Story and Character

From the television series Prison Break, the character Michael Schofield stands out. He intentionally commits a crime in order to be arrested to the same prison as his brother, who is falsely accused of murder, so he can break them both out. Of course, along the way there are obstacles but the way the character thought of an effective plan to get out of the dilemma is genius. It is unexpected which grabs the viewers attention, leaving them surprised as to what might happen next. The acting by Wentworth Miller is excellent but most of the credit goes to the writers of the Prison Break as the character is very dependent on the script.

Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight is an amazing performance. He portrays the character to be a sadistic mastermind determined to show the world its chaos and corrupt society. Ledger’s depiction of the Joker is not dependent on the script. His looks, use of body language and actions give the impression of his villainous character. One aspect of his character that stands out is when he licks his lips in the style of a reptile. Underneath it all, I could not see Heath Ledger; all I saw was the Joker, which is a sign of an outstanding actor.

A rather unusual storyline I encountered was from the movie ‘Brazil’ directed by Terry Gilliam. The plot is based on Sam Lowry, an agitated man in a futuristic society that is needlessly complex and inefficient. He dreams of a life where he can fly away from technology and overpowering government, and spend eternity with the woman of his dreams. Sounds simple enough, but I found various scenes such as a man being engulfed by paper a bit bizarre…

I am quite open about the types of storylines I enjoy, but I am keen on stories that leave me in a deep thought at the end of the movie because after watching a movie, I don’t want to just forget it and move on to the next. I research the movie and end up finding interesting background information such as the director’s experiences that influenced the film. Donnie Darko is a movie that’s out of the ordinary. It made me think back and analyse the film long after it finished, which a majority of movies are lacking.