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.

Blog Response--Taxi Driver

Taxi Driver is a film about many things, but overall, it is about the theme of isolation and focuses on one particular loner in a big city who can be construed as an antihero. It is a film that draws from many genres: the Western, horror, noir, and was also influenced by the films of the Italians (DeSica, Rosselini, Fellini).

Discuss in at least two paragraphs, the themes of isolation and/or the antihero and how Scorsese’s film is influenced by the different genres and by the Italians.

Due: January 3

Blog Response--Amarcord

Because I've been sick ever since we finished this film, I'd like to apologize for the tardiness of this assignment.

This should be easy. Choose a scene in the film and analyze it in depth. Be sure to discuss its sociocultural influences, why you chose the scene, and how the scene relates to the film as a whole. Your response should be thoughtful and along the lines of what you will do next month. Be thorough.

Due: Wednesday, 12/21