Michael J. Berntsen

Michael J. Berntsen

Michael J. Berntsen teaches Literature, Film, and Composition at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. He wears Spider Man shoes and models his life after Spongebob.

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    The 21st Century: The Rise of TV and the Decline of Film

    TV series have presented bold storytelling and characters within the last two decades. The advent of Netflix, Amazon, and other web-based streaming networks have further taken "TV programming" to new heights of artistic expression and creative topics. Even though Reality Shows dominate many stations, fictional series continue to capture audiences’ imaginations.

    While TV is experiencing a renaissance, the film industry is suffering from an obsession for reboots, adaptations, and re-imaginings. What are the factors that are contributing to this shift, given how film critics and audiences viewed film as the higher art form during much of the 20th century? Possible shows to discuss: Netflix’s "House of Cards" (since it is an adaptation).

    In fact, many popular 70s shows were adaptations from British TV ("Three’s Company," "Sanford & Son," "All in the Family). Are there really more innovative shows today? "Orange Is the New Black," "Game of Thrones," "Forever," "Transparent," "Comedy Bang! Bang!" "Time and Eric" could be useful shows to discuss. Modern TV certainly has its share of adaptations and reboots: "Flash," "Once Upon a Time," and "Game of Thrones," being three, yet critics and audiences are viewing them as innovative, while the live-action Disney productions, for example, are not as well-regarded. With R-rated movies becoming a novelty rather than a regularity, film has lost its edge over TV for many reasons.

    • You should definitely think about talking about the way in which the style of how we watch TV shows has changed. This is a huge contributing factor why tv shows have increased. Talk about... The main corporations that control the broadcasting stations or networks and how they first introduced marathons that would broadcast back to back epsidoes of a show. Then the rise of Netflix and how we watch shows alone now compared to the time where we gathered around the TV as a family to watch a good movie. There are many scholarly articles on this if you wanted to look some up. – Meaganryelle 8 years ago
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    • You should definitely think about talking about the way in which the style of how we watch TV shows has changed. This is a huge contributing factor why tv shows have increased. Talk about... The main corporations that control the broadcasting stations or networks and how they first introduced marathons that would broadcast back to back epsidoes of a show. Then the rise of Netflix and how we watch shows alone now compared to the time where we gathered around the TV as a family to watch a good movie. There are many scholarly articles on this if you wanted to look some up. – Meaganryelle 8 years ago
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    Latest Comments

    Michael J. Berntsen

    kalyraman,

    Be careful of hasty generalizations. That word certainly had emotional impact to the population it affected. Many slave songs and early blues songs reflect people’s emotions connected to that word (Use “Jelly Roll, Bix, and Hoagy” for further reading. It was also not a proper word in public discourse. But, you are right in that Twain did not intend to reinforce the racism. His use draws attention to the dehumanization.

    The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Analysing its Racial Context and Reception
    Michael J. Berntsen

    Awesome ideas. Have you or anyone read “Lovecraft’s Monsters?” That collection shows how Lovecraft continues to inspire artists and readers. One aspect, I’d be curious about how you feel about the diction. I hear a lot of people struggling with the diction. Would you ever want to see any kind of modern English versions of his stories?

    Lovecraft: Why His Ideas Survive
    Michael J. Berntsen

    You bring up a great reminder that anti-heroes have always existed. I see the trend to use anti-heroes as main characters or create main characters more in line with anti-hero traits coming form the “make it dark(er)” sensibility. (If I played a drinking game with how many times people say “make it darker” in a writing workshop, I would be dead). Modern Western audiences prefer to see their heroes flawed to make them feel better, in line with why people watch Reality TV or Jerry Springer (seriously, how is his show still on?). If Star Wars came out today, Luke Skywalker would be an anti-hero or, at least, have more anti-hero qualities. As a culture, we seem to be so disillusioned that we can’t conceive a pro-hero.

    Anti-Heroes and the Appeal They Have in Comics