Love stories have stayed consistent however relationships have changed. Divorce is common when it wasn't not too long ago. Men took care of their families but now women are needed to work and help out financially. Today's economy dictates a relationship between two people resulting in a much different direction than ever before.
Lauren very good, as our society evolves so does love and what it means to our personal identity. – Venus Echos10 years ago
This seems like a great topic! You would have to ask what love means to us now. Not an easy task, but very interesting. – dannyjs10 years ago
Just because I'm watching Parenthood right now and family dynamics are constantly changing and being compared to the grandparents "old world" dynamics, I think it would be interesting to compare TV to romantic Films with this concept. – Chelsea Weaver10 years ago
It might be helpful to look at the origins of love as we know it today. For example, when did love marriages--as opposed to arranged and political marriages--overtake their counterparts? – Kristian Wilson10 years ago
A great film to note for this discussion is Her (2013). How does technology affect the notion of love and family in today's society. Does it make people closer or push them further apart? How do film, television, and other outlets take this evolution and tell good stories from them? – Giovanni Insignares10 years ago
The Twilight series likes to believe that it is based on classic love stories (Romeo & Juliet and others). Using those two standards (Twilight now vs R&J then) might be an interesting way to approach this topic. I've always disliked Romeo & Juliet b/c the characters are hormone-driven teenagers who shouldn't be making decisions -- but when it was written, 15 yr olds *were* getting married to people they barely knew. Translated into modern times, the situation looks slightly ridiculous. Does the classic standard of expectation necessarily result in a untenable situation when applied to modern times? Or is that a failure of the translator? – Monique10 years ago
Another question that could tie into that is: are fictional stories giving us unrealistic expectations for love? Not many people seem to be happy with the love they find these days, and that could be due to the innumerable romance tales being portrayed in book and film form. – Ellencrypted10 years ago
But in the end, what are love stories? Fiction. Can we not then realize that what we see on the screen is just a story or must we take literally what the film shows us as to be real. If we acknowledge that it is a story, then is it really issue. After all isn't the story about love and not the real world? If we view everything as real and therefore needing to be changed, how can romance then even exist? After all courtly love was an artificial construction and in theory is not believed to have been practiced. Must we take the romance out of life. If divorce is common it is because usually it is not love but rather lust. Then when people change, things become complicated and fall apart. So then what? What shall we call love? Can we still find an ideal? I hope these questions and thoughts help. – Travis Kane10 years ago
What makes films so quick to place authority figures in antagonistic positions? Are they truly trying to make comments on authority figures in the real world, or are they just trying to find an easy way out when writing the script?
Interesting topic! This is not new or specific to films though. You can trace that back to ancient literature, and it has evolved throughout the centuries. In the 20th century, comic books also used that idea. Even children's literature or comics have professors shown as 'villains' or at least opposed to the protagonists and they hold a position of power/authority. – Rachel Elfassy Bitoun9 years ago
Long takes are cinematic marvels; single-shot sequences that allow the cinematographer to avoid the disillusion of cutting to different shots and create better immersion for the viewer. But they're also incredibly hard to do right. Long takes have been around in film for a long time, going back to the days of Hitchcock. With Birdman taking the most recent Academy Award for Best Feature, as well as Best Cinematography, are the difficulties in setting up long takes and single-shot sequences worth the increased viewer immersion?
Slow cinema is an interesting movement to look at in terms of the long take. Tarantino is another example. Have a look at Babel and Wes Anderson too – Rachel Elfassy Bitoun9 years ago
Their are some single-shot action sequences around nowadays as well. Just recently I saw one in episode 2 of Daredevil and their was one in SHIELD as well. – Tyler McPherson9 years ago
The recent release, The Age Of Adaline, focuses on a protagonist who has been unable to age since an accident in her youth. What other films are there that look at the disruption of aging? Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a definite possibility, but are there any others? And what are they trying to say with this theme?
The Highlander franchise popularized the immortal character in the late 1980s and 90s. Now we've also got the show Forever on television. Might be interesting to look at the differences in origin story of immortal monsters (like vampires) vs. immortal heroes or everyman characters and see what commonalities or differences lie between those two poles. – Monique9 years ago
Maybe a stretch, but Interstellar might work for this because it deals with the concept of characters aging extremely quickly due to gravitational time dilation., so that while only a few hours pass for the heroes on the planet, 23 years pass on Earth. This time dilation continues throughout the whole film, and it eventually gets to a point that the main protagonist (mid-to-late 30's?) meets up with her elderly daughter (over 100 years old) after having not seen her since she was 10 years old. Could be worth talking about. – Daniel Hein9 years ago
I was also going to suggest Interstellar. Very compelling idea... maybe it's reflective of societal fear of time's passage? I think that's a theme that can be traced a lot further back than films even, but those are great looks at it. – Helen Parshall9 years ago
There was an adaption of Tuck Everlasting if i recall correctly. – wolfkin9 years ago
Recent news of the 1973 horror classic Don't Look Now is being remade, are there any other classics which should not be remade. If so, why?
Poltergeist and It have both been put up for remakes, both of which could destroy their horror gravitas. Horror film remakes are usually notoriously bad (Halloween, Black Christmas, Friday 13th), so could it be a genre thing that makes these not work? – Hannah Spencer9 years ago
I think remaking Jaws would be huge mistake. Or any of the other movie that is made by the time it is set in like Casablanca for example. I also think its interesting that the movies that are being remade already had an audience that enjoyed it and thus really don't need to be remade. Whereas if the movie didn't do well and could use an update its not remade or touched upon at all. – Cagney9 years ago
You could even look at musicals like Annie which has recently been remade to make the argument that if something is to be remade, it should be reflective of the time period it is being remade for. Ie, irish orphan Annie then versus African American (foster kid? I haven't actually seen the whole thing yet) now. – Helen Parshall9 years ago
Following Kristen Stewart's recent comments on sexism is Hollywood, is there any relevant to her claim today?
Hollywood mirrors society and mainstream society reflects sexism, classism and racism. What could also be addressed here is how theses 'isms' affect the current generation of Hollywood actors such as Kristen Stewart. If they rebel will they be replaced; since Hollywood is most concerned with generating revenue and collecting accolades? – Venus Echos9 years ago
There are lots of directions that could be taken with this, from how actresses are paid less than their male counterparts (even within the same films, eg. the leaked email that stated the female stars in American Hustle were intentionally paid less than the male), or the state of female film makers, particularly directors, as female-directed films are often only made in indie circles despite regular critical acclaim for the directors themselves. This could be an enormous topic, so finding one part to concentrate on will probably be the best way to approach it. – Hannah Spencer9 years ago
An in-depth analysis of the classic science fiction film, The Fly (1986). A remake of the 1958 film starring Vincent Price, The Fly (1986) proved a successful remake, showing the horrors of technology. What kind of themes does the film depict?
Could discuss the how to do a remake right, by comparing how the 50's version was revolutionary for its time, and how the 80's version was revolutionary for its time. The original uses suspense my hiding the Fly's face through most of the picture, while the remake show the gradual evolution of man to fly creature. – Aaron Hatch9 years ago
This could be very interesting due to the advanced technologies we have available now in the film industry and in science. – Venus Echos9 years ago
Rumour has it that Robin in Batman Vs Superman will be a woman. Have a look at some of the mythology of Robin (incl. the recent great article on The Artifice (link) ) and state the advantages of having a female Robin for this new instalment.
