BIG Fish

Tim Burton (2003)

This film follows the incredible life of Edward Bloom, through a series of flashbacks that begin when his son Will visits him for the last time. Will hasn't spoken to his father for years because he believes him to be a liar that never really cared for his family. In a series of legends and myths inspired by the few facts he knows about his father, Will learns about his father's life through these tales, and begins to understand his father's great feats and his great failings.

ASSIGNMENT:

1. How does the life of Edward Bloom symbolize the "big fish?"

2. What themes are present in this story?

DUE: Tuesday, January 19

La vita è bella ~ Life is Beautful

Roberto Benigni (1997)

1939 Arezzo, Italy. Guido, a Jewish book keeper starts a fairy tale life by courting and marrying a lovely woman from a nearby city. Guido and his wife have a son and live happily together until the occupation of Italy by German forces. In an attempt to hold his family together and help his son survive the horrors of a Jewish Concentration Camp, Guido imagines that the Holocaust is a game and that the grand prize for winning is a tank.

Pan's Labyrinth

Guillermo del Toro; 2006

In 1944 fascist Spain, a girl, fascinated with fairy-tales, is sent along with her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather, a ruthless captain of the Spanish army. During the night, she meets a fairy who takes her to an old faun in the center of the labyrinth. He tells her she's a princess, but must prove her royalty by surviving three gruesome tasks. If she fails, she will never prove herself to be the the true princess and will never see her real father, the king, again.

ASSIGNMENT: Was this story real or a fantasy? Explain what you think providing an analysis to prove yourself true.

A world Ofelia created to deal with the harsh realities she faced? A true myth? Then, connect this to one/two fairytales/myths/legends you are familiar with. 200 words.

DUE: 12/21

Speilberg Unit Assignment: Steven Spielberg raised the bar in film to almost an art form with his infamous placement of Reece's Pieces in "E.T." to becoming a pioneer of the big-grossing special-effects movies, like "Indiana Jones...." Reflect on the work and directorial trends of Steven Speilberg. Support each with an example using one/more of his films.

300 words. DUE: Friday, 12/11

E.T. : The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
While visiting the Earth at Night, a group of alien explorers is discovered and disturbed by an approaching human task force. Because of the more than hasty take-off, one of the visitors is left behind. The little alien finds himself all alone on a very strange planet. Fortunately, the extra-terrestrial soon finds a friend and emotional companion in 10-year-old Elliot. Although E.T. wishes very much to return home, the two begin to communicate, and start a unique and special friendship.....

Jurassic Park (1993)

On a remote island, a wealthy entrepreneur secretly creates a theme park featuring living dinosaurs drawn from prehistoric DNA. Before opening the attraction to the public, he invites a top paleontologist, a paleobotanist, a mathematician/theorist, and his two eager grandchildren to experience the park -- and help calm anxious investors. However, their park visit is anything but tranquil as the park's security system breaks and the dinosaurs set themselves free. Now the selected audience, in the leadership of Doctor Grant and include Doctor Malcolm, Doctor Sattler, Hammond's grandchildren, and some more has to survive in the Island.

Back to the Future

Robert Zxemeckis - Presented by Steven Speilberg (1985)

Marty McFly, a typical American teenager of the Eighties, is accidentally sent back to 1955 in a plutonium-powered DeLorean "time machine" invented by slightly mad scientist. During his often hysterical, always amazing trip back in time, Marty must make certain his teenage parents-to-be meet and fall in love - so he can get back to the future.

The Goonies

Richard Donner, Written by Steven Speilberg (1985)

The Goonies are a group of friends living in a village, the groups leader Mikey Walsh, his older brother Brand and gang members Andy, Data, Stef, Mouth, and Chunk are being evicted from their homes which are to be demolished. Setting out to find a way of saving their homes, The Goonies find a treasure map and they set off in search for the treasure of the legendary pirate One-Eyed Willy which is located beneath a abandoned restaurant. Joined by a deformed gentle giant named Sloth, The Goonies embark on a great adventure through a underground maze filled with traps and skeletons, where they are pursued by Sloth's mother, thief Momma Fratelli and his brothers Jake and Francis who are also after One-Eyed Willy's treasure and they willing to get the treasure first.