Movie Anal-ysis!

Okay so we have the 8 page essay do on friday. Thats in TWO DAYS!!! So I was really confident when I first picked my movie and focusing question, but as the days went by and we did more and more assignments on it, I’m starting to feel less and less confident. I feel like I’ve lost my paper, not literally. If you were to ask me what my paper is about I would stumble around for a bit until you gave me that confused glare and finaly submit, “I don’t know”. I’m not sure where I want my paper to go and I definately don’t want or think my paper is going to make an important statement. I have also hit a solid block, belonging to writers, and the fact that I’m tired and extremly medicated due to a current ailment that has struck me I feel unable or willing to think and am extremly stressed due to the fact that I have to organize and research this paper as well as write it and study and do homework for my other two classes all involving the one thing I’m currently incapable of doing, thinking. I spent my time at breakfast with my calculator doing the math of what this paper is going to set me back if I fail to complete it, probably not the right area to focus on. I feel as if the previous essays I have turned in for this assignment are of no to little use to me and that I’m going to have to write a subpar paper which irritates me. I don’t feel ready for this paper and can’t wait for this quarter to be over so that this stress will finally be off my sholders. After two wars and countless combat missions I’ve felt more constant stress this quarter then the two and a half years I spent in the middle east.

   My thesis at the begining of this assignment was: Is the movie Boondock Saints society’s view of vigilantism. As I wrote more and more on this topic and did more and more research I started to see a pattern with movies in general. I noticed that movies are often used to make society aware of a problem and to effect us on an emotional level which in turn attaches us to that problem emotionally. Movies like Erin Brokovich, Boondock Saints, Brave One, Blood Diamond these movies are about a big problem that society as a whole or a smaller society somewhere else is facing: Crime, corporate America’s lack of moral obligation, and funding masacures through illegal trade. We see the attempt of these movies to show that their views are societies views, for example Boondock Saints ending in a interview mode asking society what they think of the “Saints”, which most say they agree with. Erin Brokovich brings about the problem of corporate America poisoning a small community, killing many just to cut costs, then using its lawyers to get away with it. We see that media is constantly used to express peoples views and to attract people to a cause. We hear it in music: Tupac’s “Changes”, Marvin Gay’s “Whats going on?”, and Bob Dylan’s “License to kill”, so why not expect it in film. Movies gross millions of dollars in a couple of days, so it would be crazy not to use movies to attract the masses.

  Bud Valley wrote an article about teh movie Boondock Saints and how it portrays vigilantism. Bud simply talks about how the movie glorifies vigilantism as heroic, he goes thorugh scenes and quotes from the film and ties them into how they support his thesis. From this article I get the sense that he in fact agrees with vigilantism and thinks that it is a neccesity in todays society.

   Well Bud I think you are wrong. I will fist comend you for a very well writen artcle that does have a lot of insight into the film and how it portrays vigilantes. I think that your personal view of vigilantes has skewed your ability to write an unbiased article. I believe that everybody writes a paper with a little bias in it but you have taken scenes and quotes out of contex and left out important dialogue to support your thesis. Your article focuses on the thought that it is trying to show the world that vigilantism is okay, you do point out a few scenes that show how vigilantism is a slippery slope. I feel you fail to see what this movie really is. When Troy Duffy wrote this film it was because he had just witnessed a dead women getting wheeled out of the drug dealers apartment across from his; she was dead for a couple of days and the drug dealer runs up and takes what he says was his money off the “Bitch’s” body. This movie is Troy’s venting of his frustrations with the crim that is all around him (like lots of americans). Through out this film I see a battle between pro and con vigilantism. Although frusturated I believe Troy still saw the fact that there is two sides to this view. This is clearly made appearant at the end of the film when all the citizens of boston are asked how they feel about the Saints, and there are view of both sides and some who wish not to say. Also throughout the film the McManus brothers themselves doubt what they are doing, and the priest that Agent Smecker talks to is completly ata loss for words when confronted with the question “is it okay?” he says that it is never okay to kill and God would never tell you to do that and at the same time he says that the laws of God are above the laws of man, the priest gives views for both sides of the argument of killing for good…good? I liked your article and will use you as a source in my paper but I do not agree with everyting you have said and believe that you have left out details to make your article stronger.

 At the beginning of Boondock Saints the two Irish brothers are at church. While at church the Monsignor starts to tell the parish a story about a lady named Kitty, who 30 years ago was stabed to death in public calling for help, but nobody went to help her, everybody just watched as her killer wiped the blood off his knife on her lifeless body and simply walked away.

   I chose this scene because it tells a story of an uspeakable crime that people witnessed, yet the killer walked away. The Monsignor talks about how we must fear evil, but we must fear the indifference of the good more, because that indifference is what allows evil to exists. I am writting about vigilante justice and how this movie is the view of peoples desire for vigilante justice. Not everybody is going to be a vigilante but this scene tells the frustration of the Monsignor that the killer got away and that there were so many witnesses that did nothing. After leaving the church as this story is completed the two Irish brothers, who become vigilantes, look at each other and say “I believe he has a point”(Boondock Saints).

    Now this whole movie is packed with scenes that portray vigilantism and then there is that scene at the end when everbody is talking about vigilatism and how they feel about it, which would have been a good one, but I chose this one because it seems to get the emotion of vigilantism. The sheer anger, frustration, and feeling of helplessness that ultimately drives some people to taking matters into thier own hands.

   The movie I chose to write about is Boondock Saints. This movie is about two brothers who become vigilantes. I decided to make my focusing question how this movie relates to the world and how people feel about vigilante justice. I feel that crime is a big issue in the world today and that it makes people in crime riddled areas feel trapped and helpless. Sometimes we feel the need for a super hero to come to our rescue, but this is reality and super heroes do not exist.

   I know there are people out there that see a problem and see someone trying to fix it and feel that they could do it better. This is where vigilantes come into play. People out there get feed up with the crime and nothing being done about it. They feel that law enforcement has too much to handle and their hand are tied behind their back. They feel that they need to be proactive in their community and take matters into their own hands. They need to become a vigilante.

   This movie follows these brothers as they go around cleansing the streets of the filth that lives there. They are helped by the police who simply turn there head the other way. This movie implies that the police would welcome vigilantes, people who can take the fight to a place that they legally can’t. Even though the citizen legally can’t either, he is not tied with the government. But how would you truly feel about vigilantes? I know I’ve been fed up with horrific crimes and wished I could do something about it, take matters into my own hands. But we have to look at the bigger picture of the world. People are extremely different. Everybody has different views and opinions on right and wrong. The law draws a line in this huge grey area in our minds, it puts everybody on even ground. The vigilante crosses this line and draws his own. Because of this you will always have people who agree and those who don’t. If we all accepted this vigilante we in effect destroy the order that guides us through life without killing each other. Without knowing the line we cannot cross without punishment the world would be a chaotic place. Look at third world countries where there is no law. These countries are ruled by those with the guns, the power to draw their own line. People complain about laws and how a lot of crime is not stopped, but we have to look at better ways to fix this problem, there are healthier ways to get involved for the community, call the cops, fill out a statement, testify. Because people fail to do these simple tasks justice cannot be served, these are the ropes that tie the laws hands behind its back. Deep down we all feel angry and sometimes an urge to take matters into our own hands, you can and should, but do it in the right way that does not lead to the break down of the system. Whether we like it or not we are all part of the system and its how you get involved in it that makes it succeed or fail. Its your choice for humanity’s well being.

   Okay so I don’t remember exactly what the argument about Muzak was; I can’t even find the piece of paper I wrote it down on. Anyways, I’m pretty sure it said something about Muzak changing the tone or having some substantial impact on the movie. Hog Wash!!!

   My view of Muzak having some dramatic effect on the movie is it’s a bunch of hog wash. So I just found out what Muzak was, I need to stop talking in class, and at first thought wow thats interesting, how does that effect the movie? As another student explained to me what Muzak was, he also gave me a couple of examples like when Hi is running from the police in Raising Arizona and enters the grocery store, the music from the scene outside changed to the Muzak playing in the store. Cool!!!! I thought man I didn’t even catch that, I need to watch it again and see if I can catch it. That thought right there lead me to my belief that Muzak has no affect in a movie for me, unless it’s on some subconcious level that I didn’t and still haven’t noticed.

   For it to have some effect on the movie the viewer would have to notice it. If the viewer doen’t notice it, it is a lost message, like most other messeges in Coen Brothers movies. I’m not saying that there aren’t people out there that are so intuitive they catch it, like some biblical prophet, they see all. I just don’t think there is many people out there who do in fact catch it. But maybe that’s not what matters. Maybe it’ supposed to be difficult to notice. Maybe it’s part of the fun of watching the movie over and over and seeing more and more. Maybe thats the whole point, just another enigma to solve. Many movies have different meanings and are aimed towards different demographics, so this would only be effective for those who enjoy the chase and watch movies over again in a quest for the treasures of these puzzles. But I don’t, I just watch movies to laugh, cry, or get pumped up. I’m more of a simple guy distracted by the pretty pictures and colors on the screen letting all the little messages go by unnoticed. I don’t feel the need to analyze a movie and find out its deeper meanings. People get paid for that, and I guess some people pay to do that, our english class, but aside from that, I just watch movies for the simple enjoyment, not to see the message of everyday man’s struggle through life or whatever else may be hidden inside.

   So that’s how I feel about Muzak and I’m sure someone out there feels differently and probably even feels that I’m a single celled ameba with legs, whatever.  To each thier own, you find your meaning and I’ll find mine. So there you have it, muzak is not signifigant to me because I don’t even notice it.

   Raising Arizona. What the f@#$!. Okay so did anyone really understand Raising Arizona the first time they watched it? Don’t worry, me neither. In fact, I still don’t fully understand the movie and probably won’t, I think the Coen Brothers’ intentions are exactly that.

   Was the whole movie just a dream? or is it really possible that all the painfully ironic scenes actully happened? I believe Raising Arizona is all a dream. In this dream I see Hi engaged in a comical, schizophrenic, battle between two deep and strong internal selves. At the begining of the movie while in prison, Hi attends a group counseling session where the doctor tells Hi that most men his age are starting a family instead of moving in and out of prison. That night while Hi drifts to sleep, the seed of his dreams begin to grow. His constant encounters with Ed and the earlier comment by the doctor spark the battle that follows.

  The dream begins as Hi’s  wholesome, family oriented self. He goes to Ed and proposes proper, they move in together in a trailer in the Arizona desert somewhere. Everything is going fine until Hi’s outlaw self starts to rear his little head. They find out that Ed is barren and can’t have a baby. This is the wrench thrown into the happy story. Notice that Hi says that he finds himself driving by conviniece stores after work, ones not on the way home. Then Ed, an officer of the law twice decorated, convinces Hi, a repeat offender, to kidnap a baby. When Hi first goes into the Arizona’s house to kidnap the baby he leaves empty handed after some antics with the babies. At the car Ed sends him back to get a child, and Hi obliges. That night while Hi sleeps he has a dream within a dream, and in this dream he manifests his outlaw side in the form of Leonard Smalls. So there are some details that show Leonard Smalls is a figment of Hi’s imagination and some to show he’s real. So the fact that Smalls is introduced in Hi’s dream is the first fact that tells you he’s not real. As the story unfolds Smalls character starts to interact with other characters other then Hi which tells you he’s real. Though he interacts with other characters, I noticed that he only interacts with other characters that directly effect the story line of Hi’s dream. The police officers surrounding the hole that Hi’s past prison mates, Gale and Evelle, escaped from pay Smalls no notice when he arives on a harley strapped with shotguns and hand grenades, leading us again to believe he isn’t real. Then at the end of the movie when Hi is fighting Smalls you see that Smalls and Hi have the exact same tattoo which I believe again shows us he is not real. Then during the final dream of the movie Hi sees Gale and evelle going back to jail in the same hole the escaped from and he sees an old couple with lots of family around. This dream doesn’t show the old people or say who they are, Hi himeself says he doesn’t know if it was him and Ed. The movie ends with no closure for the viewer, only questions and thoughts to ponder. A subconscious urge to watch the movie another time to connect your scattered thoughts.

   So after reading about the movie and much deliberation among my peers I have come to the above conclusion. Whats your conclusion? Hopefully this blog and others like it will open your eyes to what you could be missing next time you’re watching a movie.

   OK, so the movie Raising Arizona is rated PG-13 and by the rating standards of today that’s OK. The way movies are rated is simply by a board watching the movie and following rules or guidelines that tell them what to rate it. Why a board? Because even though there are rules to follow on the rating scale, the board ultimately decides whether they think the foul language or violence shown in the film was meant to be violent, crude, or just funny and accidental.

   I believe that the youth of today is exposed to excessive amounts of poor language, sex, and violence. The fact that it was depicted in a comical matter doesn’t make it okay. Too many times have I witnessed teens quoting a funny movie using derogatory names, bad words, and sexually explicit tones that should not be funny and normal for their age. Although the board and others believe it is okay to show that to our youth because it is meant to be innocent, it isn’t.

   The movie Raising Arizonaseems harmless enough but it’s the underlying tones that sinks into the heads of the young and everybody for that matter. The comical scene of H.I. McDonough holding up a convenient store for some Huggies while his wife Ed is outside cursing at him with a stolen baby in her arms was extremely funny, I laughed. But it is scenes like this that people associate with laughter that makes it that much easier to use in our own daily lives. I’m a victim of it, I use foul language far too much.

   The violence shown in movies is unacceptable for the youth too. When Leonard Smalls was blown up at the end with one of his own hand grenades while in the process of beating H.I the added graphics of his falling bodyparts and burning leg were not appropriate for impressionable minds. Kids are becoming less and less affected by violence so movies  keep stepping it up, but to what extent? that in the future Hostelwill be rated PG-13? Violent crimes commited by young people today is astounding. When our youth thinks it’s funny to beat a homeless guy to death and record it, something needs to be done.

   References to activities that are not normal need to watched by minds that understand that. While growing up we learn and model our lives around what we see and how people act. We can’t let our children watch and learn from these movies that show kidnaping, stealing, fighting, and drinking as funny and okay. Although I know and understand that I don’t want to do anything that the characters in Raising Arizonadid, some young kids might not understand. It’s not okay to rob a convienience store when your bored or when you feel like it. The fact that they depicted prison as some relaxed place with all these other criminals that are nice and want to be your friend is not ok for a kid to see. Prison isn’t like that and if you have no idea what it’s like in real life then what are you going to use as a reference when weighing the pros and cons of your actions. Hopefully not Raising Arizona‘s depiction of it.

   Although I found the movie Raising Arizonato seem harmless and very funny. I feel that the wrong ideas could be imbeded in the youngs minds. I’m not saying the movie was crude and foul, just that I don’t believe you should be watching it under the age of 17.

   This is my first blog ever. I am the type of guy that resists technology and social advancements that I don’t understand or use as long as possible. When texting came about I refused to text people. My stance was “I have a cell phone …CALL ME!”. My friends and family said we don’t care and continued to text me. I remember calling my brother after he text me to tell him to stop and to just call me and after we hung up he sent me a text “Sorry”. As more and more of my friends text me I realized that this is something that I can’t avoid, and I caved. I became a textaholic, one those people I couldn’t stand with their incessant taping at the cell phone’s keys. I’m not one for long talks on the phone and soon realized that I could communicate with everybody, even multiple people at one time, with a quick short text message. What a wonderful thing!

   This is my first blog. I don’t read or post blogs and don’t understand the people who love to read or post blogs. I don’t understand the facination that people have with bloging, all I know is that it is a social hit that I don’t like. Like texting I am being thrown into this world of information, some silly, intersting, and very moving, but I don’t quit fully understand the fad. This college course I’m taking could very well be the wrecking ball that destroys the wall blocking my creativity, opening my eyes and mind to a world of opportunity to say what I want to say.

  So here I go, my first step on a journey of writing to the world for everyone to see. I don’t know what this class will bring out in me and what I’m capable of, but I do know I will try my best to be as fair and objective as possible to all subjects blogged about and look forward to hearing good arguments and critisisms to help expand my thinking and life.

   Knowlege is power and I believe that social networking greatly increases your knowledge of other opinions and insights. So bring it on!