This movie would forever surprise me. My first time watching this movie was around the time it was first released. They were showing it at the movie theater that Alfred let us go see for 2 dollars and my friend asked me if I wanted to go and I had nothing better to do. It had Leonardo DiCarprio and Brad Pitt so it had to be good. Then I saw Margot Robbie. At the time I didn’t know what cult films were and didn’t know that this was a cult film. The movie was so long and had so much detail and was actually showing us how movies were filmed and how scenes were reshot and how the camera moves around to catch angles. The movie had like 3 storyline in one. We see the life of DiCaprio trying to land a movie role and when he does he battles with executing the role but ends up doing a good job. While that happens we see Brad driving around in this boss car and sees a young hippy girl and takes her home and sees where she lives and it was all suspenseful from there. Then we had Margot Robbie going to the movies to watch a movie that she was in. The second half of the movie was the best. The movies started off kinda slow but then the ending was what got me. Brad’s Pitbull stole the movie at the end and when DiCarprio aka Rick came out with the flame blower to kill the girl in the pool. The end was so crazy that I had to watch it again and again. When I first watched the film I didn’t know what the movie was really about but was entertained by the ending but having taken this class and talked about the movie and its history, It all makes sense. Thanks Schlegel!!!

To talk about Ferderic Jameson and Postmodernism, we basically learn about the a late 20th century style and concept in the arts, archetype and criticism that represent a departure from modernism and has at the heart a general distress and Grand theories of ideologies as well as the problematic relationship with a notch of Art. When we talk about films we like to say that they lost its aura and that in order for it to come back we have to look at old films and old art and understand why they were created and how we can incorporate it into our times but make it better. And with the advance in technology that has happened in sometimes a negative way and sometimes in a positive way. And with the creation of the film “Once Upon a Time In hollywood” we see Quentin Tarantino take history into his own hands and create his own ending the shocking Hollywood and the audience that watched it and have recollection of the original story. We can read about things, but to actually watch it and see it with our own eyes makes it real and heartfelt. That is the power of film. It brings a story to life for all to see, every detail and every dialogue matters and is intentional.

This semester was filled with 14 films, each with different learning topics and experiences. I didn’t know what to expect with some of them but I learned to appreciate each film for its creativity and storytelling styles. My favorite movies of the semester were Pink Flamingo, The Warriors, Dazed and confused, Detroit Rock City and Matinee and Detour and Blacula. 

The Warriors visual was amazing and the comic book style of storytelling was very suspenseful to watch. They risked their to go represent who they were traveling from Coney Island to The Bronx by train in the middle of the night In New York City. The way they had to fight their way through each gang and the cops showed their dedication for what they stood for. Although they lost some members, they never gave up. 

“Dazed and Confused” and “Detroit Rock City” were the two teenage films that I really enjoyed. I feel like no matter what age you are, you can sit down and enjoy a teenage movie and just enjoy what happens or learn a lesson. Your teenage years are the time of your life that you question who you are but try to find who you are through trials and error and speech from adults who want to talk themselves into thinking they are where they want to be when life is really unexpected. From the drugs and unpredictable nights, I was entertained. 

“Blacula” was the horror film in the category of blaxploitation. Blacula incorporated the history of African American by using the original names Africans had coming to American. Blacula did not play the bad guy fully although he was a vampire who needed to feed but he was acting out the nature he was created to be. Then we had a black cop who cracked the case knowing that something supernatural was happening around him even though the other cops didn’t believe him until they had to see for their own. The love story was powerful. He didn’t want to take his leading lady without her willingness to go with him.  

“Pink Flamingo”was Fierce and so unexpected. I can’t talk about Pink Flamingo without saying the word Fierce. Divine did what he had to do in order to prove to his competition that he was the baddest of them all and would do anything to prove it then would leave the state before he gets caught for what he did. I love the trial at the end when they had a cameraman taking pictures of the consequence of messing with him and his family. Divine opened up doors for more people of the freaky nature to not feel alone. 

“Matinee” was a beautiful way of ending off the semester with. We always talk about the way creators and filmmakers came out with new and improved ways to watch movies and talked about how society responded to it and Matinee was a visual representation of all of that. There was something special about Matinee that I would watch again just for entertainment purposes. It was unintentional but surprising that it was about a crisis while we are experiencing an unexpected crisis of our own. 

If I could take this class again, I would!!!

This movie was very hard to watch. Nancy was very toxic but is sad that she had to go out like that. I’m sorry to say but her voice was very annoying also and I recognized it. Nancy is Monica from Shameless and she died in that show too. She was a drug addict but died from brain damage. Back to the movie Sid and Nancy. Nancy introduced Sid to drugs which changed his life forever. He even died from heroin overdose. Nancy was just toxic and Sid dealt with it and that is not healthy. Sid and Nancy were arguing and she ended up getting stabbed in the abdomen and she was drugged to feel it and woke up with a lot of blood loss and died on the bathroom floor. Even before she died in the bathroom, They were so drugged up that they sat in a room that was on fire and watched the flames get bigger. They both could have died right there from smoke inhalation but got saved. This movie was hard to watch because we watched Sid meet Nancy and we watched his life go downhill. Love and drugs make you do crazy things and it’s sad that they had to die. They were constantly fighting and getting high off heroin. I liked seeing how New york city looked at that time though. Watching Sid perform and start shooting the audience members as part of the gig was a surprising scene for me and to watch Nancy walk up to him was weird but entertaining. 

Schlegel said that he shed a tear while watching the trailer to the movie so I decided to watch it but I didn’t feel the same, but this movie has sentimental values to him so I understand. The movie was sad because drugs took both of their lives and they were alway looking to get their next fix. The idea of incorporating drugs into the film and that in itself gained a cult following. LSD and marijuana was big at the time they took them in order to enhance their creativity in making the films. That is when they started putting disclaimers in the beginning of films in order to warn viewers about what they are about to see and how dangerous it is. Raves and club scenes are not the same if drugs are not involved in them and that is something we see today in movies and will continue to see. Something I learned is that “Punks are a product of their environment and grow scholarly attention” and that makes so much sense. The Hollywood cliche we see in romance movies is that we catch the couple kissing in the rain in a cute manner and in this case they were kissing in an alley with trash flying around and that was unique in its own way or maybe that is what drugs do. Besides the movie, Talulla and Patrick did an amazing job tonight presenting their movies.

This movie was very entertaining to watch. The first scene with the mother trying to relax with the wine was funny and made me jump because the music was loud and what she was not expecting that and she went crazy. Trip, Lex, Hawk and Jam had a day to remember. I like unexpected nights like that. Those nights are nights that you will remember for the rest of their lives especially Jam. Jam had a day to remember. From being dressed for school by his mom then getting called out in front of the whole school to watching his mother burn the tickets to see his favorite band that changed his life. Then he was sent to a very religious school who his friends helped him escape to getting caught by his mother again!!! Damn JAM. His mother was a pain in the ass. To later getting laid for the first in a church by his high school crush who thought he wouldn’t see each other again. Hawk got over his fear of being on stage buy dancing at the strip club but ends up losing. But in the middle of all the catches the eye of an older women who he ends up having sex with. Lex on the other hand was trying sneak his way into the concert but was kick out and ended up being around vicious dogs that later becomes his friends and uses them to retrieve his mother stolen car getting the girl that was sleeping in his car. Trip was the character that had the most entertaining and had the most unexacting story. He tried to steal a ticket  from a little kid but turns out that his big brother that was a track star and was buff was in the store then plans on robbing the store to get money but another man was robbing the store and he end up saving the cashier lady and getting a kiss. All four boys went their separate ways to find a ticket and experienced their own journeys came back empty handed and beat each other up. Jam getting the drum stick from kiss made me feel complete. 

The reading Cult Cinema and Music talks about how they like to promote cross movies. They like to create movies about already existing bands even though we saw KISS at the end of the movie Detroit Rock City but we experience two type of groups of teens views on the band. The teens that were die hard fans and the group that were haters and broke the Kiss tape out if hatred when the fight was about pizza. An interesting part of the reading was about how they gained african america audience. Black people made soundtrack for films. And how this movie was unavailable for 15 years before people got the chance to view it again. In the reading Classical Hollywood Cults talked 4 categories that make up a classical hollywood cult film and they are Nostalgia which is the recreation of the first time, intertextual which is the self conscious application of cliché and the invitation for the audience to make up interoperation of missing information in the films and Gaity which talks about how the term gay changed over time.

I honestly really enjoyed this movie. We were able to see different groups of high schoolers and how they act and how they are treated. I like how everything and everyone is connected some way or somehow which made the movie smooth to watch. The opening scenes reveal the inner conflicts common to teens: party or hang with friends? We get a view of  life portrait of high school’s last day, the school hallways, freshmen harassment, a haze of a lot of weed, parents and coaches trying to teach kids right from wrong, vandalism, and hookups and lots of drinking and weed smoking. Then we have scenes of kids just having an identity crisis. They are unaware of what they want to do after school is done or if they want to continue on the same path for their senior year or even how will freshmens’ fit in with the older kids and also sexual desire. One of my favorite scenes is when Mike said he didn’t want to go to law school anymore because he doesn’t like people and that he just wants to dance and I felt him on that then he decided it was a good idea to pick a fight with the guy he was picking on him. The freshman was having the time of his life hanging with the older guy and I really respect how Pink was looking out for Mitch and advising him throughout the night.  They portrayed the weed smoking kid as slow and talkative and if I didn’t know what weed does I would have believed that is what weed does to people.

The reading Cultivating Alamo Draft house talks about types of cinema scenes and the different hierarchy and caste system when it comes to how passionate people are about the movies and the set up of the place where the movie is being screened. In suburban areas they would screen films in areas and design it to match the movie scene and would have food, drinks and props for people. That seems like an interesting time for movie lovers and I wish they would do that now. I heard that they will bring back drive in theaters due to the Coronavirus but people need to stay indoors but people don’t listen and that would motivate people to leave their homes. In Pam Cook’s reading we are told about Feminism and how Women were not recognized the way that they should have been for the work that they’ve done but also some where not granted the opportunity to show what they can do. In the reading Dazed and Confused: Detroit rock City we read about the nostalgic aspects of the two films. Detroit Rock City is the next movie and I can’t wait to watch it. From the soundtrack to the different characters presented to remind us of these times in our lives. The soundtrack to Dazed and Confused was perfect and went well with the movie and I can’t wait to hear it from the next film. I commend the people that are in charge with the soundtrack and music placement.

Suspira is a horror film about witchcraft. It starts off with the main character touching down in Germany to attend a dance school that teaches Ballet. As Suzy pulls up to the housing that she would be staying at, a young lady who we learn name is Pat is see exiting the building scared and repeating words that we later learn are significant. Suzy is not able to enter the building so leaves and the setting switches to Pat and her friend who is questioning Pat about what happened to her and she answers that her friend would not understand and locks the door on her friend who leaves the room. We witness the murder of Pat who was stabbed multiple times and was left hanging as the ceiling glass shatters which ends up killing Pat’s friend who was yelling for help. Suzy returns the dance building and is welcomed in. They wanted to control Suzy but realized that she was hard to control because she was so strong-minded and spoke up for herself. That motivated the witches to want to keep an eye on her. She was living with a friend but they put a spell on her that made her sick and they gave her no choice but to stay in the room that they provided for her and brought all her belongings. They were putting something in Suzy food to make her sleepy. Her friend Sara was skeptical about what was going on in the building and got herself killed exploring the building. Suzy one day decided to find out what was going on and ended up finding the hidden place and killing the witch and leaving the building and we watched the place explode. The Witches were plotting to kill Suzy so she got out in time.

The readings that were assigned to the movie were very much related to the movie.In the reading “Expressionist Use of Colour Palette and Set Design in Dario Argento’s Suspiria” we learn about the use of the colors blue red and yellow nad how a specific camera was used to capture the visuals that we saw. Two types of color palettes were used and they are a realistic one and a gothic palette. The realistic palettes are used in more common settings like the airport and convention center. The more gothic setting, which was also talked about in the A (Sadistic) Night at the Opera reading, is when we see the black magic happening. In the opera reading it talks about the New gothic era emerging and movies that came out after the release of the film and how cheap impersonations of German movies were being released also. In the reading Dario Argento Suspiria, we just get a rundown of the movie and get a better understanding of why things happen the way it does. The part of the film that stood out to me the most was the maggots and how the dog was under a spell and killed his blind owner that plays the piano so well.

This movie is a Czechoslovakia film. It is about a girl named Valerie. It is about her groth into a woman. The movie was very artistic. She has her earrings stolen. Her grandmother informs her that the earrings were from the family. She gets a letter and they want the earring back. The grandma is a vampire and bites the neighbor to make her young again. A lot goes on in the movie. Valerie is always trying to get killed but her innocence and love keeps her alive. Vlaerie saves the man’s life but he still tries to kill her even though Valerie saved her life. Valerie kisses her neighbor. The movie ends with Valerie asleep in the woods. A Lot happens in the movie. The movie is full of kissing. The music is nice. The imagery is powerful and the characters are in and out of age. For example, the grandmother is in and out of age. The movie to sum it up is about the coming of age of Valerie and how from her getting her first period, she is welcomed into the life of adulthood. The song that was played in the movie was interesting and is what made the movie. 

The reading “Valerie and Her Week of Wonders/ Grandmother, What Big Fangs You Have!” talks about the cry, the joke and screenplay and the effort within the film and what they symbolized. They were making fun of communism. The communist party tried to bury the movie because they felt as if it was too much and did not represent what they stood for, other than that the movie was not very appreciated. The reading” Czech Horror:Jaromil Jires’ Valerie a Tyden Divu” how this film is not the typical fairytale. The idea of the magical earring that protected her, it saves her helps her maintain her innocence. The idea of a Vampire Priest is not heard of. There is family romance. There is a desire for sexual tension and grandma asked for her age back, but mainly Valerie’s awakening of her sexuality. The concept of Adam and Eve is seen throughout the film.  The priest dies and she brings her back and the priest burns her and called her a witch and said that she tempt him. The reading “The Exploitation Generation” talks about the Paramount decision where there were five theaters that were selling a massive amount of films and the people owned the theaters so all profits were beneficial to them. The problem was that they only showed their movies so other films that didn’t belong within that theater would not have their movies played. This was how film got to the public. This is when exploitation started. “But then everything changed when the Paramount Decision attacked…”

The Warriors

I really enjoyed watching the Warriors. The movie was filled with suspense and action. The film took place in New york city and it was really nice to see how new york city looked at that time period. The warriors going to a gang meet up and the top gang leader was shot and killed. They were accused of killing the leader. So now the Warriors are on a mission to make it home to Coney Island from the Bronx by taking the train while many gangs are looking for them. That is a long train ride home and to have gangs ready to fight you makes it 10 times harder. The skinheads were the first gang encountered and all they did was chase the warriors to the train station. The orphans were the second gang that they encountered. They were not at the meeting and were very lowkey. They were confused about not being invited to the gang meet up and they had a newspaper to prove how bad they are which is funny. That is when we also meet Mercy who just wants to witness action happening so she tags along. Next gang encountered was the baseball group who were ready to ball. Half the gang fought them while the other half encountered an all women gang who played them harder. All member of the wanted to stop to have sex once during the whole movie like they werent in a rush to get home safe. Then there was this epic bathroom fight scene that had me on the edge of my seat. One of my favorite scenes was when Mercy and Swan were on the train and two couples walked on the train and you can tell that they were of another class and they were just staring at Mercy and Swan and mercy tried to fix her hair and Swan stopped her. Swan didn’t want Mercy to feel less than or insecure while he was with her. Enough of my over analysis. 

In the reading The Cultural Economy of fandom By Fiske we learn about the importance of fan and how the support of fans makes a strong community. Fans are an important aspect of the release of films and more. People have to want to go out to watch films and want to buy and support industries after something is put out. There is an accumulation of fan art, art collectors. Fans go as far as making their own content just to put another idea of how the story can go. The part that stood out to me in the Jancovich and Snelson reading what the part about the women becoming more dominant. The women had to go out into the workforce to provide for themselves because their husbands were at sea. In the reading of the Warrior, we learn that The Warriors was based on a novel but the film is different from the novel. New York is portrayed as being grimmy. People wanted to ban the movie because there was a violence outbreak. 

This film reminds me of the show The Get Down. They both take place in New York City and their different groups of people fight to prove they are the best at something. The Get Down just involves music but both the Warrior and The get Down have teens looking for love and fight for what they believe in.