Dog Day Afternoon is a film based on a true story. Sonny (Al Pacino) enters a bank with the intent to rob it and get out as soon as possible. But a few things go wrong and the cops are there before Sonny and his partner Sal can get out of the bank.We find out that Sonny is gay, and robbed the bank so he could pay for is wife (Chris Sarandon) sex change operation. After 8 hours the stand up ends with Sal being shot and Sonny giving up.
I have to say this is my favorite film of the class so far. I think I really connected with Al Pacino's character Sonny. We all have family and/or friends that we would do something crazy to help. It may not be to the extent of robbing a bank, but maybe you would do worse. A gay lead character or not I think everyone knows how it feels to want to help someone but not be able to.
I have to say, having Al Pacino and Chris Sarandon as two lovers is amazing. Al Pacino is such a man's man, no pun intended. It really gives new light on the way people imagined gays, back then. I think everyone thought gays were very flamboyant like Sonny's lover Leon. And the fact that someone so famous would be willing to play a gay man for a film is a big deal as well. Even now we don't see many film with gay lead characters. This film was so a head of its time.
The way Sonny manipulates the crown is so great. He brings up the Attica Prison Riots getting the crowd on his side right away. This also means the police have to be very careful how they go about this. The crowd change throughout the film as well. Once they find out Sonny is gay the crowd really becomes split. Some people think Sonny is evil and a bad bad man and then there is a group of people chearing him on with gay pride flags and posters.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Shaft
Shaft is the first blaxsploitation film I ever saw. Shaft (Richard Roundtree) is a private eye that is hired to find a ganster's daughter. Shaft figures out the Mafia has taken her and he forms a group to save the girl.
I remember watching Shaft when I was younger. I thought it was a good movie but back then I never realized the importance of it. Even though blacks had equal rights by the 70's they weren't really treated as equals. Movies like Shaft really gave everyone involved in the black rights movement another rallying cry. Showing such a strong and good hearted black leading character, was a first. With Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and other black rights leaders out of the picture, the black community really needed a new leader. It turned out Shaft was that guy. Real person or not he was a decent person for young blacks to look up to. It was such a perfect time for blaxsploitation films, the country and the people need it.
I talked to my mom about the film and she remembers it well. She was going to nursing school in Chicago at the time, and had a few black friends from school. They all went out to see the film together. She said it was something she would never forget. Before there would never be a theater full of black people, but she remembered being one of the only white people in the crowd. She also said she had never seen a theater with people that were so excited about a movie.
She told me in the theater they were yelling at the screen and cheering for Shaft. Even when everyone was leaving they were pretending to be Shaft and saying they wanted to be more like him.
My mom said just walking into the theater she knew it would be an "epic" movie.
I remember watching Shaft when I was younger. I thought it was a good movie but back then I never realized the importance of it. Even though blacks had equal rights by the 70's they weren't really treated as equals. Movies like Shaft really gave everyone involved in the black rights movement another rallying cry. Showing such a strong and good hearted black leading character, was a first. With Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and other black rights leaders out of the picture, the black community really needed a new leader. It turned out Shaft was that guy. Real person or not he was a decent person for young blacks to look up to. It was such a perfect time for blaxsploitation films, the country and the people need it.
I talked to my mom about the film and she remembers it well. She was going to nursing school in Chicago at the time, and had a few black friends from school. They all went out to see the film together. She said it was something she would never forget. Before there would never be a theater full of black people, but she remembered being one of the only white people in the crowd. She also said she had never seen a theater with people that were so excited about a movie.
She told me in the theater they were yelling at the screen and cheering for Shaft. Even when everyone was leaving they were pretending to be Shaft and saying they wanted to be more like him.
My mom said just walking into the theater she knew it would be an "epic" movie.
Jaws
Jaws is, I think, the most widely seen movie we saw in this class. At least I hope everyone at least recognized the theme music. For those of you who don't know Jaws is a thriller about a rouge shark off the beach of a small town. A trio of misfits go out to find the killer shark and kill it before the shark can eat anyone else.
First of all I have always really liked this movie. The reason I think this film is so great is that the little man wins in the end. In a time of corrupt government the film portrays the same thing. The mayor wants to keep looks up for their biggest tourist weekend. Even if that means other people might get hurt. But the new sheriff, a scientist from out of town and an outcast fisherman decide to take things in to their own hands. It makes me believe that one person can make a real difference. Really the sheriff was the one that did everything. Without him the scientist would have left and no one would have paid Quint to go kill the shark. And in the end the sheriff is the one to kill the shark. So it was a movie that made you feel better about the balance of power. When you get done watching it you feel like you can do anything.
As I said earlier the film has one of the most widely know scores. I always feel so excited when the theme music starts because you know something good is going to happen. Sometimes the music can make or break a movie. Jaws score was so simple, memorable and powerful. John Williams has written music for other films like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Jurassic Park. So you know the music for Jaws would be would be good, but this is a soundtrack that people still reference in everyday life. Maybe that's just because I go to an media art school.
First of all I have always really liked this movie. The reason I think this film is so great is that the little man wins in the end. In a time of corrupt government the film portrays the same thing. The mayor wants to keep looks up for their biggest tourist weekend. Even if that means other people might get hurt. But the new sheriff, a scientist from out of town and an outcast fisherman decide to take things in to their own hands. It makes me believe that one person can make a real difference. Really the sheriff was the one that did everything. Without him the scientist would have left and no one would have paid Quint to go kill the shark. And in the end the sheriff is the one to kill the shark. So it was a movie that made you feel better about the balance of power. When you get done watching it you feel like you can do anything.
As I said earlier the film has one of the most widely know scores. I always feel so excited when the theme music starts because you know something good is going to happen. Sometimes the music can make or break a movie. Jaws score was so simple, memorable and powerful. John Williams has written music for other films like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Jurassic Park. So you know the music for Jaws would be would be good, but this is a soundtrack that people still reference in everyday life. Maybe that's just because I go to an media art school.
The Parallax View
The Parallax View is another film about the paranoid decade of the 70's. Warren Beatty plays Joe Frady a reporter. After a senator is murdered at a luncheon that Joe is denied access to, he finds out all of the reporters that had been present at the luncheon are being murdered as well. Joe decides he is going to figure out who is behind all of the murders.
I really like this movie, much like The Conversation its shows the paranoia of the decade very well. With all of the unethical things the government did in the 70's, things like Watergate and Vietnam. After those what else could the government be capable of doing. We have the same worries now. The government hasn't actually even given us any reason to think they are anymore trustworthy than they were in the 70's. In fact, the govenment and its officials have given us even more reasons to not trust them.
The most profound part of the film for me is the montage Joe watches when he starts working for the Parallax Corparation. It actually reaminds me of another 70's film A Clockwork Orange. After Alex (Malcolm McDowell) gets arrested for raping and robbing a woman he signs up for an expriamental therapy and they show him a montage much like the one Joe watches. The two videos are meant to do two different things. The film from A Clockwork Orange is meant to kick Alex of his criminal behavior. The film from The Parallax View was meant to turn Joe into an assassan. Although I guess that shows the power of subliminal messaging right, Alex couldn't even listen to Beethoven again. What if the government really could control our minds through films, who knows what the world would be like then.
I really like this movie, much like The Conversation its shows the paranoia of the decade very well. With all of the unethical things the government did in the 70's, things like Watergate and Vietnam. After those what else could the government be capable of doing. We have the same worries now. The government hasn't actually even given us any reason to think they are anymore trustworthy than they were in the 70's. In fact, the govenment and its officials have given us even more reasons to not trust them.
The most profound part of the film for me is the montage Joe watches when he starts working for the Parallax Corparation. It actually reaminds me of another 70's film A Clockwork Orange. After Alex (Malcolm McDowell) gets arrested for raping and robbing a woman he signs up for an expriamental therapy and they show him a montage much like the one Joe watches. The two videos are meant to do two different things. The film from A Clockwork Orange is meant to kick Alex of his criminal behavior. The film from The Parallax View was meant to turn Joe into an assassan. Although I guess that shows the power of subliminal messaging right, Alex couldn't even listen to Beethoven again. What if the government really could control our minds through films, who knows what the world would be like then.
The Conversation
The Conversation is a great film that showed the paranoid feeling of the 70's. Harry Caul played by Gene Hackman is a private surveillance expert who records a couples conversation and as he starts to edit the tape he finds the people are in fear of being murdered.
To me this is a film that pertains to today a lot. When we found out about George W. Bush allowing wiretapping, there were many people that were just as scared as Harry Caul. Even now some people are scared to have private conversations on cell phones and land lines. Honestley, I don't blame them. I might not be as paranoid as some people but you never know if someone is listening in on your conversations. Actually, I just think that my life isn't nearly exciting enough for anyone to want to listen to what I have to say.
My dad and I have always had about the same political views and the exact same sense of humor. So my dad and I decided we wanted the government to listen in on our conversations and we came up with a plan. Once the wiretapping news came out Bush said they were only listening to certain flagged words. We figured the more we used these "flagged words" the more likely the government would listen in. For about the next year my dad and I used the same greeting and good bye. "Terrorist, Bomb threat, president". I don't think they ever actually listened in on us but if they did we accomplished our job.
To me this is a film that pertains to today a lot. When we found out about George W. Bush allowing wiretapping, there were many people that were just as scared as Harry Caul. Even now some people are scared to have private conversations on cell phones and land lines. Honestley, I don't blame them. I might not be as paranoid as some people but you never know if someone is listening in on your conversations. Actually, I just think that my life isn't nearly exciting enough for anyone to want to listen to what I have to say.
My dad and I have always had about the same political views and the exact same sense of humor. So my dad and I decided we wanted the government to listen in on our conversations and we came up with a plan. Once the wiretapping news came out Bush said they were only listening to certain flagged words. We figured the more we used these "flagged words" the more likely the government would listen in. For about the next year my dad and I used the same greeting and good bye. "Terrorist, Bomb threat, president". I don't think they ever actually listened in on us but if they did we accomplished our job.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Coming Home.
Coming Home was a very moving story. Jane Fonda plays Sally Hyde an Army housewife, who's husband is in Vietnam. With a lot of free time on her hands now, she starts volunteering at the local vet hospital. At the hospital she meets Luke Martin (John Voight) an injured Vietnam vet.
I thought the evolution of Sally through out the film was the most touching for me. It was interesting to see how her change. In the beginning she lived a very sheltered life and was very well off. Once she starts spending more and more time at the hospital she sees how little she did with her life before and she starts to change for the better. By the end she has become her own person that worries about others and can live on her own. Before she lived on the Army base, her husband took care of her and she had money and didn't even know what was going on in the outside world. It is always a good to see a character change for the better during the course of a film. I think it makes me connect with that character when they change into a better person, it makes me think that I can change for the better if I want to.
Now while I would never be one to condone cheating I understand how Sally and Luke ended up in a romantic relationship. He made her see the world in a different way and she made him feel like he wasn't a freak. And I think Sally realized how shallow her life was with out Luke. I really thought I connected with their romance and when I say that it is very surprising because I normally hate romantic films.
I thought the evolution of Sally through out the film was the most touching for me. It was interesting to see how her change. In the beginning she lived a very sheltered life and was very well off. Once she starts spending more and more time at the hospital she sees how little she did with her life before and she starts to change for the better. By the end she has become her own person that worries about others and can live on her own. Before she lived on the Army base, her husband took care of her and she had money and didn't even know what was going on in the outside world. It is always a good to see a character change for the better during the course of a film. I think it makes me connect with that character when they change into a better person, it makes me think that I can change for the better if I want to.
Now while I would never be one to condone cheating I understand how Sally and Luke ended up in a romantic relationship. He made her see the world in a different way and she made him feel like he wasn't a freak. And I think Sally realized how shallow her life was with out Luke. I really thought I connected with their romance and when I say that it is very surprising because I normally hate romantic films.
Monday, February 8, 2010
The Long Goodbye
We spent a long time in class talking about how "moral" Phillip Marlowe is. I have to disagree with this. First of all, he kills, Terry Lennox, a guy that used to be his friend. I understand that Lennox lied and got Marlowe into some trouble that he had nothing to do with. But Marlowe took the risk of getting involed when he gave Lennox the ride to Mexico. Did he really think that no one would find out he gave Lennox a ride?
Also I don't find much gratification in Lennox's death, or at least the way he died. How is Marlowe still considered moral when he goes all the way to Mexico just to kill Lennox. He could have taken his $5000 and never worried about Lennox again. Maybe this is just me, but when it comes to morals, if you can avoid killing someone you do. Granted it is a movie, and normally I love movies where a lot of people die, but when you are putting someone on a pedestal for thier outstanding morals you probably shouldn't have him kill someone that obviously doesn't need to die.
Also I don't find much gratification in Lennox's death, or at least the way he died. How is Marlowe still considered moral when he goes all the way to Mexico just to kill Lennox. He could have taken his $5000 and never worried about Lennox again. Maybe this is just me, but when it comes to morals, if you can avoid killing someone you do. Granted it is a movie, and normally I love movies where a lot of people die, but when you are putting someone on a pedestal for thier outstanding morals you probably shouldn't have him kill someone that obviously doesn't need to die.
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