Screening Reflection Film List

As you know, you will be responsible for 7 two-page reflections. These are reflections on one film from each of the seven units we will view in class: sports, science fiction, documentaries, musicals, horror, gay film, and screwballs. Please note these are NOT reviews of the films we watch. Instead, they are reflections on particular aspects of the films (e.g. themes, acting, style, editing). They are designed to promote critical thinking about films viewed in class, so explore any aspect of the film you wish, including any lectures and discussions.

These will be collected on the last day of class. please submit them in order inside of a thin folder. Write a screening reflection one one of the films for each of the following sections.

Sports Films:

Rocky (Avildsen, 1976 USA)

The Wrestler (Aronofsky, 2008 USA)

Science Fiction:

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Gondry, 2004 USA)

Another Earth (Cahill, 2011 USA)

Documentaries:

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (Kuenne, 2008 USA)

The Queen of Versailles (Greenfield, 2012 USA)

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (Gordon, 2007 USA)

Musicals:

Across the Universe (Taymor, 2007 USA)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007 USA/UK)

 Horror:

The Haunting (Wise, 1963 USA)

The Woman in Black (Watkins, 2012 USA)

 Gay Film:

Victor Victoria (Edwards, 1982 USA)

The Talented Mr. Ripley (Minghella, 1999 USA)

Screwball Comedies:

What's Up, Doc? (Bogdanovich, 1972 USA)

Seems Like Old Times (Sandrich, 1980 USA)

Flirting with Disaster (Russell, 1996 USA)

Movie News 11.26.13

• Aningaaq shows another side of Gravity (Slate) 
• $161.1 million: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire's record November opening (Entertainment Weekly)
• Gravity soars past Catching Fire at the box office—in China (Hollywood Reporter)
• Report: Hollywood doesn't protect animals during filming (New York Daily News)
• Johnny Depp confirmed for 2016 Alice in Wonderland sequel (NME) 
• Director Kevin Smith has seen the new Batsuit and says "You have not seen this costume on film before" (Huffington Post)

Journal 6: Locked in the Closet—Being Out on the A-List

In 2010, Newsweek columnist Ramin Setoodeh argued that, "While it's okay for straight actors to play gay (as Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger did in Brokeback Mountain), it's rare for someone to pull off the trick in reverse." He further argues that unlike straight actors who play gay, the sexuality of gay actors who play straight is an issue because "the fact is, an actor's background does affect how we see his or her performance." Not surprisingly, the column resulted in a sharp rebuke from the gay community. Later, author Bret Easton Ellis also stirred up controversy when he argued that openly-gay Matt Bomer wouldn't be convincing playing straight hunk Christian in the upcoming Fifty Shades of Gray adaptation—a role that later went to straight actor/model Jamie Dornan. What do you think? Is an actor's sexuality really only an issue for audiences when he or she is gay, but playing straight? When you are watching a gay actor play straight, does his or her sexual orientation factor into the believability of the performance? While gay actors playing straight on television have made major strides in recent years (e.g. Jane Lynch in Glee, Neil Patrick Harris in How I Met Your Mother), why are there currently no openly gay A-list actors or actresses in movies?

Include at least two of the following pieces in your discussion:

• "By the Way, We're Gay: The New Art of Coming Out" (Entertainment Weekly)
• "Earth to Bret Easton Ellis: You Needn't be Straight to Play a Lady-Spanker" (Guardian)
• "Fifty Shades of Homophobia: Who Cares if the Actor Who Plays Christian Grey is Gay? (Huffington Post)
• "Will Luke Evans Be Brave Enough to Become Hollywood’s First Openly Gay Leading Man?" (FlavorWire)
• "Study: Audiences Don't Mind Gay Actors Playing Straight Roles" (PinkNews) 
• "How Audiences Can Learn to Accept Gay Actors Playing Straight Roles" (Go Over the Rainbow)

Requirements:

• Must be in MLA Style
• Must be two full pages in length
  

Due: Tu 12.03

Week 14: They Went That-a-Way—Screwball Comedies

Week 14: They Went That-a-Way—Screwball ComediesTu 11.26/Th 11.28*
Class: Lecture—“A Hundred Years of Screwball Comedies, PT. I”
Screening: What’s Up, Doc? (Bogdanovich, 1973 USA)

*No class 11.28—Happy Thanksgiving

Week 13: The Closet Swings Open—Gay Cinema

Week 13: The Closet Swings Open—Gay Cinema
Tu 11.19/Th 11.21

• Class: Lecture—“Gay Representation in Film, Pt. II”
• Screening: The Talented Mr. Ripley (Minghella, 1999 USA)

Week 12: The Closet Swings Open—Gay Cinema

Week 12: The Closet Swings Open—Gay Cinema
Tu 11.12/Th 11.14

• Class: Lecture—“Gay Representation in Film, Pt. I”
• Screening: Victor Victoria (Edwards, 1982 USA)

Week 11: Don’t Go In There—Horror Films

Week 11: Don’t Go In There—Horror Films
Tu 11.05/Th 11.07

• Class: Lecture—“The Haunted House on Film, Pt. II”
• Screening: The Woman in Black (Watkins, USA 2011)
• Due: Journal 5

Journals 4 & 5

Note: This week you have two different prompts to write about. Both should be one full page each. Staple them before turning them in, please.
 

Journal 4: Guilty as Charged—Confessing Our Cinematic Guilty Pleasures:

Though we may not admit it, we all have them. And while they are near and dear to our hearts, often they are kept secret. Yet, our guilty pleasure movies serve an important role: they make us happy—even if we don't always own up to them. But why are guilty pleasures, so guilty? What sets these movies apart from those which we enjoy openly? Can a movie really be so bad that it's good? This reflection is your opportunity to come out of the cinematic closet and reveal two of your guilty pleasure movies. 

Journal 5: Where are Your Manners?—Exploring Movie Theatre Etiquette

You'll often hear older generations of Americans lament the fact that this country seems to have forgotten its manners. They remember a day when gentlemen held doors for ladies, business transaction were polite courteous, and good manners were prized above all else. Those days, unfortunately, are gone. And in no place is this more evident than in the nation's movie theaters. What was once a place audiences actually dressed up for is now ground zero for inconsiderateness. Today, audiences must content with loud and smelly food, cell phones, people's feet up on seats, and incessant amounts of chatter during films. In fact, etiquette is so bad that we must be reminded of even the most basic manners before every screening. What do you consider to be appropriate movie etiquette? What bothers you most about other people's behavior in movie theatres? Finally, What rules do you knowingly disregard and to which do you adhere? Are you generally part of the solution or part of the problem?

Requirements:

• Must be in MLA Style
• Each must be one full pages in length
  

Due: Th 11.07

Movie News 10.28.13

• Latino Paranormal Activity fans are thanked for their loyalty with a Spanish-themed spin-off (Dark Horizons)
• Celebrating 20 years of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (Daily Beast)
• From the vaults: A Star Wars blooper reel emerges (Fox News)
• Trailer Park: X-Men: Days of Future Past and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (YouTube)
• Netflix wants to premier movies on the same day as theatres (Forbes)
• Presenting ten really scary movies you may never have seen (Time)

Week 10: Don’t Go In There—Horror Films

Week 10: Don’t Go In There—Horror Films
Tu 10.29/Th 10.31
Class: Lecture—“The Haunted House on Film, Pt. I”
Screening: The Haunting (Wise, 1963 USA)

Week 09: Spectacular Spectacular—The 21st Century Musical

Week 09: Spectacular Spectacular—The 21st Century Musical
Tu 10.22/Th 10.24

• Class: Lecture—“The Musical is Reborn, Pt. II”
• Screening: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007 USA)
• Due: Journal 4

Week 08: Spectacular Spectacular—The 21st Century Musical

Week 08: Spectacular Spectacular—The 21st Century Musical
Tu 10.15/Th 10.17

• Class: Lecture—“The Musical is Reborn, Pt. I”
• Screening: Across the Universe (Taymor, 2007 USA)