The Deterioration of The Human Mind

There is a term that has been in my head ever since I started critically watching films and I can't remember where it came from. The term, which I use as a sort of category or trait for certain films, is "the deterioration of the human mind."

What does it mean? Well, I'm elated you asked and happy to describe it! 

In films that I designate as "deterioration of the human mind" films, there is generally a protagonist who gradually loses their grip on their own sanity or composure. This is a common element in psychological films, but I have yet to hear it pointed out as I frequently do. Because I recently had to lay my perceptions of this idea out, my explanation is fresh in my mind. 

When describing something like this, a list of applicable films is very helpful. So here we go.

My Favorite Deterioration-of-the-Human-Mind Films (by year)

• Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
• A chilling portrait of the few becoming more and more powerless against the many and the increasing paranoia and fear Americans were bringing upon themselves. The characters unravel, the main character so much that (spoiler alert) he is reduced to a screaming, sweating mess by the apparent end of his terrifying ordeal.
• Vertigo (1958)
• One of the clearest and most well performed unravelings on this list, played of course by Jimmy Stewart in Hitchcock's classic mind-bender. Stewart becomes more and more obsessed and psychotic as the film progresses, becoming a desperate wreck with a looser and looser grip on reality and sanity.
• Psycho (1960)
• Well this one's bound to be on here isn't it? Well actually it kind of breaks the rules slightly. Because (spoiler alert) Norman Bates' psychopathy isn't something he gains slowly over the course of the film, which is usually one of the defining characteristics of a film's portrayal of a mind's deterioration. But, in perhaps what makes this such a legendary psychopath film, his insanity is revealed slowly, which has near the same affect! 
• Taxi Driver (1976)
• Brilliant for so many reasons, many being DeNiro's portrayal of a quiet man with a hatred for the scum of the earth. His hatred is exacerbated more and more, leading to a steadily increasing loss of sanity, making this one hell of a film for this list.
• Apocalypse Now (1979)
• It's kind of common knowledge Brando could be brilliant in just about anything, and as a severely power and control hungry general in Vietnam, he delivers one of the most haunting, cryptic, mysterious, and legendary performances of his career. But it isn't only Brando who makes Coppola's war masterpiece qualify here, for the entire film is an exemplary portrayal of the growing insanity Vietnam was becoming, which translates brilliantly into the play out of the entire film.
• Fight Club (1999)
• This may be the most outright human-mind-deteriorating movie on here, and without giving everything away, I will say that it is a brilliant film for many reasons, but for me the coming-apart psyche of the main character is just an excellent aspect of this great film.
• Memento (2000)
• Oh yeah, this is definitely on here. I won't give too much away, but this film definitely delves into how a mind works and how it can fall apart.
• Insomnia (2002)
• More Nolan psychological studies. Not as brilliant as Memento but very watchable nonetheless. Quality of the movie aside, it takes on a deteriorating mental state very well, especially with an unsurprisingly captivating performance from Al Pacino himself.
• There Will Be Blood (2007)
• Yeesh this one is a pretty sick look at sanity deteriorating, with a jaw dropping performance from Daniel Day-Lewis as one of the most unhinged characters ever portrayed on screen. 
• Moon (2009)
• More of a slow unveiling of a horrendous truth than a slow veiling of sanity, but still retains many elements pivotal to this breed of film. Sam Rockwell is astoundingly good here, and the film's understated terror and discomfort comes across beautifully (well, as beautifully as terror and discomfort can).
• District 9 (2009)
• A life falling apart, and a psyche in turn. One of the best sci-fi films ever made, and one of the best films in general. While the film attacks from many fronts, including racial divides and prejudice and alienation and paranoia, its central character, portrayed hauntingly but brilliantly by Sharlto Copley, has an unraveling that is unlikely to be forgotten.
• Chronicle (2012)
• A surprise stunner from early last year, this film managed to crash past the poor quality of many found-footage films of the past few years to deliver a smashing 80-or-so minutes in which a trio of teenagers' mysterious newfound powers lead them through confusion, discovery, acceptance, and finally, harnessing of their might. Andrew, played by Dane DeHaan, in one of the most unsettling performances of that year, sees as soon as he figures out the extent of his new capabilities that he can not only change everything wrong with his own life, but obliterate it all. It's an excellent film for many reasons, but the central character's slip into power-famished madness is as gripping as it is terrifying, making it a superb pick for this, my favorite of categories.

So that's my list right now of the best films that fall under this genre of mine. If there are others you can think of, I'd love to hear about it in comments. Happy movie watching my friends.

American Gangster: A Br1mmerbeller Review

A brilliant portrayal of another shade of the oft-aspired-to "American Dream" that many hold a double standard to. Frank Lucas is a man who worked hard and kept at it until he had made a name for himself and lots and lots of money, all without forgetting his family or friends. He did so through nefarious and life-destroying methods though. The film is brilliant in its honest and forward take on his story and what it should mean. Lucas does represent above all else a new kind of businessman (or as some would say, gangster): one who is black. Discussions of his race are intelligently and discreetly interwoven through the story. It's a great story with a great film adaptation, and well worth seeing for anyone interested in gangster history, and/or American history itself.

The Breakdown

Story(or how the film told the story): 8.6

Performances: 9.5

Directing: 9.1

Visuals: 8.5

How Watching It Actually Felt: 9.1 

My Rating: 9.0/10

The World's End: A Br1mmerbeller Review

Having recently had the pleasure to watch the new addition to the Cornetto Trilogy, The World's End, I couldn't help but write about it.

Edgar Wright can do no wrong. It's damn funny all the way through, with just awesome fight scenes and action, the custom with the Wright-Pegg-Frost films. A fitting wrap up to the best comedy trilogy ever, The World’s End never shuts off its charm, its excitement, or its intelligence, proving, as if any more proof was needed, that when Wright, Pegg, and Frost team up, we’re in for a damn good time. 

The Breakdown

• Story: 8.4
• Performances: 9.5
• Directing: 9.2
• Visuals: 8.8
• How Watching It Actually Felt: 9.6

My Rating: 9.1

Indisputably Great Films: Life of Pi

Every now and then I will write about a film I find indisputably great. They may not be my favorites, they may not be ones I'd watch again, but these are movies I've seen that I would never ever call bad.

Br1mmerbeller's Indisputably Great Films presents:

LIFE OF PI

Ang Lee's absolutely beautiful tale of Pi and the tiger Richard Parker in a boat surviving against all odds is one of the best films of 2012 undoubtedly. Winning four Oscars and nominated for eleven, the critics clearly agreed. I am truly hard pressed to find anything I could call bad about it. The direction is fantastic, the acting superb, the story very good, even with an ending I really enjoyed. And the visuals made my jaw nearly fall off. I find this film, though not a total favorite of mine, to be entirely beautiful and absolutely indisputably great.

The Breakdown

• Story: 8.6/10
• Performances: 8.8
• Directing: 9.0
• Visuals: 9.7
• How Watching It Actually Felt: 9.0

My Rating: 9.0/10

Current Music: Benny Goodman by Saint Motel

I'm really getting into Saint Motel at the moment, and this song is definitely one of my favorites.

9.0/10

The Beauty and Majesty of Electro Swing

    This summer I have become acquainted with a musical style I have quickly come to adore: Electro Swing. Wikipedia calls it "a musical genre fusing swing styles with contemporary production techniques including house, hip hop, EDM and more." I think of it more as a fusion of the classical and the modern in possibly the greatest way I can think of.
   The popular music of a time defines it. The electronic mixing and the like of more modern music is a great representation of the musical creativity available today. What better period to combine it with than the musical creativity of the swing era? 
    Everything is there for the modern adaptation. Peppy, upbeat songs with brilliant musical performances and breaks and distinctive sounds begging to be heard and enjoyed. So electro swing works brilliantly. 

     If anyone isn't familiar with this brilliant genre, I'm more than happy to introduce one and all. 

     Caravan Palace are the foremost electro swing aficionados today, but Tape Five and Club Des Belugas are also good ones. Really though looking up Caravan Palace will make you giddy with glee at their illustriously wonderful sound. Also, the album The Art of Electro Swing (Parts One and Two!) is great, in particular "Prosschai" "Hard Swing Travelin' Man" "Bad Boy Good Man" and "I'm An Old Cowhand."

     Listen to it, love it, have fun. You're sure to have a good time if you do.

Regarding "What's Wrong With Society These Days"

YOU KNOW WHAT'S WRONG WITH SOCIETY THESE DAYS?

     Plenty. But many people are getting their undergarments in a twist over alarmingly inconsequential stuff. In a country where the strongest guarantee of success is being a white man, a problem solvable through at the very least noticing the problems that create this, too many are too worried about frankly meaningless bullshit.
     Now, I am not talking about people's materialism. Not in the least. I'm not going to criticize anyone for too many hashtags on their Instagram picture of their not-all-that-interesting latté. I'm not going to chastise some poor teenager for updating their status with their feelings or whereabouts. And I'm certainly not going to try to yell in people's faces (verbally) that we've "lost touch" or "lost sight" of something. This is exactly what I'm trying to call attention to.
Good, good friends of mine have said similar things to what I have just refused to do. I have heard multiple times people I really do like bemoaning "society today" and how bad everything is because people enjoy updating Facebook more than they enjoy reading J.D. Salinger. Hey, I love J.D. Salinger, but I'm sure if he lived in the time of Facebook, even he, creator of Holden Caulfield himself, wouldn't denounce an entire generation as "phonies" because they like sharing.
     Sharing is a huge part of this argument, to me. I bring it up every time I engage in this discussion, which, as my views get more adamant, becomes more and more frequently. Sharing is something we're taught to do at a very young age. Show & Tell is a beautiful thing! Bringing something important or interesting to you and showing it to others, and explaining your connection to it is a lovely thing to do. It makes you feel listened to, it makes you feel happy were some other little boy or girl to like that thing as well, and it shows others glimpses of your personality they may not normally ever see. Updating your status with a photo of you in Sardinia on your fun family vacation, (of course devoid of boastfulness or pomposity hopefully) is a very, very, similar action! I do hope that no one I know would find good reason to chastise the poor Sardinia-traveling individual for sharing their pictures! (Really, though, I do detest boastfulness masquerading as a sort of philanthropic desire to share one's gloriousness, but I find this trait is rarely present in the kind of updates I see chastised).
     My overall point in this post of mine is that people worry and fuss over things that don't matter, and not only do these things not matter but they are other people's business. I am not trying to stop people worrying about inconsequential crap, because they have the right to. Honestly, that sounds silly but it is absolutely true. I am trying to stop the preachiness and self-righteousness I see so often in good people who want to say something that sounds good and sounds on the moral high ground. Or who just want to seem profound. You're not profound, sirs and madams, you're actually combining two very undesirable actions, all in one! First, you are worrying and fussing over people's internet habits and such, yes? That doesn't matter. That's not something the world's youths ought to be worrying about. Yes, the issue may concern the world's youths anyway, but frankly they probably aren't of much use anyway. No, you, you who bemoans the meaningless Facebook posts and tweets, you are probably decently intelligent, and want to prove it. I believe you! But put your mind to better use, my friends, and worry and fuss over actual problems. Second, it's none of your business anyway. Right now, I acknowledge that I'm confronting you about your business but as many people have seen it fit to lecture me on the problems I'm saying you shouldn't be worried about, I see little problem in pushing back. The youths whose actions and tendencies you bemoan are not you (presumably). They are individuals who are free to choose just how many hashtags they hashtag and how many frappucinos they Instagram. You don't have to follow them, you don't have to associate with them, but it's their business, good people. And if they're not hurting anybody but their own potential, I'm sorry about it, but it's up to them. I don't want to hear any more preaching about problems in "society today" that just aren't a real issue. Please, put your mind to better use. I know, I'm certain, it could do marvelous things if you use it well.