God Help The Girl is a musical that came to my attention because Stuart Murdoch, of Belle & Sebastian, wrote and directed it. Belle & Sebastian are labelled as an indie-pop band and the indie-pop influences and twists are constant throughout this quirky musical.
I may or may not have watched this film three times within 24 hours... It's not unusual for me to rewatch films regularly, but there was just something very captivating about God Help The Girl - like a certain feeling of mystery that left me wanting to explore the film a little bit more.
God Help The Girl has moments of comedy and is generally very charming but, unbeknownst to me initially, it's actually quite dark and heavy in subject matter. Eve, the protagonist, suffers from anorexia but also has a vaguely nonchalant love for singing. The film drifts with Eve as she meets fellow musicians and good friends, James and Cassie. There is a love interest, of course, but it has a subtle and indirect focus and Eve is torn between her awkward friend James and her German "dream boy" (I'll Have To Dance With Cassie).
At first, God Help The Girl's musical numbers and voiceover effects perplexed me but I've grown to love them and see how they add to the charm. The voiceover effects also echo that of radio presenters which is a nice little music-related decoration to the film. God Help The Girl also has a certain retro feel to it through the cinematography and some of the outfits to the point where the time period is still irrelevant and ambiguous even when technology from this decade features in the scene.
All in all, God Help The Girl is a charming, quirky little musical film and definitely worth a watch - but it deserves two or three in order to really appreciate it!
Chungking Express is a very interesting film to watch in regards to style, although I found it slightly difficult to follow at times (mainly during the first narrative). That being said, each character in the film is so complex and is explored in such depth that it makes a really intriguing watch. I feel that there's a definite similarity between the first cop (cop 223) and the character of Oliver Tate from Submarine. They both have a certain way of being quite melodramatic and poetic and this actually reinforced the slightly more pathetic characteristics of cop 223. Leading on from this, the gender representation in Chungking Express was interesting - whilst the male characters had a tendency to be quite weak and submissive, the female characters assumed a lot more strength and conviction.
Chungking Express can be applauded for how well it creates a sense of a really claustrophobic urban environment and the focus on the characters' solitude highlights the loneliness and isolation that can occur in bustling cities.
Short Term 12 is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time and it's right up there (although not quite overtaking) Boyhood, which I got the opportunity to watch earlier this year.
Short Term 12 is about a young woman working in a home for troubled teenagers, the characters that she meets and her own battles that she has to face after having masked them for a very long time. Brie Larson, who plays the protagonist (Grace), seemed vaguely familiar to me so I looked her up and I was stunned to discover that she played Envy Adams in Scott Pilgrim Vs The World - her acting is incredible and I wouldn't have ever guessed that Grace and Envy were played by the same actress.
What struck me about this film is how beautiful all the interactions between the characters are but how these interactions lure you into a false sense of security which is then completely disrupted by sudden heart-wrenching action (I won't go into detail because this is definitely something you should watch for yourself). Another great detail of the film is how it comes full circle, with parallels between the first scene and the last scene that complete the movie and make a point of how life and relationships between people progress.
The trailer includes some wonderful quotes that sum up the film better than I ever could:
'A roller coaster of emotion... both heartwarming and heartrending at once.' - The Playlist 'Brie Larson is a quiet revelation. The same could be said of the film itself.' - film.com 'The whole thing just feels perfect... a shining example of what cinema is all about' - slashfilm
This film is definitely worth a watch or two - for its subtle humour, moving narrative, stunning cinematography, incredible script and captivating characters.
Whilst Breathless didn't appeal to me very much in terms of the plot or style of the film, I could really appreciate some of its aspects...
The unusual editing in the film really interested me and was definitely one of the features that kept me pulled in. It felt quite refreshing to see slightly surreal continuity and editing in such an old film and it helped to revamp it a little. The main characters were both rather unlikeable, in my opinion, but they both also contributed a great deal to the film in terms of style and a certain smoothness and suaveness. Their calm looks, sunglasses and cigarettes all helped to create their flawless and composed characters.
There was definitely a strong undercurrent of issues around America and France and the strong differences/controversy between them. Many of the film's lines talked about the difference between American girls and French girls and comparisons between the cultures were frequent.
Breathless (or A Bout De Souffle) was definitely an interesting and worthwhile watch but I can't say that I would rush to watch it again any time soon.
I went to see Begin Again with a few people from the film studies class. It was very empty in the screen and the cinema and the cinema experience was generally nice, except the lights came on during the end of the film rather than after it finished (but oh well).
The film felt perfect in length, and actually a little short compared to the last few films I've watched in the cinema.
Begin Again was very sweet - with a few moments of comedy and drama, it was just a happy film. I thought the idea of recording their own album in various places around New York City was lovely and the characters all had such interesting depth to them. I was concerned there would be too much focus and plot dependency on the ex-boyfriend-turned-pop-legend, but I was pleasantly surprised. The focus was instead put into the character of Violet, the daughter of Dan who I had no idea would be a character in the film. All the musicians felt very authentic and friendly and the film, although not one of my favourites, was very enjoyable and justnice to watch.
This hasn't been a very coherent response but the film was a real gem and had some absolutely beautiful moments so it is well worth watching it (and Keira Knightley can sing pretty well).
Boyhood was an absolutely incredible film: a fantastic script, amazing cinematography, lovely soundtrack - the whole works.
People often say that they're "transported" into a film and I've never felt so completely involved in the lives of a set of characters. When I watch a film, particularly in a cinema, I tend to get a little distracted and reflect on my life. This barely happened when I watched Boyhood (which is a good thing).
There were some very interesting themes being discussed in the movie, such as domestic violence, alcohol addiction, as well as just the process of growing up. I also thought that the "everyday" content of the script was great - the comedy all came from everyday situations rather than it being planned out and forced.
The shifts in time were so subtle and it was great to see how these individuals changed over the years, mainly in their appearance but also in the way they behaved.
I liked how the jump between the years would leave the audience to fill in the gaps. Whilst the film was almost 3 hours long, it felt like a great length. In fact, I was a little bit disappointed when it ended - not because I wanted to know what happened next, but because I had been in the middle of the characters' lives for 2 hours and 40 minutes and then suddenly I wasn't.
I kept wondering how they were going to end the film, and I was relieved to find that they didn't seize any of the opportunities to end it softly after cliche scene. Instead, the ending was very reflective (yet humorous) but so abrupt and perfect ... plus, the credits featured one of my favourite songs by Arcade Fire.
I knew Arcade Fire's track (Deep Blue) would be in the film after reading an article about the soundtrack, and I thought the lyrics suited the idea of the film well. I was pleasantly surprised to find that another Arcade Fire song was featured in the middle of the film.
I think my favourite scene had to be the one where Mason travels to his university and stops off along the way to put petrol in his car and take photos of some of the amazing surroundings, all to the music of Hero by Family Of The Year.
My family have had an interest in Hitchcock's films for a long time now that started when we all watched The Lady Vanishes on TV. After loving The Lady Vanishes, we went on to buy Rear Window, Strangers On A Train, North By Northwest etc and, later, a Hitchcock boxset.
For Christmas, my parents bought me a boxset of Psycho and The Birds as we have both on VHS but none of us have actually got round to watching them. I've been putting off watching them as I feel like you need to be in the mood for Hitchcock's films, but after not being able to find the other discs from our My So-Called Life boxset, I watched Psycho.
It was very different to the image I had created from seeing the shower scene many times, but it was also a lot better than I thought it was going to be... although, it was much less scary but much more weird than I had anticipated.
I felt that Anthony Perkins, who plays the "psychotic" Norman Bates, played the part incredibly well - capturing that nice, yet uneasy feel to his character.
I found it interesting that, at the start, I wanted Marion to succeed in her running away; when she was dead, I wanted Norman to succeed in covering everything up; when Sam and her sister arrive, I wanted them to succeed in discovering Norman's secret. I wasn't rooting for one person throughout, it changed as the film progressed.
The last scene, with Norman's mother's voice, and his creepy grin at the camera was quite unsettling.
All in all, Psycho was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be, but a lot more perturbing.
I appreciated how Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown had many chaotic and crazy things going on within the plot, but kept it unique and avoided making it into a cliche Mr-Bean-everything-going-wrong type of film.
There was a focus on the relationships between all the characters in the film and it didn't have a heavier focus on the relationship between Pepa and Ivan. This made the film, for me at least, a lot more interesting to watch than had it been entirely focused on the main character's relationships.
The style of the film and the mise-en-scene was very reflective of the time, with a slightly surreal edge at times (like the view from the apartment). The style and colour reminded me of the very stylised, rather odd comedy, I'm So Excited (which I just Googled, and, coincidentally, the two films were both directed by Pedro Almodovar).
Both films feature quirky characters and fit within the comedy genre whilst dealing with the character's anxieties or drama in a humorous way. I'm So Excited also featured Antonio Banderas in a cameo role, and in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, I didn't actually realise that the character of Carlos was played by Banderas.
Whilst Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown had the opportunity to be quite slow, or have scenes that would lose the audience's interest, I found that I wasn't drifting away from the film. Almodovar has created an interesting, quirky film that I did quite enjoy (but I think I preferred the modern "throwback" style and lighter feel of I'm So Excited).
T.S. Spivet had a very small cast and Kyle Catlett (playing T.S. Spivet) had a certain Macaulay Culkin air about him.
I thought the film was sweet and very stylised with the perspective being from 10 year old Spivet's point of view. This was clear when my family were criticising the film for being so unrealistic and too sweet - my argument was that, when following a story with a 10 year old kid, you're not likely to get a brutal, realistic narrative (and I thought the sweet story worked perfectly with the style and feel of the film).
I loved the cinematography and mise-en-scene, and there had clearly been a lot of though put into the style of the film and into making it work brilliantly in 3D (which I usually hate).
The diegetic sounds in the film were amazing - specifically the scenes when Spivet is on the freight train.
Whilst members of my family weren't keen on the 'dead brother' plotline, I found no problem with it and thought the film was good fun to watch (and with a slight Wes Anderson feel).
I thought In The Mood For Love was a really interesting film that didn't fall into the trap of typical Hollywood cliches and perfection.
I really loved the use of slow motion and music in some scenes - for instance, in this scene:
The slow motion and the reoccurring music starts and ends quite abruptly during some scenes within the film and it emphasises the romance and the time taken for the romance to blossom.
Subtle wardrobe changes helped to move along the timeline in a way that kept the flow of the film which was great.
I thought the darker, grittier style worked perfectly with the film and, again, helped to stay away from the Hollywood blockbuster look. The film felt quiet and realistic.
Overall, although it wasn't my favourite film ever, I really enjoyed watching In The Mood For Love.
Frank was a very interesting film - definitely worth a watch. Good themes, characters, music etc...
However, I think I want to talk about the cinema experience.. Despite some rather loud popcorn-plunging and crunching near me *cough* my dad *cough*, I think that might have been the best cinema experience I've encountered.
I went to the 21:00 showing of Frank and there were just a few groups of 2 scattered around the room - I figured we could make up a row/a row and a half if we all sat next to each other. It was quiet and calm.
Tonight was also Eurovision (which I normally watch, but I'm glad I chose Frank over it tonight), a big event that takes up a lot of everyone's lives on the day.. As I was sat there watching the film, I was thinking about how great cinemas are. You lose all track of time, you have no idea whether it is dark or light outside, that facebook message or important email doesn't exist until you get home and you don't need to think about it. It's so nice to be extracted from everyday life to sit in a dark room and experience entertainment like this.
What fascinated me about tonight was that when the film ended, no one moved. Everyone was still sat there, soaking up every second of the credits with each other. It was actually very sweet to see couples still cuddled up, people still reading off the screen, sitting back, motionless, enjoying the music and appreciating everything they had just seen.
So.. shout out to everyone who made that cinema experience perfect - everyone who proved exactly why cinemas should still be around and why Harbour Lights Picture House will always be my favourite cinema.
Safety Not Guaranteed was a nice little movie that was a perfect mix of everything. Comedy, romance and a main plotline that is based around figuring out this mysterious, potentially insane man and his plan to go back in time.
At first, I was unsure of the characters and actors. I've seen Jake Johnson as Nick Miller in New Girl and Aubrey Plaza as Julie in Scott Pilgrim Vs The World. I was hesitant about whether their characters would work, given Plaza's deadpan style and the demolishing of Johnson's previous innocent and flappy character from New Girl to a somewhat vile, composed man in Safety Not Guaranteed.
However, I was proved wrong - they worked incredibly well.
The characters of Darius and Kenneth were intense, with Kenneth being almost scary due to his potentially mad characteristics and unpredictability. You didn't feel safe, but wanted to through Darius' clear feelings for him, shown by the way she looks at him and smiles around him. (Kudos to Mark Duplass for creating such a uneasy character).
I thought the mystery surrounding the concept of the time travel was brilliant. You really don't know what is going to happen - it's restricted narrative at its finest. (And I'm not going to say what happens - spoilers).
We Are The Best! is a Swedish film set in 1982 about 13 year old punks.
It has this incredibly realistic feel about it, through the use of cinematography and diegetic sounds which can either be a good thing or a bad thing. In this case, it suited the film very well but I feel that if I hadn't been stuck in a cinema, and I was watching it by myself, I might get bored.
In terms of plot, I appreciated the fact that it didn't have the big Hollywood movie plot of introduction, problem, resolution. Instead, it focused in on just a moment in time in these girls' lives.
It was amusing in places due to the script and its funny way of documenting the way young teenagers think. Moments that stood out were how slight feelings for a boy were discussed as being 'in love' and freaking out about a small cut on a hand: "I don't want to die!".
The character of Karla was interesting. She would be a bit of fun to be around, but any longer than a few minutes, I could see myself getting very irritated with her. Karla captures the essence of pesky year 7 students that push the boundaries a little too far.
The more subdued character of Bobo was just as interesting and is the one that gets left behind by everything and everyone. I feel like there is a character for everyone to relate to in the film, be it the wannabe punks full of pretentious rebellion or the quieter characters getting upset by the tiniest of things.
The advert says it all: a film for everyone who's 13 years old, a film for everyone who will be 13 years old, a film for everyone who used to be 13 years old.
(Although, I must admit that my favourite character had to be Karla's dad who gets an undignified yet hilarious appearance during the credits and several very funny scenes).
Like Donnie Darko, I had this film on my shelf for a long time, completely unopened. Thanks to August, I decided to watch it last night and this scene stood out to me a lot. The film and it's aspects of mise en scene, cinematography etc have a lot of meaning because the film is so surreal.
This scene is set in a bookstore and throughout the scene, the books on the shelf are turned around so that the shelves are white and blank by the end of the scene.
Not only does this show how all the colour, memories and stories are being taken away from the main character (Joel), but the contrast between his dark clothing, the white pages and Clementine's clothes and hair emphasise the focus on Clementine's character and begin to give an insight of how colourful, bright and important she is to Joel.
Clementine's red hair, top and lipstick all symbolise her fiery character (which is seen quite a lot in this scene).
I just thought this scene was a very interesting one to think about... And I never thought I would enjoy a film starring Jim Carrey so much - but he actually plays the character incredibly well.
Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008, starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings) is beautifully simple. Its tiny cast play characters with no given surnames and its plot is set entirely in one night. It definitely isn't the best film I've ever watched, but it's elegant and artistic enough for me to watch it for the second time last night. The soundtrack is heavily centred within the Indie/Alternative genre and the film's plot itself is based around music.
What I like about Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist is how it subtly shows the audience the reality of how perfect nights are never perfect throughout, and always have some bad moments. It demonstrates how one person in a group of free, happy night-owls can be having an awful time. It communicates the grand imperfection of what could be great and (in a very cliche movie way) proves that life isn't a flawless story.
Through the personality of the character of Norah, the film emphasises how things don't happen smoothly: people are awkward, people are shy and situations are uncomfortable. (Sidenote: whilst I say Norah, this is also demonstrated through Nick's character, but that's generally what you get when Michael Cera plays a character so it's not much to comment on).
Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist is a 'Netflix at 10:00pm with a pile of blankets and a cup of tea' kind of film and it achieves that amazingly. It's enchanting, so free and it manages to be unpredictable - the kind of film you fall in love with.
(In hindsight, this post is probably a bit of an overreaction - but I guess it details just how I felt immediately after watching Catching Fire...)
Right. Where do I even start?
Okay, I watched Catching Fire on DVD just 20 minutes ago.
My immediate response?
That was NOT enjoyable.
In terms of mise-en-scene and cinematography etc the film was brilliant. The camera shots were a bit iffy at times in the way that they could have been smoother - my sister described some scenes as 'clunky' and, at times, you felt quite aware of the idea that it was something that was being filmed.
However, the plot, the acting and the general feel of the movie tore me apart. I used to be pretty invincible when it came to films, and the only movie to ever bring a slight tear to my eye was a few years ago when I watched Dean Spanley which contained a scene where a dog is shot. However, it now seems that I have become a bit of a weakling and I do cry a lot easier at films. Catching Fire, though, was incredibly intense. Words to sum the film up would include: distressing, traumatic and upsetting.
It was one of those heart-wrenching films from start to finish where characters have to be wished good luck very sincerely, have to say goodbye through streams of tears and end up screaming with emotional pain. And I don't understand how anyone could sit through 146 minutes of that and feel like they've had a good time.
However, the fact that I feel so strongly about this show how good the film must be to shake its audience in such a hard-hitting way. So kudos to everyone that took part in the making of the film, from the acting all the way to the set design.
For now, though, I think I might stick to more light-hearted films like Juno.
The initial camera shot in the apartment scene (from 1:00) shows the flat in low key lighting with many shadows surrounding the rooms that can be seen. This lighting, despite being in colour, is very typical of the film noir genre where shadows and darkness are used excessively throughout the films in order to create a dark atmosphere. When the character of Bridget begins to move and circle round the sofa as if enclosing her "prey", she is mainly in the shadows and a clear shot of her full face isn't seen until she is towering above Clay, displaying her control, dominance and power over him. The use of shadows and the way her hair hides her face fully represent the character's hidden, deceiving identity and portray her as the "spider woman" or the femme fatale that is creeping around in the shadows, manipulating and luring the people (men) surrounding her.
When the shot of Bridget's face is used, what immediately strikes the audience is her red lipstick and dark hair. This is similar to the way the femme fatale of the film Double Indemnity, Phyllis, is portrayed. The aspects of the characters' physical appearances are used to demonstrate their falseness. Whilst in Double Indemnity, Phyllis has "bottle blonde" hair and garish make up, Bridget in The Last Seduction has dark hair that hangs in her down, obscuring the clear view of her face and supports the idea of lies and sinister mystery.
The notion of Bridget masking herself is reinforced through the clothes she wears, again, similar to Double Indemnity. Phyllis in Double Indemnity wears excessive amounts of cheap-looking jewellery and elaborate clothes with ruffles, which displays her falseness and masked identity. However, when Bridget wipes her fingerprints off of the can of mace using her coat in The Last Seduction, it can be seen very clearly that her outfit is pretty much completely without any sort of colour which suggests at her dark, mysterious character. Bridget's dark, long coat hides her figure causing her to remain in the background without standing out too much. This differs from the scenes where Bridget wants to stand out in order to attract people that she can manipulate.The other characters in the scene contrast with Bridget's dark, shapeless figure, especially the character of the "fall-guy", Mike, who's "innocence" of sorts can be seen through the bright blue clothes that he is wearing and the rolled up sleeves which show open body language.
In a documentary about The Last Seduction it is noted that the characters from Beston (Mike) were purposefully dressed in blues and browns that contrast with the New York characters' (Bridget and Clay) monochrome outfits. This hints at the idea of the New York characters being scheming and hidden in contrast to the Beston characters being open and a bit more vibrant (to a certain extent).
I found the very last scene quite interesting as, when Bridget's darkened-windowed stretched car drives away during the last 15 seconds of the film (from 5:45), it is dark, murky and it is raining. People are in the street with umbrellas and running around with coats. I think what this last scene is trying to say is that the ending doesn't deserve sun and bright skies because Bridget is surrounded by and surrounds people with a cloud of darkness and the rain and gloomy skies are Bridget's future. However, she is safe, warm and dry in her expensive car whilst everyone else is left out in the awful weather which represents her selfish way of making everything perfect for her and watching, and enjoying watching, everyone else struggle.
Let's start with the brilliant Donnie Darko. I only recently watched this film, and I'm glad I didn't watch it when I was younger because it's very surreal. After watching it, I watched it several more times and if there's ever a moment when I am feeling bored, I press play again.
It's perfect in every sense and I really love the soundtrack. It took me a few watches to get an understanding of the film, and I love the fact that you can interpret every scene and every detail in whatever way you wish. Donnie Darko opening (and perhaps my favourite) scene:
Similarly, I like the "cliche" film The Perks Of Being A Wallflower. I haven't read the book, but I don't tend to read very often. The film is beautiful, and, like Donnie Darko, has an amazing soundtrack. The characters are so rich and are so likeable - especially the humorous yet caring character of Patrick:
Now I move on to the wonderful Ferris Bueller's Day Off which I really cannot fault. I love the style and cinematography and the theme of the film is perfect. It expresses every young person's desire to be independent, to escape from education but not actually knowing where to go in life. It's fun and it has some powerful messages in. As I said in a previous post: "it's great to see a good film where young people are rebelling against the organised structure of life".
And finally, a film that is slightly different to the others, without that older feel to it: Scott Pilgrim Vs The World. I'm not a fan of comic books or video games, but what I really love about the film is the genius script and the quirky, strong characters. I've completely lost count of how many times I've watched Scott Pilgrim and it really is one of those films where the jokes never tire.
The Last Seduction captured my interest quite a lot and I think this was due to the clever character of Bridget and wanting to know her next move throughout the film.
I found the ending quite unsettling and it actually made me like the film less than I previously did, which is a shame but it shows how effective and shocking the ending is and just how awful Bridget's character is.
After watching the film, I realised that there were no characters that I liked - they were all unpleasant, weak or unlikeable in some way, shape or form.
What I found interesting what the small cast and the lack of characters. There are just three main characters, a few minor ones and several extras. This created a lot of focus on the important characters and kept focus on the plot around them.
The scene opens with two camera shots which establish Phyllis and Neff's positions in the room. The camera first uses a mid-shot of Phyllis standing up, then a shot of Neff sitting down which immediately creates the impression of Phyllis's power and superiority over the male character.
When Phyllis sits down in the chair, a lot can be said about the character's costume. The audience's eye, however, is drawn to the anklet she is wearing because of light reflecting on the metal. The anklet suggests that she is a woman of loose morals and the positioning of her body is very suggestive, which supports this idea of her character.
As Neff begins to ask about her anklet, and she responds, a closer shot of the accessories and clothes that Phyllis is wearing is used. What strikes the audience immediately is the number of large pieces of jewellery, the ruffled shirt, the garish make up and her hair. All these aspects contribute to making her look as false and as fake as she could. This represents the facade that she is as a person and hints towards the secrets and crime that come later in the film.
Another aspect of the scene that hints at crime is the use of lighting and shadows formed by the venetian blinds. This effect is used a lot throughout the film and could easily mimic prison bars which represent a sense of entrapment within the situation, and, more literally, the justice of crime - which is what the film is heavily based around.
In the part of the scene where Neff and Phyllis are standing, facing each other and having a playful conversation, the use of shadows is very interesting. During the shots where Phyllis can be seen from the front, there is no use of Neff's shadow in a very prominent way, which suggests the innocence and how unsuspecting he is. However, when Phyllis can be seen facing Neff, her shadow is cast on the front of his jacket. This creates a sense of Phyllis's power and how she can almost consume Neff, the unsuspecting "fall guy". The low position of the shadow suggests the size and height of the shadow could be creeping up, which happens literally as the film progresses where Phyllis has a lot of control over Neff. This idea of the creeping echoes the idea of Film Noir's femme fatales being called "spider women" who lure the "fall guy" into their wen and entangle them in it. This is what Phyllis does both within the film's plot and in the symbolic way using the shadows.
Double Indemnity captured my interest a lot. I think it shared a lot of aspects with various Hitchcock films, which I enjoy watching. I've always been interested in Hitchcock's use of shadows and light, mainly in his black and white films, and Double Indemnity (and film noir as a genre) use both incredibly well.
As said in the documentary about Double Indemnity, Neff is a very likeable character and I found myself siding with him and wanting him to not be brought to justice. Naturally, I was slightly disappointed when Neff is caught by Keyes at the end. However, the lack of aggression Keyes displays helps to make the ending a little more satisfying as Neff still seems like a "nice" guy.
I found the character Lola, Phyllis's stepdaughter, wasn't explored very much. Maybe this was for a reason but her character seemed a little redundant to me (despite the plot line of Phyllis seeing Lola's boyfriend). The film was heavily focused around the crime and Phyllis's sexuality, so a lot of the smaller characters and smaller plot-lines become a little lost within the film (which is not necessarily a criticism).
I recently re-watched Ferris Bueller's Day Off and rediscovered my love for it. I watched it once when I was younger, but the person I was watching it with hated it, so I didn't get to appreciate it fully.
There are some really good quotes and messages within the film, and it's great to see a good film where young people are rebelling against the organised structure of life.
There's one specific scene in the film where Ferris Bueller's friend Cameron has a breakdown and starts to destroy his dad's car as a symbol of him standing up for himself. The scene has this magnificent use of silence which echoes the shock of the characters and the audience.
The silence really helps to drive the message into the audience of how tiring it is to conform and live by the rules made by other people. Ferris Bueller's Day Off really emphasises the idea of living for yourself, rather than be manipulated by other people.
It does this in a brilliant way as Ferris, Sloane and Cameron are viewed as the "good guys" whereas the principal of their school is seen as the enemy. At the end of the film, Ed Rooney (the principal) is seen staggering down the road in ripped, bloody clothes after being gloriously defeated by the youth.
There is a part of Ferris Bueller in everyone, wanting to break free from restrictions and rebel and Bueller lives this dream.
The first few shots of the closing scene of If establish the location of the youth on the rooftop and the rest of the characters down in the courtyard. This immediately creates a sense of the youth hiding from the rest of the people of the time during the 60s. The general stereotype of the time was of people, particularly young people, breaking free of the rules and constraints of the time, but the placement of the youth hiding in this scene proves how they were still being watched and restricted.
The idea of the youth firing at society is a representation of their desire for rebellion. This rebellion causes destruction and chaos which could symbolise the idea that 'Swinging Britain' was just a myth, and, in reality, the slight increase in freedom had awful, dark consequences. The scene also clearly represents the youth as the "bad guys",
which emphasises the lack of freedom and independence that the youth had
at the time, as well as emphasising the lack of control and intense destruction the youth were identified with.
The youth on the rooftop seem to be really getting into the firing of the guns and it really creates a feel of games and role play, where young children run around pretending to be in the war. This really emphasises how the youth really were young and should still have been guarded and controlled because of the destruction they were capable of. This, again, shatters the 'Swinging Britain' myth of happy-endings and exciting freedom. In the first shot, there is smoke forcing people out of the building.
The smoke could be a metaphor for how the youth of the time would cover
their actions up and rebel behind the backs of society, their parents
etc. The smoke causing people to leave the building shows how the events
that the youth were a part of were damaging.
At the same time, the youth (the character Travis, in particular) are firing at society in angry way to represent how the rules, restrictions and strictness were seen as unfair through the eyes of the youth.
Shots of the man in armour and religious uniform represent the idea of society forcing ideas of war, patriotism and religion onto the youth of the time. This is an echo of all the religion and war references and rules applied in the film through the boarding school and how they stopped the boys in the school from having fun.
The shot of people hiding behind the car includes a gun being passed around. This is an idea of the conflict between society and the youth of the time.
The shot where guns are being passed out of the window to the people in the courtyard symbolises the idea of society "ganging up" against the youth and causing a brutal war and divide between them.
In the shot where The Girl fires a bullet and kills the headmaster, an idea of rebellion and lack of tolerance for the constant lies told the youth in order to control them is shown ("Boys! Boys! I understand you! Listen to reason and trust me! Trust me!").
One of the shots in the film includes the image of a tree in the courtyard. The tree is dark and leafless which could represent how the bright and colourful idea of the 'swinging 60s' was false and how, in reality, the 60s were dark and lifeless.
I thought that If was a very interesting film to watch, despite not understanding a lot of it. It emphasises the social constraints that people of the time still faced, despite the idea of 'Swinging Britain' through the rules and punishments the school has.
In terms of the surrealism, I wasn't sure what was going on, although I'm sure it had a lot of meaning. I think that one of the surreal scenes was based around dreams and maybe how the 60's were full of these huge dreams and ambitions, none of which would become reality. The scene where the two boys steal the motorbike could be a reference to the people of the time wanting to break free and escape, rebelling from the rules and constraints.
Out of the four 60's films, I enjoyed If the most. The characters and issues pulled me in a lot more than the ones in the three other films. For want of a better word, I'd say the other films felt a bit bland to me. If was generally a little more upbeat and exciting and I think that's why it interested me a lot more than the other films.
The ending, of course, was quite shocking. I had been warned, very vaguely, about it, but I wasn't expecting anything quite like a mass shooting. In all honesty, it's taking me quite a long time to find the words for this film response as the film was so surreal and shocking in places.
The first shot of Georgy in the opening scene is of her openly and confidently walking down the street and, at one point, pushing two men aside to get past which represents her stubbornness, strength. It also represents how she would stand up for herself against the male characters in the film who keep trying to tell her who to be. She is wearing dark clothes and a very simple, no-fuss hairstyle which opposes the other women in the scene. She keeps walking and passes many shop windows and posters displaying 'sale' signs but is not distracted or pulled in by them at all which shows her non-conformity to the female stereotype of the time.
This is followed by a visual metaphor where Georgy is crossing the road. This could symbolise and foreshadow the transition she goes through later on in the film where she goes from a single woman to a married woman with a child. Her journey from one side of the street to the other is interrupted by cars as she crosses which could represent the troubles she will encounter and the disruption of the traditional way of living. This is the first hint of the film's themes of disproving and destroying the smooth, care-free stereotype of the 'swinging 60s'. A little while after this, in the opening scene, Georgy crosses the road again after changing her mind about her look which represents her comfort zone and how she is expected to look a certain way but doesn't like it. This is supported by how characters in the film would ask her to change her large jumper or wear a dress, to which she refuses. This is an idea of how not all freedom had been achieved at this point in time and people, mainly women, were pushed into a stereotype and 'designed'.
As Georgy looks at the hairstyles in the shop, there is a fence railing which separates the street from the shop which could represent how Georgy is stopped from having the stereotypical, traditional 60s look and lifestyle she wants to have. However, beyond the railing is a glass window and glass door which shows just how close Georgy was living to these women with these other lives. Georgy and the woman in the shop look at each other through the window which emphasises the difference between Georgy and the average woman of the time.
Georgy Girl was seemingly lighter than the other 60s films I've watched so far which made it a lot more enjoyable to watch, in my opinion. Whilst it wasn't exploring very positive issues, there was nowhere near as much darkness as in the other films and it didn't contain disturbing abortion scenes like the others. Rather than looking at the darker times of 'Swinging Britain', it seemed to provide a much more realistic view of how a normal life for "no one special" would turn out.
I quite liked the character of Georgy and I felt her independence, non-conformity and tendency to be strong-willed was something to be respected. Despite many other characters referring to how she could be loved if she looked like other girls of the time, she makes little effort to change as she is more comfortable the way she is.
I recently re-watched Inception, splitting it up into two evenings as it's over two hours long. There is so much I could talk about with this film but I want to keep it simple. I could analyse every single detail of the film as it has so much obvious meaning to it, but that would take a very long time.
However, one part that stood out for me is the scenes involving Cobb's memories. Ariadne travels around these stored memories in a dark lift that is rusty, old and is barred. Cobb has lived 50 years in a separate world which explains the old, uncared for look to the lift. The darkness and the bars are a representation of Cobb's feelings of being trapped in other worlds, as well as a visual metaphor of him caging his memories and caging Mal.
In the same scene, the curtains in the hotel window fly about in the wind. This image is shown again at other points of the film and I believe it is a subtle hint to symbolise Cobb feeling like he has lost control.
Inception wouldn't be the same without the sounds used. Intense, driving orchestral music is used throughout and blends into the film so well that you almost forget it's there. You're left with these feelings of adrenaline and tension and without the music, you wouldn't feel quite the same.
Silence and diegetic sounds are used in a genius way. In one scene, the van in one dream is falling and the music suddenly stops to leave complete silence in a slow motion scene. In the next dream, the only sound is the avalanche. The use of sound manages to captivate the audience and draw you into the film in way that makes you forget reality - which is very much like the main theme of the film.
I forgot how good Inception was. Every detail within the film is hugely important and the film itself is unbelievably impressive.
I felt that Up The Junction provided a different portrayal of women at the time to Alfie. Whilst the women in Alfie seemed quite submissive, the women in Up The Junction were a lot more confident and feisty. This was shown clearly by how Polly was a very decisive character and knew exactly what she wanted. She wouldn't let the male characters (in specific, Peter) sway her.
At first, Polly seems quiet and meek but throughout the film she takes a very strong role and almost seems to take charge of everyone around her.
There was a very interesting contrast between classes in Up The Junction. Whilst Chelsea was rarely visually portrayed, Battersea was shown a lot and seemed to be a busy, friendly community. Peter views his future in somewhere like Chelsea which shows that it's a place and state of wealth people aspired to be in.
Up The Junction flipped this all over and provided a point of view from someone with money who wanted to be without it, much to the confusion of the Battersea characters.
Whilst class is a key aspect to the film, it also explores the freedom of women at that time and the consequences that freedom brought. Just like Alfie, Up The Junction had a disturbing abortion scene which highlighted the darker moments of the sixties.
More darker moments are seen when Rube's boyfriend gets killed and when there is a massive fight in the street at night. It's the scenes like this which destroy the stereotypical image of the 'swinging sixties' and shows that life wasn't quite as happy as it was said to be.
I personally followed the point of views of the Battersea characters and found it difficult to understand why Polly would want to live in somewhere like Battersea. This said, 50 years have passed so things like living conditions have changed so much that the apartment Polly wanted to live in was quite shocking by today's standards.
I found myself disliking Polly's character and I've been thinking about why I'm not keen on her. I think it's because the character of Polly and my own personality are very different so I struggle to understand why she says and does some of the things she does. That said, I really respect the character for having her own opinions.
I found soundtrack of Up The Junction very interesting as it used popular music of the time. The first time a song called 'I Need Your Love' is played is when Polly's friends sing it in the pub. The instrumental of the song is then echoed later in the film when she walks home and when she goes into the hotel. I think this is supposed to represent her happiness as the atmosphere at the pub was lively and she clearly had a great time. It reminds Polly and the audience of how Battersea is so much more fun and friendly than Chelsea.
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