Sex, Lies, and Videotape

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

In class this week we viewed the film, Sex, Lies, and Videotape. A 1989 independent drama film that was directed by Steven Soderbergh. It was a launching pad of films that were not big budget but doing very well in the box office. It launched the independent film movement. The film won the Palme d'Or at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. Soderbergh was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Screenplay for the film. A screenplay which took 8 days on a road trip and was a look back on his life. The budget for the film was 1.2 million, and took in 25 million which at the time, independent films were not able to do but Sex, Lies, and Videotape was able to do. This film was able to the film company Miramax on the market which went to make household names for Bob and Harvey Weinstein which would go on to make and produced huge films like the Scream franchise, Pulp Fiction, and The Artist. 

2) Find a related article (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) and summarize the content.    

The articule that I read for this section was on director Steven Soderbergh. It talk about his 5 must see films and facts on his past and present ventures. He began his life in film about 22 years ago as a editor then move to writing. He plans on stopping from directing when he was 51 which means the 50 year old latest film, Side Effects will be his last. He talks about his breakthrough hit that was Sex, Lies, and Videotape. He mentions that the movie fulled the era for independent cinema in America which have gone on to give light to making of films like Juno, Pulp Fiction, and Crash. He has also had a mix in some big budget movies like the Ocean's Trilogy and some big award winning movies like Traffic. Also some fun fact about Soderergh is that when he retires officially from the world of film he will spend more time on hobbies like painting which on his down time on set of Videotape he enjoyed doing to clear his mind. He also likes to shoot his own films because he has the ideas in his head of what he wants and doesn't want something else getting in the way of that. Lastly, his father enrolled him in an animation class when he was 13 but he skipped it to go to a Super-8 course instead where he made his first short film and was the only education that ever received on film making. 

http://junkee.com/soderbergh-101-from-sex-lies-and-videotape-to-uh-more-videotape/334

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.  

Its so surprising that someone with no education of film making can turn out such a historical film like Sex, Lies, and Videotape. It was something that the film public had never seen before. It was something that you wouldn't normally see at the box office at the time. It was touching topics like sex, sexual identity and changing the norms of normal american family relationships. The actors were all not well know but this low budget film really change their lives. The actors must have never thought that this film would have done as well as it do while shooting it. Even with non known actors, not a lot to work with and a director that kind of knew what he was doing, that were able to go against the normal Hollywood life to make a a movie title, unforgettable. This film is such much more then a a film about sex, lies, and videotape. It was a film that gave film goers something to actually look forward to watching. Something weird, and something different.

4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article.

After seeing the After seeing the film Sex, Lies, and Videotape it really gave me a positive look into independent films. I'm not going to lie, I really have a dislike for independent films. I have never been a fame of them because of the low quality of them but then after watching a film like this and really all there had was a plot and some houses and some characters, it really gave a sense of story. It had a creative touch even though the film plot and topic was so vulgar. I film like this one was not look in a positive light by Hollywood because it was not the norm but the fans of the films didn't see it that way. Fans really enjoyed the film because it was something new. People love new things. The one thing I really enjoyed about the movie was the way he incorporated the sex into to it because it wasn't too much where i felt uncomfortable. Also the performance by Laura San Giacomo who played Cynthia was really fun to watch. Even though she was villain in the film, I found myself rooting for her because of how well of actress she was. I felt she was the hidden key for the film and the reason why Sex, Lies, and Videotape did so well before and now and forever. 

http://junkee.com/soderbergh-101-from-sex-lies-and-videotape-to-uh-more-videotape/334

 CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

1) (x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) (x ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.
 3) (x ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.
4) (x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.
 5) (x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) (x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.
7) (x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
 8) (x ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.
 Name: _Antonio Amorim______ Date: ________2/25/2015 _________

Do The Right Thing

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

In class this week we discussed the 1989 film Do the Right Thing, a comedy-drama hood film that was produced, written, directed and stared Spike Lee. The film was made up of a ensemble cast made up of Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Rudy Dee, Rosie Perez, Martin Lawrence, Bill Nunn, and Samuel L. Jackson just to name a few. The plot of the film tells the story of a neighborhood's race war which comes to a head on the night of the hottest day of the year. The film was huge critical and commercial success and received 2 Academy Award nominations, one for Best Sceenplay and one for Best Supporting Actor for Danny Aiello as Sal. Also in class we learned a new term which is called the floating effect which Spike Lee used throughout the film. The floating effect is showing a character gliding in the air instead of walking. It gives the character a god like stance and a "I own this" attitude. 

2) Find a related article (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) and summarize the content.    

In the article, you see the film from the eyes of Spike Lee. Answering question that many fans wanted to know the answers to. For example, how he came up with the title "Do the Right Thing", which was a saying he grew up with and always loved the saying. He wrote the screenplay in two weeks. With the ending of the film, it was up to the audience to decide who really did the right thing. One of the hardest parts of making film was making it look like it was filmed on the same day even though it was shot over a period of 8 weeks. Plus making sure that ever scene looked and felted like it was 100 degrees. He wanted to audience to sweat watching this film. The cinematographer to the costume designer all had to work double time to make this happen. Even the cameraman gave the idea of putting a butane lighter underneath the lens. He also address the recent reports that actress Rosie Perez, who played Tina felted very pressured into doing the nudes scenes and felt horrible and now regrets it. He states that he was not aware of her feelings. She wanted to be a break out star so she willing to do anything. Lastly, Lee stated that his favorite reaction to the film was the reviews made by David Denby, and Joe Klein saying that black people will now riot after seeing this film. He was livid about this. The reviews basically says that "black people: weren't intelligent enough to make a a distinction between what was happening on screen and real life. He then said that you don't see right people rioting after a Arnold Schwarzenegger film. 

http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/fight-the-power-spike-lee-on-do-the-right-thing-20140620

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.  

The article really gave us a inside look of the creative mind of Spike Lee when making of Do the Right Thing. The extra steps that the creative team went to make sure you felt hot in your seat when watching this movie. From even changing the paint scheme of the neighborhood to dark reds and dark oranges to have the clear thought that red means hot. He gave his characters life within the neighborhood. From the Korean fruit stand owners to mother sister. He gave his characters time and growth on the viewers. The cast of linked together at one point or another. Also very important is the racial and discrimination themes. Spike gave you a view of each character. You as a viewer can decide also about the ending because the ending was upon you as the view to make the choice of what happens. Spike shows us the violence of both sides going at each other. Its not one sided. The true message of to the find common ground as Spike Lee said he hope this movie would give viewers for the past, present and future. You don't have to like other cultures. You have to respect them. 

 

4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the film Do the Right Thing. I had watched the film before my senior year of high school in my sociology class. I now understand why that film was shown in my sociology class. The movie showed all of these sub plots and sub characters that showed many different backgrounds from race, age, gender, and social class. What really surprised me was that Spike Lee was about to write a Oscar nominated screenplay in two weeks. That takes years from other directors to do and Spike Lee was able to make a whole new world with in 14 days. One part of the film I really enjoyed what the acting of Rudy Dee and Danny Aiello. There really took their characters into the next level and really brought a fresh look into the world of Do the Right Thing. Fun fact time! Spike Lee really wanted the role of Sal to be played by his first choice of Robert De Niro  but De Niro decline due to prior commitments. I felt that Aiello really had a wonderful handle on his role and really was the heart of this as well as Spike Lee as Mookie. In conclusion, I can see why this film has hit the hearts of many and has a proper seat as being one of the best films ever made. 

http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/fight-the-power-spike-lee-on-do-the-right-thing-20140620

 CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

1) (x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) (x ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.
 3) (x ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.
4) (x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.
 5) (x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) (x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.
7) (x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
 8) (x ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.
 Name: _Antonio Amorim______ Date: ________2/18/2015 _________

Blue Velvet

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

In class we viewed Blue Velvet, a 1986 mystery/horror film written and directed by David Lynch. It stars Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper, Isabella Rossellini, and Laura Dern. It earned David Lynch his second Oscar nomination for Best Director. The movie was Lynch;s idea since 1973 but no studio wanted it due to the strong violent content and sexual content. In the mid 80's, a independent studio named De Laurentiis Entertainment Group agreed to finance and produce the film. Even though the film has been a cult classic, when it first come at it was not successful. After 6 million dollars budget, it just broke even with bringing in 9 million dollars. It also was mixed with my high power critics. Some claiming it was amazing done by director Lynch but disinterested the overall movie, characters and plot. 

2) Find a related article (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) and summarize the content. 

I received my article from movie phone and its called the 25 things you didn't know about Blue Velvet. The first fun facy is that Lynch and Rossellini became a couple and lived together for five years before splitting. Also,Rossellini performance earned her a lot of negative backlash. From film producer like de laurentiis. He was mostly embarrassed for her parents, director Roberto Rossellini and Ingrid Bergman. Even her agents drop her due to her in this movie. The film itself was originally 4 hours long and Lynch had to cut it down. Releasing the bonus footage in 2011. One final fact is that neither Laura Dern and Isabella Rossellini were the first sought out to be given these roles. The role Sandy was look at for 80's star Molly Ringwald but her mother found the film to offensive and the role was given to Laura Dern. For the role of Dorothy, Helen Mirren was pictured for role and even helped out with the script before backing out of the role. 

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class. 

The article really gave us a inside look into the production of Blue Velvet. Again, I feel that most important role in film making is the casting director because he or she needs to make sure the actors on the screen can tell a story with their chemistry even if their don't know each other or even like each other. Also you get a insider look in the world of the mind of David Lynch. You see that David Lynch had a lot of pride in this movie. This right around the blockbuster age, he out a lot of faith of the film that could. I feel that Laura Dern was the right fitted for this role since she was bit unknown and if Molly Ringwald had done it, I feel many people would of have compare her to Claire from her prior film The Breakfast Club. It could of really destroyed her career. She was known for her roles in the teen movies, not a movie like Blue Velvet. The same with Helen Mirren. Helen Mirren probably wouldn't have received the 4 Oscars nominations she has today if she went forward with the making of Blue Velvet. 

4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article.

I'm not going to lie, I really wasn't into this movie at all. For a movie has to grab me in, and keep me in. This movie took 45 years to get me into it, lost me in a cornfield, had me again, lost it when the credits rolled. The scene that lost me was the ear in the field scene. It was not given any kind of context. Like why did Jeffery care such much about this single ear. It was very confusing because the characters were not given anytime of time of discussion or back story going into the first 30 minutes of the movie. Plus, the reveal of Dorothy wasn't what I hoped for. She was the MVP of the movie since she is all over the posters for the film. Laura Dern was one the best parts of the movie but after the scene in her house with her mother (the picture below) I couldn't stop laughing because I just kept seeing her face and her crying, which to me was the best part of the film. She had no idea what was going on. Overall, the film had its part of greatness... the ending. The last 20 minutes really saved the movie for me. It moved out of my never watched list to the I rather watch something else but if there is nothing than we can watch it list. 

      

http://news.moviefone.com/2011/11/08/25-things-you-didnt-know-about-blue-velvet/

 CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

1) (x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) (x ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.
 3) (x ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.
4) (x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.
 5) (x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) (x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.
7) (x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
 8) (x ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.
 Name: _Antonio Amorim______ Date: ________2/11/2015 _________

The King of Comedy

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

In class we discussed the 1983 film The King of Comedy, directed by Martin Scorsese. Its a black comedy film which starred Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, and Sandra Bernhard. We learned that the film was just remastered for a DVD release. The idea of the film came about when Scorsese was done with Raging Bull, he wanted his next project to be The Last Temptation of Christ and wanted De Niro to play Jesus. De Niro was not interested and wanted their next collaboration to be a comedy. Scorsese mentioned how difficult it was to have directed a comedy but he got the shape of it when he started to watching Jerry Lewis stand up and Scorsese would ask Jerry any question he had regarding of comedy. We also see a difference in character play with Robert De Niro. De Niro is known for playing role models. That was not the case for this film. He played someone no one in their right mind would want to be. 

2) Find a related article (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) and summarize the content. 

The article I found was on fun facts within the film that are really interesting. The film was Scorsese second to worst box office film when it came out to overall revenue. It only brought in 2.5 million dollars but compare to its 19 million dollar budget, the film was look at as a flop. Also the idea of a possibility of having a new director? Milos Forman was originally interested in directing the script, but soon withdrew from the offer after being hired to direct “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, starring Jack Nicholson.  Many people question whether or not the film would have turned out better if Forman was in charge of the whole operation. Plus, Scorsese had many of his family members in his film. From his mother, daughter, and even his father was all bit parts in the film. Did you also know that a Oscar winning actress was cut from the film. Liza Minnelli was cut from film during editing but was still billed in the credits for playing herself. 

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class. 
           This article relates to Martin Scorsese’s “The King of Comedy” in many different ways. The film bombing at the box office could be due to many reasons. One you had a director, Scorsese who was not comfortable with comedy. He was not know for comedy. You had Robert De Niro who also was not known as a funny guy actor, playing a comedy role no one saw him playing. Plus, how much do you think it was to have Oscar winner Liza Minnelli in your film. A lot of money, she was a hot ticket Hollywood at the time. WHY! Why would you cut her out of movie that already didn't have the right cast or team glued to it. She has box office draw. Sandra Bernhand was not a well known star either, no matter how great her performance was she didn't have the box office draw this film needed to make ends meat. 

4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article.
      

After seeing The King of Comedy, I was pretty shocked that I really liked the movie. I myself am not a fan of dark or black comedy but I felt that movie had a wonderful plot, a plot you can really get behind and really sit at the edge of your seat, waiting for what was next. A round of applause should really be given to Robert De Niro and Sandra Bernhand. The acting and timing was just really superb from both parties and the chemistry in the kidnapping scene were hilarious. Someone that really enjoys stand up, the writing and thoughts and movement that went in to the final monologue by De Niro were just on point for what stand up personnel do. I would really tell people about this movie because Scorsese ability to go from a dramatic sports film to a kidnapping timing media film.  

http://www.fast-rewind.com/trivia_kingofcomedy.htm

Plagiarism Statement: Attach this to the end of every journal assignment.

 CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

1) (x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) (x ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.
 3) (x ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.
4) (x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.
 5) (x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) (x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.
7) (x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
 8) (x ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.
 Name: _Antonio Amorim______ Date: ________2/5/2015 _________