Lois Lane: Hero or Zero?

Dear readers, today I'm going to do something a little different. Though there are many brilliant monologues to deconstruct and think about, I was reading some other movie blogs when I discovered this piece by Monica Bartyzel:  Amy Adams thinks Lois Lane is a powerful character.


Now, I wholeheartedly believe that Amy Adams can play any part she wants. She's a wonderful actress, really one of the most versatile and talented, as The Fighter completely convinced me of.  But what struck me was the debate over whether Lois Lane is a powerful woman character.


I'm no die-hard fan of the Superman franchise. I admit to enjoying the 1990s Superman television show Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman where Teri Hatcher played a tough, successful Lois Lane, but I don't know all the movies. However, I have seen the cartoons. Thus, my understanding of Lois Lane in the context of the entire franchise is limited, but from what I've seen and from what Amy Adam's said, I have no doubt that the Lois Lane that will be portrayed in the new Superman movie will be a strong, tough woman.


Here's Adams take, in case you skipped over it in the link:
"I think the role of women in society constantly changes, and what I love about Lois Lane is that she's been very consistently strong, successful, independent. I'm very attracted to that. It was a time when women were really -- I don't want to make some grand statement because I know it will come across as a grand statement -- but [women were often limited by society then and] what I loved about her was that she was able to be smartand be feminine and I think that that's something I know I'm going to teach my daughter -- that you don't have to be a man to be powerful. You can be a powerful woman."


Now, I consider Lois to be a timeless character. She's definitely a role model for any young girl.  There's nothing wrong with wanting marriage or a career or both. Not at all. I think we can all agree with Adams in that sense.


But let's step back and consider what Bartyzel says. She indicates that "one can't help but wish that she'd find a radioactive spider or some other scientific anomaly that would give her the strength to save herself."  We all know that Superman has to save the day for Lois Lane. There would be no good romance story without it. I had never considered the fact that maybe Lois Lane could be Superwoman or something. Why don't we see female characters portrayed more often as superheroes? 


I know that there's Wonder Woman and Catwoman, but Hollywood seems to continuously ignore the female superhero. Maybe people feel uncomfortable around such a "masculine" woman. Nonetheless, if we really want to get past this whole men ruling the world thing (which has gone on for far to long, might I add) maybe some female superheroes are the way to go. Women can save the day too, and do so often on a DAILY basis.


So what do you all think? Is Lois Lane all that she's cracked up to be, or is it all a complete lie? What about female superheroes? Are there any that I forgot or should know about? Should we create them or are superheroes ridiculous?


Thoughts?

The mean reds - Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

Paul: I'm....sorry. Is he all right?
Holly: Sure. Sure. He's okay. Aren't you, Cat? Poor old Cat. Poor slob. Poor slob without a name. I don't have the right to give him one. We don't belong to each other. We just took up one day. I don't want to own anything until I find a place where me and things go together. I'm not sure where that is, but I know what it's like. It's like Tiffany's.
Paul: Tiffany's? You mean the jewelry store?
Holly: That's right. I'm crazy about Tiffany's. Listen. You know those days when you get the mean reds?
Paul: The "mean reds?" You mean, like the blues?
Holly: No. The blues are because you're getting fat or it's been raining too long. You're just sad, that's all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you're afraid, and you don't know what you're afraid of. Don't you ever get that feeling?
Paul: Sure. Some people call it angst.
Holly: When I get it, what does any good is to jump into a cab and go to Tiffany's. Calms me down right away. The quietness, the proud look. Nothing very bad could happen to you there. If I could find a real-life place that made me feel like Tiffany's, then... then I'd buy some furniture and give the cat a name...I'm sorry. You wanted something. Oh, the telephone.
(http://www.whysanity.net/monos/tiffany3.html)


In case you've forgotten the movie entirely:

****

If I consistently reflect on my life, my short 20 year old life, I'm certain that I get the most moody and blue when breaks from school are ending.

Yep, just talk to me one or two days, depending on the length of the break, before its ending and I promise you that you'll be speaking to the queen of darkness.

I may be exaggerating, but everyone has those moments. You've got the blues. You're down in the dumps. Whatever you call it, you're just out of it. I say, hurry to the store and load up on some ice cream and chocolate.

But the point of this scene is the mean reds, which to me are the complete opposite of the blues. Audrey Hepburn describes them perfectly: fear. You're scared and you don't know why. There's something nagging at your very soul and you just can't seem to figure out what's wrong and/or how to fix it.

I've felt this way many times, particularly when I'm trying to make big decisions. It comes up as soon as I start thinking about the after-college question which I am now seeing many of my colleagues struggle with in real time.

But there are those days, those days that everyone has, where there's just something wrong and you just can't handle it all anymore. Nothing is working; the world is closing in on you.

So you can recognize the feeling, but how do you solve it? I don't think there's a cure, but maybe everyone has their own way of dealing with the mean reds. Do you hop in your car and drive to the nearest Tiffany's? I hardly believe this to be the case with most of us. I find Tiffany's an intimidating store where I start hyperventilating at the price tags.  But Audrey finds her sanctuary there; it's the only place where she feels calm and at peace with herself.

Sanctuary. Our cure for the mean reds.  Where do you feel safe? What calms you down? Maybe it's a stroll around the block. Or a shopping trip. Or even a long drive. I tend to go on drives to bodies of water. I often find myself at Lake Michigan, listening to the rush of the water and wind. It calms me down.

Audrey's problem is that she can't find a real life place that feels like Tiffany's. Nowhere in the world is as safe as Tiffany's is for her.  She can't commit to something unless she finds that stillness and calmness.

Now, I don't know if that's even possible to have that kind of stability. I hope that I never feel anxious or get the mean reds when I find a permanent home for myself. However, I think that it's a innate human occurrence. We get the mean reds and that's just the way it is.

If you've seen the movie, you know that it's Audrey's neglect to move past the mean reds that propels the movie and makes her the character she is. So let's not be Audrey. Let's find a way to deal with the mean reds because they're going to happen. The point is to learn how to make sure that they don't overtake your life.

Your Verse - Dead Poets Society (1989)

Mr. Keating: In my class, you will learn to think for yourselves again. You will learn to savor words and languages. No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world. I see that look in Mr. Pitts' eyes like 19th century literature has nothing to do with going to business school or medical school, right? Maybe. You may agree and think yes, we should study our Mr. Pritcher and learn our rhyme and meter and go quietly about the business of achieving other ambitions. Well, I have a secret for you. Huddle Up...Huddle UP! 

We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. Medicine, law, business and engineering, these are all noble pursuits necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, and love; these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman "Oh me, Oh life of the question of these recurring. of the endless trains of the faithless of cities filled with the foolish. What good amid these? Oh me, Oh life." "Answer...that you are here and life exists....You are here. Life exists, and identity. The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse." The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?

(http://www.whysanity.net/monos/dead.html)

***

I'll start with the fact that I'm convinced I'm no poet. The conciseness of poetry is something I struggle with, the fact that you have to find just exactly the right words to express something and you can't go on for pages and pages.  For this reason, I have steered away from poetry creative writing classes, afraid of not being deep enough or that it will be too difficult to produce poems.


But after I watched Dead Poets Society (1989) the other evening, for perhaps the third or fourth time, I was convinced that I needed to sit down and write poetry.  


Now I know that actually becoming poets isn't the point of the movie. Not at all. The point is to find your own voice and to think freely, not conforming to societal norms.  And we definitely understand that when we see Neil, the main character, rekindling the Dead Poets Society with his friends and then deciding to act in a play against his father's wishes.  He does what he thinks is right, but still feels the pressure and eventually commits suicide.


But nonetheless, I don't know a time when I've watched the movie that I haven't felt like trying to write a few verses.  Something about the way Robin Williams encourages his students transcends the screen, making me feel as if I'm his student as well.


Dead Poets Society is a favorite among English majors because it emphasizes everything that we constantly discuss and think about in our classes. We realize how important literature is to expressing the human condition. We struggle with sharing that with those people who constantly ask us what we're going to do with our English major. "Teach?" is always their suggestion.


Teaching is a noble profession, but assuming that everyone majoring in English will become teachers because that's the only thing we can do is ridiculous.  The English majors of the world are proving you wrong friends.


Many of Williams' students are headed in the opposite direction to medical, business or law school. Those students often don't understand why literature is so important or why they should have to take an English class. "I won't have to know about Thoreau or Whitman when I get a job. Who cares?" says many a student in the sciences.  My own roommate, an engineering student, grumbled all the way through her English class last semester and they didn't even have to read poetry! 


I already said that the movie isn't about literature. And I stand by that. But I don't see how literature doesn't fit into finding a voice. If we don't read the voices of others and understand other points of view, how can we come up with our own?


I think that the movie leaves us with questions rather than answers.  How much should we conform? Are these 'radical' ideas too much for impressionable teenagers?  Were Emerson and Thoreau completely nuts when they were writing about these things?


Maybe Thoreau was crazy to go live in the woods deliberately.  But either way, he found his verse.


The question is, how will you find yours?

Strength - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Benjamin Button: [Voice over; letter to his daughter] For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.  (imdb.com)






In light of this post, I'm anticipating someone to comment about the film being way too long, boring, awkward, weird, etc. And I understand why you might feel that way, but Benjamin Button intrigued me; I felt as though it was something very original and had some deeper meaning to it. 


You don't have to look too far down to find some important ideas the film plays with: age, innocence, love.  But what I find particularly interesting is how it deals with identity.


Now, identity is a tricky concept. Psychologists still haven't figured it out entirely, but I think as humans we get it: our identity is something we find in the things that surround us, our birthplace, age, family, occupation, hobbies, etc. It's something that we all have, but sometimes feel as if we have to find.  Nonetheless, changing identity isn't as easy as it seems.  


Although we live in a society and many reading are part of a generation that has no trouble picking up and leaving their roots, the core of their identity, I feel as though it's hard to start all over again.  Benjamin does it constantly throughout his life, moving backwards while everyone else around him moves forward.  


There are no rules to this thing. Wow. So often we box ourselves in, slaving away to rules and regulations that sometimes we impose on OURSELVES. Academia, jobs, families can all be sources of regulation.  But the actual living of life, you know, the stuff that actually defines us, there's no right or wrong way to go about it.


I think what Benjamin says is extremely important for us all to ponder. Are we seeking out experiences that startle us and change the way we think about the world? Are we trying to meet people who are different than ourselves, providing us with new perspectives? And if we're not, do we have the courage to change that?


It's hard to think of this in terms of having unlimited time; that is, time is not something that should hold us back or define us. I know that I have trouble letting go of time. I was the girl with the I need this and this by 22 and then this and this by 30. But in actually getting to 20 years old, I've found that I don't have to grow up so fast and that I don't need to be rooted in something before I'm ready. It's okay to change and grow; that's what we do.


I changed my frame of mind, in theory. In practice, I find it difficult to let go of a plan and just try something, try to make it work, "fail" and then have to start all over again. It's like when your computer crashes and you lose everything: pictures, documents, music, etc. I know it's a terrible comparison, but both take a lot of courage, courage to get out of an unplanned rut.




So what do you want to do? Thankfully we're not living our lives backwards like Benjamin. That would be terrible. However, it's easy to forget that he's not real and he's not in the real world. I guess my question is how do we do this? How do we completely change our lives when we feel dissatisfied when we have all these other social/whatever pressures on us? It is just a matter of courage or does more come in to play?


I wish I knew, but I'm sure I'll find out.

What do you want? - The Notebook (2004)

Young Noah: Would you stop thinking about what everyone wants? Stop thinking about what I want, what he wants, what your parents want. What do YOU want? What do you WANT?  (imdb.com)




It's tough knowing what you want. Decisions are the downfall of many, myself included. Faced with two options, no matter how similar or different, we all often hesitate, unsure of which to choose.


In The Notebook (2004), Allie has to make a choice between two wonderful men. Hers is seemingly a choice of love; however, there is more to the story. Her choice is one of lifestyle, of location, even perhaps of comfort.  We don't know who she's going to choose, as both look like viable options. Will she even choose anyone? Despite a minor freakout, she chooses Noah because we knew all along that he was who she belonged with.


I've gone back to the scene many times when I was trying to make a decision on my own. It's hard not to be influenced by everyone else's wants and needs.  We've all been in Allie's shoes: there's been times where we've had to figure out what we wanted instead of basing our choices on other people.  


For me, I remembered this scene when I was trying to make a college choice. What did I want? Where did I want to spend the next four years of my life? It was the first time that I was able to make a big decision all by myself. So I weighed the evidence, made pros and cons lists, did all of my research, and, of course, asked my parents and friends their opinions. I'd like to think that I made the decision all by myself, and for the most part I did, but it was really difficult to pull myself away from everyone else's opinions and decide for myself.


We all have people that we look to for advice and guidance and I think that sometimes we let their judgments sneak into our own opinions.


Come on, we all know that person who bases their opinion off of everyone else's. Their opinion constantly changes depending on who they're with. Maybe it's a mechanism to keep neutral, but I think that I'd rather butt heads with a passionately free-thinking person than someone who's just trying to please me with their opinions.


So how do we pull ourselves away from the world and make our own uninfluenced decisions? If only I knew. It's a constant struggle to be an original thinker in this world, as well as being completely uninfluenced by those around us.  


Despite these difficulties, we should try really hard to always evaluate each situation on our own terms.  Stop worrying about everyone else around you and really think hard about what you want because you are the most important person you should be accountable to; you have to live with the decision, so you might as well be happy.

Captain Billy Tyne:  "The fog's just lifting. Throw off your bow line; throw off your stern. You head out to South channel, past Rocky Neck, Ten Pound Island. Past Niles Pond where I skated as a kid. Blow your air-horn and throw a wave to the lighthouse keeper's kid on Thatcher Island. Then the birds show up: black backs, herring gulls, big dump ducks. The sun hits ya - head North. Open up to 12 - steamin' now. The guys are busy; you're in charge. Ya know what? You're a goddam swordboat captain! Is there any thing better in the world?"

-The Perfect Storm (2000), screenplay by William D. Wittliff

The Perfect Storm is a movie that is often overlooked as one of George Clooney's finer performances. Not many find Clooney to be a fantastic actor; he's the suave guy who does a lot of action movies, a man's man who can easily please the ladies. However, other than Up in the Air (2009), I find The Perfect Storm to be one of Clooney's finer moments.


Clooney's monologue occurs early on in the film.  He's out on in the harbor with another captain, a woman, and the scene is exactly as he describes. The soundtrack, by the way, is gorgeous, particularly in this moment. What the captain says always makes me stop for a moment and think about the beauty I find in the things I do everyday. The things Clooney mentions are completely ordinary: he sees them everyday he goes out for work. It's not a big deal, but in this moment, he is trying to convince the woman he's talking with that what they do is the best thing ever. They live and breath swordfish fishing.


One word: passion. Swordfish captains aren't the most glamorous people, but the passion with which Clooney delivers his lines convinces me that swordfishing is something I want to try. The salty smell of the ocean air, the breeze off the water, seagulls calling, I can hear it all in the monologue. I want to pack up and head to the East coast.


It is often difficult to find beauty in such ordinary things. Life is often monotonous, we drag ourselves into a day to day routine.  Stopping and breathing in the sea (or city) air can do wonders.  


Having a zeal for just doing your job, or realizing how awesome it is to even have a job, especially one that you love doing, is something we all often take for granted. Sure, nobody wants to work their entire lives away; we'd much rather be on vacation. But if we remember how good it feels to be a part of something, to contribute to something, to get our hands dirty, then the blow isn't as bad.


Is there anything better in the world than being out on the water and being in charge? Nope. Not in the moment. If we can find that spark of passion to ignite us, the one that makes us come alive like Captain Billy Tyne, I'd say that we've accomplished something...no matter if we are a CEO or a swordfisherman.








Note: Photo courtesy of allmoviephoto.com, monologue courtesy of imdb.com. 

Blood Brothers and Sisters

"Alan: I'd like to... I'd like to say something that I've prepared tonight. (takes out a crinkled paper, begins reading somewhat nervously) Hello. How about that ride in? I guess that's why they call it Sin City. (nervous laugh) You guys might not know this, but I consider myself a bit of a loner. I tend to think of myself as a one-man wolf pack. But when my sister brought Doug home, I knew he was one of my own. And my wolf pack- it grew by one, so where there two- there were two of us in the wolf pack. I was alone first in the wolf pack and Doug joined in later. And six months ago, when Doug introduced me to you guys, I thought 'Wait a second, could it be?' And now I know for sure- I just added two more guys to my wolf pack. The four of us wolves, running around the desert together in Las Vegas, looking for strippers and cocaine. So tonight, I make a toast! (pulls out switchblade, starts cutting his hand) Blood brothers!"

The Hangover is a relatively new movie that seems to resonate most loudly with the 18-24 year old focus group. It's one of those movies that are so ridiculous, you just have to laugh at some parts, even if you hate the silly-comedy genre.

I've found the movie to be easily quotable, but most often forget Alan's monologue. The most popular quote I hear when I mention The Hangover: "Paging Dr. Faggot!"  But Alan's monologue is an important turning point in the movie: it's the last time that we see the four men together in Vegas, before they wake up the next morning to find their villa trashed, a baby in the closet and a tiger in the bathroom.

Alan is easily the largest source of comic relief; he's an outsider that doesn't fit in perfectly with the bad-ass attitude of Bradley Cooper and the nerdy, submissive qualities of Ed Helms.  He is invited to go along not as a friend, but as a brother-in-law, almost an afterthought or obligation.

But he tries to break into the circle of friendship he has been placed up against. We can laugh all we want at his awkward speech, but I think there's something there we can relate to.  All of us have these moments trying to break into a group, whether it be a sports team, fraternity or sorority, larger group of friends or even a clique of some type. The moment where you try to convey, in the most sincere and least awkward way possible, your desire to be accepted into the crowd.  It's surprising that Alan pulls out  a knife, expecting the men to cut themselves and mix their blood together, but it's all for comedy.

We've all pulled out that knife in some form; extreme measures aren't often necessary to join groups, though there are plenty of exceptions. I've found that I've pulled out the knife and declared my love for groups all too often in my life: I've invested myself too soon, much like Alan has.

I did this often in high school, usually every year with a new group of friends. I had my two best friends that always stuck by me, but each year I found new friends that would float in and out of my life. Each time, I was certain that my group was finally the group I had been waiting for. It never was the case.

Like Alan, I wanted a "wolf pack," a concrete group of friends I could go to for support, that I could have sleepovers with, and eventually nights out on the town in Vegas. I think we all do.  We all want to be accepted as part of a larger group. We all want to find the people that will eventually stand up in our weddings and will take retirement vacations with us.  The acceptance factor never dies, no matter how old you are. It's innately human.

It's a nerve-wracking thing to try and break into a group like Alan does. He is so nervous that he spikes their drinks with roofies (the date rape drug), causing them all to do things they normally wouldn't have, and to have massive hangovers in the morning. We wouldn't have the movie without Alan, and eventually his mistake leads to his acceptance into the group.

Perhaps this is the Hollywood moment. Usually, a mistake doesn't help acceptance. I can remember many times where I tried being myself, did something silly and wasn't invited back.  Friendships and social groups are tough things, but when you find the right one, it's a rewarding experience.

I'd like to think that I've found a good group of friends (finally!) in college. However, we aren't without our faults as a group.  But, for the first time, I feel as though my friends somewhat replace whatever emotional support I get from my immediate family, making it feel as though we're "blood sisters."

Nothing could ever replace my real sister. No way.  But, I have become so close to these women that I feel as though we function a lot like a family.  What makes me feel similar to Alan is the fact that I joined this established group anew, and found myself trying to find a place to fit in.  It was difficult, but with persistence and time, I meshed myself in quite well.  So it can be done in real life. I promise.

So I make a toast to all of those people in our lives that we feel close to, our "blood brothers and sisters," whoever they may be. We may not be in Vegas looking for strippers and cocaine, but we're having some unforgettable moments that will hopefully last a lifetime.



Note: Photo from videogum.com, monologue from www.whysanity.net/monos.

Welcome!

Have you ever sat in a movie theater and paused?

You know, paused?  Just almost stopped breathing, thinking, moving and just listened to a movie moment that, to you, transcends time and place, a moment that relates to you and your life? The ah-ha moment where everything makes perfect sense? The moment when the author says everything that you wish you could.

I take pause often. When I'm reading novels, or a good piece of journalism.  Particularly when I'm reading nonfiction.

Many of the moments that have given me pause have come in the form of a monologue, a longer moment of beautifully constructed language that connects with me, that reverberates in my mind and heart.  The passages I speak of remind me of those who find such beauty in Bible verses. I mean no disrespect, but I find myself more connected to the more realistic, human experiences of those in film.

Some movie monologues make us laugh. Some make us cry. Either way, they strike a chord. I've read articles that dispel the monologue or voice-over, believing it to be hindering the action of a film. However, I take issue with this statement. Monologues are often the places where I feel most connected to a character, seeing a glimpse into their soul.  They articulate what's inside of me sometimes better than I can myself, as they are carefully constructed pieces of dialogue that the character seemingly says on the spot.

So what's this blog about? What's the point? One can easily google "movie monologues" and find several thousand hits of websites providing such. Instead, I hope to deconstruct, if you will, these pieces of art, providing my own insight and opinions along the way. Maybe I'll even fit in an personal anecdote or two.

I'll try to use movies from all different genres, but my goal is to have seen the movie first. Now, I consider myself an avid movie watcher, but I still have a far way to go. Hopefully this blog will push me to see some of those movies on my lists of must-sees. I'd appreciate any suggestions along the way. However, being a busy college student who spends most of her time reading and writing, I have little time to sit down and watch the movies I love so much.