movies, from psychological viewpoint

[banshee]

movies, when talking about psychological viewpoint..

there are some movies which blended with psychological elements..
like "butterfly effects"; "the beautiful mind"; "girls, interrupted"; "the cell"; "hide and seek", even the latest "the exorcism of emily rose".

wondering if u guys interested in some movies like this,
ever watch other movies like that too?

~coral[/i]

[deRame]

i'm also a fan of this type of movies. "the beautiful mind" is indeed one of the great movies i ever watched. i got some idea on how people with Schizophrenia view this world.

"fight club" is also another movie that i would recommend as a must-watch movie. it's all about a man with split personalities.

I wouldnt recommend you to watch movies to often

and I wouldnt recommend you to watch movies with violent and horror elements.

for example...
a killing scene might seem harmless to you
but it will create some damage in your subconscious mind (unless you have training in psyche or some sort)
and it might affect your life indirectly.

[balderdash]

Like iQing I steer clear of horror films for slightly similar reasons. It's purely for personal reasons though

Plus I am a scaredy-cat

But it's interesting that you mentioned stuff like "Girl, Interrupted" as I have a friend who is doing her Lit hons thesis on these films. She is doing the above and "The Virgin Suicides" and I forget what else.

I personally feel that these films are good in the sense that it sort of humanises these sufferers in the eyes of the society - apart from an increased sense of sympathy, I am sure that it would to a certain degree promote more awareness about mental disturbances, etc.

Now we only need a couple of films about autism ....

[FCHP]

I know of some psychology moderator who is also a scaredy cat...haha

Anyway, I watched cello yesterday. The ghost, the usual long haired woman seeking revenge was kinda pretty and not scary at all haha. One interesting about the movie was that you could assume the ghost doesn't exist at all as the conclusion.

One interesting thing is, why are there only female ghosts? If ghosts must have long hair we could still have a long hair guy as the ghost right? Is it more normal to associate women with seeking revenge? Are women generally perceived to be scarier than men?

[oneforthelord]

Now that you mention it, it really seems as if all the ghost movies have female ghosts. I think it's a trend for Korean/Jap Horror movies to have females as ghosts. Dunno what's the reasoning behind it though. Does anyone have a clue?

Actually, I think a very good male ghost is the murderer-ghost in the old movie "The Frighteners". Although maybe I won't be scared after watching it at this age la

I don't watch horror movies much anymore also because of the effects on your emotions. Strong reactions of fear can "burn" images into your memory and you will have to bear with that nasty image until it disappears (maybe it won't even disappear 8O ). More applicable to those who are more scaredy-cat la

[balderdash]

Having read too much these few days (damned examinations!), maybe I can offer a reading on why ghosts are portrayed as female.

If we consider our society which was/is essentially patriarchal, there is this constant need for the majority to define the self. Looking at the history of film-making, we could say that it was mostly men who created them. While you are in the process of defining the Self, it is thus important for you define what you are NOT - hence the birth of the Other, which encompasses all that you are not. The Other is usually portrayed as all things negative and evil and must be sought out to be destroyed, like the ghosts-la.

So if we think in the very Western notion of binary oppositions:
good vs evil
kind vs cruel
simple vs devious
light vs dark
and then we get
men vs women

We can also pick up some notions of the when the Self is trying to fashion itself, it is also suspicious of the Other. Traditional notions of the woman is suspicious, as women were traditionally shut up at home and basically, her interiority is inaccessible and hence, is suspicious as one would not know what devious plans might be going through her mind.

So, rather simplistically, let us translate it into the terms of the ghost. When we recall the binary terms light vs dark, human vs ghost - the ghost would belong to the category of the Other, the category of the unknown.

So, either unknowingly or subconsciously, I would say that this has thus derived the tradition of the female ghost.

And back to studying.

I probably borrowed all these from different theorists all over. But don't know who. I am a pathetic academic.

[banshee]

Hmm..quite true, anyway..
yupe..
movies are sometimes very dramatic...

[PeiWen]

Yea, I've watched "The Exorcism of Emily Rose". I'm pretty impressed by the exciting part in the court. Of course, there's a vast gap between scientific point of view and religious beliefs. However, there do have some supernatural incidents, where scientific theories can't explained. Anyway, it's up to us to decide which side to believe in more, or even to remain neutral.

[bibo]

Movies from a psychological point of view are quiet simple, specially the movies which talk abt some guy who is poor and makes it rich and stuff, i mean a success story. The movie makes us attached to that person and we want him to succeed until that moment comes and we feel really happy. Thats why if you all people notice these kind of movies turn usually into blockbusters.