In Bruges

Ray is an assassin, a very rude assassin (like Walt in his equal opportunity stereotyping?), but he can feel bad about what he does, as when he jokes about Belgium offensively with Chloe on their first date  and when he kills a child inadvertently, and he can be generous, giving the co-owner of the inn his money before he leaves.   Ken is much less rude and crude, but but he is a cold blooded killer also.  Do you like these guys?  Are you pulling for either Ray or Ken to prevail?  Does a good end exist for this cast of characters?  Is it a moral film in spite of the many immoral elements (behavior and language)? 

We'll get to the larger concerns about belief after we finish the film tomorrow.

Days of Heaven (again)

Answering the questions that follow will not be easy.  I'm asking you to stretch here.  That's right.  I'm actually asking to think seriously in Term B.   That in itself is a leap of faith on my part.  I believe you can do it.  So, here goes.  Apart from the marriage ceremony (which seems to be an Eastern Orthodox liturgy), Malick has little religious imagery in the film, and the characters certainly do not demonstrate any pattern of religious behavior.  But, as we discussed in class, the film does offer a number of references, both visual and verbal, that point to biblical events (a man who offers his girlfriend/wife as his sister to the local authority, the apple and serpent, the film's title, Ding Dong's talk of the apocalypse).  Do such references, though, give the film a spiritual dimension?  If so, what does that dimension have to do with the very secular tale of harvesting wheat and trying to scam the owner?  If not, what are the references doing in the film?  In short, what is this film doing in a course on faith and doubt?  Does it have a coherent message about belief? 

Days of Heaven

Terrence Malick never seems too concerned about plot in his films.  He's interested in relationships and ideas.  We see a budding conflict in the Farmer's invitation to Abby.  Should she accept, what will happen to Bill?  Why would he want her to stay with the Farmer?  Will they stay or will they go?  We'll find out tomorrow. 

For now I would like you to think about what ideas Malick seems to be addressing in the film  What has he emphasized in Linda's narration?  What has he emphasized in the film's images?  Make a list.  We'll use this information to help us figure out the film's big idea tomorrow.

This clip offers a few hints:

Lars and the Real Girl

I didn't want to give a thumbnail description of the movie's action because I would have to say it as a about a man who buys a sex doll as a companion.  And that woud be misleading, right?  But the movie is about a man who buys a sex doll as a companion.  Which leads me to ask a couple of questions:

1.  Lars says of Bianca, "That's why God made her -- to help people."  Is Bianca a divine creation? Does she help people?   Or is she pornographic?

2.. We started the Short Term with a boy who had visions of saints.  Is Lars delusional or visionary?

3.  What might be a better way to describe what this movie seems to be about (even though we aren't quite done with the whole film)? 

Places in the Heart

So, I imagine you've noticed that this film does not have an especially clear plot.  Whether Edna will be able to hold on to her house stands out most prominently but other matters such as her sister's marriage and the prospect of Moze's future also are up in the air.  And then there is that storm brewing....  So, what does the film seem to be about in this welter of stories?  What is the general thrust of the action half way through the film?

Cool Hand Luke (pt. 2) -- post #8

When was back breaking work in the middle of the day in the middle of the summer in the deep  South ever this fun?  Is this one of Luke's miracles?

This movie a good bit to chew on, I think.  Pick two of the following questions and give them careful thought and a full response by 10:00 Sunday.  No credit for incomplete and/or late posts.

1. The religious imagery piles up pretty prodigiously as the movie proceeds, culminating in the final  aerial shot of the crossroads with the photograph of Luke superimposed on the cross.  But do this image and the other references make this a film about belief? If so, a faith in what?  If not, why all the loaded images?

2.  We started the week with a war veteran who had a few issues with the world around him and we finished the week with another vet struggling to find a comforatble place in the world.  Are Walt and Luke cut from the same cloth?  What happens if you compare these two men carefully? OR compare Luke and the Apostle EF.   Are these two men who commit crimes and build communities related?

3.  The prisoners have little respect for Lucas when he enters the work camp.  By the end of the film he is a legendary hero.  What does he embody for his fellow inmates?  What does he think of himself?  What does the movie suggest about the prisoners' adulation of Cool Hand Luke?

Cool Hand Luke -- blog #7

We've only seen the first thirty minutes, but I would like to hear some early impressions.

1.  What do think of Lucas at this point?  What motivates him?  What does he seem to value? Point to specific actions or comments to support your ideas.

2.  Who are the bad guys in this story thus far?  Who are the good guys?  Here again, be specific.

The Apostle -- blog #6

Hoo-whee! Sonny is a mess.  And as with Walt, he gets a whole lotta screen time.  So, consider what  we learn about the Apostle E.F. in the first ninety minutes of the film (we still have almost 45 to go!).

1. Is he a man of faith?  Is he a charlatan?  Is he unhinged? 

2. He seems to draw people to him wherever he goes but is that necessarily positive?  Does he need others' adulation or is he leading folk to God? 

3.  Does he share any qualities with another preacher we've met, Bishop Enoch?

Gran Torino -- post #5

Walt Kowalski dominates this film.  He appears in nearly every scene and, so, since you've spent a little over an hour with him thus far,  you are in a position to say at least a little about him.    What does he value?  What does seem to like?  What seems to most bother him?  And perhaps most telling of all for any character, what does he do?  In short what I'm getting at here is this: what does Walt believe in?

Red Hook Summer (pt 2)

Watch this short clip that includes some information from the director:

So, Mr. Lee says he trusts you to figure out the movie.  I want you to take him up on this compliment.
We broached the possibility that Box's drug deals on the corner may be a good bit like Bishop Enoch's work in Lil' Heaven.  What do you think Spike Lee is saying about belief in this film?  Is he satirizing it? Validating it? Something else?  Give this some careful thought before you answer.  Please post this blog by 8:00 Sunday evening.  (That includes you, Yani.)

Red Hook Summer

A summer vacation with a grandfather you've never met before in a place you' don't find comfortable  and habits that run counter to all that you know -- that's a tough gig.  So is watching some of these performances, but the color is stunning and the music stirring and the story, well, hmmmm, what IS the story here?  So, give the following a little thought:

1. Thinking about the two sermons we've heard from Bishop Enoch, how would you describe his theology?  What is his message for his congregation?

2.  What do you think about Deacon Zee?  What does his role offer the story?

3.  Yes, the kids who play Chazz and Flik lack the kind of acting skills that would prevent a good bit of cringing from the audience, but looking past the stiff performances, what is the relationship between these two characters?

Millions (pt.2)

 Just for fun you can review the brief reunion of mother and child:

 I find this scene quite touching, especially when viewed with Damian's perspective in mind.


And now for the blog-- for clarity's sake, use Millions as the source for a working definition of faith.  In other words what is faith according to the director (Danny Boyle)? Define the term with care.  Give examples from the film to support your claims.  We'll try to reach a consensus from your responses and use this definition as we move on to other films.

Millions

Answer each of the following questions with a well developed paragraph.
 
This film may find its way to the kids' section of the store or library, but if a child can fathom all the ideas it raises and catch all the details of the intricate construction of the scenes, I'll buff his halo.

1. Let's start with some general reactions.  What do you think of the movie so far?  What do you think the focus of the film is about half way through?

2.  What do you make of Damian's visions?  Is he a believer or is he just hallucinating?

3.  The saints in this film are hardly stiff icons of pious suffering. If we are to take them as guiding figures – and they do offer advice to Damian --, what kind of behavior do they promote? What does a faithful life look like if they are the representatives of such a life?

That's it for now.  There will be much more to say once we finish the film.