Pedro Almodóvar: Talk to Her

Director/Writer – Pedro Almodóvar

Cast                                               Character

Javier Camara                 …           Benigno Martin

Dario Grandinetti          …            Marco Zuluaga

Leonor Watling              …            Alicia

Rosario Flores                 …           Lydia Gonzalez

Mariola Fuentes              …           Rosa

Geraldine Chaplin            …          Katerina Bilova

Pina Bausch                    …           Bailarina Café Muller

Malou Airaudo                …          Bailarine Café Mullet

Caetano Veloso                …         Singer at Party

Roberto Álvarez              …          Doctor Vega

Elena Anaya                    …          Angela

                                                  Lola Dueñas                   …          Matilde

The film Talk to Her begins at an opera with Marco and Benigno in the audience. Benigno talks to the comatose Alicia as if she’s conscious. The male feminine is in contrast to the female masculine of Lydia as she is a female bullfighter. The male feminine is shown when Marco cries at the play performance in the beginning. “When Marco cries in the early stages of the film he is crying for himself, for his own pain.” (Shpall 100)

 

After Marco kills a snake in Lydia’s house she vows never to return to her home. Lydia later has an elaborate dressing for her bullfighter attire. Before the bullfight Lydia kisses a religious necklace she has for protection. She gets hit by the bull.  “It is also important that Niño and Marco seem to compete with each other  in claiming responsibility for Lydia’s goring. Presumably they each think that Lydia was distracted on account of them.” (Shpall 99)

“The film has four works of art embedded in it. There are two dances by Pina Bausch that occupy key positions, the opening and closing shots of the films. There is the long song , "Cucurrucucú paloma" not so much sung as confided by the tenor Caetano Veloso. And there is a silent movie The Shrinking Lover, created by Almodóvar himself. We and the characters are spectators of them. They have little to do directly with the plot, just as art is separate from life. However Spaniards regard bullfighting as more an art than a sport, and bullfighting has a lot to do with this plot.” (Holland)

During a Caetano Veloso performance, Marco cries again. He does this many times during the film. Marco tells Lydia a story of him crying after killing another snake for a woman years ago. He is slow to forget her. This has stunted his emotional development and maturity.  He remembers this in flashback. A doctor tells Marco that Lydia’s brain is dead. Marco and Benigno meet as Marco was looking in on him helping a patient called Alicia. “Marco is as superficially masculine as Benigno is superficially feminine.” (Shpall 104) Benigno is in love with Alicia. Marco is in love with Lydia. Both women are comatose. 

Benigno reveals to Alicia’s father he is mostly into men and that he is a virgin after being asked. Katerina talks to the comatose Alicia with Benigno nearby. Katerina is her dancing teacher. Benigno watches Alicia dance at the studio in flashback. He borderline stalks her and finds out her father is a psychiatrist. He sees the shrink and tells him of his mother’s death. He wonders around the office until he gets to Alicia’s room and takes her hairclip. Weird. Benigno reveals to Marco Alicia had a car accident on a rainy day and that is why she ended up in the hospital. 

Benigno suggests that Marco talk to her, Lydia and Marco says she’s brain dead. Benigno says he’s not so sure about that. Marco asks him what does he know about women three times. Benigno says he was with one for 20 years, his mom presumably and another for 4 years, Alicia. So he knows nothing. Angela and Benjamin get married and Marco says to Lydia he’s finished with Angela. Marco says it took him 10 years to get over her. 

“Marco is an immature man whose selfishness makes him unable to love. He is missing the fundamental virtue of love, the desire to talk to one’s partner, to participate in a genuine dialogue of selves. We get the impression that travel is for him an escape from the painful difficulties of social relations and the consuming fixations of his own desire.” (Shpall 100)

A nurse lets Benigno know Alicia is late on her period like a month late. Later we find out Benigno has raped her.

Benigno says he wants to marry Alicia to Marco. Marco tells him his relationship to Alicia is a crazy monologue. A head doctor announces to everyone working, “Our patient Alicia Roncero was raped and is pregnant.” Benigno is told he is the prime suspect. Later Marco reads that Lydia Gonzalez has died. 

On the phone a nurse explains to Marco Benigno is in jail for raping Alicia. He is in jail in Segovia. Benigno wants another lawyer because the current one despises him and to rent out his apartment. Marco takes care of these two things. Marco watches Alicia do exercises at the dace studio from Benigno’s apartment. Maybe he is remembering or imagining her do these things because she is still in a coma.  Alicia’s baby is born dead. Benigno writes to Marco saying he will escape prison. Marco goes to the prison to read a letter written by Benigno. 

He writes that he hopes with all the pills he will take it will put him in a coma with Alicia. If he kills himself it will be the smartest thing he could do than do prison time. I have been in prison and if I knew what I was going to lose in prison I would have killed myself a long time ago.

Marco cries for his friend who he now visits at his grave. Marco meets Alicia at the play/performance and presumably they start a relationship together.

Works Cited:

Shpall, Sam. “The Men of Talk to Her.” Yale University

Holland, Norman N. “Pedro Almodóvar, Talk to Her, Hable con Ella, 2002” A Sharper Focus. 28 February 2018.

Wes Anderson: Rushmore

Rushmore 

Director – Wes Anderson

Writer – Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson

The extracurricular king of Rushmore preparatory school is put on academic probation.

-IMDB.com

Cast                                              Character

Jason Schwartzman       …       Max Fischer

Bill Murray                       …        Herman Blume

Olivia Williams                …        Rosemary Cross

Seymour Cassel               …        Bert Fischer

Brian Cox                           …        Dr. Nelson Guggenheim

                                                       Mason Gamble                 …        Dirk Calloway

                                                       Sara Tanaka                      …        Margaret Yang

Max Fischer is the character we focus on in Rushmore. The title refers to the school in which he attends. He competes with Herman Blume played by Bill Murray for the love of Rosemary Cross. It’s hard to like Max because he is a deluded, little prick. 

 

Herman Blume during a speech takes aim at rich boys who are privileged and can buy anything. Max likes this and talks to him after. He is a member of countless extracurricular clubs. Later he is put on sudden death academic probation. If he fails another class he’ll be asked to leave Rushmore. 

He discovers Miss Cross because of a quote she might have put in a book he’s reading. H finds her reading to her kindergarten class. It’s funny because the title of the book she’s reading is called “Kidnapped.” When asked by Blume what his dad does, Max lies and says he’s a neurosurgeon. At his twins sons’ birthday party his wife spoon feeds a man who it seems she is having an affair with. 

Max Fischer is smitten by Miss Cross so he becomes her teacher’s assistant. Max is only 15 and he’s trying to pick up Miss Cross. She says they cannot have a relationship. He puts on a play of Serpico and everyone loves it. Miss Cross introduces Max to Peter Flynn played by Luke Wilson. Max is condescending and rude to Peter which is funny since he’s a 15 year old nobody. Blume has feeling too for Miss Cross.

Max gets expelled from Rushmore and is now at a public school. He meets Margaret Yang. He still wears his Rushmore uniform while at this school which shows his attachment to the school and his arrogant attachment to status. Blume shows some mean spirit by blocking a basketball shot to some 8 year olds interrupting their game. It’s funny. 

Miss Cross begins tutoring Max. He becomes a cheerleader for his school.  Margaret Yang takes an interest in him which I can’t see why. Dirk confronts Blume about cheating on his wife with Miss Cross. He then spits on the hood of Blume’s car. 

Max does a play now with racial stereotypes as a gangbanger which is how he views his racially diversified school. It shows his arrogance and ignorance. He argues with Blume telling him he was in love with Cross first, childishly. Max like the prick he is tells Blume’s wife Blume is cheating on her. Max puts bees through Blume’s hotel door through a tube. He then sabotages Blume’s brakes in his car. Max is later arrested. Max is such a two-faced prick he takes photos of Miss Cross that show she is with Blume trying to get her fired. 

Max tries to kiss Miss Cross which she rejects. Max gets knocked out by the Scottish student. He becomes a barber with his dad at his shop. Max and Blume talk at the hospital and he reveals to Max Miss Cross is still in love with her dead husband. Max always abuses Miss Cross’s kindness and lies about being hit by a car to her. She tells him she left Blume because he’s married and hates himself. Miss Cross cries over her dead husband. Later while flying a kite with Dirk Margaret Yang tells Max he is a real jerk to her. She flies her remote control airplane.

Max buys dynamite. He later directs and writes a play about Vietnam. The Vietnam play is a hit like all his plays. 

This movie is very good and I recommend people to see all of Wes Anderson’s films.

Marco Tullio Giordana: The Best of Youth

Director - Marco Tullio Giordana
Writers - Sandro Petraglia and Stefano Rulli

Cast                          ...               Character 

Luigi Lo Cascio        ...           Nicola Carati
Alessio Boni             ...           Matteo Carati
Sonia Bergamasco    ...           Giulia MonFalco
Maya Sansa            ...             Mirella Utano
Fabrizio Gifuni         ...             Carlo Tommasi
Jasmine Trinca          ...            Giorgia Esposti
Riccardo Scamarcio  ...           Andrea Utano
Andrea Tidona          ...            Angelo Carati
Valentina Carnelutti   ...             Francesca Carati
Camilla Filippi           ...            Sara Carati
Lidia Vitale               ...            Giovanna Carati
Claudio Gioe            ...             Vitale Micavi
Paolo Bonnani         ...            Luigino
Giovanni Scifoni      ...            Berto
Stefano Abbati        ...            Spacciatore

Part 1

The Best of Youth begins in Rome summer of 1966. Matteo is studying for exams. He is going to Norway after exams. Matteo picks up Giorgia at the clinic and she is out there. They talk at the library and he tells her he wants to read a poetry book to her. She doesn't like it and he takes her back to the clinic. One doctor takes advantage of the patients and has them wash his car for him. He says it gives them something to do. Matteo's parents are fighting at home because the father mortgaged the house.

Matteo goes out with his friends. They meet Cati who is a prostitute. She says no kissing on the mouth which is good because who knows how many dicks have been in there. Matteo spends more time with Giorgia and taking pictures with her. Later he develops those photos in a darkroom. His friend says the doctors are giving her electro-shock therapy. He sneaks her out of her sleeping quarters. He makes her coffee. They go to a city but a priest tells them her father left years ago.

They sleep in the priest's stable and Giorgia tells Matteo and his brother Nicola she has no father. He looks at her notebook of drawings and she goes hysterical. Matteo and his brother Nicola take Giorgia to her father but he thinks she should be back in the clinic. They go to the beach and later leave by train. Giorgia speaks in sign language. The police capture her and take her back to the asylum.

Matteo admits to Nicola he failed his exam and leaves by train back to Rome. Matteo returns to Rome and joins the army. Nicola lives in Norway as a lumberjack. He writes about people he met like an American coward, Martin, who came to Norway to avoid Vietnam.

The blonde Norwegian girl Nicola is sleeping with lets him know there has been a terrible flood in Florence. Nicola returns to Italy and meets up with Matteo. Nicola volunteers to help with saving books from water damage. He notices a girl playing the piano beautifully. Her name is Giulia.

As a police officer Matteo is extremely brutal. Giulia becomes pregnant by Nicola. They will call the child Sara. Nicola is a psychiatrist now and tries to end electro-shock therapy to the mentally ill. In Palermo Matteo talks to a superior who says he causes a mess. Nicola is in court and sees the judge give 5 years prison sentence to the doctors who performed electro-shock to their patients.

At dinner the people with Nicola discuss how half of the military's 2 billion dollar budget goes missing. Matteo's father needs medical treatment but keeps it a secret between Matteo's sister and him. Matteo meets a photographer in Palermo called Mirella. They talk about an Ingrid Bergman film. In one of the hospitals they find patients ties to their beds violating laws. Among one of them is Giorgia who Nicola remembers. Matteo works as a police officer still and finds a dead body in a slaughterhouse perhaps done by the Mafia. He yells at an onlooker and gets a leave of absence.

Matteo tries to talk to Giorgia but she is not responding to him talking to her. Matteo and Nicola's father dies after suffering old age. "Giulia gets drawn into a secret Red Brigades cell." (Wikipedia.org) A man from that organization gives her a briefcase with a gun inside. Giulia leaves Nicola.

Spring 1980 - Carlo and Francesca get married. During the wedding one of Nicola's friends says he got fired from Fiat. They argue about whether they can do this.

Part 2

Sara wonders where her mother is or whether she's alive. She talks to her dad, Nicola. Giulia has many different Italian passports and is planning something since she is against democracy and for communism. Giulia sees her daughter, Sara and Nicola in a museum. Sara looks at her but it is vague whether she recognized her or ignored her.

Matteo moves and gets a new job assignment. Giulia's face is on the wall in the police station. She meets with someone at the movie theater and is given some documents. Mirella and Matteo go to a bowling alley. After they make love in the car.

Nicola asks Carlo why he has bodyguards and he says he's been threatened. Mirella is angry with Matteo about lying about his name. At home the whole Carati family plays card games. Matteo drives home disturbed by something. At home Matteo jumps off the balcony and kills himself. The Carati family is devastated. Giovanna, Nicola's sister, talks to him. He plans to meet Giulia with his daughter in order to have her arrested and she is.

Nicola visits Giulia in prison and proposes marriage which she turns down. She says not to bring Sara anymore and for him not to come either. Nicola sends Giulia books on how to play piano by Bach and Beethoven but she tells the officer to return them to sender. Nicola watches Sara do fencing.

At a photography exhibit Nicola gets a catalog of the pictures. Matteo is in one of them. Giorgia is finally talking. She talks to Nicola about Matteo's photograph. Giorgia moves in with people who will take care of her outside the clinic. Giulia meets up with Mirella, the photographer, and they discuss Matteo.  She is the one who photographed Matteo. Nicola tells his mom she will be a grandmother. The boy's name is Andrea. She meets her grandson and they go fishing. The grandmother gives photos of Matteo as a boy to Mirella.

Sara now does art restoration and has a boyfriend called Mimmo. Nicola's mother dies in her sleep. Mirella wrote to him as the grandmother of Andrea stayed with them. Sara meets her mom again. She tells  her she's pregnant. Nicola and Mirella fall in love.

Andrea travels to Norway in 2003 and finishes the trip Nicola never completed.

The Wachowski Brothers: The Matrix

A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against its controllers. -IMDB.com




Directors/Writers - Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski









Cast                    ...             Character


Keanu Reeves    ...       Neo/Thomas A. Anderson
Laurence Fishburne  ...  Morpheus
Carrie-Anne Moss    ...   Trinity
Hugo Weaving        ...     Agent Smith
Gloria Foster          ...     Oracle
Joe Pantoliano        ...    Cypher
Marcus Chong        ...     Tank
Julian Arahanga      ...     Apoc
Matt Doran              ...     Mouse
Belinda McClory      ...     Switch
Anthony Ray Parker   ...  Dozer

The visual style of the Matrix draws on its creators' love or the comic book and Japanese animation traditions, as well as reflecting an affinity with video game culture. These stylistic elements include certain modes of framing and lighting, along with an emphasis on violence" (Sparknotes Editors)

The Matrix is one of the most innovative, confusing and visually exciting science fiction movies I've ever seen. Hopefully this review will scratch the surface on its meanings as it is thoroughly confusing.

"The mise-en-scene (physical environment of a film) displays the strong sense of metaphor throughout the trilogy. The repetitive blandness of the grid in Thomas Anderson's plain, cubicle-laden corporate office symbolizes the Matrix's stifling system of control, and it visually illustrates the Matrix's latitudinal/longitudinal weblike code that Neo finally sees at the end of the Matrix" (Sparknotes Editors)

The film begins with the Matrix code shown on screen. What is funny about this is that recently "Simon Whitely, the creator of the Matrix's code, said that it all came from his wife's Japanese cookbook. Whitely scanned the characters from that book and digitally manipulated them until they became the otherworldly coding that appeared on screen." (Nerdist.com) He says they came from sushi recipes. Interesting.

First of all before we get into the artistic merits of the film which are many, I would like to comment on a few things. The Matrix or the world around us to blind us from the truth is indeed a fantasy world. It is beautiful, fun and worth exploring. So why would anyone want to find out the truth by taking the red pill? Neo was tricked by Morpheus. I would have taken the blue pill. Morpheus tells Neo he is a slave but what does Neo experience after he is freed from being a "battery?" He is forced to fight off agents, sentinals, eat gunk, drink machine oil, live in material poverty, and so forth. Physical comfort are things of the past. They even wear tattered rags.

Even Neo who has a morbid curiosity of his real world laughs when Cypher/Lucifer tells him, Why didn't I take the blue pill? Neo laughs at this meaning he agrees with Cypher. When Neo tells Trinity he recognizes a place he used to eat at that has really good noodles Trinity looks disappointed in Neo's attachment to the Matrix. Maybe this is a distortion of Buddhism where attachment to desires bring suffering. There is a lot of religious symbolism in this film which should be obvious enough. Neo which is an anagram for One is a Jesus like savior. Trinity, like the holy Trinity. Morpheus is the god of dreams in Greek mythology. (wikipedia.org) His fighting styles are Budo, Krav Maga, Wushu. He is the captain of the Nebuchadnezzar. King Nebuchadnezzar is in the Bible in Daniel 2:1-49. Another biblical connection is that "his strong, almost single-minded belief in Neo as the One has very strong Biblical correlations to that of John the Baptist's belief in the prophecy of the Messiah." (Wikipedia.org)

The Matrix has Illuminati references all over the place. The sun is often shown or symbolized like in One of the opening shots of the flashlight as the Illuminati is a secret solar cult. There is also El Sol oranges later in the film when Neo runs to find a phone. El Sol is Spansih for "the sun." There is a checkerboard design in the scene where agents and authorities come after Neo, Morepheus and their crew. There are checkerboard designs which are featured in all masonic lodges. Pyramids are shown by objects which is an Illuminati symbol. When Neo touches the pyramid in the broken mirror (gel) he touches the broken capstone of the pyramid. There is Sol (Sun) symbol in the subway wall when Neo fights Smith. Smith means "to strike." There is a sun symbol on the wall of the Oracle's apartment. The circular explosion behind Trinity looks like a sun when they run on the rooftops after Trinity, the roof parts ae shaped like pyramids. There is a masonic double headed eagle symbol behind Neo when he is in the Oracle's apartment. Morpheus stands in a satanic pose - As above, So Below while he is in The Construct. The red pill/blue pill symbolizes the red and blue lodges of freemasonry. The camera eye the machine looks on to Neo as he is unplugged represents the all seeing eye - symbolic of Masonic/occult/Illuminati ritual. One scene where an agent jumps down into the trash, there is a shot of a woman in red making a triangle/pyramid sign with her hand which is an illuminati gesture.

When Neo is talking to Morpheus in his work office his jacket is pinned to form a gold sun pyramid. Morpheus was the Roman god of dreams. The ship Nebuchadnezzar is named after the once ruler of Babylon, Conquerer of Jerusalem. The Illuminati also worship the sun god Horus. Thanks to channel 111Truth111 from youtube for all the insight. So is the film for the Illuminati or against it? Who knows. Does the Illuminati really exist?

The film begins with a close-up shot of a flashlight bulb hinting at the Illuminati obsession with sun symbols. They arrive at room 303 which holds Trinity inside. Trinity means a group of 3. After snapping the cop's arm she jumps in the air with a 360 degrees shot or bullet timewhich was invented in this film. She finally reaches a hardline telephone and gets back to Morpheus, His computer wakes him up and tells him to follow the white rabbit a reference to Alice in Wonderland. The room he is in is 101. Neo is an anagram for "one." He is a computer hacker who sells programs. He sells a program to a guy for $2,000 and puts it in a book called Silmulcra and Silmulation.

Neo is a metaphor for Jesus as his client refers him as. He sees the white rabbit tattoo on his client's girlfrend's arm and decides to go with them. He meets Trinity at the nightclub. SHe tells him he's here because the question that drives him, "What is the Matrix?" Neo has a soul crushing office job. He signs for a package. In it is a cell phone. He talks to Morpheus. Agents and police are looking for him. If you notice Neo - his back part of his blazer is taped up his back to form a gold pyramid. It is an Illuminati symbol.

The Agents and the cops arrest Neo. Mr. Smith threatens Neo telling him he has broken every computer crime they have a law for. They ask to get Morpheus in exchange he not be prosecuted for any computer crime. They put a mechanical bug in his body which is probably a tracer of some sort. Trinity removes it. On the way to see Morpheus the floor is checkerboard design which is seen in masonic lodges. Morpheus tells Neo The Matrix is the world that has been pulled over his eyes to blind him from the truth. He tells Neo he is a slave. His mind is imprisoned. Neo takes the red pill to know the truth. The pill is a tracer. A broken mirror reforms. Neo wakes up in a tube with a liquid and a machine unplugs him. He is no longer a battery that powers the Matrix (false world).  Morpheus introduces everyone on the ship, The Nebuchadnezzar.

Morpheus tells Neo reality is just electrical signals interpreted by the brain. He tells Neo he is in a computer program called The Construct. Morpheus revealsthat Machinesand humans fought destroying the world. Machines grow humans because humans produce energy which power the Matrix.

Tank programs various martial arts into Neo's mind. After failing the jump program he bleeds in his mouth. Neo asks, "I thought it wasn't real?" Morpheus says "Your mind makes it real." During a talk in a busy city (allegedly Chicago) Morpheus says people are reliant on the system (matrix) and will fight to protect it. A woman in red distracts Neo. "The woman in red is a reference to the whore of Babylon in Revelation of the Bible." (illuminatisymbols.info) An Agent points a gun at Neo. Morpheus these agents are confined to a world of rules. A freed mind like Neo can beat them if he is skilled enough. Cypher (Lucifer) says he wishes he took the blue pill to Neo. Neo laughs showing some agreement and weakness. Cypher tries to make a deal with Mr. Smith. He wants access codes to the Zion Mainframe from Cypher.

Morpheus lets the crew know he will be taking Neo to see her. She is the Oracle. One thing let's talk about quickly is the colortints based on which "reality" the characters are in. From the blog Filmschoolthrucommentaries, "A lot of people who find this film to be something "cool" are people who simply look at a film and observe the surface. However, The Matrix’s green tint (and blue,
which gets lost in discussions of the film’s look) are actually
representations of the opposing realities. The green tint isn’t there
simply for the film to look cool, it is there for a reason. It is the
Matrix, it’s color palette is based on the green text code that is by
now a part of pop culture easily recognized.

The film has another reality, which is represented buy the use of a
muted, blue tint. This reality is the real world (that’s also
debatable if you watch the subsequent sequels). These color choices
are carefully selected so as to not only thematically and symbolically
represent the different, opposing worlds, but as to not confuse the
audience as to what is going on , on screen.”
(Filmschoolthrucommentaries)

On the way to see the Oracle, Cypher throws a dialing cell phone into
a trash can to mark the location for agents to find because he was
selling them out. The Oracle tells Neo that he is not the “One.” Neo
is told he is going to have to make a choice between saving his own
life or saving Morpheus’s life. There is a glitch in the matrix when
Neo notices there is a black cat that walks by and repeats itself.
Morpheus fights Mr. Smith and saves Neo’s life. After Smith defeats
Morpheus in a fight police come in and beat him with batons that
reminds one of the Rodney King beating.  Cypher is back in the ship
after being “logged out” of the Matrix. He shoots Tank and Dozer.
Morpheus is in custody of the agents. They are trying to get codes to
Zion’s mainframe. Mr. Smith describes humans destructive force on the
planet as a virus and a plague.

After defeating police on the rooftop, an agent fires bullets at Neo.
He moves so fast in 360 degrees bullet time the directors invented for
the film that he is able to dodge them. Neo saves Morpheus by catching
him as he jumps from the building when he saves Trinity’s life as
well. Trinity and the operator realize he is the one. Morpheus always
knew he was the one. The one meaning savior.

The subway scene beginning is shot like a genre western standoff with
some trash flying between Smith and Neo. “The shots were relatively
quick for an action scene, with an average length of 2.04 seconds per
shot, with a total of 144 shots in the 294 second scene. This along
with the fast-paced music makes for an intense and action packed
scene.” (thematrixsubwayscene.weebly.com/cinematography.html#)
Once Neo kills Mr. Smith he comes back alive through another person’s
body he has inhabited. Sentinels come for the ship while Neo is chased
by agents. Neo comes to a room with a phone ringing but agent Smith
shoots him dead. Trinity kisses Neo in the ship which brings him back
to life. When Neo comes back to life he is able to stop bullets on
command. Morpheus fires the EMP to save the crew. Neo and Trinity
kiss.


Works Cited:


www.traditioninaction.org/movies/007mrMatrix2.htm

Sparknotes Editors. "Sparknote on the Matrix Trilogy." Sparknotes.com. Sparknotes LLC. 2004. Web 13 Dec. 2017

http://www.nerdist.com/the-matrix-code-sushi-recipe/

Perkins, John. Perkinsworkins.blogspot.com/2014/01/cinematography-in-matrix.html?m=1

http://illuminatimovies.net/the-matrix

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ziYnvEBoofE
http://www.filmschoolthrucommentaries.wordpress.com/2012/12/30/color-and-the-look-of-a-film-visual-analysis/amp

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