PMCb1131 Trash Cinema

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2024
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Robert Poupátko (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Iveta Jansová, Ph.D.
Department of Media Studies and Journalism – Faculty of Social Studies
Supplier department: Department of Media Studies and Journalism – Faculty of Social Studies
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The fundamental goal of the course is to introduce students to cinema from a different, perhaps somewhat distasteful angle and place it in the context of its time. To examine their impact on representation, politics, feminism, LGBTQ+ activism, and the thinking of the common viewer in general, both at the time of their creation and today.
Learning outcomes
Students will learn to analyze films in the context of the era in which they were made and understand their influence on society, politics, and the representation of marginalized communities. The course should also stimulate their critical thinking and ability to engage in discussions.
Syllabus
  • -Let's do the Time Warp again! - Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), its impact on the Queer community and cult cinema.
  • -Monster Roar - Them! (1954) Cold War and monsters of the atomic age.
  • -Female Fury - I Spit on Your Grave (1978) vs. Revenge (2017), from exploitation to feminism.
  • -Drag Queens and Dog Turds - Pink Flamingos (1972), taboo and purposeful provocation.
  • -Blood Splatters on the Screen! - The Evil Dead (1981) and the champions of video nasties censorship.
  • -Sex is Sexy - Score (1973) or erotica, politics, and cultural shock.
  • -Black Power! - Foxy Brown (1974). How the civil rights movement spawned a cult.
  • -Trash is a Lifestyle - Toxic Avenger 4: Citizen Toxie (2000). Violence as a tool of humor.
  • -Shoot It Again, and This Time Cheaper! - Critters (1986) and Critters 2: The Main Course (1988). Commercializing of trash.
  • -Something Bit Me! - Deep Blue Sea (1999) and nature's horrifying side.
  • -Trash of the New Millennium - WolfCop (2014) and the mathematics of purposefully bad modern films.
  • -Trash Lives! - Godzilla x Kong: New Empire (2024), bad taste lives. Thank the gods!
Literature
    recommended literature
  • Re/Search No. 10: Incredibly Strange Films
  • "Offensive Films: Toward an Anthropology of Cinéma Vomitif" by Joan Hawkins (1997)
  • "Sleazoid Express: A Mind-Twisting Tour Through the Grindhouse Cinema of Times Square" by Bill Landis and Michelle Clifford (2002)
  • "Trash Cinema: The Lure of the Low" by Guy Barefoot (2017)
Teaching methods
The course combines screenings, discussions, and contextual lecturing.
Assessment methods
Class interactivity requires mandatory attendance. Up to two absences are allowed. Upon exceeding this limit, additional assignments are required*. The course concludes with the submission of a subjective opinion on a chosen film: either Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959) or Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965). Depending on the missed class related to the third absence, the student will be prompted to prepare and submit an assignment related to the topic covered in that specific class. For example, if a student misses the class discussing I Spit on Your Grave (1978) as their third absence, they will be asked to produce additional written work related to that film.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
The course is taught only once.
The course is taught: every week.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/autumn2024/PMCb1131