Amelia Arrows

Amelia Arrows

A writer of Non fiction and Fiction (Fantasy, Dystopian, Historical, Sci-Fi, and Contemporary Fiction) Loves dissecting Movies, TV Shows and books.

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    Latest Articles

    Latest Topics

    9
    Published

    Disabilities & Storytelling

    Discover how various films handle disabilities and understand why most main characters do not have a disability while side characters do. Examine the exceptions, good and bad.
    Examples: Forest Gump, How to Train your Dragon etc.

    • Interesting topic! The French movie “The Intouchables” / “Untouchable” may be another example, as it tackles the relationship between two very different men, one of the differences between them being the fact that one is quadriplegic, while is other is able-bodied. – Gavroche 5 years ago
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    • Might want to look at General Amaya from The Dragon Prince. She is Deaf and communicates through sign language within the cartoon. Awesome side character. – Sean Gadus 5 years ago
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    • Some more suggestions: The Secret Garden (there are many versions, and you could talk about the unfortunate implication that Colin's disability is "fake," as well as how disability plays into his emotional stunting/healing) Rain Man (so problematic I can't stand it, but worth analysis) Heidi (unfortunate implication that disability can or should be cured/analysis and implications of Klara's self-determination or lack thereof) Plus the almost complete lack of non-white, female, non-straight, or otherwise minority characters with disabilities in film – Stephanie M. 4 years ago
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    Sonic the Hedgehog/Bird of Prey: The Entitlement of Film Audiences

    This February a slew of both bad and good movies came out. However, two of them have been talked the most and those films being Sonic the Hedgehog and Bird of Prey.

    What should have been a feminist success turned out to a downright misogynistic disaster at the box office. While the other that gain a truckload of backlash for the C.G.I abomination that supposed to represent the beloved Sega video game character Sonic, turned out to be a box office success, beating Detective Pikachu as the newest adorable, expressive C.G.I character to date.

    These two films are where they are now because one decided to listen to the fans, while the other kicked them to the curb, thinking their message was far more important than actually adapting the source material.

    At the end of the day, one wonders should fans have a say in terms of the creative process in films when it comes to adapting a popular product or should fans leave it to the paid artists to take liberties with it?

    • I like this idea a lot! I didn't realize Sonic had been so successful at the box office. I saw Birds of Prey and I actually really liked it. I'll admit I'm not a huge comic book fan myself so I don't know everything about what they got right or wrong in that particular film, but I personally really enjoy Margot Robbie as Harley which is why I went to see it. I feel like the marketing of both films, especially Birds of Prey, could have been a lot stronger. This story is along the same lines as the female Ghostbusters-reboot. I can't help but lean towards a feminist argument here. It seems like perhaps Sonic performed better in theaters because it was not a female-focused film. Comic book fans seem to have trouble with female narratives, which is alarming. I'd love to see this story tackled with that in mind. I'd also be interested to hear about what things fans would have changed in Birds of Prey. Is there anything that could have been done there to make people come out to see the film? Or is a story driven by a female cast doomed to always fail in a presumably male fan's opinion? – StephanieKocer 4 years ago
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    • @StephanieKocer, Thanks for the note! I don't mean to promote myself But to answer your question about female films and failure check out an article I wrote months back called the paradox of the strong female character – Amelia Arrows 4 years ago
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    All Female Cast: While Oceans 8 works and Bird of Prey does not

    The best way for a film company to make money while at the same time show that they are aware of female social issues is to create an all female cast spin off of an existing franchise.

    Examples like Ghostbusters 2016, Bird of Prey, and Oceans 8 come to mind.
    However, there has been a bit of backlash towards feminist films in recent years. Films like Bird of Prey and Ghostbusters are disliked by the public for being a feminist version of beloved men centric films. As a result, the film makers and actresses blaming the audience for being mysoginistic.

    While that may be true in some degree, it is the writing and creative process behind making the film that determines its success.

    In comparing Oceans 8 with Bird of Prey.

    We are able to determine how to correctly produce an all female cast film.
    While Bird of Prey had the female cast part down, they failed because the film makers did not adapt the comic correctly. They decided to make Harley Quin the main protagonist, in a film that is based on a comic where Harley does not appear in. In addition to that, they wrote the film in a way that made Harley quin a giant goof ball, where luck was constantly on her side.

    Meanwhile, Oceans 8 does a better job, by justifying the need for all woman's cast. It mirrors the other Ocean movies visualy and incorporates original characters from Oceans 11, while keeping it unique with its own new set of characters and film score.

    • When talking about Birds of Prey, that aspect of the comic world has always been entirely female whereas the other examples have not, so to compare them as needing 'justification' doesn't quite work. However, I think this topic would be better suited to a discussion of how all-female casts are being approached by the film industry and by the public. Was the success or failure of these movies down to their casts or because of other situations? i.e. for ghostbusters, people not quite ready for their childhood to be changed at all, let alone with an all-female cast. – kerrybaps 4 years ago
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    • I think that some people might argue that critically, Birds of Prey was fairly successful, but the audience/box office numbers don't seem to match the films critical reception. I found Birds of Prey to be as enjoyable if not more enjoyable than many other films in its genre. – Sean Gadus 4 years ago
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    The Rise of Comic Culture

    In its early days, comics were mainly for kids as a way for them to be intrested in the newspaper. Later it evolved as a nerdy activity, that evolved into a cultural phenomenon. Famous comic writers like the late Stan Lee became millionaires as big film companies adapted their comics as films. Now DC and Marvel have their own movie cinematic universe, and are making millions.
    Examine how did this niche grew into what it is today.

    • Interesting topic! The French movie “The Intouchables” / “Untouchable” may be another example, as it tackles the relationship between two very different men, one of the differences between them being the fact that one is quadriplegic, while is other is able-bodied. – Gavroche 5 years ago
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    • I love this topic. There are also several series on Netflix based on other less-known comics. I think it'd be interesting to talk about the evolution of the comic medium and how it might impact the popularity of on-paper comics since they have been adapted. Do the comics now attract more readers? – hazalse 5 years ago
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    • There are so many sources available to you regarding this topic— and so many viewpoints to take about where the rise started and where it is globally! – espadaccini 5 years ago
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    Disney & the Magic of Hand Drawn Animation

    From the creation of Pluto, Mickey, and the Disney classic princesses, hand drawn animation was all the rage back then. However once Pixar came around, a new form of animation came about and took over by storm: C.G.I.
    Even though C.G.I have created breakthroughs, hand drawn animation is special. It brings a certain life to the page. Explore how hand Drawn Animation differs from C.G.I and argue why it is better than C.G.i

    • It would be really interesting to all compare the different eras and style of hand drawn animation done by Disney throughout the decades! – Sean Gadus 5 years ago
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    • Please, please, PLEASE!!!! CGI is so overrated, and while 3D can be good, it doesn't hold up to the original 2D. And I definitely agree with maybe comparing their eras. Yes, they're all hand-animated, but Snow White's animation is different from Bambi's and Beauty and the Beast. – OkaNaimo0819 5 years ago
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    Plot Driven Stories or Character Driven stories-Which one is better?

    Films tend to fall into one or two categories: they are either smart or they are dumb blockbusters. But If one were too realy look at the core difference between the two, it comes down to how the story is written. Either the plot forces the character through a lot of hell, or the character go through hell because they decide to. My question is which one is better?

    • To me this sounds like a question that depends on your psychology. If your focus is on people, character-driven plots seem more attractive; if objects/things, then plot driven. One thing that seems clear to me is that you need elements of both in order to get the best final product. – J.D. Jankowski 5 years ago
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    • Great topic! However, I don't think that this topic should focus on the fact that plot driven or character driven is ultimately "better" than the other. Some readers/viewers are content with plot driven stories (like fans of YA novels) and others are content with character driven stories (like fans of the literary genre). This also doesn't mean that someone who would enjoy character driven stories won't enjoy a plot driven story and vice versa. To make such a statement, I think, is actually quite bias. What I suggest in approaching this topic is weighing the pros and cons of both, their similarities and differences, and how they affect the story being told. Maybe even consider how if a character focused novel was rewritten as a plot focused novel, how this would affect its narrative structure, pacing and audience reception. – SpookyDuet 5 years ago
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    • This sounds like it would be very much an opinionated idea, and would not really provide insight into the analysis of how a story is written as proving which is better. I think rather than stating which is "better", a better idea would be to compare and contrast them, so as not to make such an opinionated statement, therefore leaving the reader open to considering both ideas, without having an opinion thrown at them. – Alyshabuck 5 years ago
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    • I'm a big fan of character-driven stories because I like to get inside their heads, so I'll be interested to see where this article goes. – Stephanie M. 5 years ago
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    • Given the schism between plot- and character-driven stories/authors, I think such an article could prove useful. Especially one that not only analyzes both sides, but also makes an argument for why both plot and character need to be treated equally with regards to forging a tight and deep narrative that's thematically cohesive. To put it in simple terms, story could = plot + character = theme. – Michel Sabbagh 4 years ago
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    • Examples? – T. Palomino 2 years ago
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    Does the Superbowl's Half Time show demonstrate feminism or goes against It?

    I am no sport fan, but I do like watching a good half time show. Yet Sunday's game had the female dancers and singers do a lot of sexual suggestive dancing. While I under stand that is the type of dance people do today, I could not help but wonder does this go against feminism? (The fact that the girls are half naked, and are to dance in a way that flaunts their bodies to charge the male audience) Or is it empowering? (Allowing the women to dresss whatever they want to wear and do whatever they want to do.) What do you think?

    • I think what was empowering was that two women were working together as Latinas. Media portrayals tend to be stereotypical of Latin women which are very offensive. Also female singers are often portrayed as divas who can't play nice with each other. I found it refreshing and loved it! – Munjeera 5 years ago
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    • The Super Bowl is tricky because any attempts it makes to empower women also have to take into account the fact that its primary audience is chiefly male, and plan accordingly. At the end of the day, scantily-clad women sell, and at least these women are star performers whose talents people can appreciate and admire. – Debs 5 years ago
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    • The Superbowl doesn't care about feminism - it is merely a tool, a front, used to appeal to the audience. Popular culture has distorted the meaning of feminism to a point where blatantly sexual content is labelled as "empowering" while it is still used to generate wealth for powerful men. In short, the labels on these concepts have been swapped around, but in the end, the goal remains the same: money. – RafayMughal 5 years ago
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    • Out of the scope of The Artifice. – T. Palomino 2 years ago
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    Latest Comments

    Amelia Arrows

    Thanks Marcus,
    It was fun diving into the origins.
    I hope in the future I can do it again with other Disney films.

    Disney's Mulan is NOT a Musical & Why that Makes it a Superior Remake
    Amelia Arrows

    Aww thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

    Disney's Mulan is NOT a Musical & Why that Makes it a Superior Remake
    Amelia Arrows

    Really?
    I wouldn’t of known.

    Disney's Mulan is NOT a Musical & Why that Makes it a Superior Remake
    Amelia Arrows

    I know! I rather have new films to watch, especially the fact that coming up with a solid sequel isn’t Disney strength, and most of their remakes are not the best.

    This is why I have learned to like Pixar. Even though they are under the ever expanding umbrella, at least they produce new content for the most part.

    Marvel is even better.

    Disney's Mulan is NOT a Musical & Why that Makes it a Superior Remake
    Amelia Arrows

    Intresting , I haven’t given that much hought. Perhaps tan other character will provide conscience foot Mulan.
    I personally tgink this would be a great topic to write about!

    Disney's Mulan is NOT a Musical & Why that Makes it a Superior Remake
    Amelia Arrows

    Definitely remove it

    Disney's Mulan is NOT a Musical & Why that Makes it a Superior Remake
    Amelia Arrows

    Perhaps, as you said it is a complex issue.
    I just find films who take other issues like race or environmental issues are not being backlashed as feminist films.

    The Paradox of the Strong Female Character
    Amelia Arrows

    As a writer myself, I relate to this peice.
    I should be writing about my own culture, my own experiences, and I do, yet it’s always fun when you try to write about somebody else. However it’s difficult and you can hurt another person feelings if you do not do their culture or race justice.
    Yet if we were to stick to what we know, we would not have the desire to a step out of our comfort zone and learn.

    Pursuing Equity When Writing Diverse Characters