Film Production Good Fiction – Performing Arts
In this lesson, we discuss some of the best film production and good fiction written and produced.
children of men
year of release: 2006
children of men
director: alfonso cuaron
children of men
in 2027, in a chaotic world in which women have become somehow infertile, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea
city of god
director: fernando meircelles and katia lund
city of god
TTLF: portrays life in favela in rio de janiero
city of god
TTLF: actually shot in a favela although not the real city of god as it was too dangerous; regardless, the director was afraid during the shoot
city of god
TTLF: most of the actors were residents of favela
city of god
TTLF: rehearsals for the film included holdups and fights to give the film a more authentic feel and to train the mostly amateur cast
city of god
TTLF: #21 ob imdb.com’s top 250
goodwill hunting
director: gus van sant
goodwill hunting
TTLF: characters study about a troubled young genius who must overcome deep personal issues
goodwill hunting
TTLF: originally written as a thriller with will hunting as an FBI officer; the story was then changed to focus on the relationship between will and sean
goodwill hunting
TTLF: premiere magazine ranked the film as one of the most overrated movies of all time
goodwill hunting
year of release: 1998
goodwill hunting
actors: matt damon, robin williams, ben affleck, stellan skarsgard
goodwill hunting
actress: minnie driver
goodwill hunting
tagline: some people can never believe in themselves, until someone believes in them.
goodfellas
director: martin scorsese
goodfellas
henry hill and his friends work their way up through the mob hierachy
mad max
director: george miller
mad max
characters: max, furiosa, nux, immortan joe, toast, splendid, capable
pulp fiction
director: quentin tarantino
pulp fiction
characters: vincent vega, jules, mia, marsellus, butch
pulp fiction
TTLF: title refers to crime novels popular in the 1950s
pulp fiction
TTLF: nonlinear story line: movie is presented out of order; tarantino: makes audience pay attention
pulp fiction
TTLF: known for its memorable characters, witty dialogue, pop culture references, and mix of humor and violence
pulp fiction
TTLF: contains a mcguffin- plot device that advances story but exact details are not revealed (left open to interpretation)
pulp fiction
TTLF: won oscar for best original screenplay: #4 on AFI list, #7 on IMBD
pulp fiction
actors: john travolta, samuel l jackson, ving rhames, bruce willis
pulp fiction
actresses: uma thurman
pulp fiction
tagline: you know the facts until you’ve seen the fiction
run lola run
director: tom tykwer
run lola run
TTLF: a young woman in germany has 20 min to find and bring 100k deutschmarks (55k) to save her boyfriends life
run lola run
TTLF: the film contains over 1500 transitions equating to an average shot length of about three seconds
run lola run
TTLF: during shooting, potente could not wash her hair for seven weeks because the red hair color was very sensitive to water and would have got lighter with every washing
run lola run
actress: franka potente
sin nombre
director: cary jogi fukunaga
sin nombre
characters: sayra, casper, smiley, lil mago
sin nombre
TTLF: the mara salvatrucha is a transnational criminal gang that originated in LA and has spread to other parts of the US, canada, mexico, and central america. the majority of the gang is ethnically composed of central americans and active in urban and suburban areas.
sin nombre
TTLF: fukunga spent two years researching the film, spending time with people on the trains and with gangsters in central america. he also consulted with gang members to review the script, making the slang and language as up to date and realistic as possible
sin nombre
TTLF: the film was shot in mexico
stand by me
characters: gordie, chris, teddy, verntessio, ace
stand by me
year of release: 1986
stand by me
actors: river phoenix, cory feldman, jerry o connell, kiefel sutnerland
stand by me
after the death of a friend, a writer recounts a boyhood journey to find the body of a missing boy
the princess bride
characters: wesley, inigo montoya, robin wright
the princess bride
year of release: 1988
the princess bride
actors: cary elwes, mandy patinkin
the princess bride
actresses: robin wright
the princess bride
quote: true love has never been a snap
the princess bride
while home sick in bed, a young boy’s grandfather reads him a story called the princess bride
the shawshank redemption
director: frank darabont
the shawshank redemption
characters: andy, ellis “red”, warden
the shawshank redemption
quote: fear can hold you prisoner. hope can set you free
whiplash
a promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a students potential