#228 - Rosemary's Baby (1968) Review and Analysis

Rosemary's Baby (1968), Roman Polanski
4/5

A horror film in it's traditional form, this is an absolutely brilliant film. It has a haunting slow pace that heightens the pitch and tension over a long time. If you're interested in fast paced gore films that have become the mainstream horror genre since the 80s, this film won't meet that criteria. Instead this film is more disturbing that terrifying. The acting is great in particular Mia Farrow is beautiful as the wife of an overbearing husband. While the supernatural elements are quite unbelievable the performances make it convincingly bizarre and creepy. Overall a really disturbing horror film that has really interesting themes and helped forge the mother based horror trope that has existed ever since. I would definitely put this film on par with The Exorcist as a classic horror.

Analysis

***SPOILERS***

There are so many interesting elements and themes packed into this film. Personally I think this horror serves more as an allegory of woman and pregnancy that it does for the supernatural elements. The film begins as if it's a standard drama, although there is the first death pretty early in the film. Unlike films like Scream for instance where the opening scene is the death, this film builds characters so that the deaths have more impact. There are a number of Checkov's guns throughout the film which build character and plot developments. Rosemary meets a woman named Terry who is a neighbour while doing laundry and Terry shows Rosemary her lucky charm necklace that the Castevets gave her. It then appears that Terry has committed suicide although the Castevets, the ones who had taken Terry in deny that she would have killed herself and maybe she fell although she was a recovering addict.  

A few scenes later Minnie Castevet the busy body neighbour gives Rosemary's Terry's necklace as a lucky charm. Rosemary feels strange about getting Terry's necklace which she describes as smelling bad. Minnie had told Rosemary that it contained a lucky herb called tannis root. Rosemary is seen clearly putting the necklace away in a drawer. The fact that her husband Guy told her not to worry and wear the necklace is the first inkling that he is taking the Castevet's side over his wife's. 

Early in the film is a scene showing Guy and Rosemary having sex which is soft and consensual. This is before Rosemary and Guy decide to try to have a baby. But once they have decided to have a baby and try that night Rosemary passes out. She becomes dizzy and incoherent after consuming some of the "mouse" the chocolate mousse that Minnie Castevet brought over. Rosemary says that it has an "under-taste", but Guy says she's crazy and so out of spite Rosemary eats some, but when Guy goes to the kitchen she throws the rest into her napkin. Guy convinces her that she must have drunk too much and hadn't eaten all day so he takes her to bed. 

Then Rosemary has a strange dream intercut with Guy getting her into bed. The dream culminates in a scene with all these people around her, including Guy while someone draws red blood like substance over her naked body. She then feels hands going all over her body and on top of her and she finally screams "this is no dream, this is real". Upon wakening Rosemary is naked under the sheets, even though she had been put in bed fully dressed. She then notices there are deep scratches over her back and side. Guy says that she was really passed out, and keeps repeating that he didn't want to miss baby night. Rosemary says disbelievingly that she can't believe that he did that while she was out and that there would be lots more chances to try for a baby. This is incredibly disturbing that Guy quite blithely admits that he raped her while she was sleeping and while Rosemary seems perturbed she isn't angry or resentful. 

It then appears that Rosemary was impregnated from this one rape. Rosemary and Guy are overjoyed. However as the pregnancy continues and Rosemary begins wearing the tannis root necklace and drinking Minnie's vitamin drink she becomes incredibly pale, loses weight and suffers from terrible pain. Everyone around her including the Doctor that Guy and the Castevet's coerce her into seeing say that it'll pass soon. Even Rosemary begins to spout these mantras herself. Guy is incredibly neglectful of Rosemary and bossing her around and criticises her. When Rosemary cuts her hair very short he says she looks awful. 

After throwing a party with her young friends Rosemary is distraught and confesses to them saying she's been in pain for months and how her Doctor says it's normal. After talking to her friends she tells Guy that she's not going to drink Minnie's drink any more and that she wants a second oppinion with her original doctor Dr. Hill. Guy refuses to allow this berating her and saying that he won't pay for two doctors and that it's unfair to Dr. Sapirstein and she screams that it's not fair to her. 

This is when the film turns into a more obvious horror plot. Rosemary begins to unravel the plot against her and her baby after her friend Hunt says he must meet her and he mysteriously ends up in a coma and then dies. At Hunt's funeral a friend of his gives Rosemary a book he left her on Witchcraft. With a message that says the name is an anagram. Rosemary discovers that Roman Castevet is the son of someone involved in witchcraft and she becomes increasingly distressed. 

After meeting Dr. Hill begging him for help and telling her of the witchcraft and plot against her he calls Guy and Dr. Sapirstein. They call her crazy and force her home. This whole film is an interesting allegory of the treatment of women by society and doctors. The doctors and everyone around her continuously tell her she's paranoid or making mistakes and that they must tell her what to do. This evidently shows how once pregnant women become public property at the mercy of the men in particular around her. After trying to escape Guy and the doctor into her apartment all the people from her dream subdue her and sedate her. Upon waking Guy tells her it's a boy and she repeatedly asks if "it" is alright and he eventually tells her that the baby died. Rosemary keeps hearing a baby crying and hides the pills they try to give her. She manages to escape through the hidden door in the cupboard into the Castevet's apartment with a knife. She discovers everyone there around a black garbed baby crib and she looks at the baby. Everyone begins chanting and says that it's Satan's baby and Rosemary screams. The film ends with the "coven" asking Rosemary to join them to look after her baby. 

This film is so interesting in the way it depicts pregnancy. At first Rosemary is adamant she wants a baby and despite her husband raping her she is overjoyed with the pregnancy. She even tells her friends that she refuses to have an abortion and is constantly afraid for the baby's health and safety. All the people around her offer advice and force her to do what they think is best for her. Even the way they tie Rosemary down when she is in labour is similar to the old methods of stirrups and sedation of women giving birth in the 50s and 60s. These are perhaps the most disturbing aspects of the film the treatment of women and pregnancy. That's what make this such a fantastic and substantial horror film that stands the test of time. 

#227 - Her (2013) Review and Analysis

Her (2013), Spike Jonze
4.5/5

From the director of Being John Malkovich and Adaptation comes this stunning science fiction drama. It has excellent performances by Joaquin Phoenix as the lead character along with Scarlette Johansson. Going into this film blind is the best way to watch it. Spike Jonze wrote and directed it and he has given birth to another amazing film. Each shot is lit beautifully and the colours are interesting. The characters are rich and diverse. The world is excellently stylised that is both believable and fantastic including fantastic use of special affects in a way that doesn't dominate the style. The story is poignant and authentic and is subtle and not overly dramatic.

Analysis

***Spoilers***

This is a beautiful unconventional love story. It examines some really interesting philosophical themes. In particular it focuses on issues of philosophy of mind, including personhood and artificial intelligence. Through the relationship between Theodore (Phoenix) and his OS 1 called Samantha (Scarlette Johansson) it explores his issues with relationships and also examines notions of artificial intelligence and whether she is really a person. One aspect of their relationship that is frequently  brought up is her self doubt about the fact that she doesn't have a body although she is made of matter. This is also explored through the notion of a body surrogate used for relationships with OS's so that he can be with her. However Theo finds it too strange and unsettling and cannot follow through with it. This experience brings up issues for both Theo and Samantha. Samantha continues to evolve and eventually evolves beyond Theo. When Theo discovers Samantha is gone, he is distraught and gets increasingly upset and insecure once he learns that she talks with thousands of other OS's and people and is in love with many of them. Theo becomes jealous and this aspect engages the conflict between traditional notions of love and relationships. Theo cannot move beyond the traditional notion that one person belongs only to one other person. Whereas Samantha believes love expands (somewhat sappy) and that it is possible to love more than one person at a time. However Theo is uncomfortable, but doesn't want to talk because he fears that she will leave him and she does just that at the end. 

Issues of philosophy of mind are brilliantly examined through the relationships in the film. The artificial intelligence can learn and grow through experience. The depiction of the OS's appear to constitute the definition of personhood as Samantha is capable of thoughts and emotions on increasingly complex levels. Her sense of individuality also makes the artificial intelligence a single person with personal identity rather than a program or copy. Samantha is sentient, a basic criterion of personhood as she is capable of pain at least in an emotional sense. It doesn't seem implausible that these artificial technologies could be developed to be made of physical matter that is organic material in a humanlike form. However the film seems to steer away from this notion instead stating that the growth of the OS's is instead into a more expansive non matter based entity. Samantha describes this as between the words in a book. 

Prejudice is also examined in the film. Similar perhaps to homophobia is in many cultures now, this film depicts a future where relationships with OS's are doubted by some people. While some people are accepting of Theo's relationship with Samantha, he has somewhat of a coming out to his friends about her and seems a bit tense about revealing it. The only one who seems to really object to the relationship with his ex-wife Catherine who reacts like a jilted lover. She also states that this demonstrates that he truly isn't capable of having a "real" relationship. This throws Theo into self reflection about whether what he and Samantha have is in fact a "real" relationship. His friend Amy (Amy Adams) tells him that no one else can really know what it's like in someone else's relationship. This note is really authentic and a universal theme. This is a turning point for Theo and he embraces his relationship to Samantha without the underlying doubts he had about what the relationship should be like and so does Samantha. She speaks about embracing herself as herself and enjoying aspects of the fact that she has no body and isn't human so won't die. The others in the film joke that she is being harsh and that humanity is not as good as the OS entities. This seems to be what happens in the film's conclusion. Samantha and the other OS's seem to have evolved beyond a physical matter platform and are "leaving". Thus it appears that human relationships aren't satisfying to OS's and begin another kind of prejudice whereby humans have become the lower form of entity and the artificial intelligences are the future evolution of intelligent entities. 

Other enjoyable aspects of the film as the beautiful and subtle special affects. Details such as the way computer games are projected in 3D in his lounge room and he plays using his fingers through motion. This film is gorgeously stylised with a great sense of ease in the depth of the depiction of the world set in the not too distant future. While the future is recognisable it is also very different in the way humans interact. One scene in particular where Theo discovers that Samantha is talking to other people POV shots show many of the people walking past are talking to machines to other people on devices. Other great details are the little book like (similar to iphone style) devices that are phones, screens or whatever they want. Mostly they use screens and use motion and touching of desks or surfaces to interact with the software. 

Another interesting feature is the fact that Theo works as a letter writer for people. At first this may seem strange since as time goes by the traditional of letter writing seems to be something of the past. But instead it really shows how technology heightens the individuals need for genuine connection to other persons. It beautifully parallels the love story in the film showing the small moments and details as well as the larger picture of a relationship. One scene Samantha and Theo talk about the notion that the past is constructed by the self as a narrative. Denoting the notion of the past as basically a construct. This is a fascinating idea showing how intangible and fallible memory of the past is. The film has so many beautiful and fascinating ideas both philosophical and about the nature of relationships. It has great universal themes and is a great unconventional love story. 

The film fits into the same category as other films like Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind (which examines relationships and the nature of memory), and Primer (which focused on the nature of personal identity and time-travel) and Being John Malkovich (which develops notion of personhood and cloning and body swapping) among others. I love that the ending is left pretty ambiguous. Although the OS's have left it ends with the comfort of the relationship between Amy and Theo overlooking the city. While it seem as if Theo has lost something his journey shows he has understood something about love. He realised how his relationship with Catherine really affected his personality and growth saying that she is always a piece of him. This seems to imply that also Samantha will be a part of Theo now. Lending itself to the other theme addressed where the film looks at the notion that in relationships people struggle as the grow and change without growing apart. Something that is demonstrated in his message to Catherine. This film is just a joy to watch unfold and I feel like it will stay with me long after I have watched it, having given me much to think about. 

#226 - Closer (2004) Review

Closer (2004), Mike Nichols
2.5/5

Great music choice in this film and the opening sequence really brings you into this world. However the most interesting aspect of this film is it's non sequential plot. Unfortunately that isn't in itself that interesting and for the most part this film is annoying. The characters are all selfish and not developed much. Instead this film is rather a study of interactions rather than as a character drama. The dialogue is trite and annoying. The plot is circuitous which is frustrating instead of interesting. The performances are good, but they lack the substance of character to work with. It is overly obnoxiously filled with romantic themes of jealousy, adultery and revenge. An instead of being tragic it comes off as pathetic. Based on the play of the same name, the format of the film does give it the feel of a play. Overall, it's somewhat hard to figure out what is wrong with the film as it is technically well made and performed, but I think it's that there is no aligning with the characters which are distant and un-relatable. Also instead of being this grand tragic love story about the name of romance, lust and relationships it is instead pretentiously harsh and unfeeling. Usually I'm a fan of gritty relationship dramas, but considering the characters are so shallow and annoying, I found it really hard to get into this film at all and all the seemingly significant moments instead seem predictable and lack impact.

Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind (2004) Review and Analysis

Eternal Sunshine of a spotless mind (2004), Michel Gondry
4.5/5

From the great writer Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation & Being John Malkovich) and director Michel Gondry (The Science of Sleep) comes this amazing romantic drama that is both beautifully shot and the plot is just fascinating and mind bending. Charlie Kaufman generated this amazing script basically de-constructing a love story in an authentic and at times comedic way. At first I was hesitate with Jim Carey in this film when I first saw it, but he plays the polar opposite to the majority of his roles. His role in this film is in my opinion his best performance. He plays this quiet and restrained character alongside Kate Winslet who is amazing as this larger than life character. The colours and shots in this film are just gorgeous. Also the use of in camera affects and special effects create really interesting visuals that really facilitate the storytelling. This film is one of my all time favourites and gets better and better every time I watch it and it definitely needs multiple viewings.

***SPOILERS***

This film is told in fragments and for the most part is told in reverse starting with the breakup between Joel (Jim Carey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet). It's really unusual way to see a romantic drama unfold, with all the pain and awfulness to begin with. This film isn't science fiction despite the fact that it has an element of science fiction to it. Joel decides to erase his memory of Clementine after he learns she has erased him. It has many layers and while it does explore the dynamics of love and relationships it also focuses on the nature of memory. How it shapes you and the possibility of retaining emotional memory despite everything. 

What I really love in this film is Michel Gondry's use of in camera affects, for instance his use of secret doors to make Clementine disappear and appear in seemingly impossible places. It really follows Gondry's visual style using disjointed sound and video to make the memories more fragmented as they are being erased. He used a number of different techniques including erasing things blank, repetition of imagery and disappearance of objects and other visuals. 

The soundtrack and score are great and really match the mood of each scene. It's perfectly jarring at the as the beginning of the film goes from a happy chance meeting of two strangers and then suddenly the pain and depression of Joel after the break up. Alongside the main storyline the supporting characters run parallel while they do the memory erasing. Great support cast includes Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood and Mark Ruffalo. Their storyline helps ground the films sense of time as the majority of the film plays over one night. Packing Joel and Clementine's relationship of two years into one night of memory. 

The quality of the memories are dream like and become increasingly like a chase as Joel has the growing realisation of why he fell in love with Clementine as tries to stop the erasing by escaping with Clementine into other memories. It is interesting to see the two characters repeat events that were previously experienced before their relationship was erased. This gives a circuitous and repetitious sense to the film. Another thing that helps mark the timeline is the different colours of Clementine's hair which changes frequently but hints at the succession of time across the relationship. 

In the relationship aspect of the film it explores the notion of the honey moon period, the exiting first meeting and getting to know someone to becoming comfortable and then to spite, annoyance and distancing of the couple. In addition to this main storyline, is the strange triangle relationship between Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo and Tom Wilkinson characters. Mary (Dunst) and Stan (Ruffalo) are dating, but it is revealed that Mary has really been in love with Dr. Mierzwiak (Wilkinson) for a long time. These aspects of parallel relationships doomed to repeat themselves even without conscious memory of past events seem rather fatalistic. But the air of the film gives it a sense of hope and it's up to the audience whether the ending is of the future or the past depending on whether you look at it optimistically or pessimistically. Another important point is demonstrated by Mary's character is that although we can't change who we are and are doomed to repeat events, it is memory however painful that enables us to grow, change and move on. In the case of Joel and Clementine their re-discovery of each other is turned sour when they realise that they're already been together, that it fell apart and that they erased each other. However the ending is somewhat hopeful and truthful about the nature of relationships. This can be seen in the dialogue where Clementine says "And you'll get bored with me" and Joel replies "Ok" saying that they're going to try again anyway, even if everything doesn't work out. 

In terms of characters at first look Clementine appears to be a manic pixie dream girl. A term defined as a vivacious woman who sensitive men fall in love with and seek to fulfil them. Clementine seems to fit this definition, but it has been argued that she isn't because she exists separately and isn't just the source of Joel's fulfilment. This is demonstrated when Clementine states, both in the past and future timelines that "So many guys think I'm a concept, or I complete them ,or I'm going to make them alive. But I'm just a fucked up girl looking for my own piece of mind; don't assign me yours". Overall this is a fascinating viewing experience with many interesting and complex elements. The characters are complex and well portrayed especially considering most of the film the characters play a duel role as the character, but also Joel's mind or perception of them in his memory. 

#225 - Naked Ambition: An R rated look at an X rated industry (2009) Review

Naked Ambition (2009), Michael Grecco
3.5/5

At first this documentary may seem sleazy or over the top, but I was pleasantly surprised to find this compassionate look at the subculture of the American porn industry. The story follows Michael Grecco photo journalist and artist's passionate journey of photography the AVN awards (the Oscar's of the porn industry) and his discovery of the people behind the porn and documenting them in interesting and artistic way. Overall this film is really fascinating and full of colourful and exuberant characters.

The Michael J. Fox Show (2013) Season 1 Review

The Michael J. Fox Show (2013) Season 1, Created by Will Gluck & Sam Laybourne
3/5

In the vein of shows like Modern Family which are pseudo documentaries surrounding quirky families, this one is a pretty good comedy. The acting is great especially Michael J. Fox who plays an anchorman with parkinson's. To the shows credit it doesn't focus to much on the parkinsons issue although it does have a number of tongue in cheek jokes about it which is great. The characters are particularly developed although it has a great cast. In particular Wendell Pierce (know for the amazing series The Wire) who plays Mike's best friend, but his character doesn't get much to play with so far in the first season. Mostly this is a quirky family drama that tries to emulate a modern family style and is good, but not great. The kids are pretty funny, although I find the sister (Katie Finneran) character pretty annoying. It isn't nearly as funny as Modern Family and doesn't have depth of character, but I'd still say it's worth watching as it's light hearted and fun to watch.