May 30, 2016

With the aid of Panavision and Technicolor, Spielberg creates a monumental 70s film bringing together the epic scale of David Lean and the captivating action of Alfred Hitchcock. Jaws grabs you and sinks deep. Though psychological and violent, Jaws is somehow wholesome too, and today it is a household name. This is because Spielberg, as usual, draws his characters with a lot of heart--they are somehow relatable. And while Sentimental Spielberg has become a bit cliche--and copied a million times--Jaws purports Spielberg's human sentiment at its most poignant and genuine manner. Because of this, we come to care about the characters, particularly Roy Schieder who goes from pipsqueak to hero in the course of 2 hours, and we feel invited into their world. This is Spielberg. And Jaws is perhaps the ultimate Spielberg.

What's most underrated in this film is how technically proficient and creative is the cinematography--nevermind the special effects. There are many Hitchock-influenced cranes, sure, like the one which crosses the room to show Quint for the first time, or the many action takes across the boat. But Spielberg uses the advent of Panavision and Technicolor to make his own cinematographic statement. When Brody notices the boy being attacked, there is a rapid shot of his face in response. The camera appears to zoom out while tracking in. There is a kaleidescope of colour. It gives one vertigo. It gives a similar impression but is the exact reverse of the technique actually used in Hitchcock's Vertigo. It is the best shot of the film.

Many other scenes of the film utilize virtuosic camera movements, which frankly are not nearly as pronounced in the majority of Spielberg's films to follow. The score from John Williams is not only iconic--nor a mere derivative of Bernard Hermann's work with Hitchcock--but a necessary force in story development and aesthetic appreciation of the film. Utilized as a motif, the film's theme becomes not only a haunting aspect of the film but a resonant feature of post-screening affect.

87/100 - Excellent.​

 

May 30, 2016

This week's film:

Once Upon a Time in America (Sergio Leone, 1984)

A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan over thirty years later, where he once again must confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087843/?ref_=nv_sr_2

 

May 31, 2016

This movie has been on my rewatch list for years, but I always get scared away by the runtime. At some point this summer, I'll try to revisit this one.

 

Jun 27, 2016

Kind of fell to the wayside on this one--sorry guys. Took a while to watch because of runtime, kept putting it off till I had a freer evening, and then kept putting off writing on it, and now I realize I'm not gonna get a chance to come in and write for a while cause I'll be busy and in Portland for the next few days so I'll just put in my Twitter-style 2 cents.

An expansive and intricately layered exploration of friendship, a changing society, and nostalgia for youth.

92/100 - Amazing.

I really loved the film's tone, the music, and depth of characters. The child actors are quite impressive, and I found myself most connected to the youth story--same reason why I prefer Godfather II to I... The cinematography is brilliant as usual for Leone, though there are a few sluggish scenes such the long conversation between Noodles and Deb in the changeroom towards the ending or multiple scenes with Max's girlfriend where there's just too much talking and the rhythm loses some energy. I'm also not entirely convinced by the twist, primarily because we spend so much more time with the characters that ideas of revenge and LA become abstract and impure and unconvincing, which is perhaps the goal since Noodles chooses not to even acknowledge Max' presence as the Secretary. Several scenes of collaborated cinema and music (leone and morricone) reminded me of Kieslowski/Preisner, particularly Decalogue, and especially during the piano scenes of Once Upon... there's a certain melancholy in the film's tone which I feel corresponds well with Kieslowski's ouevre, especially upon appreciation of the use of music as a formal+objective expression of deeply layered character emotions and film themes.