buffy the sing along blog

Though it's apparent Joss Whedon is an auteur, it doesn't make me more of a fan of his work.

Firefly felt like a cheap, knock off version of Star Wars! Maybe I'm the only person who thinks this (or maybe I like to trace everything back to my love for all things Star Wars). The acting was horrible! The clothes... the bar scene... the rag tag group that can't all get along... the wise man... the pretty-feisty woman... hello?! STAR WARS! Plus, Joss envisioned a very diverse background of characters, of all ethnicities, all languages (seriously... that Chinese was UNbearable!)... just like Star Wars. It's not that I don't love science fiction, because I do! But there could have been a way better way to take on such an ambitious project like this. I hate to say this, but the studios were right, there did need to be more humor, more action and at the same time introduce the characters as people who are relate-able and like-able. It wasn't the worst show that I've ever seen, but it was definitely not the best! If I was flipping through channels, I would've taken one look at this show, laughed and switched the channel.

HowEVER, I was a HUGE fan of Buffy. Granted, the storyline was weird, the characters were really strange and I was a little embarrassed at how much I liked Buffy, but I really did like her! A strong female role seems to be Joss's best contribution to his early works. Sarah Michelle Geller not only set the standard for teen-queen shows, but she set the standards for ass-kicking girl shows and movies. Think Alias... Jennifer Garner played a kick-butt female! Though this is a terrible example (but it's the only one I can think of at the top of my head) think about the Electra or Catwoman movies. Yes... bad acting/filming, but really good tough girl roles! I think Buffy was a real form of sexual awakening for many women and girls, the first realization that this very pretty, very petite girl can have a really tough side to her and though it was a little intimidating, they embraced her wholeheartedly! I can't tell you how many books, magazines, movies, TV shows... all that put in a little reference to Buffy. Women still appreciate Joss's contribution, even almost a decade later.

Now let's talk about Dr. Horrible. I'd never heard of this before the reading in class, but I admit, it was a really funny show. Really funny show. The comedic time in works with the editing was fantastic, the setup of characters (though I would've liked to know more about why Dr. Horrible wanted to be so... horrible) was great and of course, the actors were fantastic (at least, the main three... why was the friend "moist"?) What I found most interesting about this work, was that Joss went against his idea of good and bad, and that in the end we will help out those who need it. Instead, Dr. Horrible lost everything and turned to evil instead of good. Rather than take responsibility, he moved on to something much worse. Maybe that's a theme in all of this shows, is that in the end evil triumphs, but from the episodes that I've seen of Buffy, I feel as if that's not the case. I hated the ending of course, because I always want some allusion to a happy ending... but I was satisfied with it at least.

What I love about Joss is his use of characters. They are real people! They have real lives! You know what these people would do in their spare time when no one else is looking, because he gives them a spirit. Not many people can create this about their work, but Joss does. I find this to be his most defining aspect of his auteurism. Even in Firefly (which I obviously disliked) I liked the set up of the characters. The "second captain" was feisty, as was the, what I can only presume to be, resident prostitute was feisty from her very first line. The doctor was passive, kind of clueless, but inherently protective of his little, pretty crazy, sister. The mechanic was an innocent but brainy young woman, a character that we don't usually see. From the very first episode you can see that there will of course be love interests throughout the course of the season from the thick tensions. The husband and wife were my favorite part of the crew. The woman was a tough, stable thinking woman who wasn't afraid and the husband was a stable, more nurturing character. Together they balanced each other out, without one dominating over the other, which was a very interesting dynamic for TV, and even movies for that matter. The character I enjoyed the very least was the Captain, of course. His lines were cheesy, his thought process seemed shallow and the only look into his thoughts were when he decided not to keep the medicine, but rather return it instead. This rag tag group had a plethora of personality, but it just didn't feel right to me. I'm not sure if it was the writing, or the script, or the setting, but it just didn't work for me in this show.

Obviously, this got a rise out of me though, I truly enjoyed writing about Joss! I hope in the future he'll create another show that I'll like... in the mean time, who else is excited about The Avengers?! That casting looks AMAZING.

auteurism

From the examples used in class, it's difficult to see how Kurosawa could be considered an auteur. I would first want to say that he enjoyed a violent narrative, but "Dreams" proved me wrong. I would later want to say that he liked working with Eastern influences, especially Japanese, but again, "Dreams" proved me wrong. If I had just watched "Dreams" I would've thought this director was something completely different in his auteur styles.
A common thread that I found was his uses of color. Obviously, "Dreams" was his most brilliantly lit film, but the battle scenes and the forest scenes are incorporated important uses of color. Scorsese has publicly hailed "Dreams" as one of his most favorite movies, and if I had seen the film in it's entirety, I would probably say the same. Van Gogh is my favorite artist and to see his works come to life like that was completely amazing. But it also felt like quite a stretch to compare it to his bloody war scenes or serene forest takes.
From what I have gained from the clips, he seems to have been very innovative with camera styles/ editing styles. While watching, I felt as if I hadn't seen much of these ideas before, they felt new and interesting. Because of this, I believe that the Brat Pack was a large fan of his.
It was also mentioned that he had worked with a famous actor for a long time, which was mainly the reason for his success in producing these intensive and hard working films. Many auteur's seem to seek solace in one particular actor. In class we discussed how John Wayne and John Ford collaborated multiple times throughout their careers, and I see a common thread with many other directors as well. In them, do they find a muse? It seems strange to corner yourself into just one person, but I suppose there are many difficult actors out there, and to find a hardworking/normal would would be tough to achieve!
A few years ago, I saw Ran in another class and I truly enjoyed the idea of meshing three completely different stories together, which made for a thrilling view. Also because on paper, that idea sounds boring and monotonous, instead he managed to make each story more thrilling than the next and had audiences wrapped around his finger until the very end. I loved that Ran had no closure, any other ending would've felt forced and unlikely.

500 days of Morgan... just doesn't have the same ring to it

I love this movie.
I love the way they talk, the way they dress, their apartments, the places they spend time, the things they love, the way they dance, the music they listen to... I even love the ending.
The mentor of love for Tom (who was obviously the main character despite the title) was ironically this quirky little sister which made his need for growing up and maturing even more apparent. His two clueless buddies are also there to help him find his way in the big and scary world of love.
The contrasts of Tom and Summer's personalities was quite different from the conventions set of most movies. Tom was the decidedly female perspective who wanted to be in a relationship, who held back from accomplishing his goals and who felt hurt when the relationship was broken off by Summer. "No I'm Sid" says Summer. "OH and I'm Nancy?" asks Tom.
The meet cute didn't feel all that cute to me, but the first kiss and consumation was different than most that I'd seen. The girl made the first daring move and then pretending like nothing had happened. That is the typical "male" thing to do.
There was actually two weddings in the film. One was the marriage of a mutual friend and the other was flashes of Summer's wedding to another person. The difference was of Tom's attraction to Summer and his final ability to move away from Summer.
Through the non-linier intercutting of time and "days of Summer" the Gilligan was used constantly. Most noticeably I think was the shot of Tom getting into the elevator smiling and then a quick cut in days to standing in the elevator looking like a complete mess. Or maybe when reality and actuality are compared through a split screen. I am SO glad that I know what a Gilligan is now, because I'm seeing it everywhere!

The allusions to The Graduate were confusing to me. After seeing this movie, I watched The Graduate, thinking that because I loved 500 Days of Summer, I must like this movie that it was obviously based off of the same ideals. But I hated that dang movie! He was whiney, indecisive and his arrogant outbursts of childlike importance were mistaken for passion. If I were that beautiful girl I would've stayed far, far away from him. So why did she leave? The last scene didn't make me cry like Summer, it just irritated me. Obviously, they weren't in love. Obviously, they realized it was a mistake. Obviously, they hadn't planned what they were going to do next! I could never/would never do something like that.

500 is just such a stylish movie. It encapsulates all my feelings about being in my 20's and (hopefully) falling in love and living on my own and working in jobs that might not neccesarily be my dream job. What I like the most is the story. Woman are always the passive, kind creatures that TV and movies portray them to be. Some a liars, some are selfish and some are plain mean. Summer was a simple realization than men can easily fall for a woman who will break their heart. I like that Tom finally found himself in a better place once they were through. I especially like that he discovered Autumn on his 500th day because I LOVE a romantic ending. Mostly though, I think Autumn was there to symbolize hope for love. Maybe she and Tom weren't going to be together forever, but she would help him to realize that once he has all of his ambitions out there, he could be rewarded with the love he so desired.

Oh, and I have a ginormous crush on Joesph Gordon Levitt. More men should dress like him I think. Below are my two favorite scenes :) One reveals so much character and the other is just funny

boom boom shoot shoot

I don't really like war movies.
Well, the truth is, I don't really like war in the first place.
Basically war movies are about death, which makes me sad and I don't want to feel sad.
Saving Private Ryan, The Hurt Locker, Pearl Harbor... they all made me cry like a baby.
But suddenly, when we were watching the 1 hour war TV show, I was riveted. This show gave the characters a background, I felt for them, I wanted them alive. There was no dehumanization of war because we were introduced to war by these humans, people who were experiencing it all for the first time as well. The character we all loved the most (of course the newcomer or "cherry") has to die. Why did he have to get hurt? He was so sweet and kind and outgoing and encouraging! Through this character we lose our innocence about war, we realize that what we're seeing isn't just there for entertainment value, this is what happens in real life. And he seemed to truly love his life. Some of the other characters stories drew me in as well. The soldier with the glasses and bad temper seemed like an interesting character. The two women soldiers within their troop seemed like they had more of a story than they told. The amazing singer seemed like he had more of a story to tell. I also loved how they interconnected his song into a slower, almost acoustic tempo while they were lifting the soldier who had parts of his body blown off away.
Basically, the story felt real to me. Put a bunch of strangers in one place and see what happens seems to be a successful storyline to go with, but adding the fact that they are in war made the story even more interesting and foreign. I loved the filming techniques used, with lots of point of view, night vision and realistic fighting scenes. The actors were fantastic. Overall, this is something I would probably watch.
Another interesting look at war was the ABC show from last fall (that was later canceled) called My Generation. It was a look at a group of friends 10 years after the graduated from high school and one of the friends left a full athletic scholarship to college in order to join the army after September 11th. Friends mentioned how proud they were of him, how brave he was and how he left his wife who was pregnant to go overseas. It allowed for not only the look into this soldiers heart, but into the hearts of those around him. It was a more realistic portrayal of what it's like to leave part of your life behind whether you are at war or not. A part of the character missed war when he was at home and missed home while he was at war. Many shows and movies don't look that deeply into the multifaceted lives that soldiers have.

Monday Tuesday Thursday Wednesday

A few posts back I mentioned that You Got Mail is one of my favorite movies. Well, throughout You Got Mail there are countless direct references to The Godfather, especially the first Godfather. For the longest time, I didn't understand all of these references. I admit, I hadn't seen The Godfather until this past summer (thank you Netflix!) and I fell absolutely in love (though I think I enjoyed the second installment the most).
The wedding scene is so famous, and it's hard to ignore why. I love character development and the best way that Coppola could've introduced all of these characters so fluidly was through a scene like this. We see the sister getting married, Michael telling his girlfriend that he isn't like his family (oh you just wait Michael!), Sonny being a cheating and rude husband and Tom as the loyal and faithful servant to Don Vito. Through interactions with those he meets, we understand that the Don is a family man with an old fashioned view of his work. Because the movie is so long and action packed, the wedding scene might be forgotten but it truly is the most important. From this wedding scene we're allowed to see the characters grow and change. The first movie alone takes us through so many different phases and sequences, the wedding had actually placed set up for everything that was going to happen.
The character most changed throughout the trilogy is of course Michael, but the first pivotal first scene introduces Michael as a war hero. As a guy who thought it was ok to be late to his sisters wedding. As a guy who didn't feel the need to say hello to his family as soon as he came in. As a guy who looked down on the family business and told his pretty blonde girlfriend that he thought so. Michael, as it was so obvious, did NOT consider himself a part of his family or business. Contrasting this man from the wedding party to the final scenes of The Godfather III, it's incredibly apparent how much things had changed for this man.
The Godfather is praised as one of the best movies of all time, and I have a hard time disagreeing with this. These ruthless, vengeful and violent characters are given heart and a background through Coppola's fantastic filming and wonderful storyline. Watching the movie allows a feeling of inclusion. Viewers feel invited into this life of family ties, love and gangster killing. Viewers are allowed to dance and sing and eat at this big Italian wedding.

goo goo for gaga

I think everyone, even if they have to dig deep (maybe even way deep) down, LOVES Lady Gaga. Sure, she's weird and her music isn't all that amazing, but there's something about her that is incredibly appealing. Something that I really like about LG is her dedication to music videos, which is obviously a dying art form. Everyone complains about her winning just about every VMA category that she's put in, but compared to her videos, no one else stands a chance! It's not that they're necessarily better, but it's just so obvious that she puts an incredible amount of work into them. It's almost as if she thinking of the music videos as she makes her songs.
"Born this Way" was no exception to the rule. Yes it's weird. Yes it's gross. Yes it has nothing to do with the song. But it DOES get people talking! It does make you want to watch! After the disturbing intro, the music video begins with LG dancing (she even admits to this) very poorly (and somewhat   provacatively) in a bra and underwear. Even though she's dancing around in her underwear though, she doesn't come off as sexy. Maybe this is because she is incredibly, almost childlike, thin, but the audience doesn't feel as if they are staring at her boobs or butt. She takes up the entire frame, so rather than her boobs or face being center, it's actually her flat stomach. Later, she's dressed in an androgynous tuxedo wearing a face of makeup that makes her and her male counterpart look like skeletons, and not all that dissimilar. Throughout the music video there are shots of her wearing what looks like wax paper with tape covering certain bits, but again, this doesn't come off as sexy. That doesn't seem to be what she's going for. Instead, "weird" seems to be her most common label, and I think weird works for her, it's definitely something she should stick with.
When in comparison to some of the other music videos that we've watched, this one seems very PG to me. She's not dancing on a stripper pole or grinding against some guy. The best example that comes to mind is basically any Britney Spears video. What is Britney selling? Sex of course. She soley created the low-rise jean phenomenon in the early 00's and how did she do this? Through her provacitive music videos of course! Like LG, dancing is seen in every single one, whether group grinding with her fellow dancers, dancing on stripper poles or dancing on the ground, on a chair, in the air... everywhere! LG isn't like this. She's not licking her lips or doused in body oils. She's just a little weirdo who wants to dance!
Lady Gaga is good for all the girls and all the gays.

sad 60's

I wouldn't ever want to have lived in the 60's. The music, the fashion, the movies... they just don't appeal to me. In class we watched the 1970 documentary Gimme Shelter about the Rolling Stones and it's reaffirms by belief. First, I don't like the Rolling Stones, what a shock!! Second, everyone looked like they were high on just about every drug possible. Third, Mick Jagger was wearing lime green velvet pants... that were skin tight.
Despite my dislike for that particular decade, I did enjoy the filming styles of the movie itself. In class we discussed most of the "found moments" we liked, but I'll reiterate mine here.

1. I liked seeing Mick Jagger's reactions to things. First, when he was on stage and asking people to calm down so they could play, he sounded whiny, but when a Hells Angel whispered something in his ear this brief moment of quiet terror passed over his face. It was almost imperceptibly quick, but there was something so beautiful about that moment. He was quickly realizing that he could very well be in danger, yet he chose to keep signing for the crowd. Second, when he was in the recording studio, watching the film for the first time. The look on his face was so sad, and when he asked for them to rewind again and asked questions, he almost had an incredulous but defeated look to him. Almost as if he couldn't believe that something like this could happen at his shows.

2. I enjoyed the odd moments. Like when a dog runs across the stage, a naked woman tries to climb onstage or when a man who is quite obviously on some serious drugs is doing some kind of strange dance. The crying girls pressed up against the stage seem to have so recognition for what they're crying about and the audience doesn't even really seem all that excited to be watching this world famous band play. It's almost as if even person is so drugged up that they're not thinking correctly.

3. Finally, I really enjoyed the ironic twist the filmmakers took on portraying the authority figures. Cops are seen shrugging and looking panicked. Hells angels are seen as glaring hoodlums and free spirited dancers. They make sure audiences know that they damage that they caused on the man who died was absolutely ridiculous, by kicking him and repeatedly stabbing him.

On a side note: I found it interesting that they didn't use George Lucas's tape in the final cut. Most of the filming didn't feel that professional or planned out and it seemed strange that they used so few angles and views of the stage. Getting more audience reaction shots that weren't pressed up against the stage seemed like a better idea from my perspective.