Good day, I think most people love films. Whether watching for entertainment, escape, or academic pursuits, there is something to love about most a lot of films. My first cinematic love affair was with Ridley Scott’s Alien. I saw it for the first time at eight years old, while staying at a friend’s house. I remember being in awe during my first viewing. Twenty-two years and countless screenings later it still captivates me. It is this appreciation for moving pictures and a somewhat unplanned entry into the world of education that brings me to this application. I have always gravitated towards informing in one way or another. Whether it be through my work as a journalist or as a language instructor, the prospect of elucidating has always
This report aims to make light of certain elements of documentary making that are perhaps more susceptible to influence on the director’s part, and once again explore the effect of these decisions on the audience’s reaction to the information presented.
In the first 20 minutes of 2001: A Space Odyssey you see a group of monkeys going through evolution. The first change you see is that of a leader. In the beginning, each monkey did their own thing, and was not bound to any organization whatsoever. The monkeys did what they want when they wanted. Then the change begins. A single monkey, by himself, rises to the top of a cliff. He stands and screams. The other monkeys notice him screaming and began dancing and rejoicing. They scream and jump around, in what appears to be reverence for their new leader. Stanley Kubrick shows the change very simply, yet its message is still very clear. The monkeys had never shouted as loud or danced as much as they had previously in the film. Their actions confirm that something in fact had changed.
Having the author’s purpose is vital to knowing how informative, opinionated, or factual the arti...
Why do we fear the unknown? In the process of answering this question, science-fiction genre films successfully capture the history of American society at distinct points in time. The genre is so closely linked to social and historical contexts that its development relies solely on this connection. Sci-fi myths and conventions have remained static for decades, and the only measurable change in the genre lies in the films’ themes (Gehring 229-230). For example, Robert Wise’s The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) argues that fear of the unknown is a flaw in human nature and criticizes the social paranoia of post-war, 1940s America. Conversely, Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) views the human existence through more positive outlook, wherein society can overcome such fear; this optimism reflects the escapist beliefs of the 70s. When juxtaposed, the films’ themes demonstrate the evolution of the sci-fi genre by expressing different social attitudes towards conventions such as foreign beings, unfamiliar technology, and unusual scientists. The films also represent the genre during two major aesthetic periods in cinema—the post-classical and the late modernist eras, respectively—but nonetheless serve a greater purpose in measuring America’s social progress.
Alien directed by Ridley Scott, Dallas Buyers Club, directed by Jean Marc Valee, Anthem written by Ayn Rand and Harrison Bergeron written by Kurt Vonnegut. All four texts share the theme of marginalisation where a person, group or idea is treated as insignificant amongst society. Alien shows the marginalisation of humans vs. machines, where machines in the film played a pivotal role. A machine called “Mother” is the leader of the human crew. Mother is the only character who knows the truth of their expedition into space were their primary objective is to obtain new life, and the crew is expendable in completing the objective, as the dangers that lie ahead are not know by the human crew. Causing the crew to be in a state of emergency, due to the lack of prior knowledge they had, for they put all there faith into a machine that had no empathy for when they were in danger. Dallas Buyers Club shows the protagonist Ron Woodroof marginalised by the F.D.A (US food and drug administration). Ron Woodroof is diagnosed with aids and is told he has thirty days to live. Woodroof does not simply lay down, and die instead
Three million B.C. The gunpowder for a smashing evolutionary hit was amassing for a long time, but the necessary spark came from an outside help, which soon set the whole world ablaze. From this heated inferno, came the most proficient species ever to grace the planet. And now man has to be prepared for what comes next. Arthur C. Clarke skillfully proves the point that 'truth is stranger than fiction' in his remarkable book - 2001: A Space Odyssey. He also carefully examines the point that in spite of their intelligence and curious mind, humans lack the capacity to be a complete species on their own. Without the assistance of concerned alien species humans would never had climbed the evolutionary ladder. Devoid of the outside help they wouldn't had escaped their self made prison, explored the enormity of the universe and known their place in it.
Lehman, Peter and Luhr, William. Thinking About Movies: Watching, Questioning, Enjoying. 2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell, 2003.
2001 was released in the tumultuous spring of 1968, at the same time that Americans were reeling from President Lyndon Johnson’s announcement that he would not seek reelection and the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. It might seem odd that so many people would get so excited about a science fiction movie in the midst of urban race riots and campus protests against the Vietnam War, but to many, 2001 had far greater importance than its sci-fi trappings. Baffling early audiences with its non-traditional structure, theme, and presentation, the film was soon embraced by many members of a younger generation entranced by its consciousness-raising message and its psychedelic special effects. Over the next 30 years, the film would not only become a part of American culture, but would eventually be hailed as a masterpiece of modern cinema.
Since the documentary is ninety minutes in length, planning and scheduling viewing time for students is essential so that the documentary can be viewed in either one or two class periods.
'Aliens' by James Cameron James Cameron creates atmosphere in a key sequence in ‘Aliens’ using cinematography, editing, sound, special effects and mise-en-scene. The scene opens with one of the protagonists, Corporal Hicks, telling his troops what he managed to ‘salvage from the APC’, this dialogue is of a military style, and emphasizes the professional nature of the characters. This idea of military professionalism is reinforced by the costumes worn by the characters e.g. bullet proof jackets and bullet belts etc, these make the audience feel protected as if they are in ‘safe hands’. Whilst the marines are hunched over a table, the camera is positioned looking over the shoulder of one of them, giving the audience a chance to ‘be there’ with them. This allows the audience to connect with the characters and to feel what they feel.
This speaking event was a TEDx presentation that had multiple speakers. Mr. Bell was the last speaker that I stayed to evaluate. Bell is a director of many different film documentaries. He used his love for storytelling and curiosity to travel to Mongolia where he and his film crew documented the life of a 13 year old Mongolian girl named Aishol-pan. Belle told very little about himself during the presentation, and made his topic about the documentary’ “The Eagle Huntress.”
I search reviews about the new alien movie released called, “Arrival”. I was not surprised to find that both resources described the movie a bit and also had different tones. One resource title is "'Arrival' is out-of-this-world amazing." which gives away the immediate tone of the review. While the other source just simply displays the movie’s title, leaving room for mystery about the review. The main similarity between the two are the immediate facts and opinions about the movie’s actors. "'Arrival' is out-of-this-world amazing.” writes “Amy Adams turns in one of her best performances, Jeremy Renner shows he's just as good a math geek as an Avenger” (Truiit 04B). This praises both actors for their performances in the film. The “Arrival” writes,
2 nd. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2004. Print. The. Lyons, William L. “Teaching the Documentary Hypothesis to Skeptical Students.”
Another purpose for writing is to inform. Information is power. In today’s society people need a lot of information to perform, thus making information qui...
The answer is beautifully summarized by Academy Award winner actor Jack Nicholsen, in one of his speech during Oscar award ceremony, “… they entertain us; they offer hopes (and) give traumas; they take us places, we never been, just even for few moments; they can take us away, when we want to get away; Movies inspire us; they challenge us and despite our differences, they are (the) common link to humanity, in all of us.” In my opinion, this statement is the true reflection of the reason, why people love to watch movies. Movies allow us to escape. But there is a value in this escapism, its more than simple eluding.