Make a top ten list of the amazing settings that have added richness to their movies. From the iconic scene of King Kong on the Empire State Building, to Central Park, to Chicago and LA. How have various scenes been influenced by their settings? Go as far back as Hitchcock. Discuss Central Park as a location that has added a certain flavour to movies.
All of these are US locations. Perhaps it would be good to compare with movies set in eg London or Paris? Are there differences in the way locations are used across the cutlrual settings? – CharlotteG4 years ago
I think making a list with so many options would be hard maybe if it was broken by individual city like New York City, you could list all the notable places within it. New York City and San Francisco I would say have some the most popular locations so I feel like it wouldn't be doing other cities justice to put them on the same list when you might much more information on these two cities – tingittens4 years ago
I agree all of these locations are USA locations.
What is intresting is that there are certain locations that are used to give off a certain mood
Like all snow locations are filmed in Quebec
All majestic and fanatsy places are filmed in Norway and Ireland
– Amelia Arrows4 years ago
This is really an excellent projection of historical truths and their undeniable roles to shaping the present world and its people. – kiru1004 years ago
Analyze the reason why directors use cameos. What impact does it have on the audience? Why is it gaining popularity?
From Kareem Abdul Jabbar to Stan Lee to Stephen King, highlight examples that will look at why the crossover from reality to media is so popular. Big Bang Theory regularly played with this trope with great effectiveness. Why do we love it?
Neat topic! In the case of Stan Lee, I like to think of it as a nice little "wink" to the audience. With other cameos, I usually find them to feature celebrities - were they just in the right place at the right time? Did they love the show that much that they just couldn't help but be on it? Did the producers just love that actor so much? It would be interesting to see what answers one could find. – EJSmall4 years ago
I believe some actors are fans of a show and ask to be on. Stan Lee’s cameos were pretty funny. There is one where he plays Hugh Hefner that he did because people sometimes mistake them for each other. I would love to see a list of all time great cameos. SPOILER - There is a awesome one in Hobbes and Shaw. – Munjeera4 years ago
Though there is no direct possible way to verify, I wonder what is the percentage of viewers who do not like cameos or find it distracting. My friend once mentioned that he felt "left out" whenever there was a cameo he did not know about. – kpfong834 years ago
Good point. Are cameos a distraction? – Munjeera4 years ago
Maybe the need is to distinguish when it is done well and done poorly. Bill Gates on "Big Bang Theory" (well) versus Martina Navratilova on "Hart to Hart" (poorly) provide examples as a starting point. – Joseph Cernik4 years ago
Compare and contrast the varying successes of a TV franchise using Law and Order, CSI and Criminal Minds. Why have some succeeded, such as CSI Miami and others failed, such as Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. Take a look at how the actors have succeeded in other shows such as Shemar Moore in SWAT. Not only has the franchise done well but the actors have moved on to other shows with enduring popularity over decades.
CSI used to be one of my guilty pleasures - I don't know why I feel guilty, I can't be watching subtitled black and white films about the awfulness of it all every day!
If you have never seen the series - a difficult feat as the CBS franchise (CSI: Las Vegas, CSI: Miami, CSI:NY) is repeated frequently - it concerns a group of criminal investigators who use forensic science as the main tool of detection in solving graphically depicted murders. Allegedly the most watched show in the world, the franchise is now crumbling with CSI: Miami and CSI:NY being dropped from the schedules. The success of the programme, with its focus on science based methods of crime detection, has led to what is known as the ‘CSI Effect’, namely the unrealistically high public expectations of forensic crime detection as well as a multitude of people (now probably unemployed) enrolling in forensic science courses. Silke Panse in, ‘The Bullets Confirm the Story Told by the Potato,’ (yes, I had to read that twice and it is indeed a direct quote from the Grissom character) discusses the faux-scientific approach of CSI and its ability to visualise that which is normally concealed and (apparently) raise the dead. Indeed, CSI makes direct communication with the dead seem almost commonplace. For a period of time I was totally hooked on CSI and OD'd on endless editions of the show. Of course having watched so many episodes and become thoroughly immersed in the ‘CSI Effect’ I knew I hadn’t really overdosed as my breathing, heart rate and pulse were normal, my pupils had not reduced to pinpoint and my lips and nails hadn’t turned blue. However, after viewing twenty episodes or so, I was finding it difficult to keep my eyes open and stop my jaw going slack. I may even have dribbled a bit. Using my newly acquired bogus skills of forensic detection, I came to a typically swift diagnosis - which I leave to the reader to identify. The series has been the subject of considerable research with lecturers, researchers, television critics, media executives and scientists all aiming to consider the reasons for the huge success of, ‘such a strictly formulaic, endlessly repeated, modular drama,’ and seek to understand and analyse its popular appeal using theoretical frameworks including, ‘notions of Derridean trace, Lacanian lack and Mulveyian to-be-looked-at-ness.’ In his book, ‘So Many Different Ways to Tell It,’ Michael Allen sets CSI within its historical and contemporary context both as a police investigation show and a long running, lucrative franchise. Allen argues that CSI was successful due to a combination of factors, the most notable being timing, star actors and location.The show came along when a post 9/11 America was at its most anxious and vulnerable offering an image of scientific certainty and committed professionalism. CSI differed from other TV programmes within the genre by shrewdly casting actors, ‘with notable, if occasionally checkered, Hollywood careers’. These include William Petersen, David Caruso and Gary Sinese. As Allen points out, star names alone are no guarantee of success and that oddly enough, the, ‘ lack of character development, formulaic repetition, etc...little narrative or character continuity,’ actually attracted viewers who could watch episodes out of sequence as well as allowing schedulers/buyers to fill in gaps in weekly schedules. The major city locations, Miami, New York and Las Vegas also lent themselves to a kind of dramatic schadenfreude, whereby the audience could enjoy the sight of the veneer of the glittering American dream being torn away to graphically expose its often repulsive and rotting underbelly. Although emerging from the same franchise stable, the three shows strongly emphasise their distinctive locations in terms of composition, actors, costumes, sets, props, sound and lighting - and of course there is also the famous, ‘CSI Shot’, the method of showing animated CGI reconstructions of, for example, the trajectory of a bullet through a body or the effect of a toxin on brain cells. Sadly, since my mega-binge on CSI, I have now fully purged my curiosity and have not watched another episode for about five years. However my lust for faux-science is still strong and has now been sated by, 'The Big Bang Theory.'
– BlueStocking3 years ago
Analyze popular themes in Canadian Literature from LM Montgomery to Alice Munro to Margaret Atwood. Some have noted themes of survival, self-deprecation and social gospel. Also take a look at Northrop Frye’s literary criticism to form a lens to analyze Canadian literature.
I know that “Anne of Green Gables” is one of the classics and one of the more famous Canadian works of literature. Any discussion on this should include some discussion of this. – J.D. Jankowski4 years ago
The author of Anne of Green Gables is LM Montgomery. – Munjeera4 years ago
The new movie "Loving Vincent" is a celebration of Van Gogh’s life. Write about the film that made history as the first fully painted feature film as an international effort.
By sheer coincidence I happened to acquire a copy of this film recently and watched it this evening. 'Loving Vincent' is a thing of beauty and an astounding project to undertake. I can only imagine the technical difficulties those involved had to overcome, but the end result is well worth the time and effort. Perhaps the only suggestion I could add to your topic suggestion is to also look at the artists involved in the film making and how they approached the subject matter, what research they did and what insight they (hopefully) gained into the art of Vincent Van Gogh. – Amyus6 years ago
A top 5 list of the best female villains of all time in either literature, TV or film with a description of what makes them so memorable, their motivations and their evil strategies. From Eve to Lady Macbeth to Catwoman to the Borg Queen.
Forever Femme Fatale: Reigning Female Villains A top 5 list of the best female villains of all time in either literature, TV or film with a description of what make them so memorable, their motivations and their evil strategies. From Eve to Lady Macbeth to Catwoman to the Borg Queen. – Munjeera8 years ago
I think this article should stick to one category (like only TV or only literature female villains) since there would be so many to choose from. – LaRose8 years ago
Explain what the Prime Directive is and its history in ST. Examine how ST: TNG emphasized the guiding principle with Picard’s pontification on the subject using specific examples where the PD was central to the plot. Conclude with a discussion on how and why the PD has fallen to the wayside first under Rick Berman and now with J.J. Abrams and Justin Lin.
Explore Lin’s rise to direct ST: Beyond. Look at how he began as a director and examine what he will bring to the ST franchise. Address the topic of Justin Lin and Star Trek Beyond applied to the rest of the series and how that will effect them. Mention how Lin’s background in the Fast and Furious franchise will either be beneficial or harmful to what J.J. Abrams has done
Due South, Power Play, Flashpoint and The Listener are all TV series made in Canada. Why is there a dearth of diversity in Canadian productions? Given the popularity of Degrassi: The Next Generation and Little Mosque on the Prairie could Canadian TV benefit from exploring the uniqueness of the Canadian experience? What recommendations could be made to help Canadian TV?
There's also Murdoch Mysteries to look into. – JennyCardinal8 years ago
(Corner Gas?) There is so much filmed in Canada, particularly in Vancouver. A lot of Sci-Fi. Fringe, The 4400, The 100, Stargate SG-1. Granted, Vancouver is losing some of the hold it had on Sci-Fi television (that's politics of film, not this article). My point is, are you looking for Canadian-produced and created work, or just work that was filmed in Canada, because there is a huge divide between those two? – chandlerwp8 years ago
100% Canadian productions Chandler is what I would like to see examined. If a movie is just filmed here then I don't think there is much creative control. You are correct that there is a huge divide between the two in terms of how much the producers would have a say in who and what and how these TV shows are made for sure. – Munjeera8 years ago
What criteria should be used to rank Avengers movies? What ranking would the Avengers movies have? I think 1-10 with 10 being the highest would be a easy reference for ranking. I would love to see what people have ranked already and a discussion for what really makes a great Avengers movie. If this could be timed to be written around the time Civil War is released even better. I found Age of Ultron derivative but know some people loved it. I think originality, the origins story and the villain are key to great conflict and rising tension. Character development, such as in Ironman, also adds flavor. Another often forgotten criteria is the supporting actors. Hope this helps. – Munjeera 6 hours ago
I think 1-10 with 10 being the highest would be a easy reference for ranking. I would love to see what people have ranked already and a discussion for what really makes a great Avengers movie. If this could be timed to be written around the time Civil War is released even better. I found Age of Ultron derivative but know some people loved it. I think originality, the origins story and the villain are key to great conflict and rising tension. Character development, such as in Ironman, also adds flavor. Another often forgotten criteria is the supporting actors. Hope this helps. – Munjeera8 years ago
There are many ways in which the original Star Trek predicted aspects about the future such as the communicators which mimic cell phones. I would like to find out from Trekkie purists how Gene Roddenberry got it right.
Something to consider is that Star Trek has done this as a whole, not just with the Original series. There were many devices in both Voyager and TNG that predict future technology, such as tablets, comm systems, AI computers, and holograms. Perhaps you could compare and contrast each series and their different technology predictions. – Megan Finsel8 years ago
I would like to see an article on the original series since it was 50 years ago or around there as a sort of anniversary of the series when it started Sept. 8, 1966. A kind of homage to the ideas as well as technology that Roddenberry envisioned. One item that comes to mind is the international cast. It is so unusual to have that kink of diversity in terms of a TV series in that time. Referring to specific episodes would also be great when they encountered alien technology that was "ahead." – Munjeera8 years ago
Did Star Trek predict the future or create the future? Are there any modern technologies (i.e., the flip cell phone) that just might have been influenced by Star Trek? – sophiacatherine8 years ago
Finding out what Star Trek influenced in terms of tech would be interesting. I heard that NASA did get some ideas about space technology from Star Trek. – Munjeera8 years ago
Many of those futuristic inventions would not have been possible without people like Tesla.
"We are whirling through endless space, with and inconceivable speed, all around everything is spinning, everything is moving, everywhere there is energy. There must be some way of availing ourselves of this energy more directly. Then, with the light obtained from the medium, with the power derived from it, with every form of energy obtained without effort, from the store forever inexhaustible, humanity will advance with giant strides. The mere contemplation of these magnificent possibilities expand our minds, strengthens our hopes and and fills our hearts with supreme delight." Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) – L:Freire5 years ago