DOCSLIB.ORG

E Sexual and the Virtual in Spike Jonze's

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
E Sexual and the Virtual in Spike Jonze's 110 "#$%#&' )*)#$'&+' ,-./ +& 0 (/2) !"!$%&'()*+,*-. !"#$% &'()*+% ,"%-*(.% e Sexual and the Virtual in Spike Jonze’s Her 456: .-.89-0/.9002/0-...-<<</ ='>'? @*&#ABCDBEF GB>%H IJ'KCA 5> =C'$ 111 One of the most successful, both Nnancially and critically, Nlms of the ,-./ -("(%0123+!*4!56 $ cinema season was Her (dir. Spike Jonze, ,-./), a romantic comedy combining /!)$0++1$2+)*31*13$ !12$4+!-/*13$-&(')+)$ the by -numbers love -story plot with science -Nction elements: the non -humanity &1$5136&$758+'*-!1$[68$ of its female lead character and the temporal setting. Acclaimed for the origi- !12$!-!2+8*-$,'*4*13$ !4$4/+$:136*)/$;4(2*+)$ nal combination of genres (which brought it an Oscar in the Best Writing, 2+<!'48+14=$>1*?+')*4@$ Original Screenplay category), Her has encountered critical voices doubting &"$;&-*!6$;-*+1-+)$!12$ the purported originality of Jonze’s Nlm and tracing plot -related aVliations A(8!1*4*+)$)*1-+$BCCDE$ A+$*)$-(''+146@$<'+<!'*13$ with a number of at least equally worthy predecessors, such as Conceiving Ada !$F/G$2*))+'4!4*&1$ (dir. Lynn Hershman -Leeson, .<<Z), Teknolust (dir. Lynn Hershman -Leeson, &1$4/+$)4'!4+3*+)$&"$'+)*7 )4!1-+$!12$!))*8*6!4*&1$ ,--,), and Electric Dreams (dir. Steve Barron, .<20). Each of the Nlms employs *1$4/+$F&6*)/$OI(++'P$!12$ the strategy which Parikka (,-.-: .Z/) describes as translating “technology into !?!14$73!'2+$[68$!12$ intimacy, desire, and sexuality.” While the two Nlms by Hershman -Leeson ?*2+&$7!'4$<'!-4*-+)E$ put technology in the context of female sexuality, Electric Dreams seems akin to Her at least on the surface narrative level. Both Nlms o_er stories K$ E$>E$;*'*()$,'*4+)$ of protagonists involved in romantic relationships with operating systems; !0&(4$4/+$)/'+2)$ &"$4/+$1+?+'$8!4+'*!6*.+2$ both ultimately o_er denouements, in which the non -human is rejected and -&66!0&'!4*&1$0+4,++1$ the human is embraced as the paragon of the real. ;<*L+$M&1.+$!12$N@11$ A+')/8!1$7N++)&1$!4$/*)$ {ough separated by almost three decades and the stunning develop- O;4+!6$O/*)$;*13(6!'7 ment of digital technologies, both Her and Electric Dreams avoid including *4@P$06&3P$> NQ$/44<QRR in their narratives the potentially rich texture of political and social issues, )4+!64/*))*13(6!'*4@E-&8R 6&13$76@11$7/+')/8!17 such as modalities of state control in the technology dominated society, 76++)&1$7?*'4(!67 along with the anxiety such control produces. As for the latter, this omis- 7<+')&1!)RDSK$TUK$%!'$ sion does not particularly surprise: Barron’s movie was primarily targeted BCKVWE$ as a mainstream |ick, an intentionally shallow summer -holiday movie in the vein of the superNcial .<2-s comedy genre. Her , on the other hand, B !"#$%&'$ (&#)*+ is a mainstream yet festival -circuit contemporary -auteur Nlm, penned by 0+6&13)$4&$4/+$1&4$<!'7 4*-(6!'6@$/*3/6@$7+)4++8+2$ the director of Being John Malkovich (.<<<) and Adaptation (,--,). While )(0$73+1'+$&"$4/+$8*27 Her is posited far from the postmodern bricolage of the latter two, presenting 7KXYC)$0*3$7)4(2*&$O4+-/*+P$ -&8+2*+)$&'*+14+2$ instead a less meta -approach to storytelling, it does include elements that seem !4$@&(13$!(2*+1-+)=$ to playfully interact with both the Nlm -genre tradition and the characteriza- )(-/$!)$,#)" -#.'/+ $T2*'E$ tion of its romantic protagonists, distancing itself from the tropes found in %!'4/!$Z&&6*23+=$KXY[W$ &'$ 0#'&1 2$'#.$# T2*'E$ science -Nction movies. M&/1$A(3/+)=$KXY[WE$ Blooming in the .<2-s, the U.S. dystopic IG Nlm genre pictured the post- ! modern Western human body as marked by the increasing control. {e gal- U$ O/+$KXYC)$0'&(3/4$ loping technological development has not reversed the trend, in fact increasing !$)4'*13$&"$)+8*1!6$;\$ 2@)4&<*-$8&?*+)=$)(-/$ the tendency to picture individuals as forced to succumb to the growing state !)$3&)4'" T2*'E$O+''@$ surveillance. As Agamben (,--2: ,-,) observes in his scathing text on the U.S. ]*66*!8=$KXY[W=$ 3")1# ,/..#& T2*'E$ *26+@$;-&44=$ digital surveillance measures, the central aim of the state’s biopolitical control KXYBW=$&'$ 56# 5#&*'.)%7& is curbing the activity of a potentially dangerous class of citizens, i.e. assuming T2*'E$M!8+)$Z!8+'&1=$ they are “suspect[ s ] par excellence.” Travelling to the “allegedly democratic” KXYVW=$,*4/$4/+$3+1'+$ '+8!*1*13$<&<(6!'$*1$ U.S., one has to succumb to security measures such as having his Nngerprints 4/+$"&66&,*13$@+!')=$,*4/$ taken and Nled by the immigration oVces (Agamben ,--2: ,-.). {e philoso- [68)$)(-/$!)$58#"9# :7.;#<+ $T2*'E$O+''@$ pher sees the biopolitical -control attempts, along with the constantly exerted ]*66*!8=$KXX[W=$ 2%&).=# pressure to accept them as routine and obligatory, as mechanisms dangerously ()<+ $T2*'E$^!4/+'@1$ akin to the ones operating in the concentration camps, where tattooing was _*3+6&,=$KXX[W=$ -)%> %)$) T2*'E$512'+,$`*--&6=$ the common, eVcient, and undisputed practice of registering the deportees. KXXSW=$ ()&; ?'%< T2*'E$56+a$ Such an extended apparatus of control has reached the symbolic threshold F'&@!)=$KXXYW=$ !@/'"'A> of what Foucault called “the progressive animalization of man” (Kozak ,--<: &'/* T2*'E$^('4$b*88+'=$ BCCBW=$!12$8&)4$'+-+146@$ .-2). In the contemporary Western states, the increasing employment of con- 2.78B'#&$#& T2*'E$M&&17 trol measures over its citizens is propelled by the technological development, 7/&$_&13=$BCKUWE$ which enables techniques such as Nngerprint and retina electronic scanning or subcutaneous tattooing. 112 "#$%#&' )*)#$'&+' ,-./ +& 0 (/2) {e e_ects of the biopolitical control, characteristic of the modern Western regimes, are visible in the attitudes towards the body, its sexual functions, and disease. {e latter is understood not as an intermission in one’s healthy life with the potential of one of the two outcomes: betterment or death; it is a complex political phenomenon, in which one’s decreased eVciency directly a_ects the society, thereby increasing economic costs it has to endure (Kozak ,--<: .-<). Equalling “individual” with “population,” biopolitical control mechanisms coin the trope of the non -individual body, which is involved in the two sequences of body -related discourses: one submitting the body to the institutional disciplinary strategies, and the other, in which the body is perceived as involved in the series of biological state -regulated population- -oriented processes. {e biopolitical control correlates with consumption. According to Bauman (.<<8: <2), the postmodern body is primarily the organ of consumption; its proper functioning is measured by its ability to consume and assimilate everything that the society produces. Baudrillard (,--8: 9 – Z) sees the postmodern societies as “masses,” drifting somewhere in between passivity and untamed spontaneity. {e social sphere is in fact the sphere of waste, dead institutionalized rela- tions, and dead discourses. {e society, or rather “the masses,” is devoured by what it produces; it is an empty category, a universal alibi to any discourse; absorbed by economy, society emulates its own death through simulation and overproduction. It is due to the masses, as Baudrillard (,--8: 9, – 9/) claims, that the grand medical consumption is on the rise, the consumption whose dimension levels remain in stark contrast to the ethically primary goals of medicine. It is the masses that consume painkillers and vitamin diet supplements, being inundated with the |ood of commercials encouraging to do so. It is the masses that stimulate the thriving activity of pharmaceuti- cal companies, producing medicine not primarily to cure but also to satisfy the mass demand. It is the masses that employ medicinal inventions while searching for new forms of attaining sexual pleasure. One of the instances of the distortions of the primarily medicinal use is the fad involving Truvada, an anti -retroviral drug originally conceived as a cure for 6 -infected patients. {e drug is reported to be popularly used in condomless sex intercourses by healthy individuals in order to avoid the risk of contracting the virus (Janiszewski ,-.0). Efavirenz, another 6 antiretroviral drug, is, in turn, said to be misused as a recreational drug that allows its users to attain a rare form of “hallucinogenic high” (Fortune ,-.0). Among other non -medical yet sex -related technological innovations, there is “Electric Eel”, a special type of condom with the in -built chip allowing to deliver electric impulses for increased stimulation of the penis (Plafke ,-.0). {e fantasy of “outsourcing” sex onto avatars portrayed in IG movies is also becoming possible since, as Gander (,-.0) reports, scientists have conducted a successful experiment in which a monkey with an implanted brain chip could control the movements of another monkey’s body. While the original aim of the experiment was to help paralyzed people with the spinal cord damage regain control over their body movements, the possibility of having neuro -control over another living organism’s body may be used in sexual encounters. {is would be then the fulNllment of the scenarios shown in Strange Days (dir. Kathryn Bigelow, .<<8), set in the dystopian war -torn Los Angeles of the then -near future of the break of the ,- th and ,. st centuries, where people use I64’s (“Superconducting Quantum Interference Device”), memory recording devices that let them relive the experiences of their original ='>'? @*&#ABCDBEF GB>%H IJ'KCA 5> =C'$ 113 wearers, experiences often involving kinky and violent sex; or in eXistenZ (dir. David Cronenberg, ,---), set in the society of gamers who operate their game consoles through bio -ports installed in the players’ spines; or in Holy Motors (dir. Leos Carax, ,-.,), where the protagonist participates in a performed sex scene, choreographed so as to lend movements to virtual characters on screen, which are then possibly fed into erotic video games; or Nnally in Her, which chooses as its climactic scene a failed threesome between a male human, a female non -human, and a female body stand -in for the latter.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Art of Adaptation
    Ritgerð til M.A.-prófs Bókmenntir, Menning og Miðlun The Art of Adaptation The move from page to stage/screen, as seen through three films Margrét Ann Thors 301287-3139 Leiðbeinandi: Guðrún Björk Guðsteinsdóttir Janúar 2020 2 Big TAKK to ÓBS, “Óskar Helps,” for being IMDB and the (very) best 3 Abstract This paper looks at the art of adaptation, specifically the move from page to screen/stage, through the lens of three films from the early aughts: Spike Jonze’s Adaptation, Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman, or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance, and Joel and Ethan Coen’s O Brother, Where Art Thou? The analysis identifies three main adaptation-related themes woven throughout each of these films, namely, duality/the double, artistic madness/genius, and meta- commentary on the art of adaptation. Ultimately, the paper seeks to argue that contrary to common opinion, adaptations need not be viewed as derivatives of or secondary to their source text; rather, just as in nature species shift, change, and evolve over time to better suit their environment, so too do (and should) narratives change to suit new media, cultural mores, and modes of storytelling. The analysis begins with a theoretical framing that draws on T.S. Eliot’s, Linda Hutcheon’s, Kamilla Elliott’s, and Julie Sanders’s thoughts about the art of adaptation. The framing then extends to notions of duality/the double and artistic madness/genius, both of which feature prominently in the films discussed herein. Finally, the framing concludes with a discussion of postmodernism, and the basis on which these films can be situated within the postmodern artistic landscape.
    [Show full text]
  • The 21St Hamptons International Film Festival Announces Southampton
    THE 21ST HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES SOUTHAMPTON OPENING, SATURDAY’S CENTERPIECE FILM AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, SPOTLIGHT AND WORLD CINEMA FILMS INCLUDING LABOR DAY, HER, THE PAST AND MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM WILL FORTE TO JOIN BRUCE DERN IN “A CONVERSATION WITH…” MODERATED BY NEW YORK FILM CRITICS CIRCLE CHAIRMAN JOSHUA ROTHKOPF Among those expected to attend the Festival are: Anna Paquin, Bruce Dern, Ralph Fiennes, Renee Zellweger, Dakota Fanning, David Duchovny, Helena Bonham Carter, Edgar Wright, Kevin Connolly, Will Forte, Timothy Hutton, Amy Ryan, Richard Curtis, Adepero Oduye, Brie Larson, Dane DeHaan, David Oyelowo, Jonathan Franzen, Paul Dano, Ralph Macchio, Richard Curtis, Scott Haze, Spike Jonze and Joe Wright. East Hampton, NY (September 24, 2013) -The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) is thrilled to announce that Director Richard Curtis' ABOUT TIME will be the Southampton opener on Friday, October 11th and that Saturday's Centerpiece Film is AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY directed by John Wells. As previously announced, KILL YOUR DARLINGS will open the Festival on October 10th; 12 YEARS A SLAVE will close the Festival; and NEBRASKA is the Sunday Centerpiece. The Spotlight films include: BREATHE IN, FREE RIDE, HER, LABOR DAY, LOUDER THAN WORDS, MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM, THE PAST and CAPITAL.This year the festival will pay special tribute to Oscar Award winning director Costa-Gavras before the screening of his latest film CAPITAL. The Festival is proud to have the World Premiere of AMERICAN MASTERS – MARVIN HAMLISCH: WHAT HE DID FOR LOVE as well as the U.S Premiere of Oscar Winner Alex Gibney’s latest doc THE ARMSTRONG LIE about Lance Armstrong.
    [Show full text]
  • Schwerelos in Hollywood Nebenbei Macht Der Film Deutlich, Was Für Eine Luftnummer „Moulin Rouge“ Der Hamburger Schauspieler Ulrich Tukur Spielt in War
    FILM Premieren Ab 27.2. About Schmidt Regie: Alexander Payne. Mit Jack Nicholson, Hope Davis, Dermot Mul- roney. Zunehmend deprimierende Tragikomö- die über Jack Nicholsons Fähigkeit, sich in den unauffälligen Ruheständler War- ren Schmidt zu verwandeln und dabei je- derzeit Jack Nicholson zu bleiben Ð wes- halb Alexander Paynes Oscar-nominier- tes Trauerspiel über einen Mann, der nach dem Tod seiner Frau auf Selbster- kundung geht, treffender ãAbout Nicholson“ heißen sollte. Chicago Tukur in „Solaris“: Regie: Rob Marshall. Mit Renée Zell- „Sie haben einen sehr weger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard talentierten Hund“ Gere, John C. Reilly. Chicago 1929, die Welt als Bühne: Rob Marshalls virtuos in Szene gesetztes, bisweilen mitrei§endes Musical ist vergnüglich, nicht obwohl, sondern weil die Geschichte vorhersehbar ist. Schwerelos in Hollywood Nebenbei macht der Film deutlich, was für eine Luftnummer „Moulin Rouge“ Der Hamburger Schauspieler Ulrich Tukur spielt in war. Für 13 Oscars nominiert. „Solaris“ neben dem Superstar George Clooney. Ab 6.3. Deutsche Schauspieler haben in Hollwood nicht viel zu sagen, oft nur zwei Wörter: Frida „Heil Hitler!“ Dann ist der Kurzauftritt im Nazi-Kostüm auch schon wieder vorbei; Regie: Julie Taymor. Mit Salma Hayek, das Warten auf die nächste Rolle beginnt. Es gibt sehr viele Schauspieler in Hollywood, Alfred Molina, Geoffrey Rush. Leben und Sterben von Frida Kahlo, die auf Kommando „Heil Hitler!“ sagen können. Mexikos gro§er, leidenschaftlicher Ma- Auch der ewige Grenzgänger Ulrich Tukur Ð Schauspieler, Musiker und Noch- lerin, produziert, gespielt und inter- Intendant der Hamburger Kammerspiele Ð hat schon etliche Nazis und ebenso viele pretiert von Salma Hayek, Mexikos Widerstandskämpfer gespielt.
    [Show full text]
  • BABEL and the GLOBAL HOLLYWOOD GAZE Deborah Shaw
    02_shaw:SITUATIONS 10/16/11 12:40 PM Page 11 BABEL AND THE GLOBAL HOLLYWOOD GAZE Deborah Shaw BABEL AND THE GLOBAL HOLLYWOOD GAZE n popular imaginaries, “world cinema” and Hollywood commercial cinema appear to be two opposing forms of filmic production obeying Idiverse political and aesthetic laws. However, definitions of world cin- ema have been vague and often contradictory, while some leftist discourses have a simplistic take on the evils of reactionary Hollywood, seeing it in rather monolithic terms. In this article, I examine some of the ways in which the term “world cinema” has been used, and I explore the film Babel (2006), the last of the three films of the collaboration between the Mexicans Alejandro González Iñárritu and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga.1 Babel sets out to be a new sort of film that attempts to create a “world cinema” gaze within a commercial Hollywood framework. I exam- ine how it approaches this and ask whether the film succeeds in this attempt. I explore the tensions between progressive and conservative political agendas, and pay particular attention to the ways “other” cul- tures are seen in a film with “Third World” pretensions and U.S money behind it. I frame my analysis around a key question: does the Iñárritu-led outfit successfully create a paradigmatic “transnational world cinema” text that de-centers U.S. hegemony, or is this a utopian project doomed to failure in a film funded predominantly by major U.S. studios?2 I examine the ways in which the film engages with the tourist gaze and ask whether the film replaces this gaze with a world cinema gaze or merely reproduces it in new ways.
    [Show full text]
  • Sbiff Special Events
    Special Thanks To www.sbiff.org #sbiff Special Events Opening Night Film A Bump Along The Way Wednesday, January 15, 8:00 PM Arlington Theatre Presented by UGG® A female-led, feel-good comedy drama set in Derry, PRESENTED BY Northern Ireland, about a middle-aged woman whose unexpected pregnancy after a one-night stand acts as the catalyst for her to finally take control of her life. American Riviera Award Renée Zellweger Thursday, January 16, 8:00 PM Arlington Theatre Sponsored by Bella Vista Designs The American Riviera Award recognizes actors who have made a significant contribution to American Cinema. Outstanding Performers of the Year Award Scarlett Johansson & Adam Driver 1. Arlington Theatre 2. Will Call and Volunteer HQ at SBIFF’s Education Center 3. Fiesta Theatre 4. Lobero Theatre & Festival Pavilion 5. Metro Theatre 6. Festival Hub & Press Office Friday, January at Hotel 17, 8:00 Santa PM Barbara Arlington Theatre Presented by Belvedere Vodka Public Parking Lot Public Restrooms The Outstanding Performer of the Year Award is given to an artist who has delivered a standout performance 1 in a leading role. Special Events Special Events FREE Screening of THREE KINGS Montecito Award FOLLOWED BY A Q&A WITH DAVID O. RUSSELL Lupita Nyong’o Saturday, January 18, 2:00 PM Lobero Theatre Monday, January 20, 8:00 PM Arlington Theatre FREE ADMISSION Presented by Manitou Fund In celebration of its 20th anniversary, SBIFF will present a This year we recognize Lupita Nyong’o with the Monte- free screening of THREE KINGS followed by a Q&A with cito Award for her impressive career and most recent David O.
    [Show full text]
  • Film: the Case of Being John Malkovich Martin Barker, University of Aberystwyth, UK
    The Pleasures of Watching an "Off-beat" Film: the Case of Being John Malkovich Martin Barker, University of Aberystwyth, UK It's a real thinking film. And you sort of ponder on a lot of things, you think ooh I wonder if that is possible, and what would you do -- 'cos it starts off as such a peculiar film with that 7½th floor and you think this is going to be really funny all the way through and it's not, it's extremely dark. And an awful lot of undercurrents to it, and quite sinister and … it's actually quite depressing if you stop and think about it. [Emma, Interview 15] M: Last question of all. Try to put into words the kind of pleasure the film gave you overall, both at the time you were watching and now when you sit and think about it. J: Erm. I felt free somehow and very "oof"! [sound of sharp intake of breath] and um, it felt like you know those wheels, you know in a funfair, something like that when I left, very "woah-oah" [wobbling and physical instability]. [Javita, Interview 9] Hollywood in the 1990s was a complicated place, and source of films. As well as the tent- pole summer and Christmas blockbusters, and the array of genre or mixed-genre films, through its finance houses and distribution channels also came an important sequence of "independent" films -- films often characterised by twisted narratives of various kinds. Building in different ways on the achievements of Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Pulp Fiction (1994), all the following (although not all might count as "independents") were significant success stories: The Usual Suspects (1995), The Sixth Sense (1999), American Beauty (1999), Magnolia (1999), The Blair Witch Project (1999), Memento (2000), Vanilla Sky (2001), Adaptation (2002), and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004).
    [Show full text]
  • The Daily Gamecock, MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2009
    University of South Carolina Scholar Commons October 2009 10-19-2009 The aiD ly Gamecock, MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2009 University of South Carolina, Office oftude S nt Media Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/gamecock_2009_oct Recommended Citation University of South Carolina, Office of Student Media, "The aiD ly Gamecock, MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2009" (2009). October. 16. https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/gamecock_2009_oct/16 This Newspaper is brought to you by the 2009 at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in October by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. dailygamecock.com UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2009 VOL. 103, NO. 37 ● SINCE 1908 Monday DRESS SALES 66° 41° Tuesday BENEFIT CHARITY 74° 44° Local survivors, in 2006. Both women are survivors. On the store’s brides-to-be leave Web site, the owners Wednesday ‘cancer at the altar’ describe their business as “a 77° 50° unique boutique for today’s surviving woman.” The Kristyn Winch name comes from Greek THE DAILY GAMECOCK mythology where “Alala” is defi ned as “the female spirit For many young women, of the war cry.” The owners the idea of getting married have “declared war on has been a fantasy since they traditional sales and service” were children. Over the in the evolving procedures of weekend, brides-to-be had cancer treatment. the opportunity to give back First-year students to women like themselves Rebecca Mascaro and Erin Chad Simmons / THE DAILY GAMECOCK while shopping for the Tingley both volunteered USC women stand in line Friday evening for the T.A.K.E.
    [Show full text]
  • Screenwriting: the Feature Film
    Module Definition Form (MDF) Module Code: MOD003008 Version 3 Date amended 14/2/13 1. Module Title Screenwriting: The Feature Film 2a. Module Leader 2b. Department 2c. Faculty Judy Forshaw Department of English and Faculty of Arts, Law and Media Social Sciences 3a. Level 3b. Module Type 5 Standard Module 4a. Credits 4b. Study Hours 15 150 5. Restrictions Type Module Code Module Name Condition Pre- None requisites: Co- None requisites: Exclusions: None Courses to which this BA Film Studies; BA Writing; BA Writing and module is restricted Film Studies BA Film and Television Production LEARNING, TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT INFORMATION 6a. Module Description The module builds on the skills acquired by the students in Introduction to Screenwriting at Level 5. Having understood the short film format, students now have the opportunity to apply their skills to the more demanding task of understanding the Feature Film. Students will produce a portfolio including the first act of a screenplay with evidence of analytical story structure skills, some of which will include a focussed analysis of genre in a series of student managed presentations. A key element of the module is the study of the work of well known screenwriters, in particular Kaufman, Schrader, Mamet and Ball, whose work will be critically discussed as potential models. Established film-makers, including the Coen Brothers, Darren Aronsksy, Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Charlie Kaufman, Paul Thomas Anderson and Gus Van Sant, will also be studied as examples of writer directors. Through small group work and discussion with the seminar leader, students develop an original screenplay idea.
    [Show full text]
  • Projection and Control in the Works of Charlie Kaufman
    In this careful study of the works of Charlie Kaufman, Larson sets up the problem of the mind's relationship to reality, then explores it through a series of related concepts—how we project ourselves into reality, how we try to control it, and how this limits our ability to connect to others. (Instructor: Victoria Olsen) PLAYING WITH PEOPLE: PROJECTION AND CONTROL IN THE WORKS OF CHARLIE KAUFMAN Audrey Larson ohn Malkovich is falling down a dark, grimy tunnel. With a crash, he finds himself in a restaurant, the camera panning up from a plate set with a perfectly starched napkin to a pair of large Jbreasts in a red dress and a delicate wrist hanging in the air like a question mark. The camera continues panning up to the face that belongs to this body, the face of—John Malkovich. Large-breasted Malkovich looks sensually at the camera and whispers, “Malkovich, Malkovich,” in a sing-song whisper. A waiter pops in, also with the face of Malkovich, and asks, “Malkovich? Malkovich, Malkovich?” The real Malkovich looks down at the menu—every item is “Malkovich.” He opens his mouth, but only “Malkovich,” comes out. A look of horror dawns on his face as the camera jerks around the restaurant, focusing on different groups of people, all with Malkovich’s face. He gets up and starts to run, but stops in his tracks at the sight of a jazz singer with his face, lounging across a piano and tossing a high-heeled leg up in the air. A whimper escapes the real Malkovich.
    [Show full text]
  • True and False New Realities in the Films of Wes Anderson, Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman
    ACTA UNIV. SAPIENTIAE, FILM AND MEDIA STUDIES, 3 (2010) 121–131 True and False New Realities in the Films of Wes Anderson, Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman André Crous University of Stellenbosch (South Africa) E-mail: [email protected] Abstract. The filmmakers of the French Nouvelle Vague, in the spirit of post- war modernism, wanted to get at the truth of everyday life, and braved oncoming traffic to capture people living real lives. Since the turn of the millennium, Wes Anderson, Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman have taken the opposite track, showing a remarkable tendency to undermine their own representations of reality – often humorously collapsing the boundaries between the actual and fictional worlds. The particular filmmakers never content themselves with simple exercises in mimesis, but instead openly acknowledge the elusive objective of faithfully representing reality: examples include the subversively deceptively Godardian cut-away of a film set in Anderson’s Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), the symbiotic relationship between the diegetic writing of two screenplays and the events unfolding around the characters in Jonze’s Adaptation (2002), and the multiple mise- en-abyme structure of Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York (2008). In the course of their films, Anderson, Jonze and Kaufman playfully yet confidently turn our perception of diegetic reality on its head, placing emphasis on the idea of “performance” – as it relates to the characters as well as the films themselves. Introduction The late 1950s and the early 1960s saw a handful of French directors setting out to revitalize a film industry whose output, according to them, had become dull and conventional.
    [Show full text]
  • 2012 Twenty-Seven Years of Nominees & Winners FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS
    2012 Twenty-Seven Years of Nominees & Winners FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY 2012 NOMINEES (Winners in bold) *Will Reiser 50/50 BEST FEATURE (Award given to the producer(s)) Mike Cahill & Brit Marling Another Earth *The Artist Thomas Langmann J.C. Chandor Margin Call 50/50 Evan Goldberg, Ben Karlin, Seth Rogen Patrick DeWitt Terri Beginners Miranda de Pencier, Lars Knudsen, Phil Johnston Cedar Rapids Leslie Urdang, Dean Vanech, Jay Van Hoy Drive Michel Litvak, John Palermo, BEST FEMALE LEAD Marc Platt, Gigi Pritzker, Adam Siegel *Michelle Williams My Week with Marilyn Take Shelter Tyler Davidson, Sophia Lin Lauren Ambrose Think of Me The Descendants Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor Rachael Harris Natural Selection Adepero Oduye Pariah BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer) Elizabeth Olsen Martha Marcy May Marlene *Margin Call Director: J.C. Chandor Producers: Robert Ogden Barnum, BEST MALE LEAD Michael Benaroya, Neal Dodson, Joe Jenckes, Corey Moosa, Zachary Quinto *Jean Dujardin The Artist Another Earth Director: Mike Cahill Demián Bichir A Better Life Producers: Mike Cahill, Hunter Gray, Brit Marling, Ryan Gosling Drive Nicholas Shumaker Woody Harrelson Rampart In The Family Director: Patrick Wang Michael Shannon Take Shelter Producers: Robert Tonino, Andrew van den Houten, Patrick Wang BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE Martha Marcy May Marlene Director: Sean Durkin Producers: Antonio Campos, Patrick Cunningham, *Shailene Woodley The Descendants Chris Maybach, Josh Mond Jessica Chastain Take Shelter
    [Show full text]
  • Joe Hutshing , A.C.E
    (4/29/15) JOE HUTSHING , A.C.E. Editor FILM & TELEVISION DIRECTOR COMPANIES PRODUCERS “ALOHA” Cameron Crowe Sony Pictures Scott Rudin New Regency Pictures Cameron Crowe “ROADIES” Cameron Crowe Showtime Cameron Crowe (Series) Bad Robot J.J. Abrams “METALLICA THROUGH THE Nimród Antal Picturehouse Charlotte Huggins NEVER” Entertainment “SAVAGES”* Oliver Stone Relativity Media Moritz Borman Universal Pictures Eric Kopeloff "WE BOUGHT A ZOO" Cameron Crowe 20 th Century Fox Cameron Crowe (Additional Editor) Dune Entertainment Julie Yorn Rick Yorn "THE TOURIST"* Florian Henckel von GK Films Graham King Donnersmarck Spyglass Entertainment Tim Headington Columbia Pictures Gary Barber "IT’S COMPLICATED”* Nancy Meyers Universal Pictures Nancy Meyers Nomination: American Cinema Editors (ACE) Eddie Award Scott Rudin Productions Scott Rudin "W."* Oliver Stone Lionsgate Moritz Borman QED International Eric Kopeloff "LIONS FOR LAMBS" Robert Redford MGM Robert Redford United Artists Tracy Falco "THE HOLIDAY" Nancy Meyers Columbia Pictures Nancy Meyers Universal Pictures Bruce A. Block “THE SKELETON KEY” Iain Softley Universal Pictures Daniel Bobker Michael Shamberg Stacey Sher "SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE" Nancy Meyers Columbia Pictures Nancy Meyers Warner Bros. Pictures Bruce A. Block "VANILLA SKY"* Cameron Crowe Paramount Pictures Cameron Crowe Summit Entertainment Tom Cruise Paula Wagner “LIVE FROM BAGHDAD” Mick Jackson HBO Films George W. Perkins (TV movie) Industry Entertainment Winner: Emmy Award for Outstanding Editing Nomination: American Cinema Editors (ACE) Eddie Award "ALMOST FAMOUS”* Cameron Crowe Columbia Pictures Cameron Crowe Nomination: Academy Award for Best Film Editing DreamWorks SKG Ian Bryce Winner: American Cinema Editors (ACE) Eddie Award (cont.) SANDRA MARSH & ASSOCIATES Tel: (310) 285-0303 Fax: (310) 285-0218 e-mail: [email protected] (4/29/15) JOE HUTSHING , A.C.E.
    [Show full text]