Contour At The Movies

Overall Impression – A classic I wish I’d seen sooner.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Ted Kramer.

What’s he trying to accomplish? – Professional: balance being a single parent with his treasured career.  Personal: develop a genuine father/son relationship.  Private: realize what his priorities in life are.

Who’s trying to stop him? – Ted’s his own worst enemy, but deflectors include his ex-wife and his boss at the ad agency.

What happens if he fails? – Ted will lose his son.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan –Ted’s a ghost to his family because he puts his work first.  He barely has a relationship with his wife, and has pretty much no relationship with his son.

Wanderer – Ted figures out how to balance being a single parent and a working professional, and wrestles with why his wife left him and abandoned their son.  His priorities begin to change as his son becomes more important in his life.

Warrior – Ted starts experiencing genuine pleasure in being a real father, but when his ex-wife returns seeking custody of their son, Ted does everything in his power to build his case to win the upcoming court battle, including getting a new job in one day.

Martyr –  Ted and his ex-wife go to court, where the lawyers tear both of them apart.  Ted loses custody of his son, and while he could appeal the court’s decision, to do so would only make his son suffer, so he decides to let the kid stay with his mother.

AND, IN THE END…

The premise behind KRAMER VS KRAMER never sparked an interest for me when I was younger, but I wish I’d seen it sooner.   It’s a funny, moving movie, and Kramers Sr. and Jr. make for a great pairing.

Often, the first plot point of a movie introduces the hero, the villain or the victim (often as the stakes character).  The second plot point illustrates the hero’s flaw in relation to the stakes character.  If Kramer senior is the hero, and little Kramer is the stakes character, then what is Kramer senior’s flaw?  He’s a workaholic and never has time for his family. In contrast, little Kramer is a play-aholic and ONLY has time for his family.  These characters are polar opposites, conflict inevitably happens, and they learn and grow from each other.

Of course, the pairing of opposites isn’t anything new, but it’s always interesting to see how such dynamics play out, and valuable to learn from them when they’re done so well.

- Dan Pilditch

Overall Impression – An incredible action-horror classic that deserves a place on your DVD shelf.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Ripley.

What’s she trying to accomplish? –Professional: wipe out the aliens for good.  Personal: forge new relationships with Newt and Hicks.  Private: get over her fear of the aliens.

Who’s trying to stop her? – The aliens, Burk.

What happens if she fails? – They’re all gonna die, man!

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – Ripley is found marooned in space, the only survivor of her massacred crew.  She has outlived everybody she knew, including her daughter.  She’s totally alone.

Wanderer – Ripley meets the marines, including Hicks and Bishop.  They prepare for war and investigate a colony believed to be harboring aliens.  They investigate, discovering clues that indicate an alien attack, and find Newt, a young girl who managed to survive.  Ripley negotiates her feelings for her lost daughter as she befriends the helpless Newt, and they soon learn that aliens have nested in the colony.

Warrior – Ripley takes command of the marines as they try to fend off the aliens long enough to escape the planet.  When she loses Newt, Ripley must venture back into the alien nest to rescue her.

Martyr – Ripley faces the alien queen one on one, and is willing to die to blast it out of an airlock and destroy the aliens forever.

AND, IN THE END…

Definitely one of my top 10 favorites.  It’s got it all: a great antagonist, a unique and driven heroine, and marines splattering aliens with giant guns. ALIENS is also great to study because it’s so well structured.

One element I’ll draw attention to is ALIENS’ solid ending.  When Ripley blasts the alien queen out of the air lock, she simultaneously destroys the aliens for good (PROFESSIONAL), saves Newt (PERSONAL), and overcomes her ultimate fear (PRIVATE). By definitively answering the PROFESSIONAL, PERSONAL, and PRIVATE components of the Central Question as closely together as possible, ALIENS delivers a satisfying ending that’s on the mark, clean, and has impact.

Another example, STAR WARS: when Luke fires the final proton torpedo, he simultaneously destroys the Death Star (PROFESSIONAL), saves Princess Leia (PERSONAL) and gives himself over to The Force to become a Jedi like his father (PRIVATE).  A third example, SPIDERMAN: Peter Parker simultaneously defeats the Green Goblin and saves New York (PROFESSIONAL), saves MJ (PERSONAL) and accepts his responsibility as a superhero (PRIVATE).

Paying attention to when the Central Question is answered also helps you avoid structuring a movie that keeps going… and going… and going.  With this approach, you’ll know when the movie should end, because after the Central Question is answered, there isn’t much more to say!

On a random note, I’ve always thought that puppets beat CG when it comes to believing that characters and creatures are real, my logic being that puppets are made of something tangible, whereas CG just objects just aren’t really there.  IMO, The aliens in ALIENS are infinitely more believable that anything that could be created with CG, even today.  I’d be interested in hearing some opinions on this.  When it comes to creating something filmic… puppetry or CG?

- Dan Pilditch

Overall Impression – A sweeping epic that’s as fresh now as the day it was released.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Kambei Shimada.

What’s he trying to accomplish? – Professional: lead the samurai in defending a peasant village from 40 bandits.  Personal: bridge the samurai/peasant caste division. Private: figure out if it’s possible to overcome the negative social conventions placed on samurai.

Who’s trying to stop him? – The bandits, dissent among the samurai, and conflicts between the samurai and the peasants.

What happens if he fails? – The bandits will kill the samurai and the villagers.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – Kambei is a ronin – a rogue samurai with no master.

Wanderer – Kambei finds and recruits six samurai whom he believes are necessary to defeat the bandits. They travel to the village, where longstanding tensions between the samurai and peasant castes become apparent.  Eventually they learn to trust each other, and Kambei forms his strategies to fight the bandits and trains the peasants for battle.  When some bandit scouts are killed, a few samurai undertake a preemptive strike, learning that the bandits possess not only superior numbers, but also three muskets.

Warrior – Under Kambei’s leadership, the samurai try to hold the peasants together as they launch a variety of attacks and defenses against the bandits, whittling down their vast numbers through strategy and guerilla tactics.  They also try to reduce the bandits’ advantage by taking their muskets, the youngest samurai Katsushiro begins an affair with a village girl, and Kikuchiyo becomes more active in his goal to earn respect as a samurai.

Martyr – The samurai and the peasants stage a final battle to wipe out the bandits for good, risking everything by luring them into the village.

AND, IN THE END…

There’s so much packed into this movie that I can barely scratch the surface, but one element I’d like to draw attention to is how fleshed out the samurai characters are, due in no small part to the fact that each samurai, to a greater or lesser extent, featured his own path from ORPHAN to MARTYR.  For example, Kambei’s protege Katsushiro starts off as a masterless samurai ORPHANED by his aristocratic heritage.  He becomes a WANDERER through his tutelage under Kambei and as he negotiates his feelings for a village girl.  He’s a WARRIOR when the fighting starts and as he pursues the village girl, and switches to a MARTYR along with everyone else in the final showdown.

Additionally, SEVEN SAMURAI is said to have established certain plot points that’ve become convention in modern movies.   The most obvious of these is the hero’s gathering of allies into a team to accomplish a specific goal, and if Wikipedia’s to be believed, Roger Ebert speculated that SEVEN SAMURAI established the practice of introducing the main character involved with an undertaking unrelated to the main plot (e.g., Kambei is introduced rescuing a child from a thief).  In hindsight, the movie didn’t feel as dated as I’d expected it to, and that’s probably because it’s filled with filmic elements present in so many contemporary films.

Lastly, you can’t have a samurai movie without some good old fighting, and SEVEN SAMURAI boasts some of the most intelligent sequences I’ve seen.  If you want a great action movie with some incredible depth, give this one a look-see.

- Dan Pilditch

Overall Impression – Hilarious, smart and moving.  SEE IT!

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Miles.

What’s he trying to accomplish? – Professional: enjoy a fun weekend in wine country with his best (and soon to be hitched) friend Jack.  Personal: get over his divorce. Private: find true love again.

Who’s trying to stop him? – Miles is definitely his own worst enemy, but Jack contributes his share of obstacles, too.

What happens if he fails? – Miles will remain miserable and alone.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – Miles’ divorce (2 years prior) has left him insecure and cynical about finding another woman.  His best friend Jack is also about to be married, so in a sense Miles is being left behind.

Wanderer – The guys travel to wine country, where Miles attempts to teach Jack the intricacies of wine tasting.  Jack also learns about Miles’ interest in a local waitress named Maya… and the extent of Miles’ insecurity around women. So, Jack takes it upon himself to get his best buddy laid.  The perfect plan, given that he also wants to sleep with Maya’s friend Stephanie before he gets married.

Warrior – As Jack befriends Stephanie, Miles works on opening up to Maya and putting his divorce behind him.  Jack and Miles also talk more candidly, each confronting the other about their respective problems.  Miles also pursues a book deal more aggressively.

Martyr – There are a few martyr elements.  The funniest is when Miles sneaks into the house of a random waitress that Jack slept with, in order to retrieve Jack’s wallet which holds his wedding rings.  However, Miles’ bravest moment comes at the end, when he finally puts himself out there and goes back for Maya.

AND, IN THE END…

There aren’t many movies I can watch over and over, but SIDEWAYS is one of them.  It’s gotta be up there with LOST IN TRANSLATION, another great dual-character study that’s just so… likable.

The thing is, whenever somebody told me about the movie before I’d seen it, it just sounded boring.  I got various versions of “Well… it’s about these two guys who go to wine country, they meet a waitress… and yeah, it’s hilarious.”

Well, it was hilarious, and much more.  The great thing is, you don’t even have to like wine to enjoy SIDEWAYS.

Oh, if I haven’t said it already… SEE IT!  SEE IT!  SEE IT!

- Dan Pilditch

Overall Impression – Why can’t we bust ghosts for real?  This is the coolest movie ever!

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Dr. Peter Venkman.

What’s he trying to accomplish? – Professional: catch all the ghosts in New York and stop Gozer, the god of destruction. Personal: win over Dana. Private: believe that ghosts are real.

Who’s trying to stop him? – Gozer the Gozerian, Zuul, ghosts, himself, EPA agent Walter Peck, and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

What happens if he fails? – New York will be destroyed by Gozer the Gozerian, god of destruction.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – Peter’s a parapsychologist who doesn’t believe in the paranormal.  He’s also cast out into the real world after losing his grant at Columbia University.

Wanderer – Peter and his friends/colleagues Ray and Egon need to make some cash.  Upon learning that ghosts are real, they figure out how to capture them, store them, and market their services to the world as the Ghostbusters.  Peter meets and tries to woo Dana, a client whose fridge seems to be haunted.

Warrior – The Ghostbusters fight to build their business by fighting to catch ghosts.  While Peter works on winning over Dana, the team discovers that her building’s being haunted by Zuul, minion of Gozer.  When Zuul possesses Dana, and her neighbor Louis turns into a giant demon dog, the Ghostbusters have to stop them before they team up and unleash Gozer.

Martyr – The Ghostbusters risk life and limb to stop Gozer.

AND, IN THE END…

I owe a lot to GHOSTBUSTERS.  Aside from being one of my favorite childhood movies, it was the first time I saw Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, a movie ghost, New York, LA, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, a geek turn into a devil dog, a haunted fridge, exploding eggs… and most importantly, the phrase “Back off, man.  I’m a scientist.”

Sigh… why are movies from the Eighties so cool?

Bit of trivia – did you know that the Ghostbusters song by Ray Parker Jr. was nominated for the Best Music Oscar?  People know awesome when they hear it.

Can’t wait for the upcoming GHOSTBUSTERS III.

- Dan Pilditch

Overall Impression – Mesmerizing.  Bill Murray’s performance caps even GHOSTBUSTERS… and that’s saying something.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Bob Harris.

What’s he trying to accomplish? – Professional: make it through his commercial work.  Personal: start enjoying life again.  Private: truly connect with another person.

Who’s trying to stop him? – Himself, his work, various minor antagonists throughout.

What happens if he fails? – Bob will continue moving through life instead of living it – metaphorical death.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – The picture says it all.  Bob’s in a strange country, he doesn’t connect with anybody, and he feels isolated and sidelined due to his waning fame.

Wanderer – Bob’s entire experience of Japan is one of discovery and bewilderment.  He explores a new culture, a new way of life… but most importantly, he meets Charlotte, who’s as much a lonely outcast as he is.

Warrior – Bob prolongs his stay in Japan in order to spend more time with Charlotte, meaning he has to endure more embarrassing and bewildering publicity work.  As the two of them become close, they learn both about themselves and each other, and start to enjoy life to the point where neither of them wants to be apart.

Martyr – Bob and Charlotte may be kindred spirits, but they’re both from different worlds.  They have to say goodbye to each other and go back to their normal lives.

AND, IN THE END…

Apparently talent runs in the family.  LOST IN TRANSLATION was written and directed by Sofia Coppola, and what a great job she did.  This is an insightful look at a foreign culture, human connection and isolation.  It’s also hilarious.

I only wish I could’ve experienced this in theaters.

- Dan Pilditch

Overall Impression – Truly some of the grossest (and most awesome) special effects ever put to film.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – R. J. MacReady.

What’s he trying to accomplish? – Professional: kill The Thing once and for all. Personal: N/A. Private: N/A.

Who’s trying to stop him? – The Thing, the other scientists, and the arctic.

What happens if he fails? – The Thing will kill everybody and infect the entire world.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – R. J.’s team works in a remote Antarctic outpost, and they soon become completely cut off from the rest of the world.

Wanderer – R.J. checks out a destroyed outpost, only to discover a monstrously deformed creature. Upon further investigation, they realize that they’re looking at an alien life form that mimics other creatures… and any one of them could be infected.

Warrior – As The Thing begins to mimic members of the team, paranoia sets in and R. J. must discover who’s who if he’s to destroy the alien for good.

Martyr – R. J. is willing to sacrifice himself to destroy The Thing and save the world.

AND, IN THE END…

For all intents and purposes, the special effects are the star of THE THING, and R. J. is the main character simply because we spend the most time with him.  As such, the characters lacked definitive personal and private goals, needing only enough shading that we can differentiate them.

(This is a trait I’m seeing more and more in certain movies.  Check out my recent review of CRANK 2: HIGH VOLTAGE, another movie in which the main character takes a backseat to the real star – in this case, the movie’s crazy antics!)

Re-watching THE THING got me thinking about today’s abundance of CG compared with traditional make-up and puppetry, and I still think CG falls short in some areas.

As an obvious but unfair example (given that these was the early days of CG effects), remember when the STAR WARS trilogy was re-released?  Lucas finally managed to cram it with the CG he always wanted, but which didn’t exist in the seventies.  However, to my eye, the puppets in the Mos Eisly cantina look way more realistic than their CG alternatives.

A modern movie to compare to THE THING might be SLITHER.  It’s a great example of gross ’splatter CG’, and both movies successfully creeped me out… yet when it comes to horror, I still prefer the look of traditional special effects.

I don’t think I even have a good reason why…  Traditional special effects just feel more real, which they are, I suppose.   While make-up, goop and puppets exist in real life, a CG monster doesn’t.  Perhaps this knowledge makes it harder to suspend disbelief toward CG elements in movies?

Enough rambling.  Point is, I’m still waiting for a horror movie with effects to rival THE THING.

- Dan Pilditch

Overall Impression – How can you not root for this underdog?

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Rocky Balboa.

What’s he trying to accomplish? – Professional: beat Apollo Creed in the ring. Personal: win Adrian’s heart. Private: prove that a nobody can become a champion.

Who’s trying to stop him? – Mostly it’s Rocky himself, occasionally it’s his difficult friend Paulie, and various other characters in Rocky’s life keep him from realizing his goals.

What happens if he fails? – This is Rocky’s one and only shot.  If he doesn’t take it, he’ll never amount to anything… both professionally and in his personal life.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – Rocky’s bravado is just a shell, and nobody knows him for who he really is. He’s actually lonely, and doesn’t like the way his life has turned out.

Wanderer – When Rocky gets a life changing opportunity to fight boxing champion Apollo Creed, he must decide whether or not to take the shot, and if so… how to go about it.  However, the thrust of the movie lies with Rocky negotiating how to ask out the incredibly shy Adrian, and eventually Rocky gets help from his friend Paulie, who’s also Adrian’s abusive brother.

Warrior – Rocky deals with his newfound fame and starts his training in earnest, getting support from both Paulie and his boxing coach, Mickey.  He also works on his relationship with Adrian, and she becomes a warrior herself by finally coming out of her shell and standing up to Paulie.

Martyr – Rocky’s willing to be beaten to a pulp before the entire world to achieve his dream.

AND, IN THE END…

Ah Rocky – now there’s a character you want to WIN!

He’s sympathetic in all the right ways: a streetwise tough guy who keeps pet turtles; a thug who doesn’t like hurting people; a rough-edged boxer who’s a real thinker.

In other words, there’s way more to Rocky than what you gather at first glance, and that’s what the movie’s about for me – that fact some people are more than they appear.

This theme is inspiring, genuine, and most important, it resonates.  ROCKY cleverly tapped into something that most – if not all – people can identify with, which is just one of the reasons it achieved such success.

What I like most about ROCKY is that the passion behind it rings true.  Sylvester Stallone was in dire straights when he wrote the screenplay, which, amazingly, took him about 3 days.  He created the part of Rocky with himself in mind, and eventually won Best Picture at the Academy awards.

ROCKY, like the mind behind it, argues that with passion and determination, success is possible.   How can you not like that?

- Dan Pilditch

Overall Impression – An all time classic.  I can’t believe I wasn’t forced to watch this in film school.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Michael Corleone.

What’s he trying to accomplish? – Professional: help the Corleone family survive. Personal: figure out where his loyalties lie. Private: figure out what kind of person he is – the man Kay wants him to be… or the man the ‘family’ wants him to be.

Who’s trying to stop him? – There are many elements, but the big ones are the law, Michael’s conscience, his family, and enemies of the family.

What happens if he fails? – Everything the Corleone family has fought for will be lost, and for Michael, family is everything.  Additionally, Michael’s conscience and his relationship with Kay hangs in the balance.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – Michael is the only male member of his family who doesn’t want to be involved in the family business. He has also been away for WWII, and has only recently come home.

Wanderer – As Michael explores old relationships and learns more about the family’s activities, so do we.  He starts to understand the danger and sacrifices that come with being involved in the Mafia, and its effect on his girlfriend, Kay.  We also see how the family treats its friends and enemies, and how it negotiates the arrival of the heroine market.  When Don Vito refuses to change with the times and refuses a deal with drug smuggler Sollozzo, there’s soon an attempt on his life.

Warrior – Michael volunteers to kill Sollozzo and makes his first ‘hit’ for the good of the family.  He’s forced to hide in Italy as a result, and tries to make a life for himself.  Meanwhile, things heat up between the rival families, and Don Vito does everything he can to avoid an all out war.  Michael returns to assume a role in the business, and after Don Vito dies, he takes revenge against all those who wronged the Corleone family.

Martyr – Michael becomes the head of the family, sacrificing a normal life.  He also forces Kay to become an unwilling martyr, since her life will never be the same as long as she associates with him.

AND, IN THE END…

THE GODFATHER commands respect in so many ways. Even its production is a story unto itself, detailing one of Copolla’s (many) battles against the studios.

Voted one of the greatest movies of all time and launching the careers of some of the greatest actors of all time, THE GODFATHER is a film to be studied as much as it is to be enjoyed.

I once saw Mr. Coppola’s academy award for THE GODFATHER at his vineyard in California. Of course, I was fourteen and had about as much interest in one of the greatest directors of all time as I did in fine wine. I’m still angry with myself for not taking a picture.

- Dan Pilditch

Overall Impression – Too. Cool.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Thomas A. Anderson / Neo.

What’s he trying to accomplish? – Become “The One” – the savior prophesized to save humanity from the machines.

Who’s trying to stop him? – Agent Smith, a traitor on Morphius’ team, and potentially anyone in the Matrix who hasn’t been ‘unplugged’.

What happens if he fails? – Agent Smith will get the codes to the Zion mainframe, allowing the last human city to be destroyed by the machines.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – Thomas Anderson is disinterested in his job, has no friends, is socially withdrawn… because his true persona is Neo – a computer hacker.

Wanderer – When Neo is contacted by Morphius, he learns that the world he is experiencing is really a computer simulation called The Matrix. Believing him to be The One, Morphius ‘unplugs’ Neo, making him part of a human resistance against machines that have taken over the real world. Using training programs, Neo learns how to fight within the Matrix, and is told about ‘agents’ – vicious sentient programs that hunt down anybody who hacks into the Matrix.  Neo also meets his love interest, Trinity, and is taken to see the Oracle (a prophet within the Matrix) to see if he’s truly The One.

Warrior – A traitor in the group allows the agents to capture Morphius, who gives himself up so Neo and the others can escape. As the agents interrogate Morphius to get the codes to the Zion mainframe, Neo and Trinity return to The Matrix on a rescue mission.  Neo puts his new skills to the test, becoming increasingly confident at manipulating The Matrix to the point where he can dodge bullets!  Morphius and Trinity get back to the real world, but Agent Smith cuts off Neo’s escape.  He’s a gonner if he doesn’t run…

Martyr – Neo embraces his destiny and fights Agent Smith.  It seems like Neo destroys the agent… but he merely takes over another ‘plugged in’ person and kills Neo!  It’s only when Trinity confesses her love for Neo that he’s reborn as “The One”, giving him the ability to fully manipulate the Matrix and destroy Agent Smith for good.

AND, IN THE END…

There aren’t many movies I can watch over and over, but this is one of them.

Aside from the incredible technical achievements, the great action and the mind-blowing concept, THE MATRIX hits all the right marks structure-wise.  Neo’s Wanderer experience is especially engaging, and when he goes down the rabbit hole and discovers the real world, you’re pulled along with him.

THE MATRIX also stood out for me because it’s so layered.  There are some serious philosophical questions and curiosities in there!  What’s kind of interesting, and made me feel less than smart, is that ”Neo” is an anagram of “one”.  I was amazed when I realized that, because it hit me three months after seeing the film!  I wonder if the Wachowski bros. were going for the idea that it’s so obvious, most people won’t even see it.  Either that, or I’m just in a special minority…  Depending on which is the case, there could be a multitude of meanings behind the anagram.  What’s in a name?  Lots, apparently.

THE MATRIX is almost ten years old and I’m still thinking about it.

– Dan Pilditch