Blog Assignment #3: Film Criticism Today -- A Single Man

GROUP ONE:

In "Against Interpretation," Susan Sontag asserts that "desirable" criticism should encompass two elements: (1) concentration on form and (2) "accurate, sharp, loving description of the appearance of a work of art." Yet, as Dudley Andrew points out in "Susan Sontag and The Criticism of Cinema's Modernity: An Introduction," criticism since the 1990s has been replaced with box office reports. As he explains, "USA Today [...] led the trend [...] to eliminate discursive film criticism altogether, replacing it with box office standings. In this era of market democracy why not let the people point to the films that need to be seen? Why not let the numbers speak without intermediation? Polls have taken over for political analysis. The same may as well apply to cinema" (Post Script, 26.2).

While Sontag laments the absence of descriptive criticism in the 1960s, Andrew posits that film criticism has disappeared from the general public altogether. Serious criticism, according to Andrew, only finds a small audience among scholars and film students. Yet, there are still popular film critics (writing for newspapers and online blogs) who routinely review movies. For this blog post, you will reflect on the types of criticism most often encountered by the general public today.

PARAGRAPH ONE: Read one review of A Single Man (2009) and analyze the effectiveness of the review. Does it achieve what Sontag prescribes for successful criticism? How could this review be improved,...or should it?

Example Reviews:

Roger Ebert:http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article AID=/20091223/REVIEWS/912239995

Manohla Dargis (New York Times): http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/12/11/movies/11singleman.html

PARAGRAPH TWO: If you were to focus on the form of this film as Sontag suggests, which element of mise-en-scene best represents a cinematic element that contributes to the dramatic narrative? Write a paragraph concentrating on one cinematic form utilized in A Single Man and evaluate its artistic effectiveness in this film.

REQUIREMENTS: 300 words minimum. You must use at least 2 vocabulary words from list #2 (Film: A Critical Introduction pp.128-151). BOLD each vocabulary word you use. Post must be live by 4:00 pm on Friday, February18, 2011.

GROUP TWO:

After group one has posted their entries, browse through your peers' blogs and pick one entry to comment upon. You can agree with the writer, argue with a specific point made, or both. But, you MUST add something to the conversation begun by the writer.

REQUIREMENTS: 200 words minimum. Post must be live by midnight on Saturday, February 19, 2011.

Blog Assignment #2: Moments of Choice in Shark in the Head

GROUP TWO:

In “Moments of Choice,” V.F. Perkins distinguishes between filmmakers who achieve “manner” and those who successfully turn manner into “style.” As he explains this transition, a successful director can “[…] bind the movie together in a design that offers a more personal and detailed conception of the story’s significance, embodying an experience of the world and a viewpoint both considered and felt. At this point, manner becomes style.” For Perkins, films that are mainly concerned with manner (i.e., the way a story is told) lack the “style” associated with using elements of mise-en-scène to enhance the narrative structure.

As discussed in class, several critics complained that Memento’s (2007) syuzhet was nothing more than an “author’s trick.” They asserted that the narrative structure, while original and compelling, lacked support from a captivating story line or elements of mise-en-scène to further the visual themes of the film. Shark in the Head (2004) reverses the emphasis from narrative construction to stylistic representation – almost to a dangerous polar opposite. This film emphasizes stylistic expression over narrative.

For this assignment, you will write TWO PARAGRAPHS:

Choose one moment from Shark in the Head in which setting plays a prominent role. ***DESCRIBE IT, in detail, TO YOUR READER*** What is the setting? How does the director deviate from traditional depictions of setting to create symbolism? As an element of mise-en-scène, does this moment contribute to the visual themes of the film?

After you have described the moment you chose, answer this question: does this film achieve style, or does it’s extreme concentration on stylistic representation mean that it is a film of “manner” (i.e., is the film more concerned with HOW it is telling the story than the elements that contribute to a complete cinematic experience)?

REQUIREMENTS: 300 words minimum. You must use at least 3 vocabulary words from the first 25 words on the list. BOLD each vocabulary word you use. Post must be live by 3:00 pm on Friday, February 4, 2011.

GROUP ONE:

After group two has posted their entries, browse through your peers' blogs and pick one entry to comment upon. You can agree with the writer, argue with a specific point made, or both. But, you MUST add something to the conversation begun by the writer.

REQUIREMENTS: 300 words minimum. Post must be live by 3:00 pm on Saturday, February 5, 2011.