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Bug (2006)
A Different Kind Of Horror Film...
It's difficult to discuss William Friedkin's "Bug" because, like his 1973 classic "The Exorcist" before it, it relies on atmosphere, not events. One can only go so far in stating the synopsis because it is a film that demands you know the bare essentials going in.
Primarily, "Bug" concerns a woman who has seized to believe in much of anything, and what lengths she will go to believe again. It is also about the influence that one person can have on another, especially when it comes to radical beliefs. And it begs the question: can one person's reality, no matter how fantastical, become someone else's, even when this reality could be false? Agnes White (Ashley Judd, in one of her very best performances) has been living in the Rustic Motel, a rundown joint in the South West. She has been receiving mysterious phone calls from someone (she believes it is be her ex-husband Jerry, who has just been released from prison.) One night she gets a visit from her friend and sometimes-girlfriend R.C. (Lynn Collins), who has brought with her a strange man named Peter Evans (Michael Shannon). "What do you think?", asks R.C. "He may be an ex-murderer," Agnes whispers. The three drink and when R.C. goes home, Peter offers to stay. Agnes is timid at first; Peter is strangely odd and tends to talk in a monotonous voice, but he doesn't seem dangerous. He tells her he "picks up on things" and that he can tell she is lonely. She doesn't disagree, and tells him it's nice to have someone around. He speaks of his time in the Marines, about hidden machinery watching American citizens, about secret experiments, and Agnes just listens. Peter spends the night but in the morning, there is a surprise awaiting Agnes.
That is where I must stop. I went in knowing absolutely nothing about the film and it was this factor that had me enjoying "Bug" so much. Besides a few clichés towards the beginning (such as the repeated phone calls) the story is gripping because of the smart but unadorned dialogue and the acting from Judd. There is a scene later in the film when Judd and Shannon are discussing different kinds of bed bugs, and the two are so quick and funny with their dialogue that it seems improvised.
But isn't this a horror film? In a way, yes. There are horror elements, but not in the sense as recent horror movie endeavors. There is hardly an horror violence; it is, for the most part, a sense of dread, and the awareness that what is happening to these two characters may not be real.
It is based on a play by Trecy Letts, who adapted his play for the screen. The structure of the film stays true to the stage version, as it, for the most, takes place entirely in a motel room. Only occasionally are we let outside, and when we are, it is from a view above in a helicopter. The helicopters, in fact, are used as a device to signal a growing threat. Very often in scenes in the motel room we hear the sound of helicopters passing by, a reminder that the characters are being watched. But are they really there, or are we hearing them through the ears of the characters? Friedkin uses harsh, warm lighting in the motel room and a mixture of shaky camera-work with static shots, sometimes letting the actors do their character work, sometimes taking the initiative to create tension. There is no visible antagonist, like there was in "The Exorcist". We are never sure if these bugs that are eventually terrorizing the two main characters are real or merely schizophrenic delusions. Whatever the answer, however, it is soon happening to the two of them and any sense of objectivity in the film is gone.
Amblin' (1968)
"Amblin'... places I want to go..."
In commenting on this film, I must take into account that the majority of those reading have not seen Amblin'. I must also take into account my appreciation for Spielberg. As a filmmaker myself, I can easily state Spielberg was the person who lead me to where I am now. His films have meant more than entertainment to me. So it was with this motivation that I made my best attempt to seek out this film. After watching it, I found that experiencing Amblin' was a special if not entirely distinctive experience.
The job of a filmmaker is to tell a story visually. This is exactly what Spielberg does. In fact, it is purely told with images. Not one word is spoken throughout the film (save the main song "Amblin" by October Country.) Tracking shots, special photographic effects, freeze frames, and transitions are the tools that Spielberg uses to tell the story. We don't need words.
For those who are interested, I have supplied a basic outline of the events in the story. Those who do not want to know would do well to skip down after the stars.
The film opens with the sound of wind and the title song as we see the credits over shots of the sun (one of Spielberg's trademarks) at first light. We are introduced to the main character (The Boy) from a high angle, walking along a long, dusty highway road. As we go in closer, Spielberg uses a camera move from Seven Samurai to introduce the Girl. With only an exchange of looks between the two, they decide to move on together.
One of the sequences that follow is an olive-spitting contest; with a can of olives, they see who can spit the nuts the farthest across the breakdown line on the road. It's an old hat sequence with some strange sound effects but it works. Unfortunately, there is a trick Spielberg uses here and quite a lot in the film: the freeze frame (with a strange pluck of a guitar as a sound effect.) On the first viewing, it's quite jarring as it brings you out of the story, but on multiple viewings it works. (It's an experimental element, something Godard would use quite a lot.) Through the second act, which consists of about 11 minutes, we find our characters trying to hitch rides from unwilling drivers (in one section, the Girl flags down the cars as the Boy is hiding. By the time he runs to the Girl, the car is gone.) After practically getting run over by a speeding car, they hide in a dark tunnel and, seen only in silhouette, smoke pot. What follows is a nicely done sequence of special photographic effects where we witness the Boy's experience of being high. Dissolves and color corrections highlight the series of images.
Throughout the film, the Boy has been carrying a guitar case and there is a nice motif of the Girl constantly trying the open the case; the Boy keeps stopping her. There is also a sequence where they are picked up by some kids in one of those '60s buses. The boy feels out of place and it takes a couple of moments for the Girl to realize this. The kids are trying to open his case but he stops them. Consequently, they are dropped off again.
At the end of the second act, we find ourselves at a campfire. The two characters exchange looks and, in a few moments, and some very well done shots, they kiss. The transition between the end of this scene to the third act is one of those brilliant scene-transitions Spielberg is known for. A shot of a zipper being zipped dissolves into a moving shot of a painted line on the road. Spielberg would use these connecting ideas in all of his subsequent films. (I am especially reminded of Always, Schindler's List, and the scene directly after the murder of Chrissie in Jaws.) Finally, in the third act, they reach the Pacific Coast and, as the Boy jumps into the Ocean, the Girl looks into the guitar case and discovers something about the Boy. She picks up her things and leaves as the Boy stays in the water, in a way, finding himself.
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One of the main themes in the body of Spielberg's work is the lost boy, and this is no clearer than in Amblin'. This is a Boy who doesn't know whether to hit the books or follow his dreams; to lead a structured life or a free one; to be uptight or liberated. This is only an interpretation but I'm guessing this is what Spielberg was feeling at the time. The dream of meeting another person who can connect and understand you is a dream that most people have. Interestingly enough, the ending is a rather melancholy one for a Spielberg film, something he would do again in The Sugarland Express. (Duel and Something Evil have more inclusive endings.) Of course, there are trademarks that can be found here that are apparent in his future films. I have already mentioned the transitions between scenes, which create a more cohesive film. There are also moments where characters look off-screen as we dolly in on their faces. And there are scenes that open on a detail in the scene and we pull back to reveal the characters (instead of giving us an establishing shot first and then into the details.)
If you take the story and just look at it without the mise-en-scene, it's a rather bland and clichéd story. It's the directing and style that makes it noteworthy. Steven Spielberg used this film to get his contract into Universal Studios and while it's not as great as I thought it would be, it definitely was a pleasure to experience.