Ten Lit Books

I would like to finish Society of the Crossed Keys. I also want to read more of the screenplays and then watch the movies to see how they're executed. I also would like to binge watch more of the TV shows. I am definitely planning to watch Stranger Things. I would also like to watch more Wes Anderson movies. I also would like to read the Agatha Christie mysteries. After that, I want to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

The Medium is the Massage

Look Out, The Saints are Coming Through

It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that the man was an addict. The story always talked around the drugs. I sympathized with the wife. She had no control over her husband other than the fact that they loved each other. However, the husband's addiction was too strong. The woman displayed unconditional love when she never gave up on him. She found out about all his crimes. However, she kept that marriage oath. It was also interesting how connected he was to Bob Dylan. Sometimes, I got confused and thought the man in the story was Bob Dylan. I guess the story was referring to how everyone had their darker and flawed sides, even Bob Dylan.

I connected with the helpless attached feeling that the woman had. She couldn't leave the man even though he committed terrible crimes. Her common sense probably told her that he had huge problems. Even her brothers were telling him to leave. Yet, when she signed the marriage contract, she showed that she just gave him her whole soul. I understand that unbreakable loyalty for some reason. It's really hard to leave even though you might want to. She kept supporting him through the healing process. They acknowledge their problems and keep going.

I feel like this story could be a short film/music video. A lot of music videos have this theme and feeling to them. It could have Bob Dylan songs playing throughout. I would have the story as a long flashback. It would start with the present where the man is trying to do his job as a coach. The woman has a baby. Then, it would flashback to when they first met and how their life progressed. Maybe it would end with the altercation in the parking lot. The man would then punch the pavement.

The Lion King

Disney has made such an impact on the history of media that it’s impossible not to discuss him. His legacy was lost for a while, but the high quality films came back during the Disney Renaissance. In 1994, Disney released The Lion King. The interesting thing is that it was not predicted to be a success. More focus was put on Pocahontas, which was being produced at the same time. However, all they had to do was show this clip in theaters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GibiNy4d4gc Instantly, people were hooked.

There have been some controversies with the film. During one scene, Simba collapses onto a cliff and dust flies up to spell out the word, “SEX.” Animators later said that it’s actually supposed to say SFX. People also thought that The Lion King copied a Japanese anime. The director said that he was unaware a Japanese anime about lionx existed. Lastly, some scientists sued DIsney because they showed hyenas in a bad light.

Despite the controversies, The Lion King was extremely successful. It led to two sequels. It has a video game as well. Its musical has become the third longest running show on Broadway. The production company has traveled all over the world to perform its shows. The dancing and costumes are breathtaking. The music is so iconic now. The Lion King is so famous that the Library of Congress has documented the film as historically significant and saved it for posterity.

Gaming

When I was growing up, my mom limited the amount of gaming that my brother and I could do. But, we need a lot of online games. Club Penguin, Webkinz, Neopets. I also got into Sims and Rollercoaster Tycoon. Later, the smartphone games. I loved Diner Dash, Restaurant Story and Candy Crush. I guess that my favorite game of all time was Sims. I actually bought the CDs and expansion packs. It was the only game that I spent money on.

The reason why I liked Sims so much was the feeling I got from playing God. I had these people whose lives that I controlled. I got to decide where they worked and who they married. I also got to kill them off if i wanted to. In the Sims 2 version, Sims who died prematurely came back as ghosts. There were seven different types of ghosts for the seven different ways of dying: drowning, electrocution, fire, etc. I tried to create all of them in one household, but making Sims die is harder than you think. They have a sense of self-preservation.

Each Sim also had their own personality and life. The premade Sims in the game even had backstories. When you played, you became a storyteller. I felt like I had all these stories in progress that weaved together. I also got to decide the endings. I also decided a goal and aspiration for each Sim. The game provided spontaneous and unpredictable events that could hurt or help your Sim. Therefore, you felt accomplished if your Sim achieved your goal.

There are also books that let you decide the ending. Each chapter ends with a choice. Each choice tells you to go to a different chapter. Ultimately, you create your own story within this already written book. Sims also has online forums that let you share your stories. There is an online version of Sims where you can interact with other people as Sims. This gives people the chance to create a better version of themselves. People play Sims because it gives them a world where they have more control.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

I watched the TV series, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”. I enjoyed it immensely. At first, I was worried for her when her money got stolen. I thought she was going to die. Thankfully, the incredibly convenient universe provided for her. This show actually started off with a dark concept. The news are showered with stories of young girls getting kidnapped and being found after decades. I know because my mom always emails me the links of the news stories. It was a good setup for Kimmy because it shows how incredibly positive she is in comparison.

She’s also completely unpredictable because she has the mentality of a child, but also the maturity of an adult. Yet, we still relate to her because we all know what it’s like to come to a new place. She’s just trying to fit in. She also completely wins us over by how she overcomes challenges and disagreements just by being optimistic and hardworking. We admire how she’s not wallowing in self-pity for losing fifthteen years of her life. Kimmy Schmidt’s inspiring.

I feel long form television has created a kind of replacement for cable TV. People don’t need to flip through channels to find something that they like. That gives shows a kind of freedom because they’re not held to the station requirements. Then, you get shows like Kimmy Schmidt that are a little different. They don’t have a laugh track. They can branch out and have characters that aren’t the cookie cutter expected attractive. They don’t have to worry about target audiences. The show will find its own niche.

This means that cable TV has tougher competition. They can no longer rely on the person fermenting on their couch to watch their shows. Netflix offers such a huge variety of shows instantly for a cheap price. I hope that movies up their game too because of Netflix. Studios with investors can’t rely on product films while independent filmmakers with original ideas find funding with Netflix. Even Youtube is launching Youtube Red to create its own original shows. The popular forms of media are changing.

Ghost World

I was surprised to find out this graphic novel was written by a guy because I think it captured teenage girl angst pretty well. The biggest obstacle that teenage girls face is losing friendships. When people grow up and change, the relationships become fragile. I was also impressed because these girls were fully fleshed out characters who arced. They were not ideal cookie cutter teen girls. They weren't stereotypical either. Daniel Clowes made sure that they had realistic flaws. The interesting thing is that the girls tend to overpower the men throughout the novel.

Ghost World reminded me of the graphic novel, This One Summer, by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki. It also navigated the twisted path of adolescence for young women. Interestingly, these two girls did not dominate men as much. It was more about discovering the special side of the world that females deal with. For Ghost World, the novel focused a lot on characters who don't fit in with normal society. They don't find satisfaction interacting with normal people. Instead, they find the outcasts similar to themselves. I guess that everyone tends to feel like an outcast at some point. Maybe that's why they were able to make a movie out of Ghost World.