Ethical Reviews for Films

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You are to write reviews of SIX of these films.

These films come from many genres, including comedy.Many should be available in our library.Others should be available on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Google Play, etc. Renting some of them may be the only incidental cost of this class.Your job is to watch them – and then find a way to review them (two pages double-spaced for each review) that shows you’re seeing the ethical problems shown in the films.It should be partly fun – and partly serious education. Not all the suggested questions will be relevant to every movie in that category – and are provided only as suggestions to get you started.

*These films contain strong language or violence – others may, as well, use imdb.com to check for ratings if you’re concerned.

Some films may appear in more than one category – but you can only count them one time.Always watch an earlier version of any film.

Businesses and the behavior of individual employees, interns, underlings.Customer service ethics.Watch ONE from this category.

Write on:1) What factors, other than money, are playing a role in employees’ behavior?2) what real world parallels have you observed, in which unhappy employees might make or break (eventually) a business?

Amarcord, Clerks*;Do the Right Thing*; The Aquatic Life of Steve Zissou; The Big Kahuna; Wall Street (1987); Z Channel; Syriana

Documentaries or nearly.Watch ONE from this category.

What role do documentaries play in telling the world what’s really going on?What is a corporation – based on what you see in the film?What are the ethical dilemmas shown?Besides corporations, what other entities employ people and influence the economy?Don’t forget that the film business…is a business.If you see no corporations in the film – think harder about it.

The Corporation;Supersize Me; Revolution OS; A Day Without a Mexican; McLibel, Roger & Me,; DIG!;Maya Lin:;A Strong Clear Vision; Shooting War: WW2 Combat Cameramen; Voices of Iraq*;

Ethical activism, ethics from outside the corporation.Watch ONE from this category.

What roles do activists and journalists play in assuring that corporations are ethical – or at least not evil?How does an educated population fit into activism?College reproduces many aspects of broader society when it’s working – what are those?Why does the government view some activists as terrorists – and others as acceptable?

Norma Jean; The China Syndrome; Broken Rainbow; All the President’s Men; Higher Learning; Waco: The Rules of Engagement; You Can’t Be Neutral; Control Room; This is What Democracy Looks Like; The Awful Truth Season 2; The War at Home.

History, the individual, the law, social forces. Watch ONE from this category.

What role does leadership play in shaping ethical behavior in a community?What are some kinds of leaders? What role does history play in choosing leaders?What kind of businesses need highly specialized employees and leadership?

Amarcord, Lone Star;American History X,; The Magnificent Seven (1960 version); Alexander; The Scorpion King; Glory; Saving Private Ryan; My Architect: A Son’s Journey; Faster; How to Draw a Bunny;The War Room; The Trials of Henry Kissinger

Personal consciousness, meta-perspective.Watch ONE from this category.

How much is a person expected to know?If a person has no goal of “being a better person” how ethical do you think they’ll be? What kinds of problems are there in ordinary assessments of what makes a “good employee” or a “competent person”?What kinds of experiences are organized by business and society for the individual?

Amarcord, Run, Lola, Run;What the Bleep do we Know?;Donnie Darko;Baraka; Save the Tiger; Touching the Void;Riding the Rails; The Kid Stays in the Picture

Un-bannable businesses?Pseudo-businesses without government oversight?Watch ONE from this category.

(For Mallrats: List the total number of different businesses you see in the movie, and why it would be very difficult to ever fully get rid of that type of business including food courts).For the others, focus on the ways in which other institutions do what business does – but with very different ethical regulations and concerns.How are these like business?How are they different?Also, look at what occupations seem unbannable – even if there’s no profit to be made.

Mallrats; Grass; The Smashing Machine; Up and Down; Magnolia; At Play in the Fields of the Lord; National Geographic: The Photographers.

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