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Bollywood In India

Mumbai, the City of Dreams, houses the prime centre of Hindi Film Industry, better known as Bollywood. Acclaimed as one of the biggest film industries of the world, Bollywood produces over 1000 films every year. Since 1913, Indian Cinema has made a long journey from simple silent movies to sound films, then colored films to technically advanced movies of the present day. Bollywood imbibed its name from the merger of the term Bombay (now Mumbai) and Hollywood, the American Film Industry.

Another point worth-mentioning is that Bollywood is just the part of Indian Film Industry, which also encompasses other language film industries. The movies churned out here are the major source of entertainment, with an audience of 3.6 billion people, which is more than half of the world's population. Bypassing the reality, Hindi films are usually 'masala' (spicy) movies that comprise all the ingredients like music, dance, violence and melodrama of a good entertainer. The languages of Hindi, Urdu and English are extremely common in Bollywood.

  • This topic is very broad. Is there a particular aspect of Bollywood cinema that you are interested in? One could focus on the "history" of the genre or "What makes a Bollywood film". I personally hope to write a piece on the use of flashbacks in Bollywood film some day. I did a fair amount of Bollywood cinema research in undergrad and would consider rummaging through it for a more focused topic. – derBruderspielt 7 years ago
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Gender Roles and Sexuality in New Blockbuster Films

Analyze how the portrayal of gender roles and sexuality has changed during the last years and how it has changed in recent blockbuster films. For example the inclusion of a homosexual character in Disney's Beuty and a Beast (2017) and in the upcoming Power Rangers (2017) film.

  • I do love the topic, and though I feel like a lot of people have tried to tackle this, the fact that you are limiting this to blockbusters might take this discussion into a slightly different direction than usual (aka whoever writes this won't necessarily focus on the tragic gay story that dominated indie movies, or the recent "burn your gays" movement in TV shows. Though, even those might have their place, so I'd leave that to the writer's discretion). That being said, I'm thinking whoever writes this might like to focus the topic some more considering that even in the blockbuster realm, different genres of movies have different histories that point to various forms of progress/regress. Beauty and the Beast, for instance, might speak to the way representation of LGBT peeps is (very) tentatively making its way into children's movies, while the Power Rangers might open the discussion about how homosexuality might/might not challenge the hyper masculinity of male heros and the hypersexuality of female ones for instance (I have yet to see either, so these are mostly guesses, but it still feels like both movies could potentially lead to different discussions). In any case, I still think its a super relevant topic today and welcome more discussions on the matter. For Disney, their "easter egg" gay man in Frozen could be used for contrast when establishing a timeline, and in superheros, the erasure of Mystic's bisexuality and Deadpool's one being still pending could be interesting to look at. – Rina Arsen 8 years ago
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Exploring the concept of time in Tarkovsky's films.

Analyse the passing of time and how it is depicted in Tarkovsky's films. How is the concept of time relevant to the overall poetry of the work?

  • Great topic! This probably goes without saying, but whoever tries to tackle this should definitely read Sculpting in Time. He shares a lot of great insights in there, and it really changes the way you experience the films. – ProtoCanon 8 years ago
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In the run up to mothers day (UK) who are some of the best movie mothers.

In the run up to mothers day what better way to prepare than by reconnecting with some of our favourite movie mothers who have had an influence on use as much as our real relatives. From Maria in the sound of music to 'the cool mum' Mrs. George in mean girls who are some of your favourite movie mums?

  • Could this be expanded to TV moms as well? I can think of several, from Clair Huxtable and Hariette Winslow (Cosby Show, Family Matters) to Lorelai Gilmore (Gilmore Girls) and Annie Camden (7th Heaven). Some favorite movie moms of mine are Eudora (Tiana's mom from The Princess and the Frog), Vianne (Chocolat), Helen Harris (Raising Helen), and the moms from The Joy Luck Club. – Stephanie M. 8 years ago
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  • The mom from The Wonder Years is also a good pick for TV. In movies I would pick the mom from Queen of Katwe, mom of chess champ who struggles with giving the best to her genius daughter. – Munjeera 8 years ago
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The Next Step in the Horror Film Industry

What do filmmakers of the horror genre need to do to improve its reception and future in cinemas? I'm not a fan of horror films; my imagination and perception when watching films doesn't allow me to enjoy them enough. But when I hear about a new horror movie release, there isn't much praise that follows. It Follows is the most recent movie I've heard of that gained great appreciation as a horror film for how it differed itself from other horror movies. Instead of making sequels or prequels to existing horror movie films, would it be better if each new film was of a new subject and story entirely? Would horror films have a better chance if they weren't sequels and covered a new idea or concepts others before them have yet to?

  • Well, it's easier said than done to say every new movie should cover a new subject or story. There will always be overlap or elements which have been done before. What makes a genre is the repetition of specific characteristics. I'd say there are so many sequels etc. because companies just want to milk the fandom until it's dry, not because they expect it to do as well as the original. You say that mentality is hurting the industry and I'd agree to that. At what point does it become too much? – Slaidey 8 years ago
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  • I'm a major horror film fan and think about this question all the time. Particularly because most popular horror subgenres can often be applied to specific decades (we went from slashers, to torture-porn, to the supernatural). Would be interesting to consider what the next big theme of horror will be. – Sonia Charlotta Reini 8 years ago
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  • I am a fan of horror films, but i must agree i think each new film should have a different story line. I like to expect the unexpected, i need an unfamiliar plot. – bdh202 8 years ago
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The Implications of Carrie Fisher's Death in the Star Wars Franchise

After the passing of its iconic and lovable star Carrie Fisher, the makers of Star Wars have reached a standstill about how to respectfully write out her character of Princess Leia. Consider the ethical, technological, and creative methods by which Fisher's memory can be served in a series built on a foundation of visual breakthroughs in film.

  • This will be huge for Episode 9, as Carrie Fisher supposedly finished her scenes for Episode 8. This article will be relevant for a few years! – SeanGadus 8 years ago
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  • You might also look to The Fast and Furious franchise and how they responded to Paul Walker's death. They ended up using his brother as a CGI stand-in to finish some sections of the film he never was able to finish. – Nate Océan 8 years ago
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  • Mustn't forget Heath Ledger who finished filming his performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008) . He died while the The Dark Knight was being editing and during filming of his last role in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009). Although his untimely death garnered criticism over the unfettered promotion of the Batman film, Ledger received many posthumous accolades for his critically acclaimed film performances. Wouldn't be fair to fans either, only days away from completing The Crow (1994), Brandon Lee died on the set after being shot by a faulty prop gun that fired the tip of a dummy round left accidentally lodged in the chamber. The film was completed by script re-writing, CGI, and stunt doubles. It was released one year after Lee's death to critical and commercial success, unlike Ledger's fallout. The Crow (1994), based on the 1989 comic book series, is now considered a cult classic. Brandon's death only added to the mystique surrounding his father's equally jarring demise, martial artist Bruce Lee. – L:Freire 6 years ago
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Amadeus and the Mark of Cain

Juxtapose the Biblical story of Cain and Abel with Milos Forman's film Amadeus. Posit that the relationship between Salieri and Mozart mirrors the relationship between Cain and Abel.

Salieri perceives that God has betrayed his faith by granting more talent to Mozart, similar to the ways in which Cain feels that God has given Abel the upper hand. While Mozart's cause of death was not murder, Salieri repeatedly expresses a desire to kill him. Salieri also spends so much time manipulating Mozart, while Mozart spends most of his time composing; similar to the work ethic of Cain and Abel.

At the end of the film, Salieri attempts to play God by "absolving" himself and his fellow psych ward inmates, much like Cain tries to play God by taking away a life.

  • Sorry I didn't mean to mark that as fixed, I just wanted to thank you for the note. I thought I was so witty and original for thinking of this! In all honesty, I'd much rather explore a different topic based on this recent discovery. But I'm glad you told me about this research. I'm reading the article now! – DrownSoda 8 years ago
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  • Unfortunately, I haven't seen Amadeus, but this makes me want to check it out. :) – Stephanie M. 8 years ago
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  • Genius! You have a talent for seeing connections. – Munjeera 8 years ago
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Portrayals of Omnipotence and Ascension in Japanese Animation

Princess Mononoke (Miyazaki), Paprika (Kon) and Akira (Otomo) were landmark films in the development of Japanese animation in the late 1900s and early 2000s. Otomo's magnum opus has had an unprecedented impact on science fiction. Miyazaki's groundbreaking work established his reputation as Japan's most skilled animator. Kon's film, on the other hand, is a showcase of his inimitable style paired with his excellent editing, detailed in a video by Every Frame a Painting.

(Spoiler Alert)
All three sport a familiar plot device that kicks in in the third act: the presence of an omnipotent being, though not quite fitting entirely in the definition. The three films end with the presence and emergence of a godlike figure-in PM, the Forest Spirit, in Paprika, the chairman and eventually Chiba/Paprika herself, and in Akira, the eponymous character. Personally, i found these three films (both because of their similarity in portrayals of omnipotence yet varying style, as well as the proximity of their releases) as good examples of a possible investigation into Japan's preoccupation with omnipotent and powerful beings (most involve a kind of ascension, a veil that is passed through, a barrier crossed). Perhaps one could go further into analyzing Japan's postwar cultural booms and how they eventually culminated in such films.

  • Hey thanks for the revision! Actually i did consider putting in under the anime category, but i wasn't entirely sure if it was strictly anime. The anime section and i suppose, by extension, the definition of anime itself is pretty widely contested, but i came to understand anime as more than just Japanese animation but the smaller subset of serialized animation within the larger sphere. I assumed "anime" to be long-form, that is, a series of episodes (ranging from 10-40) a season as opposed to Film, which i thought fit my bill of examples better. Hopefully someone more educated than me on such definitions could help clarify. – Matchbox 8 years ago
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