Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Journal Entry #11

The Week of Friday December 5th

11.30.2008
DO THE RIGHT THING (1989) 150 Word Review
Directed by: Spike Lee

REVIEW
What's so interesting to me about Do The Right Thing is that in 1989 I was just graduating 8th grade and about to enter High School and I remember that the big thing then was Air Jordans and the Spike Lee NIKE commercials featuring Spike Lee as MARS BLACKMON. It's funny to watch the movie again and see that compared to the Commercial element of the times. I love Spike Lee, I love him as a person who has learned to rebel a little bit within Hollywood. I loved his Doc. on Katrina "When The Levees Broke" But I think this makes you realize that everyone "sells" out a little bit, in one way or another. That being said Do The Right Thing can be summed up best by the scene where all the different ethnic groups in NY are going around giving you a soundbite of all the deragutory terms that they use for other races (which they dont like) That's the movie really. Just in the same way that CRASH is about the same type of thing in LA. I mean if you thought Woody Allen was NY then Spike Lee is a "cooler" NY. This film builds and builds and builds until it spills over. And it's a great slice of that period which I think is even more important today when everyone likes to pretend that Racism is over and gone.

12.5.2008
VALLEY GIRL (1983) In Class Clip
Directed by: Martha Coolidge

"It's like, I'm totally not in love with you anymore. It's like totally boring"

"Not too cool, Julie"

12.5.2008
ROCKY (1976) In Class Clip
Directed by: John Albetson
Written by: Sly Stallone

Rocky won Best Picture. Stallone wrote the next 3 Rocky films. The beauty of both Rocky and Rambo is that the originals in those series are totally credible when taken on there own. When judged indpendently of the Rocky/Rambo Hollywood machine, they are both exceptional movies when viewed singularly from the others. In Rocky it's a classic story about a Native Son making good, it's a story about making it, about working class. And Rambo is about a guy coming back from Vietnam and getting spit on.

12.5.2008
FIRST BLOOD (1982) In Class Clip
Directed by: Ted Kotcheff

Stallone helped write this script.

"Calling me all kinds of vile crap!"

It's a gritty, credible movie. Before Rambo went on to save the world. This movie, taken alone is a great movie. It deals with a credible issue and even the end where he trys to blow up the town IS credible, that could happen. It's another really good story and it's sad that they went on and marginalized it by making Rambo a super hero. If you judge Rocky and Rambo independent of the Blockbuster Machine that followed they are solid.

12.5.2008
ROBO COP (1987) In Class Clip
Directed by: Paul Verhoven

Comic book quality. Robot to clean up the world. A sign of the times and perhaps The Reagan Administration!

12.5.2008
STARSHIP TROOPERS (1997) In Class Clip
Directed by: Paul Verhoven

12.5.2008
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981) In Class Clip
Directed by: John Carpenter

In 1988 the year 1997 WAS the future.

12.5.2008
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977) In Class Clip
Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Science Fiction is Alegories for real life. Forget about the Aliens' what is the movie indicitive of.

12.5.2008
DOWN BY LAW (1986) In Class Clip
Directed by: Jim Jarmusch

Tom Waits. The New Orleans backdrop is fantastic.
Indie Film. In the mid 80's Robert Redford created SUNDANCE to show Indie Films

12.5.2008
BLUE VELVET (1986) In Class Clip
Directed by: David Lynch

Isabella Rosallini. The under belly. Two seperate looks at a cities underbelly. One in classic Lynch style the other in a crime ridden New Orleans. One is underneath, the other out in the open

12.5.2008
DO THE RIGHT THING (1989) In Class Clip
Directed by: Spike Lee

"Hate K.O'd by Love.."

WATCH and REVIEW: Dancer in the Dark

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