Killer of Sheep

There was one specific scene in Charles Burnett’s Killer of Sheep that really touched me and had me thinking. This film is very genuine in the aspect of that these people are all living a very poverty stricken life in one of the worst parts of Los Angeles, the area of Watts, I can tell you personally from living in Los Angeles this isn’t a very positive vibing place compared to other parts of Los Angeles. When living somewhere like Watts you no longer become content living paycheck to paycheck in your poor household being the primary breadwinner. It becomes harder to support your children and your wife, which causes turmoil amongst the two.

I can’t actually compare my life and situation to a family living in Watts, though I can base my analysis off of what I have seen through out my life and the watching of this film. Stan is a perfect example of being non-content with his life and wanting more to be able to provide for his wife and daughter. He feels that he is failing he hates his job at the Slaughterhouse and makes little to no money. He has an opportunity to make a move with peers of his that could be very beneficial toward his situation, or end him up in jail.

What gets me about the character of Stan so much is his appreciation for life has. It is obvious that he is more then frustrated by his financial situation but he also finds solace in looking into his daughter’s eyes and being so proud, a cup of coffee, and even at one point he shares a dance with his wife that is beyond passionate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjvS8DQpt6c

Stan’s wife, who is nameless similar to the character structure of Two Lane Blacktop makes Stan realize he doesn’t need to get involved with what Stan’s friends are cooking up. It doesn’t need to get to that point where he could end up in jail or worse. At certain points throughout the film I felt like they didn’t really care for each other to much. They are very incentive towards each other and even bias like they don’t like each other, but put on a face for their child in front of her. It seems at the beginning they genuniley don’t really care for each other but I think it’s evident it is the complete opposite after watching this scene with dance. 

Two-Lane Blacktop

            Perhaps I didn’t have the best mentality going into Two-Lane Blacktop to begin with. I’m at the point where I am a little tired of road and car movies so to hear Dr. Lennon say we are done with road movies was very refreshing though I think we could have ended it on a better note rather this droll and slow action movie staring a couple of iconic rock stars, the late Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys and legendary James Taylor. I was less then stellar with their performances in the film and just the film in general.

            Considering I have never really been a fan of road and car films anyway I had to look past that and find aspects of the film I could relate too. I have been able to do that with every film except Two-Lane Blacktop, though I did find a few I enjoyed. I liked that the characters didn’t have a name “the Mechanic, The Driver, The girl, The GTO”. That is the only thing you needed to know in terms of characters. While the acting was less then superb I thought the characters did a good job at staying true especially the rockstars leads who felt out of place, not to mention frustrated after doing a hundred takes of the same shot.

            The film’s plot is simple, '55 Chevy takes on a '70 GTO in a race across the Southwest. They put their pink slips in an envelope and mail it to their destination and the first person that gets their waits for their new car. I really enjoyed the sceneria in the film on a side note. I have driven across country to California so despite the filming being 40 years ago I actually felt déjà vu, particularly the scenes going through California and Arizona. The GTO has a lot of hilarious dialogue with people he meets on the road. It seemed like the hitchhikers are doing him the favor of keeping him company versus giving the hitchhiker a ride being the favor. I actually bein to feel bad for the GTO a little bit through out the film, though I think he has the nicest car in the film.

            The final scene of the film has a very awkward ending I felt. The drag race in Tennessee, the Driver’s expression is scary to say the least, I felt as if I was meeting this character for the first time. During the actual race the film slows down and the music drops almost completely. Then it looks as if the film just burns out something I have never seen before. This scene was very dark and dramatic making the final scene in Thelma and Louise where they jump a cliff look like the ending look It’s a Wonderful Life. 

Morvern Callar

During the first scene of Morvern Callar, I along with many others was not aware the man laying on the floor was not dead cuddled up to Morvern. This definitely caught me off the guard and once I realized he was dead my first instinct was he was murdered. Not by Morvern necessarily, but it is apparent something tragic happened, you can put two and two together once we see the suicide note and manuscript on the computer.

     The only real thing I can accept from the character of Morvern is that she isn't all there. How she decides to go about handling the remains of her boyfriend’s body, I felt the scene in bathtub was extremely off putting and something only in the mind of a psychotic. Revenge seems to be key the element of the film. Morvern's boyfriend, James requests that she sell his book, which I don't even think during the film she's ever seen actually reading in it. Instead she pawns it off as her own and gets a big payday in the end result in Brazil.

         In class I tried to get my theory off that Morvern could have murdered James, during the scene where Lanna and Morvern are stranded on the side of the road Lanna tells her she slept with James 1:13:41-1:14:55. It looks as if Morvern may have already known, but it’s that it’s Morvern’s boyfriend and her best friend, even though Lanna refers to it as a “stupid fuck” and it doesn’t mean anything it doesn’t make a difference, it still happened.

         James did commit suicide, which I am well aware of, but it still could have been possible for Marvern to have killed James and to finish off her revenge kill Lanna, sell the book for the astronomical figure she got and just move off starting over somewhere. Not to mention escape the petty, boring, unfulfilling life she has back home working at the grocery store.

What throws me off guard is toward the ending when Morvern asks Lanna to leave with her after she gets the money. Morvern has cleaned out her apartment and probably didn’t put in a two weeks notice at the store. It still baffles me that she asked Lanna to leave with. 

Easy Rider

Captain America and Billy the Kid through out Easy Rider have only one thing on their mind after making a massive sale that can set them up for a very long time. The image of riding their bikes across country to New Orleans for Mardi Gras and after that to Florida to retire and enjoy life. As long as they have their pot, money stashed safely away in Captain’s gas tank, and each other, everything will be fine.

            Easy Rider is a film my father has been pushing me watch for a long time. I have always been obsessed with Hollywood, even living there at one time, so I was stressed to watch this film starring these two Hollywood legends. I had watched Dennis Hopper in other films and this seemed like one of the more kind characters he had played in his lifetime. I could not imagine a Dennis Hopper character in a different movie feeling enough sympathy to give a hitchhiker a ride and share his marijuana.

            Both Captain America and Billy share in common the satisfaction they get from riding their Harley’s around the country and of course doing drugs, however during this time period drug use was a common as drinking. The two seem almost inseparable at first that they both thrive off each other but I thought things went sour when they see themselves getting more and more side tracked on getting to New Orleans. It is safe to that Captain America is calling the shots but there are quite a few instances that look like they won’t make it, at least not together.

I viewed Billy the Kid and Captain America as platonic life partners. From business to being there for each other as best friends it is evident that these two will do anything for each other. I thought if anything at some point a female could intervene and take the plot for a twist but besides some of the hookers they meet and go to New Orleans with that was not going to happen.