A Simple Plan

The minute the film finished the only thing that I could think of was: would I have taken the money?

It seems like the answer is simple after watching the movie - but certain things still get stray me off from a direct answer. People always think they are the exception. Don't deny it. You (whoever is reading this), you think you are special.

I know I think that I won't get caught up in a killing parade and kill my closest ones. But how true is that? Sure, maybe I am not a killer. And sure, I've never even had the desire to kill someone but am I capable of it? Once again, the answer is: sure.

And that's what's really scary about "the Simple Plan".

The fact that that could be anyone.

You don't necessarily have to be a killer to kill.

You don't have to be a stealer to steal.

And worst of all you don't have to be good if you are a good person.

Which is what really made this so-called "simple plan" so ironically complex. The fact that until you are left with the one person you truly trust (yourself) everyone else must go.

Two can keep a secret if one of them is dead.

Leonard... Lenny... Killer... or Victim?

In the end of the movie, I was really surprised to see that Leonard had been the reason for everything in the plot line. That he created this life for himself.

It was just truly unbelievable.

Firstly, I was in a really tough position because I'm not used to liking a character to hating him in such a short amount of time. His role as the protagonist to the antagonist was reversed so quickly!

And who was he really?

Was he killer?

Or was he simply the victim to his memory loss?

In the end, I came to the conclusion that to me, he was poor killer. Someone who you take pity on. He was a slave to his own hand. He made himself the killer. He turned himself into someone who wasn't him, with his own knowledge. That was so sad. Seeing how he created this labyrinth of life for himself was just pathetic and cold and sad.

And last of all, the whole end of the movie was just surprising. No one thought it would lead into him creating the facts himself. It was a beautiful thing to do - to create a tragically poor killer. Or an evil victim?

Memento

This film really struck me. Not just with its' plot-line or the acting but with the actual way that it was filmed.

I loved how it started from the end and went to the beginning. I've never seen a film like that before. On top of that, there was this sort of repetition that could be found throughout the movie. The scenes with him taking picture, or him talking on the phone with "Teddy". This repetition served as a sort of parallelism between the film and Leonard's fleeting memories.

Also, it was very interesting how the theme of the movie was discovered in the very end. Usually, there are hints throughout films that tell us what the director is trying to show/teach us but this lesson came in the very end. When he wrote under Teddy's picture, "Do not believe his lies". That was a very scary moment. Because it shows us how not only how memories can be deceptions but also how a person can control his life. By writing down that one thing, Leonard changed everything.

Lastly, a point that really took me aback in the film was what Leonard said, "There are no such things as memories. There are only facts." Is that true? Don't memories lead to facts? Can't one not exist without the other? Can't both be altered? And ultimately, I believe that to be the reason in Leonard's figurative demise - he didn't have both. He only had the facts. Which are really useless without the memories.

Dark City

I really was appalled with this movie. I couldn't stop talking about it the whole week. It was definitely one of my favorite movies. It brought about such concepts - that I never thought people thought about. I always think about how, for all we know, we could be living a dream. We could wake up at any moment. And who's in control?

I loved that someone else thinks those thoughts besides me. It was a movie that gave me something to think about. A chance to escape from reality.

I enjoyed how "Dark City" was filmed. The fact that it begins with a man in water (rebirth, and signifying that he is resistant to the aliens like the water) and how he scoops up the goldfish and puts it in the water. This ambiguous beginning gave the viewers a chance to decide what we thought of John Murduch, ourselves.

I appreciate how the viewer can interpret the whole film as he/she wants. It represents that you are who you make yourself, which every viewer recognizes in the end. That's great; the fact that the lesson of the movie is what the viewer realizes by himself/herself without it being stated openly.

And lastly, I love how in the end, both main characters, the man and the woman, end up together anyways - as if the director was purposely trying to add in the concept that fate exists.

"O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?"

Edgar Allen Poe, 'A Dream Within A Dream'

Shane vs. 'Unforgiven'

As we were watching the film, I was constantly reminded me of a book I read long ago, Shane. This novel was about when a weary gunfighter decides to settle down with a homestead family, but when a smoldering act occurs - it causes him to return to his prior ways.

There are so many connections between "Unforgiven" and Shane. The images depicting the forever lonely cowboy, the brawl that makes him return to his old ways ...
It's amazing how both these works even provide the viewer/reader with the same mood and overall vibe of the ol' West!

And even though they both appeal to differet audeinces, the connection established between the reader/viewer and the work is completely the same.

I loved both peices and if you liked "Unforgiven"; I DEFINETLY suggest you to read Shane, the fight scene in the end is definetly worth it.

Unforgiven.

I really appreciate how Clint Eastwood portrayed the main character through that one word; throught the title. Unforgiven. In the beginning, I couldn't understand why the title of the movie was unforgiven; where the word had originated from. But then, soon after the climax passed I came to understand why Munnay was unforgiven. Not only by society, but by himself.

I also noticed how the movie seems to be seperated into two parts; one in which the viewer comes to terms with William Munnay's good character and starts to symphatize with him and then the second part. In which, the viewer sees the dark side of alcohol overpower this man and bring him back to where he was long ago. That turning point in the movie is a very crucial one. When the viewer stops understanding the Munnay and starts resenting him.

Lastly, I really enjoyed Eastwood's sort of reflective filiming. In better words, I like how the beginning (a sunset with a lonely man) goes back to exactly that. As if he is still unforgiven. There are also parts of the film, which juxtapose the new Munnay with the old Munnay; once again in a 'reflective' state.

End of the Seventh Seal

So this is a bit delayed, but nonetheless, the end of "The Seventh Seal" was a bit of a letdown for me, not to say it wasn't good; it just left a question in my mind.

The main character, had the same questioning of fate that I constantly do, so I was hoping that by the end he would find an answer but he didn't which scared me; seeing as that leaves me without an answer as well!

On top of that, the "dance of death" at the end really put a depressing, gloomy mood on the whole plot line which I don't necessarily is a bad thing but it overpowers the good points of the plot; like the "strawberries and milk".

Overall, it was a good film but it left a question in my head and didn't really help me find an answer for my own, which is something I have a very sort of ambiguous opinion towards.

The Seventh Seal

This new film we've been watching is something that I don't watch quite often. I'm not typically a fan of foreign films with subtitles. But, I've come to realize that I really enjoy watching this chess match with the devil.

So far, the most mesmerizing part of the movie was when the people of "death" walked past the whole community. It was such an erie and remarkable event. It was frightenting how they were there one minute and gone the next.

On top of that, my favorite lines of the movie so far would be when one of the characters states that "No matter where you go, your back is always behind you."

and then later on in the scene someone says

"Death is always behind you."

Which was a sort of an eerie premonition on what was to come in the plot line.

I really loved how the directors integrated that into the dialogues.

And so far, I feel like this movie isn't simply a play on words but a play on actions; which is beautifully crafted.

Runaway Train

So, we finished watching the film "Runaway Train" this Friday and it made a huge impression on me. I was sitting in the car and I couldn't stop thinking about it. To be honest, there are few films that I adore that don't evolve some sort of aspect of romance but this one was beautiful without it.

The film, as a whole, was very simple on the superficial level (which I think Andrey Konchalovskiy did purposefully), yet with many secret innuendos and underlying themes. I really loved that about the film because it left the viewer to decide how to perceive everyone. Konchalovskiy didn't specifically try to change the viewer's opinions of any of the characters more than necessary to develop the plot-line.

However, the ending of the film is what resonated with me. The minute the climax occurred, every single action of the character had the utmost significance. There were so many valuable quotes located in those last 30 minutes. That last part is the reason I can't stop thinking about the film. I think it was beautiful when Manny stood up on top of the runaway train, it was beautiful because he was, for once, free. He stood there, as if flying through the air and just the background music and scenery struck me. This movie showed me that all us humans are the same. We can show that we are educated, and that we are "high-class" but in reality we are no different than the "scum" in prison. We are all human. And that's truly a beautiful concept.

Citizen Kane

Wow, after watching this film - I have a whole new respect for ambiguous, mystery-genre movies.

The directing in this film was so phenomenal. Every little aspect of the film suggested to some bigger purpose!

I loved how all in one scene Kane was portrayed as both large and then puny (image above); almost to represent the FOIL of his character; the irony of his being.

Kane's faces and tone of voice also played a huge role on my opinion of the movie. Though not always, particularly noticeable or over-acted; his face was always the representation of calmness and serenity and then his eyes or his lips would give away the slightest suggestion of what was to come. For example, in the scene when Susan Alexander is sick - his face is filled with such disappointment and agony and dissatisfaction; and all portrayed in the movements of his eyes.

Lastly, my overall impression of the film was very good. I REALLY liked that "rosebud" was just another piece of the puzzle; those last few lines really connected the film for me as a whole. I realized that a man's last words can't be the summation of his whole life. This film had a whole, deep level of deception to it. Kane was a deception with his desperate need of affection. Susan was a deception from first glance to her horrific attitude. The importance of "rosebud" was a deception; a deception that made the viewer think that such a complicated man's life had one simple solution; when in reality that word was just another grain of sand in that man's life.

Much like every word we say is also just a little part of who we are. I really like that this movie had this timeless factor about it.

All Quiet on the Western Front

It's really astonishing how, after learning about camera angles and director secrets - watching movies completely changes.

All of a sudden, I have a new respect for classical, war - movies.

I've began to see why things are happening in the movie. I've began to understand the concept of the "everything having a purpose".

All of a sudden, behind the acting - I hear the non-existent shouts of the director telling the actors to do this and that...

All of a sudden ...

I understand why the camera zig-zags from left to right; as if through the eyes of the soldiers.

I understand why the camera fills from up high; to demonstrate the significance of the soldiers during the war - the dehumanization - the value of their lives.

I understand why the camera is put on the ground and how it's basically being trampled on; to symbolize how the main protagonists of the movie are getting closer and closer to the ground and all in all - to their death.

The concept of dehumanization is both an obvious and underlying motif used within the whole plot line. For example, Franz Kemmerick's death portrays that motif extremely well. His death is only noticed by ONE person - as if he didn't matter. While in juxtaposition, before the war started; they were all best friends. This movies accurately (I believe) portrays how the war changes people; how they are transformed from humans to savage-like serial numbers.