Indiana Jones Tropes

1. The helpless assistant: Jones helps his assistant over and over again, saving him easily from death
2. Ally turned Enemy: Despite Jones helping him over and over, he abandons Jones and acts selfishly in Jones' time of need
3. Evil Nazis!: The Nazis can always be blamed as the antagonists.
4. Fear of Snakes: Indiana is scared of snakes like everyone else, even though he is super heroic
5. Evil Monkey: The monkey who secretly plots with the pirate
6. Car flies off cliff: Ever present 
7. Muscular guy fight:
8. Car chase: An epic car chase is a staple in any action movie
9. Bad guy: "We're not so different"
10. Super Villain: The Nazi boss emulates all evil - repeated with Darth Sidius or Darth Vader in Star Wars much later, and the Nazis resemble the evil Stormtroopers
11. Distressed Princess: Marion needs rescuing by Indy, despite her skill most of the time
12. Nazi Screaming: The Nazi boss screams like a girl before his death
13. Rival: Belloq is a rival of Jones despite his similarities
14. Poison Darts: Natives shooting darts at Jones as he runs to the airplane
15. Idol: A precious idol, that has meaning to natives of a country, is stolen by foreigners

Media Review 31: Mr. Nobody

This movie popped up on Netflix a couple months ago and I decided to watch it, but we're watching it in Psychology now. This movie is about the last mortal on Earth, and it progresses through his life story as he recounts it. However, he can't remember any of the choices he made. Instead, he recounts all of his possible lives- unsure of which neighborhood girl he married, or whether he crashed his motorcycle. The film has high production value, yet it lacks cohesion and real substance. Each "life" changes visual style, and they do not fit well together. Also, the film relies heavily on music instead of sound design. It's like a compilation of montages, but the idea is still interesting. 6/10

Media Review 30: Nike Socfly Triple Black

Nike is continuing their current thin sole runner trend with the Socfly, yet this show seems unique as it is geared toward the casual market. Though Nike's Roshe Run was also a casual only shoe, it did not resemble Nike's other runners (like the Free Flyknit 3.0). This shoe seems to be a casual re-envisioning of the free Flyknit 3.0, replacing the laces with a strap and a slightly thicker sole. This shoe has an incredible, futuristic design, yet the color scheme keeps it simple and refined. They will probably be my summer shoe pickup.

Media Review 29: Fight Club

Fight Club is a well known movie from the late 90s, and two actors, Edward Norton and Brad Pitt, star as the mayhem-causing duo. This movie is excellently crafted in a cinematic sense- it uses color casts and interesting camera movement to convey the intensity of the film. Especially interesting were the settings used- the film was shot almost entirely at night and covered grungy, urban landscapes. These accurately conveyed the intense decay of Tyler Durden's mind. 

Another interesting tidbit: Marla seems to be the only female in the entire film. The testosterone is definitely showing through.

ET Analysis

• Describe the frog dissection class scene, and what is inter-cut with it. What does the teacher ask the students to look at to "observe the similarities," and what two things would the students be comparing? What does this tell us about what is being inter-cut? What is the metaphor here?

The students are shown in a lab, preparing for a dissection. The lesson and teaching is very dry, and the kids are disinterested. The teacher compares the frog hearts to human hearts, stating that they will still be beating during dissection. Meanwhile, the scene is intercut with ET watching a classic American romance film, and responding emotionally. I think that the intention is to show that despite the differences in species, ET, the frogs, and humans are all similar. We share similar emotions, and deserve to be treated fairly and equally.

• What allusions exist in E.T. that cause critics to believe that the film is a religious story? This is a common critique. Discuss at least five things (at least two of which are visuals, and two are plot points) in paragraph form, research, and post an article on this topic.

Et very blatantly references religion through imagery and plot. ET embodies a "holy spirit" or savior figure, clearly observable in 3 plot points: His mixed relationship with those on Earth (captivating to the young and threatening to the old), his resurrection after death, and the miracles and mysterious power he possesses. ET is comparable to Jesus; he arrives mysteriously and immediately captures the attention of the people. In this case, children play the role of the common people, while the adults could be the Romans. The adults are immediately threatened when they discover ET, and they disapprove of his influence over children. Visually, the film references aspects of religion very clearly. Two images which immediately come to mind are ET's glowing fingertip (conveying his hidden power) and the glowing lights as the children look upwards toward heaven.

• What allusions exist in E.T. that cause critics to consider this film a critique of America's comfort or discomfort with immigration? Discuss three things in paragraph form.
• An important quote: Scientist: "So Elliott thinks its thoughts?" Michael: "No, Elliott feels his feelings." Why is this quote important, and how does it relate to the contrast between how the children receive E.T. and how the adults do? How does it connect to "otherness," issues surrounding immigration, and foreign relations in the 1980s?

Media Review: OSA Vocal's Caravan

First of all, I want to acknowledge the incredible talent and amount of work put into this show. Hella good performers! I think my favorite performance came from Barbara, a freshman with an amazing voice who stunned the crowd with a Nigerian song. She received a well deserved standing ovation.

The only issues I had with the show were not vocal-related. First, it seemed like the microphones were very unbalanced for the first half, and it took away from the performance. Second, the show had an odd relationship with race. It was amazing to share and perform songs from around the world, but it seemed like the singers were casted because of their physical appearance. Also, during Barbara's Nigerian melody, images of stained glass church windows were used, seemingly celebrating colonialism.

Lastly, Jada Banks-Mace closed out the show with an incredible performance of Into the Moon. In 8th grade, her performance at the vocal show convinced me to stay at OSA rather than leave for Oakland Tech. Tonight she reminded me why I stuck around so long.

Media Review 27: Christopher Ræburn SS15 Video

This film is something straight out of Ingemar's portfolio. The opening sequence of planes parked in the desert, combined with the music, sets up something epic. I think this video is excellent because it shows a concept that would sound ridiculous any other way. Explaining that the clothes are inspired by industrial plane covers would sound like art school bullshit, but shown, it is amazing. The sequence of the clothes forming together is A+. All video parts aside, the clothes are awesome too. 9/10