Netflix by Chelsea Tice

So I just decided to get Netflix. I love watching movies and I had debated for a long time if it would be beneficial to me. Well it sure is. I absolutely love Netflix. The price is the best part. For 13$ a month I can watch all the movies I want online instantly and I can have 2 DVDs sent to my apartment at a time. I have had it for a week and it ha already payed for itself this month.

I can now understand how this is putting Blockbuster and other video renting stores are going out of business. I can not afford to rent a DVD for 10$ for one day. Then pay late fees after. If I really like a movie I will go out and buy it. Netfilx is so convenient and simple to use. They also have a very impressive library to choose DVDs from. I would recommend Netflix to anyone who likes watching movies. Also your first 2 weeks are free, and you don’t even need a stamp to send the DVD back.

3D here to stay? By:Jessica Faienza

Every so often, there is a certain fad that becomes increasingly popular with the public, and remains so for a few years or so. Then, as quick as it came, it’s gone, fell off the face of the Earth, never to be seen again. Years and years later, it shows up again, once again in the public eye. The wonderful creation of 3D fits into this category. It’s a come and go sensation; it will be everywhere and will be known world wide. Then it will disappear, looking as though it will never reappear again. However, in this day and age, the last few years, 3D is growing once again in popularity, to the point where films you wouldn’t necessarily think of being shown in 3D are being shown. Before late 2009, 3D was still coming back slowly but surely. However, late in 2009 a film by the name of Avatar took the world by storm, and completely smashed box office records. That film set the bar obscenely high, to the point where no other film can really touch it or even try to compete with it. Now, you have movies moving back their release dates left and right, so they can put them into 3D. A recent example is the remake of Clash of the Titans, which pushed it release date back so the movie can be done in 3D. You have Alice in Wonderland in 3D, and a film that no one really thought would be done in 3D but is being done, Harry Potter. The last installment of the Harry Potter series, The Deathly Hallows which is being done as two separate films, is being filmed in 3D. Studios everywhere are pushing for 3D, and the audience cannot get enough of it. However, the bar is almost seemingly out of reach, and so studios are trying everything they can to get somewhat close to the bar that Avatar set. In 2009 alone, 3D movies had a 10% market share. Sometime this year 3D televisions will be coming out. It looks like 3D is here to stay for a while and won’t be leaving anytime soon.

http://www.3dmovie.com/

History Made in Film – Matthew Weiss

During the Academy Awards this year there was an intense competition for best director and best picture.  For the first time in sixty-three years there were ten nominees for best picture.  The winner in 1947 was Casablanca, and this year there was a lot of speculation that one of the most expensive films ever made had the award in the bag.  The two films that were closest in battle for best director and best picture were Avatar and The Hurt Locker.  Avatar’s groundbreaking special effects and graphics seemed to give it the upper hand.  Not to mention it is the highest grossing film of all time.  The Hurt Locker’s gripping story and relation to the war in Iraq gives us a perspective from the soldiers point of view and keeps us on the edge of our seat.  The main rivalry between the films was directors James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow are divorce’s.  Gossip says Cameron and Bigelow are still friends, but having a previous relationship definitely added tension to the envelope opening.  The last two awards to be announced were best director and best picture.  Bigelow won best director and her film The Hurt Locker took best picture. Bigelow is the first women ever to win an Academy Award for best director.  Her recognition for this accomplishment is a big career boost and I’m sure we will see more great films with Bigelow’s name behind it.  Maybe now more women will be recognized as directors, editors, and other behind the scene rolls and not only as performers.  The stereotype for technical and behind-the-scene personal has always been a male role.  Although the battle for equal rights has calmed down, women’s rights activists will mark this as a win.  Just remember, you can’t have your cake and eat it too

Urban Utopias – Danielle Suarez

http://blip.tv/file/1340261/

*its a long video so I recommend just skipping to 19:20 and watching till 31:00*

Peter Marcuse, a professor of Urban Planning at Colombia University, spoke at MIT recently about how America is still trying to achieve an Utopia. 1968 was the year that marked the possibility of reaching a Utopia. With everyone wanting to find a way to attain Love and Peace everywhere, socities were, for once, coming to together. I’ve had a misconception of what an Utopia is. I personally thought it was an idealistic world where, inevitably everyone would be the same. However, ever since 1968 the definition of  Utopia no longer became idealistic, instead it became a realization. According to Marcuse the word urban no longer stand for what we normally define it to be. Urban, when placed before the world Utopia, carries the meaning of society. This is true because most societies assume and urban form because of its where there is the most amount of people and therefore where more communal events take place.

It’s a strange thought but we are living in an Urban Utopia now. Although many of us bask in the “material” America, we all strive for something beyond the material Utopia. We may not be like our ancestors and throw a party in Bethel, New York for three days as a means of protesting but we innately want the same things; human development.  Peter Marcuse goes on to discuss that this human development is currently being attained politically through what he calls a “utopia for a strategic process,” where through inclusion and exlusion the tension between needs and freedom is resolved.

Benefits of Video sharing sites

Sites such as YouTube and Vimeo has become a place in which the average person can put stuff out there to the world by video blogging or show people their culture although they also post things that can be a bit to edgy or film and TV clips without the copyright owners permission.

The part I find fascinating is the fact that you’ll see thing that you wont easily find on TV about other cultures since it can be hard to get a real perspective from people who either never been their before or been their for a very short period. Even people who been to other countries for a long time will not tell people everything they saw like in a lot of documentaries. Seeing videos from the average person who lives their, allow you to see how the country is in the raw. You can see how they have fun, how they party and how they practice their religion. It’s a very good way to learn about a different country before visiting it.

Paulo Teixeira

The Barefoot Bandit

When searched in google, “the barefoot bandit” complies over 1.5 million hits. There is a fan page , Multiple facebook groups, t-shirts for sale, and the police reports. Colton Harris Moore has been described as the modern day Billy The kid.  Moore, being only eighteen, has already been suspected of stealing boats, cars, and airplanes, as well as 50 burglaries. His latest suspected aircraft theft happened in mid-February when he flew across restricted airspace for the 2010 Olympics. He has been seen fleeing from crime scenes in his bare feet, which gave him his nickname. Playing on this he recently left over 50 hand drawn feet leading from the back door to the front door of a grocery store he had robbed with the phrase “cya!’ at the end of the trail. The owner of the store believes that he is wasting away his sills, and thinks that he should be fighting overseas when apprehended. There are rumors of Hollywood producers adapting Moore’s story into a film, and comparing him to Leonardo Dicaprio in “Catch Me if You Can”.

http://www.examiner.com/x-37234-Kansas-City-Aviation-Examiner~y2010m2d15-Barefoot-Bandit-stealing-planes-again

-Mike Mcinnon

Ads On Facebook Throw Some Off Guard.

The worlds largest social network Facebook is starting to offer space on their pages for larger companies in America. Companies like Walmart, Proctor and Gamble, and Pepsi co are getting more spots to advertise on Facebook. This may seem odd compared to the seemingly strange ads advertised now like the companies promoting hormone growth, breast enlargements, and free product for those who comply. Only time will tell what the next type of ads will be on the largest social networking site in the world, and what form they will be in. My guess is that sites like Facebook will turn into the new medium of television.

-Jose M.
[Article Found In The New York Times]

Don’t Burry Me, I’m a Work of Art…By Thomas Lee

I watched Taboo on Nat Geo; it was about death, and focused on the cultural differences in the rituals. One ritual that caught my interest was a man in Germany “Gunther Von Hagens” who sculpts the dead. The process is interesting, it takes a year to cure the body before Hagens can begin to sculpt it. Once sculpted, the body can last up to a hundred years or longer in it’s sculpted position. It gave me a new angel on my bodies remains when I die. People donate their bodies to Hagen, and when they die, instead of burring their bodies six feet deep, and marking the spot with a hedge stone, they are sculpted and put on display for all to see. I like that idea. It just goes to show that, even under the skin, we can all be made beautiful.

What are They Implying? By Thomas Lee

Stereotypical messages should be kept to entertainment. In case you are confused about your manhood, here is a little guidance from the cable company. Have you seen the new Verizon commercial for the Multi-room DVR? The Verizon technician explains to the perfect American family of four, the new features the Multi-room DVR provides. The technician starts out saying, “You can watch Hockey in the basement,” the youngest, a curly red-haired boy, bursts out “Yes!” The technician continues, “Or Snowboarding in the bedroom,” the tall slender daughter bursts out “Yes!” The technician concludes “Or Ice Dancing in the kitchen,” the father bursts out “Yes!” The mother looks up at the father, the technician makes an awkward face,the father embarrassedly retorts “I’m not sure why I said yes; that was weird.” After I saw this commercial a second time, I couldn’t help but think, “So what if the guy likes Ice Dancing?” Is it wrong for a man to enjoy a sport that isn’t considered manly? I think that commercial is messed up; it is humor subjected to taste, which I think is in bad taste. I don’t want opinions or values forced on my subconscious.

http://video.yahoo.com/watch/7005486/18215415

Animated Films and the Oscars by: Jessica Faienza

I just recently read an article on how few animated films actually get nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Picture. I looked back on it, and realized how true that really is. There are so many beautifully animated feature length films that receive critical appraise, but that’s about it. It goes no further than that. If you take a look at Disney, I believe only one of their films has been nominated for the Best Picture category; that film was “Beauty and the Beast”. It didn’t win, however it did win a couple of awards in other areas, for its music. However, take a look at one of Disney’s most successful animated films from its Renaissance Era, “The Lion King”. This film remains one of the most successful and highest grossing animated films ever, and it was internationally praised. It was never nominated for Best Picture though. Hayao Miyazaki, one of the most influential filmmakers of all time (debatable), has crossed over and had so much success internationally. He directed “Spirited Away” which over in Japan, beat out Titanic and is still today, Japan’s highest grossing film of all time. It had a huge success over here in the states as well and was the second animated film to ever win an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. It was also the first anime film to ever win an Oscar. However, it didn’t get nominated for Best Picture, which many seem to think it should have, with its original storyline and an imagination on another level entirely. I think what it is, is the fact that they are not truly seen as a film, since it is animated it is not up to par to play with the “big” contenders of the Oscars. Disney’s Renaissance Era (1989-1999) has made some truly remarkable films worthy of being rewarded other than its usual critical appraise or its award winning musical score. There’s also the storyline and the development of characters in these films, and its not just kids who enjoy it. People of all ages keep coming back to these films because they can relate to the characters and the messages they give. Animated films such as “Beauty and the Beast”, “The Lion King”, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, and others all have what it takes to be nominated for Best Picture and even win. Miyazaki has made other films aside from “Spirited Away” that have Oscar winning potential. In 1997 “Princess Mononoke” debuted and became a huge success. It was number 2 at the box office just behind “Titanic”, and if “Titanic” wasn’t out in theatres yet, “Princess Mononoke” would have been number 1. At that time it was the highest grossing film in Japan, only to get bumped off from “Spirited Away” in later years. Another one of Miyazaki’s films, “Howl’s Moving Castle”, (2006) based off the novel was another one that just didn’t make the cut. I think that animated films should get a chance at being nominated for Best Picture and not just Best Animated Picture. Now that the Oscars have added ten categories for Best Picture to these awards, I think it might give animated films a much better shot at getting nominated and even winning; because looking back on the past 20-30 years, there have been so many magnificent animated films not getting awarded for the years they have been in production before finally hitting the big screen. And when you think about it, most animated films take longer to actually make than your live action films. “The Lion King” took 4-5 years before it actually hit the big screen. “Spirited Away” took a couple years or so before it was released in theatres.

http://movies.msn.com/oscars/drawing-an-oscar-blank/photo-gallery/feature/?ocid=xnetr1-4