Ryan Kreps
Media Review Writing

What is light without dark? Peace without war? Ying without Yang? In the film Equilibrium a society known as Libria, adopts a drug that neutralizes any emotions in order to protect humans from themselves, but is it ever possible to simply mute human emotion, and if it is what is are our emotions replaced with. An impressive film written and directed by Kurt Wimmer, Equilibrium uses an all-star cast to portray a world policed by masters of weaponry known as Grammaton Clerics, and plagued by a society of “sense offenders”, who choose to divulge in acts that would allow them to feel. A film of opposites, of Ying and Yang, can one survive without the other?
Equilibrium begins introducing the idea of the cleric, more machine than man, taught never too feel, too sense when others are feeling, and at all times to obey their great ruler, Father. Christian Bale plays the highest ranking cleric, John Preston, a man who watched as his own wife was taken away for sense offense and stood by silently, who within the first several minutes of the movies is forced to kill his long time partner Errol Partridge played by Sean Bean for the same crime, and does so without hesitation. But it is his partner’s last words that begin to cling to the mind of this perfect cleric, John questions why Errol would ever disobey the law, why he would feel, has he not seen the rage, the violence, the anger? As Partridge lowers his book he quietly states “A heavy cost. I pay it gladly”. The rest of the film revolves around Preston, who accidentally destroys his medication and begins to feel, as he does so he slowly realizes what his partner meant “A heavy cost. I pay it gladly”, he meets a beautiful women played by Emily Watson, and without the hindering effects of his drug, he sees her beauty, feels her warmth, smells her scent, “A heavy cost. I pay it gladly”, he awakes too see the sun rise through his window, as tears drip down his face, “A heavy cost. I pay it gladly”. The question then becomes what he does with his new found emotion, a question the sense offenders are happy to answer.
This movie though a fan favorite, with amazingly choreographed fight scenes, impressive actors, and interesting plot is far from unique. The idea of stopping censorship of human emotion, to better human beings is one that has been attempted with films such as The Cradle Will Rock, one that shares the actress Emily Watson as well as Sean Pertwee, the actor who plays Father, where the American government attempts too quiet and censor a group of thespians from performing a work that they casts an inglorious view on their country. In Fahrenheit 451 a society is controlled and told what books are appropriate reading and which ones are not, the ones that are not are burned by “Firemen”, one such Fireman, Guy Montag, decides to read one of the books and slowly realizes the beauty that has been denied to him his entire life, an almost parallel description of Equilibrium. Though this film has been done before, almost exactly at times, it does take a unique stance.
Equilibrium is not only an emotional endeavor dealing with censorship, and the rights of humans too feel, but is also an action packed thrill ride, spear headed by the Clerics method of a “Gun Ballet” of sorts. This well choreographed dance is seen often in the movie, but is not the only action John Preston proves himself an impressive swordsman in an epic battle against his new partner, and fights five men at once using only the butt of his gun. Many films tell a story, others tell a truth, in the case of Equilibrium, much like light and dark, war and peace, Ying and yang, the real truth lies somewhere in the middle.

The Bride Revision

Ryan Kreps
Media Review Writing

The Frankenstein monster has always been a gut wrenching tale of a violent, masochistic, creature that terrorizes a small village. But what if the story has more too it than that, what if in actuality this is a tale, of compassion, of friendship, of the need for every living creature to feel close to someone. The film The Bride of Frankenstein delves deeper into this idea and shows that much like a nerd in high school the Frankenstein monster is just looking to fit in.
The opening sequence of the film recalls the villagers destroying the windmill and assumedly destroying the monster along with it, but the creature survives only to take more lives the minute he ascends from the rubble. He then goes on to run amuck once again with the spears and torches of the villagers close behind, this would lead you to believe that this beast is nothing more than devilish creature hell bent on destruction, but as the monster runs from his captors he comes upon a small cottage in the woods, the home to a lonely blind man praying for a companion, and when this giant behemoth walks into the house, instead of screaming and running, he thanks god that he has finally been sent a friend.
In one of the most memorable scenes in cinema history, the Frankenstein monster and an old hermit, sit together for a meal of soup, cigars, wine, and friendship. The smile practically never leaves the creatures face as he learns to speak and smoke as well. It softly coos while the hermit plays a haunting violin melody, and excitedly laps up the soup that has been offered to him. It seems that both the blind hermit and his unikely acquaintance have finally created a match, and neither of them will feel the stab of loneliness again, but sure enough a group of local towns people stop in to see this mad to party and as their screams echo through the woods, the destruction begins again.
Is the ogre like creature even capable of friendship or love? He happily ate with the bind hermit, but as soon as he met opposition he went back to smashing. Or is it like the famous last words the monster exclaims as the tower falls around him “We belong dead!”This is not a simple tale of a creature with no needs but to destroy, this is a story of a man brought back to life, and though his grotesque features inspire horror, all he really wants is a friend.

The Bride of Frankenstein

The Bride of Frankenstein Review
By: Ryan Kreps

The movie The Bride of Frankenstein begins as all classics do, blaring instrumentals, dark and stormy night atmosphere, slow fog that rolls across the opening credits, a seemingly normal opening sequence, but upon closer inspection of this typical opening a small hitch can be seen, who is the monsters mate? The film stars such actors as Boris Karloff reprising his role as the great behemoth Frankenstein’s Monster, Colin Clive also returns as the mad Dr.Frankenstein, even Elsa Lanchester appears in the film as Mary Shelley herself, but in the grim, spooky credits we are given only one clue as to the identity of the monsters mate, a vivid white question marked shining against the darkness. Perhaps the role was just too small, the bride is barely on screen for five minutes, or the actor was too unknown for their name to be recognized. On the other hand, after watching the film there is a strange familiarity between the Monster’s mate, and her creator… and I don’t mean Dr.Frankenstein.

The beginning of the film opens on a elegant mansion, once again the creative writing course etiquette shines through as the lighting crashed and the rain drops roll down the window outside, Percy Shelley and Lord Byron criticize Mary Shelley for writing such a ghastly book about a monster’s killing spree in Transylvania, Mary goes on to correct the gentleman and begins to explain how the story continues after the destruction of the mill and the monster. The screen shimmers and the film begins. Sadly in order to investigate the mystery actor playing the Bride you can’t focus on the beginning or even the middle of the film. It’s not till the end as the two doctors, Frankenstein and Pretorius, begin to unravel their newest creation, that you slowly begin to make out a familiar face, the monsters mate is none other than Elsa Lanchester, portraying dual roles as not only the inventor of the Frankenstein monster, but as his bride as well.

A deeper meaning begs to be found, the beginning of the film incorporates the idea of a story being told, it should be Mary Shelley herself who decided the look of the characters, so why would she choose her own image. The answer can be found within the first few lines of the film. Lord Byron looks out the window, at the abysmal storm outside and comments that the thunder is most likely (1) “…Heavens applause for England’s greatest poet.” Mary’s husband Percy absent mindedly question what was just said about his wife, Lord Byron smiles on and says “She’s an angel”, Mary then looks up, smiles and says “You think so?”, and with the intent of proving these fine gentlemen wrong, she begins to unfold a tale of a monster that ravages a town, but only wants to be loved, and ends with the unveiling of a new kind of monster, a fresh abomination to unleash on this world. But as the bandages are slowly pulled away from this creatures covered face we are surprisingly greeted by the eyes of an angel. Mary Shelley and the monster are played by the same actor not because of budget, time, or even a lack of creativity, but because the innocent beauty of Mary Shelley, the beautiful, rich, sophisticated women sitting by the fire is only a façade, a clever outer coating, for a mind capable of creating a monster.

1.) "The Bride of Frankenstein." Internet Movie Database. IMDB. 12 Jan 2009 .