It's All Legal

In Spring 2013, I'll be teaching a new Honors seminar with Dr. Dupuis (associate dean of the Honors College) about film and the law. We'll be looking at 10-12 movies that deal with legal issues and/or the legal profession, and we'll be discussing both the cinematic and legal questions raised by those films. Even though the seminar isn't until the Spring, it's already almost full. So if you're interested, you shouldn't put off enrolling. I think the class will eventually be called Law in Film, but right now it's called Honors Special Topic. It's listed as both FIL 3930H and POS 3930H.  Just a heads up for lucky readers of this blog.

Discussion Topics

Adaptation

Discussion topics for 7.2.12:
1) What do you like/not like about the main characters in All About Eve?
2) How would you describe the narrator of the short story?
3) Who narrates the movie?
4) We don't see a stage performance in the movie. Does that strike you as a flaw? As noteworthy?

Continuing readings:
1) Finish reading "The Wisdom of Eve."
2) Read Ghost World. Find two examples where the graphic novel makes a point visually and be prepared to share that with the class on 7/9/12.
3) Continue reading The Long Goodbye. Find three passages that describe the world of the novel and be prepared to share them with the class on 7/16/12.

Walking on Water

                                                   Adaptation


Lots of great comments this week on Being There. The students really seemed engaged by the film and novella, and by such questions as what the title means and what the film's final scene of Chance walking on water adds to the story. I think they were surprised to hear that the idea for the story may have been inspired by the early political career of Ronald Reagan. And I think they were amused by the outtakes that director Hal Ashby slapped onto the very end of the movie. Wish we had more time for discussion, but our film for the night, All About Eve, runs two hours and 38 minutes. At Camp Burnett, we like to stay on schedule.

TV Alert

Adaptation

This Sunday, June 24, at 9 pm, TV Land will present a program showing the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award presentation to Shirley MacLaine. We're interested in this because Shirley MacLaine plays Eve in Being There.  [This is not an assignment, just a suggestion.]

Discussion Topics

Adaptation

Discussion topics for 6.25.12:
1) What does final, walking-on-water scene in Being There mean?
2) What does the title mean?
3) What are the movie and novella about?
4) What are the movie and novella saying about television?

Continuing readings:
1) Read Being There. Focus on the tone of the novella. Look for two passages that demonstrate that tone and be prepared to share them on 6.25.12.
2) Continue reading "The Wisdom of Eve." Pay attention to the personality of the narrator.
3) Begin reading The Long Goodbye. Find three passages that describe the world of the novel and be prepared to share them with the class eventually.

Papers & Printers, Part 2

Adaptation
If you're having printer issues, here's a tip from fellow-student Rachel Pittaluga:

The Honors college and the student union both close at 5 p.m. in the summer, so students who utilize their printing services (like me) can use something called knight study, apparently located by the arena. Thought that might be helpful for students who ran into the same problem.

Papers & Printers

Adaptation


There's been an epidemic of students who come to class without their papers printed out. So they ask if they can email the papers to me right after class.
Out of a class of 19, I've had seven students so far with this problem. This is getting out of hand. So I have decided, reluctantly, to institute a new rule.
From now on, if you come to class without your paper, you lose half a letter grade if you email it to me that day. (Of course, you lose a full letter grade if you email it to me the next day, as it says in the syllabus.) The only exception is for students who don't come to class on a given day. If you're actually absent, you can email me your paper that day and get full credit for the paper (although, of course, you're counted as absent).
This new rule does not apply to papers that have already been emailed.
We're about halfway though this semester, campers. Let's focus!

Unhip?

Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand in Rock of Ages

Some of the reviews of Rock of Ages have been so weird! It seems that some critics like the movie but don't want to admit that they like the movie. Apparently, they've gotten the impression that this film (or the music in it or something) isn't hip, and they'd rather be dishonest  (or at least somewhat misleading) than seem even slightly unhip. Hip or not, I liked it as a stage show. Well, now I've really got to see the film.

Discussion Topics

Adaptation

Discussion topics for 6.18.12:
1) Do you like Charlotte Bartlett? Is she annoying? Does your opinion of her change as the story moves along, or does it remain consistent?
2) How is the Mr. Beebe of the novel different from the Mr. Beebe of the movie? Same with Mr. Emerson.
3) What themes does the novel explore that are not explored, or only touched on, in the movie?
4) Who is the hero of the movie? Of the novel?

Continuing readings:
1) Finish reading A Room With a View. Come to class on 6.18.12 prepared with three passages from the novel that tell us something important about a character or characters.
2) Begin reading Being There. Focus on the tone of the novella. Look for two passages that demonstrate that tone and be prepared to share them on 6.25.12.
3) Begin reading "The Wisdom of Eve." Pay attention to the personality of the narrator.

Spider-Man: Turn On the Dark!

Adaptation

During the summer, the UCF campus takes on a "Land That Time Forgot" sort of feeling. With so many teachers, students and even staff and administrators away, it can be hard to know who's minding the store. This is especially true in the evenings, when I typically teach during the summer.

My Adaptation class ends at 9:50 p.m. Last night, in the second half of class, we were watching A Room With a View when the view suddenly changed. At about 9:15, a row of lights at the front of the classroom popped on and would not shut off. Maintenance couldn't do anything about it. Naturally, my first thought was ghosts. Now I'm thinking there's a timer issue or something. Either way, who you gonna call? I am trying to get this fixed, but is there anyone left on campus who can help?

Discussion Topics

Adaptation

Discussion topics for 6.11.12:
1) Who are the characters in "Stage to Lordsburg?" What do we know about each one and how do we know it?
2) How are the characters in the movie Stagecoach different from the characters in the short story? What effect do the changes have on the meaning of the material?
3) What is the main theme of the short story? Of the movie?
4) Was the movie different in any way from how you expected it to be?


Continuing readings:
1) Finish reading "Stage to Lordsburg." Pay attention to who the many characters are.
2) Read A Room With a View. On 6.18.12, come to class prepared with three passages from the novel that tell us something important about a character or characters.
3) Begin reading Being There. Focus on the tone of the novella. Look for two passages that demonstrate that tone.

Baby, Baby

Adaptation
Great discussion last night about Bringing Up Baby -- the 1938 screwball-comedy film and the 1937 short story that inspired it. Some students clearly preferred the movie, with its lunacy and belief in love at first sight. Others were more partial to the story, with its more sophisticated humor and wised-up approach to romance. Love those disagreements! We also watched Stagecoach. To get everyone in the mood, I put on a CD of cowboy songs before class. Some students were amused, others just seemed puzzled. Wonder what they thought of the film.