The Importance of Hunger

The Hunger Games is a very dark and satirical book. It takes a serious look at the morality of power, and how that power can quickly turn those who don't have it against you. The underlying premise of the book is that after the Capitol City put down an insurrection sparked by the 13 colonies, they started up a game where the colonies had to send one boy and one girl to the capitol to fight to the death. However after years of this its fairly natural that another rebellion would start. The capitol abused it's power, after seeing the start of one rebellion they failed to make any changes to avoid another and indeed succeeded in inflaming another more determined rebellion. The power to change and learn from the past lies with those in power but the hubris of the Capitol prevented any change.

The books also deal with morality in life or death situation, is it okay to kill if it's kill or be killed? What would you do in that situation, try to hide, fight on the front lines? This all sort of boils down to man as animal, we hold ourselves above other animals, and as demonstrated in the book we revel in the adrenalin and slaughter. Ideals about love and those we are with are sprinkled here and there, as well as other ideas of survival through the hard times.

I thought this image well represents the idea of media's impact on the observer. Things seen and experienced are taken in and processed throughout all parts of the brain, compared to past experiences and used to create new understandings about aspects of life. These are then used in all outputs in our daily life.

Player One

Player one is interesting in that it's produced from a series of talks. The one problem that I found was that being derived from talks creates a sort of overarching player one. The characters don't seem quite fleshed out and seem to be more focused on expressing more ideas and ideals. However the ideas expressed are interesting and seem to follow within a sort of rejection of the perfect sit com life that books and tv were becoming in the later 90's.

Gaming as Literature

There is a heavy divide between people about gaming, some see it as art others refuse to accept that. It seems that more and more gaming is making the transition from casual after school arcade shooters, to more recognized narratives and displays of art. Games like Mirrors Edge offer truly beautiful environments to run around and explore, while Metro 2033 or Bastion offer more interesting narratives woven throughout the game. I think the biggest problem of gaming narratives is how to deal with the player, people play games differently some meander all over looking at everything while others may burn straight to the end. Creating pacing without obstructing or limiting the player can create a lot of challenges. I think that games like Heavy Run run in the direction of being too limiting where the game becomes more like a choose your own adventure book and games like The Elder Scrolls go in the other direction in being too free.

Auteurship

For my selected films I chose the works of Peter Greenaway and watched 'The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover', 'The Draughtsman's Contract', and 'Nightwatching'. The most obvious element of auteurship present in his films is the feeling of the film being a play. Most of the shots are all from the same angle on the room. In The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover the shots are almost singularly from the same angle on a set of three spaces, the restaurant, the kitchen, and the outside. Most of the camera movements are sweeping shots moving through walls and most of them are done without cuts. Another obvious element is the set, most of them are very large spaces with no obvious ceilings, they are mostly oversized sets. Peter Greenaway has a very distinct sense of auteurship that really shows in his works.

Genre Books

TBA

Zombieland

2009
Director: Ruben Fleischer
IMDB

Zombies were seriously in Vogue from 2000ish to 2010, movies such Shaun of the Dead, Dawn of the Dead, 28 Days Later, and Zombieland. As well as appearing in several video games. Zombieland was most likely the last sort of successful zombie movie that appears to be coming out, the market has been supersaturated and people seem to be moving on to other genres (sparkly vampires unfortunately). Zombie Land was heavily influenced by earlier zombie films like Shaun of the Dead as well as Dawn of the Dead. A lot of these movies (Zombieland included) missed on the 3D craze (although according to some sources the next Zombieland will be in 3D), personally I was glad for the lack of 3D as very few movies have a reason for it.

Lolita

Love, passion, lust, these emotions run unrestrained throughout humanity's psyche. While we may revel in their pleasures, pine at their losses, and scorn the lack of control, these feelings and desires are as much a part of the human experience as breath and food. Vladimir Nabokov's character Humbert Humbert, being human and thus in possession of these uncontrollable desires, brings the reader a rather vivid and culturally taboo desire. Which in his description of Annabel and Monique and his meeting with Lolita, we see that his desires are not subject to him, more so the other way around.

From the beginning Humbert is lost to his desires, Annabel is his first described encounter with this beast. While he is a child him being sort of swept away is rather understandable. Having never felt emotions as he did he quickly becomes submerged in his relationship with Annabel, he says "these incomplete contacts drove our healthy and inexperienced young bodies to such a state of exasperation that not even the cold blue water (...) could bring relief"(9). Her early death and the sudden loss of that part of his life could possibly explain his interest in prepubescent or near pubescent girls. He even thinks so himself "I am convinced, however, that in a certain magic and fateful way Lolita began with Annabel."(10)

Before he describes his relationship with the Parisian Monique he goes into detail about how he feels about his compulsion for the underaged. "While my body knew what it craved for, my mind rejected my body's every plea." (14) this is an almost outright declaration of his division, he then goes on to say "One moment I was ashamed and frightened, another recklessly optimistic."(14) Then as the rest of the story unfolds its clear that his desires have won out.

Oz

To me this book seems to personify the idea that if you have good intentions, you will prevail. Dorthy seems to be wandering through Oz just wanting to go home and everywhere she seems to receive help from anyone whom she asks, or through some deus ex machina. Good prevails over evil no matter what, such the idea of spilling water on the witch kills her and Dorthy could go about her merry way.
It also embodies the idea that you have to power to do what you want to do inside of you. Dorthy had the power to go home with her all along she just had to use it.

Hunger Games

First off I really enjoyed this book, a good quick read that left me wanting more. As far as a cultural assumptions go the biggest that this book deals with would have to be the inviolability of children. In our culture at least children are sacred, in war you do not shoot children, getting off of a sinking boat it's women and children first. But this book has society pick two random children by lottery from each district and sends them to parade about in the main city and then murder each other. Scenes of children tearing each other apart and especially the one of the 12 year old getting speared hit very strongly. Also death games, not so much acceptable in our society, we consider ourselves above such barbarities.
I suppose that this book really goes for the idea that people are animals at heart, we love to kill each other and we love to watch people kill each other.

Heavenly Creatures Director's Notes

Cast:
The teenaged girls are more wild and alive, whereas the other characters/adults are more reserved and grey.
Possible candidates
Mia Wasikowska - Pauline

Director:
Guilermo del Toro

Style:
The overall feel of the film is to be split between two extremes. Scenes set in the real world (the school, the two houses of the girls, etc) are to be dull, with a lot of desaturated blues and greens as their primary palate. Whereas the scenes in the Fourth World and shots in the real world tinged with their madness are to be bright, colorful, and exaggerated. Something along the lines of Moulon Rouge, or Across the Universe in how the first half is desaturated, and the second half wild and vivid.

Music:
Scores will be few and far between, much of the film will be only dialogue and local sounds. The scenes that are set in the Fourth World will have subtle sweeping symphonic pieces, think The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. Additionally scenes with Mario Lanza's music will obviously be scored with such.

Cinematography:
Shots in the real world will try to either give a sense of claustrophobia or emptiness, with the feeling of the respective families pressing in on the girls, or when the are being separated towards the end of the movie, having the shots make the rooms they are brooding in feel large and empty. The Fourth World should have more sweeping angles and wide shots to show the beauty of their created world. The scenes of madness should be playful with quick cuts, a sense of childishness tinged with a manic air.

Costumes:
As with the rest of the film, the costumes are drab and rough, the school uniforms should seem oppressive and stiff, while their regular clothes are equally dull. When in the Fourth World their clothes should be the same style and appearance, but they should be colorful and seem comfortable and almost luxurious.

Group Discussion

Career Districts vs Poor Districts
Katniss vs Cato
Market vs Seam
Katniss vs Prim
Capitol vs Districts
City vs Woods
Enclosure vs Freedom (districts vs woods)
Male Players vs Female Players
Careers vs Tributes
Cinna vs Rest of the Dressers
Cinna vs Effie
Effie vs Haymitch
Emotional vs Lack of Emotion
Vulnerable vs Experienced
Glory vs Survival
Nurturing vs Survivalist
Beauty vs Survival

Similar Books:
1984
Most Dangerous Game
Anthem
Battle Royale
Cast Away
The Lottery
Equilibrium
Lord of the Flies
The Road
Lost

Expectations:
More realistic feelings towards Peeta

Paired with the Book:
The Road
Dawn of the Dead
28 Days Later