Week 1: What is a Movie?: Dark Visions of the Future

(For my film students)

Week 1: What is a Movie?: Dark Visions of the Future

Required In-Class Film:



V for Vendetta (James McTeigue, 2005: 132 mins)

Another pro-terrorism film: V for Vendetta. The Anti-Jihad Pundit (March 22, 2006)

Boudreaux, Madelyn. An Annotation of Literary, Historic, and Artistic References in Alan Moore's Graphic Novel, V For Vendetta. (April 27, 1994; Last revised March 21, 2006)

Faraci, Devin. V for Vendetta is the Most Dangerous Film of the Year C.H.U.D. (February 6, 2006)

Tryon, Chuck. V for Vendetta (April 1, 2006) and Moore’s American Vendetta (April 1, 2006) The Chutry Experiment

V for Vendetta – Anarchism = Anarchy. Dakota Purveyor (no date):

Wikipedia entry on the Graphic Novel V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd that the film is based upon. Also an entry on the writer Alan Moore.

More Resources for the 1st Week:

Axmaker, Sean. Science Fiction Films Green Cine (2005)

Different Visions of the Future: 1925-2005

Dirks, Tim. Film Genres Greatest Films. (no date)

Enders, Erik. Monsters From the Id: Futuristic Visions in 20th Century Science Fiction Cinema. (Unpublished Paper: 1999)


Options for the Outside Viewing Assignment:

Choose a film you haven't seen before--remember the goal is to broaden your film knowledge/experience. There will be a free showing of Ghost in the Shell thursday night at 7:30pm in the big auditorium in the Oswald Building (you can bring friends if you want).

12 Monkeys (Terry Gilliam, 1995: 129 mins)

2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968: 141 mins)

Alien Series [Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979: 116 mins); Aliens (James Cameron, 1986: 137 mins); Alien3 (David Fincher, 1992: 114 mins); Alien: Resurrection (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 1997: 116 mins)]

Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982: 117 mins)

Brazil (Terry Gilliam, 1985: 142 mins)

Dark City (Alex Proyas, 1998: 108 mins)

Gattaca (Andrew Niccol, 1997: 101 mins)

Ghost in the Shell Series [Ghost in the Shell (Mamoru Oshii, 1995: 82 mins); Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (Mamoru Oshii, 2004: 100 mins)]

The Matrix Series (The Matrix (The Wachowski Brothers, 1999: 136 mins); The Matrix Reloaded (The Wachowski Brothers, 2003: 138 mins); The Matrix Revolutions (The Wachowski Brothers, 2003: 129 mins)]

Starship Troopers (Paul Verhoeven, 1997: 129 mins)


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Here is the rough outline for the rest of the semester--the themes will remain the same, but films may change as I am always preparing/viewing for the sections and I may find better choices.


Week 2: Screenwriting and Narrative Structure: Memory and Identity

Adaptation/Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind/Being John Malkovich/Donnie Darko/Memento/Mulholland Drive/Lost Highway

Week 3: Mise-en-scene/Production Design

Amelie/Annie Hall/Kontrol/American Beauty/Romeo and Juliet

Week 4: Cinematography: Visualizing Environments

Never Cry Wolf/Se7en/Gangs of New York/City of God/Se7en

Week 5: Acting

Raging Bull/Monster/Do the Right Thing/I Heart Huckabees/The Royal Tenenbaums/Trainspotting/Transamerica/Blue Velvet

Week 6: Editing

Fight Club/Requiem for a Dream/House of Flying Daggers


Week 7: Sound

Apocalypse Now/Black Hawk Down/Jarhead/Master and Commander/Goodfellas

Master and Commander (Peter Weir) 2003: 138 minutes.

Week 8: Test and Documentary Films

Grizzly Man/Mr. Death/The Weather Underground/Enron/Fog of War/The Thin Blue Line (Documentary: The Truth is Stranger Than Fiction)

Week 9: Directorial Homage: The Tarantino Effect

Spaghetti Westerns/Hong Kong Martial Arts/Kill Bill I and II

Week 10: Theater and Cinema

Hedwig and the Angry Inch/Dogville/Titus/Chicago/Rent/Dogville

Week 11: Films by Women About Women

North Country/Whale Rider/Ballad of Little Jo/Iron Jawed Angels/The Piano/In the Cut/Sisterhood of the Pants/Mi Vida Loca/Foxfire

Week 12: Independent Film

Elephant/Boys Don’t Cry/Happiness/Slam/The Addiction


Week 13: Satire/Stereotypes

But I’m a Cheerleader/Bamboozled/Schizopolis/Saved/This is Spinal Tap/Best of Show/A Mighty Wind

Week 14: Animation

Spirited Away/Howl’s Moving Castle/Triplets of Belleville/Waking Life

Week 15: Global Cinema

Beautiful Country/Monsoon Wedding/Syriana/The Constant Gardener