Analyse how films such as The Avengers, Harry Potter, and A Wrinkle in Time help motivate youth and adults alike and different.
I meant positive motivators such as improving one's life for the better, not giving up easily, etc. – Yvonne T.6 years ago
Yes, SaraiMW, I meant in very similar films' plots can help youth and adults. – Yvonne T.6 years ago
I'd say such films help kids and adults feel more motivated to be brave. They also motivate both kids and adults to get more into reading and watching movies. They also motivate adults more so than they do kids to get in touch with their inner child from their childhood days. They motivate kids to greatly appreciate the childhood they have now of reading and watching movies and adventure. I think that they motivate both kids and adults alike to enjoy good storytelling in books and in films. They motivate kids probably more so than adults to exercise and use their imaginations. These are some of the ways that I think such films as The Avengers, Harry Potter, and A Wrinkle in Time help motivate youth and adults in ways that are alike and different. – autenarocks6 years ago
I think that these types of movies create new worlds for people to lose themselves in. There are endless possibilities for people to see and perhaps want to create in. It allows for creativity to be passed down to new generations. Also, the characters can create new interests for viewers, and who they want to be in the future. – BookieRheaWookie5 years ago
Hi there! I'm Mike Muller
So interesting website – mikemuller74015 years ago
I have always thought the reality is more the other way around, where any given work resonates with someone because they see themselves and their desires reflected in it somehow. Simply put, people who want to feel or act a certain way look to their favorite media for inspiration, and their interpretations are colored by what they already want to see. – Debs5 years ago
The question is as broad as the examples are diverse. – T. Palomino2 years ago
Though I’m French, an overwhelming majority of the movies (and TV shows) I’ve watched are American, or, at least, from anglophone countries. So, I wondered… a few things!
Pell-mell: How are foreign movies seen in the US? And/Or in the English-speaking world? And/Or across the world?
Is there foreign movies (or TV show) – French ones, for instance – that are strongly rooted in the American culture, or in any other culture that differs from where the movie is originally from? And if so, why have those movies made such an impact? Are there biases depending on a movie (or TV show) origin?
And, finally, to what extent platform like Netflix may or may not have changed this tendency and these biases?
I also think moving this to TV would be really fruitful with Money Heist and lots of Scandi dramas infiltrating the mainstream too. – Marcus Dean5 years ago
I watch non American shows like Elite (Spanish teen series) and other Turkish and Arabic television series. One of my favorite Turkish series that streams on Netflix is called "Fi", which is a psychological thriller. – nsafwat5 years ago
As you mentioned, it is essential to talk about the importance of Netflix. The company, unlike other streaming services, has built quite a strong reputation bringing, producing and distributing quality foreign series and movies to North American viewers. I think it is also fair to talk about the recent popularity of movies such as Parasite, Roma or I lost my body. – kpfong835 years ago
Scarlett O'Hara is a selfish, stereotypical Southern belle. Julianne Potter (My Best Friend's Wedding) made multiple attempts to break up a happy relationship out of a belief her best friend "belonged" to her. Emma Woodhouse could be considered on the fence, because while she is charming and engaging, she does meddle in others' lives constantly, and looks down on those she considers "beneath" her.
These are only a few examples of the unlikable female lead, in literature, film, and other mediums. These women are not inherently evil, but they are self-absorbed, gossipy, backstabbing, and at times downright narcissistic. Yet…a lot of people like them. Why? Is there a "happy medium" between perfect, Mary Sue women and evil women, and have these or other characters found it? Discuss this, as well as whether the unlikable female lead does female representation more harm than good overall.
As someone who studied the Mary Sue phenomenon in comparing why certain female characters are adored while others are ignored, I would like to share my findings. Female characters, like other characters are nothing more than projections of society's fantasies of what it means to be a "cool", "strong" and "powerful" woman. It may seem twisted, but if the female character is an extension of the male character, and is constantly influenced by feminist ideals, these are the type of women are portrayed.
– Amelia Arrows5 years ago
I feel like this isn't really a uniquely female problem--there are plenty of obnoxious, self-absorbed, horrible male leads too. If anything, the problem is that society is more accepting of this kind of behavior in men than in women, so these male leads get a pass. – Debs5 years ago
And that in itself could warrant an entire, separate article. – Stephanie M.5 years ago
I think it's very important to mention Elaine Benes (Julia Louis Dreyfus) from Seinfeld here. She was arguably the first "unlikable" female character on US television. She was hilarious, witty, smart, independent, successful, yet extremely cynical, self-absorbed, blunt and occasionally downright mean.
I think what made her character appeal to so many was how she came across as someone extremely "regular", someone you'd know in real life or run into on the streets. As opposed to other female leads on other shows that aired along with Seinfeld, she was decidedly more "human" and realistic, in contrast to the "beautiful and shallow" Rachel Green or the "clean freak" Monica Geller from Friends, for example. Elaine was known primarily for her acerbic sense of humour and general zaniness, while Rachel and Monica, I would argue, were better known for being "perfect" girls with quirks that made them funny. I think Larry David, in one of his interviews, talked about how the writing team on the show saw Elaine as "one of the men". And if anything, I think this portrayal of women in the media is nothing but a positive example, as it calls for the audience to look at women as funny, intelligent and relatable for a change, instead of viewing women as just "pretty" and quirky, though I think there dies need to be a balance: excessive portrayal of women in this direction could definitely cause potential harm. – Aniruddha5 years ago
Make a top ten list of the amazing settings that have added richness to their movies. From the iconic scene of King Kong on the Empire State Building, to Central Park, to Chicago and LA. How have various scenes been influenced by their settings? Go as far back as Hitchcock. Discuss Central Park as a location that has added a certain flavour to movies.
All of these are US locations. Perhaps it would be good to compare with movies set in eg London or Paris? Are there differences in the way locations are used across the cutlrual settings? – CharlotteG5 years ago
I think making a list with so many options would be hard maybe if it was broken by individual city like New York City, you could list all the notable places within it. New York City and San Francisco I would say have some the most popular locations so I feel like it wouldn't be doing other cities justice to put them on the same list when you might much more information on these two cities – tingittens5 years ago
I agree all of these locations are USA locations.
What is intresting is that there are certain locations that are used to give off a certain mood
Like all snow locations are filmed in Quebec
All majestic and fanatsy places are filmed in Norway and Ireland
– Amelia Arrows5 years ago
This is really an excellent projection of historical truths and their undeniable roles to shaping the present world and its people. – kiru1005 years ago
Many films have exulted the academic setting to the dismay and delight of old and young. With the advent of online learning environments, how will this transpire in relation to its predecessor? Assuming there is a new trend in the making, it will have to contend with a considerable list of memorable, and possibly unbearable, student experiences. The films that have elevated the story-line being: The Paper Chase, The Social Network, A Beautiful Mind, Good Will Hunting, The Breakfast Club and Grease. The television serials that have captivated the imagination, including: The Facts of Life, Welcome Back Kotter and Room 222. Will any such online vignette bring new challenges to the director, the actor, the setting and the audience; or, will it venture into a boundless territory of possibility and ingenuity? How is the virtual Third Place better or worse than the traditional or customary physical site?
I was scrolling through Facebook the other day when a headline caught my eye regarding something about Disney casting a black actress to portray Ariel in the live-action remake. Although many people did comment some praise and lauded Disney for trying so hard to be more inclusive and represent minorities that have largely been left out of their platform, historically speaking, many other users commented on their distaste about the PR decision. Many people were commenting on how diversity should never be made out of "pity" or "obligation". What do you guys think? I think this topic has definitely been introduced before but I'd like to read an in-depth article about it. Do we have to feel the need to replace media/popular culture figures with minorities or do we just need more figures that represent those groups?
Instead of genuinely diversifying the Disney brand by creating new original black characters, they take an existing white one and that black character then becomes tokenized. This has happened before with the beloved classic Annie with the remake in 2015, in the comics, Ironman is replaced with a black girl Ironheart.
Of course they make money regardless, the question then becomes: is it ethical or morally right to initallly replace a white chracter in hopes to make them equal, even if the new chracter has no sense of individuality and has a pressure to be like the chracter they replaced? – Amelia Arrows5 years ago
I totally agree with your point about individuality- It questions whether the replacement even really identifies with the character they're replacing. Superficial diversity maybe is a good name for this lol. – hilalbahcetepe5 years ago
Great topic! It's not just Disney, either. As a member of two minority groups (disabled female), I've seen plenty of attempts at "diversity" that just scream, "We did this so we can check it off the list." This is, in fact, especially true in kids' media. However, kids' media doesn't actually respect diversity and culture. It's more like, "Be nice to this person even though they are 'different' from you, or explicitly because they are different from you." Ugh. – Stephanie M.5 years ago
I would think it might be easier to focus on one particular group (African American girls, for example) or franchise (Marvel products, for example) rather than do a broad sweep of multiple examples of said tokenism. I agree in some ways -- by focuses on checking identities off a list, sometimes creators fail to actually represent a true, authentic experience for someone of that identity. We need more original work that highlights people of various identities, and we need to do better as a society to uplift creators belonging to those identities so that their work -- which will represent a truer experience of that identity -- will be seen. – Eden5 years ago
Discuss the rise of self-referential, "meta" narratives in contemporary film and television, and the links to the rising media literacy of consumers. Considering the introduction of media education in schools, particularly on English syllabuses, how has the audience's understanding of media conventions and tropes affected the writing of media? In the UK in particular, English education in schools now has mandatory coverage of media writing. People are growing up with a knowledge of story structure, tropes, and genre conventions. This is leading to a rise in films and television which make deliberate nods to these conventions. Some examples: Community (TV series), Deadpool (Film), Scott Pilgrim vs The World (Film), Black Mirror (TV Series), Spaced (TV Series).
It's a little vague, maybe through some definitions to help clarify? – Andi5 years ago
This is a really fascinating topic! You make a good point that "meta" narratives assume that the audience is knowledgeable about that form of media, including the tropes that constitute it. But this topic is a little broad. I would suggest picking one form of media (tv, film, books, etc.) and finding examples of meta narratives and then compare their critical and popular reception. Then, the audience's understanding of meta conventions and tropes could be more acutely analyzed. I would really like to read an article about this! – Eden5 years ago
The central idea is an excellent one, but defining forms of media will help give structure and clarity to your central aim. For instance, how do you specifically define “meta-narrative?” Does it refer to specific tropes and story-telling conventions, or is there something more to mention? Highlighting the odds and ends of these terms will help flesh out the article. Consider also the effects of online fan activity in pushing creators to cater to those interests, even to the point of altering story threads to avoid being predictable. – James Polk5 years ago
What this article needs is specifics. Giving examples of the so called "meta" narratives and literacy might give some context to what you are talking about instead of simply generalizing. – thestorydude75 years ago
Important and necessary, but also broad and ambitious for a single article. The "literacy" part of this topic can be ignored because it doesn't really affect the subject and its presentation. – T. Palomino2 years ago
Analysing Jo March's character development in the movie Little Women (or the book) and how her beliefs about women changed through falling in love with a man. Contrasting her initial beliefs that women should not have to be married for society, and should be allowed to work for themselves even if married, Jo's ideas change when she discovers loneliness and love. How does meeting her husband alter her overarching beliefs?
This is an interesting one, I'd suggest looking into Louisa May Alcott's story as a woman author herself during that time to better understand why Jo ends up with a man in the end in the first place. I think Jo marrying in the end might say more about the time period and the obstacles women faced than it does about her actual character. There's a pithy little scene in the movie where we see Jo debate the romantic fate of her heroine with her publisher which might help. – MaeveM5 years ago
APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE! I'm doing an article featuring Little Women right now (totally different topic and angle, don't worry). And can I just say, it's about time we discussed this? – Stephanie M.5 years ago
I love how Jo's beliefs are although altered, not contradicted once she discovers these things throughout the course of the film. Everything she stands for about women independence, empowerment, and values remain firm as her story develops into love interest. – connorjbrennan5 years ago
