As long as movies have been a popular form of entertainment, there has always been a standing genre that a majority of movies released at the time fall under. With movies like Endgame and Logan providing a sort of pseudo conclusion to long running movie series that have been keeping viewers hooked and willing to watch anything wearing a cape or having -blank-MAN in the title; I can't help but wonder what everyone thinks is coming next. Is it already here and I've missed it? Maybe there's someone who's been around the block that already sees it coming? P.S. Anyone else feel like Logan acknowledged this by being just as much a western as a superhero movie as a way to send off not just Hugh Jackman but also the mainstream state of the genre as a whole?
This is one of my favorite talking points with other film-lovers! I've always been interested in the films people choose to promote and the, for lack of a better term, eras of films that come out of it. If I could add anything to this topic, I think it would be questioning what it takes to make a shift like this in entertainment; does something have to happen in the world or in society for the masses to change the films that they want to see, or is the creation of a film-era just the luck of the draw? – Tyruss20156 years ago
Seeing how popular culture is flourishing in the waves of 80's revival culture with television hits like Stranger Things, movies like Bladerunner 2049, and a new brat pack, how long will this movement last? Is quality entertainment and/or art coming from this movement and what might be the next driving force of popular culture. Will it be another renaissance or a new set of genres?
Really interesting topic! Love both Blade Runner and Stranger Things. The soundtrack for Stranger Things is especially interesting with it's synthesized sound. Maybe the renewed interest has to do with the fact the 80s are now old enough to be nostalgic to middle age and older adults, as well as intriguing to young viewers who weren't alive during the time period. – Sean Gadus6 years ago
I think the study of "nostalgic" movements such as this can be really interesting. I think the key really is that these movements gain traction at a time when audiences are the best mix of younger consumers who view media from before they were born as a novelty, and older consumers experiencing nostalgia for the era. It might be interesting to look at how 80s elements slowly creeped into the mainstream before hitting it's stride - in particular with the introduction of 80s music in Marvel films and action films in general. – Kayleigh Hall6 years ago
In the past several years, we've seen the production of movies such as "Hidden Figures", "Hacksaw Ridge", and "Dunkirk", just to name a few. All of these movies have the fact that they were based on a true story in common. These are only a few of such movies, with easily a dozen others having come out within the past decade, or even less, within the past five or so years. What is it about these "true story style movies" that has made them so incredibly popular within the past ten years? What aspect of society does their popularity stem from? Is it just filmmakers trying to come up with viable movie ideas, or is there a deeper societal meaning that contributes to their success?
This sounds like a compelling topic! I was once told by someone that movies often reflect the ideologies and beliefs of the society at that point in time. For example, films in the late 80's and 90's were all about a dystopian future which reflected societies worries about technology. Similarly, biographical movies have certainly seen an uplift but it might benefit you to think about the common themes which are shared by all of these movies. – simonmalik6 years ago
Something possibly worth exploring in this proposal is the inherent artificial nature of adapting stories for an audience. As Picasso is credited with saying, “Art is a lie that helps us realize the truth.” With this vein, it may prove helpful for the topic to delve into how these “true story” pictures stretch their own basis in truth. Nonetheless, an interesting idea to nurture! – jgpolk6 years ago
It's because people are curious about history, and enjoy seeing "True Story Movies", even though the trueness of the story or stories in question can be stretched and/or twisted to the point of exaggeration. – WSSfan6 years ago
Adding to what has already been mentioned by commenters above, 'truth' is obviously subjective and one of the problems with 'true story' or 'based on a true story' films is discerning the agenda behind them. Whose truth are we seeing? In a time when alternative news is under attack, frequently labelled as fake news (or worse) and even words are being weaponised to drive home official narratives, it's more important than ever to be a critical thinker and make up one's own mind. We've recently had the 6th of June D-Day commemorations and I was reminded of when, in 1994, I accompanied my (then) girlfriend to France as she was covering that year's commemorations for her newspaper. Once the official services were over, we met some fascinating old men and women - French, German, British, American, in fact so many nationalities it would take a long time to list them all. I heard some truly moving stories, not just acts of bravery in the face of fire, but also heartwarming tales of empathy and compassion from those who saw past the horror and went to the aid of the 'enemy'; saving lives and, in the process, making life long friends. There I was, sitting amongst soldiers, airmen, resistance fighters etc, and realising that these real 'true' stories might never be heard, let alone made into films. – Amyus6 years ago
Unless it's really well done or in-line with the artstyle, CGI in anime is ugly, easily noticeable, and immersion-breaking. Whenever I see it, I can't focus on anything else but the mess of the 3d rig in a scene. A prime offender is Goblin Slayer – which replaced the protagonist completely at times with a poorly rigged and stiffly animated CG double. I believe one reason for this is budget constraints, but I see it as a negative trend within the Anime industry. What can we do about it?
There's heaps of examples to use too, particularly idol anime like Love Live and Lil'Pri. It's definitely improved, but still needs work. – Andi6 years ago
9/11 drastically changed the action genre, which was previously filled with the blowing up of beloved buildings and terrorist attacks. Talk about how 9/11 changed the genre, how it evolved to fit a changing world, and if you believe we'll ever return to a world reminiscent of Roland Emmerich's "Independence Day"
This is fascinating. I would love to both read and write under this topic. It be especially interesting to consider films that in some way reference 9/11, either directly or with some kind of tribute (and equally interesting to consider those that do not). – badaster6 years ago
An interesting topic. Probably the way to address it is to compare several movies that covered terrorist attacks prior to 9/11 with changes after 9/11. But probably also in looking at post-9/11 movies would be the need to see how they were received at the box office. – Joseph Cernik6 years ago
Some movies give a tribute to 9/11 by making the movie about those on one of the planes that were terrorized that day. Other movies pay a tribute to 9/11 in a less obvious way by making their movie less about the blowing up of buildings and terrorist attacks and more about the bringing of people together within a nation for the common good. But still both types of movies pay a great tribute to the memory of 9/11. – autenarocks6 years ago
Compare and contrast the dystopian worlds of the film, Minority Report, and the anime, Psycho-Pass, and the conflict of predetermining criminal acts and passing out judgment against people who have not committed crimes, yet. PreCrime implements a system where potential criminals are apprehended according to the psychic abilities of the "precogs" while the Sibyl System measures the mentalities of the populace and calculates the likelihood of individuals committing crimes according to their "Crime Coefficient" index. How do these stories depict a future where judgement is passed before the crime even happens? What is the significance of the protagonists–John Anderton of Minority Report and Akane Tsunemori of Psycho-Pass–and their journeys as they gradually realize the flawed nature of the system they believed in?
if someone should choose to tackle this topic, i think that it could also be interesting to include an analysis of predictive policing––arguably a precursor to the systems in these imagined dystopias––which has been slowly growing in global influence. – ees6 years ago
With the recent announcement of Robert Pattinson in yet another Batman movie, the question should be asked: how many Batman movies do we need? How many times can you re-tell the same story in different ways and it still be interesting to experience? Are movie studios latching onto fandom/nostalgia to the point of having a negative effect on the original character?
I definitely would highlight how new movies especially remakes in the Marvel Universe have a purpose. Do these new movies change the interpretation of character's story and personality? Or is because the movies are all the same it has a negative effect not only on how people enjoy the character but on the movie company (in this case DC Comics) itself? – reschilke6 years ago
I feel like there have been an excessive amount of Batman movies, but they are there to appeal to the younger people who have not watched the older Batmans. To those who have been around since the first few, it will seem like too much. To those who haven't been around long enough to be interested in the most recent one, it will be very exciting to watch a new Batman film.
I do feel like studios are latching onto fandom/nostalgia but I don't think it has a negative effect on the original character. It gives people different ways of thinking about the character. You can watch all the movies; take what you like and leave what you don't. – Maiacara6 years ago
I think you are hitting on a very important topic, namely that there appears to be a trend (at least in the western world) for safe, reliable narratives that do little to shift us outside of our comfort zone. As much as the cinema going public may ask why don't studios make new and different movies, the reality is that most such movies fail at the box office. Producing a new Batman movie, a Joker movie, more Marvel movies etc... guarantees studios revenue and ultimately those studios are answerable to board directors and share holders. If we, as the cinema going public continue to pay money for these movies, studios are going to continue producing them and we sadly will soon be bereft of original ideas and exciting stories. – davidwhite6 years ago
Yep! It sure does seem like Batman movies are getting done and perhaps overdone! – autenarocks6 years ago
I think it is interesting to see how new adaptations will change key points of stories, like the retelling of Sleeping Beauty in Maleficent, but I do think another batman movie is likely to exhaust the story itself. – KeahMurdoCH6 years ago
There are only so many sequels to a number of movies, and "Batman" is a very good example of that. More creative ideas need to be expressed, and different movies produced, rather than the constant re-makes, re-boots and sequels to films. – WSSfan6 years ago
These are wrong questions. "To Need" is an irrelevant and inappropriate verb to talk about movies or any artistic production. Do we "need" a new Batman movie? What does that mean? On the other hand, assuming that a new Batman movie is going to re-tell the same origin story is unjustifiable. If an idea is profitable, the film industry is going to exploit it as much as they can. – T. Palomino2 years ago
Debate motion: This house prefers a world where climate change is a conspiracy, but people still believe it.
How has this been reflected in futuristic sci-fi films or series (take Stargate for example) that portray theories about the future etc.? Did people believe in the effects of climate change more in the past than today and why?
Edit for clarification: Though this is the first topic I've introduced I thought it would be better to keep it open to interpretation. The primary aim of this topic is to encourage you to think about how current day problems facing society were reflected only as conspiracy theories in old movies. From this, determine if you think people took issues like climate change more seriously when they didn't exist or weren't as prominent.
You've marked the all the rejections as revised, but your topic has not changed since. Please add more context to the topic and tighten your thesis. leaving an open-ended question to have a topic "open to interpretation" does not help someone who is potentially looking to write this topic. – Pamela Maria6 years ago
Discuss the representations of climate change in old films and its real-life implications on society – TheAuthortoria6 years ago
The source of people's disbelief in climate change is wilder than we first think. Many of these people are flat-earthers. Many believe the government is lying to us about everything. I spoke to one who wonders why affluent property investors are still investing in homes that apparently would be destroyed in the next few years – surely they'd know the truth, she thinks. It requires a complete transformation of someone's frame of reference, not just a change of opinion. – naseemrad6 years ago
You mention Stargate - which fascinates me. Can you make the connection between Stargate and your topic more explicit. – Elpis19886 years ago
