pop culture
Modern popular culture topics in the geek sphere.
Oscars 2018: Which Movie Will Snag the Top Prize?
The Oscars are back already, and they've arrived at a monumental landmark with their 90th ceremony. As the fateful Sunday approaches, experts have given their picks for what movies will scoop up which awards, and as someone who has seen his fair share of films, I figured I would toss in my insights on how the night will play out for the following categories.
By James F. Ewart8 years ago in Geeks
Disney Movies
When you first walk into a Disney park, one of the first things you see is The Castle. Feelings of excitement, hope, magic, possibility, and pure happiness sprout up, and some people start crying, others laughing, and others shouting for joy. All these feelings are not from The Castle itself, but rather, the memories we associate with it. Typically memories associated with childhood.
By Kayla Willsey8 years ago in Geeks
Groot Is Dead! James Gunn Reminds Us That Original Groot Is Gone
Spoiler alert. If you have not seen Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 back up, now (and watch it). The internet melted, today, as Guardians of the Galaxy Director, James Gunn announced that the original Groot is dead and will never return to the franchise.
By Tim Horton8 years ago in Geeks
The Importance of Film Within Korean Society (Part 2)
Because of Korea’s violent history, it is no surprise that this affects the film industry through the views of its directors as they attempt to express themselves through their art. Historian Max Hastings' theory, with regards to the reasons behind continued meddling from outside powers, is Korea’s strategic position as the meeting point between three major nations. So it may be because of this that Korea has suffered repression and feuding. The fact that Korea has been invaded several times by Japan since 1392, even with their isolationist policies, is a good testimony to this. Also, Hastings describes the populace as "fiercely nationalistic" (Hastings 1987), meaning the Koreans took great offence in the suppression of their culture and loss of self-identity. With the full effects of the Japanese occupation coming into place in 1904, when the Japanese moved a sizable army into Korea and brought the nation into a Japanese protectorate, Korean independence died. During the oppression, armed resistance came from many different groups, the biggest being the anti-Japanese guerrilla army. Hastings’ description of Korea during the oppression is that, "Korea became an armed camp, in which mass executions and wholesale imprisonment were commonplace, and all dissent forbidden" (Hastings 1987). This kind of environment continued until 1943, nearly half a century later, and as the Koreans thought they may get a taste of freedom, another problem arose in the form of the United States and Russia. Historian Bruce Cumings believed this came about due to a change in circumstances. "What created 'an entirely new strategic situation in the far east,' was not that Russia was interested in Korea—it had been for decades—but that the United States was interested" (Cumings, as cited in Hastings, 1987). Korea was then divided between the two into North and South, denied independence by outside powers, and experienced a three-year American occupation to prevent the Soviets from gaining in the Japanese defeat as they, "might seize the opportunity to include Korea in their sphere of influence" (Hastings 1987). Following this was the Korean War of 1950-53, which saw 16 armies from five continents under the UN flag against China and North Korea. This divided families and brought about tragedy for the people of Korea, and it wasn’t until 1958 that the last of the Chinese troops left the North and left it to its own communist republic. A tense situation had been set up, creating a cold war in itself for the people of Korea with the communist North and capitalist South. With this intemperate history of fighting and antagonizing the Korean nationalistic feelings right at the outset of the film industry, it is fair to say that this animosity would provide a vehicle for the fledgling directors. Looking at
By Ruth Esca Bowmer8 years ago in Geeks
If You Haven’t Read Harry Potter Here Is Why You Should
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone came out June 26, 1997. I was a fresh two-year-old at this point in time and didn't pay much mind to it. When I was just a little bit older, I remember spending the night with my uncle and waking up to him watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I remember it so clearly because I took one look at the screen, saw the basilisk and immediately left the room. Still a little too young.
By Liz Galante8 years ago in Geeks
10 Characters That Broke the 4th Wall
The fourth wall is nothing new. It exists in cinema, movies, TV, comic books, novels, video games, and more and is a rudimental convention of the stage and screen. The fundamentals behind it describe how the action is contained within a set three walls and an invisible fourth wall separating the actors on stage from the audience.
By James Wright8 years ago in Geeks
