tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62460614793475558132024-03-12T21:36:14.116-07:00A Madness Production BlogA blog about all things media related by Tom Connelly, ranging from books and film reviews, to critical and theoretical analysis of movies and television series. Be sure to cite my blog if using it for papers, articles, etc.
https://www.tomconnellyfiction.comTom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-3871267264193206852024-01-20T18:25:00.000-08:002024-02-05T19:30:59.274-08:00Images for Ebooks - Amazon KDP Publishing<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My first book, THE POSTCARD, has a bunch of images, and I had a hard time figuring out how to incorporate them into my kindle book when I published it </span><span style="font-family: arial;">on KDP</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> in 2011. So I thought I would share the steps. <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">FIRST</span></b>: You must save your Word document as a <b>Web page (.htm)</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9oGEF8Xuv9xDqPI4PBVGjnmqATzOsDFpEi7d5rB8Hs-uFYlX4sP3iZuaGZHCFteg6j92KVz3XOX-4fYHbob0qTbhGNqbuYhgG_y-ZFBZXBzpYfRqafyOf1uhVFH5vDoxHeTG2qNesGbREMM2j0X17baEdFwL8IOwa-v_TNHuYthyphenhyphenFCp1Iz2stmXI5KsV/s2472/Save%20With%20Arrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1316" data-original-width="2472" height="429" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9oGEF8Xuv9xDqPI4PBVGjnmqATzOsDFpEi7d5rB8Hs-uFYlX4sP3iZuaGZHCFteg6j92KVz3XOX-4fYHbob0qTbhGNqbuYhgG_y-ZFBZXBzpYfRqafyOf1uhVFH5vDoxHeTG2qNesGbREMM2j0X17baEdFwL8IOwa-v_TNHuYthyphenhyphenFCp1Iz2stmXI5KsV/w640-h429/Save%20With%20Arrow.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">When you create a Web file, it automatically creates a folder (fld). See below: <b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b> </b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9721I6mBPXHXIS36Qpk-BjJeVhIDaBRxpSgBiIZiqgeYlElXE51cgbfIwDeaL0SCjAZmxj6Ld29eAcOKELqPxYVXzR9mSwezMEnSMq38fiMHcUhJyUrUcPkmo6Xrv_tcJ9Io8lTtJVBW6IKKoyseFxdDSp6SRuKiU5XCssUF6qb68ScVBieDu2bFqEpNr/s2862/html%20and%20Folder%20Selected.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="2862" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9721I6mBPXHXIS36Qpk-BjJeVhIDaBRxpSgBiIZiqgeYlElXE51cgbfIwDeaL0SCjAZmxj6Ld29eAcOKELqPxYVXzR9mSwezMEnSMq38fiMHcUhJyUrUcPkmo6Xrv_tcJ9Io8lTtJVBW6IKKoyseFxdDSp6SRuKiU5XCssUF6qb68ScVBieDu2bFqEpNr/w640-h194/html%20and%20Folder%20Selected.png" width="640" /></a></b></span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">SECOND</span></b>: <b>Insert</b> your images into the Web file you just created. <u>DO NOT COPY </u>and <u>PASTE</u> the images in your manuscript. You MUST <b>insert</b> them. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">The images are automatically stored in the folder file (fld). </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I inserted my book cover at the end of my book, Zworsky's Children, as an example.<br /></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"> <br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOi1KrJTmJu33ND2w3NzA8sGQctzLnZhZBrXbIXX7BHQpJ87AqyCP75G3nPup-a37OOsB6-G0cyzcsRRz6TzyuDyjJYFpTN9q3FYOZFxolsDOxmwCSvCS4TrBc4ejrFt4kIUMDSTMBPnjUC_85XJ2p4EoQXSond1Ko1Haucz8ZebEs-OZZcMyHNy1rG2U/s2090/Insert%20Picture.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1328" data-original-width="2090" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOi1KrJTmJu33ND2w3NzA8sGQctzLnZhZBrXbIXX7BHQpJ87AqyCP75G3nPup-a37OOsB6-G0cyzcsRRz6TzyuDyjJYFpTN9q3FYOZFxolsDOxmwCSvCS4TrBc4ejrFt4kIUMDSTMBPnjUC_85XJ2p4EoQXSond1Ko1Haucz8ZebEs-OZZcMyHNy1rG2U/w640-h406/Insert%20Picture.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">THIRD</span></b>: Once you are done inserting the images and are reading to upload your manuscript to KDP, <b>COMPRESS</b> the file. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This is the tricky part. You must select BOTH the folder associated with the html file and the html file itself. You are compressing two files into one. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzIAZEuU4agFvqckP8wMy7nUMWU5sxe0SyKOYvDTXb02yuIqUCaEoY5EmhrhS6JzpBhDYLmBMsHIQT0MxfvLSh9V2UmJlRj-zZQs1YmkiFhebTMl9_K03tnyTJC9IpEdMnZMHS8jqivbAHrrD5aFyjmVKqmY3tisfqhAJsfPS9zYOIZuPqNtg8V4v_uUz/s2862/html%20and%20Folder%20Selected.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="2862" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzIAZEuU4agFvqckP8wMy7nUMWU5sxe0SyKOYvDTXb02yuIqUCaEoY5EmhrhS6JzpBhDYLmBMsHIQT0MxfvLSh9V2UmJlRj-zZQs1YmkiFhebTMl9_K03tnyTJC9IpEdMnZMHS8jqivbAHrrD5aFyjmVKqmY3tisfqhAJsfPS9zYOIZuPqNtg8V4v_uUz/w640-h164/html%20and%20Folder%20Selected.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Right click on your mouse and a new window will pop up. Select <b>COMPRESS</b>.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1wssOJynXsPLJtzYgOJ4CtGzwI0lknkR8CJGJQJzBX2YUsAZbSQxuiJzui-IcTtjGCoo7oLu8MXAVO83fgsxdfK6G0M7Xqtu22v0Lzzn5dF_7ttH_6xnNfYV0U7WeArr4ZNJhnBXqXJzjsoZaFilMahUdUu5Nbo3ZA1HgsveGVfaJsL7wHjkaAuX0DmQ/s2084/Compress%20With%20Arrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1356" data-original-width="2084" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1wssOJynXsPLJtzYgOJ4CtGzwI0lknkR8CJGJQJzBX2YUsAZbSQxuiJzui-IcTtjGCoo7oLu8MXAVO83fgsxdfK6G0M7Xqtu22v0Lzzn5dF_7ttH_6xnNfYV0U7WeArr4ZNJhnBXqXJzjsoZaFilMahUdUu5Nbo3ZA1HgsveGVfaJsL7wHjkaAuX0DmQ/s320/Compress%20With%20Arrow.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">After you compress the two files, a ZIP file will be created.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> You can rename the zip file if you want.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLjh4Dd5UiG4w8oRVXR9B5Ol9Ch2Qg7KvMw41esGU6TBdp-nlU_x3xQDuykY8L8-LpnHREIW6hhW-VCc434uZyTcy0rLf5ANm-SptFGRs8TXI6Mzdsred_91PyOHXZyCCHBhiyM-l8bR12ThHJH7B-oyBhyphenhyphen2DDR2vVlV-a90UBotO3StAa5GUg0NU0e0lr/s2788/Zip%20File%20With%20Arrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="2788" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLjh4Dd5UiG4w8oRVXR9B5Ol9Ch2Qg7KvMw41esGU6TBdp-nlU_x3xQDuykY8L8-LpnHREIW6hhW-VCc434uZyTcy0rLf5ANm-SptFGRs8TXI6Mzdsred_91PyOHXZyCCHBhiyM-l8bR12ThHJH7B-oyBhyphenhyphen2DDR2vVlV-a90UBotO3StAa5GUg0NU0e0lr/w640-h159/Zip%20File%20With%20Arrow.png" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Now you are ready to upload your manuscript. Upload the zip file as your manuscript on KDP. When the file is process, you will see the images in your manuscript preview.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: #741b47;">Random note</span></b>: you can switch back and forth from different views of the file such as Print Layout, Web, etc.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlw9CPcpYhftf6fLGC5k23XJSOEeIgE9YHQQYQD0G4b19mkFbMkgh4OqnrbxWMVOekvtsW2JtYeDJ_3OSp41r8NJHUhXp8cLgE48zUoCImYo4lptychuOPtAHeemxYWzVcyyeQW0vowtyyvo79S40CLd1HRfpm2jZWRuuRSLsXSuCxqfiqkoqJi_MLK-lw/s2748/Page%20View.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1540" data-original-width="2748" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlw9CPcpYhftf6fLGC5k23XJSOEeIgE9YHQQYQD0G4b19mkFbMkgh4OqnrbxWMVOekvtsW2JtYeDJ_3OSp41r8NJHUhXp8cLgE48zUoCImYo4lptychuOPtAHeemxYWzVcyyeQW0vowtyyvo79S40CLd1HRfpm2jZWRuuRSLsXSuCxqfiqkoqJi_MLK-lw/w640-h358/Page%20View.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I hope that helps. Good luck with your book.<br /></span></p><br />Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-67177119986969018402023-10-31T15:08:00.005-07:002023-10-31T22:59:54.762-07:00Thrash Metal Hardcore Project - 2023<p><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm guessing you're here because you clicked the link on my YouTube video for song 10, or maybe you stumbled across my site. Either way.... welcome! </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Thank you for checking out my blog about my Thrash Metal Hardcore music project (I need to come up with a proper name for it!)<br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYKnOjQKTFknC1dLUmGY88oX8a8iuL6nxtOp1kDLrlsEYohkgTfUKg3NXuFMU6XgNI3E-8rmffp6nZFV7bC-LSAqi6hvVXvgLv25-8lshb3RxcTsXeKPBcNN9bxPa4NRLUJsHCYQVaK4IKjpL7TzExkf3G0ikXGzLLZJSKNSXLiX5rUV8GfbzXgvSViDi/s1920/Tom%20-%20Blog.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYKnOjQKTFknC1dLUmGY88oX8a8iuL6nxtOp1kDLrlsEYohkgTfUKg3NXuFMU6XgNI3E-8rmffp6nZFV7bC-LSAqi6hvVXvgLv25-8lshb3RxcTsXeKPBcNN9bxPa4NRLUJsHCYQVaK4IKjpL7TzExkf3G0ikXGzLLZJSKNSXLiX5rUV8GfbzXgvSViDi/s320/Tom%20-%20Blog.png" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This project started this past winter when I showed song three to my friend and writing partner when I was in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Out_War_(band)" target="_blank">All Out War</a>, Jim Antonelli. He liked the song, and we even thought about writing some music together. My talk with Jim got me motivated to record the song and some other ones I'd written. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The other source was Rick Rubin's new book, <a href="https://a.co/d/jaKzFqI" target="_blank">The Creative Act</a><b>.</b> Reading his book really inspired me to go forth with this project. Great book.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKuUHuh_NkMnlQkd_k6s0oD1VZEVIf0d3CxI9Xkp1zpY4_PUMWdCprzbebH6EmTai_QgaCCuSnbQuT7hH-c0fxVUeQtOhqc4RzRkTdOhmVHL10Gx1dAdT43KT7XIHArfNiqJT4oDuNQfsSNsZry68565stRDRf2Z_oKjQo-v_JUivLruCIZtUTJ1wLpiqe/s4032/IMG_5717.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKuUHuh_NkMnlQkd_k6s0oD1VZEVIf0d3CxI9Xkp1zpY4_PUMWdCprzbebH6EmTai_QgaCCuSnbQuT7hH-c0fxVUeQtOhqc4RzRkTdOhmVHL10Gx1dAdT43KT7XIHArfNiqJT4oDuNQfsSNsZry68565stRDRf2Z_oKjQo-v_JUivLruCIZtUTJ1wLpiqe/s320/IMG_5717.HEIC" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The music is informed by a lot of bands I love. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Song 1</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This was a recent one I wrote. It has a quick <a href="https://quicksandnyc.com/" target="_blank">Quicksand</a> style, fused with Black Sabbath!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/909EUS9QVMM" width="320" youtube-src-id="909EUS9QVMM"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Song 2</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">One of my favorites. I channeled a lot of Slayer into this one. I also love the band <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forced_Entry_(band)" target="_blank">Forced Entry</a> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">from Seattle. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">If you like old school Thrash, definitely check them out. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EwjM-nAJfeY" width="320" youtube-src-id="EwjM-nAJfeY"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Song 3</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This one seemed to have resonated the most with listeners, and the one I got the most response. I wrote it a couple of years ago during lock down. It's a straight up hardcore song, with a little bit of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmet_(band)" target="_blank">Helmet</a> at the end.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q7Y0x3J00HY" width="320" youtube-src-id="Q7Y0x3J00HY"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Song 4</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The first section and the fast riff were written about 10 or 12 years ago but never came together. I couldn't come up with a transition into the fast section. One day I was listening to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Trip_(band)" target="_blank">Power Trip</a>'s "Soul Sacrifice" from Nightmare Logic. That's when I came up with the bridge for the second half of the song. I added a few new riffs and the song was complete.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eWUtO3bdS40" width="320" youtube-src-id="eWUtO3bdS40"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Song 5</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b></b></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">Just
a straight up double bass, metal song. The last section was informed by <a href="https://dissolveband.com/" target="_blank">Dissolve</a>. They are incredible hardcore band from the Hudson
Valley. </span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;"></span></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gPX1PfUmUIk" width="320" youtube-src-id="gPX1PfUmUIk"></iframe></span></b></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;"><br /> </span></b></span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Song 6</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This is a recent one. It has a little bit of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Assault" target="_blank">Nuclear Assault</a> fused with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cro-Mags" target="_blank">Cro-Mags</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T2YYEbh71Oc" width="320" youtube-src-id="T2YYEbh71Oc"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Song 7</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The "slow one" as I call it. It just all came together with this tune. I wanted to write something in the style of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_O_Negative" target="_blank">Typo-O-Negative</a> and Black Sabbath. I was very happy with it. I was glad to see this one had a good response.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V4rJMA3WaRI" width="320" youtube-src-id="V4rJMA3WaRI"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Song 8</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The first two riffs were written about three years ago. Again, I didn't have a bridge for the next section. Then I was listening to "Piece by Piece" by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reign_in_Blood" target="_blank">Slayer</a> - that gave me the idea. This one got a nice response as well.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UDRe8z17mT4" width="320" youtube-src-id="UDRe8z17mT4"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Song 9</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I wrote this a long time ago. It's definitely old school hardcore in the vein of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sick_of_It_All" target="_blank">Sick of it All</a> and <a href="https://www.discogs.com/artist/371749-Rest-In-Pieces" target="_blank">Rest in Pieces</a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nCyQGKxLxcw" width="320" youtube-src-id="nCyQGKxLxcw"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Song 10</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The hardest one for me to play and to record. It has elements of Tool, Slayer, Alice in Chains, and Faith No More. This is probably one of my favorites as well. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CyPTxL7h4IQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="CyPTxL7h4IQ"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Recording and Video process</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I recorded all the song using Garageband. I interfaced the bass and guitar through a <a href="https://focusrite.com/scarlett" target="_blank">Scarlet Focusrite</a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The drums were recorded on <a href="https://www.akaipro.com/" target="_blank">AKAI</a>. Then I had to play along with the drum track when I recorded the videos. Personally, if I had the ability to mic my drums, I would have played the drums a little different for each songs. But I am happy with what I could do with the AKAI. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I plan to release the songs for streaming. But I have to come up with a band name - and also a name for each song. Thanks for checking out my blog and my music. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgehVM0RTvyVOrW7TgXhYbWsbNg7HXaN9NAh1wM_p8eWAEbfyOlURDfSInDl6z2TUaEKj6P_0l-TMK10mctTByIX6KQh2ZvxVV1SFvEpzpC_H03me1Alh_ub_PZ9zQfLKCQjB5oqgRsz1kLPfokjNNF1kmVapa7EQCFqe5hAV3Jk6NEjr0InamCYeFTmjWE/s4032/IMG_5485.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgehVM0RTvyVOrW7TgXhYbWsbNg7HXaN9NAh1wM_p8eWAEbfyOlURDfSInDl6z2TUaEKj6P_0l-TMK10mctTByIX6KQh2ZvxVV1SFvEpzpC_H03me1Alh_ub_PZ9zQfLKCQjB5oqgRsz1kLPfokjNNF1kmVapa7EQCFqe5hAV3Jk6NEjr0InamCYeFTmjWE/s320/IMG_5485.HEIC" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span><br /><p></p><br />Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-21002244807780820832023-07-03T09:07:00.002-07:002023-09-15T19:25:57.180-07:00Realist Film Theory and Bicycle Thieves<p>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">A central claim of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Bazin" target="_blank">Andre Bazin</a> is that the power of cinema can render the mysteriousness
of reality on film--to capture and embalm the structures of reality. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3I2F7moPZVBzAkqZVoORGOGwY8TX9Wemh67kd5aIqKNRh5kaY98V2mx5BkxRWP5TEfm9EnP2zK3by2no4ogC-8KWb4OuvV7sD0UZz7eUryd23FTn4xmKrWD8aiZQ11mX57_t1hAFZaTISNuDvBgbeKfT1QSFI33lfm97AqMXZmJtHYcZQXfd7NDwO5rjX/s307/Bazin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="200" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3I2F7moPZVBzAkqZVoORGOGwY8TX9Wemh67kd5aIqKNRh5kaY98V2mx5BkxRWP5TEfm9EnP2zK3by2no4ogC-8KWb4OuvV7sD0UZz7eUryd23FTn4xmKrWD8aiZQ11mX57_t1hAFZaTISNuDvBgbeKfT1QSFI33lfm97AqMXZmJtHYcZQXfd7NDwO5rjX/s1600/Bazin.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/realist-film-theory-and-bicycle-thieves-9781501378591/" target="_blank">Hilary Neroni's</a> excellent new book builds upon Bazin’s theory, arguing that
those structures (or mysteriousness of reality) is mediation—language,
unwritten rules of communication, systems of signification. Her other point is
that what is "new" about neorealism is the combination of realism and
melodrama. The two work together to bring forth (mediation) to draw attention
to the workings of the social order. In this case, it is early post WWII,
Italy. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span><style><span style="font-family: arial;">@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;</span></style><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">Those two key points (mediation and melodrama)
make this a very interesting and engaging analysis of De Sica’s landmark film,
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_Thieves" target="_blank"><i>Bicycle Thieves</i></a>. </span>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPP8ltKBKcGVtf2hbf0NV8IsPqHgy7r22zhSb7yYqFBS0ri2jRZgjmLFRTBgXKm0cXiTvZvTkugsHzAprsjB3GtBp3Rx7Toa8C9iUwrEWR9KJRZ5lDWRG0BUO_dFwHCWaFjPcfrC_0cxO5Y9CfzrdMX8co4IOaMCE5IKdiS8wc22benOhrA2XaJfJgHSgZ/s4032/IMG_6075.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPP8ltKBKcGVtf2hbf0NV8IsPqHgy7r22zhSb7yYqFBS0ri2jRZgjmLFRTBgXKm0cXiTvZvTkugsHzAprsjB3GtBp3Rx7Toa8C9iUwrEWR9KJRZ5lDWRG0BUO_dFwHCWaFjPcfrC_0cxO5Y9CfzrdMX8co4IOaMCE5IKdiS8wc22benOhrA2XaJfJgHSgZ/s320/IMG_6075.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Movies often try to avoid showing us mediation (the forms that
create the story world). But neorealism wants to draw our attention to them.
But it also wants us involved in the story, to feel the emotions of the
characters, to experience the melodrama, to make us aware of the systems that
are working against these characters. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLdNn35Ye3rAxXjKQNjFTt6zejmr9J_oyJvslJxoR0q5u6WO_c_U13mtQpzg551x2jiGpn7C8gE7X255k6KwQzXiIHHeHQvq4VqXIiy3Jbz28ux54uWjHqOoUyoPn4apGYoCFlXF5pvmBR1_TM4UViH_MGV_1O-Yl3mAR_3NGA-09iJb0cGHhl6I0wTs_/s720/vlcsnap-2017-02-04-14h17m35s199.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLdNn35Ye3rAxXjKQNjFTt6zejmr9J_oyJvslJxoR0q5u6WO_c_U13mtQpzg551x2jiGpn7C8gE7X255k6KwQzXiIHHeHQvq4VqXIiy3Jbz28ux54uWjHqOoUyoPn4apGYoCFlXF5pvmBR1_TM4UViH_MGV_1O-Yl3mAR_3NGA-09iJb0cGHhl6I0wTs_/s320/vlcsnap-2017-02-04-14h17m35s199.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I am so happy this is book is available.
I teach this movie and agree with Neroni that Bazin should not be left in the
dustbin of film theory. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMcox49fFk9yaSLicy_FL3dh4yVE3t6MRyp0UAw21Hd2oUfmRIYpedSnRxmfWhGENQhw0dZzUc-e2NyMIBFLH65Q0zZgLT9W-YTTFCtZ2j6x1x52y_MKSJBae38kpZYuOnHiMnJTI9rBw07bnTLIcLNXcvmNWaC3SdNWnoE3aFw-I4Q_VJRU7YZBu0b5do/s720/vlcsnap-2017-02-04-14h15m02s222.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMcox49fFk9yaSLicy_FL3dh4yVE3t6MRyp0UAw21Hd2oUfmRIYpedSnRxmfWhGENQhw0dZzUc-e2NyMIBFLH65Q0zZgLT9W-YTTFCtZ2j6x1x52y_MKSJBae38kpZYuOnHiMnJTI9rBw07bnTLIcLNXcvmNWaC3SdNWnoE3aFw-I4Q_VJRU7YZBu0b5do/s320/vlcsnap-2017-02-04-14h15m02s222.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Realist film theory has a lot to offer for current
cinema. Just think how much digital effects have developed over the past thirty
years, how they have gotten more and more realistic. This is just one example
that demonstrates the importance of Bazin and realist film theory. This book is
definitely worth checking out.</span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-31612630091641970082023-05-31T08:18:00.008-07:002023-06-01T15:57:10.697-07:00Zworsky's Children<p><span style="font-family: arial;">My new novel, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Zworskys-Children-Tom-Connelly-ebook/dp/B0C4ZMCYK5?ref_=ast_author_dp" target="_blank">Zworsky's Children</a></i>, will be available on July 11. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1mqii2ktAlW-R_CXNPt8_I_yJffpDa-XE1M9TIAPQt_U2Z19Br4ws0cCV5xZfx26I4OEaff5A_MZbECzV3H958F3iJ3_WeGUs_3AaMnPISp6ytw-tQ2pZGDOvJjq0a-2vA-jku7Ju2082IQIWT8MzgmKbHHENLtZuQjt3PNRwUr2VToaa1gvgtwBj_Q/s2700/Connelly_ZworskysChildren_Ebook.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1mqii2ktAlW-R_CXNPt8_I_yJffpDa-XE1M9TIAPQt_U2Z19Br4ws0cCV5xZfx26I4OEaff5A_MZbECzV3H958F3iJ3_WeGUs_3AaMnPISp6ytw-tQ2pZGDOvJjq0a-2vA-jku7Ju2082IQIWT8MzgmKbHHENLtZuQjt3PNRwUr2VToaa1gvgtwBj_Q/s320/Connelly_ZworskysChildren_Ebook.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It was an idea I had since 2017. It started with a <i>60 Minutes</i> segment on antibiotic resistance. Then I watched a PBS <i>Nova</i> episode (I won't say what it's about because that would spoil the novel). But I didn't have a story, just some ideas. It wasn't until I read Stephen King's <i>On Writing</i> when I started writing the book. I had written two novels before this and a bunch of screenplays. But King's book gave me the courage to write without an outline.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45_APA3Uj52DyrvS12gb9q3M6bU6gBLcHjSpocUb4xTTyprhoC5uze6SSncMpNko4l3hub0XKBdA_H3zyj879qC8GRln-s767u7nVQL7mSr91zdIEMQNgkzjufkdMkPMZwFr8hHt4nISjhwuDDXSkc9eL8q4FatFbCJMsQnVvylVk7-9-9wmSfdQzzA/s2132/OnWriting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2132" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45_APA3Uj52DyrvS12gb9q3M6bU6gBLcHjSpocUb4xTTyprhoC5uze6SSncMpNko4l3hub0XKBdA_H3zyj879qC8GRln-s767u7nVQL7mSr91zdIEMQNgkzjufkdMkPMZwFr8hHt4nISjhwuDDXSkc9eL8q4FatFbCJMsQnVvylVk7-9-9wmSfdQzzA/s320/OnWriting.jpg" width="210" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">In <i>On Writing</i>, King says to write 1000 words a day until the novel is finished. (I think he might have said at least 6 days a week). But I wrote everyday. <br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The first few days of writing were fun. But when I got to the third day, I started to panic because I didn't know if I could write 1000 words each day. What do I say? What am I writing? Then I remembered what King said: <b>Write with the door shut</b>. Even if these 1000 words suck, no one will read it. I always think that when I write. It is okay to be messy and to experiment. Ernest Hemingway famously said the first draft of anything is shit. So I just plowed ahead until I
finished the first draft, which I completed in the summer of 2019 and was over 100,000 words.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Writing without an outline might not be everyone's method. I read James Patterson outlines his novels, which is amazing given how many books he's written. But for me, once I have a spark of an idea, I dive into the unknown and see where I end up. I keep the door shut until I am ready to share it. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I have written the Zworsky's Children series (three books total). The second book will be available next year, and I just wrote the first draft of the third book. For those of you who decide to read it, I do hope you enjoy the story. I wrote it with a lot of heart. See the review from <i><a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/tom-connelly/zworskys-children/" target="_blank">Kirkus Reviews</a></i>.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-34160317092911091132022-04-17T14:38:00.005-07:002022-09-04T06:13:09.804-07:00Kill Park<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">My new short story will be available to purchase as an <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09WJFQ4PM/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1" target="_blank">eBook</a> on April 26. This is another story of mine that takes place in Burghville and is connected to my first novel <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LVUUM6/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i5" target="_blank">THE POSTCARD</a>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5EgCGyz7bMZG90ueJsO6i-y5iwWAm_wk92C8p3JiHGXChPdTFIV74AuFSD2hS1AQc3Urc-F7I5E8UbUODv8MIHs3rG3LkJM7Ru1EZ-SmAqi5B1XtC7HKl4X0kriuKb9wXI_QysOeLx6yn89BHY8sLaEmjHWA_5zJzLd2Jtt817FaGdFSN2J7HTO5T9g/s3124/Kill%20Park.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3124" data-original-width="2080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5EgCGyz7bMZG90ueJsO6i-y5iwWAm_wk92C8p3JiHGXChPdTFIV74AuFSD2hS1AQc3Urc-F7I5E8UbUODv8MIHs3rG3LkJM7Ru1EZ-SmAqi5B1XtC7HKl4X0kriuKb9wXI_QysOeLx6yn89BHY8sLaEmjHWA_5zJzLd2Jtt817FaGdFSN2J7HTO5T9g/s320/Kill%20Park.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Stacking and chopping firewood is nothing new for the Ferguson brothers.
It’s a routine they have to endure every fall before winter comes
barreling through the Hudson Valley. But on this day, after slicing a
short log, they discover something mysterious inside it that will haunt
them forever. . . .<br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Writing this story reminded me of stacking cords of wood for our wood-burning stove, growing</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"> up in upstate New York. Unsure why, but I thought . . . what would happen if a character chopped a log in half and found something weird inside it? </span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">I went with that thought and wrote <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09WJFQ4PM/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1" target="_blank">KILL PARK</a>. </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">I hope you enjoy the story. There will be no paperback version since it is only 40 pages. </span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Happy chopping.... <br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6doqza0rIu-ho9FYwitF9Q_zLfSLanfjtonNzJY_JfF4l3ufgbuJ_hJAS20fdYGmAGjxQ-9OhnmodyLcyMSmb_4vPQJxEsuXteIwYh8Tu7TdJbZ-1fVsfo6NshGYbqp_lM4r8ZJ_cjbV6uM-rdBfK24NJz7mE155GmQ7MddNn4caBl_BZ_aokE5jYzA/s1280/Avengers%20Chop%20Wood.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6doqza0rIu-ho9FYwitF9Q_zLfSLanfjtonNzJY_JfF4l3ufgbuJ_hJAS20fdYGmAGjxQ-9OhnmodyLcyMSmb_4vPQJxEsuXteIwYh8Tu7TdJbZ-1fVsfo6NshGYbqp_lM4r8ZJ_cjbV6uM-rdBfK24NJz7mE155GmQ7MddNn4caBl_BZ_aokE5jYzA/s320/Avengers%20Chop%20Wood.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">For more information about my books and to sign up for my newsletter:</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="www.tomconnellyfiction.com " target="_blank">www.tomconnellyfiction.com </a><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></p>Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-5188088121283116282022-02-18T17:36:00.003-08:002022-02-19T07:09:15.896-08:00Flight Unknown<p><span style="font-family: arial;">My novella <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SV8ZZ6D/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank">Flight Unknown</a> will be released on February 22 on Amazon. It is a story about a strange occurrence that happens on a red-eye flight to New York form London. <span>Seven passengers and a flight attendant realize they're the only people on board who aren't in a coma-like sleep.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9WTbrrqnphVJ6vSD44KRix0J_DhgrSIB4cd-0KNPLhNhPEJcsXqJYd2TSpKiXVPBjZqJU46smGjYjrQEeQ_LTPLurIcrDNXqgaR8eBd1fU900PFHeyvNtQtbvw8CYVYWzsq5QDyuJvNyjqy3Nmm0DQO99WTnB4jzSMJMseBdTQ6lJpCwCWalyhmrL9Q=s5400" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5400" data-original-width="3600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9WTbrrqnphVJ6vSD44KRix0J_DhgrSIB4cd-0KNPLhNhPEJcsXqJYd2TSpKiXVPBjZqJU46smGjYjrQEeQ_LTPLurIcrDNXqgaR8eBd1fU900PFHeyvNtQtbvw8CYVYWzsq5QDyuJvNyjqy3Nmm0DQO99WTnB4jzSMJMseBdTQ6lJpCwCWalyhmrL9Q=s320" width="213" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The idea of the story came about when I saw troubling news reports on airlines during the early part of the pandemic. On top of that, I had been watching a lot of George R. Romero films. I was also binge watching <i>The Twilight Zone</i>.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4YkAWtHtLKzS1bScB2Mr4hM5QbLZ4FnmYNEBUPpfX_t3kBTOhTHaVhu_VOIJYqJlH7HF6H2MIB9bRdTtT9UNaYWs6ul8E4Rjhs3H0-GdAQbvWpoRK6doc2TEC0NxBdjMKkrdHqhhZWX4mQNuHV5so0vMyBEYKmgOep0bGzdvPlpB2reAVZ44Xwt-bWw=s620" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="620" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4YkAWtHtLKzS1bScB2Mr4hM5QbLZ4FnmYNEBUPpfX_t3kBTOhTHaVhu_VOIJYqJlH7HF6H2MIB9bRdTtT9UNaYWs6ul8E4Rjhs3H0-GdAQbvWpoRK6doc2TEC0NxBdjMKkrdHqhhZWX4mQNuHV5so0vMyBEYKmgOep0bGzdvPlpB2reAVZ44Xwt-bWw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In particular, the <i>Zone</i> episode <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Odyssey_of_Flight_33" target="_blank">The Odyssey of Flight 33</a> had a big influence on my story.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I am also a big fan of <i>Lost</i>. All of those texts were inspiring for me.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfUrRzkz1kFTrLTypwxVUhtkkJmJJm6xpI0XznA-YJPUdgza7jK3P2qlN4WdlwvdSF92OxxNnDAUh4NVUAoAYXaxhVmCwDGoGpEwDuYtQF3j9gP9i0lZtz8CPK1CNdsz8zGRTq-kEz_DJjiRJWam3TcZCF26v1p3ZDkmxfxwyQwmWzS_4gUyB8RiGXew=s800" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfUrRzkz1kFTrLTypwxVUhtkkJmJJm6xpI0XznA-YJPUdgza7jK3P2qlN4WdlwvdSF92OxxNnDAUh4NVUAoAYXaxhVmCwDGoGpEwDuYtQF3j9gP9i0lZtz8CPK1CNdsz8zGRTq-kEz_DJjiRJWam3TcZCF26v1p3ZDkmxfxwyQwmWzS_4gUyB8RiGXew=s320" width="320" /></a></span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">One
thing I was really excited about this project was the opportunity to write a group
of characters who don't know each other, but have to work with each
other in order to stay alive. I certainly looked to Stephen King who has written many of these types of
situations, such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desperation_(novel)" target="_blank"><i>Desperation</i></a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximum_Overdrive" target="_blank"><i>Maximum Overdrive</i></a> and "The Langoliers." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRBTEkhS5KVKd7Pj7hdmL4VyD6ZcQMynmHfn5-F09XXc-fK8z7cHLqZ5QxA9FTgto0Pqa87bGVH3hR2OaRMSrHk3kGm-MgLuOdUBvpYWZVsHOMLkPClhEf88YHUs_RF9yeQixNWVuwMEL4r0Ra-ujHhW7weaSxfU7tgUBTKeWDnM_Bx3_O2AaHhx8sLg=s475" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRBTEkhS5KVKd7Pj7hdmL4VyD6ZcQMynmHfn5-F09XXc-fK8z7cHLqZ5QxA9FTgto0Pqa87bGVH3hR2OaRMSrHk3kGm-MgLuOdUBvpYWZVsHOMLkPClhEf88YHUs_RF9yeQixNWVuwMEL4r0Ra-ujHhW7weaSxfU7tgUBTKeWDnM_Bx3_O2AaHhx8sLg=s320" width="218" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Flight Unknown was a ton of fun to write, and I hope everyone enjoys it. Please check out <a href="http://www.tomconnellyfiction.com" target="_blank">www.tomconnellyfiction.com</a> for updates and to sign up for my newsletter.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGY-dIPNzisVY_3Kv8Qjq2Y4FpZphdfKwa7xdfXmp1ZB119sli4r8j-ODe6n503xZJ9WNoLaPjGQJwS_10wPQA7MwocCsdy6sRPzDn9rk4ION8eS4dhx3bYyFNQiq3aBYBjkciL8hjvUaBPS90cF1gF5GT7jaRa_1Pyx8tN9WCaSONHfBqL9d-MjYKxQ=s3171" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2475" data-original-width="3171" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGY-dIPNzisVY_3Kv8Qjq2Y4FpZphdfKwa7xdfXmp1ZB119sli4r8j-ODe6n503xZJ9WNoLaPjGQJwS_10wPQA7MwocCsdy6sRPzDn9rk4ION8eS4dhx3bYyFNQiq3aBYBjkciL8hjvUaBPS90cF1gF5GT7jaRa_1Pyx8tN9WCaSONHfBqL9d-MjYKxQ=s320" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Be safe.<br /></span><p></p>Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-34696599481862124292021-12-08T15:35:00.002-08:002022-10-30T09:57:21.879-07:00The Record Store Can Read My Desire<p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Damon Krukowksi's great book (and <a href="https://www.radiotopia.fm/showcase/ways-of-hearing" target="_blank">podcast</a>) <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/ways-hearing" target="_blank"><i>Ways of Hearing</i></a> explores how digital media have transformed the way we hear. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wQN0CupSsdI/YaFvKS_beHI/AAAAAAAABW4/aFJgAXK75VslwnK8rGDs7mHXgOINQ7CkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s828/Krukowski.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="828" data-original-width="550" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wQN0CupSsdI/YaFvKS_beHI/AAAAAAAABW4/aFJgAXK75VslwnK8rGDs7mHXgOINQ7CkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Krukowski.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the chapter on "power," he considers the difference between Spotify's "Discovery Weekly" and visiting a record store. Spotify's algorithm considers what you listen to, adapting to your tastes and likes. He notes, "At Spotify, the dream is to provide you with music without your participation-the algorithm will know what you want" (111).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JDOn96fUFQU/YaGXyq7R6yI/AAAAAAAABXA/3RDaKaB7aEcCP0xqr1B_8mUu06_9vZb7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Discover%2BWeekly.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JDOn96fUFQU/YaGXyq7R6yI/AAAAAAAABXA/3RDaKaB7aEcCP0xqr1B_8mUu06_9vZb7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Discover%2BWeekly.webp" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But when we visit a record store, one has to navigate its space. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As Krukowski states, "You adapt to it" (11). </span></span>If you ever been to <a href="https://www.amoeba.com/" target="_blank">Amoeba</a> in Los Angeles--clearly the case! </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pqgvAt6qUJg/YaFusUa06FI/AAAAAAAABWw/Li2R5BOdmTEO6P4h6DZDBvfbl64-oFiXgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_4110.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pqgvAt6qUJg/YaFusUa06FI/AAAAAAAABWw/Li2R5BOdmTEO6P4h6DZDBvfbl64-oFiXgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_4110.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(<b>Me at Amoeba Music)</b></span></span><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">By
adapting to the store's layout, you might come across a surprise, maybe
a record you hadn't thought about purchasing. This process involves your
unconscious desire. </span></span>As I explained in an earlier <a href="https://tomasoc.blogspot.com/2019/01/desire-coca-cola-and-cinema.html" target="_blank">posting</a>, the logic of desire operates on absence. The object cause of desire (what Jacques Lacan terms <i>objet a</i>) can never be satisfied. <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6oiNzh-GNxI/YaGZWIDUYCI/AAAAAAAABXI/xLHWdR5p58gfET7ecQ0S1u-X5ReuA-xdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s470/Lacan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="230" data-original-width="470" height="157" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6oiNzh-GNxI/YaGZWIDUYCI/AAAAAAAABXI/xLHWdR5p58gfET7ecQ0S1u-X5ReuA-xdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Lacan.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At
the same time, the object cause of desire sustains the </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">psychical force </span></span></span></span> of desire because it is unattainable. It
is sometimes described as the real of one's desire. Real - meaning
the impossible, or in this case, the stumbling block of desire. </span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In a previous post on the <a href="https://tomasoc.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-lacanian-gaze.html" target="_blank">gaze</a>, I noted how cinematic forms can elicit our desire. Like the narrative and formal construction of a movie, the design and layout of a record store</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> considers your desire. A record store is already designed for you to engage with it. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Not all stores will elicit your desire. But in my recent journey to Amoeba, the store reads my desire in how it displays its merchandise. It is not adapting to me (as Spotify does with Discovery Weekly), but is trying to elicit my unconscious desire in anticipating a surprise purchase.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gn8ClPh7kRI/YaPVr-_MibI/AAAAAAAABXQ/5UfzfRl5LqQqSE8w1zpaZbFVd4ZcJ4HiACLcBGAsYHQ/s409/Copjec.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gn8ClPh7kRI/YaPVr-_MibI/AAAAAAAABXQ/5UfzfRl5LqQqSE8w1zpaZbFVd4ZcJ4HiACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Copjec.jpg" width="249" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But this raises a question: can algorithms such as Discover Weekly read your desire? In a <a href="https://soundcloud.com/whytheory" target="_blank">podcast</a> on the Lacanian Real with Todd McGowan, he argues they can't because they repeatedly tell you what you want.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I think McGowan's claim lines up with Slavoj Zizek's critique of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity" target="_blank">technological singularity</a>. For Zizek, singularity can't account for the unconscious. Likewise, algorithms don't know how to read our unconscious desire. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Instead of a "surprise," (something unexpected which emerges from your encounter at a record store), you discover something new with Discover Weekly, which is based on your tastes. As Krukowski writes, "You find the answers you want to the questions you already know to ask. . . . This makes an ideal experience if <i>all</i> you want is what you want. But what if you're looking for something else?" (112). That "something else" is what Lacan call <i>objet a</i> which algorithms can not provide. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another way to think about algorithms is they operate on mastery. By contrast, a record store operates on both absence ("something else")<i> and</i> mastery ("all"). As you navigate the story, you try to master it. At the same time, what draws you into the store is absence (unconscious desire).<br /></span></span></p>Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-82168126230600522992021-12-05T08:53:00.002-08:002022-12-09T12:26:44.493-08:00Immanuel Kant - The Schema<p><span style="font-family: arial;">I found some papers I wrote in grad school and thought I would share. This one was from a class I took on Kant's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critique_of_Pure_Reason" target="_blank"><i>Critique of Pure Reason</i></a>. It explains the concept of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schema_(Kant)" target="_blank">schema</a>. I remember this was a strange concept when I first learned it. I would later learn Slavoj Zizek would sometimes use the schema to explain how fantasy works. I hope you find this helpful. I am using the Cambridge edition, citing A/B version of the <i>Critique</i>.<br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDnI6TlpvRuVMexaqqE8yTXkzIoN4czOtJg_jp-cAYpVBkM6yUFwFI0-YMTLDeaZGZzW6tIM4oFAVur1BwpS9Qy2bh_p4SR_JOnlepafxWvRIpNnP8mknTwu3pTt4GKLc5Zx1LZVAo5WezmGdzS_6xciCQhl4OThJC-Tq8aCBxVhP6S2NhzoLfZRKlgA=s499" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDnI6TlpvRuVMexaqqE8yTXkzIoN4czOtJg_jp-cAYpVBkM6yUFwFI0-YMTLDeaZGZzW6tIM4oFAVur1BwpS9Qy2bh_p4SR_JOnlepafxWvRIpNnP8mknTwu3pTt4GKLc5Zx1LZVAo5WezmGdzS_6xciCQhl4OThJC-Tq8aCBxVhP6S2NhzoLfZRKlgA=s320" width="214" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><p></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The purpose of this paper is to investigate
Immanuel Kant’s critique of abstract concepts. For Kant, to unravel an abstract
concept is to know the determinate rules for human cognition; that is, to uncover
the forms of judgment that allows one to conceptualize an object of experience.
Empiricist philosophers such as Hume and Locke have tried to solve the problem of
abstract concepts but without the employment of <i>a priori </i>conditions. The starting point for both Hume’s theory of
impressions and Locke’s theory of ideas is the realm of experience. However, for
Kant, experience as a starting point cannot demonstrate what is universal and
necessary for the possibility of <i>a priori</i>
judgments. To solve the problem of abstract concepts, Kant introduces the
notion of a schema which is a determinate rule that mediates the relationship
between appearances and the categories. There are three problems of abstract
concepts associated with the schema: empirical concepts (in relation to the
universal and particular), pure sensible concepts, and pure concepts of the
understanding. In this paper I will explain the problem of empirical concepts
in regards to the particular and universal, which the empiricist philosophers
could not solve, and show how the employment of the schema solves the problem
of abstract concepts.</span></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In the section on transcendental deduction, Kant
demonstrated how the combination of the transcendental aesthetic (the
conditions of time and space) and the pure concepts of the understanding
present the possibility of experience. Per <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieter_Henrich" target="_blank">Dieter Henrich</a>, Kant’s
transcendental deduction is a two steps process in a single deduction,
exemplifying the connection between the intellectual and sensible conditions of
human knowledge. The importance of the transcendental deduction is that it demonstrates
the objective validity of the categories for the possibility of experience. Objective
validity is vital for Kant’s transcendental deduction because it establishes
the necessary truth for the possibility of judgments. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">The transcendental deduction, however, only tells
us the story on how forms and structures operate within the mind. Kant’s next
endeavor must present the empirical side of the story in order to fully proclaim
his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copernican_Revolution" target="_blank">Copernican Revolution</a>; that is, objects conform to our knowledge. To fully
solve the problem of abstract concepts, we must understand how content is
employed within the forms of the mind, because, as Kant states, “Thoughts
without content are empty, intuitions without concepts are blind”</span> [</span></span><style></style><span style="font-family: arial;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">B75/A51</span>].
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Without the employment of content, the
categories of understanding would remain idle. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Kant posits that general logic cannot supply the
rules or forms for the power of judgment, noting that “General logic contains
no precepts at all for the power of judgment, and more over cannot contain
them” [B171/A132]. For instance, everyone can learn how to interpret a type of
triangle or square, such as a right angle or a rhombus; but the power of
judgment through the lens of general logic cannot state that this particular
triangle or square is universally correct. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Guyer" target="_blank">Paul Guyer</a> explains in </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Kant and the Claims of Knowledge</span></i><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style>, “If rules were
needed to apply concepts, which are themselves rules, then further rules might
be needed to apply concepts, which are ad infinitum” (162).</span></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">General logic cannot inform what the determinate
</span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">rules or precepts are for the power of judgment.
Applying one rule to another rule under general logic leads to an infinite
regress and not what is necessary and universal.</span> <br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><style><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></style></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><style><span style="font-family: arial;">@font-face
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">To avoid the problem of an infinite regress Kant
argues that there must be determinate rules (forms and structures) for the
power of judgment. The transcendental deduction alone cannot produce an object
of experience. The combination of the manifold of intuition and the categories require
an additional mechanism to direct the appearances in order to produce an object
of experience. Kant notes, “[T]he function of the understanding in the category
must also contain a priori form conditions of sensibility … that contain the
general conditions under which alone the category can be applied to any object”
[B179/A140]. For Kant, there must be something “homogeneously contained” in the
representation of the object in order to arrive at the concept of an object
such as a dog or a plate. Kant notes, “In all subsumption of an object under a
concept the representations of the former must be homogeneous with the latter”
[A137/B176]. The notion of subsumption posits something particular in the
representation that is homogeneous with the object. In other words, properties
of objects are represented by predicates, and what links the predicates to the
categories is what Kant terms the schema. </span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><style><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></style></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><style><span style="font-family: arial;">@font-face
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<style>@font-face
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</span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The schema is a determinate rule
that mediates that relationship between appearances and the categories. The
schema is pure <i>a priori </i>and is also sensible because its application to the
category is transcendental time-determinate. Kant notes, “[An] application of
the category to appearances become possible by means of transcendental
time-determination which, as the schema of the concept of understanding,
mediates the subsumption of the later under the former” [B178/A139]. The
transcendental deduction cannot mediate the appearance to the categories
because pure concepts have they no time determination. It is the schema as a
transcendental time-determinate that links the appearance to the categories. Every
sensory application must contain time; and because time is a prior, the schema
is therefore a transcendental procedure. </span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><style>@font-face
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Kant demonstrates the notion of the
schema through the concept of a plate. Our arrival at a concept of plate (as an
empirical image) is because we have a concept of circularity or roundness which
subsumes under the concept of plate. That is to say, the concept of plate homogeneously
contains a mark of roundness. The predicate “roundness” delineated by the
schema links the categories to the concept of a plate. <br /></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">One can also think of the schema as a theatre
usher. We have the patrons which represent the unperceived data of the
manifold. The manifold (the patrons) are ordered and filtered through the doors
to the theatre in regards to time and space; and, lastly, the aisles acts as
the categories with each seat being a mode under the tables of categories. The
schema is the third element that ushers or mediates each patron into their seat
or mode under the categories. The usher would be the only one who knows where
to seat the patrons.</span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;"><style><span style="font-family: arial;">@font-face
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As noted earlier, one of the three
problems of abstract concepts associated with the schema is empirical concepts
(the relationship to the universal and particular). Particularities are concepts
we come to know in the phenomenal world such as a dog or a plate. Universals
are forms that are rule governed and are the workings behind the scene that
allow the particular to emerge. Empirical philosophers have not been able to
provide a theory on how we can formally know an object of experience because
their starting point is the particular not the universal. Philosopher such as
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hume" target="_blank">Hume</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Locke" target="_blank">Locke</a> have argued theories that relate to empirical concepts, but
nothing that demonstrates universality on how we come know an object of
experience. For instance, Hume’s theory of impressions posits the mind can
know, for example, the concept of dog based on one’s past experience of various
breeds of four-footed animals. For Hume, the mind constructs a judgment based
on resemblance, contiguity and causation. And over time, the mind creates a
building block of this past experience. For example, I can know the difference
between a Poodle and a Bulldog because my mind compares and contrasts with
those particular breeds based on past experiences. That is to say, Hume’s
theory works with the relations of the particular based on past judgments of
dogs. But particularity cannot arrive what is necessary and universal. Hume’s
theory of impressions cannot solve the problem of abstract concept because it
does not provide a general rule for human cognition on how one comes know the
concept of dog. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Moreover, empiricist philosophers could not
solve the problem of abstract concepts because they were working from what Kant
calls the reproductive image (the empirical image). For Kant, empirical images
cannot produce a proper theory of knowledge because it represents
particularity, not universality. As Kant notes, “The concept of dog signifies a
rule for in accordance with which my imagination can specify the shape of a
four-footed animal in general, without being restricted to any single
particular shape that experience offers me or any possible image that I can
exhibit <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">in concreto</i>” [B181]. The
schema solves the problem of abstract concept because the predicate “a figure
of four-footed animal,” as rule is subsumed in the empirical concept of dog. The
schema constrains the categories because it is impossible for the mind to think
of all types of dogs in one given thought. The problem the empirical
philosophers wrestled with was they were working from the image itself. The
empirical image cannot be a determinate rule because, as pointed out with
general logic, it is always relative. Kant states, “The schema is in itself
always only a product of the imagination; but since the synthesis of the later
has as it aim on individual intuition but rather only the unity in the
determination of sensibility, the schema is to be distinguished from an image”
[B179/A140]. The schema is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> the
conclusion (the empirical image), but is the procedure (pure a priori) that
allows the conclusion (the concept of dog) to emerge. </span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">As <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Kemp_Smith" target="_blank">Norman Kemp Smith</a> notes in</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Commentary to Kant’s “Critique of Pure Reason</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">” second edition</span><style>@font-face
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possible only through and in accordance with the schemata, but can never
themselves be identified with them… Images are always particular; schemata are
always universal" (338). </span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">It is the schema that mediates between appearances
and the categories that makes the image of a dog or any object of experience
possible. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p>
<style><span style="font-family: arial;">@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</span></style> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The notion of the schema debunks
the empiricist’s problem of abstract concepts because it demonstrates a
universal and transcendental procedure for the power of judgment. And because
the schema is transcendental, it aligns with Kant’s Copernican revolution that
object must conform to our knowledge. Thus, the schema is a transcendental
time-determinate mechanism that mediates between appearances and the categories
and thus, employs the form of judgments.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><br /></span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><style><span style="font-family: arial;">@font-face
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<p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-84498237001044986652021-09-01T11:08:00.004-07:002021-09-09T19:14:07.916-07:00Joker and Film Theory<div><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This year I used <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7286456/" target="_blank"><i>Joker</i></a> as an example of introducing film theory and wanted to share. </span><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hJqrTopsy5g/YSg4CqQQJAI/AAAAAAAABT8/sPy0CGBi_84CVDZoz8MOSw5SCS4rbP57wCLcBGAsYHQ/s342/Joker%2BPoster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="236" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hJqrTopsy5g/YSg4CqQQJAI/AAAAAAAABT8/sPy0CGBi_84CVDZoz8MOSw5SCS4rbP57wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Joker%2BPoster.jpg" width="221" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>A few things to note:<br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><b>Theory is hard</b>. It requires you to read and re-read. It is not ready-made. But don't be overwhelmed. It takes time to learn the terminology. But it is a rewarding process. <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><b>Theory is not "good" or "bad" criticism</b>. That's for movie reviewers, or what is known as <i>evaluative criticism</i>. I LOVE <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siskel_and_Ebert" target="_blank">Siskel and Ebert</a>, but no thumbs-up or thumbs-down when writing theoretically about film. You want to write <i>critically</i> which involves theory...<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1o2lowwHrqc/YSg5KVgkFaI/AAAAAAAABUU/KewsLZHcbrQrxctDf25cblv_Q2dOaMXcgCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Siskel%2Band%2BEbert.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="440" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1o2lowwHrqc/YSg5KVgkFaI/AAAAAAAABUU/KewsLZHcbrQrxctDf25cblv_Q2dOaMXcgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Siskel%2Band%2BEbert.jpg" width="282" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>What insights does <i>Joker</i> offer for film theory?</span></span></b><br /></div><div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><b>Auteur Theory</b>: Todd
Phillips is probably not someone we think of as an auteur (evaluative). <i>The Hangover</i> movies or <i>Old School</i> did not garner Academy Award nominations.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MmGUxyq9bD8/YSg56dgOcbI/AAAAAAAABUc/azv-Pd_NvhYaxan8Q4mweNcS3kZ8Y4-owCLcBGAsYHQ/s408/Todd%2BPhillips.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="408" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MmGUxyq9bD8/YSg56dgOcbI/AAAAAAAABUc/azv-Pd_NvhYaxan8Q4mweNcS3kZ8Y4-owCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Todd%2BPhillips.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But good and bad taste is not relevant here. As long as the director has a body of work, you can conduct an auteur analysis. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You can also write about unconscious themes of a director's work - that is, themes the director did not know were showing up throughout their films. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But this also raises an important point about writing theory. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhetoric" target="_blank">Rhetoric</a>. Can you persuade me that Phillips is an auteur?</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><b>Genre</b>: We all know genres. <i>Joker</i> not only challenges our expectations of the superhero genre, but even those who have played the Joker. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-poqYnC2WYcU/YSg_GG0ie8I/AAAAAAAABVg/DSF45Lk4OGICFlVDYBp0FQ3nBLlVdC3lgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/JokerJack.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-poqYnC2WYcU/YSg_GG0ie8I/AAAAAAAABVg/DSF45Lk4OGICFlVDYBp0FQ3nBLlVdC3lgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/JokerJack.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>Why does <i>Joker</i> challenge our expectations?</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>For one, the film is a slow burn, moving toward Arthur Fleck's transformation. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>Fleck is also an unreliable narrator, something we often don't see in superhero movies. <br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Vvb2wlSc1I/YSg-gm145LI/AAAAAAAABU8/PyNJQOYN3gAfjhrQg6lrFVCkRoOPtz42QCPcBGAYYCw/s853/vlcsnap-2021-01-27-11h56m08s211.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Vvb2wlSc1I/YSg-gm145LI/AAAAAAAABU8/PyNJQOYN3gAfjhrQg6lrFVCkRoOPtz42QCPcBGAYYCw/s320/vlcsnap-2021-01-27-11h56m08s211.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>Could <i>Joker</i> impact future movies the way <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulp_Fiction" target="_blank"><i>Pulp Fiction</i></a> did in 1994? </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mlQR325xw9g/YS7cEAlzgbI/AAAAAAAABVw/7CZQ2i1Rtd8LnTD7GyJiA5zZXG9z5KJvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s327/Pulp%2BFiction.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mlQR325xw9g/YS7cEAlzgbI/AAAAAAAABVw/7CZQ2i1Rtd8LnTD7GyJiA5zZXG9z5KJvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Pulp%2BFiction.jpg" width="215" /></a></span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>Genre theory often investigates how genres develop over time. Rick Altman's semantic/syntactic approach is key to explaining this. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hiX_nvwhLro/YSg_bGwTdWI/AAAAAAAABVo/uDS4AZNq8jcwCdLHWwna9DMy1rV_uBH1QCLcBGAsYHQ/s499/Altman%2BTheory.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="326" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hiX_nvwhLro/YSg_bGwTdWI/AAAAAAAABVo/uDS4AZNq8jcwCdLHWwna9DMy1rV_uBH1QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Altman%2BTheory.jpg" width="209" /></a></span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Altman's analysis moves away from bad and good judgement, and points us toward the evolution of genres, looking at how a film articulates the traits of a given genre and the deeper meanings it can convey. The two are interconnected.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As time passes, we may look back at <i>Joker</i> and other superhero films and try to understand why they were so popular with audiences.</span></span></span></span> <br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ju768LIgHWE/YS7ckCCWe1I/AAAAAAAABV8/ER9ChJNgeDEHph6UhdF76XYlxKgEerIUACLcBGAsYHQ/s980/Avengers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="980" height="167" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ju768LIgHWE/YS7ckCCWe1I/AAAAAAAABV8/ER9ChJNgeDEHph6UhdF76XYlxKgEerIUACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Avengers.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><b>Art Cinema and Narrative Theory</b>: <i>Joker</i> shares many traits of art house cinema, such as ambiguity, loose narrative cause and effect, and digressions.<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span style="line-height: 107%;">To</span></span></span> understand </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span style="line-height: 107%;">art house cinema</span></span></span></span></span> traits, we have to weigh them against classical narrative, which often entails strict cause and effect, little or no ambiguity, and closure. See David Bordwell's article "<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/44018650" target="_blank">The Art Cinema as a Mode of Film Practice</a>.</span></span> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><i> </i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><i>Joker</i> is not a strict cause and effect narrative, as the entire film is told through Fleck's perspective. It has digressions, such as the bathroom dance sequence and Fleck dancing down the steps. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g-LXzKN8Ax4/YSg-heIDxPI/AAAAAAAABVc/CsHU8UmSanscEspwsnYew8KVFm-NpsFjwCPcBGAYYCw/s853/vlcsnap-2021-01-27-12h00m16s926.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g-LXzKN8Ax4/YSg-heIDxPI/AAAAAAAABVc/CsHU8UmSanscEspwsnYew8KVFm-NpsFjwCPcBGAYYCw/s320/vlcsnap-2021-01-27-12h00m16s926.png" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><i> </i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><i>Joker</i> has ambiguity. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Early in the film we think Arthur is dating Sophie. But this is not
true, because there is little indication we are inside of Arthur’s
mind. It is not surprising that <i>Joker</i> has been compared to Martin Scorsese's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxi_Driver" target="_blank"><i>Taxi Driver</i></a>. <br /></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XIZG-5Vj9oE/YSg84_SonfI/AAAAAAAABUk/r3VbV56Ol9gOznz-3bpRqfNIiSTtKJNxACLcBGAsYHQ/s408/TaxiDriver.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="230" data-original-width="408" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XIZG-5Vj9oE/YSg84_SonfI/AAAAAAAABUk/r3VbV56Ol9gOznz-3bpRqfNIiSTtKJNxACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/TaxiDriver.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Semiotics</b>: </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The study of signs. A key component of semiotics is
inventorying signs—looking for patterns in a movie. A key theorist is Roland Barthes. His work draws our attention to a film's literal and figurative meanings.</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6N5k7S3R_nw/YS7dBmMji-I/AAAAAAAABWI/FdJH6Qptm7oYLyEVF7WLRyYXUaV22RfGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s499/Mythologies.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="328" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6N5k7S3R_nw/YS7dBmMji-I/AAAAAAAABWI/FdJH6Qptm7oYLyEVF7WLRyYXUaV22RfGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Mythologies.jpg" width="210" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Consider </span>Arthur's dance down the stairs. There are multiple meanings.</span><span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> It is not only literally him going up and down, b</span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="line-height: 107%;">ut a sign
of his transformation.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c-oFM7uHSJI/YSg-f6_TYXI/AAAAAAAABVc/XNWYVi3U-OglsJtTP6uPIGuodROSMBSUwCPcBGAYYCw/s853/vlcsnap-2021-01-27-11h54m26s989.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c-oFM7uHSJI/YSg-f6_TYXI/AAAAAAAABVc/XNWYVi3U-OglsJtTP6uPIGuodROSMBSUwCPcBGAYYCw/s320/vlcsnap-2021-01-27-11h54m26s989.png" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="line-height: 107%;">At the start of the film he lumbers up the stairs after he is fired as a clown. On his way to Murray's talk show, toward the end of the film, he dances
down the stairs, going into full Joker mode.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><b>Realism and Formalism: </b>One of the central questions early film theory took up was whether cinema has an essence. That is, is there something inherently significant about movies<b>.</b></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wv9dmk-8xf8/YS-ymryjJxI/AAAAAAAABWQ/eZTAJH78kykwGSbDB7qKSPKm6W566_SxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s307/Bazin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="200" height="307" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wv9dmk-8xf8/YS-ymryjJxI/AAAAAAAABWQ/eZTAJH78kykwGSbDB7qKSPKm6W566_SxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Bazin.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>Andre Bazin argues it is cinematic space (mise-en-scene) that is significant to cinema. He loved movies that allow you to look within the frame, movies that try to mimic the structures of reality. Long takes and deep focus photography are techniques he championed in cinema.<br /><i></i></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><i> </i></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><i>Joker</i> shares certain aspects of Bazanian realism, particularly its emphasis on the grittiness of the city. In many ways, the grittiness of the film captures Arthur's uncertain state of mind.</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BSQr_yvINEI/YSg-g_BLfxI/AAAAAAAABVU/5KniHCEL0pwNulrtbAPTzNQ85XhXiExnACPcBGAYYCw/s853/vlcsnap-2021-01-27-11h59m23s662.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BSQr_yvINEI/YSg-g_BLfxI/AAAAAAAABVU/5KniHCEL0pwNulrtbAPTzNQ85XhXiExnACPcBGAYYCw/s320/vlcsnap-2021-01-27-11h59m23s662.png" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>These are just some examples of how <i>Joker</i> can be a good way to begin film theory. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>I also recommend Kevin McDonald's excellent book.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QtdC98-QC3g/YSg4m5cnOcI/AAAAAAAABUI/ktRjdcHGN9ADqmlSzLHn10sUoqOgNKa5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1400/McDonald%2BFilm%2BTheory.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="912" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QtdC98-QC3g/YSg4m5cnOcI/AAAAAAAABUI/ktRjdcHGN9ADqmlSzLHn10sUoqOgNKa5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/McDonald%2BFilm%2BTheory.jpg" width="208" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /> </span></span><p></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></span></p></div>Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-5075140270916201992020-08-23T12:41:00.001-07:002023-06-19T14:07:13.653-07:00The Seventh Seal and Ingmar Bergman<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When I first taught world cinema, I knew I wanted to assign Ingmar Bergman's <i>The Seventh Seal</i> (1957). But when the time came to put my lecture together, I was surprised by how difficult this film was to teach. After finding some very good articles (see below), I found teaching this classic film by one of my favorite directors to be very rewarding.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iJ-X1Baraw0/Xz71xvGIMNI/AAAAAAAABJY/FOnZmQtWmvs3JbJIbeiesNbNrH9eN9CaACPcBGAYYCw/s720/vlcsnap-2018-10-09-15h07m21s681.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iJ-X1Baraw0/Xz71xvGIMNI/AAAAAAAABJY/FOnZmQtWmvs3JbJIbeiesNbNrH9eN9CaACPcBGAYYCw/s640/vlcsnap-2018-10-09-15h07m21s681.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Strangely, this past winter I taught <i>The Seventh Seal</i>
right before Covid-19. It was also around the same time Max Von Sydow
passed away - one of the stars of the film. Even before Covid, I would
offer guiding questions to consider current films or
television shows involving a plague or dystopia setting. Before I
get to that, here are some points I addressed in the film. This lecture
was structured from Birgitta Steene's and Marilyn Johns Blackwell's writings on
the film.</span></span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Interior Landscape </span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Bergman’s films often focus on an interior landscape, a reflection of a state of
mind. Here we can see the impact of German Expressionism. </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Think of the expressive settings of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cabinet_of_Dr._Caligari" target="_blank"><i>The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari</i></a> and how they embody the dark psyche of Cesare and Dr. Caligari.<br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gd09z6Fu3LU/X0A9-k_d0NI/AAAAAAAABLk/r6wwnnIPuGE1Eh9WoIa-O0kPEDwiOoSVACLcBGAsYHQ/s720/vlcsnap-2018-02-11-12h22m05s37.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gd09z6Fu3LU/X0A9-k_d0NI/AAAAAAAABLk/r6wwnnIPuGE1Eh9WoIa-O0kPEDwiOoSVACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/vlcsnap-2018-02-11-12h22m05s37.png" width="640" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Likewise, expressionism informs <i>The
Seventh Seal</i> when the Knight is tormented by his own doubts. Bergman captures the Knight's interior through the harsh, rigid, and Gothic landscape that opens the film when he encounters Death.</span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m1spVTPZd-4/Xz72PK5d9wI/AAAAAAAABJs/ayXMpbqtsrEg5scaMEumFQZa-bfyRBeFwCLcBGAsYHQ/s720/vlcsnap-2018-10-09-15h07m01s677.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m1spVTPZd-4/Xz72PK5d9wI/AAAAAAAABJs/ayXMpbqtsrEg5scaMEumFQZa-bfyRBeFwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/vlcsnap-2018-10-09-15h07m01s677.png" width="640" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Compare the film's opening to Jof, the traveling performer, who has a vision of The Virgin Mary. Here the angelic and serene landscape is much different from the dark and ominous opening of Death's arrival on the beach. Both scenes demonstrate Bergman's expressive use of mise-en-scene in capturing an interior landscape.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5XXt8jg_E2s/Xz72KcjtLFI/AAAAAAAABJo/4o89qnRRMIMr9UvLSZz1pdhTOJp2tmBCACPcBGAYYCw/s720/vlcsnap-2018-10-09-14h28m19s94.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5XXt8jg_E2s/Xz72KcjtLFI/AAAAAAAABJo/4o89qnRRMIMr9UvLSZz1pdhTOJp2tmBCACPcBGAYYCw/s640/vlcsnap-2018-10-09-14h28m19s94.png" width="640" /></a></span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"> <br /></span></span></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b>Art Cinema</b></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><i>The Seventh Seal</i> is a classic example of European art house cinema, demonstrated by its loosely structured narrative and bleak ending. It is a film that intellectually challenges us. The film is not a strictly goal orientated film. Rather it is structured by the reprieve Death offers the Knight. The looseness of the story allows Bergman to digress the narrative into some interesting moments, particularly the flagellation scene.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u2K6ojXPogI/X0K1cBG2jxI/AAAAAAAABL4/xEDf--m54zgdSe2pAE5mteoVev1pVYpLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s720/vlcsnap-2018-10-09-15h15m45s141.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u2K6ojXPogI/X0K1cBG2jxI/AAAAAAAABL4/xEDf--m54zgdSe2pAE5mteoVev1pVYpLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/vlcsnap-2018-10-09-15h15m45s141.png" width="640" /></a></span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">At the same time,</span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Bergman’s journey narrative has a purpose. This is certainly the case for the
Knight. There are random events, but they do lead to his self-confrontation in
the form of death at the end of the film. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">See David Bordwell's <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/44018650.pdf?seq=1" target="_blank">article</a> on art house cinema.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xPIp0TjTqZk/X0A1xsmWsmI/AAAAAAAABKU/K3aPmA89Xg023OaebnZlgiraZfdlt-8jACLcBGAsYHQ/s720/vlcsnap-2018-10-09-14h34m22s140.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xPIp0TjTqZk/X0A1xsmWsmI/AAAAAAAABKU/K3aPmA89Xg023OaebnZlgiraZfdlt-8jACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/vlcsnap-2018-10-09-14h34m22s140.png" width="640" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">(Notice how the geometric patterns entrap the Knight, suggesting he cannot escape death.)<br /></span></span></span></span><p></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></span></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Philosophy</span></span></span></span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">
</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Existentialism is often discussed in the context of <i>The Seventh Seal</i>. As Steene writes, "<i>The Seventh Seal</i> is an allegory with a theme that is quite simple: man, his eternal search for God, with death as his only certainty" (62). And </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Blackwell notes, "A major impetus behind the international fascination with <i>The Seventh Seal</i> lay in the political climate of the mid-1950s (576)." </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s-WMaVwef0E/X0A3dvyzF8I/AAAAAAAABKs/UvheTwOMQWsrCUKJ0qj2AXYq0zXGkdHGACLcBGAsYHQ/s1800/Mushroom%2BCloud.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1438" data-original-width="1800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s-WMaVwef0E/X0A3dvyzF8I/AAAAAAAABKs/UvheTwOMQWsrCUKJ0qj2AXYq0zXGkdHGACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Mushroom%2BCloud.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><i>The Seventh Seal</i> engages with the existential view that a human life is decided in
the choice of action. Relevant here is French philosopher and writer Jean-Paul Sartre’s notion that “existence precedes
essence.” In other words, </span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">essence
is not predetermined but manifested through our choices and actions.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"> Here, Blackwell makes reference to social concerns of the late 1950s, particularly </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">the threat of nuclear Armageddon. And we can see how the dark themes of Bergman’s film could grab hold of
the viewer’s imagination during that time. </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">I build upon this point by having students think about what current shows and movies invoke dark or dystopia themes. Answers I often get are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walking_Dead_(TV_series)" target="_blank"><i>The Walking Dead </i></a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Handmaid%27s_Tale_(TV_series)" target="_blank"><i>The Handmaid's Tale</i></a>. I often cite post 9/11 films such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_of_Men" target="_blank"><i>Children of Men</i></a> or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloverfield" target="_blank"><i>Cloverfield</i></a>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GHMU3IVwJYY/X0A5AOZGvLI/AAAAAAAABK8/p_677-YYh5ovRJicrYJiM62hTsitXtiMACLcBGAsYHQ/s879/Cloverfield.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="879" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GHMU3IVwJYY/X0A5AOZGvLI/AAAAAAAABK8/p_677-YYh5ovRJicrYJiM62hTsitXtiMACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Cloverfield.jpg" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></span></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">The famous final image of <i>The Seventh Seal</i> is the dance of death, which is taking from a painting. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Eyj9GJpFPnA/Xz72jWuzk6I/AAAAAAAABKA/uNpGLXyokM4WHDd_Hg6fuA-VVyXoQAqtgCPcBGAYYCw/s720/vlcsnap-2018-10-09-14h30m58s123.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Eyj9GJpFPnA/Xz72jWuzk6I/AAAAAAAABKA/uNpGLXyokM4WHDd_Hg6fuA-VVyXoQAqtgCPcBGAYYCw/s640/vlcsnap-2018-10-09-14h30m58s123.png" width="640" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></span></span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">The painter in this scene is
based on </span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;">Albertus Pictor who was a famous medieval
Swedish painter. His dance of death church wall painting of Death playing chess
directly informs the opening and ending of the film.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TUdHtIsTKmA/X0A3bPomafI/AAAAAAAABKw/CTC2L8DrSvEQs2bWAdIG9gDrCV_8hOvzQCPcBGAYYCw/s720/vlcsnap-2018-10-09-15h22m12s338.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TUdHtIsTKmA/X0A3bPomafI/AAAAAAAABKw/CTC2L8DrSvEQs2bWAdIG9gDrCV_8hOvzQCPcBGAYYCw/s640/vlcsnap-2018-10-09-15h22m12s338.png" width="640" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><i>The Seventh Seal</i> is a complex film
on many levels. It is expressionistic, it demonstrates the art cinema
mode of filmmaking, it engages with philosophy and also speaks to its current moment in the late 1950s. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LfNkUk8yziM/X0A6Oybq0uI/AAAAAAAABLQ/gZ4DQ7p4FAQr7HLCr1NbSC2l-ExDsb2FwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1283/Bergman.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1283" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LfNkUk8yziM/X0A6Oybq0uI/AAAAAAAABLQ/gZ4DQ7p4FAQr7HLCr1NbSC2l-ExDsb2FwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Bergman.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Perhaps
more importantly, <i>The Seventh Seal</i> is a personal film for Bergman who was working through his own
demons. As Peter Cowie puts it: “Bergman is exorcising his own demons, his own
dread of the eternal darkness, and to his surprise and delight this process has
appealed to audiences in practically every corner of the world” (cited from the
Criterion disc).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here are some other books and movies to discuss in relation to <i>The Seventh Seal:</i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>The Stand</i> by Stephen King. King talks about the energy crisis at the time he wrote the novel. <br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">PD James's <i>Children of Men</i>. For the movie, I often bring up social concerns post 9/11. For the book, which was published in 1990, I think it is more relevant to AIDS.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Sources</b>:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The Seventh Seal</i>”
from <i>Ingmar Bergman </i>by Birgitta
Steene, pp.61–69</span><style> </style></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><style><!--
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The Seventh Seal</i>:
Cinematic Form and Cultural Criticism” in <i>Film Analysis</i> (Second edition) by Marilyn Johns Blackwell, pp.574–592 </span>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></span></p>Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-55658066492238241142020-07-09T13:59:00.007-07:002023-08-23T09:37:53.777-07:00Top Ten Stephen King Books<div><font face="arial" size="3">For the past year, I've been reading a lot of Stephen King books. I've been a fan of King over the years. But I guess I recently got the King bug, especially after reading </font><font face="arial" size="3"><i><font face="arial" size="3">'</font>Salem's Lot</i> last summer. To this day, I've read almost half of King's novels. There's still so much more to explore, given the amount of books, novellas, and short stories he has published over the years. But I thought it would be fun to list my ten favorite books thus far - no particular ranking.</font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4DJFUFgpwA/Xv5Knj3y1NI/AAAAAAAABDM/zYgHj78iLzkBFadprIlw20zmQ1UfnrODQCK4BGAsYHg/s475/TheStand.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="293" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4DJFUFgpwA/Xv5Knj3y1NI/AAAAAAAABDM/zYgHj78iLzkBFadprIlw20zmQ1UfnrODQCK4BGAsYHg/s320/TheStand.jpg" /></a></div><font face="arial"></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial" size="3">Growing up as a GenX-er, the commercial for the uncut version of this book aired all the time on TV. </font><font face="arial"><font face="arial" size="3">This was the first book of his I read way back in 1996, and </font><font size="3">was taken by how much heart and melodrama it had, or what I describe as "horror with heart." It might also be the longest book I have ever read! But never a dull moment. Some of my favorite characters are Trashcan Man, Larry Underwood, and Nick Andros. I also loved Harold Emery Lauder, as tragic as he was.</font><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zjMgWa5Zk2Y/Xv5Kye-JIPI/AAAAAAAABDY/tj6mnbbRdcAxtM5uPrVcnEkpkU-Irj4ygCK4BGAsYHg/s380/SalemsLot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="261" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zjMgWa5Zk2Y/Xv5Kye-JIPI/AAAAAAAABDY/tj6mnbbRdcAxtM5uPrVcnEkpkU-Irj4ygCK4BGAsYHg/s320/SalemsLot.jpg" /></a></div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial" size="3">Next to<i> The Stand</i>, I think '<i>Salem's Lot</i> is one of King's best novels. There's so much to say about it. For one, the story takes some of the narrative structure from Bram Stoker's masterpiece. Of course, there is a number of scary and suspenseful moments. But what took me by surprise is the small town that King creates for the reader. Early in the book, King describes an entire day and doings of 'Salem's Lot. Knowing that something supernatural is about to take over this town made this section of the book so frightening. In certain ways, </font><font face="arial"><font face="arial" size="3"><i>'Salem's Lot is</i></font><font size="3"> an invasion narrative. </font><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ubvw-wibgKA/Xv5K2JtIGOI/AAAAAAAABDk/3OkIT3u6koIn7lDwkubNHXbLjaSZDgaXgCK4BGAsYHg/s325/TheShining.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ubvw-wibgKA/Xv5K2JtIGOI/AAAAAAAABDk/3OkIT3u6koIn7lDwkubNHXbLjaSZDgaXgCK4BGAsYHg/s320/TheShining.jpg" /></a></div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><font size="3">First and foremost, the movie version is one my favorite films. <i>The Shining</i> was what made me go to film school. And like everyone else who loves the film, we all know that King was not a fan of Kubrick's version. I read the book way later in my life, mainly because I was curious about what Kubrick left out from the novel, and why King was not happy about the film version. I think both the film and novel are extraordinary. I have found myself equally scared by both.</font><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zDvNS3jGx5I/Xv5K5qGoezI/AAAAAAAABD0/aUhV7u9USkk5yeeqN8sVlI_8qXUQznGbQCK4BGAsYHg/s393/DoctorSleep.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="253" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zDvNS3jGx5I/Xv5K5qGoezI/AAAAAAAABD0/aUhV7u9USkk5yeeqN8sVlI_8qXUQznGbQCK4BGAsYHg/s320/DoctorSleep.jpg" /></a></div><font face="arial" size="3"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><font size="3">This book took me by surprise. It was the first book I read of his during his later years of writing. I felt his writing style was leaner and direct, rather than what <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2001/mar/24/stephenking.sciencefictionfantasyandhorror" target="_blank">Matt Thorne</a> in <i>The Guardian </i>called the "baroque" category of King. I think Rose The Hat is one of King's top villains. And I thought Rebecca Ferguson was amazing in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Sleep_(2019_film)" target="_blank">film</a>. But what struck me about<i> Doctor Sleep</i> was its exploration of alcoholism. This book is not only a sequel to <i>The Shining</i>, it is also a story about recovery. And having read about King's own battles with addiction made this book even more poignant. </font><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ea7tl1pja_Q/Xv5K-SZeV9I/AAAAAAAABEA/vRfvMP9-_rYe4rRjQf03zcgq_pD9Eje4wCK4BGAsYHg/s300/Desperation.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ea7tl1pja_Q/Xv5K-SZeV9I/AAAAAAAABEA/vRfvMP9-_rYe4rRjQf03zcgq_pD9Eje4wCK4BGAsYHg/Desperation.jpg" /></a></div><font face="arial"></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial" size="3">I found myself recently reading a lot of 1990s King. Next to <i>Gerald's Game</i> (in terms of graphic horror), it is one of the more gory novels of his. <i>Desperation</i> also demonstrates King's interest in putting a bunch of characters who don't know each other in one setting over a long stretch of time (e.g. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximum_Overdrive" target="_blank"><i>Maximum Overdrive</i></a>). This was a topic I explored in my book <a href="https://nupress.northwestern.edu/content/cinema-confinement" target="_blank"><i>Cinema of Confinement</i></a>. The novel</font><font face="arial"><font size="3"> also involves King playing with language, such as <i>Tak</i>! Very cool book.</font><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I0RVt69n_qY/Xv5LBgG1NNI/AAAAAAAABEQ/PUZM-CP1PnILNeoeXRthIHf4II9a8pKsgCK4BGAsYHg/s580/DarkTower.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="580" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I0RVt69n_qY/Xv5LBgG1NNI/AAAAAAAABEQ/PUZM-CP1PnILNeoeXRthIHf4II9a8pKsgCK4BGAsYHg/s320/DarkTower.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial" size="3">I am unsure what novel I enjoyed the most out of the series. Perhaps <i>Wolves of the Calla</i> or <i>The Waste Lands</i>? </font><font face="arial"><font face="arial" size="3">I was not such a fan of <i>The Drawing of the Three</i> and had stopped reading the series.</font><font size="3"> But after my father died in 2017, I went back to <i>The Dark Tower</i> story. I was in the Hudson Valley and wanted to read something that would take me out of the funk of my father's sudden death. I purchased <i>The Waste Lands</i> and it was everything I expected and more. I think <i>The Dark Tower</i> series is one of King's greatest achievements. I guess that's all I'll say. But I was very much touched by Roland's journey. So glad I stuck with it. I encourage you to read it if you haven't. </font><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sVRE562bqa4/Xv5LFe0VYkI/AAAAAAAABEc/riDYWTFwqL842RxLWhpRmmE3urQ9BsZHQCK4BGAsYHg/s304/FromABuick8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sVRE562bqa4/Xv5LFe0VYkI/AAAAAAAABEc/riDYWTFwqL842RxLWhpRmmE3urQ9BsZHQCK4BGAsYHg/FromABuick8.jpg" /></a></div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><font size="3">I read that King came up with this story when he accidentally slipped and fell down a hill behind a gas station. I was surprised by the tone of the book, where Pennsylvania State Troopers tell their stories of the Buick 8 that they impounded. The Buick 8 is a supernatural vehicle that appears to be a gateway into another world. Again, I loved how the narrative focuses primarily on the barracks and garage were the Buick is kept. I felt that King allows you to ponder the mystery of the car, without explaining too much. It's a strange book that I often think about.</font><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ah80DBttvY8/X-kAgTuKG-I/AAAAAAAABQE/VSfKq_0Q_Zo3fv2-yeLLqzaHGjDCEbRfQCLcBGAsYHQ/s406/UndertheDome.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="271" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ah80DBttvY8/X-kAgTuKG-I/AAAAAAAABQE/VSfKq_0Q_Zo3fv2-yeLLqzaHGjDCEbRfQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/UndertheDome.jpg" /></a></div><div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I loved this book and
believe it to be in the same vein as <i>Salem's Lot </i>and <i>Needful Things</i> - all about
a large cast of characters in a small town dealing with some strange
unexplained / supernatural event. The book is very engaging and never slow. It is also a
great tale about how leaders can turn into authoritarians.<i> Under the Dome</i> is
well worth your time.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;">
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{page:WordSection1;}</span></style><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-56WbxDBm0Ok/Xv5LSWez6LI/AAAAAAAABE4/GRKwfN9ooVUB1r2IN8SHyI7ufKcH4UUawCK4BGAsYHg/s630/DifferenSeasons.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="408" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-56WbxDBm0Ok/Xv5LSWez6LI/AAAAAAAABE4/GRKwfN9ooVUB1r2IN8SHyI7ufKcH4UUawCK4BGAsYHg/s320/DifferenSeasons.jpg" /></a></div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><font size="3">I had seen the films <i>The Shawshank Redemption,</i> <i>Stand By Me</i>, and <i>Apt Pupil</i> before reading <i>Different Seasons</i>. This is a great collection of novellas. My favorite might be <i>Apt Pupil</i>. I was surprised by how dark and disturbing the story was, much different than the movie, which I was not such a fan of. </font><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w6Z1uk1MWKk/Xv5Xh-VGA6I/AAAAAAAABF4/IMDlBQN7m5EaCf519rw0H4gclwg4zdNWQCK4BGAsYHg/s630/Insomnia.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="405" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w6Z1uk1MWKk/Xv5Xh-VGA6I/AAAAAAAABF4/IMDlBQN7m5EaCf519rw0H4gclwg4zdNWQCK4BGAsYHg/s320/Insomnia.jpg" /></a></div><font face="arial" size="3"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><font size="3">King mentioned that this book was him trying too hard. I think this is an amazing fantasy book about elderly people. I thought the length and pacing of the book reflected the characters - not to be rude about getting old. Maybe more importantly is the book's connection to <i>The Dark Tower</i> and why I enjoyed the book so much. Unlike King's approach to sci-fi, I think he takes his approach to fantasy quite seriously, exploring very intriguing aspects of out of body experiences as well as playing with time and space, which can be traced back to <i>The</i> <i>Dark Tower</i> story, or even <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisey%27s_Story" target="_blank"><i>Lisey's Story</i></a>. </font></font><font face="arial"><font size="3"><font face="arial"><font size="3"><i>Insomnia</i> is a slow burn, but I think it is worth checking out.<br /></font></font></font></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bajp87ETxZg/Xv56lXlzhaI/AAAAAAAABGU/JGAOLiRexNcjqM9YFnf1o0jvKhd0iGelwCK4BGAsYHg/s2132/OnWriting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2132" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bajp87ETxZg/Xv56lXlzhaI/AAAAAAAABGU/JGAOLiRexNcjqM9YFnf1o0jvKhd0iGelwCK4BGAsYHg/s320/OnWriting.jpg" /></a></div><font face="arial" size="3"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial" size="3">I would also like to mention King's book <i>On Writing.</i> This book had such a tremendous impact on me as a writer. It inspired me to write with the door closed, and not be afraid to write even when you don't know the entire structure of your story, or even know where your story is heading. Everybody has their own approaches to writing. But for me, I like to discover things about the characters and their situations as I write.<br /></font></div><div><font face="arial" size="3"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><font size="3">For academic analysis, check out <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Magistrale" target="_blank">Tony Magistrale</a>'s books on King.</font></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div>Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-79444894015686060892020-05-07T13:53:00.005-07:002021-08-21T12:36:47.921-07:00Suburban Tales and The Mansion<div><font face="arial">Coming soon! <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088M7FN4N/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1" target="_blank">Suburban Tales</a> </i></font><font face="arial"><font face="arial">Last year, </font><font face="arial">I wrote a bunch of short stories that focus on the supernatural, fantasy and horror. </font></font><font face="arial"><font face="arial">I picked three stories and thought
it would be fun to independently publish them as a book series. The stories are entitled, "The Rock Star," The Piano," and "The Decorator." All three stories focus on Eden Gardens, a fictional neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley.</font></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T9RN9HgZqnA/XrRYR_qdAgI/AAAAAAAABBE/PbiRN4QHekIc_OA4Ky50nmCTWp1r3OJqgCK4BGAsYHg/Suburban%2BTales%2BCover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T9RN9HgZqnA/XrRYR_qdAgI/AAAAAAAABBE/PbiRN4QHekIc_OA4Ky50nmCTWp1r3OJqgCK4BGAsYHg/s320/Suburban%2BTales%2BCover.jpg" /></a></div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial">I was surprised to see a number of well-known authors like <a href="https://www.joehillfiction.com/" target="_blank">Joe Hill</a> and <a href="https://www.paultremblay.net/" target="_blank">Paul Tremblay</a> were publishing short reads and short stories under the Kindle Short Reads category. I wonder how this has impacted print journals that publish short stories. As always with digital technology, there are pluses and minuses.</font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Es231YxhwIM/X8qwoyFhy4I/AAAAAAAABPU/zdl3gmDjhjc4VBK4NLQgnXKeYpGkA4y_wCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/The%2BMansion%2B-%2BFront%2BCover%2BKindle%2BVersion%2BII.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1450" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Es231YxhwIM/X8qwoyFhy4I/AAAAAAAABPU/zdl3gmDjhjc4VBK4NLQgnXKeYpGkA4y_wCPcBGAYYCw/s320/The%2BMansion%2B-%2BFront%2BCover%2BKindle%2BVersion%2BII.jpg" /></a></div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yJXnbqicAKA/YSFVxGJEBtI/AAAAAAAABTs/2rsoceCauiALKwYAIPSkSFBVQKwJ5X48QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/The%2BMansion%2B-%2BBack%2BCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1502" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yJXnbqicAKA/YSFVxGJEBtI/AAAAAAAABTs/2rsoceCauiALKwYAIPSkSFBVQKwJ5X48QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/The%2BMansion%2B-%2BBack%2BCover.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><br /><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial">I also wrote the third book in my Hudson Valley trilogy called <i>The Mansion.</i> I hope to have it ready later in the year. The other two books in the trilogy are <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Postcard-Tom-Connelly-ebook/dp/B005LVUUM6/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank"><i>The Postcard</i></a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bells-Tom-Connelly-ebook/dp/B018ADGYDA/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&qid=1588881728&refinements=p_27%3ATom+Connelly&s=digital-text&sr=1-4&text=Tom+Connelly" target="_blank"><i>The Bells</i></a> - both available through Amazon.</font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial">My <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Thomas-J-Connelly/e/B009JKI16W?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1588881986&sr=8-1">academic books</a>, <i>Capturing Digital Media </i>(Bloomsbury Academic) and <i>Cinema of Confinement</i> (Northwestern University Press), are also available for purchase.<br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial">Follow me on <a href="https://twitter.com/ivyscobie">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ivyscobie/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> @Ivyscobie</font></div><div><font face="arial"><a href="https://www.tomconnellyfiction.com/" target="_blank">www.tomconnellyfiction.com</a> <br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"><br /></font></div><div><font face="arial"> <br /></font></div>Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-41676829030502693712020-03-07T18:10:00.005-08:002021-09-22T14:05:16.145-07:00Bong Joon-ho<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was so exciting to see Bong Joon-ho win all those Academy Awards for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasite_(2019_film)" target="_blank"><i>Parasite</i></a> this year. It was definitely one of the best films of the year. I had some other favorites such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Irishman" target="_blank"><i>The Irishman</i></a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriage_Story" target="_blank"><i>Marriage Story</i></a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1917_(2019_film)" target="_blank"><i>1917</i>,</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_Upon_a_Time_in_Hollywood" target="_blank"><i>Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</i>,</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joker_(2019_film)" target="_blank"><i>Joker</i></a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jojo_Rabbit" target="_blank"><i>Jo Jo Rabbit</i>.</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've been teaching Bong Joon-Ho in my Global Cinema class for the past three years. When I first proposed my course, I didn't know much about Korean cinema. I was directed toward Park Chan-wook's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldboy_(2003_film)" target="_blank"><i>Oldboy</i></a> by a number of my students. This was the first Korean film I watched, and it is an incredible and visceral movie that will stick with you for a long time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bong and Park are part of a number of directors known as New Korean Wave. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What is unique about these filmmakers is they work within genre to get at social concerns. This is clearly the case in Bong's films <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Host_(2006_film)" target="_blank">The Host</a> </i>and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowpiercer" target="_blank"><i>Snowpiercer</i></a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For example, <i>The Host</i> addresses a number of topics, such as youth unemployment after the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Asian-financial-crisis" target="_blank">Asian financial crisis</a> in 1997. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Or "the right of the hungry" (<i>seo-ri</i>), which is connected to the film's theme of consumption.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the same time, <i>The Host</i> is a very entertaining and scary film. I think horror and Gothic films are particularly good at generating social commentary, such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Living_Dead" target="_blank"><i>Night of the Living Dead</i></a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_Out" target="_blank"><i>Get Out</i></a>, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_of_the_Dead_(1978_film)" target="_blank">Dawn of the Dead</a>,</i> and <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil%27s_Backbone" target="_blank">The Devil's Backbone</a>.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But one film I highly recommend is Bong's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memories_of_Murder" target="_blank"><i>Memories of Murder</i></a>. Christina Klein wrote an excellent <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/256861" target="_blank">article</a> on <i>Memories</i> and <i>The Host</i> called, "Why American Studies Need to Think About Korean Cinema, or Transnational Genres in the Films of Bong Joon-ho."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Klein argues that <i>Memories</i> and <i>The Host</i> have the traditional Hollywood conventions of the serial killer and the monster genre, respectively. At the same time, both films speak to Korean social concerns. She identifies these two registers through <b>surface</b> and <b>deep</b> <b>crime</b>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Klein states: </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Bong does not mimic Hollywood but appropriates and reworks genre conventions,
using them as a framework for exploring and critiquing South Korea social and
political issues” (873).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">She argues that the <b>surface crime </b>launches
the story and motivates the action. The process of investigating the surface
crime often produces a <b>deep crime</b>, which is a pervasive wrongdoing that lies
beneath the surface of everyday life (881). </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This deep crime, for example, points toward the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chun_Doo-hwan" target="_blank">Chun</a> regime during the 1980s. The film capture life under the Chun dictatorship as the detectives attempt to find the serial killer.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Of course, Klein's surface and deep crime reading can certainly apply to Bong's new film, <i>Parasite</i> and its commentary on wealth and inequality. At the same time, the film has surface traits of a thriller and, to some degree, horror.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lastly, there are many great films from South Korea. Below are a few I recommend:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Be sure to check out Darcy Paquet's great introduction to <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/New-Korean-Cinema-Breaking-Waves/dp/1906660255" target="_blank">New Korean Cinema</a></i></span></span><br />
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{page:WordSection1;}</style>Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-35837288747625687582019-08-27T10:05:00.001-07:002021-01-02T08:37:37.241-08:00The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street - The Twilight Zone<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monsters_Are_Due_on_Maple_Street" target="_blank">The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street</a>" is an episode I have shown many times in my television courses. Rod Serling is an artistic force, especially when you consider the TV anthologies he wrote in the 1950s, such as <i>Patterns</i> and <i>Requiem for Heavyweight</i>. Although the term "showrunner" was not used during the time when <i>The Twilight Zone</i> aired, Serling arguable meets all the traits of a television auteur. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The plot of "</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" is simple: neighbors conversing on a sun-drenched suburban street are suddenly disrupted when a strange-sounding object flies over with a loud roar and a flash of light. Some think it might have been a meteor. No one really knows for sure. No need to panic. But when they discover they have no electrical power, and lawn mowers and cars no longer work, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a meeting is called on the street as the paranoia begins.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Re6QiMNB_4U/XWGUVHDkLII/AAAAAAAAA6w/NjuABYY60AQ0G2tasVeAvNhzs-ZKFxfvwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-02%2Bat%2B10.07.57%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Re6QiMNB_4U/XWGUVHDkLII/AAAAAAAAA6w/NjuABYY60AQ0G2tasVeAvNhzs-ZKFxfvwCPcBGAYYCw/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-02%2Bat%2B10.07.57%2BAM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The episode offers a number of insights into late 1950s America </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(albeit allegorically)</span>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9iYEDL2Afu0/XViljnyWNMI/AAAAAAAAA18/NzgNydmlyzwR_dLhsBmX_lWKmtug2f3ZgCEwYBhgL/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-02%2Bat%2B9.59.13%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9iYEDL2Afu0/XViljnyWNMI/AAAAAAAAA18/NzgNydmlyzwR_dLhsBmX_lWKmtug2f3ZgCEwYBhgL/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-02%2Bat%2B9.59.13%2BAM.png" width="320" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As residents of Maple Street gather together, young Tommy references his comic books as a source of
explanation for the strange occurrence. He</span></span> says aliens may have already sent their people to earth, who look just like humans, a possible reference to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_the_Body_Snatchers" target="_blank"><i>Invasion of the Bodysnatchers</i></a>
(1956). </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xW-1cVwZtkg/XVilQsx8tsI/AAAAAAAAA10/I-NT9jMMPvcf6mEynV67fft8gchmylnJACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-02%2Bat%2B10.00.42%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xW-1cVwZtkg/XVilQsx8tsI/AAAAAAAAA10/I-NT9jMMPvcf6mEynV67fft8gchmylnJACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-02%2Bat%2B10.00.42%2BAM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Of course, this film and others of the 1950s are often
discussed as allegories of an outside threat such as communism or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism" target="_blank">McCarthyism</a> and t</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">he Red Scare</span></span></span>, which speaks to the height of the Cold War era.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HYoHf6RJbH0/XVinqDG_Z1I/AAAAAAAAA2o/jFTH-hlIXCwYIrHGMYkXsY_S85MK6r1UQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/invasionofthebodysnatchers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="525" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HYoHf6RJbH0/XVinqDG_Z1I/AAAAAAAAA2o/jFTH-hlIXCwYIrHGMYkXsY_S85MK6r1UQCPcBGAYYCw/s320/invasionofthebodysnatchers.png" width="235" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The neighbors blow Tommy off, saying that he's been reading too many comic books. It is interesting to note that in 1954 the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comics_Code_Authority" target="_blank">Comics Code Authority</a> was established as a way for the comic book industry to police itself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">The
Comics Code Authority was created because of the concern of graphic
content and its impact on the youth. Poor Tommy is certainly a target.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ficiw-pbJyA/XVimfB8-11I/AAAAAAAAA2Q/aq1XsN55I1k5RThZEp-ASU7QlJjoEvoxgCLcBGAs/s1600/comiccode.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="560" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ficiw-pbJyA/XVimfB8-11I/AAAAAAAAA2Q/aq1XsN55I1k5RThZEp-ASU7QlJjoEvoxgCLcBGAs/s320/comiccode.png" width="249" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Although the episode suggests social harmony before the strange thing flew by and knocked out their power, the neighbors, in fact, were already aware of their peculiarities. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thinking aliens have infiltrated Maple Street, the neighbors scrutinize all idiosyncrasies. </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p9vHTXv72-Y/XWGUUKRDA3I/AAAAAAAAA64/R0wZRAEnwEAEtHzbWMvCUOWJT0LqM5LuwCEwYBhgL/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-02%2Bat%2B10.05.41%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p9vHTXv72-Y/XWGUUKRDA3I/AAAAAAAAA64/R0wZRAEnwEAEtHzbWMvCUOWJT0LqM5LuwCEwYBhgL/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-02%2Bat%2B10.05.41%2BAM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These differences are brought out into the open as a way to see who's an alien and who's not. At one point, one of the neighbors points out that Steve is always using his ham radio at night. </span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q_iD3Cp1L7k/XWGUcP1e0HI/AAAAAAAAA6w/dtyjw9R53l8UKWMmqtXuNIs2e95SBxLSQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-02%2Bat%2B10.15.53%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1440" height="199" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q_iD3Cp1L7k/XWGUcP1e0HI/AAAAAAAAA6w/dtyjw9R53l8UKWMmqtXuNIs2e95SBxLSQCEwYBhgL/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-02%2Bat%2B10.15.53%2BAM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Steve's ham radio takes on qualities of what <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Sconce" target="_blank">Jeffrey Sconce</a> terms a "<a href="https://www.dukeupress.edu/haunted-media" target="_blank">haunted media</a>." But in this case, the radio is not identified as communicating with a supernatural being or the undead as depicted in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poltergeist_(1982_film)" target="_blank"><i>Poltergeist</i></a> (1982), but to communicate with aliens. Of course, Steve laughs at this assertion. </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YY_6TO3zYKo/XWGUUt7u5vI/AAAAAAAAA64/PEK8leogE0kyLE3U9pB_FWmHoysPzZEkQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-02%2Bat%2B10.06.12%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YY_6TO3zYKo/XWGUUt7u5vI/AAAAAAAAA64/PEK8leogE0kyLE3U9pB_FWmHoysPzZEkQCEwYBhgL/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-02%2Bat%2B10.06.12%2BAM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rodney Hill's excellent </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">article, "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Science-Fiction-Television-Contemporary/dp/0813124921" target="_blank">Mapping The Twilight Zone: Cultural and Mythological Terrain</a>," notes that “A chief character found
in all of these issues [such as threat of nuclear war, the red scare, and the
ever-present danger that suburban conformity might deteriorate into fascism] is
fear."</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Steve's calls the neighbor's inquisitions a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo_court" target="_blank">kangaroo court</a>, which is an appropriate description of the situation. But it is also a reference to fascism, a topic that Serling also explored in "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_the_Beholder_(1960_Twilight_Zone_episode)" target="_blank">Eye of the Beholder</a>." </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HuZFuFJV0K0/XWGUjjO0RDI/AAAAAAAAA6w/ctox5V_HdXgzYWBeKXw3tWstpKtX-sCPACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-02%2Bat%2B10.21.50%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HuZFuFJV0K0/XWGUjjO0RDI/AAAAAAAAA6w/ctox5V_HdXgzYWBeKXw3tWstpKtX-sCPACPcBGAYYCw/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-02%2Bat%2B10.21.50%2BAM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And it is fear that causes Charlie to shoot and kill Jim, thinking he was one of the aliens. </span></span>It is at this point where logic and rationality collapses</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> as a mob of violence ensues</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> on </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Maple Stree</span></span></span></span>t. What they do not know is that aliens are responsible for cutting their power and electricity. But can we assign the paranoia of Maple Street to the aliens?</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1bl9LR5hpF4/XWGUpSCPfxI/AAAAAAAAA6s/jeegGO-aN6I_zE3vfOYH2IdMabvyZD5fwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-02%2Bat%2B10.28.33%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1bl9LR5hpF4/XWGUpSCPfxI/AAAAAAAAA6s/jeegGO-aN6I_zE3vfOYH2IdMabvyZD5fwCPcBGAYYCw/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-02%2Bat%2B10.28.33%2BAM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The closing narration of Serling demonstrates why he is considered one of television's best writers: "The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions
and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes,
prejudices. . . to be found only in the minds of men. For the record,
prejudices can kill. . . and suspicion can destroy. . . and a thoughtless,
frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all of its own – for the
children and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is that these
things cannot be confined to the Twilight Zone."</span><br />
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Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-17942364327794272482019-08-11T10:24:00.002-07:002021-09-10T09:06:00.115-07:00Reading Lost's Walkabout<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In my television theory class, we watch the episode "Walkabout" from the series <i>Lost</i> as an approach to studying semiotics - the study of signs. This posting contains <b>spoilers</b>!!</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--9cKW2Lkwj8/XEYq2SS_VTI/AAAAAAAAAdg/1zdrBIefCP41oJkyK30nJUQ0LJwuh3GOgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Lost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--9cKW2Lkwj8/XEYq2SS_VTI/AAAAAAAAAdg/1zdrBIefCP41oJkyK30nJUQ0LJwuh3GOgCPcBGAYYCw/s320/Lost.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roland Barthes:</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Using semiotics is the basis on how to conduct a close analysis of a film or a television series. Roland Barthes's work on <i>Mythologies</i> is one of the founding texts for this type of analysis. And to keep things simple, I will focus on the terms: denotative and connotative. </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JIFOHvYRbOQ/XU7-ceTfAeI/AAAAAAAAA0M/ZXKXT5uU3YockdipmTt3eDxJlr5XnG9VACLcBGAs/s1600/Mythologies.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="474" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JIFOHvYRbOQ/XU7-ceTfAeI/AAAAAAAAA0M/ZXKXT5uU3YockdipmTt3eDxJlr5XnG9VACLcBGAs/s320/Mythologies.png" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Denotative Meanings</b>: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Denotative is the surface level of a sign. For example, if I see a stop sign while driving, I know to stop my car. It is a sign that we can all agree upon - at least I hope we do.</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u0XDfl4wHks/XU7_qm0b8FI/AAAAAAAAA0c/X0gJCk_kndECB8dGST-VDA6UVSnARtO_gCLcBGAs/s1600/stop-sign-clipart-RcAKp4pcL.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u0XDfl4wHks/XU7_qm0b8FI/AAAAAAAAA0c/X0gJCk_kndECB8dGST-VDA6UVSnARtO_gCLcBGAs/s200/stop-sign-clipart-RcAKp4pcL.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Connotative Meanings</b>: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Connotative is the secondary level of a sign. This means there can be multiple meanings of a sign. For example, I could read the sign "snake" not only as a slimy reptile, but as "sin." The surface reading (denotative) of a snake means a reptile and it slithers. The secondary reading (connotative) of a snake could mean "sin," or it could mean "friend." </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I preferably would not like to think about snakes at all! But you get the point... </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-19augxFARZA/XU7_cRn49-I/AAAAAAAAA0Y/ZkeSNUKnHqEvPbbSxy0pqW8iFXjyUyO6wCLcBGAs/s1600/indianjonessnake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="640" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-19augxFARZA/XU7_cRn49-I/AAAAAAAAA0Y/ZkeSNUKnHqEvPbbSxy0pqW8iFXjyUyO6wCLcBGAs/s320/indianjonessnake.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Rhetoric</b>: <b>Making Your Case Convincingly</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. A connotative approach to studying film or television involves how well you can argue your case. This means when you unpack secondary meanings (connotations), you have to make your case convincingly. To do this, you must <b>inventory</b> the signs of a film and or television episode. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>"Walkabout" Example</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_(TV_series)" target="_blank">Lost</a></i> is a television series about the survivors of Oceanic 815 stranded on a mysterious island. "Walkabout" is an early episode in the first season that focuses on John Locke (Terry O'Quinn), a mysterious man who decides to hunt for a boar after learning the survivors had ran out of food. </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ClNwDb3py80/XU8CWCF4lGI/AAAAAAAAA1U/ihry50J9iJ8py11nnmTaz9yBmcvnKLWbgCEwYBhgL/s1600/vlcsnap-2018-05-19-09h18m25s15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ClNwDb3py80/XU8CWCF4lGI/AAAAAAAAA1U/ihry50J9iJ8py11nnmTaz9yBmcvnKLWbgCEwYBhgL/s320/vlcsnap-2018-05-19-09h18m25s15.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Walkabout" involves Locke's journey into the mysterious island. This odyssey entails a <b>physical</b> component (find and kill the boar), and an <b>interior</b> component (Locke's re-birth). We can track these two registers by inventorying the episode's signs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Locke's Wheel Chair </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The wheel chair is more than simply a means of transportation; it is also about Locke's backstory and his internal struggles before he crashed on the island, which is told through flashbacks. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">His wheel chair has an<b> added charge</b> of meaning when we learn that Locke can walk after surviving the airplane crash at the end of the episode.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Movement and Stillness </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Locke is shown a number of times lying on his back, looking at his feet. Movement has multiples meanings, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> especially when you consider the title of the episode: "walkabout.</span>" It is a spiritual renewal for Locke. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Re-Birth</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CgGDf9B0a0c/XU7qgHJI73I/AAAAAAAAAzs/2tMlEy2z0nQ0j3DtSWaEFsQ8pj8UpqauQCLcBGAs/s1600/vlcsnap-2018-05-19-10h06m49s130.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CgGDf9B0a0c/XU7qgHJI73I/AAAAAAAAAzs/2tMlEy2z0nQ0j3DtSWaEFsQ8pj8UpqauQCLcBGAs/s320/vlcsnap-2018-05-19-10h06m49s130.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tuihgjiF5oQ/XU7ozT3Wq-I/AAAAAAAAAzE/7GbMsrCiPbY4nGHRQitxKozbeCCd4ddYgCEwYBhgL/s1600/vlcsnap-2018-05-19-09h08m38s27.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tuihgjiF5oQ/XU7ozT3Wq-I/AAAAAAAAAzE/7GbMsrCiPbY4nGHRQitxKozbeCCd4ddYgCEwYBhgL/s320/vlcsnap-2018-05-19-09h08m38s27.png" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Locke is re-born as he learns to walk again. The fire framed by his wheelchair at the end of the episode helps to communicate this at the connotative level. He is no longer the same person we saw in the episode's flashbacks.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rLxiEqi8EBk/XU7oAmFZPJI/AAAAAAAAAyo/lPqnqzMwX5Ugdr9ZCY1gencsp74CK69GACEwYBhgL/s1600/vlcsnap-2018-05-19-10h05m11s171.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rLxiEqi8EBk/XU7oAmFZPJI/AAAAAAAAAyo/lPqnqzMwX5Ugdr9ZCY1gencsp74CK69GACEwYBhgL/s320/vlcsnap-2018-05-19-10h05m11s171.png" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are many connotations I could have discussed in this episode. But </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I chose signs that are tied to a specific theme:</span> Locke's re-birth as a "walkabout" in his hunt for the boar. At the end, he successfully kills the boar and provides food for the survivors. At the same time, Locke's soul is nourished by the hunt in the form of a walkabout. </span>Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-64086101886916127352019-07-27T09:32:00.000-07:002019-07-31T06:56:35.976-07:00Best Settings for Film Climaxes<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As you can probably guess by the subject line, this post contains<span style="font-size: small;"> <b>SPOILERS.</b></span> Please be aware if you plan to read on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After watching <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0796117/" target="_blank">M. Night Shyamalan</a>'s <i>Glass</i>, I was reminded of the importance of where a film's climax takes place. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm not entirely sure what Shyamalan was going for in terms of narrative expectations, but <i>Glass</i>'s climax was set in a </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">mental institution </span>parking lot. I felt the location </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">was visually flat, especially as a conclusion for his trilogy of films (<i>Unbreakable</i> and <i>Split</i>), two films that I so much enjoyed. </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GOd_419Yf7s/XS3JidpZOQI/AAAAAAAAAvg/X2k5_QFQM0UgM7EaL0cTlu8WnnBYwDqxwCLcBGAs/s1600/Glass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="780" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GOd_419Yf7s/XS3JidpZOQI/AAAAAAAAAvg/X2k5_QFQM0UgM7EaL0cTlu8WnnBYwDqxwCLcBGAs/s320/Glass.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Glass</i> (2019). Parking lot fight.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Maybe someone will argue that Shyamalan was trying to de-construct the comic book genre. So be it. But there was a scene in <i>Glass</i> where a character enters a comic book store that had a section for "Villains" and "Heroes." Say what you will, but I've been in a lot of comic bookstores and have yet to see those signs. Anyway...I loved <i>Unbreakable</i> and <i>Split</i>. I'm even a big fan of <i>The Village</i>, a film that was not well-received.</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hcyq2CTmY2c/XS-GcYkttrI/AAAAAAAAAwo/YFMBgpNA3K8GjrH62Wv3Zr4a0V6F7nbggCLcBGAs/s1600/village.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hcyq2CTmY2c/XS-GcYkttrI/AAAAAAAAAwo/YFMBgpNA3K8GjrH62Wv3Zr4a0V6F7nbggCLcBGAs/s320/village.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After watching <i>Glass</i>, this led me to think about the importance of setting or <i>mise-en-scene </i>(what's put in the frame) in creating an exciting film climax. I thought of some great settings used in movie climaxes (mostly from well-known movies). Interesting to note - many film climaxes often occur in high places. For a great reading on this topic, see <a href="https://www.dukeupress.edu/spectacular-digital-effects" target="_blank">Kristen Whissel</a>'s article: "Tales of Upward Mobility: The New Verticality and Digital Special Effects."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><u><b>NATIONAL or ICON PLACES</b></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hAFLwq_pKAY/XS3H8zBRTSI/AAAAAAAAAu0/TtM10Juzqq04qQtYtMXZawTd80zz7N9ewCLcBGAs/s1600/North%2BBy%2BNorthwest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="852" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hAFLwq_pKAY/XS3H8zBRTSI/AAAAAAAAAu0/TtM10Juzqq04qQtYtMXZawTd80zz7N9ewCLcBGAs/s320/North%2BBy%2BNorthwest.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>North by Northwest</i></b> (1959). Mount Rushmore</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vg6OG9E-kVc/XS3H-7vk3aI/AAAAAAAAAvE/RTt4wtFEvfU7lAB7jnGGZ1KEf7vl3DrXQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Xmen%2BStatue%2Bof%2BLiberty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vg6OG9E-kVc/XS3H-7vk3aI/AAAAAAAAAvE/RTt4wtFEvfU7lAB7jnGGZ1KEf7vl3DrXQCEwYBhgL/s320/Xmen%2BStatue%2Bof%2BLiberty.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>X-Men </i></b>(2000). Statue of Liberty</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">BRIDGES </span></u></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yx2rm0w7eV8/XS3H-RPdpdI/AAAAAAAAAvY/nz5kAHtgracaErtbpjlhgoLow9ijdCIwACEwYBhgL/s1600/ViewToAKill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="620" height="144" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yx2rm0w7eV8/XS3H-RPdpdI/AAAAAAAAAvY/nz5kAHtgracaErtbpjlhgoLow9ijdCIwACEwYBhgL/s320/ViewToAKill.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>A View to A Kill</i></b> (1985). I <a href="https://tomasoc.blogspot.com/2010/09/movie-posters-better-than-actual-movie.html" target="_blank">posted</a> a while ago that I thought the movie poster was better than the movie. I've grown to like this movie a lot. And you can't beat the Duran Duran track "A View to a Kill."</span><br />
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<u><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">TALL BUILDINGS or SKYSCRAPERS</span></b></u></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QWIYLbgPDOQ/XS3H8oRvGYI/AAAAAAAAAvI/BIaFxlw94akLWCpvUEXnqCZdg6R2zzxPACEwYBhgL/s1600/DieHard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="970" height="160" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QWIYLbgPDOQ/XS3H8oRvGYI/AAAAAAAAAvI/BIaFxlw94akLWCpvUEXnqCZdg6R2zzxPACEwYBhgL/s320/DieHard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><b>Die Hard</b></i> (1988). Nakatomi Plaza</span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A MAZE</span></u></b></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RROQ4HNnT_I/XS3H-Ao6YkI/AAAAAAAAAvU/1rCHdUFgQksOyH_T21qsBpn4TKM1OEJ6gCEwYBhgL/s1600/The%2BShining%2BMazw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RROQ4HNnT_I/XS3H-Ao6YkI/AAAAAAAAAvU/1rCHdUFgQksOyH_T21qsBpn4TKM1OEJ6gCEwYBhgL/s320/The%2BShining%2BMazw.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><b>The Shining</b></i> (1980). The Maze climax when Jack chases Danny. </span></div>
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<u><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">THE OCEAN </span></b></u><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FK5qQp_RoeI/XS9em5AbbXI/AAAAAAAAAwE/b0-H817mA8YBcsm0IdkoB3T7uQJUf6oCACLcBGAs/s1600/Jaws.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="257" data-original-width="464" height="177" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FK5qQp_RoeI/XS9em5AbbXI/AAAAAAAAAwE/b0-H817mA8YBcsm0IdkoB3T7uQJUf6oCACLcBGAs/s320/Jaws.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><b>Jaws </b></i>(1975). I highly recommend <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jaws-Log-Expanded-Shooting-Script/dp/0062229281/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=F586QBMHNGPH5YYE06ZE" target="_blank">The Jaws Log</a></i> by Carl Gottlieb</span></span>
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<u><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A CHURCH</span></b></u></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dtC7INtHciA/XS9f0dSysxI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/urFKFxRZRrwDrFNaAu-YqCqT1GzPxdkCACLcBGAs/s1600/TheGodfather.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="830" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dtC7INtHciA/XS9f0dSysxI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/urFKFxRZRrwDrFNaAu-YqCqT1GzPxdkCACLcBGAs/s320/TheGodfather.webp" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><b>The Godfather </b></i>(1972). The symbolic importance of the famous baptism scene.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>John Woo's</b><i><b> The Killer </b></i>(1989).</span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">CREEPY HOUSES</span></u></b></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r2z-ReP31Fg/XS-ISColFjI/AAAAAAAAAw8/c2TBjClA-cs0jSp0Rw8PqoBeMUzjkUjeACLcBGAs/s1600/vlcsnap-2018-03-15-12h46m43s69.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r2z-ReP31Fg/XS-ISColFjI/AAAAAAAAAw8/c2TBjClA-cs0jSp0Rw8PqoBeMUzjkUjeACLcBGAs/s320/vlcsnap-2018-03-15-12h46m43s69.png" width="320" /></a></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <i><b>Psycho</b></i> (1960).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><u>THE SKY </u></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LY2Teu3celw/XTekeof2guI/AAAAAAAAAyI/gX_QoXmh0LwA89ll_DC1MmG4c756GpmDwCLcBGAs/s1600/AirForceOne.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="900" height="168" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LY2Teu3celw/XTekeof2guI/AAAAAAAAAyI/gX_QoXmh0LwA89ll_DC1MmG4c756GpmDwCLcBGAs/s320/AirForceOne.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><b>Air Force One</b></i> (1997). I wasn't a big fan of the film. But the ending was kind of cool.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And I'm sure there are plenty of other settings that can contribute to exciting climaxes in films. Though, I'm not sold on a parking lot yet.</span></div>
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Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-76320325440975200622019-06-23T13:22:00.000-07:002020-07-23T14:38:58.210-07:00All Out War - Flyers from the Past<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I recently found a bunch of flyers when I drummed for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Out_War_(band)" target="_blank">All Out War</a> back in the early 1990s. I thought It would be cool to share these and a blurb about the roots of the band - at least what I can remember...</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--xCO0Ns8CbQ/XQ6ZQfg5NAI/AAAAAAAAAr0/uiqR3NyW0X8ESWTUQyYvHDE0ir97K1BrACEwYBhgL/s1600/scan0024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1147" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--xCO0Ns8CbQ/XQ6ZQfg5NAI/AAAAAAAAAr0/uiqR3NyW0X8ESWTUQyYvHDE0ir97K1BrACEwYBhgL/s320/scan0024.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I made this cheesy flyer for our first show in December of 1991. The line up was me (drums), Jim Antonelli (guitar), Sam Carbone (guitar), John Guerriero (bass) and Mike Score (vocals). As you can see, there's no <b>All Out War</b> logo and my handwriting pretty much sucks. And don't bother calling that phone number - The Class no longer exists.</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jg6Z-M3FslM/XQ6ahFXd-EI/AAAAAAAAAsI/39qeS_w6BTokoVk5EzbZjT43oep3mBnZgCEwYBhgL/s1600/scan0025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1246" data-original-width="1600" height="249" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jg6Z-M3FslM/XQ6ahFXd-EI/AAAAAAAAAsI/39qeS_w6BTokoVk5EzbZjT43oep3mBnZgCEwYBhgL/s320/scan0025.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mike's flyer (above) is way better and visually more interesting!<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qzh2mpw24eY/XQ6Yz18LCjI/AAAAAAAAArs/ZC-Z5tkFcCs2iq6rpMEjw5k7VuPzRlIbwCLcBGAs/s1600/scan0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1092" data-original-width="851" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qzh2mpw24eY/XQ6Yz18LCjI/AAAAAAAAArs/ZC-Z5tkFcCs2iq6rpMEjw5k7VuPzRlIbwCLcBGAs/s320/scan0002.jpg" width="249" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This flyer is for a show we played in the winter of 1992. Erik Carrillo had replaced John. His previous band was <a href="https://www.discogs.com/artist/4682861-Violent-Plague" target="_blank">Violent Plague</a>. This was one of the first flyers that featured the <b>All Out War</b> logo, which the band continues to use to this day. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was only a few months later that Sam would be replaced by Chris Chisholm on guitar. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AHTA_H5o8Rs/XQ6aGpxR06I/AAAAAAAAAsA/i1hpp-2nWMI65Y9TMj-aHTsyR3vtYbulQCLcBGAs/s1600/scan0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1592" data-original-width="1128" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AHTA_H5o8Rs/XQ6aGpxR06I/AAAAAAAAAsA/i1hpp-2nWMI65Y9TMj-aHTsyR3vtYbulQCLcBGAs/s320/scan0003.jpg" width="226" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Za Bar </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">was a small place we played in Dutchess county. I'm almost certain it was a pizza parlor. When you're a new band on the scene, you take what you can get. I do remember we had written a song called "Sum of All Fears" which we played at this show. We later dropped the song. A few of the parts can be heard in the song "Show of Force. " </span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KohPg0GBT9M/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KohPg0GBT9M?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is a video clip of "Show of Force" from QE2s in Albany, NY (summer of 1993). It was one my last shows with the band. We recorded "Show of Force" with other songs in 1993. We never released the demo. The <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dying-Gods-All-Out-War/dp/B00XWCNREE" target="_blank">Dying Gods</a> EP comes with a download of some of the songs from the 1993 Demo.</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6yvgypATtBA/XQ6ba1ahWVI/AAAAAAAAAsg/ovqRW__xlLctIT3o4s8D22afZeZXWkf2gCLcBGAs/s1600/scan0018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1187" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6yvgypATtBA/XQ6ba1ahWVI/AAAAAAAAAsg/ovqRW__xlLctIT3o4s8D22afZeZXWkf2gCLcBGAs/s320/scan0018.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We opened for a lot of national acts at the skate park in Newburgh. We also played a number of show with <a href="https://dissolveband.com/" target="_blank">Dissolve</a> from Dutchess county. They are an incredibly talented band. I am glad they're still playing shows and recording music.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gNXCpNi4_po/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gNXCpNi4_po?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Above is us performing "Stuck Inside" at the skate park in 1992. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZYtuqpMM2Nk/XQ6dp_F1iXI/AAAAAAAAAtE/j2i4wz9gpLYBF9xFUOwesYV9tMlqqavlgCLcBGAs/s1600/All%2BOut%2BWar%2Bflyer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZYtuqpMM2Nk/XQ6dp_F1iXI/AAAAAAAAAtE/j2i4wz9gpLYBF9xFUOwesYV9tMlqqavlgCLcBGAs/s320/All%2BOut%2BWar%2Bflyer.jpg" width="247" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have no recollection of this Halloween show. But I do know that <a href="https://www.rockfantasy.com/wp/" target="_blank">Rock Fantasy</a> in Middletown, NY is one of the coolest and best places for all things metal. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m2PiOGeTmo8/XQ6kT70BhnI/AAAAAAAAAts/zluVCbYZARgiBKwFILEfFkYzzma5PvNkgCEwYBhgL/s1600/Whole%2B9%2BYards%2Bissue%2B5%2B-%2B1993-94.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1163" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m2PiOGeTmo8/XQ6kT70BhnI/AAAAAAAAAts/zluVCbYZARgiBKwFILEfFkYzzma5PvNkgCEwYBhgL/s320/Whole%2B9%2BYards%2Bissue%2B5%2B-%2B1993-94.jpg" width="232" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">An interview before a show we played at the Bond Street Cafe in the summer of 1993. You can get sense of where the band was at.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-esegpkEMXno/XQ6YLz2sfnI/AAAAAAAAAro/OXq8JD9eqN4v4bZjJHuuZWP-fZUfd50FwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/All%2BOut%2BWar%2B1991%2B-fixed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="717" height="231" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-esegpkEMXno/XQ6YLz2sfnI/AAAAAAAAAro/OXq8JD9eqN4v4bZjJHuuZWP-fZUfd50FwCPcBGAYYCw/s320/All%2BOut%2BWar%2B1991%2B-fixed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This
photo was taken of me in December of 1991 at The Class in Middletown, New York. It was our
first show. I can't believe how big my drum set was. Did I really need
two floor toms? Sometimes visiting the past can be a blast.</span></span> </span></span><br />
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Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-19880130208151164822019-06-19T13:40:00.000-07:002019-07-27T17:56:10.457-07:00Sky-Boxx (aka Skybox NY)<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What follows is a short history of my band from the 1990s called <b>Skybox</b>. These are the liner notes for the CD booklet that was included in the <b><i>Whole</i></b> Ep. In 2013, we had to change our name to Sky-Boxx for legal reason in case you're wondering. And be sure to check out our music on</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/7FCLI8jaMLzQRAqitEwi2M" target="_blank">Spotify</a> and <a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/unfinished-recordings-1996-ep/1467965537?app=apple%20music&ign-mpt=uo%3D4" target="_blank">Apple Music</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span>It seems that a history of an underground music scene must
always include musicians moving from band to band, drawing upon each other’s
resources, and growing a tree of talent that sprouts and expands. Guitar could
be your main instrument, but you still could be called upon to play bass if needed. The hardcore
and metal scenes of Orange County, New York in the early 1990s were no
strangers to this phenomenon. In the case of Skybox, the band emerged as a side
project for Tom Connelly, drummer and co-founder of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Out_War_(band)" target="_blank">All Out War</a>. Its origins
began with a four-track demo recorded by Connelly in the winter of 1991.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Influenced
by thrash and hardcore, the four-song demo ranged from the crossover sounds and
styles of Leeway and Rest in Pieces to Carnivore and Crumbsuckers. The demo
caught the attention of Lou Iuzzini and Chris Chisholm, who played for a thrash
band called Society for Sale. With Chisholm playing bass, Iuzzini on drums and
Connelly on guitar, the three began rehearsing as a side project throughout the
summer of that year.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was also around that same time that Connelly, Jim
Antonelli, Mike Score, and Sam Carbone (RIP) were putting together the pieces
of what would become <span id="goog_800957605"></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Out_War_(band)" target="_blank">All Out War<span id="goog_800957606"></span></a>. Antonelli joined Connelly’s side project band
on lead vocals. Officially calling their band <b>Sick Joke</b>, the four recorded
their first demo in the winter of 1992. As the aggressive and heavy style of
All Out War gained attention in the North East, Sick Joke began focusing on the
melody and quieter side of their song writing. With Duane Lopez, guitarist of
Society for Sale, now taking over bass duties, they changed their name to
Skybox, playing shows in and around the Hudson Valley. When Lopez took a
temporary leave, local guitarist Greg Melnick filled in on bass, helping to
build Skybox’s new sound. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the Fall of 1993, Connelly left All Out War to attend
college. Soon, Antonelli departed Skybox, putting the band on hold. But it
wasn’t long before Todd Eisgruber joined the band, taking over on vocals and
bass. Lopez switched to lead guitar, which gave Skybox a fuller sound. With a
new lineup and new sound, Skybox was no longer relegated to a side project. Around
that same time, Anthony Paranzino (RIP) formed a small independent label called
Infamous Records, and offered to record Skybox as an upcoming release. In the
Spring of 1994, Skybox and Paranzino went into the studio to record 13 songs. Although
the album was never completed, Paranzino continued to be a strong supporter of
the band, booking them shows in the Hudson Valley and venues in New York City. But
in the Fall of 1994, Skybox went on hold again, with the departure of Iuzzini
and Lopez. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In the Spring of 1995, Nick Verdichizzi (drums) and
Ted Williams (guitar) joined the band with Connelly and Eisgruber. The four
would remain the core of the band until 1996 when Skybox officially dismantled.
It was during this period that the band wrote and recorded some of their best
work. The “Whole” EP was recorded in the summer of 1995 by Jacques Cohen (RIP)
at The Space in Poughkeepsie, New York. The six songs on the EP span the
timeline of Skybox, beginning with “Sunlight,” “Dead by the Sea” and “Fade,”
written in the fall of 1992, and ending with the beautiful and melancholy
“Shoes,” written by Eisgruber in 1994. In 1996, we began recording a second batch of songs (9 total) that we did not finish. 4 of those songs (the unfinished versions) are now available to stream, which includes <a href="https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x74u1jj" target="_blank">No Deposit No Return</a> written for my short film.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The zigzag and stop-go history of Skybox
may have prevented their music from making a big splash, but the band has
indelibly left a trace of itself in the Hudson Valley music scene.</span> </span></span>
Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-44211732725063090592019-04-27T07:50:00.003-07:002019-06-05T17:25:53.704-07:00Trainspotting - Watching While Flat on Your Back<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I teach Danny Boyle's brilliantly directed film<i> Trainspotting</i> in a number of my film courses on the topic of British Cinema and transnationalism (how the film appeals internationally). This is most notable in the film's famous opening "Choose Life" sequence over Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life." Here, American music is played alongside the national/regional of Edinburgh.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Trainspotting</i> is one of a number of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_about_heroin_addiction" target="_blank">films</a> of the 1990s (<i>Pulp Fiction</i>, <i>Permanent Midnigh</i>t and <i>Basketball Diaries</i>) </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">that explores the dangers of heroin use.</span></span> </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A point I brought up in my
class is how frequently Renton (Ewan McGregor) is shown lying on his back, particularly when shooting up heroin and how it pertains to being a trainspotter. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In Murray Smith's fantastic BFI <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Trainspotting-Film-Classics-Murray-Smith/dp/0851708706" target="_blank">book</a>,
he explains the various meanings of "trainspotting." He writes: "To be a
trainspotter-in the literal sense-is to stand for hours, in the same
place, watching trains go by. To board a train is to go somewhere, to
move on" (17). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When Renton decides to stop using heroin, he quickly stands up and "chooses life." </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After
his near death experience from overdosing on heroin, Renton goes through
a harrowing experience of withdrawl. He then moves to London to better
his life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And then Begbie (Robert Carlyle) shows up at his door. Begbie, as Murray Smith points out, is a dark and frightening depiction of "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lad_culture" target="_blank">new lad</a>" culture. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Begbie's arrival at Renton's flat</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> demonstrates the film's engagement with fate</span>. Here, we can see a dimension of film noir at work in <i>Trainspotting</i>. Renton can choose life, but he did not choose Begbie arriving at his doorstep who happens to be on the lam for armed robbery.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The third act of film entails Renton, Begbie, Sick Boy and Spud orchestrating a drug deal, which lands them 16 thousand pounds. But instead of sharing the money four ways, Renton steals the money and flees. Though, he does leave Spud some money.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Trainspotting</i>'s depiction of heroin is both comical and frightening. In many ways, it is a neo-noir film not unlike <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight_Club" target="_blank"><i>Fight Club</i></a> or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Requiem_for_a_Dream" target="_blank"><i>Requiem for a Dream</i></a>. Perhaps more frighteningly is Renton's clownish expression as he returns the gaze at the end of the film. Renton is choosing life again. But has he really changed? Here, Renton's distorted expression is reminiscent of the ending of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Clockwork_Orange_(film)" target="_blank"><i>A Clockwork Orang</i>e</a> when Alex (Malcolm MacDowell) says "I was cured all right." Of course, the ludovico technique did not work for Alex. And choosing life might not work for Renton.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And let's not forget that Renton switched Tommy's sex tape with his girlfriend with his greatest soccer goals video cassette. </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This
event leads to the break up of Tommy and his girlfriend, which leads to
Tommy doing heroin for the first time and then dying of AIDS. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Renton
never acknowledges or shows remorse for playing a role in Tommy's death. </span></span></span></span>During the scene when Tommy is dying, Renton happens to be kicking a soccer ball near a poster of Iggy Pop, Tommy's favorite musician. But ultimately, Tommy chose to do heroin.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Indeed, Renton is an unreliable narrator, whether he's lying on his back and high on heroin while life passes him by, or choosing life...</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-76843687544205172812019-03-28T07:09:00.001-07:002019-08-23T11:12:04.029-07:00No Deposit No Return<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2145698/" target="_blank">No Deposit No Return</a></i> is a short film I made when I was an undergraduate student at Long Island University. I shot the film in the summer of 1995 in the Hudson Valley (mostly in Newburgh), and I completed the editing and sound production at the end of 1996. The film officially premiered in May of 1997 at the <a href="http://athensfilmfest.org/" target="_blank">Athens International Film Festival</a> in Ohio.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had a lot of fun shooting the film with my friends. I was 23 years old and my first time writing a screenplay. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had great advice from my college professor who encouraged me to write something personal. </span>The story was based on some of my experiences working at a beverage store. My job was to take care of recycling empty bottles and cans. I've seen a lot of interesting folks bring in their "empties" as they called them. I also saw homeless people who would return their empties for money. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once I began editing the film, I had to go back to the Hudson Valley for some re-shoots. In fact, some of the close-ups in the film were filmed in the dead of winter! The sound was the most complex part in the post-production of the film. As you will hear, there are crickets during the abandoned basketball court scenes. The crickets were there when we shot those scenes. So, I had to add more crickets to balance the sound mix. The film was shot on 16mm sound sync color film. I used a CP 16mm camera and a Bolex. I chose Kodak's slowest film stock because the film was shot mostly outside. The colors look amazing on the actually print of the film. I do plan to transfer the 16mm print to HD.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Except for the song I wrote at the end of the film, </span>I used copyrighted music - clearly a mistake on my part. Believe me, no one made any money from this film! But word to the wise, do not use copyrighted music unless you get permission.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>No Deposit No Return</i> did screen at some film festivals. It won a certificate of merit at The Long Island Film Festival in 1997. Looking back, I am very happy for what I achieved in this film for only being in my early twenties. I hope you enjoy the film.</span></div>
Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-45611924065956316102019-01-16T09:29:00.002-08:002021-10-16T14:25:07.717-07:00Desire, Coca-Cola, Zizek and Cinema<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Following up on my last post on <a href="https://tomasoc.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-lacanian-gaze.html" target="_blank">the gaze</a>, I thought it would be important to explain a little bit of Lacan's concept of desire. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Desire is the desire to desire. What does this mean? For Lacan, the logic of desire operates on lack, not fullness. Think of your favorite song that you listen to over and over, or watching a movie such as <i>Star Wars</i> or <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> repetitively. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For Lacan, these "empirical" objects stand in for what he terms the <i>object cause of desire</i>, or sometimes referred to as the "lost object." As long as the lost object remains lost, desire sustains its force. Listening to a favorite song or watching a movie repeatedly - both objects stand in for the lost object, but can never be the "thing" itself. And because this empirical object (song, movie, book, coffee, etc.) can not fill the shoes of the psychical lost object, desire continues to desire. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Slavoj </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Žižek offers a great example of the lost object using Coca-Cola's old slogan: "Coke is It." </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Žižek</span> asks: What is this "<i>it</i>"? Why do we keep drinking coke if "it" is indeed "<i>it</i>"? There is a failure in drinking Coca-Cola that keeps us drinking more. Why? Because</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i> Coke is not it</i>.</span> This is the logic of desire. As long as we keep "missing" the lost object, desire continues to desire. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Desire also </span>has a temporal component which can be found in classical Hollywood narrative.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span>Classical narrative films exemplify the notion of desire because they demonstrate that the story's solution resides in the future. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Hard" target="_blank"><i>Die Hard</i></a> (1987) is a great example of the logic of desire and classical narrative form. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">John McClane (Bruce Willis) finds himself alone in the Nakatomi building where Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and his group of thieves seize the tower and hold a group of employees hostage, including John's estranged wife, Holly (Bonnie Beldelia). John's goal is to outsmart Hans. John is constantly backed into a corner as we wonder how he will survive. The goal is for John to win - to reach his goal - to defeat Gruber. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is no surprise that this winning aspect of desire has a strong correlation to the logic of capitalism as explored in Todd McGowan's outstanding book, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Capitalism-Desire-Psychic-Cost-Markets/dp/0231178727" target="_blank">Capitalism and Desire</a></i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lastly, although desire operates on lack, it paradoxically provides the subject pleasure. This is why Lacan argues that the lack of lack (to be lacking lack) equals anxiety. We enjoy our desire. For example, I love to collect DVDs. I think the worse thing that can happen to me is to lose my desire for buying DVDs.</span>
Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-30496341908732609602019-01-12T08:15:00.009-08:002022-12-11T11:09:05.489-08:00The Lacanian Gaze and Psycho<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The Lacanian gaze is one of the hardest concepts I teach for my Film Theory course. The way we commonly think of the gaze (to look) is not what Jacques Lacan argues. Rather, he argues that when we encounter the gaze, we encounter an impasse, a blind spot within the field of vision. But more importantly, in order to encounter the gaze, you must be invested in the film</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">. When we encounter the gaze in cinema it demonstrates the activity of our unconscious desire. </span> So what does that mean? And why is the gaze is not defined as the look?</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">One of the best examples of the gaze (from Slavoj Zizek and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Real-Gaze-Theory-Psychoanalysis-Culture/dp/0791470407" target="_blank">Todd McGowan</a>) can be found in Alfred Hitchcock's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psycho_(1960_film)" target="_blank"><i>Psycho</i></a> (1960). After Marion (Janet Leigh) has been murdered by "mother" in the shower, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) cleans up the mess. Notice how long it takes for Norman to clean the bathroom. This is important because Hitchcock is a laying a trap for our encounter with the gaze.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">After Norman cleans the bathroom, he place Marion's body in the trunk of her car and drives out to the swamp near his motel. </span>Norman pushes Marion's car into the swamp. Norman anxiously watches the car as it begins to sink. Suddenly, for a brief moment the car stop sinking. I always ask my students what their reaction was when the car stops sinking. Their response: <b>they want the car to sink.</b> </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">How does this happen? Why are we suddenly complicit in Norman's cover up of the murder?</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This is the moment when we encounter the gaze. The gaze demonstrates your unconscious desire at work in the film. This is why film form is so important to understand in studying the gaze in cinema. In my book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Thomas-J.-Connelly/e/B009JKI16W/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1" target="_blank"><i>Cinema of Confinement</i></a>, I explain how directors set up these types of cinematic moments such as the swamp scene in <i>Psycho</i>. They are designed so that we encounter the shocking impact of the gaze. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">An example I use is the final sequence in <i>Alien</i> (1979) when Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) learns that the alien sneaked aboard the escape shuttle. The way in which director Ridley Scott films this scene sets up the viewer for an encounter with the gaze--namely, when Ripley shockingly discovers the alien. We think Ripley has defeated the alien, which is emphasized when she says: "I got you, you son of a bitch." Even the soothing musical score suggests that Ripley is safe. But as we know, she is far from safe. <i>Alien</i>'s final scene is so scary because of the way Scott lays a trap for us to encounter the gaze. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This
is why it is important that Hitchcock show us all the details of Norman
cleaning up the murder in <i>Psycho</i>. He is a laying a trap for the gaze: when
the car stops sinking in the swamp. That's when we all go "Oh shit!" You're now siding with Norman's cover up of Marion's death.</span></span></p><p><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">What
does the gaze tells about how we watch movies? First, it demonstrates
how our unconscious desire is at work when we watch a movie. And we can locate the activity of desire through cinematic form. Second, you must be invested to look in the movie, otherwise you are less likely to encounter
the emotional impact of the gaze. Lacan's example of Hans Holbein's painting <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ambassadors_(Holbein)" target="_blank">The Ambassadors</a> </i>explains this point.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">As you observed the painting, you see the riches that surround the men. But when looking toward the bottom of the painting, there is a stain. When looking awry, you see that the stain is a skull that looks back at you. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The skull embodies the gaze. But you have to be invested in looking at the painting in order to discover the skull. When we encounter the skull, it takes our desire into consideration. Likewise, when Marion's car stops sinking in the swamp in <i>Psycho</i>, we have a visceral reaction, demonstrating that we are complicit in Norman covering up the murder. It illustrates how our desire is at work in the film. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The
gaze is the moment when our seeing falls apart. Yet it is these moments
in cinema, such as Ripley seeing the alien aboard the ship and Marion's
car that temporarily stop sinking in the swamp, that draws us to the
movies.</span></div>
Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-71946642040103561372019-01-10T16:38:00.001-08:002019-09-03T05:43:16.528-07:00The Conversation - Sound and Surveillance<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I often teach Francis Ford Coppola's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Conversation" target="_blank"><i>The Conversation</i></a> (1974) for my Introduction to Film and Film Theory courses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The Conversation</i> exemplifies the art and theory of sound in cinema, especially the opening long take zoom shot in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Square,_San_Francisco" target="_blank">Union Square</a> in San Francisco.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dyVl2eJwXGo/XDYhyPYVxtI/AAAAAAAAATA/_OK1p5bhJiwLmfETptK0jfa__uNh1DlmwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/vlcsnap-2018-03-04-18h20m09s83.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dyVl2eJwXGo/XDYhyPYVxtI/AAAAAAAAATA/_OK1p5bhJiwLmfETptK0jfa__uNh1DlmwCPcBGAYYCw/s320/vlcsnap-2018-03-04-18h20m09s83.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A topic we often discuss is the film's exploration of surveillance. Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) is the best of the best when it comes to secretly recording or "bugging" conversations. During a small party in Harry's studio, we learn from his friend, Bernie (Allen Garfield), that Harry is known in New York for the "welfare fund 68" job, where he secretly recorded a conversation having to do with a bogus fund run by the teamster's president. Bernie asks Harry how he secretly tapped the teamster's president and his accountant--a conversation that occurred on a boat. Of course, Harry does not share his technique. But we do learn that three people were killed because of the conversation Harry had recorded.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Little does Harry know that Bernie has planted a pen mike and transmitter on him. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When
Bernie reveals that he had been recording Harry during the party, he
becomes enraged and kicks Bernie and his friends out of his studio. As we learn, Harry is a lonely and private person. Harry's motto is that he does not emotionally get involved with the subjects he records. Harry is not curious about what's being said. Rather, it is about getting the best sound that matters to Harry. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A question I asked my students: does Bernie's pen mike speak more to our current times in terms of big data and surveillance? Here, </span>it is worth noting Mark Andrejevic's article, "<a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781134021673/chapters/10.4324%2F9780203878316-9" target="_blank">The Twenty-First Century Telescreen</a>." The telescreen is from George Orwell's novel <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four" target="_blank"><i>Nineteen Eighty-Four</i></a>. The telescreen is a television that watches you. </span></span><br />
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of the concerns with digital televisions, especially internet ready
digital televisions, is surveillance. Could these screens watch us?</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Andrejevic claims that it is a misnomer that digital television is a telescreen.</span></span> Andrejevic</span></span> argues that digital television is surveillance with a commercial fare. Whereas the telescreen makes one aware that they are being watched, Andrejevic suggests that the future of digital television is collecting data on our viewing behaviors which can impact how content is curated to us. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Although Bernie's pen mike and transmitter</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> is not a screen, it does demonstrate how a pervasive object such as a pen can potentially be used to monitor us (not unlike how companies can track our purchasing behaviors online). This is a different type of surveillance - an apparatus that does not make one aware that they are constantly being watched,</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> which brings me to the film's shocking twist at the end.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the end of the film, we learn that Harry misunderstood his recording of Mark (Frederic Forrest) and Ann's (Cindy Williams) conversation, specifically when Mark says: "He'd kill if he got the chance." Harry believes that Ann and Mark were in danger, but in fact they were planning to kill Ann's husband (the Director played Robert Duvall), the man who hired Harry to bug Ann and Mark.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The film's final scene shows Harry playing his saxophone in his apartment. He receives a call from the Director's assistant, Martin (Harrison Ford), who tells Harry that: "we'll be listening." Martin plays back a recording of Harry playing his saxophone. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of
course, Harry is shocked to learn that he has been secretly bugged
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The question I asked my students: Is Harry upset because his privacy is now under threat? Or, is Harry upset because he has been out-bugged?</span></span></span></div>
Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-31143139216034010212018-10-14T17:12:00.001-07:002021-11-22T17:00:28.854-08:00Subway - Homicide: Life on the Street<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">A few weeks ago, I taught the episode "Subway" from the 1990s police procedural show <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homicide:_Life_on_the_Street" target="_blank"><i>Homicide: Life on the Street </i></a>for my TV theory course. "Subway" is an amazing and dark episode, and extremely well-acted by Andre Braugher and Vincent D'Onofrio. It was written by James Yoshimura.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"Subway" is about John Lange (D'Onofiro) who gets pinned between a subway car and the train's boarding platform. The episode's mystery (in a <i>Rashomon</i> manner) is whether or not Lange was pushed by a man named Biedron. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Det. Pembleton (in a priest-like role) must console Lange as the city workers prepare to free him from the subway car. It is obvious that Lange's chances of survival are slim. But it is not only Lange who is confronted with the presence of death; Pembleton, too, is reminded of his own mortality, for he recently survived a stroke.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"Subway" is a great example of what I call confinement cinema, a topic that I fully explore in my forthcoming book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cinema-Confinement-Diaeresis-Thomas-Connelly/dp/0810139219/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1539459176&sr=1-1" target="_blank"><i>Cinema of Confinement</i></a>. One of my claims of confinement cinema is the impact of excess both physically (within the confined space) and psychically (both characters and our engagement with the confinement setting). I argue that excess is what sustains our engagement in the narrative over a long period of time within a confined setting. Some notable films are <i>Misery</i> (1990), <i>10 Cloverfield Lane</i> (2016) and <i>Phone Booth</i> (2002)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In my book, I not only unpack how movies are able to keep us involved in the narrative over a long period of time within a confined setting, but also the theoretical, social, and political insights confinement cinema offers. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">One topic I explored specifically with my class is "Subway's" existential qualities and large questions about religion, pain, and happiness. Pembleton says to Frank that pain is what universally binds us together, which certainly falls in line with Sartre's notion of anguish; namely, that we are constantly faced with freedom and choices (consciousness of consciousness). For Sartre, existence lies in our everyday actions and choices. The subway setting also has a sense of hell as existing below as both men wrestle with their mortality. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Perhaps one of the best lines of the episode is when Lange says to Pembleton: "God invents pain; man invents booze." </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Once Lange is finally freed from the subway, he immediately dies. Pembleton seems to be severely affected by Lange's death. Right before he ascends upwards on the escalator, he looks up </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">(symbolically) </span>for a moment. He then meets with his partner Det. Bayliss (Kyle Secor) as they walk to their vehicle. Ending the episode on ambiguous note, Pembleton says to Bayliss: "The guy said, I'm okay." I asked my students is: who is okay? Is it Frank or Lange that is okay? </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">After Pembleton and Bayliss drive off, Sarah (Lange's girlfriend) jogs past the subway terminal, not knowing that her boyfriend was just killed as the episode fades to black. Indeed, life keeps moving forward.... </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I hope more people discover<i> Homicide: Life on the Street</i>. </span><br />
<br />Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6246061479347555813.post-88191838264638250072018-05-11T20:21:00.002-07:002023-06-07T19:43:13.815-07:00The Pointillism of Walter White and Frankenstein<div style="text-align: center;">
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</span><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;">I realized I had written this short piece, but never posted it back in 2013! It was strange to read what I had written, now knowing how </span></span></span></i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;">Breaking Bad</span></span></span><i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"> ended. But here is what I wrote while watching the last season of the show. Of course, I had to update a few things...</span></span></span></i></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The final season of <i>Breaking Bad</i> is getting closer to its finale. Two more episodes until we learn why Walt purchased guns at Denny's, his intentions with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricin" target="_blank">ricin</a>, and what became of his abandoned house. </span> </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">As we approach the series' finale, Vince Gilligan and his writers continue to spawn twists and unexpected events that keep us on the edge of our seats. Gilligan has called <i>Breaking Bad</i> a <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/2013/05/15/why-youre-addicted-tv-237340.html" target="_blank">hyper-serialized</a> show which is evident in the precision and ordering of narrative information. This is most notable in <i>Breaking Bad</i>'s use of restricted and unrestricted information for both viewers and characters alike. White's concealment of secrets primarily drives the show's tension. Of course, Hank's discovery of "W.W." at the end of season <b>5.A</b> was one of the show's biggest twists. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">What is also interesting to note about Gilligan's use of restricted information is how strongly it engages us with the narrative. I particularly found the precise unfolding of the show's narrative information oddly similar to the art form of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges-Pierre_Seurat" target="_blank">pointillism</a>: dots applied on the canvas to form an image. Pontillism was created by Georges Seurat, most notable in his famous painting <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Sunday_Afternoon_on_the_Island_of_La_Grande_Jatte" target="_blank">A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.</a></span><br />
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<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTLi2ul4HYYsTF7k8zdUAMEfiWljkm-04q6zUtrWf9gGqDjlFYwnXjYdbFpRJKiDkPxO5qZA1Ci9mtVqL7mY5e4CrCzbr2n5Q7XnlAHDBxQlUIIMsNK9ydC8WaPGElElbKUIEwcxSuJSjydO93_3_N7qzrpTLkzTGzQZKD6yo8aJErSMNbrWrwzF61g/s1024/1024px-A_Sunday_on_La_Grande_Jatte,_Georges_Seurat,_1884.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1024" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTLi2ul4HYYsTF7k8zdUAMEfiWljkm-04q6zUtrWf9gGqDjlFYwnXjYdbFpRJKiDkPxO5qZA1Ci9mtVqL7mY5e4CrCzbr2n5Q7XnlAHDBxQlUIIMsNK9ydC8WaPGElElbKUIEwcxSuJSjydO93_3_N7qzrpTLkzTGzQZKD6yo8aJErSMNbrWrwzF61g/s320/1024px-A_Sunday_on_La_Grande_Jatte,_Georges_Seurat,_1884.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Indeed, as we approach closer to <i>Breaking Bad</i>'s finale, the parceling of narrative information (all the dots) that have unfolded over the past 5 years that form an image (and transformation) of White/Heisenberg are beginning to show us the totality of the show--the painting of <i>Breaking Bad</i>, so to speak.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Lastly, after watching the last episode of Hank's death and Walter departure in "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozymandias_(Breaking_Bad)" target="_blank">Ozymandias</a>," I kept thinking about the man in the row boat painting that showed up a few times throughout the series. </span></div>
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<a href="http://i.imgur.com/ikg54Ye.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://i.imgur.com/ikg54Ye.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This image reminded me of the tragedy of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein" target="_blank">Frankenstein</a>, who could not fit into the world, left to die alone. Indeed, Walter was certainly the "danger" as he famously expressed. But has he transformed into a monster? Or is this alluding to what we are about to encounter in the final episode?</span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>Tom Connellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692586628742271220noreply@blogger.com0