The Quirky Style (Scott Pilgrim VS The World Review)

*****

            All summer long I had set it upon myself to truly consider a broad spectrum of films for my list of Top 15 movies ever. At one point I started with a hundred films, and eventually worked my way down to 15. Scott Pilgrim VS the World by Edgar Wright was perhaps the dark horse of the lot.

            From the trailers I wasn’t the least bit interested in this film. It was by force from an old friend that I went to see it in theaters. As I paid for my ticket all I could think was “what a waste of money”. I sat through the film, laughed a couple of times, and in the end thought nothing of it. Of course it wasn’t as bad as I thought, but the film did nothing for me. I simply pretended to have liked it as much as my friend did, this having been an unfortunate trait of mine before knowing anything worth knowing about film. Around the people I liked I agreed to like a certain film even if I hadn’t liked it one bit. I’m thrilled to say that has changed.

            Back to Scott, I saw it again later, though I can’t exactly remember where. The second time was even worse. I thought “how the hell am I watching this piece of crap again?” I don’t think I laughed at anything the second time.

            Earlier this summer when I began to collect names of films that had left an impression on me Scott Pilgrim VS the World didn’t even come. It wasn’t until they showed it on HBO in mid-June that Scott Pilgrim began to make an impression on me. The first two times I saw the film were before university. Back then I had no useful knowledge of film. I had seen many films, but that didn’t mean anything.

This summer I wasn’t only more knowledgeable, but I was also fresh off my first class in film theory. That class, as my closest friends know, was Chinese Auteurs. No other class has ever influenced as much as Chinese Auteurs. In a way it redefined everything I knew about film, and radically altered my taste in film. In the end, the third time I watched Scott Pilgrim VS the World was a completely different experience.

After seeing plenty of other times, as HBO never tires of playing the same movies over and over again, I had come to understand Scott Pilgrim. Maybe not so much as understand that word has no meaning in film analysis, but now I really appreciated the style of Scott Pilgrim.

Scott Pilgrim could be said is all over the place. There is nothing quite like it. While the film is based on a series of graphic novels, it feels like it’s based more on a video game than anything. Well the film plays like a video game, and that perhaps makes it most unique. Unique because films based on video games try too hard to play like movies and always fall short. Scott Pilgrim is unapologetic about its style. The real world becomes a video game as Scott Pilgrim (played by Cera) must defeat Ramona’s (Winstead) seven evil exes if he is to date her. Each ex becomes harder as he goes, much like any video game where one must defeat the boss of every stage. To make things even better, every time he defeats an evil ex, they disappear into thin air leaving only coins behind and no makes nothing of it. Scott actually picks them up after defeating the first evil ex, and complains there isn’t even enough for a bus ride.

Aside from the video game world of the film, one of my favorite things is the editing. Editing has sadly become rather boring in most films. Here Edgar Wright uses editing to make the film quickly paced and funny along the way. A cut can transport us to a completely unexpected place like a desert with a cactus on the background, a place unusual for the rest of the narrative, yet funny for its randomness. One of my favorite edits comes in the form of a reaction shot when Knives wonders how Scott knows her idol Envy Adams. When it’s revealed to her that Scott dated Envy, Knives’ face becomes the emoticon for surprised or as I’d like to think of it, OMG.

Much like Howl’s Moving Castle, Scott Pilgrim VS the World also reminds me of my childhood. It’s not quite like Howl’s Moving Castle, but as a kid I was a huge fan of fighting sequences in movies. Naturally the outrageous and brilliantly executed fighting sequences in Scott Pilgrim VS the World take me back to the days when I used to imagine such things. By far the coolest fighting sequence is between Ramona Flowers and her ex Roxy involving a metal razor whip and a giant hammer.

Personally I think there is nothing quite like Scott Pilgrim VS the World in terms of style. While some may contest that there are films like Sucker Punch which follow the same pattern I would like to argue that Scott Pilgrim VS the World unlike Sucker Punch is cohesive. Both are all over the place, but Scott Pilgrim VS the World follows a singular pattern throughout where Sucker Punch can feel like brain fart at times. Overall Scott Pilgrim VS the World is a unique experience that will make you laugh and laugh while blending a fast pace editing with stylized fights, and great music. Scott Pilgrim VS the World makes its way into my list of Top 15 Films at number 11 and along with Howl’s Moving Castle ends up being one of the happier fares in my list.





The World of My Childhood (Howl’s Moving Castle Review)



*****

            Howl’s Moving Castle by master storyteller Hayao Miyazaki was the second of his films I had ever seen. Kiki’s Delivery Service was my first Miyazaki, so naturally I expected magic to play a role in the film. Howl’s Moving Castle opens with a curious structure moving across green plains and snowcapped mountains in the background. The castle, which more than a castle looks like a monster of some sort, disappears into a thick fog. That singular shot hooked me in. I don’t know why exactly but I felt like I was a kid all over again.

            From there we are introduced to Sophie. A young girl, but well beyond her years. She goes to town, and the town is wonder of the animation realm. All the activity and hustle and bustle which is extremely difficult to capture in an animated films is brilliantly executed in Howl’s Moving Castle. In an alley Sophie encounters Howl, a famed wizard surrounded with stories that cater to a girl’s worst nightmare. Howl takes off into the air with Sophie as some weird dark shadows pursue them. They walk with ease above the city and Howl lands Sophie safely to her destination. This moment is key for me. It happens early in the film, and flying is nothing short of my greatest dream in the world. Walking in the sky to me is part of numerous dreams I’ve had both as a kid and as an adult. The film only continues with the magic.

            The first time Sophie enters the castle I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to live in such a magical place like that. Throughout the entire movie I was just mesmerized. Howl’s Moving Castle works like a magic spell that can’t be broken. I’ve seen more Miyazaki since then, and while his entire body of work is beautiful, Howl’s Moving Castle seems to have remained with me the longest. The magic and ingenuity of a castle that can move through beautiful animated sceneries alone makes this film a treat hardly matched by any animated or live action film.

            Howl’s Moving Castle is a dream of a movie. After watching it I can’t help but dream to one day have outrageous amounts of money just so I can built a castle just like Howl’s (except of course minus the moving part). Howl’s Moving Castle falls on my list of Top 15 Movies Of All Time at number 13. It is the only animated film in my list, and perhaps also the only film with a fully happy ending. Nothing else on my list comes close to being as happy as this film. Those who know me may wonder why the hell a happy animated movie is on my list of top movies of all time. That first time I watched the film, for the first time ever, I cried at the end, a happy end. For some reason the magic of this film had overwhelmed me with joy. I couldn’t believe how magical it was, and I couldn’t contain my tears. For me this film was unlike any other animated film. Yes it had the happy ending which I despise in movies, but for the first time in my life I didn’t give a shit about the happy ending.

            While the ending is opposite to everything I like, Howl’s Moving Castle is a special film for me thanks to its ability to remind me of what it was like to be a kid. There are other films that remind me of that feeling of freedom and creativity, but none more than Howl’s Moving Castle. When I was a kid I dreamed up worlds similar to the world’s Miyazaki is so good at creating. I dreamed of worlds where freedom is unlimited and anything no matter how magical can happen. My childhood to this day remains the best part of my life, something I will never have again. Perhaps Howl’s Moving Castle’s ability to transport me back to that time is why this film has stayed with me so long, and why it deserves a spot on my list of Top 15 Movies of All Time.

A Zombie Is A Small Yellow Flower (Dogtooth Review)



*****

            Dogtooth by Yorgos Lanthimos is unequivocally one of the most original films from the last couple of years. Who knows if the film will stand the test of time, but one thing is for sure: Dogtooth will leave a lasting impression on whoever lays eyes on it.

            The basic premise of the film follows a family of five. The children, if it’s possible to call them that as they look rather grown up, never leave the house and live under false impressions of how the world operates. They’ve been fed all sorts of crazy, yet sometimes comical, ideas. One of the funniest parts in the film involves the son grabbing some gardening scissors and butchering an intruding cat as his sisters watch horrified from inside the house. The parents tell them cats are monsters, and why shouldn’t they be in a make believe world were apparently mom can give birth to both people and dogs. Yes it’s that sort of world. The children are also given new meaning for words. For example in one of the dining scenes the eldest girl asks mom to pass the telephone, and so the mom passes the salt.

            Though the film is quite unlike anything I’ve ever seen one film came to mind as I watched: Salo. Of course both films touch on the subject of authority and how those figures in power can abuse that power. In Dogtooth the parents are the equivalent of The Magistrate, The Duke, The President, and The Bishop. Of course in Salo the victims know they are victims while in Dogtooth the children are unaware of the fact that their way of life is a lie.

            The world the parents have created for their children isn’t perfect for there are always outside forces acting against it, for example an intruding cat as mentioned before. The household beyond crazy is also sexist. From the very beginning we are introduced to Christina, a young security officer working the gates at the father’s factory. She is hired to satisfy the needs of the son. Only he gets to quench his needs while the other two girls are left in the dark about sexual matters. Christina is a key character in the film as she more than even the cat disrupts the balance of the household. She takes advantage of the eldest girl by giving her gifts in exchange for sexual favors. Christina after being left unsatisfied by the son asks the eldest daughter if she will lick her down there in exchange for a headband that sparkles in the dark. The girl thinks nothing of it and performs fellatio without knowing so. Later the girl blackmails Christina for a couple of movies which turn out to be the iconic films of Rocky and Jaws. The girl then mimics such films in some of the most comical scenes of the film.

            Aside from the all too crazy story being told by the film one of the most satisfying aspects of Dogtooth is the unique style in which it is told. The film uses plenty of long takes, but instead of allowing the audience to become familiar with a space the unique and unconventional framing makes the long take abstract. In Dogtooth open framing is consistent. The faces of characters are cut off, and shots instead of showing facial reactions tend to focus on the character’s backs of their heads. This particular style is quite strange and makes for a rather disorienting experience but then again this isn’t our everyday world.

            In the end Dogtooth is an experience quite unlike anything. The strangeness of the story will keep you fixated to the screen. The strange mix of comedy and taboo will keep you guessing “should I laugh, or be disgusted”. Dogtooth is nothing short of a masterpiece, but beware this film isn’t for every eye. There are plenty of graphic scenes and endless taboos, so before watching it make sure you are completely comfortable with nudity, and violence against animals plus other things.