Film
Year
Total cost (production+marketing) (USD)
Worldwide theater gross (USD)
Net losses (USD)
Net losses inflation adjusted (2008 USD)
Cutthroat Island
1995
115,000,000
10,017,322
-104,982,678
-146,947,958
The Alamo
2004
145,000,000
25,819,961
-119,180,039
-134,784,016
The Adventures of Pluto Nash
2002
120,000,000
7,103,973
-112,896,027
-134,396,524
Sahara
2005
241,000,000
119,269,486
-121,730,514
-133,141,605
The 13th Warrior
1999
160,000,000
61,698,899
-98,301,101
-125,887,312
Town & Country
2001
105,000,000
10,372,291
-94,627,709
-115,352,672
Heaven's Gate
1980
44,000,000*
3,484,331
-40,515,669
-104,542,449
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
2001
167,000,000
85,131,830
-81,868,170
-99,798,592
Inchon
1982
46,000,000*
5,200,986
-40,799,014
-89,870,942
Treasure Planet
2002
180,000,000
109,578,115
-70,421,885
-83,833,389
The Postman
1997
80,000,000*
17,626,234
-62,373,766
-83,346,947
Red Planet
2000
100,000,000
33,463,969
-66,536,031
-82,406,208
Soldier
1998
75,000,000*
15,000,000
-60,000,000
-78,912,404
Gigli
2003
74,000,000
7,266,209
-66,733,791
-77,961,644
Around the World in 80 Days
2004
140,000,000
72,178,895
-67,821,105
-76,700,771
Ishtar
1987
55,000,000*
14,375,181
-40,624,819
-76,015,712
A Sound of Thunder
2005
80,000,000*
11,665,465
-68,334,535
-74,740,255
Hart's War
2002
95,000,000
32,287,044
-62,712,956
-74,656,332
Hudson Hawk
1991
65,000,000*
17,218,080
-47,781,920
-74,619,989
Adventures of Baron Munchausen
1988
46,630,000*
8,083,123
-38,546,877
-69,286,783
Stealth
2005
138,000,000*
76,932,872
-61,067,128
-66,791,597
Rollerball
2002
70,000,000*
18,990,798
-51,009,202
-60,723,655
Catwoman
2004
135,000,000
82,102,379
-52,897,621
-59,823,389
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever
2002
70,000,000*
19,924,033
-50,075,967
-59,612,690
The Scarlet Letter
1995
50,000,000
10,382,407
-39,617,593
-55,454,143
Gods and Generals
2003
60,000,000*
12,923,936
-47,076,064
-54,996,536
The Last Castle
2001
72,000,000*
27,642,707
-44,357,293
-54,072,241
Battlefield Earth
2000
73,000,000*
29,725,663
-43,274,337
-53,596,134
The Bonfire of the Vanities
1990
47,000,000*
15,691,192
-31,308,808
-50,947,847
Nothing but Trouble
1991
40,000,000*
8,479,793
-31,520,207
-49,224,424
All the King's Men
2006
55,000,000*
9,450,897
-45,549,103
-48,603,808
The Avengers
1998
60,000,000*
23,384,939
-36,615,061
-48,156,375
Son of the Mask
2005
100,000,000
57,552,641
-42,447,359
-46,426,400
Money Train
1995
68,000,000
35,431,113
-32,568,887
-45,587,820
Windtalkers
2002
115,000,000*
77,628,265
-37,371,735
-44,488,999
Man on the Moon
1999
82,000,000*
47,434,430
-34,565,570
-44,265,696
The Majestic
2001
72,000,000*
37,317,558
-34,682,442
-42,278,444
Timeline
2003
80,000,000*
43,935,763
-36,064,237
-42,131,987
K-19: The Widowmaker
2002
100,000,000*
65,716,126
-34,283,874
-40,813,070
Delgo
2008
40,000,000*
694,782
-39,305,218
-39,305,218
Thursday, 13 May 2010
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
Dead Ringers - Question of values
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R22QUqy6wM&feature=related
In this video Dead Ringers parodies another BBC programme (Top Gear) which questions the values of the BBC as it seems that creating humour for the audience is more important than their personal pride.
In this video Dead Ringers parodies another BBC programme (Top Gear) which questions the values of the BBC as it seems that creating humour for the audience is more important than their personal pride.
Heroes - Postmodern elements: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroes_(TV_series)
Comparisons with other works
The show's creators have answered criticism over similarities between elements of the show and the X-Men in their live blog, saying "I think there is a shorthand to compare it to X-Men when you have not yet seen the show. However, my guess is that that comparison will go away once you have seen what we are doing."[133][134]
On February 7, 2007, Jeph Loeb, co-executive producer of Heroes and the other creators compared Heroes to 24, stating that, like 24, each season would conclude and the next season would introduce a new plotline. In the same interview, Tim Kring compared Heroes to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Incredibles, stating the characters in Eternal Sunshine were "ordinary...and unexpected," but well responded to; and the characters in Disney/Pixar's The Incredibles were superpowered people who had to deal with the stresses and problems that arose when they attempted to live a normal life.[36][135]
Bob Smithouser at pluggedinonline.com, reviewed the Heroes pilot and compared it as a combination of elements from The 4400, Lost, X-Men, and Stephen King's The Stand.[136] Aron Coleite and Joe Pokaski have stated that "comics have a huge influence on us." Watchmen, "Days of Future Past", Y: The Last Man, The Dark Knight Returns, and The Long Halloween are a few examples that they gave. Other non-comicbook examples included the 9/11 documentary Loose Change and the novel The Fourth K by Mario Puzo.[137]
Critical reception
During the series' first season, the American Film Institute named Heroes one of the ten "best television programs of the year."[87] Doug Elfman of the Chicago Sun-Times stated, "the show's super strengths are its well-developed filmmaking, smooth pacing and a perfect cast. It views like the first hour of a fun, thoughtful movie." Barry Garron at the The Hollywood Reporter also stated, "Heroes is one of TV's most imaginative creations and might, with luck, become this year's Lost."[88] Less favorable reviews included the Philadelphia Inquirer, who commented that although the show had lots of "cool effects," it "lands, splat, in a pile of nonsense and dim dialogue." In response to the first pod of season one episodes, The Chicago Tribune went as far as saying, "you could watch the first few episodes of Heroes, or you could repeatedly hit yourself on the head with a brick. The effect is surprisingly similar."[89] At Metacritic, the Heroes pilot received a 67/100, with generally favorable reviews from critics.[90]
The second season of Heroes was criticized by commentators and fans for a much slower pace, less engaging storyline and lack of focus compared to the first season. Milo Ventimiglia stated that "when there's a little bit of a delay, there's not that instant, rewarding scene or moment or episode… people get impatient, so it has been extremely important for them to strike a balance between giving and getting."
Mythology
Main article: Mythology of Heroes
Activating Evolution
Heroes includes some mysterious fictional recurring elements that have been ascribed to science fiction or supernatural phenomena. Tim Kring and the creators of the series refer to these fictional elements as part of the mythology of the series. Kring confirmed that although the show has a unique mythology, he does not want to sink too deeply into it. Rather, Kring has used volumes to wrap up ongoing plot lines instead of carrying storylines over long periods of time as in Lost.[84] As far as the overall mythology of the series, Kring said, "we have talked about where the show goes up to five seasons."[1][85] As far as the show's ending date, Kring has commented that, "This show doesn't posit an ending…" The show does not have a designated ending point and is "open-ended."[86]
Among the show's mythological elements are the Company, the legend of Takezo Kensei, paintings of the future, superpowers and their origins, the Shanti virus, 9th Wonders! comic book and numerous other elements and mythological themes.
The show's creators have answered criticism over similarities between elements of the show and the X-Men in their live blog, saying "I think there is a shorthand to compare it to X-Men when you have not yet seen the show. However, my guess is that that comparison will go away once you have seen what we are doing."[133][134]
On February 7, 2007, Jeph Loeb, co-executive producer of Heroes and the other creators compared Heroes to 24, stating that, like 24, each season would conclude and the next season would introduce a new plotline. In the same interview, Tim Kring compared Heroes to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Incredibles, stating the characters in Eternal Sunshine were "ordinary...and unexpected," but well responded to; and the characters in Disney/Pixar's The Incredibles were superpowered people who had to deal with the stresses and problems that arose when they attempted to live a normal life.[36][135]
Bob Smithouser at pluggedinonline.com, reviewed the Heroes pilot and compared it as a combination of elements from The 4400, Lost, X-Men, and Stephen King's The Stand.[136] Aron Coleite and Joe Pokaski have stated that "comics have a huge influence on us." Watchmen, "Days of Future Past", Y: The Last Man, The Dark Knight Returns, and The Long Halloween are a few examples that they gave. Other non-comicbook examples included the 9/11 documentary Loose Change and the novel The Fourth K by Mario Puzo.[137]
Critical reception
During the series' first season, the American Film Institute named Heroes one of the ten "best television programs of the year."[87] Doug Elfman of the Chicago Sun-Times stated, "the show's super strengths are its well-developed filmmaking, smooth pacing and a perfect cast. It views like the first hour of a fun, thoughtful movie." Barry Garron at the The Hollywood Reporter also stated, "Heroes is one of TV's most imaginative creations and might, with luck, become this year's Lost."[88] Less favorable reviews included the Philadelphia Inquirer, who commented that although the show had lots of "cool effects," it "lands, splat, in a pile of nonsense and dim dialogue." In response to the first pod of season one episodes, The Chicago Tribune went as far as saying, "you could watch the first few episodes of Heroes, or you could repeatedly hit yourself on the head with a brick. The effect is surprisingly similar."[89] At Metacritic, the Heroes pilot received a 67/100, with generally favorable reviews from critics.[90]
The second season of Heroes was criticized by commentators and fans for a much slower pace, less engaging storyline and lack of focus compared to the first season. Milo Ventimiglia stated that "when there's a little bit of a delay, there's not that instant, rewarding scene or moment or episode… people get impatient, so it has been extremely important for them to strike a balance between giving and getting."
Mythology
Main article: Mythology of Heroes
Activating Evolution
Heroes includes some mysterious fictional recurring elements that have been ascribed to science fiction or supernatural phenomena. Tim Kring and the creators of the series refer to these fictional elements as part of the mythology of the series. Kring confirmed that although the show has a unique mythology, he does not want to sink too deeply into it. Rather, Kring has used volumes to wrap up ongoing plot lines instead of carrying storylines over long periods of time as in Lost.[84] As far as the overall mythology of the series, Kring said, "we have talked about where the show goes up to five seasons."[1][85] As far as the show's ending date, Kring has commented that, "This show doesn't posit an ending…" The show does not have a designated ending point and is "open-ended."[86]
Among the show's mythological elements are the Company, the legend of Takezo Kensei, paintings of the future, superpowers and their origins, the Shanti virus, 9th Wonders! comic book and numerous other elements and mythological themes.
Friday, 30 April 2010
Box office flops - Stormbreaker
Budget
$40 million (£25 million)
Gross revenue
$23,937,870
A number of films that are released are flops at the box office. Stormbreaker is a prime example with the film adaptation of the Anthony Horowitz making huge losses at the box office which has halted plans of a film franchise which includes the later Alex Rider books. The Main problem with film adaptations of popular books is the weak protrayals and the absence of key scenes from the book which weakens the film's narrative and appeal to its audience as a result.
$40 million (£25 million)
Gross revenue
$23,937,870
A number of films that are released are flops at the box office. Stormbreaker is a prime example with the film adaptation of the Anthony Horowitz making huge losses at the box office which has halted plans of a film franchise which includes the later Alex Rider books. The Main problem with film adaptations of popular books is the weak protrayals and the absence of key scenes from the book which weakens the film's narrative and appeal to its audience as a result.
Thursday, 15 April 2010
Friday, 26 March 2010
Heroes (postmodernist text)
Heroes is a postmodernist text firstly, because it is hyperreal with the use of superhuman abilities which i reality no-one possesses. It is also quite quite self referential as it shows the negatives of having these abilities where a lot of the audience wishes that they had a superpower and wanted to be a hero. Heroes sometimes works on the borderline of reality and hyperreality, because those with the powers are normal individuals who live normal lives and display the human side of their 'identity'. This differs from normal superhero texts where they display the extraordinary side of their personality a lot more often than their normal human side as they try to escape their normal lives and use their powers in order to be someone special. It also plays on the fear factor as one of the characters (called Sylar) begins killing other people with abilities in order to steal their powers. This is evidence of the importance of possessions and the crime that usually is committed is to steal other people's possessions, such as wallets or handbags but in Heroes, Sylar wishes to possess powers and it represents our sometimes hunger for our possessions like our computer and mobile phones and it can be ahunger that we may not be able to control if push came to shove.
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Reservoir Dogs
This was Tarantino's debut film and was made in 1992. It had a budget of $1.2million and had a gross revenue of $2.8 million. It is about the events before and after a failed jewel heist. Like a lot of Tarantino's other films such as Inglorious Basterds, Tarantino starred in the film as well. It recieved substantial criticism for the violence and language that were used and censorship was not as big an issue.
Quentin Tarantino film festival
This takes place in Austin, Texas and Tarantino screens some of his favourite films using the prints that he owns. Themes include 80s horror and 70s Italian crime they have all been inspirations for him when he was making his own films. There have been six festivals so far and Tarantino introduces all of the films himself, shows trailers for all film genres and discusses films with the fans who have paid to come to the festival.
Coen Brothers filmography
Year
Film
Director credit
Academy Award Nominations
Academy Award Wins
Golden Globe Nominations
Golden Globe Wins
BAFTA Nominations
BAFTA Wins
1984
Blood Simple
Joel
1987
Raising Arizona
1990
Miller's Crossing
1991
Barton Fink
3
1
1994
The Hudsucker Proxy
1996
Fargo
7
2
4
6
1
1998
The Big Lebowski
2000
O Brother,Where Art Thou?
2
2
1
5
2001
The Man Who Wasn't There
1
3
1
1
2003
Intolerable Cruelty
2004
The Ladykillers
Joel & Ethan
2007
No Country for Old Men
8
4
4
2
9
3
2008
Burn After Reading
2
3
2009
A Serious Man
2
1
1
2010
True Grit
Total
23
6
17
3
20
5
Film
Director credit
Academy Award Nominations
Academy Award Wins
Golden Globe Nominations
Golden Globe Wins
BAFTA Nominations
BAFTA Wins
1984
Blood Simple
Joel
1987
Raising Arizona
1990
Miller's Crossing
1991
Barton Fink
3
1
1994
The Hudsucker Proxy
1996
Fargo
7
2
4
6
1
1998
The Big Lebowski
2000
O Brother,Where Art Thou?
2
2
1
5
2001
The Man Who Wasn't There
1
3
1
1
2003
Intolerable Cruelty
2004
The Ladykillers
Joel & Ethan
2007
No Country for Old Men
8
4
4
2
9
3
2008
Burn After Reading
2
3
2009
A Serious Man
2
1
1
2010
True Grit
Total
23
6
17
3
20
5
Quentin tarantino stats
Recurring collaborators
Actor
My Best Friend's Birthday(1987)
Reservoir Dogs(1992)
Pulp Fiction(1994)
Four Rooms(1995)
Jackie Brown(1997)
Kill Bill: Vol. 1(2003)
Kill Bill: Vol. 2(2004)
Death Proof(2007)
Inglourious Basterds(2009)
Michael Bacall
N
N
Michael Bowen
N
N
Steve Buscemi
N
N
Kathy Griffin
N
N
Paul Calderon
N
N
David Carradine
N
N
Sid Haig
N
N
Omar Doom
N
N
Julie Dreyfus
N
N
Brenda Hillhouse
N
N
Samuel L. Jackson
N
N
N
N
Linda Kaye
N
N
N
Harvey Keitel
N
N
N
Lucy Liu
N
N
Michael Madsen
N
N
N
James Parks
N
N
Michael Parks
N
N
N
Tim Roth
N
N
N
Eli Roth
N
N
Uma Thurman
N
N
N
Bruce Willis
N
N
N
Helen Kim
N
N
Tarantino announced that Kill Bill: Vol. 3 would be his ninth film, and would be released in 2014.[25] He said he intends to make another unrelated film before that date as his eighth film. He confirmed that he wanted ten years to pass between the Bride's last conflict, to give her and her daughter a period of peace
Filmography
Film director
Year
Film
Notes
1987
My Best Friend's Birthday
unfinished first film
1992
Reservoir Dogs
Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best DirectorNominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best First FeatureNominated — Grand Jury Prize - Sundance Film Festival
1994
Pulp Fiction
Palme d'OrIndependent Spirit Award for Best DirectorIndependent Spirit Award for Best ScreenplayAcademy Award for Best Original ScreenplayBAFTA Award for Best Original ScreenplayGolden Globe Award for Best ScreenplayNominated — Academy Award for Best DirectorNominated — BAFTA Award for Best DirectionNominated — BAFTA Award for Best FilmNominated — Directors Guild of America AwardNominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Director
1995
Four Rooms
segment The Man from Hollywood
1997
Jackie Brown
Nominated — Berlin International Film Festival
2003
Kill Bill: Vol. 1
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay
2004
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Nominated — Grammy Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
2005
Sin City
Special Guest Director
2007
Death Proof
Nominated — Palme d'Or
2009
Inglourious Basterds
Nominated — Academy Award for Best PictureNominated — Academy Award for Best DirectorNominated — Academy Award for Best Original ScreenplayNominated — BAFTA Award for Best DirectionNominated — BAFTA Award for Best Original ScreenplayNominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best DirectorNominated — Directors Guild of America AwardNominated — Golden Globe Award for Best DirectorNominated — Palme d'OrNominated — Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association for Best DirectorNominated — Grammy Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
Television director
Year
Film
Notes
1995
ER
Season 1; Episode 24: "Motherhood"
2004
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
April 20, 2004
2005
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Episodes "Grave Danger: Vols. I & II"Nominated — Emmy Award for Best Directing - Drama
Film writer
Year
Film
Notes
1987
My Best Friend's Birthday
unfinished first film
1992
Past Midnight
uncredited re-write
Reservoir Dogs
1993
True Romance
1994
Pulp Fiction
with Roger AvaryAcademy Award for Writing Original ScreenplayBAFTA Award for Best Original ScreenplayGolden Globe Award for Best ScreenplayIndependent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay
Natural Born Killers
story credit, wrote original draft
1995
Crimson Tide
uncredited re-write
Four Rooms
segment "The Man from Hollywood"
1996
From Dusk Till Dawn
The Rock
uncredited script polish
Curdled
uncredited Gecko Brothers news report
1997
Jackie Brown
adapted from Elmore Leonard's novel Rum Punch
2003
Kill Bill
Vol. 1 (2003), Vol. 2 (2004)
2007
Death Proof
2009
Inglourious Basterds
Austin Film Critics Award for Best Original ScreenplayBoston Society of Film Critics Award for Best ScreenplayBroadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best WriterNominated — Academy Award for Writing Original ScreenplayNominated — Golden Globe Award for Best ScreenplayNominated - Academy Award for Best Picture
Television writer
Year
Film
Notes
2005
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
"Grave Danger: Vols. I & II" story creditNominated — Writers Guild of America Award
Film actor
Year
Film
Role
Notes
1987
My Best Friend's Birthday
Clarence Pool
1992
Reservoir Dogs
Mr. Brown
1994
Pulp Fiction
Jimmie Dimmick
Sleep With Me
Sid
1995
Destiny Turns On the Radio
Johnny Destiny
Four Rooms
Chester Rush
segment "The Man from Hollywood"
Desperado
Pick-up Guy
1996
From Dusk Till Dawn
Richie Gecko
Girl 6
Q.T.
1997
Jackie Brown
Default Answering Machine voice
2000
Little Nicky
Crazy Priest
2002
BaadAsssss Cinema
Himself
documentary
2003
Kill Bill
Crazy 88 member
2004
Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession
Himself
documentary
2005
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz
Himself
as Kermit's director
2007
Grindhouse: Planet Terror
Rapist #1
Grindhouse: Death Proof
Warren the Bartender
Sukiyaki Western Django
Mystery Man Ringo
2008
Not Quite Hollywood
Himself
documentary
2009
Inglourious Basterds
Soldier within a film "Nation's Pride", first scalped victim shown
Actor
My Best Friend's Birthday(1987)
Reservoir Dogs(1992)
Pulp Fiction(1994)
Four Rooms(1995)
Jackie Brown(1997)
Kill Bill: Vol. 1(2003)
Kill Bill: Vol. 2(2004)
Death Proof(2007)
Inglourious Basterds(2009)
Michael Bacall
N
N
Michael Bowen
N
N
Steve Buscemi
N
N
Kathy Griffin
N
N
Paul Calderon
N
N
David Carradine
N
N
Sid Haig
N
N
Omar Doom
N
N
Julie Dreyfus
N
N
Brenda Hillhouse
N
N
Samuel L. Jackson
N
N
N
N
Linda Kaye
N
N
N
Harvey Keitel
N
N
N
Lucy Liu
N
N
Michael Madsen
N
N
N
James Parks
N
N
Michael Parks
N
N
N
Tim Roth
N
N
N
Eli Roth
N
N
Uma Thurman
N
N
N
Bruce Willis
N
N
N
Helen Kim
N
N
Tarantino announced that Kill Bill: Vol. 3 would be his ninth film, and would be released in 2014.[25] He said he intends to make another unrelated film before that date as his eighth film. He confirmed that he wanted ten years to pass between the Bride's last conflict, to give her and her daughter a period of peace
Filmography
Film director
Year
Film
Notes
1987
My Best Friend's Birthday
unfinished first film
1992
Reservoir Dogs
Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best DirectorNominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best First FeatureNominated — Grand Jury Prize - Sundance Film Festival
1994
Pulp Fiction
Palme d'OrIndependent Spirit Award for Best DirectorIndependent Spirit Award for Best ScreenplayAcademy Award for Best Original ScreenplayBAFTA Award for Best Original ScreenplayGolden Globe Award for Best ScreenplayNominated — Academy Award for Best DirectorNominated — BAFTA Award for Best DirectionNominated — BAFTA Award for Best FilmNominated — Directors Guild of America AwardNominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Director
1995
Four Rooms
segment The Man from Hollywood
1997
Jackie Brown
Nominated — Berlin International Film Festival
2003
Kill Bill: Vol. 1
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay
2004
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Nominated — Grammy Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
2005
Sin City
Special Guest Director
2007
Death Proof
Nominated — Palme d'Or
2009
Inglourious Basterds
Nominated — Academy Award for Best PictureNominated — Academy Award for Best DirectorNominated — Academy Award for Best Original ScreenplayNominated — BAFTA Award for Best DirectionNominated — BAFTA Award for Best Original ScreenplayNominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best DirectorNominated — Directors Guild of America AwardNominated — Golden Globe Award for Best DirectorNominated — Palme d'OrNominated — Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association for Best DirectorNominated — Grammy Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
Television director
Year
Film
Notes
1995
ER
Season 1; Episode 24: "Motherhood"
2004
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
April 20, 2004
2005
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Episodes "Grave Danger: Vols. I & II"Nominated — Emmy Award for Best Directing - Drama
Film writer
Year
Film
Notes
1987
My Best Friend's Birthday
unfinished first film
1992
Past Midnight
uncredited re-write
Reservoir Dogs
1993
True Romance
1994
Pulp Fiction
with Roger AvaryAcademy Award for Writing Original ScreenplayBAFTA Award for Best Original ScreenplayGolden Globe Award for Best ScreenplayIndependent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay
Natural Born Killers
story credit, wrote original draft
1995
Crimson Tide
uncredited re-write
Four Rooms
segment "The Man from Hollywood"
1996
From Dusk Till Dawn
The Rock
uncredited script polish
Curdled
uncredited Gecko Brothers news report
1997
Jackie Brown
adapted from Elmore Leonard's novel Rum Punch
2003
Kill Bill
Vol. 1 (2003), Vol. 2 (2004)
2007
Death Proof
2009
Inglourious Basterds
Austin Film Critics Award for Best Original ScreenplayBoston Society of Film Critics Award for Best ScreenplayBroadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best WriterNominated — Academy Award for Writing Original ScreenplayNominated — Golden Globe Award for Best ScreenplayNominated - Academy Award for Best Picture
Television writer
Year
Film
Notes
2005
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
"Grave Danger: Vols. I & II" story creditNominated — Writers Guild of America Award
Film actor
Year
Film
Role
Notes
1987
My Best Friend's Birthday
Clarence Pool
1992
Reservoir Dogs
Mr. Brown
1994
Pulp Fiction
Jimmie Dimmick
Sleep With Me
Sid
1995
Destiny Turns On the Radio
Johnny Destiny
Four Rooms
Chester Rush
segment "The Man from Hollywood"
Desperado
Pick-up Guy
1996
From Dusk Till Dawn
Richie Gecko
Girl 6
Q.T.
1997
Jackie Brown
Default Answering Machine voice
2000
Little Nicky
Crazy Priest
2002
BaadAsssss Cinema
Himself
documentary
2003
Kill Bill
Crazy 88 member
2004
Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession
Himself
documentary
2005
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz
Himself
as Kermit's director
2007
Grindhouse: Planet Terror
Rapist #1
Grindhouse: Death Proof
Warren the Bartender
Sukiyaki Western Django
Mystery Man Ringo
2008
Not Quite Hollywood
Himself
documentary
2009
Inglourious Basterds
Soldier within a film "Nation's Pride", first scalped victim shown
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Inglorious Basterds
From watching this film in class I have been able to pick up key elements of the film, such as the audience reaction due to the self refernetial way that it depicts the Nazi hunting of the Jews and the ruthlessness of the Nazi party. Another way that representation works is the way tha Brad Pitt is depicted. He is depcited in the eyes of the American public at least as a hero and do not stop to think whether he is truly the good guy as he and the rest of the inglorious basterds commit violent acts that can be seen as similar to the acts of the Nazi troops. It is also interesting that a number of key themes from previous Quentin Tarantino films remain in this film. The Soundtrack at times sounds similar to Kill Bill and it maintains the heavy violence seens form both Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction. Especially Pulp Fiction as this opened everyones eyes when they first saw it.
Monday, 22 March 2010
Trailer for the new series of Doctor Who
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpbmMhNe6aA
I chose to uploa this link as Doctor Who is a good example of a postmodern text and the key concepts of hyppereality which are also featured.
I chose to uploa this link as Doctor Who is a good example of a postmodern text and the key concepts of hyppereality which are also featured.
Friday, 19 March 2010
The Wire
The Wire uses realism elements, such as filming on location in Baltimore. It tackles several key issues , such as drug abuse and problems with bureaucracy. The target of the show is to show how american cities function and how everyone gets on with each other. It is written around the experiences of co-write Ed Burns who was a former homicide detective such as the frustrations he suffered of the ineffectiveness of the beaureaucracy of the police department so there are a lot of political elements featured in the Wire.
The Wire is postmodern, because it is based around true events which shows that the structure of the narrative is less creative as ideas for the narrative already exist that can be used to construct the plot for the series. It also is postmodern as it hits out at the weaknesses of the police department. This in the past would have been too risky to attempt to do, but nowadays writers of TV programmes aren't for example afraid to break the fourth wall. Also most of characters involved are based on real life Baltimore figures. Also some important events occur off camera and flashbacks are common so another postmodern element is the growing emphasis on technology on media products. This is just like the A2 media projects which now depend more on technology such as recorded evaluations.
The Wire is postmodern, because it is based around true events which shows that the structure of the narrative is less creative as ideas for the narrative already exist that can be used to construct the plot for the series. It also is postmodern as it hits out at the weaknesses of the police department. This in the past would have been too risky to attempt to do, but nowadays writers of TV programmes aren't for example afraid to break the fourth wall. Also most of characters involved are based on real life Baltimore figures. Also some important events occur off camera and flashbacks are common so another postmodern element is the growing emphasis on technology on media products. This is just like the A2 media projects which now depend more on technology such as recorded evaluations.
Monday, 15 March 2010
Last lesson
Last lesson we related soap doc to real media texts like the office. Extras is also a good example. It is designed to be a comedy but has plenty of drama elements as well like you'd find in a soap like coronation street. We also watched a number of films relating to postmodernism such as '500 days of summer' and 'pulp fiction' and dissected those texts and pulled out key elements and themes, such as 500 days of summer's slogan 'its a story about love not a love story' and the very heavy violence of pulp fiction.
Friday, 5 March 2010
How does your project relate to real media texts ?
One of the key existing media conventions that my project relates to is the work of Joseph Campbell. One of the most useful of Campbell’s texts to relate to is the book: ‘Hero of a thousand faces’. It gives a postmodernist twist on the concept of a hero as he structured the journey of the hero around a concept called monomyth. It takes in the trials and tasks that a hero must face. The hero starts in an ordinary world and is called to a strange new world with strange powers and events and also links to the concept of ‘fight or flight’. This refers to whether a hero will step up to the plate and make the effort to reach his target or fail and be doomed to misery and failure. The structure of the narrative that Joseph Campbell uses is postmodern, because there is also a strong presence of mythology which comes with ‘the journey of a hero’. As some myths often differ in the approaches that need to be taken, especially in terms of the order that they need to be taken. These ideas crucially link back to my own project, because the structure of the narrative of my project is one of the main concepts that is aimed at being brought forward as the hero of the film Miles is starting his journey after leaving home and going in search of his hero. He is pictured in my project performing many tasks, such as hitchhiking and looking to others for help and guidance. This shows the structure of the narrative of my project and also the order in which events unfold which is what Joseph Campbell tries to do with the concept of mythology and how a hero completes the tasks and trials and the way he completes them.
There is evidence to show that George Lucas used the ideas of Joseph Campbell and monomyth to create the Star wars films with the structure of the different episodes of the star wars films and the trials and tribulations of Luke Skywalker becoming a Jedi throughout the Star Wars trilogy with the clear order of events of the trilogy of flms.
There is evidence to show that George Lucas used the ideas of Joseph Campbell and monomyth to create the Star wars films with the structure of the different episodes of the star wars films and the trials and tribulations of Luke Skywalker becoming a Jedi throughout the Star Wars trilogy with the clear order of events of the trilogy of flms.
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Matrix trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtqU57sR0B8)
I have linked this trailer as The Matrix is a very good example of a Postmodernist text and is also a great example to back up the theory of hyperreality with the Matrix plot centred around a world run by computers and machines.
Thursday, 11 February 2010
How did you get inspiration from other media products in order to make you own project?
My project was about a boy who leaves behind his turbulent life and goes off in search of his hero in a long and eventful journey. I got the inspiration for my project from existing media products, such as ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ and ‘Home Alone’. These films also involved child actors and Little Miss Sunshine was particularly important in terms of my research as the trials and tribulations and voyage of discovery were some of the themes that featured on my own media project. Home Alone was important in gaining an understanding of a child actor and how it launches the career of a child actor. I needed to understand this before I could start planning the filming of the project. The road trip/journey element was inspired from films, such as Planes, Trains and Automobiles as the journey goes on a long journey there are bound to be highs and lows along the way plus the fact that the journey was central to the film as it is the core of the narrative : ‘ searching for their hero’. I also researched by looking at film trailers from films, such as Spiderman and Planes, Trains and Automobiles in order to gain some understanding on how a film is edited for a trailer and also how long they should be.
Another discovery film that inspired my project was looking for Eric. This is another film where someone gains inspiration in search of their hero, in this case legendary footballer Eric Cantona. So in conclusion my project gained an inspiration from a range of existing media products and tried to extract the themes from them which helps to make my film seem more like a hybrid.
Another discovery film that inspired my project was looking for Eric. This is another film where someone gains inspiration in search of their hero, in this case legendary footballer Eric Cantona. So in conclusion my project gained an inspiration from a range of existing media products and tried to extract the themes from them which helps to make my film seem more like a hybrid.
Wednesday, 10 February 2010
Comparison of woman clone CD cover and my film poster
The genre between the 2 different texts differs, because the CD cover seems to contain cultural themes, such as feminism and obsession. This is due to the fact that the main image is of a large image of a woman which is strategically positioned under the words woman and clone. The obsession comes from all of the magazine and newspaper extracts that are positioned in and around the woman’s head and also contains a presence of feminism with the titles of the headlines, such as ‘THE QUEEN PALACE DIARY’ and ‘THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED WHEN WOMEN DESIGN A COOKER’. The second one also shows connotations of sexism by the portrayal and stereotype of women designing something that turns out to be a failure. It is also a cry out for independence with all of the cover being based around women.
The film poster by contrast that was part of my practical project is centred a lot more around more general themes, such as ambition and hope. These themes are much less serious than themes shown on the woman clone CD cover as they are more general and are not up for debate in modern society. Ambition is a connotation in both the CD cover and my film poster, but the ambition is aimed two different bigger issues and goals. The CD cover shows the ambition with the feminist themes for women to be given the same rights as men and to be truly equal. The film poster on the other hand has the quotation ‘How far would you go to realise your dreams ?’. This shows the pursuit of happiness and also looks at the bigger picture, but it is the happiness of an individual not of an entire culture though.
The film poster by contrast that was part of my practical project is centred a lot more around more general themes, such as ambition and hope. These themes are much less serious than themes shown on the woman clone CD cover as they are more general and are not up for debate in modern society. Ambition is a connotation in both the CD cover and my film poster, but the ambition is aimed two different bigger issues and goals. The CD cover shows the ambition with the feminist themes for women to be given the same rights as men and to be truly equal. The film poster on the other hand has the quotation ‘How far would you go to realise your dreams ?’. This shows the pursuit of happiness and also looks at the bigger picture, but it is the happiness of an individual not of an entire culture though.
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Explain how you used digital technology to adhere to or deviate from the conventions of real media texts?
I used digital technology to adhere to the conventions of real media texts by having a film teaser trailer that uses a range of camera angles and also to have the footage mainly around the escapades around one main character to give the film its own unique identity. An example of this is in superhero films, such as Spiderman or Iron Man where the emphasis in the full films or the trailer is of the film’s main protagonist and we used editing on the apple macs to shorten clips and also change the transition of shots in order to make this happen. We also used a voice recorder to record the voice of Miles’ angry parents at the part of the trailer where he leaves home. We chose not to show the parents in the shot, because I thought that it would be more effective if you could here the voices only in order to keep the emphasis on Miles with him being the only one in the shot and therefore the pain is felt by Miles and the sympathy is felt by the audience.
I also added sad farewell music to the part of the product where Miles’ turns down help from a stranger and walks into the distance. This adheres to media products with the sad walking away music when a character departs when all hope seems lost. I then for the next clip used uplifting hopeful music when Miles runs through a field in order to balance out the emotions that are being felt by Miles and being shared by the audience. This also shows the unpredictability in the plot to show that there are plenty of surprises in the film. If the film was too predictable then it would risk audience as the different twists and turns help to create the link to real life as the old saying goes: “life is full of twists and turns”. I also tried to show the harshness of reality when Miles is kicked out of the house to show that life can be cruel and also has many trials and tribulations along the way. When using the farewell music I adhered to real media products by fading it out when the uplifting music started in order to make the mood transition more smooth and make the editing seem more professional. All of these things I feel were each important.
I also added sad farewell music to the part of the product where Miles’ turns down help from a stranger and walks into the distance. This adheres to media products with the sad walking away music when a character departs when all hope seems lost. I then for the next clip used uplifting hopeful music when Miles runs through a field in order to balance out the emotions that are being felt by Miles and being shared by the audience. This also shows the unpredictability in the plot to show that there are plenty of surprises in the film. If the film was too predictable then it would risk audience as the different twists and turns help to create the link to real life as the old saying goes: “life is full of twists and turns”. I also tried to show the harshness of reality when Miles is kicked out of the house to show that life can be cruel and also has many trials and tribulations along the way. When using the farewell music I adhered to real media products by fading it out when the uplifting music started in order to make the mood transition more smooth and make the editing seem more professional. All of these things I feel were each important.
"The concept of narrative is essential to media". In what ways did you use narrative in the construction of your media product?
I used narrative in the construction of my media product by trying to structure the teaser film trailer with a beginning, middle and end. This way the audience sees the full picture of the distress and despair of the Main character’s (Miles) life. The transition is eased slowly in the different shots form the despair and feeling really low when leaving home to the excitement of his journey to find his hero and to start a new chapter in the life of Miles. We needed to use the different black screens as a sort of record as to how each step of Miles’ journey is going. For example when it says “For Miles his life was torn apart” and then later “no-one could help“.
I used narrative to shape our project around its genre. For it being a feel good film filled with highs and lows we had to show on the teaser trailer a range of different emotions coming from Miles. This can be compared to another feel good film called Happy Go lucky that was produced by Film Four. This was another feel good film filled with highs and lows and therefore makes good viewing for the audience, because no-one likes a film that is too predictable where everything is set in stone. The audience is more likely to seek unpredictability and suspense as if a media product is too predictable then it can lead to boredom within the audience. As well as this narrative was also used in the construction of my media product by contrasting the different environments that featured in the teaser film trailer. At the start we have the upsetting environment of Miles’ house where he is unloved and neglected by his parents. Whereas at the end you see him running through a field in search of his hero having been filled with a new lease of life and risen from ‘the depths of despair’.
The narrative also shapes my project, because Miles is on a journey of discovery and finds out new information about the world around him, but also things that he didn’t even know about himself. His journey is the main core of the film. What is also significant about this is that the audience discover these facts with Miles as by watching the journey they can feel like they are tagging along with Miles. Helping the audience to engage more.
I used narrative to shape our project around its genre. For it being a feel good film filled with highs and lows we had to show on the teaser trailer a range of different emotions coming from Miles. This can be compared to another feel good film called Happy Go lucky that was produced by Film Four. This was another feel good film filled with highs and lows and therefore makes good viewing for the audience, because no-one likes a film that is too predictable where everything is set in stone. The audience is more likely to seek unpredictability and suspense as if a media product is too predictable then it can lead to boredom within the audience. As well as this narrative was also used in the construction of my media product by contrasting the different environments that featured in the teaser film trailer. At the start we have the upsetting environment of Miles’ house where he is unloved and neglected by his parents. Whereas at the end you see him running through a field in search of his hero having been filled with a new lease of life and risen from ‘the depths of despair’.
The narrative also shapes my project, because Miles is on a journey of discovery and finds out new information about the world around him, but also things that he didn’t even know about himself. His journey is the main core of the film. What is also significant about this is that the audience discover these facts with Miles as by watching the journey they can feel like they are tagging along with Miles. Helping the audience to engage more.
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
Media and collective identity Precis
The media helps to shape the identity of certain groups within modern society. Identity can be thought of in a number of different ways. These include protection of identity, such as an identity card and your own unique identity on social gatherings such as the internet networking website Facebook. The media usually targets social groups , such as the classes and also minority ethnic groups, such as the police, teenagers, the elderly and the disabled. The media’s opinion on all these unique groups which exist within our society. The way that the media represents these different groups, especially if they do it in an extreme way can help to shape or even change our opinions about the different groups in our society. Magazines and gender are two factors that link easily together, because a lot of magazines target one gender as their core reading audience. For example heat magazine is targeted at women, because they like to read about the celebrity lifestyle and gossip as the research carried out by the publishers and editors has lead to them creating a well structured magazine based on their research of their target market. Nuts magazine does the same for the male reading market. One of Karl Marx’s main areas of analysis was on feminism and them holding their own unique identity and how that it is a key importance in society.
Celebrities are another key area in terms of taking about media and collective identity. Celebrities are thought by many as idols and something to emulate. Celebrities are also usually the key targets of the media, especially stories like scandals and fashion tips etc. Celebrities are usually thought of as spoilt and as a sort of cult. However the opinion on celebrities usually varies as some struggle to understand why they are so important and why we care about them and what they think. Whereas other see them as their idols and will watch reality TV shows, such as celebrity big brother or I’m a celebrity get me out of here , because they care about them so much. Sexuality is also a big topic , especially for the newspapers as they are usually represented in a less neutral way. Either they are being criticised or praised using media, such as films like, Brokeback mountain, Philadelphia and sugar rush.
British cinema has also helped to make a decent contribution to media and collective identity especially in films like Bend it like Beckham as stereotypes are often used to base different culture roles within the films. For example the proud Indian culture shown in Bend it like Beckham contrasting with the football and British cultural representations. However the downfalls and negative features of an identity can be shown in British films. This is England is a prime example of this, because it shows the effects of crime and gang crime in Britain today so they also realism to the content of the films. This helps to show cultural development.
Celebrities are another key area in terms of taking about media and collective identity. Celebrities are thought by many as idols and something to emulate. Celebrities are also usually the key targets of the media, especially stories like scandals and fashion tips etc. Celebrities are usually thought of as spoilt and as a sort of cult. However the opinion on celebrities usually varies as some struggle to understand why they are so important and why we care about them and what they think. Whereas other see them as their idols and will watch reality TV shows, such as celebrity big brother or I’m a celebrity get me out of here , because they care about them so much. Sexuality is also a big topic , especially for the newspapers as they are usually represented in a less neutral way. Either they are being criticised or praised using media, such as films like, Brokeback mountain, Philadelphia and sugar rush.
British cinema has also helped to make a decent contribution to media and collective identity especially in films like Bend it like Beckham as stereotypes are often used to base different culture roles within the films. For example the proud Indian culture shown in Bend it like Beckham contrasting with the football and British cultural representations. However the downfalls and negative features of an identity can be shown in British films. This is England is a prime example of this, because it shows the effects of crime and gang crime in Britain today so they also realism to the content of the films. This helps to show cultural development.
Saturday, 9 January 2010
Postmodern texts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayYiMygqlfo
( daybreakers trailer)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qndn1WnP3xM
(Doctor who trailer)
I have found what I believe are useful learning resources for postmodernism in media. I chose these 3 posters, because pastiche is key to these as they are twists on the reality that we actually know. For example the machine run world of The Matrix, the gang culture in This is england and the adrenaline filled action of Hot Fuzz all of which used pastiche to construct new identities. I chose these two trailers, because Doctor who is a prime example of pstmodern TV. It combines new ideas of reality with all the monsters, aliens and new worlds with the reality that we all know and recognise and therefore it plays with postmodern ideologies like cultural diversity and pastiche. Daybreakers is a new film that has come up where vampires rule the world and farm humans for blood to keep the vampire population alive. This is a similar idea to the matrix with the idea of an alternative reality and the insuperiority of the human races and all its weaknesses with the race on to save the human race from extinction.
Postmodernism chapter : Précis
Pages 136-167 of the A2 textbook looks very closely at the idea of postmodernism and the effect that it has on the media industry. Postmodernism plays with the relationship between media and reality. Images and representations of key issues are the core of this. Jean-Francois Lyotard and Jean Baudillard gave different interpretations of postmodernism. Baudrillard’s theory gives a clear idea of how the media effects our lives and so helps to make sense of why postmodernism is such an important theme and attribute of today’s media. Lyotard on the other hand wrote the book postmodernism explained to children so both theories try to make postmodernism easy for everyone to understand, but with different aims.
In terms of examples of postmodern media ‘The Matrix’ is a prime example. This is, because of the plot of the film imagining an alternative reality to our own and the machines taking over our minds as well as other ideologies of the film have been interpreted by many as the controlling force and the machine run world is a less ‘savoury’ reality. The Coen brothers are also big influences on the postmodern media world. They have made films, such as ‘The Big Lebowski’ and ‘24 hour party people’. In these films intertextuality helps to sew
in our knowledge of other media texts with our interpretation of the film which helps to give films their own idea and own postmodern unique attributes. The Coen brother films are often hybrids where they are made up of two different genres in order to possibly confuse expectations of their films.
In terms of Postmodern TV, programs like the Mighty Boosh carry the idea of Ecclecticism whereby a piece of media has completely strange and new ideas running together or the plots are fractured and some of ideologies of the texts are different from each other. For example in The Mighty Boosh features strange music and the ideologies of a very different perspective on reality with ideas of music lovers working in a zoo which is where you would imagine would be the last place they would work as well the utterly bizarre happenings within the Zoo, particularly with the animal behaviour so the setting is made full use of to provide the most laughs as can give to the audience. Ricky Gervais’ two comedy smash hits ‘the office’ and ’extras’ have similar aims to the Mighty Boosh with the characters trying to make it big in the world, but also portraying the trials and tribulations that can be linked to real life society.
Magazines and video games are the other 2 media platforms that provide a real insight into the ‘post modernistic world’. GTA has taken video gaming to a different level with all the attributes of crime within the real world which can influence the players to do it themselves and magazines also help to construct postmodernism with playing with audience desires, like in ‘Nuts’ magazine and the desires of men being played upon.
In terms of examples of postmodern media ‘The Matrix’ is a prime example. This is, because of the plot of the film imagining an alternative reality to our own and the machines taking over our minds as well as other ideologies of the film have been interpreted by many as the controlling force and the machine run world is a less ‘savoury’ reality. The Coen brothers are also big influences on the postmodern media world. They have made films, such as ‘The Big Lebowski’ and ‘24 hour party people’. In these films intertextuality helps to sew
in our knowledge of other media texts with our interpretation of the film which helps to give films their own idea and own postmodern unique attributes. The Coen brother films are often hybrids where they are made up of two different genres in order to possibly confuse expectations of their films.
In terms of Postmodern TV, programs like the Mighty Boosh carry the idea of Ecclecticism whereby a piece of media has completely strange and new ideas running together or the plots are fractured and some of ideologies of the texts are different from each other. For example in The Mighty Boosh features strange music and the ideologies of a very different perspective on reality with ideas of music lovers working in a zoo which is where you would imagine would be the last place they would work as well the utterly bizarre happenings within the Zoo, particularly with the animal behaviour so the setting is made full use of to provide the most laughs as can give to the audience. Ricky Gervais’ two comedy smash hits ‘the office’ and ’extras’ have similar aims to the Mighty Boosh with the characters trying to make it big in the world, but also portraying the trials and tribulations that can be linked to real life society.
Magazines and video games are the other 2 media platforms that provide a real insight into the ‘post modernistic world’. GTA has taken video gaming to a different level with all the attributes of crime within the real world which can influence the players to do it themselves and magazines also help to construct postmodernism with playing with audience desires, like in ‘Nuts’ magazine and the desires of men being played upon.
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Doctor Who - Postmodernist text
Media newsflashes, TV news within, Doctor’s speech about importance before regeneration links to the speech that Ricky Gervais gave in Extras when he was in the Big Brother house which relates to ego and your personal importance within society. Counters Royle family with scene where he visits those he cares about. This shows a sort of battle for our attention between technology and real people. Doctor Who can also be related to by the audience, especially the Americans who believe in Aliens, even those who have life insurance against them in America (no joke) . Especially because as Doctor Who is one of the countries that the BBC distributes Doctor Who too. Doctor Who is also culturally diverse, because of the supernatural world of the Doctor and the higher powers involved in the evil plot to destroy the Earth and the inicent population of the Earth.
Doctor Who has also become cult viewing with 10 million people watching the episode on New Years Day. Mary Whitehouse originally targeted Doctor Who for censorship, but now by today's standards it is no longer an issue. There are many important connotations that come with Doctor Who. These include sacrifice, danger, suspense and drama that is sure to keep you watching, especially if an episode is two or more parts long.
Doctor Who has also become cult viewing with 10 million people watching the episode on New Years Day. Mary Whitehouse originally targeted Doctor Who for censorship, but now by today's standards it is no longer an issue. There are many important connotations that come with Doctor Who. These include sacrifice, danger, suspense and drama that is sure to keep you watching, especially if an episode is two or more parts long.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
