Freud wrote a book called, “The interpretation of dreams.” In it he breaks down his theory that all dreams are the unconscious fulfillment of wishes, or expression of anxieties. The anxieties may be represented in many ways, and be related to current day events; however, through the use of his theories of psychoanalytic dream analysis, one can uncover deep conflicts extending back to, and ultimately originating in childhood.
If you take a modern media approach, one could say that movies are the representation of unconscious social wishes and anxieties…. rather than just to do a movie review. I'll stick to thewoozy.com philosophy of looking things from a larger /psychological/social perspective
Here’s my take on several new movies out there.
“Lust Pause”
by Ang Lee
Ang Lee is Chinese and also an American. Lust/Pause is a great movie. The sharpest criticism has been that many have viewed it as superficial, and perhaps not understood, or did not believe the motivation of the characters. From my interpretation, much of the criticism is of the ethnic cleansing variety. That is, if you do not understand Chinese culture, it’s history, it’s traditions and culture, then yes, you may not believe the story, it’s motivations, or even have the subtlety to understand the traditions of Chinese entertainment, the influence of classical theater and social etiquette which all go into a beautifully constructed and potently contemporary and historically relevant film.
In essence, Lust/Pause does not represent a true social desire or anxiety, rather, the western interpretation and criticism of the film reveals that cultural intolerance is alive and well in the United States.
The movie itself is about youthful idealism. Lust, adventure, rebellion, seduction, human connection, politics, poor management (even within the rebellion) and the intricate process of being diverted through ignorance and naiveté, onto an unsustainable course which leads to a lot of excitement, yet, ultimate failure.
the plot is simple. Japan has invaded China. a group of young university students and actors stage a play that reveals a deep passion and love of China. they make the jump to reality, and believe that they have received their mandate to serve as revolutionaries. circumstance provides an opportunity. naively they jump in. soon, they're in over their heads. as their plot moves forward, life happens.
what's different is that it is based on the actual history of China. As I mentioned before, the history of China is the foundation. Their culture and sensibilities guide the story. But, being judged from a western perspective changes the viewing from something true and beautiful and enlightening, to ethnocentrism. that's not the way to go. Enjoy the diversity, the freshness and the boldness and braveness of Ang Lee and his actors in crafting a beautiful and complex soap opera.
“Into the Wild”
by Sean Penn
If you want to understand Sean Penn, then you would in the least need to become familiar with his father’s work, Arthur Penn, and also Penn’s major film influence, John Cassavettes. In the film, Penn uses the opportunity of a period piece (early late ‘80’s, early ‘90’s, to write at once a timeless story of the heeding of the age old existential crisis and also a love letter to a world that at one time allowed and even encouraged one to wallow in ones own self-pity and ignorance, groping for meaning, stumbled off into a fog of isolation and through that emerged feeling deserving of the comfortable life they had previously rejected.
This movie was hard to watch at times. Who hasn’t romantically attempted, whether in short spurts, or in longer expeditions, to rid oneself of their own petty desires for fear that if they didn't, there would be no real reason for their individual existence? o.k., o.k., i'm talking about very few individuals here. but let's just say, I've attempted many times what this guy did. but i just couldn't die, physically, or spiritually. So I gave up and went to graduate school.
Due to the degree of inner conflict in the main character, his desire to become “empty” was so great that ultimately, it lead him to his own death. He actually had what it took, to commit an elaborate and romaticised form of suicide.
Make no doubt, this movie is greatly romanticized, beautifully and artistically shot. Attentive and present in every scene and yet roughly hewn and gritty. “into the wild” represents a dead, if not almost completely comatose last gasp of America’s 400 year love affair with it's frontier, where anyone could go to die, or get rich tryin' . what this movie taught me was that we may truly be at the point that there is no more west. No more frontiers, and no more opportunity to move unwatched, to grope and fumble blindly, in this great nation of ours.
Sean Penn, ever the one to attempt to live true to this spirit, is a genius for ferreting out a tale so perfect to illustrate not only his values, his growing mastery but also allowing him to exemplify the essential death of the existential American dream.
Not to be forgotten, the soundtrack by Eddie Vedder is one of the most poignant and appropriate/seamless/beautiful/moving scores I’ve heard in a movie in a long time. I say this even though I hate the sound of Vedder's voice and I detest his whole lynyrd skynyrd/powderfinger rock sensibility. Let me say it again, Vedder's score provides both the best song and best score of this movie season.
“The Golden Compass”
by the White Supremacist
O.k. so first of all, it’s not my imagination. There really are no Black folks in this movie. This movie is about the master races’ worship and idolization of the white wasp virgin. It seems we need to have that porcelain skin jammed in our faces in at least 15 movies a year. In this particular incarnation of the dream, “Ballou” from “The Jungle Book” bleaches his hide white, cuts out all the bullshit and masquerades as a drunken, raging polar bear. Although there is no one Black in this flick, it’s a standard understanding among Black movie lovers and movie critics, that it is impossible for even white folks to truly whitewash a movie such that there are truly no Black characters. In movies with no Black people, there will invariably be an animal, in servitude, dwelling in a lower caste, usually embittered, drunk and oppressed, who functions as the “N’ga. for example, in “Star Wars” it was Chewbacca. In Blade Runner, it was the artificial humans. and to name others; E.T., Dracula, Wolfman, Frankenstein, Jason, King Kong, The Thing, the pods in "invasion of the body snatchers", Lassie, etc, etc, etc. Let me say it one more time. There are always N’gaz in every movie, especially the ones with no N’gaz.
The most interesting thing in this movie is Daniel Craig. He looks great, confident and is strong in this flick. Too bad he’s hardly in it.
I don’t really give stars in movies. But if I did, this one wouldn’t get any.
“Love in the time of Cholera” based on ggm (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
Most of what is misunderstood about this movie is once again, the cultural subtleties that make the choices for acting, motivation and scene development slightly beyond the radar for the majority of White film reviewers. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, although loved by White intellectuals, aint White. Much of what they forgive in his prose, due to his unbelievably transcendant grasp and utilization of language and structure, they can not forgive when it is played out on the big screen. It just doesn’t have the same elegance with which to cause them to look the other way. What was essential and unavoidable in the novel becomes confusing and almost laughable on the screen.
And the makeup is absolutely horrible. It’s like they had blind old ladies running amok with a cache of 1920’s stage make-up. The acting is great. Some of the best tits I’ve seen in a movie in a long time (the last love scene excluded… YEEEECh!!).
I actually really liked this movie. I felt it taught me several things and showed me several things about Latino culture and psychology that I didn't understand before.
“No Country for Old Men”
The Coen Brothers
What has been touted, as one of the best movies of the year is actually a very long piece of human excrement? The Coen brothers finally figured out what Clint Eastwood and Steven Spielberg finally figured out when they put together their successful Oscar campaigns. White folks love movies that are slow, sanitized, with very little dialogue that sounds intelligent and deep, but is actually cartoonish and unreal. They love characters that do stupid shit, for little understood reasons and then either catch hell, or give it as a way to resolve the dispute.
For me, this movie was one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen in my life. The moment the main character, which is a redneck to the bone, gets up in the middle of the night to take a jug of water to a Mexican who is 9/10th dead, it made absolutely no sense. But I know what White folks loved it. They are so racist, so hateful, so intolerant, that when that redneck risked his life to make a foolish decision, seemingly based on his own character, which essentially resulted in the death of him and everyone he knew, White folks couldn’t help but to feel that some great movie magic had just occurred. And they’re right. and so, I hate to say this, but it will probably win an Oscar for either Best Film, or Best Original Screenplay. It certainly doesn't deserve it though.
That’s it folks. Spend you money as if it were your life.
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