Almodovar's "All About My Mother"

This was a more interesting movie then the last one we saw. The purpose of it being “All About My Mother” was not just about Esteban’s mother, but it was about all of the women in the story. What they had to go through in their lifetime and how it made them who there were at that time. To many people looking onto the women in this film, people would say that their lives were all messed up. But to them it was reality they had to live with it so they grew accustom to it.

The women in this movie aside from being “messed” up, they were very strong willed and determined. Their bonds of friendship were as strong as ever for not seeing or being in contact with each other for years. Still caring and helping each other to get better. Watching this movie a quote came to mind:

“Together We Stand, Divided We Fall”.

It fits perfectly into the movie, describing all that the women did. Yes they were not completely broken apart, but once they came together and made their bonds stronger, so too did they become stronger. And from time to time the movie focus’ on Manuela being Esteban’s mother, then she kind of takes over that role for Sister Rose. And whenever need be, the other female characters took over being each other’s mothers when it was needed.

For the movie to be titled what it is, is not just talking about your birth mother, it is talking about whoever fulfills that role when it comes to you and your life. 

Decameron #2

From the beginning to end Andreccuio learns how to not trust, people who seem too friendly to a stranger. From one bad situation into another he was fooled, by friendly strangers who pretended to help him. He was easily fooled and taken advantage of, with that young woman who pretended to be his sister; and those two men who left him in the well then in the tomb.

Humanity is a constant fight for survival. The strong prey upon the weak, or leave them there to die; and the strong join the strong to become stronger off each other. Or the one strong are turned weak, and flee to a new area where their chances of becoming strong again are higher. How Madam Beriota fled to save her life and her sons. But stayed alive of her desire to live, she became a “wild-woman”.

Everywhere she went, the lady was observed by the men as being very beautiful and they lusted after her. But every time a new male character came into the picture, she was already under the project of another. There entailed the lust. From Pericone having her first, being killed by his brother Marato, skip a few men until the Duke of Athens, killed Ciuriaci and the Prince for her. All the while she was crying, not over the fact that men were killing each other over but that her misfortunes kept on growing.

The merchants wife Madonna Zinevra, for six years pretended to be a man, since she escaped being killed by her husband. Because her husband Bernabo was easily tricked into believing that she had slept with another merchant Ambruogiuolo.In this time it was easier and safer to be a single man traveling the world than it was to be a woman.Eve the Sultan didn't know that Madonna was a woman and she had become one of his close advisers.

Being mute as it was used in both of these stories is a perfect way of concealing ones true intentions and history of where they have come from. It gives the person who is being 'mute' an advantage over the people around them, since they think they can't talk, but the person just sits there listening an observing until the time is right to begin speaking once more. 

Decameron #1

                From 1.1 the quote that got me was when Sir Ciappelletto was confessing all of his sins to the priest on his death bed. The two brothers that were there just thought he was lying to the priest as he always did in life. But if Sir Ciappelletto lied so much in life, why would he risk lying to a priest and go to hell. And it is just as everyone knew he always lied, so who’s to know that what he was telling the priest was in fact the truth about his life; and how he saw all the events that happened to him.  This part of the story tells you that you can decide to believe or not to believe what people say, only they know the truth.

                From the second story I enjoyed the quote that Abraham told his friend Giannotto what he saw when he went to Rome to observe the heads of the Christian faith, to see whether or not he would want to convert to Christianity. If you read it over again you see that Abraham joined, because he saw all the wrong this that the church. In his eyes he saw them as wrong, but they were also enjoying themselves in food, drink and women. That or you can say he converted not to join them but to save them, as he was a righteous man; he would go and bring them back to the path of righteousness.

                And from the fourth story the quote that tells us that the Abbot and the monk had the young beautiful girl often returned to the monastery for the two of them.  This shows us that even if you are a holy man, you are still a man and can be tempted by the flesh.  

And something that I got from reading all of the stories is that whenever you try to entrap someone, make sure that you are the smarter one, because if not they will most likely figure out your plan and entrap you making you feel dumb for even trying to entrap them.

Almodovar's "Talk to Her"

The movie was wonderful throughout the whole thing. So many moving pieces and at the end they were all connected to each other. An intricate web connecting each of the characters life's together without them realizing it. Marco and Lydia's relationship was an unusual one from beginning to end. They Meet, because Marco wanted to write a story about her. A female bullfighter who was afraid of snakes; ironic. You never truly know what people are afraid of. While Marco was a very emotional person, always relating too what other were going through. That's why his friendship with Benigno worked out. Benigno was a interesting character, his background on how he got to where he was with Alicia, was a bit twisted. Benigno and Marco meet, because Lydia got into a coma after a bull and gored her. And Benigno started to take care of Alicia after she had got into a coma as well, even though they meet many times before. 

Benigno and Alicia's relationship is similar to Marco and Lydia's relationship, in the sense that a relationship is there, but at the same time there isn't one. Benigno thought that he and Alicia could get married, but couldn't because she was in a coma, and the relationship was one sided. Marco and Lydia, there was a consented relationship, but Lydia also wanted to and later did get back together with he Ex.

Everything here was unusual and highly socially unacceptable, but it still happened and was connected and affected each other.  

Tykwer's "Run Lola Run"

Tykwer's "Run Lola Run" was a very interesting and uniquely produced movie. Throughout the movie, the main character Lola is trapped reliving the same event over and over without realizing it, until the outcome is good. Each time the day is reset, the goal is the same, but how Lola and Manni act out the day and what choices they make, affect themselves and other people. The actions in the beginning determine the outcome and later decisions. So always try to make good choices, you may never know how they affect your future.

Choices were a big influence in the movie. When Lola went to get money from her dad, depending on what she saw and her; or how he got rid of her influenced how she reacted. Or just the little things to random people, how that impacted their life down the road.

In some parts, you could see that the males in the movies where protecting the females, or when Lola robbed the bank the first time the cops didn’t see her as a threat because she was female.

The visual effects were done well with the plot of the story, and the background music setting the mood of the next scene. Either with slow dramatic music implanting in our minds will she make it with seconds remaining; or fast pace music as Lola first starts running out of her house. Time is very important each second is the balance of life and death.

And when all the semi-correct choices were put together and fairy-tale ending appeared. The couple in love survived through their peril-less journey and will live “happily” ever after.

The Knight With The Lion #3

Throughout the story and in the concluding third, Yvain has been that knight who has looked for honor in all of his deeds. More important than honor, he wanted to do the just and moral deed. And failing an oath that he gave his word on really kills him on the inside. In the end Yvain is pleased with all the choices and decisions that he has made.

The question for the whole story is why does Yvain feel the need to once again prove his worth and honor? Doing a heroic action here and there is okay, but giving your word to help every woman that come to you for help is a little extreme. He pays for that during the story, until the final page where he returns home to his lady finally. Does honor mean this much to the knights in the court? To the higher ones yes, but to the regular knights they seem to like being on the bottom, because they aren’t doing anything to change their standings in the ranks.

Defending what you believe in is also a good reason to keep going out and looking for honor, or helping those who cannot help themselves. And whatever Yvain tried to do alone, eventually his lion got free to help him. To repay the kindness the lion first received and to remind him that he no longer needs to be alone and help is here any time he needs it; if he asks for it or not.