The Incredible

     The Incredibles is one of my favorite animation film in Disney Pixar. During my primary school life, I already watched this film. The reason why I like this film is because the super power of the characters. Since I was kid, I like to imagine I have super power, such as flying super power and can other people mind. It really cool if I have super power then I can help a lot of people instead of do bad things. I can learn many moral from this film. I love this film not only the animation, it because the storyline is talking about the important of family. The Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated superhero film written and directed by Brad Bird, produced by Pixar Animation Studios, and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film follows a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers and live a quiet suburban life. Mr. Incredible's desire to help people draws the entire family into a battle with a villain and his killer robot.

     The theory of the film is Feminist. For the history of feminist, it started in the 1920s, looking at women’s expression of her own subjectivity.  Feminist film theory matured in the late 1960s, after the radicalized feminist movement. Feminism touch a lot of political issues. It is a set of political practices seen through the analyses of the social/historical position of women as subordinated, oppressed or exploited in dominant modes of production and by social relations of patriarchy or male domination. This film of theory are viewed as a reflection of the society, so we can know how perception of women in this society. Themes explored in feminist theory include discrimination, stereotyping, objectification, oppression, and patriarchy. This all is totally bad things for women.

So how to look in feminist in film is assumed predetermined sexual identity to expose the misrepresentation of women in films. The assumption here being female repression by a patriarchal society. Next is we look at the various female representations in the film and compare them, seeking out the final resolution of the ‘preferred’ female representation. Another one is looking at the female representation of the film from the female spectator’s point of view. There are other ways of interpretation of feminism in films that are more up-to-date, namely to include class and race, that further broadens the readings of films through spectator and the experiences of women in different classes and races.

     In this film, we can see that the representation of feminist is Helen Parr (Elastigirl), wife of Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible), Violet Parr (child of Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl), Mirage (Syndrome’s agent). Firstly, Helen Parr choose to marry to Bob Parr because she rely to him. But In 1979, public opinion turns against humans with superpowers – called "Supers" – and after facing several lawsuits over peripheral damage caused by their crime-fighting activities, the government forces them into civilian relocation programs. After 15 years later, Helen try to protect her family with hidden their super power identity. But what happened next she find out that her husband got trouble. She try to find out the problem to save her husband. Women are not only stay at home take care family, but also can work out side and can more power than men. Next Violet Parr is a shy girl, her super power is invisible and force shield. She really shy to show herself in front on her crush. After that

When the bad guys want to kill her brother, Violet use her force shield to save her brother. She take away her shy attitude to save her family. Lastly she not shy anymore, she dare to talk with the boy she like. Next character is Syndrome’s agent –Mirage. Mirage is a bad girl because she helping Syndrome to kill all the super hero. One of the scene when Mr. Incredible want to use Mirage to threat Syndrome, but Syndrome don’t care about. Mirage regret because help Syndrome. Lastly she choose to help Mr. Incredible to save the world.

     Women very important because men cannot live without women. Women take important role for every aspect. 

Breathless

       Another interesting film that I watched call “Breathless”. I gain another knowledge from this film. This film use the theory of French New Wave to applied. Breathless is a 1960 French film written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard. In the beginning of the film, I really can’t understand what this film want to bring out. The storyline suddenly jump from another scene to another scene very fast. Sometime the sound and the dialog not really clear, so I can’s clearly understand what they said. I think I need to watch again to understand it. Michel in this film is a youthful criminal. After he steal the car and kills a police, he meet an America girl Patricia. A lot scenes show the relationship between them. Before watch this film, I think I need to understand French new wave.

       French new wave came about in the late 1950s and 1960s. The new generation of filmmakers which were low-budget and, most important went against the prevailing trends in 1950s cinema of literary adaptations, costume dramas and massive co-productions- a cinema which had been labelled by Cahiers du cinema group as the father of cinema. Cahiers du cinema was founded by Andre Bazin & Jacques Donial Valcroze. The principles held at Cahiers du Cinema was rejects montage aesthetics, favoring mise-en-scene. The ideology in this stated that a films not only be intellectual or rational experiences but also should have emotional and psychological experiences. Next is personal authorship. The Auteur Theory stated that a film should be a medium of personal artistic expression. The filmmaker’s signature must have personality, controlling obsession and cardinal themes. The auteur should be grow maturely to make successive film. French new wave is the theory that challenges traditional film. The film used jump cut to bring out the storyline. We can see that the film will shoot longer to let audience more notice the location. Next is they use available light, the film didn’t use another light to fill the shadow of the character. The sound are use the sound directly when shooting. Many scene were used hand held camera. They also will used long takes in the film to show the movement. The low-budget approach helped filmmakers get at the essential art form and find what more comfortable and contemporary form of production was. This theory had Self-reflexivity. When watching film, it will reminds audience that they are watching film instead of escape nature of Hollywood.  Next point is strong female archetypes, women were given strong parts that didn’t conform to archetypal roles seen in Hollywood . Women are not depend on men, cause women can able to make own decision. The French New Wave ended in 1969. After a decade of radical filmmaking, this form of cinema has embedded into the mainstream. The directors developed their own styles and made mainstream films.

       In the beginning of this film, we can see that Michel steal a car and drive over the road. In this scene, Michel talking to himself inside the car while driving. We can see that a lot of sound from outside and also the jump cut. The jump cut here show Michel drive very long journey. In this scene also can see that the hand held camera shoot inside the car. Next, one of the scene show Michel bring Patricia go inside a dark room and lead go to the door that have light. In this scene the room very dark even can’t see anything, means they use available light. Patricia is a student and aspiring journalist, who sells the New York Herald Tribune on the streets of Paris. When she interview famous man at airport, we can heard that another airport ambient sound. Patricia in this film is a strong women because after she realize that Michel is killer, she report to police to let police catch Michel. Although Patricia really love Michel, but she want Michel to be a good guys instead of a killer. Lastly a long shoot show in this film when police shot Michel, Michel keep run and escape. It show the move movement of hand held camera.

       This film showed the reality of life instead the Hollywood. I want to try shoot this kind of film to show the reality of life. Although nowadays, all the audience preferred watch Hollywood film. 

Bicycle Thieves

Bicycle Thieve is a Italian Film in 1948 directed by Vittotrio De Sica. I like this film because I totally attracted by the relationship between father and his son. I enjoyed when I watching the journey that the father and his son went through. I actually want relationship like that, because since I born, my father very busy to carry his work, so we don’t have spent more time to build our relationship. This film used Italian-neorealism to present it. It is a classical Hollywood Cinema after sound.

The history of the Italian Neorealism was after World War 2. The World War 2 destroyed the national cinema and the stability of economic cinema industries had been affected also. When end of the World War 2, the Nazi economy was eliminated. After that, Marshall Plan rebuilt the European national industries and allowing production to go big area. For Italy, the production facilities were pretty much intact.

Cesare Zavattini was the theoretical founder of neo-realism in 1942, he suggesting a new form of Italian Cinema that planned plots, use real people which means non- professional actor and locations so that direct contact is built with contemporary social reality. It want to show how social reality looks like in the film toward audience. Zavattini stated that all the professional actors in film were fake. So all the actor of the film not really professional, the only act what they like in their real life. The plot structure of film is fake compare with real life.

There are many elements of neo realism in film to define. First, Most of the shooting location was the area of after the war. The shooting should be documentary in style, shot in natural light, with a hand held camera and using observation and analysis. Next is the sound recorded and add after the shooting. The film will add professional actor and mix with non-actors. The whole film refer to contemporary national experiences. Next is socially-conscious and also the human point of view. It should focus on social reality. The film is a piece of life. It should appear to enter and then leave everyday life.

The beginning of the film, we can see the black and white with natural light in whole story. The location in the film used the area of after war. It show the situation of the film very bad in economy. Ricci and Maria very poor, so Maria had to sell her quilt and buy a bicycle to Ricci. It means their situation very poor and hard to live. This is the realism in our life. When Ricci and Maria walk back to their home, the shoot style is use long shoot. Long shoot mean use one take. The camera keep shooting them walk back to home. So we can also can notice the environment is very dusty and the land is uneven because after war. Maria very hard to cross the land because the land too many uneven.

 Everybody try hard to finding job. They want earn money to live and take care their family. During that time, finding job is the harder things for them. Antonio Ricci in this film as a father. He get his job from a man, but he need to get a bicycle. If not, he cannot work because he need go until city. I very hard recognize who is professional and non-professional actors. We found out that only professional actor is the man that give job to Ricci. So we can see that this film is mix up with professional and non-professional actors. 

Next is the journey of Ricci and his son Bruno. My favorite scene is when Ricci slap Bruno. Although Ricci angry, but he still will bring Bruno to high class restaurant to make Bruno happy. As a poor man, Ricci still willing to spend money to make Bruno happy. We can see that Ricci very care about the relationship between his family.

 When Ricci finding thieve, we all can mention that not really all the people help him. Ricci saw an uncle communicate with thieve, Ricci keep asking the uncle the way to find thieve. But the uncle don’t want give any responded to Ricci. Ricci facing the reality of social, everybody only care about their life. They won’t do the thing without benefit. In the end, Ricci still cannot found his bicycle.

In conclusion, Italian Neorealism refer to our social life. We can see how our social life in the film. It not like the fake of Hollywood. But audience more prefer watching fake film instead of real life film. 

The Maltese Falcon

The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 film noir that directed by John Huston. The hero staring by Humphrey Bogart. This film about a San Francisco private detective and his dealings with three unscrupulous adventurers, all of whom are competing to obtain a jewel-encrusted falcon statuette. First of all, I think that this film very hard to attract me and also grab my attention to watch. Because the colour of the film is black and white, so Im very hard to concentrate while watching this film. Film noir is not a genre but it is a style of a film. We define film noir in many aspect which is visual, character and narrative. We also call film noir as black film.

       Firm noir is a type of American films that ‘invaded’ French cinemas after World War II. Film noir refers to mystery and crime dramas produced from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. The features in this film noir is the whole film colour used black and white to present. The featured stories also involving femme fatales, doomed heroes or anti-heroes, and tough, cynical detectives. It is first applied to Hollywood film by French critics defined the category retrospectively. In this film noir, all characters is bad, pure evil. If they pure good, that must be something wrong. It because of features a world of criminals of darkness and violence. This features reflect how a character’s central motives are usually greed, lust and ambition, drench in fear. Another history context is when WWII occurs, all the men must go to the war. Women force to go out to work. When men come back from war, the women already can earn money better than men. Through this incident, social change with liberation for women. Women not only can stay at home, they also can go out work to earn money.

       The visually of the film noir can defined by many ways. In film noir, all this is dark with a lot of shadows. The lighting is low key which can show high contrast lighting in a film. The shadow of the lines is purpose to enhance the characters. Usually, mostly scene is lit for night. They always have location such as alleyways, cramped corridors, etc. The setting of the city is city-bound, comprising of rain-washed roads and dimly-lit interiors.The syntax or thematically in film noir is cynical, pessimism and dark. It include corrupted characters, fatalistic themes, hopeless tones, blurred morals and intellect. Next is hard boiled antihero versus femme fatale, tales of criminal motives and usually features a narration. The femme fatale also play important role in film noir. Film noir is about power of relations and sexual identity. Film noir gives a very central role to the femme fatale and privileges her as active, intelligent, powerful, dominant and in charge of her own sexuality. Women also become the central to the intrigue. Therefore, she who becomes the object of the male’s investigation. Women also usually makes the mystery in a film.

       In The Maltese Falcon, the black and white totally applied in this film. All the scene was used low key which is high contrast. So the lighting show a lot of shadow for the main character Sam Spade. When Sam walk in the room, we can notice that the shadow of him. This lighting can enhance the Sam is a hero and mystery man. The shadow of line also applied in the room to bring out the mystery situation. 

Next is the beginning of the film, Brigid O’Shaughnessy come to the office and meet Sam. Miles Archer, assistant of Sam tried to get relationship with her. So when Miles want to meet her at night but dead after a mystery guy shot him. Miss Shaughnessy become the central of the intrigue. Miss Shaughnessy use women characteristic to make Miles go into this trap. Miss Shaughnessy also pretend she is very weak and trap Sam go Cairo’s place. We can see that women able to do anything instead of stay at come take care family. Women also can do the work more good than men. Because men easy trap by women, so men not really every times win women. A lot of scene use low angle when Sam walking and communicate with another people. It show the symbolic of paranoid. During that time, men always paranoid to women. But after the men return from the war, they shocked because women give them money.

       In film noir, all character is bad. They will do anything to accomplish goal. Even a hero also not pure good at all in a film. In our real life also same, we not pure bad and pure good. We are middle, so this is balance of the life.

In the Mood for Love

Another experience with watched a film “ In the Mood for Love”. This is a 2000 Hong Kong film directed by Wong Kar Wai. Staring by Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung. I really can’t understand what this story tell about. I think I must watch twice or above only I get what really director of this film want to bring out. It apply the theory of French Impressionism in this film. French impressionism is the theory that very hard for me to understand. I think I need to watch another film that apply this theory. The relationship of love in this film also had a lot of confuses.

French Impressionism popular around 1919-1928. After war French filmmaking never fully recovered. In 1920s, French audiences saw eight times more Hollywood footages than domestic footages. The film industry tried in several ways to capture the market, mostly through imitation of Hollywood production methods and genres. For these directors said that this cinema was an art of emotion, so the imitate psychological narrative dominated their practice. They used love of triangle as the basis for the filmmaker’s exploration of fleeting moods and shifting sensations. The characteristics of this theory is effect of explore the depth of psychology. It also revealing character’s consciousness, concerns mental states, dreams or fantasies. The interest falls not on external physical behavior but in inner action. Next is plot time of the film is manipulates. Which means they arrangers the time and the scene. Sometimes will have flashback to depict memories. We can view from different point with cinematography and editing. The use irises, superimposition, to indicate the character’s thought and feelings. The visual also will distorted, filtered or vertiginous cam movement to show the dizzy or drunkenness. Point of view can see that the rhythmic editing show the experience of how a character in a situation. The movement of the cam very smooth to brought about by frame mobility.

They are some scene that we can see the how French impressionism apply in his film. One of the scene is after communication between Mr, Chow and Mrs. Chan, Mr. Chan go back his office and smoked. When he smoke, the smoke show on the scene like a cloud. It show that the mind inside Mr. Chan. He is confusing in love, cause we can see that the shape of the smoke very cloudy. So Mr. Chan is no focus and mind very cloudy.

And about the time in this film, editor use a lot of jump cut to show that the time go through very fast. I can see that storyline is actually go through very smooth, so I won’t confuse I will miss any scene. In this movie they repeating the same location. Which mean they repeating their life. The slow motion always show women butt come in the frame, it show that they not having a good time and also the sexuality life and society of them. The beginning of the scene until the end, they not showing Mr. Chan and Mrs. Chow, which mean if they not showing face so why still waiting. Next is Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan love each other but they don’t want to say out. We can see that this kind of love is different than what we thought about love. Not all the love is same way. The story is show the process instead of result.

In conclusion, this film is a French impressionism film. It fully apply the characteristic and style in this film. I happy that I can learn how to justice a film in another style and style. 

Ghostbusters-2016

I wanna talk about the film that I watched recently. “Ghostbuster”. Seriously, I love this film a lot. This film directed by Paul Feig. Staring by Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones as four women who start a ghost-catching business in New York City. This film is a mix genre film. It included horror and comedy genres. So this mix genres created a whole new feeling toward audience. We can find out several actor that staring in ghostbuster II 1989 which is Bill Murray as Martin Heiss, Dan Aykroyd as Cabbie, Sigourney Weaver as Rebecca Gorin, Ernie Hudson as Uncle Bill Jenkins, Annie Potts as Hotel Desk Clerk. This film has postmodernism elements. We able to find out a lot of postmodernistic elements in this film if we learn the theory of postmodernism. I admire that the filmmaker successful made a postmodernism film to audience nowadays.

Genre is has two approach, which is semantics and syntax. This two approaches need to work together hand in hand. Through this two approaches, we able to categories the genre of each film that we watched. Semantic element in the film is mise-en-scene. It is a cinematic language on screen by using characters, props, lighting, and composition etc. The approach of syntax is the qualities and the themes in the film. The syntax usually send the message to the audience.

Postmodernism is a theory of the film. Postmodernism is the way to challenge the system of the way of modernism. Previous film only one genre, but now had both genre or above.

The horror genre I can found in this film is the jump scare of the ghost. When some ghost came out, the audio will slowly fade out. This scene will make audience pay attention to watch. After that the ghost will suddenly shout out. The mise-en-scene that we can find out is the graphic of the ghosts. The eyes of the ghosts will glowing.

The comedy genre that we can find out is the conversation between four women that become ghostbuster. One of the dialog that Patty Tolan said when she want jump from the concert stage, nobody hold her so Patty fell down. She said “so I don’t know if this is race thing or lady thing. This dialog show that confuse of stereotype women or racist. The Kevin is the dumb guy. When Abby said don’t listen, but Kevin close his eyes instead of close his ear. But Kevin grab audience attention to watch because this is character for Chris Hemsworth. He is the Thor in avenge. But In ghostbuster, his act totally different way, this is new challenge for him. Another one scene is when the ghost slowly come out from door, the situation supposed to be scary and fear. But suddenly a cracker sound pop up from Jillian Holtzmann.

Postmodernistic elements I can found here is the movie use a lot of pastiche. The number of the car is ECTO-1. They pastiche the number car of previous car that in ghostbuster 1989. Next is the theme song of previous ghostbuster also used in this film. They recreate and remix now tempo to show the new feeling. One of the scene is when this four characters used the machine catch the ghost, their pose same like how previous ghostbuster pose to catch the ghosts.

I really surprise that this movie give respect to the previous ghostbuster. The previous character also will appear in this film although they not related to catch ghosts. (Oppsss, spoiler alert). Another thing that I realize is the feminism. This film main character is women. I show that why always men can catch ghosts. Women also can catch the ghost. In this film totally showed that women also can save the world. Nice !!

In conclusion, this movie brought new feeling to audience nowadays. Audience expect for watching new story line and entertainment in this film. This film successes to show to audience what they expect for. I recommend this movie to who still not watch yet. 

Dark City

When we watching a film, our expectation of a film is we want to enjoy the entertainment and satisfaction for our needs. Nowadays, audience expect for the movie that have colourful vision and fun to satisfy them. We never thought that we use another mentality to watch a different such as Dark City. After watched this film that Mr.Joe Yan gave us, I sudden have another experience in this film and this theory. They use another way to perform the art of a film. I didn’t said that I not really like the film, but I just learn many thing from this theory.

The German expressionism fully apply in the film- Dark City. German expressionism is filmic style that emerged in German from 1919-1926. Influenced by the Expressionist movement in modern art of early 1900s. Most of the filmmakers from Germany migrated to USA. They brought their filmmaking practice to Hollywood, influenced the film noir and horror film. Its themes are revolt, self-analysis, madness, and primitive, sexual savagery. The setting of lighting is low key lighting which create high contrast in a film. It tried to distorted set and bodies. It provides sense of mystery to audience. The scene of the film will saw like they oblique camera angle. The content is usually surreal and gothic, about unnatural act or realities. German expressionism’s famed predilection for chiaroscuro. Chiaroscuro means the use of highly contrastive lighting, literally light and dark. Later will explain more detail how this theory apply in this film.

This first of what we can defined German expressionism from Dark City is self-analysis. It mean that we keep questioning our self who we are. Just like John Murdoch in the beginning, he just woke up from a stranger place. He lost his memories, so he keep advance to find the answer and get back his memories from himself. Because the strangers took Murdoch’s memories away in order that John Murdoch cannot remember his power to destroy the strangers. Next is primitive sexual savagery that can see in film is the strangers. The beginning of this film, the strangers trying to kill John Murdoch. The used violence ways to kill the people. The kid stranger bites Murdoch’s hand show that is dark primal instincts. Next is the film are used low key lighting high contrast to shows the heavy emotion. The lighting can make audience feel the fear of the strangers chasing John Murdoch. The lighting played important role in this film to show the horror to audience. Another mise-en-scene we can see is the distorted of all the props. We can see that the finger of the strangers, white face and the movement of their body where is abnormal form of human that we perceive in reality.

The conclusion, this film success to show the German expressionism. This theory play important role to apply in Dark City to show what director want to give audience. I hope this theory can apply to another new film to show a whole new expectation to audience.