Dark City (1998)

INTRODUCTION

Dark city (1998) is a movie that released on 27th February 1998 which directed by Alex Proyas, who is an Australian film director, scriptwriter and producer. He is a best known for directing this Dark City film, Gods of Egypt and others. 

So basically I would like to choose the German Expression as the theory to discuss about this film and how this theory shown and applied in this film. So what is German Expression? German Expression is an artistic genre that originated in Europe. In this film, there are few characteristics or styles of German Expression were included. And now, I would like to discuss about what's style were included in this film as below. 

SYNOPSIS

John Murdoch awakens in a strange hotel to find that he has lost his memory and is wanted for a series of murders. He stumbles over an evil underworld controlled by a group of aliens which known as The Strangers who possess the ability or power to make people in city sleep and transform the city when John Murdoch trying to piece together his past. John Murdoch got to find a way in order to stop the aliens or strangers before they control and destroy John's minds or memories.

ANALYSIS

First of all, the styles in German Expression which included in this film is the distorted bodies and the shapes which give a meaning of the spatial arrangement of something as distinct from its substance. The most obvious example is the movement of the Aliens or the Strangers move is not by walking but is fluttering.   

For example, the buildings in the city were changing landscape when The Strangers tend to catch John Murdoch. Obviously, this scene shown where the buildings in dark city were twisted and squeezed when The Strangers and John Murdoch who having the ability to make the buildings changed were fighting each other. All the buildings sprout from the ground up in a very realistic form, shaping and deforming as they shoot upwards. This overall shown the density of the city.

Not only this, John Murdoch and the head of the Strangers or aliens begin their "tuning" combat battle, resulting in a brilliant display of light and the crook effect. This scene shown the distortion wave popple from the center of the Strangers' machinery. 

Furthermore, the Surrealism also can be found in this film. Surrealism gives a meaning of super real. It's the superior reality of certain forms of association found in dream. In this film, the city as facts of the different eras on earth. For example, the Dr.Schreber put the two rats into the small maze shown that the city was the maze and the rats were the human who lived in the city and all of this is an experiment as well. Humans' memories keep on changing until all the humans thought that the memories in their mind were real but in fact it's not. 

In addition, the chiaroscuro lighting was used. Chiaroscuro lighting is the high contrast or the low key lighting. For example, John Murdoch walked in the dark street which people can't even see his face due to the lighting setting. 

Last but not least, there are few categories which fall under the themes were also included in this film which are the sexual savagery, the primitive, the self-analysis, the revolt and the madness. 

In this scene, the sexual savagery theme shown. The Strangers or Aliens murdered the woman by using the knife to draw a circle with no ending. 

The primitive theme was existed in this film where the Strangers use the knife which counted as a slasher weapons to murder the human or the woman. 

Beside this, the self-analysis theme was existed too where John Murdoch trying and wanted to find his own identity after he woke up and encountered with the memories lost problem. He keep on questioning himself and also the things surrounded him.

The revolt theme was existed in the scene where John Murdoch supposed not to be have the ability of tuning power in the system but he tend to adapted and developed it. He also went to against the Aliens and the system as well, this action called revolt. 

Lastly, the madness theme existed where the inspector Frank Bumstead was mad when he broke down the wall in order to search for the truth. Another example is John has the ability to reshaping the city in whatever way he want. He end up reshape the city as the shell beach and also the Anna due to the reasons of John was too obsession with the shell beach and also Anna. 

CONCLUSION

As a conclusion, the combinations of those theory as above mentioned could really make this film become more attractive and interesting. A film should not only include the mix genre but also need too include the theories as above so that can bring out a more different film as well. 

Paranorman (2012)

INTRODUCTION

Every films will have their own genre in order to make the film be more interesting for the audiences. Not all the movies are success with the mixing of genre but some of movie could really applied and organized well the hybrid genre. As in this Paranorman film, it included the mixing genre and will discuss it as the following below. 

SYNOPSIS

Norman is the boy who can speak to dead. Unfortunately, there are no one believe him but only his friend who called Neil, believes that Norman has this kind of ability. One day, Norman's uncle tells him of an important annual ritual he must take up to protect the town of a curse cast by the witch at centuries ago....

DISCUSSION

The main genre in this film is the Horror. The unnatural horror which fall under horror genre was shown in this film where there are the existence of seven victims Zombies and also the witch who called Agatha. Furthermore, the threat to normalcy also can be found in this film. The first situation which fall under the threat to normalcy is when the seven victims zombies came into the town of Blithe Hollow which with the presence of human beings. And for the second situation for threat to normalcy is where the seven victims zombies assumed that Agatha, the witch is a threat to normalcy because she can see the ghost and end up was sentenced to death by the Seven Victims Zombies. 

Beside this, the another genre in this film is the Action. For example, the seven victims zombies raised from their graves and chase over Norman and his friend, Alvin. In addition, Neil's brother and Norman's sister together with Alvin and Norman sit in the car and trying to escape themselves from the zombies, at the same moment, the police woman chasing behind their car in order to summon them. These scenes were actually show that the action was existed in this film. Not only this, Norman was jumping through the spikes to get to Agatha was also fall under the action genre. Another scene which show the action existed is where a woman use the gun to shoot one of the zombies. 

The third genre in this film is Comedy. When added in the comedy genre, it actually could helps to reduce the audience's horrible feeling. Most of the comedy scene would have the existence of Neil because his action and the way he response to something. For example, Neil believes Norman's ability and he asked Norman to help him so that he can play with his dead dog.  

Adding on, the way Neil fall down from the gate after he has been rejected by Norman when he invited Norman to play hockey with him.

Last but not least, the genre for this film is the Teen film. Teen Film is targeted at teenagers and young adults in which the plot is based upon the special interests of teenagers. For example, Norman was been bullied by Alvin in school because he think that Norman having mental problem where Norman can talk to the dead. This actually show the normal scene to the audiences too as well. 

CONCLUSION

As a conclusion, a good film not only just rely on the plot of the film but also needed the mixing genre as well so that can make the story more interesting and attract more audiences.  

Zombieland (2009)

Introduction

Zombieland is a movie which released on year 2009. It actually is an American zombie horror film directed by Ruben Fleischer and written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. This Zombieland film was a critical and commercial success, grossing more than $60.8 million in 17 days and surpassing the 2004 film “Dawn of the Dead” as the top grossing zombie film in the United States until World War Z in 2013.

Synopsis

The world’s surviving humans remain locked in an ongoing battle against the hungry undead after a virus turns more people into zombies. The four survivors who are Tallahassee and his companions Columbus, Wichita and Little Rock comply with a list of survival rules and zombie-killing strategies as they make their own way toward a rumored safe haven in Los Angeles. It focuses on how the survivors found the way to survive a world overrun by zombies. And the fear of survivors who afraid to be eaten by the zombies also a way that keep them alive.

Genre

Everything movie or film has their own genre. Genre is a form of categorizing films or grouping of films and films type. There are few major genres such as action, comedy, horror, romance, sci-fi and so on. 

In this Zombieland film, it's actually make up of different genre which called mixed genre and one of the genre is romance. In simply way, romance is a genre when the plots revolves around the love between two main characters as they endure the highs and lows of the love. It used for fictional works focusing on the development of love between the two main characters. 

As in this film, the two main characters who involved in the romance genre are Columbus and Wichita. Their love story was not started like falling in love at first sight but their love romance was started when they continue they journey together in the same car. 

For example, Columbus and Wichita still cannot tolerate or get well along with each other from the beginning when they continue their journey together in the same car. But all the things were getting different after Columbus and Wichita started to tell each other their own feelings and experienced. Furthermore, Wichita also consoling Columbus as she knew that he has lost his parents. After that, Columbus decided to stay when Wichita found a car for Columbus and ask he to start his journey and this actually shows that Columbus was started falling in love with Wichita. 

In addition, the relationship between Columbus and Wichita became more closer when they were in Bill Murray's house. They drank, chat and danced in the night and they almost kissed but end up it ruined by Tallahassee. But on the other day, Wichita and Little Rock drove and leave Columbus and Tallahassee behind again.

Even though Columbus has been hurt, but he still help out Wichita when she's in danger at Pacific Playland which is full of zombies. He decided to break his rules in order to rescue her from danger. This  scene obviously shows that Columbus wiling to disregard his own life to save Wichita. Columbus's action did made Wichita fallen in love with him and both of them trusted each other which they never had when the journey just started. 

As a conclusion, both of them had gone through all the difficult and end up they built "trust". The mixed genre in this movie was successfully attracted people's attention.       

Zombieland (2009)

INTRODUCTION

       Zombieland is a movie which released on year 2009. It actually is an American zombie horror film directed by Ruben Fleischer and written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. This Zombieland film was a critical and commercial success, grossing more than $60.8 million in 17 days and surpassing the 2004 film “Dawn of the Dead” as the top grossing zombie film in the United States until World War Z in 2013.

THEORY TO BE DISCUSSED

         First of all, the main theory to be discussed is the Semantic Approach. The Semantic Approach brought out the meaning of the list of common traits and attitudes, characters, shows, locations, sets and so on which bringing very much the visual aspects of the film. In another word to describe the Semantic is the Visual. In fact, the semantic approach can be related to the mise-en-scene. Furthermore, the particulars which included in mise-en-scene are the locations or settings, makeup and costume, lighting and actor’s behavior and movement. As Zombieland film is a horror film, so the semantic approach theory is quite related to this film.

SYNOPSIS:

         The world’s surviving humans remain locked in an ongoing battle against the hungry undead after a virus turns more people into zombies. The four survivors who are Tallahassee and his companions Columbus, Wichita and Little Rock comply with a list of survival rules and zombie-killing strategies as they make their own way toward a rumored safe haven in Los Angeles. It focuses on how the survivors found the way to survive a world overrun by zombies. And the fear of survivors who afraid to be eaten by the zombies also a way that keep them alive.

ANALYSIS OF THIS FILM

1.   GENRE OF THIS FILM

  

           

          This Zombieland film actually is a horror film which counted as one of the major genres. The horror genre film have categorized into few sub genres which are the unnatural, the psychological and the massacre or slasher flicks. In fact, this Zombieland film is under the unnatural category due to this film was included the bodily mutilations form. Bodily mutilations form can be define as an injury that causes disfigurement or other important body part. In addition, there is one of the items which fall under the bodily mutilations such as blood suckers. As we know that the zombie can be called as the blood suckers. Furthermore, this Zombieland film is not only a horror film but it also added in a few genres such as the adventure and the comedy. As an example in this film, the world is full of zombies and the four survivors had gone through an adventure experience as they have to kill all the zombies to survive. And all along this Zombieland film, there are plenty of rules which created by Columbus to stay alive in the world that full of zombies such as rules 4# fasten your seatbelt, rules 2# double tap and so on are also bring out the comedy genre programme. When the horror, adventure and also the comedy genre were combined together in this film, it means that this film is a hybrids and genre mixing which make the film content and narrative more interesting.

2.   SEMANTIC APPROACH 

          As this Zombieland film, in order to bring out the zombies character, the bodily mutations and mutilations for example like the zombie’s make up really needed the makeup artist who are familiar with the zombie’s makeup techniques so that can make the zombie’s character look more real. Not only this, the lighting also need to adjust well so that it really can bring out the horror film feel towards the audiences. For example, from the beginning of this film, where the Columbus was in the public toilet, and the lighting inside the public toilet was not that bright as well so that can make the audiences feel scare in this kind of setting. This kind of lighting would actually provide a horror atmosphere. Furthermore, the behavior of the four survivors also changed as well. This is because they had gone through the zombies-killing journey and end up they became good friends. For instance, the Wichita and Little Rock (the both siblings) had lied to the Columbus and Tallahassee. The both siblings were confiscate the weapons and car of Columbus and Tallahassee and it make the both guy angry. But all along the journey, they met up and gone through all the zombies-killing experience, end up they became partners.

3.   DIEGETIC/ NON-DIEGETIC MATERIALS 

       Diegetic materials is a sound whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film such as the voices of characters, sounds made by objects in the story and so on (Carlsson, S.E. (n.d.)). In another word, we can said that diegetic sound is any sound presented as originated from source within the film’s world. For instance, Columbus and Little Rock turn on the screen and watch the “Ghostbuster”. Whereas for the non-diegetic sound, it’s represented as coming from the source of the outside story space such as narrator’s commentary, mood music and so on (Carlsson, S.E. (n.d.)). For example, the Columbus did not really voice out his word but as like a narrator’s voice when he talk about the rules of stay live from being eat by zombies. This kind of sound was actually only heard by the audiences.

CONCLUSION 

     As a conclusion, semantic theory and other point as above mentioned somehow really do make the film become more interesting and also do play an important role in making film as well. I suggested that the future’s film should continue with this hybrid and genre mixing way so that the film will become more and more interesting and can attract lots of audiences. 

REFERENCE

Carlsson, S. E. (n.d.). Diegetic and non-diegetic sounds. Retrieved February 13, 2017, from http://filmsound.org/terminology/diegetic.htm     

 

Requiem For A Dream (2000)

Introduction:

This movie, Requiem For A Dream is a 2000 film which written and directed by Darren Aronofsky. Darren Aronofsky is a director is the director who made the hallucinatory “Pi” (1998) with a tiny budget, about a paranoid genius who seems on the brink of discovering the key to – well, God or the stock market, or whatever else his tormentors imagine. And now, he with the greatest budget to brings a new urgency to the drug movie (“Requiem For A Dream) by trying to reproduce, through his subjective camera, how his characters feel, or want to feel, or fear to feel. This Movie was actually adapted from 1987 novel "Last Exit to Brooklyn" by celebrated author Hubert Selby Jr. This movie is about how the characters or human being can easily love and feel loved, and how happiness can be easily found and tragically lost in just a blink of an eye. So, let’s start a small discussion about this movie! 

Synopsis:

This movie was concerned about the four people who trapped by their own addictions. Harry and his friend, Tyrone are poor heroin addicts living in Coney Land, New York. While Harry’s girlfriend, Marion is a fellow addict who trying to escape herself from her wealthy father and she like to design clothes. In fact, Harry’s dream is to score a pound of smack so that he could make enough money to open a clothing boutique shop with Marion but so far he and Tyrone can barely scrape by supporting their own habits. Meanwhile, Harry’s mother named Sara spends her days to watch Television. She gets a junk phone call where she has been told that she got the chance to appear on her favorite game show. After the call, she tried lot way to lose weight to fit her red dress and end up Sara has her own drug habit of her own that is spiraling out of control.

Discussion:

The theory of intertextuality was used in this movie. As what the above said from my introduction, this movie was actually adapted from “Last Exit to Brooklyn” which is a 1987 novel by celebrated author Hubert Selby Jr. From the beginning of this movie, Harry locked his mother in the closet and stole away his mother’s TV set. Those sequences of shots were actually Hubert Selby’s favorite line in his own novel that became the world’s bleakest movie. Basically Darren Aronofsky refers to the story line of Hubert Selby’s novel to make or produce his own movie which is this Requiem For A Dream movie. 

For the past, the movie genres has shapes the generic form of the film like the comedy show must involve those content, character, lighting and so on. It has already became a kind of movie form in which the comedy movie need to include all those content only it counted as comedy movie. For now, Darren Aronofsky tends to mix the criteria from different genres (hybrid genres). In fact, this movie is a psychological movie but Darren Aronofsky used to mix the horror criteria in this psychological movie for the purpose of attracting the audiences. Those sequences of shots were showing what the addiction of the characters is and some horror sequences were added in to. For example, Sara with psychological problem imagines the refrigerator was moving forward her, the sound effect, the blinking light bulb (lighting) and so on. Furthermore, there were some other genres in this movie like action, romantic love and sexuality.      

Beside this, this movie also used the Kuleshov effect and Soviet Montage Theory. The Kuleshov effect is a film editing effect and it’s a mental phenomenon by which viewers derive more meaning from the interaction of two sequential shots than a single shot in isolation. In this movie, the film editor, Jay Robinowitz combined those random frames which have been chosen to bring out some meaning to the audiences. All the single shot or frame were combined into sequences of shots such as the pupil size become bigger, the lighter, the human cells, the pills or drugs. When these frame/ shot combined into sequential of shots, it brings out the meaning of drug assumption to the audiences. Even the process where Harry and Tyrone sell drug and earn money also used this filming editing and theory too.    

Own Thinking:

From the beginning of this movie, it gave me an expected that the Harry’s mother, Sara is a kind mother and end up will have a happy ending but in fact this movie is totally different from my initial expectation. It is not boring but is interesting and would shock or surprised us even though it is different from my initial expectation. For instance, I thought Sara is a kind mother and guess she will have a happy ending but end up she was suffered in the psychological problem. It’s a very big change between the segment of shots for the beginning and the ending part. 

Spirited Away (Year 2001)

This animation movie, Spirited Away is a 2001 Japanese anime fantasy film which written and directed by the best animation director, Hayao Miyazaki. I have bought a DVD that contain 10 animation movies which directed by him and Spirited Away was included. I have watched for several times since I was a kid. I like this movie so much because of the interesting story line and also the nice graphic produced. Hayao Miyazaki used an unique way to reflect or bring out the situation of reality society and also the harmony atmosphere. I guess this is one of the reason that make he became a best and famous animation director. So basically I will discuss about this movies, Spirited Away with my own thinking and also opinions through this post. 

Synopsis:
A 10 years old young little girl, Chihiro and her parents tripped at a amusement park which seems like been abandoned by others. After her parents turned into a giant pig, she met a mysterious guy with the name of Haku, who explain to Chihiro that the park is actually a spirits area. So Chihiro must work at the spirits area in order to free herself and her parents from that spirits area.

My own feeling: Scenes that I liked
The scene I like is where the Haku was trying his best to give help to Chihiro even though he knew that Chihiro is a human that different from him. From the beginning, he started to protect Chihiro from being caught by those spirits and also asked Chihiro to get job from the Kamaji who is old man with six arms, operate at the boiler room of ABURAYA. All the help he gave to Chihiro in this movie and when at the end of this movies, Chihiro and Haku finally recognize each other is quite attracted me. To me, those scenes really shows a lot of love and also romantic feeling. Beside this, I also like the scene where the Yubaba's twin, Zeniba has turned the son and bird of Yubaba to a small rat and also a mini size bird. As we knew that the Yubaba's baby was threaten Chihiro that he will cry if Chihiro do not want to play with him. At that time, he trying to hurt Chihiro's hand and threaten her few times. But afterward when he changed to a small rat, he started get close with Chihiro and Chihiro has protected him all the way and end up the baby was protected Chihiro from his evil mother, Yubaba. It really make me feel touched and I realized a justification that treated someone good do not need any reason and also the kind rewarded when Chihiro still protect the baby no matter how bad was the baby treated her before. 

My opinion:
For me, that is actually having few hidden messages in this animation movie. The hidden messages as the following below:- 

This scene shows that how Chihiro and those spirits helped River God to pull out the wood stick that stuck at body of River God. As we can see, when the moment they pull out the wood stick, there are a lot of trashes such as bicycle and so on. The director, Hayao Miyazaki was trying to use this scene to tell or interact with those audiences about the issue of the water pollution in the world. He try to bring out a message to let the audiences realize about this issue and start to do something to prevent from the water pollution.

This scene is the scene where this spirits refused to give Chihiro the red bath token but he do gave it to other spirits. This scene make me felt that the action of this frog spirits is because of Chihiro is a human and he refused to treat people who is different from him like he is a spirits but Chihiro is a human. In our reality world, this kind of behavior still exists in the mind of human. People tend not to care about those people who are been labeled as out group. 

From the beginning, Chihiro thought that No Face is a guest of the bath house but in fact, there is non of a spirits care about the No Face. No Face was happy that only Chihiro will bother him. Afterward, No Face gave Chihiro things such as the gold and the red bath token just want to let Chihiro know that he like Chihiro. Beside this, he also ate a spirit who scolded Chihiro. Therefore from all these clues, we can conclude that No Face is literally trying to please Chihiro happy or trying to buy Chihiro.

This scene is where the Yubaba take off the name of Chihiro and make it as Sen from the contract between Chihiro and Yubaba. This contract is actually like a bondage contract. Yubaba take off the name of Chihiro and also take off her freedom too. I have watched few of ancient movies, normally the prostitute women in ancient movie will have a contract with their boss and actually they are no more freedom when the moment they sign the contract. Same goes to this Spirited Away movie, Chihiro also do not have any freedom when she sign the contract that prepared by Yubaba. 

This scene is when No Face can produce a lot of gold and he gave it to those spirits. At the beginning, there is no even one of spirits care about No Face but when they realized No Face can produced a lot gold, they tend to flatter him. As the photo shown, people who working at the bath house are falling over them to serve No Face with foods since No Face have a plenty of gold. Hayao Miyazaiki use this way to tell the audiences that people in reality world are very greedy in order to fulfill their desire until can change their personality and behavior.