REVIEW: Nightcrawler

What they don’t tell you about this movie is that, when it is eventually shown on television during Halloween marathons, it can be paired perfectly with the Christian Bale-helmed American Psycho. Honestly, I will be shocked if we don’t see at least one academic paper comparing the two parables of lunacy, featuring two of our greatest actors giving exceptionally creepy performances. That being said, this is not that academic paper so I will not bring up American Psycho until the end.

Louis Bloom (Gyllenhaal) is quickly established as a man who will do anything necessary to make a living. The film follows his rise (or descent?) into the world of Los Angeles crime journalism via taping footage of crime scenes. He rises to the top of his league by increasingly malicious deeds and the stakes climb as we discover how much of a monster he truly is.

I like camera
I like camera

Being a film major myself, I know the struggles of filming night scenes. Anyone who has owned a camera or camcorder knows the pain of seeing grainy night footage cloud clear memories. That is one reason why the plethora of darkness throughout Nightcrawler is so gorgeous–the blackness is milky smooth and you find yourself truly immersed in the lunacy of our protagonist, Louis Bloom (Gyllenhaal). The majority of the film is shot in the dark, with only a handful of day shots as punctuation (that also have deeper meanings I am sure). However, the story is of a budding LA crime videographer and his questionable ethical decisions. This is not a film for the daylight.

At first I did not enjoy the cinematography. Throughout the film it is rough and unfinished, competent but not extraordinary. Then I realized: this is a film about a blossoming videographer. The genius of the cinematography is that it mirrors his own high-strung education in camera work and framing. Nightcrawler is quite a reflexive film, with not only images of cameras strewn everywhere and footage on videoscreens, but direct on-screen references to framing and camera jargon such as wide-screen lenses and megapixels.

In this way,  lovers of filmography and photography are given a chilling reminder of boundaries in capturing life through a lens. The cinematography hammers this point into our faces by trading shots between Lou’s camera and the “official” camera of the film.

So here's my number just call me maybe...
So here’s my number just call me maybe…

I enjoy James Newton Howard’s work, but the music felt inconsistent.

In this case, it seemed to be a reflection of the film’s own inconsistent message. Describing anything would give too much away, but the ending scene leaves the audience questioning its message more than anything. At some points the music is hopeful and cheery, reflecting Lou’s rise as a result of diligence and hard work. Other shots are adrenaline fueled and guitar driven. Then there were the pieces that matched the overall dark town of the film. Each would have worked in their own right, but spliced together they felt uncertain of which story they wanted to tell.

This brings me back to the comparison between American Psycho and Nightcrawler. At the end of American Psycho, we find that Bale’s character was only imagining his maniacal fantasies. He tries his hardest to confess his crimes, but no one seems to believe him or even bother paying attention to him for that matter. This is a dark commentary on the apathy of the corporate world and high-class society. What is the real lesson of Nightcrawler? The best I could think of is our failure as a society to address disturbed individuals when we have the chance.

Throughout the course of the film Lou interacts with many people. Several question his judgment, but none of them makes an effort to actively confront him or even help him. And this is not the kind of individual that suddenly develops a psychotic personality, this is a man who has been molded by the people around him.

Somewhere in this film there is a powerful moral lesson, but the film itself does not make that leap. Instead we are left with a morally questionable ending. We are left waiting for someone else to step in and fix the problem for us. Perhaps that is the film’s message, a commentary on our complacency and unwillingness to question what we see before our eyes.

 

 

 

Review: Kiki’s Delivery Service

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Released in Japan in 1989, ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ was written, produced and directed by Hayao Miyazaki as an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Eiko Kadono. The film was brought to the US in 1997 by The Walt Disney Corporation.

The story follows Kiki, a young witch, who goes to town with her black cat, Jiji, to make a living on her mandatory year away from her family to train. Kiki makes friends with the villagers as she delivers packages around town. A young by named Tombo follows her around. He is an inventor of flying machines and admires her flying abilities.

Kiki has a crisis of identity as she momentarily loses an the ability to fly and has a harder time understanding her feline companion. Kiki regains self confidence after she saves Tombo and others from an airship accident. She remains in the town and resumes her delivery service in contentment.

 

The film is very much about coming of age, moving away from home and the familiar to grow from a child into a young adult.

There are noticeable differences in plot between the Japanese and American versions of this film. In the American version, Kiki reunites with Jiji which does not occur in the original Japanese. Cultural references are also changed to become more timeless and thus more relatable over time.

 

The next film in The State Theater Ghibli Series will show on Wednesday 5 November at 7pm, ‘Grave of the Fireflies.’

REVIEW: Dear White People

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“Dear White People” (2014) boldly tackles the intricate issue of racism on campus, through the lens of multiple black students. It addresses the diversity within the black student community, and examines a few identities outside of white race or black race — although not deeply.

The central incident is the “African American”-themed Halloween party put on by white students at the Winchester University, a fictional Ivy League school in which the black students are mainly marginalized, oppressed, and implicitly (and explicitly) forced to be in their corner. The invitation for the party was almost exactly quoted from the real party at the University of California, San Diego in 2010 (Post-Racism? Yeah, right).

Think of your favorite movie from the past; the chances are, most, if not all, of the important characters in that movie are white and heterosexual. On the contrary, “Dear White People” gives life to many black characters that were often marginalized in U.S. movie screens, including one gay black man. Through the eyes of Lionel Higgins, the movie touches the issue of intersectionality between race and sexual orientation, even if briefly. Another aspect about identity that this movie represented is the particular difficulty of being a multiracial person, as seen when Sam White talks about her interaction with her white father. Is the movie entirely inclusive of all identities? Definitely not. I can make a whole list of identities that were unmentioned in the movie. However, it can serve as a discussion-starter for looking far and beyond the binary of white vs. black, gay vs. straight, and so on.

The movie tries to bust the white-or-black binary by including one character that is neither. As the only Asian-American member of the Black Student Union, Sungmi suggests BSU to collaborate with the Asian-American and Latin@ organizations on the Halloween night to break into the African-American-themed party. I felt like she represents the whole rest of the spectrum of races — people that identify as neither black nor white. Unfortunately, her character’s identity and existence was attached to the black-ness, which didn’t give her much room to be defined outside of the white-or-black binary. But without her, the whole spectrum of races went entirely unmentioned. Sungmi speaks to the invisibility of oppression directed towards Asian, Latin@, and Arab students — and many, many more.

The audience filled up most of the State Theater screening room, about half of whom were perceivably people of color. They laughed, awww’d, oooh’d, and cheered as they found the story resonate with them. They left the theater talking about their identities, mostly about their race. Perhaps the biggest contribution that “Dear White People” is making to the society is its ability to bring people in the theater to share the emotions surrounding race, and continue talking about their identities and how those affect their lives.

Dear White People (and everyone else). Please watch this movie. And think about your identities, and how you perceive racism, sexism, heterosexism, and all other -isms based on your identities.

PREVIEW: Nightcrawler

Nightcrawler is the untold (semi-fictional) dark side of Los Angeles crime journalism, where a photographer will do anything to get a good shot of a murder scene. Perfect for Halloween weekend? You better believe it.

Who: Jake Gyllenhaal in what looks to be another Oscar-worthy performance.

Where: Rave Cinemas and Quality 16 (both within 4 miles of Ann Arbor!)

When: Showings begin at Midnight on Thursday

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Just look at that photograph. Marvel at the 30 pounds Gyllenhaal lost to start in this role, his bugged, creepy eyes. If you are into thrillers, crime journalism, or a clever alternative to a slasher flick, this may be the movie for you.

A trailer can also be seen here

REVIEW: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

There are many problems confronting modern society but one of them is the effect humans are having on the earth.  The significance of this issue has not diminished since the time of director Hayao Miyazaki’s animated release of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind in 1984.  The beauty of a harmonious relationship with nature is told through the story of Nausicaä, the young princess of a valley who relies on wind power and believes in the care of their people as much as the care of the forest and natural world which they rely on.  The architecture of the valley is reminiscent of a medieval village from the stone castle and to the robes and cloth headdresses the women wear.  Their seemingly feudal-age culture is contrasted by the use of sleek, white gliders which seem to emerge from a science fiction novel.

The earth has just emerged from an apocalyptic war between the humans and the toxic forest, which resulted in the extermination of human existence by the large, prehistoric beasts called, Ohms, from the forest.  Nausicaä uses her own glider to swiftly travel from the valley to the distant toxic forest, where the poisonous gases and monstrous bugs come from.  The neighboring cities believe that the forest needs to be eliminated for the safety of humanity from not only the bugs, but the diseases the forest spreads to the people.

Nausicaä strongly believes that the forest has the power to heal and that humans and the forest are meant to co-exist.  She shares this belief with the people she encounters through her natural charm with the animals and the way she gains their trust without asking anything in return.  She also raises her own secret garden in the castle where she’s managed a way to grow the plants of the forest in a non-poisonous way, in an attempt to prove that the danger lies not in the forest itself, but in the remnants of the war and the toll humans took on the forest.  Through it all, she has faith that their will be understanding and it is that strength of conviction combined with the beautiful characters Miyazaki has drawn together that pull you into Nausicaä’s world where holding unwaveringly onto ones beliefs and remaining brave in the face of adversity is one of the most beautiful characteristics one can hold, in the world of Miyazaki or the real world as well.

Preview: The Rocky Horror Picture Show – it’s astounding, time is fleeting, madness takes its toll

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What: The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Where: The State Theater

When: Friday 24 and Saturday 25 October 2014 11:59 pm – doors open at 11:15

How Much: $7

An absurd cult classic, ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ is an erotic freak show with alien transvestites, Frankenstein doctors, monstrous creatures and suburban goody-goodies.

A fun production with full on drag pieces and plenty of opportunity for audience participation, ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ traditionally requires costumes and callbacks from its audiences.

The State Theater will provide ‘props’ for the show, $5 a bag. Items forbidden from the screening include but are not limited to: rice, confetti, alcohol, fake blood, toilet paper, outside food and drink, etc.

Come dressed up or face the potential wrath of die-hard fans. If you have never seen this film and/or never been to a showing such as this I highly recommend it. There is no better way to experience Rocky Horror than with a theater of lingerie-clad fans screaming responses and prompts at the screen for 100 minutes.

Let’s do the Time Warp again!