«Michael Bay's Transformers is a genre pastiche, combining elements of action films, science fiction, high school dramas, general comedy and even moments of direct satire. Most interesting, though, are the ways in which Bay's film ties into the genre...» Summary abstract
«Movies are typically created as a means to entertain and inform a wide audience. While this is the case in most instances, it is evident that movies that deal with overt religious themes-while many times fictitious in nature-often spark considerable...» Summary abstract
«Throughout history, both theatrical and otherwise, there are figures that stand out prominently in the collective memory. There are the giants, those triumphant individuals whose work has made an indelible impression on society. And then there are...» Summary abstract
«A horror movie does not work unless it is frightening. A meek horror film is as ineffective as an unfunny comedy or an uninteresting drama. If a horror film succeeds at being scary, then, by definition, the filmmakers behind it have accomplished...» Summary abstract
«The movie 12 Angry Men systematically altered the views of the jurors by eliminating the bias, ignorance, and fallacies. Many of these men held predetermined points of view in which there minds were made up before analyzing the defendant. Through...» Summary abstract
«Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola's trilogy of organized crime masterpieces, collectively known as The Godfather trilogy, have impacted America unlike any movie since. Rather than filling the movies with hours of bloodshed and unnecessary gore...» Summary abstract
«Jacques Lacan's description of the Other is that which gazes on you or exerts power on you, yet does not truly exist; the Other is an imagined gaze that is constantly looking over you (Willemen, 216). In the film American Psycho (2000), screenwriter...» Summary abstract
«Korean cinema has made significant progress over the years. Two of the greatest Korean movies are A Stray Bullet (Obaltan) directed by Yu Hyun-mok (1960) and The Coachman directed by Kang Dae-jin (1961). A Stray Bullet is about a man named Chul-ho...» Summary abstract
«Walt Disney Productions is a multimedia conglomerate, not only producing a majority of the children's cinema on the market today, but also submersing itself in the children's toy market, owning television stations such as ABC and the Disney Channel,...» Summary abstract
«Feminist film criticism during its glory days focused on three major themes: the objectification of women on the screen, their marginalized role in the narrative, and the effect that movies as a product of popular culture have on that popular...» Summary abstract
«Joel and Ethan Coen have made eleven very different films since 1984. From a film noir set in rural Texas to a Homer's "Odyssey"-inspired convict film, their films jump from genre to genre. Each one, however, is imbued with the Coens' authorial...» Summary abstract
«Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's 2006 film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan has garnered much critical attention for its humor, both positive and negative. Cohen plays an extremely bigoted Kazakh...» Summary abstract
«The films of Akira Kurosawa, from his adaptations of Shakespeare's plays to his samurai films, have influenced filmmakers from the 1950's to the present. This influence is most obvious in the Westerns that were adapted from his samurai films. In...» Summary abstract
«After World War II, America experienced what would eventually be termed the "baby boom," in which about 75 million births occurred between the years of 1946 and 1964. The "baby boomer" generation has been constantly examined since its inception,...» Summary abstract
«The depiction of sex and sexuality in American cinema was slow in maturing, but in the last two decades there have been a growing number of popular melodramas that depict sex as a meaningful part of a relationship. This practice distinguishes modern...» Summary abstract
«Since the start of the U.S. war in Iraq in early 2003, the citizens of the world have been bombarded with news coverage the likes of which has never before been seen in the history of armed conflict. Likewise, the world of cinema has embraced the...» Summary abstract
«Alfred Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train" (1951) carries with it the signature of its auteur director. Hitchcock's other films are marked in the same way using similar themes, character types, and storylines. "Strangers" is most similar to "The 39...» Summary abstract
«Since 1959 and the release of his first film, Jean-Luc Godard has engaged audiences with a varied body of work. He has entertained, quoted, lectured, and bored, inevitably. Throughout his entire career, both the depiction of the female and her role...» Summary abstract
«Ideology is a very broad topic. Described as "a body of ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual, group, class or culture" (Giannetti 428), ideology can be discussed anywhere when dealing with any kind of social opposites. ...» Summary abstract
«The image of Asian American Women in film has undergone many changes from the 1920s to today. With stereotypes such as "dragon lady" and "china doll" and the practice of yellow-face, Asian American actresses had plenty of obstacles in the world of...» Summary abstract
«In Rudolf Arnheim's Dynamics of Architectural Form, Arnheim argues that in many ways, physical space is less important to human beings than the psychological perception of space. For the average man, experience isn't made up of isolated incidents,...» Summary abstract
«"Shakespeare in underpants," is how Peter Stein has described the work of fellow director and rival Peter Zadek, while the latter has called Stein's work boring and overly polished to the point that his actors become overcooked "vegetables"...» Summary abstract
«With the revolution of filmmaking has come the need to bring films and filmmakers together. The creation of film festivals provides a place where filmmakers can showcase their films. Thousands of film festivals have formed around the world over the...» Summary abstract
«Throughout the greater part of the twentieth century the American musical has entertained audiences of all ages and backgrounds. The musical has become a reflection of American life: sometimes tragic, somewhat unpredictable, but always persevering....» Summary abstract
«Many of the films we have watched in Contemporary International Cinema explore the nature of love on various levels. Some focus on the platonic aspect of human connection, some look at the sociological and nationalistic bonds that hold people...» Summary abstract
«In 2000, The New Yorker magazine writer Susan Orlean published her book, The Orchid Thief, a history of orchids and orchid collectors. The main themes of the work include the history of the passion for plants held by cultures past and present, the...» Summary abstract
«The journey to self-discovery is a highlighting period for many young adults. Many filmmakers utilize those coming-of-age experiences to express the reality and pains of growing older. One contemporary example of this genre is Garden State. ...» Summary abstract
«Alfred Hitchcock's fascination with French culture emanates in nearly all of his films. Conversely, many aspects outlining the fundamental guidelines of the 1950's French film movement adopted quintessential "Hitchcockian" devices. Hitchcock's...» Summary abstract
«Throughout the course of the twentieth century, the evolution of technology has notably changed society. While many scholars looking at the changes that technology has produced consider the improvements that have been in terms of medicine and...» Summary abstract
«A car may be the most inconvenient and difficult setting for a film. I made a sixteen-minute movie which took place almost entirely in a car, and I ended up at one point crying from the frustrations. The three actors and I didn't leave so much...» Summary abstract
«People create their lives based on the environment surrounding them. In Gus Van Sant's 2000 film, Finding Forrester, Jamal Wallace, a black sixteen-year-old basketball player from the Bronx, was always a C student until his test scores showed his...» Summary abstract
«Over the course of the last three decades American society has taken its fondness of youth and femininity and turned it into an outright obsession. As a direct result of this obsession, women over the age of 35 have been made to feel bad about their...» Summary abstract
«Technology has always been the main threat of tradition. The core essence of the filmmaking industry has not evolved because of changes in the audiences, ownerships or content. It has evolved because of the technological push given by the...» Summary abstract
«The mechanism of early photographic cameras was as follows: the location and objects in front of the camera were copied onto the film in the form of a frozen, two-dimensional image. Invariably, the photograph was a manifestation of the...» Summary abstract
«In the documentaries Bowling for Columbine and Brother's Keeper the filmmakers try to establish certain connections to the audience. Bowling for Columbine focuses on gun control and violence in America. Director Michael Moore uses satire and...» Summary abstract
«In 1952 the censorship of the Film Industry lead to significant ramifications. The film medium has experienced several hurdles that are better known of as censorship. Right from the beginning, American officials knew of the influential power of...» Summary abstract
«Many a novice viewer of Bollywood movies has offered the comment that "they are all the same." Such comments, of course, may be the result of an othering Gaze that, by paying attention to stylized ritual and ceremony, does not perceive subtle but...» Summary abstract
«A significant yet easily overlooked element of G.W. Pabst's film The Joyless Street is the cinematic representation of text. In the film various crucial developments in the narrative are determined by characters' reactions to information conveyed...» Summary abstract
«In "Wall Street," the one of the most valuable resources is information. It is also a scarce thing to come by because stockbrokers are reluctant to share what they know, it's difficult and sometimes illegal to acquire information about a firm, and...» Summary abstract
«In the early quarter of the 20th century men of Ireland struggled for freedom; forming leagues and brotherhoods and secret organizations of resistance, unionizing labor and creating a more cohesive political resistance, arming themselves and...» Summary abstract
«ABC's Lost, just as any other show, works to make you feel connected to its characters. From its beginning it has connected you with the characters and their experiences on the island, and has given you significant development of the characters...» Summary abstract
«The film "kids" is a raw account of an urban adolescence focusing on experimentation with sex, drugs, liquor, and violence. The account examines these issues at their absolute worst. One of the issues that the film focuses on is adolescent...» Summary abstract
«Henrik Ibsen's A Doll House is a play about a woman who comes to understand that she doesn't necessarily understand anything at all. Or, more specific to Ibsen's plot, it is a play about a woman who is forced to reveal a very precious secret and in...» Summary abstract
«In her article "Women in Film Noir" Janey Place states that women characters in noir films are divided into two archetypes: "the spider woman, the evil seductress who tempts man and brings about his destruction" and "the virgin, the mother, the...» Summary abstract
«Ever since the creation of the first motion picture, there have been numerous debates over the "effectiveness" of a vast multitude of movies. The term effectiveness is a very broad expression and can be used to cover a huge variety of areas. On a...» Summary abstract
«Many feel that a film adaptation needs to be completely faithful to it original written format. "When viewing the film version of a novel or play they know, they want to find in the film what they valued in the literary work, without asking whether...» Summary abstract
«Films are often adapted from plays, and at times they are nearly identical. At other times they have almost nothing to do with one another. In films you can do things that are not feasible and at times not possible on stage. This is not to...» Summary abstract
«In 1997, a product was released that would do what nothing (not Betamax, Laserdisc, nor various projector systems) seemed to be capable of: conquering the VCR/VHS system. This product was the DVD (Digital Video or Digital Versatile Disc). As soon...» Summary abstract
«Tony Kuschner's play Angel in America is full of contrasts, disparities, and opposite views. Many things are shown at completely opposite ends of the spectrum. There are many differing opinions and complete disagreements that not a large number of...» Summary abstract
«Charlie Chaplin's The Immigrant (1917) is a slapstick comedy that also addresses social issues. The film has a simple plot with four main characters, one of them Charlie Chaplin. He plays a penniless foreigner who wins money from playing cards on...» Summary abstract
«One acquires his own identity through his inner self and his milieu. His interpretation of his own needs and desires plays a big role in whether he decides to abide by society's norms or to completely disregard his ego by complying to the inner...» Summary abstract
«Disaster movies are often associated solely with cheap thrills; nothing more than vehicles for big explosions and even bigger budgets. The modern perception of this film genre (as well as its subgenres) seems to be nothing more than that of a...» Summary abstract
«Storytelling, since the dawn of time, has served as an invaluable means in which human beings are able to create, sustain, and relay emotion, identity, and ideology. The stories people tell allow them to simultaneously connect to, and differentiate...» Summary abstract
«In modern times, and namely in Western culture, identity has become a wholly introverted principle. People strive to define themselves solely as individuals; identity is thought of as exclusively self-contained. American culture, for example,...» Summary abstract
«In the last century alone, the United States of America has witnessed dozens of "equal rights" movements. Some of the most significant rights Americans currently enjoy have come out of great struggle and controversy. Whenever a group of citizens...» Summary abstract
«The term "independent film" is extremely malleable in the realm of American cinema. A film may be considered "independent" if it is financed and/or distributed outside of a Hollywood studio, or if it bends and/or breaks the conventions of mainstream...» Summary abstract
«Nothing can create nostalgia like a movie camera. There is something about the moving image that can trigger emotions like few other mediums can. It is easy to get lost in a film; they have the awesome ability of capturing and recreating the past....» Summary abstract
«During the first half of the twentieth-century, a movement known as "classical Hollywood cinema" thrived; this was the dawn of truly "mainstream" films. The movies created during this time operated largely within metanarratives; all-embracing laws...» Summary abstract
«Since the dawn of cinema, there have been numerous film directors who have garnered the reputation of innovator, auteur, even genius of the medium. Only three directors, however, have created such unmistakably identifiable styles as to warrant film...» Summary abstract
«Distinguishing a film as "campy" is, arguably, as difficult as determining whether or not a film is "good." The definition of "camp" is utterly malleable and, moreover, exists almost purely in the eyes of the beholder. Similarly, a film is rarely...» Summary abstract
«The United States of America is often referred as "the great melting pot"; a place where people of all ethnicities, backgrounds, and plights exist under a single title "American". The title is simple; those living in The United States are, by...» Summary abstract
«As is the case with many art forms, the exact origin of Cinema is tainted with controversy. While numerous innovators played important roles in the dawn of the medium, the Lumière brothers (Louis and Auguste) of France are most directly accredited...» Summary abstract
«The nomenclature of "disaster movie" is as difficult a classification to place upon a film as any; for its definition is extremely malleable. Many movies incorporate a disaster, or even numerous disasters, and are still not known as "disaster...» Summary abstract
«The media exists for the sole purpose of entertainment, and the easiest way to bring this entertainment to the people is through television. This being said, it can be understood why the media functions the way it does; entertainment needs to be...» Summary abstract
«The play between high and low culture has become an important subject in film studies and criticism. In particular, the subject has proved a relevant context for the exploration of exploitation films, and vice versa. In looking at exploitation...» Summary abstract
«In 1959, after the unexpected death of her husband, Doris Wishman decided to begin making films. With a background in distribution, she became aware of the genre of "nudist camp" films through an acquaintance with Walter Bibo, producer of Garden of...» Summary abstract
«Good evening my fellow citizens...This Government, as promised, has maintained the closest surveillance of the Soviet Military buildup on the island of Cuba. Within the past week, unmistakable evidence has established the fact that a series of...» Summary abstract
«Imagination is fundamental to human life. Indeed, all the 'humanities' are manifestations of the creative instinct that finds its origin in imagination. One creative imagination communicates its images to another in an attempt to bridge the...» Summary abstract
«In Robert Redford's beautiful adaptation of A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean, Norman and Paul Maclean seek to find the purpose for their lives growing up under the guidance of their Scottish- Presbyterian Minister father, in a Montana...» Summary abstract
«The meaning of the film American Psycho has been much debated since its release. Is it a glorification of violence? a satire of the yuppie lifestyle of the eighties? a disturbing trip through psychosis? Based on the controversial novel by Bret...» Summary abstract
«Unlike Great Britain, France's colonial wars tended to involve a great deal of violence on the part of the colonizers. Britain generally extricated itself from its colonies with relatively little immediate violence involving British soldiers. The...» Summary abstract
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