The Aviator

The Aviator is a biographical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. The film itself follows the life of the aviation extraordinaire Howard Hughes, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, showing all of his faults and successes in spectacular fashion down to the very last detail. The film shows the origin of Howard Hughes’ OCD, brought upon thanks to his mother’s constant washing and talks of germs. Flash-forward to 1927, Howard is now in the process of making the movie Hell’s Angels. The first few minutes of the film also shows Howard’s constant worry for germs and the need to make everything, including the film, perfect. Later, he begins seeing Katherine Hepburn, played by Cate Blanchett, who begins helping to quell down his OCD symptoms. But things begin to turn bad for Howard once Juan Trippe, played by Alec Baldwin, makes it his mission to have his airline be the only one to travel to Europe. This, coupled with Howard’s worsening OCD after Hepburn leaves him and the physically scarring crash of the XF-11 plane, makes Howard slowly become more and more of a recluse and paranoid of even his girlfriends. To the point where he locks himself in a theatre room as a way to prevent himself from outside contamination while Juan Trippe’s men attempt to further discredit him. Howard is eventually able to pull himself together and defend himself before taking one final flight on the H-4 Hercules. The film closes, showing us that Howard’s OCD is only getting worse and worse before cutting to black.

I myself am amazed at how they portrayed Howard in this film. They showed just how much of a contradiction his OCD made him, fearful of germs yet also willing to let his physical health decline while locking himself in the theatre room. It showed his joy in flying airplanes, and the amount of dedication he had in keeping his airline Trans World Airlines. The movie showed us that while he was living ‘The American Dream’, it did not actually help him as a person. In fact, it made Hughes’ OCD so much worse that it lead to him isolating himself from society for quite some time. He was very smooth talking to women and was a playboy, but he never really connected with any except for a handful that were controlling. In fact, the only one that Howard actually loved in the film was Hepburn due to how free-willed yet firm she was.

The scenes of Howard in the theatre were especially powerful. Before, he simply washed his hands and controlled where his food was placed to deal with his OCD. Now, he simply stays in one area watching movies over and over again while having a diet of sandwiches, chocolate, and milk. The scene is just so saddening, since we saw Howard as a larger than life figure. With the scene though, he just looks like a mental patient. 

As said before, the film closes in 1940 due to Howard winning his Senate hearing and flying the ‘Spruce Goose’. It closes here because these were two of Howard’s greatest accomplishments, and yet also began his even worsening OCD despite willing himself to get out of the theatre. We never know what happens next, but we do see Howard’s bloodshot eyes and him remembering his childhood promise to make the biggest movies and fly the fastest airplanes. Through these, we see that Howard will never get better, and the very reason why he set such high standards for himself was because of his childhood dreams. This is a movie that shows a man’s rise and fall in life. I truly recommend it for any movie fan that wishes to see DiCaprio at his fin

Citizen Kane

Citizen Kane is the greatest film of all time, created by the world-famous Orson Welles. It’s a story about Charles Foster Kane’s rise and fall from power, respect, and grace. It’s a story about his life, told through the people he has encountered, while the mystery concerning his last word, ‘Rosebud’ is trying to be discovered by the reporter Jerry Thompson. The opening sequence instantly grabs one’s attention through the clever use of transition. At first, you see a gate with the sign ‘NO TRESSPASSING’ on it before seeing this humongous castle on top of a cliff, making one feel a sense of foreboding and making one believe that Kane is a larger-than-life figure. But then you see Kane, an old man on his deathbed, whisper out a seemingly random word, before dropping a snow globe. Making people wonder two questions: Just who was Kane? And what does ‘Rosebud’ mean to him?

Later on in the movie, we see Kane’s life through a series of flashbacks. Each one supporting Kane’s larger-than-life figure through camera work. One scene included the gradual degradation of his relationship with his first wife, Emily Monroe. At first it appears to be a stable relationship, with both Kane and Emily talking to one another and even acting like lovers. But slowly, Kane talks less and less, and there is mentions from Emily that he spends more time at his job than he does with her. And this continues before both are just sitting at the dinner table quietly, not even speaking a word to one another. This whole scene shows how Kane slowly becomes withdrawn from someone if he believes that he has gotten all of their ‘love’, instead moving onto the next person or thing that has caught his interest.

The main revelation in the movie comes near the end. That ‘Rosebud’ is really just his old sled that Kane played with in his childhood, the day when he was taken from his home by the bank. It shows that despite his larger-than-life persona, he really wants to go back to a simpler time. When his home and his parents were his entire world, and where he did not need anything else. The time where all he needed was the happiness he got from his parents or the toys he already owned, rather than what he possessed or got in his adult life. Orson Wells even hinted throughout the movie that all Kane wanted was to be loved, but on his own terms. And back during his childhood, ‘his terms’ were just to be acknowledged and to be carefree. If anything, this revelation makes the movie even more interesting, because we never expected this side of Kane through Rosebud. And even though we want to know more, we never will and it just adds more mystery to who Charles Foster Kane really was.

This film has definitely opened my eyes to how great movies can really become. The mystery of the main character and his life, while slowly revealed throughout the movie, is never truly revealed and left to our imagination. We see how a man’s ambition and a desire to be loved make him fall from grace. It was said “Many modern films demand that we marvel at their special effects. It is a mark of the brilliance of Citizen Kane that through the film is crammed with optical effects we are rarely even aware of them”. Indeed, while many movies shove the special effects down out throats, Citizen Kane amazes us in a much more simpler manner. Through the change of a camera’s position, we can see Kane for the giant he was figuratively and literally and through shadows, mystery and a sense of foreboding is given to the viewers. Even through mirrors, we see the inner conflict Kane has with himself near the end.

Truly, Citizen Kane is the film that is superior to all films.

Destino

In the film Destino by Salvador Dali and Walt Disney, there are many factors in what makes it such an amazing short film. One such factor is this simple question: Will Chronos and woman ever get together or are they truly destined to remain apart? The reason why this question is asked is because that something always keeps Chronos and woman apart during the film. Whether it be time itself or different elements altogether, they cannot get close enough to embrace. They can only see one another from a distance. Thus, this film’s conflict rests in the ‘Man vs. Nature’ category. Both Chronos and the woman are trying to reach each other and be together, but the world seems to conspire to keep them apart no matter what they do.

The plot itself, while confusing due to the imagery, can be seen if one were to look real close. The tension begins to rise after Chronos escapes from the prison that used to be the statue. Its during this time that we, the viewers, begin to realize the hopelessness of the situation that the two seem to be in, because this dream-like world seems to be doing everything in its power to keep them apart. The closest thing to comic relief this thing has is when the insects crawl out of the hole in Chronos’ hand and transform to gentlemen bicyclists with bread on their heads, referencing Dali’s other collaborative work ‘Un Chien Andalou’. The climax of the film occurs when Chronos hugs the white ‘woman’, only for it to slowly disappear in his arms. Afterwards, the ‘denouement’ occurs, showing the statue back in its original form, but also showing a slight hole in its heart that holds the statue of a dancer. Thus meaning that the woman is still in Chronos’ heart.

This movie is pure Salvador Dali at his greatest. The bizarreness of the entire film mirrors his surrealism, and makes you amazed that he actually partnered with Walt Disney to do this. I’m a bit sad that Walt did not actually bother to put this into the first Fantasia, because this would have changed the industry forever. This film is a masterpiece, and has improved my view of animation even more. 

Movies, Movies, And More Movies

What Have I Seen And Liked Recently:

Skyfall

Now, I know whay you are all thinking. "Why would we want to hear about the movie that everyone has already seen already?" Well, let me tell you why. This movie is the new dawn of all James Bond filmes. It's not too action packed, meaning you won't roll your eyes when a random explosion happens and it has plenty of drama and interesting characters.Daniel Craig's performance as Agent 007 makes the seemingly larger-than-life character more human and Javier Bardem's role as Raoul Silva, the flamboyant villain, is one you will never forget. If you are not a James Bond fan now, this movie will make you one.

                                  

A Movie That Will Take Your Breath Away:

Kara no Kyoukai 5: Paradox Spiral 

If you have never seen an anime in your life, or never watched the Kara no Kyoukai series, this will make you an instant lover of both. The animation used in this movie is absolutely stunning, and it poses numerous philisophical questions towards our everday lives like "Are we truly living in an endless paradox?" The fights, while few and short, are incredible. And the main villain Souren Araya makes you both horrified of him and pity him towards the motivations for his actions. I urge you to look up this film online, since unless you are willing to shell a couple hundred bucks for an import of the whole series...

A Movie I Can Watch Again And Again:

 The Dark Knight

The Batman movie to forever beat all past and future Batman movies. This heroic masterpiece was directed by Christopher Nolan, the role of Batman was played by Christian Bale, and the infamous Joker was played by the late Heath Ledger. This film presents a dark world where chaos can destabalize any sense of order, and even the greates heroes can fall. Whether you are a Batman fan or not, this movie must be seen for the sheer epicness alone. This is the movie where Christopher Nolan's skills as a director truly shine.