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I think it’s safe to say most of us have gone through a “Japan” phase at some point in our lives. Mine hit around middle school when I would carry a literal Death Note replica around, as edgy emo kids do.
by Emily Reuben I think it’s safe to say most of us have gone through a “Japan” phase at some point in our lives. Mine hit around middle school when I would carry a literal Death Note replica around, as edgy emo kids do. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="728"] Image from WikiHow's "How to Avoid Becoming a Weeaboo"[/caption] For those uninitiated to the world of anime, there is a term for this behavior. A weeb (or weeabo) is a non-Japanese fan of Japanese content (primarily games, manga, and anime) whose love for the work often results in heated online arguments, strange character relationship matchmaking (known as “shipping”), the use of scattered Japanese words such as “kawaii” and “sugoi” (often spelled wrong, of course), cheap cosplay, or even borderline obsession. So basically these people are infatuated with Japan without really taking into account the problems faced in the country, cultural insensitivity, and the rampant over-romanticizing of Japan as a whole. Being called a weeaboo is far from a compliment, but most young anime fans go through that cringey stage when developing their love for anime. Luckily most of us grown out of the weeaboo phase and can enjoy Japanese content without causing the entire nation of Japan to collectively craft a restraining order. I can proudly say that I love Japanese film and television without threatening other girls who show interest in the same male characters I admire. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Image from Kiss Him, Not Me![/caption] Personally, I find myself far more interested in Japanese language and culture now than in anime or manga. While I still consume a variety of Japanese media, I typically look for cultural and social commentary and try to apply my knowledge of film theory to an international medium. To further my knowledge of the Japanese language and culture, I decided to take a risk and study abroad in Japan this past summer. While Japan is characterized by its cuteness and generally accepting attitude towards foreign travelers, the prospect of temporarily living in a country with no friends, colleagues, or prior experience with traveling abroad made me feel relatively uneasy. Exploring a new country with different morals, values, and societal expectations can easily result in disaster for an intrepid traveler, and I did not want to be that traveler. Furthermore, my program’s requirement of living with a host family for a week added more pressure to the mix. I would be expected to eat anything they served for meals, but what if they served squid? What if it was raw squid? I would also have to participate in any activities they offered. What if I wasn’t able to keep up? Would I be able to communicate with them in Japanese? Would they like me? What if I offended them? These are the questions that plagued me before leaving for Japan. In essence, the country most people would usually die to visit was becoming more and more terrifying the closer the day of my flight arrived. Considering that Japan is so overly romanticized by Westerners, the idea that anyone could see Japan as anything less than a utopia of anime merchandise and cute maids may seem radical, but no place on Earth is devoid of issues and complexities. For foreigners, adapting to a new culture can be confusing. Dr. Rob Brookey, a Telecommunications professor at Ball State described one of the language oddities he experienced in Japan: “The Japanese use English as an affectation. So you would see these stores that would say ‘Super Potato’, but no, they’re not serving potatoes; they’re electronics stores. And so that’s a bit crazy-making too when you see English words and you think they signify something only to realize they do not. They have no meaning to what they’re attached to.” These strange differences became apparent to me after my first day in Japan, as I began to see the culture and people firsthand. That in conjunction with the culture shock most travelers face, any foreign country can become unappealing in some aspects. Before leaving on my one month excursion, many of my professors warned me about the culture shock I would most likely endure. Culture shock can be described as the feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes. Essentially those studying abroad or traveling for more than a week or so are likely to go through an uneasy transitional period within a new culture. Culture shock is characterized by a series of phases: The initial Honeymoon Stage, the Frustration Stage, the Adjustment Stage, and finally the Acceptance Stage. During each of these phases, an individual will experience various emotions, some positive and some negative.
After an…interesting previous season, South Park is back bringing in the 21st season. After a previous season largely composed of comedic let-downs, fans of the series have been curious to see if the season 21 premier would indicate a return to form for the long-running series.
Fans of Stephen King’s legendary novel, It, usually view the 1990 mini-series highly. Tim Curry managed to petrify an entire generation with his portrayal of Pennywise the clown. The segments with the child actors are charming, and there are some great examples of creative cinema. Yes, It has become quite the cultural phenomenon, often being referenced and parodied in modern pop culture.
by Emily Reuben Fans of Stephen King’s legendary novel, It, usually view the 1990 mini-series highly. Tim Curry managed to petrify an entire generation with his portrayal of Pennywise the clown. The segments with the child actors are charming, and there are some great examples of creative cinema. Yes, It has become quite the cultural phenomenon, often being referenced and parodied in modern pop culture. But was It really that great? To be blunt, It may have been an ambitious adaptation for the time, but the mini-series is a mess. The flashbacks are ridiculously overused. Tim Curry is great, but how anyone can be afraid of him is beyond my comprehension. The special effects have aged poorly. The adult actors are lackluster, and pacing problems make the mini-series feel rushed. Let’s face it (hah), the popularity of the 1990 mini-series is highly reliant on nostalgia. The problem with nostalgia is that it blinds people to the faults of the content they love. So when it was announced that It would be receiving a remake, many fans were skeptical. Tim Curry is a hard act to follow, and many fans were worried that the remake wouldn’t measure up to the original they love. Luckily, that’s not the case. What’s It about? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7no56Zw1e20 Directed by Andy Muschietti, It stays relatively close to the source material. The opening scene begins on a rainy day. Seven-year-old Georgie Denbrough (Jackson Robert Scott) is given a paper boat to float by his older brother, Bill (Jaeden Lieberher). Georgie follows his boat outside as it glides down the rainy streets and eventually into the gutter. Alarmingly, a pair of glowing eyes tempt Georgie closer, revealing a creepy clown (Bill Skarsgård) in the gutter. After some coaxing, the clown eventually lures Georgie close enough to take a bite out of his arm, leaving the child writhing in the street. As Georgie begins to crawl away, the clown drags him into the gutter never to be seen again. Flash forward eight months and we are introduced to a still mourning Bill and his friends, appropriately titled the “Losers’ Club”, at Derry High School. The group is composed of Bill, Richie Tozier (Finn Wolfhard), Eddie Kaspbrak (Jack Dylan Grazer), and Stanley Uris (Wyatt Oleff). Eventually, three other characters join the “Losers’ Club”; Beverly Marsh (Sophia Lillis), Ben Hanscom (Jeremy Ray Taylor), and Michael Hanlon (Chosen Jacobs). All members of the gang are victimized by the stereotypical school bully, Henry Bowers (Nicholas Hamilton). However, Bowers becomes the least of the Loser Club’s problems when the children begin having surreal, terrifying encounters with a dangerous, supernatural entity around the town of Derry. Between Ben’s research and Hanlon’s stories, the children eventually piece together Derry’s ominous past. Pennywise the Dancing Clown, the one who is responsible for the children disappearing around Derry, re-awakens every 27 years and preys on the children in the town. After a failed attempt to kill Pennywise and a brief parting of ways within the group, Beverly is taken to the clown’s lair causing the friends to reassemble and save her. It features great child actors The strongest aspect of the mini-series was the first half featuring the children. Muschietti manages to capture the same sense of childhood innocence (and subsequent destruction of it) that made the child portion of the mini-series so popular. All the interactions between the child actors feel so genuine and pure that it is hard not to crack a smile when they are having fun together. This film is filled with a sense of childhood nostalgia that arises from depictions of friends hanging out and exploring town. When the children are afraid they manage to look not only afraid but petrified. Had the film not featured such strong actors, the horror would fall flat during the weaker shot sequences. Sadly, there are some stereotype issues surrounding these characters, but this is more of an issue with the source material than this film. An example of this is the use of minorities within the film. Stanley the Jew and Michael the black kid are both given the least amount of screentime and dialogue. More problematic is the fact that these two are immediately subject to torment (either by Pennywise or Henry Bowers) subsequently. While the other children are also subject to negative circumstances, it does rub me the wrong way when these characters are given so little screentime and then suddenly they both are viciously attacked in a sudden, brutal manner. There are also some clichés surrounding the children that lessen the quality of the film to an extent. Essentially, there is a moment when all the children suddenly hate each other and have to rekindle their friendship to save Beverly. Then, Beverly is literally saved by the power of love, with no other explanation. Even if this is meant to be played as a joke, it’s a major cop out. It is actually menacing Full disclosure: horror movies don’t freak me out, but I love them. I love creepy effects, dark lighting, monsters, and blood, but I’m rarely scared by what I see. It never made me scream or turn my face away, but there were multiple scenes that made me laugh with morbid anticipation or mentally comment on a good set-up or payoff. Many of the horror related scenes just worked, and more often than not these scenes were better than the original. Playing on all of the children’s different fears, It features burned corpses, headless men, zombies, a creepy Picasso-esque… thing with a flute, and of course clowns. More likely than not, something that freaks you out will be featured. A scene of particular interest involves the children and a projector. Pennywise manages to infiltrate Billy’s family pictures and burst out of the screen. Watching Pennywise literally break the fourth wall to scare the kids was a lot of fun to watch and the genuine screams of terror from The Losers’ Club made the scare feel so much more real. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sFnVs--D2I Similar to the book, there are various undertones regarding the loss of innocence. The best scene involves Beverly being sprayed by blood gushing from her sink. Considering that it is implied that her father is sexually attracted to her and uncomfortably touches his daughter throughout the movie, Beverly fears becoming a woman and desperately tries to remain her father’s “little girl”. The bloody, metaphorical implications made in this scene are enough to make a shiver run down your spine. Additionally, the dark, dirty sewers offer a great setting for the monsters that hunt the children and add a sense of claustrophobia. Not every scene is created equal. There were definitely a few instances of poor CGI (his razor sharp teeth require some suspension of disbelief) and cheap jump scares that pollute the film with cheap horror tropes. In some scenes a child will turn around and Pennywise is suddenly just there, complete with a loud audio track to make the audience jump. The clown is scary enough on its own. The film really doesn’t need to resort to poorly shot jumpscares. Tim Curry is not as scary as you remember Look, Tim Curry is great. He is honestly the only reason to go back and watch the mini-series. But let’s face it: his portrayal of Pennywise is hilarious. I think most people look back on It with a fond, nostalgic lens. Pennywise in the mini-series does manage to have a few ominous scenes, but on the whole, Curry is a riot. He is almost always doing something goofy, he appears with randomly colored, bright balloons, and he hardly actually touches the children. Bill Skarsgård does an excellent job with the role of Pennywise. While he definitely has some comical moments, they manage to be creepy and humorous at the same time. I’ve seen this use of humor as an attack against Skarsgård’s portrayal, but let’s remember that he is portraying a clown. A killer clown to be exact. An exaggerated, slightly humorous portrayal makes more than enough sense for a killer clown. Sick humor is probably the most appropriate tonal choice given the nature of the character. Compared to Curry’s portrayal, Skarsgård’s is as subtle as a killer clown living in a sewer can be. Even if you love Curry, Skarsgård’s Pennywise is worth a chance; his performance has helped It break several box office records. All images from HorrorNews and IMDb
On September 15, 2015, the P.C. game, Undertale, took the internet by storm. The pixel styled RPG game created by Toby Fox has become quite the internet sensation spawning a massive fan base, countless pieces of fan art, official merchandise, albums, and various console releases. It’s literally become such an important part of video game creation and pop culture that a copy of the game was given to the Pope.
by Sarah James This morning, Chicago based rock group, Fall Out Boy, released the newest single off their upcoming album MANIA. The song, “The Last of the Real Ones” is the third single to be released in promotion of their seventh studio album, which was originally going to be released this month but has been pushed back until January 19th. In addition to the release of the single and related music video, Fall Out Boy also announced the launching of their charity, the Fall Out Boy Fund. The fund is starting as “a way to give back to Chicago,” and the band is beginning by donating to Back to Roots. Back to Roots is an organization that provides gardening and food education to kids in the Chicago area, and with the donations from Fall Out Boy, Back to Roots will be able to give 20,000 elementary school kids an organic gardening kit and the knowledge to grow their own food. Fall Out Boy isn’t stopping there; they’re also bringing the Fall Out Boy Fund on the road with them. The MANIA tour starts next month, and during the course of the tour, the band wants to work with charities local to the cities they visit. To accomplish this, they are launching the “The Champion of the MANIA Tour,” which is a contest of sorts where people can nominate members of their community who work to make the world a better place. Winners will receive two tickets to their local Fall Out Boy show, and the band will be donating money to a charity of the winner’s choosing. One dollar from every ticket sold across the tour will also be going towards the Fall Out Boy fund. Source(s):Fall Out Boy, Twitter Image(s): Billboard
After speculation surrounding who would be replacing director Colin Trevorrow, J.J. Abrams has been confirmed as the director and co-writer of the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX.
by Emily Reuben After speculation surrounding who would be replacing director Colin Trevorrow, J.J. Abrams has been confirmed as the director and co-writer of the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX. Colin Trevorrow, the director originally set to direct Star Wars: Episode IX, allegedly faced creative differences with Disney and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy regarding the film. Eventually, this resulted in Trevorrow leaving the project. J.J. Abrams previously helped usher in a new era of Stars Wars with the 2015 film, The Force Awakens. Initially, the film received some negative feedback from veteran Star Wars fans and critics. Michael Hiltzik from the LA Times write, “[The film] is not very good … it’s depressingly unimaginative and dull in long stretches, and — crucially — reproduces George Lucas’ original 1977 movie slavishly almost to the point of plagiarism.” However, despite some negative reviews, the film was received with overwhelmingly positive reviews on aggregate sites like Rotten Tomatoes and totaled $247,966,675 during its opening weekend in the United States alone. In regard to Abrams previous work on The Force Awakens, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy states, “With The Force Awakens, J.J. delivered everything we could have possibly hoped for, and I am so excited that he is coming back to close out this trilogy.” In the past, J.J Abrams has acted as a producer and writer for popular films including Armageddon (1998) and Cloverfield (2008). Abrams has also recently directed Star Trek (2008), Super 8 (2011), and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). Outside of film, Abrams has having created or co-created multiple TV dramas such as Felicity (1998-2003) and Lost (2004-2010). The new Star Wars film will be releasing on December 20th, 2019. Sources: Star Wars, The Wrap, Variety, IMDb (J.J. Abrams), IMDb (The Force Awakens) Image(s): Wikipedia
by Emily Reuben The Anne Frank Foundation has announced that a comic book detailing Anne Frank's life will be released on September 18th. The Anne Frank Foundation, founded by Frank's father Ottto Frank, holds the intellectual property rights to The Diary of a Young Girl, more commonly known as "The Diary of Anne Frank". While unauthorized comics exist, this project marks the creation of the first Anne Frank comic officially endorsed by the Anne Frank Foundation. The two creatives behind the project, Ari Folman and David Polonsky, pitched the comic this past Thursday. The comic is based off of the diaries written by 15 year old Anne Frank between 1942 to 1944. During this time, Frank and her family were hiding from the Gestapo in Amsterdam. After being found and captured in 1944, Frank perished at a Nazi concentration camp. The Diary of a Young Girl was discovered by her father and published in 1947, making Anne Frank one of the most famous and most discussed Holocaust victims. Ari Folman, the illustrator behind the comic, a native of Tel Aviv, Israel is known for his work as a film director, screenwriter, and score composer. His most notable work is an animated documentary, Waltz With Bashir, in which Folman attempts to recover his lost memories from Israel's Lebanon War. After debuting in the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, the film was met with high praise and has won various awards such as two Ophir Awards for Best Director and Screenplay (2008), a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film (2008), and Animafest Zagreb Grand Prix award for feature film (2009) to name a few. Other notable works of Folman's include Saint Clara (1996), Made in Israel (2001), and The Congress (2013). Folman will also be directing an animated version of the upcoming Anne Frank comic which will be titled Anne Frank. David Polonsky has previously worked with Ari Folman as Art Director for Waltz With Bashir and Production Designer for The Congress. While Polonsky is most commonly known for his production work with Folman, he has also illustrated the book version of Waltz With Bashir as well as various children's books. Anne Frank's story has been told countless times since the publication of her initial diary entries in the late 1940s. Cnaan Liphshiz with The Times of Israel notes, "Since the 1940s, many authorized and unauthorized adaptations of the Anne Frank story have been created in many media. In Japan alone, the Anne Frank story has been the subject of several comic books – graphic novels in the Japanese manga style. But these publications were not authorized by the Anne Frank Foundation for historical accuracy corresponding to Anne’s actual writings." With unauthorized versions of Frank's story muddying the historical accuracy of her life and the tragedies surrounding the Holocaust, the need for faithful adaptations is now in greater demand. The goal of Folman and Polonsky's comic is to retell Anne Frank's story with as much historical accuracy as possible. At a recent Q&A session about the project Folman stated, “I’m worried we’re coming to an era where there won’t be Holocaust survivors on Earth, no living witnesses to tell the story." According to The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's official website, Folman's fears are warranted: The Registry of Holocaust Survivors currently contains the names of over 195,000 survivors and family members and we are adding more every day. A growing number of these individuals, who registered their names and historical information over the last 15 years, are now deceased." The majority of Holocaust survivors have died, and those that remain are growing more advanced in age. In a matter of years no survivors will remain. As a result, projects such as this are vastly important in maintaining a critical part of world history. With survivors becoming more and more scarce, many people are losing emotional ties to the events of the past, so their stories and history become more like gruesome fiction rather than historical fact. As stated by Folman, "...the entire story of the Holocaust risks becoming something ancient so it’s essential to find ways to preserve." The adaption will be 148 pages and published in 40 different languages. Source: The Times of Israel , United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, IMDb (Ari Fulman), IMDb (David Polonsky) Image: The World's Children's Prize
