In films such as vigilante films vengeance never solves the heroes problems. One could delve into Paul Kersey's constant isolation in the Death Wish films, Nick Hume destroying his life and his family's life in Death Sentence and of course the Vengeance trilogy by Chan Wook Park.
So would this be split into different themes i.e. revenge/loneliness/morality? – Ryan Errington10 years ago
I think film noir is also a good place to start. I'm thinking Double Indemnity for instance. I also recommend looking at Nolan's films, especially Memento. The fact that Leonard does not remember his act of vengeance makes it pointless, for him and for his dead wife. Check out Todd McGowan's book 'The Fictional Christopher Nolan', there's a really great analysis of vengeance in Memento. It's online :) – Rachel Elfassy Bitoun10 years ago
You could discuss the geri-action genre (action flicks led by Liam Neeson, Sean Penn etc.) in relation to the core theme of the topic. – Thomas Munday10 years ago
A discussion on the popularity of metatheatre in film or television and whether it is used to create commentary on a particular subject or used to enhance the entertainment experience of the genre being depicted. For example, the tv cult comedy Community uses metatheatre frequently through Abed's character and is mainly employed for parody and humor.
Supernatural (also tv) has many elements which are specifically meta. Far from being a comedic aside, 4th-wall-breaking is a major component of the overall plot of the show. – Monique10 years ago
Would The Avengers series be eligible? The humour revolves around the ridiculousness of each pressing situation. – Thomas Munday10 years ago
Does anyone actually relate to her as a character? IMO, she's literally too perfect, a typical Mary Sue conjured by an inexperienced writer, unlike Katniss.
This is a really interesting topic and question to bring up. I have read the Divergent series and do agree that Tris is a very different kind of person but someone else could definitely relate to her. – Brooke McQueen10 years ago
This could also take a look at the different characterizations of characters and which ones have worked the best in film to explain Tris Prior's success or downfall as a relatable character. – RachelLMcIntyre10 years ago
You could relate her struggle to those of Katniss and Bella Swan. How does she handle herself in comparison? Is she more or less interesting? – Thomas Munday10 years ago
Yeah I agree with you, it'll be interesting to see how they compare. Maybe Clary Fray from The Mortal Instruments can also be added though I'm really not familiar with that series. If nobody wants to take this topic in the next week or so, I'm happy to write about it :) though it'll only be about Tris, Katniss and Bella (movie versions, sorry book fans!). – Arlinka Larissa10 years ago
I think it would be interesting to look into some of the effects the Marvel films have had on American society, and in turn how it has affected American theaters and box offices. Is anyone Gung-Ho about this?
Interesting. It is essential to look at how the comics have impacted American society from Marvel's early creation :) – Rachel Elfassy Bitoun10 years ago
It would be interesting to look at the vey beginning of marvel's films, and to see what heroes aged better with time, and which ones didn't. For example: why doesn't the 70's Captain America work as a film, but the new (Chris Evens) Captain America does? – Aaron Hatch10 years ago
What's teresting to note is the change in popular media. So when superhero comics were first being printed, every kid read them. But over time, media evolved. So TV/movies are far more likely to be viewed en masse the way comics used to be. The problem then becomes that movies and tv shows are incredibly expensive to produce compared to comics, so the sheer volume of material being produced has shrunk, even as viewership has waxed and waned. – Natalie Sheppard10 years ago
Introduce some French films that give the feeling of being in France without having to watch the over-watched Amelie. Many Americans or non-French may not realize that Audrey Tatou isn't the only captivating French actress and that there are several other lovely films that have this same romantic, Parisian feel.
This is a very generalised topic, you would have to narrow it down. If you are focusing on French actresses, how about Juliette Binoche? She is well known to both French and International audiences. It would give the article structure in reference to Audrey Tatou. – Ryan Errington10 years ago
What do you think about dividing into two different articles? The first, four French films that are just as good as, but less known as, Amelie. The second, five French actresses who star in French and international films. – Felicia10 years ago
I thought Marion Cotillard is more overrated than Audrey Tatou! I agree with Ryan's comment above. Maybe focus on the works of selected actresses and go from there. Talking about good French films in general will probably take up a whole encyclopedia. – Arlinka Larissa10 years ago
The others are right, this topic would be too large to handle. Also, any film made in France will give you the feeling of being in France! :D
If you want to focus on French 'atmosphere' and the specificity of the country's lifestyle rather than specific actresses, how about older films as well, or the French New Wave? If you are looking for typical (and stereotypical) French settings then you can find plenty in that category. For the less typical ones, look at Bunuel, Jaques Demy, Bertrand Blier...
Also, what about French films that show the 'not so polished' side of France?
The issue of Paris vs. the suburbs for example. In terms of famous comedy you have The Intouchables and a more serious film like La Haine. But these are only the internationally famous ones, have a deeper look – Rachel Elfassy Bitoun10 years ago
Let's add "for people who don't know anything about French cinema" in the title. – T. Palomino2 years ago
It's nothing new that Hollywood has constantly been rehashing sequels and remakes for a long time. Then, when Paramount made their own cinematic universe with The Avengers, Hollywood thought they could do this with other properties. They tried to make a movie universe with The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but that crashed and burn quickly, mostly because audiences didn't really care about the universe they were making. Universal Studios tied to do something similar with Dracula Untold, by setting an up a monster cinematic universe, but it to was disliked by many critics and audiences. So, why does the Marvel Cinematic Universe work, while other don't? Could It be because audiences are to overwhelmed by all the movies, or was it because they we just bad movies?
You could ask if Hollywood Studios should do more to communicate with fans via social media to anticipate what franchises will be a success. – Ryan Errington10 years ago
You could also bring up how man studios rush into the shared universe concept head first and how this creates a cramped, sloppy story since there is no real game plan such as what DC is trying to do with it's upcoming Batman/Superman film. – Hailtothechimp10 years ago
Whoever considers to explore this topic, have in mind that the title is very argumentative. And the assertions are also very argumentative and opinionated. – T. Palomino2 years ago
What goes into a film once it's in post? Many times we will get to see the actor's cut and the video looks like a home video. How do they bring the magic into making the finished product?
Would this article look at post-production process through different types of editing technology or could it look through the history of film making in terms of post-production, how advances in technology have made certain editing techniques possible. – Ryan Errington10 years ago
It would be interesting to talk about how much say the studio has over the final product. Sometimes it's for the best, but sometimes, studio interference can hurt a directors artistic visions; ex: David Lynch's Dune. – HatchAttack10 years ago
The Hunger Games, Divergent/Insurgent, After Earth, Elysium, The Maze Runner. All of these films were released within the past 5 years and they are all dystopian themes with a child as the main hero protagonist. The child helps galvanize and lead their people to salvation while usually overthrowing a corrupt government. In every scenario, the child succeeds.
What does this theme say about our current society? Is it linked to the weak North American economy or the global environmental crisis?
I think there is a lot of psychology in this discussion. One could discuss how children/teenagers are needed to make changes because they have grown up knowing nothing but this society and are not yet defeated like previous generations. They have youth and hope on their side. It might be interesting to tie into any historical accounts of youth rising up against tyranny. – Liz Watkins10 years ago
I find it interesting that 3 out of the 5 films you have cited came from books. It would be worth looking at how literature deals with this theme and how it conceives childhood/ teenage years within a dystopian world. How is this youth different from non-dystopian works? – Rachel Elfassy Bitoun10 years ago
What about the fact that these dystopian novels and films all fall into the Youth genre instead of the Novel genre? What does that say about the world? – orenhammerquist10 years ago
I think we'll need to look at this topic from a less optimistic but more likely direction. Specifically, remember that the teenage market is a huge source of income in entertainment, both for music, books, film, video games, and others. A parent is hugely more likely to purchase for the child as opposed to a single adult or a childless couple. As such, teenagers tend to like media which focuses on teenagers. Thus, whenever these stories become popular, it looks like they're the stories that go on to make popular films, but it's really the inverse: The films were popular because the stories were popular. Doesn't really seem to have much to do with culture to me, just economy. – Christopher Vance10 years ago
You can analyze the characters from these films and draw parallels between them. Overlapping traits, familial circumstances, social status - how are they significant to these characters? – Arlinka Larissa10 years ago
