tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8881538424778210142024-03-13T04:32:42.595-07:00MEANINGLESSwhere the sacred and the profane dissolveTim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.comBlogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-83388656593312012492010-07-30T12:52:00.000-07:002010-07-30T12:54:24.754-07:00Can You Kill ShakespearePosting's been tough this summer with school then moving then working. In the meantime, here's a <a href="http://parklabreanewsbeverlypress.com/news/2010/07/comic-books-offer-new-twist-on-shakespeare-classics/">link</a> to a profile I wrote about the creators of this comic book called Kill Shakespeare. Check it out, lemme know what you think.Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-62018877771586452922010-07-07T02:19:00.001-07:002010-07-07T02:46:17.389-07:00Films of 2010 thus farThis is truly the worst year for the mainstream film. I'm not fully up to date on the smaller budget films but I hope they're doing better than everything else. Let's a take a look at the year in film thus far to truly understand how bad the year's additions have been. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The Book of Eli</span>: cute premise with a boring outcome. It masks religious depth with superficial action that's more insulting than inspiring.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Percy Jackson and the Olympians</span>: Greek mythology is great, but Chris Columbus has last his directing flare. Bad acting and a storyline that just felt too insulting.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Shutter Island</span>: Martin Scorsese is becoming too predictable, creating a film that, while a branch out for the director, treads on territory better suited for someone like Christopher Nolan.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The Wolfman</span>: I'll never know how Anthony Hopkins, Benecio del Toro, Hugo Weaving, and Emily Blunt all signed off on this one. Even worse, this is the director for the upcoming <span style="font-style:italic;">Captain America</span> film. I fear for the future of my favorite superhero.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Alice in Wonderland</span>: While cute and moderately enjoyable, Tim Burton has done so much better work than this. Remember <span style="font-style:italic;">Big Fish</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Sweeney Todd</span>. The film's uneven and largely uninteresting despite a large amount of CGI wonders.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Clash of the Titans</span>: Let's just face it. The original wasn't that amazing and the remake was far worse. Sam Worthington is a promising actor but the director needed a screenplay worth telling. It tried to be <span style="font-style:italic;">300</span> without action, decent acting, or good pacing. So boring.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Date Night</span>: Fun stuff but largely disappointing considering the star power of Tina Fey and Steve Carrell. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Iron Man 2</span>: I saw <span style="font-style:italic;">Iron Man</span> three times in the theaters. I could barely sit through one screening of the sequel. It was enjoyable but far too slow, cliche, and riddle with unnecessary scenes. Plus, the film score was almost satiric. I still have faith the third installment will be better and the upcoming <span style="font-style:italic;">Thor</span> film looks amazing.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Robin Hood</span>: It was <span style="font-style:italic;">Gladiator</span> with a jumbled plotline. In the end, who cares.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Prince of Persia</span>: Fun video game and a dull, and rather racist, film with great actors trying to pay the bills on their summer homes.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Shrek Forever After</span>: A sad end the a franchise that started so well. Old jokes and a plotline that cheapened any sense of character development for everyone except Shrek.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Get Him to the Greek</span>: <span style="font-style:italic;">Forgetting Sarah Marshall</span> was a fantastic comedy, but this spin-off greatly needed the original screenwriter to keep the magic alive. Funny moments, but nothing that caused my stomach to hurt.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Eclipse</span>: The <span style="font-style:italic;">Twilight</span> films are nothing but disgusting examples of filmmaking, proving that tween audiences greatly need to branch out and find something with more artistic worth...with less sexist storylines.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The Last Airbender</span>: I'm pretty the sure the year climaxed with this pile of shit. It dishonored the cartoon it was based on. Just awful, awful, awful.<br /><br />Amidst the year that will go down in the books as the death of the blockbuster, there were a few gems...just a few. <span style="font-style:italic;">Kick-Ass</span> was wonderful. <span style="font-style:italic;">The Losers </span>had good action and fun wit. <span style="font-style:italic;">Toy Story 3</span> debunked the myth of the terrible third film. The real winner of the year though is <span style="font-style:italic;">How to Train Your Dragon</span>. Finally, Pixar will be properly dethroned at the Oscars and the <span style="font-style:italic;">Dragon</span> is the one to do. It remains the only truly great film in 3-D.<br /><br />I'm saddened by how bad this year has been, thus I've turned to TV shows for refuge. <span style="font-style:italic;">Sons of Anarchy</span>, <span style="font-style:italic;">Nip/Tuck</span>, <span style="font-style:italic;">Supernatural</span>, and <span style="font-style:italic;">The X-Files</span>. Hopefully, when the weather cools down, Hollywood might rediscover entertainment. Until then, I remain very annoyed. Hopefully <span style="font-style:italic;">Despicable Me</span>, <span style="font-style:italic;">Inception</span>, and <span style="font-style:italic;">Scott Pilgrim vs. the World</span> will change my mind.Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-56264100981067270182010-05-24T20:11:00.000-07:002010-05-24T20:21:29.762-07:00TV After "Lost"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/S_tCIAk_3xI/AAAAAAAAAQo/64CDMXid2cU/s1600/Lost.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/S_tCIAk_3xI/AAAAAAAAAQo/64CDMXid2cU/s320/Lost.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475042477360537362" /></a>So the series finale of <span style="font-style:italic;">Lost</span> aired last night, and I was only slightly disappointment. After six years of this show, I never thought it would end the way it did: three parts ambiguous, one part answers. But perhaps letting us know everything would ruin it. Show creator J.J. Abrams's <span style="font-style:italic;">Cloverfield</span> monopolized on the mystery of the unknown, having a huge monster simply show up and destroy. Just like a viral video, a bunch of people filmed something horrifying and we never discovered the reason why anything happened. <span style="font-style:italic;">Lost</span> functions is a similar way, allowing the audience more power in the interpretation process than other shows provide. However,much like the ending of <span style="font-style:italic;">Battlestar Galactica</span>, I'd prefer a few more answers. What I like about TV shows to begin with is the time needed to develop stories and make the conclusions that much more satisfying, but many of them don't seem get there. Answers, perhaps I'll post more on this later. For now, still processing the end. My <span style="font-style:italic;">Lost</span> friends and I will all have to find a new show to watch. <span style="font-style:italic;">Wipeout</span> here we come.Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-56764028506988760922010-05-07T03:31:00.001-07:002010-05-07T03:44:33.470-07:00Reflections on Academic BloggingOver the past semester I've been attempting to be more aware of the direction of my blog writing, creating the feel of an academic blog. This isn't entirely new for my writing hear as my first post was a two-part argument where I claimed that church worship music represented Adorno's idea of standardization. Based on my personal experience of church music as a worship leader, I went into detail about a genre of music I felt was created based on a different standard of music making, one that tried to create a "neutral" sound, like elevator music or anything else that ignores cultural roots. Since then, the blog has existed between discussing my academic career and simply posting whatever I want, like my favorite post about using a women's bathroom and just writing about it as a story akin to something on <span style="font-style:italic;">This American Life</span>. This semester, I tried to consider using the blog both more frequently, posting 10 times, and trying to examine what I'm posting about in a more academic way. For myself, academics comes in my personal approach to fan-related topics and attempting to contemplate their deeper meaning. I think I was successful in this on most posts, while others were posting because I just wanted to write about something and other venues just wouldn't cut it.<br /><br />I've been blogging since 2005 on this site and I'll continue to do it now and in the future. One of my favorite moments remains when author David Dark (one of my favorites) found me and posted that he was intrigued by my enjoyment of first-person shooter video games coupled with one of my favorite books by a pacifist author, John Howard Yoder. This has been a wonderful space to be a part and I hope turning into a more academic blog will help me find the community that comes with it online, something I haven't been able to really do yet. Welp, it's been a great semester learning how use technology in more academic settings. Here's to more of it in the future.Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-19876232700584225442010-05-05T00:23:00.000-07:002010-05-05T00:25:36.516-07:00My latest projectAfter much blood and tears, I've finished my first paper of the semester. For my Visual Research Methods course I had to create a space for it online. I love creating web space stuff even though it is a very frustrating process. Anyways, <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/firstpersonfantrailer/">click here to read the paper</a>.Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-70059904410775818692010-05-03T13:48:00.000-07:002010-05-07T03:49:11.615-07:00Words of the semesterThis is my second semester at Claremont Graduate University in the cultural studies program. I'll be finishing up my second master's degree this fall and hopefully moving into the PhD right after. My former degree in theology and culture gave me a very different take on cultural studies, thus I learned much about the discipline last year, learning about such key ideas as the culture industry, understandings of the bourgeoisie, subaltern studies, and many other concepts. I though it'd be fun to list those special key terms that continually come up this semester and have guided my research.<br /><blockquote>1. Cultural capital: my thesis focuses on fan studies, specifically fanboy culture, and the idea of cultural knowledge attained that provides various groups with power and status keep appearing everywhere I turn.<br />2. Authenticity: through studying Digital Storytelling and other forms of media that focus on portraying groups, the idea of something being "authentic" provides me with new ways to analyze not just non-fiction but fiction as well.<br />3. Diaspora: sure I'd heard the term before but my Transnational Media Theory course provided deeper insight into its use.<br />4. Double consciousness: D.E.B. Du Bois coined phrase provides exciting possibilities for my future studies on various groups and migration but also can be used for my specific focus in superhero studies, examining the duel role of a costumed hero and an "everyday" person moving through life split between two opposing identities. <br />5. Reappropriation: like the work "juxtaposition," I was just really excited to learn how to use it in a sentence. <br />6. Agency: understanding the role media texts play in people's lives, moving past simple explanations of escapist consumption.<br />7. Hybridization: I'm still working on what it means exactly in reference to idealized understandings of the effects of globalization, but its use continues to intrigue me.<br />8. Participatory culture: I've already learned about active reading and the more I read by Henry Jenkins and John Fiske help me understand this idea of engaging culture and making it a more active, rather than passive, part of daily life.<br />9. The Lesbian gaze: I've heard and read about the male gaze, but learning hot to distinguish between a lesbian and transgender gaze in cinema was new and incredibly helpful for understanding how the camera function in film. <br />10. Visual culture: I didn't know the phrase existed before this semester and I continue to want to know more about it. I did an video essay on an aspect of visual culture at the beginning of the semester and I'm a little bummed because I really would've loved to write more about it.</blockquote>Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-26587412072457412492010-04-30T15:19:00.001-07:002010-04-30T15:46:43.758-07:00A fanboy waxes academic<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/S9tdGJzvV0I/AAAAAAAAAPg/sssvnU0tGPM/s1600/thorhemsworth.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/S9tdGJzvV0I/AAAAAAAAAPg/sssvnU0tGPM/s320/thorhemsworth.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466064933037758274" /></a>So lately, I've been rather excited about the future of many things superhero related. First, off they just released the first image of Thor in the Marvel Comics movie scheduled to hit theaters next year. I love the character because of his relationship to my favorite superhero team the Avengers (featuring such characters as Iron Man, Captain and America later on starring my favorite line up in the New Avengers: Buck Barne's Cap, Luke Cage, Wolverine, Spider-Man, and Hawkeye), but I've also respected their choice on approach. Rumor were that the role of the Norse god of thunder would be done by a WWE star, but they chose to go a very different direction. The film large features a British cast with Thor cast as an Ausie actor. Further, Kenneth Branagh, known for his Shakespearean film directing and acting is overseeing the project. The film will also tie into the crossover universe they're creating between other Avengers character films like Iron Man, Hulk, and Captain America, all leading up an Avengers film. Now, they've cast comic book film familiar face Chris Evans as Cap in his solo film and my jury's still out on this choice. However, many of my concerns were appeased after he provided a hysterical performances in the Vertigo/DC Comics film <span style="font-style:italic;">The Losers</span> that came out last weekend. <a href="http://parklabreanewsbeverlypress.com/news/2010/04/%E2%80%98the-losers%E2%80%99-scores-a-surprising-win/">Here's a link to my review on the film for my newspaper job</a>. Let's hope he can buff up and be serious as the star spangled hero who's captured my heart (even though I never consider myself a patriotic person...I'm still fleshing that one out). <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/S9tdm9CeOKI/AAAAAAAAAPo/_fzlgpqFDeE/s1600/joss-whedon-comic-con.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/S9tdm9CeOKI/AAAAAAAAAPo/_fzlgpqFDeE/s320/joss-whedon-comic-con.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466065496545573026" /></a>This all then leads me to some news about this universe I'm more excited about, Marvel's choice of Joss Whedon to direct <span style="font-style:italic;">The Avengers</span>. Whedon may seem like an odd choice to many since his only feature film job was the 2005 film <span style="font-style:italic;">Serenity</span>, based on his canceled TV show <span style="font-style:italic;">Firefly</span>. This is the man behind such wonderful cult following endeavors as <span style="font-style:italic;">Buffy the Vampire Slayer</span>, <span style="font-style:italic;">Angel</span> (to of my favourite TV shows), and the webisode experience<span style="font-style:italic;"> Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog</span>. He also has history with Marvel Comics, writing for the series <span style="font-style:italic;">The Astonishing X-Men</span>, along with writing continuing comics volumes for his TV shows. All that to say it's exciting to see someone direct this film with a personal investment in the characters and Marvel Universe. <br /><br />This is all very exciting to discuss for two reason. First, May 7th will mark the third comics film this year with Iron Man 2 (<span style="font-style:italic;">The Losers</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Kick-Ass</span> came out over the past couple week). Second, I've been finishing up my thesis on fanboy culture. As you can probably tell, I approach the subject with great bias and it's been a challenge to address that bias in an academic way. I've spent so long trying to take first-person out of my paper writing and leave it to blogging and film reviews (even with film reviews, I waited over a year to use personal pronouns, allowing myself time to develop an audience that would be OK hearing my me personally in such a setting). My thesis has been both fun and exhausting, trying to determine what research to use and when to back off the scholarly works and tell the story myself. I'm proud of the direction it's taken and plan to try to publish it. Without providing too much spoilers for it, I'm taking up the challenge of determine what fanboys like. By collecting and categorizing user responses to superhero films I attempt to understand how fanboys (myself included) interpret popular superhero films. The project began with the questions of how do fan communities oppose popular film texts they find insulting. The project morphed into something very different as my sample group showed less signs of resistance to the media production system (somewhat to my dismay because I greatly hoped to find that fanboys (I do addressed the gendered use of the term as well) resisted the idiocy of <span style="font-style:italic;">Transformers 2</span> as much as I did). Instead, I learned more about what constitutes a good superhero film for the group. I'll leave it at that for now and simply close with, "It's a good time to be a fanboy though I do hope he does get a little smarter."Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-63481983473382043642010-04-07T19:28:00.000-07:002010-04-08T19:14:22.579-07:00702: It's Just the World We Live In<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EfLvJWa1mZ8&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EfLvJWa1mZ8&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />We're back with another original video. This one's called <span style="font-style:italic;">702<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span>. The premise is a zombie horror-comedy mockumentary that questions the nature of objectivity and journalistic involvement in a post-apocalyptic setting where the end of the world makes critical analysis through say film a rather fleeting endeavor. I've always wanted to make two films, a documentary about the house I live in and a zombie movie. I never thought that I would just merge to two ideas together and go from there.<br /><br />Here's how it all came together. I proposed an idea to a three other classmates and then we started writing. We went through several drafts before filming. <a href="http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AerqJPEq17gDZGhncXh3MjJfMmN2ZnpxdGdm&hl=en">Here's a link to the first draft I created</a>, and <a href="http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYeXRu3zMBTSZGhxM3B6N25fMTdncjk5ZHNncg&hl=en">here's a link to the second draft Saralyn created based on our brainstorming</a>. And even during shooting, the process was very organic. My roommates just sat in front of the camera and talked. I also had a bad spill out of my attic, fracturing my ankle-caught on video and in the film. After that happened, we had to rewrite some parts and pass off my lines to other people who could still walk. It was difficult to keep a 12-person crew focused and quiet during shooting. We also had trouble finding a day that worked for everyone. Luckily, my two roommates who had to get to work decided to call in and say they couldn't make it.<br /><br />The editing process was pretty enjoyable as well. Unlike the video essay, where I tried great a very tightly edited package, there weren't as many cuts here and that made things dramatically easier. Since I was stuck on a couch for several days after the great fall, I started editing earlier. I approached it by thinking about a mix of documentary styles and viral videos, thus the final product was a mix between a heartfelt exploration of place and something more akin to <span style="font-style:italic;">Cloverfield</span> or <span style="font-style:italic;">Quarantine</span>. We had some challenges with footage since we ran out of time to do reshoots and some shots didn't fully show everything going on (people running, fake blood, etc.) but the final product was very raw and looked great to me. I also found another challenge in choosing music. I didn't want to use any music that I couldn't get copyrights for, thus the music in the film was either created by me (three songs), a bluegrass song made by my friend, another acoustic song made my another friend, and, during the credits, a rock song performed by Nick Maldonado's band Destroy the Runner, the fine gentleman who got someone to cover his shift and drove up from San Diego to play the lead zombie in the film.<br /><br />We went into the project to create a piece that questions the nature the documentary and, really, the point of higher education when people are dying. However, the final project did so much more as the interviews revealed some fascinating things about representation. Horror-comedies often critique their own form and we do that here too. We have some cliche moments: Elliott saying "I'll be back" and then getting killed first; the final showdown where several people die; the angry locals at an outsider who caused the problem in the first place; and the issue of representation. As in most horror, women usually remain in subordinate roles, either by dying first or relying on male leads to protect them. Here, we stay with that by having two girlfriends/fiances already dead prior to the incident with significant others with nonchalant responses to their permanent absences. Further, the death of the female documentarian solidified this view. This gender issue was not intentional prior to filming. One story about Bryan having to mercy-kill his fiance was actually rooted in a real dream he had but the story Roy tells was just something that he jokingly said (with his actual girlfriend in the other room) during filming. Even though no as visible in the film, we also had two female zombies (no intentional but more based on who could show up for the day). The other unintentional representation came after my injury. Anyone in a wheelchair or with a crutch dies first in these films and, well, I needed to because my actual ankle was the size of a softball and I couldn't run to the care, thus I died early in the final showdown so I wouldn't cause the swelling to grow.<br /><br />I'm very proud of the final project and it's given me new energy to start doing more writing and filming like this. Welp, with that said, hope you enjoy the movie and be sure to pay attention to the credits, there's a few easter eggs in them.Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-28405646216947328682010-03-27T11:57:00.000-07:002010-03-27T12:19:17.124-07:00Worst/Best Week Ever<span class=”fullpost”></span>This past week was one a tough one. I had the normal routine for the week - preparing lectures, doing class readings, meeting with the student newspaper staff, etc. - but this week, everything hit at once. Paper due Tuesday, rough draft of thesis due Wednesday, not too bad. Then...Friday came. The day start relatively early (especially for me), with a meeting at APU at 8am, about the nature of the role and nature of the student newspaper on the college campus. I had to leave the meeting early at 9:10am to head to Monrovia to present at the Christians on Diversity in the Academy conference. When I first sent in a proposal for this conference, I thought I was requesting the usual 15ish minutes slot to present on my research but when I was accepted, I found out I had an hour (bring it on). My session was titled "It's Just a Movie: An Oppositional and Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Reading Film." I provided an approach to viewing film for people without a film background that would allow for an appropriate use of the medium that considers film technique important along with a greater attentiveness to issues of representation and ideology. <a href="https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B-rqJPEq17gDYTFlZTAxNmMtNjNmYS00YjYzLTljNmItNWNmZDJjMTMxMjBi&hl=en">Here's a link to my PowerPoint presentation.</a><br /><br />After the conference, I returned home to prepare filming for a class project. It was quite the event. There's four of us involved in the project with 9 people involved in shooting. I won't give away the details of the content of filming just quite yet but say we had a lot of fun doing it. We filmed from about 12:00pm to 4:30pm. We got a lot of great stuff and a bunch more we didn't plan on getting. We did have a few interesting set backs however. We filmed at my house and when I attempted to get out of my attic, I thought it would be appropriate to just jump out, not realizing I was falling about 8 feet. Most of the weight landed on my left foot. I thought I broke it. We had to revamp a bunch of the shots we were filming because I couldn't walk without a limp and in fact can barely stay on my foot. Sure it was a damper on the day but the film footage we got was so fun.<br /><br />Back on the foot. Luckily, I didn't break it-just a bad sprain. As the day went on, my leg got worst. The roommates took care of me and busted out the frozen vegetables and icing tools. I couldn't move for the rest of the day. As the swelling got worse, I couldn't put any weight on my foot. Suddenly, a phone ringing or the need to go to the bathroom became a chore only resolved by hopping on one leg. I ended up using crutches for the rest of the day. I was a little worried at night because my bed isn't close to the ground but I found a way into it. I kept the leg elevated and wrapped, planning to go to a doctor, but then I woke today and I can move the leg more and put some weight on it. That's a nice twist I think. Anways, this week=crazy. Friday=crazier.Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-20375865943220263252010-03-01T13:02:00.000-08:002010-03-01T13:07:29.034-08:00I'm online!<span class=”fullpost”></span>So for those of you who don't know, along with adjunct teaching journalism, desktop publishing, literature, and writing compoistion and attending Claremont Graduate University for my second master's degree, I also write film reviews the Beverly Press in Los Angeles. It's a local newspaper for the Wilshire, Hancock Park, and West Hollywood area with about a 12,000 a week run. For people that subscribe to our paper and the Los Angeles Times, it's actually distrubted with that paper every Thursday. Well, the website just got a new template that's more user friendly. In the past, PDFs of the weekly paper were there for upload and now individual stories can be accessed. It's nice to have a direct link online to your work. Only one of my reviews is online right now, but I imagine they'll be updated more often. <a href="http://parklabreanewsbeverlypress.com/news/category/entertainment/movies/">Here's the link</a>.Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-29059228519330793832010-02-24T16:39:00.000-08:002010-02-24T19:48:00.570-08:00Death and Rebirth: Captain America Takes Up Arms (video essay made Visual Research Methods)<span class=”fullpost”></span><object width="640" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YKyCzJoc3Yo&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YKyCzJoc3Yo&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="600" height="480"></embed></object><br /><br />The above is a video essay I've created about the significance of Captain America's assassination and rebirth with a gun on his belt (something the old Cap didn't have). Over the last three weeks plus, I've clocked anywhere from 2-6 hours a day on this puppy. I started by gathering video clips from YouTube and DVDs, along with soundbites from Podcasts, radio broadcasts, and special effects sound offline. I've got footage from all over the place in there: video blogs, fan news videos, Fox News, the Colbert Report, NPR, and film clips. Then there's the exorbitant amount of comic book stills and covers from DC and Marvel Comics. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/S4XOOQqeC4I/AAAAAAAAAPQ/aZIbJ-ZhEn8/s1600-h/Alex+Ross.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/S4XOOQqeC4I/AAAAAAAAAPQ/aZIbJ-ZhEn8/s320/Alex+Ross.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441982469133699970" /></a>After I gathered all the pieces, I spent a lot of time just playing around with how to organize it all. I decided to take a journalistic approach. I let the stills and video clips go first, telling a story of a character once revered to murdered. I originally planned on a voiceover but then I just kept creating it without one, everything seemed to just flow so well. Finally, I did run out of audio clips and decided that I wanted to insert my voice in it, vis-a-vi, voice of God style. I looked at the clips I'd created and wrapped my voice narration around the edited content already there. I recorded the audio with my iPod, using the voice memo application, and emailed myself the files when I was done. I did have to redo one clip because it peaked when recording (and you can probably tell which clip it is since I couldn't get it to sync). Before this project, I didn't know how to get images to move across screen, something I had to learn since I was dealing with vertical comic book covers over a horizontal visual space. Thankfully, somebody posted a YouTube tutorial to do just that. The second to last main piece was locating sound effects. The beeping sound at one part of the video in one beep copied and pasted many times over--and the military document that goes with it is several different frames, one for each new letter added to a sentence. Everything else was just learning how to structure it all. Thinking of essay form greatly helped with that process after several changes to the structure. <br /><blockquote><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">It was a conscious effort not to choose "Patriotic" songs because I wanted to show that what's been happening in the Captain America storyline is helping redefine how the character wears the American flag on his chest.</span><span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span></blockquote>The last part of the puzzle was music. It was a conscious effort not to choose "Patriotic" songs because I wanted to show that what's been happening in the Captain America storyline is helping redefine how the character wears the American flag on his chest. Instead, I chose mood music from Clint Mansell (<span style="font-style:italic;">Requiem for a Dream</span>), Cliff Martinez (<span style="font-style:italic;">Solaris</span>), Nine Inch Nails, Bear McCreary (<span style="font-style:italic;">Battlestar Galactica</span>), and The Appleseed Cast. <br /><br />I used KeepVid to rip videos offline and Quicktime to convert them to use in Adobe Premiere. I also used Photoshop to prepare images for video, edit some images ("Dust and Speckle" helped me smooth out a few), and create some photo art as well. The biggest problem I encountered with this projects was Premiere's tendency just to shut off on occasion without warning...and more importantly a chance to save the work I'd done. This process alone added several hours of work. It was an exhausting process to create this film but I'm very broad of the final product. I've done other videos before but never without having to shoot anything. It was both a challenge to solely use other people's material and refreshing not to have to worry about importing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/S4XOhplvhYI/AAAAAAAAAPY/y65n8lImduQ/s1600-h/cap+background.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/S4XOhplvhYI/AAAAAAAAAPY/y65n8lImduQ/s320/cap+background.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441982802242274690" /></a>We showed this videos in class today and I do agree with the criticism. The video moves very fast. This comes from both my frustration with online videos I'd seen that stay on any one image too long without moving and my love for fast-paced film (yes, I did like the new <span style="font-style:italic;">Star Trek</span>, along with films like <span style="font-style:italic;">300</span>, but not <span style="font-style:italic;">Transformers 2</span>, that's the line). There was just so much to say in 5 minutes. I realize that my familiarity with the material made it difficult for me to notice this but, at the same time, I created a video that would appeal to Captain America fans on the viral webscape. My intention was to create something that move quick for people that already have a working knowledge of Cap but also something short enough that it could be viewed multiple times and still have something new to offer the viewer. That said, I definitely should've spent more time showing the main image I address. If I were to do this video again, I'd redo the voiceover to it flows smoothly, spend more time on volume settings, and extend it to about 8-10 minutes. I have enough footage here with images alone to do that.Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-86004526689889704842010-02-21T22:05:00.000-08:002010-02-21T22:14:40.615-08:00Boys Don't Cry and the GazeThe head of the cultural studies department Dr. Eve Oishi (my Transnational Media Theory instructor for a class at Pitzer) guest spoke in my Visual Research Methods class last Wednesday. We discussed several readings from <span style="font-style:italic;">The Visual Culture Reader</span> on sexuality. I fount our first class discussion on Judith Halberstam’s “The Transgender Gaze in <span style="font-style:italic;">Boys Don't Cry</span>” to be the most intriguing. Halberstam’s essay discusses the transgender gaze of the film, as opposed to the male gaze, which dominates the majority of Hollywood films and reminds the viewers of the often-male point of view of most popular films. For an easy example of this, just check both <span style="font-style:italic;">Transformers</span> films and try to tell me that the camera doesn’t exploit Megan Fox’s body much like an adolescent male would (targeted demographic for the film). <br /><br /><div style="float:left;margin:0 10px 5px 0;"><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aOarssJWHhI&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aOarssJWHhI&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object></div>Halberstam discusses that the first part of <span style="font-style:italic;">Boys Don’t Cry</span> but transforms into a lesbian gaze at the pivotal moment in the film. Dr. Oishi played for us the clip in question and we engaged it. The clip of interest occurs after Lana (Chloë Sevigny) learns that the man she had been dating, Brandon Teena (Hilary Swank), was not a biological man but a biological woman. Lana approaches Brandon in the secluded barn he lives in, not with anger but willing to accept him. However, the language used in this interaction changes the dynamic from a man and a woman to two women. With Brandon’s head in her lap, Lana says to him, “You’re very pretty,” something she wouldn’t have said prior to the reveal. The interaction here changes the way the two act and then turns the story from transgender to lesbian. <br /><br />We also discussed the cinematic conventions used by the film that provide problems for interpretation. By earlier showing sex scenes and then, in this scene, fading to the aftermath, attempting to show the difference between showing sex on screen and implying making love, the film places itself within the tradition of other Hollywood films. In the end, <span style="font-style:italic;">Boys Don’t Cry</span> sacrifices transgender politics for gay/lesbian ones. I must admit here, I have only viewed the scenes from class and haven’t scene the film, but I don’t imagine this is a far stretch. Gay and lesbian politics have won out in other cinematic examples as well, especially in the form of stories solely about white people, turning gay and lesbian issues into white issues of sexuality. <span style="font-style:italic;">Boys Don’t Cry</span> then aligns with other Hollywood films because it simplifies something like sexuality, just as other films, like <span style="font-style:italic;">Crash</span> or <span style="font-style:italic;">Pursuit of Happyness</span>, simplify such things as race for the sake of a the story.<br /><br />We ended this part of class talking about how most scholar, when analyzing films, tend to favor criticism based on how the film ends. I’ve noticed this feminist criticism of Thelma and Louise for ending with their deaths. The same criticism could be used here, as it ultimately ends with the death of Brandon Teena, leaving only assumedly heterosexual couples to find love without threat of death. Dr. Oishi discussed the Brandon’s home, an isolated little shack with nothing visible inside, just a bright view of the sky above when the door is open. The shack serves as a metaphor for Brandon; he won’t find hope in his life on earth, only in the sky. We discussed if just looking at the end should ignore the journey along the way of most films and I find myself torn.Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-4519354490385731892010-02-06T01:12:00.001-08:002010-02-06T01:14:02.486-08:00Last Airbender at the Super Bowl<span class=”fullpost”></span><span class=”fullpost”></span><span class=”fullpost”></span><object width="520" height="247"><param name="movie" value="http://www.paramount.com/webmaster/player/paramount_epk.php" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><embed src="http://www.paramount.com/webmaster/player/paramount_epk.php" flashVars="cid=fc9f1c381c65a59fdbafe29743f530d853ef8639" wmode="transparent" width="520" height="247" allowFullScreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object><br /><br />So I just watched the Super Bowl 30-second spot for <span style="font-style:italic;">The Last Airbender</span>, otherwise known as <span style="font-style:italic;">Avatar</span>, if it weren't for James Cameron's film nabbing the copyright before Viacom could with their Nickelodeon cartoon <span style="font-style:italic;">Avatar: The Last Airbender</span>. I find myself both intrigued and worried about this one. The initial film teaser looked interesting enough and the SB spot looks even better but one uncomfortable truth remains, M. Night Shyamalan is still the director. His films started out interesting enough peaking with <span style="font-style:italic;">Unbreakable</span>, but <span style="font-style:italic;">Lady in the Water</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">The Happening</span> proved his fallibility. The guy doesn't seem to like people telling him when he's got a bad film on his hands. In that way, he pulls a George Lucas, biting off far more than anyone wants to chew. <br /><br />Regardless, the story of <span style="font-style:italic;">Avatar</span> remains a rather fascinating one. It's rare for a children's cartoon to pull off a three-arch story like it did, providing an unexpected level of intelligence from the viewer. This one's good prove of Steven Johnson's thesis in his book <span style="font-style:italic;">Everything Bad is Good For You</span> where he argues that popular culture is actually making its consumer smarter and reflecting that they're getting smarter as well. Johnson's optimism is both refreshing and uncomfortable at once. I find I want to believe him but the recent success such films as <span style="font-style:italic;">Transformers 2</span> don't bode well for such statements. Still, Avatar is proof that the fantasy genre remains an under tapped playground for real narrative engagement, as films such as <span style="font-style:italic;">El Laberinto del Fauno</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Princess Mononoke</span> proved. <span style="font-style:italic;">Avatar</span>, whose creators have said they pulled much from Hayao Miyazaki's work, tells a fascinating story about the connection of the four tribes of the world all connected through the four elements. Certain members of each tribe can bend their designated element: earthbending, waterbending, firebending, and airbending. Over 100 years ago the fire nation attacked the rest of the world and have been trying to claim dominion ever since. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, can resolve this war. What's most interesting about this story is how the war comes to an end. I won't give it away, but it's quite unique and not what most would think or expect. Anyways, it's totally worth the viewing and it's my goal to get my nephew into the show.Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-72674854084331551342010-02-02T12:31:00.000-08:002010-02-08T19:24:40.436-08:00Oscar Announcements<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/S2iMiVDctvI/AAAAAAAAAPA/LY3wE4TzJng/s1600-h/district-9-poster.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 217px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/S2iMiVDctvI/AAAAAAAAAPA/LY3wE4TzJng/s320/district-9-poster.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433747471817553650" /></a><span class=”fullpost”></span>So they announced the Oscar nominees. Quite an odd list:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Best picture<br /></span><span style="font-style:italic;">Avatar<br />The Blind Side<br />District 9<br />An Education<br />The Hurt Locker<br />Inglourious Basterds<br />Precious<br />A Serious Man<br />Up<br />Up in the Air</span><br /><br />I don't know what to do with this list. First off, I'm so apathetic to <span style="font-style:italic;">Inglourious Basterds</span>. I imagine the competition's between Avatar and The Hurt Locker though Up in the Air and Precious are strong candidates as well. Personally, District 9 is my vote - an absolute delight that had me engaged the characters and the premise the entire way through, even with the bloody conclusion. Tarantino films lost it for me some time ago and this one just felt way to predictable. I don't know why I'm so stubborn about this but I have no desire to see The Blind Side. It just looks shallow, aiming for cheap emotions rather really addressing social change. Again I know I should see but there's so much more out there that I want to see and this isn't close. Anyways, I don't know if this was the best year for the Academy to switch to a 10-film Best Picture nomination but it should be interesting to see what happens.Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-86287649747433251152010-01-28T12:58:00.000-08:002010-01-28T13:57:47.229-08:00Juxtaposing News<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/S2H-l-jesYI/AAAAAAAAAOw/fACgQlq9j6I/s1600-h/iPad.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 264px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/S2H-l-jesYI/AAAAAAAAAOw/fACgQlq9j6I/s320/iPad.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431902553985954178" /></a><span class=”fullpost”></span>As I log onto my iGoogle account I find the headlines for my news sources fascinating, ranging from the Leno/O'Brien showdown and Carrie Underwood singing at the Super Bowl to dry spells easing global warming and the death of J.D. Salinger. For myself, this has been a unique couple of days in the news. Salinger's death alone was rather a shock though I must admit that I have not read his renowned <span style="font-style:italic;">The Cather in the Rye</span>, thus his death, while shocking, does not hit me the same way the death of Madeleine L'Engle or Stud Terkel's did. Yesterday proved to be a rather odd news day. Since December, I've been waiting for Apple to announce the much-rumored tablet (basically an over-sized iPod) they've been working on and yesterday they finally did. I sat with my roommate and watched the 1.5 hours presentation on the new product and its features. I'm both intrigued and underwhelmed by it. I find it quite interesting that Mac found a place some years back in education programs, providing the computers for school use and lasting software programs, yet their latest inventions, save desk and laptops, are not really meant for educational purposes. Not yet anyways. With all the PDFs printed out in a regular CGU class, purchasing a digital reader would seem like a financially sound one considering the cost of going to Staples once or twice a week, yet no one has really created a program with annotation capabilities. Current eReaders have trouble with annotations, turning something like reading in the Kindle and Nook into a passive experience with little real ability to take notes as you read. Sadly, the iPad (a name one NPR host said was probably created without women in the room) does not change this pathetic standard. They'll get there but for now, this new Apple tech doesn't feel like a step forward for education but another way for people to half engage their digital surroundings.<br /><br />Oddly, I didn't mean to write that much about the iPad. What I really want to discuss is something far more significant that occurred yesterday. When I opened iGoogle to check out the video on the iPad, I saw a headline from NPR that caught me off guard: "Leftist Historian Howard Zinn Dies At 87." My roommate, a high school history teacher in Montclair, and I spent some time reading about his recent death and reflecting on his works, not just his most popular book <span style="font-style:italic;">A People's History of the United States</span>. I'm sad to think the most exposure some will have to Zinn's existence comes in the form of a brief reference in <span style="font-style:italic;">Good Will Hunting</span>. I'm not a history buff, but I greatly appreciate Zinn's work for helping not "rewrite" history like some of the naive would say but provide a holistic account of this country's formation. As Ronald Takaki and others would do later, Zinn told the story of the U.S. without the tone and bias of imperialistism. He tells the story of the U.S. with unrepresented voices. We don't just understand what occurs within "popular" historical structures but in everything. He also reanalyzes major historic figures and looks at everything they did. For example, Columbus is not some wonderful visionary who found an unpopulated world but a conqueror who enslaved people in a new land and introduced the "New World" to genocide. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/S2IEINQBAqI/AAAAAAAAAO4/3L3LXmA9Xt4/s1600-h/zinn.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 269px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/S2IEINQBAqI/AAAAAAAAAO4/3L3LXmA9Xt4/s320/zinn.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431908639604540066" /></a>While many could've potentially learned about Zinn in history, sociology, or ethnic studies courses, I came across him in a very different way. While in seminary I took the course Advocating for Social Justice and, for the final paper, we were permitted to write something related to our fields of study. I decided to write on the use of narrative film in social justice formation. My roommate had the Zinn reader and I began to read his essays. I was so fascinated by what he had so say. Until then, I hadn't really thought much about socialist ideas (besides the a few pieces of Marx I enjoyed) and Zinn wrote with passion about the connection between civil rights and socialism. I didn't find anything directly addressing the use of film in the liberation struggle, but his theories and ideas guided my research. I don't care much for patriotism. I find the term's meaning too ambiguous and no established institution has earned my trust--though I do find some hope in ideas presented by those like the musicians in the former band Boysetsfire when they sing, "Who will stand up? Who will fight? If you love this country, take it back from those who would destroy it! Protest is patriotism." I find in Zinn, and others like him, a new face of this country that cares more about that often prooftexted "justice for all." Here's to his life and may his death become a time to reflect on what he stood for and where we can go. For those interested, here's <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123044214&ft=1&f=1001">click here</a> to check out NPR's story on Howard Zinn.Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-61602504481995285882010-01-25T05:11:00.000-08:002010-01-26T03:31:08.066-08:00Army of Darkness midnight screening at LB's Art Theatre<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/S12bf7Hf8UI/AAAAAAAAAOg/fBppRyYsi9Y/s1600-h/army_of_darkness.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 222px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/S12bf7Hf8UI/AAAAAAAAAOg/fBppRyYsi9Y/s320/army_of_darkness.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430667698426081602" /></a><span class=”fullpost”></span> Sitting at home doing homework on Friday, I received a call from my friend Casey in Long Beach informing me of a midnight screening of <span style="font-style:italic;">Army of Darkness</span>. This was an opportunity I just couldn't pass up, so I took the gf and we joined the LB people for a magical cinematic experience. For those who don't know about this film, it's one of my all-time favorites and definitely my favorite B-movie. It's the final chapter of the <span style="font-style:italic;">Evil Dead</span> trilogy, directed by Sam Raimi, who would go on to direct the <span style="font-style:italic;">Spider-Man</span> trilogy, <span style="font-style:italic;">Darkman</span>, and <span style="font-style:italic;">Drag Me To Hell</span>.<br /><br />We went to the Art Theatre in Long Beach with about 50 other attendees. There's something so refreshing of viewing a film like this with people who share your enthusiasm. No need to justify this guilty pleasure that I feel absolutely no quilt about. I mean, what's so terrible about a department store worker who gets sent back in time to help Lord Arthur fight the Deadites with his boom-stick (double-barrel Remington), chainsaw (which takes the place of the possessed hand he had to lop off in the film prior), and remarkable ability to create enough gunpowder to take on a demon army. It's all just fantastic, with enough one-liners to make the world's top markers sad they didn't think of them first. This film is the accumulation of 50 years of western, action, and horror films. And the final product is just plane hysterical.<br /><br /><div style="float:left;margin:0 10px 5px 0;"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NeLUi_20Nrg&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&hd=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NeLUi_20Nrg&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div>I will say, there are some rather humorous references that most people won't notice in the film; nods to <span style="font-style:italic;">The Day the Earth Stood Still</span>, <span style="font-style:italic;">Gulliver's Travels</span>, <span style="font-style:italic;">Tom & Jerry</span>, and <span style="font-style:italic;">Tarzan</span>, among others. Plus one character, the director's brother, has at least four bit parts, if you're paying attention. It's hard not the appreciate the detail in writing and the homage to film history. Plus, <span style="font-style:italic;">Evil Dead 2</span> was proved that film could be low-budget with a skeleton cast and still be a bloody good time. Like my friend Garret says, the first five minutes have dialogue and the rest of the film is AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!! Anyways, some B-movies have stood the test of time and this was clearly fits the bill...unlike <span style="font-style:italic;">Daybreakers</span>, which I saw the other week and couldn't get away from soon enough. Vampires sell themselves so I find it rather confusing to understand how some films can be so bad...oh <span style="font-style:italic;">Twilight</span>, you wretched mess. With that, here's a clip with some of the magical one-liners:Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-23340463655303355692009-06-30T23:22:00.000-07:002009-06-30T23:35:50.022-07:00Rear Window in Boulder<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/SksA5B6DKsI/AAAAAAAAAOM/8lX5sOvCg0w/s1600-h/025_rear_window2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 222px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/SksA5B6DKsI/AAAAAAAAAOM/8lX5sOvCg0w/s320/025_rear_window2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353373561824422594" /></a>I've been in Boulder, Colorado for the past week hanging with Gar and Aubs. It's been a pretty swell time, minus my sickness which is almost gone finally. I love coming out here, though the altitude messes with my breathing. The Shelsta clan is all good people. The funny thing is, I haven't done much. Just wake up (late) hang out with the Shelstas when they're back from work, maybe watch a movie, and see how they interact with those around them. I like vacations where I can just take in the surroundings. <br /><br />I bet you're wondering why I have this picture of the classic Alfred Hitchcock film. Well, Gar and Co. do this thing on Tuesdays where they all get together and watch a summer movie and, you guessed it, <span style="font-style:italic;">Rear Window</span> was the choice tonight. I don't know why I get shocked when I find that I enjoy a film more than 50 years old. It's Hitchcock, of course I'll love it. <span style="font-style:italic;">Vertigo</span> anyone? This one is incredibly unique. It all takes place from main character Jame Stewart's point of view as he watches what his neighbours do from his apartment, as he nurses a broken leg. The suspense builds as he witnesses a neighbour doing something odd. He's been watching these people live their monotonous lives for six weeks and he knows that something's wrong when a guy starts acting odd. The events unfold and we're there with Stewart to the end to find out if his neighbour is just trying to break to mold or is a stone cold killer. Cue awesome '50s dramatic music here. <br /><br />Sidenote, isn't it sad that something is wrong when people start acting different. People suck don't they. Anyways, in Colorado until next week. Good times. Tim out.Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-65134534230208604742009-06-06T15:30:00.000-07:002009-06-07T20:44:11.506-07:00IT'S HERE! IT'S FLIPPIN' HERE!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/SittAN4L6YI/AAAAAAAAAM8/laYGfRQT8xk/s1600-h/n56900346_31308571_2398.jpg"><img style="border:1.5px solid black; float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/SittAN4L6YI/AAAAAAAAAM8/laYGfRQT8xk/s400/n56900346_31308571_2398.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344485233297975682" /></a>WELCOME. WELCOME. WELCOME. I would like to formally welcome you all to the new blog. I've had some fun and grief getting it to look like this. HTML code sucks. Whoever invented the internet clearly did not have an artistic eye (frikkin' math majors). Anyway, expect some major changes. I'll be adding a lost more articles I've written in the past (edited to blog format) and I'll be updating this puppy a lot more. I wanted to use the url name "Meaningless" but it was taken, so I chose to add "magazine" to the end since the end goal is to create one. Here's my trial effort.<br /><br />A few things about all the...things. The three rotating pictures at the top aren't just for show, they're links to stories and I plan to change them whenever I write something new that's worthy of being hightlighted. Everything should work, from the search engine to the "recent" and "popular" sections. I've created generic links at the top for different topics I've written about. They're labels linked to the old blog (it's all a work in process). I'm open to suggestions and if anything doesn't work, lemme know. And for all you Twitter people, I'm thinking about it--maybe I can link it to this somehow. Welp, enjoy the new dew. I've really missed posting on this thing. I keep having ideas but felt paralyzed since I wanted to update the layout. It was really annoying. In the next few weeks, expect some rants on the superhero films of 2007, why I no longer like Roger Ebert, and how excited I am about this summer and fall. Peace.<br /><br />P.S. I posted this old picture for a few reasons: a) I needed to test placing an image on the new post, b) it's a great picture that embodies my hopes and dreams (ya know, being a rockstar), and c) when you fling a guitar like that it scrapes your neck, and since a lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into this thing the image of me getting scraped in the neck fits...kind of.Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-49689586278403015012009-03-23T02:10:00.000-07:002010-01-26T03:28:22.945-08:00Battlestar Galactica: Rest in Frakkin' Peace<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/S17RGhG7ltI/AAAAAAAAAOo/vMR8GeoxmOM/s1600-h/battlestar_galactica-1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 195px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/S17RGhG7ltI/AAAAAAAAAOo/vMR8GeoxmOM/s320/battlestar_galactica-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431008110552258258" /></a>I just watched the series finale of <span style="font-style:italic;">Battlestar Galactica</span> tonight. Now, to some of my friends, this comes as a relief as it won't be on as much in the house, making way for potentially less nerdy things. To them, I will simply smile and hear their latest complaints when they begin to notice the new shows, like <span style="font-style:italic;">Dr. Who</span> or my latest rediscovery of <span style="font-style:italic;">Babylon 5</span>. The nerd will live on. On that note, I've also been collecting a large amount of comic books lately. I have most of the Civil War story arc from the Marvel Universe, along with several trades from The New Avengers storyline. Anyways, back to BSG.<br /><br />I know many people will discuss the finale with a very critical edge. My roommates didn't particularly care for the end, and I must admit I think it could have been better. But besides the nit picky, I was very satisfied. It answered many of the questions and ended with just enough ambiguity. I appreciated the finale's pace. It didn't end with a battle, but almost created a very lengthy afterward. Sure, <span style="font-style:italic;">Return of the King</span> did this and everyone got annoyed, wondering when the credits were coming. But BSG had a lot to close off and it didn't feel the need to do that when the explosions very coming. Instead, it just revealed them naturally. To hell with the 3rd act from the screenwriter's playbook. Without giving any details away, the ending was what I expected and wanted. <br /><br />I'm gonna miss this show. I know people think I'm crazy when I say this, to which my only response is you don't know, but BSG is the best show on TV right now. Its end only marks the continued downfall of television dramas. Sitcoms are doing fine, but dramas are getting thrown off TV quicker than Garfield can eat a lasagna. BSG's end means I'll have a greater reason to turn off the TV and return to my DVD collection. It deserves the Emmy for best drama. Season 4 was sensational, as were the other seasons, and it did things shows have never tried. Its brilliance lies in its ability to be remain true to itself. <blockquote>It's a sci-fi show that addresses terrorism, love, God, genetics, robotics, Greek mythology, cloning, class struggle, military culture, ethics, and prophecy.</blockquote> And all the while, a Bob Dylan song is playing in the background.<br /><br />I'll greatly miss this show. I'm looking forward to the made-for-TV BSG film that'll premiere later this year (though it's a stand alone). And I'm also curious about the spin-off series <span style="font-style:italic;">Caprica</span>, coming out next year. I don't know if the concept of the show will last, but I'm committed to giving it a try. The golden era of television has long been over, and BSG's exodus marks the outro of a diamond in the rough. BSG, RIP. And for that matter, TV in general, RIP.Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-86461077408019845612009-03-19T01:34:00.000-07:002009-06-07T01:00:16.480-07:00The Story of David Comes to NBC<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/SitzUrx7viI/AAAAAAAAANM/4sL9_IkxJzc/s1600-h/kings-1.jpg"><img style="border:1.5px solid black; float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 257px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/SitzUrx7viI/AAAAAAAAANM/4sL9_IkxJzc/s320/kings-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344492181991964194" /></a>So iTunes is just one of the best things created since awesomeness came to the earth. Steve told me today that the pilot of the new TV show <span style="font-style:italic;">Kings</span> was on it for free. I downloaded the hour and a half episode of the new NBC show episode titled, "Goliath" and watched it with my roommates. For those who don't know, <span style="font-style:italic;">Kings</span> is a modern retelling of the story of King David. It's set in a fictional kingdom that functions much like how we'd imagine a place like England would if they had a king, but the setting is a mix between New York and Chicago. The architecture shots of the capital, known as Shiloh (Hebrew lovers, look it up), are incredible and truly set the stage for the show. A closer look behind the scenes also reveals some fascination stuff. Producer an director Francis Lawrence (who directed films like <span style="font-style:italic;">Constantine</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">I am Legend</span>) is Catholic. Former <span style="font-style:italic;">Heroes</span> producer Michael Green is Jewish. And another major producer (his name slips my memory, though I did hear him speak at a panel at USC last) is one of the few Muslim producers in television.<br /><br />I've been curious about this show for some time and I must say, I was not let down. My roommates and myself watched it with the biblical story in mind and found that it truly set up the source material well. Few characters have the same names as in the Bible, save the lead, David Shepard (get it?) and Rev. Samuel. David's relationship with the king is one of love and confusion. Rev. Samuel is stern. The show doesn't shy away from using the name of God. Even Jonathan's character is gay, something that brings much disappointment to the king. This is a controversial debate in the David story. Some say King Saul's son was gay and others say the love he had for David was brotherly love, not romantic love. Either way, taking a side makes for great drama. The production is also wonderful, and there's a lot of butterflies throughout the pilot. At the end of the episode, butterflies (the king's favorite image to evoke in the public) land on David's head in the form of a crowd.<br /><br />Watching this show, I couldn't help but see similarities between Saul's character and President Bush. We have a king who uses the rhetoric of "God" to unite people, though those close to him roll their eyes at it, but he does many things God would not approve. Rev. Samuel approaches the king and tells him he is no longer in the Lord's favor. We see a man who loves his country but doesn't admit his shortcomings. In one scene, the king's daughter proposes health care reform, but the king wants to end the war and not worry about such things. Hmmm...shameless! The king is even controlled my a brother-in-law with a substantial amount of gold. Sounds a lot like the accusations against Bush's millions in the oil business.<br /><br />It's refreshing to see that as <span style="font-style:italic;">Battlestar Galactica</span> comes to an end, there are still shows worth checking out. While most TV producers are content adding to the legion of cop and hospital shows, it's nice to see that the medium of television can still pump out an original idea. Let's see if it lasts.Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-54667397166502309242009-03-12T15:52:00.000-07:002009-06-06T14:58:17.496-07:00I'm on the staff page!Check out the address below, I found it funny. There should be a pic, don't know why it's not there.<br />http://academics.biola.edu/english/faculty/tim-posadaTim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-66427793399757854852009-03-12T01:15:00.000-07:002009-06-07T01:02:32.360-07:00Wonder Woman and costumed heroines...briefly<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/Sit0BcgJmrI/AAAAAAAAANU/iYNBU8h-LlY/s1600-h/wonder_woman_2.jpg"><img style="border:1.5px solid black; float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/Sit0BcgJmrI/AAAAAAAAANU/iYNBU8h-LlY/s320/wonder_woman_2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344492950984956594" /></a>So I just watched the animated cartoon <span style="font-style:italic;">Wonder Woman</span> that came out on video last week. It was created by the same animators that created <span style="font-style:italic;">Superman: Doomsday</span>, which was rather entertaining. As many know, I'm a huge fan of comics, though the Marvel Universe has my hearts many times more than DC Comics. Still, <span style="font-style:italic;">Wonder Woman</span> was actually quite enjoyable, which makes her terrible costume all the more tragic. There's a reason no one has brought her story to the big screen (though <span style="font-style:italic;">Buffy</span> creator Joss Whedon was actually begged for the job a couples years back), the outfit is dated and far too ridiculous. I was watching this cartoon and enjoying the mythology I was presented with: Amazon woman fight the god of war Aries, and after a great battle Zeus orders their queen to inprison Aries rather than slay him; years later, the Amazons live in isolation from the rest of the world until an Air Force pilot crashes on the island; Aries escapes and brings his warlust to the U.S., influencing all men towards their weaker and more violent sides; Wonder Woman, with an army of Amazon women, take on a god; Wonder Woman then finds her way back into society, finding a man to love--but he's the one waiting up for her, preparing dinner. But as I enjoyed this cartoon that had a generic feminist undertone, I couldn't help but laugh at how the costume undermines the point.<br /><br />Are we really supposed to take the idea of "girl power" seriously in comics if the woman are still dressed like their dominatrix counterparts so many years ago? Wonder Woman, Catwoman, and so many more desperately need new looks. The latest trend in Hollywood has been to take their cues from the fanboy, an affectionate term for crazed fans who have dedicated years of their lives obsessing over cult phenomenons like <span style="font-style:italic;">Star Trek</span>, <span style="font-style:italic;">Star Wars</span>, and comics. And it should be easy to guess the sex of this cultural movement from the name and the general views of femininity often presented. I know the fanboy wouldn't want to see Wonder Womnan's costume change in any potential film versions of her, but it needs to happen. Sure, leave the red, white, and blue colours, but give her some pants and some bra support. It's been going on long enough, let the male gaze take on a different shape than it's usual sexism.<br /><br />Since I'm talking about the female costume, it seems appropriate to bring up <span style="font-style:italic;">Watchmen</span> as well. I recently turned in my review on <span style="font-style:italic;">Watchmen</span>, in which I critiqued the film pretty intensely. The editor I send my articles in to at the newspaper emailed me back, telling me she agreed with my criticism of the film but also thought the worst thing about the film was its treatment of women. The treatment of women she's referring to is also in the graphic novel. There's a rape, an execution of a pregnant woman, and general distancing from seeing women as heroes (the Silk Spectre's number one strength in the story is her female role in relation to convincing Dr. Manhattan to save the world--something a man couldn't have done). I often don't know what to do with this part of the story, but I'll have a chance to really get into it when my Biola English class goes through the graphic novel. Writer Alan Moore is a very fatalistic man, and for these negative portrayals of women, he creates many more negative views of men. He's just fatalistic throughout the work (and, based on interviews with the man, his life seems to reflect his narrative negativity). <br /><br />Comics were created for a male audience, but times are changing--though the demographic hasn't changed that much. But just because men are the primary consumers doesn't mean the adolescent bias should continue. Many are discussing how comics have been moving from low culture to pop culture to high culture. If the medium truly wants to make it to the top, it needs to cloth the females, get rid of the general stereotypes, and start to truly see things differently.Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-73453297507981663152009-03-06T03:27:00.000-08:002009-06-07T01:03:12.722-07:00"Who Watches the Watchmen?" I did!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/SbEOp6dxlHI/AAAAAAAAAL0/xtNjz38pKTU/s1600-h/watchmen.jpg"><img style="border:1.5px solid black; float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 206px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/SbEOp6dxlHI/AAAAAAAAAL0/xtNjz38pKTU/s320/watchmen.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310041548878091378" /></a>It's 3:30am and I just returned from watching <span style="font-style:italic;">Watchmen</span> at a midnight showing in Red Bluff, CA. Going into the film I was plagued with several emotions. Critics really didn't care for the film, though Roger Ebert gave it 4 stars. Regardless, I had been excited for his film since I saw the first preview for it when <span style="font-style:italic;">The Dark Knight</span> came out. After viewing it I find that I really want to see it again. It's 2hours and 43minutes long, so it's hard to remember it all. I find that I'm feeling the similar emotions as when I saw <span style="font-style:italic;">V for Vendetta</span> (ironically, based on a graphic novel by the same writer/illustrator team as <span style="font-style:italic;">Watchmen</span>). I liked it, though my original idea of what I thought it would look like is completely off. <br /><br />I'm not going to give a long review as I will be writing one for the newspaper I submit articles to, so if you want to know my full thoughts just go to their website and download the PDF (or you could just ask me in real life). I will say that it was great to watch the movie after reading the graphic novel is based on. The director took greats pains to make this film the perfect adaptation, and it is...perhaps to a fault (more on that in the review). Still, I loved the graphic novel. It wasn't a superhero story about good and evil punching each other in the streets. It was a mystery story that ends in a very unexpected way. This isn't the left and right scenario most superheroes face. This is that gray area most superheroes don't seem to find themselves in. That's why <span style="font-style:italic;">Watchmen</span> is such an important piece of superhero literature and an important piece of literature in general. TIME magazine has this one in their top 100 American literary works written since 1920. Imagine that, a major magazine has <span style="font-style:italic;">Watchmen</span> on the same list as <span style="font-style:italic;">The Great Gatsby</span>, <span style="font-style:italic;">Lolita</span>, and <span style="font-style:italic;">A Clockwork Orange</span>. Makes sense, it is that good.<br /><br />I won't give anything away, but I will say the film is completely worth the price of admission for those who want to see a superhero film expand the genre's scope. It's not as good as <span style="font-style:italic;">The Dark Knight</span> but it's an enjoyable film. Actually though, I really wanted to write this post because the film got me thinking about my top 5 favourite superheroes again and I wanted to update my list with a little more detail.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5. Gambit:</span> there's something about a southern dude who turns playing cards into kinetic energy and throws them at his enemies; also, his uncertain loyalties make him very interesting.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4. Green Lantern:</span> a regular dude given the power of the gods in the form of a ring; it's like Lord of the Rings stuff but with more green and aliens.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3. Wolverine:</span> I can't help it, he's just great; Hugh Jackman brought him to life and the different versions of him in the comics are cool; he's the ultimate assassin in the Ultimate X-Men and the Weapon X storyline is so intriguing.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2. Rorschach:</span> You'll see him in <span style="font-style:italic;">Watchmen</span>; the uncompromising anti-hero with a strict code of honor; he's methodical, crazy, and, in the film, the inkblots on his mask continually change--so cool.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1. Captain America:</span> I know, why would I love a character that was created to motivate soldiers in WWII; yet there's something intriguing about him; a classic hero trying to survive in contemporary America; and he leads the rebellion against the government when it decides to force all superheroes to register; interesting how he reflects this country--especially when he's assassinated and his sidekick Bucky, who was once brainwashed into a super soldier for Russia and now uses excessive force when he pleases, becomes Cap.Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-50769346518692958952009-03-05T02:19:00.000-08:002009-06-07T01:05:58.120-07:00Pop Culture from the Margins<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/Sit0vPw2VBI/AAAAAAAAANk/cMSo9t6WZUA/s1600-h/home_photo_cdl.jpg"><img style="border:1.5px solid black; float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1MDK4Mxsa_A/Sit0vPw2VBI/AAAAAAAAANk/cMSo9t6WZUA/s400/home_photo_cdl.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344493737839318034" /></a>Last semester I taught pop culture and had a few students that had some amazing papers that I thought they should share with the school and they got that chance on Wednesday with Common Day of Learning at APU. The students did a great job and had quite a crowd. I put together a panel of three students and myself and they were able to speak for a full room. All the seats were taken and many others were sitting against the back wall. Not bad for an event that took place at 9:30am. The title of the panel was "Pop Culture from the Margins." I was really proud of how the students did. <br /><br />I started the talk by presenting a methodology that covered that basics of what the panel was about: issues like privilege, representation, hegemony, and postmodernism wrapped into 15 minutes. The students-Whitney, Kim, and Eric-then presented on different ideas under this flag idea. Whitney and Eric were in the pop culture class, and Kim is on the newspaper staff, along with Whitney. Whitney gave a great talk on the "self-tropicalizatioin" of J-Lo in her films. She provided some important details on the way J-Lo has used her Latin roots to create her image. Next, Kim discussed changing gender roles in science fiction, specifically focusing on the unique gender issues presented in <span style="font-style:italic;">Battlestar Galactica</span> (I take a little pride in helping her come up with the idea). Eric then closed with a discussion of the comic book's transition from low culture to high culture. <br /><br />The students seemed very receptive to what was discussed, and rightly so since the student speakers presented their information with great interest in their topic and appropriate detail. Not just bragging, but we had a great panel that covered the many different aspect of "pop culture from the margins." Common Day of Learning is often considered a joke or annoying obligation by some students, but if they attended our panel, they found some great information with a very timely application. Good times.Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-888153842477821014.post-69874405710945762402009-02-26T03:56:00.000-08:002009-06-06T14:58:17.866-07:00Next stop, New MexicoSo I'm about to leave for a conference in Albuquerque in a few hours. I'll be presenting on a California culture panel at the 30th Annual Popular Culture and American Culture Association Conference. I presented here two years ago and it'll be interesting to do it again. Last time I did a paper on how three hyperlink films-Magnolia, Short Cuts, and Crash-represent the various aspects of Los Angeles, and this year I'll be discussing horror cinema's relationship with LA. <br /><br />My presentation is titled "No One Can Hear You Scream: Los Angeles in Horror Cinema." For those who won't be attendance, I discussing what we fear about LA, based on horror films. Oddly, my conclusion is that horror films are largely silent about LA. Most such films are set in the suburbs or in the woods or back-country, focusing on people from the burbs getting attacked by "freaks." I began trying to find any random film I could to make a paper out of and then I realized I was looking too hard for obscure films, ignoring the obvious trend. Thus, my paper changed focus from what the few films have to say (though I do mention them) to a argument for silence. Horror films are known for feeding off the fears of contemporary culture (I say this acknowledging how bad many of them are), and apparently horror film viewers aren't scared of LA. This doesn't mean there isn't unease in the City of Angels. It does mean people, I argue, that the horror film watcher is more concerned with horrors elsewhere. And if "elsewhere" is defined as the burbs or anywhere people from the burbs could be, then what we have going on in the genre is a unique form of segregation. <br /><br />There's plenty of things going on in LA for people to scared of, but such things are secondary as most viewers might consider the situation an "us and them" thing. The chief demographic for a blockbuster film is the 18-year-old, white, middle-class male, and he wants to see a film that represents him--and representation is often based on ethnic, gender, and economic background. Thus the viewer does not see himself (I'm intentionally using a male pronoun here to prove my point that horror film are not gender or ethnic neutral) in an LA horror film because it is a multicultural place. LA films deal with ethnic issues and horror films are known for avoiding such things in their attempt to remain neutral, appealing to everyone. Or course many have learned that attempts to appeal to a broad audience means silencing the minority view. <br /><br />This is the premise. I then go on to discuss ways to engage horror films with this in mind, pulling mostly from an idea by bell hooks called "the oppositional gaze," which forces the viewer to discard passive viewing and actively engage a film text.<br /><br />Unlike the last time I presented at this conference, I didn't write a formal paper. I found that I have about 15 minutes to speak and can do so in anyway I choose. I'm gonna approach it just like a very focused class lecture. Last time, I wrote a 15-page paper and still created a speech with notes. I was so nervous and spoke so fast. I laughed later when I showed up at the conference and found that I was the only one on my panel not reading straight from what I had written. I soon learned that most conferences are done in this way. Yet, there are those who just speak and with the stress of applying to a PhD program, preparing another presentation for Common Day of Learning at APU, and general class prep, it would be easier to treat this conference like a class session. I finally feel confident enough to do this. Of course I'll stutter and lose my place in my notes, but that's no different than what normally happens. At least now I can mess up with more confidence. <br /><br />That said, the conference should be quite entertaining. There are several panels on <span style="font-style:italic;">Buffy the Vampire Slayer</span> and comic books in general to keep the nerd that I am very happy. I'll probably have a few more books in the collection when I return too. Here's for academic fun. Cheers.Tim Posadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10776480034278635702noreply@blogger.com0