7. Why are there so many Alices?

Disney has recently announced that Alice in Wonderland 2: Through the Looking Glass  will premiere Memorial Day of this year.  This is exciting news for any Disney, or Alice fans, but this is also time to ask, why are there SO MANY Alice in Wonderlands? or Alices in Wonderland, or Alices in Wonderlands?”- anyway, what’s the deal?

Disney released the original animated film in 1951, and it was a pretty big hit.  People of all ages still enjoy the film.  In 2010, Disney took a different approach toward the beloved Lewis Carroll character, and created a live action film, and now we have another one coming out.  That’s just the three that Disney produced though.  If you have a minute, go onto youtube and search “Alice in Wonderland movie” or “Alice in Wonderland film”, or better yet “Alice in Wonderland, 19..” and the rest will fill in because there have been dozens of Alice in Wonderland movies made in the last 100 years.  (I mean 100 years too, there was a silent Alice film made in 1915).  Why though? What about this story draws so many people to find a new way to make it?  Well I think I might know why, so here we go.

Lewis Carroll’s  novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland came out in 1865.  People were completely blown away by the imagination in it.  There was a talking rabbit that ran around, a grinning cat, a crazy guy that drank tea with a hare, dueling knights, a griffin, a talking turtle, food that makes you bigger and smaller, and a murderous queen all in one crazy world, where some poor little girl was stuck and trying to get home.  The characters were great and very entertaining, but it was a novel.  When we read things, the scenes in the book play in our minds, and we’re the directors.  Wonderland is a place where just about anything can happen, so everyone imagines it in their own way.

The 1951 version used the technology of animation to their advantage.  In this production, the film makers could actually have a talking rabbit and marching cards because they were drawing them.  Earlier films couldn’t do this, they could only have a guy in a rabbit costume.  You ever want to fully appreciate the wonder and power of animation?  Just watch the tea party scene of the 1952 Alice in Wonderland.  Today, movie makers are using CGI and special effects to create the world and characters of Wonderland.  The Red Queen’s head alone is an advancement on what has been done in the past. Body movements and other creatures which could only be found in Wonderland can now be expanded upon with the help of technology.  It’s actually quite exciting to see what the filmmakers will conjure up next.

I’ve watched maybe 7 different versions of Alice in Wonderland movies and shows in my life, and I’ve noticed theres a particular group of characters that the filmmakers pay close attention to.  This group is Alice, the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, and the Queen of Hearts.  A few films have touched on others like the Marge Hare, the dueling knights, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, but none get as many lines or action as these characters.  They’re the exciting ones though, and different film makers have taken different approaches to each character in all the different versions I’ve seen.  In the 1951 version, Alice is just a curious girl who has the ability to stand up for herself using her words, while the more modern one shows Alice using violence.  I have also seen different Alices portrayed as idiots that just cannot get the fact that they’re in a magical land, and other ones that spend the entire trip beating themselves up for being silly enough to follow a white rabbit.  There have been different White Rabbits, some being very helpful, others telling Alice to go away, and some that try to kill her because they think she’s a monster when she gets too big.  Some Cheshire cats have been more than helpful and comfort Alice while she’s upset, and others have mocked her for crying about not knowing the way to go.  The character that usually steals the show, and has been portrayed with many different attitudes though, is the Mad Hatter.  The Hatter is simply funny in the 1951 version and doesn’t help Alice all that much in trying to leave Wonderland.  In the 2010 version though, the Mad Hatter is  a real ally to Alice and helps her in just about every task. He is a revolutionary against the Red Queen, and Alice’s comrade in war.  The great thing about the Mad Hatter is you never quite know how mad he really is.  One of my favorite versions of Alice in Wonderland came out in 1999, and in that, the Mad Hatter was a lunatic.  He was of course funny and silly, but at one point he gets furious for no real reason and snaps at Alice.  I loved how the creators took a chance with the fact that this guy’s crazy, and made him just all types of crazy.

The story of Alice and her time spent in Wonderland was revolutionary when Lewis Carroll first published his book.  Today, we still love the idea of a place that’s right under our noses, but very different and magical.  It is no wonder that filmmakers are enthralled by Wonderland.

 

5. The Use of Color in Film

As I’ve stated time and time again, movie makers utilize so many tools to reach their goal of making the perfect movie.  Sometimes, we don’t even notice the tricks they’re using right in front of our eyes.  Today I want to shed some light on the use of color in film.  Believe it or not, a lot of directors and filmmakers use human psychology, and reactions towards color to force our minds to react a certain way, or feel different moods.

Probably two of the easiest films I could use for this subject is The Wizard of Oz and Peter Pan.  Now when I say The Wizard of Oz, a lot of you are probably thinking,” umm Kayla, there’s A LOT of crazy colors in that movie that could mean anything.”  I know, but just hear me out.

The first example of manipulation by color in The Wizard of Oz is the switch from black and white, to color when Dorothy enters Munchkin Land after leaving Kansas.  Obviously she’s entered a whole new type of world with magic, and fantastical beings.  Take a step back though, and examine the colors closely.  What is Dorothy wearing?  Her blue and white checkered dress is very pale.  Pale colors are not power colors (duh).  She is completely over powered by all the bright reds, and greens, and yellows of Oz.  The ruby slippers are her weapon though, both in the plot, and the color battle.  Red is kind of a grown up color.  Red is sexy, bold, loud, adult.  In this film, Dorothy is learning a life lesson, and growing up.  These red slippers are aiding her in that.  Now, lets look at the other colors.  The yellow brick road is an iconic part of The Wizard of Oz.  The color yellow stands for caution, and sometimes instability.  No one really knows where the yellow brick road will lead, and which way is the correct way.  It’s just kind of unsettling.  Then of course there are the colors of the magical people.  Glinda is a nice, welcoming pink.  Pink can stand for love, something soft, or innocence.  Glinda is the witch of the North, so why wouldn’t she be dressed in all white?  White is cold, and not very friendly.  Glinda had to immediately be seen as “the good guy”.  Then of course there is the green Wicked Witch of the West.  A person with blue, or bright orange, or purple skin would seem just as odd and creepy, so why did they choose green?  Historically, human beings have a bit of hostility toward the color green.  Dangerous reptiles are green, food that has gone bad is green, green can be a lovely color, but not in certain contexts.  Now these colors were used this way in The Wizard of Oz, but they can also have different meanings if used on different characters in different scenarios.

What color comes to mind when you think of the character Peter Pan? Green of course.  Peter Pan is almost always depicted as wearing green.  Green can also symbolize youth.  There are certain expressions about someone being too young for a job, or too young to be speaking out, they are said to be “too green”.  Peter Pan is the spirit of youth, so it would be fitting that green would be his color.  Red comes up again in this film as Captain Hook is seen sporting a red coat.  Red, once again stands for power, adulthood, and in this case, danger.  The bright red that Captain Hook wears reminds us of blood.  Of course, red isn’t always used this way, a warmer red, or an orange red mix can be seductive, or just loving.  However, in the case of Captain Hook, it’s a threatening contrast to Peter’s green.  Yellow can also be seen in Peter Pan.  The fairy dust that Tinker Bell produces is yellow.  The children when being taught to fly are showered in golden fairy dust.  What makes it different to the cautious yellow brick road is that it is a golden yellow.  Gold is warm, and can symbolize light, idealism, and of course, power.  When the golden fairy dust comes out, something magical and good is about to happen. All of these colors are technically the same colors used in The Wizard of Oz, but they carry very different meanings in Peter Pan.

Hopefully this whole idea wasn’t too abstract.  For more on this subject, you can easily search the internet for more articles, and I definitely recommend the book If It’s Purple, Someone’s Gonna Die, The Power of Color in Visual Storytelling by Patti Bellantoni.  Thanks for reading, and once again, if you have any suggestions for future posts, please tell me in the comments, or go to the Flicks on Fleek  Facebook or Twitter page.

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Robin Williams as  John Keating: Dead Poet’s Society

3. Why The Breakfast Club will always be a classic.

DON’T YOU….FORGET ABOUT ME!!.. Sorry, every time I think of The Breakfast Club that song pops right into my head. I figured I’d start off with examining the soundtrack of the movie this week.   Don’t You Forget About Me is of course the “theme song” of The Breakfast Club, but the movie really has a pretty awesome soundtrack on a whole.  The songs include “Waiting” by Elizabeth Daily, “Didn’t I Tell You” by Joyce Kennedy, “Fire in the Twilight” by Wang Chung, “Heart too Hot to Hold” by Jesse Johnson, and of course “We are Not Alone” by Karla Devito which was the song they all danced to in the famous library rock out scene.  These songs are just the perfect 80s songs.  They also tie in perfectly to the themes of the movie.  Give them a listen sometime, they actually have music in them and lyrics that don’t only pertain to genitalia, sex, and drugs.

You ever watch a movie and love the script, the music, the effects and just about everything, but you just can’t stand the characters?  To me, The Breakfast Club is not one of those movies.  I love every character in this film, even Principle Vernon and he’s a jerk.  There aren’t a lot of characters in this movie at all.  It focuses mainly on Andrew (the athlete), Brian (the brain), Bender (the criminal), Claire (the princess), and Allison (the basket case).   Because there are so few characters, and so much attention is put on breaking down walls and getting to really know each other, character development was key in making this.  The acting is so well done that even though you think Bender is just an annoying, troublemaking idiot, you still feel really bad for him when he sheds light on his abusive father.  You get uncomfortable when Andrew reveals the amount of pressure he is under to be an excellent athlete and be a cool kid.  You laugh out loud when you find out that Allison is not all that scary or mysterious, she’s just bored, and of course you cheer when the group accepts Brian as more than just a nerd.  It really is a feel good movie because you are rooting for everyone in the group to not fall by the wayside.  You find a way to identify with every character and recognize that every person is struggling with their own issues that are out of their power and control a lot of the time.

Finally, my favorite part of The Breakfast Club is that it’s absolutely timeless.  Think about it,  ever since the first high school, everyone has had to go in for some stupid reason, it didn’t even have to be detention.  We have all been put into groups where we don’t know how to interact with the people around us.  We have all been misunderstood at some point or another.  We have all tried to break the rules, even a little bit at some point.  We have all tried to undermine the authority, even if it’s just with whistling or coughing and causing a ruckus.  We have all gotten our chops busted over something we were eating.   We also have all been bored out of our minds and forced to make some sort of connection with the person next to us just to kill time.  Above all this though is the message of The Breakfast Club.  The message is of course to never judge a book by it’s cover, and to just lighten up a bit.  Every person in the library in that movie was holding up some sort of wall and trying to keep an image, because that’s what they thought everyone else wanted them to do.  When everyone was done sharing their story though, they had one thing in common: the reactions they received were all “well why don’t you just chill out and stop putting so much pressure on yourself to keep that image?” (I’m paraphrasing).  The Breakfast Club teaches you to be yourself and to accept everyone else.  This message, and this movie are absolutely Transcendent.

 

 

 

2.Why did some people hate Les Miserables, but were fine with other musicals?

In 2012, Universal Pictures presented us with the musical motion picture, Les Miserables.  I remember when it was released, and how snarky everyone that had seen the show on Broadway was that they could pronounce it correctly (lay miser-ob) while everyone else was saying “that movie, umm lessmiserable..sss?”.  Anyway, the movie was widely famous, and everyone was walking around singing the songs all the time, and of course everyone was talking about the cast, made up of Hugh Jakman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, and Eddie Redmayne, just to name a few.  So many people were shocked how some of these actors sounded great, and how some didn’t, and that’s where the issue comes from.

                                 Les Miserables received some very mixed reviews.  Some people loved the idea of a musical movie, as well as the costumes, and actors, but a lot of people were furious. First of all, a lot of theater peple wouldn’t quiet down about how Anne Hataway wasn’t the perfect Fanzine (even though she won an Oscar) and others couldn’t get over how, even though Russel Crowe was on key and held his own in the singing, Javert sounded so awkward.  Among the whole population though, was the issue of the constant singing.  I can’t count how many times I heard “Dude! They sang the WHOLE time! Every word!”.  Audiences did not receive the non-stop singing well at all.  Why though?  Les Miserables is not the first musical movie we’ve had.  In fact, we’ve adored musical films in the past, so what gives? …. Well I’ll try and flesh it all out myself.

Think about every musical movie you’ve seen.  Try and think of live action movies, not animated movies. Singing in the Rain, Music Man, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, White Christmas, Meet Me in St. Louis, The Wizard of Oz,  Annie Get Your Gun, The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Annie, the list goes on and on.   How come these movies are celebrated by people young and old, and Les Mis is just..eh?  Well let’s begin with something you probably overlooked about these films, mot of them can be viewed by the young and old.  Most of the songs in these movies are also light hearted and chipper, so you love singing along to them.  There may be one or two sad or scary songs in these films, but they are nowhere near the amount of sad songs in Les Miserables.  I know that the theme of sad songs kind of goes along with the title of the play and the subject matter, but gosh other than the final song, when they all die, the happiest song is sung by a conniving landlord.  It just doesn’t appeal to audiences.

Let me go back to a point I raised earlier, that being the point of way too much singing in general.  Look back on the list I gave of other musicals.  In not one of those films is the dialogue exclusively singing.  The songs are broken up by regular speaking and natural plot development.  The only time they sing is when theres a big event, a moment of great emotion, a revelation, or perhaps a character introduction.  Take Annie for example, as it’s one of my favorites, and a more recent film as it came out in 1982.  Annie has some iconic songs, but they’re for exposition, character development, and big events.  “Hard Knock Life” explains to the audience that these orphans are not well tken care of.  “I think ]I’m Gonna Like it Here” introduces the audience to Mr. Warbucks’ house and Annie’s new way of life, and “Little Girls” displays some character development for the cruel Ms. Hannigan. The only songs that aren’t exactly prompted  are songs like “Tomorrow” or “Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile”  but Annie sings “Tomorrow” when she’s upset, but hopeful about the future, and the orphans sing “Without a Smile” to joke around with giddiness after hearing about Annie on the radio, and to display to audiences that the girls make their own fun.    The singing is not “hello monsieur, what’s new with you?” which is an actual line sang by Eponine to Marius in Les Miserables.  Though it’s not the worst thing that could happen in a film, the singing really exhausts itself when you’ve reached the second act and people are still singing to just say “hello” or “could you do me a favor buddy?” or “Hey, come in the house real fast”.  Some people even argue that although the singing does evoke passion and ceremony, some dramatic moments would do better with just shouting or intimate conversational whispers.

Part of me feels bad for writing this post, because I really did enjoy Les Miserables.  I thought Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman were an interesting match up, and I believe that Anne Hathaway truly deserved the Oscar she earned in that movie.  I like everyone else get frustrated with the film at times, but as a whole I think Les Miserables had great actors, great costume, nice sets, and a great soundtrack.  Hopefully I helped explain the disgust some people feel toward Les Miserables, and hopefully you guys keep coming back to read more.  Have a great week.

 

 

1. Why am I Afraid of Jaws, When I know he’s a robot?

“Don’t go in the water”  was Jaws’ tagline, and you know what?  After watching it, not a lot of people wanted to.  Everyone knows the movie was crazy successful and made 3o times more than its budget.  Oh yes it’s all very impressive, but why? 

Do you remember the first time you saw Jaws?  You have seen it right?  If you haven’t, put everything down and go see it, because there is nothing more important, no matter more pressing, than you seeing this iconic film.  For those of you who have seen it, you know what I mean when I say that that shark is clearly a robot.   I first saw Jaws when I was about 8.  When the whole shark first popped out, I said what everyone else said, “wow, fake”.  That doesn’t take away from the fact that every time I go into the ocean, I’m still looking around for fins, and like everyone else, if something rubs against my foot..Im out!

The fear of the ocean that Jaws has instilled inside us doesn’t just come from the toy shark, it comes from the work as a whole.  The acting, the camera shots, and of course that theme song.  So let’s look at all of these elements beginning with the acting.

The first time we’re introduced to the terror that is this man eating great white is the very first scene of the film.  A girl goes skinny dipping at night and is eaten.  If she was just floating around and then went under the water, yeah that would be pretty creepy, but no.  That scene ends with her screaming her head off (I don’t know if that actress had a voice the next day) as she’s flung around by an underwater rope apparatus. The same can be said for everyone in the movie eaten by the shark.  They sell it as “oh my gosh! I am actually being eaten by a friggen shark right now! I’m being eaten alive!” and no one does it better than Robert Shaw as Quint (the crazy owner of the Orca).  That performance is haunting, as he falls into the monster’s mouth in Act 3 while the thing eats the boat.  It’s such a slow and detailed death too.  We see Quint get eaten from his shins first, as he looks down in terror (“oh my gosh it’s actually happening!)  then his waist where blood starts coming out of Quint’s mouth, then by the time the shark gets to his torso, Quint’s gone.  These are the extreme action points though.  If you go back and watch the film and just look at the faces of dread on the characters when they see the bite marks on the dead bodies, or the absolute terror when theres a close up on their faces, after they see a fin, it makes your stomach drop.  You don’t even have to have the shark in the film if you just see their reactions, that is honestly scary and convincing enough.

Think back to the film for a minute, or heck go watch it again if you can.  Now think, how often do you actually see the shark?  How often do you even see a fin?  You really don’t see much of Jaws at all.  The “you’re gonna need a bigger boat” scene is the first time you see more than the fin, and you only see its face.      Director Steven Spielberg did that on purpose.  By not seeing the shark, it builds up suspense, and a sense of mystery.  A lot of the shots of the water are quick spanning shots as you’re almost in the POV of Chief Brody as he scans the horizon for a fin.  The shots of the shark are rushed, and spotty.  All of these are done so the audience can take part in the panic and confusion of the whole situation.  This is especially scary because you really don’t know what’s going to happen next.  You are just as confused as the people in the water, and the people watching from the land, wondering if everyone’s going to get back on the beach in one piece.  Probably my favorite shot though, and the one I think of when I think of Jaws, is the underwater shot.  Spielberg took a chance when he made this cinematographic choice.  Basically, the shot is a fast moving, underwater camera.  All the audience can see is the feet, rafts, and kicking legs of the beach goers.  In other words, the audience is seeing what the shark sees.  This is absolutely terrifying when you think about it.  The audience is watching the monster play God.  It swims past so many, and grabs one. Meanwhile the audience is sitting there thinking about how blissfully ignorant the swimmers are to the shark.  This shot is the one I think of when I’m jumping around in the waves, wondering what’s watching my legs rise and fall in the water…

Finally, the most iconic part of Jaws next to the shark itself, is without a doubt the most hair-raising, stomach turning theme song that has every been written.  Everyone knows it…daaa dum….daaaa dum, da dum, da dum, da dum, DA dum, growing faster and louder as the shark closes in on its prey.  This song will have you shifting in your seat and biting your nails while you’re watching it.  Right now, I’m sitting in my dorm room playing the theme song while I write this, and I’m kind of freaking out.  That’s right, a 20 year old is sitting on the 4th story of a concrete and brick building, no where near the ocean, and is scared that a great white might get her because a song is playing.  That’s what this movie did to me! It made me scared of two notes plaid repeatedly!  This song is terrifying, yet so simple.  It is paced perfectly, nice and slow at first: ominous, a warning.  The tempo builds, growing faster, and soon the notes grow sharper and louder.  The song gets so powerful and out of control as the shark moves closer to its prey, giving everyone the feeling that this thing can not be stopped, just as the progression of the song cannot be stopped.  It’s like imminent doom, death knocking at the door, the moment that the audience begins to pray for the characters in the film, and holds their breath.  We can however find something good and funny in this song though.  For instance, if you really want to mess with your friend, while you’re swimming in the ocean, just go up behind them and whisper “daaaaa dum”.

Now I’ve left a whole lot of this post, but come one, how long can I type for?  However, I really hope that you guys read this and learned something about one of the greatest horror movies ever. Please return next week to read my next post (not really sure what it’s going to be on, but it’s gonna be “yuge” as Trump says). Until then, have a good week, and stay out of the water. 🙂