Page 42 - ISLA 320 REVIEW PACKET

ISLA 320 Topics and Issues in Values, Media and Culture Final Essay Prompts
Your final essay is the opportunity for you to utilize your understanding of the studies we have completed through the quarter. You will need to craft a 2500-3000 essay about one of the contemporary films listed. You need to think about the world we live in, and examine the film from the perspective of how it addresses the concerns and trends of today’s society. This should be from a political, social and/or artistic point of view. Not all films have a political agenda, but if your selected film does, you need to analyze how the film presents a political perspective.
No movie is made in a vacuum, and even if it is an historical epic, or period piece, that point of view is influenced by how we see the world through a contemporary lens.
EVALUATE USING THESE PROMPTS AS A GUIDELINE
• What is the theme of the film, and what does it say about how we view the world?
• Does it criticize or support a particular theory, agenda or idea?
• Was the casting appropriate for telling the story or merely predictable?
• What was the source material for the story: adaptation of a book, or original script?
• How does the director shape the story to respond to the world today?
• Does the film initiate new ideas or break stereotypes?
• What Hollywood tropes does it follow?
• Does the film influence our values by holding up a mirror or challenging what we believe?
• How do you think the movie will be seen in years to come? Will it be seen as an important movie to watch or be dismissed as insignificant or just another film?