Adaptation: Talking Points

Marilyn Monroe

1) Reminder: Our first test is on 2/7/13. Attendance is required. Please be there and be on time.
2) We'll be discussing the novel A Room With a View. Bring the book and finish reading it (or come close). Be sure to mark three passages in the novel that reveal something important about the personality of a character or characters.
3) All About Eve is a movie about the theater yet we never see a major portion of a stage performance in it. Why is that?
4) What did you think of Marilyn Monroe's performance in All About Eve?

Expository Writing: Talking Points

Back to the Future:

1) When does the camera movement or position contribute to the comedy?
2) Who is the central character of this movie?
3) What is the major theme of this movie?
4) What information are we given in the first few minutes of the movie?

Law in Film: Talking Points

The Paper Chase

1) How does the depiction of law school in this movie compare to what you suspect law school is like today?
2) Do you wish your professors were more like Kingsfield?
3) Do the character names in this movie offer any insight into the characters?
4) What do you make of the way the film ends?

Criticism: Talking Points

Film Noir

1) What are the common characteristics of film noir?
2) What conditions led to the "birth" of film noir?
3) What's your favorite or least favorite example of film noir?
4) Do you generally like film noir? Why?

Honors Comedy: Talking Points

The Miracle of Morgan's Creek:

1) How did this movie get past the Hays Office and the Production Code?
2) Was Trudy drunk?
3) Was Trudy married?
4) What's the significance of the word "Miracle" in the title?

Zero Dark Thirty

I guess I have to admit that I'm not a political person. I know that Zero Dark Thirty is based on actual events and I'm also aware that a serious political issue has arisen over the depiction of waterboarding in the film and whether information gathered during waterboarding contributed to the demise of Osama bin Laden. But as I watched the movie, I soon pretty much forgot all that and began responding to the film as a suspense flick. And I really liked it! It starts off kind of slow, but it definitely gets there. Question: Does this mean I'm not allowed to vote anymore?

Adaptation: Reminder

Marilyn Monroe and George Sanders in All About Eve.

On 1/31, we'll be watching All About Eve.
On 2/7, we'll have our first test. Attendance on this date is required.

Honors Comedy: Talking Points

See the earlier post about the Marx Brothers.

Expository Writing: Talking Points

Some Like It Hot:
1) Where do you see the theme of "disguise" expressed in this movie?
2) Why would director Billy Wilder choose to make this film in black-and-white?
3) What do you make of the last line in this film: "Nobody's perfect."
4) When Joe pretends to be a millionaire, does his voice remind you of that of another famous actor?

Criticism: Talking Points

Fargo:
1) Why is the film called Fargo?
2) Is there a reason for the scene in which Marge meets an old school friend at a hotel restaurant?
3) At the beginning of the film we're told that it's based on a true story. But it isn't. Why are we given this misinformation?
4) How does the cold weather that we see in the film affect your experience of watching it?

Law in Film: Talking Points

Reversal of Fortune:
1) If you had been one of Prof. Dershowitz's students, would you have joined his team to defend Claus von Bulow? Why?
2) What are Dershowitz's stated reasons for defending von Bulow?
3) What legal issue is involved when Dershowitz attempts to introduce new evidence in the case in court?
4) How and when is humor used in the film?

Adaptation: Screwball Comedy

What is a screwball comedy? When was their heyday? How did they come about? And what, if anything, do they have to do with Iron Man? We'll be talking about all this, among other things, this week -- as well as watching Bringing Up Baby, one of the classics of the screwball comedy form.

Law in Film: Talking Points

Questions to think about for our discussion of 12 Angry Men:

1) What is this movie saying? What legal issues does it raise?
2) How do you feel about it being mainly set in one room?
3) How does the room seem to change as the movie goes along?
4) How does the director single out individual characters and help you to keep them straight?
5) Do you like the black-and-white cinematography?

Criticism: Talking Points

Talking points for Strangers on a Train:
1) Hitchcock makes a lot of his points visually. What are some examples?
2) Why is the murder scene reflected in eyeglasses?
3) What do you think of the carousel scene?
4) How are Guy and Bruno different? The same?

Honors Comedy: Talking Points

No class on 1/21/13. But for next week, think about:
1) Who is your favorite Marx Brother & why?
2) To what social class do the characters played by the Marx Brothers belong in A Night at the Opera?
3) Why do the Marx Brothers' characters care about the young lovers?
4) When Groucho and Chico are going over the contracts, Groucho asks Chico if Chico knows what a "duplicate" is and Chico answers something like "those kids in Canada." What's the basis of the joke here?

Expository Writing: Our Text

Right after class, I checked at the campus bookstore and they had two copies of our text on the shelf. The trick is you have to check the shelves that are reserved for Hamilton Holt classes, not the other shelves.

At the bookstore, the textbook manager told me that after those two copies are gone, students must come into the bookstore and pay for a book in advance. Then the bookstore will order a copy and it should be there in about three days. I was told that a professor may not order additional books for the class. Each student must do that and pay in advance.

So if you don't yet have a book, go to the bookstore and buy one of the two remaining copies. If they are gone already, you can order one.

Criticism: Missing Tip

Writing Tip #13 on your handout sheet should read:

Avoid using "lawyer" words like aforementioned and heretofore. You're communicating ideas, not protecting clients.

Honors Comedy: Missing Tip

Writing Tip #13 on your handout sheet should read:

Avoid using "lawyer" words like aforementioned and heretofore. You're communicating ideas, not protecting clients.

Adaptation: Bring the Book

Just a quick reminder: When you come to class on Thursday, be sure to bring your book with the short story "Rear Window" in it, or at least that same story in some form. We'll be seeing the film and discussing both the story and the movie, which are substantially different from each other.

Law in Film: Words

Here's something to think about: In the New York Times review of "12 Angry Men" that you're assigned to read, what does the reviewer mean by the word "fat" in this sentence:
"Each of his performers has a 'fat' part and they are convincingly played."
Also, what do these words from the review mean: "ukase," "veniremen" and "distaff."

Criticism: Great Class!

I just want to say that I thought we had a great class this week. I especially enjoyed your impromptu oral movie reviews. Especially considering that I gave you almost no warning, you all did an amazing job of defending your points about the films. Try to bring that level of ingenuity and analysis to the reviews you'll be writing for this class! (And don't forget this week's reading assignment.)

Honors Comedy: DVDs on Reserve

I may have forgotten to mention that if you have to miss class, all the DVDs we'll be watching are on reserve in the main library. You can't take them out of the library, but you can watch them there. (This doesn't excuse you from coming to class, but it is an easy way to catch up with the rest of the class.)

UCF Students

Yes, this is Prof. Boyar's blog. You found it! Stay tuned for additional postings as Spring 2013 moves along...

Tarantino's Symmetry

A hero of Django Unchained

I find it interesting that the bad guys in Quentin Tarantino's latest film, Django Unchained, are mostly Southern white guys and one of its main heroes is German. Meanwhile, the leader of the heroes in his previous film, Inglorious Basterds, is a Southern white guy and the villains are mostly Germans. This has to be deliberate, right?

A villain of Inglorious Basterds

Lincoln or Argo?

For a long time, I thought that Argo was my favorite movie of 2013. But the more I think about Spielberg's Lincoln, the more I like it. There's an interesting idea behind Lincoln, at least as I see it. Basically, the character of Lincoln is dead in some sense before the story in the movie begins. He's like a spirit who has returned to earth to take care of some unfinished business -- passing the 13th amendment. He's kind of like the main character in Ghost or Carousel or A Guy Named Joe (which Spielberg remade as Always). At first I thought that this idea of Lincoln was mainly conveyed through Daniel Day Lewis' great, recessive performance (my favorite this year). But I watched the film a second time and now I see that this interpretation is fully supported throughout the film, in terms lighting, staging, dialogue and so on. (It may be one reason we don't see Lincoln shot; i.e., he's already dead.) But I still love Argo, too. I haven't seen Zero Dark Thirty or Django Unchained yet, so maybe I'll prefer one of those. We'll see...