Reading-Feb 15

Out of all the readings I have to say that this week had to be the most interesting for me. Not only could I relate to them, but I also agree with the majority of what was said. The first reading involved the recent film I, Robot. The first part of the reading deals with the film industry. They discuss the business side of things, and later what they wish you to think or see from the film. Often times movies can influence stlye and other parts of todays culture. Also, many seem to find political meanings in film. The most recent example of this that I can think of would have to be Avatar. After leaving the movie theatre I realized the amount of hidden political reference within that movie. After all, it centers around the natives being driven from there country for the purpose of American interest. Sound familiar.
The last piece of this passage is what I found to be most interesting. The author compared the movie with the book. Essentially he states that all of the themes that the author put in the book had been ousted by Will smith in the movie. Although I agree with this statement, there is also a sense of business that has to be present in each movie. For example, all of the action packed scenes that were in the movie attracted an audience, which turned into money. Although the themes may be butchered, the movie was still a success in my opinion.
Star Wars was the subject of the second passage. The author states that in a sense the movie has all the characteristics of a typical western. For example, the bad guys wear black, the good guys wear white. There is also a “us vs them” theme and ofcourse there is a love story. I found this comparison to be very true in my mind. When analyzed, the only true difference between Star Wars and a western is the outer space setting.