One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

The filmmakers go through a lot of trouble to research the material of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest because of their drive to present a film that could be considered real, and bring about change in the psychiatric system, despite the fact that Ken Kesey had researched the state of psychiatric help when he was writing the novel by working as a night attendant in a Veteran’s hospital. To help gather even more information, the director and screenwriter lived in the Oregon State Hospital so that they could have an even deeper understanding of the subject for when they produced the film. I believe that all actors were forced to be as committed as possible, to keep, at least the image, an air of authenticity and that the psychiatric treatment be presented as genuine. I believe that actors living within a psychiatric ward would be much better suited to playing the role of insane characters, as they would have a better understanding of them. While living in the psychiatric ward itself would not explain to the actors the effects of insanity, it can still help the actors playing these characters how to play a role in which they are confined to a small ward and are forced through there same boring routine every single day with no freedom, and no ability to change your life to better yourself.

The Hudsucker Proxy

When compared to other works of the Coen brothers such as Bartin Fink and Fargo, I do not believe that the Coen brothers made any creative concessions when creating The Hudsucker Proxy, at least when compared to what it is that they normally do. It is possible, as is suggested in the prompt that the films of the Coen Brothers are just so radical and unique that it would be impossible to truly be able to tell if they had changed anything because of studio meddling due to how very absurd the Coen Brother films usually are. It may in fact be impossible to answer that question as the ridiculous nature of The Hudsucker Proxy is equal to that of their other films, such as The Big Lebowski, which was easily as ridiculous, although in a different manner which was more concerned with its absurd plot, or rather lack thereof. It is also possible that the entire film of The Hudsucker Proxy was merely being used as a satire of the film industry that was attempting to control the Coen brothers during this production, as it was the Coen Brothers first studio film. I would also be able to understand the chance that the “proxy” in the title is a reference to the Coen Brothers feeling of being mere pawns in the immense studio system of the film industry and how they were being controlled to merely create profitable films for the studios.

Mon Oncle

In my opinion Jacques Tati’s incredibly meticulous and detail oriented directing style in Mon Oncle is incredibly important as his style creates a varied, unique, and interesting setting for the film. His A.D.D. style of meticulous filmmaking is justified when watching the final product, as it creates a world of its own, where the characters seem to truly be interacting with the world in a perfectly blocked out way so as to attempt to create a perfect film. One perfect example of this is during the short snippet of a bicycle ride where as the character is riding down the street he hits a puddle. However Tati wanted to have the water splash out at the nearby pedestrian. However, the bicycle would normally never create such a splash as Tati would have wanted, so instead he had his team rig a hose leading underneath the puddle so that as soon as the bicycle passed through it, the hose would go off and drench the pedestrian. This precise attention to detail, while assuredly annoying to those having to work under Tati, allowed him to create such perfectly blocked scenes, where everything could come together so perfectly.

The Big Lebowski

I can see a connection between The Big Lebowski and many of the other films, such as The Thin Red Line, that we have watched throughout the year in that it could be said that it has no plot. However, if you look past its mundane setting and its slow pace, I believe that a plot can be seen within the movie about a man whose entire goal is merely to exist peacefully, and while it may not be a very complex or involving plot when compared to movies such as The Godfather, it certainly exists to guide the movie to its completion. Despite what was discussed during class about the Coen Brothers and their position during the time I can’t really see anything in The Big Lebowski that could be considered bold and unique, aside from its liberal use of profanity and nudity. I can see that because of its rather confusing story and it’s near invisible plot it was not a highly successful film, at least not in the beginning. However, I can understand that it became what it is now, an incredibly popular cult classic, due to its ability to stand out from most other movies created during the time, as well as how very farfetched some of the action is at the time, and how that might come as a relief compared to how most movies made during these times are made to be more realistic.

Rio Grande

Rio Bravo is not the average Western film. While it does encompass many of the elements of a traditional western, it also changes around many themes, such as centering on a singular nomadic warrior. In Rio Bravo Sheriff Chance is anything but a wandering warrior, but is rather a stationary figure who keeps law and order within the town. Another element that has changed from the average western theme that doesn’t fit with Rio Bravo is that when normally the landscape of the film is in itself a character which brings forth the complications of the plot, the landscape here is only used to represent parts of the town. Also not presented in Rio Bravo that is traditional in most Westerns is a “damsel in distress”, not counting the incident where the hotel manager and his wife were captured. Another change from the traditional western is the choice of Sheriff Chance’s weapon, as he uses a rifle as opposed to most Western protagonist who use revolvers more often. Another important difference between Rio Bravo and traditional westerns is its use of minorities. While most westerns would use minorities as stereotypical villains, Rio Bravo instead uses them as people to populate the town, including the undertaker, an Asian man, and the hotel manager and his wife, both Mexicans. While all these differences may show that Rio Bravo doesn’t contain many of the hallmarks of a traditional western, at its core it still contains many of the important features, such as saloons, horses, tobacco, gun fights, and dynamite, as well as lessons of morality, such as Dude giving up alcohol and the love interest with gambling.

When Harry Met Sally

In spite of, or perhaps even because of, “When Harry met Sally” follows a lot of the romantic comedy clichés that are present in most romantic comedy films that are made in these days. Some of the examples of the clichés that are present are the cynical friends of both Harry and Sally, who end up getting married themselves, as well as taking place in New York City, which the movie brings attention to at one point when Harry says that “I live in New York City. There are eight million people living in this city, why shouldn’t I run into my ex at one point.” Finally, it contains, or perhaps created, the cliché of the final sprint, when Harry is running desperately towards the New Years Eve party and Harry has finally realized that he loves Sally and wants to be with her, a cliché that is still present in romantic comedies even in this day and age. As for whether “When Harry met Sally” is actually a good movie when compared to romantic comedies from this time, I would say that it was much better than most current romantic comedies because, while many parts of “When Harry met Sally” is very clichéd, it also contains a lot of originality and shows it with interesting characters and real drama that is lost on most romantic comedies that are more contemporary that rely more on ungrounded, unnecessary, and unrealistic “hilarity” to provide comedy. I believe that “When Harry met Sally” has more than withstood the test of time, and has actually become an ever greater film.

Sherman's March

The only thing that I can think of that would be the reason that people want to see a Sherman’s March, a film about Ross McElwee rather than Sherman’s March, is that they are drawn to the absurdity of it. By its absurdity I do not mean that the film itself is absurd, but rather that in the author’s own guilt of filming events of his own life, and then trying to tie them into events that occurred during General William Sherman’s March to the Sea which was what he was meant to be documenting. I do not mean to attack it by pointing out its absurdity, but rather show the film for how strange and bizarre it is. It could be argued that almost anyone could make a personal documentary about their personal insights and exploits and philosophy. However, along with that it must be said that most would fund such a documentary to be a huge waste of time, as most are not interested in the thoughts and adventures of others. Some people however have lives that most audiences would appreciate watching, and thusly it would be fine to watch a documentary based on their adventures and thoughts, because, isn’t a feature film very much the same, as it follows a protagonist on their adventures and follows their thoughts on what is happening on their adventure. In the end, it all boils down to how interesting the audience will find the subject’s life, and his thoughts on it.

Exit Through the Gift Shop

The film, “Exit Through the Gift Shop” is a rather difficult documentary to assess. Both because of its creator and its main content it is difficult to tell what the true purpose of the documentary is. One the one hand, it is not very difficult to perceive this film as an attack on Thierry Guetta from Banksy, because of Thierry’s rise from obscurity into stardom because of Banksy’s and all of the other “street artists” help, as well as because of Thierry’s merely doing street art for gaining fame like Banksy, his idol, and for amassing wealth. One the other hand, the film could just be recounting the life of Thierry and how he became a street artist. I find myself drawn more towards the thought of this as an attack on Thierry though, as this area is more emphasized, at least from my view. I trust the film, at least in the sense that I trust that the events that were portrayed were accurate, and that most of the interviews done with the artists were true and honest, despite the film being created by Banksy. The film’s strange composition feels awkward, and while some might see this as Banksy’s manipulating the film to turn the audience to his opinion, I see it more as an honest expression of Banksy being unfamiliar with a camera, showing how he is attempting to create a film, even if he is not a film maker. It’s like he said when he saw “Life Remote Control”, Thierry made a film, and he’s no expert.

The Thin Red Line

Technically, films do not need a plot to be considered good films. All that a film needs, in order to be considered a good film, is a story, as well as actors and sets for the story to play out on. As long as the characters are able to give a performance which is able to show human emotion, as well as show a mood through complex character interactions, the plot while not unwanted, is not completely necessary. On the other hand, plot is incredibly important from the same perspective, that being from merely the use of characters and story, as the plot is what helps motivate the characters, as well as create a main goal for the characters to eventually meet and create the denouement for the film. A film which having no plot, or at least the appearance of no plot, would most likely lead to a film whose character just wanders throughout the story, without purpose and, most likely, with no real conclusion that could give any release to the audience members watching the film. That said, again, it is possible for the film to remain, essentially, plotless, however it would be much more difficult to set the mood and tell the story. These issues however need to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, as some films may be capable of telling a story with no plot, while others are not.

Pan's Labyrinth

While it was not absolutely necessary, the basing of Pan’s Labyrinth in a real historical event complemented the film very effectively. Having Pan’s Labyrinth to be set in an actual event that took place helped the film in several subtle ways, not least of all being that it grounded it fairly effectively in realism, despite its incredibly gothic fantasy atmosphere. Despite fairies, faun, and other mystical creatures flitting across the screen for half of the production, there is an equal amount of guerrilla warfare occurring between a disreputable and highly belligerent military general captain and a group of guerrilla fighters attempting to defy him and Spain’s fascist government, all while guerrilla informants are working in the military camp. While this could have caused the movie to seem schizophrenic and unbalanced, it manages to both ground the story in realism and create a goal for the main heroine, Ofelia, to escape from the oppression that she receives in the realistic war stricken world concentrated in the form of her adopted father, the belligerent captain, and escape to her fantasy world where she can be free of her need to obey the captain. The theme of sacrifice and obedience is also seen very often in the film, especially concerning her three trials. In the first trial she is forced to crawl through a muddy labyrinth within a tree, and while not exactly tolling it does cause her to sacrifice the dress her mother made her, and causes her to disobey her own mother as well. In the next trial she is ordered not to eat from the table, a sacrifice because it holds an exquisite banquet. When she disobeys this order, she is told that she will no longer be allowed back to her world, itself another sacrifice because she wishes to go escape to another world. Finally, in her last trial she is ordered to sacrifice her own brother, an order which she disobeys and instead sacrifices herself for, thus allowing her to escape. In all three trials she was ordered to do something, and at some point during every trial she disobey an order and had to sacrifice something.

Robocop & Violence

While it is easy to see that there are multiple examples of violence in “Robocop”, both the gritty realistic violence, and the “fun” violence, in its entirety, “Robocop” lends itself more to the “fun” violence school of thought. While I would not say that there is absolutely no part of this movie grounded in realism, the film does extend more to an “artistic” style of incredibly over the top, “fun” violence. On the other hand, the cartoonish style violence does not lend itself to fun, and can create rather disquieting responses to certain violent scenes, opposed to what the normal reaction to cartoonish violence is. While in the beginning of the film there were several examples of rather gory violence, it could be seen as merely a way to help the audience understand the amount of pain that certain characters were suffering. For instance, the scene in which Murphy is being held at gunpoint and then shot at uses its violent levels of gore rather well, first when the criminals blow off his hand and arm, and then riddle his entire body with bullets. The progression of gory violence serves to show in just how much trouble Murphy is, and serves as a set-up to his need for a robotic body. However, later into the movie we witness other scenes, each containing as much, if not more, gore, which conversely does nothing to further the plot and instead serves as merely a filler in the movie. While some may find that this childish portrayal of violence is entertaining the rest of us can be merely shocked at it, trying to understand its purpose. Even when it is Murphy himself that is using this violence on others, the shock is only lessened, because it is being acted out by a character who we see as not only the protagonist, but a good man, both because of his roots as a police officer, and as the Robocop. Needless to say, I do not believe that it is possible to classify “Robocop” as a unique or “artsy” film based solely on its portrayal of violence, but that it is more apt as a “popcorn” film, meant to be entertaining to everyone, but without any true deep meaning.