Minnesota Nice: a cover for Man & Winter's cruelty

As a Minnesotan form birth, watching this film was like gazing into a societal mirror that amplified your homeland's imperfections (and I'm not talking about the over exaggerated accents). It seems like the more polite a culture tries to be, the harder it is to cope with your frustrations. In the fictional case of Fargo, Jerry Lundegaard falls victim to the traps of his own courtesy and foolishness. Trying to wear a mask of positivity while following through an elaborate scheme doesn't seem to work for him. Whether it's dealing with his job, father-in-law, or fake kidnappers, he never has the guts to stand up for himself.

The time of year doesn't help either. Winter often makes people feel trapped by the bone-chilling bitterness of the arctic air. There's no relief of life's stresses by going outside and getting a breath of fresh air. It just leaves you cold and miserable.

From all the crime that ensues from the chain of rage that rampages through the film, the hero, Marge Gunderson seems to stay unfazed by the murders until the very end when she captures Gaear Grimsrud and has a one way conversation in the police cruiser. Right before he's intercepted by reinforcements she say's "I just don't understand it." This profound final thought addresses not only the murders, but every other injustice that happens in life. In the end Marge still has Norm and we can feel in comfort in the fact that there is always a silver lining, even in the bleakest winter wastelands.

Sleepy Hollow: Echo of a Nightmare

Watch the opening credits scene bellow. While watching pay attention to the introduction to the setting and the shot when Tim Burton's name appears.
Is there something eerily familiar about this sequence or is just me. After seeing the last shot it all came together, it's all reminiscent of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Some of the evidence are obvious while others are much more  discrete. 

First is the setting. Dismal weather, dead plant life, and lack of color all point to a very Halloween-ish locale. Next is the music. It's no coincidence that Danny Elfman was the composer for both movies. Then again, Elfman composes music for every film Burton directs and/or produces. The last clue is a little subtle. When Tim Burton's name appears on screen we have an establishing that includes a scarecrow with a jack-o-lantern on it. Of course this refers to Jack Skellington before he had his "makeover" on All Hallows Eve.

Sleepy Hollow itself has reference to Halloween or Christmas but there's no denying the evidence. 

Dream of Donnie Darko

To try to write a synopsis for such a cult-classic would only end badly; if you want to read one, go to Wikipedia. What I will write about is my own theory on Donnie Darko. WARNING THIS THEORY AND THE VIDEO BELOW CONTAINS SPOILERS. After Donnie is killed when he returns to October 2nd, many characters from the supporting wake up from what seems like a dream. Each of them seem solemn in their own way. After seeing this it occurred to me, "perhaps they dreamed on all the previous things from the movie and are horrified, confused or just shocked from the nightmare." The biggest clue was when Frank held his eye like he knew that in the parallel universe he was shot in the eye. The song Mad World which played during the scene not only set the mood but also summed up the entire. It's hard to believe that this song WASN'T written for the movie specifically; Not to mention it's a great 80's song in general.

A Mother's Worst Nightmare

A pregnancy can be a pleasurable or a terrible experience (depending on how you look at it). In Rosemary's Baby (1968, Roman Polanski), it's a pregnancy that starts off bad from the point of conception. Mia Farrow plays Rosemary Woodhouse, a newly-wed with her husband, Guy, in a New York apartment. Their new neighbors seem nice, but what Rosemary doesn't know is that the old couple next door are Satanists that are plotting with Guy against Rosemary.
One notable element of this horror film is the score. It was composed by Krzysztof Komeda who is a jazz pianist that composed several films for Roman Polanski. Like some other motifs from thrillers, the song has a 'creepy' voice singing what seems to be a lullaby. It fits with the baby theme of the movie.

When A Stranger Calls (1979) -An at home scare

If you've been thinking to yourself, "New horror movies SUCK!" I don't blame you. It seems that it's harder to scare today's generation since were so desensitized by modern movies and video games. Luckily, we can always go back to the classics.
I recommend watching When A Stranger Calls (1979). The simple summary of it is that Jill Johnson (Carol Kane) is a babysitter one fateful night. She gets harassed by a mysterious man over the phone continuously, and when she gets the police to trace the calls they end up to be coming from the house. The rest of film is what happens to the killer 7 years later when he gets revenge on Jill.
This is the perfect movie to watch in any suburban house at night; especially if you're alone. It's not the same scare now-a-days with the invention of caller ID. But there is always that unsettling feeling when your alone at night in an empty house when your mind wanders. You never know for sure if there's some intruder that's invading the sanctity of your home.
This clip from the film highlights the most suspenseful section. It's the last moments before Jill finds out where the killer is. It's worth noting the interesting use of music, low key lighting, and shot angels/sizes that creates the suspense.

Language of Film: The Sixth Sense

M. Night Shyamalan is one of my favorite directors and his ability to create a great movie is shown in The Sixth Sense. To me, this was his crowning achievement whether it was choosing great actors like Haley Joel Osment and Bruce Willis, or conveying an amazing story through all aspects of film making.
To me one of greatest talents in literary aspects of his films is symbolism. One prominent symbols in The Sixth Sense is the color red. Some examples of this are the church doors, Cole's sweater, Cole's fort, the cellar doorknob, etc. To me the best way to describe what it means is a warning, a way to repel the ghosts that are trying to communicate with Cole. A contrast to this is how green was used as a symbol for safety. For instance, when Cole's mother saves him from being locked in the attic she was wearing a bright green sweater. When I noticed this I instantly made a connection to Shyamalan's later film, The Village. However, the "safe" color in that movie is yellow.
Although this film was not necessarily a horror movie it still had great use of suspense. Even though we knew that Cole had the ability to see ghost for a fairly long time. We never got to see how his ability worked until half way through the film. When we notice the cold breath and the mood of the music changes it's as if we feel the same chill as the characters. This film still keeps me on the edge of my seat even though I've seen it once before.

One of my favorite scenes is when Cole is at a birthday party and he is forced into a closet that has voices coming out of it. If you watch it, notice M's use of the color red.

Who am I?

When it comes to films I'm a strange guy. For my first 12 years of my life I loved Disney movies. When Disney started to go south I had to find alternative movies. When I was old enough to handle mature material I started watching horror films. Whether I'm watching slasher flicks or psychological thrillers I found the best way to judge a scary movie; suspense. Today's trend seems to be relying on pure gore. To me it seems a cheap way to disturb the audience. Instead of building anxiety it just grosses you out. That's why suspense is the most vital factor with surprise to release the tension.