Barry Lyndon (1975)

As a self described camera nerd, I have to discuss one aspect of the film Barry Lyndon before anything else. Stanley Kubrick (one of my all time favorite directors) comissioned the creation of a camera system that would use a Zeiss lens purchased from NASA that could shoot at a staggering .7 F stop. For all you non-camera types out there, an F stop is how wide the lens is open allowing more or less light into the camera exposing the film while the camera shutter is open. A very wide open lens basically just means that more light is exposed quicker thus allowing for a very fast shutter (the shutter door does not need to be open for very long since so much light is able to reach the film). This produces a few signature effects to the image produced by the process. First is, not much outside or artificial light is need to properly view a dim scene. All the indoor shots in Barry Lyndon are done WITHOUT artificial light. Candlelight is sufficient and creates a mood that feels very true to the time period shown (1700's). Light coming through windows into the interior shots is extremely bright and streams thickly into the darkened rooms. The other result of a .7 F-stop is the very low depth of field. DOF describes how little or how much is in focus in any scene. For example a low depth of field scene could show a candlestick, but blur out the entire rest of the scene, foreground and background, highlighting the candlestick. In the film the characters are highlighted by the use of low DOF provided by the low f-stop lens. Every single shot looks like a painting and is gorgeous.

Aside from all that technical nonsense, Barry Lyndon is a long winding, but ultimately successful and intriguing look at the life of a man in the 1700's Europe. Because every detail is faithful to an accurate depiction of the time period, every scene is interesting to watch, regardless of the storyline. The story overall is pretty basic and linear, but fascinating in it's portrayal of how European society worked at the time. I would recommend the film alone for it's use of a revolutionary camera process, but also for it's historical accuracy and dedication to reproducing the 1700's.

Badlands (1973)

Badlands is an intersection of two main commendable studies of what defines America as a place and as an idea. One is a look at youth culture, and issues of rebellion and the struggle to understand ones place in the world in the midst of confusing cultural messages. The other is a study of the physical landscape of the american west. I absolutely loved each contrasting aspect of the film. From the main charachter Kit's misunderstood life, forcing him down a path that he can't even himself explain. Is Kit a product of his environment? I think in a very tangible way he is a product of American culture. He has probably been told he looks like James Dean for his entire post adolescent life, and so he conforms to the role of the rebel. A criminal without any motivation beyond a societal expectation. He is a deeply troubled child abandoned by the world and given a handgun. The beautiful parts of the film are in the shots, layered and baron, contrasting the varying tones overlapping the film. We see the bleak landscapes and we feel alone, perhaps mirroring the emptiness inside Kit.

Antichrist (2009)

This movie was bad. Don't get me wrong there were things that were brilliant, but overall it was misguided, untactful and lost. The film has scenes of graphic, intense and numbing pornographic violence. By pornographic violence, I mean that literally. If you can get past the shock factor, the scenes offer little to the viewer or to the story. They are meaningless. It's really too bad because the film is wonderfully shot for a horror film, and fun to watch aside from the previously mention bits. I read up on the director Von Trier and it's obvious he is part of the dogme 95 gang because I think he respects honesty in filmmaking. However, I think someone needs to tell him that honesty for the sake of honesty is almost as bad as lying. You must have reason and intent and think out every decision for the good of the whole. His decisions in the film showcase a blind disregard for the final product and simply exhibit a carelessness and obsession with pointless details. The film is at least worth the watch for a few beautiful scenes, and the clear acting chops of Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

Manhattan 1979

This is probably one of the best written romantic comedies in the history of romcoms. They just don't make em' like Manhattan anymore. I'll take the 42 year old Woody Allan over the washboard abbed Matthew Mcon-a-whatshisface anyday and would rather see an aging and neurotic Diane Keaton over a soulless hollywood bimbo spouting tired lines. I would also love to see a beautifully shot black and white film over whatever next generation super high definition 3D digital formats they're trying to push onto us. I think grays, black and white represent the relationships and people in the film as much as they do fractally to the entire city of new york. Woody Allan knows this romantic representation of the city intimately and he showcases his skill at translating this perspective into amazing dialogue, beautiful cinematography and a powerful soundtrack by George Gershwin all of which encourage the viewer to see Manhattan as he does.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

2001 A space odyssey is a voyage through an unknown infinity. The images that we encounter throughout the film are fresh and unfamiliar. There are representations of humanity but ultimately this movie is about exploring the areas of the universe that do not readily make sense to the human mind. This is not a traditional movie in most definitions, but rather a new experiance that builds upon it's own premise of leaving behind traditional narratives and anything comfortingly conversant. There are only suggestions, movements and hints at what is possible when you unleash the mind from it's shackles and allow it to purely experiance what is. I can see why some people would react negatively to film in which most if not all previous associations are erased, but I find value in pushing the limits of human perspicacity. The journey is gorgeous and brilliantly visual, so sit back and relax, and enjoy the ride. Don't forget to remember it's just a movie and it can be as deep or as shallow as you want it to be.

Easy Rider (1969)

Freedom is a word often talked about but never practiced. The idealist biker hippies in Easy Rider are looking for romantic idea of freedom through the course of the film but never ultimately find it in 1960's America. The time is just not right for Wyatt and Billy, and they pay dearly for the transgression of individuality in such a repressive and violent part of the USA. Freedom for most people is an abstract concept. For Wyatt and Billy, the word seems tangible, with the help of drug use and riding cross country on a chopper. The film plays on the idea that you can't have it all, not because you really can't, but because there will always be someone trying to control or correct your actions. True freedom will never be possible in place so severely crippled by societal rules and regulations. Some things have changed since 1969, but the same types of violent, ignorant and repressive people still exist. I wonder if Wyatt and Billy would be able to make it to Florida in 2009?

The Wild One (1953)

The cultural signifigance of the people, clothing and ideas in the film is immeasurable. Marlon Brando as Johnny the modern hero, a tough guy with a good heart. The cycles, the jackets and that attitude. The jive talking gang of hooligans just trying to "have a ball" on everyone else's expense. These men are like the teenagers of my high school years, I know these guys. Children trapped in a grown man's body. Everyone can relate to the rebel, the duality of human nature and the need to leave it all behind, everyone and everything and just ride. Mary Murphy as Katie Bleeker the square with the same dreams as Johnny, shares much in common with him, only she hasn't the guts to let it all go. She isn't ready to roll the dice just yet. It's tragic but understandable, it's life. Some of us have to be the suit and the tie, others get to be the rebel. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. What a name. What a film.

The Graduate (1967)

The graduate is a film so telling of it's time, it is almost voyeuristic in it's look at the late 1960's. The fears, perversions and repression of the the time are clearly evident for all to see no matter how hard the characters attempt to ignore, hide or disguise them. Dustin Hoffman plays a man-child who cannot conform to social norms anymore. He rebels against the world by bedding a married woman, although the initial advances are thanks to the latter party, it is Hoffman's character Ben Braddock who follows through with the tryst by calling mrs. robinson - played by an astonishingly beautiful anne bancroft - from a hotel pay phone. At the core of the film, there is a deep sense of the social unrest. People were, at that time, soldered to societal positions. Any variation in the flow of things was extremely controversial. Ultimately the film is clear about making your own decisions, and being an individual even if it means having to experience unpleasant things to find out exactly what you need in life. It is shot beautifully with very interesting shot choices. There were multiple shots showing a reflective Dustin Hoffman, pondering life or even comparing his thought process to a caged animal (the fish tank in his bedroom / the monkeys at the zoo). Also used is a creative first person shot (i.e. the pool & scuba scene) or the infamous breast shots during the quick cutting of the first bedroom scene with Bancroft. The dialogue is crisp, even though it so eerily formal in so many informal situations (think Ben and Mr. Robinson's exchange in his Berkley apartment). I may tend towards nostalgia (even when I've never experienced certain things myself) but I find the consistent formality of the dialogue to be endearing. I wish we still lived in a world where a certain level of respect was required for all interactions. Even though the film seemed rushed at the end, it was overall immensely enjoyable due to it's ability to give a glimpse of the mindset of the time and to expose the dark underworld of suburbia in the 1960's.