Blog #8. True Grit. (2010)

True Grit. (2010).
Written and Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen.
Rooster Cogburn: Jeff Bridges.
LaBoeuf: Matt Damon.
Mattie Ross: Hailee Steinfeld.
Tom Chaney: Josh Brolin.
Lucky Ned Pepper: Barry Pepper.
40-year-old Mattie: Elizabeth Marvel. 
Budget" $38 million.
Box Office: $252.3 million.

True Grit is based on a best-selling novel by Charles Portis published in 1968.

It was made almost immediately—1969—into a movie starring John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn, singer Glen Campbell as LaBoeuf (pronounced "LaBeef") and 21-year old Kim Darby as Mattie Ross. The film won Wayne his only Academy Award (Jeff Bridges was nominated as well for playing Rooster Cogburn).  Here is the trailer for the film:

And here is the trailer for the version you are watching.

1.  Your reaction to the movie so far?  What moment or scene has stayed with you since viewing it this morning?

2.  The Coen brothers in making this adaptation of the novel made a decision to keep the perspective of the book, although it's easy to overlook: Mattie Ross is telling the story from an adult's point-of-view—the first time we have seen this in one of our movies.  What effect do you see this have on the narrative?

3.  The universe of the movie—the world Mattie remembers, looks back on, the one we see: what kind of world, universe is it?  How does it affect—or not—Mattie? And do you believe she is 14?  Why or why not?

Mattie at her best—although I'm not sure Col. Stonehill would agree.  Hailee Steinfeld was 13 when she did this movie.

Blog #7. Red Hook Summer (2012).

Toni Lysaith, Clarke Peters,  Jules Brown.

Red Hook Summer. (2012)
Directed by Spike Lee.
Written by James McBride and Spike Lee. 

Da Good Bishop Enoch Rouse: Clarke Peters.
Flik Royale: Jules Brown.
Chazz Morningstar: Toni Lysaith.
Deacon Zee: Thomas Jefferson Byrd.
Da Organist T.K. Hazelton: Jon Batiste.
Sister Sharon Morningstar: Heather Simms.
Blessing Rowe: Colman Domingo.
Colleen Royale: De'Adre Aziza.
Box: Nate Parker.
Mookie: Spike Lee. 

Box office: $383,803.

Clark and I both love this film.  We saw it the first weekend it came out; and as it turns out, we and about 49 other people in America saw it in its short run in theaters.  The film bombed and was not a critical favorite.  That's all right. It is Lee's sixth film set in Brooklyn, and it deliberately name checks Do The Right Thing with the cameo of Mookie, still slinging pizzas for Sal's Famous; one of the many questions it asks is what has happened to Brooklyn since 1989?  Well, it's gentrifying—and it's still poor.  But people are hanging on there as well. 

1. Your reaction so far?  And what scene or moment has stayed with you since this morning?

2.  What do you think of Da Good Bishop Enoch?  Don't let the terrible revelation at the end of our viewing be your only reaction—put it in the context of the man we see before the revelation.

3.  Flik and Chazz: do you they strike you as believable young teens?  Don't focus on the acting of Jules Brown and Toni Lysaith–it is amateurish, we know that.  But as characters: do they seem realistic, believable?  If so, how so—if not, how not? 

The film has a soundtrack by Bruce Hornsby and songs by Judith Hill: I know I like the songs.  This is the one that introduces the film.

See you all tomorrow. 

Blog #6. Wadjda (2012).

.

Written and Directed by Haifaa al-Mansour.
Wadjda: Waad Mohammed.
Mother: Reem Abdullah.
Abdullah (the boy): Abdullrahman Al Gohani.
Father: Sultan Al Assaf.
Mss Hussa (the principal): Ahd Kamel.
Box Office: $14.5 million.

According to the oracle—Wikipedia—Wadjda was the first feature to be shot entirely in Saudi Arabia and the the first full-length film made in Saudi Arabia by a female director.  It took al-Mansour five years to make the film, mostly in trying to find financial backing and in getting permission to film in Saudi Arabia.  The film was filmed in Riyadh, "which often made it necessary for [al-Mansour] to work from the back of a van, as she could not publicly mix with the men in the crew."  It was a critical success—no surprise. 

Here is the trailer for the film:

And here is our spark plug heroine, Wadjda:

And her she is winning...and then losing.

So:

1. Your reaction to the film?  And what scene or moment has stayed with you since this morning—and why?

2. This is a ways from the French movies we've watched this short term: Saudi society and culture is clearly, in many ways, different than both the French and American culture we've been seeing.  Or is it?  Does Wadjda's story, conflict, and circumstance have parallels in America—in your world and in films we've watched so far?  If so, how—and if not, why not?  Be thoughtful about this.  al-Mansour is pretty clearly critiquing Saudi society—but she is also espousing it as well. 

Write a couple hundred words.  Tomorrow we will watch Red Hook Summer.

Blog #5. The Class (2008). "Respect"

A favorite moment.  Here's what Esmerelda learned (while not is school):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Director: Laurent Cantet

Writers: Laurent Cantet, Robin Campillo 

All of the characters bear the actors' own names:

Francois Marin

Boubacar

Carl Esmerelda

Khoumba

Nassim

Souleymane

Wei

The clip above offers a moment of promise.  For much of the film's two hours, though, The Class is tough to watch because it doesn't pull many punches.  Cantent isn't interested in sentimentality.  As John said, it feels like a documentary, but it isn't a documentary.  It is a carefully crafted story, a story with a purpose.  Let's try to figure that out.  Here's a start:

1.  What is the film saying about who these children are?  Is the approach positive?  Do the writers have a sympathy for the kids or not?  Or is the depiction more complicated than that?

2.  What about the teachers?  How does the writer treat the adults in this school?

3.  And here's a big question: what is this school for?  What is this school teaching its students?

Blog 4. Dead Poets Society (1985). "YAWP"

We sensed a rousing reaction in the room as Keating has Todd create some extemporaneous poetry in front of the class. Just for kicks, watch this again and think about -- but don't answer -- the questions below:

Great teaching?  We would only ask you to put yourself in Todd's place.  Would you and your classmates consider this appropriate behavior from a teacher?  Has a teacher ever grabbed your head, covered your eyes and spun you around for an assignment? 

Dead Poets Society (1985)
Directed by Peter Weir
Written by Tom Shulman
John Keating: Robin Williams
Neil Perry: Sean Leonard
Todd Anderson: Ethan Hawke
Knox Overstreet: Josh Charles
Charlie Dalton: Gale Hansen
Robert Cameron: Dylan Kussman
Steven Meeks: Allelon Ruggiero
Gerard Pitts: James Waterson
Mr. Nolan: Norman Lloyd
Mr. Perry: Kurtwood Smith
Chris Nowell:Alexandra Powers
Budget: $16,4000.000
Box Office: $140,000,000


Answer these questions, though:

1.  Superficial differences between Welton Academy and Paideia are obvious -- uniforms, banners with important words on them, academic gowns, dorms -- but is anything familiar (note that we haven't said "relatable") about the world of Welton for you?  What about Welton is similar to Paideia?

2. What motivates the group of boys we follow in the film?  What seems to be their purpose at Welton?  Are the initiates into The Dead Poet's Society rebels with a cause?

3.  What about Keating?  What is his goal?  Is he a rebel?  Remember that he has chosen to return to Welton?

Blog 3. The Last Picture Show. 1971. "You See? This is What I Get For Bettin' On My Own Home Town."

Abilene: Wouldn't hurt to have a better home town.
The film is above all an evocation of mood.  It is about a town with no reason to exist and people with no reason to live there.  The only hope is transgression...
—Roger Ebert.

The Last Picture Show (1971).
Directed by Peter Bogdonavich.
Written by Larry McMutry and Peter Bogdonavich, based on McMurtry's 1966 novel.
Sonny Crawford: Timothy Bottoms.
Duane Jackson: Jeff Bridges.
Jacy Farrow: Cybil Shepherd.
Sam the Lion: Ben Johnson.
Ruth Popper: Cloris Leachman.
Lois Farrow: Ellen Burstyn.
Genevieve Morgan: Eileen Brennan
Abilene: Clu Gulager.
Billy: Sam Bottoms.
Budget: $1.3 million.
Box Office: $29.1 million.

Maybe hard to believe today, but The Last Picture Show was both a commercial and critical success. It was nominated for eight Oscars, winning two for Ben Johnson as Sam and Cloris Leachman as Ruth.  A sequel based on McMurtry's novel Texasville was made in 1990.  McMurtry wrote three more novels about Thalia (called Anarene in the movie) and particularly about Duane. 

1. Your reaction to the film—and why?  Talk about a specific scene or scenes in your answer.

2. What to you is true about the depiction of growing up in the film?  Conversely, what to you is not true about growing up?

3.  How do these teenagers compare to the ones in Rebel Without a Cause?  Do they seem more or less real than Jim, Judy, Plato, Buzz, Clutch (ok, there wasn't a Clutch in the movie, but there could have been), etc.?  Where do the visions of the kids—what motivates them, what they see as their lives ahead of them, their sense of values—overlap, if at all?  And if not, why is that?

Lots to talk about tomorrow.  A scene to leave you with...

Rebel Without A Cause (1955). "You're Tearing Me Apart!"

We heard some of you laugh at this moment—many moments, actually.  It definitely has its heart on its sleeve.  The colors, the music, the action, the characters, all feel bigger than life.  The movie is like its characters: full of huge emotions.

The film was directed by the well-regarded Nicholas Ray, who had a well-earned reputation as a industry rebel; was written by Stewart Stern from a story by Ray; the swelling music is by Leonard Rosenman; and stars the legendary even in his day James Dean, a disciple of Marlon Brando, and who would die in a car crash before the film was released, as Jim Stark; 17-year-old Natalie Wood as Judy; and 16-year-old Sal Mineo as Plato. The film was a critical and commerical success. Look at the trailer for it below.

A few questions for you to answer by 9 tonight:

1. Reaction to the movie?  Like?  Dislike?  What scene or moment stayed with you—and why?
Yes, it's old and over-the-top; the films you love today will probably seen the same way in 60-some years.  So you can comment on it as a fifties film, critique it even, but only here.  For the next questions take as a given that Nicholas Ray was deliberate in his choices; they are not open for critique or dismissal.

2. "Rebel Without A Cause"—or is there a cause that Jim and Judy and Plato and Buzz and Goon and Crunch and all the kids have?  If so, what?  If not, explain?

3.  Do you find anything(s) true to your experience in this movie?  If so, what—and how?  And if not—make a case that this not an accurate portrayal of being a teenager?  Think before you answer.

200 words. And here is a preview of our next film.