While I watched a lot of horror/thriller genre movies as teenager, I rarely partake in them anymore. The trend of incorporating more demonic and satanic themes has put a bad taste in mouth, and I want no part of such things. Suspense filled monster movies? Now that’s a different story. I really enjoy films that don’t immediately dip into the bucket of spirituality to get a cheap scare. So, as you can imagine, when I saw the trailer for the John Krasinksi’s (co-wrote, directed, and starred) new film A Quiet Place I was immediately intrigued and foresaw a fun night at the movies. For those unaware, the film is takes place in a modern day dystopian setting shortly after aliens invaded the earth. You learn quickly, these aliens prey on humans
To begin with, some people would say they enjoy a horror movie that gets them scared out of their wits. They go see these movies once a month on average, for fun, each time choosing a newer sequel like “Final Destination” or “The evil Dead”. King says “When we pay our four or five bucks and seat ourselves at tenth-row center in a theater showing a horror movie we are daring the nightmare” (405). As a writer of best-sel...
On October 14th, 2016 in class we watched “Two Spirits” by Lydia Nibley. Basically the film explored the cultural context behind a tragic and senseless murder of the main character. Fred was part of an honored “Navajo” youth who was killed at the age of sixteen by a man who bragged to his friends that he was nothing but a “fag”. While walking home from a carnival he was chased by one of his friends. Once his friend caught up to Fred, he pulled him down from a mountain and smashed his head with a heavy rock. Fred laid there for five days straight where two young boys found his body lying there. He was labeled as a “two-spirit” who was possessed of balancing masculine and feminine traits. In the film, there are two parts that are put together effortlessly like the people it discusses. Most of the documentary focuses on Fred’s murder, but the real issues in the film were those of the lesbian, gay, and transgender community and how its members were viewed in a
To be a True Blue Aussie you have to have a mate because “You've to have a mate,” as verbalized by poet Dave Butler in 2013. For in Aussie culture, a mate is a person whose actions speak louder than their words. In Australia, being a mate is a value that is held in the highest respect.
A female in film noir is typically portrayed in one of two ways; she’s either a dependable, trustworthy, devoted, and loving woman, or she’s a manipulative, predatory, double crossing, and unloving temptress. Noir labels the cold hearted and ruthless woman archetype as a Femme Fatale. A femme fatale is walking trouble, and she’s aware of it. This woman is gorgeous, refined, eloquent, and commands the attention of any room she’s in. When the femme fatale desires something, she pursues it. If there’s an obstacle in her way, she overcomes it. If she can’t handle it herself, all she needs to do it bat her eyelashes and the nearest man is all too willing to take care of it for her. In essence, the most dangerous thing about the femme fatale is her
Charlie and Tomo share a very close bond while displaying their brotherly love throughout Pat O’Connor’s film, Private Peaceful. Since childhood Charlie and Tomo share many fond memories, such as running off with Molly Monks and spending time at school together (Charlie defending Tomo from Jimmy Parsons). With these memories also come those filled with regret and disdain for example, their father being killed and their rivalry concerning Molly Monks. While these examples are more or less a bump in the road for their relationship, Charlie and Tomo continue to prove inseparable, as Charlie joins Tomo as he leaves for the war not once but twice, returning to his brother’s side despite Molly begging him not to go and of course the dangers of war.
The film’s opening sequence commences with an extreme close-up shot of what seems to be a very sharp blade scraping against a rock to make it sharper. The camera cuts back and forth from a blank screen to the blade making it difficult to completely shown in its entirety, but very easy to hear which leaves the audience in suspense, not knowing what the blade will be used for. Along with the sound of the blade sharpening, up-tempo Spanish music, paired with other string instruments can be heard playing in the background. As the scene develops the audience gets more cross cuts and close up shots of what looks to be the preparation of a meal; carrots peeling, water boiling, chickens getting skinned and other things of that nature. Turns out that the blade was actually being used to kill chickens for this meal, suggesting that the film must take place in rural area or somewhere far from civilization where the people must fend for themselves. Shots of people shuffling their bare feet in dirt to the rhythm of the music also let the audience know that the film may take place in an impoverished location, possibly even a slum. Drinks are being served and people are da...
Released September 29, 1950, Sunset Boulevard is a film noir of a forgotten silent film star, Norma Desmond, that dreams of a comeback and an unsuccessful screenwriter, Joe Gillis, working together. Ultimately an uncomfortable relationship evolves between Norma and Joe that Joe does not want a part of. Sunset Boulevard starts off with an establishing shot from a high angle shot with a narrative leading to a crime scene from a long shot (a dead body is found floating in a pool), this narrative throughout the film establishes a formalist film.
In the documentary “Fed Up,” sugar is responsible for Americas rising obesity rate, which is happening even with the great stress that is set on exercise and portion control for those who are overweight. Fed Up is a film directed by Stephanie Soechtig, with Executive Producers Katie Couric and Laurie David. The filmmaker’s intent is mainly to inform people of the dangers of too much sugar, but it also talks about the fat’s in our diets and the food corporation shadiness. The filmmaker wants to educate the country on the effects of a poor diet and to open eyes to the obesity catastrophe in the United States. The main debate used is that sugar is the direct matter of obesity. Overall, I don’t believe the filmmaker’s debate was successful.
“There once was a time in this business when I had the eyes of the whole world! But that wasn't good enough for them, oh no! They had to have the ears of the whole world too. So they opened their big mouths and out came talk. Talk! TALK!” (Sunset Boulevard). The film Sunset Boulevard directed by Billy Wilder focuses on a struggling screen writer who is hired to rewrite a silent film star’s script leading to a dysfunctional and fatal relationship. Sunset Boulevard is heavily influenced by the history of cinema starting from the 1930s to 1950 when the film was released.
Menace II Society. Dir. Albert Hughes. Perf. Tyrin Turner, Larenz Tate, June Kyoto Lu. New Line Home Video, 1993. DVD.
Sex, love, depression, guilt, trust, all are topics presented in this remarkably well written and performed drama. The Flick, a 2014 Pulitzer Prize winning drama by Annie Baker, serves to provide a social commentary which will leave the audience deep in thought well after the curtain closes. Emporia State Universities Production of this masterpiece was a masterpiece in itself, from the stunningly genuine portrayal of the characters of Avery and Rose, to the realism found within the set, every aspect of the production was superb.
Horror films are designed to frighten the audience and engage them in their worst fears, while captivating and entertaining at the same time. Horror films often center on the darker side of life, on what is forbidden and strange. These films play with society’s fears, its nightmare’s and vulnerability, the terror of the unknown, the fear of death, the loss of identity, and the fear of sexuality. Horror films are generally set in spooky old mansions, fog-ridden areas, or dark locales with unknown human, supernatural or grotesque creatures lurking about. These creatures can range from vampires, madmen, devils, unfriendly ghosts, monsters, mad scientists, demons, zombies, evil spirits, satanic villains, the possessed, werewolves and freaks to the unseen and even the mere presence of evil.
“The Hours” directed by Stephen Daldry intertwines three women of distinct time periods as one. Virginia Wolf of the 1920’s, Laura Brown from the 1950’s and Clarissa Vaughn of modern time. The movie alternates with rough regularity between these three main characters. The movie centers on the feminist perspective of the three main characters and their respective time periods in American society. Daldry achieves purpose through plot, symbolism, and motif in a way that draws the viewer in on prominent attitudes and perspectives of each character that reveal theme. Virginia Wolf writes her story, Laura Brown reflects on the events in the story, Clarrisa Vaughn lives the story in modern time. Daldry cleverly organized the movie into three distinct
Hidden Figures is a movie based on the true story of three pioneering African American women whose calculations for NASA were helpful to several historic space missions, including John Glenn’s successful orbit of the Earth. The Movie was set in 1960, where a lot of historical events were happening, such as the Space race between two initial rivals of the Cold War (The United States, and Russia). Also, Women and African-Americans were discriminated Against during the 60’s, but that did not stop Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughan from advancing and accomplishing what they accomplished. After all they did not only help themselves advance, they helped America advance. Hidden Figures was a very accurate film of how it was in the 1960 and how these three women went with their intelligence rather than their ego.