Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
This paper will break down the elements of the critical process using the three critical methods that were discussed in class. Also included in the paper will be the notes that were taken from the conversation I overheard at Hardees, about the movie “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” between Seiter, Thompson, and Meehan. This critique will discuss the several components to each of the three critical methods including cultural codes in the movie, gender roles, and advertisement placement with in the movie.
Neo-Formalist
The syuzhet begins with the opening credits of the film showing Gotham city with a red backdrop as opera music plays in the background. Then the picture fades to black and then Batman appears on top of a building in front of the Shady Lady casino. A fight ensues, and later Batman is seen at the scene of the confrontation where he finds a piece of glass with some form of rare chemical on it, perhaps this is a form of compositional motivation-setting up something to come later in the film. This is also the first time in the film where Batman is accused of being a criminal (vigilante). The second time Batman is accused of being a criminal (vigilante) is in the very next scene when Councilman Reeves protests against Batman’s usefulness against the criminals of the city. In the very next scene Reeves yet again describes Batman as a criminal (vigilante), but this time in the media. Thompson would agree that these patterns are a hermeneutic chain of events that pessimists (or an ideological critic) would ask about (why doesn’t batman get into trouble from the police, or the courts?).
The fabula starts when Bruce Wayne starts to reminisce about the first day that he met Andrea. Wayne and Andrea met at the graveyard where both of their parents were buried, they started minor chitchat and Wayne falls for her. They go on a few dates and encounter a mugging in progress Bruce makes his decision to give up on his promise of protecting the city from evil, because he cannot be a crime fighter if he has someone waiting for him to come home. This starts another pattern in which the characters must choose between their love for each other and the promise they swore they would uphold in the event of their parents demise. Bruce and Andrea both make this decision at the end of the movie and neither of them picked love, both or them would rather be alone and uphold their morals and truths to themselves.
In his essay, “It’s Just a Movie: A Teaching Essay for Introductory Media Classes”, Greg M. Smith argues that analyzing a film does not ruin, but enhances a movie-viewing experience; he supports his argument with supporting evidence. He addresses the careful planning required for movies. Messages are not meant to be telegrams. Audiences read into movies to understand basic plotlines. Viewers should examine works rather than society’s explanations. Each piece contributes to Smith’s argument, movies are worth scrutinizing.
Mr. Leo wrote this piece not only for informative purposes, but also to convince a particular audience that, whether intentional or not, characters have taken on harmful images some may find offensive. He is not speaking only to his fairly educated, loyal readers, but also to those who may have taken part in producing the movie. Mr. Leo makes visible to his readers what he believes to be stereotypes in the film. People may not have noticed these before, so he makes clear definitions and comparisons. To the rest of the audience, those who had a hand in making the movie, he makes a plea not to redevelop these characters in future films.
The film’s story does not simply shines forth, but is also the foundation of the plot. The film’s plot makes the traditional guidelines applicable...
“The film was shot using a wider than usual lens so that it could be shown in I-MAX cinemas nationwide. Today’s audiences want an experience bigger than reality. We have to go that extra mile to give them that something extra.” Chris Nolan also insisted that the film should have a distinctive style which included making the film feel sincerely dark and sinister. Very rarely were the cameras sat still instead the cameras used very technical tricks e.g.: tracking, zoom. This film was originally promoted using a very unique style. Instead of paying for adverts they decided to promote the film using an alternative route. One of the ways this was accomplished was by de facing thousands of fake dollar notes by putting the jokers smile on top of the original face. A sane yet effective way was when many “Batman” recruits placed Joker cads into hundreds of books in libraries to do with death, this had the desired effect as many people became stirred up as to what this meant. The next alternative was to send out spam emails to the site named www.whysoserious.com. But when did Batman evolve as part of our lives. It was in 1939 when the world was introduced to a new hero. Bob Kane’s simple vigilante, Batman. The comics were e-introduced during the 50’s period. Yet due to Comic Book Censorship the violence was forced to gradually become weaker. The well anticipated Batman retuned in the 1970’s. Yet to intrigue a wider variety of audience he appeared more complicated and violent than previous comics. Today’s Batman comics show Batman as a real man with realistic and varied dilemmas. Due to these changes Batman is now one of the most original and adored comic book heroes. Nolan’s interpretation is a variety of the previous comics. It includes the violence of the First Batman mixed with the complexity and realism of today’s modern comics.
Iago, the villain in Shakespeare’s Othello, is a round character of great depth and many dimensions. Iago works towards an aim that is constantly changing and becomes progressively more tragic. Yet, at times, "honest" Iago does actually seem honest. This essay will explore the complex character of "honest Iago.
This was indeed what Batman wanted, by establishing himself in the minds of every would be and active criminal the Batman has created a psychological fear that reaches far beyond the extent of any superpower. Through Batman’s actions the emergence of other heroes began to show as many saw hope in the justice that was being brought to Gotham. These heroes help justice prevail despite the always constant evil that resides in the city; weather police commissioner Gordon or political activist Harvey Dent it’s safe to assume that Batman resonates with the everyday person and relies on the justice they pursue to feed his own
The purpose of this paper is to provide the reader with an insight into the Super Hero Series Batman. This crime fighter originally appeared in Detective Comics issue #27 in 1939. It later became a comic book series, a TV series and a movie series. The character Batman is second only to Superman as a Super Hero. Amazingly Batman has no super powers, but he does have a lot of neat crime fighting gadgets. In this paper, we will explore the creation of Batman, his supporting cast of characters both good and bad and the gadgets he used.
Barsam, R. M., Monahan, D., & Gocsik, K. M. (2012). Looking at movies: an introduction to film (4th ed.). New York: W.W. Norton & Co..
Film and literature are two media forms that are so closely related, that we often forget there is a distinction between them. We often just view the movie as an extension of the book because most movies are based on novels or short stories. Because we are accustomed to this sequence of production, first the novel, then the motion picture, we often find ourselves making value judgments about a movie, based upon our feelings on the novel. It is this overlapping of the creative processes that prevents us from seeing movies as distinct and separate art forms from the novels they are based on.
While watching movies, have you ever noticed that the villains in almost every single Hollywood film are of Middle Eastern or European descent? In a reoccurring theme of Hollywood, the villains in these films are almost always foreigners or people of color. This is a stereotype. On the other side of the spectrum, we often see that the heroes of these films are most often than not white males. This is another stereotype. Within the last few years, we’ve seen actors such as Will Smith, Morgan Freeman, and Zoe Saldana take the lead roles, so it can’t be said that there are no non-white heroes, but there certainly isn’t many. Hollywood action movies, moreover than other genres, are typically loaded with an abundance of stereotypes. The way these movies are composed and structured can tell us a great deal about the views held within the American psyche and who holds the social power. The harsh reality is that the media ultimately sets the tone for societal standards, moralities, and images of our culture. Many consumers of media have never encountered some of the minorities or people of color shown on screen, so they subsequently depend on the media and wholeheartedly believe that the degrading stereotypes represented on the big screen are based on fact and not fiction. Mary Beltran said it best when she stated in her “Fast and Bilingual: Fast & Furious and the Latinization of Racelessness” article, “ultimately, Fast & Furious mobilizes notions of race in contradictory ways. It reinforces Hollywood traditions of white centrism, reinforcing notions of white male master while also dramatizing the figurative borders crossed daily by culturally competent global youth – both Latino and non-Latino” (77). This paper will specifically look...
of influence in both the characters and gender roles of people in our society. The films have brought about the shaping of morals, behaviors and characters of not only children, but also adults in todays society, through engaging them in a constant series of unthinking consumption. In addition, most of the films in Disney bring out many different gender roles and people who grew up watching them have been influenced greatly by the content in the films (Blum 13). This paper will involve the various roles played by the characters in the films and how their roles have influenced the society at large.
With globalization & liberalization opening up economies and shaping the world as one global village, competition has been on the rise & it is becoming harder day by day for firms to survive & flourish in this competitive environment. And for surviving in such an environment, where many companies go bankrupt any day, achieving business growth is a necessity, not an option. And for achieving growth companies have to diversify to multiple markets & multiple businesses, in order hedge their risks & keep growing & while doing so they have to be very quick, otherwise competition takes over the market & rest is history.
Any fan of Batman knows that “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight” are two of the best Batman films made in the seventy-eight years that Batman has been around. The plots really make you look deep in yourself and show the true and more real sides of the characters of the Batman world. Each movie shows the evolution of Batman and shows only a few of the many crazy and intense adventures of this mysterious hero. These two movies are the first two in the dark knight trilogy, created by the amazing Christopher Nolan. These movies were heavily praised for their astounding realism to the real world, and its pros and cons. But they were also extremely liked for their possibility for
Alice’s quest in Wonderland is not well though-out, in fact her encounters are disordered. Having her encounters be unpredictable places Lewis Carroll fairy-tale under Gothic horror. Without a doubt, Alice’s experiences can be illustrated as a nightmare. More importantly, the usage of satire and symbolism by Lewis Carroll gives Alice in Wonderland a meaningful note. All the different characters used in Wonderland essentially come together to form a secret lesson, this secret lesson being teaching children the turmoil of having to grow up. Lewis Carroll utilizes the rabbit hole, growing and shrinking, identifying oneself to characters, and Alice herself as symbols. Like in the “real world,” the only known laws in Wonderland are of chaos.
Western or ‘First World’ states were being accused by the smaller, less-developed ‘Third World’ nations of media monopoly and imbalance resulting in a one-way flow of information from ‘top to bottom’. The developing states argued that the two were at different ends of the spectrum pointing out that the First World’s high degree of “industrialization, well-developed media systems, colonialism, expansion of markets as well as well as regulatory freedoms” enabled them to exert considerable influence over the development of mass media institutions and practices throughout much the world” (Reeves yr ). Nevertheless, both sides agreed that the media could be harnessed as tool to promote economic growth and to ‘act as an agent of development of the Third World’ , (Thussu yer). Servaes and Thomas (2006) maintained that the information and communication industries were serious economic boomers and like the First World, could contribute to national development in Third World countries, “Information has a commodity value; values that may be a significant factor in extracting even t...