Critical Appoaches to Fight Club

All the 6 Critical Approaches to Fight Club

1. Star Perfomer: Useful about what kind of problems arise when casting people for a film, and seeing how diffrent the film could be if diffrent actors has been chosen.


2. Technology: Good to talk about how it has changed over the years, such as not being as good in 1999 but improving over the years


3. Auter: Talking about the diffrent styles of the director and how most of their films are the same, makes a good talking point and means a lot can be said, especially if it is a director who has had a lot of films.


4. Political and Socail Messaage: If a film is very contraversial it shall be easy to write about how much it had an effect on people.


5. Ethical Issues: Writing about a film which highlights ethnicty (Such as Persepolis) which cleary has the main theme of ethinc issues. A film like Fight Clun doesn't really have any issues but is still a issue that is easy to explore


6. Gender: An easy issue to talk about, normally films are male dominated or very female dominated, therre is real no right balance in many films.

Fight Club Reviews

I've never really heard much about fight club, just the pun "First rule of coffee club, don't talk about coffee club!" but when reading the reviews I can see how much of an effect the film happened on film critics.

Guardian Review:

This review is really good and questions alot about the main charters in the film, it also ends on quite a negative note of "And in the end, it doesn't pack much of a punch." This really highlights how the film wasn't taken very will, most of the interview talks about the acting and also about how it was a comedy but in the end the Peter Bradshaw sees this film not fuffiling its potential.

Rotten Tomato:

I was reading what the review were on there, they were very mixed and had a lot about how good it was but also some people saying it wasn't the best film they had ever seen. The main occurrence I found in reviews was about the twist. Even if the reviewer said it was bad they still said the twist was amazing. Overall RT summed it up as "Solid acting, amazing direction, and elaborate production design make Fight Club a wild ride"

Overall, the film made quite a stir in the movie world and I hope it lives up to the reviews I have read.

Restrepo

The film is about American trrops spending a 15 month depliment of one of the most dangours places in the world, Korangal Valley. It follows the story of the troop, and what they were doing out there. There were interviews of them now and talking about what happend to them and how they are effected, also linking it with the footage from the time in the Korangal Valley made the film more real and you could be there with them.

As a spectator I thought the film was really good and it was completly real. I thought it gave us the spectatour an inside look to what it is like to fight out there that we shall never experince in our lives. I thought it was a way of showing us what it must be like to be out there in that kid of enviroment.

8 Boys and Wanting a Girl - Channel 4 Documentary

When deciding what documentary I should write about I went onto channel 4 documentaries on 4OD and had a look through. After reading a few of them I found one that sounded very interesting, it was called 8 Boys and Wanting a Girl. It looked really interesting and coming from a big family I thought I might be able to relate to it. The documentary looked at women who have a psychological condition called "Gender Disappointment" were woman desire a particulate gender and don't feel complete without having a child with the desired sex.

The documentary followed 4 woman, 1 from America and 3 from England. Each all had boys. 3 Woman having 4 boys and the other woman having 8. All the woman were tiring to have a girl, and tried through different methods. Mainly using a method call GD were woman can choose what sex they want their baby to have in a method similar to IVF. 2 woman in the programe tried to have a daughter this way with one of the woman having tried for the 3rd time each costing over $10,00 the other tiring for the 2nd time. Another woman tried to have a 5th child hoping for a daughter naturally and the last woman hoped she hadn't hit menopause before she thought it was to late.

It was an eye opener to see woman try to have a preferred baby, I always thought woman were happy with what they had and if they didn't get it they would just be thankful. But the documentary amazing to watch to see how desperate woman were to have the daughter. Having 2 brothers and 2 sister I don't have the feeling that if I had children did I want a girl or a boy and watching the documentary made me realize that I don't really care what child gender I have.

I also think the documentary was very bias. It only showed these 4 woman and how desperate they were to want a girl. I think that it would make any spectator watching it believe that all woman hold this view about girl. What backed up this argument was seeing the husband to a woman about he didn't understand what it was about his wife the made her want to have a daughter so badly. I think what would've made the documentary more dramatic would've been a woman who had 4 daughter but wanted a son. This would've had a really good back up on the view the documentary was trying to get across.

Man On Wire (2008)

This docemntry film was very good. I really enjoyed the story behind Phillppe Pettie and why he did it. I think it was really good for it showed a mans story on how he wanted to achive his dream. I think the film could've been better and had more mention about 9/11. But I think over all it showed how brave he was and how nothing was going to stop him from doing it.

My Idea for the Creative Project

My creative project is a story about a girl who is sick and tired of being told what to do. It is a mini film instead of an intro to a film. It stars off with her waking by her mum and being told what to do, then showing her in her normal day routines. It then shows them in a really quickly and how she does the same thing every day. Then she has an epiphany and than realises there is more to life than following a routine. I know the idea sounds cheesy and like every chick flick there is, but I think the idea I have to make it different shall make it seem less cheesy and more drama. I want to film it and if I have the time I will, but I shall definitely make a screen play. I think there are quite a lot of films that have influenced; the one thing I am thinking for shot of the main character is from the film “Elephant”. The film is mainly just having a tracking shot of a close up of the characters were you can see all the emotions of the charters. This was the idea I had when showing the everyday routines she goes through. Another film which has also given me some inspiration is “Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging.” I saw this film when I was 13 but it was on the television the other day. There is this scene in the film where the main character Georgia, and she wants to change parts of her life after she gets let down by some. Ever since then the idea has been stuck in my head to a short film about someone changing their life.

Persepolis 2007

Persepolis follows the story of a young girl living in Iran right in the middle of the Iranian Revoloution. The film is based on the Graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi. The film is also in the same style as the book, almost like a cartoon which anyone could easily follow. The film's cinematogrpahy is amazing and very clear cut. It has some really good camera angles you couldn't get if it was a live action film. Also, the film is very close in animation to that of the book. The music in the film is very good. It ties in perfectly with the scenes and also there is a hint of punk every now and then to show Marjane love for the western style of music. The Charters in the film are very closley looked at. The main charcters being Marjane her mother and father, the Grandmother and her uncle. She is the centere of the film and these charcters revole around her and keep coming into parts of her life.

I really liked the film and thought what made the film good was being a cartoon. I think if it was istead a lilve actino film they couldn't do nearly as many amazing cinematography shots.

Gomorrah 2008

Gomorrah is set in Italy and looks at the modern day mafia in a Napels sub urb where the drug crime is high along with robbery. There is a common theme in this town, there is a dommio effect of people killing, such as you kill my brother I shall kill you and than if you have killed my son I'm going to get you, than you if kil my friend I'm going to get you and than if you kill my sister I'm going to get you. A never ending line of deaths from people that see's no end. If your part of the people who are the boss of the town then your kind of safe. But I think the main rule of the place is Don't Trust Anyone. Over and over again you see bad things happen to people and getting killed for they have truseted someone. The little boy was friends with a woman who has "dubbed" someone in, so with his connection with her they were able to get her for she put her trust in him to come out of his house. Another example of trust is the town is the two guys who try and make a break into the top dogs of crime. They try and pull a couple of jobs and take the guns from the top dogs in the town in Napels. In the end they get asked to kill this man but end up getting themselves killed instead.

The films cinematogrpahy was amazing. I really liked the camera angles there was and thought that some scenes where really played out well. An example of the scene when the charter is seeing if he can get the money for protection. And when everyone is shot he comes out and walks past all the people who had died. For me this secne was very moving for it really highlitghted how many deaths there really were.

Overall I didn't really like the film but the cinematography was good.

:)

Has Frank Darabont lost his technique in making Stephen King Films over time?

From the reserach I have done about Stephen King books and Frank Darabont, I have started to come to an answer about my question. At first I satered off with "How has his technique changed" But after researching more about "The Mist" (His latest Stephen King film) I soon start to learn that he wasn't losing his techinquie in making films but instead that it was more the produection companies behind the films who were forcing him to change.

When "The Shawshank Redemption" came out, it had a lot of reviews about the brilliance of the film, but wasn't going down to well in box office sales. Only over time has the film really become a favoirte amoung alot of people. Rated number one on alot of film webistes, "The Shawshank Remption" has come along way. But when you come back to the present time and find out that Darabont has made a new hit "The Mist" Immedialty film fans are excited, a new fresh idea of Darabont and King together agine, the perfect combination. And with every film reveiw from film blogs and review in newspapers it sounded like he had hit the jackpot again. But when you move away from the branded hype of "The Times" Or "Imdb" and move onto the fans, you find out that the film wasn't such a great success.

It usess modern technquies and speacial effects. With monster tenticals coming out and grabbing at anyone, and huge bugs flying around, the effects have grown up quite alot from "Shawnshank". The biggest hype of the film was "The Twist at the end" and everyone raved about how good it was...apart from the fan blogs. I have seen the film, and I have got to say I was diappointed in the ending and the rest of the film. The film has a good idea, that it fouces on putting people in a situation and are all boiled up together and see what happens next, but to me the film didn't have much of a story line but more who can shout the loudst and have the most serious face wide angled shots.

Compare the treatment of power, poverty and conflict in 'A Prophet' with one other film studied for this module

Power, poverty and conflict are the themes in “A Prophet” and “City Of God”. Both films highlight all these themes in similar ways and are presented in the narrative very differently. “A Prophet” is set in France, and is about a man who has been sent to prison for a minor crime, beating up a policeman. While in prison he soon becomes very heavily part of the main crowd in the prison who runs the place and starts to earn respect. While “City of God” is set in a slum, and is about a boy trying to stay away from the major crime that occurs there, he encounters a number of problems living there and the narrative is told in a non-linear way. Though both films are different in story and culture, the main themes of the film; power, poverty and conflict are very similar.
“A Prophet” focuses on the life in prison of Malik, a young man who goes into trouble for assaulting a prison guard. Early on in the film he runs into trouble with the prisoners with the power and authority they get him to murder and inmate who has just arrived at the prison. This is an example of power and conflict first enters the film. Malik is forced to do something he doesn’t really want to do. If he doesn’t do it, it is his own life on the line instead.
Very similar, “City Of God” also has power and conflict shown early on in the film. Instead of being the inner workings of prisoners in a small building, it is instead, about the power and conflict the government has over the people living in poverty. Like in “A Prophet” Lil Dice (The main hood of the film) is influenced a lot by what the tender trio say. Instead of being forced to crime, he is instead “nurtured” into it. Like “A Prophet”, conflict and power are presented in bother films through a hierarchy, with the people at the top saying what goes, and the main characters at the bottom, with not much of a say in what they can do as individuals. This is presented to the audience in many different ways, and which than as an audience member you can feel sympathy for the characters.
“A Prophet” starts the story of Malik prison life from the begging. The film is presented in a linear way so we can almost grow up with Malik and see how he develops over time. While “City Of God” starts at the end and then goes back to the beginning, so we have a taste of what’s to come and then follow rocket as he grows up in The City of God. The Films show conflict in the boys lives, and how hard it is to live where they are. The characters are both trapped and are trying to get out, but there is no easy way out.
Another point that is brought up in both films is working your way up the hierarchy and into a better standard of life. This can link to both power and poverty. “A Prophet” demonstrates the power of moving up, with having to carry out a task, in this case Malik has to murder a man. This is a main part of the film and happens quite early on. While in “City of God” It is important to move up and make yourself know. Though it is not really highlighted, there is a scene where Lil Zè is out looking for “the runts” and when he does find them he asks a teenager to prove himself as a man and kill one of them. In both films this is represented in the same way. The top of the hierarchy have the power and the people at the other end are in poverty. In the prison it is not so much poverty but more protection. Malik does gain some power and when people ask him why does he work for people he always says that he works for himself and doesn’t need to work for someone. This is another example of how the films are trying to represent the force of power that you can have in your life and you are unable to do anything about it.
Narrative is very different in both films, even though similar messages are very similar. “A Prophet” follows Malik from the begging and no commentary is made. The camera sometimes moves onto other people, but for most of the film it is focused on Malik and there is never any narrating. While in “City of God” It is all from Rockets perceptive and the narration is done by him. This does make a different impact on the film’s themes for there is a different focus. With Malik as the audience you see him as a bit of a weak link following people around, but with Rocket you feel sympathy for he is in a place he can’t get out.
In conclusion, even though both films are set in a very different place and are about different types of crime the main occurring themes in the films; power, poverty and conflict come up over and over again. Even if it is through the top hood of a gang, or the head leader of a prison, both films show how life can be difficult in the countries, and make some inspiring film stories.

Comments on "A Prophet"

I was really surpried how much I liked this film. I thought that the cinematograhpy was amazing. That parts of the film that were very good was when Malik was having a dream about something that was going to happen. Like when he had the dream about the dear in the headlights.

City Of God: Power, Poverty and Conflict

• An appreciation of the messages and values contained within the chosen films. What is the film saying about the society it depicts? Is there a moral message?

City of God is set in a slum in Brazil and is known as the place to go when you have noe money or you are broke. It is set from the 60s to the 80s. It follows the charcter Rocket whos brother is in the orginal gang "The Tender Trio" He is a simple person who doesn't like any of the violence in The City of God. He wants to be a photgrapher and starts as a delviery boy at a newspaper. He stays away from the drug dealing as best as possible, but the top hood is Le Ze, who Rocket grew up with a knows as a firend. I think the film is trying to show how much diffrent the society is to what people think of Brazil. It is showing there is more than just violence and killings. There is actaul back stories to the people and there are many diffrent people living there than just the drug dealers. I think the way the film is layed out makes you think like that. Each character having a turn to have there stories told in detail, all making sense. I think this was really good for instead of just thinking they are the "drug dealers" in society you see them as regular people. I think the moral message of the film is that even in a place were deaths just occur and nothing happens, I think it made people think about the place. In brazil 40,000 people are muredered or violently killed every year. I think this highlights the issue of gangs and how much violence actaully occurs. Also City of God demonstrates how it got to this point of gangs and shootings. Violence breeds more volence.

• An understanding of the relationship between form and content, possibly with a particular reference to distinctive stylistic features, e.g. does it have a documentary style or does the cinematography reference another film from another genre? Comment on film language.

• An understanding of contexts, especially time and place. Do some background research on when and where the film is set. Was there any controversy when it was released?

When the film was released the socialest presidant of Brazil saw it and said "it wasn't a film but a fact" Which I think is very true That it has had an effect on everyone and it is not just a story but something that has to be addressed. I really good quote I found says "City of God is not only a portrait of our favelas, it is also our portrait, at 24 frames a second, our faces blurred with the faces of 10-year-old children holding machine guns. All the manifestations of our chaos become visible. This film will be seen by the whole country in terror, and I believe it will cause transformations in the political arena" Which was said by the same person. Which I think sums up

Has Frank Darabont lost his technique in Making Stephen King films Over Time

My foucus films for the question are "The shawshank Redemption", "The Green Mile" and "The Mist" What do all these films have in common? Written my the same author and and 3 are directed by the same man. From all the information I have researched the answer would be no. Nearly every review and anaylis of the most recent film "The Mist" 2007 has been all very positive. Everyone loved the twist at the end, everyone loved the story line and everyone loved hwo it was made. But amongst of all of this, the main source I have found that is saying it is not as good as it used to be I Darabont himdlef. I countless interviews I have found he talks about how limiting it is to make horror films, how he regrets how The Mist was put on the screen and wished he couldv'e changed it. He wanted the orginal film to be in black and white but due to people "not wanting to see films like that and put people off" He put the film on the big screen in color and says he wishes he did put it in black and white for that is how it was meant to be seen.

From my point of view, I would say yes, he has lost his technique. "The Shawshank Redepmtion" 1994 is my favorite film of all time. Great story line, great editing and great cinematography. The film is one of Darabont's first and the new ideas and technquies makes it great. The screen play is also wirtten closly to the book and I think this is what makes the film amazing. Then "The Green Mile" 1999 was realeased, same author, same director and even some of the charcters are the same. Like shawshank new techniques are used and the story once again is told fleuently. The interviews I have found about this talk about "making it more of a hollywood style" Which would suggest that Darabont is trying to make his style diffrent to conform to what people like to see within films. Then in 2007 Darabont realsed his first film in almost 10 years "The Mist" I have watched it and was not the best. The Shawshank worked for scenes that needed speacial effects, he worked arond it and hid some brutla parts of the other films which I think worked. But in The Mist he shows EVERYTHING, all the blood and guts and goore and to me that is now a Darabont film. It was just a wanna be Saw film with good acting.

4 Catalouge Entries

These are 4 more entries I have for my catalouge! :)

Magazine
Item 10: Sight and Sound: The Green Mile review

May only just be a review but it talks about how diffrent it is from Shawshank, and how it is almost not as good as shawshank.

Item 9: DVD Feature from The Mist
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-64pR2ARecY

Says that he wasn’t allowed to present the film in black and white for the views would not be as high as a colour film. He talks about how people these days don’t tend to see black and white films and how people more enjoy films in colour. This is an example of where he has to change his ideas to make more money and make it less than what it could’ve been.

Item 3: Screen Writer Utopia

http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=2741

Talking about how he is now doing a 10 year anniversary director commentary. He talks about how hard it was for people not wanting to go and see The Shawshank Redemption and that is was beat over forest Gump but now over the years has been more accepted and that it has become a favourite film to a lot of people.

Item 8: The Shooting Script; The Shawshank Redemption

Really good book has the whole screen play including the deleted scenes from the film and then in the last few pages it has Darabont’s comments on each scene and how he feels about them. When reading, I found in one of the scenes he talks about how film and fiction are two different things and sometimes things just don’t translate.

Homework Question About Setting and Narrative

Choose one of the films studied so far and another film with an urban setting (any language) and show how the city is a defining presence in the narrative.

La Haine is set in 1995 and focuses alot on the setting and were the 3 boys come from, a suburban estate in the outskirts of Paris. The city is always constanly there within the film. There is never one shot at the begining of a scene to show where in paris they are, but instead we are constanly reminded of the estate, and even if the men do go out of the estate the camera/audience is always brought back to the same place.

London to Brigton was made in 2007 and follows the story of a woman called Kelly and her Pimp Derek and the story of a young girl who is living rough on the street. 12 year old Joanne has left home from her drunk father in search of a better life, but get caught up in the world of prostiting and trying to stop gettting killed within 24 hours. The film is first set in london, with just shots of a public toilet covered in graffit and set in the present time. As Joanne and Kelly begin to talk more you learn they are in the centre of London and planing to leave for Brighton. As they leave to get the train, there is a long shot of Waterloo station and you can clearly see where they are and the setting they are in.

Both films have very similar story lines, both are set over 24 hours, both are about people trying to get away from conflict but just can't for they are always brought back to it and can never just stay away. Similar in story lines and similar in the setting foucus. The setting of both films are almost not a place but almost set as a charcter, always coming up amongst the narrative and never just background filler.

London to Brighton is shown in the narattive through converstions on a train and a quick passing montauge. A part were this is especially true is when Kelly is trying to get some more money for her and Joanne, so she goes out in search of "work" while Joanne stays to go around Brighton pier and play on the arcades. There is just long and meduim shots of Joanne playing around Brighton and visting alot of well known parts. This is a really goo way to get the point across that they are in fact really far away from the city and in a more open part of the country.

Again, La Haine is very similar, for there are alot of shots to show and remind the audience within the narrative that they are in fact in Paris even though estate is not a famous land mark. When the boys are in Prais there is a really good shot were the Vertigo effect is used. This is were the camera moves back at the same time is Zooms in. So as the audience are given a good feel of how close to paris they are, yet the estate they live is made out to be so diffrent.

In conclusion, both films focus on the setting almost as much as a character. In the sense that instead of just a background setting (Like Sex In the City with just New York there as a name of the fashion captial city of the world) In London to Brigton and La Haine, they are treated more kindly and are seen as places that need respect.

2 Catalouge Entries

Item 1: http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=2741 Frank Darabont Interview

This is quite good for he talks quite abit about how when the Shawnshank first came out it wasn't really liked, but over time is has become more well known and people like it alot more. He also says how he feels about it and how he is very proud.

Item 2: Shawnshank Redeption Book

Has a number of interview expling how hard it was to think ofcreative and diffrent ways to modern film.

The 400 Blows

Set in France in the 1950's, The 400 Blows follows the life of the young boy Antoine Doinel who is in poverty and lives in a small flat with his mother and father. The film shows how much touble Antoine gets into from just being himelf and how much he struggles to be a good person in his mother and fathers eyes who always see him as imature and doesn't know how to act normal. They complain about him getting in the way and how they have tried everything with him and they just want to give up and send him to an ophanage so they don't have to deal with him anymore Than when he steals a type wrter the parents have just had enough and send him off to insituation where he is mixed amoung boys who are also in simillar situation to him.

I thought the plot of the film was alright but as in resloving the problems of the story and making suspense and want to know more I would say it wasn't there. I think the film couldv'e been alot better if maybe the director stood back and thought about to make it to the audeince that they want to know what happens next. I thought the concept of the film and the basic idea was really good and couldv'e amounted to something. A young boy living in paris with a home life and doesn't fit in anyway it a really good idea but I think he almost had to many problems and there wasn't enough time to reslove them all.

Having said that the plot of the film was really bad I really thought the editing and the cinematography of the film was amazing. Considering it was made in 1959 the camera work was amazing and the editing was really good. A scene that stood out to me about power was when the boys were in the class room and the camera was pointing from behind the room as if we were someone in the class. And what I was focused on was how everytime he turned his back we saw the boys act naughty and every time it was poor Antoine that got the blame every time for something he didn't do, and it made me feel as though he never had a voice and that he was always being told right and wrong and that he had no power or control over his life and that is was always someone telling him how to act and that he was getting told off for doing things he wasn't actually doing.

Overall I don't think this film was best, but I do think that the cinematography, editing, mise-en-scene and the film concept was very good.

An Analysis of Conflict in “la Haine”

La Haine is set in the Paris suburbs in the late 90’s. In Paris then and now there are riots in the summer time, but what the riots are for can change every time. Most of the time politics can be involved or maybe even hatred against the police. La Haine follows the story of 3 young men in 24 hours and what kind of trouble they get into being part of the Paris suburbs and the riots. The director Mathieu Kassovitz uses a number of cinematography techniques and camera shot to make the fast passed film that is La Haine.

The film shows conflict first of all with the colour. Originally shot in colour but then changed into black and white in post production. This has an added effect on how the audience view the film. Conflict is shown here that the world has moved on and is all moving forward but the estate where the live in Paris is forever going to be stuck as it is always the same and always fighting. We can see here that conflict has been caused here but the little suburb not taking the time to move forward but focusing on the arguments and other issues.

Another part of the film where conflict is shown is how the film starts at the beginning. Real footage is being used of the riots in Paris and this adds to the story of the film. Immediately audiences can recognise things they have been watching on TV for years and what they now about the riots, but have never actually been right up in front of the action. But I think before the narrative begins this is very effective. The film of the riots is in black and white so might make the viewer think maybe when the actual film starts it might go back to colour, but stays the same as its almost part of the film. But I think conflict is shown here as that nothing ever changes and that is always going to be the same with riots and fighting with the country and the police.

In conclusin the flim has shown conflict in alot of ascpects of the Paris Riots. Using the characters and the way the film has been made, it is obvious that Kassovitz has shown how hard it must be to live in that time.

My Small Project Summary

My Question for my Short Project is:

Has Frank Darabont lost his technique in making King Films over time?

The Sources I shall be using is the Internet, the DVD of the film and I have found 2 books in City College libary all about the shawnshank redemption and the green mile. I shall use these as my research techiniques about the question.

"La Haine"

"La Haine" (Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz) is set in suburbs of Paris, France in the last 90's and follows 3 friends in a single say. The film follows the riots about the police and how the three young men are involved. A good friend of theirs is taken into hospital and throughtout the day they talk about how they want to get revenge on the "Pigs". Vinz, one of the friends, finds a gun that the police had dropped and plans to kill a "pig" if there friend dies.

I really enojoyed watching La Haine and even though it is not really a film I wuold normally see I was impressed with it. I really like the cinematography and the editing of the film and the whole round effect the way the film was shown.