I really could not get over that we were going to watch Clueless of all movies. For one, I really had no idea that the movie was directed by a female. I thought it was just a male director trying make a comedy about silly airhead valley girls. But watching it as I am older and reading about the movie showed me things that I never would have thought of when I first watched it. I just took the film for face value when it came out. It was amazing though how Amy Heckerling put issues like socal classing which you rarely see in films today and also how the characters learn from themselves and grow. I would have to say I never really noticed the character growth when I saw it because I just could not get past the valley girl thing which I cannot stand. This opinion probably sounds like just about every male out there that saw the movie for the first time.
But you have to give credit when credit is due. A movie that was a mainstream film with the hollywood appeal still was able to focus on important issues that real life teenagers would encompass. There was virginity and the pressure to have sex when all your friends around you have talked about it and do it. Social class and that just because your money is not that of everyone else does not mean you cannot be friends or different from someone with money or vis versa.
When I signed up for the class I was not sure what to expect. But I have taken with me great movies that women directors have done, seen films I would have never thought to see, and also to be on the look out for more up and coming female directors and the female gaze and male gaze in films from now on. These factors are things that I can put in my own arsenal of film watching. I have enjoyed the this class very much, but wish I could have taken the one on the independent films.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
philosophy of action
Point Break has always been a movie that I could watch and each time enjoy it. Visually it seems to differ from most movies of it's time. The action scenes were very close to the action by being shot many times in first person view. It hightens the action secquence even more especially when there is the foot chase scene between Utah and Bodhi. As I watched the scene i tried to visually look at it without the first person view and it would have completely ruined the scene, you would have been bored while watching. The skydiving scenes were amazing. Movie-goers never saw scenes like that at the time either which gives this movie extra appeal. You were in with the action like you see in films today which was about fifteen years ago; that is pretty impressive. If you think about these shots you can easily be drawn in at how difficult it had to be to capture that footage. To do those shots you had to have multiple cameras to get all the different angles and technically had to be very difficult.
It is interesting how you really do not dislike the so called "bad guys" like you usually see in movies like this. I think because they have this philosophy of life that may appeal to many and you get a glimpse into their lives to see what they are really all about. You see when they rob banks how well planned out it is so that people do not get hurt but use a forceful but polite way during the robbery. Even though they are doing illegal acts you cannot go against their motives and reasoning behind going against a system they do not believe in. These characters rationalize their crimes enough to make them extremely likable characters.
The philosophy that surfing is a way of life and the intense connection the characters have with the sea is prevelent. Like the underwater shot of Utah and Tyler is a visual shot that reminds of this connection between not only the character, but with the ocean as well. The boy at the begining that sold the surf board clearly states this idea by saying to "stick with it, it will change your life". I saw that surfing helped Utah grow by the end of the movie. It helps him become more centered into himself. At the end we see that he still surfs everyday. You also notice the apperance of the two friends. Bodhi cut the long hair off shaved and looked more grownup. We realize that the events that had taken place previously had changed his fantasy game he played. He had changed after the death of all of his friends, and seems to take silent responsibility for his actions in his changed appearance. Utah had let his hair grow out and had more of a rough and free look after his experiences with the friends he had came to have while on assignment. The end of the movie sticks with the viewer when you realize that Bodhi, who was suppose to be bad, actually was the most help in forming and showing Utah ways in helping him become better.
http://www.cinematical.com/2007/05/14/peter-iliff-says-hes-writing-point-break-2/
http://www.religionandnature.com/bron/arts/Taylor--Surfing.pdf
It is interesting how you really do not dislike the so called "bad guys" like you usually see in movies like this. I think because they have this philosophy of life that may appeal to many and you get a glimpse into their lives to see what they are really all about. You see when they rob banks how well planned out it is so that people do not get hurt but use a forceful but polite way during the robbery. Even though they are doing illegal acts you cannot go against their motives and reasoning behind going against a system they do not believe in. These characters rationalize their crimes enough to make them extremely likable characters.
The philosophy that surfing is a way of life and the intense connection the characters have with the sea is prevelent. Like the underwater shot of Utah and Tyler is a visual shot that reminds of this connection between not only the character, but with the ocean as well. The boy at the begining that sold the surf board clearly states this idea by saying to "stick with it, it will change your life". I saw that surfing helped Utah grow by the end of the movie. It helps him become more centered into himself. At the end we see that he still surfs everyday. You also notice the apperance of the two friends. Bodhi cut the long hair off shaved and looked more grownup. We realize that the events that had taken place previously had changed his fantasy game he played. He had changed after the death of all of his friends, and seems to take silent responsibility for his actions in his changed appearance. Utah had let his hair grow out and had more of a rough and free look after his experiences with the friends he had came to have while on assignment. The end of the movie sticks with the viewer when you realize that Bodhi, who was suppose to be bad, actually was the most help in forming and showing Utah ways in helping him become better.
http://www.cinematical.com/2007/05/14/peter-iliff-says-hes-writing-point-break-2/
http://www.religionandnature.com/bron/arts/Taylor--Surfing.pdf
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Eve’s Bayou Scenic Journey
Eve’s Bayou was visually amazing. The camera angles and beautiful look of the south is constantly stunning to the viewer. Many of the scenes I noticed when the characters were outside, the director did not just have the character’s in simple settings but had visually stunning surrounding them. The bayou and surrounding areas were not just a background but a character itself.
A scene that stood out to me was the final scene of the film. The two sisters Eve and Cisely are standing holding hands looking out into the bayou. During that time there is a slow zoom out until you see the whole bayou. At that time I noticed something; two large trees right next to each other almost like eve and Cisely were. The symbolism I got from that scene was that the bond of Eve and Cisely was very great and they would have done anything for one another, just like the two trees were standing there like they were. This made me realize the tree’s connection to them and the bayou.
An amazing scene where you felt and were pulled into the scene was when Mozelle was telling Eve about how her first husband was shot. As she tells it they are both looking into a mirror and as Mozelle tells the story you start to see it takes place in the reflection of the mirror. Almost as if they were transported back to that moment in time watching it take place. I jumped at the end of the scene just like Eve did when Mozelle’s husband was shot because you felt like it was really just happening.
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19971107/REVIEWS/711070303/1023
http://www.mith2.umd.edu/WomensStudies/FilmReviews/E/eves-bayou-mcalister
A scene that stood out to me was the final scene of the film. The two sisters Eve and Cisely are standing holding hands looking out into the bayou. During that time there is a slow zoom out until you see the whole bayou. At that time I noticed something; two large trees right next to each other almost like eve and Cisely were. The symbolism I got from that scene was that the bond of Eve and Cisely was very great and they would have done anything for one another, just like the two trees were standing there like they were. This made me realize the tree’s connection to them and the bayou.
An amazing scene where you felt and were pulled into the scene was when Mozelle was telling Eve about how her first husband was shot. As she tells it they are both looking into a mirror and as Mozelle tells the story you start to see it takes place in the reflection of the mirror. Almost as if they were transported back to that moment in time watching it take place. I jumped at the end of the scene just like Eve did when Mozelle’s husband was shot because you felt like it was really just happening.
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19971107/REVIEWS/711070303/1023
http://www.mith2.umd.edu/WomensStudies/FilmReviews/E/eves-bayou-mcalister
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
woman VS woman
The movies this week, the comedy Dance Girl Dance, and the mellow drama The Bigamist, were enjoyable to me. Both movies directed by women, but each had a very different feel to them. It was very interesting to compare the two films because women did direct them allowing us to see the woman's gaze into the movie. Dorothy Arzner who directed Dance Girl Dance was known for having an essentially female presence in her films.
Essentialism suggests that a female artist will make distinctively different work than a male, because of some “essential and unmediated” relationship between gender and art.
This statment is very interesting because that means you should be able to tell a woman's work from a man's by simply viewing the piece. The Bigamist by Ida Lupino did not strike me as a movie that was clearly directed by a female. After watching I felt no difference in the feel of the film then from something that a man would have directed. However, you could see signs of a strong woman influence in Dance Girl Dance. The scene that stands out the most in Dance Girl Dance that shows a female gaze is when she is doing her burlesque performance. The character Judy does this by standing up for what she thinks by telling the audience her opinion on their behavior, an opinion that may have been neglected in a piece directed by a man. By Judy telling them that for fifty cents a night they can gaze at someone their wives will not let them look at and that she should not have to be taunted by them. These men are there to feel better about themselves and walk away with a macho feeling inside.
It is definitly hard to see how essentialism works since we saw two films by women directors, and one looked like a man directed it, not a woman. This shows that a woman does not have a difference in how their films are because they are just woman, proving that essentialism is not a theory that can always hold up as being true.
I found the Bigamist to be very unique in how Ida Lupino made you feel sorry and pull for the male character, Harry. You should completely dislike him because he is married to two different ladies and has a child with one of them. You usually see in a movie that you feel sorry for the victims like the two wives. I would have to say that I disliked Eve's character because Harry tried to get her to do couples things together but she was always focused on the business, so no wonder Harry found somone that needed him.
http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/cteq/04/33/dance_girl_dance.html
http://www.filmvault.com/filmvault/nash/i/idalupinoqueenoft1.html
Essentialism suggests that a female artist will make distinctively different work than a male, because of some “essential and unmediated” relationship between gender and art.
This statment is very interesting because that means you should be able to tell a woman's work from a man's by simply viewing the piece. The Bigamist by Ida Lupino did not strike me as a movie that was clearly directed by a female. After watching I felt no difference in the feel of the film then from something that a man would have directed. However, you could see signs of a strong woman influence in Dance Girl Dance. The scene that stands out the most in Dance Girl Dance that shows a female gaze is when she is doing her burlesque performance. The character Judy does this by standing up for what she thinks by telling the audience her opinion on their behavior, an opinion that may have been neglected in a piece directed by a man. By Judy telling them that for fifty cents a night they can gaze at someone their wives will not let them look at and that she should not have to be taunted by them. These men are there to feel better about themselves and walk away with a macho feeling inside.
It is definitly hard to see how essentialism works since we saw two films by women directors, and one looked like a man directed it, not a woman. This shows that a woman does not have a difference in how their films are because they are just woman, proving that essentialism is not a theory that can always hold up as being true.
I found the Bigamist to be very unique in how Ida Lupino made you feel sorry and pull for the male character, Harry. You should completely dislike him because he is married to two different ladies and has a child with one of them. You usually see in a movie that you feel sorry for the victims like the two wives. I would have to say that I disliked Eve's character because Harry tried to get her to do couples things together but she was always focused on the business, so no wonder Harry found somone that needed him.
http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/cteq/04/33/dance_girl_dance.html
http://www.filmvault.com/filmvault/nash/i/idalupinoqueenoft1.html
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
vertigo gaze
This was my first time ever watching Vertigo. The movie is definitely slow starting but as the movie builds throughout you find all the underlying secrets that start to come out. You find out that Midge is still in love with Scottie’s character once she finds out that Scottie is seeing another lady. The secret love affair that comes to be between Scottie and Madeleine puts turmoil on Scottie’s character. Hitchcock made you feel like you were using voyeuristic tendencies when watching the movie letting you look into the lives of the people and be sucked in. I found myself becoming a peeping tom as the movie got deeper and deeper.
The last scene I thought was amazing as they were on the late night drive going towards the mission. Between the music building throughout and the fear in Judy/Madeleine’s eyes as she recognizes where they are going and Scottie’s empty gaze. Throughout the movie you are pulling for Scottie's character especially after Madeleine’s death. That last scene the rolls are switched where you are fearing for Judy’s character and disliking Scottie’s even though Judy should be the one that you dislike because of the pain she caused Scottie. After reading the article by Ebert and finding out he described why this was such a great film and how that scene made it. This made me think about how you are pulling for both characters which you never see in movies these days. There is a villain and a good guy and they stay that way throughout the movie, not switch their roles.
I really never knew how controlling Hitchcock was with how women should be shown on screen. After finding out that he really gave women a bad image in all of his movies made me dislike him but not how amazing he is with directing talent. When watching Vertigo when Scottie is changing Judy into how Madeleine looked made me uncomfortable to watch like she was a prisoner and had to do what Scottie said. Hitchcock besides making a great film he put a part of himself in Scottie’s character showing his struggles with woman.
http://history.sandiego.edu/GEN/st/~emily2/women_of_hitchcock.html
http://www.neurologychannel.com/vertigo/
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