The Faculty Lounge

Scarlett, Tara, and the Personality Theory of Property

Like Al, I also watched several hours of “Gone With The Wind” on Thanksgiving Eve (don't judge - there was a marathon!).  GWTW has fascinated me for as long as I can remember, but this time, I was most struck by Scarlett's pitch perfect demonstration of the personality theory of property.  This is evident throughout the film, and most notably in the last scene, where Scarlett hears the voices of her dearly departed father and Ashley Wilkes in her head.  After Rhett abandons her, she asks aloud, "What is there to do? What is there that matters?" and the following exchange ensues:

Mr. O'HARA: You mean to tell me, Katie Scarlett O'Hara, that Tara doesn't mean anything to you? That land is the only thing that matters. It's the only thing that lasts. 

ASHLEY: Something you love better than me, though you may not know it.

Mr. O'HARA: Tara - this is where you get your strength.

ASHLEY: Tara - the red earth of Tara.

Mr. O'HARA: That land's the only thing that matters, it's the only thing that lasts.

ASHLEY: Something you love better than me, though you may not know it, Tara.

Mr. O'HARA: ...From which you get your strength... 

ASHLEY: ... the red earth of Tara.


Mr. O'HARA: Land's the only thing that matters... 

ASHLEY: something you love better than me...

BOTH:  Tara...Tara!... Tara!... Tara!

SCARLETT: Tara! Home. I'll go home..... 

Tara is the place where Scarlett achieves self-realization.  It is the place where her memories and ambitions are rooted.  It is also the place over which Scarlett asserts an entitlement that is superior to that of either of her sisters (and fellow heirs) Suellen and Carreen (recall the great scene where Scarlett bosses the sisters around, forces them to pick cotton, and then slaps Suellen for yelling "I hate Tara" in the fields).  I know there are some GWTW fans out there - what other theories of property are on full display in the film?

Reboot City

I must admit to having succumbed to seeing the new Spiderman movie and enjoying it although I still don't think it beats the Toby Maguire version.  And of course the Total Recall reboot is imminently upon us and I've heard rumors of a Jumanji reboot as well.

Why are there so many reboots of relatively recent films coming out at the moment?  I understand that the Spiderman franchise was shaken up by various creative disagreements with the team involved in the previous series of movies.  But what about the others?  Is it cheaper to rewrite a relatively recent script than come up with new material? 

And if the studios are going down the 'reboot the 80s and 90s' path, what other movies would you like to see rebooted?

And are there any that definitely should be left alone?

Puzzled by Prometheus

With thanks to an unnamed source who drew this article to my attention, here's a link to a piece in The Guardian that attempts to explain some of those plot holes in Ridley Scott's Prometheus.  I was relieved to see I wasn't the only person stumped by the meaning of that first scene.

The Movie was Better than the Book?

I've just read an interview from The Paris Review with Gabriel Garcia Marquez in which he states that:  "I can't think of any one film that improved on a good novel, but I can think of many good films that came from very bad novels."

He doesn't give any examples of the latter ie good films from bad novels.  Can anyone think of any?  Usually I think films aren't as good as the books they are based on. 

Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, Interns, Outsourcing, and Why the United States Should Enact a National Film Incentive

Colin Miller, a law professor at John Marshall (Chicago), and a friend of (and occasional visitor to) the Lounge, asked me to make this post on his behalf:

It was recently announced that Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson will reunite for Shawn Levy’s “The Interns,” about friends who lose their sales jobs and decide to intern at a tech company to get back in the game. Although the comedy likely won’t be timeless, it should be timely given everything from Ross Perlin’s"Intern Nation" to the New York Times discussing how unpaid internships are becoming the de facto gateway to paid positions for today’s college grads.

The announcement of “The Interns” inevitably brought to mind the stillborn “Outsourced” project to which Wilson and Vaughn were attached in the 2005 afterglow of "Wedding Crashers" becoming the top grossing R-rated comedy of all time. That project would have seen the two funnymen starring as downsized workers going south of the border to get back their outsourced jobs. The “Outsourced” project would have been prescient, but not for the reason that you might think.

The “Outsourced” project seemed like a no-brainer after “Wedding Crashers” broke box office records.

It’s even less surprising to claim today that movies are America’s top export than it was in 1998. The United States and Canada accounted for a shade under 50% of worldwide box office at the turn of the century; by 2011, their piece of the pie had shrunken to 31%. When "The Hangover" supplanted “Wedding Crashers” as the top grossing R-rated comedy, it did so by a mere 32.5% domestically. But overseas, “Hangover” outgrossed “Crashers” by an astonishing 150.5%. 2 years’ later, Todd Phillips’ carbon copy sequel left its predecessor in its dust, more than doubling its foreign receipts.

That sequel was filmed in Thailand, which makes sense, given that the film was about one night in Bangkok. But since 1997, the percentage of films that take place in the States and yet are shot elsewhere has multiplied. From 1980-1997, motion picture and “service activities in Los Angeles County grew at a rate of 194% for employment and 248% for businesses." But from 1997-2007, the number of shooting days in Los Angeles decreased nearly 40%. So, why did 1997 represent the turning point and the start of a literal tectonic shift that has seen studios outsource the production of countless movies just as companies have done with their production of innumerable other commodities?

The Last Polka

My guest blogging began with a post in memory of The Band’s Levon Helm.  I would be remiss if I did not circle back by sharing a hidden gem and seeking other Shmengeheads. 

The Shmenge’s Last Polka is a mockumentary about brothers, Yosh (John Candy) and Stan (Eugene Levy) Shmenge, retiring from a long and illustrious career as the greatest Polka duo ever.  The format follows Martin Scorsese’s classic, The Band The Last Waltz.  The Shmenges were born on Second City TV and also known as the Happy Wanderers.

 Unfortunately, this classic has not made its way across the digital divide and is not (yet?) available on DVD, or whatever we’re using now.  Fortunately, a fellow Shmengehead posted the film in several parts in cyberspace. Here’s a part of the film with a Linsk Minyk (Rick Moranis) sit-in and banter.

 Thank you to the Lounge regulars for sharing their forum and to all the readers for sharing their time.  I hope to see/meet you at SEALS later this summer or somewhere down the So Many Roads we all know.

Cheers,

Joe

p.s. The last link above is to a late era Robert Hunter / Jerry Garcia song.  Jerry flubs a few lyrics, but this inspired performance from the Boston Garden in 1994 is worth seven and a half minutes of any music lover’s time, at least once.  For some reason, Jerry vocally wails on “to heal my soul” at the end, instead of the usual “to ease my soul.”

 p.p.s. RIP Doc Watson.  Sitting on Top of the World

 

Expletives, Nudity and Violence

After watching the “Hunger Games,” I was reminded how society can get things backwards when worrying about harms to children. Despite the graphic scenes of teenagers slaughtering each other, the movie has a PG-13 rating. In contrast, movies are supposed to receive an R rating if they include sexually-oriented nudity or if they include some of the “harsher sexually-derived” expletives, especially when used in a sexual context.

This more severe treatment of nudity and profanity than of bloodshed tracks first amendment doctrine. Supreme Court justices seem more worried about the F-word and bare buttocks than about vicious violence. Just last year, the Court invoked the First Amendment to override California's ban on the sale of violent video games to minors. Two years ago, the Court rejected a federal statute that outlawed "crush" videos depicting the torture and killing of animals. But in the discussion at oral argument earlier this year about foul language and indecent images on television, the justices indicated a willingness to maintain some censorship of expletives and nudity by the Federal Communications Commission.

Is it really the case that children suffer greater trauma from hearing curse words and viewing sexual images than from seeing brutal murders? Is it really true that the profanity and pornography on The Sopranos were more troubling than the cold-blooded executions that were vividly depicted in the series?

Maybe there's no harm to kids from watching people being maimed, decapitated or dismembered on the big or little screen. But surely there's no greater harm from seeing a bare breast or hearing a dirty word.

 

Hollywood's Big Night

Hollywood throws its biggest party of the year this evening.  You'll find some fun facts about the Oscars at this link.

BEST Best Picture Ever: The Final Match

After a grueling three-week contest, we reach the final match today:  The Godfather v. Lord of the Rings (The Return of the King).  The former reached the title match by easily dispatching Lawrence of Arabia (66.9% v. 33.1%) (553 total votes cast).  The LOTR steamroller survived a scare from Casablanca in what may have been the tightest match yet (51.5% v. 48.5%) (1,166 total votes cast).  Notice the disparity between the number of votes cast in each match.  Hmmmmm ....

You'll find additional info, and a place to cast your vote, on today's match-up here.

BEST Best Picture Ever: The Semifinals

We're down to the final four films in our competition:  Lord of the Rings (The Return of the King), The Godfather, Lawrence of Arabia, and Casablanca.

Today we have both semifinal match-ups.  In the first match:

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Additional info here (and cast your vote).

In the second match:

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Additional info here (and cast your vote).

I'm rooting for final match between Lawrence of Arabia and Casablanca.  Why do I think I'll be disappointed on both sides?

BEST Best Picture Ever: Round 2, Match 4

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Additional info here (and cast your vote).  Tough call, but I forecast that Casablanca will be the last film to move on to the "final four."

Yesterday's result?  Lawrence of Arabia (70.2%) defeats Annie Hall (29.8%).

BEST Best Picture Ever: Round 2, Match 3

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Additional info here (and cast your vote).  Let's go with David Lean in this match.

Friday's result?  The Godfather (79.5%) defeats On The Waterfront (20.5%), joining The Lord of the Rings in the final four.

BEST Best Picture Ever: Round 2, Match 2

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Additional info here (and cast your vote).  Whatever happens, Marlon Brando will have a film in the semi-finals.

Yesterday's result?   The Lord of the Rings (The Return of the King) punches its ticket to the "final four" with a surprisingly easy win over Gone With the Wind (72.1% - 27.9%).

BEST Best Picture Ever: Round 2, Match #1

Yesterday, in the closest match yet in the competition, Annie Hall (52.3%) defeated The Apartment (47.7%).  We're now down to the "elite eight," with the following four quarterfinal matches set:  

Casablanca v. The Silence of the Lambs

The Godfather I v. On the Waterfront

Lawrence of Arabia v. Annie Hall

and today's match:

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For more information on today's match, and to cast your vote, click here.

 

BEST Best Picture Ever: Round 1, Match 8

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Additional info here (and cast your vote).   Woody Allen has a lot of fans, and I expect his film will win this round.  (But is this his best film?  I've always favored Hannah and Her Sisters.)

Yesterday's result?  The Silence of the Lambs (60.2%) defeats All About Eve (39.8%).  Next up for Clarise Starling and Hannibal Lecter?   Casablanca.  Now there's a pair of contrasting films!

BEST Best Picture Ever: Round 1, Match 7

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Additional info here (and cast your vote). Tough call.  The film on the left shares the record (with Titanic) for most Oscar nominations (14), and it gave us one of the more memorable cinematic quotes:  "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night!"  The film on the right is one of only three films to win Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Screenplay.  And Hannibal Lecter is one of the more unforgettable villians in film.  Given the release dates of the two films, though, I anticipate an easy win for The Silence of the Lambs.

Yesterday's result?   Casablanca (83%) defeats Platoon (17%).  Next up for Casablanca?  The winner of today's match.  I'm anticipating that Casablanca will make it to the "final four," with a trip to the championship game riding on its ability to defeat the winner of the Gone With the Wind / Lord of the Rings (Return of the King) match-up.

 

BEST Best Picture Ever: Round One, Match #6

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Additional info here (and cast your vote).  In my opinion, Platoon didn't deserve a spot in the sweet 16.  I'm looking for a Casablanca landslide (possibly being favored on at least 85% of the ballots).

Friday's result?  Lawrence of Arabia (68.9%) defeats It Happened One Night (31.1%).  Next up for David Lean's epic film?  The winner of Annie Hall v. The Apartment.

BEST Best Picture Ever: Round One, Match #5

             versus  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional info here (and cast your vote).

This is a tough one for me.  It's hard not to vote for one of the three "grand slam" winners (see yesterday's comments), so I'm going with the film on the left.  But I won't be surprised if David Lean's epic masterpiece wins this match, especially given the year in which each film was released (1934 v. 1962).

Most lawyers have a great affection for To Kill a Mockingbird, and rightly so.  But few remember that it was Lawrence of Arabia that took home the prize for Best Picture that year, beating not only TKAM, but also The Longest Day, The Music Man, and Mutiny on the Bounty.  In the Best Actor category, Gregory Peck won the Oscar over four other nominees, including Peter O'Toole.  It was the last of Peck's five nominations (and his only win).  It was the first of eight nominations for O'Toole, who has yet to claim the prize.  

Yesterday's result?  On the Waterfront (59.8%) defeats Titanic (40.2%).  Next up for On the Waterfront?  The Godfather (or Brando v. Brando, if you wish).  I see The Godfather running the table on its side of the bracket and advancing to the final faceoff. 

BEST Best Picture Ever: Round One, Match #4

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Additional info here (and cast your vote).

I'm voting for the film on the left.  

On the Waterfront won eight Oscars, including prizes for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actress.  Might it be the only film to win those four awards?

Yesterday's result?  Gone With The Wind (58.7%) defeats The Sound of Music (41.3%), in a match that I didn't expect to be as close.  Next up for GWTW?  LOTR.   Blow-out?  Or nail-biter?

BEST Best Picture Ever: Round One, Match #3

                                                            versus 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional info here (and cast your vote).

I'm voting for the film on the left.  

Yesterday's result?  LOTR (71%) defeats Godfather II (29%), surprisingly easy.  Next up for LOTR?  Today's winner.  Can any film stop LOTR?  I'm curious whether the LOTR fan base crosses all ages, or is primarily a younger crowd (e.g., under 35).