Research Proposal Thread: What Are You Writing About?

1) Kelci:

I have decided to write my research essay over Boogie Nights written by Paul Thomas Anderson. This movie was a bit out of my comfort zone but it was definitely really entertaining. What really sparked my interest in this film is the fact that I can relate to what Eddie is going through with people telling him he won't make it. The dedication Eddie (Mark Wollenberg) has to become an actor starts with one scene that shapes the film which is the argument Eddie has with his toxic mother, with her calling him a loser and stupid because he dropped out of high school. He then packs his things and goes to a substitute family who actually gives him love and support. Throughout the entire film, each character is lonely and going through an internal struggle. I want to know if the presence of love motivates the characters to become successful. Something I've noticed as I was watching is without love and support, the characters stoop to their lowest point.

Two sources I found: 

You're not the King of Dirk by Adam Nayman located in the Academic Search Premier on the library database. 

The Player by Karl Taro Greenfield located in the Academic Search Premier in the library database. 

2) Tessa:

I want to write on Stanley Kubrick's The Shining because horror movies are often seen as gruesome and made up to be nothing more than a means to get a scream. I want to explore the hidden meaning behind the film and look at other aspects of the movie. Instead of focusing on the scary aspects, I want to look the philosophical aspects that Kubrick leaves for the audience, such as the relationship between characters or their response in a life or death situation and why they may have that response. I would like to learn about how a director carefully puts together a horror film that can have such a big emotional impact on its audience that they remember those films years later when they're sitting alone in the dark. One secondary source I found through the library database was The Uncanny and the Fairy Tale in Kubrick's The Shining by Christopher Hoile which focuses on circularity and repetition in the film along with the relationship between the father, mother, and child. Another secondary source I found also through the library database was Stephen King's: THE SHINING: APPRECIATING KUBRICK by John Schofer which focuses on the debate on whether Kubrick incorporated so much detail that it took away from the fear of the film.