The Hurt Locker (2009)

Log line: A US Army’s bomb disposal team leader is killed, and the teams new senior officer William James is an advanced bomb specialist, but is an adrenaline addict and often puts the team in even more danger than they’re already in.

See it Twice.

Thirty Second Review: When Sergeant Thompson is killed, the Bravo Company needs a new bomb technician. With thirty-nine days left to their tour, William James becomes the new team leader. Over the next six weeks, the bomb squad of Bravo Company is lead by a man who is addicted to both war and adrenaline. This causes him to act out of protocol and often results in putting his team in unnecessarily dangerous situations. There is much more to this team than assessing and disposing improvised bombs, as we see the humanity in the soldiers, and the effect war has on each of them. Through their bomb removals, Will and his teammates Owen Eldridge and JT Sandborn come to realize harsh truths about each other and themselves.

Spoilers beyond this poster.

Genre: War/Thriller

The film takes a matter of moments to identify itself as a war picture. Opening scenes show men in camouflage, and the film distinctly tells us they are located in Baghdad, Iraq. The film also uses both suspense and surprise, wrapping a series of thrilling events around the war film.

Aesthetic analysis:

Storytelling

Prologue:

The story opens with the phrase, “The rush of battle is a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug” and the phrase “war is a drug” lingers on the screen for an extra few seconds. This phrase will explain the films antihero and protagonist, William James. The opening shot is through the camera eye of a robotic vehicle. The vehicle is being driven to inspect a possible Improvised Explosive Device, or IED. When the Bravo Company team realizes it is indeed a bomb on the road, the team brings back the robot and attaches a small wagon on the back of the robot, which is carrying explosives. As Seargeant Thompson attaches the wagon and sends the robot back to the bomb, his soldiers JT Sandborn and Owen Eldridge keep a lookout for anyone with an electronic device that could trigger the explosive. The tensions builds in the scene as a wheel of the wagon falls off, and Sergeant Thompson must put on the bomb suit and manually place his bomb on top of the IED. As he does this, Eldridge sees a man on a cell phone. Before he or Sandborn can get a clear shot at the man on the phone, he sends a signal to the explosive. Although Sergeant Thompson was not near the explosion, the shrapnel and power of the blast kill him. The prologue ends with Sandborn and Eldridge putting his belongings in a white box, which is surrounded by other boxes that are presumably other dead soldiers belongings.

Act I: In the beginning of Act I we are already given hints of Will’s personality. Upon meeting Sandborn he asks him to help remove wooden planks off of his windows. When Sandborn tells him how they greatly reduce shrapnel, Will merely notes there’s no protection from mortars coming in through the roof, and also likes the sunshine. Will’s humanity also shines through, as he befriends a child named Beckham. Beckham works with a DVD merchant near his army base, and the two become friends.

After the introduction of Beckham, it’s not long before we see an insight into Owens psyche and the relationship he has with the Bravo Company psychologist John Cambridge. Owen is nervous about his new team leader, and believes he’s a danger to both him and Sandborn. He also has death fantasies, asking Cambridge, “The Army says ‘Be all you can be’ but what if all I can be is dead on the side of the road?” While he’s referencing his recently deceased leader, this question foreshadows the death of John Cambridge.

The three man team goes to several bomb sites. The final event to act one is a series of people fleeing, as an Iraqi security agent called in an illegally parked car with a sagging suspension. When will pries open the trunk with a crowbar, he sees a wealth of explosives and drops the crowbar in shock. Will takes off his bomb gear, stating it’s virtually useless against this amount of explosives. As Will begins tearing apart the car searching for the trigger, suspense gradually builds with each dead end. Sandborn and Owen relay cover for him, but within a few minutes begin requesting to leave, as the building the explosives are near has been cleared of all civilians. This is where we begin to see Will’s addiction to war.  He refuses to leave and throws off his headset, cutting communication between his him and his team. Sandborn and Owen become overwhelmed with the number of eyes, and any potential terrorists. Will manages to find the trigger, and the three escape an unnecessarily dangerous mission. When they get back to the Humvee, Sandborn punches Will for taking off his headset and putting the group in peril.

Act II:

The second act gives Will credibility as a leader. The major event of this act is a sniper shootout. Sandborn is shooting the sniper rifle, and Will is multitasking between Sandborn and Owen. Will is helping Sandborn by pointing out locations of the other shooters with his binoculars. He also helps Owen from falling into complete panic. Rather than the event lasting three minutes, it is an all day affair. After the event the team goes back to Will’s facility for a night of aggressive drinking and assaulting one another. In between this outlet for the three men, we learn that Will has an ex-wife and a child at home. Sandborn mentions he has a girlfriend but doesn’t believe he’s ready to commit to a child, which is becoming an increasing problem in his relationship. After Will and Owen drop a drunken Sandborn back in his room, Sandborn asks Will if he’s ready to put on the bomb suit. Will replies, “Hell no.” This is another foreshadow in the film, as it implies Sandborn will not be returning after this tour, and in this sense he will never be ready.

The following morning, John Cambridge joins the three man team in a hunt for explosives. While Cambridge does not go into the building with the team, he stays outside trying to make friends and tell a group of Iraqi’s the area is not safe. Will finds the explosives, but they have been stuffed inside of a dead child’s body. Will mentions he knew this kid, and his name is Beckham. As Will removes the bombs and brings his young friends body out of the building an IED explosion occurs. This explosion kills John Cambridge, much to the distress of Owen. The second act ends with Will calling his wife, but unable to say anything on the phone.

Act III:

The final act opens with Will questioning a DVD merchant, whom he thinks is responsible for Beckham‘s death. This causes Will to make the erratic decision to force the DVD merchant to drive him to Beckham’s house. His impromptu mission to find the people behind Beckham’s death is futile, and Will manages to return to the army base before morning. He avoids reprimand by telling a soldier who is keeping watch out that he was at a brothel. The soldier agrees to let him in if he’ll tell him where the brothel is located.

Hours after returning to the base, the group has to assess a bombing in a green zone. This leads to a rather haunting setting of a black sky, fire from the recent explosion, and screaming people. This leads Will to take his team on what should have been an infantry teams job. The three begin hunting for the terrorists responsible. The group find and kill the terrorists, but at the price of Owen being shot. His femur is shattered, and the next morning a helicopter is taking him back to America. As Sandborn and Will see him in a stretcher, they say their goodbyes. Owen leaves with an utmost hatred for Will and his “adrenaline fix” but gives Sandborn a heartfelt goodbye.

Before the final mission Will is approached by none other than his young friend Beckham, who is very much alive. Will completely ignores him. It seems as far as Will is concerned, he still considers Beckham dead. With two days left, Sandborn and Will are put in a very peculiar predicament. A man had walked up to a group of soldiers and said there was a bomb strapped to him. Sandborn tells him trying to save this man is suicide, but Will still wants to try and remove the bomb. Although he tries to free the man, Will does not have the equipment. He stares at the forced suicide bomber wishing he could have done more, and tells him he’s sorry. As Will is running away the bomb detonates, nearly killing him and obliterating what seemed to be an innocent man.

As they’re going back to base, Sandborn breaks down. He believes if he were to die, no one besides his parents would care. He notices he has no family, and this tragic event has caused him to want a son.

Epilogue

Will is back in America, and home. There is a touch of irony as he is able to navigate around harsh deserts and battle terrorists, but is confused by what cereal to get at the supermarket. As Will is back in civilian life, he begins telling his ex-wife about recent bombings and mentions more bomb techs like himself are needed. Later Will is playing with his son. As he talks to his son, he says the number of things a person loves dwindles with age, and by the time he’s as old as Will, there is really only one thing he loves. The following scene shows Will in a bomb suit with the Delta Company, on a one year tour.

Sight:

The film itself has an cynical view of the desert, which Owen comments on, as he and Sandborn joke about starting their own grass business. The film is filled with yellow, particularly from the sun and sand that surround almost every setting. The special effects seen in the film also avoid visual clichés. During explosions a slow motion camera is used, but the central focus is not on the blast. It shows the effects of the blast on the setting around it, such as the gravel, a rusted car, and finally the horrid damage it does to human beings.

Motion:

The motion of the film is expressed with an emotional camera. There are many jump cuts, and the majority of the movie is delivered through shaky cam. The shooting style is strongly reminiscent of the television series The Shield. The shots are often dramatic close ups and do not hesitate to view disturbing images, such as the corpse of a child that was attempted for use in a body bomb.

Sound:

Sound is used to help the films ability to evoke both surprise and suspense. Sounds such as a windshield wipers occur suddenly and without warning. The suspense of  defusing a bomb will turn an otherwise average sound into a shock for the viewer. The cramped feeling is not only perpetuated in sight but in the sound too, as you often hear Will’s heavy breathing in the bomb suit.

As for music there were only four songs in The Hurt Locker. Three of the songs are by the band Ministry. The film’s soundtrack often resemble the noise of a warning call, and often foreshadows some form of disaster. Generally the songs are two dissonant notes, each growing louder. The songs are expertly used to amplify intensity and usually done during a search or disposal of a trigger before it can be detonated by phone. However it is not an absolute, as often times intense shootouts are sudden and preceded by silence. The music that is heard is often a lone melody or a single voice.

Final Thoughts:

I believe this is one of the few films that appeals to both the critic and the occasional moviegoer. Its visceral feel, the honest emotions, and the brilliantly simple dialogue make The Hurt Locker one of the best war films created. The film also uses dark humor. Owen notes the number of tanks, and the fact they’d be useful if the Russians were to suddenly charge in with their army. When the team meets up with another small group of friendly forces, they tell them how they used up a wrench throwing it at an enemy’s head. Overall the film’s handheld camera, situation intensity, and dysfunctional relationships help take the viewer from the seat and place them in a war, which is something films can rarely accomplish to this degree of success.

A Thorough Look at The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

See it twice.

Thirty Second Review: The Shawshank Redemption is a fantastic film. Nominated for seven Oscar awards, the compelling drama of Andy Dufresne and Ellis “Red” Redding tells a simple yet powerful story. The film takes an interesting view at criminals, prisoners, and the world that surrounds them. As Andy continues his journey through prison life, he helps dozens of lives, but it comes at a high cost. The theme of hope is prevalent throughout the story.  It’s this theme that propels some characters while it kills others.

Spoilers beyond this poster.

Log Line: In the year 1947 a wrongly convicted murder places Andy Durfresne in prison, where he’s forced to deal with both friendly and hostile inmates as well as a corrupt prison warden, a sadistic police officer, and the overall culture of prison life.

Synopsis: Andy Dufresne was a successful banker and a married man.  One night after a heated argument about his wife’s recently discovered infidelity she leaves him to stay with her lover, golf professional Mr. Quentin. The morning after her departure both Andy’s wife and her lover were found murdered, and Andy became the prime suspect. He maintained his innocence, but the judge and jury convicted him of the crime. Andy received two life sentences.  Andy is now brought to Shawshank Prison where he meets a wide arrangement of fellow inmates, and becomes friends with Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding and the prisoner’s only librarian, Brooks Hatlen. Red helps Andy get used to prison life, and during his first two years he is abused by a group of violent homosexuals, known as The Sisters. When the warden Samuel Norton learns of Andy’s intelligence as a banker, he does two things: He has Officer Hadley beat the leader of The Sisters into paralysis, and moves Andy from doing laundry to another type of laundry; filtering dirty money through Shawshank. Andy justifies this as the warden in turn allows him to build a library. As the library begins to come together, Brooks is released on parole after fifty years in prison. Although Brooks tries to adapt to a much faster world, he is overcome by the outside. Stricken with grief and fear, Brooks hangs himself. As Andy dedicated the final touches of the library in the name Brooks Hatlen, Andy begins helping a new inmate named Tommy who is looking to get his high school equivalency degree. Tommy becomes equally important to Andy as Tommy tells Andy and Red about his cell mate in a previous prison who gloated about killing a golf pro and a bankers wife.  As Andy asks the Warden’s permission to investigate the matter, Norton locks him up in a black room known as The Hole. During this time Norton talks to Tommy and asks him if he’s telling truth, and would further testify to that truth in court. When Tommy says he would want to set Andy free, Norton has Officer Hadley kill Tommy. When Andy is released from The Hole and hears about Tommy’s death, he completes something he has been doing all along and escapes from Shawshank Prison. Andy had used a small hammer he bought from Red and began carving away at the rock wall nearly twenty years before Tommy’s murder, and used large posters to hide the hole. After Andy escapes Red is released after forty years of a life sentence. Red comes close to suicide, as he has spent the majority of his life in prison. However Andy and Red reunite in the small Mexican town Zihuatanejo.

Genre: Drama

Storytelling

Prologue:

The beginning of The Shawshank Redemption establishes the protagonist Andy Dufresne and why he’s in a courtroom. Andy is on trial for the murder of his wife and the professional golf player with which she was having an affair. The night of the murder Andy learned about his wife’s infidelity and she said she was leaving to stay with Mr. Quentin. Andy admitted to being intoxicated and following them to the cottage where the two of them were residing. The morning after both Andy’s wife and Mr. Quentin were found murdered in the cottage. Although there was no gun and he pleaded not guilty, the circumstantial evidence convicted Andy Dufresne for two life sentences.

Act I:

The beginning of the first act shows a different but equally cold scenario. Instead of a court room, the door opens and there is a conference room. On the far wall there are six men and women in suits, sitting behind a sturdy oak table. The guard opening the door is accompanying an older black man in prison clothing. He is told to sit. The parole board states the prisoners name as Ellis Boyd Redding, and he has served twenty years of a life sentence. In this parole hearing Red is asked if he feels he’s been rehabilitated. Red quickly swears up and down he has been rehabilitated and is no longer a danger to society. Red’s parole is rejected.

After he is let back out into the prison courtyard, Red meets with a number of friends. The group is standing on an elevated piece of land, where they see a prison van coming up through a gated pathway.  As the prisoners are being released, Red and his friends begin betting their cigarettes on the new fish. Each time a group of new fish comes into the prison one of them always breaks down crying. In this case Red bet on Andy Dufresne. After lights out in the prison, whoever bet on the first new fish to cry wins the bet. As a prisoner breaks down, Officer Byron Hadley comes into the prison corridors. The bet goes sour from here, as Byron threatens the crying new fish if he does not shut up. As the prisoner continues to sob, Byron opens the gate to the prisoner’s cell and beats him into a coma. The sobbing new fish died from his injuries the following morning.

The first month Andy spends in prison is in silence, and only breaks it then to speak to Red. Red is a kind of prison merchant, a man who can get the convicts products outside of Shawshank, for the cost of the product plus twenty percent. Andy asks Red if he can get him a rock hammer. Red is initially skeptical about this product, as it could be used as a weapon. Red finds this alarming as he notes The Sisters have seemed to cultivate an affection towards Andy, especially the group leader Boggs. Red explains The Sisters are a group of violent homosexuals. Andy swears to not use the rock hammer as a weapon, and Red reluctantly agrees to help him.

For a couple of years, Andy’s life consisted of doing laundry and dealing with The Sisters. Sometimes Andy could fight them off, other times they overpowered him. In 1949 the roof of a prison building needed tarring. It was during the summer and over a hundred applicants were trying for the twelve positions. Red bribed the guards with a pack of cigarettes for him and each one of his friends. In the remaining spots, Andy was also selected. During the tarring process, the prisoners overhear their supervisor, Byron Hadley, talk about his brothers death. His brother was a millionaire and left Hadley thirty-five thousand dollars. Hadley finds this bittersweet as taxes will take a large portion of his money. At this point, Andy drops his tar mop, walks up to the guards and asks Byron if he trusts his wife. Byron assumes Andy is being smart with him and is about to throw him off a roof. Andy quickly explains the IRS allows a one time gift to a spouse for up to sixty thousand dollars. Andy assures Byron the IRS cannot take one cent, but he’ll need to file the proper paperwork. Andy is willing to do this and in exchange asks for three beers apiece for each of his co-workers. Byron agreed, and Andy made a positive impact on the guards, the convicts, and even the warden.

After the tarring event Andy and Red become fast friends. Andy begins asking Red about what crime he committed, and Red says he’s also been convicted for murder. Unlike the majority of Shawshank Prisoners, Red admits he’s guilty of the terrible crime. Weeks after the tarring event, Andy is ambushed by The Sisters. In his struggle he breaks one of The Sisters’ noses and they proceed to beat Andy, who is hospitalized from the incident. Boggs received a week in what’s called The Hole, a dark room that is approximately the size of a coffin. When Boggs is released and goes back to his cell Byron Hadley and a fellow officer are waiting for him. When the two officers are finished with Boggs, two results occurred: The Sisters never hurt Andy again, and Boggs was paralyzed and transferred to a hospital prison.

Act II

After Andy is released form the hospital, Warden Norton asked to see him. Norton and Andy quickly reach an unspoken agreement. Andy would be taken out of the laundry room and allowed to work with the old librarian Brooks, and Norton will be able to use his accounting skills for cheap pay.  After several years of working with Brooks and doing tax returns for the entire prison staff every April, Brooks is holding a knife to the throat of Red’s friend, Haywood. Red and Andy talk Brooks down, and Haywood tells them that Brooks has been released on parole. Brooks is devastated about this information, and it becomes apparent that Brooks is institutionalized. Red’s group later receives a letter from Brooks, telling them about life on the outside. He talks about how fast the world moves, and how he now spends his life in fear. This overwhelming fear crushes any hope that was left in Brooks, and he commits suicide.

Act III

As Andy continues working in the library, he been spending years sending letters to the senate asking for funds. One day he receives a surprise as the past six years of has finally paid off. The state senate gave him a check for two hundred dollars and a number of second-hand books. However Andy continues to send letters and soon the state agrees to giving him a yearly check, as long as he stops sending letters. With the library in fruition and Brooks still on the minds of the group, Andy begins talking about hope and its use on the inside. Red disagrees, saying hope gives false pretenses and can drive a prisoner to madness. Andy notes that Brooks lost hope, and the sore spot makes Red leave the table.  Not long after Red is up for his thirty year parole hearing. His speech is the same as before, but it sounds remarkably different. Red’s voice is monotone, his eyes glaze over, and he knows he is not receiving parole.

After Red’s rejection, Warden Norton begins an inside out work program that turns the prisoners into a pool of slave labor. Norton uses them to underbid other contractors, and the money begins flowing in at prodigious rates. Through each deal, Andy is still keeping the books. Andy tells Red about this, and Red brings up the concern of a paper trail. Red believes if someone were to catch on Norton would be in prison as well. Andy tells Red there is a silent partner. Andy goes on to explain that the partner, Randall Stevens, is completely fictional. By use of mail Andy has given Randall Stevens a birth certificate and a driver’s license.

With the library completed, a new inmate comes to Shawshank. His name is Tommy, and he has been in and out of prisons since he was thirteen. Andy suggests he should try a new line of work, and in time Tommy takes him up on the offer. Andy agrees to help Tommy with his high school equivalency test, and spends the next year helping Tommy prepare for the exam. Shortly after Tommy’s exam, Tommy asks Red why Andy is in prison. Red tells him about Andy’s wife and the golf professional. Tommy is disturbed by this information and immediately brings both Andy and Red to a remote part of the library. He tells them that four years prior to his sentence in Shawshank he received a cellmate by the name of Elmo Blatch. As Elmo constantly talked about his criminal life, he told Tommy about robbing a golf professionals house. According to Elmo the golf professional gave him a problem during the robbery, so he killed him and the woman he was with, and they pinned the murders on her husband, a banker.

Andy immediately goes to Warden Norton about the story, but Norton remains strangely doubtful. Norton believes Tommy was trying to make Andy feel better about his unfortunate story. When Andy insists about investigating the matter, Norton begins to grow irritated. Andy presses further and promises he would never tell anyone about the money laundering that goes on in the prison, and Norton becomes irate. He puts Andy in The Hole for a month. During this time, Norton holds an evening meeting with Tommy in a remote outside prison courtyard. Norton asks Tommy if what he said was the truth, and if would be willing to testify in a court. Tommy is more than willing to help clear Andy’s name. Norton smiles at Tommy’s adamant feelings, and looks up towards a balcony. On the balcony is Officer Hadley, who shoots Tommy four times in the back with a sniper rifle. At the end of Andy’s month, Norton speaks about Tommy’s tragic death. Andy refuses to run his scams any longer, and Norton tells him if the scams stop the library will be destroyed, and Andy will be removed form his own personal cell and placed in horrible living conditions. Norton has the guard leave Andy in the hole for another month to think over the proposition.

When Andy is release, both he and Red are sitting in the prison courtyard leaning against a piece of moss-covered stone wall. Andy is no longer speaking or acting in his normal fashion. It seems the two months in The Hole and Tommy’s murder is getting the best of him, and he begins blaming himself for pushing his wife away. Andy tells Red if he could get out, he would go to Zihuatanejo. It’s a town in Mexico, right by the clear blue Pacific Ocean. Andy asks Red if he’ll ever get out, and Red says by the time they let him out he’ll be institutionalized. At this point Andy begins pacing and asks Red to do him a favor, and go to Buxton. He tells him there is a particular hayfield that has a rock wall, and one of the rocks is a drastically different color. Andy tells Red there is something under the rock that he wants Red to have, but the only way to find out is to go to Buxton.

Later that day Red is talking to some of his friends about Andy’s odd behavior. Haywood then tells Red how Andy came to the loading dock and asked for six feet of rope. Haywood gave it to him not thinking what he might do with it. After a sleepless night in his cell, Red nearly jumps out into the corridor in the morning roll call. Andy does not come out of his cell. When an officer goes to see what the hold up is about, a startling truth hits the officer: The cell is  empty. Norton immediately begins questioning the guards and Red, trying to figure out how Andy got out and where he could have went. Through luck Norton punctured one of Andy’s large posters, and it revealed a hole in the cell. Norton ripped off the poster and learned it was hiding a hole just big enough for Andy to fit through and escape through the adjacent sewer pipes.  A manhunt occurs immediately, but all they find of Andy is his muddy clothes and a disfigured rock hammer.

At this point the story flashes back to Andy on one of his earlier nights in Shawshank.  He is seen carving his name into the wall with the rock hammer, and as he does a fist sized chunk of the wall falls onto the floor. Andy realizes this will be his escape, but needs a gigantic poster to hide the man-made hole. After this the story comes back to the present moment, where a man no one ever met stepped into a national bank. His name was Randall Stevens. He had proper forms of identification, and withdrew every cent of Warden Norton’s money, over 370,000 dollars. Andy also sent a letter to a newspaper, telling a reporter about the corruption and murder that occurred in the walls of The Shawshank Prison. No sooner did Norton get back to his office after the escape, he saw the front page. At this point police arrive to the prison, where they arrest Byron Hadley on site. Norton locked himself in his office and before he could be apprehended, Norton committed suicide.

Epilogue

Not long after Norton’s suicide Red had his forty year parole hearing. When Red is asked if he feels he has been rehabilitated, Red simply scoffs at the word and said he has no idea what it means. He cuts off the parole counselor’s  definition, saying the word is made up. He insinuates they want to know if he’s sorry for what he’s done. He tells the parole board he feels regret every day for the crime he committed, and wishes he could take it back. He ends the conversation very abruptly, and expects to be taken back to his cell. Much to his surprise, his parole is granted.

As Red is on the outside, he is almost lost in the fear that took Brooks’ life. The only thing that saved him was his promise to Andy. Red hitchhikes to Buxton and finds what Andy has left for him. There are two envelopes wrapped in a piece of plastic. One is filled with hundreds of dollars, while the other is a letter. The letter asks Red since he was willing to go to Buxton, he may be willing to go to the town of Zihuatanejo. Red breaks his parole and manages to get across the border.

Andy is on a beach, scrubbing down an old and beaten boat. He looks down the beach and sees Red walking towards him. The two embrace in a hug, and the camera takes a long look at the ocean before fading to black.

Sight and Color Palette:

The overwhelming majority of the film is in the colors blue and gray. The police are in blue, and the prisoners have blue jeans and blue undershirts. Andy also has blue eyes, and the color blue has significance in meaning. Andy talks about the color of the blue ocean and how it has no memory. The color allows for serenity and a place to restart life. The other primary color is gray, as it’s the color of the outer wear of the prisoner, and is the color of most suits seen in the film. Gray is also the color of the stone prison, and its dull gray gives an exceptionally drab emotion. I believe these were efficient colors, especially because this was a drama film. If it were an action movie I would expect to see more vibrant colors to express the life in the actors and setting around them. The few areas that were not blue and gray are either red clay fields, or an occasional moss covered stone. I believe these colors stop objects or attire from getting lost in a frame of blue and gray. I find the use of multiple colors critical as a scene can be ruined if a person’s body melds into the background, giving them the appearance of a floating head.

Camera Work and Motion:

The camera work in this film is very traditional. It appears every scene is shot on a tripod, and the frequent cuts are clean. There are no whip pans, shaky cam, or zoom ins. The few tracking shots lasting longer than a few seconds are completed on a camera dolly. As the film looks over a nineteen year time span I believe this was a good choice in cinematography. The film is itself a highlight reel of a heroes journey through a torturous setting. I also believe Andy’s quiet demeanor and often concealed emotions would not have been accepted as well had they been shot in a less traditional and more emotive format.

Space:

The space and the setting in The Shawshank Redemption is in great contrast. The courtyards are open and the halls are often large, yet the courtyards are filled with imposing prison buildings and the halls seem small as they are crammed with people.  Human beings that walk around the area are often seen as insignificant in comparison to the size of each setting. I find this a basic but well thought concept. The aesthetic of the prison system nullifies a person’s humanity. They are given no choices and designated serial numbers, so an imposing and heartless prison that does not give the feeling of freedom would assist this visual aesthetic.

Sound:

The major music theme in the film is sorrowful. Each line of music has a mournful tone and before transferring into dialogue, the music generally ends on a dissonant note. It’s only the last few scenes that the music begins to have a more uplifting tone, as if a non verbal way to tell the viewer that they can relax about the fate of Red and Andy. Sounds in the film itself are often made by the characters. The sounds of a film reel fluttering, Andy being beaten, or Red playing a harmonica are also done well. I feel the reason these were accomplished sounds was due to the fact the sounds did not border into excessive. The noises are there to assist the actors, not become the main part of the story. I also enjoyed the film’s staying true to the time period with the opening song “If I Didn’t Care” by The Ink Spots. This ballad was a popular song during the late 1940s.

Lighting:

The use of lighting in this film was in the style of heightened reality. It was not the kind of light aesthetic seen in Sin City (2005) and The Watchmen (2009) but the film seemed to rarely use natural lighting. Many scenes highlighted only half of Red’s face, or the sun would lowly glow around Andy’s head and arms on top of the tarred roof. I believe out of the three choices, heightened reality was the best lighting choice. The film did not have a supernatural or graphic novel aesthetic, and at the same time it was not the kind of visceral film that almost requires natural lighting to enhance reality.

Final Thoughts:

The Shawshank Redemption has a powerful story with two imperfect yet mesmerizing characters. Andy does indeed become a crooked accountant in prison, and Red did commit murder as a young man. Despite these major flaws it seems they can appeal to viewers from multiple generations. The iconic voice narration by Morgan Freeman and the screenplay by Frank Darabont gave the film a fantastic style that I believe was both a fantastic film and a stepping stone for their careers. Morgan Freeman’s narration and acting only became better with Million Dollar Baby (2004) and Darabont continued with an Academy Award nominated screenplay for The Green Mile (1999).

A New Ratings System

My rating system mocks ratings. While I understand the importance of a rating, part of me despises the rating system. If you want to understand if a movie was good or not, it’s best to read the entire review. However a critic or a satirist can’t force someone to read every word, and therefore the rating is the best tool for assessing a movie as a whole in five seconds.

There are no grades, stars, or thumbs, in my ratings, because these forms of expression are not normal. Have you ever told someone “Oh man, that film was great, two thumbs up!” or “B plus, that was a charming film.” No. If we all went around speaking like that God would delete humanity and spend his time working on a new version of the Dodo bird. I know the thumbs up thumbs down sign has come all the way from the time of gladiators, and the A through F grading system has been in the American school system for decades, but I don’t take my social cues from dead men or public schools. Call it crazy, but I take my social cues from living people.

With people in mind, my ratings are a little more realistic:

See it twice, it’s that good. — This is a film that is both entertaining and meaningful. This is one of those movies where everything works together and creates something to be treasured. Although this rating doesn’t happen often, when it does it’s fantastic. The Hurt Locker is an example of a film that’s worth seeing twice.

Pretty Entertaining –This is a self explanatory rating. Films that are fun to watch but didn’t blow you away would fall under this category. Films also in this category can also has occasional shades of brilliance. Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes is an example of a pretty entertaining film, and Miracle at St. Anna is an example of a film with mesmerizing moments but an imperfect story.

Hit or miss — This is the most complex of the categories, and reminds me of Kirsten Dunst. Some parts are really fantastic, and other parts you can’t help but wonder what the hell is going on. This will result in some people believing the movie is great, while others will marvel at the fact people even like it. The Watchmen and its epic quantities of male nudity is probably my favorite example of this category.

If Someone Else Pays — I think we have all seen at least one movie and said, “That was not worth the money.” Well what if someone else paid for your ticket, or you saw it on TV?  For example, I would never pay ten dollars to see Gone in Sixty Seconds, but if it’s a lazy Sunday afternoon and AMC network has been showing it for thirty-six hours straight, I’ll watch it.

Download It — These are films that are not good, but someone may enjoy for a small facet. For instance say you were a professional dancer, or wanted to be a cinematographer. Well the 2007 film Stomp the Yard was full of great dancers and had really creative lighting schemes. The problem was everything else in that movie was painful.

Burn Down the Theater — A movie of this nature usually reminds me of everything that is wrong in film. It is unoriginal, inept, and inspires me to encourage mass arson.  A Walk To Remember with Mandy Moore and Shane West is a good example of a horrible movie. In fact it was the only time in my life I actually cheered for the Leukemia to win.

My Mission Statement

There are two goals to this blog, which is two more than most blogs:

The most important goal is to be an entertainer through satire. If I can’t make someone laugh then I’m not doing a worthwhile job.

The second is to connect two worlds that in recent years are at opposite sides of the spectrum. The first world is film criticism as it is today; Intelligent and often fantastic writers go about assessing films in their print columns. The second world is everyone who has to pay to watch movies, like you and me. As ticket prices continue to skyrocket, in my home state of New Jersey IMAX 3D tickets are fifteen dollars, I argue film critics need to take a new look at film. It’s a look that they may not like, but if they don’t start changing I believe the critic will die.

“Was this movie worth my money and time?”  It’s all about money, and every review will answer this question.  As previously mentioned, tickets are expensive for one person let alone the idea of taking a date. So before you see a film, check to see if it’s here.

I’ll also add a lot more to satisfy everyone from those who hold their heads high and say they’re “film experts” to people who simply enjoy the massive culture that surrounds film. I’ll speculate about future films, box office sales, award ceremonies, and just about anything I can satirize. I’m offering my knowledge, insults, and a cynical brand of humor. Hope you enjoy.