Slumdog Millionaire

            Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of a man who goes onto the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The main actor uses the show to try and contact his long-lost love. He ends up doing better on the show than anyone expects, and wins a million dollars. The authorities arrest him for cheating until he tells them his story and why he knew the answers. Throughout the movie, the director utilizes different points of view, different film stock, and lighting effects to achieve dramatic effects.

Points of View

            Most directors utilize several points of view in their films. In Slumdog Millionaire, there are several good examples of different types. The most common is the objective point of view. This is when you are seeing things like through a window. The scenes of the main character sitting in the chair of the game show and you are able to see the other person and some of the audience is a good example. The movie contains chase scenes where we are looking over the backs of children that are running. This exemplifies the subjective point of view. Indirect subjective points of view are also used when the children are running when we are looking up at them in the slow motion sequences.

Film Stock

            Slumdog Millionaire utilizes both types of film stock. There is the normal or smooth-grain stock. This would be when we see the characters sitting in the chairs of the game show. Another example would be when the character is waiting at the train terminal and sees his love in the crowd. She turns and looks up at him and her face and clothes are extremely sharp and detailed. My wife even made the comment that she looked, “extremely pretty right then!” The films chase scenes utilize the rough-grain film stock. The shots are grainier and less clear. This was used to heighten the sense of drama and also the carefreeness of the boys. 

Lighting Effects

            One of the most notable scenes with lighting effects in on the game show. The whole audience is lit up and then the music and lights change to draw up to only the main character and the host. In the end, the main character is lit up when answering the last question he is also filmed in smooth-grain stock. The scene is switched to his brother who is dark and filmed in rough-grain stock. This gives us a distinct feeling of hope for the main character and the end of his time for his brother. The last scene I am going to talk about is the train station again. When he spots his love in the crowd, the lighting on her is extremely bright and natural when she looks up and smiles. This gave me the impression that all was going to be ok.

            Slumdog Millionaire, like many movies, uses many different techniques to achieve dramatic effect. With changes in lighting and film stock, the audience feels hope or despair. Utilizing several different points of view highlights the affects that the director was trying to achieve. The movie is quite good at displaying the happiness of the boys in stark contrast with their living conditions.

Batman Begins

            Batman Begins is the story of the origin of Batman. This movie is a radical departure from the previous movies and has a different feel and tone. The purpose was to give a new fresh look at a series that had become stale and cheesy. In this blog, I am going to address character conflict, the title, and irony.

Character Conflict

            The early part of the movie, Bruce Wayne is portrayed as a whiny teen. He develops an internal conflict with his early sense of revenge for his parents. They also show that there is conflict between Bruce and the rest of the world. The directors morph this into a further conflict between Bruce and the underground of Gotham. Later in the movie we learn that the people currently responsible for the destruction of Gotham are led by the same people who trained him. The major conflict can be categorized as verses himself in the beginning to external conflict against the underground.

Title

            With the changing of the Batman series, Batman Begins is a good title. It gives clear meaning to what the audience is to expect. We can gather from the title that this is to a new beginning to the series. Watching the film, the title does it justice. We learn the origins of the characters and go through the beginning of the creation of Batman. There is also a set of the new Gotham and addressing of characters. In all, the title is a perfect one for the movie.

Irony

            Batman is not a movie that you would expect to be ironic, but there are good examples. In no way does the movie center around it though. One of the most significant types of irony is when Bruce saves Raz al Goul from the temple. Later in the film Raz leaves him to die, even though he saved him earlier. Another good source is the end scenes with Bruce and the head manager of Wayne Corp. The manager told him earlier that his company was bought by many different charities and groups. At the end, Bruce tells him the same exact lines to the manager in how he purchased back his company. It was also ironic how the directors had the main love interest tell Bruce that the good people do nothing, when in fact he was out fighting crime.

            Batman Begins is an aptly named movie that does just more to entertain. With the use of characterization, irony, and an appropriate title we are introduced to a new series. The director made an entirely new world for us to visit and become a part of. The entertainment factor of the movie is high with gripping visuals, but more importantly, there is a story and characters that we can really buy into. The film establishes a different world from our own where crime is rampant and heroes are needed. There is little problem with the audience buying into the reality that has been created.

Good Will Hunting

            Good Will Hunting was a movie about a man that was a mathematical and book genius that was in bad situations and never really full-filled his potential. In this blog I am going to address the story, symbolism, and title of the movie. Good Will Hunting was a movie that can reach each person. There I untapped potential in all of us. We just need to have the right person or people to push us to find that potential. This movie also shows us the dangers of not living life and becoming so caught up in ourselves we end up lost.

Story

            Good Will Hunting follows a linear storyline. The characters live in the present and talk a lot about the past. The story is credible because we can see the objective truth to it. The director and actors portray what is a believable South Boston environment and society. The audience buys in because of this believability factor. We know that MIT is a place for the brightest people, so why wouldn’t a closet genius work there? The film shows its complexity with the way the characters interact. Will is withdrawn from anyone outside his friends, even his girlfriend. It’s not until late in the show that the simple truth of his abusive foster parents comes out. The complexities of the math and the simplistic nature of his friends show the depth of the film

Symbolism

            There is a painting in the office of Robin Williams’s character. The painting shows a man rowing a boat in what looks like to be a storm. This futile act of going against the storm is personified in both Will, the math professor, and the psychiatrist. Each of these characters has inner turmoil that they are struggling against. In the end of the movie, Will is given a car by his friends. This happens after his realization with the psychiatrist that the abuse of his childhood was not his fault. This car symbolizes his new found freedom from this burden. In the end we see a fuller version of this with him leaving everything behind to chase after a girl in California.

Title

             The title Good Will Hunting is symbolic itself. Obviously there is the name of the primary character, Will. The good part is misleading at first. We see a troubled kid who is violent but gifted. There are glimpses of the “Good” within him throughout the movie. In the end, we see a transformation to the good person that was in there all along. To me, the Hunting part is directed at the realization of two characters. Both Will and Robin Williams’ characters find themselves looking into their own lives and finding something better. Each of them ends the movie by leaving and going on a new Hunt to define and explore their new found freedom

            All-in-all, Good Will Hunting is a good movie. There is a riveting story that tells the reader what is happening within the lives of the characters. The story maintains a concise balance by not being overburdened with flashbacks while dealing with past issues. Symbolism is seen with the gifting of a car and the painting on the wall. There are other examples scattered through the movie as well. The title does a good job of conveying the over-all meaning of the story. This is a movie that I am glad I watched. It was not action packed, but it still was able to keep me riveted.

Black Hawk Down

Black Hawk Down

            Black Hawk Down is told as a plot driven movie in the book. I personally disagree with the author. This movie in particular has a theme of brotherhood to me. The story of Rangers in Somalia in the 90’s is told. There is a lot of action, gore, and violence. The characters in the story interact with each other and sacrifice all. It is especially important to realize that it is based on a true story. I am not sure if anyone who hasn’t served in some capacity could fully feel the effect of the film. But, all people who see it are able to be entertained.

          The director and producer are trying to tell the story. In true Scott and Bruckheimer style, there is action a-plenty with powerful character interactions as well. They utilize the atmosphere of Africa and the plight of the Somalians to start the film. This shows the audience how civil war has impacted the region and the reason for UN forces to be present. With this to start the drive of the plot, we learn and know early on that the Americans are going to be fighting it out with the militia.

          When we meet the Rangers, the movie starts to show us the brotherhood aspect. We see joking, serious talk, and other displays of friendship. The director utilizes these interactions between the Rangers to display how they are not only a unit, but friends. Throughout the movie, we see displays of the Rangers and Delta team soldiers helping each other out. There is plenty of shooting and covering of each other, but displays of caring and affection as well. The creators of the movie utilized the plot of the war to show us that the people involved were more than just looking out for themselves.

          A few points in the movie stood out to display the brotherhood theme. In the end, one of the Delta team members brings a cup of tea to a Ranger. Often times you see the soldiers stopping in shock in a comrade being shot. They run out and save each other while getting shot in the process. Two of the Delta team members go to the second crash site on what they know is a suicide mission.

          To me Black Hawk Down is ranked very high in recent war movies. I have not been impressed by the releases of such films as: Stop Loss or The Hurt Locker. I found them to be too unrealistic and only driven by the plot of action or post traumatic stressed soldiers. To me, Black Hawk Down gives our fighting men and women a good respectful name. The director and producer did an exemplary job telling the story of the soldiers in Somalia while maintaining the audience’s attention. This is one of those movies that I get choked-up more than once.  

On the Waterfront

On the Waterfront

          I chose this movie due to the nature of it. I was more interested in the plight of the longshoremen then Casablanca. I enjoyed the movie, I would give it a “Thumb’s Up” if asked. Reading the articles related to the movie, I would not have guessed the political nature with associations of the director and the communist party. There are often reasons for film-making that the casual observer does not understand. In chapter two of our text, the main talking point is theme and that is what I am going to discuss today.

          The theme of On the Waterfront is the fight for human dignity. The union bosses have made the workers their slaves in effect and ruined their spirit. But, the director showed how the different longshoremen were bonded together. There is a jacket that was worn by one of the characters that was killed early on. This jacket was passed to another person, until their demise, and finally to Terry who was wearing it in the final scene. Charlie also became noble and sacrificed himself for Terry by not killing him or being able to convince him from talking.

          The union boss was shown to be a ruthless person. He threw out a man from his bar early on for keeping $50 from the workers. The boss controlled his crew through fear and the easy money. This money issue was exploited by the unions to control the workers. The priest said it best, “Love of a buck is more important than man” when he was administering rites in the “hole” of the ship. The boss treated each of his workers as individuals, and therefore was able to play them against each other. In the end it was the community of the longshoremen who were the downfall of the boss.

          The plight of the longshoremen is still relevant today. We are able to identify with Terry when we stand up for injustice. Terry was not a bad person, just misguided. Charlie demonstrated that there is redemption. Charlie also displayed that community (family) was stronger than the promise of money, health, or the good life. I enjoyed the movie and was interested to see that there is the fight for the humanity of each person still today. On the Waterfront has a theme that will stand up to the test of time and be useful anywhere.