Citizen Kane

Citizen Kane was movie that we watched much earlier in the semester, and I thought my post had submitted, but I see it has not, so I will just do it again. To sum it up briefly, Citizen Kane follows Charles Kane, who is seen by many as one of the world’s most interesting people. The movie starts out with him passing away, and his final words were “Rosebud.” Throughout the movie, reporters try to find out the meaning of Rosebud, and to do this they analyze his life from the beginning. We see Charles Kane as a child, and how his parents sell him to be raised by a wealthy banker. Kane does not want to leave his parents, but they are quick to let him go. We then see Kane as the owner of a newspaper that is very successful. Kane buys the newspaper out of spite it seems, but when it becomes successful, his popularity also increases substantially. He is in talks to run for governor when a scandal ruins his chances of ever holding public office. Throughout the movie he is married two times, and in both cases, the relationships end poorly. By the end we see that he dies a lonely old man, and that the reporters give up on finding the meaning of Rosebud. At the very end we see Rosebud was the name of his sled, which leads me to believe that he wishes he could relive his childhood before leaving his parents.

It is important to note the various examples of MES and the camera angles used for the various shots we see. The shot in the beginning of the film where we see Kane’s mansion is very important to see because through the various shots, the character Kane is built up on a large level. The camera angles used also show the deterioration of Kane’s relationships wife his two wives, and this is especially seen with his first wife. There is a scene with the two of them at the dinner table right after being married, and the mood is pleasant, but as the shots continue, we see what a loveless marriage looks like.

All in all I liked the film. I think the message I take away is that family and friends are truly worth more than material possessions, money, and power. I would grow old with my loved ones and pass away with them by my side and be poor than grow old, rich, and alone.

Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind

I viewed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind a few times over the last month because of its disorganized story, and because I was enamored with its message about love. This film stars Jim Carey and Kate Winslet, and they are two characters who are polar opposites, but end up in a relationship. Jim Carey plays a soft spoken, awkward man named Joel, while Kate Winslet plays a spontaneous and aggressive woman named Clementine. The movie starts with them randomly finding each other on a train, and they immediately hit it off. They decide to continue seeing each other, but then it is discovered that they had dated once before and that they both used futuristic technology to erase the memories of each other from their brains. Joel had apparently found out that Clementine underwent the procedure first, which led him to do it as well, but during the procedure he realizes it was a mistake. He wants to remember her because although there were many bad times, there were just as many good ones. He tries to hide Clementine in his memory, and ultimately fails.

While all of that is going on, the film also follows the scientists who perform the procedure. They have a mixed group dynamic, and it shows that they have their own problems with relationships and dealing with those feelings. Mary is dating Stan, but it is discovered that she had an affair with Dr. Mierzwiak and had her memory erased. Meanwhile Patrick tries to use Joel’s notes on Clementine to try to swoon her for himself, but that ultimately fails because while trying to relive some of Joel and Clementine’s moments, it sets her off, and that relationship ends before it really begins.

While I understand that it would be nice to erase the pain that people who were once close to you cause, I believe that if the technology was real, I would not partake in it. The saying, “It’s better that have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all,” is correct in my opinion. Through these ended relationships, humans are able to progress and find true happiness. Also I think that we should follow Joel’s eventual point of view and cherish the good memories, because they were positive. If a relationship wasn’t meaningful, then there wouldn’t be pain to begin with, so maybe people should hold onto that meaning, rather than try to erase it.

Moonlight

It has been a while since I have posted a movie review, but most recently I have watched Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight. It is difficult to summarize because of its interesting structure, but pretty much it is a coming of age story that follows an African American kid named Chiron. I say that the structure of the film is interesting because it is broken up into 3 parts, one for him being little, one for Chiron’s adolescence, and one that highlights Chiron as an adult. The film evokes many emotions, but the main one is sadness because of the adverse living standards and situations that we see Chiron placed in. One of the more powerful scenes in Moonlight is when we see Chiron at Juan and Theresa’s house. Juan is a drug dealer, but looks out for Chiron because at this point, he is still a child. Chiron is silent in the beginning of the scene, making the audience feel tense, but then when he does speak to Juan, he asks questions that anyone would have difficulties answering. He asks Juan what a faggot is, if he (Chiron) is one, and if Juan is a drug dealer. These are very loaded questions for a child to ask someone, and the scene ends with Chiron leaving and Juan feeling a great deal of shame. He is ashamed because it is implied that he sells drugs to Chiron’s mother, which makes Chiron’s home life rough.

As we continue through the movie, we see Chiron change and become even more reserved. While many kids his age are developing for the better, it seems the Chiron has gone in the opposite direction. Juan is dead at this point, and we can assume it is because of his occupation. Chiron is mostly alone, and then we discover that Chiron is homosexual when he and his friend Kevin experiment. This ends poorly as that relationship comes to a grinding halt due to hazing from others, and leads Chiron into the next part of his life, where he is sent to Juvenile Hall for assault and eventually becomes a drug dealer known as “Black.” The film comes to a close when Kevin and Chiron meet up again, and Chiron finally expresses the emotions built up over years of emotional trauma.

If I had to compare Chiron’s experience to a character in another movie we’ve watched, it would probably be Antoine from 400 Blows because of the similar relationships they have with their mothers and the independence they have early on. There experiences shape them and while we don’t see Antoine as an adult like we do Chiron, it is not unreasonable to assume that his experiences of running away and being on his own have a lasting impact on him.

I also thought it was important to mention the impact sexuality has on Chiron in this movie. Sexuality is a large piece of our identities, and throughout the movie Chiron is trying to discover who he is. It is sad to see how he gets shamed and assaulted for trying to become who he really is, and I think this is a clear example of the ignorance that some people still have.

The Shining

This past week I watched the Shining, which was directed by Stanley Kubrick. This was definitely the scariest movie we’ve watched thus far, and this was difficult for me personally because I get very uncomfortable when watching horror films. To summarize it, the Shining is about a family of three who move into a hotel so the father (Jack Nicholson) can both work as the hotel caretaker and work on writing in his free time. The hotel has a troubling history with murders, but the family decides to move in anyway, and shortly after they discover that there is supernatural activity going on. Danny is seen many times talking to his imaginary friend “Tony,” but we then find out that Tony is a ghost and that Danny has been getting possessed. As we travel further through the movie, we see Jack go crazy because of the ghosts and try to kill everyone in sight. He then murder Hallorann and tries to murder his family, but is unsuccessful in the end. His wife and son escape on a snow mobile after running through a maze, while Jack succumbs to the cold weather and freezes to death. The ending of the movie is very strange because we see Jack in a picture that is dated July 4th 1921. I still do not understand what this means.

I think it is noteworthy to bring up the fact that Jack Nicholson prepared for this role through excessive method acting. He did this to put himself in the same mindset of his character and it truly showed, especially in the scene where he uses an axe to knock down the bathroom door. Not only is this scene scary as Kubrick intended, but it shows how deranged Jack’s character is. I think this type of acting allowed the Shining to be scarier than the other films we’ve scene up until this point because it made it more believable. The actress that played Wendy did a good job using this method also, and after the competition of the film, it is rumored that she needed to seek psychological treatment for performing the role. I’ve also heard that Kubrick was an abusive director, which would make sense considering how sinister the film is.

Besides the method acting, it was a typical horror film that used a lot of MES and sound types to emphasize its continued suspense. A good example of MES is when Danny writes Red Rum with his Wendy’s lipstick. The usage of the prop makes the message so much darker.

All in all, even though I have a hard time sitting through horror films, I enjoyed the shinning because the acting and filming techniques made it very captivating. I’m also glad I watched it because it is considered a cult classic and is referenced in a lot of modern movies.

Godfather Thoughts

This week I had the pleasure of watching the Godfather, which was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. To give a brief synopsis, the film displays the lives of the major crime families in New York (the Corleone family more specifically). It follows many characters as the Corleone family is large in number, and shows how they operate as a crime syndicate. The leader of the family is Don (Vito) Corleone who has been in power for many years, and is played by Marlon Brando. He is a quiet, level headed man who turns down an offer to invest in narcotics, which then leads to a war between the families. Don Corleone has an attempt on his life, and survives, but he ends up losing one of his sons, which cements his decision to end the war. At the same time, the film follows another main character, Michael (who is played by Al Pacino). He seems to be the most intelligent of Don Corleone’s sons, and is initially not involved in the family’s business. Because of the war he hides out in Sicily, marries, has his wife murdered, and comes back when the war is officially declared finished. At the end of the film, Don Corleone passes away and Michael takes over as the leader of the Corleone family. While Michael is at his nieces’ baptism, he orders the killings of numerous crime family figures, cementing himself as a ruthless mobster in the underworld, and setting up the follow up movies.

Though the plot of the film is very interesting, I think it is important to note the various underlying themes used to show the customs of the time period. Traditional gender roles are shown frequently as men are supposed to be tough, and women are to be obedient. In one of the beginning scenes of the film, we see Don Corleone chewing out one of the characters for crying. He did not get the role he wanted in an upcoming film, and Don Corleone told him to, “act like a man.” Even though it is totally understandable to be upset in this scene, it shows how men cannot express emotion like that in the time period. Also in the film, there are many examples of misogyny. Women characters are frequently sexually objectified by the mobsters and told to stay in the kitchen. A scene that sticks out in my mind when contemplating this theme is when Connie finds out her husband is cheating on her. She gets very upset and starts smashing dishes, and instead of taking any responsibility for his actions, her husband instead shouts at her to clean the place up and then proceeds to whip her with his belt.

As far as the form of the movie is concerned, I thought it was very interesting when they used jump cuts and time jumps. The jump cuts showed many actions going on at once between the many families while the time jumps showed the development of various characters. I liked how Coppola showed the development of Michael through this technique because in the beginning of the film he seems clean of the business, but as the film progresses, we are able to see the confidence and power that Michael gains. I think these time jumps show how Michael comes to the realization of his role in the Corleone family, and how he is the right person to lead the family in the future. I also liked their usage of sound. The music used before and during scenes built up suspense and tensions to a very high level.

Before I write my closing remarks, I want to emphasize the incredible jobs of the actors. Part of the reason why this film is so amazing is because of their performances, especially by Al Pacino and Marlon Brando. There is a scene in the movie when Brando says to his son Sonny to never let anyone know what you’re thinking except family. Throughout the movie, these actors showed how to keep things quiet and that’s why the ending of the movie is so powerful. All in all I really enjoyed the film, thought they displayed the mob life in a very realistic way, and showed the different customs of people in this time.

Psycho Thoughts

This past week I continued the Alfred Hitchcock trend and watched Psycho. It is regarded as one of the first horror films ever because of the suspense generated from the various lighting strategies, along with the usage of non diegetic sound. To briefly sum up the plot of the film, it first follows a woman named Marion, who steals $40,000 from a client at her office, and is on the run, and her ultimate plan is to meet up with her boyfriend (Sam). While on the run, Marion is incredibly paranoid, leading her to change her car, and eventually stop at Bates Motel. At the motel, Marion meets Norman Bates, a seemingly friendly person, who has deep seeded issues that aren’t yet apparent. Later that night, Marion is in the shower, when an assailant walks in on her and stabs her to death. Though the murderer’s face is somewhat silhouetted, we can assume that it was Norman, though Norman portrays that his mother was the guilty party. Norman then cleans up the evidence, puts the body and money in Marion’s car, and then drives the car into a lake. The rest of the movie is centered around finding Marion and the stolen $40,000. Marion’s sister, Lila, hires a private investigator, who tracks Marion to Bates Motel. After another murder and more snooping, we discover that Norman’s mother had been dead for 10 years, and that the woman we thought we saw was actually Norman wearing a wig. Norman had killed his mother and her lover out of jealousy, and he couldn’t accept it so “mother” became a part of him.

After watching Psycho, I believe that it was more suspenseful than Hitchcock’s Rear Window. Though both movies are indeed suspenseful, I believe the sound usage is what separates the two. In Rear Window, we heard sounds that are normal to hear in an apartment complex, while in Psycho the sounds we heard brought on feelings of anxiety. There were also parts of Psycho where we would hear conversations without seeing the actual people. An example of this is when we see Marion driving and can hear the police officer questioning the used car salesman. This is an intriguing strategy to create suspense because we the audience do not know if the conversation is actually happening or if it is an anxious Marion thinking about what they would say.

I also thought that the characters in this film were more intense than the ones in Rear Window. Norman Bates is a far more suspenseful villain than Mr. Thorwald because we do not initially understand Norman’s motives. One can also make the argument that we will never be able to understand Norman Bates because he is never completely “Norman.” What we can tell about Norman is that he definitely has a severely unhealthy relationship with his mother, who has control over him even after her death. It also should be noted how Hitchcock uses the lighting to show the sinisterness of Norman. In the daylight, Norman seems like a friendly person, who is awkward, but doesn’t seem like he can harm anyone. At night, before turning into his mother persona, it seems that he is more aggressive and hostile.

I also believe that Psycho was more suspenseful than Rear Window because of the different perspective on Voyeurism. In Rear Window, Jeffries seems harmless when peering into other people’s apartments. In many ways, it almost feels justified for him to do so because he thought Thorwald murdered his wife. That belief alone makes the audience forget about him peering in on the other residents. When watching Psycho though, the audience can immediately tell that Norman peeping on Marion getting undressed is wrong. She seems so much more vulnerable for whatever reason, and it feels so much more uncomfortable. This could also be due to the fact that whenever we take showers we are at are most vulnerable, and I think it is interesting how this is shown.

All in all I really enjoyed watching Psycho. In a lot of ways it was similar to Rear Window, but the sounds and lighting used made me feel more suspense when watching. I also thought the Norman Bates character was genius. I think Hitchcock is showing us how our experiences and role models can have such a profound affect on our lives, and how ambiguous love can be. Even though Norman was a sick person, I don’t know if I would consider him evil. As sick as he is, I think the argument can be made that he does everything out of love for his mother, and believes he’s protecting her. Whatever the case may be, it is certainly a fascinating display of the human condition and something to think about when looking at our own lives.

Rear Window Thoughts

Recently I had the pleasure of watching Rear Window, which was created by Alfred Hitchcock in 1954. To briefly summarize the plot, it follows a professional photographer named L.B Jeffries, who is stuck inside his apartment while recuperating from a broken leg. Because he is confined to his apartment complex, he entertains himself by peeping on his neighbors and their daily activities. As the story progresses, we see that one of his neighbors (Thorwald) has an argument with his wife, and then she mysteriously disappears. Jeffries is the only one paying attention, and believes that Thorwald murdered her, then used tools to dismember the body. Many characters are skeptical of his accusation against Thorwald, but in the end, he proves to be right because they find Mrs. Thorwald’s wedding ring. The assumption is that she would never leave it, so she’s probably dead. The movie ends with the season changing, a much happier Jeffries, and a peaceful apartment complex.

As far as the cinematography goes for this movie, I found it to be interesting and effective. The camera angles used in this film suggest that we are seeing things from a 1st person point of view, as in we the audience are seeing what Jeffries sees. I also noticed that in-between scenes, Hitchcock used fading to black to transition. I felt that this built a lot of suspense because it almost served as a time jump to the next big event. Hitchcock also used it a few times when Jeffries falls asleep, and I liked that because it kept the movie moving forward. I also found the uses of sound fascinating in this film. There were times I could not tell if the sound was diagetic or non diagetic because we would be looking into other character’s apartments and the mood would be the same for both the protagonist and other characters. An example of this is when we look into the lonely woman’s apartment. She is preparing a romantic dinner, while Jeffries girlfriend is doing the same. Romantic music is on in the background, which gives me confusion on where the music is coming from, if Jeffries can hear it, or if no one can hear it, and that it is to just set the mood for the audience.

As far as MES in this film, I thought the lighting was used as a way to build suspense. The darkness was used to show grim scenes, like when the neighbor’s dog was strangled, while the natural light during the day almost showed bliss because of the neighbor’s collective ignorance of what was happening in their apartment complex.

This film makes a lot of conflicting statements about Voyeurism. On the one hand, it shows how disturbing it can be, and how much of an invasion of privacy it is. An example of that is when we look at the attractive female neighbor who is always wearing skimpy outfits. She likely has no idea that Jeffries was watching her, but if she did I’d imagine she would not be happy. The same goes for the lonely neighbor because her love life is no one’s business. On the other hand, Jeffries peeping on the neighbors allowed him to discover Mrs. Thorwald’s murder. Had he not been staring out the window throughout the film, no one would even question the disappearance of Mrs. Thorwald, and Mr. Thorwald would get off Scott free.

In many ways, this film uses conventions from the romantic genre because of who the story is focused around. Jeffries is involved in romantic drama throughout the film because he does not want to settle down with his girlfriend Lisa, and it is not until the end of the film, when he sees she’s in trouble, that he realizes his love for her. If anything were to happen to her, he would be devastated. Other characters also display romantic genre traits, but in different ways. The newly wed couple shows how in love and excited they are to be together. For them, life is just beginning. When we look at the lonely woman, she is constantly in search for love because that provides her life with meaning, and we discover the man who throws parties probably only does so because he’s also lonely and seeks human interaction. It is nice to see both of them end up together by the end of the film. Jeffries nurse briefly discusses her marriage, and we see that even after many years, she is still loyal to her husband. In the case of the Thorwalds, we potentially see two people who maybe were once in love, but drift apart as things take a turn for the worse.

All in all, I really enjoyed watching this film. Besides the expert cinematography and color, which is before its time, I found the plot to be very interesting and relevant to society today. Not only do human beings still check in on the activities of others, but I find that most of us are still constantly looking for love. If there’s anything to take away from watching this, its to never give up on finding love, and to be willing to accept it. Without love, there is no meaning in our lives.