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.

Jaws (1975)

"...a Spielberg / Richard Dreyfuss classic."

One night, after a beach party, Chrissie Watkins goes skinny-dipping in the ocean off of Amity Island, a peaceful beach community that relies on summer tourism and fishing for its economic survival. While another partygoer lies drunk on the beach, Chrissie is attacked by something unseen that comes at her from underneath the water. As she screams in terror and pain, it drags her back and forth in the water before pulling her underneath for good.

A Great White Shark is soon found to be the culprit, and decides to make the small beach resort town of Amity his private feeding grounds. This greatly frustrates the town police chief who wants to close the beaches to chase the shark away. He is thwarted in his efforts by the town's mayor who finally relents when nothing else seems to work and the chief, a scientist, and an old fisherman with revenge on his mind take to the sea to kill the beast.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
The year is 1936. A professor who studies archeology named Indiana Jones is venturing in the jungles in South America searching for a golden statue. Unfortunately, he sets off a deadly trap doing so, miraculously, he escapes. Then, Jones hears from a museum curator named Marcus Brody about a biblical artifact called The Ark of the Covenant, which can hold the key to humanly existence. Jones has to venture to vast places such as Nepal and Egypt to find this artifact. However, he will have to fight his enemy Renee Belloq and a band of Nazis in order to reach it.

Gremlins (1984)

Actually directed by Joe dante, but "presented" by Steven Speilberg. A loveable but mysterious exotic pet is brought home from Chinatown and becomes the source of a slew of miseries for an American suburb. Sure, he's cute. Of course you can keep him. But heed these three warnings: Don't ever get him wet. Keep him away from bright light. And the most important thing, the one thing you must never forget: no matter how much he cries, no matter how much he begs . . . never, never feed him after midnight.

Steven Speilberg

Undoubtedly one of the most influential film personalities in the history of film, Steven Spielberg is perhaps Hollywood's best known director. Spielberg has countless big-grossing, critically acclaimed credits to his name, as producer, director and writer. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1946. He went to California State University Long Beach, but dropped out to pursue his entertainment career. He gained notoriety as an uncredited assistant editor on the classic western "Wagon Train" (1957). Among his early directing efforts were Battle Squad (1961), which combined World War II footage with footage of an airplane on the ground that he makes you believe is moving. He also directed Escape to Nowhere (1961), which featured children as World War Two soldiers, including his sister Anne Spielberg, and The Last Gun (1959), a western. All of these were short films. The next couple of years, Spielberg directed a couple of movies that would portend his future career in movies.

Amblin' also became the name of his production company, which turned out such classics as E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Spielberg had a unique and classic early directing project, Duel (1971) (TV), with Dennis Weaver. In the early 1970s, Spielberg was working on TV, directing among others such series as Rod Serling's "Night Gallery" (1970). Spielberg's first major directorial effort was The Sugarland Express (1974), with Goldie Hawn, a film that marked him as a rising star. It was his next effort, however, that made him an international superstar among directors: Jaws (1975). This classic shark attack tale started the tradition of the summer blockbuster or, at least, he was credited with starting the tradition. His next film was the classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), a unique and original UFO story that remains a classic.

Spielberg hit gold yet one more time with Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), with Harrison Ford taking the part of Indiana Jones. Spielberg produced and directed two films in 1982. The first was Poltergeist (1982), but the highest-grossing movie of all time up to that point was the alien story E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Spielberg also helped pioneer the practice of product placement. The concept, while not uncommon, was still relatively low-key when Spielberg raised the practice to almost an art form with his famous (or infamous) placement of Reece's Pieces in "E.T." Spielberg was also one of the pioneers of the big-grossing special-effects movies, like "E.T." and "Close Encounters", where a very strong emphasis on special effects was placed for the first time on such a huge scale. In 1984, Spielberg followed up "Raiders" with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), which was a commercial success but did not receive the critical acclaim of its predecessor. As a producer, Spielberg took on many projects in the 1980s, such as The Goonies (1985), and was the brains behind the little monsters in Gremlins (1984). He also produced the cartoon An American Tail (1986), a quaint little animated classic. His biggest effort as producer in 1985, however, was the blockbuster Back to the Future (1985), which made Michael J. Fox an instant superstar. As director, Spielberg took on the book The Color Purple (1985), with Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, with great success.

The late 1980s found Spielberg's projects at the center of pop-culture yet again. In 1988, he produced the landmark animation/live-action film Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). The next year proved to be another big one for Spielberg, as he produced and directed Always (1989) as well as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), and Back to the Future Part II (1989). Spielberg also produced other cartoons such as The Land Before Time (1988), We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (1993), Casper (1995) (the live action version) as well as the live-action version of The Flintstones (1994), where he was credited as "Steven Spielrock". Spielberg also produced many Roger Rabbit short cartoons, and many Pinky and the Brain, Animaniacs and Tiny Toons specials. Spielberg was very active in the early 1990s, as he directed Hook (1991) and produced such films as the cute fantasy Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) and An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991). He also produced the unusual comedy thriller Arachnophobia (1990), Back to the Future Part III (1990) and Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990). While these movies were big successes in their own right, they did not quite bring in the kind of box office or critical acclaim as previous efforts. In 1993, Spielberg directed Jurassic Park (1993), which for a short time held the record as the highest grossing movie of all time, but did not have the universal appeal of his previous efforts. Big box-office spectacles were not his only concern, though. He produced and directed Schindler's List (1993), a stirring film about the Holocaust. He won best director at the Oscars, and also got Best Picture. In the mid-90s, he helped found the production company DreamWorks, which was responsible for many box-office successes.

As a producer, he was very active in the late 90s, he produced what many believe was one of the best films of his career: Saving Private Ryan (1998), a film about World War Two that is spectacular in almost every respect. In 2001, he produced a mini-series about World War Two that definitely *was* a financial and critical success: "Band of Brothers" (2001), a tale of an infantry company from its parachuting into France during the invasion to the Battle of the Bulge. Also in that year, Spielberg was back in the director's chair for Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001).

The Blues Brothers

(John Landis, 1980)

The movie The Blues Brothers, which cost around $38 million to make, was released in 1980 and while initially it didn't do well at the Box Office, it has developed a world-wide cult following and is still regularly screened in cinemas around the world. It has developed into a cult classic, so popular that an official tribute show has toured and The Blues Brothers performed the half time entertainment for the 1997 Superbowl. Various other tribute shows are performing around the world.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT: Why do you think The Blues Brothers became such a success years after it was released? Is it the music? The all-star cast? Choose a part of the film that substantiates your point.
DUE: TBD

Dead Poets Society: Poetry

Reflect on the film and on one of the following poems listed below:

http://www.antiromantic.com/poetry.asp

Dead Poets Society
Peter Weir (1989)

The semester at the Welton Academy for boys begins with a speech given by the Headmaster, who states the academy's four pillars: Tradition, Honor, Discipline, and Excellence.

New English teacher, Mr. Keating, tells his students of the Dead Poets Society, and encourages them to go against the status quo. He tells the boys "Carpe Diem," which means seize the day, and has them rip the introduction out of a book, which is one of three ways that he demonstrates freedom of expression and non-conformity. Each, in their own way, the boys rebel against conformity, begin thinking for themselves, and are changed for life.

The Godfather

(Francis Ford Coppola; 1972)

The Godfather is told entirely within a closed world. That’s why we sympathize with characters that are essentially evil. The story by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola is a brilliant conjuring act, inciting us to consider the Mafia entirely on its own terms. Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) emerges as a sympathetic and even admirable character; during the entire film, this lifelong professional criminal does nothing that, in context, we can really disapprove of. We see not a single actual civilian victim of organized crime. No woman trapped into prostitution. No lives wrecked by gambling. No victims of theft, fraud, or protection rackets. The only police officer with a significant speaking role is corrupt.

The story views the Mafia from the inside. That is its secret, its charm, its spell; in a way it has shaped the public perception of the Mafia ever since. The real world is replaced by an authoritarian patriarchy where power and justice flow from the Godfather, and the only villains are traitors. There is one commandment, spoken by Michael (Al Pacino): “Don’t ever take sides against the family.”

What is important is loyalty to the family. Much is said in the movie about trusting a man’s world, but honesty is nothing compared to loyalty. Michael doesn’t even trust Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall) with the secret that he plans to murder the heads of the other families. The famous “baptism massacre” is tough, virtuoso filmmaking. The baptism provides him with an airtight alibi, and he becomes a godfather in both senses at the same time.

Vito Corleone is the moral center of the film. He is old, wise, an opposed to dealing in drugs. He understands that society is not alarmed by “liquor, gambling…..even women.” But drugs are a dirty business to Don Vito, and one of the movie’s best scenes is the Mafia summit in which he argues his point. The implication is that in the Godfather’s world there would be no drugs, only “victimless crimes,” and justice would be dispatched evenly and swiftly.

I want to point out how cleverly Coppola structures his film to create sympathy for his heroes. The Mafia is not a benevolent and protective organization, and the Corleone family is only marginally better than the others. Yet when the old man falls dead, we feel that a giant has passed. Gordon’s Willis’s cinematography is celebrated for its atmospheric, expressive shadows; his style earned him the nickname “the Prince of Darkness.” Coppola populates his dark interior spaces with remarkable faces. Those in the front line – Brando, Pacino, Caan, Duvall – are attractive in one way or another, but he actors who play their associates are chosen for their fleshy, thickly lined face – for huge jaws and deeply set eyes.

The Brando performance is justly famous and often imitated. We know all about his puffy cheeks and his use of props like the kitten in the opening scene. Those are actors’ devices. Brando uses them but does not depend on them. He embodies the character so convincingly that at the end, when he warns his on two or three times that “the man that comes to you to set up a meeting – that’s the traitor,” we are not thinking of acting at all. We are thinking that the don is growing old and repeating himself, but we are also thinking that he is probably absolutely right.

The screenplay of The Godfather follows no formulas except for the classic structure in which power passes between the generations. The writing is subtly constructed to set up events later on in the film. Coppola went to Italy to find Nino Rota, composer of many Fellini films, to score the picture. Hearing the sadness and nostalgia of the movie’s main theme, I realized what the movie was telling us: Things would have turned out better if we had only listened to the Godfather.

Staley Kubrick Reflection:

Relfect on the stylistic signature of director, Stanley Kubrick. Your reflection should comment on the following attributes of his work:

- Framing/Shots

- Camera Angles/Movement

- Sound

- Lighting

- Editing Technique

What films stood out to you the most? What did you like/dislike?

Due: 10/16

Full Metal Jacket

(1987)

This film takes a look at the effect of the military mindset and war itself on Vietnam era Marines.A two-segment story that follows young men from the start of recruit training in the Marine Corps to the lethal cauldron known as Vietnam.....The first segment follows Joker, Pyle and others as they progress through the hell of USMC boot-camp at the hands of the foul-mouthed Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. The second begins in Vietnam, near Hue, at the time of the Tet Offensive. The men face threats such as ambush, booby traps, and Viet Cong snipers as they move through the city.

The Shining

(1980)

A man, his son and wife become the winter caretakers of an isolated hotel where Danny, the son, sees disturbing visions of the hotel's past using a telepathic gift known as "The Shining." Along with writer's block and the demons of the hotel haunting him Jack has a complete mental breakdown and the situation takes a sinister turn for the worse......

2001: A Space Odyssey

(1968)

2001 is a story of evolution. At the dawn of man, a primitive tribe lives by hunting and gathering in a desert. The tribe discovers a black monolith, which they approach and examine. The implication is that the monolith is of extraterrestrial origin, and it imparts the knowledge of tools on members of the tribe. Monoliths are fictional advanced machines built by an unseen extraterrestrial species that appear in Arthur C. Clarke's Space Odyssey series of novels and films. After the discovery, one of the tribe members scavenges a bone from a pile and uses it as a club, discovering the first tool. This tool is used to hunt, and eventually as a weapon to kill a member of a rival tribe.

Eighteen months later, a spaceship is headed to Jupiter. Five scientists are aboard, none of whom know the exact purpose of their mission. The ship is controlled by an artificially intelligent supercomputer, HAL, which is treated as a sixth member of the crew by the other five. During the trip, HAL claims to detect an impending hardware failure in the ship's communications system. Two scientists, Dave Bowman and Frank Poole, replace the component, but find no fault in it. They are concerned about HAL's reliability, so they meet in secret and agree that if the component does not fail, they will disconnect HAL. HAL is faulty, and is endangering their lives and their mission. However, because HAL is an essential member of the team, this eventuality is problematic. Unknown to the astronauts, HAL reads their lips and discovers their plot to disconnect him. In his state of insanity, he conspires against the astronauts........

A Clockwork Orange

(1971)

Protogonist Alex is an "ultraviolent" youth in futuristic Britianwhose principal interests are rape, ultra-violence and Beethoven. In the world of the novel and film, youth violence is a major social problem, and Alex represents a typical—though highly successful—teenager. He dresses in the “heighth of fashion,” frequents all of the popular hangouts, and is the undisputed leader of his gang. Ultimately Alex's luck eventually runs out and he's arrested and convicted of murder and rape. While in prison, he agrees to try "aversion therapy" to shorten his jail sentence, and is thus brainwashed to be proper citizen of society. "Cured," he has become adverse to violence and is eventually let out of jail only to find a world of rejection.....

Unforgettable images, startling musical counterpoints, the fascinating language used by Alex and his pals - Kubrick shapes them into a shattering whole. Hugely controversial when first released, A Clockwork Orange won the New York Film Critics Best Picture and Director honors and earned four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. The power of its art is such that it still entices, shocks, and holds us in its grasp.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964):

U.S. Air Force General Jack Ripper goes completely and utterly mad, and sends his bomber wing to destroy the U.S.S.R. He suspects that the communists are conspiring to pollute the "precious bodily fluids" of the American people. The U.S. president meets with his advisors, where the Soviet ambassador tells him that if the U.S.S.R. is hit by nuclear weapons, it will trigger a "Doomsday Machine" which will destroy all plant and animal life on Earth. Peter Sellers portrays the three men who might avert this tragedy: British Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, the only person with access to the demented Gen. Ripper; U.S. President Merkin Muffley, whose best attempts to divert disaster depend on placating a drunken Soviet Premier and the former Nazi genius Dr. Strangelove, who concludes that "such a device would not be a practical deterrent for reasons which at this moment must be all too obvious." Will the bombers be stopped in time, or will General Jack Ripper succeed in destroying the world ?

Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999)

Stanley Kubrick was born in New York, and was considered intelligent despite poor grades at school. oping to find something to interest his son, Jack introduced Stanley to chess, with the desired result. Kubrick took to the game passionately, and quickly became a skilled player. Chess would become an important device for Kubrick in later years, often as a tool for dealing with recalcitrant actors, but also as an artistic motif in his films.

Jack Kubrick's decision to give his son a camera for his thirteenth birthday would be an even wiser move: Kubrick became an avid photographer, and would often make trips around New York taking photographs which he would develop in a friend's darkroom. After selling an unsolicited photograph to Look Magazine, Kubrick began to associate with their staff photographers, and at the age of seventeen was offered a job as an apprentice photographer. In the next few years, Kubrick had regular assignments for "Look", and would become a voracious movie-goer.

Kubrick was noted for the scrupulous care with which he chose his subjects, his slow method of working, the variety of genres he worked in, his technical perfectionism and his reclusiveness about his fims and personal life. He worked far beyond the confines of the Hollywood system, maintaining almost complete artistic control and making movies according to the whims and time constraints of no one but himself, but with the rare advantage of big- studio financial support for all his endeavours. Nominated several times for Oscars for both writing and directing, his only personal win was for the special effects in 2001: A Space Odyssey, though his films have won many Oscars and other awards in other departments.

Known for such film titles as "Dr. Stranglove," "Spartacus," "The Shining," "A Clockwork Orange," "Lolita," "Full Metal Jacket," "Eyes Wide Shut."

More about the director: http://kubrickfilms.warnerbros.com/

Everything is Illuminated
(Liev Schreiber, 2005)

Adapted from Jonathan Safran Foer's best selling book, Everything is Illuminated is both a funny, quirky, and thought-provoking film. The main story is a grimly familiar one - A young Jewish American--Jonathan Safran Foer--travels to the Ukraine in the hope of finding the woman who saved his grandfather from the Nazis. He is aided in his search by Alex Perchov, a naïve Ukrainian translator, Alex's grandfather (also called Alex), and the grandfather's deranged dog, named Sammy Davis Jr. Jr. He has only a photograph and the name of a village. Will they find the village? This directorial debut by Liv Schreiber will leave you smiling and, most likely, scratching your head just a little bit.

ASSIGNMENT: How does the past illuminate everything? Consider both the film and your thoughts on life in response to this question. 200 words

Based on the the film 12 Monkeys, answer the following questions in the form of a typed/written reflection:

1. While watching the film, what predictions did you make throughout it?
2. What elemments of the film were foreshadowing?
3. What was the purpose of the "flashback / flashforward" between the past and future? What did we learn through this technique?
4. What did you feel was the turning point in this film?

DUE: Tuesday, 9/29

12 MONKEYS
(Terry Gilliam; 1996)

IS THIS THE PRESENT?
IS THIS THE PAST?
An unknown and lethal virus has wiped out five billion people in 1996. Only 1% of the population has survived by the year 2035, and is forced to live underground. A convict reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to 1996 to gather information about the origin of the epidemic, which is thought to have been spread by a mysterious "Army of the Twelve Monkeys.”

The
Usual
Suspects
(Bryan Singer; 1995)

Following a truck hijack in New York, five conmen are arrested and brought together for questioning. As none of them is guilty, they plan a revenge operation against the police. The operation goes well, but then the influence of a legendary mastermind criminal called Keyser Söze is presented. It becomes clear that each one of them has wronged Söze at some point and must pay back now. The payback job leaves 27 men dead in a boat explosion, but the real question arises now: Who actually is Keyser Söze?


Police investigating an exploded boat on a San Pedro pier discover 27 bodies and $91 million worth of drug money. The only survivors are a severely burned and very scared Hungarian terrorist and Verbal Kint, a crippled con-man. Reluctantly, Kint is pressured into explaining exactly what happened on the boat. His story begins six weeks earlier with five criminals being dragged in by New York police desperate for suspects on a hijacked truck and ends with the possible identification of a criminal mastermind……

BARAKA (Ron Fricke) is a work of art which rates amongst the greatest achievements in the field. Baraka is an ancient Sufi word, which can be translated as "a blessing, or as the breath, or essence of life from which the evolutionary process unfolds." For many people Baraka is the definitive film in this style. As with any masterwork, it is something one will have to pursue. For those that seek it out at the proper time, 'Baraka' can act as a milestone of revelation. What the viewer takes from this film will solely be determined by the life experience they bring to it. 'Baraka' is unique in that it actually requires a commitment of time and concentration. This is a film that communicates its message without utilizing standard film language. Those that try to make the images conform to the conventional notions of Hollywood story telling are likely to give up in frustration. For a film with no plot,characters or dialog, it communicates an astonishing number of profound themes. Those who are familiar with National Geographic or the works of David Attenbourough will have little trouble in identifying the fascinating locals and tribes, but be forewarned: there are reasons that there are no subtitles or text on screen. Personal discovery is at the heart of the filmmaker's intentions. The ambient soundtrack by Michael Sterns weaves the images together on a separate plain, producing a hypnotic pathway for the images to flow. Once you allow yourself to be pulled along by this current of sound the images will link themselves together and the true revelations hidden within 'Baraka' will make themselves apparent. You may find as I did that your subconscious will be at work on 'Baraka' for many weeks after the experience, unlocking doors to a greater understanding.

Journal Assignment:
BARAKA (Ron Fricke) is a work of art which rates amongst the greatest achievements in the field. Baraka is an ancient Sufi word, which can be translated as "a blessing, or as the breath, or essence of life from which the evolutionary process unfolds." Being a film with no plot, characters or dialog, it communicates an astonishing number of profound themes. It takes us around the world in the hope of revealing certain truths about our past and present and gives us a vision for the future.

Explore two or three themes that you have identified and explain them using specific detail from the film. After watching the film, what images stick in your mind? What meaning can you create from the film based on the association of these images? What does the film teach us about the fate of humanity?