Essays on Film

Film Studies Questions

There are three basic categories of sound in a movie: dialogue, special effects and music (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011, ch.6.4). In the film When Harry Met Sally, the film relies heavily upon the dialogue between Harry and Sally; they are two witty, intelligent characters whose friendship develops into romance and it is through their dialogue that we witness this happening. In Jaws, the film relies upon its music to engage the viewer in the fear that the various scenes exude. For instance, as the shark begins to enter the scene and is leading up to its attack, Continue reading...

Self-reliance

“Be yourself; no base imitator of another, but your best self. There is something, which you can do better than another. Listen to the inward voice and bravely obey that. Do the things at which you are great, not what you were never made for.” (Emerson) (Nina et al, 1094)
In this quote, Emerson urges people to remain themselves at all times. He insists on people obeying their natural instincts, trusting in their intrinsic abilities and doing the things that they can do best. He believes that by so doing everyone will be able to rely in him/herself.
The Continue reading...

Adaptation is a humorous movie, showing the life of twin brothers as they strive to complement each other and survive. Even though they are twins, they have different personalities. One of the twins, Charlie, is reserved and shy, while the other, Donald, is outgoing and confident. Despite their difference in personalities, they choose a similar career path, that of writing movies. In this scene, they are faced with a tough challenge of adopting a book into a movie. The decision to adapt a novel and transform it into a film is because of the love they have for nature. Continue reading...

In the post-9/11 world of espionage, soldiers have been replaced with spies as nationalist heroes – since drones do much of the grunt work now as opposed to reservists, the nebulous War on Terror is fought through intelligence and espionage. At the same time, we take a much more self-reflexive look at our heroes, especially in media, and question whether or not they are truly worth rooting for. These notions of the flawed heroic spy, the one who does what is necessary while putting themselves through misery, is explored in depth in the recent films Casino Royale (2006) and Zero Continue reading...

The Book Part

Michele Alexander covers the issue of racialism in the modern society. Though the media claims that the modern American society has moved past the racism era, racism has taken a modern form in terms of the social policies that the government implements. Through these social policies, members of different races receive different conviction for the same offenses. These social policies present the transformation of racism. Obama’s victorious election into presidency may have depicted the end of racism, but society perceives it differently.
The social policy on the drug war presents the real image of modern racism. The criminal Continue reading...

- The film genre expectations are subverted in the manner to which an expected judicial process for the Huntsville convicts at long run does not take place. In a high profile, the genre blends action, adventure, crime and faction types of genres. Action is through the Adventure, with a risky turn. Adventure is through an epic distant journey in escape of crime on the offense being committed by the convicts escaping.
- In comparing and contrasting three cultural types, of criminal, legal and religious, Butch, Phillip and Red are of importance. Butch represents the true criminal culture through his Continue reading...

At the point when a youthful lady named Meryem (Özgü Namal) was assaulted, her town custom obliges that she was murdered in place for the disrespect to be erased from her crew. A junior man named Cemal (Murat Han), the child of the town pioneer, is given the undertaking yet ultimately he has questions. The pair goes on the run, emulated close behind by nearby hooligans expectation on murdering the young lady. Fortunately enough, Cemal and Meryem get together with an appealing man named Irfan, an ex-college educator who is leaving on a cruising outing, and needs a group. Continue reading...

Analysis

In this study, one will seek to analyse two movies by Mike Leigh in order to understand a few factors that weigh in on Leigh’s outlook on making a movie. The movies that will be analysed are Secrets and Lies and Happy-Go-Lucky.

The movie revolves around a few characters that are connected by circumstances. A black woman seeks to find her biological mother, who works in a boxing company, after the woman who had adopted her dies. Her biological mother lives with her other daughter and the two of them do not seem to get along well. Her Continue reading...

(Candidate’s Full Name)

Movie Review:

Plot
“Get rich or die trying!” This is the motto for the 2013 American movie titled The Wolf of Wall Street. Directed by Martin Scorsese, the film is an on-screen adaptation of a memoir of the same name written by Jordan Belfort, a former stock broker convicted of stock market manipulation and running a penny stock boiler room in USA. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort, the film narrates his career as a certified stockbroker with L.F. Rothschild, before losing his job due to the 1987 stock market crash. Using his brilliant salesman skills, he Continue reading...

Discuss the Ways in Which the Chinese Community Depicted in Shun Li and the Poet Functions as a State within a State

Introduction

Shun Li and the Poet is an Italian film officially released in 2011. The film was written and directed by Andrea Segre, one of the seasoned directors in Italy. According to media and news agency interview sessions with Andrea Segre, his foundations in the filmmaking industry was derived from writing and directing documentary films, which he was particularly known for. This is why for those who were able to watch the film, it is highly likely for Continue reading...

Wolf of Wall Street is an American black comedy movie based on Jordan Belfort. It is directed by Martin Scorsese, and the screenplay is written by Terence Winter. It was released on 25th December 2013 a film based on the true story of Jordan Belfort. Jordan is portrayed as wealthy stock-broker who lives large, spends a lot of money, and lives an exceedingly high life, until he falls due to involvement in corruption, crime, and federal government. It is a very funny and entertaining movie that features other characters including; Margot Robbie, Jonah Hill, Matthew Mc Conaughey, Rob Reiner, Continue reading...

French comedy, like comedy of any specific region, has a wide range of subjects and styles from which to draw – some comedies rely more on the physical and slapstick, while others relate more to character-based humor and the everyday absurdity of human interaction. Two French comedies from the 90s and early 2000s encapsulate this divide quite well – 1993’s Les Visiteurs and 2000’s Le Gout des Autres (The Taste of Others). Visiteurs is a goofy, fantastical fish-out-of-water story about a knight and his squire (played by Jean Reno and co-writer Christian Clavier), who find themselves transported from 1123 Continue reading...

Film Analysis Paper: Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Part 1: Select a film that deals with a topic from contemporary history (roughly the period from 1900-2008). It should be a narrative/feature film. Please do not select a documentary. The film can be recent (made within the last ten years) or something older (i.e. black & white). It can be American-made film or a foreign film. The only guideline is that it must primarily tell a story set in the past.
The Rwandan genocide between the Hutus and Tutsis was a particular event in history that has marked not only the nation it Continue reading...

Question: 3. Compare and contrast the underlying themes in another youth/coming of age film from any period with the underlying themes in The Graduate. 
Coming-of-age stories involve a main character's inner growth change. In the literature, these changes can be described by any narrator. However, in a film, it is not easy to portray an action of a character that is internal rather than external. Identify a scene that is viewed in a film showing the main characters internal change is through observation of his/her action. It, therefore follows that the list of themes flows through the coming-of-age story. Continue reading...

Plot and Story

Plot and story appear in different dimensions in narratives. In narrative films, story refers to the account that film narrates. It also refers to events that the audience infers and assumes to have taken place in the film. In narratives, the story appears in chronological order with a duration and frequency. The Story differs from the plot because the plot presents specific events in a narrative. The plot appears as the imaginary construction by the viewer regarding the events in the film. The Plot also involves a chronological order and duration.
The narrative’s plot presents Richard Hannay as Continue reading...

How do you visualize a monster in your imagination? People might say “It is very horrible!” Conversely, if anyone has seen “Monsters University”, his or her thoughts would be changed. This film is definitely a funny and excellent movie, including its animation, characters, scene and acting. They naturally make the entire movie noticeable and attractive. The film’s director Dan Scanlon got an inspiration from Monsters, Inc., which Pixar first presented in the year 2001, to create his current movie.
Monsters University uses two main characters - Mike Wazowski, a monster with one big eye and a little green Continue reading...

Following APA Guidelines

Kingdom of Heaven, directed by Ridley Scott, served against its title as an anti-religion humanist piece. The moral of the film was that being human and showing humanity was greater and more powerful than religion. Kingdom of Heaven used a traditional storyline, showing a believing hero, or in this case, a Christian. He is easy to sympathize with and gives the film a religious undertone. However, after Balian, the hero, begins to see the world through the bloodshed of the crusades, he begins to understand that religion is not doing anything good for humankind and rejects is former views Continue reading...

In Kimberly Pierce’s 1999 film Boys Don't Cry, the true-life story of Brandon Teena (played by Oscar winner Hilary Swank), a transgendered man who attempts to pass for a biological man in rural Nebraska, is told. Over the course of the film, Brandon (born Teena Brandon) tries to fit in with a group of male friends he encounters, and continues to pose as a man in order to woo her friend Lana (played by Chloe Sevigny). However, by the end of the film, his friends find out about his anatomical femaleness and is raped and murdered by them. Continue reading...

The year 2014 marks the 28th anniversary since the movie Platoon was first released. It is one of the most honored and best movies of all time. It was released on 24th December 1986. It was directed and written by Oliver Stone, while Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger and Charlie Sheen were the people starring. Upon its release, it took moviegoers, critics, and audiences by surprise as it took home four academy awards including best director and best picture, Oscar awards in 1987. In 1997 and 2007, it appeared in top 100 films of all time in American Film Institute Continue reading...

Grumpy Old Men is a 1993 American film that revolves around the life and times of two childhood friends, Gustafson and Goldman, in their old age. The cast is made up of Jack Lemmon (acting as John Gustafson), Walter Matthau (acting as Max Goldman), Ann Margaret (acting as Ariel Truax Gustafson), Burgess Meredith (acting as John Sr.), Darryl Hannah (acting as Melanie), Kevin Pollak (acting as Jacob), Ossie Davis (acting as Chuck) and Buck Henry (acting as Elliott Snyder). As the title suggests, the film misrepresents the elderly as people who are always grumpy, easily irritated and stubborn. In Continue reading...

The film, ‘Life is Beautiful’ is an ideal demonstration of developmental theory especially as a child grows up. Developmental theory that is a psychologically based theory is seen through the interaction between the father and the son while under seizure during the World War II. Developmental theory has been enhanced by the fact that, the father, Guido, has been the role model in the son’s life, Joshua. Therefore, this paper will explore psychological developmental theory in the film ‘Life is Beautiful’ through father-son interaction (Benigni & Cerami, 1998).
Behavioral child development theory is evident through Guido’s interaction with Continue reading...

Film Essay Assignment: “Four Days in September”

The film “Four Days in September” is a movie based on the book of Rio de Janiero journalist, Fernando Gabeira, “O Que E Isso, Companheiro?” It is about a group of young middle-class Brazilian revolutionaries who wanted to overthrow the brutal military dictatorship of Brazil in 1969. Gabeira joins this young terrorist group, known as the MR8. Their initial move is the robbery of a bank. Although the heist was a success, one of their members, Cesar was captured. Since they did not gain much media mileage from the robbery, the group decides to kidnap the United States Ambassador Continue reading...

Up
‘Up’ is an animated movie by Walt Disney pictures. Pete Docter directed, ‘Up’ was released in the year 2009. The movie is highly acclaimed by the audiences as well as the critics. ‘Up’ is one of the most successful animated films of American film industry and has won several prestigious awards. This paper intends to discuss the movie, ‘Up’ and further focuses on the ageism, an integrated part of the movie.
The story revolves around 78 year old Carl Frederickson who had a dream of traveling South America. Some unfortunate incidents take place in his life, and the Continue reading...

And Chan-Wook Park

Given the increasing globalization of the film industry, Hollywood directors have begun to pull increasingly from international sources for their creative output. Looking into the small-but-potent international film markets, often directors from other countries are given the opportunity to cross-over into Hollywood. This is certainly the case with Asian cinema; many Asian film directors who have achieved success in Japan and Hong Kong have been given the chance to make films in America in order to provide a rapidly-consuming film market with the variety and quality it desires. In the 1980s and 1990s, two Asian directors in particular crossed Continue reading...

Analysis of the Film “The Best Years of Our Lives” Using Stuart Hall’s Reception Theory

The film, The Best Years of Our Lives highlights cultural artifacts for the establishment of the social identity in the transnational society. One may face serious challenges in establishing and maintaining a social identity in a transnational community. This is evident in The Best Years of Our Lives, as the film shows that most characters are experiencing difficulties in regaining their social identity after World War II. The film casts some extraordinary and complex situations that characterize civilians as they struggle to establish their identity (Jameson 36). The film wishes to offer closure and catharsis; however, the myth assumed Continue reading...

Introduction

Science fiction and disaster films often must take dramatic liberties with science and truth in order to serve a greater narrative purpose; events are compressed, effects are exaggerated, and realism and physics are thrown out the window in order to provide greater drama and spectacle (Revkin, 2004). In the movie The Day After Tomorrow, directed by Roland Emmerich in 2004, the world is subjected to global disasters brought about by climate change. The effects are myriad; global cooling sets New York in a coating of ice and freezing temperatures, glaciers crack and separate, and a “superstorm” is said to Continue reading...

In Susan Hayward’s summary of David Bordwell in “Classical Hollywood Cinema,” the author relates how the dominant ideology of American culture in the 1930s and 1940s was often conveyed in the films of the era. This particular genre of film follows a narrative tendency towards literalism and dramatic formula over nuance and complexity: “The narrative of [classical Hollywood cinema] reposes upon the triad ‘order/disorder/order-restored,’ also known as disruption/resolution” (Hayward 82). Through these styles of filmmaking, a consistent, accessible reality is created in which to impart the dominant ideology of the time. In the case of The Best Years Continue reading...

Social Identity Formations in Transnational Culture

The film, the best Years of our Lives is an indication of the cultural artifact of the formation of the social identity in the transnational culture. There are many hurdles, and one has to face several difficulties in order to gain, and then maintain its social identity in the transnational culture. It is also represented in the film, in which it is shown that the characters are facing difficulty to regain the social identity as civilian after the World War II. It represents some extraordinary and complex situations, and problems at the political unconscious level, within its wish to Continue reading...

What does Brokeback Mountain (both the story and the film) show us about attitudes toward masculinity in the United States between the 1963 and the 1983 and the possible effects of these attitudes?
The film and the story Brokeback Mountain do not present homosexuality as a positive or negative phenomenon in the society, but as the unaccepted in a certain period of time and environment. The light motive is a forbidden love. While in other love stories the central gap is between rich and poor, different cultures and religions, here, the central issue presents a gap between commonly accepted Continue reading...

Annotated Bibliography: Definition of a Monster

Introduction
Considering that particular focus of this research is defining what a monster is. The sources incorporated herein essentially work to define the term monster in relation to film literature, and personal perceptions. In a bid to accomplish this, sources that are to be used in the research establishes the chronology of the term monster, culture perception of the term monster, and finally the relation of monstrous characteristics to human behaviour. The most important ideas in understanding the subject of the research evident from the sources below include myths, history of monsters, magic and believes.
Asma, Stephen T. On Continue reading...

The multiplane camera is an animation that was created by Walt Disney in the 1930s and the 1940s. Essentially, studios used this animation to create pictures. Because of his animation art, the U.S. patent granted Walt Disney a patent.
In traditional animation, drawing took a front stage and was considered as an important aspect. The multiplane cameras employed the traditional process of animation. Essentially, artwork pieces are moved past the camera. This movement is done on different speeds. They are also moved at some distances from each other (Andrews et al, 34). The effect of this is the creation Continue reading...

Introduction

Raise the red lantern (1991) is a Chinese film whose main theme is sexual enslavement. The protagonist in the film lives life in a closed system where the long established customs that rule demand no escape. The protagonist in the film is a nineteen year old girl who drops out of college in the event of her father’s death. The girl is condemned into a life of a concubine of a wealthy man, alongside four others, because her mother denied her support after the demise of her father. The movie in itself is an anthropological lesson because it Continue reading...

One of the most fascinating and unique aspects of French films is their essential “Frenchness” – the way in which the plot, characters and storytelling evince particular aspects of French culture. Many times, French films find their appeal in being uniquely ‘French,’ having meanings that are of particular importance to the French people. In spite of this, many important and popular French films carry with them a universality of meaning that spans cultures. In the case of the French films La Grande Vadrouille and La Cage Aux Folles, the setting of the story within French culture and locations allows the Continue reading...

WINTER’S BONE (2010) -REALISM
Realism, as we know, is all about being truthful, and a realist will strive to preserve the point that their film is devoid of manipulations, and mirror the actual world. They try to engage amateurs to play the characters, use existing buildings or outdoor locations, and develop a theme based on everyday life. Historical movies are normally shot in black-and-white to elicit authenticity. The snippets of the World Wars, sets an example for these realists to corroborate such techniques into their movies, so that they too, breathe realism. Having said this, it does not Continue reading...

Abstract

American Culture has undergone many turns and twists throughout the centuries. It has always been determined to provide a tangential impasse into the lives of the American citizens as well as that of the events that encircle him /her in a wider global perspective. Perhaps that had been the proper way of interpretation of the society and its elements on a global as well as local perspective for the media. However in recent years, there seems to be an influence on the media channels as well as cable networks to highlight the importance of only the internal complexities of Continue reading...

The film, Sleeping with the Enemy reviews interesting ideas that are relevant to the modern society. The film highlights that many developments happen in a society with the aim of improving people’s welfare. However, the ethical backgrounds of the events in the lives of common people dictate many elements about the relations of the people with their environments. Political and economic differences among the people lead to social deviations and disagreements among the people in the society. The ideas of death and social distractions are apparent in the film, sleeping with the Enemy. This film depicts a perfect Continue reading...

Dangerous minds is among the most appropriate films that depict the significance of teaching. The main character, Johnson Louanne applies her own teaching background to advance the continuity of the move. Louanne is depicted as an influential hero in the film and this can be attributed to her contributions in helping students to overcome challenges relating to their underprivileged surroundings. The plot of the film is organized in such a manner that it matches every of a teacher dedicated to transforming the lives of teenagers.
Dangerous Minds is an ideal movie because it provided inspirations to many kids by Continue reading...

Introduction

The “Walking Dead” is a television film series focusing on a world filled with flesh-eating as well as walking zombies. This film is a dramatic post-apocalyptic series of horror genre based on the “Walking Dead” comic book authored by Charlie Adlard in collaboration with Kirkman Robert and Moore Tony. This American-based film series is a development of Frank Darabont, who is a writer and a co-writer of six episodes of the first season of the series. Season one of the horror series begins with the awakening from a coma of Rick Grimes, the sheriff’s deputy, only to confront Continue reading...

Introduction

According to Jowett & O’Donnell (1), propaganda is a method of communication which tries to elicit a response that propagates the desired intention of the propagandist. The art of propaganda has been studied in an array of multidisciplinary researches in the fields of journalism, sociology, history, political science and psychology. To study the art of propaganda as history means examining propagandist practices as distinct events and the resultant events as likely effects of propaganda. Nazi films were predominantly propagandist in that they aimed at influencing attitudes on life in a given context, and in terms of particular people and Continue reading...

Women Sex Gender and Work

This discrimination can come in the form of sexual harassment, withholding promotions based on gender, giving a different job title to a woman and preventing women from participating in training opportunities. The discrimination against females in the workplace can include diminished company revenue, high employee turnover, and low morale and reduced productivity. This entire situation is well elaborated in the telefilm ‘Her Brilliant Career’, directed by Lan McLaren in 2005. The film tells about the workforce discrimination and economic world in a unique way, which is based on the issue of the masculine identity and sex. The movie explains Continue reading...