The verdict is in...

1. Fruitvale Station- possibly one of the most important films ever made, not an over-dramatized version of a real family's life and loss, investigates racial stereotypes, power politics, and gender expectations
2. Moonrise Kingdom- genius, hilarious, organized and stylized cinematography with winks at Art History
3. Wendy and Lucy- beautiful performance by Michelle Williams (and of course Lucy), investigates wealth disparities which is especially relevant now
4. My Own Private Idaho- interesting cinematography, loved the frozen sex scenes, the relatable qualities of the characters, and the juxtaposition of "high" and "low" cultures
5. Killer of Sheep- realism at its best, important statement about gender and race
6. Frances Ha- chronicle of the millennial struggle, the role was made for Greta Gerwig, both uplifting and heartbreaking, I'm pretty sure I remember this movie in full color, even though it is definitely in black and white
7. Spoorloos- absolutely terrifying, probably still having nightmares, the close-ups were so powerful
8. Blancanieves- interesting take on an old story and the choice to make it a silent film
9. O Brother, Where Art Thou?- Great music, interesting mixture of "high" and "low" cultures
10. Sherlock Jr.- Classical comedy, amazing stunts
11. End of Watch- Good film about gender/masculinity and the politics of power, over dramatized for me, too many "action" scenes
12. Awara- Great music and melodramatic acting, but dude smacked her...
13. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly- kudos for unnecessary violence and great dialogue
14. Freaks- mostly indifferent towards this film, it didn't impress me or disappoint me
15. Detour- the femme fatale doesn't appeal to me, good example of film noir, which is an interested concept in the history of cinema

Fruitvale Station

The scenes where Oscar interacts with his daughter hit home the most for me, as my daughter is the same age as his daughter was when he was killed. These are the most heartbreaking because it is so clear that he was trying to turn his life around for her. In the first shot of this sequence there is a close up of Oscar and Tatiana talking after she got ready for bed. She is scared and doesn't want him to leave because she can hear gun shots outside. He tries to calm her down by telling her that they are just firecrackers and that they are going to go to Chuck-E-Cheese in the morning.

 We cut to a medium close shot of Sophina as she walks into the room. She is ready to leave for the city to celebrate the countdown to the new year with their friends. Oscar is still trying to ease Tatiana's mind off screen by distracting her with the plans for the next day.

The camera cuts back to a close up of Oscar from over Tatiana's shoulder and then to Tatiana from over Oscar's shoulder, following their conversation. Before Oscar leaves they both say I love you to each other. 

 As Oscar is leaving he crosses in front of the camera and the frame gets dark. When he is gone the camera returns to a close up of only Tatiana looking worriedly after him.

Moonrise Kingdom

Moonrise Kingdom is definitely one of my favorite movies. I pretty much love all the Wes Anderson films and can't wait to go see The Grand Budapest Hotel this week. Its always hard to decide which part in his films are my favorite because there is so much to talk about. One of my favorite things about Anderson's filmmaking is the way that he moves throughout interior spaces with tracking. I first noticed this in The Life Aquatic, but found it to be a pretty common technique. He does this in Moonrise Kingdom by connecting the rooms in the Bishop house as if they were all connected to each other like a maze, moving up and down throughout the house seamlessly. This gives their home the feeling of a dollhouse, much like the way that the Belafonte is cut open in The Life Aquatic. 

I find the comparison made between Norman Rockwell and scenes from Moonrise Kingdom interesting. Norman Rockwell illustrated many scenarios from American family life throughout the mid-20th century. He is known for his cover illustrations on The Saturday Evening Post and for Boy Scouts of American. Rockwell has made a legacy of mid-century Americana that is cheeky and nostalgic. Anderson framed many scenes as virtual parodies of Rockwell's paintings and illustrations. 

This one is my favorite:

We are viewing this scene as an "other" but in the point of view of the parents. In the foreground we see the back of the parent's heads and shoulders, Mrs. Bishop on the left and Mr. Bishop on the right. In the middle ground you see the dinner table and Suzy's three younger brothers. The two brothers on the outside have their heads cocked up looking at Suzy and the one in the center is eating a piece of corn on the cob (doesn't get more American than that, unless you're talking apple pie). Standing behind the seated children is Suzy. She is the only person in the scene that has an animation to her at all. She is pointing an accusatory finger at her parents and shouting with a concerned look on her face. This moment reminds me of Norman Rockwell's paintings Election Day and Freedom From Want:

 

I think this scene says a lot about each of the characters in the film. The parents seem to be very passively listening and maybe only halfway dealing with their daughter's concerns. The three boys are somewhat perplexed and indifferent to their sister who seems to be an entirely different species from their prepubescent selves. Suzy is animated and emotional and angry and the dialogue in the scene doesn't give the viewer a reason why, much like how Suzy is unsure why she is feeling this way. The dialogue is a voice over of Suzy and Sam reading letters that they were writing back and forth to each other and Suzy is writing about how Sam should think of his parents' faces everyday (as she is yelling at her own).  By referring to Rockwell's paintings, Anderson is creating a nostalgia about the passion of adolescence and the reality of family life.