Looking at The Force Awakens as well as canon novels, comics, film-maker's comments, and even previous Star Wars films, suggest a reasonable theory or theories on who Supreme Leader Snoke could actually be. Snoke is the man behind the curtain in The Force Awakens and looks to have a very important role in the Star Wars universe moving forward. This would be an interesting topic because like Rey the question of Snoke's identity remains unknown.
I think it could be useful to also interrogate how these theories relate to the act of story-telling itself. What do the candidates for Supreme Leader Snoke reveal about story-telling structure within Star Wars? How do these candidates relate the conflict between the author and audience's desire for how a story should progress? I'm thinking of this within the larger Star Wars franchise and how this has played out historically within the past. – Matt Sautman8 years ago
Although Frozen has been praised for introducing the idea of familial true love, both women exhibit poor logic, emotional flightiness, and naivete. While Disney has come a long way from the submissive Snow White to the empowered and knowledge-seeking Rapunzel, Frozen's leading ladies seem to succumb to manipulation and victimization much more easily than those in earlier films. Are Ana and Elsa representative of a step backward in Disney princess evolution? What characteristics do they exhibit that might be damaging for young girls to emulate?
Are all humans not subject to exhibiting poor logic, emotional flightiness, naivete, manipulation, and victimization? Hercules was emotionally flighty near the end of his movie, and he was also heavily manipulated, as have several other men throughout Disney's movies such as Aladdin, Simba, and Tarzan - who are all thought of as very masculine characters, yet they are still subject to emotion, poor logic and so on. Allocating such characteristics as being predominately feminine might need to be analyzed before the question itself is explored. – Steven Gonzales8 years ago
Very good point. I think it will be helpful to focus mainly on the comparison of these main characters to earlier princesses, rather than the characteristics, themselves. – wtardieu8 years ago
One thing to consider is whether it's actually a step forward; perhaps their flaws make them more human and relatable. Anyway, that's another viewpoint that could be explored. – Laura Jones8 years ago
I agree with Steven Gonzales that characters like Elsa and Anna succumb to manipulation and victimization simply because they're human (or in the case of characters like Simba, non-human with human personalities). I don't know of anyone who hasn't been made a victim or manipulated at least once. The key is in how you handle it. I definitely think though, you could make an argument that one sister handled the victimization better than the other. Whether that's Elsa or Anna is a matter of opinion, but there are cases for both sides. – Stephanie M.8 years ago
Analyze how the direction in the first film succeeded tremendously in terms of both narrative, complexion, and horror. How did the second film in the franchise fail to live up to these expectations?
Sequels need to add on to the original, Sinister 2 was much of the same. – mkparker8 years ago
Although viewers expected something similar to Sinister, they did not expect almost exactly the same. Sinister 2 failed to add anything onto the concept of the child-hunting ghoul. The only thing that was different was the family that was experiencing the haunting. I think the audience was excited for something new to be added onto the story, more information/background to be revealed, or an entirely new story line similar to The Conjuring, The Conjuring 2, and Annabelle. – Marina8 years ago
Analyse the history of horror films from their origin to present day. Focus on important gory films such as Carrie, Saw, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Discuss how horror films have gotten away from their once blood filled shots to now multiple pop up scares. Also discuss the incorporation of social media in horror films that are seen today.
What about older horror films like Hitchcock? Is this topic looking to examine a general history of the Horror genre? What other trends can be seen? – Kevin8 years ago
I have actually come across a lot of contemporary gore films. The trouble is, I think, that gory films have the tendency to be B-listed and now, since filmmaking is so accessible, the over saturation of the film industry has drowned them out. The simple point is that thrillers are more broadly marketable and so they get the bigger budgets and far more attention. – mkparker8 years ago
I personally have to agree with this statement. I have seen very many many horror films, and classic films such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Saw are just so original. Even though they released years ago, they are still popular and relevant in the horror genre. I have noticed the different tactics that producers and cinematographers use to scare now versus in older movies. Re-makes of movies are not always successful. – Marina8 years ago
I actually think the incorporation of social media in today's horror films is a good topic on its own. Or the writer could take a look at the role of communication technology in horror films in general. (Consider, for example, the telephone in films like "Scream" and "When a Stranger Calls," or the camera in films like "Insidious" and "Shutter.") – OBri8 years ago
When most people talk about movies that they've loved since they were little, they are most likely talking about theatrically released films. However, if you were born during the heyday of video rental stores, such as Blockbuster Video, there is a chance that your favorite childhood film never made it to the silver screen. While most straight-to-video films are not considered crown gems, to say the least, that does not mean that they should be ignored and forgotten. This article will go into the history of direct-to-video films aimed at the child market, as well as an in-depth reflection of my favorite childhood straight-to-video film, Disney's Where the Toys Come From (1983). I would also encourage readers to post their own favorite straight-to-video film and their reasons why, so I can discuss those films in a later article.
When they're not simply a supporting character for comedic relief, the "gay character" in American films are usually outward stereotypical. It's been getting better over the years, but mostly only in the independent scene (most recently "Moonlight").
But even beyond that, gay films themselves have been seemingly only interested in their sexualities. The film's plots – with gay characters – are strictly, and only, about being gay – as if that's the one and only attribute of such a human being. Films rarely ever explore things beyond their sexual orientation (the only recent one I can think of is Ira Sachs' "Keep the Lights On", which was a film about drug addiction tearing up a gay couple).
When will American film be able to present a gay character in such a way? So uninteresting or "normal" like heterosexual characters are presented in various genres?
There's a really great documentary about precisely this topic, called The Celluloid Closet. It would be necessary for whoever attempts to write this article to watch that, and take it as a jumping-off point. Being made in 1996, I see this article as a good "picking up where they left off," particularly dealing with how the increase of social tolerance toward LGBTQ people at the turn of the 21st century may or may not be reflected in cinematic representation. – ProtoCanon8 years ago
reesepd, maybe explaining how gay cinema outside of the USA better handles the topic might help to clarify the problem of gay stereotypes in American cinema. I hope you don't think I'm criticizing the topic negatively. It will be enlightening for me to read, and I appreciate you writing the topic. – Tigey8 years ago
Reesepd, here's another thought: You mention Ira Sachs’ "Keep the Lights On" as the only recent example of a film not using gay stereotypes. Maybe part of the topic is the question, "Is the use of gay stereotypes actually getting worse in American cinema? Why?" Again, a very interesting topic. – Tigey8 years ago
This would be such an important and engaging topic to explore. Maybe even further exploring the history and progression of LGBT representation, and touch on the fact that we see more instances of m/m gay romance more so than any other part of the LGBT community. Looking forward to reading this! – Abby Wilson8 years ago
This article will analyze the relationship between modern day film and film of the earlier eras. It will be a comparison of story plot to draw out the cause of American paranoia. During the 20th century, film was a depiction of hope, change, and what our idea of the American Dream should be. Today in film, we see the consequences of our own decisions and individualities. There is the message of "if you do this, this will happen" which wasn't a thing in American Culture and film during the 20th century. The newly released film When The Bough Breaks takes the innocent act of surrogacy and twists it into a diabolical plot against an unsuspecting couple.
Rock and Roll as a genre is extremely controversial. Given its appropriative history, this goes without saying. Often times, Rock and Roll is also viewed as the hyper-masculine genre of music. Looking at the soundtrack and music references in Richard Linklater's School of Rock, does this film reinforce the misogynistic reputation of Rock and Roll?
Nice suggestion however, you might want provide some specific examples of where this occurred in the film? – Jason0527149 years ago
