Look no farther when searching for the perfect afternoon filled with a profane stuffed animal and Marky Mark. Seth MacFarlane expresses some of his comedic mastermind in the film “Ted.” When searching for a film to review, I unexpectedly came across this film. I had watched it once before and did not think it was anything special, but paid little attention to any detail compared to how I am now able to watch films with some analytical tools in my belt. This second go-around leaves me with the title of this… “Ted, the type of movie you could watch when you are in almost any situation, any emotional status, and looking for a movie that gives you satisfaction in every aspect.”

My main point when thinking this movie is a fantastic escape from 106 minutes of one’s life is that it is an incredible journey of a talking teddy bear. There is nothing simpler than an drug using, sex-addict, talking, teddy bear that has the ability to speak… in the voice of the notorious Peter Griffin. But, considering this is to analyze why it is a good movie and having a talking teddy bear does not bear (no pun intended) a whole lot of credibility, lets move to my next point.

“Ted” follows a roadmap that is clear as a blue-sky day. Now, knowing where a movie is going to go, five minutes before it shows what you guessed, is usually not an enjoyable experience. However, that is why I think “Ted” is in a class of it’s own. The irresponsible actions left me with a love-hate relationship for the relationship between the two main characters. Watching the story unfold took me through an emotional journey that hit harder than Flash Gordon when he saves the world again and again. Feeling satisfied when the characters end up living happily ever was a large feat when considering the level of predictability that the plot possessed. The cinematography added to this emotional comedy through utilizing the various properties of frame sizes and using stability vs. not. Emotions were raised when close shots would really show the expression of John and Ted. Since the teddy bear was animated, his facial movements were also very animated and really reached out on an emotional level.

The next point of brilliance that this film possesses is how it reaches out to every single viewer in a different way. I re-watched it with a group of four friends and all of us had times where we would be laughing like we never have, at a time where no one else thought it was funny. I think that movies can take a turn for the worse when their scripts are too generic and the scenes are too bland. “Ted” allowed people to find a scene enjoyable in their own unique way. I believe the writing allowed for consistent humor that covered a wide variety of topics- these references resonate on a personal level differently and I really enjoyed that aspect.

The simplistic glory of this film left me more than content and I feel like it may never make it to the top list of my favorite movies, but it still holds a warm place in my heart when it comes to clever comedies. I am also a bit bias because I think Mark Wahlberg is the man… but still an enjoyable flick, fan or not.

Peeping Tom was the type of film that left me satisfied and hungry all at once. The main character, Mark Lewis, made me uncomfortable, suspicious, and completely relaxed all at once. The varying stages of emotion were created through Mark being a round character. As discussed in class, there was a lot of development and change in the character as the film progressed. The most relevant scene to look into Mark’s drastic change in persona was during the time spent with Helen, the female from downstairs. During the scene where she discusses the possibilities of her book and needing his help is where I found the most impactful setting to show Mark’s true dispositions and how he constantly battles his own struggle from being tested on by his father to see the psychology behind fear on the nervous system.

Mark acts very genuine and interested whenever Helen is present. He listens to her words in a much more attentive manor than when he is at work or talking to other people; his attention gets restricted very easily when he sees a victim he wishes to be infatuated with. During the scene of Helen sharing the idea of her book, his responsiveness is much more dramatized than he usually responds- in a dull, uninterested, almost insincere way. He quickly gets emotionally disturbed when she shares that the book relates to capturing images with a magical movie camera. His curiosity and interest in Helen quickly brings him back to his calm, involved self. However, that key point where he enters the darker side of his personality was a key moment for my understanding of his character. He is not often shown in such a genuine and interested state, so when the time came that he bounced back to being dark and unclear was a much more drastic switch that any other moment in the movie.

Once Mark regains his heightened stated of interest, Helen is the one who has a large switch in character. She suddenly gets concerned that she has asked too much of him, this is another moment in this film that captures their relationship and how she effects him. When Mark replies about the discussion of money and his payment not being important, he quickly dives into another tunnel of his inner-curiosity. I felt that this moment was a clear flashback of the trauma that he had been put through as a child by his father. The psychological testing left his emotions and interests calculated, so whenever something (Helen) took him to a new state, he did not know how to respond and closed up his shell, similar to a turtle, when things became too much for him to handle.
It was the creativity and ability to twist my feelings towards Mark that made this film resonate with me. There are many round characters that are still do not have enough variation to leave me interested. Mark, on the other hand, was a character that continued to drag my feelings from side to side. Once I thought I had him pinned and clearly decided that I did or did not feel sympathy for him, the film would throw a curve ball allowing him to creep back onto my good side. Marks constant battle of self-interest and experience with Helen continues to interest me, any film that can leave you questioning an opinion on a character weeks after I it… job well done.