Ina's Horror Blog

october's a daily horror halloween reboot!

If I watch something horrific today (October 31, 2013) then I can say I DID it! (Most likely it will be Halloween) But the blogging part between here and tumblr was scary. But here's an attempt at reconstruction of my blog à la Dr. Peter Cushing von Frankenstein!

October is a month full of sad anniversaries for me. As research for my artwork and to challenge and yet to soothe myself and inspired by the horror-movie-a-day blog, I will watch at least one horror movie a day for the month.

October will be a daily horror!

Technocult Sci-fi Posts!

Talk about dystopian--this summer was it for me!  But one good thing was, as always, my film class taught by John Frietas at New School. This summer instead of horror we looked at Sci-Fi! But since I was occupying the horror realm in my personal life I missed several classes and did not have a chance to blog. I am going to try to catch up here...  As usual, there were many new universes/themes/films/correspondances to explore! One needs a supercomputer like HAL, Prometheus or Colossus just to keep up with it! Meanwhile, here's the syllabus and screening list and me & macbook will take it from there!

 

Technocult: Technology, Society and the Science Fiction Film NFLM3155-CRN1931 SUMMER 2012: 15 sessions. Tue. & Thurs. 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. beg. June 5

Instructor: John Freitas _____________________________________________________________________

Technocult: Technology, Society and the Science Fiction Film

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and the advent of technology, man has celebrated, questioned and pleaded with the machine. The genesis of technology was soon followed by the birth of its artistic and analytic child, the genre of Science Fiction: first, in literary form and then quickly followed by its true symbiotic counterpart in the arts, film. Filmmaking (the art of technology made flesh) in general and Science Fiction film in particular have always been fascinated by and obsessed with the Janus question of utopian and dystopian worlds, and which of these we inhabit. Soon other themes and questions became self-evident, including but not limited to the mechanization of man; technology’s effect on culture, communication and politics; and finally its effect on how we define ourselves and existence. In a comprehensive and comparative analysis the course discovers, define, and discuss a series of diverse and cautionary science fiction films by well-known and less-known masters, including Donald Cammell, David Cronenberg, Alfonso Cuaron, Karl Freund, Stanley Kubrick, Fritz Lang, Joseph Losey, Joseph Sargent, Ridley Scott, Francois Truffuat.

Technocult: Technology, Society and the Science Fiction Film – Screening Series

The following films are screened: Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1926), Mad Love aka The Hands of Orlac (Karl Freund, 1935), Gojira aka Godzilla (Ishiro Honda, 1954) Forbidden Planet (Fred M. Wilcox, 1956) The Incredible Shrinking Man (Jack Arnold, 1957), The Damned (Joseph Losey,1963), Fahrenheit 451(Francois Truffaut, 1966), Colossus, The Forbin Project (Joseph Sargent, 1970), A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971), Demon Seed (Donald Cammell, 1977), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Philip Kaufman, 1978), Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982), Videodrome (David Cronenberg, 1983), Dark City (Alex Proyas, 1998), and Children of Men (Alfonso Cuaron, 2006). Under unusual circumstances a substitute may be shown.

Technocult: Technology, Society and the Science Fiction Film NFLM3155-CRN1931 SUMMER 2012: 15 sessions. Tue. & Thurs. 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. beg. June 5

Technocult Film Series: Screening Schedule 06/05 Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1926)

06/07 Mad Love aka. The Hands of Orlac (Karl Freund, 1935) 06/12 Gojira aka. Godzilla (Ishiro Honda, 1954)
06/14 Forbidden Planet (Fred M. Wilcox, 1956)
06/19 The Incredible Shrinking Man (Jack Arnold, 1957) 06/21 The Damned (Joseph Losey, 1963)

06/26 Fahrenheit 451 (Francois Truffaut, 1966)
06/28 Colossus, The Forbin Project (Joseph Sargent, 1970) 07/03 A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)
07/10 Demon Seed (Donald Cammell, 1977)
07/12 Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Philip Kaufman, 1978) 07/17 Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982)
07/19 Videodrome (David Cronenberg, 1983)
07/24 Dark City (Alex Proyas, 1998)
07/26 Children Of Men (Alfonso Cauron, 2006)

Technocult: Technology, Society and the Science Fiction Film NFLM3155-CRN1931 SUMMER 2012: 15 sessions. Tue. & Thurs. 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. beg. June 5

06/05 Introduction to course - outlines and objectives - What is Technology?

- Technology: its basic history and themes
- Intro. To: Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1926)

06/07 Technology and the origins of Science Fiction: in literature and film - Utopia or Dystopia:

- Is it a matter of truth or perspective?
- Discussion of: Metropolis
- Intro. To: Mad Love aka. The Hands of Orlac (Karl

Freund, 1935)
READ: Chapter 1 – Screening Space – The Limits of the Genre – Definitions and Themes

06/12

06/14

MAN as MACHINE – The dehumanization of the individual, parts for sale. - Dark love, surgery and amour fou.

- A discussion of Mad Love
- Intro. To: Gojira aka. Godzilla (Ishiro Honda, 1954)

Return of the radiated – The atom bomb’s offspring and progeny. - Nuclear nightmares and the holocaust.

- A discussion of Gojira
- Intro. To: Forbidden Planet (Fred W. Wilcox, 1956)

READ: Chapter 2 – Screening Space – Images of Wonder – The Look of Science Fiction

06/19

06/21 The birth of space operas and adventures – the classic progenitor of a genre. - Shakespeare, Star Trek and Robbie the robot.

- A discussion of Forbidden Planet
- Intro. To: The Incredible Shrinking Man (Jack Arnold, 1957)

EXISTENTIAL ANGST and METAPHYSICAL NIGHTMARES: - To God there is no zero.

- Consuming consumers & suburban landscapes. - A discussion of TISM
- Intro. To: The Damned (Joseph Losey, 1963)

READ: Chapter 3 – Screening Space – The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo

06/26 ANNIHILATION and the APOCALYPSE - Mods, rockers and radiation! - Children of the light.

- A discussion of The Damned
- Intro To: Fahrenheit 451 (Francois Truffaut, 1966)

Technocult: Technology, Society and the Science Fiction Film NFLM3155-CRN1931 SUMMER 2012: 15 sessions. Tue. & Thurs. 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. beg. June 5

06/28 ART and SELF - Casualties of Technology? - Thought and identity

- Why write when you can tweet?
- A discussion of Fahrenheit 451
- Intro. To: Colossus, The Forbin Project (Joseph Sargent, 1970)

READ: Chapter 4 – Screening Space – Postfuturism

07/03 COMMUNICATION, COMMUNITY, and the COMPUTER
- Is God the ultimate Internet server (observer)?

- A discussion of Colossus, the Forbin Project
- Intro To: A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)

07/10 BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION and the STATE - One and the same. - “As queer as a clockwork orange”

- A discussion of A Clockwork Orange
- Intro. To: Demon Seed (Donald Cammell, 1977)

07/12 CREATION vs. REPLICATION - The inherent patriarchy of Technology and the - assault on humanity. Smart homes and terrible dreams.

- A discussion of Demon Seed
- Intro. To: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Philip Kaufman, 1978)

07/17 IDENTITY and MASS MEDIA - Pop-culture slaves and the loss of self.
- Who are all you zombies? Make mine a grande!

- A discussion of IOTBS
- Intro. To: Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982)

07/19 MAN IS MACHINE – The simulacrum two-step, we are one. - Who and what defines us?

- What is it to be human?
- A discussion of Blade Runner
- Intro. To: Videodrome (David Cronenberg, 1983)

07/24 SEX, PUBLIC ACCESS and TECHNOLOGY:
- Pubic excess and the electronic extensions

of the self. Long Live the New Flesh?
- A discussion of Videodrome
- Intro. To: Dark City (Alex Proyas, 1998)

07/26 RAGE AGAINST the MACHINE – Urban landscapes and violent geometry. - Subjectivity and reality – A love story?

Cauron, 2006)

- A discussion of Dark City
- The politics of fear: Alien immigration and the other. - Intro. & discussion of: Children of Men (Alfonso

Technocult: Technology, Society and the Science Fiction Film NFLM3155-CRN1931 SUMMER 2012: 15 sessions. Tue. & Thurs. 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. beg. June 5

Required Texts:

Screening Space: The American Science Fiction Film by Vivian Carol Sobchack New Jersey - A.S. Barnes and Co., Inc., 1987.

(c). 1997, 2009 and 2012 John Freitas