Run Lola Run!---a videogame-ish movie

9:05 PM / Posted by The Narrator / comments (0)

Run Lola Run (1998)
Director: Tom Tykwer
Actors: Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu
wh-Y-rate: ****1/2

THIS MOVIE WAS AWESOME. Only if our real lives were like this movie...I'd love my life (not that I don't right now...). Whenever someone (important) dies in the movie, the movie starts over the same way but with different choices that people make. First time around, when Lola gets shot, it goes back to the beginning. The changes are shown in the backgrouns as Lola runs to Manni and the scenes that are seen when Lola and certain people encounter.

This film is about: 1) timing. everything depends on the timing and how accurate we keep our toes on that time; 2) Money is worse than human life. Every time someone dies, the money bag is thrown in the air and dropped back down to the ground. Manni and Lola got the money that they needed, but for the first two rounds, either of them dies and although they got what they wanted, overall it amounts to nothing but the death of a lover; 3) the Web of life: in our frantic and hectic lives, we all have an impact on each other's lives...what we do and how we make our choices affect others; 4) the relationship among chance, fate and randomness; and 5) Chaos Theory: the smallest thing can create the greatest impact on something or someone else.

Another intersting and creative thing about this movie was how it connected the actual...real life film to the cartoonic (?) scenes. Also in the establishing shot, when Lola is running through many paths, the clock is foreshadowed as something negative as the clock turns into a monster...

With whatever choices we make, every round has different path, and there is no way going back--except in this movie.

Stick it!

5:32 PM / Posted by The Narrator / comments (0)

Stick It (2006)
Director: Jessica Bendinger
Actors: Jeff Bridges, Missy Peregrym, Vanessa Lengies, Maddy Curley, Nikki SooHoo, Tarah Paige
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Sport
wh-"Y"-Rate: ***2/3

"Grown ups are always telling the kids not to mess up, but the truth is the grown ups mess up too."

This is one of my favorite movies. I guess it's because I've always dreamed of performing something on a BIG stage and I guess it's a reason of displacement? haha. Anyway, in the movie the main character, like often times in the movies, transform her character and personality and help others transform also for a greater cause. They oppose the harsh judging rules for the gymnastic competition and decide to rebel against it on purpose to change the system. They, of course like in many other contemporary movies that always have happy ending, succeed in their goal and everyone is happy and live happily ever after, blah blah. hahar

I like this movie because the things that the characters say portray reality, and they resemble what we the teenagers feel as well. This movie deals with determinance and endurance toward a goal, friendship, internal growth, and relationships among people.

"Kids On Fire" Camp @ Devil's Lake. HA.HA.

9:01 PM / Posted by The Narrator / comments (0)

Jesus Camp (2006)
Director: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady
Genre: Documentary
Y-Rate: ***1/2

"I pledge allegiance to the Christian Flag and to the Savior for whose Kingdom it stands."
"I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's Holy Word, I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God."

I am a presbyterian Christian. All throughout the film, many thoughts passed my mind. One thing that shook me the most was the Evangelical adults were training their children to become literal soldiers for the future. Like Mike Papantonio said in the film, "how does that figure anything into what Christ said about how to live on Earth?"

I have seen this film before at my church with my youth group. Some parts of it were frightening and scary and some parts were similar and agreeable. I had so much to talk about this documentary film, yet again, I am also biased like everyone else in the class, in the film and in this world. I have to admit though, that "these people are not peacemakers." They think what they think is the right answer key to everything and the only answer. There are so many contradicting views and points that just put me into a plethora of paradoxical thoughts and statements...

The kids in this movie, when they first appear significantly, are portrayed as "soldiers". They are dressed up in such clothings with such make ups and perform in front of the congregation. The adults in this movie use displacement on their kids to fulfill what they probably desired but couldn't accomplish. When the lady, Becky Fisher, spoke at the conference and asked a question concerning their faith and God, some of the parents of the children raised the hands of their children while the children had no idea of what was going on. As the film went on, I couldn't help but ask myself, "Do these kids know what they are doing? Are they really doing what they do for their own faith? Or is it just a merely fabricated show and cover up to be satisfied with applause and with the acceptance and compliments from people?" They are young, but they are still human beings. Our nature, no matter how young or old we are, makes us to be in need of people's acceptance and company, and destines us to try to fit in.

It is ridiculous, as the same Christian, to see the teachers pray over the electricity and the seats saying stuff like "Oh Satan, I know what you like to do over these technical stuff" blah blah blah. I mean I think they are misunderstanding who God is: God ain't no Genie. Oh, I almost forgot: they had their "Kids On Fire" Camp at a place near Devil's Lake. How ironic.

I was talking to my dad about this film and how the kids are forced to their beliefs and my dad said that, statistically, those kids who were forced to believe what they believe, when they grow up and become independent, some continue and become like their parents, but some also run away from their beliefs and/or abandon it.

The directors of this film, according to what I heard in class, said they tried to be not biased at all, but it definitely WAS biased in many ways against Evangelical Christians. There were a lot of scenes where they portrayed Evangelical Christians or places associated with them with red light or something red. For example, the Chapel at their camp looked like Hell because of the contrast of black, white and red colors. Becky Fisher, towards the end of the film, also was portrayed with devilish image when she was in the car and the car was being washed under the red light. The background music also gave impressions of devilish, supernatrual, negative feelings.

Some people in class said the film (what the Evangelical Christians were doing) was scary. The scarier thing is that they are so serious about their actions and words. Harry Potter is a warlock and would have been burnt to death if he were alive in the time of Old Testament; kids in Iraq are training to fight in a war and even die for their country, so they should train their future generation kids so they can even die for their belief--like martyrs.

I understand where they are coming from and all because I'm a Christian myself. But it seems, to quote Bishop Robinson (how ironic), that"the god that [they]'re praying to is not the God I know." The motivation is understandable and good, but, lemme tell ya, Becky, don't take it too radically.

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Will Will Hunting ever be Good?

9:00 PM / Posted by The Narrator / comments (0)

Good Will Hunting (1998)
Director: Gus Van Sant
Actors: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Robin Williams, Minnie Driver, Stellan Skarsgard
wh-Y-rate: **3/4

(So rather than usual analysis of the plot, I decided to do something different and dedicate this entry to characterization! :P)

Will Hunting

Fact #1: He is hostile towards educated people...perhaps he's envious/jealous of what they have and he doesnt.

Fact #2: He is sick and tired of being untrusted by people. That's why he rebels when Professor Gerald tries to get him a therapist. He's defending himself.

Fact#3: He is "a cocky scared shitless kid" (in words of Professor Maguire). He pretends to be bold and fearless and/or superior, but he really isn't that strong or brave or fearless. He's just another lonely little boy who desires to be genuinely loved and cared.

Fact #4: "Trust is the most important thing in the relationship with people" (in words of Professor Maguire). Will needs to learn how to trust the real things and not fabricate things so others can see what there isn't within him.

Fact #5: He is a genius. He even gets inside Professor Maguire's mind, and Maguire is supposed to be the therapist. This becomes the turning point in their therapy session, as in Will acts like the therapist. Will asks questions to Maguire making him feel miserable and bad and then says "time's up" and leaves.

Fact #6: Will wants to be "free"--@ the toy store when Will and the girl were trying on stoy stuff, the girl only picked up the stuff that made her look like a nerd and/or a dork while Will picked up stuff like a sailor hat that symbolized his desire to go away and be free.

The Big Empty

7:29 PM / Posted by The Narrator / comments (2)

As I was cleaning and organizing my room after returning from a friend's thanksgiving potluck party and having friends barge into my house to chill, I suddenly remembered about the short film that we saw in class today: the Big Empty. It was about a woman with nothing inside; no organ, no uterus, nothing but cold icy breeze. It was a bizarre and unconventional at first, but as I dug deep inside her (no pun intended), she turned into a model of a typical woman--and perhaps a man as well--in our society.

The establishing shot starts out with a pitch-black background with a blurry but shiny hole in the middle. I thought it looked like a closed-up eye and iris, but it turned out to be a hole that the eye of the doctor was looking through--the hole to the inside of the woman's body. The plot developed basically focusing on that big emptiness inside her body. The woman wanted to know what was wrong with her so she went around asking as many doctors as she could possibly meet in her entire life, but every one of them always said "nothing's wrong with you," "I've never seen something like this," "I don't know what this is" and never did anything about it. She finally went to the Specialist and he took her around on a medical tour kind of thing, which he introduced her to other people and explained the "remarkable" thing. She became Miss Big Emptiness and famous, but the ache from the Big Emptiness continued even after the Specialist promised her that they'll go all around the world for her cure and all.

The Big Empty, that "remarkable" emptiness inside her, is a symbol for one's loneliness, internal emptiness. The Ache she feels is a symbol for the heartbreaking pain from loneliness and from the society taking advantage of oneself and one's weakness. The inside of her body is freezing cold; this is another symbol for the characteristics of loneliness. In such a cold place, no one exists, thus it's a lonely place. She feels "cold" inside because of the loneliness. Also personally, I think the color white gives an impression of "empty": her inside was icy white.

The woman's Big Emptiness is finally cured by the person who actually cares about her. He was the first person to ask her "if [it] ever hurt" and sympathized and seemed to be understanding her. This short film, obviously bizarre at first sight, actually contains a significant hidden message: We are all one "Big Empty" inside and need someone to care for us.


*Sorry for bad grammatical structure...I am in a rush! My dad's been calling me to come downstairs for family time :S HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

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