Sicker than the last...

What is truly more violent, frightening and powerful: the thought, the spoken word or the gun? In Martin Scorsese’s work of art, Taxi Driver, we are introduced and follow the life of a taxi cab driver through the slums and flourishing city of New York. The driver’s name is Travis Bickle (Played by a young Robert Deniro) and he is the loneliest and most sleep deprived man in New York. There were two scenes that stuck out to me, where the thoughts (without even being narrated) and what was being said or done within the scene that really inflicted powerful color of these characters.

The first (not in a particular order) was a scene at a convenience store, where Travis stopped off to resupply for his late night shift. Upon looking at the powdered donettes, a small robbery was taking place. Here you can see Travis contemplating on reacting, after all he had just picked up a lot of weaponry from the best salesman I have ever seen. At first I thought Travis would tell him to drop the gun, and act in a formality that an officer of the law would. Next thing you know the robber turns around quickly and Travis reacted like a cold-blooded killer and blows him away.

The shot of him putting one into the robber’s neck is from a security camera like angle, which was extremely disturbing, giving you the whole picture in real-time. Seeing blood spray and items behind the counter fall over from the bullet passing through the robber’s body. Not to mention the robber’s acting of slumping over was phenomenal, I have seen one dead body in my life (outside of funerals), and that was really close to dead human reaction, or un-reaction you could say. You can see Travis realizing what had just happened, and how quickly he reacted, shocked himself. You could see that part of him wanted to pull the trigger and the other couldn’t believe he pulled the trigger. Of course there was another part of him that realized he didn’t have a registered trigger.

The second scene that was equally disturbing and powerful, and it didn’t even require gore or violence. This is probably the creepiest part of the movie or even of humanity itself. Scorsese plays the part and really captures the essence of humanity that is insanity, all just with the spoken word and the thoughts of an angry and lied to man. Travis has escorted Martin’s character to his desired location and he is giving orders to Travis. Tells Travis to keep the fare running, and pointing out the silhouette of a woman in a window and to look at her. Martin tells Travis that’s his wife, but that’s not their place. He starts talking about the awful things he would do to his cheating wife and the African American man she was with. Between Martin’s character ranting about violence and Travis sitting there not verbally responding to him or even moving an inch I was uncomfortable. It was really powerful when they showed the back of Travis’ head from Martin’s point of view, his head doesn’t move an inch and doesn’t look back at any moment look at this maniac.

Even though through most of the movie I was thinking, Travis Bickle is the craziest man in New York, Martin proves me wrong. By displaying that there is always someone crazier and possibly sicker than the sickest and craziest person you know. With that said, I had trouble agreeing with the ending, with such realistic actions and reactions throughout this movie, the ending was the most unreal. Creating a hero out of a guy who had killed four men, the consequences (which were none) wouldn’t happen in the real world. The woman, who kills her abusive husband, would still serve time in jail. Murder is murder, no matter how bad the people are and how badly they deserved it. Not saying that I agree with that.

We're going to need a bigger blog....

We watched Jaws by Steven Spielberg, definitely one of my favorite directors, including Jaws being one of my favorite films. That movie left me so scared when I was really young, to the point that I had trouble taking baths, in fear that a shark might just chomp his way out of the drain and eat me! I still am freaked out though by large dark bodies of water, even Lake Michigan, boy am I a wuss. I was completely shocked to hear that people have not seen Jaws; I can believe that they couldn’t finish it.
I found an interesting connection on my walk home from the train pondering the connections of this film with the time and era it was in. It could be farfetched to compare it to the American male’s emotions and situation to the Vietnam War. Here is a dilemma that is bigger and unknown, almost unexplainable as to the reasons of why these events are all happening. You thought the first time people were sent to eradicate the problem, it was over and no one else would have to go and take care of this unseen problem. Just as you thought you caught the problem or the bad guy and did him in, it wasn’t the right one, or another had taken its place.



Chief Martin Brody played by Roy Scheider, could be seen as a perfect example of the young American drafted soldier. We don’t know why or how he ended up going from New York City into a small town to serve and protect the small island of Amity. Again, it could be said as to a sort of unknown reason to as why a soldier was picked to go from their original home to a new foreign land surrounded by his worst fears. Brody’s fear is the fear of water, doesn’t say much on how he has this fear other than drowning. The Oceans are foreign territory to humans, especially to Brody; he knows he’s out of his element. I think the same could be said about the average American soldier during Vietnam, they were sent to foreign territory, completely out of their element to serve, protect, and fight an unknown entity.


Richard Shaw, who played Sam Quint, can be seen as the veteran who has seen too much for his own good. To the point where he feels impervious to any big fish, and almost gets everyone killed due to his ego and will to defeat something bigger than him (or his boat). You really start to question, who is more soulless; Quint or the shark? What he lives for ends up being his demise.



Matt Hooper, played by Richard Dreyfuss is the guy who knows too much for his own good. The planner and brainiac that thinks he can outsmart primal instinct with gadgets and knowledge. And when shit starts to get hot, heavy and lives are at stake, he is nowhere to be found. I think you can relate this to all the government suits who were nowhere near Vietnam making calls on tactics and missions without any true knowledge if they were working. Granted he was at the bottom of the ocean floor, after being forced out of his “anti-shark” cage, more like a “free meal” cage. *Insert comedic drum fill*

Do I even have to start about Mayor Larry Vaughn, played by Murray Hamilton? A guy elected to serve Amity with the best intentions, and his intentions for the best of Amity led to having several people die on his watch, all just to make some cash. Letting other people take the fall for his choice in feeding Islanders to the great big fish. If you don’t see a correlation between him and the American government during the Vietnam War, then I guess I am really far off with these judgments.

Although these could be far from the truth, and some of these connections are broad generalizations, even stereotypes. I think there is something still to be said about men and their decisions when facing an enemy they don’t understand, willingly or unwillingly.

Paranoia Recorded - The Conversation

Definitely one of my favorite films by far, I couldn’t control myself from geeking out to the line of getting a “fat recording” as well as seeing numerous reel-to-reel tape machines, and mics that were recording perfect sound targeted from over 200 yards! The movie The Conversation was written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola (who also has a great series of wine) and is stated to be his favorite movie of all time that he has directed and written. Within this conspiracy flick we’re introduced to a bitter and hidden Harry Caul played by Gene Hackman.
We’re introduced to him before even knowing his name, which is an interesting correlation in its own. Before we know who he is we are already able to see his character, a very reserved lone man, seemingly minding his own business, and trying to walk away from that damn mime. He picks up his pace to leave the mime behind and continuously looking behind him to see if he is out-gaining him as if this guy were to be trying to kill him.
Now this paranoia of Harry’s has been something in the making since he started the business of being a wire tapper. His name is infamous within the wiretapping community, no one but fellow colleagues really know who he is upon first meeting him, but his name is goes beyond his conservative manor. A man who has recorded people without their consent or even them knowing, to get their secrets, has no secrets of his own, at least to share. The moment he opens up to someone, who seems to be a stranger, Bernie; played by Allen Garfield, as a prank (and slight sales pitch) records this conversation and invades Harry’s comfort zone, and he lets him know that. Which is weird his disillusionment that talking to a stranger that probably he figures wont see him again or really care about him, is safer than someone who he possibly loves.
The spoken and recorded word is so powerful, especially with the way something is presented or perceived. Your words can be twisted and turned, but when you put emphasis on one tiny word can change the whole meaning of a statement. We see this with the word “us”, as the movie continued you realized on how a man says this word changes the context of what he is saying from these two people are going to be killed, to they need to kill this man before he kills them. All without saying they’re going to kill, a small two-letter word changed whose life was truly in danger.

View on the Parallax View

The Parallax View, huh…what to say about this film by Alan Pakula…I am confused about being confused on this movie. The story line wasn’t confusing, I don’t even know if I liked the movie. The main connection I make with this movie is through that this company has a parallel escalators and everyone who rides them is pretty relaxed…just kidding. I understand it’s connections with conspiracies and that what we are told is may sound clear but might not always be as a true as it sounds. I think the most powerful message from this movie came from the beginning and end. I feel that this movie is attacking the judicial system more than anything else. The shot with the zoom in into the judges as they explain that this is a hearing not a conference so you do as your told, no questions until a few months after this whole hearing is over and the evidence is released. Not only does this cover their ass but it leaves you thinking that this must be the truth, they have gone over all variables, all evidence and really thought it over, especially after what was it nine weeks in court. The zoom makes it feel like you’re getting informed and being brought into the truth and situation. It’s not till the end where we zoom out from the judges on another case. And they’re accusing the wrong person for all the wrong reasons. The zoom out represents us pulling away from the truth, that justice is not being served. Next thing you know after they make the same ending marks as previously and they disappear. Does this mean that the justice system knows an end? When all is said and done, it’s actually done? Was this literally an “open and shut case”? Is our justice system flawed, it can’t see a bigger picture and will give up when a fairly reasonable answer comes along. Maybe that’s why we were zooming in and out. We zoom in into the judges to get the bigger picture of what’s going on as they fill the screen, and as we pull away the picture is smaller and lost, and soon there is no one left to explain what really happened. Other than a brief explanation that this is what happened, this person did that, and no more questions till a few months later when this case is all settled.