
Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Friday, June 5, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009

Joel and Ethan Coen have worked within the realms of various genres, adopting appropriate methods of realisation to reflect these representational frameworks. The dialogue in their films is a prominent factor in the organisation and maintenance of these generic constructions and in the fulfilment of specific stylistic strategies. The Hudsucker Proxy's synthetic visual design is mirrored by its stylised dialogue, the criminal milieu of Miller's Crossing is characterised by memorably rich gangster jargon, while Fargo's attention to visual realism operates concurrently with the application of an appropriate regional Minnisota dialect.
The Big Lebowski (Joel Coen; 1998)

Friday, May 29, 2009
minimum 300 words.
maximum 500 words.
If you pas 500 words you fail for being that kid.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Tuesday, May 5, 2009
The Departed (2006)
The Aviator (2004)
Gangs of New York (2002)
Bringing out the Dead (1999)
Kundun (1997)
Casino (1995)
Age of Innocence (1993)
Cape Fear (1991)
Goodfellas (1990)
The Color of Money (1986)
Raging Bull (1980)
New York New York (1977)
Taxi Driver (1976)
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)
Mean Streets (1974)
ASSIGNMENT: Reflect on Scorsese as a director, in regard to style, light, angle. Be sure to also mention at least one of his charcters and how they might connect to Scorsese himself.
DUE: Thursday, 5/7
Taxi Driver (1976)
Vietnam vet Travis Bickle is 26, a loner in the mean streets of New York City, slipping slowly into isolation. In solving his insomnia by driving a yellow cab on the night shift, he grows increasingly disgusted by the low-lifes that hang out at night. Travis constantly, almost obsessively, reflects on the ugly corruption of life around him, and becomes increasingly disturbed over his own loneliness and alienation. In nearly every phase of his life, Bickle remains a complete outsider, failing to make emotional contact with anyone.

His touching attempts to woo Betsy, a Senator's campaign worker, turn sour when he takes her to a porn movie on their first date. He even fails in his attempt to persuade child prostitute Iris to desert her pimp and return to her parents and school. Driven to the edge by powerlessness, he buys four handguns and sets out to assassinate the Senator, heading for the infamy of a 'lone crazed gunman'...
Friday, May 1, 2009

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

MARTIN SCORSESE

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

(Francis Ford Coppola; 1972)
“Don’t ever take sides against the family.”
The film begins at the wedding of Don Vito Corleone's daughter Connie to Carlo Rizzi in late summer of 1945, on Long Island, New York. The Don's youngest son Michael, who has returned from World War II service as a highly decorated war hero, does not intend to become part of his father's business.
Don Vito lives his life in the way of the old country, but times are changing and some don't want to follow the old ways and look out for community and "family". An up and coming rival of the Corleone family wants to start selling drugs in New York, and needs the Don's influence to further his plan. The clash of the Don's fading old world values and the new ways will demand a terrible price, especially from Michael, all for the sake of the family.
Reflect on the style and talent of director, Stanley Kubrick.
Some questions to consider:
- What did impressed you the most about this director?
- What are his views and interests on society/humantity?
- How would you describe Kubrick's style?
- What did you like/dislike about his films? (Full Metal Jacket; Dr. Strangelove;
A Clockwork Orange; The Shining)
Tuesday, April 14, 2009

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964): U.S. Air Force General Jack Ripper goes completely and utterly mad, and sends his bomber wing to destroy the U.S.S.R. He suspects that the communists are conspiring to pollute the "precious bodily fluids" of the American people. The U.S. president meets with his advisors, where the Soviet ambassador tells him that if the U.S.S.R. is hit by nuclear weapons, it will trigger a "Doomsday Machine" which will destroy all plant and animal life on Earth. Peter Sellers portrays the three men who might avert this tragedy: British Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, the only person with access to the demented Gen. Ripper; U.S. President Merkin Muffley, whose best attempts to divert disaster depend on placating a drunken Soviet Premier and the former Nazi genius Dr. Strangelove, who concludes that "such a device would not be a practical deterrent for reasons which at this moment must be all too obvious." Will the bombers be stopped in time, or will General Jack Ripper succeed in destroying the world ?
A Clockwork Orange (1971):

Unforgettable images, startling musical counterpoints, the fascinating language used by Alex and his pals - Kubrick shapes them into a shattering whole. Hugely controversial when first released, A Clockwork Orange won the New York Film Critics Best Picture and Director honors and earned four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. The power of its art is such that it still entices, shocks, and holds us in its grasp.
The Shining (1980):

A man, his son and wife become the winter caretakers of an isolated hotel where Danny, the son, sees disturbing visions of the hotel's past using a telepathic gift known as "The Shining." Along with writer's block and the demons of the hotel haunting him Jack has a complete mental breakdown and the situation takes a sinister turn for the worse......
Monday, March 30, 2009

(Stanley Kubrick; 1987)
This film takes a look at the effect of the military mindset and war itself on Vietnam era Marines.
A two-segment story that follows young men from the start of recruit training in the Marine Corps to the lethal cauldron known as Vietnam.....
The first segment follows Joker, Pyle and others as they progress through the hell of USMC boot-camp at the hands of the foul-mouthed Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. The second begins in Vietnam, near Hue, at the time of the Tet Offensive. The men face threats such as ambush, booby traps, and Viet Cong snipers as they move through the city.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009


Formulate a film analysis using the following questions for both The Usual Suspects and 12 Monkeys.
Describe setting.
Describe the exposition of plotline.
Who are the main characters?
Can the narrator be trusted (explore this question in hindsight)?
What is the conflict(s)?
What changes occur in the characters - how is their true nature revealed?
What do the characters stand to loose/gain?
What is the over-arching purpose of each film?
*This assignment may be hand written/typed. Minimum 400 words.
DUE: Friday, April 3
Friday, March 20, 2009
12 MONKEYS
(Terry Gilliam; 1996)
IS THIS THE PRESENT?
IS THIS THE PAST?
An unknown and lethal virus has wiped out five billion people in 1996. Only 1% of the population has survived by the year 2035, and is forced to live underground. A convict reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to 1996 to gather information about the origin of the epidemic, which is thought to have been spread by a mysterious "Army of the Twelve Monkeys.”
Monday, March 16, 2009

The Usual Suspects
(Bryan Singer; 1995)
Wednesday, March 11, 2009

ASSIGNMENT: From a modern perspective, Casablanca reveals interesting assumptions of the human condition. Ilsa Lund's role is basically that of a lover and helpmate to a great man; the movie's real question is, which great man should she be with?
How does SETTING influence this struggle and ultimately the climax of this film? Please respond in at least 200 words.
DUE: Friday, 3/13
Monday, March 9, 2009

Casablanca
One of their key contributions of this great film was to show us that its main characters lived in a complex time and place. What is intriguing is that none of the major characters are bad. Some are cynical, some lie, some kill, but all are redeemed.....(see full synopsis)
The black-and-white cinematography has not aged this film as color might, and the dialogue is so spare and cynical that it has not grown old-fashioned.
Casablanca was awarded many accolades at the the Oscars in 1942, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, Best Film Editing, Best Score.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Elia Kazan (1954)
Terry Malloy, a “longshore man” on the docks in
On the Waterfront was nominated for twelve Oscars and won eight, including best picture, actor, actress, and director. Ironically the other three were all for best supporting actor, where Lee J. Cobb, Karl Malden and Rod Steiger split the vote.
Thursday, March 5, 2009

Blake Edwards (1961)
In a career that has spanned over fifty years as a writer, producer and director, Blake Edwards has provided audiences with classics in nearly every genre of the cinema. Known primarily for comedies series Pink Panther, Edwards is a moviemaker, usually associated with sophisticate, zany comedies, often scored by Henry Mancini. Other credits include “10” which made Dudley Moore famous and Bo Derek briefly a star, Victor/Victoria, in which he directed Julie Andrews on Broadway, Wine and Roses, A Shot in the Dark, and The Great Race to name a few. In 2004 Edwards accepted an honorary Oscar, "writing, directing and producing an extraordinary body of work for the screen." It was Edwards' only Academy Award.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009


Monday, February 23, 2009

Office Space: Unless you're one of these snooty, uptight, yuppy types, you cannot deny that director Mike Judge’s “Office Space” has had an indelible effect on modern culture.
It’s called RELATIONAL HUMOR - people can relate to the sh*t that Peter Gibbons goes through in his everyday existence - the same sh*t that we all have to deal with in our everyday lives….bosses, insane co-workers, managerial nonsense, technical glitches, impertinent computers and procedural headaches. Peter's had it up to here with the multiple managers, baffling computer errors and nonsensical documentation requirements of his employer, the fictional company of Initech.
You don't have to be a corporate drone to enjoy Judge's satire, it’s a catharsis of sorts for us all. Identify a bitter truth found beneath the hilarious situations in this film. Keep your responses unique and support them with examples from the film. Minimum 150 words.
Monday, February 9, 2009

The movie The Blues Brothers, which cost around $30 million to make, was released in 1980 and while initially it didn't do well at the Box Office, it has developed a world-wide cult following and is still regularly screened in cinemas around the world. It has developed into a cult classic, so popular that an official tribute show has toured and The Blues Brothers performed the half time entertainment for the 1997 Superbowl. Various other tribute shows are performing around the world.......
Some random facts:
- Continuation error when they go over the draw-bridge. The bridge is almost completely upright just before Elwood drives over it, but it is much lower when they actually become airborne.
- They used five or six Pinto's for the Nazi car that flew off the bridge. There was a lot of trouble getting a permit to do this; they had to prove that they could accurately predict where the car was going to land. They dropped one as test run (it landed in a cornfield). They sawed two in half, to get the camera inside them. They used one for the low-drop (into ditch in the road), and two for the high-drop (off the bridge).
- Elwood never takes off his sunglasses, and Jake never takes off his hat.
- Every time we see the window in Elwood's apartment a train goes past.
YOUR ASSIGNMENT: Why do you think The Blues Brothers became such a success years after it was released? Is it the music? The all-star cast? Choose a part of the film that substantiates your point.
DUE: WEDNESDAY, 2/11
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009

BARAKA (Ron Fricke) is a work of art which rates amongst the greatest achievements in the field. Baraka is an ancient Sufi word, which can be translated as "a blessing, or as the breath, or essence of life from which the evolutionary process unfolds." Being a film with no plot, characters or dialog, it communicates an astonishing number of profound themes. It takes us around the world in the hope of revealing certain truths about our past and present and gives us a vision for the future.
Explore two or three themes that you have identified and explain them using specific detail from the film. After watching the film, what images stick in your mind? What meaning can you create from the film based on the association of these images? What does the film teach us about the fate of humanity?