Minority Report (yay we're done)

Minority Report

Introduction:

            Minority Report is a movie that takes place in Washington D.C. Year 2054, it is the setting of an experimental justice system called pre crime, these being called pre cogs have the ability to see into the future to prevent crime, John Anderton head of pre crime, is forced to go on the run when the pre cogs predict he will murder someone. In the end his mentor and oldest friend turns out being his greatest threat.

            Similar Noir Qualities:

                        1. Traditional detective working for the justice system alone and by himself.

                        2. A white male protagonist

                        3. Detective is alone and only thinks about his work

Ambiguous Protagonist:

            John Anderton being Chief Justice of his precinct is a classic example of old noir due to his own self isolation and constant drive to put forth his best foot forward for his work. Because of his sons shawns disappearance Anderton joined the police force. And through this repercussion Anderton is isolated, distant from any real contact with people. Also with his disseverance of himself being predicted to be a murder he crosses the line and breaks his oath of justice.  

            Circumstances with the Protagonist:

                        1. Pre cogs predict Anderton will murder someone in the next 36 hours.

                        2. He runs in an attempt to purposely flaw and flawless system to ultimately save himself for being imprisoned for life.

                        3. Anderton is forced outside the law and becomes himself an outlaw, breaking every code he held as an ethos as former Chief Justice.

 Minority Report Neo-Noir Science fiction film:

            This film does have many classic noir attributes that make it in line with an updated version of such old fashion noir. Mostly the advancements and various twists make it a neo noir film. In Lee Horsely article “An introduction to Neo-Noir”, he says, “elements of 'the noir vision', most importantly the moral ambivalence of the protagonist and his (or in neo-noir often her) ill-fated relationship with a wider society that itself is guilty of corruption and criminality.” Like classic noir films neo noir professes an over whelming atmosphere of corruption and dismay yet the neo noir aspect is to inflict twice as much corruption and criminality. With this film corruption is at every corner and even from within its own justice system.

            1. A huge characteristic of all classic noir films is the infamous femme fatale, a sexy dangerous person with a mean of doing whatever it takes to get what she wants.

            2. This films deviated from this character and thus allows it to have one more attribute of neo noir.

            3. Male protagonist doesn’t really interact at all with the opposite sex instead this film focuses mainly on the case at hand as well as the protagonist.

Sex and Violence:

            Classic Noir films did a very good job portraying the dark side in all human beings. The corruption and betrayal were an everyday reality even for such a time. As time went forward certain events such as wars, unemployment, racial movements, assassinations of the presidents and various other history altering events were thrusted into society as a result of bad time changing into worse situations. With the result of this the movie industry evolved and lead to the expansion of immoral entertainment. People become used to it and development a tolerance due to calamity throughout history. As Keven Taylor in his work “Raising the bar in neo noir genre in film” he says , “To achieve this effect, neo-noir films were forced to use themes that were unimaginable to the audiences of the 40s and 50s.”  Todays audience is not easily shaken by murder, drugs and sex scenes.

            1. Although the sexual content and violence are extreme characteristics of the noir and neo noir genre this film only amplifies one.

            2. This film is a very good example of violence it portrays murder scenes as well as shoot outs among criminals and cops.

            3. With constant upheaval of injustice this film consists of car chases and questionable methods exploited by Anderton. The violence in this movie is a prime example of classic noir violence, the only difference is the unrestraint to show more of it.

Blog Entry Seven

In Pascoe’s story he uses L.A landscape as a sort of spiral of uncertainty and yet he gives us a feeling of reassurance of how the city can suck someone into it. With its dark alleys and irresistible persona. As Pascoe tells us of the change going through L.A, it seems he is trying to tell us that L.A is its own personality. But like most places, the city of angels has very demon like qualities. He says there are pockets. Pockets that represent evil and corruption, the temptation of the big city life often gets the best of us. Most places do have corruption, but the way L.A does it, it’s almost like an art, and evil art at that, but the personality it gives off thrives with the unjust. One thing that stood out to me in this short story was the way the author presents these two characters at the bar. It almost seems like I was listening to a discovery channel documentary, on how the male and female fight, sexual tension between them. And as usual it seems that the female character is a femme fatal. Always such horrible things to happen in these stories. This author used his setting to show us that when a guy likes a girl, not love and the women is sort of hot, he will do almost anything to sleep with her, even though the intension isn’t clearly stated. As we see in this short story, he didn’t really hesitate to go and help her with the action she committed. Over all the author did a very good job of showing that L.A is full of devious individuals.

                Pollack’s story to me at least it seems much more corrupt, and the explicit talking about the blowjobs was sort of but not really surprising. Considering the fact that noir is a quality of theses odd yet interesting stories. The author used this setting in way that it showed how California really behaved when the norms weren’t around. Another thing that caught my eye, as I said earlier was the sexuality, (as I am sure it did to everyone). Anyways, the use of the gambling was unique, although this sort of stuff is almost everywhere you go. But none the less L.A amplifies this. It is such an attractive thing when it comes to L.A. to me. The city of angels always knows how to have a good time.  The expensive cars makes for everything with the world like this, I am focusing on the cars because to me, it shows an explosion of self-image. Wouldn’t it be nice to roll up in a Cadillac, but I mean one of those really nice ones, the kind that, if you were really rich or a drug lord only then could you afford it. This type of behavior stands out in L.A because it was one of the first to do so. The streets of this place hold their own language. All in all the author did a nice job of telling us how the city of angels can be.

Blog entry Six

Neo noirs protagonist is always associated with corruption. In film noir the male protagonist is often a detective or an otherwise social deprived person who sort of keeps to himself. Sometimes the male heroes are featured as odd people, their personality is a bit off in some ways but goes in line with nior. Who they are creates that feeling of social alienation and these hard boiled heroes are anti social loners that are subject to corruption and only when it presents itself in the way the protagonists wants it to, as we have seen in nior movies. The environments they live and work in are dark and scary city surroundings, often red-light districts, or otherwise places where the average person wouldn’t normally be seen at. Environments, like large office buildings. They often question who they are but are good personalities for the genre. Through their large scale surroundings. The tough guy is often marked by an excellent gift of speaking with another person. They have a slick talk when engaging conversation. Even if they are not always given the strongest intellect, this is a trait from the hard boiled novels. Their worlds are dominated by crime, corruption and cruelty. The protagonist often gets tangled up in some of these activities himself and gives in to the dark side if you will. And in addition to his interest in the erotic behavior which ultimately leads him to a self-destructing world. He is often the sucker of his own demise.

            He states that social issues such as race, class and gender change, as it has overtime. Though out the genre up until the time of neo noir it didn’t really have to change much, but after world war two people began to incorporate a new style. A style that the noir genre had to adapt to. Like Abram’s said the race gender and class, changed so the idea had to be in line with the changing society. The biggest changes to me at least were the architectural changes that went about that time period so certain camera techniques and various other things were tuned up. Also as Abrams says during the 1960s the nuclear family was emerging. And as we know nuclear power is not exactly a trait of the noir genre. So to change to that suburban setting during those “nuke” times was pretty difficult as I could imagine. And back to the structure of America, the architectural environment was tight nit and close together during the classic noir times. Then during the neo noir times after the war, America expanded greatly. Industrial landscapes were a huge part of The U.S and it forced the creators to go along with the structural changes of America. The detective in neo nior is both villain and detective but as I got from his article, it both and the same man. The protagonist in neo nior it seems like it always fighting himself in a way. And is, also in classic neo nior, on the verge of corruption. Over all the neo nior protagonist is to me at least changed a little bit, but not in a major way.   

Blog entry 5

Reading the article opened my eyes to the possibility that Walter and Keyes had something going than just a bro-mance. I don’t necessarily think, in that time period such thing was in the movie industry. To me it just seems too immoral. For that time period, the values that citizens had would reject such behavior or even the idea of two men having an attraction toward each other. Another thing is that just because, the cliché of lighting a cigar or whatever for a women, doesn’t mean its only for women. Plenty of men light each other’s cigars or cigarettes. My disapproval of the article is mostly based on the moral identity by which people had back then. But yet again because of the article I had to think twice about Walter’s and Keye’s relationship as co-workers. The idea is kind of gross actually, it completely perverts the attraction between Walter and Phyllis. The title of his article as well, sexual warfare? I don’t think Walter is fighting sexual desires for Keyes. Between the two is a sort of respect for one another and they both get along well. They are both very good at their jobs and both know it. (which is what led Walter to act the way he did, somepart),anyway, the men shared a unique skill and that’s what makes them brothers and also the many years of working with each other. I believe the long years of laboring with a friend would cause anyone to become close and every once in a while seem like they care for one another a bit much then they should. Like I said my disapproval comes from my own values and the facts on how people used to live in that time; for most people such behavior and idea of that certain topic, is unheard of. The relationship between Walter and Keyes resembled a brotherly love, the two were professional coworkers that’s it at least in my opinion, by what I see and how I base my facts on the way of life in that time period. The definition of homoerotism is comprised of a feeling that is only temporary, there were a few times were Walter and Keyes showed brotherly love but I don’t believe they were attracted to each other at all. Yes there were some seens where it looked like it, but Walter’s lust was for Phyllis. All in all the genre is all about corruption and as we know many other bad qualities that make it a world of back stabbers, so I suppose that the slight idea of it, that this genre particularly could in fact hold some attributes of the sexual orientation that is, homosexuality. Due to this genre the producers had to be a little immoral in order to fit such qualities of the noir era. Still to me I don’t see it, the two were very good friends and cared for one another even though they didn’t really show it enough to convince me of more than a bro-mance. Which brings me to my opinion that they weren’t attracted to each other just friends that were brothers at heart.

Zero Draft Entries

               The Fact that Walter and Phyllis got away at the end of the novel, to me at least doesn’t go with  what film noir truly is. Their escape perverts the genre and makes it seem like noir has an ever after ending to it, not necessarily a happy ever after, but the possibility of it. The ending in the novel rids the significance of the entire plot of what the movie is truly about and that is cynicism, betrayal and ultimate doom. Another thing is that when developing a genre where in fact there is never a happy ending, the author should have really put some more thought into it, because like I said, I gives the possibility of at least an ending where the devious ones can live on.       

                The film, on the other side played it out the way it should have. Now I am going by what the noir genre is. The fact that Walter shot the femme fatal and herself shot Walter makes for better story line along with noir. More cruel things with the shooting. The film went right along with it. Regardless if Walter survived the gunshot wound. The authorities were going to send him to the gas chamber. A perfect way for a person of his stature and the world he is in, to receive his death penalty. No good things come from this world of noir. And that’s why the characters who are twisted deserve to be killed or locked up, or have something bad happened to them. On the basis by which the genre was created for. Which is deception, erotic and downright cruel behavior.  

                The film version defiantly had many attributes to it, lots of word to describe the characters and how everything played out. One word stood out to me though, as we see in the film, Walter is in disarray and is having gut wrenching convections about his dark actions. He goes about his day always having to look over his shoulder, complete paranoia. The world he has created for himself is nothing sort of a nightmare. Constantly stressed, horribly tortured by his own way. The sleep deprivation causes him to lose focus on his plans. Over all he has created a nightmarish environment, and it’s everywhere he goes.

                The film supports this quality very well because, of the twisted minds that go into play with the murder. It goes to show that everyone has a price. And a human life is no obstacle. The nightmare persona is enhanced by these devilish actions. As the genre portrays, every twisted character “gets it” in the end. The film between the man and women is always destructive, causing as I said earlier a nightmarish environment. All in all the nightmarish quality best describes how the film is, his worst fear brought to reality, a nightmare living in his own real world. Everything that could be a nightmare is derived from the fact that he has committed a murder and things don’t go his way. It forces him to lose his grip on himself, and is ultimately casted to his own reality nightmare.

               

Sniper and the Beauty

                                                        

It was a late Saturday afternoon, the fog was settling in real thick now. It had been about two years since I got out of the army. I was kind of glad to get away from the chaos. I had been trained as a sniper. I was in for 10 years and then spent 5 years instructing other soldiers on the extreme skill of marksmanship. I was waiting for a women, I only had a picture of her, and my my was she gorgeous, dirty blonde hair, sexy red lips, and incredible green eyes. I was wondering what was taking her so long, maybe she backed out, I thought to myself. After all the hit on her husband and her step daughter is a lot to deal with, considering the fact she put the hit on them.

                She drove up finally, this is the first time I got a real good look at her. She looked to be in her late twenties early thirties. She took real good care of herself, you could certainly tell. We talked about the plan. We made sure every part was to be played out perfectly. But she seemed a little scared. She had told me that a friend of her husbands was getting a bit suspicious because of the meeting we’ve been having, on top of that this man is in the CIA, but I could get past him I knew it. Kayla was her name, had run across some intelligence that her husband had a secret bank account in Sweden and had deposited 125 million dollars for her daughter Katy, just in case anything happened to him. When Kayla realized Michael, her husband was going to divorce her she knew she had nowhere else to go and would be left with nothing. You see Michael is a very successful business man selling deep see drilling equipment. And so Kayla had to do something about it and that’s where I come in.

                It felt so wrong, but Kayla and I spent a few hot nights together forced me to comply. I wanted her you see so badly. I felt fine with killing Michael, but Katy was going to be a bit difficult, never the less, Kayla said she was going to take me with her when she collected the money and there we can be together surely. I loved the idea she is so beautiful the thought of having that women made me want to do this even more. Now the plan was for me to do what I was trained to do, basically conceal myself wait for her Husband and step daughter and eliminate them. Kayla told me that Michael and Katy always go to dinner to their favorite Chinese restaurant at 7. I did some recon and saw that this was a Perfect place to do it. The restaurant was near a forest almost to perfect. I could make my way through there with my stalking training. When I made my way through the forest I set myself about 800 to 850 yards away. Kind of far, but I trained for this.

                I waited about 5 hours for them to show up. I had already put the distance into my rifle and I accounted for everything. At this distance you even have to take into account the rotation of the earth as the bullet is flying through the air. They were talking a bit together in the car simple farther daughter talk. Then they got out. They parked across the street from the restaurant. About 20 feet for them to get to there. Only a few seconds to get off 2 shots, headshots that is. They got out walking a bit slow with Katy’s arm wrapped around her fathers. I would shot the father first, because I knew Katy wouldn’t just leave him in the street, and while she was dragging her father’s body back to the car I would shot her. Here we go I thought to myself. I put my cross hairs on Michael took a deep breath and held it and fired. The bullet ripped through his head, and while Katy was doing exactly as I predicted, I ended her life as well.

                Three days went by and I hadn’t heard anything from Kayla, it was driving me crazy. Then she calls me, tells me to come over her house for a little fun in celebration. Of course I went by. I sort of ran to her front door and there we embraced each other with such passion I thought I could die. All of a sudden I felt a sharp pain in my neck. I turned around and saw that is was the CIA agent she had been afraid of. As he continued to beat me I was sure I was going to die. Barley conscience I saw them both kiss. They through me into the back of a car. We stopped somewhere, I heard their voices get louder as they opened the trunk. I saw Kayla and the man, she kissed my cheek and said goodbye Bryan. I felt the car move and bumped up and down every few feet then it stopped. About 10 seconds later, I realized they through the car into a lake. I did everything possible to free myself but as the water reached my chin I gave out a loud scream and gave up.

  

A Twisted World

     The novel sits in perfectly with the film noir genre. Such twisted individuals almost makes you want to jump into the book and bring in justice yourself. Audacity, as the novel says it, is truly what someone has to do in order to take another’s life. The novel emphasizes the cynical attitude and the sexual motivation that plays along with that cynicism. The two go hand in hand the film is more Hollywood mastic as the novel focuses primarily on what film noir is although the film is very much so part of the noir genre. Now the film is a noir based motion picture but unlike the novel the audience to needed to see the hero win in his endeavors. The reason why we have both a screen and paper, is so we can look at both pieces with open minds. The more options we have the more ideas emerge and it increases the attractiveness it can be to people who like the movies compared to people who would rather read a book. There is a lesser, being the book, one who reaches the few of the broad area of entertainment. It’s for people who want accuracy, who don’t mind a lot of evil. The novel has corruption with every corner you turn, from murder, blackmail, betrayal, all sorts of evil. It’s a very dark place when entering the world of film noir, the novel doesn’t waste any time with twisted events. The novel is very dark and everything that goes wrong happens in the shadows. It portrays a sense of lost innocence, doomed romanticism, hard edged cynicism, desperate desire, and shadowy sexuality. Ultimate despair in the lives of noir characters, “The qualities of film noir: nightmarish, weird, erotic, ambivalent, and cruel” (Paul Shrader, “Notes on Film Noir”). I believe one of the most cynical parts of the novel is the fact that Mrs. Nirdlinger is so corrupt and sick inside she actually thinks that killing her husband, in a way is doing him a favor. It goes down to the core of how truly evil noir characters are. They seem to have little to no remorse. And Walter Huff is so cunning in constructing this murder. Thinking of every way possible so they don’t get caught. One thing that caught my attention was his way of breaking Mr. Nirdlinger’s neck. From the readings of it, Mr. Huff definitely knew how to break a man’s neck, and that probably wasn’t his first time doing it. Because of the dangerous romances the ambiguous male gets himself into, this case being Mr. Huff, in the film and novel, he is unable to drive his obsession with the femme fatale thus doing so, entangling himself in a very complex situation in which he is merely a clueless grunt in the femme fatales game of dominance, power and lust. He will either solve the case he has found himself in or it will lead him and sometimes his dangerously sexy companion to their doom. The novel is a perfect example of human nature running away from its moral understandings, pursuing only vanity in a world full of vanity. The film noir genre is reflected with this novel, but the only difference is that the novel is more truthful in a way, to how these situations play out in our real world.