Weathering the Storm

1. Weathering the Storm Amanda Reyes Benny Yeh Luis D. Centeno Reggie Robles Richia Castro-Larsen Ryan Goyette By: Space Cowboy

2. The Film is set on the weekend of and following thanksgiving in suburban Connecticut. The film revolves around the lives of the Hoods and Carvers. Reference to Fantastic 4 Luis Centeno

3. The Hoods are comprised of Ben Hood, Elena Hood, Paul Hood, and Wendy Hood. The Carvers are comprised of Jim Carver, Sandy Carver, Mikey Carver, and Janey Carver. Luis Centeno

4. Drugs, Alcohol, and Casual sex. Lack of boundaries and Purpose. Luis Centeno

5. Realization of issues and the value of family. Luis Centeno

6. Screen Shot Scene Richia Castro-Larsen

7. Screen Shot Analysis Richia Castro-Larsen

8. Mi Familia One young man migrates to the U.S. He lives with a relative. He falls in love and marries. Reggie Robles

9. Cont… • He and his wife have life obstacles to overcome. • His family goes through tragic events. • They lose a family member. • The family grows up. • The parents get older. Reggie Robles

10. Parallel Movie Comparisons • Dysfunctional families • In Mi Familia there are many changes going on with everyone's life • In Ice Storm there is a theme of disconnection • In both families, they recognize that there is a problem • In the end they know that they are: a family, and that is what matters Reggie Robles

11. American Beauty • Written by Alan Ball and directed by Sam Mendes • Lester, Carolyn, and Jane Burnham • The Fitz Family • Angela Hayes Amanda Reyes

12. American BeautyThemes • Dysfunctional suburbia • Perfect exterior, decaying interior • Lester Burnham: Diegetic • Repression: sexuality, desires, and true self • Transformation of self and emergence of true self Amanda Reyes

13. Similarities The Ice Storm American Beauty Dysfunctional suburbia Repression Death: Lester Burnham Sexuality Adolescence Weather: Rain and foreshadowing Substance use: marijuana Infidelity: Carolyn Burnham and Buddy Cane • Dysfunctional suburbia • Repression • Death: Mikey Carver • Sexuality • Adolescence • Weather: Ice storm and foreshadowing • Substance use: alcohol marijuana • Infidelity: Ben Hood and Janey Carver Amanda Reyes

14. Differences The Ice Storm American Beauty Era: Late 1990s-less influential Family dynamics: Dominant Carolyn and passive Lester Focus on physical appearance Color: Vivid tones, use of red Transformation and expression • Era: 1970s-Watergate, key parties • Family dynamics: Dominant Ben and passive Elena • Focus on family appearance • Color: Dark tones • Remains repressed Amanda Reyes

15. Readings -Film based on the novel written by Rick Moody in 1994. -Deals with the American life in 1970s -Discusses the falling apart of two suburban families. -Novel focuses on teenagers who are dealing with safety and privilege of suburban life and its constraints. -Parents go into affairs and parties -Moody's controlling metaphor of the ice storm. -Critic is skeptical that Ang Lee understood the 1970s. Benny Yeh

16. Ang Lee on The Ice Storm -Success on the film Sense and Senibility helped Ang Lee with The Ice Storm -The Ice Storm was done because not much has been created from the 1970s. -Shooting the film took 5 more days than expected due to the seasonal effects on the trees. -Ang Lee’s role as a directed is to be a good seducer, meaning to observe things and make an attempt to control them. -Portrays actors rather than using them as moving objects in the film. Benny Yeh

17. -Preproduction was the most time spent. Ang Lee likes portraying father figures see the collapse of the patriarchal society. -Ang Lee studied the music from the 1970s to get a feel for the decade. -Goal is to create every movie different from the previous ones. Benny Yeh

18. Auteur Theory and Authorship Auteur Theory “important in every art form, whether for reasons of intellectual property rights and the art market or for reasons of status and identification.” Authorship • Auteur = author. • Who is the author of a film? http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQc3KB1ha3qK3ez8XHZ6se-f6amcJSvgeOUpI5M7WGX6J8iEAcW http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/upload/2009/07/science_what_is_it_really_all/writer.jpg Ryan Goyette

19. Authorship in Cinema • Basic idea of “dominant personality.” • Director = auteur. • Simple, easy definition. http://www.crystalinks.com/quotes10.html Ryan Goyette

20. Authorship and Mise-en-scène Authorship Mise-en-scène Design aspects of film production. • Director attains auteur status through mise-en-scène. Ryan Goyette

21. Auteur Structuralism and Beyond Auteur codes Death of the Author Author = “unconscious catalyst.” Author is a byproduct of writing and the audience’s interpretation. • Distinguish between real person and creative personality. • "Hitchcock," "Ford," "Hawks,“ etc. Ryan Goyette

22. References • Fantastic Four Pictures • http://www.profilethai.com/download/download-2715-fantastic-four-wallpaper1024.html • http://www.encomics.com/wp-content/gallery/1/Fantastic%20Four%204.jpg • http://www.comicwallpapers.co.uk/images/main/Marvel%20Comics/Fantastic%20Four/1280960/ff554_1280_519.jpg Thank You.

23. Quiz • On what holiday does The Ice Storm occur? • What was one of the parallel films observed for the presentation? • Who wrote the book which the film The Ice Storm was based off of? • What does auteur mean? • What was significant about the patriarch role in The Ice Storm?