Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

          Within the film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, there is a fine use of warm and cool colors which help propel this film into the formalist category. A formalist film is one that cares more about form rather than content, but to a reasonable degree – of course. This movie has a secret story embedded within it by its incredible display of imagery which helps to keep it concealed. The two main characters, Joel and Clementine, are characterized by the two different sets of colors: cold and warm. Joel’s personality and life are representative of the dull, grays and blacks. These colors help the audience feel as though Joel is dull, boring, and reclusive. 

          Everything about Clementine, on the other hand, is vibrant. Her name, her orange sweater, her changing hair color, her homemade hand warmers are all things which help show the audience that Clementine is a colorful and creative person. Her personality is one of cheery, impulsive, and funny. She is always laughing when Joel is trying to be serious, and this describes the relationship between the two.

          The picture on the very top of the post shows both Joel and Clementine in a train. This is the first time where they talk to one another after seeing each other on the beach, a coffee shop, and waiting for the train. The picture above is a a medium shot featuring two people, this a medium two-shot. The colors of both character’s clothing help juxtapose them against one another. Clementine is sitting backwards on the seat, excitedly engaging with Joel while it appears he makes a very minimal effort to contribute to the conversation at all. 

          During Joel’s series of dreams, there is a noticeable perspective difference taking place which helps add to the formalist theme of the film. In the picture above, Joel is in a memory he had as a kid, and is shown acting like the kid using his complete adult body. This is a great use of perspective since Joel’s body did not literally shrink. Clementine is acting as the babysitter taking care of Joel while he is still trying to save one of his last memories of her. Within these clips that show Joel’s journey and willingness to save his memory of Clementine, a hint of love rises occasionally overall giving hope to the audience. 

          Lastly, the juxtaposition that takes place during Joel's adventurous dream is one which helps represent the formalist film type. In this scene above, Joel and Clementine are seen lying on a frozen over lake, when all of the sudden, Clementine gets pulled away from him into the darkness. This is a metaphor which foreshadows the erasing of Clementine from Joel's memory. He is running out of time and things are getting hectic. He doesn't want to lose Clementine but realizes it's a possibility that he must fight against.

The Usual Suspects (1995)

The Usual Suspects (1995)

          The Usual Suspects is a neo-film noir suspenseful thriller set roughly in the late 80s early 90s. Film noir is a French term that literally translates into “black film” by its means of being set in very dark, mysterious atmospheres where danger lurks around every corner. This film technique also employs other characteristics like smoke, fire, as well as low-key and high contrast lighting.

           Within the first shot which brings the audience up to present date, the harsh lighting on Kevin Spacey gives him a sinister, almost skeleton type look. The audience notices this immediately but has no clue what it could represent. A strange feeling is given to the viewer while Verbal is seen representing a skeleton and that strange feeling is… death. In the shot below, Verbal is in the center of the frame and the only one in color, while the two interrogators are completely black and almost completely out of frame.

          In the first scene of the movie, with the aftermath of the boat heist, there is a wide-range of color and lighting use. Right after the first opening shots, the audience is introduced to the silhouette of a masked character – presumable of a man. Immediately, it can be inferred this character is representative of power. He puts out a stream of lit gasoline with his urine and does so with no fear. He is also completely shrouded in darkness, which adds to his power because of how invisible he is in the dark. The overall low-key lighting of the scene represents mystery as the audience doesn't know who this sinister character is, and what event has just taken place.

          Camera angles play an incredibly detailed role in this film, especially in Verbal's interrogation scene. To the audience, Verbal appears as an innocent, weak, cripple with minimal evidence to help against the investigation. This information is backed up with the interrogation scene with Dave Kujon, who belittles and puts down Verbal Kent by saying things like "I'm smarter than you, I'll always be smarter than you" and "You're nothing but a cripple, Verbal." The camera angles reinforce the image that Verbal is weak and small, by the use of high angle shots looking down on him, as well as low angle shots looking up at Kujon, making him appear large.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape

          The movie What's Eating Gilbert Grape, centers primarily around a family dealing with trials and tribulations as well as the loss of a loved one. This family, known as the Grapes, lives in the bleak, boring, isolated town of Endora. During the beginning of the film, Gilbert says that "living in Endora is like dancing to no music."Everything surrounding the family, from the town itself to the house in which they are living in, represents the struggles the family faces with daily. The family's house is a good example of how broken down the family's inner relationships are with one another and how there is no control, no stability, inside the family.

(Grape's Home)

The town of Endora is uneventful and monotonous. There's close to nothing to do inside the town other than work and look after Arnie for young Gilbert Grape. It is this boredom that leads to Gilbert having a secret affair with a housewife known as Betty Carver (seen below). It is seen through Gilbert's obvious mannerisms around Betty that he isn't interested in her like he once was and continues the affair simply because of how bored he is.

(Endora)

(Betty Carver)

          Gilbert's mother is also a good example of how seeing how broken down the family is on the inside. Gilbert's mother was once "the most beautiful thing in Endora." However, it was after the father's suicide where things turned for the worse with the family and lose control. The mother never left the house again and Gilbert had to take on the role of being dad, helping maintain the breaking house and ultimately watching after Arnie. The mother, who is obese, is quite literally causing an effect on the wearing of the house. Her extreme weight is breaking the floorboards underneath the couch where she spends her days. 

(Gilbert's Mother)

Overall, this was a great movie to start off the year and I really enjoyed watching it in class. Just like every movie, there is a riddle with film techniques that helps to convey a broader, deeper meaning to the film. I'd strongly recommend it to anybody who would enjoy a movie that's both humorous as well as dramatic.

About Me...

          So my young, adventurous life began in the ever-so depressing land of the the free - the Lone Star State. I grew up learning the ways on a ranch in rural El Paso. My days started at the crow of the rooster and ended at the crack of dinner bell. Every morning I would head to the chicken coup and pick up that mornings breakfast. I would grab a glass of milk fresh from Lucy - the family's cow. After a hearty breakfast I would head to the stables where I hauled hay around for hours on end, often getting cramps and needing a break, but because I'm Texas, I don't believe in breaks. After racing in the local bull herd tournament I won a free trip to Denver. Little did I know at the time, my life would change forever. I packed up my duffel bag and perched myself up on a Lucy's saddle, about to venture ride up North.

          If I had to describe myself with one blockbuster hit, that movie would undoubtedly be the film Mean Girls, featuring the ever so beautiful and talented, Lindsey M Lohan. This eccentric piece of film underlines the main issue with many high school students - and that's gossip. I  became an extremely gossipy person after viewing this motion picture, and it is completely sad. My friends have mentioned to me numerous times that I am mean (yes, like the word in the title), and what is even more sad is that I agree with them - completely. When I first started my career as a young, high school student, I was not sure what to expect other then a peaceful time where I would undoubtedly made a plethora of friends and become the coolest kid in the school. However, this did not happen. Thankfully, I ended up blending into a sort-of popular group at my school which I shouldn't have. I had to earn the respect from all the group members in order to be accepted as one. This led me to become one of the obnoxious, self-centered kids in my grade. I abandoned my group of friends from middle school which I loved and adored. I ended up realizing my mistake and regretting it just like Lindsey M Lohan in this flick, which taught me a valuable life lesson.

This cinematic master piece describes my high school career absolutely spectfully.

          As I reached the border of Tucson, Colorado, I was presented with plenty of loud hissing noises. I pulled out my .45 thinking there were rattlers around, but I was presented with something much, much more mysterious. There were these automatic wagon machines roaming across the plains at ridiculous speeds. My imagination was confused. I wanted to get up close with them but they skedaddled away. I headed up to an apartment where my good friend Saul lives. He gave me his car keys. Being used to riding tractors around on the daily and lassoing trees, his car was easy peasy to operate. Street race after street race later, I ended up racing in the Denver 500 and almost won. Right as I hurled across the finish line which erected a checkered flag, I let out a grin of satisfaction, thinking about how much I had accomplished at such a young age of six years old. 

The writing style presented above should give you a better idea of who I am than an actual description, thank you.

Film Terminology - Photography

Film Terminology - Photography

Presented by Grant Davis and Chris Dreher

FOCUS

EDITING

GENRE

MISE-EN-SCENE