RACE: Sleep Dealer is obviously influenced by The Matrix (among other films). What connections do you see to The Matrix and like films? What differences do you see? What do these differences say about issues of race, for example Sleep Dealer is a Mexican-American production--What elements or themes in the film mark it as “particularly Latino” or “particularly Mexican”? What does Sleep Dealer have to say about the rural life versus urban life?
As mentioned above it is obvious that sleep dealer is inspired by the matrix.
however there are very few similarities. when it comes to comparing both films the only similarities would be the virtual reality theme they both carry both protagonist's had nodes implanted in their body. In the matrix people were living and working in the dream world. while in sleep dealer people were living in the real world and working in the dream world so to speak. In a way both characters were fighting to free something, Neo was fighting to free the people from the system known as "the matrix" and Memo was fighting to free his family from poverty and eventually his land from the opressing corporation that was holding his towns water.
The differences between the two are great. the matrix is an action film so there's alot to be gained for those looking for some philosophy and cool shootouts. sleep dealer has a deeper message so you get the picture im sure. another difference is that sleep dealer has a stronger focus on latinos even the american drone soldier was latino (minus the white t.v. announcer or that one guy who told memo where to place the cylinder), where in the matrix (although they didn't have much variety either)you at least see a couple different ethnicities placed here and there, so i guess these differences also relate to the focus on race. The matrix subliminally states that the system was a white mans world, (given the fact that in the film there's few black or spanish people visible in the world itself)im guessing the machines thought it would be funny to keep it that way. In sleep dealer it's focused on the mexican and latino population mainly because thats were the story takes place, it is acknowledged early on that other races do exist in this world but because of the setting and story it was appropriate and thats what makes it "particulary latino".
The matrix shows urban life as a slave life, constant repetition, and all you would expect from urban life and today's society.....bullshit, in sleep dealer although rural life seemed unacceptable by the standards of many people today there was opportunity the land had potential to flourish but the very people who come from a urban life (the corporation) held it hostage and deprived the land of it's necessary source. So in a way that's the subliminal message (that and the exploitation of mexicans for labor) in the story more can be gained with what we have, technology is just a dirty business.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
penetrating keanu/ ExistenZ
In "Penetrating Keanu" Cynthia Freeland argues in her comparison of The Matrix and Existenz that The Matrix, though "sleeker" is actually more "infantile" emotionally and philosophically and that, really, we have very little that is new to learn from the film. What reasons does she give for this claim? What evidence does she supply? Do you agree with her or not? Why or why not? Write a multi-paragraph blog entry engaging with Freeland's arguments.
before starting this blog i would have to say that my arguement may seem a bit incomplete since i've never seen Existenz, and although i have a small amount of helpful data in comparision to the different styles of the films. I would still need to see it to deliver a full subjective viewpoint.
However I understand what cynthia freeland is saying when she bashes the matrix. Although the movie is trying to deliver something new its still typical hollywood bullshit. The main protaganist (Neo)and supporting female role (Trinity) fit the stereotypes that we all know and...love. She doesnt agree with the way they describe the matrix, in my opinion she see's it as an excuse to throw in the special abilities these characters have while inside.And in short she's basically saying she preferes the way existenz handled many of the things she feels the matrix failed at. i cant bash the matrix because admittedly i liked it alot maybe im some sort of "geeky young male who yearns autonomy and super powers" as she so elequently puts it, but i cant compare it to existenz because i havent seent yet. But that goes without saying that i agree with some of her points so far, the matrix is a bit flashy, and sometimes i feel like its trying to balance style with meaning but thats only sometimes but either way it succeeds admirably. That being said the matrix is still a good film with interesting meanings behind everything. so until i see existenz...
(5/20/2010)
After seeing existenz i can now argue that this film has a deeper meaning than the matrix. my proof is the fact that i just didn't understand it. now i know that's a funny statement, but before any judgment is placed on my opinion i want to say its not hard to get the general concept or the idea of the film, and its not hard to understand that they were apparently just testing another game of another name for 20 minutes. but everything that happens in between is what makes the story (if it even really has one) questionable. I cant tell if the filmmakers intended to make a film so utterly confusing that when its done you just cant help but feel like you missed something or if it's all just really a crock of shit. Either way i'm sure there's more to everything and thats why think this film has a deeper meaning when compared to the matrix. The beauty of this film is that it really isn't the normal cliche hollywood film we're all use to,i cant really find that many stereotypes here and the beauty of the whole thing was that i wasn't sure what the hell was going to happen, if what was happening was real, and how it was going to end. overall there's a lot to be found here and i found hat this movie left me thinking and even considering giving it a re-watch.
before starting this blog i would have to say that my arguement may seem a bit incomplete since i've never seen Existenz, and although i have a small amount of helpful data in comparision to the different styles of the films. I would still need to see it to deliver a full subjective viewpoint.
However I understand what cynthia freeland is saying when she bashes the matrix. Although the movie is trying to deliver something new its still typical hollywood bullshit. The main protaganist (Neo)and supporting female role (Trinity) fit the stereotypes that we all know and...love. She doesnt agree with the way they describe the matrix, in my opinion she see's it as an excuse to throw in the special abilities these characters have while inside.And in short she's basically saying she preferes the way existenz handled many of the things she feels the matrix failed at. i cant bash the matrix because admittedly i liked it alot maybe im some sort of "geeky young male who yearns autonomy and super powers" as she so elequently puts it, but i cant compare it to existenz because i havent seent yet. But that goes without saying that i agree with some of her points so far, the matrix is a bit flashy, and sometimes i feel like its trying to balance style with meaning but thats only sometimes but either way it succeeds admirably. That being said the matrix is still a good film with interesting meanings behind everything. so until i see existenz...
(5/20/2010)
After seeing existenz i can now argue that this film has a deeper meaning than the matrix. my proof is the fact that i just didn't understand it. now i know that's a funny statement, but before any judgment is placed on my opinion i want to say its not hard to get the general concept or the idea of the film, and its not hard to understand that they were apparently just testing another game of another name for 20 minutes. but everything that happens in between is what makes the story (if it even really has one) questionable. I cant tell if the filmmakers intended to make a film so utterly confusing that when its done you just cant help but feel like you missed something or if it's all just really a crock of shit. Either way i'm sure there's more to everything and thats why think this film has a deeper meaning when compared to the matrix. The beauty of this film is that it really isn't the normal cliche hollywood film we're all use to,i cant really find that many stereotypes here and the beauty of the whole thing was that i wasn't sure what the hell was going to happen, if what was happening was real, and how it was going to end. overall there's a lot to be found here and i found hat this movie left me thinking and even considering giving it a re-watch.
blog 18 part 2
so we have created our outline (rough draft) we have the idea of what we intend to use. and later on today we will begin the editing process.
Outline
Network intro
Brief description of symbolism
Examples of symbolism in films
Ending (symbol speech)
Outline
Network intro
Brief description of symbolism
Examples of symbolism in films
Ending (symbol speech)
blog 18
today me and kris are going to outline, and or get started on the editing process of our project.
Are we really here, or there...or anywhere?
Are you, or could you, be living in the Matrix? How would you know?
Well the only answer to that question is exactly the question that's being asked...how would you know?. the matrix is a program. it's meant to show us what we "perceive" as reality. If we've known this world all our life how could we ever be so certain? or even have such a theory that we are living in a false world such as the matrix?. i dont think there would be anyway to know. unless you're neo and morpheus just so happens to pop into your life offering two pills that will either return you to your "dream" state or show you the "real" world. however there is a possibility we could already be living in the matrix. If you want to think about it from a technical viewpoint, look at the people around, look at the world today, there was a time when people had people skills, diversity was something you would see (sure you see the selected few who followed the trend but nowadays its all the same). If you want to find a true individual nowadays you have to search deeper and with the lack of effort a lot of people portray makes it hard to see anything genuine. As mentioned in the matrix Everybody is living in a dream world, technology is the proof behind this, people depend on it it's a necessity. You look around and you notice the texting, the tweeting, and the social networking sites. It's become part of their routine, it's become their second life, so in that sense yes we are living in the matrix. If you're thinking more along the lines of the movie, if i think we're floating in a pod of pink goo while our minds stay hooked up to a machine then like i said before how could we know?.
Well the only answer to that question is exactly the question that's being asked...how would you know?. the matrix is a program. it's meant to show us what we "perceive" as reality. If we've known this world all our life how could we ever be so certain? or even have such a theory that we are living in a false world such as the matrix?. i dont think there would be anyway to know. unless you're neo and morpheus just so happens to pop into your life offering two pills that will either return you to your "dream" state or show you the "real" world. however there is a possibility we could already be living in the matrix. If you want to think about it from a technical viewpoint, look at the people around, look at the world today, there was a time when people had people skills, diversity was something you would see (sure you see the selected few who followed the trend but nowadays its all the same). If you want to find a true individual nowadays you have to search deeper and with the lack of effort a lot of people portray makes it hard to see anything genuine. As mentioned in the matrix Everybody is living in a dream world, technology is the proof behind this, people depend on it it's a necessity. You look around and you notice the texting, the tweeting, and the social networking sites. It's become part of their routine, it's become their second life, so in that sense yes we are living in the matrix. If you're thinking more along the lines of the movie, if i think we're floating in a pod of pink goo while our minds stay hooked up to a machine then like i said before how could we know?.
sunrise outline
intro
thesis statement
example 1
example 2
example 3
example 4
example 5
example 6
closing statement
thesis statement
example 1
example 2
example 3
example 4
example 5
example 6
closing statement
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