Romeo+Juliet

OMG, THE ORIGINAL EMO KIDS!!

Okay, watching the Baz Luhrmann version of the classic Shakespearian tale I haven't seen since 9th grade.

Cinematography, wow. Each visual takes special pride in saying so much without words, since they are already written and not easily understandable. One of my favorites thus far is the misunderstanding, how the Fedex guy just totally screwed up. You see the message blow out in the wind, then Romeo step over the message, see the looks confusion as each messenger fails to deliver the correct message.

I love the use of insanely intimate close ups.

I love the guns, beautiful symbols of ancient masculinity translated into the modern power pistols. I love how they turn this into such a gangster LA movie.

I'm loving the drunkenness and drug use. The drunk abusing Capulet father and the bitch of a mother, totally justifies Juliet's emo-ness.

I love Druggy Drag Queen Mercurio doing the original Single Ladies while Romeo trips.

I love Claire Danes wings. I now NEED a pair.

I love the scenes where they lie dead, the candles are absolutely stunning. I also like how they take time to really morn their death, how it keeps it together into this stunning narrative, before translating into the sorrow filed peace.

I like all the water scenes, like how the balcony scene was moved down into the water and the and how they likely inspired the X-Men retelling of this story.

Jesus Camp

The basic premise of this film is to give insight into the pentacostal fraction of the Evenglical movement sweeping the Midwest, by following the lives of three children who go to a camp to hone their "prophetic gifts". The directors Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing said that they want to do "an honest and impartial depiction of one faction of the evangelical Christian community”. It really "doesn't come with any prepackaged point of view", showing beautifully transitioned slides of the dreary enviorment this place has taken root. There is no narration, although there is clearly a story line as the journey continues. There is a voice to this film though, a radio personality that talks about how "these people aren't the Christians in the way I was thought. They are indoctrinating their children". The radio personality then talks to Becky Fischer, the leader of "Kids On Fire School of Ministry," who ran the Camp the story is based on.

Thats the main premise that frighten me, that there is an entire generation of Christian Extremist who are being taught by their parents that they need to "take back America for Christ". Becky Fisher her self says that we need to fight Muslim Extremes with Christan Extremes.

The true beauty of this film is whats captured, like in all documentry, that the directors have to capture the beauty already existing and show it, rather then create it like most directors.

Road Home

Compared to typical Western love-stories, or the classic concept of a monomyth, the story unfolding around the road leading into a small farming village in Northern China (this is felt though the quilted pants the heroine wears while doing a running impression of a teletubby jogging). Instead of nostalgia set up in black in white, its given in beautiful technicolor. A particular scene of light pouring from the window, golden light, her pale skin and brilliant red jacket taking up the other half of the frame. Stunning in its simplicity and color, which is what the director Yimou Zhang is infamous for.

The plot for this story allow a story from the 1960 to flow smoothly into modern times, by having the mother retelling the love story between her and his father. The intro and exit in black and white allow the audience to fully feel the freezing cold of winter. This coldness is continued in the winter where the two lovers are separated when the father is hauled into the city for questioning.

Common tasks are preformed with the kind of beauty that can only be captured by Yimou Zhang, from making dumplings, to repairing broken pottery (that particular piece of pottery holds value, not only because it was what Zhang's character aways presented food for him in, but because the mother pays for its repair, knowing it sentimentality to the daughter, giving her approval even though she doesn't verbalize it).

Yimou Zhang is a master of color, so the infusion of golds and yellow add to the sense of nostalgia. The icey white of winter show sadness and the beautiful shades of green infuse the spring and reunion.

Lie To Me and Adspace

Lie to Me is House without the medical gobidly gook.

Dr Lightman is this shows Dr. House, but without fake American accent and cane. Same amount of showboating and productive jackassiness. Theirs the not very funny pretty guy, who this time is braining rather then Australian, the perky burnette now blond is replaced by a latino women so they able to skip the black guy character all together. Theirs the curly haired professional like women, who replaces Cutty, but works for this House so the dinamic is slightly diffrent.
But the plot line is pretty similar; oh, we have a puzzle we need to solve in 40 mintues, with our speicalized skill set! Oh, theres a twist, OH GOD ANOTHER TWIST, oh wait, it was this simple thing all along!!

Its really not a bad show, but the idea of it is for cast to be able to read facial experssion and deduct to solve the projects they've been hired to conuslt on. Which means actors have to act as real as possible, which most times fall's short, since their suppost to be acting one way to lie, then have microexpressions that tell Dr Lightman and the audiance the truth.

Also why is it that Hulu keeps advertising 1. Charities it supports, 2. Cars, and 3. Various Vertiaties of Vodka. I think it subliminal messaging for our minds to create aweful stories where a van full of nuns off to help orphans get drunk and go to Vegas instead.

Vertigo

Alfred Hitchcock's mental thriller takes winding paths though San Fransisco, when both characters wander, lost in their own heads rather then the city. This leads to beautiful pans and views from the hood of the car, where the city if forced to blur by in the backround. This story contiunues with the Hitchcock style of the leading man to forceable overcome his tragic flaw, this time a fear of heights, a extreme case of Vertigo, which wouldn't be a problem in anywhere besides a city, where sky scrapers stretch high.

There is betrayal, or rather a double crossing reviled. Love turning to the point of Obsession, "evil twins" this plot line had all the markings of a bad soap opera, but the beautiful camera work made it a classic rather than trashy. Large shots of rooftops like at the missionary south from the city, where the ground seems so far away, gives more believability to the watcher, that the fear of hights is justified. The ghastly green light that pours threw the window of the hotel the betrayer lives gives more to the feelings of complete ominousness.

Vertigo also has the special effects of a bad Sci-fi movie, the ominous unearthly tones, the rotating eye intro, the pulling away of the stairs that started special effects. While this movie is now a classic, it must have raised some eyebrows back when it was first out.

Thank You For Smoking

Jason Reitman works well with his actors, several from Thank You for Smoking doing his next project of Juno. Jason Reitman's father directed Ghost Busters.

Jason Reitman adapted and directed this brilliant introspect into the composite character of the face of big tobacco. The tagline: American is living in spin" the sultan of spin is Nick Naylor, who tirelessly fights for conglomerations. Aaron Eckard does an amazing job bringing Nick to life. The story is designed to humanize a devil who defends a cooperation that kills two jumbo jets full of people a day. The film is funny and amazing

This film was shot with beautiful transitions, a beautiful one where a time laps sunsets on the Washington monument, establishing movement of time and change in location. Also when Nick confronts the last Marbalo man, the entire lighting set in the yellow of old time westerns that started the ad campain.

Rear Window

Solving a murder across the courtyard never looked so sexy.

Actually I have no idea about that, but I do know the feet of trying to capture an entire movie in a single apartment is quite impressive. This limits the director to broad shots of the courtyard or voyeuristic view of the surrounding apartments. This also forces the action of the story into the apartment.

This unique camerawork is possible due to the storyline, by forcing the main character to remain in one place, due to his tragic flaw of being wheelchair bound. This adds to the drama because it immobilizes the hero, leaving him unable to defend himself of the people he loves.

Alfred Hitchcock is amazing when it comes to moving the story though unique shots.

Visions of Light

A documentary on the history of cinematography and the lighting necessary to capture performances and moods.

The human eye is much more evolved then any camera, because our pupils can dilate enough to see in most every light, even the most advanced camera of today can't do that. Cameras need certain light to correctly capture, and its a cinematographers job to correctly light a scene along with making each shot move the story and capture a feeling.

In the beginning of motion pictures, capturing sound didn't exist. This gave true carte blanche to directors to capture the motion. These early films gave true freedom in there placement which allowed more documentary like shots.

The arrival of talkies locked up the camera, putting it on massive dollies and soundproof boxes. This hauled the progression of photography's by the immobilization if the camera, although this time of sets allowed for more controlled lighting. At this time the studio system was in full swing, and each had its own unique look, the gloss of Paramount, the sharp edges of Warner Brothers and the glamor of MGM. Actresses on screen performances were heightened by lighting, changing the shape of the faces and making their pale skin pop.

The first color process was two, then three, then the spectrum. This allowed films like Meet Me In Saint Luise and The Wizard Of Oz possible. By now the camera was once again free to move about.

Jaws at the end of the 60s was shot with handy cams, hand held at water level to truly frighten the audience. It and Indiana Jones also changed the rules of censorship, creating the new PG13 for blood and guts!

Several viable clues lent to thinking about what the director of photography was trying to convey. Yellow, first used in the Godfather signifies memories, heavy shadows, used more at the end of the 1960s used to distort feeling and created true chiaroscuro of the characters' hearts.

Milk

OMG!! Milk was freaken awesome!

As always, Gus Van Sants kept us at an emotional distance, making it harder to connect to the majority of his characters, except the one that gives the audience access to the entire story. Back in Elephant, the first film I saw of his, Alex is our emotional access point, the person who the audience can really connect to. This puts more pressure on the lead, to act thought the fourth wall, so Sean Penn really had to work for it, and he did, and it showed in the film and the recognition he received. Also, Sean Penn smiled, a lot, truly emulating the late Harvey Milk, with gestures and crooked smiles and general beings.

I missed the first five mintues (Caroline ran late), so I don't know if they said in the begining that Dan White killed him, which might have made the film slightly less potent than just knowing that Milk would die, then the little shock if you didn't previously google before walking into their theater. Whats funny is in Middle School I wiki'ed Dan White in connection with the Twinkie Defense that got him off for the assassination of two government officials, I just didn't remember that it was Harvey Milk.

The death scene was beautifully shot, where Milk is in his office, Dan walks in, makes him go to his knees, and you see Dan standing behind him, gun drawn, then the shot and blood stain Milk, the camera panning as he falls forward, then out the window to the opera house, a poster of a large women sobbing in the way everyone must have felt like doing after news reached.

The use of news real in combination with film worked very well in this film, Anita the Hun Briant shown in brilliant Technicolor as the beautiful devil she is. The whole idea of protecting the children, shown for the idiocy it truly was. This also tied to the idea that in California, now, if your gay you can't adopt children already here, but if your heterosexual, unemployed and living with your parents and on well-fare, you can have a whole litter.

The Speeches given at the Oscars were brilliant. Dustin Lance Black quote was brilliant
"I think he'd want me to say to all of the gay and lesbian kids out there tonight who have been told that they are less than by their churches, by their government or by their families, that you are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value and that no matter what anyone tells you, God does love you and that very soon, I promise you, you will have equal rights federally, across this great nation of ours. Thank you. Thank you. And thank you, God, for giving us Harvey Milk."

I loved Sean Penn's speech, why "“you commie, homo-loving sons of guns.” ask, because quite simply it kicked but!

"For those who saw the signs of hatred as our cars drove in tonight, and, I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren’s eyes if they continue that way of support. We’ve got to have equal rights for everyone. And there are these last two things. I’m very, very proud to live in a country that’s willing to elect an elegant man President."

Paths of Glory

The saying goes that 10,000 men lost is a statistic while a single death is a tragedy. So in Paths of Glory, a single failed mission, where many died due to enemy and friendly fire, the tragedy is the three executions following. Three men were scarified to the ambition the greed and the pride of their superiors. While the soldiers went that it wasn't death that was to be feared, but the pain of dying, the agony of the slow wound rather then the quick death of gunfire. Ironic, considering the execution by firing squad, a quicker death, a preferred . The irony of the firing squad continues with the idea none of the firing squad got far enough to shoot at the German troops, but they could fire at their own 'solider brothers'!

Irony is a continuing theme, with the dignitary ball held before the executions, where all have a grand time before and during the death of the three men. The press putting on the pressure that the three men needed to die, the idea that the masses truly control the world, that public opinion is what drives the leaders. The flow of blame down the chain of command, where each General's choice was filtered down into the massive casualties on the failed Ant Hill Mission.

But why did the mission fail? In the beginning, Kirk Douglas' character stated he and his troops couldn't take 'The Ant Hill', that it was as impossible as would be found out. Then his commander bribes him with the promotion if they can take "the Hill". Then the statistics are laid out so callously, ironically, because it was stated that 1/3 of the men would be lost due to French friendly fire (ironic because of the number 3 and the death by firing squad). Then the General wanted artillery to fire at their own location, to scare his troops out of the trenches, which would later come back to bite him.

The irony is in the caricatures of intimacy, the brotherly bonds that supposedly are born due to the military, but so easily broken to even the slightest betrayal. The Sargent delivering his solider to the firing squad, the betrayals for power and survival. The impossible choice of the group leaders in the sacrifice of their single solider, each leader picking their sacrifice for unpure reasons.

The tight shots show the claustrophobias of war, the intimacy and betrayal echoed in the shots.

At the end of the film, it is shown the commander will be tried in a similar trial for his ordering of attack on his own men. The singing German women at the end echoing this idea, that all the solider are as far away from home as she is.

Lawrence of Arabia

The middle east has always been ducked. Various tribes all fighting for bare necessities in a barren trek of land between the rivers and seas. Under an oppressive sun and outside interests, pride and religion clashing like calvary swords, under the cloak of brotherhood . The ideas of brotherhood, of loyalty is what Lawrence of Arabia explores.

The graphic scenes of bloodshed, of true wartime battle, are explicitly and exquisite shot, literally moving pictures, where each scene is a photograph. Lighting, set design, and costuming drive the point of fine art home. The contrast of settings, from the barren deserts to the lush seaside of Damascus and Aqaba. Seeing the conditions that the Arab tribes live in, barren, bleak desert, makes them more understandable, the thirst for blood like that of water. The loathing of members of rival tribes, the disdain and fear of the different.

Costume design plays a key roll, visually separating British commanding officers in their tight pants from natives in their flowing robes. The costuming also designates change of loyalty, the inter-battle going on in Lawrence is captured in his wardrobe. His loyalty to Britain is first shown when in Officer regalia; his change of loyalty shown as a change of clothes, his rebirth from a bastard son of Britain to an Honorary Arab. His change from trousers, lapels and buttons to flowing traditional garb visually captures his change of sides, where his loyalty then lies. But he switches back into pants, back to his old life after war changes him, the gallons of blood he and his own little army spilled, piling on him. Then his loyalty is tested, his own judgment change; during one of the first vividly homoerotic, openly sadistic scenes where his is captured and beating because no matter what he wears, under the keffiyeh he still has blue British eyes, and he will never be an true Arab.

Lawrence of Arabia captures the inner battle between Lawrence and his loyalties, his loyalty to Britain, to his moral code, and to the Arab tribes.