The rights for Namor the Submariner has officially reverted back to Marvel Studios. With every character in the current MCU adding a certain physical and emotional aspect to the Avengers' dynamic, what would Namor's contribution be? Could his aquatic setting provide a similar contrast as Thor's Asgard?
More fighting and graphics is required. – Zyana Hault8 years ago
Based on what I know about Namor, he might be best introduced as an enemy to the Avengers. He's often protrayed as such, and I think they could play up the angle of him reacting to what he thinks are attacks against him and his kingdom via pollution from the surface. He seems like a character who could really put the majority of the human race into perspective with the MCU, since in the other movies the villain is doing something blatantly evil for the sake of evil, and it's often hard to sympathize with their motives.people as a whole are usually the victims/a general population that needs protection from a villain doing something undeniably evil. He could be one of few villains in the MCU whose motives are relatable. – chrischan8 years ago
Seven years later, is it still a little premature to talk about this subject? – T. Palomino1 year ago
Discuss sci-fi's use of technology to build "the perfect woman." Why are androids given a gender in the first place? Do androids have a sense of autonomy or are they content to be used as a semi-sentient sex toy? Is this a fetish or a case of misogyny? Why are male androids in film rarely given the same sexualized treatment?
Good question. It is like asking why GPS and computer voices are female. Probably because the creators were male. Male androids like Data are rarely sexualized. – Munjeera8 years ago
Like Munjeera said, a person's creations are often based upon their own ideal. Therefore it's more than likely that the original concept comes from a guy trying to be ambitious about his own personal desires. – Kevin Mohammed8 years ago
You can even go further back than The Stepford Wives. A great starting place would be Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metropolis, which also features a sexualized female robot.
Also, if you're going to discuss these films, you must address that most of them were made to critique misogynistic views. Ira Levin, William Goldman, and Bryan Forbes have all gone on the record to stress that The Stepford Wives was intended to parody views of "the ideal women" upon being accused of sexism by people who didn't understand its satire.
In Ex Machina, it's important to note how the film acknowledges the very tradition that you're addressing. Nathan specifically designs Ava to be sexually attractive to Caleb (even drawing inspiration from his porn searches), but the expectation is subverted when Ava uses her sexuality in tandem with her superior intelligence to outsmart both men and escape from the confides of their narrow patriarchal viewpoint (symbolically manifested as Nathan's mancave-esque research facility).
Just because a female robot is sexualized, it doesn't mean that it's necessarily just to satisfy the sexual fantasies of the presumably male spectator. The films that endure are often those which were ahead of their times in addressing the social disparity between men and women. – ProtoCanon8 years ago
If only there were more of them! – Munjeera6 years ago
Analyse the dynamic between Russell Crowe's character and Ryan Gosling's character in the new movie, The Nice Guys. I find that this dynamic is a new take on noire films. Perhaps a new era of this genre that involves two unlikely characters that find themselves in a particular situation; considered to each as the "big dirty." For once, it doesn't seem to involve the cops. . . and has sense of humor.
Debate surrounding the possibility of Idris Elba and, more recently, Gillian Anderson succeeding Daniel Craig as Bond raises questions about identity politics in franchise casting. Should racial and gender minorities strive to make inroads into existing franchises, or should they reject the homogenizing culture of the franchise in favor of more independent and original work? How do these questions relate to the concept of fan culture, and its potentially racist and sexist undertones?
Though possibly not a politically correct statement, I must admit that I would be absolutely disappointed to see Gillian Anderson as Bond. Though she is a phenomenal actress, I do believe James Bond should be played by a male. This franchise has been in existence for almost 40 years. As for Idris Elba...for him to be overlooked due to, as ignorant articles have suggested, his being too "hood," is asinine. He would be a wonderful Bond; he's charismatic, charming, commanding of the audience, and a versatile actor. Therefore, I am arguing against the gender aspect, but in favor of the racial facet. What I find disappointing is the manner in which people are discussing these topics. – danielle5778 years ago
I think the backlash of switching the gender of James Bond would be greater than the backlash of the Ghostbusters reboot and I don't trust the Bond franchise to produce any more quality movies. The next Bond being a woman and the movie being bad coupled with a failed Ghostbuster reboot I think would solidify woman = replacements for mainstream audiences – Atticus8 years ago
Evaluate the frequency in which older actors and actresses play the roles of younger characters (ex. high school students, college students, etc.) Is there any evidence that proves that impressionable adolescents model their expectations on the appearance of these actors and actresses? Could the maturation of teenager's styles and preferences be linked to this trend? An example of movie that is guilty of this is 'Mean Girls'.
It would also be interesting to look into people playing older characters, and how that skews our perception of aging. – chrischan8 years ago
What should also be looked at is the "proven commodity" trend in hollywood that has led to a few other issues with representation. That trend being that studios only casting names with blockbusters under their belts rather than giving a fresh, more fitting face – Dominique Kollie8 years ago
what could also be looked at is how this leads to the perception of adult subject matter. if someone looks older, is the audience more accepting of seeing them engage in "adult" behavior? is the audience out of touch with how old they actually are? – ninamicanovic8 years ago
You might want to consider how age often means more experience as an actor or actress. Could that influence casting? However, to be fair, that idea may not always be accurate; there are some great young actors and actress in Game of Thrones, for example. – Laura Jones8 years ago
With the recent unveiling of a teaser along with the name of the latest installment in the Transformers franchise (The Last Knight), it could be stated that enough is enough for these chronicles of the "robots in disguise." But with numerous sequels already written and in the works and well-over $3 billion raked in despite increasingly poor reviews, when does it become undeniably apparent the a film series needs to end? Should it always come down to the bottom line and fans voting with their dollars, or should studios recognize when a story has stopped evolving.
Nice idea for a topic. There are definitely film franchises that have overstayed their welcome, and the ever-popular book-to-movie series is starting to feel that way as well. It seems studios put so much effort into the first one, and then are lazy with the remaining entries in the series. The ideology in their mind, of course, is that since there are X more entries in the series, Y people will come to see them regardless. I feel like it's that way with Transformers, there are die-hard Transformers fans who acknowledge the series sucks, but they still show up to the theater when a new one comes out in the vain hope that this one will be better. – Nayr12308 years ago
I thought similarly with the newest Xmen film, when the reality set in that the movies were no longer inherently about story telling but making as many movies and sequels as possible. I think it would also be interesting to also talk about movies that do not get continued in light of this need to continue franchising blockbuster movies. For example, the American versions of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, was an amazing movie with a high fan base where all the actors want to continue to be in, however the studios do not want to make a direct sequel to the movie because they don't believe it can the blockbuster they want it to be. – HPenniman8 years ago
As long as they make big money, being "welcome" is not a concern to them. – T. Palomino2 years ago
It seems that in the last ten years films and tv shows have started talking about race and sexuality in a more progressive way. Gay and lesbian couples are appearing in tv shows, colored women are lead characters, and these themes are discussed in an open and unbiased manner. Has this depiction in media helped transform society as a place where sexuality can be discussed in an open manner?
The importance of media in guiding people's acceptance of things or even dictating what social norms are cannot be highlighted enough. Too often I hear things like "calm down, it's just a movie," (in regards to Fifty Shades of Grey being a terrible masking of an abusive relationship labeled as "BDSM/kink") and people seem to think popular culture isn't influential on its own. This is a really important topic. I look forward to reading the article. – Amanda8 years ago
Can you narrow this down at all? Maybe just either race OR sexuality. Also don't forget the media also likes to exploit "hot button" topics and distorts them - for example many of the gay people portrayed on television are stereotypes, die, or are just there for humor. – Rayna8 years ago
Yes, I'd love to read this article. I've definitely noticed the difference even in myself. I'm a straight male and used to be genuinely awkward around gay male couples and public affection. Yet over the years, there has been more openly gay affection on TV and even gay sex scenes. Now I actually don't mind it at all. And maybe that's the secret haha, when you actually see something with your own eyes you realize how normal it actually is. And maybe it's only a matter of time before the negative stigma around gay couples is finally gone. – EarlGreyTRex8 years ago
This would rather be an interesting topic to write about. the first thing that comes to mind is the newest edition to the Star Wars series. Episode VII has made a huge transition at instating racial groups into the character line up. The protagonist is a woman and the leading role in tandem with her is an African American. I believe that this step is crucial in identifying the progressive world that we are living now. The movie played homage to the old characters and its racial preference on the big screen back in the seventies and transitioned the roles nicely. My testament to this statement is based on the plot of episode VII. There was a lot of correlation in the plot line that emulated episode IV. I think now that the new cast has been presented, the proceeding episodes will have more of an original plot. – ChrisBryz8 years ago
Dystopias are often used in science fiction films to explore the worst possible outcome of the ideals of the present. How has the depiction of the bleak future changed over time, and what themes, if any, emerge from era to era?
Very interesting topic that can be taken in quite a few directions in terms of focus. A couple cool things to look at with dystopian films is the effect that advancements in CGI has had in depictions of the future and connecting the themes to the political climate surrounding the era the film was made – Dominique Kollie8 years ago
I read a book that where the author mentioned her definition of a dystopia being the corruption of a utopia, and it got me thinking about the paradise we were trying for in a lot of dystopic movies. The first one that came to mind was Serenity, but there are so many. – chrischan8 years ago
I remember one of my professors mentioning that during the Cold War quicksand was used a lot more in movies as a physical representation of the uneasiness Americans were facing, I wonder if any similar themes or metaphors pop up in dystopias in different eras. – Rayna8 years ago
I think there is a current trend towards environmental dystopias in film, specifically the anthropocene that focuses on catastrophic global events that are caused by humans. I am thinking of films such as Snow piercer. – Treva8 years ago
There definitely seems to be more movies lately where we caused our own destruction, be it through technology (Terminator and its sequels), environmental negligence/manipulation (Snowpiercer), or trying to change people and then a disease breaks out. – chrischan8 years ago
Another way of approaching the topic could be to locate when dystopias first came about (in literature or film) and ask why this happened. I believe this happened at the same time as we began to imagine utopia. One is often seen as the flip side of the other (as brilliantly realised in the film '2001'). Have a look at British Library publication 'Out of This World' for an overview of the topic. – Benedict Hadley8 years ago
perhaps it would also be a good idea to look at how this dystopian trend reflects on people's view and beliefs of the world now. dystopian writing is a more recent trend even if there have been significant writings in the dystopian genre before. I think focusing on the impact of dystopias in modern media would be a good way to narrow down this topic. – Jutor8 years ago
