"Avatar" Tops Domestic Box-Office Grosses

By Garth Franklin, Dark Horizons
02.04.10

It's official. Through Tuesday, James Cameron's "Avatar" has scored a total domestic box-office take of $601.142 million reports Box Office Mojo. That number pushes the sci-fi epic up to being the #1 highest grossing domestic film of all time, edging past Cameron's own 1997 feature "Titanic" with $600.8 million.

The record fell in seven weeks, "Avatar" taking in that time what "Titanic" took essentially a year to achieve. Admittedly "Avatar" was helped by higher ticket prices and additional costs for 3D viewing.

The film currently sits at $2.07 billion worldwide. In gross totals, it tops almost every chart. One notable exception though are domestic grosses adjusted for inflation. On that list, "Avatar" presently sits at #21 between "Fantasia" ($632m) and "The Godfather" ($600.6m). "Gone with the Wind" sits unchallenged on the top of that list with $1.53 billion.

Suggested OSR Films

Here is a list of films, by era and genre, for your six OSRs. You may go off this list, but please check with me first.

Silents to 1939

42nd Street (Bacon, 1933 USA)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (Curtiz & Keighley, 1938 USA)
All Quiet on the Western Front (Milestone, 1930 USA)
The Birth of a Nation (Griffith, 1915 USA)
The Bride of Frankenstein (Whale, 1935 USA)
The Circus (Chaplin, 1928 USA)
Frankenstein (Whale, 1931 USA)
The Gold Rush (Chaplin, 1925 USA)
Gone With the Wind (Fleming, 1939 USA)
I’m No Angel (Ruggles, 1933 USA)
The Littlest Rebel (Butler, 1935 USA)
The Old Dark House (Whale, 1932 USA)
The Public Enemy (Wellman, 1931 USA)
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (Dwan, 1938 USA)
Shall We Dance (Sandrich, 1937 USA)
The Sheik (Melford, 1921 USA)
Top Hat (Sandrich, 1935 USA)
The Wizard of Oz (Fleming, 1939 USA)
Wings (Wellman, 1927 USA)
Wuthering Heights (Wyler, 1939 USA)

1940 to 1959

12 Angry Men (Lumet, 1957 USA)
Citizen Kane (Welles, 1941 USA)
Gilda (Vidor, 1945 USA)
The Grapes of Wrath (Ford, 1940 USA)
Guys and Dolls (Mankiewicz, 1955 USA)
The Hitch-Hiker (Lupino, 1953 USA)
Mildred Pierce (Curtiz, 1945 USA)
My Darling Clementine (Ford, 1946 USA)
On the Waterfront (Kazan, 1954 USA)
Pillow Talk (Gordon, 1959 USA)
The Philadelphia Story (Cukor, 1940 USA)
Rear Window (Hitchcock, 1954 USA)
Rebel Without A Cause (Ray, 1955 USA)
Rope (Hitchcock, 1948 USA)
Singin' in the Rain (Donen/Kelly, 1952 USA)
Some Like It Hot (Wilder, 1959 USA)
A Streetcar Named Desire (Kazan, 1951 USA)
Sunset Boulevard (Wilder, 1950 USA)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Huston, 1948 USA)
Yankee Doodle Dandy (Curtiz, 1942 USA)

1960 to 1979

2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick, 1968 USA/UK)
Annie Hall (Allen, 1977 USA)
Bonnie and Clyde (Penn, 1967 USA)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Hill, 1969 USA)
Cabaret (Fosse, 1972 USA)
Chinatown (Polanski, 1974 USA)
The Deer Hunter (Cimino, 1978 USA)
Easy Rider (Hopper, 1969 USA)
Funny Girl (Wyler, 1968 USA)
The Graduate (Nichols, 1967 USA)
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (Kramer, 1967 USA)
Halloween (Carpenter, 1978 USA)
Mean Streets (Scorsese, 1973 USA)
Network (Lumet, 1976 USA)
The Nutty Professor (Lewis, 1963 USA)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Forman, 1975 USA)
Planet of the Apes (Schaffner, 1968 USA)
Psycho (Hitchcock, 1960 USA)
The Sound of Music (Wise, 1965 USA)
West Side Story (Wise & Robbins, 1961 USA)

1981 to present

21 Grams (González Iñárritu, 2003 USA)
Adaptation (Jonze, 2002 USA)
Amadeus (Forman, 1984 USA)
Blade Runner (Scott, 1982 USA)
The Blair Witch Project (Sanchez & Mwyck, 1999 USA)
Boys Don’t Cry (Pierce, 1999 USA)
Broadway Danny Rose (Allen, 1984 USA)
Chicago (Marshall, 2002 USA)
The Cider House Rules (Hallström, 1999 USA)
The Color Purple (Spielberg, 1985 USA)
Do the Right Thing (Lee, 1989 USA)
El Norte (Nava, 1983 USA/UK)
The Elephant Man (Lynch, 1980 USA)
Far From Heaven (Haynes, 2002 USA)
Fargo (Coen, 1996 USA)
Frida (Taymor, 1992 USA/Mexico)
Junebug (Phil Morrison, 2005 USA)
Manhunter (Mann, 1986 USA)
Maria Full of Grace (Marston, 2004 USA/Columbia)
Marvin’s Room (Zaks, 1996 USA)
Memento (Nolan, 2001 USA)
Menace II Society (Hughes Bros., 1993 USA)
Moonstruck (Jewison, 1987 USA)
My Own Private Idaho (Van Sant, 1991 USA)
Ordinary People (Redford, 1980 USA)
The Player (Altman, 1994 USA)
Private Benjamin (Zieff, 1980 USA)
Pulp Fiction (Tarantino, 1994 USA)
Punch Drunk Love (Anderson, 2002 USA)
The Queen (Frears, 2006 UK/France/Italy)
Raging Bull (Scorsese, 1980 USA)
Requiem for a Dream (Aronofsky, 2000 USA)
Road to Perdition (Mendes, 2002 USA)
Schindler's List (Spielberg, 1993 USA)
Smoke Signals (Eyre, 1998 USA)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007 USA/UK)
United 93 (Greengrass, 2006 USA/France/et al.)
The Untouchables (De Palma, 1987 USA)
Up (Docter/Peterson, 2009 USA)
Wonder Boys (Hanson, 2000 USA)

Foreign Film

8 ½ (Fellini, 1963 Italy)
28 Days Later (Boyle, 2002 UK)
À Bout de Souffle (Breathless) (Godard, 1960 France)
Akira (Ôtomo, 1988 Japan)
Bend It Like Beckham (Chadha, 2002 UK)
Cidade de Deus (City of God) (Lins, Brazil 2002)
Como agua para chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate) (Arau, 1992 Mexico)
Cronos (del Toro, 1993 Mexico)
Et Dieu…Créa La Femme (And God Created Woman) (Vadim, 1956 France)
Europa Europa (Holland, 1990 Germany/France)
La Dolce Vita (Fellini, 1960 Italy)
La Môme (La vie en rose) (Dahan, 2007 UK/France/Czech Republic)
Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (Amelie) (Jeneut, 2001 France/Germany)
Les quatre cents coups (400 Blows) (Truffaut, 1959 France)
Lola Rennt (Run Lola Run) (Tykwer, 1998 Germany)
Maarakat madinat al Jazaer (The Battle of Algiers) (Pontecorvo, 1966 Italy/Algiers)
Mùi du du xanh (The Scent of Green Papaya) (Hung, 1993 Vietnam/France)
Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road) (Ray, 1955 India)
Rabbit-Proof Fence (Noyce, 2002 Australia)
Salaam Bombay! (Nair, 1988 India/UK/et al.)
Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (Spirited Away) (Miyazaki, 2001 Japan)
Shi mian mai fu (House of Flying Daggers) (Zhang, 2004 China/Hong Kong)
Shichinin no samurai (Seven Samurai) (Kurosawa, 1954 Japan)
Smultronstället (Wild Strawberries) (Bergman, 1957 Sweden)
The Gods Must Be Crazy (Uys, 1980 Botswana)
The Piano (Campion, 1993 Australia/New Zealand)
Tsotsi (Hood, 2005 South Africa/UK)
Wo hu cang long (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) (Lee, 2000 Taiwan/Hong Kong/et al.)
Y tu mamá también (Cuarón, 2001 Mexico)
Yin Shi Nan Nu (Eat Drink Man Woman) (Lee, 1994 Taiwan)

Documentaries

Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kid (Briski & Kauffman, 2004 USA/India)
Bowling for Columbine (Moore, 2002 USA)
The Celluloid Closet (Epstein & Friedman, USA/France, et al.)
Crumb (Zwigof, 1994 USA)
Fahrenheit 9/11 (Moore, 2004 USA)
Grizzly Man (Herzog, 2005 USA)
Hoop Dreams (James, 1994 USA)
An Inconvenient Truth (Guggenhein, 2006 USA)
La Marche de l'empereur (March of the Penguins) (Jacquet, 2005 France)
Lost in La Mancha (Fulton & Pepe, 2002 USA/UK)
Mad Hot Ballroom (Agrelo, 2005 USA)
Murderball (Rubin & Shapiro, 2005 USA)
Pumping Iron (Butler & Fiore, 1977 USA)
Sicko (Moore, 2007 USA)
Spellbound (Blitz, 2002 USA)
Super Size Me (Spurlock, 2004 USA)
The Endless Summer (Brown, 1966 USA)
The Thin Blue Line (Morris, 1988 USA)
When We Were Kings (Gast, 1997 USA)
Who Killed the Electric Car? (Paine, 2006 USA)

Sample ISR/OSR

Here is an example of how to write am ISR and OSR:

***

Powerless: Women in Night of the Living Dead

The film Night of the Living Dead (Romero, 1968 USA) is interesting for its characterization of its female characters. While the male characters are free to act out as they see fit, the three main female characters fulfill basic stereotypical roles: the victim, the nurturer, and the sexual object. Unlike the men, the women in Night of the Living Dead challenge no social norms; instead, they subside into subservient roles that render them powerless and ineffective throughout the crisis.

From the beginning, the character of Barbara (Judith O’Dea) is almost completely powerless. First, she is unable to drive herself to the cemetery without a male escort. She is also unable to refuse or even criticize the demands that her family makes of her, while her brother Johnny (Russell Streiner) feely complains. Barbara’s voice is whinny and grating from the first moment she speaks, and her appearance and body movements contribute to her sense of ineffectiveness. Eventually, Barbara gives control of her fate to Ben (Duane Jones), who looks after her, but also castigates her. She has no sense of autonomy or personal power, instead acting out as the stereotypical role of a female victim; Ben freely expresses his autonomy and personal power. As the situation intensifies, Barbara is quickly overwhelmed—eventually becoming a zombie herself.

Helen (Marilyn Eastman) is slightly more autonomous than Barbara. While she challenges her husband’s action in private, she rarely speaks in the presence of the others. She is mostly relegated to her roles of wife and mother when real decisions need to be made. Even though she has more common sense than her husband, she spends most of the film in the cellar with her dying child. She mostly fulfills the role of nurturer and it is that role that eventually kills her. Helen doesn’t struggle, but lies there helplessly, as her daughter repeatedly stabs her with a spade. Her screams aren’t heard directly, but are morphed by sound effects. Even as a zombie, she is little threat to others as Ben quickly shoots her in the head.

Judy (Judith Ridley) provides the third element of stereotypical femininity: sexuality. Though Judy and Tom (Keith Wayne) were going to go swimming that night, she is fully made up with consistently glossy lips, big hair, and tight clothing. Like Helen, Judy rarely speaks. Alone with Tom she initially questions the group’s decision to go to the gas pump, but she does so anyway. Her one act of choice is to follow Tom to his death in the truck; she is eventually eaten alive by the zombies. In short, Judy’s character is expressed primarily through her physical body and sensuality. She is powerless from the beginning and never really expresses any autonomy or voice.

In Night of the Living Dead, Barbara, Helen, and Judy represent different stereotypes of womanhood, all of which render them ineffective and powerless. Unfortunately, in a challenging situation, the women always stay within their assigned roles of victim, nurturer, and sex object. In fact, each woman’s role eventually causes or contributes to her death. Night of the Living Dead is a film that challenged many of the social norms of its time; however, it did little to further women’s role in horror. In fact, it only continued the tradition of weak women in the genre.

***

OSR/ISR writing tips:

• Use “film” rather than “movie." Write about films in the present tense.
• The first time you mention a film, cite it. Example: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (Roach, 1997 USA)
• The first time you mention a character, cite the actor. Example: The film opens with a 60s-inspired musical number featuring Austin Powers (Mike Myers).
  
• Be sure your essay has a specific focus. Incorrect: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is a funny, retro film. Correct: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is a spoof of classic spy films, such as the James Bond series.
• Arguments are always made stronger by using specific examples from a film. Example: Austin Powers’ characters are often variations of classic spy personalities. For example, the character of Basil (Michael York) is an homage to the classic head of the government spy agency, such as James Bond’s M.

"Young Hollywood" Is White, Thin

By Dodai, Jezebel.com
02.01.10

What does "Young Hollywood" look like? According to Vanity Fair, it's pretty, thin, female and white.

Amanda Seyfried, Anna Kendrick, Kristen Stewart, Carey Mulligan, Abbie Cornish, Rebecca Hall, Emma Stone, Mia Wasikowska, Evan Rachel Wood: There's not a single woman of color on the cover of Vanity Fair's "Young Hollywood" issue. Two of the ladies — Kristen Stewart and Amanda Seyfried — were already on the August 2008 "Hollywood's New Wave." issue. There were two women of color — Zoe Saldana, America Ferrara — on the cover of 2008's "Hollywood Issue," but apparently the next decade is not about diversity.

VF's "Young Hollywood" is much like the golden age of Hollywood: There was a fetishization of the lithe, gorgeous, virginal ingenue, whose virtues and ambitions were pure, and therefore desirable. You either wanted to be her or sleep with her. She was the photographed wearing white, and her "All-American" good looks meant that she was a WASP or a fresh-faced farmgirl. Certainly not black, definitely not fat, and never both. Looking at the March 2010 issue, has anything changed? Even Evgenia Peretz's descriptions of the actresses — "Ivory-soap-girl features," "patrician looks" "dewy, wide-eyed loveliness" — reinforce the idea that a successful actress is a pretty, aristocratic-looking (read: white) actress.

It's hard to say if fault lies with the editors of the magazine, or with Hollywood itself — trying to come up with some projects employing new, young Asian, black or Latin actors and actresses is a tough exercise. The few names which come to mind — Jaden Smith (The Pursuit Of Happiness, The Kung-Fu Kid), Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire, Julian Schnabel's Miral, Woody Allen's next film), Gianna Jun (Blood: The Last Vampire, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan) — are up-and-comers with just a few roles under their belts. The Hurt Locker's Anthony Mackie recently did a Q&A with VF.

Gabourey Sidibe — cover girl for the March issue of Ebony — is an obvious choice, though she admits in the accompanying interview:

"I don't try to live up to the standards of Hollywood or any of that – I know that I'm different and I celebrate it. In a weird way, I kind of really, really love being the alien in the room. I dig it."

And it's good that Gabby doesn't care about living up to Hollywood standards. Because judging from the VF cover, the "Hollywood" standards need to change.

Week 1: Action!

"I've been to Paris, France. And I've been to Paris, Paramount. Paris, Paramount is better."

—Ernst Lubitsch

M 2.1/W 2.3: Introduction to Film
In-class: Syllabus review; Why Study Film?; Sharon Old’s “The Death of Marilyn Monroe”
Screening: City Lights (Chaplin, 1931 USA)

Spring 2010 Syllabus

THEATRE 40: INTRODUCTION TO FILM
San Jose City College, Spring 2010

INSTRUCTOR: Daniel Hendel De La O
SECTION: 54785
TIME/PLACE: M/W: 1:10-3:00 PM, Little Theatre, WGHS
EMAIL: dhdelao@gmail.com
BLOG: threepointeau.blogspot.com

COURSE OVERVIEW
Introduction to Film Composition is modeled on an upper-division film analysis course; its goal is to acquaint you with a wide variety of films from cinema’s varied history. We will analyze major cinematic landmarks, movements, and genres, in both American and international film. In addition, we will study the various components that make up the medium of film, including acting, direction, narrative technique, and design. In viewing film as a craft, we will develop a critical, rather than passive, relationship with cinema. This semester, you will view a diverse group of films; an open and inquisitive mind will serve you well in this course.
COURSE WORK
By semester's end, you will have completed:

• 6 In-class Screening Reflections (ISRs)
• 6 Outside Screening Reflections (OSRs)
• 3 Journal Responses
• In-class Screening Reflections

In-class Screening Reflections (ISRs): You will be responsible for six ISRs. These are 2-page reflections on one film from each of the six units we will view in class: Road Films, Sports Films, Musicals, Documentaries, Gay Cinema, and Science Fiction. These are NOT reviews of the films we watch; instead, they are reflections of your thoughts on the films. ISRs are designed to promote critical thinking about films viewed in class, so explore any aspect of the film you wish, including lectures and discussions. I will provide an example early in the semester. These will be collected throughout the semester.

Outside Screening Reflections (OSRs): You will also be required to write six OSRs. These typed 2-page reflections function in the same manner as ISRs, with the primary difference being that they are based on film you view independently. Again, these are not film reviews; OSRs are also designed to promote critical thinking about films of your choice. Write one 2-page reflection for any six of the following periods or genres:

• Silent Era-1939
• 1940-1959
• 1960-1979
• 1980-Present
• Foreign Film
• Documentary Film

An OSR screening list will be posted online in the first week to guide your viewing. All six OSRs will be collected at once at the end of the semester.

Journal Responses: These three two-page journals will take you away from specific films to look at broader issues in the film industry, such as movie pirating.

Comprehensive Final Exam: Your final will consist of information from the readings, lectures, and in-class screenings. Be sure to take extensive notes throughout the semester.

GRADING
Simply put, the grade you earn is the grade you will receive. There may be little or no opportunity for extra credit in this course, so stay it is important you stay on top of assignments. Also, grades will never be rounded up unless mathematically appropriate.

Grading Breakdown:
Attendance and Participation: 10 pts
ISRs: 60 pts
OSRs: 60 pts
Journals: 30 pts
Comprehensive Final Exam: 40 pts
Total: 200 pts

EXPECTATIONS
Being that this class is conducted in a theatre, my expectations of you are as follows:

• Attend class regularly
• Adhere to classroom rules and etiquette
• Arrive in class each day prepared to work
• Engage in the learning process by thinking critically about the various films and discussion topics in class

ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION
It is important you come to class regularly to fulfill. All films are screened only once, and many of the films we will watch in are difficult to find, and once viewed, will not be shown again.

Please note that four absences will result in an automatic drop from the class.

POLICY ON LATE WORK
Unless previous arrangements are made with me, I will not accept any late work. If you must miss class on the day an assignment is due, email your work to me by 5PM. Please note that because of the nature of some work, not every assignment can be made up. Remember, the responsibility of staying up-to-date with your assignments is yours, not mine.

STANDARDS FOR PRESENTATION OF WORK
All typed work must be in MLA format. Look for online samples of presentation standards early in the semester. Unstapled work will NOT be accepted. Please follow this heading for all typed work:

Name

Theatre 40

Assignment

Date

Also, films should be cited as follows: Title (Director's Last Name, Year Country). Example: Jurassic Park (Spielberg, 1993 USA)

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
Plagiarism is the act of misrepresenting someone else’s ideas or work as your own. Copying ideas or text from your classmates, the Internet, books, or any other published content is unethical and against the law. This class will strictly adhere to SJCC policies on plagiarism. Violations will result in an automatic “F” for the assignment/test and/or failure in the course.

THREEPOINTEAU
I have created this class blog as a centralized location for assignments, reminders, important dates, links, and general class information. It also contains an easy to reference archive of the course work. At times there will also be information that only appears on this Website, so it is important to check it regularly.

FILM SCREENING SCHEDULE
Please note:

• Films are subject to change
• Refer to ThreePointEau for the most up-to-date information and schedule
• Accompanying readings will be posted on the website
• Unless otherwise noted, all assignments are due on Wednesdays

M 2.1/W 2.3: Introduction to Film
In-class: Syllabus review; Why Study Film?; Sharon Old’s “The Death of Marilyn Monroe”
Screening: City Lights (Chaplin, 1931 USA)

M 2.8/W 2.10: Road Films
In-class: “An Introduction to Road Films, Pt. I”
Screening: It Happened One Night (Capra, 1934 USA)
Due: OSR 1 (Silent Era to 1939)

M 2.15/W 2.17: Winter Break
NO CLASS: WGHS Winter Break

M 2.22/W 2.24: Road Films
In-class: “An Introduction to Road Films, Pt. II”
Screening: Thelma & Louise (Scott, 1991 USA)
Due: OSR 2 (1940-1959)

M 3.1/W 3.3: Sports Films
In-class: “An Introduction to Sports on Film, Pt. I”
Screening: Rocky (Avildsen, 1976 USA)

M 3.8/W 3.10: Sports Films
In-class: “An Introduction to Sports on Film, Pt. II”
Screening: The Wrestler (Aronofsky, 2008 USA)
Due: OSR 3 (1960-1979)

M 3.15/W 3.17: Musicals
In-class: “Musicals—An Overview, Pt. I”
Screening: Moulin Rouge! (Luhrmann, 2001 USA/Australia)

M 3.22/W 3.24: Musicals
In-class: “Musicals—An Overview, Pt. II”
Screening: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007 USA)
Due: OSR 4 (1980-Present)

M 3.29/W 3.31
NO CLASS: SJCC Spring Break

M 4.5/W 4.7 Documentaries
In-class: “A Survey of Documentary Film, Pt. I”
Screening: Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son about His Father (Kuenne, 2008 USA)
Due: OSR 5 (Foreign Film)

M 4.12/W 4.14
NO CLASS: WGHS Spring Break

M 4.19/W 4.21: Documentaries
In-class: “A Survey of Documentary Film, Pt. II”
Screening: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (Gordan, 2007 USA)
Due: OSR 6 (Documentary Film)

M 4.26/W 4.28: Gay Cinema
In-class: “History of Gay Cinema, Pt. I”
Screening: The Talented Mr. Ripley (Minghella, 1999 USA)

M 5.3/W 5.5: Gay Cinema
In-class: “History of Gay Cinema, Pt. II”
Screening: Transamerica (Tucker, 2005 USA)
Due: Journal Response 1

M 5.10/W 5.12: Science Fiction
In-class: “Sci-Fi on Film, Pt. I”
Screening: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Jones, 2004 US)
Due: Journal Response 2

M 5.17/5.19: Science Fiction
In-class: “Sci-Fi on Film, Pt. II”
Screening: Moon (Jones, 2009 UK)
Due: Journal Response 3

M 5.24/W 5.26: Closing
In-class: Course Review; Final exam
Due: ISRs 1-6