On Looking at Film
13 Ways of Viewing Cinema
1.) Psychiatrist Walter Freeman performed the first-ever “ice-pick” lobotomy in his Washington, D.C., office in 1946. Freeman fervently believed that mental illness was associated with “overactive emotions;” by cutting the brain he would cut away these heightened feelings. Six years later, he performed 228 lobotomies in two weeks in West Virginia alone, even lobotomizing 25 women in a single day.
6.) In a remote village in Southeast Asia, the living regularly see dead people. But not in the way you might be thinking. Every three years, the Torajan inhabitants of Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island dig up their mummified relatives; they proceed to clean and dress the deceased in fresh clothes in an attempt to honor their spirits. Although unusual to western cultures, this is common practice for the Torajans. It is a sacred time to ask for both advice and blessings and an opportunity to reconnect with the spirit of the person who has passed away.
7.) The man pushes open the door with his elbow, careful not to stain the glass with red.
“Detective.”
As he calmly strides through the lobby, his poorly bandaged fingertips ooze blood onto the beige porcelain.
“Detective.”
The front of his crisp white button-up is already splattered with scarlet, and it trickles down his gaunt arms.
“DETECTIVE! You’re looking for me.”
9.) “Segregation is the adultery of an illicit intercourse between injustice and immortality.”
11.) In order to pull this off, you’re going to need a team of skilled individuals. First, you’ll need a reliable right-hand man and a seasoned veteran. Next, you’re going to need to find a venture capitalist who’s willing to provide sufficient funding. It will also be important to have an inside man willing to operate from within and an engineer able to operate heavy machinery. After that, you’ll need a tech expert who specializes in electronics and a pickpocket able to loot any necessary item. Last of all, make sure you have a grease man capable of fitting into tiny spaces and maneuvering a range of dangerous stunts. Additionally, it would help to have a couple of muscles standing by for any more physical work.
12.) Juror #1 (foreman): Short & serious; unintelligent man; enjoys being in charge
Juror #2: Shy; easily changes mind; no opinion of his own
Juror #3: Strong; forceful & strict; forces others to agree with him; full of himself
Juror #4: Wealthy & serious; only wants facts; thinks he is superior to other jurors
Juror #5: Scared; afraid to speak up; young & naïve
Juror #6: Nice & honest; not the smartest; very careful; accepts opinions he likes
Juror #7: Loud; quick temper & very opinionated; being on the jury is “waste of time”
Juror #8: Quiet; considers others’ opinions; believes in justice & seeks truth
Juror #9: Nice old man; does not hold back; defeated by life & waiting to die
Juror #10: Angry & miserable; racist; hates everyone but himself
Juror #11: Pushover; ashamed because he is refugee; seeks justice; compassionate
Juror #12: Full of himself; egocentric & snobby; tries to be a good person
13.) “Houston, we have a problem…”
34.) imagination noun
imag·i·na·tion | \ i-ˌma-jə-ˈnā-shən \
Definition of imagination
1: the act or power of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality.
40.)
127.) By day five, the sandstone turns an eerie black of inevitability. His visions worsen by the very minute. On the eve of day six, a child visits the man. The little boy, no more than three years old, approaches the labyrinth’s prisoner. The child’s blond locks gleam in the moonlight, and the man caresses his scalp with a handless right arm.
Suddenly, the man jolts upright, upsetting the satin comforter and startling his wife. Beside their bed, the same child approaches once more.
“Daddy, can you tuck me in? I’m scared.”
Glancing beneath the covers, the man contemplates his mutilated limb, free of the burden of a millennium of torture. His gaze returns to his unknowing savior.
“Of course, bud, let’s get you tucked back in.”
500.) Dear Summer,
I know it’s been a while, but I figured I’d reach out to see how you’re doing. I know we weren’t on the best terms the last time we saw each other, but I hope you’re doing well.
I got a new job as an architect about a year ago and met someone- we’re engaged now, and I thought you deserved to know. Would you like to grab coffee sometime and catch up? If not, no worries, I’m sure you’re busy.
All the best,
Tom
1,917.)
Uniform- trench coat, helmet, belt, dog tag haversack
Clothing- spare clothes, boot polish, laces, groundsheet, blanket, etc.
Hygiene- soap, razor, comb, foot powder
Food- food tins, tin opener, cutlery, biscuits, chocolate, water bottle
Safety- field dressings, entrenching tool, wire cutters, penknife
Combat- rifle, bayonet, ammunition, gun oil & rag
Personal- three castles, matchers, diary & pen, gold watch, photograph of Emily
2,001.) The film was nearly finished, but one task remained before its release. The global search for extraterrestrial life was at an all-time high. This made the director uneasy, even paranoid. But not because he feared aliens. Rather, he was terrified that aliens would be discovered just before his expensive sci-fi movie was completed.
Stanley Kubrick traversed the heart of London in an attempt to take out an insurance policy at Lloyd’s of London. His goal- protect himself against losses in the event that extraterrestrial intelligence was discovered before the film’s release; the ultimate commitment to a cause.
Appendix
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Se7en (1995)
District 9 (2009)
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
12 Angry Men (1957)
Apollo 13 (1995)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)
127 Hours (2010)
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
1917 (2019)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)