Zinda Bhaag!

For the first time in over fifty years a Pakistani film has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Released earlier this year, Zinda Bhaag (Run For Your Life) is the story of three young men who belong to the lower middle class society of Pakistan. They believe that the only way to solve their life's problems is by going to a better country and starting a life there. However, going through the process gets them into big trouble. The film has won numerous awards internationally. 
I am really excited about this movie because usually when a Pakistani film maker decides to make an independent film, it is about either terrorism, religion or both of them. In my opinion the real success of the film lies in the fact that the story of the film is simple and related to an issue that is not usually addressed in Pakistan, while at the same time an entertainment for audiences. Another reason why the film is successful is because the crew working on the film is a mix of professionals from Pakistan and India. There were no unprofessional or television crew working on the film, and a wise choice I would say.

Saving Face

Saving Face is Pakistan's first Oscar Winner. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) in 2012. This was a great achievement for my nation because it was Pakistan's first Oscar and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy the first Pakistani Oscar winner. The film, as most of us saw, tackles the subject of acid burning and women as victims of it. 
Although the film received success internationally, it has hardly gained recognition in Pakistan because a big issue has been addressed here i.e. the dominance of men over women. Pakistan is a male dominant nation and women are often pushed back. This is one of the reasons why women are also deprived of education and other rights. This is usually done by the religious groups and the uneducated population in Pakistan, which unfortunately is the majority. Moreover, violence has cast a great shadow over the hearts and minds of the Pakistani and many times they conform to it without giving it a thought.
I think that by uncovering such a painful truth of Pakistan, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has managed to give a voice to women who cannot speak against this violence and at the same time sent a message to people who support this act that there is a penalty for it. It was probably the happiest day of the semester for me because I had always wanted to see the documentary but could not find the time to do it.

The Fountain

Earlier this semester Professor Leeper talked about trusting film makers and what they are trying to convey through their films. That was a feeling that I had last year when I saw The Fountain by Darren Aronofsky. The Fountain is a great story about life and death, science and religion, and the fragile existence of humanity in this world. There are three story lines that are intertwined together, with Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz as the protagonists of all three stories. They are in love in all three stories but death keeps separating them each time. Throughout the film, the stories keep jumping back and forth through the time spans and each of them is connected in a very interesting way.

The reason why I disagree with the film is because the film uses the Christian principle of the Tree of Life, which is what the film is based on, but as the story progresses it builds upon Buddhism and New Age beliefs. Reincarnation and Karma are also one of the things that are very clear in the movie. In my opinion, blending religions together and making a completely different religion out of them is why the film did not succeed as Aronofsky hoped it would. I think it was the differences in the religions that made the story weak because each religion differs in the same ideas, like life and death, and eternity.
I did not trust Darren Aronofsky with this movie because I felt that he was unclear about his own beliefs and instead of pursuing his questions, he was trying to make his own religion by blending different ideas. However, I think that his movies are great and interesting to watch, including The Fountain.

Another Bad Messiah...Or Good

All that talk about the Matrix really had me thinking about symbolism and Christ's characteristics being depicted in Hollywood films today. One that clearly shows this symbolism is Man of Steel. I thought Man of Steel was a great movie, not just because I like comic book movies, but because I thought the story was good. However, each time I see it, I find new traits that really depict Superman as Christ.The fact that Zach Snyder also accepts that it is hard not to think of Superman as an image of Christ in the movie because it is all s clear. Coming to earth from another place, having two fathers; one on earth and one from where he came from, living on earth for thirty-three years, putting his life on the line to save the world etc. all depict Jesus Christ and His life in Superman. Even when Superman floats out of the spaceship to save Lois Lane, he spreads his arms out like Jesus did on the cross and before that Jor-El says "You can save them... You can save all of them" (this always sends shivers down my spine!). I think it is just amazing to observe how close Hollywood heroes can depict the nature and story of Jesus Christ.

West Bank Story

I saw this short film for this time in our DMA class. I thought it was hilarious and amazing. However, my friend Mark Houck pointed out that it was a parody of a musical film titled West Side Story, which I later discovered was actually an adaptation of Shakespeare's classic, Romeo and Juliet. However, before I did the research, I could see some elements of Shakespeare's classic in it. The love story of David and Fatima and their families disapproving of their union, and the clash of the families because of their differences all reminded me of Romeo and Juliet.
However, I really liked the way the makers altered the Jews and Arabs into it. Although there were key issues and differences being highlighted in the film, the humor kept everything subtle. The names of the restaurants were also very creative and funny. What I liked the most were the songs in the film. I think the songs were very good and well written to keep the humor alive in that aspect. The choreography was also very well done. The use of props to define both the Jews and Muslims was great because it was easy to differentiate between the two. I think that the acting was also very good. No wonder this film was nominated for an Oscar.

Bollywood Movies and More

I know it is odd that I am posting a blog on Bollywood even though I am not from India, but the thing is that Bollywood has always been successful in Pakistan. That has been one of the reasons why the Pakistani film industry died because people prefer to watch Bollywood films. Most people would think that Bollywood is all about love stories, action, singing and dancing and that is true, but recently there have been films that have not been conventional Bollywood films, and have been noticed as outstanding films. 

One of these films is 3 Idiots, a 2009 comedy about college life. Adapted from a novel titled Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat, the film is about two friends in search of their friend from college who had a big impact on their lives and careers, but disappeared after graduating. Throughout the film the two friends keep on recalling the stories from college and events when their lost friend brought a huge change in their lives and others. It is one of my favorite Bollywood movies because it is very entertaining because of the humor. However, the story and the simplicity of the film attract me more. The cast also justifies their roles very well, which makes the movie even better. It is one of my favorite films. 

I would also like to mention that my bros from Wright Third have release two albums. It is a debut of this group. They have done a great job and will be up for an award at the next Grammys so be sure to check them out here!

My Favorite Music Video Yet

We saw a lot of music videos in class a couple of weeks ago and that got me thinking about my favorite music video. I really like this song titled "Carnival of Rust" by Poets of the Fall. They are a rock band and originate from Finland. I heard this song about three years ago and I loved the video of this song.
The song is about greed and reluctance to help those in need around us. "Carnival of Rust" is a depiction of the human life in general. A girl enters the Carnival in the beginning of the video and at first sees this small booth and puts a coin in it which brings the puppet (the lead singer) to life and he starts singing. As the girl looks around, she sees other things that really draw her attention, and she finally finds this doll (worldly possessions) that she really wants. She keeps spending what she has to get more. In the end the puppet in the box is about to stop because his time is up and to play (or live) he needs another coin inside, which the girl does not give and he stops (dies). However, the girl eventually leaves the Carnival (human life/world) and when she walks out on the streets she realizes that the doll is of no good to other.
The video makes use of a lot of visual effects and props, and I just love the composition and lyrics of the song. It has a great lesson that relates to the Christian faith also. Hope you all enjoy it.

A Beautiful Mind

I had a chance to watch A Beautiful Mind last week during Thanksgiving break. After watching the film I really liked two aspects of it. One of them was Ron Howard's way of making great stories based on true events and biographies. He added lots of things that actually happened in John Nash's life. But he also added things that were not part of his life's story and those parts helped define John Nash's character in the film. I watched this movie with a friend during the break and he told me that some of those incidents happened during the time when John Nash was on the set of the film. One of the final scenes of the movie, when John Nash is told that he is being considered for the Nobel Prize and is asked to join the person for tea, actually happened but it was actually with Russell Crowe and not the Nobel Prize official. Russell Crowe was meeting with John Nash and insisted he join him for tea and it took a lot to convince John Nash for tea. They used that incident and made a story out of it to add more detail to John Nash's character in the movie. 

Another thing that really stood out to me was Russell Crowe's acting in the movie. I was stunned to see his performance in certain scenes and I really thought that he was John Nash. He analyzed the Schizophrenic behavior from his conversations with John Nash very well. He is one of my favorite actors and this movie is in one of my favorite movies.

Catching Fire - Literally!

I was able to watch The Hunger Games: Catching Fire on the night it was released in the United States along with many other Huntington University students. I had watched the first one earlier this semester with some friends here on campus, and with the movie leaving on a cliff hanger I just had to see the second part.

From what I have heard Catching Fire, the book, is very slow and long. The movie, however, was quite fast paced and entertaining from the start. Audiences that read the book claimed that the movie followed most of the book and was very well done. Listening to such comments and making observations of the series myself I realized that there was a significant difference between the first and second movies because the Directors were different. The Hunger Games, the first of the trilogy, was directed by Gary Ross whereas The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was directed by Francis Lawrence.
I have not read the books, but I could see a significant difference in the story telling of Catching Fire. In my opinion, the transition from book to movie was quite successful for Catching Fire than it was for The Hunger Games. I think another reason why Catching Fire was better than the first one was because there were more characters in it. Whenever there are more characters in a film, the story becomes more interesting and there is a possibility of plot twists, and the plot twists keep the audience gripped to the story. Can't wait for the third one!

My 3 Favourite Music Videos

We were asked to post about our three most favorite music videos, so here are mine.

The first music video that I liked the most was Valentino by Diane Birch. I thought the video was made in a very creative way. The way she transitioned onto the projection screen with timing and precision was great. The way she changed her attire during the transitions and made it in and out at the right time was very precise. It was also very interesting to see Diane Birch synchronize her feet with the movement of the projection.

The second video that I liked was Cibo Matto's Sugar Water. To be honest, the song did not make sense to me and I did not know what was going on. However, the video was very creative. I thought it was a great idea to run two videos simultaneously, one in reverse and the other in a normal shot, and create a point where both of the videos meet at the exact same shot. Even though I didn't understand the song or the concept, I think the idea of video was fantastic. 

The third video that I like was Dumb Ways to Die that was made for the Metro Trains. I think the characters in that animated music video were very simple and interesting. Everyone has a very brutal experience but the way the blood comes out and their flesh is exposed is hilarious. I think just the idea of portraying way in which people can die in a hilarious way is profound in itself.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

I was able to watch the play Seven Brides for Seven Brothers on my birthday. To be honest, I did not feel like watching the play at all that day, but I thought I'd go and see it anyway, and what I saw astounded me.

I was aware of the story before I saw the play. I remember bits and pieces of the Hollywood movie as well as the Bollywood remake of it. What I did not expect was how hardworking our theatre department. I was mesmerized by everyone's acting. The dialogues were well written and well delivered. I'd like to give a shout out to our very own Sean Fitzpatrick and Sam Jones. You guys did an awesome job!

(Picture Courtesy: Sam Jones' facebook wall)

I also enjoyed the live music. It was well synchronized between the scenes. This is a place where coordination is the key; it plays an important role in keeping the show running smoothly. Another element of the play that really kept the show running smoothly was the transition between scenes and sets. I think it was done extremely well because there were hardly any problems or delays because of that and everyone seemed to know what they were doing.
Another thing that I really enjoyed was the musical performance of all the actors. I think the cast did justice to the songs and performed well. I think we have enormous talent in HU and that talent should be encouraged.
Timing and precision go hand in hand. If either of them is taken away, the show can become a mess. I think the theatre department it doing a great job. I will try to watch more plays in the future.

Misrepresentation

I was able to watch the documentary titled Missrepresentation. Coming from a country like Pakistan I was surprised to see that women are abused even in countries like the United States of America. They may not be abused physically or mentally, but the way the media portrays women as sex symbols has destroyed their virtue and chastity. However, media has also caused the portrayal of women to have an adverse effect on the women who view media.
One of the things the documentary addressed that really stood out to me was that idea that when women view media they suppose that what the women in that form of media are doing is something that they should be following. That means that if teenage girls in a movie are wearing really short skirts, then the teenage girls watching the movie will consider wearing short skirts regardless of what others think. Media influences people, in good ways and in bad ways. What media makers fail to realize is that by portraying women as sex symbols they are influencing the women watching to become sex symbols and the reason why they are successful is because they show some sort of positive result that creates a desire in women to achieve the result they have seen.
Overall, I thought the documentary was great. I believe it was an eye opener for me and I understood a lot about women in terms of media. The chastity and virtue of women must be respected in and out of media. I will do my best to preserve the dignity of women in the things that I make in the future.

Quiz 2: Pfffirate and Keith Lango's Four "Pints"

Last week we saw a short film titled "Pfffirate". When Professor Leeper talked about how expensive it was to make water in animation, I had a flashback of when I saw Veggie Tales' "Tomato Sawyer and Huckleberry Larry's Big River Rescue." I recalled watching the Behind the Scenes footage where one of the animators mentioned how expensive and hard it was to make water and elements similar to water. These elements require a lot of flow and free movement, take a lot of time and money to animate to perfection. However perfection is not the key to make a media product successful.
Keith Lango's four points (or "pints") may not have been present at the time that this short film was made, but they definitely correlate with this short film. They wanted an experience of making a short animated film when they were studying and they worked hard on it and succeeded in making a great film. They did it to exercise their skills and what they had acquired.
Instead of confining themselves to the conventional, expensive way of animating the pirate's arms and the sea, they removed the pirate's arms to give him free movement without spending time on animating his arms. Moreover, the idea of animating water like a balloon and giving it an extra layer to show the water moving in a specific direction was brilliant. Without wasting time in animating arms and water the "best" way, they found a way to animate them, one that would fit in perfectly with their story.
These young filmmakers did not make a story to impress critics. They had a fun idea that they thought would entertain people, and that was a success for them. The idea was original and entertaining and the filmmakers were successful in using techniques that were profound, something that was not confined inside a "box." It seemed that they enjoyed making this animated short film.

Blood Brother

Blood Brother is about a young man from the United States of America who gets a chance to travel to India. After visiting an orphanage in Chennai, India, where children with HIV/AIDS are kept, his heart is filled with love and compassion for them. He decides to stay back and care for the children in the orphanage.
One of the things that stood out for me was how beautifully Steve Hoover (Director) injected the roller coaster of emotions into the simple story. The story of Rocky "anna" and the children of the orphanage come in laughter, joy, sadness and tears. Also, the way in which the documentary transitioned from one emotion to another was great. 

Another thing that really stood out for me was the way that the Gospel made its way into the documentary without anyone mentioning it. The part where Rocky kept caring for Surya, the child who had to be hospitalized, was the moment the defined the documentary for me. Rocky kept caring for Surya and tried to be with him as much as he could because he did not want to lose him. He ignored the fact that he could be infected by Surya and kept working hard to help Surya recover. I believe that it was Rocky's love for Surya that brought him out of the pit of death because it was love that led Rocky to keep on caring for Surya, even when the doctors had given up on him. The miracle came through Rocky's love.
Rocky's desire to live in India and sacrifice the "good life" in the United States of America is a clear example of selflessness and a passion to serve. That is something that we are all called for in one way or another.

"Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words." - St. Francis of Assisi

Drunken Angel

I had a chance to watch the "Drunken Angel" at signs and wonders. For me it was the first time watching a Japanese film that did not have weird noises and karate chops. In fact, I had never seen a film by Akira Kurosawa before. I thought that the story was simple and inspiring and had a good message for an audience of any era. But for me what stood out the most was the way Kurosawa's main character, Dr. Sanada, described a typical film noir protagonist. 
Films made in the noir style don't often have a protagonist, and if they do, it is hard to figure out who that person is because they often struggle with certain flaws in their character. Their actions are morally questionable and they often make mistakes. In "Drunken Angel," Dr. Sanada is the imperfect protagonist.

Sanada's job is to help people stay healthy and, in the case of the film, save Matsunaga, who is suffering from tuberculosis, from dying. But Sanada has a couple of problems in his life that he is struggling with. First of all, he is an alcoholic and a very heavy one. Secondly, due to his constant drinking, he tends to stay in a hangover all the time and because of that he never thinks before speaking and often blurts something out that is offensive to the other person.

This is the reason why Matsunaga would always end up beating Sanada. However, the irony of his drunkenness is that he would often say things that are true, which would hurt. But the film also describes his positive side by his eagerness to save his patients and help them recover from their illness. This is shown when a young girl, who is also suffering tuberculosis, is cured at the end of the film. 

The title of the film totally describes Dr. Sanada's character. It describes his moral flaw of drinking, which is his weakness and flaw. But it also describes his positive side of saving people, which being a doctor is his responsibility.

The Bicycle

In my opinion, Father and Daughter was a beautiful short film about the loss of a loved one and our desire to reunite with them. The day before I saw this short film, a friend of mine lost his father. The death of his father took me back to the memories of some of my loved ones who passed away a few years ago. After Thursday's class I started thinking about that in context of the short film and I noticed something very interesting. 

For me, the thing that stood out in the film was the bicycle. I don't think that director Michaël Dudok de Wit randomly selected the bicycle to be in the film. I think the bicycle depicts the lives of the father and the daughter. In the film, the bicycles are depicted as the human body, and the humans are depicted as souls.

At the start of the film, the father leaves his bicycle beside a tree, hugs his daughter, and sits in a boat that is at the coast and rows away from the coast. I think that the area where the father leaves his bicycle is his grave, and leaving his bicycle there signifies his death. 

Then we see the daughter's life. She grows up and with her age, the size of her bicycle get bigger. She starts riding with other girls and in due time, falls in love, gets married and has children of her own. However, she always keeps visiting the same place where her father left her and wonders when she would see him again. But gradually, as she gets old, she finds it hard to ride the bicycle and has to slow down and eventually stop riding the bike. Her walking and pulling the bicycle along shows that she could not keep up with her health due to her age and had to slow down. Towards the end she takes her bicycle to the same place where her father left her, where she would always go to see if her father was ever coming back. She parks her bicycle, which falls twice and again a third time, even after she uses the bicycle stand, and then wanders off into the tall grass. I think that falling of the bicycle depicts her death and her soul moving on to another place. There are no bicycles seen after that, which shows that she is now in eternity. She then finds her father's boat in the middle of the tall grass, and curls up in it and probably falls to sleep. When she wakes up, she sees her father. As she runs to him, we see her get younger and younger and when they hug, she can be seen as a young woman.

The director has not shown them die and go to their grave. Instead, he shows them going into a place that everyone goes to at a particular time. He shows death as not something that should be feared, but something we should look forward to. I think that's what makes this short film so beautiful. The director has shown the beauty of a tragedy.

Creativity and Imagination

The mental power of image-making is one thing, or aspect; and it should appropriately be called Imagination. The perception of the image, the grasp of its implications, and the control, which are necessary to a successful expression, may vary in vividness and strength: but this is a difference of degree in Imagination, not a difference in kind. The achievement of the expression, which gives (or seems to give) “the inner consistency of reality,” is indeed another thing, or aspect, needing another name: Art, the operative link between Imagination and the final result, Sub-creation.
      — J.R.R. Tolkien, On Fairy-Stories

I have been inspired by the idea of creativity and imagination over the last couple of weeks but I could not put my observations into words, however after viewing so many paintings in Tuesday's class and focusing on art in general, I was able to identify the things going on in my head. Art seems to reflect the thoughts and beliefs of the one who makes it. It speaks about what's going on in the mind of the creator.

I learned about Imago Dei, (Latin for: The Image of God) a few weeks ago. The Bible says that we were created in God's image. That means we resemble God in some way or some characteristic. I am not quite sure what other characteristics we might possess, but I have realized that we do have the ability to create and imagine, something that probably comes from God. I am sure that God didn't create us without knowing what He was doing. I believe that before creating the world and all that is in it, God had an idea and probably imagined what the world would be like and what we would be like. And while creating us, God may have immersed certain traits in us that would reflect him.

I believe that if we imagine something and create it, it reflects us. That means that our creation should reflect our creator, since we are God's creation and are made to reflect him.

"...every work of art reflects both the artist and the artist's Creator." - Don Hudson

Rock Got No Reason, Rock Got No Rhyme

Last night I got to watch "School Of Rock" in the MCA along with many DMA and non-DMA students. I had been sick over the weekend and I really wanted some entertainment to lift my spirits. Each time I see School Of Rock, I enjoy it.
I think it is great that School Of Rock has Rock music as it's theme and the kids have done an outstanding job in the movie. But in my opinion, it's all about Dewey. He keeps going through this phase of selfishness and fulfilling his own desire of making a band and "sticking it" to his former band, but at the same time keeps encouraging these 5th graders who play great music but have never been exposed to rock and helps them discover who they are. He encourages them in their talents and believes in them, something probably no teacher had done before him.
I think Dewey's character is very interesting. Even though he is the protagonist, he is not the "good guy". He is the guy who has been through some hard times, faced rejection from his band and his friends that he lives with. He doesn't have a job and has to pay the rent that he owes to his friend. But he never gives up on his dream to Rock. He lies to the school and the children in class about his identity and tries to make things work in the wrong way. But as they say, some people learn the hard way. However, he realises his mistakes and apologizes everyone, and in the end gets to have a band he always wanted, with a stylist, security and a manager! Now that's a talented class!School Of Rock is a great comedy, packed with Jack Black's trademark funny faces, dialogues and his hilarious guitar solos! 

Invention of Love - A Mythical Cycle

I saw this short film two years ago. It was made by Andrey Shushkov. It is a 2D Silhouette animation about Love in a world run by nuts, bolts and gears, and the effect technology has on humans.
The film tells the story of a man and a woman who love each other and get married. However, technology gets in the way of their love after their marriage. In my opinion, the film covers all the elements of the Mythic Cycle, but in a non-linear or opposite way.
It begins with Autumn, depicting Tragedy, which is followed by the story of the past, starting with Summer, depicting Romance. Then Spring, depicting a New Life or a New Beginning for both the man and woman. Then there is Winter, depicting Death. Lastly, Autumn comes in again, depicting Tragedy in the present.
One of the ways the "Seasons" of the Mythic Cycle are illustrated is through the use of the Rose in the film. It plays an important part in showing the passage of Time and Age. The Gears in the film also signify the Mythic Cycle and also depict the Wheel of Life, that keeps moving forward and makes it impossible for us to go back in time and make amends for our mistakes. The passage of Time is an important part of the film.
The film is made in beautiful Silhouette animation, with lovely colored backgrounds. Above all, there are no dialogues, and the silence of the characters helps the story to scream out its message and theme and I could see the emotions conveyed nicely and it probably wouldn't be as good with dialogues. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did.

Image and Imagination

"A man writing a story is too excited about the story itself to sit back and notice how he is doing"

-C. S. Lewis

Before writing the Narnian novels and other fictional books, C. S. Lewis only saw pictures in his head. There was no story. For about twenty four years he did nothing about the image of Tumnus (the Faun) carrying an umbrella and a parcel, but the image still remained in his head. The surprising thing is that although C. S. Lewis claims that he does not know how he wrote the story, he still remembers the exact image that started the whole idea of the Narnian novels. I think the idea here isn't just about image, but also about Imagination. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the first definition of Imagination is: The act or power of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality.
Even though C. S. Lewis didn't try to make up an image of Tumnus, he processed it at the age of around forty years when it was in his head and eventually turned it into a story. I think Imagination follows Image. C. S. Lewis doesn't mention this, but I believe that he must have contemplated a lot on the image of the Faun and the significance of the Parcel and the Umbrella in his hands. I learnt two things from this excerpt. First, that Imagination follows the Image. And second, the story may not stay in our minds forever and we may forget how we came up with the concept and the storyline, but images stay in our heads for a long time, some till the day we die.