Can Hobo With a Shotgun be considered as postmodern?
Difficult to classify as postmodern.
Irony- so gory it's funny
Humour- 'bear speech' 'glory hole' lawn mower'
Ridiculous- the two psycho brothers, Drake- psychotic
Unexpected elements- Abbie losing her hand, Hobo dying at the end
Is the Hobo himself funny? or is he an entirely serious character dispensing justice in a vigilante style?
Homeage to grindhouse films- harking back to an earlier type of trashy film- we see the 'now technicolour' sign at the start of the film
Film titles look like they are from the 80's
PASTICHE
The music is reminiscent of John Carpenter's soundtracks from films such as Assault on Precinct 13 and escape from New York.
The two brothers look very 80's style
Bricolage- not just one genre, comedy/horror/thriller, exploitation, grindhouse
The mob- seen in 50's/60/s horror films such as frankenstein/dracula etc. Also seen in western's from the same period.
-The vigilante/lone gun seen in western's and films such as Rambo/Death wish
Similar to Drive ending
The TV appearance by Drake.
Kick ass/Batman Dark Knight
Hyperreality
peadophile santa/pimp/robbers in pawn shop/guy with camera
the octopus, girls using man as a pinata, dystopia, colour scheme is completely artificial- orange lighting
references to snakes on a plane?
Monday, 30 April 2012
Friday, 27 April 2012
Thursday, 12 April 2012
'Postmodern Media Manipulates Time and Space' - to what extent does this definition apply to texts you have studied
'Postmodern Media Manipulates Time and Space' - to what extent does this definition apply to texts you have studied
Post-modern media generally tends to reject the traditional nature of reality, and embeds a huge emphasis on hyper-real, fictional elements. The idea that post-modern media manipulates time and space can be supported through the many films considered as 'Post-modern', and the element of hyper realism that they all possess. A film that I have recently watched and studied is 'Drive' directed by Nicolas Refn, and can also be classed as a 'hyper real' film. The film is almost dream-like, there is a definite surreal element to the it, due to the fact that there are not many people within the usually very busy Hollywood area of Los Angeles, which is strange considering how famous the area is and how many people live there, the situations that The Driver (Ryan Gosling) gets himself into usually results in a mass amount of police being involved - there are hardly any throughout the film. The Driver seems to have an absent concept of time, unless when doing his job- being a getaway driver. We see him driving around and doing things with a very absent minded look on his face, he himself seems to be living in a dream world. The film has a similar concept to that of the popular video game Grand Theft Auto, where you are in control of one driver, driving around, committing crimes and getting away with it, something which in real life, would never happen. The film does manipulate time, as there is no concept of it throughout, there are scenes which are hazy and that happen in slow motion, which rule out any concept of time, like it has stopped. These scenes have a yellowy, golden haze which create an almost emptiness. The fact that the film feels like a dream, it finishes with The Driver driving away, after being stabbed in the stomach, this allows the audience to construct their own meaning and leave the ending to their own imagination.
In comparison with Drive, another film which is similar in the way it looks to be/is based in a dream world is Inception. Inception is a film about dream worlds, and people who venture into the human mind through dream invasion, a concept which can only be done using very prestigious technology. In the film we see characters dreams, cities which have barely any people (similar to Drive) and surreal situations which as an audience we don’t know if they are dreams or not, throughout the film and particularly towards the end, the main character is confused about whether he is in his dream world or if he is in reality, he carries an object which he spins to find out which world he is in, if it keeps spinning he is still in his dream world, and if it stops, he is in reality, at the very end of the film, we see him spin this object, but never find out if it stops or not, so which world is he in?
'Each member of an audience have different readings, all of which are correct and the intended meaning by the producer is no longer significant'. This is Barthes 'Death of the Author' theory. Postmodernists do not construct texts for one meaning, they place more impact on how a text looks, rather than the meaning of it. This is a theory which can be applied to all texts, again ‘Drive’ conforms to this theory, the main character played by Ryan Gosling, aptly named ‘The Driver’ comes across as a very courteous, caring man when we see him with Irene (the woman he loves) and her son, yet he commits some unforgiveable and gruesome crimes, we see two sides of his personality, he is the hero of the story, but also the villain, and every person who has watched the film will have a different perspective of how he is perceived.
Exam Questions
'Postmodern media manipulates time and space". To what extent does this definition apply to texts you have studied? (50 marks)
Define postmodern media, with examples. (50 marks)
Define postmodern media, with examples. (50 marks)
- Comment on how postmodernism may change in the future. Refer to theory and applysimply.
- Relate to postmodern theory, then express it. - Homage, pastiche, intertextuality.
- 'Each member of an audience have different readings, all which are correct and the intended meaning by the producer is no longer significant' is Barthes 'Death of the Author' theory. Postmodernists do not construct texts for one meaning, they place more impact on how a text looks, than the meaning of it.
- Drive feels like a dream and it is left open so that we construct our own meaning. (City with no people - in dreams there's little people as it's personal and our minds can't quite create that).
- Binary opposites 'Good vs Evil'.
- Drive links to Grand Theft Auto - Hyperreal - lack of music and people. - No presence of police. Location is dream like and empty - golden, yellow and orange lighting.
- Lyotard's argument of 'the collapse of the grand narratives'. Traditional views held by traditional movement is now disappearing. Postmodernism often opposes ideas of Good vs Evil. For example there's fear in the film 'Saving Private Ryan'; however in 'Inglorious Basterds' there's no fear in anything they do
Jean Baudrillard
Simulacra and Simulation (Simulacres et Simulation in French) is a philosophical treatise by Jean Baudrillard that discusses the interaction between reality, symbols and society.
“ The simulacrum is never that which conceals the truth--it is the truth which conceals that there is none. The simulacrum is true.[1] ”
Simulacra and Simulation is most known for its discussion of images, signs, and how they relate to the present day. Baudrillard claims that modern society has replaced all reality and meaning with symbols and signs, and that the human experience is of a simulation of reality rather than reality itself. The simulacra that Baudrillard refers to are signs of culture and media that create the perceived reality; Baudrillard believed that society has become so reliant on simulacra that it has lost contact with the real world on which the simulacra are based.
“ The simulacrum is never that which conceals the truth--it is the truth which conceals that there is none. The simulacrum is true.[1] ”
Simulacra and Simulation is most known for its discussion of images, signs, and how they relate to the present day. Baudrillard claims that modern society has replaced all reality and meaning with symbols and signs, and that the human experience is of a simulation of reality rather than reality itself. The simulacra that Baudrillard refers to are signs of culture and media that create the perceived reality; Baudrillard believed that society has become so reliant on simulacra that it has lost contact with the real world on which the simulacra are based.
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