Abstract
This paper outlines key social psychology principles found in Barry Levinson's 1997 film "Wag The Dog". These principles include heuristics, perceptions and changing people's beliefs and attitudes.The paper discusses where these principles were used throughout the movie.

From the Paper
"In a democratic society such as that of the United States of America, it is essential for those who want power to be able to sway and persuade others. No truer is this statement, than when in the context of the elections for the position of President of the United States. In Barry Levinson's 1997 film "Wag The Dog", it is only two weeks till the presidential election, and scandal is taking over the attention of the media. The incumbent president has a sex scandal on his hands that will surely affect the amount of votes he receives on election day. In order to deflect this unwanted attention, he hires a man named Conrad Brean, who has the ability to manipulate the media, and persuade the American people to think a certain way. By focusing on heuristics, social norms, and cognitive persuasion, Brean is able to alter the way people view the president, and garner their vote for the election."

Tags:dog, heuristics, ps270, psychology, social, wag

Abstract
This paper explores the role of isolation in Aflred Hitchcock's 1960 horror film "Psycho". It argues that it is through rejection from general society that Marion is pushed to the criminal act of theft, while Norman Bates isolation from American society turns him into a serial killer. It implies that the increasing isolation of individuals in American culture was an anxiety held by many in the 1950s and 1960s and how that disconnection could turn any one to violence and crime. The paper is based on both the film and an article by Thomas Hemmeter (referenced in the works cited).

From the Paper
"Since Marion is Norman's doppelganger it is not surprising that her situation, that of social isolation, parallels his. The physical representation of Marion's entrapment is the confined spaces in which she resides. The hotel room where she meets Sam Loomis (John Gavin), her lover, is bland, she shares office space with another secretary, Caroline (Patricia Hitchcock), her sister, Lila Crane (Vera Miles), shares a tiny, impersonal apartment with her, and Marion spends the rest of the film either in a car, at the Bates Motel, and finally the most claustrophobic space of them all, the shower."

Tags:bates, crime, disconnection, doppelganger, horror, marion

Abstract
This paper reviews the critically acclaimed 1991 film, "Raise the Red Lantern" by world-renowned director Zhang Yimou. The author summarizes the film about a young girl who becomes the third concubine of the wealthy Chen household. The paper describes the film as a parable for the corruption of modern society in China and explains the symbols used to depict communist authoritarianism in the film - the Chen household represents the government, and the customs of the house are the laws of the country. The author also praises Zhang's use of rich colors to enhance the the emotional response to the film.

From the Paper
"The red lanterns in this film are a stunning image, representing the power of the concubine. As was done in historical China, the lanterns are lit at the house of the concubine who the master favours. The concubine that has the lit lanterns ultimately has control over the rest of the concubines, as well as great influence over the master. If a concubine breaks the rules of the household, her lanterns will be covered in black cloth."

Tags:film review, communism, China

Abstract
This paper reviews some classic films such as "Goldfinger" (1964) and "My Beautiful Laundrette" (1985) as well as touching on in order to positively reinforce certain points the use of the film "Do The Right Thing" (1989), in an attempt to understand the socio-historical significance of race and nation representations within their respective time and place. It discusses the ideologies of race and nation with regards to Britain and America against this threat of "the other" as well as an in-depth look at the political structure and culture of the film eras. It evaluates the opinions and ideas of the writers and directors for a closer look at the characters roles and participation in these ideologies.

From the Paper
"In Goldfinger "the other" is both eastern Europeans like the Germans and Russians but also Orientals. The best example from these two films of the British/American alliance against "the other" is in the film Goldfinger. The writer of the James Bond series Ian Fleming uses the characters of hero's against villains to act out the racial stereotypes of the post-war era. The hero is James Bond who is a handsome, educated British spy who works with the Americans to stop the evil doings of the villain's such as Goldfinger (the communist eastern European). Goldfinger is a character representative of eastern Europeans as a whole, which is committed to destroying the world and dominating the social and political power of the universe, through his stereotypical portrayal."

Tags:politics, race, right, socialist, space

Abstract
This paper examines how Spike Lee manipulated the Malcom X story in his film by toning down Malcolm's radical message and even completely altering it at times.

From the Paper
"Popularizing Malcolm X by making his message more appealing to a broader base of people than it was initially, is Spike Lee's agenda. As I mentioned earlier this is not an easy task especially in America today as contrasted with the America Malcolm had faced. It is one thing to see eye to eye with a man who insists whites are devils when they act in evil ways toward you, it is entirely another thing to accept that same argument when whites act fairly, friendly and as your equal. Winning over this new generation of young Blacks who have grown up isolated from the centuries of racial injustice and animosity that proceeded them, is the dilemma that Spike Lee has to overcome."

Tags:historicism, lee, malcolm, movies, spike, racism, prejudice, segregation, cneshorship, Farrakhan, Muslam, Islam, omission, protests, NAACP, blacks, white, Martin, Luthor, King, civil, rights, violence

Abstract
The ethical theory of 'act utilitarianism' regards the solution to moral problems in terms of a calculus or algorithm that will, when given the relevant input, be able to provide the 'morally right' output. This paper describes the role that the ethical theory of act-utilitarianism plays in Woody Allen's movie, "Crimes and Misdemeanors". The paper argues that act-utilitarianism is shown to be a faulty ethical theory according to the movie.

From the Paper
"Even assuming that happiness were something that was objective and easily measured, it could still be possible for two people to have differences of opinion in deciding which morally correct course of action to take. While Judah may have seen the murder of Delores as being the course of action that not only preserved his happiness and the happiness of his family and all of those around him, were Delores to be consulted, she would have most likely come up with a different conclusion. Assuming that she was using act utilitarianism to come to her decision as well, Delores probably would have argued that Judah leaving his wife would have led to more happiness in the long run that the ending of her own life."

Tags:litch, mary, philosophy

Abstract
The paper discusses the subject of schizophrenia and utilizes the film "A Beautiful Mind," a movie based on the life of John Nash, to introduce the subject. In the movie Nash was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. The paper shows how the movie portrays the misperception that genius predisposes people to mental illness. The movie portrays the insulin shock therapy and anti psychotic medications he was given,and his determination never to use them again. The paper shows that schizophrenia symptoms can differ greatly between patients, but they usually exhibit some combination of delusions, hallucinations, thought disorder , movement disorder and inappropriate emotional expression that adversely affects their daily life. Nash, as portrayed in "A Beautiful Mind," exhibited all of those symptoms. The paper highlights the prenatal risks that are connected to schizophrenia and also the many reasons why this topic is important in the practice of medicine and/or mental health.

From the Paper
"There are many reasons why this topic is important in the practice of medicine and/or mental health. One reason is that it is a global problem with virtually all societies identify acute or chronic breakdowns in functioning, although the labeling is not universal. "There are significant gender variations in the findings surrounding schizophrenia. These include neuroanatomical differences, as well as differential developmental and behavioral patterns" (Galliano, 2003, p. 282). As we take individuals, regardless of gender, into account, an awareness of risk factors and then how they typically play out will be beneficial as we try to understand and help."

Tags:developmental, behavioral, patterns, prematurity

Abstract
This paper describes how, while working within the most innovative period in Soviet cinema, before the coming of sound, Dziga Vertov created the film "Man with a Movie Camera", a tribute to the newly formed Communist State, urban environments and technological advancement. It analyzes how in order to create a variety of themes, including those comparing the bourgeois and working classes, man and machinery and the nature of film itself, Vertov uses editing to relate a series of seemingly unrelated shots. It looks at how these shots are comprised of five types of images: industrial construction, traffic, machinery, recreation and citizen-workers. It also shows how he constructs meaning through editing in the film to form an argument in favor of the newly formed soviet state by juxtaposing disjunctive images, but also linking the images through composition.

From the Paper
"The main theme of Vertov's film is a cameraman performing his daily routine in an urban environment, and this meaning is produced through the films ability to show both the cameraman at work and the reaction he receives from the people he films. The entire film is reflexive in the sense that the audience is constantly reminded that film is a constructed environment, designed by the filmmaker. Mixing in shots of the camera, the cameraman, and the editing process maintain the idea that the film is just a part of Vertov's usual routine. The sequence opens with a shot of the cameraman reflected in the camera's lens, continues with a shot of the urban setting in which the events will unfold, and then returns to the filmmaker's "work" of filming traffic."

Tags:working, classes, bourgeois, cameraman, recreation

Abstract
This paper explains that, in Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull", Jake La Motta (Robert DeNiro) is constantly at odds with himself and with the people around him. The author points out Scorsese's use of the formal elements of film making to convey the visceral nature of what it is like to be in the ring and even to be one of the fighters during a fight. The paper describes, scene by scene, a pivotal sequence, the second fight between Jake La Motta and Sugar Ray Robinson, which demonstrates this visceral effect through lighting and composition for mise en scene, camera work for cinematography, editing and sound. The paper concludes that, in this sequence, Scorsese effectively plays with time, framing, light and sound to create feelings of defenselessness and power, victory and shame, during and after a pivotal and crucial fight.

From the Paper
"The first shot of the sequence begins as a handheld, high angled close-up on Sugar Ray Robinson's feet, dancing and shifting about in the ring. We hear a commentator on the stadium speakers, and the cheering crowd as La Motta's feet enter the frame. A title appears in the bottom center of the frame: "La Motta vs Sugar Ray Robinson Detroit 1943" in true 1940s television style. The camera rises (or tilts) up to reveal the back torso of La Motta and Robinson in front of him, ready to fight. Then we see a medium close-up of Robinson, over La Motta's left shoulder."

Tags:defenselessness power close-up lighting, mise en scene

Abstract
This paper discusses how "Thelma and Louise" strayed from the typical "road movie" formula in terms of casting, theme and storyline. It shows how the film not only helped to redefine gender stereotypes but also paved the way for other women, as well as gays, people of color and other traditionally underrepresented groups, to become "road movie heroes" as well.

From the Paper
"The conventional road movie twosome, which is usually comprised of either two young males or a male and female with a romantic connection, has permeated the genre since its inception. Thelma and Louise broke that tradition by not only using two female protagonists, but by portraying men in a consistently negative light; essentially as either "rapists", "bullies" or "boy toys"."

Tags:action, adventure, film, gender, roles, theme, gay, color