Savages: The Recession Hits Drug Cartels

Title: Savages (2012)

Director: Oliver Stone

Writer: Shane Salerno, Oliver Stone, Don Winslow (Novel)

Starring: Aaron Taylor - Johnson, Blake Lively, Taylor Kitsch, Benicio Del Toro, Salma Hayek, John Travolta

Tagline: Pot growers Ben and Chon face off against the Mexican drug cartel who kidnapped their shared girlfriend.

Grade: C-

Good Movie For: Polygamists, Sub-Par Drug Lords, Mexican Politicians, Cougars

I watched this on a whim. I was wavering whether or not to see it. I generally liked the cast that was in it, but I was apprehensive about the story. So when one of my best friends called me up and persuaded me to watch it with her, I agreed. I've been a fan of Aaron Taylor-Johson since he first appeared on my TV screen in Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging. So I was looking forward to seeing him in this. Yes. Even with the dreadlocks. Usually having one of my favorite actors in the film is a win for me, but this just fell short.

I don't entirely know if it was something that went wrong between the adaptation from book to screen, or if it was just too little amount of time to engage with the characters before the real shit happens, but it just didn't work for me. The story basically hinders on the two male characters and their love for their girl. Yes. Girl. Singular. They like to share. I just didn't see or feel the connection between the three. Because I didn't believe it, the rest of the film just didn't feel right. I wasn't rooting for them to get her back because I didn't believe they really loved her.

I had really high hopes for this movie. Reviews and interviews with Oliver Stone were stating this as his comeback. That Stone was now going back to his roots. If this is his roots, I'm not sure I want to watch those movies anymore. (No wait. That's a lie. I'll probably have to watch Platoon. It's on the list.) This fell short for me.

Also, I may just be completely disillusioned with the whole drug cartel because of the skewed views it has in films, but 10 million dollars? Really? You're making a big fuss about that petty ass bitch shit? Apparently the recession hits everyone. Including top notch Mexican drug lords. 

Dumb and Hot vs. Smart and Ugly - What's More Important?

Going off of the Holy Motors review from yesterday, a glaring topic came into mind. There's an ongoing debate, it seems, as to what exactly is the most important aspect of a film? Is it the story? Is it the visuals? Is it the stars? 

I have debated this idea in many discussions with fellow film students and have come up with my own philosophy. I believe that the importance of a film all hinders on what you, yourself, place the most emphasis on. For screenwriters, it's generally the story that they key in on when they watch a movie. For cinematographers, the visuals dominate their thoughts. Basically the question of whether the visuals or the narrative are more important than the other is something that does not truly have a definite answer. There are some films that are able to achieve a balance between the two ends of the spectrum, but there are often times where films veer towards one end only. But at the end of the day, the question still lingers. Is it more important to make a impact in the film visually or within the story? While it's hard to justify a singular answer, here are my thoughts.

As a wannabe screenwriting, I tend to steer more towards the story end of the spectrum. In my mind, I don't fully feel emotionally satisfied with a film unless is has a good story. That's not to say that I don't appreciate the visuals of a film, I do, but when push comes to shove, story will always be the top in my book. That being said, I can fully understand where the other half comes from. If a film isn't visually engaging, then what's the point in shelving out loads of money to watch it? Cinema is inherently a visual medium so the image must look good, but does that come at the expense of the storyline? Movies depend on the visual, but without a story, movies end up just being sequential pictures without any real resonance of emotion in them. Beautiful images can only get you so far, but if you have a narrative that is just as beautiful, more times than not, you'll have a memorable film experience. 

Holy Motors: What the Fuck just happened?

Title: Holy Motors

Director: Leos Carax

Writer: Leos Carax

Starring: Denis Lavant, Edith Scob, Eva Mendes, Kylie Minogue

Grade: B-/C+

Tagline: From dusk to dawn, a few hours in the life of Monsieur Oscar, a shadowy character who journeys from one life to the next. He is, in turn, captain of industry, assassin, beggar, monster, family man...

Good Movie For: Stoners, Eva Mendes Lovers, Cannibals, Dragons, People Named Alice

I recently joined the Cinema Society at my school. With being a member, we usually get deals with the local movie theatre to view screenings at a discounted student rate. I'd seen the trailer for Holy Motors during many previous outings with the society. The trailer left me both intrigued and angry, all at the same time. Now, last time I checked, I did not suffer from bipolar disorder, so I denoted that my strain in feelings must be from the film. Basically the trailer didn't tell me shit. I was left wondering "Well what the fuck is this all about?", even after the tenth time I watched it. Yes. I watched the trailer ten times. I sit through a lot of previews. But even after basically knowing the edits and scenes shot for shot, I still had no clue what the film was about. But I watched it. How could you pass up on a discount student rate? I'm a student. This movie shit doesn't come cheap.

So I sat there, with my discounted ticket, homemade popcorn, and smuggled in soda, ready to finally figure out what the fuck was going on. Well, I didn't. I still don't know what the fuck is going on. That might just be my inherent nature, but shit. Still no clue. I had to bring in a movie review to analyze for class so I decided to use one about Holy Motors, secretly hoping that this might finally shed light on what exactly I experienced. It did. Sort of. It wasn't a spotlight, but more like one of those lights you mount on the front of you bike, with a half dead battery in it.

Basically the review tells the audience to just sit back and "experience" the film. To not think too much while watching it. Stop analyzing it, and just be in it. Well. I can't do that. I'm a film student. It's basically ingrained into our brains now to dissect a film. I dissected the shit out of Breaking Dawn: Part 1. Why? Not because I had to for a class, but because that's how my mind works now. I can't take myself out of it. I need to figure out how all of the pieces of the puzzle come into play so I can talk about it later. But this, this is like trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together blind, with one hand. Not even with a hand. With a hook for a hand.

But I sort of get it. I get what the review was talking about. Visually, this movie was incredibly intriguing and beautiful. The different setups and different characters that Denis Lavant played were astonishing. But that seems to be as far as it goes. Something that is beautiful to the eye, but fucks up the mind. This film sort of feels like a gigantic inside joke that we're never really in on. There may be glimpses of connection, but then you realize that you have now been shoved into the corner on time out, not allowed to play with the others. I may not be sophisticated enough to understand this, but may I not want to be at that level of posh. At the end of the day, this movie had many good points, but if you're going into it looking for a clear cut narrative, you might just be better watching Breaking Dawn: Part 2. (OK. It wasn't that bad. You should probably watch this over Twilight, but just enjoy the pictures.)

Movie List: Back to the Future - 1.21 gigawatts?!?! Great Scott!

Title: Back to the Future (1985)

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Writer: Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale

Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover

Grade: A

Tagline: A teenager is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his friend, Dr. Emmett Brown, and must make sure his high-school-age parents unite in order to save his own existence.

Good Movie For: Time Travelers, Mother Lovers, Skateboard Enthusiasts, People Named Scott

I'm a hoarder. OK. That might have been a little too intense. Let's just say that I may or may not possess some hoarding tendencies. I don't hoard newspapers or memorabilia, or anything that would remotely bring me any profit in the future. I hoard movies, DVDs to be specific. I haven't actually counted exactly how many DVDs I have, but it's somewhere in the hundreds. It's not that bad actually, but in a time where instant streaming has blossomed into this juggernaut, DVDs and actual concrete evidence of movies have seemed to disappear into the cuts. But I'm not budging. I love the feeling of opening the cling wrap from around a brand new DVD package. I also love the feel of actual books. Yes. I do have a Netflix account, and I read books on my iPad, but the tangible feel of these things will always surpass the digital for me. 

That being said, I actually own the Back to the Future trilogy on Blu-Ray, thank you Black Friday and Amazon.com. But even though I own a movie, it doesn't necessarily mean that I've watched it. I watched Back to the Future in my dorm kitchen, while studying abroad, thousands of miles away from my actual copy of it, because my flat mate thought that it was ridiculous that I haven't watched it. I knew the basic storyline of Back to the Future. It plays endlessly on channels in America, but I don't think I've ever sat down and fully watched the entire movie. I've seen bits and pieces here and there, but nothing fully at the same time. 

I get it. I get why this movie is one that seems to appear on many people's favorite films list. I get why this is a top contender in many of my friends' favorites. Yes, it has some campy bits to it, but its an amazing movie. The novel idea of time traveling in the 1980's. The imminent danger that Marty faces trying to get his parents to finally fall in love. The disillusionment of Doc. The pieces fit perfectly together. I can see why Back to the Future is a top contender. If you haven't seen it, then what the fuck are you doing with your life? Just kidding. But really, this is a movie that everyone should watch. If not because you love the cast or the idea, but because you need to hear 1.21 gigawatts screamed by a white haired maniac just once in your life. 

Movie List: Why I'm not really a film student

I'm a film student, but I'm not really a film student.

The title of my major is Cinema, but I possess no lifestyle attributes that decipher that I am in fact pursuing a life of film. I'm the film student who doesn't watch any movies. I mostly watch television, which would initially be deemed acceptable, if I was watching award winning television programs. Sadly, that is far from the case.

I watch reality TV. Bad reality TV. It's my crutch, my vice, my ultimate chocolately treat. So after determining this sad, but true fact, I have decided to come up with a list of films that I must watch as a "film student". Well I'm not the only contributor to this list. My fellow film students are also a huge determinate as to what films should be watched. Basically every time I mention I haven't seen a movie and the eyes roll or the throats scoff, I write down that mother fucker.

The list is long. Excruciatingly long, but I will get through it. Someday. Somehow. I will get through it.

Well Shit...

What  happened?

I should get back to this.

I will get back to this.

Sorry.