Terrence Malick: The Thin Red Line

Director: Terrence Malick
Writers: James Jones (novel), and Terrence Malick (screenplay)

Plot:

Terrence Malick's adaptation of James Jones'  autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War.  - IMDB.com

Cast:

Nick Nolte   ...  Lt. Col. Gordon Tall
Jim Caviezel  ... Pvt. Witt
Sean Penn   ...  1st Sgt. Edward Welsh
Elias Koteas ... Capt. James "Bugger" Staros
Ben Chaplin  ... Pvt. Bell
Dash Mihok  ...  Pfc. Doll
John Cusack  ...  Capt. John Gaff
Adrien Brody ... Cpl. Fife
John. C. Reilly   ...   Sgt. Storm
Woody Harrelson  ... Sgt. Keck
Miranda Otto   ... Marty Bell
Jared Leto  ... 2nd Lt. Whyte
John Travolta  ...  Brig. Gen. Quintard
George Clooney  ... Capt. Charles Bosche
Nick Stahl   ... Pfc Beade

Comments:

Why does nature vie with itself?

What is more destructive? Physical nature or human nature? Both, but in the age of atomic weapons, I would say humans. The Melanesians are at peace with themselves and their environment. Private Witt is canoeing and living among the Melanesians natives. Terrence Malick loves to shoot footage of nature showing its power and beauty. Witt and his friend are AWOL from their unit and see an American patrol boat and they flee. Instead of being court marshalled Witt will be a stretcher-bearer to take care of the wounded. A lot of the men are scared on the ship especially one man whose name is Train. One guy says, "All I know is Charlie Company's always getting screwed. Always." He blames Captain Staros. One man, Pvt. Bell, remembers his wife in flashback.

User Anthony Le grand from Cinematography.com asks, "So my question is: do someone has any clue concerning Toll and Malick got their final look? Did they use any particular processing or anything unusual, a particular exposure of the film stock??"

User David Mullen ASC responds, "There was no special processing, it's just good photography: well-exposed 35mm negative using anamorphic lenses. It wasn't  just shot on 5279, but also 5248 (EXR 100T) I believe. It was printed on Kodak Vision Premier Stock (2393), which is slightly higher in contrast and color saturation than Kodak Vision (2383). No D.I., just contact printing. Originally the idea was to release it using Technicolor dye transfer prints but the post took so long and the release date was set, so there was not time. Technicolor did make one dye transfer print later as a gift to Malick -- it gets shown now and then at places like The American Cinematheque. I just saw a screening of it and the dye transfer process gives the movie a somewhat period Kodachrome look, which is appropriate." (Cinematography.com)

Some soldiers from C Company pray before their boats reach the shore of Guadalcanal. "They arrive near Hill 210, a key Japanese position." (Wikipedia.org) The movie is shot so well it really is a pleasure to watch. A soldier narrates, "Maybe all men got one big soul who everybody's a part of. All faces of the same man. One big self." I think what Pvt. Witt is hinting at is we are the shadow of God.

The men of C Company are told by Lt. Col. Tall they need to take a Hill held by the Japanese and that they can't outflank it. Staros is concerned about soldiers passing out from lack of water. Staros prays to God saying, "Are you here? Let me not betray you. Let me not betray my men. In you, I place my trust." Sgt. Keck says they will advance the position in groups of 10. One guy, Sico, gets out of fighting by saying he has stomach cramps. As they advance the position 2 soldiers are shot by a sharpshooter or a sniper. More are killed by explosions. Pvt. Witt asks Staros if he can come back to the Company. Lt. Col. Tall puts pressure on Staros to get Hill 210. Sgt. Keck accidentally blows his butt off by reaching for the pin of the grenade instead of the grenade itself. Embarrassed he tells his troops to tell his wife he died like a man. 

Staros requests from Tall to outflank the Japanese in the jungle instead of going straight ahead by frontal assault to the bunkers. Tall orders Staros to go directly and tells him that is a direct order. Staros refuses. Tall goes to see the situation first hand with Staros. Bell is ordered to take six men to assess the situation. Bell remembers his wife in flashback again. Stray dogs eat at the corpses of the American soldiers. Six or so men go and give reconnaissance "to determine the strength of the Japanese bunker. He joins another small team of men (including Witt), led by captain John Gaff, on a flanking mission to take the bunker. The operation is a success and C Company overruns one of the last Japanese strongholds on the island. The Japanese they find are largely malnourished dying and put up little resistance." (Wikipedia.org)

There is a water shortage problem that Staros and Capt. John Gaff remind Tall about. He gives them the runaround and says if they pass out, they pass out. A Japanese soldier prays over the body of one of his fellow soldiers. A soldier narrates, "Does our ruin benefit the earth? Does it help the grass grow or the sun to shine? Is this darkness in you too?" Vultures circle the dead bodies.

Staros is relieved of his command by Tall. Lieutenant Band takes over for him. Tall tells Staros he is too soft-hearted. He tells him nature's cruel. Tall lets him Apply for reassignment to the Judge Advocate General Corps (JAG) for reasons of ill health. Staros is a lawyer. "He offers to arrange a Purple Heart for Staros, to avoid the unit's name being stained by having an officer removed from command." (Wikipedia.org) C Company thanks Staros for protecting them.

A soldier narrates, "War don't ennoble men. It turns 'em into dogs. Poisons the soul." Bell narrates, "Love. Where does it come from? Who lit this flame in us? No war can put it out. Conquer it. I was a prisoner. You set me free." Bell gets a letter from his wife saying she fell in love with an Air Force captain. Pvt. Witt returns to the Melanesians but they are distrustful of him. One kid has what looks like as chickenpox. They argue with one another.

Pvt. Witt returning for the base asks 1st Sgt. Edward Welsh if he ever gets lonely. He replies, "Only around people.' C Company gets a new and inexperienced 1st Lieutenant George Band. They are sent up a river. Band sends two young privates to scout upriver and Witt volunteers to go as well. They see a reinforced battalion of Japanese soldiers and head back through the jungle. Witt clears out of the jungle and into the plains but is surrounded by Japanese soldiers. One demands he surrender. He raises his rifle and is shot. C Company buries him. They leave by an LCT and Captain Borsche becomes their new commander.


Works Cited:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanesians
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thin_Red_Line_(1998_film)
http://www.cinematography.com/index.php?showtopic=41998

Jeffrey Lau: Chinese Odyssey 2002

Director/Writer - Jeffrey Lau

Cast:

Tony Chiu-Wai Leung    ...   Li Yilong/ Bully the Kid
Wei Zhao   ...   Phoenix
Chen Chang  ... Emperor Zheng De
Princess Wushuang  ....  Faye Wong

Plot:

This film is a parody of the 1959 film called The Kingdom of the Beauty and is produced by Wong Kar Wai. Chinese Odyssey 2002 takes place during the Ming Dynasty China. A man warns the royal highness that the royal siblings plan to escape again. They catch the Emporer Zheng De but Princess Wushuang escapes. They talk about how Princess Wushuang escapes in File number 2046 which is a reference to Wong Kar Wai's 2046 which is excellent. Princess Wushuang uses her head literally to break out of the fortress gate. Bully the Kid played by Tony Leung puts on a fake scar on his face to look tough but when a guy asks him about the lump on his head Bully the Kid says it is due to his spicy diet. An official claims Li Yilong/Bully the Kid was speeding and gives him a picture of him going over 120 kph. The machine then "prints" his picture is really nothing more than a man who draws really fast.

Li Yilong is the son of the Golden Chef of Meilong. Phoenix can't get married because everyone is afraid of her brother Li Yilong. Li Yilong tries to find a mate for his sister, Phoenix. He finds what he thinks is a man but really a woman for his sister Phoenix. It is Princess Wushuang. She dresses like this to avoid detection as the princess.

After a meal Li Yilong and Princess Wushuang hug and he feels her heartbeat. Princess Wushuang returns to the restaurant of Bully the Kid and Phoenix and likes their food. Later the three get drunk and joke. Li Yilong still thinks Princess Wushuang is a man. After a misunderstanding in bed Phoenix thinks Princess Wushuang likes her and flirts with her/him. The three go to woman who shows them water that reflects people's destinies. The lady says the two will be husband and wife (Princess Wushuang and Li Yilong). Phoenix gets jealous of Li Yilong and leaves. A person reveals they know Wushuang is a princess. They act crazy and Princess Wushuang goes on her way. The Princess's subjects follow her to protect her and take her back but arouse suspicion from Li Yilong and Phoenix when the subjects kneel to her. Princess Wushuang falls in love with Li Yilong.

Finding her bag they see royal clothes and think he's  the Emperor. The princess and Li Yilong sing a duet. Li Yilong says he'd marry the princess if she were a woman and that he'd marry her sister if she had one. She tells Li Yilong that she is really a woman. She says they have shared a bed together and have peach blossoms as a token so they must marry. They kiss. He cries knowing Phoenix will be crushed. She feels (narrates) that the roles are destined to be reversed and that she must do her best to protect him. The Emperor dresses silly and does this to test Phoenix to see if she really loves him. She tests her love by putting her hand in the fire but gets burnt. When she puts her hand again with the Emperor it doesn't get burnt.

The royal mother chastises the Emperor for letting his sister go astray and to want to marry a common man. The royal mother witnesses true love between Phoenix and the Emperor and grants their marriage. She doesn't grant the marriage between Princess Wushuang and Li Yilong because he has a despicable record: he was lazy at school, joined the street gang at 14 and became the bully of the village. He has a bad temper and behaves badly. he is careless and uneducated. The royal mother presents the Unique Destiny Rings that should fit perfectly the princess and the person she wants to marry. It doesn't fit Li Yilong so the mother says, "See He is not your destiny!"

Li Yilong/Bully the Kid wonders who Amour Amour is. Li Yilong confronts Princess Wushuang's entourage and says he has a bracelet for her. He wants to win her back. Li Yilong says, "Often, if one loves to deeply, it is intoxicating. If one hates too long, the heart is easily shattered, the most painful experience in life is waiting. I don't know how long she waited. I thought all along I would never see her again. Suddenly, I didn't know what to say, I couldn't figure out to say... to tell her I really love her." Li Yilong and Princess Wushuang try the Unique Destiny rings only thinking of the other person and they fit without moving off. The Peach Blossoms bloom and reveal she has found her true love.

Francis Ford Coppola: Apocalypse Now

Director - Francis Ford Coppola
Writers - Francis Ford Coppola, John Milius, Michael Herr (narration) and Joseph Conrad (novel)

Cast:

Marlon Brando ... Colonel Walter E. Kurtz
Martin Sheen  ... Captain Benjamin L. Willard
Robert Duvall ... Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore
Frederic Forrest ... Jay 'Chef' Hicks
Sam Bottoms   ...  Lance B. Johnson
Laurence Fishburne ... Tyrone 'Clean' Miller
Albert Hall  ... Chief Phillips
Harrison Ford ... Colonel Lucas
Dennis Hopper   ... Photojournalist
G.D. Spradlin ... General Corman

Plot:

During the Vietnam War, Captain Willard is sent on a dangerous mission into Cambodia to assassinate a renegade colonel who has set himself up as a god among a local tribe.  -imdb.com

[On Apocalypse Now (1979)] My movie is not about Vietnam ... my movie is Vietnam. [Cannes 1979] -imdb.com


The films begins with a shot of the jungle in Vietnam being napalmed with a song by The Doors called The End. Willard sleeps with a gun under his pillow. He is in Saigon. He wants a mission and gets one. Colonel Lucas greets Willard as he enters. They offer him food and give him a picture of Kurtz. Kurtz is in Cambodia. Willard is told that Kurtz was one of the most outstanding officers this country has ever produced. He joined the Special Forces. Willard is told to terminate the Colonel. Terminate with extreme prejudice.

Willard feels guilt in having to kill an American and an officer. This is his hypocrisy and drawback. He takes a PBR, a Navy patrol boat, upriver toward Kurtz. The kids on the boat ski in the water and listen to rock music. Willard studies the information on Kurtz in the packet he received. They meet up with Air Mobile on the beach . A soldier on a PA system says we are here to help you to the Vietnamese.

Willard talks to Kilgore to figure out where they can enter the river but Kilgore tells him it's dangerous. A mile out Kilgore says he'll  play music by Wagner because it scares the Vietnamese who he calls "slopes." The Vietnamese villagers hide and their soldiers prepare for battle. One helicopter pilot spots a 50 caliber gun on a car on the bridge. They take it out. One villager woman throws a grenade into the helicopter and blows it up. Kilgore calls them, "Fucking savages." In an intense over the shoulder shot they shoot the Vietnamese woman who threw the grenade at them. When they land on the beach Kilgore says they can either surf or fight. The bombs are being blown on the beach so it's dangerous either way. "In the airstrike, sampan, and bridge scenes, Coppola clearly depicts the death and destruction that result directly from U.S. involvement. Instead of helping innocent civilians, American troops kill them. They are strangers in a strange land, yet they act as if they own it, staking out territory and firing without provocation." (Sparknotes Editors, 2004)



Kilgore orders the jets to napalm the tree line to suppress mortar fire. Kilgore asks, "Do you smell that? Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning." He tells Lance that smell smells like victory. The guys on the boat except Willard get high on weed. Chef and Willard get off the boat and look for mangoes and spot a tiger coming towards them. They get scared and run to the boat. Upriver they buy some fuel drums go to a USO show with Playboy Bunnies.

Kurtz is charged with killing four Vietnamese double agents - this is why Willard is offered to kill him. Willard narrates that he is starting to admire Kurtz. Willard is becoming like Kurtz. "The omnipresent darkness in the film emphasizes the absence of civilization. Much of the film is shrouded in shadow, and it gets progressively darker as the PBR ventures farther in to the jungle." (Sparknotes Editors, 2004) They search the sampan and Chef insists there's nothing on it besides food. A Vietnamese woman rushes towards him and Clean shots all the Vietnamese on the boat. The woman survives and Chief Phillips insists they take her to some ARVNs but Willard shoots and kills her because it slows down his mission.

"By cloaking scenes in fog and mist, Coppola emphasizes the fear of the unknown, the perils of venturing too far in to the subconscious and the supremacy of the wilderness." (Sparknotes Editors, 2004) A war-torn camp shows the closer they get to Kurtz the closer the insanity becomes. Captain Richard Colby was sent to kill Kurtz but instead joined him. Willard finds this out as his superiors write to him.

On the PBR Clean gets hit by what looks like a flare by people hiding in the jungle. It contrasts with  the smoke bomb Lance was playing with before. In the fog they are scared naturally. Once it clears arrows are shot at them. Willard says they're toy arrows. Chief is hit and killed by a spear. Chef says he'll take him all the way to Willard's destination. They pass through a bunch of natives on boats. A photojournalist, played by Dennis Hopper, welcomes them. Willard finds out Kurtz is there. Willard finds the natives there worship him as a god.

They bind Willards hands. Kurtz talks to Willard. His face is hidden by darkness. Kurtz asks why Willard was sent to terminate his command. Willard says his methods were unsound. Kurtz says he is an errand boy sent to collect a bill. Chef is beheaded and his head is placed on Willard's lap. Willard is eventually freed to be with Kurtz. Kurtz tells Willard you have to do things without judgement because judgement defeats us. Willard will be promoted to Major if he kills Kurtz. Hypocrisy is shown when Kurtz speaks into the recording device saying, "We train young men to drop fire on people, but their commanders won't allow them to write fuck on their airplanes because it's obscene." and Willard going to kill him , a fellow officer. Kurtz last words are, "The horror, the horror."


Works Cited:

SparkNotes Editors. "SparkNote on Apocalypse Now."
SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC.2004. Web. 24 May 2017.

Guillermo del Toro: Pan's Labyrinth

Director - Guillermo del Toro
Writer - Guillermo del Toro

Plot:

In the falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world. - IMDB.com

Cast:

Ivana Baquero - Ofelia
Sergi Lopez - Vidal
Maribel Verdu - Mercedes
Doug Jones - Fauno/Pale Man
Ariadna Gil - Carmen
Alex Angulo - Doctor Ferreiro
Manolo Solo - Garces
Cesar Vea - Serrano
Roger Casamajor - Pedro
Ivan Massague - El Tarta
Gonzalo Uriarte - Frances
Eusebio Lazaro - Padre
Francisco Vidal - Sacerdote
Juanjo Cucalon - Alcalde
Lina Mira - Esposa del alcalde

Plot/Analysis:

The film begins with Ofelia and her mom, Carmen driving to the country and it is established Ofelia is a bookworm. She like reading fairy tales. She finds the rock of an eye and places it in a statue with a missing right eye and it is supposed to be a reference to Horus eye - associated with the perception of concrete and  factual information (male side of the brain) according to the Vigilant Citizen website. An insect emerges.

Vidal who represents Spanish Fascism looks at his watch and says, "15 minutes late." He is quickly established as an asshole. Carmen is pregnant. Vidal calls for Mercedes who represents socialism to help Carmen. Ofelia almost goes into a labyrinth lead by an insect/fairy. Dr. Ferreiro hands something to Mercedes. Dr. Ferreiro tells Vidal Carmen is very weak. Vidal finds two guerrillas and kills one by smashing a wine bottle on his face and shooting him them he shoots and kills his father.

The fairy leads Ofelia to the labyrinth. A faun greets her which looks like a baphomet/Satan. She asks him, "Who are you?" The faun replies, "Me, I've had so many names... Old names that only the wind and the trees can pronounce." He tells her she is Princess Moanna, daughter of the king of the underworld. He tells her she must complete three tasks before the moon is full. "In ancient mythology, fauns, satyrs and the Greek god Pan were somewhat similar as they all bear the hindquarters, legs and horns of a goat. Pan is a prototype of natural energy and is undoubtedly a phallic deity, representing the impregnating power of the sun." (Vigilant Citizen)

The faun gives Ofelia The Book of Crossroads which will show her future. She opens the book in private and the blank pages come to life as they form words and pictures. "The first task given by the Faun to Ofelia is to retrieve a key from a giant toad who is sucking the life out of an ancient fig tree. There starts the quest of 'returning to the womb' and rekindling the oppressed feminine. The interior of the tree is damp and moist, symbolizing once again the womb-giver of life. The tree itself looks like a uterus." (Vigilant Citizen) She must put 3 magic stones in the toad's mouth and get a key from its stomach. The Book of Crossroads tells her the tree will prosper again.

She climbs inside the tree. She tricks the toad into eating the 3 magic stones by making it think it's bugs. She gets the key. She goes to the labyrinth and meets the faun who is happy that she succeeded with her task. The Book of Crossroads predicts Carmen's vaginal bleeding. The faun tells Ofelia to put a mandrake root under her mother's bed in a bowl of fresh milk. "Each morning give it two drops of blood." says the faun. He gives her an hourglass and tells her not to drink or eat anything from the feast.

Ofelia uses the chalk to draw and form a door. She cannot drink or eat anything from the other side. She sees pictures of the Pale Man eating and stabbing children on the ceiling. The fairies direct her to the middle box but she chooses the left one and finds a knife inside. The fairies try to stop her from eating a grape but she does it anyways. The Pale Man eats two of the fairies. She uses the chalk to draw and form another door to escape.

Ofelia puts a mandrake in milk under the mother's bed and the mandrake comes to life. Vidal and his army fight the rebels in the woods. They capture Mercedes's brother. The faun is angry that Ofelia broke the rules and ate two grapes. He says she will never return to the underworld.

Carmen dies during childbirth. Mercedes escapes torture. She stabs Vidal and the rebels kill a portion of Vidal's army. For the third task the faun tells Ofelia to bring her brother to the labyrinth. Ofelia drugs him and takes her newborn brother with her. Vidal follows Ofelia into the labyrinth. The faun wants to take a pinprick of the baby for a drop of blood of an innocent. Ofelia refuses. Vidal finds her and shoots her. When he leaves the labyrinth he gives Mercedes the baby and one of the guerrillas shoots him dead.

She awakens in another realm (hell/underworld) and sees her true parents in thrones exalted high in the air. They congratulate her on sacrificing herself than that of an innocent newborn.


Works Cited:

https://vigilantcitizen.com/moviesandtv/the-esoteric-interpretation-of-pans-labyrinth/
http://www.traditioninaction.org/movies/011mrPansLabryinth.htm

Martin Scorsese: Silence

Director - Martin Scorsese
Writers - Jay Cocks, Martin Scorsese (screenplay) and Shusaku Endo (novel)

Cast:

Andrew Garfield - Rodrigues
Adam Driver - Garupe
Liam Neeson - Ferreira
Tadanobu Asano - interpreter
Ciaran Hinds - Father Valignano
Issei Ogata - Old Samurai/Inoue
Shin'ya Tsukamoto - Mokichi
Yoshi Oida - Ichizo
Yosuke Kubozuka - Kichijiro

Is it ever okay to disrespect the image of God to save lives?

Silence begins with decapitated heads of Christians guarded by a samurai. The film takes place in the year of 1633 in Japan. The Tokugawa Shogunate outlawed Christianity and uses ladles filled with holes so the scolding hot water would prolong the pain of the Christians it was poured on. The Catholic priests being tortured not only refused to apostatize, they asked to be tortured so they could demonstrate the strength of their faith and the presence of God within them.

News comes to Garupe and Rodrigues that Ferreira apostatized and surrendured the faith. They decide to find Father Ferreira. They want to save his soul if he is damned. May 25th, 1640. Rodrigues writes to Father Valignano. They find a Japanese guide who will be a Judas character in the film. His name is Kichijiro. He denies being Christian because they are killed in Nagasaki. In his diary Rodrigues writes that he will spread the gospel - there is an inter-cut of a painting by El Greco called The Veil. They reach Japan's shore. Ichizo genuflects to show he is a a Catholic gaining Rodrigues and Garupe's trust. The inquisitor will pay silver to capture Christians and more silver for a priest.

Rodrigues gives Mokichi a crucifix. They offer salvation to the Japanese villagers, hear their confessed sins and hold mass for them. They do mass in Latin. They baptize babies. Rodrigues says the child is safe in the grace of God now. People from another village knock on the door because Kichijiro told them. Kichijiro apostatized but his whole family is killed anyways. He goes to another village. Rodrigues consecrates the Holy Eucharist in mass. He gives them communion. A villager reveals Ferreira was in Nagasaki. In a flashback Kichijiro watches his family being burned alive.

Inoue's men took Ichizo as revealed by Mokichi. A samurai comes to the village and says he's aware that some of them are Christians. He wants to find out where they are hiding. Inoue arrives and he is sadistic behind his smile. Rodrigues says to trample on the fumi-e if pressured. They pray. Rodrigues tells Mokichi his faith gives him strength. They put a plate of Mary and Jesus to step on for Ichizo. Mokichi's breathing is heavy and he is nervous and one of the guards notice that so they want Ichizo to spit on a crucifix but he refuses. Mokichi doesn't spit on the cross either but Kichijiro does.

They bind them in a crucifix and let the water's waves crash against them until they are exhausted and drown. Ichizo dies and says Paradise. Mokichi calls on Jesus to receive Ichizo's soul. He dies as well. Rodrigues says in his letter to Father Valignano, "How can I explain His silence to these people who have endured so much?" Garupe and Rodrigues separate and go to different towns to avoid detection by Inoue's guards. Rodrigues arrives in Goto. Rodrigues tells God, "The weight of your silence is terrible." Kichijiro says there is a price of 300 pieces of silver for Rodrigues. As Rodrigues looks into the water he is drinking from he sees a reflection of himself turn into one of Christ. The image is that of El Greco's Veil of Veronica.

Rodrigues is joyous out of ego as many religious leaders are. Samurai surround him and they find religious artifacts. The guards throw silver at Kichijiro as they did to Judas. Kichijiro betrayed Rodrigues. Inoue says of the captured villagers, "They are fools, those peasants." he also says, "The price for your glory is their suffering." A translator comes to speak to Rodrigues. He tells him, "We have our own religion, Padre. You believe our Buddhists are only men. Just human beings." Rodrigues says, "Even a Buddha dies. Like all men He is not the Creator." This is the ignorance in religion as one thinks it is better than the other. The Translator asks him to apostatize. Rodrigues cannot look at him when he says this - this is his hypocrisy asking Ichizo and Mokichi to step on the fumi-e but not doing it himself. He tells Rodrigues Ferreira has a Japanese name and a Japanese wife now.

Rodrigues enters the prison fortress and his real suffering is about to begin - one where he battles his pride and ego. Rodrigues feels the words he thinks God would say to him, "I will not abandon you." The doctrine according to Inoue's underling might be true in Spain and Portugal but they studied it and found it is of no use and no value in Japan. The translator tells Rodrigues, "Everyone knows a tree which flourishes in one kind of earth may decay and die in another." He is speaking of Christianity in Japan decaying. Rodrigues stupidly says, "You want to test my faith, give me a real challenge." Kichijiro confesses his sins to Rodrigues. He fears, he feels he may not be worthy of Jesus because he feels hatred toward Kichijiro. None of the prisoners step on the fume. One of the prisoners is beheaded by a samurai. Inoue compares Rodrigues's religion to the persistent love of an ugly woman and how a barren woman should never be a wife.

Rodrigues sees Garupe and sees the Japanese Christians wrapped in mats. The inquisitor Inoue promises if Garupe apostatizes the four will be free. They drown the four Japanese Christians and Garupe drowns trying to save the life of the bound Christians. Garupe never apostatizes.

They torture and hang a Japanese Christian upside down as he says the Lord's prayer. Ferreira finally comes. Rodrigues cries thinking of his moral dilemma, ego and knowing he will have to decide to step on a fume says, "If you have any pity for me, say something." Father Ferreira is now known as Sawano - his Japanese name. He writes about astronomy.  The translator reveals the other book Ferreira is writing is called Kengiroku which shows the errors of Christianity. Ferreira looks down and is ashamed.


Torture is made by making an incision cut in the back of your neck so it doesn't run to your head and you won't die to soon while being tied upside down. Ferreira says he's been in Japan for 15 years. He says, "Our religion does not take root in this country." Ferreira says about the burnt martyrs to Rodrigues, "They 're dying for you Rodrigues." The movie hints that the scriptures were misinterpreted by Japanese where they thought Son of God was sun of God. Later Ferreira visits him in his prison cell and says to him, "Those five in the pit are suffering in the pit like Jesus, but they don't have your pride. They would never compare themselves to Jesus. Do you have the right to make them suffer? I heard the cries of suffering in the same cell. And I acted." Ferreira urges Rodrigues to apostatize to save those in the pit. Rodrigues hears  Jesus/God's voice," Come ahead, now. It's all right. Step on me. I understand your pain. I was born in this world to share men's pain. I carried this cross for your pain. Your life is with me now. Step." Rodrigues steps on the image of God, the fume, and saves the villagers' lives.

The villagers' children call Rodrigues "Apostate Paul." Rodrigues and Ferreira spend the rest of their days inspecting artifacts coming into Japan and determine whether they are Christian or non-Christian. Rodrigues inherits a wife and son when a man dies. He gets the Japanese name of the man who died. Inoue tells Rodrigues he was not defeated by him he was defeated by this swamp of Japan. To protect themselves they deny God. Rodrigues wife helps prepare the body for his funeral. The narrator says, "The body was treated in the Buddhist manner. He was given a posthumous Buddhist name." Inside his hand is a small crucifix his wife put in his hands as he is cremated.

David Fincher: The Game

Director - David Fincher
Writers - John Brancato & Michael Ferris

Cast/Characters

Michael Douglas - Nicholas Van Orton
Sean Penn - Conrad
Deborah Kara Unger - Christine
James Rebhorn - Jim Feingold

The film starts out with a birthday party montage of Nicholas Van Orton's father and friends. He lives in a mansion, drives a BMW and is wealthy. His brother Conrad and he have lunch and Conrad funnily says he got a free jacket to which Nicholas says, "I'm sure they'll want it back." For Nicholas's birthday Conrad gives him an envelope. In it is a card for Consumer Recreation Services. Conrad says it will make Nicholas's life fun. Nicholas watches the financial news on TV. He is an investment banker. He is curt and insensitive to a woman who calls him. Michael Douglas is always great at playing the asshole. Nicholas is 48 - the same age his father committed suicide.

He goes to CRS. He meets Jim Feingold. They are newly constructed. Jim tells Nicholas it's a game specifically tailored for each participant. Jim tells him he'll either love it or hate it. We find out later he hates it. Nicholas overhears people at his country club talking about CRS. A guy asks him if he wants to know what the game is. He says John Chapter 9 Verse 25. Whereas once I was blind, now I can see. Everyone gives him vague answer to what the game is. A woman tells him over the phone his application from CRS has been rejected. He finds a huge mannequin like doll on his front driveway. In its mouth is a key from CRS. A guy from the TV starts talking to him. He gives a number to call for emergencies. He tells him don't call asking what the object of the game is. Figuring that out is the object of the game. The pranks start innocent enough but later on they are more sinister.

A guy needs toilet paper in the stall and Nicholas ignores him showing what an asshole he is. A lady named Christine spills wine on him and he is pissed. She loses her job and he apologizes. He comes across a man who faints and an ambulance takes him to a "hospital." Hundreds of people leave after lights go out and Nicholas explains to Christine its a prank by CRS. They use an elevator escape hatch to enter the building of CRS. The alarm goes off and they are chased by a dog. He climbs a ladder says he lost a thousand dollars. She asks if his shoes cost that much. He says, "that one did." Hotel Nikko says he left his American Express card.

He checks into the hotel. It's trashed. There is cocaine and Polaroids of naked people in a briefcase. A car follows him. A private investigator is paid to keep tabs on him. A great shot is of Nicholas's lawyer walking into focus which according to IMDB is one of David Fincher's trademarks. He comes home to his house trashed He calls a cab after leaving the house and finds out it is a CRS cab because it is California Regal Services. The initials of CRS. The cab driver drives the cab into the water after jumping out of the cab. He escapes and hires a detective and police.

He goes to Christine's house and he sees burning from a light bulb and a ticket for $8.99 on the bulb - probably bought from a thrift store. He goes to the sink to rinse his hands but there is no water. There is no food in the fridge. He realizes she is part of CRS.

After trying to warn Nicholas that a camera in the smoke detector is watching them, he breaks it and the CRS guys start shooting at them. The two drive away. at a cabin Christine drugs him and tells him those passwords he gave over the phone  to his Swiss bank were really given to CRS. He awakes in a cemetery coffin in Mexico. He sells his watch and catches a ride by bus into America. He goes to a diner and gives his remaining money ($18)  to someone who gives him a ride to San Francisco.

He goes to his ex-wife Elizabeth and borrows her car. He finds out Jim Feingold is an actor on television and contacts his agent to find out where he is which is at the zoo. Lionel Fisher is Jim's real name. He finds him and takes him to the building CRS is in. CRS owns the whole building and just moves from floor to floor. He goes to floor 25 and sees everyone (the actors) at tables eating and drinking . Security chases him to the roof. Christine tells him he saw special effects, squibs, like in the movies. He shoots his brother on accident and jumps off the building trying to commit suicide but is saved by an inflatable thing that breaks his fall. He finds out his friends were in on it and the lesson learned was to  appreciate life more and the people around him.

Peter Weir: The Truman Show

Director - Peter Weir
Writer - Andrew Niccol

Cast:

Jim Carrey - Truman Burbank
Laura Linney - Meryl Burbank/Hannah Gill
Noah Emmerich - Marlon
Natascha McElhone - Lauren/Sylvia
Ed Harris - Christof

Trivia:

In an early scene, a bottle of Vitamin D is on Truman and Meryl's kitchen table, needed for those without exposure to the (real) sun.

The events in the movie take place over a four to five day time span, Day 10,909 to Day 10,913 of the show, as shown by the ticker over the TV in the Truman Bar. Truman would have been six to seven weeks from his 30th birthday.

Based on and filmed in Seaside, Florida.

Psalm 139

 - imdb.com

Plot Analysis:

The Truman Show is a movie about surveillance on one man's life with him unknowingly a star of his own TV show. He slowly realizes things out of the ordinary and pieces together he is part of some grand event. He deals with the loss of his father, settling and marrying a woman he truly doesn't love, having a phony best friend, and being trapped in an artificial city he can't escape. There are also themes of consumerism in the movie used to comfort Truman.

The movie starts out with Christof saying nothing is fake about Truman. Cast members Meryl and Marlon give their positive experiences n being on The Truman Show. Marlon says nothing is fake it's merely controlled. It starts on Day 10,909. A light falls from the set that says Sirius (9 Canis Majoris). Sirius is the brightest star in the sky and represents Satan. Maybe Satan is trying to wake him up from his false reality. Truman finds it odd but he isn't at healthy paranoia yet. At work he is interested in two things - going to Fiji and Lauren Garland. To add drama to the show they say he has a prospect on Harbor Island because he is afraid of the water because of his father's "death."

When the awful Meryl is introduced she is like an infomercial actress telling him of a knife she got free at the checkout. His "friend" Marlon and he hit golf balls and Truman says he wants to go to Fiji. He says, "You can't get any further away before you start coming back." Marlon thought it was in Florida. He tells Meryl he wants to bum around the world for a year traveling. She says why don't they try for a baby. Truman says that can wait like any healthy minded man maybe he doesn't want one. His paranoia increases when he sees his "dad" and recognizes him. His "dad" is forced on a bus and driven away. Truman looks at pictures of his father and in a little box you can see some herbs possibly marijuana. He pulls out some clothes that belonged to Lauren. At a flashback memory Truman is at a dance party and he notices Lauren's bracelet beads which probably have some significance because of the closeup on them. Lauren and Truman are attracted to one another. Mark Shea from mark-shea.com thinks the beads she wears are an allusion to the Virgin Mary and the Rosary. Some security guards make Lauren leave.

In the library, studying for exams, Truman notices a hand with beads sitting in front of him. It is Lauren's. They introduce themselves. She says she is not allowed to talk to him. Maybe she is the Devil as she is always wearing red and she is trying to break him out of the garden of eden and into the real world. Lauren wears a pin that says, "How's it going to end?" The The hidden cameras follow them everywhere. Lauren tells him her real name is Sylvia. She tells him,"Everybody knows about you, everybody knows everything you do." Her "father" comes to get her by car on the beach and tells Truman she has Schizophrenia. The "father" tells  Truman they're going to Fiji. That is why Truman has a fascination with Fiji later in the film.

An alternative view of Meryl and Lauren is that Lauren is the pure Madonna and Meryl is the whore as she is married to Truman and has sex with him basically for a salary as an actress.

Truman develops a healthy paranoia when he hears over the car radio people following his movements. At Omnicom he notices an elevator with an entrance to a stage set which shows Truman Lauren was right - that something is going on. Looking at family photos with two people he doesn't like - his mother and his wife Meryl. He rolls his eyes when his mother suggests Meryl and him should have kids. Like any rational man he believes children are a burden. Truman follows Meryl to work to find out she doesn't know anything about surgery. He spontaneously wants to go to New Orleans. He tries to leave Seaside, Florida but there are fire warnings and a nuclear power plant leak that is fake but orchestrated to make Truman go back home.

Meryl suggests Truman to get some psychiatric help and tells him he is not well. Sounds like a bitch I personally know.  He tells her she can't stand him and she says that's not true. Then the awful Meryl tries to offer him some Mococoa at the same time advertising to the people watching the The Truman Show. Of course he loses it and before a real fight breaks loose Marlon comes with beer for Truman. Christof feeds the lines to him in a secret earpiece Marlon wears. He also orchestrates to music and is the director of the show choosing camera angles on Truman. Lauren/Sylvia watches and there is a red blanket behind her as she is always wearing or around something red.

An interviewer asks Christof, "Why do you think that Truman has never come close to discovering the true nature of his world until now?" Christof tells him, "We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented." A new romantic interest is introduced and her name is Vivien. She wears red like Lauren. Maybe there is some symbolism the devil takes the form of a woman or maybe it is coincidence. Truman escapes the cameras by blocking out the cameras he must suspect are there.

Christof says "Cue the sun!" and out it rises as they search for him. They find he is on his boat, the Santa Maria, and they access the weather program. The storm almost kills him. The 139 on the sail is a reference from Psalm 139. He finally crashes into a fake wall and he is pissed to be in a fake world. He finds steps to the outside world. Christof tells him he is the star of a television show. He gives his catchphrase, bows and goes through the door leaving this world (the garden of eden) and into a more dangerous and real world.



Works Cited 

imdb.com
mark-shea.com

James Cameron: The Terminator

A seemingly indestructible humanoid cyborg is sent from 2029 to 1984 to assassinate a waitress, whose unborn son will lead humanity in a war against the machines, while a soldier from that war is sent to protect  her at all costs.  - IMDB.com

Director: James Cameron
Writers: James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd and William Wisher Jr.


Cast    /     Character

Arnold Schwarzenegger     ...     Terminator
Michael Biehn            ...        Kyle Reese
Linda Hamilton          ...        Sarah Connor
Paul Winfield             ...        Lieutenant Ed Traxler
Lance Henriksen        ...        Detective Hal Vukovich
Rick Rossovich         ...         Matt Buchanan
Bess Motta                ...         Ginger Ventura

The Terminator opens up in Los Angeles, 2029 A.D. in a war torn city. It goes back to Los Angeles 1984, 1:52 am. The Terminator forms from being sent back from the future. Kyle Reese is also sent from the future to 1984 in the same way the Terminator was. He asks the cop what the date is. He looks up Sarah Connor in the phone-book. She is clumsy as a waitress. The Terminator kills and steals from an owner of a gun shop. The Terminator arrives at another Sarah Connor's house and kills her. Kyle Reese in the future fights giant robots and a giant plane shooting lasers. Sarah Connor gets stood up for a date and leaves to see a movie. The Terminator follows her.

The press goes crazy seeing 2 murders of women called Sarah Connor. She finds out of the 2 murders while at a bar and is shocked. She looks at the phone-book and sees she is the 3rd Sarah Connor. Kyle Reese follows her. She goes into a club named Tech Noir. At Connor's house The Terminator kills Ginger's boyfriend and Ginger. The Terminator hears a message from Sarah. She calls the police. They tell her stay put. The Terminator gets shot by Kyle Reese at the club. Kyle tells Sarah, "Come with me if you want to live."

Kyle Reese reveals he has been assigned to protect her. Kyle tells her it is very important that she lives. They look for a new car. Reese explains a nuclear war will happen in a few years and the machines got smart and saw humans as a threat. He reveals her unborn son, John Connor taught them how to fight the machines. The cars crash and The Terminator gets away. The Terminator loses an eye and hides this with sunglasses, The doctor at the police station determine Reese is crazy. The Terminator crashes into the police station with a car. He kills many police. Reese and Sarah get away.

Reese says he was shot so she heals his wound. Reese tells her about her son. Reese remembers the furure of coming back to the compound and a Terminator snuck in and killed people. Kyle Reese loses the picture of Sarah Connor and it burns in the fire. At the hotel Reese gives Sarah his gun. Sarah calls her mom and The Terminator mimicking her mom's voice gets the address. The two can't sleep because they fear The Terminator. He tells her he loves her and they make love. Kyle Reese is John Connor's father. The Terminator chases Kyle and Sarah by motorcycle. Sarah sideswipes The Terminator  and he flies off the bike. The truck also flips over. He tries to run them over with an oil rig but Reese puts an explosive in the rig and it explodes. The Terminator burns.

They go in a factory with The Terminator chasing them. Reese fights the Terminator and puts an explosive in The Terminator and it explodes. Kyle Reese dies. The Terminator crawls after Sarah, but Sarah escapes and pushes a button to flatten The Terminator by a machine. She drives to Mexico. A little Mexican boy takes a Polaroid  picture of her which she buys. She drives off into the distance as a storm forms.