‘The Green Mile’ Analysis

‘The Green Mile’ by director Frank Darabont is a story about prison guards working on death row that they call the green mile. They’re attitudes are slightly different from that of regular prison guards because they have to have a more calm and peaceful approach to prisoners, rather than a forceful one. Their attitudes are truly tested when they get a new inmate by the name of John Coffey who is quite intimidating, which is the point especially when they find out that he is kind at heart.

The film puts Coffey in a position where he has the power to heal others which is sad considering he is sentenced to die. The film tugs on emotional strings because, both the guards and the viewer grow attached to the kind hearted nature of Coffey. It also does a good job at reflecting the evils that are in this world. These evils are portrayed through certain characters.

Percy Wetmore is a privileged worker on the green mile and it shows through his actions. He acts as though he is better than everyone and knows that he can do anything he wants because he has family connections through the state. Because of this, the power gets to his head and we see his true evil side as well as his intentions for actually being on death row.

 

I enjoyed doing this blog throughout this semester because it gave me a chance to talk about what I’m truly passionate about. I felt that many of the social media aspects of this assignment helped to get my voice out there and get people who share the same passion to hear what I have to say. My most popular post was ‘Arrival’ Analysis and my most popular week was the week of Nov. 28 – Dec. 4.

‘Arrival’ Analysis

*SPOILERS*- Recently I got the chance to see the new film directed by Dennis Villeneuve titled ‘Arrival’ and I was quite surprised at the outcome of the film. Initially, I wasn’t too keen on seeing this film because, upon watching the trailer, I thought it just another space invasion movie. Now I am very glad that I am wrong.

It can be easy to see how tense things can get when an alien ship lands on Earth, but when several land simultaneously it can really test the human race, and that is the point. The film addresses the scenario of how humans respond when in a stressful and tense situation. When the alien visitors come and they simply do nothing but wait for human response, multiple personalities can be seen: Those who seek to communicate with the aliens in a calm and peaceful manner to figure out what they want and those who would also try to communicate, but with more hostility. Thus, we reach the underlying moral of this film.

We see in the film that through the determination of Dr. Banks (Adams) and Donnelly (Renner), they find out through the more diplomatic approach that the aliens are actually peaceful. Through this action we can see that the use of words and diplomacy can be one of the strongest weapons that mankind possesses, and that many of the problems that we have today can be solved by simple negotiation and communication instead of the brutish showing of force that we rely on heavily.

The film also shows how humans handle situations where we, as a civilization, are threatened. In the film, it shows the basic, and very primitive, nature of humans which is attack first and ask questions later. The reason for this is because humans are scared of what we don’t understand and we can see examples of this throughout history as well, but the moral of this film shows that maybe we as humans should try to understand first. Even though this is a great moral and a valuable lesson, there are times where the argument could be posed for the opposite side of the spectrum, but that is a topic for another day.

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‘Saving Private Ryan’ Analysis

Saving Private Ryan, directed by Steven Spielberg, is a film set during World War II and it tells the story of Captain Miller as he leads his squad to find a missing soldier who is to be sent home. With this plot in mind, it can be easy to see where the conflict arises; are the lives of his squad worth the life of one man who they must save? It is definitely not easy to answer, but throughout the movie we see events that push the emotional limits of the squad and eventually they come around.

What makes this movie so great in my opinion, is the realism
and amazing attention to detail that Spielberg puts into the film. A prime example of this can be seen in the opening scene of the film, where the Allies storm Omaha beach in Normandy. Watching this scene was definitely an emotional roller coaster. The profound realism mixed the incredible method of acting made it one of the greatest combat sequences I have ever seen, and I’m not alone! During the premier of the movie, many veterans who came to watch the movie had to leave prematurely because they said it was the most realistic combat scene that they had ever seen.

Along with the realism and attention to detail that the movie shows, it also presents a great moral challenge that many of the characters must overcome. This being the question of whether or not the life of this one soldier that Captain Miller’s squad is supposed to save is worth the lives of his own men. It is a difficult question to answer, tie this in with the fact that they also have to deal with a World War makes it that much more stressful for the audience.

‘Shawshank Redemption’ Analysis

Shawshank Redemption tells the story of a man who was framed for the murder of his wife and lover and must overcome the rugged lifestyle of prison. Andy Dufresne, the protagonist, is a man who is wrongfully accused for the murder of his wife and lover. However, he accepts his fate knowing the flaws in the justice system.

What makes Andy different from the other inmates is that he alone brings hope to a place where there is none. What is surprising about this is that his attitude is surprisingly stoic and reserved when you wouldn’t expect it to be. We see the human element through Andy’s actions such as getting in trouble for playing music to the entire prison, using a favor to give his friends beers, and rebuilding the entire prison library.

As a direct result of these actions, Andy proves the lifelong teaching of doing good when no one is looking. No one asked Andy to do the things he did, but he did them anyway simply because he could and because he saw it as the best use of his time. Through this, he transforms his person into someone who doesn’t need to be commended for the things he does, but instead, he does them out of the kindness of his heart.

‘Whiplash’ Analysis

Damien Chazelle’s ‘Whiplash’ questions the morality of the actions depicted by the characters in the film, but the argument can be made that these actions are justified and for a better purpose. The film does this in such a way that has the viewer constantly evaluating their opinion, but with that it also leaves it to the viewer to decide whether the actions performed were right or wrong.

The film starts with a young drummer named Andrew Neiman who aspires to be the best, but his aspirations are truly tested when he is introduced to the Terence Fletcher, whose qualities resemble that of a drill sergeant. Andrew learns this the hard way when he witnesses first hand the very unorthodox and hurtful methods that Fletcher uses to bring the best out of people musically. This is where the underlying conflict lies throughout the entire film.

Watching the film initially, it is easy to form an opinion that Fletcher is just some hot-head music conductor with no regard for the success of his students, but through his actions and the dialogue he makes in the movie, his true motives are eventually made clear. The film asks the question, how far is too far? We see that when it comes to Fletcher, you can’t go to far and I believe he is right.

It is clear that Fletcher is very unorthodox in how he manages his students, but upon further inspection, it is clear that it is a mask he wears because of the passion he has for the music. He is only tough and hard when he needs to be to bring out the best in people and to weed out those who do not share the same passion as he does. He believes that in order to bring out the best in people, you have to find ways to truly motivate them to become the best that they can be and one of the best ways to do that is to get in their head so that they are forced to prove you wrong.

 

 

‘Power Rangers’ Trailer Review by The Movie Bl0g

With the release of the new ‘Power Rangers’ movie trailer that released not too long ago, there are many differences that are clear as presented by The Movie Blog, but there are also many similarities as well.

As a child, I would eat, sleep, and breathe Power Rangers. The fact that they were able to accomplish their missions through teamwork and do so with awesome zords and weapons was the reason I was the red ranger for four straight years during Halloween. When I heard that they were making a new Power Rangers movie, the flashbacks came and my childhood self was more than excited.

With the release of the new trailer, there are some very noticeable differences from the youthful innocent TV show. As The Movie Blog pointed out, the new trailer gives off a sort of darker and more teen/adult tone. The TV show showed teenagers who are very involved and social with their school and community, though in this new film I feel like the characters are more of t
he outcasts who will have both internal and external conflicts to overcome.

This trailer honestly hyped this movie up for me. As a child I enjoyed the light hearted, youthful adventures of the Power Rangers because they were so relatable and cool. Now that I have aged it is good to see that the franchise has aged as well to appeal to the adult audience that enjoyed the Power Rangers as children.

‘Requiem for a Dream’ Analysis

In the film ‘Requiem For a Dream’, directed by Darren Aronofsky, we are given the stories of a group of individuals as they face many of the important issues that are seen in society today.

One of the major issues portrayed in the film is the influence that drugs have on the youth, and how addiction can be attributed to this conflict. We see this through the actions of the youthful characters, who are led down a path of addiction through drugs and end up doing most anything to get their next fix. To actively portray this conflict, the director uses music scores that go from a calm, unnerving tone when they get their fix, to a rampant, anxious one when they feel the urgency for more drugs.

Another conflict seen in the movie are the negative effects that media has on individuals in society. This is shown when the character Sarah Goldfarb must change her entire lifestyle because she has a chance to be on television. Through her, we see more desire and urgency, but this time we see it as a means to increase physical appearance. This goes to such an extent in the film that she, like the younger characters in the movie, will do most anything to appear younger and fitter, regardless of personal health.

Through the use of these vices, we are able to see a society where we are constantly under the pressure of the media and drugs that is may be too much for some. However, we see a sort of bliss in this when we approach the end of the film and it shows the characters lying in the fetal position. This shows that we as humans crave simplicity and security, much like what we had as children and even in the womb.

 

 

‘Benny & Joon’ Analysis

‘Benny & Joon’ by director Jeremiah Chechik is the story of Benjamin Pearl, an Automotive Mechanic who faces the struggle of taking care of his sister Juniper Pearl who suffers from schizophrenia. The trouble arises when Joon is no longer able to keep a housekeeper because she is too much for all of them. This changes when we meet Sam, a colorful character who connects well with Joon and falls in love.

Through the actions of Sam, the Film does an excellent job of portraying the theme that love can be found in strange places. At one point in the film, Sam refers to Joon as being normal despite her mental disability. I think he says this because his definition of normal is different because of his unique personality and colorful character. Therefore, this is also why Joon and Sam connect so well.

Sam also has a significant impact on the life of Benny through the means of interrupting his day to day routine. Before Sam, Benny was stuck in his small world, taking life one day at a time, but through the introduction of Sam, we find that Benny has aspirations. Mixed in with this is the element of fear that Benny has for his sister and as a result we see that, again, Before Sam, Benny is stuck trying to balance his profession with the care of his sister.

Even though the film is well put together, I felt little emotional attachment to the characters and the story itself. The conflict felt weak  and it seemed like the obstacles that the characters faced were overcome way too easily. I am not saying it is a bad movie, I just feel like it had more potential for the given plot. Nevertheless, I would recommend this film because it sends some powerful messages and the characters are relatable.

‘Fight Club’ Analysis

Before I go in depth about the film ‘Fight Club’, I would like to point out that there is a book that came first by Chuck Palahniuk and, like the movie, it is also very good.

The film ‘Fight Club’, interpreted by David Fincher, opens with an unnamed insomniac who finds meaning in his life through material that he purchases to complete himself.

He expresses his distress by saying “when you have insomnia, you’re never really asleep… and you’re never really awake”. Through this we can see that the narrator lives his life as a blur, just living for the next day and nothing else. We can relate this to a lesser extent to many modern day individuals who find solace in repeating the same routine day in and day out.

The film uses fighting as a way of expressing that we as humans are flawed and that instead of trying to strive for perfection, we should embrace and accept our many weaknesses. Furthermore, the film states that rather than perfection being the definition of beauty, it is in fact imperfection that makes us truly beautiful. The idea behind this is that we shouldn’t try to hide our scars because it’s part of who we are. Our scars are our reminders of where we’ve been, and each is a different story waiting to be told.

The film also shines a light on the idea of security and risk that takes place in our society. It says that today, society based around the same principle of staying your course and conforming so as to ensure your place in civilization. This is where the idea of risk comes into play, because we have been programmed by a young age to lock our minds and play it safe. Once again the film emphasizes this point in an extreme manner by having the narrator lose everything that “completes” him, and through this we see that because he has lost everything he has nothing more to risk and in turn he becomes free. Furthermore, we see a pattern in the narrators actions when he decides to join the support groups. He is slowly starting to realize that his entire life has been centered around what society has expected of him, and this eventually escalates to the creation of Fight Club to accentuate the fact that he is now aware of the constant demands and expectations that society imposes on us as individuals.

The reason this movie is my personal favorite is because it holds a mirror in front of us and shows us that we don’t have to be another cog in a machine, that beauty isn’t defined by perfection, but rather imperfection, and lastly material value does not define us as individuals. All of this is done in such an extreme way to show that these are some of the more important problems in our society, and we are the only ones who can fix it.

 

 

 

Welcome Cinephiles!

Welcome fellow cinephiles! My name is Colin Barragan and like you, I also find great appreciation in the art of film and cinema.

As you may already know, there are a plethora of different movie titles new and old, and together we will be exploring a variety of these to critically think about what the films really mean.

Much like other art forms, film does not solely exist as a medium for entertainment. Most of the time the artist, in this case the directors and screenwriters, are attempting to convey some kind of deeper meaning in which we as the audience must carefully analyze the film to uncover.

This blog is designed to bring together movie-goers who seek the emotional experiences that come with watching film, and to share and express different opinions on pieces of film. Furthermore, I will also be giving reviews on movies as well as recommendations of some of my favorite. Today, I am recommending that you watch David Fincher’s interpretation of the movie ‘Fight Club’ because this is my personal favorite film, and I will be doing an in-depth analysis of it very soon.

With time I hope to talk about different ideas and opinions with people who share the same love for cinema as I do!