Screening Report 3: Spain: Talk To Her

1)      Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

The film Talk to Her is made by Pedro Almodóvar, who we learned is considered a feminist director. He likes creating strong female characters and having the focus be on women. Although, in this film we hardly see any women since the leads of the film are men. We also discussed Spain cinema and how their culture is a strong influence for their films. 

2)      Find a related article and summarize the content.  (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) You can use the library or the internet.  Cite the article and copy the link to your journal entry. Summarize in your own words the related article but do not plagiarize any content.  Make sure your link is a true hyperlink that will connect to the article you are referencing.

In the article, it believes that this film by Almodovar is likely his best work. They say it is unsettling and hard to call it a feminist movie but it does things right. It’s unsettling because they don’t know the right reaction to Alicia being raped, because Benigno sees his action as worship rather than penetration. Also, the article does find a conclusion on whether the film is a feminist film or not. Although it lacks women with speaking roles, the man embrace their feminine side by letting themselves cry and speak to each other about their feelings.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2002/aug/23/1

3)      Apply the article to the film screened in class.   How did the article support or change the way you thought about the film, director, content, etc.?

The article supports what we discussed in class because it goes over whether Almodovar should be considered a feminist director. He likes to make strong women characters, but that was harder to do in this film when the two women were in comas. But the article did add to the discussion because the men allowed themselves to let out their emotions with each other and support one another. Also, the article mentions that the women are worshipped in the film, so they are never unimportant. They actually play a bigger role in both men’s stories than we are lead to believe.

4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion,  formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article.  I am less interested in whether you liked or disliked a film, (although that can be part of this)  than I am in your understanding of its place in film history or the contributions of the director.

            The film Talk to Her was unique on how they handled men and women. Benigno and Marco are but very different men but they are similar because of their love for two women. Marco is a traveled macho man and Benigno is softer who is good with hair and makeup. Yet, them being together caused them to open up about their feelings which is something Marco never really does, but Benigno does with Alicia. As for the women, Lydia is put in a coma after a terrible bull fighting accident, and Alicia who was a dancer who was caught in a car accident. They are both seen as strong and independent when they were awake, both being incredible and beautiful athletes. The film worships them by making sure the audience watches the nurses dress Alicia in her hospital gown, and watch Lydia change into her matador costume. Each time the scenes play it takes its time and we don’t miss a single moment. The film wants the audience to understand the importance of these two women and how they impact the story.

            The colors of the film are bright and vibrate, making the film feel more upbeat and romantic. The colors suggest we should find the men’s devotion to these women as sweet and loving, but it’s also used to distract from the wrongness of Benigno’s relationship with Alicia. It’s so bright that we don’t realize right away that something bad will happen to Alicia and Benigno, the colors sooth the audience to think they will have a happy ending.

References

Bradshaw, P. (2002, August 22). Talk to Her. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/film/2002/aug/23/1

CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

1) ( X ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.

2) ( X ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3) ( X ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.

4) ( X ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.

5) ( X ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.

6) ( X ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.

7) ( X ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.

8) (  X) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.

Name: Melanie Flores______________________________________  Date: ________2-27-17____________________

Screening Report 2: France: Blue

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

In class we discussed the movie Blue being apart of a trilogy and how they are all named after different colors. This one being Blue, and the others White and Red.  We also learned the the director of this film was not a french director, but it was up to us to find out more about them. Furthermore, we went over the differences Blue has with Trainspotting, where both had extremely different styles of film making. Trainspotting is a film with dark humor and drug use, while Blue is an artistic drama.  

2)  Find a related article and summarize the content.  (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) You can use the library or the internet.  Cite the article and copy the link to your journal entry. Summarize in your own words the related article but do not plagiarize any content.

The article discusses Three Colors being Krzysztof Kieslowski's last work before his death and how it was an international masterpiece. Despite it’s age it still has a right to be popular due to it’s ability to make you feel like you're in a different world.  It also goes over it’s genre, which is a drama but seems to shift to a dark comedy, also using elements of anxiety. Also, each title for the films is named after the colors from the France flag, thus each movie represents liberty, equality, and brotherhood. As the article goes on it explains all three of the films and also tries to understand what they all have in common. The conclusion being they place you in a dreamlike world, due to the theme being dreams and creating a new identity.  

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/nov/10/have-three-colours-faded

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.   How did the article support or change the way you thought about the film, director, content, etc.?

While reading the article I found out that this film is similar to Trainspotting, they may not have the same subject matter but they have the same genre. Both films are dark comedies that also mix tragedy. It’s a tragedy that Julie lost her family, but she learns to move on. It’s a tragedy that Renton is a drug addict, but he too moves on. Both films explore different tragedies using different styles of storytelling. Trainspotting moves quickly and dialogue is rapid fire. Blue allows the film to have quiet movies and then crescendos to a more meaningful moment. The dialogue is also scarce, making the attendance interrupt Julie’s thoughts through her actions. Whereas with Trainspotting, the audience always knows what Renton is thinking because he tells us through his monologues.

4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion,  formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article.  I am less interested in whether you liked or disliked a film, (although that can be part of this)  than I am in your understanding of its place in film history or the contributions of the director.

What is unique about Blue is the way it uses music to establish Julie’s feeling. As previously mentioned, Julie doesn’t tell us what she is feeling however we can get hints of what is going through her mind. Each the time her music plays it’s during scenes where she must encounter people and make relationships or when she makes an important choice. It lets the audience know that she can’t hide from the people, and her music is constantly reminding her of that. The music she hears is also the reason why she wants to leave her old life behind, thus making her chose to live on her own in Paris. Also, the film does an interesting job with the character Lucille who is an exoctic dancer who becomes a friend for Julie. The film and Julie do not shame Lucille for being an exotic dancer, instead she tells Julie that she enjoys sex and feeling sexy. Why this caught my attention was due to the film releasing in the late 90s where many people still could not accept women being sexual active in any way. In the film the residents try to kick out Lucille for allowing other men into her room, but Julie refuses to sign the petition which allows Lucille to stay. Julie had an open mind about Lucille, she knows she sneaks in men but it’s not her business. Instead of shaming her for being an exotic dancer she is their to support her when Lucille needs her. Their friendship made Julie become more human, and it was a push to help her become her old self again.

References

Bradshaw, P. (2011, November 10). Three Colours trilogy: Decoding the blue, white and red. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/nov/10/have-three-colours-faded

CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

1) ( X ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.

2) ( X ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3) ( X ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.

4) ( X ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.

5) ( X ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.

6) ( X ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.

7) ( X ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.

8) (  X) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.

Name: Melanie Flores______________________________________  Date: ________2-13-17____________________

Screening Report 1: UK: Trainspotting

Melanie Flores

Comm 3202- 01

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

In class we spoke about the film and the people involved with the movie. We discussed the director, Danny Boyle who is known for other great movies such as Slumdog Millionaire and Steve Jobs. He works in particularly with Ewan McGregor who stars in a handful of his movies, and in Trainspotting he plays the lead role. We also went over the style of the movie where we talked about the beginning of the film and how it transitioned with each character falling onto the ground whenever they took a hit of heroin.

2)  Find a related article and summarize the content.  (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) You can use the library or the internet.  Cite the article and copy the link to your journal entry. Summarize in your own words the related article but do not plagiarize any content.

My article is from Vice and is entitled “An Oral History of Trainspotting, 20 Years Later”, and it is  an interview with Ewan McGregor, Kelly MacDonald, and Irvine Welsh. First they discussed the book and neither McGregor or MacDonald read the book until after their auditions. Welsh, the author of the original novel was worried about who would produce the film, but felt at ease by the energy Boyle had and had full trust in him. He also mentioned that many people were interested in directing his novel but Boyle impressed him the most. During auditions MacDonald wasn’t sure what she was doing with her life but found her calling when she saw a flyer for auditions for Trainspotting. She was excited to have the role but she was also very nervous being around the other talent. They all also discussed their favorite scenes, McGregor liked the underwater scene for its calmness, MacDonald enjoyed the club scene, and Welsh thought the drug withdrawal scene was phenomenal because it really showed the horrors of getting off heroin. McGregor and Welsh also discussed their reactions to the finished film and they expressed how amazed they felt and enjoyed the reaction from others. However, MacDonald remembers Bobby Carlye’s reaction to watching the film and how he felt embarrassed every time he was on screen. They also went over the backlash they received from the film and how many accused the movie of glamorizing drug culture and making heroin look enjoyable. The last thing they discussed was the upcoming sequel and how it is based on the novel Porno, which Welsh wrote as a sequel to Trainspotting. They are genuinely excited for the film and to work together again on set.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/an-oral-history-of-the-movie-trainspotting

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.   How did the article support or change the way you thought about the film, director, content, etc.?
The article does change the way I view the film because it gives more insight of what the actors were doing while filming, and what the author was thinking during the process as well. I actually was not aware that the film was originally a novel, which I find interesting because the story is so visual that I can’t imagine it as a novel. The article also tells us more about the backlash the film received, although the film had a cult following many people were worried that it was making drug culture too glamorized for youths who watched the film during the late 90s.

4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion,  formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article.  I am less interested in whether you liked or disliked a film, (although that can be part of this)  than I am in your understanding of its place in film history or the contributions of the director.

One of the things I loved most about the film was the way it transitioned scenes, especially in the scene where Renton climbs up the fence and jumps down and lands in a new scene. It was clean and stylish and added to the strange but enticing fantasy of the story. I also disagree with the backlash the film received in the past, I don’t see it as something that glamorizes drugs, on the contrary I think it shows the consequences of drug culture. Trainspotting has a scene where baby Dawn dies due to neglect, and the main reason why that happens is because her parents were high on drugs for so many days they forgot about her. This is the film’s wake up call to the audience that it does get harder for our characters as they dive deeper into their drug abuse. We also see Renton almost die from a drug overdose and having to detox at his parents’ house. His detox scene shows us his pain away from heroin and how it’s a roller coaster of fears and emotions. I enjoy that from the film, it doesn’t shy away from the joy drugs might make you feel and it definitely shows the nightmares it brings you.

References

An Oral History of 'Trainspotting' 20 Years Later. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/an-oral-history-of-the-movie-trainspotting

CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

1) ( X ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.

2) ( X ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3) ( X ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.

4) ( X ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.

5) ( X ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.

6) ( X ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.

7) ( X ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.

8) (  X) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.

Name: Melanie Flores______________________________________  Date: ________2-6-17____________________