Films (in the classroom)

sex, lies, and videotape

My favorite aspect of this film was the way it was shot. Hollywood has a certain way of shooting and it seems to be the same in each movie. Most independent films take a chance in doing it a new and different way, and that's just what this film does. Sometimes actors would be talking and you wouldn't even see them in the shot; you would just hear their voices. At one point Peter Gallagher is seen straight on while sitting at a table, and in the background you hear Andie McDowell speaking her lines. I like how this is almost taboo in Hollywood to have someone speaking who is not on screen, and yet is a constant in this film.

It's also fascinating to me how these actors were unknown to the public when this film was made, and have been extremely successful since. I'm sure it's a different experience to see this film not knowing the actors, and I wish I could have done this!



Nina's Tragedies

When the film began, I was a little worried about what I was about to watch. A young boy in love with his aunt? Did they truly have this type of relationship, or was it all from the boy's perspective? It turned out to be the latter, but I enjoy how we find this out. The boy and Nina do not have many scenes together, a fact that I had not expected in the beginning. I had figured they would be together a great deal, even if strictly platonic. But it almost seemed they hardly ever talked.

Something I was not expecting was for Nina's visions of her husband to actually be a man. I had thought she was simply missing him, and creating these illusions. I am not sure if this was very Hollywood or not. I had expected that because it was an independent film, that she would not reunite with her husband. I did not figure that who she was seeing was actually him. However, I also did not think that it would end up being a real person. I enjoyed this part of the film; it could have gone in a different direction to make it seem unrealistic. I think the way it happened was perfect and completely believable.



Murderball

I LOVED this movie. I wanted it to go on for at least a few more hours. I was never bored throughout the entire time. I know I had heard about it coming out a couple of years back, but hadn't realized how amazing it was. I felt like laughing, crying, and telling everyone I knew about it all at the same time. It was so interesting to learn about the most basic aspects of their lives, such as girlfriends or living situations. How they get from place to place. The one boy who had just gotten in his accident was especially moving. It was interesting to contrast him to the others who had been in this situation for longer. The scene where he is in his wheelchair looking at his motocross bike brought on so much emotion. You could see the hurt in his eyes that just a few months before that, he was riding that bike at high mph. Now, he was forced in a wheelchair.

This film also made me want to watch movies about other sports in the Paralymics. A short montage in the film revealed volleyball, lacrosse, fencing, track, etc for people who are handicapped. It opened my eyes to sports I did not know existed for people in this position, and it only reaffirmed that these people are exactly the same as I am. While they may be missing out on certain things, they are not at a complete loss. Their competitive drive is still as strong as it was before any accident they may have had. It was such a compelling story, I could only hope the director would make more!



The Real Dirt on Farmer John

When the film started, I was immediately interested as my mother's family is from a farm town in Illinois, much like John's. I have seen several of her home videos and so to see John's made me feel that much more close to him. I may not know much about farming, but I am aware of my mother's former way of life, so to hear another personal story about it grabbed my attention.

A problem I had with the movie was how very one-sided it was. John spent a lot of the movie talking about troubles he had, explaining viewpoints of the neighbors and community, etc. However, we only saw a small portion of what actually came out of their mouths. He claimed they made him out to be almost a "psycho", and a leader of a cult. Then he showed how he had many people (young and old) out to his house "having a good time" and "flirting". In his own video footage, he did look to have a cult! I don't think rumors just come out of nowhere, and this was just one example of how I feel like his perspective was the only one we heard from.