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Saturday, January 22, 2011

The Obsessive Mind of the Movie Audience

It's strange how the mind works... I had a thought yesterday afternoon and it seems everywhere I have looked since then, things seems to relate and compound on what I was thinking.

After I posted yesterday about Inception, I remembered another point I wanted to make.  I really love the scene when they go to Malaysia to get Yusuf and he shows them the dozens of people who come in everyday to dream for hours on end.  They can only live in the fantasy world and come there to be woken up into the real world.  I thought this was such a telling statement on human psychology. 

I even laughed to myself because I used to work with people who would play World of Warcraft for 4-5 hours a day, up to 12 hours on their day off, and all they talk about at work is where they went, who they killed, what they discovered, what gear they picked up and how they are better than you - in a game!  I chuckle because they never talked about their actual 3-dimensional lives.

This morning FX was showing The Talented Mr. Ripley (the newer one with Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law), which I love so I watched it.  Tom Ripley is one of these people.  He creates a whole world in which he can escape and be someone new.

But then I realized what I am doing here - the entire reason I began this blog was to verbalize the thoughts and revelations and feelings I have about one of my own obsessions: movies, TV, books, basically the story of a life other than my own.  How sad.

So what drives us to live our lives pretending?  I know most people have boring lives.  Rarely does anyone lead a life as interesting as that portrayed on film.  But some people take it further than a mere distraction.  I know when I hear a good story, my mind replays it over and over for days.  Hence, the need to form my thoughts into words to escape the vicious analytical cycle.

I think I know where my obsession with story formed.  I had a truly crappy childhood.  My obsession with movies began at about 12 years old.  I would watch them over and over, memorize entire scenes, buy all the Teen Beat magazines to learn all about my favorite actors - this was long before the Internet brought so much more information instantly to our fingertips.  I was obsessed with favorite actors.  At that time it was Sean Astin, and later turned to Michael J. Fox and Neil Patrick Harris.  Then I began to do theater myself and that opened a whole world to me where I could escape my own nightmare and be someone else, somewhere else, for a little while.  Unfortunately, I always had to go home again, so I began to pretend I was one of these characters all the time.  It wasn't until I met my husband that I began to live my own life.

Okay, that is far more information about myself than I would normally share, but since there are pretty much 2 people who will read this - one who knows me really well now and one who knew me then :-) - I feel okay saying it.  I need to get all this out of my head to see where it leads and hope it leaves me feeling better. 

So, anyway, I immerse myself in story to escape.  Even though my life now is fairly idyllic.  Okay, I hate my job, but who doesn't, really?  I have a  happy marriage, good (though somewhat aggravating) kids who love me.  Yet I still feel the need to escape.  Why is that?

Is it that the people in the stories are so much more interesting?  I know when I watch a movie or TV show, especially the ones I really like, the reason I enjoy them is because I can see myself in the character's place, going through their experiences and reacting to the their world.  This, ultimately, is the secret to exceptional film - creating characters that the audience relate to, ones they can see themselves as, and truly care about their well-being.  Without that, we just don't care.  We're not invested in the story and don't hang on the outcome. 

Unfortunately, some people take this too far and begin to feel they know these people.  And most probably don't know if they are connecting to the characters or the actors.  The tabloids create a million-dollar industry!  All because we think we know these people, that we can share in their joys, empathize with their pain and - above all- laugh at them and their misfortunes.  Again, how sad. 

Now, I don't really care about "celebrity stories."  I think that everyone should have a personal life and they have a right to keep that private.  I was standing in line the other day when John Travolta and Kelly Preston were on the cover of a magazine with their new baby.  I glanced at it and moved on to the candy bars...  But the woman behind me started telling her friend a drawn-out story about how she thinks they used (gasp) a surrogate because no one really saw her pregnant!  Who the hell cares???  Isn't that their right?  It's not illegal, and she is 48 years old, why not?

It is truly frightening to me how quickly you could go from being a fan of a show, character, or celebrity, to being a stalker.  Especially if you happen to cross paths with one of these people and imagine you had a real-life connection.  I don't think I would want to be a celebrity if this is the kind of scrutiny and inspection I would receive.

Now, I'm not saying I don't have favorite actors that I feel a connection to, because I do.  You should have seen how happy and proud I was when Chris Colfer won his very first award for acting last week at the Golden Globes.  A virtual nobody who was being recognized for portraying a character.  I actually felt pride - like I had anything to do with it!  But I am aware that no one in Hollywood (or New York, or anywhere else for that matter) has any clue I even exist and if I walked up to them on the street I would be just another face.  In fact, I'm betting I wouldn't even like most of them once I got to know them.

I'm really not sure what my point is today.  I'm feeling very random and rambled.  I just wanted to spend a moment exploring the obsessive mind.  I hope this doesn't mean I will turn into a stalker and serial killer.  It's a fine line to walk, isn't it? 

Friday, January 21, 2011

The Imaginative Beauty that is Inception

Someone commented to me this morning that they found it interesting that I held Inception in such high esteem.  He felt it tried too hard to be confusing and copy The Matrix, and didn't understand the point.  So, I'm here today to defend my opinion of my favorite movie of at least the last few years.  The effects and cinematography were amazing, the acting was skillful and the entire composition left me wanting more.

Even if you take this movie at face value, it can be really enjoyable if you pay attention.  Granted it can be a little daunting with four different "places" going at the same time, but what I love about this movie is that it works for most audiences, no matter how deep you want to look into it.  But only if you're the type of person who really likes to delve headlong into a story.  It isn't for everyone and that's what makes differing opinions so great! 

Taking the story as it is presented, it is an interesting concept, delving into people's dreams and manipulating them.  The confusion, in my opinion, is not so much in keeping up with the story, but in the "weird stuff" that happens in all of our dreams - let's face it, analyzing anyone's dream in the light of our order-based world makes us look crazy!

---------------------------------- BEWARE!  ----------------------------------
THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS!


When I first watched Inception, I asked the question "Do you think he's awake or asleep at the end?" on Facebook.  Two movie geek friends pointed me in the direction of learning the "real story" of Inception, but every single other person who answered said he was awake.  I understand the desire for a happy ending, where everything comes out the way its supposed to... but I thought it was very clear that he was still asleep.  My first clue was the kids themselves.  When he sees them at the end, they are the same age, in the same poses and in the exact same clothes they have been through the entire movie!  Classic dream occurrence: we see things the way we want to see them. 

Also, the fact that they left him submerged in the van tells us he's still "down there" - and they know it and don't try to do anything about it.  Finally, when he is walking through the airport, and going through customs, the only faces you can see clearly are the main characters - every single other person is blurry.  Again this is something we all do in dreams: we only create the details that are important and everything else blurs into the background.

Leaving the movie right there, I still loved it!  But then again, I love movies that you really have to think about. 

BUT, then I read into the message behind this movie and what it truly represents and was BLOWN AWAY!! 

To begin, whose totem was the top?  Was it Cobb's totem at all?  Wasn't it Mal's?  And Arthur makes a point of telling Ariadne that she can't touch his totem - only he should know the weight and feel of it.  In fact, as he's saying this, we see a close up of Cobb spinning the top.  This is a clue.  Does it really matter is the top falls for Cobb when it's not his totem?

Turns out, this is entire film, start to finish is a dream!  Look closely and you'll see clues everywhere.  when they're in Malaysia and he's running through streets, alleys and between buildings, every shot it very narrower and narrower.  The walls are literally closing in around him.  Classic dream.  When he finally makes it out, the "bad guys" are instantly in front of him... then Saito is suddenly there to save him....?  Where the heck did he come from?  He's not even in Malaysia!  In fact, Cobb tells Ariadne the easiest way to tell when you're in a dream: ask yourself, "How did I get here?"  There are several places in the movie where the characters (supposedly awake) magically jump from place to place - with no thought at to how they got there.  There are a few places where it rapidly changes from night to day or vice versa.  Now, sometimes this happens in movies, but it's usually an editing error...  My favorite clue to the fact that it's a dream is the chalkboard in the classroom when Cobb visits Michael Caine's character (Is this is father?  Father-in-law?).  Look again at the chalkboard below.  Have you ever seen anything like this is a classroom?  The visual impact is striking - yet look closely and notice that all the words are gibberish!  Not to mention that he would need quite the stepladder to draw at the very top of the board like that.

Okay, so it's all a dream, right...?  This is where I got a little cranky!  A dream?  What's the point?  What a cop-out!  I mean, we're back to 1981 when it didn't really matter who shot JR because the entire season of Dallas had been a dream! 

But wait, there's more!  This is the "real" meaning and symbolism behind the film: the movie is about the process of making a movie!  Now, I truly hate when people try to say there's symbolism where there isn't any.  Trust me, I think maybe Mark Twain just wanted to write a story about a kid and a black guy riding a raft down the Mississippi River...  But this correlation is, for one thing, the actual documented intent of Christopher Nolan, and is so obvious and beautiful when you really look at it.  Here's how the players come together:




       Cobb, the extractor - this is the director, in this case he is Christopher Nolan   
       himself.  He is the one in charge of the story,  takes you where you need to go,
       and shows you what you need to see.







Ariadne, the architect - this is the screenplay writer.  She creates the world in which the characters live.








Arthur, the point man - this is the producer.  He makes sure everyone is where they should be, doing what they should be.  He pulls it all together.







Eames, the forger - this is the actor.  I love how this is done!  He changes forms within the dreams... in fact, when he "becomes" Peter Browning, he sits down at a multi-faced mirror.  In one shot, there are several reflections of Tom Hardy and one reflection shows Tom Berenger.  The next shot, all the mirrors show Tom Berenger, and only the "real" person is still Tom Hardy.  The next shot he turns away from the mirror as Tom Berenger.  How cool is that??  Also fun to note, Eames is kind of a primadonna.  He thinks nothing can happen without him and argues with just about everyone. :-)





Saito, the tourist - this is the money man.  Notice how he imagines himself as a big player in the whole event.  No one else wants him to come along, but they agree because he's backing it.








Mal, the "shade" - this is the little piece of the director that he can't keep out of the project.  No matter how he tries to distance himself from the work, his soul will come through.  Interesting, though, that Christopher Nolan sees this as so detrimental.







Robert Fischer, the mark - this is you, the audience.  Everything happens in his mind with the intent of making him think about his world, examine himself and (hopefully) change his own way of thinking about his world.  Notice, this has to be done in a subtle, intricate way so that he doesn't feel like the movie (or dream) is telling him what to take away from it.  Truly good movies do this - even Inception!


Yusuf, the chemist - this is the technical team.  They make sure everything "works" both behind the scenes and on screen.

The dream itself - this is the movie, the finished project

The layers/labyrinth nature of the dream - these are complex plot points, subplots and plot twists.  This is what makes a movie interesting and thought-provoking and is the difference between a movie you think is boring and pointless and one you really enjoy! 

"Riding the kick" out of all layers of the dream - this is the need to tie up all loose ends before the end of the film.  When one is left out, you leave with a frustrated, "lost" feeling.

I still have questions that I am going to have to think awhile longer to answer...  Such as, why is it so incredibly important that no one dies while in the dream?  Granted, this would be a setback in the making of a movie, but I get the feeling it means more than that. 

So, in a nutshell (okay, I'll admit a rather LARGE nutshell) that is my take on Inception.  I hope this has opened your eyes and your mind and I encourage you to tell me what you think.  Did you not buy the concept at all?  Did you see other connections that I missed?  Did you think the entire thing was a piece of excrement?  I won't mind either way, I swear!  I welcome the discussion!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Movies that make me grumpy...

I was planning to write about Inception today because it makes me so incredibly happy!  BUT, it has been a horrible morning and now I'm cranky...

So, in keeping with that mindset, I am instead going to talk about movies I really don't like!  As you can see from yesterday's post, there are LOTS of them but only a handful that really really bother me.  My friend's list of her favorites also sparked a lot of things in my brain I hadn't thought of yesterday...  Like the American Pie series - how could I have overlooked my hatred for that??

But my number one most disliked movie right now is Twilight.  Pretty much the whole series, but Eclipse was at least better than Twilight and New Moon was slightly better than that.... 

First of all, I read the books - before the movies.  At my daughter's suggestion (we share lots of book series) I read all 4 books.  And liked them.  At least the first three - I thought Breaking Dawn was far too hokey and "perfect" and really began to wonder if Bella had any flaws at all!  I mean, really, from a storytelling point of view, why would you create a  character who not only can do no wrong, but also is spectacular in so many ways?  I can't sympathize or connect with that character - instead I want to punch her in the face. 

That being said, I really did like the first 3 books.  I was full-on Team Edward as I read them too, and felt that she had found her soul mate in him.  But when I watch the movie, I am repulsed by Robert Pattinson's pasty white, scrawny, pre-pubescent body and these looks he gives her that are supposed to be passionate and full of love just come off as obsessive, possessive and creepy.  And I'm pretty sure the book actually had some plot to it - even quite a bit of action.  Yet in the movie, you see very little of that, it's just all love story.  If they profess their undying love for each other one more time, I may throw up.  We get it.  Move on.

Aside from the mediocre efforts of Taylor Lautner, the acting in this movie is just horrible.  Anyone who thinks differently can only do so because they are "all so hot!"  Seriously, I don't know what happened because I've seen Kristen Stewart in other things that were quite good - case in point, check out the movie Speak.  But I can't stand the sappy, weak performance she gives in this film!  Really, Bella was a very strong character, not some simpering stubborn child.  And I can't see Robert Pattinson in anything anymore without reliving his horrible acting in Twilight.  I can't even get behind Cedric Diggory anymore and I'm a huge Harry Potter fan!  By the way, I never even thought he was cute then...

Which brings me to Jacob... okay, I will admit Taylor Lautner is hot.  And I'm pretty sure he knows it too.  Watching the movies, I became full-on Team Jacob - but not just because he's cuter.  And tan.  It was in the portrayal of characters.  Edward became so possessive of Bella and did insane things "for her own good" and Jacob was always the friend she needed.  I know where my loyalties would lie.  Lautner portrays Jacob as such a sweet caring soul and Pattinson portrays Edward as borderline psychotic.  Who would you choose??

I suppose I should lay off the actors because, of course, there are hundreds of minds involved in creating a film.  Maybe it's Catherine Hardwicke's fault for asking for these performances (I pick on her because, as I said, the subsequent movies were a little better)... at the very least it's the director's fault for allowing it to continue.  It is just as much Stephanie Meyer's fault for allowing her story to be portrayed as a teenage soap opera that plays to nothing but a 14-year-old girl's hormones.  That's not the message or feeling her books portray at all.

In the end, I think I could contain my dislike for Twilight if it weren't for the ever-present media frenzy and craziness of the fans!  It's a shame that such a thing would affect my opinion, but it does.  I have come to associate Twilight with young girls in black, who actually appear to be in search of a vampire... Seriously?  You know they're not real, right? 

 And, seriously, no one can come up with an original fantasy story anymore - book or film.  Don't even get me started on the shocking similarities between Twilight and True Blood, in characters, plot AND audience fervor!  (By the way, True Blood would be my top most hated TV show.  It's truly just vampire porn.)  Walk through the "teen" section of a bookstore sometime and count how many books are about vampires these days.  I stopped when I didn't know what came after 999 kajillion...  Granted, the same was true of wizards 10 years ago...  Find your own cash cow, people!

People are so sick of hearing about Twilight and that in itself is ruining the films and these kids' careers.  Remember Leonardo DiCaprio after Titanic?  How many years (and how many amazing performances) did it take for him to be taken seriously again??  I am shocked and pleased that Daniel Radcliffe appears to be holding his own in a post-Harry Potter world and desperately hope he doesn't become trapped by this phenomenon.  It's hard to get an image out of your head when it is pounded in by thousands of insane fans! 

So, there's my soapbox - feel free to step upon it yourself and let me know what you think.

And what's your most-hated film?

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Favorites

I hate it when someone asks me what my favorite movie is, because it really is an impossible question to answer.  My favorites change with my mood, the company I'm in, the genre or movie we're talking about... and basically just with time.  I hate to admit it, but my opinion of a movie can even change based on popular opinion and the current "trend" surrounding it.  Sometimes, you just get sick of hearing about a movie!

So, I think I'll start off by listing some of my favorite movies in different genres (remember, they change - this is just right now!).  This will most likely spark something nagging in the back of my mind that I can expand on in later posts.  I'm sure it will also get people in an uproar one way or another, but oh well.  So here goes!

Genre                                          
Current All-Time                      BEST:  Inception                                 
WORST:  Twilight

Action                                      BEST:  Raiders of the Lost Ark           
WORST:  The Marine

Epic Adventure             BEST:  Lord of the Rings Series           
WORST:  2012

Drama (makes you think)          BEST:  The Prestige                            
WORST: Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Based on Comic Book BEST:  Ghost World                           
WORST:  Watchmen

Based on Book                        BEST:  Harry Potter Series
WORST: Percy Jackson

Based on a Play                        BEST:  Phantom of the Opera              
WORST:  Grease 2

Based on TV                            BEST:  Star Trek (2009)                     
WORST:  The Dukes of Hazard

Based on Cartoon                    BEST:  The Last Airbender & Scooby Doo
                        WORST:  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III

Based on Video Game  BEST:  Lara Croft: Tomb Raider         
WORST:  Super Mario Brothers

Based on Amusement Park       BEST:  Pirates of the Caribbean           
WORST:  Country Bears

Based on Real People               BEST:  Walk the Line  
WORST:  Men of Honor

Movie Remake                         BEST:  Cape Fear                               
WORST:  The Pink Panther

Superhero Movie                      BEST:  X-Men                                    
WORST:  Daredevil

Spy Movie                               BEST:  Casino Royale             
WORST:  Mission Impossible II

Romance                                  BEST:  Moulin Rouge                          
WORST:  Closer

Fantasy                                    BEST:  Avatar
WORST:  Dragon Wars

Science Fiction             BEST:  Star Wars Series                     
WORST:  Star Wars I – Phantom Menace

Suspense                                  BEST:  Silence of the Lambs                
WORST:  One Hour Photo

Mindtrip Ending                        BEST:  Fight Club                               
WORST:  The Game

Courtroom Drama                    BEST:  A Time to Kill              
WORST:  Body of Evidence

Psychological Thriller    BEST:  The Sixth Sense                       
WORST:  Insomnia

Horror                                      BEST:  Saw 
WORST: The Grudge

Slasher                                     BEST:  My Bloody Valentine
WORST:  Freddy vs. Jason

War Movie                               BEST:  Saving Private Ryan                 
WORST:  Platoon

Sports Movie                           BEST:  The Blind Side             
WORST:  Friday Night Lights

Silly Comedy                            BEST:  The Whole Nine Yards            
WORST:  Weekend at Bernies

Heartfelt Dramedy                    BEST:  Eulogy 
WORST:  Spanglish

Romantic Comedy                    BEST:  Sweet Home Alabama
WORST:  You've Got Mail

Farcical/Satirical Comedy         BEST:  Airplane & Office Space          
WORST:  Delta Farce

Western                                   BEST:  El Dorado                               
WORST:  Assassination of Jesse James by...

Documentary                            BEST:  **not sure I've seen one**      
WORST:  An Inconvenient Truth

Foreign Film                             BEST:  Pan's Labyrinth                        
WORST:  Run Lola Run

Independent                             BEST:  Seven                                      
WORST:  Lost in Translation

Musical                                    BEST:  Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog
WORST:  Across the Universe

Coming-of-Age                        BEST:  My Girl                                   
WORST:  Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Teenage Day-in-a-Life  BEST:  Empire Records                       
WORST:  Dazed and Confused

Teenage Comedy                     BEST:  Weird Science             
WORST:  The Hot Chick

Teenage Drama                        BEST:  Bandslam & Stand By Me       
WORST:  Jumper

Animated Movie                       BEST:  Toy Story
WORST:  Land Before Time after the first 3

Family Film                               BEST:  The Princess Bride                   
WORST:  Howard the Duck

Kids Action/Adventure BEST:  Toy Soldiers & The Goonies
WORST:  Neverending Story III
                                                           

So, what are YOURS??