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Racism in films
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Movies are often categorized by genres, which simply means kind or type. But most movies don’t fit into one single genre alone. Nowadays, it is common to see movies that are considered ‘horror’ and ‘science fiction’ like Signs or ‘romantic comedy’ and ‘fantasy’ like Groundhog Day (Film Art: An Introduction 109). The same is true for the movie South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (South Park).
South Park is a mixture of three different film genres. First of all, it is an animated film, filmed entirely of 2-dimensional cartoons. Second, it is a musical, incorporating song and dance into the story. And third, it is a comedy full of politically incorrect jokes and crude humor. These genres come together and mix flawlessly.
Although animation is typically associated with kids’ movies, that is not the case with South Park. The 2-dimensional drawn animation in this movie is not to entertain kids, but more so to portray the opinions and thoughts of the writers (e.g.: the beady eyes and flopping heads of the Canadians). It also provides a convenient way of showing things that aren’t usually visible, like Hell, for example (Film Art: An Introduction 163).
South Park, like other Hollywood musicals, celebrates typical American ideals like rewarding ambition and the romance in the film ending happily (Film Art: An Introduction 124). The musical component of the movie also increases the humor by making it even more out of control. With songs like “Blame Canada”, “Kyle’s Mom’s a Bitch” and “What Would Brian Boitano Do?”, each having its own dance number, the film removes all seriousness and makes the film a hoot.
The comedy is non-stop in this movie. From politically incorrect jokes like making Satan and Saddam Hussein a gay couple to gross-out humor like a giant clitoris that talks to Stan, the movie is full of laughs from start to finish. There is no limit to where this film will go. It touched on abortion, war, racism, technology, faulty parenting and other social issues, but it did so in a crude way, leaving the audience feeling a sense of amusement.
South Park is an animated TV series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, which first aired on Comedy Central in 1997. The show features four boys Eric Cartman, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick. South Park has been seen as one of the most controversial shows due to its raunchy humor and obscene depiction of characters in the show. South Park deals with many current issues in the news surrounding anything from in politics to religion. In dealing with these issues South Park involves adult comedy that parodies current issues going on in the United States and around the world. South Park also uses many other rhetorical deceives, such as
The content was relatable and connected well with the information and discussions that have been within our society for a long time. It was a well-done film that really questions the homophobic opinions and while this is still a very real debate in today’s society, the film does a great job at arguing the homophobic opinions.
...dness but comedy was used as an emotion. When Michael was going to make a "citizens arrest" at the banks, there was comedy there, sort of like sarcasm which is known to sway a person's thoughts if it is funnier in the sense. The whole movie really shows a lot of emotions and tries to persuade our thoughts on the government with it.
Barry, , Keith, and Grant, ed. Film Genre Reader III. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press,
Friedman, L., Desser, D., Kozloff, S., Nichimson, M., & Prince, S. (2014). An introduction to film genres. New York, London: W.W. Norton & Company.
Film scholars around the world agree that all genres of film are part of the “genre cycle”. This cycle contains four different stages that a specific genre goes through. These stages are: primitive, classic, revisionist, and parody. Each stage that the genre goes through brings something different to that genre’s meaning and what the audience expects. I believe that looking at the horror genre will be the most beneficial since it has clearly gone through each stage.
With the turn of the century, society and technology evolved and so did the minstrel shows. The introduction of the television gave the shows a new platform to broadcast their content to more american audiences. While not as harsh as the shows in the 19th century’s shows, the modern minstrel shows were “vestiges of their racial stereotyping and performances aesthetics persisted for decades in various performance mediums. ” (7). The show 's popularity forged a strong foundation for careers in the entertainment industry for African Americans. African Americans often could find great success in pursuing musical, or comedic careers following the minstrel shows. And as the shows finally died out, this underlying principle stayed true as the United States progressed. The minstrel shows facilitated African Americans into many forms of the entertainment as various performers. The shows play a major role in developing the comedic basis for African American entertainers even today. As referred to in the modern day , “Black Comedy” is extremely favored by the populus. Famous black comedian Dave Chappelle, once played a role as a “racial pixie”. Chappelle performed as a oddly dressed pixie on the shoulders of African Americans and sang, danced, and encouraged the individual to given into the stereotypes of society (4). Perhaps what disturbed Chappelle the most was the
I think the reason I like it so much is because Will Ferrell is in it and he is a funny dude. The main characters in Semi- Pro are Jacki Moon, Monix, Clearance, and Lynn. Some minor characters are Lou Redwood, Bobby Dee, and Bee Bee Ellis. The main setting of the movie is in the Flint Michigan Tropics gymnasium. That is where they play all their basketball games. Jackie Moon is the owner, the coach and a player For the Tropics. He and his buddies try to get his team into the NBA by playing NBA teams and beating them. They can’t get in the NBA because they barely have any fans. I also like the movie Shrek
This is because they provide negative critique that does not offer the elements required from an effective public pedagogy (McClennen 74). Theodore Gournelos, the author of The Tao of South Park: Dissonant Visual Culture and the Future of Politics, refutes McClennen s claim by arguing that even though South Park does not directly intervene with policy making or legislative initiatives, it forms a social landscape in which we challenge the status quo. He continues by saying that ”conflict-oriented cultural productions like South Park suggest an array of alternative tactics for progressive or emancipatory politics within a dissonant ontology” (Gournelos 284).... ... middle of paper ...
The purpose of the film was to show that no matter what skin color you are what only matters is who you are on the inside. The movie fails in this attempt to display a political statement in a comedic manner in the sense that in reality it depicts that people need to be aware that we should be equal regardless of skin color but it makes a mockery out of the fact that we are not equal in a non-hysterical manner. This movie is not a comedy in the sense that the jokes are funny because they truly are not funny especially for those who face these discrimination issues daily. The movie is basically promoting conformity in the idea that we all know that equality is a far stretch and that we are not there yet so let us just deal with it and turn it into a mockery.
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.
Originally published in Cinema Journal 40, No. 3, Spring 2001, Jason Mittell’s “A Cultural Approach to Television Genre Theory” conceives of television genre as a cultural category rather than merely a textual component. In the decade since the original publishing of the article, television has evolved out of the multi-channel era and into the post-network era. In this new television landscape, genres are no longer a fixed entity1, and there is great academic potential in the in the study of television genres. The text, Thinking Outside the Box: A Contemporary Television Genre Reader, aims to explore and analyze genre in the current television landscape, and the Mittell article, republished in the book, serves as an entry point to such scholarship.
Since the creation of film, there are eleven main genres that comprise the film industry. These eleven genres are: Crime & Gangster, Adventure, Action, Comedy, Drama, Epics, Horror, Science Fiction, Musicals, Westerns and War. Each segment has its own effect on the population, the most of which is the Horror movie industry. Studies have shown that
Smith, Greg M. “Red Skeleton, The Crack-up, and the Quick-change” Journal of Popular Culture 45.3 (2012): 592:610. Web. 17 January. 2014.