'The Big Shave' Scorsese; 'In the Valley of Elah' Paul Haggis

I'm having a Paul Haggis kind of day. Today, I will have watched two films that he wrote and directed. The first was a TIFF Master Class featuring Mr. Haggis and his film In the Valley of Elah. I vaguely remember this film coming out in 2007. I think I was working at the flea market at that time. It wasn't a big seller and Haggis was not afraid of mentioning this.

In the Q & A he touched on why he thought it was such a flop. First, he said it was a film on the war in Iraq at the time of the war. Secondly, he talked about how the name really turned people off of it. A very interesting thought, it probably shied me away from the film.

I really liked this film for two very simple reasons, and probably only two. The biggest factor is the thought that went into production and the creation of the film. There was a scene when the father figure and Vietnam war veteran Tommy Lee Jones was shaving and cut his neck. He doesn't instantly bleed, but I knew he'd cut himself from the first sight of the scene. Instead, you see him in following scenes bleeding a bit, he eventually gets a tiny piece of toilet paper to clot the wound.

I really loved this particular scene because it was a very obvious nod to Scorsese's 1967 masterpiece The Big Shave. A film that has scared me the way Salvador Dali's Un Chien Andalou has. The Big Shave is a six minute short that shows a man shaving and bleeds excessively. It's suppose to represent the Americans in Vietnam, self-inflicted pain and distress. I really wanted to make a comment about the reference, but I got to scared to ask him in front of such a large crowd. But I'm just that certain that this was a slight nod.

The music featured is a song called "I Can't Get Started" by Bunny Berigan

The second thing that roped me into this film was the story that the movie was inspired by. I made sure I read the article, which was originally published in a Playboy magazine five or six years ago. I couldn't help but draw the parallels between the film and the movie. There were many that were drawn straight from the story. The biggest difference however was the portrayal of characters. Haggis made huge comments on how the characters shape the film and the people playing them even more so. After reading the story, I thought the boy the film is based around was a terrible person. They left that to the very end to show the horrid acts that he committed and why he was given the nickname "Doc." The viewer couldn't hate the kid, they simply had to reason to. But they definitely harp on the idea that people coming back from the war are messed up. They aren't the people they were and will never be.

You should read the true story that the film was based on. It really did haunt me tonight.

Next up, Crash. I know, I'm about five years behind on this one. I remember when it first came out, it would sold like hot cakes. Besides have an incredible cast, the cover art was spotless. There's so much I need to see with so little time!

I was blown away by Charlize Theron. I have a new found respect for her ditzy role in Arrested Development after seeing her in this role.

Also, ZOE KAZAN, the granddaughter of filmmaker pioneer Elias Kazan. He made brilliant films such as A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront.