Wednesday 24 September 2008

how can i imporove on my AO'S

AO1= KEY CONCEPTS
To improve on key concepts i will be analysing more texts, doing a migrane analysis and also SHEP. Regular reminders of how to do it will help me to do it well and accurately and not face any problems.

AO2 = WIDER CONTEXT

Wider context is my difficulty, i will have to do plenty of practise. i must always be analysing so i can be strong with it and stop struggling. I will be using the Internet and other sources to help me understand it.

AO3.1 ISSUES/DEBATES AND THEORIES.

I do not have a major difficulty with A03 as i know how to solve it if i did. I must always read articles from the media guardian and listen to news reporters. i have used theorists in my independent study, i have found relevant ones be researching them on the Internet.

AO3.2 COMPARE AND ACCOUNT FOR SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN TEXTS

Also in my independent study i have compared different texts to analise and prove the point of my independent study

AO5 RESEARCH TECHNIQUES.

Research techiques is one of my strengths as i enjoy doing it, to help me i use the Internet however for my independent study i must start to use books to get better research.

Tuesday 16 September 2008

Migrane analysis


Media Language
The purple colour contrasts with the black to
make the title stand out showing that this is the
main focus. The main character is on the front
cover suggesting that she is the main subject in
the film therefore she is the one on the front cover
and not the rest of the characters. Sarah Jessica Parker
is portrayed as a fashion obsessed women she is wearing a purple
frock the same colour as the title suggesting that they are linked
together.
Institution
Season one of Sex and the City aired on HBO from June to August 1998. Season two was broadcast from June until October,1999. Season three aired from June until October 2000. Season four was broadcast in two parts: from June until August 2001, and then in January and February 2002.
Genre
the genre of the film can be classified as a romantic comedy.
Representation
The main representation of the film is women putting their career before there love life however it's not always the case. Each character has a different specific representation to them. The representation also shows the modern women who is obsessed with her career and not getting married and also the traditional housewife who just wants children and wants to please her husband.
Audience
Primary audience is aged 16 to 30.
Ideology
Feminism
Patriarchy
Narrative
may be seen as binary oppositions with the traditional housewife and the new career obsessed women.

V film review


Sex and the City
By
BRIAN LOWRY
Read other reviews about this film
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Kristin Davis, left, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kim Cattrall all face new obstacles in the 'Sex and the City' feature.
A
New Line Cinema release presented in association with Home Box Office of a Darren Star production. Produced by Michael Patrick King, Sarah Jessica Parker, Darren Star, John Melfi. Executive producers, Toby Emmerich, Richard Brener, Kathryn Busby, Jonathan Filley. Co-Producer, Eric Cyphers. Written and directed by King; based on characters from the book by Candace Bushnell and the TV series created by Darren Star. Carrie Bradshaw - Sarah Jessica ParkerSamantha Jones - Kim CattrallCharlotte York - Kristin DavisMiranda Hobbes - Cynthia NixonMr. Big - Chris NothEnid Frick - Candice BergenLouise - Jennifer HudsonSteve Brady - David EigenbergHarry Goldenblatt - Evan HandlerSmith Jerrod - Jason LewisAnthony Marentino - Mario CantoneMagda - Lynn CohenStanford Blatch - Willie Garson For a series so steeped in romance, the eagerly awaited “Sex and the City” movie feels a trifle half-hearted. Although there’s pleasure in seeing HBO’s fabulous four reunited, writer-director Michael Patrick King doesn’t fully bridge the gap between TV and film -- delivering major story flourishes but, too often, playing like a regular episode bloated to five times its customary length. Best in its small moments, the movie should find receptive gal pals congregating for the mother of all viewing parties, but appeal beyond that core should present New Line with less of a storybook finish than it doubtless would like.
The show’s creative guiding light in its later seasons, King dispenses with a quick guide to “Sex” via a clever opening-credit sequence. In short order, he catches the audience up on the characters, who were allowed to hopefully ride into the sunset in the series finale.
If only the movie exhibited the same dedication to pacing beyond that point. Without giving away too much regarding the story, one theme explores the boundaries of forgiveness -- a touch ironic for a romantic comedy that commits the near-irredeemable sin of stretching to nearly 2 ½ hours.
A little time has passed, and it’s in keeping with the show’s melancholy tone that fairy-tale endings don’t necessarily mean happily ever after. So the group’s narrator, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), is still involved with the on-off-and-finally-on-again mogul Mr. Big (Chris Noth); the prickly Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) is adjusting to marriage and over-scheduled motherhood; Charlotte (Kristin Davis) remains a wide-eyed dreamer; and Samantha (Kim Cattrall) chafes at monogamy, despite her Hollywood bedmate being the younger, classically gorgeous TV star Smith (Jason Lewis).
Each of the women, inevitably, faces their own obstacles, providing them with individual highlights around Parker’s Carrie, whose situation drives the story. Those arcs, however, ultimately prove less satisfying than the simplest scenes, such as the four getting loopy on champagne together or Davis’ Charlotte emotionally standing up for one of her friends.
As for new blood, Jennifer Hudson drops in as Carrie’s new assistant, graced with a 20-something’s faith in love. The “Dreamgirls” star makes more of the sketchy part than she has any right to (and, naturally, belts out one of the songs), while not incidentally representing a demographic break from the show’s largely monochromatic palette.
Not surprisingly, virtually every pricey label imaginable finds its way into “Sex’s” fashion-obsessed accessorizing. Thanks to Samantha, moreover, women also get to enjoy that rarest of cinematic moments -- sequences that completely objectify men, for a change. (In this case, the heretofore unknown stock to buy would be
Gilles Marini, cast in the near-non-verbal role of dreamboat neighbor Dante, a name chosen with sly purpose.) Adapting any TV series to film is a daunting task -- including, apparently, even one previously blessed with HBO’s artistic latitude. The delicate transfer process requires capturing the program’s essence while justifying the change of venue.
“Just like old times,” Samantha sighs during one joint outing, and it must have felt that way, particularly with King reassembling much of the show’s creative team as well as its cast.
Kind of like old times, actually, but not quite -- evidence that even a glossed-up version of Manhattan is a hard place to go home again.

fox review for sex and the city

'Sex and the City': First Review (No Spoilers)


You want to know about “Sex and the City: The Movie”? Here’s the bottom line: It’s going to be a very, very big hit.
I saw it on Saturday night at a private screening. Women wept, cheered. It’s the Neiman Marcus catalog on steroids.
The four female stars — not to mention Chris Noth as Mr. Big, David Eigenberg as Steve and Evan Handler as Harry — are the most appealing ensemble of the year.
In the end, the movie’s success rests on Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie. She’s the team captain, which means that she’s not only narrating but guiding the plot. Looking radiant and charming as ever, Parker couldn’t be better. She’s pithy and sexy. That’s some package.
I give a lot of
credit to Kim Cattrall, who gets the best lines and the funniest predicaments. She’s allowed her — and Samantha’s — true age to be written into the script. Bravo! Kim and Samantha are the hottest 50-year-olds around.
Cynthia Nixon, now a Tony Award winner since the show ended, remains a voice of reason as Miranda. She’s to this group what Felicity Huffman is to "Desperate Housewives," the calm at the center of the storm (and Nixon, not Cattrall, gets the most overt sex scene).
Kristin Davis, whose Charlotte is pregnant throughout most of the movie, is the comedy underdog. The eyes say it all. Charlotte has devilish underpinnings that surface at the best of times. And the little girl who plays her daughter is a real find.
Kudos also to director/writer Michael Patrick King for writing a new character, Carrie’s assistant Louise, played by Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson. This gives "SATC" its needed diversity. Hudson is just as terrific as she was in "Dreamgirls," a welcome addition to the "SATC" repertory.
King’s first step was to set up the film for those who might never have seen the series. Over the opening credits, we see a few important clips from the show, just to establish the characters.

FILM REVIEW FROM THE TLEGRAPH


Sex and the City, the movie: Review
"Everything that happens tonight must stay in this room," said Sarah Jessica Parker to the several hundred guests at last night's world premiere of Sex And The City the movie.


Sex and the City: the four fortysomethings have come a long way
But with the girlish excitement filling the cinema it seemed unlikely anyone would heed her plea.
Just in case none of us remember, the producers of the much-awaited film version of the hit TV series remind fans with a quick recap at the start of the film where the four characters were at the point we left them when the series ended.
Three years on, the two Ls are still carrying the storyline along: labels and love. In the first half-hour we're bombarded by so much brand placement that one might as well be witnessing an extended Vogue photo shoot brought to life.
While love scenes between the happy characters brought not so much as a murmur from the audience, a Vivienne Westwood dress and a Louis Vuitton handbag provoked coos of heartfelt admiration.
The triumph of capitalism is as unabashed as it always was but given, if possible, a greater ironic twist.
In 20 years, Carrie Bradshaw, the lovelorn journalist, has come a long way: she is engaged to a billionaire, who can offer her a walk-in wardrobe and more Manolos than she can ever dream of - but the consumer Cinderella has a crash heading her way.
And as the film progresses, the seemingly adult and perfect lives of the four fortysomethings start to show cracks.
Miranda's husband Steve commits an act she may never be able to forgive him for while Samantha's ego threatens to derail her relationship with Smith Jerrod.
Just Charlotte seems to have escaped the New York clique's curse.
It is only in the last 10 minutes that we find out whether the fairytale has the happy ending the audience so desperately seemed to crave. But one thing's for sure: fans of the series will lap this film up.
It was coarse, sentimental, and outrageously materialistic - just as we hoped and expected it would be.

Wednesday 10 September 2008

general research information

THE PLOT!!

Set four years after the events of the series final, the film begins with Carrie and Big viewing apartments with the intention of moving in together. Carrie falls in love with a penhouse suite far from their price range, but which Big immediately agrees to pay for. However, Carrie experiences doubts over the sensibility of this arrangement, explaining that they are not married, and as such she would have no legal rights to their home in the event of a separation.

Miranda is finding balancing her home, work, and social life ever more difficult, and confesses to the girls that she hasn’t slept with Steve in six months. She is devastated when Steve reveals he has slept with another woman, and immediately separates from him. Samantha is living with Smith who has a successful television career. They live in a seaside beach house in Los Angeles, where Samantha is finding it difficult to take time for herself. She is travelling back and forth from LA to New York and grappling with her persistent desire for sex with other men.

Charlotte is happy in her marriage to Harry, with their adopted Chinese daughter, Lily.
Carrie's wedding plans escalate into such a lavish event that Big begins to experience doubts. After an argument with Steve at the rehearsal dinner, Miranda, still upset about Steve's indiscretion, tells Big bluntly that he and Carrie are crazy to be getting married, as marriage ruins everything. On the day of the ceremony, he decides he cannot go through with it, leaving Carrie devastated and fleeing from the New York Public Libaray, where their wedding was supposed to take place. Big, however, changes his mind and intercepts Carrie as he sees her limousine drive past. Carrie has already been left humiliated and betrayed, and proceeds to attack Big with her bouquet; screaming her dismay at him, while earning furious looks from Miranda and Charlotte. The four women subsequently take the honeymoon that Carrie had booked to Mexico, where they de-stress and collect themselves. While they are there Charlotte learns that she is pregnant.
On her return to New York Carrie hires an assistant, Louise to help her move back into her old apartment and manage her administration. Miranda eventually confesses to Carrie about what happened during the night of the rehearsal dinner, and the two have a brief falling out. After reflecting on the argument she had with Carrie, Miranda agrees to attend couples counseling with Steve, and they are eventually able to reconcile. Samantha begins overeating to keep her from cheating on Smith with Dante, but eventually realizes that their relationship is simply not working, and that she needs to put herself first. The two break up, and she moves back to New York. Charlotte for several months is concerned that something might happen to the baby, as her life seems to be too perfect.
A surprise encounter with Big at a restaurant leaves Charlotte so furious that she goes into labor. Big delivers her to the hospital, and waits until baby Rose is born, hoping to see Carrie. Harry passes on the message that Big would like her to call him, and that he has written to her frequently, but never received a reply. Carrie searches her correspondence, before realizing that Louise has kept his e-mails password-protected from her, after she earlier announced she wished to sever all communication with him. She finds that he has sent her dozens of letters copied from a book she showed him in the weeks before their wedding, Love Letters of Great Men, Vol. 1, culminating with one of his own where he apologizes for screwing it up and promises to love her forever.
One hour before the locks are due to be changed on their shared penthouse apartment, Carrie travels to the home Big had bought for them to collect a pair of shoes she had left there. She finds Big in the walk-in closet he had built for her, and the moment she sees him, her anger at his betrayal dissipates. She runs into his arms and they share a passionate kiss. After spending the final hour in their apartment together, talking and apologizing to one another, Big proposes to Carrie properly, using one of her diamond shoes in place of a ring. They later marry alone, in a simple wedding in New York City Hall, with Carrie dressed in the original dress she had bought in a vintage shop. They hold a get-together at a local diner with their friends. The film ends with the four women around a table in a restaurant, sipping , and celebrating Samantha's fiftieth birthday, with Carrie making a toast to the next fifty.

Answering the Question….

Answer
•Females in Sex and the City are represented differently to how they have been represented in the past as they are not JUST housewives and they have careers etc but they still reply on men. Sex and the city shows the audience that it is very rare nowadays for women to be the stereotypical housewife due to women being much more obsessed with their image and career much more than settling down and finding a husband.
•Previous texts such as Kill Bill and Charlie's Angels seem like they are very feminists films as the females have a lot of power however what is not realised is that the women are actually still told what to do by men. Slowly things are staring to change as we are seeing more of an individual women doing what she wants and not just listening to a mans orders an example of this is Lara Croft (Tomb Rader)

The soundtrack





•The soundtrack was released may 27, 2008 by New line records. The soundtrack includes new songs by Fergie and Jennifer Hudson. Both of the songs relate personally to the characters and are typical for the scene that is being played.

Sex and the City Narration…


The narration of the movie is followed by the protagonist Carrie played by Sarah Jessica parker. This is unusual due to normally the main character is a male. In this film the narration was done by the female protagonist and the audience are indirectly forced to identify with her instead.


I will now look at the representation of females in Bond Films and Kill Bill




BOND GIRL
• A bond girl is a character portraying a sex object of James Bond.
•Bond girls conform to Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze in which women are just used for the sexual pleasure of the male audience.
•Bond girls are never actually part of the plot, the are just there to attract male audiences.




Kill Bill
• Women have a lot of power
• They go around fighting and trying to kill each other
• Feminist would be very happy with the way females have been represented in this however some feminists would argue that the females are still making decision with and listening to the male character ‘Bill’ which again gives an anti-feminist representation.

Representation.......



…..The representation of Charlotte played by Kristin Davis an anti-feminist stereotypical representation of a female. She is married and dependant on her husband, she already has one daughter and is expecting another baby, although she goes out with her friends and also loves shopping feminists would argue that she is still portrayed as a typical housewife.

Representation.......


……Similarly to Carrie, Kim Cattrall who plays Samantha is also obsessed with fashion labels and loves her 3 friends however she is not the ‘commited,husband loving’ type of women. She loves her sex life and career and by the end of the movie she ends a 5 year relationship with a man who loves her so that she is able to live her life to the full and focus on meeting new men to have ‘fun’ with and carry on with her career. This is an extreme feminist representation of a female as she is completely independent and only wants to worry about herself , her image , her career and her best friends no one else. Kim quotes "you know me I don’t believe in marriage however Botox works every time” this shows that she is not the typical women who just wants to end up getting married and living underneath a mans orders however has her own life and cares more about her beauty and appearance more than finding love.

Representation……

Representation of females in Sex and the City: The movie……


…..In Sex and the City Sarah Jessica Parker plays Carrie Bradshaw. The character of Carrie Bradshaw is shown as an image obsessed woman who must buy herself all the latest designer handbags and shoes to feel complete. Her three friends mean the world to her, they are always there for each other and always willing to help each other out. She is also a writer for a living, This representation of her shows her in an extremely positive feminist view, the fact that she has a career and is able to buy the things she wants for herself shows a very independent side to her, however Carrie is man-dependant as she came to New York in search for and her love Mr Big, which shows that she has to have a man in her life. When Big leaves her standing alone on her wedding day her life falls apart emphasising that she is nothing without him, suddenly all her independency disappears and all that is left is a heartbroken women with the inability to be happy without a man.

What will i be doing

In my independent study I will be discussing how females in Sex and the City are represented, I will be comparing these representations to the way in which women have been represented in other media texts such as Kill Bill and James Bond Films.

Hypothesis


How are females represented in Sex and the City: The Movie, are these stereotypical representations? Do these representation’s differ from representations of women in previous media texts.

Monday 8 September 2008

TRAILER

Independent study!

SEX AND THE CITY





FACT FILE

format: Comedy

Created by: Darren Star

Staring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattral, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon

Country of origin: United States

No. of seasons :6

No of episodes: 94

production producer: Michael Patrick

Location: New York City

Sex And The City The Trailer


Sex and the City is a multiple award winning popular American cable television program. It has been about scince 1998 until 2008 fot a total of 6 seasons. Due to Sex in the City being set in New York City, the show focuses on four women, three in thier mid thirties and one in her forties. the main story lines of the show is dealing with relevant issues people mostly women face in society today, issues such as changing roles and definations for women, multiple partners, promiscuity, womens independence and finding love.