Weekly Written Analysis 5

Freddie Scott

Assignment 5-1

Weekly Written Analysis 5

Professor Price

October 31, 2010

Every year around this time, we celebrate the ghoulish holiday of Halloween. It is something about the brisk fall weather, the smell of fallen leaves, the carved pumpkins, and the Friday night high school football games that give Halloween its allure. For this one day, children pick out their Halloween costume, the parents decorate their homes and buy candy for neighboring children, and my personal favorite is the horror film marathons that air on television.  

If you are in my age group, there is an unholy trinity of horror films that have been the stalwart of my generation as it relates to horror films. If you do not know the name of these films, you know the main character of each film by first name; Freddy, Jason, and Michael. These three men are responsible for many spooky nights. Nights when the house settles and you turn on the light to be sure that you are truly allow, many night light inspired bedtimes, and sometimes even nightmares! 

My Halloween is not complete without catching my favorite of the three Michael Myers in the Halloween series which originated way back in 1978. Michael Myers is a former child murder who grew up to be a deranged serial killing adult. There is no proof of the reason behind his unbridled rage, but he is obsessed with killing all of his family members. Even though I was only 1 years old at the time, I feel a certain sort of connection to this series of films. This ritual has become the staple of this holiday for me. I have passed this ritual on to my two eldest children as we tend to watch more horror films this time of year. There have been many Saturday nights in the dark, popcorn aroma fills the air, and covers slightly pulled over beady eyes as our favorite slasher film plays. 

It amazes me how horror films have changed over the years. I can recall stories that my father told me about films such as the Exorcist and Psycho and how they terrorized the country, but they are almost laughable to me now. However, the Halloween films have stood the test of time, still able to stir a fright out of the most undaunted of individuals. The proof lies in the success of the series that has been given new life by gothic rocker, Rob Zombie. He has produced the last two films in this rebooted series, with plans for a third in 2011 that will be its first in 3-D. 

            With a slew of foreign adaptations in recent years, the originally has been somehow lost in the mix. “The Ring”, “The Eye”, “Grudge”, and “Let me In” are a few of the movies that were originally done aboard but have been remade for the American audience, for better and in some cases for worse. The stories have become too sensational so the “horror” of horror films has become more media spectacle than scary. Films like Twilight almost mock the original vampire inspired films like the Nosferatu. I will always be a fan of horror films and my Halloween ritual will be a family mainstay, I just hope that the Halloween series never loses its relevance as me and my family enjoy the simplicity of Michael Myers the most.  

1960-1980 (Movies and Magazines)

Movies (1960-1980) 

Movies have always played a special part in our society. Not only do movies allow us to see life through someone else's eyes, but they are also a creative outlet for freethinkers who like to explore the world through the lens of a camera. Some of the most influential movies of our time were created during the 1960-1980 era. These movies ran the gamut of genres. Some of the first true horror films were part of this era. Movies like Psycho and The Exorcist where groundbreaking as the struck fear in many Americans. As we got closer to the 80’s, film directors intrigued American’s with futuristic space films such as Star Wars and E.T.

Magazines (1960-1980)

The magazines of this era were widespread and rather diverse. There were a ton of historical moments that transpired during this period of time. You have the Civil Rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X assassinations, NASA’s first moon landing, JFK assassination, Vietnam, The Cold War, the Watergate scandal, and Beatle-mania.  
With these huge news stories, magazines like Time and Life were essential. Publications such as Playboy also thrived off the success of earlier issues feature Marilyn Monroe. There were many other celebrities making the news as well, so publications such as People, Jet, Rolling Stone, Stardom, and Esquire all found success at certain periods during this era.

References:

America.gov (2008, April 5) Decades of Change 1960-1980

Retrieved October 22, 2010 from

http://www.america.gov/st/educ-english/2008/April/20080407123655eaifas0.7868769.html

Who’s Dated Who (2010)

            Retrieved October 22, 2010 from

http://www.whosdatedwho.com/

Weekly Written Analysis 4

Freddie Scott

Assignment 4-1

Professor Price

HUMN431-F1WW

October 24, 2010

            Ten years ago, a group of zany men created a cultural phenomenon. The MTV television show Jackass premiered in the year 2000, and with this premier several members of this unknown cast of jokester/daredevils became cultural icons. This ride was short lived, but the Jackass brand was able to produce three major motion pictures including the recently released Jackass 3 and several spinoff shows. The ringleader of this popular show Johnny Knoxville has parlayed this success into an acting career.

The success of Jackass is proof of the validity of reality television. Though this show did not have the typical reality program format, it still fits the criteria of such a show.

            This show is very harmful to the morale of gullible children who see the celebrity that was created with a camcorder, practical jokes, and dangerous scenarios that each episode of Jackass presents. Youtube is full of videos that emulate this show in style and function. I am sure that this show has also created a lot of injuries as these rank amateurs attempt to pull off similar pranks.

            In the article Keeping It Real (Samuels, 2007) there is a list of reasons why individuals watch reality television and two of those reasons play right into the hands of the makers of Jackass; getting your fifteen minutes of fame and seeing people in uncomfortable situations. These are two huge elements in the Jackass show. This show thrives on the humor associated with embarrassment and the hope to capitalize on the joy that many get in others pain.

            Jackass 3 is now in movie theaters and I must admit that I do want to see this film. Why you ask?  Well I guess you can say that it is American. I have been lured into the world of slapstick falls, vulgarity, embarrassing moments, and the simplicity found in a good laugh.

References

Petracca, M.F, & Sorapure, M. (2006). Common culture: Reading and writing about American Popular Culture (5th edition). "City: Missing." Prentice Hall.

Eye Candy

 

            Everyone who knows me knows that I am a sports buff. I will watch it all! My favorite sport is football, but I have been known to watch even arm wrestling and competitive darts! I love the competitive nature of sports and the team cohesion. Since I can remember, as much as sports have been about testosterone, team and or individuals effort, it has been about the cheerleaders. Each male sport has a cheerleader, a ring girl, or some sort of female presents; scantily clad eye candy for male viewing pleasure.

            These females are very stereotypical. They are attractive women, tall, long hair, flat tummy, bosoms busting out of their blouse, and pants or shorts tightly gripping their posterior. As men we watch for this. Some men actually enjoy this more than the sporting event itself. I was watching Ultimate Fighting and the ring girls look more like model you would see in a Victoria’s Secret print rather than playing eye candy at a sporting event. This stereotype has no grounds for debate. These women are handpicked for this very reason.

            I personally find this rather degrading and insensitive as there are attractive women in all shapes and sizes. Though this stereotype is accurate and has long been a sticking point in marketing, that does not make it correct. I feel that all women should have a shot at performing these dudes, but men have thrust themselves into a position where outside opinions from women in particular do not carry much weight.

            Television in particular has tainted the view of women to our children and this is one reason why. Recently my six year old daughter got frustrated because her mother wanted her to be a cheerleader and my daughter said that she couldn’t. When asked why, my daughters exact response was “because cheerleaders and white with blond hair”. This is when I realized that what our children were being fed was wrong and a change is necessary as this discrimination cannot continue.

Reality Bites

Fascinated by the reality of someone else's life, our television shows have made a complete transformation over the past 18 years. When I was a youth, the big thing was sitcoms. I can recall having an entire lineup of sitcoms that would determine what I would do during the evening on particular nights. Then in 1992, the MTV reality show, Real World created a trend that has only gotten more popular over the years. Amongst the popular reality shows of 2010 include Keeping up with the Kardashians, The Ultimate Fighter, Hell’s Kitchen, Bad Girls Club, and Project Runway.  

The thinking behind these realities shows is simple. Take what many of the viewer’s believe to be regular run-of-the-mill people, put them in front of a camera, and document their day to day activities as it relates to the plot of the show. For spice, a lot of these shows become drama filled as alcohol is provided. You know what they say about alcohol, it has a way of bringing out the truth in individuals and the television networks use this factor to its advantage as these inebriated people make fools of themselves in front of the world.

Perhaps I am too harsh, but I cannot cosign the ignorance that I have witnessed in a lot of these shows. All of these shows are not drama laden. I am a fan of shows such as Top Chef, but I am not fascinated by the Kardashians or do I care to see drunken females on the Bab Girls Club, a show that does not even have a true purpose.

The influence of television spoken about in chapter three has never been clearer. The article “The Tribe Has Spoken” echoes many of my sentiments. The success of past reality shows have created spin offs, huge advertising dollars, and network saving shows. Addictive and nothing short of a controlled lack of substance, I will continue to watch documentaries, and educational television, and hope that the rest of the countries sees the shameless acts promoted in reality television and wake up as well.