Micheal Winterbottom and the Cohen Brothers.

Micheal Winter bottom 24 hour party people:
This was a very post modern film for many reasons. Right form the start it establishs itself as like this- the protagonist turns and talks to the camera,(self referential) and tells you exactly what is going to happen to each character. This breaks normal narrative codes, and the 4th wall, creating a nihilistic sense due to a lack of normal story telling methods. The slow mo camera shots while the protagonist is still moving at the right speed is also post modern, reminding the audience that they are watching a film, which the protagonist is playing with.
There is a lack of values too- the use of guns and fighting is excessive and comic, using these as normal people might have an argument. This is also shown by the protagonist sleeping around and the girlfriend getting back at him- a lack of normal values.
The narrative structure is also post modern, flicking between past and present in a self aware way, usually finding out what is going to happen in the present. The random input of comic skeches such as the killing the pigeons, helps to breaks down the structure, making it narrative-less and hard to follow. This is quite comic, but is nihilistic as there are no rules or values to story making- it is just a random set of things. (although this could be a representation of life)
Also- use of camera shots, which are handheld, mock-documentary style. This increases it's realoity and makes it hyper real.

There is also parody within it. This is at the end, with the mimic of religion and god, as well as maybe a parody of Monty python- the whole set up, drawings and music surrounding "God" is very much like the MP representation. The characters are also mimics- they seem to be very stereotypical, like the selfish musician/druggie who tries to steals a fitting man's ciggerettes. There is also a direct parody of robinson cruesoe within this.
Links to British indentity with the Drug Rave moral panic idea, plus with the run through the British icons of music.
--->line which sums it up is "if you have to chose between the truth and the legend, chose the legend." This shows the hyper reality we live in.

Cohen Brothers. Oh brother where art thou?
This is also post modern. It is a pastiche, with aspects form many films and genres which add to the humour. For example, the general convict run away is setup like a western, or a crime movie-but we are on the side of the criminals, and the use of melodrama convert the normal idea of good verses evil. (for example, while in the barn, Walter repeates "damn we're in a tight spot" alot of times) This looses the value of crime and instead makes it funny and valueless. Linking to this pastiche idea, is the mimic of a rags to riches story through singing, on a one off, although this doesn't work. Also, the mimic of a fairy tale, where they think that there Friend has turned into a frog. This establishes their characters as Innocent or childlike. Another gnre which is paradied is also the start, which opens as a silent movie, and sets up expectations of this-(more PC) these are then converted by the ending, and the gradual seeping in of oclour. This is playing with audience awareness of the film being made.
There is also a lack of values. The politicians are over the top and corrupt (and in the kkk), the kkk are racist, religion is shown to a meaningless quick fix which has no impact, people sell the truth and their souls to the devil, plus his wife disregards their marriage and runs off with someone else for money. Plus crime is shown as playful and fun. This is a very nihilistic world. The only value that it seemed to be conveyed is the "treasure", a false hope. This could be a comment on the American dream, which seemed to many to be a false hope which focuses on materialistic gain above anything else. (shown by all the characters dreaming about getting houses or clothes) The dream is to get rich, and the character of George Nelson represents how crazy it is to live by this.
The narrative is also very winding, and not apparent. There is also intertexuality with many aspects, such as the "R-U-N-N-O-F-T" which links to the d-i-v-o-r-c-e song, which is context at the time, and as they spell run oft wrong, this helps to make it comic.

The Big Lebowski:



Again, the begging in shows the self referential aspect if this films- we follow a fake ball of tumbleweed. This is very self aware, aware that it creating a story, and comic due to the connotations with tumbleweed as stereotyped ideals of loneliness. The narrator is also self referential, addressing the audience, but saying "I lost my train of thought." This links to the way that documentaries are set up, with authoritative narrators, and converts this idea for comic effect.
There is also some lack of values- for example, the peeing on a carpet, the dude is a layabout, with no job and no hope-he has no values, other than being cool. There is also lots of violence, and the nakedness of women, along with a women kidnapping herself for money shows that normal values are less apparent. However, there are values of friendship and peace form the Dude, plus the values of marriage. These values are poked fun at too, however, making them less integral. (for example: "you're wife's been kidnapped? that's a bummer.") but these values are less materlisitc than Oh brother Where Art Thou?
The film also relies alot on stereotypes. For example, the stereotype of the competive bowler. He is named "jesus" (converting relgious ideals) and his set up to seem arrgoant, over the top etc.

------> with Blade Runner and the Matrix

The Matrix is considered post modern because of the storyline, which is self refferential and also written about people stuck in vertual matrix, which is a cyperspace etc. This could be a reflection on our world, which is so emerced in media it controls our lives. (eg, we cannot live without computers-they which dominate work, socializing, the media,(production and consumption) are used for satelights and TV, are used in business, and even in war or for medical avancments like DNA) or how we use ipods, and phones to be always in link to the media. Therefore, as they control our thinking and lives so much, they seem like a matrix themselves. This could be considered a dystopia. This links to Blade Runner, which is anotehr version of a dystopia-a world where the technology and postmodern attitude has gone out of control, and the world is dytopic.
Blade Runner, like the other films i mentioned, is postmodern, due to it's self refential reffernces and images, plus it is pastiche. Blade Runner links to the idea by JAmieson about postmodernism being envitable to late capitalism. This links to the other films, which are all made in a late capital state, and therefore are in Britian, which could be considered to be both postmodernism and a "technocracy". This could explain the postmodern content of the films of today.