bullhead was a great movie that was interesting till the end. while some of the moments in the movie were, what seemed to be, out their the movie keep flowing and kept everything seeming to be possible. it was interesting to see a movie where drugs were a key part but instead of heavy drugs that everyone thinks of as bad and harmful you had testosterone which is generally thought of as a harmless thing that has more jokes then negative views on it. also the ending was great as where you knew he was going down fighting the place and what happened were a great shock. their were many times where you kept waiting for him to fight but he didn't. by the time he does fight the cops you think it's just another fake out moment. the fact that they were the meat mafia was some what funny because when you think criminal you don't generally think of something like that. all in all the movie was great and was interesting to watch.
Overall I felt this was a very strange film. The movie starts with this guy Jack or Jacky being a very weird guy, he has some drastic movements and motions. When they are eating, he suddenly leaves the table in a very quick and abrupt manner, he does not talk much. I was getting very confused at the beginning because of his behavior, but the flashback to 20 years ago helped me understand everything. What Bruno did to Jack when they were kids absolutely shocked me, I was amazed. I have never heard nor obviously seen anything like that, it was completely sick. I felt like I wanted to hit Bruno and was hoping Jack would get revenge later on. I also found it interesting how it was shot in Belgium and everyone has a Belgium- like or European name, except Jack. The film starts with Jacks normal life as an adult, which leaves the viewer, or at least me, trying to figure out why he does the things he does. He injects himself constantly, takes pills, and acts strange overall, but we realize that as a child he had that “accident” and he needs to get himself testosterone. Sexuality also takes place in the film, but it is quite a unique one. There are no real direct sex scenes, but a porn video is seen/ heard in a meeting, which I found very bizarre. Bruno also attempts to masturbate when young, right before he attacked Jack. And there is also some ‘gay’ talk, when his parents fear they would turn guy, and with Diederik.
I was not really excited about going to see the film “17 Girls” to be honest. However, I left the cinema with a whole new mentality. The film really caught my attention, perhaps because it deals with something that at this age, has become popular and problematic among students; although these girls were in High School. My first thought was that it was very weird to make a film about 15-17 girls getting pregnant at such an early age, but then I realized that it was even stranger that it was based on a true story, I was truly shocked. Pregnancy that early in life causes a lot of problems in families and social life in general, but here the girls wanted to get pregnant, as if it was the best thing they could do. I noticed that at the beginning, there were a lot of nature sounds, like the ocean, trees moving because of the wind, etc. It seemed to me that the film mainly was composed of conversations, and no exterior sounds other than those that were natural. The film has also a lot of close up shots, primarily regarding the girls, like Camille, perhaps to make the viewer notice precisely the emotions that the characters were experiencing. Something that I did not really understand was the ladybugs story, I felt it was extra and there was no real need to have it. In fact, that is how the movie starts, but to me, it does not lead or guide the viewer to anything
17 Girls tells the story of a pack of 17 year old girls whose rebellious “dreams” convince and lead them into purposely becoming pregnant together. When it said it was inspired by the events that occurred in 2008 it shocked me that this was actually a true story. The first girl, Camille, who became pregnant and initiated the “trend” was clearly not thinking straight if she thought that having a baby would be a good decision at age 17. She thought this would change the world but the only world she was changing was her own. The movie reminded me of Mean Girls but instead of the normal four dumb girls it used seventeen dumber ones. For starters if you are going to decide to keep your baby why would you continue to smoke and drink? A couple of the scenes took on the Mean Girls aspect especially when the girls are sitting down in the cafeteria for lunch at school and don’t let Florence sit with them. The introduction of the ladybugs was essential to the whole film itself. In a way I felt that they became an extended metaphor for the girls. The fact that they were swarming the beach shows the unsustainable lifestyle for the bugs since they had no aphids to eat off of plants. Just as the ladybugs were swarming the beach the girls are seen doing the same throughout the movie and feel a sense of this flying freedom of adolescents. It seems that the girls are constantly in this dreamlike world where they just feel the need to have fun without thinking about consequences and the future. Several scenes showed each girl sitting alone on their beds in their room which were each a different color. However, all of them just seemed to follow the leader (Camille) trusting that it would be a good idea despite what they individually thought. Peer pressure, I feel, was one of the most easily picked up themes. However once Camille, who is furthest along in her pregnancy, gets a miscarriage because she crashes her car (that she drives without a license), she basically screws over the lives of everyone else in the pact who ends up having their kids. This was probably one of the most bizarre but brilliant films I’ve seen at the Cosford. My experience watching it was just slightly awkward since my mom decided to tag along. Other than that I thought the movie overall carried a very meaningful lesson to young girls and parents and definitely changed my outlook on things.
17 Girls is a French film based on the true story of eighteen girls in Gloucester, MA, who all decide to do a “Pregnancy Pact.” The film is almost a documentary, especially since there’s no music playing except when someone is listening to music. The main character, Camille, is the first to get pregnant which happens by accident. She is eight weeks along when she decides to tell her friends and keep the baby. This prompts her to encourage others to get pregnant as well so they can help take care of each other’s babies. They are all living at home under Mom and Dad’s strict rule or absence so having a baby would make them free and independent; it would allow them to move out and escape parental rule. Being in college, and already moved out, it’s surprising to me that they would need a baby in order for them to move out. It’s hard enough to pay for things on your own, but once you involve a baby, it certainly doesn’t get any easier. These girls are very naïve. Poor Florence pretends to be pregnant just to be with the “in” crowd. During the film, the girls are so happy to be having babies because they will all be one big family and live together, as one girl puts it they will be “free, happy and in charge.” Camille states she’s doing it because “it’ll push me to do something with my life. I’ll have two lives.. and someone who loves me unconditionally, my whole life.” I think the show Teen Mom should be shown right after this movie. If girls see this film and really connect with the characters, at least the tv show might make them see just how hard it is to be a single mother. A lot of my friends in high school got pregnant either just being careless or because they thought if they were pregnant, their boyfriends would stay with them, forever. Yet again, there’s this reoccurring theme with not feeling loved and teenage pregnancies. Perhaps society could work on building self-esteem from a young age. Or a more practical, cost-efficient solution would be if schools provided more education about contraception and provided free contraception like my friend’s Quaker boarding school, then there wouldn’t be any teen pregnancies, as proven by my friend.
Bullhead was a very interesting, high emotion film that shocked me in many ways. I really liked the constant comparison being inferred throughout the film between beast and man. And the underlying theme that all that man is, when it gets down to it, are a bunch of animalistic beasts. While we control the beasts, it makes us feel more important and in greater control and apart from the beasts, but this movie questions are we really apart from the animal or is that animal still underlying in most of us? The main character made the audience want to root for him although most of his actions were actions that people would typically frown upon. But, with knowing the traumatic experience from his childhood, the audience wants him to come out on top. Unfortunately in the end he does not and he more or less commits suicide, but this spoke to me more than if the director would have had him come out on top I think. This ending even further emphasized the theme of man as a beast to me, because we view the slaughter of animals with complete nonchalance and think nothing of it. So, for him to be killed in the elevator the way he was, I feel it was put in place to again draw comparison between him and animal and that even humans can be slaughtered just as an animal would be.
I remember hearing the story about the girls a few years ago who made a pact to get pregnant together in the US. I thought I already knew the story so I was not interested in seeing the French version at first. After viewing 17 girls, I ended up really liking it. Camille, the main character, gets pregnant on accident. She was raised by a single mother and at first thinks about not having the baby. She then views the baby as something that will love her back and give her attention, something her mother was not giving her. She talks with her friends about it and encourages them to have a child too. They all fantasize how they will live together in one big house, take care of each others babies and their babies will grow up to be friends. It was sad watching girls my age considering the only way of receiving love was having a child. None of these girls thought about the money and the time going into having the child. It was crazy how the girls were in search of boys just to impregnate themselves. The film consistently showed scenes at the beach, the girls bedrooms and their school's clinic. The first scene showed love bugs covering the beach. The love bugs are showed throughout the film which I felt paralleled the girls lives. The girls were not going to go anywhere in life now that they were having a child, just as the love bugs live a short life and then end up dead on the beach. The girls were able to be careless and free just as the love bugs but in the end, they do not end up making it very far in life. There were always clips of the girls alone in their bedrooms which I felt conveyed the sense that these girls will never have any support raising their child. There were also many scenes in the clinic. The nurse was always trying to talk sense into these girls who would cheer when one of their friend's pregnancy tests was positive. I was shocked by the ending. I knew Camille could not continue her careless lifestyle and be fine. After a night at the beach of drinking with her friends, while Camille is driving home and receives a call from her friend who is bleeding, she ends up crashing. Camille is sent to the hospital and ends up losing the baby. I could not believe how after Camille's accident, she flees the town. The girls end up having their baby and that is the only time they ever hear from her. Camille, the girl who started this pregnancy trend never ends up being there for her friends in raising their children as they had planned in the beginning of the movie. Of course, none of the girls live together or do anything as they had planned with Camille in the beginning either. None of the girls know where Camille ended up. I really loved this film.
Normally I wouldn't be interested in seeing an opera; however, La Bohème is the one opera, aside from Phantom of The Opera," that I've heard of. This is most likely due to the fact that it is one of the fourth most performed opera internationally. Though it's nature and language performed are Italian, it is set in 1840s Paris. I'm usually not a fan of musicals, so my expectations of seeing this cosford film and liking it weren't to high. I also anticipated that it was a film version of the opera, not a taping of it. So I'm not going to lie and say that I would necessarily choose to watch this film again, but I was happy I went to it. I have never actually seen an opera, and this was as close as you can get to the experience. I also think it is important to have seen what people refer to as "classics" because I believe that to be an important component of cineliteracy, or the knowledge of cinema, and seeing a performance as internationally acclaimed as La Bohème will definitely contribute to a well-rounded knowledge of performance and film. The story line itself of different types of bohemian-esque artists (musicians, poets, etc.) struggling with poverty, disease and falling in love is timeless, which most likely attributes to its long-time success. In fact the modern musical (my exception to not liking musicals) Rent, is based off La Bohème. I caught on to this quickly in the opening act when the leading female role Mimi, which is also the same in Rent, gets her candle re-lit. This is also a scene in Rent, and if I recall correctly is Mimi's first song. The climaxing themes of La Bohème are the most blunt similarities to Rent, such as Mimi dying of a lower-class disease-TB in the case of La Bohème, and Aids in Rent, the love story, a city setting, poverty, and the bohemian/urban characters. Once I made these connections my appreciation for the opera tremendously grew. My experience was an excellent example of why classics, including performances outside of just movies, shouldn't be ignored. They teach us the same way they taught many of the most critically acclaimed directors who followed in their footsteps.
Bullhead: “Sometimes things happen in life that turn everybody silent So silent that nobody dares to talk about it anymore To no one, not even themselves Not in their own head, not aloud, not a fucking word.”
The opening of this film brought us some clues of unbearable memories that happened to Jacky. Although we could get some clues from the beginning of this film, but the director just made the truth emerge slowly by the nonlinear storyline. Bruno, who ruined Jacky’s testicles, has destroyed Jacky’s childhood. During Jacky’s adolescent age, he used androgen to help him grow his body, later when he grew up, he also injected bull’s hormone into his body. Then, Jacky’s body was very muscular, but his temper became irritable as those wild animals. Due to his sexual disability, his desire of female was accompanied by fear. Jacky had a very miserable and sad childhood and he had not much interaction with other people. He spent a lot of time on dealing with bulls, as time got longer and longer, that environment made Jacky turn into a bull-like man. I still remember, Jacky said that he knew bull very well and he thought that he was just like a bull. He never knew how to protect anyone. Those bulls just like the kids and wife, they all need protection, however, Jacky thought that he had no his own nature and he cannot protect anyone. Moreover, he liked Bruno’s sister, but after she called the police, Jacky’s desire of her and female was totally ruined. There was a scene; a baby bull had been pulled out from its mother’s belly, not by nature process of parturition, but by famer’s hands! Jacky saw that process and felt like no happiness occurred because of a new life, rather than an endless hopeless and unknown life. After watching this film, I was feeling so bad as Jacky. What I want to say is, childhood is extremely important to everyone and in the future, we must keep our kids very safe.
This film is a strong satire of the political system and power in France. From what I have found out, the main actors, Vincent Lindon and Alain Cavalier, have a real close relationship. They like to make low budget films in high definition and tell a story and play different rolls, experiment a little with things, to see how much trouble they create. In the film, Pater, it is very obvious how much fun they have doing this film together and how they like to move things around to see the different results. While watching this film, I felt that it was a little hard to determine when were they making things up or when was it real since the conversations that took place between them were both about their fictional and actual relationships. This film gives a look into politics and power, and shows those types of men who find pleasure in exercising their power over other people. Even though I did not find it very much interesting, it does give a semi-improvised look on the way Lindon and Cavalier play themselves and political candidates at the same time. I honestly did not get it that much of what was happening in the film; I found it to be confusing. Cavalier plays a fictional French President and Lindon the recently selected Prime Minister. The older character was surely scared of him being replaced by someone of the younger generation, which is represented by Lindon. Also, Pater means father and in this movie it is very obvious the link between Lindon and Cavalier, a familiar link, and i guess this is the reason why they have chemistry when they act.
Last night I saw the film Bullhead (Rundskop), a 2011 Belgian drama film written and directed by Michael R. Roskam. The story involves a young Limburgish cattle farmer, Jacky Vanmarsenille who is approached by veterinarian to make a shady deal with a West-Flemish beef trader. This series of events leads to the discovery of Vanmarsenille’s trouble past and is anger at Jonge Bruno, a bully who viciously attacked him in his youth. I found how the flashbacks of a young Jacky Vanmarsenille and a much older Vanmarsenille are tied together extremely unique because the audience does not really get informed that these two characters are really the same person until a good amount into the film. The clever camera work and quick action shots also made this an extremely exciting film that really holds the viewer on the edge of his or her respective seat. In portraying the emotional Jack Vanmarsenille Roskam uses a type of chiaroscuro because he frames the man in near darkness while he is pumping himself full of steroids or other hormones to build up his testosterone. I found the scene where Bruno attacks Vanmarsenille to be extremely shocking and almost made me feel physically sick. The fact that Bruno got away with it after he physically “neutered” Vanmarsenille made me extremely angered. Although I was disappointed that Vanmarsenille later went on the beat up Bruno to the point of coma I could definitely understand why he would do such a thing. Basically Bruno had ruined his sexual life and had put him in a situation where he could not pass on his family lineage, let alone truly ever attract a woman to him. The scene where Vanmarsenille goes back to the room where Bruno is in a vegetative state due brain damage is actually very sad because in the end no man has won. Vanmarsenille, a clearly depressed man, has just ended Bruno’s productive life and has made sure that Bruno has just as miserable existence as he himself has. The tipping of the picture that shows Bruno, his wife, and his kids is very symbolic because not only has Vanmarsenille prevented Bruno from continuing to experience this it is clear that he Vanmarsenille cannot bear to look at the picture because it reminds him of what he can never have. In conclusion, I found this movie to be extremely captivating and well thought out. Every time there was a slight lull in the action or plot something else would happen that would really draw the audience in. Honestly, this is one of the best movies I have seen in a good while.
Bullhead prologue was bound to remind us of some unbearable memories. The story in the film is told in fragments and in three clues (explicit clue, implied clue and clue of recall). The story is told in such three complementary clues simultaneously. This is one reason for which I like this film. Jacky is undoubtedly a tragic figure, and his misfortune is from trauma and poor family environment in his childhood. The trauma to male’s dignity brought him endless inferiority and psychological shadow. He is as dumb as an oyster, has no contact with anyone, thinks simply, acts impudently, and is excessively violent just like a bull that can become angry at any time. His anger was continuously gotten off from his chest, or gotten off in the same way as the boxer, or brought extreme injury to others for no reason. What’s worse, due to the omission of his parents, he usually comes into contact with cattle, which makes him full of bestiality; therefore, at the end of the film, his bestiality bursts, and his destruction is in accordance with expectation and also contrary to expectation. Thus, he would be silent. He had missed something, and he used to speak to the cattle: “I know about the animals best in my life, and I felt that I myself am just a bull, never knowing what protecting others means. The calves and cattle are just like my children and wife, and they really need protection, which is their nature; however, I do not have the so-called nature.”
About Lucia and Diederik: Jacky is hungry for women but can not reach them due to physiological defect, which is implied many times in the film. Lucia, as the only key woman role in such film, plays a very significant role in the latter part of the film. Lucia, on the one hand, is the sister of Bruno; and on the other hand, she is also the witness of Jacky’s childhood. She evoked Jacky’s desire for touching women. The shadow could have been dissipated, but his unrestrained violent brutal conduct frightened Lucia so that she might report Jacky to the police. By then, Jacky’s fantasy towards women had been vanished. Indeed, the despair reflected by maternity was shown in an ingenious clip: Jacky witnessed that a cow born baby cow by caesarean, the baby cow was dragged out of the cow’s belly and then directly put into a utility cart before falling on the ground. The whole process was of no joy of new life but of endless despair and unknown, which impressed Jacky as well as others. Diederik is also a very important role. He run through the whole film, and shuttled back and forth among the police, gangsters and Jacky, transmitting necessary information. Diederik provided lots of help to Jacky since he owed to him in his childhood; unfortunately, he failed to retain Jacky at last.
This film is as jolting as it is heartbreaking. It’s impossible to talk about Bullhead without bringing up the scene that emasculates Jacky, the most pivotal scene in the entire film. The important lesson to be learned upon viewing the film is to forgive and accept the past. Jacky unravels throughout the film, and his darkest secrets come to the surface when his childhood best friend becomes his business partner (kind of). Jacky’s character moved me. He had never truly grown up, addicted to the steroids prescribed to him a child, because his parents feared he would never become a man, so he became the biggest, strongest man he could be. When he was a child, another boy smashed Jacky’s testicles with a brick. That action could have killed him, but his best friend, Diederik, was there. The way this scene was filmed relies on the power of acting, and silence. You don’t hear Jacky cry out, but in your head, you explode for him. You see the look of pain on young Jacky’s face, blood spurting out of his mouth because he may have bit his tongue in agony. Then the boys who have attacked him stare for a brief moment, absorbing what they’ve done, before running away and leaving him to bleed out. Diederik runs up to him and stares at him for a long time, surprise written on his face. He too turns to run, but to get help. The scene relies on close ups, and while we never see the action, all the implications are written as clear as day. He’s changed, and since he’s a eunuch at an early age, the steroids are a supplement of the testosterone he’ll need to mature. The next scene that sticks out to me the most is the final scene we see of Jacky, when he’s shot to death in the elevator. His dying moment is also silent and the scene fades to him as a child, the last image of the film, telling the audience he never grew up, he was always that boy, trying so hard to be a man because it was expected of him. It was a beautiful film, and one of the best ever shown at the Cosford.
I really liked this period piece. I believe it was meant to be set in the 1930's by the town lanscape and the cars that were driven. This story about a young woman (the welldigger's daughter), who falls for a young man of means (the town merchant's son) is really a classic story. The wealthy family does not want to acknowledge the love interest of their son, who is below their status. The design was beautifully done, with the old French cottages, the home decor of the wealthy family and the costumes of the poor and the wealthy. It was very sad initially how the welldigger basically disowned his daughter, after she got prgnant by the wealthy flyboy. Yet, once the wealthy family thinks their son has been killed, they are more inclined to accept the poor girl and their only heir, their newborn grandson. This story even though the subject matter could be considered a bit heavy, had really funny moments, especially those of The Welldigger claiming his grandson as his only. I have to say that I really enjoyed the film, and probably more so since it had a beautiful happy ending and of course what is not to love about the French countryside.
Having seen the movie Bullhead, I can say that I was not only deeply impressed but moved till my bones, for there are amazing subtleties to experience every second. I wonder why I didn't find any comment that mentions the genuine love of Jacky for Lucia when he was a preteen, how in his mind she always has been the only one he secretly loved with his heart and how in the end, facing the impossibility to even have a friendly conversation with her, his despair culminates into a final act of self-destruction. But, in my opinion, the end is not dark for him as his soul gets freed. The little boy he was and still is departs from life with a final relief of all the pain that imprisoned him. The tragedy will, from then on, shift to the shoulders and consciousness of Diederik, the friend who in their childhood was a coward and now again, did not offer the real help that was needed while being the right man who could. That way the last act did not lose its dramatic momentum. The story doesn't end. At least, it did not end in my mind. Bullhead is a masterpiece, at the height of Greek tragedies and some of Shakespeare’s works. And there is a lot more to say about the infinite subtleties at all levels that make this movie as coherent but inscrutable as life itself.
Bullhead was great I recommend that people really go and watch the movie. Although to read the subtitles in French was a bit annoying because I was so into the movie I thought I’d miss something. I felt like the shots that were used in the movie was not really something that stood out. But I recognized that when there was something important that the audience needed to see there would be a shot of whatever it was suppose to be and it was kind of zoomed upon it. I feel like the movie was not difficult at all to understand although some parts of the movie such as when in the beginning we wondered why Jacky was taking steroids and then there was like a flashback of him getting his genitals beat. Also one thing I didn’t understand is why did they assume just because Jacky got his genitals beaten off that he would become gay so they made him start taking the steroids they did not even give the poor young boy a chance to even grow up without being on the steroids. Obviously by starting so early and taking the steroids for that long of a time it really messed Jacky up for example he was always very fidgety he came off as a very creepy guy. I’m also assuming that by taking the steroids have something to deal with Jacky’s temper issues. Even though the movie was really good and interesting it was also very sad to watch Jacky try and cope with his life after having that “little accident” happen to him.
Pater is a severe satire portraying how the politicians in high positions are executing their power. The movie has been very much applauded in France as the Frenchmen rarely have any trust to their politicians, and that is what Pater is all about. For any other than the Frenchmen though, without knowing much about either the politics or the language, it was very hard to keep track on what really went on in the movie. However, the main actors, Vincent Lindon and Alain Cavalier, have a close relationship, which is built out of respect and a common political belief. They both like to make short movies with different stories, while they are experimenting different things. In these films, they portray Pater, and they are having fun while producing this. The director also like to portray the typical French life, with minimalistic houses, constantly drinking red wine or coffee, or they are eating a good French meal. I felt like I completely lost track of the movie from an early stage, and I am not certain that this movie is actually meant for people other than Frenchmen with understanding in the political system and how it works in France. I though the movie was about the current president Nicolas Sarkozy, but I am unsure whether that is the main character, since they look very much like each other.
17 Girls tells the story of a group of female teenagers who make a pregnancy pact and try to make it last. Set in modern day France, the film is based on real events that took place in Massachusetts just a few years ago. The best part about 17 Girls is that they cast Louise Grinberg as the lead. I think she's one of, if not the most, beautiful young actress in today's industry and her universal appeal fits the role perfectly. Any mediocre-looking girl couldn't captivate me that way -- I would get bored or lose interest in the story. Ginsberg has an effortless look that keeps her human throughout the film, even when we disagree with her behavior or want to question her real motives in dragging all her conformist friends down with her. Pairing her with Arthur Verret obviously makes the film even more "aesthetically pleasing." They're just a power couple, I really couldn't wait to see what their kid would look like.... In all honesty, I appreciated the cinematography and the seemingly genuine depiction of young life in France (pregnant beach party, anyone?). I've read mixed reviews about the film online, but I think it's safe to say that I vouch for it no matter what. It also has a killer soundtrack! I definitely shouldn't forget to mention that -- it's one of the best soundtracks I've come across in quite some time. It's an emotional roller coaster of sorts, but it's totally worthwhile. I'm glad I saw it when I had the chance.
I really enjoyed this film because of the focus and purpose of the movie. It takes us through the character development of Jacky, where events from his past are put in between current and other events to show how he has transformed. Jacky is a blue-collar worker, who simply strives to improve his work and raise better cattle. He is very cautious and calculates the moves he makes, which is part of his character that has developed.
I was very surprised and happy with the way in which this movie was written. As stated before, it jumps back and forth between events to show the development of Jacky. I prefer this format of story telling over the linear method, where in a story is simply laid out for the audience. I think that this version of story-telling is better because the audience gets an immediate before and after of the character, and immediate conclusions can be drawn by his actions and developments. In the linear format, this movie would be a failure because Jacky would only slowly progress as a character, and the audience would get bored of the repetitiveness of his everyday duties.
I thought it was very daring for a film to cover a story about a group of 15-17 year olds purposely getting pregnant but it definitely worked well. I couldn’t believe that it was actually a true story, and that these girls actually thought it was “cool” and part of a trend to pursue becoming pregnant.In terms of the production of the film, I really enjoyed the atmosphere in France within the film and I also thought they incorporated their amazing soundtrack into the film at the perfect moments. Together they naively believed that in some way it would the change the world, but instead it really changed their lives in a much more dramatic way. They all have this sort of vision where they are all going to be friends raising children together having a great time in a house together. While these girls were ignorant to not understand the type of responsibility comes with raising a child, they gave into peer pressure of following the popular girl. In this case, the leader was Camille who ensured them that it would be a great idea, and that it wouldn’t affect their lives to a large extent. Personally I think while Camille’s baby was a complete accident, she didn’t want to be the only one facing the responsibility of having a child, and selfishly encouraged others to go through the same experience. I thought it was absolutely insane in the scene when they were in the hospital cheering for each girl that got positive results for being pregnant. Another reason for getting knocked up for these girls was to leave their parents who established that they needed to have a baby in order to live independently. On the ending, I was completely taken aback to see Camille having a miscarriage, resulting in her being the only one of her friends not actually acting accordingly to their pact. I also noticed many scenes that took place particularly in the schools clinic and the girls bedroom, with a couple beach scenes. I could relate to this movie because their were a couple kids in my high school that had relationships and the girl got knocked up and they were faced with a very challenging situation. While they eventually got an abortion thus avoiding any responsibility for their actions, it really shows how much young people are ignorant to the fact of how much work goes into having a baby.
17 Girls was a very interesting film about the power of peer pressure and the desire of a teenage girl to fit in with her peers. Camille, the first girl to become pregnant, decided that she wanted to keep her baby because she viewed it as a source of unconditional love, which she craved. She obviously did not get the love and attention she needed from any guy, or the father of the baby. Her brother seemed to love her and they had a good relationship, but he had gone into the military and she probably felt much more alone after he left. Her single mother was very busy working and didn’t pay much attention to Camille. All of these things led to Camille deciding to keep the baby. Camille convinced her closest friends that if they were all pregnant together, they would forever be friends, living together in a nice house raising their babies together. I find it amazing that Camille had so much power among her group of friends that she could convince even her most innocent, childish friend to try to get pregnant even though she clearly didn’t want to. I think the power of peer pressure is underestimated and it takes events like this to occur in order for people to understand that.
“Pater” is pretty interesting movie. This film is dealing with French political system. It seems like documentary movie. In this movie, there is no any music and complex technique of camera. It could be very boring but more understandable for audience since it show everything straight forward. There are three different techniques of camera. Those are very simple. First, main characters, Vincent Lindon and Alain Cavalier hold camera each other. When one of them starts to talk, the other one takes video of it. So, I could see through the view of person holding camera. This scene is like interview but more liberal. When one talking about politics in front of camera, the guy holding camera intervenes and talks with him immediately. It showed just their normal communications. This kind of scenes let me think that politicians are very emotional same as us. Second, it just showed what Lindon or Cavalier is doing separately as third person of view. These scenes characterize this film as documentary. Third, Lindon and Cavalier just take video themselves. Especially, Cavalier has more likely taken video himself and talk himself. According to this technique of camera, I could see more about Cavalier’s personality. In himself shot, as a lonely politician, he used to talk himself or talk with his cat. It was very pathetic.
To anyone who thumbs down for this movie, I totally understand it because it is sad enough for you that you don’t have a childhood. The year of 2011 is definitely a year with upsurge of nostalgia paying a tribute to the old era. The Artist is paying a tribute to the golden era of black and white silent movie; Rango is paying a tribute to the traditional westerns in the old days and Hugo is even paying a tribute to the entire film industry. As an alternative form of art, Muppets have brought countless joy to people, but they are gradually disappearing from the stage of history.The Muppets might not be the best nostalgia film; it did the best work to recall childhood memories and to pay tributes to the former glory of the Muppets. To me The Muppets is perfect in terms of details. The dialogue is clear and concise; the plots referring to pay tribute are endless and even the product placements, such as the Red Bull scene, are carefully crafted into a hilarious point. Nowadays in the film industry, it might not be that important about the art itself is good or bad; it is about how to tell your stories to the audiences and to move them with sincerity. The Muppets undoubtedly succeeded in doing this.
Bullhead is so entrancing, I really don't even know where to begin. I had high expectations for the film and, while it lasted a bit longer than I'd hoped, it was definitely worthwhile. Seeing Jacky's "accident" so vividly scared the life out of me... no really. That child actor probably deserves all the awards for his facial expressions and the creepy kid did an incredible job playing, well, a creepy kid. I also loved the mirroring of the animal inside Jacky Vanmarsenille with his almost tender intentions. That last scene in the elevator easily perfected the already-awesome film in so many ways. I loved the lighting; it almost reminded me of the elevator scene in Drive. The elements of love, betrayal, and survival really tie in so flawlessly. Then there's the vengeance, of course, which really kept me wanting more. That hospital room kinda caught me by surprise, but I'm glad they kept the story going that way. Overall, I really enjoyed Bullhead. I think I'd recommend it selectively and with a slight advisement of viewer discretion.
After all the fear and timidity, whether it is anyone waiting for a hit, when playing the bell rings, you will have no choice! The beauty of a woman is inclusive of the world of men, after countless times of struggle, the men always want their children to the same weakness. Movies from Nina to come to Paris to find the dream of art into the Paris train, bid farewell to the native integration into the city. The distance is the queue of the tree, after all the road to reach the hard city. Often choose to Paris with a dream of art, the initial stage of forging not affluent living conditions ideal wings for life, the dream of the day is beautiful. Carries the dreams of young people, not the sufferings of life change, they would choose to dream of art tenacious, and the rest is encountered, met in a foreign land on the land, relative to do. Nina and three men met like the scenes of drama, More depicted in the French film director is a person's state, this is not the end but life itself, there is no right and wrong, just not the same attitude to life, Paul rent and get to know Nina, and his roommate of Queensland Ding is a neurotic theater actors. I still think that the person's role in society will affect the world of his own, Quentin possessive and urgent suffocating, which is the projection of social life in the individual. The film reflects when she came to Paris dream man, although the film has a lot of erotic and nude scene, but these are in order to show the growth of the Ugly Duckling, an out of body yoke reaches the spiritual process, which the doctrine of "John" in the last director to prove these. The plot is not complicated, it is all a dream experience may be like our side of the story, the panorama as a Paris neighborhood to let the audience feel the relationship between the individual and the City, we are in it, we just a face in the crowd a. Self-end the Quentin response to the director's interpretation of love: "because they are the enemy, they used to hate to love" the end of love is to save, you can save is the end, in addition to die we can not prove love strongly. In fact, after the death of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" in the true meaning of all the beginning, we are looking for a lifetime until death occurred just see who is right, the days on the road like the Paris evening rain, cold to play The bulk of the full significance of the illusion of the sun, the male-female relationships is willing to be buried by another person. The film tells the story is a selection of clips of Nina, I very much appreciate the outcome of the design of Andre the West within Andre Techine coaching Nina old director of no confidence in the face of the stage, she bid farewell to the departed, a prelude to Li Nina will be kind of choice? The movie grinds to a halt.
This was the first Cosford film I had seen this semester. I chose to go to this one because the trailer that was shown in class made it seemed very interesting and interesting it was.
The film stars the character Jacky who is a persistent, steroid taking bouncer esque character. Much like the trailer hints to, much of Jacky’s emotion is shown through his facial expressions and overall enforcer like personality. The story centers around a meat mafia and the use of illegal hormones to speed up the process of animal to meat. Up until this point it is hard to understand why Jacky is the way that he is until a flashback is shown that depicts why he is so lonely and awkward around other people. This is when we start to shift from looking at him as some tough guy and more as a person, humanizing him. It was refreshing to see a film where in the US I would just expect it to be a crime film focusing on the macho man, but this film mixes the crime thriller aspect of it as well as the evolving of a character.
What also stood out to me was the scenery and color of the film. It felt very drab and grey and it added to the theme of the film.
bullhead was a great movie that was interesting till the end. while some of the moments in the movie were, what seemed to be, out their the movie keep flowing and kept everything seeming to be possible. it was interesting to see a movie where drugs were a key part but instead of heavy drugs that everyone thinks of as bad and harmful you had testosterone which is generally thought of as a harmless thing that has more jokes then negative views on it. also the ending was great as where you knew he was going down fighting the place and what happened were a great shock. their were many times where you kept waiting for him to fight but he didn't. by the time he does fight the cops you think it's just another fake out moment. the fact that they were the meat mafia was some what funny because when you think criminal you don't generally think of something like that. all in all the movie was great and was interesting to watch.
ReplyDeleteBullhead
ReplyDeleteOverall I felt this was a very strange film. The movie starts with this guy Jack or Jacky being a very weird guy, he has some drastic movements and motions. When they are eating, he suddenly leaves the table in a very quick and abrupt manner, he does not talk much. I was getting very confused at the beginning because of his behavior, but the flashback to 20 years ago helped me understand everything. What Bruno did to Jack when they were kids absolutely shocked me, I was amazed. I have never heard nor obviously seen anything like that, it was completely sick. I felt like I wanted to hit Bruno and was hoping Jack would get revenge later on. I also found it interesting how it was shot in Belgium and everyone has a Belgium- like or European name, except Jack. The film starts with Jacks normal life as an adult, which leaves the viewer, or at least me, trying to figure out why he does the things he does. He injects himself constantly, takes pills, and acts strange overall, but we realize that as a child he had that “accident” and he needs to get himself testosterone. Sexuality also takes place in the film, but it is quite a unique one. There are no real direct sex scenes, but a porn video is seen/ heard in a meeting, which I found very bizarre. Bruno also attempts to masturbate when young, right before he attacked Jack. And there is also some ‘gay’ talk, when his parents fear they would turn guy, and with Diederik.
17 Girls
ReplyDeleteI was not really excited about going to see the film “17 Girls” to be honest. However, I left the cinema with a whole new mentality. The film really caught my attention, perhaps because it deals with something that at this age, has become popular and problematic among students; although these girls were in High School. My first thought was that it was very weird to make a film about 15-17 girls getting pregnant at such an early age, but then I realized that it was even stranger that it was based on a true story, I was truly shocked. Pregnancy that early in life causes a lot of problems in families and social life in general, but here the girls wanted to get pregnant, as if it was the best thing they could do. I noticed that at the beginning, there were a lot of nature sounds, like the ocean, trees moving because of the wind, etc. It seemed to me that the film mainly was composed of conversations, and no exterior sounds other than those that were natural. The film has also a lot of close up shots, primarily regarding the girls, like Camille, perhaps to make the viewer notice precisely the emotions that the characters were experiencing. Something that I did not really understand was the ladybugs story, I felt it was extra and there was no real need to have it. In fact, that is how the movie starts, but to me, it does not lead or guide the viewer to anything
17 Girls tells the story of a pack of 17 year old girls whose rebellious “dreams” convince and lead them into purposely becoming pregnant together. When it said it was inspired by the events that occurred in 2008 it shocked me that this was actually a true story. The first girl, Camille, who became pregnant and initiated the “trend” was clearly not thinking straight if she thought that having a baby would be a good decision at age 17. She thought this would change the world but the only world she was changing was her own. The movie reminded me of Mean Girls but instead of the normal four dumb girls it used seventeen dumber ones. For starters if you are going to decide to keep your baby why would you continue to smoke and drink? A couple of the scenes took on the Mean Girls aspect especially when the girls are sitting down in the cafeteria for lunch at school and don’t let Florence sit with them.
ReplyDeleteThe introduction of the ladybugs was essential to the whole film itself. In a way I felt that they became an extended metaphor for the girls. The fact that they were swarming the beach shows the unsustainable lifestyle for the bugs since they had no aphids to eat off of plants. Just as the ladybugs were swarming the beach the girls are seen doing the same throughout the movie and feel a sense of this flying freedom of adolescents. It seems that the girls are constantly in this dreamlike world where they just feel the need to have fun without thinking about consequences and the future.
Several scenes showed each girl sitting alone on their beds in their room which were each a different color. However, all of them just seemed to follow the leader (Camille) trusting that it would be a good idea despite what they individually thought. Peer pressure, I feel, was one of the most easily picked up themes. However once Camille, who is furthest along in her pregnancy, gets a miscarriage because she crashes her car (that she drives without a license), she basically screws over the lives of everyone else in the pact who ends up having their kids. This was probably one of the most bizarre but brilliant films I’ve seen at the Cosford. My experience watching it was just slightly awkward since my mom decided to tag along. Other than that I thought the movie overall carried a very meaningful lesson to young girls and parents and definitely changed my outlook on things.
17 Girls is a French film based on the true story of eighteen girls in Gloucester, MA, who all decide to do a “Pregnancy Pact.” The film is almost a documentary, especially since there’s no music playing except when someone is listening to music. The main character, Camille, is the first to get pregnant which happens by accident. She is eight weeks along when she decides to tell her friends and keep the baby. This prompts her to encourage others to get pregnant as well so they can help take care of each other’s babies. They are all living at home under Mom and Dad’s strict rule or absence so having a baby would make them free and independent; it would allow them to move out and escape parental rule. Being in college, and already moved out, it’s surprising to me that they would need a baby in order for them to move out. It’s hard enough to pay for things on your own, but once you involve a baby, it certainly doesn’t get any easier. These girls are very naïve. Poor Florence pretends to be pregnant just to be with the “in” crowd.
ReplyDeleteDuring the film, the girls are so happy to be having babies because they will all be one big family and live together, as one girl puts it they will be “free, happy and in charge.” Camille states she’s doing it because “it’ll push me to do something with my life. I’ll have two lives.. and someone who loves me unconditionally, my whole life.” I think the show Teen Mom should be shown right after this movie. If girls see this film and really connect with the characters, at least the tv show might make them see just how hard it is to be a single mother. A lot of my friends in high school got pregnant either just being careless or because they thought if they were pregnant, their boyfriends would stay with them, forever. Yet again, there’s this reoccurring theme with not feeling loved and teenage pregnancies. Perhaps society could work on building self-esteem from a young age. Or a more practical, cost-efficient solution would be if schools provided more education about contraception and provided free contraception like my friend’s Quaker boarding school, then there wouldn’t be any teen pregnancies, as proven by my friend.
Bullhead was a very interesting, high emotion film that shocked me in many ways. I really liked the constant comparison being inferred throughout the film between beast and man. And the underlying theme that all that man is, when it gets down to it, are a bunch of animalistic beasts. While we control the beasts, it makes us feel more important and in greater control and apart from the beasts, but this movie questions are we really apart from the animal or is that animal still underlying in most of us? The main character made the audience want to root for him although most of his actions were actions that people would typically frown upon. But, with knowing the traumatic experience from his childhood, the audience wants him to come out on top. Unfortunately in the end he does not and he more or less commits suicide, but this spoke to me more than if the director would have had him come out on top I think. This ending even further emphasized the theme of man as a beast to me, because we view the slaughter of animals with complete nonchalance and think nothing of it. So, for him to be killed in the elevator the way he was, I feel it was put in place to again draw comparison between him and animal and that even humans can be slaughtered just as an animal would be.
ReplyDelete17 Girls
ReplyDeleteI remember hearing the story about the girls a few years ago who made a pact to get pregnant together in the US. I thought I already knew the story so I was not interested in seeing the French version at first. After viewing 17 girls, I ended up really liking it. Camille, the main character, gets pregnant on accident. She was raised by a single mother and at first thinks about not having the baby. She then views the baby as something that will love her back and give her attention, something her mother was not giving her. She talks with her friends about it and encourages them to have a child too. They all fantasize how they will live together in one big house, take care of each others babies and their babies will grow up to be friends. It was sad watching girls my age considering the only way of receiving love was having a child. None of these girls thought about the money and the time going into having the child. It was crazy how the girls were in search of boys just to impregnate themselves. The film consistently showed scenes at the beach, the girls bedrooms and their school's clinic. The first scene showed love bugs covering the beach. The love bugs are showed throughout the film which I felt paralleled the girls lives. The girls were not going to go anywhere in life now that they were having a child, just as the love bugs live a short life and then end up dead on the beach. The girls were able to be careless and free just as the love bugs but in the end, they do not end up making it very far in life. There were always clips of the girls alone in their bedrooms which I felt conveyed the sense that these girls will never have any support raising their child. There were also many scenes in the clinic. The nurse was always trying to talk sense into these girls who would cheer when one of their friend's pregnancy tests was positive. I was shocked by the ending. I knew Camille could not continue her careless lifestyle and be fine. After a night at the beach of drinking with her friends, while Camille is driving home and receives a call from her friend who is bleeding, she ends up crashing. Camille is sent to the hospital and ends up losing the baby. I could not believe how after Camille's accident, she flees the town. The girls end up having their baby and that is the only time they ever hear from her. Camille, the girl who started this pregnancy trend never ends up being there for her friends in raising their children as they had planned in the beginning of the movie. Of course, none of the girls live together or do anything as they had planned with Camille in the beginning either. None of the girls know where Camille ended up. I really loved this film.
La Bohème
ReplyDeleteNormally I wouldn't be interested in seeing an opera; however, La Bohème is the one opera, aside from Phantom of The Opera," that I've heard of. This is most likely due to the fact that it is one of the fourth most performed opera internationally. Though it's nature and language performed are Italian, it is set in 1840s Paris. I'm usually not a fan of musicals, so my expectations of seeing this cosford film and liking it weren't to high. I also anticipated that it was a film version of the opera, not a taping of it. So I'm not going to lie and say that I would necessarily choose to watch this film again, but I was happy I went to it. I have never actually seen an opera, and this was as close as you can get to the experience. I also think it is important to have seen what people refer to as "classics" because I believe that to be an important component of cineliteracy, or the knowledge of cinema, and seeing a performance as internationally acclaimed as La Bohème will definitely contribute to a well-rounded knowledge of performance and film. The story line itself of different types of bohemian-esque artists (musicians, poets, etc.) struggling with poverty, disease and falling in love is timeless, which most likely attributes to its long-time success. In fact the modern musical (my exception to not liking musicals) Rent, is based off La Bohème. I caught on to this quickly in the opening act when the leading female role Mimi, which is also the same in Rent, gets her candle re-lit. This is also a scene in Rent, and if I recall correctly is Mimi's first song. The climaxing themes of La Bohème are the most blunt similarities to Rent, such as Mimi dying of a lower-class disease-TB in the case of La Bohème, and Aids in Rent, the love story, a city setting, poverty, and the bohemian/urban characters. Once I made these connections my appreciation for the opera tremendously grew. My experience was an excellent example of why classics, including performances outside of just movies, shouldn't be ignored. They teach us the same way they taught many of the most critically acclaimed directors who followed in their footsteps.
Bullhead:
ReplyDelete“Sometimes things happen in life that turn everybody silent
So silent that nobody dares to talk about it anymore
To no one, not even themselves
Not in their own head, not aloud, not a fucking word.”
The opening of this film brought us some clues of unbearable memories that happened to Jacky. Although we could get some clues from the beginning of this film, but the director just made the truth emerge slowly by the nonlinear storyline. Bruno, who ruined Jacky’s testicles, has destroyed Jacky’s childhood. During Jacky’s adolescent age, he used androgen to help him grow his body, later when he grew up, he also injected bull’s hormone into his body. Then, Jacky’s body was very muscular, but his temper became irritable as those wild animals. Due to his sexual disability, his desire of female was accompanied by fear.
Jacky had a very miserable and sad childhood and he had not much interaction with other people. He spent a lot of time on dealing with bulls, as time got longer and longer, that environment made Jacky turn into a bull-like man. I still remember, Jacky said that he knew bull very well and he thought that he was just like a bull. He never knew how to protect anyone. Those bulls just like the kids and wife, they all need protection, however, Jacky thought that he had no his own nature and he cannot protect anyone. Moreover, he liked Bruno’s sister, but after she called the police, Jacky’s desire of her and female was totally ruined. There was a scene; a baby bull had been pulled out from its mother’s belly, not by nature process of parturition, but by famer’s hands! Jacky saw that process and felt like no happiness occurred because of a new life, rather than an endless hopeless and unknown life. After watching this film, I was feeling so bad as Jacky. What I want to say is, childhood is extremely important to everyone and in the future, we must keep our kids very safe.
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ReplyDeletePater
ReplyDeleteThis film is a strong satire of the political system and power in France. From what I have found out, the main actors, Vincent Lindon and Alain Cavalier, have a real close relationship. They like to make low budget films in high definition and tell a story and play different rolls, experiment a little with things, to see how much trouble they create. In the film, Pater, it is very obvious how much fun they have doing this film together and how they like to move things around to see the different results. While watching this film, I felt that it was a little hard to determine when were they making things up or when was it real since the conversations that took place between them were both about their fictional and actual relationships. This film gives a look into politics and power, and shows those types of men who find pleasure in exercising their power over other people. Even though I did not find it very much interesting, it does give a semi-improvised look on the way Lindon and Cavalier play themselves and political candidates at the same time. I honestly did not get it that much of what was happening in the film; I found it to be confusing. Cavalier plays a fictional French President and Lindon the recently selected Prime Minister. The older character was surely scared of him being replaced by someone of the younger generation, which is represented by Lindon. Also, Pater means father and in this movie it is very obvious the link between Lindon and Cavalier, a familiar link, and i guess this is the reason why they have chemistry when they act.
BULLHEAD
ReplyDeleteLast night I saw the film Bullhead (Rundskop), a 2011 Belgian drama film written and directed by Michael R. Roskam. The story involves a young Limburgish cattle farmer, Jacky Vanmarsenille who is approached by veterinarian to make a shady deal with a West-Flemish beef trader. This series of events leads to the discovery of Vanmarsenille’s trouble past and is anger at Jonge Bruno, a bully who viciously attacked him in his youth. I found how the flashbacks of a young Jacky Vanmarsenille and a much older Vanmarsenille are tied together extremely unique because the audience does not really get informed that these two characters are really the same person until a good amount into the film. The clever camera work and quick action shots also made this an extremely exciting film that really holds the viewer on the edge of his or her respective seat. In portraying the emotional Jack Vanmarsenille Roskam uses a type of chiaroscuro because he frames the man in near darkness while he is pumping himself full of steroids or other hormones to build up his testosterone. I found the scene where Bruno attacks Vanmarsenille to be extremely shocking and almost made me feel physically sick. The fact that Bruno got away with it after he physically “neutered” Vanmarsenille made me extremely angered. Although I was disappointed that Vanmarsenille later went on the beat up Bruno to the point of coma I could definitely understand why he would do such a thing. Basically Bruno had ruined his sexual life and had put him in a situation where he could not pass on his family lineage, let alone truly ever attract a woman to him. The scene where Vanmarsenille goes back to the room where Bruno is in a vegetative state due brain damage is actually very sad because in the end no man has won. Vanmarsenille, a clearly depressed man, has just ended Bruno’s productive life and has made sure that Bruno has just as miserable existence as he himself has. The tipping of the picture that shows Bruno, his wife, and his kids is very symbolic because not only has Vanmarsenille prevented Bruno from continuing to experience this it is clear that he Vanmarsenille cannot bear to look at the picture because it reminds him of what he can never have. In conclusion, I found this movie to be extremely captivating and well thought out. Every time there was a slight lull in the action or plot something else would happen that would really draw the audience in. Honestly, this is one of the best movies I have seen in a good while.
Bullhead
ReplyDeleteBullhead prologue was bound to remind us of some unbearable memories. The story in the film is told in fragments and in three clues (explicit clue, implied clue and clue of recall). The story is told in such three complementary clues simultaneously. This is one reason for which I like this film.
Jacky is undoubtedly a tragic figure, and his misfortune is from trauma and poor family environment in his childhood. The trauma to male’s dignity brought him endless inferiority and psychological shadow. He is as dumb as an oyster, has no contact with anyone, thinks simply, acts impudently, and is excessively violent just like a bull that can become angry at any time. His anger was continuously gotten off from his chest, or gotten off in the same way as the boxer, or brought extreme injury to others for no reason. What’s worse, due to the omission of his parents, he usually comes into contact with cattle, which makes him full of bestiality; therefore, at the end of the film, his bestiality bursts, and his destruction is in accordance with expectation and also contrary to expectation. Thus, he would be silent. He had missed something, and he used to speak to the cattle: “I know about the animals best in my life, and I felt that I myself am just a bull, never knowing what protecting others means. The calves and cattle are just like my children and wife, and they really need protection, which is their nature; however, I do not have the so-called nature.”
About Lucia and Diederik:
Jacky is hungry for women but can not reach them due to physiological defect, which is implied many times in the film. Lucia, as the only key woman role in such film, plays a very significant role in the latter part of the film. Lucia, on the one hand, is the sister of Bruno; and on the other hand, she is also the witness of Jacky’s childhood. She evoked Jacky’s desire for touching women. The shadow could have been dissipated, but his unrestrained violent brutal conduct frightened Lucia so that she might report Jacky to the police. By then, Jacky’s fantasy towards women had been vanished. Indeed, the despair reflected by maternity was shown in an ingenious clip: Jacky witnessed that a cow born baby cow by caesarean, the baby cow was dragged out of the cow’s belly and then directly put into a utility cart before falling on the ground. The whole process was of no joy of new life but of endless despair and unknown, which impressed Jacky as well as others.
Diederik is also a very important role. He run through the whole film, and shuttled back and forth among the police, gangsters and Jacky, transmitting necessary information. Diederik provided lots of help to Jacky since he owed to him in his childhood; unfortunately, he failed to retain Jacky at last.
Bullhead
ReplyDeleteThis film is as jolting as it is heartbreaking. It’s impossible to talk about Bullhead without bringing up the scene that emasculates Jacky, the most pivotal scene in the entire film. The important lesson to be learned upon viewing the film is to forgive and accept the past. Jacky unravels throughout the film, and his darkest secrets come to the surface when his childhood best friend becomes his business partner (kind of). Jacky’s character moved me. He had never truly grown up, addicted to the steroids prescribed to him a child, because his parents feared he would never become a man, so he became the biggest, strongest man he could be. When he was a child, another boy smashed Jacky’s testicles with a brick. That action could have killed him, but his best friend, Diederik, was there. The way this scene was filmed relies on the power of acting, and silence. You don’t hear Jacky cry out, but in your head, you explode for him. You see the look of pain on young Jacky’s face, blood spurting out of his mouth because he may have bit his tongue in agony. Then the boys who have attacked him stare for a brief moment, absorbing what they’ve done, before running away and leaving him to bleed out. Diederik runs up to him and stares at him for a long time, surprise written on his face. He too turns to run, but to get help. The scene relies on close ups, and while we never see the action, all the implications are written as clear as day. He’s changed, and since he’s a eunuch at an early age, the steroids are a supplement of the testosterone he’ll need to mature. The next scene that sticks out to me the most is the final scene we see of Jacky, when he’s shot to death in the elevator. His dying moment is also silent and the scene fades to him as a child, the last image of the film, telling the audience he never grew up, he was always that boy, trying so hard to be a man because it was expected of him. It was a beautiful film, and one of the best ever shown at the Cosford.
The Welldigger's Daughter.....
ReplyDeleteI really liked this period piece. I believe it was meant to be set in the 1930's by the town lanscape and the cars that were driven. This story about a young woman (the welldigger's daughter), who falls for a young man of means (the town merchant's son) is really a classic story. The wealthy family does not want to acknowledge the love interest of their son, who is below their status. The design was beautifully done, with the old French cottages, the home decor of the wealthy family and the costumes of the poor and the wealthy. It was very sad initially how the welldigger basically disowned his daughter, after she got prgnant by the wealthy flyboy. Yet, once the wealthy family thinks their son has been killed, they are more inclined to accept the poor girl and their only heir, their newborn grandson. This story even though the subject matter could be considered a bit heavy, had really funny moments, especially those of The Welldigger claiming his grandson as his only. I have to say that I really enjoyed the film, and probably more so since it had a beautiful happy ending and of course what is not to love about the French countryside.
Jason Koreen
ReplyDeleteHaving seen the movie Bullhead, I can say that I was not only deeply impressed but moved till my bones, for there are amazing subtleties to experience every second. I wonder why I didn't find any comment that mentions the genuine love of Jacky for Lucia when he was a preteen, how in his mind she always has been the only one he secretly loved with his heart and how in the end, facing the impossibility to even have a friendly conversation with her, his despair culminates into a final act of self-destruction. But, in my opinion, the end is not dark for him as his soul gets freed. The little boy he was and still is departs from life with a final relief of all the pain that imprisoned him. The tragedy will, from then on, shift to the shoulders and consciousness of Diederik, the friend who in their childhood was a coward and now again, did not offer the real help that was needed while being the right man who could. That way the last act did not lose its dramatic momentum. The story doesn't end. At least, it did not end in my mind. Bullhead is a masterpiece, at the height of Greek tragedies and some of Shakespeare’s works. And there is a lot more to say about the infinite subtleties at all levels that make this movie as coherent but inscrutable as life itself.
Bullhead was great I recommend that people really go and watch the movie. Although to read the subtitles in French was a bit annoying because I was so into the movie I thought I’d miss something. I felt like the shots that were used in the movie was not really something that stood out. But I recognized that when there was something important that the audience needed to see there would be a shot of whatever it was suppose to be and it was kind of zoomed upon it. I feel like the movie was not difficult at all to understand although some parts of the movie such as when in the beginning we wondered why Jacky was taking steroids and then there was like a flashback of him getting his genitals beat. Also one thing I didn’t understand is why did they assume just because Jacky got his genitals beaten off that he would become gay so they made him start taking the steroids they did not even give the poor young boy a chance to even grow up without being on the steroids. Obviously by starting so early and taking the steroids for that long of a time it really messed Jacky up for example he was always very fidgety he came off as a very creepy guy. I’m also assuming that by taking the steroids have something to deal with Jacky’s temper issues. Even though the movie was really good and interesting it was also very sad to watch Jacky try and cope with his life after having that “little accident” happen to him.
ReplyDeletePATER
ReplyDeletePater is a severe satire portraying how the politicians in high positions are executing their power. The movie has been very much applauded in France as the Frenchmen rarely have any trust to their politicians, and that is what Pater is all about. For any other than the Frenchmen though, without knowing much about either the politics or the language, it was very hard to keep track on what really went on in the movie. However, the main actors, Vincent Lindon and Alain Cavalier, have a close relationship, which is built out of respect and a common political belief. They both like to make short movies with different stories, while they are experimenting different things. In these films, they portray Pater, and they are having fun while producing this. The director also like to portray the typical French life, with minimalistic houses, constantly drinking red wine or coffee, or they are eating a good French meal. I felt like I completely lost track of the movie from an early stage, and I am not certain that this movie is actually meant for people other than Frenchmen with understanding in the political system and how it works in France. I though the movie was about the current president Nicolas Sarkozy, but I am unsure whether that is the main character, since they look very much like each other.
17 Girls tells the story of a group of female teenagers who make a pregnancy pact and try to make it last. Set in modern day France, the film is based on real events that took place in Massachusetts just a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteThe best part about 17 Girls is that they cast Louise Grinberg as the lead. I think she's one of, if not the most, beautiful young actress in today's industry and her universal appeal fits the role perfectly. Any mediocre-looking girl couldn't captivate me that way -- I would get bored or lose interest in the story. Ginsberg has an effortless look that keeps her human throughout the film, even when we disagree with her behavior or want to question her real motives in dragging all her conformist friends down with her. Pairing her with Arthur Verret obviously makes the film even more "aesthetically pleasing." They're just a power couple, I really couldn't wait to see what their kid would look like....
In all honesty, I appreciated the cinematography and the seemingly genuine depiction of young life in France (pregnant beach party, anyone?). I've read mixed reviews about the film online, but I think it's safe to say that I vouch for it no matter what. It also has a killer soundtrack! I definitely shouldn't forget to mention that -- it's one of the best soundtracks I've come across in quite some time. It's an emotional roller coaster of sorts, but it's totally worthwhile. I'm glad I saw it when I had the chance.
Bullhead
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this film because of the focus and purpose of the movie. It takes us through the character development of Jacky, where events from his past are put in between current and other events to show how he has transformed. Jacky is a blue-collar worker, who simply strives to improve his work and raise better cattle. He is very cautious and calculates the moves he makes, which is part of his character that has developed.
I was very surprised and happy with the way in which this movie was written. As stated before, it jumps back and forth between events to show the development of Jacky. I prefer this format of story telling over the linear method, where in a story is simply laid out for the audience. I think that this version of story-telling is better because the audience gets an immediate before and after of the character, and immediate conclusions can be drawn by his actions and developments. In the linear format, this movie would be a failure because Jacky would only slowly progress as a character, and the audience would get bored of the repetitiveness of his everyday duties.
17 Girls Rendez Vous with French Cinema
ReplyDeleteNate Jennings
I thought it was very daring for a film to cover a story about a group of 15-17 year olds purposely getting pregnant but it definitely worked well. I couldn’t believe that it was actually a true story, and that these girls actually thought it was “cool” and part of a trend to pursue becoming pregnant.In terms of the production of the film, I really enjoyed the atmosphere in France within the film and I also thought they incorporated their amazing soundtrack into the film at the perfect moments. Together they naively believed that in some way it would the change the world, but instead it really changed their lives in a much more dramatic way. They all have this sort of vision where they are all going to be friends raising children together having a great time in a house together. While these girls were ignorant to not understand the type of responsibility comes with raising a child, they gave into peer pressure of following the popular girl. In this case, the leader was Camille who ensured them that it would be a great idea, and that it wouldn’t affect their lives to a large extent. Personally I think while Camille’s baby was a complete accident, she didn’t want to be the only one facing the responsibility of having a child, and selfishly encouraged others to go through the same experience. I thought it was absolutely insane in the scene when they were in the hospital cheering for each girl that got positive results for being pregnant. Another reason for getting knocked up for these girls was to leave their parents who established that they needed to have a baby in order to live independently. On the ending, I was completely taken aback to see Camille having a miscarriage, resulting in her being the only one of her friends not actually acting accordingly to their pact. I also noticed many scenes that took place particularly in the schools clinic and the girls bedroom, with a couple beach scenes. I could relate to this movie because their were a couple kids in my high school that had relationships and the girl got knocked up and they were faced with a very challenging situation. While they eventually got an abortion thus avoiding any responsibility for their actions, it really shows how much young people are ignorant to the fact of how much work goes into having a baby.
17 Girls was a very interesting film about the power of peer pressure and the desire of a teenage girl to fit in with her peers. Camille, the first girl to become pregnant, decided that she wanted to keep her baby because she viewed it as a source of unconditional love, which she craved. She obviously did not get the love and attention she needed from any guy, or the father of the baby. Her brother seemed to love her and they had a good relationship, but he had gone into the military and she probably felt much more alone after he left. Her single mother was very busy working and didn’t pay much attention to Camille. All of these things led to Camille deciding to keep the baby. Camille convinced her closest friends that if they were all pregnant together, they would forever be friends, living together in a nice house raising their babies together. I find it amazing that Camille had so much power among her group of friends that she could convince even her most innocent, childish friend to try to get pregnant even though she clearly didn’t want to. I think the power of peer pressure is underestimated and it takes events like this to occur in order for people to understand that.
ReplyDeletePater
ReplyDelete“Pater” is pretty interesting movie. This film is dealing with French political system. It seems like documentary movie. In this movie, there is no any music and complex technique of camera. It could be very boring but more understandable for audience since it show everything straight forward. There are three different techniques of camera. Those are very simple. First, main characters, Vincent Lindon and Alain Cavalier hold camera each other. When one of them starts to talk, the other one takes video of it. So, I could see through the view of person holding camera. This scene is like interview but more liberal. When one talking about politics in front of camera, the guy holding camera intervenes and talks with him immediately. It showed just their normal communications. This kind of scenes let me think that politicians are very emotional same as us. Second, it just showed what Lindon or Cavalier is doing separately as third person of view. These scenes characterize this film as documentary. Third, Lindon and Cavalier just take video themselves. Especially, Cavalier has more likely taken video himself and talk himself. According to this technique of camera, I could see more about Cavalier’s personality. In himself shot, as a lonely politician, he used to talk himself or talk with his cat. It was very pathetic.
Feng Yang
ReplyDeleteC06087996
THE MUPPETS
To anyone who thumbs down for this movie, I totally understand it because it is sad enough for you that you don’t have a childhood. The year of 2011 is definitely a year with upsurge of nostalgia paying a tribute to the old era. The Artist is paying a tribute to the golden era of black and white silent movie; Rango is paying a tribute to the traditional westerns in the old days and Hugo is even paying a tribute to the entire film industry. As an alternative form of art, Muppets have brought countless joy to people, but they are gradually disappearing from the stage of history.The Muppets might not be the best nostalgia film; it did the best work to recall childhood memories and to pay tributes to the former glory of the Muppets. To me The Muppets is perfect in terms of details. The dialogue is clear and concise; the plots referring to pay tribute are endless and even the product placements, such as the Red Bull scene, are carefully crafted into a hilarious point. Nowadays in the film industry, it might not be that important about the art itself is good or bad; it is about how to tell your stories to the audiences and to move them with sincerity. The Muppets undoubtedly succeeded in doing this.
Bullhead is so entrancing, I really don't even know where to begin. I had high expectations for the film and, while it lasted a bit longer than I'd hoped, it was definitely worthwhile. Seeing Jacky's "accident" so vividly scared the life out of me... no really. That child actor probably deserves all the awards for his facial expressions and the creepy kid did an incredible job playing, well, a creepy kid. I also loved the mirroring of the animal inside Jacky Vanmarsenille with his almost tender intentions. That last scene in the elevator easily perfected the already-awesome film in so many ways. I loved the lighting; it almost reminded me of the elevator scene in Drive. The elements of love, betrayal, and survival really tie in so flawlessly. Then there's the vengeance, of course, which really kept me wanting more. That hospital room kinda caught me by surprise, but I'm glad they kept the story going that way. Overall, I really enjoyed Bullhead. I think I'd recommend it selectively and with a slight advisement of viewer discretion.
ReplyDeleteAfter all the fear and timidity, whether it is anyone waiting for a hit, when playing the bell rings, you will have no choice!
ReplyDeleteThe beauty of a woman is inclusive of the world of men, after countless times of struggle, the men always want their children to the same weakness.
Movies from Nina to come to Paris to find the dream of art into the Paris train, bid farewell to the native integration into the city.
The distance is the queue of the tree, after all the road to reach the hard city.
Often choose to Paris with a dream of art, the initial stage of forging not affluent living conditions ideal wings for life, the dream of the day is beautiful.
Carries the dreams of young people, not the sufferings of life change, they would choose to dream of art tenacious, and the rest is encountered, met in a foreign land on the land, relative to do. Nina and three men met like the scenes of drama,
More depicted in the French film director is a person's state, this is not the end but life itself, there is no right and wrong, just not the same attitude to life, Paul rent and get to know Nina, and his roommate of Queensland Ding is a neurotic theater actors. I still think that the person's role in society will affect the world of his own, Quentin possessive and urgent suffocating, which is the projection of social life in the individual. The film reflects when she came to Paris dream man, although the film has a lot of erotic and nude scene, but these are in order to show the growth of the Ugly Duckling, an out of body yoke reaches the spiritual process, which the doctrine of "John" in the last director to prove these.
The plot is not complicated, it is all a dream experience may be like our side of the story, the panorama as a Paris neighborhood to let the audience feel the relationship between the individual and the City, we are in it, we just a face in the crowd a.
Self-end the Quentin response to the director's interpretation of love: "because they are the enemy, they used to hate to love" the end of love is to save, you can save is the end, in addition to die we can not prove love strongly. In fact, after the death of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" in the true meaning of all the beginning, we are looking for a lifetime until death occurred just see who is right, the days on the road like the Paris evening rain, cold to play The bulk of the full significance of the illusion of the sun, the male-female relationships is willing to be buried by another person.
The film tells the story is a selection of clips of Nina, I very much appreciate the outcome of the design of Andre the West within Andre Techine coaching Nina old director of no confidence in the face of the stage, she bid farewell to the departed, a prelude to Li Nina will be kind of choice? The movie grinds to a halt.
This was the first Cosford film I had seen this semester. I chose to go to this one because the trailer that was shown in class made it seemed very interesting and interesting it was.
ReplyDeleteThe film stars the character Jacky who is a persistent, steroid taking bouncer esque character. Much like the trailer hints to, much of Jacky’s emotion is shown through his facial expressions and overall enforcer like personality. The story centers around a meat mafia and the use of illegal hormones to speed up the process of animal to meat. Up until this point it is hard to understand why Jacky is the way that he is until a flashback is shown that depicts why he is so lonely and awkward around other people. This is when we start to shift from looking at him as some tough guy and more as a person, humanizing him. It was refreshing to see a film where in the US I would just expect it to be a crime film focusing on the macho man, but this film mixes the crime thriller aspect of it as well as the evolving of a character.
What also stood out to me was the scenery and color of the film. It felt very drab and grey and it added to the theme of the film.