Non-Verbal Writing

I'm a fan of bits of movies where, despite there being no dialogue, we get deep into character. It could be a quirk of behavior, the way someone dresses, or some specific action that's off somehow and makes us think, wonder about the character's background and motivations.

Like this scene in 'Conspiracy Theory' with Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts. Aptly directed by Richard Donner, though the camera style/editing is perhaps a tad dated in 1997. However, the real credit goes to writer Brian Helgeland who managed to make a stock moment visually interesting (on paper, so to speak) and get us deeper into character than would be expected in such a short scene.

First, we wonder why Gibson/Fletcher is parked at night watching a building. What kind of guy does this? It gets creepy when he uses binoculars and icky when we realize he is watching a woman, Roberts/Alice, although the moment is kept light because Fletcher, being wound so tight, has tried to look through the binoculars backwards, through the wrong end, and has to flip them around.

So, is this simply a perv thing? At :47 Fletcher's right hand is out of frame... Is the guy only after cheap thrills? We wonder.

Fletcher realizes Alice is singing and hunts the radio dial trying to match the station to the words Alice mouths.

Fletcher finds the station and the song turns out to be 'Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You' by Frankie Valli (appropriate considering). Okay, nice old song. Fits the genre, makes us feel good. But, then Fletcher's hand goes out of frame again and he's grooving to the song and watching Alice so...creepy again. That kind of action -- unclear, with more than one possible interpretation -- is funny but has a squirm factor too and gets under the audience's skin.

By 2:00, it's clear Fletcher isn't there to get his rocks off. In fact, Alice and Fletcher singing together is more intimate and touching than many love scenes. He's watching this person for some other, more substantial, reason. What? We keep watching and wondering. We want to find out what happens next.

We get our first close look at Alice. Her expression is haunted. Unusual, almost weird, considering she is running on a treadmill. Well...why? Again, we wonder. And so does Fletcher, who asks "Why do you do that? Why do you push yourself?" And, this gets us into Alice's character. It's symbolic that she is on a treadmill -- What is she running from? He wants to know, so do we.

By this point Fletcher has gone from being jittery and nervous to calm and contemplative. We know something about him and like him more than we did at the beginning of the scene. Now, he doesn't seem like a perv, he seems like a man who, for whatever reasons, has feelings for Alice and is concerned for her. But, it's a curious thing. What is it about just seeing this woman from a block away that would bring about such a change in this man?

We're hooked. We need to know what will happen between these characters. In just two minutes, without dialogue, Helgeland manages to sketch not one but two characters and their relationship to each other and does so in an entertaining, visual way in a memorable scene with good forward motion. Not bad.
























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Awkward Clip From Mel Gibson's 'How I Spent My Summer Vacation'

I dislike this movie already. Originally with the title 'Get the Gringo' it sounded like an 80s or 90s throwback. New title, however, is no better. 'How I Spent My Summer Vacation' is exactly like the titles we got from Shane Black -- Lethal Weapon, The Last Action Hero, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, etc.

In the clip, especially in the first seconds, Gibson looks particularly uncomfortable. He's a bit mechanical and it plays forced. Not sure anyone would enjoy 90 minutes of this. The fact his character gives a kid a cigarette doesn't help either the movie's appeal (or Gibson's image). Makes you wonder if his character has any fight scenes with women...

Currently rolling out in foreign markets. Will be available in the US (VOD) May 1.




















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'The Beaver' Rollout

Here's a few clips.

And an interview with Jodie Foster.

'The Beaver'

I like it. Jodie Foster is her usual intense captivating self. Mel Gibson's character looks more substantial and layered and endearing than many the actor has portrayed.

Trailer is a pleasant surprise. Caught off guard by how affecting it is. If the movie delivers what the trailer promises, Oscar nominations should follow (despite recent events). I guess that might depend largely on release date. If movie is forgotten by following awards season, 'The Beaver' may still give a boost to careers.

Simpsons Clip (But, Wait! There's More!)

Ropeofsilicon has "The Simpsons Movie" clip.

But, wait! There's more! Yes! More! They also have 10 clips from "Casino Royale"! That's right! 10 clips!

Hey, I've watched these and they're all good. People are saying this is the best Bond pic ever and I have to agree -- the pithy quips actually move the plot along and have a natural feel (as natural as dialogue gets in a Bond movie), thanks to writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. The editing and camera are top drawer material -- nod to director Martin Campbell. The action sequences have a lot of pop while maintaining plausibility (unlike previous Bond fantasies), and the babes are the hottest ever in a Bond film -- bar none. Don't believe me? See for yourself.

Fur
The Reeler has a podcast interview with "Fur" director Steven Shainberg. Here is their intro:

As reported last week on The Reeler, there's been a lot of weirdness surrounding director Steven Shainberg's latest film Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus, which opens today in New York. There's lead actress Nicole Kidman absent at her own premiere, Robert Downey Jr. covered in hair, a combustible exchange or 10 between Shainberg and his critics, and God knows what else I'm missing. But set all of that aside for a second and just consider the film, which is actually a well-made little fairy tale about Arbus' transition from loyal housewife and her husband's photography assistant to being a internationally acclaimed photographer in her own right. It has its narrative flaws, agreed, but it also wields its titular imagination in wildly revealing and magnanimous ways, and should be considered on its own terms rather than those demanding a Behind-the-Musicesque concession to bloodless melodrama.

But enough of me: I asked Shainberg about where Fur came from, where he tried to take it and what he makes of the reaction it has received since its festival roll-out late last summer. It's an intriguing listen.

Podcast

November 13, 2006
Apocalypto
Will Mel's recent PR blip vitiate the box office of his Mayan opus "Apocalypto"? How strong will the Latino audience be? From NPR's Morning Edition:

Mel Gibson's new movie, Apocalypto, opens on December 8.

The film is performed entirely in a Mayan dialect and has not stars. So its distributor, Walt Disney Company, faces quite a marketing challenge.

Gibson is hoping to generate support for his project through a grass-roots movement among Latino audiences.

Report by Kim Masters