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Filmsi - A not so serious look at films and film reviews

 
Anything film =D

Filmsi - March 2008

Brad Pitt related to Obama?

Now, I don't know how this relates to politics, nor am I surprised that celebrity culture is somehow permeating into the world...but seriously that is bizarre.
Ah Brad Pitt, even in politics you seem to be a blockbuster.
Now wonder if he is actually voting for him...that would be interesting!

What is the appeal of Brad Pitt all men ask? Probably those gooey eyes and impossibly high cheekbones. I know, I know he isn't exactly the best actor in the world. But when he does good work, it certainly is interesting. My favourite has to be tortured Tristan in Legends of the Fall.



Brad]Really Long Link Pitt





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March 29th 2008 @ 03:31

Posted By: Maryam DiMauro - Category: No Category
   


Films as nostalgic postcards

Films can be a more beautiful reflection of a time in your life, a moment , a nano second. It might not have anything to do with the film, but you remember them forever because of what you felt at the time you watched these films. Some films like a good piece of cheese, " age" well. They are always timeless. But others when you revisit them seem childlike and silly.

I remember I went with my two best friends to see " the craft", which I was dying to see, and the music stuck in my head for a long time. We ditched a farsi class to go and watch it, and I missed out on seeing my crush to do so. I remember feeling as rebellious as the characters in their nineties -post grunge attire. I still love to see the scene where the dark goth witch goes crazy.


Titanic- i remember ditching my soroity sister rush to go to the movies with my real friends. I realized I would never fit in with them so I didn't care who they were, so watching Rose rebel against her mother was definitly identifiable.

There are certain films, that at the time causes us to sigh but then just reminds us of our x boyfriends. Even though we love the film, like the jacket that used to be his, tends to be tossed out as well.

Looking back at certain films that I watched as a kid, I feel a bit cheated. The dark crystal, although I was really young ( probably around four) I would replay in my head over and over years after I had watched it. When I went back and saw it on youtube the other day I was surprised how cartoonishly the puppets are. ( and the same holds true for legend, the neverending story, among others..)

Our views are different, and so are our tastes. Watching a film is like seeing a moment frozen in time, of who we were as a viewer, what we experienced and where we are now. But we cannot be there for that moment ever again, and therein lies the tragedy of loss.
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March 27th 2008 @ 18:30

Posted By: Maryam DiMauro - Category: No Category
   


Tyler Perry's chicken soup

Tyler Perry's bio

I have read a load of reviews of why people tend to love Tyler Perry's movies so much. ( at least in the United States, I am yet to see some of them doing so well overseas.) Perhaps , in whitebread America we tend to shrug off the notion that An all black family movie would have any appeal. Or perhaps it is the strong christian overtone of the films. Here are a couple of reasons why I believe his films do well :

Families are nuts

While a lot of films which are noted as family are " comedy " ( take Meet the Parents) , they are never totally dysfunctional. And if they are, usually they result in a climatic dramatic breakdown resulting in the main character breaking free from their family. Tyler Perry does no such thing. In most of his movies, we see examples of rape, incest, violence among others yet somehow the characters end up forgiving each other and moving on, with most of their family in tow. It isn't perfect but the strong Christian overtones suggest that you should forgive, not for them but for yourself.

Strong female characters
Tyler Perry has a strong respect for women and most of his films, while sometimes a little repetitive shows women overcoming men who have belittled them for far too long. Women who were belittled by their mothers, husbands , boyfriends and end up finding their voice in the process. And yes, having a hunky boyfriend who understand you attracts a lot of female audiences, without it being too overly corny

Morals?
Yes, hardly anyone in Tyler Perry's movies have sex outside of marriage, and those who do have consequences. What a movie that has no sex? And it works? Believe it or not there are a lot of people who actually have similar beliefs and applaud him for not offering excuses for it.


Perhaps you can accuse the guy of being sometimes repetitive , but I love his movies. They are refreshing tone and voice and there is definitly a market for it. Go figure. Whether or not it produces a new wave of cinema? Probably not.
Meet the Browns 2008
Why did I get married
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March 26th 2008 @ 02:33

Posted By: Maryam DiMauro - Category: No Category
   


Sex and drugs in teen film : An intelligent marketing ploy?


American Pie. Fast Times at Ridgemont HIgh, Grease... all of these films have fast paced adolescents , with a sex drive on hyperdrive , conducting reckless behavior, undermining authorities and thinking they rule the earth. That's what we all think of youth but is it a carefully conducted marketing scheme?

This is going to be a bit controversial but bear with me. I have stated before that marketers and movie companies found that teenagers had more expendible income to spend on tickets, merchandising, and general consumerism.

Teenagers were taught, over generations , that their very identity relies on externalizing their identity in consumer society. Somehow, their external appearance, how great their car is, their cell phone was detrimental to their self worth. The " cool kids" were superficial, mean and materialistic but somehow everyone wished to emulate them.

Marketers found that over time, this message would sink in when they saw examples of this in films, commercials and television show. Teenagers psychologically are the most vulnerable to this thought process because they no longer base their identity in the family but among their peers. What does this mean? They want to fit in. Badly.

Even those people who think they are being " rebellious" by following a certain trend Punk, Emo, Goth, Eco chic...are all carefully marketed clics which cause people to consume and for groups to follow a mass homogenization of our society. This means , those who wanted to be individuals? Are all the same.

Sexuality is both repressed and overexposed. Women are flaunted as sex objects , things to be made on a bet ( American Pie, She's all that , among others). Women are expected to be both viriginal and overly sexual. This severely mixed message causese confusion among teens and how they are expected to be.

Why promote over sexuality? Marketers have also proven that those who are sexually more active, tend to consume more. They tend to want to impress, to improve, to constantly become better to top the competition.


Teens, according to films are also prone to drugs, violence and abusive behaviour without any real consequences except a funny slap in the wrist. If we teach teens that there are no consequences, then we basically give them free rein to take unnecessary risks.

Films have also sublime product placement which sends subliminal messages in film. If someone is extremely sad in one scene, cut to the next scene where he is drinking a red can which is clearly coca cola. Try doing this various times, and believe me it seeps into your psyche.

( there are actual people who are hired on the streets to slip in conversations about product placements to passerbys on the street...)

This isn't to say we shouldn't watch films, or enjoy them. Or to kid ourselves that these things aren't a reality. The question is , why do we assume that this is the only thing that makes a teenager?

I love teen films, don't get me wrong, but a lot of these things happen because we are made to be unaware of how much of a hold consumerism has in our society. Let's just keep one eye open. Maybe I will post a review of a really good documentary called " The Corporation" soon..
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March 25th 2008 @ 16:46

Posted By: Maryam DiMauro - Category: No Category
   


Ugly Ducklings in Film

Why do we all have the ugly duckling syndrome? The scenario is basically the same : Nerdy girl/ boy in awkward pants , clumsy but beguiling gets taunted by the coolest kids/ mother/ pretty sister. Nerdy character gets a fairy godmother/ cute boyfriend/ computer class which changes their lives drastically and they are miraculously transformed in a week!


So what's the appeal? Maybe we all have that insecure part of us that love to see the heroine transform into a beautiful swan. Or perhaps we just love good makeovers! And there is always something fun about watching people become something completly different...

On a personal level, I always felt that identified with those characters. People were always trying to give me makeovers growing up, but i was far too clumsy to care. Ah now that I am old I see the wisdom in finding the beauty within yourself.
What makes a good makeover film? When the protagonist becomes beautiful and confident and realizes there was nothing wrong with them after all. Somehow becoming comfortable in your own skin is sexy.

There has been many makeover films over the years but here are some of my best and worst makeovers :


Death Becomes Her
Goldie Hawn
Watching Goldie Hawn transform into a fat miserable spinster to a hot red haired tamale with the help of a magic potion? Genius. Watching Meryl Streep's butt get perkier? Even better. Ah but the best part is watching both of them become decrepit corpses ? Even better(
Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn


Princess Diaries
Now this was one makeover which really was believable. The girl had bushy hair, huge eyebrows and plucky personality. Somehow she had to become a princess...and boy did she end up becoming one. However how to keep her artistic spirit? in the end she came to the ball wearing sweats but still looked way hotter than before. ( Damn her porcelain skin)
Anne Hathaway in Princess Diaries


My Big Fat Greek Wedding

She never became a conventional beauty but by getting a computer class, a good haircut and makeup she landed herself a nice big wedding. Go figure

My Big Fat Greek Wedding


Clueless

Brittany Murphy is a hopeless pothead, who gets funky late nineties clothes to fit in with Alicia Silverstone's crew. ( Ah who can forget Rolling with the hommmieees) . However , she still remains a hopeless pothead with a better sense of style. Maybe it was a failed attempt but it is nice to see someone not completly losing her sense of self in the process.
Clueless




The Breakfast Club
O.k. so Ally Sheedy got a pretty lame makeover ( a frilly headband and some lame eyeliner doesn't really cut it). However, watching her reemerge confident and smiling, instead of being Emo ( before we even knew it existed) is pretty cool. And the kiss was pretty awesome too.

Never been Kissed

From watching her awkward teenage egg thrown years, to her bland editorial girl to a gorgeous confident high school senior. Somehow regression does work. And to become a nerdy ( albeit prettier) in the end? Great stuff.

Pretty Woman
Who can forget " Big Mistake. Huge.?" All because of a hat, good sex and really big shoulder pads.

Grease
Who can forget the moment when Sandy becomes a leather wearing slut? I still think she looked better as sweet sandy though.
What are the lamest makeovers?
The Mirror has two faces

Ah is it wrong that I don't see much change other than a really bad dye job? I mean maybe it's me. ( crickets)


She's All that
Ah, the girl takes her glasses off. That's about it. And before and after she still looks like Winona Ryder's sister.

Beauty and the Beast
I know we should love the prince in the end, but the beast was way cuter ( and fluffier). The prince seemed kinda lame...



What do we learn from makeover movies? That being yourself is the best revenge known to man. Some good lovin' can transform you. And really, don't try this at home folks because a different kind of lipstick won't change your life. And apparently bushy eyebrows and glasses are so not cool. Ah well there goes my invite to the prom...




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March 22nd 2008 @ 01:44

Posted By: Maryam DiMauro - Category: No Category
   


Hollywood : like the real world only without the rules and stuff

So, the predictability of Hollywood and the convenient loopholes are what we choose to not know when we enter a cinema, Hollywood follows a couple different rules which makes them able to jump over any sticky situation.


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March 19th 2008 @ 18:00

Posted By: Maryam DiMauro - Category: No Category
   


A tender little love story : J' vous tres beau

An atypical love story


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March 18th 2008 @ 11:25

Posted By: Maryam DiMauro - Category: No Category
   


What we learn about St. Paddy's from Hollywood



So in the grand tradition of St. Patrick's day ( and my birthday as well..)let's celebrate a couple things Irish in film. Here are a couple of things that didn't really fly, and some that did but hey good thing they tried


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March 17th 2008 @ 14:47

Posted By: Maryam DiMauro - Category: No Category
   


You had me at teen movie

So, I look at my television schedule and I am happy to see that " Never Been Kissed " is on again. Ah good, I have spent enough time away from this movie to actually like it again. Granted, the whole Jennifer Love Hewitt as the biggest babe out there and her hair flowing in the wind is a bit much but I digress.
It made me realize that teen movies are in a dry spell right now probably because of the oversaturation of comic heroe movies and parodies. But to be fair, everything in film as in music is cyclical and it will come back with a vengeance. And there is always High School Musical...( Damn their Disney songs...)
What makes teen movies so appealing? Well first a little bit of history. The first resemblances of the first teen movie came in the fifties with " Rebel without a Cause" and made a star of James Dean and Natalie Wood. It also made Hollywood execs perk up and take notice at the marketability of teen films


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March 16th 2008 @ 14:39

Posted By: Maryam DiMauro - Category: No Category
   


The Other Boleyn Girl review

There has been endless miniseries and movies about Henry the eighth and his cut from the catholic church and this is probably not the best or the worst interpretation of such events but rather a different take on it.

The first shot of the movie, cue in golden wheat and two little girls frollicking in the fields. The parents discuss their fate as the children guilessly look on. Perhaps this is what we should get from the movie, that the manipulations and ambitions of the males in this family are what brought down the disgrace of the family


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March 15th 2008 @ 08:31

Posted By: Maryam DiMauro - Category: No Category
   


The Climate of the isolated

So, I decided that every week I am posting up some good films on an international level. The following is part one of some films from Eastern European cinema, and their interweaving themes
( sorry it might divulge from my regular style of writing it comes from some of my old film papers..)

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March 14th 2008 @ 19:04

Posted By: Maryam DiMauro - Category: No Category
   


What makes vampires so seductive?

The amount of television shows that have had vampires in them : Moonlight, Angel, Buffy ( and others that I forget, books with countless following, and movies. There are thousands of movies on vampiric themes. People can never get enough of them.

There is something incredibly seductive about vampiric lore, which is much more appealing than Werewolves, mummies and frankenstein.
One of Dracula's first resurrections on screen

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March 13th 2008 @ 18:26

Posted By: Maryam DiMauro - Category: No Category
   


Why books don't transfer well into film


Stop me if this has happened to you : You eagerly await the coming out of your favourite book into film. You sit at the edge of your seat waiting for that crucial scene, that favourite character to do the lines that you paid 8 bucks to see.

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March 12th 2008 @ 16:35

Posted By: Maryam DiMauro - Category: No Category
   


Faking british accents in film

I was watching " The Other Boleyn Girl" ( I will post a review on that shortly) and I was struck by how bad Scarlett Johanssen's British accent is. Maybe this is just because my mother's Brit in me, but I am honestly appalled at how they can get away with it.
First of all, I have no idea why some American actors feel the need to have " British constipation" look on their faces whenever they speak with this kind of accent. It's like they figure that every single Brit is from snotty aristocracy ( granted Scarlett Johanssen was playing snotty aristocracy but would she be so self aware on her snottiness? Ah I digress).

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March 11th 2008 @ 17:44

Posted By: Maryam DiMauro - Category: No Category
   


Artsy fartsy films vs. drains on civilization

I was sitting with one of my best friends and we were debating what movie we should watch. I reached over for the video " I am Legend" and she gave me The Look. The Look goes something like this : It is eyes catching me in a deadly stare , a little condescending nod of her head and small stretching of her mouth ... all of which expressed the following : ' I cannot believe you can resort to watching such mindless dribble when you can see Real Art".
O.k., here's the thing. I do know " real art" , i did film studies in school i know the drill. But here's the thing : When I am dead tired and really have no brain power left, i WANT my brain to be resting. Literally.
So most hollywood films, which is why they are so commercially successful, are usually following " The Hollywood Formula". They have a hero, who goes through a series of trials , there is a beginning , a middle and an end. A climax and an anti climax. And yes, most known actors tend to play the same roles over and over


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March 10th 2008 @ 19:05

Posted By: Maryam DiMauro - Category: No Category
   


Cracking the mystery of movie popcorn

The other day I was with my boyfriend, and in the middle of a crucial scene I could hear his jaws chomping annoyingly , i could smell the butter on his breath, and his sweaty palms were grasping mine.
It really doesn't seem the most likely and most popular choice for movie food. So why on earth did we pick it? It's messy, greasy and noisy. Not the best choice for a movie. But think of popcorn and your brain automatically links it to film. What is the deal with that?
So I did a little digging and well, some of the first mentions of popcorn came from Peruvian Incans who " popped it until it burst"...which makes it sound REALLY appetizing. But it goes even further back when they found fossilized popcorn 8,000 years ago. Yum.So obviously it started to become part of our diet , but when did movies factor in


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March 10th 2008 @ 01:10

Posted By: Maryam DiMauro - Category: No Category
   


Sounds like...

Nowadays, going into a store just means a click of the button , with iTunes superseding most of the major album stores going into music stores is becoming virtually nil. We all know this, it has been going on for awhile.
But it occured to me that with the onslaught of rental videos now available to download, with the charts going up and down so constantly based on fickle listeners, that this not only affects the music industry but the film industry as well.
Take the sleeper hit Juno. One of the top albums on iTunes is the little ditty at the end of the movie. Obviously this entices more viewers to both the soundtrack and the film. A better yet example is the hauntingly beautiful " falling slowly" from the movie " Once" which got much deserved publicity from the Oscars and as a consequence is quickly becoming more popular on iTunes. A massive frenzy has started to see that tiny little movie, which has barely shown in hardly any cinema


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March 8th 2008 @ 14:30

Posted By: Maryam DiMauro - Category: No Category
   


New winged blog

Hi there! So welcome to Wing Eyed View, where you get a unique view of what is going on in the world of film, television, and beyond! Take a seat and enjoy the Viewed! Sorry about the feathers, I am moulting at the moment.
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March 8th 2008 @ 14:12

Posted By: Maryam DiMauro - Category: No Category
   


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