...Film review rebuttal Objective: to use current level of knowledge regarding film (production, marketing, distribution, editing, sound, cinematography, elements of miser-en-scene, narrative etc.) rebut or critique the opinion of a professionally prepared film with which you personally disagree. Rebuttal critique guidelines: the paper should be at least three full pages, excluding supporting material and citation pages. the paper should be written in an essay format- that is, an opening thesis paragraph clearly stating paper�s intent, points to be covered, and direction; followed by well-developed paragraphs on each concept to be covered; and ending with a clear summery and conclusion. Direction: choose a film which you believe peer audience commonly would or should see and appreciate. Recent films are preferred (in the last three years) American films only. After you have selected a film, find a review of the film which you disagree with in whole or in part. The review to rebut must be written by a professional reviewer (a fan posting to a blog is not a professional review, for instance.) your disagreement with the said film review may address factors you believed the original reviewer left out or did not develop well enough. A copy of the review used must be attached to the final draft of the essay. Film review content and focus: the paper�s focus should be to write a rebuttal to the professional review chosen. The rebuttal review must cite at least three points in which you disagree...
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...[pic] |Course Design Guide College of Humanities SOC/105 Version 5 Introduction to Popular American Culture | |Copyright © 2011, 2010, 2006, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description This is an introductory course on modern American culture. The course focuses on the interactions between social forces such as advertising, media, and lifestyle and cultural trends in modern American society. Students are asked to cast a critical eye on current trends and changes in our culture. Policies Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: • University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. • Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum. University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities, read the policies governing your current class modality. Course Materials Petracca, M., & Sorapure, M. (2007). Common culture: Reading and writing about American popular culture (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. All electronic materials are available on the student website. |Week One: Overview of Culture ...
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... May 25, 2012 Annotated Bibliography Barsam, R & Monahan, D (2010) Looking at movies: An introduction to films (3rd ed). New York: W.W. Norton & Company. Chapters used in essay: Chapter 9 : Sound- There’s always two parts to a movie: vision and hearing. The sound operates on both physical and psychological levels. For most films sound provides cues that help us form expectations about meaning. In some cases, sound actually shapes our analyses and interpretations. Sound calls attention not only to itself but also to silence, to the various roles that each plays in our world and in the world of a film. Bordwell, D. & Thompson, K. (1993) Film Art: an introduction, McGraw-Hill Inc. USA Herrmann, Bernard. Score for a film in Gottesman, R.(ed) Focus on Citizen Kane, Prentice-Hall Inc, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey Used in finding definitions of sound. Citizen Kane. Dir. Orson Welles. Perf. Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten. Warner Bros., 1941. DVD. Ebert, Roger. “Citizen Kane”. 24 May, 1998. Web. Date of access 25 May 2012. Ebert’s article focuses on what defined the landmark 1941 film as the innovational piece of artwork it was and continues to be. Ebert himself describes Welles as a prodigy of his profession and follows the fictional Kane through channeling the real-life Hearst here and there during certain parts of the film. A psychological turn takes place at the end of the article as Ebert weaves the publicly scrutinized tycoon into a secluded...
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...ambiguity in its very definition. Ironically, ambiguity in relation to truth is as much a description of the term as it is a concept practiced within the cultural movement. For this reason, the term is perhaps most simplistically exemplified and defined through media texts which encode its ideologies. One such media text includes Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, a film adapted from Hunter Thompson’s 1972 novel. In the following essay, I will define the concept of postmodernism through Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The media text uses humor to challenge modernistic ideas of one’s ability to achieve the Utopian “American dream,” which is often defined as the realization of ultimate happiness and success. Specifically, Fear and Loathing’s satirical refute of the existence of an American Dream is encoded throughout the film, a theme immediately introduced to the audience. In the opening scene, a series of news clips covering the 1960's Vietnam War and Civil Rights Movement plays over “My Favorite Things” a song created for the Broadway musical “Sound of Music.” These violent clips and discordant musical rhythms fade into the review mirror of a flashy red 1971...
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...media, 3. IMDB URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080761/?ref_=nv_sr_2 [29TH September 2014] 4. IMDB URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103919/?ref_=nv_sr_1 [29TH September 2014] 5. IMDB URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087800/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 [29TH September 2014] 6. Stephen Price ed. The horror film [29TH September 2014] 7. Michelle Le Blanc and Colin Odell, Horror films [29th September 2014] 8. RetroSlashers: http://retroslashers.net/friday-the-13th-1980-review/ [2nd October 2014 Analysis of genre in horror films looking at 3 films In this essay, I will be doing research on horror films, but looking at a specific part under ‘approaching the media’, which is genre and looking at three objectives to complete this: * How genre is represented * How the genre concept works in Teen Slasher films * The key genre conventions used in films. The three films that would help me conduct this research and meet my aims are Candyman, Friday the 13th and a nightmare on Elm Street. By looking at these films, I would be able to see whether all the elements that come under genre is applied e.g. iconography, setting etc. The creation of horror films was done to make people scared and frightened but also tap into our hidden fears. This could be done by looking at the most common thing that scare people. For example, The fly, David Cronenberg was based on the idea of people being scared to get sick/diseases. The word “genre” comes from the French word...
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...“P.S. I Love You” Cindy Sheldon ENG225: Introduction to Film Instructor: Sarah Snook September 7, 2013 “P.S. I Love You” Introduction: For this film critique essay I will be writing about the movie P.S. I Love You (2007). This paper will explore the storytelling, the actors as well as how they act in the film. We will explore the cinematography, editing, sound, and the style and directing for this movie. The last few things we will explore are the impact this film had on society (if any), the genre, what is the best way to analyze this film. When all these aspects of the movie are examined we will see how a script comes to life on the big screen. Storytelling: This film is shot in non-linear form, it starts with the present and throughout the movie we are given glimpses into the past. This story takes place in several different places which include Ireland and New York City. The main female character (Holly) experiences an internal conflict when her husband Gerry passes away from an illness at a very young age. Holly is able to resolve her conflict with help from her friends, family, and her deceased husband. The symbolism in this film is that love can overcome anything including death. For us, the viewers, relates to our human nature. If we are lucky we have all been able to experience the type of love that is portrayed in this film. That love that we never see coming, but hits us like a “ton of bricks”. The kind of love most of us only get to experience...
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...Final Film Critique: O Brother, Where Art Thou? Robert L. Forbes ENG 225 Film: From Watching to Seeing. Instructor Ebony Gibson April 29, 2013 Final Film Critique: O Brother, Where Art Thou? Everyone likes to laugh, and this film is no stranger to the call. O Brother, Where Art Thou is indeed a comical action/adventure and musical romp Directed by Joel Coen and Produced by Ethan Coen. The Cast consist of many favorites in film such as George Clooney, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson. The film O Brother, according to well-known film critic Roger Ebert (2000), “is based on Homer’s The Odyssey” (p.1), this is an epic Greek poem around 700 B.C. Although the setting is much different, the Homeric journey of three would be prisoners of the late 1930s are similar to The Odyssey and its theme of perseverance. The movie O Brother, Where Art Thou however has a comical twist accompanied by great Gospel/Bluegrass music, and scenes that play into an allegorical concept including references to repentance and salvation during the depression of that era. The storyline in this movie the collaborating efforts of the Coen brothers and cinematographer Roger Deakins bring together...
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...by Martin Scorsese/Michael Phillips/Julia Phillips/Tony Bill. Film Quarterly Vol. 29, No. 4 (Summer, 1976). Pp. 37-41. Print. Dempsey’s review of Taxi Driver directed by Martin Scorsese is an analytical synopsis of the film given in comparison through other novels and films. Dempsey opens his criticism of Taxi Driver by stating that Taxi Driver’s inspiration came from Robert Bresson’s Four Nights of a Dreamer. Dempsey continues to recap the film and calls De Niro’s portrayal of the main character as bringing a brilliant conception alive with expert minimalism. Dempsey’s most surprising review comes in the form of the infamous climactic end to the film. Dempsey describes this as “only a revenge movie cliché; like the shark attacks in Jaws” further stating that is only provided a reflexive physical reaction. Ebert, Roger. Rev. of Taxi Driver, by Martin Scorsese/Michael Phillips/Julia Phillips/Tony Bill. 1 Jan. 2004. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. < http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-taxi-driver-1976>. Ebert’s review of Taxi Driver directed by Martin Scorsese was a post look of great American films that Ebert put on his acclaimed “top rated” listing. Ebert describes the lead character Travis Bickle as “ a character with a desperate need to make some sort of contact somehow—to share or mimic the effortless social interaction he sees all around him, but does not participate in”. Ebert goes on to further review the personal pull everyone has on regards to feeling alone like...
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... my grandmother spun around and faced them. "Leave us alone, you needy ducks!" she shouted. "Go home! Your parents must be worried sick." When the ducks wouldn't leave, my grandmother started hitting them on their heads with the plastic bag of hamburger buns. It was funny. If you'd known my grandmother, how defined by hardship her life was, you would have found this incident even funnier. My father, who knew his mother's struggles all too well, had to lean against a tree because he was laughing so hard. Sweet mercy, there is nothing like humor to ease the soul. If you've got a funny story, poem, or essay of your own, here are some places that might be a good fit. Enjoy! THE ALARMIST is a fresh, new, dark, funny and twisted printed literary magazine published biannually. It’s not about trying to prove how clever or well-read you are, mind – we’re not the Paris Review. We want to buck the modern trend, and tickle and entertain with what we publish. ASININE POETRY is the journal of asinine poetry, a quarterly publication of asinine poetry, poetry that is, shall we say, asinine. To wit: Not necessarily bad; mostly kinda funny. BARTLEBY SNOPES is an online literary magazine with several goals in mind. We want to publish the best new fiction we can find. We want to give the many writers out there an opportunity to publish their best work. We want to inspire you to create great works of fiction. BOOTH publishes one piece or author every Friday, directly on our home page...
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...Film Critique ENG 225 Introduction to Film Instructor: Lynette Cahill Abstract This essay is a critique on Zack Snyder’s movie, 300. This is a film on Leonidas, who is the Spartan King alongside 300 Spartan Warriors that willingly volunteered to stand up against a Persian army, which were almost ten times as many as they were. After a careful look at the film for the following critique, it is clear that there is a general theme prevailing in the whole movie that, sometimes one has to make sacrifices to gain freedom. Film Critique The movie “300” finds its roots from a graphic novel named 300 also, that was written by Frank Miller in 1998. The movie is based on one of the fierce Persian Wars in 492-449 BC in a battle known as the Thermopylae Battle. This battle went down in the historical books as a war that was characterized with plenty of bravery. The Spartan King, who was known as Leonidas, was the leader of 300 Spartan warriors who engaged the Persian Army in a war, which intended to block them from going into Greece via a two-meter wide pass in the Thermopylae Mountains. In as much as the Persian Army greatly outnumbered the Spartan soldiers, they were held back for two days, and in those two days they encountered major losses, which outweighed that of the Spartan warriors by far. However, on the third day, all was lost when a traitor informed the Persian King of a Path...
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...COM 156 Entire Course http://homeworkgallery.com/index.php/product/com-156-entire-course/ http://homeworkgallery.com/index.php/product/com-156-entire-course/ COM 156 Week 1 DQs Review the information provided on pp. 51–53. Explain the initial steps of writing an essay. Identify how your audience, purpose, and content will influence your approach. Explain the time management strategies you will use when writing a successful academic paper. What techniques discussed in your US/101 course may help you manage your time when writing a paper? The ultimate success or failure of a paper may often be traced back to the planning stages. What might you do to provide yourself with the best opportunity to succeed when writing your college papers? COM 156 Week 1 Assignment Challenges of a Paper When sitting down to write a paper I must face up to a number of challenges. Beating distracting is extremely hard for me because I have two small children. When I’m handed an assignment, it can be difficult for me to find a period of time where I can sit down and work, uninterrupted, without my kids distracting me or requiring attention. Deciding what to write about is another challenge I regularly face. COM 156 Week 1 Video Transcript – Writing Process As an instructor, you could be forgiven for thinking that I wouldn’t wait until the very last second to create a lecture. Although I should know better, I still do this and so do most people. However, if you have...
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...After all, why do I need to do these things when I have all of this in my head? That is the exact reason I realized how incredibly useful annotated bibliographies are. Not only does it force you to identify credible sources, but it also forces you to write down your thought process in the comments section. There have been many times that I sit down to write an essay and when I find a source, my brain thinks faster than I can write and by the time I actually get to the point when it’s time to add in the explanation, I’m frustrated beyond belief because I can’t remember what I wanted to...
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...Film Theory and Approaches to Criticism, or, What did that movie mean? by Christopher P. Jacobs Movies are entertainment. Movies are documents of their time and place. Movies are artistic forms of self-expression. Movies we see at theatres, on television, or home video are typically narrative films. They tell stories about characters going through experiences. But what are they really about? What is the content of a film? DIGGING DEEPER: FOUR LEVELS OF MEANING Recounting the plot of a movie, telling what happens, is the simplest way to explain it to someone else. But this is neither a film review nor a film analysis. It’s merely a synopsis that anyone else who sees or has seen the movie will likely agree with. This level of content may be called the referential content, since it refers directly to things that happen in the plot and possibly to some aspects of the story that are merely implied by the plot. In John Boorman’s Deliverance (1972), four men from the city go on a weekend canoe trip that unexpectedly becomes a life or death struggle for survival of man against man and man against nature. Some characters survive, others don’t. Most films can be analyzed more thoroughly to reveal deeper levels of meaning. A review (perhaps 400-1200 words) typically includes personal impressions and evaluations of a movie’s content and techniques. A good review may be subjective, yet still touch superficially on topics that might be explored in more detail in a longer...
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...bog56269.app.qxd 7/23/03 1:01 PM Page A-1 APPENDIX Writing a Film Analysis Films are made to be seen and heard, to appeal to our visual and aural senses. Like any art form, however, films are also meant to be felt and understood, to appeal to our emotions and minds. One of the best ways to determine whether a film has succeeded in any or all of these goals is to analyze the elements that make up the whole work. To write an analysis of a film, you must study the film carefully. Your critical analysis should be derived from your personal encounter with the film, not from published criticism. Access to a videocassette recorder or DVD player is essential if you are going to perform a critical analysis of any depth. It is not enough to like or dislike the movie; you must determine why it succeeds or fails in reaching out and encompassing the viewer. The first step is to view the film in its entirety. From this viewing you can get an initial reaction to the many parts of the film that you will have to explore in more depth. When you first view the film, it is best not to try to take notes or separate the parts of the film; you should be familiar with the textbook in order to know what to look for. After you have formulated a thesis and have begun the process of supporting that thesis, you should view the film at least once more in its entirety and two or three times in segments in order to review scenes of major importance. The thesis statement is the element around which to...
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...The development of documentary: observational documentaries There are various different types of documentary modes, including expository, poetic, first person and interactive. However, the documentary mode that interests me the most, is observational. This is because I feel that the observational mode captures the most realistic aspects of the subject. Other modes of documentary have much more interaction, interference and manipulation with the outcome of events. In this essay I will discuss different examples of observational documentaries spanning from the 1900’s to the present day. I will also discuss the development of the documentary mode and the roles of director and producer within a documentary production. The observational mode consists of merely the observation of the subject’s daily life and circumstances, with unobtrusive camera equipment. The traditional aim is for the filmmaker to have no engagement with the subject; therefore there is no interference regarding the outcome of events. By maintaining the observational mode, the director allows the subject to forget the presence of the camera. Consequently, the subject behaves more naturally, giving the audience a better sense of their real emotions and real behaviour. Usually there is no narration or interviews in the observational mode; however there will sometimes be footage of the subject expressing their own views directly to the camera, which emphasizes the real-life emotions of the subject. The filmmaker...
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