What Did I Just Watch? I Think I Really Liked It. (Spoilers for Films: Under the Skin and Roar)

Instead of finishing up my Oscar film run, I watched a film that I have been meaning to watch for a long time which was Under the Skin.  

This movie.  This movie is a treasure.  It is disturbing, sexual, beautiful, creepy, and just has a lot of "what the hell did I just see."  I might be getting ahead of myself because I saw two films tonight. This one and Roar.  Both in the own respects can handle their own review but I will put them together because both deal with violence and realism.

Roar and Violence:

If you have any knowledge of this film, you'd know the backstory behind the making of this film.  About 70 crew members including the cast were injured trying to make this picture a reality.  They were chewed, bitten, mauled, and some slightly scalped from the lions, tigers, and jaguars on set.  The film crew even had to film in cages in fear of the lions to attack.  Just knowing this makes the danger all the more real.  Apparently, one of the first scenes with Noel trying to break up a lion fight got bitten by the one of the lions and was literally bleeding on set.  That reminded me of another actor who gave blood from his hand while acting in a scene. What was it again?

(Although, that was no lion tooth puncture)

Under the Skin and Violence:

So Scarlet Johansson plays an alien who comes down to Earth and is basically a succubus.  The violence comes in when talking about what is done to others and what is done to her.  I think one of the most disturbing scenes other than the beach scene with the baby being left for dead on the beach and the most skin crawling scene I have ever seen in a movie.  When I first saw this, I felt a shock through my entire body starting at my toes which shivered. I don't know if I should show you it because it is so effective with the music and really when I complained about jumps scares, I would not classify this as one.  I would put this under the Babadook level of stationary scare scene. . . You know what? You are an adult and I will leave the two scenes down below.

The Beach Scene:

The Skin Crawl:

Roar and Realism:

As I said before, the lions are not robotic or computer generated effects.  The fear in Tippi Hendren's face while she is being clawed at by a lion or falling from an elephant is more than just acting.  I would say that this experimental-nature of Roar is amazing and breathtaking, I just couldn't pay attention to the actual dialogue.  Those are actual lions and Noel Marshall is rolling around with them like they are just big house cats.

The movie itself is not that great, but it is the impromptu performances from animal and human that make this movie a gem worth watching just once.

Under the Skin and Realism:

With this film, you had parts of it that were filmed with a hidden camera in a white van as Scarlet was hunting down her prey by acting as if she were lost.  The men you see approach the vehicle are actual everyday Scotland residents (not actors) and it just comes one step closer to realism.  One might say that negating the fact that they used real people to showcase the creepiness, there is no point to it.  I would say there is.  The whole movie emphasizes this human belief in outer beauty.  We see Scarlet watch people apply makeup and then see herself putting lipstick on to further impress men to follow her into a trap.  So I think the realism of the men adds authenticity.  Yet, unlike Roar's authenticity of using real big cats, Under the Skin allows the people to sign waivers so they can agree to be a part of the movie.

Movies I Recently Have Seen:

• Roar
• Under the Skin

- Kristen Johnson: I think Scarlet Johansson is beautiful

Watching A New Movie Everyday

So at the bottom of each blog post, I have been posting what movies I have recently seen. Since I have been trying to write everyday, I have seen at least one new movie everyday.  One of my goals for 2016, other than making more films , is to watch more films.  Most of the time, I end up re-watching films that I have previously seen.  Now, I want to see something new.

They don't have to be just new arrivals on DVD or currently running in my local theater.  I am looking at films that I have always put on the back burner.  Today, I watched Room (not the Tommy Wiseau classic) and The Nines.  

While I know this isn't going to last once my second semester starts for real and Sundance is over with.  Yet, I take comfort in knowing I have maintained a steady stream of new movies.  Luckily, the majority has been all good (minus the Loft but I'm trying to forget that one).  

I find it funny that I am watching these movies around 8 to 11 at night.  It just keeps pushing my night owl lifestyle.  Which I am perfectly fine with.  I love watching movies in the dark, but I love watching with friends at a matinee even better.  Here is to a year of new, old, fun, dark, weird, dry, and strange films.

Recently Seen Movies:

• The Nines
• Room (2015)

- Kristen Johnson: always heard The Nines was good, but never knew how good

Apathetic Teens and Dishearten Dreams

After my dentist appointment and camping gear shopping, I went back to my old high school to visit my past teachers.  When I first arrived to the high school, I was rethinking coming there.  I never enjoyed seeing past graduates coming back to visit teachers while I was still a student there, and therefore I would be breaking my own sort of values on the subject.  Yet, I walked in, after the final school bell rang, and visited three of my past teachers.

 

It was the right choice.  I really enjoyed my conversations with all three of them, each varying in duration, but all incredibly reassuring.  The one thing I feared was coming back and having to explain my passion for filmmaking.  There was always this sense of me not wanting to disappoint people (usually older adults) when it came to talking about my future.  I always noted that I would be taking computer science courses when going to college and that I would major in communication arts along side a certificate in computer science.  Though currently, I am over trying to align myself with what is in a sense "expected" of me.  So when it came time talking about my first semester, I was exuberant and couldn't withhold telling everyone about the people I have met, the movies I have seen, the classes that I took, and the realizations that I made.  

The last conversation I had was with a teacher I only had for one semester my senior year.  Weirdly enough, we talked the longest.  While I felt a little intrusive, she welcomed me in and we talked about my accomplishments, but also of the apathetic state of her students.  When I was in her English class, I noticed that most of the students suffered from senioritis.  To me, the idea of seniors suffering from this affliction was not unusual, but for her she said this senior class was worse than previous ones.  This reminded me of how much I pushed myself senior year.  I wanted to get out of high school as much as the next student, but I soaked up my time by working, taking four AP classes, and throwing a discus for track.  It got me wondering how apathetic I would feel if I never found an interest or something that kept me looking towards the future.  

Just her talking about the students' conditions, it just made me distraught.  I can't imagine how hard it is to teach students.  Teachers obviously don't choose this profession for the pay.  While I can't speak for all teachers, I feel that the overwhelming majority want the students to succeed.  Therefore, the lack of enthusiasm is defiantly a problem with two things 1) the students themselves 2) the education system and curriculum.  It just gets me mad to hear about my old teacher's current issues with motivating her kids.   The mentality of her students is most likely having the feeling that they are so close to the finish line, why not walk the last lap?  There are so many factors that come into place here: how they grew up, where they want to go after high school, what profession they are planning on going into, do they know what they want to do, are they mentally prepared for the world, etc.  I don't think anyone really has all those questions answered (well except for how they grew up) as a young adult, especially as senior, yet it doesn't hurt to start filling out the answer rather than leave it blank.

Since I am only a freshman, I would like to give out my interpretation (my own experience) as to what might be going on with these apathetic students. It has to do with a dance.  A dance between procrastination and when to start worrying.  I suffer from procrastination myself, but I have developed a system where I know the due dates and when to really start kicking it into high gear when the impending due date is coming up (usually within two nights before it is due).  I believe the issue with these kids is that the apathy comes from not knowing when to start caring.  I'm not classifying these kids as emotionless beings,  I'm trying to say that when they stop caring about the classes they are taking, stop empathizing with the teachers and understanding where they are coming from, and just enclose themselves within their community of friends via snapchat, facebook, and Instagram, they miss something.  They no longer have a stake of interest in worrying about what they get out from learning in their English or Social Studies course.  Again, not all students are like this.  The ones who are involved in sports, the arts, or academics, all have a drive that makes them have to focus specifically on a goal.  While I was involved with all three of those groups, I organized myself to have each drive equal to each other.  So not only is having a drive a problem for the apathetic kids, but organizing their time once they found something to look forward to.

In the end, the teacher can only do so much.  It is up to each student to find their niche, keep busy, and understand themselves.  The saying is nobody knows you better than yourself in the whole world.  I hope for the best from the high school class of 2016. 

Movies I've Seen Recently:

• Carol

- Kristen Johnson: her middle name is Therese but it is pronounced differently in the film Carol

Nothing Says Winter in Wisconsin like the Song "Margaritaville"

Now that January is here, a Wisconsinite like myself will recognize the chill and taste of the weather.  I have a lot of fond memories of starting the car early in the morning with ice frozen to the windows or running orders without a jacket on to drivers in their warm cars while working at Culver's.  Yet, nothing strikes me more of the feeling of cold weather than the song "Margaritaville" by Jimmy Buffet.

Why? It was playing on a radio station as I was leaving work today and it got me thinking, why on earth would you play this in the middle of winter?

While I can't say the reason behind Lake 96.1's song choice, I have my own thoughts behind why Margaritaville is a great winter song.  It has to do with the dichotomy of one's feelings towards the season of winter.  When it's summer, it is too hot. When it's winter, it is way too cold. "Margaritaville" acts on this emotion of wanting summer to come back as it transports you to an island beach where the tropical percussion seeps into your mind as you waste away in a Margaritaville.  

This song also brings back personal memories of me working at Alpine Valley while Jimmy Buffet was playing there.  It was hot for an August evening, but all I can remember were drunk baby boomers complaining about being unable to use the bathroom because I wouldn't let them use the VIP section's porta potty (management made it clear that only people with wristbands were allowed in that section).

Margaritaville's strange magical trip to summer blues allows for the dreams of summer to protrude from the memories of season's past.  While Bob Dylan is the catalyst for the fall season, Phillies ensemble of musicians (including the Ronettes and the Crystals) is the catalyst for the winter season, Jimmy Buffet is the oncoming storm of late spring and early summer.  

Movies I Have Seen Since Last Post:

• The Lobster
• Bone Tomahawk 
• I'm Still Here

- Kristen Johnson: a person who used to hate Bob Dylan but has grown to appreciate him for introducing the Beatles to drugs

What Horror Movies Get Wrong

Staring out from the broken shutters of my sister's old room (she has my old room now since I am a guest in my parent's house), I re-realized at 4:48 am there is something terribly wrong with horror films nowadays.  I know plenty of people have talked about it.  Hell, this is more like another penny dropped into a well of well-heard wishes, than a call for anything new.  Yet, this needs to be said.  I would like to state that this is:

I am not talking about remakes or re-inspirations of classic horror movies, that is for another time. I'm talking about jump scares and what makes things really scary.  What is with this asinine way of "scaring people."  It startles you and for a second it catches you by surprise but when all is said and done, you shake your head, thinking "what did that accomplish?"  

What I am trying to get at is the relationship between the screen and the audience.  There is something haunting (if you will) about long takes of fear and horror.  To be honest, the realism of the situation is quite terrifying if left unbroken and concentrated. 

There are a couple of movies that do this well, recent I may add so one does not think I just adore the films of past decades.  

Insidious

While one can argue there are a fair amount of spooky jumps (a la the GIF above) the film builds up the fear and anxiety with obscure horror.  Sometimes the ghouls are hidden in the background or further away that one may not see them before a close up is shown.  There is a frightening scene in Insidious: Chapter 2 where Rose Byrne's character is walking down a hallway and you see glimpses of the female specter sitting in the chair from one doorway and vanished when she reaches the second doorway.  There is something about the characters non-realization to the presence that sends a chill of dramatic irony up my spine. Also Chapter 3 has some good scenes in it as well.

Goodnight Mommy

It thrives on the unknown and feeds on your thoughts of "what's going to happen now."  It is on the line of torture porn for me, but the build up and suspense that this film brings is just incredible. The feeling of distrust is so unbearable that while one may figure out the twist within the first 20 minutes, it still hooks itself onto you and really is a nail biter till the "ah man" ending.  But that says nothing of the scenes of just excruciating patience of a slow burn.  Well, it starts like an interesting tinder fire and then really lights up the screen in dramatic fashion.  There is an especially tense scene with a hidden cat that I will not give away. 

The Babadook 

Before the Babadook is even introduced, we are given a mother, a son, and a tragic backstory.  You feel the vitriolic pain the mother carries and the annoying anguish of a child who doesn't know how to care for his mom.  This character depth would be fine on its own, but add in a creature of fear and hatred and you are in for one terrifying time.  Just like Insidious, The Babadook enjoys to creep the audience out before it terrifies the characters.  We catch glimpses of the Babadook here and there, but we aren't sure if this is the Mother's insanity or a real possessive monster gnawing into the lives of these two broken souls (which can be annoying if done terribly but luckily this film is well executed). One of scariest scenes is of the Babadook (no spoilers so *wink *wink to the name change) is when the Babadook floats eerily to the little boy as he backs himself into the corner and pees himself.  It is so undeniably weird to see an actual terrified reaction like that to be shown on screen that it made me even more freaked out to what I was seeing.

Lastly, I would like to note that most jump scares fail because not only are they fake scares to cause your fight-or-flight responses to activate, but they are accompanied by a loud noise.  This is just further bull, that tries to cash in on this natural reaction to getting startled.  This is why, while loud noises can certainly intensify a scene, silence is also key to fear.  

Movies I Have Recently Seen:

• The Loft (Stay AWAY)

Kristen Johnson: the creator of a slow burning chiller oxymoron 

Making a Scene Out of Misunderstandings

To begin my journey of an amateur filmmaker, I thought of an exercise.  There are many little quirks that come from everyday life.  Noticing the daredevil trapeze acts squirrels proceed to do as you approach them with just a little curiosity or the annoyed smile of a customer as an employee at a restaurant asks "how the food is" while the customer has food stuffed in his face.  I am trying to take notice of these little things, capture them in the moment, recreate them through writing and then in video.

So my little notable scenes, that could show up in a short of mine in the future, would be of misunderstanding.

Your Change Is...

Working drive thru at my local Culver's, I come across a lot of people.  A lot of emotions come through the sliding doors, but one that I wasn't ready for was misunderstanding.  An older gentleman of an age that crosses between 60's to early 70's,  drove up to the window to get cashed out.  I asked for $ 12.57 and he gave me $20.35.  I felt bad to give him all that change back and so I went back and told him he gave me three nickles and two dimes.  He looked embarrassed and said he thought he gave me quarters instead of nickles. Chuckling he gave me another nickle.  Looking down at my hand, I was at the point of becoming flustered for having to tell the man he is wrong again.  Looking at him and telling him he goofed again, he searched his coin crevice in his van, and pulled out a dime. At this point, this was going nowhere and I plugged in the now $ 20.50 and gave him the chunk of change.  He smiled as I handed him his cash, and he noted that we just couldn't get it right.  Was it ill on my part for not waiting for him to hand me the right change or his for not understanding that he was coming up short through every exchange.  No matter who's at fault.  I thought it was hilarious after the fact.

Her Roommate's Dead!

I was making breakfast in the morning and my mother was watching a film, Time After Time starring Malcolm McDowell.  Suddenly, the phone rings and she picks it up, it's grandma.  As I stir away on my scrambled eggs, I hear my mom jab politics with her mom and then move onto talking about the state of where all the family members are. Of course, I am away from Madison and right when she gets to my story of how my first half of my freshman year went, she screams "Oh my god, her roommate was murdered!" Note, I could hear my grandma scream "what happened?" from in the kitchen. My mom laughed as she realized she said that out loud while reacting to the movie.  I wonder what my Grandma must have thought happened to my poor roommate. In any such case, it came straight out of a bad timed joke from a lower status sitcom (King of Queens territory), but I loved it.

Movies I Have Recently Seen:

• Anomalisa 
• Sherlock: The Abominable Bride
• Electric Boogaloo: The Wild Untold Story of Cannon Films
• Time After Time

- Kristen Johnson: a person who likes little quirky items

A New Years Restitution

There my sister and I were, sipping our drinks while listening to the Pretty Much It commentary of Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D which is the quintessential film to watch on any New Years Eve.  While watching, I decided to share movie pitches to her.  She also had a few ideas listed on her phone and that had my mind wondering.

Why didn't I make any short films last year.

I had a goal to make a new YouTube channel where I would post my shorts and other nonsensical videos, but I never did.  I even had an idea for a short film that I was setting up to write and shoot, but it slipped through my fingers as I prepared to enter my freshman year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

Fuck! I realize how irritating it is to stare in the face of great ideas and when the free time arrives, you just go:

So instead of a resolution, it is a restitution.  A restitution of how I wanted things to go last year but was preparing for the experience of moving away from home and learning new things about myself at Madison, that I lost my concentration. 

Maybe going to the Sundance Film Festival at the end of the month will revitalize me.  Cheers to future projects.

Movies I Have Recently Seen:

• Hateful Eight
• The Two Faces of January 
• Charade 
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
• Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens (third time)
• The Star Wars: Holiday Special

- Kristen Johnson: a filmmaker in progress