The End of an Era

 Today; Friday, July 15th, marks (or should I say "Dark Marks"?) the release of the latest and final Harry Potter film. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is a cinematic event that's been 14 years in the making (the first book was published June 1997). Now, perhaps you might be thinking "what's the big deal? The movies weren't really that great, and they got kind of lame over the past few films". To which I might have a hard time arguing. But I'm not here to talk about the quality of the films, I'm here to talk about why this movie (you could even say it's only the second half of one movie) is such a huge deal.

Love, Harry Potter.

 If you're reading this, I assume you're between the age of 12 and 30. If you're 12, you weren't there in the beginning- get out you stupid poser! In all seriousness though, Harry Potter is a franchise that has grown up with us (yeah, I say "us". Deal with it) for pretty much our entire lives. Whether you went to see these movies in theatres, or just rented the DVDs, or have read the series more than 5 times like some friends of mine have, you more than likely know of Harry Potter.

 For some reason, people (including myself) eat this up! With the exception of probably the last 2 or 3, I loved the books! They were wonderfully written and tons of fun. The movies were never of Citizen Kane quality, but they were still a lot of fun too. What's more is that these were relatable characters. I think we all know a Ron Weasley, or a Hermione Granger (okay, until I saw the movies, I always thought her name was pronounced "Her-moyn"). With each new adventure, we escaped to Hogwarts and loved every second of it. My point is this, though, Harry Potter was in some way part of your life. Maybe your best friend read them, but Rowling had created a franchise that was almost universally popular.

Sometimes I pronounced it "SOHOTSOHOTSOHOTSOHOTSOHOT"

 I've heard from a lot of people that they don't like how the movies became darker and more serious. I totally agree with that. After the 4th movie, gone was the escapism that I craved, and it was replaced by "dark and gritty" themes and boring teenage drama. In the books, you don't notice it as much because, while the themes are darker, the almost playful writing is there to soften it. Also, being that films shorten the story as presented in their respective novels (the Harry Potter books became a lot thicker after the first 3) so they have to pick and choose what to include, and they chose what would sell to their target audience. I totally understand that from a business perspective. 

All I care about is MONEY! And also watching you while you sleep!

 I'm kind of sad about these characters leaving us too. It's bitter sweet, really. The way I try and explain it is this: these characters grew up with us, and as we got older, the series began to cover themes that we were old enough to handle. The series is ending, and the characters are moving on. Now we can too.

 All that being said, this is the end of an era. Whether we like it or not, Harry Potter will go down in history and will most likely define our generation. It's time to say good-bye. This will be a day that I personally believe will go down in cinema history, and will not be forgotten by pop-culture nerds as long as they exist.

I mean, we've all tried to forget this, but it can't be done. Sorry.

Scratching The Surface of Modern Nerd-dom.

(The following is my final project for my Media class. Hopefully I will continue to update this blog, and depending on how my summer goes, I will be able to review a lot of movies. So, please enjoy this post and have a great summer, folks.)

Nerd: an intelligent, single-minded expert in a particular technical discipline or profession.

Nerd: a foolish or contemptible person who lacks social skills or is boringly studious.

If you ask me, then a nerd is a hipster that not everybody hates (despite the work “contemptible” being in the definition). That wasn’t always the case, though. Back in “the day” nerds were stuck in the basement of their respective mother’s, left to play Dungeons and Dragons and fantasize over Princess Leia (we’ve all been there). Now nerds are an accepted group, and even have a sitcom about them (though whether it is a good sitcom is up for discussion). So, what hapenned? What turned being a nerd from something uncool into being a popular niche? The answer is quite simple. Late 90s and early 2000s were the years of the nerd. Now, “why is that, Zach, you devilish genius?” you may ask. That’s kind of the idea of this whole project, my dear reader.

Devilish genius indeed! Minus the homosex, of course.

Just think about it though. In the late 90s/early 2000s, the kids who grew up with Transformers, Power Rangers and Thundercats were becoming adults. They emerged out of post-secondary schools with their Ph.D’s and Doctorates, as opposed to sports scholarships like all of those nasty bullies. Just like everyone has predicted (perhaps jokingly) that they would “be your bosses”, it happened. And in my opinion, it’s what the world needed going into the new millennium. These are the people who were forced to think differently because they were treated that way. They were the underdogs, and as the world grew into one fit for underdogs, they emerged victorious.

So what did all this mean? Should you run in fear of being beaten to death by calculator-wielding virgins? Not at all, dear reader. Well, at least that’s not the point. My main point is that entertainment and the media has changed to fit the audience, and as well as the “big wigs” at the heads of companies. Why are there all sorts of super-hero movies coming out? Why is there a movie about the founding of Facebook? Why is everything ever written by Mark Millar or Alan Moore (yeah, that’s right. I put them together. What’re you gonna do about it?) being put onto the big screen? Because that’s what the writers and directors and studios know that movie-goers grew up with, and so did they. Be honest with yourself. If you could green-light a project to turn your favourite cartoon into a movie, you would totally do it. And that’s what happens. Sometimes it doesn’t make a good movie, but people will pay to see Transformers 12 because they want to see their favourite toys on the big screen like back in the 80s.

"I hope they don't hire Michael B- Oh, man!"

“Now wait just a minute.” you might be saying. “I grew up with Transformers, and I loved Thundercats. And Rainbow Brite was one of my guilty pleasures! Does that mean I’m a nerd?” Well, my incredibly confused friend, it’s possible, but all that does not make you a nerd. What makes you a nerd is the obsession, the desire to learn more, all those deep and subtle qualities is what makes a nerd. 

Seriously, dude, what's wrong with you?

But good news, poser/wannabe! With this great new-fangled piece o’ technolojay called the “internet” you can begin your quest to nerd-dom. When the internet first came around, only nerds could use it. There wasn’t porn to watch, or new CollegeHumour videos, but you could connect to another computer and write lines of code and stuff. In retrospect, it was kind of stupid, but the enjoyment came from connecting with someone in another part of the world with the same obsession for computer programming as you! With the internet being what it is now, you just need to know how to Google stuff, and you can find most any piece of knowledge ever contained in any human brain in the entire world. What originally took years of dedication, travelling to conventions and rewatching old episodes now just takes a quick read-through of a Star Trek wiki page to learn. 

And that’s where some people (including myself, to an extent) have a problem. 

See, all that commitment and time and energy is part of what makes a nerd a nerd. “Single minded expert in a particular [thing]” in this context basically means “obsessed”. What makes a nerd isn’t so much the knowledge of Kirk’s (creepy alien sexual) exploits and Picard’s adventures, it’s being able to argue which one of them was a better Captain, or had a better dry-cleaner. To be a nerd is to “care about the stuff that no one else cares about”. But with people actually starting to care about “nerdy” things, do nerds have to delve into the more obscure?

You have to admit that Picard is a total f***ing boss

Cole Stryker seems to think so, as he says in his article but I’m not so sure. If being a nerd is only being into stuff that only a small number of people are into, then I guess we’re all just hipsters. I know I use the word “hipster” in my own personal definition, but what I mean by that is that we set trends, and are ahead of the curb. But just because other people maybe have caught up, doesn’t mean Transformers and Green Lantern aren’t cool. Like I said before, the commitment and obsessiveness is what makes a nerd. You might know “all the names of the Asgardians”, but do you know “which one is totally the coolest” or “which one has the most badass helmet”. It’s these sorts of minute, seemingly insignificant details that make a true otaku, and this is why true nerds don’t need to fear being overshadowed by the posers. Because let’s be honest, we were probably like that at one time too.

If people are starting to become interested in nerd-dom, we shouldn’t be upset. Sure, you might feel a little bit bitter that you’re not the only one who listens to film soundtracks and re-watches Godzilla movies, but instead of being bitter or angry about it, we should embrace the future of our culture! The n00bz are the ones who will be running the show soon enough. So pass on your knowledge, lend a movie, suggest a comic book (don’t let them borrow it. You want it to stay in good condition) and let rise the new generation!

TL;DR

Just give me a good mark, Mr.Edwards!




PS: I want to thank my wonderful girlfriend for letting me bounce my ideas off of her, and being overall helpful with pretty much all of my posts. Thanks, Joelle. :)

The Last, and Probably Least, of My Mini Reviews

Ah, Back to The Future (no short form, because this assignment has a minimum word count. I’m going to milk this). I talked about this movie a little bit in my Time Travel Post (hm... is that posted at this point in time? I can never keep track) but I thought I’d might as well review it as part of my 3 “mini-reviews”.

Like this. Only as a verb.

What can I say about this movie? (You’re about to find out). It’s a classic. It’s a comedy, romance, and an adventure that spans through time and space! This movie is just a lot of fun to watch, and if you haven’t seen it yet, then you don’t know what you’re missing. I watched the trilogy for the first time about a month ago, and I was delighted with it. The acting was great, and the writing, even (or especially) with the cheesy jokes made for an enjoyable movie watching experience. Got time to watch 3 movies that aren’t Lord of the Rings? Watch the Back To The Future trilogy.

Beetlejuice, Beetlej- Oh, screw it. I'll Say it at Least 3 Times in the Review

 Speaking of great directors creating great atmosphere, we watched Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice over the course of the... well... course. If you’ve seen a Burton film, then you know his style: dark and quirky. He even manages to make Pee Wee a bit of a creepy concept (other than the whole public masturbation thing, I mean). Masturbation joke aside, Beetlejuice is a great movie that I enjoyed as a child. After re-watching, however, I thought “What were my parents thinking when they let me watch this?!?!” This movie is creepy, but, like a lot of Burton’s other films, manages to be simultaneously light-hearted. I seriously don’t know how he does it! I mean, it’s a story about a young couple who die a tragic death, and haunt a family with the help of a demon. How this plot is made into a comedy about finding yourself is beyond me.

I smell sitcom!

 I think my favourite part about this movie, and Burton in general, is the quirkiness. All of his characters are basically outcasts looking for a place to belong. Maybe this just speaks to me personally (a friend of mine actually calls me "Zach Skellington"), but it seems to work for Burton all of the time. Call them cheesy, but I love the effects, too. Beetlejuice’s crazy arms, turning the handrail into a snake, the lame floating/dancing scene at the end of the movie are all great and kind of capture the lightheartedness of it all. I wouldn’t say that this is Tim Burton’s best film, and it probably wouldn’t even be in my top 5, but it’s still a good movie, and Burton is a good director. What more can I say? The great thing is that I don’t have to say a whole lot. This assignment is a mini-review.

END

PS: 3 times, see?

A Lamento on Memento

 If you know me, then you know that I love Chris Nolan. Because I know you’ve all seen The Dark Knight, you all know that he handles the film-noire genre really well. If you watched Inception, then you probably also know that Nolan also has a knack for messing with his audience’s head (Although Inception’s plot really wasn’t that complicated. But that’s a discussion for another time). Memento is a great film of Nolan’s, and is probably the best one to watch if you want to get a sense of what he’s all about. 

Seriously, you guys, it's not that hard.

 Memento is the story of a man named Leonard Shelby, a man with anterograde amnesia, which means he can’t make new memories. He’s trying to find his wife’s killer, and has to keep notes (and give himself tattoos) to remember details of his investigation. Nolan cuts between two separate plot-lines. One is told chronologically with Leonard talking about his investigation with an anonymous caller on the phone in his hotel room. The other is in reverse chronological order, as we go backwards after Leonard has supposedly killed his wife’s attacker. This makes the audience feel as if they have Leonard’s condition, as they can’t remember what’s just happened (we don’t know yet) but can see what’s happening presently. For the final scenes of the movie, Nolan merges these two stories which creates a really cool effect for the viewer, as Nolan begins to tie everything together. 

Yes, it was all tied up very nicely.

 This movie is great. If you want a psychological thriller or a mystery, then watch this film. The ending will blow your mind, and the storytelling is incredible and unique. The ending contains mindf***ery of the highest degree. A lot of people think that the film noire genre died a long time ago, or think that it only existed in the 20’s and 30’s, but Nolan manages to keep it alive with a breath of modernity while still maintaining classic (if not a little bit stereotypical) film noire elements like narration and black and white creating the film’s atmosphere.

Important Message From The Future

 Okay, so this isn't actually an important message from the future, but it is time to take a look at the Time Travel genre! Yeah, this is another assignment. I'll try to make it as not-lame as possible. 

 The Time Travel genre is basically an extension or sub-genre of science fiction, but I felt it deserved to be placed on it's own. I LOVE time travel stories. Basically what happens is characters are thrown into a crazy situation and have to think of an even crazier way to get out of said situation. The reason I love them so much is because of their unpredictability. Now, you have understand that when I watch a movie or TV show, I don't really try to guess what happens next because... well, I really don't care. But this sort of mystery of "man, how is The Doctor going to get out of this one?" is a feeling that I love getting.

"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually—from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint—it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly...timey-wimey...stuff."

 The genre also has a common theme of fate. Quantum Leap is all about changing the past to alter the future, and make life better. The Back To The Future trilogy also touched on this subject, but also shows us that it is the past that makes us who we are. Doctor Who (up until recently) shows us not to meddle, even though we may want to. The Doctor shows us that life is what you make of it, and not to worry.

 The problem that I often had with science fiction in general is that it tends to be cheesy. But in all honesty, once you get used to science fiction and it’s general lack of budget, you get over it. I mean, Doctor Who has always had cheesy effects, but it’s not so much the effect, it’s that you understand “okay, there is a monster there. It has a big head”. And sometimes it’s just a matter of “it’s so bad it’s good”.

Plots sometimes have more holes than this cheese, here.

  So here I have 3 examples of works that exemplify characteristics of the Time Travel genre best. You're welcome.

 Doctor Who is a show that's been going on since the 1960s. It's the longest running science fiction program of all time, and is extremely popular in it's homeland of England (and is gaining popularity in North America, too) with radio programs, novels, and spinoff shows. It follows a Time Lord (known only as "The Doctor") from the planet Galifrey, the last member of a whole race of time travelling aliens, as he goes on adventures with his various human companions. Antics ensue. Whenever something goes wrong, you can always count on The Doctor to attack the problem with an child-like sense of excitement. 

 Quantum Leap is a show about Doctor Sam Beckett, who invents a time machine. Instead of just travelling through time, though, he switches consciousnesses with random people, and can only hope to escape by solving a problem in their life. Once he has, he moves on to another body, hoping to eventually find his way home. He is accompanied by his hologram friend, Al. Antics ensue. 

 And of course, Back To The Future. A classic trilogy that I actually hadn’t seen until just a month or so ago. Marty McFly goes back in time in a time travelling DeLorean invented by Doc Brown. He has to make sure that his parents get together while also preventing the death of Doc Brown. Antics ensue. He meets Doc Brown of the past, and they work together to get Marty back to the future (get it? That's the name of the movie) in time for 2 more sequels. 

 "The Time Machine" is the book that basically created the Time Travel genre as it is now. Written in 1895, the novel portrays a character known simply as "The Time Traveller" who creates a machine that takes him to the year 802,701 AD. Antics ensue. 

 If I had to guess why I love the time travel genre so much, it’s probably because the stories are all action packed adventures, and super fun. But because the characters risk messing with the time/space continuum, the stakes are a lot higher, tension is greater, and you’re that much more concerned for what’s going to happen next (either that, or you already know what’s going to happen next because it’s already happened). Regardless, if you haven’t seen any of the the shows or movies that I’ve talked about, I’d recommend giving at least one of them a try. At the very least, you can tell me that I’m an idiot for liking them. You’d be wrong, but you could say it.

TL;DR

Long story. But antics definitely ensued.

Biased Documentary is Biased

I recently watched the documentary "RIP! A Remix Manifesto". It was basically about the artists who mix music to make new music, and whether the law suits being pressed upon them are warranted. My opinion? Well, I’ll get to my opinion on piracy later, but I do think that the film was biased in favor of the "remixers".

By that I mean director Brett Gaylor looked only at why the remixers should be encouraged, but didn’t deal with the fact that the record labels were losing money on products that they actually own. Whenever they portrayed the corporate side of the industry, they were portrayed as big wig, greedy Nazis. The fact is that music is not just an art, but an industry. Now here’s where things kind of go morally and legally grey.

You don't remix music... Music remix YOU!

If an artist takes previously existing music and does something new with it, whether it be a cover or a remix, is it still art? Is it even at all original? I like to think that it can be original. The basic argument of the film is that everything comes from something else. Science has shown this [link] has been demonstrated in art basically forever. Here’s a song you’ve probably heard and here is a remix of that song. Now, these songs have similarities, but they are also radically different. That’s art. Speeding up a song to make it sound like The Chipmunks is not.

Pictured: The only redeemable thing that Disaster Movie did was it's portrayal of these evil monsters.

I thought that this movie was compelling in the sense that it makes a case for the artists using copyrighted music to make more art. It did not address piracy and how the companies are losing money from everyone who downloads their music.. Sure, some people use copyrighted music to make art, but other people just download it so they don’t have to pay for their media. This movie seems to forget about the corporations who are getting totally screwed by the people who download their music illegally. So yeah, if you’re going to make art with someone else’s music-go ahead, but I think they should at least pay some kind of royalty or something. It’s only fair. If you’re downloading music because you can’t be bothered to pay for it- well, "don’t get caught" is really all the advice I can give you.

Do I pirate music and movies? If I say "yes" then the fuzz can come and cuff me. Quite frankly, I’m not into the idea of being bummed in a jail cell. If I say "no" then I come across as a self-righteous jerk-hole. So, I’m not saying one way or the other. But I will say this: piracy is breaking the law. People break the law all the time. If you’re fine with the guilt and the risks for the sake of getting your media cheaper, then that’s your choice. I’m not going to stand in your way. Then again, someone else might.

Sorry, Captain Jack Sparrow. But this guy kicks WAY more butt than you.