A Simple Plan, a not so simple Outcome.

At first this movie struck me as kind of slow paced and nothing like Memento where you constantly had to pay attention and always had something going on that needed a second thought.  The movie shows us that we all have good as well as evil inside of us. A person is capable of anything, this is very evident with the scene where Sarah has the baby in hand while telling Hank to betray his best friend. It is a testament to greed, frailty of a person, and desperation. This movie puts forth some very intense characters such as Billy Bob Thornton's, Jacob who i connected with the most throughout the movie. I firmly believe that when we are born we have traits that destine us to be something and they usually don't go along with our lives or how we look. We can see this from Jacob's love and trust for his brother, he is the innocent in the movie. Sarah is the one who indirectly causes all of the killings and yet she is a small woman who is pregnant. Appearances are very decieving. Jacob is much more intelligent than his appearance makes him seem. It is evident from his understanding of their father's suicide that he is able to face the harsh reality of life. He sees what he has done to people and understands that he cannot live anymore. Even though Mr. Bennett will disagree with me on this one I believe the last scene with the black hole in the side of the house represents an empty shell that once held life. It is symbolic for how a man can destroy his own decency and essentially destroy their soul by killing and decieving the people around him.

OMG I Cant Wait!!!!

MEMENTO is one of my all time favorite movies. It has all the action, suspense, and twists of a thriller. It provokes deep thought and also deals with the themes of past memories, love. It is one of the most unique films i've ever seen. i believe it takes a great director to pull off this kind of movie and Christopher Nolan  does an exquisite job portraying this character. I admit it will be difficult watching it in seperate sittings for people veiwing it for the first time, but for me; maybe it will bring more insite watching it in different segments and being able to mull over the intricacies of the movie.

Another reason i really like the movie is because the main character (Guy Pierce) is also a respected body builder and leads a very accomplished life.

Dark City

I believe Mr. Bennet has read many times about motifs of mazes and foreshadowing, as well as, the combination of film noir and science fiction genres. Not to mention the amazing premise of the film. The edge of your seat suspense that keeps you guessing until the very end. This post will not be about the amazing cinematography or the camera angles.

This post will address the very pertinent questions this movie raises. What makes us human? What is the soul? Can it be defines as a sum of all our memories? Does love cross boundaries between lives? I believe the director's stand is that love does in fact prove the existence of the soul. The world they live in is a dystopian universe in which identity has become something easily manipulated and manipulated often. People's lives are changed around every night; they can never live any one life. In this way they disorient us. If this is in fact an experiment and the aliens are testing us to see the origin of the soul then they would be looking for something that stays constant amid the chaos. No matter how many times they morph the material world, no matter how many different situations the test subjects are dropped into, and no matter how many times a person's memory is wiped and toyed with one thing stays the same.  Love.  The only thing in the movie that Murdoch is ever sure of is his love for a woman that is supposedly his wife. This is evident in the scene where Murdoch and his wife talk through telephone receivers and Murdoch is not sure whether they are married, or even whether they had ever met before the the other night. What he is sure of is his love for her. Throguh this scene the director expresses that true love is the nature of the soul and it is the very thing the aliens are looking to understand in order to save their species.

It can be argued that Murdoch's love for her is purely a result of the memories imprinted into him by the aliens, but I believe the dialogue in the film between Murdoch and his wife shows that he is positive about his feelings toward her.

The Asphalt Jungle

Today we have started a new film and it is in the genre of film noir. From research on the internet i have found that this type of movie is famous for an urban setting, heavy shadows, diagonal lines, low camera angles shooting up multi-storey staircases, and an innocent protagonist falsely accused of a crime and desperate to clear himself. It will be interesting to see if the director imploys these common tactics of film noir. I believe the black and white really adds to the genre of a crime drama, but it wasn't meant to. There were just no colored pictures back then. The heavy shadows make a significant impact on the veiwer.

I believe the title of the movie reveals a lot about the movie. A jungle is concept that signifies something wild and disorderly, as well as animals competing with eachother for food and other necessities. This competition gets nasty and either you win this fight or you die. The fact that the director is implying that this anarchy exists in an urban setting of a big city is absurd. Or is it? I believe as of now the movie is just introducing the characters and their significant vices, but the competition amongst them will get pretty nasty. The goal is obviously money which has already become an issue for the main character "Dix Handley" played by Sterling Hayden.

It is interesting why Handley's friend is willing to help him even though he is a known gambler of horses and owes 2300$. Maybe he has his own agenda and maybe Handley's debt isn't because of horses. I feel like nothing is at it seems in this movie, except the vices that define the men in this movie.

Unforgivable, a Western amidst a battle of cliche's, realism, satire, and plainly just some great filmmaking. The angles of the camera were intense during the battle and suspensful scenes. When Little Bill was pressuring English Bob to take the gun the camera was staring down the barrel of his gun, and this made things very unsettling. This movie, being historically accurate still had the power to ignite suspense and excitement. 

MSIT FOOTBALL ( CUP CHAMPIONS)

WOOOHOOOO shut out of 22-0 for MSIT seagulls over the Petrides Panthers. were getting moved up a division !!

Unforgiven

From an early introduction i believe the theme of the film is values. Always discussing the value of something. The value of a woman in comparison with a man or a horse. The value of hiring an assassin (1,000) to kill a man. The value of being able to build your own house which i believe we will learn ore about later on.

The value of the prostitute in Western society seems to have been like property. The woman gets no retribution for getting her face cut up which in addition has made her unwanted in her job as a prostitute. All that happens is that the owner gets a few horses.In this society men are the superior race and everything else is just something that makes you a money. This is why horses and woman are on the same value scale.

One scene that struck me was when the friend of the man who slashed the prostitutes face offered a horse to the woman herself, even though he wasn't directly responsible for cutting her face. It was important how he offered the woman and not the owner the horse because it showed he may be the only one that saw the prostitutes as human beings and not objects. This begs the question of whether this man that buys prostitutes and hangs out with people that cut up woman is a bad person or circumstance has put him in this position, when he actually is a good-natured man. We will find out later in the film so lets keep watching.

MSIT FOOTBALL

WE ARE GOING TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!

After a greuling game with adelai stevenson it went to double overtime and we won when the defense got a huge stop on nijel wallace for the two point conversion. We won 38 -36. If there is a way to win a playoff game MSIT \football players will find it.

The Seventh Seal

I have viewed this movie before with my brother, who took film as a major in college. this movie truly astounded me with its cinematography. A snapshot could be made of every scene and it could be used as the poster for the movie. Truly great work by Gunner Fischer ( Cinematographer). One image that stuck with my mind was where Antonius and Death sit down to play chess witht eh ocean in the backround.

It is symbolic that Block plays chess with death throughout the entire movie. It is brilliant that the director (Ingmar Bergman) personified death in this human form. When death is tangible and facing you it really made it so much scarier.

The movie portrays Death as a trickster; where he cheats to find out Block's strategy. It means Death does not play fairly in the game of chess, just like he does not play fairly in the game of life. Our demise is inevitable and when Block faces that (literally) he sets out to find evidence that God exists even if it meant asking the devil to appear before him.

The character of the knights squire is definetely my favorite character because he seems much more aware and sure of how life works. This is the existentialist way of thinking. He definetely has some of the best lines in the film, such as : "Love is the blackest of all plagues... if one could die of it, there would be some pleasure in love, but you don't die of it." A very dark view of love. 

An other thing prominent in the film is the effect the knowledge of death ahs on life. Death makes life interesting and pleasurable, our lives would be eternal torment otherwise. this can be seen by the qoute in the paragraph above and when death tricks Block, into telling him his strategy, Block says this aside to himself "This is my hand. I can turn it. The blood is still running in it. The sun is still in the sky and the wind is blowing. And I... I, Antonius Block, play chess with Death. ". It shows how this Death makes his life interesting makes him realize how being alive is truly great in the face of death.

A truly enjoyable movie!

Runaway Train

A movie that really appeals to a younger audience. The violence desensitized, TV addicted, blood sucking generation that we are. It is interesting however to find symbolism in a action/ prison movie. One thin g I noticed was the relationship with Rankin and Manny. They are in fact very similar people in very different positions. Rankin himself states "He'd do the same ting I would do" when asked how he knew where Manny was going. So logically if Manny is the bad animal then Rankin is the good animal that keeps him in check. This relates to the the theme of Good vs. Evil which is prominent in the movie, especially the Contrast of Black and White in the Credits.

Another interesting thing that I believe is interesting is the stage is now set for Manny and Buck to talk and release there inner most traits and qualities. So this movie is basically the analysis of man and the train car, being the alienated and separated place that it is, is the perfect place to do it. Basically I see it as a prison cell, so I find it ironic that they escaped from prison falling 300 feet, only to jump onto another prison.

Existentialism

Movies pertaining to this subject - "White Lightnin'" and "Mr.Nobody"

The former is a movie about a drug addicted man who grows up in an area where he will never have any hope of a future. His experience is so vivid and meaningful that you come to ask yourself, how can this be the vision of a drug addicted man. how can so much beauty, hate, lust, revenge, redemption, atonement, and love come from this hopeless drug addicted man.

The latter is an amazing more abstract movie about realities and not to divulge too much but my favorite qoute is "Everything can be anything else and still have just as much meaning"

Please Mr. Bennet consider them for the movies that you will show in class. they are truly amazing. The former is very graphic but it is necessary to show the hopelessness and general lunicy of the character, so keep an open mind.

Trailers : Movie 1 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIubPIGF_yw
              Movie 2 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIZKUdCQQHI&feature=related

Truly works of art in my opinion and I hope you will consider them for your class when you get a chance to watch them.

Citizen Kane

I am sorry to say that i dislike this movie. It's plain and simple and i don't think my mind can be changed. I saw all the symbolism and connections and universal truths but for some reason i could not stay interested. Perhaps it was the black and white, however All Quit On the Western Front was very enjoyable for me. Maybe it was, like Mr. Bennet explained in class, that mood played a huge part in it and i havn't been having the best couple of months. Nonetheless, it did not keep me interested except for one theme. The theme of the loss of innocence with the sled being rosebud and the symbol really appealed to me. He died alone in a castle he built to honor himself and was alienated from anyone and everyone. In the end he drove his wife away, the one who didn't know who he was in the beginning but liked him anyway.


What kind of person would he have been if he stayed with his parents?

I really don't know why i don't like this movie. I watched it over at home and I felt nothing for the characters, i wasn't really held in suspense or my moods swayed. I hope this doesn't affect my grade... lol

Citizen Kane

I am very excited for this movie. I cant wait to find out what "rosebud" means. The beginning of the movie, with its surreal, weird, and astounding cinematography is a definite attention grabber. I know it is not well thought out or insightful like my other posts, i just think it will be a good watch and anticipate it greatly.

Family of War

"All Is Quiet on the Western Front" is truly a work of art. It holds so much symbolism, beauty, and truth. Definitely my favorite theme of the movie was family. This theme comes up when the movie shows you how a person is completely changed with the constant threat of death and the certainty in your mind that you are next to die. You can no longer look with loving eyes at your family or in Paul's case, his sister and mother, and know that there is this darkness lurks beneath all things. Your family could never understand, so your family becomes the men that sat right beside you in the darkness; in the trenches and understand your pain, your fear, and your joy. This is seen with Paul's and Katczinsky's relationship towards the end of the movie. When he died on Paul's back I thought it was symbolic for how all the men in war carry this heavy burden around wherever they go in war.

I also found the ending scene another example of dehumanization in that Paul does not die in a hellish firefight and he doesn't go out with guns blazing. Paul dies from reaching for the only beauty he appreciates in the entire war, a butterfly.

The War Rages on in "All Quiet on the Western Front"

The movie at this point has taken a break from the constant death and fighting; turning to another basic male need. Women... Although these scenes seem comedic and light it secretly portrays the awful state of things. One example is that the woman seemed uninterested in the soldiers until food was presented to them. Either french women are really, really turned on by bread and salami or hunger is common in Germany occupied France. Another careful addition that the director places in the movie, is when the Paul and his friend are looking at a poster of a woman and fantasize about her as if she were a real woman. Even though she is in fact a picture Paul talks about asking her out and talking to her and discussing how old she might be. In this scene he says "shes our age, shes 17". This brought everything down to Earth for me. These men so young(about our age) and already exposed to war and the frailty of life and death. Most of them have not experienced true love and yet they die all the same. Death is an unbiased creature.

The Death Of Paul's Friend

It is not the movie itself that impressed me but Mr. Bennet's qouting of the german philosopher. It goes "When you hear a close friend has died your first impulse is to laugh". When you first hear this it sounds as if Mr. Bennet is a crazed maniac that wants you to kill your closest friends but from Mr. Bennet's story and Paul's ecstatic joy you could tell that there might be some truth to this. It seems like you begin to appreciate life and  a general euphoria washes over you and you are not glad for the death itself but you are glad that you are alive. It seems as if our humanity does not follow moral or logical emotion. Just think about it, why would a person feel the need to "LAUGH" above all else when a friend dies. We are indeed mysterious beings and as adolescents we still have so much to learn and discover about the human condition.

I am an existentialist because the concept of an underlying force micromanaging our lives and answering our pleas for help is ludicrous. Realizing this is essential to start to appreciate life in all its madness, randomness, and beauty.

All Quiet on the Western Front, by Lewis Milestone(Battle scene)

IF the goal was to horrify then this scene passes with flying colors. It may not be that it was so graphic or scary but the fact that I am seeing it from an analytical point of view, you see things for what they are. The raw realism that this is what actually happened. That a person who you see in front of you can die at any moment. A person will cease to exist right in front of your eyes and realizing the same fate awaits you is horrifying. And just thinking about how death stops life in its tracks, all the things you will aspire to, the things that you will achieve and the experiences you are going to have, no longer exist and no longer matter.

The technical aspect of the scene I cant see because i don't understand enough on the subject but it is interesting to learn and think about the camera angles the director's intended mood and message of a scene.

All Quiet on the Western Front, by Lewis Milestone

I know this is black and white and what may even be called a dependence on the crisp, clean look of modern movies (2000 and on ---->). This does not mean however i do not keep an open mind. Mr. Bennet's explanation of how rigorously and precisely film makers will direct and produce the film blew my mind. This is because I realized that everything that is done in a movie has a purpose and reason. This of course means that movies use foreshadowing, symbolism, and metaphors. As in books movies can reveal truths of life through story telling. The movie at hand is a movie set in wartime and spiked my interest when introducing a character (Krasinsky) who is able to find any morsel of food within 25 miles. It has been interesting to analyze how the movie is developed and not just the story the movie has to tell.