INGL 3345: Topics in Film

The goal of these presentations is to showcase four independent films which employ and reinvent Hollywood genres and conventions. The films are:

1. Salaam Bombay (India, Mira Nair, 1988)
2. City of God (Brazil, Fernando Meirelles & Kátia Lund, 2002)
3. Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (England, Guy Ritchie, 1998)
4. Y Tu Mamá Tambien (Mexico, Alfonso Cuarón, 2001)

Your 30-minute presentation should include the following topics:

• A brief plot summary, including one or two brief excerpts from the film.
• A discussion of the director’s career, style, and vision.
• A discussion of the genre(s) employed by this film,
• A discussion of how the film employs and/or breaks with Hollywood genre conventions.

These elements should be integrated in your presentation, which will be graded for the whole group. Every group member is expected to participate and the group grade may be adjusted for over/underachivement.

To earn bonus points, you must watch Whit Stillman’s second movie, Barcelona, and post an analysis in the bonus topics forum.

Enjoy!

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The independent film Paranormal Activity is being screened in Caribbean Cinemas at Western Plaza and elsewhere.

Watch this film and post a 250-word analysis of whatever aspect(s) you’re interested in to earn some bonus points for the course.

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In order to do this posting, you do two things:

1. Watch Wes Anderson’s Bottle Rocket and Rushmore.
2. Read the following (brief) entries at Film Reference.com:

• AUTEUR THEORY AND AUTHORSHIP
• ASCERTAINING AUTHORSHIP IN CINEMA
• AUTHORSHIP AND US CINEMA
• AUTHORSHIP AND POSTWARFRENCH CRITICISM
• AUTHORSHIP AND MISE-EN-SCÈNE
• AUTHORSHIP AND FILM CRITICISM IN BRITAIN AND THE US IN THE 1960s
• AUTEUR STRUCTURALISM AND BEYOND
• THE IMPACT OF AUTEURISM ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF FILM STUDIES
• THE TRIUMPH OF THE DIRECTOR AS AUTEUR

Your goal for this analysis is to identify Wes Anderson’s characteristics as an Auteur, as seen in his first two films. Your original posting is due before class on Thursday, November 12 and a reply to a classmate’s posting is due before class on Tuesday, November 17.

Enjoy!

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For this analysis, you must describe what you think are important elements and/or themes for Wes Anderson, the director of this film. You can focus on any aspects that grab your attention thinking along the lines of cinematic style and/or world view as expressed in the film’s themes, symbolism, etc. Watch both the short and the film for your 250-word analysis, due on Thursday, November 5. A 50-word response to a classmate’s posting is due on Tuesday, November 10.

Here’s the original short film, in two clips from YouTube:


And here’s the actual film.

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