I just want to remind everybody that February 28th will be the last day you can log onto the SCMS website and vote for President-elect, Secretary, and two new members of the Board of Directors. Student members may vote for officers and a new student representative. Please log into the SCMS website, select the "Member's Area," and then click "Online Elections." There are also platforms for all of the candidates posted, so please take time to study them carefully.
Not speaking for anybody else affiliated with Mabuse, I just want to take a moment to support Chris Holmlund for president-elect. While, Krin Gabbard is an impressive scholar with a meaningful initiative to reach out to underrepresented constituencies, I believe Holmund is speaking with a realism and pragmatism needed in these tough economic times.
An impressive and prolific gender scholar, Holmlund is running with a clear understanding of the financial difficulties facing many in our profession. As a young scholar, I was impressed to read a platform so in touch with the difficulties specifically facing many in my generation. I am very pleased to see a candidate so committed to supporting non-tenure and retired SCMS members writh practical solutions.
For this reason, along with her well demonstrated commitment to the study of film and media, I hope to see her as our next SCMS president.
best, Scott
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Sneaking a "Watch": A Review of Zack Snyder's "Watchmen"
by Drew Morton
Please note that minor spoilers may be disclosed in the following review. Please read with caution.
"No. Not even in the face of Armageddon. Never compromise."-Rorschach
While Rorschach's (Jackie Earle Haley) proclamation may be possible to uphold as a superhero, the refusal to compromise on behalf of the filmmaker in the process of literary adaptation is impossible. As film theorist André Bazin wrote, "Faithfulness to form, literary or otherwise, is illusory: what matters is the equivalence in meaning of the forms." In other words, Bazin is arguing that each medium has its own modes of representation, thus the struggle for formal fidelity is a lost cause and that the main objective is that the adaptation should capture the original work's essence. Bazin continues, stating, "All it takes is for the filmmakers to have enough visual imagination to create the cinematic equivalent of the style of the original."
Zack Snyder's ("300") attempt to adapt Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon's "Watchmen" (1986-1987) is compromised but that is the only possible way an adaptation can work as a film. He captures the Bazinian essence of Moore and Gibbon's work, a deconstruction of the superhero mythos, with an aesthetic that also captures much of the style of the original graphic novel (to the degree it is possible in film). Will die-hard fans be disappointed? No doubt, but quite unjustly. Even with Snyder's compromised ending, which ultimately can be interpreted as being more devastating than the climax concocted by Moore and Gibbons (although the film lacks a sequence on par with the opening pages of the comic's twelfth volume), Snyder's ambitious attempt is the best that could be done in a feature film. That is, until we get a look at that "Ultimate Director's Cut" DVD with the additional footage (most notably "Tales of the Black Freighter") Snyder had to leave on the cutting room floor.
For those of you unfamiliar with the story, "Watchmen" takes place on an alternate timeline beginning in late 1985. The United States won the war in Vietnam, Richard Nixon has been elected to third presidential term, and the only man standing between nuclear war between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. is “Dr. Manhattan” (Billy Crudup), a human nuclear bomb who stands on the American side as a nuclear deterrent. The film, like the comic, begins with the murder of Eddie Blake (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a retired superhero formally known as "The Comedian." While clues point to robbery, the sociopathic Rorschach believes that the death of "The Comedian" could be the beginning of plot to eliminate former costumed heroes. Hoping to foil such a conspiracy, Rorschach warns his former partners in crime fighting: Manhattan and his lover, the beautiful Silk Specter (Malin Ackerman), the Batman-esque Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson), and the smartest man in the world, Ozymandias (Matthew Goode). Collectively dubbed the Watchmen, the group initially disregards Rorschach's theory. That is until Dr. Manhattan is forced off Earth, making the possibility of nuclear war a near certainty.
This complex story, as readers familiar with the book will attest, is existential that the typical comic book and the film is much the same. Much like last summer's "The Dark Knight," "Watchmen" is not concerned with action scenes and obligatory fights. As the film's antagonist notes in the film's climax, "I'm not a comic book villain," and, like the film, he is not treated as being the product of a fantastic world far outside our own. While Snyder does bring an unrealistic edge to the action sequences (particularly his manipulation of time via cuts and slow motion), these techniques, much like those of Sam Peckinpah, become a means of deconstructing motion...just like a comic book. Instead, "Watchmen" as both a graphic novel and a film favors the approach of making comic book and superhero fans think about the motives and actions in what becomes a study of ethics. In this study, it is only the murderous and sociopathic Rorschach who is able of following any sort of moral code...even if it is demented in its adherence to rejecting compromise.
For the most part, Snyder’s direction is precise. His graphical style captures Gibbon's graphics and layout perfect...right down to the book's fearful symmetry. The framing and camera movements mirror those of the book, a treat for avid fans of the book and Gibbon's art. Moreover, Snyder's work with the actors is quite accomplished. Jackie Earle Haley, the former child star of "The Bad News Bears" who recently made a come back with fellow "Watchmen" star Patrick Wilson in Todd Field's underappreciated "Little Children," continues his streak of embodying sociopaths perfectly. Patrick Wilson captures the sadness and longing for a greater goal in life, something all retired heroes must face. Crudup's performance, ultimately hard to judge due to the alien-ness of Dr. Manhattan, is quite accomplished (particularly in the segment in which he reflects upon his accident, which is supplemented by a wonderful choice in music). Matthew Goode is adequate and neither shines or stalls at Ozymandias.
The film, while being as close to perfect an adaptation as I could have imagined, is not without its flaws. For the most part, the film and Snyder do a fantastic job of drawing out the background of the individual characters and the past of masked heroes in general very well (particularly during the film's opening ten minutes and the beautifully executed credit sequence). However, the one character who seems to receive the short end of the narrative-stick is Nite Owl. Snyder establishes his background, but not to the degree that the backgrounds of Dr. Manhattan and the others benefit from. In addition, Malin Ackerman's performance, while being far from bad, seemed to be the weakest out of the leads. However, her character is the most clichéd in the book, so perhaps Ackerman just did not have that much to work with.
The most glaring flaw in the film, however, is in Snyder's choice of end credit music. The film, like the book, ends on a relatively quiet scene but it is entirely displaced by a terrible cover of Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row" by My Chemical Romance. While Dylan's version would have been fine and in keeping with the period music used (listen for a Musak cover of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" in Ozymandia's office) throughout the rest of the film, the My Chemical Romance version is loud and obnoxious and seems like it was fitted for an entirely different film than the one just watched. Hopefully, Snyder and company will alter this for the DVD release; it is really quite offensive.
In close, "Watchmen" is a tough film to evaluate: it is hard to tell if it will play as well to those who have yet to read the book. While I certainly felt every piece of it clicking, I have read the book numerous times. Snyder has made an adaptation that is as faithful and accessible as possible, a compromise that is ultimately successful. Snyder, to borrow from Bazin's model, not only captures the essence of Moore and Gibbon's novel but also demonstrates a "visual imagination" that creates the impression of Gibbon's layout and graphical style.
Please note that minor spoilers may be disclosed in the following review. Please read with caution.
"No. Not even in the face of Armageddon. Never compromise."-Rorschach
While Rorschach's (Jackie Earle Haley) proclamation may be possible to uphold as a superhero, the refusal to compromise on behalf of the filmmaker in the process of literary adaptation is impossible. As film theorist André Bazin wrote, "Faithfulness to form, literary or otherwise, is illusory: what matters is the equivalence in meaning of the forms." In other words, Bazin is arguing that each medium has its own modes of representation, thus the struggle for formal fidelity is a lost cause and that the main objective is that the adaptation should capture the original work's essence. Bazin continues, stating, "All it takes is for the filmmakers to have enough visual imagination to create the cinematic equivalent of the style of the original."
Zack Snyder's ("300") attempt to adapt Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon's "Watchmen" (1986-1987) is compromised but that is the only possible way an adaptation can work as a film. He captures the Bazinian essence of Moore and Gibbon's work, a deconstruction of the superhero mythos, with an aesthetic that also captures much of the style of the original graphic novel (to the degree it is possible in film). Will die-hard fans be disappointed? No doubt, but quite unjustly. Even with Snyder's compromised ending, which ultimately can be interpreted as being more devastating than the climax concocted by Moore and Gibbons (although the film lacks a sequence on par with the opening pages of the comic's twelfth volume), Snyder's ambitious attempt is the best that could be done in a feature film. That is, until we get a look at that "Ultimate Director's Cut" DVD with the additional footage (most notably "Tales of the Black Freighter") Snyder had to leave on the cutting room floor.
For those of you unfamiliar with the story, "Watchmen" takes place on an alternate timeline beginning in late 1985. The United States won the war in Vietnam, Richard Nixon has been elected to third presidential term, and the only man standing between nuclear war between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. is “Dr. Manhattan” (Billy Crudup), a human nuclear bomb who stands on the American side as a nuclear deterrent. The film, like the comic, begins with the murder of Eddie Blake (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a retired superhero formally known as "The Comedian." While clues point to robbery, the sociopathic Rorschach believes that the death of "The Comedian" could be the beginning of plot to eliminate former costumed heroes. Hoping to foil such a conspiracy, Rorschach warns his former partners in crime fighting: Manhattan and his lover, the beautiful Silk Specter (Malin Ackerman), the Batman-esque Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson), and the smartest man in the world, Ozymandias (Matthew Goode). Collectively dubbed the Watchmen, the group initially disregards Rorschach's theory. That is until Dr. Manhattan is forced off Earth, making the possibility of nuclear war a near certainty.
This complex story, as readers familiar with the book will attest, is existential that the typical comic book and the film is much the same. Much like last summer's "The Dark Knight," "Watchmen" is not concerned with action scenes and obligatory fights. As the film's antagonist notes in the film's climax, "I'm not a comic book villain," and, like the film, he is not treated as being the product of a fantastic world far outside our own. While Snyder does bring an unrealistic edge to the action sequences (particularly his manipulation of time via cuts and slow motion), these techniques, much like those of Sam Peckinpah, become a means of deconstructing motion...just like a comic book. Instead, "Watchmen" as both a graphic novel and a film favors the approach of making comic book and superhero fans think about the motives and actions in what becomes a study of ethics. In this study, it is only the murderous and sociopathic Rorschach who is able of following any sort of moral code...even if it is demented in its adherence to rejecting compromise.
For the most part, Snyder’s direction is precise. His graphical style captures Gibbon's graphics and layout perfect...right down to the book's fearful symmetry. The framing and camera movements mirror those of the book, a treat for avid fans of the book and Gibbon's art. Moreover, Snyder's work with the actors is quite accomplished. Jackie Earle Haley, the former child star of "The Bad News Bears" who recently made a come back with fellow "Watchmen" star Patrick Wilson in Todd Field's underappreciated "Little Children," continues his streak of embodying sociopaths perfectly. Patrick Wilson captures the sadness and longing for a greater goal in life, something all retired heroes must face. Crudup's performance, ultimately hard to judge due to the alien-ness of Dr. Manhattan, is quite accomplished (particularly in the segment in which he reflects upon his accident, which is supplemented by a wonderful choice in music). Matthew Goode is adequate and neither shines or stalls at Ozymandias.
The film, while being as close to perfect an adaptation as I could have imagined, is not without its flaws. For the most part, the film and Snyder do a fantastic job of drawing out the background of the individual characters and the past of masked heroes in general very well (particularly during the film's opening ten minutes and the beautifully executed credit sequence). However, the one character who seems to receive the short end of the narrative-stick is Nite Owl. Snyder establishes his background, but not to the degree that the backgrounds of Dr. Manhattan and the others benefit from. In addition, Malin Ackerman's performance, while being far from bad, seemed to be the weakest out of the leads. However, her character is the most clichéd in the book, so perhaps Ackerman just did not have that much to work with.
The most glaring flaw in the film, however, is in Snyder's choice of end credit music. The film, like the book, ends on a relatively quiet scene but it is entirely displaced by a terrible cover of Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row" by My Chemical Romance. While Dylan's version would have been fine and in keeping with the period music used (listen for a Musak cover of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" in Ozymandia's office) throughout the rest of the film, the My Chemical Romance version is loud and obnoxious and seems like it was fitted for an entirely different film than the one just watched. Hopefully, Snyder and company will alter this for the DVD release; it is really quite offensive.
In close, "Watchmen" is a tough film to evaluate: it is hard to tell if it will play as well to those who have yet to read the book. While I certainly felt every piece of it clicking, I have read the book numerous times. Snyder has made an adaptation that is as faithful and accessible as possible, a compromise that is ultimately successful. Snyder, to borrow from Bazin's model, not only captures the essence of Moore and Gibbon's novel but also demonstrates a "visual imagination" that creates the impression of Gibbon's layout and graphical style.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
"Studies Beyond the Screen"
Students and academics in the U.K. or Europe may be interested in this symposium I'm organizing in the spring.
Studies Beyond the Screen
April 25, 2009 at the University of Exeter
Part of the journal Screen's ongoing 50th Anniversary celebration, "Studies Beyond the Screen" will be an engaging, one-day symposium featuring established cinema scholars speaking on their use of archival and extra-textual materials, focusing on the investigative procedures, methodologies and research activities that go into the production of academic work. Each presentation will contribute to an emerging sense of how these kinds of materials are used in the creation of theoretically informed screen studies scholarship.
The day will be of particular interest to graduate and postgraduate students making use of extra-textual resources in their own research, and will provide a forum for interaction and exchange between attendees and speakers. The event will also introduce attendees to some of the resources available in England's Southwest region including the Bill Douglas Centre for the History of Cinema and Popular Culture.
Confirmed speakers include:
Ian Christie (Birbeck)
Susan Hayward (Exeter)
Peter Jewell (Founder, The Bill Douglas Centre)
Steve Neale (Exeter)
Andrew Spicer (UWE)
Sarah Street (Bristol)
To register, please visit: http://www.sall.ex.ac.uk/content/view/2012/577/
If you have any questions, please contact Andrew Nelson (apn203@ex.ac.uk)
For more information about Screen's 50th Anniversary, visit: http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/screen/50thanniversary/
Studies Beyond the Screen
April 25, 2009 at the University of Exeter
Part of the journal Screen's ongoing 50th Anniversary celebration, "Studies Beyond the Screen" will be an engaging, one-day symposium featuring established cinema scholars speaking on their use of archival and extra-textual materials, focusing on the investigative procedures, methodologies and research activities that go into the production of academic work. Each presentation will contribute to an emerging sense of how these kinds of materials are used in the creation of theoretically informed screen studies scholarship.
The day will be of particular interest to graduate and postgraduate students making use of extra-textual resources in their own research, and will provide a forum for interaction and exchange between attendees and speakers. The event will also introduce attendees to some of the resources available in England's Southwest region including the Bill Douglas Centre for the History of Cinema and Popular Culture.
Confirmed speakers include:
Ian Christie (Birbeck)
Susan Hayward (Exeter)
Peter Jewell (Founder, The Bill Douglas Centre)
Steve Neale (Exeter)
Andrew Spicer (UWE)
Sarah Street (Bristol)
To register, please visit: http://www.sall.ex.ac.uk/content/view/2012/577/
If you have any questions, please contact Andrew Nelson (apn203@ex.ac.uk)
For more information about Screen's 50th Anniversary, visit: http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/screen/50thanniversary/
Sunday, February 15, 2009
African Film Fest!
Hello All!I am proud to be co-curator with Angela Dall Vacche of the 2009 African Film Fest at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta GA. Unfortunately, I've been call out of town next week and will be missing much of the event! Sadly, this also means I will not have the opportunity to introduce Med Hondo's wonderful Sarrounia (1987), as originally planned.
Please follow this link for more information.
All films will be showing in the Clary Theater in the Student Success Center is built into the west side of the football stadium. The entrance to the Center is near the base of Tech Tower, the campus's most visible landmark.
Monday February 16
Sarraounia (Mauritania, 1987)
Mauritania-born director Med Hondo’s sweeping historical drama tells the story of Sarraounia, the sorcerer queen who led the Aznas to resist France in 1899. As other kingdoms surrendered or collaborated with the French, Sarraounia led her male warriors when armies launched a brutal attack on her fortress capital of Lougou. Hailed by Le Monde as the “first African Epic,” Sarraounia marks a triumph in Hondo’s varied career directing everything from radical political documentaries to historical musicals, as well as noteworthy work as an actor and activist. Hondo has been considered a major figure in African cinema since his first feature, Soleil O, played at Cannes in 1970. Sarraounia was featured at festivals in Montreal, San Francisco, Berlin, Moscow, Atlanta, and London, and won several awards at the annual African Film Festival FESPACO. (120 Minutes)
Sarraounia (Mauritania, 1987)
Mauritania-born director Med Hondo’s sweeping historical drama tells the story of Sarraounia, the sorcerer queen who led the Aznas to resist France in 1899. As other kingdoms surrendered or collaborated with the French, Sarraounia led her male warriors when armies launched a brutal attack on her fortress capital of Lougou. Hailed by Le Monde as the “first African Epic,” Sarraounia marks a triumph in Hondo’s varied career directing everything from radical political documentaries to historical musicals, as well as noteworthy work as an actor and activist. Hondo has been considered a major figure in African cinema since his first feature, Soleil O, played at Cannes in 1970. Sarraounia was featured at festivals in Montreal, San Francisco, Berlin, Moscow, Atlanta, and London, and won several awards at the annual African Film Festival FESPACO. (120 Minutes)
Wednesday February 18
Buud Yam (Burkina Faso, 1997)
Director Gaston J-M Kaborè follows the character of Wend Kuuni, an abandoned youth adopted by a village community. When his adoptive sister falls ill, he sets out on a quest to find a legendary healer. As he leaves on this rite of initiation, the journey also leads to him questioning his own roots. After studying history and film in Paris, Kaborè returned to his homeland to teach at the national film institute, which closed in 1987. Since 2005, he has overseen Imagine in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, a school that trains new professionals in film and video. Buud Yam and his first feature film Wend Kuuni (1981) are viewed by Kaborè as companion metaphors for post-colonial Africa’s own struggle for voice and identity, with the director stating in a recent interview, "After the trauma of colonialism, once you are aware you can speak for yourself, what are you going to say?" Buud Yam was winner of the top prize at the African film festival FESPACO. (99 Minutes)
Director Gaston J-M Kaborè follows the character of Wend Kuuni, an abandoned youth adopted by a village community. When his adoptive sister falls ill, he sets out on a quest to find a legendary healer. As he leaves on this rite of initiation, the journey also leads to him questioning his own roots. After studying history and film in Paris, Kaborè returned to his homeland to teach at the national film institute, which closed in 1987. Since 2005, he has overseen Imagine in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, a school that trains new professionals in film and video. Buud Yam and his first feature film Wend Kuuni (1981) are viewed by Kaborè as companion metaphors for post-colonial Africa’s own struggle for voice and identity, with the director stating in a recent interview, "After the trauma of colonialism, once you are aware you can speak for yourself, what are you going to say?" Buud Yam was winner of the top prize at the African film festival FESPACO. (99 Minutes)
Thursday February 19
Me and My White Pal – (Burkina Faso, 2003)
Clearly drawing off of personal experience as a foreign student, Burkina Faso-born and Paris-trained filmmaker S. Pierre Yameogo explores the complexities of cultural difference and interracial friendship in this satirical comedy. African student Mamadi takes a night job as a parking attendant and befriends fellow worker Franck, the first white man he meets in Paris who does not see him as a lazy foreigner. After accidently getting their hands on illegal drugs, Mamadi and Franck find themselves on the run from dangerous thugs and hiding out in Mamadi’s native country, only to run into more problems. By providing a cross-cultural look at what it means to be a foreigner - for both Mamadi in France and Franck in Burkina Faso -Yameogo satirizes popular cultural myths in both cultures through exposing the superficial view of all foreigners as aliens. Me and My White Pal was the winner of two awards at the African film festival FESPACO. (90 Minutes)
Clearly drawing off of personal experience as a foreign student, Burkina Faso-born and Paris-trained filmmaker S. Pierre Yameogo explores the complexities of cultural difference and interracial friendship in this satirical comedy. African student Mamadi takes a night job as a parking attendant and befriends fellow worker Franck, the first white man he meets in Paris who does not see him as a lazy foreigner. After accidently getting their hands on illegal drugs, Mamadi and Franck find themselves on the run from dangerous thugs and hiding out in Mamadi’s native country, only to run into more problems. By providing a cross-cultural look at what it means to be a foreigner - for both Mamadi in France and Franck in Burkina Faso -Yameogo satirizes popular cultural myths in both cultures through exposing the superficial view of all foreigners as aliens. Me and My White Pal was the winner of two awards at the African film festival FESPACO. (90 Minutes)
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
More XXX Sex!**
**A redux of my August 6/8 2007 posting regarding the sexiest scenes in cinema according to a cinema site (complete with new mood music by Flight of the Conchords).
In August of 2007, I posted a list by IFC on the greatest sex scenes in cinema history (http://dr-mabuses-kaleido-scope.blogspot.com/2007/08/xxx-sex.html). I think this topic cropped up again in EW sometime during the last six months and I was somewhat shocked by a list of 100, currently running down over at IGN.com.
http://movies.ign.com/articles/952/952751p1.html
Now, we've had discussions on film canonization and lists around here before, but what interested me in this IGN piece is just how often these sex lists seem to come out. In fact, I would venture a guess that it is the 2 most common ranking (behind the best movies ever made/best movies of a given year practice). I also find it odd that pornography of any kind (Will Last Tango find a place on this list? I think I need to revisit the IFC list.) is almost completely ignored. Any thoughts on this trend in general?
And here's your promised mood music:
Flight of the Conchords: You Don't Have to be a Prostitute
All I kept thinking about was the Police's Roxanne...Conchordized.
Flight of the Conchords: Sugalumps
In August of 2007, I posted a list by IFC on the greatest sex scenes in cinema history (http://dr-mabuses-kaleido-scope.blogspot.com/2007/08/xxx-sex.html). I think this topic cropped up again in EW sometime during the last six months and I was somewhat shocked by a list of 100, currently running down over at IGN.com.
http://movies.ign.com/articles/952/952751p1.html
Now, we've had discussions on film canonization and lists around here before, but what interested me in this IGN piece is just how often these sex lists seem to come out. In fact, I would venture a guess that it is the 2 most common ranking (behind the best movies ever made/best movies of a given year practice). I also find it odd that pornography of any kind (Will Last Tango find a place on this list? I think I need to revisit the IFC list.) is almost completely ignored. Any thoughts on this trend in general?
And here's your promised mood music:
Flight of the Conchords: You Don't Have to be a Prostitute
All I kept thinking about was the Police's Roxanne...Conchordized.
Flight of the Conchords: Sugalumps
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Cimino @ 70
I'm sick with the flu, which means I'm confined to the little world of my apartment, free to wander the distance from my living room window (which looks out on a convenience store) and my kitchen, where I'm carefully preparing all kinds of teas for my sore throat.As it happens, today (it's still Tuesday here in Chicago) is Michael Cimino's birthday. Cimino has always dodged questions about his age--his official bio says he was born in 1943, and he showed a passport to a Vanity Fair reporter that said he was born in 1952. His college records, though, indicate that he was born in 1939, which would make him 70 years old. As he graduated in 1961, 1939 seems very probable--an 18 year old, or, for that matter, 9 year Ivy League graduate would have made the news somewhere. So, for all his dodging of the question, Cimino effectively turned 70 years old, a serious age if there ever was one.
Cimino is a controversial figure. And I support every one of his films except The Deer Hunter. In my flu-induced state, I ended up typing a defense of his legacy for Tisch Film Review, which can be found here.
So I'd like to start a conversation -- do you have any thoughts on his work (negative as well as positive)? Any insights you'd like to share? I'd like to ask that any comments on the subjects of the Tisch post itself go to the post's website--there's not enough of a conversation going on in the comments there, and I want to liven things up. Otherwise, feel free to respond here.
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