This film was created last year, directed by Ryan Murphy. It is based on the best-selling memoir by Augusten Burroughs. The film chronicles the life of Burroughs through comedy yet also with a serious tone. The viewer sees how his life took an interesting turn when his mother sends him to live with the dysfunctional family of her therapist. After his alcoholic father and an unstable mother, separate.
Unfortunately most of the time films that are based on books are never quite the same. Because of time constraints or whatever reason they never quite fit as many details or events as the book described. However I feel that the film better captured the pain Burroughs was dealing with because of the instability of his mother. I could really detect what I thought were his emotions even when he wasn't speaking. You could really tell throughout of course the dialogue of the script but from also the actor's expressions that really all he wanted was a family that loved him and for his mother's approval. You could tell that even when his mother sent him to live with another family, that he still held on to the belief that she would come back for him and they'd be a family. The film shows the constant let down and instability Burroughs' had to cope with. It will all undoubtedly make him a stronger person. You could already see him grow as a person towards the end of the film. I think he also let go of the fact that he would never have a normal family and he'd never have the relationship he wanted with his mother. He let go of that fantasy and was able to began to find himself and a voice amongst the crazy family that he lived with.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
The US vs. John Lennon
This is an American film was shot in 2006 by director David Leaf. It is a documentary about the life of Beatles's star John Lennon and his role in politics of 60's and 70's. A lot of the movie deals with the controversy that involved him with the Nixon administration. The movie also draws from other political activist at the time to give interviews further explaining what was going in this time of political unrest.
In this film the viewer really gets a chance to step inside the personal world of John Lennon and his relationship with his wife Yoko Ono. We get to see the impact that their relationship had on each other and the lives of millions of people. I believe that part of the movie's purpose was to show how John Lennon grew as a person and an artist. His fame grew as the The Beatles' popularity grew. He recognized this which caused him to make the statement that they were "bigger than Jesus". This jump started the controversy with Lennon. It seems that after this fiasco controversy followed Lennon for awhile. His views and messages got more serious, more political. He gained a huge following for not only his music but for his political views. The Beatles' music also grew with their involvement of the political world. Their songs started to explain their ideas on worldly issues such as with songs like 'Revolution'.
The movie is structured in a way that wants you to look at Lennon as the good guy who was being attacked by the government, the bad guy. It is successful in making the viewer think that Lennon was victimized during this time of political unrest. The movie shows how the government tried very hard to silence Lennon. I think this created a struggle for Lennon and his family for a long time. His fight for freedom of speech didn't really end until he was tragically assassinated. This film is a great homage to the political struggle of John Lennon's life.
In this film the viewer really gets a chance to step inside the personal world of John Lennon and his relationship with his wife Yoko Ono. We get to see the impact that their relationship had on each other and the lives of millions of people. I believe that part of the movie's purpose was to show how John Lennon grew as a person and an artist. His fame grew as the The Beatles' popularity grew. He recognized this which caused him to make the statement that they were "bigger than Jesus". This jump started the controversy with Lennon. It seems that after this fiasco controversy followed Lennon for awhile. His views and messages got more serious, more political. He gained a huge following for not only his music but for his political views. The Beatles' music also grew with their involvement of the political world. Their songs started to explain their ideas on worldly issues such as with songs like 'Revolution'.
The movie is structured in a way that wants you to look at Lennon as the good guy who was being attacked by the government, the bad guy. It is successful in making the viewer think that Lennon was victimized during this time of political unrest. The movie shows how the government tried very hard to silence Lennon. I think this created a struggle for Lennon and his family for a long time. His fight for freedom of speech didn't really end until he was tragically assassinated. This film is a great homage to the political struggle of John Lennon's life.
Babel
Babel was filmed in 2006 by Mexican director Alejandro G. Innaritu. This movie involves three different stories that all relate to each other in some way, yet they occur on seperate continents. These stories are used to help the audience analyze the way we treat each other. The director wants you to think.
Babel was written and directed by people who were aware of the way the world may perceive people of different races not European but it seemed as if he wanted to portray them in a different light. The viewer is taken in to the homes of these people to let them see that they're culture may be different from America's but they are a lot like Americans in their human suffering. Everyone around the world has to deal with some sort of suffering or personal struggle and who knows, that struggle may effect or involve someone else on the other side of the globe.
However I do feel that maybe since the director wasn't American it allowed for the Americans in the film to come across sometimes as more hostile and difficult to deal with. An example would be Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett's role. They played an unhappy couple who were at times rude to each other. When Blanchett's character was shot she and Pitt's character first were very hostile about the situation causing them to be difficult to others because they were afraid in a foreign country. However the unfortunate event forced them to have to depend on the kindness of strangers and trust those who they weren't familiar with. This humanized them and caused them to fall back in love with each other and be kinder to others.
This movie really allowed me to think how so many unfortunate things are going on around the world that we don't hear about or never know about. It makes you think that the little everyday problems you encounter that make you have bad days are so insignificant to having a loved one get shot in a foreign country, going to jail for not having the right legal papers to cross a border, or feeling unwanted and unloved everyday.
The powerful images of the scenes that take place in the movie, alone were not the only thing that made the movie as intense as it is. I think that the music also played a key role in building up your emotional response to what was going on. It is a intense movie with a powerful message.
Babel was written and directed by people who were aware of the way the world may perceive people of different races not European but it seemed as if he wanted to portray them in a different light. The viewer is taken in to the homes of these people to let them see that they're culture may be different from America's but they are a lot like Americans in their human suffering. Everyone around the world has to deal with some sort of suffering or personal struggle and who knows, that struggle may effect or involve someone else on the other side of the globe.
However I do feel that maybe since the director wasn't American it allowed for the Americans in the film to come across sometimes as more hostile and difficult to deal with. An example would be Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett's role. They played an unhappy couple who were at times rude to each other. When Blanchett's character was shot she and Pitt's character first were very hostile about the situation causing them to be difficult to others because they were afraid in a foreign country. However the unfortunate event forced them to have to depend on the kindness of strangers and trust those who they weren't familiar with. This humanized them and caused them to fall back in love with each other and be kinder to others.
This movie really allowed me to think how so many unfortunate things are going on around the world that we don't hear about or never know about. It makes you think that the little everyday problems you encounter that make you have bad days are so insignificant to having a loved one get shot in a foreign country, going to jail for not having the right legal papers to cross a border, or feeling unwanted and unloved everyday.
The powerful images of the scenes that take place in the movie, alone were not the only thing that made the movie as intense as it is. I think that the music also played a key role in building up your emotional response to what was going on. It is a intense movie with a powerful message.
The Science of Sleep
The Science of Sleep was a film created in 2006 directed by Michael Gondry. The movie centers around a young guy named Stephane who lives alone in an apartment in Paris and falls in love with his neighbor. Throughout his daily activities he slips in and out of reality. Sometimes he lives his life in a dream and gets caught up in it so much that he has a hard time adjusting back to reality.
Stephane's inability to sometimes distinguish between dreams and real life causes his love life with the neighbor, Stephanie, to suffer. Stephanie, gets fed up with Stephane's antics when he is still in his dream world. Because he has this, what to some could be perceived as a personality flaw, it causes him to come across as childish. This could also be attributed to the fact that when he does go into his dream world in the movie it looks like a television show made for kids. This causes him to think like a kid and act like a kid when he is coming out of his dream world and into reality. Stephanie of course has a problem with this behavior, because who in their adult life wants to date a child?
I feel that Stephane is afraid to grow up and join the adult world. He is holding on to this childish dream world to maybe hold on to his childhood. This is why I think that the art he creates is childish but in a cynical way. Not only this he is living in an apartment that his mother owns and his mother has to help him find a job. The only friend we really see him interact with is a man that he meets at his job who is older than him. He kind of becomes that cool dad figure for Stephane.
This movie is unlike any I have ever seen. The special effects for his dream world are very interesting, low budget looking at times, but still help tell the story. The concept of this story is very imaginative. The writer like Stephane must also have a wild and vivid imagination.
Stephane's inability to sometimes distinguish between dreams and real life causes his love life with the neighbor, Stephanie, to suffer. Stephanie, gets fed up with Stephane's antics when he is still in his dream world. Because he has this, what to some could be perceived as a personality flaw, it causes him to come across as childish. This could also be attributed to the fact that when he does go into his dream world in the movie it looks like a television show made for kids. This causes him to think like a kid and act like a kid when he is coming out of his dream world and into reality. Stephanie of course has a problem with this behavior, because who in their adult life wants to date a child?
I feel that Stephane is afraid to grow up and join the adult world. He is holding on to this childish dream world to maybe hold on to his childhood. This is why I think that the art he creates is childish but in a cynical way. Not only this he is living in an apartment that his mother owns and his mother has to help him find a job. The only friend we really see him interact with is a man that he meets at his job who is older than him. He kind of becomes that cool dad figure for Stephane.
This movie is unlike any I have ever seen. The special effects for his dream world are very interesting, low budget looking at times, but still help tell the story. The concept of this story is very imaginative. The writer like Stephane must also have a wild and vivid imagination.
Children of Heaven
Children of Heaven is an Iranian film created in 1997, directed by Majid Majidi. It is about a brother Ali, and a sister, Zhara, from a lower class family who try to hide from their parents that Ali, has lost Zhara's shoes. He took them to get fixed and set them down to buy groceries and someone picked them up. They hide this by sharing Ali's shoes everyday for school.
This film proves that somewhere in the world brothers and sisters still love each other, make sacrifices for each other, and for the most part, get along. I find it humbling that these siblings, at such a young age can cooperate with each other and join forces to save one from getting a beating from the parents. Television and films in America in this day in age feature siblings who constantly bicker and plot against each other trying to get the other in trouble with the parents. It was refreshing to see this kids, so young, loving each other and trying hard to not get either of them in trouble. This film helped-for me-restore the innocence of childhood.
Besides showing a loving relationship between a brother and sister this film also gives us a glimpse inside poor living conditions in Iran. We see how difficult it is to live on such a low income. So not only is it humbling to see how well these children get along and treat each other at such a young age but also how this family lives on such a low income. These children do not have much at all but they don't complain like children in America. Their main priorities are their chores and keeping each other out of trouble. American kids could learn a thing or two from these kids.
This film proves that somewhere in the world brothers and sisters still love each other, make sacrifices for each other, and for the most part, get along. I find it humbling that these siblings, at such a young age can cooperate with each other and join forces to save one from getting a beating from the parents. Television and films in America in this day in age feature siblings who constantly bicker and plot against each other trying to get the other in trouble with the parents. It was refreshing to see this kids, so young, loving each other and trying hard to not get either of them in trouble. This film helped-for me-restore the innocence of childhood.
Besides showing a loving relationship between a brother and sister this film also gives us a glimpse inside poor living conditions in Iran. We see how difficult it is to live on such a low income. So not only is it humbling to see how well these children get along and treat each other at such a young age but also how this family lives on such a low income. These children do not have much at all but they don't complain like children in America. Their main priorities are their chores and keeping each other out of trouble. American kids could learn a thing or two from these kids.
Jesus Camp
Jesus Camp is a film that was created last year in the U.S. directed by Heidi Ewing. Jesus Camp is a documentary that follows Evangelical Christian Youth and the revival of their role in advocating their religious movement. For a person who is not very religious, watching this movie was a little difficult. I am familiar with what goes on in a church but the church experiences that go on in this movie are unlike anything I have ever seen before. It seems unbelievable that their is actually a place where children are being taught that there is no separation between church and state, taught to worship George W. Bush, taught to speak in tongues, and taught that abortion is pretty much the worst thing in the world. It is all very unsettling. It is hard to believe that a place like this actually exists and this is actually a documentary and not fiction.
Throughout the film we follow children at an Evangelical camp called 'Kids on Fire'. They seem innocent enough but they hold some pretty powerful religious beliefs that you would not expect them to. They appear at first to be average kids but if you look closely you may see a cross around their neck and then witness them advocating their evangelical message to strangers on the street. These children are on a mission. Again, for a person who isn't very religious and does not attend church on a regular basis it all can be a little overwhelming. What makes this film so powerful is that these advocates are so young. It's amazing to see kids at such a young age so devout with their religion that believes in some intense things. Children are very impressionable. You are easily influenced when you are young therefore it is no surprise that Evangelists would want to target kids to teach them their beliefs and through them get their message out. However in this movie this is done in a such a way that these children look as if they are being exploited. I think that the average viewer will watch this movie and feel sorry for these children. I am a person that respects others opinion even if I do not necessarily agree with them. But this movie depicts evangelists in such a way that I have no problem disagreeing and not respecting what the children are being taught in this film.
The average viewer's saving grace in this movie is the radio hosts who offers apposing views of the Evangelists. He seems to offer the only sane perspective on religion and politics. He makes me believe that there is still hope for America as long as there are still people who think somewhat like me in their beliefs on these issues. It would be a lot harder to watch this film if their were no other views expressed throughout the film other than those of the Evangelists. This film was a hard pill to swallow.
Throughout the film we follow children at an Evangelical camp called 'Kids on Fire'. They seem innocent enough but they hold some pretty powerful religious beliefs that you would not expect them to. They appear at first to be average kids but if you look closely you may see a cross around their neck and then witness them advocating their evangelical message to strangers on the street. These children are on a mission. Again, for a person who isn't very religious and does not attend church on a regular basis it all can be a little overwhelming. What makes this film so powerful is that these advocates are so young. It's amazing to see kids at such a young age so devout with their religion that believes in some intense things. Children are very impressionable. You are easily influenced when you are young therefore it is no surprise that Evangelists would want to target kids to teach them their beliefs and through them get their message out. However in this movie this is done in a such a way that these children look as if they are being exploited. I think that the average viewer will watch this movie and feel sorry for these children. I am a person that respects others opinion even if I do not necessarily agree with them. But this movie depicts evangelists in such a way that I have no problem disagreeing and not respecting what the children are being taught in this film.
The average viewer's saving grace in this movie is the radio hosts who offers apposing views of the Evangelists. He seems to offer the only sane perspective on religion and politics. He makes me believe that there is still hope for America as long as there are still people who think somewhat like me in their beliefs on these issues. It would be a lot harder to watch this film if their were no other views expressed throughout the film other than those of the Evangelists. This film was a hard pill to swallow.
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