A Mid-Summer Night's Dream...

'Inception' was not what I expected. Despite its rather weak opening sequence, 'Inception' is one of those films that become progressively better as the narrative continues to unfold, allowing it to adequately fit itself into Christopher Nolan's repertoire and stay true to his artistic vision, further legitimizing his role as an auteur. So what are the achievements of this particular film?

Before assessing how, 'Inception' satisfies its role in fiction, I would first like to discuss the role of a story. Stories have been means of keeping history, instilling fear, and inspiring hope. A story exists on three fundamental levels. Each level engages a different combination of senses and thought processes, provoking predictable reactions from audience members. The first level I like to refer to as the "crust". This is where all the characters and events exist within the story. The crust engages the audience merely for entertainment value, I suppose you could also view this level as a lure. Something like, special effects would also be categorized into this plane. Further into the story, we have the "mantle". Here, we are able to discuss the events and characters of the story in terms of their cultural references and sociopolitical connotations. Most film studies center around these concepts, due to their socially applicable nature. Things you could analyze on this level in addition to the events and characters of the story would be lighting, object placement, shot types, various kinds of editing, such as sound bridging or cross-cutting. Typically, one would refer to such concepts as part of the misc-en-scene. Further down the rabbit hole, we have arrived at the "core". The core consists of the themes or messages that the auteur is attempting to communicate.

Now, the role of fiction, some would claim, is the idea of creating a fallacy in order to perpetuate a deeper truth, a truth we wouldn't otherwise have access to. From what few works I have seen of Nolan's, I would suggest that he is taking the role of fiction and applying it thematically. In films like, 'Memento' and 'The Dark Knight', we are offered a fallacy within the universe of the narrative to convey Nolan's message, which is most apparent in 'The Dark Knight'. The characters of Alfred and Gordon, hint at the idea that sometimes, the truth is not good enough. That sometimes people deserve better.

The core of 'Inception' exhumes this concept phenomenally. The final scene when the character of Cobb's spinning top continues to spin as he exits the frame represents the reality (or lie) that he deserves. Thematically, 'Inception' follows his previous films, thus, reinforcing Nolan's place as an auteur.

My problem with Nolan's most recent work, is that it follows a very literal and linear narrative, especially for a movie supposedly based on dreams. If anything, it is a heist movie with mind-blowing sequences in place of what it should of been: a psychologically complex investigation into dreams and an exploration of the relationship between consciousness and subconsciousness. Nolan has been able to dazzle us with his work, but can he make us feel? In addition to my desire for a psychologically complex narrative, I would challenge Nolan to develop some emotional connection between the audience and his characters. His half-hearted characters, though interesting, fail to draw any real connection or raise any concerns from the audience. Despite these drawbacks, 'Inception' is the rare summer blockbuster that stimulates our senses as well as minds.

The deadTree

My Environmental Literature class required a creative component for our final project. I decided to try my hand at digital painting. My sister gave me a brief tutorial of Photo-shop (in like 5 minutes) and even some tips of the trade, like "consume crazy amounts of caffeine."

My philosophy on the subject of 'art' stems from the foundation that Ayn Rand molded. I believe she once said something along the lines of "Art is a recreation of reality according to the artist's metaphysical value-judgments." I would add to that requirement that art must also challenge the moral fabric of the audience, in order to reinforce their moral code, or break them. Depending on how the audience engages the material, determines whether or not the subject under scrutiny is in fact 'art'. Art lies in the perception. With that being said, I think you will gain a better understanding of what I was working to achieve.

Some of the most controversial topics today involve the environment and abortion. A lot of the decisions we have made did not fully capsulize our interests, due to a misunderstanding of what our interests truly are. Leading us to devastate landscapes and civilizations. There are six sacks representing the mythical sixth day of man. I chose a bright color for the fetuses, contrasted with the dark background, in order to draw immediate attention to the sacks. They are sprouting from a dead tree to symbolize our interdependence with nature and draw a possible trajectory for our current state of environmental awareness. Expect me to update this with newer versions as I get the hang of this digital painting thing.

The Fifth of November

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t'was his intent
To blow up the King and Parli'ment.
Three-score barrels of powder below
To prove old England's overthrow;
By God's providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, let the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!
And what should we do with him? Burn him!

Another look at Watchmen

Before I dive into the theme of this entry, I would first like to address why this blog is named the Shadow Gathering. I am aware that in the comic V for Vendetta, V's place of residence is named the Shadow Gallery. The name the Shadow Gallery entails a great deal of things. Primarily that it is, quite simply, a gallery; a place for observation in which an individual may look upon the many artifacts of the world, uncensored. I chose to name this blog the Shadow Gathering, in light of the convictions that V represents. I replaced the word, "gallery," with the word, "gathering," to specifically invite others to engage and respond to these entries. So please, ask questions, and more importantly, think.

A great deal of people feel that by not viewing the Hollywood adaption of "Watchmen," Alan Moore has established himself as some sort of hypocrite, taking the money and claiming to take no part in the film. Although this is untrue, that is not the reason for this entry. My reason for this delayed response to Zack Snyder's version of Watchmen is as follows.

In essence, Watchmen is, quite obviously, a meditation on power. Each character representing different forms of power, from the omnipotent Dr. Manhattan to the meager Rorschach. With the nuclear doomsday clock ticking in the background, the Watchmen's interactions display a great deal of realism, coupled with human reasoning and emotion, or in Dr. Manhattan's case, lack thereof. As powerful as this symbolism is, I believe what most people take from Watchmen is something entirely different.

Unlike most stories, Watchmen is not told in a linear fashion. It is more of a reflection of the chaotic lives of the "real world." It reveals a number of individual stories winding together to one final point. In Zack Snyder's adaptation, he removed the squid, a seemingly harmless move. In addition, his version satisfied a majority of the fan base. But by removing the squid, he removed much more. He erased the existence of the artist's story and in doing so, he removed what sets Watchmen apart from other graphic novels. This why I believe Snyder missed the mark. This is the reason why I believe Alan Moore does not watch any of his works on the big screen. As much as he would like to see an individual's interpretation of his work, I believe that when one has put so much into a product, only to see it stylized to appeal to a less than deserving audience, one can not simply throw those years of one's life away for a two and half hour movie.

Joking, of course

The Joker is, on the surface, an artist's take on the perfect adversary, but as you move further into the character you can uncover more. In the Joker's most recent rendering, he can be quoted in saying, "...it's about sending a message." My interpretation of his message is as follows. Even in an ideally perfect society, may it be a democracy or a non-existent government (anarchy,) the human race will always crumble in the wake of whatever power is claimed. The Joker became a reflection of ourselves. In essence, every person looking out for his or her own interests would be perfect, if every individual did, "the right thing." His message reveals that in a perfect society, it only takes one to bring the community of practice to its knees. That even in a perfect system, there is the opportunity of flaw. Without that opportunity, without that freedom, the people would ultimately be slaves to whatever master claims them. Thus, perpetually sinking deeper and deeper into a sea of chaos. He then explains that no efforts can correct this innate self-destructive nature, and by doing so, you are merely deceiving yourself. Labeling those as "schemers." The Joker chooses to express this message through criminal acts that strike fear into large masses of people, creating the chaos that he believes to be inevitable. This brings in the question of whether people are innately bad, or that people are innately good, but that is a topic that can only be answered for yourself, in your own discovery of truth and self. The Joker's essence radiates a philosophical paradox that continues to be the subject matter of many higher learning communities.

Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici

Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici
(By the power of Truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe)

Welcome to the Shadow Gathering.
The information and the ideas presented through this particular blog, have little intended relation to that of "V," or the graphic novel and film with which he is associated. This blog is, strongly, associated with discovering truth, in particular, self truths. In that sense, this forum of expression and everything that is represented through "V," may very well go hand in hand. Language, in of itself, is an extension of expression and is quite possibly the most complex, yet impossibly simple tool ever created. (This statement about language came from Mr. Yellow during one of our more recent philosophical discussions.) It is more than just letters or words. Language works on planes beyond fundamental forms of expression and beyond what standardized learning institutions have labeled as, "language." From trees releasing pheromones to warn other trees of impending doom, to explaining quantum mechanics, language serves as a tool for communication. Comic books, music, sculptures, movement, hormones, etc. are all mediums in which language thrives.
Individuals have the ability to convey huge metaphysical ideas through the simplest of forms of language. For example, one could analyze a person's body language and derive from that particular person, at the specific point time, what they may or may not be thinking. Usually these sorts of thoughts pertain to sensations but can be deep meditations of self-being and self doubt. Rene Descartes established that everything in the known universe can, in fact, be doubted of existence. Everything except for the fact that you think, therefore, you exist. "Cogito ergo sum," translated, "I think, therefore I am." Now this subject may be a step away from the general metaphysical realm of thought, but its ideas are relevant...(To Be Continued)