Chapter 15

Option 4

Reaganite cinema was a term referring to Ronald reagan's "morning in America" after the long night of democratic misrule. It was prominent in film during the 1980s. There were three main themes to Reaganite cinema. The first was regeneration. The regeneration of the human spirit. Reagan promised to bring America back to life, just as he bounced back after being shot in an assassination attempt. His own recovery served as a symbol to Americans to persevere. Such as in films like Cacoon. Three senior citizens seek the fountain of youth. Back to School featured Rodney Dangerfield living the college kid's life while being a role model for his son. There was the nostalgia: coming of age in the past. Movies about characters who return to the golden age of the 50s or other time periods, and come back to the present full of the promise and spirit of the idyllic past, re energized and ready to confront the future. Themes seen in films like Back to the Future and Peggy Sue got Married. Another theme was paradise lost/paradise regained. Some films involved a rejection of life in the big city for that in the suburbs, in rural America, or in the untouched world of nature. Some find a renewed sense of community and a new, more positive sense of themselves as a result of their encounter with a more primitive, more innocent, rustic America. (Doc Hollywood, City Slickers, Return of the Jedi.) The other theme is striking back. The no-nonsense action films starring super-heroes like Stallone, Schwarzeneggar, and Willis came down firmly on the side of mainstream values. They promoted law and order, interracial harmony, police camaraderie and a celebration of the family, while striking back at things like terrorism and drug-trafficking, thing Reagan opposed.

Chapter 10, option 1

The Belton text describes the femme fatale as an irresistibly attractive woman, especially one who leads men into danger. I don't think Belton is wrong. The phrase femme fatale translates to fatal (or deadly) woman in french. She tries to achieve her hidden purpose by using feminine wiles such as beauty, charm, or sexual allure. Typically, she is extremely well-endowed with these qualities. In some situations she uses lying or coercion rather than charm to achieve her purpose. She may also be (or imply to be) a victim, caught in a situation from which she can't escape. Although typically villainous, femmes fatale have also appeared as anti heroines in some stories, and some even repent and become heroines by the end of the tale.

Chapter 9, option 2

Women pose a variety of threats to men in war films. The appearance of women on screen introduces an emotional element that is often realized in terms of the man's essential weakness. In my experience, every time I see a soldier in a platoon talk about a woman or show other men in the platoon a picture of a wife or girlfriend, they are always killed before the end of the film. The psyche of the male soldier must be reshaped to repress the feminine elements in order to transform him into a ruthless, unemotional, fighting machine. In every war film, masculinity is put in crisis. The toughness of the hero becomes an issue crucial to both his survival and that of his fellow soldiers. The explicit challenge to the manhood of new recruits is designed to force them to become that which is considered weak or feminine in their nature to become hardened marines- that is, to become men.

Chapter 8, option 1

In integrating an individual into a society, American screen comedies demonstrate the flexibility of our social structure in its ability to absorb new members and integrate them into a new social order whose unity and diversity exceeds that of the old order. The typical resolution of a film comedy often involves a marriage or other celebration of the formation of a new community out of the old. Pretty Woman brought together a a corporate takeover specialist (Richard Geer) and a Hollywood hooker (Julia Roberts). In the film While You Were Sleeping, a Chicago token clerk (Sandra Bullock) falls in love with a wealthy lawyer (Peter Gallagher) and, when he falls into a coma, pretends to be his fiancee. She falls in love with his carpenter brother (Bill Pullman) and marries him in the end of the film. In reforming the workplace, the theme of integration often involves the outsiders' transformation of the very social system that they enter and attempt to fix it from within. The best example of this I think is 9 to 5. Three Secretaries (Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, and Lily Tomlin) reclaim their office from the male-chauvinist tyranny of corrupt boss Dabney Coleman and establish a new, more benign order. This new order ultimately wins out over the old system. It celebrates comic virtues of independence, innovation, and a willingness to break the rules.

Entry 6? (chapter 11)

Option 1
Usually, the central plot of the western film is the simple goal of maintaining law and order on the frontier. It is normally rooted in conflicts of virtue vs. evil, white hat vs. black hat, settlers vs. Native Americans, civilization vs. wilderness, or lawman vs. gunfighter. Specific settings normally include but not limited to isolated forts, ranch houses, a saloon, a jail, or a small town street. Other iconic elements include the hanging tree (a dead giveaway), stetson hats, spurs, colt .45's, bandannas, stagecoaches, cattle drives, prostitutes, and most commonly, the horse ("faithful steed".) Dime store novels and comics were things the western was based on. Oh sure, the characters could have been real. They were, however, blown way out of proportion and made larger than life. People needed a larger than life hero or anti-hero to believe in. Native Americans were often portrayed as savage Indians. It was a popular assumption. Assumptions not really based on fact. Then again, was there any part of the western that really was fact?

Entry 5

Option 3
Is typecasting a good thing or a bad thing? In most cases, it's really a bad thing. Typecasting occurs when an actor plays a similar part from film to film. Over the course of several films, these actors develop a distinct persona, or public image. In certain instances, an actor will become associated with a specific character, whose attributes become fused with his or her own. Sean Connery will be forever linked with James Bond. William Shatner with the role of Captain James T. Kirk. Sylvester Stallone will always be linked to Rocky Balboa and John Rambo. Sometimes it works out for the best. For stars like Clayton Moore (the Lone Ranger) and George Reeves (Superman, one of many to play him anyway) were shackled to the characters they portrayed, and never really found other work because of it. Stars like Owen Wilson have even attempted suicide from depression caused by typecasting.

Entry 4

Option 2
If a person was under contract with a studio, they were a slave to the beast. His or her contracts were seven year terms. An actor worked up to fourteen hours a day. They were forbidden to engage in non approved acting activities (theatre, radio, television.) Their personal behavior was regulated.... there was a morals clause in their contracts. The studio governed over other features of their off screen appearance including hairstyles, choice of clothing, and even their weight. The studio contract required actors to act in whatever films the studio cast them in, made them attend studio publicity functions, publicize their own films, promote product tie-ins, or even be loaned out to other studios to fulfill the same obligations there for one or two pictures. Failure of any of these tasks resulted in suspensions or fines. If you were suspended for any length of time, it was added to the contract and made up. Of course, it couldn't be all bad. After all, you were guaranteed work for seven years. People today would kill for an opportunity like that.

Entry 3

Option 2
Three-point lighting: The standard lighting set-up employed in Hollywood. The three points to which the term refers are the dominant sources of light. The key light or chief directional light source. The fill light, or weaker light source that fills in the shadows cast by the key light. The back light, the minor light that illuminates the space between the back of the set and the characters in order to separate or distinguish the characters from the background. High key lighting: a style of lighting found in musicals, comedies, and other upbeat films, in which the fill light eliminates dark shadows cast by the key light, producing an image that is brightly and evenly lit. Low key lighting: a style of lighting found in film noir, suspense, or horror films, in which there is little fill light. It results in a dark or shadow-filled image. Star lighting: highlights or conceals certain features of the major performers and makes the expressions on their faces readable.

Entry 2

Option 1
Classical Hollywood cinema possesses a style that is largely invisible and difficult for the average viewer to see. Invisibility is a large part of the product of American cinema's proficiency as a narrative machine. It consists of an introduction of a problem or challenge in the main character's story. The character, whoever they are, spends most of the movie trying to solve their problem. By the end of the movie, they solve the problem (whatever it is.) The classic Hollywood style narrative is formula driven. It doesn't matter who the star is, who the director is, or even who the writer is. An adventure story (Raiders of the Lost Ark) launches with the loss or lack of desired object and concludes with its attainment or discovery. A love story (Pretty Woman) starts with a chance encounter and culminates with a wedding proposal. A monster (Jaws) or horror (Halloween) film begins with the death of an innocent victim and ends with the actual or symbolic death of the person or thing...... until the sequel at least. (Didn't Jason die like ten times already?)

Entry 1

Option 1: The Great Train Robbery. The first western narrative ever made. The cast and plot were simple. A small group of bandits hold up a telegraph operator at a train station. They "convince" him to call to an oncoming train, and get it to stop. They restrain him and proceed to rob the train. After robbing the train, the bandits flee. In their hasty exit, they shoot a passenger in the in back. Next, the operator's daughter comes to his rescue. She frees him of his bonds and wakes him up.(he was knocked out) He leaves her and goes for help. He stumbles upon a shindig in progress and appeals to the men there to help him. They form a posse and hunt down the bandits. When they catch up to them, there is a big shootout. Evil is conquered. The bandits are all shot dead. The story is told using cross-cuts. There are multiple events happening at the same time in different locations. It was the first time someone shot at a man's feet to make him dance. The film ends with the bandit chief pointing his revolver and firing point blank into the camera. A great scene, but irrelevant to the plot.

Movie Review: War

An infamous assassin, named Rogue (Jet Li), sets off a crime war between rival asian mobs. An FBI agent (Jason Statham)is determined to bring down the killer after his partner is murdered. The movie is directed by Philip Atwell. I'm not too familier with his work other than a few music videos and some television. If you're into pure action, you might like this one. Gun fights, kung fu fight scenes, explosions, there's even a great car chase or two also. Just when you think you have the film figured out, the director throws you a curve. Rated R for violence. I liked it, I would give it thumbs up!

Testing, testing........

This is a test of the emergency blogger system. Were this post for real, it would give you details of my assignments for film class, or even a review of a film i've seen. Thank you and good evening......