MYST Q2 #2: Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

It was another Saturday night with no plans. Just me, my two friends Sheridan and Maverick, and netflix. So, naturally we looked for a movie, and after minutes of searching, Maverick gave up and asked me if I'd ever seen *Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back*. I hadn't, and he said that I just had to see it, that it was HILARIOUS. I was down for anything, so he turned it on.
And yeah it was funny. I laughed multiple times.
But, the overall tone of the movie was too corny and lame for me to really enjoy it. It was your typical lame, stoner comedy, similar to the Harold & Kumar movies. A lot of one liner jokes were funny, but I guess maybe the lack of marijuana held me back from fully liking the film. (Joking, but who knows?). The film is consistent joke after joke from the very beginning. The whole basic plot of the movie is a joke in terms of the conflict the main characters Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) encounter: their identities are being ripped off in a comic book/movie, calling them "Bluntman and Chronic". Every scene was silly and immaturely funny (if that makes sense).
It was cool to see Eliza Dushku (as the character of "Sissy") in this movie. I recognized her from her the tv series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in which she played "Faith", a slayer who turned to the dark side. She played a role somewhat similar in this film, being sort of the bad guy and being involved in a robbery operation where her and her "animal liberation group" set up Jay and Silent Bob to take the fall for them. Little details, like the cast members and cheesy dialogue are what made me like the film more or less, but it just wasn't well put together. I all felt too random, and I couldn't take it seriously (even though I'm sure it wasn't the films intention to be taken seriously).
It just lacked some true entertainment value, and because of this, I probably wouldn't watch it again. I'd recommend this film as background noise or as something to lighten the mood; I recommend not making it the highlight of your evening, as it will surely disappoint.
2.5/5 Stars

MYST Q2 #1: The Virgin Suicides

As lame as it sounds, I first heard of this film through my Netflix suggestions. After reading the description and realizing it fell partially in the category of a teen film and partially in the category of a drama, I decided to give this film a try.
The film is continuously narrated by one of they young boy characters, and I really enjoyed this because it gave it that real, personal feel to it, which I tend to get from watching more indie type films. Having one of the boys narrate the story was a cool choice because the story didn't revolve around them (it revolved around the five Lisbon sisters), so it gave a more familiar perspective to the film because the boys were outsiders, in a way, just like the us as the audience; we're left to wonder about the girls and try to understand them, just like the boys did in the film.
The most dramatized scene in the film, in my opinion, is the ending scene where the boys find the remaining four daughters have killed themselves - major spoiler, sorry. This scene in particular was the most difficult to understand. The reason behind killing themselves probably stemmed from their lack of freedom for the past months (they were pulled out of school and left housebound after Lux [Kirsten Dunst] broke curfew on Homecoming night). However, their lives seemed to be improving immediately prior to them taking their lives. They had found a way to communicate to the neighborhood boys and listen to music again. On the night they kill themselves, they invite the boys over once their parents are asleep, and the scene is set up to believe that the boys are going to drive the girls around, so they can get out of the house for once. The biggest contrast that was set up within the scene was the boys' imagination on how their adventure would be. It cuts away to them driving on a sunny day, the girls cuddling up against the boys with smiles on all faces. Immediately following the dream sequence, the boys find one of the girls hanging from the ceiling, and the deaths are revealed. It let me completely dumbfounded as to why it was necessary to invite the boys over when they all had the intention of killing themselves.
I haven't viewed very many of Sofia Coppola's films, but I think she has a really cool, indie-type style. It's even more interesting how she had her father producing the film; he has such a big reputation for his films, (for example, *The Godfather*), and he was probably a big influence and support figure in Sofia's career as a director. I would recommend this mostly toward a female audience because the plot is kind of slow moving and focuses a lot on smaller details, thoughts, and emotions, and I think typically women are more drawn to more emotionally stimulating movies than men. I was a little disappointed by the film itself because it felt very anticlimactic, with the exception of a few scenes; however, I did enjoy the style and structure of the film.
3/5 Stars

MYST #3: Silver Linings Playbook

 

I've been meaning to see this film since it's been released, and I was thrilled when it was finally on Netflix. What intrigued me to begin with was its element of mental illness within its characters. I'ts really interesting how the portrayal of mental illness can vary in severity depending on the storyline of the film. What I like about this film is that the illness was shown in a really realist way. Patrick (played by Bradley Cooper) had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and although his symptoms were apparent (especially when he was off his medication), he was still a really normal and realistic character. It added to the deeper chemistry between him and Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) by exposing her bipolar characteristics and also by being able to bring out the best in each other in the end.

The story begins with Patrick wanting to prove that he's stable enough to win back the love of his ex-wife, which leads to the arrangement of him helping Tiffany with her dance competition in exchange for her delivering letters to Patrick's ex-wife for him. The storybook ending of Patrick and Tiffany falling for each other was pretty predictable, but it also satisfies what the audience wants by following through on how they set the characters up.
One of my favorite scenes in the entire film was the actual dance scene at the competition. I love how it started out with serious and pretty music, but then it kicked in with "Fell in Love with a Girl" by the White Stripes (an upbeat, punky tune). I think the music choice really gives personality to the characters and to the film as a whole. It created this optimistic, happy-go-lucky feeling which greatly contrasted to the depressing backstory behind the characters. It reminded me of a scene from one of my favorite movies, *The Perks of Being a Wallflower* (another film whose main character has a mental illness); Charlie (Logan Lerman), who's typically socially awkward, joins his tow new friends in dancing to "Come On Eileen". Both films have that feature freeing feeling of joy despite the overwhelming problems we know the characters to have.

I really enjoyed viewing this movie, even though the plot was a little slow at some points. I would recommend it to anyone who's a fan of dramas with elements of romantic comedies. It wasn't really unique, but it was very well done and interesting because of the well developed, multidimensional characters.
4/5 Stars

MYST #2: Pulp Fiction

For Years I've been hearing my film-loving friends rave about *Pulp Fiction*, and I've finally experienced it for myself. I used the word "experience" rather than "see" or "view" because this movie is so chaotic and unique that it was truly an experience. Because of this, I don't think I could appreciate just as much as those who are very familiar with the film.
The mobster characters Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent (John Travolta) and their methods of catching and shooting down the enemies of their boss, Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) gave the film a feeling humor along with the violence. It was a little different seeing Travolta in this type of role because I'm used to his more soft and romantic side, as seen in *Grease* and *Look Who's Talking*. But I think it's this human side to him that makes his character more humorous and likable, like in his dialogue with Jules about burgers in France or when he's out with Wallace's wife, Mia (Uma Thurman).

What makes this film really appealing in my opinion is its edginess. Its explicit use of drugs and murder throughout the movie give it that reckless feel, but the scene that dealt with rape is what really caused that uncomfortable feeling and caught me off guard. I apologize to those who haven't seen it, if I'm giving away too many details, but it was the most stand out scene in the entire film, in my opinion. As bold as this idea was, I think it pushed the envelope in just the right way to really get a reaction out of the audience.

Overall, I was really intrigued by this movie and plan to watch it again in the future. I recommend this movie to anyone who's not looking for your typical action/drama movie. It's truly unique and will capture your attention. 3.5/5 Stars

Formal Film Studies: Teen Movies By Decade

What unites the three films that I watched is the classification of a teen movie genre. What I was really looking for was similarities and differences between these films and how they varied based on the decade they were released in, starting with the the 1980s. All these films were commonly linked based on the stereotypical portray of the American teenager. They focus on the lives of teenage characters who are driven by their desire for parties, sex, and popularity. And by focusing on this aspect of the teenage culture and lifestyle, it sets the standard and generalization that all teenagers behave like this and only this. Regardless of the time period, these films instill this idea of teens being immature and focused on the rebellious side of adolescence. They zero in on the image of teens being highly irresponsible and focus more-so of the benefits of that than the consequences. 

The major plot line of *American Pie* (1999) revolves around these four boys who make a pact to lose their virginity by prom night, which supports the idea that all teenagers' minds are centered around their sex drive, raging hormones, and desire to meet the social standard of losing their virginity before leaving for college. Similarly, the plot of *Fast Times at Ridgemont High* (1982) follows the lives of another set of teens, mainly focusing on the character of Stacy, a high school sophomore, who looks up to her sexually experienced older friend Linda, glamorizing the idea of teen promiscuity. The film whose plot focused less on sex and more of the general idea of irresponsibility in teens was *Superbad* (2007), more specifically on two friends' (Seth and Evan) goal to buy alcohol and go to this girl's party.
All the films have this happy-go-lucky approach and feel when dealing with teenage lives. None of them display or encourage the dull side of teenage reality like doing homework or stressing over college applications, probably because there's no comedy in watching a group of students writing essays and feeling stressed. Each film has elements that portray the lives of teenagers so ridiculously that it's almost satirically implying the stereotypical image of a teenager. For example, in *American Pie*, Jim ( Jason Briggs) is constantly caught by his dad engaging in something sexual and humiliating, including a scene where he's "practicing" on a warm apple pie. It pushes the envelope on how ridiculously teenage antics can be portrayed. Along the lines of exaggerating the view on teen promiscuity, is the scene in *Fast Times At Ridgemont High* where 15 year old Stacy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) hooks up with a 26 year old salesmen she met at work. A scene like this is really controversial and highly unrealistic, which gave the film an edge and heightened the absurdity within the film.
What seemed to be absent for the majority of each film was a wise, mature adult- with the exception of the character of Mr. Hand and the iconic scene of him giving his speech to the stoner kid, Spicoli (Sean Penn) in *Fast Times At Ridgemont High*. In *American Pie* the most prominent adult role was Jim's dad who helped and supported his son's sexual curiosity, making him appear in a comedic light. Furthering that idea of putting authority figures in comedic position, *Superbad* features two cops (played by comedians Bill Hader and Seth Rogen) who are well aware that Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Passe) is using a fake ID, but ignore it just to prove that cops can be cool too. The absence of the role of a strong adult leads to the idea and belief that teenagers are in complete control of what they want to do in their free time and that what they want do usually involve reckless, irresponsible decisions.

What I noticed that separated the most modern film (Superbad) from the older two was the time frame in which the films took place. The older two were set on the span of a school year, where as *Superbad* was set in the time frame of essentially one crazy night. The idea of one night having all the same crazy elements (parties, drugs, sex, etc) of an entire school year reinforces the idea that the image of your stereotypical teens is not changing and is possibly even increasing in ridiculousness.
What also set these films apart was the relevancy of the gender of the director and the main characters of the movie. The director of *Fast Times At Ridgemont High* was Amy Heckerling, a female, and the storyline was mostly told from the point of view of Stacy where the male characters were secondary. Stacy's character was also more sexually aggressive than her love-interest, Mark (Brian Backer), which could be due to the fact that a female is directing the movie. This contrasts from both *American Pie* and *Superbad* who were directed by males and were focused on male characters and their encounters.
These films, especially the older two, have earned a reputation as iconic, scuzz-ball type teen comedies, which started out as absurd and cheap comedy but eventually gained that credibility and recognition for being iconic teen films. What surprised me the most was that *Superbad* earned the highest reviews from critics on rotten tomatoes with and 88% (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/superbad/), beating *Fast Times At Ridgemont High* (79%) and *American Pie* (61%). Typically, most recent teen comedies seem to be getting more negative reviews from critics, so it was surprising to hear that teen films were constantly well-liked and even improving as the years went on. According to Scott Foundas, "Superbad is a movie about partying and getting wasted and getting the girl, but as the night wears on, much wisdom is gained too, about self, friendship and the end of teenage innocence in all its wondrous, terrifying splendor,"(http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/superbad/). So perhaps, the slight element of gained maturity throughout the film is what set it apart from the others and gave a brighter future to teen films.

30's Movie : Murder at Winchester Mansion

1. The film itself is set around a court case regarding the murder of Eben Winchester (played by Clark Gable). The opening scene is set in the court room featuring Ed Bigby, an attorney (played by Paul Muni) and Judge Welles (played by Clarence Brown), while the story of the murder is told in a series of flashbacks during the testimony of Eben Winchester's butler, Eugene Hamiliton (played by William Haines). The story begins with Jean Harlow's character of Viona Boka, a Dutch immigrant, meeting Eben Winchester, one of the few wealthy men left in America during the Depression. Viona gets Eben to fall in love with her, as part of her scheme to murder him and inherit his fortune.
2. The genre of our movie is a romantic drama with elements of a mystery. The dramatic mood of the movie really suits the plot of our story, which takes place in a time of despair and distress, being in the midst of the Great Depression. It shows the motivation and desperation a person can feel at this time that would drive them to murder, in order to find financial security. Our main stars, Jean Harlow and Clark Gable are known for their roles in dramas, and are well-suited to this film.

3. The studio that would work best for this film is MGM because it is a big blockbuster production. It's highly dramatic and features big budget stars like Jean Harlow and Clark Gable.
4. Our cast features: Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, William Haines, Paul Muni, and Clarence Brown. Each actor was chosen specifically for their role based on their past roles in films, their appearance and ability to portray the characters, and their professional experience. Jean Harlow and Clark Gable are the leading roles. These actors have worked well together in the past, and we knew the onscreen chemistry would come together. They have much experience in dramas and have the ability to make our film be very clean cut and professional. We chose King Vidor to direct the film because he would contribute to the prominent element of our film, which is cinematography. While trying to advance and modernize our cinematography, we decided to keep the film in black and white to keep that basic and add to the mysterious, dramatic tone of the storyline.

5. When coming up with the plot of the movie, it was really important to take the Hays Code into consideration in this big blockbuster film. We needed to make sure there wouldn't be any passionate scenes that would be considered scandalous between girl and boy. The murder itself was also a delicate subject to base the film on; we couldn't use guns or show the actual murder. So, we found a way to kill Clark Gable's character without it being violent. We also needed to remove a love triangle between her, him, and the butler because it was a clear violation of the code.
6. I was considering making the film in color because it is produced by a major company like MGM, and perhaps people would be more interested in seeing a film with the new technicolor technology. Other than that, I approved of my group's decisions and the whole process.

MYST Post #1: Donnie Darko

I'm really into movies with a weird subject matter, and *Donnie Darko* is exactly that. *Donnie Darko* is a film that really requires your attention in order to fully grasp it. There are moments of humor and moments of terror, and it's important to constantly listen to what the characters are saying and to follow what's happening in Donnie's mind in order to put the pieces together and fully understand and enjoy the film. Every detail, from each therapy session to the smaller characters, such as Donnie's teacher (Drew Barrymore) and the motivational speaker/author (Patrick Swayze), were very necessary details in order to understand the film and bring the plot together.

The film itself can be slightly difficult to follow. It jumps from moments of darkness and suspense to scenes of sunny days with a normal, relaxed feeling to it. This pattern of going from dark to light is repeated throughout the movie, starting from the opening scene: it's a dark morning and you see Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) for the first time, the music is eerie and suspenseful; but then, the title appears on the screen and the shot is cut away to a bright and sunny day where the camera's following Donnie riding his bike home. During those times of normality and brightness, Donnie's character was shot at a medium level and portrayed him as this normal guy, as if hiding the fact that the audience is aware of all the mysteries going on in his mind.

The film is definitely unique in subject matter and has a very different approach to portraying Donnie's issues with schizophrenia. In a typical movie where the main character struggles with a mental illness, they're seen as a victim. However, in this film, Donnie's schizophrenia is almost like a super power. Although his problems and Frank's (his imaginary friend in the bunny mask) existence makes him uneasy and fearful, he uses it as a strength to speak up about what he feels and believes, which allows him to separate himself from the majority of people in a superior way. Donnie's character was filmed in an interesting way in order to portray that quality. There were a lot of close ups during his serious episodes of his schizophrenia and low lighting to add to the dark and creepy affect.                  .

Overall, watching the move was an enjoyable experience. After my first time viewing it, it'd give it 3.5/5 stars; however, i want to watch a couple more times to see if there are essential details I could've missed that may be vital to getting the maximum enjoyment out of this film. I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys wacky ideas but in a mature way. This film definitely thought outside the box, but at times, it lacked a little clarity. But I will definitely watch it again in the future.