Movie Review: Marie Antoinette

Finally got around to seeing this, as I've been intrigued with it since seeing the teaser trailer with its delightfully inappropriate 80s music. The teaser caused a bit of a stir when it was first released, stirring history buffs into a tizzy. I think it was a smart move to make, because it helps one be prepared to the strangeness of the anachronist soundtrack, which I think will help keep the film innovative for years to come. The film is a rare example of a postmodern biopic, with the out-of-place music and the unexpected casting of Rip Torn, Jason Schwartzman, Molly Shannon, and others that are suprisingly effective.

I adored the film, but I do have to admit that the real stand-out is production design and the costumes. Everyone must have spent an ungodly amount of time pouring over paintings of the time. Its so appealing to look at, it even made a socialist feminist like me somehow desire laying around in beautiful gowns, gossiping, while eating bon bons and playing with little dogs.

As it is a movie, I'm only going to assume that historical accuracy was thrown out the window, but as a film everything works and the result is charming. Kirsten Dunst is a good queen, and I might be saying that because I've fallen out of love with her over the years. But she is best when she is playing spoiled and shallow types, just as she was when she was younger and playing Amy in Little Women and Claudia in Interview with the Vampire. So you might say that Marie Antoinette is the role Dunst was born to play. The film is sympathetic to the film, but not necessarily taking an appologist's stance: it's rather counter-legend, as she would certainly never have said, "Let them eat cake," but she would have been generous enough to settle for smaller oak trees to line her Versailles estate. She may have been incredibly irresponsible, but to an extent she was the scapegoat of the sins of all the nobility. Sophia Coppola portrays her as the ultimate poor little rich girl.

I love Sophia Coppola, especially her earlier films, The Virgin Suicides and its semi-companion short, Lick the Star, both about lonely girls struggling with the cruelty of childhood and their blossoming sexualities. I had hoped that Marie Antoinette would be more in the tone of these ones, but its more like her famous Lost in Translation. I do adore her directing style, somehow appearing Zen-meets-Roccoco. Delightful.

Let's hope that her next project is even more daring and ambitious.

Movie Review: Paprika

Paprika is the newest release by Satoshi Kon, the master behind the acclaimed Japanese animated films Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, and Tokyo Godfathers. I had the privilege of seeing on the big screen at Raleigh's wonderful Galaxy Cinema, and it's breathlessly beautiful trip. The film is about technology that allows researchers to enter patients' dreams, but when the technology is stolen, the dream world begins to invade the "real world." Paprika is the vivacious and sexy alter-ego/avatar of the project's serious and formal Dr. Chiba, but she seems to be quite independent of her counterpart.

So, let's play the irritating "it's like" game: It's kinda like Ghost in the Shell, mixed with a more interesting Waking Life and a much better The Cell. Paprika can hop into any canvas and out through another or travel through live television feeds and out onto the street, and giant dolls attack office buildings. The ground ripples violently before the dreamer is pulled back into the waking world, and a doll ceremony parades through forrests and busy streets. It really captures the bizarre, delerious moments that makes sense only in your dreamscapes. And, oh, the colors...

It's one of those cases where I am so envious of the filmmakers because they were able to conceive and create such original images. You cannot learn how to have such a productive imagination, as well as how to shape your imagination into something presentable on screen. The Japanese are truly ahead in the animation medium, using it to its full potential. It's no longer just "Pokemon and porn," but movies where the stories are actually enhanced by producing them as animation.

The film was a bit confusing, particularly since it's not real clear what the detective's role is, even though he's so prominent (it turns out he's an incidental character who becomes a hapless hero). But it was not just some visuals-are-the-saving-grace picture, it's interesting once you catch up with what's going on, and there's a really sweet, suprising love story that surfaces at the end. I didn't think it was as good as Tokyo Godfathers or Millennium Actress, but I think I may appreciate it more when I rewatch it on video.

Presentation with sound [OLD PROJECT/DEAD LINK]

https://blackboard.uncg.edu/bbcswebdav/users/lkabraha/Childhood.ppt
Groan, this hope works.

Assignment III: The Experimental Project: Supernature with Sound and Composition [OLD PROJECT/DEAD LINK]

Link to Powerpoint: https://blackboard.uncg.edu/bbcswebdav/users/lkabraha/Presentation1.ppt

This project is certainly more experimental than adhering to a storyline, as my goal was to evoke thoughts on childhood. In Dr. Edward’s book, she mentions much about the metaphysical medium aspect of different media, how they can transfer a viewer to past times, far away places or even strange dreamscapes from someone’s imagination. We can watch the dead, either a deceased actor in an older film or a home movie of a loved one who has passed on.

My project was my attempt to capture my thoughts on childhood and try to create a sense of my own childhood. By photographing objects that hold personal sentiments for me and images that remind me of times past, I hoped to resurrect a ghost. Not a spirit of the dead, but the ghost of the little girl I once was. Many times I do not like to think about the past, and try to separate the life I live now from my younger years, but I have begun to come to terms that I cannot severe myself from the child I once was. I have changed, but I still am that little girl.

Many of the pictures are of things that I was very fond of as a child, and they continue to hold a place in my heart, such as a stuffed dog, a tea set, and that big stack of books, CDs, and videos that I have considered my favorites for many years. Other images are to evoke images of childhood that everyone can relate to, such as the antique dolls, a playground, and the swings. However, all of these images have a kind of haunted quality to them, because while they are indeed innocent, they are missing something crucial- the child. I hope those who watch this slide show will feel the sort of sadness for the loss of childhood that I tried to create. It is a time that is with us always, but can never return to.

The sounds for these were hard to choose, because I wanted to use something that was appropriately haunting, but not scary. I was moved by many of the previous photo projects which did not try to show something frightening, but rather a gentle kind of nostalgia and sense of tranquility, a kind of peaceful haunting. So the music clips I sampled are ethereal, sometimes simple orchestrations or even lullabies. I began with a more playful tone, showing basic images and soft, charming music, often in different languages. It shifted towards the middle, becoming a bit darker, somewhat creepy, both capturing the angry ghost of childhood past and also the frustration for what we cannot return to. Then it is gentler again, saying “Hush, hush, hush,” and we are at peace again, joining the childlike chant on the playground, where we can return to in our mind.

I think that how the sounds and the images were paired had a great influence on how the presentation could be viewed. I first noticed that the image of the swings was particularly spooky looking, but since I was not trying to go for horror, I paired it with a softer, but still sad, piece. The image of the antique dolls is made to be a bit unnerving when paired with the sound clip of the little girl talking, something that may not have happened otherwise. With Tori Amos’s “Not the Red Baron,” my stuffed dog Lucky is no longer cute, but a sad figure of the unobtainable past and unhappy memories. It's amazing how sound and image can correlate and have such an impact on how the other can be viewed.

Projectish [OLD PROJECT]

Hey, just uploading the pictures for my project, so this is by no means complete.














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Assignment II: The Visual Project: Supernature Composition and Frame [OLD PROJECT]

I lived in the Mary Foust dorm on UNC-Greensboro’s campus for three years, which gave me a great opportunity to learn about its rich history. Throughout the years, its reputation of being a haunted dorm has grown, embraced by its residents as something to be proud of.

"Scary" Mary Foust

The unvanished portrait of Mary Foust

The major legend concerning the hauntings surrounds the namesake of the dorm, Mary Foust, whose ghost lingers on the premises. However, Mary Foust Alexander died in childbirth, two years before the building named after her was built. Nevertheless, people blame strange noises, slamming doors, and missing objects on this wandering spirit. In fact, some of this mystery revolves around the portrait of her that hangs in the dorm’s parlor. Some years ago, the painting disappeared, which many people blamed on Mary Foust herself. Today, a new painting is in the parlor, but earlier this school year it mysteriously vanished once again. For the month that it was missing, residents began to get into minor accidents, and everyone blames a general bad mood that swept through the dorm on its absence. It reappeared again with no explanation as to where it had gone, and things are reported to be back to normal.

A dorm room in Mary Foust; Notice the high ceilings

Another rumor surrounding haunted Foust is that in the 70s, some frustrated students hung themselves during exam time. The information is conflicting on whether they hung themselves in one of the corner rooms on the third floor or in the attic. Either way, these rumors help explain some peculiarities about the dorm, such as why the third floor has such high ceilings, so no one will be able to reach anything that they would be able to duplicate these actions.
The attic has always been a place of mystery, and the door to it is always locked. Residents claim to hear strange noises coming from above, accrediting it to either the ghost of Mary Foust or the ghosts of the nursing students.

Mary Foust's attic

While residents of Mary Foust may complain about their spectral dorm-mates, they obviously relish in the idea of living in a haunted building. They’ve latched onto their nickname "Scary Foust," and further embellish the dorm’s spooky nature by setting up a haunted house every October around Halloween.

Participants in the annual Haunted House; this year's theme was "Dante's Inferno"

These images certainly reflect contemporary ideas about ghosts on film in that thanks to many films, people are generally afraid of older buildings and will accredit strange phenomena as evidence of ghosts. Certainly stories involving Mary Foust’s resident ghosts influenced me in choosing my project, as I have been an avid collector of this dorm’s growing folklore. New stories seem to pop up every year. I do believe I have also tried my best to make these images "spooky," as Mary Foust is really a charming place. However, by only showing "part-of-the-whole," I may have manipulated how exactly others may view the dorm. Photography is an excellent example of magic media, because the cameraman has control of what will be perceived by her audience.

Personal Statement [OLD PROJECT]

I have always prided myself in my diversity of film tastes, as I love films from all genres, all time periods, and all countries of origin. Since I aspire to become a film archivist, watching classic films has always been important to me. It has always upset me that most people of my generation have not seen any film made before they were born, unless it is something like Star Wars, Clockwork Orange or Grease. When I look at people’s profiles, they normally list a movie that is only a few years old as their favorite. I also hate the expression "old movie," and people will use this on films made in the 80's!

The current trend of filmmaking seems to be sequels that no one asked for and remakes, which include remakes of classic films, popular films, foreign films, and adaptions of TV shows. At the time I am writing this, the box-office includes a remake of a Hong Kong film (The Departed), a sequel to a remake of a Japanese film (The Grudge 2), and a prequel to a remake of a cult American film (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning). It is only further proof that Hollywood is becoming bankrupt of ideas. Now, I do know that Hollywood during the studio period did their fair share of remakes and foreign adaptions, but it does not seem to been as many, and most of those remakes were at least done with some merit. It is just upsetting to me that people do not seem to adventure into watching lesser known films or older films or films from different countries.

INTRODUCTION [OLD PROJECT]

W e l l . . .

I really stink at introductions, but let's just say that I'm Laura A. and this is my introduction for the blog I've set up for an online course, BLS 340 or Magic, Media, and Popular Imagination.

I'm a senior undergrad at UNCG, and I'm a bit nervous since this is my first online course. (Power-point and uploading, eep!) I'm a Broadcasting/Cinema major with a concentration in Film Studies. I enrolled in this class so I could earn some 300-or-higher level credit for graduation, I love both movies and folk belief, and I have seen some of Dr. Edwards's documentaries on the subject and became very interested with her teachings.

I will leave you with two favorite weblinks of mine which I think may be relevant to this course:
Urban Legends Reference Page which gets down to the knitty gritty concerning those rampant rumors that many have just assumed to be truth, as well as the most recent e-mail slurge (No, Bill Gates is not willing to share his fortune if you forward this to 100 people.)
No Rest For the Wicked is an excellent webcomic that is among the best twisted fairy tales I've ever read. Certainly magical, imaginative, and a part of a popular new medium, I hope this will delight you as much as it has me.