Call me Coco... Everybody does

This movie was extremely confusing because although I was warned that the story wasn't linear there was no clue from the film until more than halfway through. I kept waiting for the final scene that would nicely wrap up the whole movie and was, sadly, left wanting. I enjoyed the story more once the readings cleared up the time line for me... dreams are really confusing even when a master story teller is the one explaining. I think I felt more inclined toward Diane/Betty because I have dreams that are crazy and sometimes seem better than real life and whenever I wake up I always feel disoriented and wanting more than I have. Thankfully I have never tried to kill myself when I woke up. 

The entire movie had sexual overtones and tension between Betty and Rita... well I guess that was explained at the end. I felt justified about thinking Betty was hitting on Rita at the end of the movie. When I first started noticing the sexual tension my reaction was SERIOUSLY how pathetic to put in lesbian overtones, especially ones so blatantly obvious. What I want to know is if the story could have gone the same way if instead of two women it was a man and a woman. 

And what about the characters playing two characters? Like Camilla and the blond at the dinner party? Was this a knock on the hollywood narcissistic  attitude? Love yourself first others second?

Other than the inconclusive ending I really enjoyed this movie despite my misgivings on the blatant use of sexual overtones

Do you think I'm Sexy

I've seen this movie in another class and what upset me was that we didn't really discuss the influence of images in the film. So it was really helpful when we did discuss them in this class. I'm thinking the images were to show the violent nature of sex. which just shores up the ideas of the movie. After all, the violence done by both Mickey and Mallory ends with some sort of sexual encounter, even Scagnetti's sexual encounter is mixed with violence. 

I really enjoyed this movie, more so this second time because i didn't have to focus on the story as much so I was able to look at the images...seeing the images of Mickey as the demon was a little freaky since he was covered in blood and looked like he was about to rip off the head of the next person to look at him (I know that was the point...the demon inside of each of us wants to kill)

I was happy Jess brought up the fact that at the end when they were showing the media around all the "star" murderers they were playing circus music, it made me think that we as a society make these people famous, it isn't who they kill or how they do it, or even how many they kill. Let the media get their teeth into a story and you have an over night sensation and everyone is talking about them. 

In the Freak Shows people were put on display and then stories were made up about them mostly not true but the story is what drew people in...cheap thrills. 

I think my favorite part of the movie is when someone pleads to be kept alive ('you always leave someone alive to tell the story') and of course no one ever is because either there is only one person to kill anyway or there is a camera.

the idea of being killed frightens the individual yet thrills the crowd.

I need to see this movie a couple more times before I think I will really understand all of it.

The more you drive the less intelligent you are

4 dead aliens and a press conference. Did anyone else feel that the Leila thought nothing about bringing aliens to a press conference. And since when do dead aliens have the ability to vaporize people? I love that the one repo man told Otto to buckle up, safety first and then they are put in situations where they are being shot at. It seemed that all of the people working with Otto were philosophizing, but they all had vastly different ideas: UFOs as Time Machines vs the Repo Code vs Mind Over Matter. 

 At one point Miller says "You get stuck up on specifics you miss out on the whole thing." I think that is part of the point of pastiche, mash up all the genres and make the whole movie about visuals. With the mash up of genres you need to really pay attention to understand the movie, but by paying attention to the overall storyline you miss out on some of the more subtle parts of the movie and their meanings/impact.

ie: What's with the one brother wearing a hair net? is it a subtle reminder of the menial drudgery of a short order cook vs the crazy life of a repo man? And what about the security guard knitting...can't even start to figure that one out. Or all of the Smiley Face buttons?

This movie reminded me of several other movies such as 

Mother, Jugs and Speed

Super Troopers

Ghostbusters

and a tiny bit of Back to the Future

and the Steven King book From a Buick 8 (horrible book by the way)

I really enjoyed this movie and its sometimes blatant mocking of the genres

Wanna Buy a Duck?

Have you ever played the game Wanna Buy A Duck? If you have you know that is is a mindless game that provides entertainment to easily amused people. (I count myself as one of the easily amused) Petey Wheatstraw reminded me of that game at first... seriously a full grown boy and a watermelon? But as I watched I saw that the Blaxploitation was proving useful. For example when Petey Wheatstraw kicked the butts of those car thieves, yeah its overly theatrical, but when he gets back to his car he makes a point to speaking to the community about how it is their job to make sure that these guys don't strike again, they need to have pride in themselves before others will respect them. The over the top acting and theatrics make it entertaining while the message of self improvement  gets worked in. When the younger brother speaks about skipping school, the older brother sets him on the right path, getting to school will make the future brighter, I felt it was a little corny because I have heard school friendly phrases all my life, but the truth is that when this film was made the idea of constant education and then further education after grammar school probably wasn't one held by most families.

I can't wait to see the rest of the film and how Petey reacts to the Devil's bargain.

Nobody is Innocent

During the preface for High Plains Drifter McRae said that the hero was an anti hero and that the towns people were innocent. I am hoping that I heard wrong because from what I saw not a single person in the entire film was innocent. I guess that is the point of the film tho, nobody is perfect but you take what you have and make the best out of what you have. In this case our stranger took advantage of the fear the townspeople had and used it for vengeance. I don't think the Stranger was a bad person, he was just driven by a terrible event.

The entire film reminded me of the movie Boondock Saints, at the very beginning when Conner and Murphy are at church and the priest's sermon speaks of Kitty Genovese and the indifference of good men.

If the Stranger was a bad man I think I would have felt some remorse about what he did to the towns people, but I didn't. I felt it was an ingenious form of pay back.

The only part that was hard to swallow was when he took the woman into the barn and had his way with her, yet even that was softened by the way she started clinging to him before it was over. She was more upset that he didn't buy her dinner first than anything. When she bumped into and and tried to make him feel the fool, she was just trying to get him to notice her so that they could spend a little time in the sack together and perhaps she could get a few pretty baubles along with a good time. 

Play some solitaire to pass the time

What was with the women in this film (except for Angela Lansbury) love is a split second of seeing someone and of course that other someone must love them back. Eugenie Rose broke off her engagement the day she met Ben...come on!!!!!

Aside from those women I loved this movie. My favorite part was when Senator Iselin wanted just one number of how many communists were KNOWN to be in the defense department and Lansbury picks 57 off the Ketchup  bottle.

I bet Dr. Freud would have a field day with this movie...Mommy as the puppet master. Raymond hates his mother and stepfather. I feel like there is a little bit of Hamlet in this movie. 

Does hypnotism really work like that? Can Ben really break the hold the over Raymond by showing him 52 red queens? I want to know why Raymond focuses the gun on the Presidential Candidate instead of his mother if he was going to kill mom and dad, is it to show the uncertainty of loyalties and the fear that no matter how hard you try you cannot break a governments control over the minds of its victims?

The fear of communism is played off like a joke...how many known communists Senator Iselin? The real fear of communism isn't there, the fact that being accused of communism would ruin your life and that of everyone you know isn't there. 

Touch of Racism

I'm not really sure how to feel about this movie.

 The bad guys are not completely bad guys, Uncle Grandi for instance, we feel bad for him when he is murdered. We start off being made to dislike him but throughout the film we see him show concern for the people under his care. When Susan Vargas is drugged at the hotel he makes sure his females have not done any drugs...he's all paternal. 

The tension builds throughout the whole movie...is someone going to be unfairly convicted? Is someone going to be raped? The tension builds so slowly I'm surprised the movie wasn't longer. The idea of the movie was good but the over all effect kind of left me wanting something more. I'm not sure if that is because I've seen movies like Crash where the problem of prejudice is so very open.

The border town reminded me of the town in Stagecoach with hookers and lawlessness. 

She's asking for it

I know that Ms Hammond is free to dress how she will, and considering what girls today wear, she was dressing conservatively, but when I see her throwing herself on a man she KNOWS is married, I say she is a tramp. Then when she stops in the stairwell to fix her garters, I thought she is asking for it...then you see the student watching her and you know she is about to get attacked. I know no woman is asking to be raped, but the thought still flashed through my mind "she's asking for it" (plus she was asking for it, just not from the student...a little consensual nookie with Mr. Dadier would have been great). Makes you think, should Ms Hammond have been dressing more conservatively (say in nun's robes?) she knew how she looked, and was even warned by another teacher, yet she still wore provocative clothing. This issue is still around today, with the strictures of Muslim women's clothing. The question remain, how far do women have to go to curtail the male attention? I know that I make harsh remarks about the girls walking around in skirts that don't even completely cover their asses, calling them sluts...that's probably  just be me being jealous since I could never pull off that look. But even Dadier's wife makes a comment about Ms Hammond provoking the boy who attacked her. Do you  think that the conservative clothes idea came about from jealous women who felt they were not attractive enough to keep their husbands at home? Victorian era dresses were so low cut sometimes that you could see the top of the aureoles, yet it was socially acceptable at the time, even when showing an ankle was not.  It is strange how sensibilities change throughout the ages.

I hated the fact that there was not one strong role model for women in Blackboard Jungle, the women were sluts, timid wives, nosy old neighbors or meek and dowdy teachers. I felt that this movie was meant for the guys to watch, because the women were supposed to be at home taking care of the wash. Was the social scare mainly centered around the male youth? 

I noticed several posters throughout the movie depicting the Marines. I thought it was interesting that when Dadier is talking to West about reform school and the military they are standing in front of one of the Marine posters.

I enjoyed this movie the first time I saw it and I am glad I got the chance to watch it a second time because I wasn't solely focused on the plot, I was able to take in smaller details which enriched the film for me (mostly made me laugh...) like when the guys are at the bar, Edwards keeps orders two more rounds of drinks after Dadier said he needed to get home, or the fact that Anne Dadier is so vapid at points, she has no initiative to ask her husband about the so called woman, instead she does the laundry and cooks dinner. 

Don't let them choose you

Jim's dad had some great 'first day at a new school' advice. He tells Jim "Don't let them choose you." I think his advice was for all the youth who were supposedly being corrupted. His advice was to stay away from the bad influences, choose the right kinds of people, be active and helpful members of society. What seems to be impossible for parents to grasp are the pressures placed on their kids by others. Honor was and is still a big thing, and so to call somebody a chicken is almost a threat their honor. Kids can't back down from a fight, Jim proves that on the field trip when he tries to step back from the situation, but he fails and is dragged into an all too familiar dance. Wound or be wounded. Thankfully Jim found a way to salvage his honor and Buzz's without doing either of them serious injury. 

Random Topic Jump: Since when do cops act like the school's guidance counselor? Officer Ray is the all compassionate police man with a heart of gold, can't stand to see a good kid mixed up with the wrong people. Blah, blah, blah. Too bad he wasn't there when Jim needed him the most. But isn't that what always happens in the movies? That one character who can make it all better is MIA at the most vital time. Now its up to the rest of the characters to take matters into their own hands. We see how well that ended up, Plato dead. Worst part is that Jim didn't mess up the situation, the cops did. 

Another Question: How many kids can you fit into Buzz's car? It was like a freaking clown car, they just kept piling in, one sharp corner and they would have all been flung from the car. Do you think that people actually drove that way or was this just another way for the film to show out of control teens?

Who has the power in Jim's family? Its obviously not Dad, he's a henpecked husband. So is it Mom or Grandma? Ooo and Mom pulled the guilt card on Jim saying how he doesn't appreciate that she almost died giving birth to him...I wanted to punch her, its the oldest guilt trip in the world.  And what is with the Daddy complex's these kids have? Is it because many fathers were at war when the kids were young?

The chicken car scene reminded me of the movie Footloose when the guy goes to jump but he is stuck, and of the movie A Walk to remember when the teenage prank goes horribly wrong and the kid is hospitalized.  Teen Stupidity runs rampant in movies from all generations. I guess adults never think too highly of the next generation.

The film strongly reminded me of the short film we saw last year, Don't tell me, ask me where the adults want to fix the gang problem and the good teenagers come forward saying don't tell me what to do, ask me how to help fix the situation. Both movies remind us that although many teens are causing problems, there are many others who want to fix the situation. Not all teenagers are bloodthirsty criminals.

I am just about to be brilliant!

I loved Cosmo. He stole the show in my eyes. He is funny, talented, kind, and a great friend. He isn't bitter over Donald's success, when his own carreer is far from perfect. I'm suprised Cosmo doesn't have more luck with the ladies, I guess since he is hidden in Donald's shadow its kinda hard to get noticed, even at the beginning when all the stars are arriving, the fans are dissapointed to see Cosmo. I think Donald's best quality is his ability to maintain his friendship with Cosmo, Don is always sure to include Cosmo in anything he does. Right from the beginning we see him include Cosmo as he and Lina head into the theatre.
I truly enjoyed "Make 'em Laugh" the sections where it looked as if Cosmo had no control over his body reminded me of the Character of Sam from Benny and Joon.
I love that Don's motto is "Dignity, always dignity" yet his early life and carreer were anything but dignified. I guess its just another way for the movie to Laugh at Hollywood. My favorite moment of Hollywood making fun of itself though is when Cosmo says "You gotta show a movie at a party, its a Hollywood Law." Speaking of Hollywood, I couldn't help but remember back to my american pop culture class last semester and the section on Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's idea of advertising. The entire book is about consmer culture and advertising. Several scenes in Singing in the Rain reminded me that the idea of advertising is never far off in any movie. When we see the fashion show commercial which depicts all types of dress for every woman I realized that the advertising would never end, because it wasn't just advertising the clothes it was advertising people as well. Lina's assumption that she and Don are an item comes from the publicity department. The idea of Lockwood and Lamont as a couple was just a publicity stunt, good advertising, a way to keep their names in print. If if hadn't been for Monumental's obsession with publicity Lina would never have assumed that she and Don were dating and then the subsequent jealousy over Kathy probably wouldn't have esclated as far as it did.
When reading the article "Winking at the Audience" I realized that the entire problem at the end of the movie where Lina wants to take away Kathy's credit in the movie as her voice over wouldn't have actually happened because so many companies were using voice overs and never saying anything. Its all about illusion, so why destroy the illusion of the perfect woman if you don't have to? The line "artifice is at the heart of the reality effect of cinema" really struck home with me because it is so true as to be scary, I love going to the movies because I can get lost in the story and then I am always disapointed at the end because when the credits start to role I am reminded that this isn't real...but it was so good at decieving me.

In class we talked about the idea of the camera never being seen and how it might be too awkward to show it even though the whole premise is that we the audience are watching. I was reminded of the move Robin Hood Men in Tights where sevedral times we see the camera or are reminded that we are watching a movie; when Maid Marrian is singing in the bathtub, the camer breaks throught the stained glass window, during the fight seen between the Sheriff of Rottingham and Robin are fighting in the tower and one of the swords spears a doughnut from a man offstage outside on his coffee break, and any time Latrine talks to the camera about how much she loves the Sheriff we are reminded that this is a movie not reality.

Favorite line of the entire movie had to be when Lina is having trouble adjusting to 'talkies' and the microphone, she says "I can't make love to the bush!" People said Lina wasn't "bad enough" to warrant all the bad things that were done to her in the movie. I wholeheartedly disagree. She was vindictive right from the start. She got Kathy fired because of an accident and the fact that Don was paying attention to her, then we learn that Lina isn't through making Kathy pay for taking away supposed attentions. Out came the bitch and she has claws. Firing Kathy wasn't good enough for Lina she had to destroy any chance Kathy might have had in movies by forcing RF to keep her as Lina's voice forever. Lina may be stupid but that makes her the most dangerous one...vindictive, stupid and beautiful - a triple threat.

I loved the movie. It had everything I could want: singing, dancing, comedy, vindictive women, and selfless friends.

Random side note: several of the male extras had terrible teeth...was this on purpose showing the terrible dental plan of the time or was it just to make everyone but the main characters seem like red necks?

Conspiracy in Hati

Watching White Zombie was an interesting experience because when you get down to it, Zombies are a fear I think everyone can associate with. The idea of people coming back from 'death' unable to think or function as anything but a mindless shell is terrifying. If the idea was so far fetched that no-one found it remotely disconcerting then we would not still be making Zombie movies today.
We were asked to watch the movie with the idea of White Americans in mind. Women in particular I believe. When watching White Zombie I could see why this was not just a horror film about Zombies when it came out. The Zombies on the plantation were drones, they worked all day and all night until an unfortunate accident happens and you fall into a giant grinder or something equally horrifying. This scenario struck a chord in me..seems an awful lot like Slavery especially in the Deep South of the United States. The only difference being that the Zombies had no consciousness so they didn't realize what was happening. Lugosi is asked what would happen if his creations were to ever regain their souls, and his reply was that they would kill him. When you think about it, that was probably one of the fears of Americans during slavery which is why slaves were not allowed to be educated. If you don't know that what is being done to you is wrong or out of the ordinary you won't think to question it.
Another fear of and for women was being 'taken', the idea of being kidnapped and your free will taken away and the possibility of rape. Remember back to Stage Coach when it looked as if the Indians were going to win and Hatfield points his weapon at Mrs. Mallory. Its better to be dead and pure than alive and spoiled. In the case of Madeline though she is taken after she "dies' and all free will is gone. So even in death she isn't safe.

The difference between a derelict and a man is a job

• Irene is a vivacious airhead oblivious to social problems
  
• Her sister seems more grounded yet she is the one offering people money to win the scavenger hunt (basically throwing away money for bragging rights)
  
• The scavenger hunt is described as a treasure hunt but the things you are looking for nobody wants (like a forgotten man), I noticed that only women and young men were participating in this tomfoolery and the older gentlemen (husbands and rich old bachelors) just sat by and drank while their families ran amok. 
  
• Godfrey calls the people nitwits, they are empty headed people with nothing to do but waste time looking for unwanted things
• Godfrey is a redeemable homeless man because instead of asking for money as compensation he asks for a job, he WANTS to be an active and productive member of society. His pride will not allow him to live off of charity. I think he also realizes that a steady job is much better than a one time payment
• I guess I am confused about the roles of the maids and butlers, I thought the maid brought breakfast and the butler answered doors....I guess he is a jack of all trades, but either way it was highly improper for a non family member of the opposite sex to enter the bedroom
• Irene's definition of protege is way off...I like our definition from class- an in home gigolo
• The mothers and daughters are spoiled and seem to have had no guiding hand on how to act like decent people
• the mother is more concerned on how people will perceive the family than with her families actual emotions
• "amusing" seems to be the word of the day... if its amusing then it is acceptable
• The mother speaks a mile a minute and is barely understandable
• "money money money, the frankenstein monster that destroyed souls" hypocritical much? I think he just didn't want the father talking about money because it could lead to a discussion about how Carlo was just a waste of money a drain on the household funds...USELESS. UN-NEEDED. A PARASITE 
• The mother is clueless and the daughters are vindictive...they kind of remind me of the sisters in the movie "My Best Friends Wedding" they were dubbed the vengeful sluts
• "Godfrey id the first thing  Irene is showing affection for since her Pomeranian died last summer" Mom sees Godfrey as an object not worthy of human emotions.
• All the female members of the family treat the men in their lives as objects
• Godfrey seems to have more of a grounding in morality and propriety...did he always have this or did he acquire these qualities after he became a forgotten man?
• The family is improper and living the high life, yet if Godfrey is improper he will end up back on the ash pile
• Godfrey is proud in his ability to be a good butler and even more proud that he has accomplished this with this particular family...
• "The Parkes were never educated to face life" the downfall of the upperclasses...
• All the women are in love with Godfrey he has that "it" quality just like Clara  Bowe 

I really liked this movie and the reading we did that tried to view "My Man Godfrey" as a marxist commentary of capitalism higlighted some of the technical aspects...for example the idea that although Godfrey is a forgotten man, the camera right off the bat finds him and stays on him...you can't forget him now. The "love" between Godfrey and Irene makes me want to vomit because Godfrey doesn't really show any affection for Irene and then he marries her and he even admits that he is starting to get that foolish feeling again referring to love...Watching this made me remember all of the poorly written "romance" novels where we have a decent story line and someone decides to throw in a love story to round it out. Its like being blindsided by a car in winter...it comes out of nowhere leaving you dazed and confused.

Stagecoach

So lets go with first impressions

-Scenery: barren land, scrub brush, dry, mostly flat ground with hills in the background. Oh and I can't forget the oxen skulls, someone was trying to get to Oregon and their Oxen gave out.

-We have the 'good indians" who hate the Apache and will help the 'white man'

- We have the carefree music that seems happy and upbeat

- the town folk are uptight and rigid in their beliefs, but once you leave the town and head to outposts you have less rigid standards of morality and people are not only more welcoming they are less judgemental.

-Gatewood the banker shows the mentality of many when he says "what's good for the banks is good for the country" he is also a cowardly man who bluffs his way through life, prtending to be brave but just using anger and so called influence to get his way

-Mr. Peacock is confused several times for a clergymen, is this a dig that all men of the cloth are small, skittish, quiet, nervous men?

-the drunken Dr.Boone was pissing me off because I could not figure out where I knew him from, until half way through the movie when it hit me that he was 'Pa' to Scarlett in Gone With the Wind. He is a well meaning drunk who is able to sweet talk many people into doing what he wants...especially when it comes to giving him alcohol. He pulled through for me in the end when he was able to sober up and help Dallas when Mrs. Mallory goes into labor. He also treated Dallas with his own version of respect.

-The so called Gentlemen Mr. Hatfield was acceptable society to Mrs. Mallory even though he was a gambling man, yet Dallas is unfit to even speak to and Mrs. Mallory doesn't even know what offense Dallas has committed.

-Ringo the Kid (Wayne) treats Dallas with respect, which suprises Dallas and the other passengers of the stagecoach. He truly has the makings of a gentleman because he treats everyone with courteous manners. He genuinely cares about the welfare of both women, whereas the other so called Gentlemen ignore Dallas as if she isn't even there.

-Ringo says he used to be a good guy, but things happen. You get the impression the same thing happened to Dallas. Its not always in your power, sometimes good people become outcasts of society because of someone else, or a situation beyond their control. What is Dallas' crime to be kicked out of town?

-Curly, I'm guessing is a marshall and he and Ringo's dad were friends. He wants to put Ringo in jail for the money but also because he wants to keep Ringo safe from the Plummer family. Bad blood there.

-The Mexican we see (I think his name is Chris) is shown as polite, respectful, talkative, slightly dumb-witted and cross eyed (I wasn't sure if this was to show inbreeding or not)

-I think it is interesting that Dallas takes over  when Mrs. Mallory goes into labor and the Doctor needs to sober up, yet when it is all over, its three cheers for the doctor, no thanks to Dallas. 

-I thought it amusing that Hatfield became angry when Mrs. Mallory was in labor, just seemed like the typical male impulse- get angry if you feel helpless- accomplish nothing.

-When we see the Apaches for the first time the music playing is supposedly 'war music' but it sounded like plain old dramatic music with heavy solemn drums. My impression of the Indians was that some looked asian and that their mode of dress reminded me of wounded soldiers of the revolutionary war with bandages on their heads.

-I was curious if any animals were harmed in the making of this film...I saw an awful lot of horses falling down hills in the chase scene.

-When the Indians attack its a mad dash in an open space, keep running and hope to shoot as many as possible in an effort to survive. The odds are great, I counted at least 20 indians and there are 9 people with the stagecoach. The women get to just sit and hope they aren't captured, its up to the men to defend the women. It was interesting to see the reactions of each of the men. Hatfield seemed excited to be killing, while Buck was just scared and wanted to get as much speed as possible out of the horses. Ringo and Curly and the Doc are serious, I think they have had the experience of killing before and know the terrible toll it takes on one's soul. They are not thrilled to be taking the lives of anyone but know they must to survive. Once they are practically out of ammunition and it looks as if the stagecoach is going to be over taken by the Apaches Mr. Hatfield decides to shoot Mrs. Mallory, after all its apparently better to be dead and virtuous then alive and raped.

-I really want to know how the baby slept through all the shouting and shooting of guns going on around her? 

-I hope the end of the movie shows all of the snobbish town folk respecting Dallas, as it is Mr. Peacock called her a lady. I guess adversity brings out the good in people.