Irony of Hollywood

Someone asked me why my blog page is red and yellow because, "isn't that typical Hollywood movie colors?" and yes, it is.  I tried to create a little bit of irony on my blog since I am talking about independent film, and not Hollywood films.  

Elephant & Reality

If anyone has seen the movie Elephant, then you'll know what I'm talking about when I say it is the most sickening, yet realistic film out there that relates to school massacres.  I first watched this movie in film class this semester a few weeks ago, however I do remember hearing about it when it first came out a few years back.  The creators of this film decided to use real kids, not professional actors, to be the characters.  Also, all of the characters in the film go by their real names in real life.  The film claims that it's not based on the Columbine shootings in the '90's, however many websites, as well as myself, beg to differ.  I think it's great to have films that give messages or document specific events, but there are so many damn films out there over the massacre that it's ridiculous.  The film is great, don't get me wrong.  The sequences cause you to think so much that you become utterly confused in the film and you really just wanna get up and leave.  At the end however, there is a twist and everything makes sense.  But, are we really helping the situation by replaying it over and over? No.  With all of these films portraying gory violence and bloody shootings, we are only putting more images into the heads of young people.  I'm pretty sure the film is rated R, but think about, how many R films have you watched before you were 16 or 18 or whatever the hell it is, and how many times have your younger siblings done the same? Plenty, in my case.  So, I guess what I don't understand is that the entire world thinks younger children and teens are angry and depressed and want to shoot up the world, but when the media is a powerful force in today's time, and all that is shown in the media is violence, how are we supposed to have an innocent-minded youth? 

Picture: www.google.com

PS- The picture is a scene from the movie when the massacre is about to begin.  No surprise.

Charlie Kaufman at SMU!

Ironically, as I was about to post this blog, I came across another indie film blog posting about my same topic, so go to http://worldfilm.about.com to check out their opinion.  Anyways, Charlie Kaufman came to SMU last Tuesday to speak.  Basically, the only people who showed up were filmmakers, CTV majors, and a few theatre majors.  However, Charlie Kaufman, for those of you who don't know, is considered almost a genius in the film world.  He has written several "big-hit" screenplays for several movies you have probably heard of.  For example, Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.  He is best known for being a screenwriter, but his latest film to come out, Synecdoche, New York, was directed by him.  Seeing Charlie Kaufman in person was really not as spectacular as one might imagine because he is literally just like me and you.  He was very blunt, but truthful, in his answers to student questions and it was obvious that he was not much interested in being in the spotlight.  His publicist was more peppy than he was, but I can understand how it can be annoying to have to do all of these press and interview things for just trying to do your job.  I did learn a lot of lessons from him in the small amount of time I was able to listen to him.  Anyone who is interested in film would have greatly enjoyed the Charlie Kaufman chat.  

Picture: www.masalladeorion.es

Some Documentaries are Good...

Ok, so I'm totally about to contradict everything I said in the previous post... The past two nights I have gone to Dallas Hall and Hughes-Trigg to watch two documentaries on two very different topics.  The death penalty and of course, the U.S.-Mexico border.  The first documentary was titled "Undocumented"  and covered every single aspect of the current border issue.  I laughed a little but mostly cried in several parts.  The film was extremely touching and to say that it was intellectually stimulating, is an understatement.  I think I'm slowly becoming a hippie.  Watching documentaries of these kind get me so fired up and I become so intensely involved that it's almost unhealthy (in a jokingly way).  The border issues piss me off to no end and to blame these innocent people for "overcrowding" and "littering" our country is like telling people at church on Sunday morning, "Oh there's not enough room.  Too bad."  I'll just stop right here because if I keep ranting, you'll be reading for the next twenty years of your life.  Now, I just got back (tonight) from seeing the other documentary titled, "At the Death House Door" and let me tell you, if you are currently for the death penalty, or you don't really know where you stand, WATCH THIS FILM!!!!  I feel pathetic and stupid for admitting this, but before this film, I was somewhat for the death penalty in CERTAIN circumstances.  However, my views now are the complete opposite.  No one on this earth has the power to say who dies and who lives.  I don't like to ever blame the government wholly on issues like these, mainly because I have always loved politics and whenever I visit Washington D.C., I just am in awe of the "powerful" people I see in black suits everywhere.  But, in order to abolish the death penalty, we must change what happens in the system.  I literally cried and sobbed like a big baby throughout this entire film, and by the time it was over, the precious elderly man who created it looked at me as if I had FREAK written across my forehead.  But, the film worked.  It got to me, the audience.  It broke me to pieces and had my emotions overwhelmed.  So, this week so far has been a whirlwind documentary film-wise, and tomorrow (Friday) I will be going to yet another documentary, La Misma Luna.

Boundaries for Documentaries?

          Image Source: www.imdb.com
I googled "controversial films" and all that came up were the recently made documentaries over the government, oil crisis, war in Iraq, American diet, etc.  I'm not so sure yet how I feel about these films that cover such controversial topics.  These films are obviously independent because there is not a single Hollywood studio that would touch these projects with a ten foot pole.  While I do love to watch documentaries and go "behind the scenes," I almost feel that these film producers and directors are going a little too far.  The world knows that America's government and economy sucks, we know that 92% of Americans are too fat, and we know that "the earth is going to melt soon from the oil crisis and everything that comes with it."  Do we really need more media out there shoving all of this garbage down our throat?  I do keep up with these issues and yes, I definitely have my own opinions on them.  However, I don't really care to watch a movie over someone else's opinion on these touchy, yet boring, subjects, whether I agree with them or not.  Also, this is probably going to sound somewhat weird, but in ten years, granted the earth is still here, I don't really want my son or daughter to google 'earth' for a science project, and up pops a youtube video of Al Gore saying that we'll all be melting soon.  I guess by the end of this post, I have formed somewhat of an opinion, and that is that documentary films are interesting and educating, but the current generation of doc filmmakers are taking the action a little too far. 

Top 10 Indie Films

A close friend and I ended up in a heated discussion over the following, but I compiled a list of independent films that I think are simply the best.  I could sit here and analyze each and every film and give a reason as to why I think they are the best, but that will not interest you and it will only give me carpel tunnel.  Clearly, this is just my opinion so I am very open to other's comments on this subject. 

1. The Squid and the Whale (duh!)

2. The Savages

3. Hotel Rwanda

4. Requiem for a Dream

5. Little Miss Sunshine

6. Donnie Darko

7. Crash

8. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

9. American Beauty

10. Pulp Fiction

Film as Art

                        Picture Source: www.shutterstock.com
I think film is one of the greatest mediums of art. With a painting, it was only the painter who created it. With a photograph, it was only the photographer who created it. By now, you should get my point. But with a film, there is the script that was written by a writer or several writers. There is the actual picture created by a cinematographer. The characters created by actors. The entire story created by the director. The list could go on and on. Therefore, while I admire any piece of art, I appreciate a film in a much deeper sense whenever I watch one. I am currently taking a 'Film and Media Aesthetics' course, and it has shown me ways to look at a film that I never thought was possible. I'll try not to turn this into a lecture but I do stress the importance of the following facts: Film has the power to tell stories and express emotions. It is through form and style that draws us in, like Hitchcock's films. The formal patterns of a film trigger ideas and emotions in our heads; that's how film works. Film offers us life experiences we might otherwise not have. In simple terms, the art of film depends on technology and how it's used. Artwork is meant to engage our senses, feelings, and mind in process. How? The artist has created a pattern. And somehow with all of these confusing terms combined, plus a lot more, a film is created. Art is created. The richer our perception is when watching a film, the more complex our response becomes. Sure, it sounds cheesy, but the next time you go watch a movie remember that it's art and what you make of it is up to you.