Miracle Movie

I showed my Film Comedy class "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" last night and I can't wait till next week to hear their responses. It's a pretty old-fashioned sort of movie and I'm wondering if they found a way to connect with it. It's written and directed by Preston Sturges, who I love and who is a very important filmmaker in the history of film comedy. But his style is so specific, and so different from today's styles, that I have to wonder what the class thought.

Oscar Buzz 1

Will Glenn Close win the best-actress Oscar for her haunting portrayal of Conan O'Brien in Albert Nobbs?

Death in the Classroom

Really good discussion in my Film Adaptation class today. The class may have been stimulated by Rear Window, which we saw last week. I think they were surprised at how very clever Hitchcock was in adapting the short story that became that film, and how he infused the whole thing with a theme of romance.

At the beginning of the class, though, a moth (or something) was flying around the room and it was very distracting. I was joking about it, but after a while it was no joke. Then one of the students mercifully stood up and killed it. And with that, we were able to focus on our murder mystery.

The Great 3-D Debate

The issue of 3-D movies (pro, con, whatevs) came up unexpectedly in my Criticism Writing class today and inspired a passionate debate. Feelings are running very high on this issue among my students. I predicted that if the upcoming 3-D version of The Great Gatsby is a success, it won't be long before most movies are in 3-D. Whoa! They'd still be arguing about it if I hadn't cut off discussion.

The Marx Brothers

Judging from the laughter in the room, I'd say my Film Comedy class really enjoyed "A Night at the Opera." That film is a riot! Getting the momentum back after a week's absence didn't seem to be a problem. I just gave them a pop quiz and they were instantly focused. One strange thing, though. I just realized I have four Nicoles in this class. I don't know if this will make it harder or easier for me to learn everyone's name.

Writing About the Movies: First Meeting

What a great class! Each student has such an interesting story! One student said that she used to babysit for Will Smith. Another works in catering. (So maybe we'll have a party toward the end of the semester...) Really looking forward to our next meeting.

No Electronic Devices!!!

All systems go, with one exception. How can I make it clear to the class that when I say no electronic devices during class I really mean no electronic devices during class? I had to ask one student in one of my classes today to close his laptop TWICE! What is this? Middle school? A teacher friend says that I should use the phrase "will result in exile." Hope I don't have to take it that far.

The Descendents

The Descendents won the best-drama prize at the Golden Globes last night. I'll have to mention this to my Comedy class because it was directed by Alexander Payne, who also directed Election, which we'll be watching later this semester. The Descendents isn't as good as Election or Payne's Sideways, but it's very good.

Losing Momentum

Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so my Comedy class won't meet. It's always hard to regain momentum after a break, especially when the break comes after just one class meeting. When we meet next Monday, I'll probably have to remind the class who I am, what comedy is, what movies are and what planet we're on. I may even have to remind myself.

Adaptation Class: First Day

Quite a few members of this class are apparently quite unhappy with the film adaptations of the Harry Potter books. Must explore this.
Also, quite a few of these students seem keenly interested in the recent spate of comic-book adaptations. This should be fun!

Criticism Writing Class: First Day

This looks like a good group of students. In just this first session, students raised two excellent topics for further discussion down the line:
1) Because critics have a greater knowledge of film than the typical moviegoer, does that make the critic's opinion more valid?
2) Should a critic alter his or her language (or tone) depending on the readership being addressed?

I'm looking forward to these discussions...

Comedy Seminar: First Day

Some good discussions in my first class with the comedy seminar. Amazing that most of the students said they'd already seen at least one silent film (not counting The Artist). Lots of laughter from the class during Buster Keaton's Cops and Charlie Chaplin's Easy Street. One student said she generally enjoys black-and-white films more than color ones, which is rare (and nice) to hear these days.

Movie-centric

In case you're wondering, a movie-centric is someone who's focused on film. That's definitely me. Anyone is welcome to read this blog, but it's especially intended for my students.