Question 1)
As 2016 came to a close, many of us felt a distinct change or shift in the social mentalities of many people around the world. There was dread and fear, but among it, hope. A hope for perhaps a better world than the one we live in now. Film has always been one with escapist tendencies and many see the cinema as a play for hoping and dreaming of better worlds. There seems to have been a general sense of negativity among our real world and alternatively, a contrastingly positivity on our screens, a nostalgia of a time that was perhaps less chaotic and messy as our contemporary world. But was exactly are we harking back to? What time does this utopic vision have in mind and was this utopia a reality or an empty fantasy made to mitigate the negativity in our lives today? Is nostalgia in film real or is it ultimately empty dreams with no basis in reality?
Recommended viewings:
La La Land (2016) dir. by Damien Chazelle Midnight in Paris (2011) dir. by Woody Allen Almost Famous (2000) dir. by Cameron Crowe
Question 2)
Media have been playing a huge role in our lives since the introduction of the television into people's homes. With the dawn of the teen film in the late 20th century, they have been reflecting the ideal of teen culture, crossing genres through films like Friday the 13th and Fast Times at Ridgemont HIgh. High school culture and stereotypes have been invented through teen films, and have transgressed pop culture through various forms of media beyond film, such as television shows, literature, and even video games. This has led many to try and emulate these ideals and have their lives be shaped by the media. How have the teen film affected how teens shape their lives around what society has deemed to be "good" or "bad"? Is this a reflection of how society wants kids to shape themselves? Does the teen ideals being portrayed in media culture today have any basis in reality at all?
Recommended Viewings:
The Breakfast Club (1985) dir. by John Hughes Dazed and Confused (1993) dir. by Richard Linklater Superbad (2007) dir. by Greg Mottola.
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