Taking a Nosedive

"Under the Bridge," by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, was directed by Gus van Sant. Living under a bridge represents hitting rock bottom. The location is standard for homeless people.

Know these words and phrases for the Final Exam, which is next Tuesday: master cut, existentialism, what's eating you?, go to pot, spaghetti Western, plot, characters, climax, pun, adultery, basement, protagonist, revenge, vengeance, couple of, fear, culturally, set in, personality, explain, silly, shallow, paragraph, sentences, mentally disabled, twist of fate, epiphany, in a nosedive / in a tailspin, disparity, dystopia, traitor, annoying

**********************************************************************

The test is next week. I will send the vocabulary tonight.

It’s the same format as the midterm. I will do Inglourious Basterds, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, American Beauty and Nosedive.

Nosedive is today’s movie. The genre is science fiction.

Nosedive is literally when the airplane is crashing nose or head first. As a metaphor, it means our life is suddenly having a lot of problems.

We also say “in a tailspin” using the airplane as a metaphor for the same meaning.

This movie is about the negative influence social media has on our lives. First, it is making us really superficial or shallow, because it is based on how we look and saying silly things.

Because it has hurt or influenced people’s ability to focus for a long time, nobody can read books anymore.

The sad thing is people really care about getting “likes” or approval from other people on social media. But we cannot control how others feel about us We can only control how we feel about ourselves. People feel safe to say mean, cruel, unfriendly things on social media.

 

Pay attention to the clothes and homes. They are almost always pastel and of a solid/plain pattern. This represents the shallow or superficial personality we gain from using social media all the time.

That is what they call “famous” people on social media: “influencers.”

 

The Court Jester: the King’s personal clown

Everyone must kiss the King’s butt and tell him how great he is or get killed.

The only person that can tell the King the truth and much B.S. (bulls*&^) he is would be the Court Jester

Psychological problem: in denial (when you don’t want to see or think about the trut

h)

Lie and be fake to be successful.

Tell the truth to be a loser.

 

I’m still looking for “that.”

What is “that?”

Searching for meaning in life: existentialism.

 

No schlep is Yiddish, the old Jewish language, for b.s. or nonsense.

What does under the bridge represent? Absolute low point in existence in terms of comfort.

Under the Bridge. Two famous songs about this: Nirvana and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

 

Why did she take her clothes off? Metaphor. She’s naked. She’s not hiding.

 

The genre is science fiction. Whenever the story is set in the future, it is science fiction. What the writers of science fiction often do is show us how the world is going to be a terrible place later: This is called a dystopia. It is a common theme in this genre.

 

 

Go to Pot

 

Musicians have this idea called catch and release. It is from fishing. We catch the fish for sport but let it go instead of killing and eating it.

In music, it is when music is terrible on purpose so that the later, sublime, great music will even sound more beautiful.

Master cut / shot: Camera does not move. Things come in and out of the shot.

Idiom: “going to pot”    You try to be handsome/beautiful, charming, fit and healthy, dress well, etc. so you can find a husband/wife. After you get married, you don’t have to worry about this anymore. You can be fat, lazy, a slob dresser.

 

 

If you go to small towns in America, the downtown part is deserted. Not many people go there. Every small town has a street called Main Street. The reason is the big stores like Walmart (that sell cheap garbage that we don’t need anyway – materialism) or Costco, etc. buy up the cheap land out of town to build stores. The people go there because it is easy to park, cheap, they can buy everything in the same place, etc.

Irony: we think something is going to happen while something else is really happening; there is another meaning we missed

The Phoenix is reborn from a fire to a better, second life. Is this a tragedy. They are free now. The mother was a burden.

Trapped in a Small Town

 

Homework:

1.              How is Inglourious Basterds a movie about revenge?

2.              How has the director changed history in Inglorious Basterds?

 

 *******************************

I didn’t put up a homework assignment last week. I will do that tonight.

I did say everyone can have 20%/20% on the homework part.

Some ideas about What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.

It takes place in Iowa in a small town. Iowa only has one city: Des Moines 212,000 population.

1.              Xenophobia: fear of outsiders or strangers. Arnie gets excited though when he sees the campers.

2.              Socio-economic disparity. People in big cities have more money than people in small towns. Most people in small towns never get the chance to go to university. They will feel bitter because they feel they can’t get away or escape.

3.              Mentally disabled brother.

4.              The director is a foreigner. Swedish. Foreigners or first generation (your parents are foreigners) tend to make the greatest directors. Why? Because they grow up knowing they are different and constantly thinking identity. This is called existentialism, or the meaning of life.

5.              Their father killed himself in the basement. That is why Arnie is afraid of it.

6.              This was a theme in American Beauty. Adultery. Sleeping with someone besides your husband or wife. Why do they do it? Does it has something to do with the hopelessness and boredom of life in that small town? Existentialism. Why are we here and what is the meaning of life? It is a common idea in literature, film and art.

7.              He was trapped in the small town. He can’t escape. Is she trapped in the marriage? Is that what she feels?

Twist of fate is a surprise ending – a conclusion to a novel or movie we did not expect. Why do we care? We are watching a movie about history. So, if we know our history, we already know what is going to happen in the end. The director Polanski said music should not match the scene or guide the viewers emotions because then the viewer does NOT have to think. He/she can space out.

 

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape

Pun: when the title of a book or movie / play has two meanings. Shakespeare loved puns

Gilbert’s surname is Grape or food. We eat grapes. What’s eating you? Means what is bothering you.

Red in literature symbolizes blood and foreshadows death. What is that genre?

Tragedy.

Jealousy is a green eyed monster.

Green symbolizes jealousy.

What fairy tale is going on here?

Foot fetish.

He is afraid he will go on trial after the war and go to jail. Usually, the top guys committed suicide (killed themselves). Some escaped but were later caught by Jewish special agents. This guy is worried this will happen to him.

Catch and release is more of an idea in writing music. The music goes from very loud and even annoying to beautiful and relaxing. John Coltrane’s These Are some of my Favorite Things or Nirvana’s Aneurysm.

Spaghetti Westerns

 Questions for American Beauty Homework:

1. Why do you think the neighbor is so homophobic? Explain.

2. Why does the mother commit adultery?

3. Why is the movie called "American Beauty?"

1.            I forgot to put up the questions from last week. I will do that tonight.

2.            I used to punish students who used AI to write. But I realize I didn’t say I would do this before class started. I also realize that it the way writing will be now. So, in the future, I need to change how I give scores. I can’t do that in the middle of a semester. The homework is 20 percent of the final grade. I will give everyone a full score on this (20 percent).

It was dangerous for French women to date German soldiers, because the French people saw them as traitors. In Holland, they shot the traitors (the men). The women had their heads shaved so everyone would know they were traitors. The narrator is Samuel L. Jackson. 

I wanted to show The Shining, but my external DVD player is not responding. I will get a new one and we can watch it later.

1.        Why is the father so homophobic? Violently homophobic?

Inglorious Basterds are a special unit in the American army during World War II. For America, WWII is 1941 to 1945.

For Europe, WWII is 1939 to 1945.

For Asia, WWII is 1937 to 1945. Actually, 230,000 Taiwanese people died. They fought in the Japanese army.

My wife’s grandpa fought for Japan. My grandpa was a pilot. He bombed the airport in Kaohsiang on July 7, 1945.

Germany murdered 7,000,000 Jewish people. This unit is ten Jewish soldiers; they are specialists. Even though it is WWII, this is still like a cowboy movie.

Spaghetti westerns. Cowboy movies made in Italy.

There is an idea in story telling called the allegory. If you show a famous image, you don’t need to explain. Everyone will know the meaning.

 

Technicolor is an old style of filming, when we first had color movies and not black and white movies. It started around the 1950s. A lot of famous directors still preferred black and white film then as there is more depth.

Jim Bridger was an Indian fighter.

1756 to 1763, England and France were at war in Europe. But both countries had colonies in North America. So there were fighting in North America too. Some Indian tribes fought for France and some for England there. They told the Indians they would pay them for killing French/English.

Tarantino is paying homage to the Italian/spaghetti westerns.

Anachronism: something is wrong based on time and the years

“He went yard.” Home run

The actor was adlibbing.

 

Epiphany

 

Bag Moved by a Benevolent Force

I said I would point out some camera shots or angles that are typical in film (often used).

Master shot: Camera stays back and the actors into and out of the shot

Turning point: when something important happens to change the movie

Epiphany: when we suddenly understand something very important about life

Static character: a person in a story who does not change

Dynamic character: person in a story who does change

Cutaway shot: the scene starts in a master shot. There is a conversation, but it continues in a closeup shot.

In English literature, flower pedals pulled off the flower mean loss of innocence. Growing up.

Roses represent the battle of sexes. Man against woman. Husband against/hating wife. I don't misogyny. x

Some famous directors, Roman Polanski, for example, say the music should not match the scene and guide our feelings. The music should be the opposite of the scene or clash with what is happening.

1.            They want you thinking of many things.

2.            They want to break a mindless focus or spacing out

3.            Irony.

Materialism: believing owning lots of stuff brings happiness

Irony: Did it make this woman happy?

Foreshadowing: Why does the father say "You can't just go around doing whatever you like. There are rules."

What are the rules for specifically? They are for having straight relationships, not gay relationships.

Why is the father so homophobic? Psychology going on here.

Gay people used to taught that being gay was wrong or immoral.

So, gay people had to hide being gay. But some gay people really hated themselves. So, the psychological idea is that people that are the most homophobic or violent people toward gay people do it because they are gay and are fighting themselves.

At the start of the movie, Lester says he will be dead in a year.

Bird's eye view camera shot

Mid Term Exam

For the Midterm Exam, please learn these words or phrases: column, ice cream, synonym, misogyny, misanthrope, paragraph, homophobic, genre, science fiction, explain, disillusioned, director, disillusioned, hint, hatred, mistrust, chronological, hitman, briefcase, structure, respect, chopper, mistrust, picaresque, gold digger, pay homage to, is, dork, do, materialism, dysfunction, similar, match cut, image, eat, hatred, film, literature, pulp, good

Midterm Exam is next week. I will send the information by tomorrow night at the latest.

Part One: vocabulary I will tell you the vocabulary to study, so check your email

Part Two: comprehension questions. I will ask questions about the movies we have watched

Part Three: Paragraph

 

Who has seen American Beauty?

Genre: comedy, coming of age movie (turning from a child to an adult), drama

Themes:

Homophobia: hating gay people / being afraid of gay people

Adultery: having sexual relations with someone other than your husband / wife; cheating on your spouse

Family dysfunction: when you don’t talk to the people in your family; you live together, but you don’t really know those people

Materialism: love to buy things because you are a sad person; you think owning nice things will make you happy; shallow view

Mid-life crisis: when you get to around 40 to 50 years old and you hate your job and life becomes uninteresting

Am I talking about happy themes? This movie seems to be full of unhappy lives. So why is the title called “American Beauty?”

“In a way, I’m dead already.” He has lost feeling for his life.  

Mother: “I watched you closely. You did not screw up once.” 

Screw up: make a mistake

The mother actually expects the daughter to lose or not succeed.

Very negative parenting.

Let’s watch his posture.

Slouch.

Misanthrope

 

Misanthrope: someone who hates other people for being stupid

Misogyny: hatred of women

Homophobic: hatred of gay people

George just got married. Phil it seems is gay. Phil is also an angry man. Why?

This is 1925. America was very homophobic then. It was even illegal. You could go to jail for being gay. Before, people thought being gay was a sickness that could be cured. Now, we think it is just how we are born. So, maybe Phil is angry at himself too.

He keeps talking about Bronco Henry. His brother does NOT like to talk about Bronco Henry.

1.           Perhaps Phil and Bronco Henry were lovers.

2.           Perhaps Bronco Henry is NOT real. Maybe he is a dream.

The director is a woman. How does this show in the movie? She can see a woman being bullied by man and understand that better than a man.

Phil went to Yale University and graduated number one. He studied Classics, which are ancient Greece and Rome. He knows a lot about myths. Again, is Bronco Henry a myth or real?

Phil seems to be torturing her. What will he do next to torture Rose? How did he save his mother? By murdering Phil, who was torturing her.  He used the raw hide that was laced with anthrax. He poisoned Phil.

He is not as weak as he looks. Phil thought he was weak. Phil is super smart and educated. But Peter outsmarted him.

Homework: Answer the questions with a sentence or two apiece. Remember to explain your answer.

1.           How did Peter save his mother? Was it moral?

2.           Do you think Bronco Henry is real or a figment of Phil’s imagination?

3.           Why does Rose start to drink alcohol?

4.           What are some hints that the director might be a woman?

For What Kind of Man Would I Be?

 

genre: comedy, documentary, horror

Directors: this is a female director. She won the Oscar/Academy Award for this movie. She also won it for The Piano.

The lead actor, lead actress, supporting actor and supporting actress were all nominated for an Oscar, but lost.

The soundtrack (music) won the Oscar too. Listen to how the music, which is stark, matches the landscape. The composer is from Radiohead.

We need to know about the idea of myth. This is before science how we explained the world. Usually, God or gods did everything.

Gay

Straight

The movie has homoerotic ideas / themes. It also has straight themes.

It takes place in Montana in 1925.

This movie is also about revenge.

The narrator or voice over will foreshadow this movie is about revenge.

Foreshadow: give a hint about what will happen later

“When my father passed, I wanted nothing more than my mother’s happiness. For what kind of man would I be if I did not help my mother? If I did not save her?”

 

Why does his mother need to be saved? The hint is his mother is in a bad situation.

Tracking shot: the camera follow

Misanthrope: hatred of other people, usually a smart person who thinks the world is stupid

Misogyny: hatred of women

Phil and George

They talk about this guy Bronco Henry three times in the movie. Every time Phil talks about Bronco Henry, George ignores him or does not like it / the topic.

What is the importance of the comb?

The ancient Romans believe that Rome was started (founded) by two brothers, Romulus and Remus. 753 B.C. Myth. They were raised by a wolf mother. Romulus murders Remus.

He is a cowboy. Why does he know about Roman history?

He has a black man working for him. So, he is a fair man.

Myth: what he says about Bronco Henry now is impossible. Watch his brother’s reaction to this story

Jealousy

 

 

Banjo

Small river: creek, stream, brook

Socio economic: different positions in the society

Maid: clean and cook

Ominous: foreshadow, we know something  bad will happen

He called the son Miss Nancy.

Gold digger: marry someone just to get their money

 

 

 

Random versus Meaning

The first time I saw the Internet, I was in graduate school.

 

No Country for Old Men. The American wild West was very dangerous 150 years ago. It was lawless. You had to be a good fighter, dangerous man, killer, etc., in order to survive.

 

2007. But it is set in 1980. It is directed and written by the Cohen brothers. Also, it is based on a novel by Cormac McCarthy, who is an excellent and original author.

 

That guy in the movie is unexpected. He is poor and leads a simple life, but we find out he is quite trained at survival, guns, etc. He was a soldier in the Vietnam war, in the marines.

 

We need to talk about camera work from time to time. Match cuts in film are to move from scene to scene. Or to show time progressing. They take two similar images and match them. The rug / carpets melts to the field. They have similar texture and colors.

 

Random is the opposite of purpose or meaning. He tells her to call the coin flip heads or tails. If she wins, she can live. She says she won’t. It is him, not the coin. Coin tosses are random. They don’t kill. He does and he is crazy.

 

Match cut to this psychotic guy that is impossible to kill randomly getting hit by a car.

 

When I read Cormac McCarthy, I need to use a dictionary a lot. I have to look up the landscape vocabulary he uses. The names of different rocks and how the land changes shape. I think the director gets this idea and makes the land a character. There is no music because they you to hear what’s coming from the land and the noises of it.

 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

 

Homework: Explain the following. 

·              I think the old sheriff is disillusioned. Do you agree? Why is he retiring?

·              I said Lleywelyn Moss (played by Josh Brolin) is an unexpected character. What I mean is he surprises us, the viewers. How?

·              Why do you suppose there is no music in No Country for Old Men? Do you agree with the director’s decision to avoid music? Explain.

I Don't Know What to Make of That

 

If we say, I don't know what to make of that, it means I don't understand. It is folksy, like someone in Texas might say. 

Homework: Remember you have to do three assignments. The first  choice is Pulp Fiction. Write one sentence to describe each scene. I think there are seven or nine scenes. Write them in the correct chronological order.

1.              An army friend of Butch the boxer’s dead father delivers a watch to him.

We are almost finished Pulp Fiction. The movie will end with the scene that it starts with. The diner scene. This is called Bookends.

 

Why is he calling him Ringo? He is making fun of him. He is calling him cute little guy. Ringo is the drummer in The Beatles

 

 

 

I want to watch a different genre of movie each time. This time let’s watch a Western movie. It’s a cowboy movie

The directors and writers of this movie are two Jewish brothers. The movie is also a picaresque. This is when the hero / protagonist must travel, go on a journey, etc. to escape danger. The protagonist usually does not have much money and gets into a lot of adventures.

 

 

Narration. Voice over. It is used to explain the movie. Some filmmakers do like it. They think the movie should explain itself. The narrator went to Harvard University. His roommate at Harvard was Al Gore, the Vice President of America. Can you hear his accent. It is a Texan accent. Texas is more conservative. They still have the death penalty.

Why did he shoot the bird on the bridge.

Psychotic.

Dorks

 

We won’t take a break. Movie techniques.

I said before this movie is not in chronological order. First, second, third, fourth. First, next, after, finally.  Why is it out of chronological order / linear order. Our lives are chaotic (crazy, not organized). The movie is trying to show this by messing up the time order. Why is the watch important to this idea of chaos in our lives? Why does the protagonist (main character) care so much about the watch?

Paying homage to: this is an idea you will often see in film. When the director copies a famous scene from a famous movie to show respect to that director or the history of film. I am going to show you Tarantino copying / paying homage to Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange.

Closeup shot going through the windshield.

Ketchup

Catch up: hurry up

Flashback: memory scene

Heirloom: something that is important in a family but not valuable to others

Cameo: when a famous person goes in a movie for a quick shot or a few minutes only

 

Dorks: nerds, sissy boys, etc.

Don't Be a Square

 

                                                                         A Clockwork Orange

I haven’t decided what movies to watch yet. The first one is Pulp Fiction. I like to do a different genre of film each time. Genre: comedy, science fiction, horror, documentary, etc. Pulp Fiction is a dark comedy. Some people say Film Noir. That is a type of fiction set in Los Angeles before the 1960s. Usually, it involves police and crime. The idea is everything is bad and corrupt. Grades:

Attendance (10%): Come to class. Every hour that you miss of class, I deduct 1% (minus).

Homework (20%): I will give homework after each movie is finished. You must do three homework assignments.

For the tests, I will tell you the words to study. If you didn’t see a movie, you will not be able to answer the test questions.

We don’t take a break.

This movie is NOT in chronological / linear order. First, then, after, finally. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5….

You must think about why the director (Quentin Tarrantino) has done this. Why is the film not in chronological order? You tell me.

Opening credits: tell the actors in a movie; they also set the mood for the movie with music. We will spend time studying them.

Why is the briefcase so important to them? What is in the briefcase?

Look at the combination lock = 666

This is the number of the Devil. Evil number.

Let’s look in other parts of the movie to see if we can find some hints about what is in the briefcase.

Hint 2: Light coming out

Hint 3: The sense of awe people have when they look in the briefcase. They can’t seem to talk about what is inside.

Hint 4: The bandage on the back of the briefcase owner’s neck. M. Wallace.

“That is pride fu(*ing with you. F(*& pride.” Ignore pride because you are old now and you can’t do anything to solve this problem. Foreshadow: hint about something that will happen later in the story. This idea of pride is important to the theme of the movie.

Square: someone who is NOT cool

December 2025 Final Exam Film and Culture

We will focus on three films on the final exam: A Scent of a Woman, Seven, and Nosedive. If you know the following words and phrases, you will do fine:

dystopic, science fiction, column, paragraph, plot, character, theme, colonel, disillusioned, nosedive, misanthrope, information, misogynist, wrath, sin, revenge, infected, similar to, genre, aliens, infected, homoerotic, myth, society, rank, army, riddle, twist of fate, bookends, superficial, vision, future, animation, detective, sentence, creation, insane asylum, jail, hitch hike

******************************************************

Power of the Dog for two reasons.

First is the bookend idea to start / finish a movie or song.

Both Power of the Dog and Pulp Fiction have bookends.

Remember I said the start of the movie looks like a film reel.

Phil talks about Bronco Henry three times. Every time, George ignores him. He doesn’t want to talk. Phil studied classics in university, or myths, which are stories that are not true. Do you think Bronco Henry is real or maybe he is just Phil’s dream lover.

 

Our last genre is science fiction. There used to be a TV show called The Twilight Zone in 1950s and sixties. It had were short stories with a twist of fate.

A twist of fate is a surprise ending. I think Black Mirror follows that idea. I think the writers of Broken Mirror grew up watching Twilight Zone.

Opening credits: beginning of movie

Nosedive. When an airplane is crashing. It is a dystopia. This is a story set in the future where it is bad or scary. Something terrible is going on in the society.

This episode has my classmate from high school.

Technology is not helping us improve. It is having a bad influence on our psychology, making us stupid, and superficial (shallow).

Are they happy or miserable (very unhappy)? And if they unhappy, but perfect people. 4.8. Why would perfect people tell lies?

Do they really have friends? Why does she have to ask someone she has not seen in many years to be her maid of honor at a wedding?

Are these really friends in the phone?

Will being an honest (true) person get you a low rating? Why?

Picaresque: road trip that the protagonist did not at first want to take

 

Dynamic character: is she a dynamic character?

 

The colonel was a dynamic character. At first, he was selfish and unkind. He was a misogynist. In the last scene, he changes and helps Charlie. And he is respectful to the female teacher at Charlie’s school.

Maybe that was just a good day for him and he was in a good mood. Just because he changed to help Charlie, if we truly look at people, do they really change? How about the next day? Will he stay the same or will he go back to being an unkind, mean old man

If I Were Half the Man I Was Five Years Ago

Scent of a Woman

Here are some homework questions for Scent of a Woman. Remember you only need to do three homework assignments. I will give you a free 25/25% percent for the fourth assignment.

1. Do you think the principal, Mr. Trask, will still give Charlie a recommendation for Harvard at the end of Scent of a Woman? Explain.

2. How does Charlie help the colonel? Tell at least three ways.

3. The autumn scenery reminds us of the four seasons and the changing of seasons. Why is this important to the movie?

4. Is the colonel a hurtful man? Explain.

The Power of the Dog

The Power of the Dog

1. How did Peter protect his mother?

2. Did Peter do an immoral thing in protecting his mother?

3. Why does Peter smile slyly at the end of The Power of the Dog (when he sees his mom with his stepfather)?

4. Why does Peter put on yellow gloves to handle the rope?

5. What happened to Phil at the end of the film?

6. Was Phil a misogynist? Explain.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seven

1. What did David Mills do to the man they arrested?

2. Did David Mills do an immoral thing at the end of Seven?

3. Is William Somerset misanthropic or disillusioned?

4. What are the seven deadly sins?

5. What is the worst of the deadly sins? Explain.

6. What genre is Seven?

Detective David Mills

I have watched this film twice. So, I don’t know what the title “The Power of the Dog” means. I am still thinking about it.

It was nominated at the Oscars / Academy Awards for

1.            Best Movie

2.            Best Actor

3.            Best Actress

4.            Best Supporting Actor

5.            Best Supporting Actress

It won Best Director. The director is a woman.

It won Best Soundtrack (which means music). The band is Radiohead.

The music matches the landscape.

This is set in Montana.

Montana is empty of people.

What is the genre?

Pulp Fiction was dark comedy. Film Noir.

Rain Man was a road trip picaresque. If you want to simplify, a drama.

Seven was a detective movie and thriller. It is a psychological thriller.

The Power of the Dog is a cowboy movie or western. It is also a homoerotic movie (gay).

The landscape is stark. That means not much grows there.

Foreshadow: hint of what will happen

 

 

“When my father passed (died), I wanted nothing more than my mother’s happiness. For what kind of man would I be if I did not help my mother, if I did not save her?”

Who does he need to save his mother from?

That boy murdered Phil.

When you see him, he is skinny and weak, a sissy. He does not seem like someone who can protect women.

Subtle.

So, his father is dead. He must protect his mother.

 

Phil talks about “Bronco Henry” three times to his brother. Every time, his brother ignores him and does not want to talk about “Bronco Henry.”

1.            Why?

2.            Who is Bronco Henry.

This is the second time Phil talks about Bronco Henry.

 

Phil is calling himself and his brother Romulus and Remus. They are two men who Romans believed started Rome in 753 B.C. This is not true. Rome is much older. It is a myth. A myth how we explain the world when we don’t understand it from science. The myth says the two brothers were raised by a wolf. One brother killed the other brother.

 

 

This story he is telling about Bronco Henry is impossible. It’s a lie. It is a myth about Bronco Henry.

His brother went to Yale and graduated number one in Classics. The history of Rome and Greece.

Phil got anthrax from that rope.

How did he save his mother?

Remember he gave the hide to Phil to finish the rope. That hide (animal skin) had anthrax.

The title is “The Power of the Dog.” When they look at the hills, he says you can’t see it, I won’t explain.

Is it his secret place?

The movie has a riddle. Something to solve.

Why is Phil so jealous of this woman?

1.            Misogyny: hatred of women

2.            Misanthrope: smart person who hates other people for being stupid

3.            Jealous because she steals his brother?

 

 

 

 

We are half way.

I want to show you ten minutes of a documentary. Documentary is another genre.

This reminded me of something.

I will post last weeks and two weeks’ ago tonight. So, there will be two sets of questions. One for Seven and one for The Power of the Dog. You have to do three homework assignments.

I will give you the midterm exams next week.  

Midterm Exam Fall 2025

Memorize these words for the test. Then you will be fine:

column, synonym, symbolic, definition, misanthrope, picaresque, is, pay homage to, positive, static character, foreshadow, chronological, heirloom, tracking shot, hints, paragraph, plot, setting, autistic, protagonist, Iconic, shot (from a camera), cameo, skills, stereotype, government, ambiguous, combination number (from a lock), briefcase, explain, details, near the start, introduce

Patrick Cowsill: Hope Is in B.C.

The Seven Deadly Sins

 

Seven, directed by David Fincher

I have never taught Seven before. So, I will be looking for a closer understanding like you. The director is David Fincher. He is interested in the psychology of criminals.

Crime. Genre is detective or police flick. Drama. Tragedy. Film Noir. A movie with a 1940s influence. Nothing is good. People are evil. Be nervous about your neighbors. Usually the protagonist (the hero) is jaded. That means usually an older character who has had many bad experiences and now does not trust anyone. Morgan Freeman’s character. Brad Pitt’s character is an idealist. He thinks the future can be better. Usually a younger, family man who is innocent.

They are foils. That means when the two main characters have opposite personalities.

Seven for the Seven Deadly Sins. People think this is from The Bible. It is not in The Bible, but it is Christian thinking. The Seven Deadly Sins were written by Pope Gregory in 590 A.D.

Pope is the boss of the Catholic Church.

The Seven Deadly Sins are seven things good Christians can not do.

Remember The Bible is full of rules on how to behave in the society to be a good person in the society.

1.                           Pride: you think you are great, better than other people

2.                           Greed: want to own lots of stuff

3.                           Wrath: get angry too easily

4.                           Envy: want what other people have

5.                           Lust: always want to have sex

6.                           Gluttony: eat too much

7.                           Sloth: lazy

 

Misanthrope: you will see this idea of misanthrope again and again in literature; literature influences film

A person who is pretty smart and hates other people for being stupid

Twist of fate: surprise ending / finish to a story

Why does it always rain in this movie?

I can’t get involved in this. Why? He is retiring. There is not enough time. But maybe he agrees with the killer. Misanthrope.

Canterbury Tales is the first famous book written in English. 1370. He is reading something that is very hard. But, he is using Cliff’s Notes. Cliff’s Notes are for students that don’t understand Shakespeare, Milton, Chaucer or difficult literature. They tell what happened in a simple way in modern English. They are good for high school. You remember the old guy went to the library and read all of the original books.

Both the killer and the older cop are university educated at least as they both read a lot of old books. Misanthrope. Smart, but you hate other people for being stupid.

Foreshadow: a hint of how the movie or story will conclude or finish

Why is the director emphasizing the boxes?

Noah and the Ark: God tells Noah to build an ark. He makes it rain for 40 days and 40 nights.

What does the metronome symbolize?

Time passing. Boredom.

Criminal psychology. Method. He is cutting off his fingernails. This helps the criminal to disappear.

John Milton is a famous, 17^th poet. His most famous poem is called Paradise Lost. Back to the Bible again. Paradise means heaven. The poem is about God and the Devil going to war, and why God threw the Devil out of heaven. Now the devil lives in hell.