Rebel Without a Cause

Please read Roger Ebert's Great Movies essay on Rebel Without a Cause. In 2 paragraphs, please discuss the following quote:

"Like its hero, Rebel Without a Cause desperately wants to say something and doesn't know what it is. If it did know, it would lose its fascination. More perhaps than it realized, it is a subversive document of its time."

Early in his essay, Ebert claims that "the film has not aged well." Do you agree or disagree? Give me a paragraph that tells me why.

Fight the Power!

Choose one director we've studied over the past year and a half and discuss his influence on Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing. I want you to discuss this in 2 paragraphs. In your third paragraph, I want to hear your reaction to this film, especially the ending. What do you think Lee is trying to say? Did you like it? How did the film make you feel?

Chungking Express

In 2 meaty paragraphs, compare and contrast the cinematic styles of Chungking Express and a film of your choice from the French New Wave.

Due: Wednesday, 3/21

Man on Wire

Think about the narrative style in Man on Wire. Discuss this style of narrative in terms of its genre, the documentary. Spend 2 paragraphs on this. Now think about a film that, in your opinion, has a similar narrative style. It may be from any genre you please. Spend 1 paragraph comparing the two films.

Due: Wednesday, March 14.

Grey Gardens

I hope you enjoyed meeting Edith and Little Edie Beale. They are two of my favorite people in cinema.

Describe how the Maysles present the Beale women cinematically. You may discuss both sound and visuals. Take a 5-minute scene and analyze it both in how the women are portrayed (i.e. what makes them tick). Please also take a paragraph to examine the scene through a feminist lens. Minimum: 3 meaty paragraphs. If you incorporate a quote from the interview with the Maysles, I will give you a few extra points.

This is Spinal Tap

OK, everyone:

Please write one paragraph (make it something you'd be proud of, please) and discuss how This Is Spinal Tap contributed to television shows today. Think about shows like The Office. Extra credit to anyone who adds their favorite Tap lyrics.

You get an extra day. Due: Thursday, February 16.

Blog Response--Manhattan

Think about the last three films we have watched, including Woody Allen's Manhattan, and the filmmakers' choice to use black and white film instead of color. Discuss, in cinematic terms, why you think Woody Allen chose to make his film in black and white. Think about any implied meaning he is trying to convey and how his film does so. Would it have been a different film if it had been in color? Your response should be at least 3 paragraphs and should discuss the film's mise-en-scene, camera work, and sound.

Due: Friday, February 3, 2012.

Blog Response--Breathless

Read this article. Choose a scene in Breathless and respond to the following quote. Be sure to write at least 2 paragraphs. Respond to each others' posts.

Here's the quote:

This basic sequence of events is the minimal thread of continuity that holds the filmic narrative together. However, causal development and character motivation in the traditional sense are relatively loose. While the film does not reject narrative conventions as a whole, it goes a long way towards weakening the tight-knit structure and explanatory mechanisms affiliated with dominant narrative. The film's visual construction works even more aggressively against conventional film style. It systematically departs from the aesthetic guidelines and rules defined by continuity editing, relying variously on long-take sequences (often shot with hand-held camera) and jump cutting.

Fantastic Web Site for Cinephiles

Movie Title Stills Collection

Some Like It Hot!

Read these three articles--Ebert's, "Masterpiece: Some Like it Hot,"and this one.

Then, in a thoughtful, articulate, and carefully proofread two paragraphs or more, pick a scene from the movie and offer a close textual analysis of it, citing from the articles to support your points. Requirements: 2 paragraphs (minimum), 3 citations, and extra credit if you offer a second post that comments on one of your colleagues' comments.