Adaptation: Reminders & Talking Points for 12/5

REMINDERS:
1) On 12/5, our class will be held in the usual place but it will begin at 1 p.m.
2) Your Final Paper is due on 12/5.
3) If you want your Final Paper or your Little Mermaid paper returned, bring a stamped, self-addressed envelope with you to class and turn it in with your paper(s).
4) Be prepared to discuss your Final Paper for five minutes by answering these questions:
  a) Which film & text combination did you choose to write about?
  b) What is the theme of your paper?
  c) Why did you choose that film, text & theme?
  d) What is something (large or small) that you learned while writing or researching your Final Paper?

TALKING POINTS (for The Little Mermaid):
1) What passage in the fairy tale surprised you?
2) If you had already seen the film, how was watching it different this time (after having read the fairy tale)?
3) What are the themes of the film and the fairy tale?
4) How would you re-tell the movie's story from Sebastian's point of view?

Comedy: Reminders for 12/2

1) If you didn't see Burn After Reading in class, and if you haven't seen it elsewhere recently, be sure you do before class. We'll be discussing it in detail.
2) Be prepared to talk about your Final Paper. You'll have to tell the class: the films and theme you wrote about, why you chose those films and that theme, and something (large or small) that you learned while writing and researching your Final Paper.
3) If you want your Final Paper returned to you, be sure to bring a stamped, self-addressed envelope to class.

Comedy: Talking Points for 11/25

Which main character in Election do you consider the "best" (or most admirable) person? Why? We'll have an election of our own to determine the answer.

We'll also be watching Burn After Reading, but there is no short paper that goes with that film. We will, however, discuss it the following week.

Comedy for 11/18

Hi there. Long time, no see.

This Monday (11/18), I hope you remember, we have a kind of strange schedule:

6-7 pm, Final Paper conferences: Philip (6 pm), Imran (6:10), Sean (6:20), Erika (6:30), Kelvin (6:40), Luke (6:50).

7-8 pm, Pizza Party!

8-9 pm, More Final Paper conferences: Michael (8 pm), Kiley (8:10), Megan (8:20), Richard (8:30)

Please wait for your conference on the bench outside the hall to my office, and please arrive 5-10 minutes early.

For our party, please bring your own (non-alcoholic) beverage and $4 for the pizza. Also, remember that you'll need to have a joke to tell.

Sarah, we're all counting on you to get the pizza to our classroom by 7 pm! (Leave yourself plenty of time and bring the receipt, please.)

Adaptation: Link to the Theme from "The Long Goodbye"

Singer Jack Sheldon

To hear the "Theme from The Long Goodbye," click here.

Adaptation for 11/14

After you've come down off the high of our awesome Pizza Party, it'll be time to focus on our next class. On 11/14, I'll be talking a lot about the film version of The Long Goodbye. You should be prepared to discuss the film and the novel.  Also, we'll watch The Little Mermaid.


Remember that our final class will be on Thursday, Dec. 5 in our usual room, NSC 148.  The time, however, will be different: 1-3:50 p.m.

Comedy for 11/11

Veterans Day

No Classes
Enjoy the Day

Adaptation: Reminders for 11/7

Here's our schedule:
3-4 pm: Final Paper conferences. (Meet me on the bench outside the hallway to my office.)
4-5 pm: Pizza Party.
5-6 pm: More Final Paper conferences. (Meet me on the bench outside the hallway to my office.)

For the Pizza Party:
1) Bring in $3.
2) Bring a beverage (non-alcoholic, of course).

Also:
The paper on The Long Goodbye is due.

Comedy for 11/4

Talking Points for Beetlejuice:
1) If you've seen this film before, did you see it differently this time?
2) Is it subversive? If so, what are its targets?
3) Why is the title the name of a supporting character?
4) What does this movie have to say about death?
5) Where is this movie's heart?

Reminder:
Don't forget your final paper conferences and try to arrive 5-10 minutes early. If you can't remember when your appointment is, email me.

Adaptation for 10/31

1) Since it'll be Halloween, it's OK to come to class in costume. (I'll be dressed the way I usually am.)
2) If you signed up for a final-paper conference this week, be sure to be there (and come 5-10 minutes early, if possible).
3) If you've forgotten what time your conference is, feel free to message me and I'll look it up for you.
4) Bring any ideas for our upcoming pizza party to class.
5) Be prepared to discuss Ghost World.

Comedy for 10/28

Bring along your ideas for our Pizza Party!

Talking Points for Sleeper:
1) How does this film subvert mainstream, Establishment values?
2) How does it subvert counter-culture, anti-Establishment values?
3) What jokes did you not get?
4) What other films that we've seen does it remind you of?

Comedy: Talking Points for 10/21

For M*A*S*H:
1) What annoyed you about this movie? (Or, at least, what seemed different about it?)
2) What are the movie's targets and how are they targeted?
3) What did you think of the shower scene?

Adaptation: Talking Points and Reminders for 10/25

Talking Points for All About Eve & "The Wisdom of Eve":
1) Who narrates the short story? The movie?
2) We don't see even part of a stage performance in All About Eve. Why?
3) What do you like and not like about the movie's various
characters?

Reminders: 
Bring in the text of "The Wisdom of Eve" with the appropriate passages marked.
Keep reading ahead in The Long Goodbye and mark the appropriate passages.

Comedy: Paper 7 Prompt (M*A*S*H)

American Film Comedy

Prof. Jay Boyar

jay.boyar@ucf.edu

FIL 4830H

Paper #7

M*A*S*H

Many of the characters in M*A*S*H have surprising facets to their personalities. "Bad" people have positive traits. "Good" people have negative ones. Cynical characters have tender sides. Smart people can be shallow. And so on.

Give three (or more) examples from the film of characters with surprising personality facets, and explain how we know what we know about them by referring to specific scenes in the film. Comment on how these surprising facets affect your opinion of the characters.

Adaptation: Reminders for 10/17

Be sure to read "The Wisdom of Eve" by class time. We won't actually discuss it much until the following week, but it's better to read this story before seeing the film.

Also keep in mind that the film for this week, All About Eve, is quite long so we won't have our usual midway break. There will be a short (5 minutes, tops) break while I'm setting up the projector, but that's it. Of course, if you need to leave to go to the bathroom at any point, that's always an acceptable option.

Comedy: Talking Points for 10/14

For Dr. Strangelove:

1) Who is the "I" in the movie's subtitle, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb?
2) Why is the film named after a character who isn't on screen very much?
3) What is the significance of the names of the other major characters?
4) What do you make of the whole fluoridation thing?

Adaptation: Reminders & Talking Points for 10/10

1) Bring your copy of A Room with a View with three passages about a character or characters marked.

2) Bring your copy of Being There with two passages about TV marked.

3) Be prepared to discuss both books and the films based on them.

4) For A Room with a View, think about:
  a) How do you feel about Charlotte Bartlett? Why?
  b) How do you feel about Mr. Beebe? Why?
  c) Do you find the book funny? The film?
   
5) For Being There, think about:
  a) What does the ending mean?
  b) What does the title mean?
  c) What is the movie saying about television?
  d) What is the movie saying about politics?

Comedy: Talking Points for 10/7

For The Seven Year Itch

1) Does this film seem like it was made by the same director (Billy Wilder) who made Some Like It Hot? Which movie do you like better?
2) Does Marilyn Monroe seem different in each film?
3) What's the deal on the canoe paddle?
4) What the deal on the neighbors who are said to be interior decorators?

Comedy: Talking Points for 9/30

For Some Like It Hot:

1) Which scene do you think is director Billy Wilder's tribute to the stateroom scene in A Night at the Opera?
2) What are the implications, if any, of the final line of Some Like It Hot?
3) Is this the funniest American film comedy ever made?
4) Why is this movie in black-and-white?
5) Is it clear to you from this movie why Marilyn Monroe was such a big star, or is it something of a puzzle?

Adaptation for 10/3

1) On 10/3, we're going to watch Being There, which is a pretty long movie. So we won't be able to have our usual 10-minute break. You'll have just a few minutes (no more than 5), while I'm setting up the projector, for a break. However, as always, if you need an unscheduled break, you're always free to take one.

2) Reminder: Be sure to bring your copy of A Room with a View with 3 passages marked, passages that tell the reader something important about a character or characters. (If you try to fake it and find a passage at the last minute, as one or two students did at our last class meeting, I can tell!)

3) Another reminder: Your paper on A Room with a View is due on 10/3, and it is REQUIRED.

Adaptation: Talking Points for 9/26

For Stagecoach/"Stage to Lordsburg":

1) What are this short story & movie about?
2) Considering that Stagecoach is a western, were you surprised by anything in it?
3) How is the main hero introduced in the short story? In the movie?
4) By the end of the movie, what happens to the people in the stagecoach? Is this different in the short story?

Reminder: Bring in "Stage to Lordsburg" with two passages marked in which information is revealed indirectly.

Comedy: Talking Points for 9/23

For His Girl Friday:
1) From whose perspective do you tend to see most of the events of this movie?
2) What does this film have to say about marriage & divorce?
3) The dialog in this film is often fast-paced. Did you like that? Do you like this film?
4) Would you describe the journalists in this film as "heartless"?

Comedy for 9/16: Talking Points

For The Miracle of Morgan's Creek

1) What do you suppose would have been shocking about this movie in 1944?
2) What is the significance of the title?
3) Is there a sensible person in this movie?
4) What do you think about the story being told in flashbacks?

Adaptation: Talking Points for 9/12

For Rear Window:

1) How does the introduction of the character of Lisa change the story?
2) How does the switch from the short story's Sam to the movie's Stella affect things?
3) How is music used in this film?
4) What does the movie's ending mean?

Comedy: Talking Points for 9/9

A Night at the Opera

1) Who is your favorite Marx Brother? Why?
2) What are the movie's targets?
3) What are the characters' social classes?

Adaptation: Preview of 9/5

This week, we'll be watching Rear Window, Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 masterpiece. Be sure you've read the corresponding story in your book to prepare. I think you'll like this one!

Adaptation: Reminder

Just a reminder that due to the football game on Thursday, Aug. 29, there will be no class. Why not use the extra time to get ahead on your reading for the class?

Hitchcock: Odds & Ends

In case you were wondering, the correct answers to test #5 are:
1) c. 2) a. 3) e. 4) b. 5) d. 6) e. 7) c. 8) d. 9) b. 10) a.

For those who took the makeup test, the correct answers to it are:
1) e. 2) c. 3) e. 4) d. 5) a. 6) d. 7) c. 8) b. 9)b. 10) a.

As you probably know, on Thursday (8/1) we will have our final exam in the second half of the class, sometime after the break. It will contain 50 multiple-choice questions and you'll have an hour to complete it.

Earlier on Thursday, we'll see The Birds, our final Hitchcock film. It's a good one!

Hitchcock: Reminders for 7/30

On Tuesday, 7/30, I'll be offering tips about how to study for the final exam (which will be on Thursday, 8/1). This won't be a formal review of the material we've covered but, rather, suggestions for what to focus on while studying for the exam. There will also be quite a bit of new material introduced on Tuesday, some of which will be on the exam.

Meanwhile, we'll watch Psycho, Hitchcock's most famous film (by far). We'll also look at a couple of scenes from the 1998 Psycho remake.

Hitchcock: Reminder for 7/25

Our fifth short test will be on Thursday, 7/25. Be sure to bring a raspberry (pink) scantron with you. Like the previous tests, this one will have 10 questions and should take about 10 minutes. This test can cover anything we've done so far and may be given at any time during class.

On Thursday, we will watch North by Northwest, an especially exciting Hitchcock thriller. We'll also see part of Dressed to Kill, a thriller by one of Hitchcock's many "children," Brian De Palma.

Hitchcock: Reminder for 7/23

Our fourth short test will be on Tuesday, 7/23. Be sure to bring a raspberry (pink) scantron with you. Like the previous tests, this one will have 10 questions and should take about 10 minutes. This test can cover anything we've done so far and may be given at any time during class.

Also on Tuesday, we'll watch Vertigo, a film that is often considered to be Hitchcock's greatest masterpiece.

Hitchcock: Talking Points for 7/18

To Catch a Thief may be the most purely entertaining movie that Alfred Hitchcock ever made. Before coming to class think about these questions:
1) What is the difference between a work of art and a work of entertainment?
2) Is there, in fact, a difference?
3) If there is a difference, what films (not necessarily Hitchcock films) are examples of each kind?

Hitchcock: Reminder for 7/16

Our third test will be on Tuesday, 7/16. Be sure to bring a raspberry (pink) scantron with you. Like the first and second tests, this one will have 10 questions and should take about 10 minutes.

This test can cover anything we've done so far and may be given at any time during class.

Hitchcock: Bad boys for 7/11

Uncle Charlie in Shadow of a Doubt

Bruno in Strangers on a Train

Norman Bates in Psycho

Hitchcock: Images for 7/9

Salvador Dali

A moment from "Un Chien Andalou"

Dali's "The Persistence of Memory"

Hitchcock: Reminder for 7/9

Our second test will be on Tuesday, 7/9. Be sure to bring a raspberry (pink) scantron with you. Like the first test, this one will have 10 questions and should take about 10 minutes. It can cover anything we've done so far and may be given at any time during class.

Review: The Lone Ranger

The Lone Ranger is being kicked around by the critics and, honestly, I can't blame them. It's one big hot mess of a movie. Still, it does have its moments. Johnny Depp's stone-faced, laconic performance as Tonto seems to owe less to Jay Silverheels (who played the warrior/sidekick on TV) than it does to Buster Keaton, the great silent-film comedian. And, in fact, The Lone Ranger's director, Gore Verbinski, also appears to have been influenced by Keaton, especially in his staging of the semi-comic action sequences, some of which do come off OK. But, yes, finally, the film is just over-scaled, overlong and implausible (even by the standards of the genre), and there's little discernible chemistry between Depp and Armie Hammer, who plays the masked man. Take a pass, Kemosabe.

World War Z review

So after complaining about the high body counts in other blockbusters this summer (Star Trek: Into Darkness, Man of Steel, Iron Man 3), here I am about to praise the one with the highest body count of all. Yes, I like World War Z. Maybe the body count doesn't bother me because, well, what else should you expect from a zombie movie? Anyway, it's clever and has some powerful imagery (the zombies climbing a wall, for example, like a rising tide in a sea of inhumanity). And while WWZ moves swiftly, it also pauses now and then for reflection. (I believe that's called good pacing, something I wouldn't accuse those other blockbusters of having.)  This isn't Brad Pitt's biggest acting challenge, but his connection with the audience is impressive and he achieves it without fuss or irony. Of course, a movie like this one is a strong flavor that isn't for everybody. But much to my surprise, it's for me.

Hitchcock: Talking Points for 7/2

About The Lady Vanishes:
1) Do you see any thematic (or other) similarities between The Lady Vanishes and The 39 Steps?
2) How would you describe Hitchcock's sense of humor in general?
3) Why do the people on the train claim not to remember the lady who vanishes?
4) Where do the three "acts" (or sections) of the film begin and end?
5) When in the film do we first realize that we're in Hitchcock's "dark" world?
6) How long did it take you to realize who the two main characters are?

Much Ado About Nothing review

Is Much Ado About Nothing the best film of the summer so far? Absolutely. Is it the best film of the year? Too soon to tell, but probably. Turns out, the increasingly amazing Joss Whedon (who directed last summer's The Avengers, as if I have to tell you) can do Shakespeare, too. His new modern-dress (and modern-attitude) production is so unfussy and lucid that it fools you into thinking it's effortless, which it simply could not have been. It's in B&W, BTW, but not that washed-out, hipsterish black and white that we recently saw in Frances Ha.  This is closer to the expressive, "colorful" kind that was used in its heyday. But why am I dwelling on the photography when I could be talking about the wonderful performances, which bring out every bit of hilarity lurking in the Bard's comedy? Most critics are making a major fuss about this movie and, for once, it's much ado about something.

Hitchcock: Reminder & Talking Points

Reminders:
1) Our first test will be on Thursday, 6/27. Please don't forget to bring a raspberry (pink) scantron.
2) Please read Chapter 14 in our text before coming to class.
3) If you have any further questions about the syllabus, we can deal with them on Thursday.

Talking Points:
We'll be continuing our discussion of The 39 Steps. Think about it.

 

Man of Steel review

I've put off writing about Man of Steel because I'm starting to sound like a broken record (do people still use that expression in the iTunes era?) about this summer's blockbusters. I have not been enjoying them, which is especially disappointing, considering that I did very much like last summer's Avengers. MoS unfortunately features the same kind of soul-deadening violence that I've seen too much of this summer. (But at least the violence in MoS is coherent, something I would not say about most of the action scenes in the latest Iron Man or Star Trek movies). The main problem, though, is pretty obvious. Warner Brothers had a big hit with its Dark Knight trilogy so it tried (as far as possible) to turn Superman into Batman. Not the same guy. Box office aside, Superman has always worked best when the film (or TV series) is at least partly facetious -- "comic," as in "comic book." (The Avengers certainly had that quality.) But MoS varies from sincere to grim: an epic saga with Superman as some kind of space messiah. Those fanboys who've been complaining that Superman isn't Superman without his external red undies (surprisingly) have a point. A world in which those crimson skivvies don't belong is just too serious for old Supey.

Before Midnight review

These "Before" movies (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and the new one, Before Midnight) just keep getting better. Before Midnight finds just the right attitude to take about the couple at the center of the story, played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. That is, the tone is somewhere between sincere and mocking. Hawke and Delpy are terrific, too. The self-indulgence we see on screen belongs entirely to their characters, not to them as actors. I enjoyed the fast-paced dialogue (credited to the director and the stars) and the way the relationship between the two lovers has continued to deepen and evolve throughout the series. I'm sure I would have liked this movie if I hadn't seen the first two installments, but having seen all three, I'm sort of in love.

Honors Adaptation: Thanks!

                       Thanks for a great mini-semester! Time to read those final papers...