MYST Post #3: Dallas Buyers Club

For my last MYST post, I decided to watch Dallas Buyers Club because of both Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey. I'm a fan of both of them, both in Leto's music and acting career, and McConaughey's usually romantic acting. I knew this was a different role for him, as he has been cast out of his norm for a while now, so I was excited to see it. Knowing of both their Oscar wins for these roles, I had high expectations. Fortunately, I was not disappointed.

Say what you want about Jared Leto, but I think he is phenomenal. There are few that would have been comfortable playing Rayon, the gay cross-dresser who also has AIDS. You can barely recognize Leto because of the amazing make-up work done on his face to make him look more womanly and by the clothes that include tight dresses and tights. (See Left and Below) There is, of course, the tremendous weight loss he endured for the role which also has an impact on the overall look. I came across many who said they were uncomfortable watching Leto, whether it be because of the role or because of the appearance. I, however, had the opposite reaction. I thought he was beautifully crafted as Rayon and that the make-up Robin Matthews did was well deserving of the Oscar she received as well. Without the make-up or Leto's soul in the performance, it would not have made the same impact on the movie as a whole as it did.

Besides the make-up, what really struck me was how they structured the movie: in numbering the days since Ron (McConaughey) had been diagnosed. You begin to view things in a different light by seeing how drastically he turned his life around from Day 1 to Day 2000 and so on. With the days, his personality and habits change as well. You see him go from an unhealthy homophobe to someone who is conscious about what he eats with a gay man who identifies as a woman as his best friend. Not going to lie, the first time they hugged I had tears in my eyes. The breakdown of the days make it easier to track his progress as a person and as someone with AIDS. We see the ups and downs up to his final days. This structure was unlike anything I had seen before, and I enjoyed it and thought it brought more to the movie than any other set up would have.

The hype for this movie is well-deserved and so were the Oscars. It is obvious through both actors acceptance speeches that this movie meant a lot to them and that they care about the issue. Leto even wore a red bow tie, the color for AIDS, to the Oscar's. Regardless of whether you not you have any connection to an AIDS patient or to the disease at all, Dallas Buyers Club is worth the watch, and you will not regret it at all.

I give this movie a 5/5.

Formal Film Study: Steven Soderbergh

 


One of the movies I have seen recently that really made me think was Side Effects, a movie about the pharmaceutical drug business. This movie, although I wasn't a huge fan, had a huge political message and was done in such an interesting way that I began to take interest in Steven Soderbergh, the director. So, I chose to watch three more films directed by him: Erin Brockovich (2000), Ocean's Eleven (2001), and Contagion (2011). All of these films, at first glance, are completely different and at first I would not have guessed they were done by the same director.

The first thing I noticed about all of these movies was the editing. There are plenty of scenes that have voiceovers in order to make it more fast paced or montages that will show more plot in a less amount of time. Usually I am not a fan of either of those things, but Soderbergh presents it in a way that makes you pay attention to every detail and follow the story rather than get lost. For example, taking the story of a woman like Erin Brockovich was no easy task, and it was a rather complicated storyline; but, through his editing he keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat rather than falling asleep before anything exciting happens. Then, you have a movie like Ocean's 11 which is, essentially, all action and momentum, but he is able to weave in a few backstories, nevertheless keeping up the continuation of his style.

I think what Soderbergh aims for the most is that we understand the messages behind all of his films. My initial confusion about his variation in stories, studios, and topics, was settled when, after watching all three films, it was obvious they had one thing in common: a message. They are all very political and contain controversies that are still relevant in our culture and that cause problems for anyone in America. Erin Brocovich shows you the struggle of being a single mom and how we can't always trust everything we are told. Contagion is related to that in the sense that our "perfect government" fails to help millions of Americans when they need it the most. Finally, Ocean's Eleven really spoke to me because I understood where he was going with the ex-convict taking on this casino robbery. It truly shows that you don't always know where people have been or why they make the actions they do. Nevertheless, Soderbergh is a director who chooses his movies based on what others will take out of them and in the hopes that they will shed some light on the reality we live in, no matter if the story is real or not.

In fact, Soderbergh states in an interview with Mary Kate Schilling of Vulture that "I can’t spend two years on a project without being totally excited about it. Any movie I’ve made has been because of the challenge it offered me as a director, because it provides a new canvas. Even the big-budget stuff like the Ocean’s films" ("Steven Soderbergh on Quitting Hollywood"). So, he doesn't take on anything that he isn't invested in emotionally. To me, that's what directing should be about. Not about the money or the studios it's affiliated to, but to what you're getting out of it and what you're giving to others.

When it comes to casting, it is clear that he likes to stick with the familiar. Julia Roberts starts as Erin Brockovich, and is George Clooney's wife in Ocean's Eleven. Similarly, Matt Damon, an accomplice to Clooney and Brad Pitt in that film, and is the star of Contagion. Upon making these decisions, Soderbergh is able to work with stars he knows and is comfortable with, and can create his vision based on the acting skills he knows they have. Roberts won an oscar for her performance as Brockovich, which she is completely deserving of. Soderbergh was also nominated as Best Director for that movie. It is because of his ability to bring Brockovich and her story to life that it was recognized by others and seen in a unique way. 

The same can be said for Contagion. With so many epidemic-type films that have been made, it is difficult to create one that is unique and original. But, Soderbergh takes on the more emotional side by portraying Damon's character as immune to the disease and highly protective of his daughter. He shows the lengths he will go to in order to protect her. And, even though we find out the cause of the disease at the end, that isn't what resonates with us. What the viewers are left with is the love a man can have and the will to survive this, rather than focusing on how it started. Soderbergh presents this by abruptly ending the movie after the cause is "revealed." He does this in order to show that it really isn't what is important, which is why it is kind of thrown in there as an after thought. 

He also has an abrupt ending to Ocean's Eleven as Pitt and Clooney are being followed by an unknown vehicle. I was extremely upset when the credits started to roll, but then I thought about it more and realized that may have been Soderbergh's point. With a movie like that with those types of characters, they are never really safe and there is always someone out to get them. Their identity doesn't matter as much as the concept behind it does. 

With these endings, and the editing, and the message, Soderbergh has created a name for himself. And, even though, in the interview he says he has no idea what people think of when they hear "Soderbergh," he has created films that have touched people, entertained people, and made statements that spark curiosity. I thoroughly enjoyed all of these films and am looking forward to seeing the rest. 


Interview with Vulture: http://www.vulture.com/2013/01/steven-soderbergh-in-conversation.html 

1935 Film Project

My group and I came up with a black and white screwball comedy, titled Smooth Criminal. We wanted to create something that would appeal to audiences in 1935, so we settled on a comedy that would take their minds off of the Great Depression and any other problems going on in their lives. We aimed for escapist entertainment, which, whether you like it or not, makes you laugh and entertains you.

After deciding on our genre, we chose to go with Columbia Pictures because, at that time, they were known for their comedies and smaller-scale films. One of their most successful directors was Howard Hawks, known for Scarface. Because of the success of that film, we decided to have him direct our movie because it would bring in a large audience base. We also decided upon Shirley Temple, Carole Lombard, and Clark Gable. Gable was well affiliated with Columbia, so we knew that would be a nice match. Also, Shirley Temple was immensely popular at this time and thought we could attract some families in by having her in the movie. Lombard would be our protagonist, a criminal who fails at everything she tries to do. Gable is the policeman who tracks her down, eventually landing her in jail, with the help of his daughter. We did not want any love story in this film because, with the Hays Code, we thought it wouldn't make much sense and a movie without any romance would be more entertaining and less cliche, in my opinion.

The focus of the film that we chose would be the costume/makeup work in order to create an authentic look for both the criminal and the police officer. We settled on Maurice Seiderman because it would be a jump start for his later career, leading to eventual work in Citizen Kane. Since our film is pretty simple, we didn't feel the need to highlight editing or cinematography and wanted to put the money in on something that would benefit us more.

The Hays Code didn't affect our movie too much. We thought up the plot based on the code, so we didn't have to work around it too much. Since Lombard plays a criminal who is never successful, no acts of violence or crime are actually committed. Also, she is arrested at the end of the film by Gable, so the Hays Code is followed because she is punished for her intended illegal acts.

Finally, I don't think I would change anything about our choices. We were pretty unanimous in our decisions and heard each other out before making anything final.