Wow, I just got off of a very entertaining thrill ride called It Follows, a film written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, and I gotta tell ya, I haven't had a modern Horror film hit me like this in a very long time. It's well-shot, amazingly scored and features a cast of characters played by actors who are not only good at what they do, but look like ordinary people and not like the standard cheerleader and jock types we're used to seeing in these kinds of movies.
Another refresher is that we don't focus on the standard dumb teenager/young adult, and instead focus on fairly level-headed (or as close to level-headed as any of us were in our earliest 20's anyway) individuals who are forced to deal with a situation I don't even want to imagine myself in. This isn't a movie where you're going to see dumb kids making the same dumb mistakes we've seen a thousand times, but instead they make their own mistakes, due in part to their lack of familiarity with the creature they're dealing with. In a way it's a sort of allegory, with the lead girl being a fresh college student and feeling her way through adulthood, where every decision you make seems like the wrong one, no matter what you do.
I'll try to avoid spoilers here, but I will be touching on a scene here or there to cast some light of the various themes that can be pulled from the movie, so a minor spoiler or two is possible. So, with that in mind, read on at your own risk.
The movie starts with a girl running out of her house, frantic as her dad calls back from the house, asking if she's alright. Meanwhile, we notice her eyes focused on something in the direction of the camera. Something that the lady on the street next to her doesn't seem to notice. She runs back into the house, then runs back out a few seconds later with her keys, then hops in her car and drives away. Next, it's after dark and we see her sitting on a beach alone and her phone rings (it's interesting to note that this use of the cell phone is something you won't really see again) and she apologizes to her dad for being a bad daughter sometimes, and it becomes apparent that she's saying goodbye, having accepted her fate.
Skipping ahead, we meet our lead, Jay, played by Maika Monroe. She's swimming in the pool in her backyard without a care, minus the two neighborhood kids peeking in on her over the fence, but she doesn't even let that bother her, telling them with a smile that she sees them. Shortly after she's on a date with her new boyfriend, Hugh, played by Jake Weary, and everything is going pretty well. Watching this scene reminded me of how awkward first dates were when I was young. Even the best of first dates tend to have those awkward moments you can't get around when really getting to know someone for the first time. Very quickly though, once they get into the theater and sit down, ready to watch their movie, things take a turn. Hugh points out a girl in a yellow dress that Jay says she can't see. Hugh starts to panic and says they need to leave. Jay questions him about it outside, but he's deflective and won't tell her. To be concise, they do end up having a second date, where they have sex ... and then Hugh uses a chloroform rag to knock her out.
Now, here's where the meat of the story and the root for all of the movie's symbolism begins. Jay wakes up tied to a chair, scared and confused as Hugh talks to her and begins to tell her what he's done. There's this thing; it doesn't have a name, and he only knows it as, well, "It." He tells her that It will begin to follow her now, always at a walking pace and It can look like anyone. He warns her against going anywhere that only has one exit, because "It's slow, but It's not stupid." Then, after making sure she sees It and is convinced it's real, he pulls her away to his car and drives off, after suggesting that she has sex with someone else to pass it on. Apparently once it's passed on, It follows that person until they pass on the curse or It kills them. And after It kills someone, the last person in the chain is the next target. Oh, and only those touched by the curse can see It, and that's what makes It so terrifying.
The message(s) that this film tackles ... well, it doesn't shy away from anything. There are so many interpretations that can be gleaned from this movie it can make your head spin. It's the kind of thing you can watch with two other people and each of you can pull different meanings out of it, and none of them are any more right or wrong than the others. I wish I'd been able to watch it with a group the first time to see what my friends pulled from it, but I definitely plan to do that later. This movie has the kind of heart that Wes Craven's work is known for, and I applaud it for going the direction it went. Not to mention that Jay is, in my opinion, the best female lead in a Horror film since Nancy Callahan in A Nightmare on Elm Street. Yeah, I went there.
The last things I'm going to talk about are the period of the film, and the soundtrack. As far as the period goes, the director did a great job maintaining ambiguity. We see a cell phone or two, but the decor in the houses we see look very 80's or early 90's, which puts it somewhere between a nostalgia trip and our modern reality. It walks that line very well, and nothing ever feels out of place. Now, the soundtrack ... WOW. The composer is someone you may recognize if you've played the video game Fez, Disasterpiece. I already thought his work was good, but this film convinced me he's about a league past brilliant. Pulling a lot from John Carpenter's work, he weaves together a score that not only sends chills up your spine when it needs to, but conveys an almost dreamlike confusion at other times. I don't think I've ever been more impressed by the music in a Horror movie, ever.
I could go on, diving into the themes of the movie, talking about what Paul's relationship with Jay represents and maybe touch on the themes of sexuality throughout the movie, but instead I think I'll let you find that out for yourself. Do yourself a favor and watch this movie, preferably with a group, and really think about it. You won't regret it. I hope I've convinced you to give it a shot.
Showing posts with label female. Show all posts
Showing posts with label female. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Girl Power (The Sequel)
For this post, I'm going to have a little help. Please welcome my lovely fiancee', Anna Smith. Say hi, sweetheart.
"Yo!"
Yes, I know, she's a conversational mastermind.
Anyway, since I had to cut the list short the other night due to it being 5am and my brain deciding to short out on me, I'm coming back to it, because I feel it deserves it.
And for those of you who want a good read, check out Anna's Blog!
Now, let's dive right in!
Mulan
C'mon, you knew she'd be on here. Admit it!
Anyway, Mulan is one of the few Disney female characters to notably hold her own, not only in combat against male characters, but in a male-dominated world altogether. The Han Dynasty era of China was, as you might have guessed, an era where women were little better than second-class citizens, so a woman being in the military was unheard of. But Mulan don't give a darn!
She starts the film showing how bad she is at being a typical girl in her society, and she's made to feel inferior for it. However, by joining the army in her father's stead, she discovers that she can find happiness without catering to the societal structure for women of her time. But, just because she picks up her dad's sword and kick Hun butt left and right doesn't mean she loses her femininity. Quite the opposite in fact. While in the army she meets Li Shang, and they later get married (but for the love of God don't suffer through the second movie like I did to figure that out). Mulan shows us that a woman doesn't have to be a "girly-girl" to be feminine.
Clair Huxtable
Clair Huxtable is a force of nature. This is a woman with five kids and a full-time job--as an attorney, no less. She enjoys the same power and prestige as her husband (which, if you look at TV families, is pretty rare). She manages an impossible balance between work and household duties (I'd use the phrase "second shift" here, but people's eyes tend to glaze over when they hear feminist phrases like that).
Though Clair was often showed filling traditional "mom roles," it was clear that she was not second-in-command to Cliff, but she was his partner. And she made sure everyone knew it.
Like this.
Clair may not have fought off an army or defied the social scripts of her society in quite as drastic a way as Mulan, but there's no denying that Clair was strong.
Big Barda
If you're not familiar with Barda, here's a picture for reference.
"Yo!"
Yes, I know, she's a conversational mastermind.
Anyway, since I had to cut the list short the other night due to it being 5am and my brain deciding to short out on me, I'm coming back to it, because I feel it deserves it.
And for those of you who want a good read, check out Anna's Blog!
Now, let's dive right in!
Mulan
C'mon, you knew she'd be on here. Admit it!
Anyway, Mulan is one of the few Disney female characters to notably hold her own, not only in combat against male characters, but in a male-dominated world altogether. The Han Dynasty era of China was, as you might have guessed, an era where women were little better than second-class citizens, so a woman being in the military was unheard of. But Mulan don't give a darn!
She starts the film showing how bad she is at being a typical girl in her society, and she's made to feel inferior for it. However, by joining the army in her father's stead, she discovers that she can find happiness without catering to the societal structure for women of her time. But, just because she picks up her dad's sword and kick Hun butt left and right doesn't mean she loses her femininity. Quite the opposite in fact. While in the army she meets Li Shang, and they later get married (but for the love of God don't suffer through the second movie like I did to figure that out). Mulan shows us that a woman doesn't have to be a "girly-girl" to be feminine.
Clair Huxtable
Clair Huxtable is a force of nature. This is a woman with five kids and a full-time job--as an attorney, no less. She enjoys the same power and prestige as her husband (which, if you look at TV families, is pretty rare). She manages an impossible balance between work and household duties (I'd use the phrase "second shift" here, but people's eyes tend to glaze over when they hear feminist phrases like that).
Though Clair was often showed filling traditional "mom roles," it was clear that she was not second-in-command to Cliff, but she was his partner. And she made sure everyone knew it.
Like this.
Clair may not have fought off an army or defied the social scripts of her society in quite as drastic a way as Mulan, but there's no denying that Clair was strong.
Big Barda
If you're not familiar with Barda, here's a picture for reference.
Yeah, she's kinda boss. When Jack Kirby left Marvel (because they were scumbags) and created the New Gods for DC, Barda, along with her husband, Mister Miracle, became two of the fan favorites. Unlike Scott (Miracle's real name), she's not the elusive escape artist; she'd rather pound the crap out of everything in her way. That makes her really fun. She's also bigger and stronger than her husband, but neither of them seem to care.
It's really hard to tell you just how awesome Barda is, so I'll let this next clip do the talking.
And with that, we'll go ahead and call it a night. Thanks for taking the time to follow along with the extended list, and maybe in the future we'll touch on this again.
Goodnight everybody!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Girl Power
In today's post, I'll be talking about a few strong female characters. If you haven't read or watched or played anything with these characters, you should fix that. I'm sure I'll overlook more than a couple on this list, so if you know of something I should've included, please let me know.
Alright, here we go...
Buffy
This first one is probably the most blatantly obvious choice, so I thought I'd get her out of the way first.
Buffy is among the most iconic female leads of all time, and for good reason. She's the stereotypical pretty, blond cheerleader you see in a ton of highschool movies even today. But, there's a little more to her than you'd catch at first glance. Yes, she's pretty and athletic, but she also kick the crap out of monsters after nightfall, keeping the world safe for the rest of us to walk around without fear of getting our blood sucked.
One of the defining features of Buffy that people tend to overlook due to her "I am woman, hear me roar" traits is that, even though she can beat monsters down all day, she's not perfect. For one, she's not the brightest bulb in the box academically, quite the opposite. The girl would probably flunk out of most of her classes if it wasn't for her good friend Willow always being on hand to tutor her when necessary (and it's necessary a lot). Put the girl in a fight, her mind works great, but put her in front of a blackboard and ask her to write out the Pythagorean theorem, you might as well be asking her to cure cancer.
Her academic shortcomings aside, Buffy had proven herself a more than capable fighter time and time again, despite overwhelming odds. She's stronger, faster, and more able-bodied than any man (or woman for that matter) in her world (until you get to the last season, but I digress). She remains one of the poster girls for strong female archetypes, and I don't see any reason why that should change.
I could go deeper into her character, but I don't really see any need to, since most of you are probably familiar with her anyway.
Death (The Sandman)
There was no way I was going to make this list without Death. When Neil Gaiman first introduced Death in Sandman #8 in the late 80's, he did something no one had ever done before: he played Death as a cute, perky Goth girl.
Death always wears a smile as she goes about her job with a smile and sunny disposition, in contrast to her brother, Dream, who tends to be all morbid and mopey 24/7. Her smile can light up a room and she just happens to have complete control over the fate of your soul. The first time you see the girl she's quoting Merry Poppins and then she takes Dream along while she goes on her route for the day. She's just so freakin' adorable!
The fact that Death always seems to be so cheerful might be because Neil Gaiman wanted to point out that death is a natural end to all things and nothing to be frightened of. This is highlighted when, in issue #8 Death says, "... Gets me down, too. Mostly they aren't too keen to see me. They fear the Sunless Lands. But they enter your realm each night without fear," to which Dream replies, "And I am far more terrible than you, sister."
Death also seems to be the one of the Endless (the seven siblings which include Dream) with the most compassion. Not only does she sometimes apologize to her charges that their time is up, but there's also a moment in the series where she berates Dream for his treatment of a young woman long ago, where he had her forever imprisoned in hell just because she wouldn't be with him. Most of the Endless don't really have much regard for humans, Death and Dream being two exceptions, but Death is more self-aware than Dream.
No matter how you look at her, Death is easily one of the most powerful female characters in literature, and how could she not be, considering she's, y'know, Death.
Moiraine Damodred
Finally, a Wheel of Time character! And not just any WoT character, but my personal favorite in the entire series.
When we first meet Moiraine (assuming you start with book 1 and not the prequel) she's a mysterious woman who appears with a stone-faced (not literally) guard named Lan, in the small town of Two Rivers mere hours before it's attacked by a force of Trollocs. At first the group is mistrustful of her, upon learning she's Aes Sedai (you'll have to look them up), but in seeing no other alternative, they follow her anyway.
For the next several books she does nothing but try to help out Rand, Perrin and Mat, but these dumb kids all suspect she's manipulating them with her "Aes Sedai wiles" and rail against her at every turn. She remains steadfast, however, and is determined to do everything in her power to keep them safe and ensure the survival of the human race during the Last Battle.
Moiraine is unique among Aes Sedai in that she is a faithful backer of Rand, knowing he's the Dragon Reborn. Unlike most of her colleagues, she knows that he can't be kept on a leash for the Tower's uses, and fights not only to keep him alive for the Last Battle, but to keep him out of the Tower's clutches.
Throughout the series she shows much patience and wisdom (and more than one instance of powerful magic displays that decimate slews of Trollocs) and without her, it's safe to say that the three blockheads from the Two Rivers wouldn't have survived even to the end of the first book. Heck, she even takes on the Forsaken (the most powerful magic users from the Age of Legends) on more than one occasion and comes out on top, even though she's not the strongest in the One Power.
And that's all I've got for tonight, folks. It's after 3am and I'm hours past exhausted. But, if there's enough interest here, and I get enough feedback I'll come back and update this post in the future. Until then, goodnight all!
Alright, here we go...
Buffy
This first one is probably the most blatantly obvious choice, so I thought I'd get her out of the way first.
Buffy is among the most iconic female leads of all time, and for good reason. She's the stereotypical pretty, blond cheerleader you see in a ton of highschool movies even today. But, there's a little more to her than you'd catch at first glance. Yes, she's pretty and athletic, but she also kick the crap out of monsters after nightfall, keeping the world safe for the rest of us to walk around without fear of getting our blood sucked.
One of the defining features of Buffy that people tend to overlook due to her "I am woman, hear me roar" traits is that, even though she can beat monsters down all day, she's not perfect. For one, she's not the brightest bulb in the box academically, quite the opposite. The girl would probably flunk out of most of her classes if it wasn't for her good friend Willow always being on hand to tutor her when necessary (and it's necessary a lot). Put the girl in a fight, her mind works great, but put her in front of a blackboard and ask her to write out the Pythagorean theorem, you might as well be asking her to cure cancer.
Her academic shortcomings aside, Buffy had proven herself a more than capable fighter time and time again, despite overwhelming odds. She's stronger, faster, and more able-bodied than any man (or woman for that matter) in her world (until you get to the last season, but I digress). She remains one of the poster girls for strong female archetypes, and I don't see any reason why that should change.
I could go deeper into her character, but I don't really see any need to, since most of you are probably familiar with her anyway.
Death (The Sandman)
There was no way I was going to make this list without Death. When Neil Gaiman first introduced Death in Sandman #8 in the late 80's, he did something no one had ever done before: he played Death as a cute, perky Goth girl.
Death always wears a smile as she goes about her job with a smile and sunny disposition, in contrast to her brother, Dream, who tends to be all morbid and mopey 24/7. Her smile can light up a room and she just happens to have complete control over the fate of your soul. The first time you see the girl she's quoting Merry Poppins and then she takes Dream along while she goes on her route for the day. She's just so freakin' adorable!
The fact that Death always seems to be so cheerful might be because Neil Gaiman wanted to point out that death is a natural end to all things and nothing to be frightened of. This is highlighted when, in issue #8 Death says, "... Gets me down, too. Mostly they aren't too keen to see me. They fear the Sunless Lands. But they enter your realm each night without fear," to which Dream replies, "And I am far more terrible than you, sister."
Death also seems to be the one of the Endless (the seven siblings which include Dream) with the most compassion. Not only does she sometimes apologize to her charges that their time is up, but there's also a moment in the series where she berates Dream for his treatment of a young woman long ago, where he had her forever imprisoned in hell just because she wouldn't be with him. Most of the Endless don't really have much regard for humans, Death and Dream being two exceptions, but Death is more self-aware than Dream.
No matter how you look at her, Death is easily one of the most powerful female characters in literature, and how could she not be, considering she's, y'know, Death.
Moiraine Damodred
Finally, a Wheel of Time character! And not just any WoT character, but my personal favorite in the entire series.
When we first meet Moiraine (assuming you start with book 1 and not the prequel) she's a mysterious woman who appears with a stone-faced (not literally) guard named Lan, in the small town of Two Rivers mere hours before it's attacked by a force of Trollocs. At first the group is mistrustful of her, upon learning she's Aes Sedai (you'll have to look them up), but in seeing no other alternative, they follow her anyway.
For the next several books she does nothing but try to help out Rand, Perrin and Mat, but these dumb kids all suspect she's manipulating them with her "Aes Sedai wiles" and rail against her at every turn. She remains steadfast, however, and is determined to do everything in her power to keep them safe and ensure the survival of the human race during the Last Battle.
Moiraine is unique among Aes Sedai in that she is a faithful backer of Rand, knowing he's the Dragon Reborn. Unlike most of her colleagues, she knows that he can't be kept on a leash for the Tower's uses, and fights not only to keep him alive for the Last Battle, but to keep him out of the Tower's clutches.
Throughout the series she shows much patience and wisdom (and more than one instance of powerful magic displays that decimate slews of Trollocs) and without her, it's safe to say that the three blockheads from the Two Rivers wouldn't have survived even to the end of the first book. Heck, she even takes on the Forsaken (the most powerful magic users from the Age of Legends) on more than one occasion and comes out on top, even though she's not the strongest in the One Power.
And that's all I've got for tonight, folks. It's after 3am and I'm hours past exhausted. But, if there's enough interest here, and I get enough feedback I'll come back and update this post in the future. Until then, goodnight all!
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