Six feet under

(David starts crying)
- What's wrong?
- I want... I want us to last. I want us to stay together
- Ok
- I just want it to be worth it
- Ok

- How was your birthday party?

- You know what? I thought it was gonna be awful. But it was truly one of the finest evenings I've ever spent.

- Sorry I miss it

(...)

- I got a bit tipsy. We danced.

- Ok, I am really sorry I missed it

(...)

- How was your lesson?

- It was... Actually, it was truly one of the best evenings I've ever spent. (...)  I just had this glipmse of what might be possible. (...) I just felt really happy. Mum, would you like to go to the museum with me today?

- I would love nothing more. Should I make lunch first?

- No, let's go out

The Dictator (Larry Charles, 2012)

- So yeah, this is my store. This is the Free Earth Colletive. We are a vegan, feminist, non profit cooperative operating within an anti-racist, ati-oppressive framework for people of all or no genders. We are a pure democracy, just like Wadiya's going to be soon!

You're the worst

- Shit! We're gonna do this. we are gonna do this even tough we know there is only one way this ends. whether in a week or 20 years. There is a horrible sadness and pain coming

and we are inviting it.

- God, I love the way you think

Still Alice (Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland; 2014)

The poet Elizabeth Bishop once wrote: 'The art of losing isn't hard to master. So many things seem filled with the intent to be lost that thir loss is no disaster.' I am not a poet. I am a person living with early onset Alzheimer's. And as that person I find myself learning the art of losing every day.

Irréversible (Gaspar Noé, 2002)

- I want to fuck your ass.

- -I thought you were romantic

La fille sur le pont (Patrice Leconte, 1999)

- On fait comment ; on se serre la main ? On s’embrasse ?
- On s’oublie.
- Je ne vous promets rien...

Trouble in Paradise (Ernst Lubitsch, 1932)

 





GASTON
That's hotel life. In one room a 
 man loses his wallet 
  (very tenderly) 
 and in another room a man loses--
 his head.  
  (He tries to kiss Lily.)
 
      LILY
  (holding him off gently)
   Please.
  (Very sincerely.) 
 When I came here it was for a 
 little adventure--a little game 
 which you play tonight and forget 
 tomorrow. But something has changed 
 me--and it isn't the champagne. 
  (Gaston, also with sincerity, 
  takes her hand.) 
 The whole thing is new to me. Very 
 new. I've got a confession to make 
 to you. 
  (After a slight pause.) 
 Baron, you are a crook. 
  (Gaston's expression 
  doesn't change.) 
 You robbed the gentleman in two 
 fifty-three, five, seven, and nine. 
  (Still Gaston's expression 
  doesn't change. After a 
  slight pause, Lily turns 
  back to the table.) 
 May I have the salt?
 
   GASTON 
  (passes the salt with 
  an elegant gesture)
 Please.
 
      LILY
 Thank you.
 
   GASTON
 The pepper, too?
 
      LILY
 No, thank you.
 
   GASTON
  You're very welcome. 
  (There is a short silence as 
  both continue with the meal. 
  Then, with great candor.) 
 Countess, believe me, before you 
 left this room I would have told 
 you everything ... And let me say 
 this with love in my heart--
 Countess, you are a thief. 
  (Lily drops her 
  knife and fork.) 
 The wallet of the gentleman in two 
 fifty-three, five, seven, and nine 
 is in your possession. I knew it 
 very well when you took it out of 
 my pocket. 
  (With great charm.) 
 In fact, you tickled me. 
  (Moving closer to her.) 
 But your embrace was so sweet ... 
  (He caresses her hand 
  lingeringly. Then he gets up, 
  walks out toward the open 
  window.)
 
CLOSE SHOT  
at the window. Gaston enters, closes the window, and pulls 
the curtains. Looking back at Lily with smiling promise, he 
returns to the table.
 
CLOSE SHOT  TABLE 
Gaston goes to her, takes her hand, and draws her to her 
feet. She looks at him expectantly. Gaston takes her in his 
arms. It looks like the start of a passionate love scene. 
Suddenly, unexpectedly, he grabs her by the shoulders, 
shakes her violently.
 
INSERT 
Of their feet. Wallet falls from Lily's dress.
 
CLOSE SHOT  GASTON AND LILY 
Gaston reaches down, picks up wallet, puts it casually in 
his pocket, then gracefully holds chair, inviting her to 
sit.
 
   GASTON
 Countess.

Lily sits with all the poise of a lady. Gaston sits. They 
continue the meal as if nothing has happened.
 
   LILY
 I like you, Baron.
 
   GASTON 
  (fervently)
 I'm crazy about you. 
  (He reaches in his side 
  pocket, takes out a diamond 
  brooch which Lily wore when 
  she came in.) 
 By the way, your pin.

Lily is flabbergasted. She looks down to her bosom. Indeed, 
the pin is missing. She accepts the pin.
 
   LILY 
  (With a little 
  smile of shame)
 Thank you, Baron.
 
   GASTON
 Not at all, Countess ... There's 
 one very good stone in it.
 
   LILY 
  (as she fastens the pin)
 What time is it?
 
Gaston reaches for his watch, discovers it is missing. He 
gives Lily a look of admiration and astonishment. Lily 
smiles triumphantly, opens her purse, lifts out the watch, 
hands it to him. He takes it with a bow.
 
   LILY
 It was five minutes slow, but I 
 regulated it for you. 

They bow to each other like two Chinese mandarins.
 
   GASTON 
  (tenderly)
 I hope you don't mind if I keep 
 your garter.

Lily almost leaps out of her chair. She raises her skirt; 
her hand searches for the garter. It is missing. Gaston 
takes the garter out of his breast pocket, shows it to her, 
kisses it, puts it back, and buttons his coat. Lily is 
delighted. This is the highest compliment ever paid to her. 
She slides into his lap, embraces him.
 
   LILY
 Darling! 
  (They kiss; very excitedly.) 
 Now tell me--tell me all about 
 yourself. Who are you?
 
   GASTON
 You remember the man who walked into 
 the Bank of Constantinople and 
 walked out with the Bank of 
 Constantinople?
 
   LILY 
  (thrilled) 
 Monescu!
 
   GASTON
 Gaston Monescu.
 
   LILY 
  (melting away)
 Gaston!
 
They embrace and kiss again.
 

COUCH  
Lily is lying on the couch, Gaston at her side, leaning 
over adoringly.
 
   GASTON
  I love you. I loved you the moment 
 I saw you. I'm mad about you. My 
 little shoplifter! My sweet little 
 pickpocket! My darling! 

(Script: http://www.aellea.com/emruf3/tip.html)

Hoje eu quero voltar sozinho (Daniel Ribeiro, 2014) 

It Happened One Night (Frank Capra, 1934)

Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)

The Grapes of the Wrath

We are studying Steinbeck in "Literatura norteamericana III" but we only have time to read "The Pearl". Instead of reading The Grapes of Wrath, which is a long novel, we watched the film adaptation.


Are they different stories?

Well, I have not read the novel, so I can only tell you what we were told in class. It seems that the novel by John Steinbeck was very controversial, even banned and burned by citizens, but was also a success and Steinbeck won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1940.
And what about the film? Was it also controversial? We all know that Hollywood films are not done to make people think, but to make money, so the film is a sweeten version of the very controversial book. Even dealing with a difficult theme as the Great Depression, the film has some brief moments of comic relief (the dance at the government camp) which do not appear in the novel.


What I liked the most of The Grapes of Wrath (John Ford, 1940) is that you can find some of the Steinbeck's literature characteristics if you look closely. For example, generalization. Generalization means that one character does not only speaks for himself, but represents a collective. The story of the Joad's is also the story of a lot of people who were forced out of their lands, their homes. These people is somehow connected to their lands. As if they could not live out of it, as we can see when grandpa (Charley Grapewin) dies right after the trip starts. 

Another characteristic of Steinbeck's is that his works has references to the Bible. These family, that represents every family of farmers, set out on a trip to California, the promised land, as the Israelites crossed the Red Sea (Colorado river in the film).

Another reference to the Bible can be found. Casey (John Carradine) is seen as Jesus Christ, as both spread a message to the mass, especially to the poor people. Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) is Casey's Peter. At first, Tom becames an apostle (follows Casey's ideas) and when he dies, he takes his places and becomes the responsible of spreading the message.

 Tom Joad after deciding to leave the camp.

To finish, I am going to discuss the ending. In the novel, after that long trip, the family loses everything after a big storm. However, they seem to have a future (not bright, but at least an opportunity) in the film.

Midnight in Paris

If there is one thing that I like about Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen, 2011)  it is the treatment of time. The film plays with time in the sense that the protagonist "travels" to the past for a certain amount of time, every night when a car passes through the same street.

I do like Woody Allen. I find his style very interesting, but he reminds me to the writer Paul Auster, since both are always using the same kind of story again and again and... the reader of viewer find themselves reading or watching a film or a book that has a different title but is, essentially, the same as all their works before. 

Peter's friends

Peter's friends (Kenneth Branagh, 1992)  tells the story of six old friends who first met in England, where the film takes place. They have the first meeting for the first time in years. To let us know how they became friends, the film starts with a flashback of the times they met, when they shared all their life and meant everything for each other.

The main attraction of the film is the appearance of famous faces of the British television: the comedian Stephen Fry and the popular Hugh Laurie.

Then, it goes back to actual times and shows us how time acts. Because time changes everything and it is not fair. All these six friends are now unhappy in some way. They used to be fortunate, but their lifes now seem to be a poor version of what they hoped. Expectations never met reality.

Even more, the special relation seems to have changed. Years have passed and they are not able to rely on each other. They do not feel comfortable sharing their misfortunes with the others. The film is about these changes: before, they understood each other, now they feel judged. 

Is it impossible, then, for a friendship to survive? Only the memories will stay even if the friendship was pure? In the film, a difficult situation will prove if the old friendship is still somewhere in there , hidden, or if it is completely dissapeared now. Who knows if they will face up to it together, as they would have done before..?

The Lion King

When I was a child I used to watch The Lion King (Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, 1994) almost every Sunday. My brother and I sat down on the sofa and just stayed there for 90 minutes. It has been almost 10 years since I last watched The Lion King and now I can say it it is a different movie. 
Well, it's the same movie. It's only that I'm not 7 years old now.
It's still a really nice movie to watch on a Sunday evening.

Mufasa - Simba, let me tell you something my father told me. Look at the stars. The great kings of the past look down on us from those stars. Simba - Really?
Mufasa - Yes. So whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you. And so will I.

Not another teen movie.

Not another teen movie (Joel Gallen, 2001) is a film that needs a very specific spectator. It could be a teenager or adult who had watched the up-to-date American movies at the time as American Beauty and the most popular teen-pics as Grease specially the 90s, as She's all that, 10 things I hate about you , Never been kissed or American Pie and also Tv series as Popular. 

 Reference to American Pie.

 Very similar to Popular.

These are only the ones I have recognised. I am 19 and Spanish, so I am sure there are a lot of references to other teen films I have not watched. 

This is the reason why I think this is a film you can enjoy only if you have a very specific cultural background. If not, the viewer will understand nothing, and will laugh never. What I like of the movie is that it is kind of ironic and criticizes the stale teenpics. 

If you have watched some American movies and want to have fun for an hour and a half, I recommend you Not another teen movie. Not just like one teen movie, but, in some way, like 10 of them.

Beginners

Beginners (Mike Mills, 2010). Why an elderly man who suffers from cancer, his 38-years old son and a 30ish actress are beginners? Are not they supposed to be amateurs in life by now?


Hal Fields (Christopher Plummer) is an elderly man who suffers from cancer. He's gay but he has declared his sexuality just some months ago. 

The narration is very interesting. It takes place in 3 different moments. Hal's childhood, the time when his father knew he had cancer and the actual time. It is curious how Hal sees his world, he expresses it through art, painting.

Like Crazy

Like Crazy (Drake Doremus, 2011) remains me to Blue Valentine (Derek Cianfrance, 2010) in the sense that it tries to convey the reality of a normal relation, avoiding to portray an idealised love. The narration is done through the character's eyes.

It tries to show us how the relation between Jacob (Anton Yelchin) and Anna (Felicity Jones) grows up. It is not a normal romantic comedy (They meet, they split up, they make it up) but a real story based in the writer's personal experiences.


Love, real love, is different to the one that normally appears in films. It is not only being happy. It is also being jealous, being afraid, having doubts, getting angry with him/her, missing, forgiving.. It is a lot of things, it is not always easy.

It is because of that I love the ending. In real life there are no easy endings either.

Almost famous

The most interesting aspect of Almost famous (Cameron Crowe, 2000) is without any doubt, its soundtrack. The story takes place in the 70s in USA. The Who, Iggy Pop, Deep Purple.. all those bands can be listened in the film.

With regard to the figure of the narrator, it is interesting seeing how his vision of that world changes. The protagonist, William (Patrick Fugit) is just a kid when the film starts. He has totally idealised the rock&roll world. As he grows up he recognises his idols as normal people with their faults and fears. This is disappointing for him, but who is not disappointed as we grow up?

De tu ventana a la mía

De tu ventana a la mía is a beautiful film. Its mise-en-scène, its locations (the Pyrenees), costumes.. everything is delicate, detailed.

The thing I liked the most is the elements in mise-en-scène that connect the three differents times in narration. These 3 different times tell the spectator the story of 3 women who have a lot in common even if they are not really connected (they are not family or friends). They have beautiful dreams in difficult times. As we can see, their dreams do not came true. They feel disappointed and lost, but they continue with their lifes, since they are brave. These elements that connect the narration (the lost wool ball, the cut in their finger..) relate the 3 women and let us know that in some way, they represent the same: Someone who never gives up.

There is an interesting detail: The ages of the 3 protagonist. They are related to the time they live. The young one (about 18) lives in the 10s. The middle one ( about 24) lives in the times of the Spanish Civil War and the older one lives in the Spain of the dictatorship of Franco. 

De tu ventana a la mía  may seem pretencious. It is, but I do not think that is something to care about. It is a good film that I am sure you will enjoy.

A single man

George (Colin Firth) is both main character and narrator in A single man (Tom Ford, 2009). We know it because of his voice explaining his life, but also because the entire movie is sprinkled with memories about his partner, Jim (Matthew Goode), who has recently deceased. These memories are thoughts that he has through the day, and they may seem to be about a previous, completely different life. Losing the loved one is for George the most horrible tragedy, and his life makes no sense now. Some of the flashbacks even appear in a very melancholic black and white.

Colin Firth is a great actor and he makes credible the literature professor who is thinking about commiting suicide.

I  liked narration but I loved mise-en-scène and the use of colour saturation, which are just incredible. Maybe the fact that the director is a also a fashion designer helps in that aspect.

I  strongly recommend it to you.