MYSTQ2: Post 2: Silver Linings Playbook

For this MYST post I decided to watch David O. Russell's recent film Silver Linings Playbook

The New York times says, "'Silver Linings Playbook,' the exuberant new movie from David O. Russell, does almost everything right. The story tracks the feverish, happy, sad, absurdly funny ups and downs of a head case named Pat Solatano, played by a surprisingly effective, intensely focused Bradley Cooper, just as he returns to his parents’ home after eight months in a mental institution. Pat had been put away for a scarily violent crime, but now, having shed fat and the defense it offered him, and feeding on the shiny philosophy of the title instead, he feels ready to tackle the world. The world may not be ready." -NY Times

When my mother first approached me asking to watch Silver Linings Playbook with her I wasn't too excited. On this particular Sunday night, or any night for that matter, I wasn't in the mood for a Love Actually, LifeTime Movie Network kind of movie; however, being a fan of Jennifer Lawrence, I reluctantly agreed to watch Silver Linings Playbook. 

The cinematography in this film really helps bring the characters' predicaments to life. For example, if we look at the scene in which Pat has a bipolar episode the juxtaposed high and low angle shots help convey the contrast of power and fear between the characters. Additionally when Pat starts to break down and the sound of a certain song the camera pans around him in a circle as if he is spinning out of control. Shots and scenes like these make the audience feel as if they have Pat's condition.

Overall this movie was beyond stellar. Lawrence and Cooper's performances as mentally unstable accidental lovers are superb. This combined with an original plot based on the novel makes Silver Linings Playbook enjoyable for a wide variety of audiences. It brings out the crazy in all of us and for that reason it give it a 9/10.

1975 Film Project: Black Gold

1975 Film Project:

This time around out group decided to create a film based partly upon the 1973 Oil Crisis. The story goes as follows:

Our lead man, de Niro, leaves his home country of Russia for America.  Upon arriving, de Niro is jobless, until his personal ties with Breshnev bring the opportunity to get into the oil business. They construct a plan to become rich off of the oil embargo occurring at the time.

At this time, 1973-4, Russia is selling oil--and they have a ton of it--on the black market to Europe and making tons of money. De Niro’s character sees this and he sees a lucrative business back in the states where fuel is very scarce. He sees an opportunity to make himself and his little brother/good friends incredibly rich.  But what starts out as earning money for his friends and family becomes a full-on fixation on climbing to the top of the oil business.  De Niro delves deeper and deeper into the oil business, looking for more power and more money, connecting himself with shady characters and his younger brother (Jack Nicholson) warns him of his obsession, but de Niro, now entranced by thoughts of being incredibly wealthy and powerful, ignores the warning.  Once he has almost complete control of the oil industry in America, de Niro looks for even more in Kenny (Ray Liotta) who approaches de Niro, asking for money as an investment in a drug ring.  Nicholson, upon discovering this, becomes very angry and concerned for his brother’s safety and sanity, and he attempts to dissuade de Niro from getting involved in the drug business.  Nicholson and de Niro argue until de Niro swears off his brother completely.  The U.S. gov’t finds out about the whole business, both the oil and the drugs, and De Niro is taken in. What the audience doesn’t expect is the U.S. gov’t to want to make a deal with him. So, De Niro’s character is allowed to continue his mini black market trade as long as he gives a certain cut to the U.S. government each month.  They justify the protection by saying that they are “protecting their business investments,” and they turn a blind eye to de Niro’s part in the drug business.

The end highlight’s De Niro’s assassination by the Russians because they want the U.S. money for themselves, highlighting both America and Russia’s greed.

Director: We chose Sidney Lumet to direct Black Gold as he won an academy award for 12 Angry Men and worked on a movie of similar genre Dog Day Afternoon which starred Al Pacino.

Cinematographer: We chose Victor J. Kemper who worked on The Candidate in 1972 with Robert Redford, and Dog Day Afternoon with Sidney Lumet.

Actors:

Lead: Robert De Niro

Supporting: Jack Nicholson, Robert Duvall

Production: Artists Entertainment Complex (also produced Dog Day Afternoon)

Distribution: Warner Brothers

70s film elements: Black Gold embodies the 70s film mentality of anti-establishment thinking. Throughout the film the government (both U.S. and Russian) is seen as corrupt and up to no good. In addition to the anti-establishment theme that was common for 70s films, our film also embraces the concept of the anti-hero with Robert De Niro as a drug dealing corrupt man for whom the audience is still encouraged to root for. Lastly, the film has plenty of sequences of drug use which depict the drug counterculture that was so prevalent in the 60s and 70s. All of these elements come together to make Black Gold the quintessential 70s film.