Topics

I am very interested in writing about how punk rock and literature intersect. I feel like both are mediums where its artists continually question the answer. I think about literary characters that are punk rock. For me the brooding indignation of Byron's manfred is very punk rock because he tries to forge his own path despite the offered help of others. Expatriates like Hemingway's Fredric Henry don't just blindly follow orders or fight for the sake of fighting, but question why there is fighting to begin with.

Analyse why novel sci-fi and fantasy ideas that have been released to the cinemas recently have not had the strong effect that the same kinds of films had during the 2000-2010s. One immediate example that comes to mind would be Jupiter Ascending, which performed abysmally at the box office and was critically demolished. John Carter is another example that seemed promising, yet was not given a sequel despite being based off a series of comics.

The late 1960s were a time of experimentation with social values and leisure pursuits. Though leading British bands such the Beatles could thrive on their musical talent alone, they opted to explore and embrace the benefits of traditional Eastern teaching, particularly through Transcendental Meditation as professed by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi of northern India. The band's creativity and productivity escalated during this point in their career and contributed to the movement against substance abuse and the promotion of Transcendental Meditation into Western audiences. In fact, George Harrison incorporated various aspects of Indian culture into his songwriting and his Hand Made film titles during the late 1970s. His lyrics reflected Hindu principles and were recorded using Indian style instruments. Some of these collaborations appeared during his work with the Beatles but also manifested independently with support of the Hare Krishna movement and an early form of the benefit concert; the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh with Ravi Shankar. Upon his death in 2001, his ashes were spread across the Ganges and Yamuna rivers of India in accordance with Hindu practice. In the same manner, how does an actor's religious preference permeate into the performance, if not, his private or public life? Some performers to consider: Tom Cruise and his claim that the Church of Scientology helped him overcome dyslexia, Richard Gere practicing Buddhism and his subsequent endorsement of the Dalai Lama, followers of the Kabbalah Centre including notables such as Madonna, Demi Moore, Elizabeth Taylor, and Paris Hilton.

Does a TV chef's professional profile (author, entrepreneur, sponsor, connoisseur) exclusively contribute to the show or does the food selection, recipe delivery, or recording location dominate the screen and the script? Consider the fame and background of celebrities that cater to the palette through TV, radio, book, or film: Martha Stewart, Nigella Lawson, Julia Child, and Rachael Ray.

Themes and values from the French New Wave (FNW) have become commonplace in filmmaking. Do you think the theories and underpinnings of the movement are still relevant or important? If it is or is not in your mind, why?

“Happy Valley” (Season 3), “Stranger Things” (season 3), “Lost in Space” (Season 2), “Queen of the South” (Season 3), or “Into the Badlands” (Season 3). There are other series out there. Sure, some come from the BBC or AMC, but the convenience of quickly seeing as many episodes as one can enjoy in a short period of time, is so different than watching “Davy Crockett” on “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color,” spread out over three Sunday evenings, eventually getting to Davy dying at the Alamo.
The anticipation, the expectation are probably different when waiting for an entire season of a particular show to be available on Netflix than was the case with waiting for the next episode of “Spin and Marty” a series that included some 78 episodes in all (also on Disney). Do we develop a more critical way of evaluating a series now because of the way we wait for its return and watch a number of episodes all in one sitting than was the case when we had no control over how many episodes we could watch at one sitting? Since episodes can be watched back to back (to back, and so on) we can evaluate plot lines and character development in ways that was not the case when we had no choice but to wait for the next installment. Perhaps we become TV critics in ways that was not the case previously or even possible.
Our capability to critique a series now has to impact how series lines are developed by, say, the writers of these shows. Is there more of an interaction between the audience and the writers, producers, actors on these shows than was the case in the past?

The nature of humans and their role on the planet is something which is always debatable and raises inquisitive questions and several viewpoints. The anime raises the same questions when 'shinichi' who is the protagonist enters into a symbiotic relationship with 'migi' an alien parasitic organism. The parasite failed to take over his body and hence their unique relationship begins as other humans around shinichi are being taken over by parasites, making the parasites at the top of the food chain. This process of substitution of the title of apex predators that human beings are is what makes the anime so thought provoking.

It is a belief among humans that we are 'intelligent' and thus have the right to control everything around us. This can be Everything from resources that we consume to other animals around us. This arrogant assumption is catastrophic or is it?

The key question to address revolves around whether we are approaching our doom or are we the saviours, both of the planet and our species.

Another key contention to consider is when our actions have consequences affecting nearly everything that surrounds us can we really be the 'judge in our own cause' ?

It is an established principle that nobody can be a judge in his own cause, that is to say that in a situation involving a person, that person cannot be the one passing judgement it is to be a third person.But there is no one apart from humans, who could judge themselves for their actions, this creates a legal anomaly and this entire post it to answer this question.

Migi, The alien, on the other hand is someone devoid of all human emotions, he acquires the human traits and eventually forms a bond with shinichi. This is a concrete proof that human traits are unique and coachable. So, if an alien whose basic traits were that of an animal can develop them, what is stopping us humans, who refuse to adopt these desirable traits and create a sustainable future.

After watching Digibro's controversial youtube series that went into intimate detail on his take on the spin-off of Stein's Gate, I am left with mixed feelings.

When I first finished the series, watching as it aired, I found it quite engaging and it was incredibly nice to revisit the world of this show and see the characters that inhabited it again. There were some issues, and parts of the story didn't really click, but the show was a lot of fun for what it was. A spin off to add to the original story and do it's own thing.

But after hearing Digibro's searing critical review of the series, I am left in two minds. I loved seeing these characters again, and the addition of Maho Hiyajo was seamless. Her role as someone who knew and loved Kurisu as someone before Okabe was amazingly well done. The way the show deals with big ideas like trauma, PTSD, and the loss of will to live is also phenomenal.

But on the other hand, certain characters act utterly bizarrely (Mayuri and Suzuha for example) and the addition of Kagari felt incredibly forced and unnecessary. The way several side characters who felt integral to the original's plot end up becoming background decorations is extremely disappointing too. The home-made science aspect of the show falls to the wayside as the science lab can suddenly start doing amazingly complicated things with time travel. The "villain" revealed at the end was also really badly done. It's lot of details like these that start chipping away at the show's foundation.

So what is Stein's Gate 0 to fellow fans? Does it's issues detract from the original show? Or is it self contained enough to not really bother you either way?

What makes a horror game scary exactly? Is it the gameplay, story, atmosphere, music or a combination of all the above or a mixture of one or the other? Personally I believe it is a combination of all the above. The gameplay and atmosphere should play off each other. For example the first 3 Resident Evil games captured a level of horror that they have not been able to recapture until RE7. The static camera angles combined with the tank controls and the horrific things you encounter in the Spencer Mansion all play into each other. The sheer fact that you can easily mess up your movement and be killed if you panic and do not stay calm and navigate around the obstacles that are the enemies was a great formula for horror.

Combine that with the ink ribbon system and the limited ammo and healing items and you feel like you are unwelcome in the mansion. This isn't a place you should be in, and whether or whether not you survive is all up to you. The music and story; while campy, all aid in the creation of a horror filled environment that create waves of unease and terror as you try to stay alive and solve the mystery of what exactly happened there and try to get out as quickly as possible.

The second Fantastic Beast film, The Crimes of Grindelwald, will be released in November 2018. Prior to release, the film has been stirring up fan surprise and controversy. The final trailers revealed that Nagini, Voldemort's famous snake companion, would be featured as a character in the film (a female women who is slowly devolving into a snake until the effect is permanent). In the past few week, it has been rumored that a young Professor McGonagall may appear in the film. This is an event that may directly contradict Harry Potter lore established in prior Potter stories and world building. Will the fantastic beast series, once thought as a spin off/relatively unrelated prequel, totally alter our perception of the Harry Potter franchise, re contextualizing the entire chain of events in the world's most famous book series?

Recently I saw Bad Times at the El Royale, and instantly wanted to do an analysis of the film. Operating in true thriller fashion, it often left me wondering what on Earth was going on, and proceeding to deliver hammer blow after hammer blow of intense character development and tense moments. It is filmed in a unique way, as a series of smaller narratives that follow each character, sometimes backtracking or jumping forward in time, before tying the narratives together a piece at a time. Analyzing what new elements this movie brings to the genre, or what elements are familiar, may be interesting.

Nintendo recently announced that is making DLC (Downloadable Content) for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for Nintendo Switch. And that's about all the information they gave. The cost per pack (1 fighter, stage, and some music) is 5.99 per pack. There are 5 packs. You can buy it all for $24.99. They did not give any information about what fighters would be included or when they would come out (except sometime before february 2020). What are the business ethics in the video game industry of selling a product to consumers, but not making them aware of what or when it could be released. Article might look at similar cases from Warner Bros or Ubisoft.

Analyse Brandon Sanderson's laws of magic and talk about their growing popularity among modern fantasy literature. Contrast his laws of magic with other stories that feature magic (Harry Potter, LOTR, the Inheritance Cycle) and consider the pros and cons of having a "hard" or "soft" system of magic.

The first season of The Bold Type just concluded and it has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics and viewers alike. For a show predicated on the lives of three young women – Jane, Sutton, and Kat – working at a women's magazine, the writers could have easily made its characters vapid and its plot shallow or overly predictable, or pit the three females together in competition with each other. Instead, these women each occupy their own department within the magazine and only ever try to support each other as they navigate their love lives, sexuality, jobs, and identities.
Analyze the diversity of The Bold Type's major female characters (Jane, Sutton, Kat, but even Jacqueline and Adena are useful for this discussion): their strengths, faults, and growth throughout the season. How does the characterization of these women, and the obstacles they must overcome, contribute to the show's overarching theme of female empowerment?

All students experience what is described as "student's block", so they should not be unduly alarmed if they find that they have an essay to write and they can't even bring themselves to sit down and begin it. The time will come, nonetheless, when the deadline has to be met and if you have left your preparation to the night before you are hardly going to do either yourselves or the essay justice.

When you’re trapped between something you must do (like write that blog article) and something you can’t do (like write that blog article, because of a variety of reasons), it causes stress. It feels like any action that you can possibly take is the wrong one; if you do manage to work on your article, you second-guess your work and that feeds right back into the stress.

The mind is tricky and likes to avoid stress when possible. Which is when you find your attention sliding away from your article and back to social media, games, even housework…anything to put off the complex problems ahead of you.

However, this vicious cycle of can’t-do/must-do can usually be stopped.

Hamilton hit Broadway in 2015 and subsequently became a smash hit. Teachers are now using some of the (clean) songs to supplement lessons on American history, there are tributes and parodies all over YouTube, and people unashamedly admit to listening to the soundtrack on repeat (with 46 songs, most of them over three minutes, this is nothing to sneeze at).

The popularity of Hamilton brings to mind other long-forgotten historical figures and historical periods. Could other historically-based musicals be as successful? Who or what would you like to see get the Broadway/Lin-Manuel Miranda treatment (or attention from another composer)? Are there certain musical genres that would work best for some time periods (Hamilton leans heavily on hip-hop but, for instance, would WWII be more a rock opera type of story? Would a Civil War figure be more suited to say, bluegrass or rockabilly)? Who or what deserves a shot at Hamilton's level of success, and how would you pull it off? Discuss.

We are now three episodes (possibly more by the time this topic is selected) into the new series of Doctor Who (2018), starring the talented Jodie Whittaker. Now seems like a good point to engage in a discussion of the show, its reception, the doctor as a woman, and Doctor Who fandom, in the light of the previous article The Artifice has published. ((link)

Has Whittaker lived up to the expectations placed on her both as a woman playing an iconic role, and as the newest of the Doctors?
What has been the overall reception by fans and general media to the portrayal of the doctor as a female now that three episodes have aired?
Has the new writer/show runner influenced the reception and portrayal of the doctor? Is this a positive or negative?
Is the new Doctor displaying a subversion of gender normalisation or is it continuing to present traditional stereotypes?

What do you think?

Recently, I also saw Jaws for the first time. (Yeah, I know). I was amazed at how well it still held up after 43 years! This film is credited with beginning huge changes in cinema and marketing, and for revolutionizing a genre. Between being one of the first movies advertised on television, to knocking The Godfather from its pedestal in 78 days, to casting the Great White as a pariah in the public eye, this film altered every aspect of the moviegoing experience. Specifically focusing on the impact Jaws made in its genre and the changes it introduced to cinematograpghy (i.e. the introduction of more subtle horror, larger budgets, and the importance of a good cinematic score) would be interesting.

Boredom is invariably portrayed in both film and literature as something that is painful or to be avoided at all costs. Are there any positive portrayals of boredom? What is it about boredom that hurts us so much? Is there something useful in being bored and, if so, how would that be portrayed and made entertaining to a reader or cinema goer?