Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Shhh... Don't Say His Name...



I know, it's so cliche. From the Harry Potter series, I present He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as the best monster out there! In Hogwarts, no one even dares to call him by his real name. So I'll try not to mention his name...
Anyway, I think he is the best monster because of his evilness. First of all, who would even attempt to kill an innocent baby? It's common belief to never get close to killing a baby. It's not even something a bad person would think about doing. They always pursue to hurt the adult instead of the baby. When his attempt to kill Harry fails, he becomes even more upset about his powers. Throughout the rest of the series, his ultimate goal is to kill Harry Potter by all means necessary.
 It's also interesting how he started off as a regular student at Hogwarts: Tom Riddle. In the Harry Potter movies, there are flashbacks about Tom Riddle as a student. He seems like a regular kid who did very well in school. However, there's something fishy about how he can talk to snakes and use magic for evil things. When Dumbledore sees He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, he definitely sees Tom Riddle in him too.
Things become even more complicated in the last movie of the Harry Potter series. Harry learns that if he wants to kill He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, he must also kill himself. In a way, it seems like Harry and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named are the same, exact person. Yet, Harry is the guy that sheds light, and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is the most evil person in this world. If you want to know what happens (which I think most of you should already know), I really recommend watching/reading the Harry Potter series.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

The "Silent" Walk of Shame

From Google Images
In this shot, Neff and Mrs. Dietrichson just murdered Mr. Dietrichson. Mrs. Dietrichson feels no regrets and seems satisfied with her actions. On the other hand, Neff seems guilty and ashamed for what he did. In this scene, he specifically says, "Suddenly it came over me that everything would go wrong. It sounds crazy, Keyes, but it's true, so help me. I couldn't hear my own footsteps. It was the walk of a dead man" (IMDB). This is where he is still confessing to Keyes, and he reflects on his actions. When he says that, "everything would go wrong," it seems like he has some sense of doubt and a lack of confidence that this murder will go through. In the end, it is true that Keyes successfully figured out the case. It's also interesting how Neff says "I couldn't hear my own footsteps. It was the walk of a dead man." We know that Neff and Mrs. Dietrichson both murdered Mr. Dietrichson. Yet, Neff is the one who feels like the dead man. In a way, this seems like the walk of shame. Because his surroundings are muted, this murder is the only thing that is in his mind.
It's also essential to point out the darkness of this frame. It looks like 80% of this shot is dark, while the other 20% contains little light which is focused in the middle of the frame. It's also important to point out the emptiness of the shot. The only thing that seems to be mobile in this shot is Neff himself. The side walk is empty and there is nothing going on in the house nearby. This choice really catches the essence of loneliness and dark secrets. This is also a medium long shot, where we can see Neff from the knees up. The director might have made this choice because he wanted to catch the distance of the long, empty side walk that is ahead of Neff.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

The Traditional American Sport: Football

The wording in this shot stands out because it gives the reader a sense of (young) Harvey's arrogance and cockiness. The fact that he "craved recognition as the best in one field or another" displays his egotism. If this desire of his is not reached, he quits because he simply can't handle it. When I read this part, I thought (young) Harvey was pretty pathetic; Yet, his decision was understandable. It's pathetic because he doesn't even try to improve his football skills and he doesn't persevere. However, it's also understandable because this decision may have been linked to his childhood. Since he was bullied often, he wants to be "tough" to prove how much stronger he is than he was in the past. This decision of his also seems to make him less motivated because he asks himself, "What would I have to do to keep up my morale enough to at least be able to show up in a school every day?" Because of this decision, he must find a new passion that Harvey will love and pursue.
The image also stands out in this shot. The football helmet sits at the bottom left of the shot, while Harvey is walking away from it. In between the helmet and Harvey, there's a white line that seems to separate football from Harvey because of his decision to quit.
However, after I read this scene, I wondered, why did Harvey choose to pursue football in the first place? Football is the traditional, American sport. Yet, his parents lean towards their Jewish culture. I thought that Harvey may have decided to pursue football because he wanted to step away from his Jewish background. His parent's opinion on Harvey playing football is unclear. They seem to only care about Harvey still keeping up with his school and Hebrew studies.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

How Long Can You Hold Your Breath?

The overall subject of the frame is located in the top right, which are Anderton's blindfolded eyes. This is also the brightest part of the frame. There is also a white line that sets a boundary. It seems to be separating Anderton from the rest of the world because the top left has a door. The door is the object that lets others in the bathroom, and Anderton seems to be isolated from the rest of the world. The white line may also be setting a boundary between himself and Precrime because their goal is the capture Anderton. In the bottom left, one of the devices is searching for any human. There is light coming out of it, and it is pointed toward the right direction, which is where Anderton is. This may mean that Anderton can't escape this device or his fate. This frame is very similar to the frame with Agatha in the beginning of the movie. They are similar because they are both submerged in water that have a blue-ish hue. However, they differ because Anderton's eyes are covered; Agatha's eyes are wide open. This may represent Anderton's inability to see his fate, while Agatha has the ability to see the future. In addition, the tub water that Anderton is submerged in has particles that make the water appear dirty or unclear. In Agatha's frame, the water that she was submerged was crystal clear.