Dissertation banter

So, my girlfriend is writing her dissertation this year. Luckily for me (we live together), she's writing about one of my favourite films, 2001: A Space Odyssey. When I say she's writing about it, of course I mean that she's become completely besotted by everything 2001. Every book, every documentary; she's seen it and she's read it. She's even spoken on the phone with the writers of the books (well, the ones that live in Norwich anyway). Witnessing this kind of passionate (but not quite obsessive), 'dive right in' attitude has got me thinking. What film or filmmaker is going to win my heart in two years time? At the moment it's a toss up...

1. Christopher Nolan/Inception - As much as I admire Nolan and all of his work (even Insomnia!), I can't imagine I'd be alone in my wonderment. In my first week on the course I met a girl who was writing her dissertation on 'Batman Begins'. Point proven.

The philosophy of 'Inception' is fascinating to me. It has been since the first time I saw it. In the year or so since release, at least two books have been published about exactly this. It's definitely something I would consider, but as I say, I would fully expect the work of Nolan (especially 'Inception') to be a hot topic among the minds in my year group and would probably opt for something a little bit more personal to me.

2. Terrence Malik/Cinematography - Another director who is fascinating to me; not only because of the quality of his work, but because of the way he makes movies. A man shrouded in privacy, Malik one of the most respected but most reclusive figures in the history of cinema. These reasons alone make him of particular interest to me.

Should I choose to focus on a particular element of Malik's work, it would (without hesitation) be the cinematography on display. 'The Tree of Life' and 'The Thin Red Line' are modern classics by all accounts, beautifully shot and beautifully told from start to finish. I, of course, would want to go back further still to his earlier films, 'Badlands' and 'Days of Heaven'. The latter of which, Christopher Nolan himself cites as one of the main reasons he felt compelled to dedicate his life to filmmaking. Big talk, no?

There are certain cinematograhical traits Malik possesses that I would certainly like to explore further at some point over the next three years. Whether or not I end up deciding to undertake something (and someone) so grandiose, God only knows.

3. Saving Private Ryan and it's importance in modern culture - Had there been no 'Saving Private Ryan', there would be no Call of Duty, no Band of Brothers, no The Pacific, and almost no renewed interest in World War 2. The success of 'Saving Private Ryan' offshot into a million directions and is still regarded just as highly almost 15 years on. Spielberg was able to capture the glory and the humanity of war, and as a result spawned a new generation of WW2 films, and eventually video games.

4. The symmetry of Wes Anderson - Anyone who's ever watched more than one Wes Anderson film has more than likely recognised that one of his most interesting traits is the fact that almost every shot of every scene is almost entirely symmetrical. This is no accident. Wes Anderson is a master of set design and shot framing. It makes his films easy to watch and easy to feel, when everything is so concisely placed.

Not only would I like to explore why he does this, and how effective it is when it comes to storytelling, but I would want to explore a possible link between Anderson's film and obsessive/compulsive disorder. I have a friend who suffers from this disorder and he absolutely adores everything Wes. I would want to know if a link has already been documented, if there is evidence that particular films and they way they are shot appeal to certain types of people who see and feel the world around them in a specific way.

Four is enough to be marinating on, wouldn't you say? Teatime on this cold Autumnal evening.

Proof that Peter Sarsgaard is one of the best actors of the decade.

With the release of 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2' looming, it seems fitting (as it can be) to have a quick look at one of the finer war films to come out since the end of the Gulf War.



This film is so fine in fact, that I tend to often overlook the fact that it is directed by a Brit. And not just any Brit, Mr Winslet himself, Sam Mendes ('American Beauty', 'Revolutionary Road', 'Away We Go'). With strong performances from Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal and deserved Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, this is a film that relies on the solidarity of it's cast and the strength of it's script rather than the blood and guts of it's predecessors.



Having grown up as the son of a USAF Tech Sergeant who served during Desert Shield, I can testify to the emotions and attitudes conveyed by the cast of Jarhead. While my father was never sent to the Middle East, the patience and frustration on display in this film still resonate with me to this day. As shown through the marines' broken relationships with family and friends back home, the time spent pitting scorpions against each other, playing American football in chemical suits and masturbating took its toll on more than just the soldiers. The time spent not firing a single shot affected every relationship in these boys' lives, as well as their relationships following the end of Desert Storm (which lasted all of five days).



This frustration, this testing of wills and of patience although painted well by Mendes, is brought to life by the remarkable Peter Sarsgaard ('Garden State', 'Rendition' and more recently the Sundance success 'An Education') who manages to own the film using nothing but the simplicity of tone. While his fellow Marines really do come across as the definition of 'jarheads' (especially Swofford, despite his emotional complexity), Sarsgaard's Troy seems a far more intellectual character, even if he isn't. Who knows? It could be experience rather than intellect. Either way, Troy's often monotonous drone leaves a lot to be interpreted in regards to how he actually feels about anything. With Gyllenhaal's Swofford, you get his heart on his sleeve. He is the central character, so it's only fair. The same applies to the straightshooting Sykes (Foxx), and loner O'Donnell (played by Brian Geraghty who appears more recently in the phenomenal 'The Hurt Locker').

Some might say that Sarsgaard is just playing a war-torn version of himself, and they would be correct, but his style and grace fit the role of Troy perfectly. His drone compliments the boredom of Desert Shield (the whole point the film is trying to make), and his penultimate scene with Gyllenhaal and 'President' Dennis Haysbert is one of the more moving pieces of cinema that Mendes has ever crafted. The culmination of 175 days of bullshit all comes crashing down in front of you, and in a split second Sarsgaard becomes a modern gem.

'What difference does it make?'