FILM JOURNAL
Welcome to one of my favorite passion projects: my film journal. What started as a fun way to engage myself in my film studies for class turned into one of my favorite active projects. With the process consisting of watching the film, taking notes, and doing research to define an overview of the film and its specs, I marry my desire for expanding my knowledge of filmmaking with my passion of film appreciation.
FLIP THROUGH THE PAGES
DONNIE DARKO
director: richard kelly
year: 2001
cast: jake gyllenhaal, james duval, jena malone, drew barrymore, patrick swayze
plot: while the film heavily implies that due to his delusions, erratic behavior, and regular therapy that donnie is a paranoid schizophrenic, donnie’s mind reveals he has discovered the means of time travel and the existence of primary and tangent universes; of course finding love and disrespecting authority along the way, as most angsty, american teens do. following the commands of his prophetic “imaginary” friend, frank, as the world comes to an end, he manages to alter the sequence of events in time in order to become close with gretchen, avoid death, and even expose a kiddie-porn dungeon in the home of a widely adored, motivational religious man. ultimately, donnie realizes as time goes on, more tragedies occur. after extensive research and soul searching, donnie prepares for the end of the existence of the tangent universe as it will end in the prevention of many tragedies, but his death as well; sacrificing himself for the greater good of others. making statements on american politics, organized religion, women’s rights, and much more, the subliminal messaging throughout the film makes this a watch that ages like a fine wine. every watch reveals more artistry; from the camera angles to the decor. this may be my favorite movie of all time. I do say that with most edgy films though so we will see.
techniques: surrealism, lighting, montage, time compression, cross cutting, camera angles
fun facts:
this was seth rogan’s first film.
both rogan and j. gyllenhaal agreed that they had no idea what the movie was about.
this was filmed over a 28 day period which matches the length of time depicted in the film.
quotes:
“they just want to see what happens when they tear the world apart”
“beer and pussy. that's all I need.”
“you're not a bitch. you're bitchin', but you're not a bitch.
“well, they say it right when they flood the house, and they tear it to shreds that, like, uh, destruction is a form of creation. so the fact that they burn the money is ironic. they just want to see what happens when they tear the world apart. they want to change things.”
“i like your boobs.”
references:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0246578/
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF A SPOTLESS MIND
director: michael gondry
year: 2004
cast: jim carrey, kate winslet, kirsten dunst, mark ruffalo, elijah wood
plot: joel barish undergoes a procedure to have his girlfriend, clementine kruczynski, erased from his memory as a form of defense after she had it done first. this is the story of a lost man finding his way through his own mind and heart, discovering what happened to him throughout his life and what is and isn’t worth remembering. going through the procedure, joel’s memories are erased one by one. the cinematography captures these moments perfectly visually as well as technically. ultimately, a fight for soulmates and self worth, joel quickly regrets the procedure and fights it as long as he can until it is complete. in the end, the star crossed lovers find their way back to one another after making plans to reunite in joel’s subconscious. even though they both know there will be friction and inevitable fighting, they are willing to go through all of the hardship and discontent to be able to love each other.
techniques: mise-en-scène, cinematography, shallow focus, flashback, montage, reflexivity, retrograde narrative
fun facts: gondry hired ellen pompeo to play joel’s ex, naomi, in the film. carrey believes gondry did that because pompeo had a striking resemblance to renée zellweger, carrey’s then recent ex in order to elicit genuine emotion from carrey. gondry denies it and pompeo was never actually featured in the film.
quotes:
“too many guys think i’m a concept, or i complete them, or i’m gonna make them alive. but i’m just a f*cked-up girl who’s lookin’ for my own peace of mind; don’t assign me yours”
“i’m a vindictive little bitch truth be told.”
“do i know you?”
“why do I fall in love with every woman i see who shows me the least bit of attention?”
“i could die right now... i’m just so happy. i’ve never felt that before. i’m just exactly where i want to be.”
references:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338013/
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
director: ron howard
year: 2001
cast: russell crowe, ed harris, jennifer connelly, christopher plummer
plot: john nash, a mathematical genius, navigates his way through princeton university, desperately searching for inspiration for an original thought. though incredibly antisocial and awkward, nash manages to befriend a roommate and find a girlfriend that he will later marry. post graduation, nash began working for the american government as he worked with cryptography and eventually became a pawn to fight the russians. years of his obsessive personality controlling most of his life with constant learning and studying, his mental stability begins to deteriorate quickly as he ends up in a mental hospital to be treated for paranoid schizophrenia after several public, nervous breakdowns and communication with people who do not exist. ready to lose hope, nash’s wife, alicia, ensures that the brilliant mind of her husband is not suffocated by mental illness. working for years to battle the illness, nash never fully cures himself of the sickness, but was able to reason his way around the things that were illogical. living proof of mind over matter, nash’s story ends by being a successful professor at his alma mater as well as a nobel prize recipient.
techniques: closed-handed vs open-handed, spiking the camera, espionage, lighting and shadows
fun facts:
the equations written on the classroom chalkboards are actual equations written by the real-life john nash.
one of john nash’s sons plays the orderly on the right in the scene where nash is being dragged down the hall.
quotes:
“you are the reason i am. you are all of my reasons”
“i need to believe that something extraordinary is possible”
“there’s no accounting for taste, is there?”
“like a diet of the mind, i just choose not to indulge certain appetites; like my appetite for patterns; perhaps my appetite to imagine and to dream”
references:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0268978/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm
HEREDITARY
director: ari aster
year: 2018
cast: alex wolf, gabriel byrne, toni collette, milly shapiro
plot: following the death of the family’s grandmother, the already grieving family experiences a more horrific form of heartbreak as the youngest child was decapitated while on their way from a high school party where she went into anaphylactic shock. With the weight of being involved in the death of his sister, charlie, peter falls into a deep depression as he is haunted by the experience. This horrific accident made the already manic mother, annie, fall deeper into a spiral as she begins to lose her grip on reality and begins to unleash hell on her family both verbally and physically as she cannot help but attempt to kill her remaining family members in her sleep.
As the family deals with the grieving process of the grandmother and the daughter, the cultish horror of the grandmother’s past is revealed as several members manipulate their way into the family’s lives. Reflecting on the obscure nature of the daughter as well as the witchy qualities of the grandmother, the family pieces together the information that the paranormal activities they have been experiencing are no coincidence as the spirits of their lost ones are still active in a deeper plan. After several deaths by fire, self mutilation, and murder, the spirit of charlie is passed onto the male host of her now deceased brother, she begins to be worshipped by the cult’s following as the holy being, paimon.
techniques: light vs dark, wide shots, spatial connections
fun facts:
aster wanted to have emotionally justified scares instead of jump scares
toni collette called aster the most prepared director she’s ever worked with
aster wanted this to be a film about suffering that took suffering seriously
quotes:
“i never wanted to be your mother”
“hail paimon!”
“make it stop! make it fucking stop! make it stop!”
references:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7784604/
https://www.vulture.com/2018/06/hereditarys-ari-aster-breaks-down-his-upsetting-film.html
MIDSOMMAR
director: ari aster
year: 2019
cast: florence pugh, jack reynor, vilhelm blomgren, william poulter, ellora torchia
plot: a psychological thriller, self-discovery story, ultimate breakup, or even a fairy tale, this film’s expansive universe thoroughly tantalizes the audience in every scene. Following the story of dani, it is revealed early on that her relationship with her boyfriend, Christian, is falling apart as he is an adamant gaslighter who puts in a fraction of the effort into their relationship that Dani does. On the brink of collapsing, their relationship is forced to withhold as dani’s sister kills herself along with their parents, ultimately setting the mood for the whole film. After long, uncomfortable scenes, Dani and Christian’s friends embark on a trip to Sweden to celebrate a mid-summer festival in a pagan commune. Progressing from funky outfits and tea to human sacrifices and orgies, the charming commune is revealed to be incredibly cultish as the friends from America were used for torturous rituals, impregnating the members of the community, and finally integration to become one of their own. Though a malicious and terrifying adventure, Dani finally finds herself and the people who make her feel important and loved as she becomes the only surviving American and earns her crown as she became the May Queen. Creating the ultimate breakup, revenge story, she uses her power to sacrifice Christian to a slow, painful death after he is forcefully paralyzed. Set in a beautiful, colorful, and bright scenery, the confliction of fear and admiration are major keys in making this film so fascinatingly brilliant.
techniques: over exposure, three-strip technicolor/oversaturation, progression of monochromatic into vibrancy, zoom and focus variation
fun facts:
aside from wailing and screaming, neither dani nor christian speak in the last 25 minutes of the film.
this is a twist on shakespeare’s midsummer night’s dream
quotes:
“i think i ate one of her pubic hairs”
“the queen must ride alone”
“do you feel held by him? does he feel like home to you?”
“so we’re just going to ignore the bear?”
references:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8772262/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
director: jim sherman
year: 1975
cast: tim curry, susan sarandon, barry bostwick, richard o’brian, patricia quinn, nell campbell, peter hinwood, meat loaf
plot: after a small, vanilla wedding, the newly engaged brad and janet get a flat tire on their way home one evening in a storm and seek the use of a phone at the nearest house, or castle. to their surprise, they enter an annual party held by dr. frank n furter to celebrate sexual desires, queerness, and a surprise unveiling of his living creation, rocky. greeted by the incestuous, alien siblings, riff raff and mageanta, the polite, plain couple is stripped of their clothes and morals as they fall into the lustious world inside the castle. seduced by dr. frank n furter, both of them end up having sex with him. this is not the only time these christian lovers are overcome with the pleasure of the flesh as janet sleeps with rocky, the both of them participate in an orgy, and let go of the value of virginity and monogamy. sex aside, the night includes murder, cannabalism, alien invasions, and magical science that was strong enough to take their breaths away as they were turned to stone. ultimately ending in several deaths and the destruction of their mental health, brad and janet are rocked to their core as they somehow leave the castle alive. emphasizing the fluidity of gender, sex, and sexual orientation, and vastness of the universe, this is a cult classic for queers and film lovers everywhere.
techniques: iceberg theory, musical, subliminal messages, selective zoom, centralized behavior, literature allusions, gothic
fun facts:
little nell was cast as columbia for her tap dancing skills alone
tim curry was once kicked out of a screening of the movie for being an “imposter”
princess diana was a huge fan of the movie
quotes:
“i’m just a sweet transvestite from transexual transylvania”
“a mental mind fuck can be nice”
“and crawling on the planet's face, some insects called the human race. lost in time, and lost in space... and meaning”
“it’s not easy having a good time! even smiling makes my face ache”
references:
PARASITE
director: bong joon ho
year: 2019
cast: kang-ho song, sun-kyun lee, yeo-jeong jo, woo-sik choi, so-dam park, jeong-eun lee
plot: in a jaw dropping sequence of unexpected events, this film highlights the connection between socioeconomic classes, cultural and societal norms, and a tale of familial connections. focusing on the kim family, a lower class unit of sly con artists, as they manipulate a rich family into hiring them all for well paying jobs without letting them know that they are related so they are not seen as suspicious or unprofessional. once the family successfully created new identities and began to reap the rewards of their wealthy employers, they revealed the secret hideaway of a past worker’s husband. before the kim family was able to report the wrong doings of the past employee, their mischief was revealed as well. this ultimately led to resentment and rage which fueled the hideaway to murder the kims publically and in front of the wealthy family. through a series of judgemental incidents from the upper class to the lower class, mr. kim’s pent up rage was released when he followed mr. park’s disgust with poverty with a knife to the chest. ending in the deaths of many as well as the shattered families.
techniques:
symmetry, warm vs. blue light, the use of stairs and architecture, filling the frame, dividing the frame, montage, slow motion, movie scoring, ensemble staging
fun facts:
the house was designed to feature lines that clearly divide the parks and kims.
the parks are in their own way parasites: each member of the family is in sore need of a companion, as they can't rely on each other properly.
the most successful south korean feature of all time in indonesia, with approx. 500,000 tickets sold (as of july 28, 2019).
quotes:
“rich people are naive. no resentments. no creases on them”
“don’t fucking call me sis, you filthy bitch!”
“honey, that woman chung-sook… oh god. what a nice person. she kicked me down the stairs”
references:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6751668/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_ov_st_smes:
https://mamasgeeky.com/2020/03/parasite-movie-quotes.html
https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/creating-the-look-of-parasite/
https://nofilmschool.com/parasite-montage
Used in a semester long research project for a social working class, highlighted in the semester portfolio (pdf linked below) are the applications of intersectionality, behavioralism, and classism through a cinematic lens; paying specific attention to these concepts through Asian culture.
1BR
director: david marmor
year: 2019
cast: nicole brydon bloom, giles matthey, taylor nichols, alan blumenfeld, naomi grossman, celeste sully
plot: in an attempt to start a new life in los angeles, sarah finds herself in an apartment building with a community that is more close-knit than she realizes as neighborly habits turn to cultish rituals. starting with threats about her not obeying the no-pet policy, to the gruesome murder of her cat, to torture, and eventually, assimilation; after the assisted suicide of her closest friend within the building. she is quickly brainwashed and forced to push away any and all connections to anyone who possibly cared about her as she was now being adopted into a new “family.”. sarah being the lonely, damaged girl without a friend in the world, frankly saw no other option but to hide away with the cult. however, when the cult begins searching for new members, her ex friend falls into the clutches of the leaders and is forced into the torturous brainwash process. remembering the hellish accounts of her own experience, sarah turns on the cult and tries to help her and her friend escape. forced to fight for her life, sarah ends up killing several people to get to safety only to realize the “safety” of the outside world is more compromised than expected as more members of the cult are revealed to exist further than she can imagine. exploring the human condition and the depths and strength of the human mind, this psychological thriller forces the audience to question everything but their own will.
techniques: slow burn, urban alienation, pan, symmetry, tension buildup
fun facts:
the first word of the name of the apartment complex, "asilo," means "asylum" in spanish.
alan blumenfeld (sarah's father) and susan davis (miss stanhope) starred together in war games (1983) as matthew broderick's (david) high school teacher and mother.
quotes:
“welcome to the neighborhood”
“it’s my fucking life”
“we want to help them all”
references:
https://battleroyalewithcheese.com/2020/06/1br-review/
SECRET WINDOW
director: david koepp
year: 2004
cast: johnny depp, john turturro, maria bellow, timothy hutton, charles s. dutton, len cariou
plot: in the midst of a divorce with a woman he still loves, writer, mort rainey, is stalked by an eerie character, john shooter, who claims to have had his writings stolen by rainey. sent on a wild goose chase for evidence of his authenticity, mort is tormented by shooter through the gruesome murder of his dog, his wife’s house being set on fire, and seemingly endless other tragedies. Jumping through hoop after hoop trying to please this seductive stranger, reality starts to untether in the mind of mort as he questions everything. with his creative mind constantly running, he managed to create a fantasy out of real life as he became one of the maniacal villains he wrote about in an alternate personality as he was responsible for all of the horrible attacks.
techniques: super 35, flashback, pan, dolly,
fun facts:
john turturro decided to appear in the movie because his son, a big fan of stephen king, convinced him to.
stephen king traded the rights to this film in order to get the rights to kingdom hospital (2004).
when johnny depp's character drops the hat on his desk, a copy of hunter s. thompson's "the rum diary" is visible on the table. depp played in the movie version of the book, the rum diary (2011).
quotes:
“you stole my story”
“thought you didn’t smoke ”
“ took it up recently for my health”
“i’d be lying if i said i said i wasn’t on the verge of doing snoopy dances”
“what do you want? you wanna kill me? why dont you just do it? just kill me”
“i don't respond well to intimidation. makes me feel *icky*.”
References:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363988/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm
SUPER DARK TIMES
director: kevin phillips
year: 2017
cast: owen campbell, charlie tahan, elizabeth cappuccino, amy hargreaves, max talisman, sawyer barth
plot: best friends, zack and josh, live a relatively routine life for dorky kids in the 90’s; fawning over classmates, passive-aggressive battles over masculinity, and even playing with swords. this youthful euphoria that is childhood comes to a quick halt after a fight turned to involuntary manslaughter as josh stabs their friend, daryl, in the throat. panicked, the boys deciding hiding the body and evidence was a better route than telling the authorities. the friend group was never the same. following the disappearance of their friend, suspicious activity flooded their small town as others had gone missing and attacked. hooked on the rush of killing, josh is the culprit of it all. only to be taken down by his best friend, zack. a manipulation of friendship, the loss of innocence, and fighting to achieve a sense or grounding and normalcy, the kids we met in the beginning of the film were not kids anymore.
techniques: pan, pull focus, staging, character dolly, discovery shot, contrast shots, day dream, montage
fun facts:
this movie was inspired (especially visually) by donnie darko
the story came from a paranoid, intrusive thought in co-writer ben collins’s dream
quotes:
“if anybody asks, we’re already fucked.”
“come here. fucking hug me, jesus.”
“i don’t really feel like i have anyone to talk to right now.”
“i don’t know what i want anymore.”
References:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5112578/
https://www.france24.com/en/20170929-super-dark-times-indie-cinema-takes-teen-violence
THE IRISHMAN
director: martin scorsese
year: 2019
cast: robert de niro, al pacino, joe pesci, harvey keitel, ray romano, bobby cannavale
plot: recalling upon the many paths of life he has lived, frank “the irishman” sheeran, he explains how he went from a truck driver, to soldier, to mob hitman, to family man. risking, and losing, the lives of many people around him who care about him, frank tells his story to anyone who will listen as a means of reconciliation. working for the teamster and close friend, jimmy hoffa. frank gets involved with the bufalino crime family, the assasination of john f. kennedy, and the american labour union leader, mr hoffa himself. through prison, the fall of his relationships with friends and family, and an overall life of crime, frank spares no details until every last grievance he has with himself is aired. we last see frank in his nursing home; alone in his wheelchair with his room door open as he hopes the family and friends he has let down throughout the years would forgive him and see him for one last time.
techniques: technocrane, cgi, VFX especially in de-aging, RED camera footage, kodachrome to ektachrome to digital, focus pullers,
fun facts:
each period of time was filmed with a different camera setting, different camera, different colors, and different sounds to help the effect of traveling through the years naturally
robert de niro wanted the film to retain the same name as the book, “i heard you paint houses”.
al pacino said that, to him, the process of filming the irishman was how it felt filming movies in the 1970s.
the house that appears at the beginning of the film is the same house that appears in goodfellas (1990).
quotes:
“you might be demonstrating a failure to show appreciation”
“i heard you paint houses”
“three people can keep a secret only when two of them are dead”
“if there’s one person you can’t trust in this life, it’s millionaires' kids”
references:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1302006/
https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/camera-movement-in-the-irishman/
UNCUT GEMS
directors: benny safdie & josh safdie
year: 2019
cast: adam sandler, keith william richards, tommy kominik, lakeith stanfield, idina menzel, kevin garnett
plot: the gem dealing, gambling addict, howard ratner, was once a well respected jeweler in new york, believes he has found his saving grace to get out of the hole of debt his gambling has dug for him once he finds a rare ethiopian opal. though he has several high profile people as potential buyers, howard is far from lucky and further from recovering from debt. with his gambling addiction infringing on his family, marriage, health, and safety, this movie encapsules the raw anxiety and fear that this messy situation produces. from the rapid chase scenes, vulgar screaming matches, and the deterioration of howard’s mental and physical health is impossible to avoid. though appearing as a high rolling winner, no one can outrun fate. his lack of awareness and common sense is taken over by mania then by bullets; revealing the true uncut gem is humanity.
techniques: eschew marks, far away cameras with long zoom lenses, jitter, pacing, high contrast, focus-calibrating, pull focus
fun facts:
the film was inspired by the Safdie Brothers' father's time working as a salesman/runner for a man also named howard in the manhattan diamond district.
the safdie brothers and their father are also jewish and avid basketball fans.
adam sandler wore false teeth and a fake dark mole on his right cheek for the role.
quotes:
“i made a crazy risk, a gamble, and it’s about to pay off”
“this is how i win”
“i wish you were nicer to me though”
“what the fuck is the weeknd”
references:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5727208/
https://www.inputmag.com/features/uncut-gems-secret-cinematography-light-ranger-2
PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER
directors: stephen chbosky
year: 2012
cast: logan lerman, emma watson, erza miller, paul rudd, mae whitman, erin wilhelmi, johnny simmons
plot: entering the hellish world of high school, charlie kelmeckis starts his new chapter of his life anxious, alone, and isolated from his peers as his best friend took his own life before they could attend high school together. lost under the shadow of his graduated, varsity brother and ultra popular older sister, charlie takes a leap of faith as he finds the humble souls of sam and patrick; introducing charlie to new friends, music, experiences, and true love. welcoming him into the real world, charlie’s friends pull him out of the torrents of depression and ptsd. of course, however, this coming of age film wouldn’t be complete without its fair share of sex, drugs, and romance drama that had potential to shatter the world charlie just came to enjoy. with problems starting as a flurry quickly snowballs into an avalanche as charlie’s health and well being inevitably crumble. realizing the truth and purity within him, charlie’s friends come back to his rescue as they hold him close until they leave for their new lives as college students. through the highs and lows, fighting his demons along the way, charlie finally realizes the life he deserves is the life he will shape around him.
techniques: flashback, low camera level, aerial shots, cut, long shot, zoom, dolly shot, high contrast, deep saturation, montage
fun facts:
when patrick holds up his report card, the name at the top says "patrick nothing", a reference to his nickname in the book and the film.
in the book, patrick and mary elizabeth were chain smokers, and charlie had a smoking phase. that detail was removed in the film, likely to score a pg-13 rating.
in the christmas party scene, sam reads a card from charlie. in reality, emma watson is reading a personal note to her from director/writer stephen chbosky.
quotes:
“love always, charlie”
“we accept the love we think we deserve”
“you can’t just sit there and put everybody’s lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love”
“what if i wanted her to die?”
“you should write about us”
“touch my friends again and i’ll blind you”
references:
https://ghtheperksofbeingawallflower.weebly.com/film-techniques.html
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1659337/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm