Film

My article on post-Weinstein and Social Media has received many compassionate comments, but also a few disparaging ones. When writing it, I knew the reception could be hit-or-miss, as I do speak out and alongside the MeToo campaign. It wasn’t just something the entertainment industry needed, but also greater society.

Certain viewpoints were “don’t turn this into ‘pity the poor men’”, and “women have had to deal with it for ages.” It was hard to advocate for the dissolution of hyper-masculinity, when it was met with “that’s meninist!” Across Australia we’ve had a new campaign of adverts, they’ve been subtle, but powerful. They have spoken out against “boys will be boys” in relation to knocking girls down in the hallway or playground. The child then turns to their parent and says, “so it’s okay for someone to hit me.” The parent is railroaded and comforts their child, “that’s not what I meant.”

When my son receives unwanted attention from a woman (or a man) in power, or is assaulted/harassed in a sexual way; am I to turn to him and say, “that’s a female issue, not a male one.”?

No. Because it was MeToo, not UsToo. It was a powerful campaign meant to be inclusive of all genders, because individuals in the industry were taking advantage of those wanting to progress their career. The truth is, assault and harassment on any spectrum should be defended and a voice given to those who are too frightened to speak up — regardless of gender.

Instead, defending a man’s experiences with sexual assault and harassment meant I inherently believed women are unintelligent. I’m a survivor of such acts, and men have told me stories of theirs after the article was published. Stories of rape in gay culture – loosely tying in with the acts of pedophilia conducted in Hollywood and the disgusting antics of Weinstein.

My views, morals, and compunction to speak for the voiceless has come from the many strong, opinionated, and vivacious women who have been in my life. It is also from them that I’ve learned to be compassionate, retrospective, and open-minded.

Gender is a social construct, but compassion is universal.

Every year, Hallmark makes a hefty profit on their Hallmark movies, particularly the Christmas ones. What makes them so popular? They are obviously predictable with recurring actors and events (interrupted kiss, small town preference, fall in love within days,etc) yet people flock to them with enthusiasm.

Analyse the impact of the Fast and the Furious film franchise on cinema-going audiences and film buffs worldwide. The continued success of each film at the box office and their potential to rake in millions worldwide as well as the non-stop sequels being released every other year.

Analyse why novel sci-fi and fantasy ideas that have been released to the cinemas recently have not had the strong effect that the same kinds of films had during the 2000-2010s. One immediate example that comes to mind would be Jupiter Ascending, which performed abysmally at the box office and was critically demolished. John Carter is another example that seemed promising, yet was not given a sequel despite being based off a series of comics.

Themes and values from the French New Wave (FNW) have become commonplace in filmmaking. Do you think the theories and underpinnings of the movement are still relevant or important? If it is or is not in your mind, why?

The second Fantastic Beast film, The Crimes of Grindelwald, will be released in November 2018. Prior to release, the film has been stirring up fan surprise and controversy. The final trailers revealed that Nagini, Voldemort's famous snake companion, would be featured as a character in the film (a female women who is slowly devolving into a snake until the effect is permanent). In the past few week, it has been rumored that a young Professor McGonagall may appear in the film. This is an event that may directly contradict Harry Potter lore established in prior Potter stories and world building. Will the fantastic beast series, once thought as a spin off/relatively unrelated prequel, totally alter our perception of the Harry Potter franchise, re contextualizing the entire chain of events in the world's most famous book series?

Recently I saw Bad Times at the El Royale, and instantly wanted to do an analysis of the film. Operating in true thriller fashion, it often left me wondering what on Earth was going on, and proceeding to deliver hammer blow after hammer blow of intense character development and tense moments. It is filmed in a unique way, as a series of smaller narratives that follow each character, sometimes backtracking or jumping forward in time, before tying the narratives together a piece at a time. Analyzing what new elements this movie brings to the genre, or what elements are familiar, may be interesting.

Recently, I also saw Jaws for the first time. (Yeah, I know). I was amazed at how well it still held up after 43 years! This film is credited with beginning huge changes in cinema and marketing, and for revolutionizing a genre. Between being one of the first movies advertised on television, to knocking The Godfather from its pedestal in 78 days, to casting the Great White as a pariah in the public eye, this film altered every aspect of the moviegoing experience. Specifically focusing on the impact Jaws made in its genre and the changes it introduced to cinematograpghy (i.e. the introduction of more subtle horror, larger budgets, and the importance of a good cinematic score) would be interesting.