FIGHT CLUB

Movie Summary

Fight Club for me is a movie about exploring one’s idol self. Being who you’ve always dreamt of being but never had the guts to just get out there and do it. Tyler is like this idol self; I think he phrased it best with,
“All the ways you wish you could be, that's me. I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.”
Tyler is free of all the social norms that most people are subjected to. He says what is ever on his mind, he dresses extravagantly, and his charismatic personality calls people around him to let go like him. He is someone that people want to be like because he encompasses what many envision as the counter culture icon. He believes in something and fights for it. Tyler takes this idea of over coming the advertising vanguard of contemporary America and forging a new essentialist identity. He rejects any idea of what people think he should be like and turns it on on its head. Maybe it’s my unbridled youthful angst talking but that idea translates well to feelings that I share with my generation about rejecting what parents and teachers say should and shouldn’t be. We as a generation, myself included, are at odds with many of the expectations presented about what to do with ourselves. It is the striking independence that Tyler exhibits that appeals most to me. He rejects all these popular notions and cultural influences and evolves into a developed person free from any and all pressures of society. He encompasses that universal longing of children to be free of the rules set by the parents. Tyler redefines his own universe from knowledge he’s learned first hand. It is analogous to a headstrong youth moving off to college or where ever life takes them after adolescent.
There is a unique struggle between the idol self and the perceived self in this movie. Tyler embodies whom we want to be, the kind of individual who takes our place when we rethink the ‘should have dones’ in our life. While the perceived self (the narrator) is the personification of the audience’s self, composed of all the inadequacies that one could feel when facing the world. As the main character draws closer to the idol self, the idol self just becomes more psychotic and unrealistic to embody. When the narrator finally stops following Tyler, he a vague symbol of coming to terms with who we are; he stops chasing this image of what Tyler is, and act on his own accord, free of what had become a peer pressure a situation.
The movie as a whole really helps me to not forget the importance of being an individual and using your head in the real world. There are countless people that are afflicted by social originating problems. Problems like poverty because we feel pressured to buy things we don’t need. Eating disorders because we are deemed imperfect by the image mediators of the world. These are problems emanating from the faults in society; something personal strength can help with when facing these issues. This movie breathes idea like free will and strength that its hard for me the not use a word like genius when you think of the how and what this movie communicates to a audience of young a open minds.

REIGN OVER ME

Movie Summary

I like this movie because is focus on cooping with lose and the things in life that really matter to a person. Charlie is unable to understand and to come to terms with the loss of his family so he degenerates psychologically in order to ignore that it ever happened. I think many people, myself included want to ‘go back to the way things were’ when times get tough; its kind of natural. Everyone at some point yearns to return to past home, something that is familiar, to take the stress away. Charlie does this and he acts like a child threw out the movie, he is selfish and needy; perpetuated by the fact that he doesn’t need a job to support himself.
Enters Dr. Alan Johnson. Alan is not an especially outstanding character but he does show the caring nature needed to help Charlie. The way he helps Charlie in this movie is important for everybody to understand. People surrounding Charlie are not bad intentioned, but none of them truly know how, or are willing to give it a shot, at helping him. His in-laws do not realize that they are vivid reminder of what he used to be like. Friends like his accountant and landlord are under the impression that he is fine the way he is. Only Alan, who is without knowledge of Charlie’s past, is able to help. Meeting someone without knowledge of your past when you have been surrounded by the opposite of it can be a powerful experience for anybody. It offers new hope and you are able to reinvent yourself. For Charlie it takes him back to before his terrible loss and he can play and joke around with Alan. Alan offers help and a release to Charlie while at the same time he takes away a youthful resolve and new viewpoint of right and wrong from his time with Charlie. It is not so much a classical friendship as much as a genuine one.
When we first meet both of them, they’re in a rut. Alan is just going threw the motions at home and in the work place. Charlie is ignoring the loss of his family and just going on like it didn’t happen. They meet and it sparks change in both of them; funny how being reunited with old friends can spark change like that. They spend time with one another and this helps to remove each one from the others world a little bit at a time.
Alan does more with Charlie than just urge him to talk about the past, because of this Charlie is able to open up to him. It really lessons like that in this movie that give me reason to love this movie. It’s a challenging movie about true friendship and what we all can learn from it. In the end Charlie is given the opportunity to come to terms with his loss on his own, with the help of friends which can be the best remedy for pain like that; not the psychiatry ward or with prescription drugs, but with human contact. Charlie needed to know that he wasn’t alone, and he found that in a friend like Alan.

GATTACA

Movie Summary

Nothing is set in stone and nobody’s future is really known. Gattaca embodies this mysterious truth with its story of a man who was deemed inferior by everyone around him and still rose to the top.
The behavior of people towards him is predetermined by his inherent genetic qualities. This idea is analogous to something like gender or race stereotyping in the real world. Vincent has the drive and ability to succeed but because of a small chance of a medical deficiency he is not even given the chance to prove himself. He lacks the ability to better himself by society’s standards because he cannot change his own genes.
For me this movie really exercises what it takes to over come impossible odds and that no dream is completely out of reach. Vincent achieved his dream through tireless dedication and hard work; he left behind his entire life to pursue his dream in life. A truly memorable quote from this movie is when he and his brother are swimming in the sea and he is asked by his brother “how are you doing this Vincent?” and he responds, “You wanna know how I did it? This is how I did it Anton. I never saved anything for the swim back.” This quote encompasses how I perceive a person drive in the modern world. He has gone so far with this plan that there is no turning back and he must continue to get better. It is very similar to when someone decides on a career path, those passionate about it will dedicate their entire being to perfecting their practice of it. And if you yourself do not feel passionate about something the way Vincent does then you still envy his own passion.
Vincent was given a set of expectations and limitations at birth similar to the rest of us. He took these limits and shattered them, realizing that he had limitless potential to do great things with his life. It reminds me that nothing is certain of the future and that all things can change with time, and that there is something more to a person than just the genetic content of there cells. You can call this something extra the soul or their heart, whatever it is it exists. It is that undeniable force that accompanies life, and makes the impossible possible.
The most prevailing concept I took away from this movie is that you should never settle for moderation or second best. Everyone in this world is capable and deserving of experience great things and our greatest obstacle to doing any of this is convincing ourselves that we can and we will.

LOVE ACTUALLY

Movie Summary

Many people are critic of this movie; those that are will likely have an opinion standing on either extreme of it (like it or hate it). I for one like the move immensely, and despite its shortcomings, which I don’t over look, I think this is a beneficial and optimistic movie for anyone of any age.
The people who do not like this movie usually hate it for one of two reasons. They will claim that the movie give people unrealistic expectations for love and relationship, or they will happen to claim that they are men and men don’t watch chick flicks. The second is too easy to make fun of so I won’t address it. But the concept of unreal expectations presented in this movie is an interesting and somewhat prevalent debate around the modern romance film.
I am of the opinion that optimistic versions of what romance can be in its idol portrayals stimulates the imagination of everyone that sees it. Love and affection is a intangible concept for those that believe in such things. The eighty-year-old couple can love each other just as much as the youthful ones, but face it young love is more vibrant and entertaining to watch on the silver screen.
People like to be reminded that when facing such a limitless and taunting idea as love that no matter how good it gets that it can get better, and that even with it seems like it can’t get worse there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel. It is the duty of a movie like this to impart that overwhelming idea that within this idea of love there exists the possibility to reach nirvana here on earth.
This movie tries hard to give every possible viewer at least one character or situation to identify with. There is a new comer to love that is the prime minister and Natalie. There is the complication of having feelings for your best mate’s girl. One can be on an epic quest for sex like Colin. The classic childhood crush is there too, and even the reminder of the importance of friendship with our rock star. Now given all these various story types, everyone finds some sort of peace, happiness, or understanding by the end. It is not happy in every case; such as the father who gave the necklace to his slut of secretary. It doesn’t always make sense either; Colin’s pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It does get the audience thinking at least, thinking about the limitless possibilities out there.
I make it a habit to watch this every Christmas season with friends, and when I do I can’t help but smile for the last 20 minutes of the move; no matter how many times I’ve seen it, that’s because it all ties together in that span of time. All of the subtle people connections are uncovered and people make their moves. It gives this feeling of simple world where all the pieces fit, and if you just give it the effort to try you will find something you’re looking for in the end (good and bad).

THE DARK KNIGHT

Movie Summary

The Dark Knight just came out last summer but it has already raced to the top of my list of preferred movies. The movie takes a steady look at good and evil and what it takes to stick to one’s guns when the cause is such a serious one. It looks at the sacrifices taken by some to ensure that others can be free. It also asks the subtle question of at what point does the wellbeing of the many out way that of the few. Also it offers a very interesting viewpoint on what it takes to make a city crumble. All around it’s a moral and intellectual movie that kicks ass.
The character of the joker is a premier reason why I love this movie so much. The joker is this psychotic genius that single handedly turns the city on its head. His strength is his ability to predict the actions of others and henceforth manipulate people around him. He preys on the weakness of others to achieve his goal. For example when the accountant offers to give up the batman; the joker says he will blow up a hospital unless someone kills him. He predicted the actions of almost an entire population of people when it came to wanting him dead. He calculated that even those that didn’t have loved ones in the hospital would certainly weigh out that his life was not worth that of all of the patients. Even his prediction of batman’s behavior was right on track. He knew that batman lacked the will to kill him, so he plays off that weakness (if you want to call it that) and rejects the concept of death at the hands of batman.
People fear the joker because they don’t understand him; however the joker has a unique understanding of them. The jokers understanding of people and their behavior is based off of a greedy and self serving basis of thought. While batman, in a hopeful optimism, looks for the good in people and the willingness to help one another. Batman’s optimism in people is reaffirmed during the stand off with the two ferryboats, forced to blow the other up. People on both boats do not have the courage to destroy the souls on the other boat; they do not succumb to greed like the joker wants.
So much of this movie is concentrated on the fragile nature of people. Even batman has a weak point centered around Rachel Dawson. To me at least, this movie outlines that no matter whom strong our outward appearance might seem, we all retain at least one weakness. The danger there in lies what we would do if we were ever threatened with this weakness. Harvey Dent breaks down when he loses Rachel and becomes the bad guy; his resolve to help others only went so far. While batman stuck in out, being effected by Rachel’s lose in the same way as Dent, Batman knew what was needed of him. When people give up in this movie they want only to watch the world burn.
I think this movie relay out lines that our greatest enemy comes from within. The joker played on the evil inhibitions of those around him to inflict misery. The city of Gotham effectively destroys its self with some help form the joker. Finally Dent is turn evil by his lust for revenge. Nothing right is ever easy; in life and in this movie.