rev-ewe 29: And When the Sky Was Opened

Episode 11: And When the Sky Was Opened
"Twilight Zone"
Rod Serling
USA




I'm pretty sure I meant to review only movies on this blog, but dammit this episode was too good. I'm also sure that many, many people have seen this show before, but somehow I slipped through the Twilight Zone until recently. I've been going through the show from the beginning and am constantly being amazed at this show's social commentary, direction style, command of irony and ability to surprise me with an ending. This episode in particular is simply exquisite.
I feel like I don't even want to talk about the plot, only what was absolutely amazing about it. I'm gonna write a bit about my film analysis and plot analysis. Really just my favorite aspects of the episode.



The chronology of the episode was wonderfully chosen. To start with Forbes asking Gart if he remembers Harrington is the perfect way to set it up. It already causes the question for you, is Forbes just crazy? Is this memory his way of dealing with going through something so traumatic as to crash land back on Earth after being shot into space? This really kept the ending a surprise from me, because I'm already used to the psychological issues the Twilight Zone is so apt to present. I was entirely thrilled by the way they used light, angle and good acting to present exactly what's going on at the end. When Forbes suddenly looks up and light comes from below him, after switching from an eye-level angle to a low angle, we all realize he's about to disappear. That there really was a Harrington, and soon there won't be a Forbes or Gart. The angle change reveals a change in perception and suddenly Forbes is aware. He is above where he was before and sees the truth. That was pure genius. They didn't have to say anything out loud or even hit you over the head with it, it just became so obvious. Truly, Gart's acting the moment he realizes it, too, is on point. The absolute shock and dreading on his face is perfect. Knowing that he's about to disappear from existence translated well.



The plot of this episode brought up so many interesting issues I never thought I'd see in a TV show, much less one from the oppressive decade of the 50s. About space travel and most importantly about the media's ability to cover up anything and everything. The fact that they use the newspapers to not only express what the reality of the moment is, it also is our reference point for the disappearance of a character. In addition to the newspaper, Forbes attempts to use a wire he sent to his girlfriend/wife to prove the existence of Harrington. This makes a point about the information we receive and how we receive it. It shows how any form of written communication can be altered and can suddenly create reality. The fact that we look to all written documents as truth. The closing commentary truly reiterates the idea that suddenly, information can just simply be wiped from human memory, whether it actually existed or not. Those men existed and suddenly they didn't, because the newspapers said so. Obviously, the reality in the episode is that something didn't want them to return, and the science fiction cover is beautifully kept intact. However, the use of newspapers really makes the episode about control of information, perhaps mostly by the media. The beauty of this episode is that people can find what they want to find in it. I guess at the time, people were not fond of the idea of space travel, so they could see it as a comment about how we shouldn't go into space because some supernatural force will make you disappear if you do. Serling was always so good at playing into the social thought at the time, while still saying so much more against it. Either way, people could get from it what they wanted. Truly and absolutely brilliant.

rev-ewe 28: Tulpan

"Tulpan"

Sergei Dvortsevoy

Kazakhstan

Real life Borat! No, not really at all. This movie was probably created as a response to that movie's poor representation of a truly interesting culture. It was obvious how much of the movie was intended to show Kazakhstan's political importance, cultural uniqueness, and physical beauty.

Plot? Nah. This movie is just about a guy who needs to get married and has trouble since, on the steppes of Kazakhstan, there is slim pickings. Plus, he's kindof an awkward character.

The pace is incredibly slow, which I've found I'm quite a fan of.  Movies that can keep me interested while having little to nothing happen for five minutes are my fave.  The analysis of family dynamics is equally as satisfying as the wife (protagonist's sister) has to struggle between two stubborn men in her life that she loves equally.  In the end, it is more of a film of realizing the important things in life than it is about seeking love. There are funny moments (which at first I wasn't sure were meant to be funny), but it is indeed mostly a cool insight into a country I'm sure almost everyone thought was what Borat presented it as.  If you love seeing a culture you didn't know about, this is a really great one.  Also, this is another one of those films that gets better each time you watch it.

Noooot to mention, it's super interesting because when I first saw the characters, my mind thought - Chinese?  Then when they didn't speak any Asian language I knew of...  Mind blown.  

rev-ewe 27: Afghan Star

"Afghan Star"

Havana Marking

Afghanistan

Now THIS documentary was really worth watching. It was absolutely and completely eye-opening to a culture that I knew so little about. This was so much more about revealing cultural norms than it was about the actual competition. Very, very interesting

This follows the contestants of the first season of 'Afghan Star' (Afghanistan's American Idol) and how the culture is finally learning to accept 1) television and 2) music. Neither of which I knew was illegal in the country. Perhaps the most interesting contestant is a woman who chooses to dance in front of her whole country as well as take off her headscarf. The reaction and her interviews are so interesting.

MUST see! As an American, I feel it's important to know about this kind of culture, and it really shed some light on things for me. Plus, the music is great.

rev-ewe 26: All About Eve

"All About Eve"

America

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Like pretty much all of these classic films, so much about it was absolutely on-point. Acting by Bette Davis was beyond anyone I've really seen in today's films (Meryl Streep aside), and while the film was slow at a few points in the movie, it was chock full of great plot, great writing and great cinematography! They really don't make movies like this anymore.

About this on-top-of-the-world actress (Davis) who suddenly comes upon a lowly star-struck fan who idolizes her. She takes her under her wing, only to realize that slowly things are starting to fall apart around her and it might have something to do with this girl.

I really appreciated almost every aspect of this film, from the small insights into the times (like married couples sleeping in separate beds.. lolz I can never get over that) to the great character developments. Totally worth watching for a good, classic movie. Not an OMG storyline, but still fantastic!

rev-ewe 25: Temporada de Patos

Temporada de Patos (Duck Season)

Mexico

Fernando Eimbcke

Well, I have to say at first I really thought it was SUPER slow and not interesting. But, I didn't turn it off. Characters started to come in, and I didn't like any of them, but still I couldn't turn it off. Before I knew it, I was totally into it and loving where it was going (if it was indeed going anywhere). It takes a lot of cliches I felt uncomfortable about and turned it around so that it made it totally cool with me.

Filmed in black and white and set pretty much entirely in a single apartment, the viewer dives into the lives of four seemingly unrelated characters. 2 best friends, Moko and Flama, have a day to themselves, but eventually end up spending the day with their female neighbor and a mid-life-crisis pizza delivery guy.

The direction is very interesting, I liked the overt metaphors and I particularly liked how non-American the ending is. It touches on topics of homosexuality, life direction, family life, and typical friendships. Nothing and everything happens in the film, and I guess overall I really liked it. Though I think back on it and sometimes think the characters were too annoying, I think it works in the end. 7 stars! (I still don't know what scale I rate these movies on..)

rev-ewe 24: Bagdad Cafe

Bagdad Cafe

Germany

Percy Adlon

Okay, first of all.. don't let the image fool you. I chose this screen cap because it's hilarious, but completely unrelated to the film. Second of all, while the film is German, it takes place in California and is entirely in English. However, because it is foreign, the direction of it is veeeery unique. I used to watch this movie all the time on that weird cable movie channel I used to have, but hadn't seen it in a good decade or so. To find it on Netflix instant (go watch it!) was so exciting, and I knew I had to blog it once I'd seen it again.

This movie is cute, fun, weird, funny, exaggerated, quirky, etc. No particular plot, but again a development of characters and character relationships. It has a great pay-off in the end and I'm pretty sure almost anyone can enjoy it. Its humor is not particularly focused, but I would imagine the direction of it can be a bit off-putting at first.

Basically, this German couple are travelling through CA, but have an argument and the woman walks off (in the middle of the desert) while her husband drives off. She comes across a lone cafe/motel and checks in. After realizing she might be there for a while, she settles in and gets involved in the little group of people that share the residence at the Bagdad Cafe.

Again, the plot sounds mundane because the movie is totally not about the plot. It's the beautiful relationships and humor and direction! Each and every character is interesting and unique, and you pretty much know who they are straight away. Not to mention one of the beeest closing lines ever! so perfect.

Love it! Great, great movie.

rev-ewe 23: To Be or Not To Be

To Be or Not To Be

Ernst Lubitsch

America

this is one clever motha-ucka. Riddled with extended jokes, witty lines, and great acting, this movie takes a bold punch at Nazism. Released in 1942, still 3 years before the end of the war, the story makes many statements about Nazis, but not in a typical 'Daffy Duck Under Nazism' kinda way. The humor is so good, it's goofy and smart and well-written all at once. Probably my favorite line is when the main character (a stage actor) frets to his (actress) wife that someone walked out during his soliloquy, she says to him..
Maria Tura: Maybe he didn't feel well. Maybe he had to leave. Maybe he had a sudden heart attack.
Josef Tura: I hope so.
Maria Tura: If he stayed he might have died.
Josef Tura: Maybe he's dead already! Oh, darling, you're so comforting.

Love it! The story's pretty basic, but I don't want to give too much of it away because it's really quite fun to watch without knowing what's going to happen. Takes place in Poland, WW2 erupts, anddddd you'll have to watch it! Reeeeally fun, it's on netflix. If you're keen for a mostly-lightweight comedy, watch it for sure.