Look at how films like John Wick, Kickboxer Vengence and potentially films like the Bourne series or Taken have taken the more modern approach to fight scenes, but still integrate the mystical or 'unknowable' martial artist that make the protagonist a superhero. How have these films shifted in the last 30 years? Are the protagonists existing in a superpower zone or more in reality than classic martial arts films?
How does Takeshi Kitano, a prominent Japanese television personality who debuted his film directorial career with 'Violent Cop' in 1989, subvert the typical stylistic elements of action thrillers and sex in drama film in 1980s and 1990s cinema?
How can we interpret the depictions of sex and violence in movies such as 'Violent Cop,' 'Boiling Point' (1990), Sonatine (1993) and Hana-bi (1997)? How do they differ from conventional American action and drama of this period?
Does Takeshi Kitano's subversions of the genre serve to critique its tropes and the genre itself, or to reinforce them and create a new status quo in the depiction of sex and violence in cinema?
For quite some time now, there has been a drastic decline in the appreciation of superhero films. Whether it is because of the poor CGI (no blame to the artists), the numerous films and shows pumped out every year, or that most of the films are made on unknown characters, more and more complaints have come out detailing the audience's distaste. New characters have been introduced with little applause and the universe of the MCU in particular has become a laundry list to keep up with. Every film is interconnected, making for a difficult watch to get through over 25 films and numerous shows to supplement.
Despite all that, there has been an immense amount of anticipation for the upcoming film "Deadpool and Wolverine". This film has started to be hailed as the savior for the MCU, with many saying Deadpool is going to be the one to bring Marvel back to its "glory days". How did this film come to be this anticipated? Is it the characters? Actors? There are numerous factors at play, making this film at the top of many to-see lists. Whether this will flip the narrative surrounding the MCU and superhero content as a whole is yet to be seen, but there is a lot riding on this film.
This topic invites writers to delve into the portrayal of fatigue and its impact on superheroes in movies. From physical exhaustion to emotional burnout, explore how fatigue is depicted in superhero narratives. Analyze the storytelling choices, character developments, and the overall representation of fatigue, and discuss its significance in shaping the superhero genre. Consider the influence of real-world issues and societal expectations on these portrayals. Additionally, examine how filmmakers address the challenge of keeping superhero narratives fresh while acknowledging the toll that constant heroics may take on these iconic characters.
It might be helpful to discuss the fatigue audiences might feel after being exposed to so many near back-to-back superhero films. – WriterMan17 months ago
Interesting topic! I'd recommend for the topic taker to research what fatigue does do the body and then tie that to how that might extrapolate to a superhero based on their powers and how that would potentially compact things. – Siothrún7 months ago
Branching off of what others have said, I believe a reference to other film waves for comparison along with what made Superheroes so much more overwhelming for the audience. – Sunni Rashad5 months ago
One of my favorite topics to talk about honestly. The end of the article needs to talk about what is being done to potentially turn this around and fix the fatigue that has been brought upon audiences. Both DC and Marvel have changed things to fight this, so it needs to be mentioned that there is some hope for this genre. – Starlight185 months ago
I detect actually two different levels of meaning, or two different topics even, in this proposal. The fatigue felt by the film making industry as well as the audience from constant exposure to superhero films and characters, and solutions taken - this is one topic, dealing with the world outside the films. A second topic lying within these questions is related to the inner world of the hero, within the narrative world of the story. Fatigue is perhaps one of many outward signs of the flaws or limitations of a heroic character. This topic could be explored more broadly in terms of how super heroes are defined; what qualities make them superheroes, and what expectations do they have to meet; are physical, psychological, moral flaws etc - fatigues included - necessary ingredients for a super heroic character that attracts the audiences? – Lydia Gore-Jones4 months ago
Analyze the progression of the antihero trope. How does it reflect changing social anxieties? Look at examples from classic cinema to modern streaming hits.
The article can be structured as a timeline first. Film Noir laid the groundwork, and TV's prestige era exploded the antihero trope. Film Noir is a classic antihero breeding ground (cynical detectives, femme fatales, etc.). Another excellent point to cover here would be to highlight TV's greater creative freedom and depth that allowed for more nuance than cinema often could. Now, I cannot think of all the classic movies, but some ideas do come to mind. Of course, there are many more examples to dissect properly.
40s/50s film noir has “The Private Detective” such as Philip Marlowe (The Big Sleep), Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon) – world-weary, morally compromised, yet with an inner code. Then we had the “Femme Fatale” trope. Think Phyllis Dietrichson (Double Indemnity) – manipulative, uses sexuality for her own goals, challenges traditional female roles.
60s/70s Westerns saw a different breed altogether, I believe. First, you got the spaghetti Western Antihero, still relatable. A good example would be Clint Eastwood's "Man with No Name" (A Fistful of Dollars, etc.) – self-serving, violent, but audiences root for him against even worse figures. Soon afterward, they were quick to offer more revisionist examples in cinema. There are many examples of this one but the main one is William Munny (Unforgiven) – haunted by past sins, questions the "heroic" myth of the cowboy.
Then let’s come to the 70s/80s. This is the neo-noir and crime thrillers age, kind of like an evolution. Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver) is the prime example here. Deeply disturbed but the isolation-amid-urban-decay is a point that almost every city-dweller can relate with, pretty much. Thelma and Louise covers women taking agency, breaking free, and similar concepts, even when it means violence. This is an early example of the female antihero, and worth highlighting.
2000 onward we have the TV/streaming age. Three examples here: 1) Tony Soprano (The Sopranos) – quintessential modern antihero – mobster, yet we see his family struggles and therapy humanize him. 2) Walter White (Breaking Bad) – from mild-mannered to ruthless drug lord, his transformation is both horrifying and strangely compelling. 3) Joe Goldberg (You), Villanelle (Killing Eve) – pushing boundaries, playing with audience sympathy
2000s onwards is about 20 years not to mention the 90s where antiheroes were omnipresent. There's a lot of history for the writer to look into. – Sunni Rashad5 months ago
This is great. Maybe the article could focus on some lesser known anti-hero from film as well. – jstern204 months ago
Audrey Hepburn, Julie Andrews, Vivien Leigh, Marilyn Monroe, and several other actresses are legends in Hollywood history. Although most are now deceased, these women have made indelible marks on their genres and the film industry as a whole. Most of these "screen queens" are in fact so iconic, one mention of certain films they starred in brings that actress to mind. Some have played roles so well, their names are inextricably linked with their characters, to the point that some viewers believe no one else could ever fill that actress' shoes.
Compare and contrast 2-3 of these "screen queens," or others you might think of. What did they bring to iconic roles that arguably, no one else could? What did their presence do for Hollywood history, and what changes did they precipitate? Can any of today's actresses hope to live up to these women, and are there in fact "modern" versions of them today? If yes, do the modern actresses do their forerunners justice?
From Tomb Raider (2001, Angelina Jolie) to Sonic the Movie (2020, Jim Carrey), there have been quite a few games likewise adapted into movies, though to varying degrees of failure or success. Tomb Raider was somewhat considered a flop when it first came out, and it currently has a 5.8 on Imdb: (link) a 20% on Rotten Tomatoes from the critics, and a 47% by audiences: (link) and a 33% on Metacritic: (link) though some consider it underrated: (link) By contrast, the Sonic the Hedgehog movie had a 6.5 on Imdb: (link) a 63% critic rating and a 93% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes: (link) and a 47% on Metacritic: (link) The success of the Sonic movie garnered it not one, but two sequels.
The topic taker should analyze the trends of adapting a video game to a movie, including the history of it, and what makes so many of the adaptations fail. The topic taker should really dive into what made good video adaptations good and see what trends their analysis reveals. The topic taker may also consider the future of video game to film adaptations and whether they think there will be more successes or failures as well.
To help the topic taker, consider looking into the following films to start forming trends based off their reception via reviews/to start forming the history of video game to film adaptation as they see fit:
Tomb Raider (2018) in order to compare/contrast it with the 2001 film Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Detective Pikachu Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Assassin's Creed Doom Super Mario Bros. (1993) The Super Mario Bros. the Movie (2023) to contrast with the 1993 adaption
This is a really interesting topic and one that is very relevant. I've heard from a variety of different articles/sites that video games adaptations are popular in Hollywood right now. – Sean Gadus6 months ago
While Ancient Greek tragedies loved to have divine characters speaking on the stage, modern movies seem to hesitate a lot. In the movie Troy (directed by Wolfgang Petersen and written by David Benioff,) no deity appears on the battlefield despite the exciting descriptions of their fight in Homer’s epic. Similar things happen in other movies based on mythology. For instance, Aphrodite never appears in the Argonaut movies, although she is quite important in the epic. What might be the reason for this phenomenon?
I think this could be explored with other films of the era in a similar vein. What was the cultural shift that removed divinity from films based on myths and how can it be analysed. – Sunni Ago6 months ago
