MOVIE-CENTRIC: April 2015

Friday, April 24, 2015

Zombies & Beyond for 4/27

Talking Points for World War Z:
1) What are the modern zombie-movie tropes? Does WWZ include them?
2) Do you see a metaphor in this film? What is it? What's your evidence for saying so?
3) Is it the same metaphor for other zombie films that we've considered in class (or for other zombie films you have seen)?

Reminder: The paper for WWZ is the last short paper of the semester.

Law in Film for 4/30

Robert Duvall as Boo Radley

Reminders:
1) Class is scheduled 10 am-12:50 pm.
2) Be prepared to discuss your Final Paper for 5 minutes by saying what the theme is, what the films are, why you chose that theme and those films, and something (large or small) that you learned by writing or researching the paper.
3) Your Final Paper and Paper 9 are due. Bring a SASE if you want to get them back with comments.

Talking Points for To Kill a Mockingbird:
1) Do the two parts of the film fit together: Tom Robinson's trial and Boo Radley's story?
2) What does this film have to say about the law?
3) Is the film still relevant today?

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Zombies & Beyond for 4/20

Brad Pitt & friends in World War Z

Reminder I: I'm still waiting for Final Paper Proposals from Sam, Anna and Derek. Keep in mind that if your proposal is rejected, you'll need time to come up with another one and get it approved before you start work.

Reminder II. Here is our schedule for the rest of the semester:
4/20: Normal time (6-8:50 pm)
4/27: Normal time (6-8:50 pm)
5/4: (Different time (7-9:50 pm)

This week, we'll be watching World War Z, and Dr. Wang will lecture on Monsters as Metaphors.

Law in Film for 4/23

Reminder: I'm still waiting to receive Final Paper proposals from Kyle, Victoria and Dylan. Keep in mind that if your proposal is rejected, you'll need time to come up with another one and to get it approved before you start work on it.

This week, we'll be watching To Kill a Mockingbird. Even though it's a pretty long film, there will be time for our formal 10-minute break before it is screened.

If you get to campus just before class on Thursdays, remember to allow extra time this week. There's a weird parking situation on 4/23.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Law in Film for 4/16

Class this week is only from 1-2 pm. Mostly we'll have Final Paper conferences:
Kyle (Noon), Alexa (12:10), Patrick (12:20), Joelle (12:30), Victoria (12:40), Jessica K (12:50).
Rebecca (2 pm), Chase (2:10), Wesley (2:20), Jackie (2:30), Tara (2:40), Ben (2:50), Zach 3 pm).
Conferences will be held in NSC 214. Please arrive 10 minutes early.

Talking Points for Philadelphia:

Does the film seem contemporary, or does it seem like it's from another era?
How does the film use various characters to represent a spectrum of attitudes?
What are the legal issues here?
What's your opinion of Joe (Denzel Washington)?
What's the point of the opera scene?

Zombies & Beyond for 4/13

Class this week is only from 7-8 pm. Mostly, we'll be having Final Paper conferences:
Mary (5:45), Meghan (6 pm), Michael T. (6:10), Melissa (6:20), Stephanie (6:30), Aurora (6:40), Lauren (6:50)
Aja (8 pm), Natasha (8:10), Erin (8:20), Rachel (8:30), Brian (8:40), Michael S. (8:50), Sean (9 pm)
The conferences will be in NSC 214. Please arrive 10 minutes early.

Talking Points for X-Men: First Class:
1) What similarities and differences do you see between the mutants in this movie and the monsters we've studied so far?

2) What themes does this film explore?

3) What does this film have in common with other superhero movies you've seen?

4) Which of the many characters do you find most intriguing?