I don’t watch many movies, so a passionate rant about horror flicks would go something like this. I hate them because they scare me, I hate being scared, the end. A rant about my love hate relationship with romantic comedy’s on the other hand may expose my need to be a culturally shallow, fairytale loving, air-head once in a while. However as I haven’t seen many horrors, action films, or sci-fi’s I have little choice than to expose myself with the later, so here goes.
We’re all familiar with the rom-com plot lines, deceptively slim and perfectly groomed woman, normally blonde 5 foot 7, think Cameron Diaz in There’s Something About Mary or Jennifer Aniston in The Break Up
(Hollywood exceptions made of course for Sandra Bullock and Julia Roberts) have trouble finding ordinary (if that’s what you call Bradley Cooper and Gerard Butler these days) but perfectly matched man. (Normally mousey brown haired, 6 foot plus).
They meet, often by accident. We go through 90 minutes of their ups and downs, mishaps and miss steps on the way to falling in love. Other partners, (Notting Hill, Hitch) even marriages, (27 dresses, The Wedding Planner or My Best Friends Wedding) maybe even a divorce or two (The Bounty Hunter, Sweet Home Alabama) and an unexpected baby (Knocked Up), but in the end, love blossoms in a medium to large sized city, maybe San Francisco, Miami or Chicago. Oh and let’s not forget, they often share a love of dogs (Marley & Me or Must Love Dogs) and eventually they work it out, have underscored, dimly lit, choreographed sex, and live happily ever after.
It’s like Disney for grown ups, and a feminists worse nightmare, they’re predictable and mind-numbingly cheesy. The woman always ends up looking like a super model and being validated by finally ‘getting her man’ the mans ordinariness it seems, always melts away under a steaming hot pile of charm and awkward romantic gestures. I’m intelligent, I should hate this crap, but yet I go back for more every time, it’s an escape from reality, and I’m secretly hoping that the new download (I’m not stupid enough to actually pay to see this BS at a real movie theatre) will be different, they aren’t, and sadly I’m a sucker again, so clearly, nor am I. There, rant over, please excuse me whilst I get back to reading Satre and enjoying a large glass of Chateaux Le Pin
Jigsaw glares at your SOUL! photo cred to horror movies wikia
I have to say my favorite type of genre are Horror films. Call me weird but I am just a huge fan of getting scared; the feeling of your heart throbbing, the suspense behind who’s going to die next, and the post horror movie “NO I WASN’T SCARED!” arguments.
It’s ironic, I used to hate horror movies as a child. “Chucky” used to scare the bejezzers out of me and even “Small Soldiers” gave me nightmares (Anything with toys coming to life basically). As a full fledged man however, watching those same movies gives me nothing but laughter and joy. Now I just cant get enough of them. Maybe its because I was never able to enjoy them as a child and I’m living out my lost childhood through these films? Go figure
THE BEST series possibly ever in horror genre are the SAW series. I have seen the fisrt 2 and bits and pieces (haha get it) of the other movies but I am still waiting for NEtflix to have the whole series so I can watch one through six uninterrupted. The way the movie is constructed is just perfect. The blood and gore, i understand, is a turn off for many but I am really not bothered by it. What I really love is the buildup. The times when the “hero” is wandering aimlessly through a maze of darkness, searching for that next trap, and then making that life or death decision of what to do. And each trap has a purpose in the whole plot of the series. Characters die off but are importatn in later series and plot twists go back and into the first movie! Everything is just so calculated! Even Jigsaw’s message, as unorthodox his means are, is admirable.
“Cherish your life is the concept this entire clinic was built on. Cherish your life. Your life.”
“Did he just quote a psycho killer?” is what you might be saying to yourself. Yes I did is the answer.
What makes horror movies even more fun is when you’re watching them with friends. It’s not only a movie at that point but an experience. One friend in particular hates horror movies but she succumbs to peer pressure and watches with our group anyway. She jumps at every sudden movement and shrieks at the scary moments but as soon as we come out of the theathre, she’s jokingly accusing others of being scared and laughing all around. What other kind of genre of movie can have such a jubilant affect on its fans? NONE I TELL YOU!!
“My Dearest Allie. I couldn’t sleep last night because I know that it’s over between us. I’m not bitter anymore, because I know that what we had was real. And if in some distant place in the future we see each other in our new lives, I’ll smile at you with joy and remember how we spent the summer beneath the trees, learning from each other and growing in love. The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds, and that’s what you’ve given me. That’s what I hope to give to you forever. I love you. I’ll be seeing you.” – Noah, The Notebook
I can’t help, but smile as I read some of the memorable quotes on IMDb and picture the scenes that they all took place in. It was hard for me to choose a quote from what I consider to be one of the greatest love stories brought to film for my generation. Noah’s last plea to Ally is bittersweet and heartbreaking. Anyone who has seen The Notebook can remember how much of a tear jerker this scene was when Allie chooses to read the last letter in the 300ish that Noah wrote to her in the span of a year in order to win her back while contemplating suicide. I remember when the The Notebookwas released in theaters and wishing I had someone to go with instead of my mom. My mother is great company, but this is the kind of movie you see with a boyfriend or a potential boyfriend.
I am definitely a sucker for a weeping romantic movie; especially one from Nicholas Sparks. While I do love a good horror or action flick, there is nothing more that gets me more girly than a romantic movie with a hot guy like Ryan Gosling. Ladies, would you not wait seven years for this hunk of beef cake. Back in the day maybe, but now a days he wouldn’t last a day being single. Romance movies like The Notebook shows us the undying true love that Noah and Allie felt and didn’t give up. True love happens once in a lifetime and to embrace it the way these two characters did shows us young adults what our parents experienced and their parents. Romance movies is not just abut the “Hot” guy it’s about two people coming together and what they believe in.
I can understand why people love horrors and thrillers and movies that make you jump out of your seat. It’s a weirdly satisfying feeling being scared to a point where your heart feels like it’s going to pop out of it’s chest. But can anyone tell me what is so appealing about watching someone suffer from having their rib cage torn open like a pair of butterfly wings, watching blood seep out of them as they scream from the torment? Why would anyone waste $13.50 to watch people getting dismembered and tortured and sliced and I’m really going to throw up thinking about it. Gore is probably one of the most disgusting and offensive movie genres I’ve ever had my displeasure of witnessing with my own eyes. The “Saw” movie series is a light example of the kind of thing I’m talking about. These movies are just the epitome of stupid, disgusting and just I don’t even have words for it like why do people even WATCH this? What is so great about watching people being held captive and tortured and having their guts spill out and being forced into situations where they make themselves suffer?!? Why? There’s even discussions about them on the internet about which method of torture is better. Like what the heck goes on in people’s minds? There’s a list of The Top 10 Best Traps from the Saw Series. This legitimately scares me. There are people out there who enjoy this and probably are crazy enough to make these twisted and sickening fictional movie ideas a reality.
‘Saw’ isn’t even the worst of it’s kind. There are way more gore-y films out there that shouldn’t have had the right to see daylight. Like “Tokyo Gore Police” about a police force that has authority to brutally mutilate people on the streets. Things like penises getting chopped off and faces being ripped straight apart a person’s head with a wine bottle like is this serious? Do people enjoy this? I lost my appetite writing this post. That’s how bad it is. You have to be a severe nut case to enjoy a movie like this, let alone create one. I am also very afraid of even posting this because of my fear that I will offend someone who absolutely loves this and will kidnap me and do all this crazy stuff that I don’t even want to think about now.
-Sapere Aude is a Latin Phrase meaning “dare to be wise/ dare to know”.
One has to obtain information and experience so that conjured thoughts may be as enlightened as possible.
… and by Cerebral World Cinema I mean films that are thought provoking and produced in non-English speaking countries (usually not in English). It is safe to assume that this genre of film will have more artistic quality as well as depth than the commercialized “blockbuster/ Hollywood” style. This is not to discredit those that do come from English speaking countries, as I feel cerebral movies in general are amazing.
These movies are harder to produce and generally don’t render high dividends but they do provoke emotional responses from viewers, even though they require an intellectual understanding first and foremost. This type of film is heavy and therefore tends to turn many people off as the topics are real, strange, graphic, and have a tendency to grab social issues by the throat. The work can be humorous or dark, but regardless, requires attention to detail.
Subtitles and tendency toward dense subject matter causes difficulty in distribution, as many people, after a long week of work and such, enjoy being audience to more simple cinematic styles. I particularly enjoy this type of film because it is visually stimulating and the subject matter is forceful and inspiring. This is not American Pie. As a writer I have found, many times, that the films open me up and get my creativity flowing, translating into many poems and memoirs over the years. Another reason why I like them is because the topics have range and can be unrelated to me, allowing for an open eye, whether of positive or negative opinion, on the subject. It opens a window of experience and learning without always having to encompass personal relevance.
Here are some examples: Some films that have found acclaim, popularity and financial success are:
I present successful films first, specifically to open the door for you and let you choose where to go from there. Two, less “successful”, options are:
Won Bin in The Man From Nowhere Source:http://www.imfdb.org/images/c/c4/TMFNWGlock17.jpg
“I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don’t have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that’ll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501/quotes)
These are the famous words of Bryan Mills, an ex-CIA operative who mercilessly rips through kidnappers and human traffickers to save his daughter, in the action film, Taken. This type of film is one of the many reasons my favorite movie genre is action.
There is something so cold and deadly about a man with a gun and revenge on his mind and I am such a sucker for father/daughter relationships. I especially love how Bryan (Liam Neeson), in the movie Taken, put on his cape of ruthlessness like I would imagine the Cape Crusader puts on his cape to fight injustice in the dark of night: Effortlessly. Yet, what makes Bryan so amazing in this particular action film is that he is able to be a desperate father as well as an ice cold machine that could torture a human being and leave it for dead. This dynamic is unique, I feel, to action films and this is why it is my favorite genre of film. It is interesting that a desperate human being could put that desperation and pain aside and focus on the goal in order to take care of a situation. It is fascinating that out of pain can come anger and such targeted ice cold hatred.
Action films also depict what a human being is capable of when cornered. When a human being is cornered, it usually fights until it dies. It becomes a ferocious animal who has nothing to lose. And a man who has nothing to lose can cause untold chaos. This is the type of man seen in the Korean film, The Man from Nowhere.In the film, an ex-Black ops officer, Cha Tae-Sik, turns into a depressed hermit after his wife and unborn child are crushed by a truck driven by one of his enemies. He is only able to watch as this tragic event happens and it is befitting that as he watches he gets shot twice in the chest.
It is a credit to actor Won Bin (Cha Tae-Sik) that he was able to, in that moment in the film, portray utter devastation after realizing and accepting what had just happened. With only his eyes he was able to portray how dead inside he instantly became after witnessing the death of his beautiful, pregnant wife. For the rest of the film, his eyes were so unfeeling that one could feel through the screen that a part of him had been ripped out forever.
After a few years of solitude, Tae-Sik comes alive for a little girl, So-mi(Kim Sae Ron). Her mother is a cocaine addict and a prostitute. So-mi takes comfort from Tae-Sik who reluctantly but lovingly makes her food after school. So-mi is then kidnapped by the drug dealers who provided the cocaine for her mother. After she is kidnapped right in front of Tae-Sik, he goes through a transformation. He cuts his hair, dusts off his gun and he goes after So-mi.
Tae-Sik becomes an animal with dead eyes who just kills with cold precision. The moment when he turns into a ferocious animal is when he is led to believe that So-mi is dead after the head honcho throws her eyeballs at him. In that moment he does not allow himself to break down. Using a gun and a small knife to defend himself, he easily discards the minions and fights his last opponent, who just happens to be the only challenge he encounters in the film. In the battle, Tae-Sik is cold and precise. Yet, as he stabs, claws and bites down on his opponent he looks as fierce as a lion with a gazelle in his mouth. And he never stops, not until his enemy’s eyes finally glaze over with death.
The final moment that made this the most amazing action film is when Tae-Sik realizes he killed everyone but realizes it does not matter as he once again failed to protect his loved one. He then gets down on his knees and puts the gun to his head ready to kill himself. But then he hears So-mi’s voice. He turns around and there she is safe and sound and he cries in relief. No scene in a movie, not even Rocky reaching the top of the stairs, has ever produced such a passionate jubilation in me.
These types of feelings are rare. I find I can only experience this type of emotion from action films. In these particular films the transformation from a loving, protective father to a cold vindictive killer was very fast and seamless. I like this exploration of what a cornered, desperate human being is fully capable of. The motivation for the actions of Bryan and Tae-Sik in their respective action film is very noble but it is how easily they can flip the switch and suddenly become a ruthless monster that really sets these films apart for me.
I cannot think of any other genre of film that delivers edge-of-your-seat excitement while at the same time providing an insightful look at the human psyche. Can you?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9xT73R0bL8
Image found on imfdb.org. No copyright infringement is intended.
I have a love-hate relationship with romantic comedies. Some films in this genre take the fairy tale fascination the world has to a totally unrealistic place. Yet it’s also great to find a good Rom-Com withcharacters that make you feel and laugh!
My (newest) personal favorite isFriends With Benefits. This was the first time I saw Mila Kunis outside of her 70s show persona and she was spectacular! She impersonated the perfect Rom-Com heroine: gutsy, hilarious, and vulnerable all in the span of 90 plus minutes. Her character paired with Justin Timberlake’s, who had relatable human faults, was perfect.
One of the many reasons I am a fan of this and other romantic comedies is that in the midst of the typical love storyline there are many real human elements. For instance in Friends with Benefits the movie includes a father-son relationship whose issues stem from Alzheimer. The fact that Justin’s character has trouble connecting the person his father was with the person without memories he is now is heartbreaking and inspiring all in one. The connection is eventually made but not without its own trying journey.
Romantic comedies also provide an incredible amount of laughs and insight. For instance, anything Jennifer Aniston is usually a rom-com and is usually funny and endearing. He’s Just Not That Into You was a great film because it played on women’s expectations of dating and how out of touch those expectations can be. It also bridged the gap between what is a fairytale nurtured expectation and what you really want out of a relationship, i.e. Jen Aniston’s desire to get engaged in the movie.
(Pic: Alex Billington)
