1.18.2012

Drive is all about Ryan Gosling’s character. A loner who decides to get involved with the lives of others, with catastrophic results.

Full article pending…

Mr. Nobody {Jaco Van Dormael, 2009}

Mr. Nobody. Wow. Where do I start? This film has so much going on that I think I’ll just start with how I discovered it. That seems a little easier to tackle and will help me segue into the actual analysis/deconstruction of this incredibly ambitious filmmaking endeavor.

I’ve been living in LA for just over two years, and volunteering at the American Cinematheque for about a year now. I go to a lot of screenings, and have a pretty good calendar system, which helps me organize what screenings I want to keep an eye on from The Cinematheque, The New Beverly, The Nuart etc. I had just completed the calendar for the month of December when my French friend came over and immediately grabbed a marker and proceeded to highlight “Mr. Nobody”. “You HAVE to see this film,” she said, so I agreed I would. Cut to; the day of the screening when I am tired and don’t feel like taking the bus all the way from Silverlake to Santa Monica, and much less to see a Belgian film where I will most likely have to read subtitles (I was tired and didn’t want to read!). I just wasn’t in the mood, but I had promised her I would see it, and I didn’t want her to be disappointed in me so I jumped on the bus and headed to the Aero.

As noted above, I was already in kind of a grumpy mood. All I kept thinking was “This film better blow me away”. As soon as Peter DeBruge of Variety introduced the film, I started to realize that I was in for something really special. And then the film started, and I was totally hooked. It should be noted that Mr. Nobody is actually in English, which definitely helped my enthusiasm for it (I’m not a subtitle hater, I just like to get the performances in my native language). Suffice to say I walked out of that screening and called a close friend of mine from back home (Maine) to inform him that “I have just seen one of the best films made in the last ten years” and I truly meant it. I was deeply moved and would continue to think about this film incessantly for the next 3 weeks.

So what was so special about Mr. Nobody? Why did I order the $35 bluray online immediately after getting home from the screening? What propelled me to watch it 2 more times once the bluray arrived, and then call a bunch of friends over and screen it for them? If this film is so special than why have you not seen it, or even heard of it for that matter?

According to the introduction of the film and some random chatter I heard after the screening the story seems to go something like this…

Mr. nobody was made for a whopping $58 million (although IMDB shows 47 and others have stated 60). That might not seem like a lot in the US, but for Belgium it’s unheard of, especially when you factor in the genre of the film. Oh sorry, I haven’t gotten to that yet, but let’s just say it isn’t  some big-budget Hollywood science fiction film akin to Transformers (cringe) or Avatar, or even an action movie with a lot of explosions (not to say it doesn’t have eye candy). So what exactly is Mr. Nobody and why did it require so much money to make? It’s probably up for debate, but I would categorize Mr. nobody as something of a cerebral/sci-fi/romantic/drama (CSFRD). That’s right, all that money was put into a beautiful, experimental, thinking film, and the results are amazing. The financial aspect relates to the fact that this film is ambitiously attempting to create about 9 films in one, and one temporal film (inside joke). It’s beautifully shot and crafted in a way to help separate all of the stories and ideas that are happening, some of which do actually require some pretty fantastical visual elements of science fiction storytelling.

It apparently took 5-6 years for the project to get off the ground, and once completed its initial runtime was cut by about 16 mins. It received positive responses from film festivals, but was never accepted at Cannes. It then had an incredibly rough time with distribution, despite being in English, and having a recognizable American actor. So the film never even got an American release. In fact it was never even screened in America until two years later at the LA film festival. It simply fell through the cracks and disappeared.

And that is why I am sitting here spending my time writing about it. I love films like this and I feel a duty to let the world know about them. I constantly hear people say “Nothing is original” and “Hollywood just keeps making the same crap, sequels and remakes etc”.  Well for anyone who wants something incredibly refreshing and different, something that will keep you up at night thinking, and maybe even change the way you view life, look no further. Mr. Nobody will do just that.

So there’s my intro, now lets get into the film itself and try to analyze and deconstruct this incredibly ambitious undertaking from director Jaco Van Dormael

If you go to the wikipedia page you will find that others have already done a pretty good job of breaking down the different storylines and ideas as well as themes and technical aspects (use of color and sound etc). So what else is there to talk about!? Well a lot actually. Mainly I want to give my feedback on the film by introducing my thoughts and ideas about it. Whenever I see a film, whether I like it or not, I try to break it down and understand why I felt the way I felt. Maybe these thoughts will help others to look at Mr. nobody in a different way, or better understand the complex storylines.

Note: ‘Mr. Nobody Chart’
You can look through the wikipedia page, and/or use the visual chart which I created below as a reference to the story. The wiki page actually has some errors [the Old Nemo on the television in the abandoned house is not 118 yrs old he is actually 104. “I am you, seventy years older” to the 34 yr old Nemo.] The chart displays the 3 main age groups horizontally with the differeing storylines flowing vertically through them. The ‘Argyle’ world is represented to the right side in white and flows down to the bottom and 4th age stage. The chart does not show his unborn self or the story leading up to the train station. Confused yet? Hopefully the chart will work as a quick visual reference, for those who have seen the film, to be utilized in tandem with this article. For those who haven’t seen the film, the chart will hopefully shed enough light to allow you to follow the logic. If not, go see Mr. Nobody…NOW!

Disclaimer
I’ve seen Mr. nobody about 4 times in the last month, and I’ve tried to really pay attention and gather information accurately. That being said, even on the fourth watch I realized that I had gotten some stuff mixed up and had to either go back and edit the visual chart, or re-write something I had written previously. So don’t be afraid to bring an error or something to my attention. I don’t want to mis-represent anything. Bear with me, it’s not easy to have 100% accuracy when writing about a two and a half hour long mind-bending film.

Mr. Nobody Begins “What did I do to deserve this?”
Mr. Nobody begins with a very simple yet thought-provoking visual of a pigeon problem-solving a man-made environmental task. This is used to set up both a later version of our main character Nemo, AKA Mr. Nobody, as well as introduce us to some of the primary themes/concepts of the film; instinctual responses, superstitious behaviors, causes and effects, and even karma, to name a few.

The pigeons are represented as creatures that only understand their survival instincts and respond accordingly. They are not privy to the greater forces at play i.e the scientists pulling the strings and formulating circumstances to analyze their behavior. Nemo on the other hand does have access to the man behind the curtain, because he is the wizard. At the end of the film it is revealed that he is the architect of all the storylines that we have been presented with. The problem is that his gained knowledge, does not necessarily make it any easier for him to make a decision.

The parallels between the pigeons and humans in the film could relate to a number of things. To me a broad view would be to say that ‘ignorance is bliss’. The pigeons just live. That’s it. And this seems to be a re-curring theme represented by the oldest version of Nemo. He is consistently emphasizing the importance of living life;
“Life is a playground, or nothing”
“Each of these lives is the right one. Every path is the right path. Everything could have been anything else and it would have just as much meaning”.

Questions
Weird continuity or story issues. If 9yr old Nemo leaves with his mother and her new boyfriend, then why is the boyfriend introduced when Nemo is 15 in Montreal as if Nemo didn’t know him. And why is he also introduced to Anna as if he didn’t know her?

What’s up with Nemo’s father? Is he handicapped due to an untold branched story where he is hit by his car instead of the woman with the carriage? He also seems to have memory issues; often forgetting Nemo is his son.

What is the idea behind people’s hair on mars? It seems to be wrapped in plastic, or covered in some kind of clear gelatin. Is this to keep hair from getting into important electronic equipment or something?

Why the use of Argyle patterns in the one bizarre storyline? Is there any significance or is it just a way to separate it visually from the other storylines?

And as revealed at the end of the film, everything exists within Nemo’s undecided 9yr old mind. SO put simply, Nemo is the pigeon only he is able to see the strings of his environment and alter them. The problem is, even knowing the result of something doesn’t necessarily make it any easier to make a decision.

There are remnants of all the stories within each other. All the stories come from the same source “The Architect” so they all have similarities and things that relate back to Nemo as a 9yr old boy. The pools, the sci-fi writing (he can predict the future). He has the ability to see the future so it makes sense that he would be a science fiction writer, because he can see into the future

The Argyle world has the scene where he finds his mother with a different son. This further helps reveal this storyline as one in which Nemo does not exist. At least not in the sense that he was born to his parents. Is this storyline created by the unborn Nemo? Parts of it are narrated by him, it seems. But it could also be him at age 9?

Similar Films/Possible Influences
After watching Mr. nobody I couldn’t stop thinking about all the ideas it contained and the relationship of those ideas to other films. As I’ve stated multiple times, Mr. nobody is very ambitious, in fact it seems to contain elements of all these films…
Donnie Darko/The Matrix/Run Lola Run/Source Code/What the #$*! Do We (K)now!?

Symbols and Representations of The Butterfly Effect
Leaf/Butterfly/Egg Shell/Birds/Purchase of jeans/Drug addict at the train station

Quotes

12358 Alois Street

“Wouldn’t seem like much fun, knowing what’s going to happen” –Anna age 15

The Arrow of Time. “What will become of time?”

“Have you heard of the butterfly effect?”

“What did I do to deserve this?”

“I don’t understand, did you go with your mother or stay with your father?” (check this quote, happens right before the shoelace scene)

“Do I really Exist?”

“How do we distinguish between illusion and reality?”

“Why do we remember the past but not the future?”

“I’m Mr. Nobody, the man who doesn’t exist”

“As long as you don’t choose everything remains possible”

“I will never leave anything to chance again”

“There comes a time in life when everything seems narrow. Choices have been made. I can only continue on. I know myself like the back of my hand. I can predict my every reaction. Everything is predictable. My life has been cast in cement, with airbags and seatbelts. I’ve controlled everything. I’ve done everything to reach this point, and now that I am here I’m fucking bored. The hardest thing is knowing whether I’m still alive.”

“They say that if you slow your breathing time slows down”

“We’ll meet near the lighthouse”

“And this is what I have been waiting for all this time. Renouncing all possible lives for one only, with you”

“A single snowflake can bend the leaf of the bamboo” –Chinese proverb

“Life is a playground, or nothing”

“Everything works out in the end. Even badly”

“Each of these lives is the right one. Every path is the right path. Everything could have been anything else and it would have just as much meaning”

“In chess it’s called zugzwang. When the only viable move is not to move”

“My producers don’t like me saying it, but it’s really a big-budget experimental film about the many different lives one person can live, depending on the choices he makes. It’s about the infinite possibilities facing any person. There are no good or bad choices in life. It’s simply that each choice will create another life for you. What’s interesting is to be alive.”-(Director) Jaco Van Dormael

Mr. Nobody_Visual Reference

Inspiration: Four Rooms, New York I love you, Paris, je t’aime.
I immediately thought of the “I love you films” which were done exactly in the style that you guys talked about (a series of shorts that loosely connect to serve an ultimate idea of some kind). Some pretty well-known directors were involved with these projects including: Gus Van Sant, the Coen brothers, Sylvain Chomet, Wes Craven, Tom Tykwer, Alfonso Cuarón, Alexander Payne, etc.

Links here:
New York, I love you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York,_I_Love_You
Paris, Je t’aime: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris,_je_t%27aime

I thought it would be cool to do a similar idea, but with Los Angeles in mind. Now don’t start booing me yet! The two films above are just about love stories that take place in either of the respective cities. I thought it would be a lot cooler to make the film about LA itself.

When I first moved to LA two years ago, I had NO idea what I was in for. I had never been to LA or even California for that matter. Outsiders just see LA as a single entity, but if you live here you realize that it’s a city consisting of a bunch of smaller areas i.e Hollywood, Korea town, Downtown, The Valley, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica etc. (short stories making up a whole). Start to see where I’m going?

So my quick brainstorm idea was to have each short set in one of these areas of LA, and have it revolve around the kinds of people and things that the respective place represents.

In other words, we would get a glimpse into the way of life and the people of each specific area. To people outside of LA it would work as a window into the world of this very interesting city, and for people that live here they could sit back and relate to all of the stories that are taking place.

I’m sure we all live or have lived in various parts of the city and could offer unique perspectives on those areas. Maybe this would be a good way for the directors and actors to choose which short they would work on?

So overall this was just my immediate reaction to the concept. I don’t want to mimic the above-mentioned films, but I think they are a good jumping off point.

In fact I’m sure there is probably already a “Los Angeles, I Love You” in the works…

Anyways, just my idea. Thought I would throw it out there now and get a head start on next Mondays brainstorming session. Thanks -Dan

I hadn’t seen Grease in years, seriously…years!  I think maybe back in middle school when my sister would watch it ad nauseam, although she seems to deny this, perhaps it felt that way due to the fact that she owned the soundtrack and played it frequently. Anyway, who can deny the catchy songs, Olivia Newton John who is crazy hot, and John Travolta as a bad-ass.

The film was introduced by Vikki Lizzi (wife of Jeff Conaway/Kenickie). A really heartfelt opening that made me squirt a few. She informed us that Jeff had come up with the idea of how to handle the scene where Kenickie and Danny hug after discussing being a second for thunder road. He saw it as a love scene between two guys and thought about the hug with immediate reaction to come their hair and seem cool again. She also said that his favorite line was “Your chariot awaits” when inviting Rizzo into his car. After the film director Randal Kleiser did a Q&A. Very friendly (I chatted with him a bit afterward) and informative, Randal had some great stories to tell. He talked about how the ending scene was shot in 102 degree weather and everybody gave it their all. he also mentioned that the film was shot in roughly 56 days (?) and they only had about 5 weeks of prep.

He said that when he talked with director Robert Wise (Sound of Music/West Side Story) about how to shoot a musical wise asked how much prep time and when he told him 5 weeks wise told him to quit the job, informing him that a musical required a full year of prep time.

He also talked about how they were disturbing others while rehearsing on the paramount lots, including Jack Nicholson who was working on ‘Goin’ South’ and Warren Beatty who was involved in ‘Heaven Can Wait’.

Randal also made a jab about actors and how he misses working with really professional ones who have studied the craft. he said that a lot of actors now “just have pretty faces and think that’s all they need to get by”. He said it was great to be so new at the business but still have all these veteran actors treat him respectfully and completely professionally. He also said that he partly landed the job because of John Travolta’s high recommendation of him from previous work they had done together.

He also pointed out that Michael Bhien (Aliens/Terminator) plays an extra, notably the one who gets punched by Travolta on the basketball court.

He also mentioned how ironic it was that Olivia Newton John actually requested a screen test because she wanted to feel comfortable. Apparently she was hesitant to do another film after the failure of one she had done previously. he noted that this “was probably the only time in history where an actress actually requested to be screen tested” and laughed.

Randal also explained that the Thunder Road sequence had homages to ‘Ben-Hur’ with the blades on the tires section. He originally wanted to do more of a tribute by staging the scene on a football field with floats, but the studio said it would be too costly so they shot it at the LA river, which he said worked out better anyway. Another scene that didn’t make it was one in which he wanted to shoot Sandra D singing in the rain, using a song from the original musical, but it was pointed out that her makeup would run and her hair would get wet and she would “resemble a drowned rat” so the idea was scrapped. Also noted was a scene that “is probably in the Paramount Vaults somewhere” which was shot to indicate the fighting between Rizzo and kenickie, but in the end the scene just didn’t work so it was taken out. Other than that Randal said that everything you see was basically how the script was. Although things like the drive-in were somewhat improvised. he got 50′s trailer footage from Chicago and the day of the shoot they screened it all and decided on the cartoon with the hot dog, and he asked it they could sink it up with the ending of the song so that the hot dog bows at the end. He said it was a fast and hectic shoot but fun, and that most of the musical numbers only took a day to shoot.

Another great screening and informative Q&A from LA’s public film school =)

-Dan 7/31/2011

He also

Films I’ve seen Here:

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Where The Wild Things Are

[View The Comic Here: The Teleporting Man (PDF)]

So after seeing this movie opening day of course, I found myself stuck in quite a nostalgic memory of a happy time in my life.  Yup thats right, the year was 2001 and The Fast And Furious had just come out. The other films in this series of 4 were ok, just fun to watch. The 1st and the 4th seem to have some kind of inpermiable bond. This coming from someone who enjoys cars more than almost anything else. And that is what these films achieved very well, that other films did ok with. It was the hightend sense of the filmakers being able to capture (some) truth in the automotive world, being able to create that almost completly believable atmosphere that most people just dream of. A synergy between actor and auto, which comes across as truth.

That aside, I cant say I was a huge fan of the CG in this film, of the other films, but it was ok, enough to suspend the beilief that it was “real enough”. This movie really brings the viewer back to 2001. Sharing most of the same actors, and some of the same sets. Just an odd sense of history that kind of makes you smile when thinking about it. I was born in 85′ so at the time I was only 16 and still thought the movie was a bit to hollywoodized, even still so enjoyable to watch.  This little review thing im doing might bounce around a bit, so stick with me.

The plot took a piece out of 2 Fast 2 Furious, the part about needing drivers, as well as getting Brian O’connors friends records clean. There also was a very unexpected twist that I didnt see coming, and didnt like at first, but ultimatly it made the film more realistic, and gave all the more reason to watch in wonderment about what the characters were going to do next.  I must say I like how this one ties up a few loose ends from the others. Some of the side stories are very simular, and repeated in films, for example Jordana Brewster and Paul Walker hook up again, lol who saw that coming?! Besides that this film stands by itself outside the others with the amount of emotion displayed, maybe not award winning performances, but great in my mind, believable enough so you never really think what your watching isnt real.

There is also a bit of foreshadowing when Hon feels the heat, and decides to run off to Tokyo, which is obviously where the 3rd film comes into play. Making this film, technically the 3rd on a time line in the series. And dont argue with me, I right godamit, I argued this with a few friends, and after carefull explanation, Im still right!

The ending was dare I say it? Yeah, it was kind of sad, but then you soon see what is really happening and cheer with joy inside, trying to fight off that smile that has been lingering throughout the film. It was a perfect ending, theres really nothing else that can be said about that.

I through in some screen shots found off google, and a picture of both movie posters for a simple comparison.

More to come…

Tyler 4/8/2009

These are my notes from Season Three

Jack reawakens at “The Hydra” in a big tank for sharks and dolphins. Sawyer is in the zoo and Kate is put there too

“Henry Gale” is actually Ben

Hitchhiker that Locke picks up is wearing the geronemo jackson t-shirt, the band that there are albums of in the hatch

In the polar bear cave when john goes to save ecko, he finds a toy dump truck, and skeletons wearing shirts with “the pearl” station logo on them

Desmond said that “lock made a speech” about going to save jack kate and sawyer

Unit 23c- where the 10 million is that the guy in prison with sawyer had stolen

Ecko’s last words as he died were “you are next” or as lock said “we are next”- this is after the black smoke grabs ecko and smashes him into the trees and ground to kill him. What he thought was his brother was not his brother.

“Shepard (jack) wasn’t even on Jacob’s list…who the fuck is jacob!?!?!

desmond can see flashes o things before they happen and he tries to keep saving charlie’s life but “the universe has a way of course-corecting itself” and he tells charlie that he can’t keep trying to save him because no matter what he is going to die

“he walks amongst us, but he is not one of us” is what jack’s tattoo says but “it is not what it means” (jack)

Some Favorite Episodes: S3 Ep10-Hurley drives the van, S4 EP05-Desmond’s Time Traveling,

man with eyepatch is the last living member of the Dharma Initiative- he replied to an advertisement that read “do you want to save the world?” put out by Dharma. He has been on the island for 11 years at the Flame station which communicates to the outside world. He says there was a war between Dharma and “the hostiles” which he did not participate in. He also said the hostiles were on the island for a long time before Dharma was there.

Jack and Claire are brother and sister!!!!!

Locke tells ben that he has a better understanding of the island because Ben is in a wheelchair and he is not, despite the fact that Ben has lived his entire life on the island.

queerest episode ever!!!!- Season 3 Episode 14- beyond pointless

there was a cover up: flight 815 the plane was found and there were no survivors, that’s what the outside world thinks

Screencapture #234 is of “Jacob” who appears invisible to Lock, but Ben can see him. “Jacob is not someone you visit, he is someone who summons you”-Ben. and Jacob is not a fan of technology
Jacob said to Lcok “Help Me”

Roger Work Man, that is found in the hippie van is Ben’s father. He was not born on the island he was brought there. Ben also killed his own father to join with “the hostiles” which includes Richard (the guy who looks like joe orefice) Ben was part of the Dharma initiative who came to the island “seeking harmony” all the people were killed with gas by the hostiles

A station called “The Looking Glass” is underwater and Ben is using it to jam signals from the island so that passing boats can’t pick them up. The symbol of this station is a rabbit (alice in wonderland)

Dester Straton (DS) what charlie’s ring stands for, not Drive Shaft, it was an heirloom past down by his mother. They named the band after the initials

the 5 best moments of Charlie’s life, he writes before swimming into The Looking Glass…his “Greatest Hits”

Nirvana Song : Scentless Apprectice is played in jacks jeep in a flashback when he has a beard. look up lyrics Later  S4E13/14: Pixies-Gouge Away

Dan Pierce 2/2/2009