Top Ten Movies of 2013

1) The Wolf of Wall Street
2) Man of Steel
3) Gravity
4) Her
5) Inside Llewyn Davis
6) This is the End
7) Pacific Rim
8) Star Trek Into Darkness
9) The Conjuring
10) Captain Phillips

#35 ALIEN

"The first trauma is birth"


"Alien" is the quintessential Sci-Fi Horror movie, and when people think of the movie they generally think of this perfect movie monster. In my opinion, as far as movie monsters go, it doesn't get any better than this. Its the image of those salivating, shiny, razor sharp teeth. Its that second layer of teeth that come sling-shotting forward. Its the absolute hostility, the fascinating look of his head which is part phallus, part vagina, part death skull. Its the biomechanical look of its body, its exo-skeleton, that lethal tail. Its all shiny black death. It just totally rules.

So the monster is absolutely amazing but let's put this in perspective. The movie is two hours and four minutes long and you see the actual Alien for maybe five minutes. That means that for approximately two hours you don't see the Alien and for about half of the movie you don't even know it exists. I adore this movie. I watch it again and again and as I began thinking about this essay and watching the movie again I realized that it can't just be great because of this perfect movie monster. Don't get me wrong. It's amazing how incredibly potent this creature is but there's much more to this movie, especially the first half. It's about atmosphere and threat. It's about a trajectory of unease transitioning into a primal terror. What "Alien" really is is a visceral representation of perinatal trauma, our first and possibly greatest trauma as human beings, the most primal of terrors that this movie taps into.

Much of the terror of birth comes when the contractions start. You're resting calmly in an oceanic bliss and then the whole universe changes. Descriptions of this process include: (Overwhelming feelings of increased anxiety and an awareness of an imminent vital threat. The experience of being swallowed by a terrifying monster or being attacked by a monstrous spider. Images of being stuck or trapped. A feeling of no way out. The experience of suffocation. Condemned to a claustrophobic nightmare with no escape. A struggle for survival amidst crushing pressures. If you've seen "Alien" before you know that these descriptions basically describe this movie.

Its no coincidence that Ridley Scott chose H.R. Giger to design everything revolving around the Alien, from the Derelict (Alien Ship) to the parasitic organism to the Alien. Giger is a master, through his art, at representing the archetypal imagery of perinatal terror. Whether Ridley Scott was conscious or unconscious of this connection to the perinatal the whole movie is marinating in it.

So the movie begins.....

You see a beautiful shot of outer space, stars, utter black emptiness, and in super close up you see a dark planet encircled by a glowing greenish yellow ring. The camera moves left to right very slowly, allowing you to take in this striking image. Just because a movie is terrifying doesn't mean it can't be beautiful. I don't think Ridley Scott could make a movie look bad even if he tried real hard. The musical score in the background feels somber, desolate, and scary. The music in this movie by Jerry Goldsmith is perfect, constantly capturing and building upon the mood and atmosphere of the movie. The next shot is of the Nostramus, a mining ship where most of the movie will take place. The camera takes its time revealing the vastness of the ship as it cruises on by. It looks rustic and industrial and the look and the camera angle remind me of Star Wars. Definately a cool factor here. Of course something can look cool and disturbing as well. It reminds me of a dark castle floating in space, or some might say a haunted house. The camera then goes inside the ship. The score shifts from somber and creepy to somber, haunting, and ominous. The inside of the ship feels claustrophobic and desolate and its almost in total darkness. With the combination of the music and the movement of the camera (Totally reminds me of Kubrick and "The Shining") it almost feels haunted inside, like something really bad once happened here or maybe something really bad is about to occur. We're basically talking about a haunted house motif in space, and getting back to the overarching theme of this movie, a haunted house can also symbolize a hostile womb.

This whole opening is this brilliant atmospheric foreshadowing. Something terrible is going to happen on this ship. Its going to be a really, really bad place to be. As the tension builds in this movie it is going to be taking place mainly in an environment where the corridors and rooms are narrow and the ceilings are low. As the movie progresses towards its beast the ship will also get progressively darker until it looks like it does in this opening exploration. Once things really start getting fucked up the terror in the movie is going to feel like no way out, like the walls are closing in, like its hard to breath. The actual environment will literally mirror this and create a visceral terror.

THE SLOW BUILD

It begins in a calm sleep. Then comes disappointment and unease. It then transitions into fear, and then into panic and terror.

You first see the crew of seven waking up from a deep hypersleep. There's a feeling of calm and relief. They've almost made it home to Earth. All is well. They then find out that the ship's computer has altered their course so that they're in another system and much farther away from Earth than expected. They then find out that the computor has intercepted a transmission of unknown origin, and that they have to go to an unknown planet to investigate. Fuck this. Parker says it best. "I just wanna go home and party."
The entire sequence of getting to the planet and then returning to the ship is an example of why this movie works on so many levels. First there's the cool factor. Yes it's atmospheric as all hell but it's still a sci-fi movie and it has the kick-ass elements of a sci-fi movie. The spaceship while resembling a haunted house and serving as a gradually mounting claustrophobic nightmare looks really cool. It's very rustic and industrial which to me makes it feel more real, and enough cool gadgetry to keep you immersed in the fact that it's a spaceship. In the vision you can see the influence of both Star Wars and 2001. What's not cool about a spaceship, and what's not cool about a dropship? The dropship detaches itself from its dock and makes its way towards the planet. Enter the beauty factor. The shot of this ship against the massiveness of this planet is amazing. There's the glowing ring and the glowing yellowish blue moon nearby and this minuscule looking ship in comparison. Just an example of numerous stunning images in this movie. Nobody shoots a movie like Ridley Scott. They all look beautiful.

One of my favorite movies is "The Silence of the Lambs" There's a great moment in that movie that reminds me of so much of what Ridley Scott does in "Alien." Clarice Starling has, unknown to her but known to the audience, entered the home of the terrifying serial killer in the movie. Instead of continuing on with the scene of the two of them in his home there is a pause. The next shot is of the outside of the house and the neighborhood. One of my fondest memories of first watching this movie was the buzz of the audience in anticipation of what was going to happen next. The audience was able to really take in this moment of suspense, savor it, and let it build a little more before moving on to the next shot inside.

Ridley Scott is masterful in utilizing this method of building suspense in this movie and he uses it to perfection once they've landed on the Alien Planet. He allows you to really sit with and digest the unease of the journey.

The ship has a rocky landing and immediately sirens go off in the ship. There's damage. The viewpoint shifts to outside the ship in the stormy elements of the planet. As you're watching there's this real feeling of a stranger in a strange land and it feels very precarious. This really sinks in because you're able to pause and take in what has just happened. The ship is damaged on an unknown planet with nasty elements, and who knows what the fuck is going to happen next. The scene continues to build as there is talk of how much damage there is, and again a pause by switching your viewpoint outside the ship, and talk of going out and taking a look, and again a viewpoint change to let this sink in. Lambert during this entire section, as she will be throughout the film, is a compass of tension. You can look to her and really know how fucked they are throughout the film. She really let's you know the deal through her facial expressions and voice. At this point she looks stressed. You can see her in the foreground of the ship in a couple shots and she is smoking a cigarette and obviously concerned. I identified with her and really felt the tension of this situation. As Dallas, Kane, and Lambert journey on the planet towards the source of the transmission it keeps cutting back to the ship, to once again allow the suspense to build, to allow you to take in and digest this experience of walking in a really nasty storm towards the unknown, and the reality that they were just on this ship which feels safe and quiet, and now they're slowly heading towards who knows what? Of course just the fact that the journey is happening slowly builds the overall suspense in general.

Then they see the Alien Ship and this is one of those moments that make this movie so aesthetically pleasing. It's the very definition of hauntingly beautiful. There is a glowing mist surrounding it, and it reminds me of an ancient artifact or the remains of some ancient beast. There's a beautiful shot of them walking towards the ship. In a wide shot you see three tiny lights heading towards it. You get a real sense of the immensity of this thing, and then they go inside and once again that description of hauntingly beautiful. It feels like they are walking inside a beast's belly. The inside of the ship looks biomechanical. The walls look like they're comprised of shiny black metal bones. It's creepy and at the same time highly intelligent, like an intimidating menace. It feels surreal, almost like a waking nightmare. Its been described as a dark, ominous womb. This has to be one of the most amazing sets ever created for a film.

They continue on the ship and see the space jockey, the fossilized remains of the apparent pilot of the ship. It's your first glimpse of the true immensity of the ship and the creep factor goes up a notch. This dude is gigantic and you see that his bones are bent outward like he exploded from the inside. Lambert being the true compass of the situation says "Let's get the hell out of here." They continue on and Kane is lowered down into what almost looks like a giant cave. Once again an absolutely beautiful shot of this ship and its immensity.What it really is is a holding area for the famous leathery pod-like eggs. When you really take this in it is so intense. This ship is carrying these eggs as biological weapons to be distributed on other planets and it appears as if it backfired on the crew. You don't really get all of this on first viewing but it sinks in eventually. So the eggs. There is a ridiculous amount of them spread out and there is a mist just above them. Kane gets close to one, it slowly opens up, he looks down at a slimy life form and whammo, it leaps onto his face and attaches itself to him. Once again this all happens slowly, and of course once the life form leaps out and attaches itself to him the next shot is outside looking at the outside of the ship. You get a chance to take this in. Holy shit. What the fuck just happened? A buzz in the theatre.



One of the classic horror conventions is that the characters are usually teenagers, they're often getting drunk or smoking some weed, and there's usually sex involved. I'm not saying this is a bad thing. People like to watch attractive people, they like to watch partying, and they certainly like to watch people get naked and go at it. However It feels to me like a supplement. We've got some scares, maybe some really fucked up, terrifying shit, but the movie's two hours long and we have to fill in the nooks and crannies. It's fun. You watch really good looking people party, do stupid shit, get naked, and then you get the scares. "Alien" doesn't need that shit. "Alien" has transcended that shit. There are no nooks and crannies to fill in. Therefore the characters in it are real because they can be, and feel more real because the movie pulls you in. We're talking about a group of middle aged blue collar workers on a mining ship in deep space. That's it. We're interested in them because they are well drawn characters cast extremely well. This is part of what keeps you drawn in to this whole visceral experience. These are normal people, not Hollywood conventions.

Dallas, played by Tom Skerrit, is the captain and in general he's pretty laid back. He doesn't take any shit, and he shows his leadership ability but he's just doing his job and wants to get back home. Something about this quality makes him more accessible. I think maybe its the fact that so often it's cliche to make the captain act in a certain way in the Sci-Fi Universe. They're supposed to be disciplined, courageous, often authoritarian, and often do the right thing. Dallas just seems more human. He has flaws. He makes mistakes and even though he's the leader he seems to have some camaraderie with his crew. Acting wise it's also one of the best things Skerritt has ever done.

Kane, played by John Hurt, is pretty bland overall, but its John Hurt, so it's going to be a good performance. A pretty low key, normal guy who has his most memorable moment, and one of the more memorable moments in movies, at the breakfast table.

There's the engineers, Parker and Brett, played by Yaphet Kotto and Harry Dean Stanton. They are disgruntled, sarcastic, and rebellious. They provide for some comic relief
in the movie. Parker is the alpha to Brett's beta.

Ash, played by Ian Holm, is the science officer on board, and it always feels like there is something off about him. Holm gives a really creepy performance that adds to a feeling of unease aboard the ship.

I've already mentioned Parker but I'll mention him again in a different context. There are three characters in this movie who really act as doorways of immersion for the audience; Parker, Lambert, and Ripley. Ripley works most of her magic at the end. Parker and Lambert, from the beginning, really give us a feeling for what this escalating stress feels like.

When the crew is told that they have to investigate this unknown planet Parker is very agitated.

Parker- "This is a commercial ship not a rescue ship and its not in my contract to do this kind of duty, and what about the money? If you wanna give me some money I'd be happy to oblige. Let's go with the bonus situation. Can we just talk about the bonus situation. I wanna go home and party." It's partly what he says but so much about the way he's saying it. He's escalated. He's on edge. It gives the scene an edge.

When Kane is back on the ship with the organism attached to his face he is visibly upset. Ash and Dallas are trying to figure out how to get it off of his face and Parker doesn't want any of this....

Parker- "Why don't you freeze him." A few seconds later. "Why don't they just freeze him?" He has a bad feeling about this and his overall demeanor is representative of the shit getting more and more fucked up on this voyage.

He gets more and more agitated, aggressive, and loud as things progress.


Lambert isn't remembered like Ripley but Veronica Cartwright's performance, in my opinion, is every bit as good as Sigourney Weaver's. Hers is the face that reveals the true terror of the situation. We constantly feel the stress and fear through her facial expressions and words. I think the average person identifies most with Lambert. She's the real doorway in to the experience.


Lambert is in the foreground once they've landed on the alien planet. It's all in her face, a tension, as she smokes a cigarette. The camera cuts away from her as Dallas, Kane, and Ash are talking about their predicament. Back to her. She's watching, continuing to smoke the cigarette and its a mixture of stress and fear on her face. Everyone else is trying to keep it together. She's our doorway to the truth of what's happening, that things are bad and maybe getting worse.

Kane volunteers to be in the first group to go out, and Lambert tilts her head as if to say "What the fuck are we doing?" "This is real. Holy shit this is real."

Once they get close to the ship and also explore the inside she's the one saying "Let's get the hell out of here." She's the one feeling the real danger here and we feel it through her. Maybe her two greatest moments of translating terror happen later and I'll talk about in a little bit.


Sigourney Weaver became a star over night after this movie. She was a very rare thing at this point in time, in the late 70's. She was a kick ass female protagonist who survives a horror movie, and isn't a teenage virgin. More importantly she is in total charge of the situation from the very beginning. She isn't running screaming, and somehow finding a way to survive the horror. She faces it head on.

She's the toughest member of the Nostramus. She's willing to do things that aren't popular, and she doesn't give a shit about ruffling feathers. She's the one who said no to Kane coming back onto the ship before he was quarantined. She's the one who constantly is inwardly and outwardly questioning Ash, and when she is the one in charge towards the end she rounds up the troops and comes up with the best plan possible. What's so great about this character is the combination of her strength and her humanity. You can see that she's terrified but she manages to hold it together just enough to do what needs to be done. In the end this movie is about her birth.

To ratchet up the drama, just before the crescendo of horrors, Ripley finds out that the plan all along for this ship and this crew was to bring back an alien organism from this planet, and that the crew was expendable. Going along with the birth theme she finds this out from the ship's computer named MOTHER. She is then attacked by Ash who it turns out is an android who's chief role was to make sure this organism got back home. One of the enjoyable things about future viewings of this movie is seeing Ash differently. His behavior, which before seemed off, and a little creepy, now totally fits. From the very beginning he knows what's going on and he's keeping a watchful eye on the crew and this organism and doing what he can to manipulate the situation.

So the crew has been betrayed by one of their own and their MOTHER. This is what it can feel like when, during the birth process, you go from oceanic bliss to being pushed forward into a vise. There can be a feeling of total betrayal, and a feeling like you've truly been expelled from paradise into a kind of hell.

The movie transitions into a true horror film once that little Alien Fucker rips his way out of Kane's chest. This is one of the most shocking scenes I've ever seen and it's this holy shit moment every time I see it. All is well at the breakfast table and Kane starts having chest pains, and convulsing, and whammo, this vicious little phallic looking bastard with these metallic teeth and shit kicking scowl bursts out and we are in full haunted house mode. The chase is on for this little fucker not realizing that he's mere minutes away from being a big bastard. This is part of the greatness. They're searching for a dangerous little guy so there's some fear but it seems doable. They have no idea what they're in for and neither does the audience.

I'm going to talk about one of my favorite scenes in the movie. It's just so perfect in its look and it's feel and it's the first introduction of the greatest movie monster of all time.


So the setup- The remaining crew has divided up into two groups of three. Ripley, Parker and Brett read a life form in a creepy ooking locker and slowly move forward, open the locker and the cat on board leaps out freaking them all out. Brett who was holding the net needs to go after the cat so that they know for sure it's the alien next time. You're totally spooked and startled and then the rest goes nice and slow. Brett makes his way towards the holding area on the ship and picks up a what looks like a slimy layer of the little alien's skin, as if its been shedding. It feels ominous. what's the deal with this little dude. The camera creeps forward slowly into the room and now its atmospheric bliss. You hear chains rattling, water dripping, and it feels menacing, like making your way towards a haunted house. It's all real slow with all these sounds throughout and you hear a subtle heartbeat underneath everything. Awesomeness. There's a severe closeup of Brett underneath dripping water and he's getting his face wet. The sound is phenomenal in this scene. You hear the dripping of water, the rattling of chains and the sound of water dripping on the bill of his hat. It's just his face in the frame. Anything can happen at any moment, the creepy sounds everpresent. There's a wide shot again and he walks forward and then sees the cat. You then see the alien's tail whip down and know that the alien is right behind him, and its not a little fucker. He's all grows up. The cat hisses- is scared of something. Then an iconic closeup of the alien mouth, salivating, looking large as hell in the frame with the razor sharp teeth shining, the second teeth slowly jutting forward, and unparalleled hostility. Shazam!!!

The last 1/3 of this movie is just over the top. There's a bad-ass monster on the ship. That's scary to begin with. It could be anywhere but it looks like its using the air vents. So let's ramp up this tension. Dallas crawls down the air vents, with barely enough room to breath, and in utter darkness, armed with a flame thrower. The idea is to push it backwards until they can flush it into outer space. What could be worse than crawling down a claustrophobic tunnel, barely able to see, knowing that around any corner this monster could be waiting to tear you apart, and there's really nowhere to go if it finds you. If the fire doesn't work you are totally fucked. What an amazing set piece. This scene totally gets my heart rate jumping every time. So he's crawling down the air shafts and even the closing and opening of the air shafts is menacing, the metallic scraping sound, and what resembles a monster's mouth opening and closing. He can tell where the Alien is by communicating with the crew which has a tracking device. The Alien's position shows up as a moving dot on a grid. So let's take things up a notch. They know the Alien is near to Dallas's location but the tracker malfunctions for about ten seconds. Panic. He could be anywhere. Dallas notices something slimy on the ground. Oh shit. What does this mean?, and so much of this is Lambert. All of a sudden they see the dot on the grid moving right towards him and Lambert is freaking out. "Oh god he's heading right towards you." Her voice is so primal. Dallas is standing still, not sure what to do. He's freaked, and if Dallas is freaked you know it's fucking bad. Lambert again and louder. "Move Dallas. Move Dallas. No. The other way, and Monster shot!!!


Now for the real panic and terror. How does this sound. We have to get to the escape pod, and we have to do it fast because we're going to set the ship auto-destruct which activates in ten minutes, and in the midst of all of this the perfect killing machine could be anywhere on the ship just waiting to turn the corner and devour.

Lambert and Parker are trying to gather supplies for the escape pod knowing that the monster could be anywhere, could sneak up on them in the claustrophobic darkness. Even if you get all the supplies you have to make it across the ship to the escape pod with the supplies and hope he doesn't get you. This is an amazing scene for Lambert. As she's gathering supplies you can subtly see the Alien sneaking up behind her. She turns around, doesn't see at first, and then holy shit frozen terror. She can't move. It's too much. She lets out these primal mewls. Parker tells her to move but she is in an almost terror coma, and all she can do is cringe and mewl.

Sigourney in the mean time has to set the self destruct mechanism and then make it to the escape pod. As she's doing this she hears the screams below from her recently deceased shipmates. It's the very essence of panic. It's the very essence of heightened terror. She sets the destruct mechanism and makes it back to the escape pod only to find this terrifying motherfucker hovering in front of it. A moment of "I am so seriously fucked right now. So fucked." She runs back, tries to disarm the destruct mechanism. Too late. She's running out of time. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Wow!!!!

Not enough. Of course not. You see with Ripley, the greatest action heroine of all time one birth isn't enough. She has to be born twice. In the midst of the ultimate panic she makes her way back to the escape pod and the monster isn't there anymore. There's hope. There's relief. She escapes the ship and all is well. Or is it. One last deep breath before the final plunge. She's made it. She takes time to have a moment with the cat, to take off most of her clothes, to stretch, to relax, and then she is terrified again. Camouflaged beneath some black piping in the corner of the pod is the Alien hitching a ride. What the fuck. One of those moments when everyone in the audience jumps. The scariest part of this scene is when she's putting on her spacesuit and she has her back to the beast the whole time. One last little batch of terror before she blows him into space.

Top 10 Movies of 2012

1)Prometheus
2)The Dark Knight Rises
3)The Master
4) Django Unchained
5) Zero  Dark Thirty
6) The Hobbit
7) The Cabin in the Woods
8) Moonrise Kingdom
9)The Grey
10)Lincoln

#10 CASABLANCA

Rick Blane- "I stick my neck out for no one."

Victor Laszlo- "Welcome back to the fight. This time I know our side will win."


When I think of Casablanca there are certain things that just automatically pop into my head. There's the ending, a movie moment so great that I can't think about the greatness of movies without somehow touching it. There's the amazing atmosphere of charm and class at Rick's Club. I think of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, two Hollywood legends who's chemistry together is as good as any one, two punch ever. I think of the brilliant dialogue. It's probably the most quotable movie of all time, and I think of this phenomenal story encompassing all of this, which many believe to be the romance of romances. 



The movie takes place during WWII in exotic Casablanca, a French province in Morocco. Refugees from all around the world have traveled there in the hopes of attaining exit visas to Lisbon and on to America. It is a place brimming over with hope, longing, and desperation. Although it is an unoccupied  French province it is really controlled by The Nazis and soon enough will be occupied by them. So it becomes either a crossroads to freedom or a place to wait and die.

The setting within a setting where most of the movie takes place is at Rick's, a classy Night Club owned by the main protagonist, Rick Blane, played by Humphrey Bogart. This is where everything intersects to begin the drama. This is where the woman who broke Rick's heart runs into him again by sheer chance, and where we first meet Victor Laszlo, a hero of the resistance against The Nazis. We also learn that two German couriers have been murdered and two letters of transit were stolen from them, letters signed by General De Gaul that guarantee safe passage from Casablanca to Lisbon where one can then get a Clipper to America. These documents are absolute gold to anyone on Casablanca. They are salvation and Rick attains them. So you've got an amazing love story that builds throughout the movie between Rick Blane, played by Humphrey Bogart and Ilsa Lund, played by Ingrid Bergman, and you've got another story filled with suspense and intrigue involving Victor Laszlo, played by Paul Henreich who is trying to get to America despite the Nazis desire to prevent it.

One of the reasons this movie works so well is the simplicity of the story. It takes place over just a couple of days, and really focuses on two storylines. There's the love story between Rick and Ilsa, and the intrigue involving Victor Laszlo's fate,  and they both involve the letters of transit. It works in its simplicity because of the romanticism it represents. The movie is about love, sacrifice, honor, and nobility.  The simplicity also works perfectly because there is so much at the disposal of that simplicity. It has big shiny diamonds in Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. It has incredible class and style in its atmosphere and because of the simplicity of the story it moves along quickly and smoothly which makes the dialogue keep pop-pop popping, and since the dialogue is pop-pop popping (the very best dialogue) it continues to make this simple story shine. 

We enter Rick's place and the glamour, charm, and non-stop entertainment begins. Right away we hear the piano and see Sam playing "It had to be you." The place is hopping. It's the place to be, and it looks elegant. There's classy lamps, people in attractive attire, smoke is floating around the room, and you can see shadows of exotic plants on the walls. This is where the charm really begins. We follow Carl the Maitre d into the private casino room and get a taste of the great dialogue. 

Woman- Tell Rick to have a drink with us.

Carl- Rick never drinks with customers.

Woman: What makes saloonkeepers so snobbish?

Banker: Perhaps if you told him I ran the second largest banking house in Amsterdam.

Carl: Second largest? That wouldn't impress Rick. The leading banker in Amsterdam is now the pastry chef in our kitchen, and his father is the bell boy.

The camera comes back into the bar and Sam's playing "Who's got trouble." He still sounds great. We see Rick for the first time playing chess with himself and from his table giving the signal for who can and can not come into his casino room.  Then comes the first of many meetings with charming eccentrics.  The camera, like a waiter, keeps going from table to table feeding you morsels of charm and charisma. Its really non-stop. Rick talks with Ugarte, a crook specializing in stolen exit visas, played by Peter Lorre. I remember when I first saw this thinking "Holy shit. He's in this,  and I said it again with the entrance of Sydney Greenstreet later. It's a great scene between Rick and Ugarte where you realize that he's the one with the letters of transit, and that he wants Rick to hold them for him. The camera then follows the entrance of Ferrari, a black marketeer, played by Sydney Greenstreet. Its a short scene but once again its two charismatic actors sharing great dialogue. Soon after this Rick will sit outside the club with the prefect of police, Captain Renault, played by Claude Rains. Captain Renault is corrupt as hell but a true romantic, almost a Don Juan, and all of his scenes are charming and playful. In this meeting Rick learns that Victor Laszlo is coming to Casablanca with a woman and he is not to leave. Here's another example of the great dialogue in this movie. 

Renault- Hello Rick 

Rick- Hello Louis

Renault- How extravagant you are throwing away women like that. Someday they may be scarce. You know now I think I'll pay a call on Yvonne. Maybe get her on the rebound hmmm.

Rick- when it comes to women you're a true democrat.

-------------------------------

Renault- What in heaven's name brought you to Casablanca?

Rick- My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters.

Renault- The waters. What waters? We're in the desert.

Rick- I was misinformed.

Claude Rains needs to be mentioned here. He doesn't outshine Humphrey Bogart or Ingrid Bergman but his performance is probably the greatest in the whole movie. He brings a great deal of the movie's charm. Here are two classically romantic lines said to Ilsa Lund.


1)  Captain Renault- I was informed that you were the most beautiful woman  ever to visit  Casablanca. That was a gross understatement.

2) Ilsa- Who's Rick?

      Captain Renault- Rick is...well if I were a woman and I were not around well then I would be in love with Rick.



I'm going to take a moment to talk about Humphrey Bogart. This movie takes place in the golden era of Hollywood, the 1930's and 40's. This was a time of movie stars, a time when people went to the movies to see someone incredibly glamorous, charismatic, or charming. People went to a Humphrey Bogart picture to see Humphrey Bogart. Stars were  nurtured to be stars, to attract a certain audience, and often the actor or star already had a personal style, flare, beauty, or charisma that was then expanded and radiated on the screen into their characters. Humphrey Bogart was taylor made for this. Many would argue that no one had more personal style in hollywood than Humphrey Bogart. There's no one like him. I think why he is so loved, and why I love him so much is that he has this incredible charm and charisma, and his characters always have this quick wit. But he is the every man. He's not a pretty boy or a golden boy. His characters didn't have wealthy backgrounds or easy childhoods. They fucking earned their place, and they learned how to survive. They can play as rough as they need to and they live by a certain honor code. Bogart plays characters who can survive in the underworld and the cat house. His character is a man's man and a ladies gentleman. They are often cynical but underneath is an honor and a nobility. In simple terms he's the shit.

In Casablanca Humphrey Bogart plays Rick Blane, one of my all time favorite characters. He is a man who has been broken by a woman, the love of his life, and has learned to survive by following a motto. " I stick my neck out for no one." "I'm my own favorite cause. "Underneath this is a noble hero. Rick is an ex-patriot who always fought on the side of the underdog. It's in his blood. Even as a cynic with a wall up Rick is magnetic. He says sarcastic, often aloof things, but he does it better than anyone else. Like most Bogart characters he is full of style and wit, tough as nails, and almost impossible to rattle- but for a woman. We love Bogart because he's like the James Bond for the everyman. We want to be like him, have the willingness to dwell in the dark places and charm the pants off the lighter ones. In Casablanca he is like a king. He owns the coolest, classiest night club in Casablanca and anyone who's anyone wants to be there. Not only that but anyone who's anyone wants to meet or be around him. He's the man. In Casablanca you experience the Bogart charm but what seperates this character from his others is the anguish that you see in several scenes as a result of having his heart broken. That broken heart resonates and therefore he resonates. He has a great character arc. He goes from a cynical, broken hearted man to a hero who discovers love again, and sacrifices it for a higher cause. This arc is a big reason why people love this movie.

Now for Ingrid. When Ingrid Bergman came to Hollywood no one could match her. She was sophisticated, elegant, gorgeous, and brilliant. She represented the perfect woman. Audiences fell in love with her. She won three academy awards and is considered to be the female star of her time. In Casablanca she is lit perfectly in every scene and looks radiant and ethereal. When she walks into a room all attention is on her.

So you have the greatest male star of his time and the greatest female star of her time, two beautiful, charming, charismatic presences in a romance together. Of course it's amazing. 

When I think of the love story between Rick and Ilsa I think of several moments:

THE ENTRANCE AND REUNION:

The entrance of Ilsa is one of my favorite moments in the movie. You see Ilsa and Laszlo enter Rick's place and as they pass Sam, Rick's longtime friend and pianist, there is a great reaction from both Sam and Ilsa. Sam goes still and then shakes his head. He knows what this means, and how this will affect Rick. Ilsa has a slight head tilt with an expression that says "Was that Sam? Is this really happening?" Then it's time for Rick to enter. Ilsa has convinced Sam to play "As time goes by", Rick and Ilsa's song in Paris. Rick walks into the room and then walks a little faster with a look of shock and anger on his face. "I thought I told you to never........ Then he sees her. What a moment.


FOUR FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
AND A LEGENDARY QOUTE!!!

There's a scene in the flashback of Ilsa and Rick's love affair in Paris when they are getting ready to leave Paris. Rick is professing his love to her and talking about their future and she already knows she's not leaving Paris with him. She's staying with Victor Laszlo. There's a sad and guilty look on her face that she's trying to hide. She's trying to pretend to be happy but she puts her fist on the table which knocks a glass over. This mirrors a later scene of Rick pounding his fist on the table in Casablanca.

There's one particular closeup of Ilsa when she's listening to Sam play "As time goes by" and it's one of my favorite moments in the movie. There's so much sadness, regret, and longing in just a few seconds of looking closely at her facial expression. It's mesmerizing. 

Rick is standing in the doorway of the train as it pulls away in Paris. He's read Ilsa's letter and knows she isn't coming with him and doesn't want to see him again. He has a shell shocked, and anguished look on his face as he tosses her letter off the train. Something about the sound of the train's horn, the music, and the fog and the rain all seeming to help communicate Rick's heart being decimated.

Rick is in his bar late at night, alone except for loyal Sam, and he is drunk. His life has been turned upside down with the reunion with Ilsa. He pounds his fist on the table, knocking a glass over and says "Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she had to walk into mine." His eyes are watery, looking anguished again, and he rubs his hands over his face. This scene is when I first realized this was beyond just a great movie. 

THE ENDING:

Finally that last scene. I could watch this last scene forever. First Rick reveals that it will be Victor and Ilsa that will be getting on the plane. He has had his heart broken, then fallen in love with Ilsa again, and that's why this is such a great sacrifice. He has a chance to have her again and puts the fate of many over his own needs. Rick has gone from a broken cynic to a noble hero. It's about the power of love. He loves Ilsa and realizes her place is with Laszlo. He realizes that Laszlo needs Ilsa and that the world needs Laszlo. He doesn't stop loving Ilsa and she doesn't stop loving him. There just happens to be a higher ideal in the time of war. It's all very sad, very uplifting, and very romantic.


Rick: Last night we said a great many things. You said I was to do the thinking for both of us. Well, I've done a lot of it since then, and it all adds up to one thing: you're getting on that plane with Victor where you belong.


Ilsa: But, Richard, no, I... I...


Rick: Now, you've got to listen to me! You have any idea what you'd have to look forward to if you stayed here? Nine chances out of ten, we'd both wind up in a concentration camp. Isn't that true, Louie?


Captain Renault: I'm afraid Major Strasser would insist.

Ilsa: You're saying this only to make me go.


Rick: I'm saying it because it's true. Inside of us, we both know you belong with Victor. You're part of his work, the thing that keeps him going. If that plane leaves the ground and you're not with him, you'll regret it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.
Ilsa: But what about us?


Rick: We'll always have Paris. We didn't have, we, we lost it until you came to Casablanca. We got it back last night.


Ilsa: When I said I would never leave you.


Rick: And you never will. But I've got a job to do, too. Where I'm going, you can't follow. What I've got to do, you can't be any part of. Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that.
[Ilsa lowers her head and begins to cry]


Rick: Now, now...


[Rick gently places his hand under her chin and raises it so their eyes meet]
Rick: Here's looking at you kid.




It's the closeups of these beautiful people- Rick in his trench coat and fedora, and Ilsa with that great hat perfectly angled on her head. There's the camera moving in on them for a great closeup, then the cut from Rick to Ilsa as the plane is about ready to take off. These closeups are phenomenal. These mythical figures are perfectly framed in all their gloriousness. These images to me represent the glory of the golden era of hollywood. This is the movie star shot of the greatest movie gods of their time looking their greatest in the rain and the fog in the climax of this film. Then the look of the plane ascending and flying away into the fog and rain. It's so stylish and romantic, and there's something about the sound of the engine, with the rumbling Max Steiner score that just feels so alive. Then there's Rick and Renault walking away as the camera pans back further and further. "Louie. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." 


The love story is the core of the movie but it's glue is the dialogue. Like an amazing tennis match the patter keeps going back and forth, and truly brilliant each time. Here's a sampling:


Major Strasser: What nationality are you?


Rick: I'm a drunkard


Renault: That makes Rick a citizen of the world.


Major Strasser: Are you one of those people who cannot imagine the Germans in their beloved Paris?


Rick: It's not particularly my beloved Paris.


Heinz: Can you imagine us in London?


Rick: When you get there, ask me!


Captain Renault: Hmmh! Diplomatist!


Major Strasser: How about New York?


Rick: Well there are certain sections of New York, Major, that I wouldn't advise you to try to invade.


************************


Captain Renault: Carl, see that Major Strasser gets a good table, one close to the ladies.

Carl: I have already given him the best, knowing he is German and would take it anyway.


*************************


Annina: Monsieur Rick, what kind of a man is Captain Renault?

Rick: Oh, he's just like any other man, only more so.

***********************

Yvonne: Where were you last night?

Rick: That's so long ago, I don't remember.
Yvonne: Will I see you tonight?

Rick: I never make plans that far ahead.

*****************************

Captain Renault: Oh no, Emil, please. A bottle of your best champagne, and put it on my bill.

Emil: Very well, sir.

Victor Laszlo: Captain, please...

Captain Renault: Oh, please, monsieur. It is a little game we play. They put it on the bill, I tear up the bill. It is very convenient.

***************************

Senor Ferrari: Might as well be frank, monsieur. It would take a miracle to get you out of Casablanca, and the Germans have outlawed miracles.


************************

Rick: I congratulate you.

Victor Laszlo: What for?

Rick: Your work.

Victor Laszlo: I try.

Rick: We all "try"; you succeed!



I'm going to end by once again summing up the experience of watching Casablanca:


You're sitting there in the theatre and you've got goosebumps because there up on the screen is Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. They seem almost superhuman. It's classic black and white and it feels classy as hell, like you've been invited to a great ball and you get to just bask in the glow of it all. More stars of the golden era of Hollywood keep showing up and you keep getting a little bit giddy. As you continue to listen to scene after scene of dialogue you've got a big grin on your face and you feel like you're really being taken care of, entertained in the very best way possible. You also feel like you're almost being seduced by the charm of everyone and everything. The movie keeps moving along. You melt a little bit and are moved by the tragic story of Rick and Ilsa, and you feel hopeful when they begin to fall in love again. Laszlo has entered the picture and you're invested in what's going to happen to him. He's a true hero. Is he going to get off Casablanca and on to America? Is Rick? Is Ilsa? Are Rick and Ilsa going to get back together again? These questions all keep you invested. Then the ending of endings. It's so perfect that you feel your breath stop a little and you pretty much fall in love. 

#80 HALLOWEEN

The movie opens with the point of view perspective of a five year old boy with a clown mask, so you see everything through the eyes of this mask. The boy picks up a knife, walks up the stairs, and stabs his sister to death. This scene is an absolute ode to the shower scene in "Psycho", filmed in a very similar manner but from his perspective not the victims. Flash forward 15 yrs and this psychopath named Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital. It's clear to his doctor (Loomis) that Michael is coming home on Halloween and that the town better prepare for a bloodbath. " I met him fifteen years ago. I was told there was nothing left. No reason, no conscience, no understanding, even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, good or evil, right or wrong. I met this six year old child with this blank, pale, emotionless face, and the blackest eyes. The Devil's eyes." This is the setup. It's Halloween in the small town of Haddonfield and Michael Myers, who his doctor believes to be the boogeyman is coming home.

This movie is more than the sum of its parts. John Carpenter is setting the audience up with several elements of suspense, fear, and terror. He allows a full day to play out. In the morning you see Laurie Strode (the heroine) walking to school. Later in the afternoon she's walking with her friends, and driving around town. You see trick or treaters, and all of this in an environment of sweeping trees, and wide roads, green as can be in this small town America where it's ordinary and safe.

The characters feel very real. They talk like teenagers talked during the late 70's when this was made. They tease Laurie for being innocent and it feels cruel sometimes but that's how teenagers and teenage friends sometimes treat each other. Not all the characters are likeable but they are real. In the midst of watching this typical day play out there is this buildup of suspense and fear because we are reminded again and again that the boogeyman Michael Myers is lurking around every corner.

Even when we don't see him we are reminded of him through the iconic, sinister piano and synthesizer score by Carpenter. We feel his presence through this incredibly ominous music. Just thinking about the music makes me cringe. Laurie is walking to school, a typical walk that she would take any other day but with this music accompanying this ordinary moment in this ordinary town we are reminded that this evil being is in the midst of all this and all that might seem well is going to go very wrong at some point.

There are these incredibly creepy moments where Laurie witnesses this random man in a creepy mask standing and staring at her, and man this is a scary mask. Something about the fact that it isn't a monster mask. It's a human mask that isn't quite human. It's blank and cold and the freaky hair pushes it over the edge. Every time you see it your blood gets a little colder. These are some of the scariest moments. Picture it.  You're in class and you look out the window and there's this man with a creepy mask across the street standing behind his car and staring at you. You're walking on the sidewalk with your friend and this same creepy dude is standing beside some bushes once again just standing there and staring at you.  They are just these quick chills that add to the overall thickness of fear.

  There's a great moment where Laurie and her friend are driving along having a conversation about boys and a high school dance coming up. Then there is a cut to a wider shot showing Michael Myers in his car following right along behind them. The sinister music kicks in and you can see that the sun is going down. Shivers. The next shot you see it will be complete darkness and the atmosphere shifts from suspense and fear edging towards terror. It's like you've been walking along in a tunnel and the further you get from the opening the darker it gets until you reach the middle where it's pitch black and it's all about surrender. There's no turning back and it's primal because you're stuck in it for a while. Carpenter leads us into the night and now it's not about bad shit is going to happen at some point. Now it's about "Holy shit. This is it." The bad shit is now and I have no idea where it's coming from or how. I just know that it's now. This is the terror. This is the bump in the night, the strange noise outside, the door opening and closing inexplicably.

To add to this we have the eyes of a child in little Tommy Doyle. He's freaked out about the boogeyman. Bullies yell at him "The boogeyman's gonna get you. The boogeyman's gonna get you.", and he's got that in the back of his head. We know what it's like to be a kid and to be scared of the boogeyman, the thing that hides under the bed or in the closet. Laurie is babysitting Tommy and it's the bad time, the time when bad shit's about to go down. He looks out the window and sees the silhouette of a man standing in front of the house across the street. He knows in his veins that it's the boogeyman and we know it's the boogeyman. He's seeing what isn't supposed to be real, and the audience can relate to what that would be like. It's terrifying. The fucking boogeyman is standing across the street. Jesus Christ. Later after we've already witnessed Michael murdering one of the teenage girls Tommy randomly looks out the window again and a man in a mask is carrying a body into the house across the street. The fucking boogeyman again. Holy shit. This can't really be happening. 

When the shit goes down Carpenter cross cuts between Laurie babysitting and a terrifying buildup of each murder. So once again the typical back and forth with the ordinary and the horrifying. Tommy and later another little  girl are watching a horror movie on the television ("The Thing") while eating popcorn on a cozy sofa. The movie, which Carpenter will later do a remake of is very, very safe. It's a 50's horror film and there's nothing too threatening in it. It feels very artificial, the acting is bad, the effects are horrible. It's a safe horror flick. It works really well to cut from all this safety to these horrifying things happening right across the street. In the house that Laurie is babysitting it feels like the real world where there are no boogeymen. Then we cut to another house in the same neighborhood where the boogeyman does exist. No one is safe even though there is the illusion of safety.

Frankly I'm not going to talk that much about the bad shit. It isn't why this film is a horror masterpiece. The genius is in the slow build, the gradual journey into the darkness. Once we are there just about anything is going to be terrifying. We have been played like a fine-tuned piano. We are seriously thick in it. Don't get me wrong. In this area he does an amazing job too. Even in this area he takes his time and allows for the tension and the terror to build. A sound outside, a door closing by itself, the camera always in the foreground so that something quick and unexpected can jump in from the side. With all of this there are a number of quick, terrifying jolts. We're in the middle of that dark tunnel, at our most vulnerable and then we're waiting, the tension building again. Shit. Shit, and blindsided.

There is one element from this last section that I'll talk about and that's because it's the chase, and it's executed to perfection. Hitchcock would be proud and I have an idea that he probably influenced it in some way.  Laurie, when things seem suspicious checks on her friends at the house across the street. She discovers the aftermath of the slaughter and it's terrifying and then Michael's coming at her. From here on out its amazing suspense and fear. It's the chase. We really like Laurie. We've gotten to know her and we're routing for her, and her world has just been obliterated. She barely escapes the house and she's running, screaming in the streets for someone to help her. She's in primal-ville. No one will help her. You see Michael enter the picture and he's coming after her. She arrives at the house that she's babysitting and she has lost the key and the kids are asleep. Fuck. Michael is getting closer. She screams for Tommy to wake up and open the door. There's this brilliant moment of tension because Michael is getting closer from the outside, and from inside the house Tommy is half asleep, has no idea that anything is wrong, so he's slowly walking down the steps and to the door. He might not make it in time. Carpenter milks this. At the last second he opens the door. More than once after this Laurie barely alludes Michael, apparently kills him, and just when you think it's safe he comes at her again. Uuuuuugh it's good!!!

Top Ten Movies 2011

1)The Tree of Life 2)The Artist 3)Hugo 4)Rise of the Planet of the Apes 5)Harry Potter (TDH) 6)Mission Impossible (GP) 7)Warrior 8)Moneyball 9)Drive 10)The Muppets

#41 TAXI DRIVER

"Loneliness has followed me my whole life. Everywhere. In bars, in cars, sidewalks, stores, everywhere. There's no escape. I'm god's lonely man."-Travis Bickle

"All the animals come out at night. Whores, skunk pussies, buggers, queens, fairies, dopers, junkies. Sick, venal. Someday a real rain will come and wash all the scum off the streets."- Travis Bickle

"He's a prophet and a pusher, partly truth, partly fiction; a walking contradiction."-Betsy to Travis (A line from a Kris Kristofferson song.)



In "Taxi Driver", Martin Scorcese and Robert Deniro have teamed up to tell the story of a lonely outsider named Travis Bickle, living in a world of violence. The atypical plot focuses on the gradual descent of this man into madness through the immersion into the violence that he abhors. Its a brilliant exploration of a lonely outsider, lost, stagnant, aimless. He's like an empty vessel that gradually gets filled by the violence and darkness that, even though he detests, he gravitates towards. Travis Bickle comes from violence as a Vietnam veteran, and possibly from before that. I imagine that he experienced terrible things in Vietnam and there are things inside himself, dark places, that instead of looking at, he projects outwards. Some of the areas of the city are already so dark and violent to begin with that it gradually pushes him into a violent madness. His mind is the darkness of the city and the city is the darkness of his mind, and especially in the sinister dwellings of New York City that is a very combustible thing.

The combination of Scorcese's vision with the camera, Paul Schrader's phenomenal screenplay, a killer performance by Robert Deniro, and a great score by Bernard Herrman make all of this so potent and alive.

The movie opens with an awesome shot of an eerie cloud of steam that fills the screen. In a closeup a cab drives through the cloud in slow motion. In the background are slow basey horns that feel very film noir. It feels like the cab is either descending from or into the underworld. Travis, throughout the movie, more than once will pass through this same cloud of steam and it will always foreshadow an entry into the dark places of the city. In this one symbolic opening sequence Scorcese reveals a lot of the mood and meaning of the film. It's not quite as potent as the opening sequence in "Apocalypse Now" but it is still quite hypnotic and has a special place in my heart as a great artistic cinematic moment.

The movie begins with Travis Bickle getting a job driving a taxi on the night shift, 6pm-6am sometimes seven days a week. He can't sleep and he needs some kind of structure, something to occupy his time and his mind. Most of the movie is told in voiceover similar to the style of a classic film noir, and this movie is a film noir but not your typical one. Some examples of a typical film noir would be the bad guys are after the protagonist, or the protagonist is protecting a woman and a shitstorm may come down on him as a result, or the character is trapped with seemingly no way out. In "Taxi Driver" its more like there is something incredibly unsettling about this man, and it feels like something bad could happen, and it continues to feel more and more like that as the film progresses until he crosses the line and pops. So much of that feeling of darkness, of uncertainty, of feeling trapped that is usually found in the dark cities of the film noir universe are found in the landscape of Travis's psyche.

You see again and again that he is an outsider, someone who doesn't quite know how to fit in, and when he tries to it often goes wrong and he gets rejected. In the first scene of the movie he's trying to make a joke with the Taxi Garage Manager and it falls flat and he gets rejected.

Manager- "How's your driving record?"
Travis- "It's clean. Very clean. Clean as my conscience." (smiles creepily)
Manager- "You gonna break my chops? I get enough trouble with these guys breaking my chops all the time. If you're gonna break my chops you can take it on the arches."

He's awkward. Deep down he feels like the world is out to get him so there's a defensiveness there, and he never learned how to properly socialize, being an outsider. So when he tries to connect it often comes out strange or creepy.

As will be seen repeatedly when Travis is feeling scorned, pissed, or just overall very activated, the camera comes in close and hovers over him. You can feel a mixture of intense emotions. It's Scorsese's way of making sure that we not only understand what's going on through the acting, dialogue, and story, but by putting that camera there you feel more of this character's experience and when he uses the same technique at other times you recognize it and have an even better idea what's going on with this character. You experience more of Travis Bickle.

Not long after this he is at a porno theatre and he's trying to make conversation with the teller by asking her name, and once again it doesn't work and she calls the manager. Later, when talking to a pimp, played very well by Harvey Keitel, the pimp makes fun of him, plays around with him, and calls him square. Travis's biggest rejection in the film comes after he has succeeded in asking out Betsy, a campaign worker for a presidential candidate named Palantine, that he falls for.

His whole experience with Betsy sums up a lot about this character. When he first sees her he feels like she is a perfect angel, and its as if they are meant to be together. When he talks to her over coffee he says strange things to her. Nice things but strange things, and you feel a little uncomfortable and embarassed for him. He, in the scene over coffee, reminded me of Norman Bates from "Psycho" when he's talking to Marion Crane over dinner. During this time he is lighter, happier. The score has a pleasant jazziness. He sees couples together rather than pimps and hookers. His viewpoint of the city is reflective of his mood and what's inside of him. He has someone. He's not alone. As he's walking to a date with Betsy he's shown in slow motion, all dressed up, in the middle of a crowd of people. He's not an outsider. He has someone. He also adopts the political candidate that Betsy is working for as someone who is great. Things begin to crumble as he unwittingly takes Betsy on a date to a porno movie. She leaves the theater after only a few minutes. He feels like he's doing the right thing. This is the world he lives in. In his world couples go to pornos and its ok. She won't return his phone calls and then Betsy the angel becomes Betsy the devil.

"I realize now how much she's just like the others, cold and distant, many people like that. Women for sure. They're like a union."

The presidential candidate Palantine that Betsy works for goes from being Palantine the great to Palantine the terrible. Travis's mind is made up of exaggerated extremes. He organizes his experience in such a way that he can justify the resulting violence. With Betsy he doesn't have to feel his loneliness and rejection so much if he creates a devil out of this onetime angel. With Palantine he has a justification now for the violence that's been aching to come out of him. As the movie progresses Travis's feeling of isolation and rejection is coupled with his immersion into the seedy parts of the city and he experiences more and more of the violence. He seeks out the violence because he has violence within him and the violence that he unconsciously seeks out creates even more violence within. It's a vicious cycle. These dark parts of the city are so vivid and alive. This is reality. You see the hookers and the pimps, and yelling and screaming. You hear a black man screaming at the top of his lungs "I'm gonna kill that bitch. I'm gonna kill that bitch." You see all the red light districts and you experience it in his cab as well. Scorsese in a cameo plays a man who is telling Travis graphically that he's going to kill his wife and how he's going to do it. So it all builds to a crescendo. Deep down he really just wants to kill someone. It's bubbling inside of him. When he realizes what he must do and begins his mission of assassinating Palantine he meets with a man who sells illegal unlicensed guns. He loads up on four of them and aims one out the window at innocent bystanders. In his apartment later he points the gun at people on tv. There's a great moment in a scene where he's sitting in a porno theatre and pointing the gun at the screen. He then periodically, with his hand against his forehead, covers his eyes with a finger and then removes it. He detests the porno yet he wants to watch. He's a walking contradiction.

Scorsese really lets the camera be a key element in describing this character. When he's driving his cab the camera is never just steady. It pans up to street lamps, pans down to just show the road. It sometimes continually just focuses on the passing streetlights. It feels unsteady and endless, like he's caught in a terrible loop. There are two separate scenes in the same diner that use a number of devices to show Travis's experience. In the first scene he's sitting in the diner with some of his fellow cabbies and he notices some black pimps in the back of the diner. The camera, like I mentioned before, gets right in close and kind of hovers over him. Soon after he puts some antacid in a glass of water and it's sizzling- the camera gets closer and closer to his face, coming from slightly underneath him. He looks like he's about to lose it. This is happening right after another cabbie (doughboy) is asking him if he wants a piece (gun). The camera gets close in on his face and then down closer and closer to the sizzling glass. Without a word we know what Travis is feeling. He's about to blow. Later, in another scene at the same diner, he is leaving with another cabbie (wizard) and the black cabbie sitting at the table points a finger like a gun at him and says "bye killer" as he smirks. Once again the camera is close in on Travis. When they get outside he sees a young black kid with a funky hat walking down the street and Bickle is framed in the red glow of the diner. The camera moves a little slower and stays on Travis as he follows the kid with his bad-ass gaze.

So often in the movie you see the reflection of Travis's eyes looking in his rearview mirror. It's a great way to viscerally show the reaction to some of the darkness he encounters. You feel a mixture of his fear and rage, and you can see a violence in those eyes. He's looking at dark, scary, violent things but in the mirror you can see these things in him, especially in the scene where he first meets Iris, the 12 year old prostitute he eventually tries to save, played by Jody Foster in an oscar nominated performance. Iris gets in the backseat of the cab and tells him to quickly get them away from there. Her pimp then comes in after her and pulls her out of the cab. The whole time there's a closeup of Travis's eyes in the rearview mirror. They are shrouded in darkness and you can see the mixture of fear, rage, and violence in them. You feel his reaction to the situation and, with such complexity, see the violence that he's reacting to in his own eyes. I also love the use of the rearview mirror repeatedly because the mirror gives us a clearer image of Travis's shadow and the fact that so much of what Travis is seeing and experiencing in the cab is distorted because the rearview mirror inherently reveals things slightly differently than they actually are.

I'll also mention some other moments in the film that I love. I love the shot when Travis is leaving the room in the tenament where he's been spending time with Iris for the first time. He looks down a hallway and the far end of it is completely dark. The tenament manager comes out of the darkness towards him to collect his money and then turns around and disappears back into the darkness like a troll returning to its cave. There is a great shot earlier in the film of Travis's cab going through a fire hydrant spray and then in slow motion the windshield wipers swiping the water away. It looks and feels just like the cab is in a car wash. It's perfect because he's ending his shift, wiping away the filth. In one of the great moments in the film Travis is finally talking to Betsy after she has repeatedly not answered his phone calls. He's in a phone booth inside a building and as the conversation continues and its clear he's getting rejected the camera moves to the right away from Travis until it's just looking down an empty hallway. It really reveals the loneliness of Travis in that moment and shows that this moment is too painful for us to watch. We shouldn't be watching him. Another great moment is when Travis is watching his tv which is resting on an egg crate. He's slowly tipping the tv back and forth with his foot. It feels like at any moment the tv is going to crash to the ground and it finally does and he puts his hands over his face. He's had it. This is Travis's world. It's not the world where people sit around on a comfy sofa, watch tv and things are predictable. It's a world in which things don't feel comfortable, safe, or predictable, where a television which often serves as a surrogate mother is unstable.

So i've come this far and haven't specifically mentioned Robert Deniro's performance. Wow. One of the greats. Travis Bickle has become an iconic character in our pop culture. I don't know if anyone else could've pulled off what he pulled off. I think part of it is that Deniro knew the streets. He spent a lot of time on the streets of Little Italy and other places in New York city and understood the effect of the city and a lot of the people that live there. Also, like Scorsese, Deniro grew up as a shy outsider. Both of them collaberating together understand what it's like to be an outsider. Both embraced cinema as a place of belonging. Deniro gives such a complex, nuanced performance in this movie. In the scene where he's asking Betsy out he reveals a man who is trying to have a swagger, who's trying to appear confident and suave, but you can see the fear and uncertainty underneath. This is why Deniro is so good in this movie. It's almost like he's not even acting, but truly embodying this character. His character shifts throughout the film. He's more quite and hesitant early on, then becomes more and more agitated until he becomes a killer in the end. Once he has his mohawk he is a different person. You can really see it when he's talking to the secret service man a little before the assassination attempt. He has this fucked up smile and he talks a little faster and with more confidence. He's a man who knows who he is and what he's going to do, and he's so much different than Travis in the beginning but its still Deniro. Deniro has this way throughout most of the movie of portraying a strange, awkward loner who is deeply affected by his inner and outer environment. It's not easy to do all of this and be riveting. I mean he's in almost every scene of the movie. The entire movie is about this man. This man is the movie and because Deniro is such an incredible actor and reveals so much authenticity in his performance you're riveted.

The final third of the movie is really its own entity. It's more typical in story and structure than the rest. It's a man on a mission.
"Listen you fuckers. You screwheads. Here's a man who would not take it any more. A man who stood up against the scum, the cunts, the dogs, the filth, the shit. Here is someone who stood up." Travis is clear. He knows what his purpose is and he's prepared to die. I think he wants to. He loads up on guns, and becomes a killing machine. He's seen putting his fists over an open flame, he's got an extensive workout regiment of situps, pullups, etc., and he creates a sling device so that he can keep a gun underneath his sleeve and at a seconds notice sling it right into his hand. This is when you get the famous "Taxi Driver" moment of Travis talking to a mirror.

"You talking to me? You talking to me? You talking to me? Well then who the hell else are you talking to? Me? You talking to me? Well i'm the only one here. Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?"

He fails in his assassination attempt of Palantine. He never gets close enough. Maybe because he stands out like a sore thumb with the mohawk and army jacket, and because he appeared so strange and suspicious when he foolishly talked to the secret service agent earlier. He quickly redirects his rage. He's going to be the savior of Iris, the 12 year old prostitute who he befriends and wants to help. He will vanquish her oppressors who will be representitive of all of the scum.

In the final act the color of the movie changes. The saturation is different, somewhere between color and black and white. This was intentional so that the gore at the end didn't feel so graphic, but it really works because it should be this way. This is his release, his act of violence, and the color palette on the screen should be darker. It adds to the overall mood. He shoots Iris's pimp in the gut, proceeds into the tenament, shoots the tenament managers hand, blowing off most of his fingers , Keitel comes in after him and shoots him in the neck, and this time Travis shoots him in the chest. He shoots Keitel again just to be sure and shoots the manager in the chest. After the head pimp sneaks up on him and shoots him in the arm Travis uses his sling gun and shoots him about seven times. All of this is very real. Nothing is held back. This is Travis's operatic release. This is representative of all the violence eating away at him throughout the movie. There has to be an explosion and it has to be volcanic. To me the most intense part of this scene is when the manager continues to chase after and crawl after Travis, agonized and pissed. "You crazy son of a bitch. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. He catches up to Travis and wrestles with him and he's slapping him with his one hand because his other is just about blown away. That is just such an intense violent image. Travis then stabs him in his good hand and shoots him. Fucking christ. A total bloodbath. As the police are coming in there's a continual looping dreamlike harp playing in the score and a periodic dramatic horn section. The camera is directly overhead looking down. It really adds to the impact of what just happened and it just looks really cool. This is the violence that the whole film was leading up to and it seems fitting that the camera should be high up looking down almost like a divine witness. It starts in the final room and slowly makes it's way down the stairs to the front door, witnessing every detail of this act. The camera travels outside the tenament and there are large crowds gathering and the dramatic horn section plays periodically along with the dreamlike looping harp. Everything seems so real and with the harp and the overhead shot it also feels a little dreamlike which I think represents the state of mind that Travis is in. As if he's saying to himself "Holy fuck. Did that just happen? Did I really do that?"

Ironically Travis is made a hero for this violence. He vanquished the villains even though they represented a justification more than anything else. The important thing to Travis was the violence itself but he gets rewarded and Iris ends up home with her parents. In the film's final moment Travis is driving his cab again, seemingly chill now that he's had his release, but there's another closeup of his eyes in the rearview mirror shrouded in black. The violence and darkness is still in there. It's just a matter of time until it comes out again. The last shot is of him doing kind of a double take into the rearview mirror and it's hard to tell but either he saw something that bothered him which also supports the idea that he's going to blow again at some point or it almost looked like he saw himself in the rearview. If that's the case it would be really interesting because in an earlier scene he's having breakfast with Iris and at some point in the conversation she says "You should look at your own eyeballs once in a while." Sooner or later he has to.