Oppression and misplaced representations of Iranians as foreign ‘Others’ led Marjane Satrapi, an Iranian in exile, to publish Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood; a graphic novel released in Western countries to communicate the unknown virtues of Iranian culture. These virtues unknown by Westerners, Americans specifically for this essay, include the perception of Iranians as…… Continue reading Isolation and Western Perception in Satrapi’s “Persepolis”
Where is Freddie Mercury: The Need for a Hero in Science-Fiction Films
Experiencing the uniqueness of Queen’s Freddie Mercury, an occidental bystander will mark him with the distinctness of being both masculine in his rock-star stage persona and feminine in his private-life affairs and outfits (by no means is this observation made in full). According to Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Mercury exhibits heroism…… Continue reading Where is Freddie Mercury: The Need for a Hero in Science-Fiction Films
South Central as a Prison in “Boyz N the Hood”
Confined in the streets of South Central Los Angeles, Tre Styles navigates the ghetto sufficiently to the point of liberation by the end of John Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood (1991). The location is a prison of death for those that willingly assume roles within the system (the Baker half-brothers) instead of those breaking free…… Continue reading South Central as a Prison in “Boyz N the Hood”
Genre in A Song of Ice and Fire
Fantasy as a genre is a problematic discussion to most critics because of their inability to cooperatively locate a coalesced definition. They oftentimes examine the fantastic in their research in order to understand the nature of the genre from different novels and stories in the fantasy canon. Todorov defines the fantastic as the hesitation created…… Continue reading Genre in A Song of Ice and Fire
A Look into “The Tree of Life”
“The ‘I’ who speaks in this story is not the author. Rather, he hopes that you might see yourself in this ‘I’ and understand this story as your own. Paradise is not a place here or there. The soul is paradise; it opens before us; here, today. The humblest things show it. We live in…… Continue reading A Look into “The Tree of Life”
“Interstellar”: A Lengthy Analysis for a Lengthy Film
Interstellar is the film Christopher Nolan has been trying to make his whole life ever since he saw 2001: A Space Odyssey. He regards this movie as a “seminal” film in the production of Interstellar. Nolan went to go see 2001 during a 1977 re-release in theaters around his seventh birthday. He went on to make super 8 epics as…… Continue reading “Interstellar”: A Lengthy Analysis for a Lengthy Film
Subjectivity and Form in “Shame”
Director and writer Steve McQueen really proved his worth in the filmmaking world with this film. He utilizes a shocking ecstasy of emotions to give loneliness and sex an overwhelming appeal. The film begins with a montage of sorts with Brandon (Michael Fassbender) living his white-blue desaturated lifestyle. He often employs hookers and clearly is…… Continue reading Subjectivity and Form in “Shame”
Thoughts on “Boyhood”
Boyhood is wonderfully happy. IFC Films called this a “nostalgic time capsule of the recent past and an ode to growing up and parenting.” I couldn’t agree more. Throughout the film we watch a young boy, Mason (Ellar Coltrane), grow up from seven years of age until moving into college at eighteen. And this film is literally showing…… Continue reading Thoughts on “Boyhood”
Touch: An Insightful Track on “Random Access Memories”
0:00-1:28 Introduction Touch. Touch, I remember touch. Touch. Touch, I remember touch. Where do I belong? Touch, I need something more. The beginning of the song starts with a slow and soft melody, it almost feels like a dream state or limbo. The lyrics are told to us, not sung, in a robotic voice with…… Continue reading Touch: An Insightful Track on “Random Access Memories”
