The Name of the Rose
Lauren Brooks
Books are an amazing gift. I look back and focus in on some of the amazing scenes from the libraries and I am amazed. I know exactly what Sean Connery’s character was feeling the moment he stepped into the library, amazement and wonder were clearly shown on his face. I love books and I think that knowing how to read is one of the best gifts that I have ever received, and having the privilege to read what I want and when I want is one of the best feelings in the world.
The lay out of the library as a labyrinth is really amazing and spectacular image that the director portrays well by showing the monks running around and around, when he states they used the same room to portray the library in the majority of the scenes. The Library is a place that contains so much knowledge and I am a firm believer of a corny saying that books can take you anywhere. It really is true, from a mystery in the big city, to a romance at the beach, to learning how to cook real Italian or your favorite fairy tale from the woods, books can make all of these places come alive in your imagination. The library in this movie makes Sean Connery’s character come alive the moment he steps into the library and gets taking back to Ancient Greece when he begins to read the works of Socrates.
The other parts of this movie were really intense and somewhat graphic for me to grasp, but I will always remember the pivotal scene of the monks finally seeing the library for the first time and the pain he felt as he watched all of the books burn to the ground.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Rent
Rent
Lauren Brooks
I freakin’ love Rent. I will preface this blog by saying that I pride myself on knowing the majority of the words and scenes from this movie and anyone who has happened to be around Amanda and I at the same time can attest to this fact. I will also state the fact that I am sure the play is way better than the movie (even though I have never seen the play), but the movie is a close second I am sure. There are so many things that I love about this movie, the music, the characters, the dancing, the message, and the actors are amazing.
It’s hard to pick a main theme from the movie to discuss, but I think the one that means the most to me are the important lyrics written by Jonathon Larson. My favorite song has to be La Vie Bohème. It’s what the whole movie is all about, their culture, their ideals, and everything that they stand for. It is also a real turning point in the movie when two characters start a relationship.
I also think it is important to show the very faithful and loving homosexual relationship played by the two characters Angel and Collins. They both are very in love and Collins was crushed when Angel slowly deteriorated due to having AIDS. The funeral scene when Collins sings to Angel always makes me cry no matter what. It’s a powerful scene that reminds us that love is powerful. Collins took care of Angel all the way to the end of his life and even cares for him after his death. I want to have someone love me that way and I want someone to care for me when I am that sick and I want to take care of someone that I love when they are sick. This movie inspires me to be a better friend and a better person in the different kinds of relationships that I have and I hope it inspires other people as well.
Lauren Brooks
I freakin’ love Rent. I will preface this blog by saying that I pride myself on knowing the majority of the words and scenes from this movie and anyone who has happened to be around Amanda and I at the same time can attest to this fact. I will also state the fact that I am sure the play is way better than the movie (even though I have never seen the play), but the movie is a close second I am sure. There are so many things that I love about this movie, the music, the characters, the dancing, the message, and the actors are amazing.
It’s hard to pick a main theme from the movie to discuss, but I think the one that means the most to me are the important lyrics written by Jonathon Larson. My favorite song has to be La Vie Bohème. It’s what the whole movie is all about, their culture, their ideals, and everything that they stand for. It is also a real turning point in the movie when two characters start a relationship.
I also think it is important to show the very faithful and loving homosexual relationship played by the two characters Angel and Collins. They both are very in love and Collins was crushed when Angel slowly deteriorated due to having AIDS. The funeral scene when Collins sings to Angel always makes me cry no matter what. It’s a powerful scene that reminds us that love is powerful. Collins took care of Angel all the way to the end of his life and even cares for him after his death. I want to have someone love me that way and I want someone to care for me when I am that sick and I want to take care of someone that I love when they are sick. This movie inspires me to be a better friend and a better person in the different kinds of relationships that I have and I hope it inspires other people as well.
Episode Eight Decalogue
Episode Eight
Lauren Brooks
The best reoccurring frame in this movie is the crooked picture, hands down. I love that it’s always crooked and fixing it has become a part of her routine just like changing the flowers and getting the mail. Although I think the story is really interesting, I felt that the movie lacked something that I couldn’t really put my finger on. It was a little hard to follow the story and figure out the person who really bared false witness against whom. In the beginning it seemed really silly that someone might try to use their faith as a reason for not trying to help someone; especially during WWII but at the same time, it’s hard to know what people were feeling at that time.
No one can really deny the irony of the lady being an ethics professor or when she insists on her staying the night at her house. It’s like the first time she was denied that privilege, but now it is being extended to her again. I did think that the scene where the lady was lost in the alley at the house was too dark of a scene for this movie. It was very scary and in your face kind of scene that I wasn’t expecting for this episode. It seemed a little too intense, the old lady was freaking out when the lady was missing and the young lady was happy to watch from the shadows as she continues to look for her and basically freaks out to the point of knocking on stranger’s doors (and some sketchy strangers at that, lol) late at night to look for her. I guess the director wanted to portray the symbolism of having lost that girl and not knowing weather or not she survived. But in the end it seemed to dark. I just expected a better story and a better ending to the non-dramatic story line.
Lauren Brooks
The best reoccurring frame in this movie is the crooked picture, hands down. I love that it’s always crooked and fixing it has become a part of her routine just like changing the flowers and getting the mail. Although I think the story is really interesting, I felt that the movie lacked something that I couldn’t really put my finger on. It was a little hard to follow the story and figure out the person who really bared false witness against whom. In the beginning it seemed really silly that someone might try to use their faith as a reason for not trying to help someone; especially during WWII but at the same time, it’s hard to know what people were feeling at that time.
No one can really deny the irony of the lady being an ethics professor or when she insists on her staying the night at her house. It’s like the first time she was denied that privilege, but now it is being extended to her again. I did think that the scene where the lady was lost in the alley at the house was too dark of a scene for this movie. It was very scary and in your face kind of scene that I wasn’t expecting for this episode. It seemed a little too intense, the old lady was freaking out when the lady was missing and the young lady was happy to watch from the shadows as she continues to look for her and basically freaks out to the point of knocking on stranger’s doors (and some sketchy strangers at that, lol) late at night to look for her. I guess the director wanted to portray the symbolism of having lost that girl and not knowing weather or not she survived. But in the end it seemed to dark. I just expected a better story and a better ending to the non-dramatic story line.
The Seventh Seal
The Seventh Seal
Lauren Brooks
Despite the age of this movie I really enjoyed the questioning aspect of the knight. He was so conflicted internally with what would happen after his death that he was willing to play a game of chess with death to prolong his time on Earth to figure out the answer. I can not imagine knowing that I was going to die as soon as I finished a game of chess.
I think in each of us there is a little a bit of the knight and a little bit of the squire. I think the majority of people are afraid of death or dying, it is a time when beliefs, values and faith really play out. The knight is so unsure of what happens after death and really wants a guarantee that the choice in makes in life will be the best one for him in the afterlife. I especially love that the way the director chooses to portray death in this movie.
At this time period, death was all around with the outbreak of the black plague and in the movie he was seen constantly taking people. In the movie he seemed to play a neutral role in the afterlife and it was something that you hardly ever see in movies these days. Usually death is full of negativity about the afterlife and only comes when after death will be someplace similar to hell. Death takes his time with the knight and even offers to prolong the knight’s death with a chess game. The whole time the chess game is going on the knight ponders over the options of life after death, but gets no where with Death in the end. Finally Death comes for them all and they are able to face Death head on. I think the knight finally realizes that faith is a huge part of life after death no matter what you believe happens. At some point you have to take the leap and the chess game was just his way of trying to prolong that leap.
Eventually we all die, it’s just a fact of life and we have to make a decision about how we feel about the mystery of life and death, because I don’t know about you but I don’t play chess,.
Lauren Brooks
Despite the age of this movie I really enjoyed the questioning aspect of the knight. He was so conflicted internally with what would happen after his death that he was willing to play a game of chess with death to prolong his time on Earth to figure out the answer. I can not imagine knowing that I was going to die as soon as I finished a game of chess.
I think in each of us there is a little a bit of the knight and a little bit of the squire. I think the majority of people are afraid of death or dying, it is a time when beliefs, values and faith really play out. The knight is so unsure of what happens after death and really wants a guarantee that the choice in makes in life will be the best one for him in the afterlife. I especially love that the way the director chooses to portray death in this movie.
At this time period, death was all around with the outbreak of the black plague and in the movie he was seen constantly taking people. In the movie he seemed to play a neutral role in the afterlife and it was something that you hardly ever see in movies these days. Usually death is full of negativity about the afterlife and only comes when after death will be someplace similar to hell. Death takes his time with the knight and even offers to prolong the knight’s death with a chess game. The whole time the chess game is going on the knight ponders over the options of life after death, but gets no where with Death in the end. Finally Death comes for them all and they are able to face Death head on. I think the knight finally realizes that faith is a huge part of life after death no matter what you believe happens. At some point you have to take the leap and the chess game was just his way of trying to prolong that leap.
Eventually we all die, it’s just a fact of life and we have to make a decision about how we feel about the mystery of life and death, because I don’t know about you but I don’t play chess,.
What I want
What I want
Lauren Brooks
I was discussing this class with a friend the other day and talking about the really weird movies that we had the privilege of watching in our movies class. I told her about the difficulty I had understanding some of the movies and their plots and what they were trying to express to the viewers. I was telling her that I have basically learned that European films are all about telling you the issue and letting you decide and figure out part of the plot. I used the example of Midrash in the Decalogue series. She has never seen the films, but quickly understood what I was trying to explain with the questioning aspect I feel like a lot of these films convey. She quickly got exasperated with the intense questions that these films bring up. For instance questioning the aspect of the 10 commandments, what does thou shalt not murder mean. How do we interpret that in our everyday lives’, what does that mean for soldiers, for the death penalty, for accidental deaths? It’s hard to make these decisions, but sometimes like my friend was telling me you just need someone to take a stance, make an answer, and decide what it really means. It’s tiring after a while to constantly answer these unanswerable questions, and movies, books, and music should help us to answer these questions not add millions more to the list. Sometimes it just becomes over whelming with all of these questions and we need a movie that makes us forget (good ole’ American slapstick humor) or a movie that helps us to answer some of these questions (movies from a utopian society). Sometimes its nice to have a movie to take you away from these questions.
Lauren Brooks
I was discussing this class with a friend the other day and talking about the really weird movies that we had the privilege of watching in our movies class. I told her about the difficulty I had understanding some of the movies and their plots and what they were trying to express to the viewers. I was telling her that I have basically learned that European films are all about telling you the issue and letting you decide and figure out part of the plot. I used the example of Midrash in the Decalogue series. She has never seen the films, but quickly understood what I was trying to explain with the questioning aspect I feel like a lot of these films convey. She quickly got exasperated with the intense questions that these films bring up. For instance questioning the aspect of the 10 commandments, what does thou shalt not murder mean. How do we interpret that in our everyday lives’, what does that mean for soldiers, for the death penalty, for accidental deaths? It’s hard to make these decisions, but sometimes like my friend was telling me you just need someone to take a stance, make an answer, and decide what it really means. It’s tiring after a while to constantly answer these unanswerable questions, and movies, books, and music should help us to answer these questions not add millions more to the list. Sometimes it just becomes over whelming with all of these questions and we need a movie that makes us forget (good ole’ American slapstick humor) or a movie that helps us to answer some of these questions (movies from a utopian society). Sometimes its nice to have a movie to take you away from these questions.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
amy- Finale or Finally?
I think the course Sacred Communication is an interesting concept. Typically, I enjoy European film. However, watching Kierslowski week after week takes a tole on one's psyche. It really took me a while to get used to the constant barrage of depressing images. Like most, I am very affected by what I see. I tend to think about things much later and allow it to hit me at the core of my being. This can be a good thing, but can also be detrimental after watching traitors, suicidal lovers, murderers and all types of sins. For me, it is never just "analytical." To allow my thoughts to dwell in such darkness can be a dangerous process, since I do indeed tend to feel most strongly. Towards the end of the class, I started to be able to disconnect myself from the harsh nature of the films, so that I could fully understand what Kierslowski is trying to say.
This is mainly for Kieslowski's films though. The other types of European films I really enjoyed. Wings of Desire is quite possibly one of the best displays of cinematic genius I have seen in a long time. I also loved tapping into a small part of the European thought-processes through their films. I think that American film should take a hint from European film instead of putting out shoddily done scripts that could have been taken from the other replicas.
Learning how to extract the meanings from films is a valuable tool that I am glad to have improved upon. We are fed so many images by the media that it is important to really understand what they are trying to tell us.
This is mainly for Kieslowski's films though. The other types of European films I really enjoyed. Wings of Desire is quite possibly one of the best displays of cinematic genius I have seen in a long time. I also loved tapping into a small part of the European thought-processes through their films. I think that American film should take a hint from European film instead of putting out shoddily done scripts that could have been taken from the other replicas.
Learning how to extract the meanings from films is a valuable tool that I am glad to have improved upon. We are fed so many images by the media that it is important to really understand what they are trying to tell us.
amy- We All Play Chess
Death follows us wherever we go. I believe this is because it is the greatest adventure and mystery we have on earth. Everyone skirts around the issue. Celebrities do not want to contemplate getting older, so they spend absurd amounts of money to try and stay young. Thoughtful singers try and reconcile the mystery with bravado. Soldiers brave wars living in death’s shadow every day. Ingmar Bergman, as director of the Seventh Seal, attempts to work out his own struggles with death through his art. His musings on death were probably the most thought-provoking of all movies we watched. I was fascinated and yet horrified at the inevitable fate of all the characters. Even from the start of the film, the idea of the protagonist dying is evident. The viewer sees his game of chess with death and sees that it can only end badly. Still the protagonist struggles on through life. The most horrifying image in the film is the girl that is burnt at the stake. She is thought to be evil and everyone is afraid of her. Through excellent acting, the girl is able to convey the ways that people believe the role society gives them. This is what saddened me. She believed she was irredeemable. It is a horrifying picture Bergman presents us with. Bergman also fascinated me with the ways that he conveyed the different approaches of humanity to death. The ending of the film was grand. Each person faces death in completely different ways. I can see many people I know in each of the characters. Ultimately, Bergman clings to the one thing that he knows for certain: love. Through the family escaping at the end of the film, Bergman shows his belief in love though it is as much of a mystery as death. For me, I appreciated this remnant of a solution in his piece of art.
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