs.  She is a dynamic character, that goes from being timid and unsure to confident and in control. Dynamic characters become sadder or wiser, or happier and more self-confident.  They might gain some new awareness of life, become more mature or responsible, or become more moral or less so. The Art of Watching Films pg 68  The character of Miranda Priestley is supposedly based on Anna Wintour(her nickname in the industry is 'Nuclear Wintour'). (IMDB) Many fashion designers allowed their clothes and accessories to be used in the film. Ultimately at least $1 million worth of clothing was used in the film, making it one of the most expensively costumed movies in cinema history.The single priciest item was a $100,000 Fred Leighton necklace on Streep.

The film has high angle shots as seen when going over the city streets.  At the end of The Devil Wears Prada, the scene where Miranda and Andy are in the backseat the scene was shot on stage against a green screen.  This princiapal photography took place over 57 days in New York and Paris between October and December 2005.  Ballhaus composed as many shots as possible, whether interiors or exteriors, to at least partially take in busy New York street scenes in the background, to show the excitement of working in a glamorous industryin the city. He also used a handheld camera during some of the busier meeting scenes in Miranda's office, to better convey the flow of action, and slow motion for Andrea's entrance into the office following her makeover. (Wikipedia) There is also several transitions in the movie, one example is after Andy's makeover and they show her walking the streets of NY in various different outfits.  Her outfit changes everytime something blocks the camera visual like a car.

Composer Theodore Shapiro relied heavily on guitar and percussion, with the backing of a full orchestra, to capture a contemporary urban sound. He ultimately wrote 35 minutes of music for the film, which were performed and recorded by the Hollywood Studio Symphony.  The City of Blinding Lights by U2 was played appropriatly as Miranda and Andy went throught the streets of Paris.  Vogue was played for Andy's fashion montage and first day on the job.  All of these songs were good choices that went well with what was portrayed on the screen and gave a good affect.

Anne Hathaway prepared for the part by volunteering for a week as an assistant at an auction house.  Emily Blunt was cast for the role of Emily and in several scenes, she is seen running about in the background - though never written or directed, she felt her character would always be busy and wanted to keep her alive in the film.  Gisele Bundchen agreed to be in the movie only if she didn't play a model.  Simon Baker auditioned by sending a video of himself, wearing the same self-designed green jacket he has on when he and Andrea meet for the first time. I think that everyone that was cast for this film did an exceptional job, and they all put their own trademark, so to say on the characters they played. 

What effect does this film have on society?  The motions picture's power as a social force comes from its ability to pick up, amplify, and spread to society as a whole currents that already exist among segments of the population. The Art of Watching Films pg 516  The Devil Wears Prada is rated PG-13 for some sensuality in the US.  In the UK, Singapore, Australia, and Ireland it is only rated PG. That shows that in different cultures the content of film is viewed differently.  I think that this film focuses on some of the hardships that people face when joining the workforce.  We all have to start somewhere and you may not always land your dream job.  It shows that we need to make it work, become involved and form passion and drive for what we do everyday.

Memento

Memento is a film that was filmed in a short 25 days.  Christopher Nolan's screenplay was based on his brother Johnathan Nolan's story "Memento Mori". But the screenplay is still considered original, rather than adapted because Jonathan's story wasn't published until after the film was completed.  The medical condition experienced by Leonard in this film is a real condition called Anterograde Amnesia - the inability to form new memories after damage to the hippocampus.

The film starts out in reverse with a Polaroid picture but all of the sound is moving forward.  To get a better looking scene in reverse, they didn't simply film it forward and reverse it in editing. They fed the film through in reverse, making a crisper picture.  The transitions in the is film go from color to black and white.  Color has probably been used most often to signal important changes.  This can be accomplished by using color in conjunction with black and white or by switching to an obviously different color emphasis or style at the point of transition. The Art of Watching Films pg 233 The film's events unfold in two separate, alternating narratives — one in color, and the other in black and white. The black and white sections are told in chronological order, showing Leonard conversing with an anonymous phone caller in a motel room. Leonard's investigation is depicted in color sequences that are in reverse order. As each sequence begins, the viewer is unaware of the preceding events, just like Leonard, thereby giving us a sense of his confusion.

While composing the soundtrack, they created different, distinct sounds to differentiate between the color and black-and-white scenes.  Julyan says, "The emotion I was aiming at with my music was yearning and loss. But a sense of loss you feel but at the same time you don't know what it is you have lost, a sense of being adrift, (Wikipedia)  The cast for this movie fit their roles well.  The ultimate goal of any character should be to make us believe completely in the reality of the character.  The Art of Watching Films pg 319
Guy Pearce makes you believe that he has no short term memory by repeating himself and using pictures to find things, by looking a little shocked by the notes he finds. 

Christopher Nolan's love of literature is an integral aspect to his style as a film-maker.  “ I studied English Literature. I wasn't a very good student, but one thing I did get from it, while I was making films at the same time with the college film society, was that I started thinking about the narrative freedoms that authors had enjoyed for centuries and it seemed to me that filmmakers should enjoy those freedoms as well.” (Wiki quote) Memento was only his second debut film.  With his films he is creative and uses his own style, he does not conform to regular Hollywood standards.

The Shining

This week I have chosen The Shining in light of the Halloween spirit and because it is a fantastic movie.  This film was voted nineth scariest movie by Entertainment Weekly.  According to Variety Magazine The Shining took two-hundred days to shoot, but according to assistant director Gordon Stainforth it took much more than that, nearly a year.

There were many options for scene selections in this film.  Director Stanley Kubrick is known for his numerous retakes and compulsiveness. Kubrick originally wanted approximately 70 takes of the scene where Halloran gets killed by Jack Torrance, but Jack Nicholson talked Kubrick into going easy on the 69-year-old Crothers and stopping after 40. At one point during the filming, Crothers became so exasperated with Kubrick's notorious, compulsive style of excessive retakes that he broke down and cried, asking "What do you want, Mr. Kubrick?" (IMDB) The scene where Wendy is backing up the stairs and swinging the bat was said to have take 35-40 takes as well.  This film also sets the world recond for takes with the scene where Danny is eating ice cream with Halloran, which was said to have been shot 148 times.  All of this footage gave the editor numerous choices for each scene to select the best.  The editor chooses the segments that provide the most powerful, effective, or significant visual and sound effects and eliminates inferior, irrelavant, or insignificant material. (The Art of Watching Films pg 187)

There were several different transitions throughout the film.  For example they transition from Jack looking at the scale model of the hedge maze and then cut to Wendy and Danny running in the center of it.  Also they transition from Danny to his visions or "shining" when he sees the past or present.  The time for time movie is compressed as well, it will cut to a black screen showing the days of the week i.e Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. There is also flash cuts when Danny is having  a vision and Jack is in room 237. 

The dialogue of this film was great.  Here's Johnny is something everyone who has seen the film remembers.  The music throughout the movie builds the suspense for events to come and what is happening in the present.  Wendy Carols and Rachel Elkind wrote and performed a full electronic score for the film, but Stanley Kubrick discarded most of it and used a soundtrack of mostly classical music. Only the adaptation of Hector Berlioz"s "Symphonie Fantastique" during the opening credits, the music during the family's drive to the hotel, and a few other brief moments (such as Halloran's plane trip) survive in the final version. (IMDB)  At the end of the film the song Midnight, the Stars and You by Jimmy Campbell is played showing a picture from 1921, but the song was recorded in 1932.

As far as the acting in the this movies, I think that Jack Nicholson was amazing as well as Danny Lloyd.  Shelly Duvall was not so great, she seemed to be the weak spot in the acting.  The main characters in this film, with the exception of Wendy all had the same first name. Kubrick had considered Robert De Niro and Robin Williams for the part of Jack, but chose neither of them. I would have to agree that he made the right choice with Jack Nicholson, he made us believe.  The characters had to do action acting.  This type of acting requires a great deal in the way of reactions, body language, physical exertion, and special skills, but does not draw on the deepest resources of the actors intelligence and feelings. (The Art of Watching Films pg 329)

This Shining is a fim that is based upon the novel by Stephen King.  King was first approached by Stanley Kubrick about making a film version of 'The Shining' via an early morning phone call (England is five hours ahead of Maine in time zones). King, suffering from a hangover, shaving and at first thinking one of his kids was injured, was shocked when his wife told him Kubrick was really on the phone. King recalled that the first thing Kubrick did was to immediately start talking about how optimistic ghost stories are, because they suggest that humans survive death. "What about hell?" King asked. Kubrick paused for several moments before finally replying, "I don't believe in hell." (IMDB)  Kubrick changed the script in the film from room 217, which was used in the book, to room 237.  And also opted to leave out the hedge animals that came alive in the book and give the film a hedge maze.  This show that he made small changes but tried to keep as close to the story as possible.  Basically he put his own spin on a story that was already told, but must have enjoyed to want to put it to the silver screen.

He Came As The Caretaker, But This Hotel Had Its Own Guardians - Who'd Been There A Long Time

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdgo Millionaire was a film to show the true India.  It shows the journey of a young boy as he grows into adulthood, and all of the experiences he has to endure along the way.  The film is not linear, it goes between the question he had to answer for "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," and the experiences that coincided with giving him the correct answer.  For example, the question about who was on the $100 bill, he got a $100 bill from the tourists and gave it to the blind boy who asked him to describe which president was on it, and answered Benjamin Franklin.

This film was set in India and also filmed there.  Slumdog Millionaire was filmed in four different locations in India three were actual locations and in one studio there.  When doing so is permissable within the limits of a films theme and purpose, filmakers choose a setting with a high degree of visual impact.  (The Art of Watching Films pg 103) This really showed how life in Mumbai and other locations was, gave the true effect of him being a "slumdog."  There were many different camera angles used throughout the movie, for example a high camera angle in the train station when he is watching for Latika.  The film also used many different lighting effects, the lights for the game show stage, the hot sun during the day, and darkness with subtle moonlight at night.  Some special effects also had to be used to for the people that were set on fire in the beginning as well.

Slumdog Millionaire shows true life about poverty and the stuggles it comes with, but also shows the fairytale most people dream of in Jamal winning "Who Wants to be a Millionaire."  The director/screen writers tried to put a love story into the mix of things, but there wasn't much substance there.  Overall, I found the movie to be just ok, nothing spectacular.

Finding Nemo

The film has an artistic semblance of truth.  Finding Nemo has a story that truly could take place and sets it in a fantasy ocean adventure.  Because it is a film from Disney and marketed mostly for children, it is done in bright, vivid colors to keep young viewers attention.  The story is sad, starting off with Marlin losing his fish companion and a mass amount of children except one, and then losing that one child to fishermen.  Finding Nemo also shows us that no matter how bad things seem that we need to keep moving on, keep living.  As Dory says, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming."

The film is set in Sydney, Australia and The Great Barrier Reef.  This was a great choice of setting for a movie that involves ocean life.  The Great Barrier Reef is the worlds largest single structure made by living organisms and supports a wide variety of life.  Green sea turtles and clown fish are just two of the inhabitants of this wondrous reef and are the basis for two of the characters found in Finding Nemo.  Marlin and nemo are clown fish, and Crush and Squirt are green sea turtles. 

To create the look and feel of a real underwater environment, the Finding Nemo development team recreated several components found in the ocean: particulate matter(particles, like specks of dust in the air, that are always present in water); surge and swell (the constant movement); caustic light (patterns of light on the ocean floor and shafts of light); murk (how light filters out over distance) and reflection and refraction( the look of water form above and below the surface).  http://www.pixar.com/featurefilms/nemo/behind.html All of these can be seen throughout the movie, for example, reflection and refraction is when Nemo is looking up through the water at the boat, or murk is when Marlin and Dory go through the trench. 

In the United States, the sterotypical audience for animated cartoons was once a theater full of screaming kids.  This perception has changed radically in the last decade, and in recent years animated films(including two Shrek films, Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles) have been amoung the natins top grossing movies, indicating their broad appeal. The Art of Wathcing Films pg166-167  I think that even though Finding Nemo is animated it is a wonderful film, I love Disney movies.  They are something that not only I can watch, but am also able to enjoy with my children.  There is something for everyone, kids love the characters and there is subtle humor for the adults.

Good Will Hunting is a credible story that is similar to real life and events. It tells the story of a man, Will Hunting, who is a little rough around the edges but is a genius.  He was an orphan that came from a abusive home.  This kind of background for a character gives a strong emotional effect to the viewers.  The film takes viewers through the transition of him being closed off and slightly violent to being open and focused.
The title of Good Will Hunting names the theme of the movie. There is no other significance to it.
This film has a linear structure to it.  It introduces us to the characters Will Hunting, Chuckie Sullivan, Morgan O'Mally,  Billy McBride, Prof. Lambeau, etc.  Then it is onto the conflict of Will Hunting being smarter than average, but having no direction in life.  He needs to overcome his past before he can move to the future. 
This was an internal conflict in the film. An internal conflict centers on an interior, psychological conflict with in the central character. (The Art of Watching Film, pg 59)  The character of Will Hunting is characterized through external action.  He is misleading with the fight at the beginning and his bad attitude.  Also when he refuses to get close to Skylar and tells her he doesn't love her. 

The main characters of Good Will Hunting are developing characters.  There were changes not only in Will, but also in Sean Maguire.  Sean decides to take off, put his chips on the table and bet again. He seems inspired by Will Hunting.  There is also a lot of  Irish symbolism in this film. The names of the characters, the place, Boston, music, and you will also see shamrocks throughout the film. 

The irony of the character, Will Hunting, is that you have a man who is afraid to be left and in the end leaves a letter for Maguire reading, "Sean, if the Professor calls about that job, just tell him, sorry, I have to go see about a girl."  They make you think he is going to take a good job, and then turns around and goes after what makes him happy.