Written by Kurt Vonnegut and released in 1969, Slaughterhouse Five is a modern literary masterpiece. It is a novel rich in plot, characterization and theme that it is difficult to pin it down within one genre. For example, the novel has elements of science fiction and dark satirical comedy embedded in the drama of war. …
Category: Media Studies
Performance Review: The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
The Glass Menagerie is one of the classic pieces of performing art to have been made in the twentieth century. First published by Tennessee Williams in 1944, it is a memory play with four main characters – Amanda Wingfield, Tom Wingfield, Laura Wingfield and Mr. Wingfield. The Gentleman Caller is the other character in the…
Comparing two films: The Secret Life of Bees (2001) and The Help (2011)
The Secret Life of Bees is a 2008 Hollywood production that embraces the drama genre. Based on the novel of the same title by Sue Monk Kidd, the film deals with the life and struggles of a young girl Lily Owens (played by Dakota Fanning) who runs away from home after the demise of her…
Film Review: The Station Agent
There are clear markers that set aside The Station Agent from mainstream American movies. The limited budget, the austere production style and the modest profiles of the cast actors all identify the film as belonging to the ‘independent’ genre. The off-beat story line and its central theme is also distant to conventional plots and themes. …
Television Show Analysis: Mad Men
Mad Men is one of the most acclaimed television series to have emerged in recent years. Produced by Matthew Weiner (who was earlier the executive producer of The Sopranos), this richly made drama series depicts the New York advertising world of the early 1960s. The punning title can be taken to mean Madison Avenue which…
Film review: Blow (2001) by Ted Demme
Blow (2001) is a biographical motion picture about the notorious American cocaine smuggler George Jung. The movie is an adaptation from the book Blow: How a Small Town Boy Made $100 Million with the Medellin Cocaine Cartel and Lost It All authored by Bruce Porter in 1993. The writing team of David McKenna and Nick…
Film Review: The Story of G.I. Joe (1945)
The film The Story of G.I. Joe is an American war film starring Burgess Meredith and Robert Mitchum. The film was directed by William Wellman and is portrayed as a tribute to infantrymen of American military that operated during the Second World War, G.I. Joe being a typical characterization of the class of soldiers. The…
Should Product Placement in films and other media be controlled?
Abstract: While a mutually beneficial relationship between the advertiser and the producer is achieved via product placement, the best interests of the audience are neglected. Another concern this phenomenon has raised is the compromising of artistic merit for commercial gain. Conventional wisdom instructs us that high profits and elevated ethics don’t go together. Given the…
Contrarian themes in the film Paths of Glory (1957)
The film Paths of Glory (1957) is of the few mainstream Hollywood movies of the century to espouse a contrarian theme. While many films of the period talked of issues and the drama surrounding war, Paths of Glory went a step further and made an emphatic statement about the nature and contradictions of war. The…
The Butterfly Circus: Summary and Analysis
The Butterfly Circus, a short film featuring Nick Vujicic in the lead role, is one of the best short films of its genre. The direction is skillfully and effectively handled by Joshua Weigel. The screenplay is crisp and compact as demanded by the short-film genre. The script written by the duo Joshua and Rebekah Weigel…