This is rather delayed but I think that Runaway Train had many things to talk about and I couldn't really organize my thoughts about it.
I really loved the idea that Manny and Ranken. looked similar and were essentially the same in many respects. I think this was a simple way to make a great statement. What stood out also was when Manny replied to Buck and Sarah (in a heated scene) that "we all die alone." I thought that this scene was a bit too quick and overlooked. I feel like it wasn't as slow moving-orchestrated music creeping up-thought evoking as it maybe could have been. At the same time, i think that this was the point. Manny said this so quickly and made it a fact. We didn't have time to think about what he said, and it seemed like neither did the characters, probably because they were going to die in about 4 minutes. I loved that Manny stood on top of the train cart as it descended into desctruction and responded to Ranken that he is free. Maybe some may call that scene cheesy, but I thought that it was extremely powerful. It sort of conveyed a feeling of literal and figurative freedom. Although Manny was on top of a train that was set along a particular track, he was not inside the train, he was not bound by anything. In a way, the scene reminded me of V for Vendetta, when V came out of the burning building and felt freedom. Manny was as free as it gets, he had no connections to anyone (literally, he let the train cart with Buck go) and he was finally alone in the world. I don't think my explanation did the scene any justice, but I was very moved by the scene.
On the non relevant side of things, I was forced to watch Untraceable this weekend. The movie was about a hacker who was killing people publicly. The more people visited the website where he showed the death of a victim, the faster the person died. Besides for the fact that it was a sort of Saw, and some other hacker/FBI movie combined, it was predictable. The only thing taht I thought was particularly interesting was that they showed the killer throughout the movie. I don't know how weird this is going to sound, but I did sort of see why the killer did it. He was seeking revenge, but as with SAW, I don't know whether taking someone else's life is something we should be allowed to do, even for the sake of revenge. So, I fell asleep during the last most suspensefull moments of the film, and I still knew what happened. Also, I thought that it was another commentary on how sick and cruel humans can be. It really pissed me off that the hits on the website where growing beyond exponential rates. And it pissed me off that OFCOURSE the mega computer government programers couldn't block the site somehow. These kinds of movies always underline our stupidity and cruelty. I understand that this could probably never actually happen, but if there is any small chance that it could, I think the outcome would be similar.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Midnight Cowboy
This question arose as the movie progressed. While Joe's dream is diminishing, there are plenty of opportunities in New York that can get him quick cash. I was wondering why he couldn't just work as a stripper. This may be a realistic answer to his job situation but it may not (and obviously didn't) coincide with the message of the film. I just thought a stripper wouldn't be as deviant from his original plans. And it would probably get him way more money than trying to find women for real.
On the relationship between Joe and Rizzo:
I really don't see a homosexual connotation between the two characters. Joe's ambiguous orientation may be because of what he went through with his girlfriend. From his flashbacks it appears that both he and his girlfriend were sexually assaulted. because of this, his relationship with men may in some way be altered.
I think Rizzo longs for someone to care for. His character proves to be very deep, and the disintegration of his health progresses as Joe's dreams may be evolving. Although this connection cannot be made with confidence because we do not yet know whether anything will work out for Joe. From the scenes in the apartment, Rizzo becomes a sort of mother figure for Joe, making him food, taking his shoes off when he sleeps. Maybe Rizzo does this to complete something that was lacking in his life. The daydream that he has of Florida just started off weird because Joe was running through the sand with really tight ... tights? Someone pointed out that Rizzo was not "crippled" anymore as well, but this happens in dreams. Rizzo was sort of acting as Joe's character. While Joe was the doll that attracted all the ladies, Rizzo dealt with the business. He perhaps considered himself to be the more important one in the relationship, because for one it was his daydream, and because he was the management of the hustler. He was in a way living through Joe in the sense that while Joe had the good looks, he had the swift and savvy mind that the "ladies" loved. He was the one admired in the combination because he was the go to man for anyone who wanted Joe. I think in a way Joe completed his dream of becoming loved and appreciated. Joe was a way for Rizzo to feel like that. What made this dream better for Rizzo was the fact that Joe was his friend, and wouldn't intentionally hurt him.
Also, in one of the scenes when Joe was walking around NYC he saw many other men dressed as cowboys. I'm not sure what this could imply. That he's not one in a million, or that anyone can dress as a cowboy and not be legitimate. This could relate in the reality of the storyline. But for the viewer, I thought it represented his loss of self. As so many people in NY are trying to establish an image for themselves, here he is thinking that his image will get him where he wants. But as he walks, he sees that anyone can dress up as a cowboy, and this will not distinguish him from any other shmuck in NY.
What I love about this movie is not only that its unique, but part of its uniqueness lies in the absence of predicting the upcoming events. There are definitely some things that can be predicted, such as the failure and/or success of Joe's dream. But for the most part, I had no idea how the characters were going to be developped, or the general storyline. I think this is what I admire most about this film, the ability to experience something unpredictable.
On the relationship between Joe and Rizzo:
I really don't see a homosexual connotation between the two characters. Joe's ambiguous orientation may be because of what he went through with his girlfriend. From his flashbacks it appears that both he and his girlfriend were sexually assaulted. because of this, his relationship with men may in some way be altered.
I think Rizzo longs for someone to care for. His character proves to be very deep, and the disintegration of his health progresses as Joe's dreams may be evolving. Although this connection cannot be made with confidence because we do not yet know whether anything will work out for Joe. From the scenes in the apartment, Rizzo becomes a sort of mother figure for Joe, making him food, taking his shoes off when he sleeps. Maybe Rizzo does this to complete something that was lacking in his life. The daydream that he has of Florida just started off weird because Joe was running through the sand with really tight ... tights? Someone pointed out that Rizzo was not "crippled" anymore as well, but this happens in dreams. Rizzo was sort of acting as Joe's character. While Joe was the doll that attracted all the ladies, Rizzo dealt with the business. He perhaps considered himself to be the more important one in the relationship, because for one it was his daydream, and because he was the management of the hustler. He was in a way living through Joe in the sense that while Joe had the good looks, he had the swift and savvy mind that the "ladies" loved. He was the one admired in the combination because he was the go to man for anyone who wanted Joe. I think in a way Joe completed his dream of becoming loved and appreciated. Joe was a way for Rizzo to feel like that. What made this dream better for Rizzo was the fact that Joe was his friend, and wouldn't intentionally hurt him.
Also, in one of the scenes when Joe was walking around NYC he saw many other men dressed as cowboys. I'm not sure what this could imply. That he's not one in a million, or that anyone can dress as a cowboy and not be legitimate. This could relate in the reality of the storyline. But for the viewer, I thought it represented his loss of self. As so many people in NY are trying to establish an image for themselves, here he is thinking that his image will get him where he wants. But as he walks, he sees that anyone can dress up as a cowboy, and this will not distinguish him from any other shmuck in NY.
What I love about this movie is not only that its unique, but part of its uniqueness lies in the absence of predicting the upcoming events. There are definitely some things that can be predicted, such as the failure and/or success of Joe's dream. But for the most part, I had no idea how the characters were going to be developped, or the general storyline. I think this is what I admire most about this film, the ability to experience something unpredictable.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Citizen Kane
This is rather a brief commentary on the film and its meaning.
At first, I didn't realize what Rosebud was, I thought it was a chair, close enough I guess.
I actually appreciated that it was his sled. I thought it sort of showed how there are certain things you can't let go in life. It adds to the whole idea that you cannot really know a person. All along we thought Kane was this egotistical man (which in many ways he was), but on his death bed, he could only remember what once was. Rosebud showed that everyone would only care about this word if it was something "significant." The beauty of it was that it wasn't significant to anyone but Kane. Rosebud showed that no matter how old we get, there is still a longing for youth and innocence. Perhaps Kane wasn't such a bad man who wanted all these possessions, perhaps all this time he just wanted to turn back time to that winter on the sled. Maybe society created "Kane", and when in the end all he wanted was "Rosebud", everyone was dissappointed.
I think Rosebud was a strong commentary on isolation. Here we all were, "dissappointed" that Rosebud wasn't a code that would end the world or something, and it turned out to be a scene from his memory. Kane did lose Rosebud, and he would never get it back. Maybe it doesn't matter who took it from him, but maybe all this time he thought that material things would comfort him and in some way bring Rosebud back. Kane lived and died alone, and Rosebud was a beautiful way to show that.
At first, I didn't realize what Rosebud was, I thought it was a chair, close enough I guess.
I actually appreciated that it was his sled. I thought it sort of showed how there are certain things you can't let go in life. It adds to the whole idea that you cannot really know a person. All along we thought Kane was this egotistical man (which in many ways he was), but on his death bed, he could only remember what once was. Rosebud showed that everyone would only care about this word if it was something "significant." The beauty of it was that it wasn't significant to anyone but Kane. Rosebud showed that no matter how old we get, there is still a longing for youth and innocence. Perhaps Kane wasn't such a bad man who wanted all these possessions, perhaps all this time he just wanted to turn back time to that winter on the sled. Maybe society created "Kane", and when in the end all he wanted was "Rosebud", everyone was dissappointed.
I think Rosebud was a strong commentary on isolation. Here we all were, "dissappointed" that Rosebud wasn't a code that would end the world or something, and it turned out to be a scene from his memory. Kane did lose Rosebud, and he would never get it back. Maybe it doesn't matter who took it from him, but maybe all this time he thought that material things would comfort him and in some way bring Rosebud back. Kane lived and died alone, and Rosebud was a beautiful way to show that.
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