The Killing of a Chinese Bookie

The 1976 film The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, directed by John Cassavetes, was definitely another unique one. Mr. Klobuchar was right in saying that Cassavetes takes some getting used to. Overall, I enjoyed this film better than Faces. It had a little more sustenance. I liked the bright lighting and colors used in the film, it made it more appealing to the eye and caught my attention.

When I watch a film, often times there is one scene in particular that sticks out to me and catches my attention (once again). Whether its a cinematic element or a literary element.

In this film a specific scene that I keep thinking about focused on a literary element. Ben Gazzara plays the character of a strip club owner named Cosmo Vitelli. When Cosmo is sitting around with some of the dancers talking; he says, "People are happy when they are comfortable". This quote immediately popped into my head and got me thinking: "that is so true!" Coming from a gambler, that is somewhat insightful. To me it sort of bounces off of the whole: money doesn't buy you happiness. However, Cosmo could have very well meant that money buys comfort, which would resolve in money "buying" happiness. I like to take the quote and relate it to more internal comfort, not material comfort. For most of us humans; if we are comfortable with ourselves, we are happy. I mean obviously not everyone is happy 24/7 like in Pleasantville (Gary Ross 1998), but a more general happiness.

For the most part I enjoyed watching The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, and I really like when films have something I can connect to outside of the box of images and sounds.

FACES

John Cassavetes' 1968 film Faces is a very different and new kind of film for that time period. It has a very minimal plot line, but that doesn't even matter because Cassavetes was trying to focus mostly on the interaction between genders. John Marley plays Richard Frost, an old man who leaves his wife for another woman. I sat there wondering when the movie was going to start taking off into the plot...and it never did, I soon realized this was the plot, them sitting around talking, having a good time, thrown in with some not so good times; all of this pretty much took place in one single room. However there was some more plot thrown in later on, Richard Frost's wife (now ex-wife) meets a younger fellow and starts a relationship with him. The story basically follows all of these love toils back and forth. I thought it was interesting that Cassavetes decided to steer clear from the plot almost as best he could, normally I like having a story to follow, but it was good for me to step outside the "norm" and watch something I might not on my own account.

Do The Right Thing

Spike Lee's film, Do The Right Thing, raises an important issue that is still relevant today: racism. I liked the way the film was done because it showed how everyone can be racist at some point in their life. Not just one group towards another, its every group towards each other. In my opinion, the film offers a fair and balanced view of the issue that isn't aimed to blame any one ethnic group. It seems to me that to have absolutely no position on racism is ignorant, but to take any stance, no matter how good your intentions may be, you are most likely putting yourself at odds with a different opinion, whether you mean to or not. The film points out that racism can't just be ignored, but in order to address it, we have to come to terms with the reality which is still very uneasy.

Behind The Battle of Algiers

Michael T. Kaufman's "Film Studies"

The main idea that this article has taught me about are the similarities between the conduct of the french in regards to Algeria, and the current conduct of the U.S. military it Iraq. The article talks about an invitation within the pentagon, to watch The Battle for Algiers with a sub label saying "How to win the battle against terrorism and lose the war of ideas." I think what the author is getting at is that using torture and other barbaric tactics of war may reap you some temporary rewards, but eventually, they will catch up to you. One thing that this article caused me to wonder about and probably could have acknowledged is the public's reaction to the torturous practices of the French. It seems that public opinion is causing some change in the way that the military operates in Iraq so i wonder is there was any kind of call for change from the french or algerians.

Us = Humans = Lenny

I like the fact that Christopher Nolan's Memento doesn't have a definite solution. The film is really all about how humans believe what we want to believe. The movie starts off in a subjective view of a picture, which the lead character, Lenny (Guy Pearce), is holding. So obviously Nolan wants us to follow this movie, along with Lenny in a way. At the end, but really the beginning, we find out what Teddy tells Lenny to be the truth. But still the film has many factors that oppose that "solution".

If you finish the movie, and you have a strong opinion one way or another on what really happened with Lenny and his wife, you, too are doing what Lenny did; Believing what you want to believe. Christopher Nolan created Lenny, which I think represents humans as a whole in some ways, and as we watch Lenny, we do the same thing. Lenny believed what he wanted. We, as an audience believed what we wanted. Nolan definitely suceeded in what I think was his originial goal.

Kiss Me Deadly

First of all, I forget; Why was this the title? But that's not what I'm about to talk about. I would just like to comment on the fact that this movie was, um, well, not good. And the two endings, really made no change to the rest of the film. I see where the Robert Aldrich film was trying to go, with the whole "nuclear secrets" in America stuff. But, I think this would've been a much better movie if Aldrich had stuck to the originial storyline of the book it was based off of (Mafia drug money in a box instead of a bomb...). But, once again all this is just my opinion. And who decided to add that alternate ending? If you are going to create an additional ending to a film, atleast make it something that really effects the aftermath of the story...Who cares if they die at the end or not? I mean no offense but Ralph Meeker's character, Mike, really wasn't the GREATEST fellow. All he did was...Hm..Well, allow that dumb lady to get the box and make the bomb blow up. Hm. Alright. That's all I have to say.

Double Indemnity

Just like in Howard Hawks' Bringing Up Baby, the main character is easily manipulated by the opposite sex in Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity. In my opinion Walter Neff started off as a fairly "good" man. Just going along doing his job until a female came along whom he fell "in love" with. This also seemed to be the case with David (Cary Grant) in Bringing Up Baby. David was drawn into Susan's (Katharine Hepburn) schemes, and eventually fell in love with her. The way I see it was he was easily manipulated by her the entire movie. And I can't really explain why he said he loved her at the end of the movie, so I guess I can't prove my point. There were no signs of his love for Susan until he said so at the end.
Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray)in Double Indemnity was easily drawn into Phyllis' (Barbara Stanwyck) schemes the minute he met her. She convinced him she was in this terrible, abusive relatioship, which yes her husband probably didn't give her the attention she would've liked, but lets be serious it most likely wasn't bad enough to murder the guy. Walter started out just doing his job, ran into this looney tune, fell "in love" with her, and continued to be manipulated by her. He was sucked into her schemes so much that he ended up taking charge and carrying out the murder himself. Bing-go! Walter was easily manipulated by this 1940's gold-digger, which led him to a complete downfall in his own life, and ended his chance of really ever being a "good guy" again.