We've just seen history in the making last weekend when, for the first time ever a foreign language film won the Best Picture Oscar. Has Hollywood finally learned that there are other countries outside of the US where brilliant and talented people tell fascinating stories? Does this mark a new era for Hollywood in which we'll see more international talent celebrated or a last attempt of a dying branch of the film industry to stay relevant and "woke" in an increasingly globalised and diverse world?
You could also look at 2016, which seemed to be the start of a new, diverse era in Hollywood, with more people of colour and LGBTQ stories, and see why that failed to make an impact (or, at least, as much of an impact as everyone believed it would). – OkaNaimo08195 years ago
I would still argue that many "problems" that critics have brought up about Oscar voting and the landscape of voters still rings true for many watching the event. I would suggest looking at the Oscar campaign surrounding Greta Gerwig's "Little Women". It was a film that resonated with many viewers of all different ages and received critical reception, but was snubbed in a key category like Best Director. While Parasite's win was an exciting surprise, it feels like the Oscars have not changed as much as they have been touted to change. – Sean Gadus5 years ago
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. – kerrybaps5 years ago
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 Gadus5 years ago
The depiction of violence in film has evolved dramatically over the years and it is not uncommon to see a number of films that depict war violence, gang violence, or glorified murder (think "The Purge"). How come this type of violence seems to permeate more throughout American culture in the 21st century than other, more psychological violence like that depicted in the French film "Cache" – which involves an almost ritualistic suicide? We seem to be, as a culture, more willing to accept and assimilate to the grand-sized violence where hundreds if not thousands of people die than we are to a film where only one or two deaths are seen in detail. Consider also slasher films like "Saw" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" as opposed to "The Silence of the Lambs" and how this type of violence relates and speaks to our culture's appetite for specific forms of violence.
So after searching for awhile I couldn't find the youtude vid I saw that introduced me to the topic but the synopsis is generally this. Its found that in most horror/scary movies the perspective is subtly biased towards men.
The youtuber shows a dozen or so examples of movies where when woman is being chased/killed by the antagonist of the film, its usually shown in the first person perspective, whereas men being chased/killed are usually shown in the third. Its an interesting tell and thought it tied into the topic of violence in film. Hope its useful. – ilookatyourshoes9 years ago
I feel as if the reason behind people being more comfortable with glorified mass murder over a single killing or two is because it is incredibly impersonal. Not to quote Joseph Stalin, but one of his most famous quotes is, "A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic." And not to AGREE with Stalin here, but he is very right. The writers killing off a character that you've come to know and love hits you a lot harder than an entire city of people being completely obliterated. It's sad, but unfortunately true. – botheringcat9 years ago
I feel like a lot of what counts as "violence" in any given story has to do with the context. A particular act might seem horribly cruel in one kind of series, while just being business as usual in another. For instance, a single murder will stand out a lot more in a story about, say high-school kids, than it will in a story about hardcore gangsters. – Debs5 years ago
I think people called it "violence", then it must have conflicts between the things of people's daily life and the content in the movies, esp in terms of human intereaction. – RoyHung5 years ago
I would also advise whoever writes this topic to look into some Quentin Tarantino interviews on violence. He was spoken a lot about his justification and purpose of violence in his films and responded to the criticism. It might be quite helpful to get the non-horror genre perspective! – hilalbahcetepe5 years ago
Analyse existentialism and Thanos as a free and responsible agent of change through his own genocidal acts in the name of environmentalism, make a comparison to the environmental concerns we face today and if Thanos was right in his efforts to decrease or eliminate the population.
Interesting idea! I think it's also worth considering the idea that since the Infinity Gauntlet was so powerful, Thanos did have other options (e.g. doubling resources or reforming our existing structures/policies to be more sustainable). How does the possibility of these other options (which may have their own flaws, to be fair) further complicate the morality involved in his snap? – Demetra5 years ago
Obviously, COVID-19 has seemed to stop everyone in their tracks, even postponing blockbusters including No Time to Die (James Bond) and Black Widow. What does this mean for the theatres? Will the pushing back of highly desired films start the habit of staying at home and opting for an online streaming service (ex. Netflix/Hulu)? Will movie theatres be an item of the past? How have movie theatre sales been affected by past trauma?
This is a great question. I'm curious how this will affect the culture of cinema as a whole if the experience of going to the movies is taken away completely. – sophiawestover5 years ago
The 2008 neo-noir movie puts to light a conflict over different types of ethics; deontological and consequentialist wherein Patrick has to choose between doing the right thing by convention (returning the child to the mother) as opposed to ensuring the child's welfare by allowing the benevolent kidnapper to keep the child. An examination of this moral dilemma in terms of ethics and philosophy would make for interesting reading.
Do notions of right, truth and mercy matter? If so, How do they matter in relation to "Just Mercy (2019) ? How do legal terms such as beyond a reasonable doubt and burden of proof work in a society where disguising the truth is evident and inevitable?
I like the concept of your article, but I would think that you ought to clarify what you mean by these terms as well as what "modern world people" mean in particular. As a philosophy buff , I'm interested in how this goes. – RedFlame20005 years ago
Talk about an incredibly broad title. Maybe the focus needs to be on whether there was some consensus in an earlier period on truth and justice and what they meant now versus now. But, even then, that earlier period needs to address who was included and not included. – Joseph Cernik4 years ago
Dustin Hoffman said it best: Movies are at their worst – and there is a reason for that. In this topic, we shall explore what those reasons are and why it continues to happen in the year 2020 in Hollywood, Bollywood and Tollywood.
Are there any specific 2020 releases you want to draw attention to in this topic? – Emily Deibler5 years ago
I don't think I agree with Hoffman's claim. I would need to see some clear definitions (what does "worst" even mean here? worst in what ways?) and solid evidence or examples. It's easy to make a super general claim. Explaining and backing up that claim is where the work starts. – JamesBKelley5 years ago
Whilst I applaud your desire to broaden readers' perspectives by considering film making outside of Hollywood, it would help your topic suggestion by providing some references and context for Hoffman's statement. Where and when did he make that statement and was there a particular film or films that caused him to comment such? How does the output of Hollywood compare to that of Bollywood, Tollywood and, for that matter, the recent interest in Korean cinema, following the success of 'Parasite?' Where, in your opinion, is Hollywood going wrong and where are non-American mainstream film makers getting it right? – Amyus5 years ago
Agreed with Amyus. I would actually argue the exact opposite. Movies used to be dominated by one demographic and now are actually so diverse. Perhaps what Hoffman means is that movies are at their worst for him. – Munjeera5 years ago
I'd suggest explaining a bit about the structure of basic screenwriting and based on what specifics you or anyone would consider a script to be "good" or "quality". I think Syd Field has several good books that might help – hazalse5 years ago
"Movies are at their worst" that is already quite subjective to Hoffman. What defines a movie being good or bad, and if you are to compare the trends in Hollywood, Bollywood, and Tollywood (three diverse film industries) there is a lot to consider. As such, making the topic a little more focused would help. – ajaymanuel5 years ago
