What is to be human? What is to be conscious? Explore, analyze, and interpret Samantha (Scarlett Johanson) as a character in the movie Her through the lens of modern understanding of consciousness. The article can focus on the emotions, a real and tangible variable, of Theodore (Joaquin Phoneix) to argue in the authenticity of the relationship.
I think the idea of the mind/body problem comes into full effect in this film. Although traditionally we have thought of consciousness as a purely mental activity, devoid of any emotions, we see that there is something lacking when she does not have a body. I wonder how this can affect our ideas of consciousness in relation to the body. Do we need a body to be considered thinking beings? – TheRej8 years ago
Yes, I agree. Also, at one point of the movie Theodore says something along the lines, you are the most beautiful woman I've ever been with. I remember I completely agreed with it. Samantha is beatiful, yet she doesn't have a body. How do we explain it? Exploring the beauty in that character might bring clarity into what the hell means inner-beauty. – ismael6768 years ago
Analyze the differences and similarities in how the two franchises approached "completing the puzzle" and discuss what worked (or didn't) for each. Discuss how Marvel's endless source material gives them an edge or may even ultimately cause fatigue i.e lack of interest due to digging too deep and how the same thing may or may not happen due to the new Harry Potter spin-offs.
Very interesting topic, do you think a franchise like Star Wars also relates to these ideas? As while it does not have a source material, it has changed rapidly in it's approach to telling stories as is seen by the upcoming slate of movies. – Thomas Sutton8 years ago
Really cool idea for a topic do you think you could incorporate how DC is trying to create it's own DCU to rival the MCU? – kenns8 years ago
One thing I'd like to add is to remember that Happy Potter didn't have the concept of cameos building up to solo movies (something Marvel does). Each character had their peak exposure in one certain movie (example lupin in part 3) and then they were a side character in the rest of the movies. Star Wars could be a very interesting thing to discuss here too as it has no source material. – blameshobhon8 years ago
I think that there may be something to discuss here within the fact that Harry Potter was not a franchise that had origin stories and then a collective movies series with all the characters, Harry Potter was a story of a boy and his friends who do what they can to protect the world that they love – OliviaPuddiford8 years ago
An analysis in what the benefits and drawbacks are from the label of high or low brow films. For example, lowbrow film is given low exceptions over depth and large box offices but is often pigeon-held as lacking depth by more high-brow audiences. Conversely, highbrow film is often held as almost always having deep meaning but is often criticized for failing to communicate clearly to their audience.
Sometimes ambiguity of meaning is preferred in the high-brow community. It keeps the film alive with infinite interpretations. Similar to classic literature, from what I know. – DrTestani8 years ago
Films are now commonly viewable in theatres in 3D. Does this development offer an addition to cinema which enhances or betters the viewing experience? Or, do 3D films provide meaningless spectacle and detract from the film viewing experience? Note: consider also that this contemporary 3D popularity is not the first wave or usage of 3D film effects in film history.
Wow! What a great topic. I can't believe that it has not been done yet. Looking forward to reading this article. – Munjeera8 years ago
A good point is that you have to pay more to see a film in 3D, so is it worth it? – LaRose8 years ago
3D personally gives me headaches and can cause sickness so the element of physical health plays a role in this debate too. Good topic! – rowenachandler8 years ago
This is a good topic- more often than not I hear viewers saying that 3D effects do not add anything special to a movie or possibly even dampen the experience. Viewers are likely to be especially dissatisfied if this is true AND they have to pay extra to see the movie in 3D. It is worthwhile to see if there have been any studies/surveys done to see whether 3D effects improve a movie-watching experience. In my opinion, some films benefit from 3D and some just don't need it. – Suman8 years ago
Awesome topic! Make sure you consider how people view 3D movies differently as well- people with glasses and eye problems like stigmitisms tend to have more trouble viewing 3D than other people. – LilyaRider8 years ago
I think this could also provide the possibility of a discussion about how 3D can take the message away from a film because you're so distracted by all the CGI flying at your face. – Sara Clements8 years ago
As a human who received an injury to my eye and this have absolutely no stereo, or binocular cues, in my eyes and pay more money to wear silly glasses and see a 2D movie. In the interest of the "visually impaired", as mentioned by LilyaRider above, should be taken into consideration with this question especially with the pressure for cinemas and home theatres to update to the "new and improved" technology – Cory MacRae8 years ago
How the Academy Awards long lasting relationship with queer movies has created of Hollywood a gay empire.
If you want someone to write about this, you should give more info about what is it exactly you want people to discuss about. – Andrestrada8 years ago
Define "gay empire," there is still a lot of stigma and misrepresentation of queer people in Hollywood films, just think about all these films (that each won Oscars or were nominated) with transgender characters played by cisgender actors (The Crying Game, Boys Don't Cry, Transamerica). I would say it has mostly created a straight empire banking on queer stereotypes. – Alexandre Vermeil8 years ago
Would you please define what a "gay empire" is? I am a little confused as to what you are going for here. What queer movies did you have in mind? – sophiacatherine8 years ago
What is gay empire? Maybe be specific on what you mean. Does it mean the series of movies about gays that won academy awards? such as Milk? – ferozan8 years ago
I definitely think if you were more specific about what this meant and got in depth on gay stereotypes and how they're used in media it could be interesting. – Lacey Womack8 years ago
As the average age of viewing goes up for films like Zootopia, Big Hero 6, Inside Out, one has to notice a pattern – the target audience is much broader than it once was, now branching out to the parents of the children as well as the children themselves. Is this due to the accurate representation of difficult themes, or simply the bright colours and chance to escape into childhood again.
Could you explain what you mean by pattern? – Munjeera8 years ago
Is that better Munjeera? Let me know if I've not been clear enough.
– Miles Smith8 years ago
I think film-makers have realised the way to offer a fuller plate to the audience is to offer a multi-layered experience which caters for all of them in one way or the other. The film that started all this, in my opinion, was 'Toy Story'. – J.P. Shiel8 years ago
One might also go into the history of children's programming and do a comparison of, say, classical Hollywood vs today. I would argue that in the censored days of yore there wasn't a need for child specific programming. However, I don't know enough about the topic to create a coherent article! I look forward to reading whoever writes this one. – sophiacatherine8 years ago
I believe that animated movies are trying to push out of the zone that is exclusively 'for kids.' Just as culture is constantly changing - interests, humor, lingo etc - I find that animated films such as the ones you've listed are interested in broadening themes to make older audiences reconsider the medium. The times are changing quickly thanks to technology - animation is a technology to be taken just as seriously and these films remind us that they can be appreciated by all audiences no matter what the content. – yeongjae8 years ago
I think it is probably due to the big changes that has occurred in the way films are made. But it would be nice to see if someone could explore a few particular movies. – ferozan8 years ago
This is an interesting topic, it would be interesting to consider the business point of making movies that appeal to larger audiences. For example, the Despicable Me movie started the whole Minion franchise, which not only helped with marketing the movie but also garnered enough attention to create a movie exclusively about them. This allowed for higher box office profits thus making it a business plan. So the question is whether or not these movies are being made for the enjoyment of larger audiences or is it just a business plan to garner more profits? – aakrutipatel8 years ago
There's a spark of an idea here, but it doesn't seem enough for me to stablish and argument to go on and propose something. – T. Palomino2 years ago
Talk about the recent yearly trend of films addressing the history of racism in America, including 12 Years a Slave (2013), Selma (2014), Straight Outta Compton (2015) and the upcoming The Birth of a Nation (2016). Examine these films in the context of the recent resurgence of racial tension in America, as well as the reaction of calling them "anti-white" that some people have had.
Fruitvale Station (2013), which is based on a true story, might also be a good choice. – Emily Deibler8 years ago
I think the key word here is history. How can this telling of history be called "anti-White?". It is like saying Gandhi was anti-British instead of anti-colonialism. These movies are about being anti-slavery and attacking the institution, not the people. Just like Gandhi attacked colonialism as a political system, not the people. He always spoke with clarity about the differences between systems and people. That is one of the many reasons he is a great leader. Institutionalized racism is alive and well today in education, politics and economics. When discussing emotionally charged issues like racism, it is very important to focus on systems not attacking the people like these movies. It is also important to identify those in positions of influence, be aware of how they can direct future policies and suggest various courses of actions. In many cases, the people in these key positions are White. Movies that provide a voice for showcasing positive actions taken by non-Whites can hardly be seen as anti-White. I think it is important to show how racist systems are challenged by non-Whites and the fact that racial lines are drawn in these issues underscores the point, rather than detracting from it. – Munjeera8 years ago
With the recent wave of Bollywood actors being integrated in Hollywood productions within the last few years, I'm wondering if this poses any risks or if this is a sign of progress in what people say is an overtly white-male establishment. With big actors like Amitabh Bachchan making an appearing in Baz Luhrmann's remake of The Great Gatsby and Priyanka Chopra making headlines with not only landing a leading role in the American TV show Quantico but also winning the People's Choice Award for said role as well as appearing in the upcoming movie Bay Watch and Deepika Padukone who is said to appear alongside Vin Diesel in xXx: The Return of Xander Cage. Does this intertwining of two different movie industries pose any sort of threat? or is this the beginning of inclusivity of POCs within the mostly white film industry?
Ooh this sounds really interesting! I'd also look into if there's any blurring besides just the actors, for example directors or producers. – thewyverary8 years ago
Can East meet West? This is a future question. Yes it is a Zen kind of concept meaning that the answer to this question will come in the future. – Munjeera8 years ago
I think each industry should remain independent from each other. Mixing both industries would harm whatever it is that makes them unique. However, actors, directors, crews, etc. should be able to work wherever they want to without discrimination. – Andrestrada8 years ago
