Introducing new perspectives on film
Similar to David,
You seem to have this way,
Of capturing my heart,
And wooing my mind.
For your words
And your imagery,
Saturated my soul
Like sum-sum and kimchi,
And the Seoul sun.
If it weren’t for Soo-yeon,
And those dreams by the pond,
I’d be off the deep end too —
Waiting, pretending, and praying for more
From you.
Hiding from my deep, dark past,
Until I can breathe some sanity again, at last.
(A Tale of Two Sisters)
If you’re the type of person that considers Labyrinth a staple of your childhood memory, I like you.
If you’re the type of person that watched Donnie Darko and your only question at the end was “What is cellar door?”, I hate you.
If your favorite movie is Saving Private Ryan, you shop exclusively at Gap and J. Crew.
If you alphabetize your entire movie collection, I respect you.
If you consider Michael Bay films “cult classics”, go fuck yourself.
If you recommend that the movie Source Code is a must see, leave me the fuck alone, pleaseeeee.
If Prom Night is your favorite movie, you’re so cool…just kidding, you’re a douchebag! Joke’s on you!
If you can name the winner for best cinematography at the 1998 Oscar’s, you’re way cooler than me.
If you own the movies, My Blueberry Nights, Vanilla Sky, and/or The Number 23, you’re the type of person that I run from.
If you see “based on a true story” and pee your pants a little, it’s okay, you’re not alone.
If you think Woody Harrelson has a foot fetish, you’re probably right…
You probably wear Sperry’s and only date blondes if your favorite movie is Billy Madison.
If you didn’t already know, you’re emo if you own The Art of Getting By.
Your name is Rebecca, Jessica, Ashley, or Meghan if you love Definitely Maybe.
If you quote The Other Guys religiously in your mainstream dialogue, you’re fucking awesome. No sarcasm here, you are actually fucking awesome.
If you love Tom Cruise action films, you probably only fuck in missionary.
If you wasted $13 on Nerve, I feel your pain…
Your name is Brad, Sean, Derrick, or Jeff if you own a Scarface poster in your house.
I once paid to go see Limitless in theatres and then bought it on DVD, to only be ashamed of these actions years later in my adulthood.
If you dressed up as Batman for the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight in 2008, at AMC 12 in Springfield, IL… MARRY ME!
Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve last posted on here…I’m sorry to keep you guys waiting by the edge of your seats (LOL). I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about some of my favorite thriller and horror films over the past year – A Quiet Place (2018), It Comes At Night (2017), Super Dark Times (2017), and while they are all such different films, I found a lot of my thoughts and analyses about them to be quite redundant.
I was left wondering, what is it that separates these films from each other? What makes them so special? I think how we categorize fear for one is very important here. If we want to categorize anything in the genres of thriller/horror it should be categorized by the type of fear that particular film embellishes. So, I have taken it upon myself to create a scale of fear, “The O-S Scale”, to help one analyze thriller/horror films more adequately (Get your notepads out gang!).
To me, there are two extremities when it comes to fear in film – Objective Fear and Subjective Fear. If we think about the literal term ‘Objective’ this comes from meaning actuality or supportive reasoning such as statistical facts or science that explains why something would be categorized as objective. While ‘Subjective’ comes from meaning interpretation, or personal declarations such as feelings or emotions, that explain why something would be categorized as subjective. Thus, Objective Fear refers to actuality, or overt fear, while Subjective Fear refers to interpretation, or ambiguous fear.
For example, your most objectively scary movies are going to be your slasher or torture films, to name a couple – movies in which you’re directly faced with the catalyst of the fear. In these films you might often wonder, “What caused this evil rage? – A wrong-doing? A mental-health issue? What does this perpetrator want from the victims?”
While your subjectively scary movies are often more of your or dystopian films or films that lack a distinctive Mise en Scene – movies in which the root of the fear is harder to define, and often described as “IT”, because the evil is something we have yet to put into words, category, or meaningful thought. In these films, you might often find yourself thinking, “What is IT? Is IT all of our problems manifested into something we can’t explain, something we can’t see, something we can only feel? Is the evil that we combat self-induced?”
To put things in perspective, if we were to label the most objectively scary movies on my “O-S Scale” as a 10 and the most subjectively scary movies as a 1 (not to say that a 10 correlates to horror and a 1 correlates to a lack of horror), we could consider a movie like Halloween (1978) as a 10 and a movie like It Comes At Night (2017) as a 1.
Further, during your objectively scary movies, our fear is usually instilled like a rollercoaster – build-up’s to a climax followed by a come-down from that scene, followed by a relapse, over and over again until the movie concludes. Yet, during the subjectively scary movies, there aren’t usually these sporadic moments of climax throughout the film. Of course there are climatic moments for sure, however, there’s more so this lingering of constant unease or fear during the whole movie. As if the tension we feel comes from knowing we’re not going to get that big hurrah of a scare when we anticipate it, because we don’t even know exactly what the fuck we are afraid of yet (see homemade graphs below).
Let’s break this down in more of a literal context – Usually your objectively scary movies are conducive to dark hallways passed through by a shaky protagonist with a light waiting to turn sharply to only see a ghost staring back at them. Our subjectively scary movies might be envisioned as a petrified protagonist alone in the woods searching for the root of strange noises, sightings, etc. Make sense?
Now, in my humble opinion, I think we are currently in a subjectively dominated era of horror. Not to demean or disenchant the great objectively scary movies that have recently been made, but I do feel as if our current climate of horror leans more on the subjective side. One thing that we can all agree on, is that there are great masterpieces of both objective and subjective film of all sorts, despite if you have a certain preference in category or not. Likewise, we can also agree that neither category of film is more scarier than the other.
What I hope you take away from all of this, is a new lens to analyze the thriller/horror genre of film. I hope to bring more critical thought to the physical reactions that are a natural byproduct of our deepest cognitive emotions. To enlighten my readers on the subject matter of fear itself – an inevitable, natural, and complicated source from our inner subconscious, that is often the reason for why we can or cannot explain our complexity of wonder.
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What are some of your favorite thriller/horror films? How would you rank them on the O-S Scale? How do you feel about these categories, do you agree or disagree with this spectrum? Below are some horror films that I have ranked on the O-S Scale, let me know what you think!
Halloween (1978) – 10
It Follows (2014) – 1
As Above, So Below (2014) – 6
It Comes At Night (2017) – 1
A Quiet Place (2018) – 7
The Invitation (2015) – 5
Honeymoon (2014) – 4
Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015) – 3
The Witch (2015) – 4
Super Dark Times (2017) – 1
Jeepers Creepers (2001) -10
Hereditary (2018) – 4
The Others (2001) – 2
When we think of examples of hyper-masculinity in film, we often think of films like Fight Club (1999) , Rocky (1976), gangster films, and any film starring Jason Statham or Vin Diesel. While these kinds of movies might in fact be staples of hyper-masculinity portrayed in film, this concept is often seen in many films in which we wouldn’t necessarily realize are overly masculinized.
The film in particular that I would like to focus on is 8 Mile (2002). To many, 8 Mile is a cult classic, a treasure for hip-hop films, and an overall feel-good movie. We love the underdog story of Jimmy/B-Rabbit (Eminem), earning his respect in the face of adversity in the racially segregated metropolitan Detroit area. As inspiring as the story itself may be, the complexity of the gendered narratives behind each character is unapologetically engraved within the movie.
If we were to imagine our normative ideals of masculinity we would probably envision a male, successful in a financially fruitful career, romances with beautiful women, stable, independent, and authoritative. Ironically, Jimmy’s character is an anomaly of our standard conceptions of masculinity, as he struggles to keep a job, lives with, and takes orders from, his demanding mother, and isn’t taken serious by his female counterparts. Jimmy is the epitome of a conflicted and esmasculated individual – a working-class, white guy, in a primarily black community, striving for respect and success, in arguably the most difficult subculture for a white guy to succeed – the underground rap scene of Detroit.
You might ask, if this is the case, then how can 8 Mile be considered a hyper-masculine film? What is important to remember here is that Jimmy’s rise from his demise (wow, see I can rap just like Eminem!), is what makes this movie appealing to many, especially men. In fact, Jimmy’s fight and success to obtain respect is what makes this film hyper-masculine – on top of other things of course.
An important element that intensifies Jimmy’s hyper-masculinity, is his ability to overcome the volatile female antagonists in the film; there are three of which have the most profound roles:
Although the initial demise of Jimmy can be accredited to his first choke at the shelter at the beginning of the movie, much of it can actually be also be accredited to Alex, as she represents the epitome of a femme fatale in film. While Alex originally represents an escape for Jimmy’s stressful personal life, she in reality, only pulls him away from his ultimate goals to win a rap battle at the shelter. In fact, her carefree mentality only furthers Jimmy’s adoration for her, making it excruciating for him to witness her sleeping with his so called confidant, Wink. Jimmy’s anger is fueled into rage as he channels his emotions physically towards Wink, which consequently results in him getting jumped by the Free World.
Moreover, Kim Basinger plays the role of Jimmy’s mother, one whom is consumed by poverty, naivety, and her abusive boyfriend. Basinger is an extremely volatile character in the film, as she constantly doubts Jimmy’s rap aspirations as nothing other than pipe dreams, and causes him immense stress and humility. Similarly, Taryn Manning has a short, but congruent role to Jimmy’s mother, exemplifying the typical dependent, argumentative, “baby mama”, only further threatening Jimmy’s means of income and success at the shelter.
Even though each of these women are different, and rarely in the same scenes, they all share one thing in common – they bring toxicity and humility into Jimmy’s life. It is only once Jimmy comes to this realization in which he begins to do better for himself in the film.
Something that I think is important to mention, is that 8 Mile exudes masculinity because Jimmy, and maybe even just Eminem on a larger scale, suffices as a relatable figure to many heterosexual, working-class men, despite their race. As a result, Jimmy’s infamous rap battle win at the end, is not only a big fuck you to any naysayers, but it’s a win for any man who has ever felt as if he is over the bullshit that life may bring.
On a larger scale, rap/hip-hop music is defined by masculinity – whether that means women, money, or respect. And at one point was the space for black men to express their struggle through unprecedented poetry. And while this still may be largely the case, the genre of rap/hip-hop music has changed significantly, and most of that can be attributed to no one other than Eminem.
For those who know me well, know that I could write an entire dissertation on the cultural significance of Eminem for not just rap/hip-hop, but just music in general. However, Eminem’s accomplishments as a respected, innovative, fearless, artist, are what make the case for Jimmy’s story in 8 Mile. What I mean by all of this, is that although 8 Mile is a hyper-masculine film, the gendered narratives in which it exudes, often go unnoticed as we the audience (both men and women) relate to, and appreciate, Jimmy’s overall conquering of adversity. I guess you can say, “There’s a Slim Shady in all of us.”
To Begin…:
Sometimes I think movies pose meanings and themes unbeknownst to the director when creating them. There are many films in which I believe end up falling into limbo of what is the “actual” meaning for the movie. After studying gender studies throughout my undergraduate experience, what we were always encouraged to do not just with the literature or films that we studied, but more broadly, in life, was to analyze and compare situations from different perspectives or lenses. With this being said, there is one film particularly that I want to analyze from the lens of a feminist perspective, which is Mother! (2017).
While watching this movie, I couldn’t help but to see things from a feminist lens, yet after leaving the theater and asking my sister and her boyfriend, “What did you guys think?”, they replied, “We didn’t get it”, in which I realized maybe it is not as obvious to others to see things from a feminist lens.This is when I realized it was worth it for me to share my voice on such a topic and enlighten others on an important perspective.
While I do understand that director Darren Aronofsky’s overall meaning behind the film had biblical innuendos, I would like to pose a feminist critique of the film, because I think it is hard to ignore the unprecedented message in which Mother! poses. With this analysis below I hope to challenge, enlighten, and most importantly, educate, my readers on such perspectives. Thoughts and comments are always appreciated, so don’t hesitate to share your voice. I am intrigued to hear others thoughts and generate a discussion on this one.
Warmly,
Kim
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Analysis:
Interpretation:
In the opening scene of the movie, we are presented with Mother waking up alone in bed. As the camera moves closer to the bed, she rises up to find that Him is not by her side, as to which she sits up looking for him and utters out, “Baby?” As the film is getting started we understand that Him and Mother are a married couple that have a very intoxicating love for each other. We the audience early on can sense some sort of mysteriousness or tension within the marriage, but not sure why. We are told that Him keeps a glass heart on display upstairs in his office (aka his sacred place in the house). We also find out early on that Him is a renowned poet, which explains the big beautiful house. The degree of his success is stressed throughout the film. Yet, when it comes to his work we, just as much as his wife, Mother, are kept at a distance from his immense talent.
Moreover, I took the glass heart quite literally- as Mother’s heart/love and how Him is the keeper of such. He holds it, preserves it, and controls it. He is obsessive, not simply romantically with Mother, but rather obsessed with the idea that she loves him so much. He loves the power he feels of knowing that he withholds her most valuable thing, her heart.
The movie for me has two parts; 1) When the glass heart is whole and 2) After it is broken. Prior to Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer accidentally breaking the glass heart, Him seems to have complete control over it. Or in other words, control over Mother’s heart. Anytime she questions anything, he makes her concerns seem far-fetched and overzealous, and assures her everything is okay. In this phase of the film, he keeps her inside and distant from the uninvited guests. Anytime Mother questions too much she experiences severe chest pains, and must take her mysterious medicine to be revived.
Yet, in the second phase of the film, once the heart is shattered, everything seems to turn into chaos. Mother begins challenging each character – making demands, and ignoring instructions, despite the physical consequences. Even though she finally is using her voice by questioning, commanding, and yelling, the response of others becomes more brash, exuberant, and aggressive. This suggests that the strong stance and voice of a woman often comes with significant backlash, repercussions, and push-back from others.
After the dramatic invasion/destruction of the house and the birth of their child, we are left with what we think is a refreshed and revived version of the couple. However, the gift of life only deepens Him’s obsession with Mother’s absolute devotion to him, showering him with not just love, but also life with their new offspring.
Ultimately, the house goes up into flames and Mother ends up completely burned and lifeless with very little left in her. She instructs Him to take what is left of her and put her out of her misery. Him then reaches inside of her and pulls out a refurbished glass heart, killing Mother, and we are then back to the opening scene of Mother waking up alone in bed. As the camera moves closer to the bed, the female wakes up, turns, and we realize it is not Mother, but instead a new woman, furthering the idea that Him has simply replaced Mother with a new woman in which he will probably damage as well.
Discussion:
Putting this all into context, I think the feminist perspective regarding this film is quite relevant. Rather than just simply suggesting that many women succumb to manipulation at the hand of a man, I think instead we must challenge the self-deprecation in which females often thrive to undergo in order to serve men. What I mean by this, is that not just as women, but also as men, we must press the obsession for a female to be obsessed with overcoming the task of satisfying a man. Am I saying that we as females often become obsessed with this ambition of capturing a man’s commitment? – Absolutely. However, is this something that is reciprocated in our analogous gender? – For the most part, absolutely not. In fact, if we could picture a society in which both men and women crave this self-fulfilling prophecy of becoming the infatuation of their analogous counterpart, that would be a beautiful thing.
What better way is there to enjoy a weekend night than by watching a good scary movie (Okay besides margaritas…)? Anyone who knows me well, knows that my absolute favorite genre of film is horror. As weird as it may be, horror movies for me are often my feel-good movies, my go-to’s, the end all be all of Kim’s movie radar. I can’t get enough of horror movies, and could easily watch one every day.
What I am often asked is the obvious question, “What are some of your favorite horror movies?” Although I intend throughout my blogging journey to revisit the topic of horror movies and their sub-genres quite often, I do think I owe it to my readers to at least for now, share my list of favorite horror movies. While my list may not consist of necessarily critically the best horror movies of all time, I do recommend each of these if you’re looking for a solid watch.
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20. The Descent (2005)
Starting things at number twenty goes to The Descent. If being lost in a cave doesn’t give you enough anxiety, then this movie also brings you even more anxiety with not knowing which character will be picked off next. I think The Descent makes viewers a bit more anxious than scared, however I can also appreciate the all female cast.
19. The Conjuring (2013)
A critical success and box-office hit, The Conjuring is one of the best recent adaptations of a real-life horror story. I advise to watch this one with a buddy…or five.
18. Insidious (2010)
For me, Insidious makes my top twenty list because of its ability to balance a decent story line, as well as a few heart-pounding moments. No overindulgence or flat performances here, just a steady climax of intrigue and fear.
17. The Witch (2015)
Unique, spellbinding, and clever, The Witch’s impressive power to maintain the audience’s attention and anxiousness up until the unraveling end is definitely appreciated.
16. The Others (2001)
Often forgotten about, the astounding mystery in this film always keeps me coming back for more, and the chilling revelation in the plot makes this sweet number sixteen on my list, and my favorite Nicole Kidman performance.
15. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
Even though this one was snubbed a bit as being just another exorcism movie, this was a movie that I remember watching in elementary school and being scared shitless. To this day, waking up at 3am still gives me a sense of unease. Thank you Laura Linney.
14. You’re Next (2011)
For me, this is definitely one of those scary movies that everyoneeeee forgets about. Surprisingly, I appreciate not just the mystery behind the obvious question in this film, “Who is killing who?”, but also the change-up in weaponry and costume. It’s a nice diversion from the expected.
13. Hush (2016)
Netflix should truly be commended for Hush’s success and rightfully so, considering it really put a movie that most otherwise wouldn’t have heard much about, on the map. The alternating POV’s the audience gets between the protagonist and the killer is a nail-biting experience for the viewers of this movie. Plus, there’s a cameo by “Hot Uncle Cooper” (for all of my One Tree Hill fans out there).
12. Cry Wolf (2005)
Despite poor ratings, the plot twist in the movie is pretty entertaining and keeps you interested. Also Jon Bon Jovi is in this movie (Yes, the Jon Bon Jovi), so that’s enough to pull you in.
11. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) *Not the terrible 2010 remake*
My list would be nothing without one of the great original slasher movies. The beauty behind this Wes Craven hit is that it is still pretty freaky despite it’s near 35 year old release date. Wes Craven beautifully takes something as silly as a deformed man in a fedora and makes it your worst nightmare…literally.
10. The Visit (2015)
What better way to kick off the halfway mark than with an M. Night Shyamalan film?! Nothing short of his previous work, Shyamalan delivers with The Visit just as he does in his other movies, throwing the audience completely off. Most of the scenes will probably make you laugh, but the jaw-dropping truth is what makes this a horror success.
9. Hostel (2005)
Nevertheless, Eli Roth directs a movie and it is undoubtedly fucked up. However, Hostel plays on this taboo dichotomy of a chauvinistic schmuck, and a somewhat endearing and hopeful American hero, that keeps you watching, despite the blood and gore.
8. The Uninvited (2009)
If you’re looking for a critically successful movie, this might not be the one for you, but The Uninvited does give you a clever plot line if you’re into the whole The Hand That Rocks The Cradle type thing.
7. Saw (2004)
Although the Saw saga has gone wayyyyyy too far now, the original film in the series was pretty epic. I remember at the end of the movie gasping, “No fucking way”. Unlike the redundant sequels, Saw provided us an innovative and very ethical, approach to horror and a creepy ending that most of us did not see coming.
6. The Amityville Horror (2005)
Okay, horror remakes are usually a flop, and this one might have been just that, but for some reason I have always shamelessly enjoyed this flick. Maybe it’s the angst behind the, “Based on a true story” effect, or maybe it’s simply because Ryan Reynolds is shirtless for half of the movie. Regardless, you can count me in for this cheesy do-over.
5. Honeymoon (2014)
Despite its low-budget, Honeymoon does a great job at presenting the audience with a unique spectrum of horror that is quite different from typical depictions of scary movies. Honeymoon’s atypical mystery, in addition to the surprisingly effective performances from the actors, makes this not only a clever scary movie, but a very re-watchable film as well.
4. Jeepers Creepers (2001)
A cult classic, Jeepers Creepers is one of my favorites because for me, not only does this movie make you never want to go on a road trip, but it also really made monster’s scary again. I think there was a time when scaly figures with claws and fangs became a little lame, and I think this movie reinforced that old-school villain. This movie also brought us Justin Long guys, let’s not forget.
3. I Know/I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1997/1998)
I know…. (no pun intended), these movies are fucking awful, but I think most can agree, there’s still something we love about them (Although I will touch on this topic in a later blog)! There’s something about the desperation of Freddy Prinze Jr., the patheticness of Jennifer Love Hewitt, and the 90’s college-life, that pulls me in. I’ll blatantly admit that these two movies are definitely guilty pleasures for me.
2. It Follows (2014)
For those of you that haven’t tuned into my first blog post, I really fucking love this movie. In fact, I think it is a fantastic addition to the horror genre, presenting audiences with challenging perspectives, and penetrating uncharted feelings of fear. As like many critics, this one really took my breath away, and is what I would consider the best contemporary piece in the horror genre yet.
1. Halloween (1978)
I appreciate this movie for many reasons. For one, it created the forefront for slasher films. Further, John Carpenter did an exceptional job at intensifying the audience’s fear, not just visually, but audibly as well. Michael Myers is creepy, the music is chilling, and the simplicity was absolutely ground-breaking for this time, making this one of the greatest horror movies of all time, and my absolute favorite. The inhumanity behind the god-awful remakes of this classic are quite humiliating, and I truly do think filmmakers should be barred from creating any further remakes of the film.
Are any of these movies on your top scary movie list as well? Comment and let me know.
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