Open Thread Response

There seems to be mixed opinions on the structure of the Oscars and whether it is biased towards certain groups or individuals. It seems that some readers think that the low budget films are overlook and the blockbusters are favored. Other readers suggested that it is quite the contrary and the big movies are not given a fair chance because the awards are often given to the smaller, lesser-known films. I suppose the outcome of the awards changes from year to year. I have noticed that many of the awards are offered towards the smaller budget films that are politically-charged. It is difficult to speculate on the exact nature of the Oscars because in the past decade, film has changed considerably. There is no doubt in my mind, however, that this system is completely objective. I cannot determine for sure the extent of the biases and monetary incentives but like in any institution, a certain level of biased decision-making can be expected. In turn, I have been urged to re-evaluate the validity of the academy awards and suggest that it should not be used as a great determination of a film's quality.

Open Forum

Does anyone who is familiar with the structure of the Academy Awards believe there are flaws in this system of determining a film's worth? (ie; possible monetary incentives, popularity of performers, a consideration of circumstances that are irrelevant or barely influential upon the film's quality)

Self-Created Film Trailer

This is a film trailer I have developed for my 'Technology in the English Classroom' course. It was a tedious process and I think I'm better off watching movies as opposed to creating them.

This is a bit I wrote about the process for the course, explaining my intentions: The theme of the movie trailer circulated around the concept of hard copy books becoming obsolete. Although the point of the film is not to necessarily make a negative comment about technology itself, it it does speak to the issue of individuals preferring some of the mindless entertainment some video games offer instead of exercising their imaginations through books. I do realize that although technology does enhance many aspects of social interaction, it has taken away, to a degree, the beauty of owning printed literature. Printed literature can sustain when technology fails and I think that although technology is now an integral part of our culture, this should still be recognized.

The plot was simple and consisted of a character representing "the printed novel" and another character representing a child immersed in video games. The child ignores the novel until technology fails him and he is searching for an alternative method of entertainment. He remembers the book and finds her in the library where she has retreated.

Editing the footage was a simultaneously rewarding and frustrating experience. Although the software was advanced, at moments it was difficult to manipulate and very painstaking. However, I am very pleased with the final result of this trailer as it was only the second time I have ever dealt with editing original footage. It took awhile to decide what song was appropriate and which scenes to chose. Although some areas of the trailer may be a bit choppy or vague, I still believe than any audience with an open mind will be able to grasp its message.

The Broken Tower

Film: The Broken Tower (Biopic)

Director:  James Franco

Writers:  James Franco (Screenplay), Paul L. Mariani (Biography)

Stars:  James Franco, Michael Shannon, Stacey Miller

Despite my initial apprehensions, I really enjoyed this film.

At first, I was a bit wary because, like everyone, I went into viewing the film with biases and expectations.  And if a movie already breaches your expectations during its opening scene, it’s often difficult to give it an opportunity to prove its value.  However, I am certainly glad I did. As I previously alluded to, I found the film a bit uneasy to settle into…one, because I have read only briefly about Hart Crane before viewing The Broken Tower, and two, it was a black and white film with stark transitions and enduring scenes.  But I came to realize that perhaps that was the part of the beauty of the picture.  

This film consisted of fragments of a life of a troubled, brilliant, man. Hart Crane was a prominent American poet during the early 1900s who committed suicide at the age of thirty-two. The majority of the shots are overlapped by Franco narrarating with Crane’s poetry.

 Once you are able to accept its long silences and appreciate the beauty of nature and humanity and art, you can start to appreciate the film for its true, raw, quality.  Life is not always fast-paced and loud.  It was interesting just to watch the character (Franco as Crane) live in real time and respond to his world in ways we all do, but usually in privacy.  Alone, we often do things that do not make sense or we merely spend quiet hours exploring our world. 

I also learned that this was, in fact, a film that James Franco completed for his directing class at NYU.  Because it was a student film and it was completed on a modest budget, it was even easier to understand its shortcomings and embrace it for its literary and aesthetic merits. 

The film is fragile and no one should view it immediately with a critical eye.  In fact, it would certainly take several viewings to reach total comprehension…and even then, Crane’s poetry makes this nearly impossible.  Poets often write for themselves and they are the only real audience that they care about.  And rightly so. It is quite rare for people to be willing to expose themselves to such a degree. I find it astounded when individuals can translate their most intimate thoughts and emotions into art.  They don’t owe us an explanation and we should not expect one.  

The Broken Tower was in the very least, thought provoking. Personally, I found it to be beautiful and quite brave for a director’s first endeavor.  This is certainly not film for everyone but definitely for those with an open mind, patience, and an affinity for poetry.