Blog Post # 6 : Strictly Ballroom (1992) : A Comedic Version of "Step-Up"

Strictly Ballroom is a 1992 Australian romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. The film, which was Luhrmann's first, is the first in his The Red Curtain Trilogy of theatre-motif-related films and was followed by Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!. This widely acclaimed movie was nominated for one Golden Globe award and won 19 other awards in Australia. The movie was rated 7.3/10 on IMDB and a whopping 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.  

The Musical

Plot :

Strictly Ballroom tells the story of an Australian ballroom dancer, Scott Hastings, and his struggle to establish his personal style of dance on his way to win the Pan-Pacific Grand Prix Dancing Championship. Scott's steps are not strictly ballroom. Scott comes from a family with a history of ballroom dancing and has been training since childhood. Scott's mother Shirley teaches ballroom dancing, and his father Doug meekly handles maintenance chores at the dance studio. After losing a competition to a rival pair, because Scott started dancing his own steps, his dancing partner Liz Holt leaves him for the rival male, Ken Railings, after his partner Pam Short breaks both her legs in a car accident. With only weeks before the next Pan-Pacific competition, try-outs begin to find Scott a new dance partner but, unknown to his parents, Scott secretly begins rehearsing with frumpy outsider Fran, a beginner dancer at his parents' studio. Scott is initially skeptical, but when Fran introduces 'pasodoble' steps into their routine, Scott realizes her potential. He walks her home one night and finds her Spanish family living in a tiny home next to the railway tracks, where Fran's family show him the authentic Spanish pasodoble style. As their rehearsals progress, Fran grows more attractive and self-confident. A few days before the Pan-Pacifics, Fran's family decide they are ready to dance pasodoble. Scott and Fran are walking together and talking until they kiss. When Scott returns to the dance studio, he finds Barry Fife, the conniving president of the Australian Dancing Federation who proceeds to tell him "the truth" about his parents, Doug and Shirley — they too were ballroom dancing champions, especially his father, until they lost the Pan-Pacific Grand Prix because of Doug's self-obsession and unorthodox dance steps. According to Barry losing the contest left Doug a broken man, sustained by the hope that one day his son would learn from his father's mistakes and win the Grand Prix. Scott is convinced to dance with Liz instead of Fran so he can win "for his father's sake". However, this is later revealed as a lie, as a part of Barry's plot to fix the competition so Scott and Liz will lose. Meanwhile, Scott starts training with Liz, while a heart-broken Fran goes back to the beginners' class. At the Pan-Pacific Grand Prix, Scott's friend Wayne Burns and his partner Vanessa Cronin overhear Fife talking to Ken and his partner Tina Sparkle saying that they will win no matter what. Wayne tells Les Kendall (Scott's coach, Doug and Shirley's friend and one of the judges) who then confronts Fife about it. Meanwhile, Doug finally manages to pull Scott aside and tells him the real story — Doug never danced at the competition because Barry convinced Shirley the only way to win was to dance the conventional steps with Les, but Shirley and Les lost the contest anyway. After hearing his father's revelation, Scott finds Fran and asks her to dance with him. Fife tries to cut the music and stop them from dancing but Scott's sister Kylie and her partner Luke (from the children's division) interfere until Fife's loyal companion Charm Leachman cuts the music. Fife then disqualifies them, but Doug, along with Fran's family, claps out a beat which encourages Scott and Fran to "dance from the heart", drawing cheers from the crowd and tears of joy from Doug. Finally, Liz, having had a change of heart, turns on Barry and Leachman and restores the music. The couple's spirited dancing brings down the house. Doug asks Shirley to dance with him and the whole audience joins them on the floor. As the performance finishes, Scott and Fran kiss, the competition forgotten, as it was never about winning or losing.

Analysis & Reflection :

"A life lived in fear is a life half-lived". Fran's family motto indicates the main theme in the movie, which is fear. In the movie, many of the characters have encountered fear in their lives, for example, Scott's mother, Shirley. Shirley was afraid of losing the Pan Pacific Grand Prix in her time by dancing with her husband, Doug, who insisted they dance unconventional moves, so she ended up dancing with Les; a decision that was influenced by Barry Fife. They lost the competition anyway, and was therefore very scared when Scott wanted to dance unconventional moves as well. The conniving villain in this movie, Barry Fife, despite his manipulative and intimidating exterior, also lived in constant fear. He was a popular dancing coach and teacher in the movie and when Doug and Scott both chose to dance unconventional moves, he (Barry) tried to stop it, going so far as to try to disqualify Scott from dancing his unconventional moves. This was because he intended to maintain the status quo and only taught strictly ballroom techniques of dancing. As he mentioned in the movie, if people had it in their heads that they could create their own dance moves like Scott did, there would be no more dance teachers around, and that would put him out of a job, or at the very least lower his status quo and significance in society.

OMG. Out of a job?

In addition to that, other recurring themes in this movie from a psychological perspective include conformity, compliance, and obedience. Firstly, conformity was seen in the form of every other dancer at the competition, for example, Liz Holt and Wayne Burns. They all were appalled at the idea of Scott trying new dance moves, and conformed to the general consensus in their dancing community that dancing ballroom only was the only acceptable option.

Yuck to those new dance moves.

Secondly, compliance was seen in the form of a deal made between Wayne and Barry Fife, where Wayne was to try and convince Scott to dance strictly ballroom and Barry was to help show Wayne a hidden technique for his bogo pogo dance. Liz was also portrayed as being compliant in the first competition at the start of the movie, following Scott's lead, where they lost the competition due to Scott dancing his unconventional moves.

Disclaimer : This is not about rape

Lastly, obedience was seen in the form of all dancers, following the rules of the competitions set forth by Barry Fife, the president of the Australian Dancing Federation, with the exception of Scott and Fran. On the contrary, the latter two are more involved with disobedience, with Fran sneaking out and going to the competition anyway, going against her father's orders, and Scott rebelling throughout the whole movie, with his dream of dancing his new moves.

Warning : Rebelling can do this to you

Beginner Dancer

They will never find us up here

Conclusion :

This movie is a good mix of comedy, emotional moments, and good looking individuals, so I would highly recommend watching it. The whole concept of going against social norms to achieve one's dreams might be a cliche' in movies in this day and age, but back then when this movie was released, it was a unique piece of animation. The movie would also really appeal to those who love dance, romantic flicks, or have had experiences in their teenage years rebelling against parents and society on the path of achieving their own dreams. "A life lived in fear is a life half-lived" indeed. This movie teaches us that we only have one life to live, so live it well :)

YOLOOOOO

Rating : 7/10     

The best moves are the ones you make on your own

Blog Post # 5 : Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) : Review

This film, released worldwide in the year 1994, was the first ever box office success of famous Taiwanese director Ang Lee. The film received the Asia Pacific Film Festival Award for Best Film in 1994, and in 1995 it received an Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. IMDB rates this film 7.8/10 and Rotten Tomatoes a whopping 93%.

Movie Review Blog Caption

Plot :

The setting is 1990s contemporary Taipei, Taiwan. Mr. Chu, a widower who is a master Chinese chef, has three unmarried daughters, each of whom challenges any narrow definition of traditional Chinese culture. The oldest daughter, Chu Jia-Jen, is a school teacher nursing a broken heart who converted to Christianity. Chu Jia-Chien , the middle daughter, is a fiercely independent airline executive who carries her father's culinary legacy, but never got to pursue that passion. Lastly, Chu Jia-Ning, the youngest, is a college student who meets her friend's on-again off-again ex-boyfriend and starts a relationship with him. Each Sunday Mr. Chu makes a glorious banquet for his daughters, but the dinner table is also the family forum, or perhaps “torture chamber,” to which each daughter brings “announcements” as they negotiate the transition from the traditional “father knows best” style to a new tradition which encompasses old values in new forms.

Analysis & Reflection :

First of all, the name of the movie, "eat drink man woman" as explained in a scene in the movie by Mr Chu, referred to the natural basic desires of man, in this context 'eat' referring to meat, and 'drink' to wine, while 'man woman' referred to sexual desires. All these could be classified under 'physiological or biological needs, according to Maslow's hierarchy of needs. It is the basic form of needs humans have in order to survive, and should be viewed as a natural occurrence, hence the meaning of the movie's title. 

Sexual desires are a part of life

In this movie, there were many key points that set it apart from the rest, for example, the father, Mr. Chu, started off as a typical Chinese man and father. But, as the story developed he was seen to be not as traditional as the stereotypical traditional Chinese father in classic Chinese movies. This was seen with how he faced with his first and third daughters' relationship when Jia-Jen and Jia-Ning blurted out the news from nowhere during their usual Sunday banquet dinner. After they confessed to having a baby and being already married, he calmly wished them well and saw them off to their new life with their new partners. A typical Chinese father would have forbidden their daughters from having a relationship with another unknown person. Mr. Chu's reaction to the situation was portrayed as silently accepting and him giving his blessings to them out of love.

A baby? Is it a son?

The Chinese would usually express themselves through body language, facial emotions, and the action of concern to each other which makes us behavioral interdependence instead of affective interdependence. Therefore, we usually take for granted for what has been there without much interest until one expresses what was really inside their hearts. One of these was shown by the interaction with the first and second daughter while washing plates. Biologically a male, it would be harder for a man to read the emotions of a woman, but Mr Chu manages to understand his daughters feelings and emotions towards his food and also does laundry for his daughters, which in Asian culture, is rare.

The things I do for love :')

To me, the most heartwarming father to daughter relationship theme in the film was how he wakes every daughter up before and after his morning jogs. I believe after seeing all his daughters settled down and having their own family and goals, he, himself decided to pursue his own future by announcing his unexpected relationship with Jin-Rong. Knowing about the Holland project (Jia-Chien's Amsterdam promotion), he made up his mind to sell the house and led a new life where I believe it was to make Jia-Chien less obliged to him and strive for a better future.

Go. Live your life.

All in all, Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory would explain the heavy aspect of culture in this film, in terms of the difference in culture contrasting to the stereotypical norm. The ecological theory explains that each individual is affected by their 'systems' as they develop into adults, and as mentioned before above, Mr Chu is a man who goes against the stereotypical norms of the Chinese culture; hence, there is reason to believe that Mr Chu raised his three daughters with his values, and that formed their current personality as well. 

Conclusion :

This movie is a heartwarming one, consisting of various themes like filial piety, the value of family, love and sex, and the beauty of food. Thus, watching this movie when one is terribly hungry is not advised. :)

YUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Rating : 7.5/10 

Blog Post # 4 : Gandhi (1982) : The Legend

This is the largely acclaimed biographical film of the legendary Indian leader, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, also known as Mahatma Gandhi. This 3-hour long movie received 11 Oscar nominations and won a staggering 8 Oscars, cementing it's place in history as one of the best films of all time. It is rated 8.1/10 on IMDB and 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.

That feeling when a nation rallies behind you

Plot :

The film begins on the day of Gandhi's assassination on 30 January 1948, where after an evening prayer, an elderly Gandhi is helped out for his evening walk to meet a large number of greeters and admirers. One of these visitors, Nathuram Godse, shoots him point blank in the chest. Gandhi exclaims, "Oh, God!" and then falls dead. The film then cuts to a huge procession at his funeral, which is attended by dignitaries from around the world. The movie then proceeds to a flash back of his entire life, starting with the faithful incident that started it all in 1893, where the 23-year-old Gandhi is thrown off a South African train for being an Indian sitting in a first-class compartment despite having a first-class ticket. Realising the laws are biased against Indians, he then decides to start a non-violent protest campaign for the rights of all Indians in South Africa. After numerous arrests and unwelcome international attention, the government finally relents by recognising some rights for Indians. After this victory, Gandhi is invited back to India, where he is now considered something of a national hero. He is urged to take up the fight for India's independence from the British Empire. Gandhi agrees, and mounts a non-violent non-cooperation campaign of unprecedented scale, coordinating millions of Indians nationwide. There are some setbacks, such as violence against the protesters and Gandhi's occasional imprisonment. Nevertheless, the campaign generates great attention, and Britain faces intense public pressure. After World War II, Britain finally grants Indian independence. Indians celebrate this victory, but their troubles are far from over. The country is subsequently divided by religion. It is decided that the northwest area and the eastern part of India (current-day Bangladesh), both places where Muslims are in the majority, will become a new country called Pakistan. It is hoped that by encouraging the Muslims to live in a separate country, violence will abate. Gandhi is opposed to the idea, and is even willing to allow Muhammad Ali Jinnah to become the first prime minister of India, but the Partition of India is carried out nevertheless. Religious tensions between Hindus and Muslims erupt into nationwide violence. Horrified, Gandhi declares a hunger strike, saying he will not eat until the fighting stops. The fighting does stop eventually, but Gandhi is now too weak. Gandhi spends his last days trying to bring about peace between both nations. He thereby angers many dissidents on both sides, one of whom (Godse) is involved in a conspiracy to assassinate him. As Godse shoots Gandhi in a scene seen at the start of the movie, the film cuts to black and Gandhi is heard in a voice-over, saying "Oh, God!" The audience then sees Gandhi's cremation; the film ending with a scene of Gandhi's ashes being scattered on the holy Ganga.

Analysis & Reflection :

Whilst watching the movie, it is apparent that the whole theme of the movie is of the prejudice and discrimination against the Indians by the British, and it is precisely this that fuels Gandhi's passion to try to gain independence for India and equality through non-violent means. First of all, prejudice is an unjustified or incorrect attitude (usually negative) towards an individual based solely on the individual’s membership of a social group. On the other hand, discrimination is the behavior or action(s), usually negative, towards an individual or group of people, especially on the basis of sex/race/social class, etc. Racial discrimination and social class discrimination are very evident in this movie. 

Prejudice includes all three components of an attitude, namely Affective (A), Behavioural (B), and Cognitive (C) of the ABC model while discrimination only includes the behavioural component. The affective component consists of the emotions felt by someone, and in the context of this movie, an example could be "I am disgusted by Indians". The behavioural component is how one behaves when influenced by the attitude we have, which in the context of this movie could be "I will kick an Indian out of the train if I see one in the first-class department". Lastly, the cognitive component is the set of beliefs that a person has, for example, "I think Indians are inferior to British people'. All these components explained the attitude of the guards at the train, which ultimately led to them kicking Gandhi out of the train, which is an act of discrimination.  

Don't discriminate :)

Throughout the movie, Gandhi is presented as a humble individual and as the movie progresses to its end, Mahatma looks frail but his message is not shaken and he does not easily give up on what he has fought for. His resilience and consistency as well as an unraveled desire and quest for truth pays off in the end when the government of South Africa recognizes Indian rights after international pressure. Through this movie, I have learned that the use of violence is not the only option. This is especially the case when in the modern world, nations and some extremist groups are resulting to the use of force to make their stand known on a wide variety of issues. Through this movie, Gandhi can convince a lot of people that victory can be achieved without any kind of violence and other unrighteous tactics. He also shows that all of the people in this world are always in a great need for equality, in order to achieve the prosperous and blissful life.

Gandhi always instills the thought that no individual should be discriminated against based on their race, societal status, religion, sex and color. These values instilled within him might also have come from the ABC model of attitude, with his life experiences (such as being kicked off the train) influencing and creating his feelings (A), and his beliefs (C) that ultimately fueled his behaviour (B) (as seen in the movie).

Conclusion :

This movie brought me to the realization that we are all equal human beings and hence the social segregations we are accustomed to need not exist. In the movie, Gandhi is occasionally imprisoned for his convictions but his unfailing fighting spirit convinces me that no challenge is so great that it cannot be overcome by someone who works and tries their hardest to achieve what is desired. Furthermore, not only does Gandhi succeed through relentlessness and resilience, he also achieves it through non-violent means, which suggests that there is yet hope for world peace on Earth.

Non-violence is the best thing on Earth

 Rating : 8/10

It's always okay, cause in the end YOU WIN.