J'ai Tué Ma Mère (2009)

This film is remarkable despite not breaking any new ground with its subject matter. Countless movies have been made about mothers, and there's nothing unique about the characters of Hubert and Chantal or their relationship. There's also nothing particularly unique about the quality of the filmmaking, until you consider the fact that it's a first feature by a teenager. Written at 17 and directed at 19, Dolan demonstrates the petulance, insolence, and selfishness of the teenage years.

Some of the fat could have been trimmed out (though beautifully shot, the paint-covered sex scene between Hubert and his boyfriend was pretty superfluous). Though familial relationships are the focus, even the brief scene with hsi father is unnecessary. It's compelling, but perhaps would have been stronger as a two-person film.

Why am I here again?

I've been planning on starting a blog for years. Obviously I've never gotten very far. I've been wanting to do something with a tight focus, or a unique format. Between my periods of either underemployment or 70+ hours a week, I haven't had adequate time to do a lot of planning to do the blog I really want.

So why am I here?

I've long struggled with anxiety and depression. They make it difficult for me to feel passion about anything in life, let alone movies. It's something I desperately want to get back. I'm challenging myself to just write, at least 300 words, about every movie I watch.

I'm not going to be promoting this blog, and I don't expect anyone to ever read it. It's more to kickstart myself.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot: "Moulin Rouge!"

So apparently I've had some trouble getting this started. I have about three blog posts languishing in my draft section, just waiting to be finished. Closing up a writing assignment has always been difficult for me. Having a format or prompt seems to make things easier, which is why I bring you this today: my entry for The Film Experience's HMWYBS series for Moulin Rouge!.

As this is one of my favorites, I figured this would be an easy task. No such luck. It's hard to pick a single shot from something that never stops moving. Not only is this a musical naturally full of feverishly fast dancing, but the camera and cuts also dance in their own way.

Christian screaming in anguish because of Satine's betrayal during "El Tango De Roxanne".

Why this shot in particular? It's very quick (so much so that it was hard to get a clear screencap!) while the scene is so very complex. This climactic shot just seems to boil everything down to its simplest point.

I've been reading other peoples' submissions for this and it's interesting to see just how many have chosen other shots from this song in particular. It's an extremely powerful sequence. I'd even go so far as to call it my favorite of all time. In any movie.

Why am I here?

After years of consideration, I've finally decided to launch my own blog. I know there are countless other film blogs out there, but I'm aiming to narrow the focus of this one a little bit: production design.

I came into production design in 2006. I was a freshman at Emerson College in Boston. My girlfriend at the time was working on a project for class and asked me to run the art department. My first act? Running to the library to look up the definition of "production designer". I knew only vaguely what it entailed, so I wanted to make sure I knew everything about the process that would be expected of me.

For that project, I had to create a meatloaf that could have been made out of human. (Note: Never mix SPAM and baked beans together in a dorm room. It freaks your roommate out.) Since then, I've put a human head in a fake trashcan, built an interior of a human stomach large enough for actors to stand in, and dressed a bathroom to look like a corporate office. Production design, in my opinion, is the most exicting department on set. The visual world of the movie is so crucial, yet so often overlooked. Great scenic design is completely invisible. It looks completely like the real world.

I must admit I've lost some of my zeal for it recently. This blog will, hopefully, help me rekindle my love for it. With any luck some others will enjoy it as well.