This past weekend i was able to see the movie “American Sniper.” I specifically remember one scene where the camera would zoom in and hold on a particular character. Because of this it made me feel uncomfortable, yet still yearning to see more. This kind of emotion that I had wouldn’t have been able to be felt without knowing the beginning film making and the methods they used.
That feeling of being uncomfortable reminds me of a retreat I went to earlier this year. Everyone was in a big circle with two chairs in the middle, one had big paper clips the other had small ones. Someone outside the circle would ask a question like, "Who here had parents that are undocumented? Get a small clip." Then those same people that got the clip would have to stand in front of someone who didn't get a clip, and you'd have to look them in the eye for about 3 minutes. The questions got more and more intense, and in the end everyone was crying. I know it's pretty far fetched from what your blog was, but having to look at someone's pure emotion was really intense.
I have recently taken up rewatching movies that I watched when I was younger. I am limited the the movies that are on Netflix, but there are still a variety of options to choose from. The most recent one that I watched was "Are We There Yet?" starring Ice Cube. I thought that I was going to watch them to have a sense of nostaglia and feel the innocence of being younger again, but that is not what happened with this movie. When I rewatched this film, instead of being hit with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia, I was hit with a greater understanding. When I originially watched this film so long ago, I did not understand any of what was going on during the movie. I remembered sympathizing with the kids as they were trying to ward off potential partners for their mother. I remember being on their side and I don't even remember why. I guess I just sided with the kids because I was a kid. But after seeing this movie again, I realized how absolutely terrible these children are! They caused them to miss an airplane, caused them to miss a train, forced the main character to drive a long distance, destroyed his car, stole his car, and forced the main character to do a number of other terrible things. I truly felt bad for the main character at the end of the movie. Then I had a sudden realization, that as a child, I was never able to fully comprehend the movies. I was just watching them for the mere entertainment. I never understood the themes or anything that was actually going on. I think it is rather remarkable that in a few short years, we are able to go from an age where we watch movies for the sheer enjoyment and pleasure of special effects and funny jokes and can then go and watch movies for a greater sense of the world and to better understand human nature.
That's so true! I recently watched this hindi movie that I used to love as a kid, but this time I didn't even know why I liked it so much; it was so unrealistic. We become more inclined towards realism as we grow up. It's sad in a way because we find it hard to be entertained easily!
I completely agree. You can always pay more attention to one different detail and find new aspects that pertain to new situations in your life. That's the best part of re-watching old favorites, they never really get old.
I was just watching "The Interview" this afternoon and I kept thinking about the difference between censorship now and censorship then (early 1900s). For such a risque film, The Interview really topped out for this year's uncomfortable films. What would the response have been like if the same film was shot during WWII and featured Hitler in place of Kim Jong Un. There's no way it would have been recieved in the same way it was today.It also brings about the question, can we release these films simply because America seems to have a buffer against retaliation for this sort of thing? Would it have been received in a much different way by the people of South Korea? And most of all, was the production of this movie really a good idea at all? Groundbreaking for sure, "The Interview" addresses a present problem in North Korea in a comical way (A feat that hast been attempted before now). Is this revolutionary or simply foolish?
I honestly think that it is simply foolish, to the point where it was prohibited from being projected in theaters due to the threat that it could have caused to the audience or to the nation. Regardless of the situation in USA, whether everyone is against or with this opinion, it is completely irresponsible to produce such a film that can threaten the relations between America and any other state.
A show that I find interesting, and which I barely started watching is, "The American Horror Story." In the first season, the first episode, there is a young girl standing outside of a humongous house warning twin boys that they are going to regret going into the house. She does this by repeating, "You're going to regret it." It gives a chilling atmosphere, in which the audience wonders what could possibly be wrong with the house only to find out once the boys invade the basement. It is interesting how the camera moves in certain angles, such as upside-down and side-to-side, in order to create confusion and a sort of condescending feeling. Another part I found interesting was when the man in the black leather suit, mimicking the husband, abused the wife. As the camera focused on the face of the guy, they happened to make the image switch between the face of the husband and the face of the guy in the leather suit. Creating this sort of confusing atmosphere, in which they want to audience to know what is going on but they do not want them to know too much.
This past weekend i was able to see the movie “American Sniper.” I specifically remember one scene where the camera would zoom in and hold on a particular character. Because of this it made me feel uncomfortable, yet still yearning to see more. This kind of emotion that I had wouldn’t have been able to be felt without knowing the beginning film making and the methods they used.
ReplyDeleteDo you feel that you have a better understanding of the movie industry as well as how movies are made because of what we have learned?
DeleteThat feeling of being uncomfortable reminds me of a retreat I went to earlier this year. Everyone was in a big circle with two chairs in the middle, one had big paper clips the other had small ones. Someone outside the circle would ask a question like, "Who here had parents that are undocumented? Get a small clip." Then those same people that got the clip would have to stand in front of someone who didn't get a clip, and you'd have to look them in the eye for about 3 minutes. The questions got more and more intense, and in the end everyone was crying. I know it's pretty far fetched from what your blog was, but having to look at someone's pure emotion was really intense.
DeleteI have recently taken up rewatching movies that I watched when I was younger. I am limited the the movies that are on Netflix, but there are still a variety of options to choose from. The most recent one that I watched was "Are We There Yet?" starring Ice Cube. I thought that I was going to watch them to have a sense of nostaglia and feel the innocence of being younger again, but that is not what happened with this movie. When I rewatched this film, instead of being hit with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia, I was hit with a greater understanding. When I originially watched this film so long ago, I did not understand any of what was going on during the movie. I remembered sympathizing with the kids as they were trying to ward off potential partners for their mother. I remember being on their side and I don't even remember why. I guess I just sided with the kids because I was a kid. But after seeing this movie again, I realized how absolutely terrible these children are! They caused them to miss an airplane, caused them to miss a train, forced the main character to drive a long distance, destroyed his car, stole his car, and forced the main character to do a number of other terrible things. I truly felt bad for the main character at the end of the movie. Then I had a sudden realization, that as a child, I was never able to fully comprehend the movies. I was just watching them for the mere entertainment. I never understood the themes or anything that was actually going on. I think it is rather remarkable that in a few short years, we are able to go from an age where we watch movies for the sheer enjoyment and pleasure of special effects and funny jokes and can then go and watch movies for a greater sense of the world and to better understand human nature.
ReplyDeleteThat's so true! I recently watched this hindi movie that I used to love as a kid, but this time I didn't even know why I liked it so much; it was so unrealistic. We become more inclined towards realism as we grow up. It's sad in a way because we find it hard to be entertained easily!
DeleteI completely agree. You can always pay more attention to one different detail and find new aspects that pertain to new situations in your life. That's the best part of re-watching old favorites, they never really get old.
DeleteI was just watching "The Interview" this afternoon and I kept thinking about the difference between censorship now and censorship then (early 1900s). For such a risque film, The Interview really topped out for this year's uncomfortable films. What would the response have been like if the same film was shot during WWII and featured Hitler in place of Kim Jong Un. There's no way it would have been recieved in the same way it was today.It also brings about the question, can we release these films simply because America seems to have a buffer against retaliation for this sort of thing? Would it have been received in a much different way by the people of South Korea? And most of all, was the production of this movie really a good idea at all? Groundbreaking for sure, "The Interview" addresses a present problem in North Korea in a comical way (A feat that hast been attempted before now). Is this revolutionary or simply foolish?
ReplyDeleteI honestly think that it is simply foolish, to the point where it was prohibited from being projected in theaters due to the threat that it could have caused to the audience or to the nation. Regardless of the situation in USA, whether everyone is against or with this opinion, it is completely irresponsible to produce such a film that can threaten the relations between America and any other state.
DeleteA show that I find interesting, and which I barely started watching is, "The American Horror Story." In the first season, the first episode, there is a young girl standing outside of a humongous house warning twin boys that they are going to regret going into the house. She does this by repeating, "You're going to regret it." It gives a chilling atmosphere, in which the audience wonders what could possibly be wrong with the house only to find out once the boys invade the basement. It is interesting how the camera moves in certain angles, such as upside-down and side-to-side, in order to create confusion and a sort of condescending feeling. Another part I found interesting was when the man in the black leather suit, mimicking the husband, abused the wife. As the camera focused on the face of the guy, they happened to make the image switch between the face of the husband and the face of the guy in the leather suit. Creating this sort of confusing atmosphere, in which they want to audience to know what is going on but they do not want them to know too much.
ReplyDelete