This paper emphasizes four things: research and the persuasive presentation of that research, cultural literacy, and, subtle, convincing analysis.
Our Writing About Movies book uses examples from two dozen different movies, almost all of them classics. Watch a half dozen of these (Maltese Falcon, Some Like it Hot, Do the Right Thing, and so on).
Once you have done that, look up film festival websites, such as
• Santa Barbara International Film Festival;
• Palm Springs International Film Festival;
• UCLA’s “events” screenings (www.tft.ucla.edu) hosted by the School of Theater, Film, and Television;
• the American Cinematheque screenings at the Egyptian and Aero Theatres;
• or any of the events hosted by the Los Angeles Film Festival.
Once you have seen your movies and once you have toured film festival websites, write a ten-pages-or-longer paper that makes a case for which of the Writing About Movies films deserves top billing at a hypothetical Antelope Valley College Film Festival. You may of course show which ones you have excluded (and why). Ultimately though we need to know which one, compared to all the others, has the most to offer local audiences. Please limit your choices only to films cited in our textbook.
Please back up your position critically, including (if you wish) interviews with cinephiles or other authoritative sources.
Requirements
MLA citation drives this paper: you’re only as smart as your sources, and only as reliable as the quality of those sources. Quote accurately; cite fully; follow the MLA; prove your case well.
Answer the following just below you “Work Cited” page
1. What are the differences between square brackets and parentheses? Explain the differences and use each of these marks correctly in two or three of your own original sentences.
2. How does MLA citation style differ from APA citation style? For examples, use our own required textbooks (both of them) as demonstration of the differences between the two formats. Be thorough and complete.
3. Locate one or two essays in The Norton Mix that you feel best represent the spirit of that book: in essence, these are what essay writing “is” these days. What did you pick and what about these selections is representative?
4. How have your views of cinema changed? If possible, cite material directly from our film book.