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.

Here we are, AGAIN

yes. I've had to haggle with google, and make a new account. My old ones are completely broken. :/
Anywho...
post modernism

Parody: A parody is a mimic of a particular genre, and is more direct and satirical than a pastiche. An example of a parody of genres is "Epic Movie" and "Not another teen movie" and most of Monty Python is parodying ideas- such as Brian in "The life of Brain".
Aesthetic: This studies judgements and sentiments, as well as the way things look. It often uses other texts to promote itself as something in postmodernism. Such as the office" using the documentary style camera work to create the illusion that it's a documentary.
Nihilistic: A world of no values, or nothingness. Examples are "In the Thick of it" which shows a parody of the political world, and shows them as not caring about anything. It is also shown by 24 hour party people, which breaks normal social and even narrative bounds, making it nihilistic.
Irony: being jokey, poking fun but in satirical way. (eg, if you fail an exam when you try hardest.?)
Intertexuality: other works are referenced, often for comic affect and taken fun out of. (eg, in Harry Potter, where Mrs Wesley says: Not my daughter you bitch!
Play: playing around with morals, traditions, expectations, taking everything very lightly and jokily, making fun of everything.
Eccelistic: A wide range of influences, contributions and techniques found from all genres in the text, so the text is virtually genre-less. An example is the Mighty Boosh.
Self Referential: refers to the fact that it is a film, it knows it's a film, reminds of of it's purpose as a film, and that you are watching it-this breaks the 4th wall, and is often used to make an audience laugh at themselves, or to hit something home to the audience. An example is in "4 hour party people, where the protagonist turns to the camera and talks to it at the beginning, telling you exactly what is going to happen.
Hyper reality: The world is formed by the media, through symbols and signs, which are what we believe to be truth. Soon, because we are so linked to it, and believe it so much, it is hard to distinguish this from reality, and people live in hyper reality. eg-gulf war didn't happen, because it was so hyper real, it didn't seem to be anything more than just a war game. The disbelief in reality can lead to a nihilistic society.
Pastiche This is when there is a mix of styles, which can mean a mix of genres but can also be serious. (alot like eccletic)

Post modernism accoring to John Franis Leotard and Jean Bourillard.

Both of these men had ideas about post modernism, and about what we believe in. They think that the new media saturated world means that there is an end of reality and truths- no truth in this. (why people are becoming more atheists?)
Baudrilliard says that all truth was lost, that the media constructed the truth. The reality we live in is only surface meaning- we live in a world of signs and symbols, which add together to create the myths and connotations Barthes talk about. These myths are what we believe in, but they are created by the symbols and signs that the media create.(these ar repeated over and over until we see them as reality). Therefore, all truth is created, constructed and therefore distorted. (as Leotard says) This means that the world is a simulacrum. As these realities are created by people (claimed to be made up the high class) then this means what we believe both as British identity and about the world are all constructed and therefore could be seen as not true.
The simulacrum of the world creates a hyper reality, a reality which which created by the media and the semiotics and connotations. Therefore it is hard to distinguish between reality and hyper reality. An example could be the use of handhold cameras, promoting the media as real. (Although i think it also makes it self-referential.) Another example is the one by Baudrilliard, which says that "the gulf war didint happen". This is because of the coverage of the war was so much like a war game, and was so hyper real and well covered by all forms of media, that it looked unreal and created distence.
These both had ideas about the truth needing to be deconstructed, that what we see as truth needs to be looked at, and see where it comes from, and who owns it. (eg, we believe in fathers day-is this just a commercial idea?) This links to a Marxist theology of who holds the power. High culture is believed to be "better" than low culture for example, but this is commanded by the ideals of the higher class. (expectations of normal people are created by high people- eg, wine culture in France.) The UGC's maybe follow the more marxist approach, giving power to a general public to promote their versions of reality. (although could be too vague, not enhnaced enough- creation of nihilism?)

--->9-11
This was shown on TV and the internet in hundreds of different ways and news coverages, with different people, but with the same images. This had quite a few effects. One was to make the whole thing seem unreal- the pictures were ironically like american blockbuster films, and also like games. The repeatition of the images made them seem more and more constructed and less real. The twin towers became a sign which was recognized, but we reognize the media event not the reality of it. This adds distnace. The coverage therefore made it more real because of the coverage, but also made it hyper real, and this meant that the event was consuimed by the media event- it was a news stroy not reality.
-said that it could not be seen as a pure event, it is a mix of reality and media- therefore cant beleive in the event, as it had been distorted.

here is a comedy about postmodernism IRONICALLY.