Hollywood Movies

Hollywood movies is part of American culture, also often represents American fantasy vision which people dream about but hard to make it real, no matter fiction movies, such as Back to The Future (1985), Star Wars (1977) , Harry Potter (2005), or action movie, such as, Independence Day (1996), Terminator (1984). Furthermore, teen’s movies probe into current adolescent society or youth problems, such as, Girl Interrupted (1999), American Pie (1999). There is fantasy everywhere in Hollywood movies. Moreover, Hollywood gives a huge impact of American society. Comedy is the most popular type of movie in Hollywood, especially teen comedies. These movies are very successful because they incorporate adolescent fashion, well-liked actors and actresses, and discuss current campus issues.
Movie is one of the direct impacts to teen’s popular culture because movie cultivates idol adoration. Young people like to chase on the popular culture from imitating Hollywood actors or actresses, the way to speak, the attitude to express emotions. Therefore, more and more Hollywood movie producers, directors often aim on current phenomena on campus and being interested in making film on adolescent topics. Never Been Kissed (1999) also focuses on teen’s popular culture, explores what teens need and give its audiences a fantasy regarding to a 2nd chance to experience high school again. Moreover, Never Been Kissed (1999) is a movie that tells both sides of the story the teens and adults. Their review collides in a way that gives them both important, yet also pokes fun of them both. Although the movie tells a story, also reflects current society, although in a more ironic and dramatic way.

Thai Festival

What a Perfect Day!!!@ Kapiolani Park, Waikiki. Bright and clear sky, sunshine, and good weather. After enjoy!! doing PAPER, finally I got a time break and enjoy my life. Last Saturday, I woke up early and took a walk from my apartment around 10 minutes in order to be the first group at Kapiolani Park. What happen? This place brought back the memory of Thai tradition and festival because it was held a Thai festival called Songkarn Day or Thai New Year which is a nation holiday. It was a good day for Thais and foreigners who live in Ohau, HI gathered and joined this festival. In the festival, there were several booths to sell Thai food, showed Thai dance and tradition, Thai song, and Thai boxing. People sat around in circle and enjoy eating and chatting after they were working hard for whole year.

Unfortunately, we missed the outstanding part which is throwing of water. In Thailand, these day people go out with containers of water or water gun and throwing water to each other or passerby. Furthermore, this festival is a good opportunity for those who far away from their home to go back to visit and pay respect their parents and elders. People believe that if they cleanse Buddha images by gently pouring water over them, this will bring their good luck and wealth to their life in New Year. Songkarn Day is the day for Thais to bring good things such as clean house and do good thing. Why throwing water? It is believed that water is the symbol of cleaning and washing of bad away from people.


Happy Songkarn Day!!!

Mythic Individualism

Return to his desk, busy with his stuffs, rush into accident location, and

finally refuse to assimilate the society.

All of these setting always happen in one genre which is detective genre and the same as cowboys and Western hero. All of these are ideology that offers in films of order genre. Ideology is a pattern beliefs that group interpret some aspects of the world which it reflects the group’ social, economic, political and culture. Ideology as form of knowledge and power are discourse which give the meaning to both material objects and social practices. Through out the film of order genre, the main character is alone, independent and self-reliance. His ability goes beyond others or even his opponent. Rules do not apply for him. In series, CIS, the main character works really hard to help other or solve murder case, but he cannot have love story or something always happen to someone that he loves. In the film, The Bourne Supremacy (2004) which Bourne has to live alone again after his girlfriend, Marie dies from sniper rifle because the enemy wants to kill Bourne.

Another example is the series, 24, the main character Jack Bauer. In season 1 Jack’s life was normal; he had wife and one daughter. His life was happy until his wife was killed and he has become lonely. Again, in this season 4, he involves with Audrey Raines whom he think that he could stop his busy life. He hopes to live with a peaceful life. However, he is wrong because Audrey Raines get risk by kidnapping. He had done every ways to help her. His characteristic is the same as other heroes like cowboys or detectives. He gets what he wants, one thing he couldn’t have is peaceful life. He ends up his relationship and became lonely. The heroes are always lonely. He is a personal a professional motivations. As his love is in danger so he has motivated to work. Furthermore, although he does not work for CTU, he is the only one knows about bureaucratic red tape. He has no authority but he can do what he wants to do. He does not care anyone; independent person. Rules do not apply for him. He has special skills (expert shot), knowledge, and experiences (thoughtful). Finally, he is always right at the end so society value him.

It is believed that all of this situation or plot always happens in detective and Western Hero films and series. Most main characters always end up their relationships and live alone.

Film Genres

Film genres are the material conditions that provide popular stories to satisfy audiences demand and make profit to the studios. Film genres can be examined into many structural components such as plots, characters, settings, thematic, and so on. In order to understand genres, the audiences need to look to the character types and conflicts which they will generate to identify their roles. Schatz stated that each genre show the expression of filmmakers and give the experience for audiences. The film genres can be divided into two groups: order such as gangster, detective, and Western hero and another group is integration which is romantic comedy and musical. The order group has male dominate while integration is female dominate. Both of them have different in conflict such as order group has conflict that arises from indigenous to the environment, reflect the physical and ideological struggle for its control. In short, the conflict is externalized or violent within contested space. The problem will resolve by individual male or collective which manage the process of reduction: elimination or death such as The Matrix and Star War. Another group is integration which conflict arises from the different between values, attitudes, and actions or the main characters’ emotions. This genre will embrace their love to resolve their conflict such as You’ve Got Mail and Never Been Kiss. In the film, Never Been Kiss (1999), the main character Josie Geller works as copy editor who has to go undercover herself at a local high school for her first story. At the school, she falls in love with Sam Coulson, English teacher, but she has to hide her true identity to write her story. Their conflict is occurred because Sam discovers her identity and cannot forgive her. However, finally, they become a couple because Sam decides to see her at baseball match. They embrace their love each other.

Montage

Last week one of my classmates did presentation on Sergei Eisenstein. He was film theorist who concerned about techniques rather than content: montage. The use of montage is best known as film editing. He believed that montage will shape the audience’s emotions, thoughts, and create metaphors as well. Therefore, he developed montage into five categories:

1. Metric montage which focuses on length of shot by combining the shot
2. Rhythmic montage which focuses on visual pattern within the shots. It will be based on matching action and
screen direction. It will be considered as portray conflict such as opposing screen.
3. Tonal Montage which focuses on editing that establishes emotional character of scene.
4. Overtonal Montage is the interplay of metric, rhythmic, and tonal montage. The interplay will combine ideas and emotional in order to bring the desired effect from audiences.

5. Intellectual montage which combine two scenes as a kind of metaphor. There is no meaning in the individual

shots.

When I heard about these montages, I tried to figure out which film that relates with these montages. The scene from Face/Off reminds me the fight scene of So Close (2002) that Ai Lin (Shu Qi) assassinates the chairman of Chinese company. The shot technique is conflict by offering fight/violent scene along with calm music. This scene brings about the emotional to audiences.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Ea0abq04w&feature=PlayList&p=806B3F1CC4AD92F5&index=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV_vwIMN7Ww&feature=PlayList&p=806B3F1CC4AD92F5&index=2

Another montage is intellectual montage in the film Siam Renaissance (2003) which in the last scene when MeeJan talks to their parents switch with the scene ManeeJan’s parents pour holy water for her along with falling of roses’ petal. With this technique, the film represents each petal of roses that drop slowly as the infinity love of parents to her. Individual scene cannot represent the meaning to audiences.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2_bKmqxqE8&feature=PlayList&p=FE3B85D0E423E19C&index=11

Gaze--- Who gaze?

Today, many films and magazines are related to male gaze who represent women from male point of view. This idea was developed from the article “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” by Laura Mulvey who is feminist film theorist. She stated that the female characters are objects that are controlled by the camera. Through the films a scene of male gaze involves with the camera capture on the curves of a woman’s body.

For example, my last film My Wife is Gangster, when female character, Eun-jin dresses a beautiful dress the camera pans around and focuses on her body slowly. Another example, in the film Miss Congeniality (2000), there are many scenes that the camera focus on female body such as when everyone see agent Hart after she has make up on and dress sexy cloth. The camera focuses on her body through the other characters’ eyes.

However, films are not only one media that focus on female body, the advertising industry especially magazine as well. The picture of attractive women will be shown on the cover on inside pages in order to show products to customers. The advertising aims at the viewers who think that they could be the same as model so they decide to buy products. In addition, the men customer will buy magazine because the attractive women picture as well. Again, I think there is male gaze in cartoon, if we consider male gaze carefully such as the way female characters dress.

Can the subaltern speak?

My Wife is Gangster (2001) is about woman who joins a gang and become a boss named Eun-jin. She acts, talks and dresses like a man. She has a lot of her subordination. One day she discovers her sister, unfortunately she found out that her sister has cancer. Eun-jin asked a doctor to operate her sister, but the doctors refuses because her cancer is at last stage. Before her sister dies, she asked Eun-jin to get marry and has happy family. Therefore, Eun-jin decides to make a promise with her sister and she has to find a groom to make her sister’s wish come true.


Eun-jin is a good example for the easy “Can the Subaltern Speak?” wrote by Spivak. She pointed that the subaltern does not have their own voice to ‘speak’ because their voice are never heard. In this term of subaltern, I talk about feminism. Throughout the films, Eun-jin is denied a voice or the films absent her voice. In this film, Eun-jin character can compared as Hindu widow who burn herself for honor her husband because she does not have her own voice to ‘speak’. First, she has to follow her boss although she has her own man. Second, she has to get married as her sister asks her to do. Eun-jin has to follow what other people say to her in order to follow rules and make her sister is happy. We can say that Eun-jin does not have her own desire same as Hindu widow who jump on fire.

These two ideas point out that feminism still does not have her voice in the global world today even she has power, man, and position