The Others (2001)

Before we get into this blog post I need you all to raise your right hand to the square and make an oath to never, no matter how excited you are about this movie, spoil it for anyone.  You can tell them it is a great ghost story and that they should see it.  You can tell them it is set in the '40s in England, that it has fantastic acting, that it was directed by a thoughtful Spanish filmmaker, that it has crazy awesome set design, great period costumes, amazing cinematography, and that it is scary and brilliantly crafted.  But, you must never spoil the movie for them, is that understood?  Now, everyone, raise that hand, make the oath...

Good job, thank you.  Good filmmakers, and good film-watchers, never spoil a movie.  This is the unspoken creed between us.  If you wish to be a part of our elite group, you too must adopt this creed.  So much power comes in a good story with the moments being saved for the viewer.   

This movie, in my opinion, is a masterpiece.  But, what is your opinion?  What are your thoughts?  Did you like this movie?  Why or why not?  Would you watch it again knowing now what you know about the story? Be thoughtful in your answers.

And, always remember your oath...

Horror Book Reports (Due Friday November 8th)

Book reports!  Turn in your book reports!

In order to give us more time to engross ourselves in the horror genre, students who have chosen to do their book reports on the horror genre will be turning them in here, as a response to this post.  I am very excited to read about what you have learned.

Please present us with enough material in your response below that one would find in a 5 minute oral report in front of the class.  This response needs to be longer and more detailed than most your film responses.  This is worth 50 points.

Remember to include your name, what book you read, a brief idea of what this non-fiction book talks about (it can be very brief, we want to read more about what you learned), and what you learned about the genre.  Tell us how what you learned benefited you as one who is studying the genre, how it will influence the way you think about horror from now on, and how it might influence your screenplay you will be writing soon.

This report is due on November 8th!  You also have your at home movie review due on the 10th, so get crackin'!

The At Home Horror Watching Hullabaloo (Due November 10th)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

What a perfect week for this assignment to be posted.

As you enjoy watching horror films at home this fall season, especially this Halloween week, you can totally kill two birds with one stone (...I always found that saying to be quite morbid, but based on the assignment we are doing, I guess it's quite appropriate). 

Two rules:

One, it must be something your parents are OK with you watching.  Please, get permission from them if it is something stronger than you'd see at school.  Heck, if you want, watch it with them.  Nothing like a warm bowl of popcorn on a dark night while getting the the living daylights scared out of you with your loved ones! 

Two, it must be a film you have never seen before.  I expect you to watch your favorite Halloweeny tales this week.  I just watched The Thing last night, which is my annual Halloween tradition.  But, for this particular assignment, stretch yourself - look up lists of some of the best horror films, try something older, something in black & white maybe, or something from a different country.  Who knows, maybe you'll discover a new Halloween tradition.  

After you watch the film, write a review of it as a comment on this post.  Make sure you tell us your name (so we know who you are, and not just your blog name), the name of the movie you watched, and a very basic non-spoilery plot synopsis, for example: "After a misunderstanding, Earnest P. Worrell unleashes an evil troll on Halloween," (that's straight from Earnest Scared Stupid's official IMDB page; best movie synopsis ever!).  Nothing spoiled there.   Or, respect points for anyone who can guess this film, "A man decides to turn his moribund life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend, reconciling his relationship with his mother, and dealing with an entire community that has returned from the dead to eat the living."

Then, write if you think other members of the class should watch it, and why.  Write about ways in which this film was a typical horror movie, and in what ways it may have deviated from the normal horror characteristics.  Ask yourself, "did this movie deliver the expected elements of the genre, or not.  If not, did it go above and beyond, or was I disappointed?"

Have this bad boy watched and posted by November 10th for full credit.


Enjoy... if you dare!

When a Stranger Calls (2006)

If I had to describe this film in one word, I'd use the word formulaic.  Defined, that means: "A method of doing or treating something that relies on an established, uncontroversial model or approach".  This film ain't no Kubrick's The Shining (which, interesting fact, Stephen King hated Kubrick's representation of his book, maybe because it was so unconventional (I personally think it is fantastic!)).

Why, then, do you think I chose a "formulaic" piece to start off our journey down the path of horror in cinema?  Remember our packet on genres by our friends Ken Dancyger and Jeff Rush, film scholar extraordinaires, as they, in a sense, said making a genre piece comes with it a contract with its audience.  You better deliver the goods just as the audience expects - if you don't, it better as heck be something much better.  Do you feel like this movie delivered the goods?

Being formulaic doesn't necessarily mean something is bad.  But, it also doesn't mean something will be good.  Maybe the formula made it uninteresting to you.  That's valid.  Maybe the formula made it fun for you as you geeked out over the filmic elements common to the genre.  That's valid, too.

I appreciate the formula.  To me, it is an indicator that the filmmakers understand the genre, and they delivered.  Have I experienced more satisfying horror films?  Heck yes.  Would this movie be one of my favorites?  Not even close.  But, I respect this little film for what it is, and what it does.  Plus, I always smile when a low budget film with no-name actors gets made, especially if I feel like it was made with care.

What are your thoughts and feelings?  Why do you think I chose this film to show first?  Did you feel it was formulaic as well?  Did that bother you?  Why or why not?  And, most importantly, I want to know: did you like the movie?  Did you enjoy watching it?  Why or why not?  Be extremely thoughtful in your answers.  Remember, it is OK to disagree with people, but do so respectfully.  We are all given the ability to form our own opinions, and how boring a world it would be without that.  I'm excited to read your thoughts.

Now.... go!

Steampunk Pitches

Click here to link to a copy of the criteria that I am using to grade your pitches. We pitch on Friday, October 11 (so, be sure to be at school even though it's a half day!) I can't wait to hear them!

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

Hayao Miyazaki has made some great films. The question is: is this one of them? Does this film hold up with his masterpieces such as Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Howl's Moving Castle? What I'm really asking is: did you like it? Why or why not?

In what was is this movie Steampunk? In what ways is it not? Back up your opinion with specific examples?

What was the theme of this film? Does it have themes in common with other Steampunk works (if it is Steampunk)? Are there themes common to Steampunk or, since it's more an aesthetic, do the themes vary too much to identify one or two common ones?

And the age-old question of deep characters and themes? Does this film have them or is it just about cool fantasy and sci-fi elements? Back up your opinion with examples.

And as always, be sure to post twice in the comment thread. Be sure to write deep, well-thought opinions that will really matter to the other people who read these. And be sure that at least one of your posts is at least 4-5 lines long.

P.S.: I would like to point out what a breath of fresh air this film was, for me, in comparison with the nausea-inducing sexism of Wild, Wild West.  After we finished Nausicaä, I had some meditative time as I locked up the studio.  I was thinking about how refreshing it is to see a movie with the kind of heroine I would want my daughter to look up to as she grows.  The relief I felt to find such a heroine in media actually brought me to tears as I went through the studio, thinking.  I will definitely be watching this film with my daughter as soon as she is old enough to appreciate its plot.

The City of Lost Children (1995)

Well, there you have it. That's The City of Lost Children. What did you think? Good? Not so Good? OK? Just too weird or French for your tastes? Good because it's weird and French?

I was excited to show this film in order to give you a taste of what can be done with live action Steampunk without much CGI. But that only works if this really is Steampunk? Is it? Why or why not?

Was this film helpful in getting you thinking about ways to shoot the cool Steampunk special effects you would need for your story ideas? If so, how? If not, why not?

What do you think of the story? Is it just about the Steampunk elements or does it have deep characters and themes?

Since Steampunk is a sub-genre and is almost always mixed with another genre, it is good to ask the question: what other genre is this? What do you think? Back up your opinion with examples from the film.

And as always, be sure to post twice in the comment thread. Be sure to write deep, well-thought opinions that will really matter to the other people who read these. And be sure that at least one of your posts is at least 4-5 lines long.

Steampunk Video Games

We were introduced to four Steampunk video games in class:

• Final Fantasy VI.
• Bioshock.
• Bioshock Infinite.
• Dishonored.

Thank you to Aaron, Tyler, and Jacob for the preparation they did to share these games with us.

All you need to do for this post is the following:

• Pick one of the four games we observed and make an argument for whether or not it really is Steampunk. Back up your argument with specific examples.
• Comment on at least one other person's post and raise specific examples that either further substantiate their point or contradict their point.

Steampunk Fashion

Nalani gave us an excellent background on Steampunk Fashion. For the blog post related to that, I want you to do the following:

• Post a link to a picture of a Steampunk outfit you would like to wear. State in your post why you like this outfit and what elements of it make it Steampunk. Do not post an outfit someone else has already posted (first come, first serve).
• Then, comment on at least one other person's posted outfit what you think of it!

Enjoy! I'm excited to see all your outfits.

Steampunk Extra Credit / Makeup Work

If you would like to makeup missing points or earn some extra credit then you can do the following:

• Watch or read or experience some kind of Steampunk form of media. It could be a web series, book, movie, TV show, video game, etc.
• Then, comment below and write the answers to the following:
• What media thing did you choose to experience for this assignment
• Describe it to us in a paragraph so we get its plot / gameplay / essence / whatever.
• What Steampunk elements were present? Was it really as Steampunk-y as you thought it would be? Was it actually more Dieselpunk or Cyberpunk (or Atompunk or Biopunk, etc.)?
• Were the characters and themes substantial or was it just about the sensation of the cool Steampunk elements?
• What ideas did you get from this thing that you want to incorporate in your own Steampunk script?
• What else are you dying to tell us about it?

Steampunk "Movie" at Home (Due October 15th)

The time has come for all to experience Steampunk media of their choosing at their house. Since Steampunk is new to the world of movies, you may choose to watch a Steampunk feature-length movie, watch 5 Steampunk short films, play a Steampunk video game for at least three hours, read a Steampunk novel, or read 5 Steampunk short stories. And perhaps you will think of some medium of storytelling I haven't thought of before that is Steampunk. If so, you may do that for this assignment with my approval.

One rule: you cannot have seen / played / read this thing before.

After you experience whatever media you experience for this assignment, you can get on this here blog and answer the following questions:

• What media thing did you choose to experience for this assignment?
• Describe it to us in a paragraph so we get its plot / gameplay / essence / whatever.
• What Steampunk elements were present? Was it really as Steampunk-y as you thought it would be? Was it actually more Dieselpunk or Cyberpunk (or Atompunk or Biopunk, etc.)?
• Were the characters and themes substantial or was it just about the sensation of the cool Steampunk elements?
• What ideas did you get from this thing that you want to incorporate in your own Steampunk script?
• What else are you dying to tell us about it?

For your convenience, here are a list of media you might use for this assignment (but this is just the tip of the iceberg):

Feature Movies:

• League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
• Van Helsing.
• The new Sherlock Holmes movies.
• Castle in the Sky.
• City of Ember.

Series (watch at least two-three hours of the series for this assignment):

• Electric City (link here to the trailer where you can see how to watch it).
• The Legend of Korra (Book 1 -- Book 2 is not as Steampunk-y).

Short Films:

• Search YouTube for these.
• Also, check out the Steampunk Abraham Lincoln post.

Short Stories:

• There are a few anthologies published. You can borrow one from me.
• Search the internet for them.

Novels:

• There are lots of these. Use the internet to find them then check them out from the library.

Video Games:

• Final Fantasy VI.
• Final Fantasy IX.
• Bio Shock Infinite.
• Dishonored.
• The Thief games.

Steampunk Short Films

Watching Steampunk short films and learning about Steampunk fashion might have been, for me, the most fun day in Genres class so far. Thank you to Nalani and Sydnie for sharing such cool stuff with us.

So, about those short films—please answer the following questions:

• Which Steampunk short film was your favorite? Why?
• Which Steampunk short film was your least favorite? Why?
• Sydnie said that she watched eight hours of short films to pick out the ones she showed us in class. She said the rest of the ones she watched were either badly made or just gross and not so appropriate for high school. Why do you think so much Steampunk media is such low quality / so non-high-school-appropriate?
• How did watching all these different Steampunk videos expand your understanding of what Steampunk is / can be?
• After watching all these films, what new ideas do you have for your own Steampunk script?

I know that many of you want links to the films we watched. Here they are:

• Arm's Race: Five minute short film with British soldiers fighting a steam robot.
• Elephant's Dream: Ten minute short film with two men running through a strange "imaginary" world.
• PBS Steampunk Documentary: Five minute documentary about Steampunk.
• City of Lost Children Trailer: Trailer for a movie I hope to watch in class next week.
• Steam Powered Giraffe Music Video: The music video with the pug sing-along. "No, that's the red star!"
• Eye of the Storm: The rotoscoped music video with the solo airship captain.
• The Mysterious Explorations of Jasper Morello: The 25-ish minute short Steampunk Noir about airships, monsters, and sickness.

Also, be sure to check out the post with Steampunk Abraham Lincoln where we can share with each other cool Steampunk stuff we find. There is already some cool stuff there.

Ok, now it is time to comment. Full steam ahead!

Wild Wild West (1999)

I remember first seeing Wild Wild West at the drive-in theater when I was 15 years old. I really looked forward to seeing it but, in the end, was disappointed with how over-the-top it was (the giant mechanical spider was a bit too much for me).

It was interesting watching it this time through the lens (or goggles) of Steampunk studies and see it from a different angle. What aspects of Steampunk did you see in the film? Is this film really Steampunk? In what ways did the film help you better understand what Steampunk is / can be? How did the film help you formulate ideas for your own script? Please provide specific examples to back up your opinions and observations.

Also, back to what is becoming a central question of our study of Steampunk. How strong are the characters and themes in this film? Are they deep or shallow? Explain. Be specific.

BTW: just so you know, this movie is based off an old TV show from the 60's. You might want to check it out. The pic to the left is from that TV show.

And one final note: I feel a strong obligation to not let my silence ever be an endorsement of the immoral treatment of human beings. So, I want to point out that I strongly object and am even disgusted by how this film depicts one half of the human race (I'm referring to the half with two X chromosomes). I feel this movie was valuable to watch as a case study in Western Steampunk but my showing it is in no means an endorsement of the belittling sexist innuendoes and disturbing portrayal of the lead female character (disturbing in the way that she either happily or stupidly responded to the heroes' demeaning objectification of her).

That is all. Now comment:

Steamboy (2004)

I experienced Steamboy for the first time along with you guys and I was happy to see that it was the perfect choice for our first Steampunk feature watched in class. It was so quintessentially Steampunk that if made my valves burst (metaphorically).

Which elements of Steampunk did you see in the film? Did it help you understand better what Steampunk is? If so, how?

We talked in class about how it is important when writing in any sci-fi/fantasy drama to be careful not to let all the cool technology/magic stuff distract you from telling a good story with strong characters and themes that matter. How do you feel Steamboy did with this? Was this a strong story with deep characters and themes or was it just cool because it had cool Steampunk stuff going on? Defend your opinion.

Also, this is pretty cool: