Three Kings

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

During the class lecture for Three Kings, we spoke a lot about how the film is serious, but still has a comedic air. Amidst the ending of the Gulf War in 1991, the nature of Three Kings is cataclysmic to say the least. Yet, I was able to get a few laughs in between. What gave this heart-rending film its wings was its pure and unadulterated moments of truth as wives cry out for help and are murdered, young children are forcibly handled and beaten, and an entire nation of people are fighting for their freedom and rights to live. These people are the ones who get labeled as crooks for deciding to fight back…not always right in their mindset to release greater amounts of pain back onto their abusers, but always right in knowing they are human just like everyone else and they have rights. Aside from the parts in the film that made me want to cry, I’d say the comedic air popped its head out with the big bold sans-serif typeface for a title, commonly used for media or the Internet.

In addition aspects like the light hearted dialogue and even the interjections to introduce the characters in the beginning of the film are all techniques used when making a sort of comedy. Coming to this conclusion made me think about theater and scenic design. Usually, if there is a set on stage that has many doors… it is most likely going to be a comedy. The atmosphere created in the beginning with dialogue, jokes between the army men, the music and partying as the main characters were introduced all seemed shared with a common comedic formula. Furthermore, I felt as though the use of close ups intensified both comedic and horrific moments and events within the film. For example, some of Ice Cube’s funniest lines were when the camera was zoomed in to focus on his facial expression. Other times like in the beginning of the film when the one was waving the flag was shot, or when Troy was crying for Conrad really added to the already existing atrocities. Even the close up of the father and daughter’s hand clutching the mother’s (wife) hand worked well to intensify the moment.

2) Find a related article and summarize the content. 

The article that I chose for this blog post is “Fighting the Battle of Money and Greed“ by Janet Maslin. The article starts by giving some history of David O. Russell’s successes as a writer and director. Although Maslin doesn’t feel like Three Kings, Russell’s most recent film at the time that this article was written, is better than some of his other works, it is still writhing with humor, truths, and mayhem. One of the most interesting aspects of the article is how Maslin hones in on the camera work done in this film. Maslin boldly compares Russell’s camera techniques to “music-video camera styles” (Maslin, par.5), and I must agree to the fact that Russell did very well in his vision of shooting the film. Judging by the film, he seemed to be in a mindset to get the most accuracy out of every shot and the most intensity in every moment. The article was rather short, so Maslin closed out on a powerful note cluing the readers into the way Russell leads his viewers so calmly into the ideas and concepts of the film that started it all. Going from a frat-style party after ending the war, to having Mark Wahlberg’s mouth be forcefully opened to guzzle oil (or what looked like oil) all because a man confessed that the Americans had killed his baby boy. Riveting!

***Link to article used***

Maslin, Janet. "Fighting the Battle of Money and Greed." The New York Times. 1 Oct. 1999.

Web. 27 Apr. 2016.

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.  

I have to start off by saying that Janet Maslin was right… David O. Russell did a phenomenal job shooting Three Kings. I loved a lot of his techniques. The article mentioned above was short, but it was very truthful and confirmed my reasons for absolutely loving the film. I do not watch a lot of war films, but this one was amazing. I looked up the cinematography of the film and viewed the frames of the film from beginning to end. Not only was it astounding to me that there seemed like a good mix of medium, long, and close up shots, but the deep focus in the film is really good as well. In my research, what makes a film such as this one work so well when shooting is a lot of light and low aperture and I feel this is done well on Newton Thomas Sigel’s part. Everything is close and personal… in one’s face from the journalist’s cameras and the sweat rolling of the men’s faces to the bullets coming out of the gun and going through a body. Russell stuffs the audience right there beside the soldiers until they are as uncomfortable and afraid as everyone else in the film.

4) Write a critical analysis of the film.

To me, everything comes full circle in this masterpiece. I could feel the rage of the war still emanating off of the soldiers as the movie opens up on celebrations of the war ending, but by the time the film gets to the part when Mark Wahlberg is taken, Russell is able to turn the tables and send one of the most powerful messages of how everything in the end becomes obsolete… what are we all fighting for? However, I do think the men answer that question when trying to get the many people they rescued over the Iranian border. The men portraying the American soldiers in this film ripped my heart out, but they did it with grace, honor and courage. At the same time that I was sad and on the verge of tears, I felt alive as well. And with nothing left to say I am going to end this last post here with some of the words from Archie Gates…

The way it works is, you do the thing you’re scared shitless of, and you get the courage AFTER you do it, not before you do it.

––Archie Gates, Three Kings

1) ( x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.

2) ( x ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3) ( x ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.

4) ( x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.

5) ( x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.

6) ( x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.

7) ( x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.

8) ( x ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.

He Got Game

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

One thing to grab my attention more than the plot between Do the Right Thing and He Got Game is the music that was chosen to accompany the two films. I took note of the fact that this particular topic was discussed in each class lecture about the two films. If my job at the writing center hasn’t done anything else, I’m definitely sure that it taught me to pick out patterns. Do the Right Thing is daring and bold with its electrifying “Fight the Power” pounding on our eardrums, commanding attention with every note and every lyric. The song coincided directly with themes shown in the film and became what Andy’s opera singing was to the shocked men standing outside listening to two women blare through the loud speaker in the prison in Shawshank Redemption. Although Do the Right Thing was my first time watching a Spike Lee “joint”, I still cocked my head to the side in curiosity as Aaron Copland’s soundtrack caressed the film and almost seemingly graced the ball of the game through every shot. This was, to me, unusual even for the very unusual Spike Lee.

Evan Carter from AllMusic suggests that, “Lee wanted to make the point that basketball is as quintessentially American as cowboys, Lincoln, and Copland himself.” In addition, basketball is American, but is “connected to an entirely different stream of Americana” (Carter, AllMusic). What is Carter trying to say here? After thinking for some time on it, I concluded that maybe Lee wasn’t trying to confirm that basketball is an American game and that it is just as important as other “American” things. Maybe, a thought that may not have an answer yet, Lee was trying to bring up the question of: What is American? The term America, when heard, definitely sounds like a definition, yet so many people find it hard to find a way to explain “American”. Lee’s vision could’ve been trying to overcome the categories and boxes that we willingly put ourselves and other things in as a society to try and understand something. Maybe there’s not supposed to be a reason why he put a rather bluntly classical score to such a hardcore game.

***Link to article used***

Carter, Evan. "AllMusic Review." AllMusic. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.

<http://www.allmusic.com/album/he-got-game-the-music-of-aaron-copland-motion-picture-soundtrack-mw0000382819>.

2) Find a related article and summarize the content. 

The article that I chose by Owen Gleiberman comes from Entertainment Weekly, and opens already on the topic of Copland’s music as the score of the film, calling basketball “a majestic myth” (Gleiberman, par. 1). The article gives some rather interesting insights, amidst some exposition about the film, as it hones in on Denzel Washington’s character (Jake Shuttlesworth) and gives an opinion of not really fully accepting his character portrayal and declares that Jesus (Jake’s all star son) is pushed too far into the “role model” portrayal. The article ultimately concludes, making sure to mention Spike Lee’s love for the game, by touching on the end of the film when Jesus and Jake are playing a one on one game of basketball, something highly anticipated since the beginning of the film. Gleiberman assures his readers that this one on one act is a concept that has been recurring since the start of the film when Jake comes back around into his children’s lives.

***Link to Article Used***

Gleiberman, Owen. "He Got Game." Entertainment Weekly's EW.com. 8 May 1998. Web. 20

Apr. 2016. <http://www.ew.com/article/1998/05/08/he-got-game>.

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.  

The article that I chose didn’t seem to really affect my views that I already had of the film. The article was rather short and did not touch on too much, but I did find it interesting that the author did not fully approve of Denzel Washington’s performance as Jake. I honestly don’t know what I would like to say about his performance. I suppose it was rather good if I can be pulled into the world of the film enough to completely disregard paying attention to detail like that. When thinking about other roles that I have seen Washington play, I can definitely tell which is his older roles and which is his younger roles, but I haven’t given much thought yet to how I would rank this performance officially. What I have given some thought to is the difference between the two film in terms o the portrayal of African Americans. Do the Right Thing and He Got Game are two great films. One portrays black men to be upstanding citizens and all star basketball players headed toward success in direct contrast to an alcoholic and violent black man that society seems to associate more so with the race than anything else. The other film portrays balck people in general as exactly what society sees them as: loud mouthed, violent, and chaotic. I would say Lee tried to give “Da Mayor” an important role in the neighborhood, but that was undercut by his lack of know-how and his ability to drink all day and roam the town in rags. Not to mention Sal, the pizzeria owner who does well by his community but seems to have contradictory ideas about his most predominant customers as expressed by Chistopher Michaelson in the handout that was passed out in class about the film. Two very different films with very important messages is what I have summed them up to be.

4) Write a critical analysis of the film.

In conclusion, He Got Game was a descent film although my preference would be to have a little less nudity. The film really grappled with the inevitable issue that many people have in their lives: temptation. Lee did such a good job of portraying the whirlwind that was Jesus’ mind during the process of making important decisions for himself and his career. Let’s not forget how simply and gracefully he weaved as story of father and son into the mix as well, which seems to be a prevalent theme in many young African American boys lives. I don’t think I liked He Got Game better than Do the Right Thing, but I’m glad that I got the chance to be exposed to Spike Lee’s work, and I will continue to further my knowledge of his work from this day forth.

1) ( x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.

2) ( x ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3) ( x ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.

4) ( x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.

5) ( x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.

6) ( x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.

7) ( x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.

8) ( x ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.

Fargo

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

Much more sane than The Big Lebowski, Fargo is a drama set on entertaining with dark humor in contrast to its very wintry setting. One aspect of the film that was talked about in class, other than the film being based off of true events to an extent, is the accents and how exaggeratedly the Coen brothers stressed them. I don't say this to say that people don't actually have Swedish accents like in the film –– they do exist––but the accents were definitely exaggerated in the sense that they really stood out and became the first characteristic of a character, other than appearance, to really draw the audience in and set the tone of the movie. I honestly feel they took this very real aspect of Minnesota life and used it in such a clever way to get the most comedic response out of it, having conversations that are clearly dead and over revived with a bold "Ya!" Or having Marge, as the author of the article I will introduce next mentions, give her “Okey Dokey!" and “Thanks a bunch!” (Wilmington, par. 6) throughout the entire film with everyone she encounters no matter how rude they are to her. From the minute Margie stepped onto the screen I knew I was going to like this film, and it didn't let me down from that moment on. 

2) Find a related article and summarize the content. 

The article that I chose came from the 
Chicago Tribune and it starts with author Michael Wilmington touching briefly on how the film begins and the setting. While contemplating the name of the film, Wilmington goes into talk of the plot making sure to compare the brother’s previous work. He then proceeds to touch on the comedy aspect of the Swedish accent used in the film that I touched on in the previous question above. The idea of a “feeling of truth” (Wilmington, par. 10) comes into play as the author notices that Fargo emphasizes the natural procession of how life really is: cluttered with crazy routines and plans that are always biting its creators in the rear end. Wilmington suggests that audience members are too accustomed to the cops and crooks that do what they do so well that they forget about the ones in real life that do not always have plans that run so smoothly. In real life, there are cops and crooks that are far from that pristine and flawless idea; they make mistakes, forget things, and screw up their own plans like in Fargo.

***Link to article used***

Wilmington, Michael. "`Fargo' A Dark Crime Comedy That's Just Real Enough." Chicago

Tribune. 08 Mar. 1996. Web. 13 Apr. 2016. <http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1996-03-08/entertainment/9603080005_1_marge-gunderson-maternity-clothes-movie>.

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.  

This article didn’t really affect my thinking or ideas about the film. I feel as though I liked the movie just the same after reading it. I did like that it confirmed my thinking that the Coen brothers did very well using the Swedish accents to add to their comedy techniques in the film. One aspect of the Wilmington article that caught my eye and made me think was when he mentioned the cinematography done by Roger Deakins. Deakins was the cinematographer for not only The Big Lebowski, but the Shawshank Redemption as well. I thought this was a fun fact and it made me think about how vastly different all three of these films are. It is even more interesting having seen all three films in class this semester. Compared to Fargo, The Big Lebowski was pushed in a more creative and innovative direction when it came to cinematography. Deakins didn’t seem to hesitate to pull out those very odd and whimsical angle decisions. For example, we see “The Dude” in the dream sequence floating in between the legs of women down a bowling alley and having his body knock into pins. 

Kyle Buchanan wrote an article for Vulture, where Deakins tells of how his specification for very bright white light came into play for the dream sequence. However, in Fargo there were specific times with shots during the day and at night where Deakins specifically shot with little light to create the effect envisioned. I could tell that there didn’t seem to be many long shots in Fargo, but there were more in that particular film compared to The Big Lebowski. The Coen brothers tend to keep everything close up and personal with their films, switching between medium shots and close ups. One close up in Fargo that draws the audience into the intensity of the moment or what is happening, is the one of Marge the pregnant police chief. Not only is she my favorite character in the entire movie, but the one close up of her as she is driving the cop car with Gaear Grimsrud in the back of the car being incarcerated for the crimes that he committed. Marge contemplates and then confesses her confusion as to why Grimsrud would do such things. Similar to what Marge says in the film, there’s more to life than just money. I feel the brother’s close up feel of the films they make allow for the audience to focus more so on the characters introduced and to connect with them.

***Link to article used*** 

Buchanan, Kyle. "From Shawshank to Skyfall, How Master Cinematographer Roger Deakins

Got These Ten Shots." Vulture. 21 Feb. 2013. Web. 13 Apr. 2016. <http://www.vulture.com/2013/02/how-master-dp-roger-deakins-got-these-10-shots.html>.

4) Write a critical analysis of the film.

To tie things up, I felt this would be a good time to incorporate the handout from the class discussion about connotations. While the author and other basic reference information is unknown, wherever this excerpt came from, I enjoyed the read. The excerpt states, “Reading or analyzing a film involves a concern less with a film’s explicit statements than with its connotations: the complex set of ideas, beliefs, and associations that are represented in it but that are never openly stated” (handout 20). I felt that this quote was accurate and it brought me back to thinking about how complex Fargo actually is. The film has a lot going on, and while it may just seem like this dark and humorous comedic twist on a crime movie, it deals with complex situations that can actually happen. Fargo grounds us by introducing people that are more relatable to who we are as individuals and who we see in the world. The entire story is centered around money and death. Talk about bringing something to the table. Are the Coen brothers trying to bring light to some of the grim truths about life, what we usually take for granted and what is important? 

Furthermore, the expert also explains, “the fact that a film’s connotations may not immediately be evident from a casual viewing does not means that they are not there” (handout 20). This is very true to me with The Big Lebowski. Like I said in class, I always try to learn to appreciate the film and what it has done in the world despite my initial reaction to it. I may not have liked The Big Lebowski all that much the first time I saw it, but maybe if I give it another chance and watch it again I will not only like it more having done more research to understand the vision behind the film, but I may also make new revelations that may not have come into my mind during the first viewing. The experience will be like reading a poem or a book more than once and making new discoveries every single time. Overall, Fargo is a great film and it really shifted my perspective and how I thought about the Coen brothers an their work. Even with its own chaotic plot and storylines, I was able to somehow slip into my own thoughts and that is what I liked about it… it made me think but kept me focused on its presence. 

1) ( x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.

2) ( x ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3) ( x ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.

4) ( x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.

5) ( x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.

6) ( x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.

7) ( x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.

8) ( x ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.