The not so pure history of film

by Justin on July 22, 2010 at 2:35 pm
Posted In: Blog
John Wayne in The Searchers

John Wayne in The Searchers

For the last few weeks I’ve been working on prepping the Introduction to Film course I’ll teach in the fall. The class has a lab during which we have enough time to screen full length films. That means I have to pick which films to show, and that can be harder than it sounds.

When dealing with a young audience, anything made before they were born often comes off as odd and unapproachable. The dialogue seems funny, the special effects dated, etc. For this fall’s class, that means anything prior to 1990. Obviously I can’t limit myself to just films made in the last 20 years, but going beyond those years means not only addressing the previously listed concerns, but also one of morality. You see, many people can’t quite wrap their heads around the idea that the world was a place of questionable morality before they were born. It’s as if we all think original sin began with us. ↓ Read the rest of this entry…

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Unholy website of CNN

by Justin on June 29, 2010 at 1:58 am
Posted In: Blog
CNN website

Note the two bottom right stories

While piddling about online looking for something interesting to read, I made the mistake of visiting CNN’s website. What’s so bad about CNN’s site, you ask?

First, why does CNN act confused about where I am? Just about every other website in the world can recognize and greet me knowing I’m from the United States. For some reason, CNN always asks me if I’m sure I want the US edition of its website. CNN is like a teenage waiter his first night on the job. “Are you sure you wanted a baked potato?” Apparently even if it did turn out to be wrong, all I have to do is click a link at the top labeled “US edition.” ↓ Read the rest of this entry…

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Lies that television told me

by Justin on June 22, 2010 at 1:36 pm
Posted In: Blog

As I write this, my in-laws are driving five hours to come visit. According to television, this should frighten me. My mother-in-law will suggest other men my wife should have married, and my father-in-law will glare and sneer at me at the same time–sort of a snare, if you will. Except, this won’t happen. Oh the many splendid lies of television.

Even the best of parents can’t shield their children from television’s grasp, and even the nimblest of minds get corrupted by distorted television portrayals. One of the classic ones to use in a communication class is to ask what percentage of Americans work in law enforcement? Students, having been fed a diet of Law & Order, CSI, Bones, etc. will respond rather highly. Sometimes as high as forty percent or more. The truth is that as of 2004, 3.5 out of every 1,000 people worked in law enforcement (or less than one percent). ↓ Read the rest of this entry…

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Believe you me or cry trying

by Justin on June 9, 2010 at 1:07 am
Posted In: Blog

Belief is a powerful thing, though slightly less powerful than a mid-ocean oil pipe, apparently. Belief has driven humans out of the cave, across the sea, and into theaters showing Nicholas Cage films. But while you may be powerfully motivated by your own beliefs, you also happen to be powerfully motivated against those of others. Why?

Here’s a little thought experiment. What if you saw your neighbor one day carry their dog outside, bend it over their knee, and then beat it with a belt while crying, “This hurts me more than it does you!” Now, before you could call the ASPCA your spouse would likely be calling the local institution, but that’s beside the point. You’d be disturbed by such behavior. Yet, many of us stand by the principle that receiving spankings from parents made us into the well conditioned people we are today. Why would a pet be any different? ↓ Read the rest of this entry…

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Of puffy shirts and more serious matters

by Justin on May 27, 2010 at 4:51 pm
Posted In: Blog

There are most likely three reactions one can have to reading the title of this piece. One, you recognize it as a Seinfeld reference. Two, you only just now recognized it as a reference upon me mentioning Seinfeld. Three, you have no idea what a puffy shirt is. If you fall under option three, you most likely often feel left out of conversations among coworkers and friends. Someone mentions a Soup Nazi and you think you missed a History Channel documentary.

Nobody likes to feel left out, but cultural references create this situation all the time. My last two blog posts dealt with Lost, and for many they simply glazed over and hoped for a return to blogs about Christmas and Radio Shack. Talk of polar bears and Hugo was meaningless to them. I run into this often when teaching. I try to come up with a common reference my students can all relate to in order to make a larger point. In recent years hit films such as The Dark Knight have been safe cultural touchstones, but even they can vary wildly between 30-70% of a class having seen them. ↓ Read the rest of this entry…

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