Tonight, my first classic: Rosemary's Baby. This movie was released in 1968 so naturally, I had to adjust my thinking because movies were made differently back then. I started it fairly late at night so I was slightly displeased when I found out that it was over two hours long. People had more time back then to watch movies.
Let me start by saying this movie is weird. It's about a young New York couple who want to have a baby. They move into a new apartment and meet some strange and nosy neighbours. Rosemary becomes pregnant after she has a hallucinogenic "dream" involving nudity (was nudity allowed back then?) and satanic rituals. She's pretty much raped by the devil and gives birth to his baby, recieving "help" all along from her neighbours. You know, in a nutshell.
I think the best part of this movie is Rosemary's haircut! A girl with short hair myself, I always appreciate beautiful women with short hair. How awesome is it that she pulled that off in 1968? Thank-you for paving the way for me Mia Farrow.
Oh am I ever glad I'm not a woman in the 60s. Male doctors that don't tell me my own diagnosis, only tell my husband? No thanks. Can you believe that? Just like a vet telling a pet owner the diagnosis of their dog; the woman couldn't possibly understand, nor is she responsible for her own life. It just really irks me how helpless Rosemary is throughout the film. Rosemary's character is VERY childlike and though she's sweet, it's very hard to imagine her as a mother. When she suggests to her doctor that she's afraid of having an ectopic pregnancy, she is thoroughly scolded for having read a book. (The doctor was in kahoots with the devil worshippers so this may be why he didn't want her poking around in any books but still, I'm sure women were treated similarly at the time.) Mia Farrow's reaction to the sight of her baby at the end of the film is so priceless and disturbing. Even though it's sort of comical, her screaming is what got me.
This film was a huge hit in its time and the director, Roman Polanski recieved two Academy Award nominations. It paved the way for movies like The Exorcist and The Omen. I wouldn't really consider the film "scary" for 2010 standards but the concept is certainly disturbing and there's something neat about the fact that it was so original. Almost all the ideas for horror movies nowadays have been done before. There's nothing new and yet in 1968, a frightened, innocent mother giving birth to the devil's baby was new.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Feeling quite Wolfy this morning
Last night I watched The Wolfman. It was a little more scary than Shutter Island so I'm glad I'm kind of easing into this. The movie is a period piece, which I typically enjoy. The costumes and details are really great.
Probably one of my favorite parts of this movie was the lighting. It's set in the 1800s so everything is lit with candles. Everyone looks better by candle light, I think. Also, the moonlight plays a huge part in setting the mood of the film.
The acting was another thing that really made this movie stand out for me. How can you go wrong with Anthony Hopkins and Benicio Del Toro? Emily Blunt is also quite spectacular in her role. Her outfits are so cute and part of me wishes it was still 1891 so I could dress like that too. She looks so skinny in those period pieces.
There wasn't a lot of fright involved in this movie but there was a LOT of gore. Those claws the Wolfman has are deadly. And I mean that in the most literal sense of the word.
This movie is a good boyfriend cuddler if you don't wanna be too scared. There are some parts you can snuggle up to him over but there isn't anything that's going to have you losing sleep for weeks. Other than the occasional long conversation between the characters that seem redundant, this movie is quite entertaining.
And a side note, I never found Benicio Del Toro sexy before but he kind of is in this movie. He's got the whole dark, mysterious character down. It's quite appealing if I do say so myself.
Next week I will be watching Rosemary's Baby. (Quite possibly because I just cut my hair short and I think Mia Farrow has the cutest hair in this movie. Very cutting edge for that time period.)
Probably one of my favorite parts of this movie was the lighting. It's set in the 1800s so everything is lit with candles. Everyone looks better by candle light, I think. Also, the moonlight plays a huge part in setting the mood of the film.
The acting was another thing that really made this movie stand out for me. How can you go wrong with Anthony Hopkins and Benicio Del Toro? Emily Blunt is also quite spectacular in her role. Her outfits are so cute and part of me wishes it was still 1891 so I could dress like that too. She looks so skinny in those period pieces.
There wasn't a lot of fright involved in this movie but there was a LOT of gore. Those claws the Wolfman has are deadly. And I mean that in the most literal sense of the word.
This movie is a good boyfriend cuddler if you don't wanna be too scared. There are some parts you can snuggle up to him over but there isn't anything that's going to have you losing sleep for weeks. Other than the occasional long conversation between the characters that seem redundant, this movie is quite entertaining.
And a side note, I never found Benicio Del Toro sexy before but he kind of is in this movie. He's got the whole dark, mysterious character down. It's quite appealing if I do say so myself.
Next week I will be watching Rosemary's Baby. (Quite possibly because I just cut my hair short and I think Mia Farrow has the cutest hair in this movie. Very cutting edge for that time period.)
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Shutter Island didn't exactly make me shudder.
Shutter Island didn't exactly make me shudder.
It was definitely creepy and there were some disturbing moments but it wasn't so bad and wouldn't fall under the category of horror.
With that said though, it was a very mentally stimulating film. Leonardo DiCaprio did a great job of portraying the emotional role of Teddy Daniels.
The film has a certain eeriness that's brought forth particularly with the director's color use. I noticed there are very few warm colors throughout. A frightening storm is also a nice touch in setting the mood of the film.
Perhaps the best part of the film though is the ending. After so much second guessing and after being a part of the confusion experienced by Teddy, as the audience you get a sort of "ah hah" feeling at the end when everything comes together.
Overall, Shutter Island is a very strange movie but very well executed and very mentally stimulating. I think the best movies are ones where you actually have to use your brain to enjoy.
Anyone have any ideas for next week? Twitter me @Pwanks. I would prefer something that isn't too scary (I'm trying to ease into it). And, if anyone ever has something I can borrow that would be great because I will go broke before 15 weeks is up if I always have to rent them.
It was definitely creepy and there were some disturbing moments but it wasn't so bad and wouldn't fall under the category of horror.
With that said though, it was a very mentally stimulating film. Leonardo DiCaprio did a great job of portraying the emotional role of Teddy Daniels.
The film has a certain eeriness that's brought forth particularly with the director's color use. I noticed there are very few warm colors throughout. A frightening storm is also a nice touch in setting the mood of the film.
Perhaps the best part of the film though is the ending. After so much second guessing and after being a part of the confusion experienced by Teddy, as the audience you get a sort of "ah hah" feeling at the end when everything comes together.
Overall, Shutter Island is a very strange movie but very well executed and very mentally stimulating. I think the best movies are ones where you actually have to use your brain to enjoy.
Anyone have any ideas for next week? Twitter me @Pwanks. I would prefer something that isn't too scary (I'm trying to ease into it). And, if anyone ever has something I can borrow that would be great because I will go broke before 15 weeks is up if I always have to rent them.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Newest member to Twitter
I am excited to announce the recent social media addition to my life: Twitter. I am now on Twitter and I am already loving it. I have had Twitter for awhile and used it to follow different news sources so I can take a quick look and know most of the headlines (very useful for CreComm students). However, after todays PR class, I now understand direct messages, hash tags, retweet posts and even about "Follow Friday". This is where the Twitter community tweet recommendations for other Twitter users for interesting people to follow. I am hoping my friends outside of CreComm will join Twitter because I think it's an excellent communication tool, with its own unique qualities, different from Facebook. It's meant to be more public than Facebook and my favorite part is not just following what my friends are saying but also what for example, the Food Network is tweeting.
Next goal - get my mom on Twitter (or better yet, my dad! Who am I kidding? That would NEVER happen!)
If you have Twitter, follow me @Pwanks
Next goal - get my mom on Twitter (or better yet, my dad! Who am I kidding? That would NEVER happen!)
If you have Twitter, follow me @Pwanks
"Funnies" For CreComm Students
Totally off topic in terms of my blog but I just had to share these because they're hilarious! (Sorry they're so small but if you click on them, it'll make them larger.)
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Horror Movie or Political/Religious Message?
Splice is a movie I have been somewhat interested in ever since I saw the preview a few months ago. The film tells a story about two scientists who create a hybrid creature even though they are ordered not to. The creature seems cute at first but then she basically turns on them.
This might be a movie I choose to review in the future (my boyfriend, being a science guy, is quite intrigued by the concept of the film) but for now I'd like to take a moment to share my opinions about the whole concept.
Does anyone else see through the plot of this film? It is basically saying that science kills. Well, maybe it doesn't go that far but to me, the underlying message is that if humans continue to use science in the advanced ways they have been like for cloning, or in this case, gene splicing, they are doomed.
When I fist saw the trailer for this film, I thought the creature (her name is Dren, "nerd" spelled backwards)was so cute! I thought about how you could have taken the concept and made a whole different film out of it. Maybe a drama about the struggles she has with fitting in; maybe there could be a best friend or a love interest. It could have been a metaphor for how some of us feel sometimes when we don't fit in. "If you think you have it hard, look at Dren." That kind of concept.
But no, instead there had to be some sort of religious/political underlying tones (demonstrated by the horror genre and the events of the film) about the fact that manipulating nature is BAD! Express your opinion about this but please don't infiltrate my movies. Thank you.
This might be a movie I choose to review in the future (my boyfriend, being a science guy, is quite intrigued by the concept of the film) but for now I'd like to take a moment to share my opinions about the whole concept.
Does anyone else see through the plot of this film? It is basically saying that science kills. Well, maybe it doesn't go that far but to me, the underlying message is that if humans continue to use science in the advanced ways they have been like for cloning, or in this case, gene splicing, they are doomed.
When I fist saw the trailer for this film, I thought the creature (her name is Dren, "nerd" spelled backwards)was so cute! I thought about how you could have taken the concept and made a whole different film out of it. Maybe a drama about the struggles she has with fitting in; maybe there could be a best friend or a love interest. It could have been a metaphor for how some of us feel sometimes when we don't fit in. "If you think you have it hard, look at Dren." That kind of concept.
But no, instead there had to be some sort of religious/political underlying tones (demonstrated by the horror genre and the events of the film) about the fact that manipulating nature is BAD! Express your opinion about this but please don't infiltrate my movies. Thank you.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Intro to a "Horror-Filled" 15 weeks (or more!)
Before I start this blog you have to understand a few things about me. First of all, I hate scary movies. Now you may wonder why someone who hates scary movies would want to watch one a week. This is a good question. I suppose I'd like to expand my movie repertoire. As of now I'm kind of stuck in a rut of romantic comedies (or rom coms, as I like to refer to them). This always leads to a fight and/or "you owe me's" in the movie store when my boyfriend is constantly subjected to predictable story lines and girly love stories. I don’t think he cares whether or not Jennifer Lopez is pregnant and he certainly doesn’t care what Kristen Bell is doing in Rome. Another reason I want to do this is to gain some street cred. My sister is 16 and she loves scary movies. She's not scared of anything! I'm 6 years older and I'm the biggest baby. I have to regain my big sister status. (I may have to stop calling her in a whiny panic to come kill a spider if I find one in my room as well but that's a whole other battle. Baby steps though.)
Another personality trait of mine that might be helpful to know is that I'm kind of like a mom. I'm not actually a mom but anyone who knows me would describe me this way. I am always the responsible one and I'm not really the "fun" one. Maybe this exercise will help me to loosen up a bit. Or it could frankly, do the opposite. Who knows? (Gulp)
Another thing I should do is lay out some ground rules:
1. I will only review watch worthy movies. Nothing like "Freddy vs Jason in Space while also Being Attacked by Aliens and/or Predators". I may watch some classics but otherwise, no "B" movies!
2. Under no circumstances will I watch a scary movie by myself. Even if it means I have to grab a random stranger off the street and invite them into my house to watch with me. This will clearly be safer than watching by myself because I'll need protection if something from the screen suddenly shows up in my basement. Of course a stranger would protect me.
3. I’ll try not to give anything away. I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone if I’m writing about a film they’d like to see. That being said though, I want to be able to write about my thoughts and feelings and I don’t want to have to “censor” myself, so to speak. So I guess I should say “Spoiler Alert!” from this point forward.
Tune in next week when I’ll probably be regretting this whole experience. If anything you can all just laugh at my misery and lack of sleep. My first movie will be Shutter Island starring Leonardo DiCaprio. I think it's a good warm-up for me. I'm told it's more of a mystery than a horror so I'm keeping my fingers crossed I won't be sleeping in my parents bed (no guarantees though - and yes, I mean with them).
Another personality trait of mine that might be helpful to know is that I'm kind of like a mom. I'm not actually a mom but anyone who knows me would describe me this way. I am always the responsible one and I'm not really the "fun" one. Maybe this exercise will help me to loosen up a bit. Or it could frankly, do the opposite. Who knows? (Gulp)
Another thing I should do is lay out some ground rules:
1. I will only review watch worthy movies. Nothing like "Freddy vs Jason in Space while also Being Attacked by Aliens and/or Predators". I may watch some classics but otherwise, no "B" movies!
2. Under no circumstances will I watch a scary movie by myself. Even if it means I have to grab a random stranger off the street and invite them into my house to watch with me. This will clearly be safer than watching by myself because I'll need protection if something from the screen suddenly shows up in my basement. Of course a stranger would protect me.
3. I’ll try not to give anything away. I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone if I’m writing about a film they’d like to see. That being said though, I want to be able to write about my thoughts and feelings and I don’t want to have to “censor” myself, so to speak. So I guess I should say “Spoiler Alert!” from this point forward.
Tune in next week when I’ll probably be regretting this whole experience. If anything you can all just laugh at my misery and lack of sleep. My first movie will be Shutter Island starring Leonardo DiCaprio. I think it's a good warm-up for me. I'm told it's more of a mystery than a horror so I'm keeping my fingers crossed I won't be sleeping in my parents bed (no guarantees though - and yes, I mean with them).
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