Cinemaphiles Unite!

Film is a window on the past, an amplifier for the present and a harbinger of our future. The best way to keep cinema alive is to support it: attend films in theatres, support preservation societies and archives, and never fail to appreciate the importance (and stimulating experience) of viewing films as they were meant to be seen.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

This week

We'll be watching LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (I hope! trying to find a copy), or possibly THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY. We'll also be finishing up presentations, and I will be collecting the final papers.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova


For anyone intersted in the music from Once, here are a couple links to the band The Swell Season, which is Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova's real-life music project.

TheSwellSeason.com
Myspace.com/theswellseason


Glen is also in another band called The Frames, their music can be heard here
Hello guys,

Nicole and I were wondering who the third person was who is supposed to present on today's film with us next week? If you want to be involved please call 508.395.8988.

Thanks!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

This week's screening, and VOLVER

I've been unable to obtain 4 WEEKS, 3 MONTHS AND 2 DAYS for tomorrow's class. It was signed out from the library and not returned in time. So, if anyone has access to this film on video, feel free to bring a copy to class. Otherwise, we will be seeing something else.

Those students doing a presentation on 4 WEEKS, 3 MONTHS AND 2 DAYS: if you have already started work on your presentation, you may continue. If not, or if you wish, you may opt to present on the film we watch tomorrow (either as a group or in new configurations). We will probably be watching the Irish film ONCE.

Also, I found this wonderful interview with Pedro Almodovar in the Bright Lights film journal.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Guidelines for Second Essay!

CONTEMPORARY EUROPEAN CINEMA
Second Essay Guidelines


Due date: Friday, April 30 in class.
No late papers will be accepted. Print copies must be turned in unless alternate arrangements are made with the instructor’s approval.

The essay should be 6-7 pages in length, between 1200-1500 words.
You need to use at least three outside sources. All sources, whether print, or web-based, must be cited properly (Either MLA or Chicago Manual of Style). You should also have either footnotes or endnotes (or cite sources in parentheses after each example), as well as a Works Cited/Bibliography page. If you aren’t sure how to do this, go to the Writing Center or look online for assistance; both the MLA and Chicago Manual have websites with easy to access guidelines.

Your sources may include reviews or interviews, as well as scholarly articles.

All topics must be approved by the instructor first! The best way to find a good topic is to work on formulating thesis statement (or several) and submit them via email. Do this no later than one week before the paper due date (that is, Friday, April 23rd).
A topic is not a thesis statement. A topic might be “female body image in LOOK AT ME/COMME UNE IMAGE”; a thesis statement is more along these lines: “Agnes Jaoui addresses issues of body image and female identity by portraying complex characters who struggle to win approval from the men in their lives.”

Topics:
The topic is open, within some parameters. Your topic must be based on a film we have viewed in class during the second half of the semester (that is, after the first essay was due). You may approach this in one of several ways:

1) Analysis of the film via a specific topic (e.g., images of claustrophobia in THE LIVES OF OTHERS).
2) Discussion of the film via consideration of the filmmaker or writer’s body of work; you still need a specific topic here (e.g., dysfunctional sexuality in the films of Pedro Almodovar).
3) Analysis of the film via discussion of a specific movement or trend in cinema, or in terms of cinema’s response to a particular social issue (e.g., Explicit sex or violence, abortion, etc.). Again, you must have a very specific topic.

Revise, revise, revise. This is the key to producing a good essay. Clarify your intent and meaning, use the best examples you can, eliminate superfluous or overly descriptive information. You want to show how well you understand the ideas we’ve discussed in class, and how well you “read” and respond to cinema.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me or make an appointment to discuss your essay with me. Please also feel free to ask questions here in the blog.