BOOYA (Part 1)
I would like to start off by saying: I AM THE FIRST ONE TO POST FOR THIS BLOG CYCLE. THAT'S RIGHT ALL OF YOU SITTING READING THIS NOW CAN KNOW THAT BEING QUICKWITTED, I FOUND MY WAY TO BE THE FIRST POSTER. I AM THE FIRST. I AM THE VICTOR.
Thank You.
And now ladies and gentlemen, onto the substance.
So everything is going pretty well with my research. Most of the data I have been analyzing doesn't really say much conclusively about pudendal nerve stimulation, so I'm currently working on a finite element model in order to see whether certain aspects of the experiment were the reason for this. At first this was a very hard process because I didn't know much about the modeling software. Initially my geometries weren't at all accurate because I didn't know how to make smooth, continuous curves. But now with the magical "loft" command, I can do anything. Well, I'll leave it at that for now and update more for the next assignment, which is about the status of our research. It's a cliffhanger.
Also relating to the program, I gave my chalk talk yesterday. Talk about a tough crowd. Seems like only three people in the program pee.
In other news, Doug, Catherine, B.G. and I have been playing a good amount of basketball lately. Most of the time we have to go to Brodie because the courts at Wilson are filled with kids from basketball camp. Brodie, on the other hand, is the usual lair of grad students looking for pickup games. So we play. It's been a good amount of fun, though you always get some characters.
In other other news, I recently got the Special Edition of The Graduate and the Collector's Editions of Midnight Cowboy and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. My roommate, Krishnan, thinks I'm crazy. He doesn't like movies. Especially Collector's Editions. Now I know a lot of people think that stuff is superfluous. However, it is a fact that this is not true. There is nothing better than knowing how your favorite films were made. I think it's exciting and interesting. Director's commentary and all those other special features are also great. One day Krish will realize this. And his life will change.
So I guess I'll just talk about these movies for a bit, since this an open-themed assignment.
The Graduate
Wow. This film is a standard. I know people talk about it a lot, so it may seem to be overhyped or cliche, but it is not. In fact, many movie cliches and techniques were born from this movie. In this way, it's done to film what Hamlet did to the English language. First, the acting. Dustin Hoffman is incredible - he is perfect as the lead, Benjamin Braddock, a recent college graduate who doesn't know what he wants at the beginning of the film, but once he realizes what it is, he fights for everything to attain it. Anne Bancroft also gives a stellar performance. It's often hard for a middle-aged, suburban mother to be seductive, but she goes far beyond that, with a very striking performance as Mrs. Robinson. Other roles are also cast well (Mr. Feeney from Boy Meets World plays Hoffman's father). In addition to the acting, the film itself is made so well. With Mike Nichols behind the camera, every shot in this film counts. Nichols does a great job of highlighting the moments the characters have with clever shots that make brilliant use of light and shade. Some frames are so beautiful they could hold their own as photographs. The final scene appears in so many movies following it, and some of the shots have become film standards, making The Graduate the Ur-Film of modern American filmmaking.
Midnight Cowboy
With another powerful performance by Hoffman, with equally as strong a performance by Jon Voight (yes, Angelina Jolie's dad), this movie takes the cake in the acting department. Though not shot quite as spectacularly as The Graduate, this movie does have some great shots (especially when we see Joe [Voight] and Ratso [Hoffman] just walking through the city). However, director Schlesinger knows how to manipulate the camera to highlight the relationship between Joe and Ratso. The strength in the acting comes from some honest, risky choices by both Voight and Hoffman. The greatest moments come when the audience knows that they want, yet they are trying to fight for their wants without the other realizing it. Some other well-known movie bits come from this film, most notably Hoffman's ad-libbed "I'm walking here! I'm walking here!" When put together, this movie stretches our ideas of the dreams of everyday people and the power of acting. The performances here are so moving that this movie can't do anything but work.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
This film is not for everyone. It is labeled as a comedy, but please do not expect the usual "Will Ferrell" notion of comedy. This film is funny because it is smart and clever, two things that most modern comedy shies away from. In addition, a lot of the humor comes from little details, nuances in character, references to other films and literature, and the brilliant acting and directing. It is important to also keep in mind that this is more of a Shakespearean comedy - it is a comedy because everyone ends up happy in the end. In fact, I find there to be a great amount of tragedy in this film that is slightly concealed by the oversaturated colors. It is this fine line that makes this film really work. As with most Wes Anderson films, it requires the audience to put down its guard and preconceptions about film, because the movie really takes you on a ride. It seems so quirky and absurd that it can't be about anything real or useful. But the relationships and characters are so honest and their stories are so real that this movie is anything but fake. The lynchpin of this is Bill Murray, who plays... Bill Murray. As Steve Zissou, Murray just acts like himself. And there is nothing wrong with that. He is so subtle, it can be hard to tell when he is serious or when he is joking. It is so honest that I am always moved when I see this movie. It is like watching Peter O'Toole essentially play himself in My Favorite Year, but this movie is constructed better and is actually shot well. And that's what is so great about Wes Anderson's films. They are shot so brilliantly, and Wes attributes a lot of influence to Mike Nichols. The shots linger. They make you think. The use of color and details makes the film pop out of the screen. It is so refreshing to see this sort of film being made, as opposed to the standard Hollywood film that does all of the thinking for the audience. The ideas are new and fresh, and always exciting. The great ensemble cast that supports Murray also does a great job in creating real relationships and making the world of Steve Zissou real to us. My advice: relax, watch this movie, and open your mind up to something different.
