Why Project X Matters
August 14, 2012 in slideshow
The producer of Chariots of Fire, David Puttnam, noted, “Movies are powerful. Good or bad they tinker around inside your brain. They steal up on you in the darkness of the cinema to form or conform social attitudes…”
This month’s topic for etcetera focuses on the interplay between entertainment and reality (Thursday, August 30, 7:00 at the Good Work Collective). Does media reflect who we are, or does it shape who we become? I’ve not heard anyone make the argument that entertainment makes anybody do anything, but it certainly has an impact, even if the specific effect is hard to gauge. The question is whether or not the media merely reflect changes in society, or if media play a role in moving society in a particular direction.
The recent “found footage” of Project X provoked many observations about the influence of film:
Meredith Borders: ” I simply don’t believe that a screenwriter can write a film that uses the word ‘bitch’ that frequently – 
said by protagonists whom we are surely meant to support – without being culpable for that sentiment at least in part. Bacall, Drake, Nourizadeh and of course producer Todd Phillips are all responsible for the message in Project X, and the message is execrable.”
‘Project X’ Parties: Houston Student Dies After Copycat Event: ”A spring break party inspired by the over-the-top one thrown in the movie Project X has resulted in the death of a Houston teenager. GMA is reporting that several people fired guns, killing one person as police tried to break up the party. The unidentified male victim suffered multiple gunshot wounds and died at a nearby Hospital, police told ABCNews.com. A string of copycat parties inspired by the out-of-control rave in Project X have caused over $100,000 in real damage and a handfuls of arrests, but this is the first that turned deadly.”
‘Project X’ Copycat Revelers Allegedly Wreck $500,000 Home: ”It didn’t take long before the carnage in the hit house-party movieProject X spilled onto the real real estate market.Thirteen teenagers are being questioned for their possible involvement in a wild house party that will cost the builder nearly $100,000 in repairs, reports KHOU in Houston, Texas.’It’s devastating. This is a new home that was ready to sell,’ said private investigator Mark Stephens, who was hired by the homebuilder to observe the property. Stephens estimates the home to be worth $500,000. A tour of the once pristine, 4,000-square-foot-home today reveals gaping holes in the walls, heaps of broken glass and liquor bottles strewn across the property.
Houston ‘Project X’ Party Ends In Gunfire: 1 Dead At Rave Emulating New Movie: “Project X-inspired parties began surfacing following the release of the trailer for the 2012 movie. In the film, three high school students attempt to throw a legendary house party to win popularity, only to watch the night spiral out of control. A similar Houston party destroyed a $500,000 home and part-goers in Miami severely damaged a foreclosed home.”
Join us on Thursday, August 30 for a lively and challenging panel discussion on this issue. There is a Facebook invitation here; feel free to share it with others!
