From movies like "Air Force One" and "Independence Day" to the Tom Clancy movies to more modern productions like "The Kingsmen," show how the President of the United States has been shown in movies. How has the role of the President changed over time, and does it reflect the changes in the political climate at the time?
"White House Down" features Jamie Foxx as our first Black President who has plenty of smarts and guts to help overthrow an invasion of home grown terrorists. In November 2015 a TV documentary, "Lincoln: American Mastermind" exposed the myth of "Honest Abe" and the skulduggery of Lincoln's campaign manager and staff. Lincoln was a "master politician, clever tactician, and skilled manipulator, bending men to his will." He was all about getting elected. This was broadcast less than a week before most of our presidential primaries. – Lorraine8 years ago
You could also use tv shows such as Scandal. – asd52618 years ago
Love this topic. We have always been obsessed with adulating our president in film with predominantly in positive portrayals. However it would be very interesting to note minute differences between these positive portrayals- how personal to the stories get? Is our president sensitive or stoic? Would be interesting to see how the presidential portrayal changes after this race... – AndyJanz8 years ago
9/11 was the most devastating terror attack on American soil, and consequently its repercussions are still felt 15 years later. Examine how 9/11 influenced American media, in both the immediate aftermath and more long-term reflections. Don't focus just on films and TV shows about 9/11, but look more at how it informed film aesthetics, story-lines, and how we depict terrorism and political issues in film and television (e.g., how depictions of destruction changed in the advent of 9/11, analyzing the 9/11-like imagery of films such as Spielberg's War of the Worlds, and the DC Cinematic Universe). Focus on specific themes these films tackle in the wake of 9/11, such as PTSD, fear of the unknown threat, and, again, the proper response to terrorism.
This is a hugely broad topic. Is there a way to narrow this down? As it stands, this could be like at least five or six different articles. I could write one just on Spiderman. – Christen Mandracchia8 years ago
This topic is a good one, but it covers a lot of ground. I would focus on just a certain movie or just include some of the films and TV shows from the years right after 9/11. There have been a lot of movies and TV shows that display the affects of 9/11 in the past 15 years. – TaylorNCampbell8 years ago
I've witnessed a lot of Internet arguments and debates in my day, but one hotly contested topic I've never understood is the admiration and isolation of Hoosiers. If you say anything remotely negative about it, people jump down your throat faster than you can say "triangle offense." My question is why? To me, Hoosiers is boring, Gene Hackman's character isn't even remotely likeable, the team's players are garbage both dimensionally and hoops-wise (minus Jimmy Chitwood, I guess), and it doesn't even focus on the more compelling team: South Bend. Analyze why Hoosiers still stands the test of time for so many people, and why it should still be considered required viewing for sports fans.
I think the writer should show how the movie emphasizes teamwork while at the same time giving Chitwood a second chance. Even the coach even gets a second chance after hitting a player years before. Is there a contradiction? Should Chitwood have gotten a second chance? What does that say about teamwork? When Chitwood rejoined the team did winning then become the only thing? Was the coach the anti-Wooden, a coach who never told his players to win, but to do their best? And, speaking of anti-Wooden - who sat his Indiana State team for the 1946 NAIA tournament because it barred his lone African American player - is Hoosiers racist? – Tigey8 years ago
Which movie or movies show(s) the most realistic human aging? What makes the portrayal of the aging process especially realistic or effective? Besides physical changes, what psychological, mental, or spiritual changes are shown in the film(s)? What, if any, abilities lost with youth are most dearly missed?
The first film that came to mind after reading this topic was Mr. Holmes starring Ian McKellen. It does a fantastic job showing how someone like Sherlock Holmes, famous for his sharp intellect, also must eventually deal with the challenges of old age, specifically memory loss. – KennethC8 years ago
Interesting topic. Some films that come to mind: Burn After Reading (the Coen brothers' ode to aging), Up (an all around perfect film, that forces its audience - comprised predominantly of children - to confront mortality in its first fifteen minutes), While We're Young (a heartwarming indie flick about middle age), and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (not exactly "realistic" per se, but examines the subject well and seriously drives home the point of "youth is wasted on the young"). – ProtoCanon8 years ago
Kenneth, your comment makes me think of Flowers for Algernon where the intellectual drop-off for a genius is sharper than for an average person. I know that's a special case, but wonder if it's generally true. ProtoCanon, I saw that someone had written either an article or a topic regarding unusual aging (I think), and it included Benjamin Button, Eric Roth's Forrest Gump part two, in my opinion. I also love Up. If you like music, Bob Dylan's "Highlands" - an ode to longing for youth - will steal 16 minutes of your brief life in what seems like five. It'll also bring a whole new meaning to hard-boiled eggs and an artist's pencil. – Tigey8 years ago
Perhaps I'm biased because I've been thinking of this film A LOT lately, but I'm fascinated with the representation of age and mental health portrayed in "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" Obviously, this film is quite dramatic given it's both a psychological thriller and from the 60's, however, its dedication to representing the damaging effects of untreated mental illness is inspired. Both Bette Davis and Joan Crawford were in their 50's at the time, and neither was cinched, glamorized, or portrayed too empathetically; indeed, both of them were, through makeup and wardrobe, pushed to their frumpiest. Although I'm sure Simone de Beauvior would have something to say about the connection of age and madness or age and disgust (a la her book, "The Coming of Age"), the film pulls no stops examining how haggard these sisters have become after exceptionally rough lives, both due to the unfairness of their childhood and their choices as adults. – Kitty Davies8 years ago
Kitty, that's a whole new angle on the topic: dysfunctional child is father to the dysfunctional man and how that accelerates aging. Our choices live past our deaths through our survivors. It's easy for me to blame ancestors for the poor choices I make today, but not easy to determine how much of my stuff is really their stuff, and how much is my own lack of character. It's important to choose the right parents. – Tigey8 years ago
What do you mean by "realistic aging"? Every person ages differently. – T. Palomino2 years ago
The relationship between audiences and science fiction films have changed over the century. This has been affected by the political struggles of each era. How have the focus of these films changed over the decades. How similar or different are our fears between the 1950's to today.
It is interesting to see how Sci-Fi has gone mainstream. Why is that? How did sci-fi become part of pop culture? Has it lost anything or does it mean that audiences are more open than in the past? This is a good topic. – Munjeera9 years ago
This may be relevant, since it deals with political issues. In a film class, we discussed James Cameron's Aliens and American films' (primarily action films, but Aliens is also sci fi) portrayals of masculine action stars (counting women, i.e. Ellen Ripley and Vasquez) and how they were influenced by Reagan's public persona. This may be taking allegory too far, but Ripley is essentially a hard body using violence to go up against an Other, which is in this case actually aliens. American sci fi tends to deal a lot with a fear of the Other/invasion (Red Scare, hostage crisis), but that's just one take to potentially explore. – Emily Deibler9 years ago
Specifying a certain countries' sci-fi films could help focus this article, since sci-fi is often used to explore and speculate on social issues, which change depending on where the movies are being made. – chrischan9 years ago
The Matrix was a very good "fear of technology" movie, made just as the internet was becoming omnipresent in daily life. – Tarben9 years ago
Interestingly enough, the sci-fi stories themselves have changed through the years with new and advancing technologies in the real world, but I feel as though the overall drive and goal of the genre has remained the same: To give humanity hope for the future. – Bluejay9 years ago
The "science" in movies nowadays is more ridiculous and at the same time believable as compared to those Sci-fi flicks made .30 years back – DevanshSharma8 years ago
Due to poor reviews and box office mediocrity of both Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Suicide Squad, does the Wonder Woman film – set for a 2017 release – have a good chance for critical success? While the released trailer shows promise, what can one expect regarding the quality of the film?
I should've written, "Change your two sentences to read..." – Tigey8 years ago
Discuss and analyze why the other films in the DCEU have not met expectations of both the viewers and the critics. What do the critics think actually could make a good quality film? – Deana Murphy8 years ago
Wonder Woman will surpass the others. The trailer portrays an aura of mysticism. Audiences are showing a huge interest in going back in time. Look at the popularity of the TV series "Game of Thrones" and "Outlander." Expect quality to triumph.
– Lorraine8 years ago
Describe maybe what will happen to the overall DCEU if Wonder Woman is in fact below expectations as most of the past films have been. – DallasLash178 years ago
BvS and Suicide Squad have actually been box office hits, Suicide Squad even surpassing Captain America: Civil War. What's more interesting and relevant here is perhaps the constant and stark divide in criticisms. There is either love or hate for DCEU films so far. Is the current slate of comic book movies (Marvel) informing audience's expectations? Who are DCEU movies made for? It certainly isn't the general Marvel watching audience. – Laura Andrea8 years ago
This topic is about families of actors, and directors, not movies about fictional or real families. Besides the long line of Barrymores, who are drama's greatest families? The Bridges? Kirk Douglass, his son, Michael Douglas, and his sons? Blythe Danner and daughter, Gwynneth Paltrow? John Carradine and sons, Richard and Keith?
Who are they? What makes them great? Is their dramatic influence expected to continue? By which younger family members? In acting or directing?
Relatively speaking, this could be a mother of a topic.
Donald and Kiefer Sutherland are also father/son acting legends. The two recently starred in a father/son role together in a western called "Forsaken". – ZBetts8 years ago
AMC.com's "The All-Time Top 100 Voices in the Movies" list begs for debate. It's top ten is below. These are not the rubber-voiced talents of a Mel Blanc or Seth McFarlane whose faces don't appear on screen. Nor are they the distinctive but (to many) annoying – pipes of a Melanie Griffith, Gilbert Gottfried, Rosie Perez, or Bobcat Goldthwaite. These are the actresses or actors whose dulcet voices are as memorable as any other part of their skill set.
What is it about their voices that sets them apart? Which cinematic performance is their most interesting and distinctive? Who would you add – say Valeria Golino, Ossie Davis (my favorite male voice), Gene Hackman, Marion Cotillard, or Bryan Cranston? – to the list? Who would you drop, if anyone, from the list? And, finally, what makes the voice of someone such as Holly Hunter (my favorite female voice) so attractive, while another's voice misses the mark?
AMC.com's "Top Ten Voices" list:
10. Peter Sellers 9. Holly Hunter 8. John Wayne 7. Al Pacino 6. Marilyn Monroe 5. Jack Nicholson 4. James Earl Jones 3. Christopher Walken 2. Orson Welles 1. Clint Eastwood
I think the Marilyn Monroe should have been the fourth instead of James Earl Jones just because I find her more passionating. – mmq28 years ago
What about Morgan Freeman -I adore his perfect tone and enunciation – ZBetts8 years ago
