The Bride VS Travis Bickle

Finally, I have uploaded the video of Round 3 from our Great Debate.
Starring Roy as The Bride, and Momo as Travis Bickle.

Totally was a fun day guys, every group did great =]

A big thankyou again to Roy and Momo for being such 'fighters'

Enjoy!

- Dray

Movie Day

CONGRATULATIONS!

Ok, firstly, *phewf* just want to say congratulations on completing this subject everyone =]


We have reached the end of the semester, and you little monsters have now sucked out all the necessary brain juice from Dr Dray to watch movies differently from all your friends.

I hope that by now - either on your first date with a girl, or just chilling with your 'homies' or 'pals' - when your out at the cinema and you finish watching a movie, the person you go with will probably say:

"Man, this movie sucked. I didn't get it."

But YOU will step in and say:"I disagree! The director uses alot of slow-motion technique in his film to emphasise his themes. The director also used quite alot of long takes, ECU's, and even a high-angle shot at the end, so it has quite a range of cinematography. The mise-en-scene could of been better, but overall, the film has deep meaning, it even has.........*blahblahblah*"

And the person you went to watch the movie with, their face will be like 0___O And they will think to themselves "Oh my god.. I like this movie now.."

See.. You will do well on your first date, and will be looked up to as a God next time you go watch a movie.


Now, like I promised, to end our time studying film and cinema, we should all go out as a group to watch a film together. So here is my proposal -

1. The Losers
Director: Sylvain White (Stomp The Yard, etc)
Genre: Action/Adventure
Date: Sunday 13th 12:20PM / Monday 14th 12:20Pm

2. Shrek (3D) Forever After
Company: Dreamworks (Shark Tale, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, etc)
Genre: Animation
Date: Mon 14th June (anytime before 5pm)

3. Grown Ups
Director: Dennis Dugan (Zohan, Chuck & Larry, etc)
Genre: Comedy
Release: Thurs 24th June

Ok so please vote for any of these movies... These are the movies coming out this month. If you want to watch another movie that is coming out this month, let me know. Otherwise, if all of you don't want to watch these and rather WAIT till a *cool* movie comes out, then let me know... But it's better if we watch a film soon like next week, before you guys forget about Dr Dray. *Sniff Sniff*. =P

Ok so please comment and choose which movie we should go see!

Dr Dray

I feel confused about the Harvard, APA or Chicago (II) styles.what is the styles exact mean?Also,about the cover sheet. what imformation must write on it and should we make it more interesting?

Remember the Titans

This movie is about a newly appointed African American football coach over the highly successful white coach to coach the team where the school is not racially integrated. The idea of an African American coaching the team was not accepted even though he was equally as successful as the other coach.

Tensions arise when players of different races are forced together on the same football team. This film is based on a true story and takes place in the USA. Even though this film is based on a true story not all scenes are actually true but i still really like this film and have watched it a few times. Some of the characters are not real but are fictional.

The message that this film projects is a strong one and like "Do The Right Thing" acceptance and racism are themes in both films but that's all i think they have in common.

At the start the African Americans didn't want to play in the same team as the white guys and vice versa.

After a two week training camp which brought the guys together they returned to find that the community was in turmoil due to the forced desegregation of the high school. As the season progresses the team's success caused the community to accept the changes.

The shawshank redemption

I believe most of you guys have seen this before, but I still want to recommend this, I have to say I really really really love this film!!!!!!

At the beginning, the director create a atmosphere like andy is doing some bad thing, so that the audience will get confused about the things happen later, and if you watch this movie, you have to focus on every detail, because any of the detail would be the explain of the ending, and I really like the end of this movie, it's just sooooooo cool!

This film is kind like "prson break", but not like the some theme of this kind movies, what show on this movie is not only "break", but also, the friendship, and the spirit of insist. After watch this, you will be inspired and feel the warm of this world. nothing is impossible, as long as you try to do it.

QUESTION ABOUT FINAL ESSAY ~

I get confused about the movie effects.
What exactly "special effects" is??
Like... include what ?

I absolutely love this movie its so hilarious. Its about one of the characters Doug and he is going to get married so he takes his 2 friends Stu and phil and his soon to be brother in-law Alan who is the main reason why this movie is so good.

They have a big night out and cant find the groom Doug and latter find out that Alan gave them drugs on the night. They then find out the things that they got up to on the night and attempt to find Doug.

This is probably my favorite quotes of all time (im only saying this off the top of my head but still)
Alan: "You guys might not know this, but I consider myself a bit of a loner. I tend to think of myself as a one-man wolf pack. But when my sister brought Doug home, I knew he was one of my own. And my wolf pack... it grew by one. So there... there were two of us in the wolf pack... I was alone first in the pack, and then Doug joined in later. And six months ago, when Doug introduced me to you guys, I thought, "Wait a second, could it be?" And now I know for sure, I just added two more guys to my wolf pack. Four of us wolves, running around the desert together, in Las Vegas, looking for strippers and cocaine."

Exam

Well well well my little monsters..

Exam is over.. Isn't that cool?

Now you can relax and focus on your other exams coming up.. and also... *dun dun dun* your ASSIGNMENT 2!!!! yayy...

Does anyone want to say anything about the exam? Or how they feel they went?

I have a strong feeling in my guts that you all did a good job.. I'll start marking now =]

I've also uploaded your assignment 2 brief in the box on the right hand side of this blog.

Feel free to start writing it up early, I'll go through it on our last ever class on Tuesday.

Enjoy the rest of your week!!
Dr Dray

Paul Blart Mall Cop

I love this film it’s so funny. It’s about a man who man who works as a security guard in a shopping center. His name is Paul Blart. I’m pretty sure it’s called a segway throughout the film there pretty cool.

For years, he has applied to become a cop, but he always fails the physical exam because he is overweight. He gets bashed by a fat lady at some point........just though i should randomly put this in there.

On the busiest shopping day of the year and the mall is seized by a tightly organized crew of thieves, and customers are ordered outside, but Blart is playing free video games and doesn't notice.

He knows his way around the mall very well which is his advantage and his daughter and the girl he likes are one of the hostages so he is left to save the day.

I don’t think many reviewers like this movie but Roger Ebert gave it 3 stars.

If anyone has seen this, my favourite part is what he does when he is at the bar and gets drunk hahahahahaha

The cove

This is a documentary, in my opinion, documentary are always kind of boring, but this one is the first documentary I finished watching.

It talks about a place in Japan named Taiji, billion dolphins were killed here every year. At the beginning of this movie, the director use black and white to show how people kill dolphins, even thought it's black and white, you can still see how rude the killer are.

Then the movie show how the lead go to this place, and use their own strenth to shoot the process of how people kill dolphins. The process they try to set everything ready is very difficult and dangerous, and they use some music which tempo is very fast to make audience feel nervous, like we are one of their member, and at last, when you see the red lake which is dyed by the blood of the dolphins, you just can stop crying.

This is a huge film because it connected to many big countries and many famous people, we can imagine what effect this movie will cause if it show to this world, but it does, and lucky, the result is good. when you see rechard o'berry rush in the IWC meeting and show the film they shoot to the people there, you just feel great!

I might be wrong but i am reading that Sofia Coppola considered to be an auteur is she and if so why?

PERSEPOLIS

PERSEPOLIS one of the movie which I watched in class, the story of the movie is about the life of girl Marjane who left Iran after SHA RAZA Communist government and new Islamic government in Iran, and saw all the sudden changes in front of her eyes. This changes happened during 1970s.
Their family were expecting the good change in new Government but they found it worst then before.
Marjane was sanded to france for study but reality was this that her parents were scared of sudden changes and wanted her to be safe and sound.
She grew up in France and when she came back she felt no change in her country it was the same as she left many many years before.
She was really confused about her own personality as a Iranian being in France. She got failed many times before falling in love but she found it at last.
I personally like this movie because I can really understand the satiation which the director shown about condition of iran because I have been asked the same question in airport (any play card? any drink? any porn). I have seen that government also very closely.

Any how that movie was quite interesting and i really enjoyed that.

Who IS Roger Ebert?

Don't worry my little monsters, I shall elaborate more about him in next tutorial.

Next Tut - we will be studying QT's 2 films: Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill Vol.1.

Before our class, please research the term "Auteurism" so we can have our group discussion about it =]

Thanks guys, have a great weekend!

Muahaha

Dr Dray

Roger Ebert on Kill Bill Vol. 1

Kill Bill, Volume 1

BY ROGER EBERT / October 10, 2003

"Kill Bill, Volume 1" shows Quentin Tarantino so effortlessly and brilliantly in command of his technique that he reminds me of a virtuoso violinist racing through "Flight of the Bumble Bee" -- or maybe an accordion prodigy setting a speed record for "Lady of Spain." I mean that as a sincere compliment. The movie is not about anything at all except the skill and humor of its making. It's kind of brilliant.

His story is a distillation of the universe of martial arts movies, elevated to a trancelike mastery of the material. Tarantino is in the Zone. His story engine is revenge. In the opening scene, Bill kills all of the other members of a bridal party, and leaves The Bride (Uma Thurman) for dead. She survives for years in a coma and is awakened by a mosquito's buzz. Is QT thinking of Emily Dickinson, who heard a fly buzz when she died? I am reminded of Manny Farber's definition of the auteur theory: "A bunch of guys standing around trying to catch someone shoving art up into the crevices of dreck." The Bride is no Emily Dickinson. She reverses the paralysis in her legs by "focusing." Then she vows vengeance on the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, and as "Volume 1" concludes, she is about half-finished. She has wiped out Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox) and O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu), and in "Volume 2" will presumably kill Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah), Budd (Michael Madsen) and of course Bill (David Carradine). If you think I have given away plot details, you think there can be doubt about whether the heroine survives the first half of a two-part action movie, and should seek help.

The movie is all storytelling and no story. The motivations have no psychological depth or resonance, but are simply plot markers. The characters consist of their characteristics. Lurking beneath everything, as it did with "Pulp Fiction," is the suggestion of a parallel universe in which all of this makes sense in the same way that a superhero's origin story makes sense. There is a sequence here (well, it's more like a third of the movie) where The Bride single-handedly wipes out O-Ren and her entire team, including the Crazy 88 Fighters, and we are reminded of Neo fighting the clones of Agent Smith in "The Matrix Reloaded," except the Crazy 88 Fighters are individual human beings, I think. Do they get their name from the Crazy 88 blackjack games on the Web, or from Episode 88 of the action anime "Tokyo Crazy Paradise," or should I seek help? The Bride defeats the 88 superb fighters (plus various bodyguards and specialists) despite her weakened state and recently paralyzed legs because she is a better fighter than all of the others put together. Is that because of the level of her skill, the power of her focus, or the depth of her need for vengeance? Skill, focus and need have nothing to do with it: She wins because she kills everybody without getting killed herself. You can sense Tarantino grinning a little as each fresh victim, filled with foolish bravado, steps forward to be slaughtered. Someone has to win in a fight to the finish, and as far as the martial arts genre is concerned, it might as well be the heroine. (All of the major characters except Bill are women, the men having been emasculated right out of the picture.) "Kill Bill, Volume 1" is not the kind of movie that inspires discussion of the acting, but what Thurman, Fox and Liu accomplish here is arguably more difficult than playing the nuanced heroine of a Sundance thumb-sucker. There must be presence, physical grace, strength, personality and the ability to look serious while doing ridiculous things. The tone is set in an opening scene, where The Bride lies near death and a hand rubs at the blood on her cheek, which will not come off because it is clearly congealed makeup. This scene further benefits from being shot in black and white; for QT, all shots in a sense are references to other shots -- not particular shots from other movies, but archetypal shots in our collective moviegoing memories.

There's B&W in the movie, and slo-mo, and a name that's bleeped entirely for effect, and even an extended sequence in anime. The animated sequence, which gets us to Tokyo and supplies the backstory of O-Ren, is sneaky in the way it allows Tarantino to deal with material that might, in live action, seem too real for his stylized universe. It deals with a Mafia kingpin's pedophilia. The scene works in animated long shot; in live action closeup, it would get the movie an NC-17.

Before she arrives in Tokyo, The Bride stops off to obtain a sword from Hattori Hanzo ("special guest star" Sonny Chiba). He has been retired for years, and is done with killing. But she persuades him, and he manufactures a sword that does not inspire his modesty: "This my finest sword. If in your journey you should encounter God, God will be cut." Later the sword must face the skill of Go Go Yubari (Chiaki Kuriyama), O-Ren's teenage bodyguard and perhaps a major in medieval studies, since her weapon of choice is the mace and chain. This is in the comic book tradition by which characters are defined by their weapons.

To see O-Ren's God-slicer and Go-Go's mace clashing in a field of dead and dying men is to understand how women have taken over for men in action movies. Strange, since women are not nearly as good at killing as men are. Maybe they're cast because the liberal media wants to see them succeed. The movie's women warriors reminds me of Ruby Rich's defense of Russ Meyer as a feminist filmmaker (his women initiate all the sex and do all the killing).

There is a sequence in which O-Ren Ishii takes command of the Japanese Mafia and beheads a guy for criticizing her as half-Chinese, female and American. O-Ren talks Japanese through a translator but when the guy's head rolls on the table everyone seems to understand her. Soon comes the deadly battle with The Bride, on a two-level set representing a Japanese restaurant. Tarantino has the wit to pace this battle with exterior shots of snowfall in an exquisite formal garden. Why must the garden be in the movie? Because gardens with snow are iconic Japanese images, and Tarantino is acting as the instrument of his received influences.

By the same token, Thurman wears a costume identical to one Bruce Lee wore in his last film. Is this intended as coincidence, homage, impersonation? Not at all. It can be explained by quantum physics: The suit can be in two movies at the same time. And when the Hannah character whistles the theme from "Twisted Nerve" (1968), it's not meant to suggest she is a Hayley Mills fan but that leakage can occur between parallel universes in the movies. Will "Volume 2" reveal that Bud used to be known as Mr. Blonde?

Roger Ebert on Reservoir Dogs

Reservoir Dogs

BY ROGER EBERT / October 26, 1992

Now that we know Quentin Tarantino can make a movie like "Reservoir Dogs," it's time for him to move on and make a better one.

This film, the first from an obviously talented writer-director, is like an exercise in style. He sets up his characters during a funny scene in a coffee shop, and then puts them through a stickup that goes disastrously wrong. Most of the movie deals with its bloody aftermath, as they assemble in a warehouse and bleed and drool on one another.

The movie has one of the best casts you could imagine, led by the legendary old tough guy Lawrence Tierney, who has been in and out of jail both on the screen and in real life. He is incapable of uttering a syllable that sounds inauthentic. Tierney plays Joe Cabot, an experienced criminal who has assembled a team of crooks for a big diamond heist. The key to his plan is that his associates don't know one another, and therefore can't squeal if they're caught. He names them off a color chart: Mr. White, Mr. Orange, Mr. Blonde, Mr. Pink, and so on. Mr. Pink doesn't like his name. "You're lucky you ain't Mr. Yellow," Tierney rasps.

The opening scene features an endlessly circling camera, as the tough guys light cigarettes and drink coffee in one of those places where the tables are Formica and the waitresses write your order on a green-and-white Guest Check. They argue, joke and b.s. each other through thick clouds of smoke; it's like "The Sportswriters on Parole." There's a funny discussion of tipping. Then they walk out of the restaurant, and are introduced in the opening credits, as they walk menacingly toward the camera. They have great faces: The glowering Michael Madsen; the apprehensive Tim Roth; Chris Penn, ready for anything; Tierney, with a Mack truck of a mug; Harvey Keitel, whose presence in a crime movie is like an imprimatur.

The movie feels like it's going to be terrific, but Tarantino's script doesn't have much curiosity about these guys. He has an idea, and trusts the idea to drive the plot.

The idea is that the tough guys, except for Tierney and the deranged Madsen, are mostly bluffers. They are not good at handling themselves in desperate situations.

We see the bungled crime in flashbacks. Tarantino has a confident, kinetic way of shooting action - guys running down the street, gun battles, blood and screams. Then the action centers in the warehouse, where Madsen sadistically toys with a character he thinks is a cop, and the movie ends on a couple of notes of horrifying poetic justice.

One of the discoveries in the movie is Madsen, who has done a lot of acting over the years (he had a good role in "The Natural") but here emerges with the kind of really menacing screen presence only a few actors achieve; he can hold his own with the fearsome Tierney, and reminds me a little of a very mean Robert De Niro.

Tarantino himself is also interesting as an actor; he could play great crazy villains.

As for the movie, I liked what I saw, but I wanted more. I know the story behind the movie - Tarantino promoted the project from scratch, on talent and nerve - and I think it's quite an achievement for a first-timer. It was made on a low budget. But the part that needs work didn't cost money. It's the screenplay. Having created the characters and fashioned the outline, Tarantino doesn't do much with his characters except to let them talk too much, especially when they should be unconscious from shock and loss of blood.

// Now guys.. is this a Summary, Review, or Analysis? Comment what you think.

Dr Dray

Today's Tutorial Question

Q: Was the last scene with Betsy in the rear view mirror a fragment of Travis Bickles mind, or was she really there?

Comment on what you think.

Tarantino On Taxi Driver

Muhib's Analysis of "Do The Right Thing"

Do The Right Thing Movie Analysis

Yunfei's Analysis

Yunfei’s analysis of Lost in Translation

The name of the movie is called Lost in Translation, made by the director Sofia Coppola in the year 2003. The story is about two Americans meeting in Tokyo and the culture different make two people close up. There are three main themes that the director wants to show audience. The first one is lonely, second is culture shock, and the last one is sadness.

The story was beginning at a grand hotel in Tokyo. The movie star Bob Harris and woman Charlotte meet each other. Charlotte’s husband John was full passion about the work and almost ignores her, the woman Charlotte was feel lonely and do not understand all of her husband. Beside of them, the man Harris use be a movie star in the past, however, with the time pass he was not young and not popular enough. He just comes to the Tokyo for some advertisement which he do not like. In the end, they meet and help each other to live in the strange country. It is a love story but a little bit sad.

The first and main theme about the movie is lonely. At the beginning of the story, the Harris sits in a taxi and no energy on his face although it is activity outside and it is a new country for him.


Harris just sit in the car and feel tired and lonely.

Beside of them, a lot of shot in the hotel make the atmosphere support the main theme. Two people sit in the hotel bar and silence all the time, but behind of them are really noisy. The third shot is both characters sit in the room and look the TV set, all the program they do not understand and feel bored and of course lonely. The directors Coppola use a lot of the close up camera shot to explain two main character’s emotion. And also use the point of view to show it. And be a audience, it is really easy to catch the feeling because when we feels lonely, it is quite normal to look around and looks unhappy. Secondly, the director use a lot of comparison skills such as environment comparison and sound comparison to show the lonely. For example, Charlotte walking on the street and look around without purpose, and all the pedestrians looks busy.


Charlotte walking on the street without purpose.

That contrast can be easy to catch audience attention. That is the environment contrast. The sound contrast is easy to appear. Some kind of Asian music was chosen in this movie, compare with the whole background, the audience can feel the character’s psychological very clearly.

The culture shock is the second and big theme that the director wants to show. The two characters are from western country but the directors choose Tokyo to be the background. Be a audience it is hard to understand why the director doing like that. However, deep think about the whole story, it will be easy to know that. The Asian culture and the western culture have a great different. The director just use that shock to film the movie, and show the deep lonely in both characters. On the other hand, the whole story is based on a love story between two Americans trapped in Tokyo. Their relationship is fueled by their feelings of displacement in the strange world of Japan. Because the love story is based on characters feelings of being outcasts, Coppola has chosen to use and exaggerate many Japanese stereotypes current in American culture. She has used stereotypes of size, manners, and language differences to make the Japanese people seem weird and different. One of the evidence is the man Harris join a TV show in the Tokyo. And from the whole program he just smiles and do not understand what the host said.



Harris joins into a Japanese program.

Furthermore, the Japanese host talks a lot of jokes and try to make the atmosphere nice. But Harris cannot put his energy into it and look really bored. Medium shot and close up are best way to show character’s emotion, director Coppola uses a lot of medium shot and close up to show each person psychology. Compare with others, the man Harris feel absolutely bored and helpless. Therefore, the audiences are easy to understand what happened at that time and sympathy the man Harris. The second scene is happened at Harris join the advertisement. Japanese director in the movie try to talk to him and asking his to the thing which he want. But with the translator Harris still do not understand his meaning and they camera the advertisement again and again.


Harris in a advertisement.

The culture shock is a big part of the movie that the Coppola wants to show us.


Both characters close to each other and talk.

The third theme about the movie is sadness. The director Coppola balance of humor and poignancy makes it both a pleasurable and melancholy experience. There's nothing labored or forced in the exploration of the undefined yet intense relationship and the insights about this type of brief but indelibly memorable bond emerge quite casually. However, the lonely and sadness feeling are show from begin to end. Think about, be a foreigner, the language and the different society are really for people to live in different country. All the people can understand the feelings and get resonance. The scene in the karaoke shows a lot of them. All the Japanese really enjoy about that but Harris and Charlotte not, although they looks happy and activity.



Harris singing in karaoke.

Another evidence is happened in the end. In the morning the man Harris say goodbye to the women Charlotte. He will back to his country at that time. Few minutes later, he jump out the car to see her again although he already on the way. Finally, big hugs between them make the whole movie more sweaty and move to ending.


Say goodbye

It is a love story in the end but full of pain. The pain and sadness not only by their action but also into their psychology. I got some research about the director Coppola’s background. She makes the movie Lost in Translation after her lovelorn. It is possible for her just to show her own feeling in the real life. Some of the long shot express the whole background and the noisy city Tokyo. However, the character’s psychology will be sadness all the time. On the other hand, some of the camera shot in the movie expresses her emotion about Japan. Therefore, Tokyo might be taking some great memoires for her and she want to show it exactly. All in all, the third theme sadness will be related her real life.

In conclusion, the movie lost in Translation includes three main themes which are lonely, culture shock and sadness. Each of the theme the director Coppola use different shot to explain it. Last one is music in the background. The director uses two main kind of music in the film. One is Japanese traditional music and anther one is slow music. Both of them show lonely and culture shock. Looking for the whole story, it is slow and quiet. All the things around are strange and two characters more close up because they support each other. It was a warm story when the audience appreciate it and should be get a lot of memory after it.

2717_Momo_Raging Bull Analysis

Analysis of the movie Raging Bull 

(The Looser Champion) 

Raging bull the real story of a boxing champion Jake La Motta who was best fighter of all time while having unsuccessful personal life indeed, by driving his personal life in a way what he was doing in ring. The movie Raging bull was directed by Martin Scorsese updated by Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin. This movie was made in 1980 having the story of 1940s. Robert De Niro played the roal of  Jake La Motta, a middle weight boxing champion having sexual jealousy, rage, violence and animal characters. This aliments made him a champion boxer beside that it destroyed his personal life relationship with his wife and brother. The champion who was the best ever fighter lost his all family at the end of his life and was also apprehended by police in sexual a salt case. Joe Pesci played the roll of his brother as Joey. Cathy Moriarty was casted in the movie as Jakes wife and Robert De Niro as Jake La Motta. 

In Raging bull Martin Scorsese used the best camera work and became really successful to show the audience what he really want to show, the situation, feeling and critical moment what was going on with Jake La Motta in movie. He made his massages really clear to understand for every one by using different camera shots and angles.  There were many topics to be analyses in that movie but I decided to point out some theam about Power, Jealousy and Rage. Almost more then 85% of movie was shot in black and white which means that those part are really important moment of Jakes life which is really important to be note by Martin Scorsese.

In a very first shot Jake (Robert De Niro)was shown alone in ring while doing some worm up. The scene was shot in slow motion which really gives a kind of power full, not understandable, mysterious sense about the character of Jake La Motta. That shot really makes easy to judge that he is the main character and rest of the other movie will be of his way of life.

In a very first boxing match shot of Jake the camera was setup inside of the ring from fighters point of view. It really gives the feeling of being in boxing ring and Jake, and as well the point of view of the fighters. Jake is directly watching in camera and trying the punch it really shows the power, rage and Violante Jake very clearly. Several closeup shots have been used to shows the expression and rage of Jake.

In the second fight scene against Sugar Ray Robinson (Johnny Burns) we can see clearly that ring is more big rather first fight scene and Jake is moving freely. It really shows the freedom of Jake and also the confidence and power that he was building in every single new boxing fights. The close up shots has been used in that scene when Sugar Ray Robinson is repeatedly receiving the punches from Jake on his face, and the camera angle makes it too clear that how painful and powerful punches he is receiving by Jake and also shows that how confused he is at that specific moment. 

In other scene the camera shot begun from Jakes hanging feet from bed and in that very moment Vickie also came and the start having some romantic as well as sexual actions, but that specific moment was shown in a kind of blurry mirror reflection, and in very next shot Jake went to bath room and see his face in mirror deeply, that is a kind of POV shot and means that Jake is thinking about his both life which is so obvious by using the reflection of mirror, one life that he has in ring as a wild boxing fighter and other where he was with beautiful Vickie, but indeed he was thinking about his boxing match at that moment also. That scene ends with the hanging feet again but this time it was of Vickie,s not Jakes,s.

In third fight scene we can see the atmosphere is too smoky and very crowd a kind of disturbing and hot atmosphere and even some time the voices of the crowed sounds like animals or beast. We can see many slow motion shots in that fight which really gives the massage of intensity of that specific fight and even in middle of that fight when Jake sit we can not see his face because it was covered by ropes it really give meaning that how Jake was indulge in that fight and how he was lost in his power and rage. We can see a lot of cameras flashes during that fight and it goes repeatedly it gives the scenes that how hot and burning fights was going on from both fighter and really represent the inner feeling of Jake. The flashes also showing the power and effort of fighters that they were really trying to put in that. When Sugar Ray got knock out and fell down in a ring we can see a lot of smokes just in front of him and too many flashes again but as a sudden the camera angles changes and show his face back which shows that now he has back in his scenes and can stand and keep fighting again against Jake and can know that where his opponent is now.

In one other scene when all of them went to Copacabana, and there are many mafia guys, where Vickie is just socializing with them. That specific scene was shot in slow motion. It was showing the situation as Jakes point of view because he was exaggerating that moment in his mind, Martin Scorsese as director became so successful to show the jealousy of Jakes in his inner feeling what he was thinking at that moment about his wife and mafia relationship. Slow motion shot was really helpful to show the anger and hate which was appearing in Jakes mind and heart for mafia people and his wife when camera was focusing his face in slow motion.

The next boxing fight scene is with Janiro (Kevin Mohan) whom he was jealous from because every time heard his name by his wife Vickie and others calling him as pretty boy. In that fight a lot of close up shots has been used focusing the face of Janiro showing that how he is facing the pain power, personal hate and jealousy by Jake. They also show slow motion shot when Janiro was bleeding after getting heart while receiving the big punch. The mixed combination of close up and slow motion shots really gives the scene that how heard and strong punches he is facing in that fight. Jake was really trying to destroy his pretty face by his powerful punches having a strong hate and jealousy in his heart for him.

In one other shot we see Joey siting in bar and at the same moment Vickie also came in. Again we see the used of mirror there even we can see two reflection of Vickie. This shows the double life of Vickie that she is stacked between her real life and life with the Jake. It also gives the sense of disloyalty of Vickie with Jake thats why after she was having drink with mafia guys Joye started fighting with them. Later on the fight break out and we can see camera perspective to symbolize the hits. The mafia man is inside the car and Joey is out side hitting his head with the cars door, the door is closing time and again on camera and very after that the expression of pain on the face of mafia man. These are the separate shots of course but it really give meaning that these all thing are happening in a same time.

We later see Jake in the same pool place when he met Vickie and approached her after, he talked with her first time from out side of the bar. First he was shot clear and alone and after that it was shot from out side showing Jake from out side and it was raining. The way that camera framed Jake, he was behind the rain and it was looking like Jake is again behind the same bar, because he was thinking that Vickie is flirting with him and trying to be any one els but he was trying to find out that, with whom?

There is one other shot when Jake, Vickie and Joey is in hotel, Jake is waiting for his next boxing match and mafia guys visit him. The combination of slow motion and mirror both has been used in that shot. Vickie say good buy to mafia guy by kissing him and that moment Jake was shot in slow motion showing his perspective showing his jealousy. Very after shot was a long shot that Joey was looking to Vickie and Jake talking with each other loudly, they have been framed in way that really tells us the importance of that moment. Jake slapped Vickie on her face and in same shot we can see two men sitting also inside of the room and watching all things in mirror. Presence of two men in mirror reflection gives meaning the animal characteristic of Jake that he has been reacting same action with Vickie all the time because no reaction was appeared from that two men after Vickie got slept on her face. But there is not any shot that Jakes go to the ring it just starts the ring fight shot and no more closeup shots but scene went on and on to next rounds even till eight round, a slide slow motion has been used in round eight just to gives massage that fight has been now so long and tired and it could not be continue any more, slow motion has been used there to gives a kind of drama touch as well because in that round Jakes won the match and championship belt. 

In almost all of the boxing fight scene Martin Scorsese try to use new and deferent things, in order not to make bored the viewers. In a very last fight when Jake was fighting with Sugar Say all the camera works slow motion, close up shots which had been used always for the Jakes opponent was used on Jakes this time. Sugar Ray once again with smoky surrounding view but this time with spot light as well, it gives meaning that he is main character now in that fight, many closeup shots was used showing Jakes feet and a drop of bloods, showing pain and injuries of Jakes, Close up shots of Jakes face(hurt but still kind of smiley) shows that how agree he was from in side for all that happened with him and Vickie. In the last minuets of the fight scene once again use of close up shot showing the rope with Jakes blood giving sense that it is the end of Jakes career as Boxer.

In a very last scene of the movie Jake is talking with him self sitting in front of mirror. He was calm and peace full but the shot was like very first shot with out any cutting. Jake La Motta was talking with his real life but again confident and looking forward, because just before leaving the room again he see him self punching like boxer gives meaning that he will be same forever, Jake La Motta the boxer.

Mortin Scorsese really succeeded to show us what he wanted to show about Jake La Motta by using different scenes different camera shots and angels. The slow motion shows the anger, jealousy and hate. The close up shots show the power and anger of Jake using his fights. The continuous shots show the confidence and calm Jake. Every single shot and angle has its specific meaning in specific circumstances. 

Reference

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raging_bull

Emma’s analysis of lost in translation

This movie was written and directed by Sofia Coppola. This movie described two foreigners living in Tokyo, the prosperity of the city people alone under the desert dotted heart naked revealed, probably this common problem with modern bar.

Lost in translation focuses on two particular characters. The first one is Bob Harris; he had come to Tokyo to shoot a commercial for Suntory Whiskey, he and his wife married 20 years, the feeling is too flat between them, they rely on children to contact. One day Bob had a good mood, when he told to his wife “I LOVE YOU”, came the phone was the busy tone. The second character is Charlotte, she’s the young wife of a celebrity photographer husband, who’s on assignment to shoot a Japanese rock band.

The first scene of this movie is a woman only wearing underpants laying back on the bed, up to 30 seconds, no dialogue, no music, only a woman breathing quiet. This purpose is to describe she always in the room and no one to look after her.

No language, no scenes, just a quiet shot to given the audience a sense of infinite reverie.

The important Mise-en-scene of this movie is the contrast between Charlotte and Bob greatly sweetens the movie’s story of a slow-burn friendship, they are confused in Japan. There are huge thematic plays on getting lost. The characters experience loneliness and alienation but also experience companionship in getting lost together.

At the hotel piano bar, at Japanese house parties and in streets of Tokyo, Charlotte and Bob start to lean on one another for support. In this country where no one seems to speaking their language.

I still remember a scene which is Charlotte and Bob stay in the hotel piano bar, they talk to each other. Bob:”Can you keep a secret? I’m trying to organize a prison break. I’m looking for…like, an accomplice, we’d have to, first, get out of this bar, then the hotel, then the city, and then the country, Are you in, or are you out?” Charlotte:” I’m in. Good, I’ll go pack my stuff.” Director use close-up to show the lonely two characters. So they went to sing and dance, deliberate to make trouble.

Another Mise-en-scene of this movie is the beautiful city-Tokyo. It’s alluring, hilarious. The director shows many different places. In my opinion, there are some reasons. Firstly, it can be increase the movie’s values. The audience always curiosity about distant and mysterious place. The director will seize the opportunity to use the camera to shuttle between the city and streets. Let us to see the layout of streets in Japan. Such as the east temples, Japan’s TV entertainment, Japanese “strange” behavior. Secondly, to produce a comic effect. In the movie, the effect of this comedy by differences cultural. Bob standing in the elevator as a camel；They making ads, Bob with Japanese’s director has many barriers for communication, and so on. Thirdly, it’s an unfamiliar setting to both characters, and they do not exactly understand the

language. So not only do they feel disconnected from their respective spouses, but they are also in a country they both hardly understand at all. They are both lost in several ways.

The movie name is lost in translation; I think this “lost” have two sides to see, that “lost” and “lose”. The “lost” means the psychic remains subject to possible disorientation at the new location. In the movie, Bob and Charlotte are also confused. Bob is a middle-aged man, who has been married for a long time, but has a disconnect with his wife. Facing the family, he chose to escape. However, the escape dose not means that everything is all right; he came to Tokyo, and even fails into greater confusion. In his eyes, there are gorgeous streets, but hard to learn oriental words, do not understand Japanese. When Bob stood on the elevator, and found that they had a “commanding heights”-he feel out of place. Charlotte, a recent Yale graduate, is accompanying her husband on a business trip. However, she spends most of the time alone. The “lose” means loss of gloss. “Lost” and “lose” are complementary. It is because of this similarity that the characters become friends.

The two characters in the movie from many internal or external reasons, the value of self-survival produced uncertainty. Bob and Charlotte is first few encounters are casual-on an elevator, in a bar. However, they begin to seek out one another and a bond develops. Bob and Charlotte eventually spend nearly, they walking together, holding deep conversations and finding ways to avoid the eventual parting that both know must occur. There is romantic tension, but through it all it’s mostly about companionship. There are no sweet moments. This is particularly what some may not exactly enjoy about lost in translation.

Lost in translation is perceptive about how people interact on a personal level. It portrays the disorientation of the two characters flawlessly.

The movie’s colormotif is blue tone, so that casts a layer of gloom and elegant, this atmosphere has been throughout of the whole movie, and foils the two characters emotional. Processing of music is also particularity, when the camera into the hustle and bustle of the city, the music is fast-paced; and to the romantic sense of hero and heroine be together, the music becomes gentle ease up.

In this movie, there are not many dialogues between Bob and Charlotte. They are just so special and alike, that when placed among people, they recognize each other at the first glance, in this unknown city lost both of themselves. Isolated in language, however, their souls just became more familiar to each other. This time, love needs no translation. They never confessed their love to the other, it was not necessary. Mid-night encounters, hand-in-hand rush through crowds, and tender echo to the other’s song, were far more than any words could convey. It’s an implicit affection as well as a platonic love. It’s just so beautiful to have it in bud in an eastern city, where any unsaid implications of romance used to be so much appreciated but now are almost lost in the ruins of modernization.

I still remember on the departing day, when the aluminum door of the elevator

slowly closed, the reflection on it was so clear that it relentlessly divided their world into two. However, her three word:”I’ll miss you” were simply able to penetrate walls of any kind. In the crowded street of Tokyo, surrounded by many strange faces, they embraced each other for the last time and kissed goodbye.

This is straight drama, it’s because the movie is very slow paced. Sometimes I feel a little lengthy. The pace is actually quite understandable at least, but it is definitely not going to suit everyone.

The Film Analysis of Lance - Raging Bull

This film was adapted according the real life of Jake La Motta, the former Middle Weight boxing champion in the world. Jake La Motta, the Italian boxer who was born in Brooklyn of New York with sturdy body and quick movement, was called “Raging Bull” in boxing field. Director Martin Scorcese tried to unveil the contradiction of humanity though the career of the great boxing champion.

It is necessary to mention the main actor of this film, Robert De Niro, before we go on to analysis this film.

If a person is too narcissism, it is very tormenting. He will torment not only others but also himself. That is De Niro. In case of the limit of NG is 4 or 5 times for other actors, De Niro can make it more than 30 times, because of worrying about himself.

This is not the only way to torture. When he was dissatisfied with his partner, he would shout with abuse to him:”I’m gonna bust your grape!” De Niro hates any director who attempts to direct the next step of his performing. Suppose anybody does, his face will look rather bad.
 

Certainly, he was better at suffering himself. He could buy thousand of costumes in order to look more like the character. He would go to the factory to work to experience the script. He also can exercise himself to be a muscle man, and then destroy the muscles by gluttony, if it is necessary.

Returning to the film, the beginning of Raging Bull is pretty cool. Jake La Motta (by Robert De Niro) wore the capote. I don’t know whether there was sweat or rainwater on the capote. It is so excited when Jack was doing the warming on the boxing ring under the dim light. There were looming audiences around the ring and three very thick horizontal ropes coming into view. The ropes round the La Motta whose motions were shot in high-speed (low motion). So that the scene looked having a clear metaphor. Jack La Motta was like a wild animal in the cage which was watched. He moved around and roared but useless. It is Martin’s films that can describe the opposites.

Jack La Motta was a poor man. On the boxing ring, he was a hero. He can beat down any opponent. But in his private life, he was timid, slow and suspicious. In order to get rid of his cat-and-dog life with his ex-wife, he went to pub with his brother. And to pursuit of a girl, named Vickie, was another purpose. He was timid so he let his brother to date Vickie for him. And when La Motta brought Vickie to take the air, he attempted to put his arm on girl’s shoulder, but he still had no guts to do that only stayed his arm on the chair back. They played skittle ball. The girl hit the ball and the ball was disappeared. They found around but the ball still hid in mystery. They felt so boring. After that they go to La Motta’s father’s house. At first, La Motta opened the fridge and asked the girl what she wanted to eat. She said no. Then he closed the fridge and sat with Vickie beside one table. They sit face to face and nothing to talk. La Motta told her to sit a bit close. Then the girl sat the side of the table, still nothing to say. Finally Jack told Vickie to sit on his leg. The girl followed but didn’t know what to say as well. This period of action looks so funny. A great boxer in the boxing ring seemed so bashful. Following that when Vickie saw the photo of Jack and his brother, he stand behind the girl, kissed her, and kissed her again. In this awkward situation, Jack La Motta didn’t say any words to relax the atmosphere. The boxer is a rough man, he couldn’t say any wisecracking words. Through this period scene, the personality of boxer was showed pretty incisively and vividly. The film was so different that made people think the images were truth instead of film scene.

“Did you fuck with my brother?” boxing champion questioned his wife with nervous sound again and again. At this time, the champion had already broken down. After that La Motta rushed into his brother, Joey’s house and almost killed him. When he hit his brother, elder Martin used the POV to show Jack’s craze and Joey’s fear. Before that on his way to his brother’s home, a period of long shot express Jack was like an animal and nobody can stop him. Jack walked fast, and then his wife caught him but still can’t make him reduce the speed a bit. He was like a red-eye bull. The boxing champion was able to control the ring, but couldn’t catch his life. It seemed a bit sad.

“Hey, Ray. I never went down. You never got me down, Ray.” After he kept two years of Middle Weight boxing champion in the world, he was defeated by a player who was beat down by himself several years ago. These two years was the most brilliant two years in Jack La Motta’s life. Martin Scorcese chose a period of life recorded by family camera with color, it is the only part with color in this film, and added an easy music of light opera. In this color part, the elder Martin used fast motion to express the happy mood. But after these two years, he was defeat. He didn’t go down, though the fist punched him like raindrops. He was a unbending soul. On the boxing ring, he could be defeated; he faced fail, but never went down. That was an attitude to face the loss. Here, slow motions were very prefect to show the hesitate and scare in his opponent’s mind. Many close shot focused on Jack’s face, hands and legs. His hands caught the rope of the ring, and slide, and caught again. His blood flew down the shaking legs, mixed sweat. These close shots gave us an image of a tough guy.

In my opinion, this film was not the real legend of boxing champion Jack La Motta. The director Martin Scorcese wanted to show us that nobody is prefect, nobody is too atrocious to forgive. A great boxer in the ring might be an evil in his private life. On the other hand, the elder Martin let the audience to discover how the jealous made a man into an animal, and destroyed all his life. If we analysis the person who created by the elder Martin separately, on the boxing ring, he was a brave heart and sturdy warrior; in his private life, he was a selfish animal. He didn’t care about anyone except himself. Perhaps Martin Scorcese just wanted to express this kind of contradiction in order to reflect on ourselves.