HOW´S IT GONNA END?

"If you want a happy ending, 

that depends, of course, on where you stop your story." 

-Orson Welles

A movie cannot be enjoyed if it is watched in fast forward.

It is not the same. it hasn´t the same effect. Every movie is made to be seen from start to finish. It is called the build up.Why the triumph is so glorious, why the tragedy is so sad, why the confusion of the twists. Its an emotional relationship between the audience and the film.

None of this movies would be what they are ... Star Wars, The Godfather, The Wizard of Oz, Citizen Kane, Casablanca,Gone With The Wind, Psycho, The Birds... without its music.

I found myself fascinated with a particular event that happens in all movies.  Their endings. I believe, The perfect ending is  when you let the audience and soundtrack play their part. To become one. As if you were wrapping a christmas present, before giving it away. The emotional strain with the audience at the end of a film is very important, because it is the only thing that you leave the theatre with. I think it´s the hardest decision to make for a storyteller, a screen writer or a director. How to end a story?? Basically because there will be nothing after. I think The End of a film  provides a close, not always complete resolution. It is why we just spent two hours watching. It´s worth our time.

I find it harder to end a movie than to begin it, haven´t you ever felt the movie mysteriously ends too quickly?? or that the ending didn´t resolve anything? Or that it was just not coherent to the previous 2 hours of movie? The meaning of an ending is a crucial part of the story. Either nothing more can happen or we are left with ambigous thoughts of..what happened? This are some of my favorite scores and endings that i think, deeply connect with the audience.

Burkhard von Dallwitz and Philip Glass(composers The Truman Show)

Matching the story and the score is something of talent. To me what Dallwitz and Glass did is a landmark in movies, just  spectacular. Music is broken by the boat hitting a wall that resembled the sky. Truman believed all his life that was his limit. His dream was to go places to be an explorer. As he feels that wall and realizes he is no longer under that ilussion. We all know he is a free man. He is right where he wanted to be climbing those steps to a door. To the UNKNOWN. Not a Truman Show anymore ... "In case I don´t see ya, good afternoon, good evening and good night!"

ANDREA GUERRA(composer The Pursuit of Happyness)

Mixing both piano and violin with the trouble and sacrifices of earning a job and taking care of a little kid. Guerra masterfully executes an audiovisual poem. At the end its the soundtrack the emotional glue between us and Chris Gardner. When we hear " tomorrow is gonna be your first day if you´d like to work here as a broker? ...would you like that Chris?" ...and his eyes become full of tears. We are with him at that moment feeling what he feels. Speechless. As he races down those steps and he startrs to clap, we want to clap with him at his moment of Joy. In that moment we know everything will be ok in his pursuit of Happyness. I love how at the ending of the film we see Chris walking with his son. And the real Chris Gardner dressed in a suit walks right pass him.

"Being with the characters and the way the camera moves suggested certain musical things,the weightless feel of it, the lack of cuts completely influence how you write musically" -Steven Price (composer GRAVITY)

Scoring a movie in space must be quite the task. Most of all how do you come up with an ending that seems fit. British composer Steven Price found out what was inside Alfonso Cuaron´s vision of the safe return to earth. As if it was a metaphor of life coming out of the water and beggining to stand on two feet. Prices masterpiece of score celebrates human victory over adversity with violins and cellos and adding a slight chorus. Bringing all together as Dr. Ryan Stone says "Thank you " stepping away and the movie ends.

"I am very emotional how i react and film has a quality in it which appeals to me. I  immediately respond emotionally that is the most important moment."-Jan Andrzej Paweł Kaczmarek (composer Hachi: A Dog's Tale)

Some people consider animal movies cliches or even boaring. It is Lassie or Benji or some friendly animal. The depth of this movie and its soundtrack can match any drama. Made me respect in so many ways Jan A.P. Kaczmarek. He gives us the key notes to what is happening on screen with a mix of violin and piano.  Giving the same piece variations of rythm. As the movie comes to a close, we see a little summary of the whole movie and of Hachi´s bond with the proffesor. In a kind of progressive sadness in which we all know death is inevitable. That piano marks the reencounter with his old master.But the music comforts in a different way. As the proffesor exits the train station and says "Hachi!" We  know now they are together.

"I have a cool record collection, what i do is go thru it and i find different songs and different pieces of music. I SELECT as i am looking for this is the music, the rythm of Kill Bill." -Quentin Tarantino

We all knew Kill Bill VOL 1. would be a huge film not just because of Quentin Tarantino but because  it was divided in two parts. The one thing i didn´t expect was the ending of Volume 1 is much, much better than Volume 2. Yes, volume 2 gives closure to everything and resolves our doubts. But as The Empire Strikes Back did in 1980....Tarantino wisely chose the final song and decided to give us one more final surprise with the final line. After such a violent movie, full of blood and dead bodies it seems appropriate to use a Gheorghe Zamfir song, called The Lonely Sheperd. That Pan flute is PERFECT. It is such a delicate instrument that it BUILDS UP all this Tension, agression and revenge. Just to leave us with the last line said by BILL "Is she aware her daughter is still alive"

In many ways, an ending is synonym of freedom to the characters. An assurance of  permanent rest or a time of peace. After all of this ...life will never be the same.

" And I want to know the same thing

Everyone wants to know

How's it going to end?"

-Tom Waits

THE DEPTH OF AN 80´s ICON

"nobody wanted him for the part, producers wanted Toshiro Mifune or some big asian actor, not a comedian, but the director was the only one who wanted Mr. Morita"

-Ralph Macchio

No other movie has made KARATE a common word. Known for being one of the most influential movies of the 80´s it gave us all the right push outside the door to beg our parents for Karate lessons. It´s message is clear it needs no subtitles. This film is The Karate Kid.

Take a skinny kid from new jersey and a wise old mentor  and boom!!! Let THE POP CULTURE LEGACY begin. "The Karate Kid"  a martial arts romantic drama! that every kid could feel identified. I knew when i came out of the movie theatre all i wanted was to get that bandana and kick everyone.

Written by Robert Mark Kamen,  The Karate Kid´s main character was originally called Daniel Webber finally changing to Daniel Larousso and directed by John G. Avildsen (academy award winner for best director in 1977  for  Rocky), starring Ralph Macchio (Daniel)& Noriyuki "Pat" Morita(Mr. Myagi) made in the 80´s what Rocky (Stallone) & Mickey( Burgess Meredith) did in the 70´s. The story of a nobody that needed to believe in himself FIRST, in order to achieve anything. After that it was dedication and training. Pat Morita (earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor) became an eternal character in POPULAR CULTURE as Mr. Myagi. And as every POPULAR ICON he also has his FAMOUS QUOTE.

"Wax On - Wax Off"

This trademark scene made possible that waxing cars, painting walls and doing chores (some thing every kid could relate to)payed off at the end. Daniel learned to defend himself by repeating constantly a chore. Or basically pay attention to your parents, because what they are teaching you now...  will help you in the future. 

There is a scene in the movie, probably the most important for the movie, that very few people remember. But it makes Mr. Miyagi and Daniel´s bond to grow. As they are teacher and apprentice. In the scene where Mr. Miyagi is drunk. Daniel feels sorry for him and becomes the care taker of this man. As he lays him to bed, Daniel realizes Mr. Myagi lost his wife and son.  Mr. Myagi is a troubled human being, full of imperfections. Daniel realizes his teacher as himself has flaws.

Martial Arts is just one piece of the movie.

You are never too old or too young to learn something new from someone. There are no "it has to be like that". Every single person you meet in life is important. Whether its for 10 minutes or 10 years. In the story, Mr. Myagi becomes Daniel teacher and father figure as for Daniel  he becomes Mr. Myagi´s best friend and son . Karate is more than FIGHTING, Karate is a deeper form of art.

One of the many philosophies of Karate is that the student must be "inwardly humble and outwardly gentle." And as in the movie The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda says to Luke " A Jedi uses the force always for knowledge and defense, never to attack" Karate shares the same principle. 

On rainy afternoons, i remember my mom used to drive us to karate class. Myself, my brother and my sister all dressed up in our white suits and our karate belts. I know i felt like Daniel San throwing kicks and imitating what i had seen on that movie. The key ingredient to me was the comfort that i was learning to defend myself. We felt special, powerful but as many of our parents lessons in life, it got us closer as siblings to protect each other. It´s one of those movies everyone saw. The impact of The Karate Kid remains to this day. It is a very important part of movie history, of my childhood and for all that Generation that was instantly drawn to a Karate Dojo.It´s unreal to me that this movie turns 30 years old and its still as relevant as when it opened.

"what the remake felt to me ....was to enhance the legacy of the original 1984 "-Ralph Macchio

Mythos & ethoS

"i like having a cast doing something difficult in every shot"

-Wes Anderson

A rarity is what i would call this film. Not for being odd or silly. But because nowadays it´s really rare to watch a good, well written, well performed, well directed and entertaining movie at the same time. A STORY WORTH TELLING. A story you would actually like seeing again and again. Because it is very well told. The characters are 3 dimensional. They have feelings, they are coherent. They are different among themselves. No one is the same as the other. Like in theatre everyone has their ins and outs. Every character portrayed plays their part as if it was a dance or a gymnastics choreography. No egos, No superstars trying to get the most camera time in the editing room. Every single one wants to be a part of the Wes Anderson universe. And to be inside that world is a privilege. It´s a simple, little film about a hotel. The Grand Budapest Hotel.

The way Wes Anderson introduces us to his simetrically perfect world is like in every one of his films. By the time the credit sequence is over. We are in. The way he plans his shots for them to condence the most of the story inside a  a single frame is a real treat. I laughed at his dark humor and really enjoy watching this film. Because it is a great film told by a great director. He is clearly influenced by french cinema and old black and white films. But he took film to an unthinkable perfection. The colors, the music, the acting, the timming, the humor. It is a film that could be shot indoors but you never feel like you are in a closed space. Wes Anderson is in fact a genre of his own. A Wes Anderson film is  unique.

Terry Gilliam once told Quentin Tarantino " You have a vision of a movie in your mind now gather the best people in the business and tell them your vision so that they can bring it to life coreographed by you" That´s the importance of the director". It is the very fundamental of why he is there. That is why many directors continue to work with the same cinematorgraphers, camera crew, gaffers, sound directors, composers, editors etc, etc, etc. There is no written formulas to success but as in real life chemistry exists and when several, very talented people get together they can make movie magic.

Wes Anderson reminded us of one key element of going to the movies:  enjoy the film. He really delivers us a good story with solid characters. No mistakes or script flaws, or  stupid twists. This movie is a must.

The GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL is a character on its own. It is center stage and it holds the intimate secrets of everyone who works there and stays there as a guest.

"i have always wanted to work in the theatre, but i´ve never actually done it. Not since i was in fifth grade, but i´ve had many plays in my films. maybe....theatre is a part of my movie work"

-Wes Anderson