Dazed and Confused

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

The textbook Flashback: A Brief History of Film relates that Richard Linklater, director of Dazed and Confused is often bracketed with fellow cult film giant Kevin Smith. Perhaps this is because Linklater's character Slater, played by Rory Cochrane from Dazed and Confused, is nearly identical to Smith's character Jay, played by Jason Mews from Clerks, in appearance, concept, and portrayal. Both filmmakers employ quick and witty dialogue rife with references and humorous jabs, both made films with a pre-star Ben Affleck, and both have made movies about deplorable young people. On a conceptual level the two writers/directors are very similar. The difference is in execution - Smith's films have a more amateur visual style, but have stronger humor and more concise story, whereas Linklater's have more advanced visuals but weaker humor and a less coherent story. Both filmmakers are nevertheless highly regarded in their genres.

2.) Find a related article and summarize the content.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/09/24/dazed-and-confused-20th-anniversary-20-craziest-facts-about-the-cult-classic.html

On thedailybeast.com is an article titled Dazed and Confused 20th Anniversary: 20 Crazy Facts About the Cult Classic. In one of the more interesting facts related in the article is one that reveals that stars Jason London and Shawn Andrews had a difficult time working together, frequently coming to blows in arguments and refusing to perform scenes which involved both actors. Because of this many of the scenes which involved both actors were either avoided or rewritten and Andrew's character was replaced with Matthew McConaughey's in the final scene. Another interesting tidbit of information in the article is the origin of McConaughey's phrase "all right, all right, all right." According to the article the actor was inspired to improvise the line from a live recording of the Doors in which front man Jim Morrison repeated the phrase between two songs.

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

London and Andrew's feud is reminiscent of the long-standing distain between actors Chevy Chase and Bill Murray. Both relationships are strained and have prevented the actors from working together. Dazed and Confused director Richard Linklater resolved the dispute between his actors by deleting many scenes that required the two to act together and breaking them up when their fights escalated to physical contact. Conversely, Chase and Murray were forced to work together by director Harold Ramis in the film Caddyshack. The origin of Matthew McConaughey's oft-quoted line is not a unique one in Hollywood. Many films such as The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Being John Malkovich have memorable lines and sequences that were completely improvised.

4.) Write a critical analysis of the film.

Like American Graffiti before it, Dazed and Confused is a coming-of-age film set in a specific period of American history. Examined here is the aimless life of 1970s high school graduates, wavering between drugs, sex, and alcohol searching for meaning. The film's plot lazily drifts from story to story, never deeply focusing on any specific character or scene. This is done in order to create a sense of directionless wandering of a young adult. It is this atmosphere that earns the movie its title. The film also takes great effort to expand upon its timely context with styles, music, traditions, and props that are reminiscent of the 1970s. This attention to detail creates a more in depth experience and an accurate depiction of its timeframe. 

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: ______Alex Wisniewski______________  Date: _______3/31/14_________________

Sex, Lies, and Videotape

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

 In the textbook Flashback: A Brief History of Film it is stated that Sex, Lies, and Videotape was the movie that opening the floodgate to begin the independent film boom. While by 1989 independent films such as Evil Dead I and II and Eraserhead were already attracting attention it was Steven Soderbergh's movie that brought independent films into the cinematic spotlight. Since Sex, Lies and Videotape there have been a plethora of films produced independently such as Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity that have managed to become blockbuster commercial successes. What Soderbergh's film proves is that a movie doesn't need to have the financial backing of a major Hollywood studio to be both compelling and successful.

2.) Find a related article and summarize the content.

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/sex-lies-and-videotape-1989

Roger Ebert begins his review of Sex Lies and Videotape by explaining that the argument behind the film is that conversation is often better and more satisfying than sex. Ebert writes that conversation, like Graham's hobby, can be more intimate, voluptuous, and lasting than any physical encounter. Ebert also praises James Spader's performance in the movie, believing it to be a risk-taking role that portrays both intrigue and seduction. He concludes his review by stating that the movie is more intelligent than heartfelt and more clever than enlightening.

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

Ebert's theory of the film's message seems to hold true. In Sex, Lies and Videotape the major characters are either impotent or unable to derive pleasure from intercourse. Instead, after removing the negative and sexually charged influences in their lives, they make a connections in other ways. It shows that two people can have an intimate relationship without having to constantly sexually pleasure each other. Ebert's critique of Spader, describing his performance as both intriguing and seductive, is perhaps derived from the actor's awkward yet likable on screen persona. Graham, Spader's character in the film, is in one way very quiet - staring long and uncomfortably at the other characters and causing many pauses in conversation and in another way very likable and friendly. In other ways he is very heartfelt - a brutal sense of honesty penetrating his character. It is the character's mysterious yet revealing disposition that shows the depth of James Spader's performance.

4.) Write a critical analysis of the film.

Sex, Lies and Videotape is perhaps the only movie where the major relationship does not lead to, or at lest hint at, sex. It has been the long standing stereotype of both cinema and real life that two people in love will have intercourse. Perhaps it is this deviation from convention that first brought attention to the movie. Sex, Lies, and Videotape's success is perhaps mostly derived from its minimalist style of storytelling. Instead of a grandiose and overacted romance, Sex, Lies, and Videotape is a story about imperfect people who behave in a very realistic manner. Absent are the drawn-out and phony love monologues, and gone are preconceived notions of what a happy romance entails. It is this focus on human emotions that makes Sex, Lies, and Videotape so endearing and enduring and moved the general film-going audience to realize that a romantic movie can have a happy ending outside of the bedroom.

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: ______Alex Wisniewski______________  Date: _______3/23/14_________________

Do The Right Thing

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

            In class is was explained that upon completion of the film Do The Right Thing the producers urged director Spike Lee to alter the ending so that the relationship between Sal and Mookie ends on a relatively high note. Lee chose not to and released the film as he originally envisioned it. This was an important decision for Lee - he had changed the ending of the film, its story of misunderstanding and distrust would have been lost. As is, the film does not portray bad blood between Sal and Mookie. The two still hold quiet respect for one another, if not a touch of admiration. Sal's Pizzeria may have been destroyed and he may be anguished and frustrated by the loss, but he does not blame Mookie. Mookie may have incensed the riot that destroyed the Pizzeria, but he holds no ill-will towards Sal. The ending of the film implies that from that day forward Mookie is going to take responsibility not only for himself but for his new family.

2.) Find a related article and summarize the content.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/why-do-you-think-mookie-threw-a-trash-can-into-sals-pizzeria-window-in-do-the-right-thing

            In a blog post on indiewire.com is an article which analyzes the discussion regarding Mookie's actions at the end of Do the Right Thing. The article explains that there is no consensus, mostly for lack of proper explanation from director Lee, as to whether inciting the riot that destroys Sal's Pizzeria was the best course of action. The writer points out that immediately after Mookie tosses a garbage can through the window of Sal's Pizzeria he shouts the word "hate" which harkens back to a monologue given by Radio Raheem earlier in the film. Raheem tells Mookie that in the battle between love and hate, love must always be victorious. However, this scene may imply that in Mookie's inner struggle hate may have been the winner. The article also explains that the individuals living adjacent to Sal's Pizzeria clearly had no quarrel with Sal himself, evidenced by their disinterest in Buggin'Out's plan to boycott his business.

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

            Perhaps a better question to ask is what would have happened if Mookie hadn't thrown the garbage can through the window. Clearly the neighborhood is upset with the arrest of Buggin'Out and the inadvertent death of Radio Raheem, but their reactions could have played out in a variety of ways. From the interactions between characters earlier in the film is can be postulated that the tenants of the surrounding buildings generally held no ill-will towards Sal or his business and vice versa. Additionally, Buggin'Out and Radio Raheem did not seem to be necessarily well-liked figures within the community, as Buggin'Out generally caused trouble and was unable to incite a boycott of Sal's Pizzeria, and Radio Raheem was almost completely boxed out of society due to the constantly blasting music from the boom box he always carried with him. This leads to the implication that the riot was not about Buggin'Out, Radio Raheem, or Sal, but was the result of mounting tensions based on misunderstandings and a lack of empathy amongst the opposing parties. If this is the case, then the riot could have engulfed the entire neighborhood in a blind rage that would have destroyed everything in its path. In this regard, Mookie's actions centralized and humanized the riot, pinpointing its rage on a single target.

4.) Write a critical analysis of the film.

            Do the Right Thing is not a film about prejudice. It is instead a movie about mounting tensions and the repercussions of a lack of communication. Each of the parties involved in the film, from Sal and his sons, the neighborhood community, and the protestors never set aside differences to discuss their issues, instead constantly shouting at one another and reacting violently. The conflict of the movie rises from misunderstandings rather than hate, from an inability to coexist rather than misplaced superiority. What is never shown in the film are characters treating each other in a civilized manner, instead jumping to conclusions of hostility and hurtful intent. It is a tragic story about the inability of a number of groups of people to understand one another. In the film Radio Raheem preaches a message of love over hate. If every character, including Raheem himself, had followed this simple guideline then the neighborhood could have coexisted in harmony.

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: ______Alex Wisniewski______________  Date: _______3/4/14_________________