Film class

I really enjoyed your class, and would love to take it again. Overall I enjoyed most of the movies and the class. I got to see a lot of movies that I normally wouldnt watch, such as Seventh Seal or Asphalt Jungle. I very rarely watch older black and white films because of how quick I am to assume the movie will not be enjoyable. I remember the first film you showed us was All Quiet on the Western Front. The first few minutes of the film, I was thinking to myself that this is probably some old film that has been considered good years ago. I did not expect to actually be able to pay attention to the film. Surprisingly the movie was really good, and I enjoyed it. It was a great way to start off the class. Off course there were also a few movies that I enjoyed less.
Countless times I would wake up in the morning, not wanting to go to school. However the only positive thought I had was that I would get to find out what happens next in the movie. I would always look forward to your class.
The funniest thing I can remember about the class was constantly looking at the time during a movie. In every other class, whenever I would look at the time, it would be to see how much longer till I can get out and go to my next class. In Film class, I always looked at the clock to see how much longer I would be able to stay in the class, and watch the film.

Out of the films I saw in your class, here is a list of what I enjoyed or didnt.

Enjoyed

All quiet on the Western Front- I really enjoyed the idea of going off to war and finding it to be totally different then expected.
Midnight Cowboy- Some scenes were sort of mixes of a comedy, and seriousness. I thought it was both funny, and serious at the same time.
Runaway Train- Definately a movie that would be enjoyed by a lot more people if they saw it. It almost felt like a movie about one person defying all odds, and doing something unexpected. He was able to escape out of prison easily, get onto a train, and would get away if the train didnt break as well.
Unforgiven- Probably one of my favorites. I have not seen to many Westerns, but this is probably the best Western I have seen so far. I remember you telling us how the beggining is slow to pick up, but the ending is great. I was actually never bored, and the beggining was very good as well. The beggining had a few intense scenes which kept me interested in knowing what happens next.
Asphalt Jungle- I really liked some of the characters in the film such as the Doctor. Even in the worst of situations he managed to remain calm and still try to think logically.
Dark City- Unlike anything I have ever seen before. Also felt like a movie about one guy defying all odds. He was the one guy that discovered the truth, and was able to defeat the aliens.
Memento- The whole movie was a giant mystery, and just when you thought you would finally know everything, a whole new mystery was introduced at the end
Collosus- It felt like a classic case of machines taking over the world. I enjoyed it, it was a nice way to end the class.

Neither enjoyed or disliked

The Seventh Seal- nothing I disliked about it, some parts were rather interesting as well. Symbollically I thought the movie was great, but other then that I felt there wasnt really any plot other then the characters avoiding a fictional character of Death.
Dr. Strangelove- part of the problem was that in the first 15 minutes I didnt actually realize the film was a parody. Once I realized it was, it sort of hit me as a surprise and I felt as if the film would be better if it wasnt a parody.

Disliked

Citizen Kane- Nothing that really caught my attention. I feel like perhaps it wasnt an issue with the film that I disliked, but more of a dislike of the genre/type of film that I disliked. Felt like there was no real plot, or anything going on in the movie. Seemed more like a life story of a character.
Atomic Cafe-  I feel like its more of the genre of a Documentary film that I disliked. Nothing that ever caught my attention
A Simple Plan- Originally I had high expectations for the film, and I really did like the idea/concept of the film. I think what ruined it for me was the unrealistic stupidity of some of the characters. For example, Jacob walking up to the cop and mentioning the plane. Or the smarter character killing the guy when he realized he survived Jacobs (also stupid) assault. It was one of those films that has a great idea behind it, but was poorly made.



I loved the class, and would gladly take it again if I had a chance.

Collosus good or bad

The ending of Collosus can be considered great or terrible. It sort of is a sacrifice of freedom in order to solve many world wide problems. However the question that comes to mind is how much freedom will the average person sacrifice. It is impossible to determine that question because of when the movie ends. Off course it could go either way. Both arguements have valid reasoning, and proof from the movie.
Previously, Collosus has used a bit too much nuclear weapons to gain power. It has already destroyed 2 towns and killed thousands of people. It also has killed off a few scientists that it felt threatened by. Some of these deaths were unnecessary, even if Collosus needed to establish control. There will be nothing stopping Collosus from killing more people in the future as well. However in other aspects, Collosus did back off and let Forbin decide for himself, such as drinking alcohol. When Forbin asked Collosus what he was going to do if he got drunk, Collosus said nothing. However Collosus also pointed out every thing. Whether or not they are "suggestions" is tough to say, since Collosus constantly reminded Forbin when to eat, or when to go outside for a jog. The extra computers Collosus wants to build could allow more spying on regular people.
It is also possible that Collosus will just stick with solving the main issues and try not to interfere to much with daily life. Overall it is tough to say whether Collosus is a good thing or a bad thing, because it is impossible to tell how much freedom a person will give up.

Simple plan comparison

A Simple Plan reminded me of another movie I watched some time ago called "Armored". The two movies actually were very similar, and the idea behind them was nearly the same. Both movies had the idea of paranoia after taking money. In A Simple Plan, Hank was a respectable man, that was dragged into a life of crime, after taking 4.4 million dollars with two friends. His plan was supposed to be straight forward. He holds the money until the summer, at which point the three split it into three, and move away. Obviously, that was not the case. Armored, had nearly the same exact plot. A group of 5 armored truck drivers devised a plan to steal a delivery of over 40 million. They decided to bring in a 6th person, who was also respectable. Originally he did not want to join the scheme, but after being assured that no one was going to get hurt , he finally accepted. The plan was also simple, after a certain checkpoint, the men would drive into a lone warehouse, split the money, and make a run for it.

In simple plan, immediately after Hank took the money, paranoia hit him. Suddenly he decides to bring back 500k, to make things look less suspicious. The solution was not smart at all, and the only reason why Hank stuck with it, was because of the paranoia of being caught. The person that would come to reclaim the money, would quite easily notice the difference between 500k, and 4 million. Hank and Jacob went back to the area, but while they were there, a random old man questioned Jacob about a fox. Instead of acting reasonably, Jacob ends up running over an old man in fear, and Hank decides to suffocate him when he realizes he is alive. Armored had the same concept. The group of 6, met up at the lone warehouse. However a random homeless person happened to occupy the place. Instead of letting him leave, one of the men took out a shotgun and shot him, in fear that he would be identified by the man. In both movies, as soon as this happened, things went down hill, and both sides split.

Luo ends up figuring out that Hank murdered the old man. Hank now feeling completely insecure gets Jacob on his side, and after a confrontation with Luo, the two end up killing Luo and his wife. In armored, the group of 6 also split up right after that one murder. At that moment, the one guy that originally did not want to join the group, ended up locking himself in one of the trucks, and the entire group of 5 turned on him. Over time some of them slowly turned to his aid, but were killed off by the rest.

The general idea, and parts of the plot were almost identical. Both movies had a "simple plan" which was supposed to be succesful without any intereferences. Then because of paranoia there was a pointless death which resulted in a split between the groups.

However ironically some of the smaller details were also exact. In both movies every member of the group was killed except for the "smarter" one that did not want to get involved. Also, in both movies, the money was never used and was infact burned. In A simple Plan, Hank at the very end decides that the money was useless and trackable, so instead of spending it wisely he burns in. In armored, the one guy decides to burn the money to prevent the others from claiming it.

It almost felt like one of the movies was a remake of the other. The only major change was that one movie had 3 regular guys discovering money, while the other had armored truck drivers transporting it. Also A simple plan took place over a number of days, while Armored took place in only one day. Other then that, the movies were nearly identical.

Memento

Throughout the entire film, Memento is made to be confusing. The fact that the past is shown later in the film, results in the audience never knowing the reasons behind an action made by characters. As the movie progresses you begin to piece together the events. However, just when you think you finally understand exactly what has happened, the ending shows you a different theory, or possibility. The ending brings to mind the question about whether or not Leonard truely has a condition where he can not create new memories. At the very last scene the character Teddy, "reveals the truth". He explains that Leonard has already killed his wifes assaulter. If this is the truth, then perhaps Leonard is just a killer on the loose. There are many scenes in the film that prove both sides of the story. But I think the film slightly edged onto one side.

Some of the hints that suggest perhaps he doesnt have the "illness" and is indeed a sociopath, are his constant small memories. For example, he seems to always find the pictures in his pockets. How is someone that has no new memories; able to remember to check his pockets. There is also that final scene, where he writes down Teddy's license plate, which ultimately leads to Teddy's death. It is safe to assume Leonard planned on discovering that the license plate belongs to a "John G." If he had another another reason to kill Teddy, then he should have at that moment. But instead he set up a mystery for himself.

However, there are scenes that suggest otherwise. Many times the film showed what Leonard was thinking. Often times he would think "out loud". The first thing he did many times, was question his location, and what was happening. If his memory was fine, and it was a mental issue, he would not need to question his location. Also when he was at Dodd's appartment, he knew very well that Dodd was armed, and could potentially kill him. If this was a mental issue, he would not convince himself that he was actually in his own house, to the point where he went and took a shower. Also Leonard claims he remembers everything before the incident. Why didnt he remember his wife was diabetic? This could imply that perhaps Teddy's story is atually false.

As to why Leonard did not kill Teddy at the spot, or why he wrote down the license plate number if Teddy was innocent, is an important question which could determine the truth. However, Leonard did want to kill Teddy at the spot. He went up to him and pointed the gun right at him, before Teddy convinced him not too. After he decided not too, he realized that Teddy was infact a "John G." and decided to investigate it further by writing down his license plate. I do not neccessarily think that Leonard knew it would lead to Teddy's killing. But I think a huge part of the movie, was that although Leonard followed his notes without question, the notes could be as flawed as memory. Leonard would virtually follow his notes without question. Perhaps his original intention was to get more details on Teddy. But because of his lack of memory, when he saw his notes, he actually thought they were hard evidence. Right before he kills Teddy, he was convinced that he pieced the mystery together. Finally when he wrote down "He is the one, kill him", he did not question it. He did not know the reason, or who Teddy was, but he obeyed his note either way. He put more trust into his notes, then himself.

I think there was also one final evidence of Teddy's story being false. The beggining of the film, showed Leonard taking a picture of Teddy's death. If he previously killed his wifes assaulter, it is safe to assume he would take a picture. Obviously through out the whole film, he did not have another picture to remind himself. Now although he could have disposed of a picture, I think it is very unlikely that he made a tatoo dissapear. He tatooed all of Teddy's details onto himself. If he ever hunted down another "John G." then he would have tatooed details of the other "john G." just as he did with Teddy. Obviously, that was not the case, as he clearly only had one license plate tatooed onto himself. I think this is the most important evidence, that Teddy was infact the first "John G." that he killed. (Ignoring potential targets, that he was tricked into killing by Teddy.)

The final question as to why Leonard remembered to check his pockets for pictures. I believe this is one of the questions that isnt really supposed to be asked. There wouldnt be much of a movie, if he was not able to remember absolutely anything.

Cities in Asphalt Jungle

Asphalt Jungle certainly does not portray cities as a pleasant place to live. Cities in Asphalt Jungle were nothing more then crime infested areas, full of corruption and people wanting to get out. Virtually every character in one way or another wanted to escape the city, whether physically or symbolically. I think that the "weaknesses" of the characters were also a representation of them avoiding city life. Although Dix was the only character that constantly was reminded of going back to Kentucky to his farm, and physically wanting to leaving the city; other characters to a certain extent wanted to as well. For example, I think the cigars that the Doctor smokes, are a way of avoiding city life. He just wants to get as much pleasure as he can out of small things, and by doing so "mentally" avoids the city. Cobby does the same thing by drinking alcohol. It even reached the point where he feels uncomfortable when another character rejects his offering of alcohol. Almost as if it is a rejection of escaping the city. Emmerich tries to escape the hardships of living in a city both mentally and physically. When he tried to cheat the Doctor out of all the jewels, he was planning on making a run to Cuba, or somewhere out of the states. He also mentally avoided the city with his affair. The corrupt police officer also mentally avoided city life, by taking money from Cobby. Perhaps money is his way of avoiding the stresses of living in the city. The way that city life was portrayed, was certainly a negative view. And although not all characters might have clearly showed that they dislike the city, in one way or another they hinted around the fact.

Rumors and stories

A large portion of Unforgiven was about Rumors and past stories of certain characters. However  ironically, in most cases it was not the character telling a story about himself, but another person telling a story about a character. Sharing stories, and spreading them almost seems like the history textbook of the Wild West. The stories a person heard about someone were almost considered the best evidence there is; even better then the actual person telling a story about themselves. For example, when the kid asks Will Munny about the story he heard about Will killing two deputies, he believed himself more then Will. When he asked, Will replied that "he does not recall". Instead of the kid accepting it, he says whatever, and that the kids uncle said it was one of the most spectacular things he has ever seen. It goes to show that the story and rumor is the "real textbook". Even though Will Munny should have the best memory on the event, the kid still believed the story more than Will. But on the other hand, the ending of Unforgiven shows you that perhaps the rumors were not as exaggerated as you might have thought. The rumors in the beggining and middle were mostly about the past of Will Munny, and how other characters viewed it. After a few stories, you started getting a sense that perhaps they werent real. Will did not reflect the character that he does in the stories. However the ending drastically changes your view. At first you are slowly introduced to Will's real character. You see him kill a man, and have no regrets about it; unlike the kid, who after killing a man completely fell apart emotionally. And finally the most important scene. You knew Will was going to kill Little Bill, but it was certainly not expected that he would take out another group of men along with Bill. That last scene showed that perhaps all these rumors about Will killing people, actually had some truth in them.
But there was one final rumor, which I actually considered false or somewhat different from the rest. Right before the shoot-out at the bar, Little Bill asks Will "You are Will Munny, killer of women and children" and Will replies, "Yes I am a killer of women and children". There were two odd things about this rumor. Typically if Will was indeed a killer of women and children, then you would expect him to not have any sympathy over life, and kill whoever he pleases. However at the bar, although he massacred more men, his only intentions were to kill Little Bill and the Bar owner, as revenge for the killing of Ned. This was shown when he told everyone to move out of the way right before shooting the Bar owner and Little Bill. He did not intend on killing anyone else. The other odd thing about this rumor; this was the only rumor that Will actually "admitted to". In the past whenever Will was asked a question about his past , he would always reply "I suppose" or "I dont remember". But in this one occasion he replied "Yes I am a killer of women and children" unlike all his other responses.

Moral Ambiguity in Unforgiven

The Moral Ambiguity in Unforgiven was very clear. Every character more or less displayed it. Little Bill is a sheriff and in most films the sheriff is usually the person trying to keep the town together, and combat any evil. Although in most cases that is exactly how Little Bill behaved, there were a few actions which show the opposite. For example when he badly beat up English Bob and Will, even though they were anarmed. Although he hated assassins and wanted to prevent future ones from coming, inside the prison he performed something very odd. He wanted English Bob to take his gun and try to kill him. But the thinking behind this was that as soon as English Bob touches the gun, Little Bill would open fire. The moral ambiguity was very clear in Little Bill. But it was even more clear in Will Munny. Besides his decision of killing the two men so that he can get money to raise his kids, it was the ending which was the most interesting. At the very end he decided upon going into the inn and killing Little Bill. He first killed the owner of the inn. Little Bill called him a coward for killing an unarmed man. Next he proceeded to trying to kill Little Bill, who was armed, but not prepared obviously. But once the gun misfired, he took out his revolver, and under fire killed Little Bill, along with 4 other deputies. At this point it seems that perhaps he is actually an evil character. But that is not entirely true. Before his decision of killing the owner of the inn, he told everyone else to move away (since he was using a shotgun). He did the same thing when he was going to kill Little Bill with shotgun. This shows he still has some consience in him. He did not want to kill anyone besides the people he planned on killing (the inn owner, and Little Bill). Although he killed 4 other deputies during the shoot out, it was only done to save his own life. However after the firing has stopped, he let everyone else (armed or not) walk out. So although Will Munnys true character was shown at the end, and proved not to be the best. He still had some reason left in him.

Unforgiven Good vs Evil?

I feel like Unforgiven is related to Runaway Train with the lack of a "good vs evil" theme. Just like in Runaway Train where Manny and Rankin arent neccessarily good or evil, in Unforgiven Will Munny can also be considered neutral. Little Bill is the sheriff and typically it is a valid assumption that anyone that opposes a sheriff can be considered "evil". There are also many stories of Will Munny's past which would suggest that he isnt a "good" character. And now he is off to kill some men for money. However you also have to take into consideration that the story Will Munny was told, was severely exaggerated. He finally decided that he has to kill the men , so that he can claim the money and support his kids. So on one hand you have a guy who is willing to kill for money. But on the other hand you have someone who is willing to do something more extreme if it allows him to support his kids. It is impossible to say whether he is "good or evil". Little Bill also has a somewhat shady appearance. Although generally he is the "good guy", he has some debatable actions. For example, when he disarmed English Bob only beat him up the next minute. Beating up someone thats unarmed isnt exactly an action a typical "hero" would perform. However on the other hand he was trying to make an example of him so that more people will not come to claim the reward and kill the two men. It does not explain his action at the prison though. He told English Bob that if he shoots him, he can go free. However in reality he just wanted a reason to shoot English Bob instead. Giving someone a weapon, so that you can kill them is not an action a "hero" would perform either. I feel no character in Unforgiven can be classified as Good or Evil. All the other characters are "allied" with either Will Munny or Little Bill. If Neither of the two characters are good or bad, then certainly their allies can not be refferred to as good or bad as well.

The Painter

Out of all the characters, I would have to say the Painter from the earlier scenes is the one that truely understood that one cannot hide from Death, and that it is all around the place. He also viewed life as it is, and not how it should be. When the squire walked in to observe the paintings, he was puzzled as to why the painter did not paint something more cheerful. The squire insisted that no one will view the painting of death if it is depressing. But the painter replied that this is the reality, and nothing but the truth. He also painted some images of the black plague, and the people whipping themselves. The squire found it tough to observe it. But from the painters point, it was how he viewed life. He was not optimistic about it, but realistic. The squire had an optimistic view on life. He was not able to stare at the painting, which sort of shows that he did not want to accept the truth.

Flagellants Scene

There was a scene in "The Seventh Seal" where the Flagellants passed by a village, but as they left they were portrayed ghost like. Suddenly the music stopped , they all "dissapeared" and the camera stayed focused on a patch of dirt. I think the music symbolized life. In some parts the music was dragging on, or repeating itself. Sometimes , after ages of the same job or task, life may feel as if its repeating itself, and nothing new is happening. It almost feels like it is just dragging on, and you may want it to end. Suddenly the music just stops. This shows the unpredictability of death, and how it can come at any moment. Afterwards the camera focuses on a random patch of dirt. This shows that after death, people will become nothing but dirt.

Runaway Train Rankin

In Runaway train the character Rankin ran the prison. Being at such a high positition, and being feared by some prisoners, it also would seem that he is brave and fearless. Throughout the Film that is exactly how he is portrayed. He seems to have no fear whatsoever. For example in the begginning when he is shown during the Prison Riot,  all the guards are wearing helmets, body armor, and other protective gear; Rankin however wears nothing but a suit, and walks fearlessly infront of the guards. Another example would be him leading the search for Manny, as well as bravely going into the train from the Helicopter, even though another guy just died trying the same thing. In most scenes he is portrayed as a fearless character. However in reality the film shows the exact opposite. He appears to be a fearless character, but their are three scenes which actually show the his true character. During the scene where Rankin was supposed to release Manny from the isolated cell, all he actually did was talk with him. But when it came down to releasing him, he ordered some guards to do it, and walked away from the area. Later on when the prisoner attacks Manny with a knife, and Manny goes berserk, Rankin is shown laughing "behind" a metal cage, guarded by two guards. And off course the most important scene would be when he is trapped on the train and starts screaming at Manny to stop the train. His true character showed at that moment, and it was revealed to be nothing more then cowardly.

Manny vs Buck

One of the most important scenes in "Runaway Train" was the fight which almost resulted deadly between Manny and Buck. At that moment Manny just went berserk after feeling hopeless of the situation. Although Buck eventually gave in at first agreed to go back outside the train after repeadetly getting kicked, he suddenly became the guardian of the girl when Manny pushed her out of the way. This was about the only time in the movie that you see Buck become as furious as he did. However, the stand-off between Manny and Buck was not what I found significant. Instead it was Buck withdrawing from the fight, and putting down the wrench. Earlier in the Movie when Buck told Manny about wanting to go to Las Vegas, Manny immediately shut him down. He told him that instead he will get a simple cleaning job. No matter how much effort will be put in, every day the boss will point out tiny, dirty spots. However you will not get angry, instead you will look down, and clean it. I feel that this story symbolized the struggle between Manny and Buck. Manny could be considered the boss, and after Buck put in all his effort to try and make it across the train cart, he was punished for failing. However,  Buck decided to suck it up, and withdraw from the fight.

Rico perfect timing

In my opinion the character Rico(Ratso) from Midnight Cowboy had a perfectly timed death. This is not to say that he should have died. However assuming that his disease would claim his life around this time period(within 1 or 2 weeks earlier or later), then it couldnt have been timed better. A week before his death, he was living in terrible conditions, with nothing but his hope of going to Florida cheering him up. But if he were to die at that point, his death would be miserable as he never got to move away. If he were to die a week later, by that time he might have realized that perhaps Florida was not as he expected it. He might have followed a similar path as Joe. Therefore his death would also be miserable since after finally moving away, he would see that Florida has nothing to offer him. Therefore, his death was perfectly timed. He finally moved out of New York and was on his way to Florida. Joes happiest time was not before or soon after moving to New York, but it was on the bus to New York. His imagination did not only go wild, but he also realized that he is actually going there, which made his fantasies that much more real. It is safe to assume that the same scenario can apply to Rico. His most joyful time would probably have been on the Bus, and therefore he died while being Happy.

All quiet on the Western Front

The movies "All quiet...." main view is anti-war. It was made after world war 1, and was extremely popular. World war 1 was by many considered a very useless and costly war.  Many resources were lost, a lot of money spent, and thousands of soldiers died. In the end almost nothing was achieved either. It was a battle of countries showing off their newest technology for  killing another human. However, this movie became popular again during the Vietnam War. Just like World War 1, many soldiers, and citizens felt that the war was useless and costly. Millions of dollars were spent, and thousands of soldiers died in combat. The whole purpose of the war was to prevent communism from spreading....but instead the war resulted in all of Vietnam uniting under Communism. In other words all the money and lives lost served to purpose at all.