Thursday, April 29, 2010
This week
We'll be finishing up by watching IN THE LOOP this week. I will collect final essays tomorrow. There have been some email problems this past week but everything seems to be coming through now. I will be online later tonight, until about midnight, if anyone wants any last minute help...
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Miscellaneous
Here is the link with all the episodes to Spaced:
http://www.hulu.com/spaced
Another actor in Shaun of the Dead, Dylan Moran (David) had created his own comedy in the early 2000's called Black Books featuring Bill Bailey (Hot Fuzz) Its really amazing and includes several cameos from popular british comedians including Simon Pegg and Martin Freeman (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) and Nick Frost. The main characters also feature in Run Fat Boy Run.
Here is the link with all the episodes to Black Books:
http://www.hulu.com/black-books
Both shows are seriously funny and I can't recommend them enough!
I also just came across a trailer for an upcoming Ken Loach film Looking for Eric :
http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/lookingforeric/
Friday, April 16, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Second Essay: Guidelines
CONTEMPORARY BRITISH 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 “Heritage imagery in WALLACE AND GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT”; a thesis statement is more along these lines: “Despite being a claymation creation, THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT utilizes a number of visual and thematic tropes that place it squarely in the category of Heritage Cinema.”
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., The significance of the color green in ATONEMENT).
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., Images and Themes of Social Isolation in the films of Lynne Ramsay).
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., Privatization of government institutions, Americanization of British culture, 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.
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 “Heritage imagery in WALLACE AND GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT”; a thesis statement is more along these lines: “Despite being a claymation creation, THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT utilizes a number of visual and thematic tropes that place it squarely in the category of Heritage Cinema.”
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., The significance of the color green in ATONEMENT).
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., Images and Themes of Social Isolation in the films of Lynne Ramsay).
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., Privatization of government institutions, Americanization of British culture, 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.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Discussion: Morvern Callar
The response to this film seemed fairly positive. I'd like to hear any thoughts or ideas that we did not cover yet in class. I'd also like everyone to consider how the reading on "Internal Decolonization" applies to this film and also to Trainspotting. Obviously both films are very focused on location, landscape and place, but deal with these topics very differently. What are the differences? Similarities?
Do Danny Boyle's films seem to be generally concerned with location or landscape?
How/why is location or landscape important to a discussion of British cinema in general? How does the article apply to such a discussion?
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