The Death of Originality in Cinema Although I have not been able to go to a movie in a theater for some time, I am an avid fan of the film industry. The last truly great movie I saw was the Christopher Nolan flick The Dark Knight Rises. It ended on all of the right notes, answering all questions and tying up all loose ends in highly satisfying ways. I felt it ended so well, that I really hoped they wouldn’t make any sequels, as unlikely as that obviously was. A few days ago, I got in touch with a friend back in the States, who informed me that Ben Affleck had been cast as a new Batman in the upcoming sequel to Man of Steel. I was a bit annoyed with this, which turned into a discussion with my friend on all of the sequels Hollywood has been churning out. Our conversation led to an itching curiosity on just how many sequels, remakes, or prequels had been released or were going to release onto the main stream American film market. I searched around a bit on the web, and found some interesting trends and information on major film releases in the past 20-30 years. I had not realized just how much we have been bombarded with unoriginal films from the film industry, some of which were excellent, and others, which were dreadful. I looked at the top tens films of 1981, 1991, 2001, and 2011, and the shift in what kind of content we were seeing on the big screen. It led me to this conclusion: Hollywood is clearly running out of ideas, and the amount of sequels they have made shows that they are barely keeping their head above water when it comes to original stories and ideas. But is this really their fault? I believe that the American movie-going public, as well intentioned as they may be, are fueling the unoriginality on our silver sc... ... middle of paper ... ...re an important one. It is far better that something of quality is being show than nothing at all. Our children needs heroes, those both in real life and those they see on the screens before them. Films, whether they are original or not, teach us lessons, relieve our stress and can even bring us together. They make us laugh, cry, believe, cheer, get angry, and more. We need our own myths to pass down, our own tales to leave in history as the Greeks and Egyptians and countless civilizations did before us. In a harsh world slowly getting worse, we as people need an escape, any escape. And 10 bucks for a couple hours of that off time is relatively cheap, and worth it. http://www.shortoftheweek.com/2012/01/05/has-hollywood-lost-its-way/ Boxofficemojo.com B. Snyder. (2005) Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You Will Ever Need George Haerle, personal quotes
With the loss of its centralized structure, the film industry produced filmmakers with radical new ideas. The unique nature of these films was a product of the loss of unified identity.
While Price does make a persuasive argument I cannot agree with the theme of his commentary. I have been a fervent viewer of television and films for years on end. Admittedly, much of what I watch on television qualifies as escapism or mere entertainment. I do not have a high degree of respect for the medium; however my love and admiration of film is intense. One could easily dismiss movies as superficial, unnecessarily violent spectacles, although such a viewpoint is distressingly pessimistic and myopic. In a given year, several films are released which have long-lasting effects on large numbers of individuals. These pictures speak to us as people and convey messages that are timely and timeless. Words are powerful, but visual images are overwhelming.
In this paper I will offer a structural analysis of the films of Simpson and Bruckheimer. In addition to their spectacle and typically well-crafted action sequences, Simpson/Bruckheimer pictures seem to possess an unconscious understanding of the zeitgeist and other cultural trends. It is this almost innate ability to select scripts that tap into some traditional American values (patriotism, individualism, and the obsession with the “new”) that helps to make their movies blockbusters.
Originating from a 1905 novel written by Frances Hodgson Burnett, A Little Princess was first released in the United States in 1995 (Barnes & Noble). Richard LaGravenese and Elizabeth Chandler created this classic screenplay. Alfonso Cuarón, winner of The New Generation award at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, directed this film (IMDb). Family drama and fantasy is the genre. The main character is Sarah Crewe, followed by sub-characters Captain Crewe, Miss Minchin, Ermengarde, Lavinia and Becky (IMDb). Sarah is an intelligent, polished, motherless, wealthy child living in India with her father, Captain Crewe. Captain Crewe toke Sarah to a Victorian style boarding school in New York while he was away at war. Miss Minchin, the headmistress, takes a disliking to Sarah immediately, as does the school bully, Lavinia. Sarah immediately bonds with her classmate Ermengarde, an awkward, fat, rather dull gal and Becky, an obedient, colored and articulate servant girl. Most importantly the primary theme of A Little Princess is perseverance through social class changes. A Little Princess effectively represents the theme because Sarah’s spirit is not broken when she experiences jealousy, isolation, death of a loved one and poverty (Shmoop Editorial Team).
In Hollywood today, most films can be categorized according to the genre system. There are action films, horror flicks, Westerns, comedies and the likes. On a broader scope, films are often separated into two categories: Hollywood films, and independent or foreign ‘art house’ films. Yet, this outlook, albeit superficial, was how many viewed films. Celebrity-packed blockbusters filled with action and drama, with the use of seamless top-of-the-line digital editing and special effects were considered ‘Hollywood films’. Films where unconventional themes like existentialism or paranoia, often with excessive violence or sex or a combination of both, with obvious attempts to displace its audiences from the film were often attributed with the generic label of ‘foreign’ or ‘art house’ cinema.
It's been, what, eight years since [Iron Man] if we count that, which I do, as the beginning of our Marvel Cinematic Universe? Maybe the genre of the superhero will only last another 42
The video MIDWAY a message from the Gyre: a short film by Chris Jordan gave me the chills and ultimately upset me. In the beginning of the short film the diretor shows us a glimpse of the seagulls that inhibit Midway Island, North Pacific Ocean, an Island that is more than 2,000 miles from the nearest continent. Jordan includes a clip of a mother gull feeding her baby gull before showing us snapshots of dead gulls with trash and plastic in their bodies. When i first saw these pictures I honestly thought that the photogragher arranged random pieces of plastic found on the isand into a dead seagull’s body. After the snapshots the director included a video of the photographer cutting open in a seagull’s body and taking random objects and pieces of plastic out. When I saw this my heart broke, I was in disgust and mad at us humans. The poor birds dying shown in the following clips were also very sad and graphic. These innocent birds are consumming
Chris Marker’s Sans Soleil is a free-form style travel diary told through the letters of a fictional cameraman Sandor Krasna. A woman, Alexandra Stewart, who remains unseen throughout the entire film, reads these letters. The film explores themes of time, memory, and history. In the essay “In Search of the Centaur: The Essay Film” author Phillip Lopate defines five characteristics he believes a film must have in order to be considered an essay film (245-7). It can be argued that Chris Marker’s Sans Soleil is an essay film based on most if not all of Lopate’s defining characteristics.
There is a great assortment of movies that are made each year, and all different genres to choose from. Movies are a massive part of the entertainment area in today 's society. People from all over the world have different opinions about each genre, such as which is their favorite or least favorite. Since the movie selection has such a wide range of genres, it can make for a difficult decision on which one to choose. When picking a movie to watch, a couple of the options are laughing to tears watching Adam Sandler or being scared to death by Freddie Krueger.
The action movie genre has lost the charm it once had. The days where the onscreen action was accompanied by memorable characters, interesting plots and cohesiveness are long gone. Now, two hours of nonsensical explosions, loud blaring sound effects and scenes constructed entirely (and needlessly) in CGI have become the norm. Directors such as Michael Bay are continuously given astronomical despite producing utterly forgettable movies. His success at the box office justifies this for the producers and studios (and points to a much larger problem with the moviegoer’s standards), but it also further justifies the production of mediocre film.
The True Auteur of Filmography Martin Scorsese has been a well-known artist in filmography for many decades. While, many people may think of Scorsese’s film to be packed with violent action of Italian-American mobsters in the mafia who run around shooting everyone to gain greater power, there is much more to his films that have been there all along. Films like The King of Comedy and Taxi Driver fit perfectly with all of his other films when viewers see the true underlying meaning in the films. Many true auteur scholars see the connections used in his films, such as the actors he chooses for his characters, the various editing techniques that are used to show New York City and its gritty environment, and the common personality traits of the
... ed (BFI, 1990) we read … “contrary to all trendy journalism about the ‘New Hollywood’ and the imagined rise of artistic freedom in American films, the ‘New Hollywood’ remains as crass and commercial as the old…”
Movies take us inside the skin of people quite different from ourselves and to places different from our routine surroundings. As humans, we always seek enlargement of our being and wanted to be more than ourselves. Each one of us, by nature, sees the world with a perspective and selectivity different from others. But, we want to see the world through other’s eyes; imagine with other’s imaginations; feel with other’s hearts, at a same time as with our own. Movies offer us a window onto the wider world, broadening our perspective and opening our eyes to new wonders.
The Creative Arts play a significant role in early childhood education as it provides children with a diverse range of skills to enhance their learning and development to meet the needs of succeeding in the 21st century. Educators can promote The Arts by adopting the Reggio Emilia approach to education, encouraging children to co-construct the curriculum to develop their skills in partnership with teachers, families and their cohorts. The focus of this essay is to emphasise the value of Creative Arts in early childhood education by providing a summary of the concepts and skills of the Creative Arts and the four strands; Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts. Then, ascertain how Creative Arts benefit children’s social development, language and
First of all, I would like to go over my expectations of movies in the future: