Sunday, August 28, 2011

M. Night Shyamalan: Worst director ever?

O.K., so I am a bit of an Avatar fan ( The Last Airbender not the giant smurf one) but time and time again I have seen Mr. Shyamalan destroy movies because he needs that twist ending. You all know what movie I'm talking about, The Sixth Sense !SPOILER ALERT! Bruce Willis is a ghost, and that is what blew our minds away when we saw that movie. The movie could have gone in a different direction and we never would have realized he was a ghost. Over the years though Shyamalan has gotten worse and destroyed one of my favorite shows of all time, because he wanted to pronounce the names differently and he wanted to change the way the powers work. I'm just disgusted with the fact that he continues to direct and he should put down the megaphone and maybe listen to some good directing advice, " just STOP!"

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Product Placement in Mass Media

I have recently started watching the Big Bang Theory and it struck me that every other scene has a real product, but I have never thought about shameless advertisers sticking random products into this show because the advertisements plug in perfectly with the show because it adds a sense of realism. I mean when they say in one episode " Now I have to make a stop at Walgreens to buy more eyeliner" I felt like I knew where they were going cause I live next to a Walgreens and I can picture where the characters are going and what they are doing. Maybe I'm just reading too much into this but let me know what you think in the comments section whether or not you agree with me.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Lost in Translation: Death of Body Language

"All your base are belong to us", one of the most famous quotes in video game mistranslation history. So much is lost nowadays not only through the translation through languages but more so because of our dependance on technology as our primary source of communication.The main method for our technological communication is in the form of texting and what we lose in translation is our body language. Face to face communication has become increasingly rare and not even skype will help slow down the eventual death of of our body language I picture a world where texting has replaced talking altogether and they will be selling phone with optional talking features. Gos out with your friends and enjoy the simple miracle of another person's presence. No amount of texting will ever replace physical human contact.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

How do you know when you're an adult?

In the past, once a person reached the age 18 (Boys usually) they were expected to get jobs because now they would have responsibility. You would move out of the house, work, find a place to live, and that was  how you became an adult because you lost your dependency on other people. You stop being the one that depends on other people and you become a person that other people can rely on. But when does that happen? If you have ever asked yourself when you will be an adult, you're already halfway there, but times have changed and now kids are going to college and racking up debt so you can't really leave the nest until you're almost 30 because you will still be depending on your parents at least as financial support until you can make it out their on your own which is no easy task in itself because what has that bachelors degree in philosophy and the minor in Mayan studies gotten you? Nothing because America has become culturally stagnant and this is why we are being surpassed by China and Japan and even Canada for crying out loud. So the likelihood that you will be an upper-middle class person in America with a degree in anything but medicine, law, or engineering you've got another thing coming. So now you can't move out until your thirty because you can't land a job at Burger King because you are overqualified with your degree and you will never feel like an adult. That is why other countries have rites of passage for the men and women, so that they can at least say "now I am a man/woman". Jewish boys are said to turn to men at 13 and Mexican girls are women at 15, and Caucasian girls at 16, but are they really? No, but isn't it pretty to think so?

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

How commercials helped you hold it in

For those of you who have never heard of Netflix or have never used its services I can honestly say that you are missing out on the great joy of commercial-free television. Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying that I enjoy having to watch advertisements during my favorite shows, but before Netflix and Tivo/DVR you were forced to sit through advertisements and this taught us about patience and timing. Think about the last time you watched T.V. with commercials. Your body instinctively knew that once the commercials started, you had about 3 minutes to use the bathroom, get a snack, etc. Commercials taught us to resist our urges for just a few more minutes and as such we gained control of our bodies until eventually we could all resist our urges. Farewell for now. Whether or not you agree with me, comment and leave some feedback. Thanks again-  Alex the Adamant