I have been really busy with school so I didn't really think about my Halloween costume until the day of. Deciding to put approximately zero effort into it, I decided to go as Superman diguised as Clark Kent. The only thing I had to buy was were the glasses (not pictured). There were a surprising number of comic book costumes. Quite a few people were dressed as the Joker, but there were a few other Supermen, a Catwomen, a Flash, and a grape.
This has been up for awhile, but The Museum of Moving Image has been posting political commercials from every presidential election since 1952. Despite the changes in media in the last 50 years, the general tone of these commercials has not really changed. The same themes and messages we see in commercials released on youtube or during primetime television are the same as those that have been used in commercials since the campaign to elect Dwight D. Eisenhower.
I've been thinking a lot about how the national discourse has changed during the Bush presidency, but looking through these I'm not so sure. Many of these commercials seem almost interchangable with the ones we've been seeing for the last two years. Of course, there is a fairly significant difference between praying on the american public's fear of nuclear proliferation and their fear of secret muslims.
A lot of the commercials are pretty ironic in retrospect, especially those for presidents that ultimately proved unpopular. But even for popular presidents, the dissonance between what is promised in a lot of their commercials and what was actually done is rather gigantic. I don't think its much of a suprise that so many people are so cynical with the political process. After all, everything we're seeing now has been happening for the last half century.
Depending on outcome on Tuesday, I do think some of this will change. One of the most impressive aspects of the Obama campaign has been its media savvyness. They've used text messages, facebook posts, traditional commercials, 30 minute informercials, youtube, and any number of other means to get their message out. Furthermore, the tone of these messages has been remarkably consistant. There is little in the way of personal attacks on McCain and Palin, instead the ads (even the attack ads) have pretty much stuck to the issues. The McCain campaign is also running a revolutionary ad campaign. I'd call it more disguisting than savvy as it has recently relied on stating blantent exaggerations or outright lies as truth. However, it is difficult to argue with their success as many people still belive Obama started his campaign in William Ayers' living room or that he is responsible for voter fraud.
Its going to be an interesting couple of days before we know how this is all going to turn out. I know which side I want to win and its not the one thats been revolutionizing political advertising by repeating outright lies.
You can't have Halloween without subversive social commentary... and zombies!
I'm not sure how I managed not to see the original Dawn of the Dead before now, but I thought it was pretty great. Sure the acting is a bit cheesy and the special effects aren't great, but its a movie about a zombie plague overtaking the world. The social commentary on consumerism and greed are probably more relevant now than when the film was made. I've seen some of the later sequels and Night of the Living Dead is available through archive.org but I think I'm going to have to check out some other George Remero.
Oh and 28 Days Later is now available for free via hulu. I think you need to sign in to see it because its rated R, but its worth checking out.
I had an extremely busy week of midterms and presentations so I got some sci-fi movies from the library to watch over the weekend. Heres what I've watched so far.
I've seen Primer before, but even on the second viewing I'm not sure I've got it all worked out. Ostensibly, the movie is about two friends who accidentally invent a time machine in their garage. However, it quickly becomes about the paradoxes that erupt as the men attempt to use the machine to alter their own lives and the breakdown of trust that occurs as they try to interfere with each other's actions.
The story is very engaging, but it is really difficult to follow exactly whats going on as the film proceeds. As I said, this was my second time through and I still had a hard time putting everything together. While the plot is radically different, Primer is a lot like The Fountain in that the exact plot is really open to interpretation. As the film proceeds it is clear that everything is not what it appears, but exactly how much this effects what we see on the screen doesn't become clear until repeat viewings.
I really liked "Primer" and its creation with a measly $7,000 budget is certainly not apparent on the screen, but its not for everyone. Certainly one of the most cerebral movies I've seen in a while... not much in the way of action scenes of funny dialogue here. If your looking for a fun adventure flick, don't look at "Primer" but if your idea of good sci-fi is more 2001 a Space Odyssey and less Transformers: The Movie, I recommend Primer.
Sunshine, directed by Danny Boyle is a bit more traditional. It involves astronauts on a mission to reignite the sun with the world's largest nuclear payload. However, things are played as straight as possible given the ludicrousness of the plot. The characters react realistically to the situation, and the the mission is dealt with with appropriate gravitas. Throughout the film the characters discuss the importance of completing the mission at all costs. The debate about a slight course alteration to investigate a distress signal from an earlier mission becomes a huge plot point. This is basically the anti-Armageddon as preventing the end of the world is not heralded by flashy camera movements and Aerosmith riffs, but with deep psychological stress and extreme action.
Although I thought the third act was a bit weak compared to the rest of the film, I really enjoyed Sunshine. The visuals and the score were both really well done and the cast was made up of a number of good, if underrated, actors. Seriously, why Cillian Murphy and Michelle Yeoh don't get more mainstream work, I'll never know. Sunshine isn't exactly light comedy as there is some really heavy moments, but if you don't mind some suble science vs. religion allegory (ok so its not subtle in the least especially by the end), I'd definately reccomend it. Also if you haven't seen it yet, check out 28 Days Later. Its about how people react when society completely breaks down... due to a zombie plague. Its also directed by Danny Boyle and its also really well done.
