Eighth Grade-A Conversation
Here is the link to our “podcast” episode on Eighth Grade. Still working on figuring out how to add the PDF with our visuals so stayed tuned!
“Blue” (1993) Dir. Derek Jarman
“My sight seems to have closed in. The hospital is even quieter this morning. Hushed. I have a sinking feeling in my stomach. I feel defeated. My mind bright as a button but my body falling apart – a naked light bulb in a dark and ruined room. There is death in the air here…
“Paris is Burning” (1990) Dir. Jennie Livingston
I am incredibly torn when it comes to how to read this film. bell hooks’ takes a hard and fast stance against nearly every aspect of the film, from its conception to its message to drag culture itself. She pointed out one of the more disturbing elements drag culture that the documentary revealed: “the idea…
“Fox and His Friends” (1975) Dir. Rainer Warner Fassbinder
Michael Koresky put it best in his 2017 article for Criterion-director Rainer Warner Fassbinder’s vision of life in “Fox and His Friends” (1975) is such that, “Sex and money are purely transactional, and while life is characterized by hopeless circularity, death offers no transcendence.” The underlying world view seems to be nihilism. You must use…
“The Celluloid Closet” (1995) Dir. Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
“The Celluloid Closet” (1995) directed by Rob Epstein, and Jeffrey Friedman massively opened my eyes as a heterosexual in the industry. Not only did the film inform me of the history of queer representation that had sometimes flown over my head, but it also provided the full spectrum of gay representation. What struck me near the…
Halloween (1978) Dir. John Carpenter
When rewatching the iconic 1978 John Carpenter hit, “Halloween,” I desperately wanted it to be feminist. I was constantly fighting to find the feminist reading, and would jump at anything that felt different; anything subversive to the classic feminist tropes. And while I did find those instances, “Halloween” still feels utterly “tropey.” I asked a…
Introduction
My name is Laura and I am a senior Creative Producing major and English minor at Chapman University. Here, I will be discussing my thoughts and research on gender and sexuality representation in film.
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Film, Gender, Sexuality 