A Clockwork Orange

In a community where gang raping, robberies and murders happened nightly, lies a charismatic delinquent and anti hero, Alex DeLarge. A sociopath, teenager who’s sees the society to please his sexual, cynical, and frightening desires. The name ‘DeLarge’ allows the character to adapt himself as ‘Alexander the large’. This references ‘Alexander the Great’, which feeds his egotistical mind as well as creating a witty sexual pun.

To help create the concept of the film and the character of Alex, is his 136 minutes of narration. Within this Alex takes us on his world of the near future, of consistent orgies and attacks performed by him, and his friends. Otherwise known as, “a bit of the Ultra-violence” with the ‘Droogs’.  The film beings with the droogs sitting in their beloved social hangout, drinking milk-druged cocktails, named ‘milk-plus’. This is to hype themselves up for the commencing night.

The name ‘Clockwork Orange’ is completely appropriate for the deeper metaphorical meaning of the story. It touches on Pavlovian laws on conditioning. This is displayed in one particular famous scene in which, Alex is a victim of government criminal conditioning. He is drugged and shown disturbing images of his past lifestyle. As result, Alex becomes the ‘perfect’ citizen’ but at the cost of his free will. This raises many questions like, how should society control the ‘evil’ in us, with typical confinement or techniques like positive conditioning? The title allows us to understand that although Alex is completely organic being, on the outside, he is an otherwise known inside as a mechanical structure. 

Alex is a horrific and complicated character. Nerveless, intelligent and quick witted with sophisticated taste in music. He is particularly fond of Beethoven or “Lovely Ludwig Van”. Alex never justifies his actions and although as unlikable he may be, manages to create pity from the audience. This is because we hear from first hand experience his unending suffering and through his realization that his life is a vicious cycle that can not be altered.

LINKS
Trailer...

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3502113049/
Article...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/may/11/a-clockwork-orange-cannes

The Social Network

The Social Network is a film about the founding of social networking and internet sensation, Facebook. Growing up when Facebook started and having it escalate so dramatically in the past 4 years, it’s only natural theirs a demand for Hollywood feature film. Or was David Fincher leaching on the franchise that is Facebook. There are clear themes throughout the film, girls, power and money. Whether this is factual or not, is another issue, resulted from the 2010 film ‘The Social Network’ The film starts with high pace scene in which Mark Zuckerberg creates a website called ‘facematch’ due his bitter breakup. This involves intense hacking skills, code breaking and algorithms. This scene sets the speed, intelligence and concept of networking for the whole film.  

Through out the film there is a juxtaposition of time with the current lawsuits and the creation of Facebook. As the audience, we are drawn more into the plot and characters. The lawsuit scenes become less frequent. This is because we become more interested with the friendship between Mark and Eduardo as it’s the only relationship we truly crave and support. It is only till the timeline catches up with it’s self that we find out the result of the lawsuit.

We then re visit the initial sub plot of Erica Albright which suggests that girls and women where a key issue involving the making of Facebook. Especially as the preliminary site was to ‘rate’ girls after his hurtful spilt with girlfriend. Another inspiration for the site was the idea of relationship status. In his words “Relationship status, interested in. This is what drives life at collage. Are you having sex or aren’t you, it’s why people take certain classes and sit where they sit, and do what they do, and add some centre. You know, that’s what’s Facebooks going to be about, people are going to log on because after all the cake and watermelon theirs a chance their actually gonna meet a girl.” The real, Mark Zuckerberg resents the female motive and quotes, “I started Facebook to improve the world , and make it a more transparent place…this movie portrays me as someone who built Facebook so I could meet girl”  Others say the creation of Facebook was a lot more boring and quotidian than that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xwDcLKbt8g

Rocky Horror or Complete Horror

The 1975 film Rocky Horror Picture Show was followed with outrage, anger and constrversity. It features a homosexual drag queen scientist, who muders people and feeds them to others, aswell as creating his own ‘perfect’ man. The allusion of the rocky horror is created through offensive songs and ourages dancing. In other words it’s genered as a musical but a confliced one at that. It highlights issues of open sexulaity and cheating patners and idavidualism.

Although the sixties brought us such famous classic movies like breakfast at tiffanies and sound of music. The seventies brought us the rocky horror picture show which changed peoples views on cinematography for ever. The aim was to challenge people’s perceptions on what’s normal. Having the characters Brad and Janet, find themselves encountered with a different sought of group of people to their normal society. Is giving the audience the relaisation that there are various types of individuals out in the world. And the acceptance that is followed. We see this when Brad says, “their probably foreigners with ways different form our own”

What makes rocky horror, rocky horror, is the provocative, costumes, set, language and music that’s is couched in dark and twisted humor. This was no issue for Tim Curry, who plays Dr Frank-N-Furter. It launched his very successful career as it showed future casting directors that 6 inch heels and face full of make-up wouldn’t stop him. Although the character of Frank-N-Futer’s morals are not one to be idolized. He does come with a certain life lesson that he expresses through the musical number, Sweet Transvestite. “Don't get strung out by the way that I look, don't judge a book by its cover”

The rocky horror picture show is a shocking cult
that allows you to express your true individuality,
corrupt your innocence and feel accepted.

This link will take you to the rocky horror picture show soundtrack...
http://www.allmusic.com/album/r84835
This link will take you to the fan site...
http://www.rockyhorror.com/

The Collateral- Setting the scene

When watching the 2004 film the collateral, there are a lot to account for when creating the opening scene.  The choice of setting was great way to set the scene, not only for the opening but for the whole scene. The first shot we get is set in a busy airport, busy because a quite airport would be suspicious. This suggests Tom Cruise’s, character Vincent wants to as inconspicuous as he can. We also see this through his movement and costume.

There are recurring themes of travel in just the first minute of the film. From the busy airport to the taxi cab with the holiday postcard placed inside it. This can relate back to the theme of being constantly moving and busy.

I have only watched the opening scene of The Collateral; however I can’t wait to see the rest, and it better live up to my expectations. As I am already intrigued in what will happen to the smooth character Vincent and the slightly erratic, Max.