Kung Fu Hustle Blog

Here we have a movie that I actually own but had never seen it through to the end, which is now upsetting since I loved the whole package. And I'd even say I paid attention more than the previous attempts so I picked up on more throughout the parts I had seen before.

I've got a few things of note written in my notebook, so I'll just knock them off one by one. First, the postmodernism aspect of the film. I don't feel like I have this down cold yet. It seems like every time I think I do, we discuss it a bit more and I realize I didn't quite get it. I have things written down like the Ying Yang symbol in the dirt, the roadrunner-esque chase scene, and the genre skipping. I also made a note that was said about being deliberately unoriginal, taking little bits from the culture and recycling it back into movies. Since they are blank parodies, is there no true mission or statement being made? Are we to assume the movies are made that way to stand alone from 'lesson teaching' and just become what they are, references to references, a film to just enjoy?

About the genre skipping and other movie references. The genre skipping in particular reminded me of Kill Bill. I can't pinpoint all of the genres being portrayed, but it was like every scene had a different vibe. When they referenced, "The One", I couldn't not think of the Matrix, the lowly criminal becoming what they'd all hoped he'd become. Neo wasn't really that much of a criminal, but I think he might have been involved in some underground computer software stuff, it's been a while. Obviously, much of the fighting was Matrix-y, I think it was said that they had the same fighting choreographer (is that what you call the job)? I did notice the reference to The Shining with the blood. Definitely Gangs of New York. Even if you take away the gangs, that apartment complex reminded me of the 5 Points area. would have been amazing to see Bill the Butcher thrown into this movie, he would have had a blast.

Now onto a confusing moment that could use some clarification. After "The One" gets his ass kicked the 1st time, before he's actually "The One", they show him inside a big black metal thing. It looks like it is near or around where a traffic light would be and he's bashing the hell out of it, putting some serious dents in it. Next time we see him, he's healed and his friend even mentions it, "How do you heal so quickly?". So, was that a glimpse into his capabilities as "The One", healing quickly and great strength? Or was supposed to seem possible that he could pound the shit out of that container as a normal dude? Someone, I think, mentioned the general concept in kung fu movies of the hero just tending to heal quickly or not even be hurt, so that could be as well. But it struck me as something that I needed to mention here.

Loved the fight scenes, in particular the one involving those 2 killers that played the Guqin. Just when we thought the fighting couldn't get anymore outrageous, they're shooting demons out of their harp. Sounded cool too, since music gets emitted with the blades and supernatural beings. The male landlord's fight scene with them was great as well.

Great movie, I'm glad I finally stuck it out, well worth the price of admission.

Mulholland Dr. Blog

This my first full exposure to Lynch. I've seen pieces of several Lynch movies and they all have proved to be equally as perplexing if you try to figure out literally what's going on. Mulholland Dr. didn't stray from that feeling, even after seeing the entire film.

I kind of got the vibe of a real world versus the dream world of Hollywood. There's the people we see on film, carefully constructed characters meant to be accessible by the audience that we all come to know as almost real people. But the actors are only serving as vessels for the directors/writers ideas of fake people he invented in his mind. It's his dream we're being exposed to, not the actors themselves. We aren't seeing the actors on screen, just windows into someone else. There's a double life at play (for most successful actors, it's even tenfold lives); one we know and one we think we know.

In the reading, it mentioned a characteristic about Lynch films where there is a sense of optimism and hope within the stories. In regards to Lost Highway and Mulholland Dr., it mentions how the protagonist misses 'their moment' but somehow hope it conserved. I didn't get this feeling from Mulholland (except for the missing of the moment). I lost most, if not all, of the hope by the end. It was a downward spiral. I suppose the larger rationalization would be that the praise and acceptance of a film pointing fingers at Hollywood could be seen as hopeful. It's funny that the TV project of Mulholland never took flight because it's clear that some studio executives understood the piece. And then even more funny that it did take flight as a feature film.

Also want to throw in that the scene in the diner where the man is describing his dream and then the 2 men go in the back to confront the fear, was one of the most suspenseful scenes I've ever seen. Don't question your dreams, it's just your minds way of stretching it's arms or cracking it's back.