Many violent films are box office hits. What is so good or bad about violence, particularly focusing on Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior (2005)
Many violent films are box office hits. What is so good or bad about violence, particularly focusing on Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior (2005) Between 2000B.C. and 44 A.D., the ancient Egyptians entertained themselves with plays re-enacting the murder of their god Osiris, and the spectacle, history tells us, led to a number of copycat killings. The ancient Romans were given to lethal spectator sports as well, and in 380 B.C. Saint Augustine lamented that his society was addicted to gladiator games and "...drunk with the fascination of bloodshed." Nowadays, before the age of eighteen, the average American teen will have witnessed eighteen thousand simulated murders on TV, it is to no surprise that First Lady Laura Bush, said that "American children, I'm afraid, are addicted to television." And it has been considered that "TV is the single most significant factor contributing to violence in America" (Ted Turner). Violence in the media and particularly in film is not always considered a negative aspect since some think that it benefits people in ways that is hard to do in everyday life, especially young people, in everyday situations. The reason for violent films being box office hits could be for a variety of reasons, but one thing is for sure, people enjoy watching the 'downfall' of others. 'Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior' (2005) was designed to showcase as much action as possible.
Action genre shared conventions with example
In the action genre, exciting sequence and special effects are more focused on as oppose to the character development or story-telling. The genre relies on the individual efforts of the hero. Although mainly aimed at a male audience, the action genre began to branch out in 1990's adding a female heroine, expanding its viewing audience to almost everyone. Expected conventions of this genre would be elaborate fighting scenes, explosions, plenty of gunfire and danger. Many of the first action movies were inspired by the highly successful Hong Kong action cinema, both in Asia and in the West. Now martial arts and other Asian fighting techniques are common among non- Asian action films When you watch action films you expect a lot of sounds that are non-diegetic (in the background but not visible), for example in the movie "Iron Man" when Tony Stark is in the Jeep and suddenly an explosion sound and gunfire is heard but you cant see the men with guns. Many action movies have a highly exaggerated storyline, Tony Stark creates weapons of mass destruction, this is almost believable, and then he makes a battle-suit? Very unrealistic but still holds our attention because it is exciting and sticks to the stylistic conventions of an action genre. Cathleen Guiney
FILM STUDIES - SCENE ANALYSING
Analysing a scene from 'Trainspotting' focusing on aspects of sound, editing and camerawork The film I have chosen to take my scene from is called "Trainspotting." This film is set in Edinburgh follows one Mark Renton, an aimless Scottish youth who, with his friends, Spud and Sick Boy choose not to "choose life," opting instead for the empty but pleasurable life of heroin addiction. The film follows Mark and the gang as they quit and get hooked again, have disastrous flings with women, have a couple of sick, but hilarious mishaps, and get in trouble with their violent, hard-drinking (but not drug-using) friend Begbie. The scene in this film that I have chosen is the scene where Renton realizes that he is missing out on something in his life, that drugs are the only thing he does for fun. He realizes he hasn't been with a girl in a long time. So Renton goes out with his friends to a club to try and find himself a girl. The opening to this scene is in a club and mid and long shots are used to show all the people in the club dancing and so that the audience gets a full sense of the scenes setting. The song playing is "temptation" by New Order which is very appropriate to the scene as the word temptation is exactly how Renton is feeling at this point, he is tempted by the amount of women he sees. The song also fits the year that this film is set in as the music playing is what
In the movie Cry Freedom, Steve Biko was a black activist and human rights leader who devoted his life toward achieving equality for blacks was loved by the black community but hated and feared by the white South African community.
Cherno Okafor Okafor 1 Ms. Le Piane CHV2O703 December 4 2010 Cry Freedom Essay In the movie Cry Freedom, Steve Biko was a black activist and human rights leader who devoted his life toward achieving equality for blacks was loved by the black community but hated and feared by the white South African community. He is such a strong, powerful and important figure because of his ongoing nonviolent resistance against racism in South Africa. Biko's wisdom and intellect were extremely impressive. He took James Woods, the editor of the white newspaper, to a black township with him and later befriends Biko. However, Biko is banned from these townships by the government. In addition, he is a courageous civil rights figure who stopped at nothing to reach his ultimate goal of obtaining freedom. Biko even went to the most dangerous extremes to achieve this. Through Biko's treatment as a black man by the white-ruled South African government, the film portrayed the extent of racism and unequal treatment that took place in South Africa during that time. It is evident in Cry Freedom that Steve Biko stands up for his rights, which can be compared to how citizens of different nations stand up for their rights by not always allowing the government to administer them. Biko is
Analysis of the representation of African-American Women in The Color Purple (1985) and For Colored Girls (2010)
Analysis of the representation of Black Women in "The Color Purple" (1985) and "For Colored Girls" (2010) Historically, black women in film have been portrayed in a negative light in conjunction with society's view of black people and their cultural roles. Black female characters often played roles such as slaves, maids, overbearing and sexually driven women. These roles support the three main stereotypes of black women (Mammy, Jezebel and Sapphire) 1 which I will explore further in this study. Roles such as 'Celie Harris' played by Whoopi Goldberg in The Color Purple (1985) directed by Steven Spielberg, represents the stereotype of a poor black woman who does everything she is told. Contemporary characters such as Thandie Newton's promiscuous 'Tangie' in For Colored Girls (2010) directed by Tyler Perry, depicts the historical stereotypes of a potty-mouthed sexually driven black female. This is known as the 'Sapphire' or 'The Jezebel Stereotype' (Zinn and Dill 1884:267)2. A woman who uses her body to manipulate males which is contrasted by many other females in the film who portray black women in a positive light. The portrayal of black female is constantly changing and evolving in today's society supported by an evolving representation in film media which will be the focus for my study. One of the key representations of Black women in film and media is the 'mammy'
The tale of Quetzalcoatl and Mel Gibson'sfilm "Apocalypto".
Kathleen Lopez Dr. G. Davies-Morris HUM 160 – Section 1 September 22, 2011 Word Count: 647 The Tale of Quetzalcoatl and Mel Gibson’s Film “Apocalypto” During the period of Spanish conquest in the1500s, Meso-American civilizations were ignorant to the Europeans existing on the other side of the world. Due to their ignorance, the Meso-American civilizations created In regards to the tale of Quetzalcoatl and Mel Gibson’s Film “Apocalypto, the two stories taken place during the 1500s are bounded together through various mythic elements such as a clash of cultures and a connection to the sea. In the tale of Quetzalcoatl, Quetzalcoatl’s is greeted unpleasantly by the presence of Tezcatlipoca, the antagonist. During the story, Quetzalcoatl promoted the skill of crafts and the sacrifice of breads, flowers, and perfumes in opposition to the skill of war crafts and the sacrifice of tearing the hearts out of men and women. However, Tezcatlipoca upheld those practices of hostility that Quetzalcoatl disapproved of. Through this, there is a clash of cultures. During the ball court segment of the story, Tezcatlipoca transformed himself into a jaguar whereas Quetzalcoatl had fled. The cultures of Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca are in total opposition. Similarly in the film, Apocalypto, the cultures of Jaguar Paw and Zero Wolf were in heavy confliction. The tribe of Jaguar
A microanalysis of the opening three minutes of 'The Royal Tenenbaums'
The Royal Tenebaums a micro analysis of the opening sequence For this essay I have chosen the first three minutes of 'The Royal Tenebaums'. I have chosen this sequence because I think it is full of meaning and sets the audience up well for the rest of the film. I will be focusing particularly on camerawork and mise-en-scene I will relate these two to meaning making and audience response. We begin the film with a bird's eye view of the book 'The Royal Tenebaums', it is being taken out of a library. This is the establishing shot for the film it's as if we are taking the book out of the library ourselves and reading it, except by reading it we are actually watching the film. This idea continues throughout the film, which is structured as a book with chapters and narration. The use of the bird's eye view shot is noticeable it places the book in the centre of the screen facing us we can see it and are then prepared to be absorbed by its contents. The next shot shows a layout of many copies of the book used a background in front of which production companies names are credited. We jump forwards, to a much closer view of the layout. The way the layout makes a background looks as though this is the front cover for the whole film. In the fourth shot, significantly the cover of the book, a shot of a dinner table against dark green curtains with a dinner invitation on it and a
Female gender stereotypes reinforced in three Disney animated films: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast
The Walt Disney Corporation is one of the largest mass media companies in the world owning TV and radio networks, Internet sites, theatres, theme parks, music studios, magazines etc. They publish children’s books, produce cartoons, computer software, and toys among many other things. For more than 70 years Disney animated films have been a popular form of children’s entertainment and part of many children’s lives worldwide. It is not an exaggeration to say that these films have also contributed to and influenced the shaping of children’s values, beliefs and imagination. Therefore, being one of the most dominant storytellers and having such a huge influence on children’s culture in general, the Disney Company and the array of images and stereotypes they offer to the public should be approached critically and analysed. In this essay I will be focusing on the female gender stereotypes reinforced in three Disney animated films - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast - and on the notions of femininity that these films portray. Furthermore, I will be analyzing what kind of effects these particular stereotypes and representations of femininity may produce on girls and young women. Most predominant female gender stereotypes that these films reinforce are the following: . a woman’s appearance is valued more than her intellect; 2. a
A Beautiful Mind Essay. How the director shows the nightmare of schizophrenia.
A Beautiful Mind Essay - Stage 1 English Bridget Lampard According to Dr. Rosen in the film, ‘the nightmare of schizophrenia is knowing what’s true’. How are two or three techniques used to develop this idea in A Beautiful Mind? Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that does not allow its victims to be able to tell the difference between reality and delusion. This nightmare that they face is hard for people to understand and relate to. “Imagine if you had suddenly learned that the people, the places, the moments, most important to you, were not gone, were not dead, but worse, had never been”. Ron Howard uses a range of film techniques in A Beautiful Mind that allows the viewers to understand the nightmare that John Nash experiences. The use of dialogue, point of view, symbols and motifs helps to develop the idea of this nightmare. The use of point of view in A Beautiful Mind allows the audience to be involved in the mind of John Nash. Finding out that people, places and moments are in fact not real is the nightmare of a schizophrenic mind. Subjective point of view is used for the majority of A Beautiful Mind, this allows the viewers to see John Nash’s life in the way he experiences it. The camera points in the same direction in which Nash looks in. This creates the point of view and establishes the idea that you are looking through his eyes. The viewers tend not
Remember the Titans is a movie that takes place in Alexandria, VA, where the integration of civil rights laws is just beginning.
. Remember the Titans is a movie that takes place in Alexandria, VA, where the integration of civil rights laws is just beginning. Along with the laws comes outrage from the white families of Alexandria; especially after the implementation of a law that combined the white school and the black school into one. There is a coaching change on the football team that comes along with the school change; a new African American coach, Coach Boones, is given the head coach job at the new school instead of the Hall of Fame coach, Coach Yoast, that is currently there. There is much indignation about this seemingly unfair change that takes place. 2. 3. The coaches take both the black and white players to a summer camp for the football team and they are met with turmoil from the start. The coaches set high standards of respect and value for the teammates of each other. The players are forced to cooperate, or suffer harder drills and more grueling practices. While at the camp, they learn, through time and perseverance, to overcome their differences and see beyond their color and to actually become a team. Two of the main characters, Gerry and Julius, are leaders in this effort. Upon returning from camp, this bond that the team has forged is tested time and time again by the school and the community of Alexandria. The two coaches, after overcoming their differences, help the football team to
