Contour At The Movies

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 – CRANK 2: FULL THROTTLE delivers exactly what it promises: non-stop electrified action!

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Chev Chelios.

What’s he trying to accomplish? – Professional: stay alive long enough to get his heart back. Personal: N/A. Private N/A.

Who’s trying to stop him? – Chinese gangs, Mexican gangs, local thugs, cops, dog walkers… pretty much everyone and everything becomes an obstacle.  Additionally, Chev’s greatest enemy is his temporary fake heart, which requires consistent jolts of electricity to keep him moving.

What happens if he fails? – He’ll die.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – Chev’s a Brit in LA, seems to be on everyone’s wanted list, and his friends and loved ones have moved on after believing him dead for the past three months.

Wanderer – Chev’s heart has been removed, and with the help of his friend Doc Miles, he learns that he needs to juice his temporary thumper with electricity in order to survive. The rest of the movie is one big chase as Chev hunts Vang, a Triad thug whom Chev believes is transporting his real heart. Also thrown into the mix is a helpful hooker named Ria, Mexican gangsters out for revenge, Chev’s old flame Eve, and Venus – the identical twin brother of Chev’s murdered transvestite friend.

Warrior – The chase continues: Chev needs bigger shocks for his fake heart, and increasingly crazier antics are required to get them.  He fights like a dog to finally get to Vang… only to discover that his heart has already been transplanted into the head of the Triad gang!  Chev is kidnapped by the Mexicans, whose leader wants revenge after Chev killed his brothers in the first movie.

Martyr – A bit muddled…  It might be that Chev’s willing to get as close to death as possible in order to keep on living.  It might also be that he’s willing to give up his heart and even Eve to get revenge on the Mexicans… in which case the CENTRAL QUESTION flip flops.

AND, IN THE END…

I find it hard not to enjoy a movie that plays on its own ridiculousness, and CRANK 2: HIGH VOLTAGE is no exception.  When Chev whistles the film’s score whilst interrogating a baddie, we know the filmmakers are just out to have fun, and so can we.

While the movie’s structure is questionable, the ways in which CRANK 2 laughs at filmic conventions gave it the feel of spectacle as opposed to story, making some of these elements feel appropriate rather than failings.  Here are a few examples:

- Chev’s lack of PERSONAL and PRIVATE desires.  Chev’s a simple, tunnel-visioned guy, much like the movie itself.  It may have been inappropriate for the style, tone and objectives of the film to feature those elements which most movies both need and aspire to have.  CRANK 2 doesn’t bother with these… its hero just wants his strawberry tart (heart) back.

- There wasn’t a strongly discernible switch from WANDERER TO WARRIOR.  Instead, the entire mid-section of CRANK 2 can be seen as one non-stop warrior race, continually escalating in intensity and insanity.

- The CENTRAL QUESTION changes right at the end,when Chev’s desire to get his heart switches to a desire for revenge.  (This I found harder to forgive )

Again, none of this is intended to fault the movie, and in many ways CRANK 2 might be seen as ambitious.  Think no further than the final confrontation between Chev and Vang, which inexplicably becomes a fight between giant puppet-like caricatures.

By venturing into areas which might be deemed outrageous, stupid or just plain weird, you’ll definitely see things that you’ve never seen before, and that’s probably why CRANK 2 was so ridiculously fun.

– Dan Pilditch

Overall Impression – Horror takes a holiday.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Clay Miller.

What’s he trying to accomplish? – Find his sister.

Who’s trying to stop him? – Jason.

What happens if he fails? – Jason will kill Clay, and probably his sister too.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – Clay’s a stranger in a small town, searching for his missing sister by himself.  He’s also the “outsider” when he meets a group of  college kids headed to a cabin for the summer.

Wanderer – Clay questions the locals about his sister, instead learning bits and pieces about the mysterious Jason.  He bumps into the college kids at the cabin, and teams up with one of them (Jenna) to search the nearby woods for his sister.

Warrior – When Clay discovers that Jason really exists and is up to some gruesome deeds, he must survive long enough to find and rescue his sister.

Martyr – By venturing into Jason’s mine-like home, Clay is willing to die to save his sister.

AND, IN THE END…

FRIDAY 13^th is a simple (if unambitious) addition to the franchise that kind of achieves what it sets out to do.  Once the movie establishes its generic college cattle and their slaughterer, the fun begins.

Yes, the plot is predictable.  After all, we’ve seen this movie many times before.  Give us thirty minutes and we can probably guess who survives, and even who “kills” Jason.  (It’s usually the most downtrodden female.)  Predictability isn’t exactly ideal, but it isn’t such a big deal for horror movies in this vein.

Personally, it’s the gore that counts, and ultimately that’s where FRIDAY THE 13th failed for me.  Next to sadistically innovative franchises like SAW, HOSTEL, and suspense-laden films like the THE STRANGERS… FRIDAY just felt tame.

Indeed, with a franchise that has established its bad guy as essentially indestructible, is it worth caring about whether or not people are going to die?  You know they are.

The lacking gross-out factor aside, what does FRIDAY THE 13th have to offer?  Pretty victims, sex, weed, college humor, an admittedly awesome flying ax… who am I kidding?  The movie’s gonna do fine.

- Dan Pilditch