The Best and Most Memorable Childhood Movie ("The Neverending Story)
Film 278
"The Neverending Story"
starring: Noah Hathaway
directed by: Wolfgang Petersen
And for some reason whenever I listen to this Nine Inch Nails song "A Warm Place" I think about "The Neverending Story."
As a kid I don't think I knew or appreciated how much deeper, intellectual and philosophical this amazing film actually is. All I know is that it provided me with many wonderful childhood memories. This, along with "The Goonies" was definitely my favorite film as a kid.
Instead of going through a synopsis for everyone, because if you haven't already seen this film, well, first of all, shame on you, and second of all, I'm going to just insist that you watch it, even without knowing what it is about-- You won't be disappointed. Trust me. No, I won't give a synopsis. Instead, I'm going to spend time looking at a really interesting philosophical discussion I found about how the film/story breaks down the metaphorical Fourth Wall, by inviting the viewer into the story. Something else I truly didn't know about the story is that it originates from Germany. Oh yeah, and upon further research, the name Bastian screams out at the end of the film is "Moon Child." I don't even know how many years I'd pondered that entire scene in the film. Anyway, here's the philosophical look into "The Neverending Story."
The complicated point is that the film itself deals with layers of truth that must be understood in order to get the full meaning of the film (NOT the book). Keep this in mind. Note that every single time the expression "boundaries of Fantasia" is said, it refers to the Fourth Wall between Fantasia and Bastian's World. When Atreyu is given the mission to find an earthling at the boundaries of Fantasia, his mission becomes to break the Fourth Wall to contact Bastian, who is the earthling that can give the Childlike Empress a new name (in order to save Fantasia). This is the1st time the Fourth Wall is broken. As Atreyu finds Morla, the Ancient One, Bastian screams in terror, so loud that he's heard by Atreyu, breaking that same Fourth Wall the 2nd time. When Atreyu looks through the mirror of truth, he sees Bastian reading the book, who gets scared by the text describing the whole situation, breaking the Fourth Wall between the aforementioned realities the 3rd time.
In the point when G'mork finds Atreyu, the beast addresses a pretty dense philosophical speech, dealing with the relationship between the human imagination, Fantasia existence and the source of final power over a man: As long as a human can imagine, dream and hope, Fantasia is infinite, and such human is harder to control, therefore he/she has the power to control his/her own adventure, in other words, live his/her own life. Given this, if the dreams of a human cease to exist, the Nothing will destroy Fantasia (the sum of a human's hopes and dreams), and as a direct effect, "people who have no hopes are easy to control", as G'mork says. Note that Bastian's father wants to suppress Bastian's dreams, and as consequence of his mother's death, he's losing his hopes, therefore, the three bullies have power over him. In such speech, G'mork is breaking the Fourth Wall by recognize the existence of humans beyond "the boundaries of Fantasia". This is the 4th time.
Finally, when Fantasia is collapsing and the Castle is one of the surviving structures, the Childlike Empress first talks to Atreyu. Later, Atreyu is gone from scene and she begins to talk to Bastian (5th time the Wall is broken),
BELOW IS THE ONLY TIME THE FILM ACTUALLY / TRULY BREAKS THE FOURTH WALL, BY LOOKING OUT OF THE FILM TO US, AT HOME, THE AUDIENCE, WHILST PREVIOUSLY AS MENTIONED ABOVE THEY WOULD BE BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL AS THEY ARE SPEAKING FROM A BOOK TO BASTIAN IN HIS REAL WORLD (WHICH IS THE DEFINITION OF BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL) HOWEVER AS BASTIAN'S WORLD IS NOT THE REAL WORLD, OURS IS THE REAL WORLD. SO NOTHING ABOVE IS ACTUALLY BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL. ONLY WHEN ATREYU SPEAKS TO US IN THE ACTUAL REAL WORLD IS THE FILM BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL.
then again, and as the storm rages in Bastian's World (is the Nothing destroying his world too?), she mentions that someone, somewhere, is living the adventure through Bastian, a concept that once again escapes his comprehension. Note that at this point, she's looking directly toward the camera - towards you, who's watching the film! In this part, she's speaking to the audience, complementing what G'mork said earlier, but in a higher layer of truth, referring to Bastian's World as another extension of what could be called our world's Fantasia. The Childlike Empress is breaking the Fourth Wall between the film itself and our world.
Once Bastian gave the Empress a new name, there is a short conversation on how imagination works. As Bastian understands it, he becomes the hero of his own adventure, free and valiant. The image of Bastian riding on Falkor is an invitation for us, the audience, to step out of the Nothing - it's an exhortation for us to have hope and live our dreams by means of a "dangerous book," as the Librarian said in the beginning of the film.
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Film 279
"Wreckers"
starring: Claire Foy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Shaun Evans
written and directed by: Dictynna Hood
As a debut film, this isn't a bad attempt, by any means. The trouble is it lacks the substance that the story calls for. It's an interesting interpretation of a familiar tension-driven storyline: a married couple experiencing some trouble and tension because they are having significant trouble conceiving a baby. That's enough tension to drive a story (and some films I've seen decide to take a humorous approach, while other films draw upon the drama). In "Wreckers" there's drama. And then writer/director Hood decides to add more drama into the mix, by introducing David's (Benedict Cumberbatch) brother back into their lives. David's brother, Nick (Shaun Evans) has returned from a tour of duty in the Army. He brings back with him lots of issues, including nightmares/night terrors and sleepwalking. But, more importantly, he opens up old wounds that David had been apparently trying to forget or erase by starting his own family: Nick brings up childhood secrets (about their father and mother). The wife, Dawn (played well by Claire Foy, whom I'd never heard of or seen before), becomes increasingly nervous and scared for herself (and her husband) as these secrets are relieved to her. On top of this stress, she has a real desire to start a family and it is revealed in a doctor's office that David has issues with his sperm count (something he apparently already knew, thanks to an old girlfriend who also wanted to have a child but couldn't, with David). Dawn ends up sleeping with a mutual friend of theirs, once, in a barn (and the scene plays out discreetly, focusing mainly on Dawn's uncomfortable facial expressions, and you can tell, she's only doing this out of desperation).
There's a web of lies and secrets that comes with introducing a third person into a married couple's life and the fact that Nick is David's brother, the tension is worse, because it, in effect, shows Dawn more of the person that David may truly be (and she becomes scared that perhaps she never really knew him at all). It makes me think about how when you start to date someone, you want to present the best version of yourself to this new person and so you may act like the person you want them to see you as. We all hide and/or omit things about ourselves from the person that we love the most. Maybe because we want to save them from ourselves. Or maybe because we want to save ourselves from truly facing ourselves. No matter the reason(s), this film shows that you cannot ever really run away from yourself or your past. And when it comes back to haunt you, it will hit you full force, like a train colliding with a wall.
As far as direction, since the film is centered around these three characters discovering themselves through each other, I would have preferred a more focused direction, and in saying that, I mean, the camera's longer shots should have focused on the characters (even when they're doing nothing, how they are feeling can be solely conveyed in their faces during menial tasks- instead of the longer shots of the environment that surrounds these stressed characters).
With all that being said, I did enjoy this debut film for the depressing look into a troubled marriage. It's not a happy ending, and I don't think that gives anything anyway, but you can tell that David has an epiphany in those last minutes, even though there are no words spoken- and that's the strength of the film, right there, in those final moments.
"The Neverending Story"
starring: Noah Hathaway
directed by: Wolfgang Petersen
Instead of going through a synopsis for everyone, because if you haven't already seen this film, well, first of all, shame on you, and second of all, I'm going to just insist that you watch it, even without knowing what it is about-- You won't be disappointed. Trust me. No, I won't give a synopsis. Instead, I'm going to spend time looking at a really interesting philosophical discussion I found about how the film/story breaks down the metaphorical Fourth Wall, by inviting the viewer into the story. Something else I truly didn't know about the story is that it originates from Germany. Oh yeah, and upon further research, the name Bastian screams out at the end of the film is "Moon Child." I don't even know how many years I'd pondered that entire scene in the film. Anyway, here's the philosophical look into "The Neverending Story."
The complicated point is that the film itself deals with layers of truth that must be understood in order to get the full meaning of the film (NOT the book). Keep this in mind. Note that every single time the expression "boundaries of Fantasia" is said, it refers to the Fourth Wall between Fantasia and Bastian's World. When Atreyu is given the mission to find an earthling at the boundaries of Fantasia, his mission becomes to break the Fourth Wall to contact Bastian, who is the earthling that can give the Childlike Empress a new name (in order to save Fantasia). This is the1st time the Fourth Wall is broken. As Atreyu finds Morla, the Ancient One, Bastian screams in terror, so loud that he's heard by Atreyu, breaking that same Fourth Wall the 2nd time. When Atreyu looks through the mirror of truth, he sees Bastian reading the book, who gets scared by the text describing the whole situation, breaking the Fourth Wall between the aforementioned realities the 3rd time.
In the point when G'mork finds Atreyu, the beast addresses a pretty dense philosophical speech, dealing with the relationship between the human imagination, Fantasia existence and the source of final power over a man: As long as a human can imagine, dream and hope, Fantasia is infinite, and such human is harder to control, therefore he/she has the power to control his/her own adventure, in other words, live his/her own life. Given this, if the dreams of a human cease to exist, the Nothing will destroy Fantasia (the sum of a human's hopes and dreams), and as a direct effect, "people who have no hopes are easy to control", as G'mork says. Note that Bastian's father wants to suppress Bastian's dreams, and as consequence of his mother's death, he's losing his hopes, therefore, the three bullies have power over him. In such speech, G'mork is breaking the Fourth Wall by recognize the existence of humans beyond "the boundaries of Fantasia". This is the 4th time.
Finally, when Fantasia is collapsing and the Castle is one of the surviving structures, the Childlike Empress first talks to Atreyu. Later, Atreyu is gone from scene and she begins to talk to Bastian (5th time the Wall is broken),
BELOW IS THE ONLY TIME THE FILM ACTUALLY / TRULY BREAKS THE FOURTH WALL, BY LOOKING OUT OF THE FILM TO US, AT HOME, THE AUDIENCE, WHILST PREVIOUSLY AS MENTIONED ABOVE THEY WOULD BE BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL AS THEY ARE SPEAKING FROM A BOOK TO BASTIAN IN HIS REAL WORLD (WHICH IS THE DEFINITION OF BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL) HOWEVER AS BASTIAN'S WORLD IS NOT THE REAL WORLD, OURS IS THE REAL WORLD. SO NOTHING ABOVE IS ACTUALLY BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL. ONLY WHEN ATREYU SPEAKS TO US IN THE ACTUAL REAL WORLD IS THE FILM BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL.
then again, and as the storm rages in Bastian's World (is the Nothing destroying his world too?), she mentions that someone, somewhere, is living the adventure through Bastian, a concept that once again escapes his comprehension. Note that at this point, she's looking directly toward the camera - towards you, who's watching the film! In this part, she's speaking to the audience, complementing what G'mork said earlier, but in a higher layer of truth, referring to Bastian's World as another extension of what could be called our world's Fantasia. The Childlike Empress is breaking the Fourth Wall between the film itself and our world.
Once Bastian gave the Empress a new name, there is a short conversation on how imagination works. As Bastian understands it, he becomes the hero of his own adventure, free and valiant. The image of Bastian riding on Falkor is an invitation for us, the audience, to step out of the Nothing - it's an exhortation for us to have hope and live our dreams by means of a "dangerous book," as the Librarian said in the beginning of the film.
______________________________________________________
Film 279
"Wreckers"
starring: Claire Foy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Shaun Evans
written and directed by: Dictynna Hood
As a debut film, this isn't a bad attempt, by any means. The trouble is it lacks the substance that the story calls for. It's an interesting interpretation of a familiar tension-driven storyline: a married couple experiencing some trouble and tension because they are having significant trouble conceiving a baby. That's enough tension to drive a story (and some films I've seen decide to take a humorous approach, while other films draw upon the drama). In "Wreckers" there's drama. And then writer/director Hood decides to add more drama into the mix, by introducing David's (Benedict Cumberbatch) brother back into their lives. David's brother, Nick (Shaun Evans) has returned from a tour of duty in the Army. He brings back with him lots of issues, including nightmares/night terrors and sleepwalking. But, more importantly, he opens up old wounds that David had been apparently trying to forget or erase by starting his own family: Nick brings up childhood secrets (about their father and mother). The wife, Dawn (played well by Claire Foy, whom I'd never heard of or seen before), becomes increasingly nervous and scared for herself (and her husband) as these secrets are relieved to her. On top of this stress, she has a real desire to start a family and it is revealed in a doctor's office that David has issues with his sperm count (something he apparently already knew, thanks to an old girlfriend who also wanted to have a child but couldn't, with David). Dawn ends up sleeping with a mutual friend of theirs, once, in a barn (and the scene plays out discreetly, focusing mainly on Dawn's uncomfortable facial expressions, and you can tell, she's only doing this out of desperation).
There's a web of lies and secrets that comes with introducing a third person into a married couple's life and the fact that Nick is David's brother, the tension is worse, because it, in effect, shows Dawn more of the person that David may truly be (and she becomes scared that perhaps she never really knew him at all). It makes me think about how when you start to date someone, you want to present the best version of yourself to this new person and so you may act like the person you want them to see you as. We all hide and/or omit things about ourselves from the person that we love the most. Maybe because we want to save them from ourselves. Or maybe because we want to save ourselves from truly facing ourselves. No matter the reason(s), this film shows that you cannot ever really run away from yourself or your past. And when it comes back to haunt you, it will hit you full force, like a train colliding with a wall.
As far as direction, since the film is centered around these three characters discovering themselves through each other, I would have preferred a more focused direction, and in saying that, I mean, the camera's longer shots should have focused on the characters (even when they're doing nothing, how they are feeling can be solely conveyed in their faces during menial tasks- instead of the longer shots of the environment that surrounds these stressed characters).
With all that being said, I did enjoy this debut film for the depressing look into a troubled marriage. It's not a happy ending, and I don't think that gives anything anyway, but you can tell that David has an epiphany in those last minutes, even though there are no words spoken- and that's the strength of the film, right there, in those final moments.
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