Post 8

Yesterday in class, we watched the film Blade Runner.

Personally, I love this movie!  I think this would be a very interesting film to write about.  Some ideas for writing on this film could be moral and/or ethical issues surrounding Replicants.  Should they have been created?  Why or why not?  Should they have been given set life-spans to prevent emotional development?  Why would this be important to do?  Was it the right thing to do?  What would have happened if Replicants did not have limited lifespans resulting from their emotional development?  How would their emotional development affect society?  What are the moral and ethical implications of "retiring" the Replicants?  Was it ethical to not inform Rachael she was a Replicant?  Why is it so important to implant them with memories?  Is it ethical to implant false memories?

Other areas to discuss would be Deckard.  Is he on a search for his own identity?  Why is his identity so important to the film?  What difference does his role and true identity make for the film?

What is the role of Rachael?  How does her being a Replicant affect the film?  How does her finding out she is a Replicant affect the film?  Why does she rescue Deckard from being murdered by another Replicant?  How is this significant?

Post 7

Things to improve upon in my Draft:

1. Thesis statement:
1. Old: Standing on the line between Classic Noir and Neo-Noir challenges the film, testing its ability to stand on its own when not adhering exclusively to one subgenre or the other; fortunately for the viewers, Chinatown not only accepts the challenge, but passes its test cleverly and gracefully.
2. New: Occupying the line between classic noir and neo-noir challenges the film, testing its ability to stand on its own when not adhering exclusively to either subgenre; fortunately for the viewers, Chinatown not only accepts the challenge, but passes its test cleverly and gracefully while maintaining a complex plot that serves to make the movie an interesting and worthy watch.
2. I also need to transition between the brief plot summary and the introductory paragraph that includes the thesis statement.  I also need to make these flow into one paragraph seamlessly.
3. I need to connect my topic sentences to the thesis.
1. Old:  Chinatown, as the title would suggest, is an important element to the film.
2. New: The return to Chinatown serves to ensure the theme of nostalgia in the film, touching base with characteristics promised by neo-noir.
3. Old: The film does, however, utilize elements often found in Classic Noir as well.
4. New: While Chinatown certainly displays thematic elements found in neo-noir, it displays classic signs showing that it also belongs in the classic noir genre, which helps to enrich the complexity of the film.
5. Old: Another attribute that makes this film so wonderful is its complexity.
6. New: The complex plot enhanced by layers of mystery and clever narration excites the audience and serves to make the film a more enjoyable viewing experience.

Post 6

Outline of the Film Review Essay

• I. Intro: Brief synopsis of the film (include Director and release date).  What made it great (Complexity of plot and pulling from two subgenres in film noir.
• II. Neo-Noir film and Classic Noir films are different in a few ways.
• a. Different dates for phenomenon in film
• Classic: 1941-1958
• Neo-Noir: Post classic noir
• Themes
• Classic
• Murder
• mystery
• detective vs. villain
• External/Environmental conflict
• Impending doom
• Neo-Noir
• Internal conflict
• Search for self
• Return to roots
• II. Complexity of Plot
• Numerous mysteries/subplots
• Murder of Hollis
• Political corruption of Water company
• mrs. Mulwray
• Narration
• How it improves audience experience
• Offers particiaption that would not otherwise be achieved with heavy narration or an omnescient narrator
• IV. Conclusion
• Film is excellent due to plot complexity and pulling from two different subgenres to make an unpredictable and more interesting film.  Shows Noir in a new light.

Post 5

The movies was amazing!  So many twists!  I love how everything tied together in the end and I also loved how the ending was not a happy one (which, I learned was a debate between Polanski and another person writing the film.  Polanski wanted an unhappy ending, while someone else wanted a happy one).  I especially felt it was approrpaite to have a tragic ending due to the film ending in Chinatown.

I enjoyed this film more tahn I enjoyed Double Indemnity.   I felt this film was more captivating and complex than Double Indemnity was.  There were multiple mysteries to be solved.

For example:

• Who killed Hollis?
• Why?
• Who is Katherine?
• Where is she?
• Why is she important?
• What is really going on with the water and the Water and Power company?
• What is Mrs. Mulwray hiding?
• What does she know?
• Why does Noah cross want Katherine so badly?
• What does he mean to her?
• How are all of the above questions related?

Post 4

Lists of possible topic for writing about a Neo-Noir film:

• Which genre or category does it fall into? 
• Neo-Noir
• Classic Noir
• How do we know which type of Noir the film falls into?
• Neo-Noir
• Identity
• Search for self
• "Nostalgia"
• Internal Conflict
• Date film released
• Femme-fatale
• Exploitation of others
• Classic Noir
• Murder
• Detective vs. Villain
• Exploitation of others to get what you want
• Femme-fatale
• Money
• Date released
• Doom
• External conflict
• Acting
• Good
• Bad
• Gender Roles
• Male vs Female
• Does the film hold true to stereotypical gender roles?
• What is the role of the Femme-fatale and how does she portray the change of female gender roles?
• How god we know how the gender roles are being portrayed?
• Does the film seem to be saying something about gender roles?
• What does the film say the role of the man is?  How do we know?  Examples?
• What does the film say the role of the woman is?  how do we know?  Examples?
• Is the film saying the gender roles are good or bad?

Post 3

Word webs are often useful to help us brainstorm for writing.  By using a word web, we can get an idea of something to write about and narrow our topic from something broad to something narrow.  For example, I started out with an incredibly broad subject (film).  From creating a word web, I could narrow my topic down to something as specific as the use of plant life (such as trees, gardens, flowers) to symbolize life and growth in a particular film.  Or, I could go about developing other themes such as the battle between good and evil, or identiy and alienation.  Further, I could also explore the different aspects of cinematography in film.  For example, I could focus on a film's use of lighting and the effect that the lighting has on the film.