Taxi friends

     Based off of class discussion of Taxi Driver the only thing that everyone seems to be on the same page is that everyone in the film is "scum". No good, dirty, New York scum. I didn't really think to much of it until the end of the film and recapped on all the characters and their traits. I remember specifically one scene where all the taxi drivers are together drinking coffee on their break at the Belmore Cafeteria. Wizard begins describing a couple customers he had a successful midget and beautiful blonde women, based on the commentary they are biased and jealous. One of the other cabbie's talks about a couple "fags" he picked up. I wasn't around in 1970's that may have been normal to address homosexual men as but regardless the way the cabbie describes them and how they should go to California shows the kind of person he is. At 44:56 the Wizard at least has the opinion of this is a free country do what you want in the privacy of your own home which you can't argue with.
     I found it interesting when Travis arrives to cabbie break spot. He appears hesitant when he walks in and orders his coffee and slice of cake. He walks over to sit down and the African American cabbie asks Travis for five dollars he owes him. Travis pulls out a stack of cash, all singles except for a 20. When he sees the 20 he quickly crumbles in his right hand puts it in his pocket. It seems like he didn't want them to notice but I can't imagine he didn't. He easily had 50-100 dollars in one dollar bills and pays his cabbie back. It's evident that these people are the closest to Travis's friends in his life. It is typical in most cases that the majority of your friends would come from your work place. The cabbie after Travis pays him signals a hand gun gesture toward Travis after Travis asks if he could talk to Wizard, that's something a friend does.
   I am a strong believer of show me 10 of your friends and I will show you who you are. On top of all the issues Travis has of his post traumatic stress disorder this is who he associates with. In his free time not drinking a cab, going to porno theaters and doing everything to avoid sleep. On top of his lifestyle of heavy drinking, excess pill taking, he hangs around cretins who hate everything. They hold nothing but negative conversation to share amongst each other until there half hour break is adjourned they have to go back to cabbing people they will just talk about in a negative fashion at there next coffee and cake break.

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. 

Thelma And Louise

Skepticism definitely describes my mentality going into watching Thelma and Louise. Not I didn’t think it would be a good film but based on the cover it seemed like a chick flick, as I stated in class during discussion this film is the about the complete opposite of a chick flick. Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis are a dynamic duo to say the least, excellent chemistry between the two of them and show they can impact as much damage as any male could. There lives before taking this trip show there pasts really were that troubling and something to this magnitude was definitely going to escalate.

            Thelma and Louise are similar but at the same time have different pasts. An overwhelming, controlling, man-child who is her husband shelters Thelma, she is clearly intimated by him based on their phone conversations. Her husband, Daryl appears wealthy and it seems obvious that Thelma could not see life without him. Not because she is love with him but because she does not have the survival instincts to go on without him because they have been together for so long. Many things have been bottled over their disgrace of a marriage and she takes out her frustration in different ways while on the run with Louise.

            Louise comes from a different standpoint. When she screams to Hal before murdering him that when is women is crying she is not having a good time, you get the instinct that it was possible she was raped in her lifetime. She has trust and anger issues, her short fuse gives out quite a few times on many different people through out the film. Despite how independent she does have a man in her life comes to the rescue for her. He proposes to her but it shut down. Jimmy, her boyfriend, understand the type of women Louise is an upon finding out she’s leaving for good he has no choice but to accept it, knowing there is no way to change her mind.

            These two women branch out of shells they are in once this trip gets on it’s way, specifically when the murder it occurs. I felt like Thelma more then Louise even thought Louise was the one who actually committed the murder. Louise experienced what it was like to be with another man, commit a crime, and be an intimating force. Something she had been going up against for the whole tenure of her marriage. Thelma and Louise come to the conclusion at the Grand Canyon that they’re run had come to an end and drive the car over the cliff.

            This film by no means is a chick flick, but definitely has over-bearing aspects of feminism. This film definitely shows that a female can be a force not to be reckoned with and Ridley Scott tries to reach the audiences full potential to realize that. 

Ideaolgies of a better opportunity

It is an image for a young boy, girl, or an immigrant for that matter to want to escape their poverty stricken and sad life they have to come to the United States and work. On top of wanting a better life for themselves they want to reach their full potential in the United States to send back to their families in their home countries. We have all had moments where we have observed immigrants doing work we would describe as a demeaning but it can also be a dream come true. 

The ideology of wanting to come to the United States for a better life could be viewed as a common misconception at the same time. Frankie experiences this misconception when he comes to the United States and shortly after turns himself in. As we have all learned in life nothing is ever guaranteed, we see in both Sin Nombre and Which Way Home the hurdles and obstacles these character go through just to make it to the border. On top of making it to the border the sketchy process of going through a hired people smuggler.

Many of the people on the mission to jump the border of the have some sort of a family in the United States. Syra had family in the New Jersey who she gets into contact with once arriving in the shopping center; Frankie has a grandmother in Los Angeles. A very vital scene in Sin Nombre is scene where Syra’s father is having her recite back the phone number to their family that they have in the United States. He wants to do everything in his power to instill the number in her head in the even they get separated, which they did.

During my time living in Los Angeles I met a number of immigrants who went through these measures to make it to the United States. I was working in the entertainment business and met paparazzi that came to Los Angeles with a 100 dollars to their name and went to start making 10-20 grand a month. That is just one example so it is at the very least realistic to have idealogies of coming to America to want to come to America to live a better life and make money to send home.

These films were difficult to watch for me at the least, more Which Way Home then Sin Nombre. The scene in Which Way Home with 10-year-old Jose in the child immigration office, I almost lost it. The fact of the matter is that is life for them so you cannot blame them for the image of wanting to come here. The boys exclaim on the train everything they have scene on television and how amazing it would be to do to New York City. Some images I have scene from these films will never escape me and I find it easier to be grateful for living here.