The Counterculture 2001 A Space Odyssey

Films are a large part of our lives here in America where we depend on them to do when we’re bored with nothing to do, or when the snow or rain is falling. We all use movies as a common way to go on dates and be with friends. However, there has become an abundance amount of movies that we can all enjoy throughout our lives. Although not all movies are interesting to all viewers depending on their personality and what they like to watch. I can say for myself that a film that I really enjoy would be “Mean Girls”. In the two thousand four film “Mean Girls” there is a sense of entertainment that helps in combining all the aspects found in a classical film. Classical films having a entertaining and dramatic plot, and a excellent cast.

Stanley Kubrick’s sexual parody, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, illustrates an unfathomed nuclear catastrophe. Released in the midst of the Cold War, this 1964 film satirizes the heightened tensions between America and Russia. Many sexual insinuations are implemented to ridicule the serious issue of a global nuclear holocaust, in an effort to countervail the terror that plagued America at that time. Organizing principles, such as Kubrick’s blunt political attitudes about the absurdity of war and the satirical genre, are echoed by the film style of his anti-war black comedy, Dr. Strangelove.

This essay explores the popularity of Australian film, both locally and internationally and asks the question: Is there a crisis in the Australian Film Industry? This essay will go through the current issues the Australian Film Industry and will demonstrate examples of those problems.

In 1964 with the Cold War at its peak, the Vietnam War about to get underway and the Cuban Missile Crisis still prominent in the minds of its audience ‘Dr. Strangelove: Or how I Learned to Stop worrying and Love the bomb’, was exposed to the world during perhaps, one of the most fragile and tense political climates of all time. Kubrick’s utterly ironic black comedy that plays on the possibility of nuclear obliteration was based loosely on the celebrated 1958 novel, ‘Red Alert’ by Peter George but differed in the fact that the film was highly satirical. That Kubrick even so boldly dared to make a film that openly mocked the situation

Society tends to associate propaganda films with issues such as Nazi Germany and their film messages for their country; however, it is also possible for small independent companies, groups of like-minded people and individuals to use the media of film to incorporate messages for our society (The Independent, 2010). These messages are often in relation to changes that individuals should make in order to improve the standards by which they live their lives and changes to everyday habits that will benefit the individual, the individual’s family, a group of individuals or even a single person (Barnhisel and Turner, 2010).

During the sixties, American people saw the rise of the counterculture. Counterculture was a group of movements focused on achieving personal and cultural liberation, mainly embraced by the decade’s young adults. Because many Americans were members of the different movements in the counterculture, the counterculture influenced American society as a whole. As a result of the achievements the counterculture movements had made, the United States in the 1960s became a more open, more tolerant, and a more freer country. In 1969, close to half a million self-described hippies,peace makers, and Aquarians made an expedition from mainly San Francisco to Woodstock in upstate New York. The Woodstock Music and Arts Festival was called an Aquarian Exposition and hailed as three days of peace and music, over 400,000 people attended; it was peaceful. However, life outside of the woodstock festival was not. America seemed to be dividing as a country. The war in Vietnam went on for roughly another 15 years. American boys were still being sent to Southeast Asia by the newly elected President, Nixon. The increasingly unpopular war intensified a campus protest movement. Burning draft cards and peace marches became daily fare on the evening news. And not all of the demonstrations were peaceful. The summer after Martin Luther King was assassinated, riots broke out in 125 cities including, Chicago, Baltimore, NYC, Kansas City, and Cincinnati. Meanwhile, at the Democratic convention in Chicago, the anti-war movement tore the Democratic Party in two. Both critics and fans agree that Woodstock has become part of the mythology of the 1960s, even if the actual event didn't necessarily represent the musical or political taste of most of the young Americans adults at this time. Some say it symbolized the freedom and idealism of the 1960s. Some argue that Woodstock represented much of everything that was wrong with the sixties: a glorification of drugs, a loosening of sexual morality and a socially corrosive disrespect for authority.

The creation of this homogenous world causes a bubble where the integration of national economies, markets and cultures concedes to an "essentially American dominated culture" (Wayne, 2002, p.2). This import and export of culture, the bubble, and alimented by Globalization itself, brings about that Hollywood captures around 70% of British film market, for example, and the British film industry captures only 1% of the American market (Elliot, 2000). Jameson comes to the problematic assertion that consumption of Hollywood films breaks up the seamless web of habits and habitual practices' of a national culture.

“Film is incredibly democratic and accessible, it’s probably the best option if you actually want to change the world, not just re-decorate it”(Banksy). The main idea of this essay is how can films change people’s perceptions. There are three main subtopics that will be discussed and thouroughly analyzed which are emotions, racism, and documentaries, how these categories can affect people. Film is the most effective way of changing people's perspectives.

In “Could This Be the Year Movies Stopped Mattering?” by Brian Raftery, Raftery empathizes how present-day individuals are constantly absorbed towards social media and discover other alternatives to satisfy their entertainment needs. This led to the belief that movies are considered less significant. Furthermore, the author provides us with examples for instance, music, considered an unappreciated category of entertainment, yet unexpectedly, it is a resurgence and recurring item in today’s pop culture, and television, cinema’s long-time competitor in the entertainment industry. He also blames the sudden advancement based on the unexpected deaths of talented artists and a surplus of must hear albums from present artists. Meanwhile, in the year

VII. This Film helps enhance ones historical knowledge about the Space Race and how American space travel developed. Also, how we began to make efforts in beating the soviets. The film portrays how Mercury 7 innovations created programs that we use as a basis for our space programs today.

These fears are what were caused by the advancements of technology used in a horrific manner, threatening with such destructive weaponry, there seems to be no hope or bright future ahead. In the book 2001: A Space Odyssey, it greatly reflects that predicament.

The Sci-fi Film Blade Runner (1982) by Ridley Scott has been an illustration of the idea of “postmodernism” and “posthuman”. The film illustrates the idea of science and technology taking over the human society. The Idea of postmodernism is highly portrayed as the industry and the economy which also established most of the characters in the film. Blade Runner also explores our understanding of technology as an essential part of our lives and raises questions on issues pertaining to the are rapidly developing technology. It is a representation of what the conditions of postmodernity to establish its narrative story.

This movie depicts what happens during the Cuban Missile crises. It focuses on the role of the President of the United States, who at the time was John F. Kennedy. After coming to the conclusion that the Soviet Union, who decided to ally with Cuba during the Cold War, was in the process of placing nuclear weapons in Cuba, it was up to Kennedy and his advisors to come up with a plan. These nuclear weapons had the ability to wipe out a massive number of people and the United States had to be prepared to prevent this and fight back if they needed to. In addition to the millions of American lives that would be lost to the nuclear attack from Cuba, there would be a tremendous amount of Damage done to the United Stated military bases. What many of the advisors wanted to do was go forth and invade Cuba to begin to attack. Kennedy, rightfully, was worried about the outcome of that decision. If the United States went into Cuba to attack, the Soviet Union could not only attack us, but take out some of their frustrations of countries allied to the United States in Europe as well. The United States needed to find a solution. Kennedy knew he had to find a way to remove the missiles. He did not know if he should advance and take care of this using coercion or to try to do it peacefully. They try to advance diplomatically. They decide to try their best to keep the peace so this war that was at a cold

Social stratification has caused this informed audience to be someplace between the activities of cult fan communities and the institutional discourses of the film academy. The latter group is more favorable to those scholars who aim for legitimate accreditation and upward mobility, and is an opportunity for said scholars to act as “leaders” for their former affiliations. Paracinema, then, can be used as a platform for scholars whose noncompliance is but a front for the gradual accumulation in cultural, economic, and/or educational capital from the culture’s legitimized institutions. Consequently, the paracinematic audience comes off as an “ironic form of reverse elitism,” adopting academic film culture’s conventions and promoting an “aggressive, esoteric, and … ascetic counter-aesthetic.” This is made more difficult since the avant-garde, the academy, and even mass culture are appropriating ‘low-brow’ fan culture, as well as the paracinematic taste. An example is the gradual validation of low-budge exploitation films as an academic field of study. How can the paracinematic audience balance its double access to both high and low culture and simultaneously find distinction as a cult form of

Around the world today, everything is influenced by popular culture, and popular culture is greatly influenced by the United States. It’s no surprise that Hollywood is well known globally because the best way to share popular culture is through movies and music. As previously stated, popular culture has been disliked at times, which also means Hollywood is disliked as well. The reason for this is because many countries think there’s too much nudity and too much violence in the movies that are made in Hollywood. However, America has persevered because in order to be the best, one has to deal with criticism. American media continues to do very well abroad, especially Hollywood products that are known to be “a key engine of our economy”. Without it, our economy probably would not be on the top (Bronk). In order for Hollywood products to do well abroad they need to be liked, and according to our economy people around the world like Hollywood a lot.