The Sunday Question: Halloween Style

Welcome to a very special Halloween edition of the Sunday Question. The place where you get to rant, rave, rebuke, rebut, or any other argumentative 'r' word you can think of whenever I come up with a good question.


This Week's Prompt: It's Halloween. All of your friends are at your house for 2 hours tonight to watch a scary movie. You want one that is going to destroy their sense, and scare them to hell. WHAT Is Your Go to Movie?

Considerations: First and foremost you want a movie they haven't seen, so obscurity in choice is a solid pick. Secondly you want a movie that's not also going to scare the *@#$ out of you (would kind of ruin the moment). Thirdly it needs to be a movie that will be worthy of mention as a film buff. We could all go House of Wax for the sheer terror of Paris Hilton's placid acting, but I'm talking proper scary. Trapped in a hole, chased by a monster, whatever. Make your case!

BEGIN!

The Sunday Question: Reboot vs. Remake

The Sunday Question is back and ready to go. So get your minds ready, and here we go!

This Week's Prompt: Is there really a difference between a reboot and a remake?

Considerations: The new go to "word" for a new film series where one already exists seems to be "reboot." Which to me basically means 1 of the following two (or perhaps both):

1. a remake for something we are out of ideas on how to continue but still want to keep doing it anyways because it's a proven commodity.
2. a failed, or dead, series, or upstart, that we would like to enter once again, and hope we don't mess up in the same way as before.

Still, no matter how you coat it, it's still, by most accounts, a remake. Taking something that's already there in form, reorganizing it, perhaps changing a handful of elements, and presenting once again for the viewer to see. Now, whether or not an appropriate time needs to pass in between these reboots/remake things is entirely up in the air.


Let the debate, begin!

The Sunday Question: Product Placement

The Sunday Question is back and ready to go. So get your minds ready, and here we go!

This Week's Prompt: Does the use of product placement undermine, or weaken, a film?

Considerations: I suppose the first thing to do would be to decipher product placement, from filming location. I don't deny that having certain stores in your background might be a quick move, but let's be honest the world is filled with name brand stores, it'd be harder to film in streets without any. So I would define product placement as the deliberate use of a product, or name brand/company logo/etc, to entice the viewer in favor of that particular item. Next, I suppose it depends on the usage. Is it merely a background shot or does the director feel the need, as is often the case with car logos, to perform an unnecessary cut, or pan shot, to emphasis the logo. If so, does that interrupt the flow of the film?

Let the debate, begin!

The Sunday Question: Change A Film

The Sunday Question is BACK here on LiE, and ready for you to stretch your mind once more in debate.

This Week's Prompt: If you had it in your power to change one scene (remove, or make better) from a film you love, would you? And if so, what would you change and why?

Considerations: Just a fun, mind stretching question, for you all this week. Have fun and edit away!

LET THE DEBATE BEGIN!

The Sunday Question: Twist Spoilers

The Sunday Question is BACK here on LiE, and ready for you to stretch your mind once more in debate.

This Week's Prompt: Is admitting, or acknowledging, through a review that a film has a TWIST ending, without giving details, a spoiler?

Considerations: This method of advertising was really put at the forefront this year with Shutter Island, quoting a review as saying "It's a twist you won't see coming" (or something along those lines). On one hand you've failed to give any detail on the twist, and given the film that can mean anything. On the other hand admitting the film has a twist ending tells the viewer not to trust what's being presented. It removes the directors ability for misdirecting the audience, as it's assumed that's what is being done. Which can greatly affect how one watches a particular movie.

LET THE DEBATE BEGIN!

The Sunday Question: Media Cinema

As I return from vacation, I figured I'd bring back this simple setup for your debating pleasure.

This Week's Prompt: Does the media have an adverse, or favorable, effect on Cinema as a whole?

Considerations: There's hardly any medium in modern times, with exception on non-media based internet, with as much influence on Cinema as the generic "media" (your basic news, gossip, and film shows/publications). They can build up a film, by using simple words like "greatest" or "popular," all the while attempting to reflect, or arguably set, the public mood towards a particular product. But, at the same time, they're often run by the very people who also finance many of the more mainstream films. Which may, or may not (depending on your point of view), give unfair advantage to big budget films in terms of public reach.


So, debate away!

The Sunday Question: Watching Classics

Every Sunday LiE invites you to join in the debate, as we look at various film, and film related, topics!

This Week's Prompt: When going back and watching the films of a now gone actor/actress/director/etc. what is the best order to do it in? By the year released? Personal appeal? Perhaps, widely accepted quality? Or another way entirely.

Considerations: There's a lot to this one if you really think about. By watching films based on the year of release you can see the building of technique, style, and you have the security of a strict format. Then again it may take you a while to see the quality works, depending on whom you're referring too. If you attack the films based on generally accepted quality you have the upside of great films early, with the downside of possibly encountering weaker films late, or failed to reach expectations. Personal appeal is perhaps the most even, but without much knowledge you'd basically be guessing based off of IMDB summary's, and that's risky at best. Of course I'm sure there's plenty of other ways to go about it! Let me know yours.

LET THE DEBATE BEGIN!

The Sunday Question: Historical Films

The Sunday Question is back due to popular involvement last week. And as long as you comment, and I have questions to ask, I'll be ready to go every Sunday!

This Week's Prompt: Historical films are as ingrained in the history of cinema as any genre. Reviewing them is always a question of mental task. The question - Is it possible to actually write a Spoiler for a historical film?

Considerations: On the one hand, of course not, it's history, it already happened, there's not going to be a surprise twist and the US lost the 1980 Winter Olypmics. But on the other hand you can't expect people to know everything about all the events of history. So, should the reviewer be responsible in a review because someone doesn't know about the events? Or is it the task of the filmmakers to create that sense of tension regardless of whether or not people know about the history? Of course, we could always say use Spoiler tags, but that defeats the purpose of the argument :P.

LET THE DEBATE BEGIN!

The Sunday Question: The Hitchcock Oscar

Instead of me ranting on about things you all probably don't care about, I have a new idea I'd like to try out here. A discussion post if you will. I'll give a prompt question, some things to consider, and let you all take over from there. You can suggest future debate topics, and supply your opinion on the current topic at hand. There's no right or wrong, but rather a world of opinion we can explore. I hope you all enjoy it, and take part appropriately. Let's begin!

This Week's Prompt: It is well known during his 50+ years as a director, Alfred Hitchcock never won an Oscar as Best Director. Do you feel Hitchcock should have won such an Oscar? Why? And for what film?

Considerations: Of course the obvious answer is Psycho. Then again that year he lost out to Billy Wilder in The Apartment (this was the 2nd time he had lost to Wilder in that category). The year of Rear Window, his other major nomination, was the year of On the Waterfront. His film Rebecca won Best Picture, but John Ford took home Best Director that year for The Grapes of Wrath. For Spellbound he lost out to Wilder (The Lost Weekend), and for Lifeboat he lost out to Leo McCarey (Going My Way). Then again there are countless films he wasn't nominated for, and remember they're open game as well.


Hope you all enjoy this, and take part. If not, oh well, I've always got new ideas!