Sunday, January 30, 2011

Submit your homework! Rest your eyes and brains!

For each film below (that you saw) write at least five and no more than ten words that best describe the film. Just do it, without/before looking at what others said. Then, we can try mapping the connections between the films using one of those wordle-type programs. This is your homework for the week (not too strenuous)—due by Friday, on the blog.

1. If a Tree Falls

2. Sing Your Song

3. The Black Power Mix Tape

4. Redemption of General Butt Naked

5. Miss Representation

6. Crime After Crime

7. Rebirth

8. Beats, Rhymes & Life

9. The Flaw

10. Connected: An Autobiography about love...

11. The Interrupters

Thank goodness I get to see some of you in the 2150 class this week. I’m having withdrawal from movie spectating and talking afterward with interesting, informed people who have a take—big time! But my eyes are feeling better.

9 comments:

  1. 1. If a Tree Falls - Surprisingly entertaining and thought-provoking look at radical activism.
    2. Sing your Song - Inspiring, hopeful look into one man's life dedicated to activism.
    3. The Black Power Mix Tape - Beautiful and thoughtful retrospect. Amazing use of archival footage.
    4. Miss Representation - Well-informed overview about women and media, perfect for unwashed masses.
    5. Crime after Crime - Emotional rollercoaster highlighting corruption in modern the legal system.
    6. Rebirth - New, albeit slow moving, perspective on 9/11 and grieving.
    7. Beats, Rhymes, and Life - Engaging, human look at the conflicts and inspiration of Tribe.
    8. The Flaw - Dummies guide approach to current economic crisis.
    9.Connected - Disappointing. Used too many unbacked claims.
    10. The Interrupters - LOOOOOOOOONNNNG, but very entertaining look at gang activity and redemption.

    I hope this is what you were looking for.... If not, I will redo it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. 1. If a Tree Falls- Shocking look into the lives of “terrorists”. Not black and white.
    2. Sing Your Song- Moving story, showed his bravery and determination to stop discrimination.
    3. The Black Power Mix Tape- Old and amazing footage, drugs, government conspiracy, Harlem, Black Panthers
    4. Redemption of General Butt Naked
    5. Miss Representation- Media portrayal of women, damaging effect on men and women.
    6. Crime After Crime- Sadness, injustice, corrupt legal system, cancer, and bitter sweet freedom.
    7. Rebirth- seven lives, their stories, healing over time.
    8. Beats, Rhymes & Life- hip-hop movement, fame, fights, friends, reunion, forgiveness, real music, influence.
    9. The Flaw- housing market, outrageous loans, huge debts, stress, poor getting poorer.
    10. Connected: An Autobiography about love- the brain and its connections to everything, art, science, life.
    11. The Interrupters- Chicago shootings, children murdered, people willing to deflate the violence.

    ReplyDelete
  3. 1. If a Tree Falls
    "Eco terrorists" who make you think.
    2. Sing Your Song
    Harry Belafonte sings his way through the equal rights movement.
    3. The Black Power Mix Tape
    Swedish reporters uncover the "truth" of black america.
    4. Redemption of General Butt Naked

    5. Miss Representation
    Perceptions of women and how their distorted in the media.
    6. Crime After Crime
    How justice is corrupted even in the most obvious situations.
    7. Rebirth
    Grieving takes time no matter who you are.
    8. Beats, Rhymes & Life
    A tribe called quest's journey through fame.
    9. The Flaw
    How the economy got this way.
    10. Connected: An Autobiography about love...
    A little technology and a lot of love.
    11. The Interrupters
    What it takes to understand the violence in the streets.

    ReplyDelete
  4. 1. If a Tree Falls
    environment, terrorism, justice system, consequences, complexity of ethics

    2. Sing Your Song
    civil rights, activism, optimism, star power, social justice

    3. The Black Power Mix Tape
    angela davis, rare footage, social conditions, racial inequality, archival footage

    4. Redemption of General Butt Naked

    5. Miss Representation

    6. Crime After Crime
    prisons, justice system, racial inequality, oppressive power structure, "good samaritans"

    7. Rebirth
    grieving process, traumatic stress, forgiveness, events that put life into perspective

    8. Beats, Rhymes & Life
    loud, hip hop, interpersonal relationships, fanboy

    9. The Flaw
    housing market, goods vs. assets economy, collapse, consumerism

    10. Connected: An Autobiography about love...
    personal, stock footage, scattered, lacks rigor, does not follow threads to logical or emotional ends

    11. The Interrupters
    insightful, spectacular, culture of violence, poverty, redemption, courage

    ReplyDelete
  5. 1. If a Tree Falls; activism, radicalism, redemption, reflection, environmentalism, family
    2. Sing Your Song; black activism, Martin Luther King, nonviolence, influence, marginalized family, hope, Odds Against Tomorrow.
    3. The Black Power Mix Tape; black activism, Stokley, Davis, radicalism, violence, Sweden, Martin Luther King
    4. Redemption of General Butt Naked; redemption, neurotic civilizations, forgiveness, camera changing things, violence, guilt
    5. Miss Representation;
    6. Crime After Crime; broken justice, family, fight for justice, decency, filmmaker as character, violence, narrative, guilt
    7. Rebirth; talking heads, grief, redemption, guilt, violence, rebuilding, death, birth, healing, hope
    8. Beats, Rhymes & Life; tribe as family, relationships, animation, music, connections, hip-hop, jazz
    9. The Flaw; editing, camera work, talking heads, archival footage, capitalism, the rich get richer, neurotic civilization
    10. Connected: An Autobiography about love...; family, death, life, technology, filmmaker as character, the brain, civilization
    11. The Interrupters; neurotic civilization, violence, redemption, hope, nobility, decency

    ReplyDelete
  6. 1. If a Tree Falls - Surprisingly good. Took a relatively unbiased look at the actions of the ELF.

    2. Sing Your Song - Extremely interesting biographical. Wish it would have spent longer on the family, though.

    3. The Black Power Mix Tape - Interesting foreign view of America during the Civil Rights movement.

    4. Redemption of General Butt Naked - Fairly uninspiring and makes me feel that the camera affected peoples decisions to forgive him.

    5. Miss Representation - An entertaining look at women in media (and life in general), but didn't really offer much of anything new to the argument.

    6. Crime After Crime - Insanely inspiring and emotionally touching. Great use of interviews. Q&A was AWESOME!

    7. Rebirth - Better than I thought it'd be. Nice human interest stories, but I think I would have liked it more had I not just come from Crime After Crime.

    8. Beats, Rhymes & Life

    9. The Flaw - Managed to explain the financial crisis in a very entertaining way. Interesting use of graphs and music.

    10. Connected: An Autobiography about love... - Would have been much better if it had been able to decide between being a biographic or a documentary about technology.

    11. The Interrupters - Long. Follows an interesting organization, but I feel like it focused too much on the individuals, which made the movie far too long.

    ReplyDelete
  7. 1. If a Tree Falls--terrorism, activism, environmentalism, consequences, flaws in justice

    2. Sing Your Song--civil rights, social injustices, standing up, never ceasing

    3. The Black Power Mix Tape--Outsiders' perspective, passion, leaders, distrust

    4. Redemption of General Butt Naked--forgiveness, intimidation, coming to peace, sorrow

    5. Miss Representation--portrayal of women, media, call to action

    6. Crime After Crime--abuse, corrupt prosecution, women's rights, kindness, perseverance

    7. Rebirth--loss, hurt, anger, healing, continuing with life, remembering

    8. Beats, Rhymes, & Life--didn't see

    9. The Flaw--collapse interesting and understandable, increasing gap between classes, lies

    10. Connected: An Autobiography about love...--interpersonal connections, technology, unanswered questions, need more convincing

    11. The Interrupters--didn't see

    ReplyDelete
  8. 1. If a Tree Falls - "terrorism," "consequences," "social movement," "justice," "activism," "redemption"

    2. Sing Your Song - "activism," "race," "glorification," "art as politics,"

    3. The Black Power Mix Tape - "activism," "perception," "race." "terrorism," "art as politics"

    4. Redemption of General Butt Naked - "self-glorification," "redemption," "staging," "spirituality," "ethics"

    5. Miss Repre)sentation - "essentialist feminism("but feminist is a bad word")," "objectification," "gender reification"

    6. Crime After Crime - "justice," "redemption," "activism," "feminism," "spirituality."

    7. Rebirth - "sorrow," "justice," "family," "terrorism, but without focusing on terrorism"

    8. The Flaw - "gorgeous associational editing," "investigation," "problematic representations" "justice"

    9. Connected: An Autobiography about love… - "techno-hippie," "visually stunning," "connection," "reorientation," "sorrow"

    10. The Interrupters - "looooooooooooong," "problematic represeentations," "redemption," "activism," "Justice"

    ReplyDelete

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