Deck 8: The Digital ERA: Back to the Future, 1994-Present

Question 1

Why do some people predict that in-flight movies on airplanes might soon be a thing of the past?

A) Passengers have grown tired at the poor quality of watching movies on an airplane.
B) Studios are becoming increasingly reluctant to license their movies for airplane exhibition.
C) Most of the trips airplane passengers take today are too short to watch a movie.
D) The proliferation of personal electronic devices like smart phones and tablets allow passengers to bring their own movies with them.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The following term refers to the practice of beginning a movie franchise series over again.

A) Rerun
B) DIY
C) Reboot
D) Tentpoling

Answer 2

C

Question 3

What is an important quality shared by movies series such as The Dark Knight Batman movies, the X-Men series, and the Harry Potter series?

A) Each features a central female hero.
B) Each is set in a pre-9/11 world.
C) Each focuses on the influence of digital technology.
D) Each features reluctant, conflicted heroes.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following is a common characteristic of the bromance?

A) A failed heterosexual romance between the main male and female characters.
B) A focus on the close emotional relationship between two straight male characters.
C) A strong advocacy for gender equality.
D) Stories that mainly appeal to female audiences.

Question 5

Which of the following romantic comedies is not usually thought of as a bromance?

A) I Love You, Man
B) The Hangover
C) You've Got Mail
D) Superbad

Question 6

What is one reason that Zero Dark Thirty became the subject of controversy?

A) It was unclear whether the movie meant to support or criticize the use of torture in the "war on terror."
B) The heroic ending was seen as promoting a pro-war message.
C) The director had little experience with action-oriented movies.
D) The main character fails in her mission.

Question 7

Which of the following is a recurring characteristic of Wes Anderson movies?

A) Extended, complex action sequences.
B) A focus on complex family relationships, particularly between fathers and sons.
C) They are all romantic comedies.
D) His dark and cynical worldview.

Question 8

This Wes Anderson movie consists completely of stop-action animation:

A) The Grand Budapest Hotel
B) Fantastic Mr. Fox
C) Rushmore
D) Bottle Rocket

Question 9

This Austin, Texas based arts festival emerged as a key showcase for indie films in the 2000s.

A) The Sundance Festival
B) The Cannes Festival
C) The Slamdance Festival
D) The South by Southwest Festival

Question 10

Which of the following best describes the contemporary relationship between the screen experiences of movies and television?

A) Video streaming services and the simultaneous release of movies in theaters and online are blurring the lines between "movies" and "television."
B) The increasing sophistication and expense of CGI effects in the movies is creating even greater differences between movies and television.
C) Movie actors are becoming more and more reluctant to appear on television programming.
D) Movies typically feature more complex, character-driven story lines than television programming.

Question 11

The year 1999 saw the appearance of which influential group of movies and television series?

A) Fight Club, Magnolia, The Sopranos
B) American Beauty, Fight Club, Breaking Bad
C) The Big Lebowski, Titanic, The Sopranos
D) Three Kings, Rushmore, Orange is the New Black

Question 12

What does "fanedit" refer to?

A) Editing movies based on fan responses to early versions of a movie.
B) An extended version of a movie that contains new materials for die-hard fans.
C) A viewer re-editing an existing movie into a new version.
D) The editor of a website devoted to a particular movie.

Question 13

In what way is the Internet era potentially blurring the lines between "student" and "scholar," "amateur" and "professional"?

A) Digital technology makes it easier than ever before for almost anyone to create and distribute screen experiences.
B) The proliferation of video viewing sites allows easy access to a wide variety of historical and international movies.
C) The Internet allows anyone to write and publish their own movie reviews, critical analyses, and personal research.
D) All of the above.

Question 14

Which of the following statements most accurately applies to the screen experience of The Matrix?

A) The Matrix warns against the loss of personal freedom to a large, impersonal entity, yet the movie is the product of a giant, multinational entertainment conglomerate.
B) The Matrix warns against the potential dangers of technological development, yet the movie fails to anticipate the rapid growth of the Internet.
C) The Matrix proves that even today a movie does not need expensive visual effects in order to become a box office hit.
D) The Matrix was one of the first movies in American cinema history to deal directly with the threat of runaway technology.

Question 15

By the 2010s, how much of media production and distribution was controlled by the "Big Six" giant media conglomerates?

A) Less than half
B) 50 to 60 percent
C) Just under 90 percent
D) Over 90 percent

Question 16

This 2003 independent autobiographical documentary, made for less than 200 dollars, demonstrates the potential of the Internet age to dramatically increase access to media production.

A) Tarnation
B) Moonrise Kingdom
C) Tiny Furniture
D) Magnolia

Question 17

Which of the following is an example of a movie that deals directly with the first Gulf War?

A) The Matrix
B) Three Kings
C) Zero Dark Thirty
D) Saving Private Ryan

Question 18

Which of the following best describes the response of mainstream movies to the increasing ethnic diversity of the United States?

A) There has been a dramatic increase in the ethnic and racial diversity of the main characters in mainstream movies.
B) Stories focused on the struggles and triumphs of recent immigrants have become a popular genre of mainstream movies.
C) Immigration has been portrayed as mainly a negative development in most mainstream movies.
D) Most mainstream movies still focus on stories about white male protagonists.

Question 19

With movies such as Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, and The Bling Ring, this director is an example of the emergence of a group of directors in the 1990s who exemplify the "indie" emphasis on personal movies made with a distinctive style.

A) Paul Thomas Anderson
B) Spike Jonze
C) Sofia Coppola
D) Kathryn Bigelow

Question 20

This low budget indie movie by Lena Dunham became a model for her cable television series Girls.

A) Tiny Furniture
B) Hannah Takes the Stairs
C) Mean Girls
D) Tarnation