tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post111654168785668179..comments2024-03-27T07:18:39.229-05:00Comments on In Medias Res: Politics and the Movies: An UpdateUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-1117144689288557852005-05-26T16:58:00.000-05:002005-05-26T16:58:00.000-05:00Russell, a couple others to consider in there: 9 t...Russell, a couple others to consider in there: 9 to 5 and Tootsie. <BR/><BR/><A></A><A></A>Posted by<A><B> </B></A><A HREF="http://www.extramsg.com" REL="nofollow" TITLE="nick at zukin dot net">ExtraMSG</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-1117022636601946392005-05-25T07:03:00.000-05:002005-05-25T07:03:00.000-05:00Blade Runner  is not, in my view, bereft of p...<I>Blade Runner</I>  is not, in my view, bereft of philosophical context. It has:<BR/><BR/>• a surfeit of Christian allegorical content<BR/>• commentary on Achilleus' choice (see Roy's final speech)<BR/>• and, of course, lots of commentary on memory, humanity, and the Cartesian self (particularly if one uses the much superior Director's Cut)<BR/><BR/><I>Terminator 2</I> is the other good choice to pair with <I>Gattica</I>. There's a lot to work with here: time, feminism, Christianity, and so forth. In the end, both films will get you your key thematic and so much more. Plus, <I>Blade Runner</I> is culturally important with respect to its vision of the future urban landscape. <BR/><BR/><A></A><A></A>Posted by<A><B> </B></A><A HREF="duckofminerva.blogspot.com" REL="nofollow" TITLE="dhntwo at gtown dot edu">Dan Nexon</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-1117003277317759352005-05-25T01:41:00.000-05:002005-05-25T01:41:00.000-05:00For Gattaca, the Director's Cut of Bladerunner was...For Gattaca, the Director's Cut of Bladerunner was one of the first to come to mind. Given that there's no good film version of Brave New World, Demolition Man is an entertaining movie that attempts to capture a couple of its themes, even if clumsily and simply (though no less so than Thelma & Louise). If you want to go for a surprising film combo, what about Babe?<BR/><BR/>I think Metropolis does a better job than Modern Times in many ways.<BR/><BR/>If you need a copy of Meet John Doe, I have one I can send you on VHS. I also have the director's cut of Bladerunner if you need it. <BR/><BR/><A></A><A></A>Posted by<A><B> </B></A><A HREF="http://www.extramsg.com" REL="nofollow" TITLE="nick at zukin dot net">ExtraMSG</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-1116801637155514322005-05-22T17:40:00.000-05:002005-05-22T17:40:00.000-05:00How about using the ultimate anti-machine movie, C...How about using the ultimate anti-machine movie, Chaplin's Modern Times? <BR/><BR/><A></A><A></A>Posted by<A><B> </B></A><A HREF="http://inmedias.blogspot.com/2005/05/politics-and-movies-update.html" REL="nofollow" TITLE="mcross at dal dot ca">Michael Cross</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-1116777044251879992005-05-22T10:50:00.000-05:002005-05-22T10:50:00.000-05:00Another pairing with Gattaca could be Michael Wint...Another pairing with Gattaca could be Michael Winterbottom's Code 46. Just as stylish, I'd say and packs a "privacy" punch as well [that was the most interesting theme in Gattaca for me] <BR/><BR/><A></A><A></A>Posted by<A><B> </B></A><A HREF="www.chapatimystery.com" REL="nofollow" TITLE="hjk at Hjk dot com">sepoy</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-1116753900314390402005-05-22T04:25:00.000-05:002005-05-22T04:25:00.000-05:00Why not pair Gattaca with the best film ever made ...Why not pair Gattaca with the best film ever made about demography: <A HREF="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070723/" REL="nofollow"><I>Soylent Green</I> </A> ? <BR/><BR/>The opening sequence (beginning with black and white pictures of farming and rural life, then cities and mass production, then pollution and overcrowding) is probably one of the best uses of still photos in a non-documentary film. It's also a great example of how films (and books, for that matter) about the future often have to make claims about the past and the nature of historical change in order to make their imagined worlds seem plausible. I've always wanted to pair it with William Cronon's book <I><A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0393308731/qid=1116753791/sr=12-3/104-1817035-3672755?v=glance&s=books" REL="nofollow">Nature's Metropolis</A></I>, but have never had the chance to do so.<BR/><BR/>As for its relevance to politics, let's just say it gives new meaning to the phrase "of the people, by the people, for the people." <BR/><BR/><A></A><A></A>Posted by<A><B> </B></A><A HREF="http://nogreatmatter.blogspot.com" REL="nofollow" TITLE="">eb</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-1116753501256789262005-05-22T04:18:00.000-05:002005-05-22T04:18:00.000-05:00Oh, what Clark said about AI. I understand the rea...Oh, what Clark said about AI. I understand the reasons to dislike the last 30 minutes or so, but there are so many different directions to take it in a class like this, and if I ever get to teach my technology and politics class again I'll be using it. It's easily Speilberg's most interesting (and for me at least, rewarding) film. <BR/><BR/><A></A><A></A>Posted by<A><B> </B></A><A HREF="lefarkins.blogspot.com" REL="nofollow" TITLE="david at tennishockey dot com">djw</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-1116689296633564212005-05-21T10:28:00.000-05:002005-05-21T10:28:00.000-05:00While I was initially opposed to Blade Runner as l...While I was initially opposed to Blade Runner as lacking much by way of philosophy, it probably is a nice counterpoint to Gattaca. While I think Gattaca is a good movie, the end and the whole "triumph of the will" bit really irks me. That's a common Hollywood theme. Humans can always do better than machines. (Even when they demonstrably can't) It happens quite regularly from Star Wars where Luke gets rid of the targeting computer to Star Trek where humans somehow do better than computers (despite the whole complication of an android - but the android wants to be human) Whenever there is a man vs. machine issue, men are *always* shown to be superior. One would wish for a bit more from Hollywood. Only Blade Runner has any more complications to it.<BR/><BR/>Of course you might show AI. While a lot of people didn't like it, I loved it. It is fairly easy to analyze. Further it is interesting because in many ways, the machines are more human than the humans. <BR/><BR/><A></A><A></A>Posted by<A><B> </B></A><A HREF="www.libertypages.com/clark" REL="nofollow" TITLE="clark at lextek dot com">Clark</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-1116623636524693292005-05-20T16:13:00.000-05:002005-05-20T16:13:00.000-05:00Bicentennial Man. It was the final film in Robin W...Bicentennial Man. It was the final film in Robin Williams four-film career self-immolation, following the success of Good Will Hunting: <BR/><BR/>What Dreams May Come, Patch Adams, Jakob The Liar, Bicentennial Man. Ugh.<BR/><BR/><BR/>(Course looks great, Russell, and I think Lone Star would pair up wonderfully with Touch of Evil. And Strictly Ballroom, for that matter! The borders theme could expand pretty quickly if you allowed the films to get less American and more metaphorical, so maybe a good one to leave out) <BR/><BR/><A></A><A></A>Posted by<A><B> </B></A><A HREF="lefarkins.blogspot.com" REL="nofollow" TITLE="david at tennishockey dot com">djw</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-1116618792541128362005-05-20T14:53:00.000-05:002005-05-20T14:53:00.000-05:00There was a pretty terrible movie starring Robin W...There was a pretty terrible movie starring Robin Williams in which he was an android that fought for his own human rights. I can't remember the name of it. It brought up some intersting points, but I did not think much of the movie itself. That may have been tainted by my general distaste for Robin Williams. <BR/><BR/><A></A><A></A>Posted by<A><B> </B></A><A HREF="http://inmedias.blogspot.com/2005/05/politics-and-movies-update.html#comments" REL="nofollow" TITLE="cardwell at vip1 dot net">Brent T</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-1116610865874636182005-05-20T12:41:00.000-05:002005-05-20T12:41:00.000-05:00Thanks for the props. Best Years and Liberty Vala...Thanks for the props. Best Years and Liberty Valance are highly gendered films and can be referenced in your gender discussion. Jane Tompkins has some very interesting (although not necessarily right) work on Westerns. A friend commented on Tompkins that "nobody gets it wrong better than her."  <BR/><BR/><A></A><A></A>Posted by<A><B> </B></A><A HREF="http://inmedias.blogspot.com/2005/05/politics-and-movies-update.html#comments" REL="nofollow" TITLE="dsalmanson at springside dot org">David Salmanson</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-1116606815699831752005-05-20T11:33:00.000-05:002005-05-20T11:33:00.000-05:00I'm not a movie watcher, so my input is not really...I'm not a movie watcher, so my input is not really based on movies--but for Technology and Freedom, what about a movie about people who choose to eschew technology because of it's freeing effects? The Amish come to mind (altho Witness was remarkably inaccurate)--maybe the will get an actual movie-watcher to suggest something.<BR/><BR/>On the general question of technology--if there were a good movie version of Tad Williams "Otherland" series, I would recommend it--I guess I'll just recommend the books instead.  <BR/><BR/><A></A><A></A>Posted by<A><B> </B></A><A HREF="http://inmedias.blogspot.com/2005/05/politics-and-movies-update.html#comments" REL="nofollow" TITLE="SamChevre at yahoo dot com">SamChevre</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7907752.post-1116583723480905132005-05-20T05:08:00.000-05:002005-05-20T05:08:00.000-05:00As a counterpart to Gattaca, what about Blade Runn...As a counterpart to Gattaca, what about Blade Runner? None of the humans in that movie are actually good guys. True, the protagonist spends much of the movie being beaten up by a replicant, but that replicant's final speech is heroic, and the girl the hero runs off with is also a replicant. Use the Director's Cut if the original ending is too triumphal. <BR/><BR/><A></A><A></A>Posted by<A><B> </B></A><A HREF="http://inmedias.blogspot.com/2005/05/politics-and-movies-update.html#comments" REL="nofollow" TITLE="andrew dot w dot chen_nospam at gmail dot com">andrew</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com