Movie News 06.26.13

• Encyclopedia Brown coming to the big screen (CNN)
• No laughing matter: Comedies losing their box office edge (USA Today)
• Striking back: Disney and Sony test streaming movies while they're still in theaters (TheVerge) 
• Concept art: Visions of the Man of Steel (MovieWeb)
• Who paid $50 to see World War Z early? (Boston Globe)
• Crime and punishment: How should movie talkers and texters be treated? (Vulture)

Synthesis Essay: The Subgenres of Horror

Everyone has their favorite kind of horror. Or, at least, one kind that's tolerable. And though what separates horror sub-genres can be fuzzy at times, generally they each have their own unique characteristics. For this essay, you will analyze a distinct subgenre of horror with the goal of identifying its core appeal. For example, what is the draw of violent slasher films? Why are people so into vampires? And how many times will people buy tickets for another zombie apocalypse? In a concise essay, synthesize the following diverse texts from a single horror subgenre (slasher, zombie, supernatural, monster, and vampire) with the goal of deciphering its unique appeal. Specifically, bring together these diverse texts to determine those elements that make this subgenre a perennial favorite with horror fans.

Utilize at least four of the following texts from one subgenre:

Vampires:

1. Reel Terror: Introduction, chs. 1, 2, 10, Epilogue
2. Trailers: Dracula (Browning/Freund, 1931 USA), Twilight (Hardwicke, 2008 USA)
3. Clip: "Are You a Vampire?" from Let Me In (Reeves, USA 2010)
4. Review: Wisdom of Crocodiles (New York Times)
5. Infographic: “Four Stages of Vampire Sexual Evolution” (Hollywood.com)

Supernatural:

1. Reel Terror: Introduction, chs. 5, 7, 11, 17, Epilogue
2. Trailers: The Blair Witch Project (Sanchez/Myrick, 1999 USA), Paranormal Activity (Peli, 2009 USA)
3. Clip: “They’re Here” from Poltergeist (Hooper, 1982 USA)
4. Review: The Sixth Sense (RoberEbert.com)
5. Infographic: “Americans' Beliefs in Paranormal Phenomena” (LiveScience)

Monsters:

1. Reel Terror: Introduction, chs. 1, 2, 9, 13, and Epilogue
2. Trailers: The Blob (Yeaworth, 1958 USA), Cloverfield (Reeves, 2008 USA)
3. Clip: “Meet the Monster” from Frankenstein (Whale, 1931, USA)
4. Review: Jaws (RogerEbert.com)
5. Infographic: “The Diabolic Diagram of Movie Monsters” (PopChartLab)

Zombies

1. Reel Terror: Introduction, chs. 4, 8, 9, 15, Epilogue
2. Trailers: 28 Days Later (Boyle, 2002 UK), Warm Bodies (Levine, 2013 USA)
3. Clips: "Put Up or Nut Up” from Zombieland (Fleischer 2009, USA)
4. Review: World War Z (Washington Post)
5. Infographic: “The Evolution of the Zombie in the Cinema” (Infographics)

Slasher:

1. Reel Terror: Introduction, chs. 3, 6, 8, 16, Epilogue
2. Trailers: Psycho (Hitchcock, 1960 USA), Friday the 13th (Cunningham, 1980 USA)
3. Clip: “How to Survive a Horror Movie” from Scream (Crave, 1994 USA)
4. Review: Halloween (Siskel & Ebert at the Movies)
5. Infographic: "Movie Slashers: The Body Counts" (Film.com) 

Requirements:

• MLA Style, including parenthetical citation
• 3-page minimum
• Include a works cited page

A well-executed paper will:

• Have a title that articulates its point of view
• Stay within the parameters of the prompt
• Have a concise thesis
• Find "common threads" amongst the diverse group of texts, combining them to create a portrait of a specific subgenre of horror  
• Clearly support its thesis with solid evidence and a logical structure, citing exclusively from the texts above 
• Properly cite evidence using MLA's parenthetical citation method
• Conclude with a summation of its argument
• Properly cite its evidence using MLA's parenthetical citation method
• Be in compliance with MLA Style

Due: Tu 07.02 (Draft 1; Bring three copies)

Week 04: My Own Private Idaho [1991]

SCOTT

 I only have sex with a guy for money.

 

MIKE

 Yeah, I know. 

SCOTT

 And two guys can't love each other.

 

MIKE

 Yeah.

(beat)

 Well, I don't know. I mean ... 

I mean, for me, I could love someone 

even if I, you know, wasn't paid for 

it ... I love you, and ... you don't 

pay me.

Week 04: My Own Private Idaho (1991)
Tu 06.25

• Read: REEL—See “Synthesis essay readings” in syllabus
• Class: Multimedia presentations; Lecture---“The Most Common Grammatical Errors—And How to Avoid Them”
• Due: LEARNINGCURVE GRAMMAR EXERCISES 2: FRAGMENTS, PRONOUNS, SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

Th 06.27

• Read: REEL—See “Synthesis essay readings”in syllabus
• Class: SHORT-ANSWER RESPONSES; Reading discussion; Multimedia presentation
• Due: OSR 03: 1970 – 1989

Week 05: Do the Right Thing (1989)
Tu 07.02

• Read: REEL—See “Synthesis essay readings” above
• Class: Writers’ workshop; Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations
• Due: SYNTHESIS ESSAY—DRAFT 1 (BRING 3 COPIES)

Th 07.04

• NO CLASS—HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY