Here are a couple of my personal favorite movie moments...
1. Almost Famous: The band is all together in an airplane. The plane enters a storm and begins to experience some serious turbulence. What begins as an attempt by the lead guitarist to express some sentiments of love to his fellow friends and band members, in the face of a danger that might not be survived, soon becomes both a mile-high confession and a frantic, shouting match that reveals some hilariously disturbing secrets and brutal hostilities between the people on board. And the plane suddenly lands to safety.
2. Boogie Nights: Dirk Diggler and two of his friends pull a ridiculously stupid stunt when they visit the home of a notorious (yet simultaneously ridiculous) L.A. cocaine dealer, hoping to score money on a trade of baking soda. Scared out of their wits and tripped out on drugs as they are, the dreadful mood is not relaxed by the menacing bodyguards or inexplicable presence of a young Asian man who walks around the room and randomly lights of firecrackers to the tunes of "Jesse's Girl," which is being blasted to deafening volumes from the stereo. This is one of the most intense scenes of any film I have seen in recent memory.
Interestingly, I have come to realize that both of these scenes serve a very similar function in their respective films. They are perhaps the most important climax moments of both films. The poo hits the fan. Both the bickering rock band Stillwater and the washed out porn star Dirk Diggler are forced to come to terms with the new low that they have found themselves in. What follows for both characters (Stillwater being a character) is a moment of shame and embarrassment, one that will be faced with either despair and resignation or a glorious redemption. These films have many similarities. They both revel in the glory of the 70's, depicting the precarious journey from obscurity to popular fame, and the prices that must be exacted for such a prize. In the end, neither Dirk nor Stillwater can continue on their upward journey until they can admit and "repent" of the cruel and foolish things they have done.
1. Almost Famous: The band is all together in an airplane. The plane enters a storm and begins to experience some serious turbulence. What begins as an attempt by the lead guitarist to express some sentiments of love to his fellow friends and band members, in the face of a danger that might not be survived, soon becomes both a mile-high confession and a frantic, shouting match that reveals some hilariously disturbing secrets and brutal hostilities between the people on board. And the plane suddenly lands to safety.
2. Boogie Nights: Dirk Diggler and two of his friends pull a ridiculously stupid stunt when they visit the home of a notorious (yet simultaneously ridiculous) L.A. cocaine dealer, hoping to score money on a trade of baking soda. Scared out of their wits and tripped out on drugs as they are, the dreadful mood is not relaxed by the menacing bodyguards or inexplicable presence of a young Asian man who walks around the room and randomly lights of firecrackers to the tunes of "Jesse's Girl," which is being blasted to deafening volumes from the stereo. This is one of the most intense scenes of any film I have seen in recent memory.
Interestingly, I have come to realize that both of these scenes serve a very similar function in their respective films. They are perhaps the most important climax moments of both films. The poo hits the fan. Both the bickering rock band Stillwater and the washed out porn star Dirk Diggler are forced to come to terms with the new low that they have found themselves in. What follows for both characters (Stillwater being a character) is a moment of shame and embarrassment, one that will be faced with either despair and resignation or a glorious redemption. These films have many similarities. They both revel in the glory of the 70's, depicting the precarious journey from obscurity to popular fame, and the prices that must be exacted for such a prize. In the end, neither Dirk nor Stillwater can continue on their upward journey until they can admit and "repent" of the cruel and foolish things they have done.
No comments:
Post a Comment