The Hunger Games

I haven't read any of the books so watching the movie I tried to come into it as unbiased and as open minded as I could.

A couple of weeks ago we watched this movie for a class and at first I could not understand why we would watch a movie that is based on Young Adult novels. The only YA novels I have ever read are the Twilight books so that would probably explain my reservations about The Hunger Games.

The movie for me was reminiscent of a Japanese film, Battle Royale, that I had watched a couple of years ago. There were many similarities between the two stories with the fact that kids have to kill off each other to guarantee their survival being the most obvious. There are some differences though since in Battle Royale the only purpose is survival, The Hunger Games gives deeper meaning to the survival of a tribute as it would bring honor and glory not only to the individual, but also the district from where the tribute came from. While there are in fact quite a few things that these two movies have in common, both being adapted from books being another, it would be wrong to keep comparing it to each other because both have different points of advantage.

The Hunger Games for me was a fun movie to watch as an IS major.  This is actually why I thoroughly enjoyed one of my classes this term, Eurcine. It definitely changed the way I watch movies. I never really gave much thought to the stuff I watched, I simply just let the story go on and maybe analyze the characters and their actions, but I never really stopped to analyze it to see theories at work. Throughout the movie, I kept noticing the themes of liberalism, realism, marxism, and even some hints of feminism in the story.

Liberalism:

The element of cooperation and trust in a game designed to kill of all but one seems strange but it can be seen. Alliances are formed for mutual preservation against certain common enemies. It can be most obviously seen with Katniss and Peeta sticking together and the alliance of the seemingly unstoppable tributes from district one.

Realism:

This one seems obvious, but it has to be said. Kill or be killed. There are alliances formed by some tributes, most commonly those from the same district, but as in politics self preservation is a must. One's own agendas must eventually be considered over the agendas of others. There are no permanent allies, only permanent interests. And when the interest is one's survival, it would definitely not be in one's interest to get to close to another person lest your judgement be clouded by affection and whatnot.

Marxism:

This one, I admit, I didn't expect. The stark differences between The Capitol and the twelve districts is glaring. Where the Capitol is bursting with bright and vivid colors and obviously boasts of the wealth of the fictional state Panem, the surrounding districts are grey, grim, and clearly impoverished. The wealth disparity between the Capitol and the districts also reminded me of the north-south global polarity.

 It was clearly a state run by the elites with the proletariat suffering. The inequality was just a fact of life there. All power and wealth emanated from the Capitol. One of the things I most clearly remember when Marxism is mentioned is that Marxists believe that for any true change to happen, there must be a revolution. In the story, it explains that the titular Hunger Games is a result of a failed rebellion of the twelve districts against the powerful Capitol, which resulted in the games to make sure that the districts' citizens never forget their history.

Feminism:

Feminism could be seen in the strange equality that the games gave the tributes. It didn't matter if one was a girl or boy. Survival is all that mattered and the tributes took that to heart as they killed each other left and right regardless of their sex. Everything was grounded on skill and luck. The fact that boys and girls were selected from each district also showed a certain equality as it eliminated gender biases that keep the archaic notion that men and strong and girls should only just be protected alive.

The movie was not perfect for me (it lacked the violence that I think is the main draw of the story and once you take that away you basically rip away an essential part of the story), but I still found it to be enjoyable enough. A good movie for spotting IR themes. :)

A reminder

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/girl-facebook-pics-provoke-case-030010816.html?fb_action_ids=10150759117189493%2C3614086755526%2C2850639748081%2C10150739891456066%2C10150620462397116&fb_action_types=news.reads&fb_source=other_multiline&code=AQBDK0uMIeiaHMX1_zVFSA61c6JtBNO6BL28Sa-hEvc_HvtR-33ZHUVys9RJKZK1uuLc5zOJGpq5CIocgDQ9VQBbe2xWfM1ProFS7FYPYC3roX7zMmK4_yui6LdlH-qw0sB_Feqc6JzZO2DnKidgI_ekSo5v6FfI4KZtdlHBVNiwj1uozH0Ghi1GMfwz3_lcLfI#_=_

A couple of days ago while I was checking out my facebook account for updates I read an article that reminded me of why I don't go to church. I haven't gone to church in about two years now and before I used to just think that it was just because I've never felt the deep connection that most people feel with whatever God they believe in.

That still holds true, but the article really bothered me because it was a reminder of what I really hate about the church. An archaic organization that passes judgement on people who aren't even doing anything to them even though they themselves should be judged for what they do or do not do. Outdated ideas that have no place in the world anymore are still being forced down the throats of those who have moved on from days long gone by a church mired by countless controversies through institutions run by conservative bordering on fanatical people. And these are the people who are chosen by many people to educate their children. Scary.

I honestly do not see anything wrong with what the girl did. She was with her family when she was wearing the bikini so what could be so "lewd" about that? I doubt any parent would permit their daughter to wear anything that they themselves would consider lewd so why should this institution presume to know better than them?

As a survivor of an all girls Catholic school, I  can actually relate to how disturbing this is. I know how strict the nuns are and how many things that most people consider to be normal (i.e. drinking, wearing bikinis, staying out all night partying with friends...etc) can be used against a person. I cannot begin to describe the happiness I felt as graduated and went off to college.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

* All quotations are from Dudley Andrew's Concepts in Film

** What I thought about/reflected upon as I was wrting this  

"All films present themselves to us as real image according to various ratios." 

“Representation acts as a special kind of label allowing us to identify the whole picture before or after we fully immerse ourselves in it.”

"Bazin and Kracauer argue that cinema extends perception, rather than alter it "

"One goal of interpretation has always been to make coincide the world of the reader with that of the writer".

Watching Dr. Strangelove was definitely an experience. It dealt with the Cold War and all the possible horrors that that entailed...and yet it was a comedy. It not only made fun of how gung ho politicians and soldiers were about the threat and possibility of nuclear attacks but also of the often seemingly pointless protocols politicians must go through when dealing with one another instead of just saying what they mean and want and then work together to achieve an outcome that is acceptable to all parties involved.

Another thing I noticed was while the film made the Americans the good guys (as usual) it also mocked them and showed how over simplified they often make things out to be. America = Good. Russia/Soviet Union = Communism = Death, Doom, and Destruction.

Symbolisms and innuendos also play a big part in the movie. The movie was rife with sexual innuendos and imagery from the crazy general's constant paranoia that females are only after his essance to the B-52 soldier's emmergency supplies kit which featured not just what is necessary for suvival, but also pleasure. And then there is that part where the B-52 soldier was straddling the huge (phallic) bomb having the time of his life as the bomb penetrated Soviet defenses and exploded (with a mushroom cloud). These hardly need t be explained and. But aside from the obvious sexual meanings of the film, there were more subtle images that had me thinking like Dr. Strangelove's, the titular character, black glved hand that he could not control and would often do strange things like choke him. This to me represented the fear and paranoia which gripped not only politicians and soldiers but also the rest of the civilian population as tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union coninued to escalate.

While the film isn't going to be added to my list of favorite black and white movies any time soon (I just can't get myself to love Stanley Kubrik's films as much as other people do), I definitely learned to let go and get over how weird it was at first and just enjoy it for the sheer ridiculousness of the hyped up (and yet still very honest) portrayal of the realities of the time when it was made and how it gave me new insight into the nature of war and conflict (male dominated, paranoia driven, and often result from ego and the desire for control).

No Man's Land

No Man's Land is about the conflict between Serbia and Bosnia in the former Yugoslavia. Although war is a serious matter, the makers of the film were able to put a little humor into the film without compromising the seriousness of the subject. The fim also managed to present all sides (Bosnians, Serbians, and the UN) as not just the typical good guys or bad guys like many fims do. They all had their own goals and interests, but those interests were shown to be very human through Ciki, Cera, and Nino.  The way that the sides were presented through the characters Ciki, Nino, Cera, the journalist, and Marchand gave audiences a chance to see the situation from different perspectives. 

Nuetrality was a big issue in the film. The UN could only act as peace keepers and as providers of humanitarian aid. The organization was also shown as an organization that was too bogged down by bureaucracy that in the face of a situation that calls for swift and decisive action those who were already there were paralyzed. Neutrality is not always a good thing, especially not when lives depend on a person's actions. "Neutrality does not exist in the face of murder. Doing nothing to stop it is, in fact, choosing. It is not being neutral." This line really gave me the goosebumps because it was simple, direct to the point, and very true. Sometimes trying to be neutral is the same as giving others your permission to harm other people.

Globalization could also be seen in the film. Many of the soldiers were shown to be wearing Chuck Taylors. This shows just how far reaching the influence of The United States really is. Not just politically and economically, but also cuturally. Globalization could also be seen through the portrayal of the media. Everybody can know what is going on far, far away with just a click of a single button. It, teh media, made the problem of three people the problem of many people just by shining a light to their problem. This shows not just another effect of globalization, but also the strength that the mdedia wields. The media can often sensationalize many things, but it can also be used as a positive tool to help people.

The film may not have had a very happy ending, but it was a great film nevertheless. It gave me a great insight on the nature of neutrality and for that alone I would definitely recommend this film to people.

The Pianist

War. In school we are often taught about the attrocities of war and while we do understand that war brings out a different and more primal side of people, we don't really get how much it can change a person.

Roman Polanski's film, The Pianist, is the story of a Jewish man in WWII era Poland. From the sublte forms of discrimination and propaganda fueled racism aimed at the Jewish communities to the more overt displays of hatred and intolerance, the audience is shown the indignities and dehumanization that millions of people in Europe suffered back then. And it was not just the Jews who were the victims of this cruelty, those who were seen as socially undesirable such as the old and disabled.

At the start of the film the persecution of the Jewish community was more subtle (ex. not letting Jews go to certain establishments) but as it progressed it all became more obvious which made it hard to watch at times. One of the things that was captivating about the film and made it hard to watch is it's brutally honest portrayal of the conditions that people have suffered. The way that scences were lit also added to the mood of the film. Warmer lighting was used for happier or more naitral scenes such as those with the Szpilman family which was a stark contrast to more serious scences which used colder bluish light which made things seem bleak and gray.

The conditions portrayed in the film show how people will always want to survive and it is this innate sense of survival that forces people to lose their inhibitions. The protagonist goes from being a dignified and respected pianist to a mere skeleton of a man who is forced to scavenge for food and drink out of a bucket of water that was probably used to mop floors. Even when all hope, dignity, and humanity is seemingly ripped away from the protagonist, he still found it in himself to muster the courage to live another day which was striking.

Music also played a crucial role in the film. It was not just used to set the mood of scenes like in most films, but in this film it was one of the few things that the war could not take away from the protagonist. Music became not only his escape, but also his salvation when he played for the German officer. As the protagonist played for his supposed enemy, the music became his way of expressing his sorrow, anger, and all the other emotions he had felt since the oppression of Jews began. It became the bridge that connected two people who were conditioned to hate each other by the different societies in which they were parts of. Music helped both of them transcend the hate and prejudice that had both been instilled in them and helped them connect as people. Not as a Jew. Not as a German. Just as people.