The Session

Rihanna stars in Basic Instinct 3

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:20:00 +0000

Did anybody else notice how eerily similar this looks? Rihanna's interview on ABC features her wearing an extremely similar outfit and hairstyle to that of Sharon Stone's character in Basic Instinct. Most of her interview was intended to be aimed at bringing awareness to domestic abuse so that young girls won't be "killed" in similar situations. I can't pass judgment because I was not there to witness anything. Everybody knows what he did and it's completely reprehensible and atrocious. With that being said, Rihanna's look suggests that it's payback time. Now, remember how Stone's character not only famously went spread eagle for a hot second, but also murdered seven people with guns, icepicks, and explosives including two poor bastards during sex. I'm not saying Rihanna is necessarily crazy enough to pull a raw ghosting on Chris Brown. But it definitely looks like his career is about to be ghost a month before his new album drops. (Dude's probably got some serious legal fees too.) Tough break bruh.

R.I.P. Career of Chris Brown

2005-2009

Photos from Emerge and See - 9/11/09

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:10:00 +0000

A fusion of live art and entertaiment... Emerge and See put local musicians and artists in the spotlight for a night at The Crofoot in Pontiac on September 11th. Live graffiti artists, DJs, and a handful of local bands displayed their talents as local vendors, journalists, and fans alike took notice.

- Mo Tray

Photos by Mo Traylor
Music by Dcipher - http://www.myspace.com/dciphermusic

A Tale of Two Tigers Teams

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 19:01:00 +0000

Published on BleacherReport.com
(http://bleacherreport.com/articles/206727-tigers-ride-win-streak-and-1st-place-into-all-star-break)

It was the best of the season, yet it was also the worst of the season. The Detroit Tigers found themselves atop the American League Central Division heading into the second half of the season with All-Stars Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson, Brandon Inge, and Curtis Granderson leading the way.

However, the magic that seemed to propel them to the top of the division seemed to diminish as well as their lead when their plaguing injuries and severe lack of offensive production rose to the surface.

After pealing off three of four wins in a recent series with the White Sox to break a tie for the division lead, Detroit went on to lose three of four in the following series against the Texas Rangers.

The seemingly only bright spot of the series for the Tigers came off the arm of Justin Verlander in a dominating 13-strikeout performance in the closing game of the series.

With Magglio Ordonez seemingly on the decline of his offensive prowess and no signs of Carlos Guillen returning to form, the lineup needs some sort of power injection to force opposing pitchers to challenge lone .300+ hitter, Miguel Cabrera.

As the trade deadline gets closer with each passing hour, the general consensus around town is that the Tigers are in desperate need of an offensive boost. Rumors surrounding slugger Adam Dunn and other potential trade candidates have yet to come to fruition.

Whether or not Tigers’ GM Dave Dombrowski adds another bat to the lineup still remains to be seen. Nevertheless, Tigers fans are pleading for some consistency for the ballclub as they enter the final third of the season.

Tigers Ride Win Streak and 1st Place as All-Star Break Approaches

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:43:00 +0000

Article published at BleacherReport.com

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/206727-tigers-ride-win-streak-and-1st-place-into-all-star-break

The Detroit Tigers have surpassed early expectations as they carry a lead in the AL Central into the approaching All-Star Break. Their weaknesses in the past that once exposed them to the league after that magical 2006 season are not only steadily becoming signs of improvement, but also their core strengths as they ride a current seven-game-winning streak. Despite shaky play during the early part of the season, the Tigers have been able to string together solid play as they make their run to win out the AL Central. Led by their pitching staff, the Tigers are poised to have an even better second half. If the play during their series sweep of the Chicago Cubs is a preview of the second half, the American League Central will have problems; especially with Knapp’s rejuvenated pitching staff.

The past few seasons have presented problems for the Tigers’ Pitching Staff especially. For the past few years their bullpen, lead by Tigers’ All-Time Saves Leader and Nightly-Roller-Coaster-Ride, Todd Jones, developed a reputation based more on putting runners in scoring position in the late innings than shutting down games. However, this season has been anything but a repeat of the last few seasons. With the departure of Chuck Hernandez and the infusion of Rick Knapp as pitching coach, Justin Verlander has returned to form as Ace of the squad. Leading the staff in strikeouts with 118 K's, Verlander is in the process of once again establishing himself as one of the more dominant pitchers in the league. Coming into the season, Verlander was one of the main players feeling the heat from below average play the past few seasons. With the exception of a dominating 2006 playoff performance and a 2007 no-hitter, his reputation for walking players and unraveling on the mound had become one of the major headlines concerning the Tigers at the time. His success this season has shown those same flashes of dominance exhibited during the 2006 postseason run. His ability to not only take the ball into the late innings but also bring his high 90’s fastball with him there as well has been just one of the many positive signs coming out of Knapp’s staff.

Knapp’s influence has had a huge impact on the success on the younger players as well. Hyped prospect Rick Porcello is having a solid start to his career with an 8-4 record to start the season. Righty Edwin Jackson is also having a strong season so far with 100+ innings tossed already and 79 K’s. However, the biggest bright spot of the pitching staff this season is Fernando Rodney. Known for blowing leads and causing headaches over the past few seasons, Rodney is perfect this season. For those that have just arrived late to the party, Fernando Rodney is perfect this season with 16 saves in 16 opportunities. His arrival in filling that closer role as a dominant, shutdown pitcher is something that both the Tigers and fans alike have been begging of Rodney. With Joel Zumaya showing his ability to hit that 100 MPH mark right out of the pen, the 8th and 9th innings should become something that Tigers fans should become accustomed to looking forward to instead of dreading.

The strong performance of the Tigers staff has unfortunately been the only positive of their season so far. With a lineup that should feature power and run-generating hits on a nightly basis, the Tigers have not only underachieved offensively but also have suffered injuries of Carlos Guillen and a missing case involving the hitting ability of Magglio Ordonez. Mags slump recently landed him a seat on the bench that drove up much controversy with his at-bats bonus in his contract. Nevertheless, the pitching staff has been able to keep the Tigers in games long enough to secure the one- and two-run-wins that eluded them for the past few seasons. Detroit has also been winning lately with late inning rallies including a recent walk-off comeback win off the bat of Ryan Raburn against the Cubs. This season is steadily showing those same flashes of brilliance that led the Tigers back to the World Series in 2006 after a series drought of twenty-two years. If the offense can live up to the performance thrown by their arms in the pen, we can expect to see Jim Leyland's team playing those night games in 40-degree-weather in late October this year.

It was good while it lasted...

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 21:45:00 +0000

Within a span of days, Detroit sports fans were stunned by two very big loses - Tiger Stadium and the Wings' subpar performance against the Penguins in the cup finals. Granted that Tiger Stadium has become yet another eyesore in the city, its mere presence (what was left of it anyway) was alone enough to keep hope alive in fans of the possibilities of the restoration of the old ballpark on Michigan and Trumbull. However, a final vote was taken to ensure its complete demolition. As far as the Red Wings are concerned, their performance can be subbed up in three words: lack of heart. Pittsburgh showed they wanted it more by pulling off a must-win in Game 6 and then stunning the Wings and their sea of red fans in their own backyard in a Game 7 that did not live up to the hype. (Does hockey even really get hyped up anymore though?) Regardless, Detroit fans are left to ponder what's next as we endure a long summer of Tigers Baseball and yet another high-blood-pressure causing Lions season until the Wings hit the Joe again.

Movement 2009 Video I shot on the last day of the festival...

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Sat, 30 May 2009 02:33:00 +0000

Whether you call it Movement 2009, DEMF, or Techno Fest, the one thing that remains the same is its impact on the city of Detroit. Since its inception, DEMF has not only provided a very eventful holiday weekend for Metro Detroiters, it has also made a name for itself as being one of the most elite music festivals in the world. Techno heads flock to Downtown Detroit from across the world to lose themselves in the music for a few days. Does it sound cliche? Of course it does, but it's pretty easy to lose yourself when you're part of a mass stoned-tripping balls-type crowd that's only concern is having a good time. Sounds like something the D desperately needs more of if you ask me.

Vimeo link: http://www.vimeo.com/4909664
YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eLlKBwNQZo

© MoTray

Tutorial video I cut together for the man, Mike Chav

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Sat, 23 May 2009 00:27:00 +0000

Check him out at www.MikeChav.com and follow him on twitter @MikeChav.

How to Mix Basics: Lesson 2 Parallel compression from Mike Chav on Vimeo.

89X Interview - Jay Hudson and Taking Back Sunday

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Sat, 23 May 2009 00:07:00 +0000

Filmed before show at Clutch Cargos on May 17th, 2009

© MoTray

Wings Win Big For the City

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Fri, 15 May 2009 01:59:00 +0000

Diamonds in the Rough - Detroit Red Wings

Photo by Christian Petersen / Getty Images North America @ http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/

When much of the talk around town is of the usual dreary conversations about the failing auto industry and the complete and embarrassing lack of organization within ranks of the politicians in local office, the Wings have once again become the bright spot for the city. Generating the seemingly only positive national media attention to the city, Babcock's 2009 squad has fought ferociously through the playoffs, including a memorable series with the Ducks culminating in a Game 7 win tonight off the stick of Dan Cleary at the end of the 3rd period. Osgood has also come to the forefront with impressive goaltending throughout the first two rounds of the playoffs holding off opponents with a 1.97 GAA and 7 wins with only 3 losses thus far. Fans around the city are feeling confident about the current run of the Wings as they attempt to repeat as Cup Champs once again.

Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals is Sunday @ 2pm

Detroit Video put together by Mike Green and I

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Mon, 04 May 2009 04:07:00 +0000

Photos taken by Mo Traylor and Mike Green

Original Music by Mike Green

HQ version can be found at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmomgae4tP0

Michigan Central Station

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Sat, 02 May 2009 22:26:00 +0000

Michigan Central Station, otherwise known by most as the ‘Old Train Station,’ was once a thriving Amtrak station that served the city for over 75 years. Since its closure, the building has fallen apart; slowly becoming another relic and the site of many urban legends within the city. However, this once gorgeous piece of architecture is on the brink on being demolished very soon.

Photo by Beat Autopsy

Tigers Stadium

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Sat, 02 May 2009 22:26:00 +0000

One of the most obvious signs of this is what is left of the old Tigers Stadium. Our hometown stadium that once filled thousands is now starting to look more like the ancient Roman Coliseum as the seconds elapse. After its closure in 1999, the stadium has become a victim of neglect. Once a shining example of baseball architecture in the major leagues, Tiger Stadium has eroded into a shadow of what it once was.

Photo by Mo Tray

Bonnie and Clyde

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 21:02:00 +0000

Arthur Penn's 1967 take on Bonnie and Clyde is one that is quite interesting. Instead of focusing on the violence that the duo committed on a daily basis, Penn chose to emphasize their obsessive desire to become household names. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were not bloodthirsty thieves and killers that they have been made out to be by some. Rather, they were portrayed in the film as a more romanticized couple that were more out for fame and recognition than getting rich. Throughout the film, Bonnie is seen writing and reciting her poems that she hope will make it out to the media eventually. The Barrow Gang is often excited by reading about their violent ventures in the newspaper as well. However, the real life couple was much more murderous than they appeared on film. The film is still a very effective narrative of their lives. The depiction of the two in this film appeals to audiences because of their charm and charisma. If they were depicted as ruthless murderers, I'm sure that some would still find them very appealing because of the popularity that villains in pop culture. But they still would not have the popularity and fame that they achieved because of their M.O. They truly were the first celebrity antiheroes.

Masculin Feminin

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:55:00 +0000

After the film’s initial release, Godard stated in an interview that he saw his film not as one strictly about youth but “more a film about the idea of youth. A philosophical idea, but not a practical one—a way of reacting to things. It’s not a dissertation on youth or even an analysis. Let’s say that it speaks of youth but it’s a piece of music, a ‘concerto youth’” (Godard). Masculin, Féminin is a film that definitely puts the ‘children of Marx and Coca-Cola’ on display in their own element. The story follows Paul, played by Jean-Pierre Leaud, as he passively-aggressively pursues an up-and-coming pop singer, Madeleine, played by real-life singer Chantal Goya. Throughout the narrative, Paul is forced to overcome ‘obstacles’ on his way to Madeleine’s heart…and legs.

Sex is the major premise behind the film. As the story unfolds, the plot is filled with numerous notable instances of sexual activity in the film. In the beginning of the film, Paul and his friend both brush against a woman’s breasts after asking her for some sugar. From this point on, the sexuality of the film only becomes more vulgar with each minute. There are scenes in which a group of nude women is talking about sex in a locker room, Paul and Madeleine play the name game for penis and vagina one night in bed, and Paul even walks in on a homosexuality act involving two men in a public bathroom. However, there is one scene in particular sums up the entire message of the film.

As a polltaker, Paul interviews a young woman who is not only a friend of Madeleine’s but also who was chosen as ‘Miss 19.’ During this interview, Paul asks her various questions ranging from the advantages and disadvantages of being ‘Miss 19’ and the current state of birth control in France. The conversation also includes her thoughts, rather the lack thereof, on other issues such as the pop music, the Vietnam War and socialism. This is not the only mention of these issues in the film. Through dialogue and encounters between various characters, Godard brings attention to these important issues of the time. Madeleine’s occupation as a singer brings many allusions to the American music scene at the time with references to The Beatles and Bob Dylan. Ironically enough, both of which became musical legends in their own right.

He also makes no effort to hide his dislike of the American involvement in the Vietnam War using Paul as his spokesman. “Paul is anti-bourgeois and resents America's involvement in Vietnam, but his gripes aren't anti-American per se. Godard considers pop culture a dangerous American export and he questions the political apathy of images and music that don't incite people to revolution” (Gonzalez). While waiting outside of a hospital housing many American soldiers, Paul creates a diversion that allows an American military car to become vandalized with “Peace in Vietnam.” He even yells, “US go home” to the soldier who was riding in the car. Godard also makes it known that he does not want American pop culture to infiltrate French society by allowing trivial things to create big problems. Not only does a guy who is extra serious about his pinball game almost kill Paul, but the lifestyle that Madeleine lives due to her occupation also bothers Paul throughout the film even to the point where an argument indirectly causes his death.

Week End - "What a rotten film, all we meet are crazy people..."

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:41:00 +0000

Week End is a 100-minute-long acid trip that makes Deliverance look like a boy scout nature walk on a Sunday afternoon. Jean-Luc Godard definitely left his mark on this 1967 film that can easily be argued as his most notorious work. The film begins with the married couple discussing a very intense sexual encounter that involves the wife, another couple, eggs, milk, oral sex, oral-to-anal sex, anal sex, and mutual masturbation. Along with being an extremely crude conversation, the scoring of the scene also makes it stand out in the minds of the audience. The volume of the music that plays beneath the scene raises as she describes the more taboo things she did that night. This effect is very effective for one main reason: it forces the audience to listen harder, and as they listen harder they are forced to hear the more hardcore actions of that evening.

Followed by this scene is one of the longest tracking shots that has ever been filmed. This shot shows the couple attempting to drive around an extremely long traffic jam that is filled with boats, broken down cars, blown up cars, dead bodies, monkeys, lions, kids on a field trip, and a family picnic. After murdering the mother of the bride, the couples ultimately ends up captured by a group of cannibals that murder the husband and happily feed his remains to his wife. As crazy as the film seems, Godard does a number of different things with all the chaos he creates on film.

Throughout the film, the couple encounters many extremely odd people that range from a killer magician to a jester poet. However, he uses these characters to raise awareness to many different societal issues that were going on at the time. Or possibly he just wanted to shed light on his own anarchic thoughts. Regardless, he manages to gain peoples attention with all of these different societal problems. Each of these unique characters bring up issues of anti-corporations, race relations, class issues, literature and history. On the surface Week End almost looks like an over-budgeted snuff film. However, Godard manages to bring up more societal issues within this film than any of his others we've seen.

Perriot Le Fou

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 17:41:00 +0000

Perriot Le Fou is a film based on Lionel White's novel, Obsession; it is also Jean-Luc Godard's tenth directorial work. The narrative follows Jean-Paul Belmondo and Godard's favorite leading lady (even though this was in production after their divorce), Anna Karina as they play two lovers on opposite ends of the spectrum. Ferdinand (Belmondo) leaves his wife and children for the babysitter, Marianne (Karina) after losing his job he held at a television station. As the film unfolds, the two lovers begin to narrate their love story. However, their back-and-forths begin to contradict what the other is saying. Not only that, they begin to play Bonnie and Clyde. They beat up people and jack their cars, commit a few murders, and of course they blow shit up. Most importantly, they both end up dead at the end of the film. Shocking.

However, Godard's use of lighting, shadows, and colors in the film is very vivid. More specifically, Godard uses the color red in much of the movie in various ways. In one of the first scenes, Godard goes over-the-top with his use of colors. In this party scene, the rooms are flooded with lights that change color from red to blue to green. The scene starts out all red until the nude blonde begins speaking and it suddenly changes to blue. He also dresses Karina in red for most of the film. The walls in her apartment are all bright white which allows her red clothing to stand out more against such a bland background (similar to A Woman is a Woman). Later in the film, the use of red is blatantly obvious. After the lovers are separated, she is wearing a red shirt when they finally reunite. During the heist sequence, Ferdinand's car is red, they run into a little girl wearing a red shirt, and Ferdinand, himself, is even wearing a red shirt under his suit. His choice to surround Karina's character with the color red could be an allusion to how he felt about her and their real-life romance before the divorce. Her dialogue is filled with complaints and double-crossing. Karina's character is even murdered while wearing a red shirt, which can definitely be seen as one final shot to her - no pun intended.

The Story of Adele H.

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:52:00 +0000

This film is much different than many of the other films from Truffaut. The style of the film is much more conducive to American audiences than some of his other works. The lack of New Wave characteristics such as out-of-context shots and extremely long tracking shots make the film much more 'Americanized' for the audience; meaning that for those who have only been familiar with American major motion pictures, the flow and story of the film easy for the audience to digest.

The Story of Adele H. is a film that follows the story of real life Adele Hugo, daughter of Victor Hugo. Adele travels to Nova Scotia in Canada in order to seek out her long, lost love Albert after he had joined the army. After the first ten minutes or so of the film, those in the audience who do not know the story behind the film are led to believe that this will be a beautiful story of separated lovers reconnecting and living happily ever after. However as the narrative of Adele H. unfolds, the audience is forced to bare witness to Fatal Attraction circa nineteenth century.

After learning that her former lover has no desire to continue on with their relationship, Adele resorts to an extremely delusional outlook on life. She spies on him at another woman's house and writes to Albert saying that "he is so handsome...he deserves all of the women in the world." When he denies the opportunity to not only have any woman he desires, but to also have Adele waiting on him at home, she slips further into her delusional world. Throughout the film, she lies to her parents to much that she ultimately digs herself so deep that she cannot get out of it any longer. She continuously writes home to her parents telling them that she and Albert will not only be married, but she also needs advances on her allowances in order to take care of the nonexistent wedding obligations.

As the film continues, we are hoping for Adele to finally realize that she is only slowly killing herself in order to chase Albert. However, it only gets worse. She dresses up as a man in order to sneak into a party to see him, she sends him prostitutes as 'gifts,' and she even resorts to speaking with a hypnotist to see if she can hypnotize Albert into loving her. Finally, just as in Fatal Attraction, he delusions and desperation inevitably lead to her downfall. Granted that Albert is no saint with his gambling debts and promiscuity around Nova Scotia, throughout the film Adele continues to go out of her way to make sure that if she cannot have him, no one will. After following his regiment to Barbados, she is found in the street after wandering like a peasant with the same dress she previously had on back in Nova Scotia. This callous persistency leads to a lonely existence until her death back in Paris.

Day For Night

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:05:00 +0000

Francois Truffaut's Day For Night is a very self-reflexive film that takes the audience through the arduous process of making a film. Every detail, both good and bad, is featured in this film. The documentary-style approach follows a director (actually played by Truffaut), his crew, and his cast as they make a film entitled Je Vous Presente Pamela. The cast each speak about the characters they play on screen. In one of the many comical moments of the film, the producer is asked something about the film by the one of the mock documentary crew and he yells back "the producer should stay out of sight."

The film also successfully depicts the nonstop headache the director endures over the course of trying to make a film. First, the actors create more drama off the camera then they do on it. Alphonse takes it upon himself to fall in love with someone who obviously does not feel the same way. This on-set romance quickly deteriorates and turns Alphonse into a moron off-screen. His erratic behavior ultimately leads to him almost destroying the marriage of his co-star Julie, who is also a head-case. Before she even arrives on set, Julie's reputation precedes her. In her previous film, she walked off production due to a breakdown she had, which also led to her marriage of the doctor who treated her (who left a 20 year marriage and kids behind also). This little act of infidelity causes halts to the shooting of the film and ultimately unnecessary problems for the production. The veteran actress of the film, Severine, allows her alcoholism to effect her acting; even to the point of not being able to even read her lines when they are taped on the wall in front of her. Alexandre, another veteran actor who also had an affair with Severine years ago, ends up being killed in a car accident at the end of the film. These are the problems just caused by the cast of Pamela. If it sounds like a bad soap opera, it definitely plays out that way.

Truffaut also makes may references to Hollywood and other directors of the time including, Hitchcock, Godard, Rosalini, and Bresson. Alexandre, who plays the stereotypical handsome, suave older gentlemen, constantly tells stories of his old projects in Hollywood to anyone who will listen; usually an attractive woman tends to lend an ear. To those who may not be very familiar with the process of making a film, Day For Night successfully portrays all of the good and bad of filmmaking. For those who have more experience with film, the argument can be made that the film romanticizes the filmmaking process. In the end, with the exception of a death, the film was made successfully. Most know that is definitely not always the case in the real world.

Alphaville

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:26:00 +0000

Jean-Luc Godard's Alphaville is a science-fiction film that deviates from other films in his catalogue. While the film contains the usual characteristics of a New Wave film by Godard - i.e. tracking shots that take forever, out-of-sequence shots that make no sense, and severe manipulation of sound, the premise of the film is very odd. Godard is known for coming up with some very weird stories in his films. Keeping that in mind, even this film is a stretch for him. The film is shot in modern-day France (at the time, of course) and is supposed to represent a futuristic society. Godard even uses small inferences to make reference to the present time we live during the film. Caution mentions that he drives a Ford Galaxy, - a somewhat comedic reference to both the present and to signify they are in the future.

There are hardy any shots in the film that take place during the day. The final sequence of the film shows Caution and Natasha driving away from Alphaville (in his Galaxy) on a highway at night. The overhead shooting of the scene, along with the lighting that the street lights provide, attempts to give the illusion of driving away in space. Given the time in which the film was produced, it is an effective shot for the film. As the narrative unfolds on screen, it becomes more and more difficult to take the film seriously. In Alphaville, women are treated as nothing more than sex slaves and servants for an obviously extremely male-dominated society. Even the computer that controls Alphaville, Alpha 60, has the voice of a raspy man. All of the women are branded by numbers and have a very weird tendency to say "I'm well, thank you" to men even when they are not even asked. Instead of coming off as shocking and unbelievable to us, it comes off simply as just being weird and almost comical. Granted that outside of some very intense Star Wars fans, there are not that many people when watching a sci-fi film they actually feel like that are in some alternate universe. With that being said, I do not expect to become lost into a different world when watching a film such as this. The only realistic expectation anyone can make is that we hope to be entertained somehow. Don't get me wrong, I was entertained, just not exactly in the way as Mr. Godard would have hoped.

Les Caribiniers

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:02:00 +0000

Godard's Les Caribiniers is a film that is very explicit about pointing out the pointlessness of war. The film is almost cartoonish in the way it unfolds. It revolves around two men who are 'drafted' into a war involving their country as a "favor to the king." Michelangelo and Ulysses jump to the chance of fighting for their king, whom obviously takes such good care of them. They live in an extremely deserted area in a house that looks as if it were made with a 'Lincoln Logs' set. The soldiers who come to recruit them promise the two geniuses of Maseratis, Rolls Royces, women, priceless works of art, power, stabbing guys in the back, etc. Of course, they are on board. Ironically enough, the two women in their lives are just as eager for them to go as they are. Most women would be afraid for their men to go put their lives on the line. However, Venus and Cleopatra literally kick them out of the house to go so they can get their share of the treasure upon their courageous return.

From this point on, the cartoon only gets more amusing with each scene. They take the fact that they can operate without consequence to heart. They break into homes and steal from the people living there, they force women to undress in front of them, and they even steal a car and kidnap the woman riding inside of it. The worst, however, is their use of extreme violence. Granted that they are 'soldiers' doing nothing more than following orders, the extent to which they take the violence is very excessive. They march people in secluded areas for their execution. Michelangelo is usually not happy with the result as he continues shooting the already slain victims.

Godard's use of all this over-the-top activities only makes his mockery of war more effective. With the two women constantly prancing and spinning around and Michelangelo running around a movie theatre so that he may get a better angel to see the woman undressing on screen, it makes everything else that is happening around them even more absurd. The postcard sequence is a vivid example of this. It is not only the longest running sequence in the film, but it is also the most absurd. When the men return from war without expensive dresses and makeup, the women are extremely angry with them. That is until they see all of the 'deeds' of the property that were brought back to them. Michelangelo and Ulysses bring back hundreds of postcards thinking that they are deeds for all of the property that are shown on them. They bring back tons of postcards of cars and ancient monuments thinking that they will own all of these things once the war is won. However, it is the gullibility that is ultimately their demise. When they are informed that they actually lost the war, they are killed for committing war crimes against the new state. Tough break indeed.

Vivre Sa Vie

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:51:00 +0000

Godard's Vivre Sa Vie is a film that has a very unique style to it. The film is shot in a very unusual way when compared to other films of the same genre. During a few of the dialogue scenes, the camera is facing the back of the character that is speaking. This gives the audience a feeling that we are eavesdropping on the conversation as it is taking place. Furthermore, much of the camera movement throughout the film is very static. The camera focuses on only one person during other dialogue scenes. Instead of seeing what is going on around that character or even gaging the response of the person being spoken with, the audience only sees one person speaking. This technique is effective because it gives us a sense that we are the people being spoken to. During the 'new wave trademark' tracking shots, the camera is also focused on one person; usually from the front and also from the side at times. Again, it forces us to focus on that specific character instead of getting caught up in what is taking place around them.

The narrative is also as peculiar as the way it was shot. The film is broken up into different sections or 'scenes' - all with different titles for each individual section of the film. Also, the dialogue of the film alludes to the fact that there are things that take place in between sections that is not shown on camera. This also makes the film very effective for a variety of reasons. The main reason being that it allows the audience to recreate the action in our own heads. The most effective films are the ones that play on the emotions of the people that are watching them. If you are watching a film and you leave without a very strong opinion or feeling about it then the film was obviously ineffective in really reaching you. However, this film has the ability to allow the audience to create important parts of the narrative on their own. Ultimately, it makes the film more interesting as well. This particular style the film possess gives it a very unique look and feel to it.

A Woman is a Woman

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 16:17:00 +0000

From the opening credit sequence, the film is very effective with keeping the audience's attention. However, the way the film succeeds in doing so is very peculiar. The film is centered on Angela, a woman has a very strange way about her. From the beginning of the film, Godard makes it very clear that he intends to make her stand out as much as she can. Her wardrobe in the film definitely coincides with what Godard had intended for Angela's character. She is often wearing red throughout the film. Her wearing red often makes her stand out against the bland scenery surrounding her. Even during her 'performance,' she was wearing her usual flamboyant getup for it. However, the spotlight used a few different camera filters to project a different light on her face; again, in order to make her stand out.

The score of the film also helps to emphasize all of this as well. Often times during the film, the music will drop out and she will be speaking. Sometimes there will be no music at all and the surrounding characters in the film all gawk at her like a bunch of horny schoolchildren. Her personality is also very comparable to the clothes she wears. It seems as if she thinks that her life is a feature length film and she is the leading lady. She often goes off on these very odd monologues during which she does not make much sense most of the time. She is extremely eccentric to the point of almost being very childish. Especially during one scene where her and her lover, Emile are having a fight in bed. Instead of talking it out, they choose to not speak to each other. Not only do they not speak to each other, they finish their fight by finding words on the covers of her books to take jabs at each other. Clever. At least she is true to the woman she portrays, she ends the film by saying "not damn me, but a dame, me.

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:05:00 +0000

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, directed by Jacques Demy and released in 1964, is a new wave musical that is also part of a trilogy. This film sets between the Young Girls of Rochefort and Lola; both of which were also directed by Demy. Stylistically, the film is extremely vivid; almost to the point of distraction. Every scene throughout the film is filled with extremely vivid colors. Each set design is filled with very bright red, green, and blue colors on the walls. Each character complements the vivid scenery as well. The women in the film are dressed in very bright dresses with bright makeup and lipstick. However, their dress colors often go against the color scheme of the set which only enhances an already vivid film.

As a musical, the film moves in a very peculiar way. There is absolutely no regular dialogue spoken in the entire film. Every word of every line that each character has is sung rather than spoken. Granted that the film is obviously a musical, there are other musicals that do incorporate even a little spoken dialogue between characters.

However, the narrative does stand up against the odd formula the film follows. This is only because the ending of the film does not necessarily the eerie jubilant feeling the film has even during the 'depressing' moments. In the final scene of the film, Guy is asked by his former love if he wants to meet his daughter that he has with her, he simply declined. Roll Credits.

Shoot the Piano Player

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 21:46:00 +0000

Shoot the Piano Player by François Truffaut is a film that is filled with both noir and new wave qualities. Staying true to the new wave with the typical elements such as extremely long tracking shots, harsh cutting and out-of-context scenes, Tirez Sur Le Pianiste uses noir characteristics such as low-key lighting, shadows, and a character narrating during a scene. The film is also extremely fast paced. The plot of the film is extremely fast moving with very little throwaway action and dialogue.

On the more entertainment side of things, this film is more humorous than any of the other films I have seen this semester. The two thugs in particular are especially entertaining. Their conversations with the other characters in the film all center on women in short skirts, how they rob other people, and how to deal with relationships with the opposite sex. More specifically, when it comes to women, they “lay ‘em and leave ‘em.” One of the thugs even shared an experience he had when he tried on his sister’s panties. One other scene that sticks out is the fight scene between Charlie and his boss from the restaurant. It is a cross between a scene from the Three Stooges and a second-grade-schoolyard-slap-fight that ultimately leads to the boss getting stabbed in the back, literally. Go figure.

My Night At Maud's

MoTraylor@gmail.com (Mo Tray) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 21:45:00 +0000

This film by Eric Rohmer is the third film in the series entitled, “Six Moral Tales.” It stays very true to its new wave roots. My Night is filled with numerous extremely long tracking shots. The dialogue sequences in the film are also very interesting. In most of the dialogue scenes, when one of the character’s would be speaking, the camera is centered on someone who reacting to what’s being said. Particularly, the camera often centered on Vidal and his extremely drunken actions while the other two were conversing.

Along with the camera work of the dialogue sequences, the dialogue itself was equally interesting. At the very least, it could hold someone’s attention long enough to understand what is going on. But I digress; the content of the film is centered on issues such as Christianity, Protestantism, sex, sex, and more sex. Not to mention that our choirboy is quite the playboy. A single man nowadays should envy him. He gets to not only indulge his dark, mysterious, and sinful side but he also gets to have his innocent, blonde church girl too. Not only that, but he ends up marrying the blonde. Well-done sir.