Friday, February 22, 2013

Blog Post #2-Film Noir

    In the beginning of the documentary, director Errol Morris said "For me the great noir films, are films about fall guys. A person who finds himself caught in a net; the more he struggles, the deeper and deeper he becomes entwined in nightmare." and that often when bad things happen to the protagonist, it's "for no reason at all". In "The Postman Always Rings Twice", by coincidence, Frank happens to stop at Nick and Cora's restaurant, ends up working there and falling in love with Cora. Frank was caught between having an affair with Cora and lying to Nick. Frank tries to escape his situation by eloping with Cora, but was inevitably pulled back into the diner. The more Cora wanted to own the diner, the more Frank was tied to the place, which led to plotting the murder of Nick so both Frank and Cora can be free. Instead, Frank and Cora was caught in a feud to fight each other for freedom under the manipulation of their lawyers. The film ended with Cora dying in a car accident and Frank was executed to death.
   The description of a femme fatale that best fits Cora from "Postman Always Rings Twice" is that she's ambitious, indepedent, and sexual. She uses her sexuality not to get the man, but to use the man to get something for herself. Cora's ambition was clearly shown in the film, she mentioned more than once how she wanted to take over the diner herself and be somebody through hard work. She definitely was very diligent, eager to prove to herself and others that she's capable of achieving her goals. She married Nick to settle down, but she's willing to operate the diner with or without him. As it becomes apparent that Nick is standing in the way of her dream, she desperately wanted to get rid of him. Whether she really loved Frank or not, it is definite that she used her sexuality to get Frank as her accomplice in the murder. Multiple times she tried to convince Frank by saying "Don't you love me?" or "If you loved me you'll do it", almost as a form of threat.

    As a film noir, "The Postman Always Rings Twice" uses light/dark contrast, and camera angles to depict the elements that constitute a film noir: deep, obscure story lines that don't necessarily have a good or bad, but rather reflects a dark side of people. For example, the scene when Cora and Frank first met. Frank picks up Cora's lipstick but instead of handing it to her, he kept it in his hand and lures her to him. At this point there was a close up scene on Cora's face, where her face was shone under bright light but the rest of her head/body was in the shadows. The contrast in this scene suggests Cora seem to be a beautiful young woman, but there are parts of her that are actually sinister than one might think. Unfortunately since all the light is focused on her face, one may be distracted by her beauty and ignores the danger of being with her.

    As for camera angles, it's common for film noirs to use deep focus and wide angle lenses to broaden the scene, giving the audience a sense of a big environment. Also having one character close and facing the camera, while having another character further away from the camera and talking to the back of the first person gives an effect of depth. In the scene where Cora told Frank to paint the chairs, Frank was in the foreground preparing the paint while talking to Cora, who was behind him. This allows two characters to have an effective conversation while seeing both of their facial expressions. Also having the characters not look directly at each other gives the scene a more dramatic feel.

    Compared to film noirs, neo-noirs is an upgraded version, at least graphics-wise. As technology advances, colored films are able to be made so the story seem more realistic and less mysterious. In "Blade Runner" one of the most obvious film noir style it has is the darkness feel overall. It was rainy and smoky throughout most of the film, and none of the characters had a jolly personality. Story-wise, "Blade Runner" was about hunting down human-killing robots, which is quite sinister in itself. The brutal Replicants, especially Roy, who shows absolutely no mercy to human beings, adds to the uneasiness of the film. As for its mise en scene, Deckard's apartment is a good example. Most of the time, the only source of light in his apartment is sunlight, more specifically sunset, when the sunlight is the darkest. Otherwise his apartment is nearly completely dark. Even the sound effects adds to the dark feel. At the end part when Roy is chasing Deckard, not only does it take place at night in an unlit building, Roy howls like a wolf, putting more emphasis on the darkness of the scene.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Film Criteria

  Some of my criteria for a noteworthy film are the mood. Whether this mood is set my compelling background music, or the actors' facial expression and body language; the mood is necessary in enhancing the story. Otherwise even a film with the greatest storyplot would be bland. Another important aspect is of course the storyplot itself. I tend to like science fiction films because there really isn't a limit in imagination for these films. The story can be as bizarre as the writer can make it, the CGI that comes out with the film is usually impressive to watch. The plot needs to be capitvating as well as intriguing. It needs to be interesting enough so the audience would want to watch this film over and over again, because each time they learn something different from it. The last criteria would be the acting. Choosing appropriate actors is important because not everyone can portray every role. Picking the right person for the right job will ensure a character maximizes their personality on screen. 
  "A Trip To The Moon" by George Melies rises up to my expectations of a good film. Even for an early film, when technology for special effects aren't readily available. The story, add-on music and narration are captivating. The story of the 5 astronomers having an adventure on the moon with the creatures who reside there are humorous and light-hearted. The background music, although not present in the original film, did a good job creating the mood. The music was a bit more relaxed and happy when the scientists were preparing to enter the shell, and more action-packed when they were fighting the Cellunites. 
  In "The Great Train Robbery", the music is more or less the same throughout. So although it is a good add-on for background music, it doesn't serve as much purpose as it did in "A Trip To The Moon". The story is simple but clear. The actors did a wonderful job of portraying a role without speaking a single word. Throughout most of the film you can't even see the actors' faces so they must rely on mere body language. I enjoyed that this was supposed to be more of an action-packed film about a group of train robbers, but since it's an older film, the over-exaggerated acting made this film quite humorous. 
  One of my personal favorite films would be The Dark Knight. As much as I love the action and exploration of psychology of the villains in this film, I also love the acting. The Joker, portrayed by Heath Ledger, was widely agreed as the best characterization in a film. Ledger spent much of his time and energy trying to act out the psychopahtic aspect of the Joker. As seen in this short clip, the Joker's maniac behavior clearly makes him one of the best villains out there. 






  It was said that Ledger added details that weren't in the script, but without them, the Joker wouldn't be nearly as good. For example, the way he takes the glass of champagne, throws all of it away, and then drinks it is a very clever way of showing his craziness.
  Another film I enjoy would be The Matrix. What stands out to me the most about that movie is the story. As I mentioned earlier I really enjoy the science fiction type of films because they really widen my imagination. The Matrix is about a post-apocalyptic world controlled by machines, which grow humans, harvesting their bioelectricity and heat as energy source. The machines created a simulated world for the humans, called the matrix, in which the humans live in a false reality. The main character, a seemingly normal man named Thomas Anderson, who goes by a more secretive name Neo, was able to bend the physics in this digital reality and ultimately destroy the machines, freeing the humans. Of course, like any other hero, Neo must go through trials to train and prove that he is the savior of mankind. To me this story is so interesting because I've never thought what would happen if I knew the reality I live in all my life isn't what it seems to be. The movie inspired me to think about things I've never thought of before, exploring corners of my mind that I otherwise would have ignored. It is this feeling of aspiration and suddenly realization that makes me really enjoy a film.